Fic: One Night
Title: One Night
Genre: Romance/slight angst
Characters & Pairings: Morgana/Gwen, Arthur/Merlin
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Spoilers for 1x10.
Summary: Or four heroes spend a night of abandon by a fire on the way back to Camelot.
Disclaimer: I don’t own BBC’s Merlin.
Notes: A rather pointless oneshot about the relationship between the four.
The fire flickered and cracked, throwing out waves of warmth into the cold air. It was dying slowly, the lack of wood meaning the flames were getting smaller and smaller and the fingers of Jack Frost were closing around the two women who sat by it’s dwindling light. Muffled sounds of exasperation and the thuds of wood on ground drifted into the clearing, breaking the comfortable silence that resided there.
“Merlin, you idiot!” Arthur’s irritated voice sounded from the trees.
“You bumped into me!” Merlin protested.
“It’s ink black, you shouldn’t have stopped in front of me!” Arthur shot back.
Morgana rolled her eyes and poked the diminishing blaze with a charred stick. The orange-rouge light danced on her face, casting shadows on her features and shining off her bright eyes. Strands of slightly wavy loose hair cascaded down her shoulders and framed her face. In short, the fire complemented Morgana’s dark and light beauty perfectly.
“Do you suppose they’ll argue all night?” Gwen asked from beside her, sipping water, warm from the fire.
“Arguing? That’s Arthur being nice.” Morgana smirked into the dark woods. “That’s just men, only happy when they have something to moan about.”
“They must be deliriously happy then.” Gwen observed.
“Quite.” Morgana agreed.
“We’re back!” Arthur said triumphantly, strolling into the clearing laden with wood.
“Did the wood put up a fight?” Morgana asked with a knowing smile. When Arthur looked confused she continued. “The mud stains on your shirt.”
“Oh that... errrm... I...”
“You fell, we heard.” Gwen offered.
“Right, yes. Clumsy Merlin.” Arthur dumped the wood by the fire.
“I’m clumsy!” Merlin said indignantly, joining the others in the glade.
“That’s what I just said.” Arthur said.
“You two been arguing?” Morgana goaded, falling into fits of laughter when Gwen giggled by her side.
“Bloody women!” Arthur muttered, realising the joke was on them and throwing logs into the fire.
Gwen like watching the banter that always bounced between the prince and her mistress, enjoying the proud feeling she got when Morgana landed a particularly clever insult. This was no exception and soon all four of them were laughing together, retelling embarrassing childhood stories (of which Morgana had many of Arthur).
“Will this ever change?” Merlin asked, a large grin still pulling on his mouth.
“Unfortunatly.” Morgana said.
“It has to.” Gwen admitted.
“Why?” Arthur asked, his lost puppy face giving no affect on either woman.
“Because we’re not exactly conventional.” Morgana reminded him, running her hands rhythmically through Gwen’s hair as the smaller girl lay with her head in Morgana’s lap. “And one day you will be king and be expected to have an heir and I will have been married off by Uther.”
Arthur wondered how she and Gwen could be so calm about what he regarded as a hellish future.
“What if I marry you? Then we can carry on as we are.” Arthur presented.
“Well aren’t you romantic?” Gwen said sarcastically, twining her hand with Morgana’s.
“Was that a proposal?” Merlin asked, bumping his shoulder against Arthur’s.
“No!” Arthur said quickly, his expression betraying his disgust at the idea. “Me and Morgana, you have to be joking!”
“You suggested it.” Morgana reminded him.
“It was hyperetical.” Arthur sighed.
“Hypothetical.” Gwen corrected automatically.
Morgana smirked at the correction and lent down to kiss Gwen.
“Oh please Morgana do you have too?” Arthur said dramatically, using his arm to shield his eyes.
His answer came in the form of the prolonging of the kiss and Gwen’s hand moving up to tangle in Morgana’s hair.
“Don’t you know by now that only encourages them?” Merlin laughed, pecking Arthur on the cheek.
“Get off!” Arthur squirmed away, not in the mood to be touched when he was in such a bad mood.
“You still sore about the mud stain? I’m sure Merlin will wash it off, won’t you Merlin?” Morgana smiled.
“Is this tease Arthur day?” Arthur moaned, his face contorted in a decidedly un-amused expression. “I did just save a village!”
“But who saved your life?” Gwen forced lightly.
“You are speaking to your prince.”Arthur reminded her sternly. “Don’t think that just because you are resting on Morgana’s thighs that you have the right to speak to me so.”
“Arthur.” Merlin warned, not wanting their victory night to be spoiled.
“Play nice.” Morgana chided, holding Gwen tighter, though the comment seemed not have to affected the maid.
“We are classless out here, that’s the deal.” Merlin reminded him.
Arthur grumbled and poked the fire.
“A sulking prince, how cliché.” Merlin rolled his eyes and moved his gaze from his lover to his friends on the other side of the fire. He marvelled at how content they looked, draped over one another like the people in the paintings from the Mediterranean. They looked so very un-Albion in moments like that, exquisite and exotic, and hoped that they too saw something of the same in him and Arthur. He doubted it though; Arthur wasn’t one for public displays of affection. They were happy though and that’s all that mattered to him.
“We should sleep if we want to reach Camelot tomorrow before dark.” Arthur said after a while.
“Yes, Sire.” Morgana said sardonically, quieting him with her finger and pointing to Gwen’s sleeping form.
“How did you know she was sleeping? You didn’t even look at her.” Arthur asked, obediently keeping his voice low.
“Her breathing.” Morgana answered.
Arthur’s face visibly softened at the tenderness in her voice. “You really love her don’t you?”
“As soppy as it sounds: with all my heart.” Camelot’s Lady smiled.
Arthur and Merlin both smiled at her before standing and moving over to where sheets lay for their sleeping.
“Guinevere,” Morgana whispered, running the back of her hand gently on Gwen’s cheek.
A soft mewling noise escaped Gwen’s lips as she roused slowly.
“Come now love, they may not be a bed waiting for us but we can’t very well stay here all night.” Morgana’s voice was soft as she continued her caress.
“I could stay here forever.” Gwen said, clearly more awake than Morgana had realised. “But you will catch a chill.”
Morgana nodded in agreement. “Unfortunately so.”
When the four riders arrived at Camelot the next day their familiarity dulled and they fell back into their dictated roles but always reviving behind closed doors.