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Chapter Text

The first time Arthur saw her was completely on accident.

He was known to occasionally escape the clutches of nobility and Camelot to trod along worn paths by himself in the middle of the night. Not often, mind you. Merlin made sure of that. Sometimes the life of a prince was simply too loud and required a stroll away from people who needed and wanted and expected something from you all at once – especially since he took over as regent. The birds and deer never held such contempt for him.

It had been on one of these leisurely strolls where his slow descent into madness began.

"You're Arthur Pendragon."

Sometimes he really was tempted to say he wasn't. Just to see if anyone would believe him after babbling his name so confidently. This time though... It was said so softly and curiously that Arthur forced himself to look away from the lake in front of him to greet the figure in the shadows. He couldn't see the person clearly, the form hidden behind a tree but he could have sworn for a moment that there was a yellow gleam. Like cat eyes in the blackest of nights.

"And who might you be?" He asked, hand moving towards his sword. Cloaked figures in the night weren't generally pleasant nor did they mean well.

"I'm...It doesn't matter." The figure said. Arthur frowned. It absolutely mattered because the answer determined whether this person was going to be stabbed. There was a moment of silence and a girl stepped a bit away from the trees. "What are you doing here?" She asked. Arthur stared. He could ask her the same thing. She didn't look like the type who should be wandering around the forest late at night by a lake. Much too frail and weak.

"I...Am thinking." He said for lack of a more impressive answer. The girl smiled.

"About what?"

"My servant." He said and immediately flinched. He hadn't meant to say that. The girl stared and Arthur found himself a little at loss at what should follow. "He's been acting strange," He finally admitted. "Others have noticed too but I think it is mostly around me."

"Strange?"

It was a little ridiculous that he was conversing with this random girl in the dark but also...Well, it wasn't like he could talk about this with anyone else.

"He's normally so mouthy and argues about pretty much everything. He's not supposed to be that way but I don't think he can help it. He always has opinions about everything and if you don't listen he looks like a wounded stoat." Arthur told her and at this she seemed to creep out a bit more. "And recently he's just been so quiet. Quiet." He repeated with a snort. "I always thought it would be a blessing but it feels strange. I think he's upset but I'm not sure by what." He mused.

"My husband is like that." The girl informed him. Arthur glanced over. She was almost next to him now so he could see her a bit more. He was reminded a bit of a doe. The big eyes and cautious demeanor could easily have been mistaken as a docile animal. Her hair was braided over her shoulder, flowers woven in that she picked at as she shuffled towards him. "He talks a lot." She informed him. "It is strange when he doesn't."

Arthur wanted to ask why the Hell she was at a lake instead of with her husband but decided against it.

"How do you get him to talk then?"

"It depends," She shrugged and sat down on the bank. Arthur noted she put a considerable distance between them. Her hand touched something around her neck - some sort of pendant that she twirled her finger around before letting go "Sometimes I just annoy him until he breaks." She grinned and Arthur grinned back. That he could do. "Sometimes...There's nothing I can do." She added, voice going soft "And I'm left to just be silent with him."

Arthur nodded. He wasn't sure he liked that answer as much as the first one...but then again, knowing Merlin...Well. Things never went as he liked.

"What are you doing here?" He decided to ask before turning to her. The question ended up being asked to air though. The spot the girl had been in sat empty leaving Arthur to gape in slight horror. "Are you alright?" He spluttered, standing up. How could anyone disappear so quickly? He narrowed his eyes at the lake. She hadn't drowned, had she? From somewhere in the forest, he swore he heard a laugh.

"Where were you last night?" Merlin muttered with a glare the next morning. Arthur shrugged. "If Camelot is ever invaded in the middle of the night it's good to know that nobody will know where the prince is." He grumbled under his breath. Apparently, his silence had morphed into just a bad mood.

"I was meeting a girl next to a lake." Arthur drawled out, certain Merlin would be annoyed by a story that seemed so fictitious. On the contrary though, the man stopped working to look at him.

"A...Girl next to a lake?" He repeated. Arthur shrugged, deciding to leave it at that. Let Merlin believe he had a mysterious life with a beautiful woman who lived by a lake. Perhaps the knowledge would fascinate him enough to stop this weird act he was pulling. On the contrary though...Merlin only blinked a few times before carefully folding his trousers with a nod.

Arthur should have known the lack of reaction meant trouble.

"Your highness!" Gwaine crowed as he danced away from the end of Arthur's blade "You seem so distracted. Something on your mind?" He asked. Merlin snorted as he walked by, handing out water. His eyes flicked to the prince with a look far too precarious to be comforting.

"Oh, haven't you heard?" The servant asked "He was with a woman near a lake all last night." He explained and from where the rest of his knights were sparring, there was a childlike 'ooh' that fell over the field. "Tell us more about her, your majesty." Came the final blow. Arthur scowled. He was such a rat. At least he was kind of being himself again.

"Please," Gwaine snorted "A woman by a lake in the middle of the night came to speak to our lovely princess? I'm sure." He said and looked at where Percival was smirking. "Go on, then. Was her hair the color of the moonlight?" He asked, placing a hand over his heart.

"And her eyes gold as the sun?" Percival chimed in. Elyan beamed at them all as he shuffled towards his friends, eyes bright as he tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Let me guess...She wore a gown of silk? And obviously, she was singing."

"Oh, but of course. They always sing in the middle of the night near lakes, don't they?"

Now this was a little unfair. While Arthur knew it sounded a bit out there it really had happened. He was just about to point this out when Leon, bless him, cleared his throat. He fixed them all with a stern look. Really, while Arthur never regretted knighting the others - for they were as loyal and brave as they came - Leon was probably the only one who had his back during these kinds of things...Thus, his favorite.

"Now men," Leon started, crossing his arms "Don't be ridiculous. Hair the color of moonlight? Eyes like the sun? Please. Enough of your ridiculous games. Obviously, her hair was blacker than night and eyes the color of cherry wood-"

Leon was no longer his favorite.

"Come on! Clearly her hair was red as fire and eyes bluer than the ocean!"

"Don't forget she was near a lake. Perhaps she was emerging from the water with droplets turning to diamonds around her?"

"Alright," Arthur interrupted with a scowl. "You've had your fun. She was just a girl I saw by a lake last night."

"Of course, sire." Percival nodded. Arthur scowled. Well then.

"It's true!"

"We know, Arthur. We would never question your word." Elyan chimed in with a wink "And don't despair. There are plenty of fine ladies that would be simply honored to have caught your eye. This lake lady is no real loss."

"It wasn't like that!" Arthur tried, mouth popping open in alarm "I'm not - It wasn't -" He tried. The other merely laughed like the group of vicious animals they were. Arthur made a note to triple their workload as they went back to hitting each other with swords. Merlin smiled as he walked over and handed him some water.

"She was real." Arthur informed him - because he wasn't a liar! Merlin rose his eyebrows for a moment before giving a slight nod.

"With dark eyes and hair braided with lovely flowers no doubt." He told him with a scoff and took the water back. Arthur rolled his eyes only to immediately pause.

...That was oddly accurate. He tilted his head a little in confusion before shaking his head. No. While normally he would just assume Merlin had followed him (as he had been known to occasionally do) he figured it was merely a coincidence. And hey, he was acting somewhat normal. Maybe he would take that as a win.

Also, Lancelot didn't bully him. He was now the new favorite of his knights.

The second time he saw her was not under the most peaceful conditions.

In fact, Arthur had an arrow in his leg. Naturally. He was running from whoever was chasing them - bandits? Knights of another kingdom? Smugglers? Who even cared at this point? He was being attacked. When some idiot with a lucky shot hit his leg out and sent him tumbling over a hill. He heard Merlin scream his name in alarm right before he collided with a tree and the world went black.

Fun times.

When he awoke...There she was. Along with a random cat who was nudging Arthur with its head.

"You're bleeding." She informed him dryly when he jolted awake. "So, don't move too much."

Arthur wasn't sure if this was a strange dream or an even stranger reality. The cat meowed to perhaps confirm one of the theories...Though he had no idea which one it could be.

"You..." He muttered and winced when he tried to sit up.

"I told you not to move around." She frowned and used her index finger to push him back down. Arthur wasn't sure why, but it somehow worked. He was on his back again. She nodded and looked at his leg. "Um...Give me a second. I can figure out how to wrap this." She said and picked up a piece of cloth and stared at it blankly. Then back at his leg. "Maybe I should put something on it first. Maybe flowers? No. Not flowers." She frowned and looked down at the cat as if it had answers. It mewled in response.

"You don't know what you're doing." He said dryly. The girl sniffed, dropping the cloth to scowl at him.

"I do too! My husband is learning to be a healer." She told him with a fierce nod. Oh boy. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Well get him over here to do this."

"I would, but you might annoy him being all rude like that." She snapped back. Immediately she went white - eyes widening as she leaned away from Arthur as if he might lash out at her. The cat hissed, raising a paw like it would slap him for such an insult. The prince pursed his lips, guilt ebbing at him. He wasn't sure who this girl was but she seemed to be a little skittish. Perhaps it wasn't best to be taut with her like he would with his knights or Merlin. She was just a girl after all.

"Sorry," He tried lamely "You, uh, seem like a real professional."

For some reason, she didn't look pleased by this.

"Just hold still," She sighed and wrinkled her nose "I have an idea. Let me see your hands."

"But my leg is hurt."

"Really?" She asked, brows raising innocently "You seem like a real professional, your majesty." She smiled innocently. Arthur scowled. Whatever. He rose his hands and the girl took them with a nod. She seemed to hold her breath as she worked, tying the cloth around his hands and...Wait.

"Are you tying me up?" He asked. The girl nodded. "Why?" He complained. "I thought you were helping me!"

A pretty stupid thing to think, really. This was just some random girl he met near a lake one other time. There wasn't any reason to trust her. The girl hummed as she patted his leg and gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry...I just want to help and don't want you to kill me." She explained and put a hand on his leg. Before Arthur could ask for further explanation on that, her eyes flashed gold. The prince froze.

Well...This was not ideal.

"You're a sorceress!" He hissed, jerking against his tied hands and damnit he was such an idiot. He let himself be trapped like a fool. Sure, he could get himself out of the meager knots, but not before she used her witchcraft to make him into a toad or whatever. "Get back!" He tried. The girl sighed.

"I healed your leg." She informed him and stood up, dusting off her dress. Her hand fluttered back to the pendant around her neck as she glared down at him. "You could say thank you."

"No."

"You are rude." She informed him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, I'll just be off then after saving your life." She told him and went to turn away. The cat stretched as it got up to follow - fixing Arthur with cold golden eyes before going to prance after her. For a brief second she paused, eyes dancing back to where Arthur was still glaring, ready to fight whatever spell she might send hurtling his way. "You wouldn't have spared me." She said suddenly and turned fully to meet his gaze. Arthur blinked. "You should remember that. If someone treats you well then you should show the same respect, whoever they might be."

Was he being scolded by a sorceress? Who had flowers in her hair no less. She looked like an angry fairy. It was ridiculous.

"You might still kill me." He pointed out. The girl tilted her head.

"But I will not." She sniffed and picked up a discarded cloak by her feet. She tied it around her neck before lifting the hood. "We will meet again, I think. I do hope you won't murder me for my crimes." She told him and with that, left. He watched her go - the leaves crunching beneath her until she was gone amongst the trees with her stupid cat following behind. Bloody unreal. Only minutes later did he hear a shout of alarm.

"HE'S HERE!" Percival's voice yelled as he slid down the hill. The others joined quickly - all in varying states of injured...But none dead. He should be grateful for that.

"Arthur, are you alright?" Leon asked, pushing himself forward to start untying his hands. "Have they hurt you?"

"Um, no." He said, sitting up to rub his wrists. "A... That girl saved me. The one from the lake. She's a sorceress and... Healed my leg with magic."

Silence.

"Right..." Gwaine said with a click of his tongue "The beautiful lady of the lake who is now a nice sorceress. How...Interesting."

"Of course, she's magical," Elyan sighed "And the only nice magical creature to boot. What other sorceress would heal our prince other than the mysterious lake woman?" He asked and Arthur scowled as he accepted Lancelot's hand up. The man gave small smile that did nothing to hide the amusement in his eyes.

Lancelot was no longer his favorite. Traitor.

"I hope you thanked her." He said instead. Arthur paused.

"What?"

"Your sorceress friend. I hope you thanked her for saving your life. It must have been frightening for her to use magic in front of someone who would kill her for such a thing." He said and clapped him on the shoulder. Arthur spluttered. Okay, she didn't quite save his life. That was an exaggeration now that he thought about it. She just healed his leg and...

"Hey, who said her eyes were the color of the sun? Percival, was that you? Turns out you were right, mate!" Gwaine laughed. "Of course, that's only when she's doing her good magic." He snickered "Are you sure you didn't hit your head, princess?" He asked. Arthur's hand immediately went to his hair. He...Did actually. Except he felt nothing now. Did the girl help with that too?

"You didn't hurt her, did you?"

Oh. Right. Merlin.

He turned to where the man was watching him warily, lips pressed together in a thin line. Merlin would obviously be the biggest critic of the situation. He wasn't a fan of violence as it was. Let alone hurting innocent women - even if they were magic. He shook his head and watched when the other man relaxed. Arthur couldn't help but smile a little at the sight of it.

“You shouldn’t be so pleased. She could take a wimp like you down with a wave of her hand.” He said, pushing past him with a light shove. Merlin laughed, not even throwing back a retort at that. Arthur glanced back at him curiously.

Lancelot was looking at the servant with a small smirk, lightly ruffling his hair as he went passed. Merlin seemed to jolt out of his stupor at this and scowled at the other man, turning bright red. He muttered something under his breath and Lancelot laughed. Strange.

Then again, a sorceress just helped him. Today was simply a strange day.

She was in Camelot.

It was ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. A sorceress in Camelot. A sorceress! That he knew! In Camelot!

Arthur couldn’t believe the nerve of some people.

“…why?” He asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. The girl jumped, gasping a bit as she jerked away from the corner of the castle she had stumbled in. It was then that he saw the blood. “What’s happened to you?” He frowned a little when she jerked away, hand fluttering to her injured arm.

“A…A bounty hunter…” She said, raising her chin a bit. There were tears in her eyes.

“You escaped a bounty hunter…And came here?” He asked. Surely this was a trick? Some sort of magical illusion to confuse him. He waited for her to launch at him, but she only swallowed and looked down at the ground, refusing to answer. “Can’t you, uh, heal yourself? Like you did me?” He tried instead.

“I’m a bit weak at the moment.” She muttered and gave a sharp intake of pain. Arthur sighed. Whatever. He was confused. Given how his life had gone so far, he might as well get used to it.

“Come on,” He sighed and stepped to the side to give her room. “I’ve healed up battle wounds before. This can’t be much different.”

“I would rather see a physician-”

“Well I’m not letting you near mine!” Arthur objected and crossed his arms. “You might enchant him or something with your…” He gestured up and down vaguely “Flowers and your eyes and your face.” He snipped. Despite being in obvious pain, a hint of a smile played at her lips.

“Isn’t your physician an old man?” She asked, pushing herself off the wall. Arthur paused.

“Well, yes. But he has a ward. He would just dote over you, I know it.” He said, wrinkling his nose. If anyone would fall for this girl’s whimsical evils it would be Merlin. The girl’s smile widened. “He’s my servant. I know him well.” He added to give him claim more validity.

“Ah,” She said and winced as Arthur gestured her into an empty room where he knew some spare supplies would be. “I’ve heard your servant is quite handsome.”

Arthur stopped to stare at her.

“You’re injured worse than I thought.” He told her gravely and shut the door. She flinched at the sound, jumping away from him like an injured animal. Her hand curled around the pendant hanging from her neck. “Didn’t you say you had a husband?” He added, taking a step back. She was very skittish…Especially for a sorceress. He had never seen someone with magic act so…Wary. Like the wind blowing might send her scurrying away.

“I do,” She said and pursed her lips when she saw Arthur grab some items and a bowl of water. “He’s the one who gave me this.” She added, tapping the pendant. Now that he could see it more clearly, he leaned in to examine it. It was definitely pretty. Gold with symbols etched inside a purple stone set in the middle.

“Pretty.” He told her wryly and sat on the ground. “Let me see your arm?”

She stared at him for a moment before taking a long breath. Arthur didn’t think it was that taxing of a task but clearly this was a big deal for her. He supposed he was a prince. His mere presence was a big deal.

“It’s enchanted.” She told him, slowly sitting next to him. Arthur blinked at looked at her bleeding arm. “The necklace.” She scoffed and flinched when he put the wet cloth on her.

“Does it make you look young and beautiful when you’re actually old and ugly?” He asked. That seemed like something a witch might be into. She looked at him for a long time and sighed.

“I understand why he complains so much now,” She muttered. Before Arthur could ask what that meant, she kept going. “No. A long time ago I was cursed.” She said with a small shrug using her good arm. “A man attacked me when I was young. I defended myself and he…He…died. I didn’t mean to hurt him but…” She trailed off and shuddered. “But his mother cursed me to be a monster.” She said and touched the pendant fondly “This keeps me human.” She told him with a small smile.

Arthur wiped the blood away.

“I hurt people before.” She announced. Arthur wasn’t sure why she was condemning herself, but alright. “Not because I wanted to but because I couldn’t go to anyone to help me. My curse could only be fought with magic but no fool would be willing to use magic in this kingdom.” She sighed. Arthur grabbed some ointment.

“It seems like you found one,” He said dryly “What’s he like then?”

“My husband?” She asked and her smile widened “Oh, he is so sweet. He has the best laugh and his smile is so pretty and can always make me laugh-”

“I was thinking more along the lines of his skills and accomplishments, but I suppose it’s good that I know he has a nice laugh.” Arthur rolled his eyes. Girls. They never discussed the important things.

“I don’t think he likes to speak much of his accomplishments,” She threw back, sounding just as annoyed Arthur didn’t want to speak about this random man’s smile. “He’s the guardian of some great future king and is said to rescue my kind from persecution.” She told him flatly. “Does that impress his majesty?” She asked.

“…not really. I don’t think your kind need to be rescued.”

“And yet here you are wrapping my arm.” She pointed out “Nor have you killed me…Even after I admitted hurting people.”

“You were cursed.”

“I have magic.”

“Probably because someone cursed you!” Arthur pointed out. She laughed.

“No…Besides, magic also saved me.” She added, tapping her pendant again. “I can’t decide if I like you or not.” She mused and looked at her arm. “Do you even remember trying to kill me?” She asked, brows furrowing together. Arthur stared. What?

“No, I didn’t.” He objected. He would definitely remember trying to kill some foolish girl prancing about using magic to heal knights. For whatever reason his objection hardened her.

“Of course, you don’t,” She sighed and stood up, fingers roaming over the bandages “You kill so many of us…I’m sure it blends together.” She whispered and clenched her hands into fists. “Thank you for your help, your majesty. Though perhaps refrain from aiding me in the future.” She informed him and Arthur opened his mouth, a little offended.

“You came here! Who else were you trying to see if not me?” He demanded. This damn girl was too confusing. Was this some sort of mind game? Was he winning? He felt like he was losing.

“A wise king might know that his kingdom consists of more than just him.” She said and marched towards the door “Good day, Prince Arthur.”

…What?

“Now wait a minute!” He said, turning the corner to follow her. “You come into my kingdom injured and a witch and have the nerve to be rude after I decide not to arrest you and help-” He said and froze. “Ah…Hello.” He frowned, looking around. His knights (plus Merlin, because when wasn’t Merlin lurking around?) were all standing in a group – brows collectively raised.

“…hey, princess.” Gwaine greeted “Who are you yelling at?”

“I…” Arthur started and spun around “Where did she go?” He demanded and pushed Leon to the side to see better. “Where did she go? I was making a point!” He objected. “You can’t just leave when I’m making a point! I should have arrested you!” He growled.

“Merlin, what did you put in his wine?”

“If I were to put anything in his wine…It would be to make him talk less.”

“The damned witch used her damned magic to get away!” He groaned. Immediately the group collectively groaned.

“This again? My lord, it was funny at first but…” Percival started but went silent when Elyan elbowed him. “You don’t need to make up some beautiful sorceress is all I’m saying! There’s no need to-”

"I'm not lying!" Arthur yelled and while his knights all nodded, he could see the slight roll of their eyes. "She's real. I swear on my life she is!" He tried again. Gwaine outright laughed. Arthur really should just behead him. That would solve everything.

"What's her name then?" Leon asked reasonably. Arthur stared. "My lord, is it...At all possible she might have just been in your head?" He asked, gently. Arthur felt his mouth drop.

"I am not crazy!"

"Well..." Merlin began and the king turned to glare at him. "I've watched you try to put on a shirt, sire."

"He said crazy. Not incapable." Elyan murmured and immediately winced when Arthur gaped at him. "Sorry, I... Sorry." He offered weakly. "You're not crazy."

"Just incapable!" Merlin smiled. Arthur hated everyone and swore on his life he would find this damn lake lady even if it was the last thing he ever did. “And if she was real, I don’t think it would be a good idea to call her a witch.” He added. From where he had been silent, Lancelot nodded.

“But she is a witch!”

“A sorceress. Witch isn’t a nice word.”

“She isn’t a nice person!” Arthur started, but Merlin’s eyes narrowed precariously.

“Really? She isn’t? I’ve seen you throw knives at people for fun, Arthur.” He said. The prince blinked. Usually when Merlin dropped the formality in front of people he was either pissed, incredibly giddy, or overworked. He tried to figure out which it was. Something told him he wasn’t giddy. “Also, you murdered a unicorn.”

“I…That was a long time ago and I passed the trials-”

“You don’t know how to be polite. You also fired me that one time.”

“That was forever ago! Why are you so upset? Merlin-”

“I have so much more. I don’t call you names-”

“Yes, you do. All the time!” Arthur objected, but Merlin seemed to be done with the conversation at any rate. He gave a huff and shoved a plate of food in Arthur’s arms, spinning around to march away. The others stared in bewilderment, though Lancelot grimaced in sympathy. Typical. Lancelot always seemed to know what was going on when it came to Merlin. He wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse.

Silence followed.

“So,” Gwaine finally said “Does this not-witch friend of yours have a sister?” He asked. Arthur closed his eyes. “No? A brother, maybe?”

“Leave me alone.”

Arthur was blaming Lancelot for this. Completely. Utterly. This whole thing wouldn’t have happened if Lancelot didn’t insist on dragging him to the goddamn lake.

“They’re gaining on us!” He yelled, trying not to sound panicked as he ducked under a strange branch. He hoped the others had gotten away… Him and Lancelot had managed to stick together during the ambush, but he wasn’t sure where everyone else had gone. He hoped Merlin was okay. It was usually them who ended up stranded together.

One would think that him ending up with Lancelot this time would be a blessing. Alas. His knight was leading him to death apparently.

“We don’t have time to send a letter!” Lancelot shouted as if that made any sense. “But she lives around here!”

“What are you talking about?” Arthur demanded as an arrow zipped past him. To his horror, Lancelot stopped running altogether, leaving Arthur to run into his back with a string of curses. Lancelot muttered a few choice words himself as he dug into his satchel before pulling out a glass vial. He sighed. “Lancelot, what the Hell?” Arthur demanded and the knight smashed it on the ground.

“It’s a magical potion that will let her know where we are.” Lancelot said. Arthur blinked.

“It’s a what?” He shrieked, but another arrow whizzing by cut the prince short. “Lancelot, if we live through this we have a lot to talk about!” He hissed, jumping over a fallen tree trunk. Before the other man could answer there was a loud growling nose. Arthur froze. Oh no. Oh God no. He wasn’t going to have to face a wild animal and a bunch of people trying to kill him, right? That would to be the cherry on top of his bloody luck.

At least Lancelot looked pleased. Bloody traitor.

“That was quick!” He beamed. Arthur just decided he had gone insane. Of course, this was precisely when the bloody cat came from nowhere.

No. Not a cat. Cats were small. This thing was the size of a horse. It vaguely reminded him of a bastet he had once fought many years ago – except this one didn’t have any wings. Arthur scrambled away, desperately trying to grab at his sword, but the thing didn’t pay them much mind as he pounced off towards where their enemies had been rapidly progressing on them. Lancelot sagged against the tree in relief.

“That should keep them.”

Come. On.

“You,” He spat, spinning around to find the bloody sorceress sitting on a branch above them. She was wearing a dress that felt strangely…Familiar. It definitely was made of the same material noble women wore. He wondered how she came to acquire it. “Why are you here?” He demanded. She ignored him and hopped down – bare feet sinking into the ground as she beamed at Lancelot and launched herself at him.

…wait a moment.

“You two…Know one another?” He asked with a frown, brows crinkling together. Lancelot bit his lip as he looked between her and the prince nervously. “You…You’re her husband?!” Arthur gasped, taking a step back. No wonder Lancelot had never teased him! The man was courting the woman in question. It was so obvious now. And when she was hurt…She must have been going to see him and, yes. Yes. It all made so much sense now! He had been such a fool to have missed it.

Then the girl laughed.

“Um, no.” She said and patted Lancelot’s arm “Though he is a dear friend. I’m glad you remembered the potion I gave you.” She informed him with a smile “Delphi will keep your friends occupied for now.” She promised. Arthur opened and closed his mouth.

“…Delphi? You know that beast?”

Obviously. She was a damned witch – er, enchantress. Whatever.

“I have a way with most feline creatures.” She smiled, eyes sparkling in amusement. “For whatever reason, most are quite taken with me.” She said and brushed some hair out of her eyes. “Tell me. How is my husband?”

This just kept getting weirder. Of course, Lancelot answered…. Because clearly he knew her husband. Why wouldn’t he? Why wouldn’t a knight of Camelot consort with a sorceress and her mystery husband? How silly of him.

“He misses you greatly. I have no doubt he will be very cross that I’ve gotten to see you before he did.”

“He’ll see me tomorrow.” She dismissed, but there was no hiding the smile hinting at her lips. “And remind him not to bring me anything!” She added, walking away. Lancelot followed. Arthur still wasn’t really sure what was going on so he muttered under his breath as he stomped after him.

“Too late for that,” Lancelot snorted “He spent all last week finding you the perfect gift.”

Gross. Nobody spent that long looking for a gift…Except for maybe Merlin. Merlin got so picky with gifts, it was ridiculous. Granted, he was good at getting them, but still. In fact, it was just last week that he had ditched his duties to spend hours in the market to get something or another for his mother.

“He never listens.” The girl sighed. Arthur cleared his throat.

“Not that I don’t love talking about your husband, but also. Treason.” He pointed out. Because yeah. Treason. That was what was happening here. Lancelot looked down, eyes dimming in shame. “And how do you know her?”

“Freya.”

“What?”

“My name is Freya. Not that you ever asked.” She said, crossing her arms. “You can also call me ‘the druid who saved your life’.” She suggested. Arthur faltered a bit at that.

“You’re a druid?”

“Does it matter?” Freya frowned, head tilting. “Lancelot has done nothing wrong-”

“He’s talking to a sorceress-”

“You’ve spoken to me!” She pointed out and Arthur threw his hands in the air. Immediately, Freya stepped back, fists clenching slightly. Right. He forgot how easily she was startled. Lancelot’s eyes drifted between the two before edging forward.

“Your majesty,” He began softly “I’m sorry… I…” He started and went quiet. “She’s a good person.” He decided, lips pressing together. “I was afraid you may not see it that way.”

Ugh.

“And her husband?” Arthur sighed. Lancelot blinked for a moment before smiling at the ground.

“The bravest and most noble man I know…And a strong ally of Camelot.” He promised and pulled his shoulders back “He would never see any harm to you or this kingdom. I would stake my life on that.”

Great. Arthur tried not to seem frustrated. Sure, he trusted Lancelot’s word. The man was one of honor. But also, like… Arthur was supposed to be the bravest and most noble man Lancelot knew and now this random guy who was married to a cat-whispering sorceress got the title? That wasn’t cool.

“He also picks the best strawberries!” Freya added… Because that was important.

“And he’s a sorcerer?” Arthur asked – just clarify that. Lancelot paused but nodded. “I don’t suppose I could order you to tell me his name?” He asked. The knight considered for a moment before turning back to Freya. She grinned.

“His name is Emrys.” Lancelot said slowly, turning back to him. Huh. That was a stupid name. “My lord, do you think it would be alright if Freya led us to the others?” He asked cautiously. Arthur rolled his eyes.

“As long as she doesn’t lead us into a trap.” He said dryly. Freya stuck his tongue out at him. Lancelot smiled and the druid immediately grabbed at the knight’s hand, whispering lowly. The two continued their hushed conversation as they walked. Arthur wondered how they had met. The two seemed…Strangely close. He leaned in a bit.

“…and I told him it was a bad idea. Freya, he does such nonsense when you aren’t around. And wouldn’t you know it? He fell right into the well. Like I said he would.” Lancelot was telling her. Freya scoffed.

“He does such nonsense when I am around. You know, last time he came by he brought me a cow. I don’t even know where he got the cow – but, oh! Lancelot! You must try some of this cake I made when you come by. I’ve used some magic to sweeten the milk and-”

Arthur shook his head. He wasn’t sure he was really ready to handle magic cake yet.

The worst part of all of this was when she led them to the others…She freaking disappeared. Again… At least Lancelot would tell them he wasn’t lying.

“Lancelot! Is it true?” Gwaine shouted as he raced down the stairwell. “Arthur says you were there when he met his beautiful sorceress! Tell us, is she ever so lovely with her skin made of silk and eyes full of stars?” He crowed, draping himself over the stone railing. Arthur frowned. Whatever, at least they would finally believe him now. If Lancelot said something then it must be true.

“…what sorceress?” Lancelot frowned “We ran away from those men and until we got to Camelot.”

That sneaky, lying, manipulative, dishonorable, sorceress-empathizing son of a motherfuc-

“Don’t worry, sire.” Merlin interrupted his furious train of thought. “I’m sure Lancelot is just protecting her identity. I know you aren’t crazy.” He soothed. Arthur scowled. “Also, can I have tomorrow off? I have a gift to deliver.”

“You and Lancelot both enrage me.”

She came to the funeral.

Arthur didn’t say a word to her at first. He saw her though. Eyes reflecting the awful flames of the fire from underneath the hood of her cloak. She clutched at her pendant silently, chin jutted out as she stared long enough for the cloak and wood to turn into ash while the sword on top burned orange at the heat. Finally, when most of the crowd dispersed, he walked over to her.

“Freya.”

“Prince Arthur.” She replied hollowly. There was a pause. “I’m not here to comfort you.”

“I didn’t think you were.” He said quietly, looking to where Gwen and Merlin had retreated to the stairs, both drifting away from the funeral pyre – but not far enough to where they couldn’t continue watching it. “I got the feeling he was a friend. I’m so sorry.” He whispered and swallowed “It should have been me.”

It would have been better. Deep down, he wondered if Gwen would have preferred it that way. Maybe even Merlin would have preferred it that way. Arthur tried to keep the feeling locked down and chained under practiced restraint but… Part of him had so desperately resented Lancelot. The way he had captured Gwen’s heart before him. The way Merlin trusted him with something he had never entrusted Arthur with. A sort of nobility that had been earned rather than handed to him through birth. Jealousy was foreign for Arthur. He had so much as a prince…And yet…

Maybe the world would have been better if Arthur had been the sacrifice to close the veil.

“No,” Freya frowned, turning to him completely “It should not have been you.”

Arthur stared. She stared back and after a couple moments closed her eyes and looked at the sky – eyes glossed over with tears. She didn’t shed them as she took a long breath.

“It was supposed to be…” She trailed off and gave a dry laugh “My husband was going to be the sacrifice. He had been planning to take your place. He told me as such after I healed him.” She tried, voice breaking. Arthur didn’t know what to say. Anger rose a little.

“Why did he not?” He asked. It was a little unfair. But damnit. If this sorcerer had given his life then Lancelot could still be with them. Freya must have caught the frustration because her jaw clenched slightly.

“I’m sure he tried,” She said and looked at the ground “Lancelot was just quicker. I asked him…I asked him to look after…” She tried, but didn’t finish. Arthur didn’t need her to. The same words had left Gwen’s lips. “He must be so upset.” She said instead, eyes flickering up a bit. Arthur didn’t say anything.

Had Lancelot died for Arthur or this mystery sorcerer? He supposed it didn’t matter. His life was gone and the pain was raw and throbbing. Still…Lancelot’s loyalty was so unfaltering. So profound and dedicated… It could only bring him to one conclusion.

“Your husband has my protection. So, do you.”

Freya froze.

“What did you just say?”

“I’m not saying I agree with magic…Or that I won’t banish either of you if you dare to use it within my kingdom.” He told her firmly and turned back towards the pyre “But if Lancelot really laid down his life for him…Then I will honor that. I promise to never harm either of you.” He swore.

He hoped it would be enough to honor his knight.

Freya looked at him, brows furrowed together. For a moment he thought he had broken her. Instead, she merely reached out and touched his arm…It was the first time she had done so too, he realized. Aside from injuries, she had always shied away and never reached for him. He turned to look at her.

“I think I finally see it.” She told him. Arthur wasn’t sure what that meant nor did he get a chance to ask since someone shouted his name. He turned to find Leon striding towards them. Immediately, he went to tell Freya not to worry only to find her already gone.

Magic. How typical.

“Sire,” Leon greeted with a low bow “The council is requesting an audience.” He sighed, sounding truly apologetic by the lack of manners his peers showed him. Arthur grimaced and looked back to the staircase in hopes of finding Merlin. Perhaps then he wouldn’t have to deal with them alone.

But just like Freya…He too had disappeared.

Arthur went searching for her.

Yes, he would admit it was foolish. So very foolish. Him seeking the aid of a sorceress? It was laughable really. Nobody would ever believe him…Or believe him less than they already did. But this was his father. Surely, he was entitled to such recklessness.

“Freya!” He shouted into the woods “I know you can hear me-”

“This isn’t helping you not look crazy.”

Arthur jumped. Spinning around, he turned to find Merlin standing behind him, brows raised in concern. He swore.

“No wonder I can’t find her!” He growled. Merlin tilted his head. “Go away!”

“Why are you looking for her?” He asked instead of leaving…Like he was told to do. Like he was supposed to do. The damn rat.

“She can heal my father.” Arthur said before he could think better of it. He closed his eyes. Luckily, Merlin didn’t react much to hearing such treasonous words. “I…I know it is wrong-”

“That’s a lot of pressure to put on someone.” Merlin interrupted dryly “What if she can’t do it?”

Arthur paused. He hadn’t considered that. He thought she might not want to do it. Not that she couldn’t.

“…but she can talk to cats.”

Hearing the argument out loud…Yeah. He regretted that. Merlin rolled his eyes.

“So?”

“Well…” He tried to recover “That means she’s powerful, right?”

“No,” Freya’s voice answered from behind him “It does not necessarily mean that at all… Just that I’m more of a cat person.” She informed him dryly and smiled over Arthur’s shoulder. “Hello there. I don’t think we’ve met before.”

Really? Now?

“Hi. I’m Merlin. Arthur didn’t mention how lovely you were.”

His father was dying.

“You’re very lovely too. If only I weren’t married.” Freya sighed, though there was a gleam in her eye that was a little suspicious. It made Arthur think this Emrys guy should probably keep better tabs on his wife before she ran off with his servant.

“If only you weren’t a sorceress.” Merlin quipped back with an equally concerning smirk.

Gross.

“Stop flirting. The king is on his deathbed.” He snapped and the pair looked at him innocently. “Can you save him?” He asked, a little desperately. Merlin and Freya looked at one another…As if they were silently discussing the matter. They literally just met. Why? Just why?

“I…Might. I can’t promise though.” Freya told him slowly, wringing her hands together. “I’ll need to work in privacy though…Merlin can stay behind to make sure I don’t try anything.” She suggested. Arthur froze.

On one hand… He liked that someone he trusted would be with her.

On the other hand…Did it have to be Merlin? They looked at each other weirdly.

However, he was short on time. He shouldn’t negotiate. Despite his better judgement…He nodded. Freya beamed and skipped over, bumping Merlin a little with a grin. Arthur tried not to be annoyed. This was a very dark time for him, thank you very much. He did not need this playfulness in his life.

“That’s a beautiful pendant.” Merlin said as he politely took her hand to help her over a fallen log. Freya grinned at him.

“It was given to me by a beautiful man.” She told him. Merlin tripped at that like the fool he was. Arthur swore if anything went down while they were supposed to be saving his father’s life…

“Oh yeah?!” Merlin asked, almost aggressively “Well, I bet you’re even more beautiful!”

…honestly, what Hell was this?

His father was definitely going to die.

The shocking news was that his father didn’t die.

Merlin, however, looked like he might.

“There was a pendant, Arthur.” He said that night as he stared at the fire in Arthur’s room. “Around your father’s neck. It would have reversed the spell if we didn’t take it off. He would have died.” He said, voice shaking a little.

Freya had already told him this, of course. Apparently, she had seen it in her youth when she lived amongst the druids. It was a terrifying thing to hear, but Arthur wasn’t sure why Merlin looked so shaken by it. Uther lived. Arthur was mostly upset that she had left before he had time to bring his knights up and show them that she was real. Gwaine was only to pleased to have opened the door only for Uther to be peacefully sleeping alone while Merlin cleaned up.

"Where is she?!" Arthur had choked "She was just here - Merlin!" He added, voice rising. Leon sighed from behind.

"Oh, she said she had to go." Merlin shrugged and put a cloth on the king's head "Something about attending a druidic festival, I think?"

"Merlin, you don't have to play along." Elyan had groaned and walked over to pat the servant on the shoulder "This game is getting old anyhow-"

"I'm not lying!"

"We're just happy you saved the king, Merlin." Gwaine interrupted "I knew Gaius taught you well. Don't let Arthur's lying keep you from getting the credit." He said with a smile. Arthur had watched in horror as the rest of the knights then continued to congratulate Merlin on his medical miracle while their prince spluttered indignantly for the next hour. He hated them all.

“I wouldn’t have noticed it if she didn’t.” Merlin whispered, bringing Arthur back to their current conversation “I would have just…” He trailed off, swallowing a little as he bit his lip. Arthur didn’t know how to respond.

Except. Yes, he did.

“You didn’t sleep with her, right?”

“What?”

“In the process of healing my father, you didn’t sleep with her right? She’s married and the king was in the room…It would just be so wrong.” Arthur informed him “I might consider banishing you for it.” He added on. “I know you don’t have much luck with women so maybe the temptation was strong…Or she enchanted you-”

“Goodbye, Arthur.”

“Not happy that you didn’t answer my question. Kind of concerned, actually.”

“Goodbye, your majesty.”

They were captured. Again.

Arthur wasn’t great at keeping track of days, but he figured it was probably a Thursday if the people who were surrounding them were bandits. Maybe a Tuesday if they were knights of a neighboring kingdom.

As it was, Arthur was tired and didn’t really care enough to figure it out. No matter who they were he was going to have to figure out a way to escape anyways. Rolling his eyes at the thought, he allowed himself to be manhandled next to Merlin, who currently had a sword at this throat.

The good news was that this only lasted about ten minutes because Percival caused a distraction…Again. Because as he mentioned before, this happened all the freaking time. His knights were probably professional escape artists at this point.

So now they were running from people in a forest. Perhaps it was Wednesday. They tended to run away from people on Wednesdays.

“This way!” Merlin yelled, yanking Gwaine with him as he made a sharp corner. Arthur swore as he swerved, bringing Leon down for a moment before yanking him back up. What way? Why? Merlin had no sense of direction. He once got lost tying his shoe.

“Merlin!” Elyan yelped as he followed behind “We don’t have time to run in whatever direction we fancy!”

“I know where we are,” Merlin shouted and ducked under a branch. Percival swatted it to the side as he pulled the other along, making sure nobody got left behind. “It’s protected – they won’t get us here!” He said. Arthur groaned. He had heard that before.

“Should I just stab myself now to save us some time?” He asked. Merlin scowled at him as he made another sharp turn. Elyan ran into a tree.

“You’re leading us nowhere!” Leon tried desperately when Merlin slid down a rock and splashed through a small creek that led to a small, tunnel-like structure. Leon continued cursing as he ducked down to enter. “Even if they don’t find us we’ll still be horribly lost and…”

The words were lost for a moment as Merlin slowed to a walk, pushing aside a curtain of vines to clear the way out of the tunnel. Arthur stared.

“Huh.” Gwaine announced as he nodded. “Not what I was expecting.”

For once, Arthur had to agree.

It was a…A field of some sort. Filled with flowers of all colors that rolled around them, looking small and quaint next to the high mountains that loomed behind them. A small lake sat in front of that, the water calm as a couple of cows drank from it. One of them mooed at their appearance before going back to the water.

Most importantly though, there was a small house. Everyone turned to Merlin.

“They won’t find us here.” His servant said and smiled when the door open “Try to be good guests though.”

“And you know about this place…How exactly?” Leon asked. Merlin considered for a moment before smiling and giving a bashful shrug as he walked backwards towards the house.

“Um, I guess you should probably know now…My wife lives here.” He explained. Elyan choked.

“His what?” He asked and Percival opened and closed his mouth a few times. Gwaine frowned and looked out over the field.

“I guess that means I’m not allowed to steal the cows then.” He said. Arthur, despite his own shock at Merlin's words, vaguely wondered what the Hell he would have planned on doing with those cows.

“His fucking what?” Elyan repeated, voice rising a little hysterically. Arthur was about to have a reaction of his own when saw who exited the house.

“No.” He decided and held up his hands. Freya waved before running up to Merlin and launching herself at him. “No.” He said again. He looked at his knights. “No.” He laughed. “No!”

“You’re not happy to see me?” Freya frowned, tilting her head as a cat raced up to Merlin and purred as it brushed up against his leg in greeting “After Merlin and I saved your father’s life?”

“No.” Arthur responded. It was all he had the strength to say, really.

“You know Merlin’s wife?” Percival frowned “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because she’s the sorceress I’ve been talking about!” Arthur yelled, suddenly finding his words again. Silence followed. The knights all slowly turned to the pair. Merlin nervously put his arm around Freya while Leon put a hand on his sword, looking uncertain.

Then, like the asshole he was, Gwaine started laughing.

“Wait, wait, wait!” He gasped “Are you…Are you telling me that the beautiful, mysterious sorceress who has the eyes of a thousand rose petals and skin of a cloud and lips of spring meadow that you’ve been randomly running into…Is Merlin’s wife?” He cackled and put a hand over his chest “Oh…Oh my God…I couldn’t dream of a better prank!”

“Eyes of what?” Freya blinked and looked at Merlin who shrugged.

“Sometimes they say things I don’t understand.” He told her. Freya seemed to accept this and merely pecked him on the cheek. This did not help Arthur’s anxiety.

“But you…You married Emrys!” He shrieked. Merlin winced.

“Yeah…That’s what the druids call me.”

“You’re a sorcerer then?!”

“Yes.”

“No!” Arthur shouted at him. Merlin blinked.

“…Yes?”

“No!”

“Yes.”

“No!” Arthur argued resolutely and ran a hand over his face “No.” He whispered a bit quieter. Leon looked between them all before clearing his throat. “Don’t…Don’t do anything.” He instructed weakly “I promised I wouldn’t harm them.” He sighed and looked at the sky. Damn Lancelot. That made sense now.

“Look on the bright side,” Merlin tried weakly “Nobody thinks you’re crazy anymore.” He said. Arthur opened and closed his mouth a few times. Finally, he turned to Freya. He got a feeling when all of this was said and done…He was going to be seeing a lot more of her.

Whether he liked it or not.

“Would you like some cake?” She asked. Arthur stared. From beside him, Percival had found a black cat and picked it up with a small coo at how small it was. Freya glanced over at the pair.

“His name is Cody. He likes you too…Be careful though, he breathes fire. We don’t really know why.” She added. Percival slowly put the cat back down.

“Yeah,” Arthur finally said. If this was to be his life…Then fine. This was his life. He felt as though he had accepted far more perilous and dramatic things…Though somehow this was the most upsetting of them all. No matter. “I’ll have some cake.”

He definitely deserved some cake.

Chapter Text

Freya and Merlin...Weren’t very good nobles.

Arthur knew this. He knew this when he rose them both in rank. He knew this when Merlin insisted on wearing his old serving clothes to council meetings and he knew this when Freya adamantly brought cats into the castle despite his constant orders for her not to. 

So...Should he really be surprised that they turned up to his coronation drenched head to toe in mud? 

"Why?" He asked, trying to think of a reason - any reason, really, it didn’t even have to be good - for why this was happening.

"I know this looks bad-" Merlin was saying only for Freya to jump in. 

"We dug up your father!"

...Right. He retracted his previous statement. It didn’t have to be a good reason...but it also couldn’t be that reason. 

So, many months ago his father had actually been saved by Merlin and Freya back when he was regent. However, Arthur knew he was only delaying the inevitable with the state his father was in. A few days ago he had finally seemed to have given up...The shattered heart Morgana had left him with finally sucking the life out of him.

So you could imagine his confusion upon learning Merlin and Freya had desecrated his grave.

"And it sounds even worse," Merlin winced with a subtle nudge at Freya "It turns out his tomb was cursed. We had to break it or else he would rise as a sort of...Walking dead person." He clarified and winced again, possibly realizing that wasn’t comforting either.

"We broke the curse very respectfully." Freya nodded. Arthur stared. "And, um, we put him in a much better tomb. It was bigger." She added. Arthur stared. She turned to Merlin. "Is he sad? I can’t tell if he’s sad." She whispered and gnawed at her bottom lip. "I’ll get you cake." She decided and went to march away, mud trailing behind her. Merlin watched her go with a sigh.

"And...Who has cursed my father’s grave?" He finally asked. Merlin looked at him with raised eyebrows. Never mind. That was a stupid question. "Morgana." He sighed.

"Um, yes. Probably." Freya said, returning with the promised cake. "But try not to think about it today. Just focus on...Not falling?" She turned to Merlin again "Does he do anything during this ceremony?" She asked, lowly. Arthur made a strangled noise. "You’re going to do great!" She smiled.

Honestly. 

"Are you two really going to show up like that? I have to introduce you both during the ceremony." He pointed out. Both Merlin and Freya seemed to realize the problem at the same time. 

"Ah."

"Oh, I see." They both said and looked at one another. Merlin wrinkled his nose. 

"How much time do we have?"

"Ten minutes."

"Yeah...Not going to happen." Merlin told him and glanced over at his wife. "Maybe Freya should just go up. She still looks nice."

"She is also still covered in mud."

"Yeah, but she looks nice." Merlin insisted. Freya beamed at him. Normally, Arthur might make fun of him for being so disgustingly in love but now was not the time.

"Can’t you just magic it off?" He asked, a little desperately. He could maybe deal with them both in commoner clothes if it meant they at least didn’t have dirt and leaves in their hair. Freya looked down at her dress. 

"No, magic doesn’t work like that." She said and gave a meek shrug. "Do you have a rag, maybe?" 

Oh God, oh God, oh God...

It wasn’t like the kingdom wasn’t aware that Merlin was going to be his court sorcerer. He had all but assigned the title... but now he was king. This was official. This was supposed to be one of the first official acts he makes as a new king. He couldn’t believe -

"Your majesty," Gwen’s voice called "Its time - oh." She interrupted herself when she saw Merlin and Freya. "You two look... Is this a Druid custom?" She asked, tilting her head in polite confusion. Freya and Merlin looked at one another.

"Yes." They both said at the same time. Arthur couldn’t believe this. Before he could freak out there was the sound of drums and singing, signaling his entrance. 

Well. This was his fate, he supposed. 

The whole thing was going rather well too. Arthur would be pleased if it weren’t for the fact that his least favorite couple of all time was about to walk in and ruin everything.

He braced himself as his knights were all called in...Along with members of his council. Gaius. Other court positions...And finally -

"Are you kidding me?" He asked, ignoring Geoffrey’s mortified look at Arthur speaking during the ceremony as Merlin and Freya walked in, both in noble clothes with sapphire blue and gold. Not a damn trace of mud on them.

"Merlin, I don’t think he found it that funny." Freya mused as she looked at her husband when they reached the end of the aisle to kneel before standing back up. 

"I did though." Merlin snorted as he took his place by Arthur’s side. Freya narrowed her eyes a bit before shooting Arthur an apologetic look. 

"We really did have to solve that problem with your father," she said and when Arthur just stared at her, gave a small smile "More cake?" She suggested.

"You're giving out cake?" Gwaine whispered and gave a small yelp when Leon elbowed him "But Freya is giving out cake!" He objected. Immediately all the knights turned to where Freya and Merlin were standing.

"Sorry," she whispered back "Only Arthur gets cake because it’s his coronation." She told them and immediately there was some grumbling. "I can make cookies though?" She suggested. This seemed to raise everyone’s spirits until Geoffrey cleared his throat.

"May I continue?" He asked wryly. Ah. Right. Arthur gave an apologetic nod.

"Are you alright?" He heard Merlin ask. Arthur turned to tell him to shut it only to find a stark white Freya staring with pure horror at the ground. "Hey...Freya...?"

"I panicked, Merlin." She whispered back, "I don’t even know how to make cookies."

Being king was going to be stressful he could already tell.

In fairness...It wasn’t exactly Arthur’s fault. 

He was a competitive person by nature. This was bound to happen. Granted, he didn’t realize it would end with him making Freya cry, but hey. At least he got her a friend?

It all started during a feast when Arthur was hearing the bards sing yet another tale of Merlin and Freya’s love story. Yeah, they got it. It was a classic. Girl in a cage is freed by brave a warlock and they have a forbidden romance while being forced apart for years and having to visit one another in secret. Big deal. That was how everyone met these days.

"Guinevere," he said, leaning a little closer to his wife "Which do you think is more grand: falling in love like Merlin and Freya did or how we did?" He asked, trying to sound as casual as he could. Gwen turned to look at him with glittering eyes as a smile hinted at her lips.

"Well...I’m quite partial to our story." She said and Arthur nodded. 

"Me too!" He said and scowled at the bard "But why do they sing so much more of them?" He asked. Honestly. How was a king defying years of tradition and spite from his class less romantic than helping someone out of a cage? 

Gwen rose an eyebrow at him.

"Arthur."

"I just think they’re missing out," Arthur said with his arms raised in surrender. Gwen shook her head and went back to her food. Arthur bit his lip. "Do you think it’s because people think they’re more in love than us?"

"No!" Gwen laughed and paused. "No. That’s silly." She said more resolutely before looking at where Merlin was making Freya butterflies at the other end of the table. "...if that were the case though...How could we change that? Because they’re wrong."

Thus it began.

They had tried everything. Holding hands during meetings, romantic picnics, long walks in the lower town, endless gifts and flowers to one another...Those damned bards were not swayed.

"Maybe it has something to do with the magic," Gwen was saying as she paced back and forth. "Ask Merlin to teach you some." She suggested. Arthur hummed in consideration. This was their third brainstorming session to no prevail. Though, Arthur would like to point out that it took a certain type of love to bring someone as sweet and kind as Guinevere down to Arthur’s petty level. Put that in your damned songs.

"I know what it is," Arthur muttered, "It’s because they are always together." He said, letting the bitterness he’d been so valiantly hiding show through.

Listen. He loved his wife. A lot...But he would be lying if he didn’t acknowledge that he also loved his (don’t tell anyone he said this) best friend. And Freya had bloody stolen him. She stole him and Arthur was annoyed by it and now she’s stealing how romantic his marriage was with her marriage and it wasn’t even fair!

"Oh..." Gwen frowned "You’re right. I don’t think I’ve seen her with anyone else in the castle...Has she not made any friends since arriving here?" She asked, the competitive note her voice dying into more concern. Arthur didn’t catch it though. He was too busy comprehending that sentence. 

Of course. Why the Hell didn’t she have any friends? Annoyance swirled in his chest. He was just about to respond when there was a soft knock at the door. As if summoned by a higher power, Freya popped her head in.

"Gaius wanted me to ask you if -"

"Why don’t you have any friends?" Arthur demanded before he could think better if it. Freya froze. 

"Arthur -" Gwen began, horrified. For his part, Arthur was realizing the misstep.

"I, uh, just meant...You’re always around Merlin-"

"Stop talking." Gwen interrupted. Yep. Right. That was a good idea. Freya was blinking, clearly stunned by the statement as a cat suddenly came barreling in at full speed to leap into her arms as if sensing the distress.

"Oh." She said, voice impossibly small. Arthur felt his stomach sink a bit how the pure hurt that crossed her face and desperately turned to Gwen in a silent plea for her to fix it. "Um...Sorry?" She said, petting the cat in her arms a little faster than she needed to "It's just... Most of the nobles don't want to talk to me because I'm not really of noble blood and the lower town people...Well, I'm sure they're  lovely  it's just back when I was first taken to Camelot they weren't very lovely...Which wasn't their fault! I'm sure they just saw a witch in a cage and assumed I was really horrible so it seemed reasonable to throw stones and such...It, uh, just makes me a little wary to be around them at times," She admitted as Gwen pressed a hand to her mouth in horror "And, I do  love  the knights, but after Lancelot I... I just don't..." She trailed off and...Oh no. Oh, dear. Her voice caught at the end and Arthur could already see the tears forming. "But if it bothers you-"

"No!" Gwen said immediately and took a step forward only for the cat in Freya's arms to give a warning noise.

"Cody." Freya scolded slightly and put him down. Arthur immediately backed up.

"Isn't Cody the one who breathes fire?" He asked, but Gwen shushed him. "Okay, but he might breathe fire and-"

"Arthur!" Gwen scowled and turned back to Freya. "I am so sorry. We didn't think how hard it must be adjusting you to this life." She said, leaning forward to squeeze her hands. Freya blinked, staring down as if this act alone was unfamiliar to her... It actually might be something she was only familiar with Merlin now that he thought about it. "I should have known, I remember how hard it was for me to adjust and that was mainly just dealing with nobles." She sighed. "Could we be friends?" She asked. Freya turned bright red before giving the smallest of nods. Gwen beamed and hugged her, causing Freya to give a small squeak of alarm. Gwen let go immediately.

"Sorry! We'll work on that." Gwen said and patted her hand. "Also, I'm sorry about Arthur. He...Well, you're married to Merlin. I'm sure you know."

Amusement crossed Freya's face for a moment before she went into a deep curtsy.

"Right here," Arthur muttered, still inching away from Cody. The cat seemed to understand he was making the king uncomfortable because it was having a lovely time inching forward to try and pounce on Arthur's feet. Freya clicked her tongue and he immediately stopped.

"I should be going," Freya said, "I'll, uh, see you later?" She asked Gwen. The queen nodded and Freya smiled back before heading towards the door. "Oh, and your majesty?" She suddenly asked, turning back with a wicked gleam crossing her eyes "Funny you should mention making friends...Considering, Merlin made all of yours." She said. Arthur stared. 

"He did not." He objected. That was ridiculous. Clearly, this emotional encounter had somehow impaired her judgment. Freya rose an eyebrow before leaning against the doorframe as Cody pranced out of the room, purring against her legs as he went.

"Really? Lancelot said Merlin was his first friend here...And that he only returned to Camelot when Merlin wrote and said he needed help. Same with Gwaine... And considering Lancelot brought Percival with him that would mean you wouldn't have met  him  without Merlin either." She said, tapping her lip. "Oh! And your wife, of course, was Merlin's friend first I believe. Right, Gwen?" She asked. Arthur opened his mouth to interject, but she apparently wasn't finished. "And you only were introduced to her properly because Merlin had you stay with her while you pretending to not be in that jousting tournament...and by extent you would have never met Elyan either." She reasoned. Arthur frowned.

"Hang on-"

"You have Leon, of course...Though...How close  were  you and Leon before Merlin came along?" She asked. Arthur spluttered for a few moments, trying to figure out which parts of her clearly faulted logic he should address first. "You know," Freya continued and Arthur knew her next words were going to be the final blow "If you really miss him that much all you had to do was ask."

"I - that is not about that!" Arthur gasped "It was just...Confusing that you and him are given so much credit and-"

"My lord," Freya scoffed "I mean this with all due respect but...The bards sing much more about tales of you and him than they do about us." She said and gave Gwen one last beaming smile before shutting the door with a click. Arthur gaped, slowly turning to Gwen who gave an apologetic nod.

"Are you serious? Merlin and I have more songs than him and Freya? And - wait, more than me and you? That's it. Get Geoffrey over here. We're having him write a damn ballad about us, I swear!" He grumbled, sitting up. Gwen snorted just as the door opened again.

"Uh, sorry, but I forgot what I came here for. Gaius wants to know if you still need salve for your arm?" Freya asked. Arthur stared at her.

"You don't get to be mean and then come back in here like this."

"I'm not mean! Don't call me mean!"

"Yeah. You're mean."

"I am not."  Freya frowned "My lady, am I mean?" She asked Gwen. There was a pause as Gwen looked back and forth between them before shaking her head. "Aha!" Freya laughed.

God freaking damnit. The damned witch got his wife now too.

Arthur wished he could say he had seen stranger things in his castle.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t even the strangest thing he had seen this week... Though he knew he should still probably inquire upon it.

"Hi," he said, walking up to where Gwen and Freya were dragging what appeared to be a dead body across the corridor. "Is he alive?" He asked as Gwen dropped the arm she carrying and Freya immediately fell back in alarm as she let go of the man’s foot. They both looked at one another and then back at Arthur.

"Yes..." Freya said slowly and poked him with her foot. The man snored and rolled over. "Yeah, he’s fine." She said, sounding much more certain now. Arthur waited.

"Well," Gwen smiled "It was nice speaking with you, my lord. We’ll be on our way now." She said and Freya got up to grab the foot again.

"Are neither of you going to explain this?" He asked trying to figure out if he knew the unconscious man. Freya fidgeted for a moment, eyes lowering a bit as she gave Gwen a panicked look.

"Um...No. I’m the queen. I don’t have to answer any questions." She decided. Freya nodded vehemently in agreement. 

"But I’m the king-"

"Is he dead?" Merlin’s voice interrupted as he came over to stand by Arthur’s side. Freya and Gwen both sighed in unison as they muttered reassurances that the man was very much alive. Merlin blinked and stared down.

"What...Happened?" He asked and Freya put bad hands on her hips.

"We don’t ask questions when you two do strange things!" She asked and looked at Gwen who was nodding in agreement as she peered over her shoulder to make sure nobody else was watching.

"Us? What strange things do we do?" Merlin frowned, turning to Arthur. The king only shrugged in response as both Gwen and Freya gave gasps of outrage. 

"Always sneaking around the castle-"

"-poetry at night, for one thing."

"Wearing disguises and hunting for bloody ghosts-"

"-You own this castle so I’m not sure why you think you need to hide all the time."

"Alright," Arthur said loudly as he held up a hand "We won’t ask. Carry on with...That. Though if something happens with this I’ll be asking again." He warned. Gwen had the nerve to roll her eyes before grabbing the arm to continue dragging though not before blowing him a kiss. Freya went to hug Merlin before grabbing the leg to continue her pulling.

"Huh," Merlin said as he watched them go. "That’s a little concerning. I don’t think we go about doing strange things in the castle, do you?" He frowned. Arthur scoffed.

"No. They’re just trying to make themselves feel better about accidentally knocking that poor man out or whatever," Arthur shook his head as the pair disappeared around the corner "Anyways, do you have the horse teeth?"

"Oh yeah," Merlin said and opened the bag "Should we go and tell them we’ll be gone for a few days?"

"I get the feeling they’ll be too busy to notice."

Arthur would say over the period of time he had gotten to know Freya that he had grown to...Like her. Sort of. He respected her, definitely. And he would like to think that he had gotten to know her fairly well.

However, sometimes she threw him into a fit of confusion when she did bullshit like this.

"What...Why?" He decided as he caught the druid exiting Merlin’s tent. She blinked at his voice before giving him a cheery wave. "Freya, we’re about to go to battle. Now isn’t the time for visits." He told her before catching a good look at what she was wearing.

Now, Gwen often traveled with Arthur to various battles. This was because she could use a sword and was pretty self-sufficient to leave even in the midst of danger. Plus if he told her she couldn’t come then he wouldn’t ever hear the end of it. Freya was...Well, she was a different case. He once saw her get frightened by a squirrel. A battlefield wasn’t exactly going to be her forte. So he wasn’t entirely sure why she was fitted with the same protective magical deflecting outfit Merlin usually wore when fighting. Nor was he certain why she had a bow and arrows slung over her shoulder.

"Oh don’t worry, I’m not visiting." Freya laughed "I’m helping Merlin with his section of battle today." She said casually. 

"Um...No. No, you are not?" He said though it sounded more like a bewildered question. Freya frowned. She still had freaking flowers in her hair. Who had the nerve - no, the audacity, to say they’re going to fight in a war and then braid blue and red flowers in their hair?

"Why not?" She asked. Arthur stared. Luckily, at this point, Merlin had exited the tent and was grabbing that staff he always used to blow things up. 

"Merlin!" He called and gestures to his wife "Do you see this?" He asked. Merlin blinked and turned to look at where Arthur was gesturing to Freya.

"Yeah? She looks great." He shrugged and turned to Freya "You look great."

"No," Arthur said flatly "Merlin. Your wife is apparently about to go into battle. Is there nothing you’d like to say about that?" He asked. Immediately, Merlin’s eyes widened and Arthur felt a jab of satisfaction at the panic on his face as the realization hit.

"I didn’t forget!" He objected with a glare at Arthur before kissing her check "Good luck. Love you."

For the love of God.

“She is not going to fight!" He finally burst out. Merlin tilted his head.

"Why not?"

"Merlin. Freya. Both of you listen to me. Please." Arthur said, clasping his hands in front of him. "I love you both but do you really think she’s suited for this? Merlin, you are barely suited for this and we both know if I had my way that you would be casting spells far, far away from the actual fighting. You expect me to be okay with this?" He asked. Both stared at him for a moment before breaking into synchronized laughter. 

"She isn’t going to be throwing a sword around, Arthur. She’ll be with the archers, obviously." Merlin said, gesturing to the bow over her shoulder. "She’s a really good shot."

Arthur didn’t believe that for a second...But he also didn’t have time to argue.

"I...Fine. Just make sure she’s as far away as possible." He sighed and figured he could maybe enlist Gwen to watch her back as she played around with arrows.

It wasn’t until they were fighting that the pieces clicked.

"...she’s using her bastet sight, isn’t she?" He asked breathlessly as another arrow hit a man square in the forehead before exploding and taking out a few other men nearby. Merlin smirked from where he was waving his hands like an idiot. "And she enchanted the arrows."

"Did you know cats can see in the dark? We can do this all night!" He said and shot a bolt of lightning across the field. Arthur glanced back. Sure enough, he could see Freya settled next to his other archers, eyes blown wide with gold and catlike pupils. She paused for a moment before putting an arrow down to wave at him again.

"Your wife is such a dork." He decided and Merlin laughed.

"She’s the best, right?"

"You’re a dork too."

It was later - much, much later that Arthur learned that Freya could also access her bastet powers enough to get grow claws and fangs on command. This was also apparently news to Freya since the first time it happened she looked down at her hand and screamed for a solid two minutes. Then Merlin came in and started freaking out too. A visiting druid had to walk over and calm them all down. Definitely embarrassing for everyone involved.

So, yeah, Arthur stood by his statement that they were both dorks.

It was Gwaine's idea. 

Obviously, it was Gwaine's idea because Gwaine was an idiot. Still, Arthur supposed he should be asking who the idiot really was considering that they all went along with it.

"Please, Freya? Please?"

"I don't understand," She said as she looked at them blankly "You...Want me to...Bring you a panther?" She asked, tilting her head. "Why?"

"Um," Gwaine clicked his tongue in outrage "Because it's a panther?"

"Ignore him. He's stupid." Elyan rectified and sat down next to the sorceress in the pile of flowers she was currently braiding together "We just think that it would be useful in battle." He reasoned. From Freya's other side, Leon winced. Aside from Gwen and Merlin, Leon had become Freya's closest friend in Camelot. Arthur supposed it was hard for him not to eventually grow to like her. He was a traditional knight who was taught to be very polite to every lady he met. This meant that when Freya needed someone to help her pick berries or surprise Merlin with something or another, Leon almost always volunteered. Eventually, he started joining her without being asked and then he just began to search her out for company. They were a strange pair. Freya often liked to bring over various cats for him to hold while she braided his hair and in exchange, he taught her how to use various crossbows and knives while helping perfect her archery skills.

"You cannot use an animal to aid your battle."  Freya gasped, putting a hand over her heart. "It's not a solider! I only call upon them when the situation is hopeless without them - as a last resort." She said firmly, fixing them all with a hard scowl.

"Oh..." Gwaine paused and looked at the others. "Well, um, do you know any panthers that would want to join us in battle?" He tried.

"Maybe another fire breathing cat?" Percival suggested. The rest of the group nodded vehemently in agreement.

"Ooh...yes! Yes, one of those!" Gwaine said excitedly. Freya wrinkled her nose as she considered.

"Well...Clawdia is part sphinx so she knows some pretty good riddles.."

"Claudia?"

"No, Claw-dia," Freya said with a wave of her hand. "Like, claws? Get it?" She giggled. Leon smiled fondly as Gwaine snorted in amusement. Arthur sighed. He couldn't stand them. "Anyways, I don't think she would be good... Oh! I have a lynx named Merlin. Though that may be confusing with the other Merlin..." She frowned and snapped her fingers "Ah, but Merlin wouldn't want to fight - Cat-Merlin, I mean - lynxes have psychic abilities so he'd probably consider it cheating to choose a side when he already knows the outcome." She mused. Elyan tilted his head.

"You named a cat after Merlin? Why?"

Freya grinned.

"When my Merlin gets annoyed he looks like a lynx...Plus, whenever I start talking to Cat-Merlin he thinks I'm talking to him. It's fun." She shrugged. The knights all looked at one another.

"Well, bring Merlin the lynx around to our next training so we can use him to torture your husband too," Arthur told her. Freya gave a stoic nod before sitting up in excitement.

"OH! I know who you can bring. Come on." She said, standing up and skipping across the courtyard. "His name is Bubbles." She added over her shoulder. Gwaine pouted as he mouthed 'Bubbles' over his shoulder with clear disappointment. Arthur shrugged. He wasn't going to underestimate this mystery cat. Freya once got frustrated and accidentally summoned a bunch of wildcats which had been terrifying. Turns out she named them things that ranged from 'Buttercup' to 'Sir Abigor Destroyer of Fire and Rain' (that had been a weird one to hear her coo affectionately). So yeah. Bubbles could be a cute little tabby or a huge, terrifying lion. There was really no telling.

It also made Arthur a little nervous that this Bubbles who was willing to fight in a war was being kept in his castle because that was where Freya was leading them. In fact, she led them straight to her and Merlin's rooms. Merlin himself was sprawled on the bed, nose buried deep in a book. He glanced up with a smile when he saw Freya only to stick his tongue out when he saw the rest of them filing in.

"Hi Merlin," Arthur smiled. Merlin narrowed his eyes.

"Hi-"

"Oh, I was talking to Merlin the lynx." Arthur cut him off and fixed him with a smug smirk "Perhaps we should call you human-Merlin to keep there from being confusion." He said, tapping a finger to his chin. Merlin, for his part, looked absolutely devastated.

"Freya-" He started to complain as he got up, but Leon merely pushed him back down.

"Not now, human-Merlin."

"Seriously? You can't-"

"Please, human-Merlin." Elyan said, sitting at the edge of the bed to throw a hand around his shoulders "Freya is showing us something." He said. At that moment, Freya knelt next to the bed as well, peering underneath to smile and whisper something that sounded...Well, it didn't sound human. It was a low purring sound that made Arthur a little nervous to be around her.

At her call, a paw appeared from underneath the bed, making everyone jump.

"Aw, Hell yes!"  Gwaine yelled when the creature slithered out from under the bed "YES! This is Bubbles?!" He asked excitedly. Arthur blinked. Bubbles... Was very big. How did he even fit under that bed? It looked like a panther, but its fur was pure white and eyes an almost violent shade of red. It let out a low purr, curling around Freya protectively before going over to nudge Merlin's leg. 

...There was something incredibly disturbing about seeing such a massive, dangerous creature act so passive around seemingly weak-looking people. Arthur had thought so when he saw Merlin use his dragonlord powers for the first time and had a similar feeling now as Freya kissed the tip of Bubbles' nose.

"This is him. He loves some bloodshed so he shouldn't mind battle. Also, you should be very careful around him. His bite is venomous." She warned. Gwaine gave what appeared to be a prayer before giving a delighted laugh and moving forward to pet him. Bubbles snapped his jaws and immediately the knight screamed and jumped into Merlin's lap.

"Human-Merlin, help!" He screeched. Merlin made a face and dumped him to the ground.

"You look exhausted."

Arthur smiled a bit as he glanced up from his place at the edge of the lake to find Freya standing beside him, hair free from its usual braids. He moved over for her to sit next to him.

"Your husband is driving me crazy." He told her as she plopped down and put a foot in the water.

"Morgana again?" She asked and Arthur nodded with a sigh. "Yeah... I know," She said gently and tilted her head back to look at the stars above them. "What's bothering you exactly? Do you not think he can win?" She asked and brought her eyes back to look at him. "Or are you worried that he will?" She asked, voice going impossibly soft towards the end. Arthur closed his eyes.

"Why does he want to fight her so badly?" He asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's not like him."

"He's just tired of being afraid all the time," Freya said, fingers digging into the ground next to her "He's given up on getting her back. He wants to end it." She said and bit her lip. "I think... He's worried about... The future." She said slowly. Arthur turned to frown at her. "Last month, there was a moment where I thought I might have been..." She trailed off and Arthur blinked. Oh. Oh. "Yeah," She smiled, reading his expression. "It should have been exciting, but he could not keep himself from worrying about it. About having something else that Morgana can take from us. From you and Guinevere one day." She said and tugged at the loose end of her hair.

"Well... He does have a point." He said and went quiet for a moment "You know, when I was younger I always thought I would have to worry about Morgana trying to spoil my kids. Not murder them." He admitted, feeling a deep bitterness run through him. Freya nodded.

"I'm sorry. It must hurt."

"It will...Get better." He said, not really believing the words as he said them. Freya's eyes softened. "I never apologized to you," He said suddenly. "About what you went through. The bounty hunter and hiding and being cursed and me trying to kill you." He said and took another breath. "And your family. I'm sorry. None of it would have ever happened if it weren't for me and my father." He said. Freya bit her lip, gaze turning back to the lake as she seemed to mull over the words for a few moments.

"My mother," She began slowly "Was a very renown seer among the druids. Though she wasn't very forthcoming with what she saw of the future. I sometimes wonder if she saw her own death...Or maybe my father's and sister's...Or perhaps if she saw what was to happen to me." She said thoughtfully, brows coming together. "If she did, she never warned me. One night she came in and kissed me before telling me that I didn't deserve any of it, but I guess I can't be certain she saw my fate. Maybe she saw what came after too. Merlin and Gwen and Lancelot and Leon and... Well, all of you." She smiled and shook her head "I could never blame you, Arthur. You've done right by your conscious too many times for me to. And, I think, if I were as skilled of a seer as my mother was... I wouldn't be able to find a future where you didn't do the best you could." She shrugged and Arthur had to look away at that. "Though you should be apologizing for telling me I had no friends that one time-"

"You ruined the moment." He groaned but gave her a small smile anyways. "I'm sorry. You have plenty of friends now...And speaking of friends, will you help me convince Merlin not to try and face Morgana anytime soon?" He asked, sitting up. "Just...Hold off on any potential baby creating action until I figure out how to deal with her so he doesn't have a crisis about it." He added with a shake of his head at Merlin's ridiculous antics. Freya laughed.

"No promises. He's super cute. Plus, have you seen him in those new robes?"

"Gross."

"Come on," She said, standing up "We should head back to the castle...You never know what kind of things lurk around here at night." She smiled and he rolled his eyes as he let her pull him up. "I hear rumors that sorceresses with eyes of silver and hair of butterflies are seen here."

Arthur laughed.

"Those are just myths." He said, dusting off his pants. "Nobody would believe you if you saw one." He said and Freya's smile widened a bit as she lifted her dress out of the mud before fixing him with a serious look.

"I've seen something far more rare here once." She told him and Arthur paused. He couldn't tell if she was serious or not. "It was a long time ago though..." She mused, shaking her head. "You would think I'm lying for sure..." She trailed off, eyes dancing back across the lake. Arthur made a face before taking the bait.

"Try me." He said and Freya turned back to take a long breath.

"I saw a prince here once. His hair was spun gold with sun's rays and eyes bluer than the ocean-"

"You just think you are so funny, don't you?"