Sorry for the delay again! I'm hoping that I'll get one out a week at least! How heartbreaking has the new series been?

Anyway, next song. Stop! In the name of love/Free your mind by the Glee cast.

Arthur sighed, watching Gwen out of the corner of his eye from across the room. She was wearing her lavender dress again, bustling around as she tended to Morgana. Eventually, she dropped a curtsey towards the King and moved silently out of the room in the way only a servant could manage. Well, unless of course they were Merlin, he never managed to do anything quietly.

The prince counted to ten, before excusing himself, feigning some excuse about needing to oversee the new Knights training, and all but fled from the room after her. Luckily, Uther had witnessed a rather shocking performance from the Knights the day before, and believed Arthur's excuse.

"Guinevere." His soft voice called down the corridors, his tone low and quiet in order to keep attention at the minimum as he hurried after her. Gwen stopped, her lips turning up in the corners before she dropped another curtsey. Arthur reached her, and used one finger to tip back her chin until she was standing upright again.

"You shouldn't do that."

"It is my place, Sire." Arthur sighed. This was killing him. He wanted to be able to shout his love from the castle torrents, make a declaration of love in front of the Kingdom. But he knew the price of doing that.

"Please don't."

"But, My Lord..."

Arthur grasped her arm lightly, drawing her into an enclosed alcove and kissing her lightly. Gwen blushed, and made to pull away, knowing they could get caught. Before she could move, however, Arthur spoke.

"Please stop. In the name of love, stop. You're going to break my heart like this."

"I highly doubt that, Arthur Pendragon." But Gwen stopped attempting to move away, and instead moved closer to him, letting her hand rest on his chest.

"This is going to break my heart, Gwen. I only see you once or twice each week. You smile, your eyes...it's such a sweet expression. You are worth more than my love and affection, but it is all that I can give you. Please, stop trying to be the servant and just accept it."

"Sire, I am the servant." Gwen responded quietly. She knew how hard it was for him to understand how careful they had to be. Oh, she was more than aware that he knew what would happen to them, to her if anyone should find out about their love. But he was the prince, used to getting his own way. It wasn't as if she was trying to deny him, but for both of their sakes, she had to. One day, things would be different, but that day was not now.

"No..."

"Arthur, you must see me for who I am. I know you wish I wasn't a servant so we could be together..."

"That's not..."

"But you must look past that. I am a servant, and that will not change, not until you are king. It is who I am. You say you need me, but you first have to see me for who I am."

"Guinevere, I see you for who you are. But this is breaking my heart. I'm not just saying that, I need you...please, think it over at least..."

"Arthur, stop." There was a slightly commanding tone in her voice this time as Gwen leant back from his gentle kiss. If they were to have a future together, Arthur had to open his mind. There could be no denying he already was, the fact that he would even allow himself to not only fall in love with a serving girl, but to acknowledge and admit those feelings? But he wasn't ready yet.

"You have to free your mind," she continued softly, cupping his face with one hand, allowing her thumb to brush across his cheek as she gazed into his eyes. He was so wrong if he believed he was the only one that was hurting from this.

"The rest will follow in time, when you are King. Just please, free your mind, don't be so shallow as to think that this is now or never. I will wait for you, my prince. When you are King, things will be different. But you must look at the bigger picture. And in the name of love, stop following me out of council sessions. Go on, get back in there."

This time, she did manage to slip away from him, moving swiftly but casually down the corridor. Arthur watched her walk away, his eyes full of longing as he watched her go. He knew deep down that she was right, that things would be different one day, but that it could not be now. But it was still taking every ounce of his years of training to gain an iron self control that meant he was able to turn and walk back into the council chambers with his head held high.

As soon as she felt his gaze slip from her, Gwen stopped herself. Instead, she turned and gazed with longing at the door, shielding her love from her view. She meant every word she said to him. Arthur had to know that he couldn't control everything, no matter how much he might wish too. But it didn't mean that it was any easier for her to say it than for him to hear it.

She just hoped that one day soon, things would move on. For having to pretend, having to stop and deny love every time someone came along – unless it was Merlin – was breaking both of their hearts.