Merlin and Freya

"You've already saved me. You made me feel loved."

- Freya to Merlin

Freya was Merlin's only love interest throughout the series. They met when Merlin helped her to escape from a bounty hunter and hid her in the caverns beneath the castle.

Secret Love
Merlin first met Freya when he helped her to escape from the bounty hunter Halig. He used his magic to free her from her chains and the cage that Halig had imprisoned her in, after which he took her to the caverns beneath the city, where he thought she would be safe.

Freya appeared somewhat suspicious of Merlin at first, as she didn't understand why he was helping her, but accepted his explanation that it could've been him in that cage. She appeared to warm to him a bit, accepting his second offer of his jacket and responding to his introduction by giving her own name. She also thanked him for what he'd done for her.

Merlin spent the next few days smuggling food and candles to Freya, who remained hidden in the caverns. They grew steadily closer during this time, bonding over similarities such as their statuses as outsiders and outcasts, their respective histories of secrecy and persecution, their similarly rural upbringings, and their shared ideas of home. Merlin proved to be the more open of the two, freely sharing his feelings about how difficult it was to hide his magic, how he felt Freya was the only one he could really be himself around, and how he'd never met anyone like her. Though more reserved, Freya reciprocated his feelings, saying that she'd never met anyone like him, either.

Merlin also developed a knack for cheering up Freya with his magic. When she first mentioned her feelings of being cursed, Merlin tried to help her see that magic could be a gift by making candle flames dance in the air for her, which made her smile for the first time. Later, when Merlin brought her a wheel of bread to eat and she requested strawberries to go with it, Merlin wound up conjuring her a rose instead. Though not the strawberries she'd asked for, Freya was clearly delighted by the gift and accepted it tenderly. She asked Merlin why he was so good to her, which prompted him to tell her that he liked her. His confession seemed to sadden Freya, who tried to tell him that she wasn't like him.

Before she could explain what she meant, however, the moment was interrupted by the arrival of Halig, who suspected Merlin of harboring Freya and had followed him to the caverns in search of her. Though the pair ultimately managed to escape detection, Freya was deeply distressed by the incident. Merlin reassured her by repeating his earlier promise to look after her, and was surprised that she didn't seem to realize how special she was. Touched, Freya was similarly surprised to realize that he wasn't afraid of her. Merlin told her that being different was nothing to be scared of, and the two shared a kiss.

Escape From Camelot
Not long after their close call with Halig, Merlin began devising a way to get Freya out of Camelot. Freya was saddened by his plans, as she had enjoyed their time together and was going to miss him, and was surprised when Merlin announced that he was going to leave with her. Freya objected at first, as she felt that he had a good life in Camelot and she couldn't ask him to spend the rest of his life on the run with her, but soon seemed to come around to the idea. They happily began to plan their life together, deciding that they would go somewhere that reminded them of both their childhood homes: somewhere with mountains, a few fields, wildflowers, a couple of cows, and a lake.

Their plans made, Merlin began gathering the things that they'd need. He started with a new dress for Freya, a beautiful purple gown appropriated from Morgana's wardrobe. Freya was awestruck by the dress, but soon fell into a melancholy mood. When Merlin told her that she looked like a princess, she quietly responded that she wasn't one, that she couldn't accept the dress and didn't deserve all the things he was doing for her. Merlin gently disagreed with her, saying that he was doing things for her because he wanted to, and his determination to stay with her seemed to lift her spirits.

Unbeknownst to Merlin, however, Freya had made plans of her own. She'd meant what she said about him having a good life in Camelot, a life that he clearly loved, and she couldn't bear to see him sacrifice it for her personal happiness. So she played along with his plan, reminding him that they'd need supplies, food and water especially, and Merlin left to go get some, assuring her that he wouldn't be long. They parted with a kiss, and Freya watched as he ran off, the smile disappearing from her face. She waited until he was out of sight, and then she said goodbye.

Oblivious to this development, Merlin hurried home to collect his things. He found Gaius waiting for him, and the physician wasted no time in informing him that the beast that had been attacking Camelot for several days had struck again the night before, killing two people. The wounds appeared to have been inflicted by an animal, but the footprints leading away from the bodies were human. He then reminded Merlin about what Halig had said about Freya being cursed, and shared his suspicions that Freya was under a curse that doomed its victim to turn at the stroke of midnight into a vicious, bloodthirsty monster called a Bastet. Horrified, Merlin admitted that he'd helped Freya escape but refused to believe that she was responsible for the killings, insisting that she was just a girl. He begged Gaius to give him time to get her out of the city, but Gaius refused, saying that he couldn't allow more innocent people to die, and left to inform Uther of his findings. Desperate to get Freya away, Merlin grabbed his things and ran back to the caverns, but it was too late. Freya had already left.

Freya's Curse
They're relationship ended when Freya transformed and was wounded by some of Camelots knights. She was mortally wounded and Merlin carried her to the Lake where she could see a lake and mountains which was where they planned to run off to. She there died and said to Merlin that he had made her feel loved and that saved her. Merlin placed Freya in a boat surrounded by ferns and sent it off into the lake lighting it on fire with magic.

The Lady of the Lake
Freya said one day she would repay him and she did by guarding Excalibur and became The Lady of The Lake and when the time came returned Excalibur to Merlin from the bottom of the lake.