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Merlin held the heir of Camelot in his arms, cradling the second son of Arthur with the utmost care. He would kill himself before any harm came to him, Merlin would kill a whole kingdom before allowing anyone to hurt his sons.
His oldest son, Peter, was the spitting image of Arthur. Golden hair, stormy blue eyes, and the kindness of the Camelot King to top it all off.
“Is he sick?” Peter questioned with a wrinkle of his little nose. Merlin sighs, ‘Yes, just like his father.’
Arthur laughed at that, “No Peter. He's just been born, you can't expect him to be looking his best after all that work- OW!” Merlin very kindly interrupted his husband’s comments by chucking the closest pillow at Arthur's head.
“He looks just as you did when you were born and no less beautiful.” Merlin says pointedly at the king, as if daring Arthur to tell Peter otherwise and find out the consequences.
Peter looks at Merlin and the little life resting in his dad's arms. Coddled in a bright blue blanket, Peter’s new brother had dark hair like his dad and his pale skin too. That could be because he was born not hours ago but the infant looked like a rat. ‘Yes,’ Young Peter concluded, ‘My new brother looks just like a bald, wet, sad rat.’
The infant began to move and for the first time opened his eyes to reveal two soft brown pools of chocolate. Peter gasped and whispered a small, “Hello.”
“Peter,” The boy pulled his focus away from the infant to his dad, “Come here.” Merlin told him, patting the spot beside him on the bed. Peter looked to his father for permission and climbed up the bed at Arthur's nod.
“Sit up straight, lean back on the pillows. Yes, just like that.” Merlin then placed the newly born infant in Peter's arms. “Ok now hold his head, he can't quite do it himself yet.” Peter shifts a hand to help hold up the baby's head and stares at his brother, his little heart full of love for the bald, wet rat.
Arthur smiled at the scene in front of him. His husband, wrapping a protective arm around his eldest son and his eldest son holding his new one. It made Arthur happy about all the risks he had taken to make Merlin his consort, to build this wonderful kingdom, to rid Camelot of its laws against magic.
Peter's whisper breaks Arthur's thoughts, “I will protect you. I promise, your big brother will never leave you.”
The infant blinks then screams testing out his voice and deafening all the people around him. Merlin was about to take him back when Peter put his forehead to the baby's and said something, something neither Merlin nor Arthur could hear.
The room is quiet.
‘How did he do that?!’ Arthur thought with his jaw hanging low.
As if he hadn't just done a miracle, Peter turns to his father and dad, “What's his name?” Merlin fixes his expression and smiles at the two boys, “Edmund, Edmund Balinor Pendragon.”
Peter smiled, “Hello Edmund, I'm Peter.”
Merlin turns to Arthur, eyes tearing up and mouths, so cute! And the king responds with an understandable sob and hugs his amazing husband, “Thank you."
"You're welcome," Merlin smiles.