World On Fire
Disclaimer: this is a non-profit making work of fiction. I own nothing whatsoever.
Note: just an extension of a scene I wish they had showed more of :p
Fire and fury rained down from Kilgarrah upon the central courtyard of Camelot's castle. Shouts and screams came from people as they ran in panic to whatever shelter they could find.
"Clear the square!" yelled Prince Arthur as he urged the city folk to safety. He turned his head for a hasty scan for any stragglers. There was smoke and flame everywhere but as far as he could tell, there was nobody left. He was about to leave when he caught movement out the corner of his eye and his heart almost stopped when he made out who it was. Of all the people he should find in mortal danger! The maid was pulling desperately at the well-wheel as she tried to collect fresh water for the many injured who lay within the castle.
"Gwen," he whispered before he collected himself and bellowed, "GUINEVERE!"
Gwen turned at the sound of her name and she looked from Arthur to the sky, just in time to see the Great Dragon begin a sharp swoop towards her, jaws open and ready to claim his next victim.
Arthur saw the danger and charged with all the speed he could muster. He grabbed the young woman in time before he was knocked down by the force of the dragon. Luckily, Kilgarrah had not gained a grip of him and flew on with empty talons.
With Gwen's assistance, Arthur picked himself up and they entered the comparative safety of the castle.
He let himself be led to an empty pallet where he sat and allowed Gwen to help remove his armour to examine the wounds below. Four long, deep scratches ran from his left shoulder to the top of his chest and they stung like nothing he had experienced before. Gwen sat on a stool in front of him and Arthur noticed that she avoided eye contact as she tended his wounds with great care.
Praying that Arthur would not notice her trembling fingers, Gwen unbuckled the damaged shoulder guards and breast plate. She took care when helping the Prince to lift off the chainmail and a line creased her brow as she quickly examined the newly made holes in the mail shirt. Worry suddenly changed to nervousness when she realised that he now wore only the padded doublet which helped to prevent armour from chafing skin and she would also have to remove that.
Gwen's throat became dry as she tried to calmly ease the torn doublet off Arthur's body, all too aware that he was watching her closely.
She swallowed hard as his torso was now bared to her and she could not help but admire his broad chest with its light sprinkling of hair and muscled shoulders and arms. She struggled to concentrate as she lifted a cloth from a bowl of water and wrung it out.
Finally, Arthur was rewarded with a pensive and slightly admonishing look as she glanced up. He wanted to laugh when she told him that he should not have risked his life for her. If there was anyone he would happily give his life for, it was Guinevere. To Arthur, Gwen was everything that Camelot stood for – warmth, generosity, honour and dignity. She had an inner strength which had seen her through many dark times and allowed her to help others sometimes at great personal cost.
His skin tingled at the first touch of the damp cloth on his flesh. She studiously avoided touching him but occasionally, he felt the briefest graze of her fingertips as the cloth washed the wounds.
Arthur tried hard to restrain himself. He wanted to feel her touch properly, to show her just how much she meant to him, how much he loved her. Instead, all he was able to do was still her hand as she moved to bathe his chest.
Gwen's breath caught when Arthur put his larger hand over hers and kept it still for a second. With his blue eyes holding her own wide gaze, she felt him and watched him move to place her hand over his heart with his clasped warmly over the top. He kept it there, all the while studying her face, a soft but faintly unsure smile on his lips. She was aware that the grip on her hand was loose enough that she could easily remove it if she wanted yet firm enough to stay where it was should she choose it to be and Gwen's heart sang as she realised the deep meaning of his simple gesture.
She knew that she could never be his queen but she knew that she would always be his for as long as he would have her. Lancelot had made her feel wanted like no other had ever done before, his presence had allowed her to see what an ordinary person could achieve and he excited her with his adventures, hopes and dreams but Arthur…
Arthur gave her hope, real hope for the future of not just one man but for an entire kingdom of people. The regard he showed her was equally deep but it was an understated depth full of unspoken feelings and desires rather than the hot fervency of Lancelot. In her heart of hearts, Gwen knew who had truly captured her.
The Prince of Camelot felt like singing and his heart was fit to burst when he saw his love reflected and returned in her warm brown pools and the shy smile which lit her face.
Just a bit of slushiness to keep all the arwen-ers going til we see series 3 :D x