Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
A/N - This is the one chapter rated M. You have been warned.
Chapter 3 – With All My Heart
The following morning dawned later than any of them expected. They had intended to be gone shortly after sunrise, but, they supposed, they had been more tired than they originally thought, though two were still quite tired. Both Merlin and Guinevere slept well, but Arthur and Leon, who were used to more luxurious beds, had not.
"How did you sleep better than me? You were on the ground!" Arthur complained as they awaited the innkeeper and his wife to bring their food, both having refused point blank to allow them to leave without eating first.
"The blankets I was given to sleep on were quite comfortable. Possibly more so than my bed back home with Gaius." He said with a smile. Arthur glared at him and Leon intervened.
"It was better than sleeping on the ground in the forest." He reasoned. "And we will have to get used to such things wherever we settle. We are not the Prince and First Knight here, after all."
"There now!" Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their hosts. "A nice hot stew is just the thing before a long journey."
"It looks lovely, thank you." Guinevere said.
"So where are you young'uns headed?" The innkeeper's wife asked.
"Margie…" Her husband scolded gently.
"Oh Doug, I'm an old woman and they're not much more than children. I'm allowed to be concerned."
"It's alright, truly." Arthur said. "We actually don't know where we're headed. We're looking for a place to settle, ideally near the sea."
"Why the sea?" Doug asked.
"She's never seen the sea before." He replied simply, looking at Guinevere like the lovesick fool he was. Doug laughed heartily.
"Keeping the little lady happy then? Always a good idea."
"So you two are married then?" Asked Margie.
"Not yet they're not." Leon was quick to insert, though he earned a kick under the table from Guinevere for it. "Ow!" He muttered.
"Do forgive my brother." She said with a glare in his direction, sticking with the story they had concocted.
"Your…brother?"
"Yes. My parents adopted her when she was left an orphan. We may not be related by blood, but she has been my sister since she was a babe." They knew it was far too implausible to try and claim some true family connection, but went with the next best thing.
"Ah. That is a very kind thing they did." Said Margie. "Especially given the difference in station." They looked to her incredulously, having not mentioned, or even hinted at, their stations in life. "My dear, your hands are like mine. Not so calloused from labour in the fields, but still worn from work, and far too worn to be those of a lady."
"What makes you think I am of the nobility?" Leon asked.
"You fight like knights, both of you." Doug said, indicating to Arthur as well. "I did my time in Caerleon's army as a young man, fought under too many knights not to recognize one. It's quite rare for a man not from the nobility to become a knight."
"But not unheard of." Leon argued.
"I see there is no fooling you." Merlin spoke up. "Both are knights and of the nobility. That is Sir Leonardo, though he prefers Leo, and this is my master, Sir Aric. Ginevra, or Gina as she prefers, was raised alongside Leo, and they do view each other as siblings, though she did serve in his household, her mother having previously been a maid there."
"And you?"
"My name is Marcus and I was, am, Sir Aric's manservant." The others tried not to look like this was the first time they were hearing this story, and were thankful for Merlin's lying ability, his years of hiding his magic having served him well in that.
"And what are you doing all the way out here?"
"We left home." Arthur said, sticking as much to the truth as he dared. "My father did not take kindly to me falling for a servant, he forbade us to be together, and it was the last straw. I would not be parted from…Gina." He hoped he got the name right.
"And you could just leave like that?" Doug sounded surprised. "I seem to remember knights taking oaths that had them sworn to whichever lord or king they served."
"We did make such oaths." Leon confessed, trying to stall so they could come up with an excuse. "As Aric said, his father's refusal to allow him and my sister to wed was the last straw."
"They served under King Alined of Deorham." Merlin said, thinking quickly. "It is not common knowledge; however, our former King was quite dishonourable. He attended a gathering in Camelot to sign a peace treaty, but had no real intention of signing anything. Instead he tried to start a war so that he may gain more gold for his treasury. Thankfully it didn't work, but neither Aric nor Leo felt that they could serve under such a dishonourable man. Then with Aric's father, they thought it a good time to leave. No doubt King Alined has had them branded traitors, they can never go back." His story felt too real for him to have simply made it up and Arthur swore to get the full story out of him after; he suspected if he had not heard about it before that there was magic involved.
"Well, I cannot fault you there." Doug said. "If what you say is true then your King would have broken his oath to protect his people by bringing war upon them purposefully. Many a good man would deem their own oaths void in such a case."
"Thank you." Arthur murmured, not liking how close to the truth Merlin's story actually was. Although not for gold, Uther would have had Guinevere executed, with no proof or trial, simply to serve his purposes.
"Why don't you stay here?" Margie suddenly blurt out.
"I'm sorry?" Guinevere said after a moment, all of them surprised.
"We've got plenty of room, travellers rarely come through here so the rooms upstairs are usually empty. And there's a little cottage across the field for the newlyweds, once they're married." Her look turned stern and Leon smirked, seeing that he had an ally. "And we're not that far from the sea, less than an hour's ride and at a leisurely pace too."
"We couldn't possibly impose." Arthur said.
"We could use the help." Doug agreed. "We're not as young as we once were. We grow some of our own food and the fields need tending, though you'd hardly be spending all day in the fields, we don't grow that much. Margie could use some help in the kitchen too, and you saw what happened last night. Thugs from other villages come here far more often than travellers, thinking they can get away with anything. I'm the only one in the village who really knows how to fight, but I'm an old man now. Having you two here would certainly put a stop to that."
"Oh, but of course you wouldn't want to stay." Margie then said sadly. "My Lords must be used to much better accommodations than we have here."
"Rest assured, any refusal would not be because of that." Arthur said, looking to the others. "What do you think?"
"It might be hard to find any other place to settle." Merlin reasoned. "These are good people. And I think we'd be welcomed in the village, not just here at the inn."
"I've said many times I can't see you toiling the fields all day." Said Guinevere. "But some of the day might be alright." Leon merely shrugged finding no reason not to stay. They were a full days ride into Caerleon so this could not be considered a border town, meaning they were far enough away from Camelot.
"You are certain we would not be a bother?" Arthur then asked.
"You'd be doing us a favour honestly. We had two children who died of sickness when they were still quite young and we never had anymore, nor anyone to help out around here, save a local boy who helps in the stable. The place has gotten a bit worn down, especially when I got too old to do some of the more heavy lifting."
"And I'd be more than happy to help with any little ones who might join you after you're married." Margie added, looking quite delighted at the prospect, and ignoring Arthur and Guinevere's blushes. "Without your own mother you'll want another woman you know to help you when the baby comes. We may not know each other now, but we will." Their sincerity shone through and eventually convinced the four that this was indeed the right place for them to settle down.
"Well, if we're going to stay, then we'll get this place back up into tip top shape as fast as we can." Arthur insisted, having heard the wistfulness in Doug's voice when he spoke about rebuilding his worn down inn.
"My Lord, we may now have able bodied men, but tools and materials still cost money." Doug laughed. "It'll happen in time though, don't worry." Arthur merely smiled indulgently.
"Please do not address me, or either of us, as 'My Lord' ever again. Aric and Leo will do." He leaned down to rummage through the saddlebag the lay at his feet. "Though you have a point that we were born into the nobility, quite rich ones in fact." He pulled out a rather large drawstring pouch, which jingled as it moved and made a rather loud clang upon being thrown on the table. "We didn't exactly leave home empty handed."
oo00oo00oo
Over the next couple of weeks the four settled in and began to make places for themselves in the village, though they were welcomed with open arms after Arthur and Leon gave a repeat performance. The group of thugs had returned a few days after being run out of town with more men than before. They had not counted on the two knights still being there, though had bravely, if not stupidly, taken them on once again, and once again all of them had easily been run out of town. After that the villagers welcomed them easily. Many of the villagers were elderly so Arthur and Leon were often called upon to do some of the harder work for them as well as Doug. Merlin ended up doing much of the farm work, Arthur having kept to his word about making Merlin do it, though he didn't seem to mind, even jokingly saying that it was easier than taking care of the dollophead, a name which earned him a cloth thrown in his face. Guinevere's skill as a seamstress quickly got out when Margie spread the word after having seen her embroidering what she shyly explained was to be her wedding dress. The wedding, which was to be in but a few days, had been quickly planned at both Arthur and Guinevere's insistence, neither wanting to wait any longer than necessary. They agreed to wait only long enough to allow Guinevere to finish her wedding dress, and for the cottage they would be moving into to have some necessary repairs done. Although they barely knew them, the entire village had been invited to their wedding, which would take place in the tiny chapel at the centre of the village. Even though it was expected that Leon would give Guinevere away – the story of her being adopted by his family and them having grown up together as brother and sister having spread – he had still been touched when Guinevere had actually asked him to do the honours. Finally the day of the wedding arrived and both Guinevere and Arthur were bundles of nerves. Margie and three other matrons from the village came to help Guinevere prepare while Merlin and Leon attempted to calm Arthur down. It was a futile attempt, however, as he continued to fret and pace even as he waited at the alter for the ceremony to start.
"For god's sake calm down!" Merlin growled for what must be the hundredth time.
"Give it up, Mer-Marcus." Leon said. "He's not going to calm down until he's safely married and even then I doubt he'll calm down."
"Yeah, his energy will only be directed to other things and it'll be even worse." The warlock muttered and Leon sent him a glare.
"That's my sister you're talking about. I did not need to hear that." Merlin held his hands up in surrender but did not apologize for they both knew his statement to be true.
"Well, lad." Doug said coming over and clapping a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "It's time." Leon took that as his cue and hastily made his way back down the aisle. A few more people shuffled in before Guinevere appeared on Leon's arm and Arthur's breath caught in his throat. He was vaguely aware of Merlin reminding him to breathe but didn't care as what he thought must be an angel walked towards him. Her long brown locks were pulled back from her face allowing him to see her eyes clearly, as well as the unshed tears that shone in them. The dress she wore was long and trailed behind her, the full shirt and tight bodice accentuating her tiny waist, and was of the palest pink, the same colour she had been wearing when Uther and Morgana had come upon them that fateful day. Arthur could not take her eyes off her and felt his own eyes water as it finally hit him that this woman was about to become his wife.
"Who gives this woman to this man?" The priest ask once Leon and Guinevere had come abreast of the alter.
"I do." Leon said with a clear voice and Guinevere smiled at him in thanks as he placed her hands in Arthur's and stepped back.
"Good people, we gather here today to celebrate the ancient rite of handfasting, the union between this woman and his man." The priest droned on for a few minutes more though neither Arthur nor Guinevere knew what he had said. Finally he came to the part where they had to now pay attention. "Is it your wish to become one with this woman?" He asked of Arthur. They had specifically requested that their names be left out of the marriage ceremony, knowing that if they were ever found by Uther that he would jump on the excuse that they had not been married under their real names to have it annulled. They would also sign the marriage register under their real names; a quick flash of Merlin's eyes would see that neither their request nor the use of names other than those they were known by here would raise any suspicions.
"It is."
"And is it your wish, to become one with this man?"
"It is. With all my heart." Guinevere could not help adding. Arthur smiled and squeezed her hands as the priest wrapped the cloth around their joined hands, sealing their union. The crowd began to cheer and the two ducked their heads and began to make their way back up the aisle. Once outside the church Arthur could wait no longer and pulled Guinevere into his arms, kissing her soundly for all to see. Such public displays were neither common nor appropriate in normal circumstances but being married but moments ago offered them the perfect excuse. The entire village had been invited back to Doug and Margie's inn for the wedding feast, the two having insisted on hosting one, which lasted late into the night. Eventually though the time came for the newlyweds to retire and they left the inn for the short walk across the field to the cottage that had been repaired just for them. Margie had clearly been by setting things up for tonight for a fire was already blazing and the bed had been made with fresh sheets. The cottage was small, only containing one room, though it was spacious enough to allow for a proper table to be set far enough away from the bed so as to not be right on top of each other. Arthur noticed that Guinevere's gaze lingered on the bed as she took in their new home and he smiled softly, seeing the nervousness in her eyes.
"Guinevere." He said, gently turning her to face him. "You need not be frightened. Nor will we do anything except sleep if you do not want to." Guinevere brought her hand up to cup her husband's cheek lovingly.
"Thank you for such thoughtfulness. I know you truly mean that you would wait if it was what I wanted." Her eyes turned downcast and a blush crept over her cheeks. "But I want to be your wife…in all ways." Again Guinevere felt her head being turned towards Arthur and she raised her eyes to meet his once more.
"Do not be embarrassed. I wish to be your husband in all ways as well." Again Guinevere blushed, though she did not avert her eyes this time. "As much as I love to see your cheeks all rosy, we shall work on banishing this embarrassment. And I think," He pulled Guinevere to him and held her close, his hands going lower than ever before "That lots and lots of practice is the only way to accomplish that."
"Arthur!" Guinevere laughed, wrapping her own arms around her husband's neck. The two leaned in as one and their lips met in a gentle kiss, though it wasn't long before the passion grew. Arthur's lips moved from hers to devour her neck. She moaned when he latched on to a point below her ear and was thankful that at least one of them knew what they were doing. She knew Arthur to be no virgin, it was no secret among the castle servants that a few women had been seen leaving his chambers in the early morn over the years. However, she also knew that he was not like many other princes and lords out there who sated their lust with any and all available maidens on a nightly basis; Arthur's lovers had been few and far between and there had been none since they had realized their feelings for each other, of that Guinevere was certain. Slowly, as if scared that he would frighten her, Arthur untied the laces of her dress. Instinctively Guinevere brought her hands up to keep the dress from falling when it loosened and Arthur did nothing to stop her for the moment, instead choosing to remove his own shirt. Although it was not the first time Guinevere had seen him without a shirt on she still could not take her eyes off his bare chest and Arthur used her distraction to slowly remove her hands and allow her dress to fall, pooling at her feet. Now it was Arthur's turn to stare as every inch of his wife was bared to him.
"Beautiful." He murmured as he lowered his mouth to hers once again. All too quickly, or after far too much time, Guinevere wasn't sure, she found herself flat on the bed, Arthur hovering over her and looking her in the eyes, wanting to know if this was still what she wanted now that they had reached the moment before it could not be taken back. Guinevere merely nodded upon seeing his questioning eyes and Arthur felt relief go through him; although he would have stopped had it been what she wanted, it would have killed him to do so. Claiming her mouth once more Arthur waited until she was distracted before taking her. He felt her maidenhead break though her cry, this one of pain, was enough to have alerted him to it and have him still inside of her.
"I'm sorry." He gasped out, trying hard to remain still against her tight warmth around him. "I thought it best to get it over with quickly."
"No, I'm glad you did. Just…give me a moment." Guinevere felt him nod against her neck as she took deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart as she grew accustomed to having him inside her. Thankfully the sharp pain she had felt disappeared almost immediately and the dull ache that had replaced it also went away relatively fast. When she was ready, Arthur moved once more and it wasn't long before he lost himself in the feeling of being with the woman he loved. Even lost as he was Arthur was still aware of the sounds Guinevere was making and listened carefully for any indication that he was hurting her and was thankful that he heard none. Finally Arthur stilled inside her, this time spilling his seed before he collapsed, coherent enough to ensure it was to the side instead of on top of her. Only their harsh breathing could be heard for some time before Arthur turned to look Guinevere in the eyes.
"Did I hurt you?" He had to ask. Guinevere smiled and shook her head, raising herself up enough to so as to snuggle into his side, happy when he instinctively moved his arm around her. "Good. The last thing I want is to hurt you, Guinevere."
"I know. And you didn't. It felt…wonderful." She admitted somewhat embarrassedly.
"As I said, we'll work on your embarrassment." He said with a kiss to her head. "But for now I think sleep is in order." Guinevere nodded against his chest, her eyes already closed. "Goodnight wife."
"Goodnight, husband. I love you."
"As I love you. With all my heart."
A/N - Review please!
