Title: New Queen
Author: RomaMarufixx
Rating: T
Pairing: Fem! Merlin/Arthur
Fandom: BBC's Merlin
Summary: Merlin is finding it hard adapting to her new title of Queen of Camelot, she finds it even harder when she hears a rumour that he husband is having an affair. She tries to ignore the rumours and get on with her marriage and her duties as the Queen, but things just get too hard for the girl who a year before was just a clumsy maidservant.
Word count: 1,861
Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to the BBC, I only own the plot.
Merlin was walking down a corridor late at night on her own. After a tiring long meeting with her council she was retreating back to her and Arthur's chambers. He had taken ill today, thus hadn't been at the meeting.
She heard two servants whispering slightly further ahead and stopped walking, wanting to hear what they saying, if she continued walking they would hush and walk away and she missed being a servant and getting to hear the court gossip.
"Did you hear about the king?" The taller female servant asked the smaller woman.
"No, what about him?"
"I heard he was faking his illness today."
"What, why would the King do that?"
"So he could spend the day with his mistress without his wife finding out."
"Oh, that is terrible."
"I know."
"Why would the King cheat on Merlin?"
"I don't know, they have only been married for a year and their marriage has been fine, or so we have seen, you never know what goes on behind closed doors."
The two servants walked off, changing their topic of discussion and Merlin stopped dead in her place, the conversation the servants had just had, repeating itself in her head. Was Arthur really cheating on her? No of course he wasn't, he would never do that, not to her. She sighed deeply and continued on her way to her and Arthur's chambers.
When Merlin arrived at her chambers she saw that Arthur was already fast asleep in their bed, looking very peaceful. Merlin smiled at the sight of her normally stressed out husband looking so peaceful.
She made quick work of stripping of her fancy gown and dressing in a simple nightdress and slipped in next to her husband, curling up against his side and resting her head on his broad chest, kissing It lightly.
"Good night Arthur." Arthur mummered something and Merlin grinned before falling asleep.
Arthur was awake before Merlin, he had fallen asleep waiting for her to come to bed. He looked down at his chest to see the mass of black curls that belonged to his wife. Lines appeared on his forehead as he frowned.
His loved his wife, truly he did, but both his body and his mind were betraying him. Before him and Merlin had gotten married, and were just together they had a lot of time which could be spent together as Merlin was only a servant and not his Queen like she is now. Marrying Merlin had been both the best decision her had ever made in his life but also the worst.
He hardly got to see Merlin any more, mainly during the day although sometimes at night, as they would often sleep at different times. As a man, Arthur had needs, and without his wife there to complete these needs, he needed some other kind of release. Of course there was his hand, but that was not as pleasurable as a real woman...and then six months ago, only half a year after he had married the woman he had loved and been with for years before, he started an affair.
At first it was just a one night stand with a maid that he had heard rumours around the court would sleep with any noble man she could, so he took his chance and ending up sleeping with her, the first woman, beside Merlin, who he'd slept with in the past five years, and he had to admit, it felt amazing, but afterwards he felt very guilty especially since the following night him and Merlin made love for the first time in two weeks.
Arthur had remained faithful for another two months before a young maid, who still most likely, and later Arthur found out he was right, still had her virtue, started showing an interest in him. They flirted with each other for a month before Arthur took a big step and invited the maid to his chambers where he took her virtue, and the two had remained in an affair since, for three months so far.
Arthur felt horrible, he truly did but he couldn't stop himself, it was an addiction, he couldn't go without it for long. He should tell Merlin what was happening, he truthful to her, but what would happen to their relationship after that, they hadn't even been married for a whole year, their anniversary was next week, not even a year into marriage and there was already an affair in the royal family.
If Merlin knew that he had a mistress, would she also want to take on a lover? Arthur grew angry at the idea of Merlin laying in bed with another man, but he was being so hypocritical, Merlin taking a lover would be a good reaction to Arthur's treachery, the bad reaction would be that Merlin would want to leave him, divorce him and throw away her crown, maybe even move out of Camelot, and how was he meant to tell the people of Camelot why his wife had left him? He couldn't tell them the truth.
Arthur was brought out of his thoughts by his wife waking up besides him, her sleepy blue eyes looking up at him.
"Good morning Arthur." she said, while stretching her arms above her head.
"Morning." he replied back to her and met her lips for a quick kiss.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Merlin asked, and for a minute Arthur didn't know what she was talking about but then remembered the excuse that he had given her so he could spend the day with his mistress.
"I feel much better, thank you." Arthur said, thumbing her pale cheek.
"That's great." Merlin smirked, making Arthur quirk his eyebrow and it was then he realised that his wife was naked under the covers of their bed, her milky white skin always transparent against the white of their bed.
Merlin made quick work of straddling Arthur and ridding him of his tunic and then making quick work of undoing the strings of his trousers as she kissed him passionately.
"Arthur..." she groaned, pulling away from her husbands, her hands stilling on her trousers. "I have something to tell you." Arthur's gut twisted with anxiety as different scenarios filled his head.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I was going to tell you next week for our anniversary, but I really want to tell you now."
"Well, what is it?" Arthur asked again. Merlin leaned forward, her breasts near his face and her face near his ear.
"I'm with child." She said and then moved back so she could look at his wife.
"You're pregnant?" Arthur asked, shocked, happy and sad emotions filling him as what Merlin said sunk in.
"Yes." she smiled and nodded and Arthur smiled although inside he was screaming at himself. He pulled his wife forward and kissed her and she returned back to undoing his trousers.
Arthur was sat alone in his throne room, running his hands through his hair. Merlin was visiting Gaius for a check up, for her third month of pregnancy.
It had been one month since Merlin had told him she carried his child and although he was overjoyed at the fact he was getting a child and was going to be a father, it made him feel worse about the fact he was deep in an affair.
In the whole month since Merlin had told him, he had not slept or even seen his mistress, well, seen her on purpose, she was around him as much as possible without it being suspicious, but he had always ignored her, he had too much on his mind and she was not helping.
After hours of just sitting thinking he decided to get up and do something, so he made his way over to Gaius' chambers to see Merlin.
Gaius was working at his bench when he heard the door creak open and saw the King walk into his workplace and chambers.
"Ah, Arthur what can I do for you?" The physician asked, walking away from his bench and other to the king who was looking around the chambers.
"I was looking for Merlin, I thought she would be here."
"She was here sire, but she left a while ago, I don't know where she is at the moment though, I am sorry today."
"It's okay Gaius, I'll find her, thank you." Arthur said and turned around to leave the room.
"Sire?" Arthur turned back around as Gaius spoke to him. "Can I speak to you?"
"Of course Gaius, what is it?" A thought struck him. "Is it about Merlin? Is she okay?"
"Arthur she is fine, although the matter does somewhat concern her."
"What about her Gaius?" Arthur asked.
"A few days ago, a woman came to me claiming illness, I later found out she was pregnant."
"Is this a different woman to Merlin?" Arthur asked and Gaius nodded. "Then why am I hearing this?" Arthur asked.
"This woman is unmarried and I needed to make sure the child was not caused by rape."
"And was she raped?" Arthur asked concerned for the unnamed woman.
"No she was not, although she did know and told me who the father was."
"And who was he?" Arthur asked, wondering why Gaius was telling him.
"Well, all I can say is that Arthur, I am very angry and disgusted with you and you have not just got one woman pregnant." Gaius said, glaring at the young king and Arthur's face grew dark with realisation.
"Lucille?" he asked, wondering if he had got both his wife and his mistress pregnant and when Gaius nodded he knew he had. "Oh, god." Arthur said and put his hand to his flushed face. "Gaius..."
"You have to tell Merlin, Arthur."
"I can't, Gaius."
"You are a coward, Arthur." Gaius near shouted at the king.
"Gaius I think you forget who you are speaking to." Arthur said to the old man.
"I do not care if you are the King of Camelot Arthur, I am speaking on behalf of the girl I think of as the closest thing to a daughter I will ever have, for the years she has been in Camelot she has been nothing but a good and faithful servant, which then evolved into a good and faithful lover and wife and she is now carrying your child and doesn't even know that you are sleeping with a servant behind her back and have been doing so for months, and Merlin isn't the only one carrying your child, but the mistress, that she is currently unaware of, is also carrying your child." Gaius breathed in deeply as he finished his rant.
Arthur stared wide eyed at what the man had said. "Gaius..." Arthur said, his whole expression unable to move from his state of shock.
"I am sorry sire, but it is all true, and if you do not tell Merlin of your adultery and the bastard child then I will be forced to." Arthur gulped and nodded, turning back around to leave the physicians chambers.