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a bit ooc but...

000

Uther couldn't believe what he was doing. Guinevere Smith didn't deserve even a second of his time but he had made up his mind. He had to see her and tell her about his displeasure face to face.

He had done his research and he had found that while she was not a bad sort and that she had qualities that Uther admired, she still wasn't good enough for Arthur. Arthur deserved the very best.

000

Gwen opened the door and stared at Uther Pendragon in shock. She couldn't believe that he was there at her door.

"Guinevere Smith," Uther told her, "We meet at last."

Gwen let him in and they stood in the tiny hallway staring at each other.

"Arthur's not here," she said at last. He had surely come looking for his son.

"I know," Uther replied, "I came to see you. We need to talk."

"Okay," Gwen replied. She really didn't want to talk to Uther Pendragon; certainly not now. She had known that at some point she would have to meet him but she had hoped that it would happen when Arthur was present and at some other place – not her home. She wished Morgana was there but her friend was at work and would not be back till evening.

"I won't beat around the bush, Miss Smith." Uther said, following her into the sitting room.

"Gwen, please," she told him.

He ignored her and continued. "I want you out of my son's life, permanently and completely. You have to break off whatever it is that you have with him."

Gwen just stared at him. She couldn't believe her ears.

"You're not the sort of girl that Arthur needs," Uther told her, "there are plenty of other girls more suited to him than you'll ever be."

"And what about what Arthur wants?" Gwen asked him.

"Arthur's young," Uther said, "He doesn't know what he wants."

"I think you're wrong."

"What?" Uther narrowed his eyes at her. Who was she to tell him that he was wrong? What did she know about anything?

"You're wrong," Gwen repeated. "Arthur knows what he wants. And he's not that young." Uther would have laughed if he wasn't so annoyed – Gwen had echoed Arthur's words.

"You're a fool if you think that he's really interested in you," Uther told her. "He's just doing it to spite me and you're only fooling yourself if think that this can lead to anything permanent."

"If you think that Arthur would only date me just to spite you then you don't know your son at all."

"Of course you would say that," Uther retorted. "You think you know him, don't you?"

"I do know him," Gwen said, "I know him well enough to know that he wouldn't just do things to spite you."

Uther sighed. She was right. "He's far too honourable to do that."

"You should be proud of him," Gwen urged him; "he's a good man."

"Of course he is," Uther agreed. "He's a Pendragon." As if that settled the matter.

Gwen laughed causing Uther to eye her sharply.

"He said that you were sharp," Uther said, "and he was right."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment," Uther told her.

"I know." She smiled.

"I can't understand what he sees in you," Uther said, "sure, you're not unattractive, and you're very hardworking and loyal and kind, from all accounts, but so are plenty of other girls."

"I don't think I'm the right person to be having this conversation with Mr. Pendragon," Gwen said.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Uther asked her.

"What?" Gwen asked him. She must have missed part of the conversation.

"What do you hope to gain from this…liaison with my son?"

"Nothing."

"Don't insult me," Uther told her. "I'm sure you're aware that although Arthur chooses to spend his time taking photographs he's a very rich man."

"I am not interested in his money," Gwen said.

"Sure, your parents are successful at their jobs and I'm sure they have some money squirreled away for you, but you're just a teacher. Being with someone like Arthur is very advantageous for you."

"I told you I am not interested in Arthur's money," Gwen said through clenched teeth.

"You seem to have a thing for rich young men," Uther continued, "first the young Bennington-Jones and now Arthur."

Gwen was through being polite to him. "I think you have said enough Mr. Pendragon."

"Not quite," Uther said.

"I must ask you to leave," Gwen said, and she walked to the front door and opened it.

"This conversation is not over," Uther said. "You'll be hearing from me."

000

Uther was impressed with Guinevere Smith inspite of himself. He had heard that she was soft-spoken and he had thought that he could easily bully her but he was sort of… glad that she had a spine. She had stood up to him and when he had insulted her she had told him to leave her house.

Maybe he had been wrong about her; maybe she was sort of girl Arthur needed. She had refused to become an actor even though the rest of her family was in the business and from his checks into her work; he had found that she was very good at what she did. From all accounts, it seemed that Arthur was getting the better end of the stick.

Uther didn't like to admit it but he liked people who stood up to him, they irritated him and if he could he would have them all locked up in some sort of prison, but he couldn't deny that he liked and respected them. He knew that was intimidating and that it was very easy for him to make people cower in his presence so he was always impressed when he found someone who didn't.

Still, it would have been better if Arthur had found a girl who came from the same social standing as the Pendragons. He knew it was archaic to think of such things and worse still to voice them, but such things never changed and no matter what people said, coming from a good family still meant something and always would.

He would keep a closer watch on Guinevere Smith and see how things progressed between her and Arthur. Who knew, maybe he was getting ahead of himself, maybe they would break up the very next day and all his worrying about Arthur sullying the Pendragon name would be for nothing.

000

"So, when is he taking you to meet the king?"

"What?" Gwen turned to her friend.

"When are you meeting Uther Pendragon?" Morgana asked. "I heard that getting his approval is like getting a royal seal."

"Really?" Gwen hadn't yet told anyone about her surprise visitor.

"I hear he doesn't like anybody," Morgana said. "But I think he'll make an exception in your case."

"I doubt it."

"Gwen, you're great," Morgana said, "any parent, even Uther Pendragon, would be glad to have you in their family."

"You don't think that having been jilted recently would make unsuitable?"

"First of all, you weren't jilted, not really," Morgana said, "secondly, that's old news. So last year, month… whatever."

"Thank you."

"Are you worried about meeting Uther?" Morgana asked Gwen. Her friend seemed to be giving the matter a lot of thought.

"No," Gwen replied truthfully. She wasn't worried about meeting Uther again.

"Because," Morgana said, "he's just a man."

"Yes he is," Gwen agreed. Uther Pendragon was just a man.

000