[For not_a_clotpole] Birthday traditions
((not_a_clotpole requested "Arthur gets Amhar his first sword." And....it just kind of spiraled from there and ended up getting kind of ridiculous and stupidly long. But hopefully stupidly awesome, too! Just a forewarning, if it doesn't make any sense, I fully blame that on the fact that I'm sick and I rarely make sense when I am.))
Amhar
“Wake up, wake up, wake up!”
“What’s going on?” Arthur opened an eye, and found his oldest son sitting on the end of the bed. “Something wrong?”
“If something’s wrong, you’re dealing with it.” Gwen’s voice was muffled by the blanket she was pulling over her head. “He’s your son, after all.”
“You’re the one that gave birth to him.” Arthur pointed out.
“I still blame you.”
Amhar ignored his parents’ banter, and crept over the blankets, pulling back the blanket his mother was using to cover her head, then wedged himself firmly between his parents. “It’s my birthday!”
“Is it?” Arthur sat up fully, and pretended to be surprised. “How old are you, now?”
“Four, I think?” Gwen gave in to the fact that Amhar wasn’t going to let her get back to sleep, and sat up, too. “I think he’s four. Are you four?” She teased, and looked at her son, who was shaking his head so vehemently that his already messy hair was getting messier.
“I’m five, mother.” He held up five fingers, for emphasis.
“I do suppose we have had you that long. Time flies.” Arthur mused, a smile on his face. “Though, really, you weren’t born until sometime in the afternoon, so you’re still four until then.”
Amhar pouted at both of them, and they started laughing. Gwen kissed him on the forehead. “Happy birthday.”
Amhar’s face brightened up considerably, and he hugged his mother. “You didn’t really forget, did you?”
“No, of course not.” Gwen hugged him back. “How could we?”
“You’re lucky we didn’t.” Arthur added, pushing himself out of bed and pulling a shirt on. “If we had, you wouldn’t have a pile of presents to open.”
The word presents made Amhar’s eyes go wide. He was expecting them, of course, but hearing his father say it was a completely different thing. It meant he was getting them for sure, and he was getting more than one. “Presents?”
“I suppose you want to open them?”
Amhar was so excited that he didn’t even answer. He just nodded his head so hard Gwen was worried he was going to have a headache. Gwen gently stopped his nodding, and smoothed his hair back, watching Arthur as he disappeared into an antechamber to collected the pile of presents. “You can open some now, but only the ones from us.”
She wasn’t even sure he heard her, because he was too busy bouncing on the bed and watching his father come back into the room with an armload of gifts wrapped in bright cloth. Arthur deposited the gifts on the bed, and took a seat next to Gwen, the two of them watching as he quickly unwrapped item after item, and moved through the pile. There were toys, books, and clothes, but all of these things took a backseat to the last gift, the one at the bottom of the pile.
It was a sword. An Amhar-sized sword, in a scabbard and on a belt that was the perfect size for him. He put it on immediately, and went to examine himself in the mirror, claiming that they had just given him the bestest present ever. When he was done examining himself,, Amhar hugged his parents, and then ran back to the nursery, determined to show his bestest present ever to the nannies and Duran.
When he left, Gwen stood up, and, as she was picking up the discarded cloth and forgotten gifts, and gave her husband a look. “Really? A sword?”
“It’s not sharp, don’t worry.”
Gwen rolled her eyes. “He’s five, Arthur. Did you have to give him a real one? I’m sure he would’ve been just as happy with a wooden sword.”
Arthur shrugged. “He already had plenty of wooden swords. Besides, I got my first real sword at five.”
Gwen sighed, but dropped it. Amhar already had the sword, and there was no point in arguing with Arthur about it.
Duran
Duran’s fifth birthday started out with much less of a bang than Amhar’s. Duran, who was much more subded than his older brother, waited until breakfast with his family to announce that it was his birthday. Arthur and Gwen, of course, never wanting to miss an opportunity to tease their children, spent the first half of the meal pretending it was business as usual.
Gwen busied herself with cutting fruit into small pieces, and feeding it to Llacheu. “Have you heard anything from the border yet?”
Arthur was clearly, at least to Gwen, hiding a smile. “A messenger arrived this morning, actually. Things seem to be going much better now that Lancelot has taken charge.”
Finally, Duran couldn’t take it anymore. “Mother? Father?”
“Yes, Duran?” Gwen turned her attention from the squirming baby to her second born. “What is it?”
“My birthday!” He blurted out, then covered his mouth. “I mean, today’s my birthday. I’m five!”
“That explains the pile of presents your mother’s been hiding under our bed for the past few days!” Arthur exclaimed, and stood up. “Happy birthday!”
“He didn’t really forget.” Gwen whispered loudly enough for all of the children to hear. “He’s just being silly.”
“Kings are not silly!” Arthur shouted from the opposite end of the dining room, where he was collecting Duran’s gifts. “That’s the queen’s job.”
Gwen rolled her eyes, and all three of the children laughed. “Your sons agree with me.”
Arthur put Duran’s gifts on the floor next to his chair, and handed Duran the first one. “That’s just because they don’t know any better.”
Gwen let out a very un-ladylike snort, and smiled at Duran. “Well, go ahead and open it. You’ve got a whole pile to work on, and we don’t have all day.”
Duran immediately sprang into action, and got to work on opening his gifts, moving just as quickly from gift to gift as Amhar had, three years before. He was very excited about a set of wooden knights and horses, and wanted to play with them right then and there at the breakfast table, but Arthur stopped him before he got too distracted by handing him his last gift.
Just as Amhar had done on his fifth birthday, Duran completely forgot all about his other presents when he untied and unwrapped the cloth that covered his last gift. When he did, he found himself staring at his very own, brand new sword.
He was quiet for a moment, taking it all in. “Is this for me?”
Arthur laughed. “Your name was on the wrapping, wasn’t it?”
“Thank you, father!” Duran jumped out of his seat, ran the few steps it took him to reach Arthur, and hugged him. Then he let go, ran to Gwen, and hugged her. “You, too, Mother.”
“You’re welcome.” Gwen hugged back, then let him go. “Go play with your new toys.”
Duran, with Amhar’s help, strapped his new sword belt on, grabbed his box of wooden knights, and ran off with his brother to enjoy his gifts.
As Gwen stood up, she eyed Arthur, much like she’d done the last time he’d given their five year old son a sword. “Llacheu’s going to be getting a sword on his fifth birthday as well, isn’t he?”
“It wouldn’t do to have his two older brothers get swords on their fifth birthday, and not follow suit with him, would it?” Arthur lifted Llacheu out of his high chair, and grinned at his wife. “And the same with every child after that.”
“What makes you think you’re getting another child?”
Arthur just smiled and kissed her. Gwen rolled her eyes.
Llacheu
Arthur and Gwen nearly missed Llacheu’s fifth birthday. There had been an unfortunate event with a rival kingdom that resulted in Gwen being kidnapped and Arthur and his knights having to rescue her a few days before, and they’d finally made it back to the castle the evening of his birthday. Gwen considered it lucky that they’d had the gifts already wrapped before the whole thing had happened.
Amhar, now twelve, met them on the castle steps, and launched himself into his mother’s arms as soon as she’d dismounted her horse. Gwen smiled, and hugged the crown prince, who barely let her hug him anymore, afraid it would ruin his image as a big, tough, manly crown prince. She stroked his hair and made soothing noises as he clung to her. “I missed you, too.”
Amhar stepped back after another moment, and straightened his clothes. “Llacheu’s upset. He thought you wouldn’t be back in time for his birthday?”
“You haven’t been telling him horror stories about how we always “forget” yours and Duran’s birthdays, have you?” Arthur was pretty sure Amhar had told Llacheu the story of Duran’s fifth birthday at least once. And, of course, Llacheu had been there for the time Arthur and Gwen had “forgotten” Amhar’s twelfth birthday.
“Not at all.” Amhar answered, almost too innocently, following his parents into the castle. “Why would I do that?”
“You love torturing your younger siblings.” Gwen pointed out, knowing all too well about the stories Amhar told Llacheu and Duran. “Speaking of your younger siblings, where are they?”
“In the nursery.” Amhar took it upon himself to lead the way. “Duran’s trying to make him Llacheu feel better.”
Arthur and Gwen didn’t even bother taking the time to change, or even wash up before going to see their younger sons. When they walked into the room, both boys hugged Gwen with so much force that she nearly fell over. “Well, hello, you two.”
When they finally freed her, Llacheu tugged on Gwen’s hand to get her attention. “Mother, Amhar says you never remember birthdays, and I remember you forgot his last birthday, but Duran says you and father are just silly and you don’t really forget and in case you did forget today’s my birthday and I’m five now.”
Gwen laughed, and ruffled his hair. “Duran’s right. We never really forget. Well, I don’t. I don’t know about your father.” She smirked, and looked over at Arthur. “But sometimes I think he’d forget to put on pants in the morning, if I didn’t remind him.”
Arthur had been distracted by asking a servant to bring the gifts from his and Gwen’s room, and only caught the last part of her statement. “What kind of things are you telling them about me this time?”
“You’d forget everything, if Mother wasn’t here to remind you.” Duran summed up, laughing at the look on Arthur’s face.
“Lies, all of it. Never believe a word your mother says.” But Arthur smiled as he said it, and all three boys knew better than to take him seriously. “So, Llacheu, I hear you’re five now.”
Llacheu nodded and settled himself in Gwen’s lap. “We had birthday cake for dinner.”
“For dinner?” Gwen looked down at him, and then at the two older boys. “That sounds like it was your uncle’s idea.” She was going to have a word with Elyan, who Arthur had left in charge while he went off to rescue Gwen.
“We had fruit, too!” Llacheu said, in defense of his uncle. “That’s-“ He stopped mid-sentence when he saw a servant walk in with an armful of gifts wrapped in bright cloth. “Presents!’
As usual, even as wonderful as the rest of the presents were, Llacheu forgot all of them, and completely focused on his new sword, when he finally got to it. And when Gwen and Arthur put the boys to bed a little later, he insisted on sleeping with it.
“I slept with my first sword the day I got it, too,” Arthur told Gwen on their way out of the nursery.
Gwen laughed. “You still sleep with your sword.”
“It’s a very good sword!” He pouted when she laughed. “At least I don’t keep it in the bed.”
“Only because I made a rule against it when we were first married.”
Gwydre
History seemed to repeat itself when Gwydre turned five, and Arthur and Gwen woke up to Gwydre jumping on their bed singing a song he was making up on the spot about how it was his birthday and how he was five. And he was singing loudly.
“Happy happy happy birthday I’m fiveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and there will be caaaaaaaaaake and I’m fiiiiiiiiiiiveeeeeee-“
“That’s a lovely song, Gwydre, but could you please use your inside voice?” Gwen interrupted. “It’s a bit early to be singing loud enough to wake up the entire castle.”
“But mother, I’m five!” He jumped again, and only stopped when Arthur grabbed him, and swung him around. “Everyone knows you forget birthdays so I’m not going to let you forget!”
“Wait, how old are you again?” Arthur asked, clearly teasing the little boy.”I didn’t hear it the first twenty times you said it!”
Gwydre giggled. “I’m five!”
Gwen laughed, and wrapped Gwydre in a hug when Arthur set him down again. “Indeed you are. And what are you going to do with yourself, now that you’re five?”
“Open presents?” Gwydre looked up at her with hopeful eyes, then turned the look on Arthur. “It’s my birthday, so that means I get presents, right?”
Gwen made a show of looking like she was thinking about whether or not they were going to give him his gifts. “I don’t know. Do you deserve presents? What do you think, Arthur?”
“I think turning five is a very important birthday,” he answered, in the most regal, commanding voice he could. “And because it’s a very important birthday, I think gifts are required.”
“Well, then. By royal decree, Gwydre, you shall have your presents.” Gwen stepped out of bed and into her slippers, and went to fetch the birthday gifts. When she came back, Gwydre had started singing again, even louder than before, now that he knew he was going to get gifts.
“And I’m going to have preeeeeseeeentsssssssssss!”
“If you don’t use your indoor voice, Gwydre, I’m sure I can talk the king into reversing his royal decree.” Gwen deposited the gifts on the bed, and sat with him, helping him untie the string and unwrap the cloth if he needed. When they finally got to the sword, Gwen didn’t think any of her older sons had had a more excited reaction then Gwydre. He immediately pulled it out and ran around Arthur and Gwen’s room, stabbing and swinging at invisible opponents while Arthur and Gwen watched.
And he was singing again.
Gwen gave up trying to calm him down, and let him run around for a while longer before buckling his new sword belt around his waist, and sending him back to the nursery to get dressed and ready for breakfast.
Ygraine
Ygraine didn’t have a chance to wake up Arthur and Gwen by jumping on them, because the two of them were already awake and on their way to go see her when she was on her way to see them.
She literally ran full speed straight into Arthur’s legs, and fell backwards. Then she grinned up at the two of them. “Guess what?”
“What’s that?” Arthur asked, offering her a hand to help her up.
“Guess!” She insisted, taking his hand, and not letting go of it when she was back on her feet.
“Hmmm…is it something to do with Merlin?” Gwen asked, taking Ygraine’s free hand. “He did look like he was up to something when I saw him yesterday.”
Ygraine shook her head. “No! Keep guessing!”
Both Arthur and Gwen looked like they were putting thought into what she was making them guess, even though they already knew. “Oh! I know!” Arthur finally exclaimed. “It’s Amhar’s birthday, isn’t it? I can’t believe I forgot again.”
Gwen sighed dramatically. “Every single year, Arthur. Every last one.
Ygraine was jumping up and down, trying to get their attention. “No, it’s not Amhar’s birthday, it’s my birthday.”
“So it is!” Arthur grinned at his daughter, and picked her up for a big hug. “You’re five now, aren’t you?” When she nodded, he put her down, and took her hand again. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
“Birthday cake for dinner!” Ygraine was jumping with excitement.
“I’m never going to forgive Elyan for starting that tradition.” Gwen laughed.
“I don’t see why not. I think it’s my favorite birthday tradition we have.” Arthur laughed, too. “That wasn’t what I meant when I asked you what today means, though.” He gave Ygraine a very serious look. He managed to hold it for around five seconds before he started laughing again. “What else happens on birthdays? Usually in the mornings?”
Ygraine took a minute to think about it. A lot of things happened on birthdays. “Presents?”
“Presents!” Arthur opened up the door to his and Gwen’s bedroom, where they had already put her gifts on the floor. “Go on, then. Open them.”
Ygraine plopped herself down on the floor, and started to open up her presents. There were lots of dolls, and pretty dresses, but, as usual, only one thing mattered. And Gwen wasn’t even surprised when Ygraine opened up her last gift, because she’d had a hand in choosing it.
Ygraine gasped. “I get my own sword?”
Gwen smiled at her. “Why not? All of your brothers got swords when they turned five.”
“And now that you’re big enough to fight back when they pick on you, it should come in handy.” Even though Ygraine was still in her nightgown, Arthur put the belt around her waist, then stepped back to admire his handiwork. “I’ll even teach you how to use it properly, so you can really get them.”
Ygraine thanked both of her parents, and then ran off to go show her brothers her new sword. And, not much later, while they were eating breakfast, Ygraine proudly announced that she had already beaten Gwydre in a duel.
Amhar
“Wake up, wake up, wake up!”
“What’s going on?” Arthur opened an eye, and found his oldest son sitting on the end of the bed. “Something wrong?”
“If something’s wrong, you’re dealing with it.” Gwen’s voice was muffled by the blanket she was pulling over her head. “He’s your son, after all.”
“You’re the one that gave birth to him.” Arthur pointed out.
“I still blame you.”
Amhar ignored his parents’ banter, and crept over the blankets, pulling back the blanket his mother was using to cover her head, then wedged himself firmly between his parents. “It’s my birthday!”
“Is it?” Arthur sat up fully, and pretended to be surprised. “How old are you, now?”
“Four, I think?” Gwen gave in to the fact that Amhar wasn’t going to let her get back to sleep, and sat up, too. “I think he’s four. Are you four?” She teased, and looked at her son, who was shaking his head so vehemently that his already messy hair was getting messier.
“I’m five, mother.” He held up five fingers, for emphasis.
“I do suppose we have had you that long. Time flies.” Arthur mused, a smile on his face. “Though, really, you weren’t born until sometime in the afternoon, so you’re still four until then.”
Amhar pouted at both of them, and they started laughing. Gwen kissed him on the forehead. “Happy birthday.”
Amhar’s face brightened up considerably, and he hugged his mother. “You didn’t really forget, did you?”
“No, of course not.” Gwen hugged him back. “How could we?”
“You’re lucky we didn’t.” Arthur added, pushing himself out of bed and pulling a shirt on. “If we had, you wouldn’t have a pile of presents to open.”
The word presents made Amhar’s eyes go wide. He was expecting them, of course, but hearing his father say it was a completely different thing. It meant he was getting them for sure, and he was getting more than one. “Presents?”
“I suppose you want to open them?”
Amhar was so excited that he didn’t even answer. He just nodded his head so hard Gwen was worried he was going to have a headache. Gwen gently stopped his nodding, and smoothed his hair back, watching Arthur as he disappeared into an antechamber to collected the pile of presents. “You can open some now, but only the ones from us.”
She wasn’t even sure he heard her, because he was too busy bouncing on the bed and watching his father come back into the room with an armload of gifts wrapped in bright cloth. Arthur deposited the gifts on the bed, and took a seat next to Gwen, the two of them watching as he quickly unwrapped item after item, and moved through the pile. There were toys, books, and clothes, but all of these things took a backseat to the last gift, the one at the bottom of the pile.
It was a sword. An Amhar-sized sword, in a scabbard and on a belt that was the perfect size for him. He put it on immediately, and went to examine himself in the mirror, claiming that they had just given him the bestest present ever. When he was done examining himself,, Amhar hugged his parents, and then ran back to the nursery, determined to show his bestest present ever to the nannies and Duran.
When he left, Gwen stood up, and, as she was picking up the discarded cloth and forgotten gifts, and gave her husband a look. “Really? A sword?”
“It’s not sharp, don’t worry.”
Gwen rolled her eyes. “He’s five, Arthur. Did you have to give him a real one? I’m sure he would’ve been just as happy with a wooden sword.”
Arthur shrugged. “He already had plenty of wooden swords. Besides, I got my first real sword at five.”
Gwen sighed, but dropped it. Amhar already had the sword, and there was no point in arguing with Arthur about it.
Duran
Duran’s fifth birthday started out with much less of a bang than Amhar’s. Duran, who was much more subded than his older brother, waited until breakfast with his family to announce that it was his birthday. Arthur and Gwen, of course, never wanting to miss an opportunity to tease their children, spent the first half of the meal pretending it was business as usual.
Gwen busied herself with cutting fruit into small pieces, and feeding it to Llacheu. “Have you heard anything from the border yet?”
Arthur was clearly, at least to Gwen, hiding a smile. “A messenger arrived this morning, actually. Things seem to be going much better now that Lancelot has taken charge.”
Finally, Duran couldn’t take it anymore. “Mother? Father?”
“Yes, Duran?” Gwen turned her attention from the squirming baby to her second born. “What is it?”
“My birthday!” He blurted out, then covered his mouth. “I mean, today’s my birthday. I’m five!”
“That explains the pile of presents your mother’s been hiding under our bed for the past few days!” Arthur exclaimed, and stood up. “Happy birthday!”
“He didn’t really forget.” Gwen whispered loudly enough for all of the children to hear. “He’s just being silly.”
“Kings are not silly!” Arthur shouted from the opposite end of the dining room, where he was collecting Duran’s gifts. “That’s the queen’s job.”
Gwen rolled her eyes, and all three of the children laughed. “Your sons agree with me.”
Arthur put Duran’s gifts on the floor next to his chair, and handed Duran the first one. “That’s just because they don’t know any better.”
Gwen let out a very un-ladylike snort, and smiled at Duran. “Well, go ahead and open it. You’ve got a whole pile to work on, and we don’t have all day.”
Duran immediately sprang into action, and got to work on opening his gifts, moving just as quickly from gift to gift as Amhar had, three years before. He was very excited about a set of wooden knights and horses, and wanted to play with them right then and there at the breakfast table, but Arthur stopped him before he got too distracted by handing him his last gift.
Just as Amhar had done on his fifth birthday, Duran completely forgot all about his other presents when he untied and unwrapped the cloth that covered his last gift. When he did, he found himself staring at his very own, brand new sword.
He was quiet for a moment, taking it all in. “Is this for me?”
Arthur laughed. “Your name was on the wrapping, wasn’t it?”
“Thank you, father!” Duran jumped out of his seat, ran the few steps it took him to reach Arthur, and hugged him. Then he let go, ran to Gwen, and hugged her. “You, too, Mother.”
“You’re welcome.” Gwen hugged back, then let him go. “Go play with your new toys.”
Duran, with Amhar’s help, strapped his new sword belt on, grabbed his box of wooden knights, and ran off with his brother to enjoy his gifts.
As Gwen stood up, she eyed Arthur, much like she’d done the last time he’d given their five year old son a sword. “Llacheu’s going to be getting a sword on his fifth birthday as well, isn’t he?”
“It wouldn’t do to have his two older brothers get swords on their fifth birthday, and not follow suit with him, would it?” Arthur lifted Llacheu out of his high chair, and grinned at his wife. “And the same with every child after that.”
“What makes you think you’re getting another child?”
Arthur just smiled and kissed her. Gwen rolled her eyes.
Llacheu
Arthur and Gwen nearly missed Llacheu’s fifth birthday. There had been an unfortunate event with a rival kingdom that resulted in Gwen being kidnapped and Arthur and his knights having to rescue her a few days before, and they’d finally made it back to the castle the evening of his birthday. Gwen considered it lucky that they’d had the gifts already wrapped before the whole thing had happened.
Amhar, now twelve, met them on the castle steps, and launched himself into his mother’s arms as soon as she’d dismounted her horse. Gwen smiled, and hugged the crown prince, who barely let her hug him anymore, afraid it would ruin his image as a big, tough, manly crown prince. She stroked his hair and made soothing noises as he clung to her. “I missed you, too.”
Amhar stepped back after another moment, and straightened his clothes. “Llacheu’s upset. He thought you wouldn’t be back in time for his birthday?”
“You haven’t been telling him horror stories about how we always “forget” yours and Duran’s birthdays, have you?” Arthur was pretty sure Amhar had told Llacheu the story of Duran’s fifth birthday at least once. And, of course, Llacheu had been there for the time Arthur and Gwen had “forgotten” Amhar’s twelfth birthday.
“Not at all.” Amhar answered, almost too innocently, following his parents into the castle. “Why would I do that?”
“You love torturing your younger siblings.” Gwen pointed out, knowing all too well about the stories Amhar told Llacheu and Duran. “Speaking of your younger siblings, where are they?”
“In the nursery.” Amhar took it upon himself to lead the way. “Duran’s trying to make him Llacheu feel better.”
Arthur and Gwen didn’t even bother taking the time to change, or even wash up before going to see their younger sons. When they walked into the room, both boys hugged Gwen with so much force that she nearly fell over. “Well, hello, you two.”
When they finally freed her, Llacheu tugged on Gwen’s hand to get her attention. “Mother, Amhar says you never remember birthdays, and I remember you forgot his last birthday, but Duran says you and father are just silly and you don’t really forget and in case you did forget today’s my birthday and I’m five now.”
Gwen laughed, and ruffled his hair. “Duran’s right. We never really forget. Well, I don’t. I don’t know about your father.” She smirked, and looked over at Arthur. “But sometimes I think he’d forget to put on pants in the morning, if I didn’t remind him.”
Arthur had been distracted by asking a servant to bring the gifts from his and Gwen’s room, and only caught the last part of her statement. “What kind of things are you telling them about me this time?”
“You’d forget everything, if Mother wasn’t here to remind you.” Duran summed up, laughing at the look on Arthur’s face.
“Lies, all of it. Never believe a word your mother says.” But Arthur smiled as he said it, and all three boys knew better than to take him seriously. “So, Llacheu, I hear you’re five now.”
Llacheu nodded and settled himself in Gwen’s lap. “We had birthday cake for dinner.”
“For dinner?” Gwen looked down at him, and then at the two older boys. “That sounds like it was your uncle’s idea.” She was going to have a word with Elyan, who Arthur had left in charge while he went off to rescue Gwen.
“We had fruit, too!” Llacheu said, in defense of his uncle. “That’s-“ He stopped mid-sentence when he saw a servant walk in with an armful of gifts wrapped in bright cloth. “Presents!’
As usual, even as wonderful as the rest of the presents were, Llacheu forgot all of them, and completely focused on his new sword, when he finally got to it. And when Gwen and Arthur put the boys to bed a little later, he insisted on sleeping with it.
“I slept with my first sword the day I got it, too,” Arthur told Gwen on their way out of the nursery.
Gwen laughed. “You still sleep with your sword.”
“It’s a very good sword!” He pouted when she laughed. “At least I don’t keep it in the bed.”
“Only because I made a rule against it when we were first married.”
Gwydre
History seemed to repeat itself when Gwydre turned five, and Arthur and Gwen woke up to Gwydre jumping on their bed singing a song he was making up on the spot about how it was his birthday and how he was five. And he was singing loudly.
“Happy happy happy birthday I’m fiveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and there will be caaaaaaaaaake and I’m fiiiiiiiiiiiveeeeeee-“
“That’s a lovely song, Gwydre, but could you please use your inside voice?” Gwen interrupted. “It’s a bit early to be singing loud enough to wake up the entire castle.”
“But mother, I’m five!” He jumped again, and only stopped when Arthur grabbed him, and swung him around. “Everyone knows you forget birthdays so I’m not going to let you forget!”
“Wait, how old are you again?” Arthur asked, clearly teasing the little boy.”I didn’t hear it the first twenty times you said it!”
Gwydre giggled. “I’m five!”
Gwen laughed, and wrapped Gwydre in a hug when Arthur set him down again. “Indeed you are. And what are you going to do with yourself, now that you’re five?”
“Open presents?” Gwydre looked up at her with hopeful eyes, then turned the look on Arthur. “It’s my birthday, so that means I get presents, right?”
Gwen made a show of looking like she was thinking about whether or not they were going to give him his gifts. “I don’t know. Do you deserve presents? What do you think, Arthur?”
“I think turning five is a very important birthday,” he answered, in the most regal, commanding voice he could. “And because it’s a very important birthday, I think gifts are required.”
“Well, then. By royal decree, Gwydre, you shall have your presents.” Gwen stepped out of bed and into her slippers, and went to fetch the birthday gifts. When she came back, Gwydre had started singing again, even louder than before, now that he knew he was going to get gifts.
“And I’m going to have preeeeeseeeentsssssssssss!”
“If you don’t use your indoor voice, Gwydre, I’m sure I can talk the king into reversing his royal decree.” Gwen deposited the gifts on the bed, and sat with him, helping him untie the string and unwrap the cloth if he needed. When they finally got to the sword, Gwen didn’t think any of her older sons had had a more excited reaction then Gwydre. He immediately pulled it out and ran around Arthur and Gwen’s room, stabbing and swinging at invisible opponents while Arthur and Gwen watched.
And he was singing again.
Gwen gave up trying to calm him down, and let him run around for a while longer before buckling his new sword belt around his waist, and sending him back to the nursery to get dressed and ready for breakfast.
Ygraine
Ygraine didn’t have a chance to wake up Arthur and Gwen by jumping on them, because the two of them were already awake and on their way to go see her when she was on her way to see them.
She literally ran full speed straight into Arthur’s legs, and fell backwards. Then she grinned up at the two of them. “Guess what?”
“What’s that?” Arthur asked, offering her a hand to help her up.
“Guess!” She insisted, taking his hand, and not letting go of it when she was back on her feet.
“Hmmm…is it something to do with Merlin?” Gwen asked, taking Ygraine’s free hand. “He did look like he was up to something when I saw him yesterday.”
Ygraine shook her head. “No! Keep guessing!”
Both Arthur and Gwen looked like they were putting thought into what she was making them guess, even though they already knew. “Oh! I know!” Arthur finally exclaimed. “It’s Amhar’s birthday, isn’t it? I can’t believe I forgot again.”
Gwen sighed dramatically. “Every single year, Arthur. Every last one.
Ygraine was jumping up and down, trying to get their attention. “No, it’s not Amhar’s birthday, it’s my birthday.”
“So it is!” Arthur grinned at his daughter, and picked her up for a big hug. “You’re five now, aren’t you?” When she nodded, he put her down, and took her hand again. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
“Birthday cake for dinner!” Ygraine was jumping with excitement.
“I’m never going to forgive Elyan for starting that tradition.” Gwen laughed.
“I don’t see why not. I think it’s my favorite birthday tradition we have.” Arthur laughed, too. “That wasn’t what I meant when I asked you what today means, though.” He gave Ygraine a very serious look. He managed to hold it for around five seconds before he started laughing again. “What else happens on birthdays? Usually in the mornings?”
Ygraine took a minute to think about it. A lot of things happened on birthdays. “Presents?”
“Presents!” Arthur opened up the door to his and Gwen’s bedroom, where they had already put her gifts on the floor. “Go on, then. Open them.”
Ygraine plopped herself down on the floor, and started to open up her presents. There were lots of dolls, and pretty dresses, but, as usual, only one thing mattered. And Gwen wasn’t even surprised when Ygraine opened up her last gift, because she’d had a hand in choosing it.
Ygraine gasped. “I get my own sword?”
Gwen smiled at her. “Why not? All of your brothers got swords when they turned five.”
“And now that you’re big enough to fight back when they pick on you, it should come in handy.” Even though Ygraine was still in her nightgown, Arthur put the belt around her waist, then stepped back to admire his handiwork. “I’ll even teach you how to use it properly, so you can really get them.”
Ygraine thanked both of her parents, and then ran off to go show her brothers her new sword. And, not much later, while they were eating breakfast, Ygraine proudly announced that she had already beaten Gwydre in a duel.