The deal

"That new knight, Mordred, sure is handsome." Merlin ignored the talking kitchen maids as she gathered Arthur´s breakfast; she took some for Gwen as well because most mornings she was still there when Merlin arrived. She had enough on her mind without listening to their gossip; however, their talk was hard to tune out, as she stood right beside them.

"What do you think Merlin? We haven't really met him yet, but you have, so tell us about him."

"I am sorry, what?" Merlin asked, her thoughts lost for a moment. "Mordred, Merlin, what is his story?" Merlin frowned at them, not really sure why it bothered her that they wanted to know. Against her better judgment, her thoughts returned to the encounter the night before.

When she was back in the safety of her chambers, she thought over what had happened and had grown furious. What made him think that it was a good idea to engage her like that? It wasn't like she hadn't had a few lovers before, only not in the recent years, but they had never treated her the way he had, and never before had she had the same reaction. He had barely touched her before she had been embarrassingly ready for him. Not only that, but for a moment he had made her forget about everything else, everything she held dear.

Her breathing had yet to slow down as she laid on her narrow bed staring at the ceiling. She moved over so she could roll over onto her front, her arms crossed under her head. What did she even know about Mordred? Not much, it turned out. All she really knew about him were facts; he was a few years younger than her, his father was dead, she had no idea about his mother, he was a druid. That was just about it. What he had told her or the fact that he had saved Arthur was not counted in, because who was to say that it even was true and not part of a bigger plan? What had happened could not and would not be allowed to happen again. Merlin groaned as she banged her head on her arms; her body was betraying her, already it craved his touch.

"I don't really know. I haven't really spoken with him." With that, Merlin picked up her tray and walked out the door even as she heard the maids starting to whisper behind her. That there was whispering behind her back was not something new to Merlin, it had been a part of her stay at Camelot from the start. Apparently, she was fun to gossip about.

"Emrys. I would like to talk to you later." Merlin nearly dropped Arthur´s breakfast from shock at hearing Mordred´s voice in her head. "Why would I want to do that? So you can attack me again?" Merlin opened the door to the King and Queen´s chambers and went in.

"… Merlin. You know what she will say." "What I will say about what?" Merlin asked Gwen as she placed the tray on the table. "Oh, Merlin. Good morning, it´s nothing really. I was just trying to get Arthur out of the bed before you got here; you know a little surprise for you." Gwen answered with a shy smile whilst she poked a bit at the covers Arthur was currently hiding under.

"… I apologize for that. It was not my intention to do that. If I promise not to touch you – unless asked – would you then consider meeting with me?" Merlin thought it over and decided that if it came to it, she could always use magic against him if he tried anything. "Fine. However, I´ll choose the time and place. I´ll tell you when and where later." There didn't come any verbal response from him but somehow Merlin could still feel his consent.

There came a groan out from under the blankets and what could have been words but Merlin couldn't be sure as it was muffled by the covers. Merlin felt her face stretch in a smirk as she moved over to the window and pulled the curtains back. When she turned back to face the bed she could hardy hold a bark of laughter back. This was going to be fun; she decided when she saw the rays of the sun landing right where Arthur´s head was going to be when his covers were ripped off him.

With a strong stride, Merlin went to the foot of the bed, grabbed the covers, and pulled. Merlin had been cackling in her own mind otherwise she would have paid attention to Gwen who tried to stop her, but because she didn't hear her she was met with the sight of Arthur´s bare backside. Merlin dropped the covers in shock as the same time as Arthur let out a shriek, some of it was probably because of the sun, but it was most likely due to the fact that she had caught him naked. Literally.

It wasn't like she hadn't seen him naked before, but this time it was completely unexpected. "MERLIN!" Arthur yelled at her, Merlin blinked rapidly and maybe a little owlish at him. "GET OUT!" "Yes Arthur, I mean Sire, I mean..." She bolted as fast as her legs could carry her with Gwen´s sweet laughter in her ear, just as she shut the door behind her she managed to stutter out an apology.

While it wasn't unusual for maids to see their masters naked, they had tried to avoid it since Arthur and Gwen had married, for the most part they had succeeded. Sure, he was nice to look at but that was just about it, no that wasn't true but he was like a brother to her, so looking in any way just seemed so wrong. There had been a few times, in what Merlin liked to think of as the old days, where it hadn't been wrong to look. It was embarrassing how embarrassed she became just by seeing his ass. Maybe it had something to do with how long it had been, or maybe... no it had nothing to do with him.

Merlin reached the armory and picked up Arthur´s sword before she went out on the training field to wait for the knights and the king. She just hoped that Arthur´s plans for the day hadn't changed since last night. Merlin laid down in the grass, her arms behind her head and closed her eyes; she just let her mind wander and didn't notice that she fell asleep.

Merlin slowly became aware of something tickling her nose and tried to bat it away with her hand, but no matter how much she tried, it came back. Irritated Merlin opened her eyes to find out what was disturbing her nice nap, and was met with the sight of Percival and Gwaine sitting on the grass on either side of her head with a grass straw each, and they were holding them over her face, her nose to be exact.

Merlin glared at them as they laughed at her, Gwaine got to his feet and reached a hand down to her. Merlin glared at it and ignored it while she got herself on her feet. Their laugher followed her when she went over to the sword rack, grabbed one of Arthur´s swords, and sat on the small stool, which was beside it.

A short while later the rest of the knights came onto the field, and shortly after Arthur came out as well. Merlin started to polish the sword as orders were barked at the knights, and they started to train. She let her eyes drift over them as her thoughts drifted off. After a long while, she stopped polishing it and just let it rest against her knees as her eyes sought out Mordred´s form on their own.

He was wearing a shirt like the rest of the knights, even though the air was chilly. The knights had that habit, when they were training without their swords. They might become bruised from being hit by the long hard sticks they used instead, but as Leon had said more than once; rather a black and purple bruise to help you remember then a gapping wound.

Merlin´s eyes zoomed in on the way his muscles moved under his shirt before she took in the overall view of the way he moved. It was fluent. There were however, some defensive moves he had to make - to avoid the swinging stick from Leon´s hands - which proved that he still had some way to go before he had it completely down.

"Merlin! Stop daydreaming and polish that sword." Arthur yelled at her and brought her back out in the real world. She heard the knights laugh and felt her cheeks blush even as she answered him. "If I keep up polishing it, it is going to break!"

"So if you are done with it there are still chores you should do." Arthur answered back with a smile that made her think that, just maybe she should have kept her mouth shut for once.

"You still have to muck my stables, clean my chambers, polish my crown, mend my shirts, and walk my dogs. And have a hot bath ready for me when I get back from here."

'Yep,' she thought, 'I should have kept my mouth shut.' Great Merlin, more chores for you to do. Oh, the joy. She felt Mordred's magic brush up against hers for the first time in two weeks, her own magic flared up in joy and happiness. It did not feel threatening, more like he was amused that she got called on it and quite a bit smug, she suddenly got the feeling that he knew precisely what she had been thinking, when Arthur called her on it.

She rose from the stool she sat on and went over to the sword rack, placed the sword in its place, and turned to the king who was still watching her with that irritating smile of his. She placed a sweet smile on her face and curtsied to him.

"I'll get right on that then shall I sire? We can´t have the king have dirty stables, even if it is part of the stable boys job to muck them. And messy chambers can´t be allowed either, even if you should be old enough to clean them yourself."

As she said that, she gathered her skirts in her hands and when she was done talking she turned and ran for the castle.

Arthur yelled after her "MERLIN GET BACK HERE! I`LL PUT YOU IN THE STOCKS FOR THAT!"

She laughed and yelled back as she ran, "You´ll have to catch me first sire."

Merlin was just about ready to collapse when she remembered her promise to Mordred to meet him, she let out a sigh before she turned to walk out the citadel. "Meet me on the field outside the castle walls to the east." "I´ll be there shortly."

Merlin leaned against a tree on the border of the woods, when she saw Mordred´s shadow make way over the field some time later. He stopped about a meter from her and just looked at her. Merlin did not want to stand there all night and as such figured she would have to be the one to say something first, but there was no way she would let him off that easy. She was tired and really, all she wanted was to sleep. Oh the blessed sleep, where she could just relax and let go.

"What do you want, Mordred?"

"I am very sorry about what I did the other night. It really wasn't my intention to… molest you. And I am sorry for telling you I love you, it will not happen again unless you express a desire for it. I realize that what I am about to ask of you might be hard to even consider because of that, but please, hear me out before you reject it." Merlin gave him a small nod to indicate that she would listen to what he had to say, she figured that there was no harm in hearing him out and then make up her mind about whatever it was.

"You don't trust me and I can´t force you to do so, trust must be earned, I know that some of my past actions may leave doubt about where my loyalties lie, but Arthur saved my life once and that is not something I will ever forget. I want to keep him safe with all I am, and I would really like us to be able to be civilized towards each other instead of you mistrusting everything I do. I would like for us to become friends, and for you to know that you can count on me if you need to and even if you don't."

Whatever she had been expecting that was not it. He seemed so sincere. As if he really meant what he said, however, Merlin had been tricked by a pretty face before. Even if she didn't trust him she supposed that she could use his help sometimes, after all Gaius didn't know about all kinds of magic. In addition, Mordred was a druid, born and raised, so maybe he could at least help her in the right direction from time to time. She could always choose another route if she did not agree with what he had to say.

Moreover, keeping watch on him all the time was exhausting to put it mildly. With these thoughts running through her mind she decided that, for now at least, she could let up, just a little bit. "If I see you make even one wrong move I will put an end to you still, is that clear?" Mordred nodded at her and Merlin continued, "In that case we have an agreement. If that was all I´ll just be off to bed then, it has been a very long day for me and tomorrow will likely not be shorter."

With those words, Merlin left to make her way to the castle. "I left some things for you in your room. I hope you like them, you can think of them as a second apology. And a little something to let you know that I do intend to win your heart." Merlin frowned, not really sure that she wanted anything from him, but she had agreed to watch and see, so that was what she was going to do – for now.

Merlin stepped into her room slowly, while she was on the lookout for anything wrong but as far as she could tell there was nothing, which was going to attack her. She had to admit that she was a bit curious about what he had left for her – and how he had even got it in there. The thing that he had left for her turned out to be flowers, which lay on her bed with a little note.

She picked up the multicolored flowers; she threw them on the bedside table when she felt that they were practically soaked in magic. She glared suspiciously at them and looked to the note. She carefully touched the note with her fingertip but there was nothing that indicated there was magic on it, so she picked it up and turned it over.

A small smile found its way onto her face as she read and then reread the note. Okay so maybe he was cute and all, it was okay to admit it to herself as long as no one else knew that she might just, maybe, possibly like him just a teeny tiny bit. She sat down on her bed and just smiled at the note for a few seconds and then let her eyes wander to the flowers. She frowned at them for a bit before she let her magic wash over them to feel what he had done to them, when she found out, the smile that blossomed on her face grew just a little bigger. She put the note on the table next to them, and picked the flowers up and smelt them while she got up trying to find something to put them in.

As she found out she did not own a vase of any kind, why would she since she had never gotten flowers before as special as these, she found a glass to make her own. After all, special flowers deserved a special vase, did they not? She sat down on her bed with her legs crossed, the flowers on the bed beside her, and the glass in her hands.

She frowned a bit at it and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, exhaled, and opened them again. She started to picture the glass turning into a vase, and as her magic expanded through her hands she saw the glass grow taller and wider. When it reached the size she wanted, she started to pull her magic back slowly. When she almost had it there was a knock on her door.

"Merlin, are you awake?" Gaius asked through the door.

Her concentration broken at the knock, Merlin stared at the glass/vase in her hands as it started to vibrate and shake.

"Oh n-" was as far as she got before it crumbled in on itself and made a small explosion that pushed her against the wall behind her. Her head made a dull noise as it smacked against the wall.

The last thing she heard before darkness claimed her was her door banging open and Gaius yelling her name. In her mind she could also hear Mordred screaming, "Emrys!" sounding quite panicked.

The first thing she noticed was a dull pain in the back of her head. She gave a moan and opened her eyes to look around; she heard shuffling as who she assumed was Gaius came over to her.

"Merlin. It is good that you are awake. You have been unconscious for just under a day. Now, how are you feeling? Have you any pain?"

She answered all his questions, and when he was satisfied by the fact that she would not have any lasting damage, he left her room. He came back with a vase filled with flowers. She stared at him with a stunned look on her face.

"I found the flowers on your bed with you and this morning there was new bucket outside our door with a note attached. I have not read the note so I don´t know who they are from. But I will advise you to be careful."

"What? Oh. No, no, no. They are just from a friend. At least I might think he is a friend. Or I think he wants to be a friend, but sometimes I wonder."

There was no way that she was going to tell him that Mordred had made it very clear that he would very much like to be so much more than just mere friends. Merlin quite suspected that he would devour her if he had the chance, but what scared her about it was that she wasn't sure she would mind.

"You think he is a friend?" he raised brow in that way of his that made her feel like the idiot Arthur always said she was.

"Well yes, I think he may be but I am not really sure."

"Hmm. Okay, but still you should be careful. Now get some rest. I will inform the King that you are awake but still need to rest tomorrow. Sleep tight." And with that he left and closed the door after him.

She turned to the flowers and her notes from Mordred. 'I think he is a friend. But can I trust him? I want to trust him, but that does not mean I should. I made a deal and I will stand by it. He can try to earn my trust, but until he does – or doesn't – there is no reason why I should not let it seem like I trust him. No not trust him but at least am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.' She picked up the two notes and smiled as she read the first one, just one more time. She picked up the second one and read it, her cheeks heating up as she felt the blood flow through them. She sighed, placed the notes on the table again. She looked at the flowers and then closed her eyes.

As sleep overcame her, just before unconsciousness took her, she felt a feather light touch to her cheek. Like someone letting their fingers barely touch skin before thinking better of it.

Mordred POV

His chambers were silent around him as he sat cross-legged on his bed and let his magic guide him to where he wanted to go. Normally it didn't take much concentration for this to work, but his target was in an entirely different part of the castle. His eyes were closed so it was on the inside of his eyelids he saw Emrys on her bed talking to Gaius, there was no sound coming through as it would take an amount of power that she would notice no matter how tired she was.

It was good to see her awake once more; he had gotten quite a scare when he had suddenly felt a sharp pain from her. Without a second thought, he had yelled out to her, at the same time as the pain had disappeared. He had sat down right where he was in the grass on the field in which he had talked to Emrys in. She had somehow managed to knock herself out it had seemed, how and why she had done so he didn't know.

Her skin was pale he noted while looking at her, but that was to be expected considering the circumstances. He watched her bid Gaius good night before laying down on the bed; he watched how she lay on her side looking at the flowers he had given her. He knew it was a little forward of him since she didn't – well said she didn't – want anything to do with him like that. However, her reaction when he had kissed and touched her had told a different story. He could be patient if it suited him to be so, and in this case he had motive. He wanted her and loved her, so he could wait for her to want him too.

She had a look of deep concentration on her face before she picked up the notes he had given with the flowers. Then a smile slowly made its presence known on her face, and Mordred could not help the flutter of hope blooming in his chest. Maybe he was wrong and didn't have to wait as long for her, as he had earlier feared.

He watched anxiously as she looked at the note he had places outside the physician´s chambers earlier that morning. If the first note had been forward, then the second was downright bold. He just hoped Gaius hadn't read them, but even if he had they weren't signed so there was no way it could be traced back to him.

A smile started on his own face as he saw the blush spread over her cheeks. She placed the notes on the table beside her bed, and Mordred crouched down beside her bed as she looked on the flowers. His eyes were drawn to her chest as she took a deep breath and slowly let it back out. He couldn't help himself. He just had to touch her, just to feel her. He let his fingers brush her cheek lightly before pulling his hand back, he looked at her for a moment more before deciding that watching her sleep might be nice to do, but there was no way Emrys would look at it the same way.

He opened his eyes and craned his neck to the side to make some of the stiffness disappear, he rolled his shoulders a couple of times too, before laying back on his bed himself, to sleep and hopefully dream of the black-haired, blue-eyed, and fair-skinned beautiful handmaid of the King he had sworn to protect with his dying breath.

I am sorry for the long wait but as we all know life can sometimes meddle with the plans one have. Please leave some kind of response.