Pursuit
Author: archaeologist_d
Title: Pursuit
Rating: G
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Hunith, Will
Summary: Hunith is a saint, really, with Merlin always getting into mischief.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 676
Camelot_drabble # 570: Pursue
Disclaimer: I do not own the BBC version of Merlin; They and Shine do. I am very respectfully borrowing them with no intent to profit. No money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Covered in mud, Merlin looked so miserable that Hunith couldn’t yell at him. At least, it wasn’t Mr Simmons’s pig this time.
Kicking his foot in the dirt, not meeting her eyes, Merlin mumbled, “Mum, it wasn’t my fault. Mardoc threw Ethelfleda at me and she’s a really good flyer and you know she likes to hop up to the roof and rule the roost. And then Mardoc ran away, laughing about how he was going to tell old Man Simmons that I stole her and I was trying to get her down and I got her one wing but she pecked at me and I fell… umm into the mud?”
Trying not to laugh, it was darn hard because the whole situation was ridiculous, Hunith just said, as calmly as she could, “And is Ethelfleda back in her coop?”
“Not… umm… quite. She’s with the others, though.” Merlin shook his head, grimacing, glancing up at her before staring back down at the floor.
Hunith didn’t like the sound of that. “Merlin?”
“Umm… on the roof?” He pointed outside, toward the barn. “I tried to get them down, honest I did. I even used… umm.” Merlin stopped at that, covering his mouth with his mucky hand, looking at Hunith as if he were going to get punished.
She must have told him a thousand times a day not to use his gifts where anyone could see. The terror of having him ripped from her side haunted her every waking moment. But she couldn’t bear to see him so afraid.
“Did anyone see you?” Hunith tried to keep the worry out of her voice.
“No one, not even Will. I was very careful,” Merlin babbled on. “You should have seen Ethelfleda, though. Once the others were up there, she kept pecking at them to let them know that she wasn’t about to give up her spot. Even Archibald was squawking at her but she just looked him in the eye and he backed off right quick. Some rooster he is. He kept flipping his wings but she wasn’t having any of it.”
Turning those big blue eyes on Hunith, Merlin said, “I’m… I tried, Mum.”
But before she could say anything else, Will yelled into the window, “Come on, Merlin, you’re missing it. Chickens everywhere. The old…,” Will stopped when he saw Hunith, then must have thought better of whatever he was going to say. “Umm… Simmons is trying to get them back into the coop. Come on.”
“Can I?” Merlin said, one foot half out the door.
Hunith thought it was probably going to be hilarious with chickens everywhere and feathers flying, especially with Mr Simmons being such an arse most of the time. Serves him right. But instead, she said, “I have a better idea. Let’s help Mr Simmons with his chickens and then we’ll get you cleaned up.”
Merlin scrunched his nose at that. “Do I have to?”
“Merlin, we help each other in time of need,” Hunith said, watching Merlin’s face as he went from petulant to resigned. “Afterwards, I’ve a bit of honeycomb to share.” His face lit up but she shook her head. “But only clean hands can have it. So chickens first, then mud removed… and no hanky-panky getting clean, my little scamp, and maybe Will would like some, too.”
Nodding hard, Merlin gave her a brilliant smile, melting her heart. She really could never say no to that smile.
As he rushed out of the house, eager now to help, Hunith couldn’t help shaking her head. He was such a dear boy but growing up fast, too fast. Before she knew it, he’d be off on adventures of his own, far from Ealdor.
But she shook off the thought. For now, she would live in the moment, and watch as Merlin and the rest of the village scampered after chickens and smile at the ridiculousness of it all.
Merlin might be a handful but he was the love of her life and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Title: Pursuit
Rating: G
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Hunith, Will
Summary: Hunith is a saint, really, with Merlin always getting into mischief.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 676
Camelot_drabble # 570: Pursue
Disclaimer: I do not own the BBC version of Merlin; They and Shine do. I am very respectfully borrowing them with no intent to profit. No money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended.
--------------------
Covered in mud, Merlin looked so miserable that Hunith couldn’t yell at him. At least, it wasn’t Mr Simmons’s pig this time.
Kicking his foot in the dirt, not meeting her eyes, Merlin mumbled, “Mum, it wasn’t my fault. Mardoc threw Ethelfleda at me and she’s a really good flyer and you know she likes to hop up to the roof and rule the roost. And then Mardoc ran away, laughing about how he was going to tell old Man Simmons that I stole her and I was trying to get her down and I got her one wing but she pecked at me and I fell… umm into the mud?”
Trying not to laugh, it was darn hard because the whole situation was ridiculous, Hunith just said, as calmly as she could, “And is Ethelfleda back in her coop?”
“Not… umm… quite. She’s with the others, though.” Merlin shook his head, grimacing, glancing up at her before staring back down at the floor.
Hunith didn’t like the sound of that. “Merlin?”
“Umm… on the roof?” He pointed outside, toward the barn. “I tried to get them down, honest I did. I even used… umm.” Merlin stopped at that, covering his mouth with his mucky hand, looking at Hunith as if he were going to get punished.
She must have told him a thousand times a day not to use his gifts where anyone could see. The terror of having him ripped from her side haunted her every waking moment. But she couldn’t bear to see him so afraid.
“Did anyone see you?” Hunith tried to keep the worry out of her voice.
“No one, not even Will. I was very careful,” Merlin babbled on. “You should have seen Ethelfleda, though. Once the others were up there, she kept pecking at them to let them know that she wasn’t about to give up her spot. Even Archibald was squawking at her but she just looked him in the eye and he backed off right quick. Some rooster he is. He kept flipping his wings but she wasn’t having any of it.”
Turning those big blue eyes on Hunith, Merlin said, “I’m… I tried, Mum.”
But before she could say anything else, Will yelled into the window, “Come on, Merlin, you’re missing it. Chickens everywhere. The old…,” Will stopped when he saw Hunith, then must have thought better of whatever he was going to say. “Umm… Simmons is trying to get them back into the coop. Come on.”
“Can I?” Merlin said, one foot half out the door.
Hunith thought it was probably going to be hilarious with chickens everywhere and feathers flying, especially with Mr Simmons being such an arse most of the time. Serves him right. But instead, she said, “I have a better idea. Let’s help Mr Simmons with his chickens and then we’ll get you cleaned up.”
Merlin scrunched his nose at that. “Do I have to?”
“Merlin, we help each other in time of need,” Hunith said, watching Merlin’s face as he went from petulant to resigned. “Afterwards, I’ve a bit of honeycomb to share.” His face lit up but she shook her head. “But only clean hands can have it. So chickens first, then mud removed… and no hanky-panky getting clean, my little scamp, and maybe Will would like some, too.”
Nodding hard, Merlin gave her a brilliant smile, melting her heart. She really could never say no to that smile.
As he rushed out of the house, eager now to help, Hunith couldn’t help shaking her head. He was such a dear boy but growing up fast, too fast. Before she knew it, he’d be off on adventures of his own, far from Ealdor.
But she shook off the thought. For now, she would live in the moment, and watch as Merlin and the rest of the village scampered after chickens and smile at the ridiculousness of it all.
Merlin might be a handful but he was the love of her life and she wouldn’t have it any other way.