hullo whats this? a new chapter wiht in the week. yes. yes it is. its another slow chapter, but hopefully what is to come will make up for that. reviews are helpful i now know what may need clearing up, freya lied, in the series, because inthis it was her mother who cursed her, tristain has the sword because he took it from their mother who as we just established isn't very nice and made it intending only to kill people wiht out magic there for because magic requirs balence it hurts the weilder if they harm magic, tristain weilds it because he mistrusts magic and feel guilty for not protecting his sister, oh and freya isn't alive alive, shes some kind of undead, but not a zombie, oh god i'm not explaining it well ok read on because i'll slip an explanation in a later chapter. i dont own merlin. warning this chapter contains clumsymerlin.

servants and seamstresses

Merlin walked into the princes room to find the princes new servant tidying up. the boy jumped when Merlin entered. Merlin had noticed that most of the servants didn't know how to act around him. He knew his friend ship with Arthur had been the source of much gossip and intrigue. Now that he was quickly climbing up the ranks. On track to being adviser to the future king, they were unsettled around him they all knew of his sorcery now. He smiled at the young lad. Who nervously smiled back.

"Not there." The boy jumped and struggled to keep hold of the clothes he was carrying. Merlin ran over and grabbed half of them. "Sorry I didn't mean to startle you, it's just that Arthur doesn't like those put away in that wardrobe he prefers them to be in the north faceing wardrobe so they fade less. Middle shelf." The boy nodded and followed Merlin to the aforementioned cupboard. "sorry I didn't mean to tell you how to do your job. I'm just so used to doing this all. Its odd not doing it any more."

"M'lord is there any reason you're here?" it was Merlin's time to jump. He was starting to wonder if the boy was mute. "oh I'm not a lord. I'm not a noble. I just got a" the boy cut across him "I'm sorry I thought I heard mention that you were a dragon lord, I thought that made you a noble" Merlin smiled at the logic "well I suppose that's true, but no I haven't officially been accepted as a noble yet. I'm still, I'm still just Merlin. Arthur likes his servants to be though. Don't be to meek. The reason he tolerated me. Was because I wasn't afraid to make him think. I did my job, I knew when he wanted to be challenged, and when not." The boy stared at him like he was speaking a different language. "I think you'll do well. Your already doing better than me."

It was at this point that Arthur walked in the servant bowed his head to them both, ignoring Arthurs confused look. Which only deepened, when the lad said "until next time M'lord," to Merlin. Once the servant was gone Arthur started to ask merlin what all that was about but merlin pre-empted the question. "hew mearly pointed out that as a dragonlord technically I'm nobility. Perhaps not as noble as others but still." The end of his sentence drifted off into nothing. Arthur walked towards his friend. " he probably has a point which brings up another thing that has come up. father and I were just discussing it actually" merlin gulped at the mention of the king, he had endevored to avoid spending any time in the kings presence. He had a feeling if the king had been talking about him it couldn't be good.

"as you pointed out. You are a dragon lord merlin not only that but you are apparently the most powerful sorcerer ever to exist. You are in the process of becoming my advisor. It has been decided between my father and I that you should look the part."

Merlin laughed loudly. "you and your father were discussing me having a makeover? Instead of battle preparation. In case you hadn't noticed I don't exactly have money lying around Arthur" he didn't know what was wrong with the clothes he had. He was going to say this when a bag of money was placed in his hands. "that should be enough for you to buy new clothes, in a better fabric. Jane may not be as good as her predecessor but she is a wonderful seamstress."

Merlin had a sad smile on his face as he realised who Arthur meant. "her predecessor, you mean Gwen. Lady Gwen." He heard Arthur sigh. When the prince turned round, he looked tired. Merlin's eyes went gold and the nearest chair turned round. And nudged itself under the prince so he sat down. "yes Merlin, her predecessor the love of my life who is currently banished to another land to become a lady, a process that could take years or months, if I die in this war make sure she is ok." The young warlock nodded his head and rested a hand on his master's shoulder. "You will survive; I'll make sure of it. Who else is going to call me an idiot? She's' a tough girl. She will be fine. She already had the humility and grace thing down, might need to rant less." Arthur hit him playfully. Once he was sure Arthur was ok he nodded and left.

"hello? Jane? Are you in?" Merlin tripped over a roll of purple fabric and went sprawling onto the floor in a tangle of fabrics. "ah, that's good to know" a female voice called out, merlin untangled himself and walked towards it slowly, trying not to trip over anything. He realised he didn't know where to turn now so he called out "whats good?" he started movig again chuckling at the answer he got. "I know how to defeat you if you ever turn evil, fabric. Mind the yarn." Jane's voice was coming form just round the corner. Merlin was about to ask what she ment about the yarn. When he tripped over it and landed on a pile of red capes. "that yarn. ok I'm almost done. Then I'll take your mesurements and talk style." She said to him as he turned round.

He could only see the back of her. She was wearing a simple dress in a green linen, with black ribbin threded through it. Her frizzy red hair was pulled back in a bun with wooden needles sticking out at varying angles. Merlin took a moment to stand up and brush himself down. Before looking around. The room he was in was probably larger than it looked but there were rolls and rolls Of fabrics and ribbons all over the place. As well as piles of recently fixed clothes or clothes waiting to be fixed or altered, all of this gave the room a labyrinthine feel. Merlin leant to the side as the cape jane had just been working on went flying past his head. she busied herself clearing up her small table before she turned around.

"right ok so I assume you don't want new clothes at all." Merlin laughed as she pretty much repeated what he had just been thinking. "not exactly no, I don't see whats wrong with the ones I have" she walked over to him with some string in her hands and quickly took his measurements. She muttered to herself as she took the measurements. She removed merlins nekercheif and took his neck measurement.

"you know gwen taught me how to sew? Yeah. She was a good teacher, hard to believe 7 months ago she was just a seamstress and maid and now look at her, she has odin for a guardian and is a lady! Oh. I have something to show you." She started walking off forgetting the string was still round his neck, she smiled apologeticly took the string off merlin walked over to the table picking up a parchment. "this is what I was thinking of making for you merlin." She passed him the parchment. On it were several sketched out designs of clothes specificly for him he smiled as he noticed a neck scalf detail on one of the capes. "Provided you have something to pay with, I can have your clothes ready by tomorrow. "merlin snapped out of his trance and held out the bag of coins he had been holding "arthur gave me this, it should be enough, I hope its enough If it isn't I can find you the rest."

She took the bag opened it and smiled up at him. "this is more than enough, theres enough in here to pay for an other item of clothing. Would you?" she didn't need to ask the rest of the question as merlin asked her to make gaius a new tunic he scribbled a couple of sybols on a scrap of paper and passed it to jane. "say no if its too much of a risk or makes you uncomfortable." Merlin paused before continuing "but could you sew these sybols on the inside of the tunic? They are for protection from harm. Don't if its too much though, I know such things make people uncomfortable. Most people not that I'm saying your most people, your people well your person your people makes it sound like your fat but your not fat your" she threw a ball of yarn at the young warlock and glared at him successfully haulting his rant. "right yes sorry, some things will never change it appears my knack for saying too much" the last two words were barely audiable

"the first thing you did when you arrived in Camelot was save prince Arthurs life, I have a feeling there wouldn't be much of Arthur left had you not been around using magic to protect him. So you'll excuse me I'f I'm not particulary scared of you" the young woman stated as she stood up and started walking with merlin out of the room.

"as you said these would be on the inside out of sight, I will make it tonight, your clothes will be ready tomorrow morning" they reached the door and merlin nodded his thanks to the seamstress "wait tomorrow? That rather quick isn't it? You were expecting me weren't you?" she smiled and admitted to having already made all his cothes all she needed were his measurements for final adjustments. He laughed thanked her again and headed off to the library to look into camelots military history, he knew in the weeks to come he would need to have an indepth knowledge of previous battles so he could give fully informed advice.

it is entirely possible that i created jane just so i could have merlin trip over yarn. also, merlin always knew how to do his job, and do it well, he just enjoied anoying arthur haha. every time you coment or review a baby merlin is saved. i'm going to the land of no computers tomorrow for two weeks so there will be no update till then enjoy your easters or spring hollidays or what ever your school/uni/work calls it. all this fuss about the royal weding has got me thinking, if arthru and gwen ever marry in the series we should make the same amont of fuss lol anyway off i go to write some more of this, oh and sorry for any spelling,grammar mistakes that escaped my notice.