AN: This song is from 'Annie Get Your Gun' and is sung by Annie and Frank as they attempt to out-boast the other. Even though they're the two love interests this song always seemed like a pair of siblings arguing who's better. Ergo Arthur and Morgana are the ones battling it out to be the better sibling. Based in series 1 so they don't know they're actually siblings.
Prince Arthur and Lady Morgana were like all siblings. When they got on, everything was fine and when they didn't, all hell tended to break lose. Even though they weren't related; they were the closest thing the other had to an actual blood siblings and they acted as such. They offered advice and support when needed, pulled the occasional prank, wound the other up and had that unique ability to argue about anything and everything.
Merlin, searching for Arthur had walked into Morgana's chambers to find that Arthur and Morgana were once again having one of their spirited debates over who was braver-smarter-more awesome than the other. While they debated, Merlin noted Gwen was calmly perched on Morgana's bed repairing a torn shawl and he decided to approach her first rather than get involved in the argument.
"What's going on?" Merlin asked.
"They're arguing and I'm not getting involved." Gwen replied, she'd seen this before and with a brother of her own had similar experience. It was better to let them argue it out.
"Shouldn't one of us stop them?" Merlin asked and Gwen lightly shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm not their mother." Gwen replied as Morgana folded her arms across her chest and looked at Arthur with contempt.
"Anything you can do I can do better
I can do anything better than you." Morgana claimed, there was no doubt about that.She was smarter, braver, prettier and better at anything Arthur was good at.
"No, you can't!" Arthur denied; he was a trained warrior, the prince, heir to the throne and he had to admit was quite the looker. Morgana was reasonably talented at fighting but she fell second to him.
"Yes, I can." Morgana insisted; if she wasn't against fighting children, she'd wipe the floor with Arthur.
"No, you can't." Arthur retorted; if it wasn't against the rules of chivalry to fight women, he would so beat Morgana any day of the week.
"Yes, I can." Morgana repeated. Aware how childish it sounded before dismissing it. This was a highly important matter.
"No, you can't." Arthur claimed as he raised his head cockily; Morgana in a bad mood was too funny.
"Yes, I can, yes, I can!" Morgana insisted; you name a challenge, time and place and she would be there ready and willing to completely kick Arthur's backside to Mercia and back again. "Anything you can be I can be greater
Sooner or later I'm greater than you."
"No, you're not." Morgana retorted; Arthur and his pathetic ego. What she would give to take him down a peg or two…
"Yes, I am." Arthur retorted.
"No, you're not." Morgana claimed.
"Yes, I am." Arthur quipped
"No, you're not." Morgana claimed, almost reayd to pull her hair out.
"Yes, I am, yes I am." Arthur repeated as he folded his arms across his chest and grinned cockily at Morgana. "I can kill a foe with a single bow."
"I can get a sparrow with a bow and arrow." Morgana boasted, she could to, she was a very skilled hunter.
"I can live on bread and cheese." Arthur claimed, ignoring the muffled scoff from Merlin who quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. Sure he could…
"And only on that?" Morgana asked, stringing him along, hoping he'd fall for the bait.
"Yes," Arthur nodded and Morgana grinned as he took the bait.
"So can a rat." Morgana tauntedgleefully. Arthur the rat, how befitting.
"Any note you can reach I can go higher." Arthur claimed as they really got into the sing off.
"I can sing anything higher than you." Morgana claimed, unlike Arthur she had had music and singing lessons from a young age; Arthur was really fighting a losing battle here.
"No, you can't." Arthur denied.
"Yes, I can." Morgana retorted, rising her voice slightly.
"No, you can't." Arthur claimed as he attempted to reach a higher note.
"Yes, I can." Morgana claimed as she reached another higher note.
"No, you can't." Arthur attempted again and Merlin and Gwen put their fingers into their ears; something Morgana took as her cue to go higher.
"Yes, I can." Morgana sang.
"No, you can't." Arthur attempted again to copy her and his voice cracked slightly.
"Yes, I can." Morgana claimed as her voice reached the highest note it could.
"No, you can't." Arthur attempted once more before going into a coughing fit.
"Yes, I can." Morgana sang as she pushed her vocal range to its absolute limit before rubbing her throat. She was going to regret that one tomorrow but it would be worth it in the long run. "Anything you can run I can run longer
I can run anything longer than you." Morgana claimed, Arthur was a sprinter but Morgana was a distance runner as they found out in childhood races around the castle; Arthur finished first but she could do at least two extra laps than he could.
"Twenty minutes." Arthur pressed.
"Thirty minutes." Morgana claimed.
"Forty minutes." Arthur boasted.
"Fifty minutes." Morgana retorted and Arthur looked at her in disbelief.
"No, you can't." Arthur argued and morgana looked at him challengingly.
"Yes, I can, yes, I can." Morgana claimed; she could do. After this they could have an endurance run of the castle; then she would easily win. "Anything you can say I can say softer."
"I can say anything softer than you." Morgana retorted easily.
"No, you can't." Arthur muttered.
"Yes, I can." Morgana whispered.
"No, you can't." Arthur murmured.
"Yes, I can." Morgana hissed.
"No, you can't." Arthur claimed, practically mouthing the words.
"Yes, I can, yes, I can." Morgana initially whispered before snapping; this was getting somewhat ridiculous but at the same time if she gave up, she was admitting defeat which she could not and would not do. "I can drink my liquor faster than a flicker."
"I can do it quicker and get even sicker." Morgana retorted and Arthur muttered something under his breath which sounded suspiciously like 'lightweight'.
"I can open any safe." Arthur claimed; he'd been a demon in childhood, getting into every locked door and anything that had been sealed shut.
"Without being caught?" Morgana asked, she had to admit that was kind of impressive.
"Sure." Arthur grinned, well Uther had caught him oncebut Morgana didn't need to know that.
"That's what I thought you crook." Morgana taunted. Merlin added that to the mental tally of who was beating who. So far Morgana was really beating Arthur so all was good.
"Any dare you can hold I can do better." Arthur challenged remembering the various dare contests they had had a few years ago.
"I can do any dare better than you." Morgana retorted; she usually got away with them by playing up to the angelic little Lady Morgana vision Uther had of her. She could do no wrong in his eyes.
"No, you can't." Arthur challenged. After this they were going to have a good old fashioned dare contest.
"Yes, I can." Morgana claimed; if they had a dare contest, bring it on.
"No, you can't." Arthur claimed; mentally planning various dares for her to attempt.
"Yes, I can." Morgana insisted as she too mentally planned some dares for Arthur to attempt.
"No, you can't." Arthur claimed.
"Yes, I can, yes, I can." Morgana retorted before she looked around for inspiration and grinned. "Anything you can wear I can wear better
In what you wear I'd look better than you." Morgana claimed; her clothing was of course the best but she was also one of those people who looked good in anything she wore.
"In my cloak?" Arthur challenged knowing the scarlet material would completely swamp her slim frame.
"In your mail." Morgana added; she had always wanted to wear chainmail and fight like one of the knights but apparently that was unladylike.
"In my boots?" Arthur asked, noting how Morgana pulled a face before nodding.
"In your crown." Morgana claimed, unaware of how that statement would ring true in the not-too-distant future. (Would anyone like to tell me what foreshadowing is?)
"No, you can't!" Arthur retorted; she could have anything but not his crown.
"Yes, I can, yes, I can." Morgana laughed as she tried to picture herself with Arthur's crown. "Anything you can say I can say faster."
"I can say anything faster than you." Morgana claimed; Arthur was a big mouth in more ways than one but she could probably speak faster than him.
"Noyoucan't." Arthur gabbledquickly.
"YesIcan." Morgana quickly babbled.
"Noyoucan't." Arthur said even faster.
"YesIcan." Morgana claimed as the words mashed together into one.
"Noyoucan't." Arthur retorted even faster.
"YesIcan." Morgana claimed but she knew it wasn't as rapid.
"Noyoucan't." Arthur said faster than anyone could blink.
"YesIcan." Morgana claimed but she had to give Arthur that one. Confident in beating her that time, Arthur returned to simple boasting. "I can jump a hurdle."
"I can wear a girdle." Morgana retorted, referring to the under corset of her dress which emphasised her natural bust and curved.
"I can knit a sweater." Arthur lied and Merlin and Gwen raised eyebrows at that one. Yeah right!
"I can fill it better." Morgana claimed even though she knew Arthur was lying. He was getting desperate. Good.
"I can do most anything." Arthur insisted; there were some exceptions but he could do almost anything he was asked to do.
"Can you bake a pie?" Morgana asked, knowing full well that Arthur had to concept of cookery whatsoever.
"No." Arthur admitted sheepishly. Why would he need to do that?
"Neither can I." Morgana shruggedlightly and Arthur considered how to find something he could do that Morgana couldn't.
"Any town you could rule, I could rule better." Arthur insisted, he had her now. Out of anything that was the one thing they could all be sure of but Morgana wasn't going to give up so easily.
"I can rule any town better than you." Morgana insisted; hypothetically speaking of course. She obviously wouldn't be able to rule any land unless she married some prince or king and they were all either already married or absolute idiots. Case in point, Arthur.
"No, you can't." Arthur claimed smugly; he knew he would rule a kingdom and he knew Morgana wouldn't
"Yes, I can." Morgana insisted stubbornly. If she could, she would.
"No, you can't, can't, can't." Arthur repeated; he had won, they knew it and therefore he was trying to simply annoy Morgana now for fun.
"Yes, I can, can, can, can." Morgana claimed out of pure stubbornness; Arthur was not going to beat her.
"No, you can't." Arthur insisted.
"Yes, I can." Morgana replied and at that point Merlin decided to intervene or at least escape. This had been fun but a bit freaky. Clearing his throat, he jumped to his feet and Morgana and Arthur seemed to remember that they'd had an audience all along.
"Well this has been fun but I have to… go and do… something." Merlin claimed as his usually quick wit failed him.
"Yeah me too," Gwen replied and they left the room and as they walked down the corridor they could hear Morgana and Arthur bickering again. For the first lady and crown prince; in the end they really were little more than overgrown five year olds. It was a good thing that they were friends…
AN: Next up it's part one of a two-parter based on Gwen's exile when she's on her own.