Merry Christmas!
Dec. 24th, 2009 03:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magog_83This is just a post to say MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you all, and I hope you all have a wonderful day :D May Christmas Eve bring lots of dreams of snow-covered castles and Princes and their Manservants...
In the meantime, have some Christmas fic - in which Merlin and Arthur meet a Christmas Cracker.
Nadolig Llawen!
.....
“What is it?” said Arthur suspiciously.
Merlin poked it a little with one finger. “I’m not sure, but everyone has them in the future. Apparently,” he added, hushed, “it’s not Christmas without one.”
Arthur gave him A Look. He still wasn’t sure he approved of this ‘going to the future’ lark. The last time Merlin had been he had come back with a pointy purple hat and a stick that he called a ‘wand’ because “all the wizards in the future have them, Arthur.” They had yet to work out what the ‘wand’ did that Merlin couldn’t do already, and the hat was just ridiculous and had a tendency to get knocked off by low doorframes – so really, Arthur was going to need more convincing. “Well?” he said, irritably, “what are we supposed to do with it?”
Merlin picked it up, carefully, and examined it from all angles before he said, “I think we’re both supposed to pull on it – at the same time I mean – and see who wins—”
Arthur scoffed, “I will, of course.”
Merlin stuck his tongue out before he continued, “and there’s a reward inside.”
Arthur peered at the strange object, “It can’t be a very big reward.”
“Unless it’s magic?” Merlin suggested optimistically. “In the future I’ve seen people and animals all moving around in little boxes. They can do anything there.”
Arthur looked a bit more impressed. “All right, give me the other end then.”
Merlin picked up the object and offered Arthur one end as he took the other. Then he took a deep breath. “Ready?”
“Of course I’m ready!” Arthur snapped, frowning in concentration.
“Ok… Pull!”
They both yanked hard at the object which, to their shock, exploded with a loud crack and a smell of burning – causing them both to drop it and leap backwards in alarm.
There was a brief silence. Then,
“I think my half is bigger,” Arthur said, smugly.
Merlin absolutely did not pout. “You pulled it before I was ready!”
“It’s not my fault you don’t have my lightning-fast reflexes, Merlin.”
“Cheat.”
“Weakling.”
Merlin pointedly turned one of Arthur’s pillows into a chicken and Arthur decided to change the subject. “So,” he said, looking at his half a little dubiously, “I suppose we should find out what’s inside?”
“I’m sure I don’t care,” muttered Merlin, maintaining his sulk for eight seconds before his curiosity won out.
Arthur picked up his piece of the object and gave it a small shake. Then he reached inside and pulled out the first item.
“What’s that?” said Merlin, picking up what looked like a brightly coloured wad of paper.
Arthur took it out of his hands and turned it over, then unfolded it to reveal… “A crown!”
Merlin looked impressed. “It must be magic! It knew you were the winner!”
Arthur wasn’t quite so impressed. It was a bit of a floppy crown, and he wasn’t sure his father would approve of pink. He gave it to Merlin, “Here, you might as well have it. I’ve already got one.”
Merlin’s eyes widened as he took the crown reverently and then jammed it on his head, where it promptly slid down a little on one side, giving Merlin a faintly jaunty air. “What else has it given you?” Merlin asked excitedly.
Arthur pulled out a small piece of paper and read aloud, “What’s sweet and swings through the jungle?”
Merlin looked confused. “Is it a riddle? Let me see…” He came round the table to stand next to Arthur, peering at the slip of paper over his shoulder.
Arthur turned the paper over, “It says here, Answer – Tarzipan.”
They both stared at the small and very neat writing.
“I don’t get it,” said Merlin after a moment.
“What’s a jungle?” said Arthur.
They decided to leave the slip of paper aside for now and move on to the last item.
Which proved to be a mistake.
“Is that a—” Merlin began, sounding far too gleeful before Arthur cut him off.
“I think it must be some kind of weapon!” he said, very firmly and not at all mortified.
“Are you sure?” said Merlin, trying to take it out of Arthur's hands, but Arthur quickly hid it behind his back, “because it looks like a pretend moustache.”
Arthur fixed him with his most intimidating glare. Merlin failed to look intimidated.
“It’s a very nice moustache,” he said, face pink with the effort of suppressing his mirth, “Very, er, distinguished.”
Arthur shoved the thing back into the tube it had come out of. “I can’t imagine why it would think I’d want that.” He said, in a tone that suggested the conversation was over.
“Maybe it saw the one you tried to grow last month?” said Merlin, helpfully.
“That was not a moustache!” said Arthur at once.
“Well, no,” said Merlin, “I think we were all in agreement there.”
Arthur plonked down on his favourite chair and glared at the fire. “I don’t think this ‘future’ place is all that clever you know,” he glanced at Merlin. “And your crown looks silly.”
After a moment Merlin hoisted himself up onto the table, drumming his heels against the table leg, and adjusting his crown, tongue caught between his teeth in concentration. Then he said, very casually, “I didn’t really like it anyway.”
“I think you’ve made your point, Merlin,” said Arthur, trying not to sound hurt (because he wasn’t).
“No,” said Merlin, and when Arthur turned to look he seemed to be examining the table top very closely, “I mean, I didn’t think it suited you. I think you, you know,” he waved a vague hand, “look better without it.”
“Oh,” said Arthur, considering. It had been very itchy, it was true, and he supposed, if pushed, that it was nice not to have his manservant avert his eyes in horror everytime he walked into a room now. Not that that sort of thing ever affected his decisions. “Well, that’s all right then,” he said magnanimously. Then he cast another critical eye over Merlin’s flushed face and added, “Your crown looks better like that.”
Merlin beamed. “King Merlin the First?”
Arthur snorted. “King Merlin the Only - there wouldn’t be a kingdom left to inherit by the time you’d finished.”
Merlin made a face at him and Arthur settled back, glad that bit of excitement was over for the evening.
Then Merlin said, “Oh! I forgot, I got something else too.” Arthur groaned as Merlin pulled a long thin tube from the inside of his jacket. “They said it was a work of fire! Or a firework, or something like that.”
Arthur took it from him and looked at it closely. “And what do we do with this one?” he said, sounding resigned.
Merlin shrugged, “I suppose we throw it in the fire, as it’s a firework. Shall we try it in the Great Hall? The fireplace is bigger there.”
“Are you sure this one is safe?” said Arthur.
Merlin looked wounded. “I’m almost sure. And anyway, this is me, Arthur.”
Arthur sighed. That was rather what he was afraid of.
The End.
In the meantime, have some Christmas fic - in which Merlin and Arthur meet a Christmas Cracker.
Nadolig Llawen!
“What is it?” said Arthur suspiciously.
Merlin poked it a little with one finger. “I’m not sure, but everyone has them in the future. Apparently,” he added, hushed, “it’s not Christmas without one.”
Arthur gave him A Look. He still wasn’t sure he approved of this ‘going to the future’ lark. The last time Merlin had been he had come back with a pointy purple hat and a stick that he called a ‘wand’ because “all the wizards in the future have them, Arthur.” They had yet to work out what the ‘wand’ did that Merlin couldn’t do already, and the hat was just ridiculous and had a tendency to get knocked off by low doorframes – so really, Arthur was going to need more convincing. “Well?” he said, irritably, “what are we supposed to do with it?”
Merlin picked it up, carefully, and examined it from all angles before he said, “I think we’re both supposed to pull on it – at the same time I mean – and see who wins—”
Arthur scoffed, “I will, of course.”
Merlin stuck his tongue out before he continued, “and there’s a reward inside.”
Arthur peered at the strange object, “It can’t be a very big reward.”
“Unless it’s magic?” Merlin suggested optimistically. “In the future I’ve seen people and animals all moving around in little boxes. They can do anything there.”
Arthur looked a bit more impressed. “All right, give me the other end then.”
Merlin picked up the object and offered Arthur one end as he took the other. Then he took a deep breath. “Ready?”
“Of course I’m ready!” Arthur snapped, frowning in concentration.
“Ok… Pull!”
They both yanked hard at the object which, to their shock, exploded with a loud crack and a smell of burning – causing them both to drop it and leap backwards in alarm.
There was a brief silence. Then,
“I think my half is bigger,” Arthur said, smugly.
Merlin absolutely did not pout. “You pulled it before I was ready!”
“It’s not my fault you don’t have my lightning-fast reflexes, Merlin.”
“Cheat.”
“Weakling.”
Merlin pointedly turned one of Arthur’s pillows into a chicken and Arthur decided to change the subject. “So,” he said, looking at his half a little dubiously, “I suppose we should find out what’s inside?”
“I’m sure I don’t care,” muttered Merlin, maintaining his sulk for eight seconds before his curiosity won out.
Arthur picked up his piece of the object and gave it a small shake. Then he reached inside and pulled out the first item.
“What’s that?” said Merlin, picking up what looked like a brightly coloured wad of paper.
Arthur took it out of his hands and turned it over, then unfolded it to reveal… “A crown!”
Merlin looked impressed. “It must be magic! It knew you were the winner!”
Arthur wasn’t quite so impressed. It was a bit of a floppy crown, and he wasn’t sure his father would approve of pink. He gave it to Merlin, “Here, you might as well have it. I’ve already got one.”
Merlin’s eyes widened as he took the crown reverently and then jammed it on his head, where it promptly slid down a little on one side, giving Merlin a faintly jaunty air. “What else has it given you?” Merlin asked excitedly.
Arthur pulled out a small piece of paper and read aloud, “What’s sweet and swings through the jungle?”
Merlin looked confused. “Is it a riddle? Let me see…” He came round the table to stand next to Arthur, peering at the slip of paper over his shoulder.
Arthur turned the paper over, “It says here, Answer – Tarzipan.”
They both stared at the small and very neat writing.
“I don’t get it,” said Merlin after a moment.
“What’s a jungle?” said Arthur.
They decided to leave the slip of paper aside for now and move on to the last item.
Which proved to be a mistake.
“Is that a—” Merlin began, sounding far too gleeful before Arthur cut him off.
“I think it must be some kind of weapon!” he said, very firmly and not at all mortified.
“Are you sure?” said Merlin, trying to take it out of Arthur's hands, but Arthur quickly hid it behind his back, “because it looks like a pretend moustache.”
Arthur fixed him with his most intimidating glare. Merlin failed to look intimidated.
“It’s a very nice moustache,” he said, face pink with the effort of suppressing his mirth, “Very, er, distinguished.”
Arthur shoved the thing back into the tube it had come out of. “I can’t imagine why it would think I’d want that.” He said, in a tone that suggested the conversation was over.
“Maybe it saw the one you tried to grow last month?” said Merlin, helpfully.
“That was not a moustache!” said Arthur at once.
“Well, no,” said Merlin, “I think we were all in agreement there.”
Arthur plonked down on his favourite chair and glared at the fire. “I don’t think this ‘future’ place is all that clever you know,” he glanced at Merlin. “And your crown looks silly.”
After a moment Merlin hoisted himself up onto the table, drumming his heels against the table leg, and adjusting his crown, tongue caught between his teeth in concentration. Then he said, very casually, “I didn’t really like it anyway.”
“I think you’ve made your point, Merlin,” said Arthur, trying not to sound hurt (because he wasn’t).
“No,” said Merlin, and when Arthur turned to look he seemed to be examining the table top very closely, “I mean, I didn’t think it suited you. I think you, you know,” he waved a vague hand, “look better without it.”
“Oh,” said Arthur, considering. It had been very itchy, it was true, and he supposed, if pushed, that it was nice not to have his manservant avert his eyes in horror everytime he walked into a room now. Not that that sort of thing ever affected his decisions. “Well, that’s all right then,” he said magnanimously. Then he cast another critical eye over Merlin’s flushed face and added, “Your crown looks better like that.”
Merlin beamed. “King Merlin the First?”
Arthur snorted. “King Merlin the Only - there wouldn’t be a kingdom left to inherit by the time you’d finished.”
Merlin made a face at him and Arthur settled back, glad that bit of excitement was over for the evening.
Then Merlin said, “Oh! I forgot, I got something else too.” Arthur groaned as Merlin pulled a long thin tube from the inside of his jacket. “They said it was a work of fire! Or a firework, or something like that.”
Arthur took it from him and looked at it closely. “And what do we do with this one?” he said, sounding resigned.
Merlin shrugged, “I suppose we throw it in the fire, as it’s a firework. Shall we try it in the Great Hall? The fireplace is bigger there.”
“Are you sure this one is safe?” said Arthur.
Merlin looked wounded. “I’m almost sure. And anyway, this is me, Arthur.”
Arthur sighed. That was rather what he was afraid of.
The End.
