Ding Dong. Uther's presence was announced with a bell.
Morgana seemed to try and collect herself, taking a few deep, steady breaths; she hadn't seen her father in a long time, and the last time they had spoken on the phone she had hung up on him after he insulted Mordred one too many times with 'her best interests at heart'. But she knew that this wouldn't be an issue anymore, at least not for him-it wasn't that Uther was a forgiving soul, he was just a rather arrogant one who tended to forget things that could be seem as a negative strike against his character.
When she had sufficiently steadied herself, she walked up to the door, plastered a smile to her carefully made up face and let Uther into her life once again.
"Morgana." Despite his flaws, the way in which he said her name left people in no doubt that he loved his daughter dearly. He stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him. "How lovely it is to see you again."
A few minutes later saw the father and daughter sitting in the living room sipping at cups of tea and making polite conversation that helped both parties avoid mentioning the little boy still asleep in Morgana's room. They talked about the weather, the news, and work, though only on the progress of Uther's company as Morgana was yet to return to work after compassionate leave. The talked for a good hour, meaningless sentences strung together to create a sense of civility, until Mordred made his entrance.
Mordred and Uther had never met, names but no faces, at least in the case of Mordred- Uther demanded to see all files relating to the boy upon hearing that Morgana was to be his new guardian. Uther had heard that the boy was silent, and that his newfound introverted manner caused upset to his daughter. But the boy that Uther saw running into the kitchen seemed lively, and he was smiling. It definitely was the same boy, though.
But then, an answer to a previous thought was given, and Uther forgot all about the boy.
Uther had been puzzled as to what had been bothering him when he entered the apartment.
Then that thing was announced. The funny smell he was sure he'd sensed when he first stepped inside. It was a dog.
A mongrel's probably a better word, Uther thought. He had never been fond of dogs or of animals in general. He had always seen them as the things that demanded way too much attention and were the cause of needing new suits all the time. But this one, well, he thought, let's just say it has a...interesting aroma. Then he realised something...
Aithusa, sensing that she was being stared at, looked up at the man she had not seen before...but wait, she had seen him before. The man's face turned stony, and in that moment she was sure that he remembered seeing her before, too. "You..."
Uther had been, not long before he had become wealthy, involved in the business of construction. He still was, but now on a much larger, much more profitable scale.
There had been one particular building, he remembered, that he was going to destroy, in order to be able to start construction work there. But there had been a bit of an animal problem on the site that prevented them from starting the work until the creatures had been dealt with. Uther would have carried on with the work, but apparently there was some sort of moral issue that prevented him from doing so.
So he waited, patiently, or at least as patiently as he could, until someone came to take them away. But eventually he got tired of waiting, and decided to take matters in his own hands. He called some of his co-workers and asked them to come over and help him. The brought along nets and started to try and capture the dogs and get them off site.
Some of the dogs gave in, but others put up a fight. Especially a red and a white one. Uther went after these two personally, hunting them down, and managed to corner them. He swiped the net at the larger one, thinking he was more aggressive, until the other attacked his hand, and in this moment of pure pain did Uther let them go.
He still had that scar, and glanced at it quickly before his face began to turn purple and his breathing hitched. "WHAT IS THAT DOING HERE! Uther bellowed, this sudden change in demeanour causing the little boy to seem unhappy once more, and his hand slipped into Morgana's.
The dog noticed this and stood in front of Mordred, placing herself as a shield between the angry man and the child, as Merlin had told her to look after him, and she had to always do what Merlin said. A growl was emitted from her throat, and her fur rose slightly, ears flattening as she did all she could to protect the scared child.
"FATHER!" Morgana shouted at him "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING! You've known that Mordred would be here, and the dog makes him happy, so therefore she makes me happy, and if you have a problem with that, you should leave."
Uther's face seemed to become paler again. "But Morgana that dog..."
"That dog has a name, father, her name is Aithusa. Now you've upset me, you've upset the dog, and most importantly, you've upset Mordred. And that is enough to send you walking out that door right now.
Uther glared at it one more time, before picking up his suitcase and storming out of the flat, slamming the door behind him.
Mordred's hand loosened in Morgana's, and she turned back towards the boy who was slightly behind her and Aithusa who was by her side. "Good girl", Morgana said, stroking the dog behind her ear absently. "Now, who's ready for a bit of breakfast, I fancy some pancakes, don't you?"
This would be the first time both would have eaten properly and together for weeks.
