hey, thanks for the great reviews! im really excited about where this story is going! Enjoy!


Guinevere sat at her kitchen table, waiting. She had her shall ready, just in case, and a crumpled piece of parchment in her hand. Her heart was beating so fast, she felt as if it might burst out if her chest at any moment. Every creak, every crack, every rustle, made Guinevere twist in her chair, only to find herself even more disappointed and anxious. It was getting late, and Guinevere was starting to wonder whether Arthur would be coming at all.

Then suddenly, there was a soft and hurried knock at the door. Before she could stop to think, Guinevere was at the door and wrenching it open. She saw a flash of red and blonde, before the door was slammed closed by a hurried hand, and Prince Arthur stood breathless in front of her.

"Hi!" he said, grinning and catching his breath.

But just as Guinevere was opening her mouth to respond, the sound of hurried footsteps came through the open window, and Guinevere was being pulled to the floor.

"Arthur, what's…?"

But before she could finish, Arthur had covered her mouth with his hand. The footsteps outside the house grew louder and Guinevere started to get anxious. What if Arthur got caught in the home of a servant girl? The guards outside stated to talk over each other, yelling orders and carelessly waking the sleeping town. Keeping his hand over her mouth, Arthur slowly turned, and pocked his head out the small window, before quickly withdrawing in again and slamming his body hard against the wall. He was still out of breath and from the look on his face Guinevere could tell that he was thinking.

He twisted his head to face Guinevere and, upon seeing her frightened face, burst into silent laughter.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost." He told her in a whisper, fighting the urge to burst out laughing.

Annoyed at his teasing, but relieved all the same, Guinevere pulled his hand from her face and hit him as hard as she could on the arm. This set him off even more, and a burst of laughter erupted from his lips.

Suddenly a voice from outside told them that they had been heard. Arthur, still trying to suppress his laughter, got up off the floor and pulled Guinevere with him. Together they crossed Guinevere's small home in seconds and burst through the back door. They ran through the darkness, through the houses in lower Camelot, towards the outskirts of the town.

Guinevere was running so hard, trying to keep up with Arthur. He had not let go of her hand sine they left her home, and she was not about to give him a reason to. Even though she was exhausted and completely out of breath, Guinevere kept running, away from Camelot and all the reasons why the two of them shouldn't be together.

Finally, when they had reached the outskirts of the forests surrounding Camelot, Arthur stoped. Guinevere had been running so hard that she rammed right into the back of him.

"Ouch!" Guinevere said, rubbing her forehead, feeling a little dizzy.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked. The amount of concern in his voiced startled Guinevere. She looked up into his face and the worry she found there was a surprising comfort.

"I'm brilliant." She said, smiling. Arthur smiled back, as he reached out his hand and brushed a stray curl behind her ear.

Arthur sighed "Sorry about all the running," he said. "The guards must have thought I was somebody else."

But before Guinevere could reply, Arthur was leading her through the forest again, walking more slowly this time and still keeping a firm grasp on her hand. As the trees around them became denser and the ground under their feet started to get unsteady, Arthur stoped again.

He turned to Guinevere, and his face was serious. "I want to show you something." He reached out and pushed beside a low hanging branch to reveal a small moonlit clearing.

Guinevere stepped into the place where Arthur had brought her and looked around. It was quiet and isolated but not frightening, and the green grass on the soft ground smelt like spring was coming. The stars in the night sky had never been brighter and as Guinevere circled the place, she felt like she had been here before.

Arthur stood on the edge of the clearing, watching her take in the place he found so much comfort in.

Stepping in to the clearing, Arthur said "I found this place when I was nine. It was the first time I realised I would be king one day. I used to come here all the time. It was the best comfort I had." He paused and looked at Guinevere, who was listening intently. "I don't come so much anymore."

"Why not?" Guinevere asked.

Arthur approached Guinevere and took her hands. "Now I have you."

Guinevere could feel her cheeks flushing. She was not as brave to admit it, but despite all the complications surrounding her feeling for Arthur, having him in her thoughts had definitely lifted her mood lately. There was now a part of her that belonged only to him, and even if he could never really collect it, she knew that it existed, and that was enough for now.

"Arthur, I meant what I said. No matter what happens, I will always be here for you. I know that I am just a servant, but…"

Arthur interrupted her. "But nothing! You deserve just as much as anybody else. And I want you to know….that promise, well, it goes both ways."

Guinevere felt the swell of affection inside her chest. It was a comfort to know that even if she and Arthur could never be together, they would always be friends. If that was as much as she was ever going to get, she couldn't help feeling exceptional lucky.

They spent the rest of the night sitting together, talking, about everything and anything. It was amazing how the time swam by, and before they knew it the sky was getting lighter as the sun began to rise. But Guinevere didn't feel a bit tired. It was the opposite, she felt invigorated by Arthur's closeness. She never wanted her time with him to end, but they had spent the night in their own little world and now it was time to get back to reality. They walked together silently back to Guinevere's home. When they reached the front door Arthur paused before letting go of Guinevere's hand and stepping away from her. He didn't want to make this night any more difficult by doing something amazing like kissing her.

"Well, thank you, Arthur, for a lovely evening." said Guinevere nervously. She turning away from him, and reaching to open her front door. She took her time opening her door, hoping that he would stop her, and maybe kiss her goodnight. But she made it all the way into her house and was about to close the door on Arthur and their night together.

She smiled at him for the last time and said "Happy Birthday!"

He didn't reply, but smiled and nodded. Guinevere could tell he was trying to say something but couldn't quite find the words. Guinevere was just about to close the door in his face when Arthur reached out his hand, pushed the door open again, and kissed her. All the feelings they had been trying to suppress came out in that one kiss, which lasted forever, and just a moment all at once.

Later, as Arthur sneaked back up towards the castle, he couldn't help reliving the night, and the kiss, over in is head. He couldn't remember a better birthday, and the night had certainly lived up to his expectations, but now the fact that he hadn't slept was starting to catch up with him. When he reached his chambers, Arthur slumped in to bed and instantly fell asleep.

"Arthur. Wake up! Arthur!" Merlin was standing over Arthur shaking him awake.

"Merlin, what are you doing, man?" Arthur asked sleepily. He rolled over to see Merlin looking scared out of his wits. "Merlin?" he asked again, this time more seriously.

"It Gwen Arthur, you have to come." Merlin said, slightly out of breath. It seemed he had run to Arthur's chambers.

Arthur instantly jumped out of bed and pulled on his boots. He was still dressed from the night before, and without bothering to waste time by asking questions, he followed Merlin out the door and down the corridor. Merlin was silent as he led Arthur towards the throne room. When Arthur realised where they were going, he felt the pit of his stomach drop. Why would Guinevere be here and in some sort of trouble? When they reached the door and entered the room Arthur saw his father standing in the centre of the room looking down on Guinevere who was being seized by two guards.

"I asked you, where were you last night." Uther said angrily.

Arthur was shocked, "Father, what's going on here?" At the sound of his voice Guinevere looked up at Arthur, a streak of hope on her fearful face.

"We were robbed." said Uther, glaring down at the servant kneeling on the floor before him. "A thief broke into the castle last night and stole priceless jewels from Morgana's old chambers."

"What makes you think Gui…this servant, is responsible?" asked Arthur.

"She was Morgana's maid, and she was the only person who had access to the castle, who can't provide us with an alibi." said Uther, getting more and more determined as he spoke.

Arthur's heart was racing. He knew his father well, and when Uther made a decision, it would take a mountain to make him change his mind.

"Ill ask you one last time," Uther spat down at Guinevere, "Where were you last night?"

Guinevere looked at Arthur. He knew exactly where she was last night, because he had been with her the whole time. He knew for certain that she was innocent, but if his father discovered that he had spent a night alone with a servant…..well he would never understand. Guinevere kept her eyes locked on Arthur, begging him to help her.

Uther sighed angrily. "You leave me no choice. Take her to the dungeon, if she does not confess and returne the stolen items, she will be executed by the end of the week."

"No!" Guinevere cried. "Please, it wasn't me!"

"Father, please..." Arthur said

"This girl is a criminal Arthur. I will not have criminals in my kingdom."Uther said, before turning swiftly and heading for the door.

Arthur stood staring at his fathers back. How could he be so careless and leave Guinevere helpless on the floor. He looked back at Guinevere who was staring at him again. Arthur had to do something to help her. But what could he do? He couldn't confess that they had been together last night. His father would kill him.

"Arthur?" Uther called again, this time with a distinct sense of authority in his voice.

Arthur turned to look at his father and found himself staring into the stern and dark eyes that he found in no way resembled his own.

"Arthur, please!" begged Guinevere. Arthur turned once again to face her and was stricken by the fear in her once sparkling eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her small body struggled against the guard preventing her escape. Guinevere was staring at Arthur, confused. Why wasn't he doing anything to help her? Surely he wouldn't leave her to die, when he knew she was innocent. As Arthur stood between herself and Uther hesitating at his next move, Guinevere, in a final desperate plea, said "You promised!"

"How dare you speak to Prince Arthur in such a manner!" Uther ranted, approaching Arthur and placing a heavy hand upon his sons shoulder. Uther turned away from the scene encouraging his son to follow. Slowly, determined and without look back, Arthur walked away from the desperate Guinevere, leaving her, alone.

Guinevere entire body slumped. Her only defence, her only alibi, her only love had just turned his back on her. He had broken his promise, and now she was more alone than she had ever been. The pain she felt at the rough hands of the guard was nothing compared to the way she felt now. Her heart was broken, shattered and suddenly the prospect of dying did not seem so frightening.