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Merlin and Escanor were out and about at the marketplace, he had gone with her to shop for some materials that she had needed, so that he could help carry her things on the way back. It was early morning, so his frame wasn't too big to be a hindrance, but he had enough strength to be of help, and he could walk around with a shirt on.
It was enjoyable to go shopping together, they were comfortable with one another, and liked to talk about anything that came to mind; all in all, it seemed it would be a pleasant and calm morning.
At least until something bumped against Merlin's leg and latched on for dear life.
She had almost stumbled, taken by surprise, but the Lion had quickly grabbed her and stabilized her again, and then they had both looked down.
There was a child, a little boy of two maybe, with dark hair and blue eyes, that was clutching the Mage's leg and was looking up at them with tears in his eyes and a trembling mouth.
"Oh dear!"
Escanor was the first to react, kneeling down to the child's level and smiling.
"Hey little fella, are you lost?"
The boy just sniffed, furrowing his brow.
"Do you know where your mom or dad are?"
He hugged Merlin's leg even tighter and shook his head, still looking at the big man.
He didn't seem scared by him, luckily.
All the while the Mage had stayed completely still and silent, unsure about what to do, this was out of her expertise and comfort zone, she didn't think of herself as a very maternal woman, she didn't particularly liked or hated children, she just didn't really know what to do.
She had raised Arthur, that was true, but just as a mentor, he had already had a family, someone to take care of him, give him affection and look out for his daily needs as a growing child.
So now she was looking in awe as Escanor, effortlessly, took things in his own hands.
He asked the kid his name and the name of his parents, but he didn't answer; it wasn't clear if he couldn't talk, didn't know how, or if he didn't want to talk to strangers.
"Do you want us to help you look for your parents?"
He was speaking calmly and simply to the child, trying to make him relax a little.
The boy nodded, still hugging the woman's leg.
"Okay."
He nodded, smiling, and then stood up.
"We should look around and see if we can find them."
He was talking to her now.
"Mmh. Or maybe I can try something."
She leaned down towards the child, who was looking at her with open trust, and touched him lightly on the head, whispering some words.
She had hoped to use her magic to help them find his parents, but that didn't seem to be the case.
She frowned and rised up, thoughtful.
"It seems as if he is protected from magic, I can't use my spells to help."
It was very intriguing. She had never heard of people naturally born protected against magic, and a normal child wouldn't have this kind of protection, it was a mystery.
Her curiosity was piqued, but couldn't be satisfied unless she inspected the kid (and even she would never do that), or unless they found his parents, then she could ask them directly.
"Then we look the old way."
Escanor exclaimed, squatting down again, opening his arm in a welcoming gesture.
"I can carry you, so you can help me look around for your parents, what do you say?"
The child looked at him, he felt calm and safe now with them, so he hesitantly let go of the woman's leg, and let the man pick him up. The Lion did so effortlessly, taking the boy up with him, securing him in his arms.
"Do you see them?"
The kid looked around, with a focused look, but then shook his head.
"Okay, we can walk around looking and asking, okay?"
The toddler nodded, but then looked at the Mage for a moment, she was staring at him, still a little lost in her thoughts, and he leaned towards her, his arms stretched out in front of him. That surprised both adults.
"It seems like he wants you to carry him."
Escanor chuckled, looking at the amusing expression on her face.
"Will you take him, Miss Merlin?"
She lifted her eyes from the child to her companion, not really convinced.
"Uhm...sure."
She had no idea why the child wanted her, maybe she reminded him of his mother, that could be reasonable.
The Lion passed her the boy, helping to adjust her hold on him, and blushing deeply when his hands inevitably came in contact with her body. Now she had the child secured on her side, using her hip to help carry his weight, and her arms around his tiny body.
The kid seemed to relax, as if he was used to being carried that way.
They then began walking around in search of his parents, they also asked some merchants but no one seemed to know anything about the boy.
"Maybe he and his parents aren't from here, maybe they were just passing by."
Escanor mused aloud, while walking besides the Mage. They had both forgotten about their shopping now.
Suddenly the Boar felt the kid's head lean against her shoulder, cuddling into her. Looking down she could see that he was fighting to stay awake, but he was obviously exhausted.
"We should take a break."
She said, almost without thinking, and her companion agreed, seeing the fatigued boy.
"He needs to rest."
He thought for a moment.
"We could take him to the Boar Hat, so that we can also ask the others for help. I'll let some merchants know and I'll hang a notice on the square's bulletin board, so that if someone comes looking for him they will know where to find him."
She nodded, agreeing, and when he came back to her after doing all that, the child was already fast asleep.
"Do you want me to carry him?"
Escanor gently asked, but Merlin shook her head.
"There's no need, I can still carry him, thank you."
Her muscles were beginning to ache but she didn't really mind, the warmth of his little body against her side was strangely comforting.
It was maybe an hour before noon when they arrived back at the tavern, and were met with all the Sins reunited, and their various reactions.
"Merlin! What did you do?!"
"Ohi, that is not research material!"
"Oh my gods! You two had a kid and never told us?!!"
Saying that they were shocked it was an euphemism.
In their defense, it was an unheard of event, seeing Merlin with a kid in her arms.
"Ah! No, no! It's n-not like t-t-that!"
Escanor had put on his glasses, and was now completely red from embarrassment.
In the end he was able to explain the situation, not without effort, and blushing at every snicker and jab from his companions.
Then they decided that Merlin and Escanor would stay at the tavern, taking care of the child, while the rest of them would go out and search for his parents some more. Ban was kind enough to prepare lunch for them and something for the kid, for when they would eat.
After everyone left, the two remaining adults took the boy to Escanor's room, they thought it safer than the Mage's lab, and laid him on the bed, covering him with the blanket to let him rest.
They didn't know how long he would sleep, so the Lion stayed there while the Boar, after discussing it with him, went in search of things that could be useful to take care of a kid of that age. They didn't know the details, so she managed to even get some kind of manual with information about raising children, something very rare.
It was almost an hour after noon when the boy finally woke up, he was very confused, looking around he didn't recognise where he was, and instinctively he called for his mother.
"Mama!"
His voice alerted the two adults a little way away from him, who quickly went to his side; when the kid saw them he seemed to remember what had happened, he sat up and asked for comfort in the only way he knew how: by raising his arms towards them.
Even Merlin could tell that the child was distressed, and she found herself unable to not respond at his silent request. She sat on the bed and took the boy in her arms, making him sit on her lap and embracing him, caressing his hair, trying to calm him down and reassure him. The toddler curled up against her chest, his little hands clutching the fabric of her clothes.
Escanor couldn't help the almost dreamy look he had in his eyes, seeing Merlin comforting a little child like that, seeing her so motherly, made him feel all kinds of sweet feelings, and he knew that he would be daydreaming about this.
He mentally shook himself, approached the two and sat on the bed beside them, putting a comforting hand on the boy's back.
"Do not worry little fella, our friends are out searching for your parents."
He began moving his hand into circles to help calm the kid down.
Merlin was watching him in surprise, he didn't seem to have realized that he hadn't stuttered while talking to the child, and she was impressed.
The toddler turned his head to look at the gentle man smiling reassuringly, he didn't seem to be surprised that he wasn't as big as before.
After some time they managed to calm him down enough so that he didn't have the need to keep clutching one of them.
And then another problem arose.
"What is this smell?"
The Mage was turning up her nose, the smell wasn't pretty.
The two adults looked at each other, and then at the little boy that was now sitting on the bed between them, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Oh."
He just looked at them expectantly, and they both knew what they were supposed to do, and neither was looking forward to it.
"Well, I g-guess I'll t-try."
The Lion stood up to take everything he would need, hoping that the Boar had taken enough of all the necessities, while she just smiled at him, guiltily but feeling relieved.
Escanor prepared a place on his bed to change the little child out of his screwed cloth diaper, while Merlin had the boy in her arms, watching her companion prepare and giving him some suggestions.
After that he took the toddler in his arms and put him on the cloth on the bed, removing his pants and diaper, which the Mage instantly incinerated, washed him, and then tried to put another cloth diaper on him, but it wasn't so easy. Luckily there were two of them against only one diaper, so, with both trying, helping and suggesting, they were able to change and re-dress the boy; they both sighed in relief when they were done!
At that moment a stomach growled, and they remembered that all of them had still to eat, so they went downstairs, telling the kid about the Boar Hat and showing it to him.
The raven haired woman made some cushions appear on a chair, so that the boy could reach the table and eat comfortably, and helped him sit on it, while the Lion heated what Ban had already cooked (he was the only one that the Fox Sin let into the kitchen!).
Once they were all sat at the table with their meal, they began eating and conversing, they had sat the boy between them, and once each helped him when needed, then talking to him, asking questions and telling stories, so they found out that the kid seemed just shy, he did know how to talk but he preferred to answer with gestures or facial expressions.
Merlin had to admit that she was having a very good time, she was feeling strange, the situation was so domestic, so normal, and surprisingly she liked it, she almost felt like wanting something like it, and that made her think: what if she and Escanor made a family of their own?
She almost choked on that thought, it surprised even herself! But once you think something, you can't turn back to before thinking about it, so the Mage was left musing on that idea more than she would have thought, and began looking at her companion with different eyes, almost blushing.
Could it ever happen? Could the two of them make a family, having children?
Well, the real question was: why not?
"Merlin, a-are you a-alright?"
She was taken back to the present at that question, and found out that, while thinking about all that, she had fixedly looked at Escanor, with more intensity than usual.
"Yes, I was just lost in my thoughts, sorry."
She smiled trying to play it cool, but couldn't help her ears turning red.
The Lion just nodded, a little confused, and turned his attention back to the boy.
Looking at them closer now, Merlin thought to be seeing some resemblance between the two: the kid blue eyes seemed the same color as her companion, and also some of his facial features and his smile, and wasn't his nose similar to hers?
She internally shook herself, now she was being ridiculous! Her thoughts were making her see things! Maybe that showed the extent of how much she really wanted something like that? No matter, they had other things to worry about right now, all this could wait after they were able to find the child's parents.
The three of them spent the afternoon together in the Lion's room, playing and taking care of the little boy, he was really a sweet kid, Escanor had given him some paper and colors so that he could draw, and he had made drawings of them, gifting them to the two adults, and also one with the three of them together; at that one both adults' heart had skipped a beat, because unknown to the other, they had been thinking similar future scenarios.
It was late afternoon when the other Sins returned and called for them with good news: they had found the woman that was taking care of the kid and that was searching for him.
The two adults helped the child down the stairs, both of his hands in one of theirs, and arrived down on the main floor.
She would never admit that, but Merlin felt some kind of loss when she had to let go of the boy's hand; she was becoming nostalgic already?
Sitting at one of the tables was a middle aged woman, who was talking to some of the Sins, but when she saw them and the toddler she immediately rised from the chair.
"Oh dear! There you are, you little…mpf!"
The woman couldn't finish because the child had run, a little unsteadily, towards her and bumped into her legs, hugging her. The woman's stern face immediately softened, and she leaned down to caress his head.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here. Next time you'll be more careful, right?"
The boy lifted his head up and nodded, his eyes big and remorseful.
"Alright, we better go back to your parents now."
He gave her a big smile complete with dimples, it was obvious that he wanted to see them as soon as possible.
"Thank you all so much for taking care of him, I'm sorry to have burdened you."
She said turning towards the Sins, especially towards Merlin and Escanor.
"There's no need, he was very well behaved."
Answered the Mage, smiling softly at the kid.
"It was n-no p-problem!"
Echoed the Lion, a bit embarrassed.
"Well, you two had a glimpse of what parenthood would be like, I hope that didn't deter you from becoming parents!"
The woman said, almost joking, but with a knowing look in her eyes.
The two Sins were left flabbergasted and very self-conscious, more so when their other companions began teasing them.
"Now we really have to go."
Said the woman at the boy, who nodded and walked to the two people who had taken care of him. Escanor kneeled down to give him a hug, wishing him well, while Merlin, to everyone's surprise, took him up in her arms to hug him warmly and wishing him well as well, before putting him back down.
The Sins accompanied them out and watched the two figures walk away for a moment, before going back into the Boar Hat, leaving only two people outside, still watching.
"Oh!"
The Mage suddenly exclaimed.
"What is it?"
Asked her companion at her side.
"I forgot there was something I would have liked to ask his parents."
~ ~ ~
"Mama!"
The boy and his nanny had walked out of town and arrived in a secluded part of the nearby forest; in a little clearing there was a woman waiting for them. The child had immediately run to her and she had swiftly taken him up in her arms.
"Welcome back my little scholar, did you have fun?"
The boy nodded, smiling and hugging his mother tightly, and she returned it.
"My, my, did you miss me and your father so much?"
He nodded against her neck and she turned to kiss his head affectionately.
At that moment another figure approached them.
"Did you find everything?"
The woman asked, smiling with affection.
"Yeah, we're good to go."
"Papa!"
The kid stretched towards the big man, and was easily passed from his mother's arms to his father's.
"Hey my boy, did you miss me?"
The child hugged him tight and the man chuckled, hugging him back and caressing his back in a circular motion.
"Have you been extra careful not to be spotted? That could have been a huge problem."
The woman said to the man.
"Of course my dear, I'm sure that no one saw me."
He walked to her side and leaned over to give her an affectionate kiss on the cheek, his moustache tickling her a little.
She smiled at her lover, and then at her child, caressing his hair lovingly.
"Sir, Ma'am, everything's ready to go."
The nanny told the two parents.
"Excellent."
The woman took a couple of steps away, lifted her hands, whispered some unknown words, and a portal formed in front of the four people.
The nanny went inside first, then the woman waited for her family, before extending her arm towards her husband, who took her hand in his own, while their child was safe on his other arm.
The raven haired woman lifted herself a bit and gave the man a kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you my lion."
He smiled, his blue eyes looking lovingly at her golden ones, then they stepped into the portal, which vanished once they had crossed it, and returned back home.