A/N: Hello Merlin lovers! New story I wanted to try out. This first chapter is just a short intro to set up the plot, hopefully you guys like it! Enjoy, and thank you for reading!
Chapter 1: Prologue
His hands were shaking.
He looked down at his clenched fists, he couldn't control himself. It had all been too much, and no matter his efforts, his anger would overpower his rationality.
He didn't understand it. He was royalty, the heir to the throne, he was Arthur Pendragon. How she managed to wind him so tightly was beyond him. Things like this didn't happen to princes.
He found her deceptive, two faced, duplicitous. She had played him for a fool, making his feelings a game. She was a woman with malicious intent, planning to use him from the beginning. Her affections were never real, none of it was. She was a simple social climber, wanting to share a couple moments with the crown prince to further her hidden agenda. At least, that was what he wanted to believe.
But he knew better. It was just easier to paint her as a cold-hearted villain .
She was innocent, a true angel. She would never do anything to hurt anyone, she was the most caring being he had ever met. She was an open book, not able to lie without making it obvious. Her feelings were genuine, or they had been when it all started. Her loyalty was never to be questioned, her unwavering devotion and trust in him was stronger than any other bond he ever had.
It was his fault that all of it happened, it was his blame to shoulder. He had forced her to join his world, knowing very well that she didn't belong. The royal court of Camelot was no place for a simple peasant girl.
But the thing was, he didn't know what would have become of him had he not asked her to come away with him. She was like the air he had to breathe, the water her needed to drink. She was an integral and irreplaceable part of his life.
She might have been a dispensable servant to others, but to him, she was essential.
When she came into his life, he was at his lowest low. She was his savior, whether he cared to admit it or not. She made him happy again, she made him understand what it was to be his own person.
But now it was all gone. Things were said and done.
He didn't know if he would ever see her again. He couldn't even think of how she could face him after the sins he had committed.
She was gone now, and it was all because of him. He simply received what he justly deserved.
Her words echoed in his head, haunting every fiber in his body.
"I love you,"
Her smile engraved into his memory. Her kindness made a permanent impression on his soul.
Arthur sat at his desk, goblet filled to the rim, staring at the one piece of her that he had left. He fingered the strip of red cloth in his hands, hoping that somehow holding it would bring her back. It soothed him, he was no longer trembling.
He closed his eyes, leaning his head back. He took a deep breath, and began to remember.
She was his first, last, and greatest love. She gave him what he could never experience in a million lifetimes. He would never forget the dearest treasure ever crossed his path.
He drifted back to the time when their complicated story began to unfold, where everything had come to a start.
To be continued….
A/N: Should I continue? This is a much darker take on 'Merlin' characters, and is basically AU. I will be taking elements from the show while recreating it in a way to make a more complicated love story between Gwen and Arthur. Reviews if you're interested in reading more, thank you for reading!