Rewards
Pairing: Morgana/Morgause
Rating: PG
Morgana finds learning to use her magic to be harder than she had thought and Morgause turns out to be a harsher tutor too.
I don't even know what this is really, I just wanted to write something from that year that Morgana spent away from Camelot with Morgause that we saw nothing of. She had to have learnt all that magic at some point right? And for some reason I imagine Morgause to probably be quite difficult to please but proud of her sister at the same time.
Morgana had been practicing for days now and her mastery of this one spell in particular didn't seem to be getting any better. She had tried to give up after her first hundred or so attempts went wrong but of course Morgause was there to insist she carry on and try again. Morgause had turned out be a harder taskmaster than Morgana had expected, she had thought that her sister would be kind, gentle and patient with training Morgana in using her magic. She was certainly patient but not so gentle Morgana had soon discovered. Morgause expected that Morgana put her all into her training and her studies and she never accepted anything from her younger sister.
Even when Morgana despaired at having got another spell wrong again, she was never allowed to stop and give up. The older woman had her practicing and practicing, repeating and repeating until she would finally get it right.
And only then did Morgause acknowledge her achievement and offer any kind of praise or reward to Morgana. Although Morgana quickly found that her reward from Morgause at the end of working so hard for so long was often very, very much worth all of her efforts.
This spell however was proving to be an unimaginably frustrating task for the young witch and she just couldn't seem to get it right, no matter how many times she started again. She had been practicing and studying since almost the moment she woke at dawn, Morgause only waiting to let her eat before demanding she return to working on the enchantment that had eluded her for the better part of two days now.
While it was not exactly a simple task and was certainly far beyond what Morgana would have been capable of six months ago on her arrival at the secluded castle belonging to her sister, she should be perfectly able by now.
Yet still she found that the longer she stood there desperately trying in vain to remember all of the words in the right order and the right way, the harder it became to get anywhere. And for once Morgause's presence was not at all helping with matters.
Usually Morgana felt at her safest, her strongest, most loved at Morgause's side but today it only served to frustrate her more. The feeling of Morgause's eyes on her as she spoke, her presence over her shoulder, the almost imperceptible huff of annoyance when she failed yet again. It all made Morgana want to lash out at her sister and demand she leave her alone while she worked.
She didn't though, she wouldn't. Not with Morgause. Morgause was the only person left in her life for Morgana to truly trust. She was the one whom had so gallantly spirited her away from Camelot and the life of suffocating repression she had faced there. Here, with Morgause in her castle she felt really and truly free for the first time in years.
Here, she was free to go where she please and explore the castle, roam it's grounds without Camelot's ominous walls looming over her. Here, she could talk as freely as she liked without fear that someone might overhear and realise what she really was. Here, she learnt something new every day whether it be a new piece of the castle or another spell under Morgause's guidance or even a new part of Morgause herself that no one had ever found before.
No, she could never turn away from the woman who rescued her from a life she had grown to despise locked up in Camelot's towers and then gave her so much while asking for so little in return.
The enchantment took her hours more and it was nearing dusk before she successfully grasped it and reeled off the words of old English properly for the first time. Morgana knew she should have been overjoyed at finally achieving what she had worked so long and so hard for. But she found herself to be happier about the expression of pure pride and affection on her sister's face when she turned to look to her.
Morgana made to speak, to bask in her success or demand a well-earned reprieve from her work now but she was cut off before she could get much more than a word out. Morgause had gathered her up in her arms with a proud smile and a kiss effectively silencing Morgana and bringing a pink blush to her pale cheeks.
As hard and demanding as Morgause may be sometimes, Morgana always found the loving smiles on her face and the pride in her voice to be worth any amount of tedious work. And she could be sure that she hadn't seen the best of her reward yet…