Separation

When Gwen kissed Merlin, he had been half-delirious. His head was only beginning to clear, and the sweet taste of the flower was still fresh on his lips.

It had caught him by surprise, the kiss. It was so quick that he hadn't had time to register the warmth of her lips, the gentleness of her touch. No time to think. No time to kiss back.

As she babbled out a hurried explanation, Merlin could barely pay attention to her words. He was too busy looking at her dark skin, the dress that hid her figure, and her brown eyes.

* * *

Two bodies, meeting in the middle of the night. The deep, forbidden wonder of love making. Both fully aware that this was most improper, that this was not the relationship of a teacher and a student, or a lady and a servant.

In a way, Merlin and Morgana were both being inappropriate.

Dark hair. Pale skin. Soulful green eyes. Morgana was tall and elegant and confident and everything that Gwen was not. Except, perhaps, for the fact that had both taken control of the relationship, Gwen with her rushed kiss, Morgana with... this.

Not that Merlin minded.

* * *

Morgana could recall exactly how she and Arthur had first kissed.

"You're just a stupid girl!"

"When was the last time that argument worked?" Morgana put her hands on her hips.

"It... I... You're so infuriating!" Arthur stared at her. Morgana began to feel uncomfortable. His hands went to her face.

He had kissed her first, she was sure of that. But she was equally sure that she had kissed him back.

Her enemy, her brother, her lover. He was all of those things, and yet not quite any of them.

She closed her eyes, bit her lip, and told him about Merlin.

* * *

A marriage of convenience.

Gwen knew that was all it was. He had picked the first girl he had seen, that was all.

But it wasn't.

Uther must be turning over in his grave. His son, throwing away the advances of countesses and duchesses and other esses to marry... who?

The person who would hurt Morgana the most.

Gwen's mind could deal with that. Her heart couldn't.

"We'll be happy together," Arthur had said, after he made his daring proposal. "Content."

It was all a lie.

What had she said yes for, anyway?

Perhaps she was stabbing at Merlin, too.

* * *

Merlin and Morgana, Arthur and Gwen. Their bodies entwined. One in the secrecy of a locked chamber, the other in the marital bed, their sheets to be inspected the next day.

The most unlikely couplings. Teacher and student. King and maid. Passion and duty. Guilt and honour. Love and jealousy.

Is this what their friendship had amounted to?

Every thrust was a dagger to their stomachs, their minds consumed by images of the other couple. The aftermath wasn't a glow, but a slow smolder.

They had left their hearts open, to pain and to entanglements.

Nothing is more painful than separating hearts.