Challenge! Thy Royal Highness! [Arthur]

[stormzlz]

The smell of blood, sweat and dust wafted along the gentle breeze towards the small pavilion set up beside the training arena. It made Morgana's skin crawl with a longing to be out there with the boys instead of lounging in complete comfort in the pavilion. There was a time when Morgana was permitted to scrum in, but now that she had fully formed breasts it as completely inappropriate. Pffft. Now Morgana and other young ladies of the court watched the boys show off whilst they "ooh"ed and  "ahh"ed and their marvelousness. Truth was, Morgana watched each stroke of their blade and knew how to counter it and land her own blow.

 When the young knights in training paused to freshen up, the young ladies in the tent all of a sudden got a little more life to them. They fluttered over to the edge of the small arena, all smiles and waves so they might catch the attention of their handsome knight. Morgana lifted herself off her ornate seat and sauntered her way over to the rest of them. Amongst the group, Morgana was a pale beauty in a deep emerald green gown, which contrasted against her groups' preference of pastels. Morgana looked around and smiled warmly when she locked eyes with her maid amongst the group. She smirked and rolled her eyes a little at the very idea that she was about to join in the gushing but that she did. With thinly veiled sarcasm, Morgana waved her scarf to catch the attention of one fair haired, handsome young man.... 

"Arthur! Arthur!" Morgana wrinkled her little white nose at the back of the Prince. How dare he ignore her calling him? "Prince ARTHUR of Camelot, seeing as you are obviously DEAF I hereby challenge thy Royal Highness to a duel!" the young ward of King Uther Pendragon put her hands on her hips defiantly and couldn't help the wide grin that spread across her face as those present stood in dumb founded shock. Morgana knew that she would be in a LOT of trouble from her tutors as well as the King himself, but she would smile sweetly and get away with it.

"Although, perhaps I should be fair on you, my dearest Prince, and offer you up a partner more suited to your sparring capabilities..." Morgana grinned rather cruelly, enjoying her afternoon of taunting Arthur. Morgana's cool blue eyes turned to a young boy who was with the small group of ladies. "Little Liam can be my Champion, if you don't feel up to fighting your Daddy's favourite ward?" Morgana drew in her breath to puff up her chest a little. C'mon Arthur, take my bait, she thought as her grip on her hips got a little bit tighter. She was itching for a fight and who better than Arthur, Prince of Camelot?

Tag: Arthur
Timeline: Just before the start of season 1, before Merlin came to Camelot.
Where: Training yard, I'm envisaging a yard with a viewing pavilion, close enough to the castle that the young men and women of courts would travel to watch in their spare time.

[Arthur Pendragon]

It was a particularily hot day today and with the intense training session, most men were in desperate need of some nice cool water to help freshen them up. Arthur was well aware that his training of the men could be tiring and vigorous . . . but at the same time, it was completely necessary. The Knights of Camelot didn't gain their reputation just like that. It was through commitment, diligence and hard work. So he expected nothing less. Especially with the audience that seemed to gather around them. Filled with beautiful noblewomen, some of which Arthur's eyes wandered to as he gave smiles to certain ones. He locked eyes with a certain beauty when he suddenly heard his name being called. He knew that tone. He would recognize it anywhere. And the words that followed it were what broke him out of his locked gaze with the young noblewoman and roll his eyes as he turned to a darker haired beauty.

Morgana.

His father had taken in Morgana many years ago now, and she and Arthur had grown rather close throughout those years. While he had never had a female figure of any kind in his life, Morgana was the woman he was closest to. And yes, it certainly helped that she always looked breathtakingly beautiful. Their interactions often consisted of flirtations, teasings, and treating her like the sister he never had, yet one of heart now. Though he supposed one did not flirt with their sister. All he knew was that he was close to her, and cared for her a great deal and . . . he wasn't about to break that expectation to tease her right back, as she did with him just now. He stared at her, with a playful dumbfounded look when she challenged him to a duel. His eyes looked over her, before his expression broke out into an amused smirk with laughter to follow.

"Morgana," he said in a taunting tone. "I wouldn't want to ruin your gown," he said mockingly, for he knew that she was not like most women. She knew how to fight, and was rather skilled with a sword. And while she was extremely feminine, she also had a bit of another side to her. The side that now made her challenge him to a duel. "Nor would I want to embarrass you," he added for further teasing, making sure he was now standing right in front of her. While he enjoyed teasing and mocking her -- and most expected it of them -- he would never disrespect her in public, and would kill any man who dared do so. "So why don't you go back to doing what you do best: brushing your hair and playing with your makeup." While he of course knew her skills were not limited by those . . . he loved provoking her.