Don't You • Merthur ✔️

X: Don't You (EPILOGUE)

BONUS CHAPTER!

"Have you been reading the books I've given you?", Merlin asks while he sits at the stairs of the main square with Lillian, who was wearing the prettiest blue dress embroidered with flowers.

"Mhm! There are a hundred wildflowers I didn't know about! And I even ran into some just by the dirt road, I don't know why I've never noticed them before.", she exclaimed, dangling her short feet in the air.

"Really, that's great!",

"I'll conjure up a whole meadow for you if you want."

Lillian flashed a smile before they bathed in comfortable silence, watching the bustling people from a distance.

"Will you ever tell Arthur?", she suddenly asked, turning to Merlin with dejected blue eyes.

The young warlock said nothing in reply, except a wide grin that grew on his face.

"No... way.", she replied in rising excitement, with an adorable tone in her voice.

"I knew it! He is a good prince after all!", she threw her arms in the air as Merlin chucked in response. And that he is, he thought.

"Lillian! Come on, darling, let's get going.", Lora came and called out from the end of the stairs. "Thank you for watching her for me, Merlin."

Merlin nodded in reply as Lillian got up and hugged him before running down the stairs.

"Can I come again tomorrow? Can I?", the young girl begged her mother until she agreed and hurried back to their home at the lower town.

---

That night, Arthur had come home from a patrol with the knights, with all of them heading to the dining hall with empty stomachs. The sky was pitch black at this point, as they started the patrol rather later than usual.

"Ahh, Merlin. There you are.", he greeted, lightly punching Merlin's arm as he passed by.

"Ow..."

Arthur stared him down for a few seconds, as if there was an odd hesitation in his actions. "Umm, right, by the way, um-",

"I need to eat so hold on to these flowers.", he announced while his words made him seem like he was in such a hurry, shoving an attractive bouquet of flowers on Merlin's face.

"How thoughtful of you.", Merlin teased, jolting his head back trying to avoid the strong smell of the petals.

"Don't be stupid, Lillian gave these to me. I said, hold on to it for a while, I need to eat.", he grumbled, impatiently walking away.

"Prat."

---

"Are you finished now, Merlin?", Lillian asked restlessly, sprawled on the bed of a guest chamber.

"No.", he replied, with a mop and bucket beside him, cleaning the floor and attending to his daily duties.

"How about now?"

"No, Lil. It'll have to wait."

"Okay.", she whined, playing with the hem of her dress.

"If there's anyone to blame, it's Prince Arthur. I need to clean the guest chambers since he'll have visitors soon."

"Why can't he just do it himself? I help clean my own house."

"Tell me about it. You're already a hundred times more useful than him.", he smiled.

Lillian let out a faint chuckle, rolling around on the bed.

"You know, he seems like the sweetest prince to you but in reality–", Merlin lowered his voice, beckoning her to come closer as he whispered.

"-he's really mean!"

"He always bosses me around so you should really lessen the amount of flowers you give him!"

Lillian had a confused look on her face. "What flowers?"

Merlin blinked in disarray. "Haven't you been giving him flowers?"

"No?"

'Then what was the—'

"I'll be right back.", he got up and rushed to a different room where he left the flowers in as decoration. He seized them from the vase and peered at them in suspicion. He took the time to examine the bouquet; a collection of red roses, peonies, dahlias, and primroses. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that these flowers were not usually sold in the lower town, in fact, some of them were not the inexpensive kind.

As Merlin grabbed one of the stems to inspect further, a small piece of parchment fluttered unto the floor. He picked it up and recovered a note that had handwriting Merlin was sure he had seen before:

'It's yours, dollophead.'

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FIN

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading!!