𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝕺𝖓𝖊
𝔖𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: A high-school project gone wrong sends Astraea Aphelion fifteen centuries back in time, where she has to face a world of dragons, magic, and evil sorcerers. Luckily, she is not alone. In between hardships, she finds a...
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📍 Camelot
⏳ January, 505 AD
The party ended past midnight and the people went home, leaving just the inner circle (Uther, Arthur, Morgana, Gaius, Merlin, Gwen and I) in the Grand Hall. Along with a handful of servants I unfortunately didn't know the names of, who were cleaning up the mess. Part of me wanted to help, but there were more pressing matters at hand...
"Um, guys? I brought presents for all of you..." I spoke up shyly, interrupting the multiple conversations that were happening at once. "Presents?" the King asked, tilting his head. "Uh, gifts? Offerings? Treats?" I tried offering the whole thesaurus. "I know what a present is, Astraea. I just did not expect you to bring us some," he cut me off with a wave of his hand. I gulped. "Right. Wait here, I'll get 'em," I announced before running off towards my room to retrieve the suitcase in which I'd packed said presents.
I set it down in the middle of the room and kneeled down next to it, then opened it with shaky hands. Foolishly, I had gotten the presents wrapped, not really taking into consideration what Uther and Arthur would think of it at the time of doing so. The printed book and board games could also turn out to be a mistake. But it was too late to turn back now, and I was sure I could come up with perfectly reasonable explanations. I'm creative that way.
"Okay, uh," I cleared my throat, "First up, Merls..." I said as I looked towards my best friend, whose face showed the classic Merlin grin that I loved so much. I handed him the bag that contained his gifts and watched in amusement as he struggled to open it. The first thing he pulled out was the Doctor Strange costume hoodie I'd gotten him. He'd only seen a short bit of the movie because the screen made him dizzy, but I'd compared him to the character enough times for him to know who he was.
"Oh, is this...?" he trailed off, tilting his head. Or I guess not. "Doctor Strange," I finished with a nod. He grinned and set it aside to pull out the next item – a fleece PJs set, navy blue with bright yellow smiley stars adorning it. He let out a hearty laugh at that. "You're never gonna sleep the same way after wearin' those," I said, nudging his side. Merlin smiled down at me before he pulled out the final item – the Hedwig the Owl plushie. "I'll explain that one later," I whispered when he turned to me in confusion. He smiled again. "Well, I love all of these, Astra. Thank you," he said before hugging me and kissing the top of my head.
Then I pulled two identical bags out of the suitcase. "Utah, this one's yours," I said, handing Uther the bag marked with his name. "And this one's for you, Artie," I turned to the Prince, praying that no one would see how I blushed when our eyes connected briefly. The royals also struggled to open the bags, but managed to do so eventually and pulled out the matching PJs I'd gotten them. They were (cheap) crimson silk with gold trimmings.
"Are these...Pee-Jays as well?" Uther asked slowly as he tried out the term. I grinned, "Yup!" "Woah, the fabric is quite soft," Arthur mumbled, running the palm of his hand over the cloth. I smiled triumphantly as they thanked me, Uther claiming he'd wear his to bed that very night.
