A/N: Sorry for the long wait since the last update! The good news is, this story was again my project for NaNoWriMo so I have another 50k written that just needs to be edited and broken into chapters, which means weekly updates should resume. If you've stuck around throughout the several month wait, thank you! And if you're new to this story, thank you too!

An extra thank you to Pohla, Doenja, Patiku, and Fairy Of Fandoms 4Ever for reviewing, and to anyone who has put this story on their favorites or alerts list!

Chapter 15: The Tournament

Weeks passed, and Merlin and Hunith began to settle into their life in Camelot. Merlin followed Arthur around like a baby duckling, much to Hunith's affectionate amusement and the older boy's apparent exasperation. Yet, no matter how annoyed Arthur acted, he never shooed Merlin away.

As for Uther and Hunith, despite their moment of connection and understanding the day after Hunith's family had gone home, their relationship remained awkward and slightly strained. Hunith wondered if Uther was embarrassed by or ashamed of the moment of vulnerability he had shown. Whatever the cause, the next day he had been back to acting as he had before, polite, but formal and distant. He hadn't brought up the things they had talked about that night again, and so neither had Hunith.

When Hunith returned to her room one afternoon, she was slightly surprised to hear noises from her son's room next door. She opened the door and looked in, and found Merlin sitting on the floor, playing with some of his toys.

"I thought you'd be with Arthur," she said.

Merlin looked up and made a face, "All he's wanted to do the last few days is train. He says there's a tournament coming up and he has to prepare. I'm bored of watching him swing a sword around."

Hunith chuckled, "Yes, Uther mentioned the tournament to me." It wasn't an official tournament, where knights would come from all over the kingdom, and even from other kingdoms, to compete. Instead, this tournament was for the young boys who were in training, to give them a chance to put the skills they were learning to use, and show off what they had learned.

"Do you think after it's over, Arthur will want to play again?" Merlin asked, and Hunith smiled.

"I'm sure he will," she replied, "But in the meantime, I can play with you. I have some free time this afternoon." Hunith hadn't had as much time to spend with her son in the last few weeks as she ordinarily would have, adjusting to being the new queen of Camelot kept her quite busy. Merlin hadn't seemed to mind too much, content to spend his days playing with Arthur, but Hunith had missed the quality time with her little son.

He brightened instantly at her offer, "Okay, Mama! Can we play dragons?"

Hunith laughed, "Of course." Though a part of her wondered briefly what Uther's reaction would be if he witnessed such a game. It wasn't a real concern, however. He had never visited her room, or Merlin's. If he wanted to speak to her, he would send a servant to fetch her.

Hunith played dragons with Merlin for about half an hour, laughing as her son ran up and down the room, roaring and flapping his arms. It was only when Merlin ran headlong into the dresser, knocking down a vase that she barely managed to catch, that, after checking Merlin to make sure he hadn't gotten hurt, Hunith suggested they switch to a less rambunctious game.

Merlin pulled out a box full of stones from underneath his bed, and sat down on the floor to begin sorting and lining up his "collection. Hunith sat down across from him, deciding to take this quieter moment as an opportunity to check in with her son.

"How are you liking our new home, Merlin?" she asked quietly.

Merlin looked up from the rock he was carefully placing in line and smiled at her, "I like it here, Mama! I like playing with Arthur, when he's not just training all day." He picked up another rock and added thoughtfully, "I do miss Grandmother and Grandfather and everyone though. Even Cenred." He hesitated, glancing up at Hunith and lowering his voice until it was almost a whisper, "Arthur's nicer than Cenred though. He teases me sometimes, but not like Cenred did."

Hunith's heart squeezed as she remembered what Merlin had told her about his cousin's unkindness. She reached out and squeezed his hand, "I'm glad you and Arthur are getting along so well."

She watched Merlin line up his rocks for a moment and then asked, "And… King Uther? What do you think of him?"

"He's grumpy," Merlin said matter-of-factly, and Hunith couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, he is that," she agreed.

"He's not as scary as I thought he'd be, though," Merlin added, then his voice got quiet again, "Except I'm scared of what will happen if he finds out about my magic."

Hunith squeezed his hand again. She was terrified of that too, of course, but she didn't want to let Merlin see that. "We won't let that happen," she told him reassuringly, "You've been doing a great job keeping it hidden."

Merlin smiled, "I told you I could do it."

"Yes, you did," Hunith ran a hand through his hair affectionately. She wished he didn't have to worry about such things, but she was proud of him for how far he had come.

"Do you like it here, Mama?" Merlin asked her.

"I think I do," Hunith replied thoughtfully, "I've been making some friends here." Like Merlin, she missed her family, but in some ways, being away from Essetir was freeing. She didn't feel as… judged in Camelot. Perhaps some people were only polite to her because she was the queen, but others seemed genuinely kind, like Sir Gorlois, or the court physician Gaius.

"Do you like King Uther?" Merlin tilted his head, "Do you love him?"

Hunith hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "I like him more than I expected to," she said at last. Her first impression of him back in Essetir had been rather poor, but since coming to Camelot, she had caught glimpses of the man behind the cold mask, and it had surprised her to realize that she could understand Uther.

"But you don't love him?" Merlin asked.

"No, I don't love him," Hunith admitted. Merlin frowned, and she could see the worry in his little face. She stood up and stepped over his little line of rocks, so she could pull him into her lap as she sat back down.

"But that's okay," she added, "I have plenty of love in my life. I have you, and you've got more love inside you than I've ever seen." She poked him playfully in the stomach, "You're completely full of it, I can feel it!"

Merlin giggled, then poked her in the stomach. "I can feel it inside of you too," he informed her.

Hunith laughed, "Of course you can, and that's because I love you most of all."

Merlin leaned his head against her chest, as he had done so many times before, "I love you too, Mama."

The day of the tournament soon came. At lunch that day, Hunith could tell that Arthur was nervous, and could equally tell that he was trying his very best to hide it. He was quieter than he normally was, though, and he was picking at his food.

"I trust you have been training hard for this?" Uther asked Arthur sternly, "I expect nothing less than your best."

"Yes, Father," Arthur replied. Hunith could see him swallow nervously, and she frowned. Couldn't Uther see that he was making the boy more nervous? But they had been married for such a short time. It wasn't her place to tell him how to interact with his son, and she was certain it wouldn't be received well if she tried, anymore than she would have welcomed Uther trying to tell her how she ought to speak to Merlin.

She said nothing to Uther, but she turned to Arthur with a smile, "Merlin has told me how hard you've been practicing." She left out that Merlin had been complaining about Arthur not having time to play

"I'm sure you will do well," she added.

Arthur looked up at her in surprise, then gave her a small, hesitant, smile, "Thank you. I've been practicing extra outside of our usual lessons," he added, looking from Hunith to his father for a sign of approval. Uther's only response was a curt nod, and a still-stern, "Good." and Hunith frowned again, feeling frustrated and sad for the boy.

"Then I'm sure you will do wonderfully," she said quickly, before Arthur could wilt too much from his father's non-response, "And I think it's admirable that a boy your age would have the discipline to put in extra work like that. I remember when I was a child, I just wanted to play all day long. With that sort of dedication, I expect you'll be ready for everything today."

Arthur's clear surprise at her praise made Hunith's heart ache, but she was pleased to see the boy smile again, this one bigger and less hesitant. "Will you and Merlin be coming to watch?" he asked her, almost shyly.

"Of course," Hunith smiled back at him, "We wouldn't miss it."

Arthur's nerves seemed to lessen a little after that. He actually finished his breakfast, and even responded to some of Merlin's usual chatter. Hunith was pleased that what she said seemed to have helped the boy, though she couldn't help but feel like the encouragement ought to have come from his father instead.

When he had finished eating, Arthur asked to be excused to go down to the arena, where the boys who were participating in the tournament would be warming up and preparing. Merlin asked for permission to go down with him, the excitement of the event apparently outweighing his prior boredom with watching Arthur practice. Hunith gave him permission, on the condition that he stay out of the way of the older boys, and come find her when it was time for the tournament to start.

The boys left, and Uther and Hunith were left alone. Silence fell for a few minutes. As a servant came in to clear away their plates, Hunith broke it. "Has Arthur participated in a tournament like this before?" she asked Uther.

"Not officially, in front of a crowd," Uther replied, "But the training instructor has held mock tournaments to give the boys some experience in the past. He knows how it works."

"Still, doing it in front of a crowd is something different," Hunith said quietly, "I can't blame him for being a bit nervous."

Uther frowned, "Nerves will serve no purpose for him. The crowd is irrelevant. He simply needs to remember his training."

"Weren't you nervous at your first tournament?" Hunith asked, careful to keep the reproach out of her voice.

Uther seemed slightly caught off guard by the question, and he didn't answer right away.

"Perhaps," he admitted after a moment, though his voice quickly returned to its usual coolness, "But I dealt with it. Arthur must learn to deal with it too."

Hunith wanted to tell him that that was an overly harsh expectation to have for a nine-year-old boy, but again, she was mindful of the fact that being Uther's queen didn't give her the right to tell him how to raise his son. At least Arthur wasn't here to hear his father's remarks. The boy didn't need any more pressure on his shoulders.

Uther rose to his feet abruptly, "I have some business to attend to before the tournament. I will see you this afternoon." He gave a curt nod of farewell and walked away. Hunith watched him go with some irritation. He was a stubborn man, and a hard one. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had spoken so openly about his love for his dead wife, and about how Arthur reminded him of her.

"I'm always proud of Arthur" he had told her then. But he certainly hadn't shown his son that pride today. It was clear Uther expected Arthur to be the best, and Hunith was concerned about how he might react if Arthur didn't win the tournament. She took a deep breath and shook her head, releasing the annoyance and worry she felt. She couldn't control how Uther behaved, all she could control was her own actions. If Uther wasn't going to show his son the patience and support he needed, she would just have to make sure she let Arthur know how well he was doing herself.

An hour or so later, Hunith made her way down to Camelot's tournament arena. She had dressed carefully for the event. Though it was a simple exhibition of the children's skills, it would be the first formal event she had attended in Camelot since her own wedding. She knew curious eyes would be on the new queen, and she wanted to make a good impression. Winifred, the maid servant who had been assigned to her, was quick and efficient, though Hunith still missed Seren deeply. She had tried to get to know Winifred, but it was obvious the woman couldn't see past the fact that she was the queen. She was polite, of course, but there was none of the laughter and shared jokes that Hunith would have had with Seren.

When Hunith reached the tournament arena, Uther was already standing in the top box. Merlin scampered over to Hunith, his smile bright, and she took her son's hand, leading him up to the royal box to join her new husband.

Uther glanced at them and gave a nod of greeting, before stepping forward to address the gathered crowd. Hunith glanced around as he spoke, the crowd was smaller than she imagined it would be for a regular tournament- at least smaller than the crowds they had had for tournaments in Essetir. She assumed it was composed mostly of the parents of the boys who would be participating, as well as some siblings. Some of the knights had also come to watch.

After Uther had greeted the crowd, the man responsible for training the boys, an older semi-retired knight named Sir Ector, strode into the center of the arena and explained the rules of the tournament. Merlin wiggled impatiently next to Hunith, though he stayed quiet.

The first group of boys were a little younger than Arthur. They didn't actually spar, but were simply led through some basic fighting stances by their leader, to the polite applause of their parents.

Arthur's age group was up next. These boys sparred with wooden swords, and the crowd began to show excitement, siblings and friends cheering for one boy or another. After each fight, Uther briefly congratulated the winner, and Hunith had to smile at the way each boy's eyes got big when addressed by the king. Merlin clapped for everyone, though he did lean over during the third fight to ask Hunith when it would be Arthur's turn.

Hunith didn't know, but Merlin's question was answered soon enough. The boys who had fought the third round left the arena and went to join the boys from the first two rounds, as well as the younger children, near the bottom of the stands, and Sir Ector announced that the fourth and final match of this round would be between Prince Arthur Pendragon and Rhys, son of Lord Idwal.

Merlin bounced to his feet and pressed close to the railing of the top box.

"Careful," Hunith murmured, reaching out to pull her son back a little. She could just imagine the clumsy little boy taking a tumble right over the railing and into the crowd below.

Uther glanced down at Merlin with a slight frown, but quickly turned his attention back to the arena, as the match between Arthur and the other boy began.

The two boys were about the same size, but it became quickly apparent that Arthur was the more skilled between the two.

Due to the age of the boys, and the fact that they were still learning, the sparring matches ended as soon as one boy was disarmed. Arthur's match lasted barely five minutes before he had managed to disarm his opponent. Hunith clapped warmly, and Merlin's cheer was the loudest of all. Arthur seemed to hear him, even over the rest of the crowd, because he looked up with a grin, and lifted his hand in a small wave. Then Uther stepped forward, and Arthur's attention instantly went to his father.

Uther said the same words of congratulations he had said to the previous winners, but Hunith thought she detected a new note of warmth and pride in his voice, subtle enough to be easily missed. She hoped Arthur had noticed too.

Perhaps he had, because his smile was big, even as he bowed to the king as each other boy had done.

The tournament then moved on to the final group of boys, young teens and almost teens who would become official knights soon enough , assuming they passed all of the training requirements. These boys fought their sparring matches with actual swords, though they were blunted practice swords, rather than the fully sharp and potentially deadly weapons that would have been used in an adult tournament. These fights were a little rougher too- the aim was still to disarm, but the older boys were more physical in their combat, smacking each other with the butts of their swords. There wouldn't be any serious injuries, but there was sure to be a few bruises tonight. Hunith heard Merlin gasp beside her as one boy was knocked off-balance and slammed into the arena wall, and she winced in sympathy, leaning forward in concern.

Sir Ector announced the end of the match, and then quickly moved to help the boy up. His opponent seemed slightly sheepish as he accepted Uther's congratulations.

Arthur got another chance to fight, as after the older group had all fought, the winners of each fight were pitted against another winner in their age group.

He won his second match too, though not quite as quickly as the first. Hunith could see that his chest was puffed out with pride as Uther congratulated him for a second time.

Merlin began to get bored as the second round of matches for the older boys began. He drummed his small feet against the floor until Uther looked over at him in annoyance, "Enough."

Merlin shrank in his seat a little. "He's grumpy," he whispered to Hunith. Hunith was a bit irritated with Uther for scolding Merlin herself, even if she had also been about to tell Merlin to stop, albeit in a more gentle manner.

"He is, but he's also right," she replied quietly, "I know this is a bit long, but it isn't polite to act so disinterested. These boys have worked hard to prepare for this."

Merlin looked abashed, "Sorry, Mama."

Hunith smiled at him, "I know it isn't easy. If you want something to keep your mind occupied without distracting others, why don't you count how many people are wearing blue in the crowd? You can tell me later."

Merlin nodded, and soon enough she could see his mouth moving and hear him whispering numbers under his breath. She smiled to herself, and turned her attention back to the tournament.

The second round for the older boys finished, and the third round began. For Arthur's group, it was now down to just him and a boy named Kai, who happened to be the son of Sir Ector.

Kai was a little older and slightly bigger than Arthur, and he had fought well in his first two matches. As the match began, he and Arthur seemed pretty evenly matched. Merlin stopped his whispered counting (he had moved on to people wearing gold jewelry by this point) and gave his full attention to Arthur. Glancing to her left, Hunith could see that Uther was giving the fight his full attention as well.

Kai's sword cracked hard against Arthur's, and Hunith saw the prince's sword start to dip. For a moment it seemed the match would be over, but Arthur managed to tighten his grip and keep a hold of his sword. The fight continued. Both boys were beginning to breathe hard. The other boys, watching in the stands, were excited, cheering for their friends. Hunith could hear both Kai's name and Arthur's being shouted. Merlin inched his way forward to the railing again, and Hunith again pulled him back to a safe distance.

He barely seemed to notice, he was concentrating so hard on Arthur's sparring match.

The match went on longer than any of the matches in Arthur's age group had so far. Sometimes,one boy would seem to have the upper hand, sometimes another. And then- in the blink of an eye, it was over. Arthur had feinted, and Kai, expecting an attack from his left, had been unprepared for the younger boy to come in from his right. Arthur hooked his sword under Kai's and tugged, and the sword slipped from Kai's grasp. The boy's section exploded with cheers, while the adults in the audience applauded somewhat more sedately. Beside Hunith, Merlin was jumping up and down, squealing with excitement. Hunith glanced at Uther, half-expecting him to scold her son again, but Uther seemed not to have noticed Merlin's outburst. His attention, like Merlin's, was only on Arthur, and he was actually smiling.

This time, as he congratulated his son, the pride in his voice was obvious. And he was still smiling as Arthur and Kai bowed and left the arena. Merlin glanced over at him and his eyes went round.

"I didn't know you knew how to smile!" he exclaimed, his little voice not sarcastic, as an adult might have been, but filled with sincere surprise.

Hunith covered her mouth in a rather unsuccessful attempt to hide her surprised laughter.

Uther turned his attention to Merlin, his smile changing into a look of bemusement as he regarded the young boy. The puzzled look on his face did nothing to quell Hunith's amusement.

By now the next pair of boys, one of the two remaining older pairs (there had been about twice as many older boys as there had been in Arthur's age group) had come out onto the field, and Uther shook his head, as if to shake off his distraction.

"Of course I know how to smile," he said gruffly, as he turned his attention back to the field.

Merlin leaned in close to Hunith. "He looks nicer when he smiles, Mama," he whispered.

Hunith smiled at her son in affection, "Yes, I suppose he does."

After a few minutes, Merlin went back to counting people in the crowd, though Hunith noticed him shooting a few contemplative glances at Uther, almost as if he was hoping to catch him smiling again, though Uther's countenance had returned to its usual stoic mask.

Finally, after three more matches, the tournament came to an end. Arthur was called back out to the field, and he stood alongside the boy who had won the final match of the older group, as Uther congratulated them both once again. Hunith noticed Merlin studying Uther very closely at this point, and looking at him herself, she could see that he had a small smile on face when his gaze touched on his son.

As the two boys were awarded small pouches of prize money by their instructor, Uther glanced away and noticed Merlin watching him. He frowned slightly, though he looked more bemused again, than annoyed. Merlin answered Uther's questioning gaze with a big, beaming smile of his own, and Hunith thought that Uther might almost have smiled back, though it could have been her imagination.

The moment was fleeting, as Uther turned his attention back to the arena and stepped forward to address the crowd once more. He gave a brief speech about the importance of training their youth, who would be the next generation of knights who would one day keep Camelot safe and strong, and then dismissed the crowd. The boys in the front row were dismissed to find their families, and Hunith took Merlin's hand as they exited the royal box alongside Uther.

By the time they reached the bottom of the rows of raised seats, Arthur was waiting for them, and Merlin pulled his hand out of Hunith's to run ahead to join the older boy.

Hunith could see that Arthur was still grinning, as if the rush of winning the tournament hadn't yet left him.

"I'll buy you some sweets with some of my prize money," she heard him tell Merlin, and smiled to herself as Merlin bounced in excitement in response.

As Uther and Hunith drew near, Arthur's attention quickly turned from Merlin to his father.

"I did well, didn't I, Father?" he asked hopefully. For a moment, despite his obvious pride before, Hunith was afraid Uther would write Arthur's win off as simply what was expected of him. But she needn't have worried this time.

Uther patted his son's shoulder, "You did very well," he told Arthur, "You made me proud today." Even in praise, Uther's voice was slightly stern, but it seemed to be enough for Arthur, who was beaming once more.

Hunith made sure to add her own praise to Uther's, and Arthur seemed to appreciate it (even if he hadn't sought her approval the way he did his father's). As the four of them made their way back to the palace, Arthur was for once chattering almost as animatedly as Merlin, reliving his fights and the thrill of victory. Hunith smiled to herself. Despite her earlier frustrations, and the continued awkwardness between her and Uther, in this moment, they felt almost like a family.

Thank you for reading! Any reviews would be greatly appreciated.