"Arthur," Gwen said. "There is something I have to tell you." My first reaction to hearing this was, Oh no. She's pregnant! My wife had dragged me to our room in the middle of the day with those words, interrupting some very important knight training.
An artificial smile plastered on my face, I responded, "Yes, dear? What is it?"
Gwen fiddled with her fingers a bit before resolutely folding them in her lap. "Well, this morning while I was walking to my father's grave, one of the soldiers asked me if I wanted some company. I said yes, as only to be polite. Then he said some things then leaned in to kiss me, but I moved away before he could! I told him to leave , so he did. I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm sorry."
I shook my head in disbelief. How could one of my own soldiers do that to me? I got up and began to pace the length of the room, rubbing my face. I turned to her. "You say you moved away and told him to leave, yeah?"
"Yes! Please believe me."
"I believe you."
"Arthur, please, nothing hap- wait. You believe me?"
"Yes."
"You're not mad?"
Was I? I didn't know. I should have felt rage, anger, confusion, at the very least jealousy, but nothing. Not a thing. If anything I felt- relief, and I didn't know why. I sat back down on the bed, and took her hand in mine.
"No, I'm not mad," I said. "I trust you. If you said nothing happened, then nothing happened."
Her face lit up into a smile. "Really?"
"Really."
"I love you, Arthur." She took my face in her hands to kiss my cheek. I turned my head so my lips caught hers.
"Love you, too. Now if you'll excuse, I have some very important business to attend to."
"You mean you're going to consult Merlin."
"Oh, shut up!"
I left the room to go find my idiot brother-in-law. Walking down the hall I was confused by my lack emotion about the whole situation. When Gwen and I were engaged and I saw her and Lancelot kissing, I felt horrible. Yet now, nothing. I finally arrived at Merlin and Morgana's new chambers and opened the door. I found the two inside, looking very comfortable.
"Merlin!" I shouted, before I could stop myself. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Merlin looked back at me. Umm, kissing my wife?"
"Don't you have a job to do?" I couldn't explain it, but seeing them together made me feel so angry, betrayed, and dare I say it- jealous?
Merlin turned back to Morgana. "Excuse me, Morgana, but is appears as though our dear brother needs my help."
"Of course," Morgana responded as she untangled herself from Merlin. "I wouldn't want to get in between quality time among by boys." She walked up to me and pinched my cheeks. "Remember, Arthur, you kill him, you kill me." Then she laughed and left the room.
"So," Merlin began, "I hear you need me to advise you."
"Shut up, Merlin. This isn't a matter of life or death. I just need to ask you a question about women."
He contorted his stupid face into a smile-like expression. "Women? Tell me more."
And so, I told Merlin everything that happened with Gwen. When I finished he was first to speak.
"Did it ever occur to you that you just might trust your wife?"
"No, that can't be it."
"You don't trust Gwen?"
"Of course I trust Gwen, you twit. But remember the incident with Lancelot?"
"Oh, yeah. You didn't handle it well."
"Didn't handle it well? I had her banished!"
"Maybe you matured within that time."
I couldn't believe he made a point of saying that I had maturing to do even then. I gave him a look.
"No, wait, you are still just immature as ever." I thumped him on the head. "Ow, what was that for?"
"For being an idiot. You are no help. I think I'll just go ask Gaius." I suggested. Merlin likes to believe that now that he's been married a week that he knows just as much as Gaius now when it comes to certain things, like women.
"Wait! When you saw me with Morgana, you were angry. Maybe you were just confused and then you blew up on us in your anger with Gwen?"
"No, that's not it, either. I didn't feel angry, when I saw you two, I felt jea- I've said too much."
"No, no. There is no such thing as too much. You felt…?"
"Merlin, it was nothing."
"It started with a 'j'. Could it be jealousy?" I didn't respond. "Oh my goodness, you are jealous! Of whom? Of me, being with Morgana?"
"Ew, gross. She's my sister."
"Then if not Morgana, than-" He gave a pause. "me?"
"NO! No!" Merlin raised an eyebrow at me. "No."
"You never know Arthur, some guys don't know they're that way until it's too late."
"Merlin, you can't be suggesting that I'm in love with you."
He poked my side. "Let's face it you want me."
"Merlin-"
"You want me."
"Merlin stop!"
"Right."
"Well, how would I know, if I were- ahem- you know."
Merlin thought about it for a while before responding, "I guess you'd have to kiss a bloke."
"You don't mean-"
"It just like trying new food. You'll never know until you try."
"So do we just-" I began to tilt my head. He tilted his head the same way.
"I guess we-" We both tilted our heads again.
"This isn't working," I said, pulling back.
"I know, I'll go right; you go left."
"Good idea." We started again but ended up going the same way again.
"How about we both go right?" I suggested.
"Right." Slowly, we leaned in, neither of us daring to close our eyes. Just as our lips were about to touch, both of us pulled back suddenly.
"This is just too weird," I said.
"You're right." I thumped his head again. "Yeah, I deserved that."
Suddenly a knock came at the door. We both jumped away from each other than turned to the door. In the doorway we saw an entirely too amused-looking Gawain.
"Well, well, well," Gawain said. " I knew that there was tension between you two since Merlin married Morgana, but I didn't think it was sexual. Wait until I tell your wives!" Then he ran off.
Merlin got up, "I'll get Gawain. You go deal with, whatever. I know talk to Gaius." Then Merlin ran after him. "Gawain! Let me explain!"
I then found Gaius and told him everything- well almost everything. Gaius didn't even look up from his medicine concocting as he listened.
"It seems to me," Gaius began, "like Merlin is right."
"Come again?"
"Well, he suggested you had matured since such an instance last occurred and you trust Gwen not to betray you."
"You are saying Merlin is right?"
"That isn't that far-fetched you know."
"Well how do explain me feeling jealous of Merlin and Morgana?"
"You and Gwen have been married for a year. Merlin and Morgana just married last week. You were probably just jealous of their relationship since they are still in the honeymoon stage. This is your fault, you know."
"My fault? How is it my fault?"
"You were the one who didn't let Merlin off for a week to go on a real honeymoon. If you had let them go, you wouldn't be jealous of them."
"I suppose you're right. Thank you." I got up to leave, and then stopped at the door. "You know Gaius, I always thought of you as a second father."
"Really? I seem to remember you searching my quarters to see if I had betrayed you on quite a few instances."
"I can't help it if Merlin is a naturally a very suspicion-inducing person."
"Of course, sire. It's all Merlin's fault."
"Or course. I'll send for my medication later. Thanks again, Gaius."
"My pleasure."
Feeling better, I walked back down to the training area with a new hop to my step. Along the way, I found Gwen, Morgana, and Merlin all walking together.
"You're in an awfully good mood," Morgana observed.
"I know it's actually creeping me out," Merlin remarked.
"You know what I think it is?" Gwen asked.
"What?" I responded.
"I think it's that you know you can trust me."
"You're right; I do trust you."
"So does that mean I'm right?" Merlin inquired.
"Yes, Merlin. As much as it pains me to say it, you are right."
Gwen and Morgana looked at each other before they turned to us and clapped.
"What?" I asked.
"You've never admitted Merlin to being right before. It is such a feat for you," Morgana replied
"So I am always right, aren't I?" Merlin asked.
A round of no's sounded as everyone rejected that idea, making Merlin shrink into himself a bit.
"Gwen, Morgana!" We turned around to see Gawain running after us. "You'll never believe what Merlin and Arthur were doing!"