Arianna Le Fay is one of the best encouragements I've had while writing, ever, so I'm just going to dedicate this story to her. Thank you, Arianna!
It was when she heard a thump, she decided to open her eyes. She looked down, and saw his sword at her feet. He had dropped it, and he was looking at her with utter pain and betrayal in his eyes. It took all of her strength not to start crying.
"Prove to me you aren't here to destroy Camelot." Arthur's words were slow and deliberate, but all she could muster up for an answer, was
"What?"
That single word held so much fear, so much sadness, but he didn't care.
"Prove it before I run you through where you stand." His words dripped venom, and she nodded quickly.
She looked around, and her eyes flashed purple, and suddenly red and yellow poppies burst up through the ground, as tall as a man, with heads ringed with perfectly hued petals. It seemed to shock him, to say the least.
"Arthur, your father has taught you that magic is evil. He had taught you that power corrupts, and that anyone with magic deserves to die. Uther has taught you that anyone with magic is evil. Now I'm not sure about you, but I'd like not to think of myself as evil. Magic is to be a tool, just as a hammer, or a sword. Is a person who holds a sword immediately a murderer? Just because a sword is capable of killing someone, does that mean the person wielding it will use it to that extent?" Arthur was looking at her, and a small flash of understanding crossed her face, but she was sure she needed to further explain.
"Arthur, I could have used magic when I was against you in the joust. I could have used magic when I sang to you in the courtyard, just to make you not such an arrogant prick. I could have used magic just now to make you forget about all of this. But I'm not going to. Do you want to know why?"
He looked at her, a hesitant look upon his face, but he nodded.
"Because I'm sick of hiding something that isn't bad. Because I'm sick of people seeing fear where there can be joy. I'm tired of being scared all the time! The only pain that is caused by banning magic, is to the people caught doing it, and their families. Can't you see, Arthur?" She was practically begging now.
"Can you tell me, in all honesty, you have never, and I mean never have used magic on me?"
Arthur's question had given her hope, and she was glad she could answer honestly.
"Yes, Arthur. I have never enchanted you, charmed, or cast any sort of spell on you. I promise." She was almost painfully sincere, and all he could think, was how wrong she was. How torturously wrong she was. She had enchanted him with her all. He was falling for this girl, and he didn't have a ladder to help him back up.
"I… I don't know what to say, Athena."
"It would be best if we didn't say anything about this." She let a small smile form on her lips, and Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Well, yes. But about…. You. If my father finds ou-"
"He needn't though." Was her only response, and her eyes were wide with fear.
Arthur sighed, and nodded. He looked at their pile of blankets and pillows, and then looked back at her.
"Should we leave that for Merlin?" He asked, and now it was her turn to roll her eyes.
She looked at the blankets and her eyes flashed lavender again. Arthur saw it, and he was immediately intrigued. But it stopped him from noticing the blankets folding themselves, and the pillows piling on top of each other. It was only when they floated past him that he thought to question her.
"What are yo-"
"Helping, Arthur. It really is a nice social skill to have." And with that, she started towards the horses.
When they were all ready, and the blankets were secured to Alistair's rump, the started back home in silence.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was the next week, that everything started going downhill fast. Arthur was getting irritable for some reason, and Athena responded with the same aggression. To all people, they seemed to hate each other. But to Morgana, Gwen, and Merlin, they knew the story was entirely different.
"Why are they fighting again?" Asked Morgana.
"Athena accidentally stepped on his new boots." Her lover and friend, Guinevere replied.
"When will they realize they are in love?" Said Merlin, standing right behind them.
"Only time will tell." The women whispered in unison.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On the ONE occasion Athena wasn't there to willingly take the blame for Merlin's faults, Arthur starts off to ride his horse, and the saddle slips, causing him to fall off.
As Arthur lay on the ground, obviously furious, a man who looked very dirty, went to chase the horse.
"Merlin!" Yelled Arthur, getting up off of the ground.
"I don't understand."
"There's a surprise."
"I did that girth up myself."
"I think that might have been the problem!"
"Well it's not my fault!"
And before they could argue any longer, the man came back with Arthur's horse.
In all honesty, the only word to describe the man, would have to be creepy.
"Would you like to fit the girth properly for you, Sire?"
Even the way he spoke, it was slithery, and he sounded like he was trying to kiss up. Athena immediately didn't like him.
She was watching this scene from Morgana's window, while Gwen did Morgana's hair. She shook her head, and sighed, walked away from the scene Arthur was causing. He was so sensitive.
"What's wrong, Athena?" Asked Morgana, who was now leaning against Gwen comfortably on her bed.
"Why does Arthur cause a scene wherever he goes?" Athena rolled her eyes as she asked this, and Morgana shrugged, not having an answer.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was just before dinner, when she hears Arthur praising the creepy man, Cedric was apparently his name. Apparently he had saved his life. Athena looked at Merlin, who was standing off and sulking, and she could tell by the way he looked at Cedric, nothing of what the man said was true.
She sighed, and started to walk away, when she heard Arthur call out to her. It took all of her strength not to tell him to go eat horse dung.
"Yes, Arthur?" She said, plastering a smile onto her face, and turning around. Only to be put face to face with… Cedric. Arthur was beaming, and he didn't seem to see the way Cedric was leering at her, his eyes directly pointed at her breasts.
"This is Cedric. He will be relieving Merlin of some of his duties."
Arthur seemed so proud, and Athena's heart ached for Merlin. She looked at the boy, and he seemed peeved, to say the least.
"And why is that, Sire?"
She had gone back to calling him proper names, instead of his real one. It made it easier to distance herself from her emotions.
"He saved my life, and he does them better anyways.
She rolled her eyes, and she turned around, leaving them both.
"If that is all, I think I shall be retiring to my room. Goodnight."
She shut her door before either of them could speak another word, and she did just what she said she was going to do.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was a couple of days later, that she had fallen asleep after fighting with Arthur over something petty again. She had bumped a tapestry, and it had become crooked, or something. She had about an hour's worth of sleep, when that morning she heard a very loud ruckus from next door.
She got up and put her robe on, walking to the door that was ajar, and saw Cedric on the ground, and Merlin on top of him. It wasn't until she saw Cedric push Merlin, and Merlin hit Arthur, that it got completely out of hand.
Arthur grabbed Merlin, and quickly shoved him out the door.
"You can spend a few days cooling off in the cells! Guards!"
It took Arthur nearly bumping into Athena for him to notice, her, and she was standing with her arms crossed, and her robe lying slightly open. She had totally forgotten that she was still in her nightclothes, much less ones from her kingdom. It was nothing like the virginal white of the ladies of Camelot's.
Her nightdress was mid-thigh, and a deep purple, almost black. Arthur looked at her, and she could hear the audible sound of him swallowing. She looked down, and gasped slightly, pulling her robe around herself.
"I… I was seeing what all the commotion was. Now that I know, I'll go back to my room. Pardon me." She quickly scurried back to her chambers, blushing brightly and leaning against the door.