A/N: And again it took me long, I'm sorry. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I love all your comments. Keep them going! :)
What the hell were you thinking?! Arthur cursed mentally, as he stomped ahead. His thoughts were racing like a rollercoaster, up and down. The young Pendragon was mad at himself and a guilty conscience was bothering him too. No pleasant mix. Angry, he clenched his right fist. He had kissed her. Kissed Gwen. KISSED. And he couldn't even say with certainty, why he did that.
But fact was, that it shouldn't have happened. Fact was furthermore, that Gwen had touched anything deep inside of him and that she was confusing him, exactly because of this – damn, he couldn't explain it! After all he didn't know her that much... not really. In the past she was ever only the best friend of his sister for him, nothing more or less. Never he made the effort to get to know her more than surface; to glance closer at her.
And as he did so more now, he found something intriguing about her. But why? And how? He didn't want it, she wasn't even exactly his type... or what he thought that would be his type... so what was wrong with him? He did not come to London for a romance or something like that... quite the contrary! Arthur wished, he could just wipe away all the odd thoughts, that made his head feel so very dizzy.
Behind him he could hear Gwen's fast steps. What does she think of me now? She must believe I'm a complete idiot. To kiss her and then to literally run away, without a word about what happened. He knew he was an idiot, but he saw no other way out of this. Maybe he could just pretend it had never happened and hopefully Gwen would do the same.
A group of young women passed them and they giggled and whispered at the sight of Arthur – he was used to suchlike and usually he appreciated it, but in this moment the Pendragon couldn't care less and he didn't deign to look at the girls.
„Arthur?" Gwen's voice sounded insecure. For two seconds he closed his eyes. No, of course she wanted an explanation and why shouldn't she? Something, that he wasn't able to give to her. When he had no explanation, that he could give to himself, how was he going to explain it to her? It was impossible. So he pretended, as if he didn't have heard her and Gwen did not address him again.
Fortunately they reached the ballroom and further words from his side were unnecessary.
The ballroom was spacious and decorated with several tapestries and banners. „Wow.", it came from Gwen, who managed to catch up with him, because he had halted in the doorway. Her eyes blinked in surprise and Arthur throw a short smile at her; she looked rather cute. As she noticed though, that he was looking at her and returned his stare for two seconds, he coughed slightly and went forwards.
„I discovered Morgana!", he shouted then and it was the truth - as he could see the black-haired young woman standing not far away. Determined he crossed the room, past happy dancers. Many people gathered together a the sides, for a breathing pause or to simply enjoy the view on the dancing and laughing crowd in the middle of the room.
Arthur's sister was not under the dancers, but she stood beside Merlin in front of an ornate wall hanging - and held a cup in her hand, maybe with something to drink in it. As her look fell on Arthur, a smile appeared on her face.
„Hey Morgana, I have found Gwen.", Arthur informed his sister needlessly.
„Gwen! Where have you been?" Morgana seemed visibly relieved. „I'm so sorry. I was convinced you were behind us and then, as I looked around, you suddenly weren't there anymore. I wanted to search for you, but Merlin meant, we better stay at one place, because you would find us then more probably."
„I haven't taken care either. Then I wanted to search for you too, but didn't come too far... I've met Gwaine and we talked and he showed me a bit around.", Gwen told.
And turned on his charme..., Arthur thought sarcastically. Gwaine was infamous for his womanizing and he always flirted like a world champion. He was a good guy, though, that was not to deny and ever charming to the ladies. So essentially Arthur had no problem with that, but he felt a bit uneasy at the thought, that Gwen could fall for the charming tricks of his friend. She seemed so sweet and innocent and did not deserve it to end as an amorous escapade. But you can just kiss her, whenever you want to?!, it went through his head and he bit his tongue.
„Ohhh, he has showed you around... and flirted a lot, too, I guess." Morgana grinned and had a sip out of her cup.
Gwen blushed. „No, he hasn't... well, okay, but just a bit. He was very friendly and amusing."
Arthur snorted, what nobody could hear over the loud music, played by a live band. It were four men and a woman, who sang. The music had a medieval, very celtic sound.
„Of course he was. But it's a fact, that he's always flirting.", Morgana said with a disapproving tone.
„Something that you in the past also liked very much to do, if I remember right, Morgana.", Merlin teased and earned a flashing look of his girlfriend.
„Merlin! That's not true!", she snatched at him.
„You know it is.", Merlin argued.
„He's right.", Arthur helped him. He knew his half sister his whole life, it was just a fact.
„No, he isn't... but whatever! Good, that Arthur found you and brought you here, Gwen. Thanks, Arthur." Morgana glimpsed at Arthur, who found himself uncomfortable.
Morgana probably wouldn't be too enthusiastic about the fact, that he had kissed Gwen. Because after the incident with the girl in the tube station, he talked with Morgana and she had told him, that Gwen had a hard time lying behind her. He didn't know more details, only that it had something to do with another man. An information, that made him now even more a bad conscience. Hopefully Gwen would never mention the kiss in front of Morgana.
„To be honest, my intention was already, to come to the ballroom. So actually I didn't need Arthur to bring me here. But yes, it was kind of him to look after me." Now Gwen also pointed on Arthur, which for a few seconds wasn't able to look away. Strangely, the look of her soft, brown eyes seemed to pierce into his. Or perhaps it was just his imagination, because he felt so guilty.
„You're welcome.", he muttered and crossed his arms, his face averting in the opposed direction, where the dancers had their fun.
Maybe it was luck, that someone appeared in his field of vision, a young lady, which was very familiar to him. Sophia Winterbottom likewise was out of a rich family and very beautiful in addition. His father and her father were good friends.
„Oh no. Sophia Winterbottom is advancing.", Morgana groaned, who had discovered Sophia too. She and Sophia couldn't loathe each other – no wonder, it was impossible to say whose urge, to be the centre of attention, was bigger.
„Arthur, have I found you.", Sophia said with her melodious voice. She nodded to Morgana, which screwed up her nose. „Sophia, you're here too. How nice.", she meant with overstated friendliness, but you could hear the falseness all over the place.
„The pleasure is all mine.", Sophia answered elegant, but a bit stiff.
„Sophia. May I introduce to you Gwen and Merlin? They're good friends." Arthur pointed at Merlin and Gwen, which both smiled, „Gwen, Merlin, this is Sophia Winterbottom. Her family is very prestigious."
„Hello Sophia... nice to meet you.", Gwen said friendly. Sophia gave Merlin only a short gaze and examined Gwen then as if she couldn't decide, if she was interested in what she saw or not. Arthur didn't like it.
„So you're too out of a good family?", Sophia asked Gwen, who seemed a bit irritated now.
„It's about how you would define a 'good family'", she answered carefully, „I would consider my family as good, but we're not rich, no. If it's that what you mean."
„So you're out of a working-class family?" Sophia eyes widened, like she couldn't believe, that something like this was even possible. Once again she looked up and down at Gwen, „But your dress is so lovely... it must've been expensive. Where have you bought it?"
Arthur wished, Sophia would just shut up, but he didn't know how to manage that.
Gwen opened her mouth for an answer obviously, but Morgana leapfrogged her.
„What do you care?" Angrily she furled her eyebrows, „Do you think she has stolen it?!"
„That's not what I meant, dear Morgana - and I don´t know, why you would speak with me in such a rude tone.", Sophia riled back. Arthur put a hand on Sophia's arm.
„Ladies, please...", he tried to calm them down, before the situation would escalate. He knew his sister's hot temper.
„To be honest, Sophia, Morgana was so adorable and bought the dress for me. But I intend to give the money for it back to her, by working in my job, because I don't like it to have debts. And I don't know how long it will take me, but that doesn't matter..." That was Gwen now and the group's faces turned surprised towards her. Sophia seemed confused by the honesty; she blinked. Arthur suppressed a smile.
„How... nice."
For several seconds they stood all in silence, then Sophia broke it again.
„Well... don't you want to dance? I think the music is wonderful." The lady faced Arthur, „Remember, you promised me a dance."
„Yes? Oh... yes, of course. I haven't forgotten." But to be honest, he would have loved to. Sophia was a pretty woman, no doubt, but she was kind of annoying, if you were too long at her side. Arthur could almost feel, how Morgana rolled her eyes, „Let's go then.", he sighed a bit. Sophia gave him a cloying smile and took his arm. Arthur didn´t dare to look at the others, especially Gwen, as he, together with Sophia, went to the dance floor.
„She's disgusting.", Morgana maligned and got an annoyed eyebeam of Merlin, „What? She is, isn't she? Haven't you seen how she has looked at Gwen? Like she is something like an ant... and how she talked to her!"
xXx
Gwen watched, how Arthur and the red-haired beauty names Sophia Winterbottom went off, while Morgana and Merlin discussed about Sophia. That woman's very melodic laugh resounded even over the pulsating music, that filled the hall. Gwen blurted out a little sigh. Still she couldn't comprehend, what happened between Arthur and her; but obviously it wasn't relevant to Arthur, he seemed to have decided, that he would pretend nothing ever happened. And the best would be to do the same and not to make a big thing out of it. It was just a short kiss, nothing more.
Merlin and Morgana had ended their discussion and Morgana meant, she wanted to greet an acquaintance, she had discovered, and hurried away. Merlin nudged Gwen with his elbow.
„Would you like to dance, Gwen?", he asked and Gwen smiled happily.
„I'd love to.", was her answer and she was glad about the the offer of her best friend. She took his arm, which he offered to her.
„Thank you, kind sir." Gracefully, but with a bright smile, Gwen bowed her head.
„My pleasure, my lady.", Merlin grinned and he led her to the dance floor.
„How do you actually dance to this kind of music?", he asked then and frowned sceptically, as he looked around for help.
„I have no idea!", laughed Gwen, „But it can't be that difficult."
„Come on, let's try, we won't disgrace ourself.", she suggested. Merlin snorted.
„I'm not so sure.", he giggled, „But look, do you see that couple over there? Think, we could manage it to let it look better than this." Gwen followed his gesture to said couple. The lady was a whole head taller than her dancing partner – and periodically she yanked him in the air, with obvious enthusiasm. It looked rather silly.
„At least they seem to have fun. Look how they're beaming."
They began to move, one of Merlin's hand at her waist and conformed themself to the music. It was a rather fast and rhythmic melody, but it was really catching and took very quickly part of Gwen's body. But after few minutes...
„Merlin, you're treading on my feet!"
„Sorry... I warned you, that I'm a bad dancer!"
Eventually Gwen gave it up, to count the times, where Merlin treaded on her feet again.
xXx
Arthur likewise had resorted with Sophia on the dance floor, although more out of courtesy than real wish to dance.
„What are they doing there?", Sophia meant with disparaging expression, „I don't think, you could call it dancing..." With an ironic laugh, she examined Gwen and Merlin, which swept laughing and whirling around over the dance floor. So this was how Gwen looked like, when she was cheerful.
„It seems, like they have much fun.", Arthur replied, but it was more to himself, as to Sophia.
„I think it's outrageous.", Sophia said nasty, „So bad style."
Maybe it was really bad style, however, Arthur observed Gwen and Merlin mesmerized – their happy, glowing faces, how they jolly danced in their own little world, without thinking of what the others would think of them... and he felt a hot stitch of enviousness. Enviousness, that they could give themself so free, publicly.
„Embarrassing.", Sophia scoffed.
„Do we want to dance or not?", Arthur asked impatiently, because he had enough of Sophia's moaning and groaning. He didn't feel the urge, to go in Sophia's malicious remarks on Merlin and Gwen.
xXx
„Merlin, I feel dizzy!", Gwen giggled. At the moment Merlin let her make a pirouette... or better nonstop.
„Oh wait." Merlin stopped it and laid instead his arm around her waist again, „Let me try this. Lay yourself back, please."
„Huh?", Gwen was laughing.
„Lay yourself back. You know... how they always do it in the dancing scenes in the movies."
Gwen grinned. „I see. But you'll be sorry, if you let me fall."
„Gwen! What do you think of me?" Merlin shook indignantly his head.
„I'm maybe not such a beefcake like Gwaine or Arthur, but I'm stronger than I seem. Believe me."
„If you say so." Gwen bended her back downward, lying in the hold of Merlin's arm.
„Besides... with your petite stature..."
„I'm not that petite!"
Merlin raised his eyebrows. „Petite enough, to evoke the protective instinct in every man."
„You're crazy, Merlin.", Gwen smiled unbelieving and straightened herself again. The only thing that happened to her, was, that the men didn't take notice of her... well okay, there was Lancelot and Gwaine noticed her too... and Arthur... but he only noticed her after she was practically shouting at him. Or whatever it was, that all of a sudden let him notice her. Gwen punched Merlin friendly against his shoulder.
„I'm not, it's the truth.", Merlin meant and then he added more serious, „You aren't aware of what influence you have on the people around you... specially men."
„And wherefrom do you want to know that?" Gwen registered, how Merlin got red ears now, what was a somehow cute view.
„Merlin?", Gwen laughed nervously.
„Do you promise me, not to laugh at me?"
„Of course." Gwen felt a bit confused now and even forgot, that they stood on they dance floor, but without dancing.
„Well, as we were around sixteen years old... well... there I had a crush on you, to be honest."
„You? A crush on me?", Gwen repeated with wide eyes, entirely perplexed. She remembered the time, as she herself was smitten by Merlin... it was a little girlish puppy love, until she realized, that Merlin was better for her as a best friend and that it was good the way it was. Moreover she always thought, Merlin were interested in Morgana. And so it was, in the end. „But... you have never said a thing."
„No. Because our friendship was so important to me, I didn't want to destroy it with a confession like that. And I realized, that you have so much worth for me as a friend."
Merlin expressed the same, what she already thought too. Gwen smiled softly and squeezed the hands of her friend.
„But what I want to say by that,", Merlin continued, also smiling, „You're always thinking you have no attraction. That's not true. You're incredible."
Now it was Gwen's time to get red. „It's incredible cute, that you think of me that way, I feel honestly honoured. But I'm just... me."
„And that's great.", Merlin said warmly.
xXx
Arthur saw, that Gwen and Merlin had stopped to dance and now were talking. Gwen seemed a bit embarrassed and Merlin's prominent ears were red as fire. Arthur felt the urge to know, what was going on between them... what they were talking about. But why actually? It wasn't his business. Then the two of them hugged each other. Arthur frowned.
„Ouch! Be careful!", Sophia scolded and he broke away his attention from the view. In his inattention he had trampled on Sophia's foot. Somehow he wasn't so sorry about it.