Hey, so this one is for Krissystvs and Musiclovesbest. One wanted a de-aged Merlin while the other wanted an emotionally distraught Merlin. Thanks ever so much for the ideas guys, and I hope you enjoy this.
Oh, and for the person who asked me if Lancelot was dead the last few chapters 'Yes, he was.' Oh, and I'd make these chapters longer, but I am trying not to turn them into long, drawn out, needs more than one chapter to work out the plot, fics. I kinda like the idea of just drabbles, but I can TRY to make the chapters longer.
So, thanks for reviewing, alerting, and favoriting last chapter. I don't own 'em. And drop me a comment if you can.
Thanks for reading
"What do we do with him?" Arthur asked curiously as Gwaine poked Merlin.
"Well, for starters, you can start by not poking me," Merlin snapped in a small, angry, almost squeaky voice, glaring at Gwaine. The knight gave him a sheepish smile, backing away from him.
"Gaius, please tell me this wears off," Arthur begged, his blue eyes flicking to the older man.
"According to my reading, it'll last a week," Gaius replied letting his eyes scan the book sitting in front of him.
"A week?" Arthur's blue eyes snapped back to Merlin, who was kicking his bare legs back and forth, trying and failing to keep his shirt sleeves from falling over his hands. "And what do we do with him until then?"
"We keep him out of trouble," Gaius murmured rubbing his eyes with his hand.
"Easier said than done," Arthur muttered, crossing his arms.
Merlin shouted, "Hey," before trying to aim a kick at him, his short legs not quite reaching the king.
Merlin
So, Merlin was four again. Things could be worse. At least he had his memories, and Gwen was able to find him some smaller clothes to wear in the market. It did irritate him that everyone was treating him like he was breakable, making him sit around Gaius' chambers, bored out of his mind. He wanted to get out; he didn't see why some stupid curse should keep him from doing his usual duties. It was completely asinine.
Right now, he sat on his bed, flipping through his spell book, trying to find a better way to turn himself back into an adult. The problem, he was having a little trouble reading some of the words and getting absolutely nowhere with his research.
With a heavy sigh, he slammed the book shut and tossed it to the side. He fell onto his back, glaring at the ceiling. He needed to get out, so full of pent-up energy that he was willing to do anything, even if it was simply running around in circles in the yard; anything to get him out of his chambers.
He rolled off his bed, moving towards the door. He opened it, slowly heading down the stairs, stopping at the bottom. He stared at Gaius, standing at his cauldron and making a potion, and softly asked, "Can I please go outside?"
"Merlin," Gaius stated, starting slightly, holding his heart, "I didn't hear you. What did you say?"
"I asked if I could go outside. Please, Gaius, just for a few minutes. I am so bored." It was true, he never actually thought he'd miss cleaning Arthur's chambers. Hell, he was also willing to do the prat's laundry, polish his armor, muck out the stables…
Okay, maybe not the last one, but the others were a definite maybe. He needed to get outside otherwise he'd just die. Probably not actually die, but it felt like he was going to die of boredom if he didn't go outside.
"Merlin, I don't think you should be outside without supervision," Gaius replied softly, calmly, measuring out a vial full of the yellow potion.
"Gaius, I'm an adult," Merlin stated trying and failing to keep a whine out of his voice, contradicting his last statement. At least he kept himself from stomping his foot. "Please."
"Would you like to make deliveries with me?" Gaius asked after a beat, packing the yellow potion into his bag.
"Really?" Merlin perked up at the idea, already rushing towards the door. "Can I hand out the potions?" he asked excitedly, pulling the door open.
"We'll see," Gaius responded fondly, shutting the door behind them.
Merlin
"I'm not helping you get barmaids, Gwaine," Merlin grumbled crossing his arms, looking defiantly up at the knight.
"Come on, Merlin. We never get to spend time together, and I know you want to get out of Gaius' chambers for a few hours." That stopped Merlin's protests in their tracks. Gaius had said that if an adult ('an actual adult, Merlin.') were to escort him outside, he was allowed to leave their chambers. And he hadn't been outside in almost three hours. A second wave of energy had hit him and he needed to be able to run.
"Can't we just walk?" he asked curiously, but by the grin on Gwaine's face, the knight knew Merlin was about to agree. "Fine," the younger man said with a sigh, hanging his head. "But I'm not telling them I'm your son."
They walked out of Gaius chambers, Merlin practically running down the stairs, barely avoiding maids and servants as he headed towards the doors. He waited impatiently for Gwaine, unable to push the front doors open, tapping his foot against the stone floor.
"What are you doing wandering by yourself?" a familiar voice asked and Merlin looked up to see Arthur walking towards him.
"First off, I'm not by myself," Merlin replied shortly, crossing his arms. "And second, even if I was, I am actually almost twenty-five, so I am technically an adult and can be outside on my own."
"You're not an adult," Arthur pointed out with narrowed eyes.
"In looks, yes, but in age…"
"No, I mean even when you are your age, you are hardly an adult." Arthur smirked at that, and Merlin knew he was doing his normal amount of teasing, and it would hardly bother him if he were older, but his four-year-old mind identified it with just plain being mean and he felt anger bubble up in his stomach.
He wanted to tell Arthur to 'shut it.' Hell, he wanted to tell Arthur that he hardly qualified as an adult either on the best of days, but neither phrases came out of his mouth. Merlin merely drew his foot back, kicked Arthur in the shin, hard, and ran off, listening to the king howl in pain.
Merlin
The castle went on lockdown, Arthur sending the knights out to look for Merlin. Gwen told him she was sure he hadn't gone far, he was a little boy after all, but he merely brushed her comfort off and continued to look for his servant.
Gwen headed to the kitchens, grabbing a few biscuits from a cooling rack, and began walking down to the library. She knew Merlin better than anyone, sometimes even better than Gwaine and Arthur, and she had a sneaking suspicion she'd find him among the dusty volumes. She couldn't exactly fault Geoffrey for missing him either, not when Merlin was hardly tall enough to reach most peoples' knees.
She walked past Geoffrey, who gave her a questioning look, heading towards the back of the library. Sure enough, she found Merlin hiding under an old table, knees drawn to his chest, his face hidden in his thighs.
"There you are," Gwen said softly, not caring about her dress as she crawled under the table. She made herself comfortable next to Merlin, bending her head a little to avoid hitting it. "We've looked everywhere for you." Merlin's only response was a little sniff. "Hey," Gwen said softly, resting a hand on his back, "what's wrong?"
"Arthur's going to put me in the dungeons," Merlin muttered without picking his head up, his voice muffled and hardly audible.
"Why do you say that?" Gwen asked curiously, running her hands down his spine. "Did he say that?" Merlin shook his head, sniffing again. "Then how do you know?"
"I k-kicked him," Merlin replied softly. "I don't even know what came over me. One moment he's being Arthur and the next…"
"I'm sure he'll understand, Merlin," Gwen said quietly. "He's well aware of your age, and sometimes kids react without thinking."
"But I'm not a kid," Merlin exclaimed looking up, his red-rimmed blue eyes settling on Gwen. "I'm an adult, Gwen. I should have known better."
"Merlin," Gwen waited until he looked at her again before continuing, "right now, as much as you insist you are, you're not an adult. And I know it must be frustrating, but it's only for a few more days. Besides, I'm sure all you need to do is apologize for kicking him; he'll get over it.
"As for Arthur throwing you in the dungeons…" Gwen ignored Merlin's surprised protests as she bundled the boy into her arms, placing him in her lap. "Well, he's going to have to pry you out of my arms."
"Gwen, I'm…" Merlin trailed off, resting his head against her shoulder. "Thank you, Gwen."
"It's not a problem, Merlin." She ran a hand through his hair, offering him one of the biscuits she still held in her other hand. "We'll go apologize in a few moments, okay?"
"Okay," he agreed softly, clutching the cookie to his chest, his blue eyes slipping closed. "In a few minutes." He was asleep thirty seconds later.
Merlin
"Don't," Merlin warned slowly backing away from Percival. The bigger man continued to stalk towards him, a devilish grin on his face. "I mean it, Percival." Merlin backed up another step, his back hitting a wall. "I-I'm not a toy."
Percival towered over him, scooping the tiny wizard up, and tossing him over his shoulder. Merlin yelped, lightly kicking the knight's back. "Put me down," he demanded, but Percival ignored him, turning in a full circle.
Merlin couldn't help laughing, his stomach swooping in both fear and joy. Percival spun in a second circle, this time a bit faster, and Merlin stopped kicking, wanting the knight to do it again. He was spun one last time before Percival grabbed his legs, dangling the tiny wizard upside down.
"This isn't very safe," Merlin stated, unable to keep his giggles at bay. Percival grinned, lightly swinging Merlin back and forth before flipping him right side up and placing the small wizard on his shoulders, so both his tiny legs dangled on either side of the knight's head.
"Are you hungry?" Percival asked curiously, already starting back towards the castle.
"Yes," Merlin replied enjoying the view. He literally felt like he could conquer the world, smiling at everyone they passed, waving at the few he knew, and otherwise enjoying the ride while he could.
"He has legs," Arthur pointed out when the two reached the castle.
"Shut it," Percival and Merlin said together, the latter giggling. His giggles turned into protests when Percival removed Merlin from his shoulders. He then handed the tiny wizard off to Arthur, whose protests mingled with Merlin's.
"Gwen has a snack waiting for him," Percival informed the king. He ruffled Merlin's hair, promised to seek him out after he ate, and then walked away. Merlin already missed the big guy, a part of him wanting to chase after him, see where he was going, ask if he could tag along.
Arthur deposited him on the ground, heading towards the doors. "Keep up," he said over his shoulder, heading inside.
"Arthur wait," Merlin whined running after him. His legs were just not long enough to keep up with the king's long strides and soon he lost him. A sudden wave of fear rolled through him, but Merlin pushed it down, figuring Arthur was just heading back to his chambers. He knew where the king's chambers were, cleaned it on a daily basis, he'd be fine.
Except there were a lot of people swarming around him, too many people. They could squish him. He could be squished and die and no one would know what happened to him. He wanted Percival back. Percival would have protected him; Percival wouldn't let bad things happen to him.
Merlin started crying, backing into the wall, sliding to the floor. He wanted to go back to Gaius' chambers. It was quiet there, less people, familiar. He didn't want to end up squished.
"Merlin," a worried voice said, standing directly above him, and he felt arms wrap around him as he left the floor. "Hey, it's okay." He felt a hand run down his back, another cradle his head, and a familiar voice continued to murmur words of comfort to him. It wasn't Gaius or Percival, but Merlin knew this man and felt himself relax, burying his face into a freshly laundered tunic.
"Come on, let's get you back to Gaius," Leon said softly, carrying Merlin through the crowd. "I'm sure he's worried about you."
"G-Gaius isn't h-here," Merlin stammered clutching tightly to Leon's shirt. "H-he went t-to collect herbs."
"Then who's keeping an eye on you?" Leon asked curiously, stopping short.
"A-Arthur, but… but I can't…"
"Merlin," he heard Arthur call and Merlin picked his head up, watching as the king rushed towards Leon, a worried expression on his face. "I didn't even notice…" he trailed off, clearing his throat, a mask of stoicism settling over his face when he spotted Leon. "I shall take him from here, Leon."
An amused look on his face, Leon handed Merlin over to Arthur. He then said, "Keep a better eye on him, sire," before walking away.
"You had Guinevere so worried," Arthur scolded Merlin as he carried him back to his chambers.
"Admit it, you were worried, too," Merlin murmured, sniffing, a smile on his face.
"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin," Arthur lied with a scoff. "I knew you'd find me."
"It's okay, Arthur," Merlin whispered, a sudden need to tell the truth enveloping him, "I was scared, too."
"Don't be such a girl, Merlin."
Merlin
"…eight, nine, ten," Merlin counted before backing away from the tree. "Ready or not, here I come!" he called and started searching the immediate area. "Elyan!" he called peeking around a tree. "Elyan, where are you?" he peeked around another tree, poking his head into a bush, screaming in freight when someone grabbed him from behind.
"Gotcha," Elyan stated laughing, burying his hand into Merlin's side, emitting a squeal of laughter from the tiny wizard.
"Don't," Merlin complained, squirming, breathless. "That's not funny."
"I'm sorry," Elyan apologized, placing Merlin back on the ground. "I'm just having some fun with you. You'll be… bigger tomorrow, and I didn't get to spend enough time with mini you."
"I know," Merlin replied latching onto Elyan's arm, swinging off it. "I just don't like being scared."
"Yeah, I can understand that," Elyan replied nodding. A grin suddenly appeared on his face and he shouted, "I'll race you back to Camelot!"
"You're on," Merlin exclaimed letting the knight go and running ahead of him.
Yes, he may have been four for a week, but it could have been a lot worse. He could have been four for the rest of his life. Tomorrow he'd return to being an adult, have to go back to work, but maybe just for today, he'd enjoy being a child again. Plus, Gwaine did promise to help him prank Arthur later. He just had to think of a way to blame the entire thing on the knight. Perhaps he'd ask Percival when he and Elyan returned to the castle.