AN: To quote Cornelius Sigan: "I am returned!" Major apologies for the long silence, everyone – a combination of Real Life, writers block and – the biggest issue – RSI in BOTH hands kind of put FFFP on the back-burner for a while. Even as I type this I have these annoyingly cumbersome pressure bandages on my hands and wrists.

This chapter is for three people: ImaginedArtist who asked ages ago if I was going to do the wedding, and KittyO and Eavis who both gave me a gentle-yet-effective kick in the butt to get this posted. Kitty, I hope this cheers you up sufficiently.

In other news: I am, distressingly, very behind on Merlin. Due to internet complications, I have not yet seen either 4x10 OR 4x11, so please make no mention of them!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise. Though, I'd LOVE to own Gwen's dress. …Guess I should get the guy though, before I head out and get the dress.

ChapterSummary: "Arthur," Merlin said exasperatedly. "You're getting married. You're going to be far too cheerful to bother making my life hell."

...

The Wedding

...

Merlin had never seen Arthur looking so nervous in all the time he'd known him (and Merlin had seen Arthur in a lot of situations where extreme nervousness would be perfectly acceptable).

The blonde-haired farmer was nervously walking to the far end of his room, running his hands through his hair, pacing back to Merlin's amused side, messing his hair a second time, then turning around and doing the whole thing all over again.

"I really think you're stressing over nothing," Merlin said soothingly, valiantly suppressing a chuckle. "I mean – it's Gwen! What is there to be worried about?"

"That's exactly it, Merlin!" Arthur said crossly, glaring over his shoulder as he headed back to the far side of his room. "It's Guinevere! She's… she's so… I mean – and I'm just… well, I'm just me! I'm a farmer, for heavens sakes! And I… I smell when I come in from the fields, and I remember her telling me I snore like a pig, and I have no idea what to do with a chicken in between killing it and eating it, not to mention I remember Morgana telling me that all women dream of their wedding as little girls – what if it's not what she pictured? What if she doesn't like it? What if – "

"Arthur," Merlin interrupted, catching the older man's shoulders and forcing him to stay still. "Stop. You're being ridiculous. Firstly, yes, it's Gwen. Which means that she could probably get married in rags and still be happy so long as its you she's marrying. Secondly, she knowsyou're a farmer – you became a farmer forher, if you recall, and that's not going to do anything other than win you more points with her. With regards to the smell: she's seen your laundry, and as frightening as it is it hasn't managed to scare her off just yet. And she's known for years that you snore and that you're utterly useless in the kitchen, and it's very clear that she doesn't care in the slightest considering she's still going ahead with all this.

"And frankly, I don't think you have anything to worry about regarding the wedding being less than she imagined. You'll recall that Gwaine was placed in charge of an army of women to get the decorations and food done, so I really think it's going to be more than she ever dreamed of. And I know that putting Gwaine in charge of all that made you a little nervous, but you can't deny that the man has been to enough parties to know what makes a good one, so he knows what he's doing. So calm down. It's all going to be fine."

There was a brief silence where Merlin stared seriously at Arthur and Arthur looked unconvinced, and then the groom narrowed his eyes at Merlin.

"Are you being wise again?" he asked suspiciously.

Merlin grinned. "Does it suit me?"

Arthur sniffed dismissively. "Only occasionally."

Merlin chuckled under his breath and then propelled Arthur towards the changing partition before turning around and fetching the brand new tunic from the wardrobe.

"She really did a great job of this," Merlin said lightly, handing the tunic to Arthur as the once-prince disappeared behind the wooden panels to get changed.

The fabric was a deep, Pendragon red, and the sleeve-ends and collar had been detailed with a bright gold thread in swirling, dancing patterns. It fitted him perfectly, he found, pulling it over his head and settling it into place; but then, Gwen was a brilliant seamstress.

Arthur had protested the concept of Gwen making all the clothes for the wedding herself – her dress and his outfit included – but his bride-to-be had calmly pointed out that she was the only one who knew exactly what she wanted, so how could she expect any one else to make the clothes correctly?

He found he wasn't able to argue with that.

She had travelled to get the fabric a week after Arthur proposed to her. The town near them (the one with the gossiping women) didn't have any materials that she liked, so Gwaine was assigned as her personal body guard for the day (because a woman travelling alone is never a good idea and Arthur couldn't go because he wasn't allowed to see the dress – "Even when it's only bits of fabric," Gwen had stressed) and they'd set off to Talinshire, where a renowned fabric-maker sold his wares.

The trip had taken the whole day, and they'd returned an hour after dark just in time for Merlin to serve them up some of the stew he'd made (not that Arthur would ever say this out loud, but Merlin was a very good cook), and both of them had been frustratingly quiet on the topic of their purchases.

Arthur hadn't pressed for details – he knew more than to try and get around Gwen's wish for the dress to be a total and complete surprise – but that didn't stop Merlin from trying to wheedle any information he could from Gwaine at every available opportunity.

Every time the warlock thought Arthur was out of hearing he would start grilling the dark-haired man on what kinds of fabrics she'd bought and did he know what she was planning and what-about-the-veil-come-on-you-have-to-tell-me-something-please, but Gwaine was cheerfully closed mouthed on the entire subject, which frustrated Merlin to no end.

Honestly, Arthur thought with a chuckle, fastening his trousers and securing his sword-belt around his waist. Merlin was more curious than hewas to see the product of all this secrecy.

Gwen worked on the clothes during the day, presumably, because she never worked on them in the evenings and everything was always all neatly packed away when the men came inside at the end of the day. Arthur's outfit had shown up a week before the wedding, laid out smoothly across his bed when he came in one night, and it had been living safely in his wardrobe since then in readiness for the big day.

"And your cloak," Merlin said, his arm appearing around the side of the partition and the garment in question in his hand.

Arthur took it with a word of thanks and fastened it around his shoulders, before taking a settling breath and stepping out, shuffling a little self-consciously.

"So... how do I look?" he asked, when Merlin said nothing.

Merlin smiled softly, looking proud and pleased and joyful.

"Like a Prince," he said simply, and Arthur couldn't help the quiet smile that lifted the corners of his mouth at that.

"Oi!" someone shouted suddenly from the other side of the closed door. "You comin' out here or what? Your bride's gonna get cold feet if you make her wait any longer!"

"I'm coming, Gwaine," Arthur called, sighing long sufferingly at the man's antics, and then he took a deep breath and turned towards the door.

"You ready?" Merlin asked, standing beside him.

Arthur straightened slightly, forcing his nervousness down. There was nothing to be nervous about. Nothing at all.

"Yes," he said, pleased when his voice came out firm.

"Just think," Merlin said, in what Arthur supposed was supposed to be an encouraging tone. "In just one hour, you're going to be married to the woman of your dreams."

There was a brief pause.

"That's really just making me more nervous, Merlin," Arthur said flatly, not looking away from the door.

Merlin blinked.

"Would you like me to be quiet?"

He'd barely even finished asking the question before Arthur said, "Yes please," rather quickly.

...

Gwaine really had done an utterly splendid job organising the setup, Arthur couldn't help but think.

White and green were the dominant colours, with white flowers trailing across every surface available. Bright green wreathes hung at the ends of the tables that later would be the location for the celebratory feast, the white flowers standing out brightly amongst the leaves.

The aisle was lined by twisting lengths of ivy, and white petals were scattered across the grass that Guinevere would soon be walking across. The archway that Merlin had created with a flash of golden eyes and some complicated words was also covered in ivy, white lilies and other flowers twisted in with the leaves.

Gwaine had even given Sirius a bath the day before (though Merlin was suspiciously of the opinion that Gwaine ended up wetter than the dog), and the wolfhound was sitting proudly at the left of the arch, his grey fur shiny.

"You wait til we get to the food," Gwaine grinned when Merlin commented on how good a job he and his army of women had done. "You'll wish your stomach was three times as large as it is."

They would need lots of food, too. Most of the people from the nearby village had come to see the wedding, and the men who Arthur and Merlin had befriended from the town brought their wives and children along as well, so there were a fair few people milling about with quiet excitement as they waited for the ceremony to start.

There were a couple of guests though, who were of special importance.

Gaius and Elyan had arrived together three days prior to the wedding, and Merlin had given up his room to his mentor for the duration of his stay and gone to kip on a bedroll on the floor in Gwaine's room, as had Elyan.

Gwaine and Elyan hadn't met before, but they hit it off rather quickly and – with six of them now in the house – dinner time became a rather noisy affair.

Everything was going well in Camelot, Gaius assured Arthur and Merlin, and though the King hadn't lessoned the search for his wayward son in the slightest , it was Camelot that he was searching from edge to edge, not neighbouring kingdoms, so for the foreseeable future, their secret farm was safe from discovery.

After all – it's not as though the King could just send a battalion of men into someone else's land, not if he wanted to keep things peaceful.

Morgana had been being her usual shifty self, the physician told Merlin later, once well away from any prying ears. She had something planned, of that the old man was certain, but so far he hadn't been able to pin anything on her, and she hadn't done anything outwardly devious, so Gaius was content enough to leave Camelot to her own devices for a few weeks while he "dealt with a plague in some of the western-most villages."

Sadly, Elyan and Gaius were the only people from their old lives who were able to come and celebrate Arthur and Gwen's union.

Arthur had wanted Leon there, his most trusted knight, but the man's loyalty was first to Uther, and it was decided that it wasn't fair to put him in such a position of compromise.

No one knew how to get in contact with Lancelot, and both Arthur and Merlin secretly thought that was a good thing. The man may have been honourable enough to remove himself from the equation when he realised what there was between Arthur and Gwen, but there was just something cruel about inviting a man to the wedding of the woman he'd let go.

There were other people they might have invited – Mary, one of the kitchen maids, had been a close friend of Gwen's, and Arthur was rather fond of Geoffrey of Monmouth despite the man's stuffy personality, but with the whole of Camelot on the lookout for their eloped Prince, it was just too risky to invite anyone except those who were trusted implicitly.

Down at the end of the aisle, the musicians suddenly straightened and lifted their instruments; a moment later, a soft melody started drifting through the air.

Arthur swallowed nervously. Beside him, Merlin straightened and raised his hand in preparation, and the once-Prince shot him a Look.

"Merlin, I swear to you, if you mess this up, I will make your life hell for all eternity," the Groom threatened, momentarily distracted from his nerves.

"Come off it Arthur," Merlin scoffed. "You're getting married. You're going to be far too cheerful to bother making my life hell."

Arthur had a response to that – really, he did – but then he caught a flash of movement just beyond the little grove of trees leading to the aisle, and he lost his train of thought completely.

Elyan came into sight first, dressed in the best clothes he owned and positively beaming,and then Gwen appeared, holding on to her brother's arm lightly as he guided her down the aisle, the train of her dress trailing gently behind her.

It would probably be best to describe the dress from Gwen's perspective, because upon laying eyes on her Arthur was struck speechless, and everyone else in attendance was not much better off.

It had taken her four weeks to make, and even when it was done she kept tweaking it and adjusting it until finally she had to tell herself firmly that it was done, and that she should leaveitalone.She had folded it gently and wrapped it safely in a swath of cloth to protect it both from prying eyes and dust, and put it in her wardrobe where it was safely out of reach of her needle.

It was white, naturally, and the fabric was light and flowing. It belled out from her waist to swish gracefully around her slipper-clad-feet and the ivory-coloured belt matched the embroidery on the bodice and the hems of both the skirt and the long, draping sleeves.

Some of the young girls from the local village had banded together to make Gwen a delicate wreath of flowers and leaves that matched the white and green of the decorations, and it sat nestled in her hair like a crown, her dark curls tumbling loosely down her back.

Arthur had never seen anyone who looked so much like a Queen, and for a moment he was a Prince again, standing in the Great Hall with his cape and his crown, about to make the most beautiful woman in all the land his Princess. Then Merlin snorted and elbowed him in the side and whispered to the blonde to shut his gaping jaw, and Camelot disappeared.

Merlin, still chuckling to himself at Arthur's awed expression, subtly raised his hand a little and glanced down as his eyes flashed golden. The lids on the two containers at the far end of the aisle slid silently away, and the white butterflies that had been trapped in the tubs took flight immediately and (thanks to a second quick spell by Merlin) flew straight towards Gwen, fluttering around her and her brother and making it look like the two of them were walking through a light snow-fall of flowers.

Elyan was beaming, his teeth white against the darkness of his skin, and Gwen looked… Gwen looked positively radiant. She was smiling softly as she walked, but the joy was practically pouring from her skin in visible waves as she walked closer to the arch where Arthur waited for her, her eyes locked unwaveringly on his.

The spell drawing the butterflies to Gwen wore off quickly, and there were fewer and fewer of them fluttering around her as she grew closer. Most flew off, but some settled on the bunch of flowers she held in her hands and others settled in her hair, nestled amongst the dark curls and woven wreath of flowers.

A glance to Merlin's left confirmed for the warlock that Arthur still looked just as awestruck as he had when Gwen had first come in to sight, and it was clear that any lingering doubts or nervousness had been completely banished by the arrival of his bride.

With Arthur too, the happiness radiating from him was so tangible that Merlin almost imagined he could see it glowing in the late-morning sun.

Arthur's utter joy was contagious, and Merlin knew without having to check that he himself was beaming so brightly that he wouldn't be surprised if his cheeks were sore for weeks.

It seemed like it took both forever and yet no time at all before Gwen and Elyan reached the arch, and then Elyan kissed his sister's cheek and hugged her, and moved to sit in the front-most row as Guinevere took Arthur's hand and stepped up in front of the arch, and Gaius moved forward to begin the ceremony.

Gaius spoke well in Geoffrey's place, the age-old ceremonial words both loud and clear enough that even the people in the back-most row were able to hear him clearly. The old man was smiling hugely with joy as he tied Guinevere and Arthur's hands together with gold ribbon intertwined with long green grasses and tiny white flowers, and then Merlin stepped forward and presented a pair of rings, both gold and carved with patterns that Merlin had carefully inscribed into the metal late the evening before.

The bride and groom slid the rings on to the other's hands, beaming at each other, and then – at Gaius' final words – Arthur leant in and gave his wife the first kiss of their married life.

...

One feast, lots of dancing and even more alcohol later, Arthur and Gwen had pulled away from the celebrations for a few moments of quietness, and were standing in the shadows of their house watching as their guests continued to laugh and dance and drink merrily. They were completely out of sight of the revellers, shadowed as they were by the house.

"So, was it as bad as you were anticipating?" Gwen asked, successfully hiding her laughter.

She sensed Arthur's frown as her husband – herhusband! – looked down at her from where she was wrapped in his arms.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, completely confused.

She turned away from the celebrations to hide her amused smile in his shoulder.

"Merlin tells me you were a little nervous before the ceremony," she said, biting her lip to keep from chuckling.

"Oh did he?" Arthur said, in that dangerous tone that he seemed to reserve especially for Merlin, and a short giggle escaped Gwen before she could stop it.

"Mmhm," she said, nodding. "Justshyofpanicking, I believe was the exact description."

"I see," Arthur near-growled. "I don't suppose you've seen him around recently, have you?"

Gwen laughed, pulling back to look at him.

"You want me to tell you where he is so that you can go and string him up with the ham?" she asked, and chuckled. "Sorry, you're on your own."

"Ah, now there you're wrong," Arthur said, and Gwen heard the change in his voice and quirked a curious look at him, and he smiled down at her happily. "You and I are married now," he reminded her. "From now on, we're together in everything."

Gwen smiled, standing up on her toes so that she could kiss him softly.

"I guess you're right," she smiled, dropping back down to her normal height. "So I guess I should probably help you out and tell you that Merlin's on his way over here right now."

Arthur looked surprised for half a second, then looked up to see what Guinevere had already spotted; the warlock in question was indeed on his way over to them, walking just ahead of Gwaine, Guias and Elyan.

"There you are," Merlin grinned, once he was in hearing distance. "I've been looking for you two all over. This is the first chance we've had to talk to you since the ceremony."

"We just wanted a bit of a breather," Gwen smiled, turning around in Arthur's embrace and glancing over her shoulder at the still-celebrating guests. "It's a little loud over there."

Merlin chuckled.

"Less loud since Gwaine got tired of singing," he grinned, and the rouguish man by his side scowled a little.

"I'll have you know," Gwaine said in a slightly slurred voice, "that I am a fantastic singer."

Merlin rolled his eyes fondly and then turned his attention back to the bride and groom in front of him, who were watching the exchange with amusement.

"Anyway," the warlock said, growing serious. "We wanted to give you something."

Arthur and Gwen glanced at each other as Merlin grew suddenly serious, and then both of them blinked in surprise as Merlin – followed immediately by Gaius, Elyan and (a little unsteadily) Gwaine – dropped one knee to the ground and bowed his head.

"Merlin – what...?" Gwen started to ask, and Merlin glanced up.

"I know we're not in Camelot," the warlock said, sending her a soft smile. "And so Arthur technically isn't a Prince and you're technically not his Princess but, well... we'll be going back one day, and then you will be. Our Princess, I mean. And one day, our Queen. And I – we – just wanted to let you know that, as much as our loyalty is to Arthur, now it is to you as well, My Lady. So, to you both – the future King and Queen of Camelot, I pledge my allegiance, for as long as I shall live."

The last line was echoed immediately by Elyan, Gaius and Gwaine, and Guinevere gaped at all of them, speechless. Arthur, being more used to Merlin's occasional seriousness and extraordinary loyalty than Gwen was, was slightly less surprised but still caught off guard by the unexpected show of loyalty and allegiance.

There was a short silence, and then Gwen disentangled herself from Arthur's embrace and stepped forward.

"Stand up, all of you, please," she said, sounding rather dazed.

"Thank you," Gwen said faintly, once everyone was on their feet once again. "I... I wasn't expecting that – from any of you. I... I don't really know what to say, so, um, I guess, thank you..."

She trailed off, still looking surprised and shocked by what had just happened, and Merlin grinned and stepped forwards.

"You're welcome," he said simply, and hugged her swiftly. "And congratulations."

He pulled back and Elyan stepped forwards, embracing his sister and whispering his congratulations.

Wrongly thinking that this was only Gwen's moment, Arthur was caught entirely by surprise as first Guias, followed swiftly by Elyan and then Gwaine, all darted in and hugged him quickly.

By the time Merlin stepped forwards, Arthur had found his wits and stepped back sharply as Gwaine and Gaius moved to congratulate Gwen.

"I'm not going to hug you Merlin," he said in a warning voice, and Merlin rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"You just got married and I just pledged allegiance to you and your wife. If doesn't warrant a hug then I don't know what does," he said, and moved forwards again.

"You would hug your future King without his permission?" Arthur demanded, stepping out of reach again.

"If said future King is being a prat about it, yes," Merlin said, and darted forwards again with surprising swiftness.

Arthur yelped in a rather undignified manner as Merlin managed to catch him and the lanky boy wrapped his arms around the once-prince, holding on doggedly for a few (very long) seconds while Arthur struggled to free himself.

"I don't think he's going to let go until you've hugged him," Gwen said, her voice quavering with amusement as Arthur failed to get free.

He struggled for a few seconds longer, but Merlin was surprisingly difficult to dislodge and Arthur groaned heartily with embarrassed frustration as he realised the truth of Gwen's words.

Stiffly, and looking like he would rather be doing anything but this, Arthur awkwardly returned Merlin's embrace for a whole two seconds.

"There," he said, pulling away roughly, and this time Merlin let him.

"There," the warlock echoed, grinning smugly. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Merlin?" Arthur said, straightening his clothes and jutting his jaw out and ignoring everyone as best as he could while at the same time sending a glare at Merlin that would melt a lesser man.

"Yes?" Merlin asked sweetly.

"Never do that again."

Merlin laughed cheerfully.

"Oh, I won't make any promises, Sire."

...

AN: WOW that was a long one! Hope it made up for the wait! Please review. :)

Reminder: I HAVE NOT SEEN 4X10 OR 4X11, so please, PLEASE don't mention any spoilers!

Bundi

Next up: "You've never been...?" Merlin repeated, staring at Arthur, aghast. The warlock shook himself slightly and put his foot down. "Right – that does it. We're all taking tomorrow off. We're going raspberry picking."