Hey, lovely readers!
Here's the first chapter of the second story. Hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: nope on Merlin, nope of Bradley. As usual.
Arthur and Guinevere: Those Sweet Simple Times
Chapter 1
A few days after Shayla's birth, Gwen is back in the Royal Chambers, after having been cleared by Catherine and Gaius that it was OK to return there. Her movements are slow and labored-no pun intended. She is sore, sore, hurting all over. More tired than she thought too, drained by the mere action of doing anything and everything regular. Or make that irregular. She'd never been a mother before.
This strikes her, the tiredness, and frustrates her, when she looks to the timepiece to see that it's already one in the afternoon, and to see that she has just woken up. She must've fallen back into sleep after Shayla's last feeding only a couple of hours ago. She sighs, tries to get out of bed, wonders with a start where her husband and daughter have gone. Already their chambers feel eerily empty without the sounds of Shayla. Arthur happens to come in just as she is attempting to stand. Seeing her, he rushes over, helps her out by putting her arm over his shoulder. She slumps against him, the energy sapped out of her already.
"Take it easy," Arthur cautions, and Gwen responds with a nod and a tight grimace. He can hear her take a sharp intake of breath, sees her wince. "What was your plan here, exactly?" He asks gently.
"I was just trying to stand up, to get out of bed for a moment, but now..." She shakes her head. "Help me," she says helplessly, and Arthur takes that as permission to help her back into bed, even though they just spent all that time getting out of it. She winces again and he knows they've done the right thing. "How's Shayla?" Gwen asks as he helps settle her back against the pillows.
"Don't worry about Shayla," Arthur says. "She's still with Gaius."
"She'll need to be fed soon."
"I know," Arthur answers. "But until then, you can sleep."
"And where will you be?"
"Why, here, of course," Arthur answers. He sits next to her on the bed. At that, Gwen musters up the energy for a small smile. She reaches for his hand just as he reaches for hers.
"Thank you," she says tiredly, already slipping back into sleep.
"For you, Guinevere, anything," Arthur says, as he always does, and that's the last thing she hears before sleep claims her.
A/G*A/G
A while later, Gwen awakes again. Seeing this, Arthur goes down to Gaius' chambers to get Shayla. He smiles to himself when he gets there. Gaius and Merlin have had fun having her there for the last few days or so, though they'd never say so. Shayla stayed there so Gaius could make sure she was fairing all right; several times during this period she was brought back and forth, to eat and sleep and be with Arthur and Gwen. The guards had been doubled near both Gaius' chambers and especially near the Royal Chambers. The guards would always be doubled near the Royal Chambers from now on. Tonight was to be the first night she spent in the Royal Chambers, in the bassinet by their bed. She would then spend all of her nights there, after having been cleared by Gaius that she was in great health.
As the King steps inside the physician's chambers, Gaius puts a finger to his lips, indicating that the baby is asleep. Arthur eases his daughter into his arms.
"Hi, Shay," he whispers anyway, and her eyelids flutter open. She sees who it is, and they close again as she snuggles into the familiarity of her father's red runic.
"She is coming back, isn't she? You'll bring her back later?"
"Yes, Merlin."
"Good."
Arthur leaves Gaius' chambers, walks down the corridor, marveling at how light and small and delicate the baby is in his arms. A flank of knights comes up behind him then from another hallway, Leon at the front of them.
"Sire," he starts, and Arthur turns around slowly, and they quiet seeing Shayla. "It can wait until later," he says, whispering now.
"Are you sure? Because-
"I am," Leon says. "Go be with your family."
Arthur nods, and walks ahead of them, towards the Royal Chambers.
A/G*A/G
When he gets there, Gwen slowly rises from the rocking chair.
"Well, Miss Shayla, hello," she says in a whisper. A soft smile lights up her face as she is handed her daughter.
Shayla falls asleep on Gwen's lap after she's finished eating, and Gwen falls asleep too shortly after. Looking at them, at the two most precious people in his life, Arthur can't help but feel selfish. How did he get so lucky? To have Guinevere love him the way she did? And Shayla, how did she manage to be so much a part of him, already? To create this beautiful child together was a kind of happiness he had never wanted, until Gwen had entered his life.
And now, as he carefully picks up the baby, lays her in the bassinet, covers Gwen with a blanket now that his hands were free, he couldn't help but look around the Royal Chambers and feel like he didn't deserve all that he had.
A/G*A/G
Later that evening, Gwen and Arthur's discussion of a document is interrupted by a knock on the door of the Royal Chambers. It is Gaius, carrying Shalya. She had been down in his and Merlin's chambers for the past few hours, much to Merlin's delight. She didn't do much else besides sleep-sometimes she cried-but for some reason, Merlin enjoyed watching her, watching over her. Gwen starts to rise from the rocking chair at the physician's arrival, but he stops her, puts a hand up.
"Don't get up. I just came to see how you were, and to bring Shayla back for the night." Gwen nods, accepts her daughter into her arms. "Still sore?" Gaius asks.
"Very," Gwen replies, trying to smile and not quite making it.
"If it doesn't diminish in a couple of weeks, let me know. I've got a tincture I think would help." Gwen nods again. "If you feel light-headed, send for me, immediately." Gwen nods. Arthur comes over to them now from where he had been sitting at his desk, puts his hand on the back of the rocking chair and stands by it.
"Why would that happen?" Gwen asks carefully. "Why would I get light-headed?"
'You lost a lot of blood," Gaius starts, to see Gwen's eyes widen a little. "Not more than any other woman who's given birth to a child, but a good amount. In saying that, you may feel light-headed. It's just something to be aware of."
Gwen nods. "Anything else I should know about?"
"Try to drink as much water as you can. Eat when you can. Get as much sleep as you can." At that, Gaius smiles, looks down at the baby in Gwen's arms. "I know that last request will be a tough one to fulfill."
"You're telling me," Arthur says quietly, flatly, making Gwen turn and swat him playfully on the arm with one hand, Shayla in the crook of her other arm.
"All first-time parents go through this," Gaius assures them. "It's perfectly natural to feel exhausted. In fact, I'd say that's the job description of a new parent."
"Great," Arthur and Gwen say together. They turn to one another and smile, look down to Shayla and smile again.
"Thank you," Gwen says then.
"Yes, thank you, Gaius," Arthur says.
"I'll leave the three of you now. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help, or anything you need."
"We will," Gwen says. "Thank you, again."
The physician nods, leaves, closing the door of the Royal chambers softly behind him.
After Gwen feeds Shayla once more, she is put to bed in the bassinet by their bed. Arthur and Gwen watch her settle so easily into sleep.
"It's just the three of us now," Arthur says, echoing Gaius' words, drawing his wife close to him, wrapping an arm around her waist. She rests her head on his shoulder. They are silent for a few moments, listening to the baby's steady breathing.
"Indeed it is," Gwen replies, yawning. "The three of us."
