CHAPTER FORTY NINE,
episode six, a servant of two masters.

SINCE ANNOUNCING her pregnancy with a select few, everyone had begun to treat isabella like a fragile little sick person who would die if they even touched her. her moods were also all over the place, and she wore she had never cried so much in her life at random things.

for example, merlin accidentally poured her drink at dinner and she cried because it was wine and she wasn't allowed it. and two days ago arthur received a glass thrown at his head because he told her to 'calm down' about something really minor.

then, gwaine decided to go hunting and she cried because he hurt the animals.

and now, she was almost crying because of arthur and the knights mission to go to the valley of the fallen kings, the knights returned, but merlin didn't. she stayed deadly still throughout the knights and arthur's speeches, informing her of what happened. she hadn't blinked, moved or even breathed.

her eyes flickered up as gaius walked into the room, and then she glanced back at arthur. "but is he alive?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper.

"yes. the last i saw of him, he was still alive." arthur says gently, looking over at a concerned gaius, who was also watching isabella carefully.

isabella let out a quiet breath and composed herself, "dispatch patrols at first light," she turned to sir leon who nodded immediately. "i want every inch of that forest searched."

"yes, your majesty," sir leon bows his head and turns to leave to prepare the patrols.

"we'll find him, gaius." arthur reassured as gaius nodded slowly. arthur walked out with the knights to dispatch patrols, leaving the queen and the royal physician alone. almost immediately, gaius looked over at isabella knowingly.

"i wonder..." isabella said quietly, her eyes trained on the bracelet she wore on her wrist. she couldn't help but let her mind wander to morgana pendragon.

he nodded slowly, understanding. "it is possible. we need him found, if it is true. she is too dangerous and he cannot reveal himself, he is defenceless." he explained quietly, watching as isabella sat down, feeling uncomfortable with standing up for too long.

noticing isabella was not going to reply, gaius cleared his throat. "i shall go and collect some herbs for sir percival, he was lightly injured on their travels." gaius says, turning to leave and isabella simply nods, staying sitting down.

her eyes traveled to the window as she watched the sun set, her mind clouded with the thoughts of morgana and merlin, and the dangerous possibility of merlin being captured by her.

she hadn't noticed arthur and the court joining her at the table to discuss their plans. she hadn't noticed agravain enter until his voice caught her attention. "there is no sign of him. we have scoured the forest."

"search again." isabella spoke, her eyes not leaving the window.

"your majesty..." sir leon said gently, making her glance at him, "there is no sign of merlin."

she shook her head dismissively, "do i have to go and search myself? you all should know that forest by the back of your hand by now, and you tell me you cannot find him?" she asks, her voice calm but her hand twitched slightly, her eyes piercing into leon's.

"your majesty, we found this." agravain says calmly, walking forward and placing a cut out piece of merlin's jacket infront of the king and queen.

both the king and queen stayed silent as they stared at the fabric. arthur silently reached under the table to take isabella's hand in his as her lip trembled ever so subtly. "i am sorry you both have lost such a loyal and—" agravain begun.

he was quickly silenced by arthur waving his hand to stop him.

"the mercenaries, what news of them?" arthur asks sir leon as isabella's eyes never left merlin's piece of jacket.

she didn't take notice of the rest of the conversation, and if you wasn't paying attention, you wouldn't see the twitch in her eye, her shaking hand and the way her leg bounced up and down every so slightly. if morgana really had merlin captured, she wasn't sure if he would be able to escape her.

THE NEXT morning, the king and queen woke up to a strange sight. a boy, who was dressed exactly like merlin stood infront of the foot of their bed, his hands placed behind his back as he stared at them. "what are you?"

"who."

"who are you?" isabella asked after arthur corrected her.

"i am king arthur's new manservant, your majesty." the boy speaks as isabella grimaced slightly, mumbling something under her breath. "i have polished your amour, sharpened your sword, selected your clothes..there is a slight chill in the air today, sire. and now, if you would allow me, i would like to serve you both breakfast."

isabella looked to the side, and there was basically a whole feast. she blinked slowly, before looking at arthur, sharing a equally confused look. "where is guinevere?" isabella asked, already annoyed by the strange boy.

"i'm here," the girl calls out softly, she smiles lightly, not without sending a strange look to the young boy before helping isabella out of bed and taking her behind the screen to change.

before she had even changed, arthur had been dressed and was on route to the horses to search for merlin. isabella was storming after him, trying to let him take her with him. "how long is this going to go on for? i'm perfectly capable, and you shouldn't go alone!—"

"come now, isa, he won't be going alone. you should know me well enough by now." sir gwaine mocks from behind her. he sends her a arrogant wink before heading for his own horse.

"but—"

"we will return safely with merlin." arthur cuts her off, making her glare slightly at him in annoyance.

"i'm not—"

"your majesty, it is time for your vitamins." gaius calls out, and before she could turn back to arthur and scold him once again, he had left with gwaine. she muttered angry curse words in her own language and stomped up the steps to find gaius again.

ARTHUR RETURNED with merlin the very same day, and merlin had almost been knocked off his feet by isabella's hug, him making a cheeky comment about how 'fat' she was getting.

she tilted her head, but laughed anyway, as it was probably true with this little bump she had now. still, she never knew merlin to be so forward with her. "well..yes, i suppose it is growing a little." she laughs softly.

"a little? ha! are you sure there's not 7 in there?" he scoffs a laugh, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and ruffling her hair.

isabella looked at gwaine, an unamused expression on her face which they both joked about. "thanks merlin, makes me feel wonderful about myself." she says sarcastically.

"don't worry, isa, i think you're as beautiful as ever." gwaine smiles, kissing her knuckles politely as isabella rolls her eyes lightly and arthur shoves him away forcefully.

over the next day or so, merlin had been acting strangely. he was randomly making comments about killing arthur every four to six seconds. it wasn't until gwen dragged isabella into gaius's chambers that she really started to panic.

the evening before, gwen had prepared the king and queens dinner because merlin was taking too long, and isabella was getting extremely hangry. however, when merlin finally arrived with the food, he was basically outraged that they were eating gwen's made dinner and not his. isabella told him it wouldn't go to waste and fed it to the pigs. however, that next morning the pigs were found dead.

in gaius' hand he was inspecting a piece of the chicken, sniffing it. "aconite." he said quietly.

"wolfsbane?" isabella realised and gaius nodded quietly. "but what was it doing on our food?"

"..." gaius' eyes filled with sudden realisation, "well, merlin took some from here yesterday morning."

"and you did not think to question what he wanted with it?" gwen asked in disbelief, isabella staring at the man slightly confused.

"well, he told me he'd use it on bandits.." gaius trailed off.

"and he was extremely angry when he realised you and arthur wouldn't eat it.." gwen realised, looking at isabella who tilted her head.

"he has been behaving strangely since he got back." isabella spoke quietly, a bad feeling inside her.

"but why would merlin want to kill arthur and isabella?" gwen asked in disbelief, "he adores isabella like a sister, and although doesn't show it he loves arthur too."

"merlin wouldn't." gaius said carefully. "not if he was in his right mind."

isabella shared a look with the both of them, and soon enough, they were on the hunt for merlin. "have you seen merlin?" isabella asked sir leon as he passed them.

"he was just in the armoury." sir leon smiles, about to leave.

"what did he want in there?" gaius raised a brow.

"a crossbow." sir leon said, a hint of humour in his tone. "i think arthur must be getting on his nerves."

"why?" isabella said, her voice low, trying to get information out of the man.

sir leon chuckled, before lowering his voice. "he said he was going to kill him." he said, obviously serious but thought merlin was joking.

isabella let out a slight groan/sigh, turning around and mumbling in french. sir leon laughs quietly, obviously thinking it was a big joke and left.

the three of them burst into isabella and arthur's chambers to see merlin weirdly swinging his sword up at arthur. in a panic, and without even realising, isabella's eyes flashed golden and merlin stumbled into the wall, knocking himself out.

arthur paused, turning to merlin with a slight eye roll. "so unbelievably clumsy." he utters before taking the sword from merlin's hand and walking out.

merlin's eyes blinked open as arthur left, and quickly, gwen grabbed a jug and smacked merlin around the head with it. "right." isabella said happily, "if you don't mind, i have a meeting to get to. if you could...deal with him." she said, waving her arm slightly at the servant before disappearing and following arthur.

whatever gaius did to merlin clearly didn't help, because the next day he had told isabella that she needed to come quickly to help them both get merlin away from arthur so he could try again.

the three of them were on route to isabella and arthur's chambers where she knew they would be in that moment. as they rushed inside, merlin was stood by a boiling bath which clearly had some kind of poison in, and arthur was behind the screen.

without thinking, gwen had smacked the jug over merlin's head, and arthur walked out, fully naked. the king shrieked in a panic and quickly covered himself; grabbing a pillow. "gaius, gwen, isabella." he greeted awkwardly."you're not merlin."

"no," gwen chuckled awkwardly, "there is a problem with the bathwater,"

"really?" he asked suspiciously.

"yes, it's cold." gwen nodded.

"freezing," isabella exaggerated.

"and, isabella tells me you like baths the opposite—" both isabella and arthur flushed in embarrassment as gwen stutters out her words, which isabella had told her in confidence, "anyway..merlin's gone to remedy it, you cannot have a bath today!"

gwen and gaius smiled awkwardly as arthur stepped back, disappearing behind the screen to change.

isabella sends them both a slightly unamused look before going to empty the bathwater as gwen and gaius would 'fix' merlin.

GAIUS WORKED out that to help merlin, he would have to kill the motherbeast which resided at morgana's not so secret hut. so, he would disguise himself as his eighty year old self and do it.

isabella was slightly annoyed that he hadn't told her to come with, but merlin reminded her she would probably die or forgive morgana. either was not the best way things could go.

she admitted it was probably true, and she was relieved when merlin returned safely two days later.

although, isabella and arthur sat at their table in their chambers, ready to mock and scold merlin for his two days off.

arthur stared at him silently for a few minutes, before speaking calmly. "two whole days in the tavern."

merlin scoffs and stutters, annoyed that gaius would make an excuse like that up. "i'm not quite sure it was that long.."

"give me one good reason why i shouldn't fire you on the spot." arthur says, slight amusement in his tone.

"be..because...you'd have no one to polish your amour, make you breakfast, organise your clothes."

"ah, merlin, well that's where you are wrong." isabella said gently, smiling teasingly. "i'd like you to meet george." she says, a small laugh, which she disguised as a cough escaping her lips.

"george is perhaps the most efficient servant i've ever seen. he will be spending the rest of the week teaching you." arthur says mockingly, a small smile on his own face as isabella nodded along with a teasing grin on her face.

"teaching me?" merlin echoes .

"we shall start in the armoury. lesson one is my favourite: polishing." george says confidently as arthur and isabella bite back laughs.

"yes, that's my favourite too." merlin says sarcastically, sending the king and queen an annoyed look before following the servant out.

"have fun." isabella calls out teasingly.

i'm not being funny you bitches best comment on every single paragraph the way you've been begging me to update yet ghost read anyway☹️😖🤭😒love u all

loveee this episode sm

also ive not edited this so it's probably so bad but i just wanted to get a chapter out