Disclaimer: see as before

Note: ahem, having, got last time's moment of frivolity and weakness for a fine specimen of the male form out of the way, back to the business of moving Arwen to the happy union we know they have (at least in the beginning anyway)

Many lovely thanks too to reviewers: mydoctortennant ; Sweety1516 ; Babybee61; archeress of silverbow ; ArthurXGwen

I've also taken some license with Gwen's background just cos I needed an easy plot device – apologies if it conflicts with anything

The King of Camelot smiled benignly over his assembled guests who had gathered for the annual springtime celebrations to welcome in the anticipated (and hopefully) bounteous new crop. Various Lords and Ladies from throughout the kingdom had been arriving over the last few days and Uther was especially pleased to see his son and heir apparently making overtures to the copper-haired daughter of the lord from one of the southern border estates.

For some time now, Uther had been considering the future of his kingdom when Arthur would take his place on the throne. He had watched his boy mature into a brave and honourable young man worthy of his title and status but there was also a need to find a suitable bride for him to continue the Pendragon line. As was expected, there had been the odd dalliance here and there with daughters of the realm though nothing serious had ever come out of them. Indeed, more often than not, Arthur would be found galloping off on mission or other with a band of trusty soldiers and his servant or if he was not away, the only female company he really saw him with was Lady Morgana and her own maid, what was her name again?, ah yes, Gwen.

At last, there appeared to be some progress on the romantic front and Uther thought that his son could do worse than the woman who currently garnered his attention.

On Arthur's part, he believed he was doing rather well with the whole 'let's not think about Guinevere' tactic. He occupied much of his time with training, hunting and fighting the odd rogue beast who, now and again, invaded the land. When not busy with such things, he would flirt with the occasional pretty young thing who came visiting Camelot. He considered these to be harmless diversions and on the whole, his strategy worked but more often than he liked it was during the dark nights, if and when he was alone, that his thoughts would turn to a certain young woman whose soft caramel skin, full, warm lips and gentle dignity set his pulse racing and made him want to surrender his soul to her.

Merlin, on the other hand, was not so convinced. He knew the way his friend and master's brain worked and it amused yet confounded him to see Arthur stubbornly ignore the one person his heart had already claimed as his true love. In addition, it distressed him to see the effect it had on his friend and fellow servant, Gwen. He knew that Arthur and Gwen had made some type of mutual agreement to stay apart from each other but nonetheless, he could not help but feel his heart break for the maid whenever she noticed the Prince openly charming and sweet-talking another woman.

She thought she would have gotten used to it by now, especially since it had been she who had made the first move to back away from the potentially disastrous situation but it made not a jot of difference, each time she saw him with someone else, the pain she felt in her heart was as sharp and as new as ever. There was nothing for it, she had to get away from the castle for a while – time and distance being a great healer and all that.

As luck would have it, Gwen received word from an old friend, the midwife who had delivered her in fact. When she had been much younger, Gwen had taken comfort from the kindly woman who the little girl had looked on in some ways as a substitute mother and when able, she had followed the midwife, helping and learning what she could. As time passed, before Gwen was given a post as maid to Lady Morgana, she became an invaluable help to the older woman and after the girl's relocation to the castle, the midwife had moved to an outlying part of the kingdom where her services were more urgently required. This new message informed Gwen that her beloved mother-figure's health was not so robust now and it had become a particularly busy time for birthing new babies. In short, the woman was asking for help and she could think of no-one better than the young woman she had known from birth.

It was a request and an opportunity that Gwen could not pass up and her mistress had been more than understanding, positively encouraging her maid to go to the assistance of someone's greater need. Morgana arranged a horse for her friend and ensured that she was equipped with enough supplies for the two-day ride to the west. With promises to each other to keep safe and well and to return safely, the young women embraced and Gwen set off towards the imposing town gates. On her way there, she met Merlin who was returning from yet another of Arthur's seemingly endless errands. He looked quizzically at her as he took in her travel garb but his slender features cleared as she explained.

Merlin looked at the ground as he self-consciously scuffed the ground with the toe of his boot. "Have you told Arthur?" He enquired, tentatively.

"No," was Gwen's quiet reply, "there wasn't time and it isn't so important that he would wish to know."

Merlin said nothing but she could see the disagreement reflected in his dark blue-grey eyes. He sighed slightly before asking, "How long will you be away?"

"I don't know, just however long I'm needed, I suppose." She smiled uncertainly.

The young man refrained from adding that she was also needed by those at the castle. Instead, he wished her luck, told her he would miss her and she was to return as soon as possible.

Having returned to the castle, Merlin was now engaged in the monotonous task of polishing Arthur's armour while the Prince himself was pondering on how best to progress with his new copper-haired friend. He had joined his servant in the armoury as he wished to have an audience to listen to his ideas.

Having stayed silent throughout Arthur's scattered suggestions, the sorcerer waited until there was a pause after the latest idea to show her the finer points of boar hunting at an ungodly hour of the morning.

"I saw Gwen today," he began without looking up from his work.

"How is she?" Arthur paused before asking. He regarded his servant closely and could see that there was something else by the way Merlin continued to be extra focused on buffing the steel to a high shine.

"Well, um, she is well." More buffing and a longer pause. "She was leaving." He blurted this last statement quickly.

It took the blond man several moments to process this piece of information.

"What do you mean, leaving? Where was she going?" Arthur took care to keep his voice under control, his expression neutral when what he really wanted to do was grab his servant and shake the information out of him.

As he listened to Merlin's information, Arthur's heart rate slowed to a normal pace and he felt a bit calmer. He was shocked by the strength of feeling he had when he thought that he might never see Gwen again and even now, he was still more than a little hurt knowing that Gwen had not stopped to see him before she went.

Although, he had now been actively distancing himself from the maid, he still found that he would look out for her, hoping to catch a glimpse of her as she went about her duties, perhaps able to meet her gaze which she always kept firmly fixed to her feet whenever he was present.

"Look on the brightside," Merlin's voice cut into his thoughts, "At least now you have the chance to really get over her."

"Huh?"

"Your new love, object of your affection." The dark-haired boy smiled brightly even though he didn't believe his own words for a second.

"Oh. Yes. I suppose so." Arthur turned back to stare distractedly out of the window, a million thoughts running through his head. Was she safe riding out alone? Although the peace treaty had been holding strong, there was a perpetual threat of bandits. When would he see her again? Would she even inform him herself when she did finally return? What if she didn't feel the same when she came back…came home? There, he said it – even if it was only inside his own head. Camelot was her home, more specifically, inside this castle beside him. Arthur could not imagine never seeing Gwen's sweet smile directed at him again despite their cool relations lately, and it damn near killed him to even consider the vague suggestion that she might find love elsewhere. It had been bad enough seeing the way in which she had looked at Lancelot and held his hand even as he and Merlin made good their escape from the Mercians. Had the handsome, humble knight not left as he did, Arthur wasn't sure what he would have done. No, this situation could not go on. He had to make some changes lest he drive himself mad.

Faced with the prospect of not knowing when he would see Morgana's maid again, Camelot's heir decided that his attentions to his new lady-friend would become more earnest and so he began to fire out more ideas of romantic gestures.

Merlin held his tongue, he knew that to again voice his opinion on how Arthur should confront his love for Gwen would only aggravate the Prince and reinforce his resistance. The sorcerer's eyes clouded as daily memories of Freya came into his mind. Having lost a true love, Merlin knew just how precious time could be and how much could be lost by not acting upon the here-and-now.

Ok folks, let me know ur thoughts

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