Hey, guys.
Enjoy this scene from 4x02. This is my take on how Arthur would have reacted in hearing what Gwen went through with Agravaine while he was away.
As usual, don't own Merlin.
Arthur and Guinevere: Missing Moments
Chapter 8
(Referencing Gwen/Agravaine events of 4x02):
Arthur comes up behind Gwen, merely coming up to say hi to her. His presence behind her, though, his hands on her shoulders, makes her jump, startled, instead of turning around to kiss him lightly on the cheek like she always does.
"Sorry," Arthur says in a smiling way like he did in 3x10. "Didn't mean to startle you."
"Sorry," Gwen apologizes, not quite meeting his gaze. "After that whole Agravaine thing, I'm afraid I'm still a bit jumpy."
Arthur's eyes narrow.
"What 'whole Agravaine thing?'" He asks. Now Gwen looks uncomfortable.
"It's nothing, Arthur, truly—
"Guinevere," Arthur says in a low voice, taking hold of her hand. "Please tell me what happened." Gwen looks at him for a long moment, then down at her hands. "You can tell me anything," Arthur says, in as gentle a voice he had ever used, and only uses, come to think of it, for her.
"It was while you were away, fighting the Dorocha," Gwen starts, her voice too quiet. "I spoke out against the closing of the city gates."
"Yes? Go on, Guinevere," Arthur coaxes when her sentence fails to continue. "Please tell me what happened."
"Arthur, really, do I have to? It's over now, anyway—
"Please tell me what happened, Guinevere," Arthur says again. After a long moment passes between them, Gwen sighs and says:
"Agravaine thought that was commendable, I guess—my speaking out, I mean—because he asked to seek my counsel on the matter. Only, in his chambers. At night." She cannot look at Arthur, whose face has turned into a long grim line and whose body is standing too still. "I went to see him," Gwen continues. "He asked me some questions, I answered them. He had his hands on the back of my chair…I could feel his hands reaching out towards me, as if he were about to—
Gwen's sentence breaks off; she shakes her head, the thought too awful to utter aloud. At her words—and especially by all implied by the lack of them—Arthur's hands clench into fists at his sides.
"Go on, Guinevere, please," Arthur says in a low voice.
"He finally dismissed me, I left," Gwen continues. "The guards walked me home, only we didn't make it there. The only thing I knew next was being in Gaius' chambers. He was putting something on a wound on my head, said it was probably Morgana who'd knocked all of us out—me, and the guards during our walk home."
"I should've been there," is all Arthur says in a low voice before turning and walking away from her.
"Arthur," Gwen cries, walking quickly after him, having to run a little in order to grab onto his arm. "Where are you going?" Gwen asks, fearing she already knew. "You're not going to tell him, are you? That I told you? Because I really don't think—
"I love you, Guinevere, and no one, especially someone related to me, should ever treat you that way." Arthur caresses her face for a second—the sweet gesture completely opposite of his harsh tone—and then turns and keeps walking.
"Arthur! Just—WAIT a second. Please don't—
He stops walking, turns to look at her again.
"Go home," he says to her in a gentler voice now. "I'll be there in a while." For some reason all the fight goes out of her.
"OK," she says, leaning forward tentatively to hug him. He accepts the hug and hugs her back, then sees her walk away from him before continuing towards the citadel.
A/G * A/G
"Uncle. A word," Arthur says seriously, bursting into the throne room, surprising Gaius, Merlin, the Knights, the guards, everyone. There is a smoky anger around the King Merlin now only associates with something to do with Gwen. He looks to Gaius to not see surprise too on the old man's face but understanding, and is half worried, half curious. What had happened?
"Sire, I—
"Now," the King says. Agravaine stands, waiting. "Guinevere just informed me of her visit to you last week. What was the meaning of it? She was very reluctant to tell me about it."
"Why, it was nothing bad at all, sire, I assure you," Agravaine answers confidently. "Just two people discussing matters of our fair city." His cartoonish grin makes the King even angrier.
"Since when are those matters discussed privately?" Arthur asks. "In your chambers? At night?"
Merlin understood now; he understood all too well now why Arthur was so angry. It made him angry too—furious, actually. Agravaine must notice this, both men's angry protective demeanor, but if he does, he promptly ignores it.
"Sire, it was merely a scheduling issue," he says. "If you must know, Guinevere agreed to it. She seemed all too happy to offer her thoughts on the subject." Merlin looks to the King, who's fixated on Agravaine's smug expression. He looks ready to tackle his uncle in one fell swoop.
"If you intended to take advantage of her, I swear, I'll— Arthur starts to say in a low rumbly voice. But Agravaine cuts him off.
"Sire, if you think that of me I really don't know what to say. Indeed, there's no point in denying it: Guinevere is a beautiful woman, sire, but of course you already know that."
That squashes the King's kindness and understanding. Arthur starts forward towards his uncle, but Merlin and Gwaine restrain him. Arthur fights them off and stands there defiantly, anger all around him as he looks at his uncle. "Sire, I assure you," Agravaine starts to say.
"Enough," Arthur bellows, surprising Merlin with how loud his voice had become. "Guards, put him in the cells."
"Arthur, you cannot possibly," Agravaine says as three guards surround him and take him by his arms, ready to bring him out of the throne room. "I am your only living family—
"Guinevere is to be my family, Uncle. I'm not sure anymore about you."
Arthur does not look once at his uncle as he exits the throne room, giving the signal to the guards to escort Agravaine to the cells on his way out. Merlin sees that Agravaine's brought to the dungeon, then hurries after the King, knowing he most likely went to Gwen's.
A/G * A/G
He was right.
Merlin enters Gwen's house to see Arthur already there. He is holding both of Gwen's hands. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Guinevere," Merlin hears the King say quietly to her, his tone filled with emotion Merlin had never heard before. He watches Arthur hug Gwen, watches how she sinks into the embrace, watches how Arthur covers her head with a warm hand.
"I know you're sorry," Gwen says when they come out of the hug. "And I love you for it. I love how protective of me you are, but truly, I'm OK."
"You're sure?" Arthur looks at her with concern, his hands smoothing the hair away from her face, and Merlin sees clearly how Gwen changed him to be a better man in that facial expression and that action alone.
"Yes, Arthur." Gwen caresses his face lightly, smiles a little at him. "Is it true, Merlin," Gwen asks, seeing him now, making Arthur turn around to notice him too. "Is Agravaine really in the cells?"
"I escorted him there myself," Merlin says, sitting down in a chair at Gwen's kitchen table, watching how natural it is for Arthur to help Gwen into a chair before sitting in one of his own next to her. He takes hold of her hand again.
"Arthur, was that really necessary?" Gwen asks kindly.
"Yes," Arthur answers flatly. "Anyone who even attempts to hurt you must be immediately put under lock and key, Guinevere."
"Arthur—
"Well, what about the time you tried to cook for her, and then lied to her about it? I'm sure that hurt her a little bit, didn't it, Gwen?" Merlin asks jokingly, seeing that this issue could turn ugly and deciding to save it with a little humor. "Why weren't you put 'immediately under lock and key', Arthur? Hmm?" Arthur scoffs at his servant's words, can't fight a boyish smile from slipping into his face.
"That, Merlin, was a very different situation," is all the King says. It makes Gwen laugh, though, resting her forehead on Arthur's shoulder for a second, and it makes Arthur laugh a little too, so Merlin knew it had been the right move.