I was lying in bed comfortingly when I felt the bed move. I smiled and opened my eyes to see Arthur staring at me.

"What?" I asked him.

"I'm just gazing at the most beautiful woman in all the kingdoms." He told me smiling.

"I'm sure all men think that of their wives." I told him rolling so I was on my back verses my stomach. "Especially while they are pregnant with their first born."

"Is laying on your stomach good for him?" he asked me and my smile grew at his wording.

"Him?" I asked.

"Of course." He said getting up and going to his clothes Merlin had left out. Merlin had told us he was going to be helping Gaius this morning so we were on our own. Well, Arthur was on his own; I had Amanda.

"What makes you so sure?" I asked him.

"We'll see." He told me. I got out of bed and grabbed a robe before I went to my clothes and looked through them for a good dress for the day. "Where is your maid? Shouldn't she be here by now?" he asked me.

"Don't start with her tardiness." I told him. "I happen to like Amanda."

"She's late. It's the sign of a bad servant." He told me and I smiled at him, pulling out a purple dress with a gold and purple belt that would tie around the waist and trail down the front. The sleeves were solid until the middle of the upper arm where they fell sheer and bell slightly at the elbow. There was gold trimming crossing along where the two fabrics met on the sleeves. I laid it out on the bed and sat at one of the two desks that now occupied the room.

"She's not a bad servant just because she's late. Perhaps something happened with her family that made her this late." I suggested but he just gave me a disbelieving look. Just then she walked in looking as though she had been running.

"Amanda, what's the matter?" I asked her.

"I'm so sorry, Prince Arthur, Princess Elizabeth. I was doing some early morning shopping for my family and time escaped me." She told us and I smiled slightly to Arthur, winning the conversation we'd had not moments before.

"It's alright Amanda. We understand." I told her turning my smile to her. I stood and she helped me dress before she began her daily chores and Arthur and I left our room to begin our day.

"When are we going to tell everyone else about our happy news?" he asked me quietly.

"We must tell your father and my brothers first. We must come up with a way to tell them before telling everyone else." I reminded him of my choice.

"I know but how will we tell them?" he asked me.

"Well, Michael will have to be sent a letter unless he decides for a visit so that just leaves Uther and Merlin." I told him.

"Merlin will be easy enough. We can tell him at dinner one night." He told me and I gave him a small look. "What?"

"Like it or not, I still consider Merlin my brother. He deserves more than just a brief mention." I told him and he sighed. "We should tell them together." I said smiling at him.

"Together? Like having them sit in the same room?" he asked me.

"Not sitting, when we tell Uther we should be at dinner with him and Merlin present." I corrected him.

"And what of Morgana?" he asked me.

"Well at a dinner where we are all to dine with Uther then she will be told as well." I told him with a smile.

"You could charm anyone with that smile." He told me pulling me to him by my hand and wrapping his arms around me.

"It's a good thing I know how to aim then." I said, my smile growing. We kissed gently before going about our normal morning duties.


I was walking back to my chambers when I was grabbed around my waist and spinning me around. I yelped in surprise before laughing. I turned and saw Arthur smiling at me before kissing him.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"Looking for you and hoping for some time with my wife." He told me.

"Then you better go and find her and ask." I told him smiling.

"You are very close to her so I thought you might know her answer." He said making me laugh.

"Time together would be wonderful." I told him. When we went inside our room we found it a mess. My mouth fell open in shock and we walked inside the room to see Merlin looking under the bed for something. Arthur cleared his throat to draw his attention and he stared up at us, surprised to see us.

"Merlin. I really hope, for your sake, you have a good explanation for this." Arthur said to him.

"I...do have a good explanation. I'm spring cleaning." Merlin said after a moment standing.

"Spring cleaning?" I asked him giving him a look that he knew meant I didn't believe him.

"It isn't spring, and it certainly isn't clean." Arthur noted.

"That's because I've only just started. Yeah, you wait until I've finished. You'll be able to eat your dinner off the floor. Not that you want to." Merlin told us. Suddenly we heard something behind us. I turned and saw no one.

"What was that?" Arthur asked.

"Why don't I go and see, and you can make yourselves comfortable." Merlin said before disappearing from our chambers.

"Is he acting more odd than usual or is it just me?" I asked him.

"He's always acting odd. That's nothing new." He said and I hit his arm lightly.


Arthur and I were walking in the gardens when one of the servants came up to us.

"Prince Arthur, Princess Elizabeth. King Uther is requesting your presence." She told us before walking away.

"Why is your father sending someone for us?" I asked him.

"I don't know." He told me. We walked to his chambers and walked in to see him with his hand on the back of his head. "You wished to see us father?" Uther turned to us and we were stunned into silence. All of his hair was gone from his head. He looked angrily at us, daring us to laugh or say anything about his condition.

"Bring Gaius." Was all he said.

"I'll go get him." Arthur said leaving.

"Would you like me to stay here?" I asked him. He nodded before going behind the screen. I sat in his room and waited for Arthur to arrive with Gaius. The silence between Uther and myself was awkward at first as I tried thinking of something to talk about.

"How are you and Arthur?" he asked me and I looked at the screen slightly shocked.

"We are well." I told him.

"You both seem to be very happy together. I could not have asked for a better wife for my son." He said and I smiled.

"Nor I a better husband. Arthur is truly one of a kind." I told him. "You raised him well."

"I hope when the two of you have children, you can raise them better together than I could alone." He told me and I placed my hand on my stomach with a fond smile.

"We can only do as well as our parents teach us alone, but with our families we can do even better." I said.

"You truly are wise beyond your years, Elizabeth. It's a rare gift." He told me.

"Thank you." I said as Arthur walked into the chambers with Gaius and Merlin on his heels.

"Father?" Arthur called out and I pointed to the screen.

"I'm behind the screen." Uther called out. We all went behind the screen to find Uther hunched down in a chair behind his changing screen with his arms crossed.


"Only an enchantment could cause Uther to lose his hair like that." Gaius told Merlin and myself as we walked down the corridor. "I've no doubt the goblin is to blame. We must catch it before it does any real damage."

"Goblin?" I asked him.

"A magical creature your idiot brother let free on the castle." Gaius told me and I nodded. Now it started to make sense. Suddenly Merlin started laughing.

"Did you see Uther's face?"

"Merlin, what do you think Uther will do to the person responsible for releasing the goblin?" Gaius asked him and Merlin quickly sobered up.

"We need to catch it. How do we do that?" Merlin asked quickly.

"We need to set a trap. And for that we need gold, and plenty of it." Gaius told us.

"It's a good thing we know where to find some then." I told them smiling.


That night I laid in bed next to Arthur as Merlin reached under the bed and pulled out a chest filled to the brim with gold. He opened the chest and nodded to me before Arthur rolled over and wrapped his arm around my waist. I motioned for Merlin to leave and meet up with Gaius. I started to get comfortable when a loud clanging reached our ears. Arthur head shot up while I sighed in annoyance.

"Who's there?" Arthur asked before jumping up and drawing his sword. He quickly moved around the bed, looking for Merlin. Suddenly the canopy fell on top of Arthur and me, causing him to flail for a moment before tripping over me which caused both of us to the floor. Arthur stood up again with the canopy still on top of him and flailed around for a moment before running into the wardrobe before falling to the floor again. "Guards!" he called out as I tried to help him with the canopy on his head.


The next morning I walked into Gaius' chamber to ask how the night went when I was stunned my Gaius belching loudly.

"Oof, you look terrible. How much did you drink last night?" Merlin asked him.

"Drink?" I asked them.

"Gaius went to the tavern." Merlin told me and I looked at him slightly shocked.

"You've never been to the tavern before."

"And they two of you don't look so good. What's your excuse?" Gaius asked us.

"What?" Merlin asked him

"Shh. Too much talking. I have a head like the inside of a drum, and a mouth like a badger's armpit." Gaius told us and I made a disgusted face.

"Ugh, badger's armpit." Merlin said.

"Make yourself useful. Go to the market and fetch my breakfast. Away! Go!" Gaius told Merlin who quickly left.

"What is going on with you?" I asked him before Morgana walked in.

"Gaius?" she called and we both turned to her.

"Yes, yes. What is it?" he asked her.

"I couldn't sleep last night. My healing bracelet's been stolen." Morgana said rubbing her wrist where her healing bracelet was normally.

"Oh, tragedy. Travesty. Whoever stole it should be hanged, flogged, and hanged again." Gaius told her and I looked at him strangely.

"I was hoping you could give me a sleeping draught?" she asked him.

"A sleeping draught? Can't you count sheep like everyone else? Why are you bothering me with such things? Shoo!" he said.

"I don't know why you're being like this, Gaius. I'm the King's ward and you shall do as I ask." She told him causing me to turn my look to her.

"What has gotten into the both of you?" I asked them only to be ignored.

"Ooooh, shall I now?" Gaius asked walking closer to her and looking her in the eyes. "I can see deep into your heart, and it's cold. Cold as stone. You play at being Uther's loving ward. You play it so well you fool him, but you don't fool me. You would see Uther dead and Camelot destroyed." I looked at her and saw her disconcerted look.

"Why would you say such a thing?" she asked him.

"Because it's the truth. There is evil in your heart." Gaius said to her.

"I don't know what's come over you. You were always such a good friend to me." She said.

"I see the truth frightens you." He told her.

"It's you that frightens me." She told him before walking to the door.

"Do you not want your sleeping draught after all, Lady Morgana?" Gaius asked her. She stopped mid stride and turned to him. "One moment." He walked over to one of his tables and grabbed a bottle before walking to her and handing the purple potion to her. "Sweet dreams. Do come back and see me anytime." She took the potion and marched out with a scowl.

"I don't know what has gotten into you, but I suggest you find a way to fix yourself before you see any more of your patients." I told him before following Morgana. "Morgana!" I called and she stopped and waited for me to catch up to her. "I'm sorry about your bracelet being stolen. I know how you treasured it."

"It was a gift from a friend." She told me.

"Morgause?" I asked and she looked at me slightly shocked. "What happened on the day you disappeared with her?"

"As if you don't know." She told me coldly.

"What is it I'm supposed to know?" I asked her. She searched my eyes with a curious gaze before realizing something.

"You truly don't know." She said and I shook my head. "Instead of the potion you and I had found, Merlin gave me poison." My eyes widened in shock at her words.

"You're certain?" I asked her.

"Yes. He confirmed it when I had returned." She told me darkly.

"I can't believe he would do this. How did he get you to drink it?" I asked her.

"He'd put it in the water he was trying to get me to drink before you brought up the potion you took." She explained.

"I'm so sorry Morgana." I told her with tears in my eyes. "I'd given you my word you would be safe and I failed you. Now you're working with Morgause, aren't you? To destroy Camelot?" she looked away as if ashamed of what she'd been doing.

"After what he's done to my people Uther deserves to die." She said darkly.

"And who gets to decide that? You?" I asked her. "You are not the judge of this world and its crimes. If Uther were to die at your hands, you would never forgive yourself." She gave me a considering look before nodding. "Now, on to more important matters," I said linking my arm with hers. "When are you going to show me what you've learned?" I asked and she laughed at me as we walked. We spent the day going over the spells she'd learned over the past year and looking through the book's we'd found before she was taken from us a year ago.


The next day the council was summoned to the council chambers early. I sat next to Uther as did Morgana and Gwen stood behind her as Arthur addressed the court.

"There have been instances of vandalism around the palace, as well as a number of thefts. I, myself, was a victim. Unfortunately, the thief managed to elude me." Arthur said and I held back my laughter. He was about to speak again when we heard a fart. I turned and stared at Gwen with the rest of the court as she looked embarrassingly at the floor. We turned back to Arthur to continue the discussion when Morgana farted. We stared at her for a moment before focusing on what we had been hearing about once more.

"Double the guard. I want the perpetrator found." Uther ordered before he suddenly farted as he moved in the throne. Everyone was silent for a moment as he righted himself.

"Yes, My Lord." Arthur said. Uther looked at him before a look appeared on his face. He farted more and I tried putting my hand to my nose without appearing to be rude.

"The council is dismissed!" Uther ordered. Gwen and Morgana's flatulence continued. "Now!" Everyone rushed out except for Uther, Gaius, Arthur and myself. I'd tried leaving but Arthur stopped me from leaving by grabbing my arm. "Gaius, is there anything you can do to treat this?"


The council was reconvened later in the day with a new topic. A sorcerer had been found and the only problem was that it was Merlin and Gaius was the one who brought it to Uther's attention. This wasn't Gaius.

"Is it true? You were responsible for the afflictions that I and other members of the court have suffered?" Uther asked Merlin.

"What? No." Merlin denied.

"Gaius." Uther said and Gaius bent to a table and picked up a black book.

"I found this in your room. It's a book of spells and enchantments." Gaius informed.

"He's lying. That's not Gaius." Merlin told us.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur asked him.

"He's been possessed by a goblin." Merlin said, his voice getting weaker with the knowledge that the court wouldn't believe him.

"The boy is reduced to making the most desperate and ridiculous accusations." Gaius said.

"You seriously expect me to believe that Gaius is a goblin?" Uther asked him.

"It's, it's controlling him. Gaius is still in there...somewhere." Merlin said desperately which made it sound as though he was lying.

"Do you have any proof of these accusations?" Arthur asked him.

"No!" Merlin said after a moment.

"I fear that magic has corrupted you. It pains me more than I can tell you." Gaius said.

"I really doubt that." Merlin told him.

"My Lord, I have been harboring a sorcerer. For that I offer the most sincere apology." Gaius told Uther.

"You were not to know, Gaius. He's fooled us all." Uther told him.

"It's not me that's fooling you." Merlin tried once more.

"Silence! You've been found guilty of using magic and enchantments. In accordance with our laws, you will pay with your life. Take him away!" Merlin was taken away by the guards and I closed my eyes as the drug him away. "Elizabeth. Did you know about Merlin?" Uther asked me and I looked at both him and Arthur and sighed lightly, knowing what I had to do.

"No. If Merlin is a sorcerer I had no knowledge of it." I lied.


That night I couldn't sleep and was standing beside the window when the warning bells signaling Merlin had escaped sounded making me smile.


The next morning the council was called and I quickly dressed before going down to the council chamber and taking my seat.

"Merlin has escaped. It seems he somehow managed to obtain a set of keys." Arthur told the council.

"Escape?! How is this allowed to happen? Incompetence!" Gaius said and we all stared at him for a moment. "I didn't mean to speak out of turn, My Lord."

"Gaius is right, this is unacceptable. The guards should be punished." Uther ordered.

"I'll see to it personally." Arthur told him after having a thoughtful look on his face.

"Search the town, I want Merlin found." Uther ordered.

"Yes, Sire." Arthur nodded before leaving. After the council meeting I immediately left to go to Gwen's house where Merlin was hiding.

"Oh, Merlin. I was so worried about you." I said giving him a hug.

"I'm fine Liz, but we need to force the goblin out of Gaius." He told Gwen and myself.

"And how do we do that?" Gwen asked him.

"I don't know. I'll try to sneak back to Gaius's chambers. Maybe I can find something in one of his books." Merlin suggested.

"You go back in there and they might just kill you on the spot. Gwen and I can get his books." I told him.

"What else do we need?" Gwen asked.

"Well, we need to convince Arthur. Maybe if you speak to him, he might listen to you." Merlin told me and I nodded.

"Arthur is starting to suspect something. I could see it in his face today at court." I told them.

"So while Merlin stays here you and I will get Arthur on our side and Gaius' books?" Gwen asked me.

"You'll have to get the books on your own I have to get to Arthur before the Goblin does." I told her and she nodded.


I made my way down the corridor in the palace to my chambers and walked in, finding them empty.

"Arthur? Arthur?" I called to him seeing no one I went to the bed and rounded the corner of the bed post and gasped when I saw Arthur hunched down on the floor and donkey ears. "What's happened to you?" I asked him and he brayed a few times. "Did Gaius do this to you?" I asked him and he brayed what I thought was a yes. "He's a goblin." Arthur brayed again. "Poor thing." I said bending down next to him and petting one of his donkey ears. Arthur leaned into my hand in pleasure and I smiled at him before he brayed indignantly. "Sorry. Merlin's working on a plan. We'll figure out what to do." I told him while standing up. "I think it's best you stay here."


"Arthur's a donkey?" Merlin asked me as he leaned over a book Gwen had gotten him.

"No, he has the ears of a donkey. And the voice. He- he's braying." I told them. I watched as Gwen tried to hold in her laughter.

"He's...braying." Merlin said before he burst out laughing.

"It's not funny, Merlin." Gwen told him as she and I held back our laughter.

"No. No, no, of course not. Arthur with the ears of a donkey, what's funny about that?" we all started laughing at Arthur's state.

"He just looked so pitiful. I've never seen Arthur look like that. Did you two find anything?" I asked them.

"I think so." Merlin told me placing his hand on the book he'd been reading.

"If the host body dies, the goblin dies with it. So, if Gaius is dying, the goblin will be forced to leave him." Merlin explained.

"You want to kill Gaius?" Gwen asked him.

"Just briefly. Once the goblin's out of Gaius, we have to trap it in a box lined with lead. It's the only container that will hold it." Merlin said moving towards the door.

"Where do we get a box lined with lead?" Gwen asked him.

"Leave that to me." He told us before leaving.

"Come Gwen. We have a Goblin trap to prepare.


Once we were in the Physician's chambers Gwen and I kept lookout as Merlin made the poison and the antidote.

"Hurry up!" Gwen called to him.

"I'm doing my best. Gaius normally deals with anything to do with poisons." Merlin told her. I watched Merlin pour the poison over the gold and jewelry in the stolen money chest. "As soon as the goblin's out of Gaius, you must give him the antidote. We only have a few seconds or Gaius will, you know, die." He told us.

"He's coming!" Gwen and I quickly made our way to Merlin's chambers and Merlin handed Gwen the antidote before closing the chest and hiding with us. We watched as the Goblin took out the chest and licked the gold coins. "Ugh, that's disgusting." Suddenly the Goblin began to stumble and we left Merlin's chamber's with Merlin holding the box.

"You've poisoned me. You poisoned Gaius!" The Goblin said shocked.

"Leave his body while you still can!" Merlin ordered. The Goblin left Gaius' ear as a little ball of light and buzzed around the room as Gaius fell to the floor.

"Give him the antidote!" Merlin shouted. Gwen rushed towards Gaius, but the Goblin buzzed past her and she stumbled into a table.

"Back in the box." Merlin ordered.

"You'll have to catch me first!" the Goblin told him. Merlin and I chased the fully embodied Goblin before it turned back into a ball of light and flew into Merlin's mouth. Merlin rushed back to the box and spit him into it before I locked it in.

"Oh, no let me out, I promise I won't do it again." The Goblin begged from in the box.

"I don't know which one's the antidote! Which one is it?" Gwen asked as we went to her and the dozens of bottles.

"I don't know." Merlin told her as we searched for the right bottle.

"He's dying!" Gwen said as we searched.

"I think it's this one." Merlin told us. We both gave Merlin a look and we kept searching. He picked up another bottle and stared at it.

"Er...this one." Merlin said before going to Gaius. We turned Gaius over and poured the potion into his mouth before waiting.

"Are you sure that was the antidote?" Gwen asked.

"No. Gaius! Come on! Please! Come on, you stubborn old goat!" we waited again for a moment before settling in on the worst outcome.

"Who are you calling an old goat?" Gaius asked us and we smiled at him.


We were all at the council meeting with the Goblin in its box in front of Gaius.

"You mean to tell me it was you who was responsible for the, er...baldness, the flatulence, the boils, and Arthur's donkey ears?" Uther asked. Arthur, who was rubbing his head where his ear had been, snapped out of it and I took his hand in mine.

"I fear I was, My Lord. Or at least the goblin was while I was possessed by it." Gaius told him.

"Magic has the power to corrupt even the most honorable of men." Uther said.

"Indeed. Though, I must assure you that Merlin was entirely innocent." Gaius told everyone.

"Then he is pardoned." Uther said. He jumped when the Goblin struggled and grumbled inside the box.

"May I suggest it is kept where no one will ever open it?" Gaius asked.

"See that it's placed in the vaults." Merlin and Gaius both bowed before turning to leave. "Gaius...do you know who was responsible for releasing the goblin in the first place?" Merlin looked at Gaius.

"I'm afraid I've no idea, My Lord." Gaius told him before they both turned and left.

"Now." Uther said as the Goblin struggled again. "Secure it now."


Later that day I was watching Arthur train his men next to Merlin and Gaius.

"I see you've been busy undoing the goblin's magic." Gaius said to Merlin.

"As usual, I get no thanks whatsoever." Merlin said and I gave him a look.

"Since releasing the goblin was entirely your fault, Merlin, I'm not sure you deserve any thanks." Gaius told him.

"I'm with Gaius on this one Merlin. By fixing the Goblin's magic you are fixing your own mess." I told him with a smile.

"Wha...Arthur doesn't know that." Merlin reminded us.

"For your sake, you better hope it stays that way."

"What do you think he'd do to the person who, through a series of events, cause him to have donkey ears and bray?" I asked him and he gave me a look. We watched as Arthur knocked over the knight he was fighting and laughed, cause onlookers to laugh with him. Arthur's laugh suddenly became a bray and everyone stopped laughing as Arthur cleared his throat.

"Merlin." I gasped at him.

"Just one more day. It's too good." Merlin said before we all turned to him and laughed.


That night Arthur, Morgana, Uther and I were all eating together with Gwen, Amanda and Merlin serving us.

"I'm glad the recent events haven't prevented us from dining together." Uther said with a smile to the three of us. Morgana smiled at me and I smiled back. She and I had been spending a lot of time getting to know each other again after being apart for so long.

"As am I. Arthur and I have an announcement to make." I told them with a smile, holding Arthur's hand.

"What is this announcement? Should we have said something at court?" Uther asked us.

"No, father, this is a personal matter." Arthur told him.

"I'm pregnant." I told them with a smile. Behind us Merlin dropped the pitcher of wine he'd been holding while the other two looked shocked at us. Morgana stood and quickly walked to me and hugged me tightly grinning from ear to ear.

"I can't believe you didn't tell everyone the second you found out." She told me.

"I wanted to, but the people I care about the most should know first." I told her smiling. We spent the rest of dinner talking and laughing like a family should.