Here's another chapter for you all, thank you to all those who have read and reviewed so far, sorry the delay, my computer went down with a virus, all previous work was lost.
Disclaimer: Merlin is the property of the BBC, Guinevere is mine yay for me :-)
***
Gaius looked up from the books he had been pouring over for the last few hours, looking across the room he could see Merlin pouring over the book he had fetched from his room, watching as his eyelids dropped occasionally, and Merlin shaking his head and trying to focus on what he was reading.
"You should get some sleep", Gaius said across the room,
"Umm?", Merlin mumbled back,
"We should both get some sleep, there is always tomorrow, and we'll be no good to Arthur if we fall asleep over these books", Gaius said as he closed his book and stood up,
"I guess you're right", Merlin replied wearily, "I just hope we find what we need in time",
"So do I Merlin, so do I", Gaius answered, snuffing out the candles as they both walked wearily towards their rooms.
***
Guinevere descended down the stairs quickly, her head down,
"Halt! Who goes there?", she heard one of the guards call as she got to the bottom step. Throwing her hood back she drew herself up to her full height,
"It is Guinevere, Princess of Cameliard, I bring food for the Prince", she replied confidently,
"You shouldn't be here my lady, the King orders…", the guard said uneasily,
"The king orders that no one be allowed near the prince, not even to give him food, I know", she answered quickly, "But are you really going to allow the crown prince of Camelot to starve? Even if he is condemned to death he is still the heir to the throne",
"That's as maybe my lady… but…" the guard continued,
"Look", Guinevere began as she stepped forward, pulling back the clothe from the basket she carried, "You can see I have nothing here to cause harm", she said as showed the guard the basket's contents, taking out one of the flagons of wine, "I only ask that you open that door, let me enter, then close it behind me, I will cause no harm, I will not attempt to free the prince, only to give him food to fortify him for the ordeal that lies ahead.
The guard mumbled a protest, Guinevere held out the flagon of wine,
"Take this, share it between your men, consider it thanks for services rendered", she said as she looked the man levelly in the eye. The guard breathed out a sigh, nodded to the guard stood opposite him, who took the flagon from Guinevere,
"I can only risk a few minutes, if the King finds out…", the guard said uneasily, as he walked towards the cell and opened the door,
"I don't intend him to", Guinevere replied quietly as she stepped into the cell, "And thank you", she said as the door was closed behind her.
Guinevere stood for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Gradually she began to see a figure on the opposite side of the cell, sat on the floor, knees drawn up to the chin, head resting against the wall, eyes closed,
"Arthur?", she whispered, Arthur's eyes snapped open,
"Guinevere", he breathed, his voice full of surprise, "How?",
"Bribed the guards", she said simply as she sank to her knees next to him,
Arthur laughed,
"Fancy that, a princess bribing her way into a dungeon", he said as he coughed slightly,
"Here", Guinevere said as she uncorked the flagon of wine she still had and pressed it into Arthur's hands, watching as he took a long drink,
"Thank you", he said as she broke the loaf of bread and some of the cheese and passed it to him,
"I couldn't just leave you down here and let you starve now could I?", Guinevere said confidently, "The people expect it of a princess to do something, and you yourself said our duty is firstly to the people",
"That is very true", Arthur agreed, "But still you shouldn't be here, it's not safe",
"Let me worry about that Arthur",
"A dungeon is no place for a future queen, in the eyes of the people that is what you are", Arthur said seriously,
"If you're here then I'm not future queen am I? I'm just a foreign princess, no future at all, I'm not sure I'd want it anyway", Guinevere said honestly,
"I'm afraid Guinevere", Arthur admitted, "Not for me, for Camelot, what happens once I'm gone, once my father is gone?",
Guinevere took Arthur's hands into her own,
"It won't come to that, we'll find a way out of this some how", she said earnestly, looking directly into the Prince's eyes,
"I wish I had your confidence Guinevere", he said raising Guinevere's hands to his lips, kissing them lightly, "You would have made a great queen, I'm sorry I may not see it",
Guinevere looked back over her shoulder as she heard keys rattle, a guard gesturing that it was time to leave,
"Have faith in your friends Arthur, we'll get you out of this, we will find a way", she said as she let go of Arthur's hands and stood up, picking up the basket,
"Guinevere", Arthur called her as she turned away, "Will you be there?", She frowned as she tried to understand what she meant, then swallowed hard as the understanding came to her,
"If you want me to be, yes, of course I will", she replied, a little weakly,
"Thank you", he replied as she turned and left the cell, as the doors locked behind her.
She keep her head down as she ran back through the castle, tears rolling down her face. Entering her chambers, she waved her maids away, as she undressed herself, pulled on her night dress and brushed out her hair, all the while railing against herself that she hadn't openly admitted her feelings to Arthur, being more certain now that he felt the same. In a fit of rage she threw her hair brush away from her and wept bitterly for the time that the two of them may have lost, throwing herself down on the bed she cried herself to sleep, her tear-blurred vision swimming with the image of the man she loved.
***
Arthur sat back with his eyes closed, an image of Guinevere filling his mind, here was someone to give him hope, she asked him to have faith, to trust her, and for a few hours at least he would hold on the that, he would hold onto that small sliver of light in the darkness.