[Third Person POV]
Merlin and Arthur both stepped out of the kitchen, the door swinging lightly behind them. Merlin looked as if she wanted the floor to swallow her whole, her shoulders hunched and her head bowed low. A faint red flush crept up her neck and into the tips of her ears.
"I'm sorry for creating such a scene earlier… and for crying in front of everyone," she muttered quietly, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. "That was… not exactly my finest moment."
The Flamel couple exchanged a glance before chuckling warmly. Nicholas's laughter was deep and genuine, while Perenelle's eyes softened with understanding.
"Oh, it's quite alright, dear," Perenelle said with a kind smile. "Shedding a few tears is only natural. It shows you still have a heart, not something to be embarrassed about."
Merlin groaned, pressing a palm against her face. "Man, this is mortifying. I can't believe I actually broke down like that. Ugh, now I have to use a spell to make you all forget this ever happened. Otherwise, I'll die of embarrassment!"
Nicholas blinked in alarm, his brows furrowing. "Wait—what do you mean by—?"
"OBLIVIATE!" Merlin shouted, her staff flashing as a surge of white light exploded from the tip.
"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" everyone yelled in unison, throwing up their hands to shield themselves as the room was engulfed in a blinding glow. The entire place shimmered, every glass and surface reflecting that dazzling white brilliance until it faded away in a few heartbeats.
When the light finally dimmed, the room fell silent. Everyone blinked, eyes watering slightly.
"What… what just happened?" Perenelle asked, rubbing at her eyes. "Why do I still remember everything?"
Nicholas frowned thoughtfully. "Wait, if we forgot something, how would we know we forgot it if we can't remember that we forgot it?"
Arthur sighed, already pinching the bridge of his nose. He turned to Merlin with one eye half-open in suspicion. "You didn't actually make us forget anything, did you?"
Merlin crossed her arms and scoffed. "Obviously not."
Perenelle tilted her head, confused. "Then what was with all that light?"
Merlin grinned smugly and raised two fingers in a peace sign. "A simple Lumos spell for dramatic effect."
The room went quiet again. Everyone stared at her with twitching expressions that hovered somewhere between disbelief and reluctant amusement. Arthur rubbed a hand down his face. Nicholas muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "I should've known."
Clapping her hands together, Merlin brightly said, "Anyway! Now that that's over, is everyone ready for the presents I brought?"
"No," Nicholas replied flatly, his patience clearly thinning.
"Perfect," Merlin chirped without missing a beat.
She lifted her staff, and the cherry blossom charm dangling from it swayed faintly. A soft hum filled the room as a glowing magic circle appeared over the coffee table. It glided down gently, leaving behind two potions. Both shimmered with a milky white luminescence that gave off a faint warmth.
Merlin gestured grandly, levitating the potions into the air and handing them to the Flamels. "Here you go," she said with a small, mischievous smile.
Perenelle studied the vial curiously, swirling the liquid inside. "What is this?" she asked.
"Drink it," Merlin said, her grin widening, "and find out."
Nicholas immediately shook his head. "Absolutely not. No offense, Merlin, but I've lived long enough to know better than to drink mystery potions handed to me by a smirking sorceress. Tell us first what it does"
Merlin chuckled under her breath. "Fair, but tell me—if I did tell you what it was, would you actually believe me?"
Nicholas frowned. "...Also fair."
Rolling her eyes, Merlin said, "Relax, I'm mischievous, not malevolent. It's Christmas, for goodness' sake. Just trust me this once."
Before Nicholas could respond, Perenelle had already uncorked the vial and taken a sip. Her husband turned in disbelief. "Perenelle!"
She only smiled serenely. "If Merlin wanted to kill us, she wouldn't do it with something that smells like vanilla and mint."
Nicholas groaned but reluctantly followed suit. "Fine, fine. But if I die, I'm haunting you." He shut his eyes, muttered a prayer, and drank.
A few seconds later, both of them hiccupped simultaneously. Then, to everyone's astonishment, their bodies began to glow faintly. Their skin rippled and smoothed, wrinkles vanishing like waves receding from sand. Nicholas straightened with a startled gasp as his spine cracked pleasantly.
"Oooh~!" he exclaimed, stretching his arms overhead. "That's incredible! I can feel my back again!"
Perenelle's eyes widened as she looked at her reflection in the window. Her loose skin was firming, her hair regaining its glossy brown sheen. "I—I can't believe it! I feel… young!"
When the light finally faded, both Flamels stood tall and vibrant, decades seemingly stripped away in an instant.
They turned to look at each other, their eyes wide in disbelief, and simultaneously shouted, "You're young!!"
The two Flamels began examining themselves in a daze, their hands running over their arms and faces as if making sure their eyes weren't deceiving them. Perenelle twisted her wrists and marveled at how smooth her skin had become, while Nicholas stretched his back again, unable to hide the youthful energy radiating from his movements.
Then, almost in perfect unison, they turned to Merlin—both wide-eyed and utterly dumbfounded.
"It's a rejuvenation potion," Merlin said calmly, though there was the faintest flicker of pride tugging at her lips. "Just because you're both a pair of walking relics doesn't mean you have to look and feel the part. The potion restored your bodies—and your minds—to their prime state. Judging by the results…" she paused, squinting playfully, "…I'd say your golden age was somewhere around forty. You both look rather impressive, if I do say so myself."
That was all it took.
The Flamels practically trampled over one another as they rushed toward her, eyes shining with pure gratitude. "Oh, Merlin, you marvelous child!" Perenelle exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the young mage's shoulders. Nicholas joined in right after, pulling both women into a bear hug that lifted Merlin a few inches off the ground.
Merlin flailed helplessly, her staff clattering against her leg as she groaned, "Alright, alright—get off!!"
After finally managing to pry them away, she straightened her clothes and shot them both an unimpressed glare, her cheeks tinged pink. Arthur was laughing softly from the corner, clearly entertained by the entire scene. Merlin's gaze fell on him next, but instead of pride or amusement, a faint grimace twisted her expression.
Arthur blinked, confused. "What?" he asked, looking around as if expecting something else to happen.
Merlin sighed dramatically, her shoulders slumping. "Now because of your gift, whatever I got you is going to seem completely lame in comparison," she mumbled, sulking like a child.
Arthur's laughter softened into a gentle smile. He could see the genuine worry flickering in her eyes. She was still clutching her staff, her gaze drifting to the floor, clearly reluctant to show him whatever she had prepared.
"Merlin," Arthur said softly, his tone calm and reassuring, "when you made my gift… were you thinking about me?"
"I mean, obviously," she muttered under her breath, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Then you're worrying over nothing," he said warmly. "If you thought of me, then I'll love whatever it is. Doesn't matter what it looks like."
Merlin's fingers tightened around her staff. "Seriously," she whispered, almost to herself, "that's so unfair…" She exhaled deeply, flicked her wrist, and a folded piece of parchment appeared between her fingers in a small shimmer of light. "Here."
Arthur gasped with exaggerated delight, immediately snatching it from her hand. "A piece of paper! Merlin, you shouldn't have! It's exactly what I've always wanted!"
Merlin's face went flat. She stared at him with all the emotion of a stone gargoyle. "Flip it over before I bonk you on the head," she said monotonously, raising her staff in mock threat.
Arthur laughed, the Flamels joining in, as he obediently turned the parchment around. What he saw made his eyebrows lift in genuine curiosity—a complex pattern of runes and geometric lines etched into a glowing magic circle.
"Oh?" he said, intrigued. "What is it?"
Merlin smirked, the corner of her mouth tugging upward. "You're supposed to figure that out. That's part of the gift."
Arthur dramatically pressed a hand over his heart, pretending to tear up. "Homework. You gave me homework for Christmas. That's so incredibly you—it's perfect."
Merlin gave him a long, deadpan look. "I swear I hate what I've done to you," she said dryly. "I never realized I'd be the one suffering from your teasing in the end."
Arthur only laughed harder, lifting one hand into the air. From above, his grimoire began to descend through the ceiling, phasing gracefully into existence until it landed neatly in his grasp. He opened it to a blank page and pressed the parchment inside.
A golden light bloomed from the book, its pages fluttering as the spell imprinted itself into his arsenal. The gentle hum of magic filled the air, resonating like a deep, harmonious bell tone.
Merlin blinked, genuinely surprised. "Wait—how did you know you could do that?"
Arthur looked up at her with a grin. "I didn't," he admitted easily. "I was teasing it out to see if it would respond. Looks like it did." He studied the glowing circle for a moment before tilting his head. "A third-tier duplication spell?"
Merlin nodded, finally allowing herself a proud smile. "You're a dual wielder, remember? But you only have one sword, so you're always fighting at half your true strength. I made that so you can always fight at full power, no matter what."
Arthur's eyes softened as he absorbed her words. "And you were embarrassed about that?" he asked with a quiet chuckle. He shook his head and stepped closer, pulling her into a warm hug "You were thinking about me—about keeping me safe. That's what matters. Thank you, Mel. I really appreciate it."
Merlin froze for a heartbeat, her face rapidly turning pink. She turned her head away, muttering something barely audible. "Yeah, sure, whatever," she mumbled, gripping her staff tighter as if trying to hide behind it.
But the faint smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.
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