Advent Challenge - modern era + canon links
Fandom: Merlin
Day: 3
Pairing: hint of future Arthur/Gwen
Title: H is for Horrendous (modern AU)
Author: shutupeccles
Rating: pg - excessive sibling violence
Disclaimer: characters taken from BBC adaptations of Arthurian legend. For purposes of this fic we did not learn that Uther was Morgana's father in S3
Summary: Blended families can be a bitch during the holidays. Changing POV
Uther
Uther knew this had the potential to be the worst Christmas yet.
His wife had died nine years and five months ago.
His closest friend Gorlois, who was also his wife's first husband, had died digging up the dirt on a 'peacekeeping mission' at the Palestine-Israeli front only weeks ago. So recently in fact his remains had not yet been returned for burial. As appointed guardian of the deceased man's daughters it was up to Uther to give the girls a Merry Christmas.
He reflects on the last Christmas. Morgana had declared in all her six year old innocence that she had become Jewish in support of a school friend. Uther found this prospect a combination of commendable, adorable and absurd. Morgause and Arthur had turned it into a reason for war. Those two...
~~~
Arthur
Morgause gave her younger half-sister a bracelet decorated with charms of fairy tale princesses and magical items. She gave her younger half-brother nothing for Christmas, as per usual.
Bitch.
Arthur did not know what to give girls. He was nine and wanted nothing to do with the wretched creatures except for one or two. Morgana was more tolerable than other girls because on the whole she preferred to play adventure games than dolls. Sometimes she was an absolute nuisance, tagging along to the creek with Arthur and his friends and interfering with their quests. At others she made the most wickedly clever contributions and never wanted to be a pretty useless princess waiting for Arthur's knights to rescue her, or embarrass him by trying to catch and kiss his friends. Morgana preferred to be the evil cackling witch, which drove Morgause batty and made Arthur love her even more.
He thought long and hard over what to give her, especially as she was going to be living here now that her father was dead. Poor Morgana. No-one knew where her mother was. Arthur hoped giving her something that belonged to his mother would cheer her up a bit and make her feel less lonely.
Morgause can eat dog turds for Christmas as far as Arthur is concerned.
Bitch.
~~~
Morgause
Arthur is a little shit, doo-dah doo-dah.
Uther is so full of it, oh the doo-dah day.
~~~
Morgana
She holds the teddy that has always been hers and cries.
She wants her Daddy to come home for Christmas.
She wants her Mummy to come home for Christmas.
Morgana plays with the charms on the bracelet Morgause gave her and says the magic words she taught her but nothing happens. Nothing changes and no-one comes to her strange new room make her feel better.
Uther let her pick her room and what colours she wanted the walls and curtains. She went to sleep in the guest room she always stayed in when she and Morgause slept over and woke up this morning in her new room. Uther told her the Elves must have carried her in Santa's sleigh when she ran to tell him of the Christmas miracle.
"Don't be such a silly nit Morgana. You should never believe anything Uther tells you. Tom the gardener probably lugged you over his shoulder like a sack of manure and plomped you in the bed."
"Stop being such a bitch to her Morgause. Father carried her in, I saw him."
Morgause slapped him across the mouth. "Keep your mother murdering face away from me or I'll slap it off."
Uther sent them all to their rooms. Morgana had been allowed out three minutes ago but she didn't see the point.
~~~
Guinevere
Gwen opened her single present from her father, then her single present from Mister Pendragon. At least the one from her father is something she can use.
"Gwen love, someone left something for you on the front step." Her father passed her a hand made card shaped like a love heart. A brightly coloured, fruity flavoured candy cane was sticky taped to the back.
Thank you for being so nice to Morgana. Your a good friend and very pretty without being useless. from Arthur Merry Chrismas.
~~~
Shared
"You may come in," Morgana says sadly in reply to the knock on her door. Arthur stands there with something behind his back. Morgana can tell because he is pretending that he isn't holding something behind his back. He can be a bit of a brat but he's been trying to be nice to Morgana and even to Morgause. Morgana doesn't understand why Morgause hates him so much. "It isn't your fault your Mummy died. You were only a baby. Babies can't kill people."
Arthur gapes like a fish on a hook. Morgana is always saying things he doesn't expect.
"Um, thank you. Um, I found something you might like."
Morgana smiles and Arthur smiles back. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands."
Morgana opens them as soon as the object touches her hand and he quickly takes it away.
"Hey!"
"You peeked. Try again, no peeking this time."
Morgana giggles and tries to peek through one eye. They continue on like this until the novelty wears off and then he gives her the present.
It's very pretty, whatever it is. "What is it?"
Arthur shrugs. "Dunno. It was my mother's."
Morgana knocks him over with a sudden cuddle and kisses his cheek.
"Eurch!" He wipes the girl germs off with the back of his hand and she laughs at him. "Let's go ask Father what it is."
"I have no idea," Uther admits. "Where did you find...?"
"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?" Morgause shrieks. She shakes Arthur by the shuolders and slaps his face again. Uther pulls her away. "YOU horrible, evil little shit! That's my mother's. I made that for her. How dare you take what's mine and give it someone else."
"She's your sister."
Morgause kicks at him. Arthur kicks back and connects - with his father's shin.
"Arthur, Morgause, stop this at once. Christmas is a time for peace and forgiveness..."
"Spare me your 'Christmas is a time for family' garbage Uther. Because of you I have no family. You stole my mother from my father, he killed her, you sent my father to war so you could sell more bloody newspapers and now you're trying to take my sister away from me. I hate you, I HATE ALL OF YOU!"
Uther releases her, expecting her to fly upstairs or outside and vent her rage in private.
Chalk up another lapse in judgement on my blackboard please sir!
Morgause lays into Arthur again but this time he retaliates. They have both been learning martial arts since the age of eight and while Morgause has the advantage of years, Arthur has the advantage of consistency.
Uther sweeps Morgana up into his arms and races her upstairs to the safety of her room. "Lock the door sweetpea and don't open it until I tell you it's safe."
Arthur should not even know those swear words he's throwing at Morgause along with sweeps, kicks and punches - especially not that one!
How the hell did they get those Samurai swords off the wall? Where in the hell did they learn to use them?
Morgause deals Arthur a particularly nasty slice in a particularly sensitive area. Uther's Viking ancestry is confirmed when Arthur taps into his inner Berserker and goes [- wait for it -] berserk. The crunch of the back of his wrist against her nose followed by the handle of his sword is as satisfying as it is terrifying.
Uther hits speed dial on the nearest telephone, not to emergency but to the child psychologist recommended to help assimilate Morgause and Morgana into the Pendragin household. he doesn't bother waiting for someone to answer but dives in to separate the potentially murderous siblings before one of them succeeds.
Uther seriously needs to rethink his policy of giving the nannies and other household staff Christmas Day off...
Day 2: I've been changing - I think it's funny how no-one knows
Rating - general
Characters/POV - Merlin
Summary: Merlin's magic has matured, but has he?
Day 3: I feel stupid, but I think I've been catching on
Rating - general
Characters/POV - Merlin, Arthur
Summary: Merlin gets busted using magic to decorate Arthur's chambers