Title: He is Mine

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Chapter Eight:

Merlin tries not to look like a fish out of water as he stares at the Princess of Ergyng. "You're joking, right?" he asks lightly. She had just told him, that she wishes for him to leave this life behind. To leave his home behind, and go with her to Ergyng, where they will then get married, and become the new rulers of Ergyng when King Athrwys steps down.

Princess Ophelia smiles at him and reaches her hand through the bars. "No, Merlin. I would not joke about something like this. Especially not with you."

Merlin stares at her hand, knowing that she means for him to take her hand in his. Slowly, he lifts his hand and takes hers in it. He immediately feels like he's betraying Morgana, and he pulls away quickly, looking up at the Princess. A look of hurt and confusion crosses over her face as she stares back at him. "I… I'm just a servant, your grace." he says as an excuse. "Unworthy of becoming a King, let alone yours." he looks around the dungeons and gestures at his surroundings. "I mean I'm in a dungeon."

The Princess lowers her hand back down to her side and shakes her head at him. "None of that matters to me… When you get out of these cells, we could be together, you and I."

Merlin's thought's immediately turn to Morgana. Her beauty, her brain, her heart, her kindness, her compassion, and her promise. Dear gods, why are two women of royalty and beauty, forcing him to make such hard decisions? One offers something he craves, but knows he can't have because of Camelot's customs and Uther's rule. And the other is offering something other servants would kill for… except, he's not that type of servant. He does not want riches or power. He just wants peace and happiness. And then she also wants him to leave behind his home and the only life he's come to know. To leave behind all the people he cares about. He can't. He just simply cannot leave his home. Gaius, Gwen, Arthur, Gwaine, Leon, and Percival… Morgana. Everyone he loves and cares about is here, save for his mother. Ealdor is even closer to Camelot than it is to Ergyng, which is hundreds upon hundreds of miles away. How could he even think about leaving? Morgana is here. Morgana, who has a wish he told her he would fulfill. A wish that he had just been daydreaming about before Princess Ophelia showed up. He realizes quickly that said Princess is still there, waiting for him to say something. He takes a step back, and looks down at the floor. "I… I'm—,"

"You don't have to answer me right now, Merlin." she says quickly, not wanting him to decline before even thinking about it. She knows from she has gathered that he isn't like most people. "I just wanted you to know that you have a chance to be something more than just a manservant."

Merlin smiles softly at her and nods. "Thank you, your grace."

Princess Ophelia nods and takes a step back. "I have to get back now. My father wishes to go over some important matters with King Uther tonight, and he wants me there."

The manservant nods. "Of course. And thank you… for coming to see me." he feels a weird sense of deja vu at those words. Except, it's a different girl. Not quite the same emotions either, but oddly similar.

"You're welcome." Ophelia says. "And remember to think about what I said." As the Princess waves goodbye and leaves, the manservant sits back down in the center of his cell and stares up at the ceiling. There really is nothing for him to think about. He already knows what he wants.

...

Morgana rehearses in her head a hundred times, what she is to say when she speaks to Uther. She knows it will be difficult to change his mind, but she made a promise to Merlin. And it's a promise she intends to keep. Before that, she consults Arthur. He knows Uther better than anyone, including herself.

She knocks twice on his door before he finally opens it. The first thing she notices, is his disheveled look and dirty clothes. She wrinkles her nose and quirks an eyebrow at him. "You look like crap. Long day?" She asks with a hint of a smile.

Arthur chuckles as he takes a step back and invites her inside. "I kicked out my new servant this morning."

"Why? Is he not a good servant?" She tries not to laugh.

"He talks too much. Asks too many questions. Looks funny."

At this, Morgana actually laughs. "You sure you don't just miss Merlin?"

Arthur scoffs and rolls his eyes, "I do not. Merlin is an idiot half the time."

"And yet you go out of your way to help him when he needs it." She smirks.

The Prince sighs and shakes his head as he sits down at his table. Morgana goes to the window and looks out onto the training grounds. "Merlin..." Arthur trails off as he looks up at her. Morgana turns with a questioning glance. "Your affections for him are obvious."

At this, Morgana casts her eyes to the floor. "I know what you're going to say..." she glances up at him again and sighs. "He's a servant, and I'm your fathers ward. We could never be together... and that may be true, but-" she cuts herself off and moves in closer to him, laying a hand over the one he has on the table. "...look me in the eye and tell me that you've met a man more loyal and noble than him."

Arthur tries and fails several times to try and name someone who fits that description... but the only person he thinks of, is Merlin himself. He looks up at Morgana and shakes his head. "I can't."

Morgana smiles in satisfaction at that.

"But that doesn't mean anything to my father. You know how he is, and how he never changes his mind once it's been made up."

Morgana bites her lip as she moves to sit on the chair beside Arthur's. "That's why I'm here."

Arthur's expression is that of confusion. "Morgana, if you're suggesting that I ask my father to let you marry him, then—,"

"No." Morgana stops him. "I'm not that naive, Arthur… I came here to get some advice on how I can change your father's mind about imprisoning Merlin."

"Oh…" The Prince sighs and shakes his head, "I've already tried repeatedly for the past couple of hours… I don't think there's any changing his mind for the time being."

"Why not?" she's desperate, because she knows she's the reason why Merlin is sitting in a dungeon right now. It was stupid of her to invite him to sleep beside her on his cot. She should've known that her luck would run out.

"That's just how my father is. You know this. He's a politician who believes only in the law and customs of the land. Once he makes a decision about something, there is no changing it."

Morgana thinks about that for a few long moments. She knows he's right. She's deluding herself into thinking that Uther would ever listen to a word she says. But still, she has to try. "I have to try."

The Prince sighs and shakes his head at her, "Morgana, what you're suggesting is dangerous. Theres no telling what my father will do to you and Merlin should you keep pushing this."

"I made a promise to Merlin." She says sternly. "I will not break that promise."

At this, the Prince gives her a sympathetic look. "I understand that he means a lot to you. I understand that you feel like he's the only thing that makes you happy and whole. I understand that you made a promise to him, and you feel like you're doing this for him... but you'll only end up hurting him in the end." He's saddened by the thought that he's so utterly powerless to help his friends. "sometimes, you have to sacrifice your own happiness for the lives of the people you care for."

Morgana does not like what he's saying. But she knows he's right. She thanks the Prince for his time before leaving his chambers and heading towards the King's chambers. Her determination is set. Merlin will be out of the dungeons by tonight.

When she knocks on the King's chambers, his personal manservant opens the door for her. He bows low before asking her if she is in need of assistance. She quickly asks the manservant to give her some privacy with the King, to which the servant looks firstly at Uther for a approval before leaving when Uther nods to him.

"Lady Morgana." Uther says in his usual Uther-like tone. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asks as he rises from his table and goes to greet her.

Morgana tries not to roll her eyes as she hugs him briefly. She waits for him to take his seat before saying exactly why she's there. "Merlin, Your Grace."

Uther rolls his eyes immediately in an unking-like manner. "No." he say immediately.

Morgana glowers, "I haven't even told you why I—,"

"Arthur had already spoken to me several times today about letting his manservant out of the dungeons, Morgana. And like I told him, I will tell you as well. I am not letting him out."

"Why not?" Morgana asks exasperatedly. "Merlin has done nothing wrong!"

Uther glares menacingly at her as he leans forward. "Do you think me a fool, Morgana?"

His ward bites her tongue hard, knowing that her answer to that question would not help her plea for Merlin.

"I know of your affections for that boy."

She doesn't back down, "And is it such a crime for me to care about him a little more than your laws and customs allow?"

"It is!" Uther bellows, rising from his seat and glaring at his ward. "Every decision I make, is for Camelot. We have nothing to gain if I just let you prance along with that manservant."

"His name is Merlin!"

"I don't care what his name is, he's a servant!" Uther shouts over her. "And I forbid you to speak of that boy again. Do so, and alliance or not, I will have him executed in front of you, Arthur, and the party from Ergyng. And they will have you to blame."

She fumes silently, not seeing a way out. Yet, her hope is intact. As long as there is a breath left in her body, she will not stop fighting. As she stands there, staring at the King, she realizes something that breaks her heart. She could never be with Merlin. Not now. And if she tries to go against Uther, Merlin would suffer for it. She thinks back to what Arthur had said, about sacrificing ones happiness for the lives of the people they care for. With those words, she realizes what she must do.

"A deal." She says

Uther regards her with a confused look. "What?"

"We'll make a deal. On your terms... all I ask, is that you release Merlin tonight."

Uther is taken aback by that. "What kind of deal are you proposing?"

"I will do anything. Anything at all... in exchange, you will release Merlin from the dungeons. No harm is to come to him, or our deal is off." She knows what she's risking. Pretty much everything. But for Merlin's life, it is worth it. All of it.

Uther scoffs, "I don't have to make any sort of deal with you, Morgana. I am the King. I can make you do whatever I-"

"You can." Morgana cuts in. "But I will not go willingly. I will fight you with everything I have. I will do everything in my power to delay all your decisions on my behalf. No one will want to come near me, and you will lose more with me than you will ever hope to gain. I promise you that." Morgana says with a powerful confidence she didn't know she possessed. She's practically threatening the king. But she does not care. He can take her deal, or take her fury.

The King stares at his ward with widened eyes. He had never been intimidated by anyone, let alone his own ward. He thought he'd had the upper hand, but now he's not so sure. Deciding to find out his advantages in this deal she plans to make, he asks, "If I let the boy go, you will do exactly as I say?"

She hesitates a beat, and then nods slowly. "Yes… and you must promise to leave him alone."

The King wanted to laugh. "You are really willing to sacrifice everything for one measly serving boy?"

She glares at him as she says, "You wouldn't understand. That serving boy has done more for me in the two years I've known him than you had ever done for me my entire life."

The look on Uther's face fades to anger at that, "I've given you a life that most women can only dream of!"

"I am not most women, Uther!" Morgana says angrily. "Yes, I've lived a privileged life. I've slept on a large, plush bed, and laid my head on soft, feathered pillows. I've eaten food of the best quality, made by the best cooks. I've worn clothes made from fabrics that costs more than some people make in a whole year. I know this!" she shouts, not sure why she's so angry. Perhaps it's because she knows what she's about to lose. "But by the gods, I've been dying inside everyday, yearning for something that gives my life meaning. I've been merely existing for the greater part of my life." tears begin to well up in her eyes, and she swipes angrily at them with the sleeve of her dress.

"And this boy gives your life meaning?" Uther asks confusedly.

"Merlin," she enunciates every letter in his name. "gave me something to look forward to. He gave me hope for freedom. When he speaks to me, he doesn't treat me like I'm your ward. He treats me like a woman. He respects me for who I am as a person instead of what I am to the King and to Camelot. He showed me that compassion and kindness is not a weakness, but a strength…" Morgana goes on, but Uther had stopped listening.

Why does she speak of a servant as if he were a King? I'm the King, and not once did anyone ever speak with such respect and praise for me! He couldn't believe it, but he almost feels… jealous of the boy in the dungeons. A boy who has nothing, is nothing, means nothing, and worth nothing! Even Arthur is fond of the boy, always making up excuses for his servant's odd behaviors. And the Princess of a powerful Kingdom wishes to make the boy her King! A Princess want to marry a servant! And her father is allowing it! Perhaps… maybe there's more to that serving boy than he's letting on. Uther's head begins to spin, so he quickly zones back when Morgana stops talking and looks expectantly at him.

"So do we have a deal?" Morgana asks hopefully.

Uther regards her with a pondering look before getting up and facing her. He has made up his mind. "In three days time, Lord Borin of Mercia will arrive here to court you."

Try as she might, she couldn't keep her face straight. Her jaw drops and her eyes widen in horror, for she knows exactly what the King is about to say.

"You will say yes when he asks for your hand in marriage. You will not show your affections for the serving boy. You will not speak to him. You will forget him and everything he means to you." Uther finalizes. "And I will let your serving boy go."

The confidence she had earlier when she proposed the deal, dwindles down quickly and dies. So many thoughts, fears, and heartbreaking realizations assault her brain in that moment, and she nearly loses her balance as her head begins to spin. Can she really do this? How will she tell Merlin that she sacrificed her single marital status for his freedom? How can she promise herself to a man she barely knows when her heart is already beating for another man? Morgana blinks rapidly several times, trying to pull herself back to the present. As her eyes meet the Kings, she could almost see him smiling. Refusing to back down from him and therefore breaking her promise to Merlin, she nods. "Fine."

Uther nods and smiles broadly. "I'll have the order made to release the boy tonight, and I will not harm a hair on his head. In exchange, you will not speak to him, or be found alone with him again. Finally, you will marry Lord Borin, and you will not be difficult. Should either of us break our word, the deal is off. Are we clear?"

Morgana swallows down the tears, the horror, the fear, the second thoughts, and the disgust she already feels at having to marry a man she has never met. "Yes."

It's done. Her fate is sealed, and Merlin is free. She tries to be happy that she had kept her promise. But she can't. From here on out, her life will be a living hell. Princess Ophelia will have no one standing between her and Merlin. And she… she will have to pretend that she does not care for Merlin. She will have to pretend that she loves another man. She will have to pretend that she is okay. But right now, as she leaves the King's chambers with her heart shattering into a million pieces, she is anything but okay. And she knows that she will continue to be anything but okay, for the rest of her life.

A/N: A whole new set of problems set in for Morgana and Merlin. Up next, Princess Ophelia's big plan begins to form, and Morgana avoids Merlin. I will try to update as soon as possible! Final chapter of "Home" will be posted next! Thank you so much for reading, you guys. I really appreciate the reviews and kind thoughts you guys left behind. Let me know what you think of this chapter!

-McDiggin'It