Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
Author's Note: Takes place near the beginning of series 3 (my favorite series). Enjoy!
Merlin hurried to take his place beside Gaius, on the steps of the weathered gray castle.
"Cutting it a bit close, aren't we, Merlin?" he asked, without taking his eyes of the approaching riders, still far in the distance.
"Sorry, Arthur's had me everywhere this morning. For some reason he wants everything to be perfect for this visit," Merlin said.
Indeed, Arthur, Morgana, and King Uther stood in front of them, shining and polished, and looking very royal in their best clothes.
"It's no wonder. Arroy is a very small, very dangerous, but very prosperous kingdom. Strengthening Camelot's trade alliances with them will be very beneficial to the kingdom. " Gaius paused, as the riders came into view, "But, in Arthur's case, it may also have something to do with her."
Merlin was about to ask who Gaius was talking about, but then he realized he didn't need to. One rider was a man who looked to be as old as Gaius, two others were middle aged, a man and a woman with graying brown hair, and the last was a beautiful maiden with a golden circlet in her long, curly, dark hair. All four wore forest green cloaks with gold clasps. Merlin wondered if Arthur was in for another marriage arrangement.
Uther spoke, "Counselors, I welcome you to Camelot! I look forward to our talks, which I'm sure will be mutually beneficial and will signify a momentous step in the relations between our two kingdoms."
"We feel the same, Sire," said the male, middle aged counselor, "Camelot has always been a friend in the past, and hopefully this week we shall succeed in strengthening that friendship."
Uther nodded to the man, then turned his attention to the girl. "And Princess Eleanor, how wonderful for you to have returned to us after such a long absence. You may extend your stay as long as you'd like; you are always welcome here. It is an honor to have you."
"The honor is mine, my lord." The princess said, bowing her head. "I do hope to remain in Camelot for a good several months."
"Wonderful," Uther said, "I shall see you all at the feast tonight. Everything will be done to assure you are comfortable here." He turned and re-entered his castle, while servants entered to help with the horses, and with the dignitaries' loads. Merlin watched as Arthur approached Princess Eleanor, and helped her down from her horse. The princess was smiling, and Arthur laughed as he spoke to her. The two were standing rather close together. Merlin thought about what Uther had said, that she was returning to Camelot. Just how well did she know Arthur? Merlin turned to look at Gwen, who had been standing behind Morgana during the greetings, to see if she had noticed these friendly interactions. He thought she was trying very hard not to.
"-with enormous antlers; just wait 'till you see it, Nora. And there's a tournament coming up in a few weeks," Arthur chatted to Eleanor, "You picked the best time of year to visit Camelot!" Morgana made her way over to the two, and embraced the princess.
"Eleanor!" She smiled genuinely. "It really is wonderful to see you again! Do not bore her with the details of knighthood, Arthur. If he starts to do that again, tell me and I'll make him stop."
Eleanor laughed. "I'm sure I'll see all that Camelot has in store in good time. I hope I don't forget where everything is. How long has it been? Eight years?"
"It feels like ages," said Morgana.
"Allow me to show you around," Arthur said, "Refresh your memory."
"That would be wonderful!" said Eleanor.
"And I'll accompany you," added Morgana.
"First stop we'll show you," Arthur said when he saw Merlin approaching, "Is your room." Arthur gestured for Merlin to come closer. "This is my servant, Merlin," Arthur said. "If you need anything, Eleanor, he'll be happy to serve."
"Always am," said Merlin.
"Lovely to meet you," said Eleanor.
"Merlin," said Arthur, "Collect Princess Eleanor's things and bring them up."
Merlin started unpacking the horse, as the other three slowly made their way up the castle steps. "Your room isn't far from my chambers," Morgana said. "I'll tell my maid, Gwen, to check in on you."
"How thoughtful," said Eleanor.
"I'm so excited for you to see the castle, Nora. It's like you never left!" said Morgana.
"Although," said Arthur, "There have been some renovations recently, due to a dragon attack."
"A dragon!?" exclaimed Eleanor.
"I'll explain later," said Arthur, and the three entered the castle.
Merlin trudged up the stairs carrying three bags over his body, and pulling a large trunk. By the time he reached the room Princess Eleanor would be staying in, Arthur, Morgana, and Eleanor had been there a while, and he was exhausted. Arthur stood up when Merlin entered.
"Ah, there you are, Merlin. What took so long?"
Merlin ignored him and addressed the princess, "Where do you want these?"
"Oh, anywhere is fine," she said with a smile.
"Well, now we can get on with the tour! Come along, Eleanor, I'm sure you'll love it!" Morgana said. The three started to exit, leaving Merlin with the trunks, when Arthur turned to him at the last moment.
"Oh, Merlin, I'll expect your help to prepare for the feast tonight. On time," he said, then left to catch up with Eleanor and Morgana, who were laughing about something.
Merlin sighed. After he finished setting up the Princess' things, he walked downstairs to Gaius' chambers, and was quickly put to work preparing a pain relieving draught.
"So," Merlin asked, "The Princess Eleanor has stayed at Camelot before?"
"Oh yes," said Gaius, "There was a plague in Arroy, and her parents went on a journey to find a cure. They were successful, but they were gone for over two years. During that time, Eleanor stayed in Camelot where she would be safe, along with an aunt and uncle. It must have been, oh, eight years ago when she left. The whole court was sad to see her go, she was such a cheerful girl, especially Morgana and Arthur. They were just children, then. Those three were great friends, as thick as thieves. Always getting into trouble."
"Yeah, they seemed pretty happy to see her again. Especially Arthur. Do you think Uther might be hoping they…" Merlin trailed off.
"I couldn't say," said Gaius, "A marriage alliance with Arroy would not be the most advantageous, but if they both were interested, it certainly would not be inappropriate."
Merlin nodded, and went back to work, a lot on his mind. It seemed like visitors never came to Camelot without some sort of nefarious plot brewing in the background. Maybe these delegates from Arroy could be trusted, but maybe they couldn't. He decided to keep a close eye on them.
Merlin arrived, on time he might add, in Arthur's chambers that evening to help the prince prepare for the feast. Unfortunately, Arthur's wardrobe looked like it had exploded, and Arthur himself was pacing back and forth through the messy room.
"Merlin! Where on earth have you been?" Arthur exclaimed. "Do I have to do everything myself?"
"It looks like you can destroy your clean room all by yourself," Merlin said.
"And you'll be cleaning it up by yourself," Arthur said, "Just as soon as I'm ready for the feast."
"What's the problem?" Merlin joked, "Having trouble deciding what to wear?"
"No," said Arthur quickly, "Of course not." He paused before saying, "But if I was asking your opinion…"
Merlin sighed as he gathered up appropriate formal clothes that Arthur had worn a million times before. "You really do want to impress her, don't you?"
"What? No. What? Impress who? Who said that?" Arthur said.
"Impress Princess Eleanor," Merlin said, "And no one said it." Merlin handed Arthur his outfit. "You shouldn't be so obvious."
"Obvious?" Arthur said, on his way to his changing screen. "How?"
"I've just never seen you be so worried about what someone thinks of you."
"Really?" said Arthur as he changed clothes.
"Which is abnormal, because you're usually obnoxiously confident," Merlin continued. He hesitated for one second before asking, "So, do you like her?"
Arthur poked his head out. "What?"
"Well, I'm just preparing you. Other people will be asking it." Merlin waited for Arthur to respond.
"Sure I like her," Arthur said calmly, much to Merlin's relief, "I mean, for two years growing up, she was my best friend. It may come as a shock, but, as the prince, there weren't a lot of other children for me to be friends with. She, Morgana, and I went on crazy adventures, well, what we thought were crazy adventures then." He paused, and stepped out from behind the screen. "But, when you grow up, things change. I just hope they haven't changed too much, so we can pick back up where we left off."
Arthur was looking a bit depressed, so Merlin said, "There's nothing to worry about, I mean, you still act like a child." He was still laughing when Arthur's coat hit him.
Eleanor sat in front of the mirror in her chambers, attempting to pin up her hair, when there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" she called, in her clear, cheerful voice. A pretty maiden of average height with curly, dark hair entered the room.
"Hello, my lady," said the maiden, "My name is Guinevere. I'm Lady Morgana's maid."
"Oh, hello!" said the princess, "Thank you for coming! Perhaps you can help me with my hair. I'm always terrible at doing it myself."
"Of course," said Gwen. "How do you want it?"
"Well, yours looks rather nice! My tight curls always give me trouble, but you seem to know what to do," said Eleanor.
"I'll put it half up, and leave the bottom half down," said Gwen.
"Lovely!" said Eleanor, "Thank you, Guinevere."
Guinevere started on Eleanor's hair, and to make conversation, asked, "So, how are you enjoying Camelot?"
"Very well," Eleanor said. "It's been lovely to see everyone again - especially Morgana and Arthur." She sighed, and smiled, to Gwen's concealed disappointment. "I didn't realize how much I had missed them until I saw them again, you know." She paused and continued, "Are there any other updates I should know about?"
"I'm sure you've already heard the important ones."
"Yes, I've heard all about what happened to Morgana. Awful. And I suppose I'll be bombarded with news at the feast."
"How's that?" Gwen asked, as she fluffed out Eleanor's finished hair.
"Beautiful!" Eleanor smiled and ran her fingers through it. "Thank you Guinevere!" Eleanor next reached for an ornately decorated wooden box, and opened it. Inside, was a beautiful golden collar set with emeralds, opals, and other precious gems.
Gwen couldn't take her eyes off it. "It's breathtaking."
"Isn't it?" Eleanor said as she secured the necklace, "It's a family heirloom. I try to only wear it for special occasions, but sometimes I just can't resist!" Eleanor stood up and twirled around to show off her outfit. "What do you think?"
"You look lovely," Gwen said, honestly.
"Thank you for being so kind," said Eleanor. "It was lovely to meet you. I hope to see you again!"
"I'm certain we will," said Gwen, as Eleanor left for the feast. The princess waved as she closed the door behind her. Gwen smiled and waved back, then shook her head, confused by her sudden change in mood, but shrugged it off and headed down to the feast herself.
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! This is my first published fanfiction, and your reviews are greatly appreciated! Stay tuned for more!