[Third Person's PoV]
An older, much taller Arthur Pendragon finished getting ready in front of a mirror. He wore a black dress shirt with a matching vest, dress pants, and polished dress shoes. With black-gloved hands—the first gift he had ever received from Merlin on his first birthday with her, gloves he had never removed—he brushed his golden mane out of his face.
A low purring sound drew Arthur's attention downward. Cosmo, his cat, was weaving between his legs. Arthur crouched, scooped Cosmo up, and draped him over his shoulders. "Hey buddy, you wishing me a happy birthday too?"
It was Arthur's 10th birthday—January 1st. Cosmo let out a soft meow, and Arthur smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate the many wishes," he said, puffing out his chest slightly as he rubbed Cosmo's cheek. He then made his way out of the room.
"There's the birthday boy~" Merlin greeted with a teasing smile, causing Arthur to smile sheepishly.
Merlin approached with her arms outstretched, enveloping Arthur in a warm hug before showering his cheeks with kisses. "Let's see, you're turning 10, so that's ten birthday kisses~"
Arthur's face turned bright red. "D-Do you have to do this every year?"
"And miss the chance to see you so embarrassed?" Merlin teased. "Never!" She puckered up her lips and made exaggerated kissing noises, prompting Arthur to resign himself to her affection.
"As per our annual tradition, I've prepared a feast with all your favorites," Merlin said, motioning towards the table, which was laden with dishes.
Arthur pushed aside his embarrassment and smiled in appreciation. "Thank you, Merlin."
Merlin affectionately ruffled his hair and urged him to sit before the food got cold. She took her seat opposite him. As Arthur looked at the spread, he sighed. "You always overdo it. There are only three of us. We can't possibly finish all this in one sitting."
"I do tend to get carried away," Merlin admitted with a grin. "But we always manage to make it work, don't we?"
"I suppose…" Arthur muttered, filling his plate with food.
As they ate, Merlin raised her hand slightly above her shoulder. A box wrapped in ribbons and paper floated in from another room and landed in her hand. She handed it to Arthur. "Happy Birthday, kiddo."
"Thanks a bunch… I never know what else to say," Arthur replied, expressing his gratitude.
"Your words are more than enough," Merlin smiled. "Go on, open it."
Arthur set the box on the table beside his plate and lifted the lid. Inside, he found a key. He pulled it out, looking puzzled yet amused. "A key?"
"A key to my heart~" Merlin and Arthur said simultaneously, though Arthur's tone was mocking.
Merlin froze, her hand over her chest, stunned by his mimicry. Arthur burst out laughing. "Oh no, Merlin, you're becoming predictable," he teased.
"You're right, that's not good," Merlin said seriously, placing a hand under her chin. "Looks like I'll have to up my teasing game a bit…"
"Please don't… My heart can only take so much," Arthur replied warily. "What's this key for anyway?" he asked, taking a sip of his drink.
Merlin waited until she saw Arthur had liquid in his mouth. "Oh, not much. Just that key leads to the Pendragon vault in Gringotts."
"Phttt!!! Cough Cough Oh god, Cough Cough that came out of my nose," Arthur sputtered, pressing a hand to his face.
Merlin smiled mischievously. 'Worth it.'
"Why are you giving me this now? Shouldn't it be for when I'm a bit older or something?" Arthur asked, still in disbelief as he examined the key.
"You've mentioned having plans you wanted to accomplish before starting Hogwarts, plans you had to delay because your mentoring was insufficient and incomplete," Merlin began.
"I didn't think training would take as long as it did. Potions and the Language Arts were my greatest bane, after all. I thought I'd reach a sufficient level by the time I was 8 or 9, but I can work with 10," Arthur said thoughtfully.
"Well, your training isn't over. However, I'm giving you some leeway due to how hard you've been training these past few years. To help you start your ideas, I thought it was the right time to give you access to funds," Merlin explained.
"I see… I appreciate it," Arthur said, looking at the key quietly for a moment.
"Dissatisfied with the gift?" Merlin asked, raising an eyebrow at his expression.
"No, of course not. I'd never be dissatisfied with anything you give me, Merlin—except homework, but that's different. It's just… I don't need it right now," Arthur said awkwardly.
"You don't need it?" Merlin repeated in disbelief. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, my initial plan doesn't require funds. That's for a later project. The one I want to do first doesn't need gold or monetary value," Arthur explained.
Merlin's eye twitched slightly. "You know what would have helped, you stinking prat? Letting me in on your plans, so I wouldn't do something pointless like this."
"No take-backsies," Arthur said, holding the key closer to himself.
Merlin sighed in exasperation, but before she could say more, Arthur continued, "Not to mention, I want this to be a surprise for you. I just know you're going to love it."
"For me?" Merlin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"More or less," Arthur nodded.
"So what do you need? What can you tell me about what you're planning? Is there anything I can do to help?" Merlin asked.
Arthur nodded. "I want you to take me to France."
"Excuse me?! What could you possibly—Nicolas Flamel," Merlin screeched before calming down. She quickly guessed Arthur's intention, knowing he had knowledge beyond his years. His desire to go to France, a place he had no ties to, could only stem from his past life's memories.
"Why do you want to meet him? I understand he's the creator of the Philosopher's Stone, but..." Merlin trailed off.
"I wish to learn alchemy from him," Arthur interrupted, closing his eyes, bracing for what was to come.
"YOU WHAT?! YOU BASTARD!" Merlin reached across the table, grabbing him by his collar.
"The hell do you mean you wish to learn alchemy from him? Huh, punk?" she asked in a low, threatening tone, her eyes gleaming with a crazed look. "Are you saying I'm not good enough? That my knowledge of alchemy isn't as good as the creator of the Philosopher's Stone? One immortal teacher isn't enough for you, so now you want two? I never took you for someone so greedy. I'll have you know, you punk, I know enough alchemy to put that youngling Nicolas Flamel to shame!"
Arthur, still held across the table, kept his eyes closed and replied in a calm, collected tone. "Merlin, we both know your expertise lies in multiple branches of magic and experiments. You might know alchemy, and I'm not saying your skill and knowledge aren't as impressive, if not more so, than Flamel's. But I want more than one perspective on what I'm working on.
You're my only source of knowledge, which isn't healthy for my education. I'm supposed to branch out, do my own studying and thinking. My knowledge can't just be a copy of yours, because that isn't education—that's only memorization. And then you would have failed as my mentor," Arthur explained, opening his eyes at the end of his sentence.
Seeing his serious expression, Merlin smiled and calmly lowered him back down. "Good, you pass."
"Another test?!" Arthur exclaimed in exasperation.
"Yes and no. I'm still going to be mad at you for seeking the teachings of another while I'm your mentor. However, I completely understand seeking out the opinion of another. In fact, I would have advised it. What I know and what he knows might be completely different; our understanding of the subject might even contradict. But does that mean his knowledge is wrong? No, of course not.
You would be right to say that I would have failed you as your mentor. What you're supposed to do is take the knowledge I pass onto you and create your own understanding of the subject. That's the essence of teaching and mentoring—guiding you to create and master your own understanding."
Arthur, with a spoon in his mouth, began clapping his hands at Merlin's speech.
Merlin looked at him, her lips twitching slightly. "You're becoming a cheeky prat… Who said you could tease your master, huh?"
Arthur smiled, holding up his forefinger and thumb in the shape of a heart. "I learned from the best~"
They both giggled together.
"Alright, alright, I'll take you to France tomorrow," Merlin said, closing her eyes.
"Yes! Thanks a bunch" Arthur celebrated happily before resuming his birthday feast.
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