Forbidden

Yes, I'm back! This is my brand new story, and it's only my second one to be published, so please be nice :-P

Please review, because I really want to know what you think of it, and hopefully I'll get enough comments to make me want to continue! Also, I've never worked on a film set before, so please don't hesitate to lecture me on how wrong I got things- it would really help if I knew more about what I was writing.

Just a quick notice about the bands/artists mentioned in this story: none of them are fiction, they do actually exist! Look up some of their singles, they're absolutely incredible, and I can't believe they're not more popular than they are. Also, Kassidy and Dry the River make up a lot of my writing music : - )

Now that's out the way, please enjoy!

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Guinevere Leodegrance sat up in bed and smiled. Today was the first day at her new job: a costume designer on the set of Uther Pendragon's new film, The Sword in the Stone. She was incredibly lucky to have been employed by the world-famous film company: Uther was known as the best producer in film history, and personally chose each of his employees. He never used actors that weren't from famous families, and his own son, Arthur, as well as his adopted daughter Morgana Le Fay, were automatically given a role in every production. Many people scoffed at his "ridiculous" methods, but strangely, they seemed to work; he was yet to make a film that didn't get anything less than five-star reviews from all critics.

The entire film was going to be filmed over eighteen months; seven in a castle in France and on location, and seven in some studios in Wales, leaving four months for editing and adding in the special effects. Technically, Gwen had started work three months ago, sketching and designing, planning and sewing with the costume department until their ideas had come to life. She had now successfully made six dresses, and the chief costume designer had been so impressed that she had automatically been promoted to being in charge of dresses for the actress Morgana Le Fay, hence the reason for her getting the train to France today. This meant she would always be with Morgana, who would be filming there at the castle, making fittings and transportation a lot easier.

So, an hour and a half later, it was to find Gwen boarding the Eurostar and making her way down to the carriage that had been reserved just for the film crew. Eventually she found her allocated seat (one of four around a table), and shoved her heavy suitcase onto the rack above her. For a couple of minutes she just sat there, taking in her surroundings as people started to fill up the seats around her. After a while a woman with long black hair and a pale complexion sat herself in the seat next to her, resting her purple Mulberry bag on her lap. She was dressed all in black except for the silver jewellery she wore on her wrists and around her neck, and quickly checked her Blackberry before putting it back in her jacket pocket and turning to face Gwen with a smile on her face.

'Hello,' she said warmly, 'I'm Morgana Le Fay, an actress. Who are you?'

'Guinevere, but most people just call me Gwen,' replied Gwen shyly. She could honestly say that she was starstruck- Morgana was one of the biggest film stars of all time, and she was sitting in the seat next to her.

'Gwen? Gwen as in the woman who's been promoted to designing my dresses for the entire film?'

Gwen nodded, and Morgana's smile became even wider. 'Well, this is brilliant! I've seen some of your work, Gwen, and that purple and blue dress- I think you might actually be my soulmate. It's like you could read my mind, or something- that's exactly the kind of thing I was secretly hoping for!'

She blushed under the woman's compliment. 'Well, Gwen,' continued Morgana, 'I have a feeling we're going to be very good friends- at least I hope so, because if not, we're stuck with each other for the next year and a bit!' she laughed, and Gwen joined in, but both quickly stopped at the sight of a tall, blonde man striding down the aisle towards them. 'Oh god,' muttered Morgana, 'Brace yourself, here he comes…'

The man stopped in front of them, and now he was nearer Gwen could examine him better. He had a slight tan, despite the fact that it was only May, and was wearing no jacket over his black top, displaying his muscles quite nicely. His clear blue eyes barely glanced at Gwen, instead focusing on Morgana. The woman in question looked up at him with obvious disdain. 'Arthur. A pleasure, as always,' she said sarcastically, and Gwen had to stop herself from grinning at the sight of this Arthur person rolling his eyes. 'Been bullying anyone lately?'

Arthur ignored her comment. 'Father's on the platform, he wants to talk to you about something,' he said curtly. Morgana nodded once and then turned back to face Gwen. She opened her mouth to say something, but Arthur cut her off before she even had the chance to begin. 'He wants to talk to you now, Morgana; you know he doesn't like to be kept waiting.'

Groaning, Morgana stood up. 'I bet he just wants to tell me off for disagreeing with him last night; I'll be back in a minute, Gwen,' she said, and then looked across at Arthur again. 'However wonderfully important you are, Arthur, you might want to move; you're blocking the aisle.' It was true; there was now a rather long queue forming behind the blonde, something that he seemed to have remained oblivious to. Scowling, Arthur sat himself down in the seat opposite Gwen's and looked her up and down.

She was beautiful, he decided. Her black ringlets fell halfway down her back, and she dressed modestly, with a cardigan over her stripy t-shirt. He would get her, he decided suddenly. She would be her next conquest; he could do with a change from all the fake blondes he had encountered on his most recent trip to Ibiza. He wasn't looking for a relationship, of course- Arthur Pendragon never did relationships. But a couple of weeks of sex… that was something he could he could cope with. So he straightened up in his chair and flashed her an award-winning smile.

'Hi,' he said in what he hoped was a seductive voice. She looked across at him and smiled once.

'Hi,' she replied, and then went back to drawing whatever she was drawing in her notebook.

Excellent, he thought, it was working already. 'I'm Arthur,' he continued, holding out a hand. 'Arthur Pendragon.'

'I'm-' she began, but was interrupted by a man sauntering up to them. He had dark brown hair that rested just above his shoulders and a rather cheeky grin on his face.

He sauntered up the aisle and stopped in front of Gwen, doing a double take when he saw her and practically oozing charm. Perching himself on the edge of Morgana's still empty seat, he made a small flower appear out of thin air and held it out to Gwen. 'I believe this belongs to you,' he said in a strong Irish accent, his smile never leaving her face. He tried to place it in her hair, but she swerved out of his way.

For some reason, this man seemed familiar.

'I don't think so,' she said, smiling at his confidence. This man was going to be fun to have around, she could tell already; probably the life and soul of every party, judging by the faint smell of alcohol surrounding him. 'It's not my colour.'

'Well,' he carried on, undeterred. 'Let us see.' He reached forwards again, and this time succeeded in tucking it into her curls.

'I bet you've got a whole bunch of those to hand out,' she said, but the man held up his hands, showing her both sides of each one.

'Yours is the only one,' he said, winking. Gwen couldn't help it; she laughed. Who was this man, and how was he so confident, even though she kept knocking him back?

'I'm Gwaine,' he added, his eyes not leaving her face as they shook hands.

Gwen smirked. 'Nice to meet you, Gwaine. Now, if you'll excuse me…' she gestured to her sketchbook, but just as she put her pencil on the paper he spoke again.

'You haven't told me your name!' he looked her up and down, oblivious to her embarrassment- or maybe he had noticed, and was simply having a bit more fun. 'You look like a princess,' he went on, 'So it's probably something like Sophia, or Esmerelda.' He grin became wider. 'That's it. Princess Esmerelda!' he pretended to bow to her, and several people looked across at what was happening, causing Gwen's cheeks to burn.

'Stop it, people are staring,' she hissed, avoiding everyone's gaze.

Gwaine straightened up from his bow. 'Not until you tell me your name.' he smirked.

'It's Gwen,' she said quickly to avoid further mortification, and Arthur smiled. Gwen. It was a beautiful name.

'There,' said Gwaine softly. 'That wasn't too hard, was it?'

Gwen had had enough, and pushed herself off her seat. 'I'm going to go and get myself a coffee,' she told him, praying with all her might that he wouldn't follow.

'I'll get it for you,' he said, smiling. 'A princess shouldn't have to buy her own food.'

She sighed. Was this man ever going to stop? 'Unfortunately, I'm not a princess.'

'You are to me.' Gwen's amusement and despair must have shown on her face, because he continued, 'This really isn't working, is it?'

Gwen shook her head. Finally. 'No. But I like that you kept trying and that you knew when to give up.' She took the flower out of her hair and handed it back. 'Here, you'd better have this- in case someone else takes your fancy.'

He began to walk back down the aisle and towards an empty seat in the distance. 'I've only eyes for you!' he called to her over his shoulder, and she laughed again.

'I'm sure,' she grinned, and went back to sketching in her book. Suddenly, she realised where she had seem Gwaine before- he was Gwaine Legend, the actor famous for his womanising ways.

Meanwhile, Arthur sat sullenly in his seat, silently furious. This Gwen hadn't so much as glanced at him! She obviously didn't think he was worth including in the conversation… she obviously wasn't worth his attention either, he decided, and made himself a pact that he would never want her in that way again. Just then, another man who looked to be in his early twenties came practically bouncing towards them. He had ears the size of dinner plates, skin as pale as Morgana's and was wearing a large goofy grin.

'Arthur!' he said happily. 'I've been looking for you everywhere- I got you your coffee like you wanted me to, look-' he put the coffee cup down on the table, but someone pushed past him and he was knocked, sending the drink all over himself. For a moment he just stood there, looking like a complete idiot; his hair, face and jumper were all dripping wet. 'Oh,' he said, shaking his head experimentally.

'Here,' said Gwen kindly, fishing some tissues out of her bag. 'Have these.'

'Thanks,' he replied gratefully, the goofy smile returning. He sat himself down next to Arthur and began to dab away and rubbed the tissues vigorously over his hair, and then took off his hoodie to reveal one of the skinniest bodies Gwen had ever seen. He was practically a skeleton. He looked up and caught her staring, and she blushed. What was it with her cheeks today? 'Don't worry, people stare at me all the time,' he said. 'I do eat, honest, it's just that this one here-' he jabbed his thumb towards Arthur, who didn't even look up from his iPad, '-keeps me working and fetching and carrying all day.'

Gwen immediately felt sorry for the boy. It was clear that Arthur wasn't a nice person to work for. 'I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen. I'm Morgana Le Fay's personal costume designer.' She held out her hand, and he shook it.

'I'm Merlin, but most people call me idiot. I'm his royal highness' PA.'

She giggled. Merlin was a very cheerful and funny person to be around, she could already see that. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to rub off on Arthur. Just when she was just about to ask how long he had been working for Arthur, Morgana returned, plonking herself down on her seat. 'Stupid man,' she grumbled under her breath.

'Watch your tongue,' said Arthur sharply, finally looking up. 'That's my father you're talking about.'

'He's accused me of drawing up a contract with Cenred!' exclaimed Morgana, slumping back on the headrest. 'He thinks I'd betray him!'

Arthur rolled his eyes. 'Morgana, you know he's got his reasons for suspecting you. Ever since you met Morgause-'

'Oh, that's right, just bring Morgause into it, like you always do,' she shot back. 'Yes, I admit she's got a bit of a shady past, but-'

'Children, children,' said Merlin, a small smile still on his face. 'Let's not argue about Morgause again. Morgana has a right to stay in touch with her sister, which will of course make Uther suspicious, but deep down him- and Arthur- know you would never go over to Cenred's company. Sorted?'

'Fine,' both Arthur and Morgana huffed. There was an awkward pause for a moment, and then Morgana turned to Gwen. 'So, do you have any more design ideas yet?' she asked eagerly.

She smiled at her enthusiasm. Morgana was going to be a very easy person to work with. 'Well, I've been given a list of the scenes you're going to be in, and what kind of look they want you to have, and for the one where you're in the cave to meet Mordred I was thinking…'

Their conversation carried them all the way until lunchtime, when a woman came down the aisle with a trolley overflowing with food. Gwen immediately bought twice as much food as she usually would and then gave half of it to Merlin. 'But I've already got this!' he protested, holding up the smallest sandwich Gwen had ever seen.

'Eat,' she said sternly.

Morgana laughed, and even Arthur smirked. Grudgingly, Merlin picked up one of the chocolate bars and began to pick at it slowly.

'So,' said Merlin through a mouthful of food, 'Gwen. What kind of music do you like? Anything we'd know?'

'I like a bit of everything, really,' she admitted, starting on her packet of crisps. 'I like all the big bands, like Kasabian and Muse, but I also like the less-famous ones, like Kassidy.'

Arthur gaped at her. 'Sorry, did you just say Kassidy?'

'Er, yeah,' she replied, slightly confused. He was probably just going to tease her for not listening to more well-known music. To her surprise, his face broke into a wide smile.

'They're one of my favourite bands of all time! You're the first person I've ever met who actually knows who they are. When did you discover them?'

'A year or so ago,' she said. 'My mum always told me that-' she stopped suddenly. Talking about her mum was too painful.

Arthur skimmed over the half-finished sentence, recognising her sudden discomfort. 'I don't suppose you've heard of another band called of Dry the River, have you?' he asked hesitantly.

She stared at him. 'This is unreal- I've finally met someone who actually listens to the same music of me.' And it had to be the arrogant prat, she added in her head.

'Well, at least that's one thing you have in common,' said Morgana. 'Meanwhile, the rest of us listen to popular music, like Nero and David Guetta.' Gwen smiled. She liked that kind of music, but not as much as the little bands.

An hour later, they finally arrived at the station in Paris, where they were greeted by several official-looking people who escorted them to a rather large amount of coaches. Their luggage was collected for them and was thrown into several vans, which then followed the coaches as they began to travel through the city. The hum of voices gradually became louder and louder with excitement as they left they motorway, and Gwen looked over at Morgana, who was in the seat next to her. 'When's your first scene being filmed?' she asked, beginning to map out a timeline for dressmaking in her head.

'The day after tomorrow, I'm filming in the evening. You know what that means?'

'What?'

'We have a whole day for sightseeing! I've looked up where we're staying, and there's an amusement park a few minutes away from the hotel- are you up for it?'

Gwen shrugged. It wasn't like she had any other plans- she started on the same day as Morgana- so why not? 'Okay.'

A rather tall-looking man who was sitting in the seat behind them patted Morgana on the shoulder, causing both the women to look round at him. 'Hi,' he said, and Gwen instantly recognised who he was- Leon Knight, one of Morgana's fellow actors and an old friend of Arthur's. 'Did you just say you were going to the park tomorrow?' he asked, and Morgana nodded, a light pink flush appearing on her face. Gwen smiled to herself; this job was certainly going to be fun.

Leon, however, seemed to completely miss her blushing. 'Well, Percival and I-' he indicated to the very muscly actor Percival King, who was sitting in the seat next to him, '-were thinking about how we'd like to check it out, too. How about we all go together?'

'That'd be great,' smiled Morgana, now having regained her composure. 'So if we meet after breakfast outside the front of the hotel, and then-'

'The amusement park?' came a voice. Gwen looked across at the seats opposite them and groaned; it was Arthur who had spoken. 'Because if you guys are going, then me and Merlin'll come along too, otherwise it'll just be a day of going over lines in the hotel.'

Morgana rolled her eyes, but under the Leon and Percival's pleading gazes she relented. 'All right, then.'

Arthur grinned triumphantly. He really didn't want to spend the day with his father lecturing him on how he wanted the part to be played. 'Right,' said Morgana. 'So after breakfast we'll all meet outside the hotel and just walk down from there, okay?'

They all agreed, and then gradually broke back down into their original conversations. After a while, they finally drove past one of the most beautiful castles Gwen had ever seen. The turrets towered above them and the white stone was so clean and new-looking it was almost unbelievable. 'And that, ladies and gentlemen,' came a voice over the loudspeaker, 'Is where we will be filming over the next few months!'

Everyone cheered, and then they drove straight past it. In answer to everyone's confused moans, the driver called out, 'Sorry, guys, I've been instructed to take you straight to the hotel- no sightseeing today.'

Eventually, they arrived outside a large hotel called "L'interdit". 'Sunglasses on, hoods up!' someone shouted, and everyone except Gwen obeyed.

'What are you doing?' she asked Morgana, who was fishing a hoodie out of her bag. 'It's not raining, and it's really not that sunny.'

'Tourists,' explained Morgana. 'Even abroad, we get recognised, so it's best to keep our faces hidden against all the cameras. Someone will have got hold of the fact that we're staying here and news like spreads like wildfire, so it's likely that there'll be a few cameras outside the doors.'

Sure enough, when they stepped out it was only to be completely blinded by the flashes of several cameras; the reporters kept up a stream of questions, all fired at Leon, Gwaine, Percival, Arthur and Morgana: 'Are you excited about this new film? Is this different to anything you've ever done before? Do you think this film has the potential to have a sequel?' the questions never seemed to end, even whilst they were collecting all their suitcases from the luggage compartment of the coach, but thankfully security appeared and they were ushered inside without having to answer.

They were shown straight into the lobby, where some hotel workers gave them their keys to their rooms and showed them up the stairs and into the correct corridors. After thanking them in very bad French, Gwen and Morgana made their way down the corridor to discover that their rooms were just six doors apart- rooms one hundred and seventy-two and one hundred and seventy-eight. Morgana promised to come to Gwen's room as soon as she had used her bathroom to freshen up and put down her bags, and Gwen happily agreed.

Her room was plain, but beautiful. A large double bed with cream sheets was the centrepoint, and a small dressing table with a coffee machine stood next to the window. At the end of the bed was an open wardrobe, and one of its shelves was holding a rather large television. There was a small bathroom to her left, in which the mirror was surrounded by small lights. Just as Gwen was beginning to unpack some of her clothes, there was a knock on the door and she went over to let Morgana in. 'Yours is exactly the same as mine!' she gushed, going over and lying down on the bed. 'Isn't it gorgeous?'

'It really is,' Gwen agreed, going back to unpacking.

'I've got some bad news, though,' said Morgana after a slight pause. 'Arthur is staying in the room opposite yours.'

She stopped unpacking and looked round at her new friend. 'Crap. Does that mean I'll probably be walking to work with him most of the time?'

'Don't worry, I think we'll all be walking together. Anyway, why would it be a bad thing if it was just the two of you? You've both got your music to talk about.'

'The fact that we share the same music interests does not overrule the fact that he's an arrogant prat,' she replied, before remembering that this was his adopted sister she was talking to. Thankfully, Morgana laughed.

'Thank god you're not hypnotised by his alleged good looks like most of the girls he meets! I'm telling you, every time we all go out to a club or wherever, nearly all the girls come on to him. No wonder he's such a womaniser.'

Gwen grinned. 'I saw the pictures of him and that blonde in Ibiza from a couple of weeks ago. For some reason, he doesn't come across as the settling down type…'

A knock on the door interrupted their discussion, and Gwen opened it to find the man himself standing in front of her. 'Arthur!' she said, surprised. 'How can I help you?' she was struggling to be civil to him after how he had spoken to everyone on the train.

He ignored her completely, and instead just said, 'Is Morgana here? She's not in her room, so I thought she'd probably be with you.'

'I'm here,' called Morgana, sitting up. Arthur raised his eyebrows at her messy hair from lying on her back, but didn't comment. Instead he said, 'We're all going out for dinner at a restaurant tonight- we being all the people who actually matter in the film, like the main actors and producers. Are you coming?'

Gwen had to physically bite her tongue to stop the snappy retort spilling out of her mouth. Only the people who actually matter? Didn't he realise that without the backstage cast, there would be no film at all?

Morgana seemed to also recognise his mistake. 'I'll come,' she said angrily, 'But only if Gwen comes with me. What kind of actors would we be if we didn't have anything to act with?'

For a moment he looked as if he was about to protest, but under Morgana's stern gaze he relented. 'Fine. We're meeting in the hotel lobby at quarter to seven, and then the car's taking us from there. It's formal dress code, the restaurant's quite upmarket.' He nodded once at both of them and then left for his own room, pulling out his phone and dialling a number as he shut his door.

Morgana turned to face Gwen. 'Right, well, I suppose I'd better go and choose an outfit for tonight. Shall we go and get a coffee somewhere first, though? I'm running low on caffeine.'

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'Wow,' said Merlin, causing Arthur to turn round. In the doorway to the lobby stood Gwen and Morgana, both looking radiant. Morgana was in a low-cut red dress, and Gwen was wearing a short black dress accompanied by a small white blazer. Both had their hair loose and flowing.

Arthur felt his throat dry up as they walked towards him. He had promised himself he wouldn't have anything to do with Gwen, so why was she having this affect on him? Instead, he turned his attention on his half sister. 'Morgana,' he said in the warmest voice he could muster. 'You're looking as beautiful as ever.'

Morgana laughed, patting him on the arm. 'Don't worry, Arthur,' she said. 'You don't have to pretend to be interested in what I wear.' Arthur grinned, immediately relieved that he wouldn't ever have to pretend to be a courteous gentleman with Morgana.

Meanwhile, Gwen was getting several looks from the male actors dotted around the room, most looking rather disappointed when they realised she wasn't anyone famous. Everyone knew the golden role of working for Uther; don't get involved with anyone who isn't a celebrity. Merlin, however, was feeling rather lucky; he wasn't an actor and would never be on screen, meaning that he could go out with whatever girl he wanted- well, at least any girl who didn't act for Uther.

He smiled across at Gwen, who was watching Arthur and Morgana bicker gently with a smile on her face. 'You look beautiful,' he said politely, taking in her long bare legs and invisible make-up.

Her smile became even wider. She liked Merlin- he seemed very genuine. 'Thanks,' she replied warmly. 'The dress isn't too short, is it? It's the only smart one I thought to pack and I'd forgotten how small it was.'

'It's fine,' he assured her, just as one of the hotel workers came in to tell them that the cars had arrived. They all made their way outside and crammed themselves into the limousines lining the kerb; Gwen was in one with Morgana, Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine, Percival and Leon, and found herself uncomfortably crammed inbetween Arthur and Gwaine. To say it was an uncomfortable seating plan was an understatement- she could feel Arthur determinedly ignoring her and every time she looked at Gwaine he sent her a flirtatious wink. It was certainly a relief when they arrived at the restaurant and took their places at the six large tables that had been reserved for their party. When they got there, Gwen realised how stupid it had been to get a lift there; it couldn't be more than a five-minute walk from the hotel. What happened to saving the planet?

This time, Merlin and Morgana were on either side of her, but their table was still made up of the people from their limo, meaning that seated opposite her was Arthur, who for some reason was still ignoring her. Why was he being so rude? It couldn't be just because she wasn't an actress, was it?

Apart from that, dinner ran very smoothly indeed, apart from the awkwardness between Arthur and herself. By the end, nearly all Gwaine's sentences were nonsense and slurred, so the seven of them decided to leave in order to take him back before Uther had the chance to see the state he was in. He had never been fond of Gwaine's drinking habits, so it was probably best to hide it form him.

As they all walked- they couldn't be bothered to wait for the car to pick them up at the proper time, and besides, Gwaine looked like he could do with the fresh air- Gwen was silently cursing herself for choosing to wear her heels. She was hardly walking at all; Gwaine had chosen to put his arms round hers and Leon's shoulders, meaning they were being forced to stagger along on either side of him, effectively propping him up. When they finally got back, Gwaine was left at the hands of Percival and Leon, who's were rooms were closest to his, and then Merlin left for his room, which was in the corridor next to the other three's. Arthur and Gwen said goodbye to Morgana at her door, and then continued down the corridor to their rooms in silence. There was an awkward pause as they stopped outside Arthur's door, and then he said, 'Well, night.'

'Night, Arthur,' she replied, and let herself into her room to get ready for bed. As she pulled the covers up to cover her rather cold body, she went over the day's events, smiling to herself. Yes, Arthur Pendragon had turned out to be an insufferable prat who didn't care for anyone who didn't appear on the big screen or came up with the film itself, but she had made several new friends and they were all going to the amusement park tomorrow.

Yes, working for Uther had definitely been the right choice.

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Yaaay, the first chapter's complete! So what did you think? Was it really horrendous? Will you PLEASE follow this story? Can you criticise/compliment me on the reviews? Oh, and thank you for reading!

p.s. The next chapter will be up in a few weeks.