Merlin belongs to the BBC. So, incidentally do Arthur and Gwen. Nuff said.
He was the Crown Prince of Camelot.
And she was…well she was just Gwen.
Virtually anyone in the whole kingdom – no, the whole world – would have told her that two people like that; royalty and a servant girl, would never, ever work. Well, everyone…except Arthur.
It was pouring with rain, and she and Arthur were huddled in a dripping corner of the courtyard, trying to shelter from the rain, although the sopping blonde mop on Arthur's head seemed to tell them that they had failed. The best they could do was cling to each other in the hope of not getting too cold. Well, that was the excuse, anyway.
"Don't you think this is wrong, Arthur?" Gwen had muttered, flicking a strand of his hair out of his face, which was dripping icy water onto her dress. He merely looked puzzled, so she continued. "You're Prince of Camelot. I'm just a serving girl: I help the Lady Morgana, wash, sew, prepare food...but you are going to be King one day."
"Guinevere…"
"People like you wouldn't even be expected to talk to people like me politely, because in their eyes I'm lower than you" she glanced at Arthur's expression, but continued nonetheless "I'm not trying to get rid of you. I'm telling you how it is! You should be twirling around with beautiful ladies, people of high birth…not stuck in rainy-"
"Guinevere."
"-corners like us two here, least of all with a servant girl. Arthur, you said it yourself, people won't understand. I'm nothing special, but you – you're important and powerful and influential. Those two kinds of people aren't meant to mix."
"Guinevere!" Arthur burst out, taking hold of her shoulders, and turning her to face the courtyard, where a few people hurried across, heads bent against the rain. He pointed at a lone man, swathed in a long cloak, stumbling through the puddles collecting on the flagstones. "Look at him. What's the difference between him and me?"
"Arthur…"
"Guinevere, you taught me that people from different backgrounds could be equals, that just because I'm the Prince, it doesn't mean I have the right to treat you like you're not even human, to order you around. We're both people, so that makes us equal." He moved his hands to cup her face "Please don't go back on that."
He was wrong again, completely and utterly wrong, but when he looked at her like that, it was hard to disagree.
"And anyway," he added, dropping his serious tone, his familiar smile crawling back onto his face "Why would I want to meet any other beautiful lady, Guinevere?"
He dipped his head to kiss her then, gently, water streaming over both of them as the rain pounded harder, but neither of them had any interest in the rain.
Maybe it was good that Arthur got it wrong. Sometimes.
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