Notes: Thank you so much for the support...I am trying to update frequently but University is annoyingly good at getting in the way.
Again, I don't own Merlin and all grammar mistakes are mine.
Enjoy!


Merlin finished the apple he started earlier, after Morgana and Gwen pestered him to finish eating.

Morgana rested her head on her hand as she seemed to study him, "So, has my bother explained any of this to you?"

Merlin shook his head, "No, he said that you would be helpful and that I would help advise him."

She sat up, "Oh my, he has certainly left me with a full plate. Well, we better get to work." She stood up and walked towards him, "You are now a member of the Royal Court of Camelot and will soon be one of the rulers here. That means that you will always have the people's gaze on you, especially other omegas. Some will view you as a role model, while most others will be jealous because you are bonded to the prince."

Merlin nervously twisted his hands, "But I didn't choose this, it was out of my control."

Morgana turned and her face was sympathetic, "Which is why you can't let this bother you. They can make all the remarks they want but what really matters is that you have Arthur's heart and full trust."

Merlin felt excitement from her words, "I do, how can you be so sure?"

She smiled sweetly at him, "I have never seen him so happy or go against our father before. You have changed him and that can only be better for the future. Which makes the rest of this incredibly easy, my brother is the hardest to win over and his opinion and approval are nearly the most sought in all of the kingdom. He openly shows that he is in love with you and the people will also love you. All you need to do is show confidence and grace, you make a mistake and it becomes what you meant to do, understand?"

He nodded slowly feeling more nervous as she continued to speak, "We need to get you dressed as if you're the prince's omega."

Merlin stopped eating the roll that they had forced into his hands. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?" he asked looking down at the soft white tunic and brown pants that Arthur had given him last night. He liked these clothes because he could feel as if his alpha was always there with him. He found comfort in this and didn't understand why he even needed to change.

Gwen giggled and Morgana gave him a horrified look, "You are in sleeping clothes! No one should you in that except Arthur or maybe Giaus!"

Merlin blushed and moved to go lay back in the bed. He still felt really overwhelmed and he really just wanted to curl up under the blankets. He didn't want deal with any of this at the moment and without Arthur to help him understand why he needed to. Arthur had made moving here easy and now that he wasn't here, Merlin didn't feel like he belonged anywhere.

As he moved away from them, Morgana's face fell and Gwen looked truly ashamed. They quickly moved forward and Morgana wrapped her arms around him, "Shh..." She said stroking his head and pulling him into her chest.

Merlin thought for a moment about fighting but once her arms were around him he sunk into them and relaxed. They ended up sitting on the bed, Merlin in between the two women. Morgana continued to stroke his hair and ears and Gwen gently brushed his tail. He suddenly felt guilty and shrunk into himself.

Morgana looked at him and her small black ears twitched, "Why did you pull away?"

When he didn't answer she touched his cheek and he couldn't help but lean into it. Then the guilt began to swallow him again and he pulled away quickly.

"Merlin, why do you keep pulling away from us?" Morgana asked him as she tried to use her hands to coax him out again.

Merlin blushed and didn't raise his eyes to her in shame, "I have never felt this comfortable with anyone giving me physical attention until I met Arthur. And that makes sense because we are bonded mates and so I need to feel relaxed around him. But with you and Gwen, I can feel myself relax and I feel guilty because I am betraying Arthur in some way."

Morgana laughed and Gwen hugged him to her saying, "Oh Merlin, you aren't betraying Arthur at all."

He finally looked up, feeling the guilt ease, "I'm not?"

"Of course not," Morgana said going back to stroking his hair and ears. "Omegas are very affectionate creatures and we love to touch and feel. If you had been raised here, you would've been introduced to us very early in life and would've been told of the open door policy." She must have understood his curious head tilt because she continued, "Any omega of the court, has access to any other omega of the court, anytime of day. Except of course if the omega happens to be in heat, then only their mate can access them unless they don't know their mate, then all the available omegas will help them through it. But we do all like to touch and be touched affectionately, especially by our own kind. It is always comforting and I think you being depraved from it has left you yearning and you now can't get enough."

Merlin felt slightly terrified of her answer. He didn't want to find more comfort in his fellow omegas than what he found in his mate. He began to hyperventilate and his world felt like it was crashing in on him again. He could hear Gwen and Morgana trying to calm him but all he was focused on was his world ending. His world began to fade and let himself go.

When he came too he felt a cold wet cloth pressed to his head, he opened his eyes and saw Gwen's concerned face. "How are you feeling?" she asked smiling.

"Fine, I think. I'm sorry I freaked out," he said embarrassed.

She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "It's fine and she didn't mean to freak you out. Morgana forgot that you don't understand the culture that you were born into. She had to go and eat with the King, like she does every evening. Leon came by to take her there, she didn't want to leave until she knew you were okay. I told her that I would sit with you until you came back to us or Arthur came back."

"So Arthur still isn't back?" he asked disappointed.

She shook her head, "He probably had a lot to catch up on since he was gone for so long. Since the meeting probably took all day, he most likely was held to have dinner with the King also."

Merlin felt a shiver pass through his body at the mention of the King and thoughts of yesterday came back up. He tried to shake them off because he wanted to ask Gwen some questions. He knew that she probably wouldn't lie to him and she wouldn't think he was silly, like Morgana probably thought, He gathered his courage and asked, "So will I always prefer other omegas except when I am in heat?"

Gwen's eyes got huge, "Oh God no Merlin, is that why you freaked out?" He nodded and looked down at his hands, "Oh Merlin, had Arthur come in during that he would've killed us for letting you believe that. But no, you will always find more comfort with Arthur, than with a whole room of omegas. Our relationships are completely different, Morgana and I and any other omegas will only feel like a really close sisters to you. We offer comfort but nowhere near the amount a mate does. A call from a distressed omega only calls to their mate, you wouldn't find the least bit of comfort from us in that situation. Your bond with Arthur is so much stronger and different, he is your everything and he is the only thing that you absolutely need to survive. At least that's how I feel about Lance," she finished blushing.

Merlin felt the weight lift off of his chest completely, knowing that he was in no way cheating on Arthur. He curled in towards Gwen and leaned on her, deciding to offer her some comfort after he had probably stressed her out. She picked up his tail and stroked it, as she had before he had passed out on her. They sat like that in comfort until someone knocked at the door.

Soon a man with tanned skin and dark hair and eyes entered. "Lance," Gwen said standing and going to great her alpha. Merlin watched as he kissed her sweetly and he knew that Gwen had indeed told him the truth about the relationships between omegas and how that differed with their alphas.

Gwen pulled away smiling, "I'm sure you've heard that Arthur came back last night with his omega and this Merlin."

The man turned his attention toward Merlin and he felt as if he wanted to submit to whatever this man said but it wasn't as strong as it was with Arthur. He somehow knew that this was how he would feel about all alphas from now on, except his alpha. The man smiled, "It is nice to meet the omega who will one day rule beside Arthur. And yes, I heard it as soon as I entered the lower town. People are curious as to why there hasn't been an announcement or ceremony. But I did come to invite you to dinner with Leon and Morgana, they are holding it for us."

Merlin blushed at the knight's words at first but now he really just wants to have Arthur beside him again. He misses him and the small little gestures that he had now apparently become accustomed to in their short time together.

Gwen turned back towards her alpha, "Wasn't Morgana eating with Uther?"

Lance shrugged, "He sent her away and hasn't seen anyone but Arthur today."

Gwen was about to say something but the door opened again and the older man that saved him the day before came in. "What are you two doing here?" he asked the couple. "Arthur was told that Merlin was to have no visitors and just rest."

Lancelot and Gwen both looked down guiltily, "Sorry Giaus, we were just leaving." The knight said as he ushered the other omega out and she waved goodbye to Merlin.

The man who was apparently named Giaus looked towards him sitting on the bed and Merlin looked down, feeling as if he should be ashamed. Giaus came forward and grabbed onto Merlin's ear, "How do you feel?"

Merlin tried to shake his ear as he thought about it, "I feel confused and tired." He was being honest because he remembered someone saying that this man was a physician.

"Hmm," the man said letting go of his ear. " Are you eating?"

Merlin blushed under his gaze, "Only because Morgana and Gwen pestered me to. I kept telling them I'm not hungry."

The man turned and glared at him, "You must eat! You are already underweight as it is. And no more visitors! You need to settle in here before you can fully start to become part of life here. Just stay here and rest until Arthur or I tell you otherwise. George will bring food here for you and I will make sure that it is lighter for you."

Merlin nodded and settled back into the bed. Giaus looked pleased and then left while saying that he was off to find Arthur.

Merlin curled into the thick blankets and sheets and buried his nose. Arthur's scent calmed him but also made him miss his alpha more. He let out a slight whine and decided to take a nap until he came back.

Suddenly Merlin was awaken by the heavy chamber doors slamming open. He then felt rough hands grab him by his tail and he let out an annoyed whine. He was suddenly faced with the enraged face of the King. He felt like he should go hide under the bed.

"You've enchanted him! I just know it you dirty little magic whore! How dare you try to ensnare him for your own gains. You sorcerers are all the same, you take and take and take! Well you cannot have Athur or this kingdom!" the angry royal screamed as he shook him.

The king loosened his grip and dropped him onto the floor. Merlin was too shocked to brace himself and he felt the bite of pain as his wrist hit the ground. He felt anger boil up inside him, but the shock and fear of the other alpha over powered it. He wanted to use magic to protect him and he went to pull at it from within himself, but it was too far for him to use it. He couldn't get a grasp enough to even shield his face. Merlin wish he could because now the king had resulted to kicking him and stepping on his limbs. He wanted to cry out, but he couldn't even find the strength to do that now. Merlin was in so much pain that he prayed that either the king would stop or just kill him. He laid there and listened to the king's rush of curses and accusations, he even found himself believing what he said was true. He let himself slip into the darkness and welcomed the blissful painlessness.


Arthur spent the rest of the day in his cell and thought about what his life could be like if he and Merlin decided to run away. He saw them having a small hut in Ealdor and himself farming there while Merlin helped his mother with healings. He could see Merlin with child and the kids helping either of them later on. He could just picture how happy and less stressful his life could be and he sighed, because he knew that he wouldn't leave his people unless it was absolutely best for Merlin.

The light changed and Arthur knew that his sister would soon dine with their father, which meant that he would be left here a bit longer. No one had spoken to him all day and he was starting to really miss Merlin. A few times he had thought he felt a pull at his heart, but it soon faded and so did his worry.

He had begun to doze off when someone opened his cell door. He opened his eyes to his father, "So have you decided to come to your senses Arthur? There are many lovely women who would love to be queen beside you."

Arthur sighed, "Father I told you, I love Merlin. He is my bond mate and I will only rule beside him. Stop lying to yourself and accept it. I have found my omega and I don't plan on letting him outof my sight anytime soon."

"Arthur, stop this right now! You do not love that mongrel who calls himself an omega! You are a Pendragon and you will marry a purebred omega from one of our own noble families," the king said pacing the cell.

Arthur was done with this game, he was going to see his Merlin this instant. No matter how much it would hurt his father. He stood and said, "No father you listen, Merlin is my mate and I would be devastated to lose him. You know what that's like, to lose your one true mate, don't make me go through that pain because of you. I would never forgive you."

He saw the veins in his father's face bulge, "I won't have this sorcery!" He rushed out of the cell, with his cape billowing behind him.

The cell door shut in Arthur's face and he punched the wall. Why couldn't his father see past his hate for magic? He looked down and realized that he split his knuckles, Morgana was going to have a field day.

Arthur waited a while longer knowing that dinner would be brought down soon. Sure enough, it was and he rushed the door knocking out the guard. He rushed out of the dungeon and up to the castle halls. He knew that things would be settling for the night and that he shouldn't be stopped.

Arthur finally made it to his rooms and knew that something felt wrong, really wrong. He had felt it running up here but now the feeling was almost suffocating. He pushed open the doors and made a reassuring growl towards his mate. He felt his stomach drop when Merlin didn't answer with his own mewl and he couldn't hear the soft snores that he had grown accustomed to when Merlin slept.


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