Disclaimer: I love Merlin, but that doesn't mean I own it. Pure fan love here.
Story: In a strange twist, Uther decided to have Merlin serve him as well. How does Merlin get around saving these two royal prats, when she's busy doing royal chores and getting exhausted saving them and doing their dirty laundry? She says nothing on how affectionate she oddly becomes of the King and the loyalty she develops for not only Arthur but Uther.
Set as an AU, genderbending fic.
Spoilers: All seasons.
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…
Pairings: Eventual Uther/Merlin, Lancelot/Gwen, others unknown for now… (I don't know what the hell I'm going to do with Arthur –I don't like him with anyone but Merlin, male or otherwise!)

The Lion and The Lamb
Chapter Seven: Magic Feud

Valiant was beyond angry. He was downright furious! How the hell did they know he was there with the servant girl? It must've been that blasted prince –always hanging around her like a possessive dog. He had no doubt that Arthur was involved somehow, probably wanting to know where she was at all times.

But he was sure that this wasn't over. He would get the Pendragon family back for this, especially that bastard prince. And he would also finally get his hands on that servant girl. Merlin would be his.

"You could prove useful."

He looked around, seeing no one, and began to feel unnerved. A slight whisper of cloth against stone, and then a dark-haired woman walked into view, ruby lips curving into a darkly amused smile. Her feet were bare, while her red dress seemed tattered and yet also not.

"Who are you?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes at her.

She laughed and waved her hand, and the lock on his cage unlocked and the door opened.

"Does it matter?" she teased. "You and I have similar goals. Let us work together."

"Why should I want to?" Valiant sneered and then a cold look stole over her face, making him shiver.

"Then stay here and wait for your execution," she said coldly, and the cage door swung back into place and locked itself.

Panicked, Valiant sped to the cage door. "I apologize! Please don't leave me here!"

She smiled slowly. "Very well. I'll get you out on the condition you work for me now."

"Yes, fine," even if he did feel disgruntled by it. "Whatever you want or need. Just do not leave me here!"

"Nimueh is my name," she said loftily, letting him out. "And all I want is for you to help me bring down the Pendragons. I want them all to rot in the ground."

And though Valiant grinned at that and wholeheartedly agreed, Nimueh kept one important and more pressing need to herself.

She knew there was a sorceress in Camelot. Knew that there was someone else here with magic, someone Nimueh had actually come there for. Not that she didn't hate Uther and his family, and wanted them all gone.

But once Nimueh had discovered there was someone in Camelot with magic, she had gone there to find whoever it was, and had soon to come to find it was a young woman.

Nimueh had no intention and didn't care to help her out. She didn't want to help the girl escape from Camelot, or to nurture the other's magic. No, she hated and feared this other sorceress. Why was that, when she hadn't ever met the other?

Because she knew who she really was. Merlinus Ambrosius, or who the Druids and most other magic users call Emrys. She knew all the stories and prophecies of Emrys, the most powerful sorceress to walk the earth. But Nimueh had faithfully served the Old Religion for the longest time, had devoted herself to it, and had done so much in the name of it. She was not about to roll over and let some young sorceress take what belonged to her.

Nimueh was the most loyal and powerful of the Priestesses of the Old Religion. Magic was her domain. There was no way she would ever be foolishly outdone by the likes of a young brat who hadn't even lived her life fully yet.

She would take whatever measures she could to destroy the other, do whatever was needed, take on whoever was in her way, and ally herself with those she would rather poison to their deaths.

"Come along," Nimueh said to Valiant sharply. "We must get going before someone checks up on you and realizes you aren't here anymore."

There was a lot to be done.

Merlin was listless as she finished up in the King's room. She tried to ignore his stare as she quietly worked, mind trying not to wander back to the news of Valiant's escape.

All of a sudden, she found herself jumping as Uther was by her side and had laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly and she flinched.

"I-I'm okay," she said in embarrassment, not wanting to worry him, especially on her behalf.

He frowned. "I will understand if you aren't and if you needed some time for yourself."

"No, I'm alright," she insisted before she gave him a pleading look. "Please, milord. The work will keep my mind off it."

"Very well," he said reluctantly. "I wouldn't want you to dwell on it and if you are insisting…"

She nodded sharply, averting her eyes from him. She felt him squeeze her shoulder again.

"I am sorry."

Her head snapped up and she stared at him in shock, seeing genuine sorrow on his face.

"I did not act swiftly enough and he has somehow gotten away. And now you are plagued with worries and fears."

Merlin shook her head. "Milord, please –it's not your fault. It's just somehow happened this way and I will take care to be more careful."

He gave her a grim smile. "He will be found," he swore. "He will not escape justice."

She gave him an awkward smile and he left her then to eat the food she'd brought, while she went back to work. By the time he finished eating, she was done with turning the bed and arranging it, tidying up the room, and had begun to get his clothes ready.

"You may just leave it there," Uther told her. "I'll dress myself. Just go on to Arthur."

She nodded and had almost left the room when he called out to her again.

"I will do my utmost best to keep you safe," he said solemnly. "I told you before. I will repeat it again, Merlin."

She glanced back to him in surprise, but couldn't help give him a shy smile in gratitude. Still, the very thought of him finding out she had magic made her feel odd, just knowing he'd be furious and saying words opposite to that he was saying to her now. She was aware, though, that it was strange and unusual for him to be saying all this in the first place, much less to her.

It would be worse if he found out she had magic.

Sighing to herself, Merlin made her way to the kitchens with the King's tray and had just set it down when she was greeted by a female servant she hadn't met before.

"Hello," the woman said with a friendly smile. She had flaming red locks and green eyes that were focused on Merlin. "I'm Niviane. I just came to work here in the castle."

"Ah, I'm Merlin," she hastily answered. "I'm the King and Prince's maidservant."

Niviane cocked her head, examining her closely at that. "Really? Quite the accomplishment! Most women are not allowed to work so closely to royalty."

Merlin made a face. "It was a…twist of luck."

"Must be quite the story," Niviane said in amusement.

"Well…" Merlin hesitated, but inwardly shrugged. "I'd honestly just arrived to Camelot…"

And she found herself become comfortable and talk freely with this woman. It was nice though. Aside from Gwen and Merek, none of the other servants had deigned to talk to her and become her friend. It felt refreshing and Merlin found herself feeling happy and definitely distracted from thoughts of Valiant and his escape from the castle.

Even as she went to go to Arthur's after a while of talking with her, she found herself mulling over the conversation and over meeting Niviane, who she found she liked a lot and had also ended up being kind and friendly to Merlin. Entering the Prince's room, she looked around and blinked. Then she remembered that Arthur was busy with the knights, searching for Valiant, and that brought that man back into mind and she uncomfortably wondered where he had gone.

She hoped he was far, far away from Camelot at least. If he wasn't to be caught, then she could only hope that he had decided to leave there so that he wouldn't end up getting caught.

"Never mind that," Merlin muttered to herself. "Just focus on your duties and don't think on him. He's probably long gone."

"Who's long gone, my sweet temptress?"

She whirled around in fear at the sound of his voice, eyes widening as she recognized Valiant's smirking figure coming towards her from the doorway. A shiver ran through her and she backed away. She was tempted to use magic, but she was not only in the castle but in Arthur's room. The thought of being caught –

"Wait," an unfamiliar voice said and a woman walked around Valiant and stood by his side, her dark hair swishing behind her while cold blue eyes stared down Merlin.

"But Nimueh," Valiant started, but stopped when Nimueh held up a hand.

"Let's play a game, little one. You and I, there can only be one true wielder and beholder of Magic. Let's settle this."

Merlin had no idea what she was talking about, but she didn't have the time to think about it as Nimueh launched a spell her way and she had to dodge. She was in Arthur's room, and with such limited space, there was no way they could have a magical battle there! And gathering that Nimueh had confronted her and had attacked her with magic, Merlin was definitely sure that Nimueh wanted to force her into a magical battle.

Looking behind her, Merlin scowled and muttered a spell that unlocked the window and opened it, and she dashed towards it and leaped through the opened window, letting herself fly through the air. She let her magic guide her (also thankful that Arthur's room was behind so many towers and walls and couldn't be seen easily) and also invoked an air spell to slow down her descent, casting another spell that cushioned her landing. Having been forced to use her magic and revealing it to someone she didn't know and to the likes of Valiant, Merlin was scrambling for a plan to help her out of this.

She couldn't be caught. No matter what, she could not be caught.

But having been forced into this magical battle, she would have no choice but to use magic to defend herself. A spell behind her, while she ran desperately, caused the floor behind her to blow up and she flew forward and hit the ground hard. They were all likely to get caught at this rate! What was Nimueh thinking?

Looking around, she saw no one near. She quickly turned and threw out her hand and cast another spell back, causing Nimueh to duck. Valiant was nowhere in sight, probably because the two of them had used magic to get there while he had to find his own way out (or maybe Nimueh did something, because it looked like the two of them were in cahoots and she wouldn't put it passed Nimueh to do so).

For a while the two of them began to go back and forth, with Merlin becoming increasingly worried and panicked at being found out the longer she was there and trading magic blows with Nimueh in practically the courtyard.

"Sorcery! Who is responsible for this?" she heard Uther roar, and terrified, Merlin ducked to the side and ignored the fire spell sent towards her and practically had burned her side. She managed to find a niche and hide in it, while clutching her side and beginning to cry.

"It hurts," she hissed, panting and rapidly wiping off the tears from her eyes while putting pressure on her side. Her mind was trying to remember a spell to heal herself, but her mind was in so much pain that she was coming up blank. Finally, she just ended up remembering and performing a minor one that would be a temporary fix.

"You! How dare you show your face back here?" Uther's voice was much closer.

"Father, who is she?" Oh no, Arthur was here too.

She pushed herself out of there, finding that Uther, Arthur, and a few of the knights (including Brom and Leon) were up against Nimueh and Valiant, who seemed to have caught up and was hovering nervously behind the sorceress.

"Don't be so sure of your security, Uther Pendragon," Nimueh smirked. "You will find your downfall."

She clapped her hands and in a cloud of smoke, she and Valiant disappeared.

Merlin clenched her hands and glared at the spot where Nimueh and Valiant had been.

Started 1/3/17 – Completed 1/5/17

A/n: Ah, sorry, guys. I would have worked on this sooner and updated faster, but my dad was really sick and was given a month to live last month, and then he just passed away after Christmas. So I've just been moody and unmotivated. Please stick around and keep reading, and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

Anon Reviews:

1. Guest: Ah, yes, I plan to have lots of canon divergences! The next chapter especially will definitely show that. And you can be the Pendragon family will be protective of Merlin~

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