Lullaby for a Stormy Night, a Merlin fanfiction
It is on her fifth night with the druids that she first hears his call.
Morgana…Morgana!
His voice, usually so steady and self-assured, would have woken her instantly had she not already been lying awake in bed, unable to sleep for fear of her own nightmares. What could have frightened him so? I'm coming, Mordred, she replies.
Hurry. I'm scared.
In moments she is out of her cot and dashing across the camp through torrents of rain to his tent. He sleeps alone in there for reasons she does not quite understand. She still misses the comfort of the proximity to other people that life in the castle provided, but knows it's no different in the forest where only fabric separates family, not stone walls. Morgana pulls aside the tent flap and ducks inside. Her dark hair, uncomfortably wet from the storm, sticks to her back and she longs for a towel, but Mordred is more important right now. For once the young boy looks his age, frightened blue eyes peering at her warily from behind the false comfort of blankets and bedsheets. How could they fear him, she wonders, when he is no different from any other lonely child seeking solace?
I had a bad dream, he tells her.
Hush now. I'm here. There is nothing to fear.
He tells her of his dream as she strokes his hair, holds his hand, and makes sure he is safe and warm beneath the covers. She murmurs reassurances, knowing from experience it is the presence of another person that does him the most good rather than what she says to him as slowly he begins to relax. Outside the tent the storm rages, lightening illuminating his tearstained face and the tree branches casting strange shadows on the canvas, but inside Morgana soothes Mordred's fears with a patience she had not known she possessed.
Eventually he is calm again, blue eyes guileless and trusting as he watches her look after him. This is something they have both missed in their lives for far too long. At his silent urging she settles into the cot beside him, leans against the tent's supports, and wraps her arms around him in a loose embrace as he shifts to be closer to her. His small head burrows into her stomach, and he rests.
She sings to him then, a low, old song of warmth and comfort and protection, a tune of the Old Times, before the Great Purge. The words come to her lips before she knows her voice has lifted to form them, and she feels…whole. Here, with a child in her arms, a song in the air, and a whisper of a wish in her heart, she can pretend that all is well in her world. Unbidden, half-forgotten memories rise to the surface of her mind as she remembers the nights when another sang the same song to her, gentle voice coaxing her into peaceful slumber, and Morgana draws damp comfort from the familiar sound of a lullaby for a stormy night.
The irony that it is now she who gives comfort rather than receiving it does not escape Morgana, but she cannot bring herself to care.
Sleep well, Mordred, she whispers. In here, with them, there is peace. Out there, thunder crashes, and though she knows the clouds will one day clear, she is glad for this moment together, and wishes they did not have to wait out the storm.
Disclaimer: Merlin and all associated characters unfortunately do not belong to me. Nor does the Vienna Teng song "Lullaby for a Stormy Night".
Author's Note: This marks my first completed Merlin fanfiction. Woot! I am absolutely enraptured by the relationship between Mordred and Morgana. They are so adorable, and they leave so much room for character development and exploration. They each bring out so many interesting aspects of the other's personality. Since Mordred's role in events to come is left relatively ambiguous, I'm treating him here like a normal, lost little boy. In many ways, I think that's exactly what he is. Morgana, I know, would certainly agree with me. He definitely brings out the maternal side of her! :) In light of the end of series 2, this story probably constitutes an AU. The only backstory I can come up with is something along the lines of Morgana-gets-fed-up-with-Uther-and-leaves-Camelot-to-go-live-with-the-druids, or something like that. I had to try really, really hard to keep this from turning into a Merlin/Morgana story. It still is, from my perspective. Who else would sing her songs of the Old Religion and rock her to sleep after her nightmares? ;) So much could have been different, if only, if only...oh, well.
The title, several lines, and inspiration for this fic are all owed to the remarkably talented Vienna Teng. I highly recommend you check her music out. This story probably reads much better with her music playing in the background-after all, that's how I wrote it!
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Owl-songs