Author's note: I brought you another chapter! I think you will like this one *smirks evily* and I am letting you know that I have posted a new Merthur fic called Dollhouse. Pairing is Merthur of course and if you want to, go check out. Other than that, peace! I'm going to bed!

Warnings: None

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Pairings: ArthurxMerlin, LancelotxGuinevere, WillxFreya, LeonxMorgana, UtherxYgraine (implied), BalinorxHunith (implied)

Chapter summary: The day of the wedding has arrived and Merlin learns something very interesting about Arthur.

Chapter 12: The almost wedding of the century

(Merlin p.o.v)

"This better work. If it doesn't, we're in so much trouble."

Morgana looked at the potion they were currently concocting, her eyes catching the midday sunlight as they did. "You'd probably lose your head," she commented, pouring more sage into the vial. "And I would probably be grounded. That tends to happen to me when I upset Uther."

"But he'd discover you're a sorceress," Merlin poured blue liquid into the small vial, watching as it turned from green to red. "Then he'd chop you're head off too."

"Must you always be so pessimistic?"

"Someone has to be the realist here."

She rolled her eyes playfully, looking at the book again. "I really like the chapter about hexes," she began, changing the subject. "They seem like good tools for blackmail. And you know how much I love blackmail."

He shivered at the look on her face, knowing full well that when Morgana wants something, Morgana will get it. "I've read over them," he acknowledged. "I used one on Arthur once; he tripped over his own pants."

She cackled gleefully, shaking her head. "Serves him right, him being an arrogant prat sometimes," she sighed. "It's too bad he's marrying that troll."

"You do know why, don't you?"

She looked at him curiously, eyes now narrowed in concern. "Why?" she asked. "What did Uther do? Did he threaten him?"

"Not exactly," he replied, trying to find a good way to put this without her getting angry. "Uther threatened to marry you off to the next lord or count of bachelor status that comes to Camelot."

He winced slightly, watching how her jaw tightened and her eyes grew hard. There was something in her eyes that looked unsettling, almost unnatural. "I'll have to thank Arthur later," she finally said, looking down at the mixture. "For what he did. I always thought he was a selfish, arrogant boy, but by doing this, he's grown up a lot."

"He has," he agreed. "He doesn't seem so thoughtless now. He thought about your wellbeing before saying no to the marriage. And if he thinks something is bothering me he asks instead of pretending that I'm fine."

"He's no little boy anymore, that much is for certain," she placed the mixture into a smaller vial, sealing a corkscrew lid on it. "One of us is going to have to drink this. I'll do it."

"But you could get in trouble!"

"If this fails we're both in trouble!" she snapped sharply, eyes blazing with green fury. "Arthur sacrificed his happiness for mine and I want to repay him by sending the damn troll away. And if you don't like it, then you'll just have to try and stop me."

They stared at each other for several more minutes, challenging the other to say something change the other one's mind. In the end, Merlin only bowed his head, hiding the book back in his satchel. "Fine," he sighed. "But we need to think of a way to get you out of the ceremony."

"I'll pretend to be sick," she volunteered. "I think Gwen can help me pull that off."

"Does she know?"

She paused, shaking her head. "I don't think so, but it's Gwen. She always knows more than she lets on," she placed her hands on her hips, looking a bit prideful of her best friend. "If she does know, or at least has an idea, then she hasn't said anything."

"So she'll help?"

"I think so."

She dashed off with the vial, grinning. "I'll see you at the ceremony then," she smirked, waving the vial a bit. "Hopefully it works."

She danced off, her emerald skirt trailing behind her as she waltzed away. Merlin only sighed, knowing he better head up to Arthur's room before the prince grew angry with him. The walk was quiet for the most part, most of the servants too busy with preparations to say hello to him. Some gave a smile or wave, but other than that, they ignored him. It was a peaceful kind of silence really, as if the world don't know the storm that was about to come. If the plan worked, Arthur would be free and Uther would be furious.

"Oh, Merlin!"

He nearly cringed, hearing Vivian's voice from behind his back. He turned around, giving a bow. "Your highness," he greeted as politely as he could. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, I think so," her voice was so cheerful that he was almost afraid of what she was going to ask. "When Arthur and I are married, I need you to disappear."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," her voice changed, sounding more condescending. Her facial expression had changed too, looking darker and more sinister. "It's enough having to have Morgana live here as well, but that will change when I become Queen. I see the looks you give Arthur and the ones he gives you. It's disgusting and immoral. But since I am pretty much his wife by now, I can't have you interfering. If you're not gone by tomorrow morning, then I will have the guards kill you."

"You can't make me leave!" he glared at her, not even bothering to sound polite. "Arthur and I are bound together. Only he can make me leave."

"Then I'll have to talk to him," she sneered. "And I was thinking about sending Morgana to live in a convent. I think she'd like that."

"No, she wouldn't."

"Well, I better get going," she tossed her golden hair haughtily, her figure walking away towards the top of the stairs. "I would talk about it with Arthur now, but it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. See you later!"

He glared at her retreating back, now feeling like a fool for thinking she was a simple minded bimbo. Perhaps there was more to her than they all gave her credit for, but that didn't matter now. She didn't belong to Arthur, he did. Though, not in the way it sounded. If he wanted his people to live without fear, and if marrying Arthur was the only way to do it, then he would. For the sake of his people, of course.

"Arthur!"

He rushed into the Prince's room, looking around rapidly for the blonde prat of a prince. He found him sitting under his desk in a childish manner, his face making it look like he was pouting. "Arthur," he tried to drag him out of the desk, but Arthur only resisted. "Man, you're heavy."

"Are you implying that I'm fat?"

"I don't know, we might need to get a bigger belt loop pretty soon."

Arthur only glared at him before his eyes returned to glaring holes into the wooden side of the desk. "Can I be sick today?" he asked, though to no one in particular. "I really don't want to get married. And yesterday she was talking about our first night together," the prince shuddered. "She's practically a child!"

"Well unfortunately you can't skip out of it," he reminded the prince. "Morgana's future is counting on it."

"I know," Arthur sighed, banging the back of his head against the wood. "Is it wrong of me to think of my happiness to? I don't even love this girl and Father says that love doesn't matter when it comes to marriage."

"Yet he married your mother out of love," Merlin pointed out. "That makes him a bit of a hypocrite."

"Not helping, Merlin," Arthur crawled out from under the desk, pointing towards the white shirt and white pants that he needed put on. "I typically hate wearing white. This would be one of those occasions. And the fact I am marrying one of the dumbest people in the world."

"It doesn't look bad on you," he smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "I mean, if I had to wear all this white, I would probably look bad. All you have to do is wear it for one evening and then you're done. But maybe you'll at least grow fond of her. I hear that happens in a lot of arranged marriages."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Merlin, I know you're trying to make me feel better and while I appreciate your attempts, they're not working," his eyes hardened, staring straight ahead at the wall. "But I do love Morgana like a sister. So, I'll do this for her."

"That's good thinking, I guess," his stomach churned at the reminder of Vivian's words. Worry nagged at his heart for fear that the plan would backfire and he would be sent away. "Good to keep a positive attitude."

"What is it, Merlin?" the prince asked, now staring directly at him. "Something's wrong. Tell me what it is."

"I ran into Vivian before I got here," he answered, knowing that lying to his friend would not help the situation. "And she said that I had to leave the castle before the next morning."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know," he lied. "I guess she doesn't like me."

Arthur adjusted his collar, now glaring angrily at the wall. "Well we'll just have to see about that," he said, not even caring how defensive he sounded. "She had no right to order my friends around like that. She is not the one who makes decisions around here. Who does she think she is?"

"Your future wife?"

"Shut it, Merlin!"

"She also said something about sending Morgana to live in a convent," he added, remembering that small detail. "And I for one can't see Morgana staying there for very long without causing some sort of trouble."

Arthur turned around, giving him an uncharacteristic smile of encouragement. "Don't worry," he reassured. "I won't let anything happen to Morgana. Or to you, for that matter. Just leave Vivian to me."

Arthur then walked away, his cape billowing behind him majestically as he walked. Merlin stood in the middle of the room dumbly, staring after the prince. A funny lump ran up into his throat, his heart fluttering slightly. "Could it be," he said to himself, trying to process that smile. It was a genuine smile, not a smirk. "That I'm the one Arthur has feelings for?"

It was ludicrous thinking; Arthur liked women, but still. If they were to be married as the dragon and Morgana's visions foretold, wouldn't Arthur have to love him? Arthur was stubborn, he wouldn't get married unless being blackmailed or for the good of his people. The druids weren't his people, so would still marry him?

"She does look beautiful. Don't you think?"

Gwen was standing very close towards him in the back of the room, watching as Vivian was accompanied by her father down the aisle. She smiled brightly at Arthur, who almost cringed at the sight of her. Olaf was practically glaring at Arthur as he handed his daughter to him, looking as if he would rather stake Arthur than allow him to marry his only daughter.

"I suppose," he answered Gwen, not really looking at the blonde haired girl. "I mean, by troll standards she does."

Gwen laughed, playfully nudging him. "Don't be mean," she reprimanded. "Besides, I'm sure Arthur will be able to keep her in line. He's a pretty assertive man."

"If you had to choose, would you marry the troll or send her home packing?"

"But I don't have to and I never will!"

"Ah, you're no fun Gwen."

He glanced towards the closed entrance doors, wondering where Morgana was. Geoffrey had already asked if anyone had any objections to the marriage and she was nowhere to be seen. Granted, he didn't tell her exactly when to show up, but he would have thought she would be here by now. The wedding ceremonies, the ones he had seen anyway, didn't last very long, so she would have to hurry.

"Do you, Prince Arthur Pendragon, take Princess Vivian of North Umbria, to be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and in health, till death do you part? Under the eyes of God, do you promise to be faithful; to cherish and love her for the rest of your life?" Geoffrey asked in all his usual stuffiness and serious tone.

"I do," Arthur answered slowly, looking at Vivian's expectant gaze and at his father's face. "I do."

"And do you, Princess Vivian of North Umbria, take Prince Arthur Pendragon to be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and in health, till death do you part? Under the eyes of God, do you swear to be faithful; to serve your husband and hold him high in your heart for the rest of your life?"

"I do!" Vivian practically squealed. "I do!"

Geoffrey then grabbed white ribbon, which represented faithfulness and purity. He wrapped and tied the ribbon against their wrists, still talking about faithfulness and love. Merlin glanced nervously towards the door. Morgana should have been here by now, and the ceremony would be done in less than five minutes.

"Come on Morgana," he silently urged, swallowing nervously. "Our lives depend on it!"

The doors then flew open, everyone turning their bodies around to see who opened the door. Geoffrey stopped talking, and Arthur and Vivian stood there awkwardly with the ribbon tied between their wrists. A man stepped forward, tall and unbelievably handsome. Merlin had to rub his eyes a few times to get over how attractive this man was. With a strong jawline and silky smooth black hair, he smiled at Vivian. "Lady Vivian, it is I, Sir Malcolm," the man greeted, bowing towards the princess. "I am here to confess my love to you."

Vivian stared at the figure, her eyes slowly becoming bug eyed and dreamy. "Sir Malcolm, is it really you?" she asked, removing the ribbon from her wrist. "I can't believe you're here! In Camelot of all places!"

"Who is he?" Gwen whispered. "I've never seen him around here before?"

"No idea," he lied, relieved that the plan was working. Morgana was a great actor; even better than himself. "But it looks like Vivian knows him."

Olaf tried to stop his daughter, but she pushed past him, rushing towards Morgana, a.k.a, Sir Malcolm. "Oh Sir Malcolm!" she rushed forward to embrace him. "I wish we could be getting married instead! I should have proclaimed my love and fidelity towards you before we arrived here in Camelot!"

"Then let us run away together," Malcolm extended his hand. "Come, my love, let us leave this dreary kingdom and live anew!"

"Yes!" Vivian cried out, running after him like a love sick puppy. "Sir Malcolm, wait up! This dress is really long and heavy!"

She disappeared down the aisle and out of the room, leaving a very confused and dazed Arthur. Uther looked between his confused son and would have been brother-in-law. "What is the meaning of this?" he growled. "Is this some kind of trick?"

"No!" King Olaf protested, looking very lost himself. "I don't know what's gotten over my daughter; she never acts like this. She's such a good hearted and obedient daughter at home."

Merlin almost snorted, but refrained from doing so. The last thing he needed was more attention. Unfortunately, he was the first person Uther singled out. "Druid boy!" he had his guards pull him from the crowd. "You had something to do with this! You used magic on her!"

"No I didn't!" he protested, fighting against the guards. "I don't know how to do love spells! Or whatever it was that sorcerer pulled. I only know how to heal!"

"Liar!"

"Let go of him, Father," Arthur stepped forward, glaring at his father heatedly. "No one touches my druid but me. If he had been doing something sneaky, I would have sensed it. Do you think I wouldn't know how to handle my own druid?"

Uther began to sputter, his face going from a pale pink, to rose pink, and then to red. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE MARRIED TODAY!" he was practically screaming, eyes bulging out like a bug. "THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!"

"Well than blame him," Arthur indicated towards the foreign king. "It's his daughter, after all."

"King Olaf, I demand you fix this at once!" Uther snapped, glaring at his ally. "She's your daughter, have some control over her!"

Gaius stepped forward, his ancient eyes staring towards his bonded one. "King Olaf can't do anything about it, sire," the old man offered. "I believe I have seen a love spell like this before. It can only be broken if the princess is kissed by her true love."

Uther turned to his son. "Arthur, go find her and kiss her!"

"Sire, I said true love. True love takes years and sometimes months to develop. The couple has to spend a lot of time together. Neither Arthur nor Vivian know each other very well. They do not love each other."

"But my daughter talks of Arthur all the time like a love struck girl!"

"There is such a thing called 'puppy love', King Olaf."

Uther groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Arthur, do you or do you not, love Vivian."

"I do not, sire," Arthur answered, looking very relieved. "I tried to, but I do not love her."

"Then that's that," Uther sighed, now in a very foul mood. "The Wedding is called off. You may all return home."

Merlin grinned, feeling Arthur's and his own relief surge through him. He could practically feel Morgana's triumph as she weakly walked into the room, looking very pale and sickly. He knew it was all an act, but the King bought it immediately. Uther rushed towards her as she looked as if she would collapse. "Morgana, what are you doing out of bed?" he asked, holding her weakened frame. "You're unwell!"

"I heard shouting," she began, sounding very sick. "And I didn't want there to be fighting on the prince's special day."

Uther only glared at Olaf, helping his ward stand to her feet. Gwen walked over, taking Morgana from Uther. "I'll take her back to her room," she said softly. "Come along, Morgana."

They headed out, quickly followed by Lancelot and Leon. Uther followed as well, accompanied by King Olaf. "Let's find Vivian and that sorcerer!" he called out. "And we won't stop until we find him or until he is out of Camelot!"

(Later that night)

"I can't believe it; I'm a freed man!" Arthur laughed, flopping on his bed like a child. "I never have to see her face again!"

"Why do you say that? Merlin asked, pouring some wine into a goblet. "They haven't even left the castle yet."

"Because she hasn't met her true love. And with a personality like hers, I doubt she ever will. There's no way Olaf can marry her off now without her being unfaithful to her husband," Arthur grinned shamelessly. "And father won't be asking me to marry her again either."

"Well it's a victory for you, then," he handed him the cup, smiling. "And in my opinion, she was a troll."

Arthur smirked, taking a long sip. "Morgana said the same thing. And I think some of the knights did too. I think Gwaine said she was hot, but he might have been drunk at the time."

"Go figure."

"Hey, but he can fight. It's just too bad he can't be a knight right now. When I become king, that's the first rule that's going to change," Arthur set the cup down, staring up at the ceiling. "But I do wonder something."

Merlin could feel the prince's eyes on him now, so he feigned innocence. "What?"

"Did you have something to do with Vivian's sudden affection for the sorcerer?"

"No," he answered, a little too quickly he soon realized. Arthur was now alert, giving him a long a haughty smirk.

"Merlin."

"I didn't do anything."

"Merlin."

"Honest!"

Arthur stood up, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "I'm not mad at you, Merlin. In fact; I'm rather grateful you stopped the wedding because there was no way I was going to share a bed with her," he patted his shoulder firmly, pulling away. "But if you do something like that again, be more careful. Father would have had you executed if I hadn't stepped in."

"Thanks," he smiled, sort of missing Arthur's arm around his shoulder. "So, are you glad you're single?"

"God yes," Arthur practically danced towards his desk, fiddling with something on it. "Why, are you sad you don't have serve both me and the troll?"

"Of course not," he smirked. "But I bet the person you have feelings for will be happy to know you're on the market again."

"Hm, they might be."

He leaned forward, arms crossed. "You have to tell me who it is," he egged the prince on. "Come on, we're supposed to know everything about each other."

"You'll just have to keep wondering," Arthur didn't look up from his desk. "I'm not saying anything."

"Is it Mithian?"

"Merlin…"

"Elena?"

"Merlin…"

"Could it be Geoffrey?" he was teasing now, but Arthur didn't need to know that.

Arthur whirled around, completely disgusted. "Ew, no! Why would you even say that?"

"Well, is it?"

"You're beginning to annoy me," Arthur warned, now talking through his teeth. "So stop talking."

Merlin only continued on, ignoring the prince's twitching eye. "Is it the head chef of the kitchen, Audrey?"

Arthur slammed whatever he was holding down and Merlin knew he should have shut his mouth ages ago. He stormed over to where he was standing, glaring down at him irritatingly. "Do you really want to know who it is? Will you shut up if I tell you?"

"Yes! I mean, sure! I mean-"

Arthur rolled his eyes, bringing his hands towards his cheeks and pull him closer. Their lips touched and Merlin's eyes went wide. The prince's lips were soft, yet firm, the taste of wine still on them. Arthur pressed them closer together, before releasing him. "There? You happy?"

All Merlin could do was run out the door, leaving a very frustrated Arthur behind him.

Merlin, running away from your problems doesn't solve anything! Yeesh, you think he would have learned that by now. Anyways, review please!