Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

The Once and Future Queen

Arthur had never seen the Queen's throne been taken out, standing in its rightful place – next to the King's throne. The last time it had been brought out from the royal storage was when his mother was alive, and he didn't know anything of that time. He had never even seen his mother, not alive at least.

Now after years, for the first time in a very long while, it would be occupied. And by none other than the love of his life, his beautiful wife, the future Queen of Camelot – Gwen.

He was filled with more emotions than he had felt before. After his father's death, everything seemed to have gone awry. He had more responsibility than he ever had in his entire life, reining as the King was more difficult than he had assumed. Of course he had known that it would be hard and had been taught its ways since he was a young boy. But living it was different than learning.

Not everything was perfect now, there were still a lot of things which hadn't been settled. His half-sister for example; Morgana was no doubt plotting another attack on Camelot and hoped for his downfall. He knew there were many enemies of his throughout the regions surrounding Camelot and possible traitors in his court – he hated to suspect any of his advisors or subjects, but experience had taught him better. There were only very select few whom he could trust. With their support, he knew he would be able to vanquish his enemies and bring peace and prosperity to his kingdom.

"Arthur?" Merlin's voice broke his thoughts.

"When father first appointed you, Merlin, I never thought you would be able to dress me up without forgetting something," he commented in a jovial voice, hiding his true affection for Merlin.

"Is that a compliment, sire?" Merlin asked, grinning.

"Don't flatter yourself," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"As you wish, my lord," Merlin said.

"I can't believe this day is here," Arthur sighed. And truly he couldn't.

"Well, it is sire. And unless you want to be late to the coronation, we really should get going." Merlin stated.

"Are you talking about punctuality?" Arthur chuckled and walked out of his chambers and Merlin followed him with a smile.

It was an emotional moment for Arthur, his father had always been alone when he had been King. A responsibility and pressure solely on his shoulders. Throughout the years Arthur had known something was missing, but he had never been able to point it out. But now as he saw Gwen walk toward him, dressed in a regale gown which added to her beauty, did he realize what had been missing during his father's reign. And he wondered if his father would have been different if his mother had been alive. Of course he would. The whole of Camelot and its laws would have been different!

Gwen walked down the aisle with a small smile playing on her lips, Arthur found himself smiling proudly. In her he could see the future. She would be a great queen – wise, loyal, loving, kind, but most of all, she would be humble. He thanked destiny for making them fall in love, and finding each other despite all the challenges that they had been put through.

Gwen reached the end of the aisle and was just few feet away from Arthur. A cushion had been placed on the steps for her to kneel, she knelt down. She looked up and met his eyes, she was breathing rapidly – obviously out of nerves. He wanted to smile widely and tell her how happy he was, but he controlled his expression and turned to his left and reached for the crown which had been designed specifically for her.

Holding the intricate crown in his hands, Arthur looked towards the crowd standing in order, waiting for their Queen. He began to speak in a firm and loud voice, "By the sacred laws vested in me, I crown you, Guinevere, Queen of Camelot." And he placed the crown on her head.

Gwen looked up with a smile tugging on her lips, her expression much different. There wasn't any fear in her eyes, which he had noticed in the past few days – instead, there was happiness and there was hope. And hope was stronger than fear, he knew that very well.

Without any hesitation, Arthur held his hands forward and helped Gwen up. She stood next to him, in her rightful place. He had never laid his eyes on anyone as beautiful and deserving as her ever before – they were meant to be. Leaning down, he closed the distance between then and kissed her lips. It was sparks of fire between them and he could have gone on, but instead he stopped. Both of them moved back and faced their subjects.

Their hands still linked, feeling a different kind of euphoria, Arthur shouted, "Long live the Queen!"

There were no hesitations from the crowd, nobody judged him for breaking the laws on which Camelot had been built.

"Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!" They shouted back, all in unison, all accepting that their Queen didn't have to be noble by blood. That she didn't have to be a strategic move, and simply was his wife because he had found her out of love.

Guinevere, his wife, his future, his Queen was finally by his side, occupying the throne which hadn't been used in years.

"Long live the Queen!" The chanting continued.

AN: I'm obviously in Merlin mood. I simply love Gwen and Arthur together. And their love shown on Merlin, it is just beautiful and they make me go all happy. So, here's something I felt compelled to write. Hope you enjoyed it.

Please do review, it would mean a lot. : )