Author:
weatherfeatherTitle: The Queen's Land
Rating: G
Pairing/s: Merlin/Morgana
Character/s: Morgana, Merlin
Summary: High-class city girl Morgana buys a farm in the country to have a life she only ever saw in pictures. There, she meets local-boy family-farmer Merlin. They're dating, and he helps her with farm stuff. This is one of those times.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 587w
Prompt: #464 Borrowed
Author's Notes: While the deadline for this prompt was last week, I thought you should have the story anyway. My original goal was to have Morgana need a truck to move furniture, but you'll see that detail becomes unimportant. XD
A hefty, dark-gray truck kicks up a cloud of tan dust in its wake as it rolls past the neat rows of low-profile crops that line the dirt road to the farmhouse.
Morgana sees through the driver's side window that it's Merlin in the driver's seat. She lets the dust blow away before she opens the door to the covered porch.
"Where'd you get the truck, Merlin?" Morgana shouts to him.
"I borrowed it from Perce," Merlin calls back. He hops down from the running board and walks over to Morgana where she's leaning attractively against a support post on the porch. He looks her in the eye to keep his mind on task. "He said he could make do for a week taking the train instead, though he did grumble about the width of the seats...."
"Well, we'll have to make it up to him. This is going to be a huge help."
"I was thinking..." Merlin says slowly.
"Hm?" Morgana asks.
"If we hose the bed down well afterward, we can probably use it for those old hay bales," Merlin suggests. "You've wanted them gone for- well, for far too long."
Morgana looks over to the truck bed. She tilts her head as she sizes it up.
Merlin knows Morgana's doing some quick calculations for how many trips they'd need to take to Old Man Simmons' farm down the road. Simmons has been going on for a month now about cobbing his house walls to save energy, but he hasn't been able to source the hay because of its importance to all the dairy farms in the area. Morgana's old hay will do the job just fine, though.
Merlin adds, "And Percival keeps his truck very clean. I think he only let it go because he knew we weren't planning to use it for anything that involves dirt."
"'There's no place for farm dirt in the city, Morgana,'" Morgana quotes. "As if I need to be told what's appropriate in the city! Sometimes, I wonder if he's not a little bit too preoccupied with looking like he fits in there."
Merlin shrugs. The city isn't really his area of expertise.
"It'll take at least a whole morning," Morgana says to get back on topic. "Probably go smoother if we can get some help."
"Can we back the truck right up to them?" Merlin asks.
"The runoff's been dry for a month, Merlin. You know that."
"It's your farm, 'Gana. You walk it every day. You know it best."
She smirks. "True, I am the ruler of this land."
Merlin steps in closer. The porch is a foot off the ground, so Morgana has a height advantage over him. He looks up at her with a mock-pleading expression. "I humbly beg your permission, my Queen, to help you defile Percival's pristine truck with your old, musty hay bales and our dirt-covered shoes."
Morgana laughs and pushes his shoulder playfully. But, as Merlin takes a step back, she grabs the bandana hanging around his neck and pulls him in so they're nose to nose. She raises one eyebrow. "If you bring along that sturdy picnic blanket we used at the spring festival, I might take time out from my duties as Queen to defile you as well as the truck."
Merlin pushes up on his toes to close the distance between their mouths. It's a hard kiss, but a fast one.
Merlin pulls away to murmur against her lips, "As you wish, my lady."