Can't rain all the time

Title: Passing Fancy
Author: elfflame
Characters/Pairing: Uther, Arthur/Merlin
Rating: PG
Summary: Uther takes a walk on the battlements of the castle.
Word Count: 100X3
A/N: Another drabbly-thing that occurred to me while RPing the boys. :)


Uther has known for some time about Arthur and Merlin. Arthur told him so himself. Uther ignored the word “love” at the time, because Arthur is young, and Uther knew that this was nothing more than a boy’s infatuation.

Merlin understands. He avoids Uther except when he must be seen. It is the way things work, and Arthur is the only one who does not understand that.

He has never seen them together—how they truly interact; how well they fit together.

He had not meant to tonight, but unable to sleep, the thought of cool night air drew him out. He had not expected to stumble over them standing on the battlements and looking down at the town, their bodies pressed close together, Merlin curled under the cloak draped over both their shoulders so that their bodies look almost as one.

Before this, he would never have believed the two could make a good match. Dark and light, gawky and beautiful, noble and peasant. Though he finds it hard to admit, they somehow work. He can see the look of adoration Merlin sends his son, and is stunned by it. With as little thought as he had given his son’s admission, he never considered that the boy might love Arthur back.

When he hears the whisper, it is a moment before he can understand the words. Once he does, he is quick to withdraw. He may not be comfortable with his son taking the boy as his lover, but even he can remember the sound of a lover’s profession when it is needed most, though more than two decades have passed since the last time he heard the same himself.

He walks slowly back to his room, and dreams of Igrane for the first time in over a decade.