Due to the appearance of my former OC you first should read "Lilia - Fight for a soul" (.net/s/6080724/1/Lilia_Fight_for_a_soul)
Lady Mary – Better be ordinary
Chapter 1: Arrival
"That must be her", Gwen said while she shook out a blanket out of the window.
Merlin stepped behind her and looked at the group of newcomers which just entered the court yard.
Five knights dressed in red and black, led by an apparently young woman with blond hair and a blue dress.
"And who exactly is she supposed to be?", he asked Gwen and continued tidying up the room both servants were preparing for the arriving guest.
"Lady Mary", Gwen replied. "That is all I know. I'm just a servant girl."
Merlin looked at her surprised while he was fighting with the duvet cover for the pillow. There was a breath of bitterness in her voice.
"Did you talk to Arthur today?" he asked carefully and received a noxious look from Gwen. He grinned, continued fighting with the duvet cover and desperately gave it to Gwen for her to clean up his chaos.
While she put the fresh linen on the bed with fitful and angry movements she unburdened her heart to Merlin. "I know that it's difficult and I am happy, in a way. But sometimes he is so sweet to me and another time he ignores me. Just because he is the prince he does not have to look down on me like that or ignore me completely when "his" people are around. That's not fair." Her movements became more hasty with every word and with every passing second Merlin looked more shocked how she literally spanked the blanket first then beat, squished and boxed the pillow into shape and finally put it into its place.
"Oookay", he said long-drawn-out, looking at the now perfectly made bed. "You know him. He is not an empathic person in general. He is more of a dead loss when it comes to feelings".
He was grinning at Gwen but this grin disappeared rather fast as his eyes met hers.
"You are spending too much time with him", he said contritely and avoided her piercing look.
"With whom?", a well known, used to giving orders and slightly jealous voice from the door sounded.
Merlin turned around, grinning at Arthur and just said: "With me."
The prince stepped next to his servant, looked straight into his eyes, gave him a beat to the neck and passed him without a word, walking towards Gwen, who did not even bother to turn around.
Merlin looked at him and shook his head.
"You are strange", he said, while rubbing his neck.
"You have no idea", Gwen shouted at him but still did not turn around to Arthur.
The prince stepped behind her, tried to touch her arm but Gwen immediately found something to do on the other end of the room.
Arthur looked at her frowning, turned to Merlin after that and the manservant just shrugged. Arthur gave up.
"Women", he grumped silently.
"Who is Lady Mary?", Merlin asked hoping to save the situation.
"A girl", the prince replied promptly followed by a stormy reaction from Gwen: "So you will get to know her better quite soon."
The boys stared at Gwen.
"Uhm, yeah.", Arthur said, apparently not knowing what Gwen's obvious jealousy was about. "We will all get to know her better. The room looks ready. Lady Mary will be welcomed by my father soon. You better come along, I am sure there will be a useful job for you."
He turned around, left the room and only reacted with a shrug to another caustic answer from Gwen: "What else?"
She stomped after the prince and Merlin followed them shaking his head.