"Things have been developing in your absence." Lord Hector practically sneered his last words at her as she walked past him and Gwen realised any truce she thought she'd found with him no longer existed.

"I was only gone for about a week," she said.

There was a snort. "A lot can happen in a week."

Smiling tightly, she ignored Hector and turned to address the council, instructing them to update her on all she'd missed over her time away. Most of the news was nothing unusual, nothing Percy hadn't already briefed her on earlier and she couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting to Arthur.

They had snuck into Camelot under the cover of darkness and then set Arthur up in a servant's room tucked in a relatively isolated area of the castle. Seeing his eyes widen when he saw the room drove home the painful point that the man who stood in front of her, marvelling at the comforts offered in the castle, was not the same man she married. Still, she couldn't help her smile when she remembered him gushing over the bed. That small bed in the servant's room was a far cry from what he enjoyed in their chambers.

"Your majesty?"

She blinked, dragging her attention back to the council. "I'm sorry. What was it?"

"Our men have sent word that Lord Edward and Lady Joan have been amassing an army at their borders."

Alarm shot through Gwen. This wasn't a mere skirmish. "Didn't they sign a peace treaty here just two months ago? A peace treaty we negotiated?"

"Lord Edward has not kept to his side of the bargain."

Hector spoke up. "There's no reason for us to get involved. We're not in the position to get caught up in more conflicts."

"I agree," said Sir Asher. "Their kingdoms are small and far away. There is no reason for us to get involved."

"They are testing me," said Gwen quietly. "And I'm not going to sit here quietly and let him think that Camelot is a pushover. We supported the peace treaty and we will ensure that they adhere to it."

"We cannot afford another war!" Hector said forcefully, as a number of the council members nodded their heads in agreement.

Leon shot her a look and Gwen sighed inwardly. Everything was a battle. "I think that perhaps we will need more information before deciding. Sir Leon, please check with our men there."

"Is there anything else?" she asked tightly as she looked down at the notes she'd taken throughout the meeting. A long list of things to solve stared back at her and she could feel the beginnings of stress creep up on her. What she wouldn't give to be back in the forest, sitting with Arthur by the campfire.

"There is one more," Hector said again. "King Lester sent a proposal while you were gone."

"A proposal?"

Hector smiled which made dread pool in Gwen's stomach. "As you know, he has a son and he wishes to join Camelot and Acerith through marriage."

Her mouth fell open and for a moment, she simply stared at Hector. Finally, she choked out the word 'marriage'.

"Yes. I highly recommend it. Acerith and Camelot have an uneasy relationship but this will strengthen it. And if you have plans to go to war again -" His words drifted off but his meaning was clear.

She thought of Arthur in his small servant room. She thought of the baby growing in her. Her stomach clenched. "No. There will be no marriage."

Immediately, Hector's expression changed. "You should give it more consideration, my lady. You know that the other kingdoms see us as weak without Arthur. This alliance will dispel any such notion."

"I'll think about it," she lied, unable to take more discussion of the matter.

She knew Hector saw through her lie but he let it go. "King Lester would like a decision by next week. The marriage itself can wait a while," Hector said, false concern in his eyes, "if you need more time to mourn Arthur."

When the meeting finally ended, Gwen, feeling a wave of exhaustion hit her, slowly made her way out of the council room. At the entrance, Sir Rowan stood, clearly waiting for her.

He bowed. "May I have a word, your majesty?"

"Of course."

"Did you see the man I told you about? The one who looks like King Arthur?"

Aware of the number of people walking up and down the corridor, Gwen quickly guided Rowan into a quieter corner. "I did."

"And? Sorry, if you don't mind telling me that is. I admit I have not been able to stop wondering about him. Has King Arthur returned?"

"Rowan, I know you're discreet and loyal but not all your men are. All I can tell you is that it is complicated and I hope that you'll respect the promise I asked of you before."

Hope flashed in Rowan's eyes. "So he has returned. This is great. It will -"

"Rowan," Gwen said warningly. "If I hear rumours of his return, I will know it's you."

"Yes. I understand your majesty." Bowing again, he left Gwen standing alone, her thoughts once again on Arthur. Around her, knights and servants moved, focused on their duties. Sometimes, briefly, she wished she could turn back time and go back to being a servant when all that was required of her was to follow the instructions of her mistress, when the fate of a whole land didn't rest heavily on her shoulders.

"Gwen - your highness." Turning a corner, Gwen saw a frowning Amber, dressed in the usual kitchen hand wear. The moment Amber realised Gwen was in front of her, she dipped into a clumsy curtsey.

"And where are you off to? Shouldn't you be in the kitchens?" Gwen smiled at Amber, hoping to ease the unhappiness on her face.

"Cook said I could have a break. I was looking for Kay. But I think I'm lost."

"Well then," said Gwen, "it's a good thing I know the castle very well." She stretched her hand out to Amber who, after a moment's hesitation, placed her hand in Gwen's. "Come, I'll show you how to get from the kitchens to his room."

As they walked, Gwen plied Amber with questions about her first few days in Camelot, partly because she had become fond of the chatty, high spirited girl and partly because it kept her mind off all the pressures of her station.

"And Cook is really fierce, but just now, she said I did a good job with the bread and gave me some leftovers. I'm not as careless as Jon she said," grinned Amber, clearly pleased at outshining Jon in the kitchen.

"That's great. I'm glad you're doing well."

Her small hand gripped Gwen's tightly. "I miss my mum though. Do you think we can visit her?"

"Maybe," said Gwen vaguely, unsure how to tell the young girl that it would be a few months before she could feasibly return. Thankfully, that answer seemed to be enough for Amber. "This is Kay's room. Remember, it's our secret alright?"

Amber nodded then knocked enthusiastically at the door which opened immediately.

Busy with her duties, Gwen hadn't seen Arthur since showing him to this room the day before and she couldn't help the little jump her heart gave when the door opened to reveal him.

"You have a visitor," she said as calmly as she could.

Kneeling down, he gathered Amber into a hug, then smiled at Gwen over Amber's head. "You look tired," he said, his eyes full of concern.

Something constricted in her heart. The whole day had been filled with people wanting, demanding things from her - favours, time, decisions. Arthur was the first one to actually ask about her.

"It's been a long day," she said. "And I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Would you like to stay a while?" When she hesitated, he continued. "I've spent the whole day alone here. It's getting a little frustrating."

Gwen thought of the pile of letters on her table and the reports on the various kingdoms Percival had collected. Then she looked at Arthur. "For a while," she said.

With Amber around, they let her lead the conversation as she told them about the warm kitchens, about annoying Jon who was a new helper like her and about Cook who was angry all the time. Gwen nodded and made noises at all the right places, her attention mostly on Arthur who fussed over Amber.

"How long have we been here?" Amber asked suddenly, in the middle of a story about bread. "Cook would be angry if I'm late and I don't want her to like Jon more." She stood with great determination.

Arthur laughed quietly, pulled Amber to him and kissed the top of her head. "Be good," he said as she dashed out of the door.

Gwen stood as well, smoothing her skirts. "I should -"

She stopped when Arthur's fingers curled lightly around her wrist. "Just a while more?"

Gwen hadn't been alone with Arthur since that night at the campfire and being in a small room with him made her nervous. It didn't even make any sense. This was Arthur, her husband and she couldn't even make eye contact with him. "Is everything here alright? Was lunch fine?"

"Gwen. Stop it. I'm fine."

She nodded. "How was your day?"

The question made him chuckle and he let go of her arm. Gwen missed his touch almost immediately. "Terrible. I've been looking through these tomes you gave me about my history and my past. Not only is none of this triggering any memories, they are incredibly boring. Did I really read them when I was younger?"

She tore her eyes from him and tried to hide a smile.

"You liar," he laughed. "I never read this when I was younger."

"Well, you were supposed to," Gwen replied, smiling genuinely. "So even being in Camelot, you remember nothing?" The smile faded slightly.

"No, I'm sorry. Are we even sure I'm this King Arthur? Maybe I'm a bandit and stole the sword and rings off his body."

Gwen studied the man in front of her. There was no doubt in her mind he was Arthur. He looked like Arthur, had scars in the same area as Arthur and more importantly, he had Arthur's generous heart. She shook her head. "You're Arthur. You just need to remember it."

"I can't hide here forever hoping to remember," he said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "What if I never remember anything?"

"You could still take the crown, be king."

The smile he gave her was tight. The once light atmosphere became heavier and tension crackled in the air. "I could do that," he said quietly, his eyes moving from hers. Then he sighed. "Honestly, I don't know if I can. It will be no different from you randomly picking out someone from a crowd and making him king." In a softer voice, he continued. "I'd feel like an imposter, pretending to be someone I'm not."

"Well," Gwen said with forced cheer, "this is only your second day here and all you've had are some dusty books that even I wouldn't read."

A"Are you offering me a more exciting day tomorrow?"

"Maybe." Plans started to develop in her mind. It wasn't unsurprising that Camelot was unfamiliar to Arthur, cooped up as he had been in this room for more of the day. Arthur was never one to spend time in the servants' quarters. When she needed to do was bring him to places he was familiar with, places that meant something.

His voice was husky when he replied. "You know what would be exciting? Spending some time with you, just the two of us."

Her heart sped up at his words. "Oh," was all she managed to say, "like now?"

"Just the two of us," he murmured, "without thoughts of the past or the future." Then his fingers brushed against her cheek before burying them in her hair, gently massaging the back of her neck, sending shivers down her body. He was going to kiss her and she knew she was going to let him. Arthur may not remember his past, may not even want to be king but at least they still had this - this physical attraction they couldn't seem to ignore once they realised it that morning in her house all those years ago.

His kiss was a question at first, as if he was asking for permission. Her reply was to lean into him and slide her tongue across his lips, urging them open. Nice. Gently but firmly, he eased her out of her chair, pulled her flush against him and deepened the kiss. The familiarity of his taste and his smell stirred her emotions and she closed her eyes, trying to stem the tears she felt forming. All the stress that had been accumulating in her since morning left her at the touch of his lips against hers. When his lips left hers, marking a path to her neck then to her shoulder, she relaxed and let herself sink fully into his arms.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured against her collarbone. Her hands instinctively moved to his shirt, slipping under it, running over his chest. She pressed closer, wanting the security of knowing he still desired her. His teeth nipped against her neck, his hands sliding up her side until they came to her breasts.

He stilled, lifting his head so his eyes met hers, the question clear in them.

"Yes," she whispered. It was foolish, too soon and her head told her that it was more physical than anything on Arthur's side but she was tired and for one night, she wanted to pretend that her life wasn't derailed all those months ago.

He picked her up, the same way he used to before, and carried her to bed, laying her down almost reverently. For a while, he simply stood at the side of the bed, staring down at her. His eyes were dark and Gwen worried that he might have changed his mind. She reached for him and he went to her willingly, his mouth descending on hers as he said her name.