Resigned
Author: archaeologist_d
Title: Resigned
Rating: G
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Will, Hunith
Summary: Sometimes Hunith wonders where she gets the strength to deal with those two miscreants. Will and Merlin were a force all on their own.
Word Count: 1116
Camelot_drabble Prompt: 492, Stamina
Author's Notes: unbetaed,
Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
------------------------------
The first sign of trouble was the sound of pigs squealing as they ran past her hut. As Hunith leaned out, looking to see what all the noise was about, Dyfed, the owner of said pigs, came running by, his arms waving madly as he tried to herd his pigs back into their pen. Behind him, a crowd of well-wishers were shouting encouragement and most of the children of Ealdor were laughing and pointing at the pigs or else jumping up and down in excitement. It was bedlam as the older sow, larger than Dyfed himself, turned around and rammed into him, then ran off towards the woods. The other pigs followed, squealing their delight, and the whole crowd turned as one and headed off to see what Dyfed would do.
All except two miscreants.
Will and Merlin were in the back garden, hiding under the brush of last year’s garden debris. Giggling, the both of them, as Merlin whispered, “That was a treat. Who knew the sow could run that fast? And the old grump slipping in the mud?”
“I bet he got it everywhere. Serves him right, too,” said Will. “We weren’t going to hurt his old pigs. Just wanted to see the piglets, is all.”
“Just hope Mum doesn’t find out or I’ll be in big trouble,” Merlin replied, his voice growing louder with every word.
Hunith cleared her throat. The sudden silence as the boys froze was deafening. “You will help Dyfed take care of his pigs for the next week, Merlin. And as for you, Will, you are older and should know better.”
And if the hut smelled of pig for a while, well, at least Merlin didn’t get into too much trouble. This time.
------------------
Hunith didn’t think she had the willpower or the stamina to deal with those two.
Things quieted down for a few weeks, Merlin keeping to himself and staying away from Will who was being punished for the pig incident. But she knew there would be more trouble when she caught the two of them with their heads together, whispering, then breaking it off whenever she grew near.
She usually paid close attention to her boy, but she couldn’t do it all the time and it only took one moment of distraction before she heard a tree falling. Loud and there was shouting and the noise of rock walls crumbling under the weight.
Running out to see what had happened, noticing that both Will and Merlin were nowhere to be found, Hunith was horrified to see Old Man Simmons’s tree, the rotten one, the one whose branches kept falling on peoples’ heads, but he refused to do anything about it, shattered across Simmons’s field wall. There was wood everywhere, bits and pieces, small and large, and one huge branch laying next to Simmons. He looked gob smacked as if the tree had just missed him, then shouted for Merlin and promising retribution.
When Merlin and Will finally came out from wherever they were hiding, the headman, Rhys, didn’t immediately take Simmons’s side, instead questioned them both. But others had seen them at the far end of the village, nowhere near the tree, and in the end, Simmons couldn’t prove that it was those two who had toppled the tree.
Hunith knew better. The tree had been dangerous for a long time and Merlin often mentioned that the other kids had been whacked by smaller branches falling on a windy day.
He must have used magic somehow. A thing that Hunith dreaded because it put him in danger. And worse if Will knew, too.
But she could never prove it and Merlin was stubborn as a mule when he put his mind to it.
Still, she told him he couldn’t see Will for two weeks and he accepted it without complaint. Clear proof that he was at fault after all.
Damn, she needed a drink.
---------------
There were other times, some big, some small, but as Merlin grew older, he seemed to understand that getting into trouble with Will was dangerous. She told him over and over again not to let Will see him use his magic, but she wasn’t sure he listened. And she worried, a lot.
The final straw was the day Will fell through the roof.
Hunith was preparing supper, so she sent Merlin off to get water and a bit of firewood. But when he didn’t come back right away, she didn’t think a lot about it at first, but as it grew darker, she went in search of him.
The idiots were walking on the barn roof, the one that all Ealdor used for storage. Will was laughing at something Merlin said, and in the next instant, he was falling fast, yelling as he plummeted toward the barn floor.
Even in the growing dark, Hunith could see Merlin’s eyes glowing gold. As she rushed inside, Will was standing there, shaking his head and looking up. Merlin’s face was pale as he looked through the hole, then disappeared.
“Are you well? Is anything broken?” she cried out.
Merlin ran in a moment later. Will looked at him, his face going through shock and worry and calculation. Then he turned to Hunith and lied. “Nah, I fell on the hay bale. Easy as pie, right Merlin?”
When Merlin nodded, deliberately not looking at Hunith, she said, “That’s good, Will. Perhaps you should go home now. Supper should be ready and I’m sure your father is worried.”
“Good idea,” Will muttered, then shrugged at Merlin. “See you tomorrow?”
Merlin glanced at Hunith, then nodded. “Sure, I’ll need some help with firewood. I’ll see you then.”
As soon as Will left, Hunith grabbed Merlin’s ear and marched him home. “I have told you over and over again about using magic. And now Will knows and how long before the king hears? Merlin, you can’t… I can’t protect you forever.”
“Mother, I… I’m sorry. I won’t do it again,” Merlin promised. He sounded like he meant it this time.
But Hunith had heard those promises before.
The next day, she wrote to her uncle, begging him to take Merlin on, to guide him, to be a helping hand. Unspoken was the hope that Gaius would train Merlin in magic. After all, the old man had learned from the best and had abilities of his own. Hopefully, he would be strong enough to teach Merlin wisdom and restraint, that not everything was a game, but that Merlin needed to think before he acted.
She would miss her beloved boy, but he had to grow up.
She just hoped it wouldn't be the worst mistake of her life and his.
Title: Resigned
Rating: G
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Will, Hunith
Summary: Sometimes Hunith wonders where she gets the strength to deal with those two miscreants. Will and Merlin were a force all on their own.
Word Count: 1116
Camelot_drabble Prompt: 492, Stamina
Author's Notes: unbetaed,
Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
------------------------------
The first sign of trouble was the sound of pigs squealing as they ran past her hut. As Hunith leaned out, looking to see what all the noise was about, Dyfed, the owner of said pigs, came running by, his arms waving madly as he tried to herd his pigs back into their pen. Behind him, a crowd of well-wishers were shouting encouragement and most of the children of Ealdor were laughing and pointing at the pigs or else jumping up and down in excitement. It was bedlam as the older sow, larger than Dyfed himself, turned around and rammed into him, then ran off towards the woods. The other pigs followed, squealing their delight, and the whole crowd turned as one and headed off to see what Dyfed would do.
All except two miscreants.
Will and Merlin were in the back garden, hiding under the brush of last year’s garden debris. Giggling, the both of them, as Merlin whispered, “That was a treat. Who knew the sow could run that fast? And the old grump slipping in the mud?”
“I bet he got it everywhere. Serves him right, too,” said Will. “We weren’t going to hurt his old pigs. Just wanted to see the piglets, is all.”
“Just hope Mum doesn’t find out or I’ll be in big trouble,” Merlin replied, his voice growing louder with every word.
Hunith cleared her throat. The sudden silence as the boys froze was deafening. “You will help Dyfed take care of his pigs for the next week, Merlin. And as for you, Will, you are older and should know better.”
And if the hut smelled of pig for a while, well, at least Merlin didn’t get into too much trouble. This time.
------------------
Hunith didn’t think she had the willpower or the stamina to deal with those two.
Things quieted down for a few weeks, Merlin keeping to himself and staying away from Will who was being punished for the pig incident. But she knew there would be more trouble when she caught the two of them with their heads together, whispering, then breaking it off whenever she grew near.
She usually paid close attention to her boy, but she couldn’t do it all the time and it only took one moment of distraction before she heard a tree falling. Loud and there was shouting and the noise of rock walls crumbling under the weight.
Running out to see what had happened, noticing that both Will and Merlin were nowhere to be found, Hunith was horrified to see Old Man Simmons’s tree, the rotten one, the one whose branches kept falling on peoples’ heads, but he refused to do anything about it, shattered across Simmons’s field wall. There was wood everywhere, bits and pieces, small and large, and one huge branch laying next to Simmons. He looked gob smacked as if the tree had just missed him, then shouted for Merlin and promising retribution.
When Merlin and Will finally came out from wherever they were hiding, the headman, Rhys, didn’t immediately take Simmons’s side, instead questioned them both. But others had seen them at the far end of the village, nowhere near the tree, and in the end, Simmons couldn’t prove that it was those two who had toppled the tree.
Hunith knew better. The tree had been dangerous for a long time and Merlin often mentioned that the other kids had been whacked by smaller branches falling on a windy day.
He must have used magic somehow. A thing that Hunith dreaded because it put him in danger. And worse if Will knew, too.
But she could never prove it and Merlin was stubborn as a mule when he put his mind to it.
Still, she told him he couldn’t see Will for two weeks and he accepted it without complaint. Clear proof that he was at fault after all.
Damn, she needed a drink.
---------------
There were other times, some big, some small, but as Merlin grew older, he seemed to understand that getting into trouble with Will was dangerous. She told him over and over again not to let Will see him use his magic, but she wasn’t sure he listened. And she worried, a lot.
The final straw was the day Will fell through the roof.
Hunith was preparing supper, so she sent Merlin off to get water and a bit of firewood. But when he didn’t come back right away, she didn’t think a lot about it at first, but as it grew darker, she went in search of him.
The idiots were walking on the barn roof, the one that all Ealdor used for storage. Will was laughing at something Merlin said, and in the next instant, he was falling fast, yelling as he plummeted toward the barn floor.
Even in the growing dark, Hunith could see Merlin’s eyes glowing gold. As she rushed inside, Will was standing there, shaking his head and looking up. Merlin’s face was pale as he looked through the hole, then disappeared.
“Are you well? Is anything broken?” she cried out.
Merlin ran in a moment later. Will looked at him, his face going through shock and worry and calculation. Then he turned to Hunith and lied. “Nah, I fell on the hay bale. Easy as pie, right Merlin?”
When Merlin nodded, deliberately not looking at Hunith, she said, “That’s good, Will. Perhaps you should go home now. Supper should be ready and I’m sure your father is worried.”
“Good idea,” Will muttered, then shrugged at Merlin. “See you tomorrow?”
Merlin glanced at Hunith, then nodded. “Sure, I’ll need some help with firewood. I’ll see you then.”
As soon as Will left, Hunith grabbed Merlin’s ear and marched him home. “I have told you over and over again about using magic. And now Will knows and how long before the king hears? Merlin, you can’t… I can’t protect you forever.”
“Mother, I… I’m sorry. I won’t do it again,” Merlin promised. He sounded like he meant it this time.
But Hunith had heard those promises before.
The next day, she wrote to her uncle, begging him to take Merlin on, to guide him, to be a helping hand. Unspoken was the hope that Gaius would train Merlin in magic. After all, the old man had learned from the best and had abilities of his own. Hopefully, he would be strong enough to teach Merlin wisdom and restraint, that not everything was a game, but that Merlin needed to think before he acted.
She would miss her beloved boy, but he had to grow up.
She just hoped it wouldn't be the worst mistake of her life and his.