bit_of_a_clotpole | New Year's Eve with Morgana

Morgana, despite her determination to stay up until Arthur comes to get her, did fall asleep for a while, awaking about half an hour before the bells.

So she's been rushing to get ready. For an event like this, she's pulled out her very best dress. It's royal blue, with white ribbons, as it will be many years before she starts getting the ones embroidered with small gemstones. After brushing her hair out, she's tied half of it back with a white ribbon.

She likes it better this way, as she still doesn't like the maid the King's assigned her. At home, her nurse expected her to be able to dress herself.

When she thinks it's about time (really it's 5 minutes early) she keeps peeking out the door, looking for Arthur.

"Morgana!" Arthur whispers giving her a little wave as he comes to a stop at the bottom of the stairs leading up to her room. "Ready to go?"

Morgana nods and slips out of her room, softly shutting the door.

She's carrying a small fur stole the King gave her for Yule, in case she gets cold.

"I am. Is there some place we can be in the main hall where the king will not see us?"

Arthur's quite surprised to see how pretty Morgana looks in her best clothes! Not as pretty as the Queen of course (who he sadly hasn't seen at the festivities).

"I do!" He grabs her hand. "Come on."

Morgana's made quite the effort, so a compliment would not go awry.

Still, she takes his hand to follow him downstairs.

"What has been going on so far?"

She wants all the details of what she's been forced to miss.

Of course it wouldn't, but this Arthur! So it might be expecting too much...

"Lots of stuff! We got to have this dish from the east! It was so spicy Father's face went bright red!" He giggles. "And then some acrobats came and one of them swung on the chandlier!"

The breathless descriptions might make her feel worse, but then Arthur remembers something and reaches into his pocket. "There was honeycakes too, I saved you one." He hands her one wrapped in a napkin.

Morgana listens to every detail like it's the most fascinating of all tales.

The details he says now, the ways such celebrations are deemed a success make, she will make use of over and over again, as an adult when much of the planning becomes her responsibility.

The honeycake goes over well enough so that she does not pass comment. It is sticky, and delicious.

"Thank you," she says, for once, absolutely willing to follow him.

Which will certainly explain the success of Camelot's feasts for years to come. The woman who oversees them now is getting quite old and will probably retire her position in the next few years.

As they near the Main Hall, the sounds of people cheering and the strains of music will become louder.

"We have to go through the anteroom," he tells her. "That way no-one will see us."

The cheering and music makes her smile more and puts a little skip in her step.

Though she's not looking at Arthur, she's straining to see the lit candles and the decorations as illuminated by them.

"Will we still be able to see things?"

"Yep!" Arthur promises as he leads her through the antechamber towards the other door that leads into the Main Hall.

But he doesn't go through that door, instead he goes to a tapestry beside it, pulling it back to reveal a secret door.

Her eyes grow wide at the secret door. This is the second one she's been shown since her arrival.

"This is amazing." She peeks inside, and the noise of the party increases tenfold.

Arthur nods, since he's been gone the acrobats have come back out and now they're doing a tumbling act!

At the head of the Grand Table Father is enjoying the show and is rather into his cups, he hasn't even noticed his son has slipped away.

"I used to wonder what the New Year's Feast was like! But I never imagined anything as great and this!"

"I have never seen anything like it." Then, a thought occurs to her that occurs to every child, at some point in their lives.

"Do you ever think it's like this other times after we are sent to bed?"

Arthur purses his lips, frowning.

"I don't think so...but maybe..."

The castle walls are quite thick, so it's possible!

"They better not!"

Morgana can't do anything but vehemently agree, so she nods her head until distracted by the acrobats.

"That one got far too close to the King -- and stole his goblet," she narrates as if he can't see the same thing.

"I can't imagine anyone getting away with that!"

Arthur doesn't mind her narration, it's kind of fun actually!

Plus the antics of the acrobats has him giggling. Father doesn't seem to notice and then when he can't find his goblet he looks so thoroughly confused!

"They must be as brave as knights!"

She leans in closer to him and whispers in his ear, as the crowd has gone silent, awaiting some amazing trick.

"Braver even, as what if the King thinks they're using magic?"

"You don't think they would?" Arthur looks shocked at the very idea.

But it looks as if they're not, or if they are Father doesn't suspect, because when one of the acrobats starts juggling with the king's goblet and two apples. Father spots it and laughs, applauding heartily with the others in the hall.

"Wow...I wonder how you learn that!"

"You should go in and ask them. You're supposed to be be there. I'm not." She's not miserable about it, since she has this place to watch.

"You don't have to stay with," stupid burst of coughing, after she was doing so well, "with me all night."

Arthur looks at her in surprised at the coughing fit. That doesn't sound good.

"No, it's OK. Father says they're staying for the New Year Market, I can go ask them then!"

Not that Father's known to let him go into the lower town, but that won't stop Arthur.

"It's almost time!"

The bells ring twice. Morgana usually hates the sound after hearing them ring after her unfortunate failed trip to Sir Ector's. This time, she doesn't mind the sound.

Everyone in the hall stands, silent, waiting for the next ring, indicating the arrival of the new year.

Morgana, in excitement, and a desire to have someone to share this with, holds onto Arthur's hand.

Arthur grabs onto her hand as well! This is really exciting.

In the space between the two bells and the one signally midnight all the candles in the Great Hall are extinguished.

And then the bell tolls once and a single flame appears in the room, swirling around...
Then another and another.

It's the acrobats! Relighting all the candles as they juggle!

The cry echoes around the hall. "Happy New Year! Happy New Year!"

There are very few things that make Morgana speechless, but there's something solemn, something important as the candles are being lit. She watches, only briefly glancing over at Arthur, who is difficult to see in the dark, despite the fact he is right beside her.

It is a moment before she quietly whispers, "Happy New Year, Arthur."

It is an amazing sight, Arthur had stayed up last year, but he was in his room and though looking out the windows and hearing the cheers of the crowd had been pretty amazing, this was incredible!

"Happy New Year."

And have an awkward hug.

Morgana hugs him back. She's a little less awkward at it than he is, because this is what she grew up with, easy affection, and hugs whenever she wanted one.

She thinks of the previous New Year's, one where her father was home, and does to Arthur, the same thing she did to her father. She gives him a very proper, very sweet little kiss on the cheek. Her father always said starting off the New Year like that was good luck.

This would be Arthur blushing all the way to the tips of his ears! Fortunately it's dark so she won't see, right?

"Thanks!" He squeaks.

She's nowhere near as embarrassed, but Morgana's realized it might not have been the best idea. "It was for luck. My father always said getting a kiss from a girl on New Year's would bring anyone luck."

Okay, now she is getting embarrassed.

"Oh...well, um...lots of thanks then. Because knights need all the luck they can get."

Arthur endeavours to play it cool...because... Princes don't blush!

Anyone witnessing the incident, might find it utterly adorable, but to Morgana, she's regretting it because it's made everything awkward.

"And you will need luck, because you'll be training soon," she tries to add, helpfully, as she should soon be well enough for the trip to Sir Ector's as long as the King doesn't become overprotective.

"Right!" Arthur's face lights up. That makes sense.

The acrobats are doing another routine now with swords! It's enough to distract anyone from awkwardness - especially two children who love sword fighting.

Now that the moment of awkwardness is over, Morgana can focus properly on the acrobats.

For two children who love swords, she feels it's more than appropriate to pass comment, on the pretend duel happening in the middle of the floor. "If the one in the blue doesn't win, the contest is rigged. He is much better."

"You'd say that," Arthur can't resist nudging her. "Blue's your colour. I think the red one is better."

As it turns out neither blue nor red wins, as quite suddenly the acrobat dress in purple cartwheels in and somehow manages to disarm the other two with his feet!

The applause seems to make the Main Hall rock on its foundations!

"Well, that was not a proper duel!" Is all Morgana has to say about the sudden interloper.

Celebrations of this type at home were always simpler, usually a gathering of the families from the local villages on her father's estate. Thinking about that makes her homesick and she wonders how they all are doing.

"Are all celebrations at Camelot like this?"

Arthur however is very impressed! Imagine using your feet to disarm someone!

He shakes his head. "No, usually we have feasts and they're sort of boring. I don't think this is usual. Father said something about it being ten years since he got Camelot back so..."

"Since he got Camelot back? Back from what?"

There are a few gaps in her knowledge of Camelot's history. The full details of the purge, the war on magic, is one of them.

Back from the people who tried to take it over." Arthur lowers his voice speaking very seriously. "They were using all sorts of magic to scare the townspeople."

That was sort of true, as the stories he's been told often are.

"The sorcerers called in the Dragons." Arthur's eyes go wide. "Father managed to beat them, that's pretty amazing don't you think?"

"Your father defeated dragons?" Morgana's not certain if she's disbelieving or impressed.

"Why would sorcerers want to take over Camelot?"

"Yep!" Arthur nods hard enough that his little circlet almost falls off. He leans in closer. "The servants say that he's got the last Dragon locked up in the dungeon."

He pauses and thinks. "I don't know...Camelot has lots of land and treasures and things like that. I guess they wanted those."

"He has a dragon in the dungeon?" Morgana's suddenly wondering if she's been moved into prison. It's not the last time she will have that thought.

Morgana reaches up and fixes his circlet, which is now a little askew. It's not the last time she'll do that either.

"Wouldn't everyone want the lands and treasures not just magical people?"

"I've never seen it, but everyone's sure its down there, somewhere." Arthur shrugs, he has no idea where, the dungeons are a maze and even Arthur's not foolhardy enough to go searching. He could get lost forever.

He blushes at her straightening of his circlet.

"And they do, but they don't have powers to make fire and...explode rocks and things..."

Morgana -- keen on making sure accessories are properly worn, even at this age.

Arthur's tales do not differ from her father's -- who was nothing but complimentary about the King, though he desired to keep Morgana out of court, so, at this stage, they impress.

"I'd be afraid of someone who can just make fire."

Arthur nods. "How are you supposed to sword fight them! It's not really fair."

Shakes head. But brightens right up again.

"Father managed it though! I should go wish him happy new year!" He's just about to go out there, but stops. "I can take you back to your room if you want."

"No," Morgana says. "I'll stay here and watch a while longer, then I'll go to bed."

It's completely impulsive but she gives him another kiss, on the opposite cheek to the first. "There. Now you have twice the luck."

"If you're sure you'll be all right." Arthur says uncertainly, he wouldn't want anything to happen to her, since he said he'd bring her down he really should stay with her.

But the kiss on his other cheek makes him blush once again!

"Um...thank you."

And quite awkwardly he leans in and kisses her cheek.

"And um...luck for you too."

The kiss doesn't make her awkward at all. This is what Morgana is used to, though she would usually get them from her father, or her nurse, or the cook.

"I'll be fine. I promise."

She starts to leave but has to add. "So we'll both be lucky this year."

New Year's Eve with Morgana

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