Secretly Betrothed

Arriving in Camelot

Today was the third day after getting a replay from Merlin who said he'd be at the city within three days if all went well. "Uther, I don't like this." Ygraine said looking out the window. "I don't like this at all...what if something has happened?" She asked her husband who sat in a chair going through Merlin's letter like his Queen had asked earlier.

"Don't worry love, I'm sure he's fine. He said he'd get here in three days if all went well, today is the third day and its only just begun. Your over stressing dear." Uther got out of his chair, put the letter down and held his Queen. "You need to relax. I'm sure Merlin will be here any minute." With that Ygraine saw who she really wanted to see enter their kingdom.

"He's here! Oh, Uther you were right. I'm so sorry to have doubted you. Please forgive me." Ygraine said, happy to see that the young Prince has made it safe and sound, and without a single guard too.

Uther smiles at his wife. "There is nothing to forgive." He leans in and kisses his Queen softly, smiles on both their faces.

"Wait a second." Ygraine stated. "Oh my...Uther look!" She stated, as she pointed to Merlin who was holding hands with a smaller boy who looked an awful lot like him. "What are we going to do?" Ygraine asked her King in concern.

"I don't know." Was all he could seem to say.

Merlin walked through the city he hadn't stepped foot in since he was four with a boy who's hand he held. The boy had black hair, ocean blue eyes and a bright smile on his face. "Now remember, you promised to be on your best behaviour whilst here, so I'm going to hold you to it. One foot out of line and I'm taking you home, understood?" Merlin said nicely, even at his age he still didn't like being rude, and he hated upsetting people or hurting someone in any way.

The boy looked up to Merlin with a smile. "Yes Merlin, I understand. Don't worry, I'll be the bestest behaved brother ever!" He stated with a big smile.

Merlin couldn't help but smile at his brother's statement. "Good to hear." He saw the King and Queen come up to him, so he bowed his head his brother doing the same. "Your majesty."

Ygraine hugged him tightly. "It's so good to see you again Merlin, and my have you grown." Merlin smiled at the Queen and shook Uther's hand once Ygraine decided to let him go.

"It's been too long. I wish we invited you sooner." Uther said apologetically, but also because he thought that it was too late, thinking the boy was Merlin's son. Uther and Ygraine worried that Merlin was already married to someone and now there was no way for the two kingdoms to become united.

"I'm here now, that's all that matters." Merlin states and they both smile.

"So, are you going to introduce us to your son?" Ygraine asked with a smile.

"Merlin has a son!" Came a familiar voice, Merlin turns to see Arthur standing there with shock written all over his face, and all the knights he recognises and called friends with just as much shock on their faces.

"I didn't even know he got married." Percival stated, eyes wide from shock.

"Married? I didn't even know he had eyes for someone." Gwaine said looking at the boy by Merlin's side that looked so much like him.

"Merlin, as Prince of Camelot I demand to know everything about this son of yours!" Arthur demanded as he grabbed Merlin's arms which had a far bit of muscle on them. Merlin looked at everyone gawking at him, then at his brother and then they both smiled. Merlin's brother because he knew what was about to happen, something very rare. Merlin began...

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Merlin laughed his lungs out, everyone looked at the laughing Price in surprise and confusion. They had never seen Merlin laugh this hard before, he laughed, and he laughed to the point his face turned pure red. He laughed to the point not even his brother had witnessed before, his pitch got really high to the point of sounding like a bunch of seagulls fighting over a chip. Within seconds it got so high where he went supersonic, he was laughing but there was no sound anymore. Merlin felt like he couldn't breathe, he collapsed onto the floor, and his brother had joined in with the laughter at this point. In fact, anyone who was witnessing this had joined in, because whenever Merlin went into this state of laughed, others couldn't help but join in, it was contagious.

Merlin finally composed himself and stood with the biggest smile on his red face, one not even Merlin's brother had seen. "This isn't my son." He states taking a few slow calming breaths to stop himself from laughing all over again. Everyone looked at him in surprise, but let out a sign of relief they didn't know they were holding. "This is my little brother Alexander, but everyone calls him Alex for short. I brought him here because he begged me to bring him, so I did as long as he behaves." Merlin explains, whipping away tears that were falling down his face.

"And if I don't, then we go straight home!" Alex stated, confident that he'd behave for his older brother.

"I don't believe I've ever heard you laugh like that before Merlin." Arthur states softly, surprised that anyone could laugh like that. Arthur quite liked it too if he was completely honest with himself. Yes, it could probably burst your eardrums if you were too close, but Arthur thought it was the most amazing thing to ever leave Merlin's mouth, and if there was one thing that was for certain, Arthur would stop at nothing to get Merlin to laugh like that because he'd done something funny enough to get it. After all, how hard could it be?

"That's because you weren't known to have a funny personality Arthur." Merlin teased a smirk on his face.

"I'd happily change that if it meant I got to hear that laugh more." Arthur stated nicely, meaning what he'd said, and Merlin could tell he meant it, he could hear it in the tone of Arthur's voice, see it in Arthur's eyes that he meant it. Uther and Ygraine smile at each other, thinking that perhaps them falling in love wouldn't take too long after all.

Merlin blushed at this. "Thank you. You'll never do it though. I only laugh like that when something is hysterically funny. But thank you all the same. No one has ever complimented my laugh before. I have only laughed like that one other time, and I think I was eight, I didn't even know I had it in me anymore. So, thank you for not only complimenting it, but showing me, I could still laugh like that." Merlin smiled, and Arthur ever so slightly blushed at the thanks Merlin gave him. No, this wouldn't take as long as Uther and Ygraine had thought, as long as Arthur didn't make some kind of mistake. And knowing what their son could be like, they had to keep a close eye on him to make sure he wouldn't.

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