Even when his crown is gone, lying on a red velvet pillow with golden trim, locked in a cabinet somewhere in his chambers, she sees the Prince. More than that, she sees a King, the future King of Camelot, and the greatest one they've ever had. His authority comes from within, it emanates from his whole being. His soul seems to radiate with the power which will one day rule Camelot—and even all of Albion. He does not need a piece of gold to tell strangers who he is. All they need is to witness him in action—see him in court, talking to his father, proposing plans to protect and serve his people better; see him swing his sword around with deft motions on the practice fields; to view him dressed in chain mail, armor and a red cloak. Just one such vision would be enough to show any newcomer in Camelot that this man is royalty—not just by birth, but truly by blood, for his authority is as much a part of him as is the blood within his veins. And should any of those newcomers doubt his ability to rule, his devotion for his people, they need only see him with her, need only to hear him whisper her name, or see him look on her with such love and devotion. For any one who witnesses one of these moments can swiftly see he shall be a good king. His love for her drives him to be a good man, a better man, and from his love and devotion for this woman, a simple handmaiden, come happiness and devotion to their people.
I hate the lack of Arthur/Gwen stories, so I decided to put this up. It's probably the shortest thing I've ever written, and was originally meant to be just the basis of a longer fic. But when I reread it (I wrote this months ago) I thought it was pretty good by itself. I may expound upon it later, but for now...I hope you enjoyed!