"Morgana looked longingly out her window as the fluffy snowflakes fell from the sky. The ground was coated in powdery snow, just in time for the Yuletide celebrations.
"The harvest had been bountiful and Camelot would be able to feed its people, with every belly full throughout the winter. The King had proclaimed a feast to celebrate their good fortune, and the village families were invited to gather in the courtyard for singing and merriment that evening.
She smiled at the bittersweet memories of her first winter in Camelot. She had spent her nights crying herself to sleep when she'd first arrived, mourning the loss of everything she loved to instead grow up in an enormous castle of strangers. But by the arrival of Yule, Uther had arranged for a serving girl to be her companion, the daughter of a local blacksmith. Morgana would scarcely speak to her, despite the girl's many attempts at conversation, but had grown accustomed to her company. The two of them were walking through the courtyard through the snow one afternoon following lessons, when she felt a snowball hit her skirts, followed by a gasp and a collective roar of boys' laughter. She looked over her shoulder to find the king's son red-faced while his companions laughed. Scrawny Prince Arthur had thrown a snowball at her.
She glowered at him, and walked towards him slowly. His companions stopped laughing, wide-eyed as they saw the fury on her face.
"M-my lady, I apologize. I—I missed," he stammered.
"You missed?" she said, with a dour expression of displeasure. She had a good three inches on him, and looked down her nose at him.
"Yes, of course. I'd been aiming at Kay, and I missed," he explained.
"Ah. I see. That's the difference between you and I, Arthur Pendragon," she said, feeling the snow being placed in her hands behind her back by her companion. "I don't miss."
At that, she hit the prince square in the face with a snowball, which caused their companions to shriek and laugh with delight. The snowball fight that ensued left them all drenched and shivering by the time they returned inside to warm themselves by the fire. They were scolded by their governess, a stern woman who tolerated no disruption from her pupils, but she had the kitchen prepare them tea and brought them extra blankets, canceling the rest of the day's lessons for fear the prince would catch cold. Arthur looked over at Morgana and grinned when the woman left. She returned his smile for the first time since her arrival at Camelot. He invited her to join him in the courtyard again the next day.
In the years that followed, as their duties changed, and snowball fights were replaced by court and feasts, she and Arthur grew apart. But here lately, she felt closer to Arthur than she ever had, even as children. She looked down into the courtyard and spied him speaking with the guards. She grinned suddenly, and grabbing her cloak and gloves, ran out of her room and down the stairs.
She stealthily crept behind a grain cart, and gathered up some snow. She looked around, and with a whisper, her magic formed a large, heavy snowball. She waited patiently for him to turn around, and finally, her moment came. She caught Merlin's eye just before, and pressed a finger to her lips to silence him.
Just as she had during her first winter there, she hit the crown prince of Camelot square in the face with a snowball.
She squealed with laughter, as Arthur recovered from his shock and chased her across the courtyard. Despite her agility, dresses were not made for fleeing an attacker, and she was soon grabbed around the waist, lifted into the air, and flung backside first into a large mound of powdery snow.
"Arthur!" she heard Gwen shout sternly. "What on earth do you think you're doing?"
"She started it!" he said, petulantly.
"Really, Arthur," she huffed, her arms crossed as she motioned her head towards her lady, struggling to get back up.
"Fine. Perhaps it was a bit of an overreaction. Here, Morgana, let me help you," he held out his hand to her.
Morgana grabbed his hand and put all of her force into pulling him forward at the same time. He fell face forward into the mound of snow, partly on top of her.
Merlin was laughing so hard, tears were freezing to his face.
Arthur sputtered, "Merlin! Come here and help me up!"
"Of course, Sire," he stifled his laughter.
Arthur grabbed his extended hand, pulled him into the snow mound and slapped a handful of snow onto his face, and one onto Morgana's. They immediately began to retaliate.
"Really, you three," Gwen shook her head. "Some of us have work to do, while you lot play in snow."
"Oh, Gwen," Morgana sighed. "Do try to relax."
The three of them immediately began to pelt Gwen with snowballs, until they were all four soaked, and exhausted from laughing so much.
Uther and Gaius watched them from the balcony.
"Oh to be young again," Uther chuckled.
"I seem to recall a similar snowball fight when Morgana first came to Camelot," Gaius smiled at the memory.
"As much as I mourned the loss of Gorlois, my heart was only complete when she arrived. I was glad she and Arthur immediately bonded."
"They are still bonded. Elevating her status was wise, Sire."
"Someday, when we're both gone, Arthur will need her. He is strong, but she is shrewd."
"You've raised two fine young people, and Camelot will have a bright future in their hands. That's the best legacy a king can leave behind, the children he has raised."
"They are, in fact, the very best of me," he said, with a smile.
He watched as his son helped his daughter to her feet, and walked her inside with an arm around her shoulder, their servants following just behind them. He decided to forgo any further discussion with his council for the morning, and walked down to join his children by the fire in the hall.
The day would be one of Morgana's happiest memories. Later, after the feast, she stood in the courtyard singing with Uther, Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, Gaius, and the people of Camelot, her people, and passed out sweets to the children. It was the first time since her father died that Morgana felt truly happy.