Inspired by an Asterix comic I read recently. Also, I felt like writing something seasonal. Please enjoy!
I do not own Merlin, or the BBC. I wish to high heaven that I did, but I don't.
Uther Pendragon may have (mostly) been sucessful in banishing magic from his kingdom, but even he could not stop the traditions and superstitions of the people living in Camelot.
One of the many traditions that had been kept was the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe at the end of the year. If any two or more people happened to pass under mistletoe at the same time, they had to kiss each other to ensure good luck for the new year.
Of course, a tradition like this could easily be used to someone's advantage... especially to the advantage of Prince Arthur Pendragon.
Arthur passed the servants as they hung up the mistletoe bundles, and it was then that he had an idea.
"You there!" He stopped and pointed to the man carrying the mistletoe.
The servant nearly dropped the mistletoe in his surprise. "Me, sire?"
"Yes, you," Arthur replied. "The Lady Morgana asked for some mistletoe to be hung over the corridor to her chambers."
"We'll get right on it, sire," the servant promised, his voice nervous.
"Good." Arthur walked past them, a large grin on his face. Once the mistletoe had been hung up, he would simply wait until Morgana passed under it. This would earn him a free kiss from her. Nothing could go wrong.
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It was about an hour later when Arthur returned. Just as he'd asked, a garland of mistletoe hang from the ceiling. Perfect. The prince leaned back against the wall and waited.
Soon he heard footsteps echoing down the corridor. As they got closer, Arthur moved into postition under the mistletoe, smirking.
Gwen rounded the corner and bumped into Arthur. The pile of clothes she'd been carrying slipped out of her hands and landed on the floor.
"Sorry, sire," she quickly apoledgised, blushing as she bent down to gather her bundle.
"No, I'm sorry." Arthur knelt down beside Gwen and helped her pick it all up.
Gwen gave a small smile, then noticed the mistletoe hanging above their heads. She blushed again. "Sir, are we going to keep the mistletoe tradition this year?" she asked nervously.
Arthur sighed. "I believe so, Guinevere." Quickly, he pressed his lips to hers.
Gwen looked slightly dazed as she stood up, trying to balance the clothes in her arms. "Well, err... bye." She walked off hurridly.
Arthur stood up too, taking position against the wall again. He was annoyed that his first attempt at getting Morgana to kiss him hadn't gone well, but Gwen would probably have been the only other person in Morgana's chambers. The next person to pass, Arthur was sure, would be Morgana.
Footsteps soon sounded again, this time from the corridor Arthur stood in. It was Hunith, Merlin's mother.
"Why, hello, Arthur," she said politely, stopping under the mistletoe. "Do you know if Morgana is in her chambers?"
"She should be," Arthur responded, inwardly groaning. Even quicker than when he'd kissed Gwen, he kissed Hunith.
Hunith looked surprised, to say the least. "Sire! What was that-?"
"Mistletoe," Arthur said briefly, pointing at the garland above their heads. "Any people who stand underneath it have to kiss."
"Well, that explains it." Hunith walked briskly down the corridor to Morgana's chamber.
Arthur was starting to become impatient, but he stayed where he was. It would have to be Morgana next, right?
Footsteps sounded for the third time that night, and Hunith appeared again. This time she kissed him swiftly, then continued to walk off.
"Oh, come on!" Arthur shouted angrily. When was Morgana going to come past?
Merlin walked past Arthur, stopped, and walked back. He was directly under the mistletoe. "Arthur, have you seen my mother?"
"Stupid, obivilous idiot!" Arthur yelled. "If you tell anyone about this, I will kill you." He grabbed Merlin's shoulders and kissed him roughly. "There? Happy?!" He stormed off.
Merlin was left there, stunned. He touched his hand to his mouth, his blue eyes wide. "Umm..."
"Hello, Merlin," Morgana greeted him cheerfully, coming out of her chamber. "What's the matter?"
"He - Arthur... he just..." Merlin spluttered, still shocked.
Morgana glanced up. "Oh, look. Mistletoe."
"Mist..mistletoe?"
"Any two people who stand under it have to kiss." Morgana hesitated, then took a step towards Merlin and kissed him. She pulled back, smiling. "See you later, Merlin." She walked off down the corridor.
Merlin stared after her, then glanced at the ceiling. "Mistletoe, huh?" he mumbled.
Maybe he could catch Morgana under it again, later in the night...