Dreams of Destiny

This is my first attempt at a fanfic and I'm not sure if it's any good!

At first it was meant to be an Arthur/Merlin story but has become a more ambitious story, hopefully, which will cover most of Gwen's life and it is told mainly from her point of view. I have completely changed Gwen's back story, so fingers crossed you like it!

Pairings (eventually!): Gwen/Merlin, Gwen/Arthur, Arthur/Merlin and Gwen/Lancelot.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

*****

Merlin smiled as he watched Gwen sleep. She was squashed beside him in the small, single bed that Merlin had set up in Gaius' back room upon his arrival at Camelot. Yet to Merlin she looked almost regal in the moonlight that glistened softly through the window. She was dreaming peacefully and the thought of waking Gwen from her slumber pained him. However, it would not do for her to be caught sneaking out of Gaius' apartments early in the morning especially when dressed in the same clothes as the day before. He decided though to give her a few more minutes before waking her.

In her dreams, Gwen was a girl again, reliving her carefree days. She was still young now, she thought smiling into the pillow, but six years had passed since she had arrived in Camelot at the tender age of 14. Six years since she had last seen any member of her family. A tear rolled down her cheek but in her sleep she did not notice it or Merlin's hand gently wiping it away. She was playing with her five sisters in her dream in a field just outside the city of her birth. The sun was beating down on them, the sky was fresh and clear. They laughed together, dancing in a circle as their mother watched on.

The tone of the dream shifted, a cold jewelled hand was being extended to her. She was expected to kiss it. Briefly Gwen glanced at her mother standing in front of her. Her mother gave Gwen the smallest of nods and Gwen kissed the jewel on the hand before tilting her head upwards to stare deep into the piercing eyes of her father.

Again the dream changed. She was lying in a grand bed. An arm was lovingly wrapped around her pulling her into a close embrace. She turned over and Gwen gasped as she came face to face with Prince Arthur. Suddenly, she was peering into Arthur's chambers, no longer in his bed. Gwen observed events seemingly from a great distance as she saw Arthur and Merlin move slowly towards each other. They were so close to each other and Gwen felt her breath catch in her throat. She blinked and when she looked at the pair again they were kissing hungrily, their hands roaming over each others' bodies.

Gwen sat up bolt right. Merlin was fast asleep beside her unaware of her sudden movement. She'd been having the same dream about her and Arthur and then him and Merlin for a couple of weeks now. Each time the dream became clearer, more focussed and occasionally a third man was involved, though she was yet to learn his name. To Gwen it seemed almost as if it was not a dream at all but a vision of the future. Indeed all her dreams appeared to incorporate her past and present so it was possible that she was also seeing the future.

In a moment, the thought became ridiculous to Gwen and she tried to forget it. Remembering where she was, she carefully slipped out of bed, pulled on her clothes and quietly escaped Gaius' apartment. She hurriedly headed to her own bedroom, aiming to get some more sleep before waking up early to do Morgana's laundry.

"Gwen!" The cheerful voice of Merlin rang around the courtyard. He raced to catch up with her. Gwen nonchalantly turned to smile at him and then double started. He was smeared with rotten fruit and veg and smelt appalling.

"Having fun in the stocks again I see!" She laughed. Merlin looked so happy for someone who had just been pelted with yesterday's leftovers.

"Oh yes!" He grinned. "Arthur wanted to ride out with Sophia again. I thought I'd made up a believable excuse this time but clearly not," he said pointing to his stained shirt.

At that moment Arthur clattered back into the yard on his trusted steed with Sophia beside him. The two servants were ahead of them laughing and joking, unaware of Arthur's gaze and the twinge of jealousy he had just experienced. He couldn't decide however whether he was jealous that Merlin was talking to Gwen or vice versa. Recently, he had acknowledged feelings for both, but he always attempted to dismiss the feelings he had for Merlin as ones of friendship. Conveniently forgetting the many lusty dreams he seemed to be having about his manservant.

Merlin left Gwen outside Morgana's room. He had planted a kiss on her lips before he left which she hadn't seemed so happy about, though Merlin couldn't blame her. Who in their right mind would want to kiss someone who smelt (and probably tasted) of rotten tomato? As he wandered towards Arthur's room he mused over the dream he'd had the night before. He had fallen asleep after thinking that he should wake Gwen and had found her gone once he had woken again. In his dream Arthur had been king and Merlin was at his side as his most loyal and trusted advisor as the dragon had foretold but he was also fulfilling other requirements which should have been the privilege of his wife, Gwen. However, Gwen seemed much too preoccupied with a dark stranger. Merlin blushed at the thought of what he had witnessed him and Arthur doing. He had often day-dreamed of such a thing but had dismissed it as a passing fancy, a simple crush. He would always remind himself that he had hated Arthur at first and now he was in a loving and rewarding relationship with Gwen, albeit a secretive relationship.

"Oh God Merlin, you really are an idiot!" Arthur groaned as Merlin opened the door and a rotting stench waved in to the room. Arthur's comment brought Merlin right back down to earth and his dirty thoughts evaporated from his mind. "Can you not tell a good lie?"

"Obviously not," Merlin replied trying as hard as he could not to sound annoyed.

"Please go and get washed," Arthur ordered. Merlin had his hand on the door and was about to leave when Arthur turned to him gazing almost tenderly straight into Merlin's eyes, "but thank you for today, you truly are a great friend." When Merlin had left, Arthur sat in his chair facing the window and staring out into the open fields he dreamt of the black haired boy.

As Merlin washed he thought of the first moment that he and Arthur had met and how much they had hated each other. It amused him that now he couldn't wait to spend more time with Arthur. It had been a glorious day when they had first met and first came to blows...

Any comments will be much appreciated. Hopefully more chapters will follow, but I don't have much time to write so it may take a while!