Here's chapter 15! I know it's a bit shorter than usual, but after writing it I just felt like it was better to split it. I've got most of the next few chapters written, which means that hopefully we're staying on schedule to update every Monday! :D I enjoyed writing this kind of light filler chapter before all the intense stuff starts up again lol. Leave a review and let me know your thoughts!

Arthur had managed to win yet another person back to his side, he thought gleefully. He and Gwaine had an odd relationship, and most would not call them friends- Arthur wouldn't either- but Gwaine was one of his knights. Not just any knights, but one of those who had been by his side when Morgana took over. The two of them- all of them- were more than brothers; even if Arthur was frustrated with Gwaine's irresponsibility, and Gwaine resented his nobility, they would still die for each other. Arthur never doubted that- except maybe when Gwaine went into an overprotective rage over Merlin, but he'd cleared that up with him this morning, with Merlin nodding along supportively.

A hesitant voice interrupted his musing. "Arthur?"

He whirled around, tripped and only just managed to catch himself on the edge of his desk and not fall flat on his face. Arthur straightened with a flushed face that probably gave away his internal mantra of kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me. Why couldn't it have been Merlin who'd seen him do that? Or- no, not Merlin; he would have mocked him endlessly. But Leon perhaps? Why did it have to be Guinevere? Especially considering it had been some time since they'd last spoken, Arthur thought despairingly, although he could no longer regret it once he saw the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Guinevere," he greeted her, palms already sweaty. He cleared his throat. "You look- well. Good." She did look beautiful- she always did- but Arthur sometimes truly wished he had Leon's eloquence.

Guinevere did not seem to mind his awkwardness, thankfully. "Thank you, Arthur." She paused. "May I come in?"

"Of course!" he replied immediately and enthusiastically, then cleared his throat once again and tried to tone down his eagerness. "I suppose we do need to talk."

"There's no need to sound so apprehensive," Guinevere said with a smile.

Isn't there? "Our last conversation didn't go very well." That was an understatement.

"Yes," Guinevere sighed and took a seat at the table, patting the chair next to her until Arthur took it. "We were both emotional and angry, for good reasons I think."

Very good reasons. "I owe you- and many people- an apology," Arthur started but Guinevere shook her head.

"Not me," she replied firmly. "The people in the lower town, definitely. But I wasn't affected by the searches and arrests. It's not fair for me to receive an apology while they don't, simply because of my- closeness to you." She stumbled shyly over the last words, as she always did.

How could any one person be so incredible? Arthur's chest ached with how much he loved her.

"Of course," he said in reply, "the townspeople will receive an apology as well."

"Yes, Merlin told me. They'll receive a bit more than an apology, if he's to be believed," she trailed off uncertainly. "Are you really paying them?"

Arthur nodded, still getting used to the bizarre idea. "Yes," he answered. "Merlin suggested it, and it seems like the right thing to do; an apology will not give them back their money, time or belongings. My knights have already started to catalogue the losses the people suffered in the past few months so we can begin to repay them."

Guinevere beamed, and his heart skipped a beat. "That's wonderful, Arthur," she exclaimed. Arthur blushed and wondered why he reacted this way whenever she or Merlin praised him. It was embarrassing. "I'm proud of you for doing this."

He was too choked up to speak for a few moments, and once he did finally manage to regain his voice, he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge what she'd just said. As Merlin was always eager to remind him, he was 'emotionally stunted' and 'incapable of receiving love and affection'. It was a harsh reminder of his father's distance and iciness, but he would never admit to Merlin how much that hurt him.

"So- we're… alright?" he asked tentatively after he'd recovered from being complimented. "Everything is alright- between us, I mean?"

It took Guinevere a moment to reply, "Yes, of course." An odd expression flashed across her face, disappearing too fast for Arthur to figure out what it was. She gave him a smile when he cocked his head questioningly. "We're alright, Arthur, really. There's nothing wrong with making mistakes as long as you're willing to learn, and you're doing the right thing now. That's all that matters."

That was good, wasn't it? Arthur wanted to be relieved but there was something- off about the way Guinevere was speaking. Her approval seemed genuine, but her posture was stiff and her smile unsure. She'd begun tapping her fingers on her thigh as soon as she sat down- a nervous tic Arthur normally found adorable. He wasn't so sure now. He didn't know what was wrong.

"Guinevere, talk to me," he urged softly. "I can see that something is upsetting you. What is it?"

She seemed startled that he'd noticed, immediately shaking her head. "Everything is alright, I promise," she insisted. Arthur guessed that he'd appeared unconvinced, as she repeated, "We're fine, Arthur. I have… something to deal with, but it's not about you- You've done nothing wrong. Really."

That was better, he supposed, although he knew he would keep obsessively trying to figure out what was bothering her. "You could tell me what the problem is," he offered. "Perhaps I could help."

Guinevere's smile returned, but all she said was, "Thank you, Arthur, but you needn't worry. It's really a very silly matter."

"Very well," he conceded. He was a bit unhappy that she was not willing to confide in him, but he could wait until she was ready. If he found out that someone was bothering her, he thought darkly, then he would act. In the meantime, Arthur was mostly just relieved that they weren't at odds any longer. "I will be here for you, if you change your mind."

"I know," she replied, that odd expression from earlier crossing her face once more. "Thank you, Arthur."

Arthur decidedly put Guinevere's strangeness out of his mind and reached out for her, but she quickly dodged out of his reach with a smile.

"We both have work to do, Arthur," she reminded him, her grin growing as he pouted.

"I suppose," he huffed grumpily, and pretended not to notice Guinevere's eyes crinkling as she tried to hide her amusement at his behaviour.

A moment later, she rose from her seat with a sigh. "I'd better get back to work," she said, then gave him an uncertain smile. "We'll see each other later, Arthur."

"Yes," he replied. He wished he knew what was making her uncomfortable. "Goodbye, Guinevere."

As he watched her walk off, Arthur marveled at the way everything had changed so quickly. Had he really been so miserable a week ago? Both Merlin and Guinevere were on speaking terms with him again, Guinevere's strange behaviour aside. But it wasn't just them that made Arthur so happy now; he was content for the first time in months, knowing he'd made the right decision. Although it had angered his uncle, Arthur knew it was the right thing to do, if only because it was the only choice that didn't turn his stomach or keep him up at night.

That didn't mean that he wasn't hurt- and angry- over his uncle's harsh words the previous night. Agravaine had sounded more like Arthur's father than himself. Arthur felt guilty thinking that way about his father, but the man had never been soft or forgiving, even to his own son. A day ago, Arthur would have said his uncle was the complete opposite of Uther- gentle where he was harsh, compassionate where he was unforgiving, calm where he was fierce. After the previous night, though… It was a side to his uncle that Arthur had never seen before. He didn't blame him, of course; Arthur knew that grief and anger made one say terrible things. And it was almost- good to see such clear evidence for Uncle's love for his mother. Arthur's father had not exactly forbidden his court from speaking about the late queen, but there had always been an unspoken understanding that no one would bring up the sensitive topic. Sometimes, Arthur was grateful, but most of the time he wished anyone would just say her name. It was almost as though Camelot had collectively forgotten their queen. Clearly, however, his uncle hadn't. Arthur was not alone. That was not to say that he wasn't furious over what Agravaine had said, but… he could forgive him.

The incident with his uncle aside, Arthur thought the past two days had been the best he'd had for months. There was a lot of work to do, but he looked forward to it. He wanted to make amends, to prove to his people that their faith was not misplaced- that he could be better. His father probably would not have approved, but when had he ever?

The people's needs had to come first. Arthur had lost sight of that for some time, but he was fortunate enough to have people like Guinevere, Merlin and Leon by his side, and he knew they would never lead him astray.