Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter 1 – The Burden of Duty

Lady Guinevere, Duchess of Lyanesse sighed as the carriage drew closer to the gates of Camelot Castle. Her nursemaid, Mable, fondly referred to as Nan, patted her young charge on the shoulder in sympathy but said nothing. Guinevere was being taken from her home and brought to Camelot as the ward of King Uther Pendragon following her father's death less than a week ago. The King had acted swiftly, too swiftly some would say, to claim Guinevere as his ward, though none could fault his reasoning. Lyanesse was the largest and most powerful of the counties within Uther's kingdom, and Thomas, Duke of Lyanesse was a rich man with a vast army. With Thomas dead, killed by a Saxon assassin in the never-ending war Britain found itself in, his daughter and only child, Guinevere, stood to inherit it all and assumed the title of Duchess, though she had not yet even reached her fifth birthday. By declaring her his ward, Uther gained stewardship of Lyanesse until such a time as Guinevere came of age, though by then it was assumed that Lyanesse would be tied to the crown more tightly then a wardship; it was no secret that Uther had petitioned Thomas to have Guinevere betrothed to his twelve year old son and heir, Prince Arthur. Nor was it a secret that Thomas had refused. By the laws of the land, a royal betrothal was almost as binding as a marriage and Guinevere would have been taken from her home and father to live at Camelot Castle until the wedding; a fact her father did not like, for he'd lost his beloved wife to childbed fever and only had his daughter left, so he did not wish to part with her so young. Not long after his refusal, Thomas had been killed, and Guinevere found herself moved to Camelot Castle anyways.

As the carriage drew under the portcullis Guinevere got her first good look at her new home, and could not deny that its grandeur awed her. She was met at the steps to the castle by Uther himself who greeted her with open arms, expressing his sympathies at her father's passing and welcoming her to Camelot.

"I hope you shall be comfortable here, Lady Guinevere." The King said as he led her up the steps by the hand.

"I'm sure I will, Your Majesty." She replied as she'd been coached to do, Nan instructing her in the proper manner to address the King, the Prince, and the court. When they reached the top of the steps Guinevere saw two others were there to greet her. One was a tall boy some years older than her with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes that gave nothing away, while the other was a girl about her age, perhaps a year or so older, with hair as black as night and a bright smile that put Guinevere at ease instantly.

"Allow me to introduce my son, Prince Arthur." Uther introduced. The boy stepped forward and took Guinevere's hand, bringing it to his lips and lightly kissing it.

"My Lady, welcome to Camelot Castle." He murmured giving her a small smile before retreating.

"And this is my ward, Lady Morgana."

"Hello Gwen!" the girl squealed as she ran forward to hug her. Guinevere was momentarily stunned but eventually got over it and hesitantly hugged the girl back. "I just know we're going to be great friends! It will be wonderful to have another girl around! Now I don't only have the pompous 'I just got my first sword' prince over there to play with." Guinevere stifled a laugh and found herself instantly liking the King's other ward and hoping what she'd said about being great friends was true.

"That's quite enough Morgana." Uther chided, though affectionately. "Lady Guinevere must be tired from her journey and will wish to rest before her welcoming feast this evening." Whether true or not it was clear that she was expected to retire to her chambers until the feast. "Arthur, escort Lady Guinevere to her chambers." A brief flash of confusion showed across The Prince's face. He'd never been asked to escort a guest to their chambers before, not even Morgana when the King's first ward had arrived just over a year ago. However, the emotion was quickly gone and Arthur acknowledged his father's command before doing as he'd been taught and offering the lady his arm to escort her properly. Guinevere sent a quick look to Nan, unsure what to do, but at her nursemaid's nod she stepped forward and placed her hand atop his.

oo00oo00oo

Guinevere's first introduction to court life was the welcoming feast Uther had planned in her honour on the night of her arrival at Camelot Castle. She was introduced to the court as the King's ward and found that those two words ensured her a courteous welcome and a certain amount of respect, and even reverence, from the other courtiers. She would learn in the coming days that that largely had to do with Uther's evident fondness for Morgana, and his lack of patience for anyone who was even slightly discourteous to her; they were unsure if this ward would worm her way into Uther's heart as Morgana had and thought it best to treat her as they did Morgana in case she did. A month passed with relative ease as Guinevere became accustomed to life at court and settled into a routine. Morgana was not quite two years her senior and so Uther had them in lessons together, much to the girls' pleasure. Morgana had become Guinevere's, or Gwen's as Morgana insisted on calling her, constant companion and she found that her first assessment of the older girl was spot on, the two quickly becoming the best of friends. Gwen's interactions with The Prince of the realm were rather limited that first month, for which she was glad for she found Arthur to be a bit intimidating. He always seemed so serious and proper, though she supposed that was the way a prince, who would one day be king, was supposed to be. It wasn't until her second month at the castle that Gwen learned how wrong she was. Arthur was serious and proper when needed, and certainly was always that way around his father, which was really the only time Gwen saw him, but he was far from that way any other time. Gwen learned that the hard way when she fell victim to one of The Prince's pranks and ended up soaking wet, having had a bucket of water fall on her head.

"Arthur Pendragon!" Morgana yelled, stomping her feet before rushing to Gwen's side. "That is not funny!"

"Actually it is." He disagreed. "Though I will apologise, My Lady, the bucket was not meant to fall on you."

"And who, exactly, was it for?" She demanded, her temper flaring as it never had before.

"Merlin." The Prince answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Merlin was Arthur's manservant and best friend, though he'd never admit to having a servant for a best friend aloud. The two were of an age and had grown up alongside each other. Merlin's mother, Hunith, worked in the castle as Head Housekeeper and his great uncle Gaius, who was the only father Merlin had ever known, was the Court Physician. It was not uncommon for the children of servants to be companions to their master's children, and Merlin and Arthur's similar age, as well as the high positions of his family among the servants, made him the perfect choice. A year ago, just before Morgana arrived at court, Uther had deemed Merlin old enough to begin work at age eleven and had appointed him his son's manservant. Not much changed with this position, for Merlin had spent all his time with Arthur to begin with, save for Merlin now brought The Prince his breakfast, sent his clothes out to be laundered, and performed any other tasks Arthur required of him; mostly this was being a practice dummy as Arthur began training as a knight, and being The Prince's target for pranks such as this.

"Better luck next time." The boy in question said as he sauntered past Arthur with a smirk on his face and approached Gwen with a towel. "Here, My Lady." He wrapped the towel around her and stood back as Morgana led Gwen inside to change, glaring at Arthur as she passed.

"How did you…?" Arthur asked, pointing to the towel.

"Saw the bucket from the upstairs window and thought that since I wasn't going to fall for it someone else could use a towel." Was his simple reply.

oo00oo00oo

Gwen had been at court for just shy of six months when Uther made his big announcement. During that time she'd grown to respect The King, as was his due, but was also weary of him and his cold, calculated manner; the only one he showed any outward affection for was Morgana, not even his son received any in front of others.

"My Lords and Ladies." The King called everyone's attention at the feast he'd planned for that night. Gwen found herself seated on the raised dais beside Arthur who sat at this father's right hand, Morgana sitting on The King's other side. Only the four of them occupied the high table and it was only the fourth time in six months that Gwen had been permitted to attend a feast for she was still deemed too young to attend with any frequency, though she consoled herself that Morgana was as well and so the two of them got to spend that time together. "It is with great pleasure that I announce the joining of two great houses in the form of a marriage between my son, Prince Arthur, and Lady Guinevere, Duchess of Lyanesse." The court burst into applause, none surprised by The King's announcement having expected a betrothal eventually, though the two in question had a much different reaction. Arthur's face was one of shock before it quickly fell into the mask of neutrality that he wore in the presence of his father or at court functions, though Gwen could still see the shock, and even panic, in his eyes. She herself didn't know what to feel, having a vague idea what a betrothal was for they were often talked about, though not truly understanding what it meant. Morgana, for her part, was indignant on her friend's behalf though she held it in until the three children were left alone with Uther after the feast ended.

"Betrothed?! But she's not even five years old!"

"Morgana…" The King warned and his ward backed down, though still made her displeasure known.

"You didn't think I deserved to know before announcing it to the court?" Arthur asked, a bit of both anger and hurt in his voice. While always quite proper in his father's presence, he was still Uther's son and had inherited his father's temper.

"I thought it best to wait for this exact reason." Uther replied, seeing the fire in his son's eyes that were so like his.

"And when is the happy day to be?" Arthur's sarcasm was lost on no one.

"A fortnight." Uther's blunt response had been far from what Arthur was expecting.

"W-what?" He stuttered.

"You shall be wed in a fortnight."

"But she's a child!" Came his reply when the words had sunk in, his own young age forgotten as no boy his age would admit he was not a man grown. Gwen kept her head down as he said this and as father and son fought, for she neither wanted to get in the middle of it, nor did she yet know how she felt about all this.

"Yes, and of course it shall not be a true marriage until she is grown, things will continue as they are, save that she will be a Pendragon and exchange the title of Lady for Princess." Arthur was silent, though thankful for Uther's words, as he'd heard some of the other knights speak of their wives and marriage, none of which currently sounded appealing to the twelve year old.

"Why, father?" He asked finally. "Why not a betrothal until she is grown? Would that not be more proper?"

"Perhaps, but a marriage in name only between those who are too young is far from uncommon between great houses, especially during times of war." Arthur must have looked confused for Uther elaborated. "I need the army of Lyanesse at my command. Although I am her guardian and tried with managing her estates until she is of age, that does not include sending her army into battle. As your wife, even if in name only, her army becomes yours, and as you are my son and also underage what is yours is currently mine, including the army of Lyanesse. I need that strength to fight the Saxons and this is the only way to get it without waiting several years, for which there is no time. As such, you will be married in a fortnight, whether you like it or not."

The ceremony was short and simple with barely two words spoken between the bride and groom. It was also private, Uther deeming it unseemly to hold a grand royal wedding when the bride had not even reached her fifth summer. Only Uther, Morgana, Nan, William, who was Thomas, now Gwen's, steward, and Lord Agravaine, the King's brother, were in attendance as the Archbishop gave his blessing on the union. Another feast was then held where Gwen was introduced once again to the court, though this time as Princess Guinevere. Afterwards things returned to normal as Uther said they would, the only noticeable differences for Gwen being the change in address from 'My Lady' to 'Your Highness,' the higher level of reverence from the court, and the ring that hung on a long chain around her neck where it would remain until she was old enough for it to be placed on her finger.

oo00oo00oo

As the years passed, tensions with the Saxons grew to new heights and full out war broke throughout all of Britain. The land was split into nine kingdoms, the Saxons occupying the northern most territory while Camelot occupied the centre with Lyanesse as its only route to the sea. The other eight kingdoms formed an alliance against the Saxons, the Alliance of Albion, named in honour of the promised land of perpetual peace of the Old Religion that seven of the eight kingdoms still followed. Camelot was the one kingdom that did not for at the centre of the Old Religion was magic. Magic was well known throughout the land though had been banned in Camelot over twenty years ago when Uther blamed magic for his wife, Ygraine's, death. Since then magic was outlawed and all those who practiced it were hunted down and persecuted by Uther until the people did not even mention the word magic for fear of being accused of witchcraft. Throughout the rest of Britain, however, magic was rampant and although he detested it, Uther was forced to concede the other kingdoms' views on magic and accept it while outside his own kingdom, though Uther still refused to allow it within Camelot's borders.

Within Camelot itself little changed saved the expected changes with the passing of time. Arthur was now eighteen and an advisor on his father's council, as well as a full-fledged Knight of the realm. He had become a master swordsman and mastered many other weapons, winning every tournament he entered both in Camelot and throughout Albion. He had grown quite tall, surpassing six feet, while his hours of training each day made him fill out his armour quite well. Morgana, now thirteen, had grown into quite the beauty, her dark hair contrasting her porcelain skin and giving her a fragile, gentle appearance, though appearance was as far as it went. Morgana had not outgrown her outspoken ways to become the proper, quiet, demure lady expected of one of her station, but had rather grown a wit that surpassed many a man. To add to it, she'd devoured every text on every subject she could get her hands on and discussed philosophy, politics, and strategy with practiced expertise, often counselling Uther, even at her still relatively young age, in matters of state, though she had to manipulate him into it for Uther would never knowingly take advice from a woman, especially one who was little more than a child, nor would he ever allow a woman to sit on his council.

Guinevere, at age eleven, was not the raving beauty Morgana was, though she was certainly had that potential when she grew, and had all the ladylike qualities Morgana lacked. Under the strict tutelage of Uther's chosen governess, though Nan still reigned in all matters of The Princess save her education, Gwen had had Uther's idea of what a princess and future queen should be drilled into her. While this made her the demure, obedient, proper lady who never spoke out of turn, knew how to run the castle as chatelaine, and never made a fuss or complaint, there was also another side to her. Gwen's wit and intelligence rivalled that of Morgana's and when in private, with those who knew her well, it came out in full force. She had learned quickly how the game was played at court and while Morgana was set on changing the rules, Gwen was content to work within them, manipulating the pieces like a master chess player until only Arthur, Morgana, Merlin and Nan could predict her moves, such was her finesse and mastery of the inner workings of court. Merlin had grown alongside Arthur and continued to serve as his manservant, though he'd also taken lessons from his Uncle Gaius in the healing arts; this proved quite handy during tournaments or when Arthur went into battle against the Saxons for he always seemed to get himself hurt and Gwen was quite glad that Merlin, who still followed The Prince everywhere, was there to patch him up.

As for The Prince and Princess, they'd grown quite close over the years, Arthur making it a point to spend as much time as possible with his young bride so that when the time came for them to truly be man and wife they would not only be comfortable and work well with each other, but contented and happy as well, for they would one day rule Camelot together; Arthur was intent that when he and Gwen were King and Queen she would not be a mere ornament on his arm, but rather a true participant in the running of their kingdom. Things between them were quite good, until one day not long before Gwen's twelfth birthday. That day, Arthur received a summons from his father, and given the council had disbanded not three hours ago, he could not for the life of him figure out why.

"Wait out here." He told his shadow, Merlin, who took The Prince's sword and shield, he'd been on the training field when the summons had arrived, and bowed before retreating against the wall.

"You wanted to see me father?" Arthur asked redundantly when the doors to Uther's presence chamber closed behind him.

"Yes." The King replied distractedly. He was looking over several documents and didn't even look up when his son entered. "I have been informed that Guinevere has bled for the first time." Whatever Arthur had imagined his father saying it was not that and had Uther looked up he would have seen shock and confusion on his face. As it was, Uther did not need to look up to know what his son was thinking for these matters were almost never talked about, and certainly never without a purpose. "By the laws of the land she is now a woman grown and fit to bear you sons and heirs." Arthur mentally smacked himself, he should have realized that's what his father was getting at for there was no other reason to bring this particular subject up. Still, although he should have realized the reason, he had trouble grasping it.

"Surely you don't mean for me to…" He cut off, unable to have this particular conversation with his father.

"I expect you to consummate your marriage." Uther finally looked up at Arthur, pinning him with a glare that at one time would have had Arthur bowing to whatever his father demanded. However, that time was over. Arthur was no longer a boy, but a man who'd been in battle, killed many men, and seen too many horrors for a mere look to cower him. "Things with the Saxons are getting more precarious every day and we cannot risk her returning to Lyanesse not attached to house Pendragon. An unconsummated marriage can be set aside quite easily and I will not have it."

"But father-"

"Tonight, Arthur." He interrupted. "I waited to inform you until her time was done as I did not want you to think on it too much, but now you must turn your thoughts to producing an heir and do your duty as Guinevere will do hers. I will send someone for the sheets in the morning as proof of the consummation." Uther turned back to his papers, clearly dismissing his son, but Arthur did not move a muscle. His thoughts were on his wife, little Gwen who barely came above his elbow, who still had much of the appearance of a child, no matter that the law said she was grown and officially of marriageable age. Little Gwen for whom his instincts screamed at him to protect at all costs, similar to Morgana though he'd forced himself not to think of her as a sister, knowing they would truly be man and wife one day. But that day was not today.

"No." He said, his voice quiet, though the hard edge to it was clearly heard.

"What did you say?" Uther asked after a moment, having looked up once more.

"I said no, father." Arthur replied, his voice louder and stronger as he assumed the persona that commanded men in battle and had their enemies running in full retreat. "I don't care what the law says, Gwen is still naught but a child and I will not touch her until she is well and truly grown."

"You defy me, your-"

"Yes, I do." It was Arthur's turn to interrupt this time. "You may be my father and king, but I will not obey you in this. Guinevere and I will consummate our marriage when it is right for us to do so, not simply because you declare it time."

"You-"

"Go ahead, throw me in the stocks, or the dungeon, it won't change my mind. This is one battle you will not win, father, so I suggest you surrender gracefully before it turns into a full out war." Arthur gave his father a mocking bow, staring him down the entire time, before turning his back on The King and walking away. Merlin hurried to catch up as Arthur stormed down the corridor back to the training field, calling for his friend and Prince to slow down and explain what had him so upset; however, Arthur did not stop until he had bypassed the knights training away and approached one of the straw dummies used to practice sword techniques. Grabbing his own sword from Merlin, he proceeded to hack the dummy to pieces.

"Care to explain what's wrong now?" Merlin asked once the dummy was nothing more than pieces of straw scattered on the ground.

"Apparently Gwen is a woman grown now, according to the law." He paused for a moment to allow what that meant to sink in. "My father has ordered me to consummate our marriage." Merlin was silent for a moment but eventually found his voice again.

"But you're not going to do it, right?"

"Of course I'm not going to do it!" Arthur snapped back as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and he took Merlin questioning him on this as a personal insult. "Not for awhile yet at any rate." He amended in a calmer tone, and Merlin absentmindedly nodded.

"So you're openly defying your father?" This question Arthur didn't take offense to for it was the first time he was openly defying Uther; he'd gone against his father before, but never so openly, and not in public as it would be this time.

"What else am I supposed to do?" He asked in return. "By now Gwen's…predicament…will have made the gossip rounds and the kingdom will be wondering about an heir. When the maids find no proof of consummation on the sheets, not to mention as we continue to sleep apart, the entire kingdom will know I refuse to consummate."

"Well, you could always fake it." Merlin suggested, going off on one of his tangents as he worked through the idea aloud. "Of course you'd have to get Gwen on board with it, sleep in the same room sometimes, or be seen leaving her chambers in the morning. Oh, you'd have to cut your hand too so the bloody sheets would be found, just a small cut mind, and maybe not your hand as that would be easily seen, though granted you're always so banged up from training and battle that everyone would probably just assume it was from that. Morgana would have to get on board as well, you know she and Gwen talk about everything, and probably Nan too as not much happens concerning Gwen that she doesn't know about. And you'd have to have excuses ready when the proof that she's not with child arrives, though depending how long you wait to actually consummate the marriage Uther may send Gaius and midwives to intervene thinking there's something wrong with Gwen for having not conceived in such a long time. And she'd have to steel herself against that for people always jump to the conclusion that it's the woman's fault for not conceiving, or producing a son, especially with royalty and the succession, but Gwen's strong she'll-"

"Merlin!"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up!"

oo00oo00oo

Arthur stayed out late that evening not wanting to run into either his father or Gwen, at least not yet, he wasn't sure how to face her right now. When he finally returned to his chambers the torches were burning low and many had already gone out, the servants allowing them to do so for their masters and mistresses were abed. Arthur let himself into his chambers wanting nothing more than to collapse into bed with the hope of waking up and discovering today had never happened, but it seemed like the world conspired to ensure that didn't happen, for there was his wife pacing in front of the window in nothing but her shift.

"Gwen…" Arthur said when he found his voice. Gwen spun around to face him and he could see the nervousness in her eyes.

"Arthur." She breathed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, closing the door lest he have to kill someone for seeing her in her state of undress.

"The King," She began and Arthur knew instantly that he wasn't going to like what she had to say. "He's commanded our marriage be consummated." Her voice was small and she would not meet his eyes. It wasn't often Gwen could hide things from him, but just now he wasn't sure if she was purposefully hiding behind the mask of the dutiful wife and Princess she was to The King and court, or if her governess' teachings had finally surfaced for real.

"If The King has ordered you here, then I am sure you know I refused to consummate our marriage until you are no longer a child."

"I'm not a child anymore, My Lord."

"I care not what the law says, My Lady," He stressed the formal address, telling her plainly he did not care for it. "You are a child of eleven and I will not touch you until you are a woman grown in both body and spirit, not merely by law."

"Please don't make this harder than it has to be." She practically begged and Arthur wondered exactly what his father had said to her. "I am ready and willing to be a proper wife to you." She moved closer to the bed and he could see her steeling herself before she began to remove her shift.

"Guinevere stop!" He commanded hurriedly and was thankful to see that she obeyed him in this. He took a deep breath himself before moving to sit on the bed before her, levelling their height difference so neither was forced to crane their neck to look at the other. "It will not happen this way." He told her. "It will not happen now, nor for some time. What has my father said to you?" He asked as he took her hands in his and looked at her imploringly when she hesitated. "Gwen it's just us here, just Arthur and Gwen. Please speak true and plainly as you always have." Gwen looked at him for a moment before conceding to his wishes.

"He has said he expects to hear I am with child within the month or there will be consequences. And with The King's unpredictability I shudder to think what those consequences are." Arthur swore loudly and jumped up, moving to the door to search out his father, intent on having vengeance tonight, only to find the door locked. Arthur tried several times to open the door before he pounded on it, demanding to be let out and promising a week in the stocks for whoever had locked it.

"They won't open it." He heard from behind him and he turned from his threats to look at Gwen. "The King has had me moved to your chambers and the servants have been instructed to not allow either of us to sleep elsewhere. He said we would be locked in each night until I conceived. I've no doubt that if there wasn't a war going on and he didn't need you to fight it for him that we'd be locked in here night and day until I conceived." Arthur growled but otherwise kept himself in check, though it was several moments before he felt assured of his control.

"Well, if The King wishes for us to sleep in the same chamber, then sleep we shall." He said giving Gwen a smirk she knew to mean he'd found a way to obey his father without actually complying; it was a smirk she'd seen many times before when Arthur grew to disagree with his father's dictates and methods more and more. Bending down Arthur scooped Gwen into his arms and carried her to the bed, pulling the covers back and placing her down before pulling them back up again to tuck her in. "But only sleep, and although his intent may be clear, he said nothing about the servants having to ensure we slept in the same bed, merely the same chamber." Ensuring she was comfortable, Arthur kissed Gwen on the forehead before retreating to the padded chair by the fire, removing his outer tunic and making himself as comfortable as possible.

"Arthur what are you doing?" Came Gwen's voice and although he'd like nothing more then to be left alone with his thoughts he was glad to hear the meekness had retreated, and her demanding tone had returned.

"I swore I would not touch you, Gwen. That includes by accident in my sleep."

"You think you'd consummate our marriage in your sleep?" Her voice was both sarcastic and sceptical, as if a part of her truly wondered if he thought that was possible.

"Of course not." Came his snapped reply. "But I will not force my presence on you more than absolutely necessary." There was silence for a moment and Arthur wondered what her response would be.

"Arthur Pendragon you are being ridiculous. Now get yourself over here and come to bed with me." Whatever he had expected it was not that and he found himself looking at her with two raised eyebrows. "The bed is large Arthur, it is more than big enough for the two of us." She explained further. "You need not sleep uncomfortably for my sake. Now get over here." Arthur contemplated his options for a moment before acquiescing to her request and joining her on the bed, though still fully clothed save for his boots and outer tunic. The two lay there in silence for awhile, a silence that was both peaceful and awkward at the same time. "Thank you, Arthur." Gwen finally broke the silence.

"For what?"

"For going against your father. For giving me more time." Gwen rolled over, curling into his side, and Arthur wrapped his arm around her, their position reminiscent of when she was younger and would seek him out for comfort when awoken by a nightmare or the crash of thunder. "I truly do appreciate it."

"It is not just for your sake that I do it," He confessed. "But you're welcome." The two relaxed then, content in the result of this evening even if it was far from what they had expected when they woke this morning, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

A/N - A new story, a new fandom. Had this stuck in my head for forever but only just got it written far enough ahead to start posting. My default rating is M cause there's usually violence, coarse language and sex/sexual references in my stories, though there's nothing really graphic. I could probably get away with T, but rather be safe.

Mostly this is taken from BBC's Merlin, but you'll notice some things from movies like First Knight and King Arthur, as well as other bits just from Arthurian legend.

Story will focus primarily on Gwen and Arthur, though with lots of Merlin in there too. I tried to do the Merlin/Arthur bromance justice.