'Well this is nice,' Arthur commented after a good length of time walking in silence. Morgana looked around; it was sunny, which was a surprise for this time of year, and not overly cold.

'Yes, I suppose it is,' she replied.

'Morgana-'

'Arthur-' they both spoke at the same time. 'Go on,' Morgana encouraged.

'No, ladies first,' Arthur insisted, holding out his palm, emphasising she should continue.

'It's about Gwen,' Morgana started, duly noting his sharp intake of breath and a slight wince. Maybe this wasn't going to be so easy.

'On second thoughts, can I go first?' he asked in a hurry, clearly wanting to talk about anything other than her maidservant.

'No,' she laughed. 'Come on, Arthur! I'm not stupid and I know you too well, you have feelings for her, just admit it!'

'Alright, alright, keep your voice down,' he pleaded, turning his head this way and that to make sure no one had heard her. When he faced her again, he was blushing a hot pink colour which amused her greatly.

'She has feelings for you too, you know,' Morgana continued more quietly, confining her amusement to the back of her mind.

'What do you mean 'too'? I never said I- Wait, has she said anything to you about me?' he stumbled.

Morgana bit down hard on her bottom lip to ensure she didn't laugh again; the last thing she wanted to do was hurt his feelings over this or make him think she was mocking him, although, embarrassing him just a little was rather amusing, she had to admit.

'No,' she told him. 'But that doesn't mean I can't tell. I know her just as well as I know you and I know that you both have feelings for each other so…' She fell silent when she realised Arthur wasn't listening anymore, at least, he didn't look like he was listening. He was looking slightly behind her and his eyes had glazed over. She turned her head to glance over her shoulder and saw Gwen staring back at Arthur, the exact same dopey expression on her face. Well this was no good; Arthur was hardly going to open up to her when he was being distracted by the very topic of their conversation. She took his arm and guided him forwards in an attempt to move away from Gwen.

'Arthur, be honest with me,' she implored him when Gwen was in her little house and out of sight.

He sighed and took his arm from her hand, choosing to cross them both across his chest. 'Nothing can ever come of my feelings, or hers, my father would never allow it,' he said eventually. Unless Morgana was mistaken, she saw one tiny tear escape from his piercing blue eyes and it hurt; not just because Arthur was like a brother to her and it hurt her to see him upset but because she was in almost the exact same predicament as him and she knew precisely how he felt. It broke her heart knowing that there was no possible way she could ever be with Merlin properly.

'Arthur, I-' She nearly told him about Merlin, just to let him know she truly understood, but hesitated; she doubted very much that he'd be as understanding as she was being right now. He sniffed and looked up to her, wondering why she'd stopped. She thought for a bit and finally settled on saying: 'Maybe one day things will be different.' She bit her lip and looked at the floor; he'd never know how much she was hoping this would come true, both for herself and him. He didn't look very hopeful though. She reached forward and put her arms around his neck, embracing him like she had done when they were children. He placed his hand lightly on her back, shocked slightly at her sudden show of affection, but then he relaxed into the hug. They hadn't been this close in ages. After a minute or two, she pulled away and grinned at him. 'That didn't happen,' she said in a mock serious voice. 'I still think you're an arrogant pig ninety per cent of the time,' she told him, nudging his arm.

'And I still think you act like a whiny child ninety per cent of the time,' he chuckled, nudging her back.

'Hey! I'm older than you!' she protested.

'Not by much. And anyway, you're still only a woman,' he teased. She slapped his arm indignantly. That was more like it. They both laughed, happy they were back on good terms, close like they used to be. She put her hand in the crook of his elbow and continued their walk.

'I still think you should tell Gwen,' she muttered.

'Oh shut up,' he retorted, still smiling, guiding them back towards the castle.

XXX

Merlin was busy labelling some bottles for Gaius but his heart wasn't really in it and he most certainly wasn't concentrating.

'Merlin, that is a tincture of belladonna, not a sleeping draught. Honestly!' Gaius reprimanded him for about the third time that afternoon. 'What's the matter with you?'

'Nothing, Merlin mumbled. 'I was just thinking.'

'Well don't. It seems to be dangerous for you,' Gaius replied, raising his eyebrows.

Merlin had been thinking, as ever, about Morgana and their kiss this morning. He couldn't help wanting to take things further, although, admittedly, he would be nervous. Merlin had never been with a woman before, not like that anyway. Dare he bring this up with her? He could have done earlier had Gwaine not interrupted them, but he was scared she might reject the idea. She was a noblewoman after all, she probably wanted to wait until she was married and it was highly unlikely that she'd ever marry a servant. But she had seemed enthusiastic earlier…

'Merlin!' He snapped out of his thoughts, physically shaking his head. Arthur entered the room, not even bothering to knock on the door. 'Ah, there you are. Come on!' he ordered, already turning around to leave again.

'What? Where are we going?' Merlin asked, jumping to his feet in a fluster.

'Training!' Arthur shouted over his shoulder. Merlin groaned; he hated training with Arthur; it always ended with Merlin black and blue and unable to walk properly the next day. Nevertheless, he did as he was told and hurried after the prince, all thoughts of Morgana eradicated for now.

XXX

'Where've you been all afternoon?' Merlin enquired, trying to make conversation as Arthur attacked the dummy Merlin was holding with his sword.

'With Morgana,' he grunted, hitting the dummy in the neck and almost sending Merlin hurtling backwards onto the grass.

'Oh?' Merlin responded, regaining his breath, his ears all but pricking up. Did he know about them? Had Arthur brought him here to secretly chop his head off? Don't be ridiculous, Merlin, he reproached himself.

'We went for a walk,' he explained between swipes, 'talked and stuff.'

'What about?' Merlin pushed, curious.

'Guinevere,' Arthur admitted honestly, putting down the sword. Oh, he didn't know then. 'My feelings,' he added, somewhat reluctantly, lifting up the visor on his metal helmet, to reveal his very sweaty face.

'So you tell Morgana about your feelings, but not me?' Merlin exclaimed in indignation. Arthur frowned at him. The number of times Merlin had tried to get Arthur to open up and he'd refused…

'She's my sister, or as good as.'

'And I'm your friend, aren't I?' he answered. He looked at the prince, waiting for a response. The corners of Arthur's mouth lifted into a smirk.

'Of course you are, Merlin,' he agreed, advancing on him. Uh-oh. Merlin didn't like the look of this. Arthur grabbed him, putting him quickly into a headlock and ruffled his hair hard with his fist. 'You're my very best friend,' he said mockingly as though he were talking to a baby, laughing all the while as Merlin struggled against his hold. When he finally let go, Merlin stumbled and fell. Arthur held out his hand to help him up but Merlin made a point of ignoring him, correcting his hair when he was back on his feet.

'You're not funny,' he muttered sternly through gritted teeth, sulking.

'Oh I am,' Arthur countered, still grinning far too widely for Merlin's liking. 'Come on, one more round then you can fetch me my supper,' he decided, pulling his visor back down and picking up his sword. Merlin growled; it was all he could do not to whack Arthur over his smug blonde head with the dummy…

A/N … I actually enjoyed writing this chapter; it was all happy fluffy bunnies and rainbows and… maybe not, but still, it was nice to write everyone being happy. Reviews and all that jazz?