#Merlin Imagine

[theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction]

Imagine crashing in Arthur's chambers after some tavern drinks...

There was a knock on the wooden door followed by a pause and then another slow knock. Arthur groaned at the noise as it interrupted his peaceful state of mind. 

Who was at his chambers so deep into the night? 

Sighing, the young prince pulled the covers off and sat up to swing his legs over the edge before taking a stand. Rubbing his face gently with a yawn, Arthur trudged over to his door. Firmly gripping the handle, he propped it open to take a look at his visitor.

Unsurprisingly, the night owl turned out to be his dear friend who was a sporting a lopsided smile. 

“Y/n?” He frowned curiously. What were you doing here at this hour? 

You placed a finger over your lips and hushed him dramatically. 

“Be quiet or the walls will hear you.” You urged.

Arthur rest his head against the door panel and closed his eyes. “You went to the tavern, didn’t you?” 

“I drank fun!” You beamed loudly, completely disregarding your previous instruction. 

Arthur widened the doorway to let you in and you accepted the invitation. Your footsteps uneven and showed clear signs of mead consumption. Closing the door behind him, Arthur started to feel more awake as he followed you through the chamber.

“Is this any hour to be drunk especially when we have the tournament ceremony tomorrow?” He asked.

You ignored him, laughing to yourself as you poked at the armour on his table. Then you took him by surprise and gasped, pointing a finger at him. 

“Are you a knight?” 

Arthur rolled his eyes and heaved another exasperated sigh. 

“Alright, you’re clearly intoxicated.” He said and walked over to the cabinet standing against the wall opposite his bed. He opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a blanket. Bringing it over to the side of his own bed, Arthur laid the soft fabric on the floor and pulled some of his pillows from his bed top to the ground, creating a makeshift bed. 

He went back to you and gently guided you over as you spoke nonsensically. 

“You’re a knight. Maybe I'm a knight? I could be a knight in the night." 

“You already are.” Arthur reminded softly as you took a seat on the blanket.

You chuckled to yourself and laid back to rest your head on the pillow. “I’m a knight.”

Arthur pulled the top blanket from his bed and draped it over your shoulders. The comfort you were cocooned in quickly caused your eyelids to drop and, before you knew it, you were fast asleep.

Arthur smiled to himself and then climbed into his own bed, returning to his own calming dreams.

Part 1 | Part 2

~ More imagines here ~

[pigfacedbitch]

It's A Trap!

summary : Prince Arthur uses reader to lure Merlin out whenever he is hiding from him.

word count : 0.5k

type : imagines

pairing/s involved : Merlin x Reader (?)

warning/s : none. just Merlin pining over reader and Arthur being an ass.

here is my masterlist!

Note : I thought of this when I watched the clip where Arthur is looking for Merlin and he was hiding behind the door. 😂 It was a one shot before and I heavily edited it too.

There is no denying that Prince's Arthur's manservant is in love with (Y/N), a noble lady from one of the most prestigious houses in Camelot.

Everyone, even Arthur himself, knows it. And that's saying something. 🫢😂

From the way Merlin would stare at you with heart in his eyes, how he would follow you everywhere like a dog, or his ears pick up whenever he hears your name.

Gaius almost wants to take a leaf out of Van Gogh's book and tear off his own ears because Merlin wouldn't shut up about you. He also writes about you in his letters for Hunith.

Now, does Arthur take advantage of it? Of course, he does. Like,"Do you know Lady (Y/N) would be there?" or "If you fetch flowers for Gwen, you could also get some for your lady love."

The epitome of the statement, however, is making you his trap. Confused? I'll explain further later.

"Merlin?! Where are you?!"

It's very common for the palace staff to hear the prince of Camelot blaringly calling out to his manservant. Although some people catch Merlin scurrying away from him or has an idea of his whereabouts, no one bothers to tell Arthur anything.

After all, it's completely understandable and why many servants can empathize. As admirable and honorable the prince is, he can be a handful at times.

That's where you come in.

Whenever Arthur has given up searching for Merlin, he would search for you instead.

He often finds you in the gardens with the other noble ladies, helping some servants with menial tasks, or having tea with Morgana and Gwen. Uther enjoys your company too, making the usual stoic ruler laugh and gossip.

"May I excuse Lady (Y/N)? I need her assistance with something."

"Is it Merlin again?"

"...Yes."

You would go to Gaius' chambers, the kitchens, servant's quarters, or anywhere Merlin could've gone to. Then, you would tell anyone that you're looking for him to speak about personal matters and you'll be waiting for him with a place of your choice.

Arthur would wait with you, but he's hiding where Merlin can't see him.

Why do you continue helping the royal prat? It's because you find it funny.

You're also curious, thinking how long will it take Merlin to stop seeking you out because most of the time it's just one of Arthur's traps.

The prince's knights bet on it. Gwaine and Leon are winning— saying how Merlin will never learn.

It's true, he doesn't. I guess love does make you an idiot.

Merlin always approaches you with a beaming grin on his face and blushed cheeks, acting like a lovesick school boy.

"My lady, you were looking for me?"

"Well you see..."

Arthur would wait for Merlin to get closer before grabbing the manservant in his clutches.

"Here you are, you idiot!"

Sometimes Merlin would free himself and run, sometimes he doesn't and Arthur would drag him away while warning him of possible punishments.

But he never misses the chance to look back and give you the most charming smile anyone has ever graced you with.

"Merlin really loves you, doesn't he?" You hear Gwen beside you, linking your arm with hers. Nervous and worried, you reply—

"Yes. I just hope that I get to tell Merlin that I share his affections. But Arthur is always with him."

[mycheese-tasted-like-applepie]

Can I have “I can’t sleep, can I sleep here?” with Merlin? Soft cuddles with baby boy in his tiny af bed. Thank you!!!

Sure! Hope you enjoy!💖

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Sleepless Nights and Magical Moments

You can't sleep and end up going to Merlin. He has just the cure for you.

#244 “I can’t sleep, can I sleep here?”

It was one of those nights that everything seemed to make you on edge. The creaking of the house, the sounds of people outside through the open windows, and the occasional blowing of wind caused your mind to be wide awake.

You were staying with Gaius in Camelot, training under him as a physician like Merlin. However, aforementioned man was here before you, so he got the room and tiny bed all to himself. Which you would rather prefer right now because the proximity you had to the front door was starting to freak you out.

Not to mention, Gauis made you read a book on venomous creatures before bed, not all of them appealing to look at.

So, needless to say, you needed some comfort and a distraction. You needed it right now.

"Merlin? Are you awake?" Your voice was hushed as you knocked on the door to his room. A few moments passed by before it opened with a slight squeak.

You were greeted with a tired-looking Merlin, with hair every which way.

"I am now...what's wrong?" He asked while rubbing at his eye with the sleeve of his shirt. You looked back to make sure Gauis was still asleep before looking back at him.

“I can’t sleep, can I sleep here?” You said shyly, pulling at your own clothes. Normally, it wouldn't be that big of a deal, but you guys sort of had a thing going. It was undefined, but more than friends was definitely part of the deal.

Still, he went red in the face, looking from you to back at his tiny bed.

"I think I can make space." Merlin said with that typical smile and little laugh. You thanked him as he moved to allow you into his room.

The transition happened quickly with him climbing back into bed so you could curl up with him. His bed was tiny, barely room for him. So, you were practically on top of Merlin as he had an arm around your shoulders to keep you from falling. Both of you were hesitant and shy, and you could hear how fast his heart was beating as your head lay on his chest just below his chin.

"So...you had a nightmare?" He asked, and you could feel his gentle breath on the top of your head when he spook.

You shuffled a little closer to him, feeling yourself sliding.

"Sort of. I just couldn't sleep...just felt on edge." You tried to explain, moving your hand to his chest as well. Merlin shifted slightly to give you more room.

"It's okay...I'm just fine where I am." You said to him, face red.

"Oh...I'm glad." Merlin stuttered with his words, but he eventually was able to express that he was happy to have you so close to him. In fact, the gentle cuddles he was getting here was something he didn't know he needed.

"Are you feeling better?" Merlin asked, wondering if you'd be able to sleep now.

"Here with you? I think I'll be just fine." You told him before burying your head in the crook of his neck. The poor boy stopped breathing for a second, but your words gave confidence.

His hand soon found your back and he rubbed it gently. For some reason, there was a warmth emanating from it that lulled you to sleep.

It was magical.

You soon found yourself falling asleep in the crook of his embrace. That tiny bed holding you both throughout the night as Merlin himself found peace from your presence. You may not know it now, but he helped you more than ever.

When morning came, Merlin was glad to see that his magic gave you a nightmare free night.

[rubysunnday]

dead and gone and buried

a/n: i'm deep in my gwaine brain rot right now so have a cute/angsty lil fic summary: Y/N looses someone she loves and leans on Gwaine in the darkest hours.

The early spring mornings were one of the highlights of Y/N’s day. As she meandered through the corridors of the castle, she caught glimpses of the morning sun slowly rising, bathing the white stone walls in orange.

Each sunrise brought with it a new day and a fresh start.

It also brought along one knight and a large plate of breakfast.

"What is it today, Sir Gwaine?" Y/N asked, walking down the corridor and toward Gwaine.

Gwaine was half dressed, cloak draped and folded over one shoulder, chain mail roughly tucked into his belt. He held a large plate in one hand, gloves in the other.

"I believe it is pork with leftovers from last night," he replied, coming to a stop beside Y/N. "There's some apple, some... I think potatoes?"

Y/N peered at the plate. She nodded. "Potatoes."

She reached out and snatched one off the plate, dodging Gwaine's pitiful attempt at slapping her hand with his gloves.

"Have you not got things to be doing?" He asked, shielding his plate from her.

"Oh, I have a lengthy list," she replied, "but I would much rather be taunting you than helping people get dressed."

Gwaine chuckled. He tossed his head back, letting his hair fall out of his face. "I should probably go and get ready."

Y/N nodded, gently sweeping her foot across the floor. "Do you need a hand?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Uh..." Gwaine looked at himself, taking in his mismatched state of dress. "Please," he replied, his smile growing.

Gwaine leant across Y/N and placed his plate of breakfast down on the window sill. She pulled his cloak from his shoulder and took his gloves.

Y/N held Gwaine's clothes as he untangled his chain mail from his belt and awkwardly dragged it down over his head. She watched, angling her eyes down when Gwaine looked up, flicking his hair out from under the shirt.

He reached out and took his cape from her, his fingers brushing against the back of her hand. In one, rather dramatic, swoop, he put the cape around his shoulders and pulled the buckle tight, letting the cape settle around his shoulders.

With a smile, Y/N slapped the gloves into Gwaine's hands. "Good morrow, Sir Knight."

Gwaine bowed to her, sweeping his cloak out behind him. "Good morrow, Lady Y/N."

Y/N giggled. "You better get going unless you want our wonderful king to yell at you."

"He yells at me all the time," Gwaine replied, pulling his gloves on. "It'll be nothing new."

He leant across and pressed a kiss to Y/N's cheek. Gwaine stepped back and nodded at her, turning on his heel and walking down the corridor.

Y/N shook her head, a fond smile on her face, and began walking the opposite direction.

//

"Gwaine, if you spent more time watching your opponent, you'd spend less time on the floor." Arthur yelled, stabbing his sword into the grass.

Y/N laughed softly as she walked past. Gwaine was, indeed, lying sprawled on the grass, his sword flung miles away. He rolled over onto his stomach, his eyes catching on Y/N as she passed. She waved to him and he awkwardly waved back to her.

When she got a chance, Y/N always went for a walk down past the training ground. Partly so she could watch Gwaine try and partly because she could breathe in the fresh air and stroll amongst the upper town.

There was only so much pretentious behaviour Y/N could take from those in the castle before she lost her mind.

"Lady Y/N?"

Y/N turned her head, coming face to face with a flush-faced, out-of-breath messenger.

She nodded. Y/N patiently waited as the messenger fiddled with this bag, struggling to find the piece of parchment he was meant to give her.

Eventually he found it, whipping it out the bag with a flourish. He handed it to Y/N and, before she could even unfolded it, ran off back into the upper town, dodging through the crowds.

The wax seal popped off easily. Y/N unfolded the letter, all ready knowing what it would say.

She'd been waiting for this letter for months. Ever since her father had retired from his role as secretary of state because of his declining health, she'd been waiting for the letter that summoned her home to be at his death bed.

'It's time to come home.'

There it was, written in black ink and folded into a square.

"You alright?"

Y/N jumped, dropping the letter and stumbling back over a tiny pebble on the ground. Gwaine, who'd made her jump in the first place, caught her by the waist and stabled her, setting her back on her own two feet.

"Sorry," he said, wincing. "I thought you'd heard me."

"No, I hadn't," Y/N breathed, still recovering. "I was -"

"Reading?" Gwaine held out her letter to her. "Is it your father?" He asked as she took it, clutching the letter to her chest.

Y/N had confided in Gwaine about her father's health long ago. He'd been the one to watch out for him during council meetings, escorting him back to his chambers when he'd been to unwell to stay any longer.

Gwaine had been a silent supporter for Y/N as she tried to cope with her father and her job in the castle. When her father had retired and returned back to their home village, Gwaine had held her hand as she watched him disappear through the gates.

So it was with no surprise that Y/N turned to her best friend and said "yes... he most likely won't survive the week."

Gwaine took a step closer, reaching down and gently grabbing Y/N's hand, cradling it in his.

"When are you going?" He asked, lowering his voice as a group of knights passed by, laughing loudly.

Y/N shrugged. The wind picked up, blowing her hair in front of her eyes and she brushed it back, ignoring the headdress she'd pinned to her hair.

Gwaine reached up with his other hand and caught her hand. He brushed her hair back, untangling it from the headdress. His hand lowered, brushing against her cheek before returning to his side.

"It's an hour or two away," Y/N said softly, "so either before nightfall or first thing tomorrow morning."

"I'll come with you."

"No, Gwaine, I can't ask you to do that -"

Gwaine cut her off, putting a hand to her cheek. "I offered. I don't want you to be alone, that's all."

Y/N nodded, swallowing back the tears building in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

//

Atheyers was quiet as they rode into the town. The townsfolk had begun lighting lanterns and shutting windows, settling down for the night.

Gwaine helped Y/N down from her horse and, hand in hand, they walked up to the big, wooden timbered house, that was Y/N's family home.

Inside the atmosphere was sombre and almost stifling with grief. For a moment, Y/N thought she was too late. But then she saw her brother rush down the stairs and her panic eased slightly.

"You're just in time," Isaac whispered, embracing his sister tightly. "Come on." He turned, looking at Gwaine. "You too, Sir Gwaine."

The room was quiet, lit candles providing warmth and a calming light.

Y/N walked in, hiding behind her brother for a second. She peered round and saw her father lying in bed, looking pale and fragile.

"Y/N's here, father," her brother whispered.

Y/N glanced behind, searching for Gwaine's reassuring gaze. He stood in the shadows, quietly watching. When he caught her gaze, he nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

She stepped forward and crouched down beside the bed. "I'm here, father," she said softly, taking his hand in hers. "You can rest now."

//

Bird song greeted Gwaine the next morning. He'd fallen asleep in a chair that sat outside the bedroom, against the wall of the corridor. He stretched as he stood up, rubbing his face.

The door creaked slightly as he pushed it open, peering inside. Y/N was asleep beside her father, still curled on the floor, her head resting on the mattress, arm folded under her head.

Gwaine knew that her father had passed. There was a new, peaceful silence in the room broken only by the birds tweeting outside.

He approached Y/N and knelt down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Y/N," he whispered, shaking her gently. "Hey..."

Y/N lifted her head, looking up at Gwaine. "He's gone."

"I know. I'm sorry," he whispered, stroking her hair.

Y/N sat back, leaning against Gwaine's chest. He shifted, kneeling behind her, pulling her into his lap.

They sat there for a moment. Y/N held Gwaine's hand tightly and closed her eyes.

//

They gathered on the shore of Lake Riveia, watching the boat containing the body of Y/N's father burn.

Y/N stood at the edge of the shore, her brother next to her. Dressed in black, she looked like a shadow in the afternoon sunlight.

Gwaine stood with the other knights, capes blowing in the breeze, heads bowed. Arthur stood along side them - not as a king but as a knight himself.

After a while, those gathered began to walk back to the castle, until Y/N and Gwaine were all who remained.

"How are you?" Gwaine asked, coming to stand by Y/N's sad, his shoulder brushing against her.

"Coping," she whispered, her eyes still fixed on the burning boat in the distance. After a moments pause, she turned to face Gwaine. "Thank you for being here."

Gwaine raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised. "Of course," he replied. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."

"I know but... I'm grateful for the fact you even stayed to check on me," Y/N replied, chuckling sadly. "Not many do."

"Not many love you like I do."

Y/N smiled, looking down at the ground. Gwaine reached over and placed his finger under her chin, gently guiding her head up until she was looking at him.

"I love you, Y/N," he said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. He rested his hand against her cheek and Y/N leant into it. "I love you with so much of my heart, none is left to protest."

"That's good," Y/N said, giggling quietly. "I don't think I could cope with you denying your feelings." She paused, pressing her lips together. "I think I do enough for both of us."

Gwaine gently turned Y/N by her shoulders until she faced him. She looked up, staring into his eyes, suddenly remembering just how beautiful his brown eyes were.

Slowly, Y/N leant forward, her eyes closing. Gwaine pressed his lips to hers, his hands resting on her hips. Y/N raised her arms, threading her fingers through his hair, untangling the curls.

They pulled apart, resting their foreheads together.

"I finally have my own knight," Y/N whispered, shoulders shaking as she giggled.

"And I my lady," Gwaine replied, pressing another kiss to her lips. "Forever and always."

Y/N stepped closer and kissed Gwaine again, holding him as tightly as she could.

[helloalycia]

the king’s ward [one] // morgana pendragon

summary: when you and your brother travel to Camelot to compete in a fighting competition, there's one problem: women can't fight. So, naturally, you convince him to switch places with you whilst you have your chance to fight. And impressing the King's Ward is merely a bonus.

warning/s: mentions of fighting and violence.

author's note: hello! so this was impulse written not long ago when i rewatched merlin bc who doesn't love katie mcgrath? it's inspired by that merlin ep where arthur uses a decoy in his jousting (?) match! and it's kind of like she's the man if you think about it haha, so do enjoy! it's a multi-part imagine :)

two / three / four / masterlist / wattpad

"This is gonna be amazing, Y/B/N," I said with a grin, trying to contain my excitement as we approached the tournament grounds.

"Reign it in," he said lightheartedly, though I knew he was right. I wasn't supposed to be competing, he was, so I had to play the part.

Every year, Camelot held a fighting tournament that anybody could compete in, even those who weren't knights. There were no rules and it was an open competition, however despite nothing explicitly saying women couldn't compete, it was a given. And so every year, I only dreamt of competing so that I could see if I was as good as I hoped. Finally, I came up with the genius idea for my brother, Y/B/N, to pretend to compete whilst I actually did the fighting. It wasn't foolproof, but I was desperate, and he agreed after much convincing.

We'd arrived in Camelot last night, our first ever visit to the kingdom, and were staying in the full to-the-brim tavern in a room above the pub. It wasn't ideal, but it would do the job. The real reason I was here was right before me and I couldn't be more excited.

"Y/B/N Y/L/N?" a voice called, and my brother and I both spun around to see a servant boy approaching. "You're up first. You can use the tent over there to get into your armour, if you have any."

"Thank you," Y/B/N said with a nod before we both headed over to his – AKA mine – tent.

"This is perfect for making the switch," I said with a contained grin, looking around the enclosed space.

"You heard the boy, you're up first," Y/B/N said with a smile, before dropping our bag on the bench. "Let's get you suited up."

He helped me pull my armour over the top of my clothes, a bulky-looking but lightweight set that fit us both and was easy enough for me to manoeuvre in whilst also hiding any distinguishable feminine body parts that could give me away. After that, he handed me my sword and gave me a supportive nod.

"Good luck out there," he said, my helmet in his hand. "You're gonna smash it, sis."

I grinned. "I will indeed. They aren't going to know what's hit them."

He laughed and helped me put on my helmet, the metal covering my whole head except for some slits in the eyes to let me see.

"You ready?" he asked once more, and I gave him a thumbs up, already committing to staying quiet. He patted my back. "Go and win!"

Taking a deep breath, I left the tent and headed to the grounds, the sight of all those people watching only exciting me more. All I'd ever dreamt of was showing people my skills, for them to take me seriously. Not as a woman or a man, but a fighter. And this was my chance, finally. I wasn't going to let it slip by.

"I'm sure you're all excited about the tournament, as am I," the King began to speak, silencing everyone in seconds. "It's going to be a magnificent week of fighting, skill and talent. We shall see who the best fighters of Albion truly are. Starting with our first match of the tournament – Y/B/N Y/L/N versus Henry Wright!"

The crowd erupted into cheers as my opponent and I walked in the centre, our chosen weapons at our side. The King looked down at us both with anticipation, waiting for quiet. And then when he was ready, he raised his hand.

"You may begin," was all he said, and I barely had chance to take a breath before my opponent, Henry, swung first.

His mace, spiked and heavy, almost took my head off if I didn't move in time. The crowd 'ooh'd' as it did and I tried to tune them out, focusing on the fight. I couldn't afford distractions.

As Henry kept moving forward, slashing his mace at me and trying to touch my armour, I dodged effortlessly. Henry may have been strong, but he was slow, and his weapon of choice was particularly terrible. Once he'd worn himself out, it was my turn to take a swing at him, my sword coming down on his gauntlets in a wide arc. Contact was made and he grunted loudly, grossly, and stepped back. I slashed a few more times, to which he was now on the defensive, using his clunky weapon as a barrier. But it didn't faze me as I kept on slashing, trying to back him into the side.

Once he was trapped, I let him take a shot at me, only to roll to the side at the last second and swipe his legs out from beneath him. He hit the ground as quickly as I directed my sword at his neck. Lifting his hands in defeat, I couldn't fight the grin from my lips.

The crowd erupted into cheers, yelling my brother's name, and I lowered my sword before offering out my hand. Henry let me pull him up before letting go bitterly, walking off the grounds. I laughed to myself before looking around me at the crowd, waving a little too cockily. I couldn't help it – I'd won! My first match!

When I turned to face the King, I saw he was clapping in his chair, impressed at my handiwork. Seated beside him was his ward, Morgana, and I'd heard so much of her but never seen her before. I wasn't prepared for her beauty, nor the vibrancy of her green eyes in the sun, even from a distance. And once again, I couldn't help but let my cockiness get the better of me. Between waving, I blew her a kiss, facing her directly in a way that I hoped she knew it was for her. Judging from the way she immediately turned pink in the face, I knew I'd succeeded.

After soaking in the glory a moment longer, I left to return to Y/B/N who was waiting for me in the tent. As soon as he saw me, a grin was on his face.

"Sounds like you gave them a good show," he commented as I rushed to remove my helmet and armour.

"Y/B/N, it was like nothing I've ever experienced," I admitted, still buzzing with adrenaline and excitement. "It was perfect. And you should've seen the way I got the other guy on his butt!"

He chuckled as I helped pull the armour onto him. "I'm sure it was something special. It's a shame I can't watch."

"We can't risk you being caught," I reminded him, before handing my sword and helmet. "Go on. Do your final waves. Don't forget to rub it in their face that I won, yeah?"

He rolled his eyes playfully. "I'm not doing that."

I laughed as he left the tent. My smile was permanent as I stood alone. One round down, several more to go.

"The other guys are pretty rough," Y/B/N said as we hung back to watch the other matches and get a better feel for the competition. "You sure you're up for it?"

"Don't even joke," I said to him with a knowing look. "You know it's all I want. They don't scare me."

He raised his eyebrows. "Hey, I was thinking more about them. They're gonna get smothered and not even know it. You don't wanna give them a chance?"

A smile grew on my lips as I shoved him in the side. "You're so stupid."

He mirrored my smile before paying attention to the fights. We stayed there until the last fight before chatting about what we'd seen by the tents. The crowd was dispersing and the other fighters were talking about getting a drink at the tavern, even inviting my brother to join them. He found it strange, the attention, especially since he knew it wasn't for him. I assured him he had to be a team player and not raise suspicion, but he wasn't impressed.

As we were chatting, I couldn't help but notice a blur of black hair in my peripheral vision, and when I looked, I saw the Lady Morgana walking by with her handmaiden. She spotted my brother and I and, naturally, her attention was on my brother. She flashed him a smile, to which he awkwardly returned, and then began to approach us.

"Er, why is the Lady Morgana coming to talk to us?" Y/B/N asked nervously.

"No idea," I said, though my own smile was tempting to break out as my eyes wandered over her figure. She was seriously stunning.

"Hello there," Morgana spoke when she stopped before us. "It's Y/B/N, right?"

He nodded slowly, before clearing his throat and bowing. "A pleasure to meet you, my lady."

"Please, no need for the formalities," she said with a slight laugh, one that I knew I'd be dreaming of for days. "I just came to say that you put up a good fight this morning. I look forward to seeing your performance throughout the week."

"Thank you, my lady," was all he said, and I almost rolled my eyes at his dense self. Couldn't he see she was interested him?

"And who is this pretty lady?" she continued, and I realised she was speaking to me.

"I'm Y/N, my lady," I introduced myself with a smile. "Y/B/N's twin sister. Not identical, thankfully."

Y/B/N rolled his eyes as Morgana laughed at my joke.

"Well, it's lovely to meet you, Y/N," she said, eyes lingering on mine. "Might I say, you have a very talented brother."

I hummed in agreement, biting my tongue and trying not to laugh. Talented... I'd take it.

"I should be going, but have a good evening, both of you," Morgana finished, glancing between us before leaving.

"Y/N, what did you do? Why is she suddenly interested?" Y/B/N asked as I watched her walk away, entranced.

"Nothing," I reassured him, before tearing my gaze from Morgana and looking to Y/B/N. "What? I didn't do anything!"

He rolled his eyes and shoved me before walking away. I bit my lip to contain a grin and skipped after him. I was beginning to like it here.

The next fight was soon upon me and it was safe to say that I was nailing it. My opponent was supposed to be a challenge, but I could swear it was only getting easier. He was over six feet tall and towering over me. Compared to me AKA Y/B/N, he was huge. Luckily for me, height wasn't an issue as my brother and I were close enough in height, a solid five foot eight and nine respectively, so it wouldn't give us away.

The fight was over in minutes, with me landing a winning blow to my clown of an opponent, right in the gut. As soon as he was down, the crowd were up and out of their seats, cheering me on. The intensity of their cheering surprised me at first, as I didn't realise they loved me so much. It took them longer to calm down, and a few flowers were thrown from the stands, making me grin as I waved at them. When I looked to the King, he was surprisingly smiling as he clapped his leather-gloved hands heavily. Morgana was stood up beside him, clapping with the crowd, and I couldn't stop myself.

Without thinking, I picked up a flower from the ground, dusted it off on my armour and threw it up to her. I was relieved when it landed at her feet, worried I'd missed, and she seemed surprised as she picked it up. When she looked at me, I bowed respectfully, making the crowd cheer even louder, and I tried to pretend I couldn't see King Uther losing his smile as he looked at me with suspicion. Oops?

I jogged back to the tent, feeling lightweight and overwhelmingly happy. Y/B/N clapped me on the back in congratulations before we exchanged gear and he headed back out to reveal his face, waving once more.

After he soaked in the glory for a little longer, I packed up our things and we left the tent to get some water. A few knights, to our surprise, approached us and began chatting to Y/B/N about his technique. He played along perfectly, since he was a decent fighter himself, and I merely watched as they spoke of my moves and skill, grinning to myself. Clearly I was doing better than I thought if the knights of Camelot were complimenting me.

"Hey, Y/B/N," a voice called from behind, and we both turned to see a flirtatiously-smiling Morgana walking past. She nodded at my brother, saying, "The flower was cute."

Poor Y/B/N was clueless. "The flower?"

Morgana laughed, thinking he was joking, and left. I suppressed a smile as we both turned to the knights. One of them gave Y/B/N a knowing look.

"Bold move giving the King's ward a flower right in front of the King himself," they said with a snicker, before leaving.

Y/B/N blinked and began to turn to me. "I did what?"

I smiled sheepishly. "What? She was impressed by my skill! How could I resist?"

"Y/N!"

"Look, she's pretty and she deserved it, okay?" I said nonchalantly. "It's no biggie."

He facepalmed and I could tell he was already regretting changing places with me.

Later that same evening, Y/B/N and I were making the most of the training grounds that Prince Arthur was letting the contestants use for the week. To everyone else, I was merely practicing with him, but to us, he was actually helping me practice. 

For the third time in five minutes, I knocked Y/B/N on his butt and laughed at the expression on his face.

"C'mon, at least give me some sort of challenge," I teased, holding out my hand for him.

He let me help him up as he gave me a knowing look. "Don't be too good or people will suspect."

I scoffed. "Nobody will think twice about me."

"Oh yeah, because you're so inconspicuous dressed like that," he said sarcastically.

I ignored him, though I knew he was only looking out for me. Ladies wore frocks and dresses, not pants and shirts. But I didn't like to be restricted – why was that such a bad thing? I hated that I had to put myself in a box just to make others feel comfortable. It wasn't fair.

"Are you ready?" I asked, readying my sword.

He nodded and did the same before coming at me without warning. I held my own well enough, even with him giving his all, and with the utmost satisfaction, I managed to land him on his butt yet again. He narrowed his eyes at me and I began to laugh before pissing him off that little bit more by twiddling the hilt of my sword on my forefinger in the air, watching it spin before catching it. It was a silly little celebratory move I liked to do, one that Y/B/N hated because it usually meant I had beaten him.

Grumbling to himself, Y/B/N helped himself stand up as I watched on with amusement.

"Impressive."

Surprised, I turned around and definitely didn't expect to see the Lady Morgana approaching us.

"You're almost as good as your brother," she commented, looking at me.

Smile fading slightly, I tried not to draw anymore attention to myself. "Something like that."

She lifted a brow curiously. "It's a shame you couldn't compete. You're better than half the men in this competition."

"It's just how it is, my lady. The King's rules," I said, though I was secretly smiling because she thought I was good. As me, the real me, not my brother.

"If it were up to me, I'd have loved to watch you fight," she said, making me smile to myself. I risked glancing at her and saw she was watching me with her own smile, before looking to my brother.

"Good luck tomorrow," she said to him considerately.

"Thank you, my lady," Y/B/N said, bowing.

She nodded her head at him before catching my staring, offering a smile, then leaving.

"Gosh, she's so pretty," I said, unable to look away from her.

"Not here, not now," Y/B/N said in a warning tone before slapping me on the back.

"I'm gonna win just to see her smile," I decided, finally looking away from her retreating figure.

Y/B/N rolled his eyes, shaking his head with disbelief. I raised an eyebrow challengingly.

"Another round?"

"No way," he said immediately, making me laugh as I watched him walk away.

"Like you always do," I whispered to myself as I stood face to face with my next opponent. "Come on."

My opponent carried a sword and shield and was very good with both, as I'd seen him using it these past few days. Probably the first real challenge I had, I was a little nervous, but one look at my sword reminded me why I was here and what I was capable of. I wasn't going to let this man throw me off.

As we fought, I quickly realised he wasn't going to tire out easily. As quick as he was skilful, he dodged all of my slashes, blocked all of my stabs and avoided all of my feigned shots. He was too good, keeping me on my toes. I was growing tired as the minutes dragged on and he knew this, using it as his opportunity to slam his shield against me, knocking me back. I tuned out the audience's reactions, shaking my head to get back into it.

I let him believe he was going in for a strike before rolling out the way and slashing the back of his legs. He groaned as he spun around, blocking my next hit. This seemed to piss him off as he came at me quick and hard, striking every second and driving me further and further backwards. One sturdy hit with his shield and I was on my back. Just as he tried to strike me, I rolled out the way and stood up, putting some distance between us.

Collecting myself, I saw that he pulled his shield over him once more and knew I needed to use that to my advantage. He wasn't going to let it go, no matter how hard I hit it. And I was already growing tired, my body battered and bruised, my energy depleting. If he kept going like this, he'd surely win. And I couldn't let him.

A stupid idea came to my head and I figured it was worth a shot if I was already losing. Why not?

Running directly at my opponent, I watched as he tucked in, shield up and ready to block my hit. Just when he was about to shove it towards me, I used the momentum to jump on it, over his head and hitting the ground, just about. I was so shocked it worked that I almost forgot to use his own surprise to my advantage. Without wasting a second, I spun around and smacked the hilt of my sword at the back of his head, knocking him to the ground. Worried I'd hit him too hard, I kneeled down to listen in.

When he let out a breath, I sighed with relief and stood up, eyes closing for a moment. Then the stands shook as everyone stood up, cheering and yelling and clapping, and I opened my eyes with a smile. As I waved my sword hand in the air, bowing, the cheering only intensified and I couldn't stop grinning. Admittedly, the thrill of it all got to my head and I began to show off, waving to the crowd on all sides. Just because I could, I twiddled my sword on the tip of my gloved forefinger in the air and threw it up before catching it by the hilt. The crowd seemed to love it and a grin was permanently fixed on my face as I left the grounds to return to my tent.

"That's the loudest I've ever heard them," Y/B/N said as soon as he saw me. "What did you do?"

"Whatever I could," I said between a laugh, before pulling off my helmet. "Get me out of this, I'm so hot."

He chuckled and helped me out of it, and I helped him into it as usual. Giving him his sword and helmet, I sent him off before taking a deep breath and drinking lots of water. My body was aching and there were definitely bruises all along my legs and chest, but I didn't care because that was insane. How the hell did I manage that?! Whatever it was, it was incredible and I couldn't wait to do it again in my next fight.

Y/B/N returned after soaking in the glory, pulling off the armour and ready to help me pack it all away, but to both of our surprises, Prince Arthur walked in the tent.

"Hello," he greeted awkwardly, before looking to Y/B/N. "You fought excellently today. I wanted to ask if you'd have a word with me outside."

I hid my smile as my brother nodded, exchanging glances with me before following after the prince. Prince Arthur was impressed by me? No way. There was no way! I'd have to fight him soon enough, since he was also competing, but who cared? He was impressed!

I tried to contain my excitement as I went about packing away my armour, stuck in my own daydream land. So much, in fact, that I didn't hear anybody enter the tent behind me.

"It's you!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin when a familiar voice came out of nowhere. Spinning around, I was surprised to see the Lady Morgana standing there with a shocked smile on her face.

"Huh?"

She licked her lips, stepping fully inside the tent and glancing behind her, before looking to me. Lowering her voice, she said, "It's you. The fighting out there. It's not your brother, it's you."

When I finally managed to stop getting distracted by her pretty smile and listened to what she was saying, my own smile faded.

Swallowing hard, I played dumb. "What? That's crazy."

I tried to busy myself with packing my bag whilst also panicking inside, but she kept going with it.

"The sword trick at the end," she stated with confidence. "Where you twirl it on your finger. You did the same thing when you beat your brother yesterday. It's you, isn't?"

I closed my eyes, cursing myself at my stupidity. The damned sword trick. Why did I have to let my cockiness get the better of me?

"Maybe," I admitted, turning to face her, and she smiled to herself.

"I bloody knew it! Well– okay, maybe I didn't, but it makes sense," she said. "Your brother acts like a completely different person out on the grounds compared to when he's literally anywhere else. Because it's not him."

I stayed quiet, both embarrassed that I'd been caught out and nervous to what it meant for me.

"Wait," she realised, pausing, and I could practically see her brain working everything out. Green eyes met mine as she asked, "The flower. Blowing me the kiss. That was... that was you?"

If only the earth could swallow me up there and then.

"I was committing to the role...?" I said dumbly, making me her chuckle. Beginning to panic even more now, I said, "Look, if I'm in trouble, please don't punish Y/B/N. He didn't even want to do this, but I made him. It was the only way I could compete. I just wanted to see how far I could get."

She furrowed her brows, a confused smile on her face. "Y/N, you're not in trouble."

I blinked, taken aback. "I'm not in... huh?"

"I won't tell a soul," she promised, expression softening. "Keep doing what you're doing. You've single-handedly impressed every member of the court, all the knights, the prince and the King himself. You're amazing, Y/N."

At her words, I began to smile, feeling a sense of pride take over. "Why are you doing this?"

She shrugged, playing coy. "Maybe it's women sticking together. Maybe it's because I enjoy watching you fight. Or maybe I don't want to see you getting punished for being such a good fighter."

I sighed quietly, a sense of relief spreading through me. "Whatever it is, thank you, my lady. Truly."

"It's Morgana," she corrected, eyes flickering between mine.

I pursed my lips to stop my smile from widening, and then she stepped forward and kissed my cheek, making me freeze at the contact.

"And thank you for the flower," she whispered in my ear, before stepping back.

My mouth went dry as I watched her red lips curled into a smile before she left the tent. I was certain I was as red as her lipstick, my heart racing in my chest. A grin soon formed on my lips and I couldn't stop.

Moments later, Y/B/N returned and seemed surprised with his chat with Prince Arthur, but I was too distracted thinking about Morgana, my cheek still tingling from her touch.

"The prince wanted to personally congratulate me on my progress thus far," Y/B/N shared. "He hopes to see me make it to the finals so he can see what I'm all about up close."

His words went in one ear and out the other. Did Morgana always smell of jasmine, I wondered?

"Seriously? I thought you'd be dying to know more," Y/B/N said with suspicion.

"What?" I finally tuned back in, kind of. "Yeah, that's great, Y/B/N."

He studied me curiously. "I just saw the Lady Morgana leave here. What did she want?"

"Huh?" I asked, half listening.

"Y/N!" he said, startling me.

Finally, his words settled and I answered, "She just wanted to compliment how great you did today."

"How kind," he said, not believing me.

I couldn't tell him that she actually knew the truth – he'd get cold feet and back out of the competition, and then I'd never get to prove myself. Besides, Morgana said she wouldn't tell anyone, so we were still good to go. What Y/B/N didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Wait," I said, finally acknowledging what he said earlier. "What did Prince Arthur say about me?"

Y/B/N groaned dramatically and grabbed the bag of armour, ignoring me. I was forced to chase after him, doing his head in about everything the prince said.

[jesuschristwhatsgoingon]

I rewatched Kingsman because it’s a DILF movie and y’all can’t change my mind.Colin Firth and Mark Strong had zero reasons to be that attractive.This has been in sitting in my drafts for a long while and I hope y’all enjoy this!

You’re the newest addition to Kingsman who joined a year or two ago so you know the other agents well but the ones you got along the most were Agent Galahad and Merlin.

You work well with the both of them and gone with them for numerous missions(separately).

It wasn’t hard to crush on the both of them considering how wonderful the both of them are with the bonus of how easy on the eyes they were(looking respectfully,of course).

With it being a serious workplace environment and the both of them probably seeing you nothing more than as a co-worker or newbie,you knew nothing more would come out of it and was content with the way things were.

So when Arthur needed all three of you to go on a mission together,it was a bit of a shocker.

You know that Galahad and Merlin worked together for years and are the best at what they do.So with you still being relatively new,this mission made you nervous and it doesn’t help you admire the both of them immensely.

You guys would be undercover at a gala at some rich asshole’s mansion and would need to find some important documents.

The mission required you to be in close proximity to each other due to whatever reasons.Sounds difficult when you don’t want to be suspicious,right?

The solution?You will go undercover as a sugar baby and the other two as your sugar daddies.

Since they’re both gentlemen,they would discuss if you’re okay with doing what’s needed to convince people of your roles.

The amount of endearing nicknames they would call you and the amount of touching just honestly makes me blush.

(Not me imaging having to sit on one of their laps as they’re whispering in your ear the plan and the other leaning down to kiss your neck to be able inconspicuously listen and breathlessly whispering back down your neck. . .I’m not fine)

BONUS

You guys are about to get caught in a room that you guys definitely shouldn’t be in.What makes people more uncomfortable than to see public display of physical affection especially when it seems a bit too physical.

Good thing Merlin and Galahad are really good actors.At least,you think they were acting,right?

[ssadumba55]

Masterlist: Masterlists

Masterlist hashtag: #milo's masterlists

On mobile for me, sometimes the masterlist tag doesn't work so just to make my masterlists more accessible to those looking for them, here's a masterlist of them all.

Jurassic Franchise

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Dreamworks

Riordanverse

Hellaverse

Kingdom Hearts

Criminal Minds

Merlin

Scooby-Doo

Once Upon A Time

Walt Disney Animated Pictures Pt. 1 - Peter Pan, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, A Goofy Movie, Hercules, Mulan, Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire & Wish

Walt Disney Animated Pictures Pt. 2 - Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Frozen, Big Hero 6, Moana, Encanto, The Nightmare Before Christmas & Mickey & Friends

Pixar

Disney Live Action Movies

Disney TVA

It

Stranger Things

Night at the Museum

Super Mario

Archived Fandoms

[beautifultypewriter]

Hello! Happy Saturday! Can I please get blue with Merlin for mystical magical Saturday? I’m like bang in the middle of uni finals and I need some of our favorite warlock

Hi! Thank you for sending one in! Hope you like it!

The Prompt: “Slow down.”

Merlin’s grip on your hand tightened as he dragged you around a corner. Shouting could be heard from behind the two of you as you fought to keep yourself from tripping on your cloak. Merlin slipped on the stone floor, but managed to stay upright as he continued running, dragging you behind him. You breathed heavily, “Merlin, slow down.”

He glanced back at you briefly, “I can’t!” And he actually started to move faster. You groaned, matching his pace and squeezing his hand. The shouting had started to fade and you knew that you were closer to safety with each step.

Unfortunately, your legs were growing tired and you weren’t sure how much longer you would be able to keep this up. Merlin seemed not to notice, though if his huffing and puffing were any indication, he was feeling similarly to you. You stopped short, digging your heels in to stop Merlin from pulling you right off your feet. The young servant whipped around to stare at you, tugging lightly on your hand to get you moving again, but you ignored him, looking around the corridor. Noticing the heavy curtains, you pulled Merlin over. Whipping them back, you pressed against the wall, dragging Merlin next to you, and let them fall back into place. He stared at you with a small smile and you laughed, “Needed to catch my breath.” Your eyes slipped shut as you pressed the back of your head against the cool stone of the wall behind you. Merlin continued to smile at you, his eyes fully adjusted to the dark behind the curtain.

He called your name softly and your eyes opened as you turned to him. Merlin leaned in closer. You could feel his breath on your lips. His hand rested lightly on your cheek as you stared into his eyes.

Your eyes snapped shut as light flooded the space. Merlin’s hand fell to his side as he turned to the intrusion. You could hear the laughter of Percival and Gwaine and you didn’t think twice as you grabbed Merlin’s hand and pulled him down the corridor. He fell into step beside you, squeezing your hand tightly. Glancing over quickly, you flashed him a bright smile, squeezing his hand back. Your laughter echoed along the walls as heavy footfalls could be heard behind you two.

[alloftheimaginesblog]

What Merlin would be like in bed...

Merlin gives off quite a dorky, silly, somewhat doesn't know what's going on vibe however in the bedroom, he's a completely different person.

As soon as the bedroom door shuts, he transforms into a different person.

He's confident, cocky and he loves to tease.

He absolutely uses his magic to trail what feels like electricity over your skin as his mouth works you close to the edge.

Merlin loves the way you moan and mewl for him. He loves how loud he can make you get, loves to pull screams from you. He adores the noises you make. He loves knowing that he's the one who makes you feel that good; makes him rock hard.

Although confident in his sex skills, he's always willing and eager to learn. He loves for you to teach him, to be submissive to him and for you to tell him exactly what to do. He hates taking orders from anyone but he'll happily take orders from you.

He loves to kiss. Merlin loves just kissing you, it's so simple and yet a deep kiss will have him hard and ready for you.

He loves going down on you, loves the taste of you and he loves using his magic to overstimulate you; he loves when you're a moaning, mewling mess beneath him.

He can be very sweet in bed, very slow and passionate but most of the time, Merlin likes a little bit of trouble. He likes to tease you, likes you needy. He loves to show off with his magic, making you orgasm with it before he even uses his mouth.

He usually ends up late to meet Arthur because he's too busy in bed with you.

Arthur teases him about you, Arthur tries to give him sex lessons because he thinks the poor boy is helpless. Merlin thanks him for the advice and hides a laugh behind his hand. He doesn't need any advice, he knows how to please you and he knows how to do it well.

He even goes so far sometimes to pleasure you in public... Using his magic from across the room to give you a little zap of electricity across your skin to make you shiver and stammer in your seat. He hides his satisfied smile with a cough as your cheeks turn red and you glare at him across the table.

Merlin enjoys that people don't think he's much because all he cares about is you and your opinion, he likes being able to surprise you; always pleasuring you and teasing you. He likes that only you get to see that side of him.

Aftercare with Merlin includes curling up beside him, flushed and sweaty, all smiles and giggles as he presses a kiss to your shoulder, your knuckles, your nose, your cheeks and then finally your lips before you mumble a soft 'I love you' to the other. He loves falling asleep like that with you, tangled and happy.

[imaginesfordifferentfandoms]

ivy

Click here for my masterlist.

Click here to add yourself to my taglist.

Prompt - ‘Taking mine, but it's been promised to another.’

From the start your marriage had been nothing but a sham, a performance put on for the world to see. Vows that promised a lifetime of faith and love slipped from your lips, the lies pleasing those who heard it whilst turning you cold. It was all a lie, a marriage arranged before you had been born, it was what you were born for.

It didn’t matter that you were a Princess, it didn’t matter that you knew how to rule a kingdom, knew that you could lead your people. Nothing mattered except making sure the Prince looked the part. You weren’t needed for your mind, you were simply an accessory, somebody to stand by the prince. One day he would be a great King, everybody told you as much and you could only smile politely and nod whilst desperately trying to ignore how empty you felt.

And you did feel empty. You were far too good to spend your days standing beside the future King. It wasn’t that Arthur was terrible or cruel, as arranged marriages went you knew you had gotten lucky with him. He was kind if not a little bit arrogant but he was loyal and brave, willing to die for those he held dearest to him. You truly did believe he would be a great King, far better than Uther at any rate, you just wished you could be something more than simply the Prince’s wife.

Arthur treated your marriage as though it was a real one, which it was for all intents and purposes except for the fact that you didn’t love Arthur. The two of you shared a bed, spent your days side by side, he kissed your cheeks and held your hand in public. The kingdom adored the pair of you together. Arthur was happy and you woke up each morning feeling another piece of you wilt away into nothing.

You supposed it wasn’t all bad. Sure you had been moved from your own kingdom, losing everything you had known but you had gained something from it. One saving grace, one good thing that kept you from drowning and losing yourself.

It was wrong, terribly wrong. If the people, if Arthur or Uther found out you hated to think of what kind of punishment would be brought down on you. But yet you couldn’t resist, not when it was the only good thing you had to hold close.

Merlin.

You didn’t even remember fully how it came to be but from the moment Arthur introduced his servant to you you couldn’t help but smile wider, watching as he stuttered a greeting out before averting his eyes causing you to giggle as Arthur told you to just ignore the idiot.

Merlin spent almost as much time at Arthur’s side as you did, which meant he spent most of his time with you. Whilst Arthur occupied himself with royal duties you turned to Merlin and spoke quietly amongst yourself, Merlin still a stuttering, flustered mess but you couldn’t help but find it endearing. You yourself weren’t much better, biting back smiles and giggling softly like a small child with her first crush.

Months passed where nothing happened between the two of you but you could feel your feelings grow for Merlin as each day passed. What started as a slight infatuation turned into something more real, it wasn’t love but you thought that under different circumstances, in another life maybe it could have been.

The slightest touches from Merlin seemed to transform the emptiness and loneliness you felt surrounded by the royals, the brush of his fingers against your back as he passed, the way he stood slightly closer to you during events. All of the little touches, the stolen glances, all of it made everything better, even if they were tarnished when you were reminded that Merlin could never be yours.

One day everything became too overwhelming, you felt like you were choking on the expectations people had of you and excused yourself from Arthur’s presence before you were due to sit in with the King. Arthur’s concerned glances did nothing to help how tormented you were feeling and when he asked if he could do anything you shook your head, telling him you’d seek out Gaius.

You waited only long enough for him to enter the room before heading the opposite direction from Gaius’ chambers. You walked for long enough that your feet hurt but it did you good, the fresh air and being away from the palace helping you to clear your mind. You had no idea where you’d walked to but stopped when you came across a large tree.

The trunk stretched high in the air, wisteria growing from the branches, spreading off into all different directions before draping downwards and offering shade. There was a lake not too far in front of the tree, the purple flowers reflected in the clear water. It was a beautiful picture, the tree standing out against the greens of the others, and you couldn’t think of a better place to sit with your loneliness.

You sat down softly, letting your back rest against the thick trunk as your thoughts began to wander, your fingers pulling at the blades of grass beneath you as they did. You knew you were lucky, knew most women would kill to marry the Prince, to have a life of riches, to never have to worry or want for anything. You knew that as a result of your marriage your people back home were looked after and yet you couldn’t help but hate it.

Sitting here it felt like you were nothing more than a ghost of yourself, grieving for your loss, grieving for a life that could have been beautiful and happy. Now the only happiness you had in your days was stolen moments with Merlin.

It wasn’t even like you could tell anyone how you were feeling, nobody would understand, not able to look beyond the life of a Princess. They all saw what they were meant to see, a Prince and Princess in love who would one day rule the kingdom of Camelot. Even the thought of you and Arthur not loving each other, of you hating your life in the castle walls would seem unfathomable.

You had no idea how long you sat against the tree for, staring out into the water but eventually you were startled out of your thoughts when you heard leaves crunching nearby. You stayed silent, hoping it was just an animal and you hadn’t wandered out far enough for any bandits to be skulking around.

Your heartbeat seemed to speed up when you saw a familiar figure emerge from the trees and you couldn’t stop the pull of your lips into a small grin.

“Wasn’t sure if you’d want company.” Merlin said by way of greeting, a smile mirrored back as he came close and sat down next to you, close enough that your shoulders brushed as he set a basket down in front of you. “But I brought you some food.”

“Thank you.” You said softly, keeping your eyes on him instead of the food. “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to. Arthur said you weren’t feeling well but when I asked Gaius he said you hadn’t been by, don’t worry though I told him that if Arthur asked to say you had. Is everything ok?” Merlin asked as he pulled some fruit out of the basket and set it on the blanket he had been carrying.

You stayed silent, not knowing how to answer that question without lying. You didn’t want to lie to Merlin but you could hardly tell him the truth, though you longed to but he was Arthur’s servant, it wouldn’t be fair to put him in a position of keeping secrets for you.

Merlin turned to face you when you didn’t answer, seeing the sad look that you frequently wore when surrounded by Arthur and the other royals. Merlin hated to see that look, it hurt his heart each time he did but what could he do? He couldn’t give you the life you deserved, you were a Princess, the future Queen of Camelot, Merlin was always going to be beneath you.

He knew Arthur’s marriage to you was nothing more than an agreement between two kingdoms, a way to keep trade and peace for another generation. He hated that to meet you you had to marry another, Merlin knew your mind, it was brilliant and it was going to waste at Arthur’s side.

Merlin wasn’t a selfish man. He’d do anything to help Arthur, he’d give his life for the other man every chance he got if it meant Arthur would be safe. Merlin wasn’t selfish but he longed for you, he wanted every part of you for himself. For months he had watched you, pined for you and you were so close and yet he could never quite reach you.

You don’t know where the sudden stinging of tears came from, one second you were keeping your emotions tightly locked up and the next a single tear escaped your eye and slid down your cheek. Maybe it was the soft sympathetic way Merlin was looking at you, like he knew how much weight was on your shoulders, forcing you under until you couldn’t breathe or maybe it was just finally too much for you to handle.

Merlin felt his heartbreak for you when he noticed the tear and reached out a hand to take yours gently, his fingers entwined with yours and his thumb brushed against your skin. He knew he shouldn’t have enjoyed the feeling of your hand in his as much as he did but he still let himself savour the feeling, not knowing when or if he’d get the chance again.

Your eyes were immediately drawn down to your hands before you scrunched your eyes shut to keep the tears at bay. Merlin’s hands were cold in yours but the touch seemed to ignite a fire within you. It was wrong to want Merlin so badly, your life already promised to Arthur and yet here Merlin was, so deeply embedded in your every thought, haunting your dreams and your waking hours.

You both wanted more, the simple touch of your hands waking the flame of wanting that was too loud to ignore. Merlin swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat, desperate to do something more, to steal one more moment of you for himself, consequences be damned. You pleaded to any greater being that would listen, begging for Merlin to do anything, to give into what you both wanted.

You tore your gaze from your joined hands and looked to Merlin, his pupils so wide you could barely see the ring of blue around it. Merlin’s eyes were drawn to your lips, watching as your tongue poked out to wet them and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning in towards you.

He paused when his face was close enough that you could feel his breath against your face, waiting to see if you would pull away but you didn’t move away. You’d waited for so long, dreamt about what it would be like to finally give into temptation, to be selfish for once and not put your people or your duties above yourself.

Merlin’s free hand came up to lightly cup your cheek, his thumb brushing against your skin as he tilted your face upwards slightly. You were sure he could hear your heart threatening to beat right out of your chest as you waited for him to close the distance between you.

Merlin didn’t second guess himself, didn’t give himself a chance to overthink what a terrible idea this would be. You were the Princess, the future Queen of Camelot and he was just a servant, a servant who was already hiding a secret that would get him killed so what was one more secret and what a secret it would be having felt your lips against his.

He couldn’t wait any longer, had waited long enough. He didn’t rush when he pressed his lips to yours, practically shuddering into the kiss as he felt a thrill of sparks shoot through him. His hand still on your cheek pulled you closer and you followed without hesitation.

This kiss wasn’t hurried, it was soft and filled with longing but it didn’t stay that way for long. After a few moments the kiss turned greedy, both of you suddenly desperate for more, more, more. It had been months, bordering on a year of secret glances and quiet pining and now you finally had each other.

Merlin’s hands slid into your hair and you moaned into the kiss as his fist closed around the strands whilst your hands ended up on Merlin’s chest, smoothing your palms against him. Merlin tugged you into his lap without breaking the kiss and you let him guide you onto him, moaning softly into the kiss and unable to help yourself from grinding down onto him.

Everything from that moment on was a hurried mess of limbs, the pair of you exploring every inch of each other. Merlin’s hands running up and down your body, touching what should have been Arthur’s. You knew you could never go back to the pining, the longing stares, you may have promised yourself to Arthur but you would always be Merlin’s.

From that day on you and Merlin made a choice, one that if anybody found out would see you both facing severe punishments but the risk was worth it for the stolen moments alone with each other. It was intoxicating, sneaking out of the castle and hiding away with Merlin, being able to hold his hand, to kiss him, to have him hold you as the hours passed by.

It was hard coming back to the castle, to sit for a court session, Arthur’s hand in yours whilst your eyes caught Merlin and the two of you shared smiles and held silent conversations from across the room. When it was just the three of you in Arthur’s chambers, Merlin pottering about as Arthur sat beside you, talking about something you couldn’t focus on because you’d rather be anywhere else with Merlin.

It went on for months, the sneaking around and it was the first time since your marriage, since you arrived in Camelot, that you felt truly alive, that you weren’t just waking up to a miserable life, you finally had something to look forward to. Even if you and Merlin couldn’t get out of the castle, just seeing those blue eyes looking back at you was enough.

You did wonder why Merlin seemed so eager to be in this relationship, cursed to have it hidden from the world, cursed to never be able to live the lives you wanted because of your marriage to Arthur. You never broached the topic with him though, you never wanted to discuss the matter when you were alone with Merlin, more than content and more than distracted by the man’s presence to even think of Arthur.

Merlin had been away with Arthur for three days and you missed him greatly. Guinevere had come by Arthur’s chambers plenty of times during those few days, chattering about how she was sure you were missing Arthur’s company. You let her talk though, not daring to tell her you hadn’t thought of your husband once since he’d left for his hunting trip, instead your thoughts had been filled with opal eyes and secret meetings.

When they returned it was almost night fall and Merlin prepared a late meal for Arthur not long after. You were practically itching to get a moment alone with Merlin after not seeing him for days and whilst Arthur was occupied with his food you moved around the room, brushing past Merlin.

“Meet me at our spot in an hour.” You whispered softly, the words only for him to hear and as you moved away you looked behind you to see him smiling ahead and he nodded without looking at you.

Arthur was eager to get to bed after eating and dismissed Merlin who left the room with only one glance back over his shoulder at you. The minutes ticked by and you lay still under you felt Arthur relax completely, his breathing evening out. You didn’t move straight away, not wanting to wake him and having to come up with an excuse as to what you were doing.

You left it for twenty more minutes before climbing out of the bed as silently as possible and slipping into a pair of shoes, not bothering to change and only slipping a cloak over your night clothes. You weren’t planning on running into anybody but Merlin anyway.

There were plenty of guards on duty and you only had the soft glow of the moon to aid you in moving around when the coast was clear. The spring air was cool when you finally snuck your way out of the castle, heading down the old familiar path towards the lake that had quickly become yours and Merlin’s spot.

Merlin was already waiting for you and you wasted no time falling into his arms, letting him pull you in for a hurried kiss, your arms around his waist, his hands cupping your cheeks. You whispered a soft greeting against his lips and watched a smile spread across his face as the two of you lay on the blanket Merlin had brought with him.

It was a quiet night, the occasional rustling of the leaves, an animal moving well off in the distance could be heard. The sky was clear and littered with stars, each reflecting from the lake in front of you. The wisteria tree was bright against the moonlight, in full bloom in the spring weather.

It was peaceful. You wished you could have these moments with Merlin all the time, wished you didn't have to sneak around for them. You let your thoughts wander, dreaming of a life with Merlin far away from Camelot, from the pressures of royal life and all the expectations that came with it.

“Some days I just wish I could run away, you know?” You said softly, not lifting your head from Merlin’s chest. You felt his fingers pause in your hair for a second before they continued brushing through the strands. “My marriage was planned before I was even born, real love has never been something I thought I could have so I never even dared to let myself dream about it.”

“Would you run away?” Merlin asked and you frowned because your initial answer was yes, of course you would in a heartbeat but deep down…

“I don’t know.” You sighed. “I dream about it all the time, about leaving behind everything I’ve ever known but then I think about how much my people would suffer.”

Merlin stayed silent for a long moment, the two of you content with the quiet as your thoughts ran wild. You pondered over if you would run away if Merlin asked, would you let yourself be selfish? You thought you could and didn’t know how to feel about it. You knew Merlin wouldn’t ask though, he wouldn’t put you in such a position where you’d have to make that decision and truthfully you weren’t sure Merlin would ever leave.

Despite everything happening between the two of you, despite the fact you were both sneaking around behind Arthur’s back, Merlin was still fiercely loyal to Arthur. Whenever you asked about it Merlin just shrugged and got a far away look on his face before telling you that he was sure Arthur would be a great King one day and he believed in the future Arthur would bring.

Plenty of people had said it to you over the year you’d been at Arthur’s side and you knew that most people just said it because it was the polite thing to say, the right thing to say about their future King. When Merlin said it though you truly believed it, you could see how much he believed it, how much he believed in Arthur. It was like he had seen the future Arthur would bring to Camelot, so convinced in whatever Arthur was going to do.

It made you feel torn, Merlin was obviously so loyal to Arthur and yet this relationship threatened theirs. It wasn’t that you and Arthur loved each other but he was your husband and both of you knew the importance of appearance both publicly and behind closed doors. As future heir to the throne Arthur couldn’t have a wife only to show off publicly, he needed a wife that was only his all the time.

You wished things had been different for both of you, that you could be free to love Merlin and that Arthur had the chance to find somebody he truly loved, who would proudly stand by his side bursting with how much love they had for him. You both deserved more than you had but these were the cards you’d been dealt and you had to live with them.

You had Merlin in the only way you could and you couldn’t give that up, you’d be damned before you willingly left him.

“You said real love.” Merlin suddenly said, his voice soft, barely above a whisper but you heard him clearly. “Is that what this is, real love?”

You froze for a moment, not realising your earlier words but seconds later you relaxed against him before moving around so you were face to face with him and you could see the smile on his face.

“Yes, I’d like to say so anyway.” You said whilst matching the quietness of his voice.

Merlin’s hand came up to brush your cheek before he pulled you close to him, him meeting you halfway, pausing before your lips could meet.

“I love you too, Y/N. I wish I had more to offer you but-” Merlin told you but you cut him off with a gentle kiss.

“You’ve given me more than I could ever have hoped for, Merlin.” You whispered, pulling back far enough to look up at him and he could see the sincerity in your eyes. “I thought for so long that my destiny was to just be lonely. Before you I was wandering the halls of that castle like a ghost, mourning a life that would never be, then you kissed me and I fell in love with you and everything was different, better. No matter how much we wish it could change, it’s worth it to be with you because I love you.”

“One day things will be different.” Merlin promised before pulling you into another kiss and you prayed he was right but for now, now these moments were enough, this love was enough.

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Thank you so much for reading!🤎

[bowieandqueen11]

Rosy Cheeks / Gwaine Imagine

Request: MERLIN!!!! I would DIE if you did a Merlin drabble/imagine etc. Gwaine has been the loml since I was 10 and would LOVE something to do with a headstrong maid or tavern barmaid reader and him. Like he is so flirtatious and she doesn't think he's being genuine until Gwen points out the way he talks/looks at her. FLUFF GALORE. This request is 100% self-indulgent but I couldn't resist! Your writing is so lovely and I love that you cover so many fandoms. Do what you want with this, sending good vibes :)

I literally cannot believe I haven’t written for Merlin before I think I cried for about three months after the finale aired Christmas Eve ahh but thank you lovely that’s very kind! <3

Clocking in at nearly 4,100 words, this is the longest oneshot I’ve ever written, and I’m knackered! So please, if you like this, do let me know as this took me a solid 3 days to write! 

(I do not own Merlin or its characters, all rights go to creators. Gif credit goes to @babinicz.)

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

You would know the light tread of Gwaine’s footsteps even in the darkest of dungeons. It was familiar, comforting, and most of the time most welcomed from your best friend, but also incredibly infuriating.

It had already been a long enough day: your boss had started to become distinctly unimpressed by the sight Gwaine gracing his doorway and taking your attention away from serving the drinks until far into the night at every opportunity he could find. Between the large crowd of travellers who had nestled their way into the long tables, spilling their drinks on the lone romantics and starting brawls with the for-hire thugs, sweat was already beginning to cloud your vision. It didn’t help that it had been a warm spring day outside; the verdant fields of Camelot blooming to life with fresh grain and wildflowers cropping their borders rolled past your vision every time you went to stoke the already pounding fire at the left edge of the building. 

Wiping your forehead with the front of your apron, you blow out a sigh as you collect the next round of empty, splattered bowls and chipping mugs, and head back towards the counter, counting down the minutes until Gwen arrives and you can finally roll into bed for some much needed sleep. It doesn’t take very long for all your hopes to be dashed, as the phantom pursuing you like immortal love appears within your line of vision.

‘What’s a pretty maiden like you doing in a dank place like this?’

The face of Gwaine peers over the edge of the tavern’s chipped table like an eager chipmunk: all bright smiles, rosy red cheeks, and a mischievous glint in his eye as he stares straight at you. The crimson tint of his tilted head, as red as a cardinal and twice as beautiful, alludes you to the fact that he had probably already spent half the night in romantic pursuit of various poor patrons at the tavern. The slight pant in his breathe as he spoke clocked you to the fact that it was he you had heard pacing around the tavern, scheming up some new hairbrained joke to swat your way. The droplets of ale he wipes from his stubble with the back of his glove clues you in to the fact that he’s been here, watching you, for a while, waiting for the perfect time to strike when you were most busiest, and, of course, when the tavern owner was watching you with a scowl from the barrels.

Little did you know, in fact, that Gwaine hadn’t quite been wasting the night away waiting for the right moment to strike. He had been pacing with his mug by the doorway: half of him fiddling with the rose he has bought off the old lady outside, preparing himself to finally muster his usual courage and give it to you, and the other half preparing to run back to Camelot and go hide in the armoury till the end of time. He had heard an avalanche of pillows being thrown behind Arthur’s door as he had walked past the corridor earlier, and the familiar sound of Merlin’s wincing cry of  exasperation as he apparently dropped the King’s breakfast on the floor, so he was sure his dear friend would join him in hiding away in the crevices of the castle. Gwen could smuggle them food up from the kitchens, and he’d make Percival keep watch out the door to make sure you would never catch sight of how reticently self-conscious you made the usually so blatant knight.

Yet most of all, Gwaine had spent most of his time shaking his head with a breaking grin, strutting up and down and up and down the entrance and getting in everyone’s way. It was only when Gwen decided to stop in during her daily visit to walk with you back home after your shift, that she finally managed to grab his arm and pull him away from the growing mob of irritated and drunk carousers.

You thump the empty mugs down by his left elbow, grinning as a few drops slosh out and drip over his arm. ‘Gwaine, with all my heart I love you, but if you’re in need of someone to annoy I’m sure Sir Leon has finished with target practice by now.’ Sighing, you lean over him to grab a rag from behind the counter, ignoring the muffled shouts of patrons and wolf whistles to grab your attention.

He seems to flush at your words, shaking his head until his hair splays out over his forehead like a warm dawn’s soft and curling mist. He looks down at his feet, then back to peer at you from behind the safety of his fringe, his eyes burning just as fervently as the gold light of daybreak. It takes him a moment to fall out of his love-struck stupor. In mock offence, he raises a hand and grabs his heart, taking a false stagger back on his heels. He prays you can’t see how fast said heart is pounding in foolish, all encompassing, body devastating, stricken hope. ‘How your words wound me, Y/n! Besides, Leon smells like old goat instead of daffodils and mead. Also... I may owe him a few gold shillings.’

You turn to him with an incredulous look. ‘A few, again!? Already?’ Gwaine just shrugs, and smiles all the brighter as he notices you becoming enticed by his shenanigans. If he could just keep you by him for a few moments longer, perhaps he would find the strength to stop stroking the petals between his gloved fingers and hold it out to you like a proper ‘knight in shining armour trying to woo his true love’ would. ‘I may have said that I could win in a sword fight against Arthur - and I nearly did! If only his trousers hadn’t magically fallen down in the middle of it.’

You press the back of your hand to your nose to try and hide your snort, and Gwaine laughs pleasurably at the sweet sound. Waving away an obviously intoxicated customer who was now slamming his glass up and down on the counter to try and get your attention, you turn away from your now seething boss to look at the blithe knight resting beside you. ‘There is no way that happened. Even I would have heard news of that by now. News seems to travel faster than the crow flies in Camelot.’

Picking up your rag, you turn to move away from the man, but a gentle hand encircles your wrist before you can even take a step. ‘No, please’, he starts with a hitch in his throat. ‘Please don’t go yet. I haven’t finished my tale! Besides... it ends with me fighting a dragon, and being declared the true king of all fair maiden’s hearts by a wizard.’ With a tilted head watching your exasperated feelings flash across your face like zings of magic, Gwaine begins to chuckle through his words. His earthen eyes are dream-like as they trace the outline of your eyes, then the dip of your nose, and further to the bottom curve of your lip, as if you were the brightest beauties of all the heavens rolled into one being.

‘You promise you’re telling me the truth’, you ask, rolling your eyes while trying to hold back your own laughter.

Gwaine unintentionally drags his teeth over his bottom lip as he raises his head up again, wetting the edge of his mouth with a final slight lick of his tongue. His gaze drops for a moment, before sheepishly coming back up to glance at your growingly delighted eyes. His fingers dance a final dainty circle around the pulse point of your wrist, before coming up to draw a quick X in the air above his chainmail. ‘For you Y/n, I’ll even cross my heart.’

‘And you’re definitely not here just to cause me more trouble’, you accuse with a jab at his chest. ‘This isn’t another one of your hairbrained schemes to make me lose my job so I can come work up at the Castle kitchens, is it?’ 

For a moment, just a flicker across his usually radiant face, Gwaine looks crestfallen at the accusation. Whether it was due to the fact that you would think of him in such a way, or the thought in the back of his head that he wanted nothing more than to spend every day working in as close a proximity to you as possible, neither of you are entirely sure. He quickly recuperates himself again, and with a shake of his head and a quick wink in your direction, he’s smiling fondly at you once again. ‘You’re very lucky I like a girl who has a bit of bite with her bark, otherwise you may have just broken my heart.’

You groan, but the man standing in front of you, plain as day as he holds his love out to you on a silver platter, is still hopeful in his smile. 

Distracted for a moment by a weary patron politely tapping you on the shoulder and enquiring as to whether he can purchase some late night grub from this tavern, you don’t notice Gwaine playing back and forth with his hand. After you’ve answered the gentleman, you swing back towards your best friend, who looks as if he’s been caught with his hand stuck in the cookie jar. Wide eyed, he swings his right hand back behind his back and coughs innocently.

‘What in all the kingdoms are you doing?’, you ask him as you narrow your eyes, trying to figure out why the knight looks so daunted. 

With a quizzical frown, you grab onto his shoulder and try to peer around the chainmail engulfing his torso, but with every move you make he matches it with a swivel of his head. His smile never falters, but the edges seem to quiver a little... almost as if he were embarrassed? As if he were bashful at being caught hiding something from you. You drop back down onto the balls of your feet and raise an eyebrow at him, both deeply puzzled but also determined to find out what secret the man, who usually gushed every little detail of his day to you as soon as you met, could be hiding.

‘Now now’, he chides, ‘it’s not polite to ask a knight what he’s hiding behind his back. I could be holding keys to the dungeon, sent on a secret mission by Gaius to infiltrate the castle and release Merlin, especially after Arthur locked him up again for spilling shoe polish all over his pretty new tunic. Or, it could be a powerful artefact, or a relic I won on my quest to slay, you know, that dragon I told you about.’ You lift a hand up and gently slap the side of his cheek a couple of times. Gwaine raises his eyes to the ceiling, chewing the inside of his cheek in humorous anticipation. 

‘Or, you could have injured your hand giving Sir Elyan a piggyback ride to the jousting arena again, and don’t want to tell me about it. Or, even more likely, Arthur managed to knock you on your bottom during your sparring match, and you landed on your wrist like the big fool you are.’

Gwaine scoffs, opening his mouth quickly, his tongue ready with a new witty retort to your brazen appraisal. Before he can reply, though, Gwen has nearly shocked you out of your skin by seemingly appearing out of thin air to grab the side of your arm. With one hand resting on your bicep, her other comes around your other shoulder, and she whispers quietly in your ear: ‘Y/n, may I speak with you for a minute before you finish?’ You nod, and with a final teasing smirk at the knight, you allow Gwen to guide you away towards the fireplace, and through the milling crowd of tipsy drinkers and cheeringly clamorous guests. Gwaine watches you recede through the throng with a pang in his heart, taking the flower out from behind his back and looking at it forlornly as he begins to run his fingers over the velvet petals. 

‘She loves me’, he murmurs, letting them fall through his fingertips. ‘She loves me not.’

If only he could stop flirting for one moment, then perhaps he may have had the chance of being truly happy. With a final sigh, he places the flower between his fingers and heads back out into the crowd.

Thankfully for you both, Gwen had been as good-hearted and observant a friend to you both as she had ever been. Once she had finally managed to persuade Gwaine to approach you, she had settled herself into a corner of the tavern, to watch the confession she knew in her heart was coming. In fact, you had an incredibly wonderful network of kind friends, as Gwen would soon divulge to you, once she had tucked the two of you back into the corner and away from the ears of any passing gossips.

‘Y/n, she started’, letting go of you and glancing back in Gwaine’s general direction with an apprehensive peer. ‘Why on earth aren’t you flirting back with the poor man?’

You stare at her in bemusement. ‘Gwen, my dearest friend’, you grab both her hands within your own, and familiarly begin to rub your thumb over the back of her knuckles. ‘As long as I’ve known Gwaine he’s flirted with any breathing, moving woman. For instance, I remember a certain someone being wooed by said knight only ten minutes after he had set foot in Camelot!’ You swing your joint arms between your chests, and give her a comforting look. ‘He’s a dear, dear friend, just as you are, but he’s not serious Gwen.’

‘Oh Y/n, that was different’, Gwen swings back and forth on her feet, ducking her head as she thinks of the best way to relate to you what poor Gwaine had been so poor at trying to tell. ‘Sir Gwaine may be a flirt, but he loves you.’ Before you can even open your mouth to laugh, or shout, or groan, Gwen has gripped your fingers tighter and pulled you another step towards her. ‘And! And, he’s in love with you. How can you not see it?’

Your mouth stutters for a moment, the flickering of the settling fire warming the growing blush on your cheeks until you wish you could fade back into the shadows. Falling backwards, you trust your friend to catch your fall as you lean against the cobblestone wall and stare, gobsmacked. Gwen only nods fervently at your speechlessness, and you can tell by the seriousness lining her face, by the eagerness in her eyes, that she’s telling the truth.

‘Wh-what?’, you finally manage to muster out after a few seconds shock. ‘We’re... we’re friends. We’re friends! He treats me like a friend, like, like he would talk to any of the knights, or Merlin, or, or you!’

‘That’s not true’, she replies, disappointed. 

‘How do you know?’, you ask in a whisper, afraid to hear the answer.

‘I have eyes! Besides, Merlin told me.’

‘About my crush on Gwaine? That little tattletale-’, you begin to rile up, but Gwen could tell from the way you gnashed your teeth and shook your head that you weren’t seriously angry at your friend. You were just disappointed: devastated, even, by the thought of your friends using your infatuation as a source of teasing.

‘Not about you!’, Gwen was quick to correct. ‘Although... that may have come up, just a little.’ She pinches her fingers together and squeezes her eyes shut in apology at the brimming look of annoyance you give her. ‘More about Gwaine though! Apparently, Sir Leon told him in the strictest confidence’, you laugh at that, knowing your friends too well, ‘that every time he’s passed by the armoury in the last two weeks during his nightly rounds, he’s heard Gwaine’s voice echoing inside, practicing to the shields and crossbows how he’s going to admit his feelings for you!’

That... that startles you. With a languid blink, you take a moment to think, before asking Gwen: ‘did Merlin tell you what he was saying?’ 

Gwen places a finger to her chin. ‘I believe it was something along the lines of: ‘my dearest Y/n, from the first moment I was graced with your company, I knew that you would be the only creature in all the kingdoms to hold my heart, forever.’ Sensing your silence, as you dip your eyes and ponder over her words, your friend continues. ‘Besides, Leon’s not the only one! I heard that Gwaine admitted to Percival, I believe during one of their quests, when they were faced with the Dorocha and of uncertain death, that Gwaine admitted his love too. I think while they were roaming the castle, to try and lighten the mood he told Percival that the first day he had met you in this tavern was the best day of his life, and how he wanted to live so he may return to it once more.’

‘See!’, you finally spring to life, throwing a dirty glance at an old drunkard man who was leaning precariously over his table to lean his ear closer to your conversation. With a final swat of your rag in his general direction, you turn back to the intense conversation at hand. ‘He only admitted he missed the tavern!’

‘No Y/n, if you let me finish, he said that he wanted to return as he had made a promise to himself, all those years ago, that he was going to marry you one day. Do you really find it no coincidence that as soon as Camelot was saved, you were the first person he sought out?’

‘He did hug me rather tight’, you murmur, crossing your arms over your chest and chiding yourself for being so blind. ‘Oh Gwen, how could I have been such a fool too? How can I fix this? He must hate me for the way I’ve treated him.’

Before you can finish your musing thought, Gwen has stepped forward to wrap you in a tight hug, squeezing your shoulders before letting go. Sliding her arms down to your waist, she shakes her head. ‘No one could ever hate you, Y/n. And the solution is simple. Go tell him.’

Glancing out across the tavern hall with worry lines deepening your eyes, your heart is relieved to spot Gwaine still milling about; he seems to be entrenched deeply in an arm wrestle with some young, muddy looking farmer, but you can tell his heart isn’t really in to win. Over the course of your conversation with Gwen, he’s spent every excusable reason to glance over his shoulder and back at you. To make sure you were safe. To make sure no one was hassling you. To make sure Gwen wasn’t going to break your heart by indulging his true feelings for you. To make sure you weren’t about to push through the crowd and run out the door, disgusted by the idea. His eyes met yours: aflame, tense, deep set in their worry, and he’s quick to look back down at his elbow again.

How could it really have taken you so long? To realise that his bitten, plump lips, his rosy cheeks, his overwhelming joy was all solely from the thought of you?

With a resolute gasp, you allow Gwen to gently push you off in his direction, despite how thunderously your pulse was flickering through your body. You nod, and let your feet direct your path, not giving yourself a moment to think over the implications of the incoming interaction. After what feels like an eternity of treading water, you come to an uncertain stop behind the three men. Although Gwaine is still chatting with the green-clad man he had been wrestling innocently with earlier, the other crop gatherer seems to have fallen asleep on the table, his crossed arms pushing his mug of ale until it rested against his nose.

Mustering determination, you quickly prod Gwaine three times against his cape, taking a worried step back as he quickly turns to look at you once again. ‘You just couldn’t stay away’, Gwaine remarks with a warm smile when you finally garner the courage to approach the table he’s currently leaning over. ‘I can’t blame you, not many can.’ With his thumb, he points over at the young man gently beginning to snore on the opposite end of the table. ‘This poor lad grew so tired of my wit and charm he had to close his eyes for a bit.’

He stands up, giving a final wink and a nod at his short-lived companions. His tall frame hunches over you as he steps forward, blocking out the rest of the flitting candlelight from the east end of the tavern; the front of his chainmail brushes against where your hands are bunched into the coarse linen of your apron, sending a jolt flying along your fingertips. He seems to be casing you into his very being, that same soft - so soft dopey smile breaking like dawn across his face as he appraises you from above.

Before he can start whittling off again, and you lose your garnered nerve, you break the laden silence by asking Gwaine the most important question you could think of in that moment.

‘What were you hiding behind your back?’

Gwaine seems taken aback by your query, visibly raising his eyebrows as he begins to bite his bottom lip again. You know him to well to think him puzzled: he’s worried, scared that Gwen may have told you the truth, and you have come waltzing over to tell him off, and in doing so, cleave his heart clean in two.

‘Do you - do you really want to know?’, he asks uncertainly, taking the flower out from where he had stored it in his belt for safekeeping, before placing it behind his back once more. You’re swift to reach around his waist, skirting your pointer finger over the bone until you meet his hand. He gives it to you easily, his palm warm and laden with scars as he allows you to unfurl his fingers.  

‘I think... I think I already do’, you reply with a hitched breath, enjoying the way Gwaine has taken to rubbing the tips of your knuckles as you press against his palm. Before you can lift the flower, though, he’s already using his free hand to tuck a strand of hair back from your ear. With a careful precision he’s obviously spent many nights over the years practicing, and doting on within his dreams, he tucks the stem of the flower behind your ear.

‘Well, I’m glad’, he states, dropping the back of his own knuckles down the side of your cheek, until he’s cupping your jaw. Your pulse point races against his skin as he dips his head down with a flash of pearly whites, not satisfied until he feels your nose bump against the tip of his own. ‘For I fear it has been my quest in life to find you, and love you till the end of days.’

‘Hmm, and a knight must never fail’, you mutter between laughter against the side of his mouth.

His voice is stricken: as serious as you’ve ever heard the rebellious man speak, and you know he has choked trying to speak these words many times before. 

‘I don’t intend to.’

A rapturous wave of applause seems to fill the serene air (even your grumpy old boss manages to roll his eyes and pound the table a little), so dreamlike in its warmth, as Gwaine leans down fully to kiss you. His arms wrap around your waist, seeming to pull you in their vice like grip impossibly close to his chest, until the air you both breathe seems to be one and the same. You can feel him smile against your top lip as he tenderly places a second, lingering, caressing kiss against it, before pulling away to look at you.

Before either of you can breathe out a sigh of relief, though, you’re interrupted by the sound of Gwen cheering from the fireplace. The two of you finally break out in laughter, then, doubling over together and holding onto your stomachs as Gwen covers her mouth with her hand in embarrassment. 

[theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction]

Imagine Gwaine learning that you were afraid for him...

“Would you like some help?” Gwaine offered when he noticed your struggle with the vambrace. When he reached in your direction, you pulled away, avoiding his eyes, mumbling something about handling it yourself before leaving.

The knight sighed and pulled off his gloves. You had been avoiding him the last few days and he wasn’t sure what had caused such a reaction.

Fortunately, his fellow knights were quite the observant bunch.

“In case you missed it, Y/n’s furious.” Percival chimed quite unhelpfully as he walked by.

Elyan passed the troubled and roguish knight and added his two cents. “You should fix that before it gets any worse.”

Gwaine looked at his friends and frowned. He didn’t understand why the person he loved would be so upset with him. They rarely argued, always causing small pockets of mischief together.

“What offence have I committed?” He asked.

Leon stepped forward and gave the knight a small smile. He knew exactly what had caused the rift after speaking with you a few days ago but he was wise to know that it wasn’t his place to divulge that information.

“Speak with Y/n, Gwaine. They’ll tell you.”

And so he did. Gwaine rushed through the halls of the castle until he found you sitting on a stone bench. You locked eyes with him and almost immediately stood up and walked in the opposite direction - and he followed.

“I didn’t forget our anniversary, or your birthday. Every mission, I bring back a flower..." He began listing, trying to keep up with you. "Every morning I wake you with a kiss and-”

“I heard about your last quest.” You said simply. “You were outnumbered by a group of bandits and you gave yourself up.”

The realisation dawned on him. You were upset because he had pulled the sacrifice card for his knights to escape. Taking your hand quickly, Gwaine forced you to slow down and stop.

“Hey, hey.” He ushered softly and stood before you. “I didn’t do it without thinking but I-”

“But what?” You snapped. “I would have been at the bottom of the stairs expecting you to come home and you wouldn’t have shown. I would never have been able to see you or say goodbye and I-”

Your words drowned in a sob and the knight instantly wrapped his arms around you, pulling you in.

“You promised that you would be careful.” You whispered.

"I know. I'm sorry."

~ More imagines here ~

[pigfacedbitch]

Comfort

summary : what would your boyfriend do if you had a bad day at work/school?

word count : 0.7k

type : headcanons

pairing/s : Modern! Gwaine / Merlin / Arthur (Soldier, Poet, King😂) x Reader

warning/s : asshole bosses / professors lol

here is my masterlist!

Note : Why is life so tiring? Sometimes, I just want to lay down and sleep. Slight NSFW on Gwaine's part .

Gwaine

Gwaine is evidently high-spirited but pouts like a kicked puppy when he sees you sad.

He may be a little unfamiliar with comforting someone but he knows that having fun can revive someone's soul so as a way to comfort you, he will offer a night of distraction and pleasure (I know what you're thinking and yes, you are right 👀).

From here, it depends on what you want to do. Gwaine will enthusiastically go with the flow.

You want to stay at home and play games? He will gladly lose to monopoly, uno, scrabbles, or any board games you want to play.

Gwaine is also a reliable player two in online games and will shout with you when another player is performing poorly.

"How can you miss that shot?!"

"What my love said, you muppet!"

Want to watch a movie? A pillow fort with your favorite movies, snacks, and soda coming right up!

Warning though, if you want to go out and party, don't. As loveable as he is, Gwaine is a party animal who has little self-control. He WILL get drunk before you and you have no choice but to drag his ass back to your home.

Last possible activity? Doing the deed. Might fuck the stress and sadness out of you until all you can remember is how good he made you feel, just saying. Anyways, enjoy! 😚

Merlin

This sweet baby boy will serve you like a queen, no joke.

Merlin will immediately know you had a bad day as he welcomes you in your shared home, already wrapping his (big and strong🫢) arms around your tired body.

He won't say a word but you'll know that he offers comfort by how tight his hug is, slowly soothing your hair, and gently kissing parts of your face.

"What's wrong, love?"

And boom! Here comes the waterworks. He will let you cry and vent as he leads the two of you on the sofa, lying comfortably there until you are done.

You might even take a short nap. Merlin doesn't care if you covered him with tears, drool, or snot; as long you feel better.

He will wake you up with your favorite home-cooked meal prepared on the table then taking you to the bathroom for a relaxing bath.

There would be scented candles, bath bombs, mellow music, skin care products— the whole nine yards. And no, you don't have to move. Merlin will do everything for you unless you want otherwise.

He will give you a massage on the bed after that, saying words of encouragement and support.

If you ask him to use his magic, he will. He will show you anything you want; from the wonders of the world to the vast beauty of the cosmos.

He hates using his magical abilities on you but as you fall asleep in his arms that night, he whispers a spell that will surely give you good dreams and an even better sleep.

Arthur

Let's face it, Arthur can be... oblivious at times.

Unlike Merlin and Gwaine, it will take a little longer for him to realize you feel like shit.

The Pendragons are very wealthy, and it sometimes compensates for the other qualities they lack.

He may not be as cheerful as Gwaine or provide you a satisfactory service like Merlin, but he can give you anything you want.

You want to go to another country? The private jet is ready. You don't even have to pack a bag, Arthur will buy new clothes for you.

He will let you choose the hotel you'll be staying in and book all the activities you want to do such as tours in the wildlife, scuba diving, spa days, and many more.

You want comfort food? The best chef in Albion will be brought to your home at once, paid heavily to cook whatever food you fancy.

You want materials things, jewelries and dresses? Even stationery? You got it. Arthur doesn't care how much you spend, he's practically your sugar daddy. 😂

If you just want him by your side, he will let you hug him like a koala bear to a tree and listen to your complains.

However, watch your words or the people you mention. Because Arthur will see to it that they will be dealt with, money comes with influence after all.

"So that's why they are being overly nice to me!"

"No one messes with the love of my life."

[mycheese-tasted-like-applepie]

Merlin reacting to his crush talking about Magic in a postive way , saying things like "I dont mind if my s/o had magic" I can just imagine merlin being like 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Oh absolutely 😁

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Merlin’s Reaction to his Crush Talking About Magic in a Positive Way Headcanons

-Oh this boy would be so joyful. To hear someone he holds deep feelings for talk about magic in such a positive way would get him to have childlike excitement. Heck, even Arthur would notice his glee.

-Picture how he was with Freya, but multiply that by ten.

-Unlike the cursed girl, you didn’t have to hide. You were living your life freely in Camelot. A nice peaceful life that Merlin is always scared of messing up due to his magical abilities.

-But to hear that you wouldn’t mind if your significant other had magic made him feel hopeful. When he first developed a crush on you, he was pretty certain that he was going to have to hide his magic for the rest of his life.

-Now, he has to think of a way to show it to you.

-We all know that if he ever confessed, he would use his magic. It would be a two for one sort of thing after learning this knowledge.

-As stated, he would become a happy sap for most of the time. This would lead to Gauis and Arthur being beyond confused. You would be the only one thinking it’s normal because Merlin is always happy around you.

-Also, Merlin doesn’t mind the knights teasing him about you anymore. He knows he has nothing to fear.

[multifandomfix]

Imagine Merlin struggling to find you the perfect gift.

Everything was wrong. It just wasn’t good enough. Not one single thing was what he was looking for, but the problem was, he didn’t know what he was looking for. All he knew was it had to be perfect. It had to be worthy of you.

Gaius had offered Merlin several suggestions, and when Merlin turned every single one of them down, Gaius sent him away, making him Arthur’s problem for the day. And Arthur had proved to be even less help than Gaius, though that was of no real surprise.

Gwen. He should have talked to Gwen. But there wasn’t time. He was meant to meet you in the marketplace at midday and he had nothing to show for it. He stumbled awkwardly through the stalls and vendors, hoping for something, anything, that he could pass off as good enough, but then he caught sight of you.

It was now or never. He spun himself right into a cart full of flowers, and whisked a handful out of their water bucket in order to present them to you. He was just hoping you weren’t seeing any of this. He threw down some coin and made his way to you, flowers behind his back.

“I got you these,” he said, presenting them to you when you approached. They were pretty at least. That had to count for something. And you were smiling. Another good sign.

“Merlin, they’re perfect! How did you know these were my favorite?”

“Oh, you know,” Merlin fumbled, reaching a hand behind his neck, “lucky guess.”

Happy Valentine’s Day @dancingwith-sunflowers

Merlin: @retvenkos, @dancingwith-sunflowers, @randomfandomimagine, @locke-writes, @danzalladaggers, @living-for-romance, @chaotic-mushroomz, @psychosociogentleman, @sammus-white, @geekyandgay98

[helloalycia]

the king’s ward [four] // morgana pendragon

summary: now that you've left Camelot yet again, you and your brother figure out what to do next, but things don't go to plan...

warning/s: mentions of blood, injury, fighting and kidnapping.

author's note: and here’s the final part! this was a fun one to write so i do hope you all enjoyed it :)

one / two / three / masterlist / wattpad

"We could offer to help out on a farm in some outlying villages," Y/B/N said thoughtfully. "Might be a nice change of pace."

I groaned quietly as we rode slowly through the forest. "That's so boring. The last time we did that, I literally fell asleep guarding the chicken coop. It was a pointless job."

He chuckled. "That was too good. But I guess you're right. We've got enough supplies to last us the week, so for once, we can take our time with it."

I hummed, grateful. "Maybe we could go to the–"

Suddenly our horses neighed in unison, coming to a halt and throwing us off. Out of nowhere, a small group of bandits came rushing towards us, having hidden in the tree line. Y/B/N and I forced ourselves off the ground and grabbed our swords, moving to defend. But he was still weak and I worried for him, staying next to him to keep him safe.

There were too many bandits, enough to surprise and overwhelm us anyway, and with Y/B/N's injured shoulder, we were pinned down quicker than we'd ever been. They grabbed Y/B/N and pressed a dagger to his neck, making me pause as I had my sword raised to strike.

"Don't," one of the bandits warned me. "Give me your sword. Now."

I squeezed the hilt, stressed and worried and unsure how to respond, but they squeezed Y/B/N's injured shoulder, eliciting a groan, and I had to drop the sword, kicking it towards them. One of them scrambled to pick it up as the leader looked to me.

"Your mask," he ordered, motioning to my face.

"Y/N, don't–" Y/B/N started, but they punched him in the gut, silencing him.

"You can take the horses," I said, tugging off my mask. "Just let us go."

The leader laughed dryly. "So you're a girl. I knew it."

I wondered how he knew who we were, since we never showed our faces nor left anyone alive to make enemies.

"Your brother here dies unless you give us back our prize," he stated. "The King's Ward. Right here. Tomorrow night."

I tried to hide my surprise, but that's when I recognised the bandits' outfits. These were part of the same group who orchestrated Morgana's kidnapping. Maybe Y/N and I didn't get them all like we'd thought. And now they were back and we were screwed.

"I can't," I told him, trying not to give anything away. "She would never follow me. Especially not so soon after a kidnapping."

"Figure it out," the leader snarled. "Maybe next time you'll stay out of affairs that aren't yours."

I clenched my fists with irritation, but he didn't care. Instead, he nodded to Y/B/N.

"You and the girl, alone," he added. "Or your brother dies."

Y/B/N began to shake his head, eyes meeting mine. "Don't do it, Y/N. It's okay. Just don't– dnfffuff–"

They pulled a cloth around his mouth, muffling his words, and all I could do was stay frozen, watching as they dragged him back, stealing one horse and whistling for their others. The leader looked to me with a warning stare before leaving, my brother sat behind him, tied up.

As soon as they were gone, I grabbed my sword and immediately mounted my horse, turning around to race back to Camelot. It hadn't even been a few hours – just our luck that we'd been ambushed. But there was no time to dwell on it, not when Y/B/N's life was on the line. I couldn't even dare to think about what would happen if I left it too long.

Of course I wasn't going to give Morgana to those sickos, but I couldn't fight them off myself. My only hope was Arthur, and I desperately hoped he would help.

With tears whipping from my cheeks as I rode swiftly through the trees, I tried to focus on what I could do rather than what I couldn't. And within the hour, thanks to my intense riding, I made it back to the centre of Camelot.

Almost falling off my horse in the process, I dismounted and sped up the staircase towards the castle. I knew where Arthur's room was, but there was no way I'd be allowed there without being escorted out. Thankfully, I didn't need to think of a way to find him as I soon saw Merlin roaming the halls. As soon as he saw me, he approached with confusion. And then he must have seen my red eyes as his expression dropped.

"Oh, no, what is it?" he asked, looking between my eyes. "What happened, Y/N?"

I couldn't help it. I frowned as more tears streamed down my face. "They took Y/B/N, Merlin. I need to get him back. I have to speak to Arthur."

He didn't understand, not fully, but he nodded anyway and led me to Arthur's room as quickly as he could. Without knocking, he walked in and I followed after him.

"Merlin, do you not know how to–!" Arthur started, but stopped once he saw me. "Oh, Y/N. You're back so soon."

"She needs your help," Merlin explained. "They took her brother."

Arthur stood up from his desk, expression hardening. "Who?"

"The bandits who tried to kidnap Morgana," I told him, voice more hoarse than I wanted. "They ambushed us in the forest and took him, threatening his life if I don't return there with Morgana tomorrow night. Arthur, I can't do that, but I can't lose Y/B/N. I'm pleading for your help."

I anticipated much more begging and, potentially, deal-making, but Arthur was already rounding his desk and grabbing his jacket.

"Come with me," he ordered, already walking to the door.

I glanced at Merlin with confusion, wiping my face. He was as confused as I.

"Well?" Arthur called when we didn't follow him. "We're going to have an audience with the King! We can't just leave Y/B/N there. We don't have long."

Both surprised and relieved, I followed after Arthur as he led Merlin and I to the throne room. The knights guarding it immediately parted to let us in, and Arthur walked briskly down the centre of the room, towards his father who was talking to Morgana. Gwen was stood the side and a few more knights were guarding the interior, and when the doors slammed close accidentally behind us, everybody looked our way.

"Arthur," the King acknowledged, before his eyes fell to me. "And you... I thought you left."

"Y/N," Morgana muttered, already sensing the discomfort. "What is it?"

I would have preferred if she didn't know at all, but she was here and it was inevitable. I merely gave her a sad glance before letting Arthur lead the conversation.

"Father, I'm asking your permission to take some knights and help rescue Y/N's brother from some bandits," Arthur began, and the King tried not to laugh.

"I beg your pardon?"

With a sigh, Arthur began to explain what the situation was, but the King didn't seem the slightest bit sympathetic. Exactly what I'd feared would happened.

"Look, Y/N," Uther began once Arthur had finished, and I knew it wouldn't be good. "I'm grateful for you saving my ward, both you and your brother, but I cannot help you."

"My Lord!" Morgana interrupted in protest, but he ignored her.

"The Lady Morgana is worth much more to me than your brother is," Uther stated.

"I would never wish to endanger her," I reminded him with a bitter tone, because I'd literally said that and he just wasn't listening. "I'm only asking that you can send some of your knights to assist me in rescuing Y/B/N. Together, I have a chance of getting him back. Alone, it's suicide."

"I'm sorry," he said without consideration. "It's not a risk I can take."

I clenched my jaw as I met his gaze. "Surely you would want to find out who is so badly wanting to kidnap your ward? This would be the perfect opportunity to do so."

This seemed to turn a cog in his brain as he frowned with thought, finally considering it.

"Father, I can spare a few knights," Arthur tried to convince him. "Let me go. We can be in and out in no time."

"No way," Uther decided, making any hope of mine dwindle. 

Sighing, I closed my eyes with defeat. I should have known better than to ask King Uther for help.

"My Lord, please," Morgana begged him. "They saved my life! The least we can do is return the favour!"

"It's asking too much!" Uther said with finality. "I have made my decision. That's it."

The hall fell quiet as Uther's echoes ceased. I opened my eyes, feeling nauseous at the thought of having to attempt a rescue by myself.

"Thank you for your consideration," I said to the King once more, before bowing and leaving before he could say anything. The last thing I needed was to waste what little time I had left to make a move.

Once I left the throne room, I walked up the steps with the intention of the leaving the castle and making a plan of my own. I barely made it to the hallway when Morgana's voice called for me from behind.

I couldn't ignore her, so I stopped and turned around to see her catching up to me with a worried expression.

"Don't leave," she pleaded immediately, hand clutching my arm in case I tried to walk away. "It's me they want. Let me help."

I scoffed. "Morgana, I'm not trading you."

She didn't know what else to offer, I could see it in her desperate attempt to cling on to me before I gave up and left.

"It's okay," I tried to assure her, not wanting her to feel guilty. Resting my hand on hers, I squeezed it gently. "I'll think of something."

She shook her head. "I'm going to talk to Arthur."

I frowned at the reminder. "You saw what happened in there. The King said no. There's nothing more Arthur can do."

"Just let me try," she said, mirroring my frown. "Please. He'll help. I know he will. He isn't like Uther."

If I hadn't seen firsthand how considerate Arthur could be, I wouldn't have believed her. But with Morgana's help, maybe the crowned prince could come around.

"I don't have long," I reminded her. "If I have to do this myself, I'll need the time to find the bandits. I can't wait all day."

"You won't have to," she promised. "Wait in the citadel. I'll find you soon."

I nodded, believing her. Her green eyes lingered on mine worriedly before she left to keep to her word.

It was barely an hour later when Morgana found me in the citadel, trying not to chew off my fingernails. Judging by the expression on her face – an attempt to stifle her smile – I assumed it was good news, but the knot of anxiety was still pressing on my heart.

"What did he say?" I asked her as soon as she was close enough.

She fixed me with a reassuring stare. "Arthur will meet you outside the city walls tomorrow midday. You're going to get Y/B/N back."

Exhaling with relief, I pressed a hand to my chest. "I don't know what to say. Thank you so much, Morgana."

"Don't thank me," she said, before pulling me in for a hug. "He'll be okay. Arthur is the best."

I returned her hug, appreciative of her help. She owed me nothing, but she was still helping me out and I couldn't have been anymore grateful.

Just as promised, Arthur found me outside the city walls the next day with my horse and sword. I was surprised to see he'd slipped away from his father's hold, and with a couple of knights, too. Merlin was at his side also, though I couldn't imagine the two ever being apart.

"How are you holding up?" he asked once he dismounted, looking over me with a hidden concern.

"Better now that you're helping," I admitted, before meeting his gaze. "Arthur, I'll owe you forever. Disobeying your father isn't what I–"

"Consider us even," he interrupted, offering a small smile. "You did save Morgana and Gwen after all."

I sighed, knowing it wasn't exactly the same, but there was no point arguing it. We needed every minute we had before the bandits expected my arrival.

Ready and already equipped with a plan, Arthur introduced me to his fellow knights before explaining what would happen. I would have laughed at how ridiculous it sounded if I didn't have any other choice. He wanted one of his knights to wear Morgana's cloak and I would pretend to make the trade, making sure to request Y/B/N's presence. And once the bandits were fooled, we'd strike. A surprise attack that I could only hope would work.

After choosing the shortest knight, Arthur and I watched as he stripped down to his shirt and trousers and wore one of Morgana's finest cloaks, pulling the hood over his head and looking down so his face wouldn't be revealed. Surprisingly, he played the part well and, from a distance, looked like someone from royalty. As long as the bandits brought us Y/B/N before studying 'Morgana', we'd be okay.

Once everybody had their positions marked out on a map Arthur had brought, we ventured into the forest and took to our roles. I waited where Y/B/N and I had been ambushed yesterday, holding the arm of the knight dressed as Morgana. The others were hidden amongst the trees, trained to be out of sight and to make no sound. I assumed the bandits would have their own back up plan, so I kept my eyes peeled, though I was sure Arthur had it all under control.

Not even minutes later, horses galloped towards me, skidding to a halt when they saw who I had. The bandits dismounted, swords raised, and amongst them was my brother. I held my breath as I looked over him – aside from the few bruises he'd sustained, he looked okay.

"Well, well, well," the bandit leader announced with shock. "You actually did it."

I swallowed hard, sneering at him. "Just give me back my brother."

He grinned, before attempting to lower his head to look at 'Morgana's' face. Thankfully, the knight embodied his role well and shivered, moving to hide behind me. The bandit leader bellowed with laughter.

"What is it? Is the Lady Morgana suddenly shy?" he asked rhetorically. "That's not what the rumours have suggested." His fellow criminals laughed as he continued, "She better liven up when we take her. Hengist wouldn't want her to put up a fight."

Hengist? The warlord, Hengist? No wonder they were so desperate for Morgana. They wanted to ransom her! How awful.

"My brother," I repeated firmly.

He rolled his eyes. "You're no fun. Fine." He nodded to another bandit. "Make the trade."

They dragged my brother forward, his wrists bound and a rag in his mouth. I reluctantly led the knight forward and we made the switch, with the bandit taking ahold of him in seconds. I quickly moved to untie Y/B/N and yanked out the rag, making sure he was okay. And before I could even check to see what had happened with the others, the knight pretending to be Morgana had stabbed the bandit holding him in the neck.

Their complete and utter surprise was the perfect opportunity for Arthur and the others to yell out a war cry and run from their hiding spots, engaging in combat. One knight stayed behind, firing arrows from a distance, and I unsheathed my sword before defending my brother and I.

The element of surprise only lasted a few seconds before the bandits jumped into the fight, slashing and stabbing and parrying with eagerness. Alone, they would have been a challenge. But with the infamous knights of Camelot on my side, we handled them in record time, leaving behind only their leader.

Arthur had him grovelling on the ground, his sword at his neck.

"I want you to deliver a message to Hengist," he spat down at him, seething with anger, no doubt from the way they had spoken of Morgana earlier. "If he ever tries anything again, I'll go over there myself personally and kill him on the spot. Understood?"

The bandit leader nodded repeatedly, scrambling to find words. "Y-yes, my lord, o-of course."

Arthur clenched his jaw as he lowered his sword. "Get out of here! And don't let me see your face again!"

He nodded once more before jumping up and running away, out of sight and out of mind. Relieved, I sheathed my sword and turned to face Y/B/N.

"You're okay?" I asked with a lump in my throat. "Tell me you're okay."

"I'm okay, Y/N, I swear," he assured me with a weak smile.

I ignored him and pulled him into a tight hug, practically squeezing the life out of him, but I couldn't care less. He was alive and okay and we'd bloody done it!

Before I could properly acknowledge that fact however, I saw one of the supposed-to-be dead bandits on the ground behind him, moving slowly. Realising he was standing up with a knife and heading straight for Arthur, who was talking to a knight, I let go of Y/B/N and yelled out, before shoving Arthur out of the way. Unfortunately for me, the bandit landed a lucky blow to my abdomen, the knife piercing straight through my skin. A sword came down on the bandit, but I felt a hot pain as I looked down.

"Oh, no," I mumbled, my hand coming away with fresh, deep red blood.

"Y/N!" Y/B/N shouted, before helping me to stand as my weight was suddenly too heavy to handle on my own.

As he lowered me to the ground, Arthur kneeled down next to me, looking bewildered. "Why on earth would you do that?!"

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. "I didn't really think it through."

"Give me something to cover her wound with, now!" Y/B/N yelled out to the knights.

I heard a ripping sound and then Morgana's precious robe was being folded and pressed to my stomach area. It didn't feel good, the pain sharp at first.

What happened next, I couldn't exactly recall. There was a lot of shouting and jostling me about, my eyes opening and closing with glimpses of faces and trees and the blue of the sky on this clear summer's day. Thoughts drifted in and out, my brain not focusing on anything except the relief that Y/B/N was safe.

I must have been brought back to the castle, recognising the ceiling of Gaius' quarters and Gaius himself. Again, I was in and out of consciousness, never awake long enough to say anything, but there were glimpses of Gaius, Y/B/N, Merlin, Morgana and even Arthur. It couldn't have been good, I knew that much.

And finally, when I came to without immediately drifting off, I saw Y/B/N and Morgana sat beside my bed, their saddened expressions just about visible between my tired, blurred vision.

I sucked up a breath, a whine escaping my mouth. "What happened?"

At my voice, they both looked to me with surprise, tears in their eyes.

"Gaius... I need to get Gaius!" Y/B/N suddenly said, before squeezing my hand and almost tripping over the stool as he ran to leave the room.

I furrowed my brows, confused and not quite acknowledging where I was or what was happening. Then my eyes fell to a staring Morgana, her wet eyes widened.

"Why are you crying?" I asked, mouth drier than ever. "Is Arthur okay?"

She began to smile, snickering as she wiped at her eyes. "Yes, you idiot, it's you who isn't."

I didn't understand, not straight away, and then I began to remember the glimpses of faces, the forest, the bandits, Y/B/N being hurt, the blood. Instantly, my hand felt for my abdomen, relieved to feel a bandage covering the wound.

"Okay, it's starting to hurt now," I mumbled, before wincing when the ache was becoming recognisable the more I woke up.

Morgana took my hand between hers, earning my attention again. "Y/N, you saved Arthur's life. And mine. And Y/B/N's. You're a hero."

"I really don't feel like one," I said jokingly, a terrible attempt to both lighten the situation and take the attention away from my actions.

She smiled softly, though it didn't reach her eyes, and then pressed a kiss to my hand, making my brain short circuit.

"Everybody thought you weren't going to make it," she said quietly, reluctantly.

I swallowed hard, pulling my gaze from her lips and forcing myself to meet her eyes. "Well, here I am."

She didn't let go of my hand, merely smiled with relief. Before either of us could say anything more, Y/B/N returned with Gaius in tow, eager and excited.

"You're awake," Y/B/N said, as if he still couldn't believe it.

"I'm pretty sure I told you not to get hit by arrows," I chastised lightheartedly. "Look what good it did? Now I'm bedridden!"

He was smiling hard, unbothered by his teary eyes. "You're so stupid."

I rolled my eyes playfully, but a ghost of a smile was on my lips.

"It's good to see you're okay, Y/N," Gaius said with relief. "I feared you wouldn't wake up after how much blood you lost."

I opened my mouth to answer, but was interrupted when another figure entered through the door. It was Arthur, followed by Merlin, and they both looked to me with surprise.

"For God's sake, can everyone stop looking at me like their dog died and I'm the dog?!" I said, attempting to sit up to prove that I was fine, but it hurt more than I could disguise.

"You need to stay put," Gaius ordered lightly.

I sighed deeply, before looking to Arthur, glad he was alright. He smiled at me gratefully.

"I owe you," he said. "You saved my life."

I waved my hand dismissively, hyper-aware of the warmth in my face.

"I must ask that you all give Y/N some space," Gaius said politely. "I need to check her health and it's too crowded in here. You can visit later."

They all nodded, sending me friendly smiles. Morgana squeezed my hand once more before leaving with the others.

Being bedridden was not ideal. In fact, I was very much hating every second of it, apart from when the others came to visit. I wasn't a fan of being stuck with my thoughts, nor having absolutely nothing to do or being unable to move.

Y/B/N stayed with me most of the time for the week I couldn't get up, thankfully, and the others visited when they could. Arthur came once, to make sure I really was okay, and another time to remind me that I owed him a fight. Merlin and Gaius were also there a lot considering they lived there and were keeping me alive. And Morgana stopped by regularly, sometimes with Gwen, to make sure I had everything I needed. Having that many people who actually cared about my well-being was strange, since I was so used to only having Y/B/N around. But I didn't hate it. I only worried I was getting too attached...

One afternoon, Morgana came to visit and I was a little too glad to see her, mostly because I was getting very bored staring up at the ceiling. As soon as she sat by my side, I propped my head up so I could see her better.

"Don't get me wrong," I started with a small smile, "I love the company, but I get it can be boring. You don't need to be here."

She shrugged. "It's my fault you were hurt. I do."

I lifted a brow, surprised she believed that. "It really isn't, Morgana."

She gave me a knowing look, disagreeing. "They took Y/B/N because they wanted me. You saved Arthur trying to get him back. I'm the cause."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, how far that is from the truth. People like those bandits hurt because they can. They get greedy. I was only doing what was right. Even if it wasn't you in danger, I would have reacted the same way."

She smiled with amusement, eyes meeting mine. "I don't doubt that."

I pressed my lips into a smile. "My point is, either way, it's not your fault."

She tilted her head, eyes staring off ahead, and I knew she didn't quite believe me.

"Anyway...," I tried to change the subject, missing her attention, "tell me about your day."

It seemed to work as she chuckled, looking back at me. "There isn't much to tell."

"Uh-huh."

Laughing now, she gave in. "Okay, well I went dress shopping with Gwen earlier..."

I was very much content just laying there and listening to Morgana speak, even if it was about the simplicity of her day so far. The glimmer in her eyes, how soft her voice carried itself, how animated she became when talking about stuff she enjoyed... it was a sight to behold, or maybe I was just super infatuated with her. Either way, I wasn't complaining.

Unfortunately, the hour in which she kept me company was apparently a lot more than I could take as I soon grew tired, unable to stay awake for too long a time, especially with the medicine Gaius was giving me to numb the pain. As much as I tried to disguise it, Morgana wasn't blind.

When she fell silent, it took me a moment to realise she was just staring at me. I blinked, about to speak, but she beat me to it.

"You're tired."

"I'm not."

She quirked a brow, and it was impossible to lie to her, even though I really wanted her to stay.

"Okay, maybe a little," I admitted. "But I'm okay. Please, stay."

She shook her head, smiling softly. "You should rest, Y/N. I've been here long enough."

"You don't have to–"

"I'll return later," she assured me, already pressing a hand to mine. "I promise."

I exhaled quietly, nodding. Her smile widened, eyes flickering between mine. Leaning down, she gave me a hug the best she could, and I lifted my arms to return the favour, eyes threatening to close because of how comfortable I was. But then she let go. And I barely blinked when her hand cupped my cheek and suddenly she was pressing her lips to mine in a tender kiss.

I couldn't even react, too surprised to acknowledge it, before she'd pulled apart and I was submerged in green.

"Sleep tight," she whispered, completely unaware of the fire that was spreading over my face.

Words escaped me and then she let go and flashed me a smile before leaving. She kissed me? Me?

And I didn't do anything?!

A few days later, I found myself stood before King Uther, the third and hopefully last time in my life. I was finally well enough to stand up, so Arthur insisted I speak to the King, especially since he obviously knew about Arthur's disobedience. I was certain I was going to get yelled at, but surprisingly I didn't.

"I'm not impressed that Arthur left to help you," Uther was saying, "but you did save his life. You're constantly proving to be a skilful and honourable swordsman. Woman. Whatever."

I pressed my lips together, unsure what to say as he frowned to himself, like he couldn't quite believe what he was saying. It would have been amusing if it weren't aimed at me.

Arthur cleared his throat a little obviously, bringing Uther back to his point. and Y/B/N and I exchanged nervous glances.

"I would like to offer you a job in Camelot," he finally said, making me raise my eyebrows. Had I heard correctly?

"I'm sorry, you– you want to what?" I asked, though the hidden smile on Arthur's face behind him made me think I'd heard correctly.

"It seems that everybody keeps trying to hurt my ward," he said with regret, before sighing. "And everyone seems to underestimate your talent. It would put me at great ease if Morgana had a personal bodyguard of sorts, and you're the perfect person for the job."

Unable to hide my shock any longer, my mouth opened slightly. Glancing over his shoulder, I caught the Morgana's eyes, seeing her smiling at me hopefully. Was this her doing? Arthur's? Or did the King finally deem me worthy of something other than being a peasant woman?

"You look like a handmaiden, but you're not," Uther continued to explain. "If you're always with her, I know she'll be safe. Anybody who even tries to lay a hand on her will have you to answer to."

I swallowed hard, still reeling from his offer. A bodyguard? For Morgana? That would mean staying in Camelot permanently. Living here. I'd be with her all the time. And I hadn't even properly spoken to her alone since she kissed me the other day... there so much to think about it. And I told the King exactly that.

"I appreciate the offer," I said with a nod, "but I would like to have a think. Discuss it with my brother."

Uther nodded. "Of course, of course. Try not to take too long though. We'd like to have you start as soon as possible."

I nodded curtly before Y/B/N and I bowed once more, then left the throne room. My thoughts were still playing catch up, but we barely made it into the hallway when Y/B/N came to a halt and stepped in front of me.

"Did you hear what he said? He must really be starting to respect you!"

I scoffed quietly. "I wouldn't go that far..."

He gave me a knowing look. "So, you're obviously going to do it."

I looked up at him. "What?"

Expression softening, he said, "I'm sick of constantly moving around and I know you are, too. Camelot is nice. The people here are lovely." He glanced around at the empty hallway before adding in a quiet voice, "And you obviously like Morgana. She seems to like you, too. Why don't we stick around?"

I breathed out tiredly, meeting his eyes. "You make it sound so easy."

He laughed, pulling me close by the shoulders. "It is!"

I rolled my eyes and shoved him away, a ghost of a smile on my lips. "But what if we don't like it here after all? What if we're not cut out for this life? Working for noblemen?"

"I'd hardly call being Morgana's bodyguard working for noblemen," he said with amusement. "Besides. If we don't like it, we leave. That's the point. To try new things."

"I suppose you're right..."

"I always am."

I rolled my eyes again, beginning to walk away. "You wish."

His laughter echoed down the hall as he joined my side. "This won't be a mistake, Y/N, I just know it."

I pressed my hands down my dress before knocking on Morgana's bedroom door. After a moment, it opened to reveal Gwen smiling at me.

"Good morning," she said as she stepped to the side to let me in. "Morgana, your new handmaiden is here!"

I groaned quietly at the new job title, making Gwen laugh as she left the room. Morgana spun around from her position at her dressing table before stifling a smile as she looked me up and down.

"Don't talk about," I said knowingly, referring to the awful dress I had to wear. "It's to blend in."

She stood up and approached me, a chuckle escaping her lips. "Blend in it does."

"If anybody dares make a move against you though, I'm ready," I said with confidence.

"Oh, really?"

I pulled up the hem my dress, showing her where I had a knife strapped to each knee, making her laugh at the sight.

"Ah, yes, I feel perfectly safe now," she said, with a hint of sarcasm.

"That's the plan."

Her smile widened, eyes flickering between mine, before her expression softened. "Thank you for agreeing to this job, Y/N. I know it's not ideal. If I could, I would have made you a knight. God knows you deserve that honour, and it would have been much more respectable than the Lady Morgana's second handmaiden."

I shrugged, hoping she knew I didn't mind as much. "It's okay. I chose this. And at least I can be sure you're safe now. No more surprise kidnappings, right?"

She smiled with amusement, eyes not leaving mine, and I found myself getting distracted by the gold flecks in her irises. We still hadn't mentioned the kiss – I was starting to believe I'd imagined it – but I couldn't let it go amiss anymore. I was head over heels for her, allowed or not, and I needed to know how she felt. It was now or never.

"So now is probably the wrong time to bring this up," I started, attempting to disguise my nerves, "but the other day when you visited me at Gaius', you, er, you kissed me. And I'm just– well, I'm not sure if it was like a friendly kiss or–"

Before I could finish, she leaned forward and kissed me yet again, only a short kiss that barely lasted a few seconds. I was certain my face was hot as I remained as confused as ever.

"Okay, so either that was another friendly kiss or a complete accident," I said, clearing my throat.

Her eyes lit up as she laughed, shaking her head. "Neither."

My heart fluttered involuntarily. "Neither?"

She rested her hands on my shoulders, pulling me closer. "I like you, if that wasn't obvious."

I exhaled softly. "It was, but I couldn't be certain."

Her eyes lowered to my lips as she smirked playfully. "Be certain."

I found my eyes lowering to hers too, enticed by her red lipstick. Well, if she liked me, what was I waiting for?

Finally gathering the courage, I cupped her cheek and leaned in, pressing my lips to hers. She hummed contently, relaxing against me and sending shivers all down my spine when she rested her hands against me for support. Kissing her was unlike anything I'd imagined and when we pulled apart for air, my lips were craving hers instantly.

"I've been waiting for you to do that for a long time," she admitted, words ghosting my lips.

I tried not to scoff playfully. "Easier said than done, my lady. You can't just approach a royal and kiss them, even if you do think they like you back. And especially not if they're a girl also."

Her lips curved into a smile as she stifled a laugh. "Fair enough. You have no excuse now though. You're my handmaiden slash bodyguard, remember?"

I gave her a teasing glance. "I don't recall that being in the job description. In fact, it's the opposite."

She met my gaze with her challenging one. "Good thing you're not much of a rule follower then."

I smiled, unable to hide it any longer, admiring her dark lashes, the slope of her nose, the slight smudge of her lipstick. "Yeah. Good thing."