Title: Tranquil Snowman Building
Author: LadyCookieCupcake
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Arthur Pendragon/Original Character, Original Character & Original Character. Merlin.
Warnings: None.
Spoilers: None
Rating: Gen
Word Count: 1,540
Summary: '...her daughter was her life, her love and the one who came above all others. She had been promising her all day that she'd spend time with her, and she would go through with it.'
Author's Note: Arthur isn't in it as much as I'd have planned but he is seen at the end! So...there's that. Mostly just a busy-parent-and-daughter-spending-some-time-together story. Inktober Prompt: 'Tranquil'. Self-beta'd.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction – none of this ever happened and will never happen (though I can dream). No copyright infringement is intended. Hollis and Gytha Pendragon belong to me, though.
"Hollis, slow down!" A young woman called out as the seven-year-old girl raced down the hill, an excited squeal escaping from her. There was no point in running after her; she was quite fast for a girl who was supposedly tired, and trying to keep up was like trying to fight a brick wall and expecting to win.
Hollis, in response to the older woman's call, sped up faster.
Gytha sighed, shaking her head and pulled her cloak tighter around herself. She was covered from head to toe in a black cloak thick enough to keep warmth in for days, and still, she felt the chill.
It was in the middle of December and of course, the winter air was icy. The ground was covered in thick snow, which crunched swiftly under her boots, and not many people dared enter the outside willingly. Most preferred the warmth from indoors, obviously.
But Gytha's daughter was restless, even when 'tired', and she had promised her a day spent only as a family, rare as those days were. Being Queen was almost as dutiful as being King and time was a rare thing to have nowadays.
Still, as much as the kingdom and the people were Gytha's responsibility, her daughter was her life, her love and the one who came above all others. She had been promising her all day that she'd spend time with her, and she would go through with it.
She just hoped neither her or Hollis ended up with a cold.
Gytha had made sure to wrap Hollis up as much as physically impossible and when there could be no more layers, she'd asked Merlin for a potion that would keep her as immune from the cold air as possible. She just hoped it worked.
Another excited squeal brought the older woman back to reality and she looked up, blowing a curl of brown hair out of her eye to see Hollis had finally stopped and was now in the process of building the biggest ball of a snowman. She smiled and stepped up beside her, placing the basket beside herself.
"Would you like me to do anything, Hollis?" Gytha asked, not wanting to interrupt her daughter's building or get in the way but also wanting to help. Her warm-blue eyes peered up at her, and with a twinkle of those eyes she inherited from her father, she nodded.
"Could you begin the middle ball, please?" She asked and the Queen nodded with a smile.
Gytha began the middle ball. It, of course, did not take as long to do as the one Hollis was doing but while she waited, Gytha made sure it was secure enough to pick up without crumbling. When the young girl was finished, she and her daughter carefully brought the second ball up and onto the bigger ball.
Hollis made the final ball, patting it gently into place, and she lifted her up so she could place it on top. Finished with the body, both of them stepped back and admired the work. It was looking quite good, she was sure she could even place some twigs and stones in without it crumbling to pieces.
"Will these do for the arms, Mother?" Hollis asked and showed the older brunette a small group of unevenly-lengthed twigs. Some were smaller than others, some had little twigs and leaves growing out of them and some looked as if they'd snap under the slightest gaze. The Queen picked out two, somewhat similarly-lengthed twigs and dug through the basket while the Princess placed them in.
She knew her daughter had always wanted to make a snowman but this had been the first winter in which there was enough snow to make one. So she'd made up a bag full of two scarves, an old, admittedly-ratty hat Arthur hadn't wanted anymore (and so, had no more use to it), and a handful of different-shaped stones she had found on their way here. There were also two waterskins full of water and a bag of sweetmeats for Hollis and Gytha to share. Dinner should be ready soon, however, so she didn't want to overfill their tummies.
"Mother?" Hollis questioned, turning to face the older woman. "Have you got-? Oh." She took in the items she had just dumped out and grabbed a blue-and-white scarf to place around the thick neck of the snowman.
Gytha handed the stones to her and watched as Hollis decorated the face, first placing the eyes, then the nose and then the smile. Gytha placed the hat atop its head before stepping back to admire the artwork, wrapping an arm around her daughter's shoulder.
It was a lovely snowman, friendly almost, and she was proud of what her daughter had made.
Hollis shivered and she looked down, finally noticing her pale skin.
"Oh, you're freezing, dove." Gytha rubbed her arms to garner some warmth for her, concern written clear across her face. "Why don't we go back indoors and get something to warm us up?"
Hollis sighed but nodded, only to brighten up suddenly.
"Can we go see Uncle Merlin first, please?" She asked, staring up at her mother with excited eyes, and she couldn't say no to them.
At least the two of them would be indoors.
She smiled and nodded.
"Sure."
Hollis beamed and began dragging the two of them back. It didn't take long to get to Merlin's quarters and Hollis knocked eagerly, practically bouncing on the heels of her feet as she waited.
Merlin had barely opened the door before Hollis was launching herself at him, knocking him back a step. He caught her with practised fluidity and laughed as he hugged her. He was always the best uncle to Hollis, he acted often like an older brother. Hollis confided in him whenever she couldn't with her mother or father, and she was glad she had that person in her life.
"And how's my little princess doing?" Merlin asked as he perched her on his hip, before remembering Gytha was there. "And my queen?"
He smirked and she rolled her eyes.
"We're just fine, Merlin." Gytha answered, "Aren't we, Hollis?"
Hollis nodded enthusiastically and began babbling about everything she had done all week, from her lessons to the people she met. All three of you sat around the fire and Gytha gratefully took in the heat as Merlin occasionally answered Hollis' rambles.
Halfway through the conversation, Hollis started yawning and snuggling deeper and deeper into Merlin's chest until Merlin had a lapful of sleeping Hollis.
Gytha sighed, shaking her head fondly and stood up, arms outstretched for her daughter.
"We better get going anyway. It's getting late." She told Merlin, who nodded and held the door open for her and her daughter. Nodding a 'thank you' to him, she stepped through, only to stop when Merlin called for her and handed her a small pouch.
"For sleep and colds," Merlin explained and the Queen thanked him once again. Merlin fastened the pouch on her belt hook and waved goodbye as she walked away. The King and Queen's quarters weren't that far from Merlin's and neither were the Princess' quarters; the royal chambers were in the next corridor to Merlin's, which made it easier to get to either Gytha, Arthur or Hollis if he needed to.
Arthur trusted him more than most of his Knights with the safety of Gytha and Hollis, so the nearer quarters were relieving for him. They also helped Gytha and Hollis whenever they wished to speak with him or just see him.
It also meant it took only a few minutes for Gytha to arrive at Hollis' bedroom, dress her in her nightwear and tuck her in.
Placing a kiss on her forehead, Gytha quietly swept from the room and to her own, closing the door behind her with a tired groan. Arthur was at his desk, going over a report with a tired frown. He looked up.
"Nice day?" He asked, a grateful twinkle in his eye when he looked up. He was always working away. The woman smiled as she took off her cloak and placed it on the nearby chair, promptly falling down in said chair.
Rubbing a hand over her face, Gytha leant back and got more comfortable. Goodness was she tired, but it had been a fun time, no matter how short it was. She loved these little times she got to spend with her daughter and hoped truly Hollis felt the same.
"Yes, love. It was wonderful being able to watch her have fun, to see her smile and be happy." She explained and then frowned. "I just wish we had more time."
Arthur frowned and stood, taking the short distance to his wife to kneel in front of her. Grabbing her hand, he began rubbing soothing circles into her palm.
"I wish we did too. Our duties, however…" He trailed off but Gytha understood. No matter how much she loved their daughter or how high she was on her priority list, her duties as Camelot's queen could not falter nor could Arthur's as its king.
She smiled a reassuring smile and leaned forward to peck his cheek.
"We'll just have to value these little moments even more then, huh."
Arthur smiled, nodding.
"We're there for her no matter what. She knows she can come to us whenever and for whatever reason. She knows she's loved by us above all else. She won't ever want for anything." Arthur reassured and gave Gytha a kiss.
He didn't pull back but stood instead, bringing her up with him. Neither of them broke the kiss as she backed up towards the bed, Arthur falling first onto his back.
That night Gytha and Arthur had a little time to themselves, forgetting about duty and responsibility. Both of them knew no matter what that when it really came to it, their family would always come first.