Toddler Merlin

Chapter 2

Arthur watched as Merlin walked around the room.

"So Merlin. What are your parents like?" Merlin stopped wandering and sat in front of Arthur.

"Well, my mommy is really nice. Really funny. And really strong. She does most of the work. But I help!" Merlin pumped his fist in the air. Arthur chuckled.

"What about your dad?" Merlin's eyes got sad all of a sudden.

"I don't know where he is, I never knew him. Mommy says he's hiding from the king. The mean one." Merlin said softly. Arthur was quiet. He hadn't known that Merlin's father was a criminal. Nor that he never had a father.

"Arthur?" Arthur turned around to see his father walking in with a chest in his arms. "I found some of your's and Morgana's old toys. I thought maybe these could occupy him." Uther placed down the chest.

Arthur said his thanks and opened the chest. There were many dolls, that were Morgana's,  and wood figures of all sorts of things. Princes and Princesses, knights and monsters, dragons and fairies, this chest had them all. Merlin walked over to the chest and stood next to Arthur.

"What are these?" Merlin asked quietly.

"Some of my old toys. You can play with some if you want." Arthur then sat down and began to read some history thing he needed to know. He was about a paragraph in when he felt an urge to watch Merlin. Arthur was impressed by the set up of his toys. There were knights and their horses all getting ready to attack a dragon to save a princess, who was on Arthur bed.

"Are you going to save the princess from the dragon?" Merlin looked up confused and shook his head.

"No. The dragon is protecting the princess from the evil kingdom who is trying to kill her." Merlin said as if it were obvious.

"Why are they trying to kill the princess?" Arthur put down his book and turned fully towards the boy.

"Well because she has magic. " Merlin said simply.

"Doesn't that make her evil?"

"No. She is different. She was born with magic, so her magic isn't evil." Arthur was almost speechless. Merlin had such a different imagination that Arthur had when he was that age.

"Well. Where are the evil knights from?"

"Camelot. It's where the mean king lives. He's the one who kills everyone with magic. Even if there like the princess, nice and pretty." Arthur wasn't evil! was he? The way Merlin made it sound. He made it sound like Arthur was killing innocent people.

"Can I play?" Merlin looked up shocked.

"You want to play?" Arthur nodded.

"Don't you have work to do?" Arthur looked at his book but decided aginst it.

"Nope. No work. Besides, even if I did, playing with you seems much more fun." Merlin smiled a very big smile.

The two spent around an hour playing with the toys until a knock was heard at the door.

"Princess? We were wondering if you have seen Merl-" Gwaine and Lancelot walked in to see a small child.

Gwaine, jaw to the floor, simply pointed at the child and stated, "Child."

"Why do you have a child?" Arthur opened his mouth but Merlin beat him to it.

"Hi! I'm Merlin! Are you two knights? You look like knights." Gwaine and Lancelot looked shocked for a moment until there shocked turned into amusement.

"Why hello, there Merlin. My name is Lancelot and this is my friend Gwaine." Lancelot crouched down in front of him and pointed to his friend.

"What are you two doing?" Gwaine asked noticing the toys. Arthur stood up and walked over to the two. While Merlin ran back to the toys.

"Merlin and I were playing with some of my old toys." Arthur then leaned in and whispered "A sorceress turned Merlin into a child. Gaius is already working on a potion to turn him back." They both nodded concern still in their eyes.

"Can we join you?" Lancelot asked walking over to Merlin and sitting next to him. Merlin nodded excitedly.

"Okay. So me and you are going to be the dragon and the good knights. We are protecting the princess from the evil knights, those two." Lancelot smiled a big smile.

"Well, the Mr. Dragon. I believe we have a princess to protect." Lancelot grabbed one of the knights and started to play. Arthur and Gwaine quickly joined.

Everything was going great. They played for around two or three hours.

"Lance and I have ought to get going. It was wonderful meeting you, Merlin. Arthur can we speak with you?" Gwaine's seriousness worried him. But slowly, Arthur walked over to the corner of the room with the two knights.

"Now. Arthur, you know that Merlin never had a father. Yes?" Arthur nodded.

"I think you should give him that. Merlin had not male figures at all. Now he has Gaius but he's grown now." Arthur was confused by Gwaine's words.

"What Gwaine means is, try and be nice to him. Play with him more. Teach him things. Do things you did or wanted to do with your father."

"Be the father Merlin never had." With that, they both left. Leaving Merlin and Arthur alone.

Arthur looked at Merlin. Merlin was using magic to make the dragon float. Arthur smiled.

He would be that Father he never had. Because Merlin was the brother he never had. It was the least he could do.