Chapter Text
The king's loud and determined steps echoed in the empty corridor, muffling the sounds of Arthur’s rigged breathing. The boy was pointlessly trying to keep up with his father, dragging his feet along the cold pavement, but to no use. He was constantly falling back, even though he was practically running after him in order to maintain his pace.
Arthur was out of breath, exhausted from the lack of sleep, courtesy of his relentless nightmares, and from having to stroll around the castle at least twice this morning. His eyes were heavy lidded, but he was desperate to spend as much time as possible with Uther, no matter what it took.
He had barely seen his father this past week and he missed him, especially with the anniversary of his mother's death coming up, a time when Arthur needed him the most and Uther seemed to try his hardest to avoid him.
The crown felt heavier on the king’s head during this time each year, the memory of the lost love tormenting his thoughts and soul acutely. Looking at the mini version of his wife, gazing into those blue eyes, eyes which resembled hers so strongly… wasn’t easy. Especially since their son was also the reason for her departure. He knew it wasn’t fair to turn on Arthur, to blame him, but the bitterness infesting his old heart couldn’t be stopped, it had long spread and took over it.
“I only agreed to you accompanying me purely because you kept insisting, son.” He almost spat the last word out of his mouth, like he dreaded it. Arthur was beginning to think he did. “I do hope you're aware I don’t have any time to spare.” He glanced coldly over his shoulder, watching Arthur struggling to keep up. "And you're slowing me down."
They both knew he wasn’t, actually, slowing him down. Uther didn’t skip a beat along the way and Arthur followed, no matter how heavy his feet felt. Quite the contrary, he seemed to have quickened his steps more than usual, pulling at Arthur’s limits. “I haven’t–“
Uther stared at his son for a moment, his expression impenetrable. Slowly, a frown started to spread above his narrowed eyes, causing the boy to trip over his own feet. The man simply ignored him and pushed open the doors to his physician's chambers, without giving a second look in Arthur's direction.
"Gaius, have you found anything?" Uther asked, moving towards the place where Sir Killian's unconscious body was sprawled across the table. He stopped, seeing a young boy, probably close in age with Arthur, pressing a wet towel to the knight's forehead. He rose from his seat and bowed awkwardly, the fascination in his eyes almost touching. Uther's eyebrows furrowed, confused at the sight of Gaius' new apprentice.
"Your Majesty!" The older man stormed into the room, alarmed by the sudden appearance. He hated when the king did that: bursting into the room unannounced, unaware of the number of compromising positions he could find his subjects in. "You shouldn't have bothered, coming all the way here..." A shadow of annoyance slightly present in his voice, but no enough for Uther to catch on.
"No worries, I couldn't sleep properly anyway. Between Sir Killian's state, the other three deaths and the council desperately asking for my official statement..." The man rubbed his eyes, letting out a tired sigh and allowing his emotionless facade to slip for a second, before putting it back on. "Who's this?"
"Hunith's son, my Lord. He's visiting." Gaius replied, ruffling the boy's hair.
Uther stared at him for a short moment, scrutinizing his black, messy hair and slightly oversized ears, which were sticking out of his head. There was something about him, something in his pure, wide smile and innocent eyes that captured the king's attention. "Right. So, have you found anything?"
"I'm afraid not, Sire, nothing at a physical level. I do suspect, though, this event was the product of no other than powerful..." Gaius stopped, noticing the prince standing in the door frame. He locked eyes with Uther, who nodded hesitantly, motioning for the older man to continue. "...magic."
The king's eyes travelled to Merlin, unintentionally, as the physician pronounced the last word. The boy looked down at his feet, focusing on a tiny object in his hand, which resembled the silhouette of a horse.
"I've... expected that myself." Uther replied, snapping out of his trance and glancing over his shoulder at his son, who was clenching his belt's sigil, in an attempt to control his fingers from trembling. "Anything you can do to save him, Gaius?"
"I'll do my best."
"I'm certain you will." He said, the beginning of a faint smile appearing at the corners of his mouth as he was patting the physician on the back. It didn't last long. "I can rest assured that this information will not leave these chambers for now, correct?" His eyes went back to the young apprentice, before travelling to his own son. Both boys nodded mindlessly. "All right, then. Come on, Arthur."
Only that the prince did not move. He remained in the door frame for a few more seconds, staring at the unknown person standing near Gaius, his feet stuck in place. He felt a rather confusing fascination towards the boy, one he’s never experienced before. It wasn’t anything particular about his looks or his clothes, but his presence, his smile, something was different about him. Arthur could’ve sworn he’s never seen him before, yet he seemed so incredibly familiar, so… right.
Merlin looked up and met his gaze, a soft smile tattooed on his face. Something about the look in his eyes told Arthur he felt the same. The young apprentice sent a tiny wave in the prince's direction, just as Uther called out his name. "Arthur, come!"
"Don't even think about it." Gaius warned him, after Arthur exited the room in a hurry.
"Think about what?" The boy bounced back, a failed attempt at pretending he had no idea what his uncle meant. He knew he could never get close to Arthur, befriend him, not if he wanted to keep his head.
“It’s dangerous. You know what he does to your kind." His uncle’s worried expression made Merlin's stomach hurl. "Well, not Arthur particularly. The boy's got a good heart and one day he’ll make a great king, maybe even allow magic… but for now, you should be careful.” Gaius sighed, resting a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “You can't even fully control your powers yet."
"I know." He simply responded, glancing back at the place Arthur just occupied. From the moment he entered, Merlin had a strange feeling, one he couldn’t quite understand. “What about Uther? Is he a great ruler?”
“He was, yes, he was a great king, but pain… pain changed him, it hardened him. He wasn’t always like this, you know?” Gaius smiled, more to himself, reminiscing a better time. “After he lost Ygraine, well, he remained only a shell. The shell of a great man.”