Elena

"I wish you well, Arthur Pendragon. I hope one day we both find the love we deserve. In the meantime, if you ever want to be beaten in a horserace, you know where to find me."

- Elena to Arthur Princess Elena of Gawant is the daughter of Lord Godwyn. Her mother died during childbirth, and soon after that she was possessed by a Sidhe, who wanted her to marry Prince Arthur Pendragon so it could take the throne of Camelot. Grunhilda, her nurse, was a pixie servant of the Sidhe elder, who sprinkled her with pixie dust every night to calm the faerie inside her.

Biography
Elena grew up as a clumsy, tomboyish girl, who enjoyed horseback riding - this was a result of her being possessed by a Sidhe. Sometime after her twentieth birthday, she made the journey to Camelot for an arranged marriage to Arthur. Though they bonded over a horse ride through the forest, neither of them had any feelings for the other. Arthur in particular found her mannish nature slightly irritating and unattractive. Moreover Arthur was already in love with Gwen and wished to avoid the arranged marriage for the sake of their love also. Meanwhile Elena felt she could not love Arthur because he did not understand her.

Eventually Merlin found out that Elena was a changeling, and part of a plot to put a Sidhe on the throne of Camelot. The Sidhe possessing her would take her over completely upon her marriage to Arthur. However, Merlin and Gaius managed to create a potion to force the Sidhe out of her, and while Merlin held off and eventually killed Grunhilda, Gaius had trouble getting Elena to drink the potion, then Merlin burst in, tipped back Elena's head, held her nose and poured the mixture down her throat which expelled the Sidhe. The faerie was then killed by Merlin. Being released from the Sidhe cured Elena of her clumsines s.

During the wedding, she and Arthur confessed that they were only marrying for duty, and neither had feelings for the other, and so they called off the wedding. Arthur later said noticed something different about her as she came down the castle steps without falling. As she was leaving, Elena told Arthur she hoped they both found the love they deserved, and if he wanted to be beaten in a horse race, he knew where to find her (The Changeling).

Personality
Elena is a tomboyish, clumsy princess when she is a Changeling. She is always complaining about how her princess attire is uncomfortable. She is a skilled horse back rider, who even beat Arthur when they went out riding during her visit to Camelot. She is a kind, sweet girl who sees herself as "not the perfect princess". When she was released from the Sidhe, she became much more graceful, not being so nervous and just as kind. She is described by Gwen as being 'really lovely'.

Appearances

 * Series 3
 * The Changeling


 * Series 4
 * Lancelot du Lac

Trivia

 * In a deleted scene from the episode Lancelot du Lac, Princess Elena is referred to as being 'too girly' by Arthur, despite her tomboyish qualities.
 * In the closed captions for The Changeling, Elena's name is misinterpreted as "Helena".