Chapter 5: Retraining the Knights and the Courting of the King

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

"So how long do I have until the group makes their move?"

Merlin carefully took a sleeping Isolde from me, knowing that I'd want to pace. "They're going to announce the appearance of the sword and stone the sixteenth of January. Experts are going to be flown in and then high up people, rulers of countries and other politicians mostly, are going to be allowed to try their hand at trying to pull it free. It won't be until early December that 'regular people' will be allowed to try. It'll be the rich that get to try. Our opponent is rich, so he'll get to try eventually. Luckily for us, I have ties in the British government that will get you on the list once I call them to let them know I found you."

I paced in front of the bay window where Uncle Mark and Uncle Gawain sat. "So I have about a year to whip the Knights into shape and sharpen my own skills. Is the Royal Family really going to believe you found me?"

"I have a sworn promise sealed with magic and blood that they will. And once you pull Excalibur free, they'll have no choice but to believe." Merlin assured me.

I continued to pace, trying to plan exactly what I would have to test.

"Your Majesty…" Gavin began.

I shot him a look. "I'm still Lys, Gav. Please don't treat me any different from how you normally do. I couldn't stand it if you changed on me after we've been so relaxed with each other for the last eleven or so years."

He grinned roguishly at me. "Sorry Lys. Old habits and all. Anyway, I was going to suggest you write down your list that you're making so you don't freak out that you've forgotten something."

I stuck my tongue out my tongue at him but grabbed a pen and some paper from the table anyway.

Merlin cleared his throat. "Speaking of things to do, I would like to formally ask for permission to court Alys."

The men of my family exchanged looks as we women and Gavin tried not to laugh.

Dad turned to Merlin. "What would you do if we said no?"

"Do it anyway. He's stubborn like that." I answered as I made my list of things to test.

"I think, Uther, that the real question is what Alys would do if we said 'no'." Uncle Mark commented.

Dad snorted. "I know exactly what she'd do. She'd roll her eyes, tell me she's not six anymore, and then tell him to pick her up at seven. What are you intentions with my duaghter?"

"I would at some point like to ask her to marry me after getting to know her better as Alys." Merlin replied.

My grandfathers spoke in unison, something that kinda freaked everyone out when they did it. "Do you like her because she was once Arthur or for all there is?"

"I fell in love with Arthur, but did not realize it until too late. I got to know her as Alys, and even if she were not Arthur or I not in love with Arthur, I would still like her."

Grandma Ruth rolled her eyes. "Just answer the damn question he asked! He'll take good care of her and you can tell that they are meant to be."

"Yes Mom." Dad sat up straighter and looked down at Merlin regally.

Mom and I looked at each other and snickered, even as Merlin paled.

"This isn't funny Alys. I feel like I'm back in Camelot with Uther Pendragon ruling and possibly about to lose my head for something." Merlin told me.

I tried to stop my laughter, but it came out as snorts, so I just laughed. "Yes it is. Of course back then it was usually because you were an idiot."

Dad fought back a smile. "You have my permission to court my daughter. But if you do anything to hurt her, I don't care how powerful you are, her grandfathers, uncles, and I will hunt you down and break you."

Merlin swallowed sharply, knowing that they would do exactly that. "You have my word."

I rolled my eyes as I finished my list. "You guys will have to get in line to get what I leave of him, if anything. What are the Knights' plans for this weekend?"

"Well most of them were going to see a movie. Morgana, Morgause, and Mordred wanted to go see a show at the Arts Theatre in Machias. The rest were just going to hang out at home and going to see the movie later this weekend." Merlin took my hand as I sat back down.

"Hmmn. I need your cell phone. The three can keep their plans, but the others are either going to have to move up their plans, go to a late showing, or give them up. They belong to me this weekend." I fished his cell out of his jean pocket and sent off a mass text telling them of that fact.

As expected, a few minutes later I received begrudging and somewhat fearful 'yes Sire's from them.

"You belong to me this weekend too, Merlin. I want to brush up on my fighting skills against magic wielders." I told him as I triple checked my list.

"Fighting them is my job. You let me handle the magic fights. And I will belong to you any time you wish." He kissed the back of hand and grinned like an idiot.

"I need to practice just in case you aren't around or there's more than you can handle at once. I'd make it an order but we know who well you follow those." I scrolled down until I found the contact I wanted and hit the call button.

"Yes?" came the female voice I wanted from the other end.

"Morgana, Merlin won't play with me this weekend. I want to brush up my skills against a magic user and he said no. Would you and the other two be willing to help at some point this weekend?" I asked.

Merlin sputtered. "I'll do it! They're likely to hurt you or do something to make me think they'll hurt you."

"Never mind, he just agreed to do it." I told her.

She laughed. "He's so overprotective. You've got him wrapped around your finger."

I looked at Merlin with a grin. "Not yet, but I will. Bye Morgana."

She hung up laughing.

"I know that grin. It usually means I end up doing something reckless or that makes me look like a complete idiot." Merlin commented warily as I folded my list and put it in my pocket.

I took Isolde from him and stood up. "Not a very hard thing to do considering that it's you, Merlin. I'm going to go lay Issy on my bed, then meet the rest of the women in the kitchen. While we clean, Merlin can get to know the men of the family and vice versa."

Olivia laughed as she and my female relatives stood. "You are so evil Lys."

I shrugged as I made my way to the door. "He's the one who asked to court me. Best to get the Inquisition out of the way quickly."

Merlin jumped to his feet. "I'll come help you in the kitchen."

"Sit down Merlin. Leave the women folk to their gossiping, I mean cleaning. Stay here with us and have a nice chat." Dad commanded in a deceptively calm and nice tone.

Uncle Gawain casually threw an arm around Merlin's shoulders as he moved to sit on the couch. "Yes Merlin, stay here with the men. Let the women talk about children and the rest. No need for you to get involved in all that."

Merlin paled considerably and shot me a panicked and pleading look where I stood in the doorway.

I just gave him a wink and started up the stairs.

Two hours later found me standing in the gazebo Dad had built for Mom shortly after they got married with a mug of hot tea and Monty leaning against my legs.

Monty's tail wagged as Merlin joined us. He'd taken a real liking to Merlin the moment we'd gotten out of the car.

"They didn't scare you too bad, did they?" I questioned.

He shook his head and took my head. "No. They mostly just wanted to know more about me. What did you 'women folk' talk about?"

"The usual. How everyone was, the younger ones' recent doings, that type of stuff." I took a drink of my tea and then sat it on the railing.

"You know, once they were finished questioning me, they started telling me stories." He grinned.

I did not like the way that sounded. "What stories did they tell you?" I asked with a groan, having some idea as to which ones they may have told.

His grin grew wider.

"I think you must have a bit of the Sight this time around, what with you 'gonna marry Merlin' when you grew up." he teased.

I groaned again as I turned to fully face him. "I was six when I said that. And kinda obsessed with magic at the time."

He chuckled. "I think it's cute. Glad I made such an impression." He turned to face me more fully, taking one of my hands. "Gods you're beautiful."

I ducked my head and blushed. "Thanks."

He used free hand to tilt it back up. "Don't ever hide from me, Alys. You don't ever need to. Even if you can be a prat like you were with your comments before you left me to the wolves."

I smiled. "But like I said before, I may be a prat, but I'm your prat so it all balances out."

"Yes it does."

We studied each other for a few moments and I tried to ignore the eyes I knew had to be secretly watching us from the house.

I broke the silence. "You gonna kiss me or what?"

He leaned in. "I'm gonna kiss you."

I'd dated a few guys, mostly during my freshman year of college, but never had a first kiss been like that one. It was all the old clichés and more. There's a quote I'd once read that said 'sometimes you kiss someone and you know right then and there that that's the person you want to kiss for the rest of your life.' It was something I personally believed since it was basically the same answer all the adults in my family had given me when I asked them at age eight how they knew they were meant to be together. The short version was that they kissed and knew they'd kiss no one else.

Merlin was mine. He was the only person I ever wanted to kiss again.

We drew apart when Tristan began to sing 'Alys and Merlin sitting in a tree,' only he was accompanied by Lucan, Viviane, and Joseph.

"We aren't in a tree." Merlin pointed out.

I blinked and found myself sitting in the old oak tree my old tree house was in and my two swings hung from, on a thick and sturdy branch next to Merlin.

"Now we are." Merlin called down.

I laughed until he drew me back into a kiss.

-SPACE-

The whole of the Knights were lined up before me in armor with weapons close at hand.

I paced before them, looking them over.

Merlin had helped me dress in my own armor and weapons, the ones I had used long ago as Crown Prince and my early days as King, after breakfast. He'd had to use his magic to make my armor fit my now female body and tie my dark blonde hair up to where it wouldn't bother me while I was sparring since its just past shoulder length meant that it liked to get in my face.

Thanksgiving had been on a Saturday and the following Monday Merlin had gone in to talk to the Dean of Liberal Arts and the Dean of Camelot University so that he and I could date without anyone suggesting that I'd cheated to get my grade. A graduate student would now grade my tests, quizzes, and anything else. The following Friday found me helping out with Merlin's other classes, Places in Arthurian Legends and Analysis of Arthurian Tales, while a small duffle bag of clothes and school books rested in his office. I was going to spend the weekend at his house to test the Knights and myself as well as spend time with Merlin.

Everyone had gone out Friday night to get their plans done. Merlin and I ordered loads of Chinese and watched some movie. Neither of us could tell which one or what it was about as were too busy making out in between eating. Which is how the others found us when they came back, me straddling Merlin's lap as we kissed each other senseless, or tried to 'suck each other's souls out' as Greg had commented.

Merlin had merely rolled his eyes, put the leftovers in the refrigerator with his magic, and then tucked the two of us into his bed.

I nodded as I finished looking them over.

They looked like my Knights of the Round Table, but it was their fighting skills that I was worried about. None of them fidgeted as I closely examined their rows.

"All right, you lot look good. But can you fight or are you so rusty you'll break if you move?" I questioned.

Kevin (Sir Kay) grinned. "Pardon me for saying so Sire, but we've been sparring once a week since Merlin made us remember. Perhaps it is you who are 'rusty.'"

"Out front Kevin, and bring your sword." I commanded, pulling my own sword free.

He lunged at me once he was free of the group.

I parried and began to toy with him.

Merlin laughed. "Put the boy out of his misery and show him who rules."

I quickly disarmed him and knocked him from his feet. I turned to the others. "If that's the best, I don't want to see the worst. The footwork was shoddy and the grip was too tight. You may be Knights of the Round Table, but first and foremost you are Knights of Camelot. That means you cannot be overconfident. Your skills reflect on Camelot and I will not stand for it to be disgraced. I do not have years to retrain you. We have a little over a year to get back to our best. You think I drove you hard before, what we are going to do now will be making the worst of our past sessions seem like a picnic in the park."

They gulped.

I began calling out orders that sent them running.

Everyone, myself included, was run through their paces. We barely stopped to eat a light lunch.

Merlin joined the fray two hours before we stopped and began using magic.

I, like in our battle at the tournament, was his main opponent.

We toyed with each other before Merlin decided we'd been training enough and disarmed me so he could try to pull me into a kiss.

I turned my head to the side and pushed against him so he couldn't kiss me. "Merlin, I'm sweaty and covered in dirt and dust." I stated as my panting knights seemed to toss their swords aside and collapse in heaps.

"You're beautiful." Merlin returned with a smile.

I rolled my eyes and turned to the rest. "You guys get cleaned up and eat dinner. Make sure you get plenty of sleep. We'll have a half session in the morning to work on footwork."

Pained groans came from them.

"I don't think I can move." Brendon (Bors) moaned.

"She warned us." Lance pointed out.

Gavin, Olivia, Morgause, Morgana, and Mordred stepped off the porch with baskets full of ointments and other medicinal stuff.

"We'll take care of the Knights. You take care of Alys." Gwen told Merlin as she joined the others with her own full basket.

Merlin got us to his room in a blink of an eye where a steaming hot bath waited with thick bubbles on top that smelled of lavender and sandalwood. He help me get my armor, tunic, and chainmail off before gently pushing me towards the changing screen.

I rolled my shoulder as I walked towards it, hissing slightly in pain.

"Shoulder sore?" Merlin asked as he gathered ointments, oils, and soaps.

"Yeah. Been awhile since I last did something like that. It's a good thing I usually go for a run in the mornings or my legs would hurt like hell too." I swore as I had issues taking off my shirt.

"Need help?" Merlin asked.

"No, I have it. Robe?"

An extremely soft dark blue robe rose from a chair to hang in the air so I could put it on. It was long on me and smelt of cedar and Merlin.

I tied it shut and held the sleeve to my nose as I walked towards the tub.

Merlin smiled goofily. "You look good in my robe."

"It's a guy thing. The clothes seem to mark females as theirs." I replied.

We looked at each other for a moment as we stood next to the tub before I sighed and untied the robe belt. It was obvious I was going to have to go naked in front of Merlin, something that made me nervous since I'd never been naked around a guy without a wall or door between us. It was something left over from my childhood since I wasn't in the best of shape before I hit puberty and sprung up.

Merlin helped me into the bath, his blue eyes a darker blue.

A blissful sigh left me as the hot water hit my sore spots.

Merlin sat down on the floor by the tub, pulled the hair tie from my hair, and set about washing my hair with the bar of herbal soap he'd made after wetting my hair.

I closed my eyes and must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, I was leaning back against Merlin's bare chest as we relaxed in a hot bath with no bubbles.

"Don't worry, I'm wearing swim trunks. Olivia warned me that while you had dated a few guys, you never slept with them." Merlin told me.

I realized I was in a pair of swim trunks and a midriff baring halter top and relaxed. "Thanks."

"I won't force you to do something you've not ready for. And I'd much rather my ring on your finger first."

We just soaked for a little bit before Merlin massaged my shoulder with some of his oils and ointments.

Morgause called up that dinner was almost done so we got out and got dressed.

I fell asleep midway through Monty Python and the Holy Grail after dinner, cuddled into Merlin's side.

Sunday was spent working on footwork and finishing up the grading I had to do.

The same thing happened for the next couple weeks until my trip home. Merlin wanted to go with me, but I just kissed him and said that I wanted some alone time with my family before finals and the holidays, pointing out that Olivia and Gavin weren't even coming like they had the last time. He grumbled but let me go, making me take Sir Sugar Bowl with me. I smiled and did so, knowing that he'd made me do it so he could be sure I was okay since I had made him promise not to scry me just to see if I was all right but not asked him not to scry the sugar bowl.

The weekend was spent discussing everything as a family and just enjoying each other's company.

Sparring with the Knights stopped before finals, though Morgana was putting them their paces in my absence.

Merlin and I didn't get to see each other much during finals week as he was busy finishing up his tests and I was busy studying, grading my students' finals, and tweaking my thesis paper which I had been working on since the start of my junior year of my undergraduate days. The most we got to see of each other was a quick lunch or a brief kiss on cheeks or lips when we saw each other on campus.

Nigel tried to start a rumor that I was sleeping with Merlin for my grade, but it was quickly squashed by the large number of people who had seen and heard Merlin talking and explaining our relationship to the Deans. That and a few of the Knights showed up one day to have a talk with Nigel after Olivia had casually mentioned his days of stalking me. He gave me wide berth after that, more than he had when Merlin had rescued me at the Faire.

I collapsed on the battered couch in Merlin's office once the madness was over and my thesis handed off to the Dean. "Yay, I can actually sleep now."

Merlin chuckled as he finished grading the tests from my class period.

I ignored him and closed my eyes.

"What are your plans for Christmas Break?" he asked before I could fall asleep on the actually very comfy couch.

"Spend a week with the Knights, go home and do the gift exchange with my family, and then go with Liv and Gav on our annual trip. The dart landed on the U.K. this year. Thought we might sneak off to Wales for a day or two. We'll be back after New Year's Day." I answered.

"Would you mind if I went with you? You three could save money by staying at my house and using the jet I own," he suggested. "And I'd like to introduce you to the Royal Family."

I laughed. "I forgot, you're filthy rich after living for so long. I don't mind but you'll have to ask the other two."

He sent off a text and returned to his grading.

I yawned and fell asleep.

-SPACE-

London was great.

The week with the Knights went quickly and was tiring. They had improved and I was pretty sure we'd be more than ready for what might come by the time it came around.

The early Christmas with my family was fun, though the last minute gift my aunts and mother had got me (a lacy blue silk nightie) made me blush. They told me to put it to good use.

Merlin tried to sneak a peek, but I shoved the lid back on the box and then sat on it before he could see. The box was then shoved to the back of my closet before we left.

Merlin's home on the edge of London was actually a large manor house on sprawling grounds.

He laughed and shut my mouth with a finger.

Gavin whistled. "You did good for yourself Merlin. Very nice."

"Thank you. Let's go get settled in shall we?' He led the way inside.

Gavin and Olivia took one room where the view of the city was.

Merlin led me to the largest master bedroom I'd ever seen. "I've never slept here. Back when I kept servants instead of having a cleaning staff, they thought it a little odd that the master of the house refused to sleep in the master bedroom or allow anyone else to sleep there."

"You left it for me, or rather the Arthur you thought you'd find." I hugged him. "You can stay here too. I sleep better with you around. My dreams don't bother me."

"Will you wear this to bed then?" He held up the nightie I had stuffed in my closet with a teasing grin.

I blushed. "Just for that you can go find your own room."

He tossed the nightie on the bed and hugged me close. "Joking. You know what I realized during finals? You and I haven't gone on a date yet."

I leaned into him. "And what are you going to do about that?"

"How would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight? I know this lovely little Indian place not too far from here. It's a bit fancy but has a dance floor and the best Indian food you've ever had."

"Hmm, I dunno. What's going to be for dessert?"

"There's this hole-in-the-wall chocolate shop run by a family from Belgium. It's two blocks over from the Indian place and it delivers. How would you like some dark chocolate covered fruit and whipped cream?"

"I say you've got yourself a date. How long do I have? I'd like to get a different outfit besides the one I brought for our meeting with the Royal Family."

He gave me an Eskimo kiss as he spoke. "You take a nap and I'll handle everything. Including your outfit."

I yawned, jet lag catching up to me. "All right. But you get a little sleep yourself."

"I will." He tucked me under the covers and left the room.

A few hours later I woke refreshed and went to find Merlin.

Gavin and Olivia had gone out, leaving a note that they'd be gone for dinner.

Merlin was dead to the world, sprawled out on the couch in the sitting room.

I smiled as I covered him with the blanket on the back of the couch and softly stole a kiss.

The doorbell rang and a tall man with tons of garment bags in hand stood there when I opened the door.

His deep brown, almost golden eyes looked me over as he tossed his neon green dyed hair from his face.

"You must be Alys, Falcon's girl," he commented.

"I am. And you are?" I asked as I let him in.

"Arthur, but everyone calls me Dragon. Merlin was a member of my band when I was a teen. I owed him some favors since he helped me get started in the fashion world. He asked me to bring some of the Pendragon line for you to try, some of the originals that no one else has," he explained.

"Wait, Arthur as in Arthur de Voughe?" I asked.

He smirked. "You've heard of me."

I laughed. "My friend loves your stuff. She has at least three of your outfits from the Gemstone line."

He ushered me upstairs. "Well you can make her jealous by telling her you've met me and showing her that you have a few one-of-a-kind, impossible-to-get dresses. Few people have seen these and only one person will own them. Now hurry. Your reservations are for seven. We only have three hours to get you clean and ready. And Merlin's told me about your hate of going nude around men. You have no need for it with me. I'm gay and women do nothing for me."

I was bustled into a bath, scrubbed to within an inch of my life, and then treated like a dress up doll.

Dragon and I eventually settled on a dark purple dress made of such light fabric that it felt like I was naked. It was off the shoulders a little and hugged my torso like a second skin before becoming a long flowing skirt. The front of the sleeves fell to my wrists, but the backs fell past my fingertips.

Dragon 'hmmn'-ed thoughtfully before pulling out a small makeup box and doing my makeup.

As he pulled my now curly hair into an up-do, I asked what instrument Merlin had played in his band.

"Merlin can play any instrument you give him, but he played guitar the most when he was part of my band. I'll be sure to get you a copy of our songs. Merlin wrote a few, and now that I think about a couple of them, they were written for you."

"You know who he really is, don't you?" I asked.

Dragon finished my hair, weaving purple ribbons and what I was positive were real diamonds and amethysts among the tresses, and turned his attention to the selection of shoes he'd brought with him. "That he's actually the most powerful warlock to ever exist? Yes I know. Don't tell him this, but I am the reincarnation of the Great Dragon. I remembered shortly after I met him, but I never told him. I don't appreciate being bossed around." He handed me a pair of black strappy heels.

"Trust me, your secret is safe with me." I swore.

He chuckled. "I've found that if someone says 'trust me,' you probably shouldn't. But I know you'll keep your word."

I put the heels on and stood up. "Merlin used to go to you for advice. Is there any you could give me?"

He put a lavender silk wrap on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. He suddenly looked ancient and his eyes shined with wisdom beyond even Merlin's. "Trust in what you know and know that if you fall, you will always have someone there to catch you. You will do well. You will do very well."

There came a knock on the door.

"May I come in, or have I been banished?" Merlin called through the door.

"Your outfit is in your usual room. And no peeking at Alys!" Dragon called back.

Merlin grumbled something and moved away.

Dragon winked at me. "He's already dressed. Count to one hundred and then go to the top of the stairs." He left the room.

I did so and had to smile with Merlin trailed off in the middle of his sentence as he looked up at me.

He took my hand when I reached the bottom of the stairs and kissed it. "You are absolutely breathtaking."

I blushed slightly. "Thanks. You look good too."

And he did, wearing black dress pants, a crisp white shirt under a black suit jacket, a dark purple tie, and polished black dress shoes. He was the picture of male elegance.

A flash got our attention and Dragon grinned at us.

"You think I can convince you two to become models for my newest line?" he asked cheekily, holding a camera.

I laughed. "Play your cards right and you can design my wardrobe."

He put a hand over his heart. "Be still my rapidly beating heart. Now off with you two. Your reservations are in half an hour. And I'll be sure to get you what I promised you, Alys." He ushered us out the door where a purring black car was waiting behind Dragon's beat up looking BMW Beetle.

The driver opened the back door. "Miss Penn, Dr. Emrys." He tipped his hat to me.

Merlin thanked him by name as he helped me into the car.

"I'm not used to this fancy treatment, you know." I commented.

Merlin chuckled as the car started moving. "You were raised differently this time. But that will just lead to a better kingdom than before."

The restaurant was fancier than Merlin had led me to believe, but the food was entirely worth it.

While my dress seemed rather plain compared to those worn by the other women there, I was the most noticeable person there. And I was surprised to find that Merlin had become a champion dancer over the years.

I just shook my head when he told me about his stint as a dance champion in the years before World War II. "I don't know why I'm surprised. No doubt you took every single insult I gave you back then and became so good at it that I'd be hard pressed to find something to insult."

"Well I had a lot of time on my hands. And you know that me and boredom is a far worse mix than you and boredom."

I laughed. "True." I ran my fingers over the soft fabric of his suit jacket. "When we get married, I would much rather prefer you in the outfit you wore when we first met. You still have it don't you?"

He smiled. "It's a little threadbare, but easily fixed. And don't you mean 'if' we get married?"

I laid my head on his shoulder and moved closer. "I'm going to need a Consort, Merlin. And I can think of no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with.'

He leaned his head down to whisper in my ear. "I love you."

I pulled back to look him in the eyes. "I love you too Merlin. I think I'm ready for dessert now."

We swept off the dance floor and back to the waiting car that took us back to the manor.

Dragon had put the chocolate covered fruit and fresh whipped cream in the fridge and iced down a bottle of champagne.

Olivia and Gavin came in an hour later as we were putting the leftovers away.

Olivia gushed over my dress. "It's beautiful Alys! Where'd you get it?"

I grinned. "Merlin called in a favor and the creator himself brought it over and helped me get ready. And my dress is truly one-of-a-kind as I am the only person to own one."

"Who made it?" she questioned, fingering the fabric.

"Well his friends call him Dragon. You might know him better as Arthur."

Her mouth fell open as the fabric slipped from her fingers.

"Arthur? Arthur de Voughe? You met Arthur de Voughe?" she shrieked.

"Yep." I yawned. "Well I'm off to bed. See you in the morning." I left Olivia sputtering in the kitchen and went to Merlin and I's room.

Merlin was dressed in flannel pajama pants and a white T-shirt and stretched out on his side of the bed when I walked out of the bathroom.

I put my robe over the back of a chair and climbed under the blankets on my side.

Merlin groaned and closed his eyes. "You're tempting my self-control wearing that."

I laid my head on his shoulder. "I have faith in you and your self-control."

"You're wearing that most becoming nightie your mother and aunts got you. I thought you didn't like it."

"It's embarrassing that they got it for me, but you took me on a date and didn't ask for anything in return. So I thought I'd do something you'd like."

He stole a kiss. "And like it I do. But I worry about what I might do in the middle of the night."

"You won't do anything I'm not ready for."

His eyes flashed gold and the lights went out.

-SPACE-

Our meeting with the Royal Family was actually rather relaxed.

They believed Merlin and quizzed me on my past and my plans for the future.

Merlin showed his possessive jealous side when the youngest prince flirted with me. He only settled when I snuggled into his side and laced our fingers together.

Christmas and New Year's passed joyously and then we were back on Maine soil, ready for the Spring Semester.

Merlin and I went on a few more dates, a few with the others as a group.

The Knights improved every time we trained, and I was sure we were going to be ready for the coming December.