Archive of Our Own

Elena was not as oblivious as everyone thought she was, really.

Clumsy? Most definitely.

Indecorous? As much as it pained her to admit so.

But she was not daft and nothing and no one will ever make her question that fact.

She never missed the way the visiting nobles looked at her from the other tables as they ate and drank with contentment at her father's renovated feasts, surely enjoying her struggles in using fork and knife.

("ignore them," said Lady Lavinia from her left; one incredibly long evening.

Some young Duke had been eyeing her from the other side of the table with an expression of mockery and grinned at his companions when she ungracefully started eating using her fingers.

"They are nothing but a bunch of brutes either way"

"That is not as simple as you make it out to be My Lady," had answered Elena, while cleaning her hands on her uncomfortably tight dress.

"Especially for someone with my manners, I seem to attract mocking glances everywhere I go"

"Just use the napkin Elena" her friend hurried to save the dress from possible stains, handing her the brown piece of cloth that had been on the table, neglected by the princess until that point in the evening)

And so, she didn't miss the way Prince Arthur glanced at her, confusion and skepticism clear on the blonde's face as she and her father entered Camelot's throne room.

This time, however, she had to make a good impression, this was for the kingdom she was so devoted to after all and if not for Gawant, at least she had to do this for her father, who was now hugging king Uther of Camelot in greeting.

How good had he been to her, even without a mother, Elena had always felt loved and cared for, as the King tried his best to give her a happy life, indulging in her little quirks, buying her the best horses in the kingdom and letting her go on hunting trips with the knights.

But now it was her time to help him, her time to make sacrifices: she had promised herself to make him proud.

And exactly when these thoughts had distracted her, one of those shoes (damn those shoes! Why do they have to be so impractical and uncomfortable?) gave out, the heel breaking and she fell.

Right in front of the king and the crown prince she was being introduced to.

---

"Grunhilda no! Please don't make me wear them again!"

"But my dear, you need to impress the Prince."

"I gave an impression all right."

"What have I told you about taking like the peasants? A good princess should talk in an elevated fashion and-"

"I am no good princess, and you know it. Please, just leave it be Grunhilda"

Elena sighed, lacking her usual cheerfulness and bubbly attitude and took the shoes with reluctance and putting them on. 

Honestly, it was almost impossible to ride with anything that wasn't her leather boots, let alone high heel shoes.

Sure, it might have been easier if she decided to go horse riding in the 'ladylike' fashion that she was taught long ago: both legs on the side of the saddle, because apparently "ladies cannot go around with their legs spread wide as men do".

When this thought came to its end Elena was already walking down the corridor and not hearing a sound following her, she turned around to look behind her.

Sure enough, Grunhilda had disappeared, and checking inside her room again proved that she had already left from there as well.

She cared for her tutor, really, but something about her had always seemed off, her disappearances were no exceptions.

The woman probably only wanted breaks from the girl she had been forced to serve and honestly, Elena could not blame her, if she could run away from herself she would have done so quite a while ago.

This time at least, she used this little freedom she had to kick her shoes off and quickly put on the boots she had brought with her in this nightmare of a visit.

After that was done Elena hurried down to the courtyard to join prince Arthur on a ride outside the city's borders, during which she was to strengthen their connection and- no that's not exactly where her father told her… it was to-

Ugh, but who cared about the prince when there was that beautiful white stallion waiting for her, already cleaned and with the saddle on.

The Prince hadn't even acknowledged her anyway, as he was too busy talking with another young man that stood near him.

Getting closer Elena recognized him as the kind servant that had always stayed by the prince's side when they were first introduced and had rushed to her when she had so gracefully made a fool of herself (she internally cringed at the memory, but put it aside for the time being)

If she hadn't known he was a servant she probably wouldn't have guessed it now, as no servant she had ever seen stood so close and talked so openly with his master.

As to give credit to her thoughts the dark-haired boy closed the distance between him and Prince Arthur and whispered something to his ear, cupping his mouth as if he feared that any sound could escape to someone else without a proper barrier.

Contrary to what the Princess expected, Arthur didn't seem to mind their proximity and made no move to distance himself from the boy (Elena was almost sure that he even leaned in, but that was preposterous and she was still quite far to be certain, better not jump to conclusions) and let out a small chuckle at whatever he had heard.

When she finally reached the pair, she was greeted with a bow from the Prince, who took her hand in his with a gentle (and possibly fake) smile on his face.

As much as she resented the idea of marriage; being stuck with someone that didn't love her and understand her, she couldn't deny that Camelot's heir to the throne was as handsome as the gossiping maids claimed.

Someone like him surely could have had any lady in Albion, surely he was feeling as bad as her, if not more, about this union with Elena .

"Please, allow me to help you-" began Prince Arthur, but if Elena had to marry him, she should make things clear right from the start.

"No need, this is one of the things I can actually do," she said, taking the reins in her left hand and hopping onto her horse.

After that, she was finally (and momentarily, only momentarily, keep that in mind Elena) free and encouraged the stallion into a fast pace, wind in her hair.

---

So Elena was definitely dying of embarrassment.

If she thought that after tripping and falling face-first to the ground several times she couldn't mess up even more (which she didn't by the away, she is the first one to think that there is no limit to her ability to be a disappointment to her father) then she was in for a surprise.

Now, maybe she was being a little hard on herself, after all, after finally impressing Prince Arthur with something, even if it was just horse riding; she managed to exchange a few words with Camelot's heir to the throne.

Apparently, he was an alright bloke, who had more things in common with her than what she initially thought and this was at least a nice place to start their… how had her father called it?

Diplomatic relationship?

Yes, it must have been something like that.

She really thought she was getting somewhere while she was being treated as… not-a-damsel-in-distress, but then-

"Here, I arrived late because I stopped to pick this up," had said the Prince, handing her a pinkish flower, that was probably a rose or something, "thought you might like it"

"I-" had stammered Elena, at loss on what to do "it's beautiful" she finished, and after a second grabbed it in her fist, pricking her fingers slightly, but she didn't flinch.

Arthur had offered an awkward smile then as if he was expecting something of her.

Elena, confused once again, had waited another second or two.

Was she doing something wrong?

'does he- does he want a flower as well? I don't- they surely smell great, but I can't see him asking for flowers to anyone let alone me.

Oh! Maybe I should… sniff it? 

That sounds stupid, but was what the ladies were supposed to do right?

Ok, sniff the flower Elena, just do it'

So that's when she had started to internally die.

Because of course, if you inhale a flower its pollen will automatically enter your nostrils, that is just natural and you can't really blame anyone but yourself for thinking that that was a good idea.

From Arthur's face, it was clear that all the progress she had made so far had been thrown completely out of the window.

Luckily, thanks to some unknown god, a horse could be heard getting closer to them from the trees.

The Prince turned around and Elena searched for the source of the sound, that turned out to be the servant from before, looking exhausted from the quick pace he had forced the horse into to follow them here.

Without glancing at her Arthur walked towards…

" Mer lin!" Towards Merlin who dismounted and tripped a bit once his feet touched the ground.

"What kept you?" Arthur continued once he was a step away from the other boy, with what was probably relief in his voice.

(Now, Elena would have felt offended, but she knew that:

Firstly, she was definitely not the best company, even though she had hoped they could connect with the few things they had in common.

And secondly, Elena noticed in just this short amount of time, that the prince seemed rather attached to his manservant and the reaction to his arrival had seemed constant, regardless of whom he was previously talking to.)

They kept talking to each other, but from where she was standing she could not hear their hushed voices clearly.

Arthur then raised his hand to point at Merlin's face… or mouth, difficult to tell; into what was probably meant as an intimidating gesture.

To Elena's surprise, Merlin didn't lower his gaze in submission as any other servant would have done, instead, he held the Prince's gaze, even though every once in a while his eye would dart to the finger that was almost touching his lips.

Did they… Forget she was there?

Elena strangely felt like she was intruding a private moment, even if that was ridiculous if anyone was intruding anything at all, that was-

Well, this is definitely not a line of thought she should be having.

When the Prince turned around to (finally) spare her a look, she waved politely at the pair, her guts turning because of the tension.

---

The ride back to the castle was extremely different from the round trip, not necessarily for the worst, but still, Elena felt vulnerable without the security of the sound of hooves galloping onto leaves and jumping roots and fallen tree trunks.

Luckily, the silence that had fallen since they mounted wasn't uncomfortable, as the Lady could take her time to admire the woods and hear the sounds of the birds and rabbits going about their day, without a worry in the world.

Elena was positioned in between the other two, trailing slightly behind them, so that she could see them both without turning her head.

As time stretched out, she had the occasion to think without interruptions.

It was clear already that the two kingdoms were extremely different in culture.

This wasn't a bad thing of course, but just considering how something as simple and theoretically universal as the code of conduct of the serving class changed, she expected many other differences to come her way.

It will definitely take a long time to adapt.

"If you excuse me my curiosity, Lady Elena," said then the servant, Merlin, pulling her out of her thoughts, "you seemed extremely secure on the saddle, is all the nobility in Gawant taught how to ride?" 

Merlin had an easy smile on his lips and seemed genuinely interested rather than smug like many men were.

He also didn't seem to notice the look he received from his master, that had turned around suddenly when the silence was broken.

"No, it is not custom, it's just me I guess." She answered, gaze falling onto her hands.

"Well it was really impressive," he continued, "Arthur will have to cope with the fact that he isn't the best at everything."

She quickly looked up, just in time to see him smile at her before turning to his Prince with a snicker.

"How incredibly witty Merlin, every day you just surprise me more, " said Prince Arthur after a second or two. " but perhaps you forgot who you are talking to"

"Oh no I haven't, Sir, I wouldn't"

Another snicker, but this time it was from Arthur.

"I'm glad since I have already decided what chores you'll need to do this afternoon"

At this Merlin simply slumped on the saddle, with a discouraged expression.

"Arthur I already have to help organizing for this evening's feast, you can't possibly expect me to work for you as well"

He had used the Prince's name, without a title, as if they were equals: this is what surprised Elena the most about the servant's sentence, surely they knew each other from a young age, there was no other explanation.

"You are a man of many talents Merlin, I'm sure you'll come up with something"

As Merlin scoffed the Prince turned to look in front of him, where the castle was beginning to appear.

---

"Perhaps you should wear the pink dress Elena, I'm sure it would look great on you"

"Maybe it would, but you know that dress is way to tight for me, once it's closed I find it hard to even breathe"

"You cannot wear the yellow dress again! You have used it for today's ride, it must smell horrible!"

"It does not and even if it did, it is the only dress I find comfortable"

Grunhilda scoffed, "fine young lady, keep the dress, but your father will be very displeased!"

Elena lowered her gaze from the mirror to her feet and turned around, guilt building in her chest.

"Don't pull that card against me Grunhilda, now it's not the time." With that, she started heading towards the door.

"Wait, Elena! I need to brush your hair!" The lady was already exiting her chambers and without looking back, she answered.

"You know that it won't change a thing, let's just go I am starving."

Walking through the castle corridors, she was met by several passing servants who stopped to bow.

Once they managed to reach the room where the feast was held, Elena would have loved to just sit down and enjoy the food she was craving, but of course, it couldn't be this easy .

She and her father had to apparently meet every single aristocrat in the room, which was as predicted, mind-numbingly boring. 

Elena struggled to remain concentrated and heard nothing of what they were saying. 

 It only really got awkward when she was forced to talk and respond to one extremely rude man, who did not appear to be as respectful of the servants as his own prince was.

Actually, now that she had time to think and take a good look at the rest of the nobility around here, Elena realized that they weren't actually...that different from Gawant.

Had Arthur just tried to make a good impression on her?

No, that didn't make sense, first of all, he has no reason to make himself look better in her eyes, if there is anyone he should try to impress was her father, who had actual power in this.

And whatever friendship had been going on between Arthur and Merlin was clearly theirs.

She'll have to find out more about that later, it's not like she cares much about others, but she was sort of curios and didn't really have much else to do.

Speaking of the devil, now that was (finally) time for the feast, the Prince entered the room with the ever-present Merlin walking by his side, the cheerfulness from this morning apparently gone, as his lips were pressed in a thin line.

She saw his eyes dart in her direction, before quickly moving somewhere behind her and when after he moved his gaze towards Arthur, who had whispered something to him, Elena turned around to see that the only one behind her was a nervous-looking Grunhilda.

---

Elena was having a rather painful headache.

She felt many different eyes watching her every move and the situation was becoming ridiculous, seriously!

At least, when she had food on her plate she was distracted and had something to do, but when everything was (quickly, maybe too quickly) finished, she had to stare at her joined hands and simply...wait.

To make matters worse, Grunhilda seemed even more nervous about the Princess's appearance than usual and other than some: 'stand straight on the chair' and 'stop eating with your hands' or even some 'keep your head high', she refused to talk to her.

The most 'exciting' part of the evening had been a short conversation with the Prince, who previously had been kind enough to tell her that she still had some chicken in her hair.

"Merlin, don't just stand there, my goblet is empty," he said with only a half exasperated tone, pointing his empty cup with a flick of his wrist.

As the servant was filling the goblet with dark wine, Prince Arthur turned his head right, we're Elena was seated, with her hands still joined tightly, "perhaps you'd like some wine as well Lady Elena." He added with a politeness that must have been taught to him since he could talk.

She looked at the Prince, then at her goblet and then at the Prince again, whose cup had been filled and manservant backed behind his chair.

She was unsure if she should have more after her first fill, but Elena had to admit that this particular wine was excellent.

So she nodded and made sure to tell him as much, to reciprocate Arthur's politeness.

"Yes please, I never had this quality of wine before and it's…" she cut off as she held the now full glass to her nose, " It's really good".

"I'm glad to hear that," began the prince before Elena finished the wine in a few gulps.

He blinked a few times and behind him, Merlin appeared to do the same as he stepped a little closer to the table as if he had been confused about something.

"It's, it's of the best wines of Camelot." He finished and Elena could hear the pride in the Prince's words.

"It is really good," she answered, "you are very lucky."

Arthur laughed at that.

"Well, thank you," he turned around to face the servant that was still at his side, "Merlin here should know about it, since he spends all his free time at the tavern."

As Merlin made a face if indignation, Elena snorted, she definitely didn't take him for that type.

"I do not. And you very well know it" Said the servant with a firm voice.

"Sure you don't" Arthur answered while turning around again, a little a smile on his lips.

Merlin scoffed, glancing upwards and taking a step back.

"Prat" he huffed under his breath.

That put Elena on edge, flicking her head slightly from servant to master, anxiously awaiting some sort of outraged reaction from the Prince.

But of course, nothing really happened (was she even surprised anymore), and Arthur's only reaction to the insult was a snort.

Then Merlin turned to her, and under his breath told her:

"That is seriously getting old, he keeps on telling people I'm always drunk just to annoy me"

As Elena was by now immune to any kind of behavior that was out of the ordinary, she used this opportunity to find some answers to her nagging questions.

"Have you served prince Arthur for long?" She asked Merlin, but raising her voice so that the Prince in question could hear.

"I had the misfortune to serve him for a few years"

He answered and opened his mouth to speak again.

"Ignore him, " said Arthur, interrupting what Merlin was about to say.

"What he wanted to say is that I had the misfortune to have him as a manservant since I was twenty"

From that, they continued to argue under their breaths for a while and Elena found herself to be smiling and even laughing at some comments.

It was endearing, to say the least, and she could finally take her mind off of things, just listening to the two of them.

While that had not been the answer she expected, it was clear now (as if it wasn't before) that the two of them were friends and that Merlin didn't hold his tongue.

Overall… it wasn't too bad, maybe she'll manage to get them to like her soon, she knew now that at least, Prince Arthur was a good person and not the bully she had been warned about when she was younger.

---

"Where have you been all this time?"

"Be grateful young lady! I was with your father!"

"Why? And why should I be grateful?"

"I was trying to convince him to finally get you wed! King Uther has been stalling for too long for some reason and this is outrageous I-"

"Why should I be grateful for that?! Grunhilda you know I don't want to marry! I don't love him."

"And since when was that important? Alliances don't require love!"

Grunhilda scolded with an angry tone of voice that Elena had almost never heard her use, and sat on her bed, shocked.

Uther had been stalling, asking her father to wait some more days before celebrating the marriage between her and his son, and as her father was his good friend he allowed it without argument.

Elena surely didn't mind, as the idea of marriage was still preposterous to her, even if she had come to like Arthur as a person and she hoped that the feeling was mutual despite her personality.

So while she did not know the reason behind the King's decision, she very well welcomed it and in the meantime, she had managed to go on a few more trips with the Prince and his peculiar servant.

For some reason, however, Grunhilda didn't like this arrangement and kept on complaining about it.

"Why are you so upset by this?" Asked Elena with a small voice, as if she was talking to an angry cat that could hiss and scratch her at any moment.

"I am not, I am simply…" she trailed off, "simply concerned that King Uther isn't taking you seriously!"

Somehow, the answer didn't seem honest.

"Do you want to get rid of me so badly that you can't wait to serve me for a few more days?" She asked, lowering her gaze to the floor.

"Don't be silly girl " Elena heard the steps coming towards her before her legs entered her line of vision. "I've taken care of you since you were a baby, surely you know that I-"

"Leave it be Grunhilda," she interrupted.

"I'll just take a walk".

It was an overstatement to say that her heart was broken, but that woman had been the closest thing to a mother that she ever had and while Elena had always suspected that she wasn't as loved by her caretaker as she did her, this was a harsh awakening, being thrust into the reality of things.

Luckily her little walk did her a whole lot of good, as she managed to have a chat with one of the servants that she had befriended in the castle.

Her name was Gwen and she was always so radiant, always so kind, that Elena had liked her right away.

It wasn't the "kindness" that was reserved for her just because of her status, it was a genuine feeling and the girl had smiled at her the moment she had spotted Elena.

When she'll have a ring around her finger and will be left alone in this foreign Castle, she at least would have Gwen to cheer her up.

When she was finally returning to her chambers, she spotted the other two people she'll have to spend most of her time with.

Merlin fell into an easy step behind Arthur, as he had caught up with his Prince who had called him.

Elena was by now, used to the sight of the blonde making his way around with his servant, that on nearly every occasion that she saw them, was exchanging quick hushed jokes with the other.

This time around though, there were no smiles exchanged or jokes told.

As she stood behind a column, Elena heard a couple of words that the two of them said:

"...my father for long…"

"...but Princess Elena-"

"I know but…"

"Perhaps we should…"

"...don't talk here…"

After that, she saw them enter a room she had never been in before and closing the door behind them.

Curiosity took over and Elena quickly walked up to that door.

She should feel guilty, she told herself, but after hearing her name she couldn't have simply walked away…

Right?

As Elena leaned in and looked between the cracks of the door she was met with a fairly small room, with old furniture, like a small table, two chairs and a wardrobe.

The two of them were at the opposite sides of the room, Merlin sitting on a chair and hands on the table, facing the door.

Arthur was instead near the exit and Elena could only see his turned back.

"... told you, I won't be able to postpone the ceremony for long, my father is not giving me more than a week"

Said Arthur, edge in his voice.

"I know, but me and Gaius are still coming up with a solution, it won't take more than a few days."

Merlin was not looking at the Prince, instead, he kept his gaze to his hands that were fidgeting on the wooden table.

"You sure?"

"Yea, it will all fix itself, then you can be sure both the kingdoms won't be threatened, I'll deal with the Sidhe myself so that there won't be any problems"

"Even if everything will turn out alright," says Arthur, right exasperation in his voice as he walked towards the servant, "I will still have to get married, you do realize that?" He stopped right in front of the table, leaning on in with his hands.

Merlin, for the first time she could remember, did not meet the Prince's gaze, instead, he seemed overly interested in the imperfection of the not-so-much-smooth wooden surface.

"I know," he answered after a few seconds, "why do you think we're doing all of this? For fun Arthur?"

A few moments of complete silence passed.

"I'm sorry." That was still Merlin.

"No, I understand," Came the answer quickly, reassuring.

"but what am I supposed to do, Merlin?"

Elena gaped, Arthur's voice was not the usual, steady and strong one she had gotten used to in these past few days.

She was surprised to find it weak, sad…

Vulnerable.

She recognized the helplessness she herself felt when her father told Elena of his plan to wed her.

With the pounding in her head, that repeated again and again and again, one simple and selfish thought.

'I don't want to'

She had quickly come to the realization that there was no "I" for people like her, she was supposed to rule her people, sure, but this meant that she was to serve them as well.

So, even though Arthur Pendragon was not facing her, she didn't need to know him well to know what expression he wore.

"Arthur-" began Merlin, who for some reason held the same tone of voice as the Prince's "I've already told you what I think about this, but I can't be this selfish, even if you don't marry now, you'll need a Queen… Arthur, you will need an heir-"

As the words left his mouth Prince Arthur quickly grabbed his arm, forcing the other boy to lift his head to look at him.

After a second, he lifted him up and dragged him to him, trapping Merlin between his arms and hid his face into his neck.

"Don't-"

Merlin, who at first held his arms up, closed them around Arthur's waist, dropping his chin on his shoulder, then turned his head and pressed a kiss there.

And that was the last thing Elena saw before backing quickly away.

Shock and guilt mixing up in her head.

She quietly made her way back, escaping from a private moment she should have never seen in the first place.

'Oh'

She thought simply while walking.

Elena might have not understood everything she had heard, but now it was clear to her that for Arthur, this arranged marriage was so much worse than it was for her, who didn't have anyone else to miss, really.

'Oh'

Because she should have seen this before.

Hell, how didn't the whole of Camelot see this before?

She probably didn't even consider it, but looking back at the interaction between them, it was crystal clear.

'Oh'

---

She did feel different.

Better, dare she say… it was incredible how she was managing to walk in these heels.

They didn't hurt, they didn't break or make her fall, the color wasn't even that bad now that she could consider it… it was quite lovely if she was being honest.

She will have to look into it more later, but now she had only one thing to do.

As the first thing she had seen after taking that foul-tasting potion were Merlin's pained eyes, she knew that she couldn't marry.

She had to fix things if no one else was going to.

The ceremony was in less than an hour and everyone was probably searching for the escaped princess.

Well, she didn't plan to be found.

"Gwen!" She half hissed half-shouted, "Gwen!"

The maidservant turned around and saw Elena standing in a dark corridor.

"My lady!" She whispered while hurrying up to her side, "they are looking for you! What are you doing?"

That was indeed a good question.

Elena didn't really know…

The right thing, hopefully.

"I know, I know, I need your help with something"

She told the girl that was looking with wide and confused eyes.

"Anything for you, my Lady, I've told you"

Elena smiled, grateful at her loyal new friend.

"I need to see Arthur, I have to talk to him before the ceremony begins, do you know of any safe passages?"

She requested.

Guinevere smiled slightly.

"Of course, I'll take you there"

As they walked through dark and unused corridors, Elena was grateful that Gwen didn't ask any questions, she wouldn't know how to answer them at the moment.

She did say one thing though, breaking the silence.

"You look...different," she said, confusion from before still in her features.

"I mean, not in a bad way of course… different in a good way. And this is not to say that there was something wrong before, you've always been nice to me, but-"

She went on with her usual stuttering, which made Gwen...Gwen, kind and afraid to hurt anyone in any way.

Elena was glad she had got to know her.

"It's fine Gwen, really," she interrupted her, "I feel different as well, in a good way"

Then they were out in the open again, in a large corridor with several doors.

"Arthur's chambers are this way," Gwen said showing her the way.

She stopped in front of one of the many doors and faced her.

"I don't know what this is about my Lady, but good luck."

She made a little nod and took a step back so that Elena was completely in front of the door.

"Thank you, Gwen," she said and knocked on the door, "and please, call me Elena"

With that, they smiled at each other and after hearing the faint 'enter' coming from the room, Elena took a long breath and opened the door.

Arthur was at the window, dressed with clothing that was as fine as hers, both of them not fitting well in them.

Arthur was a knight, a warrior, meant to be in chainmail and comfortable clothing.

Elena was a rider, a hunter, she would have felt better in man's clothing and boots than any gown and velvet shoe.

Maybe they did have more in common than they initially thought.

Arthur turned around and the moment he saw her his shoulders stiffened.

"Lady Elena? What, what are you doing here? They say it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding"

He stuttered and Elena could have laughed, (maybe she did let out a snort) because that was such an un-Arthur thing to say.

As if he could care less about luck and these silly traditions, she knew that he only wanted to spend his last hour of freedom alone.

Honestly, she couldn't blame him, she would have wanted the same.

"Then perhaps 'they' are correct, or at least, I would hope so," as Arthur lifted an eyebrow she continued, walking towards him.

"Prince Arthur, this is an arranged marriage, I don't love you and I know for a fact you don't love me."

"What are you-"

"I know, Arthur," she added, the other was still looking at her with dumbstruck and confused, not yet catching on, "I'm sorry to be so blunt, but we don't have much time. I've seen you and Merlin"

That sentence made Arthur freeze on the spot, eyes widening in fear.

"What… You won't, you wouldn't… We wouldn't"

"I'm not here to threaten you Arthur Pendragon, quite the contrary in fact, " she quickly stated, not sure if the reassurance really worked.

"I want to give us a choice."

The Prince lowered his gaze, his next words resigned and quiet.

"Then what should we do? Am I not supposed to marry you?"

She smiled at that.

" I think they are mad...we are all mad. People should marry for love."

She said with a steady voice.

If someone needed to take the reins of the situation now, it was going to be her.

They looked at each other, for the first time, Elena could see hope in his eyes and maybe…

Maybe he was right to hope.

She let herself be found by the guards on the way back and Elena thought of the hope in Arthur's blue eyes and knew that anyone could see the determination in hers.

As she was finally escorted to her father, standing and waiting for her, with affection written in his eyes, Elena knew what she had to do.

---

"Elena, you're finally back!"

"I wasn't gone for that long"

"Well, hurry up and get down from that horse"

"His name is Ludwig"

"Whatever, just get down! You received an important letter from outside our borders!"

As Elena led her black stallion to the royal stables, she looked at her maidservant with confusion.

"Is it from Princess Lavinia?"

"Oh no, it's from Camelot, I recognized King Arthur's seal."

Clara informed her.

At that, Elena grew even more curious, she hadn't heard from Camelot ever since his old friend had been crowned King and abolished the ban on magic about six months ago.

She had been happy and relieved at the notion, as she wouldn't have to fear a war with Camelot any longer.

She had been scared Uther Pendragon would have given up any old alliances with Gawant when she herself had decided to lift the ban.

"Queen Elena, Your Highness!" Her young advisor, Rufus, interrupted her thoughts and she realized she was already outside her chambers, Clara following her.

"We have received a letter from Camelot and-"

"Yes, I've already informed the Queen!" Said Clara with pride and a smile.

Elena tried to conceal her laughter as the two of them bickered about roles and whatnot.

She quickly changed and sat her desk holding the letter her two closest friends were talking about.

She wasn't still used to all the duties of a queen, but luckily, her father had her back, as he had chosen to leave the throne to her when he felt he was too old to rule.

It was definitely Camelot's sigil and the dragon brought her back to her first visit there.

After Elena and Arthur said the fateful "no" at their wedding, she had grown restless with doubts and concerns.

No, not about the wedding, after seeing the way Merlin and Arthur looked at each other she was even more convinced she had done what was right.

She was confused because no matter how much the physician told her nothing happened, she knew she was too different from her usual self and felt like she was missing pieces of her memory.

Like puzzle pieces that couldn't be found and prevented her to see the whole picture.

Not only that, but Grunhilda was nowhere to be found and did they really believe that she would just leave without the one person that (she had once believed) had taken care of her?

At that point, Camelot's physician (Gaius, his name was) was forced to give her a drink, that according to him, would explain a few things.

The transparent liquid gave her back those missing puzzle pieces and she could remember a couple of repressed memories, that clearly showed Grunhilda had never been her friend.

She had been...shocked, to say the least, to find out so much about herself in that way, but at least now she could finally be the daughter her father had never asked her to be, but definitely deserved.

As she shoved those memories back she opened the envelope and took the letter from inside, opening it and started reading.

My dear Queen Elena,

It is with great joy that I invite you again to my kingdom, who has missed your presence as I have.

The occasion is one that brings a smile to my face even now as I am writing you.

Years back you fatefully told me that people should marry for love and for that, it is thanks to you that I can make this announcement.

Me and Merlin of Ealdor are to be wed this summer and I would be honored if you could attend and stay at court during the week of celebration.

We could never be grateful enough for what you have done for us and please, bring my greetings to your father as well, who had never held a grudge over me and our decision.

I hope we will see you at court soon.

My best regards,

King Arthur of Camelot.

While reading the letter from Arthur, Elena's smile grew every sentence she read and without her notice, her eyes began to water.

"Rufus," she said after re-reading the letter two more times, interrupting the still ongoing bickering, "King Arthur just announced his wedding and invited me to court." She continued solemnly.

"We should prepare right away, I will give you indications for the wedding gift after I'm done writing a reply."

"Of course my Queen, what should I write?" Asked Rufus, somehow having paper and quill in his hands (she was guessing magic).

"No, I will write myself thank you," she said with a smile, "I'll summon you when I'll need your help"

The man bowed and exited the room, after sending and heated glance in Clara's direction.

She then picked up a paper sheet herself and started writing.

Elena was not daft, she had never been even when she wasn't truly herself.

And while a lot of things changed about her after Camelot, that fact definitely didn't.

Another thing that she won't allow herself to alter was her bluntness and sincerity.

So as she started writing her answer, she made sure to show it right away:

My Dear King Arthur,

About damn time.