I've never done a genderbender before. It was an interesting experience.
Merlin hefted the basket more firmly on her hip, sighing. She continued her journey through the lower town, her eyes on the castle.
Laundry, done; armor, done; stables, done; weapons… not done; dinner…not done; speech… not done.
"Merlin!" a familiar voice called.
She stopped and turned, smile strained. She had so much more to do…
Arthur wasn't going to be happy.
"Gwaine," she greeted, nodding to him. "What is it?"
He stopped in front of her, grinning joyfully. "I just had to let you know that you're looking particularly beautiful this fine day," he told her.
Her smile became just the little less strained. She knew she didn't look pretty. She had on one of her oldest, most worn faded blue dresses; her hair was clinging to her forehead and her neck, falling from its bun. "Thank you, Gwaine," she said anyway.
He nodded and walked away, leaving her staring after him. She sighed and turned back toward the castle, moving faster to reach it. She had to fold all of this laundry and get in into Arthur's drawers and then get to work on sharpening his swords for his training tomorrow afternoon. She needed to organize his papers and write notes and a short speech for tomorrow morning's meeting with the council. And then she had to run back to her room and clean up, because there was a dinner tonight and she couldn't be at a dinner with a foreign dignitary looking like a horse had run her over even if she was just a maid.
She rushed through the halls and nearly made it to the hall with Arthur's room when she bumped into something and fell backwards, the laundry basket flying from her hands.
"Whoa there," someone said, a hand grabbing her arms to help her up. She looked up and saw Mordred standing over her, tugging lightly on her arms. She accepted the help and swayed, once she was on her feet. She must've hit her head.
"Thank you, Mordred," Merlin said, smiling slightly at him. She bent down and began to shove the laundry haphazardly into the basket. "I don't have time for chatting, though. I have so much to do, and I'm going to have to cut into my sleep time because I'm still not presentable and the dinner is in," she glanced outside and saw the sun's position, "A hour, and there is so much that Arthur asked of me today~"
"Merlin," Mordred said, kneeling down. "Calm down. Even though you're not at your best, you're still very pretty, and I'm sure you can manage to get everything done, given your talent."
She stared at him, then shook her head and lifted herself and the basket back up. "Never mind, Mordred. I have to go." And she took off without looking back.
Arthur was getting changed when she walked in, and he turned to her. "Ah, Merlin!" he said, walking over. She shut the door behind her and watched as Arthur started in on the laundry, grabbing shirts and tossing them behind him until he found his formal red one.
"You still haven't sharpened my swords or cleaned my boots. I thought you were going to help in the kitchen for the dinner tonight, and I still have no speech for tomorrow. Merlin, you truly are the worst servant alive," Arthur complained, pulling the shirt over his head while Merlin looked on the fallen clothing with dismay.
She sighed. "Yes, Sire," she said sarcastically. "I'll be sure to get right on that."
"You can clean the stables again tomorrow," Arthur informed her cheerfully, pulling the basket from her hands and throwing it on the bed she had made just a little while ago, further scattering the laundry and messing up the sheets. "For now, let's go."
"I have to clean up!" Merlin protested.
Arthur stopped by the door and looked at her, then smiled. He walked back to his desk and pulled his comb from the desktop, walking back over. He pulled her hair down and ran the comb through it, then handed her the tie. "There you go," he said triumphantly. "Let's go."
She sighed.