writing an adoption oneshot for my Patchwork Prince series, set post-merthur marriage.
An unknown woman dies in childbirth in Camelot and with no family left, Merlin hastily adopts her as his own ward. Arthur is still unsure about what he would be like as a father, caught up in the memories of his father’s failings, his absence, and his impossible standards.
The first time he wakes up to her crying, all of his fear and insecurity melts away as he feels an intense protection and love for this little child, now his child.
When she’s old enough to walk she runs all around the castle. There’s a chase in her feet that no lack of shoes can stop, and whenever the sound of juvenile laughter can be heard approaching Arthur and Merlin drop all of their courtly duties and chase her down. They never let her go without a kiss on each cheek, and soon everyone comes to see her as the Princess by her own right.
She’s four years old when they first take her to Ealdor.
She’s five when she first sneaks out at night, and there’s a search party through the night, but just before dawn, and before the whole troupe of Knights can be sent out to search for her, she finally shows up in the Castle kitchens, discovered by a very startled kitchen maid. Though they are relieved she was found, Arthur fears the wrath of the cook, who is now missing half a dozen fruit tarts. But she is merely sent the other half dozen for her lunch the next day.
She’s ten when she decides she wants to learn magic. Merlin is a terrible teacher, and Arthur can vouch for that. There is nobody in the Kingdom more fitting to teach her than someone who was a beginner herself. But Camelot can’t be missing two kings at once, and so Arthur agrees to go with her, and as long as he’s there he might as well learn the basics, right?
There’s a spell they’re both stuck on, and they keep each-other awake trying to figure it out. It remains a challenge until they finally try it together. They finally manage to make the flower bloom, and perform the same trick at the feast when they return. Soon, almost every noble in Camelot is looking for a tutor.
