A sandy-haired 7 year old boy stood by his father's side, comical in his stiff posture and serious expression while wearing the formal clothes of a prince. "Father, why does she have to come here?" the boy inquired with a frown. "Arthur, you know why. Her father was an old friend of mine and I swore an oath to care for his daughter should anything happen to him. She has no family left, so you will treat Morgana well – am I understood?" The boy sullenly nodded, cowed by his father's fierce expression.

Down the path toward the horizon they finally saw horses approaching. King Uther motioned Arthur to stand straight and prepare for their guest. When the horses finally arrived Arthur saw a pretty, dark haired girl around the same age as him. She was wearing a fine dress and was helped down by a handler.

"Welcome Morgana" beamed the King.

The pretty girl – Morgana – nodded. "I'm pleased to be here. Thank you for your kindness". Arthur noted to himself that she didn't look very pleased; she had sad eyes he thought.

"Lady Morgana" Arthur nodded and bowed, addressing her.

"Prince Arthur" she curtsied.

The King looked very pleased. "Arthur why don't you show Morgana where she will be staying? And then perhaps you could find something to entertain her with?"

Arthur scowled. "Yes, Father". The little Prince extended his arm and the young lady grasped it as he led her off. As he watched them retreat, the King still had a smile on his face. This will be a very good thing he thought.

SIX YEARS LATER…

The King looked out the window and watched as his son sparred with someone down in the courtyard and he squinted his eyes to make out who it was. He grimaced when he recognized that it was his ward, Morgana. He sighed. How can Arthur grow feelings for her if she keeps acting like a boy? the king thought, frustrated.

"Come on Arthur!" Morgana teased. "You can do better than that!" Arthur's response was a grunt as he lunged toward her and she easily parried his sword, her feet as light as a dancer's. Morgana had arrived in Camelot years ago wearing a fine dress looking very much the part of a Lady but since then she had discarded her dresses in favor of fighting gear very similar to that which Arthur and the knights wore. It allowed her to move easier and it also allowed her to keep up with Arthur. Arthur was Morgana's sole companion in Camelot and they had spent their entire childhood sparring together. Indeed Arthur much preferred Morgana's company to the company of others, though he would never say it aloud. Getting under her skin was just too much fun. Arthur lunged at her with a series of moves which caused Morgana to move back as she struggled to parry. They were very evenly matched in skill, one moment one of them would have the upper hand and in the next moment the other would have it. Morgana responded with a series of moves of her own which in turn caused Arthur to retreat. "Come on now, you can't let a girl beat you can you? You, a big strong Prince!" Morgana grinned in that infuriating way of hers. Before Arthur could respond the King came striding out towards them. "Arthur, I need you to go bathe and prepare for the ceremony this afternoon. You too Morgana". Morgana and Arthur looked at each other. Morgana had never been required to attend official court ceremonies before. She was not officially a part of Camelot's royal family and therefore she had been allowed to do as she wished. As children she and Arthur had constantly bickered and had not gotten on very well but as they grew though they still bickered, that would never change, they had become inseparable so this change was as big of a shock for Arthur as Morgana. He shrugged at her, conveying that he didn't know what this was about and they both headed off towards the castle.

"You didn't beat me by the way" he muttered to her.

"Of course I did!" Morgana shot back indignantly before they headed off to their separate quarters.

Arrogant fool! Morgana thought to herself as she entered her chambers. "Gwen!" she called. "Yes my Lady?" a pretty dark skinned young girl answered. "I am to attend the ceremony this afternoon. I need you to help me prepare". "Of course my Lady" her maidservant replied with a small bow. Morgana smiled kindly. "Thank you, Gwen".

Two hours later Arthur stood with his father by the throne waiting for everyone to arrive so the ceremony could commence. He was restless and stood behind his chair with both his arms folded and leaning on the head of the chair. Arthur noticed an attractive girl coming in and talking with her maidservant so he quickly straightened up. When she turned her head to look at him he was shocked and stunned to see that it was Morgana! His Morgana! Arthur looked at her with his mouth open, speechless, and Morgana cocked an eyebrow at him as if to inquire what his problem was. He had not seen Morgana in a proper dress since she had arrived and indeed he had sometimes forgotten that she could be considered pretty. He shook himself out of it and gave her one of his patent princely smirks to which she shook her head and rolled her eyes in mock annoyance as she took her place on the other side of Uther. They were both too wrapped up in their unspoken interaction to notice that Uther was watching them with a smile of his own.

After the ceremony they headed to the banquet hall for the feast. Arthur approached Morgana and held out his arm to her, the perfect picture of a young prince, with a smirk still on his face. Morgana silently took his arm and looked up at him. They walked together in silence for a moment, but when Morgana noticed that he was still staring at her she finally spoke. "Yes?" she asked sharply. Arthur shook his head and laughed. "Nothing. It's just that you actually look like a girl. I mean honestly, what are you wearing Morgana?" he asked, shaking with mirth. He would never admit that he actually thought that she looked bewitching in her dress. She glared at him and released his arm. "Well Arthur Pendragon, for your information I AM a girl! And I also happened to return to my chamber to find all my old clothes removed and replaced with dresses. Apparently now that I'm coming of age I am supposed to look the part of a lady of court" she grimaced. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?!" She asked accusingly. She would never admit, especially to Arthur, that she quite liked the dresses. "Oh don't be angry Morgana!" Arthur teased, taking her hand and replacing it on his arm. "And no, I have no interest in messing with your wardrobe" Arthur loftily responded, as if he was above such juvenile actions – which in fact he was not. Though he truly was not responsible this time.

Morgana looked at him suspiciously for a moment and then sighed as they continued to walk. "I suppose this was Uther's doing. First I am supposed to attend court ceremonies and now my wardrobe is gone". Arthur looked at her curiously, confused by why she was so upset. "I suppose it's time to grow up" she whispered to herself. Arthur did not let on that he had heard that last part. Growing up was not something he wanted to think about. That meant that he would have to become King and marry a woman who could become Queen to Camelot and Morgana would go off and marry some other nobleman and he would never see her again….no, growing up was definitely not something he wanted to think about. He liked things the way they were, where he and Morgana were mostly free to spend their time as they wished. But from that day on everything would be different. Morgana would no longer be just his Morgana. She would become a lady of the court, a very beautiful one at that, one who wore the finest dresses and would be greatly admired.