The Stay of Mithian

He felt better now that everyone had left or were leaving. It had been a few hectic days and he was glad to go back to normality.

The only thing is that it meant that he had more time to think over what Morgause had wrote. It worried him by what she meant and there was no way that he wanted history to repeat itself. He didn't want to be killed for her to take his throne. He didn't want anyone else to suffer.

He had managed to keep it from Morgana but he was sure that she would find it soon.

"Merlin, just the man I wanted to see."

Merlin smiled at Mithian as she walked up to him. "How may I help?"

"We don't wish to impose but would there be a possibility that my father and I could stay a little longer? We have just fallen in love with the city and I would wish to explore more."

"Of course, we would be happy for you to stay."

"We have seen that Mithian and Arthur have got closer."

"You aren't the only ones." Merlin muttered.

"Wouldn't this be the answer to the problem?"

Oh yes, the problem with Arthur and Lancelot at loggerheads. It had become worse after the wedding. They had to have separate training times. He just felt sorry for Gwen, who was stuck in the middle of all this.

"We will just have to see how everything pans out. If Arthur and Mithian are getting closer then lets just let them. Let's not put them under any pressure that they have to … start courting formally."

"This won't go away by itself." One of the lords said.

Merlin sighed. He knew that. He just hoped that it would.

"What on earth does he think he is playing at?" She said as they watched at Arthur helped Mithian on to her horse.

"Don't. Our council want me to push it."

"What?!" Morgana screeched.

"They see it as an end to this problem of him courting Gwen."

"Gwen is heartbroken over this."

"I can guess. Just the mere thought of you marrying someone else turned my stomach."

She held his arm. "Well you are stuck with me for the rest of your life now. Till death do us part was what we said."

He turned to her and kissed her forehead. "And I wouldn't want it any other way."

"And I am now your wife Merlin. I know you well enough to know when you are hiding something from me. We are meant to share everything. I am meant to help you through your troubles."

Merlin looked at his hands as he rubbed his palms together. He looked up to see Arthur leave before he reached inside his jacket and getting out the letter.

"A servant gave me this on our wedding night. Said it was from a King Gormause." He handed it to her. "I had my suspicions so I opened it on my own. I didn't want to worry you."

He closed his eyes as he waited for her outburst.

"Merlin." She sighed. "Why didn't you tell me? Is this what has been burdening you? I thought it was the Arthur, Gwen, Lancelot situation."

"I just don't understand her. We want the same thing." He placed his head in his hands.

He felt Morgana rub his back in comfort.

Merlin knew that he shouldn't be doing what he was but he had to. After his chat with Morgana, he had to make sure that Morgause wasn't behind the problem that they had at the moment.

Obviously, he knew that Lancelot had feelings for Gwen and he knew that with any love spell, there had to be an initial attraction. But it was his behaviour that had started to worry Merlin. It wasn't like Lancelot to … well be ungentlemanly.

He stood still in Lancelot's chambers. Why hadn't he thought about that sooner?

Lancelot knew that Gwen and Arthur were together. Lancelot would have forgone his own happiness for them.

He left the room. He had to go and talk to Lancelot himself.

"So Mithian?" Merlin said.

"What about her?" Arthur took a sip from his goblet.

"Question one, do you actually like her or are you just using her so that you make Gwen jealous and she chooses you over Lancelot?"

"She is a lovely woman. She is great company. It is nice to have a woman that is as interested in hunting as me."

"Why do I sense a but?"

"But she just isn't the girl for me. No I wasn't using her. Maybe I was. I was just trying to forget everything about Lancelot and Gwen. She came over and we started talking and we just clicked."

"But not as much as you did with Gwen."

"Exactly."

"The council will be disappointed. I think they were hoping for another marriage. And one that will result in an alliance."

"I don't think that there will be any trouble getting an alliance between Nemeth and Camelot."

"Thank you. Your hospitality has been most appreciated." Mithian said.

"You and your father are and will always be welcomed in Camelot."

"I am glad to hear that. I have enjoyed my time here."

Merlin scuffed the floor. "I am sorry that what you came to Camelot for didn't happen. I am grateful for the alliance between us but I expect that you wanted more from it."

"Even if Arthur didn't see it, I knew that he didn't want the same. You are kind not to force him into anything."

"If I got to choose who I was with then so must he. As I have already said, I was at one point a peasant."

She laughed gently. "I only wish I could have that choice."

He watched her walked away. He couldn't help but notice the sadness in her voice. But then he remembered, not all kingdoms were going to be like his. It was rare for princes and princesses not to be betrothed. He wondered what went wrong for her.

They knew that they shouldn't but when Merlin and Morgana saw Gwen, Arthur and Lancelot all talking in the hallway, they knew that they had to listen in. They used their magic of course.

"So what now?" Arthur asked.

"Merlin said it was my choice." Gwen replied. "That is why I haven't seen either of you for the past few days. And I am so sorry."

Morgana rose on her tiptoes to look over Merlin's shoulder. "She is talking to Lancelot."

"Remind me to find him a nice girl. Someone that will love him back as much as he will love them."

"By the way he is looking at her, I don't think he will love anyone else but her."

"I understand." Lancelot said before Gwen could say anything else. "I came here not hoping for romance but friendship. I don't know what came over me the last few weeks. I do love you Gwen and there is very little you could do to stop me. But then I know that you don't feel as strongly as me."

"Poor Lancelot." Morgana commented.

"That was your choice, wasn't it?" He finished.

"You are a good man Lancelot, you deserve a better girl than me."

"Really wished she didn't put herself down like that. That is what I have been getting for the last few weeks."

Merlin rolled his eyes at his wife before smiling at the fact that she was his wife. "That is never going to get old."

"What is?"

He brought her closer to him. "That you are my wife." He leant forward and pecked her lips.

"I am not use to it as well." Morgana's eyes move back over his shoulder. "Goddess, they are on the move."

He took her hand in his and pulled her down the corridor. "We will just have to pretend that we don't know. Hopefully they didn't see us."

And just for the readers, they did see them. But then again, Arthur and Gwen didn't expect anything less. They were the ones that had been in the middle of it all. Of course they would have been curious to how it would end.