Just Between Friends

[Arthur Pendragon]

Recent events had been . . . dramatic, to say the very least. Arthur had been in emotional turmoil, and could not even begin to imagine what Guinevère had gone through. From being banished, to being arrested -- again -- to being sentenced to death and nearly dying. And it had been all his fault. While he could not regret the time he spent with her, he should have been more careful. He should have thought things through more. He had spent so long convincing Guinevère that there was hope for them, and so he was only too relieved when she had not taken recent events as a warning. Instead, she had reassured him that she would wait for him. That she would wait for him to be king -- as it was clear that his father would never change his mind on such matters. It meant the world to Arthur. More than he could ever express.

They were both on the same page, perhaps for the first time in their relationship. While the two had developed a strong love for one another over time, he had been the one who did not pursue her as much, and her being the one filled with hope . . . until that shifted. Yet, regardless, the two still had their stolen moments when the situation forced it upon them. When they feared they would never see each other again. Arthur pushed these thoughts out of his mind. He had been so close to losing her, and right now, he only wanted to enjoy his time with her, never taking it for granted. Which was why she was here, sitting with him at the table in his chambers. It was late at night, the only time the two of them could successfully be together without that strong paranoia of someone else discovering them, which is precisely what happened the last time.

Arthur did not fail in constantly recognizing the fact that it was her risking a great deal right now. That her traumatic experience had not pushed him away from her, but rather, brought them closer together if anything. She was here, with him. And Arthur only wished he could tell her how grateful he was for that. But he was never the best with words that dictated his emotions. So it was often his actions that demonstrated what was in his heart. He held Gwen's hand in his own as they sat together at the table, wishing he did not have to relive those awful recent memories of her nearly dying; the thought of her burning at the stake. The mere thought still sent a chill down his spine . . . but she was here. She was still with him. And he could not imagine a life without her.

_{Setting: The Castle of Camelot; Arthur's chambers
Time of Day: Late at night
Timeline: Shortly after Queen of Hearts
Tag: Guinevère and Lady Morgana LeFay
Notes: Credit for the title goes to Guinevère}

[Guinevère]

This was how her life was meant to be. This simplistic little bit of pure heaven, where they were safe from the world. Most where tucked away in their bed for the night, but when Guinevère finished her chores she bid Morgana a good night and said she was heading home. Instead she had sought out Arthur.

Foolish? Yes! Extremely! The king thought it was a spell that had caused them to be in love, and if she was caught here she would in trouble for sure but after almost dying she could not stay away. As it was, she was sitting at Arthur's table with him, his hand tucked with her's as she told him about everything going on. While she spoke her fingers moved over his hand, idly playing with his as she spoke.

"---and then after the new maid, who got lost in the west wing got completely lost again in the servant's halls we decided it was just easier to work in teams and give all the new servants a walk though instead of waiting until someone noticed them missing. . . . . do you remember that time you made me show you though them? Nearly got us caught before I was forced to make a complete fool out of my self in order to keep your secret! She was in the same area as we were, but she was very lucky that you had all your knights out training and they were not looking for bathes."

(¯`v´¯)
.`·.¸.·´ ♥
¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.♥

[mysery]

Morgana did not like this. She did not like the knowledge that there may be a magical ally for, at least Guinevère, within the walls of Camelot. Nevermind if he had been an old man who may not even practice magic anymore. The fact he had been willing to put himself on the line for her maidservant didnt sit well with Morgana at all. Her plan was ruined by his stupid intereferrence. She had to find out who he was and let Morgause know. She could take care of the old badger who called him 'Dragoon the Great'.

First stop, Arthur's chambers. Even if the old codger had escaped, surely the Prince had to know something about him. Something that would help Morgause track him down. He may not even realise what he knew could help do so. With a smile to herself, Morgana donned her robe and headed for the Prince's rooms.

She'd seen Guinevère off for the night and had given it some time before deciding to visit her beloved, if not unknowing, brother. The day Morgana revealed Uther's treachery to Arthur she would relish the look on his face. If his reaction to the death of his mother, though subdued thanks to Merlin, had been any indicator, this one would be just as eventful. The lady practically cackled in glee at the thought.

Approaching her brother's chamber door, Morgana went to open it when she heard a voice inside and paused. So Gwen hadnt gone home like she'd thought. Interesting. Now what to do....

Smiling a little wider, Morgana lifted her hand and knocked steadily on the wooden door.



Setting: Camelot Castle, Arthur's Chamber

Tag: Guinevère and Arthur Pendragon

Timeline: The End of 'Queen of Hearts'

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur was quietly listening to Guinevère update him on her day. Before he had developed strong feelings for her, her little rambles would often result in a confused expression as he always managed to zone out during them. But now, they had grown on him. He found himself listening intently to every word, even if he did not reply to everything she said. He found her talkative nature rather adorable and never left them short for conversation. It was also the content of her 'rambles' that had altered. Before, she said them only to talk her way out of something she previously said that could be misinterpreted or taken the wrong way. Now, she said them because she wished to share things with him . . . and he loved hearing it. Because he could not see her as frequently as he would have liked throughout the day, it was nice to have this time to hear what she had been doing. One day, they would be married and they would not have to wait until the late hour of the night to meet and talk to one another. Soon, they would be able to do it whenever they pleased. Go for walks in the courtyard and market; would be able to be seen together in the castle without fear of punishment. It was such a wonderful thing to dream about, and only made Arthur more impatient for that day to come.

His thoughts, and her talk, was abruptly interrupted though when he heard a light knock on his door. Almost reflexively, Arthur quickly stood up. His mind started racing through all the possible people it could be. It was not Merlin, for he never knocked and would have burst right in here. It was not his father -- thank goodness! -- for he would not have knocked either. If it was a knight, then they would have already said something by now . . . right? The process of elimination was not providing Arthur with any sort of comfort. It was making him paranoid that he had -- yet again -- put Guinevère in a possible position that could have cost her life! He had sworn never to do that to her again, and he had promised her brother the same. So far, he was failing miserably. In his standing position, he moved towards the door. "Who is it?" He asked in a serious, but highly curious voice. He was holding his breath, praying that it was a friend. Perhaps Leon, or just, someone that he did not have to be so wary of.

He should not wait for it would only raise their suspicions. He had already revealed he was awake, any delay in responding would only make them enter on their own accord. He could not let them in his room just like that though. Not with Gwen sitting at his table. He would just have to quickly step outside before they could have the slightest peek inside his chambers and then leave with him so that Guinevère could make an inconspicuous exit. He slowly creaked open the door, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief at who was on the other end. "Morgana," he exhaled, the paranoia and fear being lifted from him instantaneously. He opened the door further so that she could enter. Was something wrong? Why had she come to his room at this hour? "Come in," he stated, not having the slightest problem with her being in his and Guinevère's company.

While it would always be a bit awkward for someone else's presence to be there when he is with Gwen, it was something that he would have to adjust to. Especially considering it was Morgana, for he did not see her ever not being a part of his life. She had found out about them, and she even encouraged them to spend time together. It was actually quite a relief to him that she supported their relationship. Gwen was her best friend, and she was his sister despite the lacking of any blood relation . . . so he truly valued her opinion. And the fact that she seemed to approve of them, meant a great deal to the prince. Plus, if she was here right now, at this time, then something could be wrong and he was not about to reject her company with that possibility in mind.

_{Word Count: 737}

[Guinevère]

"We found her before they could return from training and we are hoping that she will not get lost again. I remember getting lost a few times when I first started as well. It's rather frightening to know that you could be lost for hours before someone noticed you missing. I was rather lucky though, as people seemed to notice when I took longer to do a chore and came looki--" Her two hands tightened over his and she forgot to breathe when the knock came on the door. Everything about her seemed to freeze and grow taunt as she the fear of who was on the other side of the knock made her relaxed mood turn to one of fear.

Arthur stood and she did not let go of his hand until he was walking toward it. Guinevère looked around for somewhere to hide and hurried over to stand on the other side of his changing screen. It was rather a personal place to be, but she could not help it. It was the safest place for her right now since it wasn't somewhere people would look.

His words should have made her relax but instead the fear only grew! Morgana! Guinevère knew nothing for certain but she was beginning to notice more and more things about Morgana and how she had changed. She had begun to wonder if Morgana had not wanted harm to fall to her former friends. Morgana could not know she was here! She would have to wait until she left and hoped that Arthur did not tell her she was here!

Before Morgana had disappeared, Guinevère had wondered why she had not told her friends about her new and forbidden feelings for Arthur. Morgana had been her best friend and they'd spent hours every day together. How could the woman whom once been her sister of sorts seek to do what it appeared she had done to her?! What had happened to the Morgana she loved? The one who fought for the innocent and voiceless rather then spent all her time with the king and then . . . . smile when a friend was going to die?!

(¯`v´¯)
.`·.¸.·´ ♥
¸.·´¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´ ¸¸.·¨¯`·.♥

[mysery]

Morgana tilted her head as she heard Arthur speak, but she didnt get a chance to reply before the door opened and said prince appeared in the gap. The relief on his face was easy to read. Arthur would never be a very good liar. With a smile on her face, she stepped into the room when he opened the door further. A quick inspection revealed Guinevère was not inside, or so it appeared. Morgana wasn't one to be fooled by appearances though. She had heard her maid's voice loud and clear. Really, if they were going to sneak around and try to hide, they needed to get better at it. She took a moment to replace the smile on her face, before she turned to look at her 'brother'.

"I just wanted to come and see how you were doing," she said, the perfect portrayal of the worried sibling. How easy it had become to read those around her and pander to what they wanted to see. Had she ever been as obliviously trusting as the rest of Camelot were now? She hoped not. "It's been a trying day," she added a moment later, wandering over to the table and claiming the second seat. Again, they needed to sharpen their skills if they were going to pretend. Two chairs at a table which normally only had one was enough of an indicator. So Gwen had to still be here.

Her eyes flickered to the changing screen. Unless her maidservant had taken to hiding under the prince's bed, there weren't really many other options in this room for a hiding place. Looking back to the prince, she allowed her smile to fall a little. "Has there been any word about the sorcerer?" she asked, her tone concerned. The idea of a very old sorcerer running around Camelot 'worried' Morgana, just not in the sense everyone thought it did. Inwardly she chuckled. May as well use that to her advantage. "I saw Gwen off home earlier, but this sorcerer possibly still being in Camelot has me worried Arthur."



Setting: Camelot Castle, Arthur's Chamber

Tag: Guinevère and Arthur Pendragon

Timeline: The End of 'Queen of Hearts'

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur only briefly wondered why Guinevère hadn't come out of her hiding spot once hearing that it was only Morgana who had entered. She was probably not used to the idea of being seen together either. But when Morgana made it clear that she was going to stay for some time, and Arthur would never shun her company especially when she was worried about something, then the three of them may as well get comfortable. As he previously thought, it would be awkward indeed to be in Guinevère's company, while having a third presence there. But who knows. Perhaps this would ease the transition for he knew that at some point, his and Guinevère's relationship would be public. While it was something he greatly looked forward to, it was also something almost too good to imagine, and with that, came all the things neither of them were used to . . . such as, being looked at by others who possessed the knowledge that they were together.

He closed the door behind Morgana, pulling out a seat for her so that she could be seated in comfort, listening to her voice her concerns. "I'm alright," he said passively, not about to delve deep into his emotions. Though, he was touched that she had come to check on him. Not in a mocking way, but rather, a way that only showed how genuinely kind a person she was. A trying day . . . quite an understatement but perhaps no word could ever be used to describe the full magnitude of what today had been, for all of them. Morgana had nearly lost her best friend, Arthur had nearly lost the woman he loved . . . and Guinevère had almost lost her life. "We found no trace of him, anywhere," Arthur confirmed, hoping that would ease her mind. At the same time, Arthur would be lying if he said that he too was not still worried about Dragoon wandering around Camelot, possibly plotting more ways to get back at the king or finding ways to frame Guinevère. Speaking of her . . .

"Guinevère, it is only Morgana," he called to her, turning his head to the direction of her hiding spot. Surely she was not going to hide for the duration of Morgana's visit. Maybe she did not hear who it was, or perhaps she was shy? Either way, Morgana was one of the two people that either of them would feel comfortable around enough to not have to hide their feelings. Merlin, being the one person. After waiting a few moments for her to emerge, he turned his gaze to Morgana once more. "Don't worry. Whoever he was, he seems to be long gone by now." He was now a fugitive, and would be instantly recognized. Arthur doubted he would be returning any time soon . . . or at least desperately hoped he would not be.