THE GREAT HALL
Alys immediately stood when Gwen left the room after sneering over her goblet.
She stood and bid a cold yet polite goodbye to Annis and strode around the table, not glancing back at Arthur.
Arthur saw him her expression what she was going to do and immediately stood.
Annis did the same and followed the king as they wormed their way through the bowing courtiers to follow Alys.
THE CORRIDORS
Gwen had to take deep breaths to stop the flurry of un-queenly thoughts that were streaming through her brain leaving her lips.
Tears burned her eyes but she wouldn't let them fall.
They were here to achieve peace, and she wouldn't make the rift any greater between herself and the princess even wider…
But footsteps behind her on the stone made her stop.
"The servants quarters are that way."
Alys's sneering voice made Gwen bit her lower lip to stop herself from snapping something, as she straightened and turned to face the ice princess.
Alys feigned shock, "Oh sorry Gwen, it is you, I thought it was some scullery maid…"
Gwen narrowed her eyes and straightened, fisting her hands at her side and staring dead at Alys.
Her unwavering stare made part of the Princess shy away.
"I am not ashamed to have been born a servant." Gwen stated, "I am proud to have been brought up by a loving family who taught me the true worth of the world… to have done a hard day's work and to have earned just reward."
Alys laughed at her and it burned within Gwen.
The Princesses voice was sharp like broken glass, "Oh yes, I agree that you have earned a just reward in marrying Arthur… how the small have risen…"
"I am proud to have been brought up by a father who appreciated goodness and taught me that respect is earned Alys." Gwen stated and walked towards her slightly, holding the hem of her fine gown so she would not step on it.
She swept towards her and it made Alys straighten.
The queen was slightly smaller than her but she glared into her eyes with an almost sense of pity.
"Respect cannot be bought with blood or money."
Gwen's words hung between for the moment and Alys seethed internally, mortified and embarrassed that she was feeling so small under the queens gaze.
"How dare you." She hissed at her, "I am a princess, you are a maid…"
"No." Gwen stepped slightly closer, "I am a queen. And you will earn my respect before I give it to you, as I intend to earn your respect."
Footsteps behind Alys made the Princess turn to see Annis and Arthur appear at the end of the corridor, Norma and Merlin behind them.
"Is everything alright?" Arthur demanded, walking past Alys to his wife, taking her hands in his.
She nodded and cast a glance at Alys who straightened, looking coldly embarrassed.
"I will retire for the evening." She declared and swept past Annis, ducking her head respectifully without a backward glance at Arthur and Gwen.
Merlin smirked to himself at seeing how riled Gwen had gotten her.
Norma swallowed and scuttled after her.
She had failed to poison the queen.
What should she do?
Should she try and save her own life from the princess and king Odin by showing initiative…
Surely they would not mind how Guinevere met her end as long as it happened…
Her throat went tight.
She didn't want to be a part of this.
She never had.
But they were above her in station… how could she refuse?
Merlin watched as Annis walked towards Arthur and Gwen once Alys and Norma had left.
Arthur turned to his wife.
"Are you sure you are alright?"
"Arthur I am fine." She put a hand on his chest to soothe his protectiveness, "I am glad that some things were finally shared."
Arthur smiled and kissed her forehead, "Good."
"And thank you," Gwen looked up into his eyes, "for letting me defend myself, and not cutting and speaking across me as though I was incapable… I just did not want to make a show in front of everyone…"
Arthur sighed and looked down at their joined hands.
"It was harder than it should have been, to sit there and say nothing, to take my cue from you." He admitted.
Gwen smiled and stretched up on her toes to kiss his cheek, "I know my darling."
Annis smiled, "I knew that you were too strong to say nothing… I shall see you both in the morning. Get some sleep."
Her pointed parting shot and small smirk made Gwen flush and Arthur straighten.
Annis laughed lightly at their expressions, as though they did not know that their love for one another was that obvious.
Merlin was used to having to deal with it, and from where he was stood he smirked to himself.
Although in his head he was buzzing with thoughts over Norma and what was really going on…
He could almost understand why Arthur had not wanted to speak across Gwen and defend her…
Camelot and peace was important, especially if Alys was moving, or Odin was using her and Norma to try and break the peace that as being built.
Merlin was sure more than ever that something was going on.
Something cold, close to worry, had settled in the base of his stomach.
He wanted to finish Arthur's chores and set about examining the liquid…
His knowledge of such things was not as vast as Gaius's… but Gaius was in Camelot, and it was not as though Merlin had learnt nothing running around doing errands for him for years.
The bottle he had lifted after Norma had dropped it form her apron weighted heavy in his pocket.
Annis walked away towards her chambers and Arthur turned back to his wife.
She took his hand and grinned at him, stretching up to kiss his jaw.
"Well if we have to make time for some sleep…" She whispered in his ear.
He chuckled, proud of her strength, and allowed her to lead him into their guest chamber.
Arthur's body language firmly told Merlin that he wanted to be alone with his wife as they slipped inside the room and the bolt dropped.
Merlin had taken his opportunity to leave them for the night.
He stood for a moment, eyes narrowed, mind whirring.
He muttered under his breath, eyes scanning round.
This would have been so much easier if he was in Camelot.
He could have just taken it to Gaius…
But then if they were in Camelot it would be Tanya who was serving Gwen not Norma…
Merlin bit his lip and looked around, lifting the bottle of liquid form his pocket and holding it in his hand.
He looked down at it before up and around the castle again.
He needed to research the liquid.
The archives, the library…
He nodded his head.
Merlin strode in the opposite direction to the way the maids had gone.
CARLEON – ARTHUR AND GWEN'S CHAMBERS
"Gwen… Guinevere…" Arthur's breathing was heavy as he fought to speak around his wife's lips as she hungrily kissed him.
This was one of the incredibly rare moments when she was locked in the throes of passion and he was not, when he was completely serious and she was not.
He was laying over her on their bed, her hair lying on the cream pillow around her, stark against that and her night dress.
Her breathing was as deep and ragged as stomach pressed on hers pleasurably.
He was holding his body weight so she felt his structure, but not his weight, arms bent at the elbows and resting to the mattress against her sides.
One hand moved, so he was holding his weight on one arm, to rest his broad hand over her waist and silk nightdress.
Her hands held his face, fingers pulling gently at his hair as she craned her neck to reach his lips.
"Guinevere… Guinevere…" He turned his head slightly, reaching his hand from her waist to grip the top of the headboard as she kissed his collarbone and chest.
Her hands moved to run her nails down his back.
"Mmm?" She murmured, breathing heavy.
"Guinevere I…" He gave a small grunt as her hands crept lower and moved to the planes of his stomach.
"I need to tell you something…" He gasped.
"Now?"
The surprise in her voice was there but quiet under the weight of her ever increasing passion.
He normally hated talking during their time together.
"yes…" He gasped slightly and snapped his hand from the headboard to rest on the mattress again, supporting his weight as he stared at her.
"Because it might change your mind about… about this."
His words shocked her so much that she pulled away from kissing him to lean back on the mattress fully, her hands on his chest, under the shelter of his body, to stare at him.
"Arthur?" She whispered.
He swallowed, still breathing heavy.
"I was going to tell you before dinner…. But I didn't know how you would react to Alys, and I had promised not to interfere so…" He trailed away and sighed, clogging his eyes for a moment.
Her chest still hammered with passion but she stared at him patiently, although the intrigue and wonder in her eyes made him swallow.
He moved from hovering over her, lying on his side as he wrapped one arm around her waist so she rolled onto her side to face him.
He pushed himself up onto one arm as she rested her hands on his chest, his other hand resting on her waist.
He sighed and his voice remained low.
"Alys's words… I don't think they were hollow…"
She narrowed her eyes in slight confusion and stared at him.
"What do you mean?" She asked and he stiffened, looking down at his hand on her waist.
He said nothing.
She put one hand on his cheek and made him look at her.
"Arthur?"
He stared at her and swallowed, "Merlin heard Alys talking to Norma about you… something about you not being her equal that Norma had to make sure Odin got what he wanted…"
Gwen narrowed her eyes, "What does that mean?"
"I don't know." Arthur shook his head gravely and wrapped her in his arms again, drawing her to his chest.
He kissed her temple and rested her cheek there.
"I don't know."
She sighed and looked up at him, kissing his jaw.
"I love you, you know…" She whispered.
He held her to him and blew out the candle on the side of the bed.
His lips found hers in the darkness.
"I love you too Guinevere… so much."
