Merlin 1. Chapter 1

Okay, I've had this in my head for a while now - and I've been writing it for about a month? So I thought I may as well start uploading, and see what happens from there. Rated M for future rape scene.

Reviews are welcome (as always), please enjoy!

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Morgana strode into her room, slamming the door behind her. Her eyes were red-rimmed from trying to hold back tears, and her hair, for once, was in complete disarray. With a sob she threw herself onto her bed, grabbing a pillow as the angry tears finally flowed down her cheeks.

Arthur and her often fought; usually over silly, trivial matters. Some part of Morgana's mind was busy telling her that their latest argument was indeed nothing to cry about, but Morgana ignored it. How _dare _Arthur mock her, when he knew full well she'd never wished for this?

It had all started when Morgana was thirteen. That was when Uther forbid Morgana to continue learning 'masculine' activities: sword fighting, jousting, etc, and had instead hired a woman whose job it was to teach Morgana how to be a proper Lady. It was then that a distance formed between Arthur and Morgana; while Arthur continued his training to be a knight, Morgana was forced to remain indoors and learn the accepted etiquette.

Now, whenever Arthur and Morgana argued, it was usual for one of them to bring up the typical sexist attitude of Camelot that had caused the divide between them. Morgana had often wished that she'd been born a boy, or at least that Uther's attitude towards women had been different.

Curled up on her bed, hugging the pillow tightly, Morgana felt her fingers brush against something hard. Her hand latched onto it, dragging it into view as Morgana propped herself up, using the sleeve of her dress to dry her face while gazing at the velvet pouch in her hands. Slowly, she undid the drawstring and tipped the stone out onto her palm.

Morgana's eyes closed briefly as her fingers traced the smooth surface of the stone. "No use crying," she murmured to herself as the stone sent a rush of warmth along her arm. As it always did when she touched it, it was beginning to softly glow. "It's just how it is. I can't change it. No-one can."

Morgana sighed, lying back down as her sobs subsided. Her eyes closed again, while, unbeknownst to her, the light emitted from the stone gradually grew stronger.

_If I could, though, _Morgana thought to herself, _I'd swap it around. If I were a man, I could take part in tournaments even. And if Arthur were a woman… _she smiled at the thought. _Well, then Arthur would be the one complaining about not being allowed to take part. _

The stone began to vibrate. Morgana opened her eyes in surprise at the movement, and then she suddenly felt her whole body jolt.

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Arthur was relieving his frustration in the way he normally did; by practising his sword twirling techniques. It seemed to help, in some small way, especially when he imagined the person he was angry with on the receiving end of the blade.

_Stupid girl,_ Arthur thought to himself, swinging his sword in a complicated circle. _It's just so typical of Morgana to start whining about the fact that she has to be a lady all the time. I thought she grew out of that years ago! _Arthur slashed out at his curtains, neatly slitting a gash through the middle.

There was a clatter as metal hit hard stone. Arthur had dropped his sword and was now leaning against his bedpost, breathing hard as he tried to steady his nerves. He knew that something had suddenly racked his body, but how was he to know that, at that exact moment, the same thing had happened to Morgana?

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"I know it's hard to believe, but I haven't actually been in the stocks today," Merlin explained, grinning in a slightly bashful way.

Gwen eyed the squished tomatoes that seemed to make up Merlin's outfit. "Really?" she asked, slightly disbelieving. "It's not that I don't believe you, Merlin, it's just that you _do_ look like…"

"See," Merlin interrupted her. "I was innocently walking through town when-" He stopped talking abruptly as his entire body suddenly jolted and he bent forwards, gasping slightly. As the sensation passed, he glanced up and noticed that Gwen too seemed to have experienced it; she was leaning against the wall for support, drawing in deep breathes.

"Mer… Merlin?" Gwen asked quietly once she'd gotten her breath back. "What was…?"

Merlin shook his head quickly. "No idea. So, anyway, I was in town when I accidentally slipped on this potato someone had left lying around and went flying backwards into a cart of rotten tomatoes."

Gwen laughed, standing upright. "That is so typical of you, Merlin. Well, when I mean typical, I'm not saying you're clumsy or anything, just that you do seem to have a habit of…" She paused, looking flustered as usual.

"I'll see you later, Gwen," Merlin helped her out. "Bye." He smiled and began to walk off, but his insides were churning. That jolt he'd felt… that was magic, he instinctively knew. He just hoped that nothing bad would come of it, and that there would be no side effects.

If only he'd known then what was going to happen...

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_The next morning…_

Merlin stared at his reflection in the mirror, his jaw gaping open.

_No! _His mind screamed at him. _This is not real. This is not happening!_

Merlin had realised something was wrong before he had even opened his eyes. For starters, lying on his front hurt. Merlin had done it plenty of times, but it had never been this uncomfortable before. Which led to Merlin sitting upright, glancing down at his chest, and…

Jumping right out of bed and staring at himself in the mirror, his eyes widening with horror.

His reflection stared back at him. Merlin waved one hand uncertainly, and the reflection copied it. Yes, it was definitely _his_ reflection, no doubt about that, but…

The mirror was showing a young woman dressed in Merlin's nightshirt. Her hair was the same dark shade as Merlin's and reached just past her shoulders; her skin was the same pale tone as Merlin's, and her eyes… Her terrified eyes were exactly the same as Merlin's. In fact, she looked just Merlin - except that her small breasts were clearly visible through the material of the nightshirt, which was uncomfortably stretched around her chest and hips, but also too large a size for her petite figure.

Merlin slowly glanced down at himself. Just to make sure, he raised one shaking hand and peered down his nightshirt. No mistake. The woman in the mirror _was_ him. Somehow, he'd turned into a girl overnight.

There was a loud gasp from Gaius's room. Merlin swivelled round as there was someone knocked on his door.

"Merlin!" Gaius's voice called… although it wasn't _exactly_ Gaius's voice. "Merlin, wake up and open the door!"

Panicking, Merlin quickly tugged the sheet off his bed and wrapped it around himself, trying to conceal his new form before he lifted the latch on his door.

For what seemed like a long time, Gaius and Merlin stared at each other. It appeared Merlin wasn't the only one who had mysteriously changed gender overnight.

Gaius was the first to speak. "Merlin?" he asked in a hushed tone, and only this time did Merlin understand why it sounded so different.

"Gaius?" Merlin whispered, bewildered.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're absolutely sure that you didn't do anything?" Gaius asked the question again. "You didn't cast any spells, did you?"

"No, I'm certain," Merlin replied. He touched his throat lightly as he noticed the difference in his own voice. His Adam's apple had disappeared, and there was no usual morning stubble along his chin.

Gaius flicked one of his many books, his eyes narrowed behind his spectacles. Now that the initial shock of seeing Gaius as a woman was wearing off, Merlin felt an urge to laugh at the strangeness of it.

Gaius was wearing a large cloak to conceal his body's new figure, but it didn't really make much difference. The large bosom Gaius had acquired was still noticeable, and there was something altogether softer about his features.

"Well, if you didn't do it," Gaius muttered, rifling through the pages. "Then I'm not sure what's happened." Gaius peered at Merlin over the rim of his glasses. "But if we're both affected, maybe it's not just us."

"Well, that'll make it a lot easier," Merlin sighed, running his hand through his hair. There was so much more of it than before. "We won't be stared at, it'll be…" His voice died away as he remembered the way he and Gwen had both suddenly felt that jolt yesterday. He turned, and started striding towards the door.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Gaius asked sharply.

"Going to see Gwen," Merlin responded, feeling slightly guilty. Because yes, he did want to check if Gwen was now a man, but even more so, Merlin wanted to find out if the change had affected Arthur.

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Only when he was outside Arthur's room did Merlin hesitate. What if Arthur hadn't changed? Merlin would feel like an idiot then, and probably even more so when Arthur started laughing at him.

Merlin glanced down at himself again. He was still wearing his nightshirt and the sheet from his bed, and Merlin felt his cheeks flush as he suddenly realised that the sheet had slipped down around his lower body, and the cool morning air had caused his nipples to protrude through his nightshirt.

Blushing, Merlin undid the sheet and threw it over himself so that it settled like a cloak. _This is a bad idea, _he thought, making sure that the sheet covered him appropriately. _I should just go back to my room, and…_

Instead, he pushed the door open.

There was no sign of Arthur, except for the writhing, shapeless figure under the covers of Arthur's bed. "Go away!" A muffled voice commanded.

Merlin shut the door behind him. "It's Merlin."

There was a brief pause. "When are you ever going to learn to knock?" Arthur's muffled voice said grumpily. "Merlin, I don't need you this morning, just get out of here."

As usual, Merlin ignored him. He stepped quickly towards the bed and grasped the bedcovers that hid Arthur from sight before pulling them back firmly, exposing Arthur's head.

Arthur immediately tugged them back. "Merlin!" he yelped as he once more disappeared from view. "Don't do that again!"

Merlin grinned to himself. The brief glimpse he'd had of Arthur had confirmed his suspicions - there had been more blond hair than usual; his features appearing more feminine than masculine.

Apparently the brief glimpse Arthur had had of Merlin was also hitting home, as Arthur slowly pulled the duvet down to neck level. "Merlin?" He said hesitantly, and this time Merlin noticed the more feminine tone.

Merlin sat down on the edge of Arthur's bed. "Yes." He brushed his dark hair out of his eyes and tucked it behind his ears.

Arthur hesitantly sat up, still holding the bedcovers around shoulder level. His hair had grown to about the same length as Merlin's, but while Merlin's hair was straight, Arthur's was gently wavy. If possible, his lips seemed even fuller, and his eyelashes longer. The intensity of his gaze was making Merlin feel very unsettled, and Merlin instinctively crossed his arms across his chest, trying hard to ignore the way his new breasts were compressing against his arms.

"I thought it was just me," Arthur finally groaned, his shoulders sagging.

"Same," Merlin confessed. "And then I saw Gaius…" He stopped as Arthur's blue eyes widened.

"It happened to Gaius too?"

"Yeah," Merlin sighed. "He's trying to find a reason for it."

Arthur hesitated, his eyes darting from Merlin to himself. "Merlin, close your eyes."

Merlin screwed them shut. He heard the sheets rustle, followed by light footsteps across the room.

"Oh," Arthur said quietly, and Merlin guessed that he was looking at himself in the mirror. "Oh god."

After what felt like several minutes, Merlin asked "Can I open my eyes now?"

"Not yet!" Arthur hissed. There was another rustle of material, and then Arthur said, more calmly, "Okay, you can open them now."

Merlin's eyes flickered open as he twirled around to face Arthur. He felt his mouth drop open.

Arthur had retained his attractiveness; he looked as beautiful as a girl as he had looked handsome as a boy. His figure was a pretty-much perfect hourglass shape, which was obvious even under the coat Arthur appeared to have just thrown on. Right at the moment, Arthur was busy fiddling with the buttons, trying to stretch them to cover his chest.

"Bloody buttons," he muttered to himself. He glanced up, and his eyes narrowed. "Merlin, close your mouth."

Merlin obediently did so. A small grin spread across his face. "Need any help?"

Arthur immediately turned around. "Absolutely not!"

Merlin giggled. "You sound like Morgana."

Arthur twirled around again, having finally buttoned his coat all the way up. "And you laugh like a girl," he shot back. Arthur's coat fit very badly across his chest, and Merlin found himself trying hard to concentrate on Arthur's face.

"Now what?" Arthur said impatiently, pacing across the room. "I can't let anyone see me like this!" He gestured to himself.

"Well, you, me and Gaius have been affected," Merlin counted on his fingers, noticing the slimness of his hands for the first time. "Maybe it's the whole castle?"

Arthur paused by the window. "Don't be ridiculous, Merlin. If it was the whole castle, that would mean…"

There was a loud knocking at the door. "The King has called an emergency meeting in the Great Hall and requests your presence at once!" A voice called out.

Arthur and Merlin exchanged glances.

"Damn!" Arthur exclaimed, his eyes narrowing.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing! Here's the next chapter, then, hope you all enjoy (and review further? Pretty please?)!

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As Arthur entered the hall, he tried hard not to notice the way every face was staring at him. His coat didn't fit him as well as it used to - that was obvious, from the lustful glare that Merlin had given him earlier - but it was better than simply wearing his nightshirt.

Holding his head high, he strode forward until he reached the seat that was usually his and sat down.

"Arthur?" the woman sitting at the head of the table leaned forwards hesitantly.

Arthur tried not to stare as he replied "Yes, err… father."

Uther had, as long as Arthur could remember, always been a role model for masculinity. So it was a shock for Arthur to be faced with the muscular, scarred woman who had been his father.

He glanced around the table. There was Merlin, sitting next to an old woman who could only be Gaius… many women, actually, all looking extremely uncomfortable, and opposite Arthur, holding his gaze, was a rather handsome young man with pale skin, wavy dark hair and piercing green eyes. A small smile played on his lips, as though he was enjoying a private joke. It could only have been one person.

"Morgana," Arthur said coolly, leaning back.

"Arthur," Morgana replied, her voice deeper and richer than before.

"Quiet!" Uther said sharply, standing up and resting his hands on the table. "Now, people, we have a serious dilemma here."

Morgana rolled her eyes. "You're telling me," she mouthed behind one hand.

Arthur leaned forward, shielding his mouth likewise. "Is it just me, or do you seem to be enjoying this?"

"As you should know," Uther continued. "King Phillip of Benewick is due to arrive in Camelot this afternoon. So, does anyone have any idea either how to reverse this…" He paused.

"Gender switch, sire," Gaius supplied.

Uther waved his hand. "Yes, right, that, or should we simply send him away and cause a war between our two countries?"

"I vote we greet him here," Morgana spoke up.

Uther looked angry, then confused. Arthur knew that if Morgana had spoken up like that yesterday she would have been in trouble, but as it were she was now the only male present.

Well, Arthur didn't really see any difference.

"So, are you suggesting that we just pretend that we just tell him that our sexes all got changed last night, right?" he asked, his eyebrows raised at the very idea.

"No," Morgana disagreed. "I reckon that the men act like women, and vice versa." She glanced at the women who had been knights. "If you wear your armour and keep it on, I'm sure no-one will know the difference."

"What about me?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms across his chest and then immediately uncrossing them again.

Morgana smirked. "I'm sure you can play very well at being a_ princess,_ Arthur."

Before Arthur could reply, Uther asked hopefully "Does anyone have any other ideas?"

Arthur hated the idea, but he couldn't think of any others. No-one else spoke, and so Uther seemed to admit defeat.

"We'll go with your idea, Morgana," Uther admitted grudgingly.

Morgana pushed back the chair, standing up and clapping her hands together once. "Right! Now, I suggest that you go and check if you can still fit into your armour. If not, I'm sure we can get the blacksmith to do something about it." As the knights cleared out, Morgana continued "Sire, Gaius, I'm sure we can find dresses that will fit you…"

"_No, _Morgana," Uther said firmly.

Morgana pouted. "The king will get suspicious otherwise," she pointed out. "Letting your women go around dressing like men…"

"It's only fair, sire," Gaius agreed. Arthur glared at him.

Uther hesitated, then shuddered slightly. "Fine, find what you can."

Morgana clasped her hands together and glanced between Merlin and Arthur. "Well, Arthur, you can just wear one of my dresses, and I'm sure Gwen will let you borrow one of hers, Merlin."

Arthur instantly rebelled against the idea of wearing a dress, especially one of Morgana's, but his father had already agreed to it, so… "Fine," he muttered.

Morgana beamed at him and Arthur suddenly wanted to laugh as he realised that, despite her new masculine form, she was wearing a torn nightgown underneath her cloak.

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Uther gazed out the window, wondering what he had done to deserve this.

Uther had been brought up by his father believing in the superiority of male over female, and so to find himself a woman was shocking in two ways: one, women seemed an alien race to any male; two, because he was now technically inferior to, say, Morgana, as she was a man now. Uther felt demoted, to say the least. He did not want to go through with this, but he felt he must, if only to avoid a war.

Uther sighed. At least he could stay here, out of sight, while Morgana rushed around organising. Leave it to her. The idea sounded very inviting at the present time.

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Merlin swung the door behind him, whistling slightly. Okay, yes, he was now a girl, but every other man in Camelot was also a girl, and that somehow made it acceptable. He was just glad he was able to slip away before Morgana dragged him to her chambers alongside Arthur, probably to torture them with cosmetics and fashion. Arthur could cope with that alone, in Merlin's opinion.

Merlin's cheerfulness slowly died as he realised that his simple idea was suddenly more complicated. He had planned to get dressed in his usual outfit before visiting Gwen, but suddenly it occurred to him that getting dressed meant that he would have to be either naked or at least topless during the process.

Merlin returned to the mirror, gazing at his reflection once more. Then, slowly, he removed the sheet he'd been wearing and tossed it onto his bed. Now Merlin was only wearing his nightshirt again.

Part of his mind was revolted by the idea of having a female body, but there was another part that was intrigued. Merlin was used to women - after all, he'd been raised by his mother, with no available father figure - but he was still attracted to them.

Finally making up his mind, Merlin bent down slightly, grasping the hem of his nightshirt. Then, his breathing faster than usual, he slowly peeled it off.

Automatically his eyes shut as the material was pulled over his hips, his waist, his breasts, and then the nightshirt was simply loose cloth in his hands. Breathing hard, Merlin let it slide out of his hands, feeling the material gather around his feet.

He was standing in the middle of his room, naked. He must have done this plenty of times, but never before had his mind been fighting such a constant battle. Half was telling him to open his eyes; the other to keep them closed until he was dressed.

Eventually, Merlin realised he had to open his eyes because he couldn't find his clothes. Annoyed with himself, Merlin cautiously peeked out from underneath his eyelids in the opposite direction of the mirror and saw his clothes lying where they'd been thrown, against the far wall.

Directing his gaze at the ceiling, Merlin slowly crossed the room. Walking as a woman felt so wrong; his hair swung backwards and forwards, tickling his shoulders and he could feel his breasts wobbling slightly.

Quickly, he closed his eyes, scooped up his clothes and got dressed, trying to touch his body as little as possible. He only allowed his eyes to open once he was certain that his clothes were all in place, and it was only then that he began to breathe easier.

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Morgana twisted backwards and forwards in front of Arthur's mirror, grinning to herself. She was wearing a pair of Arthur's trousers, a scarlet shirt and his brown jerkin, and she was relatively pleased with how they fit.

Like Merlin, she'd kept her eyes closed while she was getting changed, but just before she pulled on the shirt she had given in and gazed at herself topless. It had been a long time since she had done it without feeling embarrassed, and she couldn't help feeling slightly smug when she'd noticed that she had a well developed six-pack.

Of course, Morgana had been just as shocked when she'd first woken up as everyone else in the castle, but she'd adapted quickest. After all, this was what she had always wished for, right? Why not enjoy it while it lasted?

Thinking these same thoughts again, Morgana couldn't help feeling guilty. She had an odd feeling that she had somehow caused this, whether through the glowing stone or herself alone, but she figured that it could have been a fluke.

Either way, she was planning to have fun with this.

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Arthur stared at the mirror, horror plastered all over his face. "Damn you, Morgana," he whispered under his breath as his reflection stared back at him.

Morgana had been fussing over him for at least two hours now (although it felt to Arthur more like ten) and, apart from the time spent between waking up and getting out of bed, this was the first time Arthur had been alone by himself with his new figure.

Currently, he was wearing one of Morgana's many dresses, and he hated it. He hated the soft lilac colour against his skin, hated the way it clung to his new curves, hated the way he actually looked _attractive_ in it. Arthur wasn't a bloody princess, but his reflection certainly looked the part.

Of course, Arthur had tried to take the stupid dress off as soon as Morgana had left him alone. But, try as he might, he just _could not _reach the clasps at the back. So he was stuck here, with nothing to do really except stare at himself, or at the girl he'd become, and ask hoarsely "Why me?"


	4. Chapter 4

So, this is the last chapter left I've written so far... better get a move on and write more.

As always, enjoy and review!

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Merlin walked through the village, trying to act normal. The few people he'd seen in the castle were wearing clothing inappropriate to their gender, but out here people were dressed how they would normally have dressed. Several of them gave Merlin strange looks, and one man even wolf-whistled, causing Merlin to automatically blush.

Which was why Merlin was relieved when he finally arrived at Gwen's house, but he couldn't help being nervous. What if Gwen hadn't changed? He'd have to explain himself, then, and even she might not believe it…

Then he spied a small notice that had been pinned to the door. It was in Gwen's neat handwriting (although Merlin privately thought that it looked more scribbled than neat on this sign):

_Guinevere sends her regards and regrets that she will not be out today, owing to an infectious illness that came on rather suddenly during the night. Please feel free to come back when Guinevere is well again. _

The sign pretty much convinced Merlin that Gwen was a victim of this, well, curse. He rapped on the door softly. "Gwen? It's Merlin."

There was a slight pause, and then a voice that sounding like a cross between Gwen and her father replied "Sorry, I'm ill."

"If you're ill, me and the rest of the castle are suffering the same illness," Merlin said quietly. "Gwen, I'm a girl now." It sounded very weird even to Merlin.

There was another short period of silence, then footsteps sounded towards the door. The door opened a fraction, revealing a scared brown eye. "Merlin?" Gwen whispered. "Is that really you?"

Merlin nodded, smiling. "Can I come in?"

Gwen opened the door wider. Merlin quickly stepped inside and watched as she closed the door behind them.

The first thing Merlin noticed was that Gwen, as a male, took after her father. Her hair was closely cropped, like Tom's had been, and whereas she'd been fragile-like as a girl, she was now tall and muscular... And wearing male clothes; they must have been her father's. Her eyes were the same though, and they widened as Gwen saw Merlin clearly for the first time.

"Wow," she breathed quietly, leaning against the wall behind her. "You really are a, a, umm…"

"Yep," Merlin interrupted shortly, staring up at her. It felt awkward; he was so used to looking down on her. "Umm, this is going to sound really weird, but…"

"Do you need to borrow a dress?" Gwen guessed. She grinned, and Merlin was relieved to recognise her familiar smile. "You can if you want." Her cheeks darkened slightly as she went on "you don't have to though, if you're comfortable in your clothes, it's just…"

Merlin grimaced slightly. "Can I then, please?"

"Sure." Gwen strode over to a wardrobe in the corner of the room. She touched the handle, and then paused. "Merlin, is it just us?" she asked quietly.

Merlin shook his head, causing his longer hair to fly across his face. "It's the whole castle," he replied, sweeping his hair out of his eyes. "Arthur, Gaius, Morgana… everyone."

Gwen relaxed slightly. "Good. I mean, not good that they've all changed, but at least I'm not the only one now, it makes it a bit easier for me…" She opened the door and checked the outfits hanging in her wardrobe. "I think that red would look nicer on you than yellow, is that okay?" She pulled out one of her red and cream dresses, holding it up for Merlin to see.

"Yes, that should be fine," Merlin agreed, not really caring. He took the dress from her.

"Will you need help getting changed?" Gwen asked. Her tone was sincere, but Merlin felt himself blush at the thought.

"Umm, I think I should be fine." He examined the dress cautiously. "You just slip it on and do up the strings at the front, right?"

"That should be it, yes," Gwen nodded.

Merlin sighed. "Sounds easy enough." He loosened his neck scarf and tossed it onto a nearby chair while Gwen sat on her bed and stared pointedly in the opposite direction.

Merlin got changed pretty much the same way as before: he screwed his eyes shut while he took off all his clothes, feeling even barer than he did in his own bedroom. Quickly, while blushing madly, he slipped Gwen's dress over his head.

"Have you finished yet?" Gwen asked.

"No!" Merlin shot back, uncomfortably feeling the material over his chest as he tried to find the strings. He reluctantly opened his eyes, only to find that he'd put the dress on back to front. He swore under his breath as he took his arms out of the sleeves and twisted the dress around. He fumbled with the strings, tying them as quickly as he could.

"I'm done," he said finally.

Gwen turned her head around to glance at him. "Red does suit you," she said, smiling.

Merlin shrugged, gathering up his clothes. "Thanks."

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Morgana and Arthur were busy arguing when Gwen and Merlin entered the room.

"I am the Crown Prince of Camelot, and I will not wear makeup!" Arthur was shouting.

Morgana placed her hands on her hips. "No royal lady _anywhere_ would go without!" She shot back. "You're going to wear it."

"I'll tell my father!"

"You just try! I'm sure he'll take _my _side this time."

"Gwen, tell her that I don't need to plaster myself with stupid powders and stuff!" Arthur suddenly turned to the two servants. Gwen shrunk behind Merlin; a difficult thing to do when she was now taller and broader than him. "I don't need to, right?"

"Gwen!" Morgana cried, running over and hugging her maidservant… well, currently manservant. She suddenly took a step back, looking anxious. "It is you, right?"

Gwen smiled weakly. "Yes."

Morgana grinned, hugging her again. Merlin peered at Arthur, who was frantically mouthing "Help me!" behind Morgana's back.

"So, anyway," Morgana let go of Gwen and turned to Arthur. "Do you think that Arthur should wear makeup or not?"

Gwen's eyes widened slightly as Arthur glared daggers at her. Merlin sidled around to stand beside the prince.

"Nice dress," he muttered while the two ex-girls began discussing what tone of blusher would suit Arthur's skin tone, or something like that.

Arthur crossed his arms, glaring. "If you say anything about this, I will personally strangle you," he growled.

Merlin took a swift step backwards.

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Arthur plucked at the sleeve of his dress moodily. _Why me? _He had it the worst of everyone, he knew. None of the other men-turned-women had been forced to wear stupid makeup (literally forced; Gwen and Merlin had had to hold him down while Morgana applied the bloody stuff). All the knights were dressed in full armour, and it was nearly impossible to tell that they had all transformed into women last night. Merlin was wearing Gwen's dress, but apart from that he looked no different to how he'd looked this morning - hair still ruffled untidily, face clean of unnatural products.

Arthur slumped back in his seat, folding his arms tightly across his chest. He had almost gotten used to the feel of his new breasts against his arms, but he still winced slightly. Uther sat beside him, not fidgeting, but looking very awkward in the Pendragon-red dress he was wearing. _At least he has a cloak to cover himself_, Arthur thought to himself, hating the dress he himself was wearing even more.

The doors of the hall were pushed open.

"Presenting King Phillip of Benewick, and his son, Prince Stephan," one of the knights announced as two men strode into the hall, clad in dark purple and silver. Uther and Morgana stood up ready to greet them; Arthur stubbornly stayed sitting for a few seconds longer before getting to his feet.

"Welcome to Camelot, King Phillip," Uther greeted his fellow royal, offering his hand to be shaken. Instead, the King stooped down and kissed it, causing Uther to look very uncomfortable.

Arthur's stomach churned. _Do I have to have my hand kissed? _he wondered, eyes narrowing at the thought as he neared them.

"My queen," King Phillip murmured as he straightened up. "Is the king away, then?"

"Away on business, yes," Uther confirmed, trying not to show his distaste at being mistaken for queen instead of king. "He will not be back in time to greet you."

"A pity," Phillip replied gravely. His eyes flickered from Arthur to Morgana. "And these two… your son and daughter?"

Uther turned to Arthur. "My son, err, daughter, Prince… Princess Arthur-"

Arthur groaned inwardly before offering his hand.

"Charmed," King Phillip smiled, brushing Arthur's hand lightly with his lips. Arthur suddenly had a strong urge to throw up.

"And my ward, Lord Morgana."

Grinning, Morgana shook the king's hand firmly. "Milord," she said respectfully.

"Unusual names," King Phillip noted, his dark eyes flickering from Arthur to Morgana.

"Yes, well," Uther said uneasily. "We have a, err, long-standing tradition of giving male names to our daughters, and female names to our sons."

Arthur silently thanked Merlin for coming up with that one. If he'd been introduced as Arthurina or something like that, he would have killed himself there and then.

"My son, Stephan." Phillip changed the subject, turn introducing the young man beside him.

Arthur eyed him cautiously. The other prince was tall, with his father's dark honey-brown hair and olive skin. He grinned as his eyes met Arthur's, and Arthur quickly looked away.

"Princess, it is an honour," Stephan said formally, dipping his head and kissing Arthur's hand. His eyes lingered for far too long on Arthur as he lifted his head. Arthur quickly wiped his hand on his dress while the foreign prince shook hands with Morgana.

"Thank you for allowing us to stay with you a few nights." King Phillip turned back to Uther and bowed. "My son and I are at your mercy."

"Will you be shown to your rooms?" Uther asked, gesturing with one hand. One of the disguised knights approached them. "We will hold a feast in your honour tomorrow night, to allow you to settle in tonight."

King Phillip bowed again. "Thank you, my queen."

The knight led the two foreign royals out of the hall. Just before he left, Stephan turned and winked at Arthur.

Morgana grinned. "Aw, Arthur!"

"What?" Arthur answered automatically, not really listening as he wiped the back of his hand on his dress more thoroughly.

"That prince _so _fancies you."

Arthur gagged. "WHAT?!" he yelped loudly - too loudly, perhaps, as everyone in the hall turned to stare at him.

Morgana frowned. "I'm not sure whether it's sweet, or really creepy."

"Creepy, definitely!" Arthur replied, visibly shocked. "I'm a _guy_, Morgana!"

Morgana's eyes flickered over him, her eyes sparkling. "You sure don't look like one."

"Yes, well," Arthur stammered. He tapped his forehead. "In _here_ I'm still a man."

Morgana shrugged, grinning again. "So, anyway, Gwen and I were discussing possible outfits for you tomorrow…"

Arthur really wished he hadn't woken up this morning.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing - I love you guys (and girls)!

I'm going on holiday on Thursday, so I probably won't be able to get another chapter up until the middle of August _at the least_. So please be patient, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"What a weird day it's been," Merlin commented, watching his stew slowly ooze from his spoon into the bowl. He had been given his usual portion; he'd eaten half of it and was now no longer hungry. For a (usually) young man, feeling full was an extremely odd sensation.

"You can say that again," Gaius agreed absentmindedly, absorbed in a huge book. Beside him, a large number of other books were untidily stacked, their pages having been searched through in vain.

Merlin lowered the spoon, his gaze switching from his stew to his mentor. "I thought we weren't allowed to read during meals."

"Special cause, Merlin, special cause," Gaius mumbled, turning a page perhaps more delicately than usual. "How often do we wake to find the castle's population under heavy enchantment?"

"Wait, I know this one!" Merlin said with mock excitement, holding up one slim finger. "Well, for starters, there was the time Lady Helen sent everyone to sleep." He held up another. "And then there was the time that Avanc poisoned the water - not to mention when that griffin attacked… ooh, and what about the time…?"

"Merlin!" Gaius said sharply, glaring daggers at his ward. "I get the point."

Merlin absentmindedly ruffled his hair. There was just so _much_ of it now. To his surprise, he found a tangled knot. He tugged at it for a while, wincing, and then just decided to deal with it later - either by persuading Gwen to help or by chopping it off, Merlin didn't really care. "Find anything?" he finally asked.

Gaius carefully turned another page. "Not yet."

Merlin glanced down at himself, taking in his feminine figure yet again (still in Gwen's borrowed dress). He had no wish to be a girl. No wish at all.

The young warlock groaned quietly, pushing the bowl of stew to one side and standing up. "Please keep looking."

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Stephan felt very satisfied, sitting beside the Princess Arthur. Shame about the masculine name, but in a way it suited her. The prince let his eyes wander over her soft breasts and her shapely hips, unashamedly consumed with lust. He wanted her badly.

Arthur, sitting beside Stephan, couldn't help but notice the way the other prince was gazing at him. It was unnerving Arthur badly, to say the least.

"Will you quit staring at me like I'm a piece of meat?" The ex-prince, now princess, finally snapped as he rounded on the other prince.

"Arthur!" Uther reprimanded his son. "Would you please remember where you are." _And what you look like. _The words were unspoken, but Arthur was sure that his father had meant them.

"Sorry, fath…" he paused, trying frantically to figure out what he should call Uther. Father was out of the question, as was sire. "Sorry, _mother_," he finally replied, watching as his father flinched slightly at the unfamiliar term. "And sorry, _Stephan_," he added to the prince beside him.

Stephan grinned. "It's perfectly all right, _Arthur_." Damn, somehow Arthur had gotten onto first-name terms with the prince. Just another thing he didn't need right now.

Morgana, watching the exchange, smirked. Arthur fought the urge to hit her. God, what was _wrong_ with him? Yes, he knew he often had a bit of a short temper, but this was different. He had never before had the urge to strike someone simply because they breathed too loudly, or glanced in his direction for a split second.

He'd tried explaining this sudden anger to Merlin, but the manservant had simply laughed it off. "Maybe it's your time of month?" he had teased, just before Arthur had whacked him across the face with a pillow. Good old Merlin - the one time you thought he'd support you and offer a sensible explanation, he makes a joke of it.

"So, Arthur." Stephan leaned forward, resting his hand on the table - was it Arthur's imagination, or was the prince's hand extremely close to Arthur's own? - "Morgana tells me that you enjoy horse-riding."

Arthur glared daggers at Morgana, who simply grinned in reply.

"Maybe," Stephan said more softly. "Maybe we can go out riding tomorrow…" His fingers brushed Arthur's hand. Arthur instantly pulled his hand away, crossing his arms. Stephan frowned slightly, but continued, unfazed. "I'm sure you can show me the forest. It must be really beautiful this time of-"

"No," Arthur interrupted bluntly, ignoring the pained look on Morgana's face.

Stephan drummed his fingers against the table surface lightly, his eyes narrowed, but his mouth smiling. "I understand. You probably have something important happening tomorrow, anyway."

_Yes, like going and searching through every book in the castle for some way to turn me back into a man! _

Instead Arthur nodded. "Sorry," he said again, not sounding sorry at all.

Stephan sighed. "At least we'll have the banquet to look forward to," he said wistfully. "Might I accompany you to it?"

Arthur opened his mouth to sharply decline, just as Morgana kicked his shin.

"N… Ow!" Stephan peered at him curiously as Arthur glared daggers at Morgana. She shrugged, trying to look innocent, but her pale eyes were shining. "Okay, fine, whatever," Arthur muttered, glowering. He could always fake an illness, after all.

Stephan grabbed Arthur's hand before Arthur could stop him. "Thank you, milady," he whispered, lightly kissing Arthur's hand for the second time that day.

And for the second time that day, Arthur swiftly wiped his hand on his dress.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You like her, don't you?"

Stephan paused as he unbuttoned his coat. "Who?"

His father grinned. "The Princess Arthur, that's who."

"Well, you've seen her." Stephan shrugged his coat off. "What can I say, she's adorable. She's like a wildcat, beautiful _and_ feisty."

"Well, son." The King locked the dark wooden box that contained his crown. "If you're after her in the way that I think you are… try not to draw attention to yourselves. The last 'feisty' one you went after cost me half my kingdom."

The prince frowned, then raised a wry eyebrow. "Ah, but father, she was trouble. Whereas this one's simply _begging_ for it. I could see it in her eyes."

His father sighed, privately thinking that the Camelot princess seemed just antisocial. "Well, we're here for a week. Try and not do anything too drastic until just before we leave."

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"Thanks for letting me stay here tonight," Gwen said gratefully, kneeling on the floor as she arranged a few rags and blankets together to form a make-shift bed.

Morgana shrugged. The movement felt odd without her long hair, and she self-consciously touched the nape of her neck. "I couldn't let you go back down to the village like this, could I?"

Gwen hugged a pillow to her chest - her flat, muscular chest. She still wasn't used to it. "Well, thanks anyway," she said again.

Morgana took a few steps towards the mirror. Her new reflection stared back at her, and she grinned, straightening her jerkin - well, she'd borrowed it off Arthur, so it was _technically_ his. But she wore it better than he ever did. The light tan made her eyes shine brighter, her hair gleam darker.

Gwen idly watched her. Out of everyone, it was Morgana who had adapted best - Arthur was still mad about suddenly being a girl, and Gwen was still quietly freaked out about the fact that she was now a man. Morgana seemed to have taken it in her stride, though, cheerfully teasing the others as she adapted to her role as the dominant male of Camelot.

Morgana turned back to Gwen, still grinning. "So, the official welcome banquet is tomorrow," she stated. She walked over to her wardrobe, sorting through the many dresses that hung there. "We're going to have to choose something particularly _nice_ for Arthur to wear - he actually agreed to accompany Prince Stephan, would you believe."

By 'nice', Morgana of course meant something that would probably be bright, revealing, and show off Arthur's new figure to its full. Revenge at its sweetest.

"Really agreed to accompany the prince?" Gwen asked curiously. She frowned. "Or was he… persuaded?" The word on her mind at the moment, though, was 'forced'.

Morgana paused. "Well… I might have encouraged him a little…"

Gwen sighed, getting to her feet. "Why not let him choose what to wear?" she suggested.

"If Arthur gets to choose what to wear, he'll just throw on a shirt and trousers," Morgana responded, rolling her eyes. "If he does that, I may as well just wear a dress myself." She continued to search through her collection of gowns. "Perhaps we can find something for Merlin to wear as well."

"Merlin?" Gwen echoed, smiling despite herself.

"Oooh, definitely." Morgana grinned. "I've got a dress here that would set off his eyes perfectly. Perhaps a bit grand for a maidservant, but…" Morgana paused, imagining the looks Arthur and Merlin would be likely to have on their faces. "Gwen, we're going to make tomorrow a night to remember."


	6. Chapter 6

Hi everyone! Sorry it's taken so long to upload a new chapter - after I got back from my holiday, I had a brief moment of writers' block, but that's passed now. Hopefully I'll be quicker at writing the next chapter.

Hope you enjoy, and a HUGE thank you to everyone who's reviewed! Hopefully you will continue to do so.

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Soon after waking, Gwen realised that she had a bit of a problem.

Not only was she still a man, but, err, part of her recently acquired manhood seemed to be… umm, erect.

Gwen carefully bit her lower lip, trying not to freak out, unsure of what to do next. She could always just wait for it to, err, deflate. Or she could go and ask someone for advice… someone like Merlin.

Slowly, Gwen edged out of her makeshift bed and straightened up, once more marvelling at how tall she was now. She glanced at Morgana, feeling slightly relieved as she noticed that Morgana's hair was still short, her facial features less feminine than they had been.

Gwen crept across the floor as quietly as she could. Just as she reached the door, a thought struck her. Quickly, she darted back and grabbed the pillow she had been sleeping on. Gwen placed it in front of her groin, blushing as she shielded her masculinity, before finally leaving the room.

The castle was silent as Gwen walked as quietly as she could through the corridors. It had only just gone dawn, but even so there were usually a few people walking about now. Gwen guessed that people were unwilling to leave their rooms now that they were the opposite gender - Gwen would definitely have stayed in Morgana's room herself, were it not for her current problem.

She paused outside the door that led to the physician's quarters. She hesitated briefly, debating whether or not to knock, before slowly turning the door handle and pushing it open. She glanced in.

Gaius was asleep at his desk, his head resting on an open book. Gwen smiled at how odd he looked; the physician she'd known for as long as she could remember suddenly turned into a woman. Softly, Gwen edged through the room towards Merlin's chambers, hesitated, and then rapped the door slightly.

"Hmmm?" A faint voice mumbled in reply. "Whosthere?"

"It's me, Gwen," Gwen whispered back, surprised at how much her voice had changed - she'd forgotten overnight. She clutched the pillow slightly harder as she continued. "Can we talk? Please?"

There was a vague rustling of sheets, followed by the creaking of floorboards. "You don't sound like Gwen," Merlin yawned, swinging the door open as he rubbed his eyes blearily. He froze, staring at her. Then he glanced down at himself. Groaning, he sagged against the doorframe. "Oh, hell," he muttered. "I'm still a girl, then?"

Gwen nodded, biting her lip again. She had found Merlin attractive enough when he was male, but now she noticed that he also made a very attractive girl. She swallowed, her throat dry. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all - if anything, her 'problem' seemed to be getting worse as she absentmindedly found herself longing to press Merlin against the nearest wall and kiss the living daylights out of him… she'd had urges similar to this, but never quite as strong…

What am I thinking?! Gwen suddenly thought in horror. She shook her head, trying to clear any such thoughts out of her mind. Merlin ruffled his raven hair, exposing a bared shoulder, and similar thoughts started up again immediately in Gwen's mind.

Merlin stared at her, noticing the pillow Gwen was clutching to herself. Confusion passed briefly across his face, and was soon replaced by understanding.

"Is that what you want to talk about, then?" he asked awkwardly. "Guy issues?"

Gwen blushed; partly from the topic, and partly from the fact that she was currently imaging what Merlin (in female form) would look like without any clothes on. "Umm, yes, that's right," she answered absentmindedly, her fingers threatening to tear the pillow apart.

Merlin grinned. "Happens to the best of us," he confided, yawning. "Not really much you can do. The way I see it, you can either, umm…" He suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable. "Well, you can…"

Gwen nodded as Merlin explained it to her, fighting to concentrate on his words and not him himself. "And that's it?" she said as Merlin finally reached the end of his discomforting monologue.

Merlin nodded, still looking ill at ease. "Should be."

"Well, then…" Gwen grinned lopsidedly. "Thanks. I'll umm, see you later." She turned to leave, then added "oh, and if you have any, uh, girly problems," - Merlin winced - "you can ask me whenever."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" a feminine voice that was unmistakably Merlin's called out cheerfully.

Arthur groaned, tugging the covers over his eyes. "There's something wrong with you, Merlin."

"Really?" Arthur felt the mattress crease as Merlin sat beside him. "How so?"

"No one else I know could be so darn cheerful in the morning, especially when they've recently changed sex." Arthur reluctantly propped himself up, glaring at his servant and friend through a curtain of blond hair.

Merlin grinned back. "How'd your dinner last night go?"

Remembering what he'd agreed to last night, Arthur collapsed back onto the bed. "That stupid prince asked me out," he muttered.

Merlin raised his eyebrows. Arthur noticed that his man (maid?) servant was wearing the same dress he'd worn yesterday, and that his hair had been brushed and tied back with a scarlet ribbon. "And you said…?"

Arthur rolled over, angrily pressing his face into a pillow.

"You said yes!" Merlin shouted, putting two and two together as he grasped the pillow and pulled it off Arthur. "What were you thinking?"

"I'm thinking," Arthur said darkly, "that Morgana's going to die."

Merlin stared in confusion, then his grin returned. "So, are you actually going to?"

"Do what?" Arthur said grumpily, unenthusiastically sitting upright.

Merlin rolled his eyes pointedly. "Go out with the prince."

"Not if I can help it," Arthur muttered, his eyes narrowed as he shot his servant a death glare. "Has Gaius found anything to help reverse… this?" He gestured to his obviously female self.

Merlin shook his head, his tied-back hair swishing from side to side. "Not when I left him, he hadn't."

Arthur groaned. "Maybe I'll just stay here until it wears off," he suggested, his tone suddenly hopeful. "It's bound to wear off, isn't it?"

"Who knows?" Merlin shrugged. "But how about this - instead of staying in your bedroom, doing nothing, like some locked-up fairytale princess," - Arthur grimaced at the thought - "you can come and help me and Gaius find a solution."

A few seconds passed as Arthur considered his options. "I'll help you," the prince decided almost immediately, pushing back his bedsheets. "You go back, and I'll meet you there."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arthur strode through the corridors with all his usual gusto, trying not to meet anyone's glare. A few people whispered, giggling, to each other as Arthur passed, but the ex-prince ignored it.

He prepared to round the next corner, and collided into a person going the opposite way. Both of them stumbled and fell; Arthur winced as he hit the hard stone floor.

"Watch where you're going!" he snapped instinctively, then paused, pushing back his hair. "Umm, I mean… sorry, I wasn't looking…" His voice trailed off, his blue eyes widening in disbelief as he recognised the person he'd bumped into.

"It's quite alright, princess," Prince Stephen grinned, pushing himself upright. "You're quite right, it's my fault."

Arthur felt uncomfortably flushed as the other prince offered him a hand. "I can stand up myself, thank you," he scowled, bracing against the wall for support as he stood up.

Stephen shrugged, his eyes twinkling as he noticed Arthur's appearance. "That's a rather unusual outfit for a princess to be wearing, is it not?"

Arthur glanced down at himself, then back up at the prince. "What's wrong with it?" he asked coolly, smoothing down his jerkin.

"Well, they appear to be men's clothes," Stephen explained, eyeing them appreciably.

"So they are," Arthur confirmed, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Sure enough, Arthur had dressed that morning as he normally would have: red shirt, dark trousers, brown jerkin. He had decided not to bother asking Morgana for fear of being made to wear yet another ridiculously girly dress.

Stephen looked a little taken aback, but he grinned. "They suit you," he complemented, his voice almost a purr of appreciation. Stephen moved closer, his hand lifting up and brushing back a loose strand of Arthur's blond hair. Arthur's skin crawled with disgust as he took a swift step backwards.

"Gotta go," he said quickly. "My manservant - or maidservant, whatever - is waiting for me." The ex-prince dashed around the corner, willing himself not to throw up as he wished with all his might to become male again.

Stephen was left behind in the corridor. _Oh, yes,_ he thought to himself, a broad smirk appearing on his face. _She so wants me. _


	7. Chapter 7

Well, i just realised it's been over a month since I last updated this *winces* I am so bad at continuing my stories... So I forced myself to write this. All my original ideas for this have been flooding back, and I've almost finished with chapter eight and nine (nine was prewritten a looonnnnggg time ago...)

Anyway, here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy, and please forgive me for making you wait.

* * *

Gwen sighed, slamming the book shut and placing it on a growing pile. "Nothing."

Arthur paced backwards and forwards, flicking frantically through a thick volume. His blue eyes, barely visible under his long fringe, grew narrower. "There has to be _something_!"

Merlin shrugged. "Maybe there is, but just not here," he suggested, scanning the miniscule writing of the book he was examining. "I mean, magic did this, right? How many books on magic do you reckon there are in here?"

Gwen and Arthur were silent. All three of them knew that the likelihood of there being any magical texts at all in Camelot's official library was very little.

Arthur threw his book down heavily onto their 'discard' pile. "There has to be _something_, at least!" he repeated, pushing his hair behind his ears. "My father hasn't been in here for years, maybe there's some books that escaped his attention."

"Oh!" Gwen squealed suddenly (or at least, it would have been a squeal if she had still been female - in her masculine voice, it just sounded unnatural).

In a heartbeat, Arthur was behind her. "What is it?"

"Well, it's about transformations." Gwen began to read out loud. "_Magic can be used for transformative purposes, such as the transforming of one thing into another, for example, transforming humans into animals._"

Arthur frowned. "Well, that doesn't help. When I woke up I was a girl, not a dog or horse."

Gwen kept her eyes on the passage as she tried not to concentrate on the fact that Arthur's slim hand was clutching her shoulder and his breasts were pressing lightly against her back, consequently sending her hormones into overdrive. _Guys really are incredibly horny, _she thought, biting her lip.

Merlin leaned closer, intrigued. "But we've certainly been transformed into something else," he reminded them. "Does it say anything else, Gwen?"

Gwen hastily turned her attention back to the text, trying desperately to ignore Arthur as he increased his grip on her shoulder. "Ummm… _transformations can occur through use of spells, although for more advanced or multiple transformations use of a magical object, for example the Mage Stone, is usually required._"

Arthur glanced at Merlin questioningly, but Merlin was too busy thinking to notice.

"Mage Stone… where have I heard that before?" Merlin mumbled to himself. He rested his elbows on the table and massaged his temples, concentrating. "Mage stone, mage stone…"

"I remember Tauren asking me for a stone," Gwen said quietly, interrupting his thoughts. "Not long after my father…" She trailed off, but Merlin had finally remembered.

_The Mage Stone! _A fabled stone thought to bring about transformations, Gaius had told him. Merlin had dreamt of it the night Tauren used it, but it had never been recovered after the rebel's death - had it?

"I've got to go," he said abruptly, pushing his chair out. "See you."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ho there! Milord Morgana!"

Morgana halted, turning to the sound of the voice. Stephen was leaning against the wall, grinning, but he straightened up and approached as Morgana turned towards him.

"Sire," Morgana responded, automatically reaching up to smooth down her hair. She stopped as she remembered that her hair was much shorter now, and instead pretended to brush something off of her shirt.

Stephen laughed. "I suppose we can be on first name terms, it'll make it easier talking. So, Morgana…" he grimaced. "I do feel sorry for you, having a girly name like that."

Morgana frowned. "I happen to like my name very much, thank you."

Stephen shrugged. "Each to their own, I suppose. Anyway - you any good with a sword?"

Morgana noticed that the prince was already wearing his sword. Her left hip suddenly felt bare, and she made a mental note to borrow Arthur's at the first opportunity. She was sure he wouldn't mind… oh, who was she kidding, he would _definitely _mind. Hence the reason she wanted to borrow it.

"Not bad," she answered Stephen in a good-hearted tone. "I was able to beat…" She paused. She had been going to say "Arthur" until she remembered that he was currently a girl, and taking credit for beating a girl at sword fighting would not impress anyone.

If Stephen had noticed the pause, he didn't acknowledge it. "Perhaps we could engage in friendly combat?" He suggested, grinning. "I'd love to see how a knight of Camelot fights."

Morgana hesitated, then made up her mind. "I'd love to," she replied, grinning back. "If you will just give me a moment to retrieve my sword. I'll meet you out on the training field - the one near the front, you can't miss it."

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Gaius glanced up from his studying as Merlin entered. "Any luck in the library?"

Merlin perched himself on the edge of Gaius's desk, his eyes sparkling. "I think I might know what did this."

Gaius stared at him in surprise. "You found something?"

"Gwen did," Merlin corrected him, glancing at the jumbled pile beside his mentor. "Where's your book? You know, the one which is mysteriously able to explain every magical happening that occurs in Camelot?"

Gaius's eyes narrowed. "Merlin, you know full well that I usually use a different book every time, not just the same one."

Merlin grinned. "I know, Gaius, I know. So which book's the one with information on the Mage Stone?"

There was a brief pause. Then Gaius murmured "of course… the stone of transformation… that would make sense."

"See, Gwen found a bit about it in the library," Merlin explained as Gaius began to rummage through his unexamined books, eventually pulling one out that looked familiar. "And it said that for multiple transformations, something like the stone must be used."

Gaius adjusted his glasses and turned to the correct page, placing it open on his desk so that both of them could read it. The physician glanced through the passage briefly, then looked up at his ward. "Well, that would make sense, if it _is_ the stone."

Merlin nodded in agreement. "That's what I thought."

"Only problem is, then," Gaius concluded, staring down at the book again. "Where is the stone now, and who would have used it to cause this?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morgana and Stephen headed towards Gaius's chambers together, exchanging stories and laughing. Morgana's right cheek was slightly swollen and bruised, while Stephen was clutching at his wrist, but other than that they appeared unharmed from their recent swordfight. Morgana had held her own against the prince, and she was ecstatic about it. She couldn't wait to boast about it to Arthur, or at least Gwen.

"So," Stephen laughed, leaning against Morgana's shoulder for support. "I suppose you tend to think of Arthur as your sister now."

Morgana thought about it. "I suppose," she shrugged. "I mean, I certainly think of him - her - as family." And she did, really. Although Morgana had fancied Arthur briefly in her early teenage years, he had always been more of an annoying, protective brother. "Do you have any siblings?"

Stephen shrugged. "An only child, that's me," he confided as they reached the physician's door.

Morgana reached out to knock, then paused as she heard Merlin's feminine voice.

"It might be someone who has a grudge against Uther," he was saying. "That happens a lot."

"Maybe one of the other rebels have the stone now," Gaius's voice replied. "One of the ones who supported Tauren."

At the mention of the stone and Tauren, Morgana suddenly sobered. Surely it wasn't the stone she had that they were referring to? The one she had been holding a couple of days ago, when she had wished…

Stephen was staring at her, his head tilted to one side. "Are we going in or what?"

Morgana snapped out of her line of thought and rapped smartly at the door before pushing it open.

Merlin and Gaius abruptly stopped talking as Morgana and Stephen entered. "Can I help you, sire?" Gaius asked, moving forward to hide the book behind him while Merlin jumped down from the table.

"I think his wrist is sprained," Morgana replied.

Gaius examined Stephen's arm, leaving Morgana free to stare at Merlin. Merlin grinned apologetically at her while smoothing down his dress. Suddenly Morgana's mouth felt dry, her palms sweaty. God, had Merlin _always_ been that attractive?

"That should help with the swelling," Gaius explained to Stephen as he placed his ointment back on the shelf, breaking Morgana's thoughts. "Come back if it gets any worse."

"Thanks." Stephen twisted his wrist experimentally. "I better get back to my chambers now - I'm going out with a pretty girl tonight." He winked at Morgana before leaving.

That reminded her. "Merlin, can you fetch Arthur and Gwen and tell them to go to my chambers?" she asked, grinning despite herself. "Oh, and you can come too."


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry it took longer than I thought to write this - I had writer's block around the middle.

Anyway, I'm back at school now, so I'll probably be slow in updating this... then again, maybe not, because I've got the next chap already half-written. I'm just gonna say - remember the warning at the beginning of this fanfic. Then you'll guess where this is leading.

As always, a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed - please keep them coming!

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"No," Arthur said flatly. "No way."

Morgana studied him, then the dress she was holding. "I think yes," she argued, grinning. "What do you think, Merlin?"

Merlin opened his mouth, then paused as Arthur glared daggers at him. "Umm, well, I think that…"

Arthur, still staring at the threatening dress, interrupted him. "Morgana, there is absolutely _no way _I am wearing that."

Morgana flourished it again. "But you'd look stunning in it. _Really_ give Stephen a night to remember."

"I've seen that dress on you before," Arthur remarked, folding his arms. "I know what it makes men think when they see you in it. Therefore, _I am not going to wear it!_"

Merlin bit his tongue, trying hard not to laugh.

Morgana shrugged. "Fine, I'll make you." She reached out, grasped his arm and forcibly pulled him behind her dressing screen. "Gwen, I could use some help," she called over Arthur's loud protests.

Gwen glanced unsurely at Merlin, then paced over behind the screen as loyalty to her mistress rather than the prince won over.

Merlin whistled tunelessly, shifting slightly on the bed so he could figure out what was happening. All he heard was a lot of loud swearing (mostly Arthur's) before, eventually, Gwen emerged. Without saying a word, she collapsed onto the bed beside Merlin, tentatively rubbing at her jaw.

A ragged-looking Morgana dragged Arthur out and, pinning his arms at his waist, forced him to stare at his reflection. "Well?"

Arthur was wearing one of Morgana's favourite banquet dresses - the maroon dress that crossed at the neck, exposing Arthur's shoulders, arms, and most of his back. His loose blond hair was currently covering his shoulders and upper back, though. Merlin remembered when he had first seen Morgana in that dress, he had simply gaped at her. Now he did the same as he stared at Arthur.

Arthur squirmed, trying to escape Morgana's grasp - not easy now that she was almost a head taller than him, and well-muscled as opposed to Arthur's slim features. "Okay, okay, I'll wear the damned thing, just let me go!"

Morgana did so instantly, grinning as Arthur sat down beside Merlin and Gwen, sulking. "Knew I'd convert you someday. Thanks for the help, Gwen."

Gwen nodded in acknowledgment, smiling faintly.

Morgana stepped towards her closet again and pulled out another dress. "Okay, this one's for you, Merlin."

Merlin froze in shock. "Me?" he said in disbelief. "But I was just going to wear this."

"I thought you might prefer to wear something more dressy," Morgana shrugged, her pale eyes sparkling. "Help Arthur not feel quite so alone."

"Yes, Merlin," Arthur turned to his manservant, glaring at him. "I'm wearing a stupid dress, you may as well too."

"I'm already wearing one," Merlin pointed out.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Come on, Merlin." Morgana held up the dress a little higher, grinning.

Merlin involuntarily started trembling. "Ummm… I might pass."

Morgana laughed, grabbing his arm and pulling him off the bed. "Merlin, you're going to end up wearing this anyway. You may as well prove yourself the better man-" she paused, shrugging "Or better woman, in this case."

Merlin gave Arthur a last desperate glance before allowing himself to be led behind the screen.

Morgana swiftly undid the strings that crossed Merlin's chest. "You don't mind me undressing you, do you?" She asked him as she began to tug the dress off, but her voice had suddenly taken on a different quality - it sounded deeper, more seductive.

"Umm… not really," Merlin replied uneasily, but the dress was already off, leaving Merlin wearing only a light vest and his underpants (which he had continued to wear instead of the undergarments Gwen had offered him).

He watched Morgana swallow slightly as she pulled the new dress over the young warlock's head, her eyes avoiding his. Merlin felt even more uneasy, especially when he noticed Morgana's hands lingering just a second too long on his breasts as she yanked the dress down. And yet… Merlin wondered if he would really mind if Morgana kept her hands there.

Morgana stepped behind him, swiftly doing up the clasps at the back of the dress before leading him out from behind the screen. She propelling him towards the mirror like she had done previously with Arthur. "There," she said, sounding satisfied.

Merlin stared at his reflection in surprise. He actually looked quite pretty. The colour brought out his eyes (being the same shade of blue) and although it hurt to breathe, the dress clung in all the right places.

"Wow, Merlin," Arthur commented, pacing up to stand next to him. "I never thought I would actually compliment you on your looks."

Merlin's cheeks flushed slightly. Now, instead of the handsome prince and dishevelled manservant the mirror would have usually shown, two beautiful young women were reflected in it.

"Of course, there's still hair and makeup to do," Morgana added brightly.

Arthur and Merlin groaned simultaneously.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So," Arthur confronted Merlin as they slipped into the hall. "Why did you run off earlier?"

Merlin glanced at him, trying and failing to look puzzled. "Huh?"

"You know full well what I'm talking about." Arthur shook his head in frustration, sending his blond hair flying across his face. He tucked it to one side, his eyes still focused on Merlin. "Did you find anything?"

"Well, umm…" Avoiding the question, Merlin took a step towards Arthur and began combing the prince's hair back with his fingers, trying to neaten it. Morgana had decided to leave Arthur's hair loose, while Gwen had tied Merlin's into a simple braid.

Arthur slapped his manservant's wrists away, glowering. "Merlin, _please_."

Merlin dropped his arms to his sides. "Well, Gaius may have found something," he admitted reluctantly. "The only problem is -"

"Arthur!"

Arthur groaned, turning his back to Stephen's voice and ignoring it. "Yes, Merlin?" he said again.

"Well…"

"Arthur, my dear princess," Stephen interrupted, smiling as he forcibly hooked his arm through Arthur's. He glanced the prince(ss) up and down approvingly. "You look stunning tonight."

Arthur, not even bothering to hide the disgust on his face, pulled his arm away. "Thanks," he muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes towards Merlin. "Just what I've always wanted to be told."

"What am I to do with you?" Stephen exclaimed, pretending to appear hurt. "Normal methods of wooing seem to be useless around you."

_That's because I'm not gay, you jerk! _Arthur glared at the other prince, trying to convey the words without saying them. Maybe, if he had never turned into a girl, Arthur might have befriended Stephen. But, as it was, he simply detested him.

"I'll be seeing you later then, _milady_," Merlin broke in, smiling sweetly as Arthur winced.

"Fine," Arthur replied, then suddenly grinned. "Do be sure not to get too involved with the kitchen boys like you did last time, dear Merlin."

Merlin's falsely sweet smile turned into his usual grin. "I won't if you will," he promised before walking away.

Arthur, watching him go, gave a sudden jolt as something touched the small of his back. He glanced down, his disgust deepening as he noticed Stephen had wound his arm around Arthur's waist and was currently resting his hand on Arthur's hip in a way that made the Camelot prince want to throw up. He tried to pull away, but Stephen's grip increased, drawing Arthur's body against his.

"Now, Arthur," Stephen scolded him teasingly, running a hand lightly down Arthur's neck, mistaking the other prince's horrified shudders for shivers of anticipation. "You agreed to come with me, remember? No trying to run away now."

"Am I interrupting something?" Morgana's masculine voice broke in as she stopped beside them. Arthur twisted his head around to face her, his cheeks automatically flushing pink at being seen in such an awkward position.

Stephen grinned. "Oh, me and Arthur here are just having a little heart-to-heart," he said lightly, releasing his grip on Arthur slightly.

Morgana smirked, her pale eyes twinkling. "That's nice to know," she replied. "Especially after Arthur was _so_ looking forward to tonight." She punched Stephen's shoulder gently in the way other knights sometimes exchanged greetings. "I'll see you two later then, I guess."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morgana barely took her eyes off them throughout the feast. She wasn't quite sure why she enjoyed seeing Arthur suffer so much, but she was doubtless enjoying it, despite the sense of nagging guilt that she was doing something wrong.

It was interesting to see the world through a man's eyes, she reflected. Ever since she had seen Merlin before in Gaius' chamber, she had started looking at both him and Arthur differently - they stirred emotions in her that she recognised, but that were much stronger now. From the way she had seen Gwen admire Arthur as they dressed him before, and the way Gwen was gazing almost hungrily at Merlin currently, she guessed that it was a typical male thing.

Another thing. Morgana glanced down at the table spread before her. She was so much more _hungrier _now. Normally, when the food was spread out for banquets, she would just pick at it throughout the night. Tonight though, she had been eating and drinking nearly non-stop. _Interesting, really, _she thought, taking another gulp of mead. That was another thing; she'd just discovered that she quite liked the taste of ale, which she had never really liked before.

Once more, she glanced across at Arthur and Stephen. Stephen had refused to let go of Arthur so far, and Arthur currently gave the impression that he would willingly murder the foreign prince at the first possible moment.

For the first time since Morgana had began to match them up, she suddenly felt worried. If the feelings she had towards female forms were strong enough for her and Gwen - Stephen must feel them too, right? And towards Arthur, of all people. Arthur, who had always been a man, would know that. Was that why he was looking so uncomfortable?

Morgana took another gulp of mead. Of course every thing would be fine. There was no need to worry. Annoyed with herself, she crossed the room towards Gwen and Merlin, deciding to check up on them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arthur was fed up with this. Really fed up.

"Look, can you just let me go?" Arthur argued yet again, trying to push the other prince away. He stared into Stephen's face, trying to get him to agree.

"Why?" Stephen protested, still grinning.

"I just need some fresh air," Arthur explained, wildly making up an excuse. "I'll be back in a moment." _No, I'm going to go hide in my room until this is over, _he added silently to himself.

"Well, if fresh air's all you need…" Stephen paused, briefly moistening his lips with his tongue, his eyes not leaving Arthur's. "Of course I'll let you go."

Arthur sighed in relief.

"Of course, I'll also accompany you outside."

_Crap._


	9. Chapter 9

Okay - from now on, when I say that the next chapter will be up quickly... just ignore me.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Once more, thank you everyone for reviewing!

* * *

"So," King Phillip said conversationally, breaking the silence. "My son appears to be quite taken with Princess Arthur."

Uther nearly choked on his wine. "_What?_"

Phillip shrugged. "She's been all my son could talk about since we arrived. Tell me," he added, leaning across the table. "Is she betrothed to anyone?"

"No!" Uther responded fiercely, causing the other king to jump in surprise. "No," Uther echoed, more calmly. "Arthur can, errr, make her own decisions."

The king of Camelot stared down at his goblet again. This whole gender-swap thing had been humiliating, more than anything. Earlier, Morgana had arrived at his chambers, once more forcing him to get dressed up, to his immense disgust. Now, as he had then, he found himself longing for this spell to end.

"What about yourself, then?" Phillip asked, a note of curiosity in his voice. "The king must be indeed lucky to have you for his wife."

Uther winced. "Umm… thanks." _I think, _he added silently to himself. The truth was that, despite the battle scars that still marked his face, Uther was interestingly attractive as a woman - there was a kind of fierce, regal beauty about him.

"He must trust you a lot," Phillip continued encouragingly, reaching across the table. "To allow you to run Camelot while he's away." Whether by accident or on purpose, Phillip's hand brushed against Uther's.

Uther quickly withdrew it, feeling slightly numb with surprise. This man _was not _flirting with him, Uther told himself firmly. "I'm more than capable of running the country on my own, thank you," he said coldly.

Phillip smiled. "I was simply asking, my queen."

Uther shuddered inwardly again. Something told him that this was going to be a _long_ night…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arthur leant against the castle wall, shivering as the cold stone rubbed against his bare shoulders, causing them to go numb. The night air was helping him to think a little more clearly.

"So," Stephan said softly. The prince was standing beside him, his face half-lost in shadows. "We're finally alone."

Arthur refused to acknowledge the other prince, staring pointedly in the opposite direction as he tried to come up with ways to get away from him. Perhaps, he could…

Then Arthur's mind went numb as Stephen suddenly turned towards him and kissed him.

_Ohmygodohmygodohmygod… _was really the only thing Arthur was thinking now in his shock. He tried to pull away, his hands gripping the stone wall, but Stephen had caught his chin, forcing Arthur's mouth against his.

Arthur did the only thing he could think of then.

He slapped Stephen. Hard.

Stephen, to Arthur's immense relief, drew back, his eyes wide with surprise.

"What the _hell_," Arthur growled furiously, "do you think you're _doing_?!"

Smirking, Stephen took a step towards him. "Why, kissing you, of course."

Arthur crumpled his hands into fists, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I don't think so."

Stephen paused. "Oh, Arthur, Arthur," he sighed. "I've never met anyone so - _unfeminine_ as you, and yet I can't help being attracted."

"Yes, well," Arthur shot back awkwardly. "Why not be attracted to someone else? Someone who's _not _me."

"Ah, but Arthur." Before Arthur could move, Stephen had pushed him back against the wall, grabbing his wrists tightly. Arthur cried out despite himself as the rough stone cut into his bare skin, stinging like mad, while Stephen pushed his face against Arthur's shoulder. "How can I resist you?" he murmured, lightly kissing Arthur's neck.

Shuddering, Arthur squirmed, trying to get free. "Let me go!"

Stephen directed his kisses further up Arthur's neck, resting his chin on Arthur's cheek. "Why?" he asked, sounding amused as Arthur tried to turn his head away.

"Because if you don't, then I'll have you banished from Camelot," Arthur threatened. "Or, more happily for me, have you executed."

Stephen just laughed. "You're so adorable when you're angry."

That really sent Arthur over the edge. "Stop talking to me like I'm five years old!" he exploded. "Look, Stephen, I really mean it, you BETTER BLOODY LET GO OF ME RIGHT NOW OR I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Enjoying the feast?" Gwen asked Merlin, her familiar smile on her unfamiliar face.

Merlin shrugged. "I guess, I-" He stopped speaking abruptly, his head tilting to one side as if listening to a sound Gwen couldn't hear.

Gwen instantly stiffened. "Merlin, what's wrong?" she said quickly.

Merlin shook his head distractedly, glancing around the hall. "Gwen, where's Arthur?"

Gwen gave the hall a quick check as well as she spoke. "He and Stephen went outside."

Merlin stared at her, his blue eyes unblinking. "What, just him and Stephen?"

"Yes, about ten minutes ago… Merlin?"

Merlin had already began to head towards the door. "I don't know why, but I think he's in trouble," he said bluntly.

Gwen followed him, worry creasing her forehead. "Merlin, what kind of trouble?" she asked urgently.

Merlin paused, one hand on the door handle. "I don't know," he said finally. "I just know that , if he is in danger, he might my help."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arthur's yelling appeared to have been in vain. Stephen, looking vaguely amused, switched his grip so that he was able to hold both of Arthur's slender wrists with one hand. With his other hand, he slowly ran his fingers down Arthur's side. Arthur stiffened, glaring daggers at him.

"Do you not understand?" he asked incredulously, shifting slightly as Stephen's hand pressed against his thigh.

Stephen smirked. "I understand that you, my pretty little wildcat-" he paused, brushing a strand of Arthur's hair back, "-may be in need of some taming."

Stephan suddenly let go of Arthur's wrists and grabbed his shoulders instead, twisting Arthur away from the wall. Taken aback, Arthur stumbled and fell back, landing heavily amongst the grass. Stephan calmly kneeled down, one leg on either side of Arthur as he continued to clutch the prince's shoulders, preventing Arthur from sitting up.

Arthur struggled against his grip, terror suddenly welling up in him. "You - bastard!" he hissed between clenched teeth.

Stephan smirked, lowering himself over Arthur until his chest was pressed against Arthur's. Arthur bit his lip as his breasts were painfully squished under the other prince's weight. "Oh, I don't think you'll be complaining afterwards," Stephan purred. Arthur felt the other prince's breath stir his cheek, and fought an urge to throw up as Stephen whispered "trust me, princess."

Arthur suddenly realised his left arm was free. Swiftly, he reached for Stephan's throat, but the other prince caught it and held it against the ground firmly.

Stephan lowered his face until once more his lips touched Arthur's. Arthur's heart suddenly speed up, beating so fast it was painful. His chest was heaving as he struggled to breath normally while keeping his lips firmly closed at the same time.

Stephan withdrew his face slightly. "So, that's how you want to play," he murmured. He raised himself slightly, grasping the bodice of Arthur's dress.

Arthur let out a shocked gasp as Stephan tore his dress open, exposing the flimsy undergarment underneath. One part of his mind, the part still refusing to believe that this was happening, figured that Morgana would be annoyed that her dress was destroyed. The rest of his mind was busy crying out for help.

Stephan straightened up. Arthur collapsed back, his breathing still fast and irregular. His face and chest felt clammy with sweat as he made a small choking noise in the back of his throat, certain that he was actually going to be sick this time.

There was a rustle of material from Stephan. Arthur shut his eyes as he tried to block out what he knew was coming.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Merlin paused in the corridor outside the hall, wondering where to go. He shut his eyes, curling his hands into fists. _Arthur, where are you?_

His eyes snapped open, briefly flashing gold. "Outside," he muttered to himself, breaking into a sprint. _Arthur, hold on! I'm coming!_

The young warlock skidded around a corner. His legs became tangled up in his skirt and he fell, hitting the stone floor heavily. "Stupid dress!" he shouted out loud.

Someone offered him a hand. Merlin grasped it, glancing up into Gwen's scared eyes. With her new strength, she was able to pull him up easily.

"Here." She pulled a dagger from her belt and knelt, swiftly cutting the dress until the hemline was just above Merlin's knees. "I, errr, thought it might come in handy," she explained clumsily.

"Thanks," Merlin replied gratefully, pushing his hair behind his ears.

Gwen straightened up, tucking the dagger back. "If you say Arthur's in trouble, I believe you," she said quietly. "I can help. You might need me."

Merlin's protest died in his throat as he recognised the determined glint in her brown eyes. "Okay, fine," he muttered grudgingly. His body stiffened, as it had before, as Arthur's cry for help filled his mind.

"We've got to go." Merlin took off again, Gwen following closely.


	10. Chapter 10

I'd like to apologise for two things.

Firstly, I haven't updated in a month. One month exactly. I am so, so sorry! I promise my next chapter will be up sooner.

Secondly, I've just noticed that I've been spelling Stephen/Stephan two different ways. So from now on, I will spell it Stephen. I feel really embarressed about that...

Anyway, here you go - let's hope the next chapter will be up a lot sooner!

* * *

Merlin raced through the courtyard, trying not to think about what might be happening to Arthur, concentrating instead on the voice in his head - it was faint, but the young warlock found himself able to follow it fairly easily. If he headed in the right direction, as he did now, it grew stronger.

Gwen ran behind him; Merlin was still the swifter of them. "Which way?" She asked worriedly as Merlin paused, leaning against the castle wall for support.

Merlin glanced at her, then towards the drawbridge. Part of him wondered why Arthur had even agreed to come this far with Stephen. He couldn't help giving a slight grin as he realised Arthur would have been trying to shake the other prince off.

The grin slipped from his face as he rounded the corner. Arthur's voice, resounding in his head, was louder than ever, but Merlin no longer needed it. He hear Arthur's cries now, and after squinting could just make out two figures writhing in the darkness.

Fury suddenly flared within the young warlock. How _dare _Stephen! He skidded to a halt, raising his hand. Before he had even though about what he was doing, he shouted out a string of words. The magic within him rose, eager to assist, rearranging itself into a spell. Merlin's eyes flashed gold.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arthur wasn't about to admit defeat.

He knew the odds were highly against him now. Stephen was strong, continuing to hold Arthur's slender form down easily despite Arthur's best efforts. The Camelot prince could only continue to struggle in the hope that it would delay what Stephen was planning.

It was Stephen's smirk that infuriated Arthur the most. How he'd love to punch him -

Arthur suddenly cried out, his body automatically going slack as pain jolted through him.

Stephen pressed his face against Arthur's chest. Arthur cried out again, his fingers tearing into the ground. "Stop it!" he shrieked, sounding more like a girl then than he ever had before. The scary thing was that he didn't care anymore; he just wanted it to stop!

There was a sudden blinding flash, and the pressure from Stephen's body vanished. Arthur collapsed, his breathing shallow and quick as he whimpered to himself.

"Arthur!"

Arthur heard the yell, but didn't register it.

A pale face obscured his vision as someone knelt beside him, blurred from the tears Arthur realised he'd been crying. "Arthur," Merlin repeated breathlessly.

Shame suddenly washed over Arthur, clear and strong. "Merlin," Arthur stammered, struggling to sit up. He winced, instinctively placing his hands over the lower regions of his stomach.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay," Merlin muttered, lightly resting his hand on Arthur's arm. Arthur flinched from the touch, and Merlin quickly let go.

"Oh no," another voice said quietly. Arthur blinked, trying to remember who it was.

"Gwen?" he finally whispered. His voice sounded too weak to be his.

"Yes, Gwen's here too," Merlin said soothingly. His gaze flickered to Gwen. "Gwen," he said quietly. "Please get Gaius."

Gwen nodded, biting her lower lip. She turned to go, then paused.

"Here." She shrugged out of the jacket she was wearing and passed it to Merlin. "This might help."

Merlin nodded gratefully. "Thanks."

"Merlin," Arthur growled softly, his voice full of hate. "What happened to that bastard?"

Even through his blurred vision, Arthur could tell that Merlin was hesitating. "I pulled him off you," Merlin finally explained, not sounding at all sure of himself. "I hit him with a stick and left him over there."

Arthur blinked, focusing in the direction Merlin had referred to. There was indeed a shapeless figure lying there, right at the base of the castle wall.

Arthur, automatically stiffening at the sight of his attacker, decided to let his manservant's lie go just this once.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morgana rested one arm lazily on the table, the other propping her head up. She felt quite sleepy now; she supposed the mead may have had something to do with that.

She wondered where Gwen had gotten too. She pursed her lips slightly as she noticed that Gwen wasn't the only one no longer present. Merlin, Arthur, Stephen… none of them were here.

The door beside her was suddenly flung open. Morgana jumped, and her eyes widened in surprise as a nervous-looking Gwen entered.

"Gwen," Morgana started to say as her maidservant walked towards her. To her surprise, Gwen simply shot her an apologetic glance before approaching Uther on Morgana's right.

"Sire," Morgana heard Gwen say quietly. "May I please speak to you outside?" As Uther opened his mouth to reply scathingly, Gwen hastily added "It's Arthur."

Uther stared at her, his anger at being interrupted slowly fading away. "Arthur?" he repeated in a hushed tone. Morgana stared too, her sleepiness disappearing instantly.

"What's happened?" She demanded, standing up alongside Uther. "Gwen, what is it?"

Gwen gave her a pained look. "I can't tell you here," she replied, her voice still barely more than a whisper.

"Then let us go somewhere where you can," Uther commanded, his hand automatically reaching for where his sword usually hung as he strode out of the hall. He glanced down when he couldn't reach it, and his expression deepened into despair.

Once the three of them were in the corridor, Morgana carefully shutting the door behind them, Gwen glanced at them both with wide eyes.

"Sire," she murmured, her deep voice still low. "Arthur has been…" She paused, as though struggling to find the right words. "Taken advantage of by Prince Stephen," she finally concluded uneasily.

Uther's eyes widened. "What, you don't mean -?"

Gwen nodded miserably, staring at the ground. "Gaius is looking after him in Arthur's chambers," she explained. "Stephen had been locked in his room for the time being."

Morgana felt the blood drain out of her face. No. No, this wasn't real. She staggered backwards, clutching the door handle for support. Beside her, Uther had also gone deathly pale. "Is he alright?" he finally choked out.

"Gaius says he should be fine," Gwen quickly reassured them.

Uther gazed at her silently a while longer. Then he straightened up. "I must see him," he decided, once more attempting to reach for his sword. "In the meantime, inform the guards. Have King Phillip restrained, and place guards outside their room."

Gwen hesitated, then nodded. "Of course, sire." She waited until Uther had gone before turning to Morgana. "Milady?" She whispered, reaching out to support her mistress. "Morgana, are you okay?"

Morgana stared into space, her eyes slowly starting to fill with tears. "This is all my fault," she said quietly.

"No, Morgana," Gwen reassured her. "It's no one's fault but Stephen's."

Morgana turned her face towards her maid. "No!" She said sharply without thinking. "It really _is_ my fault."

Gwen hesitated, then quickly threw her arms around Morgana and hugged her. "Morgana," she whispered. "Stop blaming yourself." She pulled away, uneasily aware of Uther's order. "Maybe you should go with Uther, see if Arthur's okay. I'm sure it'll all be fine, you'll see." She smiled weakly, then left.

Morgana stared after her. Only after she had been gone for a minutes did Morgana finally slide to the ground, and did the one thing she thought she wouldn't do once she was a man.

Hugging her knees close to her chest for comfort, she began to cry.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for the _long_ hiatus! I have so much going on at the moment, it's been really hard to force myself to sit and write more of this. So, although this is a little short, I'm going to try and force myself to write some more soon. Be prepared to wait, though - I've got mock exams for the next three weeks!

As always, reviews are loved.

* * *

Merlin perched on the edge of the bed, his hand resting lightly against Arthur's shoulder. Gaius had given the prince one of Morgana's sleeping draughts, and it appeared to have worked.

Merlin instantly glanced up as the door creaked open, his senses on red alert. He relaxed as he recognised the masculine form of Gwen rest the door on its hinges.

"Well?" She whispered, lightly walking over. "How is he?"

"Gaius says he should be fine physically," Merlin reported, his voice dull. "But he'll probably take longer to recover mentally."

Gwen nodded, candlelight flickering across her face. "I probably would," she admitted quietly, then added "Are you coming to bed? Only I think everyone else is asleep."

Arthur shifted slightly: Merlin wordlessly turned back to him. Delicately, the young warlock brushed back a stray strand of hair from the sleeping prince's face before adjusting his blanket.

"You really care for him, don't you?" Gwen murmured.

Merlin glanced back at her, his usually bright eyes shadowed. "Yes." The last time Gwen had asked him that question, he had been in high spirits and joked about his feelings for Arthur. Now he didn't care who knew. Arthur was like - like his best friend, his master, his brother, his prince… Merlin knew, without a doubt, that Arthur was his sole reason for existing, and not just because of what the Dragon had told him.

Gwen was silent for a while. "Merlin, try and get some sleep," she advised gently. "We can't have you collapsing with exhaustion."

"Goodnight, Gwen," Merlin replied as she left, his gaze flickering back to Arthur. He sighed, then swung his legs up onto the bed and rested his head on the pillow.

"It's okay, Arthur," he murmured, closing his eyes. "I'll stay awake. I'll look after you."

Absentmindedly hugging Arthur, Merlin fell asleep.

***

Although Gwen had said that everyone apart from Merlin was asleep, another candle was alit in the currently guarded chambers.

"I warned you!" The King of Benewick shouted, pacing backwards and forwards. "But _no_, you always think of yourself first!" He pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to breathe deeply. "You're just like your mother," he muttered.

Stephen glanced up from where he was sprawled on the bed, his dark eyes narrowing. "Don't bring her into this!"

Phillip glared at his sole son. "I should have given you away when I had the chance," he continued, appearing to have not heard Stephen. "I thought I'd be doing a good deed, I thought it would be _wonderful _to finally have a son to carry on my name and the kingship of Benewick, even if he was of bastard origins…"

"Yeah, I know," Stephen broke in testily, wincing as he rubbed the back of his head. "Mother was just a servant, you took me in under your wing after she died giving birth to me, and pretended to everyone that your legitimate wife was my real mother."

Phillip nodded absentmindedly, his face still red with anger.

"But surely," Stephen added, lounging back. "I've simply inherited your lust, then. After all, I'm living proof of that, aren't-"

"Get out," Phillip interrupted quietly.

Stephen stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"Stephen, get out," the King repeated. He strode across the room and pulled open the door that led to Stephen's room. "Go to your chambers, and do not talk to me again."

Stephen threw his hands up in mock despair. "Fine, be like that." He pushed himself gingerly off the bed. As he passed his father, he couldn't help adding "But mother was a whore, and you know that."

Phillip grabbed his son's shoulder roughly. "Your mother," he hissed, "was the most brilliant, wonderful woman I have ever known. Do not even dare to speak about her that way!" With those words, he shoved Stephen roughly into his room, slamming the door behind him.

***

There was one other candle still flickering in Camelot castle, casting enigmatic shadows to dance across the walls as Morgana crouched on the floor beside her bedside table, holding a velvet pouch in her hands.

"I'm so sorry, Arthur," she whispered to herself, rocking backwards and forwards. She had gone to see Arthur as soon as he was sleeping, and for once Arthur - the strong, confident, annoying Arthur she had known and loved - had looked so very weak. "I didn't mean anything," she muttered, reaching up and rubbing her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Slowly, she undid the pouch and tipped the stone out into her hands. It began to glow slightly, as it always did when she held it. The stone began to warm her bare skin, comforting her gently.

"What did I do last time?" Morgana murmured to herself. It had only been a few days ago, but so much had happened since then that she couldn't remember. Had she said her wish out loud, or merely thought it? What were the words she had used? Had she actually wished, or had she not?

Well, she reflected, she had all night to try.

"I wish," Morgana said hesitantly, "that everyone was back to normal." She waited, but nothing happened. The stone continued to glow at the same rate, and Morgana could feel no change.

She breathed deeply. "Okay, try again." She gripped the stone tighter. _I wish that I never made the last wish, _she thought strongly.

Once more, there was no changes.

"Come on!" Morgana exclaimed, growing impatient. She shook the stone roughly. "I want to be a girl! I want Arthur to be a guy again!"

Again nothing happened. This time, Morgana lost her temper.

"Fine!" She yelled at the stone. "If you're not going to change me back -" She flung the stone as hard as she could across the room. It was still glowing as it hit the wall, broke into two pieces and fell to the floor. Only then did the glow finally die.

Morgana stared at it, her eyes narrowed in anger. And then awareness suddenly washed over as she realised what she had done. "Oh, god." She crawled over to the broken stone, not thinking to stand up and walk across. She hastily picked up both pieces and tried to fit them back together. "Come on, come on," she muttered, her vision blurring. The halves didn't even glow as she held them, like the stone had done. They simply remained the same dull, lifeless colour.

Morgana lay on the floor, clutching the pieces to her chest as she began to cry again. But now, the pain was even worse as she slowly realised the consequences of her actions.

_How will we ever switch back now?_


End file.

Merlin, Fantasy, Humor