This is a gift for Wil1969 had asked for "anything sweet to do with Merlin and Arthur." Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote "Angels in the Snow" for her. This story may be seen as a continuation of that one.
And, as always, many thanks to sarajm for her excellent beta skills.
Snow Angels
It had snowed non-stop all through the day and well into the night. By the time the storm had passed on, it left behind some extremely excited children, some rather annoyed adults who would have to deal with the accumulated snow and a Camelot that looked like it had been painted by Ice Fairies.
The once-bare trees were covered with a blanket of white and the peaks and valleys of the Castle roof glittered in the bright sunlight. The large inner courtyard was now a smooth blanket of white, save for the occasional bump where a statue or other decoration was hidden by the enveloping snow. Even the gargoyles on the edge of the roofline seemed to be smiling down on the scene.
Merlin and Arthur appeared at the top of the stairs and stopped for a moment to take in the view. It was quiet and calm; for once there were no people bustling across the flagstones, there were no horses waiting patiently for their riders. Even the dogs that could usually be found wandering around the area had taken themselves off to warmer quarters.
The two men were heading towards the training ground, for Arthur was determined to get in some practice and nothing Merlin told him would sway him from his decision.
"I'm telling you, Arthur," said Merlin as he turned his gaze back to his companion, "there's too much snow. There is no way you are going to be able to train outdoors today, not without risking a broken ankle or worse!"
"Merlin," said Arthur in a rather aggrieved tone, "I think I should be the one to make that decision, don't you? And besides, it's my ankle."
"Oh, for the love of …" sputtered Merlin, as he bit off his comment, and then nearly bit off the end of his tongue, from the glare the blond was sending in his direction.
The two men stood at the top of the stairs a moment longer before Arthur shrugged and began to make his careful way down the steps. They had not yet been cleared of the snow, and there was no way Arthur was going to risk hurting himself and proving Merlin right.
Then, out of the blue, came a cry of "Whoo Hoo!" and a servant-sized blur flew past Arthur and launched itself into the snow at the foot of the steps.
"Hah!" crowed Merlin as he landed face-first in the snow. He rolled over onto his back and watched as the cloud of snow that he had disturbed with his manic dive floated back down to the ground to settle on his face and in his hair. Merlin was wearing a grin wide enough to split his face and his eyes were sparkling with joy as he looked up at Arthur, who was staring at him like he'd lost his mind.
"What in the world do you think you're doing?" asked Arthur as he watched Merlin, who was now sweeping his arms and legs back and forth through the soft snow.
"I would have thought it would be obvious what I'm doing," responded Merlin as he sat up. "Give me a hand, would you?" he asked as he held out his arm towards Arthur.
"Oh, for goodness sake," responded Arthur as he grasped his manservant's hand and pulled.
Merlin leapt up and landed beside Arthur, turning back to look at the ground behind him. "Oh, good, I didn't ruin it," he said with a smile.
"Ruin what?" asked Arthur.
"My snow angel," responded Merlin.
"Your snow angel," said Arthur incredulously. "And what, pray tell, is a snow angel?"
Pointing to the ground where he had been laying, Merlin said, "That is a snow angel. See, don't those look like wings? My mother showed me how make one when I … was …" The young man's voice faded away as he looked at Arthur in amazement. "Wait a moment … are you saying you've never made a snow angel? That's so … sad."
"Merlin, I am a Prince of the Realm and the future King of Camelot. When would I ever have had time to make a snow angel?" sniffed Arthur.
Unfortunately for Arthur, while he was speaking he was not paying any attention to his servant and before he knew it, he found himself face down in the snow.
"Merlin!" yelled Arthur as he tried to stand; but it wasn't that easy because his boots kept slipping in the snow. Finally, he managed to roll over and lay there, wiping snow off his face and sending threatening looks towards his servant.
Merlin was doubled over in laughter and didn't see the ball of snow come hurtling towards his head. He certainly felt it though; it was a perfect hit!
Looking up and grimacing as the cold snow slipped down the back of his jacket, Merlin saw that Arthur was now on his feet and was gently tossing another snowball back and forth between his hands.
"I may not know what a snow angel is," said the Prince as he hefted his snowball in preparation for another toss, "but a snowball fight … ah, now that's a different beast."
"Arthur?" asked Merlin slowly, as he held out his hands as if to say, you wouldn't attack an unarmed man, would you? An evil grin was the only answer the young warlock received, and it was enough to make him run away through the snow while desperately trying to form his own missile to launch at the Prince.
The air soon was filled with laughter and cries of delight from the two young men as they tore around the courtyard throwing snowballs at each other, and just enjoying the chance to act like children for a moment or two.