Hey guys! I know you haven't heard from me in a pretty long time; so sorry about that. This episode is sort of in between ones I'm excited about, so it's harder to motivate myself to write it. But I'm going to try and power through it fast, so keep your eyes open.
Oh! Also! Important thing! I reworked part 1 of this episode, since Gwaine was way too OOC. Please go back and read it before you read this part; it's not too long. Let me know if it's any improvement on how it was before. :)
The next morning Arthur and Guinevere were having breakfast together, so Merlin and Katera both attended them. Merlin enjoyed not having to worry about having things thrown at him, since Arthur wouldn't do anything of that sort while Gwen was present.
Even if she hadn't been there, though, Arthur was too preoccupied to be irritated with his manservant. That evening King Olaf, the ruler of one of the Five Kingdoms, would arrive for a two-week visit, along with a delegation that would include his daughter, Princess Vivian.
Since all of them but Terra understood the context of this, Gwen explained to her, "Vivian and Arthur were both put under a spell several years ago and enchanted to fall in love; one of the other kings was trying to start a war. We broke the enchantment for Arthur, but never for Vivian." She glanced at her husband. "Do you think it might have faded or worn off?"
"My messengers tell me she behaves normally, so that could be the case." Arthur nodded. "But it could also very well be that the spell is dormant, and seeing me again will awaken it."
That was what Merlin had told him earlier after spending most of the previous night researching the subject. He didn't want to say so himself, though, since Terra was unaware of his magic and he most definitely wanted it to stay that way. At the moment, he was crossing his fingers hoping Arthur or Gwen didn't slip up and say something wrong.
"If she's still under the enchantment, I'm concerned for you." Arthur smiled warmly into Gwen's eyes, prompting Merlin and Terra to exchange an oh-please-you're-married-you-don't-need-to-flirt look. "She won't take kindly to my being married. And from what I recall of when I was under that spell, there's no telling what she might do."
"I'll be fine." The queen returned his smile.
Unheeding her reassurance, he continued, "I'd rather like to assign her a guard, but her father won't take kindly to that. But I want someone to be with her at all times to be sure she doesn't run off and do something that could put Gwen in danger or put her father on the defensive. My messengers tell me he's still ridiculously overprotective."
"Maybe Merlin could keep track of her?" Gwen suggested. "He's probably the best person for the job."
The wizard shifted from one foot to another; that was too close to a comment on his abilities for his comfort, given Terra's presence. Arthur was shaking his head, though. "I need somebody who can follow her everywhere without it being strange."
Gwen frowned. "A guard wouldn't be able to do that, anyway."
"Why not have Terra do it?" Merlin suggested. All three of the others' heads turned toward him, so he elaborated, addressing Terra, "Gwen could lend you out to Vivian as a maidservant for the duration of her stay."
Arthur immediately pointed out a flaw in the idea. "There are plenty of servants available, though. It will seem strange for the queen to give hers up when there are dozens of others that could serve Vivian without causing anyone inconvenience."
It was Guinevere who proposed a way to fix that particular issue. "I'll say she's the best servant I've had, and I naturally want nothing but the best for someone as important as Princess Vivian."
"Vivian will like that," Arthur agreed dryly.
"So will her father." Merlin commented. "And you can't go wrong with making Olaf happy, right?"
"Terra would be expected to be with Vivian every moment." The king thought aloud, clearly beginning to like the idea. He glanced at Gwen's maidservant. "Would you be alright with doing this, Katera?"
"It comes with the job, I suppose." She smiled gamely.
"You'd be working longer hours." He warned.
She shrugged. "As long as it's only for the two weeks."
"I'm sure we could arrange some sort of additional pay for going above and beyond your duties." Gwen shot a sidelong glance at her husband.
"That will ensure Vivian's under watch all day." Merlin moved the discussion along. "You'd probably want to post a guard on her overnight, though."
"That wouldn't be too far-fetched." Arthur agreed. "I'll post one for both her and King Olaf so it doesn't seem strange."
Gwen was thinking through the logistics of it all. "This is purely theoretical of course, but what if she tries to climb out a window to get around her guard?"
"We can give her a room with a sealed window." Merlin proposed. "Or a barred one, or something of that sort."
Arthur nodded agreement. After a moment, his expression said that something else had occurred to him. Merlin noticed his eyes catch Gwen's, then flicker from Terra to the door; dismiss Katera.
"Well, that's settled." His wife remarked. "You can have the rest of the day off till Olaf and Vivian arrive tonight, Terra. Merlin will clear up our breakfast; you can be dismissed."
Looking mildly surprised, her servant ducked a bow. That was a quirk of Terra's; she seemed to never have learned to curtsey, as most maidservants did. With a nod to Merlin, she headed for the door.
Waiting until he was sure she was out of earshot, Arthur turned toward Merlin. "Do you think she's going to still be under the enchantment?"
The wizard deliberated carefully before responding, "Some spells fade over time, but love spells are the most potent ones out there. I don't think it's likely to be gone; like I said earlier, it's probably just dormant thanks to prolonged separation from you."
"If that's the case, do you think you can cure her of it?" Arthur questioned.
Merlin grimaced. "The only cure I know of is true love's kiss, and she doesn't have a true love."
"This could still start a war." The king scowled. "You'll have to search for another cure."
"Do you think you being married might affect the spell?" Gwen asked. "Disrupt it, or something?"
Arthur looked to Merlin for an answer. His servant shook his head. "I could be wrong, but as far as I know, she'll just be wildly jealous. She certainly won't give up, though."
"Great." Arthur grunted.
"I'll get Gaius to help me look into possibilities for another cure." Merlin headed for the door.
The king cleared his throat loudly, pulling his dark-haired servant up short. "Aren't you forgetting something, Merlin?"
The wizard turned slowly, his guilty half-grin giving him away. "Am I?"
"You have a table to clear." Arthur informed him. "And since you'll be squirreled away with Gaius for the rest of the day, you're going to have to get my clothes for tonight ready now."
A/N: How am I doing keeping people in character? I haven't watched the show in a while, so I feel like it's getting harder for me to keep them in character and write their dialogue right. Let me know how I'm doing. :)
I'll try to update soon. Please review, even if I've already posted the next part or even finished the episode! Reviews are what motivate me to keep working on it!