| obviously, some lines are stolen from gwen but i tried to add some of my own dialogue that fits lia a bit better |

"leon's got nothing to do with how inconsiderate you are, but yes, perhaps if you acted a bit more like him then you wouldn't be so unbearable."

[2.2 — The Once and Future Queen]

With the upcoming jousting tournament, several of the Knights of Camelot were getting prepared to enter. Along with Sir Leon, Arthur was competing as well. The tournament was still two days away, but many of the men were getting in some last-minute training. Given that Lia was finished with her daily tasks, she decided to climb in the stands and watch.

After Arthur defeated Sir Turner, Leon was the next to face the Prince. As he put on his helmet, Lia clapped loudly for him, cheering his name. Arthur already had his helmet on, which hid the annoyed look that crossed his face. Perhaps knocking Leon off his horse would make it go away.

As the joust began, both men charged at each other. However, the sun glinted against Leon's armor, temporarily blinding Arthur. He lifted his lance, leaving him vulnerable to an attack. But instead of taking his shot, Leon pulled out instead of taking the advantage. Lia nervously bit her lip, already knowing that he had made the wrong decision.

Arthur was quick to jump off his horse and approach Leon, removing his helmet. Lia slowly made her way down from the stands and next to Merlin. "Why did you pull out? I was wide open! You could have unhorsed me."

"I was fearful that I might injure you, Sire," Leon said, deciding that it was likely best to be honest with him.

"You had the advantage. You can't afford to hesitate," Arthur told him.

"I wouldn't have done it if I were facing a different opponent. You are the future King, My Lord."

Lia noticed how Arthur's face fell. "You jousted against me in the tournament last year. Are you saying you let me win?"

"No, My Lord," Leon immediately denied — though it was clear that he wasn't being truthful.

Arthur then looked at the rest of his knights, who were avoiding eye contact, which told him everything he needed to know. "It doesn't matter who I am! I do not expect any special treatment from you, from any of you! Is that understood?"

| | |

"Absolutely not."

"Please, Gwen."

"You've lost your mind."

"Really, Merlin, that's an absurd thing to ask of her," Lia added.

After Arthur had learned that he was treated differently because of his title, he had thrown quite the tantrum according to Merlin. Such a tantrum that he had come up with a ridiculous idea to compete in the tournament in secret. The only problem was that he had to stay somewhere other than the castle, convincing everyone else that he was off on a quest to battle some mythical beast.

That led to the current conversation. Merlin had gone to Gwen and asked her not only if Arthur could stay in her home for four days, but if she'd watch over him. Merlin couldn't be gone at all times of the day or people would be suspicious.

"But why not?" Merlin whined. The whole plan depended on Gwen agreeing to let Arthur stay with her.

"Well, for starters, I don't hate myself," Gwen said, crossing her arms. "I've seen how he treats you and the kind of guest he was when we visited Ealdor. Besides, even if I didn't care about him staying in my home, I'm hardly here. I spend most nights in Morgana's chambers from her night terrors."

It was true. After Sigan, Morgana's nightmares had returned full force. She hardly ever looked rested and was waking up screaming each night. To make it easier on them both, Gwen had taken to sleeping on a cot that had been set up in Morgana's chambers. That way, she could make sure that she was always there to comfort her and calm her down.

"And I'm not allowing him to stay in my home alone. There's no telling the state it'd be in when I returned," Gwen muttered, making Lia snicker.

Calling attention to herself hadn't been the brightest idea. Merlin turned to her with a suddenly hopeful look. "What if Lia stayed in the house with him to make sure he doesn't ruin it?"

"Merlin—"

"Please, Lia," Merlin said in a begging tone. "Arthur needs this. All you have to do is tell Gaius that you're house-sitting for Gwen while she's staying with Morgana. You know, cause she's scared of burglars or something."

"Merlin, taking care of Arthur sounds exhausting," Lia said, sighing. However, Merlin continued to flash his pleading stare, his eyes continuing to hide. Gwen grew amused as a low, whining sound escaped Lia's lips, meaning she was giving in. "I hate you."

"Please, you'd never hate me," Merlin said, grinning. "I'll fix everything else. All you have to do is meet us at Gwen's tomorrow morning."

"I hate you," she repeated.

Merlin smirked and leaned down to whisper in her ear so that Gwen could not hear. "Just think of it as practice for when your — OW! Stop hitting me, Illyria!"

| | |

Arthur only entrusted three guards with the knowledge that he wasn't really leaving Camelot. To keep up appearances, they set off into the woods and would return once the tournament was over. Of course, he'd be paying them a rather large bonus for keeping quiet.

"I'll meet you here in four days. You must tell no one I've returned to Camelot," he instructed once more to the guards. A few moments after they rode off, Merlin finally arrived. "You're late."

"Sorry," Merlin said, completely out of breath from running. He could hardly get his words out. "Gaius had me wa - the floors. I couldn't—"

Arthur rolled his eyes before grabbing the bag of clothes that Merlin had brought him. He threw on the shirt and frowned. "What is that smell? Whose clothes are these?"

"They're mine," Merlin said, frowning. "I washed them specially. You sure this is a good idea?"

"Seems pretending to be somebody else is the only way to get people to be honest with me. Grab my bag, will you?" he ordered while putting on a green cloak to help hide his identity.

"If you want to pass as a peasant, you should probably carry your own bag," Merlin said, smiling smugly.

"You're forgetting something, Merlin. No one will know it's my bag," Arthur said before roughly tossing Merlin the bag.

"There must be easier ways to prove yourself," he said, following Arthur as they headed back to Camelot.

"Shut up, Merlin."

With his hood up, Arthur followed Merlin through the lower town, keeping his head down. Of course, no one noticed him, not expecting to see the Prince of Camelot in common clothes walking amongst them. Gwen and Lia were waiting for them in Gwen's house.

"My Lord," Gwen greeted as Arthur entered her home, removing his hood. He looked around with a less than impressed look.

"Guinevere. Lia," he greeted. "It's good of you to let me stay in your home."

"I'm happy to help. Besides, Lia's the one you should be thanking. She'll be taking care of you," Gwen explained.

That was news to Arthur. He glanced at Lia with an almost nervous look before turning to Merlin, who had a mischievous smirk on his face. He hadn't been planning on staying in a small cottage with the apprentice for four days. Arthur just sort of looked at Lia, still caught off guard.

After a moment, Merlin cleared his throat and leaned over to Lia. "Food," he mumbled.

"I'll prepare some food for you," Lia said, standing straighter. Arthur nodded thankfully and went back to examining Gwen's home. Lia glared at Merlin and whispered quietly. "You owe me big time!"

Gwen followed Lia over to the kitchen to make sure she knew where everything was before leaving her alone. As the girls worked on some food, Merlin walked up to Arthur.

"You can't really expect me to stay here," Arthur said in a hushed tone.

"We need to keep you out of sight. We can trust Gwen and Lia not to tell anyone you're here," Merlin argued.

"I doubt anyone would believe it," Arthur muttered, looking around once more.

"You really can't go without your big bed and your soft pillows?" Merlin asked in a teasing tone.

"But it's not appropriate for me to stay here alone with Lia," Arthur said, suddenly changing the direction of the argument.

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Why was it appropriate when you thought it was Gwen who'd be watching you but inappropriate with Lia?"

Arthur clenched his fist, getting rather annoyed with Merlin and the entire situation. He was growing frustrated with his feelings, which were choosing the worst time to manifest.

"This will be fine," Arthur muttered harshly after a moment. Then he moved back over towards Lia and Gwen, raising his voice to a normal volume. "How are the preparations coming along? Have we found someone to play our knight in the tournament?"

"Absolutely. He's a farmer from one of the outlying villages, and no one will recognize him," Merlin assured him.

"But does he look the part?" Arthur asked.

Merlin sucked in a sharp breath, which made Lia giggle. "That's debatable."

| | |

"Well, have fun with that."

Gwen expertly chose her time to leave as the farmer, William, stood before them. He definitely didn't look like a knight — he didn't even look like he had bathed in months. His hair was a mess, his clothes were raggedy, and he held himself like a half-drunk fool.

"Great," Arthur muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, god he smells."

"Don't waterboard him, Merlin!"

"I am not waterboarding him, Lia. Now could you get him to stop squirming?"

"Will you two stop bickering like children and fix him?"

"Maybe it'd go better if you helped instead of sat to the side making snarky comments."

"Shut up, Merlin."

The process of washing, grooming, and dressing William had been a bit disastrous. And of course, Arthur had been no help. He only critiqued from the side, watching as Lia and Merlin did their best to turn William into a practically new man. They wrangled him into more presentable clothes and some chainmail, which he almost fell over in, not used to the weight.

Lia handed William a shield while Merlin showed off the seal of nobility.

"From now on, you're Sir William of Daira."

"I thought we'd learned our lesson about forging fake seals of nobility," Lia muttered. Arthur rolled his eyes at the mention of Lancelot while Merlin elbowed her.

Now that William looked more presentable, the next thing to do was to teach William how to act like a knight. They coached him on everything from his posture to his walk to his smile.

"Imagine you're really arrogant," Merlin told him. "Knights like to think they're so much better than everyone else."

"It's not arrogance. Ignore him, he's an idiot. A knight must behave with honor and nobility," Arthur explained. Though Merlin and Lia shared a look, knowing that lots of knights were plenty arrogant. William adjusted his walk — Lia thought it looked more like a strut, but Arthur was pleased. "That's... better. You must convince everyone that you were born into a noble family."

William suddenly looked to Merlin and spoke in an authoritative tone. "Polish my armor, boy."

"Now you're gettin' the hang of it," Arthur said, grinning. William dropped the act and snorted happily. Then Arthur looked at Merlin. "That's a good point, you do need to polish our armor."

"Yeah," William added in the same authoritative tone. However, he immediately ruined it with that laugh of his. Lia laughed with him, enjoying how annoyed Merlin was. His work had just doubled.

Merlin didn't appreciate how Lia and Arthur were laughing at him, so he crossed his arms and turned to William. "Why don't you practice flirting with Lia. That's all most of the knights are good for anyway."

Arthur opened his mouth to protest, but William had already crossed the room to Lia's side. She watched in surprise as he held her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Might I have the name of the lady?" he asked, pretending to have never met her.

Lia couldn't help but grin at how much fun William was having. "Lia, Sir Knight, but I am no lady."

"Well, you're certainly as beautiful as one," he said.

Lia threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, you definitely sound like a knight now. Leon said that exact same thing to me the first time we met."

William beamed from the compliment and dropped the flirty knight act. The tension left Arthur's shoulders once William stopped holding Lia's hand, but none of them noticed. It was going to be a long four days.

| | |

Things had been a bit awkward once William and Merlin left. While Arthur ate, Lia made herself busy, sweeping the floor and cleaning up after the mess that the three boys made. She wanted to return Gwen's home cleaner than when they'd arrived.

"It's been a long day. I think I'll turn in for the night," Arthur said, his voice replacing the silence. He moved to sit on the bed pushed against the wall. "Is this my bed?"

Lia bit her tongue as she stared at him. Gwen had mentioned selling her father's bed after his death, meaning that Arthur had unknowingly claimed the only one. But Lia was far too polite to tell him otherwise, so simply nodded. "Of course. I hope you'll be comfortable. I know it's not what you're used to."

"I'm sure I will be," he said, fixing the sheets.

Lia moved to the other side of the house and pulled the curtain that separated the rooms closed. With a spare blanket in hand, she moved to a corner that would be out of Arthur's view if he got up. With a bag of grain as a pillow, she laid out on the floor, cursing Merlin in her head. Lia had gotten too spoiled with her own bed in Camelot. She didn't like having to go back to sleeping on the floor. In the other room, she could hear Arthur constantly shifting and adjusting his pillow, clearly uncomfortable in his bed. Lia had to refrain from rolling her eyes. At least he wasn't on the floor.

"Good night, Lia," Arthur called, sounding almost unsure.

Lia held her breath and stared at the ceiling for a moment before replying. "Good night, My Lord."

Merlin owed her big time.

| | |

Lia had met with Gwen the next day in the stands. As they waited for the competitors to come out, the two girls talked about how last night had gone.

"He snores," Lia grumbled. "I slept on the floor."

"He didn't offer you the bed?" Gwen asked her, frowning. "Surely he noticed there was only one."

"I don't know. I've learned that Arthur can be a bit oblivious," she said, sighing. She couldn't count the number of times that Merlin had basically exposed himself as a sorcerer and Arthur just never caught on. Evidently, the future king wasn't the brightest tool in the shed.

As the knights entered the arena on horseback, Uther stood to address them.

"Is that William?" Gwen whispered so that no one would hear them over Uther. She was staring at the farmer with a surprised look. He looked like a different man. "You guys did great."

"Probably should've taught him not to fall off a horse," Lia muttered, watching as William struggled with his. Gwen and Lia did their best not to laugh.

"Today you will fight for glory and for honor. For this is the ultimate test of courage. And it will be the measure of you as men. For only the most skillful, the most fearless among you will emerge as a worthy champion," Uther finished up.

Everyone clapped for the knights before they rode back to their individual tents. Gwen and Lia knew that once William entered, Arthur would exit, pretending to be him. Lia wouldn't say it out loud, but she was worried for Arthur during his first match.

Sure, she knew he was a good warrior, but evidently, he had never been in a fair jousting match. Now, his opponents wouldn't be holding back. So, as Arthur rode towards his opponent, Lia nervously grabbed Gwen's hand. However, her worry wasn't necessarily as Arthur easily bested the other knight.

Arthur went on to win each of his matches for the day, impressing everyone in the crowd, including King Uther. "Sir William" had quickly become a fan favorite and only on the first day. Of course, once it was time for him to address the crowd, William exited the tent instead of Arthur. He was a bit awkward at first, but as more and more people cheered for him, his confidence grew. Gwen and Lia smiled, happy that he was at least having fun with it.

| | |

Dinner was once again uncomfortable. Why was it that Arthur and Lia seemed to only have meaningful conversations when Arthur was hurt or they were in a dangerous situation? Lia busied herself by cleaning the table as Arthur stayed seated.

"From what I hear, the ladies of the court are quite impressed with Sir William. They think he's very handsome," she said, smiling.

Arthur sighed and shook his head. "Typical. He wouldn't know a real knight if he whacked him round the head with his lance."

"Why are you doing this?" Lia asked, glancing at him over her shoulder. Merlin had explained it to her, but Lia wanted to hear it in his own words.

"I fear that people respect me just because of my title," Arthur admitted.

"I don't believe that's true of everyone," Lia said.

A sour look crossed Arthur's face. He couldn't help but doubt most things people said to him now. "Would you tell me if it were?"

"It'd depend on what kind of mood you're in," Lia said honestly.

Arthur stared at her carefully for a moment. "You know, that first day that I met you, you spoke to me like no one ever had. You didn't care about my title or even give me special treatment."

Lia bit back a smile. "Yes, well, I'm usually quite mean to people that throw knives at my face."

Arthur chuckled and shook his head. "You've already forgiven me for that. But when I'm competing as William, it's like when I first met you — my title doesn't matter. Nobody gives me any special treatment. So when I win this tournament — if I win this tournament, it will be because I deserve it and not because I am Prince Arthur."

Lia bit her lip as she studied Arthur carefully. It was the first she had ever heard of him wanting to be seen as more than just a royal. The first sign that he didn't care about what kind of title someone had. But she also knew that if he won the tournament, he would also immediately remove his helmet and claim the glory.

Arthur, feeling a bit too vulnerable under her gaze, cleared his throat and stood up. "I think I'll take a bath."

"That might be difficult seeing as I'm pretty sure Gwen doesn't own a bathtub," Lia told him, crossing her arms.

"Really?" he asked in surprise. Lia only gave him a tight smile, not impressed that the spoiled Prince's attitude was back as he began stretching his sore muscles. "Er... perhaps you could prepare me a bowl of hot water. I take it Gwen owns a bowl."

Lia grew annoyed as he insulted Gwen and her home. In fact, had Gwen been present to hear the rude comments, she probably would've fussed at the Prince for his behavior. It annoyed Lia even more because she herself had been raised as a royal, and never would she have insulted someone in such a way.

"I think I can manage a bowl," Lia said, shaking her head. "Just walk all the way down to the well and fetch some water then, shall I?"

Arthur didn't even pick up on her annoyance, too busy grunting and groaning over his sore muscles. Lia rolled her eyes before slipping out into the cold, too nice to actually say anything about his behavior to his face.

"One more night," she whispered to herself. "Maybe the dragon was wrong."

| | |

The next day, Arthur subtly peered outside of his tent, making sure that his face wasn't visible. His next fight was coming up and it was one he was looking forward to. He had known Leon for years and considered him one of the best, if not the best, knight in Camelot. Which was why it bothered him so much to learn that his friend had always been holding back. Now, pretending to be William, he could face Leon in a fair fight.

Arthur searched the arena for him, only to frown at what he saw. Lia was leaning over the barrier of the stands and grinning down at Leon, talking happily with him. She was likely wishing him good luck. And then Leon turned to look behind him and Arthur caught sight of something that made his breath catch.

It wasn't tied on the outside of his armor where everyone could see it as a public declaration, but peeking out of Leon's chainmail, he could see the token. It didn't matter that it was more of a sign of friendship than love with the way it was displayed.

He could see Lia's ribbon.

It was Lia's silent way of saying that she hoped Leon beat Arthur, whether the knight knew it or not.

Arthur saw red — he couldn't help it. Beating Leon was no longer about his title and proving himself. He watched as Lia waved once more to Leon before taking her seat beside Gwen. With his helmet in place, Arthur stalked out of the tent and got on his horse. He did not take his eyes off of Leon, unable to quell his jealousy.

Only beating Leon would do that, and then Lia would see that she had given her favor to the wrong man.

Lia watched the match with a rather unexcited look on her face. After dealing with Arthur for three days and two nights, she was hoping he'd lose and leave early. Staying with the Prince had caused her to see him in a different light, and not one that she liked — perhaps Merlin was right to call him so many mean names. Lia was just too kind to have seen it earlier.

Apart from Lia, the crowd was on edge as Leon and "William" faced off. Leon was easily one of the most well-liked Knights of Camelot, but the crowd was also impressed by "William's" jousting skills. They charged at each other, and Arthur was the one to win, striking Leon hard with his lance.

Everyone got to their feet to cheer for Arthur, but Lia remained sitting. Not only did she not want to clap for him, but she was worried about Leon. Arthur had hit him so forcefully that he was knocked from his horse. Lia relaxed once Leon was helped down from his horse, but she'd make sure he was alright later.

Gaius noticed how unenthusiastic Lia had become about the tournament. "You're not impressed by this Sir William of Daira."

"I believe he's an arrogant pig."

Gaius raised a surprised eyebrow. Lia never said such rude things about anyone, not even Merlin when she was messing with him. Whatever Sir William had done to her, he likely deserved being called such things.

| | |

After Leon's loss, Lia did not stay for the rest of the tournament. She trusted that William would continue to successfully play a knight, and she knew that Arthur would likely move to the finale. She didn't feel a need to be there for it. Lia continued to work around Gwen's home, sweeping the floors of the pantry where Lia had her small cot made up.

"Lia?" Arthur called, suddenly entering the house.

"Just a minute," she said. Lia put down the broom and quickly shoved her blanket into the pantry, not wanting Arthur to see it.

"Do you have a needle and thread? My shirt needs mending," Arthur said, walking over to her. Lia picked the broom back up and started sweeping. However, before she could reply, Arthur studied the corner, spotting the blanket. "Is this where you've been sleeping? Where's your bed?"

"You're in the only bed," she finally pointed out to him.

"Why didn't you say something?" he asked. He couldn't believe that Lia had just been sleeping on the floor each night.

"How could I? You're Prince Arthur." Lia pretended not to notice the way that Arthur's face fell at the use of his title. "Besides, you didn't give me the chance. You just assumed the bed was yours even though Gwen actually offered it to me."

Arthur scoffed. "Well, how am I supposed to know if you don't tell me?"

"You shouldn't need to be told to think of someone other than yourself. You're not a child," Lia responded curtly.

Arthur looked at her in disbelief. He had never heard Lia speak in such a tone — one of his favorite things was how soft and gentle her voice always was when she spoke to him. But now that he was realizing she didn't think as highly of him as he thought she did, Arthur wanted to know more.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say to me?" He could tell by the hesitant look on her face that there was. "Please, I'd like to hear it. If there's something you want to say to me, don't let me stop you."

"You don't have any idea, do you?" she asked, shaking her head.

"About what?"

"If my father were alive, he'd never let me get away with acting the way you do," Lia said, shaking her head. She turned, not wanting to snap at him and start an actual argument.

"Well, I'm sorry but we weren't raised the same," Arthur said, crossing his arms.

He didn't know how wrong he was. "No. My father taught me to be kind and courteous. Yours brought you up to be arrogant and thoughtless. Imagine if all your knights behaved in such a way."

"Oh, because I'm sure Sir Leon is just the perfect gentleman," Arthur said, scoffing. The ribbon was back in Lia's hair, but his anger at the favor had not faded.

"Leon's got nothing to do with how inconsiderate you are, but yes, perhaps if you acted a bit more like him then you wouldn't be so unbearable."

"Unbearable?" he repeated.

"Yes, unbearable!" Lia snapped. "This is Gwen's home, and we are both guests in it. I know you are used to more luxurious quarters and a servant that picks up after you, but that is not an excuse to be so rude or leave behind such a mess! You claim titles don't matter to you, but you behave like a prince and expect me to wait on you like a servant. I can only imagine how'd you treat Gwen if she was the one staying with you instead of me. Saying it means nothing if your actions betray you! Would it kill you to say please and thank you once in a while?"

And then, as Arthur stared at her with a stunned look, Lia realized what had happened. Not only had she yelled, something she never did, but she had yelled at the Prince of Camelot. She had never said such things to anyone.

"I - I'm sorry, Sire," she said, looking at the ground. "I shouldn't—"

"Is there anything else you'd like to add?" Arthur asked. His tone was softer than what she expected. Lia thought he would yell right back at her about how she was wrong and didn't understand the pressures of being a Prince.

Lia shook her head, continuing to look down. "No, I think that's it," she said quickly.

Arthur studied Lia silently for a moment and let her words sink in. "You're right. We are guests in this home. You've gone out of your way to do a favor for me, and I have behaved appallingly. I didn't understand why you had given Leon your favor, hoping that he'd beat me, but I see why now. I am sorry for the way I behaved."

Lia frowned slightly. She hadn't even known Arthur knew she'd given her ribbon to Leon, let alone was upset about it. She had only done so because Leon admitted earlier to being nervous about facing "William" after seeing how good he was. Lia just wanted to give him a confidence boost. Perhaps she wouldn't have if she'd have known Arthur would look like a kicked puppy because of it.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad," she said, frowning. Now she felt bad — this was why she never yelled at people.

"Oh, really?" Arthur asked, sounding a bit amused.

"Yes, really," Lia admitted. "I just - I was upset and wasn't thinking of my words. I don't like yelling at people. I'm sorry."

Arthur shook his head, knowing she had no reason to apologize. "There's no excuse. I'll make it up to you." Then an idea hit him. "Tonight, I will make dinner for you."

Lia gave him a doubtful look. However, he was already running with the idea, leading her out of the house. "You're going to cook me dinner?" Lia didn't think Arthur knew how to cook.

"I most certainly am. Now go for a walk or do whatever it is that girls do at this time of the evening," he said, moving her towards the door.

"A walk would be nice," Lia mumbled.

"Your dinner will be ready when you return."

Once Lia was outside, Arthur shut the door. Lia glanced back at the house with an unsure look but did eventually start walking. She wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to feel. Lia was pretty sure that Arthur had never gone out of his way to do something like this to make up for his behavior.

As Lia was walking, she passed Merlin who had been heading towards Gwen's house.

"Where's Arthur?" he asked her.

Lia tilted her head in a confused manner. "He's cooking me dinner."

"Arthur's cooking?" Merlin asked doubtfully. The look Lia sent him said that she was just as surprised as he was. Lia continued on her walk, and Merlin went to Gwen's house to see what had gotten into Arthur's head.

He found the Prince crouched down, inspecting a raw chicken, looking rather hopeless.

A relieved look crossed his face when he saw his servant enter. "Merlin, thank God," he said, getting to his feet.

Merlin glanced at the chicken. "Lia says you're cooking?"

"I need you to fetch me two dinners from the palace kitchens," Arthur ordered.

"So... you're not cooking," Merlin stated.

"No, but Lia doesn't need to know that. As far as she's concerned, dinner will be prepared and cooked by me," Arthur told him.

"You're trying to impress her?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin," Arthur said, not wanting to give away his feelings. "And get me a decent shirt, will you? Your clothes are making me itch all over. It's like having fleas."

Merlin rolled his eyes before leaving Gwen's house. He didn't know what he was expecting by shoving Lia and Arthur in a house together, but this wasn't it. And Merlin also knew that his best friend wasn't an idiot. Lia wouldn't be fooled by palace cooked dinners, but if Arthur wanted to try and show off, he'd let him. Merlin was just glad he wouldn't have to be there to see the unimpressed look on Lia's face when she inevitably found out.

| | |

Lia was unaware that Merlin had just rushed out of the back door right before she entered the house. Arthur was standing and waiting for her next to a fully prepared meal on the table. 

"Lia, perfect timing," he greeted.

Lia was surprised that he had actually managed to cook something, and even more so when he pulled her chair out for her. "Thank you."

Lia eyed her plate skeptically — it was chicken, which had been laid out for her to cook earlier. However, she wondered if it was cooked all the way, not fully trusting Arthur's cooking ability despite how good it looked. Arthur noticed the look on her face and chuckled.

"I'm not trying to poison you, Lia," he said.

"You never know. I was pretty harsh earlier," she joked. But Lia did pick up her fork and try a bite of the food. Her eyes widened, shocked by the fact that it was actually good. "This is delicious."

"I'm glad you like it," Arthur said, smiling happily.

It was the first nice meal the two had while staying in Gwen's house. They joked about William and talked about how far along as an apprentice Lia was coming. It was wonderfully domestic and made Lia remember why she had started to care for the Prince in the first place.

"So, do I have any more annoying habits you wish to tell me about?" Arthur asked as dinner came to an end.

"No, none," Lia answered, though a bit too quickly.

Arthur looked at her, worried that she was holding back something horrible. "There's something else, isn't there? What is it?"

"Well, the truth is... you snore."

Arthur's jaw dropped in disbelief. "I do not snore!"

"You do," Lia insisted, giggling. "The first night we were here, I thought a pig had got into the house. Merlin had always said it was horrible, but I never believed him."

"So now I'm a pig. Thank you, Lia," he said, leaning back in his chair. Really, he was just pleased Lia was smiling so much and that it was because of him.

"I just meant you sound like a pig." Lia winced as that sounded more like an insult. "I think I better stop talking."

Lia looked down at their cleared plates, prepared to do the dishes, but Arthur stopped her.

"I'll do that," he said, quickly taking the plate from her. But not quick enough though.

She stared down at the table for a minute, contemplating just letting it go, but she couldn't. "God, I am an idiot."

"What?" Arthur asked, grinning at her. But it fell when he saw the frown on her face.

"I knew you couldn't cook," Lia said, standing. "You could've at least moved the food to plates from Gwen's cupboard and off the ones with the royal seal. I imagine they, along with the food, are from the palace kitchens."

Arthur sighed and walked away from her judgemental gaze. "Look, I can kill a chicken from a thousand paces, just don't ask me to cook it. That's what servants are for." He froze when Lia's eyes narrowed at him, realizing he had said the wrong thing. "I didn't mean it like that."

Lia may not have been a servant, but Gwen was. Merlin was. Had she not been made Gaius' apprentice, she'd likely be one as well. "I didn't ask you to cook for me. And, I'd rather be a servant than a liar."

"We had a nice meal together. What does it matter where it came from?" Arthur asked, not wanting to fight again.

"Because I thought you'd shown some humility," Lia told him. "You'd done something kind for me even though I am not a noble or a princess. I'm just an apprentice. A good king should respect his people, no matter who they are."

Lia turned to walk away, but Arthur grabbed her hand quickly, not letting her slip away. "Lia." She slowly looked up at him. "I know I have much to learn. There are some things that I am terrible at — cooking being one of them. But also, knowing what to say to someone I care about."

Lia studied Arthur's face as he admitted that he cared for her, searching for any kind of sign that he was lying. But there were none. She could see it in his eyes that he truly did care for her — despite his questionable way of showing it. Lia took a hesitant step toward him, even though she wasn't sure what she was going to say. Arthur watched her carefully, looking oh so vulnerable in that moment.

However, the moment was ruined when Merlin burst through the front door, breathing heavily. "Arthur, there's an assassin in Camelot. He's here to kill you."

"What?" Lia asked with wide eyes. Meanwhile, Arthur began to pace.

"The assassin already killed a guard," Merlin told them. "Your father said Odin sent him."

"Why would Odin want you dead?" Lia asked Arthur.

He turned to face her with a regretful look. "Because I killed his son. Odin's son challenged me to a fight. I had no quarrel with him. I asked him to withdraw. Perhaps he felt he had to prove himself. I can still see his face. He looked so scared."

"You cannot blame yourself," Lia said, seeing how upset Arthur still was over it.

"No one but us knows where you are. If the assassin can't find you, he can't kill you," Merlin reassured Arthur.

Arthur nodded and looked at Lia. Even though it wasn't her home, he still didn't want to make her remain if she wasn't comfortable with it. "I understand if you don't feel safe, or if Gwen would like me to leave."

"Gwen is safe in the castle with Morgana. You can stay as long as you need," Lia told him. With Merlin and Arthur with her, there was no reason for her to fear the assassin.

"Thank you. I'll sleep on the floor tonight," he told her, beginning to head to the blankets laid down in the pantry.

"No, take the bed," Lia argued. "You need to be well-rested for the tournament tomorrow. Physician's orders."

"I'll not hear of it. Goodnight, Lia."

"Goodnight, Arthur." She smiled as walked to the other end of the house. While Merlin joined Arthur's side, Lia walked over to the bed. She was fixing the sheets but stopped when Merlin began to leave. "Where are you going, Merlin?"

"To fetch a mattress," he muttered in an annoyed tone.

Lia chuckled and shook her head. Of course, Arthur wouldn't actually sleep on the floor. She had no clue how Merlin was going to lug a heavy mattress all the way down from the palace, but she also wasn't going to offer to help him.

"Have fun with that."

| | |

The next morning, after breakfast, Lia made sure that Arthur had everything he needed for the tournament. It was the last day, and also their last moments alone in Gwen's house.

"Nervous?" Lia asked him.

"About the tournament or the assassin?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. There was a hint of amusement on his face.

"Either, I suppose," she said. Though, her question went unanswered.

As Arthur threw his cloak over his shoulders, Lia couldn't stop herself from reaching up and tying the strings in the front. He watched her carefully as she did so. "One more match. The tournament will be over." Their time together would be over.

"You can go back to being Prince Arthur." Lia's hands hovered over Arthur's chest for a moment before she reached into the pocket of her dress. Arthur followed her movements and his breath caught when she pulled out her pink ribbon. "I thought you might wear it... for luck." For me, she added wordlessly.

Arthur couldn't help but smile as he gently took it from her hands — he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles as he did so. He could not tear his eyes from the token that meant so much to her. "Thank you."

Arthur looked from the ribbon to Lia, and for a moment, his heart stopped. Everything had become so overwhelming — the weight of Lia's hand in his, the way that she stared up at him so endearingly, and the sunlight coming through the window hit her face in a way that showed off the almost golden flecks in her eyes which he had never noticed before. And then before he could stop himself, Arthur was leaning down to kiss her.

Lia couldn't breathe as Arthur brushed his lip against hers almost hesitantly. Then as he felt her lean in, he kissed her properly, hooking his thumb under her chin and pulling her close. Arthur's lips were soft and slow against hers, and Lia slowly melted into him. She found that kissing Arthur was one of the most euphoric sensations in the world and she did not want it to stop, but eventually it had to.

As Arthur pulled away, there was a new type of intimacy surrounding them as they gazed into each other's eyes. Neither could quite wrap their heads around what had just happened and yet, it did and it meant more than anything to the both of them.

"I had to do that," Arthur whispered, brushing Lia's cheek with his thumb. "Just once while I still could."

And then he was gone, leaving Lia alone in Gwen's house. Slowly, she brought her fingertips to her lips and shut her eyes. The lingering feel of Arthur's kiss was still there, and warmth spread through her body.

Maybe Lia wouldn't kill Merlin for asking her to stay with the Prince.

| | |

As Merlin helped Arthur put on his armor, all the Prince could think of was Lia. He stared down at the pink ribbon in his hand with a hardly noticeable smile. Merlin paused his movements when he caught sight of the favor.

"That's Lia's," he noted.

"For luck," Arthur said simply.

"I'll put it on the inside—"

"Tie it on the outside," Arthur interrupted.

It was a softer tone than he normally used when Merlin ordered him around, making the servant wonder what had changed. Merlin raised an eyebrow in surprise but did as he was asked. He tied the thin strip of silk to the outside arm of Arthur's chainmail. Doing such a thing, wearing the favor so openly, was a public declaration of sorts — one that Arthur likely wouldn't have made if the crowd knew it was really him.

As the joust began, Lia watched nervously from the stands. This time, she did clap for "William" as he rode out, and she bit back a grin when she noticed the flash of pink on his arm. As the final joust began, the two men charged at each other. It was Sir Alynor, not Arthur, who landed the first hit. When Lia noticed Arthur lean over as if he was in pain, she got to her feet, worried that he had been injured.

She did not say anything to Gaius or Gwen as she rushed from the stands. For whatever reason, Merlin was not by Arthur's side, so Lia helped him from his horse and towards his tent. Just by the way he was leaning on her, she could tell that he was hurt badly.

"His lance pierced my armor," Arthur groaned, as William and Lia lowered him into a chair.

"You're losing too much blood," Lia told him, inspecting the wound as much as she could through the armor. She grabbed a cloth and held it against the wound, trying to slow the bleeding.

"Do what you can. I have to be back on the course within five minutes or I forfeit the match," Arthur said, wincing.

Lia looked up at him in disbelief. "You can't possibly joust. You're too badly injured!" she fussed. "You need to be taken to the physician chambers!"

"I have never withdrawn from a match. I do not intend to start now," he told her.

"You would risk your life to protect your pride?" she asked, upset by his stubbornness. "They don't know it's you. You have nothing to prove, least of all to me."

"I have everything to prove," he said. "To myself."

Despite his pain, Arthur nodded to William, who gave him his helmet. He would not listen as she begged him not to finish the joust. Once they were outside, Arthur struggled to get on his horse, even with Lia's held.

"You'll have to pass me my lance," he told her.

She did as he asked, but was not happy about it. "This is madness."

Arthur smiled sadly, but she could not see it through his helmet. He rode off towards the arena and she slowly followed on foot. However, Merlin suddenly ran up to her with a panicked look on his face.

"Lia! Where's Arthur?" he asked.

Lia pointed to where Arthur rode off to. "He's about to joust."

Merlin rushed past her. "He's jousting against the assassin!"

Lia ran after Merlin to the edge of the arena, where the joust had already begun. They could both see that Arthur was already quite out of it from his injury. It would be easy for the assassin to finish him off. Just before the assassin reached Arthur, Merlin chanted a quiet spell, and the saddle of the assassin's horse snapped. As he struggled to stay on, Arthur took his chance. The assassin was knocked from his horse, and did not move anymore, leaving most to assume that he was badly injured if not dead.

Lia rushed back to Arthur's tent while Merlin helped him down from his horse. Once Arthur was sat down, Lia immediately started inspecting his injury while Merlin explained everything.

"You were jousting against the assassin. He killed Sir Alynor and took his place," Merlin said. Then he glanced to the entrance of the tunnel where the crowd was cheering for William. "The people are waiting for their champion. It's time to reveal yourself."

Arthur surprised all of them by looking at William. "You must go and collect the trophy."

"I thought this was going to be your moment of glory?" Lia asked, with a small surprised smile.

"Perhaps this is a time for humility."

| | |

Arthur did not let Lia completely treat his wound. Given that he hadn't revealed himself at the tournament, he had to keep up his ruse for his father. After fashioning a sling, Arthur met with Uther in the council chambers with everyone present.

"The assassin attacked us as we returned to Camelot. I was injured whilst killing him," Arthur lied.

"Odin must be made to pay for his actions. We must strike back at him," Uther said.

"Surely you understand the grief he feels for the loss of his son?" Arthur asked, frowning. Deep down, he felt he deserved the attack from Odin. "We should try to make peace with him. There's been enough bloodshed."

Uther was surprised by Arthur's mature response to being almost killed. "Perhaps you're right. How was the rest of your trip? Fruitful?"

Arthur's eyes landed on Lia, who was standing by Gaius' side. "Very. I learned a great deal." She smiled shyly and looked to the floor. "How was the tournament?"

"Excellent. We have a new champion, Sir William of Daira." Lia, Merlin, and Gwen all hid their smiles.

"I'm sorry I missed all the excitement," Arthur said. He smiled as his eyes again fell on Lia, but then he frowned. As he stood before his father, he was reminded once more why he and Lia could never be.

| | |

Uther had ordered Arthur to go to the physician chambers and have his wound treated. While Gaius stayed behind to discuss the assassin with Uther, Lia and Arthur walked to the chambers in silence. Neither quite knew what to say, so they stayed silent as Lia helped Arthur remove his armor. And she was thankful that Arthur's injury distracted her from the fact that he was shirtless.

"You're lucky he didn't hit you just a little higher," Lia said, beginning to stitch up the skin. She muttered a quiet apology when he winced. "He could've punctured a lung."

Arthur studied Lia carefully as she took care of him. He adored the expression on her face when she was concentrated — her brows were scrunched up and she bit her bottom lip, solely focused on him, well, his wound. He sighed when her soft touch caressed his skin as she wrapped a bandage around his chest. Once she was finished, Lia pulled her hands away, but Arthur quickly caught them both in one of his.

"Lia," he said in a soft tone — though she could hear a bit of pain in it as well. And Lia wasn't a fool. She had a good idea of what was coming next based on the heartbroken look on his face. "What happened while I was staying with you... My father—"

"You don't have to explain," Lia said, looking to the ground. She didn't want him to see the sadness swimming in her eyes. "I understand better than you might think."

Lia saw a flash of pink, and then Arthur, almost hesitantly, placed her ribbon in her hand before closing her fingers around it.

"Perhaps when I'm King," he said, "things will be different."

Lia did not look up, not seeing the hope in his eyes. She convinced herself that it would only hurt. So, she slowly pulled her hands from his. "You should get some rest, My Prince."

Lia stayed seated as Arthur left. He left slowly — regretfully, looking back at her over his shoulder. In that moment, Arthur felt he would've done anything if it meant he never had to walk away from Lia ever again. One day, he told himself, he wouldn't have to.