The Future
It was the night before Gwen's wedding, the night before she would take Arthur's hand in marriage. The day had been full of comings and goings, her new maid Bronwen had chatted non- stop in excitement. Gwen had tried to take it all in, not just the fact that she would marry Arthur, but also that she would become the new Queen of Camelot.
Suddenly she had a quiet hour to herself to reflect on, how her life had brought her to this moment. Here she was a daughter of a blacksmith, about to marry a Prince. Not that Gwen was bothered by such things. To her what the person was like, was always far more important than his title. When she considered the rocky journey she'd had to take, to become Queen of Camelot, she suddenly felt sad at the casualties that had dropped by the wayside.
She remembered her first love Lancelot, who even now his death had weighed heavily on her. She
thought of her father Tom, a good man who had strived to do his best for his family. How she wished for a second that he was here to give her away. Her mother, who had died young, and before Gwen had really got to know her. Gwen even remembered Morgana, her former mistress, who had sadly been taken by the dark side.
On what should have been the happiest night of her life, she found a minute to mourn them, and everything they had meant to her.
She knew she was lucky, she had a man who loved her, friends who always stuck by her, and she them. She also knew the ordinary people in Camelot were delighted that Gwen an ordinary person from Camelot itself; was now becoming their Queen. She knew she would enjoy their support. Yes she worried about the nobles at court, who might whisper about a girl from her background becoming Queen. But she knew that Arthur would always be with her, and that he would guide her through what lay ahead.
Arthur, as she thought about him, her heart soared. Theirs had been a difficult path to this moment, and yet she would have hardly changed a minute of it. Their love had stood the test of time, and now she knew that nothing would come between them. She believed in not only their love, but also their devotion to their Kingdom. When she thought about her husband, she also thought of Merlin, their friend. He was a true friend to both her and Arthur, and an important figure in theirs and Camelot's future.
The future, she knew there was no guarantees, she knew there would be hard times ahead. But when she looked at the people behind her and Arthur, the Knights, Merlin, Gaius she knew they had a chance to take their beloved Kingdom into a new golden age. It was the age that she as a girl, had dreamed about throughout Uther's hard reign. This was a chance that they could unite all their people for the good of all.
As she heard Bronwen arrive back in the room, she took the locket out of the box, her father had brought her when she was ten. She asked her maid to put it around her neck, as Bronwen sighed, she smiled. Tonight was about the passing of her former life, tomorrow would be about the future.