So I ended up writing this after I read a Merlin changed himself into a girl by accident story. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way because Merlin never told Arthur it was him and they slept together then went back to just being his servant like everything was normal.
I thought this would be a more realistic way that Merlin would become a female.
Sat down after I read it with only one thought and just started to write so it isn't thought out before hand. Originally it was going to be part of my Impulses series but I couldn't stop writing so it ended up being too long to place there. I think it will be about three chapters long so not a long story.
(note: I realized after I was finished that wrote that Morgana and the Knight's of the round table are both in Camelot. I think Morgan's important for the story line so she was never evil and Gwaine is also important so I'm leaving it the way it is.
Switched
Intro
...o0o...
"Come on Merlin. We're losing her." Arthur called back to his manservant. They had been patrolling the border when they had come across a sorceress. They had managed to lose most of the other knights as they gave chase.
Merlin panted as he tried to keep up with his masters long precise strides. He ended up tripping over a root and had to grab onto a tree for support. "Shouldn't we wait for the others?"
"Don't be a girl Merlin." Arthur teased his servant as he stopped to take a breather. Glancing back at Merlin's pathetic slumped figure. "If we wait for the others the sorceress will get away."
Pushing off the tree Merlin mumbled to himself. "Not a girl." As soon as he reached his master's position the Prince was off again tracking the sorceress. He followed reluctantly, practically having to run to keep up.
In the middle of a clearing Arthur stopped in his tracks. The trail seems to end right here.
Merlin walked right into the prince's back because he wasn't paying attention. "Arthur, what..?"
"So you found me." A female voice spoke from the left side of the clearing. They whipped their heads around to look at the person the voice came from. The sorceress was old with Grey hair and was wearing a deep green robe with a grey shawl.
"You are in the lands of Camelot." Arthur started his usual speech when he was going to arrest someone.
"Ah, eh, ah." The sorceress wiggled her finger back and forth. "Not any more. This right here is where the border of Mercia starts. The laws of Camelot do not affect me here."
Arthur deflated when he realized the she was right. The different type of tree behind the sorceress marked the change of kingdom. "You better stay there and never come back into Camelot." He growled under his breath.
"Why would I want to? The laws of Camelot are unjust. It has caused the world to be unbalance." The sorceress spoke passionately. Merlin agreed with her opinion. "Uther used magic users previously for their powers then one thing goes wrong and he turns on us." She spat.
"They were using their powers for evil." Arthur replied like he had been taught since birth.
"Evil." The sorceress scoffed. "Your Father wanted a male heir so badly that he condemned a group of people to death. I shall take away what he wanted." The old sorceress cackled as she spoke words of the old religion and pointed the spell directly at the prince's chest.
Reacting on instinct he pushed the prince behind him Merlin the spell hit him instead. The world went black around him and he collapsed face first into the ground. His body was over taken by a flash of light.
Hearing the sound of reinforcements arriving - the clanging of armor - the sorceress transported herself to safety. Far away from here.
"Merlin!" Arthur cried in worry falling to his knees beside his unconscious manservant's side. He gathered his friend into his arms. His eyes widened when long dark hair cascaded over his arm. "Merlin?"
The servant's eyes fluttered then opened to the familiar blue. "Arthur?" Merlin croaked in a much higher voice than usual. He grabbed his throat and shot up in the prince's hold feeling something was very off. He scrambled to his feet.
Merlin ended up losing his boots in his haste since they were much too large now. He tripped over the hem of his pants and face planted into the dirt. Using a nearby boulder for support he got to his feet on shaky legs. His proportions felt all wrong. Feeling down over his body he gasped when he got to his crotch area and found nothing there. "That sorceress, turned me into a girl!" Merlin cried in dismay. Holding up the large mass of dark hair to show his point.
"Calm down." Arthur tried to mollify his manservant; more like maid servant at the moment. "It could've been much worse." Arthur had to hold in a snort finding the situation funny. With the petulant pout on his face Merlin looked adorable in his female form.
His shirt hung off his much more slender shoulders and his pants clung to the swell of his thighs. His breaches were much too long now; Merlin must have a lost a foot or two in height. His dark hair had grown to his mid back. The sharp features of Merlin's face had softened and the length had shortened to make an almost heart shaped.
"Calm down, how can you ask that? I'm a girl, a female." Merlin stomped in frustration then winced in pain when something jiggled and grabbed his chest. Looking down the front of his tunic he frowned. "I have boobs." He said with mortification. He felt very close to crying feeling his new hormones going to work. Crossing his arms over his chest to hide the area from sight.
"I'm sure we can get you changed back." Arthur walked closer to pat his shoulder in comfort. "We'll go back to Camelot, I'm sure Gaius can find some way to change you back." The prince noticed how he now towered over Merlin when they used to stand eye to eye.
o0o
The knights arrived to the sight of their prince trying to calm down a hysterical girl. It didn't seem like he was doing a very good job. Looking around they noticed it was only the two present.
"Did you find the sorceress?" Lancelot asked curiously.
"Yes we did." Arthur sighed, wishing he hadn't bothered. They had a right mess on their hands now.
"Who's the young lady?" Gwaine asked with a quirk of is eye brow. The clothes looked sort of familiar.
"It's me." Merlin snapped with dismay. Did he really look that different that one of his best friends didn't recognize him?
"What?" Gwaine replied confused to the girls retort. He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. "You must be confused. I've never met you before but if I did I think I would remember a beauty like yours." Sending a flirtatious look to the lady.
Arthur slapped the knight's hand away from his manservant feeling a possessive feeling. "Don't touch him."
"Him?" Gwaine asked surprised with wide eyes looking back to the figure between them. The curved figure and long locks were definitely there. "I assure you, I can tell when somebody is of a female persuasion and I am not mistaken this time."
The warlock covered his face with his hands to hide it and mumbled through his fingers. "It's me Merlin." A blush heated up his face as he revealed his identity.
"What do you mean?" Percival asked confused.
Since Merlin was too busy hiding Arthur took it on himself to explain. "The sorceress we were following, she shot a spell at me and Merlin the self-sacrificing idiot, took it for me."
"And it…?" Gwaine looked at the girl with fresh eyes. With the new information he could see the resemblance between Merlin and this female. Her eye, skin and hair were exactly the same colour as Merlin's. What he took to be a dress with leather leggings was actually Merlin's usual blue shirt and reaches. He thought the outfit looked familiar.
"Yes I was turned into a girl." Merlin hissed dropping his hands from his face. The sudden movement caused his tunic to slide further down his arms showing the top of his breasts. Keeping his modesty was never something he had to deal with before so he didn't immediately snap to fix it.
Arthur's eyes couldn't help but soak up the sight; he was male after all. Knowing he was not the only one present he unclicked his cape and settled it around Merlin's figure to cover his form from prying eyes. "We should get back to Camelot."
They headed back to where they had set up camp the night before
.
"Where's my horse?" Merlin looked around as all the knights mounted. He could have sworn he'd tied it to this very tree. Looking at his feet he saw part of the reigns that must have snapped. "Great. This really is the worst day of my life." They complained.
"You can ride with me." Arthur offered beating Gwaine to it. Merlin sighed but climbed up behind him on his horse.
…
The horse's hoofs clopped on the cobble stone streets of the castle. Merlin hid his face in Arthur's back as they rode through the lower town. There were many people pointing wondering who the girl was riding tandem with the prince.
They rode into the castles courtyard.
When the prince dismounted his horse instead of marching up the steps he turned and offered Merlin a hand down. He narrowed his eyes at the action. "Just because I look like a girl doesn't mean I can't do things for myself." Merlin snapped.
"Just trying to help." Arthur replied indignantly. "You normally can't get off a horse without almost injuring yourself in some way. I can't imagine how awful you'll be at it with shorter legs." The prince raised an eyebrow at him.
"I can get down just fine." Merlin tried to dismount the way he usually would but found his legs weren't long enough to fully reach the ground. His toes just reached the ground but he didn't have enough height to drop his heels to the ground. His left leg was stuck up on the saddle so he found himself floundering as he was losing his balance. Close to kissing the stone steps.
Arthur came to his servants rescue. Slipping his hands over Merlin's hips he lifted him up so that he could swing his leg off the horse and then placed him back on the ground. "Sure fine, all by yourself." He huffed sarcastically.
"I would've managed it eventually. I'm just not used to this body yet." Merlin defended his pride.
"You're adorable." Gwaine ruffled the servant's hair with a fond smile on his way inside.
Merlin huffed at the different way he was being treated. He readjusted the cape to make sure his hair was still hidden.
Turning on his heal Merlin tried to escape back to Gaius' chambers but the prince grabbed his arm to stop him from fleeing "We have to inform my father what happened." Arthur explained as he dragged his reluctant servant towards the great hall.
The guards let them pass with a curious look at Merlin thinking something looked different about him.
…
Merlin shifted uncomfortably in the middle of the room as the court gawked at him as Arthur explained the situation. Looking down at his feet his hair fell into his face hiding him. At least all this long hair was good for something.
"So this Sorceress cast a spell at you but your servant got in the way." Uther asked to clarify what his son was saying. "Instead of trying to kill you she deemed to switch your gender?"
"Yes father." Arthur nodded. "She said something about you wanted a male heir so she would take thay away from you."
"Let's see it then." Uther gestured with his hands at the servant and sat back in his thrown.
Arthur walked over to Merlin and tugged the cape off his shoulders. His long black hair tumbled down his back from where he had been hidden tucked into the cloak. The room gasped as it whispered amongst itself. Even with his baggy shirt you could see the immense changes in his once gangly male form.
"I guess I have to thank you for once again. We'll have Gaius work on getting you back to normal." Uther nodded his thanks. He couldn't imagine if Arthur left a prince and came back a princess. "It would be best if this was kept a secret from the people though. Everyone in this room must agree to keep this a secret." The occupants nodded but Merlin suspected they had their fingers crossed behind their backs.
Gaius shook his head at the situation his ward had gotten himself into now. "If you don't mind I'd like to start looking for a solution it straight away?" The king dismissed him, he left to look up a solution. Knowing Merlin could not stay this way for long because he warlock would get himself into a whole different type of trouble.
Turning to his right Uther addressed his ward. "Morgana, you are charged with providing the bo…" The king started to say boy but stopped himself. "They need proper clothing. It isn't dignified to walk around in male clothes." Like being address as they was so much better.
Morgana smirked making Merlin shudder in dread. "It'll be my pleasure." She stood from her throne and walked to Merlin clutching at his arms she started to drag him towards the exit.
Arthur gave Merlin a pitying look as he was whisked away.
o0o
Gwen took his measurements with a professional air. "I'll alter a couple outfits for you since we don't know how long you'll be stuck like this." Morgana had a collection of dresses she had out grown that would fit Merlin's new petite figure quite nicely.
"I still don't see why I can't just wear my own clothes." Merlin complained.
Morgana rolled her eyes and turned from her vanity where she had been brushing her hair. "None of your clothes fit anymore. They are either too tight on your hips or falling off showing all your private bits. You'll have all the males of the castle panting after you."
"That won't happen." Merlin denied her accusations against the male population. "They all know I'm originally a male. It should put them off."
"Doesn't matter." Morgana stood and glided towards his position in the room. "Right now you are a beautiful female and males do not act rationally when they are attracted to someone."
"We aren't animals you know. I'm sure they have enough restraint to resist me." Merlin huffed in defence of the male gender.
"You under estimate how good you look as a girl." Morgana turned him so that he was looking in a mirror.
Merlin could hardly believe the girl in the mirror was him. Every time he moved she moved though so it must be true. He would admit that if he saw a girl who looked like this he would think they were cute. "Is it weird that I make a more attractive girl than boy?"
"You're not unattractive as a boy, either. You just don't have the muscle mass that most women look for. Not that you are weak looking." Gwen berated herself. "Oh bother. Sorry."
"I'm not sure if I should take that as an insult or a compliment." Merlin mumbled. He knew that most woman found him adorable rather than roguishly hansom. It was both a blessing and a curse; he got extra food from the cook at least. Cute on a man was a little out of place but now that he was a girl it slotted into place.
"We are just trying to say that you are very attractive so you need to be careful." Morgana warned the servant about his new appearance. "Men will treat you different weather you like it or not."
"Like Arthur trying to treat me like a maiden." Merlin snorted as he remembered his master's actions. "He actually tried to help me down from my horse.
"Exactly like that. The prince is too noble to make a move on you so he's not the type of men you have to worry about." Morgana nodded. "I would suggest you not be in Gwaine's presence alone though." She advised.
"He's one of my best friends." Merlin replied.
"She's right Merlin. Gwaine was eating you up with his eyes. You know he doesn't have very much self-control."
"I won't be a female forever." Merlin huffed.
"Until then." Morgana held a swede dress up to his form. "I think blue suites you quite beautifully."
Merlin sighed.
o0o
Merlin barged into the prince's chambers without knocking.
Arthur had been in the middle of changing and seeing the dress out of the corner of his eye had jumped behind his changing screen.
"I can't believe how annoying Morgana is acting." He heard a female voice complain.
"Merlin?" Arthur asked quickly pulling on a shirt. Sighing in relief when he heard the careless "Yeah" in reply. Stepping out from behind his dressing screen he gasped. Morgana and Gwen had done an amazing job dressing Merlin to the point he didn't recognized him. His body had been wrapped in a blue suede dress and his hair had been braided so it hung over his shoulder. It looked like they had even painted his face.
"Why'd you run like that when I came in?" Merlin asked with his hands on his hips and a raised eyebrow.
"I was getting dressed." Arthur shrugged.
"So? I've seen you naked plenty of times." Merlin exclaimed with a role of his eyes.
"It's different now." Arthur shuffled uncomfortably.
"Because I'm a girl now." Merlin pursed his lips. "I'm still me, still clumsy Merlin. I don't want you to treat me differently."
"So you still want me to command you to clean the stables?" Arthur asked superiorly.
"Well I could do without that. I think Morgana would kill me if I ruined her wonderful work." Merlin smiled as he approached him. "I mean I expect you to still prance around half naked in my presence like you usually do."
"I don't think that is going to happen." Arthur shook his head in denial. Even though his brain knew it was Merlin standing in front of him his body told him something completely different. Specifically a certain part of his anatomy.
Merlin huffed and stalked towards him. "Take off your shirt."
"No." Arthur backed up self-consciously.
"I said take it off." Merlin tugged at the material on his chest. Arthur tried to push his servant's hands away from his person.
Morgana stepped through the open door of the prince's room. "Arthur I was just wondering if you have seen…Merlin." Morgana stopped when she saw them. "Am I interrupting something?" She gestured to them with a lecherous smirk on her face.
They bother froze in their struggles.
"No!" Arthur snapped. Realizing what a compromising position they were in. "This isn't what it looks like." Merlin had managed to get his tunic half way up his chest so his abs were on display. He had one of his servant's slender wrists in his hand holding it away from his body above their heads. Arthur hadn't wanted to hurt Merlin so he had been trying to gently stop him which hadn't been very successful.
"I beg to differ." Morgana looked at their flushed faces.
Merlin released his master blushing sheepishly. He gave the prince some space. "What do you want now?" He whined with slumped shoulders.
"I wasn't finished with you." Morgana narrowed her eyes at the servant.
"What more can you do to me?" Merlin gestured to his pristine appearance.
"Lots." Morgana smirked and tapped her foot. Merlin sighed and walked towards the demanding women.
"I expect you to still bring my breakfast in the morning." Arthur called after his servant who sent him a smile as he was herded out of his chambers.
...TBC
