Chapter 20

Warning/s: None.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

A/N: This was so much fun to write, but I really don't think I've done the prompt justice :/ it was so good and so creative but I'm just a rubbish writer :( I hope you enjoy this regardless!

Prompt: Elise.v: "(Morgana is still good) when guinevere is queen, Morgana needs a bnw maidservant, and doesn't know she has just hired Merlin's love of his life. Freya doesn't remember anything about her time with Merlin, though she falls in love at first sight :)
(Like a kind of present from destiny to Merlin -)"

Morgana wandered through the lower town absent-mindedly, fingering a few silk scarves as she went. She smiled to the citizens and gave a few coins to those begging, and an apple to a small child who looked half-starved, and bit into one herself.

She was looking for a new maidservant; ever since Gwen had become Queen, she had been short of one, and her hair had a life of its own. As well as that, she needed help with getting dressed, bathing, and getting her meals for her. She knew an old woman who worked on a fruit stall, where she would buy another apple and also be able to hear all of the latest gossip, which the wizened lady always knew. Morgana hoped she would know something about any girls looking for a decent job.

Soon enough, she came to the battered stool and grinned when the lady threw her an apple. She threw a coin back in return, laughing when the woman bit into it and coming to talk to Cindel. "Morning," Morgana greeted cheerfully, examining the colourful array of fruits.

"Good morning," Cindel grunted. She sounded grumpy constantly, due to the way she spoke, but she was kind, friendly and always had a nice word to spare for all who passed. "What have you come to find out today?"

"Am I really that obvious?" Morgana giggled. She took a bite of the sweet, red fruit and chewed quickly. "I need a new maidservant. Do you know of anyone who could do that?"

Cindel's face lit up in delight, and she clapped her arthritic hands together. "I know just the girl," she croaked happily. "Sweet little thing, her name's Freya and she's just come here. She woke up next to a lake and the last thing she remembers is a brutish man attacking her, so she made her way here. I'm letting her stay with me because there's nobody else for her, and she's badly in need of a job. Not just for money, but she gets restless sitting around all day. And let me tell you, she's a darn good seamstress."

"Perfect," Morgana exclaimed, taking another dainty bite of her apple. "Can I go see her now?"

"Maybe not," Cindel said slowly. "She's a bit timid, so maybe I could just bring her along tomorrow?"

"That would be fine," Morgana smiled. "I hope she and Merlin will get along."

"Oh, I'm sure they will just fine," Cindel said, with a twinkle in her eye. "You know, the only thing that Freya remembers after being attacked is a young man with blue eyes, wearing a red shirt, trying to help her."

"You think it could be Merlin?" Morgana gasped.

"Could be," Cindel nodded. She smiled at a little girl who had approached the stall shyly with three coppers and asked for some carrots. "She's very sweet, anyway, I'm sure Merlin will help her to get settled in." She handed the carrots over and winked. "We'll just see how things go."

"Hi, Freya, I'm Morgana." Freya smiled shyly, her hands twisted around each other and her breathing quick.

"I'm Freya, my lady," she murmured, with her head down.

"Don't call me that," Morgana laughed. "Just Morgana, I hate seeming all high and mighty." Freya looked up quickly and smiled. "And I know you're naturally very shy, but please don't feel like you need to be obedient and meek around me."

"Okay," Freya said, in a voice that was just a tiny bit bigger than a whisper. Morgana counted that as a small victory for that day.

By the end of the day, through Morgana's gentle encouragement and coaxing, and Freya's gradual settling in, the girl was talking in a normal volume and had even laughed once. "I have dinner with the King and Queen tonight," Morgana said as she bathed. "There's a few dignitaries that will be attending, so I'll need you to attend to me. Just fill up my wine and do any odd jobs, like sometimes Merlin has to go and help the cooks bring in trays if there are a lot of them."

"Merlin?" Freya asked quizzically. She knew that name from somewhere, though she had never heard of anyone called Merlin before. It gave her a kind of warm, fuzzy feeling though.

"Oh, yes, I completely forgot to mention Merlin!" Morgana said happily. "He's Arthur's manservant, and he's absolutely lovely."

"He sounds it," Freya said almost dreamily.

Morgana smiled as various lords bowed to her, and she curtsied back. She had given Freya a half hour to get herself ready for the feast, but her new maidservant still hadn't turned up. She would be annoyed, but she was new and could have gotten lost around the castle, after all. She was more worried, until she noticed that Merlin wasn't there either, and then her lips quirked up into a smile.

"I feel like I know you," Freya said softly, not daring to look at the man in front of her. He had stunningly blue eyes that contrasted against his pale skin, and jet black hair like a raven's feathers. All in all, he was attractive and she was just Freya.

"You do," Merlin replied, tilting her head up a little. He smiled when she looked at him properly and she couldn't help a smile either.

"How?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "Please tell me. I need to know."

"I don't think you'd believe me," Merlin said thoughtfully. "It's an odd story, you know."

"Try me." Her voice was steadier than she thought it would be. Somehow, she was oddly calm around Merlin, as if she had known him for so long that she had grown comfortable in his presence.

"You were cursed, by the mother of a man who attacked you. You were scared and accidentally used magic to kill him. And in return she made you kill for all eternity."

"How did she do that?"

"She cursed you so that you turned into a giant winged cat at night and killed relentlessly. And you returned to your normal self in the morning and hated yourself for it. And then I found you after you were caught by a witch-hunter kind of person." Merlin stopped for a few seconds to allow Freya to bring everything together.

"Yes, I am starting to remember now," Freya said quietly.

"Good. Do you want me to continue?" Merlin moved his arm nervously and disturbed a glass vial on one of Gaius's various desks. He caught it quickly with a flash of gold in his eyes and set it back carefully.

"Yes please," Freya said politely. She had shifted towards him slightly though, obviously becoming more confident around him.

"Well, I kept you under the castle and we made plans to escape. I didn't know about your curse at first, but eventually you tried to escape so you wouldn't be burdening me, and you turned. You were found by Camelot's men, and they caught you in the shoulder."

"So I died?"

"Not immediately. You turned back and I took you to a lake. You had always wanted to live next to a lake with fields and mountains. That's where you died. How you came back…" Merlin shrugged. "That's where I can't tell you anything more."

"Neither can I," Freya confessed. I remember waking up by a lake, but that's it." Her head had begun to pound from the memories springing back. "I don't want to be a bother, but…" She stood up and swayed. "Is there somewhere I could lie down?" Then everything went black.

"Where am I?" she asked as soon as she woke up, not even opening her eyes first.

"My room," came a soft, kind voice. Freya smiled as she recognised it as Merlin's. "I wanted to put you on a bed so you'd be comfortable."

"Thank you," Freya murmured, cuddling herself under the warm blankets. "Come join?"

Merlin's breath hitched. "I'm okay here," he said awkwardly. Freya was obviously still out of it and he didn't want to do anything that she could later feel embarrassed from.

"Then I'll come to you," Freya yawned, and opened her eyes finally. It was dark outside with just a candle inside the room so they could see, and Merlin was smiling at her, sitting on a chair next to the bed. She sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself, and then settled herself into Merlin's lap.

"I remember everything now," she whispered to him. "That's why I fainted. It was too much. But, Gods, Merlin, I love you."

"I love you too, Freya," Merlin muttered, and kissed her softly.

They managed to keep their relationship a secret for three months and two weeks before Morgana walked into her chambers earlier than expected and found them kissing instead of doing laundry.

A/N: Leave me a review to let me know what you think of this chapter please? *bats eyelids* and also please leave me ideas for future chapters!