Isabel was settling into the chambers. They were spacious, grand, and quite beautiful. King Uther was generous to give his guests such nice chambers. She placed a vase of flowers on the dressing table, unpacked some of her clothes, and lay down on the bed. There were a few hours until the banquet; Isabel would have to get ready soon, but first she wanted to go and see Gaius, to get another phial of that potion – she was feeling oddly drained.

Before she left, there was a knock at the door.

'Yes, who is it?' Isabel asked.

'Lady Isabel, it's Gwenevere, Lady Morgana's maid,' the voice called. Isabel opened the door and found a pretty, dark-skinned woman standing in front of her.

Gwenevere flashed a nervous smile at Isabel, and curtseyed.

'Lady Isabel, Lady Morgana just sent me down here to find out if you needed help with anything,' said Gwenevere. 'Not that I think you need help – I'm sure you're perfectly capable… ma'am,' said Gwen nervously.

Isabel laughed, and put Gwen a little at ease.

'Thank you. I was just about to go down to find Gaius – could you tell me where I could find him?' Isabel asked.

'Oh, yeah, sure,' said Gwen. 'I'll take you there. Have you got a maid with you?'

'No, I came here alone,' Isabel said.

'Would you like help getting ready for the feast?' asked Gwen.

'I…' Isabel thought. Dresses were hard to get into, and she could hardly ask Zachary for help…

'Lady Morgana offers her invitation – after I show you to Gaius', you can come to her room with me and we can all get ready together,' Gwen offered. Isabel smiled.

'That would be brilliant, thank you,' said Isabel. Gwen nodded.

'Here, I'll come with you to Gaius',' said Gwen.

'Okay,' said Isabel. They set off together. 'I… I really like Camelot,' said Isabel, trying to make conversation.

Gwen was rather surprised – usually no one but Morgana, Arthur, Merlin and the other servants bothered to talk to her.

'It's a beautiful city, isn't it?' Gwen said.

'Have you lived here long?' Isabel asked.

'My whole life,' said Gwen, smiling demurely.

'That's cool,' said Isabel.

'Camelot is a very… interesting place,' said Gwen, laughing. 'You never know what's going to happen next. Here – Gaius' chambers are just up these stairs.'

'Thank you so much, Gwenevere,' said Isabel. 'Could you tell me where Lady Morgana's chambers are, for after I visit Gaius?'

'Don't worry – I'll wait out here, my lady,' said Gwen.

'Are you sure?' Isabel asked.

'I'm sure,' replied Gwen.

'Okay, thanks,' said Isabel. 'I won't be long.'

Isabel climbed the stairs, and quietly knocked at the door. A few moments later, she was greeted by Gaius.

'Lady Isabel!' said Gaius, rather surprised. 'What brings you here?'

'Oh, sorry to intrude, but I was just wondering whether I could have another phial of that potion? I've been feeling a little tired again…'

'Of course, of course, my lady,' said Gaius, smiling. 'Here, come in.' He opened the door wider and revealed his house. There were bubbling potions and all kinds of odd contraptions on Gaius' desk, and a whole wall was filled with books. It was an intriguing place.

And sitting on a chair was Merlin.

'Lady Isabel,' he said, jumping up and bowing promptly.

'Merlin,' said Isabel, nodding at him. Oh, he was so familiar! What was it? Isabel frowned. There had to be something. He had striking blue eyes – oh, his face was so familiar…

'Here you are, my lady,' said Gaius, handing Isabel another phial of the clear liquid. Isabel tore her eyes away from Merlin and took the phial from Gaius.

'Thank you so much,' said Isabel.

'No problems,' said Gaius. 'If you need anything else, send a servant down – there's no need to walk all the way down here from the guest's chambers.'

'Oh no, it's fine,' said Isabel. 'I enjoy a good walk.' Isabel smiled, and she found that Merlin was smiling too.

Isabel was turning to leave when Merlin cut in.

'Lady Isabel,' he said, a little breathlessly. 'That thing before, with Arthur – it was brilliant.' Isabel grinned.

'Why, thank you,' said Isabel, trying hard to contain her glee over the incident. 'Anyway, thank you, Gaius. I have to go get ready for the feast now.'

'Of course,' said Gaius. 'Anytime, my lady.'

Isabel took one last look at Merlin, who she still could not place, and then left.

'All done, my lady?' Gwen asked.

'Yes,' said Isabel. 'Oh, I'm sorry! Do you mind if we stop at my room on the way, I need to bring my dress if we're to get ready.'

'That's fine,' said Gwen. They started walking back to Isabel's room.

'Hey Gwen, do you know Merlin?' Isabel asked. She had to get some information on this curious boy.

'Yes I do, why do you ask, my lady?' asked Gwen.

'Oh, I was just wondering,' said Isabel casually. 'Is he just Arthur's manservant?'

'Yes, and he lives with Gaius,' said Gwen, a little surprised by Isabel's interest in Merlin. Gwen wondered – did Isabel like Merlin?

'When did he come to Camelot?' Isabel asked. She was being a little nosy, but it was not like Gwen could berate her for it.

'Oh, sometime last year,' said Gwen. 'He's a rather remarkable boy, isn't he?' she noted, wondering how Isabel would react to that comment.

'Yes,' mumbled Isabel. 'Rather remarkable.'

They stopped by at Isabel's chambers and reached Morgana's chambers soon, just in time to get ready for the feast.

'Gwen, Lady Isabel,' said Morgana.

'Lady Morgana, thank you for your kind invitation,' said Isabel, curtseying. Morgana, the King's ward, was at the same rank as a princess would be.

'Oh, don't curtsey,' said Morgana, waving her hand dismissively and laughing. 'We're all equal here.' Isabel smiled. She liked Morgana. 'Let me see your dress,' she said.

'Here,' said Isabel, holding out her dress. She had brought only two formal gowns – she had to pack light. This one was a deep purple, with golden stitching. The dress was cut just above the bust, and skimmed below the shoulders. It was sleeveless, only a small band of fabric around the arms, and the fabric was silk, with a light, transparent, meshy material layered over the skirt. The bodice was sequinned and intricately embroidered. It was one of the most beautiful gowns Isabel owned, and as a member of court, beautiful gowns were plentiful in her wardrobe.

'That's a beautiful dress,' said Gwen.

'Thank you,' said Isabel. 'Hard to get into, though,' she said, laughing. The three girls chatted pleasantly as they got ready.

'Which one?' Morgana asked, holding up two gowns – one a deep, blood red, the other, moss green, like her eyes. Isabel weighed it up. Morgana would look stunning in either.

'The green,' said Isabel. 'It matches your eyes.' Morgana smiled.

'Gwen?' she asked. Isabel found herself smiling – Morgana, too, asked the opinion of her maid.

'I agree with Lady Isabel,' said Gwen. 'The green.'

'Okay then,' said Morgana. 'The green dress it is.'

'Gwenevere,' said Isabel, 'are you going to be attending the feast?'

'Yes,' Gwen said. 'I'll be waiting on Morgana.'

'Great,' said Isabel. Once the girls had wrestled their way into their gowns (after much laughter), it was time to put on the make up. Morgana and Isabel sat side by side at the dressing table, while Gwen hovered around and helped.

The door opened behind them and immediately all three turned around swiftly.

It was Merlin.

'Merlin, don't you know how to knock?' said Morgana, staring at Merlin.

'Oh, sorry,' he said sheepishly, with a cute expression on his face of surprise and remorse.

'What is it?' Morgana asked.

'I, uh…' Merlin was flustered. Gwen had her hands on her hips, watching Merlin and shaking her head. Morgana towered with her stare, demanding an answer. Isabel was trying not to laugh.

To hide her laughter, Isabel turned back to the mirror, and suddenly she gasped. She saw Merlin in the mirror, beside her own face, and she suddenly realised why the boy was so damn familiar.

Merlin looked exactly like Isabel herself!

Isabel looked in the mirror, hardly believing it. They were so similar that it was truly uncanny. The same pronounced cheekbones, the same dark hair, the same rosebud lips, the same straight nose, the same blue eyes! He was thin, she was thin. What was going on?

Isabel tried hard to keep herself calm. Was this some sort of sorcery? Was he just taking her appearance to tease her? What was up with this? Isabel frowned, troubled.

'I – I, Gaius asked me to give this to you,' said Merlin, holding out a small bottle of liquid.

'Thank you,' said Morgana, taking the bottle from Merlin. 'Now, go on! I'm sure Arthur needs help getting ready for the feast, and this is a girls only area.'

'Sorry, bye!' said Merlin, rushing out.

'Funny boy,' said Morgana, laughing.

Isabel was silent.

x.x.x

'Thank you for all the help,' Isabel said to Morgana, when they were done getting ready. All three girls looked quite stunning, Gwen especially commendable because she was pulling off beauty in a servant's dress.

'No problems,' said Morgana. 'You're welcome to come again, any time.' Isabel smiled.

'Thank you,' said Isabel. 'I'll see you at the feast!'

She hurried back to the guest rooms, where Zachary would be waiting. The feast was starting in only a few minutes, and they had to enter together.

'Zach?' she asked, knocking on the door to his chambers.

'Isa–' Zachary stopped mid sentence as he opened the door and came face to face with a beautiful woman wearing a purple gown. He had the breath knocked out of him momentarily, while Isabel just smiled and watched him.

'What's up?' she asked, when he hadn't responded for a few moments, just standing in the doorway, stock still. 'Are you going to let me in?' she demanded.

'I – oh, sorry,' said Zachary, snapping himself out of his reverie. 'I, you look great,' he said, rather breathlessly.

'Thank you,' said Isabel, 'but you sound far too surprised for me to be sufficiently complimented,' she teased.

'No, I mean –' said Zachary, tripping over his own words. Isabel had never seen Zachary so flustered in her life – it was quite amusing.

'So, are you ready?' she asked. Zachary cleared his throat and tried to compose himself.

'Yeah,' he answered. 'Do you want to go now?'

'Well, the feast starts in a few minutes, I think that would be quite a good idea,' said Isabel, laughing.

'Alright, let's go,' said Zachary, running a hand through his hair and taking a last minute check in the mirror.

'Oh, stop being a girl,' Isabel complained. 'You look fine, come on, we'll be late!'

'Okay, okay,' said Zachary. 'Care to accompany me?' he asked, holding out his arm. Isabel linked her arm through Zachary's, and stuck close to him. She smiled; he was comfortingly warm as she stood next to him.

They strutted down to dinner, arm in arm, Isabel feeling very royal in her flowing gown and Zachary feeling very lucky to have such a beautiful woman standing next to him.

The dining hall doors flew open theatrically upon their arrival, and the whole court rose once again to show their respect to Prince Zachary. King Uther raised his hands and smiled; he sat at the head of the table, wearing a crown and formal red robes.

'My dear guests!' he said, his voice booming across the hall. 'Please, there are seats here.' He indicated towards two seats at the head of the table, opposite Arthur, who had his chin cupped in his hands and looked bored, and Morgana, who was smiling and truly looked like a princess.

'Thank you,' said Zachary, as he and Isabel took their seats. Isabel's gaze caught Arthur's eyes, and she wondered what the prince thought of her. Was he still offended? Isabel guessed not, from the slight smile that threatened to spread across his lips, held back by Arthur's self-restraint. Then, she looked behind Arthur, where Merlin was standing, clad in servant's robes and wearing an awkward, cute-boy smile. He looked so, so much like herself. Now that Isabel had seen their reflections in the mirror, it was obvious. She wondered whether anyone else had noticed.

'I pray you are feeling better, Lady Isabel?' said King Uther, watching Isabel with concerned eyes.

'I am, thank you, your highness,' replied Isabel, smiling at the king to reassure him of her health.

'The food will surely bolster your spirits,' said King Uther.

'I'm sure it will,' said Isabel. There was silence for a moment, and then Uther spoke again.

'Zachary, it's been quite a long time since Arthur and I have seen you. What do you get up to nowadays?' Uther asked. 'I remember you and Arthur came to me one day, when you were about ten and visiting with your father, and both of you declared to me that your one purpose in life was to be a knight.'

Both Arthur and Zachary laughed at the memory.

'I remember that day,' said Zachary, grinning at Arthur. They were obviously good friends. 'Unfortunately, my father won't let me be a knight, he says it's too dangerous for a prince.' Zachary scowled momentarily. Isabel smiled knowingly – she knew all about the feuds between Zachary and Tristan over his knighthood. 'I just do general princely duties, I guess.'

King Uther nodded.

'Well, I'm a knight,' said Arthur, looking rather proud about it.

'Captain of the royal guard,' King Uther added. 'I think it's good for a man to be a knight, prince or not.'

'Try convincing my father!' said Zachary, laughing.

'Your father has always been stubborn,' said King Uther teasingly.

'That's true,' agreed Zachary.

'I can't believe you're not a knight!' said Arthur. 'You were the only person that could put up a good fight against me.'

'Ahem?' said Morgana, eyes glimmering.

'That doesn't count,' muttered Arthur. 'I was going easy on you.'

Isabel laughed. Morgana had beaten Arthur in a swordfight? She liked Morgana even more now.

'You should join us when we go hunting one day,' Arthur offered, changing the subject. 'I'm sure you'll have fun.'

Zachary smiled.

'That would be great, thanks.'

They chatted for a little while more, about the past mainly and what they were doing now. Isabel didn't dare talk with Arthur as she had before, not in front of King Uther, so she was perfectly civil and demure. While Arthur and Zachary reminisced, she watched Merlin, who was talking to Gwen. Who was he? Some distant cousin she hadn't met? Just someone who looked coincidentally like her? No, this was no coincidence.

'Are you two ready to eat?' King Uther asked, snapping Isabel's attention back to the royalty.

'Yes, thank you,' said Zachary.

King Uther stood up and clapped his hands, and almost immediately servants rushed into the hall, like a tidal wave of people, carrying plates that held delicious, steaming hot food that made Isabel's mouth water. The scents wafted to the noses of the attendants of the feast, and collectively they sighed with delight.

'Please, eat,' said King Uther, when the plates had been placed in front of everyone. Isabel didn't want to be the first to reach for the food, King Uther didn't look like he was going to move, Morgana also didn't want to be first, and Prince Zachary was unaware of protocol, hesitant to reach over and take a chicken drumstick.

It was Arthur that took the food first; Isabel smiled. He didn't care about rules – he was hungry.

'So, Isabel, what is your story?' King Uther asked. 'I know your parents, Leah and Phillip. They are good people.'

'Thank you, sire,' said Isabel. 'Well, I reside with my parents in King Tristan's palace. Life is good, I guess.' I know how to use magic. And I have terrible, terrible nightmares. In one of them, I killed your son, thought Isabel silently. 'This is my first time in Camelot, and may I say, it is an absolutely beautiful city,' said Isabel honestly.

'Why, thank you,' said King Uther. 'Camelot has always been my favourite place in this kingdom.' Isabel nodded.

'Do you know how to handle a sword?' Morgana asked.

'Don't be silly, Morgana,' said Arthur dismissively. 'You know women don't fight.'

'Excuse me?' Morgana asked, holding her head at an angle that was both threatening and attractive. Arthur didn't dare answer her back. Morgana smiled. 'Anyway, do you?' she asked, turning back to Isabel.

'I have taken sword fighting lessons in the past,' Isabel said. It was true – her parents had employed one of the knights to instruct her, though it hadn't really ended well. Isabel had never been the most co-ordinated of children, and this held true in the way she fought. To say the least, she would definitely not be joining the royal guard anytime soon.

Zachary scoffed.

'Yeah, you have, but you're not any good!' he said, laughing. Arthur joined in, and Isabel scowled.

'That's not true!' she said indignantly to Zachary.

'Yeah it is,' he replied.

'Prove yourself,' Arthur offered. Isabel stopped. What?

'What do you mean?' she asked warily.

'Come on. You, me, Morgana and Zachary, tomorrow morning, at the palace practice grounds. We'll do a bit of sword fighting. It'll be fun.' Arthur had a glimmer in his eye that suggested quite to the contrary of fun, for Isabel at least, but there was no way she was going to back down to a challenge.

'Okay,' Isabel said bravely. 'Tomorrow morning.'

'Good,' said Morgana, smiling. 'We can finally settle the score, Arthur.'

'It will be a great way to spend the morning,' said King Uther.

Then the conversation somehow turned to the economic state of the kingdoms. King Uther and Prince Zachary were obviously quite enthusiastic about this topic, however, Isabel wasn't really interested in the crop rate growth, which happened to be up 5% since last year. Arthur looked bored too, with a vacant look on his face as he rested his elbow on the table and cupped his chin in his hand.

Isabel gazed around the room for something interesting. Then, she looked behind Arthur and saw that Merlin was walking away. Isabel saw the opportunity and seized it.

'Excuse me for a moment,' she said quickly, rising to her feet and curtseying to the king. 'I will be back in a moment,' she promised.

Trying not to look hurried, Isabel followed Merlin, walking gracefully until she was out of the dining hall and then raising her skirts and breaking into a run. Merlin was walking down a corridor, blissfully unaware of her presence. Luckily Isabel had worn flat, soft shoes today – her footsteps were very soft, though she feared the rustling of her skirts would give her away.

Surprisingly, it was only when she knocked over a pot plant that Merlin spun around.

'Lady Isabel?' he asked, confused. Isabel cursed her clumsiness but smiled at Merlin.

'Merlin,' she said, nodding. 'I was just looking for…' Isabel paused. She was a terrible liar. She considered taking a subtle approach, but then thought, Stuff that!

She took a step towards Merlin; he watched her carefully.

Then quickly, she grabbed his shoulders and pushed him against the wall.

Instinctively Merlin's eyes flashed gold and Isabel felt a jolt of electricity run through her. She jumped back immediately, stunned.

Merlin had just done magic! This boy was definitely more than what he seemed.

'Who are you?' she whispered viciously.

'I am so, so sorry,' Merlin said, looking scared and holding his hands up in front of him defensively. Isabel stared at Merlin, enthralled and very surprised. Merlin was a sorcerer! Maybe he was just imitating her appearance… but why? And then, Isabel suddenly realised this was impossible. Merlin had looked like he did now before Isabel's arrival – all of the people Merlin knew had not said anything about a change of appearance and he had lived in Camelot for a year now. Surely not everyone was lying to her…

Isabel was perplexed; she studied Merlin for clues but found none.

Merlin was scared. Someone knew his secret! His instincts had given him away. Was Isabel going to tell anyone? He was pleading, using his eyes to negotiate with Isabel – if his secret was out, he would be killed and could never fulfil his destiny…

'Merlin!' A loud voice interrupted the silent conversation of Merlin and Isabel. Both of them turned swiftly and found a handsome blond prince looking at them with a rather amused expression on his face. 'Lady Isabel. What are you two doing?' he demanded.

'I – we –' Isabel stuttered. Come on, she thought. Got to think quicker. 'We were just –' She looked to Merlin, but he offered no help. He, too, was a bad liar.

'Yes?' said Arthur, looking entertained by this whole situation.

'I was just trying to find my way to the bathroom,' Isabel said, with feigned confidence.

'And Merlin?' Arthur asked. Merlin tried his best to look non-suspicious, but the confusion painted on his face gave him away.

'He was giving me directions,' Isabel said. 'Weren't you, Merlin?' She threatened him with her stare, saying, If you don't agree, I'll tell Arthur about your secret.

'Yes, I was,' Merlin said, trying to sound confident, but failing.

Arthur paused, and studied the two of them. He was trying to look stern, but an amused smile was slipping onto his lips. He knew the two of them were lying – they were both hopeless! Merlin and Isabel awaited his final verdict breathlessly.

'Well, go along, then,' said Arthur, hands on hips, almost grinning. Isabel and Merlin sighed with relief simultaneously. Arthur watched them, amused.

'Go up this corridor, turn right, and the bathroom is on your left,' muttered Merlin.

'Thanks,' said Isabel, striding off like she knew where she was going. She turned left, relieved to leave Prince Arthur behind.

'RIGHT!' shouted Arthur, after Isabel. Isabel felt herself blush and she turned around, walking in the other direction like she knew where she had been going all along. Merlin and Arthur laughed as she walked away.