"don't pretend like you don't have feelings for her. how could you just forget her as soon as sophia bats her eyelashes at you?"

[1.7 — The Gates of Avalon]

"And where are you off to, My Lady?"

Lia smiled as Sir Leon joined her side, falling into step with her down the hallway. She had a now-empty basket, which had been previously filled with the deliveries she had to make around the castle. She had just dropped off a stronger sleeping draught, as requested by Morgana.

"I am just heading back to Gaius. I've finished dropping off everyone's orders for the day," she explained. "And what of your schedule, Sir Leon?"

"Just waiting for Arthur to return from hunting. We need to make the new schedule for the guard patrol for the next few weeks," he told her.

"Ah yes, Merlin was complaining last night about having to get up earlier to accompany him," Lia said, smiling. "They probably won't catch anything. Merlin is far too loud and clumsy for hunting."

"Oh, have faith," Leon said, grinning. "Maybe Merlin will bring you back a tasty squirrel."

Lia cringed at the thought of eating a squirrel, making Leon laugh. "I do hope he doesn't. Or maybe we can sneak it into Gaius' stew for dinner without him noticing."

"Poor Gaius, to have to live with the two of you—"

Leon was cut off by the very man they had brought up. Gaius was walking towards them and he perked up when he noticed Lia at Leon's side.

"Ah, Lia, perfect timing," he said, joining her side. "Arthur and Merlin have just returned from their hunting trip. Apparently, they rescued some travelers from bandits. We are to go to the council chambers to see if they need medical attention."

"Very well. Good day, Leon," Lia said, smiling at the knight.

Then she and Gaius made their way to the council chambers. They had to wait around for a few minutes, as Arthur, Merlin, and their guests had not arrived. Lia noted that Morgana wasn't present, but that did not surprise her. Given that she had requested an extra dose of her sleeping draught which told her that Morgana had probably had a particularly bad set of nightmares. Gwen was likely with her and making sure she got some rest.

Eventually, Arthur and Merlin entered the council chamber with two people in tow. It was a man and a young girl, who looked about Lia's age. They both wore nice traveling cloaks and held wonderfully ornate walking staffs. The girl was beautiful, Lia noted, in a nice yellow dress with jewelry woven into her hair. Lia couldn't seem to stop herself from nervously tucking one of her own blonde curls behind her ear, which had fallen from her pink ribbon's hold.

"My name is Aulfric, heir to Tír-Mòr. This is my daughter, Sophia," the man, Aulfric, introduce. They both bowed respectfully to the King.

"You're a long way from home," Uther noted. "What brings you to Camelot?"

"Our home was sacked by raiders. We barely escaped with what few possessions we could carry," Aulfric explained.

"These are dangerous times. What will you do?" Uther asked them.

"We travel west to Caerleon where we have family and, I hope, a new life," Aulfric said.

"You must stay here awhile. Break your journey," Uther offered. "A noble family like yours is always welcome in Camelot."

The Tír-Mòrs bowed in thanks before they were led from the chambers. Lia moved to Merlin's side with plans to ask him about the hunting trip. However, she paused, noticing Sophia look back at something and smile softly. She followed her gaze to see that it was Arthur. He did not take his eyes off the girl until she was completely gone from his sight.

| | |

"So, what did you think of our guests?" Gaius asked. He and Lia were in the physician chambers and working on some new remedies. Lia was cutting up the ingredients while Gaius closely watched to make sure the mixture did not overheat.

"I suppose they were nice," Lia had to admit. Earlier, Gaius had sent Lia to their guest chambers to see if they needed any medical assistance after such a long journey, though they declined. Lia also took note that Sophia's room was right next to Arthur's, which seemed odd. Guests were never put so close to any of the royals. "They were very polite. Do you think they will stay long?"

"Well, that depends on how eager they are to reach their family. Camelot is a nice place to stay, after all," Gaius commented.

"Of course," Lia said, nodding.

After a few minutes of working, they were interrupted by Morgana who entered just as Gaius took a flask off the burner. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." Lia smiled at her but stayed focused on the herbs she was chopping up.

"Nonsense, my child. My favorite patient is always welcome," Gaius said, putting his things down. Then he kissed Morgana on the cheek. "I'm sorry about the mess. Most of it's Merlin's. If I'd known you were coming, I'd have tidied up in here."

"It's not that. It's just — your bench is on fire."

"My bench is on fire? What are you—" Lia turned as she heard Gaius' question and gasped when she saw the bunsen burner had tipped over. Gaius glanced back at the workbench, seeing the stack of paper that had caught on fire. "My bench is on fire!"

Morgana quickly grabbed a bucket full of water and handed it to Gaius. He then picked up the burning paper with some tongs and dumped it in the water.

"You're always getting me into trouble," Gaius playfully joked. "What brings you to this dark corner?"

Lia took notice of how tired Morgana looked. She also looked a little scared. "I had another dream," she told them, almost reluctantly.

"I see."

Morgana took in a deep breath before continuing. "I saw Arthur lying underwater, drowning. And there was a woman standing over him, watching him die. And she's here in Camelot."

Lia grew worried, but Gaius seemed to brush it all off. "The mind plays tricks. It borrows from everyday life and plays out its own fantasy."

"But I had this dream before she came to Camelot," Morgana insisted.

"Are you... talking about Lady Sophia?" Lia couldn't help but ask.

Morgana's eyes widened, realizing that Lia believed her, and she nodded quickly. "Yes! Yes, it was her."

"You must be mistaken," Gaius told her. Lia frowned, not understanding why he wasn't listening to Morgana.

"No, I know what I saw. It was so real — so vivid. I saw him die, Gaius. She's going to kill him," she insisted.

"Gaius, maybe she's right," Lia told him.

"These are just dreams, Morgana, nothing more," Gaius said, trying to comfort Morgana. "Are you taking the sleeping draught I made up for you?"

Morgana shook her head. "Oh, it doesn't help."

"Here. Try this," Gaius said, grabbing a bottle from the shelf. "It will induce a deeper sleep. You've nothing to fear."

Lia could tell that Morgana wasn't satisfied, but she had given up on trying to convince Gaius that her dream was going to come true. "Thank you, Gaius."

Gaius hugged Morgana and kissed her cheek once more. She then nodded appreciatively towards Lia before leaving. However, Gaius stopped her.

"Morgana. Don't bother Uther about this. No need to worry him," he instructed.

Morgana nodded in understanding before leaving them alone. Lia stared at Gaius for a moment with a frown on her face. However, before she could complain about his behavior towards Morgana, he asked her to head down to the market and buy some vegetables for their dinner.

As she left the castle, Lia couldn't help but think about what Morgana had dreamt. What if Sophia really was dangerous? What if she was planning on killing Arthur? And if it was true, how had Morgana had a dream about it before she had even seen Sophia's face? It was beginning to feel like the beginning of something horrible.

| | |

Merlin was helping Arthur get ready for the day, as usual. While the servant was changing out the sheets on Arthur's bed, the Prince stood by and watched.

"I'm taking Sophia out for a ride today," Arthur announced. "You know, show her around."

Merlin glanced at him curiously. "Where do I come into this?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be on patrol with the guard with my father this morning, so I need you to cover for me," Arthur explained.

"What, and lie to the King?" Merlin asked, already shaking his head. "No. No way. No, he'll see right through me. He'll have me in the stocks quicker than you can "say rotten tomatoes"."

"Merlin," Arthur whined. "I need you to do this for me."

"I am a terrible liar. I start sweating, my vision blurs, m - my brain stops working," Merlin told him, trying to get out of it.

"Well, no change there, then," Arthur joked. "Look, Sophia asked me to take her out, and if I don't turn up it'll blow my chances."

"You like her, then?" Merlin asked, raising an eyebrow. Arthur looked almost dazed as he stared at the wall.

"Yeah. What's not to like? The blonde hair. Her brown eyes. She's gorgeous."

Merlin then grew confused. He was pretty sure Sophia didn't have brown eyes and her hair most certainly wasn't blonde. It was almost as if Arthur was thinking of Lia while they talked about Sophia. But Arthur kept talking before he could point that out.

"I want to spend some more time with her, but I need to get my father off my back. I can't order you to lie to the King, but... you'd be a friend for life if you did," Arthur told him.

Merlin, though confused about Arthur's odd feelings, eventually gave in, despite the fact that he knew it wouldn't end well for him. "Go on, then, you don't want to keep her waiting."

Arthur happily pat him on the back. "Thanks, Merlin. I won't forget it."

"That was odd," Merlin muttered to himself.

| | |

Trusting that Merlin had effectively lied for him, Arthur set off on his day with Sophia. To be honest, he was surprised when she had asked him to spend the day with her, though who was he to turn down a beautiful lady? Though, deep down he couldn't help but think of someone who was more beautiful. But it was inappropriate for a Prince to think of an apprentice in such a way, so he did his best to focus on Sophia during his time with her.

For some reason, Sophia had requested they visit the river, which he led her towards. They didn't speak much on the journey, and the silence was almost awkward in Arthur's opinion, but Sophia had a smile on her face, so he assumed it was only on his side. For a moment, he wondered if coming all the way out there with her was worth the trouble it would cause him and Merlin with his father.

"The river's not far. It's just down here," Arthur said, helping Sophia step over a large fallen tree.

"Arthur, wait," Sophia called. She stopped walking and set her staff against the tree.

"What is it?" he asked, wondering why she had stopped.

Sophia smiled while taking both of his hands in hers. Something felt off to Arthur as she looked into his eyes — as if her hands weren't the ones he was meant to hold. However, the longer that Sophia gazed at him, the more he forgot about that and instead focused on how she suddenly seemed like the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

He was too mesmerized to even realize she was chanting some kind of spell.

"You there! Halt!"

A shout in the distance interrupted the pair. Arthur snapped himself out of his daze just in time to tackle Sophia to the ground. An arrow whizzed through the air, landing in the tree right behind where Sophia had been standing. Arthur hadn't even stopped to check and see if she was okay before running off to yell at the guards that had almost killed her.

When Arthur returned to Sophia's side, she plastered a fake smile on her face, hiding the fact that she was annoyed by the near-death experience. "You okay?" he asked her.

"Yes. Thanks to you."

"They were searching for the bandits that attacked you yesterday," he explained. Then he grabbed her staff to hand it to her. "Here."

"Don't touch that!" Sophia angrily snapped, roughly grabbing the staff from him.

Arthur was puzzled by her sudden change in attitude. "I'm sorry. Maybe we should go back."

"It's fine. I'm sorry, I was upset. Now, don't let this spoil our day together. We were having such a nice time. Let's go down to the river," she suggested.

Arthur frowned, suddenly remembering that he had in fact not been having a nice time. "I'm taking you back to Camelot. Your father would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you."

The pair then headed back to the castle, one of them angry and the other a bit confused about how he was feeling.

| | |

That night, Merlin entered the physician chambers covered in rotten vegetables. Gaius and Lia eyed him warily.

"Have you been playing with your food again?" Gaius asked.

"The King put me in the stocks," he revealed.

"Awe, man! And I missed it?" Lia asked, sighing dramatically.

Merlin playfully rolled his eyes at her. "Oh, I'll make sure to invite you next time then."

"Thank you," she said, grinning. "That's all I ask."

"What'd you do this time?" Gaius asked him.

"Nothing." Lia and Gaius didn't believe that for a second. "Honestly, it wasn't my fault. Arthur wanted to get out of going on patrol with Uther and the guard, so I covered for him and took the blame."

"And Arthur was prepared to let you do this?" Gaius asked, a little surprised.

"I don't know why you're shocked, Gaius," Lia said, rolling her eyes. "It sounds like exactly something Arthur would allow."

"It was his idea," Merlin said, nodding in agreement with Lia. He knelt over a bowl of water and started to wash the food off his face.

"And what made him neglect his duties? It must've been something terribly important," Gaius continued.

Merlin hesitantly smiled. "Sophia."

Gaius and Lia shared a worried look, both thinking of Morgana's dream. "The girl from the forest?"

"He wanted to take her out for the day," Merlin explained. "He is besotted."

"But they've only just met," Lia said, frowning.

"I know. I guess it must have been love at first sight," Merlin said.

"Yes. I suppose it must be," Gaius muttered.

Merlin finished cleaning out the rotten vegetables from his hair. Then he glanced at Lia. A part of him felt bad for covering for Arthur once he saw the small frown that adorned her face — it was never a good thing when Lia was upset.

Lia wasn't jealous — at least that was what she was telling herself. She had nothing to be jealous of. There was quite literally nothing going on between herself and Arthur. Though in the back of her head, she was thinking about what the Great Dragon said about her destiny. How was she meant to become The Once and Future Queen when her supposed King was running off and falling in love with every girl he rescued in the woods?

| | |

Once Sophia returned back to Camelot, she went to meet her father in his chambers, only being stopped once on the way. Though, the conversation with Lady Morgana had certainly opened her eyes.

"You've not been gone as long as I expected," Aulfric told her.

"We were interrupted," Sophia said, still angry from the whole ordeal.

"What happened?"

"I was nearly killed," she revealed. "For a moment, I felt what it would be like to die a mortal death. He saved me. Someone so weak, so feeble, saved me! I can't bear to be like this a moment longer."

"You won't have to. Once his heart is yours, the gates of Avalon will open once again for us and we can regain our true form," Aulfric assured her.

"I need a little more time," Sophia told her father.

"You must hurry. The physician can see us for what we truly are," he warned. Gaius was slowly becoming a problem for them.

"And he is not alone. The Lady Morgana. She fears her powers, but that will not keep her quiet for long," Sophia said, frowning. "Not only that, but my initial enchantment is constantly growing weaker."

"How?" Aulfric asked, confused. Arthur should have been entranced by Sophia from the moment they locked eyes in the woods.

"There is another," she sneered. "I know not who, but she has a hold over his heart. Thankfully it has not grown into love yet, or it would be impossible."

"Tomorrow, you have to finish the enchantment otherwise our chance to rid us of these mortal shells will be lost forever," Aulfric instructed. They could not let this opportunity slip away from them.

| | |

Morgana had made her way to Arthur's room to make sure he was alright after his outing with Sophia. Once she saw that he was unharmed, she calmed down a bit, but still questioned him about the girl.

"You seem very fond of her," Morgana noted.

"You make that sound like a bad thing," Arthur said.

"Not necessarily. I've just never seen you fall under a woman's spell so quickly," she said.

Arthur smirked to himself. "If you're jealous, Morgana, it's okay to admit it," he teased.

Morgana scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Come on. It wouldn't be the first time now, would it?" he asked, sitting on his bed to remove his boots.

"Arthur, I'm trying to protect you! She isn't what she seems," Morgana warned.

"Why? What makes you say that?"

Morgana hesitated, not knowing if Arthur would believe her like Lia or brush her worries off like Gaius. "I just have a feeling. It's difficult to describe. I had a dream — a nightmare."

Arthur couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous she sounded. "You really are very sweet, Morgana."

"Why are you laughing?"

"You!" he exclaimed, still laughing as he poured himself a cup of wine. "Your feelings, bad dreams. You don't have to make this stuff up. You can tell me the truth. It's obvious you like me."

"Less and less by the second," Morgana said, scowling at him as he took a seat.

"All right. Whatever you say," Arthur said, clearly still not believing her.

"You're intolerable. Just hope I'm wrong about her," she said, frowning. "And dare I even ask about Lia?"

Arthur paused, and Morgana thought he looked a bit confused for a moment. But then the look was gone and he was shaking his head. "What about Lia?"

Morgana scoffed. "Don't pretend like you don't have feelings for her. How could you just forget her as soon as Sophia bats her eyelashes at you?"

"I do not have feelings for Lia. Don't be preposterous," Arthur said, rolling his eyes.

"You can't fool me, Arthur. You get jealous of Leon or Merlin or any other man that gets close to her. I thought you were going to fall apart when Lancelot came to town."

Arthur shook his head and glared at the ground. "I don't like Lia. I - I don't." Morgana frowned, thinking that it almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "Sophia — she's the one I care for. Not Lia. Morgana, I'm tired of your games. Get out of my chambers."

Morgana left his room even more worried than when she had arrived. Something was wrong with Arthur, she just didn't know what. But she did know that Sophia was behind it.

| | |

Lia was pleased to find out that Merlin was once again thrown in the stocks. Of course, she wasn't pleased for the actual reason — she didn't like that Arthur was going out with Sophia again. But her spirits were brightened by throwing rotten vegetables and fruits at her best friend.

"I forgot how fun this is," she said, laughing as Merlin shook some old lettuce off his head. A young boy handed Lia a squishy tomato, and she quickly lobbed it at Merlin's face.

He had moved his head and the tomato ended up hitting his ear. Merlin cringed as he felt the juices slide down his skin. "Thanks, Lia. I really appreciate it."

While Lia was having a wonderful time throwing things at Merlin, Arthur was back in the woods with Sophia. They had headed to the same place from the day before at Sophia's request. He was currently chasing after her once she began running down a hill.

"Wai - wait! Careful," Arthur called, not wanting her to fall.

"Don't worry. I will be," she assured him, grinning as he walked closer. Then as he looked into her eyes, she began speaking in a language that Arthus did not recognize.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Sophia only grabbed his hand and pulled him closer, continuing with her spell. Slowly, all of Arthur's suspicions faded away. Arthur's eyes began to glow red like Sophia's but he'd never know it. His only thoughts were ones of her.

| | |

Blissfully unaware of what had happened to Arthur in the woods, both Lia and Merlin made their way back after the servant's day in the stocks. He was covered in rotten food once more, and she had a huge grin on her face.

Gaius was sitting at his desk and sighed when he saw Merlin's condition. "Not again Merlin, surely?"

"You would think that the appeal of pelting the same person with fruit would wear off after a while, but, oh, no!"

"It is quite fun," Lia said, giggling. Though she did fetch a bucket of water and a washcloth to help Merlin clean off.

"I heard that Arthur wasn't at the knighting ceremony," Gaius commented.

"Yeah," Merlin said. "He wanted to make the most of his time left with Sophia."

"So you helped him?" Gaius asked in a judgemental tone.

"I'm his servant, I had to," Merlin said as Lia started washing the food out of his hair.

"You shouldn't have done that, Merlin." Both Merlin and Lia looked at him in surprise. This was the first Lia had heard of him not trusting the Tír-Mòrs. "I fear that Sophia may not be all that she seems."

"Why?" Merlin asked.

"What do you know about seers?" Gaius asked them.

Lia simply shrugged, not having ever heard of them. Merlin only knew a little more. "Not much. They're... supposed to be able to see the future, like prophets?"

"It's said to be an innate ability. Those who have it are born that way. Some aren't even aware that what they see is the future. It comes to them in their dreams," Gaius explained.

Lia slowly lowered herself into a chair, shocked by the realization. "Oh my god."

Merlin glanced between Lia and Gaius, confused. "What's this got to do with Sophia?"

"The night before she and Aulfric came to Camelot, Morgana had a dream. Sophia was in it."

"Before she arrived in Camelot?"

"I've been watching Morgana since she was very young. And though I tried to persuade myself otherwise, I realized that some of the things she said she'd dreamt came to pass. I kept it secret from Uther, of course. The gift of prophecy is too close to the work of magic," Gaius explained.

"You think Morgana is a seer?" Merlin asked.

"I don't think it. I fear it," Gaius corrected.

"Morgana said that Sophia killed Arthur in her dream — she drowned him," Lia said, going pale. "She's going to kill him."

"Couldn't that have just been a dream? Maybe the - the woman Morgana saw just looked like Sophia," Merlin said, trying to not jump to conclusions.

"That's what I hoped. But Aulfric caught me in Sophia's room and, in a flash of anger, his eyes changed color," Gaius revealed.

"Who are they?" Merlin asked.

"It's not who they are that worries me," Gaius told them. "It's what they want with Arthur."

| | |

As it turned out, Merlin didn't take long at all to find out what the Tír-Mòrs wanted with Arthur. He had snuck off to follow Aulfric, who went to some lake. He did not make it back to the castle until morning. By the time he finished describing what he saw, Lia and Gaius almost couldn't believe it.

"Avalon! What you saw at the lake, it's Avalon. It must be," Gaius told them.

"What's—"

Merlin couldn't even get the whole question out before Gaius answered. "The land of eternal youth. Mortals are only supposed to glimpse it the moment before death."

"Well, I've seen it and I'm still here," Merlin stated.

"Extraordinary. What did it look like?"

"It doesn't matter!" Lia said, anxiously. "They're going to sacrifice Arthur."

"And we don't even know who they are yet," Merlin added.

"We do now," Gaius said, sitting at his desk and looking at a book. "I found writing like this on the top of Aulfric's staff. It's Ogham — an ancient script. Abas ocus bithe. Duthectad bithlane. "To hold life and death in your hands." From the writing on his staff and what you saw at the lake, I'm afraid I'm now certain. We're dealing with the Sidhe."

"That does not sound like a good thing," Merlin muttered.

"They're masters of enchantment," Gaius said.

"You think Arthur's been enchanted by her?" Lia asked, frowning.

"Almost certainly," he said, nodding. "I'm afraid Morgana's dream is coming true."

And coming true, it was.

It was not long before Merlin had grabbed Lia and dragged her to the council chambers, where apparently Arthur was seeking an audience with his father. When they entered and saw Arthur, Sophia, and Aulfric standing before Uther, they began to worry. Whatever was about to happen couldn't be good.

"I request this audience, Father, to discuss a matter of great importance. It cannot have escaped your attention that I and Lady Sophia Tír-Mòr have grown very close."

"Not too close, I hope," Uther said in an almost teasing tone.

"We're in love," Arthur claimed before the whole room. Lia noticed the doubtful look that Uther exchanged with Morgana. "Which is why I come before you today to ask your permission to marry."

A soft gasp left Lia's lips, not believing that Arthur had been so bold to ask that — enchanted or not. Uther couldn't believe it either, and he couldn't stop himself from laughing. "I assume you're joking."

However, Arthur was not and his face remained serious. "No. I'm going to marry her."

"But you only met two days ago," Uther said.

"We're in love," Arthur again claimed.

"In love?" Uther repeated. Then he glanced at Morgana. "We had no idea that you were such a romantic, had we, Morgana?"

Morgana kept a hard gaze on Sophia, not trusting her in the slightest. "No. He's full of surprises."

"I'm going to marry her. I don't care what either of you think about it," Arthur said.

Uther narrowed his eyes at his son. "I thought you'd come to ask my permission?"

"Out of courtesy, nothing more," Arthur told him.

Then he turned and took Sophia's hand before they walked towards the door. But Uther was having none of it.

"Guards, door." Once the exit was blocked, Uther got out of his chair. "You've forgotten whose court you're standing in."

"You won't stop me. If I want to marry her, I will," Arthur declared.

"Arrest Sophia and Aulfric Tír-Mòr." The guards immediately stepped forward and grabbed Sophia and Aulfric.

"What are you doing?" Arthur shouted angrily.

"And inform the executioner his services will be required tomorrow morning," Uther added.

"You can't do this," Arthur told him.

"Yes, I can!" Uther yelled. "And unless you show me some respect, I will!" After a moment, Arthur gave in and bowed his head reluctantly. "Release them. You've got your whole life ahead of you. Sophia is no doubt your first love, but she certainly won't be the only one. Enjoy yourself while you can."

As he spoke, Uther's tone grew softer. Once the guards released Sophia and Aulfric, Arthur bowed once more before leaving the room. Lia and Merlin watched him and the Tír-Mòrs go. They had been so close to stopping them. If only Uther hadn't released them.

| | |

Merlin immediately wanted to rush to Arthur and check on him but had to take care of some annoying servant duties. So instead, he asked Lia to go. She was nervous as she approached his room, not sure of what she was supposed to say to him. But also, she was worried that Sophia would be in the room as well. Lia couldn't exactly defend herself against a Sidhe.

Thankfully, the enchantress was not present, but Lia was still surprised by what she saw. Arthur was dressed in his chainmail and in the middle of packing a bag.

"Are you going somewhere, Sire?" she asked, staying in the doorway. It had been cracked open, so she let herself in, but did not step inside uninvited.

"Get out," Arthur ordered, not even glancing at her.

Despite the fact that she knew it was dangerous to ignore the Prince's orders, Lia stayed. Clearly, he was planning on running off with Sophia, and she could not let him. "Merlin sent me to check on you. We both thought the King was a bit harsh." It wasn't really the truth, but she didn't want to anger Arthur.

"I don't need sympathy, Lia, especially not from you," Arthur told her. "I don't care what you think of me. I ordered you to get out."

Lia sighed, knowing that it would be difficult. She hesitantly walked closer to Arthur. "I know what you think you're doing, and I know you think you're in love with Sophia—"

"Who are you to tell me what I'm thinking?" Arthur asked, turning to glare at her angrily. Lia flinched, not used to seeing him so mad.

"I'd like to think that I'm your friend," she said, standing her ground.

"No, you're nothing to me, Lia," Arthur said. "Now, get out before I call the guards to drag you away."

Arthur went back to hastily packing his bag, but Lia remained in her spot. "You don't know what you're doing. She's cast a spell on you. You're enchanted and you aren't going anywhere with her."

Lia reached out and snatched the bag from his hands. Evidently, that had been a bad decision. It had happened so quickly that Lia almost hadn't registered the movement. Arthur had pushed Lia's back into his dresser and wrapped his hands tightly around her throat.

"No one shall part us!" Arthur shouted.

Lia helplessly clawed at his wrist, trying to get him to let her go. Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked into his own. He looked murderous in his enchanted state, and for just a moment, his eyes glowed bright red. Arthur's hold gave Lia no room to breathe, and it was not long before her struggles grew weaker, her life leaving her. The edges of her vision began to blur and she feared that the last thing she would see would be Arthur's eyes as he killed her.

Suddenly, something heavy hit the back of Arthur's head. It wasn't hard enough to knock him out, but he did drop Lia. She fell to the ground, holding her throbbing throat and gasping for air. Through teary vision, she saw that Merlin had been her savior. He had hit Arthur over the head with a large, metal serving tray. The enchanted Prince gained his bearings and glared at his servant.

"Step away from her!" Merlin shouted. He raised a hand, prepared to use his magic to defend Lia.

However, Sophia then entered Arthur's chambers with her father. She looked between Arthur, Merlin, and Lia, who was still lying in a heap on the floor. She looked as if she was struggling to stay conscious, and it would prove to be a losing battle a few moments later.

"I told you people would try to keep us apart," Sophia told Arthur.

"I know. I won't let that happen," he assured her.

"Look, don't listen to her. She's controlling you," Merlin said. "Look what you've done to Lia!"

Arthur didn't give Lia's still body a second thought, only focusing on Sophia's words. "We can elope together. Get away from this place, these people."

"I saw you," Merlin said, looking to Aulfric. "I followed him. They're planning to sacrifice you."

"You let your servant talk to your guests this way?" Aulfric asked Arthur, glaring at Merlin.

"I know what you're going to do because I followed you to the lake and I heard everything!" Merlin said, turning back to Arthur. "You have to believe me."

"Don't listen to him, Arthur. Let's go. Let's leave tonight," Sophia said, getting closer to Arthur.

"She's going to kill you. Sophia plans to sacrifice you to buy a life of immortality. If you go with her, you'll die," Merlin said, trying to break through to Arthur. Though, given that he was ready to kill Lia without a second thought, he was doubtful.

"I - it doesn't make sense. We're in love," Arthur stated.

"They're magical beings!" Merlin shouted. "Look at the writing on the staff." Merlin lunged forward to grab Aulfric's staff, but he snatched it away. The Sidhe's eyes glowed red. "Look at his eyes. Look at him. Do you believe me now? Arthur, do you see?"

However, when Arthur face Merlin, his eyes were glowing the same bright red color. "I see everything," he said in a dark tone.

Merlin quickly tried to grab Aulfric's staff again, but Aulfric used it on him. He muttered a spell that sent Merlin crashing into the wall. He fell in a heap on the floor next to Lia, unconscious. Sophia smirked down at the bodies before taking Arthur by his hand and leading him from the room.

| | |

Merlin was the first of the pair to wake up. Despite the fact that his head was pounding, he still crawled over to Lia to check on her. Even through his slightly blurry vision, he could make out the dark bruises already appearing on Lia's skin in the shape of Arthur's hand. He was too focused on her to notice Gaius coming in

"Merlin! What happened to you? To Lia?" He knelt at both their sides, checking to make sure Lia still had a pulse.

"Aulfric," Merlin muttered, wincing from the pain in his head. "Where's Arthur? I have got to go after him. You have to help Lia. What's that buzzing noise?"

"Careful, Merlin, you can barely stand up," Gaius said as Merlin shakily got to his feet. He stumbled, and Gaius had to help keep him upright.

"I have to go," Merlin said.

"You can't, not in this state. You owe it to your powers that you survived this at all."

"I'll be fine. He needs me," Merlin insisted.

"Has that buzzing stopped?" Gaius asked him.

"Yeah."

"Liar," he snapped.

"I have to go, Gaius. He'll die if I don't!" Merlin exclaimed.

"The Sidhe are a vicious people. You must be careful," Gaius warned.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." Merlin went to exit the room but was walking towards the window.

"Merlin," Gaius called, pointing to the door. "This way."

"Just testing," he muttered, now heading in the right direction.

Once he was gone, Gaius knelt back down to check on Lia. He found it odd that she had been choked. If it had been Aulfric or Sophie to attack her, they simply would've used magic. He suspected that Arthur, in his enchanted state, might have been responsible. And if that was so, he could only hope that the Prince would not remember. Gaius knew Lia would be far too forgiving to be mad at Arthur for attacking her.

Gaius had to find a guard to help Lia, who he was very thankful didn't ask questions about why he was moving an unconscious girl from the Prince's bedroom. Once she was in her bed, Gaius got some smelling salts to try and help wake her.

It did just the trick, as a few moments later, her eyes fluttered open. Lia stared up at the ceiling for a minute, confused about what happened. But slowly, she remembered. She couldn't help but let worry and fear creep up on her.

"Merlin!" When Lia spoke, her voice came out scratchy and hoarse. She also quickly realized that talking hurt a great deal as she slowly reached to touch her sore neck. As she brushed the painful bruise, tears gathered in her eyes.

"Merlin is off to try and save Arthur," Gaius explained to her. Lia opened her mouth, but he softly shushed her. "Do not try and speak. There is substantial damage to your throat. It'll heal, but talking too much will hurt."

Lia nodded in understanding before sitting up in her bed. She looked at Gaius, hoping he could understand the worried look on her face. He sighed and held her hand.

"All we can do is wait."

| | |

It was a long wait, and the sun had risen well before Merlin arrived, dragging an unconscious Arthur. Gaius and Lia helped get him to his room undetected, not wanting to get into any trouble. Then they had to wait for him to wake up. Merlin and Gaius sat on one side of the bed while Lia was on the other. She watched Arthur nervously, hoping that he was himself when he woke.

Eventually, they heard a low groan leave Arthur's lips and they all sat forward. "Arthur? Arthur?" Merlin called.

"What happened?" Arthur asked, staring at the ceiling. "Where am I?"

"Can you remember anything?" Merlin asked him. What they told him would depend on what he remembered.

Arthur moved to sit up and winced, holding his head. "Oh! Oh, my head! There was a girl. Sophia, she... I asked my father something about her, I asked him—" Suddenly Arthur bolted upright in the bed. He glanced at Lia, and for a moment she wondered just what he remembered. But her worries washed away as he spoke. "What was I thinking?"

"Well, we did wonder," Merlin said, sharing a look with Gaius. "Especially when you eloped with her last night."

"I did what?" Arthur asked, not having any memory of it.

"Merlin had to bring you back to Camelot," Gaius told him.

"I don't recall any of this," Arthur said in disbelief.

"Must've been some blow," Lia stated, stifling a giggle.

Arthur spotted her small, amused smile before glaring accusingly at Merlin. "What blow?"

"Well, um, when I caught up with you, I couldn't persuade you to return. You were beyond reason. So I had to make you," Merlin explained.

"You managed to knock me out?" Arthur asked him.

"Yep. With a lump of wood," Merlin lied.

"He only did it to bring you back safely," Gaius assured the Prince, not wanting Merlin to get in trouble.

Arthur pointed menacingly at Merlin. "No one can know about this." Then he pointed to Gaius who leaned back in surprise. "Any of it. Is that understood?" Finally, he pointed to Lia, who nodded despite the small smile still present on her face.

Arthur groaned in annoyance before falling back on his pillows.

"Lia, are you alright to check Arthur for any injuries, or would you rather I?" Gaius asked her.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at the physician. Never had he been hesitant to let Lia treat someone, not even himself or Uther. Then he noticed the protective look that Merlin was giving Lia.

"Of course, Gaius. I know you have other work you need to get started on," Lia told him.

Gaius nodded before both he and Merlin left the room. Lia got to work checking over Arthur. He remained rather silent as she examined his eyes and the back of his head to make sure he didn't have a concussion.

"Well, Merlin didn't manage to give you a concussion, but it's going to be sore for a few days," Lia informed him. Then she held his wrist to check his pulse.

"Your voice sounds funny," Arthur noted. He knew it probably sounded rude, but he couldn't help it. Lia's voice had always been so soft and gentle, but for whatever reason, it was strained as she spoke.

"Sore throat," she muttered, not looking up at him.

Arthur studied her carefully, wondering why she had become so closed off suddenly just by mentioning her voice. She looked fairly normal, he thought. Lia was wearing her blue dress — one of his favorites — and her hair was tied back in that pink ribbon. However, there was something rather odd about her appearance.

"Lia, why on earth are you wearing one of Merlin's god-awful scarfs?" he asked, eying the red fabric tied around her neck.

"Oh, and since when are you an expert on ladies' fashion?" Lia asked, trying to change the subject.

Arthur frowned. "Why do I feel like you're hiding something?"

Lia stood from her chair and wiped her hands on her skirt. "You're set to go, My Lord. Though I'd recommend taking it easy during your training for the next few days."

"Lia," Arthur called, getting out of bed before she could leave the room. "Lia, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing," she insisted, looking at the ground.

"Alright then," Arthur said, though he didn't believe her. "Then take off that scarf. It's ugly and it doesn't match your dress."

"I don't have to—"

"Lia, that's an order from your Prince," Arthur said. His tone was surprisingly soft, like he didn't want to order her to do it. But he had a bad feeling and wanted to confirm it.

Lia bit her lip before nodding. She reached up and untied Merlin's scarf, balling it up in one of her hands. Arthur's eyes widened when he caught sight of the ghastly bruise around her neck. He stepped closer to her, feeling the need to protect her even though the danger had passed.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" Arthur asked, fury in his eyes. Lia supposed she was just glad that it wasn't directed at her. "I'll kill him."

She quickly shook her head and kept her eyes glued to the ground. "It's nothing. It doesn't' matter anymore."

"It's not nothing. Someone has harmed you and they will not get away with it," Arthur told her while stepping even closer. "You can trust me, Lia. Who did this?"

"He won't do it again," she whispered.

Arthur stepped closer and looked down at her, worried. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't bring herself to look at him. Then he looked back at the bruise on her neck. To him, it almost looked like fingers had wrapped around her neck. Slowly, he brought his own hand up to compare the shape.

And then a memory hit him.

Lia, helpless, shoved up against a dresser. She clawed at his wrist, silently begging for him to let her go. He could see the fear in her eyes — she feared him.

Arthur flinched and took several steps back from Lia. He looked at her with wide eyes before glancing down at the same hand that had almost killed her.

"I - I—"

"You didn't do anything," Lia quickly told him. "It's not your fault."

"How could you say that?" he asked, shaking his head. Lia tried to get closer but he backed farther away. "I hurt you. I did that to you!"

"Sophia did this to me! You had no control over your actions," Lia insisted. "You were under an enchantment. I know that you would never hurt me, Arthur."

"You were scared of me. I saw it in your eyes," he said, sounding broken.

Lia walked up to Arthur, not letting him back away. "But I am not scared of you now, Arthur."

"Lia, I was going to kill you." He looked down at his hand again, picturing it wrapped so tightly around her throat.

Lia saw the inner turmoil and gently took his hand. Arthur stared down at their hands, conflicted. And just for a moment, he remembered his time with Sophia in the woods and how he had thought her hands did not belong in his. He did not have that feeling with Lia. Slowly, he grasped her hand and brushed her knuckles with his thumb softly.

"How could you ever forgive me?" he asked, his voice cracking at the end.

"You're already forgiven."

"And how could I ever forgive myself?"

| | |

Later that same morning, Arthur had to stand before the court and his father. He had missed another guard patrol while he had been unconscious, meaning Arthur now had to explain his absence to his father, who was already so mad at him.

"When you failed to show up for patrol this morning, I feared you'd eloped with Sophia in a fit of passion," Uther admitted to his son.

Arthur glanced back at Merlin, who was standing next to Lia, expecting him to give an explanation. Once again, Merlin was to take the blame for his absence. "I - I wish he had. Because then I wouldn't be stood in front of you feeling like an idiot. Again."

Uther sighed and walked over to Merlin. "This is becoming a near-daily occurrence for you."

"But there was a mistake. And I would not say it was anyone's fault. Not—" Arthur looked at him sharply. "—Not really. Um, you - you could say it was mine."

"Could somebody tell me what happened?" Uther asked.

"Well—"

"Someone with a brain," Uther interrupted, looking expectantly at Arthur.

Arthur cleared his throat before finally speaking up. "After Sophia left, I wanted to take my mind off her so I went for a hunt."

"And killing things mends a broken heart?" Morgana asked, skeptically. She had already suspected that Arthur had been under some kind of spell, which must have been removed. He was back to gazing at Lia as always, though Morgana noted that he no longer looked at her with stars in his eyes. In fact, she thought that Arthur looked almost guilty as he carefully watched her. Morgana just didn't understand why.

"No, but it's good fun," Arthur replied curtly. "Merlin was meant to inform you that I wouldn't be back till later today."

Uther gave Merlin a rather unimpressed look. "Have you some kind of mental affliction?"

"Probably," Merlin muttered.

"Most likely," Lia added, fighting off a smile.

"I'm looking into it, Sire," Gaius said.

"Well, I hope for our sake you find a cure, or we'll find ourselves with a food shortage on our hands," Uther told him.

Merlin chuckled cluelessly. "Food shortage?"

Then he glanced at Lia and noticed the wide grin on her face. "Today's gonna be a great day," she said, giggling. She leaned her right arm on his shoulder. "Time to warm up my throwing arm."

Everyone in the room, even King Uther, could not help but be amused at Lia's excitement to pelt her best friend with rotten fruit. Seeing her happy made Arthur feel a bit better, but still, he could not curb the guilt eating away at him as he eyed the red scarf hiding her injury from everyone. Even after the bruises would fade, he'd continue to hate himself for the violent act he committed against her.

| | |

Merlin entered his shared chambers with Lia to see her gazing out the window. She looked rather troubled, which bothered him. He never liked seeing her in distress.

"Are you alright, Lia?" he asked her.

Lia startled, not having noticed him enter the room. She looked from the window and smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes. I'm quite alright. Just thinking."

"What about?" Merlin asked, joining her on her bed.

She waved a hand. "Just girl things."

"Well, what kinds of girl things?" Merlin asked, raising an eyebrow. He was no stranger to girl-talk, unfortunately. Usually, Lia would badger on without him having to ask, so he was surprised that he had to prod her so much. "C'mon, Lia. What's so interesting?"

Lia sighed and looked down at her bedspread. "You know, Lancelot was perfect, wasn't he?"

"I suppose, yeah," Merlin agreed. Lia hadn't mentioned Lancelot once since he had departed so suddenly from Camelot, so hearing Lia bring him up now was a shock.

"And Leon's nice. He's so respectful and funny," she said, playing with the skirt of her dress.

"I suppose," Merlin muttered. He wasn't quite sure where this conversation was going.

"I know that they both care a great deal for me," Lia admitted. "And I won't lie and say that I haven't thought of them in that way before."

Merlin raised an eyebrow, shocked. He had never heard Lia talk about boys in such a way. In all their years of friendship, she had never shown much interest in anyone, let alone talk about it. "You're right. They do care for you," Merlin agreed.

"And they're both so nice to you. They never throw things at you or call you names. I care about how people treat you," she said, frowning.

"Yeah, well, the only person that does that is Arthur," Merlin said, chuckling. Then he noticed the almost guilty look on her face. "Lia, it's not a bad thing to like Arthur just because he throws things at me."

"I shouldn't like him, though," she said, shaking her head. "I shouldn't have been jealous of Sophia before I had even learned she was evil. I shouldn't spend nearly as much time as I do thinking about him. I should want to be with someone like Lancelot or Leon. It feels wrong to begin feel like this about Arthur."

Merlin wrapped an arm around Lia's shoulder and she leaned into his hold. "And what's so wrong about a princess falling for a prince?"

"You and I both know it's not that simple."