A/N: I don't own Merlin but I'm convinced Morgana is involved somehow. ;)

Previously posted on AO3

The Producers

Merlin was not amused.

Morgana had gone too far this time with her manipulation of their history. She always enjoyed toying with Arthur's legend to appease her boredom. It was, after all, because of her that in some versions of their story Merlin was said to be the spawn of a demon.

He supposed he kind of deserved it though, after starting the legend of Mordred being Morgana's son by Arthur. In his defense Merlin was quite upset with both Pendragons at the time after being sent away by Arthur and sealed in a tree by Morgana "for his own safety" during the battle of Camlann – and look how well that turned out. It took nearly a century before Morgana once again had the strength to unseal him after sending Arthur to Avalon.

But this – this was too much.

She seemed to have given up on turning Merlin into an old wizened wizard and decided to go back and tell their story – their real story. He knew it was bad when Morgana told him she was going to be a TV producer this lifetime. With the advent of cameras and the internet staying out of the spotlight became even more necessary in the past century. So what does Morgana do – she chooses a profession that is right smack dab in said spotlight. Merlin was just glad she was behind the camera instead of in front of it.

Well he was glad she was producing instead of acting until he saw her latest project.

"It's ridiculous" Merlin fumed over his tea as Morgana flitted about her kitchen preparing sandwiches for them both. Her light brown hair caught the sun from the window making it look nearly golden. She looks nothing like the girl she had cast to play her.

Lunch was nearly done even though Merlin had barged through her flat's door a mere five minutes ago – a hot cup of tea already waiting for him. He never bothered calling before he stopped over – there was no point. Morgana knew before Merlin when he would be stopping by.

"And here I thought you would be pleased. Our tale is finally getting a truthful telling. I wouldn't have to do this if you would have just written the stories yourself centuries ago." She said as she placed the expertly made sandwiches on her kitchen island and took a seat next to the grumbling warlock.

It was a clean and professional looking kitchen, far larger then was needed for a single woman who normally only cooked for one. Morgana was a chef in one of her pervious lifetimes and the love of cooking had stuck with her since – although Merlin had a hard time remembering if it was 20 or 50 years ago. After all of the centuries the years and aliases tend to bleed together.

It was why staying in contact was so important. They could go decades and once centuries without speaking but in the end they always found each other. No matter their past quarrels they needed one another to stay sane and remember who they once were – no matter how painful remembering might be.

"Truthful? I never used magic when I fought with Arthur in the town market. I nearly won because I'm a good fighter not because I kept tripping him with magic! I was never that careless!" He ranted before angrily taking a bight of what turned out to be a delicious roast beef sandwich – his favorite. Damn Morgana and her mouth-watering cooking, it made staying mad at her nearly impossible.

"…and the boy you cast as me looks absurd! I know I was skinny when I first came to Camelot but that was from near starvation and by the gods does he ever get any sunlight? No peasant is that pale, and what is with his ears?" Merlin continued to rant as he finished off his sandwich so fast Morgana feared he would choke. She kept quite and let him get all his criticism off his chest – after all these years she knew better then to interrupt mid rant. She just sat and rolled her eyes and daintily ate her lunch and sipped her tea until Merlin ran out of steam and food.

While Colin Morgan may not look much like Merlin, they did share the same colored eyes and hair, but whereas Colin's skin is a pale ivory Merlin's is a glowing golden brown hinting at his Moorish ancestry. He is also quite a bit more muscled than the actor – who looks like a strong wind might topple him from his feet. Glancing over to the still ranting sorcerer, Morgana remembers the lanky boy who first walked into Camelot. As he said back then he wasn't much more than skin and bones, and she attributed his height to magic because at six feet he towered over most of the well fed nobles of the time. People just didn't get that tall back then, especially starved peasant boys.

Both of them were without a glamour as they sat in her kitchen, something Morgana only allowed herself in the safety of her home. Merlin never really drew much attention to him self and avoided cameras like the plague, so more often then not he didn't need to use one. He merely moved, changed his name, and avoided his old haunts for half a century. Morgana on the other hand tended to work in professions that drew attention to her, although her most recent one was the boldest thus far, which left her to rely on glamour to keep her eternal youth and seemingly immortal existence secret.

"It's a children's show of course it's light hearted and funny. I wanted the show to be darker and in a later time slot, but the BBC thought the show's premises would be better received by a younger audience." Morgana calmly stated after Merlin finished his rant about the cast and moved on to criticizing the family friendly atmosphere of the show itself. "I can't make it completely accurate. I know you and Arthur got in a lot of scrapes in the early days but not all of it would make good TV without some tweaking nor would it be appropriate for a children's show."

"You beheaded someone in the first episode. That is hardly child friendly telly." Merlin mumbled to himself as he picked up his plate and dropped it in the sink before going to the stove to put on the kettle. He doubted he would be leaving anytime soon. There was much to talk about and not all of it pleasant. He was going to need more tea.

"Well I'm trying to keep the show's story line as accurate as possible. That incident was an important part of your introduction to Camelot so I made sure the writers included it." Morgana continued as she relaxed and let Merlin clean her kitchen as he waited for the water to boil. It was something left over from his time as a manservant – he just couldn't stop himself from cleaning up after others.

"How accurate Morgana? Are you really going to give those writers our true story? We both did a lot back then we latter came to regret." Merlin turned to ask as he finally gave up on cleaned and leaned against the counter – his eyes reflecting his uncertainty. It was such a long time ago, but thinking about both their many mistakes made a deep ache settled into his ancient yet eternal bones.

Merlin's mostly come to terms with his mistakes, but Morgana did a lot worse then him. She still has difficulties talking about betraying her brother or the war she started with Camelot. Not that Merlin lets her take all of the blame. He played a significant part in her fall from grace after all. Merlin didn't want her to be forced to relive any of her past transgressions if she didn't have to, nor did he wish to revisit any of his own.

"As accurate as the network will let me. I don't completely control the script but I give the writers the details I want included and the overall tone and they bring it to life." Merlin glared at her. She was avoiding the question, but before he could call her out on it the kettle whistled and he was busy making tea.

"Morgana you know what I'm asking." Merlin said as he placed a fresh cup in front of the seer who was looking anywhere but at him. He slid back into his seat next to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder – providing silent comfort and understanding. They had been together long enough they no longer needed words to communicate.

"Yes, Merlin I'm going to include everything that is important. It is time our story is told, no matter our feelings on it. I just wish I could have made it a little more serious, it feels like a betrayal to turn it into a child's television show." Morgana sighed and sipped slowly at her tea. She really wished she could have had the show moved to a latter time slot. A darker theme would have done their tale more justice.

The way the writers had written the story of Sophia's enchantment of Arthur was cringe worthy. She remembered the terror of dreaming of Arthur's death and the pain Merlin suffered when he was punished for making Arthur's excuses. The writers had Uther throwing Merlin in the stocks when in reality he had been flogged pretty severely, and Arthur was so infatuated at the time he didn't even notice his manservant's pain. What was a truly terrible and trying time had been turned into 50 minutes of light humor with only a pinch of the true terror Sophia had brought to Camelot.

"Well if you really want our story to be known in all its gory details I could always write a series of books to accompany the show if it does well. We could market it as a darker retelling of 'The Adventures of Merlin' and you could help. You are the seer after all, I'm sure there are important events that happened I don't even know about."

"What?" Morgana looked up startled. Merlin has always been a writer, for as long as she can remember, but he always refused to write anything about Arthur or his legend. Saying the legends others came up with are far more amusing and less painful to hear – but that part was always left unsaid.

Merlin looked down into his tea as he felt the weight of Morgana's gaze. "You're right it is time the truth is told." He'd been avoiding it long enough. Merlin just could not see their story told and not have at least some control over it. The trials and pains of early Camelot was not something to be belittled by television executives and script writers. He wanted to – no – needed to tell the truth it had been eating at him long enough. It felt like the time had come at last for the truth to be brought to light – the even strumming of his magic seemed to hum with agreement. Now all he needed to do was find the courage to do it.

"Did I hear you correctly? I'm right?" Morgana perked up and bumped her shoulder into his; trying to lighten the sudden somber mood Merlin had fallen into. She knew he was thinking about all the many tales too dark to include into a child's television program – she thought about it often enough herself to recognize the haunted look in her friends eyes.

"Well it had to happen one day, didn't it?" Merlin said as he perked up and turned a dazzling smile on her – not wanting to worry her with his moods. If this television show of Morgana's turned out to be popular, as it seemed was likely, he could use it as a launching pad for the true story of Camelot. It was one of the reasons he never bothered to write up what he knew before – he feared his tale would be lost in the many other Arthurian legends. Why would people care about the true tale when some of the false ones were so much more entertaining?

"Maybe you can make it a collection of short stories, with each one correlating with an episode of the series?" Morgana said practically bouncing with excitement and anticipation. Merlin considered Morgana his friend but the last time they truly worked as a team was when they fought at Arthur's side. Not that she hadn't tried to drag him into many a scheme over the centuries.

"Yes and I can add in stories I'm sure you have been forced to leave out. Like the nightmare curse Nimueh cast shortly after the Afanc was defeated. I doubt that one made it past the censors." Merlin speculated. He still shivered at the thought of what must have been the most diabolical curse the warlock had ever come across – and he had come across many curses in his long existence.

Arthur hadn't been able to look at Merlin for days after that, but it was one of the most important events of their early relationship. It's what cemented Arthur's trust in him, even more so than the situation with Valeant. It seemed everyone in the castle but Merlin was overcome with terrible nightmares. Luckily no one knew this, for Merlin looked just as haggard as the rest of the castle from staying up to comfort the prince.

The nightmares were more terrible then he could fathom, leaving the once proud prince sobbing like a baby and clinging to Merlin when he would wake screaming. Merlin never said a word, merely hummed a comforting lullaby his mother once sang to him until the prince fell back asleep. It took a week for him to find the anchor for the curse in the castle and destroy it, but the events and nightmares would always be remembered by those who experienced them.

"I didn't even include that one in the story board – I try not to even think about it." Morgana said as she shuddered. Her magic had provided a buffer, but not enough to spare her from the nightmares completely.

"Sorry" Merlin said, abashed that he even brought up the topic and turning to lie a comforting arm around the seer. He really should have known better – even after all these years Morgana refused to talk about the nightmares she had under Nimueh's curse.

"No you're right that was a very pivotal part of your growing relationship with Arthur. It should be included at least in the books."

"So I probably should get going. I'm sure you have to get back to the office. The show is still filming right?" Merlin asked trying to bring back Morgana's more chipper mood. She tended to get annoying when she was perky, but he would take that any day to her brooding. As Morgana once said, he did enough brooding for the both of them.

"Yes, you should stop by and meet the cast sometime. I would like to get your thoughts on them as people not just criticism for how they portray us. Bradley really reminds me of Arthur and his friendship with Colin is adorable. Kind of like how you and Arthur were in your younger years. It was partly why I cast him; their dynamics reminded me so much of you two." Merlin tried to listen, but his mind kept wandering back to medieval times and Camelot castle as Morgana continued to gush about how adorable Colin was or how much Bradley was like Arthur. At least he managed to pull her out of her brooding.

Could he really let himself relive those times? After Morgana released him from his tree it took centuries before he came back to himself. He spent most of those years living in the woods or wondering aimlessly from town to town, completely ignoring Morgana whenever she tried to reach out to him. When she finally succeeded in pulling him from his depression he tried to forget the past and his golden King, but the legends continued on and any mention of them tore at his slowly healing heart.

So he took to twisting the legends, a whisper to a bard here and there, until the legends were so twisted he could listen and pretend they were about another Merlin and Arthur. But there was always Morgana, and while she did her fare share of legend twisting, she never let him forget. Whenever he found himself slipping back into that shell of a being he was when she first unsealed him, she would show up with her piercing hazel eyes and mischievous smirk and remind him that, even if Arthur wasn't with them, he was not alone.

"Merlin!" He jumped as Morgana yelled in his ear after spending the last few minutes trying to gain his attention.

"What?" He spun around and glared and the frowning witch.

"I was trying to ask you a question."

"Okay so ask me. You didn't have to scream in my ear." Morgana just rolled her eyes at the insufferable warlock she was stuck spending eternity with. She suppose it could have been worse, she could have been stuck with Mordred. She shuddered at the thought of the once kind child twisted by his own hatred and thirst for power – not so dissimilar to how she once was. At least she was willing to acknowledge her wrongs and try to right them – he was not and paid the price by way of Arthur's sword and Morgana's whispered spell that ensured his spirit would never again return to this world. But that wasn't something she wanted to think about, not now when she was so close to finally getting what she wanted.

"I asked you if you would like to help out with the show. It's only fare if I'm going to help you with the books." She picked up their cups and went to place them in the sink – trying to hide the smirk that tugged at the edges of her lips. "But you were completely zoned out. I called your name five times before I gave up and yelled."

"What do you need me for?" He knew it. Morgana was up to something the smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth gave her away.

"Well, I may be a seer but it would help if I had your prospective on some events as well. The show is called Merlin after all." Morgana's smirk was full blown as she leaned back to examine the gob smacked expression on Merlin's face. He was going to kill her, but she was so pleased with herself she couldn't make herself care – she had won.

"This has been your plan all along hasn't it?" Merlin jumped from his seat to march over to where Morgana continued to smirk. He should have seen through this the first time he watched a promo for the show. It was just like her to pull at all of his most sensitive strings to get what she wanted from him. She has been after him for centuries to collaborate together and write up Arthur's and their story and he just played right into her hands. He leaned in until he had her caged between his body and the kitchen counter slowly lowering his head to whisper harshly in her ear. "…and what would you do if I said no?"

Merlin's body was tense with anger as he closed his eyes and griped the counter behind Morgana's back in an attempt to rein in his emotions. After all these years of companionship it still hurt when Morgana manipulated him like this. He should be able to tell when it's happening or at least be used to it, but she was all he had left and it burned that she would use it against him.

"After all of that you are going to deny me? Do you really want to leave it to me to tell your side of the story?" Morgana wound her arms around Merlin's neck and leaned into his warmth – the tension immediately draining from his posture. There was nothing sexual about it just one old friend comforting another. It was Morgana's way of apologizing without words. She only manipulated Merlin for his own good after all. "I mean most of the fangirls already think Merlin and Arthur are shagging after one episode."

Merlin groaned into her hair. That was completely absurd he wouldn't have touched Arthur if he had been ordered to by the King himself – at least not when they first met. "Fine you win"

"I always do." Morgana laughed and leaned up to place a quick peck on Merlin's cheek.

And that is how Merlin, a millennium old warlock and the most powerful magic user ever to exist was convinced to help produce a Saturday night child's television program.

A/N: This is not a one-shot and will be continued after the end of season/series 4 and the storyline will start back up at the end of series 4's filming. This is like an introduction chapter to give some background.

Also I don't know if Merlin is of Moorish descent in the legends but he is for this story. My knowledge of Arthurian legend is minimal at best, but I don't think that really matters considering the show really doesn't follow the legends all the closely. Most of my Arthurian knowledge comes from Mist of Avalon mini series, the Merlin made for TV movie from the 90's, and Wikipedia.

Pairings have yet to be decided all I know is THERE WILL NOT BE BROLIN and Merlin and Morgana are just friends in this.

Reviews and constructive criticism welcome.