Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, etc, etc

Note: set during 3x08, some small spoilers. What if Gwen had got tired of always waiting around Camelot for Arthur to return? Hope you like.

A Girl's Got To Do

She waited quietly in the trees until Merlin and Gwaine had moved some distance ahead before she gently urged her horse after them. It was essential that she wasn't spotted by anyone if she was to achieve her goal and so far she had been successful in maintaining her secrecy. The two young men set a hard pace but she was up to the task she had set herself and she had little trouble keeping up with them.

As darkness fell, she settled herself down among the roots of a large tree which she hoped would provide her with sufficient protection from the elements and possible attack while her horse was tethered not far from her. Unlike the men she was following, she did not have the luxury of lighting a fire. Gwen sighed softly into the night air and pulled her cloak tightly around her body as she closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep.

Naturally, she had worried about Arthur after he had set off on his quest but she went about her duties as normal and tried not to think too much about the dangers he might face. However, when she had spotted Merlin packing saddlebags with what looked liked supplies for a journey, instinct told her that her friend would not be travelling anywhere unless it was something to do with Arthur. In this case, it must be something urgent as the prince was explicitly instructed to complete his quest alone.

So with a hurried excuse to Morgana about something to do with having to tend to a sick friend and being surprised at how willing her mistress was to let her go, Gwen rushed to change and pack in order to follow Merlin. The maid was no longer happy to stand back whilst Arthur risked life and limb on far too regular a basis. He always returned safe and sound to her but her heart was always in her mouth each time he was away and this time, her concern was too great for her to stay put.

Surprise was a mild way to put it when she had followed Merlin to a tavern before he subsequently appeared with Gwaine in tow and the two had ridden off after being chased by a group of ruffians who Gwaine had seriously annoyed in typical Gwaine fashion.

A noise somewhere between a roar and a squawk roused Gwen from her light sleep and she looked around whilst firmly gripping the sword she had laid upon her lap. It was a fine blade, well-crafted and expertly balanced. It had been easy enough to get Elyan to forge her a new sword with stories of how young women living on their own needed a decent means of protecting themselves from possible intruders and her brother had shown himself to be as talented a blacksmith and metal-worker as their father.

She gritted her teeth as the sounds continued to be heard throughout the forest. It was going to be a long night.

As Merlin and Gwaine reached the edge of the plateau which looked out over the Perilous Lands and gave them their first view of the Fisher King's citadel, so too did Gwen see the forbidding structure and the winged, dragon-like creatures that circled the sky around it. She gulped at the sight and for the first time seriously questioned the wisdom of her actions. Gwen was a maid for goodness sake, not a trained fighter like Morgana. No, she was nothing like Morgana! She reminded herself that she also came from strong, proud stock where her family were loyal and steadfast in their belief in all things good and her belief in good came in no better form than Arthur Pendragon.

Gwen steeled herself and set off after her quarry, trying not to squeak in fear whenever she saw the wyverns or thought they had spotted her.

Getting into the citadel itself had proved somewhat problematic after Merlin and Gwaine had had to forcibly lift up the portcullis but she was a resourceful girl and she skirted the crumbling walls until she found a section dilapidated enough for her to clamber over and scramble inelegantly down the other side into the grounds of the citadel. More tricky for her was when she realised that Merlin and Gwaine had split up and she now had to nothing to go on but her own intuition to find one or other of them. She chose to go to the left and scurried to get within the building itself where she would have more cover.

Gwen scanned nervously about her as she heard the wyverns' screeches getting closer, or perhaps she was getting closer to them - either way, she would rather they were more distant. She heard a ring of steel striking stone and she peered cautiously around a corner to find Gwaine fighting against a wyvern then skilfully dispatching it with a couple of blows from his sword. She was about to reveal her cover to him when she felt a light breeze caused by a wing-flap as yet another of the dragon-like beasts appeared. It took a split-second for her to decide to move out from behind the cover of the wall and the look of surprise on Gwaine's face was quite a picture.

"Gwen! What are you doing here?" Gwaine was incredulous.

"Look out!" shouted Gwen in warning as the wyvern lashed out with its tail in a whip-like motion. "I came after Merlin." She made a well-aimed slash at the tail and drew a shriek of pain from the winged creature.

"Merlin, eh?" he looked knowingly at her. "Do you mean Arthur?"

Gwen said nothing but instead blushed furiously.

"He's a lucky man is Arthur. I hope he knows that." Gwaine smiled wistfully before returning his attention to the wyvern which, by this point, had made its way through the broken door to launch a fatal attack on the revived prince and his manservant.

The unrecognised nobleman casually lifted his sword and ran his blade swiftly between the wyvern's shoulder blades, severing its spine as it was driven home into its heart. It fell lifelessly forward in front of Merlin and Arthur who now stared in disbelief at the appearance of Gwaine.

"Great, this just gets better and better," Arthur shook his head. "Are Gwen and Morgana here too?" he demanded rhetorically.

At this, Gwaine coughed as Gwen stepped sheepishly from behind his back.

"Gwen!" Arthur was shocked.

"Hello, Arthur." Her tone was calm, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for her to appear to him alongside his servant and a brave, noble swordsman whom his father had banished from Camelot and all this during a quest which he was supposed to undertake alone in order to prove his worth as the future king.

Arthur looked around her. "And Morgana?"

"Erm, she is not here."

Unable to think of what else to say to her at the moment, he turned his attention to the other young men. "Are you two out of your minds? How could you bring Gwen here on such a dangerous quest?" Arthur was furious at Merlin and Gwaine even though the sorcerer looked just as shocked by Gwen's presence.

"Arthur, stop shouting," Gwen admonished. "I followed them, they didn't know I was here."

"Um, I hate to interrupt," said Merlin, "but isn't there a more pressing concern at the moment?" he looked pointedly at Arthur who scowled but acknowledged he had a task to complete.

It was sometime later after Arthur and Merlin had completed their respective quests regarding the Fisher King when the four companions were riding home that Arthur had an opportunity to speak to Gwen. They dropped their horses back behind Merlin and Gwaine who shared a knowing grin and graciously rode further ahead, conversing loudly in order to give the prince and the maid privacy.

Arthur felt sick at thought that Gwen might have been killed for his sake and the fear showed itself in anger that questioned her sanity.

"What on earth were you thinking of, Guinevere? I told you and everyone that it was my quest, one I had to do alone."

His tone made her defensive. "I was worried about you, I wanted to help you, just like Merlin and Gwaine did."

"They had no business coming after me," he pouted sullenly.

"No business?" She was getting annoyed now. "Arthur, they're your friends and concerned for your safety. They came to help you. That's what friends do for each other." She glared at him. "I would be honoured and hope that they would do the same for me if the situation arose." Her tone became gentler. "They already have, and you as well. You came for me, even when you needn't have, when you were told not to. You still came."

The anger had left Arthur and it was all he could do to keep his composure as he stopped his horse and hers. He looked deep into her eyes and took her hand in his. "Guinevere, you might have died. I would never have forgiven myself if I knew that I had been the cause of it." He raised her hand to place it over his heart. "I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you."

Gwen smiled softly, her eyes reflecting the love that shone in his. "You will never lose me."

I realise that I completely skirted over the whole 'meeting the Fisher King and completion of the quest scenes' but this is really an arwen fic and I would only be repeating what happened in the show itself and it didn't seem necessary for me to do so. Please forgive me if you wanted it included.