The seasons had changed abruptly in the kingdom, a biting cold sweeping through Camelot and forcing its people to draw out their winter cloaks and stoke their fires a bit more when night would fall. For Merlin, the cold wasn't so much a bother but rather what it often brought with it, and when he awoke that morning to find snow had fallen while he slept, his mood had taken an immediate turn for the worse.

"Good morning, Merlin." Gaius spoke from in front of the fire, the elder's form bent over the pot which no doubt held the breakfast he'd prepared for the both of them.

"Morning." He mumbled, tugging his jacket on over his shoulders and sitting down at the table while he fumbled with tying his neckerchief. Dropping his hands as a bowl was placed in front of him, the warlock's fingers quickly wrapped around the warm dish.

"Feeling cold this morning?" Gaius observed, sitting down across from him as the boy looked up with a small frown.

"Just enjoying the heat while I can. It snowed last night."

"Did it?" The physician hummed, stirring his food around with a spoon. "I suppose I won't be having you fetch me any additional herbs today. Unless you wish to be out in it that is?"

"Of course not." The boy scoffed, shoveling a bite of food into his mouth before starting at the heat.

"I just took it off the fire." Gaius chided as the boy opened his mouth a fraction and sucked in a breath of air in an attempt to cool down his food. Forcing himself to swallow and grimacing at the burn on his tongue, Merlin's head fell and a sigh left him as he began to mimic the physician and stir his food around while steam came off the top. "You're rather out of sorts today, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." The boy mumbled, spooning up another bite and letting it drip off his utensil and fall back into the bowl.

"Yes, I can see that." The man remarked dryly as the warlock glanced up at him.

"It's the weather."

"Not fond of the snow?"

"Not particularly."

"Well I don't think many are, not when they must work in it." Sliding a cup of water across the table to him, Merlin took a slow sip and eyed the physician.

"You don't need any help here today, do you?" He asked hopefully as the elder arched a brow before Gaius was folding his arms across the table and studying the boy.

"It seems to me Merlin that you're only ever interested in learning about science when you wish to avoid something else."

"That's not true." The boy objected. "I asked you about something once when I was helping the druid boy."

"So you wish to learn when you're avoiding something and when you're committing treason."

"A simple no would have sufficed." He grumbled, eating another spoonful as Gaius shook his head.

"What are you so desperate to ignore today?"

"Nothing that I actually can." He stated, shoveling another bite in quickly at the feeling of Gaius' brows narrowing in his direction.

"Merlin."

"I just don't like being out in the snow much, that's all." He admitted, glancing up briefly before looking back to his dish. "And knowing Arthur, he'll take every opportunity to force me into it."

"Well perhaps the prince would understand." A beat of silence passed after he spoke, the warlock staring at his guardian with his spoon halfway between his mouth and the bowl before the elder finally shook his head and looked away. "I did say perhaps."

"Yeah, and perhaps he will take advantage of my discomfort and make my day miserable for his own enjoyment."

"So long as you're optimistic."

Dropping his spoon back into his bowl with a brief sigh, Merlin rose and tugged at the sleeves of his jacket. "Bye, Gaius." He called, unable to put off the inevitable and making his way out the physician's door and down the stairwell as he wrapped his arms around himself.

The chill in the halls was offset by his brisk pace to the kitchen and then to Arthur's chambers, a room that greeted him with its warmth once he'd pushed open the door and stepped inside. With his usual amount of grace, Merlin deposited the tray onto the prince's table and strode to his windows, drawing the drapes aside and allowing the light to filter inside. A quiet groan sounded behind him, though Merlin's attention was captivated by the grey sky above and the white blanket that coated the courtyard below.

"What are you doing?" A mumbled voice thick with sleep spoke, and the servant turned to find the prince still caught beneath the throes of his blankets with only half his face looking out from beneath a pillow.

"Good morning, Sire." He spoke cheerfully, stepping away from the window as Arthur grimaced up at him.

"I asked you what you were doing, not to shout to the whole of the kingdom."

"I was merely looking outside." Merlin shrugged, walking to the man's wardrobe and retrieving his clothes for the day. "It's snowed overnight."

"Has it?" That seemed to fully wake the prince, the blond sitting up and turning groggily towards his window. "Damn. I'm to go on patrol this morning."

"You can't get out of it?" The boy questioned, setting the clothes aside and pulling out his boots as Arthur's blankets shifted while he stood.

"I'm going with my father, so no." Running his hands through his hair with a yawn, he stepped around his servant and sat at the table, staring blearily at the still covered tray.

Without a word the warlock followed and removed the lid and poured the prince's drink before he went to work making his bed and clearing up a few items the man had left lying in the middle of the floor. Several minutes passed in silence, only the noise of the fire between them as Merlin finished tidying the room and Arthur ate his breakfast.

"You're quiet today." The prince commented, his words muffled by the food in his mouth.

"No more so than usual."

"That's a lie." He stated, pointing a finger towards his servant. "Normally I can't get you to shut up in the mornings."

"Well I suppose I finally got the hint." Merlin spoke with a shrug, though the prince's gaze narrowed at his words.

"You're acting strangely, Merlin. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." He scoffed, a hint of offense in his tone as he knelt to check on the fire.

"Well then something is wrong because you're brooding."

"I don't brood, that's your job." The warlock muttered as a sharp laugh left Arthur as his chair scraped across the floor.

"Tell me, Merlin, we both know you're incapable of keeping things to yourself anyway."

Biting back his immediate response, the boy followed the prince as he moved across the room to help him dress for the day. "Just disagreeable weather today is all."

"What, you don't like the snow?" Arthur teased, his eyes following the boy while Merlin adjusted his tunic.

"You sound surprised."

"I thought you'd love it."

"Why's that?" Arching a bow at him as the man tugged off his sleepwear and threw it at him, Arthur gathered his trousers and gave a shrug.

"I don't know, children enjoy it and you've got the mind of one." Staring back at the blond, the prince's tilted smile faded as his hand shoved against his friend's shoulder. "Come on, Merlin, it's a joke. What's made you so bitter against the weather that you've lost your sense of humor? Did you fall in a snowbank as a child?"

Locking his jaw, Merlin glanced down and worked on the other's belt as he tried to think of an answer to give. When none came to mind and the man's stare threatened to bore a hole right through his skull, the warlock settled for the truth.

"You've been to my home." Merlin spoke quietly, carrying over the man's chainmail he would need for the patrol.

"And?"

"And you've seen the buildings. They're not as well built as the ones here." Pausing to pull the armor over the prince's head, the expression he wore encouraged the boy to go on as he stepped around and began to adjust it behind him. "We never had a lot in Ealdor, but we worked hard for what we did have and we made do. But in the winters we could not always keep the snow from entering our homes." As he spoke he kept his eyes on his work, adjusting Arthur's clothes and bringing over his cloak.

"Even with the fires going the wind still tore through the walls and made it impossible to rid any space of the chill." He used to offer to try and use his magic but his mother always refused, only pulling him closer and telling him stories of when she was a child as they sat in front of their fire together.

"Some winters were harsher than others, and if we had a poor crop before one there were times the men would go to hunt in an effort to bring in more food. And while most would return, there were some that were not found again until the spring." Standing back and surveying his work, Merlin finally looked up at the prince and found a neutral mask in place, though he hadn't interrupted him even once.

"I may be better off here with Gaius, but I can't help thinking about Ealdor with snow like this, about my mother still being there." Silence lapsed over them when he'd failed to speak more, the boy shifting awkwardly as he pressed his lips together. He shouldn't have said so much, it wasn't as if the man would even understand, he'd probably never experienced the harshness of snow except from a distance.

The blond stared at his servant for a moment longer before Arthur was stepping away and tugging at the edge of his cloak. "Well you've managed to make my morning quite depressing Merlin, thanks for that."

"You asked." He muttered, the tension exiting his chest in the form of a long breath as Merlin knelt and gathered the clothes on the floor together to be washed later.

"Yes, and if I'd known it was more than a simple 'I get cold' I wouldn't have." Arthur scoffed, his back to the boy as he strode for his door. "Hurry up, you still need to prepare my horse."

Dropping the clothes to the side and hurrying after the prince, the two walked side by side through the halls, his home and his mother on his mind even more than it had been since speaking the words aloud. He could picture her there, standing over the fire preparing a meal for later in the evening and going about her usual tasks with the slightest tremble to her hands that she always worked to hide from him.

Often nights several people would gather in one home in an effort to keep warm, laughter and stories filling the rooms until the late hours as his village trudged through another seemingly endless winter. Those were some of his favorite nights despite the cold, those spent playing with Will and pretending to be asleep so they could listen a bit more to the tales and adventures the men would claim they'd had. No, Ealdor wasn't a rich village, and as he'd grown Merlin had felt more and more out of place, but during those dark and frigid nights those were the times he'd felt the most at home.

As the two stepped outside and the sharp winter's air struck him, Merlin huddled into his jacket and returned to the present, with the kingdom instead of his village and a different friend by his side. Walking down the steps to the courtyard, their boots crunched against the snow that blanketed everything around them.

"Have you ever enjoyed the snow, or is that depressing tale how all your winters went?" Arthur questioned, glancing at the other as Merlin shook his head with a small frown.

"Obviously I played in the snow, Arthur, just as I'm sure you must've." He stated, looking down at where his boots were creating tracks. "In fact, I-" The words he was about to say were abruptly cut off as his head jerked forwards, a chill running through the boy as a mound of snow connected with the back of his head and began to fall down his neck.

Spinning around in shock, blue hues landed on the prince who wore a taunting expression and was brushing snow from his gloves. "Really? Because judging by the look on your face you've never even seen a snowball before."

"I know what a snowball is, Arthur, I just wasn't expecting to be struck by one." He shot out, reaching back and brushing the powder from his hair as the prince bent over and scooped another mound up and began patting it between his hands.

"Come on, Merlin, don't you know how to have any fun?"

"How is using me for target practice fun?" He muttered, turning around and feeling another snowball strike his back.

Glaring over his shoulder, a loud laugh left the blond. "You're really just going to stand there?"

"What do you want, for me to hit you with one?"

"Like you could." The man scoffed, throwing out his arms. "Honestly I'd be surprised if you could even hit the stables."

"You're a big enough target." Merlin grumbled as the prince arched a brow.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." He called back, his fingers twitching.

A moment of debate ran through the boy's mind before he was stooping to the ground and digging his hands into the snow. Unlike the prince he had no gloves, the cold biting into his fingertips and turning them red as he stood and began crushing the snow into shape between his freezing palms.

"Well?" The prince goaded, waving his hands in a mocking manner. "I take it back, you probably couldn't even throw hard enough to hit the stables at all!"

Without another thought Merlin drew back his arm and threw, watching as it sailed through the air moments before it was hitting its target. A target that happened to be Prince Arthur's face. Staggering back a step and muffling his laughter, Merlin's mouth hung open as the blond's smile fell, a hand slowly rising to brush the powder off his face while steeled blue eyes found his servant.

"You're the one who wanted me throw it." He defended quickly, lifting his hands and choking down another laugh as the prince began to walk towards him with slow but purposeful strides. "Arthur?" He questioned, backing another step away as snow gathered around his ankles. "Arthur, I-"

"Run." The prince spoke, leaning to one side and dragging his hand through the snow as Merlin's brows shot up and he turned, darting across the courtyard towards the first possible place of cover. He barely managed to slide behind a cart containing straw before another snowball was flying past his head.

"You missed!" He couldn't resist calling out, hearing the prince muttering as he got closer and the boy sunk to his knees, the wet snow clinging to his trousers and seeping through to his skin. Quickly gathering a mound of snow, Merlin waited with baited breath for a sound from the prince, the snowball he held ready burning against his palm as he finally dared to duck his head out in search of the man.

The action proved to be fatal as a snowball struck him just moments later, the cold bursting across his face as the prince's laughter rolled across the courtyard. Not even waiting to brush the snow out of his eyes, Merlin threw his own at the sound of the blond and grinned when he heard it make contact.

Pushing himself up and wiping away the snow from his face and hair, the servant peaked back up over the cart and spotted Arthur. Opening his mouth to speak, he hesitated when he saw the blond was no longer grinning but staring at him intently, a hard expression with wide eyes watching him.

That's when the warlock's gaze shifted to the second person that had not been there just moments earlier, the one with snow across his back and whose form was entirely rigid. Panic surged through Merlin as he stood abruptly and bowed, hearing the man turn and suck in a sharp breath.

"My Lord, I am so sorry." He apologized quickly, risking a glance up to find Uther's furious glare moving between the both of them.

"This is what caused you to be late? Playing around when you're meant to be on patrol?" He asked tightly, turning his attention to his son as Arthur bowed his own head.

"I'm sorry, Father. I was on my way-"

"Don't." He uttered, the ice in his voice colder than the air around them as his eyes cut to Merlin. "Go ready my son's horse as is your job before I have you flogged for such behavior."

"Yes, Sire." Merlin nodded, turning and jogging for the stables as the racing of his heart became more prevalent than his soaked clothes.

Numb fingers worked awkwardly to ready Arthur's steed, the snow that had been on his back seeping through his jacket and onto his tunic as the prince stepped inside after him, the silence between them tense. Shaking hands struggled to adjust the straps, Merlin's breath coming out in rapid clouds of white before the prince was beside him and pushing him away, the man's gloves shoved in his direction as he began to adjust his horse for himself.

"Next time, improve your aim." Arthur muttered, tightening one of the straps before moving around to the other side. Opening his mouth to reply, all the warlock could manage was a choked laugh that he quickly smothered with a cough, looking away from the prince's harsh gaze that told him he hadn't been fooled. "Is something funny, Merlin?"

"Nothing, Sire, nothing at all." He spoke quietly, berating himself in his mind. It wasn't funny, and he was lucky that Uther hadn't thrown him in the dungeon for what he'd done. But despite that, he couldn't keep himself from snickering, the servant struggling to force down his erratic laughter.

"You look like you're having a fit." The prince noted, moving around the horse once more before snatching his gloves from the boy and tugging them back on.

"I just-I didn't think it was possible for your father to hate me more."

"Well, looks like you were wrong. Again. What a surprise." He muttered, shoving the servant's arm and taking hold of his steed's reins.

"I'm sorry, Arthur."

Glancing at the boy, the blond rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Merlin. You can apologize after the lecture I'm about to receive and the one I'll give you later." Pausing near the doors, Arthur's hold on the reins shifted and he looked over his shoulder at his friend. "At least for once it will be over something entertaining. I don't think I've ever seen my father get struck by a snowball before."

Turning back around, the prince's lip twitched and his head dropped as he led his stallion from the stables, and as a grin overtook the warlock's face, he pretended not to hear the quiet chuckle that left Arthur as he walked away.

Merlin couldn't even begin to imagine what he must have looked like when he'd stepped through the door after he'd seen Arthur off, but judging from Gaius' expression, it was far from his normal appearance.

"What happened?" The elder gaped, rising from his chair as the door fell shut behind him and the warlock headed directly for the fire, his body trembling as he stretched his hands out towards the flames. "Did you fall into the snow?"

"In a manner of speaking." The boy spoke quickly, his speech faltering as he clenched his teeth and sat on a stool next to the hearth as his wet clothes clung to his frame.

"Don't tell me Arthur pushed you?" The physician questioned, eyeing the boy as he grabbed at Merlin's jacket, prying off the partially wet article of clothing.

"No, no he.. we had a bit of.. well.." Lifting his arm as his guardian pulled at the sleeves of his soaked tunic, Gaius worked to untie the neckerchief and tossed them both aside. "He threw a snowball at me." He stated, shivering as the air hit his bare skin and he worked to pry off his boots while avoiding the physician's stare. "And then I threw one at him.." He continued, realization striking his mentor as a more disapproving expression settled over his face before he was departing into the warlock's chambers.

"So you were playing around and acting like children in this weather, with no cloak or gloves?" He questioned once he'd returned with dry clothes, the stern tone not lost on the boy as Gaius turned and Merlin quickly changed before settling back in front of the flames.

"It wasn't intentional." He mumbled, holding his hands out in front of him and bending them with a grimace, the tips a dark red and stinging in pain as the heat finally began to warm his frozen frame. "Neither was the snowball that hit the king." He added, jolting at the sudden sound of objects clattering behind him.

"You did what?" Turning to look over his shoulder, he found the physician gaping at him with a mess of crushed herbs strewn across the table in front of him. "How could you be so foolish? What if he had thrown you in the dungeon? You would've caught your death of the cold." The man scolded as Merlin kept quiet. "After messing about as you have I wouldn't be surprised if you do anyway! Of all the silly, ridiculous things you get up to Merlin, you ought to know better than this."

Lowering his head guiltily, the warlock's eyes settled on the floor as his eyes stung. He knew Gaius would be annoyed, his mother was the same when he'd return home after a time in the woods with Will, his hair plastered across his face and his cheeks flushed from the cold. He knew it was out of worry for his own wellbeing, but that didn't stop the guilt at the truth his guardian spoke. If he wound up ill because of this, it would be his own fault.

"Did you hit him?"

Looking up at the sudden question, Gaius stepped forwards and pressed a cup into the boy's hands. "What?"

"You said you threw one at Arthur. Did you hit him?"

Smiling despite himself, Merlin's fingers wrapped around the warm mug and laughed quietly as his head nodded. "Right in the face."

A smile stretched across Gaius' lips and as his hand came to rest on his ward's shoulder he uttered a single word. "Good."

Grinning wider, Merlin brought the cup closer as the man stepped away only to return a moment later with a small towel that was promptly dropped onto the warlock's head. "The next time you plan to act like children however, perhaps take a bit more caution." He advised, ruffling the boy's hair as Merlin shuddered again.

"I'll do my best." He promised, looking up at the elder though his view was partially obstructed.

"See to it you do, I'd rather not find you frozen solid one day because of some foolish actions between you and the prince."

"Don't worry, Gaius." The boy laughed, gripping the cup tighter and catching his eye. "Nothing like that will happen."

A/N

Why are they so cute? Why is Arthur the best at distracting Merlin from his thoughts even though he sucks at actually saying he cares? Why am I laughing at three in the morning at picturing Uther with snow plastered across his back? This story has now become my favorite, I'm in love with every single bit of this. I needed some good old fashioned fluff with just a bit of foreshadowing perhaps? Maybe?

I don't know how much 'holiday' stuff I'm going to write, though I would like to try a New Year's story, but I'm gonna write a few more winter themed ones before starting in with season two. I have quite a few things planned, but I think I'm gonna enjoy the 'less canon' ones for a bit first.

Hope you guys enjoyed, feel free to let me know if there's anything specific you want to see! I'd also love any comments or reviews, they always make my day ^-^