Merlin was woken up by the irritating sound of his mobile phone ringing loudly, disturbing the once sleepy atmosphere.
"Hello"? Merlin said groggily.
"Merlin"! A muffled voice said on the other end.
"Who is this"? Merlin asked, slightly worried about who was calling at this time of night.
"Uther" the muffled voice replied with fear.
"Uther, I thought you didn't want to hear from me again" Merlin said which he regretted instantly.
Merlin's sentence hadn't only affected himself; Uther's breathing had become faster at the memory of his own words that were now being used against him.
"I... I was just angry and afraid" Uther stammered.
"It's alright, I can understand that" Merlin interrupted kindly before speaking again, "Are you alright "? Merlin asked, still feeling guilty about his earlier sentence.
Uther hadn't been social for so long that he suspected that he no longer knew when it would be socially acceptable to lie.
"No".
"Are you ill, do you need emergency services"? Merlin asked.
"No, no, I'm just ... frightened" Uther replied truthfully as there was no point in lying.
"Tell me" were the only two words that Merlin said which alone showed real compassion.
"Nights are the worst, I can't keep the horrors away at night and I can barely keep them away in the daytime" Uther explained.
"What's making you frightened, can I help"?
"No" Uther said full of shame before adding, "There was only one person who could have helped me through it, and she went".
"Tell me about her, what was she like"? Merlin asked, trying his best to keep Uther calm.
Merlin's question went unanswered as he could hear whimpering, "Sorry" Merlin said frantically now knowing never to ask about this woman again.
A thought then entered Merlin's head, "Do you want me to come over"? Merlin offered politely.
Uther looked at the phone as if it held the answer to Merlin's question.
Yes, no?
In truth Uther didn't really know the answer to the question but decided on an answer after a good few minutes.
"I think so, however I can't promise that I can let you in, when it's this bad" Uther explained.
"I understand I'm on my way" Merlin confirmed.
Merlin was about to hand up when Uther stopped him by saying, "Keep talking to me," Uther practically pleaded.
"What should I talk about"? Merlin asked, trying to keep the conversation running.
"I... I- d don't know" Uther replied.
So Merlin talked about his previous summer holiday in Rome, talking about the scenery and places to go for entertainment and shopping.
"I'm just outside and I'll knock three times, you don't have to answer if you feel that you can't" Merlin announced quietly, not wanting to disturb the neighbors.
Even with the warning, the knocks had startled him. Uther wanted to answer but the thought that it was some other man attempting to cause suffering instead of being Merlin had made him panic.
"I'm sorry, I can't do it" Uther said, ashamed that he had let fear get the better of a situation where someone actually wanted to help him.
"Its fine, no need to apologise" Merlin soothed before adding, "I'll just be out here".
Merlin settled down on the door step of the Pendragons house, leaning against the door.
After a minute of pure silence Uther broke the silence by asking if Merlin was alright out there, feeling ashamed that he had just made a boy no older than Arthur come all the way here for nothing in return.
"I'm fine, really" Merlin said calmly even if he was a tiny bit cold and maybe even scared.
Despite what Merlin had said Uther was now worrying about Merlin's safety. The thought of Merlin being a vulnerable target in the dark made Uther feel terrible, he couldn't face the fact that if something did happen to Merlin then he alone would have to carry the burden along with many others he already had to carry.
"I'm going to let you in now" Uther said suddenly and quickly. He then added, "When I open the door I need you to come in quickly, I can't have the door open too long" Uther explained, his voice low and gravelly.
Merlin scrambled to his feet when Uther had unexpectedly said he was going to look through the peephole to check if it was really him.
Having passed Uther's inspection, Merlin heard the front door unlock. When it was fully opened Merlin ducked inside and helped Uther shut the door.
Once the door was locked, Uther let out a deep shaky breath. He was deliberately not looking at Merlin, ashamed of showing his embarrassment and weakness in front of him.
Merlin had ended the call and slid his phone into his pocket. "Hello Uther".
To Uther Merlin's voice sounded so understanding and gentle, Uther had to look at him and realise that this was the first time in years he had ever heard such small words be said in such gentleness.
"Hello" Uther said before promptly bursting into tears.
Uther flinched slightly when Merlin tried to hug him, but he soon closed his eyes and let himself be comforted.
Merlin didn't know this but he was the first person in more than five years to hold him as he cried tears of remorse. The though only made Uther cry harder which Merlin responded to by holding him tighter.
As Uther sniffed, sobbed and shook he had realised that for once in his life he actually felt safe.
Once Uther had finished spilling tears that had been held back for so many years he finally got the courage to speak.
"I... I'm glad you came" was all Uther could say.
"Me too" Merlin replied as he passed Uther a tissue which got a small nod in return.
Uther then made a hand gesture which meant he was to follow him, Merlin soon remembered that he was walking into their living room and was told by Uther to take a seat.
Merlin looked around the room, noticing that it hadn't changed much since the last time he was there. Uther noticed him looking around and said "we don't have many belongings ".
"Oh" was all Merlin could say before his eyes were unexpectedly fixed on a photo of a young blonde woman.
Uther caught him staring at the photo and let out a heavy sigh.
"Sorry" Merlin said, afraid that he might have just crossed the line. Instead Uther just walked up to the photo, handed it to Merlin and explained its value to the family.
"Her name was Ygraine, she was my wife" Uther revealed, which made Merlin want to know more but he knew better than to pester Uther with questions, so instead he just waited for more.
"She was Arthur's mother, she was so good with him despite his troubles" Uther continued.
Merlin let out a little smile before allowing Uther to continue if he was up to it.
Uther's next sentence about her was , "She was the kindest woman you could meet, she was as fragile as a flower but when worst came to worst she was always someone you could rely on".
Merlin looked at the photo in detail, Ygraine looked pretty in her photo and the similarities between her and Arthur were more than a little noticeable. Her hair was a lighter blonde than Arthur's however their face shapes looked roughly the same. It puzzled Merlin how Arthur looked so much like his mother yet so much like his father as well.
"She and Arthur look so alike" Merlin said softly to match the mood in the house.
Uther let out a small smile before saying his last words about her, "The sad part is that it's always the best people in our lives who we lose then miss the most once they have been lost".
Merlin didn't want to comment in fear of upsetting Uther or destroying the moment of honesty.
Merlin then yawned and mouthed an apology when Uther saw him.
"You're tired" Uther stated.
"A bit" Merlin admitted before another yawn had escaped from him.
Merlin was about to ask If Uther would be alright on his own however Uther had spoken first.
"Why don't you stay here the night, unless your parents don't know you're here" Uther said kindly.
"My parents are out for the weekend" Merlin replied.
"Stay here, I don't want you wondering out there alone" Uther said as if Merlin was his own son.
"Thanks" Merlin said, flattered at Uther's offer".
Uther then showed Merlin to Arthur's room, "You can sleep in Arthur's room".
"Are you sure, I'll sleep downstairs it's no trouble" Merlin suggested but Uther shook his head.
"His room feels empty without Arthur around, I'm sure he won't mind after all you do show extreme loyalty to him".
"Thank you" Merlin replied.
Uther raised a hand to stop Merlin from speaking, "No I should be the one thanking you".
Before Uther left Merlin to sleep Merlin had one question.
"Where's Morgana"?
"She's with a girl called Gwen, she's staying at her house, it's closer to the hospital" Uther stated.
"Gwen is as much a good friend to Morgana as I am to Arthur" Merlin said in deep honesty.
"I know" Uther said then left the room saying goodnight which Merlin responded by saying the same to Uther.
Merlin sat on Arthur's bed and looked around the room which made him miss Arthur more ; he spotted a broche that Merlin assumed belonged to Ygraine as it was placed in a box labelled 'Mums stuff'.
This had just Made Merlin's questions about Uther's wife and Arthur's mother increase in his brain. As much as he wanted to know what Uther meant by she went, at the same time Merlin feared that it might upset the whole household therefore affecting the friendship that Merlin had just earned back.
Merlin closed his eyes and thought about Arthur and the safety of his future until he finally drifted off into a deep sleep.