The young prince dashes out the gates of the castle, leaving laughter in his wake as he runs through the courtyard and out into the lower town. He sends a quick glance behind him, searching to see if any of his father's knights had followed him and when he sees no one he grins with pride for having been able to dodge his father's best soldiers. He slows to a stop once he's a safe distance away then glances around the town, eyes wide in amazement as he gazes in wonder at the scene around him.

The city thrives with life. There's movement everywhere and Arthur can hardly keep up with everything going on around him. There's animals wandering the streets and market stalls lining the sides. Sounds of laughter and the mutters of the townsfolk as they weave through the crowd is something the young prince had never experienced before. To say he's excited is an understatement. He's ecstatic. Energized at the sight of the bustling crowds, the smells, the sounds. It's the first time he's ever gotten the chance to truly wander out into the lower town and he isn't about to allow the moment to go to waste. 

The prince skips through the town. His eyes shining at every new thing he sees. He notices a few curious glances in his direction from some of the passerby's, but other than the stares they leave him well enough alone - much to the Arthur's delight. After all, it would only cause trouble if they decided to call the guards, or worse call his father. 

Arthur doesn't stop on his adventure until he hears laughter coming from around the corner. He slows, peering around the wall to see a group of children dashing around a row of houses. They all seem to be close to his age, which would be around eight summers. There are two boys and three girls, all giggling as they run around happily. Laughter is all the prince hears as the boys and girls chase each other around. He watches them eagerly, feeling his blood pump with the desire to join them. The desire to leap out and run himself ragged with the other children. He wants to go out, wants nothing more than to go out, but how does he do it? Does he walk in and join them? Does he ask?

Thankfully, he doesn't need to make a choice when one of the little girls stops in the middle of being chased. She stares straight at him, then smiles widely."Do you wanna play?" she calls over to him with a wave.

Arthur looks at them in surprise. He points to himself then asks cautiously, "Me?"

"Yes, you!" The same girl says with a grin while dashing over to him. "Come on, come on!" she says, pulling him over, "it's more fun with more people!" The other children all smile in agreement, starting to pull at his arm as well while they look at him with wide grins.

The prince smiles, excited and giddy at the prospect and nods, letting them pull him into their little game. The grins widen on the children's faces and they start to explain the game to him excitedly, happy to make a new friend. 

Arthur learns the rules quickly enough. It wasn't that hard after all and so he starts to dash about with the other children. He laughs and smiles, enjoying himself more than he has in a long time. The feeling of elation in his chest is almost indescribable. It's like a sudden rush, a surging feeling that obscures ones sense of time. He doesn't know how long he darted around the houses with the other children, but all he does knows is that he never wants the moment to end, but of course it always does.

Soon enough his father appears around the corner, regal and intimidating as he always is. The prince doesn't notice the king at first, having been busy chasing one of the boys when suddenly the other children stop. He crashes face first into the boy's back, rubbing at his nose as he stands back up. "Why did you-" He cuts himself off when he sees his father's shadow towering over him, and when he turns around to face the king he finds his eyes narrowed.

"Arthur," his father says, voice cold, "what are you doing here?"

The prince scrambles to his feet quickly, standing with his back straight just as he's been taught. "I-I'm playing catch the sorcerer."

Uther looks towards the other children who've all cowered backwards in fear of the king. The man scowls at them then turns to his son, grabbing the boy's arms and hauling him off towards the castle. "We're going home."

"Wait! But-" Arthur calls, not knowing where the courage had come from, but he digs his heels into the ground in an attempt to stop.

"Are you defying me?" Uther growls, voice dangerously low as he stops to glare.

Arthur immediately stops, remembering his place, then hangs his head down submissively. "No..."

"Good. Now, let's go."

The prince follows and sends one last glance behind him, finding the other children have already run off. He looks down at the dirt in front of him, kicking up plumes of dust as he walks. They left him.

-----

Arthur sits with his father at the dinner table, looking at the empty seats around him as he picks at his food. Out of the eight chairs at the table, only two are occupied.

He turns to look at his father who's eating his food intently with a look of disappointment on his face, sending occasional glances in his son's direction. The king doesn't say anything, leaving them both in a tense silence. 

"Father?" Arthur asks quietly, breaking the stillness.

"What is it?" his father grumbles in a low voice.

"Can I go play with them again tomorrow? I'll finish all my lessons and do all my chores before going."

The spoon reaches halfway to the king's mouth before it stops. Uther sets the spoon back down then glares at his son. "No, I will not have you playing with children of such lowly status."

Arthur puffs out his cheeks, "But-"

"Enough!" Uther shouts, fists slamming on the table and making the plates rattle. Arthur flinches back, hanging his head down in an obedient gesture. "You are the prince of Camelot. Soon to be the future king. You have no time for such silly games."

"B-"

"Go. To. Your. Room."

The boy flinches again at the tone of his father's voice. He looks down at the table, then pushes his chair back and walks off towards his chambers, careful not to show his anger. He enters the room, shutting the door behind him with frustration. Never. His father never lets him play with the other children. Why is that? Does his father not trust him? He already promised to finish all his chores and lessons. Is that not enough?

Arthur gives a frustrated growl before walking over to the window and looking out over the courtyard. Even from up in his room he can see a few children playing with each other as they wait for their parents outside on the courtyard. How he wishes he could join them, to play and frolic mindlessly, but of course that's a silly dream. His father would never let him.

With one last forlorn glance, he turns around and crawls into bed, curling underneath the blankets in the large room alone.

-----

A few days later the halls of the castle are filled with the giggles of a young prince as he ducks behind a pillar. The shouts from the boy's caretaker echo through the corridor and from what he can hear she's desperate to find him. He pokes his head out from around the corner, watching with an amused grin as his nursemaid, Mary, wanders back and forth frantically down the hall. He feels a little bad for her, but if his father isn't going to allow him to play outside with the other boys and girls then he needs to have fun some other way and fun to him means messing with his nursemaid.

He chuckles to himself as he hides behind the pillar and the longer he watches her stumble about the harder he starts to laugh. Almost instantly, he sees Mary whip her head around in his direction at the sound of his laughter. "Arthur!" She shrills at him, partially in anger and partially in relief. "You must return to your chambers! You have lessons at noon!"

"But they're boring!" he shouts back from his spot behind the pillar, arms crossed as he looks over at the woman. "I want to go play with the other children too!"

His nursemaid sighs, shaking her head as she walks towards him. "Don't be silly. You're the prince! You need to learn how to become a wise king, just like your father. You don't have time to be playing around."

Arthur scowls at the familiar words and the mention of his father. It's always father this, father that. Why couldn't he do what he wanted for once? The other children always do! So why can't he? He harumphs, gets to his feet, spins on his heel, then bolts down the hall.

"Arthur!" Mary shouts again in frustration, but by then the prince has already disappeared around the corner.

-----

Arthur slows his pace when he enters an unfamiliar part of the castle. He looks around, wondering where he's wandered too. He thought he had explored every part of the citadel already. Who knew there was still more!

Excited, he begins his exploration. The hall he's in now is empty. The usual hustle and bustle of the servants and guards gone. He finds the feeling odd, having long grown accustomed to seeing all the familiar faces that wander to and fro that it's almost eerie now that it's suddenly missing.

After another few minutes of exploration he comes to a door on his left. He stops and stares, again growing excited at the potential mysteries inside. The wood looks ancient and the hinges have started to rust. The handle that sits a little above his head looks loose and seems to be about to break, but from what he can tell still usable. He reaches a shaking hand up towards the handle then, gently, pushes it open. The door creaks loudly, the hinges straining after years of disuse. Arthur walks in and already the dust clogs his nostrils. There's a thin layer of grey coating everything in the closet, clearly indicating the rooms lack of use. Other than a few odd crates stacked here or there, a tipped barrel, and a rickety shelf there seems to be nothing inside.

Arthur frowns, disappointed at the lack of treasure in the room. He was expecting gold, jewels, maybe a sword he could use to fight off a dragon, but of course there's nothing of the sort. It's just an old closet. The little prince sighs, dragging a finger over the shelf and wiping off nothing but a film of dust.

He turns, ready to leave the room and explore further down the hall when he manages to stub his toe on one of the crates. He gives a loud yelp, tipping backwards and landing butt first on the ground. He whines a little at the pain, but holds back the stray tears threatening to fall. He's a big boy now, his father said so, and big boys don't cry.

"Hello?"

Arthur lets out another yelp in surprise and quickly starts to look around with alertness. When he doesn't find anyone nearby he frowns. Is he hearing things?

"I-is someone up there?" A voice says again a little hesitantly.

Arthur lets out another surprised squeak. There's no doubt about it. Someone else is here. "Um... hello?" Arthur calls back into the gloom.

"Hello!" the voice suddenly yells back, sounding much more enthusiastic than before yet still a little timid.

Again, Arthur looks around, still finding no one in sight. "Where are you?" he says as he starts to search the room for the source of the voice, making sure to check inside the crates and any small corner that a child can hide in. He knows it has to be a child. The voice is too high to be an adult's. And from what he can tell it sounds like a boy. Hopefully someone close to his age. At that thought the prince grows excited. There's some else here. Some else that he can play with! Hopefully this time his father won't find out. 

"Here!" the boy shouts.

"Where?" Arthur shouts back, a little frustrated now when he still doesn't find anyone.

"Here!" the boy calls loudly and Arthur finally hears it now. The voice is coming from behind a crate.

Arthur walks over, pushing aside the box until he finds a grate that runs along the bottom of the wall. The prince bends down to look through the slits. He can't see very much, only the faint outline of a slim figure hunched over in the darkness, looking up at him. "Hello," Arthur says as he stares at the boy below then smiles, "I'm Arthur Pendragon. Who are you?"

"Um..." the boy mumbles, now suddenly shy again, "I-I'm Merlin. A-at least that's what I remember being called."

The prince laughs. "Merlin? That's a stupid name!"

The boy doesn't respond, but when Arthur leans in closer to the bars he swears he can hear a quiet sniffling. He freezes, suddenly aware of how insulting his words must have been. He's the stupid one. How was he supposed to make friends like this? "I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean it!" Arthur shouts down frantically, feeling awkward. He's rarely ever had the chance to talk to other children his age after all. 

"Is my name stupid?" the boy asks quietly, still sniffling.

"No! It's a great name! It's um... unique!"

The sniffling stops. "Unique?"

"Unique! Like um... like a... unicorn!"

A giggle rises up from the grate and the sound is refreshing, calming even. Without the prince even realizing he had done so he finds himself grinning, smiling at the sound of the laughter that fills the room.

"What's a unicorn?" the boy asks, still chuckling, "Sounds like something you made up."

Arthur puffs out his cheeks, "Did not! They're real!"

The boy laughs again. "What do they look like?"

"Like horses, but pure white and with this big horn on it's head! They're supposed to be really beautiful and rare! Only the best of hunters find one!"

"It's no wonder you haven't found one then," the boy jokes with a laugh.

Arthur puffs up his cheeks, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance. Who does he think he is? Insulting the prince like this? "Do you realize who I am?" Arthur demands.

"A prat?"

The prince's face turns red. He dares to call a prince a prat? What even was a prat? "Is your head alright?"

"I'm pretty sure it is. I didn't hit it on anything," the boy replies. 

"Where do you live? Are you from some farm really, really far away or something?"

"No. I live here."

"Where?"

"Here."

"Here, where?"

"Here."

Arthur grimaces, even more frustrated now. The only conclusion he can come to is that the boy must be an idiot. There's no other reason he can think of. "I know you live here in the city. But I mean where in the city? Are you from the lower town?"

"No. I live here. In this room."

Arthur's face scrunches up in confusion. Room? He leans in as close as he can to the bars, trying to get even that much more of a glimpse into the room. He manages to see four walls made of stone towering up and around the figure in the centre. A single door faces opposite the grate, letting not even a sliver of light through. 

Darkness. That's the only word he can think of to describe what he sees. The boy lives in a room made of darkness. The prince shivers at the sight, knowing what it feels like to be locked in one of the cells in Camelot's dungeons, but even that can't compare to the blackness below. At least in the dungeons he could still see the sun. Here? There's nothing. Nothing but emptiness. "Why are you there?" Arthur asks, concerned. 

"I don't know. I've been here for a long time."

"How long?"

There's silence for a moment. "I don't know."

"Where are your parents? Your mother and father?"

Silence. And then quietly, "Gone. I'm alone down here."

Arthur's face drops, knowing the feeling of being alone. It's terrible to never have anyone around to talk to. To understand your feelings. After a moments silence he asks tentatively, "Aren't you lonely?"

"Yes..." the boy replies sadly, but almost in an instant the life is back in his voice, "but not right now!"

Arthur tilts his head a little to the side, not sure what the other boy means. "What do you mean?"

"Because," the boy shouts back, "you're here! You're here so I'm not alone anymore!"

A flutter of warmth spreads through his chest at hearing the words. He's not alone. Neither of them are because right now... right now they have each other. "You're not alone..." he mutters to himself, a smile appearing on his face and he hopes that right now, Merlin is smiling too.

-----

A/N - Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! This is my first time writing children so I'm sorry if they start to sound too old for their age. :(