Chapter Text
Merlin showed them his accommodation.
He and Grettir had designed it specifically with the druid village in mind. It had large trees, plenty of grass, and a stream running through it; plenty of trees with fruit for the children to eat whenever they wanted.
He smiles at Iseldir and continues - Take the time to settle in, these houses are yours, explore - when they believed it, some of them burst into tears and hugged him tightly, while others smiled so widely, the children had also taken the liberty of hanging on to him, with at least two on each arm, one sitting on his shoulders and two of them clinging to his legs.
Merlin wasn't against sexual pleasure. Not at all. Hell, he could probably even be an ambassador for it, he'd had enough sex with many people and other beings. And he also knew that sexual education was important.
But there were some things that made even him feel very uncomfortable and more so knowing that his mother was just a few steps behind him. Like for example the hand of a druid boy trying to get under his shirt to know that he is real.
Once people started to settle in, he turned to leave, but before that, he called Iseldir to follow him out of the forest. They walked a bit before Merlin asked him,
“Iseldir,” Merlin began, “I hope your journey here was safe?” He knew his magic would have repelled any bandits or patrols, but he wasn’t seeing some faces he expected in the crowd, so he needed to make sure.
“Yes, there were no obstacles, although some of the tribes had to stay behind so as not to raise suspicions.” Merlin frowned at what the druid noticed and added, “Essetir watches over all druid settlements and to keep up appearances, they had to stay behind.” Merlin nods at this.
Although magic was not forbidden in Essetir, it was closely watched and every movement was viewed with suspicion.
And even if his spell had prevented them from being seen and caught, the sudden mass disappearance of the druids would have been cause for alarm for all the kingdoms.
He concludes that Freya and Mordred were part of the few tribes that had been left behind.
-They will come eventually, when the surveillance lessens -
Merlin nodded once more and began to talk about his plans.
-Iseldir, - Merlin said - Will you help me rule this kingdom and ensure its prosperity?
Iseldir looked at him in surprise and then nodded solemnly, understanding the magnitude of the task before them.
-It would be an honor, Emrys.
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He left the druids to settle in with a promise from Iseldir to seek him out the next day after lunch.
He was now walking back to the castle with his mother and Will at his side, in foreboding silence, it was Will who broke it.
“Merlin, where have you been?” Will exclaimed, stopping walking to confront him.
“It’s a long story, Will,” Merlin replied with a smile. “I’ve been everywhere.”
They continued walking towards the castle, the cold evening air enveloping them. Hunith, sensing her son’s uneasiness, took his hand and squeezed it gently.
“Merlin, we’ve been so worried about you. A year is a long time without news,” Hunith said, her voice shaking slightly.
Merlin nodded, knowing he had to give them some explanation, though not the whole truth.
“I know, mother. I’m so sorry. I needed time to do something important, something that would change the future of all of us,” he said, choosing his words carefully.
Will frowned, clearly not satisfied with the vague explanation.
“What could be so important that he would disappear without saying anything?” “I disappeared because I had a vision. I saw the creation of this realm and what it could mean for all of us. I knew it was my duty to make it a reality,” Merlin began, choosing his words carefully. “But to do so, I had to use an immense amount of magic, and it exhausted me completely. It took me time to recover and return.”
Hunith and Will exchanged a look, trying to grasp the magnitude of what Merlin was saying.
Hunith always knew that Merlin was not only hers, the day he was born and opened his eyes, they were not blue like all children, they were gold, even before holding his own head he was making objects float, blue butterflies flying inside the house, flowers growing on the walls, she always knew that Merlin's destiny was much bigger than she could even imagine but even with that, her son's destiny scared her, something so big for such a young boy.
"Is that why you look like that?" she asked, her eyes examining his face.
Merlin nodded.
“Yes, Mum. I knew I had to create that place and that’s what I did. But the amount of magic I used took its toll on me, both physically and mentally. It’s nothing serious, but gaining wisdom was paramount,” Merlin explained, trying to ease her worries.
Hunith sighed, still worried but proud of her son.
“I always knew you were destined to do great things, Merlin. From the moment you were born, I saw that you were special. But knowing that you carry such a large burden… it scares me,” Hunith said, her voice slightly shaking.
Will, who had been watching silently, stepped in.
“And you missed an entire year because of it. You could have died, Merlin,” Will said, in a tone that was a mix of worry and reproach. He looked around in wonder and caution.
Merlin smiled sadly.
“I know and I’m sorry, but I knew I had to do it.” And that's not something that can wait," Merlin replied in a firm voice.
Will sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Well, at least you're back and safe. But promise us you won't leave again like that without telling us," Will said, his eyes filled with genuine concern.
Merlin smiled, God, how he had missed Will, he promised himself that this time he wouldn't let him die so young.
"Are you some kind of magical noble now?" Will asked again, arching an eyebrow.
"No Will, this place may be a kingdom, but I'm not a King," Merlin replied, laughing softly.
They finally arrived at the castle, a majestic structure that emanated a feeling of safety and well-being. He knew more people would arrive the next day, now his priority was to get his mother and Will to their rooms and get them some rest. The day was exhausting for everyone.