Smiles All Round? (Morgana)

[thegwaine]

Gwaine had found his way out of the caste with relative ease. When he’d woken up, neither Gaius or Merlin had been around, and he had decided that he had needed some air after the ordeal he had been through. The bandage that he assumed Gaius had put on him was still holding strong. Gwaine was moving slightly slower than he usually would, but that was understandable seeing as he had been stabbed yesterday. He was doing quite well given the circumstances. Whatever Gaius had given him, it must have been incredibly strong. Gwaine had never heard of a wound healing so quickly, but he had never been injured this badly, and he didn’t make it his business to keep up to date with the practices of a physician. Well, unless he came across a female physician. Then he would be incredibly interested in her methods.

He grinned to himself, and had found himself in a rather nice looking garden. Gwaine liked it, but it didn’t feel like him. He would be much more comfortable in a tavern but he doubted the local tavern was open yet. Well he could make up for lost time later. Gwaine frowned to himself as he stepped awkwardly, and a sharp pain ran down his side. Why did it hurt so much? Hmm, he wondered if he could get anything else from Gaius to help numb the pain a little, though he still wanted to be mobile. Gwaine didn’t intend to stay here long; he never liked to outstay his welcome. He was too used to his nomadic lifestyle as well to settle in one place at a time. It wasn’t his style.

As Gwaine continued to walk through the gardens, he wondered whether he should start asking the locals for opinions on the local taverns or not. That was sometimes a risky strategy as some folk didn’t like people who came across as drunks. Gwaine wouldn’t usually care, but for some reason he did today. Looking ahead, he noticed a noblewoman approaching him. He grinned, not quite able to believe his luck. She was incredibly beautiful, so why wouldn’t Gwaine try to charm her? He stepped towards her with a grin, “Apologies for interrupting your walk my Lady, but I wondered if you would enjoy a little company?”

Tag: Morgana Pendragon
Timeline: During Series 3, Episode 3: Gwaine
Location: The Gardens
Time of Day: Mid-morning[/color][/size]

[morg]

Morgana was in a bit of a mood that morning. She hadn't heard from Morgause in a while, and she was getting impatient to start planning their take over of Camelot. To make matters worse, the melee was taking place soon, which meant that Morgana would be forced to get dressed up like a show pony, then sit there and pretend to care about the whole event. Sometimes it seemed as though her only function in Camelot was to sit there and look pretty.

Uther was being particularly irritating this morning at breakfast, going on and on about his first melee or something. She had stopped paying attention and had excused herself early. She needed some fresh air, so she decided to take a walk through the garden. Maybe she could find a way to contact Morgause, so they could get started with their plans again.

At least the roses were blooming, and it was a beautiful morning. She could just enjoy the fresh air and the scent of roses and she didn't have to fake her smiles right now.

She didn't notice that anyone else was around, so when she heard the voice not far away, she glanced up in surprise. She'd never seen him before, but he was handsome... in that dirty, unshaven sort of way. Not that she liked that sort of thing. Still, she could have a little fun...

"I wouldn't mind company if it was the right kind of company," she replied haughtily, but eyes danced with mischief. "Unfortunately, I don't see anyone here that meets that description."

[thegwaine]

Gwaine felt unnecessarily confident today for some reason. Perhaps it was to do with the fact that he was in a new kingdom, with new opportunities to discover. He would never stay long in a new place, and it led him to think that eventually he would run out of places to go, but he knew that would never happen. There were always new places to discover, new people to meet and new events to gatecrash. A smile passed his lips, if he was at all interested he could have written a guide of all the taverns in Albion with his kind of experience. He had been in enough to give a balanced opinion at least. The woman in front of him looked like the typical noblewoman, though the dress she was wearing gave her away as being a woman who craved the finer things in life. That was nothing that Gwaine hadn’t experienced before of course; women were similar in some ways, and he was sure that he would be able to handle her with ease, as he did with many of his conquests.

He was a little disappointed by her response, but perhaps she was just playing hard to get. Some women liked to do that just so they didn’t seem like they were making it too easy for him. They liked to imagine they had some self control, but when Gwaine was in the equation, he made it hard for any woman to exercise self control. This woman would be no different, Gwaine was sure of it. She just needed careful handling, and Gwaine was no stranger to that. “If you would allow me my Lady, I would seek to change your opinion on that.” He gave a dramatic sort of bow, and kept his eyes locked with the woman though the entire motion. Rising up, he grinned once more, “And what may I call you my Lady?”

[morg]

Morgana smiled in spite of herself, but it was a cold smile. Clearly the man thought highly of himself, if he dared to flirt with noblewoman. Of course, he likely had no idea that she was the king's ward, or he probably wouldn't have been quite so bold. But his attitdu reminded her of one of Arthur's knights, or perhaps one of the many high-born nobles who often visited Camelot to take part in one of the tournaments. Maybe he was one of them, come to take part in the melee, and he just liked to dress in disguise. If that was the case, he was quite convincing. Morgana found herself wondering when the man might have bathed last.

Still, he was rather attractive, and Morgana decided it might be fun to play along. After all, it wasn't very often that men dared to flirt with her. Being King Uther's ward made her quite an intimidating figure to most men, and they tended to stay away from her to avoid his wrath. But Morgana didn't need Uther or anyone else to "protect" her, and she found that she was just a little bit flattered by the man's attentions.

"My name is Morgana," she said, watching his expression to see if the mere mention of her name caused any kind of reaction on his face. "And who, pray tell, are you?"

[thegwaine]

Gwaine was feeling quite good this morning, optimistic even. Being in a new kingdom did this to him. His problems seemed to melt away when he entered a new kingdom, simply because there wasn’t anyone here that knew him, therefore he could start afresh. He didn’t see his nomad status as a problem, and his lack of wealth and homelessness came along with that, so nothing tended to faze him much anymore. It was a standard fact of life, and it was how he had coped for so long. Gwaine was glad that the noble stock of Camelot appeared so pleasing to the eye, and of course being this far south, the ladies tended to wear a little less. When he had been in the northern lands, and in the northern kingdoms, the women had wrapped themselves up in layer after layer, leaving everything to the imagination, and living up to nothing. This, however, was a different story altogether.

He was glad at least that she had given her name, and it mirrored both her status and her pretty face. Gwaine grinned and bowed again, “My Lady Morgana.” He had heard about Morgana, briefly when he had been in neighbouring kingdoms. He had always been told that she had enough beauty to make up for Uther’s cold, and harsh nature. That was easy to believe now that he was in front of the woman herself, it was a surprise she was not yet married, though that could easily be something of an advantage to Gwaine. “My name is Gwaine, my Lady.” He grinned again, wondering how far he could take this; how far would she let him take this? Some women made it obvious, but others played hard to get. They mostly all had the same outcome though. To say that Gwaine was more than a little confident in his own abilities was a complete understatement. “I am quite new in these parts, perhaps you would oblige me with a little tour, I would greatly appreciate your company.” Gwaine doubted she would enjoy a few rounds in the tavern, no, that was for later.

[morg]

Far too often in the past, Morgana had seen the flash of recognition in a man's eyes, followed by a distinctive change in attitude, from flirtatious to cool, respectful, politeness. She used to appreciate it as a a mark of respect for her rank, but now it annoyed her, because she realized it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with Uther. No one would dare behave in a way that was inappropriate to the king's ward, lest he should find out and exact his vengeance against them.

In a sense, then, she became just a pretty jewel to adorn Uther's side and be trotted out like a show pony whenever he had some kind of event. Arthur got to take part in the tournaments, but she had to sit at Uther's side and pretend like she was interested in the events. She was just there to be seen, but never touched, and never spoken to like she was a real person.

When she told the man her name, she saw the flash of recognition in his eyes, and the greeting that followed sounded a lot like the cool reserve she was used to hearing. But it didn't last. Almost immediately after, he was back to flirting with her again.

Now she was intrigued. He knew who she was and yet he didn't walk the other way? He wasn't worried about incurring Uther's wrath?

Of course, it didn't really matter. Morgana had plans of her own and they did not include this brash, outspoken, and, yes, very attractive man. But that didn't mean she couldn't play a little and see how far he was willing to take this. After all, she never really got much of a chance to practice her wiles on anyone.

"Are you asking me to escort you around the city?" Morgana said, arching an eyebrow at him doubtfully. "Really, sir Gwaine, you are quite bold. You look to me like a man who's capable of finding his own way around. But perhaps you could escort me to the stables. I was just going out for a ride."