"Mommy," asked Amby. "Do you know them?" He indicated Gwaine and Arthur, who were trailing behind, the latter only just catching up with them.
Merlin sighed, but smiled at her son. "I know them," she admitted. "They were…friends."
"I like them," smiled the little boy. "Especially Arthur. But he's a prat."
Merlin had to smile at that. "He sure is."
They walked in silence for a while, but then Ambrose's attention span wore out again. "Mommy," he said, "Are they gonna stay with us?"
"For tonight."
"Oh." His face fell. "I was hoping that one could be my daddy."
Merlin picked him up softly, tears that never fell gleaming in her eyes. She knew what it was like growing up without a father. Amby barely knew anything about his, and was constantly seeking someone who could fill that gap. Mordred he viewed more as a brother.
Merlin shot a glance back at Arthur, who no doubt knew who Amby was. She thought for a moment.
In that moment, she decided her son needed a father.
"Arthur, can you come with me for a moment?" asked Merlin, unknowing that he was just about to ask her that. He nodded as she led him outside.
The sun was setting, casting shadows everywhere. Merlin took Arthur by the hand and led him into the meadow. Amby had been just sent to bed, with Gwaine promising him a riveting bedtime story. Mordred was nowhere to be found, but apparently he made disappearances often. Merlin laid down on the soft flowers, indicating Arthur should do the same next to her. They turned their heads to look at each other.
"You probably know Amby is your son," Merlin sighed out. Arthur nodded, hand sneaking into her's. She didn't pull away. "Listen, Arthur, I know what happened and everything, but-"
"Merlin," he breathed out, and she stopped. His eyes looked pained. "Merlin, what happened-"
She shook her head. "Save it."
"No," he said, mustering courage. "Merlin, that woman was a sorceress. She said she could help you conceive and I believed her." He smiled sadly. "And it worked."
Merlin turned her head over, so he couldn't see her face. "That doesn't explain why you were in bed with her. Or why you banished me."
"The bed part was her," he said, eyes closed. "I think she wanted you to feel a strong emotion, so Amby could happen. She thought jealously and heartbreak would be the most potent."
"And why did you banish me? And say all those things?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Merlin," whispered Arthur. "She told me to say those things. I was going to go after you, but she stopped me. I realized later that none of it was necessary. And I should have gone after you."
Merlin did not answer, or even look at him. "Did you mean any of it?"
"Never."
She turned to him, a small smile on her face.
"Merlin, every day, I died without you. I know I what I did was inexcusable, but would you come back to Camelot?" he asked, heart thumping in anticipation.
"I will," she sighed. He went in to kiss her, but she stopped him. "I will, because you didn't mean it. And I'll go because Amby needs a father, but can we remain just friends for while?"
Arthur was crushed, but he nodded. He hoped the hurt wasn't written across his face. Merlin gave him the Merlin grin. "Hey," she said, "Cheer up. I just want to be friends for a while. A very short, brief, while."
He did cheer up a bit. "How long?"
She thought for a moment. "After this moment, I think we should take it a week at a time."
"What do you mean by 'after this moment'?"
Merlin's smile widened. Her hand went up to his face, fingers sliding his eyes shut. He felt her crawl over him, their chests pressed together. The sun was just setting. "I'm sorry," Arthur whispered to her.
"I know." And with that, Merlin pressed her lips against his.
"So what story do you want to hear?" Gwaine asked his virtual nephew. Amby thought for a moment, and was about to answer, when the front door banged open, revealing a setting sun in the one-room house. It was Mordred.
"Where's Merlin?" he asked, voice vicious. He glared around the room.
"She and Arthur-" started the knight, but he was cut off by a snarl from the boy.
"Dammit!" he said, Amby immediately covering his ears.
Gwaine glared at him. "Don't say that with Amby around, he's only two."
Mordred glared right back. "Well-"
"Can we start the story now?" squeaked Ambrose. Mordred stopped and sank into a chair. Gwaine nodded, glad that small argument was over. "I wanna hear a good story," said the two year old. "But can there be love in it? Mommy never tells love stories."
Gwaine smiled, having a story in mind. "Have you ever heard the one about The Prat and The Idiot?"
The little boy shook his head, and in the background, Mordred shifted in his seat, trying not to show he was listening. Gwaine smiled and began. "It all started when an Idiot walked into a kingdom, called Camelot. There the Idiot met the Prat. Both of them hated each other, and just to prove it, their first words to each other were insults. The Prat was a prince and the Idiot was from a small village, but somehow the Idiot saved the Prat's life. As a reward, the Idiot got to become the Prat's servant."
"Not much of a reward," muttered Amby. Gwaine pretended not to notice Mordred subconsciously nodding in agreement.
"I know," Gwaine continued. "But overtime, sometime changed between them. They ended up going on many adventures and saving each other's lives on a daily basis. Slowly, they became friends.
"They soon relied on each other more than anything else. The Idiot knew the Prat would always be there, and the Prat knew the same about the Idiot. And soon enough, they fell in love with each other. Everyone could see it, except themselves. They refused to believe it, admitting they were only friends. It was impressive, how they could ignore the looks they gave each other or how they bickered like an old married couple. They were so in love, but they were blind to it.
"One day, they Idiot got hurt and the Prat was nearly destroyed by it. Only then, the Prat knew he was in love. He never left his Idiot's side. The Idiot did get better, but was still blind to love. It just took a few more adventures and the Prat getting jealous to realize it."
"And they lived happily ever after," said Mordred, rolling his eyes.
"Oh, no, they didn't," said Gwaine, eyes widening. "They went on several more adventures, and eventually got married. But there was one problem: the Prat did something very stupid and it forced the Idiot away."
"What did he do?" asked Amby, gasping.
"The Prat was kissing another woman," said Gwaine as the little boy gasped again. Mordred shook his head in disgust. "The Prat didn't mean to. The woman he was kissing was a sorceress that wanted to split them up, so it wasn't really the Prat's fault. But the Idiot still ran away with a broken heart."
"What happened?" Gwaine wasn't surprised to hear Mordred ask this.
"The Prat searched for his Idiot, every day missing a piece of himself. He nearly lost himself too. He wouldn't talk to anyone, and he always looked sad. But he never stopped looking for the Idiot.
"One day, while he was searching, he found a small boy. The boy was lost, and he needed help. The Prat of course helped him. The boy led him into some woods, around the area where he lived. Out of nowhere, a familiar face grabbed the boy and started kissing him and yelling at him. It was the boy's mother, scolding him for running off. The boy's mother took one look at the Prat and recognized him. The boy's mother was the Idiot.
"The Idiot didn't forgive the Prat on sight, but later, they went out into a field, alone. They talked for a while, the Prat explaining everything and apologizing. The Idiot most likely forgave him."
"What do you mean 'most likely'?" asked Ambrose, eyes wide with interest.
"Well, no one's really sure how the story ends," said Gwaine mysteriously. He looked out the window, and saw with the last few lights of day Arthur and Merlin walking hand in hand, smiling fondly at one another. "But everyone knows it ended with them being in love."
Hmmmmm...I wonder who the Prat and the Idiot are. I bet Mordred does too!
Mordred: Yeah, I kinda think it's-
Me: Nooo, don't tell them! They're smart enough to figure it out by themselves.
Mordred: Whatever.
Merlin: So are characters now allowed to talk in the author's note?
Me: No! Get out!
Arthur: Don't talk to my idiot like that!
Merlin: Thanks Arthur... Glad to know I'm "your idiot."
Amby: Hiiiiiii readers!
Me: Awwwwwwww!
Gwaine: You let Amby talk but not us?
Me: He's cute.
Gwaine: *eye-roll* Don't you have a school tomorrow?
Me: Oh, yeah! Better finish this author's note!
Amby: We, of this fanfiction, would like to thank Lady Blade WarAngel, Original Hybrid, That Gryffindor Flame, Samerys707, and bubzchoc for reviewing! Yaaaay!
Me: Well, Amby just stole my line. Until the next chapter...