Chapter Eighteen
The crowd behind us cheered, and the knights again raised their swords. Gwaine and I, with some maneuvering since our hands were still tied together, turned and walked down the aisle they made for us. This time, our friends grinned and cheered with the rest of the crowd as we passed them, the solemnity now over. Leon's girls went ahead of us, strewing flower petals in our path to the balcony that overlooked the courtyard.
I was a bit shocked by the size of the crowd outside. It seemed as if every person living in the city was there, waiting for a glimpse of Gwaine and me. And as soon as we stepped outside, holding our still-tied hands aloft, everyone out there cheered. Flowers and seeds were thrown in the air. I blushed at the implication of fertility, and of course Gwaine laughed more. "I love you, my wife," he said, grinning wider than I'd ever seen him.
"And I love you, my husband," I replied, and I could feel my smile grow to match his.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" chanted the crowd, making me laugh out of slight embarrassment and self-consciousness.
Gwaine lowered his brow to rest on mine. "I must do as the crowd commands, my lady," he teased, but still ultimately leaving the choice in my hands.
"Then by all means, my lord," I said, giving him my answer. He didn't waste any time in lowering his lips to mine.
Our kiss ended with Arthur slapping Gwaine on the back. "Good people of Camelot," he called, gaining near silence instantly, as he and Gwen bookended us. "Sir Gwaine has had the miraculous good fortune of gaining such a lady as our own Lady Annaliese," he paused as chuckles rolled across the assembly, and Gwaine merely nodded in agreement. "We wish our newly wedded couple continued good fortune and good health, and we hope that theirs will be as happy a union as we have been blessed with."
"We congratulate Sir Gwaine and Lady Annaliese," Gwen continued from my other side. "We offer every wish and hope for health, happiness, and prosperity, and thank them for bringing further strength and protection to our kingdom. In the name of Camelot, we thank you for your sacrifices that you have made, and those that you have yet to make."
She and Arthur bowed to us, and the entire courtyard followed suit. The gesture was touching, but also a terrifying reminder of what Gwaine had sworn to do. But it swiftly passed as our monarchs rose up again. "Camelot, behold your knight and his lady!" Arthur cried again, and the crowd cheered once more.
Bonfires were soon lit in the courtyard to ward off the slight chill, and it seemed that everyone in all of Camelot was enjoying themselves. At our table at the banquet, Gwaine and I were seated in Arthur and Gwen's traditional seats, "As is proper for the honored couple," Gwen told me, smiling far more widely than I'd seen her do so in weeks. It was as if she was determined that we all forget the looming war, for just one night.
Gwaine and I shared our meal, giving one another the first bites and drinks, as we had promised in our vows. He made me laugh, darting his fork around before finally feeding me the choicest bite of meat. I retaliated by hitting his nose on the way to his mouth with the bread, leaving the juices I'd soaked it in dripping from his face. He did hold the goblet still for the wine, but the rather unflattering remarks he made of Lord Godwin's doublet made me nearly choke. As I held my goblet for him, I leaned in, and I needed a little extra stability, so I rested my hand on his leg. Causing Gwaine to nearly spit his wine all over me.
We did eventually finish our meal, with many more laughs. But, as the night grew longer, every touch seemed to burn, driving me a little more mad every time. And by the way Gwaine's eyes grew darker, the same was true for him, as well. So, by the time the floor was cleared for dancing, I was nearly ready to make a fool of myself by dragging Gwaine from the room. Thankfully, Hunith possessed a much cooler head.
"It's time," she told me, pressing my flute into my hand.
The reminder brought a tiny bit of reason back. I pressed a quick (or not-so-quick) kiss to Gwaine's lips and stood. I walked to the other musicians and accepted their teasing congratulations with a grin. "You'll do wonderfully," Ena whispered encouragingly.
I smiled gratefully, took a deep breath, and began to play. It was a song I had written over the last year, not realizing that I had been writing my story with Gwaine into music. It began slowly, with some slight discord purposefully written in, but as the other players joined in one at a time, the tune became more playful, more happy, more… us. And even though I couldn't see it myself, I knew my eyes were glowing gold as Magic blessed our marriage.
Gwaine was at my side before our song ended, and his lips were on mine as soon as I pulled the flute away. "You are magnificent," he whispered, before kissing me again. "You wrote that, didn't you?"
"I did, for us," I replied.
He pulled me into his arms and onto the floor, dancing with far more grace than most would have supposed. "Does that mean that you magically blessed our union?"
"Absolutely. But I don't think we needed it, anyway."
"Just what I was thinking, my love."
We danced for several more songs, during which we were joined by many other couples. But it wasn't long until Gwaine danced us toward the edge of the floor, and, with a sly look around, slipped us out of the banquet hall. "I think it's time we had some time to ourselves, Lady Anna," he laughed, spinning me around a time or two before spinning me back into his arms.
"I couldn't agree more, Sir Gwaine," I agreed, laughter spilling forth unrestrainedly. "I've never been happier in my life."
"Nor have I, my love. Nor have I," he said, kissing me gently. But then, without any warning, he swept me up in his arms and began running, pulling yet another laugh from me.
…
Warm sunshine woke me slowly, followed by an unfamiliar but incredibly comforting weight across my stomach. "Good morning, love," Gwaine said softly, dragging a kiss along my shoulder.
"Good morning, husband." Just saying the word made me smile, and I turned to kiss his lips.
"You know, I had the best dream," he continued, moving to kiss my throat. "I dreamed that an angel somehow found me worthy enough to marry. And I've never been so happy."
"It wasn't a dream, my love." My hands found their ways across his shoulders and back into his hair in what was becoming their favorite place to be. "It was very, very real. I know because I was there."
"Hhmm," he hummed against my throat, causing butterflies to explode in my stomach. "I'm not so sure it was real. Maybe I need some convincing."
"Allow me to convince you. I'm happy to do as much convincing as you need." I tipped his head up toward mine and captured his lips with mine again. "Did that help convince you?"
"I might need more convincing," he teased. "Possibly all day."
"We have all week, if needs be. Do you think that might be enough time to convince you?"
Gwaine laughed and kissed me again. "Possibly."
"Well, I should get started, then."
…
Sadly, our week passed far too quickly. I found myself standing with Gwen, Hunith, and the other ladies on the steps in the courtyard, barely able to hold my tears back as the knights assembled. Gwaine saw to his horse, making sure everything was prepared, before coming back to me. "I'll be alright, my love," he whispered, taking me into his arms. My hands went to his hair, seemingly of their own accord. It was a bit addictive, really, with how soft it was. "After all, I've got the world's best incentive to come home."
"And what's that?" I asked, smiling a bit against my will, just as he'd intended.
"The most beautiful wife a man could ever ask for," he answered, kissing me softly. "And I've gotten rather used to a warm bed. I want to come back to that as soon as possible."
My startled laugh sounded across the courtyard, drawing rather a lot of odd looks my way. "I love you, Gwaine. Come back to me."
"Always, my darling. I'd cross the world to come back to you." He kissed me again, this time fierce and hungry, like he couldn't get enough of me.
"Knights of Camelot, assemble," Arthur called, breaking through the haze of Gwaine's kiss.
"I'll always come back to you, Anna, and kill anyone who tried to stop me," my husband said, kissing me fiercely once more before all but ripping himself from my embrace and turning to join his fellow knights.
Gwen and Hunith both slipped their hands into mine, though it seemed as if they needed the support as much as I did. Gwen's hand shook in mine, and her other curled around her belly protectively. And Hunith nearly crushed my hand as she mouthed a wordless prayer.
At the head of the army, Arthur stood tall. "Knights, soldiers, men of Camelot, this morning we ride to war. Our cause is the righteous protection of our people and borders against the aggressions of a dishonorable king who covets what we have. Our vows to protect Camelot will not let this stand. We will never let this tyrant hurt another one of our people. We would not go to war if Lot were a just and fair king, letting his and our people live in peace. But he is not, and we will not let his aggressions stand. This war will only end with Lot's surrender, or his death."
Every man in the courtyard snapped to attention. "Lot's surrender, or his death," rang out from every mouth, and many eyes glowed gold. I shivered, knowing Magic would hold them to their vow.
AN: And here's the last one for tonight. We're nearing the end, with probably less than five chapters left, but I'm not sure exactly just yet. I'll try to post at least one next Sunday, maybe more, so you'll have that to look forward to. Thanks for reading, and especially to those who review. Reviews make for a happy writer, just sayin'.