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“There’s no such thing as Santa Claus!“ Arthur looked stubborn, crossing his little arms in front of his chest.
“There is, too!” Percy pouted. Of course there was Santa Claus! Santa brought the presents! And they all needed to sleep now or else Santa wouldn’t come to the house.
Gwaine looked skeptical. “But if there isn’t a Santa, who brings the presents?”
“Santa,” Percy murmured, hugging Mr. Paws, a ragged old teddy to his chest.
Merlin patted Percy’s back. “Don’t listen to him, there is Santa and he will bring us presents.”
“But how will he even find us here?” Elyan lipwobbled. “The storm blew away our house; he doesn’t know where I am!”
“The storm didn’t blow your house away. It just damaged the roof and it has no electity, so father is letting you stay here until it’s repaired.” Arthur explained.
“Electricity,” Merlin corrected automatically.
“Light and warm, I said that!” Arthur glared.
Gwaine pondered an idea. “Maybe we should go check, and wait for Santa to show up? I mean, just to make sure he knows we’re all here?”
“Mama says that if you don’t sleep, he won’t come.” Percy nuzzled Mr. Paws’ ear.
“There is no Santa, I told you!” Arthur frowned.
“There is,” Merlin nodded, “and maybe Gwaine’s right?”
“I’ll come along,” Elyan scrambled up, “we need to make sure! Are you in, Percy?”
Percy nodded and got up, too. He was taller than the other boys, but still clung to his teddy.
Merlin scrambled up as well, pulling his blanket over his head like a cloak. “If you all go, I’ll go, too! And you too, Arthur, you’ll see that there is a Santa!”
“No Santa, won’t go.”
“You’re just afraid, Princess,” Gwaine teased. “And you have to come along. We don’t know where the Christmas tree is. You live in a damn castle!”
“Gwaine!” Percy stared at him. “Santa will hear you swearing!”
Sighing dramatically, Arthur got up. “Okay, but just because you’ll get lost if I don’t lead you.”
He made his way out of his room, and the other boys followed, giggling quietly, little feet tapping down the corridor.
“Don’t be too disappointed when you find out that I was right,” Arthur reached up and opened the door to the living room.
They all entered and closed the door again, much louder than intended.
“Look, the cookies and the milk are still here! I told you there’s no Santa!” Arthur climbed on his father’s big armchair and felt all regal and superior now.
“Maybe it’s not late enough?” Merlin offered.
“Or maybe there was a traffic jam?” Elyan nodded.
“In the sky? A reindeer sleigh traffic jam?” Gwaine eyed his friend.
“Maybe one of the reindeer got sick?” Percy sniffled, the thought of a sick reindeer too horrible to bear.
“He’ll never find us here.” Elyan sat down on the couch, all hopeless.
“We’ll just wait and see.” Merlin climbed onto the armchair next to Arthur and was happy that he brought his blanket.
The others got comfortable too, and after a vivid discussion whether they should just eat the cookies and drink the milk or leave it for Santa, they started to yawn. This waiting up for Santa was difficult business.
When Gaius, dressed in his red bathrobe, entered the room a while later to check if he’d left his reading glasses there, he smiled at the sleeping boys.
One by one they woke up in the morning, kicking the blankets aside they hadn’t spread over themselves the night before.
“Santa was here!” Elyan cried out as he approached the huge tree in the corner that had lots of packages in colorful wrapping paper stacked under it.
“He ate the cookies.” Percy observed.
“And drank the milk!” Gwaine pointed out.
Merlin looked at Arthur, who looked back with a strange expression on his face. “What?”
“I…I think I saw him.”
“You did? What does he look like?” Merlin’s eyes went wide.
“He…he was tall, old, had a red suit and white hair.”
“What did he do?” The other boys all looked at Arthur expectantly.
“He ate the cookies, drank the milk and put the presents under the tree and then he put something here.” He pointed to where the empty plate and glass stood.
Percy brought a sheet of paper over to Merlin. He could read best. “Here.”
Merlin read out loud “You should be in your beds, boys. But thanks for the cookies, they were delicious. Merry Christmas, Santa.”
They startled when the door opened, and Mr. Pendragon and Merlin’s mam came in.
“What is this supposed to mean?” Mr. Pendragon wanted to know.
“We…,” Arthur slid off the chair and stood before his father, “…waited up for Santa.”
“Arthur, what did I tell you about Santa?”
Hunith put a hand on Uther’s arm and threw him a look. “Did you see him?” she asked Arthur.
“I think I did.” Arthur nodded.
“And he left us a letter!” Merlin scrambled off the chair now, too, waving the letter.
Ruffling Merlin’s hair, Hunith took the letter and smiled before she showed it to Uther.
Just then, Gaius entered. “On my way here, William informed me that breakfast will be ready when we are.”
“Can’t we open the presents Santa brought us first?” Arthur looked up at his father.
Hunith winked at Gaius and before Uther could object, she nodded. “Just one! The others we’ll open after breakfast!”
Her “Slow, boys, there’s something for everyone,” got lost in the cries of joy as five boys ripped wrappers open, and found just the toys they’d wished for.