Filming for the new season 6 of Merlin was currently underway and in full force. Both cast and crew were being worked off of their feet doing complicated shots and working long hours. The new season had brought in an additional character to the show, the daughter of Arthur and Gwen. The production team decided that they wanted this character to be older so that the teen audiences had someone to look up to.
A plot was designed to have Morgana and Mordred kidnap the child and allow her to naturally age in a protected land where time didn't pass as swiftly. The intention was to have Mordred marry the Princess and have a claim to the throne of Camelot, potentially paving the way for a movie to end the production.
Y/N was the young actress who was lucky enough to get the part of said Princess, Felan. The producers wanted her relationships on screen to look as authentic as possible, especially her relationships with her on-screen parents. Auditions were carried out with both Bradley and Angel present to read out their own lines, and had each taken an immediate liking to Y/N. She was a very talented actress and took her work seriously, but for a 24 year old girl with such an elaborate career, she was extremely quiet and reserved.
Y/N had been asked to spend one-on-one time with Bradley and Angel regularly as a sort of bonding exercise. It was an unusual feeling at first because, really, there was only about a decades age difference between them. Angel definitely did not enjoy the idea of being Y/N's surrogate 'Mum' and instead insisted that Y/N thought of her more as an older sister to look up to. They would go out for coffee once or twice a week, or if they felt up to it, go out drinking on the Friday night after filming.
At first, Bradley would take Y/N out to see movies, concerts or theatre shows. He just wanted to make an effort for her and never once allowed her to pay her own way.
"Isn't this the type of thing that Dads do?" He would always look so concerned as if he had let her down and could have made a bigger effort.
Y/N reassured him each time that she always had fun when going out on one of their 'bonding' days and looked forward to them. This went on regularly for the first 3-4 months until eventually Y/N had enough and convinced Bradley to relax. She was a quiet person and so found comfort in chilled out activities like having a movie night with takeaway. And that's exactly what Bradley began to do instead.
As the majority of filming was done on location in France, the cast and crew lived in a lovely hotel for most of the production. Y/N found it quite difficult being away from home for such a long time and began to rely on her and Bradley's movie nights as a way to help her get to sleep and not stress. As a child she used to get anxious and stressed whenever her parents went away on trips without her, and it looks as though this trait followed her into adult life too. Having that parent figure close by in France was a massive comfort to her and, although she would always deny it the next day, she was often falling asleep in Bradley's room on top of a pile of blankets and pillows. Bradley takes great pleasure in announcing this little fact to the crew the next morning.
A known fact in the world of 'Merlin' is that if Bradley is about, then chances are that Colin will be close by. Because of this, Y/N grew quite close to Colin too and over time, he would join the movie nights and jokingly became the 'uncle' figure for Y/N.
Up to this point, they had been filming for about 6 months and it was expected that Y/N would never be left on her own again. Either Bradley, Colin or both at her side protectively. They had even made sure that their hotel rooms were next door to one another, with Y/N's room always in the middle. Just to make things easier for movie nights, and just in case there was an emergency and the boys had to quickly get to her. It was clear that certain feelings had developed between the trio but nobody dared question this.
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It was a late shoot and filming had just wrapped up for the night. It was around 11PM and Colin and Bradley had just gotten changed back into their usual clothes, walking towards the main entrance of the castle they had been filming in. Had she not dropped one of her folders by accident, the boys would have completely missed Y/N's dishevled and weak frame sitting hunched over on one of the castle steps, underneath some of the production lights as a way to illuminate her scripts. Her filming began at 8AM, being in completely different scenes from the boys, so their schedules were not at all linked. She had been reprimanded already for staying at work for longer than necessary, her obvious health being a concern to the relevant people.
Colin jogged over to her, making sure his steps were loud enough so as not to startle Y/N out of her concentration, "Bud, how long have you been sitting here?"
Y/N meekly peered up at him from underneath her hoodie. She forced a weary smile for him but they both knew the bags under her eyes told a different story. "Hey, Colin. Um, I dunno actually. It was still light when I came over". She pulled her sleeves further over her hands and gently shivered from the cool air. "I finished at around 5 and came for a seat after having my dinner in the canteen"
He didn't seem at all impressed and gave her a scalding look, "We've been here before and you were warned. As stupid as it sounds, you need to stop getting so involved in work. You look absolutely exhausted! And I don't think Bradley is going to be too chuffed with you either."
At the mention of his name, Bradley took the hint to intervene. He hates to put Y/N on the spot when she's looking so DONE, but sometimes he's the only one she'll listen to. He strolled over to join Colin with an empathetic sigh, the two of them now towering over her shaking form. They both took a moment to take her in and appreciate how delicate she looked below them, how tempting it was to gather her up and protect her from everything and everyone. The more time they spent together, the more time the boys found their thoughts of Y/N turning lustful. About a month ago, Bradley confessed this to Colin after a few pints. He felt so guilty and terrible. He was supposed to be her father figure, someone she could depend on, yet instead he was forcing himself to look away when she bends over to pick up her nightime snack. Or the night she stretched out on his bed and he caught a glimpse of her lacy panties poking out from underneath her sleep shorts. Y/N was sent to her own room early that night before she could notice his obvious excitement, Bradley feigning a stomach upset as his excuse for running to the bathroom before she had a chance to open the door.
It turns out that Colin had similar experiences and he too ended up kicking her out of his room early after they ordered ice creams from the local sweet shop. How she didn't realise the effect it had on him, delicately licking the cream from her lips, her innocence was too much for him to handle.
"C'mon, princess. Get in the car with us and we'll see you back to your room". Bradley leaned down to gather the paperwork from her lap and help her stand.
The car ride wasn't very eventful. Everyone was exhausted, even the usually cheery driver could barely muster up a greeting for the trio when they climbed into the back. As usual, Y/N was snuggled between the two men, their soothing scents and warm bodies lulled her into a slight doze, barely able to keep her eyes open. The motion of the car and the faint radio noise in the background helped her to drift off completely.
Once he was assured that Y/N was in a deep sleep, Colin gave Bradley a discreet nudge, "What are we going to do about this?"
Bradley was dozing off himself, his head slowly resting on top of Y/N's, "What are we going to do about what?"
"Y/N and her stress. It's starting to show physically now." Colin was right. Not only was Y/N becoming more reserved, if that was even possible, but she was also beginning to look ill and faded, weak.
Bradley nodded, "I know. Maybe we should have a chat when we get back to the hotel?" They had a chat last month and she was alright for about a week, but Y/N soon got back into her old habits.
"We tried that already and see what good that did." Colin was really concerned about the girl, "We need to try another method"
Bradley scoffed, "What do you suggest Dr. Morgan? A day at the spa?" He could do with a massage himself after filming his swordfighting scenes.
"Doubt Y/N would feel comfortable with a stranger touching her". Colin shook his head. "She doesn't even get a hug goodbye from the girls!" One thing that had always stood out about Y/N is that she isn't like the other girls in the group. They could be so loud, excitable and touchy with one another. They normally hug, like girls do, but had never included Y/N in their little ritual. Colin had only assumed this was because Y/N was so quiet and the other girls didn't want to make her feel awkward. Maybe she was feeling left out, nobody meaning to do so intentionally, and this was the cause of her tension?
Bradley's sigh brought him out of his thoughts, "I haven't seen her hug anyone in all the time I've known her. Not even me. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever touched her apart from when she's sleeping".
