Title: Les Enfants (Seuls Savent Ce Qu'ils Cherchent) (otherwise known as: Everything Lunaste Has Learned About écriture Children, She's Learned From Good Omens)
Fandom: Merlin
Length: 891 words
Summary: Little ficlet about the actual first time Merlin and Arthur met (in my mind). Gen, PG, no spoilers.
Les enfants seuls savent ce qu'ils cherchent
When Merlin was six, his mother took him to see Camelot. He hadn’t even been aware that there was a place this big outside of his hometown before that point, let alone understood the concept of a remote king ruling them. He clung to his mother’s skirts while she made her way through the, well, what was it? A city inside a castle. His head turned from side to side, so much to be seen, so many people. They all seemed like giants to him, the knights striding par with their swords strapped to their waist, the ladies gliding across the streets in their beautiful dresses. And the noise! He had been to a town meeting, once, but people spoke in turns. Here he heard hundreds of voices, speaking in words he couldn’t understand, melodic languages he’d never heard before.
His mother left him with a grumpy old man named Gaius, and after examining all the glass vials and herbs Merlin quickly grew bored.
“Well, come on, then,” Gaius said. “Let’s montrer toi around.”
He gaped at the majestic doors of the palace, huge and intimidating. Gaius had instructed him to stay rooted to the spot as he delivered a few of his treatments. Merlin kicked at a pebble. He thought this jour was supposed to be interesting.
He heard a sharp ‘tick’, as the pebble bounced off the stairs leading towards the door. He looked up.
Then he saw the boy.
He was dressed in a red tunic a few sizes too large for him, his nose was red, his face was dirty and a crown sat lopsided on his head. Merlin had a few secondes of intense internal debate. He judged the distance. He thought about the time he would have to get back to this exact spot. Then he shrugged. He walked over until he stood right in front of the boy.
“Why’re toi crying?” Merlin asked, simply.
The boy glared furiously at him from under his wet lashes and rubbed his eyes.
“’m not.” he said.
“Yes, toi were. Just askin’. That crown yours?”
He squatted in front of the boy, which had the fortunate side effect the boy could now throw a haughty look down at him.
“Yeah.”
“It’s pretty.”
Merlin reached out a hand to touch it, but the boy swatted it away.
“’S mine! ‘Sides, I’m the prince, and toi can’t just go around touching princes and stuff.”
“You’re not a prince.”
“Are too.”
”Are not.”
“Are too. My father will throw toi into prison if I ask him.”
Merlin gaped. “Nooo.”
He got distracted par the shiny or dress of one of the ladies walking by, and when he looked back he saw the boy’s lower lip was tremblng.
“You are crying!” Merlin called out triumphantly.
“Am not!” The boy cried out.
Merlin decided he was too grown-up to call out ‘are too’ again, although he did think it at the boy really hard. Instead, he just kept on looking at him.
“My father threw me out,” he sniffled. “He had an auda, edi, audi… where people come and talk to him. ‘Nd I just wanted to tell him about the frog I caught, but he threw me out.”
Merlin was at a loss for words at this emotional outburst.
“I think he was really busy and important…”
The boy glared at him with an ‘are toi stupid?’ kind of look on his face.
“I told you, right, he’s the king.”
“Oh. I bet it was a good frog.” After a few moments of silence he added: “I’m Merlin. What’s your name?”
“You have funny ears, Merlin. I’m Arthur.”
“My mom says she likes them.”
“But I say they’re funny, and I, and I’m the prince, so it’s true.”
The tears on Arthur’s face had dried up and it seemed like calling Merlin names cheered him up. Merlin climbed up a few steps to go sit suivant to Arthur.
“Wanna know a secret?” he whispered.
Arthur pouted his lips.
“What int’resting secret could you have?”
Merlin looked around, tried to find something small. There, a woman had just put down a simple necklace. It would work. He focused real hard, wanting the collier to come to him. In the blink of an eye the collier soared through the air and landed in the l’espace between the two boys.
Arthur’s blue eyes were open wide.
“But that’s forbidden!”
Merlin looked away. “Mum a dit I had to keep it secret, but toi looked so sad.”
Arthur smiled a slightly crooked smile. “Thank you, Merlin” he said, managing to make a name sound like an insult. Merlin beamed back at him, happy he’d been able to cheer this boy up.
“Merlin!” they heard Gaius’ voice over the crowds, followed soon after par Merlin’s mum. “Merlin, where are you?”
“I gotta go,” Merlin said.
Arthur waved his hand at him in a half-gesture.
“Go on,” he said. “Run back to your mummy.”
Arthur turned his face away, but Merlin just smiled.
He ran back across the marketplace, into his mother’s arms, not seeing Arthur pick up the necklace. In his mother’s embrace Merlin instantly forgot about what just happened, about using magic, about insults used to mask insecurity, about the lonely young prince he just met.
Arthur never forgot.
Fandom: Merlin
Length: 891 words
Summary: Little ficlet about the actual first time Merlin and Arthur met (in my mind). Gen, PG, no spoilers.
Les enfants seuls savent ce qu'ils cherchent
When Merlin was six, his mother took him to see Camelot. He hadn’t even been aware that there was a place this big outside of his hometown before that point, let alone understood the concept of a remote king ruling them. He clung to his mother’s skirts while she made her way through the, well, what was it? A city inside a castle. His head turned from side to side, so much to be seen, so many people. They all seemed like giants to him, the knights striding par with their swords strapped to their waist, the ladies gliding across the streets in their beautiful dresses. And the noise! He had been to a town meeting, once, but people spoke in turns. Here he heard hundreds of voices, speaking in words he couldn’t understand, melodic languages he’d never heard before.
His mother left him with a grumpy old man named Gaius, and after examining all the glass vials and herbs Merlin quickly grew bored.
“Well, come on, then,” Gaius said. “Let’s montrer toi around.”
He gaped at the majestic doors of the palace, huge and intimidating. Gaius had instructed him to stay rooted to the spot as he delivered a few of his treatments. Merlin kicked at a pebble. He thought this jour was supposed to be interesting.
He heard a sharp ‘tick’, as the pebble bounced off the stairs leading towards the door. He looked up.
Then he saw the boy.
He was dressed in a red tunic a few sizes too large for him, his nose was red, his face was dirty and a crown sat lopsided on his head. Merlin had a few secondes of intense internal debate. He judged the distance. He thought about the time he would have to get back to this exact spot. Then he shrugged. He walked over until he stood right in front of the boy.
“Why’re toi crying?” Merlin asked, simply.
The boy glared furiously at him from under his wet lashes and rubbed his eyes.
“’m not.” he said.
“Yes, toi were. Just askin’. That crown yours?”
He squatted in front of the boy, which had the fortunate side effect the boy could now throw a haughty look down at him.
“Yeah.”
“It’s pretty.”
Merlin reached out a hand to touch it, but the boy swatted it away.
“’S mine! ‘Sides, I’m the prince, and toi can’t just go around touching princes and stuff.”
“You’re not a prince.”
“Are too.”
”Are not.”
“Are too. My father will throw toi into prison if I ask him.”
Merlin gaped. “Nooo.”
He got distracted par the shiny or dress of one of the ladies walking by, and when he looked back he saw the boy’s lower lip was tremblng.
“You are crying!” Merlin called out triumphantly.
“Am not!” The boy cried out.
Merlin decided he was too grown-up to call out ‘are too’ again, although he did think it at the boy really hard. Instead, he just kept on looking at him.
“My father threw me out,” he sniffled. “He had an auda, edi, audi… where people come and talk to him. ‘Nd I just wanted to tell him about the frog I caught, but he threw me out.”
Merlin was at a loss for words at this emotional outburst.
“I think he was really busy and important…”
The boy glared at him with an ‘are toi stupid?’ kind of look on his face.
“I told you, right, he’s the king.”
“Oh. I bet it was a good frog.” After a few moments of silence he added: “I’m Merlin. What’s your name?”
“You have funny ears, Merlin. I’m Arthur.”
“My mom says she likes them.”
“But I say they’re funny, and I, and I’m the prince, so it’s true.”
The tears on Arthur’s face had dried up and it seemed like calling Merlin names cheered him up. Merlin climbed up a few steps to go sit suivant to Arthur.
“Wanna know a secret?” he whispered.
Arthur pouted his lips.
“What int’resting secret could you have?”
Merlin looked around, tried to find something small. There, a woman had just put down a simple necklace. It would work. He focused real hard, wanting the collier to come to him. In the blink of an eye the collier soared through the air and landed in the l’espace between the two boys.
Arthur’s blue eyes were open wide.
“But that’s forbidden!”
Merlin looked away. “Mum a dit I had to keep it secret, but toi looked so sad.”
Arthur smiled a slightly crooked smile. “Thank you, Merlin” he said, managing to make a name sound like an insult. Merlin beamed back at him, happy he’d been able to cheer this boy up.
“Merlin!” they heard Gaius’ voice over the crowds, followed soon after par Merlin’s mum. “Merlin, where are you?”
“I gotta go,” Merlin said.
Arthur waved his hand at him in a half-gesture.
“Go on,” he said. “Run back to your mummy.”
Arthur turned his face away, but Merlin just smiled.
He ran back across the marketplace, into his mother’s arms, not seeing Arthur pick up the necklace. In his mother’s embrace Merlin instantly forgot about what just happened, about using magic, about insults used to mask insecurity, about the lonely young prince he just met.
Arthur never forgot.
