Love And Destiny
Summary: Sometimes destiny can be the most annoying thing in the world. Merlin knows that very well. As Arthur leaves for a visit to a nearby kingdom, Merlin meets an old friend. Can he help his friend, or does Gwaine ruin everything?
A/N: So this is written by me and my friend. Only the last two chapters are written by me only. I know the first chapter is a bit short, but the others are little longer. I hope you enjoy and review!
Chapter 1: Old Friends
The morning sun was shining between the branches to the carpet of leaves that had just been revealed by the melting snow. The party of Camelot was on its way to a nearby kingdom. King Arthur Pendragon didn't seem very peaceful.
"Come on, Merlin!" he shouted at his servant, who was trying to get his horse to obey him.
"What is wrong with him? He seems more strained than usual," Merlin whispered to Sir Leon after he had finally caught up with the others.
"Lady Vivian," the knight answered lowly. Merlin didn't need any more explanation. He remembered the last meeting with the princess very well. Arthur and Vivian had been under an enchantment, and even though Merlin had managed to free Arthur with Gwen's help, Vivian was still under the enchantment.
After the long journey, the party saw a castle surrounded by a bustling city.
They drew a lot of attention in the city while passing through it to the castle. Soon, the courtyard of the citadel was filled with people marvelling the people from the great and renowned kingdom of Camelot.
A pretty blond woman gracefully descended down the steps. Her eyes widened with joy when she saw who was arriving at her kingdom.
"Lady Vivian," Arthur nodded stiffly when he saw her overly-excited face.
"Arthur Pendragon, my love!" Vivian squealed, rushing down the steps to hug him. She would've probably kissed him if Arthur didn't have the time to avoid.
"Lady Vivian, this is my wife, Queen Guinevere," Arthur introduced proudly. Vivian's facial expression changed at that very moment. She didn't care about the queen's polite greeting, but stared at her with swelling suspicion. She thought that Arthur must've gone mad. That woman had been her maid just few years ago while she had been visiting Camelot!
"Please come inside! The servants will take care of your belongings," she said, with emphasis on the word servants.
A little further away, Sir Gwaine tried to hear at least little bits of the conversation.
"Is that the famous Lady Vivian?" he asked Sir Percival. The man just shrugged his shoulders; he hadn't seen her before either.
"She doesn't seem as bad as I had imagined. Why did Arthur abhor her again?" Gwaine questioned as he tried to get a better look of Lady Vivian.
"I think Vivian is obsessed with him. Or that's what I heard," Percival answered, suppressing a grin.
"She won't be for long," Gwaine announced.
Percival hoped that he wouldn't do anything stupid.
The castle was amazing from the inside. The walls were decorated with paintings, which proudly displayed, among other things, Lady Vivian's father, who had tried to kill Arthur during their last meeting.
The knights and the others were escorted to their rooms. Grudgingly, Lady Vivian let Arthur and Gwen have chambers next to each other.
Unfortunately, Merlin didn't get a room like all the others, so he had to sleep at an inn.
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Arthur and, although Vivian didn't like the idea, Gwen had been invited to have dinner with Lady Vivian and her brother, Edward, who had been hunting previously.
Meanwhile, Arthur was stuck with a very awkward dinner. Merlin was walking towards Arthur's chambers. He walked in without knocking, and noticed a young maid cleaning inside.
"I'm sorry, I can go away if I'm disturbing you," Merlin said. The girl froze as she heard his voice.
"Merlin?" she asked and turned around. Merlin stared at her in shock.
