"Gwaine"

The brunette sighed, "You never told me the whole truth about your father, you didn't even trust me enough to tell me you were born with magic so what else are you hiding Merlin?"

Merlin felt bad like really bad, Gwaine looked genuinely upset that he didn't trust him with his secrets when Gwaine had been nothing but truthful with him. The alcoholic had told him everything, his noble birth, his childhood, why he hated nobles, embarrassing tales he knew he rather die than have the other knights knowing…Gwaine literally told Merlin everything about himself while Merlin continued to lie and keep secrets.

"I'm sorry…"

Gwaine sighed deeply, "Now, what's this about a family?"

Mordred who had been standing quietly at the doorway, watching the friends; looked over at Merlin, curious to see whether the druid lord would give in and tell his friend the truth or fib like he always has.

"I'll take you to meet my wife and child along with Mordred tonight. I promise Gwaine, I won't keep anymore secrets from you anymore. I owe you that much my friend."

Merlin felt himself relax seeing the knight's deadpan falter and his eyes softening at his words.

"I'd like that mate. I'll like that a lot."

Hours Later

Merlin, Mordred and Gwaine wore their hooded cloaks and left silently after everyone else had gone to sleep.

Merlin took a deep breath before speaking with his friends at both his sides, ears perked up to listen.

"Three years ago, Gaius wanted me to get something for him. It was a certain plant that he uses in almost all of his tonics and remedies. The plant has extensive medical uses."

"What the name of the plant?" Mordred asked curiously.

"Culpeper. It's not grown anywhere near Camelot so I had to travel far and I had to take my off days to get it. Eventually, I came to the clearing Gaius told me to go to but something happened."

Merlin paused and Gwaine watched his friend recollect himself again before speaking. "There was this queer force that was almost pulling me into the opposite direction. I felt strange and I tried to resist but I couldn't and then there was this faint whisper in my head, a silent beg for help. I stopped resisting and I followed. There, I found this gold rose with silver leaves shining brilliantly under the moonlight. I was so entranced and so bewildered by the sheer beauty of the flower that I went over and touched it. The moment I did, the flower sparkled. I closed my eyes my eyes when it stopped sparkling and when I opened my eyes I saw the most beautiful girl I had ever seen lying on the ground."

Mordred smiled silently, an image of the druid lord's wife appearing in his mind. She was gorgeous.

"I bent down to pick her up in my arms but before I could even stand, she opened her eyes slowly. When my eyes met hers, my mouth went dry. She had these striking eyes that felt they were piercing into my very soul. She lay in my arms as she told me who she was and who had cursed her. We talked for hours. When the sun finally came, I realized I needed to take her somewhere safe so I took her to my mother's house."

"What about the culpeper?" Gwaine asked curiously.

"Oh well she helped me find it before we went."

Gwaine nodded and wondered whether he could get his friend to describe the 'rose beauty' but decided not to since he was going to meet her anyway.

"Anyway, mother had no qualms taking Layla in. They hit it off really well. After I had left, I realized I could not stop thinking about her so I sent her letters and she replied. Everytime, I visited Ealdor, I spent time with her. Soon we realized we were falling in love."

Merlin's cheeks turned a rosy red making Modred wonder whether he was feeling embarrassed about the fact he had admitted into falling in love or was it something else?

"She told me she was pregnant at Christmas that year."

Gwaine gave a low whistle.

"Wow Merlin, I expected you to be the type of man that waits after marriage but you prove me wrong!" Gwaine slapped him on the back and Merlin flinched from the pain but he still wore a bashful expression on his face.

"It j-just happened!"

"So you proposed to her afterwards?" Mordred cut in, trying to save his friend from further embarrassment.

Merlin nodded, "We had a small ceremony in Ealdor, Gaius was there and we had Geoffrey of Mormouth there too."

The druid knight blinked, unfamiliar with the name "Geoffrey who?"

"The old coot who works as a librarian right?" guessed Gwaine.

"Yeah, he figured out apparently that I had powers. Apparently, he kept a closer eye on me then I ever realized. He was more than happy to conduct the ceremony."

Merlin smiled at the memory and Mordred could feel it and suddenly in his mind, he could see it; Layla in a beautiful white dress and a flower headdress in her hair, Gaius and Geoffrey clapping the druid lord on the back, his mother giving the couple their blessing and then two holding hands with their wedding bands on their fingers/ Mordred wished he could have been there to see it all.

"PAPA!"

Mordred broke out of his trance to see the small boy he affectionately calls his younger brother jump into his father's waiting arms and they hugged tightly.

"I missed you" he told him.

"Missed you too"

Mordred watched, warmth filling his insides seeing Merlin kiss his child on the forehead and Myriddin fisting the man's jacket in his tiny small hands. Mordred always found it very calming that the Emrys family always made him so at home and loved. It made him remember that there was always light and happiness exists in the world.

"GAH! That kid! He was real!"

Mordred laughed seeing the alcoholic's face and so did Merlin as Gwaine stared, his mouth gaping open at the small Merlin double who shyly burying his face in his father's shirt.

"Sweetie!"

The men looked up and Gwaine's eyes almost bulged out of his sockets.

Good lord she was breath-taking. The moon's delicate light had just turned the world a-flame with silver when he saw her. She had on a simple dark dress with a gold braided belt subtly showing off her a curvaceous figure, one most women could only dream of having. Her crescent shaped eyebrows inclined slightly as she saw Gwaine staring at her. Her languid eyelashes of velvet-black blinked once slowly, before moving closer.

Her hair was long, wavy, and tawny brown, falling brilliantly over her chest. Spools of it plunged around her heart-shaped face and hid a swan's neck, elegant and smooth. Her eyes were like misty cauldrons yet very enticing as her eyes gazed at the gaping knight over her full, rosebud pink lips.

The woman before him was stunningly gorgeous, like a painting of a goddess brought to life. She smiled in amusement at the gaping knight, her eyes sparkling like the stars that flaunted on the night sky.

"Well hello there Sir Gwaine, I am Layla Emrys, Merlin's wife and mother of our child Myriddin. I was wondering when my stubborn husband will tell you about our little family."