The Day After

A/N: Merlin doesn't belong to me.

Warning: Spoilers for 'The Coming of Arthur 1 & 2'. This story pretty much starts during the very last scene in Arthur #2.

Gwen was so relieved to see Arthur's face again. She had just spent hours in emotional agony hoping against hope that he survived. As well as her brother, Merlin, Lancelot and all the others who had been sitting at the round table with her. The act of spending her time toiling away alone, without knowing what was going on, without anyone to commiserate with, it was nerve-wracking. So the hide out was now empty, but there was a very large supply of firewood and bandages since she had nothing to do but follow Arthur's last orders. And the section of the room where she had started cleaning was immaculate.

When the five knights arrived to bring her back to Camelot, her brother began teasing. He surmised that if it had taken just a few more hours to defeat Morgana they would never recognized the place. She was relived when they told her that Camelot was free and that everyone was alright, but it wouldn't be real, completely real until she actually saw Arthur.

When her horse turned the corner and she spotted him sitting on the steps with Merlin, her heart leapt. She was prepared to exchange a knowing smile with him as they went their separate ways, but Arthur rose and strode purposefully right up to her horse. Before she could swing her leg over, he held his arms open to receive her; right there in the castle courtyard. The touch of his lips was like a healing balm to her worried soul, and she held him as he buried his face in her shoulder. She could feel the tension leaving his body. When they finally separated, there were several onlookers, peasants and nobles alike. There was no hiding from Uther this time; she only hoped that he would be more lenient about their relationship since everything that Camelot had been through. The threat of banishment and never seeing Arthur again still whispered in the back of her mind, but her brother had just been knighted, hadn't he? So anything was possible.

Arthur could see the weariness in her eyes. He walked her through the town back to her humble cottage. He wanted to stay with her, spend some time with her, but she was exhausted. And he had duties to attend to.

"Why don't you take tomorrow to rest and regain your strength. I'll have meals brought her to the cottage for you."

"No need to worry Arthur. I will take extra rest tomorrow, but I have my own provisions that I can use." He kissed her on the forehead and strode back to the castle.

Gwen heated some of the water in her reserve bucket and got herself good and clean. She changed into fresh clothing and laid down for the best sleep she had had in days.

The next morning she woke at dawn as usual. However there was no lady expecting her services upon waking, no one to lay out clothes for, or to help dress. Morgana was gone. A part of her missed the friend that she had been in the past, but she was glad to be rid of the evil, hateful woman she had become. She decided to take Arthur up on his suggestion. After all she could hardly be fired if it was the prince that told her to take time off. For the first time in her life she laid her head back down in the bed without being ill. She was so drained from the whole ordeal that she fell back to sleep easily.

Almost mid-morning she awoke. She straightened up her already tidy cottage and donned a fresh dress, her favorite one – the lavender. Sleeping an extra few hours was enough time off for Gwen. She decided to report to the castle for work. Without Morgana her duties would proceed as they had when Morgana had been kidnapped that year. She would report to the palace kitchen and see where Martha the household mistress would place her for the day. She hoped it would be a tolerable assignment; she really hated working in the laundry area.

She opened her door and stepped out to see the beautiful sun overhead. Then she spotted Gwain who was just a few feet from her door.

Guinevere greeted him cheerfully "Hello Gwain".

"There's my princess"

She smacked his arm as she embraced him. She stepped back and took a long look at him in his uniform.

"The knight's mantle suits you."

"Thank you. So, where are you off to?"

"I'm heading to the palace."

"Great."

He fell into step next to her and they chatted about the events of the last few days as they walked. She was distracted by Gwain; otherwise she might have noticed the two palace guards that took up residence by her front door after she stepped out. She didn't feel a need to rush so she looked at some of the wares that were being offered today as she was often prone to do. Every shop keeper greeted her with a big smile. Some were always friendly, but not all. But today everyone she looked at, everyone she glanced at had a big smile on their face. She couldn't help but smile herself; they were free from Morgana's tyranny. The place had been miserable when she made her escape with Sir Leon. She hoped the mood in the town would last, but she knew it wouldn't. So she would just enjoy it today.

As she and Gwain walked together some people nodded, and even bowed. It was an old custom to bow to the knights, but not unheard of. After the feat that Arthur, Gwain and the others pulled off, she suspected they would bow to Gwain for sometime to come. She thought he would be bothered by that type of attention, but he didn't seem to mind. If he didn't mind, then why should she.

Gwain walked with her right into the palace kitchen. The kitchen was all in high gear as it often was. Lunch was in progress and they already had Dinner preparations well underway. Guinevere walked over to Martha, who almost dropped the tray she was holding when Gwen walked in.

Guinevere's quick hand helped steady the tray, saving hours worth of work. Gwain helped himself to a few of the cut fruits that were lying about on a tray in progress of being arranged. While the young man cutting them was a little irritated, this man was a knight and was entitled to the food in the kitchen.

"Sorry Martha, I didn't mean to startle you."

"No worries, no worries at all dear Gwen. The Prince and his Father are having lunch in the main dining room."

Guinevere smiled, table service wasn't so bad. And it would be even better getting to see Arthur in the process. "Great. Do you need me to take anything up?"

Martha looked at her in confusion at first and then her expression turned to absolute gratitude. "No, not at all. I truly thank you for asking."

Guinevere raised an eye-brow, after all that was part of the job, but she dismissed it. Lunch was already underway and she wasn't sure how many servants were already in the main dining room. They may be short handed and in need of her help.

She turned and headed up and out of the kitchen with Gwain still on her heels.

"Where are you headed Gwain?"

"To the main dining room."

She wondered if all the knights were in there. If so, it was odd that Gwain would go to the kitchen's first. Why take the side trip when he could just eat what was being served in the hall? She was about to question him about as much when Lady Drew caught her eye. The woman looked at Guinevere with a tense smile, but she could see disapproval in her eyes. Guinevere dipped her head in acknowledgement and Lady Drew nodded her head slightly and then looked away. It was the weirdest thing. Guinevere looked herself over as she walked, wondering if she was disheveled or unkempt in any way. Then she realized that not everyone in Camelot would be happy that Morgana was gone. But that was not her issue, Morgana being gone is the best thing that could have happened.

At last, they made it to the main dining room. Gwain opened the door and motioned for Guinevere to walk through. She smiled and walked through and didn't notice that Gwain was no longer following her. She saw two servants standing by the wall. Uther was in his normal seat at the head of the table and Arthur sat to his right. A third servant was standing to Uther's left and appeared to be trying to feed Uther. Arthur was engrossed with making sure that his father ate at least half of the meal. Arthur was stressed and distracted because once all the carrots were gone, Uther seemed to have lost interest in the meal. Gwen winced slightly, as she walked by. Uther looked terrible, almost like a shell of the man he once was. She could only imagine what Morgana must have done to him. She concluded that a fourth servant was not required, but she would stand her post anyway.

She stood in line with the other servants, at the ready in case any of the diners needed anything. The person next to her looked at her oddly. Guinevere didn't know her very well, beyond the fact that her name was Audrey and she had a bit of a reputation for a short temper.

"What are you doing here?" Audrey whispered.

"This is where Martha sent me."

Guinevere's whispered tone was like a thunder blast in Arthur's ear. He immediately turned around.

"Guinevere!"

She nodded in response.

"What are you doing?" he said with a smile. "Come over here."

She was empty handed; she had nothing to validate her presence here in front of Uther.

She turned to Audrey and extended her hand to take the pitcher. Audrey shook her head.

Guinevere gave her a stern look "Give it to me" she whispered harshly.

Audrey reluctantly let go of the pitcher and Guinevere walked with it over to the table.

"Yes, Sire."

Arthur gave her an odd look. He took the pitcher from her hand and placed it on the table.

"Sit down. Are you hungry?"

"Sit?" she said as she took a step back from the table and looked at Uther. He didn't seem to notice. He was looking towards the window and muttering something about the innocents. Arthur rolled his eyes as he stood up, but when he looked at Guinevere straight on they softened. He gave her a short gentle kiss on the lips.

"Please sit and have lunch with me Guinevere. It's alright."

Arthur motioned for her to sit in his seat, which she did. As she sat the other male servant, a young man she could not name pushed her chair in for her. Audrey was right there moving Arthur's plate in front of him and putting a fresh clean plate in front of Guinevere. She then began to fill Guinevere's plate with a sampling of each item.

Arthur only smiled as Guinevere looked around like a fawn that was startled by a hunter and about to run away. He gently took her hand.

"I don't understand."

"I know I haven't formally asked you to marry me, but we both know it's just a matter of time. In the meanwhile, Morgana knows what you mean to me, which is why I had to assign you personal guards."

"What?"

Anger flashed across Arthur's face "Were you not escorted on your way here?"

"No. I walked here with Gwain, I ran into him when I was leaving."

Arthur smiled "It was Gwain's shift. He walked here with you because he was guarding you. And if he's doing what he's supposed to, he'll be right outside that door waiting for your exit."

"Oh" she said as she looked back at the door. For the first time realizing that Gwain wasn't in the room with her.

"I can't leave anything to chance. I want to ensure that no harm comes to you." He looked lovingly into his beloved's still troubled face. "Are you hungry?" he motioned to the plate sitting in front of her.

"Arthur. You can't treat me like this... personal guards… sitting at the table... I'm not a lady."

"You're right. Officially you're not a lady, but you will become one in due course and sometime in the future, you WILL become Queen."

A bird flew by and Uther began giggling.

Arthur frowned and added to his statement "The very near future I would suspect."

Guinevere picked up one of the items on her plate and began eating. She thought about her day and the reactions of those she encountered. The townspeople, Lady Drew, Martha and even Audrey; suddenly their reactions all made sense.

"It explains why everyone seemed so odd in interacting with me. Did you make an announcement or something?"

"No. I spoke only to the Knights so they could assign the palace guard for your protection as needed. I also spoke to the chief servant. I implied where your future was headed and that you would no longer be expected to perform the duties of a servant. I'm afraid the message spread through Camelot faster than a raging fire. Three nobles were at my door before nightfall."

"Oh my. I guess they're unhappy about me."

"No. One of them was here to give their support. The other two, not so much. But it wasn't so much about you as it was a possible threat to their way of life. I think if you were the only change, they may not have cared. However the introduction of knights not of noble blood gave them reason to question. Once I assured them that they were still going to be treated as they've always been that seemed to help. The only difference is that as far as I'm concerned noble is no longer only defined by your bloodline. Elian, Gwain, and Lancelot are noble of heart… just as you are. And being noble of heart should give you just as much entitlement as being noble of blood."

She smiled at that. "Fair and just, as I always knew you would be."

Guinevere reached for her goblet and the motion caught Uther's attention. He turned and looked at her. "What are you doing?" Guinevere tensed up and looked at Uther wide eyed. "A servant at my table?"

Arthur frowned, Guinevere had finally relaxed and now she was all tensed again. He took her hand again. "Father, I told you about her. This is Guinevere, the woman I'm going to marry."

"Oh, that servant girl. Arthur you can't…"

Arthur cut him off. "She USED to be Morgana's servant, and now…"

Arthur's words trailed off. At the mention of Morgana's name Uther's eyes lost their sharpness. He began starring off into nothing "why do you hate me?" he whispered to no one.

"I'm still hoping my Father can recover. Gaius recommended getting my Father back to familiar places, recreate some of his regular routine to try and bring his mind back. He has moments where he's lucid and then it's almost like reality becomes too much for him, and he goes back into this state."

"It would seem that if he did regain his senses, I would likely be banished again."

"No, that's not happening. Not this time."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Simply this. If he gets his mind back, I'll be able to reason with him. First, you're one of the heroes of this victory. You risked your life to help Sir Leon escape, and the knowledge from you both of what was happening inside Camelot was crucial to us winning. Second, we were up against odds that no sane person would have taken. It would have been far easier for me to take you and run, and never look back. But I came back and saved Camelot, with your help. He owes me at least this. And thirdly if he banishes you, I'm going with you. So it's both of us, or it's nothing."

"Arthur, we've discussed this. Your place is in Camelot."

"That's right. And as long as you are in Camelot I will be here too. But it no longer matters, because you will not be banished."

She smiled at his conviction. "I trust you Arthur more than anyone. If you say it, then it is true. We will be together always." She saw the subtle shift in his eyes. The one she saw whenever she said or did something that resonated with him. He looked at her intently.

"I love you Guinevere". His voice cracked slightly under the emotion that he felt. That was the first time he outright said those words to her. Yes, he implied and danced around the words, but to finally openly say them to her.

Her smile deepened as she blushed. Guinevere knew that there would be no more secrets and sneaking around now. He had essentially told the entire kingdom how he felt, by declaring she was no longer a servant and that she would be become Queen in due course. "And I love you Arthur, with all my heart."

She saw his eyes moisten as she spoke those words. In the past she would kiss Arthur, care for him, and declare her feelings with actions, but she had never uttered a word about love to him. To see the strength of his reaction, she realized that he wasn't entirely sure that she felt as strongly as he did. Arthur reached his hand out and touched her face.

They were mesmerized with each other in this moment. However Uther broke them out of their shared trance.

He was lucid again and staring at them. "I recognize this." He spoke in a whisper, but with clarity and conviction. The couple turned to look at him. "That look on your face Arthur. I used to look at your mother that way - that was true love. A love that could not be stopped or deterred by anything but her death. But even in death I loved her and still love her."

"Yes, Father. That's what I've been trying to tell you. I really do love her, regardless of her station."

"Most people will live and die and never experience this kind of love. My son, I am happy that you have found it."

"So you understand why I must be with her, why I must marry her?"

"I miss your mother so much. If she had not been born noble, I think I would have married her anyway." Uther looked away, but he was still present. He was thinking, pondering what would become of his son and his kingdom. "After experiencing such a love, there is no room anyone else. This kind of love brings hope, it brings promise, and it brings unity. I understand Arthur, you and…" Uther paused and looked, really looked at the young woman before him.

"Guinevere" she responded as she bowed her head.

"…Guinevere have my blessing."

Arthur's chest puffed out as he took a deep breath of relief. He touched Guinevere's arm. Guinevere was still looking at his father so he couldn't see her face, but he could tell she was happy.

"Thank you Father." Arthur was so happy, but he felt a slight reservation as he hoped that his Father would remember this moment and not fight against them again in the future.

Uther continued to look Guinevere over. "No one can deny you are lovely to behold."

Guinevere blushed "Thank you my Lord."

"So child, tell me about yourself. Your father was the blacksmith, and what of your mother?"

Arthur sat back and listened as his father became acquainted with his intended. They spoke for nearly an hour, and Arthur finally felt real hope for the first time that his father would recover. He remained lucid and engaged through the entire conversation, even when Morgana's name and the events of the past few weeks were mentioned. During this time Uther also finished the balance of his meal on his own. He wasn't quite his old self, but Arthur could see marked improvement. The meal ended when Uther declared that he needed to rest. He rose and walked on to his chambers of his own accord, although Arthur had a servant walk behind him to ensure that he made it to his chambers.

As the couple rose, Arthur kissed Guinevere right there in the castle. And for the first time in awhile Arthur could see a bright future for himself and his kingdom. Everything would be alright. Someone from the counsel summoned him and with a parting kiss he separated from his love.

"See you for dinner?"

She nodded. She also strode away purposefully, but as she reached the door she stopped as a thought struck her, 'Now what do I do all day?'

A/N: Thanks for reading. Your comments and constructive criticism are welcome.