A/N: Ah, so I've finished S4, and I'm ready for S5! Thank you to musicnlyrics!

Anyway, with that said, onward to the chapter! Enjoy!

Merlin was surprised to find Arthur asleep on her the next morning. She wasn't, however, surprised to find that his hand was still firmly planted on one breast and his head on the other. Chuckling to herself, she ran a hand through his blond hair, letting the strands fall through her fingers. It had taken quite a bit of willpower not to run her fingers through his hair, especially when they first met, but eventually, that desire died off. The realization hit her: she could do this as much as she wanted now. With a smile, she ran her fingers through his hair again.

Arthur kept sleeping, every bit of him flush with Merlin. It was almost as if he was making up for lost time, making sure that she was every bit his and no one else's. She didn't mind, save for the fact that he was getting to be very heavy and she would need to get up at some point. Plus, she knew that the room would be chilly and she would miss his body heat. He was an excellent blanket, but not very useful as far as getting work done was concerned.

Finally, she resigned to her fate and admitted defeat in trying to get out of bed. Besides, the servants probably would steer clear from their room until later on in the day, hoping to avoid disturbing the newlyweds.

Newlyweds… now, that was a novel thought.

Merlin's left hand was free from Arthur's domain, so she was able to examine her hand. Expensive jewelry, or any jewelry for that matter, had never been something that Merlin had much experience with. Now, she was the sole proprietor of a gorgeous gold and ruby ring—the Pendragon colors—that marked her status as Arthur's wife and queen.

Her stomach dropped. She was not only a wife, but also a queen. Panic set in, and she started to question herself. Had she made the right choice? Could she honestly do this? Could she be his wife and help him with his kingdom? This was the destiny that Kilgharrah had foretold, urging Merlin to take action to see it through, but now that she was well on her way to doing this, she wasn't sure if she was cut out to fulfill her destiny.

Arthur stirred, his legs and arms squeezing Merlin as he certified that she was, in fact, still there. Her mind stilled as she was brought back to reality. Yes, she could do this. It was how it had always been: Merlin and Arthur. Their partnership was stronger than ever now that they were married, and the longer they were married, the stronger they would be. He had chosen her for this, whether or not he was aware of the destiny. He saw her better than anyone, so if he had faith in her, there was no reason to fret.

Of course, there were many reasons to fret, but the reasons she had were trivial in the grand scheme of things. Merlin couldn't keep second-guessing herself, or she would never achieve anything. She would only hinder her success, and in turn, Arthur's success, failing her friend, husband, and king. She couldn't risk this.

Marriage would take some acquisition, and she would learn how to be a wife and a queen. She already knew how to support Arthur. She was Merlin… Pendragon.

A smile ghosted across her face. After years of being simply Merlin of Ealdor, without any particular surname to claim as her own, she finally had a proper surname. She was now Merlin Pendragon. Merlin Pendragon of Camelot. Queen Merlin of Camelot. Queen Merlin. You would think that she was getting used to the power and status or something.

Arthur stirred in his sleep again, this time rolling off of Merlin enough for her to slip out of bed and get something to eat before he was awake. With bated breath, she waited for Arthur to roll completely off of her so she could leave the bed. Finally, he rolled completely off of her, falling into a rather uncomfortable-looking position on his back, his arms flopped up onto the pillow, looking as if he were pleading for mercy. Merlin's presumption that the room would be cold once he was off of her was correct, but she didn't let that get to her. Instead, she crawled out of bed and pulled the covers over Arthur before she stepped away to pull on her shift and dress herself in a simple dress.

Even though she had told Arthur that she would wear whatever she liked, today, she felt that a dress was more appropriate than men's clothing. She still had a lot of people to win over and she had to prove that she was worthy of the title that Arthur had bequeathed to her through marriage. It would take a while before she would fit the role, at least as far as appearances were concerned, but wearing a dress was probably the best first step.

Dressing took a little longer than expected, but soon, Merlin was out of the room and on her way down to the kitchens. She stepped into the room with a smile on her face, greeted with bows and murmurs of "Your Majesty," or "Ma'am". She knew that it was expected that the staff address her in such a manner, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable. Not even seven months prior, she was among them. Now, she was among one of the highest authorities of the land.

This meant that there was even more pressure for Merlin to keep up with appearances. She needed to stay humble—homage to her roots—and remain very much among the people instead of the nobility. The nobility was now more important in her world, but that didn't mean that it was her entire world. She determined, as she walked through the kitchen, that she would always respect these people. She had always respected them, but now, it was crucial that she never was as abrasive to the staff as Arthur was wont to be.

This would be how she would win over the kingdom. She was just as much a subject to the kingdom as anyone else, no matter her station within the ranks. Not even a day ago, she had been a commoner. How hypocritical of her would it be to suddenly take advantage of her new post and become tyrannical and horrid to be around? How would it look to Arthur if she became some monstrosity simply because she was queen? She would never succumb to such atrocities, but wondered if it was expected of her to become that sort of person now that she was queen.

A thought crossed her mind as she approached the head cook. "Would you be upset if I were to take Arthur's breakfast to him instead of you sending up someone?" she asked.

He looked taken aback. "Take his breakfast yourself?" he inquired.

She nodded. "If it's a problem and the man who usually does it would be offended, of course, I won't. But, if there isn't an issue, I'd like to do this myself. He's not the most pleasant person to be around when he first wakes up," she explained, smiling broadly at the memories she had of waking Arthur up.

The cook thought for a moment before he caught sight of Arthur's new manservant, Otto. "Otto!" the cook shouted.

Otto hurried over to the cook and stood, awaiting his command. "Her Majesty requests that she be able to take His Majesty's breakfast to his room in the mornings. Are you opposed to this?"

Otto glanced over at Merlin and blushed. Merlin had always suspected that Otto, who couldn't have been older than fourteen, fancied her. They had only spoken a matter of maybe forty words to each other during his tenure at the castle, but he seemed decent enough for Arthur's sometimes-absurd demands. "I, uh… no, Ma'am. I am not opposed to this proposal. Would you like for me to have His Majesty's breakfast ready for you to take up to him when you come down in the mornings?"

Merlin nodded and smiled graciously. "I would greatly appreciate that, Otto. Thank you."

He blushed again before he hurried off to prepare Arthur's plate, leaving Merlin and the cook. "Is there anything I can snag before I head up?" she asked him slyly.

The cook, accustomed to Merlin's odd eating habits, nodded and gestured to a plate across the way. "I've set aside some of your favorites," he assured her. "I was going to have Otto take it up to you later, but I suppose you can take it up with His Majesty's plate. I'll have Otto add it to the tray."

"Thank you," Merlin responded before she ventured away from the cook, not wanting to obstruct his work any further.

A few minutes later, Otto approached Merlin with the tray of food. "Send my regards to the king," Otto instructed as he bowed.

"Thank you Otto," Merlin answered.

She left the kitchens, balancing the tray of food without any trouble. It was actually funny how easily she slipped into her old habits. Perhaps knowing the ways of the servants would benefit Merlin in her lessons for being the queen of Camelot.

On her way up to the room, she passed Gwen, who smiled shyly. "Gwen!" Merlin exclaimed as she saw her friend. "How are you?"

Gwen was startled by Merlin's outburst, but quickly recovered. "I'm doing fine, Your Majesty," she answered.

Merlin's face fell. "Gwen… you don't have to call me that."

"Yes, I do, Your Majesty."

"What if I ordered you not to call me that?" Merlin suggested.

"I would defy that order."

"You would?"

This surprised Merlin. Gwen wouldn't defy anything, but when she thought more of it, of course Gwen would defy that sort of order. Gwen was very much committed to the rules, especially rules regarding status. Merlin also wondered if Gwen was feeling alienated considering it was her that people had expected would become Arthur's wife.

In all honesty, Merlin had been among those who had anticipated that Gwen would become Arthur's wife. She felt that Gwen would have made a fine queen; she had the grace and eloquence that Merlin did not have. Gwen had a way of presenting herself to the world that made everyone notice her and respect her, regardless of what her status was within the kingdom. Merlin admired that about Gwen, and part of her felt guilty that she wore Arthur's ring instead of Gwen.

But, Merlin couldn't second-guess herself. Arthur had chosen her for this job, and neither of them could afford to have Merlin second-guessing herself. Merlin needed to be strong.

"Gwen, I would really prefer it if you were to still call me Merlin. Just in private, of course, when it's just the two of us. I need to ease into this, and…"

"I can't do that," Gwen interrupted.

Merlin sighed and gave a disheartened nod. "Of course. I'm sorry I asked," she answered softly before she let herself into Arthur's chambers, still balancing the tray as she did so.

Upon closing the door behind her, Merlin found Arthur's eyes staring at her. "I thought you understood your duties as queen…" he said as soon as he saw the tray in her hands.

She rolled her eyes and set the food down on the table. "Which part?"

"Well, there are a few parts to that, but the one I'm talking about is that you don't have to get my food anymore."

"It's not just your food. I was hungry."

He slid out of bed and searched for his breeches. "How long have you been up?"

Merlin sat down on the bench across from Arthur's usual spot and helped herself to the food she had brought up. "Not too long," she answered before taking a bite of an apple. "You?"

"A few minutes. I didn't realize you had left."

"You didn't? You were asleep on me when I woke up."

Arthur grinned and tucked his tunic into his breeches. "So, how does it feel?" he asked her as he sidled up to the bench and sat down.

"How does what feel?"

"You know… being my wife… being deflowered…"

Her eyebrows flew up upon hearing that, which delighted Arthur. "Do you need to be that crass?" Merlin muttered.

"Crass? You think that's crass?"

She rolled her eyes and chewed her bite of apple thoughtfully. "Our relationship has changed considerably in the last few hours. You've now seen me completely naked, whereas before, you were the only one who had been nude. And considering you appeared to make ample use of my breasts last night, I suggest you respect that, because just as easily as the breasts were there, the breasts can be gone," she warned jokingly.

Arthur gave a melodramatic gasp and clutched at his heart. "Oh no! Not the breasts!" he cried out before grinning at her.

Merlin decided not to acknowledge that she knew that he was staring at the breasts in question, and instead, continued eating her apple. "But, to answer your question, I guess I don't feel all that different."

"I guess that's good," Arthur answered.

"Yes… but I'm a bit concerned."

"Concerned in what sense?"

"The usual concern."

He sighed and glanced up so they were making eye contact. "Merlin… you have to stop with that."

"I know, I know!"

"Why can't you?"

"It's hard!" she whined.

"Not even a full day after we're married, and you're doubting it. Great…" Arthur muttered.

"I'm not doubting us; I'm doubting me!"

"Merlin, we discussed this."

"I'm aware; I remember the conversation. But look at it from my perspective: I'm a commoner, the last person anyone would expect to be in this position, and here I am, in this position. I'm your wife, not even eight months after being dismissed as your manservant. They all look at me differently. All of them! Gwen won't even call me by my name!" she exclaimed, standing up from the table.

She grumbled as her skirts got caught in the legs of the bench and table. Arthur watched her quietly, taking bites of food as she moved away from the table. "Merlin, stop," he finally commanded quietly.

Merlin whipped around and stared at him, her eyes staring to water. She needed to be strong. She really needed to be strong. "Please sit down," he pleaded.

"Arthur, what if I can't do this?"

"Can't be queen?" he asked, trying to clarify her question.

She nodded mutely. Arthur thought for a moment before he set down his utensils and stood up. He approached her and braced his hands on her shoulders. "I won't let you fail. I promise."

"How can you make that promise?" she asked in such a quiet voice, had Arthur not been any farther away, he wouldn't have heard.

"I'm your husband."

"Yes…"

"And it's my job to support you. You don't have to be the only one supporting this marriage. You aren't the only one supporting this marriage."

"But seriously, what happens if we can't make this work?"

"What is the worst thing that could happen? Come on… think about it."

The first worst-case scenario popped into her head almost instantaneously. "You could have me executed."

"After all the times you've saved me? Unlikely."

She hemmed and hawed until she finally came to another scenario. "What if I can't have children?"

"I don't think that will be an issue," Arthur joked until he saw the expression on her face. "Oh."

"I mean, it's a very real possibility that we won't be able to produce an heir. What happens then?"

The thing with Merlin, as Arthur had learned, was that she had a very distinct way of putting things. This was no different. She had a very valid point. What if they couldn't produce an heir?

"Can we worry about that later?" he finally asked, not sure what else would possibly suffice in this situation.

"Sure," she answered softly before padding back over to the table and sitting down.

She really needed to not screw this up.