Chapter Text

When Merlin was awoken by Gaius in the early hours of the morning, he couldn't believe that the rotten old man could have been so cruel to wake him. The grey-haired man rolled his eyes at Merlin's constant moaning and complaining.

His only response to the raven's incredibly bad mood was 'this is your job Merlin, now get to it". Just like usual, the old man patronised him by telling him something he already knew.

"It's 4 in the morning" Merlin emphasised trying to get Gaius to see his point of view.

The man just walked away shaking his head and mumbling a quick 'just get ready'. As a type of protest, Merlin decided to pout and complain all morning, which was something that Arthur would argue was his regular behaviour.

Sunlight had only just reached the window, an hour after he had been woken up. The boy groaned gingerly, annoyance being the most prominent emotion on his face.

"So why am I awake at this time, and who do I have to kill in order to go back to bed?" Merlin muttered, feeling only slightly serious before shaking off the thought. 'Bad Merlin' he inwardly shouted before listening to the words that the old man was about to say.

"Uther, has found a sorcerer apparently, he will be sentencing the captured one today at the trial" Gaius explained with a forlorn expression.

"So another innocent dead then" Merlin countered before walking out of the chambers feeling significantly more angry than he had originally been.

'Great', Merlin thought to himself, 'this was going to be a great day'.

"Merlin... It's six thirty" Arthur deadpanned to the servant who gave him a cheeky grin and pointed to the mans breakfast.

"Your father want's to sentence a sorcerer at eight, therefore your royal laziness has to wake up early" Merlin chuckled, feeling quite pleased that he wasn't the only one who had to suffer. The Prince groaned before pushing his head back into the soft pillows of his bed.

"Then, why not wake me up at seven?" The blond's muffled voice rang out, only just being illegible for Merlin to hear.

"Because if I have to suffer then so do you" he decided before collecting the clothes that Arthur would be wearing to court.

"Merlin, I really hate you sometimes" the Prince declared as he lifted his tired body out of the comfy bed into the cold air around him.

"Likewise, prat" Merlin whispered before being called out by the Prince with a 'I heard that'. He chuckled lightly before helping the man get out of his clothes and into his day's attire. Arthur blushed as the man slid down his pants and underwear while crouching down, in his mind thinking something that he wouldn't dare voice to his father.

Arthur had a secret.

A big secret.

He was completely in love with his manservant.

The Prince wouldn't admit it out loud but the sight of the raven made his heart race and a smile grace his face.

There was just something about the young man who made him irresistible to the Prince.

Something that the man in himself couldn't quite put his finger on.

Arthur wondered if it was because Merlin didn't treat him like royalty, he treated him like a friend.

Something that Arthur found both adorable and heart-breaking at the same time.

His servant could never love him like that.

And that killed Arthur inside...

There was somethings that Merlin expected Arthur to not know how to do. Washing his clothes and cooking for example were two things that if he was never taught then he couldn't do. The privileged Prince wouldn't have had to do any of that; Merlin understood this.

However, the fact that the idiot couldn't even get himself dressed baffled the warlock. He kneeled down before tugging off the pants and underwear his prince was wearing, momentarily catching a glimpse of Arthur's flushed face.

The raven smirked slightly, before helping Arthur into his new clothes accidentally copping a feel as he did so. Arthur let out a small squeak as Merlin's fingers brushed against his Highnesses balls.

"Sorry" he mumbled, inside he was laughing uncontrollably. This is what the Prince got for not learning how to put on clothes in the god-damn morning. In truth, Merlin liked Arthur, he would even dare to go as far as to say that he loved him. The blond clot pole had stolen his heart with his ridiculous ways and undeniable charm.

Breaking out of his current little world, Merlin stood abruptly before turning on his heels facing the opposite direction to Arthur.

"Well let's go, if your late I am pretty sure that your dad will have me burned for being useless" The warlock told him jokingly, though due to the meeting reason, it became more ironic than anything.

"Well, at least then you'd die for something true, you Merlin are a complete and utter mess as a servant" Arthur told him, not a hint of sarcasm on his face as the Prince entered the main room awaiting the horrors that would come to pass...

Arthur looked at the boys that were chained in front of him.

The youngest must have been around the age of ten, his small frightened eyes clashing with Arthurs.

He looked so innocent, his eyes were a grey-blue colour that sent messages to the blonds soul.

Somehow he felt like he knew this child, and wanted to protect him. There were three other's there, all seemingly brothers to Arthurs keen eye, if their looks were anything to go on that was.

Two of them had raven locks, the youngest being one of them. The eldest was around 17, his calm green eyes reminded Arthur of Morgana and his similar cobalt hair.

The two middle children looked like twins, both with brown wavy hair that reached just below their ears.

They both had eyes like a storm, one being a light blue while the other a dark one. The two colours at war with one another in their determined sight. They were around fifteen, maybe even sixteen. Arthur couldn't believe that his father would be so cruel as to blame children for something.

They couldn't be dangerous, they didn't even look bad.

They just looked like... children.

Uther was glaring at the boys, his mind already made up, something that Arthur couldn't let happen. He would save them because for once he was absolutely sure that they were innocent, something deep inside him screamed to save them from harm and protect them from his father.

For once, he would be the great king and prince that Merlin was always telling him that he would become.

Arthur would try and prove to his loved one that that was the case, and that Arthur would make him proud.

"You boy, stand accused of preforming witchcraft, after having seen something about turning others into animals" Uther growled pointing to one of the twins. He was wearing a torn up green shirt and ripped pants. The boy was barely dressed for god sake.

"I-I-I di-dn't" the young male stuttered out, cowering behind his brother slightly.

The other's eyes were firmly set on challenging Uther's.

"And yet you were seen, tell me boy do you know why all of these boys are here with you?" Uther prodded, wanting to get a reaction that could condemn the children

"Be-cause b-b-because" he stammered, tears filling his gaze.

"Because, you wish to eradicate a whole family" the other twin bit back, fury invading his senses.

Uther smacked the boy around the face earning a horror filled gasp from Morgana.

"Father, they are just children" Arthur rose up from his seat willing to challenge the King for once.

"He's right, you can't just attack a frightened child" The lady shouted before walking over to the boys and checking that the boy was okay. She didn't seem to evoke a reaction.

"I wish for Gaius to test you" Uther declared, before the doors opened revealing an old man and the warlock.

"Yes sire" he softly spoke while walking towards the children

Not one of the older kids looked around at the man who would be deciding their fate, after all he knew their brother.

The person that they had come to Camelot in search of.

The youngest turned to look at the man before spotting someone behind him, someone incredibly familiar.

The shackles that were far too big for such a young child fell off the little boy much to Uther's anger. The little boy made a bee-line for someone that Arthur knew well.

"Big brother" the kid whimpered before being swept up in Merlin's arms.

"Alfie" the servant whispered. He looked forward only to notice his family in danger in front of the most evil man in Camelot.

"Forgive me your highness but what is going on here?" Merlin asked as he stood defiantly in front of the terrified boys, clutching onto the little boy with all his might.

"They have been accused of witchcraft, do you know them Merlin?" Morgana blurted out, confused by the situation.

"These are my brothers, and they are in no way involved in magic" the raven half-yelled to the three in front of him. The warlock felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see his seventeen year old brother supporting him.

"Lucian?" Merlin muttered.

"I'm afraid there has been a huge misunderstanding, Neo here was simply telling our younger brother Alfie if he didn't behave that he would turn him into a frog, but it was a joke and a lie to scare him that is all" Lucian smoothly told them enticing the King to believe his story.

"Merlin, you will swear on your life and your king that these boys would never associate with magic?" Uther asked angrily.

"Yes, yes I would, I swear it" The warlock said, wanting to protect those he loved with all his might.

"Release the boys, they will all have one day in the stocks for making such a selfish joke about sorcery in a time of war" Uther decreed before striding out of the room.

"What on Earth are you doing here?" Merlin exclaimed once only Arthur, Gaius and Morgana were in the room with the now free boys.

"Mother couldn't provide for us, she sent us to you as a last resort, she'll starve otherwise, I'm seventeen so I can get a job, the twins might be able to get work too and Alfie refused to stay alone" Lucian explained, not wanting to put a burden on his most admired older brother.

"It's not that I don't want you all here, but you've already been put so close to danger, I couldn't function if you died" Merlin explained feeling a little teary at the thought of losing his beloved brothers.

"Merlin?" Arthur spoke from behind him, Morgana stood close to the Prince wanting to be introduced.

"Oh, you lot this is the Prince, Arthur and the Lady Morgana who is the King's ward" the elder raven started before turning to the others "these are my brothers, the eldest is Lucian, then the twin's are Neo and Orion, and this is my littlest one Alfie" the raven completed the introductions, knowing that the boys already knew about Gaius since he often wrote about the kindly old man in his letters home.

"I didn't know you had any brothers, Merlin" Arthur spoke, almost upset that he never shared this information.

"Well, we haven't known each other that long" Merlin began before being cut off by a simple 'it's been a year Merlin'.

The raven sighed, knowing full well that he was going to be shouted at for not talking about his brothers before.

However, he was only protecting them and for good reason, on their first day they had been accused of magic, insulted the king, almost been executed, sent into the dungeons and been assigned to the stocks.

Thinking about the kids in comparison to his beloved Merlin, Arthur could see the resemblance, and he couldn't help but smile.