Summary: Arthur didn't apologise to Morgana, but she smirked anyway.


Morgana didn't rush back over when Arthur called. Claiming she had things to do—read either being a busybody with her coven or maybe shopping for shoes, Arthur turned, instead, to the internet for answers.

That was a big mistake. Trying to frame a proper question, not wanting to be inundated with crackpots and charlatans, Arthur kept typing in things that might be of interest like spells or magical cats or transformations. But then his email filled up with adverts for miraculous crystals and psychics and nonsense.

With a growl worthy of Merlin, Arthur slammed down his laptop, and rather than sit there brooding, he tidied up, cleaning the cat litter, taking out the trash, staring at the TH White book which seemed to just lie there. That is, until Merlin decided to hide under it and gave Arthur a near heart-attack when it moved.

Bloody cat.

Morgana finally swanned in about eight, long after dark.

Busy with Merlin, wiggling the feather toy just out of reach so that his demon cat had to jump for it, snickering a little as Merlin glared at him in disgust, he didn't notice her at first.

"What was so urgent that I had to cancel my plans for the evening? You do realise I have a life… unlike you."

Merlin abandoned Arthur then, his little paws digging into Arthur's lap as he jumped into Morgana's arms and began berating her. At least Arthur thought it was berating. It was the same tone as when Arthur would 'forget' to feed Merlin an hour earlier than he was supposed to be fed. All growls and complaints.

Morgana just laughed, then hummed a little as Merlin rubbed his nose into her cheek. "Yes, I know. Arthur loves you but he's horribly slipshod about things. Stubborn, too."

Arthur should defend his honour—he was not stubborn— but it would just be a waste of time. Instead, walking over to her, glaring at her, he said, "The flying book was quite a trick. You should go onstage as the Magical Hag Witch. Apt description, in my opinion."

"I would never use something so pedantic. Although I could sign you up as the hapless idiot half of the act," Morgana snapped back, then frowned, "What book? Flying? What are you talking about?"

She didn't look like she was lying. Of course, she could have practiced that confused stare in the mirror, but she seemed genuine, as if she really didn't know what he was talking about.

"The Once and Future king book, the one Merlin dragged out." She frowned at that, her hand waving as if trying to get him to speed it up. Arthur nodded toward the book, lying there on the table. "It was hovering. In the air."

She gave a little startled laugh. "Have you been at the sauce again?"

"And here I was thinking you'd drugged my wine." When she just rolled her eyes, clearly feeling that he'd gone bonkers at last, Arthur said, tart and annoyed about it all, "Morgana, I'm telling you that the book was flapping its pages and floating in the air. Like it was flying. No strings, no magnets, no wires, no nothing." He nodded toward Merlin, who gave a little 'meep' and snuggled deeper into Morgana's arms.

At least, she didn't accuse him of making it up, just nodded for him to continue. "And Merlin's eyes were bright gold. Sun bright. And then somehow, he put my broken ships—that he'd broken in the first place—back into my bottles. They were sealed up, like they'd never been taken out. Except the ships were still ruined."

"Shit, that's…," Morgana stopped a moment, then pulled Merlin away from her, holding him up to stare straight into his eyes. "Merlin, you little tease. Are you having fun with my there's-no-such-thing-as-magic idiot of a brother?"

Merlin meowed, then wiggled out of her grasp, hopping onto the sofa, then down to wind his way around Arthur's bare feet. Somehow, he'd managed to find the feather toy and was playing with it, tickling Arthur's skin as he batted it about.

"My cat is bonkers," Arthur said, looking down and grabbing the toy before flinging it away. "Merlin, not now." Merlin looked at it a moment as if thinking about chasing it again but instead, he disappeared into the other room, then came back, one of the ship bottles in his mouth. Laying it down at Arthur's feet, Merlin sat there and blinked up at him, clearly waiting for a reward.

Arthur stared down at the bottle. "You idiotic cat, we aren't playing with my ship collection, either. I think you've done enough damage, don't you?"

Looking a bit miffed, his tail lashing about, Merlin turned around and went back into Arthur's bedroom. There were suspicious sounds in there, and Arthur ran inside, hoping against hope that Merlin hadn't destroyed anything else. Morgana was right behind him.

On the floor, the bottles were unbroken but arranged in strange angles, almost like they were spelling a single word.

Prat.

Morgana let out a little laugh. "Oh, Merlin, that's exactly what he is." Merlin just meowed, then rolled another bottle into place. Now it read Prat!

Scowling down at Merlin, then turning to Morgana, thinking that she should take this more seriously, Arthur said, "I am not a prat. I am the owner of a cat who is driving me crazy."

He didn't know how a cat could look smug, but Merlin managed it, then began to weave around Arthur's leg, stepping on Arthur's feet with those sharp paws of his, before settling down right on top of Arthur's toes.

Morgana smirked at that, looking like she was trying to hold back a laugh. Finally, she said, "You never could see what was right in front of you. Merlin isn't an ordinary cat."

Arthur wiggled his foot, hoping to get Merlin to move, but the idiot kitten just curled around Arthur's ankle and held on.

Rolling his eyes, Arthur said, "I know that. I mean look at him, acting as if I'm his bloody servant. Merlin, I am not a sofa. Get off."

Merlin didn't get off, just looking up at Arthur a moment, then yawned and went back to licking his fur and occasionally, accidentally Arthur's foot. Normally, Arthur would love it but not in front of his witchy infuriating sister.

Not one to let something go when she could get in a dig or two, Morgana said, "So are you willing to accept that something is going on, that Merlin might be more than a cat?"

Merlin was highly distracting. Arthur's toes were toasty warm, his ankle wet with cat spit, and Merlin's fur tickled. With a heavy sigh, Arthur scooped Merlin up and held him in his arms, close enough that Merlin couldn't just wiggle free and annoy Arthur some more. The cat settled there, then began to purr when Arthur scratched Merlin's chin and ears.

"I can't explain the book or the bottles, although Merlin is all cat when it comes to annoying me." Merlin stopped purring at that, scowling up at him, but Arthur just smiled down at the damn cat. "And yes, I love you, Lord High Muckitymuck." That seemed to placate Merlin who went back to purring and nuzzling at Arthur's arms, begging for more pets. Arthur was happy to oblige. But he said to Morgana, "But I am not admitting you are right. I am open to alternate suggestions, like any rational person would."

Staring at him for a long while, finally, Morgana nodded. "I suppose that's the best I can expect from my maddening brother." She reached over and gave Merlin a caress, then said, "So what have you found out?"

With that, Merlin jumped down, then started playing with the bottles, rolling them around. The Prat! arrangement turned into chaos but there were no more words being spelled out—which was a relief. Arthur wasn't sure he could deal with more insults. Arthur turned back to Morgana. "What makes you think I've found out anything? I've been busy."

"Right. I bet you went on the internet, didn't you, and all you got was new age bollocks and magic cards."

Damn it, it always made him nauseous when he had to acknowledge that Morgana might, just might, be right. Reluctantly, he said, "Yeah, there is a lot of nonsense out there."

"Oh, Arthur, you have no idea." Dragging him into the lounge, snickering as she did, she said, "I think we could both use a drink."

Arthur certainly could use one. But instead of pulling out some wine, Morgana sat him down and poured them both a tumbler of whiskey, the good stuff, heady and strong enough to eat through paint.

They stared at each other for a long while, long enough that Merlin jumped up onto the table and sniffed at the bottle before climbing down into Arthur's lap and settling there.

"Look, Morgana, like you said, all new age bollocks. But I can't explain what's going on. And I'm worried about my cat. Is he magic? Is he just going crazy? Or am I?" He hated to look so vulnerable in front of her, but she didn't laugh, at least.

"Oh, Arthur, much as I want to tell you that it's you because then I'd have blackmail material on you until the end of time, it's not." Morgana took another long sip of whiskey, then staring down at Merlin, she said, "I have been searching for an explanation, too. But Merlin has magic. I can feel it."

Merlin sat up at that, his golden eyes shimmering in the evening light. He let out a little 'meep', moving as if he was able to leap on the table again but Arthur held him tight. His cat was shivering, either with cold or anticipation. Or annoyance at Arthur. Anything was possible with his little troublemaker.

But Arthur just ignored his idiot cat and sighed at Morgana's insistence. "Okay, Obi-Wan, enough with the Force feelings and crap. If there is magic—fuck, I hate to admit it—if there is, then either Merlin is a magic cat or Merlin is somehow trapped in cat form by magic? Or am I just caught in a really long, really intense hallucination?"

Merlin was struggling again, turning to stare into Arthur's face, and giving him what-for in cat annoyance.

Morgana watched a moment, then said, "If it is, we are both caught in it. But… let's ask Merlin." At that, Merlin stilled, looking as if he were listening intently. "So, which is it, Merlin, magic cat or idiot man caught by magic?"

Leaping out of Arthur's grasp, Merlin ran over to the laptop, trying to nudge it open, growling when it wouldn't budge.

With a heave, Arthur stood up, and opened it up, logging in.

And kitten paws began to tap again at the keyboard.

Man. Helpe me

They had their answer. And many more questions.