Holy crap I am SO sorry for the delay in this update! Thanks to everyone who stayed faithful to this fanfiction. I'm not really sure why I dropped off of writing this – a variety of reasons I guess: I got into a bunch of new fandoms (like Sword Art Online, Suits and ROTG) and got a bit distracted. Also work and school blah blah excuses no but seriously I'm sorry. Oh and ALSO, Merlin friggen ENDED in between this chapter and Chapter 9! HOW SAD WAS THAT?! It was really well done though, and I loved every bit of it. *sniff* Poor Merlin has to wait for 1000 years for Arthur to emerge from the pond.

I haven't planned out or written the next chapter, which will most likely be the last one, but I feel like I've been on a major writing kick lately, so hopefully there won't be such a massive break between this chapter and the next one.

Anyways, here is the lemon you've been waiting for as a reward for the super long hiatus. Again, I got confused with writing the pronouns… Whenever it's written as Merlin's POV, I used masculine identification, and feminine whenever it's from Arthur's. There are a lot of inconsistencies throughout – the main point to remember is that Merlin is still physically a female for this chapter and consequent lemon!

Disclaimer: BBC is the shit and I don't own anything.

Chapter 10

Merlin's lips twitched into a grin as he obeyed Arthur's orders and mounted his horse. For the first time in a long while, maybe since he could remember, Merlin felt at complete peace. He could forget for a moment that in his immediate future his mind would be probed and perhaps taken over by a sorceress, or that he would permanently be stuck in female form (not that he minded – Arthur seemed to prefer him this way). The burden of keeping from Arthur the secret of his magic had been lifted. His heart physically felt lighter. He no longer had to lie or hide his true nature. Of course he couldn't go parading around Camelot, flicking his wrists and performing magic publicly, but all the same, Merlin felt his bond with Arthur was much tighter now that everything was out in the open. Merlin had dreaded Arthur's reaction, and indeed the Prince had reacted as badly as Merlin had assumed he would, but then… he had come back and apologized. And Arthur had hugged him. That action, more than any other, strengthened not only the bond between them, but Merlin's own feelings for the man. Merlin glanced at Arthur, wondering if he was feeling or thinking the same things. On the surface Arthur looked calm and ready to accept Merlin's reality. Merlin broke eye contact. He wasn't quite sure whether he could trust Arthur's sudden acceptance. He tried to stifle the suspicion slowly creeping up his throat, tried not to question Arthur's return or his feelings. Tried not to ruin their companionable silence.

"If we're lucky, we'll reach the Eastern Mountains by nightfall," Arthur said, nodding his head forwards. "Then it'll be up to you to direct us."

Merlin nodded. "I'll probably be able to feel her magic pulling me in the right direction," he said. It felt so surreal, being able to admit something like that to Arthur out loud.

"What will that feel like?" Arthur asked, sounding mystified.

Merlin gave a light shrug. "It feels like – like a pulling sensation in your gut. Like a physical calling, that you can't really ignore. It's actually a bit irritating,"

Arthur quirked an eyebrow. "Do you always feel that? When a sorcerer is near?" Merlin was like a living alarm system!

Merlin shook his head. "No, not always. Only when they have very powerful magic. And if they're somehow masking it to remain hidden, then I can't feel them at all. Which is probably most of the time," Merlin explained. So many sorcerers had entered Camelot's doors without him sensing it. Either that meant they had all been weak, or powerful enough to disguise their magical signatures. He couldn't recall ever have sensed Nimueh's magic when she had infiltrated the kingdom, all that time ago.

"Hm," Arthur muttered. He regarded Merlin with calculating eyes, as if seeing him for the first time. Heck, he was still struggling to accept that this woman riding beside him - this woman he had kissed and held lust for - really was Merlin. "So hopefully this sorceress wants to be found then."

"She'll probably sense me first," Merlin replied. "Its how the Trinket Man found us, no doubt. I haven't learnt yet how to mask my magic."

Arthur's eyebrows furrowed. The Trinket Man, as Merlin had so dubbed him, had said that Merlin's, or Emrys's, magic was unrivalled. The person riding next to him, who was always so clumsy, apparently had stores of untapped magical powers, ready to be explored and harnessed. And Arthur had never known or even suspected it.

Arthur shivered. No, he thought, Merlin was not someone to piss off.

Merlin gave a short laugh. "She probably won't be able to resist the chance to capture the mind of the Great Emrys," he said bitterly, wrapping his Druid title in a slightly sarcastic drawl. Really, he thought, everyone was placing him on such a high pedestal. It was a bit unfair. If he was honest with himself though, Merlin could give himself some credit. It had to have taken a very powerful incantation to change one's gender so convincingly and for such a sustained period. And, he was only on this quest because the counter-spell was in none of Gaius's books. And Gaius had hundreds of books.

Arthur stopped himself from asking if his friend was nervous about facing the sorceress. The Prince was nervous just thinking about Merlin facing her.

The two companions rode in a comfortable silence for the rest of the afternoon, punctuated when Arthur would recall an event or conversation from the past in which he had been confused about the outcome. Merlin would then reveal how he had used his talents in whatever situation they were discussing, and all mysteries were cleared up.

"So then, when we first met – and you said that you could take me apart with less than one blow – you weren't joking," Arthur said, his eyes light at the memory.

Merlin laughed (a novel sound in his new feminine body). "Oh I meant it alright. I wanted to wipe that smirk off your face and teach you a lesson, but obviously I couldn't."

Arthur shook his head and grinned. "I always wondered about the reasoning behind that threat."

Merlin's horse suddenly stopped and whinnied. Its nostrils flared and it became restless, pawing at the ground. Arthur's horse then grew restless too, flicking its head back, almost causing its rider to fall off.

"Woah there, what's the matter with you?" Arthur demanded, trying to reign in his horse.

"Hmm," Merlin closed his eyes, his mouth pulled in a frown and his eyebrows furrowed. He could feel it, the pull of the sorceress. "We're close," he stated. "I can feel it. I can feel her." That means she can feel me too. His skin tingled in response to the magic ebbing in the air.

Arthur struggled to calm his horse. "Alright, alright! You can stay here."

Merlin dismounted from his restless steed. "They can sense her too, and they don't like it." I can't blame them. If Merlin really concentrated, he sensed something a bit off about the magical pull. It beckoned him forth, no doubt, but without a promise of return. Nervousness made his throat dry and his stomach coil. He very much hoped that Tenaya would let them come to her; if she sought him out now, mentally unprepared and still a bit shaken from the day's events, he would not retain his sanity for long.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!"

Merlin rolled his eyes and grinned. He was suddenly extremely glad for Arthur's presence.

"It's getting dark anyways. We should find some food and get some rest," Arthur suggested. He dislodged his cross-bow from the pack on his horse.

"I'll stay here and set up camp," Merlin called after him. Arthur replied with a wave of his hand. He was then swallowed up by the trees.

"Won't be gone long!"

Merlin winced. Arthur had definitely just jinxed himself.

Much to Merlin's immense relief, Arthur came back within about twenty minutes, time in which Merlin had conjured a fire and arranged a make-shift sleeping area.

Arthur made quick work of skinning the two rabbits he had caught. As the cooked over the fire, Arthur stared at Merlin. He was really quite beautiful as a girl. His pale skin seemed to glow in the firelight, as did his blue eyes. His hair fell in long, thick brown waves.

Merlin felt himself blush as Arthur stared. "What?" he mumbled, his eyes locked on the cooking rabbits.

Arthur shrugged and grinned. "You should just stay as a girl, Merlin, the form quite suits you."

Merlin pouted and threw a stick at Arthur, who laughed and caught it.

"Don't be so selfish you prat," Merlin said. "I was quite happy being a man, thanks."

Merlin then gasped, realizing something. "Oh no!"

Arthur was at once at attention, throwing away the stick. "What? What's wrong?"

"I – I didn't bring a change of clothes! For when I change back!"

Arthur's eyelids fell. "Really, Merlin? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Well I can't travel back to Camelot in a man's body dressed as a girl!"

"God, you really are a girl,"

Merlin rolled his eyes at the weak come-back.

"Alright, you can borrow something of mine," the Prince said, pretending to be extremely annoyed at the hardship involved in sharing.

To break the lingering awkward atmosphere, Merlin stooped forward next to the fire to check on the rabbits. "Dinner's ready," he announced, relieved. One's mood, no matter how sour, could always be improved by a good meal.

Arthur "hmmed" in acknowledgement. He didn't take his eyes off of Merlin's body while he prepared the rabbits for eating. It was hypnotizing, the way the fire danced on his pale skin, casting the desirable form of his servant in tantalizing shadows. Arthur wanted Merlin to win against the sorcerer the next day, surely, but he would lying to himself if he wanted Merlin to success in regaining his original masculinity.

"Merlin," Arthur mumbled after a while.

"Hm?"

"How… how confident are you that tomorrow you'll regain your normal body?"

Merlin frowned, reading Arthur's expression. His face was open, conveying much and little at the same time. He seemed though to want an honest answer. Merlin sighed and handed a serving of rabbit to Arthur, mulling over his answer.

"If you would have asked me a few hours ago, right after you'd left, I would have said not very confident." In the corner of his eye he saw Arthur wince, guilt flashing across his face. "But now, I'm feeling a lot better. I think I can win this thing," he said, grinning, his mood lifting. A true spark of hope rose in him, just from hearing himself express confidence, even though he could feel the strong pull of strange magic at his skin.

The Prince nodded and looked down, meeting the fire. His cheeks were lightly stained with a blush and his teeth worried at his bottom lip. "That's good, then," he mumbled.

Merlin frowned, eyebrows furrowing, not understanding Arthur's behaviour. He would eat and wait for Arthur to continue the conversation. In his slight disappointment Arthur as well started his dinner.

After a while, when the fire had flickered down somewhat, and both were full and content, Arthur spoke again.

"Merlin," he said, moving over to sit next to him.

Merlin turned and was slightly caught off-guard at how brilliantly blue Arthur's eyes were with the firelight shining in them. His chest felt slightly tight suddenly.

"Mmhmm?"

Arthur swallowed and his eyes glanced downward at Merlin's legs, covered loosely by her torn dress. Merlin froze as he placed a warm hand on his knee.

Arthur seemed to struggle for the right words for a minute, mouth opening and closing a few times to start a sentence, then shutting closed. His shoulders slumped and he blew out a breath of frustration.

"I've always been crap at this…" he mumbled.

A short giggle fell through of Merlin's lips. He gasped and brought a hand to his mouth, grinning. "Sorry!" He felt very giddy all of a sudden. He definitely wasn't used to the highly variable emotions and hormone levels of his new female body.

Arthur shot him a glare, but kept his hand on Merlin's knee. "Just because it's you, Merlin, I'll let that slide." He sighed again, bringing the tone back down.

Merlin placed a delicate hand on top of Arthur's. He swallowed past a dry throat, finally picking up on what the man was trying to convey, and why Arthur had earlier asked him about his confidence level. "You were always better at wooing girls with actions, not words." His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, almost choking off his words.

Wide blue eyes shot up to his. A furious blush stained Arthur's cheeks. "Uh – I… yeah," he agreed, stammering. "I just – if you're never going to be in this form again- "

"Let's hope so," Merlin snorted quietly.

"Well, I just wanted to… appreciate it fully," Arthur finished, flushing furiously.

Merlin swallowed nervously and looked away from Arthur's piercing eyes. Arthur was trying to seduce him, to maybe even make love to him, but it wasn't with Merlin, it was with his female body. "It's just… it's just this body, right? That you want?"

Unable to stop himself, Arthur's eyes scanned the dimly lit feminine features presented in front of him. Even clothed Merlin's gender switched physique made his heart race. But he had never been attracted to Merlin as a man. He couldn't lie to Merlin. But maybe…

Arthur sighed and dipped his head forward, almost pressing their foreheads together. He gave a gentle squeeze on Merlin's knee. "I can't compare this to anything else. My whole brain is addled. It's true, I've never wanted you before you looked like this," he admitted, gesticulating to her curves. He shrugged. "And I can't say how I'll feel when you change back, but…" Arthur cupped Merlin's cool cheeks in his hands and leaned in close. "I care about you, Merlin. Really, I do."

Merlin gasped, a shaky trembling sigh that fell out of his lips. Tears pricked at his eyes and he laughed shakily, clearing his throat. "D-damn these hormones…" With a trembling finger Merlin wiped away the pooling tears. Hearing Arthur admit he cared about him had been like a sudden warm embrace of his heart. The confession was what Merlin had been secretly wanting to hear for so long. "Thank you," he whispered, grinning. "I can definitely beat Tenaya now."

Arthur snorted. "Good, because I'm never saying something so horribly corny ever again."

And if words could have such an effect on Merlin, then actions would speak even louder to his confidence. Tentatively he wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck, pulling him in closer. "Show me then," he whispered boldly.

Mindful of her injury, Arthur lay Merlin down to lie on her back. They stayed near the fire for illumination and warmth. It was true; Arthur had always been crap at seducing the women in his life, but with the woman in his arms now, it was different. Easy, comfortable. It had been easy before when he hadn't even known her true identity. Holding the knowledge that this raven haired beauty was really his most trusted companion slid all the pieces together. There was no embarrassment, hesitation or awkwardness as he hovered over her. His instincts demanded full attention, promising fulfillment. You belong here.

To Merlin the experience was especially charged. Above him hovered Arthur, his Prince, his fierce friend with whom he shared a strong bond. He couldn't lie to himself; a part of him had always wanted to achieve this level of connection with the man. He almost chuckled to himself at how magically screwing himself over had been the catalyst. It comforted Merlin that Arthur didn't appear nervous or hesitant.

A soft sigh escaped Merlin when their lips touched. He pulled Arthur closer to him, letting the tips of his fingers pull at the blonde hair. Arthur's body was pressed flush with Merlin's. Merlin broke from the kiss and peered down at his chest.

"Never going to get used to that…" His breasts acted as a cushiony barrier between Arthur and himself, instead of two hard chests pressed together.

"Hopefully you won't have to," Arthur murmured before capturing her lips again. He coaxed apart Merlin's lips, pushing his tongue inside her mouth. A soft moan vibrated in her throat and he felt fingers tugging at his hair. He slid both hands up her dress, skirting over her thighs to rest on her full hips. He felt himself grow hard and groaned low in his throat. He broke the kiss to hastily remove his shirts and unbuckle his pants. "Can you…?"

Merlin nodded and sat up to remove his clothing, not taking his eyes off of Arthur's exposed chest. His toned muscles looked golden in the firelight. Undressed and naked before Arthur, Merlin blushed and looked away as Arthur practically drooled.

Arthur wanted to say so many things, like how beautiful she was, what and how he wanted to pleasure her. But again, he had never been the best with communication. Show me… And besides, he didn't trust his voice.

He started by pressing open mouthed kisses to her soft skin. Every kiss summoned a soft whimper, or moan, spurring Arthur on more. He fell between her legs and she hugged him to her. He shifted downwards to kiss her breasts. She shuddered in pleasure.

"I never knew they could be so sensitive," Merlin breathed, voice trembling.

"Mmhmm," Arthur murmured, mouth otherwise occupied. He paid each breast equal amounts of attention, licking and sucking on each nipple until it hardened, leaving Merlin quivering.

Unconsciously Merlin opened his legs wider, letting Arthur settle further into his chest. Arthur's stomach was cool compared to the heat pooling in his groin.

Merlin groaned somewhat impatiently, a burst of lust hitting him, and he tugged Arthur up, crashing their lips together, instantly changing the mood from sensual to sinful. Arthur was more than receptive, groaning loudly as he devoured her mouth, intertwining their tongues.

Arthur bucked his hips against Merlin's groin and she wrapped her legs tightly against his middle. He snapped from the kiss to hastily remove the rest of his clothing, panting.

"Arthur, please," Merlin panted, groaning. He threw his head back and scratched at Arthur's warm skin, urging him forward. It was strange; whereas normally he would be hard as rock, his arousal evident as Arthur's was, now a warm wetness pooled out of his throbbing groin. He had the strangest sensation, a need even, to be filled.

"Y-yeah," Arthur breathed, voice husky. He kissed her as he pushed into her warm heat, swallowing her moan of pleasure and echoing with his own. He had to break away from the kiss just to breathe, turning his head to the side. "Oh… Oh God," he moaned.

Merlin squeezed his eyes shut and tried to breathe through the strange feeling of pleasurable pain. He could feel Arthur hard and hot inside of him, new and foreign and completely unthinkable. His hips twitched involuntarily and he whimpered, on the edge of pain and pleasure.

Arthur rested his weight on his elbows, his face hovering above hers. "Are you okay?" he breathed.

Eyes still closed, Merlin nodded. He let his legs fall from Arthur's back, knees hugging loosely hugging him. "Move," he hissed.

Slowly Arthur began to thrust, pulling out halfway, quickly moving back in. It was unbelievably good and he knew he wouldn't last long. Sweat pooled on his brow from the heat of the fire and his controlled thrusts.

"God Merlin, this feels… you feel amazing," Arthur moaned. His mouth fell open and he gasped as he quickened the pace of his hips, driving into Merlin harder and deeper. The sound of Merlin's moans changed, now more high-pitched and drawn out. Merlin's eyes shot open; with the change of angle every thrust Arthur made sent hot flames of pleasure into Merlin's very core.

Arthur looked at Merlin and his eyes widened. "Gold," he panted. "Your eyes…"

"Yeah," Merlin breathed. His head fell back, hitting the dirt and he moaned. "Oh God, Arthur, harder…" He wrapped his legs around Arthur's backside, locking his ankles together. He met every one of Arthur's thrusts with his own, bucking his hips off the ground.

Arthur gripped her thighs, digging his fingers into the pale flesh, and slammed into her, making her cry out in pleasure. Eyes widening in shock he froze, trembling and whimpering.

"I'm – I'm close," he choked out. His hips twitched against Merlin, no rhythm to his shuddered movements. Only the fact that he was having sex with a female, at the height of her fertility, was in his mind, disregarding the completely unique situation. The Prince of Camelot couldn't just –

"Not going to matter, remember?" Merlin panted, reading Arthur's mind and body language. Now he had even more incentive to change back into a male – to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Not that he wouldn't be absolutely willing to bear Arthur children, but obviously he couldn't because for one thing, he was supposed to be male, two his political position in Camelot was unacceptable for royal offspring, and three, he was a sorcerer.

The message seemed to click and Arthur groaned, thrusting into Merlin with complete abandon. With the few girls he's made love to before he'd always had to pull out just before climaxing. With every thrust Merlin cried out, voice high pitched and choked, head arched back into the ground.

One last hard thrust sent Arthur pitching forward, mouth open in a silent scream as his orgasm erupted through into the wet heat engulfing him. A second later, Merlin let out a long, whine of pleasure, and they both collapsed, limp with post-coital endorphins.

After a few minutes their breathing had returned to normal, if only slightly rough sounding. Arthur leaned back, peeling his slightly sweaty chest off of Merlin's. He laughed slightly; long strands of black hair were strewn about her face, her cheeks were tomato red and her forehead was shiny with sweat. She opened her eyes and all Arthur could think was God Merlin is beautiful. The eyes, though attached to a different body, were the same as when he was a man. Arthur focused all his attention on just looking at those blue eyes, gold having faded away, ignoring the rest of his altered physique.

Yes, he definitely wanted to see that look in Merlin's eyes again.

Gently he pushed away some of the strands of hair from Merlin's flushed face. She pressed a soft kiss to his nose and smiled.

"Thank you Arthur," Merlin whispered. "I'm definitely going to win now."

Arthur smiled and kissed her back. "And I definitely want to do that again."

Merlin blushed. "Now?"

Arthur shook his head, smile fading into a more serious expression. "No, later."

Merlin's heart skipped a beat. "Like, in the morning?"

The blonde's eyes rolled and he shook his head. "Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"But… we can't really…"

Arthur kissed the rest of her sentence away. "We'll figure it out."

Merlin felt like his own happiness was going to choke him. He hugged Arthur close and kissed his neck.

"It'll be your reward for after facing the sorceress," Arthur mumbled.

Merlin laughed. "Oh she has no chance, now."