Merlin looked out his chamber's window, his hands on the small bump protruding from him. His and Uther's child was nearly six months now and after the most bad things carrying a child brings with it, such as the nauseous feeling and the constant feeling of tiredness had mostly passed, he had started to enjoy the pregnancy. And so was Uther, Merlin hadn't seen Uther smile so much these past months, but also he hadn't seen his husband so protective either. Uther made sure that he was to be accompanied by at least three guards whenever he would leave the room and sometimes it drove him insane, but it also brought him peace in his mind, knowing that his child would be protected by the best men possible.
Merlin sighed deeply, although he enjoyed his pregnancy, there was something missing. It were his parents to which he could share the joy with. He had only a vague memory of his father from when he was about six, before he had disappeared out of his life –he didn't even knew for certain if he was alive, Kilgharrah was so vague about it. But Kilgharrah also called him a Dragonlord, so he concluded that his father must've died. He also wished that his mother was still alive to share this moment with.
At first he hadn't really thought about it, but when he was strolling around the market last day, he saw another pregnant woman, buying fabrics with her father and mother for her soon to be born baby, and he wished he could've experience that as well.
"Merlin."
Merlin jumped, not having heard that someone entered. But he quickly put on a smile and turned to Uther who looked apologetic.
"Sorry, I didn't meant to scare you."
Merlin shook his head, "You didn't, I was just in deep thoughts."
Uther came closer and wrapped his arms around Merlin from behind, his hands placed over Merlin's that were still on his stomach. "And what were these thoughts about, love?"
Merlin shrugged in Uther's hold. "It's nothing really."
Uther turned Merlin, so he was facing him. "I can see that it's not really nothing, love. Please, just tell me."
Merlin sighed and moved to the table. Uther followed and sat at the chair next to him and placed his hand over Merlin's.
"It's just – I just wished my parents were here to…," another deep sigh left him, "to share this experience with. I know I have you," Merlin quickly said, looking sideways to his husband and tried to smile, but he didn't quite managed it, "And you were and are wonderful this whole time, but –"
"I know," Uther told Merlin with a squeeze in his hand. "It's not the same, I understand."
"I'm sorry." Merlin said with a soft sniff and wiped his teary eyes. "These bloody hormones, make me such a bawling baby sometimes." Merlin then added to lighten the mood a bit, then he grabbed his stomach, "Oh," Merlin breathed out. "Someone is trying to comfort me… I think." Merlin snickered and grabbed Uther's hand and placed it on top of his stomach.
There was a big smile forming on Uther's face. He never ceased to be amazed by their child moving. The first time it happened, nearly two months ago, he had almost a panic attack when Merlin creased his brows and grabbed his stomach in both his hands, but when Merlin guide his hand, just like now, to his stomach and Uther felt a faint push against it, he knew immediately that their child moved.
There was a knock on the door, followed by, "Your Majesties?" It was the guard who was standing in front of the door.
Uther sighed softly and looked up at Merlin apologetic. Merlin just simply shrugged, he was used to it by now. They never could really be alone, it was part of being King and Consort.
"Enter," Uther shouted and waited for the door to open. The guard entered and bowed.
"Sires, I came to inform you that the people have gathered in the hall and are now waiting for you." The guard bowed again and closed the door once more.
"Back to our duties then," Merlin said and went to stand up. The monthly meeting with the people of Camelot, mostly peasants, had been originally organized by Merlin around a year back, and was meant for people who needed help of their King. Uther and he would hear the people's complaints or requests and would see how they could help in any way. Sometimes people just wanted to thank their rulers by gifting them fruits, fowls, or other small belongings they could miss.
Uther lead Merlin through the hallway, passers-by bowing and smiling to the happy couple and when they entered the Great Hall they were greeted by the people who were waiting there in a somewhat organized line. Uther and Merlin went to sit down on their thrones and the first person in line came forward, telling them his dilemma.
It went on for a couple of hours and Merlin and Uther did their best to offer help to the people in need and thanked the persons that gifted them things. Merlin loved this time of the month, the smile people gave him once he offered a solution to their predicament was why he had started to do this in the first place.
Merlin scanned the room to see how many people there were left. At this stage in the pregnancy his back started to ache more after sitting and doing nothing for hours and so he was happy to see just a few people left. He quickly moved his attention back to the person standing in front of him once he began speaking and offered his best advice to deal with the situation.
Nearly half an hour later, the last person standing in the Great Hall came forward and bowed deeply. Merlin was intrigued as the person wore a hooded cloak, but he didn't found it his place to tell how people should or shouldn't dress.
"Sire," The man spoke and Merlin's brows drew together. It was like he had heard that voice before. Subconsciously Merlin bent a little forward when the man began to stand. Merlin tried to see the man's face, but the hood shielded it. Uther noticed his husband's reaction to the man and was curious as to why his husband was reacting that way. He hadn't done that to any other person.
"State your business," Uther said, his own curiosity having the best of him. He watched the man, but found nothing too special about the man.
The man's hands went to the hood and drew it away. Uther immediately heard his husband taking in a sharp breath and he moved his head towards his husband who now looked like he just seen a ghost. Not wanting to take his eyes of Merlin, but also wanting to know who this person was, Uther ultimately turned back to the man and looked at him oddly. There was a sense of familiarity, but he didn't know who this man was.
"Sire," The man began again, "I've come to see my family."
Uther looked between his husband and the man claiming to be family. His husband started to breathe quickly and Uther called guards and he saw Merlin gripping the armrests tightly, making his fingers turn white. "Guards!" Uther yelled. "Take this man away." Then he turned to a servant at the sides and called him forward for a goblet of water.
"Here, love, drink this." Uther said as he offered the goblet, but Merlin shook his head even though he was not able to catch his breath and he was pushing the goblet away with his hands. All the while he kept his eyes from the man who was led away by three guards.
Uther moved in Merlin's line of sight, but Merlin tried to look past him. "Love, you need to calm yourself. That man cannot hurt you, he's taken away." Uther tried again to make eye contact and this time succeeded. "Merlin, breathe with me." Uther breathed deeply in and slowly out and Merlin did the same for three times before bolting off his throne and towards the three guards and the man in the middle. They were almost at the door, but Merlin surpassed them and hugged the man in the middle. The guards released the man and looked at each other before turning to their King, who was looking shocked and slowly made his way to the group of people.
As he neared he saw Merlin's head resting on the man's chest and he heard him softly muttering, "I-I thought you were dead. H-how?"
Uther looked at the guards. "Leave us." The guards immediately bowed and walked away. Uther stepped forwards to his husband and reached out to touch his shoulder, his eyes connecting to the man holding Merlin.
Merlin sniffed and then inhaled deeply before turning around. Uther saw some tears still leaving his eyes. He swallowed. "Uther, may I introduce you to my uncle Tynan."
~oOoOo~
Uther, Merlin and Tynan sat around the table in Uther and Merlin's chamber. Uther thought it was for the best since Merlin had been quite emotional and had offered a chamber to Tynan to refresh himself at which they would meet after in their room. Merlin had calmed down more, but Uther saw that he was still on the verge of beginning to cry again.
Merlin sat next to his uncle and stared at him in awe. Uther cleared his throat once. "Merlin, can you explain how he is your uncle?"
Merlin nodded and with a shaking voice he began to explain. "He's the t-twin brother of my mother. H-he lived in Ealdor as well and helped my mom raising me, since my father had to flee again, because…" Merlin fell silent. He had not forgiven Uther entirely for what he'd done during the Great Purge, but he could somewhat understand Uther's reasoning for it, even if Ygraine's death and sorcery were two different things and not connected like Uther had always thought. But he couldn't keep a grudge against his husband now, not how Uther tried and succeeded to mend his wrongs.
Merlin inhaled deeply and shook his head. "It's not important. When I was about sixteen years old, I saw my uncle for the last time." Merlin looked at his uncle as he continued. "He had been traveling a lot in the previous years and could've gone for months at a time, but that day my uncle was supposed to get supplies, which normally takes only two days, but he never returned. Then my mom and I received word that he – he." Merlin buried his face into his hands and started crying again. Tynan wrapped an arm around Merlin and looked up at the King.
"I was captured, my Lord. I thought I was to be put to death immediately, but I was tortured first and then sold off as a slave. I escaped nearly a year ago from my master and found shelter with a group of druids near the Northern border and regained my strength there. My recovery took some time, but as soon as I felt well enough, I wanted to go back to my family, but when I arrived in Ealdor, I got the news that my sister had died and that my nephew had travelled to Camelot, and I believed he went to my uncle Gaius. I still did not know about your union then."
Merlin lifted his head from his hands and looked up to his uncle to hear the rest of the story.
"I neared Camelot and asked passers-by if they knew someone called Merlin in Camelot and they looked at me full of awe and told me that he was to be found in the castle." Tynan looked down at Merlin. "I still had no thought about you being Consort to the King, and thought you were just part of the Royal Household. Only when I came into the city I heard about how King Uther and Consort Merlin held audience for the people and I thought I misheard, but my curiosity took the better of me and so I entered the Great Hall but indeed, there I saw you. Not my little nephew as I remembered, but a grown man. And with child!"
The exclamation caused a smile to form on Merlin's lips again and he breathed out a laugh as his hands went to his midsection.
"I'm naturally interested how you entered an union with the King of Camelot, but for now," Tynan looked down and folded his hands together, "I'm now more interested to know how and when my sister had died."
Merlin placed a hand on Tynan's hands. It was still difficult to talk about his mother's death, but he had some years to come to peace with it. With a deep inhale, Merlin began to tell the story that he had told Uther in one of the first years of their courtship.
"I had just fed the few animals we had and was then milking the goats when I heard a huge crash and a loud scream coming from the house. I hurried inside the house and saw mother lying on the ground, a stool nearby, fallen on its side, and the table was moved. When I kneeled down next to her I saw a lot of blood dripping from her head. I tried magic, uncle, I tried!" Merlin gripped his uncle's upper arm, then he slowly released his grip. "But it was futile, the wound on her head was too deep and my magic was not strong enough to save her back then. In her last few second she looked up to me and said: 'I'm sorry, Merlin. Forgive me. You'll always be my son and I love you so much, but there's something -'. And then her last breath left her, she wasn't able to finish her sentence. And I also do not know what she wanted to say." Merlin shook his head, brows drawn together in concentration. "And I do not know for what I should forgive her for, she'd done nothing wrong, ever."
"It's alright, Merlin." Tynan said, drawing Merlin in a hug but made sure that his face was shielded away from Uther. His face changed in anger as his head was hidden behind Merlin's, and when he retracted, he made sure that his face was one of sorrow once more. "You did everything you could, Merlin. Don't blame yourself."
"But if I was in the house! I-I could've prevented my mother falling and hitting her head."
"Merlin," Tynan said. "It was an accident, and could've not been prevented."
"But –"
"Merlin, no. Don't do that to yourself or you'll make yourself unwell." Tynan said and after a few moments, Merlin finally nodded.
Tynan turned to Uther. "My lord, may I retreat back to my chamber? This meeting was hard for both of us and I think Merlin will need some rest, especially for the child. We can dine together tonight if that is what you wish."
"Of course," Uther said. "And call me Uther, family of Merlin is always welcome in Camelot. A guard will escort you to your chamber and will announce when dinner is served."
Tynan stood up and bowed. "Thank you, Sire." He squeezed Merlin's shoulder. "I will see you in the evening Merlin, rest for now." Merlin nodded again and stood up to hug his uncle once more.
As soon as the door to his chamber closed behind Tynan, he picked up a goblet and threw it with a growl against the opposite wall and then sat down on a chair around the table and muttered to himself, "That bastard! He might be our son, Balinor, but I cannot forgive him for being married to the man that made your life miserable. Your death will not be for nothing, Merlin will pay."