The Courting of Guinevere

"We have all agreed that Lancelot being a knight would not be a bad idea."

"Sorry?" Merlin was sure that he had heard them correctly but he wanted to make sure that he was correct.

"The council give you permission to make Lancelot a knight. He has more than proved himself that he is able."

He smiled widely. How could he not? Lancelot was going to join the ranks that he had dreamt of as a child. This would make his day as well as Merlin's.

He tried to tone down his happiness when he next spoke. "I will do it as soon as possible. There is no time like the present, is there?"

"No Sire."

It took everything for Merlin not to smile for the rest of the meeting.

He placed Excalibur gently on his right shoulder before moving it over to his left. "Arise Sir Lancelot, Knight of Camelot."

They smiled widely at each other. It wasn't the first time but this time it was right and it would be permanent. The only way he was going to get out of it now was death.

Merlin held out his hand and Lancelot grabbed his arm. That was it. They were brothers in arms.

If anything, Merlin was quite content about watching Arthur and Lancelot spar. It was great to see him finally where he belonged.

They had moved all his belongings from the servants quarters to the knights. They had got Elyan to make him his armour and sword. They had total kitted him out with everything he would ever need. When he entered tournaments, he would just be known as a knight of Camelot.

Merlin scrunched up his brow. Elyan. Maybe he could be another addition to his knights. Not only was he Gwen's brother but he had given good advice from the small chats that they had. If Elyan was a knight as well, it would make Gwen of a higher status. Maybe it would be easier for her to court Arthur openly that way.

Everything was still backwards and he would rather his cousin had the same choice as he had, to marry whoever he wanted.

Merlin smiled to himself. One day it was happen. Everyone would be able to marry who they want. He just knew it wasn't going to happen in his life time.

He watched her as she went on with her day. She looked at him and he moved his eyes to the floor. It was hard, it was the only thing he couldn't deny. It was hard to be in love with a woman that didn't feel the same way as him.

He knew that he would never look at a woman in the same way as he would her. To him, she wasn't beautiful, she was the goddess of beauty, pure perfection in his eyes.

Maybe that was why Arthur had fallen for her to.

Lancelot pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on and started to make his way back to his chambers. He knew that he could get some jabs about his status but he could easily brush them off. But he couldn't brush off his love for Gwen.

He would try his hardest. He wanted her friendship. But it would be hard to totally dismiss it.

So it hurt when he saw her talking to Arthur, her sweet laugh filling the halls at something he had said. It hurt when she was the only one to comfort him after his father died. It hurt when he saw they leave together while he stood on the battlements.

So he had tried to distance himself from them. He could never hate them for it. Like him, they couldn't help that they had fallen for each other.

"You are … different." Merlin commented. "In a good way though."

Arthur laughed. "I am happy. For once I believe that anything can be done. I believe that we can make everything a reality. I believe that magic will return." He paused. "My father must have just rolled in his grave. I would have never expected those words to fall out of my mouth."

"Your father can do all the rolling he likes. Change is on the way."

"Just I don't think this happiness can last."

"Gwen?"

"I just cannot see it lasting. We are two totally different classes. I don't see it like that and I know that you wouldn't but others will. It cannot be."

"I would like to remind you who is king and what our grandfather and his father and his father and soon on, right up to Edumud I, believe in."

"You."

"And?"

Arthur laughed again. "I have no idea."

Merlin turned to him. "Did you never learn that or did you fall asleep when Geoffrey told you?"

"Probably."

He shook his head at his cousin. "They believed that it was right for anyone to marry the one that they loved. The dragonlord power only passes from father to son if the union is one of love. That is why some families lost the power. And, Gaius forbade me from every mentioning in front of Uther, but the Pendragon's were one of those families that lost the power because they didn't accept this."

"Wait, my family had the dragonlord power?"

"Yeah."

Arthur looked a bit dumbfounded for a bit.

"So what I am trying to say is that I would rather you with a commoner and be happy then forced to marry some lady and be miserable."

"Does that mean I have permission to marry her?"

Merlin laughed. "Well lets not get too ahead of ourselves. Maybe you could formally court her though."

It was the last thing that they were all expecting but Merlin couldn't help but think that Arthur had overreacted slightly. He tried to put himself in his situation. He would admit, he didn't know what he would have done.

He was currently keeping his cousin and his new knight apart using his magic. He was expecting for a challenge, for someone else other than him to break the silence.

"Gwen, I think it might be best if you go and find Morgana." He said softly.

She wiped her eyes before nodding and running off. Merlin placed a hand through his hair. The situation was a bad one.

Arthur had started more openly courting Gwen for a week. Merlin had noticed that she was spending more time with Lancelot as well but he just expected that it was because they were friends. He would never have expected that they had starting courting as well. He knew of Lancelot's feelings for Gwen and he knew that she had some for him, but he always thought that her feelings were stronger for Arthur.

Seeing them lip locked had cause Arthur to attack Lancelot out of anger.

"Are you two going to behave like the knights you are?" Merlin asked harshly.

Lancelot gave him a short nod while Arthur just looked down. He released his magic hold over them and let out a sigh of relief as they stayed exactly where they were.

"Lancelot, go back to your chambers going that way. I will come for you if I need you. I don't want you leaving them tonight. Understand?"

He opened his mouth to say something, maybe defend himself but in the end he just turned the way that Merlin had pointed and left.

"Arthur, to your chambers as well, but that way."

"What? It would be easier for me to go that way." He said gesturing the way that Lancelot just went.

"And Lancelot just on that way." He said more forcefully. "You need to cool off anyway."

"You said I could court her more openly."

"And she is a woman of free will. She can court whoever she likes. Now go and cool off and get back to your chambers. And that is an order." He added the last bit when Arthur opened his mouth.

Arthur gaze soften slightly before he turned. He had never seen Merlin like that. He was always the calm one. He was always the one to see the way out. He never had spoken to him like that before.

Merlin dragged his hand through his hair again and shouted once Arthur was out of sight. What a mess and he had no idea how he was going to sort this one.