Doing her best to look enthralled at Uther's story, Morgana let her eyes wander past him to where Merlin and Gwen were standing, waiting on attendance on them at the feast. Merlin was laughing at something Gwen had said and Gwen was gazing at him, longing in her dark eyes; wanting him but too shy to say anything.

Morgana felt her mind wander back to a conversation a few days back.

"My lady, I need some girl advice. I don't know who else I can turn to."

Poor Gwen. Morgana had known she liked Merlin, although he was totally oblivious, and it hadn't surprised her when Gwen came to her for advice.

It was only having Gwen's feelings confirmed that forced Morgana to realise her own feelings. For Merlin.

Merlin. What was it about him that had made both girls attracted to him? Its not like he was the princely type, like his boss; he wasn't charming or athletic or handsome. Well, he was handsome but in a different way. His dark, gawky looks were adorable. His physique was scrawny and a just a little effeminate, where Arthur was muscled and all man. He had a habit for stumbling over his words as well as over everything else; the boy was endearingly clumsy.

He was very sweet, and loyal, and he had shown that he could be brave; although spinelessness seemed to be the mantle he usually wore. He was like a little lost puppy that you just wanted to cuddle. Cute, but completely pathetic.

Morgana knew, from all the times he had comforted her the morning after a nightmare, that his touch was gentle and compassionate. She knew that he meant the concern he voiced for her wellbeing. He was innocent and naïve but sometimes there was something Morgana saw behind his eyes which held untold passion.

Arthur called him forwards and Merlin bent down to refill his master's goblet. Morgana didn't have to look to see the hunger with which Arthur was looking at him, unseen by all but her. She knew how Arthur really felt about his manservant.

Morgana glanced back at Gwen who wasn't even trying to mask the fact that she was checking out Merlin's bottom as he bent over.

"Let him use you."

That had been Morgana's advice. They all knew Merlin was in love with somebody, they just didn't know who. They also knew that Merlin's feelings for this mystery beloved ran so deep that he sometimes had a hard time concentrating.

Morgana had suggested that Gwen enter into a similar arrangement as she, Morgana, had with Arthur. If Gwen let Merlin use her, let him take out his sexual frustrations on her, then as well as having him, there might also be a chance to find out who he was in love with. Of course, Morgana hadn't told Gwen the last bit.

Nor had she told Gwen about her own feelings for the boy. Not even Arthur knew that.

Gwen hadn't liked the idea but Morgana promised to talk her through it and help her. Morgana knew it wasn't easy for the heart to bear it when the person making sweet love to you moaned someone else's name, even if that same heart was yearning for the same owner of the name. But the consolation was that Gwen would at least have him to some degree. She's have to take what she could get.

Gwen had gone to Merlin and offered herself to him as a release, a conversation which was infinitely awkward and painfully stilted, as Gwen told her later. Merlin had appreciated Gwen's concern for him but said that he could handle his feelings; that he had enough self control to prevent any need for a release.

Self control he definitely had. However much they spied on him, followed him, observed him, he never betrayed a single hint as to who the object of his affection was. If the fact hadn't been mercilessly tickled out of him by Gwen you wouldn't know that he was in love at all.

Merlin straightened up and returned to his place beside Gwen, who blushed as he said something to her. Undoubtedly it was something along the lines of what a prat Arthur was, or maybe he knew she had been scoping out his ass and was commenting on it. At any rate, poor Gwen looked mortified. A second later he made Gwen laugh and the blush disappeared.

Perhaps that was the charm about him; he could make anyone laugh. He loved laughing and could turn anything into a joke. He enjoyed seeing people happy, and he didn't care if they were laughing at him or with him. He would have made a good jester if he was a little better at observing others. As a servant he was alert; he knew how to anticipate Arthur's orders and could judge the moods his superiors were in well enough to know when to shut up. But he had no idea, or at least he seemed to have no idea, about how the three of them felt about him.

When Gwen had made her offer she hadn't told him how she felt about him; she just made it seem like it was one thing a best friend would do for another.

There were brains there, and he did know how to use them, even if he didn't show it much. Perhaps he only acted as clumsy as he did; maybe he wasn't actually that thick. Morgana had mused on this before. She sometimes wondered exactly how much he knew about the people around him. There was a slight knowing glint he got in his beautiful eyes sometimes when he looked at his friends which betrayed that just maybe he knew more than he let on.

It was quite frightening really how much he might just know.

Merlin, as though sensing her looking at him, glanced over at Morgana and smiled, straightening his neckerchief.

Nope, it wasn't the cheerfulness or the clumsiness that did it.

It was two things.

That smile.

And that neckerchief.