Gwen knocked on the door quietly, shivering in the chilly air outside. She hadn't seen Morgana in days, but the days were beginning to feel like an eternity. She needed to see her, she couldn't take it any more. Morgana had replaced her with a new maid, and whenever Gwen tried to stop by and see the young woman, she was never there. She was always out for a ride, or with the King or at some feast that Gwen had not been allowed anywhere near. Gwen needed help, but she only knew two people that she could speak to about such matters.
The door creaked open. "Gwen," Juliana said. She smiled softly and opened the door further to let the young maid in. "Please." She murmured, reaching to hang Gwen's cloak.
Gwen smiled softly. "Thank you." She murmured.
Juliana nodded. "Is there something I can help you with?" She asked curiously.
Gwen smiled softly. "No," she lied through her teeth, sitting at the small table near the window. "How are you and Nell settling in?" She asked.
Juliana shrugged. "I'm finding it very wonderful here, but I worry about Nell. She mostly keeps to herself, as you may have noticed, but she usually talks to me. But ever since we got here, she has become even more quiet." She said.
Gwen nodded, only half paying attention. "Maybe she just needs some more time to settle down." She said.
Juliana shrugged. "Perhaps," she said. She looked back at Gwen and shook her head. "But that isn't why you came, is it?" She said, grinning.
Gwen sighed. "You are very observant," she breathed. She glanced around the small house and laid her hands on the table. "I've lost the love of someone I hold most dear and I need to know how to get it back." She murmured.
Juliana raised an eyebrow. "Well, why did you feel the need to come to me with this issue? I mean, I'm sure there must've been someone else that you could have spoken with about this. We haven't even known each other for that long, and I'm sure someone else would have more expertise in that area."
Gwen shook her head. "I-" she broke off and bit her lip. "I know about you and Nell."
Juliana dropped her head and sighed softly. "How?" She asked.
"I walked in the other day and saw the both of you, together." Gwen mumbled.
Juliana's hand shot across the table and twisted Gwen's wrist. She stood suddenly and stared into Gwen's eyes. "If you tell anyone, about anything, I will make sure you regret it." She hissed. "I won't let anything happen to Nell."
Gwen raised her free hand in surrender. "Relax! I'm not going to tell anyone!" She insisted. She pulled her wrist away and watched as Juliana sat back down. Gwen laid her hands on the table. "I'm actually in the same position." She murmured. "I need to know how to win back her love." She breathed.
Juliana narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, nodding as she listened. Her face softened at the story, and she sighed quietly. "So what did you do to turn her away anyways?"
Gwen sighed. "I may have implied that I thought that I was crazy for loving her," she saw the look on Juliana's face. "And by extension, I may have implied she may not be fully sane either."
Juliana scoffed at the young woman across her table. "Wow, you really messed up." She murmured. Gwen shrugged in response. "Well, you've tried talking to her, right?" Gwen nodded. "Then, you should do a big romantic gesture so show her how much you care. How that, even if you did think that the both of you were crazy, you wouldn't want to be sane if it didn't mean you couldn't love her."
Gwen smiled. "That sounds perfect. Any suggestions for romantic gestures?" She asked.
Juliana sighed and shook her head after thinking for a few moments. "Not yet, but if you'd like to stay, I'm sure we could figure out something together."
Gwen grinned. "I would really like that." She said.
-X-
Morgana had reverted back to not leaving her room. When she did, it was only for the occasional meal, and only when Uther absolutely demanded upon it. The meals were always the most extravagant things the king could think of to feed his ward. Her favourite dishes, rich wine, all served to her by the most trusted and loyal of servants. But Morgana had very little interest in anything, let alone some lavish meal. Uther had become quite infuriated with the young woman, working himself into a rage. He insisted that if she wanted to spend all her time in her room, she could do so. "In fact," he had shouted, "I do not wish to see you until you are ready to be a willing participant of the royal court!" And with that, Morgana had been sent back to her room, much to her relief.
She pushed open the heavy wooden door, closing it as quickly as she could behind her. She pulled her hair out of the right braid it had been in for the majority of the day, and sighed loudly, dropping herself onto her bed. Her hands pushed underneath her pillow, but she jumped back as her fingers brushed against a foreign object that lay there. She sat up and pulled the pillow up, revealing a small, sky blue lily, one that only grew in the far corners of the kingdom.
Taking the beautiful flower in between her fingers, she glanced around, wondering where it came from. Then a glimpse of a light purple orchid caught her eye, sitting underneath a scrap of silk on her windowsill. She stepped off her bed towards the flower and glanced out of her window, spotting her horse, saddled and waiting for her outside the gates of the castle. Excitement and curiosity got the better of her, and she slowly made her way down to where her horse waited for her, finding other flowers along the way. A variety of roses, ranging from deep red to light pink, several more blue lilies, and two more orchids.
As she finally reached her horse, she spotted a small scroll tied to the side of the saddle. She uncurled the paper and read: 'Our spot.' Morgana had known who had left the flowers, it wasn't much of a surprise, but she still was wary of going to meet Gwen. She looked down at the bundle of flowers she held, and finally secured them to the saddle, mounting her horse and setting off to find the other woman.
She rode at a leisurely pace, mulling over all that had happened between herself and her young maid. She weighed the pros and cons, considered some of the outcomes, trying not to think of the less pleasant ones. If things were to continue, she would have to make certain things clear. She would have to make sure that when they had misunderstandings, that they could clear them up as quickly and as quietly as possible. But most importantly, she would have to share her most terrifying secret with the love of her life. As she finally found herself approaching the same spot she had shown Gwen, she finally made up her mind. Dismounting her horse, she lead the mare through the tunnel and out into the clearing, spotting Gwen's own horse and the same tent they had used the last time they were there. The difference was that this time, lining the outside of the tent were the different kinds of flowers that had been hidden throughout the castle for Morgana to find.
She approached slowly, lifting the tent's curtain, and found Guinevere half-sitting, half-laying on the bed. Morgana smiled softly, moving to sit next to the beautiful woman, and brushed the stray strands of hair that had fallen into her face.
Gwen stirred slightly, eyes opening ever so slightly, and then shot up with a start. "Damn!" she murmured. She slid off the bed and fell to her knees in front of Morgana. "I wanted to be awake when you got here. I had everything planned out perfectly. I had a whole speech ready and I don't even remember most of it now!" she said, hating herself.
Morgana smirked slightly. "Just like you to put your whole self into something, so much so that you become exhausted." She murmured. She laid her hands in her lap and bit her lip. "But before you say anything more, there is a matter we must discuss."
Gwen shook her head. "No, I'm sure that whatever it is, it can wait. Please, I need to-"
Morgana's hand reached out and held Gwen's face, gently stroking her cheek. "No," she breathed. "It really can't," She watched as Gwen's face grew from confused to fearful to concerned all within a split second. She drew her hand back from the other woman's face and dropped her hand in her lap again. "I have been hiding something from everyone – from you especially. I thought that the moment you found out, you would run for the hills. I still think that." She saw Gwen's mouth open, and started speaking again before Gwen could say anything. "I have magic." She said fearfully.
Gwen stared at the taller woman, mouth opening and closing a few times before she stood and exited the tent. Morgana fought back tears and dropped her head. "I was right." She breathed. She listened, straining her ears for the sound of Gwen's horse galloping away, running in fear of the monster that hid in the tent. Instead, she heard footsteps marching briskly back towards her.
Gwen marched back into the tent, and fell to her knees in front of the other woman, holding something out to her. Her hands were shaking slightly, not from fear, but from worry of what she had to say. "You are still the woman that I love. It doesn't matter to me if you have magic, because I don't care. I fell in love with you. With all your faults, and all your errors. None of that matters." She took Morgana's hand and laid a small object on her palm.
Morgana looked down at the simple silver ring that lay in her hand. It was her turn to stare at Gwen in awe. "Is- is this-?"
Gwen nodded. "This is my promise to you. That I will love you no matter what. Even if we have to leave and find a place where no one knows us, if we have to sail to the end of the earth. I will always love you," She took the ring and slowly slid it onto Morgana's finger. "If you'll have me, I ask you to be my wife. Even if we don't tell anyone, I want you to be mine forever. Will you?" she asked.
Morgana nodded. "Yes. Of course!" she launched herself off the edge of bed and into Gwen's arms, nearly knocking the both of them over in the process. Laughing, she pulled away and pressed a kiss to Gwen's lips. "I love you Guinevere." She murmured, her arms wrapped around the woman's neck.
"And I love you too Morgana." The other woman said in reply.
-X-
Another chapter? Yes? No? Maybe so?
-N
