Hey, guys!
Back with another update.
I'm really happy with how this one turned out, so let me know what you think in the reviews.
Just for reference: 5x03 was one of the better episodes from series five, I think, but it was not without its flaws. And, as with almost every episode in the series but particularly the last one, the flaw was the lack of Arthur and Gwen scenes. There were some great scenes between them in 5x03 that were deleted—and by great I mean, 'great to see them on screen together for more than a minute', they weren't great in the storyline because they involve Arthur lying to Gwen's face after she asks him about where he's been and what he's been doing and if there's anything going on that he's not telling her about. I hate that he lies to her outright, and that is probably why the scenes were cut by the producers (the scenes are able to be viewed on YouTube, if you want to watch them). Still, even without seeing those deleted scenes, we know as viewers of the show that in 5x03 Arthur technically lied because he kept the truth of what was going on with his father a secret from his wife, and that really bothers me. And we never find out why he chooses to keep things a secret, either—is it to protect her? Is it because he is slightly ashamed that he, a great King, still misses his father and wishes he were around, no matter how cruel his actions sometimes? I don't know. All I can do is speculate. So, this missing moment is to remedy that and try and answer some of those questions and resolve the issue of Arthur lying to Gwen.
Now that we've got that out of the way…
Disclaimer: don't own Merlin
Arthur and Guinevere: Missing Moments
Chapter 6
(Referencing deleted/non-deleted scenes between A/G in 5x03):
After Merlin tells Arthur that glancing back made his father's spirit enter Camelot (during which time Gwen leaves the scene, insulted, in a deleted scene), Gwen re-enters the main room.
"Arthur," she says, coming up to him, her face full of concern, too good of a person to be mad at him anymore. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Guinevere—
"I know something's wrong," she says. "I can see it all over your face. Won't you please tell me?"
"I can't," Arthur says, running a hand down his face, turning away from her for a second.
"You can," Gwen says gently. "You can tell me anything. We're a team, aren't we?"
"Yes, Guinevere, we are," Arthur says, knowing his wife's words are true. He is silent for so many seconds she fears he won't tell her until finally he takes both of her hands in his, and says, "I didn't want to tell you before, I wanted to protect you from this, but..."
"But what, Arthur?" Gwen prompts kindly. "Go on. It's all right."
Arthur sighs, pauses, then finally says, "Merlin seems to think I 'unleashed' my father's spirit when I went to visit him the other day—it sounds strange, I know; I'll tell you more about that later—and Merlin thinks he's now a ghost wreaking havoc on Camelot," Arthur says flatly.
"What?" Gwen says incredulously.
"You must think I'm an idiot," Arthur says, sighing again.
"No, Arthur," Gwen says. She puts a hand on his arm comfortingly. "I would never think that."
"Then what do you think? Truly? I'm asking for your opinion."
"Well," Gwen says carefully, in thought, "You told me the candelabra DID fall on the Round Table, it represents equality, something your father never practiced. It really is quite likely that—
"Have you been talking to Merlin? Did he secretly tell you?" Arthur exclaims at her answer.
"No," Gwen says with a smile and a shake of her head. "No, he didn't tell me. I'm glad you did, though." She lets go of one of his hands to caress his face lightly.
"I don't want to have any secrets from you, Guinevere," Arthur says, mirroring his words spoken in 4x03 (deleted scene).
"Good," she says warmly, kissing his cheek. "Now, I am off to the kitchen. One of the maids needed my help with something."
"At this hour?"
Gwen nods, shrugs.
"I'll see what they want, and I'll be back soon."
"Good," Arthur says. "Oh, and Guinevere?"
"Yes, Arthur."
"Just...be careful."
She smiles at his concern.
"I will," she says, and she leaves the room.
A/G * A/G * A/G
It is only a short while after his conversation with Gwen. Arthur is headed to the armory to check on a few things, when a guard, one of the couple's most trusted, comes running up to the King.
"Sire," the guard says hurriedly.
"Yes, what is it?"
"It's Gwen. She's been—Merlin found her—
"What happened?" Arthur says, his voice slightly raised, the panic pinching in his throat.
"I-I don't know, sire. All I know is I saw Merlin carrying her to Gaius' chambers and he said for me to get you right away—It looked bad, sire—it looked really bad—
And with that Arthur takes off running to the physician's chambers.
When he gets there, he sees Merlin laying Gwen down very gently in a bed, he sees Gaius quickly bringing over something in a small vile.
"What happened?" Arthur asks, not caring how his voice cracks with emotion. "Merlin, what happened?"
"I-I found her locked in the kitchen," Merlin says. "It was awful, Arthur: fires everywhere, smoke...it was like she was to be burnt alive."
"Oh, my God," Arthur says, turning away from his servant, putting a hand to his face. "What about the maid? Was she in there too?"
"What are you talking about, Arthur?"
"Guinevere said—the reason she went down to the kitchen—a maid—needed help..."
Merlin shakes his head.
"No one but Gwen was in there, Arthur." At his servant's answer, the King swears under his breath.
"I should've gone with her. I told her to be careful—but I should've gone with her."
"What?" Merlin asks.
"I told her, Merlin," Arthur says. "I told Guinevere what's been going on. With my father."
"Good," Merlin says approvingly. "I'm glad you did. It looks like you might be figuring out this marriage thing after all, even if you are three years late."
"Still," Arthur says, completely ignoring the servant's attempt at a joke, "that didn't stop this from happening. I should've gone with her," he says again. After a second to slightly compose himself, the King turns back to Gaius. "Gaius, what have you given her?"
"A sleeping draft, sire," Gauis says as Merlin pulls up a chair next to the bed for Arthur. "It will help her sleep, help her recover faster." The King slumps into the chair, reaches for Gwen's limp hand and holds it.
"We know this was Uther," Merlin volunteers then, his voice low and quiet.
"We don't know what happened," Arthur says shortly, glancing at his servant before returning his gaze to his wife's sleeping form.
"Yes we do," Merlin says indignantly, surprising the King. "It was Uther. He disapproved of your relationship with Gwen-
"That shouldn't matter anymore, Merlin. My father is dead."
"Well, right now, he's back in ghost form, as I told you earlier, and with all the pain he's caused thus far, I'd say he's very much alive."
Arthur looks to his servant, and back to Gwen. After a long moment, he turns to look at the physician.
"Gaius," he says. "What do you know about ghosts?"
A/G * A/G * A/G
After the ending scene with Merlin, Arthur wordlessly walks back with him to his and Gaius' chambers to sit with Gwen. She sleeps. He holds her hand.
A/G * A/G * A/G
The next morning, a council meeting is pushed back so that Arthur may be with his wife.
"Please, Arthur, don't feel guilty about this," Gwen tries to say before she goes into a coughing fit. Arthur quickly grabs a goblet of water and hands it to her. When she is finished, she hands the goblet back to him, leans back against the pillows, exhausted already. "I love you for worrying about me, but I'll be fine."
"Guinevere—
"Go to the meeting," she says, coughing again, lightly.
"If you're sure," he says hesitantly.
"I am," Gwen says, smiling a tired smile. "Take notes for me."
He looks at her squarely once more.
"I promise to return the second it's finished," Arthur finally says.
"I wouldn't expect anything less," Gwen answers with a faint smile. Arthur gets up from his chair, kisses her forehead, hands her the water goblet.
"I'll be back soon," he promises, and he exits the physician's chambers.
A/G * A/G * A/G
When the King returns to Gaius' chambers, along with Merlin, he sees Gaius giving his wife a tonic. Gwen puts the vile to her mouth, takes a sip, then just as quickly brings the vile away from her mouth.
"Oh, gross," she says.
"It is foul-tasting," Gaius says. "I am sorry about that, Gwen." Arthur glances at Merlin.
"What?" Gwen asks, seeing the silent exchange.
"Merlin and I had to take an equally-foul-tasting potion to deal with the ghost of my father last night," Arthur explains, sitting down in his chair again, taking his wife's hand. "What is that for anyway, Gaius?" The King asks.
"It's to get all the debris from her lungs, sire. So we don't run the risk of infection."
"Of course." Arthur looks to his wife again, the worry and guilt plain as day on his face.
"Truly, Arthur," Gwen says, seeing her husband's expression. She squeezes his hand comfortingly. "Besides this awful-tasting potion, I really will be all right."
"I am sorry, Guinevere," Arthur says in a low voice. "You knew—you knew that whole time that something was going on, and I lied to you about it. My God. I can't believe I lied to you about it." The King runs a hand down his face.
"Do you know why I let you go on and didn't press the issue anymore after I asked you those first couple of times?"
"Because you're too great a wife granting grace I can't possibly deserve?"
"Well, yes," Gwen says in response, making Merlin and Gaius hide smiles. "But I know you well enough to know that you did it out of reasons that felt right to you at the time. I know you only do that sort of thing when you're trying to protect me from something."
"Which I was. Or I tried to, anyway," Arthur says miserably.
"And anyway, I was just waiting for you to come to your senses and tell me yourself, which you did." She smiles in a lovely way at her husband.
"Yes, but only before you were nearly killed by the malevolent ghost of my father," Arthur answers darkly.
"Arthur—
"I am sorry, Guinevere, truly," the King says, looking down to where their hands were clasped together. "I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping it from you, but I wasn't. I was wrong and I love you and I'm sorry for what happened to you because of my stupidity."
"I know, I know you are," Gwen answers, caressing his face. She squeezes his hand again, kisses his cheek. "And, Arthur, I love you for it."
"Good," he says, leaning forward, putting his hand on the back of her head so he may press a slow, sweet kiss to her forehead. "Because, Guinevere, I love you more than anything in the world."
A/G * A/G * A/G
A day later, Gwen sits on the edge of her bed in Gaius' chambers looking down at the vile she is forced to drink from.
"Honestly, Gaius," she says with a shake of her head. The physician glances over at the Queen to see her holding up the vile, smiles at her.
"If it helps, Gwen, Merlin once had to taste a potion made of toad's guts, horse dung, and sheep's brain."
"Gross!" She exclaims, laughing. "He did not."
"I did," Merlin says from where he's helping prepare a potion for another patient, turning to look at his friend.
"Really?"
"Yes!" He comes over and sits in a chair kind of across from her. "Remember Catrina? The Troll?" Gwen figures it out and is laughing when Arthur enters the chambers. He comes over and sits next to his wife on the edge of the bed.
"What's so funny?" Arthur asks, taking her hand loosely in his.
"Oh, nothing," Merlin offers casually. "Just talk of potions—oh, and your stepmother-for-a-day, Catrina." Merlin mimes drinking a potion, making Gwen laugh into her hands. Arthur's eyes narrow at the mention of his former stepmother.
"Now is that never speaking of it again?"
"No, sire," Merlin says seriously. He glances at Gwen again, and the two of them break into laughter again.
"Honestly, you too," Arthur says tiredly, in a joking way.
"Hey, I was just trying to cheer your wife up," Merlin says.
"Actually I was, Merlin," a voice says, and Arthur glances up to see Gaius there too. "I told Gwen that Merlin once had to taste a potion of sheep's brain, toad's guts, and horse dung," Gaius explains, "to help her not feel so bad about her own potion."
"And what does that have to do with Catrina, may I ask?" Merlin and Gwen glance at each other and laugh again. When they recover, Arthur looks to his wife, and says, "You seem better."
"I am, I think."
"Good." He kisses her cheek. "When will she be able to return to our chambers, Gaius?"
"Tomorrow, I think. One more night here will be sufficient."
"You're sure? You're sure there's no more risk of infection or anything—
"Yes, I'm plenty sure, sire, I assure you. You're not doubting my capabilities as Court Physician, are you?"
"No, Gaius, of course not."
"Good. Because I have taken care of your wife practically all her life, and when I say she'll be fit to return to your chambers tomorrow, you'd best believe me." The twinkle in his eye and the warm smile on his face shows he is not mad, just fatherly towards them—all of them, Gwen, Arthur, Merlin.
"I'm sorry I ever doubted you," the King answers, a boyish smile slipping into his face.
"Me too," Gaius replies, making all of them laugh.
When they recover, Arthur says to Merlin, "Prepare the cot for me tonight as you did last evening."
"Of course, sire."
"Arthur, really, that's not—
"No 'nots' about it, my beautiful wife. Sleeping without you means all is not well in my world."
"That's very sweet of you, but I know you've got that training session to lead tomorrow, a simple cot cannot be comfortable enough for proper rest—
"I am just fine whenever I'm with you," Arthur replies. "No more talk of this, Guinevere. I plan to sleep down here with you rather than up in our chambers, just as I did last evening."
"And by 'sleep here last night' you mean you slumped over in the chair when you fell asleep holding my hand."
"Precisely."
"OK," she says, not stopping the smile that slips onto her face at her husband's words.
"Make sure you take that potion, now, Guinevere," Gaius tells Gwen sternly, glancing at the vile in her lap, still full.
"I will, of course, right now," Gwen replies obediently, joking. Simultaneously, she and Merlin mime drinking a potion again, making all four of them laugh.