@merthurmicrofic
prompt: Family
Word count: 1027
Thereâs a package on Arthurâs table. It looks harmless enough, just a simple bundle of cloth tied with a length of string. It sits unassumingly next to his breakfast tray, waiting for him when he begrudgingly rises from his bed to Merlinâs incessant nattering about wasting the day away.
âWhatâs this?â He prods at the bundle, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Merlin glances over his shoulder from where heâs crouched by the hearth, poking determinedly at the embers in an attempt to chase away the morning chill.
âOh, thatâs for you. A Yule gift.â
Arthurâs brow furrows quizzically, feeling as though itâs unfair to confuse him so early in the day when heâs not yet shaken the sleep from his mind.Â
âBut⊠you already gave me a Yule gift.â A rather lovely gift, actually, of a carefully written manuscript detailing several of âThe Brave and Only Mildly Idiotic Adventures of the Courageous and Not-At-All-Pratlike Prince Arthur and His Very Dedicated Manservant.â Itâs decorated with some truly ridiculous doodles of snake shields and poisoned goblets and the like, and itâs currently tucked away in Arthurâs nightstand along with all his other most prized possessionsâ not that Arthur would ever tell Merlin as much. He already got his âvery dedicated manservantâ a pair of thick, fur-lined gloves of the finest quality (because he tired of Merlinâs constant complaining about numb fingers after a hunt, not because looking at the manâs chapped and cold-reddened hands made him inexplicably upset, and certainly not just to see the wide smile of surprised gratitude spread across his face as he unwrapped them) and he doesnât intend to give the idiot a big head on top of it.
Finally stirring the fire back to a crackling blaze, Merlin rises and brushes the ash from his hands on his thighs.Â
âItâs not from me, obviously,â he says with a typically insolent eye-roll. âItâs from Mum.â
âFrom⊠Why on earth would your mother have sent me a present for Yule?â
âArthur,â and Merlin is truly the only one who can get away with speaking to his prince like heâs a simpleton and one day maybe Arthur will figure out why, âyou rode out against your fatherâs orders to save the life of her only child, then rode out, again against your fatherâs orders, to save her entire village. Not to mention providing her son with a job and a home for more than a year now. As far as sheâs concerned, youâre family.â
He says it so easily, even gives a little shrug at the end, like itâs just another fact of life instead of a statement that brings Arthurâs entire higher cognitive function to a stuttering halt.
It shouldnât be such a startling notion, family. Heâs familiar with the concept, obviously. His father is family (albeit often cold), and Morgana as well (albeit often scathing); he has enough history with and regard for Gaius that he could conceivably consider the physician an uncle-like figure; heâs always held Sir Leon in a brotherly sort of light, having come up as a knight under his supervision.
But all of these people have known him since childhood, have formed bonds with him through prolonged history and proximity, if not blood or obligation. The idea that someone could, and would⊠choose him as family⊠Not to mention that itâs Hunith. A woman whose warmth and strength had triggered a flood of childish wonderings about if Arthurâs own late mother would have been as kind, as protective, as unabashedly affectionate, had she lived.
Thereâs a growing lump in the princeâs throat that he refuses to indulge. He stares down at the innocuous little parcel on the table, idly brushing it with a fingertip before tugging at the string and letting it unravel.
Unfolding the fabric reveals it to be a blanketâ soft, but simple, a deep, warm shade of maroon unadorned but for the carefully embroidered gold of a small Pendragon crest in one corner. Itâs not the finest material, nor the warmest, and he supposes the gold thread would have cost too much for any further embellishments.Â
He immediately likes it more than his entire set of rich bedding.
The lump has grown, and heâs hyper aware of the weight of Merlinâs gaze on him, so he clears his throat and blinks fast before darting his eyes up. His servant is looking at him softly, knowingly, but says nothing. Arthur is unspeakably grateful.
The blanket is spread by Arthur himself atop the bedspread. Itâs not nearly large enough to cover the surface area, and yet, in Arthurâs opinion, itâs perfect.
The next day, Arthur sends a messenger with a delivery of goods to Ealdorâ sacks of flour, dried meats and cheeses, preserves in sturdy glass jars that will last through the winter.Â
A few days after that, itâs dresses and fursâ picked out by Gwen, of course, so that theyâre both pretty and practical.
A new set of cookware followsâ polished to a shine and wrapped by Arthur himself.
More than a week later, Merlin bursts into his chambers looking altogether exasperated, in a fond sort of way that makes Arthur's stomach do something funny.
âArthur, enough is enough!â
âI have no idea what youâre talking about.â The prince keeps his focus quite purposefully on the knightsâ latest patrol report, but he swears he can actually hear the eye-roll he receives.
âYou have to stop it, you cabbage head! She doesnât have room for all this stuff; youâve seen the size of our cottage!â
With a sigh, Arthur drops the parchment on his desk and rises. âVery well,â he concedes, noting Merlinâs answering sigh of relief as he passes him on his way to the open door. âIâll have to build her a bigger cottage, then.â
The sound of Merlin tripping behind him makes him grin, but he does slow down enough for his bumbling friend to catch up.
âYouâ you canât justâ just do that! Just build her a bigger cottage. Itâs not even in your kingdom!â
âDonât be silly Merlin, of course I can. Sheâs family, isnât she?â
And Merlin simply canât argue with that. So he doesnât.