Finally, the one shots are here! Thanks to Arya Tindomiel (do check out her story Legend of Albion, it's fantastic. ;D ), Story Gamblette, Anonymus, Sarah Merlin Geek Freak for being such constant reviewers on "I Think I Could Love You", on which this one shots are based on. First chapter: Arthur and Morgana's meeting. Morgana's 3 years old and Arthur's 4. Valeria De Bois is Vivienne's (Morgana's mother) twin sister and her husband is Tristan De Bois. Estella is their daughter, who's about, I'd say 6 to 7 years old. They're characters from Arya's fic and she so very kindly allowed me to borrow them. She's both Arthur and Morgana's aunt, and if you've read I Think I Could Love You or Legend of Albion, their relationship is explained there. So, read, review and enjoy!
A small, pale hand peeped out from the confines of a long sleeved coat and little Arthur's hand grasped it in return, smiling uncertainly at the little girl with astonishingly piercing green eyes and hair as black as a raven and softer than silk, or so he imagined. She stared back at first, uncertainty clear in her eyes as she looked towards her aunt, silently asking if the boy was to be trusted. The older lady chuckled and pushed her towards her new companion as she introduced them. "Morgana, dear, this is Arthur, Uther's son and he is to be your new brother."
Morgana's lip trembled and tears filled her eyes once more as she tried to pry her hand away from Arthur's. "I don't want a brother! I want father and mother and Morgause!" Her aunt was mortified at the blatant disrespect towards the Pendragons and rushed to make amends, only to be stopped by Arthur's earnest words.
The young boy of 4 tugged Morgana's hand back and glanced deep into her eyes, willing her to understand. "It's all right; I don't want a sister too. Sisters are annoying and always cry. But," he smiled shyly towards her, "I'd like to be your friend, if you want. Father says that I mustn't make a girl cry." He grinned at her, "We'll be friends; just the two of us."
Uther Pendragon and Valeria De Bois smiled affectionately at the two children and the latter's heart ached when she saw her beloved niece finally smiled for the first time in days as she nodded shyly and accepted Arthur –who incidentally was her nephew as well- as her friend. Uther beamed when his son clumsily tried to bow towards Morgana who in turn, giggled at how silly her new friend looked. The blonde boy grinned adorably at her as he looked towards his father. "Father, could I show Morgana around? I want her to see the lake on the grounds!" For such a young boy, Arthur was remarkably eloquent in his speech and every word he spoke was clearly enunciated.
Uther nodded and bent down to Morgana's height, taking her hand in his. "Go on my dear. Arthur will take good care of you. Feel free to ask for anything that you might want, for this is your new home now." Morgana smiled shyly at him before surprising him by throwing her arms around his neck and latching onto the older man. She buried her head into his neck, small tears slipping down Uther's clothes as he sighed and held the child in his arms tight. He swore he would care for Gorlois's baby girl as best as he could, and he was determined to see his duty was carried out to the best of his abilities. He pulled back gently and patted the child's head. "Go on now, my dear."
Morgana smiled wetly at him and kissed his cheek quickly before Arthur took her hand in his and they tottered off to the grounds, both wrapped warmly in winter clothes as they trudged carefully through the snow. Uther motioned for a servant to follow them discreetly, to make sure neither came to harm in the cold weather as he turned to speak to his sister-in-law.
Valeria smiled sadly at him before enveloping him in a hug, "I am sorry Uther, I know how much trouble you have raising Arthur without my sister-in-law, and here I am, thrusting Morgana into your care. If Tristan and I could we would take her in, but what with Estella being so sickly we had no choice but to-" Uther stopped her before she could finish her sentence, shaking his head. "Nonsense Valeria, Morgana's not a burden. And besides, Gorlois always told me to care for his daughter should anything happen to him. It's the only thing I can do for my friend under the circumstances." He sighed, expression somber. "I still cannot believe that both he and Vivienne are gone." He squeezed the dark haired woman's hands, "It is I who should be sorry, Valeria. To lose a sibling is heart breaking, but to lose your twin, your identical twin whom you have such connection to," he shook his head, "I have no idea what you must be going through."
Valeria tried to muster a brave smile as tears started to pool in the soft forest green of her eyes. "I pray that no one will ever have to go through what I felt the moment she died." Her hand hovered over heart unconsciously, "I could feel my heart screaming in pain the moment she died, and I wasn't surprised when the call came to say that she and Gorlois had been in an accident and that both died." She stared into space, reminiscing her time with her deceased sister. "You know, I could always feel whenever she was in pain, and she could feel mine as well. There was once when we were children, and I was sick at home while she was off at school. I was lying in bed asleep when suddenly I heard a scream and I woke up screaming as well. I told my mother something was wrong with Vivienne and sure enough, she had broken her leg at school." Hot fire burned in her eyes as her fist clenched, "Some idiot had pushed her off the monkey bars and she had fallen."
Uther laughed lightly and squeezed the woman's shoulder lightly. "I imagine the both of you got back at the culprit though?" She smirked at him, "But of course. We Le Fay women never sit back while people pushed us down. We fight back." She touched his face lightly and smiled at him affectionately, "You know Igraine was the same as well. We grew up together actually, the three of us. Did she ever tell you about it?" He shook his head, amused as he led Valeria to the couches, ushering her to seat as she divulged stories about his deceased wife. She thanked him and continued with her stories. "There was once when we were all 7, I think and this boy always tugged on her pigtails when we were in class and one day, Igraine had enough of it and turned to sock him in the eye." She snorted, "The sissy grabbed at his eye and howled as though someone had killed him and we just stood there laughing at him."
Uther raised his brow, intrigued. "Well I must admit I've never seen that side of Igraine." She laughed and patted his hand, "Believe me, you're extremely lucky to not have seen an angry Igraine." She cocked her head, thinking. "The last I heard of the boy, he actually turned gay. Oh well." She grinned as Uther gasped with laughter, "Dear Lord, I can't imagine Igraine that violent or fierce." He smiled at her, "I assume there's more?"
Valeria smiled as she leaned back into her seat and stretched, "If you have the time of course. I swear she was the worse of us. The boys learnt not to mess with her after that, but of course, she mellowed very much later, especially after she met you." Her eyes twinkled as she leaned in to whisper conspiratorially at him, "She couldn't stop gushing about you after she met you, and when you asked her out the first time, she rushed around like a loon, looking for her best dress and shoes while we laughed at her." The dark haired woman shook her head slightly, a fond smile playing on her lips. "The times when we were children. And here we are; two dead and the other trying to live without them." She rested her head against her hand, heavy sobs wracking her throat. "How am I going to live without my sister Uther?"
The man hurried to gather her in his arms as he tried to comfort the grieving woman as best as he could. She rocked in his arms, tears pouring forth unrestrained by the strong shield she erected when she stood at her twin sister's funeral, little Morgana in her arms and her husband holding her as she stood proudly in the eye of the public, crumbled and shattered to dust. "She was my world, my other half and now she gone, gone, gone." Uther sighed and shushed her gently, stroking her hair as she continued to sob, hidden away from the public. He didn't know what to say, he was never good with words and so he could only hold his sister-in-law as she cried for her twin, the other half of her soul that was now forever lost to her. He could only hope time would soothe the horrible scars left. No amount of time could heal the wounds torn open by the death of loved ones, not the death of his wife and not the death of Gorlois and Vivienne. Perhaps they would learn to live with the pain one day, and learn to smile again without the ghost of loss playing in their eyes as they looked at people laughing with their spouse or their brother or sister. He tightened his hold on Valeria, someday, but not today.
Arthur helped Morgana slowly across the large expanse of the ground, careful not to let the little girl fall as he navigated the familiar paths with ease. Soon, they reached the large lake in the middle of the grounds, where large willow trees bent over the frosty surface, their branches barren and coated with pure white snow. The lake was frozen, the ice glinting under the weak sunlight that floated through dark grey clouds occasionally. In spring, the clear waters was home to a flock of ducks and swans as they floated leisurely on the greenish blue waters. Arthur loved to come and feed the large birds bread crumbles Cook had so generously given him and the birds always came waddling and flying towards the blonde child whenever he came around. Too bad it wasn't spring; he'd have loved to show Morgana the birds he was friends with.
Morgana stared at the frozen lake, eyes downcast as she fidgeted with the hems of her woolen coat. Arthur bit his lip, she was pretty, and he hated seeing her so sad. He tugged at her hand and she turned to look at him, a quizzical look in her eyes. He grinned at her, "D'you know how to skate? I could teach you if you don't. I always skate on the lake in winter." Her eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically, black curls floating with her head movements. "Yes!"
Her response was rewarded with a bright beam from Arthur and the servant who had been following them, magically produced two pairs of skates for the children, as though he had expected them to want to skate. Arthur was adamant that he put the skates on himself, insisting that he was a big boy and knew how to tie the laces on. Hugo, the servant, hid his bemused grin and nodded seriously at the young Master before turning to help the young girl on with her skates. She grinned cutely at him and Hugo couldn't help but pat the child's head tenderly as he tied the laces on securely. She certainly made a lovely companion for Master Arthur.
Arthur held his hand out for Morgana and he led her out onto the ice carefully, holding her hands tight so she wouldn't fall. Hugo stood by the lake, alert but not intervening. He knew how much the young Master prided himself on his abilities and how he didn't like others to cut in. He just looked on at the two children giggling and stumbling as Morgana slowly but surely balanced herself on the thin blades of the skates. Soon, they were both laughing as they skated around the lake, hand in hand.
Morgana looked at her companion, whose cheeks were flushed bright red from the cold, his fine blonde hair flying into his eyes as he grinned at her, tugging at her hand to go faster. She gasped in delight as he spun her around in a perfect figure 8 shape, laughing as he held onto her hands securely as they spun faster and faster till their surroundings were a blur of white and grey. They finally stopped spinning, gasping as their breath frosted in the air. Morgana panted as she grinned brightly at Arthur who in turn beamed at his companion's obvious enjoyment. "That was fun!"
The little boy nodded earnestly, still holding onto Morgana's hands. "We can do that every day! Father lets me play whenever I want, provided I finish my lessons." He pulled a face, and Morgana giggled at his silly look. "It's so boring!"
The little girl looked intrigued, "What lessons?" Arthur grinned at her, "Oh you'll see. Father will definitely make you join in as well." He skated towards Hugo and Morgana hurried to catch up, as fast as her short legs allowed her, all the while calling after him. "Arthur! What lessons?" The blond child just looked back and giggled at her as he reached Hugo and removed his skates, the servant helping him. "You'll see! I'm not telling you anything!" Morgana finally reached them and as she started removing her own skates, Arthur rushed off and she fumbled with the laces impatiently, wanting to catch up with him. Hugo chuckled and tugged the laces gently before they untangled easily and freed Morgana's boots from the skates. "There you go, young Miss. Do be careful will you?"
She smiled bashfully and waved at him before running off towards a disappearing Arthur. "Thank you Hugo!" She dashed off, calling after the little boy who stubbornly refused to answer her question. "Arthur Pendragon! What lessons?"
Hugo shook his head affectionately as he gathered the discarded skates and headed after the two toddlers. Ah, they'd grow up to be such wonderful, bickering friends for sure.