A/N:

I got a request about the kids' ages so here goes:

Claudin is the oldest and is thirteen. He's responsible big brother.

Next is Iseult, who is twelve and a half. Bossy and a mother bear, Caelin is taking after her. Iseult is her hero.

Then is Rion, younger than Iseult and about twelve. He's more easy going than her two older siblings but also a really good older brother. He and Claudin share a lot of responsibilities.

Lunette is under ten, probably eight or nine, I haven't decided, She's so quiet but mature so it's hard to pin down. But she's also the type to quietly observe and then point out things that no-one realizes. She's clever.

Gwyn is seven and all rough and tough and then is Lucan, who's about six or five. He's small and follows Gwyn everywhere. They are the best buds.

Caelin, the little chatter mouth. I imagine she's really adorable and bossy, she's around three.

And then there is little Eliwlod, or Eli. He's about a year old. He's just learned to crawl, but he's real fast fellow.

xxXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

The knights had gathered around a table filled with maps and reports. They had been searching for their prince for over two weeks now with no results. Patrols were still combing through the villages and forests, trying to find any hints of their prince, but most of them had returned to the castle to plan.

Leon drew on the map, marking the areas searched precisely and methodically. Others were informing him of any rumors they had heard. Gwaine especially had gathered surprising amount of information from wide area. Apparently his habit to visit the taverns had some use.

Merlin was hovering behind them, no one having the heart to order him out despite his servant status and absent master.

They were deciding which areas would be searched next when they were interrupted by the arrival of Gaius. He rushed in with uncharacteristic lack of decorum, looking harried and frazzled. Immediately he had the attention of the entire room.

"Gaius? What is the matter? Have you any news?" asked Leon, not quite daring to hope.

"Oh, I do indeed. A letter, in fact. It has been written by his Highness." Panted Gaius, having quite obviously run the distance from his chamber to the meeting room.

Gaius' words brought the whole room alive, excitement and profound relief being the most prominent feelings on everyone's faces.

"Please, Gaius, is he well?" asked Leon.

Gaius turned his attention to the letter. "He writes that he has been wounded in the battle and is unable to travel. Apparently he was helped by a peasant, who lost his life in the process. The man's children then allowed him into their home and cared for his wounds. He writes he's healing well, but weak from the fever he suffered for several days. He asks his knights to retrieve him. He has named those he wishes to be part of the retrieval." Gaius said, offering the letter to Leon, who was better versed to read Arthur's coded location.

Leon scanned the letter before eyeing the map. "He's in the village of Seacourt. Or apparently near it. He mentions a man named Cador."

Gwaine leaned closer to see the map. "The village is quite far from where the patrol was ambushed." He said, estimating the distance from the map.

Leon nodded. "Yes, Arthur can cover quite a lot of ground when he has to. He's a fast and indefatigable runner."

"Who is to ride to the village?" asked the knight on Leon's right, Sir Ywain.

"Sir Lancelot, Elyan, Percival, Gawain, myself… and Merlin."

"Merlin?" questioned Sir Galahad.

"I do not find it surprising. Our prince knows he would ride after us if he was left behind anyway." Said Leon as many turned to glance at Merlin who was blushing slightly but not bothering to deny it.

"Very well, " said Leon, gathering the maps, "call back the patrols, we will ride out today. It is about time we have out prince back."

xxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

Arthur sat outside in the sun, putting finishing touches to his bow and sorting through his arrows. The other children were gathered excitedly around him, eager to see if his bow would work. He sat on a bench to save his feet, the arrows stacked next to him.

"How does it look?" Asked Rion eagerly. Gwyn and Lucan were tittering next to him poking at the arrows and pulling at Arthur's tunic in anticipation. It appeared they thought the testing to be as exiting as witnessing a melee.

"This looks very promising." Said Arthur, not letting the children flocking around him to disturb him. Admirable achievement considering Eli was standing on his tights one little hand fisted in his hair, other trying to reach his bow. Caelin was hanging from his shoulders, eyes shining and squealing with delight. Lunette had far less energy, but she hovered so near Arthur's side he feared he would knock her over with his elbow. Rion, Iseult and Caelin were considered enough to give him breathing room but still hovered near.

Apparently it was completely different to see their father work on household supplies compared to a real prince making a weapon, even if the weapon was a basic bow and not even very high quality.

"Finished!" Arthur declared lifting the bow higher for all of them to see. He winced when Eli tugged harder on his hair and reached a hand to untangle him.

"Come now, if you give me some room I can try and shoot it. We'll see if it works."

This had the children scrambling away from him. Arthur stood and winced from the pain. He was still unable to walk more than few steps without opening a wound. At Iseult's glare he opted to stand on the bench on his knees. Not as good position but it would do.

The bow was over half his length, reaching almost his shoulders when he rested it on the ground. He pulled it taunt to test his position as well as the bow. His balance was slightly off, but he could shoot. He picked and arrow and positioned it pulling the bow taunt again. The yard was completely quiet, the children holding their breaths in anticipation.

Arthur took aim, let his breath out in long exhale and released the arrow. The arrow hit a tree right in the middle 70 feet away, sinking easily in the bark. The children let out a collective whoop as Rion ran to collect the arrow.

Arthur lowered the arrow. "Well, I have to say this one feels just fine. I believe we are going to have more meat to go with the vegetable in the future."

"What does a pheasant taste like?" asked Gwyn curiously.

"You'll find out when I catch one. Or maybe I'll spot a rabbit. I can't track, so we'll see what I'll spot." Arthur picked up second arrow, pulled and released the arrow. It thudded next to the first, only few inches between them.

Arthur used all six arrows, learning how his bow worked before he sent Rion to fetch them. He waved at the rest of the children. "Now, go on, I'll see if I can shoot something for today or tomorrow." That said, Arthur rose to his feet with a wince, ignoring Iseult's look of disapproval and started to hobble towards the trees. Rion ran after him, handing out the arrows, before he as well was sent away.

Arthur did not walk far, his feet not allowing him to, and soon he chose a tree with thick limbs and easy to climb. He hauled himself up and settled up against the trunk, testing his position by pulling his bow taunt. When he was satisfied he could shoot without falling from the tree, he sat back, eyes alert, to wait.

The sun was setting by the time Arthur saw anything in shooting distance. A rabbit cautiously made his way towards the house, most likely attracted by the vegetable garden. Arthur shifted silently and pulled an arrow from the crude sheath he had constructed. Slowly he positioned the arrow, never letting his eyes wonder from the rabbit, and pulling his bow taunt.

Arthur took careful aim, calculating the path the arrow would take based on the shooting he had done earlier. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly and silently. As he ran out of breath, he let the arrow fly. It hit the rabbit on his flank, causing him to tumble and then lay still on the forest floor. Arthur smiled, satisfied, and started to climb down the tree, avoiding the use of his feet.

He reached the ground without difficulties but as his feet hit the forest floor he stumbled, his knees threatening to give out under him. He clenched his jaw and locked his knees. He leaned heavily to the tree, managing to remain standing despite the burning pain that originated from his feet and caused his legs to tremble.

When Arthur trusted his legs to carry him he limbed to the rabbit. He picked it up, removing the arrow and turned to walk to the house. They would be having rabbit stew tomorrow.

Arthur's feet did not agree with the walk but Arthur ignored it with the long practice he had gained over the years as a knight. He could imagine the scolding Iseult would give him when she saw his feet. Arthur preferred to change the dressings mostly himself, but usually Iseult cared for the soles of his feet. It was slightly awkward to do himself.

He arrived to the yard and headed straight to the area where he planned to hang the rabbit for the night. He had instructed Caelin to hang rope on the side of a little storage house. It would have to be high enough that no other animals would steal their catch. Arthur pulled out his knife and slid the throat of his rabbit, allowing the blood to run out before gutting it. When he was done he tied the rabbit from its back legs to hang. He cleaned his knife and buried the intestines.

When he finally entered the house, it was dark and he could smell the food coming from the inside. At his entrance the children looked up eagerly, exited to know the results of his hunting. Lucan and Gwyn came at him running, Caelin close behind. Eli, who had been momentarily abandoned in mist of playing by the bigger children looked momentarily put out before realizing the reason. Seeing Arthur, his face split into exited grin and he began crawling after his siblings.

Arthur crouched down to greet them and was forced to kneel in order to stay upright as Lucan and Caelin wrapped their arms around his neck. Gwyn was more interested in the bow and arrows Arthur still held in his hands. Arthur gave them to Gwyn, causing his eyes to shine and laid his hands on Caelin and Lucan's backs.

"Hey there. Easy now, you'll make me fall." He said, tickling them slightly. He was rewarded with giggles and slightly less strangling hold on his neck.

"Did you catch anything?" asked Gwyn, clutching the bow and arrows to his chest.

"Yes, I did. We'll be having rabbit stew in the future." Answered Arthur with a smile. Caelin and Lucan released him and squealed; already imagining what fresh meat in a stew would taste like.

"Wonderful," said Iseult as she set food on the table, "but today we're still eating bread."

Claudin took the bow from Gwyn and set it to lean against the wall, safely out of way.

"Could you teach me to fire a bow as well?"

Arthur nodded as he sidled to sit on the chair without actually rising to his feet. His knees had taken quite a lot of abuse during his recovery time. It was made all the more difficult by the fact that Eli had managed to reach him and was now contently laid against Arthur's shoulder, hands fisted into his tunic.

"I don't see why not, " Arthur answered when he had finally settled in his chair and reached foe both his and Eli's food. "but I doubt you'll be able to pull that bow. I'll have to make you your own."

That, of course, resulted the rest of the children demanding to be taught how to shoot a bow. Arthur soon put his foot down, saying he would teach Claudin and Rion, and Iseult if she wanted, but the rest were too young. Which led to another round of complaints that Arthur ignored.

As they ate, the children told Arthur about their day. Mostly Gwyn and Caelin, since they were the most eager, but Arthur had quickly learned how to lead the conversation so everyone, even the quiet Lunette, had the chance to speak. It really didn't differ much from leading his council of Lords, which was a testament to their maturity. The Lords', not the children.

After the food was gone they gathered around the fire, all finding small things to do. As usual the youngest crowded as close to Arthur as possible as he told them again of his days in Camelot. Arthur checked his bow and arrows before settling to mend a tunic that Lucan had ripped during the day. Eli had actually managed to climb to hang from his shoulder, which was impressive feat for a toddler who couldn't walk yet.

Lucan was laying half next to him, half on him, resting on his tight. Arthur's left leg was extended in front of him where he was sitting on the floor. The other was bent to the side so the sole of his feet didn't touch anything. In the crook of his right leg laid Caelin since she was small enough to fit there. Lunette rested against Arthur's back, sewing as well, and Gwyn laid on his back, next to Lucan. His head was resting on Arthur's shin in an angle Arthur doupted was very comfortable, but Gwyn didn't seem to mind. Rion, Claudin and Iseult were sitting close to him as well, not minding sitting on the floor at all.

Arthur hadn't used the chairs much, since that often led to fighting amongst the little ones as to who would get to sit on his lap. He had lost any right to personal space the moment he allowed Eli to his lap, Arthur reflected. He was starting to understand how mother's with many children felt. How on earth was he supposed to arrange them so all could sit close to him? Luckily for him, Cador had had the same dilemma, and had taught the children to arrange themselves with minimal fuss. As long as Arthur stayed on the floor. Thank the Gods it was well insulated wooden floor. It was really quite comfortable.

Now he just had to make sure he didn't poke any of the children with the needle.

As Arthur spoke the children asked questions and commented the events so it sometimes resembled conversations more than actual storytelling. It was in the middle of one of the conversation about Arthur's trusted new knights that Lunette asked her question that had been weighing heavily on her mind.

"The knights, they are going to come for you, aren't they? And when they do, are you going to leave us?"

Lunette's question brought silence to the room. Arthur didn't say anything at first, only looking at the children. They stared at him, unsure and little afraid. Even Iseult and Claudin, who tried to act even more independent and mature than they were looked clearly unsettled. Caelin was first to break the silence, which she did by starting to cry.

"Oh, Caelin, do not cry, " Arthur set his work aside and wrapped an arm around Caelin, talking to her gently and trying to calm her down. He looked at Gwyn and Lucan, who seemed to be close to tears as well. Lunette had crawled to sit next to him, and looking so sad and lonely that she reminded him of an abandoned puppy. He looked at Rion, who looked dejected, at Iseult who looked miserable and scared and at Claudin who looked so terribly lost. He was only a boy, trying to fill his father's shoes far too young.

How could Arthur leave them? Especially after his promise to Cador.

"Now, you lot, listen to me." Arthur said firmly, looking at them each in the eyes before continuing, "Before your father died I made him the promise to look after you. I am a knight of Camelot and I will always keep my word. When my knight come looking for me, I will take you all with me to the castle. I will take you in as my wards, and you will all be looked after. You will not have the right to the crown, especially if I have children one day to inherit, but you will have a place in my household. You will be taught and when you are older you can choose what you wish to do, whether it is to stay or leave."

Arthur had barely enough time to secure Eli on his shoulder before seven children jumped at him, crying in relief, gratitude and happiness. Arthur, at the bottom of the pile, smiled and wondered how the life would be in the castle with eight children tailing after him.

xxXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

One thing Arthur would never ever miss about his sudden holiday from his princely duties was cleaning after Eli. Fortunately they all lived by a routine so Eli's stomach worked in a rather constant cycle so there were rarely any nasty surprises. But the fact remained that Eli was too young to use a bucket or go outside and that resulted in Arthur cleaning him with a wet cloth on the floor. And he did not like it.

It was rather reassuring to know that his children would be looked after by their nannies so he wouldn't have to clean them. Cleaning Eli for over two weeks was more than he could handle. He supposed he should be thankful that Eli didn't fuss most of the time. He was quite content to let Arthur to handle him, babbling at him excitedly. Arthur had started to converse with him during those times and he had started to recognize some of the words Eli used.

"Ba! Bababab BUH!" Eli chirped, waving his hands at the bucket nearby and nearly rolling over as Arthur tried to tie a nappy on him.

"Yes, Eli. That's a bucket. It's full of water so you better not play with it."

"Wawah!"

"Yes, water. Iseult had Lunette clean the floor with it. Remember?"

"Dadadada Aa!"

"Mmhm, Lunette wouldn't let me help at all, said I did enough with the hunting yesterday."

"Buh,"

"Yes, and Iseult was very angry when she saw my feet while changing bandages."

"GA!"

"Oh, not you as well, I already got enough reprimanding, I won't walk today."

"Awawawwaa."

"Hm, you are happy with that, aren't you? I will be spending the entire day with you."

That got him a delighted coo, and Arthur lifted Eli over his head. Eli shrieked in delight and then drooled on his nose.

"Ugh, you are drooling on me again, Eli." Arthur complained as he lowered Eli, wiping his nose on his shoulder. Eli squealed and kicked his legs, not quite reaching Arthur's chest from where Arthur was holding him. Most of his chin was already wet and Arthur's tunic had a constant wet patch over his left shoulder where he usually propped Eli. He had gotten used to that too and now had a clean rag stuffed in his belt so he could wipe Eli's face from most of the drool. Eli was likely teething, Iseult had said, which caused him to drool. Arthur didn't know one way or another, so he didn't worry about it.

Eli gave him a toothless (for now) smile and Arthur set him on the floor, where Eli immediately went after his boots. Apparently they were wonderful chewing material, even if they weren't very clean. Arthur huffed and dragged the little one back, trying to get him to chew on his belt, instead of his boots.

xxXXXXXXXXXXxx

"Wow."

"That is quite impressive."

"It's unbelievable!"

"Do you think it bites?"

"For sure! I bet it's some sort of magical beast!"

The beast in question was an unusually large and colorful bug. Rion had found it on the field and captured it in a glass jar to show the others. The boys and Arthur were currently gathered around the kitchen table, staring at the bug in a glass jar. The girls didn't much care for bugs and Iseult really did not appreciate on of her glass jars being used for capturing bugs.

"If you break that jar…." She trailed off threateningly, waving a big wooden spoon at them. "Glass jars are expensive, we aren't getting any more."

Arthur lifted his head and tried to calm her "Do not worry so, it won't matter if the glass jar breaks. There are many glass jars in the castle."

That calmed Iseult and she allowed the boys to 'ooh' and 'aah' at the bug sitting desolately in the jar. Arthur thought the children would have been scared or at least nervous and apprehensive about leaving their home and moving in Camelot, but strangely enough, the mere mention that Arthur wouldn't leave them but instead take them with him, seemed to put them at ease.

Arthur had underestimated the effect he had on the children. His natural charisma and ability put others at ease added to being a prince and a knight had drawn the children in. He was natural with them, treating them both as equal and children and the genuine affection he held for them caused them to quickly adopt him as a member of their family. He brought the feeling of safety with him and the children were very impressed and awed by him. In their eyes, he could do no wrong. They had allowed him to sooth the pain left behind by their father's death and more quickly than Arthur could believe, they had become dependent on him. Arthur, who had always seen himself as a protector and as a friend to his people, answered their need automatically and almost unconsciously, becoming what they needed.

Sometimes he wondered what his father would say. He had been gone for more than two weeks, nearing three, and had managed to more or less adopt eight children. Accidentally. And none of them were nobility. Well, he several knights that were not born in nobility so what did it matter that he had eight unofficial wards not born in nobility as well?

It mattered. But, he had firm grasp on his kingdom and he had enough support to push the issue. He was a man of his word and he couldn't sleep peacefully if didn't know how the children were anyway.

Besides, he was rather sure the children could prove themselves to be useful. Rion had all the makings of a future knight, as did Gwyn. Claudin and Iseult were practical and clever and he was sure they could be given many responsibilities after they had received education. Claudin had a calm but firm presence and the rest of the children listened to him easily. Iseult had also strong personality and she was fierce and with a sharp tongue, once she got past her initial shyness, which, Arthur suspected, she would grow out of.

Lunette was quiet, but clever. Arthur suspected she was quite intelligent and looked forward to seeing her grow. She was like a rough diamond and he wanted to see her shine.

Lucan was young and impressionable, but Arthur had a hunch he would grow to be a impressive character. Much like with Lunette, Arthur didn't know what was hidden under the modest exterior, but he knew something was there.

Arthur had an ability to sense if someone was more than what they seemed. He had know quickly that Merlin was not all he seemed to be, that he was far more, something big and powerful. He hadn't know he had magic, but that wasn't all there was to Merlin. He was fierce and unbelievably loyal and despite acting like an airhead most of the time, he had the ability to solve difficult situations and had a biting practicality that allowed him to keep his head in situations that could make most of his knights panic.

Merlin wasn't the only one. He had known Morgana would grow to be a powerful woman, he just hadn't thought it would involve magic. He had always though she would be by his side as a fearsome ally.

There was also reason he picked his knights personally. He knew who had a strong heart and as a result his knights were the best in Albion. He knew what each needed to grow strong and trained them also as individuals.

He had strong instincts and he was slowly learning how to listen to them outside of fighting and battle. By using his instinct to learn how to deal with the children, to sense what each of them needed and how to approach them he had learned how to read people other than his knights. His father had thought him to listen to his instincts in a battle but he was starting to realize they were needed even more in the court. He knew how to read people, but coupled with the impressions he got without any rational explanation he could maybe learn to evaluate them better. Maybe one day he could tell if someone was trustworthy merely by glancing at them and talking with them once. His father had not much approved this, he had taught him to only trust what he saw. He hoped he could find a middle path. He couldn't simply decide he didn't like someone based on first impressions but….

"Whoah! Did you see that? It has a sting!"

Claudin's exited exclamation broke him out of his thoughts. He looked at the boys in amusement, glad to see Claudin so carefree for a change. The first sew days Arthur had known Claudin, the boy had been solemn and deponent. He had hardly smiled and acted like a young man, years older than his age. When Arthur had taken more active role in their life he had started to act more like Arthur suspected he had acted before Cador's death. He was still the oldest and took responsibility but now he did it as an older sibling, not as an adult. The result was that he was smiling more and even playing with his siblings.

Arthur grabbed Eli and pulled him off the table when it seemed he was about to touch the jar. He suspected the boys wouldn't tolerate it, especially if Eli tried to eat the jar like he was prone to do with anything he could fit in to his mouth, although the things he tried to eat certainly weren't limited to that, his boots being one example.

Eli let out a whine before being distracted by his hair as it caught light from the sun. He snatched two fistfuls of hair faster than lightning and the other went straight to his mouth. Arthur stared to extract his hair from Eli's mouth.

"No, Eli. Hair is not something you can eat. Here," he said, giving him a wooden toy "gnaw on this, will you." Eli relinquished his hair, which was clearly too long if Eli could grab it that easily, and took the toy. Arthur propped him against his left shoulder so he had his right hand free.

Caelin, who wasn't at all interested on the bug, tugged at his sleeve. "Look, Arthur, I have a treasure as well." She showed him a wild flower she had picked from outside, wanting to show him something impressive as well. Arthur took the flower and examined it.

"It is a very beautiful flower," he said while moving it out of Eli's grabbing range, "Why don't you show it to Iseult? She might now it's name."

Caelin took the flower and ran to Iseult. Arthur searched the house for Lunette and saw her sitting a short distance from the boys.

"Lunette, could you take Eli?"

Lunette looked up at him and nodded, standing up and reaching for Eli. Arthur pried Eli from his hair and wiped most of the drool first from Eli's little face and then from his shoulder as he gave Eli to Lunette.

"I am going to see to the rabbit. I promised the boys I would show them how to cut a rabbit and Iseult that we would eat it today."

Lunette nodded and cooed at Eli who was slightly disgruntled for losing his favorite spot against Arthur's shoulder.

"Alright," said Arthur, getting the boys' attention, "who wants to know how to skin and cut a rabbit?"

A chorus of enthusiastic "YES" answered him and he laughed as he gingerly got to his feet and hobbled towards the door, four eager boys trailing after him like ducklings.