"Are you sure?" They were hidden behind a tapestry in an alcove and Gwen couldn't help but remember all the times before they married when they stole little moments in such places.

Arthur shook his head. "No, I am not sure but her words …"

Leaning into Arthur and pressing her face into his shoulder, Gwen took a deep breath. Then she looked up. "I will speak to her."

"How are you?" Arthur's arms slid around her waist and pulled her closer to him. In the darkness, the tapestry separating them from the rest of the world, it felt like it was just the two of them. For a moment, Gwen let herself lean against his hard, solid body.

"Upset. Confused. Angry."

He kissed the top of her head.

"Why would Lady Joan do this? If she was planning to bring you back from the dead, then why did she not discuss it with me? What purpose –"

His fingers were in her hair, loosening her bun and his lips brushed across her brow. Just his touch alone was enough to soothe her fraying nerves. How did everything become such a mess in such a short time?

"You know what upsets me the most? I thought Lady Joan and I were developing a good relationship. I thought that as two young women leaders in Albion, we could stand together but she –"

Another kiss against her forehead. "Fear often makes people do foolish things."

Gwen closed her eyes. Fear. Lady Joan had suddenly been thrust into leadership when her father died from a sudden, mysterious illness, not long after Arthur's own demise at Camlann. Gwen had assumed that being born into a noble house, Lady Joan wouldn't have any problems taking up her father's position but now, she wondered if she had been wrong.

Someone coughed, then cleared their throat loudly.

Arthur frowned.

The person coughed again. This time, instead of clearing their throat, they pulled open the tapestry.

"My lord. My lady." Head bent and his eyes on the floor, Leon shifted awkwardly. "Dinner has started and your presence is needed."

"How –" Arthur started to ask but Gwen took his hand and pulled him out of the alcove. Patting down her dress, she nodded at Leon.

"Thank you."

Cheeks red and still unwilling to meet their eyes, Leon grunted something unintelligible then turned sharply on his heel and left them.

"What is wrong with Leon?"

Linking her arm with Arthur's, Gwen smiled as the memory of Leon walking in on them, in the alcove, in a compromising position filled her mind. "Once, many years ago, before we were married, the alcoves used to be where we would sneak meetings."

Arthur's smiled matched hers. "Really? Tell me more about meetings."

Gwen slept, her curls fanning out across her pillow and her brows pulled into a slight furrow, a sign of the stress she'd been under. With a sigh, Arthur ran a thumb across her brows, easing the frown. He let his hand move lower until he could feel her rounded stomach. She was obviously showing and he'd overheard her asking the seamstress to loosen her dresses.

His child – their child – dwelled in Gwen and it never failed to fill him with awe whenever he thought about it. Sometimes, he wished he could remember when their child had been conceived but not being able to remember anything before that moment he woke in the forest no longer frustrated him the way it used to. Perhaps it was because of the many things that was going on now, that he rarely had time to brood, but Arthur suspected that it was more likely that Gwen, his unborn child and, surprisingly, being king seemed to fill something in his heart, that as lovely as Helb was, he had been missing.

With one last look at his wife, he got out of bed and walked to the window. Night had fallen over Camelot and aside from the few torches lit in the village and those carried by the night patrol, darkness ruled. These were his lands and his people – people he was bound to protect and care for. No matter what Lady Joan had planned with her dabbling in dark magic, Arthur had to admit that he was glad to be back here. Still, he might know nothing about dark magic but Merlin's reaction was enough to tell him that it wasn't good news. It didn't matter. He was determined to stay and he would do anything to ensure that happened. There was no way he was leaving Gwen again.

All the pleasantries and welcome meals were over now that all three kingdoms had arrived and the politics would start tomorrow. He was still learning about the intricacies of the relationships between all the kingdoms and the history of Albion. He was in no way able to negotiate anything without giving away his memory loss, which was why Gwen would be the one leading the discussions, but he was going to be there to support her in whatever way she needed. And although he was itching to confront Lady Joan about his return, Gwen had asked that she be the one to talk to her. But he hadn't promised not to talk to Prince Reynard.

"Prince Reynard," Arthur was relieved to find him alone in his room. He suspected he wouldn't have as much success with the prince if King Lester was around. "May I have a word?"

The prince poked his head out, his eyes darting across the corridor, probably looking for his father as well, only Arthur wasn't sure if it was for support or if he was hoping his father wasn't around.

"My lord. Um, please come in." Reynard stepped aside, gesturing for Arthur to enter. "What can I do for you?"

Reynard's eyes couldn't meet his and he shifted from feet to feet. Arthur had dressed in his full ceremonial garb, a subtle reminder of Arthur's position, but now he felt a twinge of pity as he watched Reynard. He was young and he appeared as much a pawn as Lady Joan and Lord Edward in whatever nefarious scheme King Lester had cooked up.

He took a seat and nodded at the chair on the opposite side of the table. "How old are you?"

"19." Hesitantly, Reynard settled into the chair, his eyes still everywhere except on Arthur.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "And you were hoping to marry Gwen? Don't you think you're a little young?"

Heat bloomed in the young prince's face and he stared at the floor.

"Have you met Gwen before?" The annoyance that churned inside him was tempered by Reynard obvious nervousness so Arthur kept his voice calm, friendly even. "Or were you planning to marry her, sight unseen?"

The young prince remained silent and still, his eyes staring at the table that separated them.

"As you can imagine, I wasn't pleased to return and find that you have been courting my wife." Arthur let coldness seep into his voice. "However, I can understand that everyone was under the impression that I was dead." Arthur paused for a while. "Still, it seems very disrespectful of you to not even give my wife any mourning time."

Finally, Reynard looked up at him. Red lined his eyes and he chewed on his lip before he finally spoke. "I apologise, my lord. It was not my intention to disrespect you."

Arthur leaned back and watched Reynard in silence for a moment, enjoying how he shifted in the chair and how his hand gripped the side of the table. "Unfortunately, your intentions don't matter. Now, we have a situation in which it appears that you have your eye on my wife and for two kingdoms in an alliance, this seems like a problem to me. And it will be a problem for you when you become king because no kingdom will trust you."

Reynard might be young and nervous, but he wasn't a fool, and the threat in Arthur's words. "What do you want?"

"Peace in Albion is important but right now, Lady Joan and Lord Edward at on the brink of war. I want your kingdom's cooperation in avoiding war."

"Of course," said Reynard with a frown. "We want peace too."

Arthur stood. "You might want peace, but I know some people in your kingdom find war more profitable. And I'm sure, as prince of a kingdom that borders theirs, that you have information that perhaps we don't have."

Reynard dropped his gaze back to the table.

"Neither Lady Joan nor Lord Edward are what we would consider warmongers. Why would they suddenly act this way?"

A sigh escaped from Reynard as he looked nervously around, then seemed to make a decision. "I know that there were rumours that Lord Edward was planning to invade Lady Joan's lands after her poor harvest as she was vulnerable. The gold mine she has is very attractive."

"But, Lady Joan is the one who is advancing into Lord Edward's lands."

He paled slightly. "Uh –"

"If you know something -" Arthur said, warningly.

Tearing his eyes from Arthur, he mumbled to the table. "She might have thought that a few bandit attacks on the land were the work of Lord Edward."

At his words, Arthur sucked in a breath and willed himself to remain calm. "And they weren't?"

"I don't know," Reynard rushed out. "My father –"

The door opened and King Lester strode in, his eyes narrowing when he saw Arthur and Reynard together. "My lord. Were you hoping to see me?"

Walking over to where a visibly worried Reynard sat, Arthur slapped his back and grinned. "I was just getting to know the prince. After all, from what I've heard, he's almost become the step-father of my child."

King Lester's face paled. "The Queen is pregnant?"

Arthur stepped in front of Lester. "She is. In fact, we will be making an official announcement soon but with all the uncertainties in the various kingdoms, we are waiting for a better time, although we might not be able to hide it for long."

"Congratulations." Lester cleared his throat. "As for the rumours of my son marrying the Queen, that is all they are – rumours. He is far too young and of course, it would be inappropriate timing."

"Of course. I knew it was all a mistake. Servants, probably. They gossip all the time. Oh, don't forget our hunting trip later this afternoon. It would be nice to catch up."

"I can't wait either," said Lester, sounding anything but excited.

Arthur nodded at Prince Reynard, then walked out of the room, feeling very pleased with himself. The information he'd weaselled out of the prince would help Gwen and he'd made Lester uncomfortable.

When Gwen opened her eyes and didn't see Arthur in bed beside her, she panicked. Pushing herself off the bed, she walked to the door and pulled it open. Sir Brom stood in the corridor.

"Where's the King?"

"Your highness. He left earlier with the young serving girl."

Amber. Then, she remembered Arthur mentioning that he wanted to have breakfast with Amber. Her heart calmed down and she pressed a hand to her stomach. Back inside her chambers, Gwen realised that she must have overslept as the sun hung high in the sky, which meant that breakfast must have been long over. She sighed. Over the past week, she'd been sleeping more and more.

"Probably because of you," she whispered as she ran a hand over her stomach. Glancing at herself in the mirror, clad only in her nightgown, Gwen could see how round her stomach was. Under the dresses that she'd been wearing, she had managed to hide it but she knew an official announcement was imminent.

Her eyes fell on the table and noticed a plate of food and some flowers on it. A smile blossomed across her face as she picked up the flowers and buried her face in them. Roses. A slight pang tugged at her heart but she refused to let it spread. Arthur getting her roses instead of wildflowers was not something to get upset about. Placing the flowers down, Gwen looked at the fresh bread from the kitchens and fruits. She sat on a chair, her stomach rumbling with appreciation.

Lady Joan was late, probably not keen on the walk through the gardens Gwen had suggested. Gwen lifted her face to the sun, enjoying the feel of it, warm against her skin. The conversation she wanted to have would be difficult and Gwen hoped that being amongst the blooming garden would keep it from getting too ugly. Arthur had returned to their chambers just as she'd been finishing up breakfast and relayed to her his conversation with King Lester and his son, a conversation that only strengthened the idea that King Lester was behind all this trouble brewing in Albion. Now, Arthur and Merlin were off hunting with King Lester, Prince Reynard and Lord Edward, giving Gwen a chance for a nice, long chat with Lady Joan.

"Your highness!" Her skirts in her hands, Lady Joan jogged towards her. "I am sorry for my tardiness."

"It is no problem. I was just enjoying the gardens. It has been a good month for flowers."

"You said you wanted to speak to me privately."

Always direct, Lady Joan rarely enjoyed the usual social chitchats that often accompanied political discussions, which gave many the impression of a cold, unfriendly ruler. But Gwen appreciated her directness here.

"I do. My husband has given me very interesting information."

As expected, Joan tensed. "I thought we were going to discuss my dispute with that snake, Lord Edward."

"Of course. It is the reason we are all gathered here. But before that, I am sure you have heard of my husband's miraculous return from the dead."

Lady Joan's lips were pressed together and a frown creased her brow.

"Merlin – and I trust Merlin with my whole heart – was very sure that he died in Camlann and some research has told us that he was revived, brought back from beyond the veil. Now, King Lester is pleased that Arthur is dead as he believes me to be weak without my husband. Lord Edward is paranoid about magic, so it wouldn't have been him either."

"There are many people who would have wanted King Arthur alive. He was a strong, fair king and he led Camelot and Albion well."

Gwen took a step away from Lady Joan and plucked a flower. Her fingers played with its stem and she regarded Lady Joan. "And so you decided that it would be a good idea to bring him back from the dead."

Even the colourful blooms couldn't ease the tension that encased the two women. Gwen focused her eyes on the flower in her hand although all her senses were attuned to every movement Lady Joan made. The clench of her jaw and the curl of her fingers around her skirts.

"The problem with bringing back the dead," said Gwen, as coolly as she could, "is that there is always a price to be paid."

The frown on Lady Joan's brow deepened and her throat worked. Still, she kept silent.

Her patience wearing thin, Gwen swung around. "Why?"

"There were rumours that King Lester were looking towards my lands and several incursions by what seemed to be bandits into my borders. There were also rumours that you were to be engaged to Prince Reynard –"

The flower dropped from Gwen's hand. "And instead of speaking to me, you thought you would bring my husband back?"

Lady Joan lifted her chin and in her eyes, Gwen saw a desperate strength in them. "I needed to stop any permanent alliance between Camelot and King Lester."

"You used dark magic," said Gwen coldly, her nails digging into the flesh of her palm as she tried to quiet the tremble that started in her stomach and was quickly spreading to the rest of her. "Arthur is back but are your lands saved? I can easily persuade Arthur that in punishment for dabbling in dark magic, we should turn our backs on you."

In one fluid motion, Lady Joan fell to her knees. "I beg you, your highness. All I wanted was to save my lands. I didn't think –"

"Do you not think I have not wanted to use magic to bring Arthur back? Do you think that I would have let all Arthur worked for in his life go to waste? If you had come to me, I would have stood by you. That was the purpose of the peace treaty. Did you think my promises are worth nothing?"

"Your highness."

Gwen pressed a hand to her stomach and closed her eyes. Despite the fresh air in the gardens, she was finding it hard to breathe. Lady Joan was still kneeling and saying something but Gwen focused on drawing breath into her lungs which seemed to have shrunk.

"Are you alright?" Lady Joan was no longer kneeling.

"I feel a little light-headed."

Lady Joan's arm slipped around her shoulder. "Lean on me. Let's go back to the castle."

As angry as she was with Lady Joan, Gwen leaned into her, surprised by how strong she felt.

"Gwen!" She was suddenly swept off her feet into strong arms. Percival. "Make way. The Queen is unwell."

The next thing Gwen knew, she was being tucked into bed.

"Here." Gaius passed her a goblet and she obediently drank from it. "Now, get some rest."

She still had to finish her conversation with Lady Joan. And she had to make sure that preparations for the first round of the tournament this evening was ready. She tried to sit up but a hand kept her down.

"Get some rest, Gwen." Gaius's words were the last she heard before she sank into a dreamless sleep.

AN: Sorry for the delay! I hope it was worth the wait. :)