A/N: Well, originally this was supposed to be a sweet and fluffy one-shot, but my plot bunny hit after someone said I should make a proper story out of it, so here is the second chapter! But I should say I've never written something so romantic-y before, so if I sound like a sap I do apologise =P

Major spoilers for 3.10 (Queen of Hearts) basically a short summary.

The rating has changed due to adult content, and I mean explicit sex (Merlin/Ariana) but nothing vulgar. I've tried to keep this as tasteful as possible, but it is graphic. If that sort of thing grosses you out, don't read it. Simple as.

For the rest of you, enjoy!

It was common knowledge that magic was forbidden in Camelot and it was the same for certain relationships. Merlin and Ariana had one such relationship, as did Arthur and Gwen.

They'd all recently had to be more alert than before, when they'd first gotten together, due to Morgana making another attempt to over throw the King and claim the throne for herself. The evil witch had convinced Arthur to spend some quality time with Gwen, then proceeded to lead Uther to the place where they lay.

Uther, upon finding Arthur's feeling for the maidservant, banished Gwen from the Kingdom. When Arthur stated that he would leave with her, Uther suspected Gwen had placed him under some kind of enchantment and sentenced her to death. Merlin couldn't let her die, so he used a complicated spell to transform himself into an old man, and posed as a sorcerer. He told Ariana of his plan before he cast the spell.

She was terrified.

"What if you get caught?" She had asked fearfully.

He smiled in response. "That's the point. I need to get caught placing the poultice under Arthur's pillow so that Gwen will be released. Then I'll turn back into myself before they have the chance to kill me."

Ariana hadn't been reassured by this, but Merlin's mind was made up; he wasn't going to sit back and let Gwen die when he knew he could save her.

So Merlin became an old man and managed to get Gwen released. There were complications when he tried to turn himself back to normal, but after Gaius stayed up all night creating a potion for him that would save his life, he returned to normal and no-one knew where the old sorcerer had suddenly vanished to.

Of course, after that, Arthur had told Gwen they'd have to keep their love a secret, acting as if they had been enchanted, and cautioned Ariana and Merlin to do the same. Even though Gwen was alive and no harm had been done due to everyone believing that they were under the influence of a spell, he didn't want something like this happening again. Arthur had almost lost the love of his life, he couldn't risk losing his younger sister and best friend as well.

Months had passed since Merlin had saved Gwen from a terrible fate and both couples were still managing to keep their love a secret. But only just.

On a fine summer's day, Arthur told his Father that he was going hunting alone and that he would be gone for the entire day. Gwen told Morgana that she was needed in the forest; there was an upcoming feast and the kitchen staff were short handed, so they asked everyone who was able to help with the gathering of fruits and vegetables. Morgana, being distracted with thoughts of claiming the throne and how to go abut doing it, believed her story and pardoned her.

Arthur left shortly after the sun rose and Gwen a few hours after that. They met up and sped away on Arthur's horse to a lake that few people knew about. Neither had the intention of doing what they said they'd do. Only Merlin and Ariana knew of their real intentions.

As they watched Arthur ride into the forest from Ariana's bedroom window, they silently wished him and Gwen luck.

Ariana smiled softly and sighed.

"What is it?" Merlin asked, snaking an arm around her waist.

"I just hope they don't get caught."

He smiled. "Arthur's careful. He won't let anything happen, especially not after last time."

She looked at him and returned his smile. They inched closer to one another, their lips almost touching, when a knock at the door caused them to spring apart.

"Come in," Ariana called, her cheeks flushing a pale pink colour. Merlin went to stand near the table in the middle of the room, his hands behind his back.

The door opened. It was Uther.

"Good morning father," Ariana said, smiling.

"My Lord," Merlin said, bowing in respect.

The King nodded at Merlin then turned to face the Princess. "My dear," Uther said. He walked over to her, taking her hands and giving them a light kiss. "I trust you are well?"

"Of course father," she said.

"I was wondering if you cared to join me for a ride this afternoon. The weather is lovely, and I rarely get to spend quality time with you."

Ariana felt her stomach grow heavy, but she held the smile on her face. "I'd like that very much."

Uther beamed. "Excellent. I shall inform the kitchens to pack us some food. We will ride out at noon." He turned to leave the room.

"I shall see you later father," she called after him. As soon as he left the room, her smile disappeared to be replaced with a frown.

"What's the matter?" Merlin asked.

"I was hoping to spend the day with you," she said quietly, a small smile on her lips.

He went to the door and opened it, to make sure no-one was coming, and closed it as soon as he had ascertained that the corridor was deserted. He crossed the room and embraced her softly. She rested her head in crook of his neck and sighed. "It's ok," he told her. "I'll still be here when you get back."

"I know."

"In fact," he lifted her head so she was looking at him, "there is a way we can spend more time together."

Her eyes lit up. "How?"

"Gaius will be leaving tomorrow, for the Yearly Gathering, where physicians meet in one of the outlying villages to discuss illnesses and the various remedies used to cure them. He'll be gone for a few days. I could cook you dinner and we could spend some quality time together."

"It sounds wonderful."

"I know it won't be as nice as your chambers," Merlin said quickly, "but at least there won't be any chance of being disturbed in mine, and I'm sure I could persuade Arthur to let me have the evening off- I don't think he'd mind and-"

Ariana giggled and put a finger to his lips. She thought it was cute whenever Merlin babbled. "It will be perfect. I wouldn't care if we were locked in the dungeon. As long as we're together, that's all that matters."

Merlin smiled his signature goofy grin and kissed her softly. She returned it in earnest, looking forward to tomorrow night when they would have the chance to be alone.

Merlin spent the next day working up enough courage to ask Arthur for the evening off. He wasn't sure if he'd take kindly to the notion of him spending the evening, alone, with his little sister, even if he did approve of their relationship.

After the young warlock had finished most of his chores, and was in the middle of serving Arthur his dinner, the Prince noticed his slight nervousness.

"What's the matter Merlin?" He asked, taking a drink from his goblet, eyeing his servant inquisitively.

Merlin's cheeks flushed slightly. "Nothing," he lied.

Arthur smirked. "I know you better than that, Merlin. What's wrong?"

Merlin shuffled his feet. It's now or never, he thought. "I was wondering," he said quietly, staring at the floor, "if you could give me the rest of the evening off… Sire."

"And why would I do that?" Arthur asked curiously.

Merlin didn't know what to tell him. "Gaius needs me to… catalogue his, er… antidotes."

"Right." Arthur frowned. "I thought Gaius left this morning for the Yearly Gathering?"

"He did," Merlin said quickly. "He asked me to do this a few days ago and… I forgot."

"Not like you," Arthur scoffed playfully. He speared a sausage and took a bite while waiting for Merlin to respond.

"I thought it'd be nice if I did it for when he comes back."

"So you desperately need to catalogue these antidotes?" Arthur asked

"Yes," Merlin said. "Sire."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Merlin said hesitantly, "yes I-I'm sure."

"Hmm." Arthur frowned and took another swig from his goblet. "It's funny, because a little bird told me that you wanted to spend the evening with Ariana."

Merlin swallowed hard. He felt he had to tread carefully. "Who- who told that?"

Arthur smiled. "Ariana did."

"…Oh."

"Merlin, why didn't you just tell me you wanted to spend the evening with her," Arthur said softly, "instead of making up a, frankly, rubbish story about cataloguing antidotes?"

Merlin shrugged slightly. "I didn't know if you'd be… pleased about it, or not."

"Merlin all I care about, is Ariana's happiness," Arthur said gently. "Whenever my sister talks about you, her eyes light up and I can see… I can see you fill her with joy." He gave Merlin a small smile, which Merlin returned. "Go on."

"Sorry?"

Arthur laughed. "I'm giving you the night off, Merlin. Just don't be late with my breakfast tomorrow morning."

Merlin smile turned into a huge grin. "Thank you, Arthur. Thank you so much."

Arthur grinned back. "You'd better not keep my sister waiting."

Merlin laughed softly and bowed before leaving the room. Walking down the corridor, he had to exercise control over the part of him that wanted to leap into the air and whoop with joy.

He still had the grin plastered on his face when he rounded a corner and saw Gwen. "Hi Gwen!" Merlin said cheerily.

She smiled. "You look happy," she said. "What's going on?"

"Arthur's given me the night off!"

Gwen frowned playfully. "Are you sure it was Arthur and not someone posing as him?"

Merlin laughed. "The thought did cross my mind… don't tell him I said that by the way."

"I won't say a word," she said, creating a cross in mid air over her heart. "So why did he give you the night off?"

"So I can spend some time with Ariana."

Gwen's smile dropped slightly, due to concern. "I'm glad for you Merlin, really I am, but I just want you two to be careful."

Merlin knew what she meant. "Don't worry, we're going to have dinner in my chambers. With Gaius gone for a few days, there's no chance of us being disturbed."

Gwen's smile returned fully. "I hope you both have a good evening."

Merlin couldn't help but grin back. "Thanks Gwen. I'd better go and start dinner. See you later!"

"Bye," she called as he started heading off towards home.

When Merlin got back, he decided to clean the place up, but not in the conventional sense. First, he checked there were no passers by in the corridor outside, and then he spoke some choice words of magic. The room was transformed almost instantly- the dust vanished from the floor and work surfaces, any potion bottles that had been aimlessly lying around were returned to their proper places, the table had set itself, with a candle in the middle waiting to be lit, Gaius' bed was made and tucked into a corner of the room, and a fire had started in hearth in the corner of the room, crackling merrily as if it had been burning for hours. Merlin smiled sheepishly as he imagined the look on his guardians face if he could see how he'd just put his talents to use.

Now that the room was clean, Merlin set about making dinner, but not with magic. Having tried and tested magically cooked food a few times before, he knew it never tasted as good as when it was prepared by hand, and he wanted this evening to be perfect.

The time seemed to fly by and soon there was a knock at the door. Merlin straightened his clothes and made sure that everything was on the table. He crossed the room and grabbed the handle before swinging the door open.

"Hi," Ariana said, the sweet smile he loved so much resting on her lips.

He bowed. "My Lady." He moved to the side and bid her entrance. When she was over the threshold, he closed the door and turned to face her.

She was wearing a red silk dress, embroidered with fine swirls of gold- the Pendragon colours. Her blonde hair was pinned back loosely, framing her face perfectly. Ariana giggled and Merlin realised he'd been staring. He shook his head and blushed. They'd been courting for a number of months, but he was still left spellbound by her beauty every time he looked at her.

She stepped closer to him and they embraced, locking their lips together in a romantic kiss. The scent of her skin, perfumed with fragrant oils, made his heart beat frantically against his ribs and caused a hot ripple to quiver through his body. He deepened the kiss, which she was only too happy to reciprocate. He ran his fingers through her locks of golden hair while she ran her hands over his back. His hands trailed down her back and found their way to her hips and were slowly snaking their way round the back, in order to cup her backside. Ariana jumped slightly.

Merlin broke away. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. He brought his hands away from her rear and placed them on her back again. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

She smiled and shook her head. "It wasn't uncomfortable," she told him softly, bringing one of her hands to his face to stroke his cheek. "Just a little… unexpected."

"I won't do it if you don't want me to," he said. But she just smiled and took hold of one of his wrists, pulling it down slowly so it covered her backside again. Merlin blushed slightly. "I guess that answers that then." She giggled softly. Merlin cleared his throat. "Are you hungry?" He asked, gesturing to the table. Ariana saw that the table sported a white sheet and upon it was a mouth-watering looking meal. "I hope you like chicken."

"It looks delicious," she said. He beamed and took her by the hand. He pulled out her chair for her then took his own seat opposite. She smiled. "You're such a gentleman."

"I do try."

Merlin had cooked the chicken to perfection. It was so succulent and tasty, Ariana didn't know why the kitchens hadn't hired him as head chef. The vegetables were crisp and sweet and the potatoes, light and fluffy.

Throughout their meal, they talked about their day. Merlin told her how he had had to help Arthur with target practise, by being the target and moving with a large wooden shield on his back, obviously. Ariana told him how Morgana had been sniffing around again. She'd had her suspicions about Arthur's and Ariana's relationships with Gwen and Merlin for some time, but had never been able to prove anything.

"She's dying to find out Arthur is still seeing Gwen," Ariana said, laying down her cutlery on her empty plate. "She knows how much of a broken man he'd be if Uther killed her."

Merlin nodded. He too had finished his dinner, but still toyed with his chicken bones absentmindedly. He sighed. "I still think that I could have helped her in some way."

"How?"

He shrugged. "Maybe if I'd told her about my magic, she wouldn't have had to turn to Morgause."

Ariana shook her head. "You know you can't do that, not now anyway."

"Yeah," he said, dropping his knife onto his plate. "Anyway, enough of Morgana and how she's going to kill us all in a whirlwind of fire and brimstone," Ariana smiled, as did he, "this evening is for our enjoyment." He stood up and started to gather the dirty dishes.

"That it is," she said. Standing she took the dishes from his hands and put them down. "And enjoyment doesn't involve cleaning plates."

He grinned as she leaned in close for a kiss. When she broke away, he frowned slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just…" She sighed and bowed her head. "I just… I sometimes…" She sighed again, more exasperated as she became more flustered.

He lifted her head so she was looking at him. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"I… have this feeling, inside," she told him quietly. "Whenever I'm with you, I feel it and when you touch me, it intensifies. I didn't know what it was for a while, until I realised…" She laughed nervously and looked away.

"What?" Merlin asked. "What is it?"

She looked back at him. "I realised… I want you to make love to me."

She heard his breath catch and felt his heartbeat quicken in his chest. Her mouth was dry and her own heart was pumping frantically against her ribs. She waited for his response, hoping that her feelings were going to be returned.

He looked deep into her eyes. "Are you sure?" She nodded shyly, smiling her sweet smile, and his mouth split into a cheeky grin. He nodded toward the stairs that led to his bedroom and she nodded again, signifying her consent.

He took her by the hand and led her up the steps, closing the door behind them when they were both inside. They moved closer to the bed before they kissed again. The kisses started slow and gentle, but before long they became hard and feverish, which led to them falling clumsily onto Merlin's small bed, Ariana on top of Merlin. It wasn't long before Ariana realised that they weren't wearing any clothing, but had no memory of getting undressed. She stopped kissing him and blushed.

Merlin grinned sheepishly. "I didn't want to ruin your dress, so I… removed it, with magic," he explained, somewhat breathlessly.

She giggled. "I don't mind," she said. "I don't know how I'd explain a rip in my dress."

She rose to her feet, a little awkwardly due to their entangled limbs, and stood at the side of the bed to sort out her hair. Merlin couldn't help but stare. She looked at him and her already flushed skin reddened.

"Sorry," he muttered, looking down.

"What for?" She asked. He looked up and saw her smiling. "I gave you my heart and soul, now I am giving you my body as well."

He got up and stood beside her, placing his hands on the soft skin of her waist. He leant in and kissed her lips gently, whilst his hands roamed tenderly over her naked body, feeling the curve of her breasts and the smoothness of her backside. Her breath quivered as she moaned with pleasure and deepened the kiss. She put her hands around his back and caressed his skin before moving them downwards. As she pressed her body against his, she felt a stiffness against her stomach. Breaking the kiss, she looked down and saw that he was hardening. She smiled and took his hand, moving to the bed. She lay down wordlessly and opened her legs. Merlin climbed on top of her, his hard member gliding close to her entrance.

Before he entered, he looked into her eyes once again. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" He asked.

She knew he only wanted what was best for her, but this is what she had wanted for a long time. She nodded. "I've never been so sure of anything in my life, Merlin," she told him breathlessly. "Make love to me. Make me feel complete."

He smiled and kissed her softly before pushing himself into her wet heat. They both gasped as pleasure wracked their bodies simultaneously. When they had become used to each other, he started thrusting gently in and out of her. She felt his every movement, felt how he seemed to touch some sort of secret spot inside her every time he thrust in, causing her muscles to quiver, giving her a feeling of euphoria. She gasped as this feeling became more and more intense, until she felt as if every nerve in her body was on the brink of exploding.

"Stop!" She managed to gasp.

Merlin stopped immediately. "What is it? Did I hurt you? What's wrong?" He was worried.

Ariana gasped for breath and shook her head. "You didn't hurt me," she told him. "I just… this feeling just came over me."

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No!" She squeaked. He laughed softly. She smiled. "Don't stop… please, don't stop."

"Ok," he whispered.

He kissed her again and continued to slide in and out, a little slower. But as Ariana became close to the same point of euphoria, she began to writhe with him, causing his thrusts to quicken. Again, she felt her nerves tingle and her muscles quiver. She gasped loudly, which caused Merlin to stop again.

A worried frown was creasing his brow. "Are you sure you're ok?" He asked. His face was red and dripping with sweat and his arms were trembling with the effort of keeping his body from crushing her.

"Yes," she breathed. "That feeling came over me again."

His frowned deepened. "Was it good or bad?"

"…Good."

He seemed uncertain. "Are you sure you don't want me to stop?"

She smiled and placed a and on his cheek. "I'm sure," she whispered. He still seemed a little reluctant, but after a few kisses from Ariana, he was thrusting in and out of her once more.

It didn't take long, this time, for her to reach the elusive state of ecstasy. Merlin was sliding in deeper and deeper with every thrust and hitting that sweet spot harder every time. All of a sudden, her muscles tensed and an immense wave of pleasure flooded her entire body. She gasped as muscle spasms made her body twitch, adding to her pleasure. Then she felt a heat spreading through her and, upon hearing Merlin's groan, guessed that he had just experienced the same feeling of ecstasy and relief, causing him to spill his seed inside her.

She looked at Merlin and kissed him lightly. "I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her back, but then broke away laughing softly.

She smiled curiously. "What's so funny?"

"My head is touching the ceiling."

She started laughing too. "Why did you do that?" She asked. Maybe he couldn't control his magic, she thought giddily.

He shook his head. "That wasn't me."

Her smile faltered slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't make the bed levitate," he said gently, "you did."

She gasped in shock. Suddenly, the bed dropped from where it was hanging in mid air, but stopped just before it crashed to the ground and floated down gently.

"That-that couldn't have been me… could it?" Ariana asked shakily.

"I saw your eyes," he told her softly. "They changed colour." He groaned quietly as he pulled himself, now flaccid, out of her and sat on the bed.

She sat up with his sheet lightly covering her modesty. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "It was you who floated us up there and you who brought the bed down, but I managed to stop it before we crashed to the floor." Ariana looked dumbfounded. But Merlin simply smiled and placed a hand on hers. "You have magic."

She found herself grinning. "I have magic." But a soon as it had appeared, the smile had vanished, to be replaced with a look of fear. "What if my Father finds out?"

Merlin moved closer to her and cupped her face in his hands. "He won't," he told her. "We've managed to keep our relationship a secret haven't we?" She nodded. "I will never let anything happen to you. Never."

She took hold of his hands and smiled. Ariana laughed. "I have magic." He smiled. "Will you teach me?"

He looked a little taken aback. "What?"

"It's ok if you don't, I'm sure-"

"No," he interrupted, "no, it's not that I don't want to. It's just… I've always been the student, never the teacher."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

"Indeed there is," he said smiling. Merlin leaned closer to Ariana and kissed her lips softly.

Even though Ariana had just discovered her magical talent, and the threat of death that now hung over her, she had never felt as safe as she did right now, in Merlins arms.

Please tell me what you think =)