AN: I'm alive! Sorry for the delay (again)! The whole torturing Arthur thing is going to last probably 2 chapters. I have a plan for this now. It took me some time to think about what I wanted for this part of the story and how it can move the central plot along. So, I'm a mad woman with a plan, at least. If any of you have suggestions on ways to torture Arthur, let me know! ;p

Also, if anyone wants to make a cover for this story, let me know! I've been considering making one, but my skills are sorely lacking.

xoxo

Telling Gwen and Morgana about the kiss between Arthur and I happened over an abundance of wine in Morgana's chambers. I had burst into the room almost immediately after returning to the castle with a slightly singed hemline. They were startled by my aggressive entrance but were a little more excited than I expected when I announced: "I need your help torturing Arthur Pendragon."

"You know I'm entirely on board with every definition of the word torture… but may I ask for more details?" Morgana said with a laugh.

"We um… we kissed," I said with an exhale.

Gwen and Morgana exchanged glances. "Finally!" Gwen exclaimed. Morgana beamed.

"Er, yeah, I guess. But then he said we couldn't continue because his father would never understand. Which is rather embarrassing because what would Uther have to do with any of our relationship? He's not in the bedroom with us," I ranted and sat at Morgana's table. Gwen and Morgana immediately poured three goblets of wine and handed one to me.

"Merlin!" Morgana laughed scandalously. "That's almost treason!"

"Yeah, well, Arthur is a tease. Which is worse?" I took a long draw of wine.

"The executioner's axe probably knows," Gwen said and sat next to me.

"Yes, but the belladonna and hemlock in a woman's kitchen know better," Morgana said with a grin. "On the topic of poison, Merlin, how are we torturing Arthur?"

"I want him to… regret his words. Not that we kissed, but that he isn't kissing me now," I said, the wine making my blood warm.

"The best kind of torture," Morgana smiled.

"Well, I wouldn't know how to do this," Gwen blushed innocently.

"Of course you do, Gwen. You and I have both noticed the way Arthur looks at Merlin, we just have to make him do it more," Morgana said, sipping her wine.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"How comfortable are you with nudity?" Morgana asked and leaned forward on the table.

"Not that comfortable," I said and shook my head.

"That's alright. We'll get there in time," she said flirtatiously.

Gwen and I drank heavily from our wine goblets while Morgana hammered out a plan. She was suspiciously quick and effective. I wondered if she had practiced this on many noble men that have come into the castle.

"First things first; who is serving dinner tonight?" Morgana asked.

"I am," Gwen said.

"Would anyone be any wiser if Merlin does it?" the Lady asked.

Gwen and I looked at each other and shrugged. "We're not supposed to be noticed," I replied.

"Oh, but you will tonight!" Morgana said with a mischievous look.

It turned out that Morgana either was an experienced sorceress in disguise or she had definitely done this before. I had been doused in rosewater, my hair let down in waves, and Gwen's purple flowered corset tied around me. Not enough to cause suspicion as to what I was trying to do, but enough that Arthur was sure to notice.

"See you at dinner," Morgana called as she left the chambers to head down to the dining hall.

"Good luck," Gwen said with a kind smile.

I winked at Gwen. "You know I don't need it."

"You sound just like Arthur!" Gwen laughed and pushed me out of the door. I caught a second sight of myself in Morgana's mirror and felt more confident. I needed to buy a corset, that was clear to me. It brought the ivory fabric of my dress together at my waist and made it seem like I had larger breasts than I did. Or had they been that large this whole time? I wasn't sure but they looked fantastic now. I stood up straighter and they were even more pronounced.

The kitchen staff didn't even notice that it was supposed to be Gwen's night. They just handed me a platter of pheasant and sent me on my way into the dining hall. I took a deep breath as another servant opened the door for me. Morgana looked up at me with a barely concealed grin when I entered.

Walking towards the king and Arthur, I realized just how much wine I had drank. What was I thinking?! Serving the royal family, practically drunk out of my mind and wearing a corset that made me look practically indecent with a bit more cleavage than usual considered proper. Why did I let them talk me into this?! I concentrated on Not Dropping the Pheasant with careful measured steps. So stupid. So stupid. So stupid.

Arthur looked up at the pheasant on the platter and then his eyes followed my hands up my arms, to my chest (stayed there for some time), and then to my face. A servant was to set the meal down, serve the family, and then step away, waiting until someone needed something. The second servant came in with a bowl of potatoes and a sauce for the meat before leaving me alone with them. I pretended to be assessing Uther's wine goblet but I was actually carefully monitoring Arthur.

His eyes were fixed on me and I couldn't help the blush that stained my cheeks. Uther called his name a few times impatiently, as they had been discussing another hunting trip to be held in a few days.

"Arthur, is there something wrong?" Uther asked impatiently as I served the meat to the king. Uther looked from Arthur to my chest. "Arthur," he finished with a warning tone.

This was terrible. This was the worst idea anyone in the history of Camelot has ever had. I held my breath for fear that Uther would smell the wine I had drank and sack me immediately.

"No, nothing is wrong," Arthur replied and looked down at his plate.

I finished serving the king and moved to Arthur. Uther turned to talk to Morgana about new fabric being sent in for her from some far away kingdom. I couldn't hear him because all I could hear was the rush of wine soaked magic in my veins as I neared Arthur. I should have known I'd have more difficulty controlling my magic when I was drunk. Terrible idea.

"Where's Guenevere?" Arthur whispered to me.

"Why?" I asked quietly.

"It's her night to serve dinner," he replied.

"She's not feeling well," I replied. I reached across Arthur to serve him his dinner. It wasn't the correct way to do it, but I was being driven by my stupid, drunk magic. Morgana kept Uther's attention, seemingly knowing that Uther would not like what he saw from me at this moment. Arthur sat back in his chair with a quiet, shuddering sigh.

"Are you alright, sire?" I asked in a whisper, turning towards him and leaning down to look at him, giving him an even better, fuller view of the tops of my breasts. I gave him an innocent, concerned look.

"I'm fine," he said looking up at my face now.

I smiled and finished serving Arthur, who began drinking very heavily from his wine goblet.

After dinner, and several goblets of wine to Arthur, I rushed through my clean up in the kitchens and practically ran to Arthur's chambers. I was mostly sober now, but I felt empowered over the strange control I suddenly had over Arthur. This was all so new to me, and I suspected him, too. Arthur had been with many women since I'd known him, less lately, but I knew when he was occupied when he gave me a night off. But I didn't believe he'd ever been under a blanket of magical lust before like this. Of course there had been Sophia, but it was different. It felt like something bigger was controlling this. When I asked the dragon, he only continued his booming laugh and said something about a different interpretation of destiny than he'd expected. It caused me to think back on all the statements about destiny that he had said about me and Arthur. He'd told me that together, Arthur and I, would create the Camelot that would unite magic with non-magic people. I had many theories, but some of them terrified me to think about.

I stopped to steady myself before I opened Arthur's chamber doors. I smoothed my hands over my dress and my hair and pinched my cheeks for color. Arthur was inside his chambers inspecting a treaty at his desk. He didn't look up when I entered. I didn't say anything, seeing as he was concentrating.

Without speaking, I worked on tidying his chambers and getting his bed ready for sleeping. The sound of a small fire and the wind through the open window lulled me into a calm state. The last of the wine from earlier settling into a calm, sleepy feeling. I worked slowly and relaxed, not in any hurry to leave. After turning down his bed I turned around and looked up at him. He'd been so quiet I wanted to be sure he'd not fallen asleep at his desk. But he hadn't- he was watching me. His head was back against his chair and he was very clearly watching me. He didn't look lustful or angry, he looked calm and like he was simply watching me because I was moving about.

"Yes?" I asked him.

He startled, like he realized he was caught looking. "Merlin do you read?" he asked looking back at his treaty.

"Some," I admitted with a blush. It was uncommon for people of my class to be able to read more than simple letters, if anything. I had taught myself some higher reading skills through reading books, but not likely as much as a teacher would have taught Arthur.

"Well, I'll read it to you then," he said and then launched into reading the treaty.

It was lengthy, using terminology and phrases I'd not heard much outside of listening to Arthur and Uther talk. It was about strengthening a relationship with a neighboring kingdom in order to utilize some of their prosperous growing region. While Arthur read, the light from outside grew darker and an early autumn chill swept into the room.

When he finished reading, half of the parchment was rolled on the ground and he looked up at me again. I was now sitting on the edge of his bed, facing him. "So?" he asked me, eyebrows raised.

I considered his question for a few moments. "Well what exactly would you be trading with this kingdom?"

"An alliance with Camelot," Arthur said like I was missing the whole point.

"Are you currently at war with this kingdom?" I asked, pulling my hair out of its braid as it had grown heavy and was hurting my scalp.

"No, Merlin," Arthur said, not understanding.

"Then are they really gaining your support? Because it seems to me as though they're not truly getting anything from this deal," I said and went to stoke the fire. Arthur followed me.

"You're right, I guess," he said considering me.

I hummed in response as I worked, tending the fire.

"You have a suggestion," Arthur stated.

"Do I?" I questioned him. I did indeed have many ideas but suggesting I knew more about politics to Prince Arthur was not on my agenda.

"You look like you do. Come on, out with it," Arthur said, lightly and happily enough. He sat cross legged on the floor before the fire. I was thankful I had swept the rug that morning.

"Well, it's just… if there's a shortage of food for the winter, why not give the farmers of your own kingdom more of an incentive to produce for next year?" I said and sat next to him on the rug. Gwen's corset dug into my skin as I was sitting, I was surely to have marks in the morning.

"Explain," he said, intrigued.

"What if you offered… a tax break… or perhaps a gift of seeds to farmers who have proven that they are able to produce a good product?" I suggested.

"That… that's brilliant, Merlin! Not sure if my father would agree, but I love it!" He exclaimed happily. He jumped up to grab a new roll of parchment and his quill. When he returned he reclaimed his space next to me in the bright light of the fire but he swung his body to lay on the rug and used my lap as a pillow and his bent knees as a desk. The contact wasn't romantic; it was friendly but intimate.

I smiled as he wrote quickly, taking a moment every so often to dip his quill in more ink. The song of crickets had begun outside and I was once again lulled in to a relaxed state. The fire was warm and Arthur's hair was soft under my hand as I mindlessly ran my fingers through it. I used my short nails to lightly scratch his scalp in a massage like my mother used to to when I had nightmares. His hair looked like gold in the firelight and I was reminded of the fires of Beltane from earlier this year. I blushed remembering the way we had danced.

Stuck in memory, I hadn't noticed that Arthur had stopped writing. "Isn't that corset painful to sit in? Morgana used to constantly complain about hers," Arthur said, looking up at me.

"Um, yeah it is, actually," I said and straightened my back to relieve some of the pressure.

Arthur sat up and opened his legs, gesturing for me to sit between them. "Here, I'll untie it for you," he offered, likely not realizing how inappropriate it was.

I couldn't help but oblige. I couldn't stop myself. I was being selfish.

Arthur began untying the corset and I blushed from head to toe

"I don't think I've ever seen you wear a corset before," he said thoughtfully.

"I haven't," I said honestly. "This is Gwen's."

The loosening of the ties was almost erotic in how good it felt. I shivered when I realized that Arthur was currently undressing me.

"It looked good on you," he said quietly.

I looked back at him through my eyelashes and smiled. "Thank you."

A wicked look came over his face as he handed me the corset. "And your breasts! Have you had them this whole time?!"

I gasped, shocked, and smacked his shoulder. He was laughing, at me now. A big, hearty, belly laugh, and sputtering something about how my face looked when he said that. I knew he was just being playful, teasing Arthur, so I wasn't actually upset. But I turned to him and pushed him square in the chest. He toppled backwards, still laughing. I was laughing now, too. He gathered enough strength to grab me about the waist and pull me to the ground, my back pressed into the rug with Arthur looming over top of me.

He smirked down at me. "Oh, you think you can knock a trained knight to the ground without him fighting back?" he exclaimed and began to tickle my sides.

I knew that this much physical contact was miles past appropriate. Miles past what servant and master should have. Even miles past a man and woman of the same class who were unwed. But I also knew that since the kiss we had shared, I had craved contact with Arthur. It felt more than a lustful passion, it felt like destiny calling me. That thought scared me and excited me at the same time. It scared me because this was Arthur Pendragon, Crowned Prince of Camelot and I was his servant, and an illegal sorceress. And it excited me because it showed me that despite Arthur's rightful hesitation over not getting Uther's approval, I would win in the end.

I laughed and wiggled and squealed as he tickled me. I couldn't have been happier unless he was kissing me again.

"Tell me I'm the strongest, most handsome, and talented knight in the land and I'll stop! Merlin! I can't stop unless you say it!" he laughed and demanded.

"No! Never!" I gasped and wheezed and laughed.

"Oh, Arthur, you're the strongest, most handsome, and talented knight in the land!" He said in a high pitched voice, a terrible mimicry of my voice.

"No! I- can't- tell- lies!" I said between bouts of laughter and trying to grab at his hands.

"Careful, Merlin! The requirements are getting stricter! In order for me to stop you have to say that I'm a gift to Camelot, the best and most well endowed knight in the history of existence! Say it, Merlin!" Arthur laughed, looming over me, his hair catching the light and looking like gold again. His eyes were alight with play, like I'd never seen of him.

I may have used a little bit of magic to finally capture his hands and pull them to the floor next to my waist. I sat up some so that our faces were inches apart. He looked shocked that I had gained the advantage.

"You, Arthur, are a gift to Camelot, the strongest, most handsome, talented, and well endowed knight in history!" I exclaimed with over dramatized enthusiasm.

He smirked at me now, glancing down at my lips. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

I giggled and didn't move, hoping he would kiss me.

He looked at my lips again and sighed before standing up. Dejected, I stood up, too.

"It's late, I should go to bed," Arthur said and looked at his bed.

"Right, of course," I said quietly and went to leave.

He grabbed my hand as I passed him. "Hey, wait." He pulled me into a hug and I buried my nose into his neck and held on to him. "Thank you for your help with that proposal."

"You're welcome," I said, my eyes closed. I never wanted to leave his embrace. Ever.

It seemed like he didn't either because it took a few moments for him to release me. I looked up at him through my lashes and bit my lip. He looked at me sadly before turning away.

"Goodnight," he said to me as he walked to his changing screen.

"Goodnight," I replied before leaving his chambers.

That night I curled up in my bed, full of longing, and dreaming of my golden and laughing Arthur.

The next morning, Arthur was awake when I brought him breakfast. He was sitting at his table, in his breeches and bare chested, writing on his parchment. He barely glanced up at me when I walked in with his tray.

"Good morning," I said and set the tray down on the end of the table that didn't have bits of parchment strewn about.

"Good morning," he replied. "Merlin, would you say that it's fair to trade wool from our sheep to neighboring kingdoms for some grain for the winter?"

"How much is raw wool worth compared to grain?" I countered.

"I'm not sure. I see what you're going to say but you know my father enough to know that he's going to want us to prosper the most out of this deal. I'm not even sure if he's going to like what was changed since yesterday," Arthur said, putting down his quill and grabbing a piece of bread from his tray.

"He has to approve of it first?" I asked and opened his wardrobe.

"Absolutely," Arthur said around a mouthful of bread.

"Do you think he's going to see a fair trade as a bad deal?" I asked, not letting the scorn show through my voice. I picked out a red tunic and black riding trousers for today, as he was to go train on horseback today.

"Most likely. My father… takes what he wants and everyone else will just have to like it," Arthur said with a sigh.

"I trust that's not how you will rule Camelot, then?" I said with a smile as I walked back to the table and poured him some water.

"Not if I can help it," he said as I set his water goblet on the table. He took a deep breath through his nose. "Merlin, you smell nice today."

"Oh? Because I smelled terrible yesterday?" I joked even though I was blushing. I had, indeed, used flowers in my water when I washed up last night. Some fragrant lavender, rose, and a little bit of mint were mixed into my water when I washed my hair and body.

"No," he chuckled. "You just smell… nicer today."

"Thank you, sire," I said shyly. Morgana was right, again! She knew that Arthur would like a perfumed scent.

We were quiet as Arthur ate and reviewed his proposal and I made his bed. After he finished eating, I helped him dress. He told me of his agenda for the day as I pulled his shirt on over his head. "Oh, and Merlin," he said, quiet and apologetic now. "I'm going to be going away for a fortnight. I'll be working with Bayard's court to settle that proposal to trade wool for grain if my father approves of it."

"Will I be going with you?" I asked.

"No," he said with a pause long enough for me to stop dressing him and look up at him. "I've requested another servant for the trip."

"Have I been that terrible?" My heart had dropped past my feet and I was trying to make sense of it all.

"No, Merlin. It's… because of my feelings towards you. I can't allow- I can't allow these types of distractions right now," Arthur tried to explain and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm a distraction?" I asked in a whisper.

"Yes, you… I… Sometimes I can't help myself when you're around. And that's dangerous, Merlin. If my father were to find out that we've even kissed or that you've helped me with this proposal, he'd likely banish you or imprison you. I just need to clear my head," he explained and sat on the edge of his bed.

We were quiet again, and I stared at my feet, willing myself not to cry or curse him. "When do you leave?" I finally asked.

"Tomorrow," he said.

"Oh."

"Merlin, I'm sorry. I've never meant to hurt you," he said and reached for my hand and then thought better of it and dropped his back onto his lap.

"Right," I sighed and got back to work, clearing his breakfast tray.

For the rest of the time he was in Camelot before he left, I sent in another servant. I didn't see him again for the fortnight. I wasn't really angry with Arthur over his choice to leave, I logically understood what he was doing. But, I couldn't help feeling hurt and confused. Why couldn't we just keep it a secret that we were together? Why couldn't he just man up and and fully admit his feelings? If this was our destiny, then why couldn't it just get started already? I figured, when he returned maybe he would have determined some answers… or maybe hire on the new servant full time.