Hey friends, it's been a while, but I had a lot to deal with and through it all I lost my motivation to write and reimagine stories. Anyway, I'm trying to get back into the game and your kind reviews is making that happen. I want to say thank you for your concern and for your patience. Without you, this effort would be worthless.
I do not own Merlin or the characters and I certainly do not own Wicked In Your Arms.
Arthur, being the gentleman he is, called upon Gwen the following morning. Her sister Elizabeth darted into her room to alert her of the fact...
"The prince is in the library with dear old dad. Do you want me to listen at the door?"
Gwen smiled...the first time since last night...imagining her sister eavesdropping.
"No, it's okay. I believe they're discussing the settlement and other matters."
At that, she walked towards the window and gazed down at the gardens below, unable to hold her sister's stare in that moment, reluctant to let her see all her misgivings so plainly written upon her face.
She was going to marry Prince Arthur. She would have him...the man for whom her heart beat these last weeks. It was both exciting and terrifying. And she hasn't been able to catch her breath since last night.
"I'm happy for you, Gwen. You're going to be so happy," he sister said sincerely.
Gwen turned slowly to face the sister she'd only recently come to know and realized there was so much of her she still didn't know.
For starters, like why she wished to entertain the courtship of a much older man.
"You think so?" she asked, eyeing Elizabeth's fresh young face and loathing the notion of her shackled to the ancient marquis.
Her sister nodded, her brown waves bouncing over her shoulder.
"Yes. You've won a prince! You're going to be a queen, Gwen. Think of it!"
At that, Gwen's stomach heaved. She pressed a hand to her lurching belly.
"I'd rather not."
"You'll be a marvelous queen. Think of the insights you will have. And all of the good you can do."
She angled her head, considering that for the first time and suddenly not feeling so... scared anymore.
"I hadn't thought of that before."
Her sister nodded encouragingly.
"You can be a voice for the people. Someone real, not someone royal and elevated and so far removed from the common man's existence. You'll be one of them and they're going to adore you!"
Gwen dropped her hand from her stomach, suddenly a little more optimistic. She could do something... she could make a difference.
"I shall miss you. You must visit. And Matilda. Even dad," she said.
"As if you can keep me away. And you know father will be there." Elizabeth gave her hand a squeeze. "You've found your fairy tale, Gwennie. And you're going to be so very happy."
'Am I?'
So much of that seemed wrapped up in whether Arthur is going to be happy with her as his queen. It still seemed an impossibility.
Her brief optimism fled...
Would Arthur wake up one day to hate her, regretting his impulsive decision to marry her?
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door just before a maid entered.
"Your presence is desired in the study, Miss Davies."
And just like that, Gwen's stomach dropped to her feet. She nodded jerkily.
"Have a good time!" her sister called cheerfully as she departed the room.
Gwen said nothing, only sent her a bewildered look over her shoulder. Did she think she was going for a jaunt in the park?
Shaking her head, she descended the stairs, carefully masking her face for when she first meet the prince's gaze.
Would she already see the chill of regret there? Would it begin now?
Entering the library, Gwen saw only Arthur. Her father was nowhere in sight...which was strange.
The prince stood at the window overlooking the street, while she hovered on the threshold, the only sounds those of the clacking of hooves and the creaking of wheels from outside.
She must've made a sound that alerted him to her presence, because he turned, his arms still locked behind him. He looked so stern and forbidding that she blurted the first thought that crossed her mind.
"We don't have to do this."
He said nothing. Only gazed at her with an implacable expression on his face.
She moistened her lips and continued,
"I won't hold you to it. I'll tell everyone I refused your offer. No one will think less of you."
Suddenly, he moved, walking steadily towards her. And her breath hitched as he closed the distance between them.
Then...
He walked right past her.
She swung around, her heart hammering, watching in bewilderment, her eyes wide and aching in her face.
Was he leaving?
Was this it then?
Had she given him the out he desired?
Arthur stepped from the room, his arms extending until he clasped the latch on each door and shut them soundly, closing them in from prying eyes.
"What are you doing?" Gwen asked, squeezing her hands together in front of her.
He turned to face her, his eyes glinting.
"Giving a newly affianced couple a few moments of privacy."
"Arthur." She shook her head. "What are we doing? This is madness. Let's stop this before it goes any further."
"There's no going back now."
"How can you possibly marry me?" She shook her head and sliced a hand through the air. "Your kingdom needs a proper queen. Not some girl who was a game master in a past life."
"I decide what's proper, do I not? I'll be king someday. No one's authority supersedes mine. What is it you're so afraid of, Guinevere? Who precisely do you think will object to you?"
"Your grandfather..."
"My grandfather shall have nothing to say once we hand him his first great-grandchild. He'll be too busy weeping joyful tears."
Heat flushed Gwen's face and she looked down at her hands, secretly delighted at the mere thought of having a child... Having Arthur's child.
Hardening her heart, she looked back up to stare him in the eyes.
"And what if that doesn't happen? You yourself proclaimed me old. What if I can't..."
"And I believe you proclaimed me a jackass," he cut in. "I rather think you were correct."
She choked on laughter even as her eyes burned with tears.
Suddenly, he strode forward and took her hand. With a tug, he lowered her onto a settee next to him.
"It's too late to go back now, so stop talking about it."
"But you didn't want this..."
He pressed a finger to her lips.
"I want you. More than any other woman I've crossed paths with in my search for a bride."
She swallowed down the sudden lump in her throat and moved his finger from her lips.
"But I'm not what your grandfather sent you here to..."
"He can't object to your fortune."
"But he can object to me ."
Arthur smiled then, a crooked grin that made her belly twist.
"No matter how much you try, you're not going to talk me out of this, Guinevere," he said. Gwen sighed in exasperation. "Trust me," he coaxed. "Will you?"
And she wanted to. So desperately.
I want you.
His words almost convinced her. Except, she'd heard them before. And she knew a man's desires changed with the wind.
Now, if he had said love...
If she even thought he might love her someday...
Shaking her head, she told herself to stop being fanciful. She hadn't expected a love match before. And she only wanted it now because she wanted a guarantee that the prince would not one day stare at her with embarrassment and regret.
And of course, she only wanted it because when that day arrived it would break her heart... A heart that was fully and hopelessly bound to him.
For a fleeting moment Gwen considered baring her heart and professing her love to the prince. But she wasn't that courageous. Or foolish.
Instead she pasted a smile on her pretty face.
"Yes. I trust you," she murmured, even as she wondered if she wasn't making the worst mistake of her life. Maybe she should pack up her things and flee to Wales...
Her eyes met Arthur's and he was staring at her in such a way that she wondered if he was reading her mind...if he guessed her thoughts.
His next words however, confirmed this.
"Run from me, Guinevere Davies and I'll follow. I'll track you down and find you. And bring you back where you belong...with me."
A small shiver ran up her spine.
"I don't need to run away." She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin defiantly. "I'm an independent female. I make my own choices. If I don't want you, I simply won't have you. No one can force me to marry you."
Arthur's mouth twitched and he scooted closer. His warm breath fanned her neck, sending the most delicious tremors rippling through her.
"If we're relying on you wanting me, then I won't need to force you to marry me," he said.
Gwen choked on a breath.
"Arrogant, aren't you?"
He looked at her, his gaze rather grim.
"We're both here right now because we can't help ourselves when it comes to each other."
That much was true.
He continued...
"I'm not going to even pretend that I'm doing this against my will, Guinevere...that I'm led by honour."
Gwen gazed at Arthur unblinking, his face so close that their breaths mingled.
Suddenly, hope blossomed in her chest at the possibility that perhaps, just maybe, this wasn't a colossal mistake. That she could find her storybook ending with a storybook prince.
He leaned in, but before his lips could touch hers, the door to the library opened.
"Ah, just as I expected." Reginald Davies rocked on his heels, looking far too pleased with himself as he surveyed them. "Best keep an eye on you two until the nuptials take place."
Gwen's cheeks burned in mortification.
And Arthur rose to his feet.
"As discussed, I'll see the banns posted posthaste."
"Very good."
Mr Davies practically rubbed his hands in glee at the prince's words.
Arthur looked back down at Gwen...
"I'll call on you tomorrow and we'll discuss travel arrangements. We'll be married in Camelot where my grandfather can attend."
At that announcement, Gwen's stomach dropped to her feet.
To leave her residence and the sisters she had just met would be hard. But it would all be worth it if only she felt more confident about their match, or if it was based on mutual affection, or if Arthur loved her even a little bit...
Then, she would suffer no doubts.
"Yes." her father nodded in agreement, waking her from her thoughts. "Just as we discussed. A royal wedding in a famous Cathedral." He looked over at Gwen meaningfully. "A grand event, to be certain."
At that, Gwen's stomach twisted so violently she feared she would be ill. A royal wedding... She should've expected no less.
Only it was easy to forget here in her father's library with Prince Arthur sitting so close to her, whispering in that low, seductive voice of his.
They were from two different worlds. People with nothing in common but desire between them.
Desire was fleeting. She knew that from her own father. He'd taken her mother, used her and then tossed her aside.
She inhaled deeply, staving off the burn in her eyes with several hard blinks.
Then, the prince bowed over her hand, his fingers warm around her chilled ones and said,
"Until tomorrow."
She remained silent as she watched him depart, wondering how she could feel such love and despair at the same time.
Stay safe!