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Arthur dislikes her instantly. The way she clutches at his father’s hand, the way she hides behind her escort’s cloak, warily watching the world through large green eyes that look like she’s about to cry.
Also, she’s a girl.
Arthur hates girls.
He especially hates the way his father scoops her up and cuddles her close, whispering nonsense and brushing her hair back from her face in a way he hasn’t done with Arthur in what feels like a lifetime.
At five and a half, everything that doesn’t happen NOW, feels like a lifetime.
He watches from a corner of the throne room that’s hidden in shadow. His little fingers wrapped tightly around a carved that he had been playing with until she had arrived and now all thoughts of slaying the mighty dragon and saving the small village and being the hero are forgotten as he watches the interloper snuggle into his father’s embrace.
“Arthur,” his father calls him and he rushes to his side immediately.
“Father?” he asks, trying to ignore the Other Child in the arms of his father.
“I want you to meet Morgana,” his father says softly, twisting in his great throne as he tries to untangle himself from spindly little arms and clutching fingers. Arthur scowls and glares at the girl on his father’s lap.
Arthur’s face screws up at his father’s question and he steps back. “Why?”
Uther sighs, chuckles and shakes his head. “Petulant child,” he mutters, reaching out with one hand to scrub at Arthur’s golden mop of hair. “She’s come to stay with us,” he says, and Arthur can see the way the girl tries to burrow further into his father’s chest.
“But why?” Arthur asks again. “Surely her mother and father would prefer she stay with them?”
Obviously it’s the wrong thing to say, because she’s crying and Uther is reaching out to cuff him around the ear before doing his best to shush the sobbing girl in his arms and calling for Gaius. It’s not long before Gaius is at Arthur’s side and nodding and talking in whispers to his father before ushering him from the throne room.
“What did I do?” Arthur asks with all the exasperation he can muster once he and Gaius are out in the corridor and heading back for Arthur’s room.
“That is the Lady Morgana,” Gaius says softly, stopping only to pick Arthur up. “Her mother and father were taken ill and died.”
Arthur knows it’s not proper, not seemly for a prince to be carried around, but he buries his face into the crook of Gaius’ neck and breathes deeply of the scent of herbs and potions, and sighs. “Is that why father struck me?” he asks quietly. “I didn’t mean to upset her, Gaius.”
He feels Gaius’ chuckle more than hears it, a deep rumble in his chest that goes a long way to soothe Arthur’s feelings of being replaced. “Yes, though I saw how he cuffed you. Does it hurt?”
Arthur scoffs and pulls back to scowl as guards open the door to his chamber. “It most certainly does not,” he says, crossing his arms. “I’m the strongest prince in all the land of Camelot. Maybe even Albion.” Gaius does laugh then, head thrown back and it washes over Arthur like a balm. If he can still make Gaius laugh like that, then all is not lost and maybe she won’t be so bad after all.
“Right well, my little Lord,” Gaius says as he sets Arthur down. “Perhaps then it is time for you to begin some of your lessons so you will also be the smartest prince in all of Camelot and Albion?” Arthur nods and rushes to grab parchment and quill when Gaius raises his eyebrow in question.
----
“Hey… girl?” Arthur asks as he pushes the door open. “Girl?” The screaming has stopped but it’s been replaced with heartbroken sobs that make Arthur feel like he should run and grab his father or Gaius or someone, an adult, who is much more capable at dealing with a crying, snotty, girl than he is.
“Go away,” she says, in between hiccups and sniffles, and he almost does. Except he’s the Prince of Camelot and someone is crying, and okay, so it’s a girl, she still might be hurt.
“Are you hurt?” he asks as he approaches the bed, stumbling in the moonlight that comes streaming through the windows.
“I said, go away!” The girl lunges towards him and hisses, but Arthur is quick on his feet and dances back, out of reach.
“Hey!” he says when she flops on the bed and proceeds to cry some more. “You can’t speak to me like that; I’m the prince of Camelot.” He pulls his shoulders back and lifts his chin like he’s seen his father do hundreds of times.
“I don’t care, leave me alone!” Her voice is muffled, but Arthur’s smart enough to know a when dismissal when he hears one, so he turns on his heel and starts for the door.
“Stupid girl.”
He's just about to let the door close with a thump behind him when she calls out to him. “Wait!” He sticks his head back in the room to glare at her.
“I’m scared,” she says, but it’s so soft Arthur almost misses it.
“Oh,” he says, stepping back into the room and closing the door. “Is that all?” He makes his way back to the bed and leans against it, holding up his knight. “There’s nothing to be scared of,” he says.
“The dragon,” she whispers and shuffles back until she pressed in amongst the pillows.
“There are no dragons.” Arthur clambers up onto the bed. “Well, just the one,” he says and waves at the Pendragon pennant that is hanging on the wall. “But he won’t bite.”
In the moonlight, Arthur can just make out the look that says Morgana doesn’t quite believe him and he rolls his eyes and shrugs. “Father won’t let him bite you.”
“What about you?” Shifting her legs, she makes room for Arthur beside her. “You obviously don’t want me here. I’m sure you’d let the dragon bite me.”
Arthur sighs and shakes his head. “I won’t. I’m a very good prince and a prince is supposed to help protect his people.” He eyes Morgana and wriggles around on the bed until he’s sitting beside her.
“Look, I’ll even sit here until you fall asleep again and I and Sir Gael will watch over you.” He waves the doll around, then squishes it into the space between him and Morgana.
“You’ve a doll?” Morgana asks and Arthur can hear the scorn in her voice and it makes his heart beat a little faster.
“He’s a knight,” he says, reaching for the toy in question and cuddling it close. “Gaius gave him to me, and if you’re going to be rude like that, well then… we’ll just go back to sleep in my room, because we’re not little girls frightened of a dragon that doesn’t exist.” He twists and is about to jump off the bed when her tiny hand reaches out and clutches his elbow.
“I’m sorry,” Morgana says, and in the pale light, Arthur can see that her eyes are large and wet. “I won’t tease you or Sir Gael. Please stay?”
Arthur frowns and looks from where her hand clutches his elbow and over to the door. “Alright,” he says slowly and shuffles back, making sure to keep Sir Gael tucked into his side.
“Will you tell me about Camelot?” Morgana asks, snuggling further under her blankets.
“I guess,” Arthur says, biting his lip, “I’m sorry that your mother and father got sick and died. My mother died too. It’s not nice, but Gaius says that these things are a part of life and that they ought not to make us sad, but happy to know that they are watching over us from somewhere safe.”
“I miss my father,” she whispers into the dark and reaches for Arthur’s hand. “He said he would protect me always.”
Arthur squeezes her fingers as tightly as possible. He knows what it’s like to be without a father, to not have that one person who said he’ll protect you always, but he also knows what it’s like to have your father return to great fanfare, his arms open wide even before he dismounts from his horse to sweep you up in a hug and breathe you in.
“Well, my father spends a lot of time away from the castle, but I know that he will protect you now, too.” Arthur can hear her breathing start to deepen and he smiles. “And when Father isn’t here, Sir Gael and I will keep you safe until he is.”
Morgana doesn’t answer, and when Arthur looks, she is asleep and snuggled up to his side, clasping his hand tight. When she gives a little snore, he nods, satisfied that she has fallen asleep. He takes a moment to tug the blankets a little higher before he, too, snuggles down and closes his eyes. His last thought before falling asleep, is that, for a girl, Morgana isn't all that bad.
Besides, every Knight needs a Lady to rescue and keep safe.