Merlyn's Fate

The Once and Future Queen P2

Warning- smut at the end of this chapter. It's pretty obvious where it starts so if you don't want to read it then don't :)

Unsurprisingly, Arthur was doing well in the tournament. Sir William of Deira had quickly become a fan favourite, especially among the ladies of the court.

Merlyn watched from the entrance to the tent, chatting distractedly with William. Gwen came over from time to time, telling her the latest gossip from Morgana as well as pestering her friend about the realities of living with a prince. The witch wasn't particularly enthusiastic at first, but by the time Arthur had knocked the third knight from his horse, the process was getting rather repetitive.

Eventually, the last match ended, which usually leaded to the victorious competitors smiling stupidly at their fans.

"You must go and acknowledge the crowd." The prince ordered, handing his helmet to Sir William.

The farmer nodded, heading towards the entrance to the tent before stopping, pausing for a moment and turned to face Arthur. "How do I do that?" he asked, apparently suddenly aware that he wasn't, in fact, a knight.

"You wave, they cheer, it's not that hard." Arthur dismissed William, who made it out of the canvas, practising his waving, ready to bluff his nobility.

"I do all the work, someone else takes all the praise." The prince stated, taking a long swig from the mead on the table. Merlyn almost laughed aloud, amazed that he was already complaining.

"I know the feeling." she muttered, thinking of the countless times Arthur had got credit for something of her doing. The day he found out about her magic was the day that his list of accomplishments shrunk considerably.

"When I win this tournament, I will reveal my true identity. Then I'll get the credit I deserve." Arthur smirked, clearly imagining the shocked faces of his knights as he lifted his helmet, his blonde hair flying away from his face in the perfectly timed wind. Merlyn rolled her eyes at the vision of glory, wishing that he didn't need to prove himself to everyone around him. That the knowledge that everyone was wrong was better than his pride.

"Of course you will." Because he could. She couldn't tell him about the snakes in Valiant's shield, the ball of light, the griffin, giving up her life for his. She couldn't claim any splendor for her deeds, not without being burnt at the stake. Arthur wasn't ready to hear the truth, but that didn't mean that it was fair for him to parade around in a state of grandeur when she had to muck out the stables.

"Don't just stand there, take off my armour and remember to polish it before tomorrow. The horse also needs grooming and don't forget to repair the broken lances." The prince sneered, oblivious to her bitter thoughts. Of course she didn't mind Arthur not knowing everything she'd done: he knew enough, though that didn't stop him treating her like an idiot sometimes.

∆

Merlyn cooked again, thinking about the list of chores Arthur had given her. With him staying in her home, there was no way that she could use magic: it was far to risky. Combining this with the laundry that Gaius wanted her to do meant that Merlyn was preparing herself for a sleepless night.

"I hear the ladies of the court are quite impressed with Sir William. They think him very handsome." Merlyn remarked idly whilst scrubbing the dishes. Arthur was sitting at a table, once again with his head in one of Merlyn's books, which he still hadn't asked to borrow, a goblet of wine in hand.

"Typical. They wouldn't know a real knight if he whacked them around the head with his lance." Arthur smirked, trying to hide his envy. His servant chuckled, knowing that this was probably true.