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“Finally, we’re alone,” Merlin sighs theatrically, shutting the front door and swaying dramatically into Arthur’s arms which wind themselves around his waist. Arthur breathes a laugh, nuzzling Merlin’s nose with his own as Merlin slides his hands up Arthur’s biceps.
“Hm,” Arthur hums contemplatively. “However will we manage to occupy ourselves?”
Merlin bites his lip as though in deep thought then peers at Arthur through hooded eyes, voice purposely low when he speaks. “I can think of a few ways. Can’t you?”
Arthur allows his eyes to rake up and down Merlin’s form slowly before a smirk crosses his face. “You’re right. There’s still laundry to do and we haven’t gone grocery shopping this month yet. Not to mention-”
“You’re a dick,” Merlin huffs, shoving Arthur’s shoulder.
“Keep talking like that and you won’t get to see mine,” Arthur threatens. The doorbell goes off before Merlin can answer and their hands drop from each other. “Wonder what they forgot.”
Merlin rips the door open, Arthur freezing behind his shoulder. Standing before them is a thin, pale woman with long dark hair, striking green eyes and blood red lips. Merlin recognizes his almost-wife from all the pictures he’s seen.
“Morgana,” Arthur breathes, his voice merely a whisper. Merlin steps back into his husband's space, lending him support without a word.
“Hello, Arthur. Can I come in?” Morgana asks softly, eyes flickering from Arthur to Merlin and then back to Arthur who nods, shifting so she can pass. Without waiting, she moves into the adjacent living room, the action so natural Merlin’s sure it’s more out of habit than any actual thought. He uses the time to reach out and take hold of Arthur’s hand, giving it a strong squeeze.
Arthur looks at him, eyes lost and unsure, and Merlin darts forward to press a hard kiss to his lips, knowing it’s what he needs. “Do you want me to come with you?”
Arthur searches his eyes for a bit before he shakes his head. “No. I think I need to talk to her alone for a bit.”
“Okay. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
Arthur nods then waits for Merlin to disappear around the corner before he takes a deep breath to steady himself as he goes to join his sister whom he hasn’t seen in around three years.
Morgana gives him a weak smile when he takes the seat opposite her but he can’t find it in himself to respond the same way. Three years is a long time to disappear for.
“Why are you here?” Arthur asks bluntly, the bitter coldness in his voice shocking even him. Apparently they were getting right to it, then.
“I-I missed you,” Morgana responds, more unsure than Arthur’s ever seen her.
“You missed me,” Arthur enunciates before he makes a derisive sound. “It’s been three years and now you’ve suddenly decided that you miss me?”
Morgana looks hurt for a moment before she nods in acceptance. “You have every right to be mad at me but it’s true. I’m sorry I left, Arthur, and I’m especially sorry that I left you to the wolves. I was in love with someone else so when I heard that I was going to be forced into a loveless marriage with a stranger, I did the selfish thing and I ran. I never stopped to think that you would be forced to take my place, that I was forcing my fate onto you.”
“I’m not mad about that part, Morgana. I understood why you ran the second I found out you had disappeared.”
Morgana frowns, obviously caught off-guard and Arthur continues.
“Merlin, the man I married, means the world to me. He’s everything I could’ve ever wished for and more. He gave Lily another parent and he completed our family. I have three other children now, thanks to him. I’m happier than I ever thought I could be. I forgave you for running a long time ago because if you hadn’t, my life would’ve been completely different. If you and Merlin had gotten married, you would’ve fallen in love with him because it’s impossible not to and likewise, he would’ve fallen for you given the time and opportunity. And I would’ve been the unlucky bastard that was in love with his sister’s husband because there’s no universe where I wouldn’t love him. So yeah, I’m grateful that you ran when you did, that you stuck me in a marriage with him.”
“So then why are you so angry?”
And that question alone, the fact that Morgana who he thought knew him the best (pre-Merlin), would even ask that—he’s not sure if he’s more angry or hurt.
“How can you even ask me that? Three years, Morgana, three bloody years.”
“I know,” Morgana moans. “I know how long it’s been, Arthur, believe me, I do. Just—just tell me why you’re mad at me, please.”
He scoffs, shaking his head but he swallows the feelings bubbling up in his throat and begins to explain.
“I’m upset because you never bothered to try to reach out to me. Do you have any idea how much it hurt to know the one person I thought I could depend on to always be there, the one person who was always by my side, the one person who knew everything about me just disappeared without a word? After everything we’ve been through, you just fucking abandoned me! I kept trying to justify it to myself. Maybe you just needed time, surely you’d come back once you felt like it was safe. But then months passed and it was my birthday and Christmas and all these holidays that you’d always been a part of and nothing! Not a call, a text, not even a bloody postcard in the mail! It was like you had never existed. And I tried calling, I did. I even hired someone to try to find you but you covered your tracks, probably to hide from Uther and I can understand that. But I still can’t understand why you felt the need to hide from me.”
“Arthur,” She whispers sadly, watching as he runs a hand through his hair and laughs wetly, eyes glistening with emotion.
“You know, I never understood why you kept it a secret. We’ve gone through everything together since you first came to live with us. I could never figure out why you didn’t tell me about the contract. Merlin and I discussed it in enough detail to know you had enough time to come to me with it. We could’ve figured something else out. I mean, like I’ve said, I’m glad we didn’t but the principle still stands. Do I really mean that little to you, Morgana? After everything, am I still nothing more than Uther’s son in your eyes?”
Morgana looks stricken and Arthur clenches his hands into fists and relaxes them, over and over as he waits for her to say something.
“I—oh God, Arthur, I never wanted to make you feel like that. Of course not, you’re my baby brother. You’re one of the most important people in my life and that’s why I didn’t reach out. I don’t know why I didn’t tell you. I don’t have an excuse for that. Maybe I was scared you’d talk me into going through with it, I don’t know. I panicked when I found out and I reacted poorly and that’s on me, not you. Never you. I didn’t stop to think about what would happen when I ran and then I found out that you had gotten married to Merlin. I knew that you were forced to take my place and I thought you’d hate me for it. For ruining your life, your chance of finding someone. I thought I had forced you into a loveless marriage because I was selfish and I didn’t think you could ever forgive that. I couldn’t come back to your hatred, Arthur, I couldn’t bear it. We were all each other had for so long and I couldn’t face what I had done to you and the consequences of my actions so I stayed away like a coward. I didn’t know that it had all worked out for you or that you’d had more children, three did you say?”
Arthur can’t help the small smile that graces his face at the thought of his children but he doesn’t allow her to change the subject. He knows if he does, if he starts talking about them with her, they’ll fall back into old habits and everything will be swept under the rug. He’d rather deal with it all now. He already knows he’ll forgive her, he already has. He’ll accept her explanations and lick his wounds later, alone, but for now he wants to hear what she has to say.
“So what changed? Why could you suddenly face me?”
“Gwaine, the man I’m in love with, he proposed to me. I said yes and we started discussing the wedding and I realized that I don’t want to get married without you there. It’s such a big thing in my life and I need you to be a part of it so I decided it was time to come back. I was prepared to beg and grovel, you know. I still am.”
Arthur breathes a laugh, knowing that his sister does not beg. She doesn’t even like to ask for things. She grins at him in return and he rolls his eyes, spreading his arms wide. “Come here,” He sighs and she doesn’t hesitate to fall into his hug, squeezing him as tight as she can. He can feel her tears against his neck even though she’s barely making a sound and he closes his eyes against the burn in them, burying his face in her hair. Morgana rarely cries. She’s always in control of her emotions. He can distinctly remember each time he’s seen her cry in all the time he’s known her.
“Does Uther know you’re here? And getting married?” Arthur asks after a while.
“God, no,” She scoffs. “I know you put up with him because you’re soft-hearted like that-”
“Not because I’m an idiot? Guess you really have missed me,” Arthur interjects, unwilling to let the chance slip now that he can finally banter with her again.
“Oh, shut up. As I was saying, I want nothing to do with him. We’ve never seen eye-to-eye before but him trying to force me to marry was the last straw. Don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely thrilled it all worked out for you but I can’t let it go.”
Arthur wants to defend his father, he really does, because Uther is still their father despite all his shortcomings but he can also understand where Morgana’s coming from so he lets it go.
“Are you going to tell him about the wedding then?”
“No,” Morgana smiles. “It’s not like I need him for anything. You’re the one who’s going to walk me down the aisle.”
Arthur gapes at her. “Me?”
“Who else? Like you said, we’ve been through everything together. You’re the only one I’d ever want to give me away.”
“I’d be honoured,” Arthur swears, pulling her into another hug.
“Everything okay in here?” Merlin asks, poking his head around the doorframe.
“Yeah, yeah, come here,” Arthur says, letting go of Morgana and reaching a hand out to Merlin. “Merlin, this is Morgana, Morgana, this is Merlin.”
Morgana grins at him but Merlin simply nods his head in acknowledgement, taking a seat next to Arthur. Arthur rolls his eyes fondly, knowing that Merlin is being cold because he knows how heavily Morgana’s absence weighed on him. He nudges Merlin’s side, giving him a look that he hopes he’ll interpret as ‘It’s all good now, be nice.’
“Er,” Morgana speaks up, looking between the two of them. “You mentioned three children earlier?”
Arthur smiles, settling into the seat with an arm draped across Merlin’s shoulder. “River’s two. He’s Merlin’s biological son. His girlfriend got pregnant around the time we got married. Her name was Freya and she was amazing. I’ll tell you about her sometime, you would’ve loved her. River’s the perfect mix of the both of them and he’s an absolute sweetheart. And then a few months ago, we adopted Mordred and Sefa. They’re biological siblings. Mordred’s six and he could pass as Merlin’s son easily. He’s quiet and a little shy at first but he’s brilliant. As soon as you get him talking, he’s got so much to say. Absolutely precious. Sefa’s the oldest. She’s almost twelve but she’s had a lot to deal with so she’s very mature. She reminds me a lot of you at that age, to be honest. I’m positive she’s going to give you attitude the second you meet and you’ll probably get into an argument but eventually you two are going to become tight and your relationship will give me nightmares.”
Merlin snorts, the coldness from before vanishing at the image in his mind. He’s heard enough stories about Morgana to know that Arthur’s not exaggerating. “And grey hairs. Don’t forget about that.”
“Shut up, Merlin,” Arthur demands because he’s a prat who refuses to even think about going grey.
“They sound delightful. I can’t wait to meet them.”
“They’re out with my mum but maybe you can stick around? Be here when they get back?” Merlin offers and Arthur squeezes his shoulder. The last thing he wanted was for Merlin to hold a grudge against Morgana.
“I will, thank you,” She smiles and Arthur stands.
“I think this deserves some drinks. What’re we having? Beer? Wine? Whiskey? Bailey’s?”
“Surprise us,” Merlin responds and Arthur disappears into the corridor.
Morgana’s smile fades and she chews on her lip nervously before asking the next question. “What about Lily? How’s she doing?”
Merlin’s face turns back to stone. “She blamed herself for you disappearing,” He gets out, his tone bitter. “She asked me if Arthur was wrong and it really was something she did that scared her mum away because you told her she was perfect and you’d never leave her and then you did. It took some convincing but she knows that she’s not responsible for either of your actions now but that doesn’t change the fact that you hurt her and you hurt Arthur.”
“I’m sorry,” Morgana pleads and Merlin shrugs, crossing his arms.
“She’s the one you need to say that to.”
“I will, Merlin, I swear.”
Merlin nods, then sighs. “Look, I know I’m the one who just offered for you to stay but I need to ask. Do you intend on sticking around, permanently? As in, do you intend on being present in their lives again or is there a chance that you’re going to disappear again? Because if there’s even the slightest chance then you need to leave, right now. I will not let you hurt them like that ever again.”
“I’m not. I’m here to stay. I’ve explained everything to Arthur already and I’ll explain it all to her, too. I’m not going to hurt them, either one of them, ever again. I’m moving back here and I’m going to stay here. I want to be a part of their lives again. I want to be a part of yours and your children’s too.”
“Okay,” Merlin says. “Look, I’m not trying to be a jerk, okay? I don’t have anything against you personally. I think it’d be great for them to have an aunt around and I know Arthur’s happy to have you back because he and Lily really have missed you but they’re my family and I need to protect them when they won’t do it themselves. Arthur will forgive you just about anything but he’s lost enough people already. It’s not fair for him to have to go through that again. ”
Morgana looks at him contemplatively. “I understand. You really do love him, don’t you?”
Merlin’s eyes meet hers. “I do. More than anything.”
“Good. I’m glad he has someone to look out for him. I’ll earn your trust, Merlin. I promise you that.”
~*~
Morgana’s wedding is beautiful. It’s smaller than Arthur ever thought Morgana’s wedding would ever be, the guests consisting mainly of friends. Uther hadn’t been invited as he and Morgana came to the mutual agreement that they wanted nothing to do with each other. Arthur’s still in contact with him but more often than not, they only speak when it concerns work. Surprisingly, he's made his peace with that.
Morgana had made a gorgeous bride, as Arthur knew she would, and he’d had an even harder time letting go of her to pass her onto Gwaine than he’d anticipated. It was very emotional for them both, as evidenced by the tear stains on Merlin’s jacket and the mascara on Gwaine’s pocket square.
Lily had forgiven Morgana, eventually, after a lot of begging and apologizing and bribes. As predicted, Sefa and Morgana most definitely had not gotten off on the right foot but only because Sefa was pissed on her father and sister’s behalf. She couldn’t understand ever leaving them behind like that and she was not willing to forgive.
They’re not the best of friends—yet—but they’re amicable with each other now and Arthur knows it’s only a matter of time before the nightmares start. Sefa and Lily were both the flower girls while River and Mordred were the ring bearers. Mordred had taken to Morgana almost immediately, mainly because she had talked about dragons and unicorns with him for over an hour without getting bored.
River loved her because River loved everyone, especially when they coddled him and gave him all their attention.
Safe to say, everything was working out perfectly in Arthur’s life.
“May I have this dance, Mr. Pendragon?” Merlin asks formally, holding his hand out for Arthur as the music changed to something slower and more romantic.
“That’s Mr. Emrys-Pendragon to you,” Arthur chastises but allows Merlin to pull him to his feet.
Merlin rolls his eyes, cheeks pink from the champagne and his hair falling in his face. Arthur brushes it aside, the other hand wrapping around Merlin’s waist. “You’re still the worst lightweight I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m not drunk. A little tipsy, yes, but not drunk. It’s why I’ve switched to water,” Merlin defends and Arthur laughs, leaning his forehead against Merlin’s, brushing his lips against his.
“I want to get married,” Merlin confesses in a whisper and Arthur pulls back to raise an eyebrow at him.
“You just said you weren’t drunk,” He points out.
“No, I mean, I want a proper wedding. I want us to get married surrounded by all our friends and family and I want our children there this time,” He explains and Arthur visibly softens.
“We could renew our vows,” He suggests and Merlin snorts.
“We could actually have vows this time,” He corrects and Arthur huffs.
“Let it go, Merlin,” Arthur demands.
Merlin grins. “Marry me with real vows and I will.”
“Well, if I must,” Arthur sighs, trying his hardest to look put out and Merlin kisses him very briefly before his lips stretch out into a grin.
“You must. You deserve to have that big fairy tale wedding I know you’ve always wanted.”
Arthur makes a face. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. I’m not the one who needs a fancy wedding.”
“Oh, but you want it. You’re a sap. The most romantic sap I’ve ever met. I know for sure you’ve thought about it but never said it aloud.”
“Nope. No clue what you’re talking about. I am most definitely not a sap.”
“It’s alright. I’ll make sure we get our happily ever after, don’t you worry.”
“And who says we haven’t already gotten that?”
“You can’t say you’re not a sap and then just go right ahead and be a sap, Arthur, it doesn’t work like that.”
“Oh just shut up and kiss me,” Arthur laughs.
“Gladly,” Merlin wraps his arms around Arthur’s neck and pulls him as close as possible, kissing him with all the love he could muster. Yeah, they definitely already had their happily ever after.