That day, Gwen thought all about what she'd like to try first. She had her list of potential activities with her and scanned it while she ate lunch. Igraine sought her out then, and she stated a generous budget. This surprised Gwen, since it looked like the two Pendragons might be haggling over her proposal for quite some time. She smiled and thanked Igraine for her generosity and turned back to her list.

Five days later, Gwen went to work armed with her plan. She'd already talked to Merlin about it, and he was skeptical but willing to try anything that could be a positive experience for Arthur.

When she arrived, she went straight back to the bedroom where Merlin was finishing dressing Arthur. "We're taking Merlin horseracing."

"Come again?" Arthur replied.

"Today we're going to the horse races, where I'm placing a small bet on a horse called Man Oh Man. My dad's friend says he's a sure thing. Besides, Merlin's never been."

"It's true; I haven't," Merlin said.

Arthur glanced at Merlin, who nodded. "Fine then. It's not like I can stop you, the way you're going on."

Merlin bundled Arthur up and Gwen led them outside to the van. Once they strapped Arthur in, they were literally off to the races, Gwen smiling and talking up her horse the entire time. They were dismayed to find the ground quite muddy from the previous evening's rain. Arthur's chair got stuck and Gwen dropped his cashmere blanket.

She fought down her feelings of doubt, and called out to a couple of lads she saw passing them. They came over and helped move Arthur's chair to more stable ground. After thanking them, Gwen led the men inside the park and found their places. They watched horses parade by for a little while before Man Oh Man went by.

"Oh, I've got to go place my bet," Gwen said.

"I wouldn't if I were you," Arthur replied.

"Why?"

"Look at him his coat is dull and his gait is off. You won't win anything betting on him."

Gwen stuck her tongue out. "What do you know? I'm going to place my bet." She flounced off to do that.

Gwen came back shortly before the race started and waited in anxious anticipation. She pulled binoculars out of her bag and trained them on the starting line.

Once the horn sounded, the horses raced out of the gate—all except Man Oh Man, who looked like he'd rather be somewhere else and came out late. Gwen sighed and tore up her ticket. "It's time to get lunch!" she said, trying to lighten her mood.

They followed the signs to the park's dining room. Merlin and Arthur waited with increasing exasperation as Gwen dealt with the maître'd. The woman tried to explain how they didn't have the right badges to eat at the establishment. Arthur said he wasn't hungry, but Gwen ignored him. Finally, Merlin spoke a loudly and told Gwen they needed to go. She gave up then, and they left, the aura of frustration hanging over all their heads.

When they got back, Arthur went to his room and turned on loud music. Gwen paced in frustration for a few minutes before she shook it off. She'd had another idea, to go to a local performance of a Mozart concerto. She dug the tickets out of her bag and barged into Arthur's room.

He faced away from the door, but this didn't deter her. She marched in and turned down the music so she could speak without yelling. He looked up at her, ready for a confrontation, but she wouldn't give it to him. "I've got tickets to a wind concerto next week," she told him.

"Why? Has Merlin not been to a concert?"

"No, I haven't."

"There weren't any left for Jay Z?"

"Surprisingly enough, they were all sold out." She was pleased he was taking this so well.

"Okay then. We'll go to the concerto." He smiled up at her and she left the tickets sitting on his lap and went off to see what Merlin had cooked up for lunch.

xxxXxxx

The night before the concert she tried on several dresses and made Elyan judge how they looked. He finally asked what kind of concert they were going to. When Gwen replied with "wind concerto," he got a serious look on his face. "Get out the red dress."

The red dress was a little formal something Gwen had found a pattern for in the local fabric shop. Its vintage look would be perfect for the formal setting of the concert. The bodice clung to her curves and the skirt flared out just right.

The next night, she put on the red dress, wrapped a pink scarf around her neck, and left her home to the wolf whistles of her dad and Elyan. Even her mother approved.

When she walked into the annex, she immediately noticed Arthur dressed in a tux. She drunk in the sight, barely noticing when Merlin said "Kapow!"

Arthur looked her over as much as she did him. "Lose the scarf," he directed.

She gave him her "look" and said, "Only you would tell a girl how to wear a dress, Arthur Pendragon." But she took off the scarf, and with Merlin's help, they were on their way.

The place was much friendlier to Arthur's chair and their seats were up front. They sat for a moment, getting adjusted, when Arthur shifted uncomfortably.

"Are you all right?" Gwen asked.

"Yes—No. There's something digging into my collar," Arthur replied.

"Well, let's see what it is." She half-straddled Arthur to get a good look at the back of his neck. Sure enough, there was a tag on the shirt that appeared to be causing the problem. "You don't have a pair of scissors in your bag, do you?"

"I don't know. Believe it or not, I rarely pack it myself."

She stifled a snort and ignored the appalled looks of the patrons around them. She pulled and pulled on the tag until it finally gave way and she settled back into her seat. "Got it!" She put the tag into her small bag and faced forward as the musicians were tuning.

The concerto turned out to be a sublime experience. During the oboe solo, she'd shed a few tears. It had been that good. After she pulled into the Pendragons' driveway, she stopped the van and glanced at Arthur. "Well, shall we go in?"

"Wait a few minutes. I want to feel like a man who's gone to a concert with a woman in a red dress."

"All right." Because what could she say to that, really? Several uncounted minutes passed before he indicated he was ready to go inside.

That night Gwen laid awake for a while, replaying the whole evening in her mind.

xxxXxxx

Two days later, Gwen packed a picnic lunch and they climbed a slope near the castle to settle down and eat it. She was wiping the final crumbs from Arthur's face when she decided to tell him what was on her mind. "My boyfriend wants to meet you."

"Running man?"

"Yeah, and, well, my family does too. They've invited you to my birthday dinner next week. But don't worry; I've told them you won't be coming."

"Why is that?"

"Because you hate going out and you hate eating in public," she replied.

"I'll go. It would be lovely to meet your family and see where you came from."

Gwen smiled brightly. "Good! Well, I'll just tell them you're coming then."

That night she went home and told her family the news. Her mother especially was surprised at Arthur's apparent change of mind, and altered the menu accordingly.

At last the evening arrived. Gwen had gone home ahead of Merlin and Arthur, whom she welcomed at the door shortly thereafter. The only awkward moment came when Tom stuck his hand out to shake Arthur's. He took it back almost immediately and apologized. Arthur appeared to take it and stride and told Tom that a curtsey would be fine. That broke the ice and everyone laughed.

Everyone was seated at the table and halfway through the meal of roasted chicken when the doorbell went off again. "That must be Lance," Gwen announced and got up to answer the door.

It was indeed Lance, who had run twenty-eight miles to get there, though it was only two miles between their homes. But he kissed her and walked through to the dining room where he sat down at the table. The light conversation at the table continued until Lance offered Arthur some fitness advice, saying he could design a workout regimen for him.

The rest of the table stared at him in shock. But to their surprise, Arthur handled it again with grace, saying he'd think about it. Jennie asked Lance if he wanted more chicken, and just like that, the conversation was back on track.

Later, they all gathered in the living room. Jennie brought out the cake and they all sang the birthday song. Gwen blew out the candles and the presents appeared. She received a scrapbook of her childhood pictures from her parents and a heart pendant inscribed with his name from Lance. Arthur mentioned he had a present for her in his bag and Gwen walked over to get it out.

Once she unwrapped it, she jumped up and down and said, "Oh, oh, oh!"

Jennie said what everyone was thinking, "What?"

Gwen pulled the tights out of the box and held them up for everyone to see. "Bumblebee-striped tights! I'm going to put them on right now!" She ran off toward the bathroom and came out a few minutes later wearing the tights. Her family laughed and clapped while Lance was left a little lost. Gwen told him the story and he smiled, but it was pained.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. It was Merlin, come to pick up Arthur. Jennie jumped up to pack him a piece of cake to take home and everyone said their goodbyes. They all walked Arthur to the van, thanking him for coming.

Inside, Tom praised Arthur for being "a humble sort of fellow." Jennie thought he was gracious to come visit, and Elyan liked his sense of humor. Lance didn't say much of anything, but put his arm possessively around Gwen.

xxxXxxx

Three days later, Gwen walked into the annex and found Arthur sitting by the table. When she opened her mouth to ask why, he motioned with his eyes toward the table. Sitting there was a card with fancy lettering—Vivian and Leon's wedding invitation. "Ah," she said and made to pick it up.

"Can I take you somewhere?" Arthur said suddenly.

"Sure. Where did you have in mind?"

"Outside."

She helped him into his jacket and he led the way out the door, through the garden and up the slight rise to the castle. As they ascended into it, he explained how he loved to hide in the castle when he was a boy. One time he even nicked a sword and marched out to the battlement to wave it around, but it was too heavy. He even told her about how his first kiss had been in a secluded corner, but he'd been dumped a week later.

He stopped talking and silence grew between them, but it wasn't hostile. Instead it felt comfortable, like they were two friends chatting and had just stopped to gather their thoughts. "Go with me," he said.

"Where?"

"To the wedding."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"It'll be fun. Cleansing. Isn't that what they say when you need to close a chapter of your life?"

"Won't it hurt too much?"

"That's part of living, isn't it?"

"Okay then, let's go to a wedding!"

Still high from the wedding talk, Gwen opened the door to her house to find Jennie standing there, all dressed up. When questioned why, all she would say was that she and Tom were celebrating. Tom came into the room then, proclaiming that he had a job! He explained how Uther Pendragon had hired him as head of maintenance at the castle.

Gwen was shocked. It seemed too good to be true. She waited until her parents had left the house- they were going to dinner -and called Arthur.

He claimed that all he'd done was recommend her father to his. Uther had taken a look at Tom's former work and had come to the decision to hire him all on his own. That was all that had happened. "Why, aren't you happy for him?"

"Of course I am. It just seems so sudden."

Arthur chuckled. "You should get used to good things happening to you. Relax and enjoy it."

Two days later, Gwen opened the outer door of the annex to reveal a man who introduced himself as a solicitor and asked to see Mr. Pendragon. Gwen started to explain how Mr. Pendragon lived next door, but Arthur came rolling up in his chair. He greeted the man then told Gwen they'd be talking there, in the foyer.

It was a clear dismissal, so Gwen went looking for something to do. But her curiosity took over and she pulled out Arthur's laptop and searched for the solicitor by name. And she found him. He was very well-known in London and specialized in probates, estates and wills. What would Arthur need with a man like this? But she didn't dare ask Arthur, so she supposed she'd have to live with not knowing.

xxxXxxx

The following weekend was the wedding. Gwen dressed in the most formal dress she owned and reported to the Pendragons' manor. There, Arthur was once again wearing his tux. She and Merlin helped him into the van, and they were off on a two-hour drive south to the wedding's location.

The wedding was everything two young, rich people could afford. The bride looked beautiful and the vows were heartfelt. It was a fine spring day outside, which was good news for those who had set up the reception. Everything from the tables to the cake were lavishly decorated. Gwen got to observe all of it before the reception began officially.

Gwen left Arthur parked on the grass to get them both a drink. When she returned, she found him talking to a gentleman.

"I see you're still keeping up with the pretty ones," the friend said when he saw her.

"I'm just lucky that way," Arthur replied. Gwen just smiled at the compliment. The two men finished their conversation and the friend left, as he had to get ready for his best man speech.

"He called me pretty. What a ridiculous thing," Gwen handed Arthur his drink.

"Not ridiculous. You look beautiful."

Gwen smiled. "You don't look so shabby yourself."

They slowly made their way into the marquee where the rest of the guests were gathering for the luncheon. The speeches were given, the cake cut and the dancing began. Gwen and Arthur watched for a while. A few more people came up to talk to him. Gwen sat down after acquiring her third drink and soon a woman came to sit at her table.

"Ah, getting started already, are we?" she said, nodding at Gwen's drink.

"What do you mean?"

"These affairs always make one nostalgic. I recommend you get as drunk as possible."

Gwen abruptly stopped drinking. "You mean there's alcohol in these?"

"But of course. It is a wedding, after all."

"Oh no. I'm supposed to drive Arthur home."

"Ah yes, that one. What a shame, for Vivian." The woman sipped her drink.

"Why?"

"Arthur is the only one of this lot worth anything."

"How would you know?"

The woman smiled. "I'm the bride's godmother." She stood. "Well, enjoy the festivities. I know I will!" She walked off toward the bar.

Gwen looked over at Arthur. He was smiling and talking with another friend. At least he looked like he was enjoying himself. He seemed to know more than a few people of this crowd and Gwen was glad to see him making an effort to enjoy himself.

A little while later, Gwen was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. She knew Arthur must be feeling much the same, because when she went up to him, he smiled at her in a way she'd never seen before. "Let's dance," she told him.

"Are you sure you want to expose yourself like that?" he asked.

"I don't really care what the crowd thinks."

"All right."

She sat down on his lap and he motored out onto the dance floor. He began spinning in slow circles. "Do they look appalled yet?"

"That they do," she replied and laughed.

"I love your laugh."

"You do?"

"You are the only thing that makes me want to get up in the morning."

She took a deep breath; she hadn't expected that. "Then let's go away somewhere, just you and me."

"I . . ."

"Just say yes."

"Okay."

"Great!" She threw her arms around his shoulders and he stopped spinning for a moment.

When she pulled away, he grinned up at her wickedly. "Let's get out of here."

"All right!" He motored them out of the marquee and they were off, racing away from civilization, from expectations, out into the night.

They mutually decided there was no way that Gwen would be able to drive them home that night. Fortunately the reception was close to a rather nice hotel, so they went in there and booked a room with two beds for the night. They giggled all the way up. Once there, Gwen helped Arthur out of his chair and into bed. She plopped onto her own bed and soon they were both out.

In the morning, Gwen drove them back to the Pendragons' where Igraine was beside herself. She wanted to know why they didn't call, or text or anything. Arthur looked at her calmly and said, "Mother, I think I'm old enough to stay in a hotel without your permission." He moved away, leaving Igraine nonplussed and Gwen smiling behind her back.