Reunited (Merlin)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Warning/s: None.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

A/N: Sorry for the long span between updates, but life has been hectic. I won't bore you with loads of excuses but I'm sorry for leaving this for such a long time. I will hopefully be able to keep to a much more regular schedule from now on. Anyway, I'll let you read the chapter now, and please leave a review!

The day had dawned misty but pleasantly cool in Camelot, and Merlin had woken early, used by now to rising at the break of dawn. He had spent a few minutes considering what he was going to say to Freya on her first day of work. Gwen would treat her nicely, certainly nicer than how Arthur treated him when he was first employed by Uther, but the day would still be hectic - and Freya was inexperienced in any field of work.

When Freya woke, curled up in a nest of blankets against Merlin's side, she winced at the cold air – they'd left the window open during the night and the chill had seeped in – and stretched, yawning happily. "Work today," she chirped excitedly.

Merlin nodded. "How much do you know about being a maid?" he asked carefully, not wanting to be blunt and tell her that she would find the day harder than she anticipated.

Freya frowned and a crease formed between her eyebrows. "Well," she said slowly, sitting up and settling herself against Merlin's chest. "Obviously I've never been a maid before, but it's just cleaning their chambers and taking their clothes down to the laundry room, right?"

Merlin hesitated. "It is, but there's a lot more. You'll have to dress Gwen, draw her baths, do her hair, bring her meals, organise her paperwork, pretty much anything she wants you to do."

Freya's smile faltered for a second, but then it was back, bright as always. "I'll just have to learn on the job then," she replied, but there was a definite uncertainty to her voice. She untangled herself from the covers and hopped out, collecting one of the new dresses that Gwen had gifted her. She bit her lip as she studied the corset front. "Do you know how to do this up?"

Merlin sighed and rolled his eyes. How was Freya going to cope with Gwen's complicated layers of clothing if she couldn't do her own?

Luckily for Freya, Gwen had an everlasting amount of patience. While Merlin was helping Arthur to organise the new legislation on taxes for the nobles, they could hear Gwen slowly talking Freya through all of the many layers of clothing behind her screen.

Merlin knew how complicated it was: there was, obviously, underclothes, and then a corset, and then an underdress, and then the actual dress, which was possibly the most complicated of all of them to fasten correctly. Sometimes he was glad he was male.

There was a hurried knock at the door, and without looking up, Arthur called, "Enter!" Merlin glanced up to see a young servant poke his head round the door, and politely announced that the council meeting would be starting in five minutes.

"Thank you," Arthur muttered absent-mindedly. The messenger bowed his head and disappeared silently, shutting the door behind him with a slight click. Gwen and Freya emerged from behind the screen, Gwen looking as elegant as a queen of Camelot could, and Freya looking rather harassed and shell-shocked. Evidently, she hadn't realised how long it took to dress a noble woman.

"I won't need either of you at the council meeting," Arthur said, as he wound his belt around his waist, and buckled it easily. Merlin gave a silent prayer that he'd remembered to punch an extra hole in it.

"What do you need us to do?" Merlin asked promptly, taking Freya's hand discreetly behind his back.

"Clean our chambers, laundry, I need my armour polishing and my sword sharpening, my horse needs attending to...I think that's all," Arthur creased his brow in thought. "And of course, have lunch ready for us when we arrive back from the council meetings."

Gwen added, "I need my jewellery polishing and a couple of my dresses re-embroidered."

"Of course," Merlin and Freya said simultaneously.

Arthur narrowed his eyes as he shuffled his papers together. "I don't know what you've done, Freya, but Merlin has become a lot more polite."

"I've always been this polite," Merlin retorted indignantly, as Gwen grabbed her share of the paperwork and tugged Arthur towards the door.

"Just make sure you finish all of the chores," Arthur shouted over his shoulder, as he was hauled towards the council meeting.

Freya flopped onto Merlin's bed and groaned. Merlin chuckled, watching her close her eyes and sink back into the mattress. "I warned you that it would be hard work." He sat down next to her. "I didn't know you could sew so well."

Freya let the hint of a smile wash over her face. "I did it to earn a bit of extra money for my family." The smile vanished completely at the thought of her deceased family.

Merlin bit his lip. He hated seeing Freya upset. "Undo your dress," he said.

Freya sat up. "Excuse me?"

Merlin realised how his last statement sounded. "I don't-no-I mean, I think you need a massage to relax," he explained hurriedly.

"Oh. Right. That makes more sense." Freya unlaced her bodice and Merlin turned his back as she slid the sleeves down and shifted on the bed so her back was facing him. The bed creaked as Merlin sat down behind her and ran his hands over her warm shoulders.

"Thank you," Freya said softly.

A/N: Has anyone got goodreads? I have a link to mine on my profile, please add me as a friend if you have it! And if you don't, I seriously recommend getting it!