Hello, all.! Here is a small oneshot about Uther being a meddling father. Because nothing makes me smile wider than imagining Mergana-Shipping Uther.

Usually, Uther's attempts to fix Morgana up on blind dates almost always went sour. After all, she was a 'wild child' or what have you, and all the men he deemed suitable were ass-kissing, well-groomed, bland-as-all-hell snobs, which she made a point of telling him each time she stormed home, a satisfied smirk on her face. Meanwhile, he'd receive an angry call from those poor young men, demanding some type of reparation for whatever humiliation Morgana had caused them. She'd gotten quite creative recently, he had to admit. Her last date grumbled something about hot sauce and a bulldog.

Uther sighed; all he wanted was for Morgana to settle down with a nice young man and stop all the incessant partying. What if things escalated? What if she got into drinking or drugs? He knew she was an adult, but he was her father- he had every right to be concerned for her safety! Besides that, Morgana didn't have the best track record with men of her own choosing. There was Alvarr, the two-timing (or was it three-timing?) bastard; Julius, the thief; and the latest attempt to get on Uther's nerves was Tauren, who… Well, he didn't know exactly what bothered him about that man, but he just didn't like the way he looked at people. Almost like a killer.

He shivered; at least Tauren was long-gone. Morgana had grown bored of him and given him the boot.

"Sir?" A polite voice came from his office door. Uther looked up and saw his personal assistant, Merlin, standing in the doorway with a cup of coffee.

"Merlin, come in," Uther smiled, glad for the distraction. It was too often now that he found himself thinking about his daughter's love life.

The young man stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and approached Uther's desk with the coffee, which he carefully set in front of his boss. Uther immediately grabbed the cup and took a grateful sip of it.

"Ah… Much better. Thank you, Merlin."

His PA grinned. "I'm guessing it'll be another late night, Sir?"

"That party doesn't throw itself," he answered sardonically. He was referring to the Camelot Banquet, a time-honored tradition of his company. It was held every year towards the end of the holiday season, and it mainly served as a gathering for all of his business partners and close friends. A proper 'rich man's ball,' as Morgana had called it. "Speaking of, this will be your first time attending, won't it?"

Merlin chuckled nervously. "Actually, Sir, if it's all the same to you, I don't think I'll be going…"

"What? Why ever not?"

"It's just… That sort of 'high-balls and champagne' deal isn't really my thing. I'd feel out of place."

Uther would have none of that. "Merlin, you've done wonderful work for me and this company! You must go; I've been dying to show you off to my associates."

"Well, Sir, I don't really know if I…"

"As your boss, I order you to go," Uther grinned smugly as Merlin's shoulders fell in a dejected manner.

"If that is what you wish," he sighed. However, his tired smile didn't exactly stress exasperation. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some papers for you to sign." Merlin took his turn to smirk as Uther groaned. "Be right back," he said sweetly.

Uther's frown lessened once his door had been opened and clicked shut once more. Really, Merlin was probably the best PA he'd had in years. He was smart, responsible, and very polite. A complete contrast to his children. Arthur, his oldest son, was rude and stuck-up, whereas Morgana was promiscuous and disrespectful.

And yet, he loved them; the curse of parenthood, he supposed. Things would have just been so much easier if they were like Merlin! Maybe he could call up the boy's mother and ask her for some parenting tips…

As Merlin re-entered the room, though, a different idea popped into Uther Pendragon's head. Maybe Merlin was exactly the sort of positive influence Morgana needed? He was well-educated, having attended one of England's most esteemed schools (on the Pendragon Scholarship, no less), not to mention polite, funny, and, if Uther had to judge, rather good-looking. Yes, he was perfect! And he vaguely recalled Merlin saying he was single…

"Merlin?" Uther asked quietly, just before the PA could leave to could more papers.

"Yes, Sir?"

"If I may ask: Do you have a date in mind for the Banquet?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "No, Sir. One of the many reasons I had decided not to go. Do I need one?" he asked apprehensively.

"No, no, I was just wondering." Uther kept quiet about Morgana; he'd tried the strategy enough times to know it didn't work. No, he was going to do things differently this time around… With a scheming smile, he waved Merlin off. "That'll be all."

Merlin raised an eyebrow, but he obeyed his boss's wishes and promptly left.

Uther leaned back in his chair, chuckling to himself as he formulated his 'battle plans'. If all went well, his Morgana problems would be solved for good.

The Banquet was held two weeks later, and during those two weeks, Uther had informed his close friends Gaius and Geoffrey of his plan to set up Merlin and Morgana. As he'd expected, they were both skeptical, knowing of Morgana's previous blind dating history. And since Gaius happened to adore Merlin, being a friend of his mother's, he especially was wary of the plot.

"Just promise me that this doesn't end with Merlin running downtown without his trousers," the old man muttered lowly. "Like that other fellow you tried setting her up with."

"I promise, Gaius. Tonight, it's all about first impressions. I'm not going to force anything," Uther said while adjusting his bowtie. Geoffrey was behind them, sitting down with a book in his hand.

"So you're just going to let it play out?" Geoffrey asked. "That's different."

"Well, if I don't act like I'm setting them up, then Morgana will have nothing to suspect; ergo, she won't be hostile right off the bat. And Merlin isn't exactly the normal type of guy I try and get her together with- he's not from a wealthy family, at least."

"Uther," Gaius groaned, "don't you ever wonder if you should just stay out of your children's personal lives? Perhaps Morgana could find a suitable partner of her own if you'd just let her."

"If you'd said that before Alvarr, Tauren, and Julius, then he might've believed you," quipped Geoffrey. Gaius shot him a warning look.

"Relax, you two," scolded Uther. "I just need you to tell me how things are going. Obviously, I can't be seen hovering around them- Morgana would get suspicious."

"So, what? You're just going to introduce them, and then leave them alone? What if they don't hit it off?" Geoffrey seemed doubtful.

"They're both attractive young people. Merlin shares her interest in art, they both like cats, et cetera, et cetera. With so many older, business-type guests around, I'm sure they'll have something to talk about with each other."

Gaius shook his head in defeat. "Uther, you are an impossible man."

"And proud of it," Uther smirked. "Now, let's get going."

They left Uther's study to find Arthur and Morgana waiting in the living room. Arthur was dressed smartly in the standard black-and-white tux most of the other men would be wearing. Uther noted, however, that his son had refused to wear his tie (again).

Morgana, on the other hand, was stunning, as usual. An off-the-shoulder blue party dress, shaping her body and stopping just above her knees, just danced between the line of 'sophisticated beauty' and 'nightclub partyer'.

"Finally," Arthur mumbled. "What took you lot so long?"

"When you're our age, Arthur, we'll see how fast you can move," joked Gaius.

They climbed into their separate cars (one for the younger group and one for the older) and drove off to the party. A sizeable crowd had already amassed outside, and a line of cars in front of the building made them all glad that they had VIP parking.

Once inside, Arthur and Morgana immediately departed to do their own thing, leaving the three old men by themselves in the gathering of rich party-goers. Gaius and Geoffrey wished him good-luck, and then they too went off on their own. Uther scanned the crowd's faces and found his PA, standing awkwardly in the corner, holding a glass of champagne as if he didn't quite know what to do with it.

Uther beamed widely, crossing over to him. Merlin spotted him and gave a smile of relief.

"Merlin! There you are!"

"Sir," he dipped his head formally.

"You look well," he commented. Merlin was wearing a tux, like every other man, but he'd added a dark blue tie and waistcoat to the mix. "I didn't think you owned such clothes, Mr. 'High-balls-aren't-my-thing.'"

"Ha-ha," Merlin deadpanned. "My friend Elyan let me borrow something of his. His sister said something about me 'making good impressions,' or whatever."

"Well, you do look the part. No one would likely mistake you for a PA."

"Thank you, Sir, at least I feel a bit better now." Merlin stared at his glass. "Say, can I put this down somewhere? A waiter just handed one to me and walked away before I could say no thank you."

Uther nodded, "Just place it anywhere."

While the young man did that, Uther spotted Morgana and Arthur across the room, chatting with some other people their age, looking utterly bored. He decided it was time to put his plan into action. When Merlin returned, Uther put a good-natured arm around his shoulders.

"Now Merlin, I don't think you've met my children, have you?"

"Um, n-no, I haven't…" Merlin answered, confused.

"We must remedy that at once! Come," he said, and began tugging Merlin along throughout the throng of people, despite his protests. They reached the younger Pendragons just as their friends left. 'Perfect,' thought Uther. 'Now things can be a bit more private.'

"Arthur, Morgana," he announced himself and his hostage, drawing his children's attention. "I'd like for you to meet Merlin Emrys, my personal assistant."

Arthur raised a brow immediately. "You're Merlin?" he asked skeptically.

"Erm, yes, hello," he replied shyly. "Nice to finally meet you, Arthur."

Arthur continued staring at him.

"W-What is it?"

"Nothing, just that you're… different from what I'd expected."

Uther stopped himself from publicly chastising his son- what kind of way of saying hello was that? He did, however, send him a very stern glare, which the blonde promptly ignored.

"You've heard of him?" Morgana's voice asked. She was eyeing Merlin in what Uther hoped was curiosity.

"Dad never shuts up about him," Arthur muttered. "Which you'd know if you ever actually spent any time with him… He's 'Perfect Merlin,'" he snorted.

"I-I'm really not," his PA tried, but Arthur had tuned him out.

"Nice to meet you, anyway," he said indifferently. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get drunk now."

Before Uther could scold him, the blonde had disappeared into the crowd. He turned back, half-expecting Morgana to have the same idea as her brother, but instead, she only laughed.

"I do hope you'll excuse Arthur," she said, extending her hand for Merlin to shake. "These sorts of parties have always bored him."

Merlin gladly took her hand and shook it- Uther nearly fainted with happiness.

"I can't say I blame him. I already told your father that I'm not much for these kinds of events, either."

"Let me guess; he 'insisted' that you come anyway?"

"I believe 'coerced' is a better word for it."

They both chuckled at Uther's expense, but he was too pleased to care.

"Ah," he said, taking his cue. "I do believe that's Mr. Grace over there. If you two will excuse me?"

Morgana waved him off while Merlin looked more nervous about being left alone with a stranger.

He left them to their own devices, and hopefully, the night would end with Morgana asking a few questions about a certain personal assistant…

Towards the end of the party, though he searched high and low, Uther could not find Merlin and Morgana again. He'd asked Gaius and Geoffrey, who smiled secretively and said that they hadn't seen them, despite that being the very thing they were supposed to do. Arthur was gone too, though Uther was sure that his son was on the arm of a pretty blonde, and was likely not going to return any time soon.

Disappointed, Uther decided it was best to just go home. Gaius and Geoffrey had assured him that they had their own rides home, and he left the party by himself.

Morgana probably scared him off, or maybe Merlin was just too nice for Morgana, and she lost interest. Either way, it seemed that he had failed yet again. Oh well. It was worth a shot.

Uther arrived home and pushed the door open quietly. He wearily climbed up the stairs to his bedroom to prepare for bed, but then he heard something.

A… moan?

Turning to his right in the hallway, he saw that Morgana's lights were on in her room. Another moan came from the cracked-open door. But that time the sound was… distinctly male.

Cautiously, he gripped the door handle and swung it open.

Morgana was sitting on her bed, but she was not alone- Merlin lay underneath her, propped up by her pillows, his waistcoat and shirt opened. Morgana's dress had been disheveled, showing far more leg than her father would have allowed normally, and those legs were busy straddling Merlin's hips. They were connected by their lips, but the moment Uther opened the door, they broke apart.

Merlin looked absolutely mortified, while Morgana only had a mildly displeased pout on her face. Uther, for his part, just looked surprised.

"S-Sir," Merlin squeaked, turning red at a rapid pace. "I-I-I…!"

Uther blinked. Then, his composure returning, he walked forwards, into the bathroom adjacent to Morgana's room, all the while aware of the two pairs of eyes following his every move. He rummaged through her cupboards until he found what he was looking for.

Walking back out to the bedroom, he tossed a foil-wrapped packet onto the bed, where it landed next to Merlin's hand. They both stared at it. Merlin's face turned even redder as he recognized exactly what it was.

"In case you two forgot," he said bluntly.

Morgana's pout disappeared, and she let out a short laugh.

"You totally set us up."

"I just thought you'd look good together," he defended himself. Merlin looked between the two of them as if they were mad. "Looks like I wasn't the only one who thought so."

"Mm, well, looks like you finally found a good one. Merlin's taking me out for coffee tomorrow," she smiled down at the PA, who was so bewildered that he could only stare back at her. "Right, sweetie?"

"Mm-hm…" he mumbled.

"Well," Uther interjected. "I think I can leave the two of you alone. I'll be in my study if you need anything." He began walking towards the door.

"We won't," Morgana promised, giving Merlin a wicked smile before engulfing his mouth in another passionate kiss. Merlin just went with it now; what else could he do at that point?

Uther shut the door behind him and grinned, enjoying the sweet feeling of success for the first time in a very long time.