Chapter 6
"I forgot my sword," Arthur explained. He quickly crossed the room and collected it from the table. "Excuse me, I didn't mean to interrupt. Merlin, come with me."
Merlin followed Arthur out of the room. He stopped when Arthur paused at the end of the hallway and leaned against the wall. "Is something wrong?"
Arthur glanced over his shoulder as the sound of laughter wafted down the hallway. "She's scared," Arthur said softly. "Of course, that's what she wouldn't say."
"What are you talking about? Who's scared? Elaina?"
Arthur stared blankly at Merlin. "What," he said suddenly.
"You were saying that someone is scared?"
"No I wasn't," Arthur said as he pushed away from the wall and continued down the hallway.
"Arthur I heard you say it!"
"Merlin, I don't have time for this, I need you to go muck out the stables."
"Fine."
"Fine, is that all you have to say?"
"I meant to say yes sire."
"That's what I thought."
Morgana eyed Elaina as she stared at the closed door. They been talking for several minutes but since Arthur had left Elaina hadn't been paying attention. "So then Uther agreed that it would be best for everyone if Arthur and I married," Morgana said loudly.
Elaina's eyebrows rose in confusion and she turned to stare at Morgana. "You and Arthur…you're engaged. He didn't mention it. Congratulations."
"I should think he wouldn't mention it since I was joking Elaina. I was trying to see if you were listening to me. You seem distracted."
"I'm sorry Morgana." She offered no explanation for her distraction, but she didn't need to. It was obvious to Morgana that Arthur's comment and mere presence had been the cause.
"He's quite a young man."
Elaina dropped her gaze to the floor and sighed. "I shouldn't even consider it Morgana, I've been here a day, one day, and I'm already…"
"Falling for him," Gwen said softly. There was something in the way she said it that gave Elaina cause to pause. She studied Gwen a moment and could see it clearly. Anyone who took the time to look could see it. Gwen had fallen for him already.
"Perhaps," Elaina said elusively. She briefly wondered if there was something between Arthur and Gwen. Surely he wouldn't be foolish enough to give the girl false hope. Nothing real could come from a relationship with a servant, Elaina would know.
"Well, what do you plan to do about it," Morgana demanded.
Elaina stared at Morgana in surprise. There didn't seem much she could do about it. She is a displaced princess who probably has a price on her head. "What can I do Morgana? The last thing I need to worry about is how I am going to capture Arthur's attention."
"I don't think capturing his attention is going to be the problem, you've already got that!"
"So keeping his attention will be difficult?" She meant it to sound as though she didn't care. That keeping Arthur's attention was the last thing on her mind, but she wasn't fooling anyone.
Gwen pursed her lips and wandered toward the window. She knew what it was like to try and keep the Crown Prince's attention. She'd experience the constant worrying and wondering firsthand. The worry that she wasn't enough for him, wondering if he felt the same, if there was someone else.
"In case you haven't noticed Arthur is a young man. They all have the attention span of a fish."
"Yes, well, lucky for me I'm not concerned with getting the attention of any man. Let alone the future king," Elaina replied.