Annabeth allowed herself to sit down on the edge of her bed and relax for a moment. She surveyed the room with pride at how nice it looked. Fresh flowers in empty wine bottles lined the windowsills, were dotted about on the kitchen sideboard and stood grandly on the table behind a several stacks of bowls. Wine bottles stood at the back of the table against the wall overseeing a crowd of tin cups. Freshly laundered clothes fluttered outside the window above the sink, drying in the bright sun. In the middle of the room enough broth to feed at least 20 people bubbled in the cauldron while a fresh loaf of bread hid away from pests, sandwiched between a plate and a large bowl. The chairs that were usually squashed around the table were arranged in a semi-circle facing the door with borrowed and mismatched pillows piled on their seats.
Annabeth had been up cleaning and washing and cooking and preparing since she woke at dawn for the evening that was to come. She usually got paid rather well after a session of story-telling, especially if she provided food. Using the last of her money was a risk she was willing to take if it meant maybe getting more of it back. Despite her recent involvement with the crown, the locals were still eager to hear her stories, perhaps even more so now as she might let something slip that would make some very juicy gossip indeed. Annabeth was relying on this more than anything. The more people who came to listen to her the more money she could make and the stronger her chances of surviving were.
"Knock knock!" Merlin called cheerily sticking his head through the open window next to the door.
"You seem happy." Annabeth narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she got up to open the door.
"It's my day off. Of course I'm happy." Merlin countered, walking in past her.
"What have you got there?" She asked, spying the bag hanging off his arm.
"It's from Arthur," Merlin told her as she closed the door. "You can open it." He held out the bag for her.
"He already sent me the wine he promised." Annabeth took the bag from hi warily. "What could it be?"
"Open it." Merlin urged her.
Annabeth cocked her head to one side and raised an eyebrow at Merlin before setting the bag on the bed and pulling out a parcel. She glanced over her shoulder and Merlin who nodded at her encouragingly, a big grin on his face as he leant against the kitchen sideboard. Carefully she opened the parcel and gasped when she saw what was inside it.
A bright yellow satin dress was folded up neatly inside. It was plain but still beautiful and so smooth to touch. Annabeth's eyes welled up as she looked at it. She did not deserve a present from him.
"You need to take it back to him." Annabeth swallowed back her tears.
"Why?" Merlin frowned.
"I did nothing to deserve this. I can't take it." Annabeth explained.
"Well I'm not allowed to take it back." Merlin clasped his hands behind his back and smiled smugly. "Will you try it on?"
Annabeth bit her lip and looked longingly at the dress.
"It would be rude not to." She decided, accepting the gift against her better nature.
If only she knew what she was getting herself into.
.
.
.
It was almost time.
Annabeth looked down and gave herself a last once over. The dress didn't have a speck of dust or a single crease in it. It was bright, as if she were wearing a beam of sunlight and it fit her body snugly, leaving her shoulders exposed to the cool air. It was a beautiful dress and now her hair was done to go with it, she felt like her old self again; the self before her mother died, the self who wore pretty dresses all the time. The version of herself that didn't exist anymore.
When she thought Merlin wasn't looking, Annabeth slipped a worn piece of parchment from her sleeve and into her hand to re-read the words she'd already memorized off by heart in the past hour.
You'll be the brilliant tonight. Don't forget to shine.
Arthur
Annabeth could image Arthur saying those words to her and it calmed her nerves. She only wished he could be there tonight but she understood why it was so hard for him to leave his father's side right then. Whenever her mother got sick as a girl Annabeth would never leave her side. If she died when Annabeth wasn't there to say her final goodbye she would never be able to live with herself. It had to be the same for Arthur. Why wouldn't it be?
"Annabeth?" Merlin asked, breaking her away from her thoughts.
"Yes Merlin?" Annabeth turned to face him, tucking the note back up her sleeve.
"They're here."
.
.
.
"Arthur," Gwen sighed as she folded up a dirty night shirt to add it onto her basket of laundry. "He's sleeping. You need to go get some rest. You've been here for days."
"No," Arthur's voice shook and he did not look at her as he knelt beside his father's bed. His eyes desperately searched his father's face for even the smallest sign of improvement.
"The King is sleeping. There's nothing you can do for him now." She reminded him.
"Guinevere, I can't leave." Arthur stressed, still not looking at her.
"But you have to. You're making yourself sick and that won't help anyone." Gwen insisted.
Arthur didn't respond.
"Arthur, please," Gwen begged. "If you don't leave as well you could die. Please don't make me watch you waste away in front of me." She slowly moved forwards to him.
"Then don't watch." Arthur muttered darkly.
"Arthur, please! Don't be like this! Gaius had told you that the king is going to be fine. Why won't you let us help you or even help yourself?" Gwen persisted, pushing Arthur to the edge.
"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO!" Arthur exploded, shooting up and whirling around to face her. A silence rang loud and clear as Uther stirred in his bed. Arthur glanced at him for a moment, the crazed look in his eye never fading. Once the king had rolled back over and resumed sleeping Arthur continued, quieter this time but still with a harsh, almost unforgiving edge to his voice. "If something happens, if he got worse… I would never be able to live with myself knowing I'd left his side."
"And you expect me to live with myself if I don't speak up and something happens to you?" Gwen asked tearily, retreating back to the table with her basket on it.
"Yes I do." Arthur nodded stiffly.
"If that is what you wish my lord." Gwen said distantly, curtseying before picking up her basket.
"It is." Arthur said coldly, returning to his father's side.
Without another word Gwen picked up her basket and left the room. Was it her fault that he'd started to push her away? Had she changed somehow? Was she acting different? What was it that was driving Arthur steadily away from her?
Gwen was so lost in her own distressing thoughts that she wasn't paying any attention to where she was going and bumped straight into another person.
"I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention-" Gwen apologised hurriedly, bobbing and checking she had everything.
"You don't have to apologise to me dear Gwen. I always long for an excuse to bump into you." Lancelot smiled, taking a step closer to her.
Gwen looked up at him and bit her lip. "You flatter me." She chose her words carefully, not meeting his eyes.
"A woman as beautiful as you deserves to be complimented often." Lancelot's smile never flickered or faded. "Come, let me help you with that basket." He reached out to take it from her.
"No, I can't let you-" She objected.
"I insist." Lancelot said firmly, prising the basket from her grip.
Guinevere looked up into his eyes wondering what he was up to and saw a glint of something genuine there. Something that Arthur normally had but had faded over the past few weeks. Something that Gwen's heart couldn't help but follow, which is why she handed over the basket to Lancelot without further protest and allowed him to escort her to the laundry room.
.
.
.
A hooded figure snuck out of the side door of the castle. It was completely dark now and the moon was on the rise. The man walked away from the castle, each step oozing purpose as he strode farther and farther away out of the castle's shadow. He didn't bother to conceal himself from the castle guards – it was not yet the hour of the curfew so he needn't bother with such things yet.
His footsteps were muffled as he made his way swiftly through the courtyard and out of the castle grounds into the towns. It was almost as if he were late for something from the way he was moving with a subtle urgency.
When he reached his destination he only paused for a moment to let the guards at the door peek under his hood before silently waving him in. With as little fuss as possible the man slipped through the door into a room jam-packed with people. At least fifty men and women of all ages and shapes were squashed into the room around a crackling fire, listening intently to a young woman in a fine yellow dress with long, mousy brown hair plaited and twisted around the back of her head. Her startling blue eyes shone animatedly as she used her hands to aid her speech as she sat cross-legged on top of a long, thin table lining the left-hand wall.
"'HOW DARE YOU!' the prince bellowed, brandishing his sword. He did not know what else to do for his heart had been ripped to pieces before his very eyes. 'How could you betray me like this?' he cried, stalking forward to grab his lady-love's arm. 'I was going to give you more than you would ever want! More than you could ever dream of! Why would you do this to me?' He shook her roughly, disgusted by her tears. SHE had broken HIS heart! Not the other way around! That miserable serving girl had no right to cry!" Annabeth's voice changed with the story, reeling the man in, even when she shouted.
"Broth sir?" A man with abnormally large ears and a young, chirpy face asked, suddenly appearing next to him.
The cloaked man nodded eagerly, reaching for his purse.
"Oh no sir. It's free but do feel free to leave a donation in your empty bowl at the end of the night." Big Ears shook his head as he pressed a still warm bowl of broth into the man's hands.
The man nodded again and moved around to the back of the crowd where he ate his broth quietly and listened to the story.
"'Unhand her! Unhand her I say!' Sir Spearmuch demanded, drawing his own sword. Prince Pentagon threw Penny on the floor and turned to face his former knight. 'You DARE challenge me? You have taken away the only thing I have left in the world! I shall DESTROY you for your crime!' The prince raised his own sword and swung it at Spearmuch's. The two men ignored the screamed protests of Penny as they battled in the dark hall with only the patchy moonlight streaming in through the high windows to light their blood-thirsty battle."
On and on Annabeth went, weaving her words to create stunning images with her words late into the night. It was as if she'd cast a spell over her audience as they sat there in an inhuman silence, clinging on to Annabeth's every word as if it were their only lifeline…
And then it stopped.
It took everyone a moment to realise that Annabeth had reached the end of her tale but when they did there was a thunderous amount of applause from the considerably small group and the tinkling noise of copper coins being dropped into empty bowls and cups. A small fair-headed child presented Annabeth with a small bouquet of lavender and got a tiny kiss on the cheek in gratitude.
Annabeth herself was radiant. She was grinning from ear to ear and her face was practically glowing in the dimly lit room with pride at her success. Graciously she thanked her audience, slipping delicately off the table to circulate the room to modestly accept praise and answer questions thrown at her from every direction until almost everyone had been escorted home.
Clunk.
The hooded man remained standing half-concealed by the door as he dropped a leather purse the size of his fist into the bowl.
"Arthur, I'm not taking all that money from you so think again." Annabeth raised an eyebrow as she and Merlin began collecting all the bowls and cups scattered around the room to place on the table.
"How did you know it was me?" Arthur demanded, throwing back his hood.
"Because I am not blind." Annabeth responded plainly.
"Now what's the real reason?" Arthur asked expectantly.
"It's true. The way you stand gave it away. The way you stand with your back straight, all regal and majestic. It oozes royalty your highness." Annabeth drawled, smirking to herself. She may have had a bit to drink herself.
"That's enough of the cheek or I'll make you keep all of this." Arthur threatened her playfully.
"So what made you come down Arthur?" Merlin asked, bending down to scoop up a few bowls.
"Gwen. She-"
"You don't have to explain yourself to us." Annabeth said hurriedly, throwing Merlin a sharp look.
"Uh, okay." Arthur seemed taken aback but didn't go further into the matter.
"You're wearing the dress." He said after a minute's silence.
"It's a lovely dress. Thank you so much." She smiled and curtseyed to him.
"She wanted me to give it back to you." Merlin piped up.
"Shut up Merlin." Annabeth gave him a playful shove as Arthur raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't deserve it." She explained, looking down.
"You deserve everything good in the world Annabeth. We all know that." Arthur said comfortingly, resisting the urge to sweep her into his arms and hold her there.
Why couldn't she realise how much she was worth, especially to him?
I've been meaning to say this for a while but I have a gallery of pictures of the characters from this story if you want to see them. Copy and paste the following link into a new tab to see them if you want! (.com/galleries/AnnabethBlack-53740)
And please don't forget to review!