A/N- Sorry again about this taking so long! I've been sick lately and then I had a bunch of work to do, so yeah. Enjoy this chapter! Some Merthian cuteness, plus the plot thickens!

"It's nice to get away," Mithian commented to Merlin as the couple rode alongside each other behind Arthur and Gwen. The weather was lovely- a beautiful, clear spring day. Camelot was in full bloom and the sun shone on all of her greenery. "Gregor has been watching me constantly ever since we arrived, taking it so far as to sleep in the annex of my room last night." She gave an exasperated sigh. "I understand it, of course, I just wish he would let me have a little more freedom."

"I couldn't agree more," Merlin replied with a sly grin.

She smiled back and gave him a look that let Merlin knew she was up to something. "Care to race?" she asked wily.

He smirked at her thought. "Anytime. I'm the fastest horse riding servant there is."

"So pretty slow then?" she teased.

"Faster than a princess," he quipped back.

"Then by all means." She gestured with her hand, looking Merlin straight in the eyes.

Merlin held her gaze and called forward, "Make way, you two. We're racing!" He didn't even check to see if they'd moved before counting down, "Three…"

Mithian answered back, "Two…"

"One!" And then the pair was off, breaking eye contact at last as they laughed in to the wind rushing across their faces.

Mithian began to pull ahead, shouting over her shoulder. "Come on, Merlin! You're slower than any lady of the court I've seen."

Merlin, for his part, didn't comment, but spurred his horse up, passing Mithian. "How about now, Your Highness?"

"Better," she admitted, "But not good enough!" And with that, Mithian sped up to a neck-break speed, faster than Merlin had ever attempted. But he had one advantage: he knew a shortcut. Turning suddenly into the underbrush, Merlin expertly guided his horse through the thick foliage, arriving at the picnic sight mere seconds before Mithian.

"You cheated!" she accused with a laugh.

Merlin only shrugged and gave his signature grin. "I only used my resources." He started to get off his horse, but his foot got caught in one of the stirrups. Unceremoniously, he fell onto the ground, a heap of gangly limbs.

Laughing in earnest, Mithian dismounted her horse much more gracefully and moved to where Merlin was sitting up. "I'd let you win a thousand times over to see that again."

Merlin blushed and quickly got to his feet, brushing off his clothes. "I'm usually much more graceful than that," he defended with a cough.

"No you aren't," Mithian replied with a grin and quickly kissed his blushing cheek. "Now come on, let's get set up before Arthur and Gwen arrive and Arthur makes you move things again." Merlin chuckled and the pair started to lay out the picnic belongings that had been attached to Merlin's horse.

When Arthur and Gwen arrived, Merlin was in the middle of picking out some flowers for Mithian, prompting Arthur to call out, "When are you ever going to stop being such a girl Merlin?"

Merlin only rolled his eyes in response, but- surprisingly- another voice sprung to Merlin's aid. "I resent that." Mithian was staring at Arthur with a frown on her face, but also with that glint of mischief that Merlin so loved in her eyes.

"Oh really?" Arthur replied with a chuff of laughter, "And what are you going to do about it?"

Mithian only paused for a moment before calmly replying, "A duel. Just you and me, for fun. And for Merlin's honor."

"My honor?" Merlin laughed.

"Merlin's right. He doesn't need a girl defending his so called 'honor'."

"Why afraid you'll lose yours to a princess?" Mithian quipped back, raising her eyebrows and moving a step closer to Arthur.

Arthur smiled and answered her approach with a step of his own. "Not in the slightest."

"You should be." The pair was almost nose-to-nose, royal pride forcing their eye contact to remain constant.

"Merlin," Arthur growled out, "Find some branches. We're going to have a duel."

Merlin groaned.

Mithian smirked. "Perfect."

Soon, a makeshift arena was formed, Gwen and Merlin standing on the edge while each royal blooded contestant had a large branch in his or her hand.

"This is a bad idea," Merlin commented to Gwen, a frown etched on his face.

"Why? I don't think either of them could get hurt."

"It's not them I'm worried about. No matter who loses, I feel like I'm going to be getting the brunt of their anger," he complained.

Gwen opened her mouth to contradict him, but then seemed to consider his words and ended up nodding instead. "Sorry, Merlin."

He sighed and then called out, "You two really don't have to do this," he shifted nervously from foot to foot. "My honor isn't that interesting."

"You're right Merlin," Arthur agreed, "so let's make it more interesting. If I win, you do double chores for a month."

"But-" Merlin started with outrage.

"And if I win, Merlin gets three days off," Mithian added.

"Really, we don't have to-"

"Deal." Then they shook on it and Merlin groaned once again. They were ridiculous, both of them.

"Now, I assume we're following standard dueling rules?" Mithian clarified, brandishing her "sword".

"Of course."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's fight!"

At first it seemed that Arthur would win- as always- but Mithian was holding her own well against the king.

Mithian was agile and slight, a style Arthur was not used to sparring against. And Arthur was- well, Arthur was Arthur Pendragon, probably one of the greatest warriors to ever live.

But he was also the greatest king to ever live, which is why when Mithian cried out in pain from the ground, he quickly ran to her side.

Deftly, she had him unarmed and pinned to the ground. There were no legends made about Mithian's righteousness. "I win," she pronounced brushing herself off and standing up.

Arthur was still gaping from his spot on the ground when Merlin rushed up to Mithian, crying out, "That was amazing!" He hugged Mithian, picking her up and twirling her around. She laughed, her laughter sound like tinkling glass.

"Thank you." And when Merlin set her back down on the ground, she reached up and placed a small kiss on his lips.

From behind Mithian, Arthur cleared his throat. Merlin blushed and awkwardly let her go, while Mithian only smiled and turned to face the king, hand outreached. How she always stayed so poised Merlin could only wonder at. Probably growing up royal helped.

"Wonderful match, my lord."

"It was," Arthur replied, shaking her hand and smirking. He knew she had faked her injury, but was strangely alright with it. (Though truth be told, he had been furious until he saw the look of happiness on his servant's face. Sometimes he forgot how difficult it was to see Merlin that happy. Not that he would admit to thinking about any of it, ever.) "You…" he struggled for the right words, "you fight good."

Mithian gave him a quizzical half-smile and replied, "Thank you."

Then they both burst out laughing.

As the group continued on with their lunch with Merlin wondering how on earth he could spend three days off work, an unknown spectator took on a determinedly unfriendly expression from a short distance away.

While Gregor hadn't been able to hear the conversations, the kiss between his princess and that servant was obvious enough. And the events he had witnessed had given him an idea. A plan in order to protect Mithian from shame was taking shape in his mind as the knight slunk away.

Later that night, Merlin and Mithian were sitting (truthfully, cuddling) on a couch in her room.

"I didn't know you were so skillful with a sword. I don't think I've ever seen Arthur so embarrassed."

"Oh, it was nothing," Mithian said nonchalantly, brushing back a stray hair that only fell right back into her face. "It was fun, winning against the mighty Arthur Pendragon."

Merlin hummed in agreement and brushed back the rebellious strand of hair from her face, leaving his hand placed on the back of her neck. Leaning closer, he moved until their lips brushed slightly against each other, moving slowly against her lips.

Mithian returned the kiss, pressing her hands against Merlin's chest before moving them upward to his shoulders, eventually clasping them behind his neck.

As there kiss deepened, Merlin had never been more happy or content. Too bad that moment would be ruined so quickly.

When there was a knock at the door, Merlin sprang up and broke apart their kiss; a good thing, too, as the man knocking decided to barge in without an answer. Merlin paled considerably when he saw the gruff looking knight standing in the doorway, a calm and dangerous air rolling off of him.

"What is it, Gregor?" Mithian asked, irritated.

"Your highness, I was given the task of keeping you protected in Camelot," Gregor replied in an authoritative tone, "And right now, I fear you are in danger."

The princess stood, huffing in anger, "In danger? Of what?"

"Of losing your honor. I challenge this boy," he pointed to Merlin, "to a duel."

Merlin gulped. This could not end well.

Thoughts?

-princessmelia