Christmas Socks
Written for babydracky Merlin Calendar. Challenge : Christmas Socks. Pairing : Arthur and Morgana.
Christmas socks
Morgana heard a noise coming from the familial room, just a hush really, and she muffled her gasp of surprise behind both hands. Her nanny had said Saint Nicholas was nothing but an invention. He didn’t exist. Adults made his character up so spoiled princesses accepted to have their hair properly brushed and behave. Morgana had cried her eyes out because of the crushed children fantasy. Even Uther had inquired about her red eyes at supper.
Nanny was mean and she hurt her pulling so hard on her tangled dark curls. It wasn’t Morgana’s fault if she preferred horse riding and sword-plays with the boys rather than staying seated to do embroidery. She really didn’t like embroidery. But was it possible Nanny had lied? She had definitely heard a noise coming from inside. The old man was really here and maybe if she went and apologized, and curtsied really nicely, he would leave her a present. She would promise to be good and obey when she was told to stay still, even when she was bored to death.
Morgana pushed the door open and entered the room. Her little feet barely made noise on the bare floor.
“Oh… What are you doing here?”
Arthur dropped the ginger man biscuit he was trying to stuff in her Christmas sock, hanged next to his on the mantel. He pouted, annoyed to have been caught. “Nothing.”
Nanny had told the truth. Saint Nick didn’t exist, and even if she was very good and did as she was told all year long, he would never bring her father back for Christmas. Morgana wanted to cry. The little prince murmured:
“Dad said if we misbehave we would not find a present in our socks. And Nanny was really mad at you this afternoon… I wanted you to have one anyway.”
Surprised, Morgana dried her eyes. He was contemplated the pieces of the broken biscuit on the floor. Arthur could be really sweet when he wanted to. She tiptoed toward him and very quickly, because she wanted to be able to deny she had done anything if he protested, she planted a kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you.”
The blond prince opened wide blue eyes in shock, and grinned.
“You like me!”
“Do not.”
“Do to.”
Morgana snorted.
“I am going to bed.”
She prepared to turn around, her chin proudly up just like Nanny told her to, when Arthur stopped her by the sleeve.
“It’s okay; I like you too.”
Morgana softened, and both children sat on the floor with the biscuit between them. He said:
“Do you think it’s still good to eat?”
“I don’t know. It looks weird.”
Arthur plopped a piece into his mouth and swallowed with a grimace.
“Tastes weird too. I think I don’t like ginger bread.”
He pushed on his feet.
“Let’s go to the kitchens. They already started to prepare for tomorrow feast… Surely they will give us a piece of something better than that.”
The little prince offered his hand.
“My Lady Morgana.”
The girl giggled and curtsied graciously.
“My Champion.”
Uther watched them exit the room hand in hand and smiled. One day, these innocent words would take another meaning entirely. In the meantime, he had presents to put in two Christmas socks.
Merry Armor Christmas
December 2011
Christmas socks
Morgana heard a noise coming from the familial room, just a hush really, and she muffled her gasp of surprise behind both hands. Her nanny had said Saint Nicholas was nothing but an invention. He didn’t exist. Adults made his character up so spoiled princesses accepted to have their hair properly brushed and behave. Morgana had cried her eyes out because of the crushed children fantasy. Even Uther had inquired about her red eyes at supper.
Nanny was mean and she hurt her pulling so hard on her tangled dark curls. It wasn’t Morgana’s fault if she preferred horse riding and sword-plays with the boys rather than staying seated to do embroidery. She really didn’t like embroidery. But was it possible Nanny had lied? She had definitely heard a noise coming from inside. The old man was really here and maybe if she went and apologized, and curtsied really nicely, he would leave her a present. She would promise to be good and obey when she was told to stay still, even when she was bored to death.
Morgana pushed the door open and entered the room. Her little feet barely made noise on the bare floor.
“Oh… What are you doing here?”
Arthur dropped the ginger man biscuit he was trying to stuff in her Christmas sock, hanged next to his on the mantel. He pouted, annoyed to have been caught. “Nothing.”
Nanny had told the truth. Saint Nick didn’t exist, and even if she was very good and did as she was told all year long, he would never bring her father back for Christmas. Morgana wanted to cry. The little prince murmured:
“Dad said if we misbehave we would not find a present in our socks. And Nanny was really mad at you this afternoon… I wanted you to have one anyway.”
Surprised, Morgana dried her eyes. He was contemplated the pieces of the broken biscuit on the floor. Arthur could be really sweet when he wanted to. She tiptoed toward him and very quickly, because she wanted to be able to deny she had done anything if he protested, she planted a kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you.”
The blond prince opened wide blue eyes in shock, and grinned.
“You like me!”
“Do not.”
“Do to.”
Morgana snorted.
“I am going to bed.”
She prepared to turn around, her chin proudly up just like Nanny told her to, when Arthur stopped her by the sleeve.
“It’s okay; I like you too.”
Morgana softened, and both children sat on the floor with the biscuit between them. He said:
“Do you think it’s still good to eat?”
“I don’t know. It looks weird.”
Arthur plopped a piece into his mouth and swallowed with a grimace.
“Tastes weird too. I think I don’t like ginger bread.”
He pushed on his feet.
“Let’s go to the kitchens. They already started to prepare for tomorrow feast… Surely they will give us a piece of something better than that.”
The little prince offered his hand.
“My Lady Morgana.”
The girl giggled and curtsied graciously.
“My Champion.”
Uther watched them exit the room hand in hand and smiled. One day, these innocent words would take another meaning entirely. In the meantime, he had presents to put in two Christmas socks.
Merry Armor Christmas
December 2011