A/N:

This next one goes to Claret Tho, who has requested a Fem!Merlin AU. This is my first foray into the female Merlin verse, and I hope I do it justice! I have also decided to do a part two to 'Heart of a Dragonlord' as per requests. Don't know where I will slot it, but it's coming!

I don't own …do I seriously need to keep doing this?

CHARACTERS: Fem!Merlin & Arthur

RATED: K

GENRE: Humour + Hurt/comfort

Fem!Merlin verse – A blazing argument between Arthur & Merlin.

THE ADVENTURES OF MERLIN

Just Like Marriage

'Merlin! Could you possibly make any more noise?' Arthur hissed as he paused in his tracks, turning to fix his clumsy maidservant with a scathing glare.

Merlin responded with a derisive snort, clambering to her feet quickly and dusting herself off. She pulled a twig tangled from within her raven locks and stared at it with mild disgust before flicking it away.

'It's hardly my fault that you decided to stray from the trail, sire,' Merlin replied, her intense cobalt eyes flashing briefly with annoyance.

King Arthur lifted a blonde eyebrow and folded his arms across his broad chest as he watched the young woman gather the supplies she had dropped when she tripped. 'When will you learn that you are not supposed to speak to your master in such a manner?' He inquired with a light tone.

The corners of Merlin's full lips curled into a cheeky smile as she adjusted the heavy pack upon her shoulders and tucked the King's crossbow under her arm.

'The day said master stops being a Royal Prat,' she replied with a shrug, eyes glinting mischievously.

Arthur huffed like a child at his infuriating maidservant – with her disarming smile and too big ears poking out from her dark tresses.

Merlin saw her friend's frustration and chuckled, her grin widening. She always loved to get a rise out of the King - It made the day interesting.

'Shut up, Merlin.' Arthur responded after a while, noting that the ridiculous grin had not wavered, and began once again to track his quarry through the trees.

'Is this even necessary, Arthur?' she asked after several minutes of attempting to remain silent.

The young King let a growl of frustration fly from his lips as he spun around to face the dark haired girl.

'Is what even necessary, Merlin? And would it kill for you to be respectful for once?' He snapped. For some reason, Merlin was getting on his nerves more than usual today. Maybe it was the feeling in the pit of his stomach that something bad was about to happen, or maybe it was the way his heart clenched painfully every time she shot him one of her signature grins.

The young maidservant narrowed her eyes, realising that the King's tone had switched from being light and teasing to dark and serious.

'I will respect you when you earn it, clot pole,' she responded coldly, fixing him with a glare that would rival Morgana's.

Arthur's face was slowly growing redder in rising anger and frustration as his mouth formed words before his brain could stop him.

'Why do I even keep you around? You're lazy, incompetent, not to mention weak and cowardly! Maybe I should sell you to the next stuffy lord who comes through Camelot!'

Oh shit…did I just say that?

Merlin flinched visibly, hurt flashing in her eyes momentarily as his words stung her heart.

Arthur opened his mouth to apologise, eyes softening – but Merlin's anger cut through as she responded.

'You know, sire maybe you should. Lord knows I would probably get treated better and I wouldn't have to spend every waking hour waiting on your royal arse! If I had to spend one more day with you being such a supercilious, pig-headed, arrogant brat of a King, I may be inclined to fall upon your sword!'

Cheekbones flushing with fury, Merlin ripped the pack from her shoulders and threw it to the forest floor along with the royal crossbow.

Seeing his possessions handled in such a way sent the King into a temper once more and he stalked over to his young maidservant.

' Pick them up.' He growled, clenching his fists at his side.

Merlin met his gaze intensely and folded her arms across her chest stubbornly.

'No.' she replied shortly.

'Merlin…' his warning tone didn't even make her blink as he stepped forward.

With all his might, the King shoved his maidservant like he was a child not getting his own way. She stumbled back clumsily and looked up at Arthur in shock.

Did he seriously just do that?

She shoved him back with as much strength as she could muster, watching with satisfaction as he landed on his rear in the dirt.

'This is treason,' Arthur hissed, scrambling to his feet, his flaxen mop ruffled.

'Then execute me sire,' she replied coldly.

The next push came from Arthur, and although Merlin had been expecting it, neither of them noticed the steep incline that descended into a rocky gully through the trees.

The raven – haired woman windmilled her arms to keep balanced as she stumbled back, but the heel of her tattered boot caught the edge.

Eyes wide, Arthur tried to grab her by the jacket to keep her from falling, but the damage was done.

'MERLIN!' The king cried frantically as she disappeared over the ledge.

Guilt bubbled within Arthur's gut as he rushed forward and his panic rose upon seeing her prone form come to a stop at the bottom.

Without a thought for his own safety, he raced down the incline, sending rocks and boulders flying as he half ran, half slid to her side.

Her lids were shut tightly and small, shaky breaths escaped from her parted lips but Arthur's eyes were glued upon the nasty gash at her brow. Dark red dropped languidly over her eyelid and slid down the steep plane of her cheek like a tear.

Arthur brushed the lock of dark hair from her face and moved his hand to the nape of her neck, lifting her slightly.

'Merlin?' He whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.

This was all his fault – if only he wasn't such a prat, this never would have happened.

He gave her a little shake, and pulled her closer to his chest, tears carving tracks down his dirty cheeks.

'I'm sorry Merlin...please wake up…' he pleaded softly, squeezing his eyes shut.

As he rocked the prone form of his best friend backwards and forwards, he failed to notice the young woman stirring.

'And y-you call me a girls petticoat?' she croaked upon awakening to find her King sobbing above her. Arthur jumped, and his eyes flew open, the cerulean orbs intensified by emotion.

'M-Merlin…' he breathed, raising a shaky hand to cup her face gently. 'I...gods, I could have killed you…'

The young woman blinked slowly, trying to shake away the cobwebs, but her vision tipped violently and the brightness of the sun cleaved through her skull like an axe.

She took a shuddering breath and tried to ignore the nausea in her belly that threatened to resurrect her last meal.

'A-Arthur…you pushed me.' It wasn't a question, nor was it an accusation. Nonetheless, the young King hung his head in shame, tears glistening as the dropped from his chin and into the dirt.

'I did…and that makes me the biggest clotpole in the whole of Camelot,' he whispered sincerely, pulling her closer.

Merlin snorted. 'Try the whole of Albion, prat,' she replied before pulling away suddenly to heave into the grass.

Panting heavily, she spat and wiped her mouth, desperate to rid herself of the foul taste.

'I'm so sorry,' Arthur whispered, leaning forward to catch Merlin as she fell back. 'Let me have a look.'

Obliging her friend and master, she opened her eyes past the slits that only just made the light bearable and hissed at the pain it caused.

Unevenly dilated pupils shrouded the cobalt of her irises, diminishing them to a thin sliver of colour. They were glazed in pain and she seemed to have trouble focusing.

'How many fingers am I holding up?' He asked, slipping the digits into her line of vision.

'Three,' she replied. 'It only looks like six.'

Arthur swallowed convulsively – double vision was definitely a bad sign.

He looked up at the sky and guessed that they had about three hours of daylight left.

'I need to get you to Gaius. Can you stand?' The King inquired, climbing to his feet and brushing the dirt from his breeches.

'Probably not, but I'm going to try anyway,' Merlin responded stubbornly as she sat fully. The world tilted again, and the young woman groaned, holding a hand to her head.

Arthur rolled his eyes and pulled her swiftly to her feet. The sudden rise in altitude cause Merlin to heave once more and the King instantly regretted the move.

'Oh gods, I'm sorry…' Arthur muttered, grasping her arms as she stumbled back.

'S'ok,' she slurred softly in reply. 'S'like I'm drunk…'

She giggled and flashed the King a weak smile, before her eyes rolled back and her knees buckled.

Arthur swore and stopped her descent, lifting her easily into his arms. She was lighter than she probably should have been and he made a mental note to make sure she was fed better in the future.

'What am I going to do with you, idiot?' He asked the unconscious young woman in his arms. Knowing there would be no answer, Arthur set off at a jog towards Camelot.

*~*M*~*

The King arrived panting at the heavy oak door of the Physician's Chambers just a little after dark. Sweat stuck his hair to his brow and his legs were shaking from exhaustion.

'Gaius!' He called frantically, shifting Merlin in his arms, concerned that she had yet to awaken.

The door swung inwards, revealing the flustered Physician, about to demand what the fuss was about, when he saw the prone form of his beloved ward in the Kings arms.

'What happened Sire?' The old man demanded, standing aside to allow the King to pass.

'It was an accident…we were having an argument. I didn't see the edge of the ravine…'

Arthur looked away from the glare that Gaius fixed upon him. 'I pushed her.' He finished quietly.

Gaius pursed his lips, but suddenly softened upon seeing the tears in Arthur's eyes.

'Lay her on the bed gently. I need to determine the extent of the damage.'

Arthur did as he was bade, and moved a stool to sit by her side.

Upon collecting the needed supplies, he handed the King a damp cloth and instructed him to wipe the blood from the wound.

The King was as gentle as possible, but the touch elicited a pained groan from the servant and her eyes flickered open.

'Arthur?' she asked softly, frowning.

'I'm here, it's ok…' he assured.

'You pushed me…'

Arthur frowned as she flinched away, fixing the King with a glare.

'I-'

'I can't believe you pushed me! Just because you didn't get your own way!' she cried, waving Gaius away as he made an attempt to calm her down.

'You were being disrespectful!' The King defended, ignoring the cold look from the Physician.

'You were being a dollop head!' Merlin replied, folding her arms across her chest and huffing.

'You tripped!'

'I hate hunting! Of course I tripped!'

Gaius sighted and edged his way toward the door. He needed to let them sort this out – there was no way he was going to get involved with a pissed off Merlin.

As the old man slipped into the hall, he heard Merlin's voice, thick with tears and Arthur's soothing tone, attempting to calm the young woman down.

The Physician chuckled lightly and shut the door.

'Just like Marriage,' He muttered, hobbling away.

There. Fem! Merlin. I hope I did alright!

The next goes to MerlinandArthurForever - A Servant of Two Masters. Arthur finds Merlin in the woods after they get separated and he is still injured