Plucking Buds off Magnolia Trees

One

'Fractured Moonlight'

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, but I wouldn't mind paying BBC a large sum of money for Arthur, haha.

The air was cooling harshly as Morgana sat in the botanical gardens hidden in the corner of the castle. She ran her fingers over the grass that was slowly being suffocated by the icy chill. Soon, autumn would be over. Winter, was on its way. She shivered slightly. The coldest months of the year were never kind to the people of Camelot—especially not after the winter solstice. It was four months of a fireless hell, before nature finally decided to be kind once more to its inhabitance.

Morgana smoothed a part of her crimson dress that had become wrinkled with her shifting. The material reminded her of the autumn leaves: the leaves that were dead now. Shriveled into a ghastly brown. Gone until next year. She tugged on a piece of her raven-black hair, twirling it tensely as she stared up at the graying sky.

It was like the earth was warning her. Warning her of the winter.

But it was Arthur's favorite time of year. His magnificent red-flushed lips became exaggerated beauty against the barren white of the world around him. She sighed at the thought of it, and smiled slightly at remembering the way his dirty blonde hair glowed in the summertime.

She placed a leg comfortably under the other one, until the cold finally ushered her back inside the castle.

To the stone walls that were far too gray for her liking. To the hallways that echoed so loudly, it felt as if even the dead could hear her. There was no sanctuary in Camelot for Morgana. No haven other than Arthur Pendragon.

She wrapped her arms around her thin waist and went down the halls at a quicker pace. She could almost hear the ghostly voices murmuring complaints about all of the racket she was creating.

Camelot's halls were always as good as vacant in winter.

Morgana turned the corner, going down a dimly lit, and frankly unnervingly small, corridor. She walked down it slowly, thinking and listening to nothing but her breathing. It was peaceful in a sense, just being secluded and safe in her own little place. But then the voices came. The voices of society.

"Your daughter is turning how old this year?" a deep and dry voice asked. The voices seemed to be approaching Morgana's corridor. She froze, and listened.

"Vanora will be sixteen, Mador ," the other man returned, barely anymore life in his voice than his companion's. Morgana rolled her eyes. It was the lords Lionel and Mador . How had she not guessed that? They were the two most womanly men in all of Uther's court. They spoke more about gossip and marriage than any other woman Morgana had ever encountered in her life. They spent more time on those petty things than she did. And these are the men that serve in our army, she thought dryly.

Someone snickered quietly behind her. She jumped, and spun around swiftly, ready to attack. She was met with a very amused Arthur. His eyes still gleaming, despite the poorly lit conditions.

"It's not ladylike to eavesdrop, Lady Morgana," he scolded tauntingly, only inches away from her. Morgana's heaving chest skimmed across his wondrously taut one. She tried her best not to let it faze her. Or more realistically, not allow Arthur to know that it fazed her.

She supplied him with a deadpanned frown before turning around, making sure Lord Lionel and Mador were a safe distance away. When she had assured herself that they were, she turned back around to Arthur, slapping him on the chest with the back of her hand. "Well, it's not very princely to scare a person like that," she finally replied, hiding the smile well. She'd had lots of practice over the years.

"The title's enough for me," he returned lightly with a shrug, "it compensates for my lack of… what was the word you used? 'Princeliness'?" Arthur gave her a smirk. God, those lips…

"That's not a word," Morgana replied, praying to god he wouldn't walk away from her too soon. He'd spent the entire day with the knights, never stepping foot into the castle since before the sun had even risen. She missed him.

"Technicalities, m'lady," he drawled. Morgana loved it when he did that. The way he wove words together with a slur was all too enticing, and it took all her might not to ravage the lips that had formed them.

"What are you doing back so soon anyway?" she asked, beginning to walk past Arthur, him falling in step with her as if it was second nature. "I would have thought you'd keep them out there even after night had fallen." She lifted her emerald eyes to him.

Arthur had always loved the night. She knew that. It oddly was perfect for him. But what exactly drew him towards the hours of darkness she didn't think she'd ever fully grasp.

He gave her a look. Somewhere in between hilarity and taunt. "Hold everything for a moment," he responded, and she knew a snarky remark was coming. "I know about a court-scheduled event that the great and punctual Lady Morgana is unaware of? You seem to be slacking, m'lady." He used that word again. Damn him. She swore she fell a bit deeper for him every time he uttered it. M'lady. It sounded marvelous, coming from the Crown Prince of Camelot.

"More like taking the day off. I cannot be aware of every happening in the castle," Morgana supplied to Arthur blithely. She took a step closer to him as they rounded the bend, ending up in one of the more congested hallways of the castle. His elbow brushed her upper arm ever so slightly. A shiver jolted through her arm. It was a good shiver though. The kind akin to a cello hitting a deep note on a snowy night.

"Well, I wouldn't keep that up too long if I were you. Laziness is unbecoming for you." She couldn't tell if he was joking with her or not, so she gave him a numb look. But her eyes whispered a silent thank you. Her wishful thinking led her to hope that it was supposed to be a compliment. Her heart fluttered momentarily, before she composed herself.

"Duly noted," she said with a smile. "So what is this huge event I have seemed to miss?" Morgana arched a dark eyebrow. Arthur's light ones rose for a moment, before he allowed them to drop.

"My father's old friend Lord Aleyn is visiting from Nantres, so he has decided a feast is in order." Arthur rolled his eyes. Morgana's face flickered with grimness as she watched him. Arthur had never been a fan of large celebrations thrown at random, despite the popular belief and gossip of Camelot. And he especially didn't like a feast in honor of someone from Nantres. The outlying town of the kingdom was a dark place.

"A feast," Morgana replied in disappointment. "Is that really the smartest of ideas, with the Famine Months coming soon?" Food was scarce after winter settled in, and Camelot had to sustain. And Morgana was positive the memory of the luxurious food they were sure to have tonight would not keep them fulfilled through the winter.

"I don't believe my father has looked that far ahead," Arthur said, his voice way too calm for the situation. "You know how irrational he gets when his friends are in court." His playful lips thinned into a pursed worry. It was a rare occasion for the prince to show a genuine ounce of seriousness on his face. Especially in his eyes.

"Yes," she said softly, "I do." Yet another thing to add to the list of reasons why Uther Pendragon was far from Morgana's favorite person. If not yet, the king was sure to be the death of Camelot. She just knew it. For a man who claimed to be so rational, he was an utter contradiction. Morgana sighed.

"Why did Uther not tell us of this feast sooner?" She looked up to Arthur, tracing the contours of his profile with her eyes. He had strong, sharp, Grecian features. Straight nose, prominent chin, luxurious lips… he was what a king was supposed to look like. Supposed to be.

"Must have slipped his mind, I suppose," Arthur returned, shrugging his shoulders. "Why are you so curious about the whole thing?" His jaw twitched slightly, and Morgana watched as the muscles moved lithely under his skin. Gorgeous.

"I'm not curious," she said defensively, "just…"

"Curious," he finished. "Yes, I noticed." He shot her a sideways smirk.

"You are utterly impossible," she grumbled.

"Impossibly irresistible?" Arthur prompted, and Morgana hesitated before retorting. The prince was spot on.

"Yes, exactly. You are impossibly irresistible to narcissism," she drawled, before smirking slightly.

"You're cruel today, Morgana," Arthur said with fake hurt. He paused, breathing deeply. "Aleyn should be coming soon…"

"I should get ready then," Morgana returned vacantly casting a glance up at Arthur. He was still looking at her, his lips curving slowly into a sort of smile.

He nodded. "I'll see you at dinner." Arthur walked past her, his right index finger grazing her forearm ever so subtly. Her heart rate quickened, and she had no power to produce any more words. Morgana leaned on the wall behind her. It was odd, she and Arthur having a rather civil conversation. Usually they would have parted in anger born from stupidity. She smiled. They were getting better, being together.

"My lady, would you prefer the blue or green one?" Lying across each of Gwen's arms was a dress. Morgana made her way over to the maid, smiling thoughtfully at the dresses. She ran a hand over each material. The blue one was utterly stunning. But she knew Arthur had an attraction to green, and it would match better with his red cape he was sure to wear anyways. She raised her eyes to Gwen's.

"The green one," she said with confidence, running one more hand along the beautifully stitched side.

"I am sure Prince Arthur will find you stunning tonight," Gwen commented lightly, as she placed the blue dress neatly on the chair beside her. She'd always found it easy and free to speak to Morgana. They had become friends first, maid and master second. And that was the way it should be. Gwen tucked a flyaway curl behind her ear, and handed the dress to Morgana. The wonderful Lady always insisted on helping Gwen in any way possible. So today, she'd hold the dress, while Gwen undid the crimson colored beauty.

"Pri—" she stuttered, "Prince Arthur?" Morgana had never had a knack for acting dumb or ignorant, so she knew there was no way to hide her true intentions in wearing the deep evergreen dress.

"Well yes," Gwen said with a shy smile, "he is always looking at you, my lady. I thought you would want to impress him tonight." She focused her eyes on the strings she was untying, the dress finally falling, leaving Morgana in her undergarments. She wouldn't be changing them today. The king's ward turned around, handing the dress back to Gwen. She caught her maid's gaze.

"It is what King Uther would like," Morgana tried in attempt to hide her glee. It wasn't just her that felt Arthur's stare on her. Despite their closeness, Morgana and Arthur had always set their friendship up as a sort of friendly rivalry. And it was not a childhood rival one usually married in Camelot. Well, there was always room for a new tradition…

"Of course," Gwen muttered supportively, dropping her eyes one more to the ground. She knew very well the feelings Morgana harbored for Arthur. She would never mention it to the Lady, but she hoped that Morgana would take the next step with the prince soon. Gwen would never suspect Arthur to wait around for a woman forever. Not even Morgana, maybe. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing her friend heartbroken.

So this is my first time writing the characters of Merlin, so please be kind to me, haha. And next chapter I plan to have much more Arthur and Merlin, and of course, the feast. By the way, sorry for the shortness of this; I wanted to take my first stab at Merlin slowly, so expect chapters to be longer in the future. Also, for once I have a pretty much solid idea of where I want to go with this, so hopefully updates won't take too long. But please feel free to tell me any ideas you have, and let me know how I did in a review! I really need the input.

Reviews are love!