Merlin walked into town, after saying goodbye to Arthur, who did not reply to his words, at the training field. Merlin didn't mind this, because Arthur was always a prat and even worse lately, since this stuff about Uther thinking they were in love happened. Arthur was a proud man, and didn't want to look weak or whatever he thought he would look like, if people thought he was in love with Merlin. Merlin really couldn't care less about who was in love with who, not that he was in love with Arthur, because Arthur was much too big of a Clotpole for that, but Arthur was not alone in his alarm. When Merlin had first told Gaius, he was very worried, he said that's how people get their head's chopped off, and marched out of the room to go speak to Uther about how Merlin was suffering from a mental issue and didn't mean what he had said about having a bond with Arthur. But it turned out, as Merlin tried to explain to Gaius beforehand, that Uther was completely fine with it.

Uther was insane, in Merlin's book, so yes...it was surprising that Merlin hadn't been hung up by his toes and beaten, or worse, but Merlin took to not questioning it. At least he wasn't dead and he would take that as a small victory. Though, Merlin knew Arthur wasn't fine with it, so now he just avoided Arthur, let him have his space and allowed them not to be seen together too much, just in case. He was trying to be supportive from afar, as a good friend, but he thought Arthur just thought he was slacking off. Merlin didn't care about that either though.

Merlin walked through the town, looking for cloth for Gaius, but he kept getting distracted by the many pretty fabrics. He thought he might like a new neckerchief out of some of them, there was even a nice purple one, but purple was considered a royal color, and a color for the much richer than he, so Merlin, as a servant, couldn't wear that. It wasn't a surprise to find Gwen there, she was a seamstress and there were only ever two things she was always doing; Picking flowers or looking at fabric.

"Merlin!" she said, happily, upon seeing him, and her kind smile and eyes made Merlin smile back at her.

"Hello, Gwen!" he grinned, and put back the purple fabric he was still holding. He grinned at her, as she stare at him and batted her eyes. Merlin was never quite sure if she was flirting with him or not, he was very hard to tell, but she was very kind and even if she was, Merlin wouldn't mind too terribly much. Though, he was very much not interested. He hoped one day she would marry Lancelot, a good man, who wished to be a Knight of Camelot, though was now currently outlawed from entering the Kingdom. That was Uther's work, too. Like Merlin thought earlier, and he would now too, Uther is insane...

"I know something about you!" Gwen was saying now and Merlin's thought's were lost, as he looked her over and titled his head, confused. Her smile grew and Merlin continued to be confused. "I know your secret..."

Panic filled Merlin up, to the very top of his head, and he shook said head, opening and shutting his mouth a few times before responding, "I don't know what you're talking about, Gwen, I don't have any secrets..."

She pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders, making the basket she was holding swing back and forth and something that looked like flower petals fell out, as she did. "Yes you do!" she said, as if she were speaking to a small child. "Morgana told me..."

Now, what had Merlin done in front of Morgana? He hadn't used magic, well...at least not around anyone, in a long while, so it couldn't be that. "Morgana told you what?" he asked and Gwen reached for his arm and yanked on it once or twice.

"About you and Arthur..."

Oh my god...Merlin's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open a little bit. How did Morgana know? Uther couldn't have told her, did he? Arthur said Uther didn't want anyone to know, maybe he thought Morgana wasn't anyone, she was the King's Ward, and of course she would tell Gwen, but...Merlin took in a shaky breath, Arthur was going to somehow blame Merlin for this, he knew it, and he didn't think he could take Arthur being anymore of a prat than what he was already.

"It's alright, Merlin, you can trust me," said Gwen, and her voice was so pure and sweet that Merlin believed her, he never thought ill of her, it was just that this was getting a little out of hand. "I know Arthur doesn't want anyone to know..."

Merlin shook his head. "He doesn't," he agreed, and he knew he should be denying it, he should tell Gwen it wasn't true, but what good would that do? She probably wouldn't believe him anyway, Uther didn't seem to, and Morgana definitely wouldn't. Morgana loved things like this, she was very liberal. "Don't tell him...don't tell him you know, alright?"

"I wouldn't," she smiled, gently at him, still holding his arm in her hands and she seemed to notice this and let go right away, eyes wide. "Arthur doesn't care about me anyway..."

Merlin almost said he didn't care about him either, but didn't, as they were supposed to be in love and that would look very odd. Though the love they were supposed to be in was only supposed to be physical, at least according to Uther. But Merlin wouldn't dare tell Gwen any of this. "Of course he does, Gwen," said Merlin, instead, and gave her a kind smile in return, he didn't think it was quite as nice as hers, but she seemed happy with it and touched his arm once more.

"I'm happy for you Merlin, it's a bit odd..." she said, but then seemed to realize herself, and fumbled her words. "Not that it's odd being in love with a man, I love men...well, I mean I don't love men, I love the idea of a man..." she made a face at her words and Merlin swallowed a laugh. "I mean, I don't think it's odd you're in love with a man, I just never thought Arthur as the type to...be in love with a man."

"It was a shock to me, too," said Merlin, and Gwen's smile made him feel a little better about lying. Not that it was a lie, exactly, he was shocked, when Arthur told him what Uther thought. Merlin had thought it was a joke at first. Gwen took Merlin's hand, as they began walking away from the fabrics and through the town more. Merlin didn't say anything about this, he didn't mind if she held his hand.

"Of course I can see it...everyone can see it, Merlin," she said, as they went. "I can see it in your eyes, when you look at him."

"Look at him like what?" asked Merlin, confused and a little bit bothered by this. He didn't look at Arthur in any way, but maybe in the way that he's a prat, because he was.

She shrugged a shoulder and looked up at him coyly. "I won't tell you, you already know," she grinned and he rolled his eyes. He wanted to quiz her more about this, but she seemed happy and he didn't want to ruin her idea of the pretend relationship Arthur and Merlin had. "Tell me about your first time..."

"Gwen!" shouted Merlin, which got some looks from the other shoppers around them and she bit her lip and pulled her hand from his, looking upset.

"Kiss...your first kiss," she stuttered. "I didn't mean...of course, I would never ask-"

Merlin laughed, and shrugged. "Why do you want to hear about that?"

"Because...a first kiss story is what you tell your children when you get older, it gives them hope that one day they will find love too. The first kiss, It sets the tone for the rest of your relationship," Gwen explained, and Merlin really...could never and would never understand girls.

"Well, I am a man...and Arthur has to marry for the Kingdom one day, so I hardly see tiny Merlin and Arthur's running around any time soon," he retorted and Gwen laughed, shaking her head and took Merlin's hand in her's again, apparently over her fumblings from earlier. She looked eager at him still. "Alright...it was very...wet."

"Merlin!" giggled Gwen, and hit Merlin on the arm, he shrugged.

"It was! And very...lippy," he continued, with a smirk. "All of a sudden Arthur's face was just..." he picked his free hand up and put it very close to his face and Gwen laughed again.

"Come on, Merlin, honestly..." she told him and he sighed. He had to come up with an idea quick, because there was no first kiss and he didn't want to spoil this for her.

"It was an accident," he started, and she nodded, bright eyed and smiling so big it was like she had been the one who was kissed. Not that Merlin had been kissed either though, but nonetheless, he continued. "It was...in Arthur's chambers...and...he had been being a prat, as always," said Merlin, having no idea what to say next. He was searching his brain for words, at this point. "And he made me clean the top of his wardrobe-"

"Why?"

"He doesn't like dust, I guess," said Merlin, as he struggled to figure out how Merlin cleaning off the top of Arthur's wardrobe could end in them kissing. "Anyway...I was on a chair, because I couldn't reach and then I tripped..." Gwen gasped, as if Merlin wasn't standing right next to her and she didn't know that he was perfectly fine. "And Arthur...he sort of...caught me."

"He saved you?"

Merlin shrugged. "Sure," he said, and continued his story. "I sort of...fell on top of him, and so then...I was on top of him right? And he looked at me and...I looked at him and then..." Merlin untangled his fingers from Gwen's hand and brought both hands up to his face and clapped them once together. "We were kissing..."

Gwen looked at his hands, with a face that said she wasn't too impressed by this story. "That's not very romantic," she said and Merlin shrugged.

"Well," he said, thinking that no, it wasn't very romantic, but Merlin didn't know anything about romance, so that wasn't surprising. Though he refused to take the blame for it. "It's Arthur, so you can't be very surprised..."

Gwen frowned. "I always thought Arthur would be very romantic, once he found the right gir...person," she saved herself and Merlin grinned at her. "Arthur pretends to be rough and tough, and he is...but he can be sweet, too, and kind...and gentle."

"Are you trying to steal my man, Gwen?" Merlin joked and the look of horror Gwen gave him in return, made him start laughing, very hard, which got even more odd looks from passersby.

After the afternoon with Gwen in the market, Merlin rushed back to Arthur's chambers as it was nearly dinner and Merlin hadn't even brought him lunch. He assumed Arthur was very angry, but when he entered the chambers, Arthur was only somberly sitting in an armchair, looking out of the window. He turned to look at Merlin, when he walked in, and sighed.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Merlin and Arthur only rolled his eyes, and looked a bit pale in all the wrong places.

"Where were you?"

"With...Gwen in the market," Merlin faltered his words, because he had gone there to run an errand for Gaius and hadn't done that either. So, Merlin wasn't doing a very good job today, of actually doing his jobs. Arthur sighed again.

"I think my Father has it all wrong, clearly you fancy Gwen, so why on Earth does he think you're in love with me?" said Arthur, and he still looked quite upset and Merlin didn't know why.

"Does that bother you, if I fancied Gwen?" he asked and Arthur raised his eyebrow at this. A very sad eyebrow. "I mean...I don't fancy Gwen, she..." he was going to say she thinks I'm in love with you, but didn't, as Arthur probably couldn't take that right now. He shook his head and Arthur rolled his eyes. "She is a servant," he said instead, because ranks mattered to Uther, so that meant also to Arthur, by design. "It makes much more sense for me to be in love with her, rather than you..."

"Yes, well...you should tell everyone else that!" snapped Arthur and Merlin took a step back, confused by his words. "Because apparently everyone thinks we're in love. Morgana knows..." So, that was it, that's why Arthur looked like someone had just stabbed his best dog. "And apparently it is very obvious..."

"How does she know?" asked Merlin, even though he already knew she did, as Gwen told him, but he had hoped Arthur did not. Arthur let out a angry bark of laughter.

"She was eavesdropping on my Father and Gaius talking about it!"

"Gwen knows too," he admitted before he realized his mouth was moving, and he knew he should not have said this. Arthur threw his arms up in the air, Merlin frowned. "I'm sorry...I didn't tell her."

"I know," said Arthur, shaking his head and placing his hands at his sides now, lifelessly. "I just don't understand...why do they all think this? What have we done? I treat you terribly...but oh yes, they're in love!"

Merlin smirked at this. "At least you admit it..."

Arthur looked up, eyes narrowed. "Shut up," he retorted. "I am not in the mood for your lip."

"So I don't suppose you want to kiss then?"

"I swear to God, Merlin!"

Merlin smiled, almost sorry for bothering Arthur with this banter now, but it wasn't as if being in love with each other would be the end of the world, it really didn't matter all that much. "Who cares what people think?"

"I do...Merlin, I care. I have to be seen as a strong, brave man, not a weak fool who fell for the first pretty face that looked his way."

"You think my face is pretty...?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!" shouted Arthur and Merlin nodded, not reacting to his shouts. "I cannot be seen in love with my Manservant, what does that say about me? What does that say about the Kingdom I wish to rule? What does that say...-"

He lost his words and got up, walked over, and fell, face first, into his bed, Merlin frowned after him. Merlin knew it wasn't his fault, he hadn't said anything to Uther that meant he was in love with Arthur, it was Uther who took it the wrong way and now everyone, probably in Camelot, thought they were in love. But even so, even though it wasn't his fault, Merlin still felt bad. "Perhaps they're enchanted...they'r not in their right minds."

"What gives you that idea?" said Arthur, from his bed, and Merlin didn't know exactly, but he had an idea suddenly.

"I'll be back," he said, and then dashed out of the room. As Arthur shouted something about bringing him back food, or else, but he ignored this, as he dashed down flights of stairs. It took him several moments to get to where he was going, and he had to use a great deal of magic to distract guards on his way there.

Once he entered the Dragon's under ground cave, he froze, because he wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to say. How was The Great Dragon going to help with this? But perhaps if people really were enchanted...

"Hello?!" he called out and his voice echoed through the cave. He heard the sounds of chains and then suddenly a very large dragon was in front of him. Eyebrows, though he didn't have any, raised.

"You bellowed?" he said, and Merlin stare at him for a long moment.

"Uther thinks Arthur and I are in love..." he just said it, just like that, and he expected to be shouted at, or told to go away, but instead...the Dragon just started to laugh. Now Merlin understood how Arthur felt, and why he got so angry when Merlin made jokes, but Merlin probably wasn't going to stop doing that either way. "I'm serious," he said and the Dragon nodded. "It's not just Uther...it's everyone, they all think we're in love! They are enchanted, right?"

"No, Merlin...they are not enchanted," said the Dragon, in his crackling, old voice and Merlin frowned. "They are just now seeing what has always been there to be seen."

Merlin shook his head, "Not you, too...I'm not in love with Arthur! I can barely stand him...and he hates me..."

"Arthur does not hate you, he has already proven that," said the Dragon. "I have told you once before, a half cannot hate what makes it whole."

"Yes," said Merlin, irritated, why did he ever think talking to the Dragon was a good idea? It never was. "But that's stupid..."

"Stupid to you, it may be, Merlin, but the truth is not yours to decide..." the Dragon sighed. "Perhaps you do not see it now, but you will...one day."

"How?" questioned Merlin, and he swore he saw the Dragon roll his very large eyes. "Arthur has to marry for the Kingdom, what does that leave me with? How is that fair?"

"Life is not fair, Young Warlock," he said, darkly. "If it were, I would not be chained in this cave..."

"You're right...I'm sorry," Merlin looked down, feeling a bit stupid. "So, you're telling me..." he continued anyway. "There is no chance Arthur or I will ever fall in love with anyone else?"

"No, I am not telling you that!" said the Dragon, clearly getting annoyed with just how stupid Merlin truly was, and maybe he had a point. "I am saying only this; It is your and Arthur's destiny to share, your paths are but one...there is no going around this, it had been foreseen, long before either of you stepped foot onto this Earth. You would do well to remember that."

Merlin nodded, but realized that did not answer his question at all. "And what am I supposed to do about everyone thinking we're in love?"

"I do not know, Merlin," said the Dragon, clearly getting tired of this conversation, as he stood up, and started to take flight. "I fear you will just have to mange it on your own..."

And with that, he was gone, and Merlin realized, as he walked back toward Arthur's chambers, and then turned around and headed for the kitchens, that this conversation was entirely useless, and didn't help him at all...

(A/N: That Dragon is a straight up troll! I know I keep updating this story all the time, but I just love it so much, I wrote three chapters of it last night. It's just fun and easy to write, not too much drama is happening. And that's so rare and pure for this series. Anyway, I do have a question I would love for someone to answer; Do you ship Merlin and Gwen in season one? That's completely besides the point, like it's not happening in this story or anything, but I've been rewatching season one and I was thinking about it, and I kind of think they're very cute together. I don't know, I love season one Gwen, she was too cute and then they did her dirty. But anyway, don't feel compelled to answer, I'm just curious. Thanks for reading. I will probably update again real soon. Maybe even tomorrow if I get enough time!)