Author's Note: Marie here! I can't believe we're only three chapters in! This bunny has been bouncing about for quite a while, so you can imagine my almost impatience! I hope everyone that's along for the ride (yes, you four reviewers, seven favoriters, and fifteen followers, I'm talking to you!) is having fun so far! Once you've read this chapter, feel free to drop a review; they bring joy to an author's soul! Speaking of, a quick thank-you to Blatherskite3 for your kind review, though my lips remain sealed to your question. ^_^ Here we go!

Once my lesson was finished, my arms had begun to ache, so I parted ways with my brother to redress and get a preparation for sore muscles from Gaius. Although the pain was bothersome, I was too pleased with the progress Arthur had already seen in me to complain. At last, I was finally getting a skill I could use to defend myself one day.

After my arms were feeling better, I met with Morgana to see if any material in the dressmaker's shop struck my fancy for the feast tomorrow night. "Honestly, my dear, I don't know how we keep decent dresses on you," the head seamstress teased, "since you seem to always forget where I am!"

"I do apologize on the short notice again, Edith," I smiled, looking around. "What colour are you thinking, Morgana? Blue?"

She shook her head. "You always wear blue, Kyndra. Let's put you in something…different." A sparkle came into her eye. "Something a bit more flirtatious."

I rolled my eyes at the girl I practically called my sister as she winked at me a few times. "What on earth are you thinking in that pretty head of yours, Morgana?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" She immediately found a rich emerald material, took Edith aside, and began whispering to her in a hushed, excited tone for a few moments until she remembered I was in the room. "Oh, do you need to measure her?"

Edith gave me a long, quiet study, which always made me squirm. Over the past couple of years, I had stopped growing any taller—several inches shorter than my brother—and seemed to maintain the same figure; measuring me now seemed more of a nuisance to the wise, plump little dressmaker. "Just the same as before, my dear."

"Excellent!" Morgana smiled before practically shooing me out of the shop, laughing all the while at the 'surprise' I was going to receive. I began to fear for my own life. As I had made up my mind to walk back to the castle and fill Allison in on Morgana's scheme, I heard a familiar pair of voices.

"Oh, thank God. I thought you were deaf as well as dumb."

"Look, I've told you you're an ass. I just didn't realise you were a royal one."

Great. Here we go again. I began to walk towards them as their bickering continued.

"Oh, what are you going to do? Get your daddy's men to protect you?" Arthur laughed. "I could take you apart with one blow."

"I could take you apart with less than that."

"Are you sure?"

"Come on, then," one of the knights with Arthur encouraged. He was not helping the situation very much.

"Fight," the other knight insisted. He wasn't helping, either.

Arthur laughed as Merlin removed his jacket, tossing it to the side. "Here you go," he smirked, tossing Merlin a mace.

I caught it just as it slipped through his fingers, sighing. "Really, Arthur? Can you not just let the boy alone?"

Arthur seemed a little taken aback, his mace dangling lifeless in his hand. "Kyndra…"

"I'm amazed! The cabbage-head is speechless!"

Arthur looked past me to Merlin, his eyes blazing. "Come on, then." Knowing there was nothing I could do, I handed Merlin his mace back as my brother began to spin his. "I warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth."

"Wow," Merlin replied, sounding unimpressed. "And how long have you been training to be a prat?"

Arthur snorted. "You can't address me like that."

"I'm sorry. H-How long have you been training to be a prat, My Lord?"

As Merlin bowed mockingly, I knew his fate had been sealed. With a smirk, Arthur began his assault and I simply walked the other direction, shaking my head and wondering why on earth boys behaved in such ridiculous ways sometimes.

I opened Gaius's door to return a book I had just finished reading as I heard another shut. "What's wrong?" I asked quietly, sitting the book down on a table.

"The boy," Gaius replied, setting his medical bag down and easing behind his workbench. "He tangled up with Arthur again."

"I know," I sighed. "I tried to stop it, but…did he hurt him?"

The physician shook his head. "His pride took the biggest blow. However, he has a few bruises."

I nodded in understanding before walking towards the other door, tapping it gently with my knuckles. "May I come in?" I asked. When I heard something that I took for a yes, I entered, closing the door quietly behind me. "Are you all right?"

Merlin nodded, his gaze trained on the floor and the shirt he had on beside him, the setting sun spilling through the window behind him. He glanced up for a moment, his eyes widening as he realized his entire upper half was exposed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't—"

"It's all right," I soothed. "Gaius told me you had a couple of scrapes, so I suspected he treated you as soon as he could." Merlin relaxed somewhat, though he still looked dejected from earlier events, resting his chin in his right hand which revealed a band of braided leather around the wrist. "Where did you get that bracelet?" I asked, trying to take his mind off of his injuries, however minor they may have been.

He looked down at his wrist, smiling a little. "From my mother. She gave it to me the day I left. 'A little piece of home to take with you,' she said."

"What's her name?"

"Hunith. She's…wonderful. Strong. And just, so…wise." Merlin grinned at me. "When I was little, I thought she knew everything because she could answer every single question I could think of!"

I laughed, happy to see him at ease. "What's it like?"

Merlin's brow furrowed. "What's what like?"

"To…to have a mother."

"Y-You don't have one?"

I shook my head. "She died giving birth to Arthur and me; Father had to raise us on his own. I never met her, never got to spend any time with her, so…I don't know what it's like to have a mother."

Merlin's eyes softened. "Well, I guess we're even. I don't know what it's like to have a father."

I placed a hand comfortingly on top of his, causing his blue eyes to meet mine. "We'll have to talk more about this one day."

He smiled. "I'd like that."

"Lady Kyndra! The King wishes to see you."

"Coming!" I called, squeezing Merlin's hand before I rose. "I have to go. I'll see you again, Merlin." He gave me one last grateful smile before I left, going with the servant who called me to meet my father.

As I walked into Father's chambers, he spun around, looking slightly frazzled. "Kyndra."

"Yes, Father?" I inquired, confused at why he was acting so strange.

He closed the door behind me before walked past me again. "I have invited Lady Helen to dine with me this evening."

"That's wonderful!" I smiled, though I was still confused. Why was dinner putting him so on edge?

"Just…myself…and Lady Helen."

"Oh…the truth reveals itself." My smiled turned into a bit of a grin as Father fussed with his crown. "Just be yourself, and all will go well." I looked at him in the mirror with him, a small smile forming on our faces. "After all, that's the best thing you can do." I brushed off his shoulders, just to make him feel a little bit better before shooing him out of his chambers. "Now, go have fun with your lady friend."

Father's eyes widened for a moment. "I-It's not like—"

"Whatever you wish to think, Father."

Allison woke me up the next morning with breakfast, saying Arthur was already waiting for me for my lesson. I changed quickly, grabbed my sword, and met my brother at the tower and noticed something seemed to be missing. "Where's the dummy?" I asked, curious.

Arthur shrugged. "You've outgrown him." He barely let this achievement settle in before he continued. "Now, I think you are ready to actually start sparring."

I raised my sword, curious. "Sparring," I repeated, making sure I had heard correctly.

Arthur nodded before lunging, swinging his sword and forcing me to block. "Yes; sparring. It's basically sword-fighting, except with a dulled blade."

I nodded, matching his blow with one of my own. "All right…sparring it is." I did my best to recall all of the steps and form my brother had taught me as we fought, keeping myself alert to any opening he might give me. However, he was the champion swordsman of Camelot for a reason, and when my sword was flung from my grasp and I was cornered, I remembered that title wasn't just given to him just because he was the prince.

Once he picked up my sword and handed it back to me, I could tell he seemed…pleased? "Well done. I've seen men aspiring to become knights last half the time that you did."

My cheeks flushed a little, grateful for his praise. "So, you'll knight me some day?"

Arthur chuckled. "Not so fast; you've still got a ways to go."

I nodded in understanding, looking towards the door of the tower as Allison peeked out, nodding to me. "Oh, I have to go. Morgana needs me."

"Needs you for what?"

I smirked at Arthur's sudden curiosity. "None of your business, Prince." With that, I linked arms with Allison to walk to Morgana's chambers.

"Just in time, Kyndra!" Morgana hummed, pleased. "Take a seat over there, please." I did as she asked, sitting down and looking around for the mysterious dress she had Edith make for me.

"You know, I've been thinking about Arthur," she began, walking behind her changing screen just as a familiar face appeared in the doorway. Merlin? "No offense to you, Kyndra, but I wouldn't touch him with a lance pole. Pass me that dress, will you Gwen?"

Merlin froze, a bottle of medicine in his hand. He must've been running errands for Gaius. I watched slightly amused as he scooped the dress off of Morgana's couch and draping it on the screen.

"I mean, the man's a total jouster," Morgana continued as she undressed. "And just because I'm the King's ward, that doesn't mean I have to accompany him to the feast, does it?" As Merlin began to walk away from the screen, Morgana must have noticed his shadow. "Well, does it?" she repeated.

"Mm-Mmm," Merlin replied, his voice high-pitched and forcing me to bite back laughter.

"You do have a point, Morgana," I agreed, "Arthur doesn't think about things like this. If he wanted you to go, then he should have invited you."

"Well, he hasn't," Morgana confirmed as Merlin looked to me for help. I shook my head, raising my hands in defeat. He was on his own here. "So, do you know what that means?"

"Mm-Mmm," Merlin repeated in the same tone of voice.

"Where are you?" Morgana asked, looking over the screen.

"Here," Merlin replied, holding up one of Morgana's cloaks to hide his face. "It means I'm going by myself."

"That makes two of us," I added. "No one's asked me to go, either."

"That's strange," Morgana began, "I wonder why that is?"

"The same reason you're going by yourself—Arthur."

"Of course," Morgana muttered before raising her voice just as Merlin began to sneak out. "I need some help with this fastening." Merlin turned around, panicking as Morgana called. "Gwen?"

"I'm here," Guinevere replied, making Merlin jump and spin around. She looked to me, puzzled. "What is he doing here?" she mouthed to me.

I shook my head before pointing to Morgana behind the screen. Guinevere nodded, walking behind the screen to help her lady. Merlin breathed a sigh of relief before slipping out just as Morgana stepped from the screen in a beautiful blue and purple gown. "You look lovely, Morgana," I spoke, and I meant it, walking with her and Guinevere to her mirror.

Morgana smiled at my complement. "So, it's whether I wear this little tease…" She then held up a maroon gown, one that fitted the description she wanted my gown to have yesterday. "...or give them a night they'll really remember." She then looked to me, smiling. "Don't worry, Kyndra. It looks like we're going to the feast together…and making a couple of men regret that fact."

A/N: It's almost time for the main event! Hope you all enjoyed; please drop a review to let me know! Until next time!