Of Chores and Crowns (A Merlin Fanfiction) ✔

Chapter Seven

"Do you care to explain why we need to find a 'perfect' dress for the prince?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Faye rolled her eyes, giving me a dry look.

"It's not for Arthur in the way you believe!" She snapped, sighing. She began digging into her sausage.

I picked up dress after dress, before slowly starting working to gather all of the jewelry. Faye was eating quickly, ignoring all of the lessons in etiquette she had learned as a child.

"Slow down, Faye! I am not willing to deal with you when you begin to choke." I snapped. I waited until she slowed down before beginning to talk again, "Now, take a deep breath and explain yourself."

"I need to grow close with Arthur, Dawn." She told me.

"You're already betrothed to him." I pointed out, "What more could you ask for?"

"Arthur and I have barely begun to be acquainted, let alone being close enough to marry." She retorted. She shook her head, "No, I have to take matters into my own hands."

I finally picked up the last jewel and sighed, turning to face her. I propped my hands up on my hips, the hem of my dress twisting around my ankles.

"So what do you plan to do?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I plan to seduce the prince."

It was silent for a moment as she paused to let me absorb this information. Faye must have been bewitched, because she was talking crazy.

"You are going to be imprisoned for sorcery." I predicted, narrowing my eyes.

She rolled her eyes and turned back to her food. She ate a bit more before setting down her silverware and standing up.

"Are you going to help me or not?" She demanded.

I sighed, "Of course I am, Faye."

"Good." She said, as if she wasn't sure if I would.

"Now," I said, opening up the wardrobe. "Let's find you a dress."

"Well, that's what I was trying to do!" She snapped, irritated with me, for some unknown reason.

"No, you were trying to give me a heart attack with the giant mess you were making!" I fired back, propping my hands on my hips.

She rolled her eyes, coming up behind me to look at the dresses with me. Since she still seemed undecided, I shooed her away and brought out a gorgeous emerald green dress.

"This one matches your eyes." I said, holding it out to her.

She took it from me, and held it up in front of her. She smiled at me gratefully, seeming to agree with my conclusion. She began undressing, and I turned to prepare for the rest of the morning. When I was done, I turned around and helped Faye dress.

"Pull it as tight as you can." She told me, when I started lacing the dress up, "The sooner the Prince becomes enticed by me, the better."

"Wouldn't it be better to fall in love with the prince, as opposed to attempting to shack up with him?" I asked, adding a mildly patronizing tone.

"That is surely too slow to guarantee us a safe future within Camelot." She protested.

I sighed, rolling my eyes. Fayelinn didn't prioritize having good morals, and because of that she was selfish.

I tugged hard on the ribbons lacing up Faye's back, frustrated. She gasped, and motioned to stop me.

"That's perfect." She told me, as I tied the ribbon off.

I moved away and placed her shoes in front of her. She stepped into them blindly, keeping her gaze locked on the mirror, as she anxiously made sure she looked beautiful enough to capture the gaze of the Prince.

I stepped behind her, and started piling her hair on the top of her head in an intricate knot. To finish off the look, Faye pulled on the jewelry Uther had given her as a gift the morning of our second day in Camelot.

"You look beautiful, princess." I told her, smiling slightly.

"Thank you, Dawn."

"The breakfast with the royal family will begin soon. We must hurry."

"I just ate." She replied, finally turning away from the mirror to look at me with a confused expression.

"You barely touched the food on that plate." I countered, "You must eat, if not here, then at the breakfast. The king has graciously given you a rest period where you do not have to eat with them, but if you wait any more to do so, they will not feel the gratitude we must give them."

She frowned, realizing I was right. She stilled seemed reluctant, however, so I said, "The Prince will be there, by any means. What better time is there to put your plan into action."

Her face lightened, a smile overtaking the frown.

"You are right, Dawn." She acknowledged, "We must go right away."

She whirled around in a swirl of skirts and hurried out the door, leaving me to scurry after her. I followed behind the princess, making sure not to ever stray too far away.

When we reached the Great Hall, the doors creaked open, surprising the people inside. The lady Morgana sat with cold elegance, her eyes reflecting danger. The King himself was surprised, but seemed in a pleasant mood. As for the prince, he hadn't taken his eyes off of Fayelinn's figure since she arrived.

They had already been seated, and Faye schooled a shy smile onto her face.

She bowed low to the ground and said, "I apologize, sire, for being late. We had a little hiccup, but everything has been sorted out. May I join?"

"What a pleasant surprise! Of course! Please, sit!"

Fayelinn choose a seat next to Morgana and across from Arthur, where he could watch her quite easily. She may be shallow, but she was the best at being it.

The breakfast began, and I stood against the wall, watching Faye as she flirted with the Prince. I rolled my eyes, when I noticed Arthur return her advances.

"What are you looking at that has you amused so?" Merlin asked, siding up next to me.

"I was just admiring the Princess Fayelinn's dress. It is beautiful."

"Arthur seems to agree."

I could only smile.