Chapter 5

Elaina had finally come out from beneath the blankets on Arthur's bed and was sitting there idly. She was bored out of her mind. She had to find something to do with herself. She kept going over and over what Arthur had told her.

Elaina couldn't believe that her own father wanted her dead. At the same time, it didn't surprise her that there was a plan to usurp him. While he had brought peace to the land of Heideen he maintained it with an iron fist. He had instated several new laws and taxes over the years. They were leading to unrest among the people.

She rolled her head to the side and stared out the window. Camelot was a beautiful place. Elaina couldn't believe that she had not known the real reason for her father sending her here. It made her feel like a simple minded girl to hear it from Arthur. She'd seen the way her father looked at her before she left. She recognized the look in his eyes, she'd seen it many times.

It was an empty look, one that went straight down to his soul. A look that spoke volumes about the type of man he really was. Since her mother had died he had become cruel and petty. Nothing Elaina did was ever good enough, her not being a boy only made matters worse. Elaina had tried to please her father though. In Heideen she was considered a princess and a warrior. She'd been trained to fight just like the boys her age. She could handle a sword, bow, mace, or spear as well as any man, better than some in fact. She was also a lady though. She could sing, dance, paint, sew, and run a household as was expected.

Elaina was considered to be an incredibly well rounded young woman. Perhaps that was why her father saw her as such a threat. She was intelligent but more importantly she was loved by the people of Heideen. It didn't hurt that she was beautiful but Elaina was not a girl that used her beauty to win others over.

A knock sounded at the door causing Elaina to jump. She glanced briefly at the mirror to make sure she was presentable. "Come in," she called.

Arthur's manservant threw the door open and scurried inside. He bowed deeply a huge grin on his face. "We met this morning," he reminded her. "I'm…"

"You're Merlin, I remember who you are."

"Thank you." Most nobles didn't bother to learn his name, let alone remember it.

"I'm Elaina." She wasn't sure if she should tell him she was a princess or not. Judging from the way he was looking at her though, she'd bet he already knew. "He told you didn't he?"

"Who told me what?" He began picking things up off of Arthur's floor and tossing them over his shoulder toward the cupboard.

"Arthur told you who I am," Elaina said carefully.

"Oh, yeah, he did. Was he not supposed to?" Merlin wandered over to the cupboard and rammed everything inside of it.

Elaina giggled softly watching him struggle with a rather tricky jacket. "I don't know, I didn't ask him not to. So… how long have you been Arthur's man servant?"

"I don't know, I've stopped keeping track actually. My first week I had to help Arthur prepare for a tourney by practicing with him. I'm not very handy with a sword."

"Did he win the tournament?"

"Of course, Arthur always wins."

"He should be glad he has you, he might not have won if you hadn't helped him prepare."

"Right, Arthur losing a tournament, that's funny."

Elaina laughed again and moved further down the bed. "Tell me about yourself Merlin," she asked.

"You must be bored if you want to talk to Merlin," Arthur said as he entered the room.

"I happen to find Merlin quite interesting."

Arthur raised his eyebrows curiously. He glanced from Elaina to Merlin, who shrugged innocently. "Don't look at me, I was cleaning your room," Merlin said quickly.

"Right," Arthur said dragging the word out. "Anyway, I've spoken with my father and we have decided it would be best to come up with some story about the prisoner confusion and why you are now staying in Camelot. Any ideas?"

They all exchanged heavy glances. No one knew quite what to say. Elaina ran over several options in her mind but each sounded more unbelievable than the last. Merlin's entire face scrunched up as he concentrated. Suddenly his face lit up in excitement.

"We could say that we received the wrong message from King Hrothgar and that Elaina likes Camelot so much she has decided to stay on as a… um…"

"That's a good start Merlin," Arthur said nodding his head steadily.

"I'm here to observe the way your father runs his kingdom," Elaina suggested. "Camelot is much more successful than anything in Heideen. I am here to observe and learn so that Heideen can prosper."

Merlin nodded appreciatively, "That's what I was trying to say."

"I'm sure it was Merlin," Arthur replied. "Did you finish doing what I told you to?"

Merlin stared at Arthur for a moment in confusion. "Oh, the room yeah I did. Gwen and Morgana made me leave so they could um girl it up a bit," Merlin explained.

"Excellent, we have a story, your room is almost ready, is there anything else," Arthur asked glancing from Merlin to Elaina.

"Perhaps Elaina would like something to eat," Merlin suggested.

Elaina smiled at Merlin. "If it's not too much trouble I would love something to eat."

"What about me," Arthur demanded.

"What about you," Merlin asked.

"You never got me my breakfast this morning!"

"Well you've lived here your entire life right?"

"Of course."

"You know where the kitchen is, I am currently helping the princess," Merlin said before walking quickly out of the room.

Arthur's mouth dropped open as Merlin left. Elaina burst out laughing when he turned to look at her. "You look like a fish Arthur."

"Him serving you is not going to work out, his attitude is awful," Arthur said firmly.

"He's perfectly nice to me."

"How very nice for you! How are you feeling?"

"Better," Elaina said easily. "Whatever Gaius gave me must have worked, I've never gotten well so fast before."

"Excellent," Arthur replied. He studied Elaina for a moment. "My father asked me to extend an invitation to dine with him once you are well enough. Gaius wants to talk to you about something too."

Elaina glanced at Arthur unsure of what Gaius had told him. She had to be careful to hide her condition, people tended to worry unnecessarily about her once they knew. "Did he say what it was about?"

"No, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about though. If it were urgent he would have come directly to you."

Elaina nodded slowly and glanced away from Arthur. "Who are Morgana and Gwen? Merlin mentioned them earlier. Do you have sisters?"

Arthur snorted loudly and shook his head. "Morgana is my father's ward, I have no siblings. Morgana is the closest thing I have to a sister. Gwen is her maid servant. You'll meet them both soon, I've asked them to look after you."

"I don't want to be a burden."

"They are actually quite excited to have a princess visiting."

"Does everyone know I'm a princess?" Her frustration was clear in her voice.

"Not everyone. Why would I lie about who you are," Arthur asked in confusion.

"Perhaps I don't want everyone to know who I am! What if word gets back to my father that I am still alive? He'll send someone to finish what you and you're father wouldn't."

"Would you rather us kill you?"

Elaina stared him in bewilderment. She couldn't believe that he didn't understand what she was getting at. "No I don't want you to kill me! I don't want to put others in danger by being here though!"

"We won't let that happen!"

"You can't predict the future Arthur Pendragon," Elaina snapped. She shook her head angrily and clenched her jaw. "You really don't understand."

"What is there to understand," Arthur asked. "Your father isn't going to find out, everything will be fine Elaina."

Elaina exhaled loudly and prepared to snap at him again. Arthur was every bit the arrogant young man she'd heard him to be. She'd thought perhaps the rumors were wrong but she could see that there was a foundation for them.

Merlin pushed the door open and set a tray on the table. He removed the lid with a flourish revealing an impressive spread. The tray contained various fruits, meats, cheeses, and breads. It was more than enough to feed Elaina, in fact she, Arthur, and Merlin could all eat their fill from the tray.

"Lunch is served," Merlin said proudly.

"I've lost my appetite," Arthur announced before walking out of the room without a backward glance.

Merlin's brow furrowed in confusion. "What did I miss?"

"We got in an argument," Elaina explained. "He seems to think that my staying here poses no risk."

"What if your father finds out though? Perhaps we should tell people you are someone else."

"Thank you that is exactly what I was thinking! Arthur doesn't think we should lie about who I am though."

"Maybe he's right though. It will make things harder if people were to find out they had been lied to."

Another knock sounded at the door. Merlin quickly went to open it. He ushered in two attractive young women. "Elaina, this is Morgana, King Uther's ward, and her maidservant Gwen," he announced. "This is Elaina, the Crown Princess of Heideen."

Morgana and Gwen both curtsied to her. "It's an honor to meet you my lady," Gwen said softly.

"It truly is an honor," Morgana said quickly.

Elaina climbed off the bed and shook her head at them. "Please stop. You don't have to curtsy to me, but it is an honor to meet the two of you."

"No curtsies, I like you already," Morgana said with a smile. Morgana studied Elaina for a moment then glanced at Gwen. "He wasn't joking."

"What," Elaina asked.

"Arthur told us that you were wearing one of his shirts, I thought it was just talk," Morgana explained.

"No, it's true. He loaned it to me, it would seem Gaius threw my dress out. Would you like to join me for lunch? Merlin brought enough for a small army."

"That would be lovely, but first can I please loan you something suitable to wear," Morgana asked.

"Please? Arthur's shirt is nice, but I feel a bit inappropriate in it."

"You look to be the same size as me, you can borrow some of my dresses until we can get you some of your own. Gwen is an excellent seamstress. She can make you anything you want."

"Thank you, that would be most welcome and a relief."

"I'll go fetch something for you to wear while you two start eating," Gwen said quickly.

"Thank you Gwen," Elaina replied.

Elaina and Morgana sat down at Arthur's table and began eating and chatting. By the time Gwen returned with a dress, they had convinced Merlin to join them.

"I brought a green dress, I thought it would suit you best."

"Morgana its beautiful," Elaina exclaimed. "Are you sure you don't mind me borrowing it?"

"Of course not, you can thank Gwen for the dress' beauty though, she made it," Morgana replied.

"Gwen! This is stunning, you could open your own shop," Elaina said as she followed Gwen behind the dressing screen.

Gwen waited on the other side while Elaina dressed. "Thank you my Lady. That is an incredibly high compliment."

"You deserve it," Elaina said as she stepped back around the screen. Gwen handed her a pair of shoes which Elaina quickly slipped on. "How does it look?"

"Perfect, you look fantastic Elaina! I'll never be able to wear that dress again."

Elaina laughed at Morgana's comment and turned to look in the mirror. Arthur appeared in the doorway and caught her gaze in the reflection.

"You look beautiful," he said softly. Gwen, Merlin, and Morgana all turned to look at him curiously. None of them had ever seen him behave like this before.