Archive of Our Own

"Come, my lady, time to wake," a voice said to Merlin's left. My lady? And was that Gwen? Why was Gwen in his room, trying to wake him up?

"Mmm," he said, reluctant to open his eyes. Wait a minute—did he just sound more feminine than he should have? He opened his eyes and looked into Gwen's smiling face. It was nice to see her, but . . . Was the mattress way more comfortable and higher up than it should be? He sat up and looked around the room—Morgana's room.

"Are you all right, Morgana? Did you not sleep well again?"

"F-fine," he said in Morgana's voice. He looked down at himself to see two obviously feminine features he'd never seen from this perspective before. His head was spinning wildly and he fell back onto the bed.

"Are you sure? You don't look fine. Would you like me to go get Gaius?"

Gaius, who was probably now trying to wake him—or who he thought was Merlin. And if he was here in Morgana's body, was Morgana in his body? "Yes! I mean, I want to go see him myself. Would you help me please?"

Gwen gave him an odd look, but nodded. She extended her arms and Merlin reached out to take hold of her. He let her pull him up. Once he was standing, she asked, "Do you want to eat breakfast first?"

That hadn't occurred to Merlin's addled mind, but he nodded. He was able to make it over to the table where Gwen had a breakfast much like Arthur's usual laid out. Suddenly starving, Merlin dug right in.

"Do you know what you want to wear today?" Gwen asked as she walked over to the wardrobe.

"No, why don't you choose for me," he told her.

She gave him another odd look, but opened the wardrobe and began rifling through it. She pulled out a green dress he'd seen Morgana wear on several occasions and laid it over the top of the dressing screen. She then began tidying around the room while Merlin finished eating.

Once he was done, he stood and walked over to the screen. Gwen came over, which was a good thing, because Merlin managed to get his hands twisted up in the nightgown's laces. She took one look at the snarl he'd created and "tsk'd" at him. "You really seem off this morning. Are you sure you slept well?"

"Now that you mention it, I don't think I slept very much at all," he lied. She didn't need to know his confusion stemmed from being in the wrong body.

"Hmm," she replied. She eventually sorted out the laces and worked the nightgown off Merlin. She handed him clean underthings, which Merlin looked at with trepidation. To his relief, they weren't much different from male undergarments and he managed to get them on all right. Gwen slid the dress on over his shoulders, helping him get his arms in the right places. She did up the laces then helped him sit so she could slide the stockings and slippers on.

"Okay. You still want to go see Gaius then?"

"Yes."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, thank you. I know the way all right. You can do whatever it is that you do."

Gwen gave him another odd look, but nodded. "Summon me immediately if you need help."

"I will. Thank you, Gwen." He took a step and immediately wobbled. The shoes. He had no idea how to walk in them. He took another careful step, and another. He could walk all right if he went slowly. By the time he'd reached the door, he felt confident he could make it all the way to Gaius's without hurting himself.

o0O0o

Morgana came awake to a knock on the door and a familiar voice saying, "Merlin! Time to get up. You don't want to be late or it'll be the stocks again."

Merlin? Why was Gaius calling her Merlin? She lifted up her arm to lay it over her eyes. Ugh. She'd had the weirdest dream about her and Merlin . . . They'd traded places and she'd called him "my lady" while he'd laughed and curtsied to her. At the thought, her eyes flew open. She moved the arm but caught sight of the hand—it didn't look like hers. She turned it over and saw that calluses there. These weren't her hands!

She looked around the room—it wasn't hers either! It was Merlin's! She sat up too quickly and her head spun for a moment. When her vision cleared, she saw that she was in Merlin's bed in his room and wearing his night clothes. What?!

Gaius chose that moment to knock then enter the room. "I'm not kidding about the stocks, you know."

"Gaius," she said. It was Merlin's voice too. "Do you notice anything different about me?"

The physician stepped close. "Now that you mention it . . ." He raised a hand only to lightly smack the back of her head, "you seem extra lazy this morning. Now get up!" He turned and left the room, leaving Morgana to stare after him with an open mouth.

So her mind was in Merlin's body. Did that mean Merlin's was in her body? But she had a bigger problem. She had to get dressed and attend Arthur! But what she really wanted to do was find Merlin and sort this mess out.

She looked around and saw Merlin's clothes from yesterday lying crumpled on the floor. She quickly shucked the night clothes, carefully avoiding looking at her -Merlin's- groin. Then she grabbed the clothes from the floor, put them on and walked from the room.

"Gaius, I have a problem."

The physician turned and handed her a bowl of something white and slimy-looking. "Eat that quickly."

"But—"

"Really, Merlin, neither of us have time to talk about your latest issue with Arthur. Eat that and get going to the kitchen."

She sighed. "Yes sir." She sat at the table, picked up the spoon and began to eat. The porridge wasn't too bad, if you didn't count the burnt lumps and watery texture. She finished it quickly and opened her mouth to address Gaius again.

"Go, go!" He said before she could speak. So she stood and made her way out of the room and toward the kitchen. Hopefully she could find Merlin and sort this out soon. There were some things about being a man that she didn't want to experience.

o0O0o

Merlin made it to Gaius's chambers without breaking his neck. He opened the door and walked inside like usual, causing the older man to look up. "Good morning, my lady. How can I help you?"

"Gaius, it's me, Merlin."

Gaius chuckled. "Oh, is this what Merlin was on about? You two are trying to play a joke on me?"

"Not at all, Gaius. But Merlin—is he here?"

"I'm afraid you've just missed him."

Merlin nodded. "I guess I'll tell you first then. We'll need your help anyway."

Gaius looked puzzled. "Morgana, is something wrong?"

"Gaius, I'm afraid Morgana and I have somehow switched bodies."

Gaius laughed again. "Oh very funny, Morgana." He saw the serious look on Merlin's face and stopped short. "You're not joking, are you?"

"If you don't believe me, ask me something that only Merlin would know."

The physician thought for a moment. "What did you do when you met me on your first day in Camelot?"

Merlin smiled. "I saved your neck, of course, by moving your bed to catch you when you fell."

"Oh my . . . Merlin, it is you. How . . .?"

"Believe it or not, I've been trying to work that out myself. No luck so far."

Gaius walked closer, examining Merlin while he walked in a full circle around him. "There are spells for this, I know, but it happened in the night, right?"

"Well I didn't look like this when I went to bed last night."

"Did you maybe say a spell in your sleep?"

Merlin gave him a pointed look. "I haven't done that in several months, Gaius. I do have some control, you know."

The physician scratched his head. "Maybe Morgana did something?"

They both thought back to the recent fire in her room. "That's a distinct possibility."

"But how could she pull off something so complex in her sleep? Her magic's still waking up."

"She must be more powerful than we thought."

"Indeed."

Merlin collapsed onto one of the benches. "So how do we fix this?"

"Well, you've got to find her and bring her back here. Then we can all start some research. I'll get started while you're gone." He walked over to one of his bookshelves and began looking at the titles.

Merlin stood. "Thanks, Gaius. I'll just go get her then. She should be with Arthur by now."

The old man turned to look at him. "Just be careful what you say in front of Arthur."

Merlin smiled. "I'm not a total idiot, you know."

"Could have fooled me."

"Hey!" And with that he stood, walked to the doorway and left the room.

o0O0o

Morgana wanted to scream in frustration. How did Merlin put up being around Arthur all day long? She'd only been in his chambers for ten minutes and had already had to bite her tongue numerous times. Luckily dressing him wasn't much different than dressing herself and she sighed as he finally sat down to eat.

A knock on the door disturbed her thought process and her head jerked up in surprise. "Well, what are you waiting for, Merlin? Answer the door."

She shot him a glare but moved to open the door. Behind it, she found herself, which was such a huge relief she almost forgot to move out of the way to let Merlin enter. At least she hoped it was him. If it wasn't . . .

"Good morning, Merlin," Merlin said, entering the room fully. Morgana nodded deferentially and followed him as he walked toward Arthur.

"Ah, Morgana, what have you come to torment me with today?" Arthur said.

"Actually I've come for Merlin."

"Yes?" Morgana raised her head.

"What on earth do you want with him?" Arthur wondered.

"It seems Gaius has had a little accident down in his lab and urgently requires Merlin's help."

Arthur stood. "Is he all right?"

"He's fine," Merlin replied. "But the lab is a mess though. Hence the help he needs?"

"Ah, of course." He turned to look at Morgana. "Merlin, you may go. But report to me when you're finished."

"Of course," Morgana replied. "Bye, Arthur."

"Goodbye?" A puzzled Arthur said. Morgana followed Merlin out of the room.

Morgana leaned closer to her body and whispered, "Merlin?"

"Yeah," Merlin said with relief. "Morgana?"

"Yes," she replied. They began walking. "So, I take it Gaius and his chambers are fine?"

"Yeah, I managed to convince him we have a problem."

"Oh good. He didn't believe me."

"He tends to not believe half of what I say. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it. I just really want to fix this. Do you know how it happened?"

Merlin grimaced. "We suspect you performed magic in your sleep."

"Like the fire?"

"Exactly."

Just then they reached Gaius's chambers. Merlin pushed the door open and Morgana followed behind him as they descended into the lab. Gaius looked up at them and said, "Hello, Morgana. I'm sorry I didn't listen earlier."

"It's all right, Gaius, no harm done. Not any more than has already been done, anyway."

"Have you found anything yet?" Merlin asked, looking at the stack of books on the table.

"Not yet. Here, you two have a seat and help me."

"So you think I did this in my sleep?" Morgana asked.

"It's a distinct possibility," Gaius replied. "What were you dreaming about last night?"

"Oh." She flushed. "Um, I dreamed that Merlin and I traded places. He was pretended to be me and I pretended to be him. We thought it was a funny joke. Do you think that's how it happened?"

"You were dreaming of fire when the candle in your bedroom flared, weren't you?"

"Oh, yes. So something like this can happen even without an incantation?"

"Definitely," Gaius replied, with a sideways glance at Merlin.

Morgana and Merlin sat at the same table as Gaius and pulled books toward themselves. All three methodically read through what was in front of them. When they finished a book, they picked up another and began reading again. This pattern continued through the rest of the morning.

Gwen arrived shortly after lunchtime, with lunch for four. "I thought I might find you all here," she told them. The searchers took a break to eat and Gwen wisely didn't ask what they were searching for. She figured there must be a new malady or monster about that she hadn't heard of yet and Morgana had decided to help them research.

After she left, the three got back to work. Eventually Gaius had to get up to concoct different remedies. Merlin and Morgana kept searching, though it seemed fruitless.

Shortly after Gaius began his work, the door banged open. All three of them looked up, startled, to find Arthur standing there, looking as angry as a storm cloud. "Merlin!" He yelled.

Merlin's mouth fell open and he began stuttering out an answer, "A-Arthur! I was just—"

Morgana cut in smoothly. "What she means to say is I got caught up helping her and Gaius research a complicated potion. He roped us into it after we cleaned up."

"Indeed, sire. They've gone above and beyond the call of duty. Merlin, you should attend to him now."

"Of course," Morgana said, standing immediately. "See you later, my lady, Gaius."

Arthur led the way out of the room, leaving Merlin and Gaius staring at each other. "Well," Gaius said, "get back to work."

Merlin sighed and drew the book back toward him. It was going to be a long afternoon. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "What does Morgana do all day? I suppose I'm shirking her duties."

"Luckily for you, she doesn't have many responsibilities this time of year. No tournaments, no feasts. Normally she's over the household staff to prepare for those types of things. So relax and keep reading."

"Yes, Gaius." Merlin straightened and began reading again. They just had to find the solution today. Being in the wrong body made him feel kind of itchy. He missed his magic. Sure, Morgana had some, but it felt different to his. He wondered if he could even use it. After darting a look at Gaius to make sure he was busy, he pointed his hand at a nearby candle and whispered, "Forbaerne."

The candle lit immediately, but the surge of magic he'd sensed had felt so foreign he now felt kind of nauseous. He quickly put the candle out and resolved not to use Morgana's magic again unless he absolutely had to. That had been an experience he wasn't keen to repeat.

o0O0o

Morgana's feet were killing her. She'd stood there all afternoon while Arthur was in a council meeting. At first she thought it might be interesting to listen in, but she quickly realized that these men could make even the most interesting topics stale. Then it was a battle to stay awake, which she only just won. And now she was exhausted from doing nothing.

Arthur appeared to be getting into his stride though. He sat at his desk and started reading parchment scrolls laid there. He told Morgana to fold his laundry, put it away then get his dinner. Morgana stifled a yawn and made to comply.

After dinner, Arthur dismissed her but told her to come back in a couple hours to dress him for bed. Oh no, she thought, I have to undress him? She just nodded at the Prince and indicated she'd be back. Then she fled to Gaius's chambers again.

When she got there, she found Merlin and Gaius at the table. A towering stack of books sat next to them and they were reading through two more. "Well that answers that question," she commented.

Both men looked up at her then. "Have a seat," Merlin invited.

"I was actually hoping for dinner," she replied.

"Is it that time already?" Gaius mused.

"Yes," Morgana replied. Her stomach rumbled for emphasis.

"Good thing I have the makings of stew ready." Gaius stood and got to work on the fire.  "You two keep searching."

"I hope we can find the spell before bedtime, otherwise I'll have to undress Arthur!"

"Oh, don't worry too much. He doesn't strip down all the way," Merlin commented.

"Good. Let's get to work."

Merlin and Morgana pulled books toward them and began reading again. They had no luck before dinner was ready. As they ate, they discussed Morgana's day. Merlin told her it had been fairly typical.

Soon Gaius had to leave for his nightly rounds. He left Merlin and Morgana there, researching. After several minutes though, Merlin slammed his book shut. "This is so frustrating!"

"Merlin?"

"I've been sitting here all day with nothing to show for it."

"So let's take a break."  She got up and slipped around the table to sit next to Merlin. She took his hands in hers. "I'm sorry you've been stuck here all day. That must be even more frustrating than spending all day with Arthur."

“I don’t know why this is bothering me so much.” It sort of felt weird to feel his hands holding his hands. But knowing it was just Morgana made him feel a little better. Her presence used to cause quite a different action in him, but now that he wasn’t in his body, things felt different. Kind of.

“Maybe my ‘girlness’ is getting to you.”

“Maybe.” He put a hand on her face. His face. “You’ve had to put up with quite a bit yourself.”

“Yeah, I see why you complain about him so much.” She smiled. “Thanks for being so understanding about all of this.”

“One of the advantages of living with the physician is he can educate you about female anatomy when you need to know certain things.”

She blushed. “No fair, I’ve had to, um, figure out all that on my own.”

He flushed then, his hand falling from her face. “Well, I guess we don’t have any secrets between us anymore.”

“Nope. Especially since I’ve felt your magic. Why didn’t you tell me before?”

He looked surprised. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been warned all my life to keep it a secret. It’s a hard habit to break.”

“I forgive you.” She cleared he throat. “You seem to have better control than I do. Will you help me learn to control it?”

“Morgana, that’s a dangerous idea.”

She bowed her head. “I know, but I’ve got to learn something before I start another fire or something.”

“Okay, okay. After we get out of this mess I’ll look through my magic book for ideas . . . oh, I really am an idiot.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because not once have I looked in my magic book for a solution to this! Argh!” He got up and hurried back to his room where he knelt by the bed and pulled up the loose floorboard. He pulled his book from the hidden space then slid the floorboard back and walked to Morgana. After he sat again, he put the book on the table and began leafing through it with magic. When he got to it, he slammed his hand down on the page and said, “There it is!”

Morgana moved his hand and read the page. “It looks like we have to make a potion, brew it for twelve hours then chant this spell and drink it.”

She pointed at the page and Merlin read the words written there. “’Change back the minds of those who have been confused.’”

“You can read that?”

“I’ve sort of been forced to learn, what with saving Arthur’s life every other week.”

“I knew he had someone watching over him!”

“Thankless job that it is.”

“One day, Merlin, he’ll thank you.”

“I know. That’s what keeps me going.”

“So we found the way—this is great!” Morgana threw her arms around Merlin.

At that moment, the door opened and Gwen stepped inside. She stopped short when she saw the scene in front of her. “Merlin! What on earth?”

“Oh, Gwen,” Morgana replied. “I was just . . .”

“He was just comforting me after I told him about my bad dream last night,” Merlin added.

“Aw, Merlin, you’re so sweet,” Gwen said. She stepped down into the room and said, “I’ve come to fetch you for bed, Morgana. It’s getting late.”

“Oh,” Merlin said. “Time flies and all that.” He stood. “Goodnight, Merlin.”

“Goodnight, my lady, Gwen. Sweet dreams.”

“And to you. Be sure you tell Gaius about what we found.”

“Of course.”

And with that, Merlin and Gwen left the room. Morgana blew out a sigh then stood and started pacing. For the first time all day, she felt relaxed. They’d found the solution and would be themselves by midmorning. It would be a huge relief to be back in her own body, where thoughts about Merlin wouldn’t be so awkward.

The hug she’d given him had been spontaneous, but the truth was her feelings for him had increased over the past year or so. He’d nearly given his life for Gwen’s, for Arthur and for his home. He’d acted nobler than many of the actual nobles she knew. They had never faced a situation where their lives would be at risk, and if they had they’d run screaming in the other direction. She’d first admired him for that quality and now it had become something more.

Gaius came in a few minutes later and Merlin rushed up to him with relief. “Gaius! We found the solution! It’s here in Merlin’s magic book.” She rushed over to the table to pick up the book and bring it over to the physician.

He just stood there gaping at her for a moment. “Merlin told you about his magic?”

“Not exactly. I know what it feels like, remember? I can feel it running through his body—it’s stronger than mine.”

“Oh. Indeed.”

“Here.” She handed the book over to him and he read the page over.

“It looks pretty straightforward. I have all the ingredients for the potion here. Do you feel up to helping me with it?”

“I guess so. I don’t have anything else to do.”

“What about readying Arthur for bed?”

She smacked her head. “I forgot!”

“Don’t worry. It’s only about that time now. As long as you show up soon he won’t complain.”

“Thanks, Gaius.”

“I’ll get started while you’re gone.”

Morgana hurried up the steps and out the door. Arthur was still working at his desk when she walked in, but when he saw her, he got up and stretched. She swallowed her nervousness and helped him disrobe. After he was dressed, she turned down the bed. He dismissed her and bid her goodnight. After she’d gotten the last of the candles, she left and went back to the lab.

By the time she got back, Gaius had laid out all the ingredients and gotten out his burner. He was just getting out his measuring tools when she walked in. The scene reminded her of the days she had had science lessons from Gaius. They were fond memories and she told him so as she walked over to stand next to him.

Gaius laughed a bit and they got to work. Every time he asked for an ingredient, she measured it and hand it over to him. He then double-checked the measurement and added it to his pot. Soon everything was steeping in the pot. Gaius gave it one last look and suggested they go to bed.

Morgana yawned and agreed. It had been a long day even without the stress of being in a different body. She went back to Merlin’s room, closed the door and changed back into the sleep clothes she’d woken up in. Then she climbed into bed, rolled over and went to sleep.

o0O0o

While Morgana slept, Merlin didn’t. He thought about the hug she had given him when Gwen walked in. He hadn’t expected her to do something like that—she’d never touched him much before. It’s not as if he hadn’t wanted her to touch him, because he definitely had. He’d liked her since the first time he’d seen her at Camelot, watching from the window as Thomas Collins was executed. She’d made her disgust for such things known, and he admired her for it. Over the course of his first year there, she’d proven that her beauty wasn’t only on the outside and that had only made his admiration grow.

And though he wouldn’t have wished for the situation they were now in, it had given him an insight into Morgana that he probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. He’d learned that it was just as difficult to be a woman as it was to be a man, maybe even more so.

With a sigh he rolled over again, trying to get comfortable in the too-soft bed. After a few more minutes, he was able to empty his mind and fall asleep.

o0O0o

Morgana woke to the sound of Gaius’s voice calling her name. He reminded her that they still had a couple hours before the potion was ready and she had to go help Arthur. She got up and searched in the cupboard for a different tunic than she wore yesterday. There was a blue one so she took it out and shrugged it on. She then went out to breakfast with Gaius before leaving to head to the kitchen for Arthur’s breakfast.

The Prince was still in bed when she got to his chambers. Morgana sighed and put her hands on her hips. How was she supposed to get him out of bed? How would Merlin do it? He hadn’t given her any advice and she hadn’t asked, which, now that she thought about it, was pretty stupid.

She finally decided that the room needed light so she opened all the drapes in the room. After she’d opened the ones next to Arthur’s bed, the Prince groaned and rolled to face away from the window. It looked like she’d have to use some force to get him going, so she reached down to yank on his arm. He yanked it back and grumbled something incoherent at her.

This wouldn’t do. She reached over him with both arms and put one on each of his shoulders. Then she pulled hard and managed to get his head over the edge of his bed while he yelled, “What the—?!”

Morgana peered down at him. “If you don’t want to be dropped on your head, I suggest you get out of bed.”

“Jeez, Merlin, you didn’t have to do that,” Arthur complained.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t how Merlin got him up in the morning. Oh well. She turned and walked to Arthur’s wardrobe where she chose a tunic and trousers for him. These she hung on the changing screen and turned to arrange breakfast on the table. Arthur got out of bed and crossed over to the changing screen. A few minutes later, he emerged, dressed for the day, and settled down to eat.

Morgana tidied a few things around the room before going over to stand in front of Arthur. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. “Do you think you can get through training by yourself this morning? I’ve promised Gaius I’d pick some herbs for him and it won’t take very long.”

Arthur mused over that for a minute before replying. “I suppose I can let you go. But make sure my lunch is on time today.”

“Of course. Thank you, Arthur.”

He waved her off. “Oh go on. I’ll see you at lunchtime.”

“See you later, Arthur.” And with that, she left Arthur’s chambers and headed to her own.

Once there, she knocked on the door and waited for Gwen to open it. “Merlin! Can I help you?”

“I have a message for Morgana, from Gaius,” Morgana said.

Merlin must have heard her, because he came walking up to them. “You have a message from Gaius? What is it?”

“He has a new remedy for you and he’d like to know what you think of it,” Morgana replied.

“Now?” Merlin asked.

“As soon as you can. No hurry, but it should be ready soon.”

“Gwen, let’s finish getting me ready for the day,” Merlin said to Gwen, who nodded. To Morgana he said, “I’ll be down soon. Bye, Merlin.”

“My lady,” Morgana said, bowing her head. She turned and left while the door closed behind her. She knew Merlin had gotten the message and would be down to Gaius’s rooms as soon as he could.

She walked back to Gaius’s and sat down to watch the physician stir the potion with a glass rod. “You can’t be too careful with these types of potions,” he commented.

“Merlin will be down soon,” Morgana replied.

“Good. This will probably be ready by the time he gets here.” He then directed Morgana to put away a few things and tidy the room in general. She didn’t mind—it was a way to pass the time and it wasn’t as if Merlin was here to it for Gaius.

After about thirty minutes, Merlin came through the door. “Finally,” Morgana said.

Merlin gave her a mock glare. “It’s not my fault you take so long to get ready in the morning.”

“All right you two,” Gaius interrupted, “let’s get this over with. I want you both to practice the incantation before you say it over the potion. Here.” He held the book out toward Merlin, who took it.

“Áwendaþ þӕt gebӕre þam hwán wӕre geondmengedon,” Merlin tried. He said it over and over, especially the last word. When he got it to Gaius’s satisfaction, he made sure Morgana had it.

When they both felt like they could say it fairly well, Gaius poured the potion into two silver cups. “Now, hold these with one hand and put your other over the top. Good. Now say the spell together, 1, 2, 3 . . .”

“Áwendaþ þӕt gebӕre þam hwán wӕre geondmengedon,” the two younger magicians said together. The potion bubbled in the cup then turned a deep purple.

“Good,” Gaius said. “Now drink.”

Merlin and Morgana lifted their cups to their lips and drank. They grimaced at each other before their eyes rolled back into their heads. Gaius rushed over but he couldn’t prevent them from falling backwards to the floor. They both shook a little before breathing deeply and stilling.

The book had mentioned the unconsciousness, but no one had thought to provide for it. Gaius felt the back of both their heads for bumps but found none. They may have headaches when they woke, but they wouldn’t be concussed.

After about five minutes, Merlin woke. He opened his eyes to see Gaius kneeling beside him. “Did it work?” He heard in his own voice. “Yes it did, woohoo!” He punched the air and flinched at the pain in his head. “We fell, huh?”

Gaius nodded. “We forgot to account for that, but you two should be fine.” Morgana stirred. Merlin sat up slowly and knelt next to Gaius and Morgana.

She looked up to see Gaius and Merlin next to her. “It worked!” She winced when she tried to sit up too quickly. Merlin helped her to slowly lay down again.

“Yeah, Morgana, we did it. We have our bodies back.”

“What a relief!” Merlin’s face fell a bit so she amended her words. “Not that I didn’t like your body, it just wasn’t mine.”

Merlin grinned again. “I knew what you meant.” He helped her sit then stand slowly. She wobbled a bit, so he kept his arm around her. “So now what Gaius?”

“Well, you both should probably rest for the remainder of the day, but you’re both going to ignore that so I won’t even suggest it. So please do try to go to bed early to get plenty of rest tonight. That was some powerful magic you both wrought and it’s bound to have an effect on you physically.”

“Yes, Gaius,” Merlin and Morgana said together. They grinned then Merlin asked her, “Shall I walk you back to your chambers, my lady?”

She took his offered arm. “Why yes, Merlin, that would be lovely.” Giggling, the two young people left the room, leaving Gaius to roll his eyes at their antics.

o0O0o

The next time Merlin and Morgana saw each other was at dinner with the King and Arthur. They didn’t get a chance to talk there, so Merlin decided to visit Morgana after he’d helped Arthur for the night. He knocked on her door and waited for her to answer.

She opened the door, a smile lighting her face when her eyes found him. “Merlin! Come in.” She widened the door opening so he could come through then shut it. “What is it?”

“I just wanted to make sure you were feeling all right after earlier.”

She sat down on her bed. “I feel fine, just a little more tired than normal.”

“I know how that feels. We’ve both been through a lot, haven’t we?” He walked over to sit down next to her.

“Yes.” She took his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for putting up with all of this.” She gestured around the room.

He squeezed back. “All part of the service, my lady.”

She smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek, but he turned his head at the last second and her kiss landed on his lips. She pulled back in shock and they stared at each other for a moment before he leaned down to press their lips together again.

Warmth flowed through her as she reached up to hold his face to hers. His hands found her waist and held there for a long, sweet moment until they broke apart. He rested his forehead on hers and said, “Wow.”

“Yeah,” she breathed. “I hadn’t planned that, but I’m not sorry.”

“Me either.” They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment before coming together again. One of his hands traveled to her hair and threaded through it. They enjoy the sweetness of the other’s lips for a very long moment before breaking apart again.

One of her hands took one of his and she held tightly to it. “So, what now?”

“Good question. Do we pursue this or not?”

“I’m willing to take the risk if you are.”

He smiled. “I definitely am.”

“Good.” She yawned. “Oh goodness, we’d better get to bed.” A panicked looked crossed his face. “Oh no, not that.”

“Not that I wouldn’t, but I don’t think I’m ready . . .”

“Me either.”

He grinned. “So do you want a quick control lesson?”

“Why not?”

“Right when you think you’re losing it, take a deep breath and hold it for a count of ten. Then breathe out. You should be instantly calmer.”

“Thank you, Merlin.” They both stood.

He folded her into his arms and said, “Good night, Morgana.”

She pulled back a little and leaned up to give him a quick kiss. “Good night, Merlin.”

He slowly left the room, waving a final goodbye before closing the door. She watched him go then drifted to her bed where she fell dreamily back on it. She didn’t know what lay in store for them, but she felt it would be wonderful. Now if she could only dream about that.