Hidden Royalty Chapter Five

Ever since Arthur came back home, he's been absent and pretty much staring in front of him to nothing in particular and soon left to be in his room. Both Uther and Ygraine noticed it but didn't asked questions, at least not yet. They knew their son well enough to not pressure him into talking because that wouldn't work anyway. If anything, it would make Arthur withdraw even more. So because of that, they left him alone in his room until it was time for dinner.

Uther started to cut his meat and cleared his throat. "Arthur. You know that Balinor will visit the university next week don't you?"

Ygraine shook her head, deliberately clearing her throat to cut Uther off. "Uther dear, we agreed on no diplomatic talk during dinner."

"Darling, I hardly call this a diplomatic talk, Balinor is our frien-" Uther stopped once he saw his wife's glare and added. "Yes dear." He quickly took a sip of his water to avoid looking at his wife's glare any longer. That's when he noticed Arthur's slightly slumped shoulders and he looked back at his wife.

They saw that Arthur kept staring at his phone next to him on the dining table, but they still didn't said anything about it.

However, their breaking point came when it was twenty minutes later and Arthur hadn't been eating this entire time, he was just pushing his food around with his fork and they became seriously worried about their son.

"Arthur darling, are you okay? You seem a bit… distracted." His mother enquired softly.

Arthur tilted his head when he heard he was spoken too, and he saw his mother talking to him, but the words didn't really register in his mind. He just hummed in response and continued to push his food back and forth over the plate. He completely lost his appetite and the reason was not because he ate some pizza with Merlin. That was already two hours ago and normally he would be hungry again at this time, but right now he just wasn't in the mood for anything.

"Uther, you try. He doesn't seem to listen." Ygraine urged with a nudge of her hand against her husband's arm.

Uther reached his hand out to put over the one Arthur rested on top of the table. It seemed to have some effect since Arthur stopped playing with his food and looked up and actually made eye contact with his father. Uther smiled and Arthur tried to return the favour but he couldn't give his father much more than a twitch of his lip.

"Arthur, if there's something bothering you, you can tell us. You know that right?" Uther emphasized his point with a small squeeze into his son's hand, but it did nothing to open Arthur up since Arthur freed his hand out of his father's and stood up, his phone firmly clutched in his other hand.

He softly asked, "Can I be excused?"

He didn't wait for the response and just walked away, shoulders sagging as he walked away.

As the doors closed, Ygraine turned to her husband. "Do you think something has happened at school? Has he been threatened? No, that can't be it, Leon would've told us. I should talk to him."

Ygraine rose from her chair, but Uther gently put his hand on her lower arm and easing her back into the chair. Ygraine frowned but waited for what Uther would tell her.

"Hold on dear. Just think about what is different today."

Ygraine's frown deepened, what was her husband playing at? "Well, our son is unhappy that's what different. I should go to him." She made move again to stand up, but Uther pulled her back once more.

"Just a second dear. Yes he is unhappy, but what else?" Uther sat back in his chair and chuckled lightly with a grin on his face. He saw his wife narrowing her eyes to him.

"Uther I don't have time for these games. I can't believe you react so coldheartedly, our son is unhappy and you sit here grinning like a fool."

"Merlin, dear. Merlin." Uther chuckled, shaking his head from left to right. "Think about it. For the last five, six weeks we heard at least once a day something about this Merlin boy, but today… nothing. Add that to the fact that he went to the boy's house and returned the way he's acting now. Now I'm not an expert in this field, but I think the signs point to one and the same thing…"

Ygraine gave answer to the unfinished question softly under her breath "…Arthur likes Merlin more than a friend and did something but Merlin rejected him."

"And you know how teens always think their world is coming to an end after rejection." Uther added and wanted to laugh but then he saw his wife turn her head sharply towards him and glared at him.

"Exactly how did you know that he went to Merlin's house?"

Uther, realizing that his wife caught on to that, gulped and dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin. "I… err… love you have to see-"

"Don't 'love' me. Uther have you been inquiring again?! I thought we agreed on not doing that anymore. Arthur has his own life and we have to respect that. Leon is only obligated to tell us whenever something has happened, and not telling us every single step our son makes or every personal visit he does." Ygraine stood up, pointing her index finger to her husband.

"Uther I'm not done talking about this, don't think I'll get you off the hook this easily because we will talk about it tonight, but Arthur needs me now." She walked away but before she walked out the door she turned and said, "Have fun doing the dishes on your own and don't even think about letting one of the maids do it." With that said she left the room.

Uther sighed, but got on with the task laid out to him and started to collect the crockery.

~oOoOo~

Arthur sighed when he entered his room. His phone had vibrated enough during dinner time from all the messages and voicemails he received from other people, but there was nothing from the person he wanted to speak to the most; Merlin.

He had sent numerous texts and voicemails to Merlin, asking him to call him and he even e-mailed the guy, but he got not one response in return and it bugged him.

Now some time had passed and he had let everything that happened that day sink in, he came to the conclusion that Merlin needed an explanation for why he acted like that. He needed to tell him that theyweren't just impulsive actions and that he really liked Merlin. But in order to do that meant that Merlin had to pick up the phone or answer his emails. Clearly he was ignoring him.

He stared at his phone for about thirty second before he gave up and threw the phone on the bed, it slightly bounced on the comforter by the impact.

He walked into his bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, and pulled the box with painkillers out. He took two of them and washed them down with a glass of water. He hoped that the headache that started to come up would be gone when he would wake up again.

He turned off all the lights and closed the shutters almost all the way and crept under the covers. As soon as his head hit the pillows he was asleep.

When there was a knock on the door minutes later he didn't stir, he was out of the world.

Ygraine opened the door a bit when her son didn't answered it and was greeted by darkness with just hints of sunlight still streaming through the almost closed shutters. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust and when they were she saw her son asleep on his bed. She smiled but with a hint of sadness before she walked quietly in the room, not wanting to disturb her son's sleep and sat down on the edge of his bed. She looked at him for a while and thought about all sorts of things. Him as a baby, toddler, teenager and how her nineteen year old son was now on his way in becoming a great man.

She didn't know how long she sat there, but she decided that it was time to let her son alone now. If what her husband said was true than Arthur would be devastated if he was rejected. And from the stories she heard from her son about Merlin she was sure that Arthur liked Merlin very much and that Merlin could be the perfect partner for her son.

She would just have to wait until Arthur would come to her with the story to find out if that's indeed the cause of her son's sadness.

Ygraine stood up and bent over to peck a kiss on her son's hair. She whispered, "Everything will be fine. I promise."

~oOoOo~

Merlin sat on the couch hugging a pillow close to his chest. He had turned the TV on but he wasn't watching, instead he kept replaying the moment the kiss happened in his head and occasionally he subconsciously touched his lips with the tips of his fingers.

And there were moments he had a downright existential crisis.

Arthur kissed him. Him!

He obviously had noticed that Arthur tried to call him and he noticed that Arthur was being persistent and not giving up so easily. Arthur had tried other ways in trying to get in contact with him too, but he just couldn't and didn't want to speak to Arthur right now. He wasn't sure if he trusted himself enough to talk to Arthur, he might spill out that he had a crush on him.

For all he knew, Arthur could've just been caught up in the moment and accidentally kissed him, so if he was going to spill the beans that he actually like Arthur it could end in a disaster. In the worst case Arthur would hate him and he would never want to see him again. That wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

His thoughts were cut short when he heard the door opening and his mum yelling to him to help her with the bags.

When he came into the hallway he froze. The bags were put on the ground, but his mother stood at the coatrack with Arthur's red Ralph Lauren football style jacket with white sleeves in her hands. Arthur must've forgotten it because he was in such a rush. A rush to get as far and quick as possible away from me. He reminded to himself.

Hunith's eyebrows were slightly drawn to each other and she looked up from the coat to Merlin. "Who's this?"

Merlin put his hand in the back of his neck. He couldn't possible tell his mother who was here, he had no idea how she would react. "Err… Will's?" He answered insecure.

Hunith's eyebrows knitted even further together. "Will's?" She repeated with a high voice. "Since when does Will wear Ralph Lauren? That boy wears a jacket from three years ago. Merlin, tell me the truth."

Merlin huffed slightly, telling the truth doesn't exactly run in the family. But he decided to be bold and confront his mother on who exactly had visited him. She didn't have to know any details about the visit, because even he doesn't want to say it out loud. But if he tells her who visited, he will have another pressure point against his mother to tell him what exactly she's keeping from him.

So he leaned against the wall with his shoulder and folded his arms over each other in front of his chest and casually said, "Arthur."

~oOoOo~

The confrontation about Arthur with his mother lead to a fight. Merlin had been not yet shouting at his mother why it was so bad that he would spend time with Arthur, but his mother didn't respond. Well not loudly anyways, he heard her mumble some words but they made no sense to him of why she was so secretive these past weeks. It angered him so much that he stormed out of the house once again.

As he walked down the street, Merlin thrusts his hand deep into the pockets of his hoodie to shield them to the cold November weather. He thanked his luck that it wasn't snowing.

While he walked he thought back about the fight. He could've sworn he heard the word 'father' when his mother was mumbling, but he wasn't sure. And even if that was the word she said he didn't get it. His mother had told him since he was little that his father was out of the picture and not to be worried over, that they would be just fine with just the two of them. And he believed her and didn't ask any further questions, over the years he didn't even think about who his father could be, especially since his uncle JJ was as good as a father to him than any other guy.

But what if the thing she kept secret for him was about his father, maybe he wanted to see his mother? Maybe he wanted to see him? But that wasn't a reason to be secretive, his mother could've just told him that, why the secrets! And his father hadn't shown his face for the last nineteen years, so he doesn't have to bother in showing up now.

As his mum predicted, they were coping just fine with just the two of them.

His feet moved on its own towards a familiar house, Will's house. He knocked on the door and waited, hoping his friend would be home at this time. When it wasn't opened after a few moment he knocked again, that's when he heard the thudding of footsteps on the stair and moments later the door flung open, revealing Will only wearing sweatpants and a towel draped around his neck. Merlin could see drops of water dripping of his hair.

"Sorry mate, just came out of the shower and parents aren't home since they're having a business diner from dad's company or whatever. Anyways, what's up?" He stepped back and opened the door fully for Merlin to enter.

When Merlin entered his friend's house he didn't noticed he was being followed by an SUV and the person dressed in black in the SUV -now parked at the end of the street- passed the new information through his headset. "The Prince has entered his friend Will's house."

Not far away from the SUV was another car parked. Morgause took some pictures and then drove away. She had enough pictures to give the King some updates again.

~oOoOo~

Will pushed a glass of cola in Merlin's hand and plopped down on his bed. He had pulled on the first shirt he could find, but his hair was still damp from the shower he just took.

Merlin sat on Will's desk chair and swivelled nervously from left to right and back again.

Will looked at him with a cocked eyebrow and he kept tapping his own glass repeatedly with his fingernail, the sound echoed through the whole room. It was a subconscious act but it was making Merlin flinch every time the nail came in contact with the glass.

"Spill, Browne. The last time you were this nervous in my room was when you were fifteen and you were going to tell me you broke my PlayStation. What is it this time?"

Merlin sucked in a deep breath, tentatively putting his own glass down on the desk. He saw a picture frame with a picture of him and Will. It was taken on Will's sixteenth birthday. He turned round to face his friend again.

"Will, can I trust you to not tell a living soul about what I am to say?

Will pursed his lips, thinking about it for a second. "Hmm, well it depends on what you're about to say really." He leant back against the wall that his bed was pushed up against and waited for what his friend was about to tell him. Surely it wasn't something horrible or otherwise his friend would look even more distressed than he did at this moment. Maybe it was something that involved his mother because he knew that Merlin and his mother had some issues even though Merlin didn't really like to expand too much about that subject. Merlin just told him that he and his mother were going through some rough patches.

Merlin scratched his head, trying to find the right words to tell his best friend that Arthur, the future King of England, Wales, whatever, had kissed him… and that he actually liked it.

In the end, the right words to tell his friend failed him and he blurted it out in one whole sentence. He looked down on his hands that were fidgeting and waited for the reprimand, maybe completed with some shouting, from his best friend. Instead he heard a deep sigh completed with the comment, "Well it's about bloody time. It was almost becoming unbearable seeing the two of you together. Goodness, the sexual tension is jumping off you two."

The blush had started somewhere in the back of his neck, but soon enough it travelled to the tip of Merlin's ears after he heard the last thing that his best friend said and his head snapped up. "Y-you knew?"

"Yes! Of course I knew." His friend not just screamed with a shake of his head and a smile gracing his lips. "I know, Percy know, lord have mercy I suppose the whole school knows. Oh my, this is priceless… Hold up, I have to call Percy about this."

Before Merlin had the chance to interfere, Will already had his phone out and connected it to Percy's number. Merlin jumped off his chair to stop Will but Will held his arm and legs out, all the while giggling like some school girl.

Will successfully fended off Merlin's futile attempts to hit him hard as he was waiting for Percy to pick up the phone.

It didn't take long before the line connected. "What's up." Percy said.

"Guess what. Merlin and Arthur finally hit it off."

"Well, it's about time. I don't know if I could sit through one of those awkward lunches anymore. Are they there?"

"Nah man, just Merlin. Say hello." Will pushed his phone into Merlin's face.

"William I'm gonna kill you… And you're next Percival." Merlin shouted towards the phone and his threats were answered by giggles and outright loud laughter from both guys. Merlin picked up one of Will's pillows and started to pound it onto his friend.

Will tried to hold of the blows by shielding them with his arm, all the while keeping contact with Percy. "Oh no, he said Percival. We should watch out Percy, he's using our full names."

The response he got was even more laughter, some rustling and then the line was cut off.

Will got a text soon after.

From: Percy
6:26 pm
LOL dropped phone on floor.
Tell Merlin I want to be the best man on their wedding.
See you 2 on Monday.

Will showed the message to Merlin as his laughing died down and Merlin had decided to stop hitting him with the pillow. Merlin snarled mockingly to the phone before he took his seat on the desk chair, his head buried in his hands.

"Seriously, what am I going to do about this?" He mumbled almost incoherently, but Will heard and understood.

"Well… Have you tried talking to Arthur after he went away?" Will held up his shoulders.

"Well erm, no. He called a dozen of times and emailed and god knows what, but I ignored him for the past three or so hours. I don't know what I have to say to him when I get to talk to him. 'Oh hey guess what, I like you too so let's get together and shag all night, oh don't worry you're just the Prince and I'm a peasant it's the twenty first century they won't mind.' Seriously I'm way, way, out of his league."

Will's face turned into a scowl and adjusted himself into a more comfortable position on his bed. He settled on sitting cross-legged and pillowed his chin on his hand. "Merlin, why are you making it such a problem that he's a Prince? You've never worried about that. Heck about two months ago you despised it and now you're making problems about it. That makes no sense. You have to see Arthur as Arthur, just like he is on school. You know that he isn't thrilled to be born with a title and just wants to be treated normally. Now what do you think it does to the guy to be rejected by a person who he obviously likes because of that very same fact."

Merlin dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, grunting softly. "Ugh, I already feel bad enough as it is, you don't have to make it worse. But I just don't know anymore, it's just not the best time. There are all kinds of things in my life piling up in one big mountain and I feel like I'm buried beneath it."

The next thing he knew he felt two arms wrapping around his shoulder from behind him.

"Now don't think I'm becoming sappy because let me tell you I am not." Will commented. "But you know that I'm here for you when you need to talk or just need to be away from everything."

"I know." Merlin softly replied.

"But you have to talk to Arthur. Heck if you want me and Percy will go with you, we have your back."

"Thanks." Merlin mumbled. "But I think I need to talk to him alone."

"If that's what you want." Will said and let go of his friend. He turned on his TV and flipped through the TV guide on the screen to search the right channel. When he found it, he turned to his friend. "You can sleep here tonight if you want, and American Horror Story is starting in about five minutes. It's the season finale, even though we both saw it already. What you say?"

Merlin nodded. "I'd like that."

"Cool, I'll call my parents to say you're staying and grab some crisps. Back in a sec."

Will was quick to leave the room and Merlin fished his phone out of his pocket. He first sent his mother a quick text that he would stay at Will's. He was still angry at her, but she didn't deserve to be stressed because she didn't know where he was. The next on his list to contact was Arthur.

To: Arthur
6:38 pm
We need to talk. Library tomorrow?
It's Saturday so no one will be there. I'll text you the time.

He sent it before he could change his mind, just as Will entered the room again. His hands full of three different flavours of crisps and balancing a bottle of cola under his armpit. "Okay?" Will asked to be sure.

"Yeah." Merlin replied and grabbed the bottle from his friend.

~oOoOo~

Back in the Mercian palace, Balinor was just interrupted by Morgause who came to him as soon as her plane touched ground an hour after she took the last picture of Merlin entering Will's house.

She had shown on previous visits who Merlin's closest friends were, and that included the Crown Prince of Wales, which had surprised the Mercian King but wasn't opposed to it one bit. In fact he was happy that he was befriended with the Prince since Arthur must've kept some security around him, which was only better for his own son to have some extra eyes watching him.

He learnt about Will and Percival and how Will has been Merlin's friend for the past four years and that Percival was the little brother of one of his own security guards.

Right now, Morgause had scattered a few dozen of new pictures on the grand desk ranging from Hunith and Merlin to Merlin and some students on the campus. She also had taken quite some pictures of Arthur and Merlin together and what was noticeable on those were that whenever one wasn't looking, the other would be staring at the other. Like a couple in love.

Balinor had noticed too and thought it might be because they became closer friends in the past few weeks as Morgause had pointed out to him in an earlier visit, but then Morgause showed him the pictures she took today. Merlin grabbing Arthur's hand just as Arthur left Merlin's house, with Merlin's hair slightly sticking out in the back.

Morgause didn't had to give an explanation to the King on what possibly had happened and the King didn't mind that there might be a relationship developing between the two of them.

"Thank you Miss Gorlois." Balinor said as he kept staring at the pictures. "I appreciate all your efforts and wish for you to continue this line of work as soon as possible."

"Of course Your Majesty. I'll leave for London early tomorrow morning." She inclined her head and walked out of the private room.

Balinor sat down in one of the many plush chairs in the room and stared into the fireplace that held a crackling fire. In just a few days he would leave to go to England and then would see both his son as the love of his life. He just didn't know how yet, well obviously he would see Merlin on his visit to the university, but he needed to find a way to get in contact with Hunith. He placed his fingertips together and brought them under his chin and tried to ignore that feeling that started to curl up from within his stomach every time he would think about getting to speak to Hunith once again in nineteen years.

The only thing that kept him from being truly happy was that he wouldn't know how it would go when Merlin learnt about his heritage and Merlin would not accept it. He would be absolutely devastated and he wouldn't want to think about what he would do if that would be indeed the case. He just had to hope for the best.