As requested by littlebookdemon this chapter is Christmas themed! Thanks for the reviews and suggestions! I'm sorry if this chapter is a little cliché but it's the only direction I could think to take it in. It's kind of long, so sorry if it seems to ramble…

It was only week after their epic snowball fight that Arthur and the knights noticed something odd about Merlin, again. Yule was just around the corner and that meant feasting, presents, and overall good cheer. As the holiday approached the castle occupants had been getting more and more excited, caught up in the holiday cheer. Gwaine was the first to notice something was amiss with their friend.

"Have you guys noticed that Merlin's been acting a little strange lately; stranger than usual?" They were in the armory after one of their training sessions and Merlin had just left on an errand for Arthur.

The other knights nodded in reply to his question, but Elyan asked, "What do you mean by 'acting strange'?"

"Well, everybody is getting super hyped up about Yule, especially the youngsters. Hell, by this time I was uncontrollable as a child, so excited for Yule that I couldn't stay still.

"So? Merlin, he's been bouncing around like the rest of them," pointed out Arthur.

"Yes, but have you noticed him when anyone mentions gifts or the yuletide feast? He goes all silent and brooding, like presents and feasts are bad things."

Leon was stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, he was with Lancelot and me the other day in the market place. He had been bouncing around, talking nonstop about all the decorations and pointing out the ones that he had helped various people hang. When we actually reached the market to get gifts, he was suddenly very…somber."

"I've never seen him buy anything during Yule, not even candy. Why do you think that is?" Gwaine wondered aloud.

Elyan clapped his hands together, startling the other men from their thoughts. "Well, I guess we'll just have to go ask him, won't we?" And he strode out of the room, heading off to find Merlin. The others shrugged, each silently wondering what was going to happen this time (none of their other "interventions" seemed to work out as intended with Merlin) and followed Elyan out. They finally found him half an hour later, helping Gwen and some other servants to decorate the great hall for the upcoming feast.

"Merlin?"

"Yes Arthur," the boy replied, ignoring the scandalized look George gave him for addressing the prince by his first name. Just because George had been lecturing him for the past hour on the proper way to bedeck a hall and polish candlesticks, he added, "Is there something I can do for your royal pratness?"

"Actually, I require a word with you, Merlin," replied Arthur, struggling to contain his smile. George looked like he was ready to pass out from the horror of Merlin's servitude. As the group walked to a corner of the hall away from the main group, Leon lost control of his laughter and burst out in a hearty chuckle.

"Good heavens Merlin! Did you see the look on his face after your comment? I thought he was going to brain you over the head with his candlestick and or throw up."

"Perhaps I should have waited to see," stated Arthur mischievously; "George might have saved us all from Merlin's ineptitude as a servant."

"Careful, Arthur, that was a big word; we wouldn't want you to hurt that little brain of yours." Merlin must have said this a little too loudly, because there was a clattering of silver from down the hall; they all looked to see several servants helping to revive George from his faint. Merlin grinned. "Anyway, serves him right. I've spent the last hour being lectured on how to decorate and polish, for absolutely no reason at all."

Arthur 'hmmm'd in mock thoughtfulness, tapping his chin. "Perhaps we'll see if you learned anything from the lesson when you polish my armor later. Back to the matter at hand…" The prince's voice trailed off; he wasn't quite sure how to go about this subject without being insensitive or rude. Thankfully Gwaine had no such qualms.

"Why don't you like Yule?"

"What? I love Yule; it's one of my favorite holidays." Merlin looked genuinely confused at Gwaine's question.

"Every time somebody brings up presents or feasting you cringe and then practically run away!"

Merlin was beginning to be petulant. He didn't see why it was any of their business, anyway. "I do not! I like Yule just fine!"

Almost as one all the knights crossed their arms. They had seen the look of nervous apprehension that flashed across his face at the mention of presents. "Merlin," Arthur said in a tone that brooked no argument, "You really are a horrible liar; just tell us why."

Merlin sighed and crossed his arms unhappily. "You aren't going to let me go without telling are you?" All of the knights shook their heads. "Fine. I didn't realize I cringed; I just don't like hearing about presents people are getting or feasts because…iveneverbeentoafeastorgottenapresentbefore ." He said this last part so quickly and quietly that the knights didn't catch it. They all leaned in closer.

"What was that, Merlin? We didn't catch the last part," prompted Lancelot when it became apparent that the boy had said all he was going to say.

The servant took a long, deep breath and said, staring intently at the floor, "I don't like hearing about them because I only ever serve at the royal's Yule feast, I've never been to one of my own; and I've never gotten presents at Yule."

To say the men were shocked would be an understatement. How could he have never received a present for Yule or attended a feast? Leon found his voice first. "How? I mean surely somewhere along the line you've gotten a Yule gift or went to a feast?" Merlin shook his head. "Not even back home, with your mother?"

"No. We never had enough money or food to waste it on presents or a feast. We usually just joined in the village festivities and then went home and to sleep. And Gaius doesn't celebrate Yule, so it's really just another day for me. Last year Cook did save me some scraps from the feast, so it was kind of a feast, except I was all alone." The boy shrugged and looked up, trying to gauge his friends' reactions. When they continued to stay staring into space and silent, Merlin slipped between two of them and left the hall.

Gathering his wits, Arthur sent all the knights up to his chambers; before he followed them he stopped and grabbed Gwen, thinking that she would know how to help. On the way up, Arthur filled Gwen in on what had transpired and by the time they reached their destination not only were their tears shinning in her eyes, but Gwen was determined to right that which she felt was an egregious wrong. Once they discussed what they were going to do. The conspirators were ensconced in Arthur's chambers for nearly an hour and a half, during which time they decided that, since the king was still ill, they would have a smaller, more informal Yule feast this year; one that would include Merlin. It went without saying that they would all be getting the boy a gift and that this would remain a secret. Lancelot just hoped that it would turn out better than their last attempt at a surprise did. Satisfied that all was in order, the knights rushed out to find their gifts.

Merlin was relieved, to say the least. When the knights had mentioned presents, he had nearly panicked; he thought that they had discovered his surprise before it was ready. He wasn't pleased that he had to divulge personal information, but as long as his surprise remained as such he could deal with it. He had been planning this for a long time, ever since his birthday, in fact. It had started out as just a way to repay the knights and Arthur for his birthday gifts, but it soon morphed into a grand project that he honestly enjoyed doing. For every one of his friends he had a gift and surprise for.

The first gift was a cloak pin he had made for each knight in the shape of the Pendragon crest. Merlin had pulled out his long- unused metal working skills (and a spell or two) to shape the pins and then, though none but Lancelot would know, he placed an enchantment upon them that would protect the wearer from the most dangerous of magical attacks. Unfortunately for them the spell only worked on major attack such as possession and fireballs, it wouldn't prevent them from being thrown back into some wall or tree. After the pins, he had branched out, finding something different for each knight.

For Gwaine it had been easy; Merlin had gathered up his money and made an arrangement with the local tavern. He had agreed to pay a small sum and help out with any illnesses and injuries that occurred throughout the year for the tavern owner's family; if he did that and helped to repair any damages the drunk caused, Gwaine could drink for free at the tavern for a year. Merlin couldn't wait to see the knight's reaction when the tavern keeper refused his money and told him the news.

For Leon it had been a little more difficult; it took months of covert wheedling for Merlin to discover what Leon liked. He had convinced cook to help him make the delicious confection Leon called marshmallows; Cook ended up making up a second batch just for her and Merlin after they tasted the heavenly confection. He had also repaired and "enhanced" Leon's favorite saddle that had been damaged in a bandit attack. By "enhanced" he meant that he had added spells that would make it more comfortable for both the rider and the horse.

Percival, as everyone knew, had a dislike for sleeves of any kind, so that made Merlin's job just a little bit easier. The boy knew that the dislike stemmed from the fact that sleeves never quite fit Percy's arms and they restricted his movement. He managed to spell several tunics to fit the large man without a problem and also allow him a full range of motion without ripping. It took some doing, but he also managed to find a discarded mail shirt, which he promptly fixed and added the same enchantments to it as he did the tunics. That meant that Percy would be able to move unrestricted without sacrificing on protection.

Merlin knew that Elyan was fond of riddles, so, with a little help from Geoffrey, he found a book entirely of riddles and mind games that he knew would keep the man occupied for hours. Merlin also decided to replace Elyan's throwing knives with a pair magicked to have perfect balance and to fly straight and true.

As he was the only one other than Gaius that knew about Merlin's secret, Lancelot's gifts were, in a word, magical. One was a small carved wooden Griffin that Merlin had made himself. He had taken up the hobby of wood carving after meeting his father and this was one of his finest sculptures yet. The Griffin was enchanted so that should Lancelot ever need Merlin all he need do was hold the carving, calling Merlin's name mentally, and Merlin would hear. To one of his truest friends Merlin also gave a sword covered in rune visible to those who used magic only. The words praised Lancelot's honor and bravery, extolling his virtues along with a warning that he was protected by and a true friend of Emrys. The magic of these runes was such that none but Lancelot (and Merlin, of course) could wield the blade, nor would it ever tarnish or require sharpening.

For Arthur, Merlin convinced Kilgarah to breathe upon a dagger that, when the time came for Arthur to wield it, would complement and be as kin to Excalibur. In the meantime the blade would through anything and kill any type of magical beast. Merlin had also gotten him a new pair of boots that he enchanted to never leak, crack, or wear down; he had grown tired or repairing and polishing Arthur's current boots every time he wore them.

Gwen was also included in this scheme of Merlin's and her gift was spectacular, in his opinion. First he had used magic to sculpt a beautiful glass model of her favorite type of flower; then he had found a beautiful and ancient music box. He had polished the music and then used magic to embellish the box and attach the flower to the lid; he also laid an enchantment on the box so that each time the music played it would bring feelings of peace to those who heard it.

Overall Merlin was pleased with the gifts he had made and the subtlety of the enchantments he had placed on them; the magical resonance they gave off would be nearly undetectable to any but those familiar with the magic of Emrys. He was glad that he had a chance to repay his friends and perhaps lighten their moods after recent events. This was what the holiday was all about to him, the festivity and joy, and the ability to bring joy to those he cared for. He also liked the fact that his plan made it possible for all the gifts to be delivered anonymously, so they would never know they were from him, except Lancelot, and Merlin would get to watch them puzzle over who had given the gifts. He couldn't wait until Yule!

Merlin slept late on Yule morning as he didn't have to tend to Arthur until later in the day. The previous night he had used multiple spells to allow himself to slip quietly into his friend's chambers, leave their gifts, and escape unnoticed. Despite the aid of his magic, the task had taken a long time and Merlin hadn't finished until the wee hours of the morning. He took his time getting up and ready for the day, reveling in the fact that he didn't have anything to do until late that afternoon. After he had cleaned up and tidied up his and Gaius' small living space, he took a stroll through the town, admiring the decorations and laughing at the delighted squeals of children as they celebrated with friends and family. He sighed at the lateness of the hour and returned to the castle, heading up to Arthur's chambers when he got there.

He wasn't quite sure what he was expecting when he got there; what with Uther's illness and Morgana's treachery there wasn't going to be a large Yule feast. Merlin thought he'd find Arthur with Agravaine when he arrived, of course, but he certainly didn't expect to find the prince's chamber's full of people with a feast laid out on the table. When he walked in the occupants of the room turned to stare at him, and then they all shouted in unison "Merlin!" The occupants, who were of course the knights, stepped forward along with Arthur and Gwen and greeted the slightly confused boy. Gwen ushered Merlin to a seat and everybody else sat down as well. Merlin seemed to breakthrough his confusion at that point.

"What's this?"

"You're such an idiot, Merlin," the prince said and then yelped as Gwen kicked his shin. "What was that for?" Gwen gave him a look and Arthur gulped and added, "We decided that you were going to celebrate Yule this year, and we figured who better to celebrate with then us? Anyway, let's eat! I'm starving!"

Merlin, secretly touched that his friends cared enough to do something like this, let a small smirk spread across his lips at Arthur's statement. He sighed in mock exasperation. At everybody's questioning looks he simply said, "I don't think I can fit anymore holes in your belt, Arthur." All the knights laughed while Arthur scowled and swatted Merlin over the head gently. The rest of the meal was filled with ligh -hearted banter and several unbelievable anecdotes courtesy of Gwaine.

When they were all finished Arthur stood and summoned a servant to clear away the food. He walked to his drawers and with drew something and then returned to the table, setting a small parcel in front of Merlin. The knights all took this as a cue and placed their own parcels before the boy. He just looked at them incredulously.

"You didn't really…did you?" At their nods of assent, his eyes went wide and he looked at Arthur. "Can I open them?"

Arthur just rolled his eyes. "No we thought you'd like to keep them wrapped up and not know what's inside. Of course you can open them you dollophead."

"Hey, that's my word!"

"I know, and it suits you well. Now open your gifts already."

Merlin set to opening the gifts with gusto; thanking each gift-giver several times over before he was ushered into opening the next gift. By the time he was done he had acquired a new cloak and gloves from Arthur, several new neck-kerchiefs from Gwen, a pair of sturdy boots with a sheath and knife hidden in them from Leon, and a new set of camping gear from Gwaine for when they went on patrols. Elyan and Percival hastily explained to Merlin as he opened their gifts that they had accidentally gotten him the same thing. Their apologies turned to laughter when Merlin practically began bouncing off the walls, his eyes wide, after looking at their gifts. Both of the knights had decided that Merlin could use a little extra padding on his bones, so they had gotten him a large assortment of the sweets and delicacies that appeared at the market this time of the year. Before he opened his gift from Lancelot he insisted on popping several sweets into his mouth and then passing them around the table so everyone could have some. When he did open up Lancelot's gift his jaw dropped. He could feel the waves of powerful magic rolling off what appeared to be a simple charm, and he gave Lancelot a questioning look.

Lancelot hurried to explain. "It's a charm from the eastern lands that supposedly brings good luck; I figured with the amount of time you spend falling over nothing you could use some luck."

It was obvious to Merlin that the man was lying, but he caught Lancelot's look that indicated he would explain it later, so he dropped the matter. He grinned suddenly, remembering the part of his gift that he had kept to give to the knights as their "official" gifts.

"Will you all wait right here for a second? I've got to go get something…"

The others just exchanged exasperated looks as the boy sprinted out of Arthur's chambers, reappearing only a moment later with a large wrapped parcel and one smaller one. The smaller one he handed to Gwen and the other he opened himself, taking out six small bundles and handing them to each of the knights.

"I made these for you as your gifts," he stated proudly. Merlin couldn't help grinning as they opened the bundles to reveal the cloak pins that he had made. All the knights looked shocked for a moment and then burst into speech, firing dozens of questions at him at once. It was Gwen who finally stopped the outbursts of the knights by running up and flinging her arms around Merlin's thin frame.

"Oh thank you so much, Merlin," she said, holding out her wrist to display a beautiful, yet simply, bracelet etched with an intricate design. "Did you make this as well?" When Merlin nodded, she continued, "It's absolutely beautiful. I didn't know you knew how to do this. And," she added," It's nearly the same design as the other gift that I received today, though I don't know who that was from."

Arthur gave Gwen a curious look. "You received an anonymous gift too? Was it just, in your room?" Gwen nodded, curious as to where this was going. "I received a gift as well. It was just sitting in my room this morning, completely unmarked." Turning to his knights he asked, "Did any of you receive gifts like that?"

The knights all nodded, launching into a lengthy discussion on what they had found in their rooms. Merlin just sat their, feigning interest and smiling. He caught Lancelot staring at him, as if to ask if he had any ideas about this mysterious gift giver; Merlin just winked at the man drawing an exasperated eye roll from the knight. The young warlock leant back in his chair contentedly, a large grin on his face. It had been a good Yule.