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"There you go," Merlin smoothed the bandage down into place, "all better."
The young girl, no older than twelve, gave him a weary look from where she stood. Hair and clothes in a frenzy and fear close by from her recent capture and rescue. She eyed him, looking towards Mordred who held her trust of shared similarities.
Mordred gave her a reassuring smile before taking a knee to her height. "Here," he slid her amulet back over her neck. The strap fixed from where it had ripped and fallen.
Clothed in robes and the hanging amulet he's seen Mordred dressed in once and never again. He knew all the druids had such things of where they were from, the ones he knew though, all long forgotten. Despite the changes, all four druids remained cautious to show their marks, wear their indicating amulets, or even consider wearing the traditional robes.
Something about the situation made everything worse, as though two of his memories were tangled together to create a worse outcome. The memory of Mordred many years before and equally, of Freya too. He swallowed as he corked vials back up again and cleaned up his mess. The blood, though a small amount, upon the cloth he used to clean her hand made him sick with thought of what people would and could still do to children.
He forced a gentle smile on his face towards her before he made his way back to where Morgana and Arthur stood.
"She's so young," he whispered.
"Did she say anything to you?" Arthur asked.
He shook his head. "She's speaking in their tongue, nothing I can understand."
They all looked back over as Mordred continued talking to her. Words, for once unfamiliar to them all except those who shared the tongue and mark upon their bodies. Waiting, soon enough, Mordred got up as Freya entered the room. Trust won over enough from the elder as well that the small girl allowed her hand to be grabbed while Freya slowly exited the room.
"Well?" Arthur minorly pressed as Mordred walked over.
"She and her parents had just left Camelot when they were attacked," He explained. "They separated them from her and that was the last thing she knew of them." He looked back as the door shut completely behind the girl and Freya. "Freya's trying to see if there's anything else that could be important. We don't know what camp she lived in so Kara and Sefa are already getting ready to go find Iseldir."
"Have someone go with them," Merlin urged, "none of you should be alone outside Camelot with this happening."
"They were going to sell her, weren't they?" Mordred's questioning eyes flickered between all of them for an answer, one that none of them wanted to supply.
Arthur slowly nodded, "to the highest bidder. My father used to indulge in such things, who and whatever any bounty hunter found knew he would almost always give the highest reward."
Merlin's hands tightened into a fist at his sides, "I thought you made it all illegal now?"
"I did, but like before, people still find their ways to escape the law."
Mordred grimaced, "we need to find her parents."
"And we will, Mordred."
"I'll talk to my sister and the others," Morgana chimed in, "see what they know about this."
Arthur nodded in agreement, "I'm placing more patrols. We'll catch everyone who's doing this."
Both siblings departed from the room with their words, leaving Mordred and Merlin standing in the silent aftermath. Merlin let himself sigh and released a breath he didn't realize he was holding, all while Mordred walked aimlessly a couple of paces around the physician's chambers.
"I thought things were getting better…"
He looked over at him, "they are, Mordred."
"Then why are people of the old religion still scared for their lives?"
"We're making progress little by little, we can't do everything in one jump."
"So then we just wait for everything to go back to how it was before." Mordred turned and looked at him while Merlin slightly closed the distance between them.
"What do you mean?"
"When running and hiding are the only things you know."
"Nothing will be like before, ever again. I promise."
He scoffed, "and yet day by day more and more of us are being killed, captured amongst other things. Why?"
"Some people are still stuck in their old ways, they think we're wrong and bad."
"They only began to think that because of…" his sentence broke off as his words faded in the air. Fists clenched in hidden anger as he tried to fiddle with his hands, removing his gloves and throwing them on the nearby table.
Merlin nodded, "I know…"
There was a watery suppressed chuckle. "I just want things to go back to how they were." He took a set on the bench behind him. "Things were okay for once—more than okay. Everyone was happy, we could be free. You all took us in, cared for us, treated us like family."
"And that hasn't changed, Mordred." He bent down to his height and placed his hands on his shoulders, "We still love and care for all of you." Something short of pain was in his voice at Mordred's reveal. "That will never change."
"It can, I would know." He raised his arm, gently shrugging Merlin's hands off of him.
Merlin brought his hands back to himself, knowing the action was a result of still open wounds that he knew would never heal, only festering and causing unnecessary but needed pain
"People can choose to not love and care for someone."
"That's not true," Merlin argued, "it's a lot harder than you think."
Mordred sniffed, "you act as though I don't know what it is to forget the love of someone because the memory is too painful."
He placed his hand gently on Mordred's knee. "You don't have to play that role anymore. You belong here, we all belong here, together."
He shook his head in response, "there will never be any happy ending to all of this."
"We both know sometimes things get worse before they can get better."
"Every king and queen rise to their thrones only to fall," he mumbled, "Why do all this just to fall in the end?"
"We're doing this to change things for the better."
Mordred dropped his head, another sorrowful chuckle escaping as his shoulders began to shake after a moment.
"Mordred…"
"I'm scared," his voice broke off, shattering and leaving Merlin fumbling as he pulled him to his chest. Actions of before already forgotten as arms wrapped around his torso and a hand cupped the back of Mordred's head.
"Everything's alright," he tried to soothe but felt the rustle of Mordred shaking his head.
"But it isn't…"
"I won't allow anything to happen to anyone."
He got no answer.
"Hey," he pulled back slightly and cupped his face, "we'll always be here." Looking into tears ridden eyes, he did everything he could not to crush him in a hug and never let the boy go. "Alright?"
Mordred sniffled before he nodded. "Alright," he repeated.
Merlin smiled at him, letting him lay his head back upon his shoulder in his embrace for as long as needed.