Author's note: I have been bitten by the Mergana bug, so here's some shameless fluff. There's some Arwen, too, but I didn't really go too deep into that. This plot bunny came to me in a dream, and I somehow managed to wake myself up to write it down. I'm not sure if I'm disappointed that I didn't get to see the whole dream or happy that I wrote it down before I forgot it.
By the way, if you want to steal this idea and write a Merlin picnic yourself, go ahead, because there needs to be more of these. Oh, and, if you beg and plead and I get another idea, I may write more picnics. Of different pairings, too. If you want my failed attempt at slash.
This takes place after that episode where Merlin helps Morgana by sending her to the druids, and I can't remember the title of it, but if you've seen that episode, then you know what I'm talking about, so it doesn't really matter.
I'm American, so if I fail at British English, then I'm sorry. Also, beware of the run-on sentence! You have been warned!
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
It started with Arthur, who, sick of not being allowed to train due to a wound from training, was slowly going insane. It was Morgana's idea, but one that it fell to Merlin to plan, unfortunately.
Not that Merlin was complaining. Gods, he would do anything to get that prat to shut up, even if it involved a picnic!
Yes, Morgana's idea was for Arthur and her to go out with their servants and have a picnic. It wouldn't even have been a very romantic idea, if not for Arthur and Gwen staring at each other and blushing when Morgana suggested it.
Of course, Morgana saw this, and as she wasn't exactly in a low enough position to plan a picnic without Uther noticing and saying something, it fell to Merlin to plan the picnic, as the only servant present that was currently not making eyes at the prince. Sometimes he really hated his life.
So, Merlin somehow managed to sneak supplies for a picnic onto a horse without anybody noticing, and ended up having to wait for an hour for Arthur and Morgana to go for a ride. If anybody noticed that Merlin wasn't with the prince, they didn't say anything.
So, they found a nice clearing in the forest, and talked about nothing. It wouldn't have been romantic at all if Gwen and Arthur could stop looking at each other. Merlin often found himself looking to Morgana for sympathy when Arthur and Gwen started talking, and talking, and talking, and he oftentimes found her giving him a look when he did. Needless to say, she changed her expression pretty quickly when she saw him looking.
Then Merlin would mention the conversation, and she would just smile and laugh, and say something along the lines of, "Should we leave?" or "Would you two like to take it back to the castle?" to Arthur, and he and Gwen would blush, and then Morgana would change the subject to spare their feelings.
Then Morgana decided on a game of hide and seek, and Arthur seemed surprisingly eager to go along with it. Merlin had no doubt as to why that was, for he saw the look that Arthur gave Gwen. Morgana did as well, according to her raised eyebrows. Then Morgana looked at him, and her eyebrows returned to their original state and she smiled sweetly.
Of course, being the prince that he was, Arthur was the one searching. Morgana raised her eyebrows again at his insistence to be the seeker, but said nothing.
Then Merlin and Morgana went to hide, and found a nice hiding place under a crooked willow. Merlin didn't know why Morgana had insisted that she hide with him, but he thought that he was enlightened when she took his hand when she heard rustling, and blushed.
Unfortunately for them, that rustling was from Gwen and Arthur finding them, both flushed, with messy hair and swollen lips. Morgana laughed at the state of them, and quickly released Merlin's hand to greet them.
Merlin pretended not to notice the unhappy feeling that he got when she did.
...
The picnics continued after that, and it became a kind of ritual to have a game of hide and seek, one which Morgana always took Merlin's hand with and pulled him into a nook, both of them laughing and making funny faces at each other until Arthur found them and rolled his eyes.
It was on another picnic and another game of hide and seek that Morgana finally got sick of Arthur being the seeker. This led to a short battle, of which Morgana was the victor, of course. Merlin quickly found a spot that they hadn't used before, and, minutes later, Morgana found him. She had an annoyed and somewhat disgusted look on her face, and Merlin became aware what the rustling in the bushes a few feet over was.
"Geez, I find Gwen, and who should be snogging her senseless but Arthur? I swear, those two should get a room!" Morgana complained to Merlin as she walked over to him.
Merlin decided to ignore the fluttering in his stomach and grinned at her, and after a second she couldn't help but smile as well. "So, you found me, but I'm guessing the others don't want to be found?" Merlin said. Morgana nodded, and Merlin scooted over as she sat on the ground next to him, raising her eyebrows at the warlock.
"Well, they're having fun, so why shouldn't we?" Morgana said, grinning mischievously, and Merlin frowned.
"What do you- Mmph!" Merlin was cut off by Morgana's lips on his, and he found that he couldn't ignore the fluttering in his stomach any more, especially as it had grown to an immense size in the span of a minute. Merlin relaxed, and realized that he should probably be kissing back if he didn't want execution.
That wasn't the only reason, though.
They kissed for a while, then broke apart when they needed air and pressed their foreheads together and chatted aimlessly for a moment, then about love, then aimlessly again until a "Hem, hem," rang in their ears and they looked up to see a very frazzled-looking Arthur and Gwen looking at them.
Arthur looked at Morgana, "You were supposed to be finding me, not... whatever it is you're doing now!"
Morgana raised her eyebrows, "Well, I'm sorry, but it didn't look as though you two wanted to be found!" she said, and then Arthur and Gwen were blushing furiously.
Morgana was never the seeker again, though Merlin found that he didn't really mind.