A last check of the town, he'd told his father, to
make sure everything was alright.
"But it's near curfew!" Uther told him, "Have one of
your men do it."
And Arthur lied. He spun some tale of a gang of thieves
who'd been sighted outside Camelot, and how he'd feel better knowing he had made the last rounds. Sword on his hip, Arthur
Pendragon marched out of the castle as if he had serious thief-scouting to attend to.
Instead, he stayed in the shadows as he slinked across
the courtyard and made his way to the Lowertown. He could see her home the moment he stepped into the street, the surroundings
dark except for the small candle that burned in the window.
Arthur didn't bother knocking, "Gwen?" His voice was
soft as he pushed the door open and stepped inside, "It's Arthur." He frowned, "I mean, of course it's Arthur--who else would
it be this late at ni..."
He couldn't see her, but he felt her as she pressed
herself into him, her small hands resting on his broad chest, "I know it's you, sire." She whispered against the fabric of
his shirt, and he could feel her lips move against his skin.
Arthur closed his eyes and embraced her tightly, "Guinevere,
how many times must I tell you? When I'm with you, I'm Arthur. Simply Arthur."
"Right, yes, of course si...Arthur." Her voice was
shaky as she looked up at him, her brown eyes catching the light of the candles, making them appear golden. She half smiled,
"That's hard to get used to."
He laughed softly, "It's just a name, Gwen. That's
all it is. A stupid name and a stupid title."
"Oh, no it's not. It's more than name and more than
a title and more than..." She glanced up at him, "More than me." Her bottom lip twitched, "It's who you are, Arthur."
Arthur swallowed. She'd mentioned this before, and
he always batted her worried away without a thought, atleast for the moment. But he could see now that it was something that
truly bothered her. Why wouldn't it? Deep down, it bothered him too--he was just better at hiding it.
He just had to be the Prince that fell in love with
the hand maiden, didn't he?
"Guinevere..." He cupped her face in his hands, tilting
her head up so he could peer into her sad eyes. His lips parted as if to speak, then he realized he didn't know what to say.
So he said what he felt. "I...love you."
She blushed deeply and glanced away, "I'm sorry I always
say things to upset you. I guess I can't help it. But all I want to do is enjoy being with you...without thinking." She smiled
at him, reaching up to trace her finger along his jaw.
His smile was mischevous, "So stop thinking." He told
her in a whisper, and dipped down to capture her lips in a kiss.
