A/N
Um so I kind of lied… this was inspired by a review left by MamzelleHermy who asked about Morgana and well… as much as I wanted to ignore it… the plot gorillas (yes gorillas, not bunnies, not monkeys, GORILLAS) finally decided it was time to answer that question. This also in part was inspired by Cinderella 2… strange I know but the whole princess training was hilarious and I wondered 'Did Gwen have to go through training?' Yes inspiration comes in strange places for me but it gets you guys stories so who's complaining? Now I should stop this novel so you guys can start reading the real thing! Enjoy!
The streets of Camelot were eerily quiet as an old woman, swathed in a thick, black cloak, slowly hobbled down the dark streets, past the empty stalls that held bright fabrics and colorful sweets and other goods during the day. The woman ignored her surroundings as she continued on to her destination; there was no time for her to dwell on those old memories. The woman quickly approached the castle, finally spotting the man she'd been looking for.
The man wore all black, his clothing matching his greasy hair almost perfectly.
"My lady," the man muttered, bowing slightly.
"Agravaine, is it true?" the old woman hissed.
The man, Agravaine, looked deeply troubled. "I fear it is so, my Lady."
"The hypocrite!" The woman spat. "Rejecting his own daughter the crown yet handing it over without a second thought to a servant!"
"I fear it only gets worse," Agravaine sadly informed her.
"What?" the woman hissed.
Agravaine took a deep, steadying breath; steeling himself for the verbal onslaught he'd soon face. "I fear… Arthur is to wed the servant girl Guinevere."
The woman was silent for several tense minutes, Agravaine waiting with barely controlled patience to see what the woman would say.
"Uther will regret this," she hissed.
"Of course, Morgana."
Merlin sighed deeply as he stared at the ceiling. Gwen's probably been up for hours, he thought, feeling bad for his friend. Sir Greg and Madam Gisela were in charge of training royalty. People who were born into royalty, like Arthur, had been taught everything about royalty and etiquette since birth, but people who were made royalty like Merlin, and soon Gwen, had to get a crash course. Merlin himself had gone through the painful process less than a year ago and knew how horrible it was. Sir Greg and Madam Gisela were dry and boring. How Arthur stood them for so long was beyond him.
Heaving another sigh, Merlin slowly dragged himself out of bed for training.
Since Merlin's etiquette training was done, Arthur decided to start giving him proper training in swordsmanship. So far Merlin's few and only successes had happened when he resorted to magic, something Arthur did not appreciate.
"What will happen when you can't use magic?" Arthur would ask.
"You'd come to the rescue," Merlin replied, grinning slightly.
Arthur had raised an eyebrow and asked, "What if I can't help?"
"I'd be dead meat?" Merlin asked, shrugging.
"That's what I'd like to prevent," Arthur had sighed, swinging at Merlin. "Again!"
As hard as Merlin worked at it, though, he could not get the hang of the sword. It felt too heavy and awkward for him.
As Merlin hauled himself out of bed, there was a tentative knock at his door.
"Come in!" he called, already knowing it was Evan.
Evan, who was still shy around Merlin, quietly entered and set the breakfast tray on the table. If Merlin was honest with himself, this entire situation was still surreal to him. It was hard to believe that he, Merlin, was a prince! Shaking his head he pulled on one of his old shirts, Evan not even giving him a second glance. At first Evan had been just as surprised as everyone else when he wore his old 'servant clothes' but soon he stopped questioning it.
Once Merlin had finished breakfast, he left the castle and made his way to the lower town, deciding that he needed some fresh air.
As he made his way through the lower town, he couldn't help but grin when he noticed a very familiar dress whip around a corner. Quickly following, Merlin walked up behind Gwen.
"Fancy seeing you down here," he said calmly, causing Gwen to jump back, a small shout of surprise escaping her lips.
"Merlin!" Gwen scolded, clutching her chest. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"What are you doing here?" Merlin asked. "Shouldn't you be 'training' with Madam Gisela?"
"I could be asking you the same question," Gwen replied, eyeing Merlin.
"Madam Gisela and Sir Greg would have a fit if they saw us," Merlin commented, causing Gwen to giggle. Both Merlin and Gwen were dressed in what Madam Gisela had deemed "improper for…. Royalty to wear." Merlin couldn't help but grin at the memory. The way she'd said "Royalty" when looking at him made it seem like she too disapproved of Arthur's choice in giving him the ring that not only saved his life, but made him a part of the royal family. Merlin was pretty sure they disliked Arthurs engagement to Gwen just as much; seeing both of them as far beneath her.
"I can hear her now," Gwen agreed, and in a shrill voice imitating Gisela continued, "What are you doing with such common filth?"
"I think they might have heart failure," Merlin agreed, unable to control his laughter.
"That might just make the extra work worth it," Gwen agreed.
Growing serious, Merlin added, "But honestly, Gwen, you should head back. If Uther finds out you've run off he'll send the guards… and have my head for 'corrupting' you."
Gwen's face fell and she sighed. "I know… I just couldn't take it anymore!"
"Was it dancing or table manners?" Merlin asked.
"Both, at the same time," Gwen sighed.
"What possesses them to think that's going to help?" Merlin wondered, shaking his head.
"Well when you're short on time and your students keep running off, it makes things difficult. They have to cut corners somehow," a voice commented, laughing slightly.
Groaning, Merlin turned to Gwaine, who stood with his arms crossed, smirking at the pair.
"Let me guess, Uther wants to see me in the throne room now because-" Merlin began.
Gwaine quickly assured him, "No, don't worry; Arthur was the one who sent me. Better hurry back before Uther does notice, though."
"Fine," Merlin groaned, following Gwaine back to the castle.
"I do feel for you," Gwaine said after a few minutes of silence. "This insanity with etiquette and formalities is why I ran off."
"Why'd you come back to it?" Gwen asked.
"A friend needed me to," Gwaine said, locking eyes with Merlin.
Merlin opened his mouth to apologize but Gwaine shook his head. "Don't, Merlin. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to help Arthur. I chose this… unlike you."
"I could have said no…" Merlin muttered.
"At that point I think you were stuck," Gwaine corrected, shrugging. "Now I suggest you two hurry up and change before someone important sees you."
"I'm going, I'm going," Merlin grumbled, starting to walk off, but Gwaine grabbed his arm, preventing him from going.
Gwen stopped and looked back at the pair but Gwaine waved her off. "I just need a minute," he explained.
Gwen cast one last worried glance at the pair before making her way up the stairs.
"Yes?" Merlin asked, eyebrows raised.
"Things will get better once Arthur's king," Gwaine said, surprising Merlin.
"Why-"
"I can tell you aren't very happy," Gwaine replied. "As much as I don't like the princess's choices at times, I know things will get better once Uther's gone."
"For Arthur's sake, I hope it's when Uther is old and grey and not because an assassin takes him down," Merlin replied.
Gwaine let go of Merlin's arm just as Arthur's uncle, Lord Agravaine, exited the castle. Bowing deeply Agravaine said, "Good morning Sire."
Resisting the urge to roll, his eyes Merlin greeted him in return.
Agravaine scared Merlin; everything about the man felt wrong. Pushing the feelings aside, Merlin passed Agravaine and entered the castle.
"Shouldn't you be training?" Agravaine asked.
Merlin glared. It was going to be a long day.
End Notes
What's Morgana planning? Well I hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you thought!