AN) So this must be the most self-indulgent piece I've ever written. It features some Uther bashing, awkward Merlin, reverse aged Batboys, a slight tie-in to my Apprentice AU, except we have Daddy! Bats this time! I hope you all enjoy and are staying safe during this time.
Merlin was definitely not a fan of riding for extended periods of time. While he was very glad, he was not walking the trip from Camelot to Gotham, but he wasn't used to riding much at all. His horse was a good listener, but they did not have as much of a close relationship as Arthur did with his steed. Merlin had watched them work together seamlessly many times, and he was seeing this on their current trip, but Merlin had to convince his horse to work with him.
The caravan heading to Gotham was rather big, especially since Merlin was used to traveling with Arthur and just a handful of knights, but this was most of the court of Camelot. Obviously, Uther was at the head of the group—leading some of his most trusted servants and advisors on a visit to a kingdom they had a rather strained relationship with. Both Arthur and Morgana had been brought along, meaning Merlin and Gwen were on the trip. Uther had left a few of his lords to protect the kingdom while he was away, and Merlin wished he could have stayed with them. He did not like leaving the kingdom he was supposed to be protected for long periods of time. He had expressed these concerns with Gaius while the man had been trying to fit the most important medicines together. Uther did not trust Gotham's court physician, apparently. But Gaius had brushed his worries off and reminded him that trouble usually followed Arthur, so it was more important for Merlin to be with Arthur than in Camelot.
Merlin was just a few feet behind Arthur at the moment and the young man was laughing with one of his knights as Merlin continuously fell behind. Merlin hoped he wouldn't notice because every time Merlin's horse acted up, Arthur would tease him for not being able to ride correctly. Rather than encourage the horse to speed up, he tried to slow the animal, even more, to fall next to Morgana and Gwen.
"Oh Merlin, Aidigo just does not like you, does he?" Morgana shook her head as Merlin's horse fell in step beside her own.
"I guess not, he's normally alright—but I guess he's just as tired as I am."
"Did you not sleep well last night?" Gwen asked across from Morgana.
"Not exactly. Arthur got cold and stole my blanket." Morgana rolled her eyes at the prince's behavior. "I even packed an extra one, but that wasn't warm enough for him."
"Are you honestly complaining again, Merlin?" Arthur had abandoned his conversation with the knight to half-turn in his saddle and join in on their conversation. "It honestly wasn't that cold."
"Then when did you need three blankets, Arthur?" Morgana questioned in a somewhat accusatory tone. Arthur tensed, before turning around and promptly ending the conversation.
Merlin chuckled as Morgana and Gwen shared a meaningful look and smile. Merlin was glad that travel had been going smoothly because he was ready for things to get tense when they reached the city.
Gotham and Camelot's tense relationship had several factors, but the largest one was magic. Camelot had outlawed magic, a fact Merlin was having to deal with every day, and actively persecuted those who had any connection to magical arts. Gotham had welcomed those fleeing Camelot with open arms. It had been a longstanding practice in Gotham for sorcerers to be active in their communities, and it was a value that the young king of Gotham had stuck to when Uther launched his campaign against magic. Merlin knew that King Bruce's conviction to protecting magic and allowing it to thrive in his kingdom was a rather sore spot for King Uther, but since Gotham had never behaved aggressively towards Camelot so they still had an alliance. It was also well known that one of the king's adopted sons was a wizard, but no one knew which.
The king of Gotham was known for his large family, only one of which was his biological child. He had taken in his oldest son when he had just come of age, and the boy was only eleven. From there the king seemed to accumulate children wherever he went. That was one reason Morgana had come. The eldest prince had recently come of age, and the daughter of the general of Gotham's army, so Uther wanted to suggest an arranged marriage between the boy and his ward. Merlin thought that would be stupid—Morgana was not interested in Prince Terrence, and he doubted that the king would allow his son to marry so young.
"Stop!" Merlin jolted from looking at the leaves above him when Arthur shouted. The surrounding people stopped and looked about, uncertain what the prince had noticed. Arthur dismounted his horse and strode quickly into the forest.
"Arthur, what are you doing?" Uther was leading his horse back towards where Arthur had gone. Merlin dismounted, ready for Arthur to ask him to do something.
Arthur didn't go far into the forest before crouching down next to a lumpy pile of leaves. He scooped up a child, turning back to the caravan. Morgana gasped and Merlin took a few steps toward Arthur and the child.
"Get some bandages and water, he's hit his head." Merlin nodded, jogging over to where Gaius was towards the front of the group. The old man was already preparing the supplies to treat a head wound. "I noticed his cloak. The blue stood out from the leaves. Arthur was cradling the child as his father approached him. Gwen had also followed Merlin, helping him gather things for Gaius.
Arthur brought the child out of the woods onto the cleared path. He laid the boy down, allowing Gaius to examine the boy.
"It looks like he had a very nasty fall, he must have hit his head on something and unfallen unconscious." Gaius traced the small cut on the boy's head. "The cut is very shallow, so it is not a serious injury." Merlin gently dabbed a wet cloth against the cut, wiping away the small specs of dried blood.
"Good eye, Arthur." The king praised his son. "How extensive are his injuries, Gaius?"
"There's only the cut on his head, and we'll just need to disinfect and bandage it and he should heal nicely. I must check for any other cuts or bumps." Gaius explained as he began cleaning the wound more efficiently. The king nodded. He held his hand out to Morgana, who had decided she wanted to make sure the young boy was alright. "Guinevere, Merlin, look for other injuries on the boy."
"Shouldn't we bandage this cut first?" Merlin asked he had already unraveled the white cloth he had removed from Gaius' satchel."
"I'll look, you help Gaius." Gwen lifted the boy's shirt slowly before gasping and letting the fabric drop again. Her hand flew to her mouth, looking up at the surrounding crowd in shock.
"Gwen, what is it?" Morgana crouched next to her servant, placing a hand on her shoulder in concern.
Gwen floundered for a second, unsure of what to say or how to say it. "There's… there are a lot of scars on him." Merlin paused from wrapping the boy's head as Gaius slowly lifted the shirt. He drew in a slow breath at what he saw.
"They are not new, but there are definitely old cuts all over the boy."
"What do you think they could be?" Arthur had a hand placed on his chin, looking at the boy's resting face.
"I'm not sure, but we can ask him when he wakes." Gaius continued to examine the boy, and once he was satisfied that the only injury the boy had was the won Merlin had finished bandaging, he opened the small vial of smelling salts he carried with him.
Waving the vial under the boy's nose, he stirred, coughing slightly before his eyes snapped open and he jolted out of Merlin's arms. He tried to rise to his feet, but Gaius placed a firm hand on his shoulder and guided the boy back on the ground.
"Careful now, you've just woken up from a nasty fall. Slowly." The boy blinked slowly, looking around at the people watching him. "Now, what's your name?"
The boy's mouth moved, but only a little croak back out. He shook his head slowly, coughing once more and trying again. "I'm Richard."
"What do you remember?"
"I was… out with my tutor, and I saw a bird." The boy nodded this time, looking directly at Merlin as he spoke. "I chased after it and… I got lost. Think I was climbing a tree when I fell." Arthur laughed slightly, the boy looking from Merlin to the prince. "It's not funny." The boy chastised the price, Merlin biting back his own laugh to keep from being lectured next.
Arthur looked like he wanted to protest being talked to in such a way, but stopped himself since it was only a child, and the boy probably didn't know who Arthur was.
"He's not laughing at you," Merlin smiled at the boy, "he probably thinks climbing a tree after a bird sounds fun."
"Where are you from?" Uther spoke for the first time. Richard looked up at him, his eyebrows scrunching together slightly as he looked at the aging king.
"Gotham, not too far away."
The king nodded. "Excellent, we will take you back into the city. I am King Uther of Camelot and this is my son Arthur and Lady Morgana. We are traveling to your kingdom to see your king."
As Uther had been speaking Richard seemed to sink into Merlin's arms more. He seemed almost frightened as he found out who the man was. Merlin couldn't help but wonder if this boy was one of Gotham's magic citizens—everyone knew of Camelot's views on magic and the consequences for practicing it.
"He can ride with me, Father." Arthur suggested. "We must continue soon if we want to make it to the palace by evening."
"You're quiet right." Uther motioned for the caravan to continue moving, and slowly horses were re-boarded and moved once more.
Merlin helped the young boy stand and walk, holding onto his arm. The boy's steps were tentative and slow like he was making sure the ground didn't vanish beneath him. Using his free arm, the boy removed a lead from the hood of his cloak, laughing at how rumbled and dirty he had become.
"Thank you for helping me." Richard bowed his head as Arthur mounted his horse once more and Merlin helped the boy follow. "I hope I wasn't gone for too long, or my father will be very upset."
"I'm sure he'll be glad to see you safe." Richard nodded, shifting as the horse began moving.
This time Merlin tried to stay right next to Arthur in case anything happened to Richard. The boy was very short and thin. He had thick black hair that Merlin had tried to keep from covering in bandages. He wasn't bad at treating injuries, but Gaius was definitely better. Richard had fairly tan skin and bright blue eyes with large bags under them. He probably did not feel very good from his fall. The boy was dressed nicely, with a light blue cloak tied around his neck, dark boots and pants, a cream-colored shirt, and a rather bold red waistcoat. Merlin suspected that he was some kind of nobility, or at least from a wealthy family, as the boy looked well-put-together and mentioned that he was out with a private tutor of sorts.
"What's your name?" The boy leaned out from around Arthur's arms. Apparently, he wasn't too concerned with the prince.
"That's my servant Merlin." Arthur glanced over at Merlin before looking straight ahead once again. Richard smiled widely at Merlin, and Merlin smiled back. When the boy smiled, his nose crinkled, and it was cute.
"Thank you for helping me. My brothers will like it!"
"It was nothing, just want to make sure you get back home safely."
Richard leaned back against Arthur, the prince looking down at the boy as he rested his eyes. "Are you alright?"
"Just tired."
The caravan continued through the wooded path as Richard rested and Merlin looked forward to meeting the lost boy's family and seeing that he was safe.