Hey! So this is my first Merlin fanfiction. I LOVE the story of King Arthur, and for those of you who love it just as much as I do, I'm sure you'll realize what the title means and what's in store for the characters ;)

Anyway, I unfortunately own nothing, though if I could buy Bradley James I certainly would.

Obviously, this is a prologue! I would definitely like to continue the story, and I probably will, but if you want me to keep posting it, please review! Enjoy!

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Some people are born the way they will stay for the rest of their lives. They have no chance at something better than what was been fated them. In fact, most people are born that way. But then, there are a few very special cases that get to something better than what was prescribed at birth. There are a few people who get more than they ever could have imagined.

Guinevere, or Queen Guinevere as she was referred to now, was one of those cases. Of very humble origins, this servant girl had shot beyond her lot in life. Very far beyond, indeed. To her, this didn't seem like anything strange. She truly believed that people should be judged on their merit. The privileges given to one at birth make no difference whatsoever; it is what they do with those privileges that count.

Queen Guinevere had little to no privileges with which she was born, and now she enjoyed complete and total freedom to do whatever she wanted to do, seeing as she was no longer a servant but a queen. However, she still did her best to not abuse her new privileges, and new they were. She and Arthur had not even been married a week, but she was definitely getting used to the royal treatment.

"Is there anything else I can get for you, ma'am?" her maid asked her after her breakfast had been laid before her.

"No, Eira. That will be all, thank you," Guinevere answered. Eira made a small curtsy and then walked towards the door. As she opened it, Morgana stepped in, uninvited, of course. She and Guinevere remained friends after she stopped being her maid.

"I'm glad that you seem to have found a competent servant," Morgana remarked as she sat down across from Guinevere.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked as she began to eat.

"Well, my new girl had me waiting for about a half hour this morning before she came in with my breakfast," Morgana answered. "And now I don't know where she is. She reminds me a little of Merlin when he first came to work here, only she is not as competent as he was." Both women laughed slightly. "Anyway, I suppose that I will just have to find another one."

"You should give her a chance, Morgana," Gwen disagreed. "She's new to the castle, and she's most likely extremely nervous. Give her a chance to get used to things!"

"If you say so, Gwen," Morgana responded as she looked around the room. This was not the chamber that Guinevere shared with Arthur; Morgana knew that she wasn't allowed to go in there. No, there were Gwen's own private chambers, where even Arthur was not allowed to enter uninvited. "I don't think anyone will compare to you, though."

"As much as I enjoyed working for you, Morgana, I don't think so," Gwen responded, still smiling.

"Oh, well. Worth a shot, wasn't it?" They both laughed again as Morgana stood up. "I guess that you are right, I'll see if I can give this new girl more chances. But there are limits to my patience, you know."

"Oh, I know," Gwen agreed. She knew first hand all about Morgana's 'patience'.

"Until later, then," Morgana bid her friend good-bye as she walked towards the door. "If I'm able to make it until then." Gwen shook her head. Morgana really did miss her, and it was quite obvious. Of course, Morgana had yet to realize that she hadn't gone anywhere at all, but in time she would. Until then, Gwen was quite positive that she would have to listen to more complaints about incompetent serving girls. But, unlike her former mistress, Guinevere was very patient.

There was a knock at her door, and Gwen was pretty sure that she was never going to be left in peace again. Sighing, she bid her visitor to enter, but when she saw that it was Arthur, a genuine smile spread over her face. It was all still very unreal to her, that she was married to Arthur, that she was the queen of Camelot. Arthur was still especially hard to believe, though.

"Good morning," Arthur greeted as he walked inside. It was the first time that he had seen her awake today. He was a very new king, and he was constantly on his toes to make sure that the transition from one king to the next was as smooth as possible. All of his duties filled his day up quite well, so the only time he ever got to train was early in the morning before his new bride awoke, which was truly a shame. There was a window in their bedroom that faced the east, and when the early morning sun cast itself across her, giving her skin a golden glow, making her look like a gilded statue. At those moments, he wanted to freeze time and make it as still as she was. But alas, time moved on, and he was the king.

When he reached the table where she was sitting, he leaned over to kiss her on the forehead and then sat down in the seat that had just been vacated by Morgana. "I trust that your morning is going well?" he asked.

"It's only just started," Gwen reminded him. "I am not quite as motivated as you are. You were up before the sun was."

"Yes … well, things aren't going to change too much now that I'm king …" Arthur trailed off as he picked a piece of meat off of Gwen's plate and popped it into his mouth. "Well, aside from the obvious." With his clean hand, he grabbed one of Gwen's and she knew what he meant. For a moment, they both just smiled at each other, and then the spell was broken by a knock at the door.

"I swear, I am never going to get a second's peace anymore," Gwen sighed.

"That's the price to pay, I'm afraid," Arthur responded before bidding whoever was at the door to come in. It was a royal messenger, and he was carrying an envelope.

"For the queen, sire," he said. Arthur stood up and took the envelope from the man before closing the door with a murmured thank you. Arthur began to open the letter when Guinevere stopped him.

"I believe that he said it is a letter for me, my lord," Gwen reminded Arthur. Arthur, who did not like for her to call him that unless they were in public, narrowed his eyes at her momentarily, and then continued to open the letter. "You're right," she said as she stood up to snatch the letter from his hand, "things won't change now that you're king."

"I'm a man of my word," Arthur reminded her, not bothering to hide his curiosity. Guinevere never got mail from outside of the castle. "What is it?"

"If you would give me a second to read it, I would tell you," Guinevere answered. "It's from my cousin, Rhiannon. You'll remember her from he wedding?"

"No," Arthur answered honestly. "Well, what does she want?"

Dearest Cousin (Or should I say Your Majesty),

I hope that this letter finds you well. Of course it has not been long since we saw you last. Everything here is much the same as it has been, that is, poorly. Father would be very upset if he knew that I was writing you to tell you this, but I feel the need. I shall skip the pleasantries, as I know that you are probably a very busy woman and I do not want to waste your time.

Life here is becoming rather stressful, and I fear that I am becoming a burden on my parents, seeing as they cannot seem to locate a candidate for marriage who does not utterly repulse me. I cannot help but feel guilty about the strain that I am putting upon them financially, so I was hoping that a place might be found for me in Camelot, perhaps working in the castle. I don't want you to think that I am using you, in fact I am rather embarrassed that I need to ask for your help, but I feel that my pride has gotten in the way quite enough.

I'm a good worker, with a fair amount of skill at cooking and much more at regular household chores. I promise that I would not do anything to make you regret granting me this request if you should see fit to help me.

My Highest Regards,

Rhiannon

"Seems like a reasonable request," said Arthur, willing to believe that if she was related to Gwen, then she most likely was what she said she was. "I'm sure that some place could be found for her."

"I didn't know that they were having so much trouble," Gwen thought out loud.

"Well, I for one am surprised," Arthur stated. "When you said it was your cousin, I figured that she was writing to ask for money. I'll have Merlin find out if there are any positions that need filling."

"No need," said Gwen, "I already have an idea for her." Perhaps Morgana could use a new maid, after all.