Ship: GwenxArthur
Rating: PG
Notes: Spoilers for 2x02
Disclaimer: I own nothing in connection with BBC's Merlin, nor do I make any money writing this fanfiction.
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For Your Protection
Gwen was surprised when she heard a hushed and hurried conversation coming from the direction of the back door. She was even more surprised when she went to see what it was and saw what appeared to be a mattress slowly and awkwardly lumbering away off into the night and in the direction of the castle. Arthur closed the door and when he turned around, huffing, Gwen caught the frown on his face before it suddenly vanished and was quickly replaced with an expression of surprise.
That was Merlin on the other side of the mattress. She should have known.
As Gwen looked down at the sleeping space Arthur had insisted on occupying, which was far too small for a mattress from his chambers to fit, she heard the start of a, "Guinevere, I-"
"Don't!" She snapped before she could stop herself and looked up at Arthur. Gwen could feel the burn of her own glare and she knew it was wrong, probably some sort of treason, to send such a look in the direction of the prince. But she was tired and she was upset because Arthur clearly wasn't even trying. "Just... please don't."
Arthur's feet shuffled a little further apart and his hands rested on his hips for a second before they dropped. He was suddenly moving as though his skin was too small and looked a little confused. His mouth opened and then shut again without a word passing between his lips.
"You take the bed," Gwen told him with a softer tone of voice. She stepped aside and gestured stiffly.
"No, Guinevere, I said I would-"
"You need to be well rested for the tournament tomorrow," Gwen insisted. "I'm just a servant, I'm used to the floor."
Arthur looked stung and Gwen felt it. It felt wrong for those words to spill out of her mouth without thought and towards him. She thought Arthur would argue, suddenly get angry, tell her to watch her mouth, threaten to find a good excuse to have her locked in the dungeons for a while once this was all over. But he didn't do any of that. He just continued to look hurt and nodded. When he stepped past her, Gwen saw Arthur turn his head to try and look at her. She, instead, stared into the corner of the back doorframe.
As soon as the candle was blown out, something Arthur took upon himself to do at least, and when she heard the creak of the bed under his weight, Gwen yanked closed the curtain which separated the two rooms. She arranged her 'bed' with more force than she usually would, throwing down the sacks and practically whipping the blanket through the air as she set it down on top of them.
While she listened to Arthur trying to get comfortable, Gwen glared at the back door and smouldered. After all the times Merlin had complained to her about what an utter prat he was, she could finally see exactly what he meant. When the sounds of Arthur moving finally went away, she still couldn't sleep. She was feeling ill with anger at Arthur. And what was starting to feel like guilt.
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It was hard to keep track of time in the dark, so Gwen didn't know how long it was between Arthur settling and when she got up to peer around the curtain at him. Squinting through the dark, she was able to confirm what that sharp feeling of doubt in her chest had been telling her. That her bed was right next to a window.
And there was an assassin after Arthur's blood.
She chewed her bottom lip and clutched the curtain tightly between her fingers. As far as she was concerned, Arthur was still selfish and horrible.
But there was an assassin after his blood. Foolish as he was, he didn't deserve to die. He was a good person really. It just seemed he didn't quite know how to be one yet.
Glancing around, Gwen recognised that everything was still. Just as it always was. Not a thing was out of place and the only sounds were the occasional creaks from the walls and the very faint rustle of hay in the breeze outside, but those noises were always there. Everything seemed normal.
But this was an assassin who had no quarrel with targeting those of royal blood.
Gwen moved swiftly across the dark room, finding that she ducked as she went. She tried to listen out for danger, but her feet sounded too loud against the floor. When she reached Arthur's side, she looked up to the window, almost expecting to see a shadow looming on the other side, then back down to him.
There had been a vague plan in her head, gathered quickly through panicked thoughts and horrible visions of Arthur laying in his own blood upon her bed. Now it seemed like a very stupid idea. The most foolish in the history of mankind.
Assassin.
"This is only for your protection. Understand?" Gwen whispered, trying to sound stern but not sure at all as to whether or not Arthur could hear her. He didn't respond in any way, just kept sleeping with the right side of his face pressed into the folded pillow.
Carefully and slowly, she slid onto the bed and climbed over Arthur's legs, glad that it was only the two of them and that he was asleep because she probably looked like a total fool. She continued to look to the window, making sure things were safe, then back down to Arthur to make sure he remained asleep, which he did, and then back again. Somehow, she managed to squeeze into the small space between Arthur and the wall. Making herself as comfortable as was possible, she settled herself on Arthur as much as she dared. It was barely anything, just her shoulder overlapping his and her arm draped over his back. He moved a little bit, sending a sudden and cold panic through Gwen when he did, but remained asleep.
It suddenly didn't feel like it was Arthur's protection. If this assassin was perfectly happy to kill Arthur, he certainly wouldn't stop just for her. But this was the best she could think of to do. What else was there?
Perhaps Arthur would learn about something about doing things for others from it, she thought as she closed her eyes.
Except he wouldn't, she decided. Because she was going to be up early enough to sneak away so that he would never know about this.
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Gwen was awake early enough to be able to climb back over Arthur's legs and be away without him ever knowing. Except she didn't get to. At some point, and without managing to wake either of them, Arthur had turned in his sleep. His arms were now around Gwen's waist, his nose was pressed just below her collarbones and she could feel his breath against her skin. It was warm, actually rather pleasant, but all the same her blood ran cold.
She was well and truly frozen. Because Arthur. He was the prince and he was in her bed and so was she but now she probably wouldn't be able to move away without waking him and so now she could only think of herself as doomed. The thought of sleeping beside Arthur as means of protecting him was now the most stupid thing she had ever done, the most stupid thing anyone had ever done, but she couldn't think of any other excuse, so he would only end up laughing at her, resulting in her never being able to look him in the face again.
There was a soft groan from Arthur and his eyelashes started to flutter. Gwen had never noticed Arthur's eyelashes before.
Oh-
Every single coherent thought left Gwen's head.
"Mmm..."
Gwen watched as Arthur's eyes opened. It was slowly and he looked groggy. Not quite aware of the world around him. Waking up to find himself pressed into the top of her chest probably didn't help that. It might be rather endearing if she weren't frozen in what she could only describe as absolute terror and if her heart weren't hammering wildly.
Arthur looked up at her, tired and puzzled.
"Guinevere..."
"Sire..." Gwen managed to squeak out.
Arthur blinked and his grasp of the situation appeared to be growing. As much as it could do for somebody who had gone to sleep alone and woken to find a maidservant not only asleep with him, but also half upon him and with him pressed into her.
"What-"
"Tournament-" Gwen suddenly blurted out and Arthur started to look severely puzzled again. "The tournament. It's the last match. You- you should get ready."
"I would," Arthur said. "If you'd let go."
That was when Gwen realised, with her stomach somehow managing to plunge down, her arms were around Arthur's middle.
"Right." She wasn't sure how, but Gwen was able to move in order to remove her arms from around Arthur, sit up and then get off the bed, knowing she was again looking completely foolish as she climbed over his legs but unable to be too concerned about that little detail. "Merlin will be here soon," she said while she started to straighten her hair and tried to find something to look at. Anything but Arthur. Given the choice, Gwen would be anywhere but in her own home at that moment, but that wasn't within her control. "And you'll need some breakfast. For strength. Oh, and a wash." She suddenly spotted her shawl where it sat folded on a sideboard and grabbed it with shaking hands to wrap it around her shoulders. "You'll probably want a wash before you go. I'll get a bowl, shall I?"
"Guinevere."
She had nearly made it. She had been reaching for the door when Arthur spoke her name and stopped her. Reluctantly, she turned to face him, expecting to see something like confusion. Even anger. But he was just sitting there, on her bed, facing her as calmly as he did every other morning.
"Thanks."
"Oh, I was just... it seemed..."
"Just," his chin raised in the air a little and there was a smile on his face. "Don't. You don't need to explain."
Somehow she wanted to hate him for that. Or at least dislike him.
But apparently that wasn't happening.
END