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Arthur had thought it was the end of the world when it was announced that Gwen was expecting a baby.
He was happy for them, of course, but Merlin was already lax at his job at the best of times. He knew Gwen wouldn't put up with being the sole carer, so that definitely meant no skipping dad duty for Merlin.
Not that Merlin would neglect his role anyway, he was the most devoted lovesop idiot Arthur had ever come across and was visibly ecstatic about the baby. It just meant that the little attention he paid to his job would soon shift to the sprog.
Arthur dreaded and dreaded and then the small angel arrived. She had everyone wrapped around her tiny finger in an enviously short amount of time.
Arthur was just the first of many.
Merlin had started taking the baby with him to attend Arthur, he'd fashioned this horrendous and rather ugly sash-harness that strapped the baby to his front as he went about doing his tasks. He spent his time cooing at the small child instead of spouting his usual inane chatter.
Arthur had kept his distance at first, aware that small children were noisy, easily startled and often unable to control unpleasant bodily functions.
Arthur had managed to resist Merlin's pride tinged insistence that he properly meet their daughter, Cerys. He was quite content from where he was.
Merlin had dropped something and was struggling to balance the baby as he reached for it. Taking pity, Arthur picked it up instead.
In doing so, he made the mistake of looking into the folded covers of material where Cerys resided to see the most adorable baby in existence.
He was doomed.
He knew he'd spend the kingdom's fortune on this baby and Merlin knew it too if his grin was any indication.
&&&&
Gwen was just passing the Rising Sun when she saw Gwaine. He was about to head in, no doubt to make mischief and have more than his fair share of pints. Gwaine noticed her too.
He tottered over, despite the fact that he hadn't had anything to drink yet, he seemed to have a drunkards walk. Swagger, he'd always protest. It was swagger.
Whatever it was, it did seem to make him popular with both the lads and the ladies.
"Gwen!" He kissed both her cheeks.
"You've been keeping our boy busy, us lot never seen him anymore," he said in jest. The other knights were behind him and they waved.
The baby stirred awake and made a gurgling noise. Gwaine jumped back, surprised.
"Ah, there she is, the Merlin-thief." It was said with a playful tone.
Cerys shifted to look at the stranger, as if to give an accusatory glance.
"Oh my god," Gwaine said. "Percy come look. She has Merlin's nose and Gwen's eyes. She's also perfected the Merlin glare. And at such a young age."
Percy was beckoned over and gazed upon Cerys. The slight lift of his eyebrows was confirmation of Gwaine's observations.
"You must be so proud," Gwaine said, voice softened.
Cerys decided Gwaine wasn't terrible and she stretched, her hand patted at Gwaine's sleeve.
Gwaine was soon cooing over her. He bent his head closer and Cerys took the opportunity to grab a fistful of dangling hair and yank.
Gwen laughed then admonished Cerys gently and got her to let go.
Gwen was about to apologise when she noticed Gwaine wasn't upset, in fact he was grinning.
"Got a feisty one, aye. Can't say I'm surprised. We'll let you get on," he nudged Percy's shoulder.
Percy leaned over. "Goodbye, little lady," he said and the two went into the pub.
Gwen smothered a smile on her way back. She couldn't wait to get home and tell Merlin about the hair pulling incident.
&&&&
The winter was harsh but Merlin and Gwen had made do. However not everyone was coping so well with the frost and the dripping noses that were ushered in which the changing season.
Cerys' face was red and flushed, an immovable dark smudge was noticable on her right cheek. She made her discomfort known with loud bawling wails.
They'd brought her swaddled, late in the night to Gaius' chambers.
Cerys wailed and cried and tore at the material that she felt was imprisoning her.
They'd been surprised to see that Leon was also there. He'd complained of leg pain during practice and worried he'd strained a muscle, it had made him unable to sleep.
He'd just rolled his trouser cuff back down when the couple with the screaming baby came in.
"Oh, hello," he greeted, startled somewhat by the screeching creature. "Good lord, is she alright?"
"Doesn't sound like it. Let's have a look then," Gaius said, intervening.
Merlin and Gwen fretted and Leon lingered whilst Gaius examined her. He then went off to tinker with his potions, looking for a remedy.
Leon came closer and Cerys quieted for a moment before a fresh bout of tears sprung anew in her eyes.
"Oh now, now," Leon said. He knelt down and hid his face behind his hands.
Cerys' tears had stopped, curiosity temporarily muting her. Leon uncovered his eyes suddenly and said "Peekaboo."
She seemed puzzled but happier. Leon repeated the action a few times and Cerys even smiled. Gwen and Merlin watched with amazement. However the smile soon dissolved into more tears.
Leon was also fretting now, trying to improve the child's mood whilst they waited on a verdict. Leon felt anxious for her, she was usually such a sweet and charming child.
For her to be this upset, something just be seriously wrong.
Their fears were soon abated when Gaius came back smiling.
"Well, what is it?" Gwen enquired.
"Her first tooth is coming through."
Merlin looked to Gwen, relief swept over their features. They both beamed.
Leon took that as his queue to leave but before he left, he did one last peekaboo and saw Cerys smile again.
&&&&
Gwen was admiring the gold ring on her finger. Their anniversary was coming up soon.
She'd forged the ring herself and Merlin's too. Their wedding rings were her proudest creation aside from their daughter.
She already had the two most precious things in the world. Yet, there was another gift awaiting her that she didn't know about.
A wrapped parcel lay on the table when she returned home. Merlin wasn't finished with his duties yet and he had left before Gwen, so it couldn't possibly be from him.
He could've had someone else drop it off, Gwen thought, but it wasn't their anniversary or anything.
She panicked suddenly. Oh god, it wasn't their anniversary, was it?
No, no. Not for another week. She breathed a sigh of relief.
She unwrapped it carefully and found a small note in familiar handwriting.
"For Cerys," Gwen read aloud.
It was a tiny golden rattle. Gwen shook it and it made a high ringing sound.
It must be from Arthur. Gwen was endeared by the thoughtful gift.
Gwen knew Merlin would be touched when he saw it, so much so that she wanted to stave off the surprise. She rewrapped the present and left it on the counter.
They'd open it together, when Merlin returned, so that Gwen could watch his expression.
&&&&
The next day came and another present arrived. This time both Merlin and Gwen were at home.
The knock on the door was unexpected and when Merlin went to check who had visited he found nothing but a small package wedged against the doorframe.
He picked it up and brought it to Gwen. "Another gift?"
"It must be."
The wrapping was much neater this time. To their surprise, the present wasn't from Arthur.
What lay within was one of Gwen's own childhood toys. She'd gasped and held it to her for a moment before looking again.
"Leon!" She exclaimed, having realised the identity of the gift giver.
She laughed, joyous. "I can't believe he kept it all this time. Oh, Cerys will love this!"
She showed Merlin the toy, who was both baffled and pleased.
He was grateful, indeed, but why were Arthur and Leon leaving their child presents? And why now?
He was even more baffled when the following days procured two more presents.
Another knock at the door came and to their surprise, it was an unexpected visit from Gwaine and Percival. They had come to see Cerys.
They were ushered inside.
Coincidentally, on the same night Leon had also called in for a visit. He'd come bearing (another) gift.
"Oh, that's so kind of you. But really Leon, there's no need." Gwen had insisted as Merlin poured out the tea.
Gwaine and Percy's watchful gazes worried Merlin. He saw a glint in them that made him nervous.
He thought later on that shine of competition in their eyes and should've know then to resign himself to it.
&&&&
The baby mania had taken over with a vehemence and both Gwen and Merlin were wearied by it.
They loved their friends and loved the love being poured upon their child.
However that love seemed to involve gifts, which considering their rather small abode was fine within moderation, and lots of visits, which ditto.
Unfortunately moderation was not something their friends were familiar with.
Arthur had caught wind of these gatherings and had also started to attend. Merlin had jokingly referred to them as gatherings at the beginning but both he and Gwen were realizing that they were indeed becoming gatherings in every sense of the word.
Gwaine and Percy made their offering, Merlin had been waiting for it since he'd first recognized that competitive twinkle.
Gwaine and Percy presented their prize and Merlin had to admit they'd done incredible well.
Gwaine and Percy had made a baby mobile and Gwen was actually moved to tears.
They set it up immediately and Cerys was delighted, and therefore so were her parents.
The others all grumbled.
From then onwards the four men vying to be the child's favourite turned their affections into a contest.
Arthur gifted her a sturdy, beautifully made cradle. Leon weaved baby wear. Gwaine and Percival cobbled together to buy a picture book.
It went on.
&&&&
Merlin and Gwen had sought solstice in Gaius' chambers, they'd fled there in an attempt to get away from the baby madness. Not to mention that their own house was cluttered with a truly incredible amount of stuff. It contained so much baby paraphernalia that they could barely open and close the door.
"Ah, there you are!"
To their detriment, the contending uncles-to-be had discovered their hiding spot and decided to squeeze in with them.
So here they all were, cramped in Gaius' chambers.
"Can we see her?" Percy asked.
"I've just set her to sleep," Gwen said, having finally sat down.
"Oh look, she's holding one of her toys."
Merlin didn't know which one had commented it but he wanted to strangle them.
The comment had stirred the group. They shuffled forward. Who's toy was she holding? Was it Arthur's rattle? Or the toy Leon had brought, perhaps it was part of the baby mobile.
They were all to be disappointed, Merlin thought, watching as the rest of the group started to squabble.
The toy was a wooden dragon that Merlin had carved. It was a replica of the one that Balinor had carved for him.
Their voices climbed, reaching in volume as the argument prolonged.
"Shut it!" Gwen snapped suddenly. Merlin rubbed her back and glared at everyone.
They'd finally got Cerys to sleep. She hadn't slept much, unable to rest with constant visits and her parents tripping over presents that filled their home whenever she started to drift off.
Cerys' shimmering eyelids flickered open. She didn't scream or cause a fuss. She just turned her sleepy eyes on them then stared quietly at the door.
Elyan had been secretly dwelling there, lingering in the doorway, hidden as he listened.
He decided to enter then, disrupting the guilty silence.
"You're all wrong anyway. I'm the uncle," Elyan said as he strode past them, putting the congratulatory flowers he'd bought on the table and moving to pick up Cerys.
"How's my niece?" He cooed at the child. She gurgled, delighted and held onto his outstretched finger, her whole hand curled around it.
"You're back!" Gwen exclaimed, standing in her surprise.
Elyan had been away for sometime, his sudden return was a shock. The knights all blinked.
Elyan had left quietly after his father's death to explore other regions. Gwen was sad to see him go but understood the draw of somewhere new and far away.
She'd even considered it herself.
Gwen had spent lonely months mourning and within that time she'd made more friends and met Merlin, who'd swept her into a whirlwind romance.
Merlin had met Elyan before, he'd come back for the wedding before leaving again on a business related excursion.
Merlin was the first to welcome him home, enveloping him in a hug. Gwen followed and held on for a long time.
The knights rallied around him and cheered at his return. They were all fond of Elyan and he'd been greatly missed.
"I couldn't not say hello to my niece now, could I?" Elyan said, playing with Cerys. He cradled her in his arms and she was decidedly buoyant.
"I can't wait to catch up with everything and get to know her better," Elyan said.
Elyan had bought the best gift of all- his presence.
Merlin and Gwen discovered later on, during a shared welcome home dinner that Elyan also planned on building a baby walker for them, which would be an immense gift and a useful one.
Elyan bounced Cerys on his knee and she squealed with joy. She half turned and made grabby hands at him to which he conceded and drew her close.
Elyan was clearly a fast favourite.
"I think I'd be willing to share the title of uncle," Elyan added after a moment, looking at the others in the room.
They cheered and joined in, doting on the animated child.
Merlin and Gwen were stood to the side.
"Look on the bright side, we won't have to pay for a babysitter," Merlin's said.
"Our baby is going to grow up so loved," Gwen said, resting her head against Merlin as she watched them all.
"Yeah," Merlin smiled and kissed the top of Gwen's head. "She is."
fin