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Disclaimer: I don´t own the characters or the series. This is an AU, based on the TV show, with my version of the events ;)

Thanks to Fantasyy-Freak for all the help.

Thoughts are marked /like this/.

* The feast, the witch... the dagger.*

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In the morning, Gaius went to wake her and looked around the room baffled. "Have you seen the state of this room?" he asked.

"Sorry" mumbled Merewyn from under the covers, "I´m not used to cleaning up after myself and this…" she said gesturing to the clothes around the floor "just happens"

Gaius´ mouth twisted in a smile. "Just happens... Like magic?"

Merewyn shrugged.

Gaius shook his head, "Maybe it's time for you to learn to tidy up without magic."

"Maybe" Merewyn was not at all convinced.

"Now, get up" he said, "we have a hectic day ahead of us; I need you to gather some herbs, deliver some medicine to Lady Morgana for her nightmares, clean the main room… but you better start with your room. Oh, and today there is a feast at the court and we´ll get to hear Lady Helen´s beautiful songs. So, hurry up!"

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Much later, a slightly tired princess went to deliver the medicine for Lady Morgana. Merewyn went to the tower, hoping to avoid meeting Arthur at this wing of the castle.

At the entrance of the chambers, Merewyn found the door ajar and went in, looking for Gwen or the Lady.

Thinking that who had entered was Gwen and without turning around, Morgana continued talking and went behind the screen to change her clothes and to the surprise of Merewyn, the Lady asked for her gown.

Merewyn got a little nervous, she didn´t want to scare the Lady if she realized that a strange man was in her chambers…and while she undressed!

The disguised princess quickly looked around and found a beautiful dress on a settee.

She couldn´t help it, and touched the soft garment with yearning, before giving it to the Lady over the screen.

As Morgana turned to her, Merewyn quickly hid behind a cloak, a beautiful blue with silver, soft… she dropped the cloth in a hurry, Lady Helen had gotten angry when she had found her in her chambers and Merewyn didn't want to anger the king´s ward.

She hurried to the door to leave when Morgana asked for help with the dress and the princess panicked, fortunately Gwen came back that instant so Merewyn shrugged, made a few faces at the maid, shoved the vial in her hands and walked away... quickly.

.*

Merewyn decided not to mention the incident to Gaius, so she went to collect the herbs that the physician needed. It wasn´t an easy task as the old man liked to call them by weird names but she had the descriptions of the herbs, which made her job easier.

So the princess brought the herbs to Gaius and was quick to tell him that the job was carried-out incident free.

.*.*.*.

At the feast, to which Merewyn went as Gaius' assistant, she was admiring the décor when she saw Arthur with his friends. Then she noticed Lady Morgana entering and Merewyn couldn´t help but stare at the beautiful dress.

Oblivious to what Gaius was saying, Merewyn continued staring until Gwen got close enough to comment "Beautiful, don´t you think?"

"Oh, yes" breathed Merewyn referring to the wonderful gown.

Gwen tried to engage Merewyn in conversation "Some people were born to be a queen"

The comment was like a stab for Merewyn, who had lost her own kingdom, and she gaped at the maid mumbling "she?"

"I hope so, one day" said a smiling Gwen. "Not that I want to be her. She would have to marry Arthur."

Merewyn had to breathe deeply and clear her throat before saying "I thought you liked the tough-I´ll save the world-kind."

"No," Gwen all but shouted, "I´d like to marry someone more ordinary; someone like you."

Merewyn smiled at that, "Believe me, I´m not ordinary."

Gwen blushed and babbled something about ^you, not you, but ordinary like you^

Merewyn was truly confused at that.

"Thanks" was all she said while glaring at the maid. /weird/ she thought and went back to admiring all the gowns and jewelry of the Ladies present.

.*

Everybody went to their seats as the King arrived, and Lady Helen began to sing.

At first, Merewyn smiled when she saw Arthur nodding in his seat. Thinking that he didn´t liked the song or that he found the music boring.

Then she started to notice that something weird was going on as more and more people started to fall asleep, as if compelled by the singing.

Merewyn, for a second, felt her eyelids drooping heavily and she blinked desperately, shook her head and covered her ears to block the sound of Lady Helen´s voice.

Soon all the court was asleep and Merewyn became even more scared as webs started to cover everybody.

/What kind of enchantment is this? / She thought frantically /and how can I stop it? /

Then Lady Helen pulled out a knife from within the folds of her sleeves… and the straw doll that Merewyn remembered seeing in Lady Helen's room. The doll was wrapped in a small piece of red cloth.

Merewyn remained still and observed the singer as she stabbed the doll and Prince Arthur shuddered in his throne.

As the Lady got ready to stab the doll again Merewyn´s magic focused on stopping the woman and with a golden flash of her eyes, the princess let the big ornate chandelier fall on the sorceress.

As the sorceress was crushed, everyone began to wake and they clambered out of the web-like cocoons trying to understand what had happened and were shocked at the fallen chandelier.

Everybody stared as an old woman, not Lady Helen, tried to emerge without success from under the heavy chandelier.

Merewyn recognized her at once; she was the woman that had sworn revenge against the king, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a son for a son." She had yelled that day at the execution.

/Oh, no/ thought Merewyn turning toward Arthur, the prince was cradling his arm as if hurt. Merewyn´s gaze turned back to the center of the room.

The witch had crawled from under the chandelier badly hurt, and stretched until she reached the small blade that she had dropped earlier.

For a moment Merewyn was glad when the woman couldn´t reach the doll but then the witch threw the knife at the prince.

Instinctively Merewyn slowed time with her magic, reached the prince and pulled him out of the path of the knife.

As they tumbled to the floor, the blade embedded in the throne, the old woman died on the floor, the straw doll turned to ashes and the enchantment on Arthur broke and he jolted a little.

/Ow, my ribs/ though Merewyn; as Arthur was pinning her to the floor she felt his shudder directly on her sore ribs /if they weren´t broken before, surely they are now. /

With the enchantment broken, Arthur quickly got to his feet and looked around tensely.

Merewyn up-righted herself more slowly and discreetly pressed her hand to her head; the place where the prince had hit her with the broom was still tender but at least, after this day´s dive it was not bleeding.

/Uh, oh/ everybody was looking at her. /Has my glamour faltered? / She thought in panic.

Even Arthur was staring at her intensely.

As the King approached, Merewyn was ready to bolt away.

"You saved my boy´s life" stated the King.

Merewyn blinked /What? / She felt so relieved; they weren´t condemning her, or her magic.

She thought that the King mentioned something about a reward and maybe she mumbled something about it not being necessary, but at the moment all she could hear was her own heart thumping frantically until…

"You should be Prince Arthur´s manservant."

/What? / She turned and saw the same surprise she felt, on the prince´s face. Arthur and Merewyn glared at each other with the same desperate look.

"Father?" Arthur whined.

The rest of the people clapped.

She could have sworn that Gaius smiled.

/Why me? / Merewyn thought.

.*.*.

Merewyn was back at Gaius' quarters.

With a sad face she was thinking about what had happened at the court. Even when the old physician approached her, she didn´t appear to acknowledge him.

"Seems you are a hero," stated Gaius.

Merewyn breathed deeply, "Hard to believe, isn´t it?"

The old man looked at her kindly, "No," he said "I knew since you saved my life."

The princess blinked at that "But, I used magic."

Gaius shrugged "and you used it to save Arthur´s life too." He smiled, "We seem to have found its purpose."

/Are you saying…? / Merewyn was looking at the physician with big eyes. "My destiny" she breathed.

"Indeed."

Gaius rummaged within his robes and withdrew a book.

Merewyn was still stuck at her thoughts /was what the dragon said true then? /

"This book," Gaius interrupted her musings "was given to me when I was your age" he said and passed an old, heavy tome to the princess. "You will have to hide it well, though."

"A book of magic?" she asked surprised, "That´s why Hunith said you could help me with my gifts?"

Gaius smiled lightly.

A shout outside the chambers called her´ ^Camelot name^.

Gaius smile widened, "Merlin, your destiny is calling. You better go and find out what he wants."

/I wonder/ thought Merewyn with a light smile as she went out of the room /what are the man-servant duties… He would not expect me to wash his clothes or clean his rooms, would he? /

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*END*

A/N: Hope you liked this story and leave a review. (Please be kind; English is not my first language)

A/N 2: Should I try and do the "Valiant" episode?

Let me know what you think.

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