Work Text:
Fight
Merlin stood in the crisp white snow. He wrapped his jacket tighter around him as the wind picked up a bit. It had been a cold winter and Merlin wished that the snow had come sooner. They would have this over and done with by now if it had. Even with the number of layers that he had on, he still felt cold. He started to move about a bit to try and warm himself up.
"Can't we start yet?" Arthur shouted.
"No, Leon said he would be here. Anyway, we have to wait for Gwaine or we will be outnumbered." Merlin shouted back.
"Are you sure you told him the right time?"
"Yes, Arthur," Merlin said getting annoyed with him. It was always Merlin that had to meet them and explain the rules. Never princess prat.
Just then Leon and Gwaine walked on to the training ground.
"Hurry up you two," Arthur shouted.
Merlin just shook his head and greeted the two of them. He could tell the confusion on both of their faces. Not that Gwaine should be confused. He had done this before. Just he wasn't going to be refereeing this time. Leon should have every right to be confused. He might have heard about this little feud but he had never been a part of it. It was his first time refereeing.
"Right Gwaine you are on our team and Leon you are the referee," Merlin said.
"Why would you need a referee?" Leon asked.
"Because Merlin cheats every year by using magic," Arthur shouted.
"No, he does not," Morgana shouted from the other side of the field. "Gwaine get your pretty little backside over here now."
Gwaine started to walk over towards Morgana. Merlin could only guess what was going to come out of Gwaine's mouth.
"So you think that my backside is pretty?" He said with a flick of his hair before he hid behind the mound of snow.
Merlin looked back towards Leon. "Arthur is the cheater. We win fairly every year."
"No, you don't. We won last year." Gwen shouted.
"That's only because Arthur said he would chop off Mordred's head if he didn't say that you won."
"Can we please get on with this?" Arthur whinnied.
"Right just let me get to our fort then you drop this flag. The first person to grab it and get it back to their flagpole and raise it is the winner. After the person is back to their allocated fort then the other team cannot cross over. Other than that we can run about in no man's land for all our heart's content." Merlin said with a smile. "Got that?"
"Yes, I think …"
"Thanks, Leon," Merlin said as he started to run back to his fort.
He didn't look back as he reached the mound and hid behind it. He looked at his family.
"So what's the plan?"
Arthur and Gwen ducked down at the same time as Merlin started to run towards his fort.
"Right remember the plan. This is the moment we have all been training for let's teach those Wyllts who is boss?" Arthur said.
He looked at his children's smiles. They were all like him, extremely competitive. Although their annual snowball fight managed to bring out the competitiveness in Gwen.
"Sure father we will win again this year."
"Right? They may have Gwaine but he wouldn't hurt any of you so I go for him while Gareth you go for Merlin. I am sure you will be able to get him down. Gwen, remember you distract Morgana and Clarine you go for the flag. You are the fastest out of us and will be able to get there before anyone else."
"Right father," Clarine said. "But what about Gorlois and Lynette? They will be important to the other team and what about Amhar? You haven't mentioned him once in your great master plan."
"Hmm, Gorlois will need taking down. Gwen, do you think you can take on Merlin?"
"Maybe, depends on the run-up I get," Gwen said.
"Right Gwen after Merlin, Gareth after Gorlois, Amhar after Lynette, I'm after Gwaine and Clarine, I just hope you get there first as you are up against Morgana."
"So everyone sorted and ready?" Gwen said.
"Come on we are the Pendragons. We were born ready." Gareth said.
Arthur smiled at his eldest son.
"Papa why couldn't Maldue and Isobel come out?" Amhar said catching his father's attention.
"Because they are too young. This is your first year. Don't worry it won't be long till they will be out, then we will need help as we will be outnumbered."
Amhar huddled closer to his father.
"Cold?" Arthur said pulling his son into his warmth.
Amhar just shook.
"I told him to wear more clothes but apparently he doesn't feel the cold," Gwen said.
Arthur took off the scarf that he had on and wrapped it around his son's neck a few times.
"There, that should be a bit better," Arthur said smiling.
Arthur stopped himself from shivering. It was getting colder and they needed to get on with this.
"On my mark," Leon shouted.
The Pendragons jumped up looking over at the commander. They picked up two snowballs each.
"Let's make this year count," Arthur said as Leon dropped the flag.
Arthur pulled back and threw his first snowball before moving to get out of the fort.
Merlin listened as Morgana explained.
"We all know that Arthur is top heavy so Gorlois is going to take his legs out after hitting him in the face. Gwaine will go for Clarine. She is their secret weapon as she is the fastest. Merlin, you will go for Gwen as she won't be able to get a good enough run up to get you over. Lynette with go for Amhar as this is only her second one and Amhar's first so she will go gentle on him. I will go for the flag."
"Gareth?" Merlin stated.
"Gwaine is going for him as well," Morgana said.
"Okay good seems as you have got this sorted. Got enough snowballs? We ran out last year."
"Of course Merlin. I don't make the same mistake twice."
"Okay, remember if you are going to use magic be very sneaky about it," Merlin said to his children.
"Of course father," Gorlois said. "It's a good thing I have been training with uncle Arthur for most of the year."
Merlin winked at him. "I knew you were up to something when you kept training with him."
Lynette had been the quietest she had ever been.
"You alright Lynette?" Gwaine said.
Lynette just looked up at Gwaine with her bright green eyes.
Merlin and Morgana looked at each other. They knew that their daughter had a fascination with Gwaine but she was looking at him was like it was affection. They knew that he seemed to be her favourite for some reason.
"Right so everyone knows the plan and what they are doing?" Merlin said.
He got various nods.
"Remember the Pendragons will have a different plan so try and mess them up. We will show them who is boss." Morgana said.
"Don't worry my love, we will win this year," Merlin said kissing her temple.
"On my mark," Leon shouted.
The Wyllts jumped up looking over at the commander. They picked up two snowballs each. They watched in anticipation as Leon dropped the flag. Morgana was the first to throw a snowball.
Leon looked at the flag. It was only an old piece of fabric. He couldn't understand the fun that they got out of playing these games. He understood the fun of a snowball fight. He'd had many with his siblings in the past but Arthur and Merlin seem to take everything to a new level.
Leon smiled as he remembered how it all started.
It started out harmlessly, as everything that seemed to happen between the two families. Leon had been there when the argument started. He had been watching Gorlois and Clarine playing in the snow when they were ten and nine. It had been an argument between Arthur and Morgana, with them arguing who was stronger. Merlin had been brought into it and been on Morgana's side, saying that he had the potential to beat Arthur and have done but he is yet to beat Morgana in a battle.
It was when the argument turned to their families and which one was best. Arthur had gloated that the Pendragons were the better house and Merlin had told him that they would have to disagree to agree. That was the moment that the first snowball was thrown by Arthur and hit Morgana, who threw one back at him. Leon had watched how Gorlois and Clarine joined in straight away while Merlin just stood in the middle of it. That was when Arthur tried to get Merlin to join his side, the Pendragons, which Merlin said that he was a Wyllt and not a Pendragon.
Leon could only remember the way that Arthur shouted for him to go and get Gwen and then Gwen running out to be with her husband and daughter. He hadn't braved the cold but the next time he saw all six of them, they were soaking wet but still arguing.
And it had been going on ever since. When there is enough snow, they come out to prove which family was better. There had been a few rules over the years, with the introduction of the flag and the children had to be nine to join in the fun. Not one family could outnumber the other, so each year a knight was able to join to help out. Not that Leon thought that it was fair. Arthur might have three children but technically Merlin had three adults.
Leon looked up at the castle and saw the two youngest Wyllts watching with their grandmother. He knew that they would be joining next year.
"On my mark," Leon shouted.
Leon let go of the flag and was just about to move when he was hit on either side with a snowball.
Why do I ever say yes to them?
Arthur ran around the fort and saw that his commander had been hit by his snowball. He felt bad for Leon and knew that he would hear about it later. But then he saw his target. He was glad that Gwaine came out the same side of the Wyllt fort as Arthur came out of the Pendragon fort. He had a straight line for Gwaine and he knew that he could get him down on the floor easily. All he needed to do was get him on the floor.
He found himself speeding up and was only a few meters away from Gwaine when the snowball hit him in the face and his legs were knocked out from underneath him. He groaned as he hit the floor, the air being knocked out of his lungs. It took him a few moments to put himself together and he lifted his head out of the snow just in time to see Clarine being carried over Gwaine's shoulder.
"Uncle Gwaine! Put me down!" She screamed at him.
Arthur could tell that their plan was going to pot. He stood up, the snow starting to soak his clothes. He turned towards the flag to see that Morgana wasn't far from it. He had to stop her from getting it.
The Wyllts were not winning this year. Not if he had anything to do with it.
Morgana had seen Gorlois take out Arthur and Gwaine taking out her competition. As long as no one came for her, they should be home, clean and dry. It was just her and the flag.
With Gwaine picking up Gareth as well, Morgana knew that Gorlois would have her back if anyone was going to run at her. Over to her left, she could see that both Gwen and Merlin had gone to try and stop each other, with them both falling over each other.
Clarine, Gareth, Arthur, Gwen were all out of her way. She had noted that Lynette and Amhar had just started to play in the snow, not really taken the family feud as seriously as the rest of them. It meant that they were out of harm's way.
Morgana skidded to a stop and picked up the flag. As she turned, she knew that this was the home run now. All she had to do was run to the fort. This was the easy part.
That was until she was tackled to the ground. She struggled under Arthur's weight but managed to keep the flag out of his reach.
"Merlin! Gorlois!" She shouted at the same time that Arthur shouted for Gwen.
She just hoped that it was a Wyllt to pick the flag out of her hand and not a Pendragon.
There was a certain amount of joy that the Pendragons acted just the way that they hoped that they would. The luck that they were having, Merlin was certain that they were going to win this year. He didn't really need to take out Gwen. She ran into him and they both went tumbling to the floor, with Merlin only just being able to stop himself from falling heavily onto her.
"Why were we dragged into this?" Gwen asked.
"It is the Pendragon blood. It must be. The competitiveness."
"Says you."
"I have Morgana to answer to. She is scarer that Arthur. Any day of the week."
"They are all half Pendragon, so I will give you that."
Merlin heard Morgana and Arthur shout and he knew that he would be able to get up before Gwen. Before she even started to struggle, Merlin pushed himself up and found his feet. Gorlois was nowhere in sight and without another thought, Merlin started to run to where Morgana and Arthur were wrestling with each other. He didn't announce that he was coming but he was grateful that Morgana had seen him and held it up a little higher for him. As Arthur went to reach for it, Merlin swiped it out of his wife's hand before going into a full sprint. All he needed to go was get to the fort. Nothing else matter.
He heard Arthur shout, trying to rally the Pendragons to get him but he already knew it was too late. He jumped over the mound of snow, breaking it slightly. The cheers from his family weren't premature. The Pendragons couldn't touch him now. He breathed on his fingers to warm them up a bit before he attempted to get the flag onto the string on the flagpole. He raised it slowly, just to draw out their win. He knew that Morgana would already have it at the top but he enjoyed watching the rag turn into their crest.
Once an official crest for the Wyllt family could not be found, Merlin felt like it was up to him to make a crest that would show the world what they were about. With him and his father being dragonlords, it had to include a dragon. Arthur had complained that it couldn't look like the Pendragon crest. So it was decided that his crest would include two. A gold and white dragon, signifying the two dragons that Merlin had control of. The navy blue was dark enough for Merlin to feel like they were flying in the night's sky. Morgana had asked whether part of the Le Fay crest could be used. As she should have been the last of the line, the Le Fay family had died out with her sister. It was only fitting to add something from the man who acted like a father to her. Uther never did. It felt fitting for the two dragons to be circling a castle.
"Haha, sucker we bet you!" Morgana shouted.
Merlin turned to see that his wife had managed to get Arthur off of her and was now standing up. Arthur was still lying in the snow.
Arthur shot up. "No, you cheated! How did Merlin know that you were in trouble?"
"I do have ears. As soon as I heard your shout for Gwen I took my opportunity and used it to my advantage." Merlin said as he walked over to them
"How did you run so quickly? I have never seen you run that fast before."
Merlin chuckled. "Nor have I. It must have been the adrenaline rushing through my body that made me go quicker.
"How did you get me over? You must have used magic to get me over! Nobody was near me!" Arthur shouted.
Leon moved forward. "You were so concentrated on getting Gwaine that you missed Gorlois throwing a snowball at you then knocking out your legs."
Merlin looked at the horror on Arthur's face and the way that he turned to Gorlois.
"What uncle Arthur? Father has always said that you were top heavy."
"I AM NOT FAT!" Arthur shouted.
Merlin held out his arm for Morgana, which she took. It had been something that they would do. They would wait for a couple of days after midwinter to be able to sneak for a day or two. It was part of them having time for each other. It was one of the reasons why Merlin wanted the snow to come earlier. He didn't wish to travel in the dark.
"Are you going to tell me where we are going?" Morgana asked.
"It is a surprise."
"Merlin, I am not the biggest fan of surprises."
"I know but you will like this. I... I might have found something that I am not a hundred percent sure that you want to revisit but it was close to Camelot and I knew that we weren't going to get off quickly."
"I am glad that we won this year. I don't think I could have taken another year of Arthur boasting that the Pendragons were the best."
"Next year isn't going to be so easy. They will have the advantage. We will outnumber them and they will have the extra adult."
"We might have to train up Lynette, Maldue and Isobel better. We can't have all three of them not understanding the reason behind it all."
"Just because we can't deal with Arthur boasting."
"Exactly."
Merlin was glad that their talk had distracted Morgana enough that when they reached the snow-covered hovel, she was surprised to see her old hovel.
"Don't worry. I have made it more weatherproof."
"Merlin... I don't actually know what to say."
"I do. Let's get in. It is bloody freezing out here."
Merlin couldn't remember feeling the way that he did when they ran into the hovel. He felt young again like he felt at the beginning of their relationship. He had wondered whether children and their marriage had complicated things between them. Not that things weren't already complicated enough. With them in the hovel and the fire lit, he felt that they were in enough privacy to voice his concerns.
"Morgana, have we complicated things? Or was it just the twins?"
She blinked at him and he knew that he probably wasn't going to get the full answer.
"Merlin, we haven't had time like this in a long time. Away from Camelot and the children. How about we make the most of it? We can forget the things that have complicated your relationship."
He allowed himself to get lost in her at that moment. He knew that he would ask her again another time and probably get the same answer. He knew that he should just enjoy the small amount of time he had with Morgana alone but he couldn't help but feel like something was wrong with her. He knew that it would all come to haunt them. Maybe they would all realise their worst fears and that destiny had a way of creeping up on them.