The King Has Returned . . . [Arwen]

[Guinevère]

He was speaking of her son! How dare he! "Do not speak my son's name!" She told him, not wanting to hear it on the pretends lips. "He is an innocent child, and no matter what the plot Morgana has thought up this time, SHE IS NOT GETTING MY SON!" Guinevère lost her detachment at the thought of yet again another attack on her child!

And yet he seemed to care nothing about her daughter. It was as if he didn't know! She knew Arthur's face when she told she was with child. She knew the look he would have gotten when she told him there was another on the way. IF this man was Arthur, she knew the look he would get now. The joy and the pain that would come across his face. The look that no one would ever expect from the king they had known.

Yet she wasn't sure she felt safe enough to tell him about Anna. If this plan did not induce her, she would not introduce it to her. Anna was special to her. Born a little early, she'd always been small. Loud and happy, but small. It made her afraid that something could happen to her easier then her son. "One would think," she said in a calmer voice, "that the last time Emrys send her running into the woods, she would have learned that Camelot would not be broken by her. That my son is not to be touched. . . . If you think to get close to him, I will make a public example out of you. I have never actually ordered someone's death before but I will send a message to her and her . . . friends, that my son is not to be touched in her game of thrones."

[Arthur Pendragon]

"He is my son too," he argued. His voice was not raised, but it held a strength to it. He hated arguing with Guinevère about such things. Who ever thought the day would come where he would have to stand here before her . . . debating that he was the father of her child; that he was her husband. It was a horrible thing to do and he never wanted things to be like this between them. He needed to try and find a way to fix it. But how? How when she refused to believe it was him. Her words caused him to freeze, and a numbness take him over. Morgana had targeted their son?! Arthur knew that Amaren was alright with the way Guinevère spoke of him . . . but the thought that potential harm had come to their child, and he had not been there to protect him . . . made that pain in his heart all the stronger. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm his emotions. He wanted to ask what happened but was not sure if he could take it. Not in the tone she was speaking to him now. Amaren was safe. He was alive. And Arthur would find out what happened to him . . . when it didn't look as if Guinevère was accusing him of being Morgana's puppet for her next plot. Opening his eyes once more he looked at Guinevère.

"Order my death then," he told her in a confident voice, yet was not overly commanding. He was saying it out of desperation more than anything; desperation for her to believe him. He was not being suicidal of course, and perhaps part of him wouldn't believe that she would actually do it . . . he said it anyway though. Knowing, it would take a lot for her to sentence someone to death. If he was agreeing to this judgment she held, then would it help convince her that he had not come here to destroy her life? "If you are absolutely certain, in the depth of your heart, that I am not your husband, then sentence me to death." He was not asking to be killed, but he was seeing if there was any semblance of belief in his words. Even an ounce of hesitation to so easily be rid of him. He would take anything at this point! "If there is nothing I can say or do to prove to you that I am who I claim, then make an example out of me." Because if she sent him away, to forever be without his son and wife . . . then it was not a life worth living. Of course, this was not the intent behind his words. He was just trying to see if she would show reluctance. Or if she was so certain it was not him.

[Guinevère]

"He is my son too," It was there then. The reaction to thinking of his son in dan--HER SON in danger! Not his! It was not his child! The reaction was there. Closing his eyes to keep others from seeing what was in them. As if the darkness would keep him from seeing the horrors of whatever he was thinking. . . .

Was it even possible? No! . . . . No! "Order my death then," What?! "If you are absolutely certain, in the depth of your heart, that I am not your husband, then sentence me to death." She should order it and have him locked in the cells for a few hours just to annoy him--yet she knew that it would be nothing but a bluff. Was his own words a bluff?

Her hands were down by her sides, and her thumb moved to turn the ring on her finger round and round. Arthur. . . what would you do? She wondered to herself. "If there is nothing I can say or do to prove to you that I am who I claim, then make an example out of me." She wanted too, be so cold and make something so evil happen that NO one came at her son again for fear of her, yet she couldn't quite make herself ever do it for fear of her self.

"Do not tell me what to do." She told him, pretending to not care at his words. In truth she was having more and more trouble staying detached. He known about Arthur wanting to be a farmer. How? How had Morgana known that?!

"You should have learned more about the kingdom before coming to pretend to be it's king." She told him, wondering if he only learned about the details from five years ago. "You speak of my son, claim he is yours."

There was one way to tell if this was Arthur. A reaction he could not fake to the level of her love. "My husband rode to war, and left behind a wife and son . . . and a daughter he would never know." she told him, waiting to see his reaction, watching his face with great interests. If he knew and was pretending not too know, she would see it there.

[Arthur Pendragon]

As the silence lingered between them, his mind raced with possible things he could say and do to prove it to her. He didn't know what though. Because . . . he didn't know how she would react. He had never seen her like this and in ways, it reminded him of the same way his father used to rule. Granted, she had said she never sentenced anyone to death so he knew she was not as cold. But, it was something in the way she spoke. The tone of detachment. One that he could not ignore and as their conversation progressed, it worried him more and more. If he thought that the revelations of what he had missed upon his return were bad thus far . . . nothing would have prepared him for her next words. "My husband rode to war, and left behind a wife and son . . . and a daughter he would never know." Once again, he froze. His mind took several moments to process what she had just said. A wife. A son. A . . . a daughter. He had a daughter? They had a daughter? It was such a bittersweet thing.

On the one hand, he was so proud to have a daughter, so grateful to Guinevère for giving him another precious gift. On the other hand . . . he had missed it. He had missed the time Guinevère was with child. He had missed the birth. He had missed the years she grew to be . . . four years old. He would never get that time back. He had not been there to hold his daughter. She would not recognize him. Neither of his children would recognize him. And that alone, was enough to break his heart. He looked to the ground, his eyes becoming a bit moist with tears, though he would not let them spill. Not with so many people around. When he had held Amaren for the first time, it had been the first and only time Arthur had ever cried from joy. From that overwhelming sense of happiness. Now, his eyes blurred for not just the happiness, but the sorrow. Of not having been there. He stayed silent as many minutes passed, trying to take deep breathes to control the grief of these losses. Of this time he would never get back.

He raised his sight to her again, his eyes no longer holding a desperate plea on the surface. But that same mixture between joy and sorrow. "Anna," he said softly, just needing to say her name to make it more real. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice slightly breathless as it caught in his throat. He was sorry he had not been there. Sorry that he had missed practically everything. "I wish . . . " That he had been there. To protect her. To protect Amaren. To protect, Anna. To protect his family. To just be with his family. But he lacked the composure to say all this and instead, just apologized again. "I'm so sorry Guinevère." For leaving her and their children, though it had never been his intention. Right now, he didn't even think of how his words could convince her. He thought only of apologizing to her, the thought not registering in his mind that she did not believe him to be Arthur, so therefore, his apology was meaningless.

[Guinevère]

It was there! The look was there! No! This was not her husband! THIS man was not her husband! How could it be! He was dead!! Guinevère took a few steps back, not even realizing that the chair was half behind her, and it made her almost trip. 'My lady!' One of the new guards spoke but she she waved him off, "Don't!" Don't touch her! She was on the edge of breaking!

She knew and she didn't want anyone to see it! Walking back toward the empty space between the throne and the wall she placed her hand over her belly and just stared. Stayed there and stared and thought! No! This wasn't happening! She couldn't find hope only to loose it again! She could not! It would kill her! Don't be foolish, she told herself, Morgana knows what hurts you!

Turning back toward the three guards she paused before walking forward to reclaim her seat, a new edge in her tone, "Go find a message, send them after the council. I don't care how important the treaty is, tell them all to return home this instant. I want them all here and all by tomorrow night, I don't care if they have to change horses every hour." One of the three left, and she looked at the next one.

"The old court physician, Gaius, has a home in the towns. Find him, wake him and escort him here. Don't frighten him, but explain what is happening. Take a horse and cart with you, he will not be able to walk this far. Bring in." The next guard bowed and left, while the this kept his cross bow aimed at . . . . . at . . . . this . . . Who was this man!?

She'd done this on purpose, left him one man to fight. Would he take advantage in order to speak with her alone or play by her rules? It was a test, one she liked to think she knew how Arthur would play. Was she right? Or would he fail?

[Arthur Pendragon]

He watched her. The way she moved back. The way she reacted to his own reaction. It was there. He could see it in here. There was that hope that he would hold on to that part of her believed him. Or at least, wanted to believe him. He continued to watch her and listen to her as she dismissed each guard, one at a time. Until there was only one left. He wasn't sure why. Did she do this because she believed him? Did she do this to get another's opinion? Either way, the council members would come as would Gaius. Would Gaius recognize him, even in his old age? Would anyone else give him the benefit of the doubt? Or had it been too long? Was it too late? No. He saw the way she reacted. With shock. With surprise. He knew Guinevère well and while he may be unfamiliar with who she was now, she knew she was still the same Guinevère that had he fallen in love with. With one guard left, Arthur wondered if she felt safer in his company . . . or if she had not wanted to waste time calling others to give them the order.

"Guinevère," he began to say, talking a step toward her but the man with the crossbow also took a very small step in his direction. Keeping the arrow pointed right at his head. Arthur stopped his advances. "Just five minutes of your time. Please." Alone. So that she could ask him whatever it was she needed to in order for him to further prove his identity. "Put me in chains if you must. I just, need to talk to you." Because he needed her to fully believe him. And not be afraid to believe him. Because he needed to see his son and daughter . . . hold his daughter for the first time. He needed so much right now, and she could not even bring herself to look at him with that same look of life she had once given him. What had happened? How had he just vanished for five years? If Morgana and Agravaine were to blame for this, then Arthur would target each of them. Before leaving the castle he would kill Agravaine, and then hunt down Morgana and kill her too. His own thoughts worried him, but he was so filled with anger toward them both. Knowing the threat they posed on his family . . . and what they had lost at these enemies' hands.

[Guinevère]

He was asking for time alone with her and she had been testing to see if he would force the issue. "What could you say then, that would change anything?" she asked, knowing Arthur was a more private person, and did not often show his emotions in public. That him wanting time alone with her fit into that. She was about to speak again but the doors opened and the 'servant' that she had 'dismissed' earlier, the one who's job it was to keep and eye on Arthur's uncle came running up to her. He bent low and whispered in her ear.

"What do you mean . . .gone?!" She asked, looking at him. 'Before I could get to the doors, he as gone. We can't find him.' That was not good! "Convenient." She told him, turning to look at this 'Arthur'.

"I really no longer have the time to play games, I need to know why you . . . whoever you are, dis like Arthur's uncle. I need to know know and don't start by telling me your Arthur, start with the why,"

"Quickly." What about this man, made Agravaine run?

[Arthur Pendragon]

What could he say? He wasn't sure. But he would be able to figure it out if a man wasn't pointing a loaded crossbow at him. He could move closer to her. Try to convince her. Even if it took a kiss to make it feel more real! But before either of them had the chance to say another word, someone burst in and said that Agravaine was gone. Arthur's heart beat quickened. Damn it! He had Agravaine within his grasp and now he was gone. He wasn't sure what he would have done to him, but he did not like the thought that he was now out there. Unwatched. Yet, he was away from his family . . . that was always a good thing. "The children Guinevère. Check on our children." He himself would have bolted out of the room, but the man still was armed and ready to fire at him if he made another move. Amaren and Anna. What if he had taken them as a hostage?! Arthur couldn't bare the thought!

But he knew that others did not believe him to be the traitor. So that he could have easy access into the children's rooms. She was asking him why, though his thoughts were occupied with fear over the safety of his family. But he had to answer her question. "He has been working with Morgana, all this time. He was the traitor." It was him all along and Arthur only wished he had seen it sooner! It was because of Agravaine that Arthur had fallen on the field that day, but she had said that she didn't want him to call himself Arthur . . . so would leave that detail out, for now. He turned to look at the guard and then at the door, before looking back at her. "Send someone to check on Amaren and Anna." Even without her telling him the name of their daughter, he knew. Because that had been the name they had decided. If she was not going to let him check on the children, then she needed to send someone who could ensure their safety.

[Guinevère]

"The children Guinevère. Check on our children." Her children! Not his! Not . . . they were her's! "He has been working with Morgana, all this time. He was the traitor." Believe him or not, Agravaine had left just as Arthur had 'come back'. She knew he disappeared at random times, but had yet to find out where. He was careful. Annoyingly so.

"Send someone to check on Amaren and Anna." She had not missed it earlier when he called her daughter Anna, she assumed that since everyone knew her name, he would too. But his reaction to a daughter had been so real that it had been the part to push her. Make her doubt. Now the man he claimed to be a traitor had fled.

To the guard, "Go and tell Sir Arryn to seal the castle. If he's left, I don't want him to return. No one leaves, and no one comes in but Gaius, or the council. No one. Anyone trying is to be arrested." To Alex, "Sir Kolby has my children in the place that we spoke of once. Agravaine wont look for them there, but in any case, doubt the guard. I want no one able to get near them. . . .set up a false guard at their rooms, and another at mine, and another in their play chambers. I don't want anyone guessing where they are."

With that both men had left, leaving Guinevère alone with this 'Arthur'. she paused for a moment, knowing he would not be able to guess where the children were unless he was really Arthur. For only he would know the one room she felt safest in above all others. The one room that could be guarded easiest, and that most didn't even know about because they never went down there . . .

"I don't believe you are Arthur. . . . but I believe you believe you are." She admitted to that much. JUST that much so he would be more willing to talk. "Truth or lie, whatever he thinks you know, as caused him to flee. We've been watching his actions for some time but thought he might be working with his own interest in the kingdom. Why do you think he works with the witch?"

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur again, remained silent as she gave out orders. It felt so odd, to be the one standing here and to hear her make commands. He knew it made sense, after all he was apparently 'dead' for five years. She had become a strong queen . . . and for that, he truly admired her. At the same time, he hoped she did not have to give up part of who she was. He knew how the pressures of running the kingdom could get to a person. He had only been able to deal with it, because she had been at his side the entire time. Without him here to support her . . . he wasn't sure how she did it. And later, he hoped to find out. Finally, they were alone now. Just him and her. He felt he could breathe a bit easier with a man with a crossbow staring him down. Ready to fire should he get too close. Though, she still didn't believe him. She only believed that he was delusional. At least it was a start. At least she was not trying to have him killed right now.

"Why do you think he works with the witch?" He knew better than try to withhold such important information from her. With no one else around, he hoped he could get through to her. "We always knew there was a traitor in our midst," he began to explain. Arthur had questioned all the knights, and even Gaius . . . the only reason he had not interrogated his uncle to the same extent, was because Agravaine had sworn on Ygraine's life. Thinking of it now filled Arthur with even greater anger towards him. "I did not know who it was until that day on the battlefield. Where he turned against me." It was because of him he had 'died'. "Was it Agravaine who told the others I was supposedly dead?" He wanted to know what this supposed nature of his death was.

[Guinevère]

"We always knew there was a traitor in our midst," The was true and anyone could have known it. They'd openly admitted to knowing and openly had been watching everyone's moves to discover who it could have been. "I did not know who it was until that day on the battlefield. Where he turned against me." . . . . . . . .

The look on her face, wasn't one Guinevère had ever held during her years with Arthur. There was a seethely cold look on her face, that suggested she was not pleased with his answer. "Was it Agravaine who told the others I was supposedly dead?" Yes. It had been his uncle, and he'd been so 'heart broken' that she'd never fully questioned it at the time. Why -had- he left Arthur's body behind and sent the knights into the fire pit to claim it?

"Why would he turn from his own flesh and blood, to work for Morgana, knowing that either way he'd not have the throne?" She asked, trying to fully adjust her mind to the idea. "We had assumed he planned to gain favor int he court, and then when the monarchy fell, hope the people turned to him." Only it had yet to fall, and Arthur left heirs that moved him out of reach of the throne.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur had never seen her give such an expression . . . and it continued to worry him about how hard the pressures had fallen on her. How difficult it was to carry the burdens of running a kingdom. Because the happy, jovial, optimistic Guinevère . . . would never hold such a look. But he would not focus on that. Not that her questions were any easier to focus on. He had no answers for her. And the reminder that Agravaine had turned against his own flesh and blood, caused a surge of emotional pain in Arthur. To have it questioned as to why, yet another family member, would turn against him. He had thought it was only Morgana, but to know that his mother's brother, had chosen the side of a woman who he had no relation to whatsoever . . . was disturbing. Agravaine and Arthur were joined by blood. Yet he chose a woman who he held no blood ties to; who was not his family. Arthur didn't understand it. He wasn't even sure he wanted to.

"I don't know," he admitted, wishing he had a better answer to give her. "Perhaps for the same reason that Morgana believes she is entitled to the throne above me, my wife, and my children." It was something else he would never understand. She had tried to take the throne once, and no one gave her loyalty. What made her think she could rule through fear? "Some questions have no answers, and some actions are not justifiable." And he did not want to stand here and get to the root of Agravaine's reasons. Not when he was still trying to convince her that it was really him. That her husband was not dead! "What I do know is that so long as he is here, you, Amaren and Anna are not safe." He was gone now, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to return. And he needed Guinevère to understand that he was the traitor, so that Agravaine would not be welcomed back with open arms.

[Guinevère]

"I don't know," Neither did she, and that was the trouble. "Perhaps for the same reason that Morgana believes she is entitled to the throne above me, my wife, and my children." They were not HIS! WHY did he keep calling them his! She wanted to demand he stop! She wanted to send him away! It wasn't easy looking at him, and him claiming her children didn't make it any easier!

"Some questions have no answers, and some actions are not justifiable." How true. That was something she'd learned over the years. Others saw Camelot's young queen as a weakness, and had moved in. She'd learn to put up walls, and trust few. To play the game their way, instead of how her heart told her too. "What I do know is that so long as he is here, you, Amaren and Anna are not safe."

If he thought he was Arthur, then he would worry for them. Yet knowing he worried and hearing it both made her heart hurt. Standing she started walking to the door, "Walk with me, I wish to show you something." She told him, leaving little choice in the matter as she walked past him, not answering anything he said. She knew the dangers, and when Agravaine was found, she would let the council decide how best Camelot could deal with traitors.

[Arthur Pendragon]

He noticed she did not respond to any of his words, and was unsure if that meant she believed him, or found the entire notion to be preposterous. The had not locked him up yet though, so he was taking that as a good sign. She moved closer to him and he felt his heart beat harder in his chest. To him, it had only been a matter of days since he saw her. But apparently, it had been years for her. The emotional distance between them made Arthur feel like it had been years as well. For all he wanted was to hold her and kiss her and tell her that he loved her. To see that his own wife would not recognize him as her husband, hurt in ways Arthur did not think imaginable. He could hardly blame her for it. But never the less, it hurt. She walked past him, barley giving him a second glance.

He followed though, not wishing to be out of her sight. He preferred to be armed, have a sword at his side to be safe . . . but asking for that now was not wise. Not when her trust for him was already practically non existent. As they went to the doors, he opened it for her, waiting for her to step out first. He didn't ask what they were going to see, knowing that she would have told him if she planned to. It seemed she was just going to show him, so once they were outside of the throne room, he would just follow her to see where she led. And to see what else had changed so drastically in these past few years.

[Guinevère]

She stayed silent until they had gotten to near the royal floors, with all the bed chambers of the royal family in it. Then she began her speech, as she lead him past all the bed rooms. "My husband was the greatest warrior this kingdom has ever seen. He had been since a child practically. The imagine of him is rather hard to live up to, as you can imagine." Because he wasn't her Arthur!

"My son knows the shoes to fill are great but he has six of the best teachers in the land, and I am very confidant that he will be able to find his own greatness. Even if he becomes half the man his father was, he will still be ten times greater then anyone else." Because HER Arthur was untouchable in her mind. Great. Strong. He never would have let things get so bad int he kingdom.

Pausing out side the room that had been Arthur's father's, she looked back at him. "This is the king's chambers." Not how he imagined, however. Pushing open the door, she walked in, then stepped aside so he could enter. Arthur's mother;s room that was down below had been a shrine almost to her. Everything she own had been moved and kept there.

This room became a shrine of sorts to the kings of the past. Arthur's armor hung up on a shoulder stand, and everything weapon wise that he owned was there, on display. Papers that he'd wrote, letters that were impersonal enough to display, swords, maces, helmets, shields, crests.

It was all here. His father's as well, future back along the wall. With his mother's things nestled to the side. In the middle of the room was a table with the top made of cloth, but empty. On one side of the table was his father's crowns, beside his mother's. On the other was Arthur's, with room left for her's one day. "My husband is dead."

it was a reminder, to him, to herself. "You might believe you are he, but when whatever magic that makes you think this ends . . . I will be the one who has to pick up the remains." She was showing him. Asking him. To stop pretending!

[Arthur Pendragon]

It felt strange, to hear of her speak so highly of him . . . talking as if the Arthur she knew was not the man walking alongside her. He didn't want her to rave about how great he was . . . as if he left her forever. He was here, he was with her! He didn't want her to glorify his memory. He wanted her to embrace his return. Though, that was the ideal. And after five years, how could he expect anything different? He could not imagine what it would be to live a life without Guinevère . . . nor was it something he tried to imagine often. Because it was too painful. He stayed silent for the walk, not wanting to argue or debate, nothing that would upset her further. But nor did he want to encourage a conversation about himself. Which was why he was thankful when they arrived in the room. His, father's room? What was in here? Was it something else that would shock him to the core? Was it another good or bad surprise? Between learning of the passage of time and the existence of his daughter . . . he wasn't sure his heart would be able to take any more surprises.

But it was not what he was thinking. For when she opened the door and he stepped inside, he was speechless. It looked like a Pendragon shrine. He instantly noticed his armor, his father's belongings . . . his mother's belongings. Things that had been moved downstairs to this room now. Him, his parents . . . this room was a tribute to them. It was so warm, and yet, felt so cold. Arthur didn't move too far into the room. He just stood there, staring at it. Was this what it had come to? Everyone truly believed he'd been dead. His wife. His children. The people. How had it come so far? He couldn't bare to look at it any longer. He didn't want to explore the content of it. It was too painful. To look at his mother's things, his father's things . . . and his own things, as if he had been assumed to join them. He wasn't though! And he was not stop trying to convince her. "My husband is dead." These words killed him to hear. For this was what she must have believed for so long. Why couldn't he have come back sooner? Why now, after so long? He couldn't explain it. He just wanted her to believe it.

He shook his head, finally looking away from everything and turned to her. Without thinking he took a few steps towards her, growing more and more desperate each passing minute she didn't believe it was him. "I can't explain why or how this has happened." Only, that he was now here again. "Nor can I imagine the burdens placed on you. For that, I am deeply sorry Guinevère." For leaving her here with two children, to run a kingdom on her own. "But I am your husband. I am the Arthur that you once knew." He did not say this to upset her, because he just needed her to see him; really see him. "What can I do to prove it? I will do anything. Just tell me what you need me to do or say." He could tell her anything about them, for his memory was in tact. Yet, he was unsure how closed her mind was to the possibility. And once again, he could not blame her for this. It only filled him with more urgency to get her to realize it was the man she loved, and not the work of cruel magic to impersonate him.

[Guinevère]

"I can't explain why or how this has happened." Which was why it was so hard to accept. Why now? Why when she needed him most did he appear as if he'd never left? Why would he come out of no where, and just . . . appear in her bed? Camelot was on the edge of war, of falling, and now of all times Arthur Pendragon and prodigal king returns? To save the day like white knight in shining armor?

"Nor can I imagine the burdens placed on you. For that, I am deeply sorry Guinevère." If he had been Arthur, he'd know the burdens. He'd have been king for a few years before his death. Yet she had the feeling he was talking about more then just the crown. "But I am your husband. I am the Arthur that you once knew." Stop! No! She didn't want to hear this! Not in her husband's tomb of a room!

"What can I do to prove it? I will do anything. Just tell me what you need me to do or say."She walked forward into the room and touched the table of cloth that was empty. "My husband's sword goes here." Excalibur. "it is said only the true king can pull it from the stone." Arthur was the true king, and this man was a pretender. "I will ask Emrys to put the sword back, and when he does, if you can pull it--proving you are the true king--I will recognize you as such." But not her husband. She could not open her heart to such a loss again. . . . no matter how much she wanted too. No matter how desperately she wanted too. Because he would leave again.

Still, she wanted to know with out waiting for Merlin. "I don't know how you knew about Arthur's wish of being a farmer, but it wasn't exactly a secret between us. You claim to be him. Tell me something that only my husband would know." What could she ask him to tell her? Their last night together? Surely no one would know something so personal as what happened in their chambers. "The night before my husband left, I gave him a gift. Tell me what it was." The gift was a favor, of a more physical sort. Instead of giving him a cloth to carry, she'd blindfolded him, and proceeded to do things that still made her shiver. She had told him that night, it was a reminder of what he had waiting for him at home. . . .

A home he'd never returned to.

[Arthur Pendragon]

He didn't want to wait that long. He didn't want to wait for whoever this Emrys person was to return and put the sword back, then having to go there and pull it out. It would not prove what he wanted to prove to her. For it was more important to him for her to believe that he was her husband, not a king. Though both went hand in hand, he considered himself her husband, and a father, all above any other status he held in this world. He wanted to be recognized as such. He could care less if the people did not recognize him as King of Camelot . . . as long as she recognized him as her Arthur. Though, it seemed that they were thinking along the same lines. For it seemed she wanted answers now, rather than wait for Emrys to come and help provide them. He waited for her to ask him something. And if she did not, then he would spout off any random thing he could. Any memory, any tease, any inside joke . . . just anything, to help her realize it was him. But she ended up asking him something rather specific.

"The night before my husband left, I gave him a gift. Tell me what it was." He held back a smile, though the memory itself was enough to warm his entire body. He remembered that night, for in his mind it was only a few days ago. He paused however before answering the question, his mind distracted by all the intimacy they had shared that night. How it had been so special. How she had surprised him in ways she never had before. They had been together in a way that indicated a fear for not seeing each other again, but also with a promise of return. Little did he know, that his return would be five years later. He walked over to the door but did not exit the room. Instead, he closed it, not wanting anyone to hear this. As these were things that were only shared between a husband and wife. He looked at her gathering his words and thoughts in preparation to answer her question. "That night, you gave me the most priceless and precious gift in all this world." It was nothing material, no object.

"You gave me yourself. Your heart. Your soul. Your body." Just as he had given her all of his. Because he loved her, so very much that he couldn't imagine how five years could have gone by without her. He slowly began to walk toward her, as he continued to speak. "You covered my eyes, concealing my sense of vision but intensified every other sense I own." She had made up for the loss of one sense, with all the others. "Sound. Touch. Taste." That night, she had certainly given him something to think about for the whole time he was gone. "I held you in my arms after, and you spoke of how you would be waiting for me when I came back. I promised you I would return . . . " He hadn't even realized he moved so close to her, now standing in front of her, but still not as close as he would have liked. Especially when recalling such passionate memories. "And now I am here, to honor my word." He had not been then, and if he hadn't come back now, then that would have been the first promise he'd ever broken to her.

[Guinevère]

She watched as he shut the door, and her brows rose slightly at the audacity he had to shut them in to her HUSBAND's tomb together! She inhaled to call for the guards but paused when he spoke, giving him a moment to explain. "That night, you gave me the most priceless and precious gift in all this world." Really? She'd all but told him that she'd given him a gift. "You gave me yourself. Your heart. Your soul. Your body." And this wasn't a hard guess, he knew she said that Arthur had left not knowing he'd left her with a child growing.

"You covered my eyes, concealing my sense of vision but intensified every other sense I own." THAT he could not have known. Arthur didn't brag or share and nor had she. No one on earth could have known that! "Sound. Touch. Taste." Her hands stood and even as he walked forward she could not think to move back.

"I held you in my arms after, and you spoke of how you would be waiting for me when I came back. I promised you I would return . . . " No! No! Sto-stop! Her mind yelled but her body would not move! Would not--could not move! "And now I am here, to honor my word." Oh dear sweet goodness!

Arthur had returned.

How---w-why . . . .

Guinevère felt the room tilt on it's side and before she could reach out to hold on, the floor rushed up at her, and the darkness took over her.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur watched her, for some sort of reaction. But before any words could escape her lips, she fell to the floor. He moved down just in time to catch her before she hit the ground. He didn't want to call for help. He was not ready to face everyone else, when they did not believe he was who he claimed. He also knew that there was a good chance he would be blamed for this; for causing harm to the queen. He did not yet want to break the moment, when he was on the verge of having her believe him. If that was what in fact caused her to faint. So he sat on the ground, holding the upper half of her body in his arms. One arm was wrapped around her, the other tucked back a loose strand of short curly hair behind her hear. He leaned down to kiss her forehead. While this was not how he envisioned holding her or kissing her after so long, he would take whatever he could get.

When they had gotten married, he always believed they would finally have a happy ending that they deserved. They'd been through so much, together and separately. He had thought that there was no greater joy than being able to call himself her husband. And then she had Amaren and even more joy entered their lives. It was as if everything was perfect. Everything was wonderful. Until yet another betrayal caused their world to crumble. He would never get back those lost years between them, and it killed him to think of all that he had missed out on. But now, he had to focus on the now. On the present. With her. With Amaren. And with Anna. So he just sat there, holding her in his arms, looking at her as he waited for her to awake from her temporary state of unconsciousness.