Merlin has a birthday, the knights didnt know that and Arthur finally finds out where the loyalty of his best knights actually lays
Yes, there will be mistakes, grammar or others, Sorry for that :)
Also I do not own Merlin or any of the characters there, this amazing piece of art belongs to BBC ;)
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Gwaine, Lancelot and Percival entered the physician's chamber. Mentioned physician was by the wooden table in the corner of the room wrapping up some book in a paper, he quickly tried to hide the book, but stopped when he looked over his shoulder and saw the knights.
"Again? Which one of you is it this time?" he asked impatiently, because the time of the training just ended so Gaius guessed that there was some injury. Percival raised his hand.
"We were..." he began to explaining, but Gaius raised his hand to stop him, while walking to one of the shelves on the wall and grabbed one of the little vials.
"Here, this will help" he said and tossed the vial in the direction where the knights were standing and went back to the table. Lancelot caught the vial and exchanged surprised look with his friends.
"Are you busy Gaius?" Gwaine asked
"How did you guess?" Gaius muttered and started to wrapping up the book again.
Knights were silently watching the old physician.
"Yes? Do you need something else?" Gaius asked when he noticed that the knights are still present.
"Someone is getting a present?" Gwaine tried to start a conversation, while Lancelot and Percival took the hint and wanted to leave Gaius alone.
"Yes, it's a birthday gift for Merlin" Gaius muttered.
Lancelot and Percival stopped on the spot and looked at each other, then at Gaius and then back at each other.
"Birthday? When?" Gwaine asked weakly.
"In two days" but Gaius replied, but then decided to not let the knights disturb him anymore and with the book now wrapped in the paper went to the other room.
The knights were left standing in the empty room.
"Well gentlemen... this is not good" Gwaine said slowly and Percival and Lancelot silently nodded in agreement.
"How did we not know that Merlin is having a birthday?" he didn't understand.
"We... never asked when he has it" Lancelot realized
"We can still fix it, right?" he added hoping that it's not too late
"No can Lance, we have to" Percival decided, and now it was Gwaine and Lancelot who nodded.
The three knights were walking directly in the Arthur's chamber and on the way they met Leon and Elyan and told them about everything. Both of them with the realization that none of the knights that claims to be Merlin's friends didn't bother to find out when their friend has a birthday felt ashamed.
"He always remembers all of our birthdays" Leon said quietly, which made all of them felt even worst, because it was true.
The knights entered Arthur's chamber without knocking because this was an emergency so there was no time to waste.
Arthur was sitting at the table laughing to something that Merlin just said... Merlin is in the room, the knights realized, that was not good.
"Merlin, you can't say that about noble man" Arthur said with laughter
"Well... maybe if the noble man didn't have manners of a cave ogre and hygiene habits of a swamp monster, I would not have a reason to say anything" Merlin said innocently which made Arthur laugh even more and Merlin joined him.
"Hey" Merlin greeted the knights with a big smile on his face when he noticed them, because they were still standing at the door
Arthur turned around to see who is Merlin talking to
"Is something wrong?" Arthur asked when he saw all his best knights standing there.
"Ehm... we..." Leon attempted to began, but failed.
"Yes?" Arthur asked
The knights looked at each other, hoping someone will do or say something. They knew that they can't discuss Merlin's birthdays, with Merlin being there, but they also knew that it is almost impossible to separate Merlin from Arthur.
"Everything is alright my lord" Leon said with serious expression on his face
"Yeah princess, everything is just fine" Gweine nodded and Percival, Lancelot and Elyan nodded as well
"All 5 of you came to tell me that everything is alright?" The king asked and raised an eyebrows.
"You know how it is princess... tell the bad news alone and the good ones with your friends" Gwaine said and shrugged his shoulders.
The other knights nodded in agreement as if it was something everyone knows and not just some nonsense Gwaine literally just now came up with.
The king was looking at his best knights wondering if they all lost their minds, or if they are just drunk... or possibly both.
"We should go my lord" Lancelot said and all the knights quickly left the room
"What on earth was that Merlin?" Arthur asked his best friend and worst manservant.
"No idea Arthur" Merlin shrugged his shoulders and took a sip from the glass of wine he was pouring for his king
"Merlin! I could put you in the stocks for that" Arthur said almost seriously.
"I was just tasting it my lord... in case the wine is poison or something" Merlin explained quickly with a cheeky smile and gave Arthur the glass
"Is that the reason why my meals appear to be half eaten when you are bringing them?" Arthur asked with a little chuckle.
"No, but it is the reason why you don't need more holes in your belt my lord" Merlin smirked
"Merlin I am not fat!" Arthur almost shouted, but failed to wipe off the smile of his face to look actually serious.
Merlin looked at him and smirked even more
"Yes, you're welcome sire" Merlin bowed down in a very mocking way, which of course made Arthur laugh.
-night time - time skip brought to you by the amazing lack of writing skills :D-
Arthur was soundly asleep, so he didn't hear creaking of the door when they opened, nor the steps that approached his bed.
5 figures carrying one candle gathered around the king's bed and one of them reached over to the king of Camelot
"Arthur wake up!" Gweine said while shaking his shoulder.
Arthur was awake immediately. He pulled out his dagger from under his pillow and sat up. He looked around the room looking like he was missing something.
"Wow... calm down princess, it's just me, put that knife away" Gwaine quickly made a step back
Arthur looked at the men, his best knights he had to remind to himself, standing around his bed in the middle of the night. He put the dagger away and took deep breath.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" he shouted when the attempt to calm down didn't work out.
"We need to tell.../ Something happened.../Something is very wrong.../We messed up..." started all the knights at the same time, so Arthur understood nothing at all.
"Shut up!" he stopped them and all of them, even Gweine fell silent. Arthur pointed at Leon
"What is going on Leon?" he hoped that his most reliable knight will clear this whole thing up
"Birthday" Leon said just one word, but with a very serious expression. Well... so much for trusting in his best knight Arthur thought
"Birthday... and?" Arthur asked when Leon really looked like that was all he needed to say
"Merlin has birthday in two days sire" Lancelot explained
Arthur kept looking at them and seriously started to wonder if his best knights actually did lose their minds
"Yes... I know... and?" Arthur said slowly, still partly thinking that this is just some bad dream
"You knew?" Leon asked actually surprised
"Why didn't you say anything?" Elyan asked sounding really betrayed by his king
"Yeah... what the hell princess?" Gweine sounded slightly angry.
"What? What is wrong with you?" Arthur asked also little bit angry now, because firstly he was suppose to be sleeping right now and secondly the men were obviously blaming him for something... whatever it was.
"We didn't know it's Merlin's birthday..." Lancelot said quietly and all the knights nodded
"Yeah... and... well... we want to do something for him" Elyan said
"As good friends should" Percival added
"Alright... buy him something than?" Arthur suggested, really wanting the knights to leave his bedroom
"What?"
"Yeah, what could Merlin need?" Leon asked
"It should not be something he needs, but something he wants" Lancelot shook his head
"Yeah, but what could Merlin want?" Gwaine began to wonder and sat down on Arthur's bed. The last thing Arthur was planning on right now was having a meeting with his knights, best knights in the Camelot... where did this came from anyway, in his bedroom in the middle of the night!
"Gwaine get off my bed, now!" Arthur ordered and shoved the knight off the bed little bit to make him stand up. Gwaine stood up, but looked more than little bit annoyed about it.
"Out! All of you, now!" Arthur pointed at the door
"But we need to..."
"Out!"
"Arthur we just..."
"I swear I will accuse all of you of treason if you will not get out of my bedroom right now!" Arthur threatened them, and the knights could see that he is not that far from actually being serious, so they rather decided to leave the bedroom and went to the door.
"Why did you came here in the middle of the night anyway?" Arthur asked before they left the room and the knights turned to him. They all had "isn't it obvious?" expressions.
"Well?" Arthur asked again
"It's... the only time you are not with Merlin my lord" Leon explained.
Arthur made "Are you kidding me?" face
"Out" he waved his hand and fell back on the pillow. He heard the knights leave the room and close the door. Arthur laid in the bed with his eyes closed for a few minutes, but wasn't trying to fall asleep yet, not until... yep, this.
He heard the door open again and quiet steps were getting closer to his bed, then, of course, loud noise of someone tripping over a chair followed by a curse filled the room. Arthur had to bite his cheek to prevent laughing aloud. Few seconds later someone lifted his blanket and got under it. When that someone was close enough, Arthur blindly reached for him and pulled him into a hug.
"Sorry... did I wake you up when I was getting in the bed?" Merlin whispered.
"Yes Merlin, it was you lifting the blanket that woke me up, not at all that little battle you had and lost with the chair" Arthur chucked and buried his nose in Merlin's soft hair.
"You know... you should ask if I am alright then?" Merlin blamed him
"Merlin if I had to ask if you are alright every time you trip over something I would not be doing anything else but that" Arthur said and pulled Merlin closer.
"Prat" Merlin mumbled and Arthur smiled
"Where were you anyway?" Arthur asked
"In the kitchen...I was thirsty" Merlin mumbled more and more asleep
"Why didn't you get water in here?" Arthur asked
"Someone forgot to fill up the pitcher before we went to bed" Merlin mumbled
"I believe that it's the responsibility as my manservant to make sure that his king will not perish because of thirst during the night" Arthur pointed out
"I believe that his majesty was distracting his manservant, so he may forgot" Merlin reminded and Arthur chuckled. Merlin fell asleep and Arthur was also feeling that he will not be awake much longer eider, not with Merlin safely in his arms.
His last though before falling asleep was that it was pure luck that Merlin was not in the room when the knights decided to ambush him in his own bed, that is very rarely missing Merlin in it.
-next day - time skip brought to you by little bit of laziness -
Arthur was standing in the middle of the train field ready to train with his knights, the only thing that was missing, just a little detail really, were the knights.
"I couldn't find anyone Arthur" Merlin said when he was coming back from the quest called "find atleast one knight" a quest that was more than a failure
"I was looking everywhere, their bedrooms, armory, kitchen, the great hall" he continued
Arthur nodded and then realized why the knights are not where they are suppose to be. Merlin's birthday, of course. They are probably looking for the present somewhere.
Two thoughts were going through Arthur's mind at that moment
"So it was not just a really bizarre dream" was the first one and the second one was "Did my best knights really skipped training with their king, so they could buy Merlin a gift?" and then he realized that his knights would probably betray their king if Merlin really, really wanted them to. Arthur looked at his manservant who was picking up some flower, and when he noticed that Arthur is looking at him gave him a big smile and little happy wave. Arthur had to admit that if the reason for their treason was Merlin he wouldn't probably mind it at all. He return the smile and walked over to Merlin.
"Let's go Merlin, I think that the training is canceled for today" he said
"Really? Maybe someone will show up yet" Merlin said and looked around the training field looking for any of the knights
"I doubt that Merlin. I think that they are having way more important thing to do now. They can't be bothered to waste time with... actually fulfilling their duty to their king..." Arthur said
"What thing?" Merlin wanted to know, but Arthur would not ruin the whole "surprise for Merlin" action by telling something to him, so he just shrugged his shoulder and with Merlin by his side returned to the castle. Even if his best knights just proved where their loyalty actually lays, he will help them with keeping Merlin out of the downtown where they might be looking for the present.
The knights were indeed searching there
"Come on, why can't we find something good?" Gwaine complained when even after two hours they did not have a perfect gift for Merlin
"Because it's for Merlin" Lancelot said
"How about... ehm dagger?" Leon suggested
"Arthur would kill us if we gave Merlin a weapon, you know Merlin he would probably stab himself with it" Gwaine shook his head almost serious. And the knights all chuckled
"But seriously ... let's think about what Merlin really likes shall we?" Lancelot said and they all began to think
"Chocolate?"
"The honey pies that the cook never lets anyone take?"
"Animals?"
"Arthur?"
"Books?"
they were all listing things they were sure their friend likes
"How about we strip Arthur and dip him in the chocolate?" Gwaine joked, but the others with the image made "nope" looks
"Please never say anything like that ever again, he is still my king" Leon asked little bit traumatized by that image Gwaine created.
"You are literally missing out the training with your king mate" Gwaine reminded him and Leon wanted to disagree, but then just slightly nodded.
After another two hour of having nothing more than a box of chocolate the knights were full of desperation returning to the castle.
On their way to the castle they heard weird noises coming from one of the side alleys between the houses.
"You hear that?" Percy asked and the others nodded and draw their swords
Leon went to examine what is the cause of the noise, the sounds seemed to coming from a box that was in the back of the alley. Leon walked over to the box and looked inside, with a little chuckle he put his sword away.
"Come here gentlemen, come and see the newest threat to the Camelot" Leon called out to his friends.
They all gathered around the box and laughed, but then they looked at each others knowing they all are thinking the same thing.
"Arthur the lunch is ready" Merlin announced when he placed two plates on the table, one for the king and one for himself, as usually. Arthur got up from the table he was going through some papers at and went to the dinner table. Merlin was already sitting down when there was a knock on the door, Merlin wanted to stood up, but Arthur told him that he will take care of it.
The king went to the door and opened them, exchanged few words with someone at the door and took something from the person at the door. That something looked like a plate covered with a cloth.
"What is that?" Merlin asked from the table
"That, Merlin, is one of perks of being the king" Arthur said while walking to Merlin who looked confuse, curious and amused at the same time. Arthur placed the like a plate-like looking object on the table in front of Merlin.
"What's going on Arthur?" Merlin asked happily confuse. Arthur smirked and took the cloth away from the plate. Merlin eyes widened in shock when he saw the plate full of Merlin's favorite honey pies.
"Arthur... how did you... she makes them only when there are guests on the castle, and she never lets them out of her sight" Merlin asked still in shock
"I am the king of Camelot, Merlin. I can have as much honey pies as I want" Arthur smirked and wanted to sat down at the table, but Merlin was quicker. He stood up and hugged Arthur who immediately returned the hug.
"Thank you, Arthur" Merlin mumbled with a big smile and Arthur smiled in the hug as well
"Let's eat the lunch Merlin" Arthur said after he broke the hug and gave Merlin quick peck on the cheek
"But if I eat the lunch I will have less room for the pies" Merlin pretty much whined, and Arthur rolled his eyes, but had to chuckle.
"Merlin... lunch first, the pies after, king's orders" Arthur said and helped Merlin to sit down at the table and then sat down on the chair next to him.
Merlin finished his lunch in a record time so he could start with the pies. Merlin being Merlin of course demanded Arthur to have some as well.
"It's your birthday gift Merlin,... well... one of them" Arthur tried to refuse.
"Exactly. My gift, so I can do as I please with it" Merlin nodded and offered Arthur a pie, Arthur just smiled and accepted one pie.
Arthur was wondering what the knights came up with, when they took the whole day for it while eating the pie. The pies are good, Arthur can't argue with that, but not as good as seeing how happy Merlin is while eating them.
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The next day began exactly as planned for Arthur. He woke up with Merlin curled up by his side still peacefully sleeping. Arthur smiled at the sight and carefully got out from the bed to get Merlin's proper present, sure pies had a big success, but they are hardly a gift, are they?
When he was returning to the bed with the small present behind his back, Merlin was awake, but still cutely curled in a little comfy ball. When he noticed Arthur he immediately smiled at his king.
"Morning" he mumbled
"Morning love, and happy birthday" Arthur replied and when he got back under the blanket Merlin lazily moved closer, so he could be hugged, well moved... it was more Arthur pulling him closer to him. Merlin is a equivalent of a very active puppy for the whole day, running all over the castle and never really stop for more than a few minutes. Except for morning, in mornings Merlin prefers to move as little as possible and usually demands cuddles, something Arthur has no problem with.
"Are you ready to open your present Merlin?" Arthur asked few minutes later, wondering if Merlin is ready to start to function now
"I thought that the pies were the gift" Merlin said quietly and moved, so he could look at Arthur
"Of course you did... well, no Merlin. Believe me that you will not get just a plate with pies from me" Arthur said and smiled at his lover.
"You didn't have to... the pies were really a great idea you know, so..." Merlin began to ramble. Arthur was watching it with a soft smile.
"Anyway... here" he said when Merlin didn't look like stopping anytime soon and handed Merlin small package.
Merlin smiled at his king and opened his present. Five scarves of the finest fabric, each of a different color, red, light blue, dark blue, purple and green.
"Arthur..." Merlin began, guessing that those were not at all cheep, but Arthur stopped him with a kiss, which Merlin consider as a cheating, because all the complains were lost and gone.
Arthur and Merlin after they got out of the bed, got dress and finished up breakfast were sitting at the table and just talking about something when the door swung open and all of his best... never mind just the five knights entered the room. Gwaine was holding a little box and Elyan was holding a box of chocolate.
Arthur not even bothering to wonder why they are doing it in his bedroom just looked at Merlin
"Looks like more well-wishers are here for you Merlin" he said and Merlin looked at the knights with surprised expression
"R-really?" he asked
"Really Merls, we would not forget about that would we?" Gwaine said confidently totally ignoring Arthur's "really?" face.
Gwaine put the box on the floor and went to hug Merlin while wishing him happy birthday, the others knights followed that example, and Elyan gave Merlin the box of chocolate. Merlin... again, being Merlin, immediately started to offering it to the others, and when they tried the "it's your gift" excuse, he simply used his "My gift, my rules" reply.
They all sat down around the table, and stared to talk and laugh while having some wine, Merlin of course was banned from refilling the glasses, because it was his birthday. Arthur just went with the flow at that point, not even trying to point out that the knights just took over his table, wine and his manservant without asking first. As long as Merlin is having fun all is good.
"Gwaine! We forgot the box" Elyan realized and Gwaine jumped to his feet and run to get the box quickly bringing it to Merlin, who just had to laugh.
"There you go mate" Gwaine said
"Thanks guys" Merlin said while opening the box
The knights expected to Merlin look happy, but he looked more confuse than happy
"Merls?" Gwaine asked and exchanged a "did we fuck up?" look with the knights
"You gave me an... empty box?" Merlin asked unsure, when he was looking in the actually empty box
"What?"
"No, what do you mean?"
"Empty?"
"Did it escape?"
The knights began to talk over each other and went to see if Merlin was telling the truth. He was, the box was actually empty.
Arthur was silently watching that, actually wondering where the rumor about these men being the best knights in the Camelot was created, but then he realized something. "It escaped?" he repeated quietly something he was sure one of the knights said.
"It escaped?" He asked aloud and the knights all looked at him
"What was that it?" Arthur asked and stood up fearing of what the knights just released in his bedroom
"You gave me a animal?" Merlin asked thrilled about that possibility.
"Yeah, we thought that it would be a good idea" Gwaine nodded
"Yes, we find a box when we were on our way back from the downtown" Leon explained
"We thought you might like it" Lancelot added
Merlin got his answer, of course, but Arthur still knew nothing... and he was the king.
"What did you give Merlin?" Arthur asked again
"Kitten" Percy said
"Awww..." Merlin even though he didn't actually have the kitten yet made a totally cute sound just because there is a kitten somewhere waiting just for him.
"Calm down Merlin, we have to find it first, than you can behave like a little girl" Arthur rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile at his manservant's cuteness.
"Right!" Merlin said, already in parents mode, ready to protect his little kitten.
The knights were about to split and search the room, but Percy who already started the search called out for the others. They all followed him in the other part of the room where was bed and the table where Arthur was dealing with the paper work.
"Aww..." Merlin replicated the sound from before when he saw a little black kitten sleeping on the pillow in the giant bed, he was totally ignoring that the little devil managed to make some tors in the blanket, probably while playing on it.
"I will put all of you in the stocks" Arthur said in shock when he noticed another area that the little thing claimed as her playground, the table with his papers. The kitten clearly discovered the way on top of the desk, and while playing there, the inkwell got overturned and the ink spilled all over the papers Arthur had there, ready to finish them later. Most of the papers were ruined, the only piece of paper that looked alright was the speech for the following event that was almost untouched by the ink, almost. On the bottom of the paper was cute little ink paw print. Almost mocking Arthur's signature.
"Sorry Arthur" Leon and Lancelot said at the same time, these two actually looked little bit sorry about what had happened. Gwaine, Percival and Elyan were really trying not to laugh... not very successfully. And Merlin? Merlin was already sitting on the bed silently watching the sleeping kitten and gently stroking it. The Kitten opened her eyes and yawned, which made Merlin laugh.
"Sorry, little one, didn't mean to wake you up" he apologized, but the kitten just jumped up and run to Merlin and climbed her way on Merlin's lap. Merlin immediately began to play with her.
Arthur would like to say something... something like "Merlin you will not keep that thing, that thing is going to the jail for the sabotage of the king and his kingdom while ruining important documents" there was just one problem. Merlin looked absolutely adorable with the kitten in his hands, so Arthur could not say anything.
The knights were happily watching Merlin play with the kitten, clearly seeing that their present was successful.
"Next year, no animals" Arthur said quietly to his knights, and they nodded. Merlin took the kitten in the hand and went to the knights and the king, still happily smiling and cuddling with the kitten.
"What are you gonna call her Merls?" Gwaine asked and stroke the kitten.
"How about little disaster?" Arthur suggested. Merlin just rolled his eyes
"Don't be like that Arthur, she didn't do it on purpose, did you?" Merlin said and looked at the kitten that just made cutely quiet "meow" sound.
"See?" Merlin asked, as if he just made a crucial point.
"Accidentally making my life harder? Name her Merlin then" Arthur smirked and went to stroke the little disturber of his peace, he could see that this will be fitting nickname already. The knights laughed, along with Merlin and the king. Merlin decided that name Luna will be perfect for the Kitten.
The knights left the room shortly after Luna got her name.
Merlin wanted to change the bed sheets that Luna damaged and clean up the papers and the ink on the table, but Arthur who was sitting at the table told him to not being an idiot.
"Some other servant will take care of it Merlin, you enjoy your birthday, ok?" he said and pulled Merlin down on his lap along with Luna, because Merlin barely let that little thing out of his sight since he discover her on the Arthur's bed. Merlin just laughed and Luna cuddled to Arthur.
"She likes you" Merlin said with a smile
"Of course she does" Arthur nodded and scratched Luna's small head
"In case you didn't notice yet. All cute and clumsy little things are having a thing for me" Arthur smirked.
"I am not clumsy!" Merlin exclaimed and made a big wild gesture with his free hand aaand hit a goblet, luckily an empty one, and knocked it down on the floor.
"Yes Merlin, I can see that" Arthur nodded seriously... almost.
Merlin blushed, rolled his eyes and mumbled some insult.
Arthur chuckled and gently pulled Merlin closer for a kiss.
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