Uther sighed as he stared up at the ceiling, Merlin in the bed next to him. Apparently after hearing of Merlin’s “heroism” against “Vortigern’s attack,” Aurelius decided it was best to have such a skilled wizard near his little brother at all times. Whoop-de-sarding-doo. Honestly, it was fun having Merlin around—he was so amusing—but being babysat like this was humiliating.

As for Merlin, this was actually a lot of fun. After years of sleeping out on the streets or miles away from the nearest human being, spending the night in a friend’s room was a dream. Really, this entire situation was, and that was not even mentioning all the new people he got to meet! Aurelius was serious, but much nicer than Uther, and once Merlin got him talking, admitted to liking most of the same things he did. The man even recommended some books, which Merlin was just itching to read, right after he finished the one he was currently on.

He knew it was a good idea to get some rest, but the bed was just so comfortable and he knew a small light spell that wouldn’t bother Uther, so he just continued reading far past the sun’s farewell. When he finally got to the last page, he set the book on a small table beside him and glanced over at Uther, just to see how he was. The prince looked like he was still awake, tossing and twitching on the bed in a desperate effort to get to sleep. “Would you like a sleep spell?” Merlin asked softly. Uther gave him no response, but his hand clenched the pillow as he turned toward Merlin. His eyelids were closed, but the eyes underneath dashed back and forth.

Merlin sat up and slipped out of bed, creeping over to Uther. He hesitated for a few seconds, then grabbed Uther’s shoulder and shook him. The prince’s eyes snapped open and he jerked upright, barely avoiding slamming into Merlin. His breathing was harsh and shallow, pupils dilated and twitching by the light of Merlin’s spell. He intermittently muttered fragments of words, pleadings and barely restrained cries.

Smooth violet ribbons formed around Merlin’s fingers as he placed his hand on the back of Uther’s head. Quickly with the aid of magic, Uther calmed down to the point where he was breathing normally again. He glanced over at Merlin, eyes still a little wild, then buried his face in his hands. “Thanks for pulling me out of that,” he muttered, the words breaking through the night’s silence.

“Don’t worry about it.” Merlin grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Nightmares aren’t fun.”

Uther laughed, bitterness infecting his tone. “Just a nightmare, right. If that was all it was, I’d just go running to my father and ask him to make everything better. Oh, wait.”

Merlin looked down. He knew what happened, but hearing Uther talk about it just felt different. “Were you there when he…”

“If you say, ‘died’ I’ll stab you,” Uther warned.

“I was going to say, ‘was killed,” Merlin replied.

The prince fell silent for a few moments and a slight, cruel smile made its way on his face. “You keep reminding me why I like you,” he commented. “Died’ makes it sound like it just happened, as if his heart gave out or he caught some fatal plague. My father was murdered.”

Merlin remained silent as Uther continued, as it seemed he really needed to talk about this. “I didn’t see Vortigern kill him, I just saw his body moments after. Can you imagine how awful it is for a child, not even old enough for riding lessons, to see his father’s body on the floor right after the blade first pierced his body?” Uther laughed again, sadder and angrier than before. “I can’t either, because Vortigern picked him up by the collar like a dead puppy, dragged him into the court, and threw his corpse at our feet. Aurelius was splashed with his goddamned blood!” It took a few moments for Uther to collect himself again, and when he did, his voice was much meeker, although still angry and sad. “If mother didn’t hold him off, if the knights didn’t aid our escape, that cowardly traitor would’ve slaughtered us, too.”

He seemed finished for now. Merlin took a deep breath and said in what he hoped was a properly reassuring tone, “You’ll take back your kingdom from him, one day.”

“I don’t care about the kingdom!” Uther’s tears were flowing hot and fast. “I only want to see Aurelius on the throne! I want my father’s legacy out of that piece of shit’s power! I want Vortigern ground into the dirt and manure. I want him begging for his life! I want him to feel all the pain he’s ever caused and scream in agony for eternity! I want my father and mother back, but that’s never going to happen!”

Merlin looked away, biting his lip as Uther settled back into bed, apparently worn out. “Merlin? Could you just sit there until I fall asleep again?” The prince hesitated, then added, “Please?”

Merlin grabbed his hand again, giving him his answer.