I have set Lancelot's return later in the series, I hope you like it.
As Gwen walked through the lower town at sunrise she looked up at the castle, no longer smoke was billowing out of its turrets, but the scars still remained, not only to the building but to its people.
Uther had wanted to celebrate the death of the dragon, but Arthur had insisted that all celebrations would wait until the castle was re-built. The last few weeks had been hard on everyone, the re-building had started and she had not seen Arthur since he had returned, only in passing. The building of the castle had taken up his time and whilst he rebuilt homes, Gwen worked on re-building people's lives, helping the wounded walk and helping the families cope.
She spent her days in the lower town helping people and at night she would cook food to help people who were unable to cook themselves.
Arthurs chambers early morning.
Merlin burst into Arthur chambers
"What have I told you about knocking" Arthur said standing there with his shirt off.
"Oh sorry" he popped out again and knocked then entered.
Arthur stood there half smiling.
"That's better" Arthur said crossing his arms.
"He's back" Merlin said biting his lip.
"Who's back" Arthur said confused.
"Lancelot, I saw him ride in this morning" Merlin said looking at Arthurs changing face from shock to anger to sadness.
"Has she seen him yet?" he said quietly.
"No she is with Gauis" he said honestly.
Arthur placed his hand on his head thinking.
"What are you going to do?" Merlin said.
"I DON'T know MERLIN" Arthur said pacing now.
What should he do, kill him, allow Guinevere to break his heart, keep her away from him, but knowing Lancelot he would wait.. He kicked the bed and hurt his foot.
"Ouch" he said holding his foot.
"That was clever" Merlin said smiling.
He pointed his finger at him "DARE say anything" he said finally sitting on his bed.
He placed both hands on his head "What shall I do?" he said honestly.
"Fight for her" Merlin said smiling.
"Oh right, that's GREAT MERLIN why are you such an IDIOT?" he said staring at him.
"Afraid you will lose?" Merlin said moving away, just in case.
"No you complete IDIOT, do you know nothing of women?" he said
"I know more than you....... Women like that fight for you stuff?" Merlin replied back.
"You are NOT Helping" Arthur said placing his hands back on his head.
"OK, joking aside, why don't you just talk to her?" he said.
"And say what..... Hello Guinevere, Lancelot is here again, please ignore him, yes I know he can marry you and take care of you and be with you every day.......but please wait for me, because one day I MIGHT be able to be with you" he said sighing.
Merlin smiled "Something like that although I would probably not point out the positives of being with Lancelot" he said honestly.
"I can't ask her to put her life on hold for me MERLIN" he said looking down.
"She loves you, you know that" he said.
"I don't Merlin, I know she cares about me, but given the choice?" Arthur sighed and stood up to look out of the window.
"Given the choice she would choose you" Merlin said.
"You don't know that?" he said watching Camelot.
"Neither do you and standing there feeling sorry for yourself is not going to help" Merlin said grabbing Arthurs shirt and chucking it at him, Arthur caught it instinctively. "Sometimes I wonder about you Arthur, you battle dragons, Wilderbeasts but you are afraid of fighting for love" he said honestly.
"I am not afraid of fighting for it, I am of losing" Arthur said honestly pulling his top over his head and staring out of the window.
"Arthur, just go" Merlin said. Arthur sighed, he knew Merlin was right, standing here waiting wasn't going to help he had to fight for it.
He put his sword around his waist and left.
"Good luck" Merlin said. Although Merlin liked Lancelot a lot, he knew how good Guinevere was for Arthur, she had changed him so much and he had watched their love grow. He knew that if Guinevere left, she would leave a wake of damage behind her that would not be repaired.
Lancelot finds Gwen
Guinevere was helping to re-bandage Sir Leon's leg, he had survived the attack but he had not escaped without the Dragons mark.
"You should come more often" Gwen said to him.
"There is so much to do" Sir Leon said
Gauis was making a remedy for him.
"You will not be doing anything if you do not tend to your wounds properly" she said sternly.
Gauis smiled at Sir Leon.
"You should join the knights, you put the fear in any man" he said smiling.
Gwen laughed "I would make a terrible knight, and so will you if you do not come here more often" she said smiling.
"OK only if you tend to me, you have a lighter touch" he said quietly.
"I heard that" Gauis said smiling, the truth is Gwen was a lot better than him at looking after the wounded and making the knights come back for treatment.
Before Sir Leon could answer back he noticed Lancelot standing there.
"Lancelot" Sir Leon said.
With his name Gwen dropped the bowl of water all over Sir Leon and all the bandages dropped on the floor.
"I am sorry" she said to Sir Leon she bent down to pick them up.
"No problem" he said brushing the water off.
Lancelot came to help her and she came face to face with him on the floor.
"Gwen, it is good to see you" he said touching her hand, she moved it away
"What are you doing here?" she said quietly and stood up.
Sir Leon watched the two of them staring at each other. "I should go" he said starting to stand up. Gwen snapped out of her shocked look and helped him to stand. She walked him over to the door and turned back to Lancelot "I will return" Gwen said and Lancelot nodded
It hadn't quite been the reception he hoped for.
"I am sorry" Gwen said walking along with Sir Leon, the truth is he could have walked himself but she needed some air, seeing Lancelot after all this time was a shock.
"Don't think of it, does Arthur know he is here" he said quietly.
Gwen looked surprised and stopped, Sir Leon shook his head.
"Don't worry I won't say anything, Arthurs a proud, but good man, try not to hurt him" he said quietly.
"How did you?" she couldn't complete the sentence.
"Arthur is my best friend, I could see the way he looked at you, and then the hug when I was being taken back from the dragon" he said honestly.
Gwen dipped her head.
"It is impossible" she said in a whisper.
"Not impossible just a bit of a challenge" he said lifting her chin with his hand.
"There are people here who look to the future of Camelot Gwen" he sighed "And I for one, like the thought of you in it" he said honestly.
She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek "Thank you" she whispered into his ear.
"At your service my lady..... I shall see you tomorrow" he said and limped away.
She watched him go and as she walked back to Gauis her heart became heavy. What was she going to do, what would she say to Arthur to Lancelot.
When she entered Gauis was gone and Lancelot was leaning against the wall.
"Where is Gauis" she said.
"He will be back shortly" he said honestly moving towards her.
Lancelot came up to her and placed his hands on hers.
"I am sorry for leaving you, my heart has been heavy ever since I left" he said honestly.
She tore her eyes away from him and took her hands away from his, she busiest herself cleaning up. "Why did you leave?" she said whilst picking up some bandages.
"I saw how you two looked at each other and I wanted to give him a chance" he said honestly.
"Then why did you return?" she said not looking at him.
"Because I heard of the dragon and I wanted to help and to see if you are ok" he said making his way nearer to her.
She moved away "As you can see I am fine" she said finally facing him.
"You need not have troubled yourself" she said angrily.
"Gwen you own my heart, you know that.... I could not be selfish and take you away to a life living with me, not knowing how the food would be put on the table" he said honestly.
She snapped "Surely that would have been my choice to make... but no with all your words and honour you left...... you should not have come back!" she said, she didn't realise how angry she was.
"Gwen I am sorry, I know I do not deserve your forgiveness but you must know I left for the right reasons, so that you could have a better life" he said honestly.
She just nodded she was too angry to speak, how dare he return.
"I love you Gwen, I always have I am a weak man without you" he said getting so close she could feel his breath on her lips, he raised her chin.
Arthur walked in just at this point but staying in the sidelines, his heart broke and he walked away down the ramparts.
"My heart may have once held a place for you, but it no longer has room, I choose Arthur......we may not have a future together, but I will stand by his side and watch him become king and love him until the day he dies". She said standing tall.
Lancelot moved away from her like a sword had pierced his heart.
"I wish you well Lancelot and I am sorry for any wasted journey you have had" she said and turned around to continue cleaning up.
He walked out of the room and down the ramparts, only to come face to face with Arthur's fist.
He was knocked back and Arthur just stood there "You have taken the only thing I ever wanted" Arthur said and was about the raise his fist again to punch him.
"What are you doing" it was Gauis.
Arthur lowered his fist as Gauis helped Lancelot stand.
Lancelot spat the blood out of his mouth and sighed.
"Talk to her" Lancelot said, gesturing in her direction he took a seat on the wall. Gauis stood there looking between Arthur and Lancelot the tension could be cut with a knife.
"I think you should talk to Gwen" Gauis said placing a hand on Arthurs arm.
Arthur slowly peeled his eyes off of Lancelot and looked at Gauis.
"Talk to her" he said again.
Arthur nodded and slowly walked down to where he had last see Gwen. Half expecting for Lancelot to attack him.
When he entered the treatment room he found Guinevere looking out of the window. She didn't need to turn around to know who was there, she could feel his presence a mile off. When he was near her she felt complete.
She slowly turned around to face him. When she looked at him she could see a thousand different emotions in his eyes, much like the time he had rescued her. She looked down to his hand and her eyes went wide all of his knuckles were bloody.
She rushed over to him "What happened" she said raising his fist, he didn't reply he just lowered his head.
Suddenly all the slots fell into place "Lancelot is he ok?" she said worried.
He nodded his head slightly, Guinevere gently guided him to sit down. She fetched a bowl of water and a cloth and knelt down next to him, he watched her gently take his hand and dab the wounds.
"Did you talk to him" she said softly
"No" he said not looking at her. He felt like each time she touched him, his heart broke into smaller pieces.
"Why did you hit him?" she said, Arthur normally would not do something so rash.
"I saw you" he said quietly finally looking at her.
She shook her head "What did you hear?" she said still cleaning his hand.
"I heard nothing, but saw enough" he said.
She sighed "If you are going to spy on me at least stay for the outcome" she said shaking her head.
He looked at her confused.
She placed down the cloth into the water and stood and walked away from him. She needed to be apart from him to be able to talk, when she was near him, her head swum and her heart beat louder than a thousand drums, she needed to breathe.
Arthur just sat there watching her, he was really confused and numb.
"If you would have stayed, you would have realised that I told him to leave...... that my heart was taken by another" she said looking out of the window.
He sat there digesting what she had said, she told him to leave, her heart!!! He stood up and walked over to her and before she had chance to say anything he kissed her with more passion than he had ever kissed her before her legs went weak and he held her up, still not stopping kissing her until they needed to breathe. He leaned his head on hers.
"You chose me" he said breaking into a big smile.
She smiled "Always" she said
At this he picked her up and swung her around. "Put me down" she said laughing.
He placed her on the ground again not letting go of her waist and then a serious look came over his face.
"Even though I cannot promise you anything now?" he said looking serious.
"Even though" she said placing her hand on his cheek and rubbing it gently. His smile lit up the room and she laughed.
"Now next time, talk before hitting" she said smiling.
"No more dashing knights" he said shaking his head.
Her look turned serious "Is he OK? I should go and find him" she said frowning.
"He is ok, I will find him, I need to ask for forgiveness" he said honestly.
She nodded and he stroked her cheek "Can I see you later?" he said.
"I would like that" she said and he leant down and placed a kiss on her head.
Before he left he turned around.
"Thank you Guinevere" he said smiling.
"You have nothing to thank me for" she said honestly.
"I have everything to thank you for" He said smiling and he left.
She closed her eyes and smiled.
Arthur found Lancelot sitting on the wall as he left from Guinevere, he sighed and sat next to him.
They sat in silence for a moment.
"Lancelot I am..." he started to talk.
"There is no need to apologise" Lancelot said "I would have done the same" he sighed
"I should have not reacted in such a way and I am ashamed of it" Arthur said honestly.
"She can make you feel like you can battle a thousand men, or she can break you into pieces with just one look" Lancelot said honestly.
Arthur nodded.
"I will take care of her" Arthur said, he didn't know what to say, he knew the pain Lancelot must be feeling, he had just experienced the same thing.
Lancelot turned to look at him "She deserves more than you or I can give her, you must promise me that you will do everything in your power to make her your queen" he said seriously.
"It is all I have ever wanted" Arthur replied honestly, dipping his head.
Lancelot nodded and stood, Arthur stood up as well and Lancelot offered him his hand, Arthur took it.
"You are a better man than I Lancelot" Arthur said shaking his head.
Lancelot smiled "Your words are kind, but if that were true I would be leaving with her now" he said honestly and smiling.
Arthur smiled "Despite earlier, you will always be welcome here" He said.
"Maybe one day I will return, but for now" he said not needing to finish his words, Arthur understood and he walked away. Arthur watched him leave.
Guinevere came out and walked past Arthur "I must say goodbye" Arthur nodded and she ran off to see him.
Merlin came up to him and saw Gwen talking to Lancelot in the distance.
"So you lost then?" he said to Arthur,trying to read his expression.
Arthur place his hand on Merlin's shoulder "When have you ever known me to lose anything" he said smiling.
Merlin laughed and they walked off.
"Well there was that time when you were beaten by a girl" he said smiling.
"SHUT up MERLIN" Arthur said and laughed.
Hope you like it, sorry feel a little bad for Lancelot.