Work Text:
The first time Douxie married Zoe, he was still very much, in his own words, a 'moppet'.
Hardly a wizard and hardly a man. Still a child to some, with an unusually high sense of optimism; An optimism that carried him confidently into Merlin's study, that sunny, summer afternoon- stumbling only once when he was within a foot of his master.
The old man didn't seem to notice his apprentice at first- And even if he did, he didn't acknowledge the boy at all. Steely cold eyes were darting about a piece of parchment quickly, the old wizard hard at work with- something or other.
'Hopefully that's just some light reading-?' Douxie thought, trying to peer over the old man's shoulder. He found the parchment littered with scribbles of failed runes and random musings written in a careful hand. Nothing he would deem important enough to keep his master from paying attention to him. With a boyish smile, the young wizard cleared his throat, "Maste-"
"What is it now, Hisirdoux?" The older wizard mumbled, barely glancing up from his papers. He sounded disinterested and rightfully so; This was a common enough occurrence that Merlin was, as always, fully prepared to ignore his apprentice.
"Wonderful news, master!"
"... Is that so?" Whatever possessed his master to listen today, Douxie didn't know.
Douxie straightened his back, his smile growing even larger, "Yes- You see,I plan to marry Zoe, Master! This coming winter, actually." The boy spoke just as confidently as he had walked.
Slam!
The old man set his readings down so quickly that it rattled the rest of the contents of the table. His shoulders hunched, relaxing only after what looked like a moment's thought. He then lowered his head slowly, never once looking back at Douxie.
"Funny," Merlin mused softly, "I thought you said you planned to marry-"
The apprentice cut in, "But I did say that! I put together a ring and everything, you see!"
With a wave of a hand, a ring of black metal appeared in the boy's hand. He now wore a look of satisfaction, as he waved the jewelry in front of his master's face proudly. This prompted Merlin to actually look up finally.
"Hisirdoux, is this your way of telling me that you've finally gone completely mad?"
The boy frowned deeply. "Have I- What? Why would I-"
The older wizard stood up suddenly, so fast that his chair knocked into Douxie's side on the way up.
"Do you have any idea what it means to be married, lad? You can hardly tend to the Slorr, no less a wife!" Merlin scolded, slowly turning to face the boy. "Wherever did you get such a thought from?"
"Master, you know I love Zoe dearly and-"
"Nothing more than puppy love! That is hardly grounds for marriage! And so young-" The old man frowned just as deeply as his apprentice, "Does the young lady agree with this nonsense?"
Douxie pouted; Of course Zoe had agreed- Otherwise he wouldn't have gone through the trouble of forging an engagement ring. He was quite proud of it too. The ring had been made from a highly conductive material that would do wonders to enhance Zoe's natural magic- as per her request.
"In fact, she does." Not a lie at all, though Merlin didn't seem at all convinced.
"It's pure madness, is what it is!" Merlin exclaimed, "When I took you in, it was with the understanding that you wouldn't run off with some Hedgewitch before you've finished your training!"
"But, Master-"
"Don't 'But, Master' me, Hisirdoux! The idea is preposterous!" The older wizard moved from behind his desk, a broom appearing in his once empty hand, "You're still just a child and I will hear no more of this! Do you understand me?"
"Zoe and I are grown enough-"
"Not another word! Nothing but pipe dreams and nonsense from you…Return to your chores and put that silly idea out of your head at once!"
"But-" Douxie tried to protest, but the broom was shoved into his hands, knocking the ring from it. It hit the desk with a 'clank!' And rolled off somewhere beyond his line of sight. "Oh! No, wait-!"
The boy dove for the jewelry, though it seemed to have disappeared from the room completely. Had Douxie lacked any common sense(or at least lacked more than he already did), he would have been bold enough to accuse Merlin of charming the ring somehow or magicing it from existence. He, however, did not have a death wish.
Instead, he pulled himself sadly from the floor and gripped the broom bitterly in both hands.
Had he'd looked up, he was sure he would have been met with the triumphant smirk of his master…He couldn't bring himself to lift his head that high, however. He could swing a broom around, though…
"Good lad- Now on with you. I have much work to be done and you still have your chores to complete." The old man huffed, returning slowly to his desk and fixing his chair. "I will be heading into town this afternoon and will see you when I return; Not a moment before, understood?"
The boy sighed, "Yes, Master…"
"Good lad." The man replied stiffly, gathering a few scrolls into his arms. Douxie watched him for a moment before slipping quietly from the study.
The broom felt like a lead weight as he dragged it behind him down the hall. He supposed he could always return once Merlin had left and search for the ring then- but the idea left him with a bitter taste in his mouth as Merlin's words bounced about his head. A painful blush entered his cheeks and he felt foolish. Like the child his master saw him as-
As if his spirits couldn't sink any lower today- he rounded the corner and nearly ran straight into a familiar brunette. His beloved Zoe.. Her beautiful face was pinched up in what seemed to be concern and her arms were folded over her chest tightly, "So how did it go-? What did he say?"
"It um- went as well as one might expect-"
Zoe wrinkled her nose, "What does that mean? Did he shoot down the idea or not?"
Douxie rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, gripping the broom with his other hand in an attempt to calm his nerves, "Well- it's hard to say- he certainly didn't seem pleased to hear it-"
"... He shot it down faster than Arthur's best archer, didn't he?"
The boy sighed in relief, grateful that they were now on the same page, "He didn't even give it a passing thought-"
Zoe sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of her nose angrily as she did, "Of course he did… That stubborn old-!"
"-Not to worry, my love!" The young wizard exclaimed, cutting off any foul language the witch was about to use, "I told him that we were old enough and agreed that we were ready-"
A pretty red smile spread across Zoe's face, "Douxie, that's great-"
"-And that he shot me down again and I dropped your ring somewhere in his study…"
"... You did what-?"
"But it's okay! Merlin is leaving this afternoon and I promise that I will find it and then we can find an officiant and-" A quick cheek kiss effectively cut the young man off and a soft blush rose into his cheeks.
"I appreciate it, Hisirdoux … Try to stay out of trouble okay?" At that moment, the heavy oak door of Merlin's study could be heard creaking open, followed by the sounds of the old man's muttering and his footfalls as he made his way down the hall, "You should get back to work- We both don't want to get in trouble again, do we?"
"Not at all-" Douxie smiled and pecked Zoe's lips quickly. "I will see you this evening, then?"
"Or whenever you get done with your work." Zoe smiled softly, "And don't forget to look for that ring."
"I won't." The boy smiled and saw his love off as she walked briskly down the hall and disappeared around a corner. "... If Merlin hasn't magicked it away yet."
The boy hurried back the way he came, checking every corner and shadow until he came to the old door and gave the handle a quick tug- His heart sank into his boots when the door refused to budge, held closed by a magical binding… One that could only be undone by Merlin himself.
"Stubborn old-Uh, man…" Douxie seethed, hands shaking around the broom handle. "Fine! Be that way… You'll have to unlock the door eventually-"
"What was that, Hisirdoux?" The boy nearly jumped out of his skin as he whirled around, expecting to find Merlin's disproving glare staring back at him. He instead found the newcomer to be none other than Morgana, a still disproving, but arguably kinder expression scrawled onto her thin features.
"M-Morgana! Uh, nothing- I was just…Um- polishing the door handle..?" Douxie laughed sheepishly, hoping the awkward encounter would be enough to send the woman away…No such luck.
"This wouldn't have something to do with your discussion with your master, would it?" The woman raised a slender eyebrow, the corner of her lips raising slightly in amusement.
"Y-you heard all that?" Douxie coughed quietly.
"No, but I did hear the old man muttering as he passed by; Something about a 'foolish boy' and 'a proposal'."
"Well, yes…" Douxie sighed heavily, "I had planned to propose to Zoe.. With Merlin's blessing, of course!"
"The little Hedgewitch?" The sorceress wrinkled her nose, "You would have never gotten your master's approval. I'm surprised you tried at all."
"Call it optimism..?" The young man shrugged meekly.
"I call it foolishness." Morgana said stiffly, stepping past Douxie suddenly to face the oak door. "Now, what have you left in here that is so important?"
"N-nothing!" Douxie squeaked, a tad loud for his liking.
"Do not lie to me, child. I've known you long enough." A slender hand raised to knock softly on the door. "An enchantment…Clever man…"
"I-it's really nothing important- just… A ring…" It felt as if Douxie's face couldn't get any redder.
"I see… An engagement ring, perhaps?"
"Yes ma'am…"
"Hmm… Right then," Another rap. "I will see what I can do."
"Y-you will!?"
The sorceress turned to Douxie, a kind and knowing smile replacing her earlier expression. "I have seen the good marriage can do for a man… And I will always take the chance to take a jab at that stubborn old wizard." Another knock, then the green of Merlin's magic faded from the door.
In a moment, the young man quickly threw his arms around his savior,"T-thank you!"
"Yes- well… Be off with you then, errand boy; You have work to be done." Morgana said, sliding from Douxie's arms and heading quickly from whence she came.
With a nod, Douxie hurriedly opened the now
unlocked door and rushed inside. The rest of the afternoon was then spent in a silent yet frantic search, under the guise of even more frantic cleaning. During which time, the boy didn't bother to speak to himself or even sing. He had become determined, but as the sun began to sing behind the sky, he found his spirits going with it.
"Just a foolish idea-" His old master's words echoed so loudly in his mind that it was giving him a headache.
While he understood the old man's views and objection to the union, Douxie still felt- well...furious.
Sure, Merlin had seen what the prospect of marriage could do to a man(Arthur still was all there after- Well…) and felt that it was best not to let the young man make the same mistake...But, damn it! Douxie had a good feeling about this! He had known Zoe for sometime now and felt somewhere deep inside of himself that they were meant to be...
Or perhaps that was his nerves, still alight and stinging him. It felt much like the bolts of electricity that would run off of Zoe's fingers whenever she would practice her spells, the streaks of pink lightning would find their way to Douxie, tickling his skin and kicking up a static enough to curl his hair into odd patterns. Such occurrences were rare, and yet they were always one of many things that would make Douxie smile no matter how sour his mood-
Even now, just the thought of her had brought the smile back to Douxie's face.
All would have been well if not for the sound of Archie's throat clearing, dragging. Douxie looked up quickly, eyes instantly falling on the dark ring held between the fangs of his familiar, a rather pointed expression on his furry face. "Drop something?"
"Archie- Where did you-...?"
"I found it beneath some books shortly before Morgana unlocked the door for you…" The family huffed, dropping the jewlery onto the table.
"But how did you get in-"
"Through the window, my dear boy." Archie replied, stretching out over the ring in what looked like a protective manner. "I'm almost surprised that you hadn't thought of that."
"Why didn't you say anything about it until now!?"
"I didn't want to distract you from your chores; You know how Merlin gets when work isn't done." A smirk played on the familiar's face.
"Yes… Unfortunately."
The smirk fell, "I take it that the suggestion didn't go over well?"
"No, Arch...Not at all…" Douxie sighed, tucking the ring into his pocket, "Merlin thinks it's a terrible idea…"
"Do you think Zoe will still say yes?"
"Of course, I do! I think...Oh, what if she thinks it's a bad idea now, too-" The boy put his head in his hands. He was used to Merlin rejecting his ideas, but Zoe!? Now, that would crush him. "We spoke about it earlier- but she seemed to disappointed and left so quickly-"
Archie nuzzled his companions arm assuringly, "You're thinking too much into this, my friend. This is Zoe we're talking about…"
Douxie sat up a bit, a smile returning to his face, "You're right, Arch… Zoe would say yes, no matter what Merlin says-"
"Well...In her own way…" The cat reminded the boy lightly. "The girl definitely isn't as...um...emotional as you are…"
This was true- Zoe was a hedge witch of few words and more action most times. In fact, when he first proposed the idea of marriage, instead of a 'yes', Douxie got tackled. He did get kissed the moment his head hit the ground, so it wasn't all bad.
"Well then-" Archie's voice drew Douxie from his thoughts, "You have the ring back and your chores are done- Isn't it time you went and made things official?"
"Yes! I have to find Zoe!" Douxie laughed, scooping the ring up from the table happily and racing for the door, "Thank you again, Archie!"
He didn't wait for a 'your welcome'. His heart was pounding in his ears and his legs burned as he raced down the hall, quietly calling Zoe's name as he went. The rest of the castle was dark and sleeping, save for the Knights who were currently looking for their 'Holy Grail', per usual. Had this been any other day, Douxie would have stopped and shared a pint, but not today.
Today was important.
With a spring in his step, the lad rounded the corner and bounded for the courtyard. There, his beloved witch sat at a large, stone fountain with a book between her thin hands. Douxie suddenly felt as though he had been struck by lightning, picking up speed as he raced to Zoe.
How if only he had stopped himself...
"Zoe! I have the-" An unseen crack in the pavement tripped the boy up. Rather than stop before his lover and getting on one knee- he barreled into the young woman, sending them both into the fountain with a yelp and a tangle of limbs.
Zoe surfaced for air first, spitting out murky water as she pulled a still flailing Douxie up by his hood. "H-Hisirdoux! What are you-?"
"I found the ring! Well, actually, Archie found it but I have it now-" Douxie exclaimed, wildly feeling for his pockets, though his excitement didn't last, "Oh fuzzbuckets! I must have lost it again-"
The boy splashed frantically through the water, stopping only when Zoe took his hand, producing a black ring from her own pocket-
"Mordrac's miracles! How did you-?" He was silenced by a wave of Zoe's hand.
"I can manage a duplication spell." Zoe replied with a smirk, "I figured it would be good to have a backup just in case you couldn't find the first one-"
"D-duplication-? Then that isn't-..." Douxie groaned, "I really have lost your ring again…"
"It's okay, we have a ri-" This time it was Douxie's turn to wave his hand.
"I wanted your ring to be special- a gift from myself… I don't believe it counts when the ring was crafted from your magic…" Douxie sighed sadly, "I'm sorry, Zoe."
The brunette pouted. She opened her mouth as if to speak and then shut it quickly. Her pupils jumped about in her head, as if she were thinking deeply about something important...
"Hisirdoux Casperon," Zoe said suddenly, grabbing Douxie's left hand, "Will you marry me?"
"I-I beg your pardon?"
The witch smirked a Cheshire grin and slipped the duplicated black ring onto the Wizard's finger.
"O-Oh! Zoe, you can't be serious-" A blush rose into his cheeks so fast that it made him dizzy.
"Like you said, the ring was made by mymagic. Consider it my gift to you." The young lady smiled lovingly, "And when you find my ring, we'll match."
"... Zoe, I adore you so much… I'd be honored to marry you." Douxie replied, cupping his love's face in both hands, "You beautiful, clever witch, you."
The girl smiled back at him, suddenly sealing the distance between them with a passionate kiss.
Had they looked up, however, they would have seen Merlin as he watched from his study window, brow furrowing. His young apprentice never did listen to him…And yet, there was almost something charming about the pair laying in the fountain, a gentle innocence in the way they looked at each other- Total ignorance to the true ring hidden amongst a slurry of coins and algae…
"Foolish youth-" The old wizard sighed, waving his hand slightly and watching as the hidden ring glinted and rose from the depths, slipping itself into Douxie's pocket. He then watched the excitement of the young man as he hit his pockets one last time. With the newly 'found' ring, the boy celebrated by proposing once more to his new fiancée…
An act that brought a smile to the old Wizard's face…
"I knew you'd come around..." A voice spoke from the shadows, causing Merlin's smile to disappear.
"Is that why you assisted the boy this afternoon, Morgana?" Merlin replied, a cold edge lining his tone.
"Not at all… I only helped to see the look on your face when the boy succeeded." The woman smirked, stepping over to the man's side.
Merlin shook his head, "Say what you will.. It will never last... Unions such as these ones, one plagued by youth and magic simply were not meant to," He said, gesturing to the happy couple as they exited the fountain, "Certainly they will eventually drift apart, no matter how loving the vows the pair will exchange-"
"Perhaps, but perhaps not," Morgana sighed, "I've seen many happy unions that have not ended in complete tragedy..."
"I choose not to," Merlin huffed, "Your brother-"
"My brother and his wife are one of many in this kingdom, Merlin… Expand your thoughts past them," The woman advised, "Or have you locked all the doors within your mind as well?"
A stiff huff answered the sorceress and the pair continued to watch as the couple returned indoors to dry off. With another huff, Merlin turned from the window.
"You may have a point, Morgana… But I do believe they especially weren't meant to last."
"And why is that, old man?" Morgana asked.
"How can you expect this union to be valid when the ceremony is being performed by a talking cat! There is no society in which that will be legally binding!" Merlin exclaimed, pulling open the door to his study.
"That is true, but there is a simple remedy to your plight." Morgana called after him.
The old man stopped in the doorway, "And what might that be?"
"You could always perform the ceremony yourself."
"Nonsense! That is out of the question-" Merlin laughed, "I would never consider-... No! I would never- Good night to you then!"
.
.
.
In the end, the Ceremony had been performed by an old wizard, who complained up until the altar that it was not technically binding. From there, every century or so, the renewal ceremony was performed by, to Merlin's chagrin, a talking cat.