"Arthur!" Morgana yelled. "What are you doing?" Arthur and spun around to face his father's ward, covering Gwen with his body. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. "And just who is that?" Morgana asked, gesturing behind Arthur.

"It is me, my lady," Gwen said, stepping out from behind Arthur and looking at her feet.

"Gwen!" Morgana said in a strange combination of confusion and indignation. She quickly walked over to Gwen and grabbed her arm. Gwen in turn grabbed Arthur's hand and tried to pull him with her as she was steered out of the room. She leaned over to him and kissed him one last time before Morgana dragged her away.

"Guinevere," he whispered sadly as she left the room.

"What were you doing, Gwen?" Morgana almost yelled a few moments later. "That was Arthur! Arthur! How? Why?"

"I know, my lady," Gwen said miserably. "I don't know what happened. I was laying out your dress, then Arthur came in looking for you. I…" Gwen trailed off, not knowing how to end her sentence.

"You've been a loyal and trusted servant for me, Gwen," Morgana said as she calmed down a little bit, "so I won't tell Uther."

Gwen's face broke into a smile. "Thank you, Morgana!"

"But know this," she continued. "If I ever catch you two again, I won't be so kind." Gwen nodded and hurried away. As soon as Gwen was gone, Morgana allowed herself to smile. Arthur and Gwen were adorable together.

"I just, I don't know. She's beautiful enough to be a princess, but… she's a servant, Merlin," Arthur confided later that day. "She makes me feel different, better. It's like I'll never be complete if she's not with me. Morgana is going to tell Uther," he said, looking up at Merlin. "He'll punish Gwen for this. I don't want her to be punished for me." Merlin understood Arthur's pain.

"Only you know what you truly want," Merlin told Arthur. "You deserve to be complete. If you truly love Gwen, nothing will stop you from being with her." Arthur patted his servant's shoulder.

"You know, Merlin, this may be one of those very rare occasions when you say something actually worth hearing." Merlin smiled and watched his friend walk out the door to go to the feast.

When Arthur arrived at the hall, everyone was already there. Uther stood up.

"Arthur," he said fondly, "take a seat." Arther was confused. Why wasn't Uther furious with him? He walked past Morgana before he got to his own chair. He sat down and looked at the tiny note she had slipped into his hand.

Arthur, it read, I didn't tell Uther. Just don't hurt her. –M.

Arthur looked at Morgana and beamed. She smiled back and gestured to the other side of the hall, where Gwen was refilling Sir Leon's wine glass. Arthur looked back at Morgana, and she raised her eyebrows at him. He grinned and called Gwen over.

"Would you like some more wine, sire?" she asked innocently, smiling at him.

"As a matter of fact, I would, Guinevere." He took a sip from his newly filled wineglass and almost choked on it when Gwen leaned over him and deliberately pressed her breast against his neck. He looked at Morgana again and saw her roll her eyes.

Arthur smiled at Guinevere, and she smiled back. It took almost all of his willpower to not stand up and kiss her on the spot. But he just reached his hand backwards until he found Gwen's and pretended to make conversation with his knights.

By the time Arthur got back to his chambers, he was nearly skipping.

"Well you're happy," Merlin observed.

"Of course I'm happy, Merlin!" Arthur proclaimed. "I'm in love!" Merlin chuckled.

"And I think you may have asked Gwen for a few too many refills," Merlin told Arthur as he laid Arthur down on his bed. Arthur was suddenly upset at the mention of Gwen's name.

"Where is Gwen?" he asked, looking around for her. "I want her to be here with me."

"You'll see her tomorrow," Merlin promised. Arthur nodded and relaxed, satisfied with his servant's answer. He laid his head against his pillow and tried to sleep, but images of Guinevere came to his mind, preventing him from getting any sleep that night.