Chapter Text
It had all started as a joke.
During the knights' training, Arthur had again called Merlin a girl. He took it further this time, though, saying "Merlin's such a girl he even prefers wearing dresses like the ladies of the court!"
The knights had laughed at that thought.
Merlin was used to their laughter, their jokes.
He was the least muscular, the thinnest, and the least skilled with a sword.
He expected some jokes about it.
That didn't mean he didn't get hurt every time.
***
The simple solution was proposed by Morgana.
"Why don't you dress like a woman, then?"
Gwen and Merlin, who were busy arranging a flower necklace for the girl, stared at her in amazement, the same shocked expressions on both their faces.
"Come on, that would be fun!" Insisted Morgana, who continued. "Take a week off to go to your mother's and then Melody arrives here, your distant cousin. Gwen and I will cover for you."
"And? Where will I sleep?" Merlin asked, knowing Gaius would never support such a plan.
"You can sleep at my place." Gwen offered, before saying. "I'll just say that Merlin never stopped talking about his distant cousin and I couldn't wait to see if you'd be as amazing as Merlin always painted you!"
Merlin stared at both women before saying. "It will end badly."
Merlin shook his head. "Very badly. Why should I ever do this?"
"Because you want to do this." Morgana replied, shaking her head.
Merlin looked at her, and Morgana said, her voice quiet. "How did you feel when they made jokes about you, Merlin?"
The servant looked, surprise, at her.
"I…"
"Be honest with me, please." Said the noble woman, smiling.
Merlin nodded. "Not so well. It isn't very… I mean…"
Morgana didn't say nothing, and Merlin was glad.
He was glad for the time she was giving him to think.
And he was glad for the opportunity of sharing his real emotions.
"I feel ashamed. I had a good reason, for having that dress. Morgana, I wasn't stealing anything. I was trying to help a friend."
Morgana nodded.
She knew everything about Freya and her awful destiny.
She knew that Merlin thought, for some moments, to leave Camelot with her.
And that he was destroyed because of her Fate.
"I had a good reason, but Arthur didn't even ask me! He just… he just… He didn't care to asking and… And I feel really bad. I feel unimportant. It hurts me to see the way they laugh at my expense."
"And, what if you could change that?" Morgana said, smiling mischievously.
"How exactly dressing myself as a woman would make them change their minds?" Merlin shook his head. "They would only laugh more at me."
"No, because they'll be fooled. We'll say that you are your cousin."
Merlin stayed quiet.
The idea was intriguing, if he was completely honest.
He was intrigued by the idea of them being fooled by their little trick.
At worst, the teasing would only escalate.
As he said, there were already a lot of jokes
***
After he had accepted Morgana's plan, Merlin had been afraid.
Not for the possible repercussions that his choice could have on all of his relationships.
But for Morgana's extremely satisfied smile as soon as he had said those words of only three letters.
He understood that he had just condemned himself.
He had declared the sentence, built the pyre and lit the fire, and all of it in complete autonomy.
Gwen and Morgana had demanded time with Merlin after he finished his duties as the king's servant.
And, in those moments, they taught him how to be a woman.
They taught him how to walk in heels, how to move in those huge skirts, how to talk and gesture, how to laugh and how to smile, how to pay homage and how to do his hair.
They explained how to put on makeup, how to blend the color on the eyebrows and make the eyes more piercing with added black.
Merlin had listened to it utterly amazed at the amount of time women had to spend on their looks.
And he didn't just talk about noblewomen, but also maids and commoners.
The hair had been the hardest part.
Merlin had let them grow a little, not too much, but enough to be defined as not short.
Morgana and Gwen tried a combination of ribbons every day to make them look longer, like making them look cuter and more feminine.
Merlin had once tried to protest, but Morgana's gaze silenced him.
Arthur would have been so envious of his sister if he had known.
Anyway, Merlin tried on different clothes every night, fitted differently, got used to the bodice, got used to paying homage, got used to responding to feminine pronouns and to the name Melody.
They prepared the girl's story together.
The question Merlin had asked was quite simple.
Arthur had been there when they defended Ealdor.
If Melody was Merlin's cousin, why hadn't she defended her home?
And thus, Melody had become the daughter of a distant cousin of Hunith, quite similar in appearance to Merlin because their mothers looked so much alike.
She wasn't in Ealdor because she didn't live there, but she and Merlin had spent a lot of time together.
It had been why Merlin could read, after all.
Which had opened the doubt of the two girls, who had no idea how Merlin could read.
Merlin had explained that the merchants who came from Essetir and Camelot could read.
And, in exchange for their own food and a place to sleep, they had taught the child how to count and read.
His mother was also able to read very well, a skill obtained in the same way as the son.
After all, there were no tutors or teachers in Ealdor.
There were no nobles who could request their services.
Some had even given books to the curious boy.
After two intense weeks of teaching, after Morgana had found the right color wig, the same shade of black as Merlin, Melody was finally ready to go out and introduce herself to the knights of Camelot.
Gwen and Morgana had watched Merlin dressed as Melody the night before.
"I'd say you're ready, Melody." Morgana announced and Gwen nodded.
"Thank you." Merlin said in response, looking at the blue suit he was wearing.
"Ready to ask Arthur about days off, Merlin?"
"Absolutely yes." nodded the servant. smiling.
It might have been a bad idea, but at least he had had fun with both girls.
He missed the silly arguments he'd had with both of them.
They were good friends, like the knights, and also, unlike them, they didn't tease him all the time.
Merlin preferred that friendship.
Morgana smiled. "The knights won't know what hit them."