Comments: Thanks to GuardianIzz for all the help, you're a star. Please review if you like it.
Guinevere woke suddenly at the noise – something in her house falling over. Her face was still covered in tears from the hours crying she had suffered before sleep took her. She grabbed the nearest weapon a candle stick and carefully edged through the house.
Again she heard a sound to the right, Gwen turned instinctively and she then saw a large shadow...her intruder. Gwen raised the iron candle stick in her hand ready to strike "Guinevere?"
Arthur turned around and ducked just in time to miss being hit over the head.
Gwen dropped the weapon and gasped "Arthur?" and her heart sunk it was the night before Arthur's wedding to Princess Elaine and every day since she had been told the painful news by Arthur, she had fallen more and more apart. "What are you doing here?"
Arthur reached out in the dark and grabbed her arm "I-" Gwen pulled away from his touch and walked over to the other side of the table in the middle of her humble home. She lit a candle.
"You should not be here … please leave" Gwen wiped the tears off her face before turning around to open the back door for him, but when she did she noticed Arthur looked as she felt - heartbroken and hopeless.
"I can't." They stood there in silence for a while, the atmosphere thick with pain.
Guinevere couldn't take it anymore "Why are you here Arthur?" her legs felt weak and she sat down to stop herself from falling.
Arthur knelt in front of her and enveloped her small hands in his. His perfect blue eyes glistening. "I can't do this" he shook his head "I can't marry her" he placed a kiss on Guinevere's hands.
"Arthur" Gwen felt tears rolling down her face.
Arthur looked back up at her, a lonely tear now graced his cheek "Leave with me tonight Guinevere, please" Arthurs hand stroked away her tears. "I can become a knight."
"And I? What place is there for -"
"My wife!"
She froze momentarily his words ringing through her mind.
"I mean… if you'll have me I would ask for your hand in marriage."
She shook her head "That is not a realistic future."
"It's a future I have been dreaming of since I stayed at your house. If a farmer can become a knight, then why cannot a prince be just a knight?"
"Arthur...you are not just a knight or a just a prince, you were born to be king... we are just a dream Arthur, nothing more"
Her words cut through him like a scimitar, but he would not die today and not like this. "No it is not Guinevere... it is not a just a dream, it is the only thing that keeps me going. Please... I cannot marry anyone else but you" Guinevere searched his eyes for any jest, but there was none. He would ride away with her, he would become change his entire identity for her. The power she held over him frightened her.
Gwen closed her eyes the tears streaming down her face "What about Camelot?"
"I was once told that I ruled with my heart, if that is true Guinevere then what good am I to Camelot if my heart is broken?" he pressed his forehead against hers. "Marry me Guinevere, run away with me … please make this nightmare end!"
"Arthur I love you more than life itself … but-"
Arthur kissed her gently on the lips "No buts. I love you and you love me, how much easier can that be? Let us leave now, say the words and we will leave and never look back"
Guinevere placed her hands on Arthur's cheeks. "My heart screams yes - but we cannot Arthur, we cannot be selfish and risk the lives of hundreds simply for the sake of our own happiness. If we leave now the fate of Camelot is sealed. You saw him after Morgana's disappearance. If he was to lose you? Your father would go mad looking for you! Mercia would declare war. We have to think of others before ourselves"
"Then my fate is sealed, tomorrow I marry for Camelot and my heart will die the moment I repeat the vows."
Guinevere pulled him into a hug "I love you Arthur...I wish there was another way" Gwen felt Arthur's shoulders tremble and he buried his face in her hair as tears streamed down her face.
Gwen thought of the future they had yet to live through together and it ate away at her very soul, she had saved herself for finding the right man. And now she was embraced in his arms the night before his wedding to another woman. Tomorrow Princess Elaine would get to have that pleasure during their wedding night while Guinevere lay alone and heartbroken, her mind torturing her with images of their rocking figures. It made her feel sick!
And then it came to her, why should they not have one night together, why should her virtue be given to a lesser man? She knew there might be serious consequences and that technically Arthur would be unfaithful to his intended, but Guinevere would not be able to commit a sin such as this once he was somebody else's husband, no matter what circumstances. This was her last chance.
She was in love with Arthur, he was meant to be the one. She pulled back from his hug "If tomorrow is a day for Camelot, then let tonight be for us."
Arthur searched her eyes trying to understand the meaning behind her ambiguous words. "I want you to have the one thing of value I have left ..."
Arthur pulled away as the weight of her words hit him "You cannot!"
Gwen cupped his cheek with the palm of her hand. "I love you and if tonight is our last moment together then I want it to be complete – just once."
Arthur froze for a moment his body screaming yes, but his honour shouting no "You cannot offer me that! It is meant to be saved for your wedding night"
Gwen sighed and placed her hands in her lap, not meeting his intense stare. "A wedding night with another man, Arthur."
Arthur looked away for a moment "Guinevere it is too much – I cannot take that."
"Surely it is up to me to whom I give myself to … Arthur let us have one night." She looked up and they stared at one another. "Let us have one final night together not as a nobleman and a commoner, but as a man and a woman who love each other"
Arthur sighed "It was not meant to be this way" he had dreamed of them being together many times, but not like this!
"I know" Guinevere placed a kiss on his lips "Will you have me?"
Did she really just ask him that? He may be a knight, and have a code of honour to follow, and of course he loved and respected her, but his love was not merely of the virtuous kind – he desired her, of course he did. It's always been there, in between the lines, but now she was spelling it out for him. And he was a man after all.
The problem was, that he knew he wouldn't be able to stop having her – and she would not let him have her after this one night, she was not the kind of woman to fit the role of a mistress. She would never do that towards his twit of a fiancé, or any other woman.
So would he reject her, knowing more of the earthly pleasures than her innocent nature – knowing that he would try and seduce her every chance he got, just like he planned on doing when he imagined her being his wife?
No.
"Yes" his words were weak and Guinevere smiled and stood up, she offered Arthur her hand and he smiled sadly and took it, they both walked together towards her bed.
Guinevere felt her heart jumping out of her chest at what they were about to do and for a moment they just stood in silence hand in hand staring at her small bed.
Arthur rubbed circles on her hand "Are you sure?"
Gwen reluctantly let go of his hand and faced him "I am"
She felt her hands shake as she tried to undo her night dress behind her.
"Let me" Gwen smiled shyly and turned around...she heard Arthur take a deep breath and start to undo the ties, each time his finger touched her skin as he unlaced the back she felt electricity run through her body.
She felt Arthur step away and she knew that he had finished, Gwen remained with her back facing him and she slipped her dress off her shoulders as the linen material fell and folded at her hips.
Arthur's heart was beating out of his chest "You are beautiful" he had never seen anyone so perfect in his life and he had only been exposed to her bare back.
Arthur moved closer to Guinevere and placed a kiss on her shoulder "I love you, Guinevere" another shiver ran down her spine as Arthur kissed the top of her neck.
Guinevere was sure her heart would jump out of her chest with every kiss he placed on her neck. Arthur paused in his movements and she finally got the courage to turn around, although she kept her dress covering her chest for now.
Arthur didn't look anywhere but her eyes as she slowly turned. She stood in front of him, a million thoughts running through her mind - Insecure about what he thought of her body … She finally plucked up the courage by taking a few deep breaths and she dropped her hands to her sides, letting go of the dress.
A knock at the door made Arthur turn his head before he could see anything. Guinevere quickly grabbed the dress again and covered herself gasping with shock. Who was at her door at this time? Her thoughts ran through the people it could be and none of them were agreeable options: The King, Princess Elaine, Morgana, the list went on…
Arthur pulled a knife from his pocket and took one look at Guinevere before he advanced forward and stood at the side of the door... Gwen immediately pulled her dress on, the back still open "Who is it?"
"It's me Merlin"
Arthur rolled his eyes "Is Arthur there ...I need to talk to him?"
Arthur hit his head against the wall "Can it not wait, Merlin?" he felt like he could rip Merlin's throat out for disturbing them.
"No. It's important, can I come in?"
Gwen grabbed her shawl to cover her gapping dress and Arthur waited until she was covered before he opened the door, grabbed Merlin in by his collar and slammed the door shut again.
Arthur held him up in the air by his collar "It better be worth it" he growled before letting Merlin drop to the floor. Arthur went and stood beside Guinevere placing his hand protectively on her back. Arthur swore if this was not life or death he would kill Merlin, he was just about to ...
He shook his head, he couldn't think about that right now, otherwise Merlin be damned he would take her to bed – pounce on her more likely!
Merlin stood and brushed his trousers down "Well that is no way to treat a hero."
"What are you on about Merlin?"
Merlin smiled "Well what if I was to say I found a way out of your wedding tomorrow?" Arthur looked to Guinevere and then back to Merlin.
"Wha -, how?" Hope started to build up inside his chest.
"Elaine is..." Merlin tried to think of the words "Different"
"Different?" Gwen found her voice.
Merlin smiled "Well magical really, so you see you can't marry her"
The sun had started to rise by the time Merlin had finished explaining the details of how he had discovered Elaine's magical form and how they could make the big reveal tomorrow, saving Arthur from a fate worse than death and when he finally finished Arthur hugged Merlin then pulled away embarrassed and then grabbed Guinevere into a kiss, which turned into a very awkward passionate embrace.
Merlin cleared his throat and Arthur stopped kissing Gwen and pulled her back up to stand, all of their faces flushed red.
"Well...um we should go and get ready for the day ahead" Merlin couldn't help but smile.
"Right" Arthur looked at Merlin as if to say 'get out' which he did and he left them alone.
"Well that's good" they both laughed awkwardly.
"Yes it is" Gwen smiled at him.
Arthur felt nervous again and ran his hand through his hair "Guinevere...this, well what nearly happened" he cleared the lump in his throat.
Gwen bit her lip, unsure of what to say next... if Merlin had come later they would have been found naked together, their limbs tangled, the sheets barely covering their modesty and flushed sweaty flesh … Guinevere blushed.
Arthur noticed and cleared his throat again before his thoughts went in the same direction, only his images would be more colourful and … in detail. Something Guinevere ought not to hear of until they consummate their union and she cannot run away from his sinful mind. "Perhaps we could discuss this later?"
Gwen couldn't find the words so she just nodded...Arthur smiled awkwardly and turned to leave, knocking over a few objects on the table. He looked up at her and stared at the exposed shoulder, bumping into the door frame… Once he shut the said door behind him, the prince let out a breath of air and walked towards Merlin hitting him repeatedly over the head.
"OWWW What was that for?"
"That is for me needing a cold bath." he hit Merlin again as they walked towards the castle "Make it two cold baths a day for a month!"
Arthur didn't know where this left their little arrangement, but the long journey to becoming king seemed too far of a road for him to take. His feelings for Guinevere had consumed him from day one, but now that he had seen a mere inch of her caramel flesh,
And that tiny waist? He was glad she hid it beneath her baggy clothes for years…
He knew he would have the toughest battle he had ever faced - to keep her honour safe, safe from himself.
But first, stop the wedding and make sure that his next fiancé would be of his choice – Guinevere.