new_kate | My thoughts on Merlin 3.06, let me show you them

Title: Disenchanted
Fandom: Merlin BBC
Rathing: PG-13
Pairing: Elena/Vivian
Wordcount: 2K
So unbetaed. Hey hey do we have a merlinplace to pimp femslash? I don't even know.

As soon as she glimpsed the familiar castle walls in the distance, Elena spurred her horse and left the rest of the party behind. Wind beat at her face and tore at her hair, and that only made her grin harder.

She was barely through the gates when she saw Vivian running through the courtyard to meet her.

"Elena, Elena, Elena!" Vivian yelled, laughing joyfully, her skirts swishing, hair flying, her lovely face sweet, fluid, expressive. She was flawless, as always, from her golden head to her tiny velvet shoes, a perfect princess Elena could never be. Elena always thought that next to Vivian she ought to feel even clumsier, an awkward mess. But it was as if Vivian's beauty was so great and abundant that it spilled over, shining generously onto everything near her. When they were together Elena felt pretty and girly and, for once, wonderfully at ease in her own skin.

She jumped off the horse, tossed the reigns to the stable boy and opened her arms to Vivian's embrace. Vivian flung herself at Elena, filling her nose with ticklish, sweet smells of perfume and powder, and Elena's breath caught as their breasts pressed together. She clasped her arms around Vivian's slender waist and twirled her around, marvelling at how slight she was, light as a feather, delicate as a bird.

"I've missed you," Vivian said. "Oh, Elena, I'm so happy you didn't marry Arthur. I'd have to hate you if you did, and it would kill me to hate you, because I love you so much. But look at you! You gorgeous little minx - what did you do with your hair?"

"I don't know, it just... cooperates! I took some medicine when I was at Camelot, and since then I felt better than ever! I sleep like a log, not a single bad dream, and even my indigestion is gone. I can have anything, and I don't get wind. I don't eat... you know. Not anymore."

As long as Elena could remember, the only food that didn't give her stomach pain was live frogs. It was a terrible secret only her and nursie knew; when Vivian found out, Elena felt like she wanted to die. It was horrible for the longest time; Vivian thought she was gross, and threatened to tell everyone, and didn't want to be friends with her any longer. That was the worst summer of Elena's life, till they'd made up again at the feast for Vivian's ninth birthday.

"Good, because that was really disgusting," said Vivian, wrinkling her cute little nose. "Oh, but I've already sent a boy to the pond to catch you some - well, exercise is good for the servants. They're so damn lazy, you have no idea what I have to put up with."

Vivian took Elena to her room and helped her pull off her riding boots, and then they cuddled up together on Vivian's big, frilly bed, just like old times, and as always, Elena felt more at home than she ever had in her own castle.

"Daddy's become completely ridiculous," Vivian complained. "You'd think that now, when my heart belongs completely to Arthur, he would stop being so paranoid about letting men near me, but he's even worse now. Not that I want to see anyone but Arthur, really. I've not been to a single feast in weeks. Love changes a person so much, Elena."

"It does. I think my nursie eloped with Camelot's court physician," Elena said.

"Gross!" Vivian shrieked. "He's like a hundred and ten! Though they both have completely horrid hair, it's a good match in a way. Oh, but tell me about Arthur! Is he suffering? Has he mentioned me? Did he give you a message?"

"He... says hi," muttered Elena. It had been, in hindsight, very selfish of her not to ask Arthur about Vivian, but she'd been so shaken up by the thought of a loveless marriage to that man... "I think he's suffering, he was very sad most of the time. He really didn't want to marry me."

"That's because his heart belongs to another," sighed Vivian. "Oh, Arthur! Isn't he the most amazing?"

"I didn't like him very much," Elena confessed, and Vivian glared at her indignantly. "Well, no, he was very kind and respectful. He reminded me of you a bit, to be honest. He's pretty, and smart, and funny, and a little mean..."

"I am not mean!"

"You are so mean, you meanie," said Elena, playfully poking her elbow in Vivian's warm side. They tussled a little, laughing, hitting each other with Vivian's soft pillows of silk and dawn, and then settled down again, and Vivian rested her head on Elena's shoulder.

"Did you kiss him?" she asked in a whisper.

"No."

"Not once?"

"No. He kissed my hand, if that counts."

"I guess it doesn't," Vivian said. "I couldn't stop thinking about the two of you kissing, and... the rest. It drove me crazy. How did he kiss your hand, Elena? Was it passionate? He's so passionate. I don't know how you resisted him. You're such a good friend."

Her fingers curled tight over Elena's elbow, and her voice was small and weak. Whenever she spoke about Arthur she wasn't at all like the radiant, wicked and funny Vivian whom Elena had known and admired all her life. She was more like Elena herself, lost and at odds with herself, unsure of anything, and Elena hated Arthur for making Vivian feel this way.

"It was just polite. Like this," she said, and took Vivian's small hand in hers. Elena's palms were rough from the reigns, and Vivian's listless fingers were so soft against them. The only calluses she had were tiny bumps on the sides of her middle and ring fingers, one from the quill, another from the thimble. Elena brought Vivian's hand to her lips and slowly kissed her perfumed knuckles.

Vivian sniffed sadly above her bent head, and Elena kissed her hand again, comfortingly, rubbing her wrist with the other hand, till she felt warm tears trickle on the back of her neck. Vivian was crying, her beautiful face reddened and miserable and wet, and Elena would punch Arthur Pendragon in the teeth next time she saw him.

"Vivian, oh, please, don't," she begged, rummaging in her pockets for a handkerchief. Without the nursie nobody thought to make sure she had one, and she always forgot; she wiped at Vivian's face with her hands, and she leaned into it gratefully, clinging to her. "He's not worth it. No man is worth your tears. Vivian, he's just a stupid boy. Do you really miss him so much?"

"I do," Vivian sobbed, pulling at the laces of her corset. Elena helped her loosen the fastenings so she could breathe more freely. "But I always do, I don't even know why I'm crying. It's just, right now, it hurts inside, so bad, like my heart is breaking, like it needs... I don't even know..."

She was gasping and sobbing, tears streaming down her face, and Elena had no idea how to help her. She stroked Vivian's hair, and kissed her wet cheeks, and then caught her shaking lips and kissed them, softly, hoping to soothe and comfort. Her heart clenched with helpless love, and it hurt, and then Vivian stopped crying.

She put her arms around Elena's neck and kissed her, hard, pressing her lips open, making their mouths join and their breaths mix. Her tongue darted across Elena's lips, and Elena felt like crying, too, and laughing, and screaming out loud with joy. She crushed Vivian close and kissed back, as well as she knew how, and it was good, so good. She felt as light and strong and invincible as she did on the horseback, like she was flying between the earth and the sky, like this was something she was born to do.

It was glorious for a moment, and then Vivian gasped and pushed her away.

"Ow, ow," she moaned, clutching at her stomach. "Ow! I think I caught your indigestion - oh no, I'll be farting at the feasts and eating frogs! Ew - oh, wait, it's gone."

She straightened up and calmly tucked her ruffled hair behind her ear.

"Seriously, Elena, if you'd given me your gross farty disease, I'd be so angry with you," she said haughtily, and then dove in again for more of those wonderful, amazing kisses.

"All right, maybe I wouldn't be angry for very long," she mumbled a bit later, mouthing at Elena's neck, laving skin with her tongue. "Mmm, you. Though I still feel a bit weird. Like I had a very strange dream. I think I dreamt you were going to marry Arthur Pendragon!"

"That actually happened."

"That couldn't possibly have happened," said Vivian and deftly unlaced Elena's dress. "You wouldn't marry without inviting me to your wedding. And then I wouldn't let you marry that idiot. You deserve so much better."

"We all thought you were in love with him..."

"Me? With that ridiculous, uncouth prick? Do you know, I think he's shagging his manservant! There could be no other reason to keep that useless clumsy boy around. Have you seen him? He's almost as pretty as a girl. Put him in a nice frock, and he'd turn heads. Oh, he's definitely warming the prince's bed, that's why he's so annoying and cocky."

"You are so mean!" Elena giggled, helping Vivian pull her dress off.

"Lucky I have you, then," she said and pushed Elena into the pillows. "You can tell me to bite my wicked tongue. Or maybe you should do that for me."

And then there was more kissing, and touching, laughing and moaning and Elena just caught a glimpse of Vivian's bared breasts, just reached for them - and then the door swung open, and Elena flailed in terror and tumbled off the bed.

"Daddy!" Vivian yelled, burrowing into the blankets.

"Sorry, sweetheart, I thought I heard - " King Olaf said, and then there was an awful silence.

"I'll kill him," the king said. "Whoever dared to touch my daughter, I don't care who he is, I'll kill him. Is he still here? Did he jump out of the window? Is he in the wardrobe?"

Heavy steps sounded across the room, the wardrobe door swung open. Elena curled up against the bed curtain, holding her breath.

"Daddy, don't be silly, I was just resting," said Vivian unconvincingly.

"Please don't lie to me, Vivian," said the king, stepping closer to the bed.

"Daddy, no! I swear, if you hurt one hair on the head of the woman I love..."

Elena gulped a breath and straightened up, clutching the bed curtains around herself.

"Please don't fight, it's my fault," she stammered, not daring to meet the king's eyes.

"Oh," the king said. "Oh, all right then."

"Seriously?" Vivian asked and pulled Elena back under the blankets with her. She looked gloriously dishevelled, lips swollen and red, gown half-off, a love bite darkening on her perfect neck - the king had to be furious, this really couldn't be mistaken for anything else. "But you've always..."

"Sweetheart, I've always tried to guard you against the men's lust, because I know what all men are like," the king said, politely averting his eyes. "They only want to take advantage of your beauty and innocence. Elena is a lovely girl, and I know she'd never break your heart."

"I'd never, I'd rather die," Elena swore, and earned the cutest smile from Vivian.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," the king said, heading for the door. "I have a lot to discuss with Elena's father. We're going to make this work."

"Isn't it a bit... unusual?" Elena asked.

"A bit," the king agreed. "But I'm going to fight for this union tooth and nail. My little pumpkin's happiness is at stake. Besides, Elena, I don't think you appreciate how strategic you are."

Vivian nudged her under the blanket and gave her a proud, affectionate look, and Elena blushed and sneezed.