Let the Crown Prince's 25th Birthday Banquet Begin! *Action Sequence* 15th November 1005

[not_a_clotpole]

The great Banquet Hall of Camelot has been decked out for this special occasion, banners of Pendragon red with the golden dragon in the centre.

The various nobles and knights of Camelot are dressed in their best tonight and the tables are laden with delicious food and dozens of candles flickering in golden candelabras. The servants (and Merlin) are in the background.

The King, the Crown Prince and the Lady Morgana are at the head table and the King rises to deliver a speech.

It's one of King Uther's better days, because magic isn't even mentioned once! Not even in reference to Morgana's disappearance and Arthur's finding her after all that time.

And so the party shall start! The wine will flow and the guests might get a bit rowdy after a while...

Feel free to approach the birthday boy!

Comments

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

"He is still young. It will be a while before he is schooled enough to be a proper knight's horse, but you still have you mount."

Morgana looks at him, and then back at the horse.

"Do you remember when I received Malory as a gift a few years ago? I have kept an eye on her bloodline since. This is her younger brother. They share a dam."

The enthusiasm isn't gone, but Morgana is quieter.

"You would not know it though, to look at them."

[not_a_clotpole]

Now if Arthur wasn't a prince he'd be jumping up and down like a giddy young maiden.

But! Not only is he a prince, but a knight so...what he's doing is something...er...different...it doesn't have a name yet.

"You're- you-" The new horse is magnificant! Even as young as it is, Arthur can see he has promise. "Morgana, you shouldn't have."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

"Of course I should have. It made sense to have them both here. It will be interesting to see which will make for the superior horse, do you not think so?"

She smiles at him again. "I take you like him."

[not_a_clotpole]

"Like him...he's...amazing." Seriously, when he's grown the rest of the knights are going to be jealous as Hell.

He grins - it's on the tip of his tongue to say of course his new horse will be the better one...but it seems inappropriate to get into a fight right now. Plus, he wouldn't want her to change her mind.

Instead he takes one of her hands between his and squeezes it. "Morgana, this is the best gift I've ever been given."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

She looks at his hands when he takes hers. It is rare, but for a moment, Morgana is lost for words. Arthur's usually not quite so demonstrative.

When Morgana looks back at him, she has difficulty holding her smile. Morgana's facade has always been brilliant, so for it to fail now is disconcerting.

No, Morgana is better than that, and just as quickly, her full smile's returned.

"Thank you, Arthur. I am glad you appreciate him. I put a great deal of thought into what you would receive."

That sounded a great deal too serious, so Morgana selects the obvious to lighten things up. "You shall have to tell Uther. He would be pleased we are getting along so well."

[not_a_clotpole]

He isn't, although that can't be entirely blamed on the wine...Guinevere makes him feel a lot more...open these days.

But he's immediately embarrassed and drops her hands, clearing his throat nervously.

"I see you did...much more versatile than the dagger I gave you it has to be said."

He laughs. "Father will think we've both come down with something!"

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

At least Arthur can be relied on to provide a joke, though not always so perfectly timed, to remind the pair of them to act more like them as opposed to two mature adults who could be perfectly capable of getting along with one another.

Had not pesky fate gotten in the way, so she stays silent on the matter of the dagger.

She holds her hands in front of her, as much to feel normal, as to keep him from taking them again. "I can imagine he would send for Gaius immediately."

[not_a_clotpole]

"Well, we can't have that...the last remedy he gave me for my headache tasted hideous." Seriously...if anything should be stopping him from getting drunk tonight it's the memory of that...but alas.

He looks back at the horse, admiring it some more, but the rain continues to fall and now there's a slight wind that's sending more than a few droplets their way.

"We should get inside...if you did come down with something, I'd blame myself."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Morgana takes a moment to wave at the groom, to get the young horse, who is becoming more and more displeased at being paraded around in the rain, back to the stables.

"You do not have to concern yourself with that. I am certain that my health can withstand a little rain. Come, we must head back before the guest of honour is missed."

[not_a_clotpole]

You never know...besides the male Pendragons have been more careful with Morgana since her near-death experience.

"Indeed! I'm surprised they haven't come looking," he almost sounds disappointed. "The food must be at its very best tonight."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Much to her chagrin, they have. Though she has used it to her advantage, it grates on her at times to be considered almost delicate.

"Still, you now have a good topic of conversation. I know how you and your knights often compete as to who has the superior horse. You now have one that may, one day, equal Malory."

Because, of course, her horse is better.

[not_a_clotpole]

Arthur rolls his eyes. "Of course...everyone envies your horse." He raises an eyebrow. "But can she carry the weight of full armour?"

An important question for a knight, to be sure.

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

"Of course she could." Morgana sounds rightly offended on behalf of her horse, but not cross.

"You will have to work with her brother. He's still far too young and impetuous to be of much use, though he has a fine lineage, and his sister to live up to. Do you have any ideas as to what to call him?"

[not_a_clotpole]

"She wouldn't be used to it though." Arthur can't help teasing her a bit.

And there's something vaguely familiar about Morgana's comments on his new horse, but can't quite put his finger on why.

It's a lot warmer inside the Hall, what with all the people and the candles. No-one seems the wiser that they'd disappeared for a while.

"A name...hmmm...I'll have to think about it."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Morgana nods at the idea, then at a group of knights who have found a great deal of mead.

"Please do that in the morning, as I would not want the horse to be given any name you may come up with this evening." She nods to the knights, who are beckoning for Arthur's attention.

[not_a_clotpole]

"Oh yes, I know better than that," he assures Morgana with a grin. "Apart from anything else, I'm sure we'd come up with some unpronoucable!"

With one last stealthy hand squeeze of thanks Arthur heads over to be greeting by a rousing round of cheers from his men.