Work Text:
Secret holiday celebration
Arthur woke up to a resin-scented morning. A large log of wood was burning in the fireplace, several lit candles stood by the window and on the table, evergreens decorated the door and walls, and a snowstorm was raging outside the window. The sight made him even more reluctant to get out of the warm blankets, but he was a prince and that meant he couldn't afford any laziness, and duties always took precedence over comfort and fun. So he forced himself to get up and start changing.
He quickly put on a red tunic and brown trousers, but when he tried to do the same with his stockings, he discovered that he had something in one of them. He turned it upside down, knocking until the necklace fell to the ground. It was a modest leather strap, from which hung a small golden statuette of a dragon. Arthur frowned, not remembering owning such a piece of jewelry, but then shrugged and placed it on the table, saying that he would ask Morgana, Merlin, and Gwen later if it belonged to them, or if they knew of anyone who was missing it. As if on cue, the door opened and his faithful, clumsy servant stumbled into the chambers with a tray of food.
“Well, finally, where have you been hanging out again? I already thought I would be without breakfast,” he reprimanded him as a welcome, but with a smile from ear to ear, making it extremely clear that he was just teasing his friend.
“I also wish you a nice morning,” Merlin greeted his master and placed the tray right next to the necklace.
The prince sat down at the table and began to eat round, delicious pies, while his servant began to make the bed, looking as if he had just gotten out of bed. His charcoal hair was disheveled, his blue tunic wrinkled, his scarf tied askew, and his sapphire eyes still had a hint of sleepiness. Which was kind of cute. Suddenly, a loud growl in stomach echoed through the quiet room.
Arthur rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. “You haven't had breakfast yet?! Come, sit down and have some too.”
Merlin, however, just shook his head. “No, that would be inappropriate, and besides, you wouldn't have much if I ate your food and –“
“Why do you think it was an offer? That was an order,” the blond interrupted him, so the servant sat down on the chair opposite him and also took a bite of the sweet pastry.
“Thfanksf,” the prince's friend grumbled with his mouth full.
When they finished eating, Arthur pointed to an unknown piece of jewelry. “Don't you know whose it is? I found it in my stocking.”
Merlin took the object in his hand, examined it carefully, but then with a shrug, he put it back.
“Are you sure it's not yours? It definitely won't belong to Morgana, it's not her style, and none of the servants would be foolish enough to carry a depiction of a magical creature around the castle. However, it suits you, you are the prince of Camelot. A country that has a dragon in its emblem. Maybe someone wanted to give you this as a gift.”
At that, the blond man grinned, as if his servant had said complete nonsense. “So he's going to put this thing in my stocking? Besides, my father forbade celebrating Christmas. Not that I agree with this ban. I'm a little worried that the ban will spark a wave of unrest and resistance. However, I can hardly convince him to change his mind. You know how relentless he is about anything related to the old faith. In Christmas, he see only a pagan celebration of the solstice in a Christian guise.”
“Then it's a good thing that the donor did so anonymously, secretly, and in a stocking. It will be difficult for anyone to catch him. Or do you think Uther will send a knight to see Father Christmas?” Merlin remarked amusedly.
“You're probably right,” the prince nodded. “But speaking of banning holidays, what is all this about?” he asked, pointing to the flowers, candles, and fireplace.
The black-haired young man looked around in confusion and blinked in confusion. “The decor? Don't you like it?”
The nobleman sighed again in exasperation. “Yes, but it's not about whether I think it's nice. It's about what impression it might make.”
“It occurred to me that your chambers need a little freshening up, and the holly is beautiful and perfectly fine. Did you know that its berries symbolize the blood of Christ and its leaves symbolize his crown? Moreover, it's not like we have a lot to choose from when it comes to plants and herbs this time of year. And as for the fireplace and candles, I have to provide light and warmth somehow,” Merlin said innocently.
“I'm sure that fireplace has been burning for days straight,” Arthur stated, which was a clear hint that he suspected his servant of keeping the Yule log tradition.
“It is much easier to maintain a fire than to start it over and over again. Which you would know if you weren't a spoiled little prince who never had to worry about the warmth of home,” the servant said cheekily.
Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt like his head was starting to hurt, so he decided to just let it go. Perhaps the King won't burn Merlin for choosing to enjoy what little of the holiday he could hide behind a silly excuse. His friend had took steps against magic several times and proved that there wasn't a single evil bone in him. What if he wants to make the long, depressing winter days more pleasant? After all that hard work, doesn't he deserve a little hope, love, and fun? “Okay, let it go and instead pack my things, saddle your horse, and polish your armor. When the trial is over with that poor guy who took the liberty of closing his shop for the holidays, I want to go hunting.”
“You want to go outside, but there's a terrible snowstorm!” the servant shook his head.
“Then you should pray for the weather to clear up,” the prince laughed.
At that, Merlin whined softly and laid his head on the table wearily.
Arthur stood up with a laugh and walked towards the throne room. The hallways looked the same as always, no candles or flowers, which actually seemed quite ordinary and sad. However, he could still smell the resin. He almost bumped into Gwen on the stairs, greeted her with a smile and wished her a nice morning, which she returned. She looked particularly pretty, her orange dress with gold-embroidered lace accentuating her warm, friendly nature. It had to be new and expensive. However, he didn't have much time to think about how a maid could afford such clothes. He saw Leon standing nervously at the door to the throne room, holding a parchment.
“Greetings, haven't you seen Merlin?” the knight asked him. “I need to send a letter.”
“That's not his duty. He's my servant, George takes care of the post,” Arthur pointed out.
“Yes, but –“ Leon bit his lip and looked hesitantly, first at the scroll in his hand and then back at the prince. “George is very professional, he strictly follows the rules, but this is –“ He paused again for a moment, “personal.”
“It's a letter to family, wishing them all the best for the holidays, right?” Arthur guessed, and the knight nodded guiltily.
“I know I shouldn't since the king banned the celebration of holidays, but I rarely go home. Wishing them all the best is the least I can do,” Leon admitted.
However, the prince patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. “A wish is not a celebration. I don't know what my father would say about that, but I think you can write a letter wishing everyone the best at any time of year. I'll tell George that I allowed it, but that he still needs to be discreet.”
“Thank you, sir!” The knight beamed happily, obviously glad that the problem was solved.
When Arthur entered the throne room, most of the people were already present. His father seemed somewhat paler and more subdued. For most of the proceedings, he sat quietly, staring with a gloomy expression somewhere at the top frame of the large entrance door to the throne room, until the prince was worried that the king was ill. Fortunately, the trial didn't take as long as he thought and, according to Arthur, it ended well. The merchant was acquitted of the charges. When almost everyone had left, he decided to ask Uther how he was feeling. He had already taken a breath, but before he could say anything, Gaius came to them and handed the king a small bottle of potion.
“A decoction of a mixture of chamomile, valerian, and lemon balm to improve mood and relieve nightmares,” said the Court physician.
“I thought you had run out of herbs for this medicine?” the king asked in surprise, but took the bottle from Gaius anyway.
“Luckily, I happened to find the last few bags of these herbs this morning,” the old healer explained, and Arthur wondered if the physician had also pulled them out of the stocking in surprise. However, the prince preferred to keep his thoughts to himself. Uther thanked healer, to which Gaius bowed slightly and left.
“Is this for Morgana?” Arthur asked, even though he knew it wasn't true. His question was just an incentive for his father to confide in him.
“No, it is for me. I had a terrible dream today. It seemed to me that the sun had not risen and would not rise again. About the winter that extinguished all the fires and about insurmountable hopelessness. It was truly terrible,” he shuddered and then drank the entire contents of the bottle. “But it was just a dream and Gaius is very capable. You don't have to worry.”
The prince nodded and let it go. Fortunately, there were no other state duties scheduled that day, so his father could rest in peace and he could go hunting carefree. The weather had calmed down in the meantime, so even Merlin didn't have to worry about them getting caught in a snowdrift somewhere.
Arthur loved hunting. Not for the thrill of hunting, nor didn't he ever really enjoy the success of catching prey, but for him it was an escape from duty and pressure. On his journeys through the meadows and forests, he could only be himself with his servant. He was truly free. He felt exactly the same way that day. The surroundings of Camelot looked literally fairytale-like. The snow sparkled in the sunshine. Clouds of mist floated over the frozen Lake of Avalon, like a fluffy blanket. In the Valley of the Fallen Kings there was a calm and peace that invited one to stop and contemplate. Merlin hummed softly the whole way, and the prince suspected it was some kind of carol. However, he could not clearly identify the song.
They took a lunch break around noon. They stopped at fallen tree by wind. Arthur's servant brushed the snow off it and spread a thick, fluffy blanket over the trunk for the two of them to sit on. He unpacked a roast turkey and bread from his bag. They sat contentedly for a while, chewing. Merlin didn't even need any persuasion to join the prince, as he had done in the morning, because it was normal for them to eat together on expeditions. When they were almost finished, Arthur had the feeling that he saw something in a nearby bush. Was it a mouse, a rabbit, or a squirrel? The prince motioned to his friend to stay put and watch the horse while he picked up his crossbow and set out after the animal.
Although he tries to walk as quietly as possible, the snow crunches under his feet, and of course the creature in the bushes notices it. He took to running and the young nobleman began chasing him. It was slightly larger than a squirrel, yet with bright red fur. However, before he could catch up and identify it, his foot slipped. When this happened, he was running on the edge of a small cliff, from which he subsequently rolled down. He groaned in pain and just lay there for a moment. Even though he was quite hurt by the fall, he couldn't laze around in the snow for long, otherwise he would risk hypothermia. So he got up with difficulty and was about to scramble up the slope back to Merlin. Looking around, he froze in amazement, staring at the scene before him.
He found himself by the river in a small, pretty clearing, which would have been completely ordinary if there hadn't been a lone spruce tree in the middle, decorated with fruit, seeds, and nuts. There was more fruit and hay lying down under the tree. Various animals were feasting on the green needles and fruit: two deer and a stag, three hares, and several smaller birds.
Despite the animals being usually shy around humans, this time Arthur's presence didn't seem to make them nervous. They chewed calmly, looking at the prince as if they knew that now in this magical place, no one could harm them. Which was true to some extent. Arthur was out hunting and now had a unique opportunity, but he could hardly bring himself to raise his weapon and violate the peace, tranquility, and trust of that place and moment. It may also have been that the surreal Christmas scene in question hypnotized him in a way. It took his friend's voice to pull him out of that state.
“Arthur, where are you? Are you okay?” Merlin called from the top of the hill, who had probably packed up the leftover food and blanket, tied up his horse, and headed after the blond to check on him.
“Yeah, nothing happened to me, I just fell down to the river,” the prince roared back. “I'll be back with you in a moment,” he promised and set off to climb up.
“So, did you catch that rabbit, squirrel, or whatever it was?” the servant asked the prince when they finally saw each other again.
“I think it was a fox and it ran away from me,” answered. “However, I came across the biggest violation of the law prohibiting the celebration of holidays that I have witnessed today.”
“Seriously?” his friend raised one of his black eyebrows to encourage the nobleman to continue the story. He strikingly resembled his mentor in that gesture.
“Yes, it seems that Father Christmas decided to give a gift not only to me, but also to the forest and its inhabitants,” the prince summed it up.
“Are you going to tell your father?” the servant continued to question him.
“Don't be a fool, Merlin. What would that be good for? And come on, I'm soaked from that fall. I'm freezing. Time to go home,” the prince growled. This was actually a clear answer to Merlin’s question, meaning they would keep the existence of the Christmas tree to themselves. At that, his friend nodded and they both headed back to the horses.
The journey to the castle didn't take them much time. They took a shortcut and were already entering the courtyard before it started to get dark. While Merlin led the horses to the stables and unpacked belongings, Arthur headed to his chambers to change. When the prince was finally in dry clothes, he had George called to him to explain the situation with Leon's letter. The uptight servant first knocked politely on the door of the room and waited for the prince to invite him in. This was something Merlin wouldn’t bother with. His black-haired friend entered as he pleased, calmly disheveled and unkempt. George, on the other hand, marched in, bowed to the nobleman, and stood almost at attention. This was almost comical, given the contrast of the clothes he was wearing. His clothes consisted of a brown coat, a blue tunic, and a red scarf, strikingly copying the style of the other servant. These made the prince wonder if George secretly admired Merlin and looked up to him, or if it was some kind of attempt to get closer to a man who held the position he aspired to. However, it was a futile effort anyway, the two had completely different personalities.
“Good evening, sir,” greeted George. “Did you enjoy the hunt?” he asked politely.
“Yes, even though we came back empty-handed. The ride was very nice. The snowy forests, fields and lakes are absolutely picturesque to look at. There's also nothing like fresh air. However, I haven't summoned you to speak to you about the beauty of kingdom. Sir Leon has a certain letter he would like to send to his family,” Arthur began, the other man frowned thoughtfully.
“Christmas wishes, but celebrating the holidays is forbidden,” the servant pointed out.
“Who's talking about wishes here, the content of that letter is private, and Leon writes to his family regularly. There is no reason why he should have to limit contact with his loved ones because of my father's order. Still, you should be discreet about this matter,” Arthur explained.
George nodded at that, “I understand, you can count on me.”
“That's all, you can go,” the prince said and the servant bowed before leaving the room. At the door, he skillfully avoided Merlin, who, on the contrary, decided to come in and who had apparently finished all his duties.
“Came back empty-handed? I wouldn't say we arrived empty-handed,” he remarked, and as he said these words he took a green plant and a red ribbon out of his pocket. “We got mistletoe,” he declared triumphantly. He took a chair from the table, carried it to the door, stood on it, and began to fasten the new decoration above the entrance to the chamber.
The prince rolled his eyes. “Okay, what's the hidden symbolism this time?” he asked wearily, yet he walked over to his friend almost to under the spot where the servant was trying to place the plant.
“It is a stunning plant. The leaves have medicinal properties and are used to combat a number of diseases. According to Christians, mistletoe was originally a self-growing tree from which Joseph made a cradle for baby Jesus. Later, the wood of the same plant was used to make the cross on which Christ was to be executed. The tree itself was very ashamed of how it had been used, until it fell apart into small branches that bring people happiness, perhaps to atone for its sin,” the black-haired man began, but Arthur just grinned in confusion.
“I thought it was connected to the Old Religion and the Druids,” the prince admitted.
“You're not wrong,” Gaius' disciple agreed. “It is also very popular among druids and mages. They collect it with golden sickles and use it in their rituals. Mistletoe is sacred to them and is considered to play the role of a mediator between the earth and the deities. They say it protects the home from evil spirits,” Merlin said, finally managing to place the mistletoe. “They also believe that a kiss under this plant will ensure fertility and love,” he added, then leaned down and placed his lips on Arthur's forehead. It took the nobleman a moment to understand what had happened and he felt heat on his cheeks. He looked up at Merlin, who still standing on the chair, Arthur wanted to reprimand him, but the words died on his lips.
Merlin looked at him with a mischievous but loyal smile. Just like he did most of the time when he was in a good mood. His blue eyes took on a golden hue in the candlelight, and Arthur realized that he wasn't actually angry with him. On the contrary, he wants to pay him back with interest. So he grabbed his friend's blue tunic and pulled him close for another kiss.