"You know, for somebody who lives in such a tiny house, you have a lot of stuff," Merlin commented as he loaded the final crate onto the back of a cart ready to help her move it up to the castle.
"I've just accumulated a lot of belongings over the years," Gwen reasoned as she secured the ropes holding the crates down. She looked into the box that Merlin had just placed precariously on top and frowned, it had some delicate objects in and he'd just left it balanced a little too close to the edge. She grabbed another piece of rope that she had ready for this very purpose.
"Did I mention that Arthur sends his apologies for not being here," he said as Gwen tightened the rope around the box, securing it, "council meeting and the like. You know how it is."
"So you've told me," she pulled the knot tight and checked the fastening, "He didn't want me doing this myself. Rather I sent Leon and the Knights, but it didn't seem right somehow," she sighed, looking at her small one roomed house and adjoining forge. It had been home her entire life, she didn't know anything else. Twenty-three years in the same house.
"He worries."
"About me lifting a few boxes?" Gwen raised an eyebrow, giving Merlin one of those looks that told him not to mess, "It's not like I haven't spent the best part of fifteen years doing exactly that."
"I know that. He knows that. He thinks because he's the King and you're going to be the Queen that you'll automatically stop doing what you do."
"He thinks wrong."
"I know that. You know that. He doesn't want you to forget where you came from; he just wants to show everybody what you will be."
"I guess, but it doesn't make this any easier," she looked at her home again, leaning against the side of the cart for a moment. Merlin joined her, looking at the house, it held so many memories, not just for her but for them
"Give it a month, you'll be married and the world will be easier," he reasoned, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Will it?" she questioned, looking at him, "I'm used to waiting on people and fixing my own clothes, even fixing yours and Arthur's, I won't feel right accepting that sort of help from somebody else."
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Merlin shrugged, it was all so simple to him. It was like that for Gwen as well, but she knew that somewhere along the line Arthur would be forced to put his foot down about it. If she was to be Queen she'd have to start acting like it. No matter how much she thought that maybe she could start making changes. Royalty just didn't do things for themselves. Maybe she could do her own dishes by night or something. Instead of sewing at a loom she could fix Arthur's torn garments. It was a wifely thing to do; she could as good as claim it as such, "Maybe you could start a new trend."
"Yeah, maybe I could,"
"And along the way, make Arthur lay off me occasionally," Merlin suggested only to be greeted with a chortle of laughter from his friend, "Come on, please?"
"I have no power over him," Gwen stated, knowing the look on Merlin's face as 'Yes you do' she chose to ignore him and pushed off of the cart. She said goodbye to her home, even though she has barely lived their since Arthur became King. She'd been staying in the castle. Nothing untoward but he'd insisted and she'd slept there. Not with him, but in due course she would move into his quarters.
For now she had a moderately sized bedroom (that was bigger than her house) that she had slowly been filling with her most immediate possessions, but now came the time to move on. Twenty-three years and she had to carry on with her life her way.
She'd left the forge to the people of the town, it needed bringing back to life and she could think of nobody better than the people she'd come to serve; her first duty as soon-to-be Queen of Camelot.
"It's strange to say goodbye," she said, "But it feels right."
On reaching the castle, a troop of Knight's had greeted Gwen in order to assist her in carrying her belongings up to her new quarters. Arthur had still be caught up in meetings and official King business. It would be something that Gwen was involved in, but he'd assured her that today she'd be bored out of her skull and perhaps moving her belongings would be a more productive use of her time.
It hadn't taken long with eight knights on the case. Most of them were relatively new recruits that were still finding there feet. They stumbled over what to say, they didn't know whether to bow or merely nod their heads at her, but on her reassurance they stopped all formalities and starting acting like she was Guinevere, the blacksmith's daughter; easy to talk to and happy to help.
Merlin had been quite relieved to be free of his duty of standing next to Arthur. Gwen had seen him get restless and bored and having to try not to fall asleep as the details went straight by him. He was lucky Arthur didn't rely on him to keep track. Ways of the court Gwen had never found particularly interesting, she'd been to enough meetings standing by Morgana to know how dull they could be, but she wanted to be an active Queen and not sit idle by. She would find a way to make the meetings more interesting if it killed her – diagnosis: boredom - in the process.
Nearing dinner time, Arthur still nowhere to be seen, Merlin had excused himself. He'd mumbled something about Gaius and food and disappeared quicker than Gwen could thank him for his help. He was deceptively strong (as he kept insisting) and had helped her arrange her things as per her request.
But something was still missing.
There was still a crate of her belongings left; the one Merlin had balanced precariously on the top of the pile. It lay, not forgotten, by the door. Within it Gwen saw what it was she was looking for.
An elegant swan made of iron and bronze. Her father had made it for her when she but four years old. He'd given it to her for her 'Big Girl' birthday and she'd treasured it ever since. It was beautiful; so intricate and one of a kind. She'd rarely seen her father make little else than armour and weapons. People forgot that blacksmiths could be so artistic; which made the item that much more special to her.
Gwen set the swan on the mantle and stood back. There. That was it.
She smiled to herself and looked around, the empty crates were piled in the corner and the one left with pieces in still lay by the door.
She headed over to it, bending down in her old lavender dress to pick the crate up.
"Here. Let me," the voice she'd been longing to hear stated as he crouched in front of her with a smile on his face.
"Hello," she beamed.
"Hello," he replied as he leant forwards to place a sweet, short kiss to her lips, "Where do you want this?"
"On the table?" she requested. She stood in sync to Arthur and followed him over to the table. She reached into the box, producing one of her father's personal belongings. His wedding band, coupled with her mother's on a string. She'd kept it on the shelf in place sight so she could see it every day.
Looking around, she didn't want to keep the pair on the mantel, or on the draws. Let alone on her bedside table. She didn't have anywhere in plain sight for her to keep them.
Arthur noted the frown on her face, watching her look about the room with the string dangling from her hand. He rested the crate on the table and watched her intently as her eyes dashed from surface to surface without prevail, "What's wrong?"
"I have nowhere for these," she opened her fist to reveal the two simple bands to her betrothed.
Arthur smiled.
"What?"
Slowly Arthur reached out and plucked the jewellery from her hand, smile still on his face as he untied the string. It dawned on Gwen gradually what he was doing a smile creeping across her face.
"With this ring I declare thee nearly wed, and destined to remember and honour your parents forever," he picked up the small over the two rings from his hand. He took Gwen's hand and gently pushed the band over her ring finger on her right hand. He raised her appendage to his lips, gently brushing them over her fingers, the cool metal leaving them tingling, "May I?" he held the ring between his thumb and forefinger before her.
She didn't nod; she took the ring from him, holding it between her smaller fingers.
"With this ring," she mocked, mirth in her voice and written all over her face, "I declare thee nearly wed; destined to be a great King with the influence of two great men and three great women behind him," she finished taking his other hand in hers running her thumbs over the backs of his fingers.
"Three?"
"Your mother, my mother and me."
"Camelot: beware," they shared a smile, as their hands dropped between them. Arthur lightly squeezed her hands before letting her left hand drop, raising his right to her cheek, "Two women behind me, and the one right in front of me," he finished as he traced his index finger across her brow before ducking his head to replace his finger with his lips, "Who could ask for more?"
They remained in their affection-full content position for a while longer, content to merely be in each others company after a long day.
Night would soon be on them and dinner was to be served. Arthur had ordered it up to Gwen's chambers and it would soon arrive, but with the crate in the middle of the table there would be little room for the plates and themselves.
"Where do you want the rest of your belongings?" he asked, finally breaking away from her in order to look into the box of trinkets and more personal favours.
"I think I shall leave that to you. You were gone most of the day and missed all the heavy lifting," Gwen reasoned, taking a seat in her chosen chair and facing him with a smile on her face.
"Your wish is my command," he lifted a small wooden box from the crate and placed it on the bedside table.
"Not there."
"No?" Gwen shook her head and watched him as he moved to place it on the mantel. An unsure hum left Gwen's lips and he lifted it again, placing in the middle of the dining table, opening facing her, "Perfect."