Author's Note: This is just a small flight of fancy that popped into my head this morning. It doesn't mean I'm not working on my other projects, I promise! It only took about an hour to jot down, I hope some of you find it was worth the time.

As always, none of these character's are mine. You know who they belong to!

Of Honey and Lizards

by Nightfox

Prince Arthur approached the carry basket on the bed with unabashed curiosity. His nursery maid Honey looked at him fondly and came to stand behind him as he peered at the tiny sleeping face inside.

"Why's he so small?"

"Because all babies are small, that's what makes them babies. He'll get bigger."

The four-year old blonde continued to peer at the swaddled infant in fascination. He reached out and stroked the downy black fuzz on the tiny head and trailed inquisitive fingers over the curve of one fragile cheek before ghosting over the small, soft rosebud mouth. He knew he had to be gentle 'cause babies are easy to break. He remembered Honey told him when she first brought her boy to work with her. She'd been gone for almost two weeks and he'd missed her terribly.

He was so relieved when she'd returned. She was special. She cuddled him and kissed him and always said wonderful things to him. She told him fantastical stories and listened patiently to all his questions. She never laughed at him and she always gave him answers, even if it was to answer that she didn't know. He didn't mind that she didn't know everything, it made him feel better for not knowing too. None of the other servants were like that. Honey was different, she was what he imagined having a mother would be like.

Honey was beautiful too. She had long dark hair, deep blue eyes and fine white skin. She was slender and petite and she felt wonderful to hug. When she started growing a lump on her belly, he'd been curious and asked if she was getting fat. She'd laughed and told him that it wasn't fat, the lump, it was a baby growing inside her tummy. It was the first time he'd ever seen someone grow a baby and he'd been in awe. Later, when the baby started to move, she let him rest his hand on her lump and he could feel tiny feet kicking inside her. He'd been horrified and thrilled all at once.

"Does it hurt when he kicks you?"

"Well, I'm not so sure it's a he but no, it doesn't usually hurt. Even when it does, I don't mind. It means he's strong and healthy."

Arthur had been intrigued and watched her belly constantly after that. He squealed in delight when he could actually see little ripples across her belly under her thin summer dress. She smiled at him every time.

Now the baby was here and he couldn't help staring at it, him! He couldn't stop staring at him. It was because he knew a secret. It was a secret about Honey's baby. He whispered the secret into the baby's small ear.

"You belong to me. He told me so, you're gonna be with me forever, you belong to me, not Father."

"What was that, sweetheart?" Honey came up behind him as he was whispering to the tiny bundle in the basket.

He looked up at her. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone but this was Honey, the closest thing to a mother he knew. She'd keep it secret, it was alright to tell her.

"He belongs to me. The lizard told me so."

"Lizard, what on earth are you talking about my sweet Prince? What lizard?"

She crouched down beside him so she could look into his earnest blue eyes.

"The one in the cave. I found him while you were gone. I missed you so I tried to look for you but I found the cave with the lizard instead. He said your baby would be my friend forever. He said he would be mine, in all the Kingdom, he said he would be there for me not for Father."

Honey smiled at this delightful bit of nonsense.

"I'm sorry you missed me, Love. And I'm glad you want to be friends with him but it will be a while until he's big enough to play with."

"That's alright, I can wait."

The woman regarding the small boy ached for the lonliness she saw in him. He was isolated from everything here in the palace. Such a lonely little boy that he didn't care that his new friend, his only friend, was too small to play with. He was just thrilled to have a friend, even a hypothetical one. She supposed it was healthier than an imaginary lizard companion so she said nothing about his proprietary attitude. He was, after all, a Prince.

"Can I hold him?"

"I think we should wait until you're a little bigger, Arthur."

"But he's mine and I want to hold him!"

A royal tantrum was imminent and to head it off, Honey sat on the bed and pulled the Prince into her lap.

"Alright, you can hold him but you'll need some help, he's still very fragile. Let me show you what to do."

She lifted the snugly wrapped infant from his basket and brought him to the boy in her lap. She let him wrap his arms around the baby but kept her own arms under his smaller ones, showing him exactly how to properly hold her child. When she was sure he had a firm grip, she relaxed her hold on them both but kept her arms close, just in case.

"He looks like a girl."

Honey laughed. That wonderful, infectious laugh that always made him smile no matter how sad he felt. Her laugh always made him feel warm inside no matter how cold the day.

"He looks like a baby. They don't look like girls or boys yet when they're this small."

"I still think he looks like a girl. He's too pretty to be a boy. Are you sure he's a boy?"

She hugged him close then and her gentle laughter wrapped around him in another kind of embrace.

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm very sure."

"What's he called?"

"His name is Merlin."

"Merlin? You mean like the little birds Father keeps for the ladies to hunt with?"

"Yes, just like that."

"That's a weird name. Why'd you call him that?"

"Because a merlin is beautiful and strong and fierce even though it's small. I think they are the most amazing creatures."

"Oh. That's alright then."

"I'm glad you approve, my love."

The small child looked down at the pretty baby clasped firmly in his arms. Merlin. Just then, the tiny child woke and opened wide eyes that shone like polished sapphires. That sapphirine gaze regarded the Prince intently.

"You belong to me, Merlin, not to Father. Don't forget!"

Honey smiled in amusement at the possessive tone from such a small boy but it didn't bother her. After all, they all belonged to the King, it wasn't a bad thing that the future King already claimed her son for his own. It meant he might grow up in Royal favor and that was never a bad thing.

"Alright, then my Prince. Time for lessons. We must let Merlin sleep. Babies need lots of sleep."

Almost five months later, Honey didn't come back from wherever it was she went at night. Instead, the Prince woke to a new nurse maid. She wasn't young or beautiful or sweet like Honey. After three days he demanded Honey's presence and was told she was gone. No one would tell him where she or Merlin went. They said they didn't know. He even asked his father but the King couldn't be bothered to inquire about a lowly servant.

"But he's mine! He's mine and she took him!"

"What are you going on about, Arthur?"

"Merlin! He's mine and she took him and I want him back, I want her back, I want them both!"

"You don't have any birds yet, Arthur so she couldn't have taken your merlin."

"No, he's not a bird, he's a baby! He belongs to me, the lizard said so!"

The King quickly lost patience with his small son's tantrum and had him swiftly removed from his presence but not before delivering a lecture on proper Princely behavior.

Arthur wanted to see the lizard again but couldn't remember how to find the cave again. Instead he waited and waited. He watched out windows and looked around the town whenever his new nursemaid took him there. He waited for Honey to come back and bring him Merlin but she never did. So the Prince grew up alone, without any Honey, without his Merlin. With time, he forgot, as all children do but he always knew something was missing. Some part of his heart was gone and he didn't get it back for a very, very long time.

Thanks for reading this shameless lil bit of fluff. Like most of my stories, I woke with this in my head so I wrote it down. I hope it's clear that "Honey" is Hunith, I just thought her name might be hard for a toddler to pronounce so (in my mind) he substituted a familiar word that sounded similar and also conveyed his concept of her personality. Not to belabor a point but I'm sure you can all guess why "Honey" took Merlin and disappeared.

All comments are welcome, just please be polite.