Return of the King
Title: Return of the King
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRT
Pairing: Buffy/Giles, Uther/Morgana
Timeline: BtVS S5 - no Glory, no Dawn, no Riley. Also, the layout of Giles’ apartment is a bit different. As for the Merlin aspect of the story, sometime after S1.
Synopsis: After Uther is transported into the 20th century, things become much clearer in his mind with a little bit of help. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Merlin crossover fic.
Author’s Note: Special thanks to wyvernwolf and fairygothmum for betaing this for me.
Uther Pendragon turned quickly, his red cape swishing around his body as he stared at the young man. His eyes narrowed dangerously, his gaze flicking towards Gaius for a brief moment before returning to the wide eyes of his son’s friend.
“I’ll have your head.” He growled in a deep voice.
“Uther, I...” Merlin started, flinching as Uther’s jaw clenched with anger as he took a step forward.
“Sire, Your Highness, My Lord, King...” His gloved hand curled in the collar of Merlin’s jacket. “You are not to call me ‘Uther’ again.”
“I’m sorry, Sire...” Merlin whispered urgently, biting his bottom lip as he glanced at Gaius. “It’s not what it looked like, Your Highness...”
“Then perhaps you should explain.” Uther pushed the young man away and glared at him. “There is no place in Camelot for magick.”
“It wasn’t magick!” Merlin protested quickly, shaking his head as he fumbled for an explanation. “It was...it was...”
“A party trick.” A warm voice tinged with amusement stated from the stone archway.
“A party trick? Really, Morgana?” Uther asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he slowly turned towards his ward.
Morgana rolled her eyes and gestured towards Merlin. “Come now, Uther...does he look like a sorcerer?”
Uther’s eyes flashed, the tip of his tongue darting out to moisten his dry lips. “Looks are deceiving, all too often.”
“Slight of hand, smoke and misdirection.” Morgana glanced at Merlin, a nearly imperceptible smile on her lips. “Nothing more. I taught him that particular trick myself.”
Uther stared at Morgana for a long moment, anger and fear coursing through his veins. “Should I discover differently...”
“All of us will suffer at your hands...” Morgana finished, a chuckle in her tone.
Uther lifted his hand and narrowed his eyes. “Do not mock me, child. I would suffer far more than you, but I have a Kingdom to protect.”
Morgana understood her King’s words, those spoken and those left unsaid. Her smile faded and she gave him a gentle nod. “Yes, my Lord.”
Without another word, Uther strode out of the room...his cape billowing behind him. Merlin and Gaius exchanged a nervous look as Morgana breathed a heavy sigh.
“Close, Merlin. Very close.” She offered him a knowing smile as she backed out of the room. “You’ll need to be more careful in the future...”
Merlin exhaled deeply as the heavy wooden door closed behind her. In the excitement, neither he nor Gaius had noticed that the stream of amber light had easily slipped through the mortar between the large stone blocks of the wall.
* * *
Uther grumbled, muttering to himself as he removed his cape before carefully placing his crown in the cabinet that his son jokingly referred to as the Crown Chest of Camelot. He shook his head as his thoughts shifted from Arthur to Morgana...sweet, lovely Morgana. The kindest soul he had known in...years. The one person who could calm him as quickly as she could enrage him.
He knew what that meant, but refused to acknowledge it any further.
So caught up in thoughts that were quickly turning sinful, he didn’t notice the shimmer in the atmosphere around him. He tossed his leather gloves onto the desk and ran his fingers through the hair on the back of his head.
Morgana...
He sighed heavily, thinking that she was going to be his undoing one day. He just didn’t know if it was going to be pleasurable or not.
He felt a tingle on his skin as he stepped towards his bed. He stopped, narrowing his eyes when the tingle increased to a loud hum. He took another step and felt the heat. He opened his mouth to call out for his guards, but no words came.
A bright light flashed as the portal was activated. And as it dimmed, Uther Pendragon was nowhere to be seen.
* * *
“Bloody hell...” Giles grumbled as he flipped through the book once more.
“Giles...soon would be good!” Buffy called, ducking the clumsy punch of the large demon in front of her.
“I’m trying, Buffy...but, it’s hard to read the words...” He stated, holding the book up and squinting his eyes.
“Try harder!” She yelled, landing a kick to the demon’s abdomen.
Giles glanced at her, quelling the urge to glare. “Perhaps you should come across a demon in a more well-lit area next time...”
Buffy heard his sarcastic statement, but didn’t have time to reply. The demon was becoming more aggressive by the second. She did hear his excited ‘ah!’ and smiled even as she dodged the demon’s lunge.
Giles recited the spell quickly and flawlessly, feeling his heart start to calm as the magick enveloped the demon. The ancient Greek words rolled off his tongue with surprising ease as he stood, finishing the last line of the spell.
The air behind him shimmered as a portal opened.
Uther Pendragon stepped into the cemetery, eyes wide with confusion as a man before him lifted his arm...a bright green light shooting from the palm of his hand and slamming into a...monster of some sort...a few yards away.
Uther swallowed thickly. He could almost taste the magick, the air was so heavy around him. And this man before him...the magick flowed so easily from him.
Uther flinched as the monster exploded when the man shot another beam of light at it. His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. This man must be stopped.
Giles gave a surprised cry when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He whirled around, dropping the book to the ground. He tried to take a step back, but the other man’s hand tightened...strong fingers gripping his jacket.
“Buffy!”
Uther glanced at the blonde girl running towards him before he spoke, his voice deep and commanding as he stared into Giles’ green eyes. “That was magick.”
Giles nodded slowly, placing his hand over the one on his shoulder and trying to pull free from the other man’s grip. He was unsuccessful.
“You are a sorcerer. By the Order of Camelot, I sentence you to death by beheading!”
Buffy grabbed Giles with one hand and pushed Uther with the other, glaring at the older man as he stumbled backwards. “One...he’s not a sorcerer. Two...Order of Camelot? Three...there’ll be no beheading of anyone, especially not him. And four...Order of Camelot?? Who are you and what fantasy world are you living in?”
Uther straightened and brushed the palm of his left hand over the dark maroon tunic he still wore. He was suddenly very thankful that he had yet to remove his tunic and leather pants before he had been whisked into this strange place.
“I am Uther Pendragon...King of Camelot.” Uther announced proudly...even menacingly. “The use of magick is punishable by death...though you state he is no sorcerer, magick flowed from his fingers...his very essence...”
“Uh-huh...you come near him, you have to deal with me.” Buffy stated matter-of-factly.
“You are but a mere child, younger than Morgana...” Uther stated, narrowing his eyes dangerously at the one called Buffy. He was very surprised to find that she did not shy from his glare...much like Morgana didn’t. “There is no place for magick in Camelot...not any longer.”
“Hate to tell you, but...you’re not in Camelot anymore, Toto.”
Giles smiled at Buffy’s quip, but kept his eyes trained on Uther. The King looked taken aback, glancing around his surroundings for the first time.
“Toto?”
“No Wizard of Oz in Camelot?” Buffy asked, allowing her eyes to take in the other man’s clothing...his very authentic-looking clothing.
“Wizard of...” Uther shook his head quickly. “There are no Wizards in the Realm of Camelot...not since the night my son was born.”
“Arthur.” Giles stated softly, automatically taking a step back when Uther snapped his eyes towards him.
“How do you know my son?” Uther growled.
Buffy’s eyes widened as she looked at Giles. “Like King Arthur? And the Knights of the Round Table and stuff?”
“Arthur is not King...he has been crowned Prince of Camelot...” Uther felt his confusion overwhelm him. “This...this is not Camelot...”
Giles cleared his throat and met the older man’s eyes. “No, Sire...this is Sunnydale. Sunnydale, California...and the year is 1999.”
Uther’s eyes widened. “Nineteen ninety...no. No...no, this isn’t...”
“Hey...calm down, Pendragon...” Buffy said, wrapping her hand around Uther’s right forearm.
His eyes flashed with anger. “Unhand me, you common - ”
“Enough!” Giles growled, stepping forward and glaring at the King. “I understand your confusion...your fear...but, should you ever use that tone with her again while you’re in our time...”
“Giles...”
Giles’ eyes sparked with rage. “You’ll know the abilities of a Watcher...first-hand. Mark my words, King Uther Pendragon…you are not my Lord. You’d do well to remember that.”
Uther raised an eyebrow at the snarl in which his name was said. It was the same tone he would’ve used had someone spoken to Morgana in that manner in his presence. He had to admit that it intrigued him.
“A Watcher?” His eyes darted to Buffy. “You’re the Slayer, then?”
Buffy snorted. “You don’t believe in magick, but you believe in Slayers?”
“I never stated that I don’t believe in magick, child. I know all too well that magick exists.”
The three stood there for a few moments, staring at each other...each waiting for someone else to make a move. Finally, Giles exhaled a deep breath and placed his hand on Buffy’s shoulder. She immediately relaxed under his touch.
That intrigued Uther even further.
“Alright. Your Highness, if you’d be so kind to accompany us to my home...we’ll see what we can do about getting you back to Camelot.”
Uther sighed heavily and ran his hand through his short, greying hair. Knowing he had no other choice at the moment, he gave the Watcher a quick nod…following a few paces behind the Watcher and his Slayer as they made their way through the cemetery.
Uther felt a sudden twinge in his chest. He took a shaky breath as it occurred to him that in order for him to return home, to Camelot…to his son…to…Morgana, he was going to have to become a willing participant in the very thing that he had abolished from his kingdom more than twenty years earlier.
And he was going to have to trust these two people…Watcher and Slayer…to find a way for him to return home.
* * *
Buffy looked up from her book as Uther paced back and forth across the living room. She glanced at Giles, not surprised to find him completely engrossed in research. After all, it wasn’t every day that they were looking for a spell to open a portal that led to a very exact spot in another time.
She smiled as he ran his long fingers through his hair and then turned her attention back to the pacing King.
“Anxious to get back?”
Uther stopped and stared at her. “What?”
“You look like a lion pacing in its cage, waiting to attack.” Buffy stated with a shrug. “I’m sure your Queen won’t even realize that you’ve been gone…that’s how most of these time travel things work…”
Uther lowered his eyes briefly. “I…there is no Queen.”
Buffy tilted her head and regarded him carefully. “I thought there was always a Queen if there was a King.”
Uther heard the genuine interest in the girl’s statement. He cleared his throat and rubbed his fingers over his sternum.
“My Queen was taken from me twenty years ago…on the night my son was born.”
“Oh…” Buffy whispered, her eyes showing sympathy for the man. “I’m so sorry…it’s just…you looked like there was something more to get back to. I mean, more than Arthur and Camelot…”
Uther stared at her curiously. “Such as?”
“Love.” Buffy’s eyes darted to Giles.
Uther followed Buffy’s gaze. “You love him.”
She snapped her eyes back to Uther, surprised to see a tender smile on his lips. She relaxed and returned the smile, giving him a gentle nod.
“Yeah, I do…” She closed the book and placed it to the side. “Who holds your heart, Uther Pendragon?”
Uther’s eyes widened, obviously startled by the question. “There is no Queen…”
“Maybe not, but…your heart doesn’t belong to you anymore. You do realize that, right? I mean…if I can see it…”
“Buffy…” Giles sighed, turning around and shaking his head. “This is not the time, love.”
“Sorry, Giles.” Buffy offered, giving Uther another smile before picking the book back up.
Giles glanced at Uther, not surprised by the emotions he could see swirling in the King’s green eyes. After all, Giles knew more of the legend of Uther Pendragon than Buffy did. In fact, he was quite sure that Buffy hadn’t even known Arthur’s father’s name…much less known that the King had quite tragically fallen in love with his ward.
Giles hoped that he could help change the outcome of that as well…all Uther needed to do was admit the truth to himself. And to Morgana.
Continue
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRT
Pairing: Buffy/Giles, Uther/Morgana
Timeline: BtVS S5 - no Glory, no Dawn, no Riley. Also, the layout of Giles’ apartment is a bit different. As for the Merlin aspect of the story, sometime after S1.
Synopsis: After Uther is transported into the 20th century, things become much clearer in his mind with a little bit of help. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Merlin crossover fic.
Author’s Note: Special thanks to wyvernwolf and fairygothmum for betaing this for me.
Uther Pendragon turned quickly, his red cape swishing around his body as he stared at the young man. His eyes narrowed dangerously, his gaze flicking towards Gaius for a brief moment before returning to the wide eyes of his son’s friend.
“I’ll have your head.” He growled in a deep voice.
“Uther, I...” Merlin started, flinching as Uther’s jaw clenched with anger as he took a step forward.
“Sire, Your Highness, My Lord, King...” His gloved hand curled in the collar of Merlin’s jacket. “You are not to call me ‘Uther’ again.”
“I’m sorry, Sire...” Merlin whispered urgently, biting his bottom lip as he glanced at Gaius. “It’s not what it looked like, Your Highness...”
“Then perhaps you should explain.” Uther pushed the young man away and glared at him. “There is no place in Camelot for magick.”
“It wasn’t magick!” Merlin protested quickly, shaking his head as he fumbled for an explanation. “It was...it was...”
“A party trick.” A warm voice tinged with amusement stated from the stone archway.
“A party trick? Really, Morgana?” Uther asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he slowly turned towards his ward.
Morgana rolled her eyes and gestured towards Merlin. “Come now, Uther...does he look like a sorcerer?”
Uther’s eyes flashed, the tip of his tongue darting out to moisten his dry lips. “Looks are deceiving, all too often.”
“Slight of hand, smoke and misdirection.” Morgana glanced at Merlin, a nearly imperceptible smile on her lips. “Nothing more. I taught him that particular trick myself.”
Uther stared at Morgana for a long moment, anger and fear coursing through his veins. “Should I discover differently...”
“All of us will suffer at your hands...” Morgana finished, a chuckle in her tone.
Uther lifted his hand and narrowed his eyes. “Do not mock me, child. I would suffer far more than you, but I have a Kingdom to protect.”
Morgana understood her King’s words, those spoken and those left unsaid. Her smile faded and she gave him a gentle nod. “Yes, my Lord.”
Without another word, Uther strode out of the room...his cape billowing behind him. Merlin and Gaius exchanged a nervous look as Morgana breathed a heavy sigh.
“Close, Merlin. Very close.” She offered him a knowing smile as she backed out of the room. “You’ll need to be more careful in the future...”
Merlin exhaled deeply as the heavy wooden door closed behind her. In the excitement, neither he nor Gaius had noticed that the stream of amber light had easily slipped through the mortar between the large stone blocks of the wall.
* * *
Uther grumbled, muttering to himself as he removed his cape before carefully placing his crown in the cabinet that his son jokingly referred to as the Crown Chest of Camelot. He shook his head as his thoughts shifted from Arthur to Morgana...sweet, lovely Morgana. The kindest soul he had known in...years. The one person who could calm him as quickly as she could enrage him.
He knew what that meant, but refused to acknowledge it any further.
So caught up in thoughts that were quickly turning sinful, he didn’t notice the shimmer in the atmosphere around him. He tossed his leather gloves onto the desk and ran his fingers through the hair on the back of his head.
Morgana...
He sighed heavily, thinking that she was going to be his undoing one day. He just didn’t know if it was going to be pleasurable or not.
He felt a tingle on his skin as he stepped towards his bed. He stopped, narrowing his eyes when the tingle increased to a loud hum. He took another step and felt the heat. He opened his mouth to call out for his guards, but no words came.
A bright light flashed as the portal was activated. And as it dimmed, Uther Pendragon was nowhere to be seen.
* * *
“Bloody hell...” Giles grumbled as he flipped through the book once more.
“Giles...soon would be good!” Buffy called, ducking the clumsy punch of the large demon in front of her.
“I’m trying, Buffy...but, it’s hard to read the words...” He stated, holding the book up and squinting his eyes.
“Try harder!” She yelled, landing a kick to the demon’s abdomen.
Giles glanced at her, quelling the urge to glare. “Perhaps you should come across a demon in a more well-lit area next time...”
Buffy heard his sarcastic statement, but didn’t have time to reply. The demon was becoming more aggressive by the second. She did hear his excited ‘ah!’ and smiled even as she dodged the demon’s lunge.
Giles recited the spell quickly and flawlessly, feeling his heart start to calm as the magick enveloped the demon. The ancient Greek words rolled off his tongue with surprising ease as he stood, finishing the last line of the spell.
The air behind him shimmered as a portal opened.
Uther Pendragon stepped into the cemetery, eyes wide with confusion as a man before him lifted his arm...a bright green light shooting from the palm of his hand and slamming into a...monster of some sort...a few yards away.
Uther swallowed thickly. He could almost taste the magick, the air was so heavy around him. And this man before him...the magick flowed so easily from him.
Uther flinched as the monster exploded when the man shot another beam of light at it. His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. This man must be stopped.
Giles gave a surprised cry when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He whirled around, dropping the book to the ground. He tried to take a step back, but the other man’s hand tightened...strong fingers gripping his jacket.
“Buffy!”
Uther glanced at the blonde girl running towards him before he spoke, his voice deep and commanding as he stared into Giles’ green eyes. “That was magick.”
Giles nodded slowly, placing his hand over the one on his shoulder and trying to pull free from the other man’s grip. He was unsuccessful.
“You are a sorcerer. By the Order of Camelot, I sentence you to death by beheading!”
Buffy grabbed Giles with one hand and pushed Uther with the other, glaring at the older man as he stumbled backwards. “One...he’s not a sorcerer. Two...Order of Camelot? Three...there’ll be no beheading of anyone, especially not him. And four...Order of Camelot?? Who are you and what fantasy world are you living in?”
Uther straightened and brushed the palm of his left hand over the dark maroon tunic he still wore. He was suddenly very thankful that he had yet to remove his tunic and leather pants before he had been whisked into this strange place.
“I am Uther Pendragon...King of Camelot.” Uther announced proudly...even menacingly. “The use of magick is punishable by death...though you state he is no sorcerer, magick flowed from his fingers...his very essence...”
“Uh-huh...you come near him, you have to deal with me.” Buffy stated matter-of-factly.
“You are but a mere child, younger than Morgana...” Uther stated, narrowing his eyes dangerously at the one called Buffy. He was very surprised to find that she did not shy from his glare...much like Morgana didn’t. “There is no place for magick in Camelot...not any longer.”
“Hate to tell you, but...you’re not in Camelot anymore, Toto.”
Giles smiled at Buffy’s quip, but kept his eyes trained on Uther. The King looked taken aback, glancing around his surroundings for the first time.
“Toto?”
“No Wizard of Oz in Camelot?” Buffy asked, allowing her eyes to take in the other man’s clothing...his very authentic-looking clothing.
“Wizard of...” Uther shook his head quickly. “There are no Wizards in the Realm of Camelot...not since the night my son was born.”
“Arthur.” Giles stated softly, automatically taking a step back when Uther snapped his eyes towards him.
“How do you know my son?” Uther growled.
Buffy’s eyes widened as she looked at Giles. “Like King Arthur? And the Knights of the Round Table and stuff?”
“Arthur is not King...he has been crowned Prince of Camelot...” Uther felt his confusion overwhelm him. “This...this is not Camelot...”
Giles cleared his throat and met the older man’s eyes. “No, Sire...this is Sunnydale. Sunnydale, California...and the year is 1999.”
Uther’s eyes widened. “Nineteen ninety...no. No...no, this isn’t...”
“Hey...calm down, Pendragon...” Buffy said, wrapping her hand around Uther’s right forearm.
His eyes flashed with anger. “Unhand me, you common - ”
“Enough!” Giles growled, stepping forward and glaring at the King. “I understand your confusion...your fear...but, should you ever use that tone with her again while you’re in our time...”
“Giles...”
Giles’ eyes sparked with rage. “You’ll know the abilities of a Watcher...first-hand. Mark my words, King Uther Pendragon…you are not my Lord. You’d do well to remember that.”
Uther raised an eyebrow at the snarl in which his name was said. It was the same tone he would’ve used had someone spoken to Morgana in that manner in his presence. He had to admit that it intrigued him.
“A Watcher?” His eyes darted to Buffy. “You’re the Slayer, then?”
Buffy snorted. “You don’t believe in magick, but you believe in Slayers?”
“I never stated that I don’t believe in magick, child. I know all too well that magick exists.”
The three stood there for a few moments, staring at each other...each waiting for someone else to make a move. Finally, Giles exhaled a deep breath and placed his hand on Buffy’s shoulder. She immediately relaxed under his touch.
That intrigued Uther even further.
“Alright. Your Highness, if you’d be so kind to accompany us to my home...we’ll see what we can do about getting you back to Camelot.”
Uther sighed heavily and ran his hand through his short, greying hair. Knowing he had no other choice at the moment, he gave the Watcher a quick nod…following a few paces behind the Watcher and his Slayer as they made their way through the cemetery.
Uther felt a sudden twinge in his chest. He took a shaky breath as it occurred to him that in order for him to return home, to Camelot…to his son…to…Morgana, he was going to have to become a willing participant in the very thing that he had abolished from his kingdom more than twenty years earlier.
And he was going to have to trust these two people…Watcher and Slayer…to find a way for him to return home.
* * *
Buffy looked up from her book as Uther paced back and forth across the living room. She glanced at Giles, not surprised to find him completely engrossed in research. After all, it wasn’t every day that they were looking for a spell to open a portal that led to a very exact spot in another time.
She smiled as he ran his long fingers through his hair and then turned her attention back to the pacing King.
“Anxious to get back?”
Uther stopped and stared at her. “What?”
“You look like a lion pacing in its cage, waiting to attack.” Buffy stated with a shrug. “I’m sure your Queen won’t even realize that you’ve been gone…that’s how most of these time travel things work…”
Uther lowered his eyes briefly. “I…there is no Queen.”
Buffy tilted her head and regarded him carefully. “I thought there was always a Queen if there was a King.”
Uther heard the genuine interest in the girl’s statement. He cleared his throat and rubbed his fingers over his sternum.
“My Queen was taken from me twenty years ago…on the night my son was born.”
“Oh…” Buffy whispered, her eyes showing sympathy for the man. “I’m so sorry…it’s just…you looked like there was something more to get back to. I mean, more than Arthur and Camelot…”
Uther stared at her curiously. “Such as?”
“Love.” Buffy’s eyes darted to Giles.
Uther followed Buffy’s gaze. “You love him.”
She snapped her eyes back to Uther, surprised to see a tender smile on his lips. She relaxed and returned the smile, giving him a gentle nod.
“Yeah, I do…” She closed the book and placed it to the side. “Who holds your heart, Uther Pendragon?”
Uther’s eyes widened, obviously startled by the question. “There is no Queen…”
“Maybe not, but…your heart doesn’t belong to you anymore. You do realize that, right? I mean…if I can see it…”
“Buffy…” Giles sighed, turning around and shaking his head. “This is not the time, love.”
“Sorry, Giles.” Buffy offered, giving Uther another smile before picking the book back up.
Giles glanced at Uther, not surprised by the emotions he could see swirling in the King’s green eyes. After all, Giles knew more of the legend of Uther Pendragon than Buffy did. In fact, he was quite sure that Buffy hadn’t even known Arthur’s father’s name…much less known that the King had quite tragically fallen in love with his ward.
Giles hoped that he could help change the outcome of that as well…all Uther needed to do was admit the truth to himself. And to Morgana.
Continue