"I knew she was no good, the moment I laid eyes on her!" Gwen fumed, furiously stabbing the piece of fabric in her hands with the needle.
She and Merlin were in Morgana's chambers, sitting on her bed with all the sewing equipment at hand. She was supposed to teach him how to properly patch up the holes in Nimueh's dresses, but so far he'd only learned how to roughly sew one side of fabric to another. Morgana sat at her desk nearby, writing in her journal and listening distantly to their conversation.
"The way she said it, all this was Uther's plan," Merlin told her. His shoulders were slumped defeatedly and every other stitch he made in the fabric stabbed his fingers raw. He'd hardly gotten any sleep the previous night and he'd been risking magic to help him with chores all morning. "She and Arthur don't have a choice…"
"She could have refused!" Gwen nearly shouted, forgetting her volume. "She could have said no to marrying a total stranger who she knows nothing about! This must be about the crown, it has to be. It's such an enormous wedding present, she wouldn't care who gets hurt by accepting."
"Or maybe she had no choice in the matter," Morgana piped up. "You forget that being a woman in a seat of power often means being stripped of rights that average citizens get to enjoy."
Gwen pursed her lips and continued to glare at her sewing. Merlin couldn't tell if her sudden anger was because Morgana had spoken against her or because she was sticking up for Nimueh. Either way, he could sense an uncomfortable silence that he didn't want to be a part of.
"So if Uther wanted you to marry Arthur, you would have to?" he asked.
"Yes, I would, but thank god I'm not," she laughed. "Arranged marriages like these one are made for specific reasons. Nimueh's home is filled with young noble men that Arthur could make into knights. That might be one of the reasons for this marriage. Plus, her mother was always a strong, smart woman so if Nimueh's anything like her, she'll handle the crown quite nicely."
"But what about you?" Merlin asked. "Wouldn't you have made just as brilliant a queen as she? And you're also from a noble family."
"That's sweet, Merlin," Morgana said, smiling at him kindly. "But I would never want to be married to Arthur. He's always been like a brother to me and for him to be anything more…just feels wrong, you know? Well, I suppose you don't know, but you understand?"
"Yes, I do," Merlin nodded, smiling at her. She'd just proven that she was aware of his feelings for Arthur, yet she still approved of him. "Morgana, how do you expect Arthur to react to this when he finds out?"
She was silent for a moment, obviously pitying him for the situation. "I suppose he'll fight Uther on it, being as thick headed as he is. Uther will make him spend a week in the stalks and even still, he'll fight it. Then Uther will begin to suspect second motives for his defiance, which will put you in more danger than ever if he finds out. But he will not rest until Arthur and Nimueh are bound. After that, I suppose he'll always be a prying eye in the relationship, making sure he treats her accordingly and always demanding grandchildren…"
She stopped when she noticed how quiet Merlin had become. He realized that Arthur had his future laid out in front of him as it had been from the moment he was born. A small fling with his servant was nothing compared to his great destiny as the future king. Gwen's hand was suddenly in his, soothing compared to the intense pain the needles had inflicted upon him.
"There is always hope, Merlin," she quietly, but surely. Merlin nodded and smiled gratefully at her, then at Morgana who was watching Gwen with a sad sort of confusion.
"Right…just wait for Arthur to come home," Merlin said. "He'll know what to do."
"You have so much faith in him," Morgana said admirably. "I can't imagine what he's done to deserve it."
"He's been good to me," Merlin sighed contently. "Always so gentle and kind. In the short time I've been here, it already seems as though he knows me better than I know myself. It's a good feeling…not having the weight of your own life on your own shoulders, but in somebody you trust."
"It sounds wonderful," Gwen said, then suddenly the room was completely silent. Merlin frowned and looked back and forth between the two girls. There were just certain creatures he wasn't meant to understand.
There was a loud knock at the door and Morgana allowed it to be opened by the guard outside. Nimueh stood with him looking slightly annoyed, though completely innocent.
"Merlin, there you are!" she said, rolling her eyes as she strolled into Morgana's room. "I've been looking for you forever! Elena's returned and you'll need to show her a place to stay. Also, I asked you to patch up a dress for me this morning; I was hoping you could hurry it up because I plan to wear it to dinner tonight."
"The red one with gold stitching?" Morgana asked, looking over at her bed where Merlin and Gwen sat among the mass pile of fabrics. "It's very pretty. I suppose I could wear something blue and we won't clash."
"Color coordinating dinner attire?" Nimueh giggled, delicately covering her smile with one hand. "Everything here is so sophisticated, I guess I'll have to get used to it."
"Merlin, perhaps I should help you with Elena's room," Gwen mumbled quietly as Merlin stood up, gathering his things.
"Um, sure, if you'd like," Merlin nodded. Gwen quickly picked up the rest of the sewing material and straightened out Morgana's blankets before leaving the room, Merlin close at her heels.
That night at dinner, Merlin and Gwen didn't say much. They were both watching the conversation too intently. Merlin was focused on Nimueh, watching her every move and purposefully trying to find every little thing wrong with her which she made honestly difficult. Gwen was watching Morgana who was perfectly at ease, laughing away as though she didn't know her best friend was shooting daggers with her eyes. Elena had joined them all at the table, looking much more elegant without her riding clothes. Though nobody noticed, she took inventory of everybody in the room and their strange behavior.
"Ladies, I must say, this has been one of the most enjoyable evenings in this room that I can remember," Uther said, still laughing with an unusually natural smile on his face. "But really, we should discuss serious matters as some point. My son will be returning home in just two days and there are arrangements to be made."
"The wedding, of course!" Nimueh said, grinning.
"Yes, now Morgana, I must ask you not to say anything to him when he comes home," Uther said, calming down slightly. "I'd like to be the one to tell him. As pleasant as this occasion is, he may take it as a bit of a shock."
"Are you certain that he'll be entirely…cooperative with all this?" Morgana asked. It was plain to see that she was trying not to show how against it she was, but Nimueh and Uther both looked at her suspiciously for a moment. Under the pressure, her eyes barely flitted up to Merlin, then quickly found her plate. "I just mean that you know how stubborn he can be…"
"I don't see why he would be," Uther said, all amusement from the previous conversation gone. "He's never expressed much of an interest in love before and Nimueh is a very beautiful girl; he'll have no objections."
"My lord, if you don't mind me saying, I'm nervous about all this," Nimueh admitted and everybody in the room suddenly looked up at her. "I myself haven't been one for romance or anything, but I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with Arthur and I hardly know anything about him. Not that I'm declining your most gracious offer…but I'm only questioning myself in this."
"My dear, do not worry," Uther said kindly, taking her hand. "Your parents and I have spoken often about the two of you and if we didn't think you weren't a decent match, we would have never planned this. You'll have your whole life to become familiar with Arthur and I have no doubt that you will become at least the best of friends in no time. Together, you will be wonderful rulers of Camelot in my place. Who knows, you may even surpass me and become a legendary queen."
Nimueh smiled shyly, a light blush on her cheeks. Merlin felt a hand grasp his and he looked up at Gwen gratefully. She gave him a look as though she was trying to assure his faith in Arthur, but there was sickening feeling in Merlin's gut that said there was no way of resolving the issue without somebody getting hurt.
"Now, let your mind be at ease," Uther said, looking up cheerfully. "The date is set and the wedding planners are coming next week. Everything is coming together swimmingly."
Merlin took a deep breath to calm himself, but there was a sudden pain in his chest as the magic he'd given to Arthur was activated. White hot pain blinded his eyes and the world spun out of control. He felt his body begin to fall and his hand slipped away from Gwen's, then he was lost.
A/N: Review pretty please? They make me giggle like the Pillsbury Dough Boy.