Morgana's dreams were never usually so vivid. She doesn't know what could have possibly triggered them to come back, but she knows that this will be one she will wish to forget.

Merlin and Gwen kiss. A man with an eye patch steps out of the shadows with a horrible-looking smirk on his face. Lance and Gwen are dancing. A blonde woman with dark, glowing eyes stands in complete darkness. Familiar blue eyes turn a deep red. She sees herself, Arthur and her father at sword point. The last image she sees is Agravaine's triumphant grin.

Then everything goes black.

Morgana suddenly awakens, bolting straight up from her pillow. She breathed rapidly, tears falling freely down her cheeks. Although unknown to her, her eyes shone a golden light. The Princess sobbed into her quilt as her dream slowly faded from memory until only the emptiness and distress was left.

It was early morning. As usual Merlin strolled through the castle and smiled brightly at his fellow servants and maids who all shared his glee. The few knights he knew would not react badly to his greetings waved back to him in the hallway and he felt glad he could breach propriety in such a way.

The manservant walked straight into the Prince's chamber without a knock, as per usual, only to find Arthur awake. That was not usual.

"What happened?" Merlin asked. Arthur didn't usually wake early but when he did the reason was terrible. A bad time for his compatriot to be injured, Merlin thought. Lancelot had been stabbed the previous night and sent to bed for two weeks before he could re-join Merlin as Knight Blade.

However, contradicting what Merlin thought, Arthur simply laughed at his servant's sudden jump to conclusions.

"Sire?" Merlin prompted. He wondered what could be so funny.

"Nothing has happened, Merlin. Honestly, will you react this way every time you find me dressed and awake before you arrive?" Merlin just stared, confused, at the Prince. "Thank you for your confidence, appreciate it as always," Arthur smiled before he sheathed his sword.

"So, let me get this straight, you're awake." Arthur nodded. "You're dressed." He nodded again. "I take it you've had breakfast." Another nod. "And the Kingdom is not falling?" Arthur laughed but nodded his head once more. "What is happening?" Merlin asked, quite puzzled.

"I am accompanying my dear sister on a ride into the forest. I have been pressed for time as of late and I wish to spend what little I have with Morgana." Arthur walked out and gestured for Merlin to follow him.

"I take it I have to come with you." Merlin saw the glint in the Prince's eye and stopped. "What have you done?" His eyes looked serious but his tone was light.

"Nothing, I have done absolutely nothing. Come on Merlin." Merlin didn't buy his innocent look.

"Gwen is coming, isn't she?" Merlin stated rather than asked. "And you and your 'dear sister' are setting us up," Merlin deduced.

"For an idiot you can be quite smart sometimes," Arthur quipped, which earned him an amused glare.

"Well one of us has to be," Merlin retorted and received a light punch in the arm. He winced as Arthur hit a bruise that he had gotten a few days ago from a very strong bandit.

"Don't be such a girl, Merlin." Merlin could only keep silent. He didn't need Arthur wondering where he'd gotten all the bruises and scars. He'd have too many questions. "Get the horses ready." Arthur walked off in the direction of Morgana's chambers until he turned around. "Oh and Merlin? Try not to get too flustered when Gwen starts talking to you."

"Prat," Merlin shouted back.

"Idiot."

"Dollop-head."

"Clumsy oaf."

"Bone idled toad." Merlin faintly caught Arthur's laugh before he turned to make his way to the stables and ready the horses.

Merlin had just finished saddling Morgana's horse when he heard the two royals' laughter getting closer. Merlin turned to see Arthur and Morgana with Gwen, who seemed a little red-faced. They must've teased her on the way here Merlin figured.

"Ah, Merlin, you've done something successfully. Well done you!" Arthur bantered. But Merlin didn't bother responding; he just grinned.

Instead, Merlin went up to Gwen and held out his hand for her to take. As shy as ever, she smiled before taking his hand to get on her horse.

"Hey, I'm sorry if they're giving you a hard time," he apologised. Merlin knew that it wasn't just the two royals either. The whole castle was whispered about them and they both knew it.

"It's fine. They were just joking." Merlin placed a hand on her knee and squeezed in comfort. He caught her beautiful brown eyes which were filled to the brim with optimism and hope and he found himself lost in them. Annoyingly though, Arthur's cough brought him back to reality.

He turned to see Arthur and Morgana smirking devilishly and he fought the urge to curse them both. He simply jumped on his horse and kicked it as he sped in front. The wind beat against his face and he took a moment to relish in it before the Prince and Princess rode up next to him.

"Bet you can't beat me," Merlin challenged. He knew full well that the two were extremely competitive and would grab the chance to put one over on the other.

"Do you really?" Morgana smirked and Merlin could already see the flicker of competition in her eyes. It was rather scary.

"3, 2, 1 GO!" Arthur shouted as he kicked his horse to speed ahead and Morgana followed whilst Merlin slowed down and waited for Gwen to catch up.

"What did you do?" Gwen questioned, confused and amused by the two royals who cursed each other as they sprinted forward on their horses.

"I challenged them both to a race." The both laughed at the royals' and spirit of competitiveness.

"Well aren't you sly," she teased.

"Sly is such an ugly word. I prefer calculated." Merlin joked, which got the intended laugh from the pretty maid.

Silence hung between them. Not out of tension or awkwardness but content. Until Gwen broke it. "How is Lance?" Last night she had helped tend to the wound with Gaius whilst Merlin nursed his own cut.

"He'll live. He's a strong one." Merlin smiled. Lancelot was just as close as he and Arthur and it was a lot easier to share things about himself with his partner in crime. Lance held no prejudice against his kind and saw magic for what it was. A force controlled by good and bad people. He felt sure Arthur did not see it like that.

"I know," she replied.

"He'll be fine, Gwen. By the way, thank you for the mask, it has really helped. That leather armour you made me too," Merlin had been knifed a few weeks ago and he had come out okay because of the armour Gwen had made him. She made a great addition to the team.

"That's alright, Merlin. Anything to help you." Merlin noticed how she'd said "you" instead of "you and Lance". It felt a lot more personal. "It's dangerous, Merlin. Why do you do it?" Gwen looked genuinely concerned and worried about him. It reminded Merlin of his mother and how she looked at him after he'd made things levitate in their hut.

"Because no one else will," Merlin declared before he pushed for a gallop. "Let's catch up. They'll be waiting on us." Gwen joined him. They galloped the rest of the way.

Around midday, the four friends dismounted and relaxed next to an old oak tree. Merlin and Gwen quickly set up for lunch and retrieved cutlery from the hamper. They also pulled out a selection of meats, cheeses and fruits as well as bread and an apple pie.

They sat in contented silence. Each one of them ate a slice of their chosen meat inside two slices of bread; no classes existed here. They were just friends. Merlin had never really had friends back in Ealdor. Just Will and he was great but also more like a brother. The rest of his village resented him for his gifts.

"Arthur," Morgana started. "Do you remember that time when you were fourteen And…?"

"Morgana. Don't you dare say anything." Arthur warned. His tone sounded more worried than threatening as he looked at his sister.

"Why not? It's a great story and I'm sure Merlin and Gwen would love to hear it." Morgana pouted her lip and batter her eye lashes. Merlin knew that Arthur didn't fall for that stuff but he guessed Arthur would let her share anyway.

"You'll just tell them when I'm not around so you might as well do it whilst I'm here and can correct you," Arthur sighed.

So Morgana started telling the two servants what Arthur had done when a lady from Mercia had visited. She'd been the same age as Arthur and he'd made it his mission to woo her. Except that it seemed Arthur was terrible at wooing women and she'd left promising to never return.

The three laughed for ages as Morgana retold the story of how Arthur had tried to organise a meal for the two. But the lady had an allergic reaction to Arthur's favourite meal. Even Arthur chuckled a little.

"And since then Arthur has never pursued a woman from Mercia ever again. The end," Morgana finished.

"You're looking a little red there, sire." Merlin pointed out whilst trying to contain his laughs.

"It's just a little hot out here, Merlin. Make yourself useful and fill up my water skin." Merlin grinned before taking his and Arthur's water skin over to the lake.

Merlin had just finished filling up the prat's water skin when he heard light footsteps behind him. "Just me, Merlin." Gwen's voice sang in his ear.

"Morgana sent you here, right?" He smiled up at her as she knelt down next to him to fill up hers and lady's water skin.

"Yeah," she breathed. They worked in quiet until Merlin had himself a fine idea.

Gwen felt a splash on her face and looked up to see Merlin's innocent face. She splashed him back harder as they both laughed and they began splashing each other.

"I'll get you for that." Gwen was already soaked and Merlin barely wet. Until she pushed him in the lake. The maid laughed until she realised that Merlin hadn't come up. "Merlin?" She leaned over the edge and looked in but she only saw the dark blue of the lake. "Merlin, where are you?" Gwen called out again as she flailed around in the water for him.

Suddenly, something pulled her in and she screamed as she fell into the water. When Gwen resurfaced she saw Merlin laughing at her to the point where he out of breath.

"That wasn't funny," she exclaimed. Gwen slapped his arm and hugged him. "I thought you had died," she whispered. The maid latched on to him and she felt his arms come around her.

"I'll always be here, Gwen." The dark-skinned servant brought her head up to gaze into Merlin's cerulean eyes. Just like before, Gwen became lost in them and mesmerised by how much they revealed about him. She leaned in ever so slightly and Merlin closed the gap between their lips.

Her lips were soft and he found himself eager for more. However, he stayed gentle and patient as he cupped her cheek with one hand; the other came to her waist and brought her closer to him. The kiss itself was filled with innocence and inexperience before it finally ended. They just stared at each other then smiled, almost glowing in radiance, and moved out of the lake. Their hands subconsciously entwined.

"Woo!" A shout brought them out of their moment and they turned to see the two royals. "About time, Merlin." Arthur shouted. He smiled and they both stared at the ground, their faces flushed bright red.

"Gwen, you're going to tell me all about that brilliant kiss when we get back." Morgana seemed more excited about it than Gwen, and Merlin was still trying to recover from the idea that he had just kissed Gwen.

"So, you spied on us?" Merlin finally managed to splutter out.

"Well when you put it like that it sounds bad. But yes, yes we did," Arthur stated, looking rather proud of himself. "Anyway, I'm up for going in that lake." Arthur sprinted off the edge and Merlin quickly jumped in and made a splash behind him.

"Come on, Gwen!" Merlin called out to her. "We we're both wet anyway."

"I think we have to help them out, Merlin." Arthur gave him a nudge and the two ran out of the water and toward the girls. They tried to run but Merlin and Arthur ran too fast. Merlin lifted Gwen bridal-style and Arthur threw Morgana over his shoulder whilst she kicked and cursed. This amused the other three.

Merlin and Arthur chucked themselves in whilst they held on to the two girls and the four came up and laughed. Morgana initiated a water fight and soon the four were throwing water all over each other.

However, across the lake a set of eyes watched them. The man smiled and jotted down his findings on a piece of parchment. His boss would indeed be pleased with the leverage he'd discovered.

A little later, Merlin told the others he had to check on the horses. This was a lie although checking on the horses wasn't a bad idea right about now. He could kill two birds with one stone. Merlin wasn't an idiot and he'd had enough of people thinking he was. He'd seen the spy as soon as they had entered the forest.

The spy hid behind a bush and Merlin ran and turned left sharply but instead of walking down the path he turned again and hid behind a tree. He smiled as he watched the spy run past him. He could let the spy go but he needed to send a message to the boss, whether it was Agravaine or not.

"Hey there," Merlin greeted casually. The spy spun around and it was obvious that he hadn't expected to be caught. "I saw you spying on me." Merlin's eyes glowed and the spy was forced back a few feet.

The spy said nothing but got up and tried to run away. Merlin's eyes glowed again as he spoke a few words, "Brytengrúnd and stefn Néadhæs mé." Roots shot up from the ground and ensnared the spy's arms and legs. Merlin strolled up to face the now- trembling man and grinned. He moved his head so that his mouth moved directly over the spy's ear.

"If your boss tries to spy on me again or tries to come after me or my friends, I won't be very pleased." Merlin's voice was low and deep. For someone with such a gangly appearance he could be very intimidating. "You see, I have a rule. I don't kill. It's not right and it never has been. However, I will do anything to save my friends. So if Agravaine…" The spy's breath hitched and Merlin was surer than ever that he was behind this. "Likes his head where it is then he will stay away." Merlin retracted the roots and the spy dropped to his knees on the floor. "Run." Merlin said and that was all the spy needed to hear as he bolted up and sprinted away.

Once the four friends arrived back at the castle, Arthur and Morgana left to attend a late evening council. Gwen offered to help him bring the four horses into the stables, which he gladly accepted.

"Merlin." Agravaine appeared. He turned to see the serious face of the lord and Merlin felt pleased that his stupid sly grin was wiped off his face.

"Gwen, leave us please," Merlin asked, but it came out as more of an order. Gwen looked between the two worriedly before she left.

"So you figured it out," Agravaine stated and Merlin nodded wordlessly. "How?" The lord asked, intrigued.

"The people you employ are terrible at their jobs," Merlin replied. "What now?"

"Well, you can't accuse me of being the leader of an underground crime organisation. No one would believe you," Agravaine pointed out and Merlin conceded he was right.

"We've established you can't get rid of me either." Merlin smirked. "You will lose Agravaine," Merlin said seriously before he walked past him.

"Be careful Merlin. I might not be able to get rid of you but those that are closest to you are not as well equipped as you are," Agravaine retorted.

"You got my message. You know what will happen." Merlin clenched his fists; he was keeping all of his anger inside so he didn't release it on Agravaine.

"I received the message. I just wonder if you can follow through." Agravaine strolled past Merlin, hitting his shoulder as he passed him.

Now the game was real.

Translations:

"Earth and root obey me"