Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! I really appreciate every single one! Also, since so many of us are self-isolating or are quarantined, I will be increasing the updates each week. Starting with this chapter, I will post a new one every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until the story is finished. There are 12 more chapters plus an epilogue after this one to look forward to. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 18
Drinking, Gambling, and a Brawl
After a long, hard day of training, Gwaine and Percival decided to head to the Rising Sun Tavern to blow off some steam. The ale would relax their overworked muscles while the gambling would provide some much-needed entertainment. After they cleaned up, they met by the entrance of the citadel. As they were walking down to the tavern, they ran into Marian, who had been helping Gwen's maids with packing up the new queen's belongings from her old lodgings and moving them into the royal chambers.
"Good evening, Gwaine, Percival!" she called to them, smiling.
"Hello, beautiful!" Gwaine returned her greeting. His energy level jumped from zero to one hundred at the sight of her.
"Evening, Marian," Percival replied. He watched as his friend morphed from tired knight to besotted admirer. He would make sure to tease Gwaine about it later. There was no point in riling him now and embarrassing Marian.
"We're going to the tavern for some ale and to see if we can't relieve some snooty noble of their purse. Want to come?" Gwaine asked her hopefully.
She enjoyed the company of the knights immensely, especially Gwaine. Though she was trying to be careful, she now fully admitted to herself that she was in love with him, so she wouldn't pass on the chance to spend more time with the roguishly handsome knight.
"Why not?" she answered. She stepped between the men and wound her arms through theirs. If she had been in her own time, she might have even joked about going to see the Wizard of Oz, but the joke would be lost on the medieval knights.
000
Marian and Gwaine were standing across from one another, each with a determined look on their faces. He narrowed his eyes at her and placed his hands on the table. Leaning in close, he dared her through gritted teeth. "Go ahead, healer. Do your worst."
Marian scoffed at his confident demeanor. The knight had no idea what was in store for him. The pain he would feel. She placed her own hands on the table, the tips of their fingers barely touching, and leaned in, her face inches from his. "You'd better watch your mouth, knight. Those are fightin' words," she said coolly.
The tension was palpable. The crowd around them waited with bated breath. Gwaine stood slowly and smirked at her, crossing his arms over his chest. The challenge had been issued, and she had accepted. Marian shook her hands and brought them to her mouth to blow into them. Her hands parted, and as two small blocks fell to the table, Marian called out. "Seven!"
The dice rolled across the table, one landing with five dots on top and the other with two dots. The crowd erupted in loud cheers, with the men patting Marian on the back and raising her hands in celebration.
Gwaine grinned at Marian as he handed over the last of his gold coins. She smiled as he congratulated her. "Fair is fair, beautiful. You've bested me."
"Not so cocky now, are you, Sir Gwaine?" she laughed.
She walked over to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Come, let me buy you some ale. In fact, the next round is on me!" she yelled to the innkeeper as she gestured to the whole room.
"Now that's a cause for celebration!" Gwaine exclaimed happily as he picked her up and spun her around. Instead of letting her go, he carried her over to a table and dropped her to her feet.
Gwaine, Marian, and Percival sat at the table undisturbed by the riotous laughter and drunken singing surrounding them. After they had finished their ale, Gwaine turned to her. "So, how did you do it? Magic?"
"A lady never tells," she answered haughtily.
"Are you a psychic?" he asked jokingly.
"Yes, Gwaine. I'm a psychic," she answered.
Percival's eyes grew wide.
She pressed her index fingers to her temples and closed her eyes. "I predict that you, Sir Gwaine, will drink yourself into a stupor and, thinking you've followed a buxom beauty to her bed, will wake up hungover in the stables on the morrow!"
Percival and Gwaine both laughed merrily. "Fair enough, love. But please don't resign me to a night with a mare. I've only eyes for one buxom beauty," Gwaine said, smiling at her.
Oblivious, Marian stood. "Another round, gents? I've recently come into some wealth," she said as she shook Gwaine's lost purse, coins tinkling, "and I'm feeling generous."
They nodded appreciatively as she left to go to the bar to order more ale.
"You've not told her, have you?" Percival asked his friend.
"Told her what, Percival?" Gwaine asked while his eyes followed the sway of Marian's hips.
"That you love her, you dollophead," he answered.
Gwaine chuckled. "You've been around Merlin too long." He looked at his friend earnestly. "No, not in so many words."
"Well, why not?" Percival asked. He was all too well aware of how painful unrequited love was. He wanted nothing more than for his friends to be happy.
"I guess I'm afraid. What if she doesn't feel the same? What if I lose her entirely?" he asked. He'd never given a voice to his fears before. "I love her more than anything, Percival. I've never loved like this before, and it frightens me."
Percival clapped Gwaine on the back. "I guess you'll just have to take the risk, brave Sir Gwaine," he laughed.
Gwaine looked over to the bar and saw Marian talking with a man. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember if he had seen him before. He wasn't pleased to see her speaking so amiably with a smarmy looking stranger. Gwaine watched as the man said something to cause Marian to laugh. He wasn't usually the jealous type, and there was no understanding between them, but Gwaine found that he hated that man. It was often he that brought out her beautiful, song-like laugh. And here this other man was… was he touching her arm?
Gwaine growled under his breath and made to stand. He felt a firm hand on his shoulder, pushing him back into his seat.
"What do you think you're going to do, Gwaine?" Percival asked him. "She isn't your sweetheart, and she wouldn't appreciate your jealousy."
He knew Percival was right, of course. He just couldn't help the anger seething in the pit of his stomach. "You're right, you're right," he replied.
Gwaine reached out and stopped a passing barmaid. "Who is that man over there?" he asked, nodding toward Marian and the man.
"Him?" the older woman asked. "That's William the Bold," she sighed. "He's the bravest and most handsome man in all the five kingdoms." The barmaid looked at William dreamily. "He slew the Griffin that had been terrorizing Camelot many years ago."
"Did he?" Gwaine laughed incredulously.
He knew for a fact that it had been Lancelot who had rid the kingdom of the Griffin. He smirked at Percival, both men knowing that William was a fraud. Gwaine's smirk faltered, though, when the barmaid continued.
"He did! And it's even said that he saved King Arthur in a melee once! It was Prince Arthur then, of course. And even though he had been unfairly banished from the kingdom by Uther, he risked his life to expose two thugs that were using magic to try to kill the prince," she said as she smiled at him and walked away.
"What?" Gwaine asked, his voice raised. "That was—"
Percival put a hand on Gwaine's arm to stop him.
Gwaine glared at the charlatan, chatting up his healer. "That was me," he pouted. "William the Bold," he scoffed. "More like William the Liar. William the Bastard. William the…" he stopped when he saw William grab Marian by the arms and thrust his mouth onto hers.
Gwaine stood so fast that his chair tumbled to the floor. He started over to the bar, but before he could get there, Marian tore herself from William's grasp and punched him hard in the face. Caught off guard, the man stumbled back and fell into a table behind him, knocking the flagon of ale over and into the lap of a rather large, brutish man. Gwaine looked on with pride as Marian shook her pained hand and yelled at William. "You motherfucker!"
The brutish man picked William up by his collar and drew his fist back to punch. Several large men who had entered with William were scattered around the tavern and stood menacingly, ready to fight.
Gwaine smirked. Adrenaline pumped into his bloodstream, and his skin prickled in anticipation. This is what he lived for: the fight. The odds of getting out of the tavern without a black eye were slim to none. And he liked those kinds of odds. He jumped over the empty chair in front of him and threw a punch at one of William's men.
Suddenly, the entire tavern erupted in chaos. Chairs were thrown, and crockery was broken. Percival fought off two men at once while Gwaine tried to fight his way over to Marian.
William had snuck up behind her and grabbed her around her waist, lifting her from the ground. Marian kicked and screamed, making it difficult for him to keep his hold on her. She threw her head back and, connecting with his face, broke his nose with her skull.
"You bitch!" he screamed as he dropped her.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, she grabbed the nearest bar stool and swung it at her attacker, breaking it into several pieces as it made contact with his head, knocking him to the floor, unconscious.
Gwaine reached Marian and grabbed her hand. He needed to get her out of the tavern before she got hurt. He ran for the door and pulled her out into the chilly night air. They ran down the street, only stopping once they were too far to hear the brawl. Gwaine bent over and rested his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Shouldn't we go back and help Percival?" Marian panted.
"Nah," Gwaine said. "He's been itching for a fight lately. Best to let him have his fun," he told her as he stood.
"That doesn't sound like Percival. That sounds more like Gwaine," Marian laughed. She wobbled on her feet and would have fallen over had Gwaine not caught her.
"You alright?" he asked, concerned.
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess that little head-butt move finally caught up with me," she winced.
Gwaine reached to the back of her head, delving his fingers into her hair to feel her scalp for injury. "There's no blood, but you've got a hell of a knot forming. Come on, beautiful. Let's get you home," he said as he held his arm out for her. She wound her arm around his, and they started toward the citadel.
"Did you know that man was taking credit for things you knights have done?" she asked suddenly.
"I heard," Gwaine said, unamused. "Only an insecure man would feel the need to brag to a beautiful woman," he glanced at Marian and continued. "Especially if he's lying to get her into his bed."
Marian couldn't help herself. She burst into laughter. "You think that's what he was trying to do? Bed me? Whatever for?"
Gwaine stopped and looked at her, confused. "You're asking me why he would want to bed you? Marian, have you not looked in a mirror?"
Now it was Marian's turn to look confused. "You… you really think I'm beautiful?"
Gwaine opened his mouth to reply, but the words escaped him. He thought she was heavenly and told her daily. It broke his heart that she didn't see it in herself. He loved her for her mind and her feisty personality, but he had to admit, her beauty is what first drew him to her. Instead of saying how he felt, he merely nodded.
"Oh. I… I thought this whole time that you've been calling me beautiful in jest," she said softly. "I had no idea."
"In jest? Marian, how is that a joke?"
"Well," she started, embarrassed at the turn the conversation was taking, "like how one would call a large person tiny or a stupid person genius."
Gwaine looked at her softly. The woman honestly didn't know how beautiful she was. He brushed a lock of her hair back from her face.
"Marian…"
Before he could continue, Percival came barreling down the street in a hurry, nose bloodied and one eye swollen. "They're coming this way! You'd better hide!" he yelled before darting between two of the wooden buildings.
Gwaine grabbed Marian's hand and led her to the opposite side of the street. They ducked down behind one of the market stalls and waited for the men to pass.
"He went this way!" they heard one of them shout.
A rush of footfalls went by and sounded like they were headed away from the citadel. When they no longer heard anyone out in the street, Gwaine stretched up to look over the stall.
"They're gone," he said before they both erupted into a fit of laughter.
Once they had calmed, Gwaine stood and held his hand out for Marian, helping her from the ground. They started back to the citadel and to her chamber, laughing about their close call the entire way.
When they reached her chamber door, Marian turned to thank him. "Thank you for rescuing me once again, Gwaine. My knight in shining armor," she smiled brightly at him.
Gwaine returned her smile. "Will you be alright?" he asked her.
"I think so. It's just a shame that I can still feel his disgusting mouth on me," she shuddered.
Gwaine smiled sweetly at her. There was no way he would let her go to sleep thinking of William the Idiot. He reached up and placed his palms on either side of her face, his fingers winding through her hair. He leaned in close, his nose brushing against hers and his breath tickling her lips.
"May I?" he asked.
Marian nodded ever so slightly before Gwaine touched her lips with his, moving his mouth softly and slowly over hers. He felt her sigh as she pressed her palms against his chest and lean into his kiss. He lightly licked her lips, and she parted them, allowing him inside.
She moaned when his tongue rubbed against hers. Holding onto his tunic, she pulled him closer as he moved his hands to her waist, her body pressed firmly against him. She slid her tongue past his, enjoying the taste of ale on him. Breathing deeply, she took in his scent, leather and musk. Marian wrapped her arms around his neck and wound her fingers into his hair. Her belly warmed as her desire for him grew.
After a few moments of lovingly kissing her, he pulled away and grinned at her. Rosy cheeks and swollen lips, he thought her the loveliest she had ever been.
When she finally opened her eyes, he pulled her hands from his head and brought her bruised knuckles to his lips, kissing them tenderly. I love you. Lowering their hands before letting go, he leaned in to her ear. "Sweet dreams, beautiful," he said as his lips brushed her warm skin. Kissing the side of her head, he stood and grinned.
Marian looked at him longingly as he stepped back. "G'night," she slurred.
He turned and left her by her chamber door. Always leave her wanting more, he thought with a cheeky grin.
In a trance, Marian smiled as she entered her chamber, looking forward to the sultry dream that awaited her.
