A/N: This is so late and I am so sorry. x_x Over the time that I have spent not writing this chapter I have applied to and gotten into university (which is where I am now) and have been trying to get a job to pay for all the expenses university brings (no luck there). So... Here is the next chapter and I hope I shall never leave an update this long again.

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Merlin was very disappointed the next morning to find that he was still a girl. After getting dressed and sitting down at the table for breakfast Gaius made him feel even worse, "No change I see." Merlin groaned and rested his head on the table and stayed that way even as he felt Gaius rest one hand on his shoulder. "Only few more days at most Merlin, Then it will all be over." Merlin groaned again as he knew these days would only crawl by.

"I've got some deliveries for you to make after breakfast." Gaius said as he placed a bowl of porridge on the table and only then did Merlin lift his head.

"You're making me walk around even more?" Merlin sighed and straightened up before stretching his arms above his head. "My back is killing me thanks to you."

Gaius chuckled and put the bowl of porridge down in front of him. "The drafts are set out on the desk; do try to deliver these quickly this time."

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It had been when Merlin was walking past the training field when it happened. A loud crash of something metal falling to the floor made him stop and turn to one of the tents set up along the edge of the field.

"You clumsy oaf!"

Merlin winced as he heard a shriek of fear and only just managed to step out the way when a young servant sprinted out one of the nearby tents and almost knocked him over. He stared in the direction of the fleeing young man for a long moment before turning back to look at the tent.

He blinked when none other than Arthur poked his head out as if to check where the servant had gone to. He finally noticed Merlin, who just waved and smiled nervously. Arthur looked slightly less angry and went back inside the tent.

Merlin curiously walked over to the tent flap and peeked inside. Bits of Arthur's armor were on the floor and Merlin concluded that his replacement had dropped them. He glanced at Arthur who was slowly picking them up and placing them in a neater pile before starting to take off the parts that he was still wearing.

Merlin sighed and pushed the flap aside. "Do you need some help Sire?" He asked. Arthur looked up. The anger drained even more from his face as he saw who was there.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked and Merlin smiled slightly.

"I see you chased off your manservant." He stated. "Do you need some help Sire?"

"What would you know about armor?" Arthur retorted sharply and fiddled with one of the straps on his left arm.

Merlin's eyes narrowed. "More than you would think, Sire." He was trying to be polite, he really was, but Arthur always seemed to make him angry one way or another. He was next to Arthur in a moment, pushing Arthur's hands away from the leather strap and undoing it with ease.

He didn't look up to read Arthur's expression as he continued and finally moved round to undo the trickier straps. He wasn't sure how long had past when Morgana suddenly burst into the tent.

"That is the second replacement you have scared off Arthur! This is getting rid-.." She trailed off as she noticed that it wasn't just Arthur in the tent. She smiled slightly and Merlin could tell it was forced. "Melissa, would you be so kind as to leave Arthur and I alone? I'm sure Gaius has a lot of work for you to do." Merlin nodded and stepped away from Arthur and made for the tent flap, not forgetting to curtsy to the two before leaving.

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Morgana waited until Melissa was outside before turning back to Arthur. She narrowed her eyes and stepped forward.

"This is getting ridiculous Arthur. Merlin hasn't even been away for two days and you have already chased off two of his replacements." She fixed Arthur with a steely frown before continuing. "I once heard you complain about him constantly but now you can't seem to be without him."

Arthur almost spluttered at that. "No." he replied firmly once he had composed himself again. "Those two replacements Father has given me are worse than Merlin."

Morgana didn't buy that for one moment. "You constantly tell him he is the 'Worst Manservant Ever' even when he is trying his best to help you." She countered and smiled victoriously as Arthur couldn't seem to be able to think up a comeback for that.

She wasn't finished just yet though. "What's more, you seem to be getting close to that Melissa lately."

Arthur laughed at that. "I'm getting close to her? I barely even know her."

"Yes, but don't think I didn't see what she was doing just now." She replied. "She was helping you with your armor; you never let anyone other than yourself or Merlin do that, let alone a woman."

She had also heard that Melissa had been seen visiting Arthur after one of his hunting trips, but she doubted Arthur needed to hear any more on this subject, it was time for her to conclude this lecture.

"It would seem to me that you are missing Merlin an awful lot." She said and smirked as a shocked look flickered across Arthur's face.

"What has that got to do with anything?" He almost hissed in reply.

Morgana sighed and flipped her hair back from over her shoulder. "Incase you haven't noticed…" She began, pausing for effect. "That Melissa girl is very similar to Merlin." She stopped and waited for her words to sink in.

The look of shock was back, permanently now and Morgana smirked triumphantly. "Listen Arthur, a blind man can see that you do truly care for Merlin, so don't replace him with Melissa, both of them deserve better than that." With that she turned on her heel and left, the fine fabric of her dress flowing as she went.

Arthur blinked and leant on the small wooden table he had rested his sword on. Morgana had a nasty habit of seeing something about him that Arthur didn't even see himself, but now it was painfully obvious. He had noticed the small similarities between the two servants. Maybe Morgana was right; he liked Melissa because he reminded him so much of Merlin. He let out a slow breath at the realization and busied himself with getting his armor off.

oOo

Merlin sighed heavily as he rested against a wall not too far from Arthur's tent. Who knows what Morgana and Arthur were talking about and Merlin found himself curious. He rested one hand on the bag that now held only one more of Gaius' drafts inside. He looked away from the tent and pulled the bottle from the bag to check the label.

'Princess Isabel.' It read.

Merlin frowned and put the bottle back in the bag. It wasn't that he didn't want to meet the Princess, he at least wanted a chance to see her properly before he made a decision on whether he liked her or not. He put the small bottle back in the leather bag and set off at a quick pace to the guests quarters. It was difficult to have to think constantly about how a lady would walk but it was slowly getting easier, Merlin wasn't sure if he should be happy or mortified by that.

He finally reached Isabel's room and raised one hand to knock on the door only to have it open before he could so much as touch it. The princess stared long and hard at him and Merlin felt very uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze.

"And you are?" She asked snappishly as she took one hand off the door handle and placed both delicate hands on her hips, her piercing gaze still fixed on him.

Merlin hesitated for a second before reaching for his bag and pulling out the last draft. "I work for Gaius." He replied, the princess's expression remained unchanged, "The court physician?" He prompted.

"Ahh... Yes." Isabel's posture didn't relax though her gaze became a tad softer. "I take it you are the replacement for the physician's apprentice. Melissa was it?"

Merlin was taken back. This was the first time he had ever met the princess and he had not been in this form for very long either. He must had underestimated the speed that castle gossip travelled.

"Y-yes... My lady." He replied shakily as he held out the draft. Isabel rudely snatched it out of his hand.

"I see." She replied simply as she twirled the small bottle in one hand. "You're the one who Arthur has taken a shine to." She added almost venomously.

Merlin spluttered. "Wai-wait what?" He threw up his now empty hands in a defensive gesture. "'Taken a shine to?' That's the first time I've heard of anything like this." Well actually Gaius pointed it out but he didn't want to admit that.

"Silence." The Princess commanded, and she got it. She fixed Merlin with another steely glare that he found very difficult to hold. "I know that you went to see the Prince yesterday after you came back with his hunting party." She explained.

"How do you know that I did?" Merlin asked as he became increasingly nervous every moment he was under her gaze.

"I was waiting for the prince outside his room, I was standing at the other end of the hallway waiting for him to come out." Isabel replied as she looked away from Merlin to the bottle. Merlin was very keen to point out that that sounded like stalking but thought better of voicing his opinion.

"Now you listen to me," Isabel abruptly turned back to Merlin and leaned in very close to his face, Merlin instinctively leaned back to try and keep his distance. Isabel reached up her free hand to stroke the long, dark hair that was spilling over Merlin's shoulder in a parody of gentleness. "Arthur will be mine. I will not have some filthy servant girl stealing him from me." She hissed as she gave Merlin's hair a sharp tug, forcing him to wince and cry out in pain. "Stay away or I will make sure that no one finds your body." Merlin gasped as he saw a flash of red light up Isabel's eyes. 'Magic...' He thought as she pulled away from him, turned back to her room and proceeded to slam the door in his face.

"Great..." Grumbled Merlin as he turned to go back to Gaius. "Another problem is all I needed."

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A/N: Oddly enough despite the fact that I haven't updated in a long long time I still had people adding this to their favourites and reviewing this... It really did make me happy and thank you to all those people who did that during my long and unannounced hiatus, creativity always suffers when life gets in the way. D=

Anyway series 3 of Merlin is really good so far. Though I'm so sad Morgana is now evil, but she's still bad ass... Personally I hate how cocky and arrogant her and Morgause are... It really makes me want to have Merlin go all 'Emrys' on them and knock them down a few notches. Anyway, enough ranting for now. Sorry that the chapter wasn't worth the wait. Review anyway please.