Uther walked back into his tent, twilight bringing darkness onto the surroundings. Gaius's boy, Merlin, had wrapped himself in Gaius's blankets and passed out on Gaius's cot in the back of the tent. Gaius stood at a table in the side of the tent, packing up the books he'd brought. That obnoxious man, Gwaine, had disappeared somewhere.

Uther sat down on the ground next to his own cot. Arthur was fast asleep under the fur. Uther stroked his soft blond hair. He'd thought he'd lost his baby boy forever when he had received the missive with the ring and the lock of hair and then when he sent the ransom and waited for hours at the exchange point and never saw his son. He had planned a war to get him back, but his captors would have likely exploited Arthur's captivity to keep Camelot's armies at bay. Gaius had promised to do everything in his power to get Arthur back, but it had been over two decades since he'd last used magic, and he'd generally only used healing magic anyway. Uther had resigned himself to fighting a war solely to get a body back to bury.

And yet here Arthur was safe in Uther's bed. Back in Uther's grasp, where he could protect him from the monsters that had beaten him and turned his back into a mess of lashes and scars.

Arthur whimpered, flinching, though his eyes were still screwed shut.

"Shh." Uther stroked Arthur's hair. "It's all right. You're safe."

Gaius shuffled over to the bed. "Is he having trouble sleeping?"

"He appears to be having a nightmare," Uther said.

Arthur groaned.

"That is to be expected," Gaius said. "I'll draw up a sleeping draught. I expect he'll be needing it for a while."

Uther glanced over at Merlin. He'd have to corner the servant and order him to disclose what had happened. Arthur would not want to talk about it. He would just brush it off, claim it didn't matter anymore since it was over.

Arthur groaned again.

Uther's heart tore. His child was in pain and he didn't know how to help.

His boy had suffered nightmares as a toddler for months. He had only slept well in Uther's arms.

Arthur whimpered again. "Don't. Please."

Uther pulled Arthur into his arms. His upper body weighted against Uther's chest, his golden hair pillowed under his chin. Arthur automatically reached up and grabbed the clasp of Uther's cloak. Arthur sighed and settled down, his frown smoothing out.

Uther slowly moved to the cot. Before long, he was stretched out under Arthur.

Gaius glanced up at Uther and smiled.

"It worked before," Uther explained.

"It's good to see you two reunited," Gaius said.

Uther pressed a hand to Arthur's head. He had had to let his son travel into so many dangerous situations because he was the prince when all Uther wanted was to keep Arthur safe. Sometimes Uther wished they were able to just be father and son, not king and prince, having to follow the traditions and conventions of royalty. Arthur had only been targeted because of his title. The title Uther had won and given to him.

"He suffered because he's prince," Uther said.

Gaius sat down on the edge of the cot. "There was nothing you could have done. Evil men live in the world and target anyone they can. You can't pull Arthur away from that or you would have to pull him out of the world. Besides, Arthur said that his captors hated nobility, and he would have been nobility no matter what you chose about the throne. All of this could have happened anyway. The important thing is, he's free now and you have your son back. Might have beens won't change the past."

Uther stroked Arthur's head. "He went through so much." Peace had settled on his boy's face. He acted so independent and tough when he was awake, but asleep, Uther saw the child his son had been. So vulnerable and reliant on his father. "I think it would have broken me if I had lost him."

"Get some sleep, sire," Gaius said.

MERLIN

Arthur stirred slowly. He was far more comfortable than he should be. Had he fallen asleep in a bedroom he was supposed to be cleaning? He'd be whipped so bad no skin would ever grow on his back again. He jerked up, but a strong arm kept him down.

Memories flooded in. Gwaine and Merlin rescuing him, finding Father, being tended by Gaius. He was safe.

He sank back onto the person behind him. What was going on? He had fallen asleep alone.

Vague memories surfaced from the middle of the night. Partially rousing from a nightmare to find himself gathered in Father's arms. "I think it would have broken me if I had lost him."

He drifted back into a half-sleep. Father gently deposited him back on the bed alone and straightened the covers over him. Probably trying to disappear without Arthur noticing he'd gone soft in the middle of the night.

But Arthur already knew.

He smiled as he fully sank back into sleep.

MERLIN

"The army will be staying here," Father said. "We cannot overlook this attack on our kingdom. But I and a contingent of knights will escort you back to Camelot before returning to continue the attack. When you are feeling up to it, perhaps you can join us after your leg is healed."

Arthur nodded, sitting up on the cot. They were alone in the tent aside from Gaius and Merlin in the back quietly packing. He expected as much. The "Kingdom of the Lesser" couldn't be allowed to go around kidnapping and enslaving neighboring royalty. And he wasn't very inclined to argue otherwise. If he wasn't irrationally afraid of being captured and re-enslaved if he joined in the attack, he would insist on staying and healing here so he might join in the attack sooner. But he was desperate for home—and for Guinevere. Besides, Father probably wanted the pleasure of destroying Arthur's captors himself. "If you can, could you spare a guard named Boar should I not return before your final offensive? I would rather expend my revenge on him myself."

"Of course," Father said. "We shall do our best."

"And the other servants," Arthur said. "They are likely all former nobility. I have no doubt I am not the first they believed needed to be taught a lesson."

"We shall take that into account," Father said. "Will the, uh…"

Arthur smiled. "Gwaine will be returning with me." The wanderer had said if he didn't make sure Arthur and Merlin got back home safe and stuck around to make sure they stayed safe, they'd probably need Gwaine's rescuing again in a fortnight.

Arthur hated that Gwaine's assurance actually made him less jumpy.

"We should be ready to leave by the next day," Father said. "You should get some rest."

Annoyance arose in Arthur at the restriction, but he automatically laid down on Father's cot and pulled the furs up. Because of the pain in Father's eyes that mirrored Merlin's in the woods, of course.

But he knew it was because instant obedience had been drilled into him by Boar and Lethervale.

"Gaius, can you spare your helper?" Uther asked. "I need to question him."

"Of course," Gaius said. "Go on, Merlin."

Merlin nodded, put the book he held down on the table, and walked out with Father.

Arthur settled into the cot, but his muscles wound up tight. He shouldn't be lying here. He should be working, cleaning floors or polishing armor or something. His back twitched in anticipation of the stinging whack of a cane.

He closed his eyes and forced his breathing to slow despite his hammering heart. Maybe if he pretended to be unbothered by everything for a while, that would be enough.

A/N: I just want to note that Uther isn't suddenly okay with all magic now. He's just being a hypocrite (magic for me but not for thee) as per usual. Of course magic is okay if he's using it to save his kids, but for no other reason.