AN: Heyy. So I have decided to make a story that isn't M rated, lol. About this proglogue… I have no idea how to write in the perspective of children, so please bear with it. I do hope it will get better in the future chapters.

Hazy Bonds

Prologue

"Get out, now!" shouted the young blond as he stomped his foot on the ground. Merlin, who was sitting on the swing, frowned in annoyance, pouting towards the blonde's direction and shook his head. Who did he think he was, a prince?

"No!" he stated in defiance to the other boy.

The pale haired boy's face reddened with rage and he seized the ropes of the swing, shaking it violently. Merlin jumped off the swing and stumbled on to the ground in fear of falling off, staggering a bit until he landed on the ground with his rear. The other boy grinned in triumph, plopping down on the emptied seat and began to swing with moderate force.

Merlin's frown deepened as his small face contorted to a despair that seemed great for a child as he made no effort to stand from the ground.

"But I was there first!" Merlin cried as he stared at the swing longingly. The blond boy stuck out his tongue at Merlin and continued on to swing his legs on his stolen seat. Merlin then stood in defeat and began to retreat to a secluded area of the playground, and upon glancing back at his bully's happy and satisfied form, his eyes started to redden as he settled on the grass with his legs crossed. Tears began to blur his vision, and large drops fell from his eyes and stained his cheeks. He whimpered and sniffled as he started to sob softly, grief-stricken that his seat on the swing was taken from him.

A girl slowed as she chased her friend in the playground, the laughter in her throat dying as she heard her older brother's voice shout out in anger from the other side of the open area. She watched, paralysed, as her brother shook a thin pale-skinned boy from the seat that was originally his, and saw as he went to sit alone where no one else played in, obviously crying in misery.

"Morgana!" called out her friend as she ran back to her still form, her curly hair bouncing on her shoulders and her mocha coloured skin covered in sheens of sweat. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering her friend's question, she shook her head with a dazed expression and strode out to the poor boy her brother had bullied, leaving her best friend confused.

She approached the boy with slow silent steps, unsure and hesitant as of how to speak to the crying boy. When she was an arm's length from him, she clasped her hands behind her and cleared her throat, setting her head a bit low in a shy gaze towards the boy. He looked up from the ground to meet her eyes, and she wanted to laugh at the state of him: red puffy eyes glassy from tears, his cheeks shining from the drops that slid down his face, snot coming out from his nose, and he had ridiculously large ears sticking out from the dark waves on his head that were curiously slightly red. It was quite a comical sight, but seeing him in his state, she did pity him and suddenly felt anger towards her brother for doing this selfish deed.

She stuck out her hand to the boy. "I'm Morgana," she stated. The raven haired boy shot her a confused look before shaking her hand. "Merlin," he answered in a soft voice, hoarse from the sobs he had earlier could not contain. Morgana stood there in front of him as he watched for her next course of action. Now that she was there, she suddenly became absolutely clueless as to how to comfort this boy, who she came to know to be called Merlin. Still, she knew that she needed to do something.

She slowly sat on the ground next to Merlin, not caring if her dainty white embroidered dress would get dirty, putting on a small sad smile as she watched him sniffle and avert his gaze back on the ground. She rested her tiny white hand on his bony shoulder and tried to reassure him. "It's okay. Please stop crying, it's okay." Merlin gave her a small shaky smile of his own, but it was easily shattered when the sound of bubbling laughter from the blond haired boy reached their ears.

After starting to try to make Merlin feel better, she suddenly felt angry once more towards her brother as he ruined this chance for her to succeed in her task to right his wrong. If comforting Merlin this way wouldn't work, then she'd do the only thing she can do: play fair. She grabbed his hand, earning a surprised yelp from Merlin as he was dragged across the vast playground to be lead by the mysterious girl he had met only moments before.

They stopped in front of the blond boy, a hard look on Morgana's small pale face as she let go of Merlin's hand to cross her arms over her chest. "Give Merlin the swing back," she demanded of the boy as he slowed down the swing. He pouted and stuck out his tongue. "No!" Merlin watched the exchange between the two children with wide eyes, unknown to him that they were in fact siblings. In a farther distance stood Morgana's friend, watching the scene unfold right before her eyes with concern and a slight fear.

"Arthur," Morgana scolded her big brother, her tone more commanding than it was earlier.

"No," Arthur shook his head in finality with his decision. At that, Morgana's arms went limp to her sides as her eyes widened slightly and began to water. Her cries were silent at first, until they became louder by the second. She knew he wouldn't deny her baby sister anything, especially if she ever shed tears. The fact that he had made her cry, well, that was much worse for him.

Moving as fast as lightning, Arthur stood from the swing and rushed to Morgana's side. He began to apologized non-stop, trying to comfort her and hush her cries in a surrendering voice. He faced Merlin and reluctantly apologized to him as well, telling him that he could have his seat back.

Her gaze went up to meet Merlin's eyes and pointed back at the swing, as if commanding him to sit. He wiped his still tear-stained face and quickly obeyed, scared of defying the little girl, and sat down on the swing with an amazed expression gracing his features.

Morgana wiped her own cheeks and soon the grimace she had on disappeared without a trace, shooting Arthur a triumphant grin that showed her perfect pearly teeth. Arthur grumbled as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts, turning to walk away from the two dark haired children as he knew what his sister had done. Morgana watched him as he walked to the slide with excitement, as if the scene that had happened only moments before never occurred.

Merlin looked down on where he sat, then back at Morgana as she watched her brother. He stood and patted her on her shoulder, earning her attention. His cheeks suddenly reddened, a heat he could not yet understand creeping up his neck, and pointed at the swing shyly.

"Do you want to try?" he asked. "I'll push the swing for you." Morgana grinned, and unable to say no to the boy she had come to rather like. Watching her dark skinned friend run towards them, she sat down on the swing and waited for Merlin to make her move back and forth, knowing that she had made a new friend.