A/N- Hey guys, so I finally got a sequel to Glitz and Glamour all done. It's heavily inspired by Moments in Provo, a Hetalia fic by Philosophizes over on AO3, hope you like :)
Lady of the Lake
Article from Avalon Magazine, January 6 2014
MORGANA LE FEY AND ARTHUR PENDRAGON SET TO STAR IN NEW TELEVISION SHOW!
Nimueh Lake, editor
Noted rivals Morgan Le Fey and Arthur Pendragon are set to star on the new CBN television program: Lady of the Lake. The program is the most recent in a long line of period dramas to be released by the Camelot Broadcasting Network, and follows the relationship between a young knight (Pendragon) and the eponymous Lady of the Lake (Le Fey).
Despite the news of the release resulting in generally positive reviews, some fans are worried that the bitter rivalry between the two leads will leave the show in ruins, and the very fact that they agreed to star together, especially in such provocative roles left many of the public scratching their heads. Is there more to this "rivalry" than meets the eye? This reporter knows the truth.
It has recently come to light that the show's executive producer is Uther Pendragon, Arthur Pendragon's father and a family friend of Le Fey. "What many may see as the two young stars taking steps to bury the hatchet is in fact just another example of blatant nepotism in the television industry" claims an anonymous source close to the stars "They may not want to act together, but they would be stupid to turn down a CBN drama!" cont. on page 16
Merlin pushed open the door to Arthur's trailer, and immediately ducked, as a magazine whizzed past his head and out the door.
"I take it you've seen Nimueh's latest then?"
His only response was a dark look from his boss.
"Gaius is already working damage control, it may include a few more interviews than we expected"
Grunt.
"Right. I just came to drop off the new script." He placed a bulging file on Arthur's table "I'm calling Gwen to see how Morgana's taking it."
"She's not taking it well" Gwen said, trying to keep her voice low, her mouth close to the speaker on her phone. She wasn't sure if Merlin had herd her, what with the sound of Morgana ranting to her legal people over her phone "I mean, that is to be expected, but still, it's rather scary" she sighed. "I was hoping it wouldn't be this bad, I mean everyone knows Nimueh doesn't write anything good about anyone. She's still bitter about her nonexistent acting career, and claiming that actors get roles based on connections and not talent is one of her favorite pass times. It really shouldn't come as a shock anymore"
"Exactly how angry is she? On a scale of one to the thing with the beetles?"
"ummm..." Gwen glanced sideways at Morgana, who looked close to chucking her phone at the wall "I'd say about the same as the after Vivian accused her of trying to steal Arthur from her." She heard Merlin gulp on the other end of the line. "How's Arthur then?"
"Well he started by chucking the magazine at the door... as I was opening it. Then he got really quiet."
"So we're keeping them away from each other until the reading then?"
"Sounds like a plan"
Lady of the Lake, S01E01
Sir Aaron: Who's there? (He unsheathes his sword) I warn you, I'm armed!
Lady Aquaris (O.S): (Laughs gently, though condescendingly)
Sir Aaron: (turns around, trying to locate the source of the laughter) Show yourself!
Lady Aquaris: (Steps out from among the vegetation, smirking)
Sir Aaron: (Raises his sword) Halt! Speak truly! Who are you? A nymph? An Enchantress?
Lady Aquaris: (Laughs again) You flatter me, Sir knight, but I am neither (she looks him in the eye) I am merely your destiny
Every crew member in the Staff Room began to clap when Gwen and Merlin entered the room, exhausted.
They paused, startled, before glancing at each other and taking a theatrical bow.
"Not that we don't appreciate it" said Merlin, flopping down next to George, Gwen on his other side "but what did we do to earn applause?"
"We heard you had to physically pull Arthur and Morgana off of each other today, and not in the fun way" said Freya from her perch on the counter.
Gwen stifled a laugh "Arthur wanted to 'stay in character' after shooting. Morgana took exception to having to call him 'Sir Knight' every time she wanted to ask him something."
Merlin didn't even bother to try and stifle his laughter "After that, she took exception to Arthur calling her 'wench'"
The room dissolved into laughter. George wiped a tear from his eye, leaned closer to Merlin, and whispered "I thought you said they were friends?"
Merlin grinned at the other man and said "Well yeah, but that doesn't mean they don't drive each other up the wall sometimes"
Series of messages between Arthur Pendragon and his PA
8:35 AM
Merlin: Arthur, you and Lance have stunt training today, for that tournament scene
Arthur: What time?
Merlin: Five minutes ago
Arthur: Damn it Merlin!
Merlin: Don't blame me, I've been reminding you since you got here!
10:15 AM
Merlin: I heard you made Sefa cry
Merlin: Arthur we've talked about this!
Arthur: I didn't make her cry! I will admit I might have scared her a bit though...
Merlin: What did you do?
Arthur: There might have been a couple articles about me on StarTracker that I wasn't too happy about...
Merlin: And you took it out on her. Honestly Arthur, I thought we all agreed you weren't allowed to google yourself after you nearly broke your fingers punching the trailer wall last time.
Arthur: I can feel your disappointment through the phone
Merlin: You better apologize, she's one of the best makeup artists we have, and Morgana likes her a lot
Arthur: ...
Arthur: Could you place an order for some flowers?
12:22 AM
Arthur: Merlin, set up a meeting with Gaius, would you?
Merlin: What have you done?
Arthur: I took Elena out to lunch
Merlin: Paparazzi?
Arthur: What do you think?
It didn't matter how many times Merlin got to ride in aeroplane, the thrill would never wear off.
"We're going to ComicCon!" he half sang.
Gwen sitting next to him grinned. The cast had been surprised to find out that the show tested well enough with sample audiences for them to get a panel at San Diego ComicCon. The general mood in the plane ranged from excited (most of the PAs) to Nervous to the point of nausea (mainly the cast). Lance and Leon, two of Arthur's fellow "knights" had decided to sleep through the flight. Elyan had turned to the free alcohol. His PA Gilli was keeping a wary eye on him. Mordred, the youngest cast member, had set up camp in the bathroom. It was his first Con. Arthur had begun to pace the aisle, and Morgana looked seconds away from snapping at him.
The PAs all exchanged a look
"We're going to be babysitting, aren't we?"
Partial Transcript from SDCC 2015, Lady of the Lake Panel, just after the official trailer is revealed
Handler: So what did you guys think? Did you like what you saw?
(Loud Cheering from the audience)
Handler: Alright then, we're going to open the panel up to questions! Please line up in the middle of the auditorium if you've got a question! Yup! Just like that!
Audience Member 1: Hey guys!
Arthur: Hello
Audience Member 1: (giggles) Hi, um so my question is for the knights, did anyone get injured during the fight scenes?
Lance: (chuckles) well, not too badly, just a few scratches and bruises really
Elyan: To be fair, we didn't get to do any of the really dangerous stuff
Arthur: But there was that one stunt guy who broke a rib during the jousting sequence, so to answer your question, Yeah, but it was more the stunt guys than us
Audience member 2: Hi! I was wondering, who was the clumsiest person on set?
ALL: Elyan
Elyan: Me...
(Laughter from the audience)
Audience member 3: Mordred, what was it like working with such an experienced cast, like was it difficult to fit in with them?
Mordred: Um... I wouldn't say it was difficult, though I was really nervous to begin with. But these guys have been really welcoming-
Leon: Morgana's sort of adopted him as a younger brother, it's a bit scary (gives Morgana a mock suspicious look)
(Morgana blows a kiss in his general direction and the audience laughs)
Audience member 4: My question is for Morgana. What was it like kissing Arthur?
(Audience cheers loudly)
Morgana: Oh horrible, absolutely terrible really. Not a very good kisser at all
Arthur: I'm hurt Morgana, really
(scattered laughter)
Morgana: In all honesty (She pauses for effect) not the worst kiss I've ever had
Arthur: Thank you, for that ringing endorsement
(Audience laughs)
Audience Member 5: Arthur, it's no secret that you and Morgana don't get along, and a lot of people were really worried that the history between you two would effect the show negatively. How did you manage to put all of that aside during shooting?
Morgana: Well, we are professionals you know
(Scattered laughter from the audience. Arthur and Morgana exchange a look)
Arthur: truth is, she's not so bad
Morgana: (using a super sweet voice) Aww Arthur, I find you tolerable as well
(They turn in their seats and give each other a hug. The Audience cheers wildly)
Merlin woke up to an email from Gwen that said "I wish they'd talk to us before they do things like this" and included a link to a StarTracker article. He ignored the uneasy feeling at the pit of his stomach and tapped the attached link.
ARTHUR PENDRAGON AND MORGANA LE FEY: FROM RIVALS TO MORE?
Morgause G.
The most famous rivals in the television industry shocked ComicCon antendees when they exchanged a hug during the Lady of the Lake panel. The hug was prefaced by an admission of mutual "tolerance" from both actors. So what does this mean? Have the two gone from being rivals to friends, or has the steamy environment on the LotL set pushed the two reluctant stars into something more?
Merlin covered his eyes and groaned, before calling Gwen. They may have to do a bit of damage control.