A Marriage that Started a Legend

by IJustShowedUp

Follows canon but with my own arranged marriage spin on it. What happens when Hunith makes a mistake and is forced on the run with her infant son? What happens when Camelot knights find her twenty years later? What happens when Arthur learns he's betrothed to a peasant boy? Will Merlin be able to stand among royalty? Will these two different boys survive each other? Review!

10. Chapter 10

"Here it is." Gaius announced. He was standing at one of the bookshelves against the far wall. He was digging around in the small whicker basket that had been sitting on one of the shelf's. The concoction had been surprisingly easy to attend to, it wasn't something he often had to make. It was a simple but surprisingly potent, potion that was meant to soothe the throat. Lady Helena had requested it when she accepted the job King Uther had called her for.

Merlin walked over, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. It was an uncouth move that would never fly if he was sitting with his family-to-be. "Great, who was I bringing it to again?" He asked, taking the vial filled with an odd glowing liquid.

"Lady Helena." Gaius reminded him, making sure the boy remembered it. He handed over the potion, watching Merlin turn it around in his hands. "She needs this for tonight so be sure to bring it to her right away."

Merlin nodded, watching the liquid swish around inside the bottle. "For her voice, right?" He asked, curiosity in his tone. Gaius nodded, walking his nephew to the front door. "What's wrong with her?"

That brought Gaius up short, "Wrong?" He asked, lips turning into a frown.

"Well she's taking a potion, what's wrong with her voice?" Merlin asked, already thinking of the possibilities, each more ridiculous than the last. Maybe she'd been hit in the throat and it had caused some damage to her voice? Or maybe she had swallowed something and it damaged her voice? Maybe it was all croaky and squeaky now. He frowned, his curiosity stronger than his tact.

"No, nothing's wrong with her." Gaius said dismissively. "She just needs it for her concert tonight. It's supposed to relax her muscles so that she can sing."

Merlin swallowed hard, "Her concert..." he asked slowly, throat hoarse. "Tonight?"

Tonight...his wedding...was it just a coincidence that she had a concert the same night as his wedding. Merlin glanced towards the windows, trying to see how high in the sky the sun was. And how much longer he had before he'd be married.

"Yes, tonight." Gaius said. "She's your wedding singer."

Merlin almost dropped the bottle he was holding in his shock. "Wai-what?" He stuttered, eyes going wide. "My what?"

His wedding singer? The words rung through his mind. He really was getting married, wasn't he? With a wedding singer and all. He didn't even get to pick a wedding singer? He had absolutely no decision making with the wedding. Not flowers or food or even the singer. It actually kind of blew his mind that they even had a singer.

In Ealdor, if people decided to marry, somebody might start singing during the celebration but there was no designated singer. The party would only be for a few hours after dark, once all the work for the day had been done. It could get pretty loud, being that there wasn't much to celebrate.

Merlin let his gaze drop to the floor in front of him. There was an uncharacteristic sullen expression on his face. Anybody who knew him would know that it was a very unusual to see something like that on his face.

A wedding singer, of course he would have a wedding singer. His fingers tightened just subtly around the vial. He wondered what his wedding singer would be like. If she was any good at her job. She probably was. He doubted somebody like Uther would choose anything less than the best.

"Merlin," Gaius said, watching his nephew with a forlorn expression of his own. He seemed to realize the mention of the wedding had struck a nerve in his nephew. "Are you alright?"

Merlin jolted his eyes from the floor to meet his uncles. "What? Oh yeah, I'm fine." He said quickly. He tried to plaster an easy going smile on his face but it was obvious that there was something missing. His eyes, they were almost dim. And even though he had a smile on his face, it almost looked like it had a touch of sadness to it. "This goes to Lady Helena. I'll be back soon." And then Merlin was gone, rushing from the room before his uncle could stop him and ask him anymore questions.

He didn't want to fend off questions. He didn't want to talk about it. He just wanted to be alone right now. And the walk upstairs would be the perfect time to just...think. Think about what a wreck his life had become. Think about his life tied to that utter...he couldn't think of a word. Prat was to soft of a word. There had to be something stronger other than arse but he couldn't think of another word.

Prat and arse were pretty good ways to describe somebody like Arthur but Merlin couldn't help but think that something else would be better.

The dark haired boy was inside the center of the castle now, heading to the stairs. He hopped up the main staircase, taking two at a time, his mind still firmly on Arthur.

Why? The prince was so irritating but Merlin couldn't keep his mind off of the prat. He was marrying the guy, it was only natural that he'd be curious to learn more about him. But honestly? He'd pretty much seen everything he needed to.

How could he be marrying a guy that bullied people for the fun of it? Merlin had never been the bully before but he had been bullied a time or two. Nothing excessive but he did know all to well what it felt to be stuck in a corner with kids laughing at you.

Kids could be cruel. But adults? Arthur was an adult. It wasn't just a kid being a little asshole. It was a grown ass man strutting around with an over inflated head.

And the more Merlin thought about the man he was supposed to marry, the more and more irritated he got.

Merlin reached the top of the stairs and started down the hallway. It was right next to the railing that overlooked the entrance hall. He stopped just so he could hang his head over the edge, watching as the people down below walked by, unaware of the watcher above them.

Arthur probably took all of this for granted. This grand and elegant hall, unlike anything that could be found in Ealdor. His mother had been friends with Uther at one point. He wondered if she had often stood on this balcony and watched the people as they went on with their daily lives.

It was almost a comforting thought, imagining his mother having stood in that same spot years before her own son would. A sense of peace washed over him. It was almost like a connection, something that brought him closer to Ealdor.

But he wasn't in Ealdor and that was all to easy to remember.

Merlin pushed away from the rail of the balcony, starting down the hall. He was almost around the corner when he almost knocked over a very familiar blonde. There was a clatter of glass knocking against each other and several yelps made from both of them.

When the chaos was over, Merlin and Mary were both holding tightly onto the tray Mary had been carrying. The two glasses half filled with a deep purple wine shook, a few drops splashing out before they settled. After a moment where both of them stood stock still, afraid that the glasses would fall and shatter at any given moment, the two let out a breath of relief. Their shoulder's dropped and their eyes fluttered closed for the briefest of seconds.

"Lost again?" Mary asked, a wry grin spreading across her face.

Merlin grinned sheepishly, "I'm learning my way around." He was starting to pick up which hallways led to what. He still didn't know most of the place but he could at least find his room, the kitchen, and the hallway where the guest rooms were. That seemed to be where most of his delivery's were. "You wouldn't happen to know where Lady Helena's room is?"

Mary bit back a laugh, her eyes lighting up with amusement. "Just around the corner. Third door on the left." She nodded her head further down the hallway in the direction he had been walking.

Merlin side stepped around her before walking backwards. "Thanks again, Mary." He called to her.

"Uh..." Mary started, looking unsure.

Merlin glanced back with a confused frown before looking down at his hands where he was now holding the tray. He'd started walking away, tugging it out her hands along the way. "Oh, uh, I believe this is yours." He said sheepishly, clearly embarrassed as he handed it back. "Thanks again." Mary set it against her hip and watched as Merlin hurried away.

Merlin went around the corner before finding Lady Helena's room right where Mary had said it would be. He put his hand up to the door and knocked, waiting for an answer. But he didn't have to wait because the door creaked open on its own.

Frowning, Merlin glanced down one side of the hallway and then the other. But this hallway was pretty deserted. He could hear the sound of others somewhere nearby but nobody was around.

So with an upmost caution, Merlin pushed the door open a little wider. "Uh, hello." He called to the empty room, sticking his head in. But the room was bare. He still looked around, expecting his wedding singer to burst in and yell at him for entering her room without permission.

But nobody did.

Merlin couldn't stop his curiosity and he ventured further into the room. This was his wedding singer after all. Didn't he deserve to know a little bit about her?

The room itself looked like an ordinary guest bedroom, empty of any possessions. Except for the vanity. The vanity was chalk full of things. He couldn't stop himself from checking it out if he'd tried.

He stopped in front of the vanity, looking down at all of the bits and bobs scattered about it. There was pieces of cloth, like a scarf or sash that was almost see through. There were dozens of long necklaces, metal bracelets, and dozens of small silver rings. It was just like anything she'd owned had been tossed on it in one big heap.

Finding a gap in between the jewels and the trinkets, Merlin set the potion vial down, freeing up his hands to explore some. He didn't mess with much. First, he picked up a ring. It was a small, metal piece of jewelry with a little amber looking stone on top. It only had his interest for a moment before he dropped it in a small cluster of rings, each just as small as the last. He moved a necklace or two aside.

His brows furrowed as he caught sight of something just peeking out from underneath a sheer purple headdress. He gave a quick glance around to make sure that he was still alone. Then he was hooking his finger under the headdress and easing it aside.

Merlin picked up the object, feeling his brows crease harder together as he stared down at the thing in his hand. It looked like a straw doll, the kind parents made for their daughters back in Ealdor when they were children. But this one looked much nicer. It was neater, the straw looking handpicked and carefully shaped instead of just thrown and tied together. But why would a grown woman have one? No one in Ealdor over the age of ten carried one around. Maybe it was just a favorite trinket from her childhood that she'd kept?

Since he wasn't going to get any answers from staring at it, he set it aside. He didn't understand girls anyway. Maybe it was actually a common thing in Camelot to keep your old toys.

Merlin was about to step away from the table, having left the concoction sitting on top of it. That was when something else caught his eye. It was the corner of something hard peeking out from what looked like a pink sash.

Almost more carefully than he had been, Merlin carefully eased the sash away. His heart was starting to speed up, feeling more nervous as more of it was revealed, completely sure that he was going to find something horrible.

Something like...a book?

Frowning, Merlin tilted his head, trying to read the title. The book was sideways so he could read it, not that it would help any. The book was old looking with a leather cover. The title on the front was in some weird lettering. At first he thought it was just cause he'd never seen the word before and that was why it didn't make sense when he tried sounding it out.

He was just starting to think it might not even be English when he heard something. His head shot up, eyes shooting over to the door still opened a peek. In a scramble, Merlin started dragging clothes back over the book and tried to make it look like it was before.

He only managed to drag the one sash back over the weird looking book when he heard the door behind him swinging open. And in that same instant, Merlin spun around with a nervous smile, tucking his hands behind his back.

The dark haired woman in the doorway glowered at the boy in her room. "And who are you?" Helena demanded, glaring at him.

"Um, I'm Merlin." He stuttered, his smile a little to anxious. "Uh, are you...Lady Helena?"

Helena was still scowling at him, "I am." She said shortly. "And why are you in my room?" She demanded, voice cutting through the air.

"I-I was asked to deliver this." Merlin said quickly. He turned back to the vanity, keeping his eyes down on the table as he quickly snatched up the vial.

With his back to her, 'Helena' felt her breath catch. She could see her reflection in her mirror. Not of what she looked like now, the beautiful and luscious Lady Helena. But the old and grief stricken Mary that she was, her grey hair hanging limply over her shoulders. It was an odd contrast compared to the expensive dress that she was wearing.

It was a good thing that Merlin kept his eyes locked on the table and hadn't raised his eyes to meet hers in the mirror. If he had seen what she was, Mary would have had no choice but to kill him where he stood.

But as luck would have it, Merlin never raised his eyes. And that very action may have been the one thing that saved his life. He turned away from the vanity, handing Lady Helena the concoction, looking hesitant.

Helena looked down at the medicine in her hand and Merlin could have sworn that she looked confused. As if she hadn't been expecting a medication to be delivered to her.

"Are you...alright?" Merlin asked unsure, hesitant to just leave. This was Lady Helena, didn't he have a right to meet the woman who was going to sing at his wedding?

Helena's head jolted up, eyes flashing away from the vial in her hand to meet his own. "Yes, of course." She said immediately, maybe a touch to fast. She walked passed him, bumping her shoulder against his as she passed. She stood just to the side of her vanity, setting the bottle among her things in an uncaring manner.

Merlin frowned, wondering if he should be concerned. She seemed very...dismissive? Abrupt? Helena seemed to notice that he hadn't left. She suddenly spun very abruptly, giving him an icy glare. "Was there something else?" She demanded sharply, voice hard enough to cut through glass.

Merlin flinched startled, "Oh, I...I was just..." he stuttered. She wasn't being very nice. He started to wonder if all beautiful people were rude. First there was Arthur. He couldn't see it, but he could see how other people might find him a marginal of attractiveness. And now Helena. She was a very beautiful woman but she had an iciness to her that unsettled him.

"What?" Helena hissed through her clenched teeth, willing the servant boy to go away with her eyes alone.

"The uh, the wedding song." He blurted out. Helena's brows furrowed together. "I was just wondering what you planned on singing." Merlin had never given much thought to what song he would want sung at his wedding. But he had a few ideas running through his mind, just to make the evening a little more bearable. He wondered if she'd be willing to take requests.

"Oh." Lady Helena said, sounding bland and uninterested. She waved a hand at him in a very dismissive manner. "I'm sure something will come to me."

Merlin frowned confused. She hadn't prepared something? Wasn't she a professional singer? Don't they usually have something prepared and ready in advance. "Oh..." he said slowly before brightening up. "If you need help then maybe I can give sugge-"

"I don't need help!" Helena suddenly snapped, voice sharper than glass. "Especially from a servant boy!" She sneered the last words as if she were talking about trash beneath the soles of her decorative heels.

Merlin reeled back startled, blinking dumbly. He could only think of one thing at that moment. Why did everybody think he was a serving boy? Sure, he was wearing his ordinary peasant clothing and was running around the castle doing errands for his uncle but that could mean anything. It didn't necessarily mean he had to be a serving boy.

"Now, get out." Lady Helena hissed, her jaw clenched tightly.

"Yes...m'lady." Merlin said softly, still confused about this whole encounter. He would have thought that a wedding singer would be more...sweet? He didn't know but he definitely wasn't expecting somebody so...cold.

Merlin was quick to leave the room after that, hurrying off down the hallway as fast as he could without running.

Several yards away, Arthur was just walking into the courtyard. He'd spent his early afternoon walking around the lower town. He hadn't done anything more than taken a walk around the city. Usually, he would have stopped to make a snide comment to someone who was unfortunate to be in his way. But this time, he hadn't said a word. He'd walked with his head in the clouds, not thinking of anything. His mind had been blank but that was only because he was numb.

Wedding clothes.

He had his wedding clothes sitting on his bed, waiting for him to put them on. Waiting for him to go downstairs to the grand hall and say I do to a stranger. Somebody that he would have to bring to his bed tonight after the ceremony. He could feel the bile raise up in his throat at just the thought before he forced it down.

How was he going to do this? He came back to that one question every few minutes. How was this going to work? How would he be able to get through something like this? His father had always made sure to prepare him for anything that could come at him but this, this was the one thing he couldn't have been prepared for.

Even this one week that he'd had where he knew what was happening wasn't enough to even begin preparing him for what was to come.

Arthur was walking across the cobblestone yard that made up his courtyard. He ignored whoever he passed by keeping his eyes firmly trained on the ground in front of him.

"Sire?"

Arthur's head jolted up by the sudden call of his title. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had pretty much tuned out everything else going on around him. That wasn't a good thing. As a prince and a soldier, he needed to be vigilant. He couldn't just wonder around his kingdom unprotected with his head in the clouds. What if there had been an assassination attempt on his life? He wouldn't have even been able to protect himself before he was dead.

He hadn't even married the boy yet and he was already doing things to his head that Arthur just didn't want.

"Sire?"

Arthur brought his eyes around to meet the eyes of his manservant. The blonde gave him a look of annoyance. He wouldn't dare dream of thanking Morris for snapping him out of his depressing thoughts. The manservant never had to know that Arthur was relieved that his servant had gotten his attention.

At least then, Arthur's attention was on something else other than his upcoming nuptials, the one thing that had been circling his mind for almost a week.

"What is it, Morris?" He snapped, the annoyance far to obvious in his voice.

Morris flinched. Maybe he shouldn't have interrupted his prince. He had looked as if he was in deep thought, a contemplative look on his face. "I brought your mace, sire." He said, holding it up by the handle. The metal, spike filled ball hanging off the chain on the end.

Arthur's eyes dropped to the metal ball his manservant was holding. "Ah, good, good." He said, reaching for it.

Morris dropped his eyes to Arthur's hand as he was reaching for it. And just as the prince came in contact with the handle, Morris brought his other hand up, casually putting it on top of Arthur's.

Arthur froze, looking down at the hand on top of his blankly. Their skin tone was similar and Morris' hand was just slightly slimmer than his own. What exactly was his manservant doing?

"Sire?" Morris asked slowly. He looked up at his prince through his eyelashes, stepping a little closer than he had to. Just so he could stare up at his prince. They were almost chest to chest. "Your-your mace." He said with a slow grin, letting his eyes trail down the prince's strong and thick neck.

But Arthur didn't notice the wandering eye. He had gotten stuck on their closeness, and remembering the last time he'd been this close to somebody.

That boy, the one that had insulted him. He'd pretty much all but forgotten him until this moment.

Even though it was only yesterday, Arthur couldn't really remember what he looked like. He just couldn't picture the boy's features. But he did remember other things. Like that dumbass neckerchief he had been wearing, and the dumb way that his ears had stuck out some. The thin wrist in his hold after he'd pinned it behind his back when he'd tried to punch him. The thing he remembered most was the voice. The dry way the boy had called him an arse and then just tried to walk away as if he hadn't just insulted royalty.

It had been...oddly refreshing.

Fuck, what had his name been again. M...something starting with an M. Mark...Marcos...Mer...

"Sire?" His manservant's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

Arthur jolted out of his mind and whatever name he'd been about to think of next was gone. It was like a whisp of smoke that he almost had in grasp and just like that, it was gone.

Arthur wretched his hand away from Morris' grip, forgetting all about the strange way his manservant was behaving. His mind had moved away from his wedding and was now firmly back on that boy.

What had his name been? It was killing him. He knew it, he knew he did. It was just there on the tip of his tongue.

"Sire, are you alright?" Morris asked, annoyed frown on his face, fingertips tingling from where the handle had been snatched so crudely from his hand. He thought he'd finally at least caught Arthur's attention when all the prince had done was stare at their conjoined hands before he'd so rudely snatched it away.

But then again, maybe Arthur had noticed. Morris gave a subtle glance around at their surroundings. If the prince had noticed Morris' trying to flirt, maybe he just didn't want to be caught holding hands with a servant. That made perfect sense. Arthur hadn't yelled at him so he either didn't notice or was to embarrassed about being caught.

Maybe trying something out in the open had been to bold of a move. Maybe he should start with something more subtle, like inside and away from prying eyes. It wouldn't do for word to spread that the manservant was trying to get with his master. At least not before he had his hooks deep into Arthur.

He would try again later to get closer than was strictly professional for a manservant to be.

"Morris," Arthur suddenly said. "Have you spoken to him yet?"

Morris felt his expression freeze, "Him...sire?" He had been half hoping that he'd somehow misheard him earlier that day. He had thought that maybe he was remembering wrong and that Arthur hadn't said that he was marrying a male.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, "My...fiancé." He could barely get the word out, having to force it. His fiancé. It made something inside him want to just shrivel up and die in that moment.

"No, sire." Morris admitted. He hadn't even tried yet. He'd been to busy running around looking for a mace while at the same time, thinking about his prince's order. Explain to his fiancé what consummating meant? What moron didn't know something like that? This boy, whoever he was, didn't deserve to be in Arthur's bed. Especially if he couldn't even please the prince, what was the point in him even being in there? Morris would had been a much better option, he at least knew what he was doing in the bedroom. "I...haven't been able to locate him yet." He lied easily.

Arthur didn't notice, nodding his head. "Fine, then go and track him down. Get his room first, he's probably holed up in there somewhere." It would definitely explain why Arthur had yet to meet him. He was probably hiding away in his room like some kind of coward, to scared to face him.

Good, let him be scared. At least that would keep him out of Arthur's hair for a little bit longer.

Morris bowed, "Yes, sire. I will do that immediately." The manservant felt a spike of irritation. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to the man that was stealing his throne, his crown, right before his very eyes. But this boy was probably somebody important if Uther had agreed to such a union. He would just have to find out who this boy thought he was, coming in out of nowhere as he did.

"You're dismissed." Arthur said, already walking away, mace wrapped up and held firmly in his hand. He had caught sight of his friends just now entering from the other side of the courtyard.

"Yes, sire." Morris repeated, doing another bow but Arthur was already long gone. The manservant shot a look in the direction his prince had gone before heading towards the castle.

He had to see what was so important about this guy that Uther would agree to marry off his only son to him. He was so intensely focused on finding out just who this mystery boy was that he never even noticed passing Merlin on the castle stairs.

Merlin passed by Morris on the stairs without even a glimpse in his direction. He had his head bowed, his thoughts swimming. What had been wrong with Lady Helena? Was she always like that? Or had he just caught her at a bad time. He kept replaying their conversation in his mind, going over it again and again. Had he done something to insult her? Maybe finding a stranger in her room had freaked her out more than he thought.

And she had called him a serving boy. He'd done been called that before and had been ignored so he hadn't even bothered to correct her. To let her know that he most definitely did not work in the castle.

Merlin walked through the courtyard and headed towards the marketplace, still letting his thoughts wander, not taking in where he was going at all. Maybe he had just caught Lady Helena in a bad mood. He'd never just been...dismissed like that before. Like he was just a serving boy. He remembered when he'd first arrived, noticing how the knights hadn't acknowledged any of the servants they've passed.

Was this how they felt? Unacknowledged and unrecognized. As far as he could see, the servants were running around doing all of this work. Didn't they deserve a little more credit then they were getting?

Merlin was so caught up in his thoughts, that he hadn't even noticed when he walked straight through the middle of a group of four boys. But the ringleader sure noticed him.

Arthur had caught up with Markus, and their two friends and were now taking a walk through the lower town. They were cutting up and being loud, nudging each other as a group of boys tended to do when they got together.

Arthur had his head turned, saying something to Markus, when he'd felt the brush against his shoulder. Just the brush of somebody's shoulder brushing against his as they passed him by. But Arthur jumped on it, head turning around to see who had rudely passed him by without acknowledging him as their prince.

By the time Arthur had turned around, Merlin was already several feet away. He had been walking at a faster than normal pace so he was already halfway down the street. Arthur's eyes zeroed in on the back of the peasant boy that had crossed him.

It only took a few seconds for him to recognize who it was. Maybe it was the dark, untamed hair that brought back exactly who it was. Or maybe it was that stupid thing tied around his neck that Arthur could just barely see even with the boy's back to him. Was this moron seriously trying to walk away from him again? Hadn't he learned anything from last time?

Hadn't Arthur left a deeper impression on him? Because the boy definitely wasn't running away before Arthur could spot him. He was walking away as if he hadn't even noticed him.

So Arthur made him notice him.

Walking after the boy at a more sedate pace, he called out, "How's your knee walking coming along?"

Merlin recognized the voice behind him immediately. He didn't think he would forget that voice anytime soon, especially not if he had to listen to it for the rest of his life. That mocking, arrogant and conceited tone. Merlin rolled his eyes and kept walking. He didn't have time to soothe whatever ego trip his fiancé was having.

"Oh, this is gonna be good." Arthur heard Markus hiss to their other friends behind him but he ignored them. His eyes were firmly planted on the boy still walking away from him as if he hadn't even heard him.

Merlin kept walking as if Arthur and his goons weren't behind him. Of course he would run into Arthur again before their marriage. Why wouldn't he? He was going to spent the rest of his life tied to the guy, the universe could have given him five more minutes of peace. He tried to ignore them, act as if they weren't there. He had enough on his mind without adding Arthur's ego trip to it. But then Arthur said the one thing that would make him stop.

"Aw, don't run away!" Arthur called after him again, tone mocking. The boy finally stopped and Arthur could feel his grin growing. Good, he thought, the boy would never be able to ignore him after this.

Merlin clenched his jaw before forcing himself to relax. How arrogant could he be? As if he would ever run away from somebody like Arthur? As if he was scared of somebody like him. "From you?" Merlin finally spoke, refusing to face the prat.

Arthur walked closer, the space between him and the boy disappearing. "Thank God," he said with an over exaggerated sigh. "I thought you were deaf as well as dumb." He watched the boy with eyes that were lit with amusement, almost trying to will the boy to face him with his eyes alone. He wanted to watch the humiliation on the boy's face as he realized that Arthur was his better. He wanted the boy with his insulting comments to have nothing more to say, Arthur having won their verbal spar.

Merlin scoffed, did Arthur ever shut up? Or did he always run his mouth more than his brain? Because nobody that conceited could have much of a brain up top. Forget being married to the guy. Merlin would probably kill the guy before either of them got the chance to say 'I do'.

"Look," Merlin said slowly, refusing to be talked down to, his irritation with Arthur spiking to dangerous levels. "I've already told you you're an ass." He finally turned around to face his fiancé head on. "I just didn't realize that you were a royal one."

Arthur's eyes met Merlin's and it was almost like lightning went off between them. Arthur's eyes lit with amusement, Merlin's eyes narrowed in annoyance. It was like a fire was crackling between them just by their eyes alone.

Arthur took a step closer, sauntering up with a confident sway to his step. Arthur remembered their earlier encounter. The shock and surprised that he had felt when he realized that this boy had no idea who he was. It had been a novelty, meeting someone new and being new to them in return. "And how exactly, did you not know who I am?" The prince asked, never moving his eyes away from the boy's own. "Everyone does." And it wasn't just cockiness. Everyone in the city could recognize their prince on sight.

"Oh? Why is that?" Merlin asked with an almost mocking smile of his own. "Is it because your a prat?" He asked in a tone that you would use when speaking to a child.

Arthur's eyes widened just a touch, his lips curling into a barely noticeable grin. Nobody had ever called him a prat before. It gave him a strange...thrill, was the only word he could think for it, going down his spine.

Merlin's eyes wandered away from Arthur, making what little grin he had disappear. What did he have to do to keep this peasant's attention, the prince thought with aggravation. It was...weird...how he wanted this peasant's attention on him. He had everybody else's. So what made this one boy so different where he didn't seem to want to spare a minute of his time on Arthur.

"What are you going to do?" The boy suddenly asked, a mocking grin growing wide on his face. "Get your daddy's men to protect you?"

Merlin's eyes had found the three boy's that Arthur seemed to call his friends. They were just there, hovering in the background. But they were nudging each other, laughing and pointing at him. Merlin raised his chin a little higher, refusing to be knocked down by this group of boys. Not like he had earlier when he'd been humiliated by Arthur in front of half the city.

Arthur couldn't help but throw his head back and start laughing. It was just so ridiculous, that this boy actually thought he needed protection. He'd been trained all of his life to fight, the last thing he needed was protection. But even as he did, he could feel the slight burn under his cheeks. It was embarrassing, someone thinking he needed someone else to fight his battle's for him. The burn wasn't much, not nearly enough to be seen on his face, but Arthur could still feel it brimming under his skin. When was the last time Arthur had felt a twinge of embarrassment? He couldn't even think of when.

Merlin watched Arthur as his laughter died down. Why did he have to be such an arse? His laughter had sounded so mocking, so condescending. He probably wouldn't have looked half-bad if he was just happy and laughing. With that windswept blonde hair and wide grin, Merlin felt his eyes drop to the boy's thick throat when he had his head thrown back. There was a weird sensation forming in the pit of his stomach, something he'd never felt before. But he felt warm, really warm, all of a sudden. It spread out throughout his body, making him feel sick with the suddenness of it.

Then Arthur had to go and open his mouth, completely shattering what ever Merlin was feeling. One simple sentence reminded Merlin exactly who his fiancé was.

"I could take you apart with one blow." Arthur said with complete confidence, grin still playing on his lips as his laughter faded. Did the boy not remember what had happened the last time he'd started something with Arthur? His punch had been so weak it was kind of pathetic. But fuck, the audacity he had to actually attempt it.

Merlin didn't step away even as Arthur took a step closer. "I could take you apart with less than that." He said just as confident. The blonde had no idea what Merlin could do to him. That if there wasn't a threat of execution hanging over his head, Arthur would know exactly what Merlin could do to him.

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked cockily. He let his eyes drop, giving a long and meaningful look at the noodles that he called arms. A whisper of a cruel smirk graced his face for a minute.

His friends behind him started to cut up, making mocking jokes and cruel comments. Arthur tuned them out, to busy giving Merlin an expecting look. What would the moron do now? Would he finally just bow his head and leave? Surely he remembered what had happened the last time he tried to start a fight with him.

Merlin looked his fiancé dead in the eye, before flicking them to his laughing friends behind him. He could feel the humiliation step in just like it had the last time he'd met Arthur. But it wasn't just humiliation. It was rage. A deep anger growing the longer he stood there.

Why did this prat find so much amusement in humiliating people. Why did, out of all people, it was his fiancé that found laughter in being cruel. Instead of letting the self consciousness sink in over the look Arthur was giving his arms, Merlin let his irritation show.

He wasn't going to just take this. He wasn't going to let Arthur humiliate and degrade him. If it was any random person, Merlin probably wouldn't have wasted his time. But this wasn't a random person. This was his fiancé, even if the other boy didn't know it.

And he wasn't going to spend his entire life always being mocked by this boy. He wasn't going to just be his...entertainment, whenever he got bored.

Before Merlin even registered what he was doing, he was yanking his jacket off, scrambling to get out of it when it got caught around his elbows.

Arthur burst out laughing as he saw this. Was this fool really going to try and fight him again? Did he really learn nothing the last time he'd tried that?

Well if it was a fight he wanted, it was a fight that Arthur was gonna give him.

Arthur turned, practically snatching one of the maces one of his boys was holding out of his hand. The boy had been practicing with it earlier during his training session. He was horrible at it, unlike Arthur.

Merlin threw his jacket onto the ground, not caring as a cloud of dust burst out from under it. It wasn't the first time it had gotten dirty. It was pretty much expected at this point.

"Here you go." Arthur called, tossing the mace to the boy. Even though all he'd done was toss it, the boy still didn't catch it. It was almost funny, watching him scramble to get a grip on it, almost getting himself tangled in the chain, only for it to hit the ground.

Merlin could feel the blush raising on his cheekbones. He was quick to bend down, snatching it up by the handle. It was heavier than it looked. The metal ball itself weighed so much that it pulled his arm towards the ground. He had to readjust his grip as to not drop it again.

Arthur's eyes dropped to the mace in the boy's hand, looking at the awkward way he was holding it. It couldn't have been more obvious that he'd never held a mace before in his life. He doubted the boy had ever held any weapon actually. This was going to be the easiest fight he'd ever been in.

"Here, Arthur." Markus called from behind him. Arthur had handed his mace off to the knight when they were walking around town and now he was handing it back, giving Arthur his own weapon. Not that he needed it. Even with the boy having a mace, Arthur had complete confidence that he could still beat him even if he had no weapon himself.

Merlin swallowed hard, looking more nervous than he wanted to as Arthur faced him. The prat swung his own mace around in circles. First to the side of him, then over his head. He was obviously showing off, and Merlin almost felt a fire erupt in his gut. This guy couldn't do anything without being the center of attention, could he?

The townspeople in the area seemed to realize that this was going to get real bad real fast. The townspeople scattered, ducking aside as to not get caught in the crossfire. But even as they moved to a safer location, not one person actually left. Everybody wanted to see how this would turn out.

"I warn you," Arthur said, giving his mace another slow turn over his head. "I've been trained to kill since birth." Maybe he was taking pity on the kid, it wasn't his fault that he was such an utter moron, trying to take him on. He'd probably been dropped on his head as a baby. He gave the kid one last chance to drop out, to take his defeat and leave on his own. Before Arthur showed him who was boss around here.

Merlin ignored the swinging mace, eyes focused on Arthur's as if the prince hadn't just warned him that he could kill him. "Wow," he said, looking completely serious when he asked his next question. "And how long have you been training to be a prat?"

Arthur couldn't have stopped himself if he tried. He snorted, throwing his head back as a wide and genuine grin spread across his face. It was all done in a very unprincely manner that would have his etiquette teacher as a child rolling in her grave.

Merlin felt his lips turn up before he could stop it. The way that Arthur was smiling at him now...it was surprisingly real. There was no cockiness in that moment, no arrogance that made him want to throttle the blonde. It was...odd...how different he looked in that moment.

"You can't address me like that." Arthur said, lips still turned up into an amused grin. He wasn't being rude about it, he was just stating a fact. If it had been anybody else, he probably would have had them thrown into the stocks by now. But there was just something...odd...about this boy. Something Arthur didn't think he'd ever encountered before.

"I'm sorry." Merlin immediately said, as if he was genuinely trying to apologize for his appalling behavior.

Arthur's smile dimmed a little, his eyes taking on a glazed look. Great, just what he wanted. Another peasant boy apologizing for having crossed paths with him. Whatever entertainment or amusement the boy had been given him was completely gone now. Arthur wasn't sure but he almost felt...disappointed.

But then Merlin gave a slow bow, going low so that his nose was even with the ground, his arm crossed over his chest like he'd seen the knights do to the king. But even as he did so, his eyes never left Arthur's, a slow grin spreading across his face. "How long have you been training to be a prat, my lord?"

Arthur felt his grin return full force. A grin that he couldn't have stopped if he tried. There it was, that mouth on that boy that made him so different from anybody he'd ever came across. He could feel a rush of excitement go through his body, his heart racing in an odd way. He wanted to hear what else the boy could come up with. He'd only met this boy twice and he'd insulted him more than Arthur had been his entire life.

Was it strange that he wanted to hear more?

But as that thought occurred to him, Arthur realized everybody was watching them. He was used to people watching him, but this time was different. Arthur felt off his game, awkward, and all because of one peasant boy. He couldn't let people just go around thinking they could insult him.

For a moment there, Merlin could have sworn that Arthur and him were having a moment. A weird one for sure, but a moment none the less. For just a second, he thought that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad, being married to Arthur.

It was like it was just the two of them. Like nobody was watching them. The two of them in their own little bubble where nobody else existed.

But then Arthur had swung his mace at him.

Merlin's smile dropped instantly as he ducked, feeling the metal ball fly just over his head. He jumped back to his feet, looking lost as he stared at Arthur. He could have sworn that things were going well, better than it had been the last time they met at least.

Merlin scrambled backwards, trying to dodge Arthur's swings until he was backed up near a stall.

People near that stall watching scrambled themselves to get out of the way, heading to the other side of the street to watch from a safer distance.

Arthur decided to be a show off. Instead of following straight after Merlin, he easily climbed onto a wooden wagon situated between them.

Merlin watched dumbstruck as Arthur walked across the wagon, swinging the mace in a perfect arch over his head. The back end had been sticking up but as the prince went up it, it slammed to the ground under his weight. The blonde stepped off of it, never breaking stride.

Merlin panicked, bringing the mace up to swing it himself as he took a step back. He didn't even know how to use this thing but he still tried to take a swing. He almost got thrown backwards for his trouble because of the weight of the metal ball.

When Merlin tried to swing it at Arthur, he got jerked back. He looked over his shoulder frantic, still trying to tug it but it wouldn't budge. There was a low hanging wooden arrangement hanging off of the stall just behind him.

No matter how hard he pulled, the mace wouldn't come loose, having gotten itself caught when Merlin had swung it.

"Come on!" Arthur crowed, swinging his mace threateningly closer. He was going more for showing off than actually beating the kid up. "Come on, Merlin!" The name was out of his mouth before he'd even registered it. Merlin, that was his name.

It was a name that Arthur wouldn't soon forget again.

Merlin had no choice but to abandon his mace. He threw himself to the side, scrambling across the ground just in time to miss Arthur's sudden swing at his head. The heavy mace ball slammed into a wooden box sitting by the stall, completely smashing it into dozens of small pieces.

Back at Gaius' place, he was flipping through one of his books. He was looking for a certain flower that he needed to go in his latest batch of potions. But he didn't get very far in his research.

Gaius looked up from his book and back to his flickering candle. He'd lit it just after Merlin had left but the candle was almost halfway burned. It had been a couple of hours at least since the boy had left. "Where is that blasted child?" Gaius grumbled to himself. Probably off somewhere getting himself into trouble again.

There was suddenly a loud commotion going on just outside his window facing the town. It drew his attention and when he peeked out his window, he was not surprised in the least to see Merlin.

What was surprising was Prince Arthur was out there, swinging his mace around.

"Blasted child, going to get himself killed before the day is over with." Gaius grumbled to himself, already making his way over to his front door before he'd even finished his sentence.

His book laid abandoned on its side on one of his many tables.

Back at the fight, Merlin jumped backwards. Arthur had swung the mace at him again and he'd just barely got out of the way in time. He didn't realize a fruit stall was right behind him. Not until he hit it, throwing himself back as hard as he had.

He flipped right over it, feeling several balls of lettuce and tomato crunching under his sudden weight. He let out an oof as he dropped onto the other side of the stall, hitting the ground with his knees.

How did he always end up covered in food?

Arthur laughed, watching as Merlin stuck his head up from the other side of the stall. His hair was a mess of curls sticking straight up, a dumb expression adorned his face as if he was trying to figure out what just happened. Was he always this dumb?

Arthur felt a strange exhilaration coursing through him as he stalked after him, still swinging his mace in circles at his side.

Arthur didn't hesitate for even a second. It was an impressive feat of acrobats when he set his hand firmly on the table of the stall, swinging his legs over. The mace never broke stride in its swing.

Merlin yelped, scrambling out of the way. Problem was he wasn't paying as much attention to his surroundings as he should have. He ended up going further in the stall, pretty much trapping himself in a corner. He barely made it back to his feet, ducking another swing of the mace.

He stepped back urgently, as Arthur came after him. Merlin let out a startled yelp as he stepped on something, falling backwards. He landed on a stack of sacks of potato's, feeling the hardened lumps underneath him.

Arthur looked over him, eyes lit with more excitement than Merlin had seen in him yet.

'Maybe,' Arthur thought, 'maybe this will teach this peasant some respect.' And he definitely needed it. Whoever had raised the boy had done a horrible job, letting him think that he could just talk to royalty the way he did.

But still, Arthur let his excitement at this newly found entertainment get the best of him. And when he brought his arm back, mace still swinging in a perfect circle, he had every intention of bringing the metal ball down on Merlin.

Merlin didn't know if it was instinct or panic or what. As soon as he saw Arthur bearing down on him, his eyes caught onto the two hooks hanging just above the prince's head. The mace was swinging just beneath it. Just a little higher and maybe...

Almost hidden by the shadows from his position, Merlin's eyes flickered to gold for the briefest of seconds. Then the hooks moved, dropping barely an inch from where they were hanging.

Arthur gave out a shout of surprise when instead of the mace coming down, his arm got jerked back. His head snapped to the side, eyes wide as he stared up at the hooks his mace was firmly wrapped around.

Merlin felt his breath catch, realizing that he'd just used magic. He'd used magic directly in the middle of town square. And...he could hear the muttering of the people still watching. Heard the cheers of Arthur's friends, urging him on.

What he didn't hear was the sound of guards coming after him.

It was as if, it slowly dawned on him, that nobody had even noticed.

Seeing Arthur jerking at his mace, trying to untangle it from the hooks, Merlin took the opportunity to jump to his feet.

Arthur finally managed to slide the chain of his mace off of the hooks, feeling his face flush uncomfortably. He'd actually gotten stuck on something. It was such a rookie mistake. Rule one of training was to always be aware of your surroundings.

Arthur was no rookie. He'd had a practice sword in his hand from the moment he could walk. And then a real sword before he even entered his teens. It was stupid to make such a beginner's mistake.

But still, he didn't let it stop him.

Once he'd gotten himself free, he immediately went after Merlin. Merlin who wasn't even looking at him any longer even as he backed away from him. Merlin whose eyes were roaming this way and that over the merchandise around them.

Was he really more interested in shopping then in Arthur swinging his mace at him.

Arthur felt an ugly feeling in his chest. A scowl formed on his face. This fool better not be going shopping when Arthur was right in front of him.

Merlin, his eyes landed on a box pushed out of the way. But with a simple flick of his eyes to gold, the box slid two inches over so that it was directly in front of Arthur.

Arthur walked straight into it, the other end of the box slamming straight up into his lower leg. His mouth dropped opened as he let out a loud groan sound of pained surprised, almost bending over to cup his leg.

Merlin's eyes lit up, not with gold this time, but with excitement. Maybe he could turn this whole thing around. Maybe it wasn't him that was going to lose. It was actually kind of fun, using his magic in the open and nobody being the wiser.

Nothing big. But these smaller things, things nobody would pay attention to in the long run. Was everybody around them really blind to the magic that Merlin was doing right in front of them? Even Arthur, front and center, hadn't noticed a thing.

Merlin ducked behind a table, crouched down and bobbing on the balls of his feet as if he was ready to run. And when Arthur came back after him, swinging his mace down on the table hard enough to crack the wood, Merlin dove underneath it.

He was already looking for something else before he'd registered what he was doing.

Arthur tried to round the table, feeling his frustration growing. He was actively chasing the boy now, something he had refused to do the first time they had met. But his growing rage and embarrassment had him doing things he normally wouldn't be doing.

Then Arthur was tripping over a rope slung across his path. He fell head first onto the sack of potato's that Merlin had landed on earlier.

Merlin grinned, excitement like nothing he'd ever felt before pumped through his veins. He watched as the rope he'd magicked across the floor dropped back to the ground. Before he could blink, he was up on his feet, snatching up the mace that Arthur had dropped to the ground when he'd fell.

Arthur rolled to his feet, stepping back as Merlin spun the mace around. He was doing it upside down in an awkward and clumsy fashion, not even a child would have held it like that. But still, Arthur stepped back.

Arthur had a dumbstruck look on his face. How did that happen? He was still trying to figure out how in the world he'd lost his own weapon to a peasant. It was humiliating and probably something that would spread through his knights when word got out about this.

"Do you want to give up?" Merlin demanded, the country boy accent he had thick in the air. The adrenaline was thick in his veins, coursing through his every muscle.

"To you?" Arthur scoffed, eyes narrowed and body tense. He could see a dozen different openings he could use to get his mace from Merlin. The boy was wide open to attack. He would probably get himself killed if this had been a real fight. But which one to use? Something impressive, flashy. Something that would show that he was the best, even if his opponent was just this scrawny boy.

But then again, when was the last time he'd lost his weapon to somebody.

"Do you want to give up?" Merlin demanded again, stepping closer. The mace went in a slow circle at his side.

It made Arthur remember that even in the hands of a moron, a weapon was still a weapon. He stepped back, prepared to dive to Merlin's wide open side and tackle him to get his weapon back.

He never got the chance to.

First rule, always be aware of your surroundings.

Arthur took his step backwards, only to step straight into a bucket. Within seconds, he was sprawled out on his back. He had landed right on top of the potato's again.

Merlin almost broke out laughing, seeing the dumbfounded look on Arthur's face. The prince truly had no idea what had just happened. How he ended up being the one on the ground, staring up at the boyish face of his opponent.

And Merlin hadn't even moved the bucket there himself. It had already been sitting there during their entire fight.

Merlin's heart was pounding in his chest. He felt the excitement of realizing that he had won. That it wasn't him who had been humiliated this time. This time, Arthur had no choice but to acknowledge him. No choice but to see that he wasn't someone he could torment. That Merlin could stand up to him, that Merlin was someone that could be respected.

Country farm boy or not, maybe he could make a home here. He just had to prove himself some, prove that he wasn't afraid of Arthur just because he was a prince or his fiancé.

But now that Merlin was standing here, he didn't know what to do. Now that he was the one looming over Arthur, he didn't actually want to hit him. Well, with his fist maybe. But a mace seemed like a step to far. He was still swinging it though, thinking about his next move.

But then Merlin made the mistake of looking out into the crowd, almost as if he was looking for some direction for what to do now.

That was when he saw Uncle Gaius, just standing in the back of the crowd. An almost disapproving look on his face.

And that small hesitation Merlin had when he saw his uncle was the exact opening that Arthur needed.

Within seconds, the blonde had snatched up a broom that was sprawled nearby. It had fallen over and rolled just into reach during their fight. Using it as he would a bo staff, Arthur hit Merlin square on his butt.

Merlin let out an oof of surprise, spinning around. His eyes were so wide that Arthur could barely see the blue in them. But then the prince hit the boy directly in the stomach with the broom.

Merlin fell forward, grabbing for his stomach.

And then Arthur gave his killer blow, hitting the boy directly on the top of his head.

Merlin fell backward, hitting the ground on his back. He let out a low grown, bringing a hand to his head. How did he always end up on the ground because of this arse?

Arthur smirked down at the boy sprawled out beneath him. Amused, he gave an over exaggerated sweep of his broom, acting as if he was sweeping out the trash. Merlin being the trash.

Merlin felt the crushing blow of humiliation all over again. He had been so close, so close to proving himself. Although he didn't know who he had been trying to impress. Himself or Arthur.

He was going to marry Arthur tonight. And all Arthur would think of him as was the peasant boy that actually thought for a moment that he could beat him. And just for a moment, Merlin had actually thought he would be able to.

He should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

Merlin couldn't even bring himself together to get to his feet. Two guards who had been watching the fight finally made their approach. They bent down and picked Merlin up with harsh grips on his arms, as if he would actually try to run at this point.

Merlin looked from one knight to the next, each one a good foot taller than he was. He didn't even have the energy to protest at this point. They would probably end up taking him to the dungeons. Only this time, there was no Leon to intercept them and take him to his room.

"Wait, let him go." Arthur suddenly said when the guards tried to lead him away. They immediately let him go although they didn't leave his side. Merlin nearly sagged, having to use his own strength to keep himself upright now. He could already feel the bruises and sores forming on his aching body.

Merlin, swallowing hard, finally raised his eyes to meet Arthur's. He had no idea what the prince was about to say but he was almost afraid to find out. He almost wanted to step back when Arthur stepped up to him.

Arthur didn't know what possessed him to stop the guards from taking Merlin away. He'd said the word before he had even registered that he'd done it. But he didn't regret it one bit. Arthur never did anything that he would regret later.

Arthur did something he'd never done before. He actually complimented someone, kind of. "He may be an idiot, but he's a brave one."

Merlin felt a lump in his throat. Had Arthur, the prince of all prat's, actually...complimented...him. It was unsettling and weird, something he didn't expect in the least.

But he had also called him an idiot.

And right now, Merlin definitely felt like one. He felt like such a mess. No doubt his hair was all over the place. He was covered in a layer of dirt and he could feel sweat in places he didn't even know could sweat. His heart was trying to beat out of his chest and he felt like he'd just gone ten rounds against Arthur.

It was completely different from Arthur who looked as composed as he did before the fight. Arthur, with his blonde hair perfectly straight on his head. Arthur who wasn't even breathing hard, like this was just an everyday practice round compared to the real fight that Merlin was acting like it was.

Had Arthur just been playing with him? Treating this whole thing like a game when it meant so much more to Merlin. Merlin who was trying to force his fiancé to acknowledge him.

But to Arthur, who had been playing with Merlin at the beginning, their fight had ended on a completely different note. Arthur let his eyes roam, darting from one side of Merlin's face to the next.

Looking at his hair sticking up in a disarray.

Looking at the way Merlin's eyes darted away from Arthur and back again.

The way he was breathing hard, his chest heaving.

The way his lips were turned downward.

Arthur took all of this in within moments, memorizing every minute detail of that one boy. That one boy that had caught his attention in a way no other had before. Not even his knights had started something with him before.

He might had failed their fight but he'd tried. And that was something not many people, if any, could say.

"There's something about you, Merlin." Arthur said, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "I can't quite put my finger on it." His eyes darted over that face one more time, memorizing it all to memory. He wouldn't forget this boy's face again, not anytime soon. It was strange, feeling as if it was being burned into his mind.

For a minute, the people milling around wasn't there. There were no guards ready to take Merlin away if their prince commanded it. His friends weren't there, sharing frowns of confusion, wondering why Arthur hadn't sent the boy back to the dungeons. It was just the two of them in a little bubble that was all their own.

"Just who are you?" Arthur said quietly, eyes darting between Merlin's eyes.

There was an odd tone in his voice that Merlin couldn't place. Something that sent his heart racing that had absolutely nothing to do with their fight. He darted his eyes away from Arthur but still, his eyes darted straight back to his face. As if he couldn't help himself.

What was he supposed to say to that? His name? He already introduced himself, Arthur had said it several times so clearly he knew it.

What would Arthur do if he said 'your fiancé'. Would Arthur still look at him with that confused expression, as if he was trying to figure Merlin out and just couldn't.

Merlin swallowed hard, giving an awkward shrug of his shoulders. "Just the...just the new guy in town." He said weakly.

Arthur was still looking at him with that odd look on his face. But then he finally turned away and walked off. He didn't acknowledge his friends in the least as he passed them by, mind still swirling over what had just happened.

Merlin watched him go confused. Was this a good thing? He had wanted Arthur to leave him alone earlier but now...he wasn't entirely sure what had just happened between them. He didn't know what it was but his blood was thrumming oddly in his veins.

Seeing that the prince was leaving, the crowd started to dissipate. The people went back on to their daily lives even as they whispered to each other what had just happened as they returned to their chores. The guards left to attend to their work and Arthur's friends ran after him without sparing Merlin another glance.

Merlin was left there, watching Arthur's back as he disappeared into the crowd.

Neither boy, as they moved away from each other, knew exactly what had just happened. Neither boy knew of the connection that had just been struck between them. For one moment, just one, Arthur hadn't been a prince and Merlin hadn't been a peasant. Arthur didn't know yet that he would soon be tied to this boy forever and Merlin didn't know of the heartache that Arthur would bring into his life.

They only knew one thing at that moment.

Merlin had made one hell of an impression on Arthur.

Seeing that he was alone now, Merlin turned around so that he could head back to his uncle's. Only to freeze in his step and jolt back because Uncle Gaius was now standing directly in front of him, disapproval on every line of his face.

Crap, he had forgotten he'd seen his uncle in the crowd just before Arthur had hit him.

Gaius didn't say a word. He grabbed Merlin by the scruff of his neck. He ignored Merlin's yelping and practically dragged him through the city, the courtyard, and straight up into his chambers.

Gaius didn't say a word until they were safely locked away in his home. "Are you mad?!" He immediately exploded, finally letting the boy go. "How could you be so foolish!"

Merlin took a few steps away, shoulders hunched up to his ears. Now that the adrenaline and the excitement of the fight was over, all he could feel was the shame. The shame of disappointing his uncle. The shame of having used his magic in public. What had he been thinking? If anybody had seen, just a glimpse or even thought they had, it wouldn't be his uncle that would be yelling at him. It would be the townspeople jeering as he was brought to his death.

But still, his first instinct was to get himself out of trouble. "I didn't do anything." He said shakily, hands clenching and unclenching into the folds of his jacket that he'd barely been able to snatch off the ground before he had been dragged away.

"Don't even try it, Merlin!" Gaius snapped. "You can't tell me that Arthur fell that many times without a little magical interference on your part."

"Maybe Arthur is just more klutzier than even I am!" Merlin protested, turning to face his uncle with wild eyes. "Have you thought of that?"

"Merlin!" Gaius hissed through clenched teeth. "Arthur is one of the best fighters around here, he is not going to go around tripping over household objects."

Merlin swallowed hard, biting back a sharp retort. "Oh," he said instead. "So Arthur can use a mace to try and take off my head. But I can't use the one thing I have to defend myself?" He demanded. At least his talent was all natural. He had been born with magic. All Arthur had was a mace put into his hand. Even if he wasn't trained using his gift while Arthur clearly was with his.

"He wouldn't have tried to take off your head if you hadn't started something so idiotic." Gaius spoke sternly.

Merlin winced, "How do you know I started it?" But all Gaius did was give him a stern look. He hadn't known Merlin long but he could see his nephew doing something this stupid. Merlin looked away, feeling his face flush. "He needed to be taught a lesson." He said quietly.

But all that did was make Gaius' rage spike. What would have happened if somebody had discovered him? If somebody had realized what was going on and that it was Merlin that was doing it. How could he write to his little sister and tell her that her son that she had entrusted into his care had died after barely arriving.

That he hadn't been able to protect him like she had asked him to do. The one thing she had ever asked him to do and it felt like he had already failed.

"Magic must be studied, mastered, and used for good." Gaius lectured. All he could think about was the hundreds of people that had already been executed over the years because of Uther's self-proclaimed war against magic. Of how much easier life would have been for them all if people used magic the way it was supposed to be used. "Not for idiotic pranks!" And that was how it started, wasn't it? Somebody would use magic for a simple prank or two. Just something small enough to get away with. Then it got to their head and then before anybody knew it, the simple boy they all knew would be throwing fireballs at them, drunk off of their own power.

He had seen it far to many times. To many good people who had let magic change them in the worst ways possible. To many old friends who had let Uther's law change them, doing things they never would have contemplated before.

He would be damned if he allowed his nephew to go down the same path.

But then Merlin took a step closer, feeling a lump growing in his throat. "What is there to master?" He demanded. "I could move objects like that before I could talk." It was even one of his earliest memories in his childhood, moving a block of wood he had been building with right into place where he wanted it. His mother had long since learned to keep the shutters closed at all hours of the day so nosy neighbors wouldn't see him. Or someone greedy that would sell information of a young untrained sorcerer to the king for a bit of gold.

But Gaius wasn't accepting any excuses, not on something as important as this. "Then by now you should know how to control yourself!" He saw what his sister meant by Merlin needing someone to guide him. He may have had magic all his life but he was still young, not even out of his teens yet. He was prone to emotional outbursts as most teenagers were and with his gifts, that made this a very dangerous combination.

Merlin was talking before he'd even thought of what he was going to say. "I don't want to!" He exclaimed wildly, feeling choked up. What was the point in even having his magic if he couldn't use it? If he had to keep it so tightly wrapped up inside of him. It was like a little ball of light in his chest, he only ever truly felt at peace when he was using it. How was it fair that he had to hide the one thing he had that made him special. "If I can't use magic, what have I got?" He demanded. He was a peasant, someone as common as the next person. Someone that was so far below anyone's radar, below Arthur's, that he could probably die tomorrow and nobody in this city would even know who he had been.

Hell, couldn't walk in a straight line most days.

What made him special other than his magic?

"I'm just a nobody," Merlin said, voice going softer. "And I always will be." His voice was so soft that Gaius had to strain to hear it. Then he whispered something he had never even told his own mother before. Something he had never spoken out loud to even himself. Something so dark that it only creeped into his mind as he tried to sleep after a rough day. "If I can't use magic, I might as well be dead."

Before his uncle could stop him, Merlin turned around and went to his room. He walked so quietly up the stairs that it was like he hadn't even been there. Then he shut the door behind him just as softly, leaving no trace of any evidence that he had even been down there.

Gaius closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face before giving a weary sigh. Gaius understood all too well the joy of using magic could bring, especially to one so young in their youth. It was a beautiful thing, being able to do things that you had never dreamed possible. But for Merlin, he had never dreamed of doing the impossible. He didn't have to, he was already the impossible.

From what Gaius understood about Merlin's gifts, the boy had never gone a day without having his magic there. He didn't know what it was like to be completely normal. To not be able to use his magic, it was unthinkable.

It was truly a tragedy when he thought about it. Merlin, a boy gifted with such an odd power and yet being born in a time where those very powers were persecuted. He wondered if Merlin would be the same if people saw sorcerer's differently. If he didn't have to hide.

Would Merlin had been free? Free to be himself without fear, would he have been happier? Because even in a world like this, Merlin would still be different. He would have been born with his magic instead of having to study old books to get where he was.

He would still be different even if they lived in a world where people's differences were embraced instead of feared.

Gaius gave his nephew barely an hour to cool down before he couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want the boy just up there by himself stewing in his own thoughts for to long, especially after what he had just said. He spent his time gathering up what he thought he might need into a small basket. He had seen the gingerly way that Merlin had been holding himself, the way he'd walked more awkwardly than normal. The boy probably needed something for the pain but Gaius doubted he would ask for it. Not when in the mood he was in.

When he was done, he went up the stairs to his nephew's room. A room that he would always think of as Merlin's, even if the kid did have his own room up in the castle.

Gaius hesitated at the door before giving a cautious knock. There was no answer so concerned, the physician pushed the door open just wide enough to stick his head in.

Merlin was inside right where he thought he would be. He was laid out on his bed on his stomach, probably avoiding touching his back if what Gaius suspected was true. His head was buried in his pillow but he wasn't asleep. His eyes were staring blankly at the wall, not even looking up when he came in.

Gaius sighed before sitting on the edge of the bed, feeling the thin mattress bend slightly under his weight. "Merlin?" The boy still didn't acknowledge him. He sighed and patted his ankle. "Come, sit up. Take your tunic off."

Merlin finally sat up, swinging his legs over to plant his feet on the ground. He reached over his head, grabbing the back of his tunic. He winced, tugging it over his head. He let his tunic hang around his arms, bending forward to rest his elbows against his knees.

"So, how's the damage?" He said weakly, turning to give Gaius his back. Gaius gave the thin back in front of him a once over. He took note of all of the scratches and scrapes along his shoulder blades from where he had hit the ground. He saw the molted bruises that were already starting to form under the skin. He would be in pain for a few days but nothing that wouldn't heal soon enough.

Merlin could feel the aches in his body. He hadn't felt it earlier because of all of the adrenaline but now that it was gone, it was aching something fierce. He hadn't even known that he could ache like this.

Gaius didn't answer him. He reached into his medical basket and pulled out a clear jar with some kind of yellowing paste inside. He unscrewed the lid and scooped some out onto his fingertips. Then he started rubbing the paste into his open wounds.

Merlin hissed, really feeling it as it was rubbed onto him. "Is it supposed to burn like that?" He asked, shifting his shoulder blades as if he was trying to get away from it.

"It wouldn't be burning if you hadn't been fighting." Said Gaius quietly, almost sounding like a father.

Merlin sighed, ducking his head. He suppose he should have seen that one coming. He didn't regret it though. Not even having to sit through this would make him regret it. Arthur did need to be taught a lesson. Merlin may not have won the fight but he'd won something else instead.

He had made Arthur see him. That had to be a good start, right? Especially if they were going to married. A marriage that started with a fight, what did that say about him if he thought that was a good thing.

He was to scared to think more into it.

"I know that it can be very tempting to want to hit Arthur." Gaius said simply, making sure all of the scratches had been coated in the paste. "But you really shouldn't." Gaius didn't want to mention because of how scrawny the lad was. He could really see it now that his tunic was off. He was a touch shy from seeing his ribs stick out. He made a mental note to pile on some more food for breakfast in the morning.

Merlin smiled weakly, staring down at his hands in his lap. "He just makes it so easy." And wasn't that the truth. Nobody could tell Merlin that there wasn't at least one time that they wished that they could punch Arthur in the face. He just had that whole smugness about him that made you want to punch him.

"Maybe so." Gaius said. He didn't even argue, knowing all to well just how Arthur was. "But you are to be his husband tonight. You really shouldn't be seen by the people trying to beat each other up."

Merlin scoffed, not looking away from his hands. "I'm just a peasant." He grumbled. "It's him who has a reputation to uphold. Wouldn't people be more ashamed that their prince is fighting with his peasant husband."

"In a different world, probably." Gaius pointed out. "But this isn't that world. In this one, it will probably be blamed on you. Nobody is going to tell Arthur that he shouldn't be fighting untrained peasant boys in town square."

Merlin grumbled under his breath, "Maybe somebody should."

"That somebody was you." Gaius pointed out. "And look at what trouble it caused you. First the stocks and now all these marks on your back." Now finished with putting the oil on his nephew, Gaius carefully screwed the lid back onto the jar. "You're only lucky nobody saw what else you were doing." Gaius himself probably wouldn't have noticed if he didn't already know what Merlin could do.

Merlin rolled his shoulders back, feeling the pull of his cuts. His one bitter thought was that he was going to have to get married practically bruised from head to toe. None of this was how he thought his wedding day would go. "You don't know why I was born like this, do you?" Merlin asked quietly, not daring to shift his eyes away from his lap. He was almost hopeful that Gaius did know. That for whatever reason he just hadn't told him yet and now he would. Now he would tell Merlin exactly why he was born the way that he was.

But that hope was dashed when Gaius didn't say anything more than a simple, "No."

He watched sullenly as his uncle set the jar of oil back into his basket. He heard the tinkling of glass as the jar settled against the several other smaller oils and potions tucked away inside.

Merlin finally said the words that had been circling in his mind in and out over the years. Ever since he was old enough to realize just how different he was from all the other kids. "I'm not a monster, am I?" He gave a very weak smile, almost as if he was trying to pass it off as a very poor joke.

But the truth of the matter was way more serious than that. Was he a monster? He could do things that other people couldn't. Things that were as natural as breathing to him had to be studied for years before someone else could do the things he did. This gift of his, this...this curse, of his. The things that he could do, people would be scared of him. They would fear him, this kingdom alone would have him executed.

That sounded like a monster to him.

He was scared, scared of what his uncle would say. Would he tell him yes, he was a monster. Would he demand Merlin leave and never come back, disown him as it finally occurred to him just what a freak he was.

But none of that happened. Instead, Gaius put a firm hand down on Merlin's shoulder, making him look at him. After a moment of hesitation, Merlin finally raised his eyes to look at his uncle.

Gaius never let his eyes waver, staring firmly into Merlin's own. "Don't ever think that." He said sternly. When Merlin had asked him that, it nearly broke him in two. Merlin was so young, he shouldn't have thoughts like that in his mind. He shouldn't think something so horrible just because of how he was born. He may have been born different but different didn't necessarily have to be a bad thing.

Seeing his nephew, so slim and back covered in marks, it was clear to anyone with eyes that he was no monster. This was just a frightened child scared of his own powers, scared of things that he couldn't control. Gaius had seen monsters before in his life, both real and people who masqueraded as people but were hiding true monsters underneath.

Gaius would rein hell down on the poor soul that insinuated that Merlin was anything like that.

Merlin wasn't convinced though. It would take more than a simple sentence to undo years and years of wondering why, why he was different? Why could he do the things that nobody else would even dream of doing. "Then why am I like this?" He asked almost frantic, begging for Gaius to be able to give him an answer. Just one reason why he wasn't normal would be enough to satisfy him. Anything, anything at all. Even if his uncle had to make something up just to placate him. "Please," he begged. "I need to know why."

Nineteen years.

He had gone nineteen years being different. Of having question after question in his mind but having nobody to turn to for answers. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair. Why did it have to be him?

But as Merlin had learned, this week in particular, life wasn't fair. And nobody would be able to just give him answers. This was something he would have to figure out on his own.

Gaius looked away from his nephew, unable to take the pleading look in his eyes. How could he tell the boy that he didn't know? That he himself had never even contemplated such a thing like Merlin could exist. "Maybe there's someone with more knowledge than me." Gaius suggested, side stepping his nephew's question.

But even Gaius couldn't think of somebody off the top of his head. Anybody he knew of that had as much knowledge about magic as he did were long dead. Mainly killed off one by one during the Great Purge because they had tried to stand against Uther. Gaius had been the only one to see how pointless it was. That Uther would rather his kingdom burn to the ground than to allow magic to roam free.

The few he knew that were still alive, or at least was the last time he'd heard, were in hiding. Doing what they could to still practice magic while flying under the radar. None of them would dare step foot back on Camelot's soil and they were near impossible to track down after all this time.

Gaius doubted they would know much more than he did anyway. And that wasn't him bragging. While in his youth, Gaius had learned everything he could about the nature of magic, trying to understand how it all worked. Others were just trying to learn the biggest and most impressive bits that they could.

But even remembering all of his old contacts from his youth, none of them could have done what Merlin could. Moving things without a spell, making things happen with just a thought. Something so instinctive, so natural to him, would have been downright impossible for someone else.

But Merlin refused to believe that anybody could tell him anything if his uncle couldn't. "If you can't tell me, no one can." He said shakily, already turning away. Gaius was the only person who had been able to tell him anything concerning his magic. But even then it had been just to tell him that he was 'a question that had never before been asked' or something like that.

If his uncle wasn't able to tell him anything then Merlin doubted that another person existed that would be able to tell him anything more. He should be used to it, not having answers for what he was. Not knowing why he was born different, or why it was him at all and not somebody else.

But it was still disappointing to still know nothing after all this time. What made him so special compared to the hundreds of other people out there?

Gaius reached back into his basket and pulled out one of the tiniest cups Merlin had ever seen. He poured one of the many potions he had in his basket into the cup and handed it over to his nephew.

"Take this, it will help with the pain."

Merlin stared down at the cup in his hand, a steady frown still on his face. He swished the liquid inside, watching it move from one side of the cup to the next. It almost splashed over the rim before settling down.

Merlin finally lifted the cup to his lips and drowned the small bit of liquid. He shivered in disgust as it went down his throat, leaving ice in its wake. It felt like it was freezing him from the inside out before settling in his stomach.

Only after seeing him drink it did Gaius stand up, putting the cup back in his basket with the rest of his supplies. "Now, get some rest. You'll need it for tonight." He said quietly. Merlin's wedding was barely half a day away.

Merlin nodded before laying back on his bed. He wasn't wearing his shirt anymore so Gaius could see the scratches on his shoulder blades more clearly.

Gaius sincerely hope that Arthur would feel some kind of guilt after seeing the condition he'd left his fiancé in.