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Morning Mischief

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When Nerissa awoke the next morning, sunlight was streaming through the cracks in the shutters. She stretched slowly and released a small groan. Aside from dreaming someone was calling her name in the night, that had been the best sleep she could remember getting. After wiping the sleep from her eyes, she sat up and looked down at where Merlin had slept. He wasn't there - but he had left his pillow and blanket. Typical Merlin, always leaving the place messier than before.

Nerissa glanced over at her bag which held her dresses. She then looked at the trousers she had draped over the back of a chair. Her stomach growled, which made her choice much easier. She grabbed the trousers and pulled them on, not bothering to tuck in the shirt which went down to her knees, nearly swallowing her. She then left her room, following the sound of the voices coming from downstairs.

"Morning!" Nerissa called as she descended the stairs.

Merlin and Gaius greeted her cheerfully.

"Why didn't you wake me, dollophead?" Nerissa asked, gently pushing her brother's head. She then sat down at the table across from him.

"You were awfully ornery yesterday. Figured you could use your sleep," Merlin said with a grin. "I hoped it might make you a bit more cheerful. Seems to have worked."

"Well, whatever your motivation, thank you." Nerissa's words were sincere. "I don't remember the last time I slept so long. It was glorious."

"More sleep suits you," Merlin teased.

Gaius placed a bowl of very watery porridge in front of Nerissa. She looked at Merlin, who understood what he was thinking - she might want to do the cooking from now on. Merlin's bowl of porridge looked untouched. Nerissa thanked Gaius and then sipped a spoonful of the porridge. Porridge had been a staple back home, but Nerissa knew what to do to make it taste a little better than this abysmal attempt. But she also knew better than to be ungrateful. So, she took another bite, practically swallowing it before it even had the chance to touch her tongue.

As Nerissa took another swallow of porridge, Merlin exchanged a look with Gaius. Merlin then purposely pushed his goblet of water from the table. Nerissa watched as the goblet fell to the floor with a clang and the water splattered over the floor.

"What'd you do that for?" Nerissa asked her brother.

"I swear she has it too!" Merlin said, looking at Gaius.

Nerissa arched an eyebrow. "Have what?"

Merlin leaned across the table and whispered to her. "You know - magic."

Nerissa blinked slowly trying to process Merlin's words. "Then why'd you spill your water goblet?"

Merlin groaned. "Because Gaius spilt the water bucket on purpose this morning to see if I'd stop it. And I thought..."

"When have I ever saved your water goblet before?" Nerissa questioned with an arched eyebrow. "I'll tell you. Never. Although there was the one time I made sure that it spilt on your trousers."

Merlin looked at her with an annoyed expression. "One time? Only once?" He held up one finger to make his point.

A glint gleamed in Nerissa's eyes. With her hand, she purposely pushed her water goblet toward Merlin and the water dripped down the table and spilt onto his trousers. Merlin jumped up from the stool he was sitting on and then fell backwards over it, landing with a rather loud thud.

Nerissa stood up and leaned over the table, grinning triumphantly. "I didn't have to use magic for you to wet your trousers this time, did I?"

Merlin's eyes glinted gold. His porridge bowl flew from the table and dumped its contents over Nerissa. Her face was covered in porridge and it dripped down her clothes. She set her jaw and wiped the porridge from her eyes.

From the floor, Merlin laughed at his sister's expense. He laughed so hard, he doubled over in laughter, holding tightly to his stomach. Nerissa's eyes glinted gold and her porridge bowl flew from the table and landed on Merlin's face.

"Children!" Gaius shouted in an exasperated tone.

Both Nerissa and Merlin hung their heads in shame as porridge dripped from them.

Gaius looked between the two of them. "Are you two this bad with your mother?"

"Worse," Merlin and Nerissa responded simultaneously. Home was really the only safe place for them to use their magic and their mother knew it. But the two of them were known to get out of hand quite easily. Hunith had her hands full with the two of them.

"This must be her way of trying to punish me for the days of our youth," Gaius muttered. "You two must be more careful with your magic. Although if my suspicions are correct, Merlin, you were goading Nerissa into using hers."

Merlin grinned rather sheepishly with porridge dripping from his face. "I just wanted you to know that she has magic too."

"I believed you when you first told me, Merlin," Gaius said, shaking his head.

"Sorry, Gaius," Nerissa sighed in shame. "I-I'll get this cleaned up. And it won't happen again. I promise. We've been poor guests and for that, I apologize. Just please don't send us back."

"You are forgiven, my dear," Gaius said. He reached to touch her shoulder but thought better of it when he saw the porridge there. His hand then fell back to his side. "How about you go get cleaned up, Nerissa."

Nerissa nodded her head and made her way back to her room. Merlin stood to head to his room as well. "Merlin, where do you think you're going?" Gaius asked.

"To get cleaned up. You just said..."

"I said Nerissa could get cleaned up. You started this mess, Merlin, so you can go get water from the well to clean it."

"But I..." Merlin gestured to the porridge that still covered him.

Gaius gave him a stern look.

"I'm going to go fetch some water," Merlin said, gesturing to himself. "Looking like this. Dressed in porridge."

"Yes, you are," Gaius said with a grin.

After she cleaned herself of the porridge and dressed in the nicer of her two severely mended dresses, Nerissa returned downstairs to the sight of Merlin on his knees cleaning up the porridge mess. Nerissa offered to help him, but Gaius told her it was his punishment for goading her into using magic.

Once the floor, tables, and dishes were clean, Merlin was finally allowed to go change. Nerissa couldn't help but be amused at Merlin's expense. He was the oldest. He should know better. Although Nerissa was sure she was bound to get in trouble eventually. For now, she would simply enjoy Merlin's misery.

Merlin came back downstairs dressed in a nearly identical outfit to the one he had been wearing. Gaius looked at him and then at a bottle in his hands. "We must do our best to keep you both out of trouble," he said rather sternly.

Both Nerissa and Merlin nodded.

"For now, you can help me out until I find some paid work for you."

"Of course," Nerissa eagerly agreed fully intending on earning her keep here in Camelot. No more mischief like this morning. Although knowing her brother, it wasn't going to be easy. "What can we do?"

Gaius set a small sack and bottle on the table. "Hollyhock and Feverfew for Lady Percival," he said pointing at the sack. "And this is for Sir Olwin. He's blind as a weevil, so warn him not to take it all at once."

"Okay," Merlin said.

"I think we can handle that," Nerissa added, tucking her auburn waves behind her ears and then turning to look at her brother pointedly. "Right, Merlin?"

He smiled. "How hard can it be?"

"I hardly need to tell you both that the practice of any form of enchantments will get you killed," Gaius told them somberly.

Nerissa nodded her head. She elbowed her brother in the ribs and then he nodded his. Gaius gave them a curt nod back before he grabbed a tray of sandwiches. Merlin and Nerissa looked at each other before they each grabbed a sandwich. "I must confess, the porridge was a bit of a test," Gaius said with a smile. "Nerissa, like your mother, you are unfailingly kind."

"What about me?" Merlin asked after taking a bite of the sandwich.

Gaius looked a bit lost for words. Nerissa snorted and reached for the basket with the remedies in them. "Everyone knows you're a dollophead, Merlin," Nerissa teased. "Gaius is just too nice to tell you so," Nerissa told her brother, saving Gaius from having to say much more. She then tugged on her brother's arm. "Now are we going to explore Camelot or not?"

Not giving her brother a choice, Nerissa tugged Merlin's arm until he was out the door. "Where should we go first? Lady Percival or Sir Olwin?" Nerissa asked her brother.

Merlin shrugged. "Dunno, where do you want to go first?"

Nerissa smiled at her brother, being nice enough to let her choose. It was probably his attempt to get back in her good graces after the disaster that was breakfast, but she appreciated his efforts nonetheless.

"Hmm..." Nerissa mused as they descended the stairs. "Let's try our luck with Sir Olwin first. You can't get in too much trouble on our first outing with him being blind and all."

"And why do you think I'd be the one to get in trouble?" Merlin questioned.

Grinning at her brother, Nerissa retorted, "Merlin, have you met you? You always seem to be in some sort of mess or another. I doubt being in Camelot is going to change that much."

Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Besides," Nerissa continued. "If the Hollyhock and Feverfew are what I think they're for, you'll think me a saint when I'm ornery compared to what I'm assuming about Lady Percival right now."

Merlin arched an eyebrow at his sister in confusion. While Gaius was the court physician in Camelot, their mother Hunith would likely be considered something similar, if such a thing existed in Ealdor. Villagers and sometimes passersby would find their way to her for remedies. While Merlin hadn't had time for such things back in Ealdor, Nerissa had helped her mother on occasion. Not that she enjoyed doing so. While she might have somewhat of a knack for it, it certainly wasn't her passion.

"What are they used for?" Merlin finally asked, when his arched eyebrow didn't get him the answers he was looking for.

"Well, Hollyhock can help relieve congestion. I think we all know how ornery you get when you're congested," Nerissa told her brother.

He rolled his eyes.

"And Feverfew can help with pain. Especially headaches. It also helps improve one's mood. Would you like some of it?" Nerissa teased her brother, holding the basket out toward him.

"Funny Nerissa, Real funny," Merlin told his sister sarcastically. "Is that why you seem to be in much better spirits this morning? Have some Feverfew, did you?"

Nerissa went to elbow her brother in the ribs, but this time he dodged her advance.

Merlin chuckled. "I'm only teasing, Nerissa. But on the account of Lady Percival then, I agree we should see Sir Olwin first."

Nerissa smiled triumphantly. She liked being right. Then again, most people did. But there was something about being able to tell Merlin what they should do.

After Merlin led them on a few wrong turns, they finally arrived at Sir Olwin's door. Merlin knocked on the man's door as Nerissa pulled his remedy from the basket she carried it in. It took the man a few minutes to open the door, but when he finally did, Nerissa greeted him with a warm smile. "Pleasure to meet you," Nerissa said. "Gaius sent us."

She then turned to look at her brother. "Erm, we brought you your medicine," Merlin said awkwardly. He acted much the same the few times their mother had sent him out with remedies.

Nerissa held out the small bottle. The man reached for it but missed.

"He's blind, Nerissa," Merlin whispered through gritted teeth.

"I know that," Nerissa retorted as she reached for the man's arm with her free hand, gently guiding his hand to her hand. She didn't want him to try to reach for it again and miss. The man quickly took the bottle from her hand. "Now, Gaius told us to remind you..."

Nerissa paused and blinked as Sir Olwin downed the whole bottle. "...not to drink it all at once," she finished rather lamely.

Merlin looked down at his sister and then at Sir Olwin. He shrugged one shoulder. "I'm sure it's fine," Merlin said.

Nerissa sighed and then forced a smile on her face, not that Sir Olwin could see it. "Have a lovely day," Nerissa told him, her tone sounding much chipper than she felt.

Sir Olwin shut the door on them. Merlin gave his sister a gentle nudge with his elbow and offered her a smile. "Wasn't your fault, Nerissa."

She sighed again. "I know. I just should have..." Another sigh. "I don't know. I should have done something."

"Perhaps Gaius forgot to mention he's nearly deaf too," Merlin suggested trying to make his sister feel better. "Or maybe Sir Olwin just doesn't like you." He then winked at his sister. "Wouldn't be the first person."

Nerissa scoffed derisively. "And exactly how is insulting me supposed to make me feel better?"

"It's always worked before," Merlin teased.

Nerissa rolled her eyes. He had a point. For a moment it made her forget about the incident.

"I know," Merlin said, gently nudging his sister. "How about we go explore a bit before heading to Lady Percival."

Nerissa bit her bottom lip. "I suppose if Gaius asks us what took so long, we could just say we got lost," she said. "You do tend to get us lost."

"That's the spirit!" Merlin said. He then looked beyond the square and to the other side of the drawbridge. "Looks like something is happening over there." He pointed in the direction he was looking. "Let's have us a look, shall we?"

Nerissa nodded her head in agreement and walked with Merlin over the drawbridge to see what exactly all the ruckus was about. Only she didn't know that what lay beyond that bridge was her future.

Author's Note: I took a bit of liberty and made Hunith skilled at some medical remedies too. There is a reason for that. Although, it won't be revealed until I'm in season 2. I bet you can all guess who is finally appearing next chapter! I meant for him to appear in this chapter, but I was having a bit too much fun with Merlin and Nerissa. I think this is my favorite sibling pairing I've written.