Thanks for all the reviews! Aw, wasnt poor Gwen so cute when she was standing next to Merlin and he said'You wouldnt know your type if they were standing right next to you'! Argh! So oblivious that boy! Love him so much though! This chapter is kinda based on that and just so you know although i forgot in this bit I will be including Gwen and Morgana in future chaps!

My cheeks flushed with embarrassment, it may not be visible in the dim light of the cavern but I could still feel the heat. I could also feel Merlin staring at me; it was an unsettlingly intense gaze that made my skin prickle. I cast down my eyes, preferring to look at the floor rather than his face. This all had to be a mistake and he was going to laugh at me, I knew it, there was no way I could be anything that special. Or even if it was somehow true then he was going to hate me. I mean, the Dragon even said that I was the opposite of what he was. He was the sorcerer and I was his enemy, his evil counterpart. Which was funny because I didn't feel that evil. All I could do was take his enchantments and spells and turn them against him. I seemed unfair.

"Emery?" His voice was surprised to say the least.

"I'm sorry; I didn't know I was this Mamur thing!" I apologised immediately without thinking, finally meeting his gaze.

"You're a girl!"

"I swear I….what?!" I halted, perplexed, my brain slowly registering his words. But his incredulous tone caused something to snap in me, he made it sound as if there was no possibility of me being female. That smarted. "Yeah and?" I said rather curtly.

"I just, I don't believe it," the young warlock shook his head with absolute bewilderment .

"What? Do you want me to prove it to you?" I asked, raising one eye brow. "Why is it so hard for you to comprehend?"

"I-I'm sorry," Merlin said and then began laughing. I glared daggers at him. What was wrong with him? I suddenly had a flashback to my initial feeling that this was all some elaborate hoax and my expression fell. The young man noticed instantly, his face melting into one of concern. "Are you okay? I really am sorry; I believe you are a girl if you say you are. It was just your defiance and the hand on your hip…sorry…" He trailed off. I hadn't even realised that my hand was on my hip and I glanced down in surprise before swiftly removing it.

"I'm fine but…okay, I'm a little confused. I thought you'd be angry."
"Angry? Why?" It was Merlin's turn to look mystified.

"Well, that Dragon just said I was your enemy," I said.

"Enemy? Are you kidding? Just because you defend yourself from magic doesn't mean you are my enemy. That is plain ridiculous."

"But…"

"In fact this is absolutely fantastic!"

"It is?" I had obviously lost his train of thought, I had no idea at what point his mind was at. How on earth could this be fantastic?

"Yes, I'm not alone anymore!" Merlin grinned, almost dazzling me with his smile. I had to blink several times to regain focus. I understood what he meant however. All this time the boy had had no one except Gaius the physician to talk to about his gift of sorcery otherwise he would've been killed. He had to keep it secret. But now he had me, a fellow freak who he could confide in. I didn't actually blame him for his excitement.

"So what do we do now?"

There was a deafening boom as the thunder rolled across the pitch black sky, the looming clouds illuminated occasionally by the flash of a fork of lightning. Rain pounded down on the kingdom, filling the drains and flooding the streets. Several houses were slowly gathering water; stagnant, disgusting water swimming with detritus.

Sheltered from this weather were two young people, hidden in the depths of an abandoned cattle shed. The building was rickety, several planks missing from the walls, but strong enough to keep them warm and dry. Only the occasionally chilly gust of wind could find its way into the dwelling bringing with it swirls of cold rainwater. But this hardly bothered the occupants for they were too busy concentrating to notice.

At either end of the shack they stood, facing each other as if they were about to have a swordfight, yet they had no weapons. A more appropriate word one could suppose would be duel; they were duelling. The fight seemed unfair because one was a young man on the cusp of adulthood, tall and wiry, whilst the other was a child small, skinny and delicate looking. However, despite appearances, the match was reasonably even. Yes, the elder had the edge but the younger was giving all she had.

"Achma grihden soleb!" The dark haired warlock hissed, his voice taking on a deep, unearthly quality. I felt the spell approach me but somehow it did not penetrate the invisible shield that surrounded me. Instead, the enchantment rebounded as if it had hit something solid and a sort of bluish grey light seemed to fizzle and then go out. I still hadn't mastered the art of turning my opponent's charm back on him completely; I was still learning. Nevertheless I was frustrating my new friend no end. "Damn! How did you do that?!"

Merlin and I had been visiting this out of the way cattle shed for some time now. Each time we came we practised our spells, well, Merlin's spells and my defence. It was good training for us both but upset Gaius no end, he believed our frolicking in magic to be foolish and careless – tempting fate he called it. Merlin called it fun. The friendly duels were a good outlet for pent up energy. And at the end of each session we would sit down with the manservant's large spell book and read and discuss.

As for everyone else in the castle they didn't expect a thing. However, Arthur was slightly perturbed by the fact Merlin seemed to be spending a lot of time with a boy three years his junior and vanishing into the countryside for long periods. He didn't really know what to make of it. I was sure he would be even more suspicious of Merlin's antics had he known I was a girl.

"I've told you time and time again, Merlin, I truly don't know." In all honesty I didn't, how could he not get that?

"Ugh, it just seems unfair that you can do all this without even trying whereas I have to memorize spells and say them exactly right for anything to happen." The boy collapsed heavily onto a pile of hay and closed his eyes. I stared at him. "Will you please stop staring at me, Em, it's unnerving."

"Oh god, sorry," I apologised averting my eyes as quickly as possible and groaning inwardly as the familiar flush worked its way up my neck and onto my cheeks. It wasn't just that I was attracted to Merlin – I was, as previously stated – but I just had an irritating fascination with people: how they looked, how they talked, how they felt, how they did anything really. It was odd and probably more than a little neurotic but I couldn't help it, it was how my brain worked, focussing on the small traits and characteristic habits that made up someone's personality. It made me feel more secure in talking to them. That's why my eyes often wandered.

"S'okay, I don't really mind, I just like seeing you blush," the magician cracked open one blue eye and grinned at me. I kicked him in the knee. "Ow! Hey, these meetings are strictly non-violent. That was the deal!"

"Yeah, but that only counts when we are actually duelling. In free time anything goes," I bit back.

"Ooh, really?" And suddenly the man was on his feet and tackling me roughly to the ground. I fell like a sack of potatoes, my legs slipping from beneath me and flying sideways as I landed on a reasonably soft pile of hay. I choked in surprise, my eyes wide with shock. Merlin lay on top of me, his smile wolfish and his eyes dancing with merriment. I swear I literally saw them twinkle. He was so close that I could feel my body reacting, it wanted rid of him. There was no escaping the fact I was a Mamuress. Still, maybe I could ignore my body's rejection of him in favour of something else. My mouth moved towards his subconsciously. "Ha, bet you weren't expecting that were you?" Just like that he was gone, leaping to his feet and prancing away, his face alight with victory. He was completely oblivious to what he had just done to me.

"I, no, not really." How come he was three years my senior and yet he had not a clue about boy girl relationships? It was like he was still a child in that department. I sighed in annoyance. I shouldn't really get frustrated though, it was just a crush and nothing would come of it, just like my long running one on Arthur. A girl like me was just not destined to be with such handsome men.

Not one of my best pieces but I hope you enjoyed. Review!