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!

2. Chapter 2

After the door had finally closed, Hunith slumped against it. She pressed her back up against the wooden door before sliding down to the floor and pulling her knees up to her chest where she buried her face in them. Then she broke out crying.

It had finally happened. Twenty years of keeping her baby safely away from Uther only for it to be all for nothing. They had still found her. They had still found her son. And they had still taken him from her.

She knew that there was nothing that she could do, nothing at all that could stop all of this from happening. She had tried, tried so hard to keep them safe by running away from Camelot.

But it had all been for naught.

He was gone now. Her child who she had nursed when he got sick, wrapped up scrapes from when he fell, had serious talks with about how important it was to keep his gift a secret. Oh god, it was a miracle that Merlin had made it this long without anyone finding out that he had magic.

Merlin had never been able to stop himself from using it and honestly? Hunith didn't want him to stop. Long ago, she had never seen his father happier than when he was doing something that involved magic. And she saw that same look of excitement echoed on Merlin's face. Something small like making their fire without lifting a finger would make just barely a hint of a grin appear on his face.

But his eyes, after the gold in them faded back to blue.

They had always held a spark of happiness. A spark she hadn't seen when he did anything else. There was a similar spark of happiness he got in his eyes only when he was with her and his friend, that village boy Will. But it still didn't come close to how he felt when he could use his abilities.

He had kept them hidden all of his life, Hunith having to force him to keep it only within their house so that nobody could see him. Of course he hadn't listen. He had gone into the woods one afternoon to collect firewood only weeks ago and had been using his magic to do so.

He hadn't realized that Will had went looking for him when he took longer than necessary. Merlin was only taking so long because he had gotten distracted when a soft wind blew a pile of leafs into the air. So he had sat down with his stack of firewood beside him and used his magic to make the leafs come to life. She had been told that he had made a dragon, and then a crown, her face, and then a castle.

It was all just innocent little drawings, little pictures in the air. Merlin's eyes would no doubt be glowing gold as he made the leafs shift to form another picture. It was something a child would have done but it hadn't surprised her in the least that her grown son had found enjoyment in such a little thing. She had raised her son to enjoy the little things but that was mainly because they didn't have much else to begin with.

By the time Merlin was done and prepared to go back to the village, the damage had been done. Will had seen and finally emerged from the trees to tell him that he knew the truth now. But Will had also promised to keep it a secret. The two boys had been best friends, an instant connection from the moment that they met when Hunith had shown up in the village all those years ago.

They had tried to keep it from her, Merlin knowing exactly what her reaction would be to somebody finding out their best kept secret. But this was Merlin she was thinking about. He never could keep anything a secret from her for long. It was barely a day or two later that she had realized Will knew.

And she had been furious. She had nearly packed them up right then and there to move them to another village further into the kingdom when Merlin had talked her down. He didn't seem to realize just how serious this all was. For the longest time, it had just been the two of them. And now it was them plus Will who knew.

And now anything could happen.

She trusted Will, she truly did. He was a good boy and was a great friend to her son but still, she had her doubts about them staying where somebody knew the truth. What if he slipped up? What if something happened and he told someone? What if Merlin wanted to show off for the first time to someone who wasn't his mother and someone else caught them.

It was like a never ending run of different sceneries playing in her head. She waited with tension for weeks, fearing that Cenred's soldiers would show up at their doorstep and try to take her son. She knew that the king was offering up gold to anybody who turned in a sorcerer. If somebody else found out because of Will knowing, what was to stop them from turning Merlin in?

Her son was cared for by the village people but only because he was one of them. It wasn't because they liked him personally or had any real interest in him. Her son was actually seen as an oddball or weirdo. But really? What did anyone expect when her son was hiding such a large secret inside.

Just because he was one of them didn't stop the people from only interacting with him when they had to. Her son tried, she knew he did, to get along with everybody. But with his secret hanging over his head, he never really connected with anyone.

Well except for Will.

The two boys had been as thick as thieves for years. They constantly got in and out of trouble together and that was before Will knew Merlin had magic. Hunith almost didn't know what to do with herself, now having to worry about someone else getting involved in their lives.

So she had done the only thing she could do, she waited. Waited for weeks, for Cenred's soldiers to just show up looking for the sorcerer in their village. Then they would eventually track down her son and whoever had told would be given their gold while her son was taken away. He would either be a prisoner and executed for refusing or he would be forced to use his gifts in a war he didn't want to be a part of.

But it wasn't Cenred's knights that had come for her son.

It was Camelot's.

She honestly wasn't sure what was worst. At least in Cenred's kingdom, she knew exactly what would happen to her son if he was caught. But Camelot's? She was completely blindsided by them.

She had no idea how they would treat her son. Would they be just as bad as Cenred's would be? Or worst? Probably not because Camelot had no idea that Merlin had magic, she had made sure of that when Leon had questioned them.

But would they still treat him badly? She didn't know how Uther would treat her child. Would he be mistreated? Forced to marry and then locked away in a glided cage until he withered down to nothing? And what about Arthur? Was he the same as his father? Cruel and hateful, full of anger and grief. How would he treat her son? Was there even a possibility that her son could have a happy marriage? Arthur might cheat on and beat him for all she knew and nobody would try to stop it because he was the prince and her son was just some boy that nobody knew existed who was forced to marry him.

And what about his magic?

Hunith had hoped that Merlin would be able to share his gifts with whoever he married someday. She had hoped that Camelot would have never found them and therefore, wouldn't be able to force Merlin to come with them. But with her son marrying Camelot's prince? There wasn't a chance in hell that Merlin would be able to come clean. Arthur would probably have him on the chopping block just like his father would if it came out that Merlin possessed magic.

The hits just kept on coming for her baby.

She would spend the next many nights praying for years to come that everything would be okay. She could only pray that Arthur wasn't anything like his father. That he would treat her son with the respect that he deserved.

But right now in this moment, she was here, all alone in this hut. She had never minded the cramped space before. It was insignificant and small but she had done that on purpose. She had thought that it would be harder to find them if they were as far from noticeable as possible.

But now that she was alone, she realized that she may have made a mistake.

Hunith had never bothered to marry even though she had one or two men show up at her door interested over the last twenty years they've lived here. She had never even considered it.

Her entire world had been Merlin. He was the reason she woke up in the morning, the reason why she struggled to get through their wretched life everyday. She couldn't risk bringing someone into that. She wouldn't dare ask Merlin to hide his secrets even from inside their own house because there was no question that she would never be able to tell whoever she got with about his gifts. It was just to big of a risk that she wasn't willing to take.

There was also the fact that nobody could take her Balinor's place. It had been twenty years since she had seen him and she knew she would probably never see him again. She had made peace with that long ago and decided to spend her focus on making sure that their son was okay. But he was the first man she had ever fallen for, the first man she had ever lain with, the first man she had given her whole body and soul to. He was literally her first and only and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Twenty years had passed and he was still the only man to ever have her heart. Well him and Merlin of course. No man could ever come close to giving her what Balinor had. He had once showered her with gifts and affection. His last gift to her was their son, and he didn't even know it.

Her son who would probably never experience that great, all-consuming love that she had once had. Before it had all ended in tragedy.

Now their son was gone and she was here, crying into her knees. She only had minutes to get her tears out before she would have to wipe off her face and go out there to face the village. By then, Merlin would have been long gone from their little home.

Sure, there would be questions. Things like, where Merlin was and why wasn't he helping out today? She would make up some fib about having sent him into the woods to collect more wood for their hut because their supply was dwindling down to nothing and the nights would be getting colder soon.

She would have to admit at some point that he was gone. She would then explain that she had sent him away. That as a mother, she wanted him to have the best opportunity that she could give him. She would lie and say that she sent him to live with her brother to study how to become a physician. There would be many questions but she would dodge them all.

Just to let the questions die, she may had even let people assume that Merlin would return someday years in the future. That by then, he would be a fully skilled physician and what an asset a skill like that could have for their village. The villagers would let her be, happy and content because yes, their village desperately needed a physician.

And every night she would return to her hut and cry. Mostly because she knew that it was all a lie. That her son would probably never come home again. But still, she would wake up everyday and put a brave face on just like how her Balinor would have wanted if he was still around.

She would wait, wait forever if she had to, just for a scrap of news to find out what kind of life she had condemned her son to.

Several minutes before Hunith broke down into tears, Merlin was now standing outside his hut. He had his bag slung over his shoulders and it weighed lightly on his back. He stared at the two armed knights in front of him.

"Merlin," Leon said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let me introduce you to Dorian and Tristian."

Merlin raised a hand, "Hello, it's nice to meet you." He said quickly. His mother had always told him it paid to be polite to strangers. At least until they did something and then there was no reason for you to be polite any longer.

Both of the knights completely ignored his hand, to busy staring him down. Dorian and Tristian both had small frowns of confusion on their faces. The two knights then shared a blank look at each other and then back to him until Merlin awkwardly lowered his hand.

Tristian looked down his nose at the boy. This was him? This scrawny little boy was the one that they came all the way here for? He didn't look like much. Hell, he looked like a strong wind could knock him over if it tried hard enough. Arthur was going to eat him alive, no doubt. He had been joking earlier about how Arthur could only find sexual relief with this boy. Obviously that wasn't going to happen. It looks like his dream of having more ladies then Arthur wasn't going to come to pass. The kid was easy on the eyes but everything else was...less than impressive. With his scrawny body, noodle like arms, and baggy clothes...he wondered if this boy would actually be able to bring anything of value to the kingdom.

Dorian raised an eyebrow. Seriously? This was the kid that was supposed to marry Arthur? Did Uther really expect them to follow this kid when he married their prince? Obviously this was going to be a just 'in name only' marriage. Arthur would be king someday and this boy would just be some unimportant figure in the background. He almost wanted to laugh. And to think, he thought this kid might actually be something if Uther was bringing him into the family.

Clearly his father, whoever that was, had to have been more impressive and Uther thought his son would be the same. The king was going to be furious when they brought this scrawny thing up to the castle. He could only hope that the king didn't have all of their heads for actually doing their job and bringing this kid back as ordered just because he was disappointed that the boy was clearly nothing special.

Both Dorian and Tristian ignored Merlin and gave a raised eyebrow to Leon. They both asked him with just the expression on their faces, 'seriously.'

Leon gave them both a stern look and nodded. He could see that the two knights were unimpressed but he wouldn't have them being rude to the boy either. He was a good kid but even Leon had his doubts about if the boy would be a good royal. He was holding out judgement though, at least giving the kid a chance to prove himself. It wasn't his fault that he had grown up a peasant and not given the education all nobles went through. The least they could do was give him a chance to prove if he could lead them or if they would all flounder around him.

Besides, Merlin wasn't their prince. Arthur was. He would take all of the responsibilities and Merlin probably wouldn't even have to do much but sit back and look pretty. Surely he could do that much at least.

But now wasn't the time to think such thoughts. The sun was starting to rise now and they should have been gone already. "Let's go." Leon said firmly.

Tristian gave Merlin an unimpressed look while Dorian sniffed in disdain before they got serious. The two took their place in front and started walking back through town. Leon took his place just behind Merlin, the best position to protect him in case of attack, and led him away from the only home he ever knew.

Merlin was watching Dorian and Tristian walk ahead of them. Then he leaned over and whispered out the corner of his mouth to Leon, "I don't think they like me very much."

Leon winced. It had been that obvious, hadn't it? Dorian and Tristian would do their job and get Merlin back to Camelot safely but he doubted that they would do anything to make the boy feel welcomed.

"Eh, don't worry about it." He finally said awkwardly. "Just give them time to get to know you." But Leon didn't really know Merlin either. So for all he knew, he could be someone they all detested. Then they would have to pity Arthur for ending up married to such an unbearable person.

Merlin nodded but didn't look so sure about it. The four men spent their walk in silence all through the village. They finally made it to the edge where the woods started and just inside the tree line were three horses.

Merlin looked at the three brown mares curiously. Of course he'd been around horses before, they had several throughout the village. But these three horses were something different entirely. They were bigger and much stronger looking. The horses they had were made for farm work but these horses were better built. It was clear that they were meant to be used for something more than just farming.

Dorian, Tristian, and Leon quickly and effectively untied their horses from the trees. It was clearly something that they knew how to do and the quickest way to do it. You never know when you might need to make a quick escape, especially if you are in enemy territory.

Merlin watched as Dorian and Tristian easily swung themselves up into the saddles. They took hold of their reins and were preparing to set off. They clearly knew what they were doing. He watched Leon climb onto his horse with practiced ease, straddling the mare.

Merlin looked up at them uncertain. There wasn't exactly a forth horse for him to ride and him and his mother didn't own one for him to take.

Leon held a hand down to him, "Here Merlin, you're going to have to ride with me."

Merlin silently nodded and took the hand offered down to him. Leon easily tugged him up and Merlin clambered on behind him. He did so a lot more awkwardly than the knights had, sitting uncomfortably on the back of the saddle. He knew how to ride a horse, of course. But it wasn't often that he got the chance to do so. Not to mention this horse was tall, a lot taller than even Sir Leon.

Then the horse started to move and Merlin had to grab onto the back of the saddle as to not fall off. The three horses carried the four men into the safety of the shadows of the trees just as the sun was rising. Merlin looked over his shoulder, at the gap in the trees one last time.

He could just barely make out the villagers starting to leave their homes. They were preparing for another harsh day trying to prepare the upcoming harvest. The summer months were just starting so they had to do all that they could to prepare for the upcoming winter. The work never seemed to stop. It wouldn't be long before they started to realize that not everybody was out working the fields.

He finally turned his back to the village when a tree blocked his sight. He couldn't look back anymore. He could only look towards his future.

Merlin looked around at the three knights as they rode in silence. The horses had a nice steady trot going on. They weren't racing through the forest by any means but they weren't just taking their time and walking either. Finally, Merlin couldn't take the silence anymore.

"So, how far are we from Camelot exactly anyway?" Merlin asked. He knew how far it was supposed to be but when was the last time that anyone in the village actually rode out there.

Tristian and Dorian gave him no answer, clearly ignoring him. Leon sighed, giving them a look of annoyance before answering himself. "It will take three days. Camelot's boarders will only take us one day to reach but it will take another two days to get to the city."

"Right," Merlin said, half to himself. That sounded about right. "Three days. So it won't take us that long..." he swallowed hard. "Three days and we'll be in Camelot."

Leon nodded.

Merlin glanced around again but his silence didn't last long. "And...the wedding." He asked uncertain.

Leon glanced at him from over his shoulder before turning to face the front again. "The wedding will happen in less than a week."

Merlin felt himself pale, "A week?" He choked out. "A week!?" His voice got a little more higher pitched. He had less than a week before he got married. Less than a week before he became someone's husband.

Leon winced at the high volume Merlin's tone had gone up to. "Yes, a week. Maybe less." He didn't know for sure how long it would take. This week also happened to be the same week that the twentieth anniversary since Uther's law on magic had come to be. He knew that Uther wanted the wedding done with and out of the way but he wasn't sure how they were going to go about it with the celebrations coming up.

Dorian let his horse slow some so that he was riding now beside Leon and Merlin. He frowned confused, "Why are you so upset? You will be marrying a prince. That's a much higher station than you could have ever aimed for." And the sad part was that he didn't even mean that in a mean way. He was just stating facts. As a peasant, especially one on the poorer side of things, marrying anyone who wasn't another peasant was a miracle in itself. Being married straight up into royalty was straight up impossible if it hadn't been for his father knowing Uther at some point in their youth.

Merlin gave him a very dry look, "Yes, because marrying a total stranger is exactly what I want." Who was this Arthur guy anyway? Was he nice? Kind? Could Merlin tell him about his magic? ...Probably not.

Tristian eased his horse back to join in the conversations, "But he's a prince." He said slowly, reaffirming that fact as if Merlin didn't know that.

Merlin just looked at him blankly, "He's a total stranger." He repeated slowly, as if Tristian was particularly dim witted. What did it matter that Arthur was a prince? Would that make it okay if he treated him badly?

Tristian scowled, flushed with annoyance. This peasant boy had a mouth on him, didn't he? "Well, I hope that you're able to please him on your wedding night at least." He hissed spitefully before riding off.

Dorian scoffed, "Tristian, not everything is about that." Tristian really did have nothing but sex on his mind. He rode off to berate his fellow knight. He really wasn't interested in this Merlin guy but Tristian's over obnoxious attitude with sex annoyed him even more.

"...And I thought Tristian was the nicer one." Merlin said dryly, making Leon chuckle.

"He's an...acquired taste." Leon admitted dryly. Truthfully, these two were the last people he would have picked out for this mission just because of the clashing personalities. But they were good knights and loyal to the crown. Really, what more could you ask for?

Then Merlin looked up at Leon, "By the way, what did he mean by 'please Arthur on our wedding night?'"

Leon nearly crashed the horse straight into a tree and Merlin had to grab back onto the saddle so that he wouldn't slip right off. "W-what?" Leon choked out startled. He almost choked on his own spit, having not expected such a question.

Merlin was watching him with a baffled expression by his reaction, "What did he mean by pleasing Arthur on our wedding night? Am I supposed to do something?"

Leon looked at him in disbelief, "You...You know, when a couple...on their wedding night, they..." he trailed off dumbfounded. There was no way this was actually happening.

"They do what?" Merlin asked.

Leon looked into Merlin's eyes and what he saw stumped him. Merlin honestly had no clue what was suppose to happen on a wedding night? He had no idea what Tristian meant by pleasing Arthur. And how exactly was Leon supposed to explain it?

He wasn't paid nearly enough to explain 'that' to a full grown man, even if he was baby faced enough to pass as a child. So he quickly faced forward, "It's nothing." He said hurriedly.

He made a mental note to probably mention this to Arthur. The last thing he wanted was for the boy to be scarred for life but he definitely wasn't going to be the one to explain things.

Merlin frowned, puffing out his cheeks as he let out a breath of irritation. "Oh come on, it's clearly something. I'm not dumb, what's supposed to happen on our wedding night?"

Leon hung his head in disbelief. He was trying not to tell Merlin that yes, he was dumb. How in the world had he possibly made it this far in life and not know what happened on a wedding night? Did he even know what sex was at all or had that somehow escaped him as well?

"Leon!" Merlin insisted.

Leon could feel his face getting hotter. "I'm sure...Arthur, can tell you all about what happens."

"Arthur?" Merlin frowned. "You mean I have to actually go with him after the ceremony?"

Leon's eye twitched, truly not believing that this was a real conversation. What? Did Merlin think that they would have the ceremony and then he would just be returned to his rooms? There, you were married and now nothing else was going to happen. Just 'I do' and then sent on along to finish his night doing whatever it was that he did before bed.

"Yes," Leon said cautiously, making sure to say his words carefully. He didn't want to scare the boy but he would definitely be warning Arthur when they arrived. "After the ceremony is over, Arthur will take you to his bedchambers..."

Merlin's nose wrinkled, "His bedchambers? What on earth are we going to do in there?"

Leon hunched his shoulders so high they were nearly up to his ears. "Like I said, Arthur will explain it." He only hoped Arthur would be patient with the boy and not scare him to much.

"But..." Merlin protested.

"Merlin." Leon finally said firmly, refusing to entertain this conversation for much longer. "Arthur will tell you everything..." probably, he finished in his head.

Merlin pouted, feeling like he was in the dark about something but he honestly didn't know what it was. He remembered two or three years ago when the neighbors down the street, Jacob and Mariam got married, there had been a lot of teasing. Teasing he didn't understand then and didn't understand now. But he did know that they hadn't left their hut for at least a week and nobody was mad that they hadn't been helping with the harvest. He had even heard two older ladies teasing Mariam afterwards, asking if their was gonna be a new little helper in the fields soon. And true enough, nine months later came little Rosalie.

But Leon clearly wasn't going to answer his questions and there was no way he was asking Dorian and Tristian. They would probably just lie about it, make up something outrageous just to freak him out. He guessed he would just have to wait till this Arthur guy explained it on their wedding night.

They spent the rest of the day riding in silence. It was complete agony for Merlin who always had to talk. But Tristian would cut him down as soon as he found something to ramble about. Dorian was making it so obvious that he was ignoring him that it was actually obnoxious.

Neither of the two boys were impressed with Merlin. They had been hoping that he would actually be interesting. Someone that they could use as some kind of asset for the kingdom. They should have realized when they found out that he was just a peasant farm boy that he actually was, just a peasant farm boy. It hadn't really hit either of them until the boy came out of his home that he really was just some dumb kid.

Some dumb kid that somehow found himself engaged to a prince. Call it fate or dumb luck that his father had once knew the king but either way, this country boy with a mouth bigger than he was, was actually going to be apart of a noble family. Not just any noble family, but The Royal Family of Camelot.

Whenever Merlin tried to start a conversation, Leon at least acted like he was listening. But he would just make non-communal sounds like he had something on his mind and wasn't really paying attention. A few times he would actually answer when Merlin was talking but that would only last for a few minutes. But then it was clear that Leon's mind would wonder away from the conversation and back to whatever it was that he was thinking about.

Leon was actually thinking about everything that would happen once they reached Camelot. He would have to inform the prince of Merlin's...lack of information. He'd also needed to inform the king of their return. Then he could actually go home or check out the city, find out exactly what has changed in the last year or so that he'd been gone.

Eventually, Merlin just quieted down so that they could ride in silence.

The sun was starting to lower and it was almost dark by the time Leon pulled them to a stop. "Okay, this is far enough tonight. We've made it just inside Camelot's borders."

Tristian and Dorian nodded, pulling their horses to a stop but Merlin frowned confused, "How can you tell that we're in Camelot?"

Leon nodded to a cluster of trees that had grown all twisted together. It was an old tree that was nearly falling apart but was only keeping itself held up because of all the other trees and branches twisted around it.

"That tree right there. It marks the boundary line which means we've made it out of Cenred's kingdom." Leon patiently explained.

Merlin's eyes widened as he realized, he had finally left his kingdom. He was no longer going to be a member of the only home he'd ever known. It was tough leaving his village but now knowing that he left his kingdom, it was a whole different kind of startling.

Merlin watched, uncertain what to do with himself as the knights set up camp for tonight. It was clear what they were doing was something well known to them. They worked efficiently, each one knowing exactly what to do and how to do it. Within minutes they had the campsite set up which wasn't actually much. The horses had been tied to the twisted tree. Their sleeping rolls had been spread out in one big circle. And in the middle of the circle was a fire pit. Dorian had collected the nearby wood and now Tristian had just finished lighting it with spark rocks.

"Okay, I think we're good for the night." Leon suddenly said. "I'll take the first watch." He looked over at Tristian. "I'll wake you in about three hours for your shift."

Tristian nodded, already laying down on top of his sleeping roll, armor and all. They didn't even take those off to sleep? Merlin was baffled because that couldn't be comfortable.

Merlin glanced around awkwardly before stepping back towards the trees. Leon glanced over, his eyes narrowing just a touch. "Merlin, where are you going?" He questioned, as if the kid was preparing to make a run for it.

Merlin looked up, startled by the question. "I just have to go...relieve myself." He said with a touch of awkwardness. Leon still looked suspicious but ultimately nodded and let him go.

Merlin quickly hurried into the woods, his bag thumping on his back. He didn't go far, just several feet in where nobody could see him. It was only after he got some semblance of privacy did he drop his bag. He didn't pay attention as the already broken clasp popped open, some of his things spilling out onto the ground. He was to busy trying to tug his pants just slightly down. He had been so caught up in their journey that he realized with startling clarity that this was probably the first time he'd gone all day.

After he was done, he readjusted his pants and went back to his bag. It was as he was carelessly pushing some of his clothes back in that he heard an odd tinkling clanging sound. Frowning, Merlin got onto his hunches, picked up the tunic that it was coming from and watched something roll out of it.

It was a little cotton coin pouch. A very familiar one. Surprised, Merlin carefully opened up the bag and peered inside. Just like he thought, there were only a few copper pieces inside. He could feel the tears brimming in his eyes as he leaned back, letting himself sit in the cold dirt.

These coins, he knew, was almost every cent they had. But when had she? He thought back to when she had slipped Gaius' letter into his bag. It had been the only chance she had to slip something else in.

His mother may have gotten him into this mess but she was still trying to somewhat help him out. It wasn't much of anything but it would at least buy him a hot meal or two if they happened to cross by a tavern on the road.

Merlin carefully zipped up his little coin pouch. He wanted so badly to just turn around and race home. Give his mother back the little amount of coin they had because she would need it more than him. He was going to live in a castle and maybe he could find a little job, something that would give him his own money so that he didn't have to rely on if Arthur was generous enough to share his with his new husband. Then he would be able to send money back to her, to help out.

Merlin leaned against a tree that was behind him, slowly drawing his knees up to his chest as it hit him once again what was happening. He was going to get married, married to a total stranger. What was he supposed to do exactly? He still didn't know what Tristian meant about the wedding night and Leon definitely wasn't answering him.

It made him nervous, scared. He didn't know what to expect. What would they be doing that needed to be done in Arthur's bedchambers? And then there was the whole afterwards part. What was going to happen after he was married to the prince? Would he be expected to do other things? Or would they just pretend he didn't exist.

He didn't know what to do. He wondered not for the first time what Arthur was like. Would he be nice? Kind? Was he handsome? Merlin didn't think that he cared either way, as long as he treated him decently enough.

Would he care that Merlin had magic, not that he was planning on telling him but, you know. There was always that slim chance that he could be found out anyway.

Or maybe Arthur would beat him? He remembered how Thomas had beat his wife something fierce several years ago. His mother was the one that helped her cover the bruises so she at least looked like she hadn't been although it was a poor coverup and everyone already knew anyway. But nobody had done a damn thing to stop it because they were married. And as Thomas was the man, that made his wife practically his property. Nobody had helped her so she decided to help herself. Not one person in the village said a word when Thomas was found in the woods one day, his head bashed in, probably from a particularly thick tree branch. She still lived in the village, unmarried now but happy as a lark.

Merlin was a man as well but Arthur was the prince. So did that mean Merlin, as a peasant, was practically his property. The thought made him feel sick. He was a person, not a piece of luggage that had to be toted around unwanted. If Arthur was cruel like Thomas had been, would anyone bother to help him? Or would he whither away inside the castle while everyone went on with their daily lives, completely ignoring him.

Time passed and Merlin kept thinking of all the different possibilities his life could go. And all of these scenarios ultimately was determined by what kind of person this Arthur guy was.

And then the anger came. He got angrier and angrier at everything.

At his mother for doing this to him. At Leon and the other knights who had tracked him down. At Uther for signing the damn contract in the first place and sending the knights to find him. Even at Arthur who had no more say in all of this than he did.

And when he couldn't take the anger any longer, needing to get it out, he whirled around and punched the tree behind him as hard as he could. Merlin immediately bit his lip to stop from yelping as the pain shot up his arm. Shit, he had never actually punched something before. At least not like this, full forced and full of anger.

He pulled away from the tree, looking at the cuts on his knuckles. They weren't much, just some torn skin and it was bleeding a little. Nothing that couldn't be fixed by tying the neckerchief he wore around his neck over it. But he didn't. He was to busy feeling the pain. Because at least he wasn't feeling angry anymore.

"Merlin!" He suddenly heard just beyond the tree line. His head snapped up, hearing Leon calling for him. He had been gone for to long, they had started looking for him. They were probably wondering if he had taken the opportunity to run off while he could.

But no. He couldn't just run off. If he didn't do this, then they would probably turn their attention onto his mother. As much as he hated this whole situation, he did still love her. So he took a shaky breath, wiped away the tears that were threatening to overspill and tried his best to look as normal as possible.

Merlin slipped the pouch of coins into his bag, slipped it on over his shoulders and made his way back to the campsite. "I'm here, I'm here!" He called out to them, nearly tripping over a stray tree branch in the middle of his path.

Dorian and Tristian immediately relaxed, no longer concerned that he had ran off. Then they turned back to their conversation as they talked themselves to sleep.

Leon though, was watching Merlin with a concerned frown. Merlin glanced over at him nervously but ultimately ignored him. "Are you alright?" Leon finally asked him.

Merlin had taken his bedroll off from where it was strapped to the top of his bag and had started to spread it out across the ground. He looked back, a frown of confusion on his face from where he was kneeling on the ground, trying to set up as close to the fire as he could without getting burned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

Leon gave him a look, his eyes glancing down to Merlin's hand. Merlin frowned and his eyes flickered down as well, paling just a little when he saw it. He had cleaned up his fist the best that he could but his knuckles were still bleeding from where he had punched the tree.

"It's nothing, I fell is all." Merlin said quickly, kicking off his shoes and climbing into his bedroll as if that was that.

"Merlin," Leon tried again, voice slightly sterner.

"I'm fine." Merlin snapped, maybe a little harsher than he meant to. But Leon went silent and Merlin quickly turned his back to the knight. He grabbed his bag and tucked it under his head like a makeshift pillow, making sure to tuck his hand under the covers so that it couldn't be seen.

Merlin heard Leon sigh behind him but the knight didn't try to make anymore conversation. As much as Merlin loved to talk to people, he was grateful that Leon wasn't talking to him anymore.

It took far to long and many restless hours before Merlin was able to fall asleep to the sounds of the crackling fire.

The next morning, everybody gathered their own things. It was almost peaceful, the birds chirping and the wind rustling the trees. Dorian was strapping his bag back to his horse while Tristian was stomping out the fire. Leon was going around erasing all evidence that they were ever there, just in case somebody was following them.

The silence was peaceful though Merlin's head was anything but. Nobody paid him any attention as he gathered his things up and clumsily tied them beside Leon's on the back of the horse's rump. His knots looked clumsy and awkward compared to how Leon's was, with strict precision and easy access to get it undone the fastest without risking it falling off during their travels.

The rest of the day was passed like before. Their horses trotted through the forest, not going as fast as they could but still faster than a normal walk. The knights were eager to return home after a year away.

Merlin spent the day trying to start up a conversation again. Pretty much about the most random of things that had happened back home. He only stopped when Dorian snidely asked, 'why would we care about what had happened in a peasant village.'

Obviously Merlin knew that they wouldn't actually care. Especially since they didn't know anybody from his home. He had just been trying to avoid the awkwardness and the silence. But every time he tried, he would be shot down or ignored.

Tristian even made some crass joke about how the prince would find something to entertain his mouth with. Merlin frowned confused and Leon reamed Tristian out good for that one. Tristian would spend the next hour glaring at Merlin as if it were his fault that he had gotten into trouble.

Merlin would once again ask Leon exactly what Tristian meant by that. What could somebody find fun about his mouth? Maybe the prince liked idle conversation, that wouldn't be so bad. Merlin did like to talk, maybe a little more than the average person. Maybe this whole thing wouldn't be so bad if the prince and him could have a decent conversation.

Leon though, had refused to tell Merlin what Tristian meant, his face red. Merlin thought that meant that he was embarrassed but he didn't know why he would be. Just another something that Arthur would have to explain to him on their wedding night.

That didn't strike any confidence in him once so ever. Merlin spent at least an hour of his day wondering what somebody could do to have fun with a mouth. He pursed his lips together, prodding at his lips with his tongue. But he still didn't understand why it would be entertaining to someone. Especially to someone on their wedding night in the bedchambers. Just talking was the only thing he could think of so that was ultimately what he decided Tristian had to mean.

The rest of the day passed in mostly silence. There was an odd comment here or there that nobody really acknowledged. They stopped once or twice in the day now that they were on Camelot's territory. Once so that they could have lunch. Another time so that they could stretch their legs and briefly disappear into the woods to relieve themselves.

Eventually, the day passed them by and the sky started to darken. They had to stop before the sun was down completely to set up camp. Merlin pointed out that they could probably have traveled for another hour or two before it got to dark. Leon explained that it was better to get camp set up before dark.

Not only was it easier to see what they were doing, but it was safer as well. There was less chance of them being startled or ambushed by highwaymen or bandits who might try to rob them. Merlin could see why they would rob him, he clearly wasn't a fighter. But he didn't know why someone would be dumb enough to try and rob three armed knights.

They were getting the camp set up when Merlin stepped away to relieve himself before bed. Tristian and Dorian gave a grunt of acknowledgement when he explained why he was heading into the woods. Leon at least glanced up and gave a brief scan of the woods to make sure that there were no obvious threats before nodding his okay.

Merlin went a little further than he had last time, using a tall pine tree to relieve himself on. After he was done, he sat down and looked up at the sky. The sun was starting to set so the sky was a mix of dark blue and purples. He took a deep breath, breathing in the scent of the trees around him. Today was the last day. Sometime tomorrow they would be arriving in Camelot. Sometime tomorrow, he was going to be at his new home and later this week, he would be married.

His mind drifted once again to what Arthur might be like but he shook those thoughts away. He had spent half the day wondering about his apparent fiancé. He wasn't going to waste his last night outside Camelot thinking about him as well.

Not long after, Merlin started digging through his bag that he had set beside him. He didn't go anywhere without it. Not because he was afraid that Tristian or Dorian would dig through it. Leon probably wouldn't, but it wouldn't surprise him if the other two tried to find something on him although they wouldn't have much luck. All Merlin really had were some clothes, his mother's letter to Gaius, and a pouch with a handful of coins. A street urchin might find them worth something but knights would have no use for it. Even out here and away from home for a year, they still got sent their wages by sending a letter to Camelot letting them know where the next outpost they were heading to was.

No, the reason he kept his bag by his side was because it was literally everything he owned. Nineteen years on this earth and everything he owned could fit into a small bag. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not. At least he could be ready in a moment's notice. Maybe that had been his mother's idea all this time. True, they couldn't afford much to begin with anyway. But even the few times they managed to raise a little extra coin, she always saved it towards food. But maybe she had the alternative motive of always thinking they might have to leave in a hurry someday.

But they hadn't gotten the chance to leave. There was no warning to predict that that night would have been the one that Camelot came for him.

Digging around in his bag, his fingers brushed against the small cotton pouch and he drew it out again. Merlin undid the poorly tied drawstring and let the handful of copper coins fall into the palm of his hand. He still couldn't believe that his mother had literally sent him with nearly all the money they had.

His mother often helped the villagers whenever it was needed. Hopefully they would take pity on her and help her out when it was clear that Merlin was gone. He wondered what she had told the other villagers. Did they know that he had left to get married? Married to a prince? Or had she made something up to explain away his absence.

It was as he noticed the sky starting to get darker, he realized that he had been sitting here for just a touch longer than he thought. Merlin opened back the pouch and went to slip the coins back inside. But the angle he was holding the bag, the sun caught something inside making it glimmer for a moment there.

Frowning, Merlin brought the bag up to his face to try and get a better look. When he caught sight of old parchment paper, he set the coins beside him and reached inside. He had to tug on it to get it to come out because it was sticking to the cotton of the pouch.

It was a small piece of parchment. Just a scrap really, torn off from another bigger piece. It was all folded up very carefully like. Merlin glanced around, making sure that none of the knights had come looking for him before he finally gave in and cautiously opened it.

Inside the paper were words hastily written in his mother's handwriting.

'Remember, take care of yourself'

Most people probably would have thought it meant something else. Like protect yourself so that you didn't get robbed by highwaymen or murdered in the middle of the night by someone who wanted what little you had. Or maybe just a gentle reminder to eat when you could because you didn't know when your next meal might come. Maybe even a proverb, like protect your heart so that you aren't disappointed by reality. He was going to get married after all, it was entirely possible that somebody would think that way if they read this note. Or maybe just even a last goodbye from his dearly beloved mother who wanted to make sure that her son would be alright.

But Merlin knew better. It wasn't any of those things, it never would be. He had bigger concerns than his heart or his next meal or even just a final goodbye.

'Take care of yourself'

That had been his mother's favorite line to use on him growing up. That whole sentence centered around one thing, keeping his magic a secret. If he wanted to help somebody, he couldn't unless it was in a non-magical way because that might expose him. If he wanted to try something new, see what he could really do, then he couldn't. He couldn't because it might bring Cenred's attention onto him. If he wanted to just play with his magic, entertain himself then he couldn't outside the house. He had to protect himself and make sure that nobody would see. That kind of fell apart when he did it outside anyway and Will found out but hey, at least it was just Will and not somebody else.

'Take care of yourself'

His mother had said that sentence so many times in his life. Magic...his magic flowed through every one of his veins, in every drop of his blood, in his very soul. When he used it, it felt as if his blood was singing. As if he was doing exactly what he was meant to be doing. As if he couldn't not use it.

It was more of a part of him than anything else.

He had tried to stop a few times in the past. Like when his mother would express more concerns and worry than she usually did. But it never lasted for very long. It would feel like an itch under his skin. Like some kind of explosion just waiting to happen. All of this untapped energy brimming under his skin until it felt like it was going to force its way out one way or the other. There was no choice for him. This was how he was born and to not use it...

To not use it, he may as well be dead.

"Merlin!" He heard the faint calling of his name. Merlin's head snapped up in the direction the voice had come from, he had gotten lost in his thoughts and time had just flown by.

Merlin quickly clambered to his feet and scooped the coins back into his coin pouch. He awkwardly tied the knot back into place and slipped it into his bag. Then he was just left there, a bag at his feet and the note in his hand. He stared down at the note, wondering if he should keep it or not.

"Merlin!" He heard Leon calling again, this time slightly closer.

Merlin had to make a split second decision.

He closed his fist around the note. His eyes flashed gold for only the briefest of seconds and then there was a sliver of smoke rising from the gap in his torn knuckles, the same knuckles that he had hit into that tree a day ago.

When he opened his hand, there was nothing more than ash clinging to the inside of his palm. He quickly brushed the dirt away, hearing his name again as he hurried to slide his bag over his shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm here!" He called out, hurrying through the trees to meet up with Leon.

Just like how his mother always said, take care of yourself. There was always that slim possibility that somebody could find the note. An even slimmer chance that they would come to the conclusions of what it actually meant.

And he couldn't take that risk.

He had to keep himself safe. As much as it pained him to keep lying, he had to do what he always did. He had to keep his magic a secret.

Leon felt himself relax as Merlin finally came stumbling out of the woods. Merlin smiled sheepishly, hiding his nervousness away the best he could. Leon raised a curious eyebrow, clearly seeing the leftover nerves on his face. But he shook it off. It was probably something like pre-wedding jitters.

Normal people got them all the time before their weddings and that was when they actually wanted to marry their partners. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would feel like to marry someone that you had never even met before.

Merlin and Leon walked back to the campsite where Tristian and Dorian were setting up their latest sleeping spot. Merlin dropped his bag at his feet beside him and took a seat in front of where Dorian was setting up the branches that he had found to make tonight's fire to keep them warm. It could get pretty chilly at night this deep in the woods.

Watching everyone flutter around, getting their camp set up while he just sat there was making him feel kind of useless. He wanted to do something but wasn't exactly sure what was needed to do. It seemed like everyone pretty much had everything handled. He'd never felt so awkward. It would probably just get worst from here on out. He would have to fix that.

So he did what he always did when the silence became to much. He started to talk. And as his mind was starting to wonder to what tomorrow would bring and to Arthur, that's what he led with.

"So, what's Arthur like?" Merlin finally asked. The thoughts had flittered through his mind since he had left Ealdor. Who Arthur was, what he was like. What did he look like? Was he like the stories he had heard about nobles? Was he rude or arrogant? He literally knew nothing about this Prince Arthur. How was he supposed to stand up in a wedding ceremony and say 'I do' when he didn't know anything about this guy at all. The most he actually knew was that he was a boy and a prince. The boy part he could accept, the prince part was a little harder.

Tristian finally glanced up from unrolling his bedroll at his question. "He's gonna eat you alive." He said immediately.

Merlin's hopeful smile dropped instantly. Eat him alive? What exactly did that mean? Leon was nearby, taking his pack off of the horse's rump. He glanced over at them with narrowed eyes, shooting a glare at Tristian.

Tristian immediately balked under Leon's stern glare. Then he quickly went back to fixing out his bedroll before Leon could reprimand him again.

Dorian glanced over and then back down to the spark rocks he held, trying to start the fire. "Here, I'm gonna go collect some more wood. Make yourself useful and see if you can get this lit." He tossed the rocks at Merlin. Merlin clambered to catch them, nearly dropping them several times as he juggled to get a good grip on them.

Dorian let out an amused snort, more snidely than he had actually meant to let out. Then he quickly left into the woods before Leon could get to him.

Merlin looked down at the spark rocks and then back to the sticks. How hard could this be? He had never actually had to use spark rocks before. There was no point in using them when all he had to do was think about it and the fire lit to life itself.

He looked up when Leon got down and settled beside him. "Here," he said, taking the spark rocks from his hands. "All you have to do is slide them together like this." He made a rough motion, making a spark come off. "If you can get off a good spark, the wood should burn pretty easily."

Leon took Merlin's hand in his, dropping the rocks back into his palm. Merlin started to smile, "Thanks!" Leon wasn't so bad. He made this whole trip bearable. He couldn't imagine how much worse it would have been if someone didn't keep Tristian and Dorian's snide comments and looks to a minimum. Or if Leon was exactly like them and all three of them had free rein to do whatever.

Leon turned back to unpacking his bag and Merlin turned his attention back to the rocks in hand. He awkwardly positioned them and bang them together just like Leon had shown him. And he did this for the next several minutes. He did eventually manage to figure out how to make it spark but the wood itself just wouldn't catch fire.

He glanced around when he heard the sound of snapping branches. Dorian was just starting to come out of the tree line. How embarrassing was it going to be when he got back and realized that Merlin still had no idea what he was doing.

He did a quick look around. Tristian had his back to him, digging out his canteen of water. On the other side of him was Leon, also with his back to him, just now laying out his bedroll. Merlin turned back to the wood and his eyes flashed gold.

Just as Dorian stepped out of the tree line, the fire sparked to life in a blaze. Probably with a little more force than Merlin had intended.

Everybody jumped startled, turning to face the boy and the crackling flames. Nobody had expected the fire to burst to life so suddenly. Especially when the few times the other two boys had glanced at him, he had obviously been struggling. Tristian thought it was to amusing to help but Leon just figured that Merlin should probably know some kind of actual skill. Lighting a fire was extremely important, especially if you traveled a lot like the knights did. Leon didn't know how much traveling Merlin would do with Arthur but it couldn't hurt to learn anyway.

Merlin quickly stepped back before he could get burned, "Alright. Now that's a fire." He said brightly, a wide grin stretched across his lips.

Leon didn't know what was more confusing. The fact that Merlin knew absolutely nothing about what a couple got up to. Or that he had no idea how to light a fire.

Dorian dropped the wood at his feet, "How in the world did you do that?" He demanded. The spark rocks he had given him had been dulled down over the past year. It took him nearly an hour to get an actual spark going. And this kid had done it in the ten minutes that he had been gone?

"What?" Merlin asked nervously. "I just kept hitting them together until a spark landed."

A hand clapped down on Merlin's shoulder, making him jump startled. But it was just Leon. "Well look at that boys, we have an actual fire tonight instead of just embers."

Merlin smiled sheepishly while everyone congregated around the fire. Leon was looking at it curiously but brushed it away at Merlin's explanation. Beginner's luck could definitely explain it away. Dorian was scowling, irritated because he had worked at it for twenty minutes before handing them to Merlin and hadn't so much as gotten a spark.

Tristian paid them no attention, to busy gathering leftovers from their dinner of rabbits the night before to reheat by the fire.

They ate their dinner in relative silence. Merlin thought the rabbit were chewier than normal but that might just be because his mother was a better cook than Tristian. He felt nostalgic, almost sad. He wished that he could have some of his mother's cooking right now. But he couldn't. He had to eat Tristian's chewy rabbit.

But he didn't say a word about it. Just kept his mouth shut for the first time all day and kept eating his rabbit.

After they were done eating, the group of four got ready for the night. The sky had darkened and it was long past the time they should have already been in bed. They needed an early start tomorrow if they were preparing to reach Camelot just after lunch.

"Tristian, your first shift tonight." Leon called out to the boy about to climb into his bedroll.

"What?!" Tristian's head popped up. Tristian hated the first watch more than anything, which Leon full well knew. It wasn't anything for Leon to take the first shift because Tristian couldn't wait to get some rest until he had to be up for the next shift.

Leon gave him a stern look, basically telling him not to argue with just his expression alone. "I still haven't forgotten that wisecrack you gave Merlin earlier." He said sternly.

Tristian's face immediately dropped into a scowl and he gave Merlin a glare as if it was his fault. Merlin just watched him with a frown, hunching over a little so that his shoulders nearly reached his ears. Dorian watched amused. As much as he wasn't interested in Merlin, it always amused him to see Tristian get into trouble.

That was when Leon turned his stern look on him. Dorian immediately turned around and climbed on top of his sleeping roll. The last thing he wanted was to be regulated to mucking out the horses as punishment when they got back while the stable boys were allowed to watch someone else do their job.

"Come on, Merlin. Time for bed, we have an early start tomorrow." Leon finally said.

Merlin quickly nodded and kicked off his boots before climbing into his sleeping roll. Leon laid down on top of his which was next to Merlin's. Not right beside it but their heads were next to each other while their feet were facing different directions.

Merlin couldn't sleep though. He was to busy watching the stars, trying to figure out what his future would look like. He still didn't know much about Arthur or what was expected of him. Dorian and Tristian had literally been of no help.

"Merlin," Leon suddenly said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Merlin snapped to attention, averting his eyes from the stars. He tilted his neck back some so that he could somewhat see Leon. "Yeah?"

Leon sighed, "So I heard that you were asking about Arthur."

Merlin's eyes glimmered hopefully. Dorian and Tristian may be of no help but surely Leon could at least tell him something. "Yeah, can you tell me about him?" He rolled over onto his stomach, propping his head up on his arms.

Leon glanced at him with a frown, "I don't want to...give you false hope or mislead you."

Merlin's smile started to slip, "False hope? About what?"

Leon flicked his eyes towards the stars, avoiding Merlin's eyes. "Arthur's...well he's a good kid. I know he is, he'll make a good king someday. He really does care about his kingdom." Merlin's smile started to grow again. "But," Leon continued. "I'm not entirely sure that he's a good person."

Merlin's smile left completely, "What do you mean?"

Leon could hear the nerves in his voice and quickly went to reassure the boy, "Don't worry! He's not gonna mistreat you or anything, he takes his honor very seriously. I don't think even Arthur would be cruel to his own husband but..."

"But what?" Merlin demanded harshly. This was the first time that he had really actually heard anything about Arthur. If he was going to be horrible, then he wanted to know about it now. At least so that he could prepare himself.

Leon sighed before finally just going on ahead, "Now I don't know if he's changed or anything. I haven't seen him in the past year but..."

Merlin was watching him with avid attention so Leon forced himself to continue, "He didn't always...treat his citizens with kindness." Merlin's eyebrows furred together in confusion. Didn't Leon just say that Arthur would make a good king? How could he be a good king if he wasn't nice to his people. "The peasant citizens, I mean." Leon finished. "He treated the nobles just fine but the peasants..."

"...Oh." Merlin finally said, voice barely heard through his disappointment. "So he basically thinks he's better than the peasants. Like me." Whatever hope Merlin held onto about having a good marriage life had pretty much just dwindled down to nothing.

"No!" Leon said quickly, "He's just..." it sounded more like he was trying to think of a good excuse for Arthur's behavior other than him just being a rich noble. Just another rich noble in the world that thought being born into a powerful family made them gods among men when in reality, they had actually done nothing to earn such an honor.

Leon didn't want to say the word bully but he's also seen how Arthur has treated the servants. There wasn't much of another word that would fit as much as 'bully' would.

"He just what?" Merlin demanded. "The peasants are his people to. If he can't treat them with at least some basic decency than what kind of king will he be?"

Tristian snorted from where he was keeping watch on the other side of the clearing, "As if a king needs to be bothering himself with the daily troubles of peasants. What problems could they possibly have?"

Merlin shot him a glare, "And I suppose that you think nobles have it so much harder?"

Tristian straightened up, shooting him a glare, "They do!" He said firmly, refusing to believe different. He was only a knight himself because he had been born into a noble family and only nobles could become knights. It was a real honor. That was something peasants could never understand, how being a knight worked. His dad had gotten him into the knights training program himself. He stuck his nose into the air a little pompously at the thought. "You are always training to get better so that you can protect your kingdom in case of invaders."

"Well peasants are always to busy working their hands to the bone." Merlin shot back.

"Nobles have to constantly worry about how they talk to other nobles or else they might cause offense to a powerful family. They could forge an alliance or even start a war."

"Peasants are constantly worried about if they will be able to feed their kids that night or if they will all starve."

"Well nobles are under tremendous pressure everyday. It's a constant strain. It's up to the nobles to protect the kingdom, peasants should just be happy that they are being protected."

"Well peasants don't have to worry about being protected."

"Ah-ha!" Tristian exclaimed triumph.

"Because they are to busy worrying about if they have enough money to buy materials so that their kids have clothes. Or constantly doing everything they can to not get sick so that they can go to work because their family needs that money. Or they don't get to eat that night. And if they do get sick, they don't have a physician on standby waiting to take care of them. Most of them have to figure it out themselves and hope that they don't die from it." Merlin rattled off easily. Tristian glared annoyed while Leon just watched Merlin curiously.

"Alright you two," Leon finally interrupted their glaring match. "Just agree that both peasants and nobles have their own share of problems." Leon turned his head to face Merlin. "Arthur's already got the noble problems handled. Maybe you could show him what problems that peasants have."

Merlin scoffed, flopping down on his bedroll, "I'm just a peasant, remember. I doubt this Arthur will be interested in hearing anything I have to say. Especially if he's anything like you say."

Leon winced. He hadn't exactly done a good job at selling Arthur but like he said, he didn't want to give Merlin a false impression. He didn't want to sing Arthur's praises only for Merlin to find out the truth later. Maybe Arthur had changed in the last year they had been gone but then again, he couldn't have changed that much.

Tristian glared, refusing to believe in even the possibility that peasants had it even half as hard as a nobleman did. Nobles protected the peasants, that was why they got all the money, attention, better food, physicians, and all of the other perks that came with being born rich.

Merlin rolled his eyes back up to look at the stars. Leon looked between the two sternly.

"Can't you all just stop talking!" Dorian called from his sleeping roll, a blanket tugged over his face while he was trying to ignore them so that he could sleep. But it was near impossible with their constant talking.

Everybody went silent. Tristian turned back to watch the trees for any threats. Leon laid back down on his sleeping roll. It was silent for all of twenty seconds.

"So, what does Arthur like to do?" Merlin asked. Arthur apparently had a terrible personality. Nothing more than a bully from what he heard. But hey, maybe there was something that a peasant and a noble could have in common. He wasn't giving up hope that Arthur and he could get along, not yet at least.

Dorian groaned loudly. Then he got up, dragged his bedroll across the clearing to where Tristian was sitting before finally flopping back down.

"Soooo...what does Arthur like to do?" Merlin asked again now that Dorian had settled back down.

"...He's a good swordsman." Leon answered after thinking for a moment. It was really the first thing that came to his mind. The one thing that Arthur took great pride in was his skills with his sword. He was almost fanatical about it. There was a reason that many in Camelot claimed that he was the best swordsman in the country.

But Merlin just scoffed, as if he was completely unimpressed with that. "Well he's a noble. I thought knowing how to use a sword is practically in the job description."

"Not all nobles know how to use a sword." Leon pointed out. Mainly just the girls didn't learn since they were to busy being taught what they must do to be considered a good wife. Or if their father was particularly progressive, how to take over the lordship after their father has passed. Although there were a few boys here and there who didn't learn for one reason or the other.

"Yeah, yeah." Merlin waved a hand. "He's a noble with a sword. I could have guessed that one. What else does he do?"

Leon thought for a minute, "He likes hunting." That was one thing he knew for sure. When Arthur got tired of being a prince and wanted to have some fun, he would organize a hunting party and disappear into the woods for a few days at a time.

"Hunting!" Merlin groaned. "So he goes around killing innocent creatures?"

"W-what?" Leon spluttered. Did anything impress this kid? "But you literally just ate a rabbit. How are you going to eat a rabbit but then complain about hunting when hunting is what caught your dinner?"

Merlin tilted his head a little higher, refusing to be shamed. "Well hunting when it comes to food is completely okay. As long as what you killed is actually being used for something. But hunting just to kill? And then leaving their body behind because you have no use for it? Why, it's no better than murder."

Leon let his head drop onto his bag that he was using as a pillow, "Arthur is going to have a lot of fun with you, I can just tell."

"Really?" Merlin asked brightly. Leon wondered now if he should tape the boy's mouth shut. Arthur would probably do it himself soon enough. The prince liked a good conversation as much as the next guy but Merlin was a little to much. Rambling away just to have something to do. As much as he hated to admit it, Arthur would probably organize a hunting party just to ditch this kid in the woods somewhere so that he could finally have some peace and quiet.

"Just get some sleep, kid." Leon finally said, rolling over to get some sleep himself.

"I'm not some kid." Merlin complained. "I'm nineteen!"

"Exactly." The twenty seven year old Leon said tiredly.

Merlin grumbled under his breath some more before there was finally peace. And then all of them but Tristian was asleep. Tristian would guard them for another hour or two before he would wake up Dorian to take his turn so that he could get some sleep himself.

The next morning, the camp was full of a restless energy that just seemed to brim in the air. Today was the day that they were going to arrive in Camelot. The knights were eager to head out simple because this would be the first time that they had been home in over a year. They were all eager to see their families and old friends. To report to the king about their findings and then hopefully, put this chapter of their lives behind them so that they could move on with their lives.

The horses were packed a little faster than they had done the other days. Tristian stomped out the fire that had died to embers at some time in the night. Dorian went around making sure that there was no sign of them from the previous night's campsite. Leon tied all of their belongings back to the rumps of the horses.

Merlin was fidgeting. He kept toying with the sleeve of his shirt. And when he wasn't doing that, he was pacing. He just had so much restless energy inside him. Today was the day that they should reach Camelot. Was he going to meet Arthur today? To finally know what he was like in person and not just from other people?

Was Arthur really kind of a bully like Leon had been telling him?

It's not that he thought Leon was lying. He trusted him more than the other knights at least. If it had been them telling him, then he would at least have a margin of suspicion. But it's like Leon had said. They hadn't been home in over a year. It was entirely possible that Arthur had grown up at some point in that year. But it was also a huge possibility that he had just gotten worst.

The whole thing made his body tingle with nerves. Within days, he would be married. To a stranger. How was it that this was his life now? How was it that just a few days ago, he had been Merlin. A simple farm boy from a simple village, living with his single mother. He spent his days helping out in the fields and his nights locked away in their hut and playing with his magic.

Mainly just making things levitate, making the dirt on the floor rise to draw pictures in the air of whatever he could think of. Maybe make a small ball of light in his hand. It made the cabin light up better than the candle although he could rarely do it. The light was just bright enough that someone could see it through the gaps in their window if they had been outside. The candlelight was just a safer option.

Merlin watched as the other men packed up their camp, feeling more alone than ever. He wanted to jump on one of those horses and ride straight back to Ealdor. Straight back into the safety his mother's arms had always provided him. But he couldn't. He had to stay and honor an agreement that he hadn't even made. That he hadn't even been in the womb yet when it was signed.

He was going to ride into Camelot and before the week was out, he would be married. How was he supposed to get married without his mother by his side?

What he would give to have been able to bring Will along with him. At least he wouldn't be so alone. At least he would have someone he could actually talk to. Someone that he had known all of his life instead of these knights that he had just met. Will would have made everything better, having a dry sarcasm that was even worst than Merlin's.

But Will wasn't here with him. His mother wasn't here with him. He was literally a stranger in a strange land. He didn't know anybody here. It was literally just him. Well, unless you count his Uncle Gaius. But he didn't even know that man either. Didn't even know if the man would accept his wayward nephew just showing up like this.

Today was the day. The day that they would reach Camelot. The day that he was going to meet Arthur probably. Would he be happy here? Could he be happy here? Especially when knowing that he had absolutely no choice in the matter.

Well there was only one way to find out.

So taking a shaky breath, he took Leon's hand and let him tug him onto the horse. Merlin needed the extra boost up because the horse was so high, taller at least then the few mares that they had to use in the fields. There was no way he could have gotten up himself.

And then they were off, traveling for one more day to get to Merlin's new home.

"So, how far are we exactly from Camelot now?" Merlin asked shakily. No matter what he did or where he let his mind wonder, it always circled back to Arthur and his upcoming wedding. It was like a never ending loop. He would start thinking about something simple like the tree they had just passed with a large hole in it and start wondering if a little family of squirrels lived in it.

Then he would come to the conclusion that Arthur would probably hunt the squirrels if he couldn't find any actual game like a deer or boar. Then he would spend the next several minutes thinking about Arthur and all the questions that he had about his husband to be. Questions that could probably only be answered by actually meeting the guy.

"It's just a couple of hours now." Leon said, looking up at the sky to check the sun and then again at where they were in the forest. They were getting closer. He was starting to recognize these woods and the closer they got, the more he knew that they were almost there. He knew the woods surrounding Camelot like he knew the back of his hand.

"Just a couple more hours." Merlin said, voice shaky. "Great...I can't wait." He said with dry sarcasm, slumping in his seat on the saddle behind Leon.

Leon glanced over his shoulder at him with a worried frown, "Hey, Merlin. Everything is going to be okay." He tried to comfort the boy but wasn't really sure how he was doing. When was the last time he had actually had to comfort somebody? Probably never. Leon spent most of his time around other knights and they would rather cut off their own arm then admit that they were people to and sometimes, people just needed to vent.

Merlin snorted, clearly not believing him, "Yeah. I'm sure everything is going to go smoothly."

Leon went quiet for a minute as he tried to think. "Well, you never know. At least give it a chance before deciding if you hate it."

Merlin scoffed, sounding bitter, "Yeah, I'll give it a chance. But even if I do hate it, I still won't be allowed to return home, will I?"

Leon ducked his head, "No, I don't think you will be able to return to Ealdor." Merlin nodded his head, eyes narrowed down on his lap. He had already figured that. They didn't come all the way to Ealdor just to turn around and send him back on his way.

Tristian glanced over at them from where he was riding ahead, an annoyed look on his face. "I don't know what is so great about Ealdor. Why would you pick that place over living in a castle?"

Sure, Tristian often slept in one of the rooms designated for knights in the castle. But those rooms were only for if it got dark while you were still training and didn't want to walk back to your actual home. There were dozens of hammocks slung around the room and half a dozen knights were always sleeping in there at any given time.

What Tristian would do to have his own private room up in the castle. He didn't even have to be in the royal wing where Arthur, Uther, and Uther's ward Morgana, slept. He would be just as happy in any of the guest rooms that were only used when Camelot was playing host to royal visitors. But alas, he was just one of the many knights Camelot had, albeit a really skilled one, but even he would never be allowed to sleep up there.

Merlin glanced over to him annoyed, "It's my home. The only place I have ever really known. Of course I would rather be there then marrying this Arthur guy."

"Prince Arthur." Dorian corrected. "We are almost at the castle. You should start learning to address him by his proper title."

Merlin snorted, a cheeky grin spreading across his face, "If he is to be my husband, I am not going to spend our entire lives calling him 'Prince Arthur'.

"Of course not." Dorian said, as if that was ridiculous. "Someday, you will have to address him as King Arthur."

Merlin gave him a very dry look, "If I'm not going to address him as Prince Arthur, I highly doubt that I'm going to do it when he is king."

Dorian scowled, not liking that Merlin wasn't listening to his helpful advice. Tristian just looked amused at Dorian being ignored like this.

Leon gave them all looks, "He does have a point. Arthur and him are going to marry. He shouldn't have to call his husband by his title. They will be equals so it's only right that Arthur is called as such without his title."

"Thank you!" Merlin exclaimed, exasperated. "I mean, the guy knows he's a prince. I don't have to remind him every time I say his name."

"You should still show him the proper respect!" Dorian exclaimed.

Merlin gave him a raised eyebrow, "I'll be sure to do that when he earns it." Leon tried not to snort. It was definitely the first time he had ever heard of a noble having to earn respect from a peasant.

"Earn it?" Dorian blustered. "But he's the prince! He's already earned it!"

Merlin scoffed, turning his face away, "He hasn't earned anything just because he was born to a powerful family. And from what little I've heard about him, I'm not that impressed."

"How are you not impressed? Surely you've heard that he's one of the best swordsman in the kingdom?" Dorian demanded.

"Because I've barely seen an actual swords fight before." Merlin said simply. "The village back home didn't exactly have an abundance of men walking around with swords strapped to their sides."

"Well what about that he's a good hunter." Dorian tried again.

Merlin shrugged, "I don't see what's so interesting about killing helpless creatures just for the fun of it."

Dorian stared this boy down completely baffled, "...Does nothing impress you?"

"Of course!" Merlin exclaimed. "But I don't exactly know the guy enough to have anything to be impressed about. In case you haven't noticed, I'm the only one here who hasn't actually met the guy."

"And not even the fact that he has a crown leaves an impression on you?" Dorian questioned.

Merlin waved him off, "I couldn't care less. He could have a crown or be a farmer for all I care." Merlin glanced over towards Leon, biting his lip. "I am going to meet him today sometime, aren't I?"

Leon nodded, "Probably. It's entirely possible that you will run into him at the castle at some point. But ideally, you won't be officially introduced until you're brought into the Grand Hall for the wedding ceremony."

Merlin looked at him in disbelief, "Seriously? They want me to just wait around until the wedding before we're even introduced. I have to say 'I do' before I even have a conversation with him?"

Leon winced. Well when you say it like that, it sounded so crass. "Well, King Uther is particularly eager to get this all over with."

Merlin hunched his shoulders, "You mean he just wants to make sure we're married so I can't make a run for it like my mother did without being tied down somehow."

Leon winced again, "I wouldn't...put it like that."

"But it's exactly what it is." Merlin said quietly.

"Hey!" Tristian suddenly exclaimed. "This hill we're coming up on. It's the hill that overlooks Camelot, isn't it?!"

Merlin's head snapped up as he felt his panic coming back. He had been so caught up in the conversation that he had actually forgotten just how close they were coming up on Camelot.

"It is." Leon nodded, having already noticed a few minutes earlier.

Merlin felt his breath hitch. Were they finally here? Had three days already passed by so quickly? It wasn't nearly long enough for his taste.

But still, he couldn't stop the horses from steadily moving forward. It was a slow climb as they went up the hill. Merlin could barely tell it was a hill because going up it, all somebody had to do was walk up a small trail that had formed as the trees started to thin out.

This was it.

This was the moment that he had been waiting for.

It had been three days since he had left home and now he was here, Camelot.

Tristian started to smirk, "I can't wait until we get home. I'm going to check out Mary. I haven't seen her in a year, I have to go and make sure that she hadn't married in the year I've been gone."

"Mary?" Dorian asked. "As in that servant girl from the kitchens that you hook up with at least once a month."

"The one and only." Tristian said proudly.

Dorian smirked, "Isn't she just one of the like, five girls you go to at least once a week."

Tristian looked quite proud of himself, "Well don't go acting all jealous just because the ladies love me." He said with over exaggerated pompous.

"I'm n-not jealous!" Dorian blustered, face turning red.

Merlin looked over at them curiously, "Hook up?" He started to ask. "What does that me-"

"Oh, look!" Leon quickly interrupted and cut him off, pointing into the distance. "We're finally here." Merlin hadn't noticed that they had now reached the top of the hill and could practically see everything from their high vantage point.

Merlin looked around Leon's shoulder, trying to see the city below them. He could see a large stone wall surrounding the city. It looked like it was made from sandstones but much more expensive and elaborate looking than anything Merlin had come across on the outskirts of his village. The gates were wide open he could just barely make out people milling around inside.

"About damn time." Tristian said quietly, his shoulders relaxing slightly now that they had finally made it home.

"I thought we'd never get back." Dorian said, just as relieved. Who knew that it would take over a year just to track down one peasant and his wayward mother.

Merlin could see the castle somewhere further into the city. It's towers were higher than the gate but he was to far to get a really good look at it. But he definitely wanted to get closer to see more.

He started to smile, feeling hopeful. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. At least the city didn't look horrible, that had to be something. It was the first time that he was seeing anything other than his village and the endless forest that they had been traveling through. And the sight before them was truly one of legends.

"Welcome Merlin," Leon said softly. "To Camelot."