Fic: When you were young
Morgana fidgeted in her bright gown, feeling uncomfortable in seamstress’s little quarters. There was no breeze through the window and she’d had to stand still for so long in one fashion while Alice measured her with her tape and her neat thin hands. Another dress in the making. If Uther thought buying her another dress would cheer her up and convince her to talk to him, he was dead wrong. All the lovely gowns and presents could never make up for what she lost. And she blamed him. She knew somewhere deep within her that if it wasn’t for Uther, her brilliant father would be alive. It was guilt that drove his generosity, guilt that drove most of his actions towards her and she was determined to look upon everything he gave her with disdain.
Since her arrival in Camelot, she’d locked herself away in the room the king had given her. There she’d cry and miss her home. It was a nice room, but it wasn’t really hers. Her old room had a view of the forest and on windy days the scent of pine blew in. Her father, strong and handsome, with a wide smile, told her stories in that room. They’d curl up like cats around each other in her old bed and he’d make her laugh with his ridiculous tales and cry with his tragic ones. He was the one soothed her when the nightmares came. Tears unbidden sprung to her eyes. Her father. How she missed him. She wished more than anything to be back home. She hated it here. It had been four weeks and still she had hardly spoken to anybody. Except for Arthur and that was only because he was so annoying she just had to tell him to shut up. She thought Arthur would require someone to tell him to shut up on a regular basis to keep him tolerable. Right now he was the most arrogant and smelly boy she’d ever met. That he was the first person she spoke to meant nothing.
He’d crept in to her room, on a sunny afternoon towards the end of her first week in Camelot. She hadn’t spoken to anyone at all. Not the kindly faced serving maids or the stern faced king and certainly not his poo-faced son. Today, like most days since her father had ridden into battle and hadn’t comeback, she was curled up under her blanket missing her father and wishing the world away. Arthur had come in noisily and poked her. Repeatedly. She ignored him, but that only seemed to encourage him. He started talking to her each sentence punctuated by him prodding with an ever increasing firmness.
Hey, you…
Poke
It’s Morgana isn’t it
Poke
I’m Arthur
Poke
Hey are you deaf?
Poke
Maybe you really can’t talk
Poke
My father says you’re going to live with us
Poke
And he’s going to treat you like you’re his daughter
Poke
so that makes you my sister, sort of.
Poke
My father’s the king, you know
Poke
And I’m the prince
Poke
So you should talk to me.
Poke
Oi !
Arthur didn’t notice her slowly scooting closer to the edge of the bed as he got increasing frustrated with her silence. He didn’t notice as she slight lifted the blanket and saw she was eye level with his stomach. He didn’t notice as she curled her hand into a fist. She punched him once, hard, straight in the stomach, he toppled over making an OOOF noise as he fell. That got his attention. She leapt up, her hair loose, her face angry.
‘That’s for poking me so much you donkey brain!’ she gave him a soft kick in the belly with her foot. Not too hard, she didn’t want to hurt him, she just wanted him to leave her alone. Arthur grabbed her around the ankle and pulled her down on the floor. She landed on top of him with a squeak and started thwacking him with her small fists. He rolled about and generally made an awkward lump of himself. She kicked him again. Not so gently.
‘Let me go you barbarian boy!’ she shouted as she tried to stand up.
‘I knew it! I knew you could talk!’ he exclaimed quite gleefully for a boy who just been kicked. Twice. By his almost sister. He released her and they both got awkwardly to their feet. He smiled at her triumphantly. Infuriatingly. ‘ I knew it!’ he said again. She thwacked him on the arm for good measure.
‘Well ! Now that I’m talking to you I can tell you that you are the most annoying boy ever!’
‘Well you’re the meanest girl ever!’ he retorted. ‘And you smell!’ he added for extra emphasis.
‘Well you’re the biggest brat I’ve ever met!’
‘well you were a lot less annoying when you weren’t talking to anybody.’
‘Well if I’m so annoying why don’t you go away and leave me to my annoying self’
‘Well maybe I will! He said, pouting. He had an excellent mouth for pouting Morgana noted. He took a step closer and looked, well Morgana couldn’t think of any other word for it than disappointed. Like he had hoped she would have something different to say to him when she finally spoke. The look was only there for a second and then vanished. Morgana isn’t sure if she imagined it or not. All she knew is that sad look was replaced by one decidedly mischievous. He took another step towards her and pulled her ear.
‘Tag, you’re it.’ He cried and scampered away. That little brat, Morgana thought to herself, I’m going to engage in an immature and undignified game of chase. Still Morganga thought, when she caught him, which she would and quickly, she could always give him another kick for being such a brat. After all he clearly needed one. And Morgana, had never lost a game of chase when she played it with her father, she never lost at anything really. Her competitive streak flared up and she bounded after him. She did catch him, not as quickly as she thought she would, near the stables. She grabbed him, kicked him, told him he was a brat and he’d never catch her and then pelted back to her room, Arthur fast on her heels. She climbed the stairs two at a time and got to her room just in time to slam the door in Arthur’s gormless face! She giggled quietly to herself on the other side of the door and the stopped abruptly. It was the first time she had laughed since coming to Camelot.
‘snot funny! You’re cheating Morgana!’ Arthur complained from the other side of the door.
‘Arthur, what are you doing here!’ called an adult voice. The physician, Gaius, his name was. He had diagnosed her with ‘just needing time to adjust.’ Uther had thought her refusal to speak to him, might’ve been some sort of malady, perhaps she was mute and Gorlois had never told him. Towards the end, there were a lot of things Gorlois would never tell Uther. She had been sent to Gaius. His chambers had been warm and inviting. He spoke to her softly and gently. One of his eyebrows was higher than the other. Morganga had been fascinated by it. She liked Gaius well enough to open the door, just a crack. She popped her head out.
‘Honestly Gaius he’s been bothering me non-stop all afternoon! ’ Morgana said in her haughtiest voice. ‘Please take him away!’ she added with a little dismissive wave of her hand. Gaius’s eyebrow lifted higher than it already was. This, of all things, was not the first thing he thought Morgana would say to him. Arthur’s jaw dropped and he looked outraged the way only an eight-year-old Pendragon can.
‘No, I wasn’t! Gaius! she’s cheating!’ he exclaimed pointing at her .
‘He poked me.’ Morgana said matter of factly.
‘She kicked me. Three times!’
‘He started it.’
‘Arthur, I’m sure you’re father would not be pleased to hear that you have been neglecting you’re studies to bother the Lady Morgana.’ Something fell in Arthur’s face at the mention of his father, as if the boy could imagine nothing worse than displeasing him. Morgana who lived to displease Uther found this curious. Uther was nothing like her father and for this she was both grateful and resentful.
‘Geoffery has been looking everywhere for you sire’ Gaius added as he lead Arthur away. Upon reaching the corner Arthur turned back towards her an stuck his tongue out at her. Morgana responded in kind and closed the door. Perhaps being Lady Morgana of Camelot wouldn’t be so bad, if it helped her get one over Arthur.
Since her arrival in Camelot, she’d locked herself away in the room the king had given her. There she’d cry and miss her home. It was a nice room, but it wasn’t really hers. Her old room had a view of the forest and on windy days the scent of pine blew in. Her father, strong and handsome, with a wide smile, told her stories in that room. They’d curl up like cats around each other in her old bed and he’d make her laugh with his ridiculous tales and cry with his tragic ones. He was the one soothed her when the nightmares came. Tears unbidden sprung to her eyes. Her father. How she missed him. She wished more than anything to be back home. She hated it here. It had been four weeks and still she had hardly spoken to anybody. Except for Arthur and that was only because he was so annoying she just had to tell him to shut up. She thought Arthur would require someone to tell him to shut up on a regular basis to keep him tolerable. Right now he was the most arrogant and smelly boy she’d ever met. That he was the first person she spoke to meant nothing.
He’d crept in to her room, on a sunny afternoon towards the end of her first week in Camelot. She hadn’t spoken to anyone at all. Not the kindly faced serving maids or the stern faced king and certainly not his poo-faced son. Today, like most days since her father had ridden into battle and hadn’t comeback, she was curled up under her blanket missing her father and wishing the world away. Arthur had come in noisily and poked her. Repeatedly. She ignored him, but that only seemed to encourage him. He started talking to her each sentence punctuated by him prodding with an ever increasing firmness.
Hey, you…
Poke
It’s Morgana isn’t it
Poke
I’m Arthur
Poke
Hey are you deaf?
Poke
Maybe you really can’t talk
Poke
My father says you’re going to live with us
Poke
And he’s going to treat you like you’re his daughter
Poke
so that makes you my sister, sort of.
Poke
My father’s the king, you know
Poke
And I’m the prince
Poke
So you should talk to me.
Poke
Oi !
Arthur didn’t notice her slowly scooting closer to the edge of the bed as he got increasing frustrated with her silence. He didn’t notice as she slight lifted the blanket and saw she was eye level with his stomach. He didn’t notice as she curled her hand into a fist. She punched him once, hard, straight in the stomach, he toppled over making an OOOF noise as he fell. That got his attention. She leapt up, her hair loose, her face angry.
‘That’s for poking me so much you donkey brain!’ she gave him a soft kick in the belly with her foot. Not too hard, she didn’t want to hurt him, she just wanted him to leave her alone. Arthur grabbed her around the ankle and pulled her down on the floor. She landed on top of him with a squeak and started thwacking him with her small fists. He rolled about and generally made an awkward lump of himself. She kicked him again. Not so gently.
‘Let me go you barbarian boy!’ she shouted as she tried to stand up.
‘I knew it! I knew you could talk!’ he exclaimed quite gleefully for a boy who just been kicked. Twice. By his almost sister. He released her and they both got awkwardly to their feet. He smiled at her triumphantly. Infuriatingly. ‘ I knew it!’ he said again. She thwacked him on the arm for good measure.
‘Well ! Now that I’m talking to you I can tell you that you are the most annoying boy ever!’
‘Well you’re the meanest girl ever!’ he retorted. ‘And you smell!’ he added for extra emphasis.
‘Well you’re the biggest brat I’ve ever met!’
‘well you were a lot less annoying when you weren’t talking to anybody.’
‘Well if I’m so annoying why don’t you go away and leave me to my annoying self’
‘Well maybe I will! He said, pouting. He had an excellent mouth for pouting Morgana noted. He took a step closer and looked, well Morgana couldn’t think of any other word for it than disappointed. Like he had hoped she would have something different to say to him when she finally spoke. The look was only there for a second and then vanished. Morgana isn’t sure if she imagined it or not. All she knew is that sad look was replaced by one decidedly mischievous. He took another step towards her and pulled her ear.
‘Tag, you’re it.’ He cried and scampered away. That little brat, Morgana thought to herself, I’m going to engage in an immature and undignified game of chase. Still Morganga thought, when she caught him, which she would and quickly, she could always give him another kick for being such a brat. After all he clearly needed one. And Morgana, had never lost a game of chase when she played it with her father, she never lost at anything really. Her competitive streak flared up and she bounded after him. She did catch him, not as quickly as she thought she would, near the stables. She grabbed him, kicked him, told him he was a brat and he’d never catch her and then pelted back to her room, Arthur fast on her heels. She climbed the stairs two at a time and got to her room just in time to slam the door in Arthur’s gormless face! She giggled quietly to herself on the other side of the door and the stopped abruptly. It was the first time she had laughed since coming to Camelot.
‘snot funny! You’re cheating Morgana!’ Arthur complained from the other side of the door.
‘Arthur, what are you doing here!’ called an adult voice. The physician, Gaius, his name was. He had diagnosed her with ‘just needing time to adjust.’ Uther had thought her refusal to speak to him, might’ve been some sort of malady, perhaps she was mute and Gorlois had never told him. Towards the end, there were a lot of things Gorlois would never tell Uther. She had been sent to Gaius. His chambers had been warm and inviting. He spoke to her softly and gently. One of his eyebrows was higher than the other. Morganga had been fascinated by it. She liked Gaius well enough to open the door, just a crack. She popped her head out.
‘Honestly Gaius he’s been bothering me non-stop all afternoon! ’ Morgana said in her haughtiest voice. ‘Please take him away!’ she added with a little dismissive wave of her hand. Gaius’s eyebrow lifted higher than it already was. This, of all things, was not the first thing he thought Morgana would say to him. Arthur’s jaw dropped and he looked outraged the way only an eight-year-old Pendragon can.
‘No, I wasn’t! Gaius! she’s cheating!’ he exclaimed pointing at her .
‘He poked me.’ Morgana said matter of factly.
‘She kicked me. Three times!’
‘He started it.’
‘Arthur, I’m sure you’re father would not be pleased to hear that you have been neglecting you’re studies to bother the Lady Morgana.’ Something fell in Arthur’s face at the mention of his father, as if the boy could imagine nothing worse than displeasing him. Morgana who lived to displease Uther found this curious. Uther was nothing like her father and for this she was both grateful and resentful.
‘Geoffery has been looking everywhere for you sire’ Gaius added as he lead Arthur away. Upon reaching the corner Arthur turned back towards her an stuck his tongue out at her. Morgana responded in kind and closed the door. Perhaps being Lady Morgana of Camelot wouldn’t be so bad, if it helped her get one over Arthur.