With All My Heart

Summary: "I will not let you die." She breathed. "Not again.." – Time Travel, Arthur/Guinevere.

…WAMH…

The kitchen was once again, to surmise it in one word, in chaos. There was not a day, not even one day, where the occupants of it had ever known peace. For Martha, the head cook, was a strict authoritarian. No one, not even the Knights of Camelot, can mess with her fortress without due retribution falling upon them.

However, this day was very fortunate indeed to the occupants of the kitchen, because Martha was called away in a meeting to discuss the dishes that will be prepared in the upcoming feast. It seemed that the King wanted to hold a grand celebration, and whatever the King wanted, his people would follow through his whims to the best of their abilities.

Guinevere was leaning against the serving table, waiting for the Lady Morgana's breakfast to be prepared. Idly twirling a lock of her hair in her finger, she observed her surroundings and found the hustle and bustle around her quite fascinating.

She can't help but let out a laugh as she saw the people around her took advantage of Martha's absence. She saw a couple of Knights sneaking from the back door and taking little bits and pieces of whatever food they could get their hands into. Even the cooks were lagging behind in their duties, their usually tense forms relaxing a bit at the absence of their mistress.

A sudden loud outburst of giggling caught her attention. Looking at the source, her gaze settled on a group of scullery maids chatting to each other at the corner of the kitchen.

Guinevere recognized some of the girls, as she had worked with them in the past doing odd jobs in the castle, before she was assigned to be the Lady Morgana's handmaiden. One of the maids noticed her, and said girl began waving for her to come over.

Intrigued, Guinevere went to the group to see what they were discussing about for it to cause so much excitement.

"Have you heard," a fellow maid said to her, squealing in delight along with the other girls. "Luanda is betrothed."

"Really?" Guinevere exclaimed pleasantly surprised, a smile blossoming on her face.

Luanda nodded excitedly, a breathless giggle escaping her lips in her excitement.

"Runulf finally asked me to marry." Luanda gushed, giggling uncontrollably.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you." said Guinevere, embracing Luanda happily. "When will the wedding be?"

"A fortnight from now." Sighed Luanda dreamily, staring at the empty space before her, no doubt thinking of her beloved.

"Isn't that a bit fast?" a stout maid questioned. "I mean, you did just get betrothed."

"Rubbish." said a ginger haired maid, whilst wiping a plate with a dishcloth. "She pined after Runulf for what seemed like a century. I think it's only fair that they hastened the process."

"I did not!" countered Luanda, though her eyes were still full of bliss.

The group of girls dissolved into giggles again.

Guinevere smiled at them. It felt nice to spend time again with her fellow maids, some she knew since she had started working in the castle and others she met later on. She could not really say that she was close to the other maids; it was probably because of her position as the Lady Morgana's handmaiden took up much of her time to properly bond with the others.

"You should have seen him." Luanda sighed in bliss, eyes distant again thinking of her betrothed. "He was so-"

"What is this travesty!" a booming voice sounded throughout the kitchen.

And that was her cue to leave.

Quickly, bidding farewell to the girls, Guinevere immediately picked up a dish acceptable enough to be her mistress's breakfast and ducked out of the kitchen as Martha's screeching raged on. She swore that the woman could be heard all throughout the lands of Albion.

WAMH…

Night had fallen, the stars not visible due to the heavy clouds that seemed to surround the Kingdom.

A clattering of hooves can be heard echoing against the stone pavements. The shadows of the riders flickered as the only sources of light were the torches and the moon above them.

A humming voice of a woman was heard.

Her voice was what others will consider to be a gift from the Gods themselves. Surely, no mortal could ever hope to possess such a mesmerizing and tantalizing sound.

Such beauty.

Renowned to be the best songstress to ever grace the Five Kingdoms.

Lady Helen of Mora has arrived.

WAMH…

"Come Guinevere." called Morgana, swiftly making her way towards the Great Hall. "We must make haste."

"Milady," said Guinevere, trying her best to catch up to her mistress. "May I ask what's the hurry?"

"The Lady Helen has just arrived in Camelot." stated Morgana, never once breaking her stride. "The King has requested her presence for the upcoming feast."

"Lady Helen?"

"Yes, don't you know who she is?" Morgana glanced back at her.

"No," Guinevere shook her head, curious about the lady in question. "I'm afraid, I haven't heard of her before."

"Huh," muttered Morgana, tilting her head slightly. "I thought that everyone knew of her, I guess not then. Well, if you must know, Lady Helen is quite known in all of the Kingdoms for her singing prowess."

"She must have a marvelous voice then."

"I wouldn't know. I never met her before." replied Morgana, giving her a smile. "I guess we'll just have to see for ourselves."

They stopped in front of a heavy double set wooden doors that led to the Great Hall. The guards immediately granted them passage upon their arrival. Striding ahead, Morgana led the way across the hall towards the throne where the King was currently seated.

King Uther was a man of strong convictions. Some may paint him as a just and fair ruler that helped vanquished the evils of sorcery from the Kingdom. Yet, others would call him a tyrant of the worst kind. A cold, hateful man that would slaughter innocent lives in order to achieve his means, his hatred, his fears.

Of course, no one would dare say those words to his face; for certain death awaits those who insult the King.

"My Lord." greeted Morgana, curtsying at the King.

"Ah, Morgana," said King Uther, looking at his ward. "I'm glad that you could join us."

"How could I not?" stated Morgana, dryly. "It's not like I have a choice in the matter."

Silence had befallen the room.

"You will hold your tongue, Child." King Uther narrowed his eyes, his voice lowered but the warning was clear in his voice.

Guinevere looked worriedly at her mistress, fearful for Morgana's safety. King Uther had always unnerved her. The man was just so cold, so filled with hatred, not just to those with magic, but also to those who he had considered his enemies.

She could see the glint of defiance in Morgana's eyes, jaw clenched and fisted hands. Guinevere really hoped that Morgana will not do anything foolish as to actively seek the King's ire.

Thankfully, Morgana did no such thing. Instead, she just nodded again at the King and went to stand at the side of the hall. Guinevere closely followed behind her mistress.

Silence once again reigned in the Great Hall, as the occupants of it waited for the arrival of a certain lady.

Footsteps could be heard echoing from a distance.

The double doors of the Great Hall had opened.

And in came the Lady Helen of Mora.

Lady Helen was a sight to behold; dark hair fell elegantly in rivulets over her back, and the soft, delicate contours of her face only seemed to enhance her features. It seemed that not only her voice possesses such beauty.

For some reason, Guinevere felt anxious at the arrival of the lady. She could feel her heart started to thud loudly, her palms began to sweat slightly, and her breathe came in small gasps. She clenched her fists to stop her hands from shaking.

She could feel in her very being that something in this situation was extremely wrong.

Guinevere observed as the King greeted Lady Helen and proceeded to engage her in small talk. She desperately wanted to say something. She wanted to warn them that something about this lady was very… off.

"Gwen?"

Shaken from her thoughts, she looked at her mistress and saw the concern in Morgana's eyes.

"Are you alright?" asked Morgana, in a low voice, worry evident in her tone.

"I…" she hesitated; she wanted to warn them about the lady. Her instincts were screaming at her to do so now. For she feared that something… dangerous would befall them if she didn't.

..

Stop being so foolish

..

She shook her head, disregarding her thoughts on the lady. After all, the lady had just arrived; she had no right to have disparaging thoughts regarding the woman in question.

"It's nothing, Milady."

Morgana looked at her for another moment, studying her expression, before she acquiesced by nodding to Guinevere and turning her attention back to the King and the Lady Helen.

..

It's nothing

..

Nothing at all

..

But why did it felt like she was trying hard to convince herself?

Her dread regarding the situation continued to increase every second.

WAMH…

A bright, sunny day greeted the Kingdom of Camelot.

The people were jovial as everyone prepared for the upcoming feast that the King thought to bestow upon them. The men busied themselves carrying tables and chairs for the set up while the women helped in either the decorations or gave a hand in cooking the dishes to be served at the feast.

An exhilarated feeling was in the air.

Though it seemed to contrast to the mood a certain young woman was currently experiencing.

Guinevere was currently tearing a hole in the ground as she paced around it repeatedly. She felt restless ever since the Lady Helen arrived in Camelot. Something told her that the lady is dangerous… and to what extent? She didn't know.

Her mind was conflicted about what she should do. On one side, she could go to Morgana and warn her about Lady Helen, but that would not probably end well considering the only evidence that she had was her instincts for god's sake.

..

An instinct of a servant against the word of a lady?

That would end well.

..

No, while it was true that Morgana will probably heed her word to stay away from the lady, it was not for everyone else. They'd probably- no, surely, throw her to the dungeons if she uttered a disparaging remark about the lady.

"Gwen, what troubles you?" called out Tom, worried about his daughter, who seemed intent to dig a hole through the ground with her pacing. "You haven't slept a wink."

"Oh," said Guinevere, stopping for a moment before continuing her pacing again, she can't help it, she just felt so restless. "It's nothing father."

Tom sighed, before standing up from his seat. He stopped his daughter from pacing around by setting his hands gently on her shoulders.

"I know you enough to know when something troubles you." Said Tom, intently looking at his daughter's eyes, before he proceeded to guide her to sit down in the kitchen, where a bowl of gruel was waiting for her. "Here, eat."

"I'm not-"

"You must eat." Tom cut her off, raising his brow. "You haven't slept at all. You need the energy to go on through the day."

Guinevere hesitated; she really didn't have the appetite to eat right now. But she guessed that her father was right. While she could feel the adrenaline rushing through her body, she knew that would not last long, she needed the energy to last throughout the day.

"Now, tell me," said Tom, satisfied to see her eating. "What troubles you?"

Her hand stilled as she was about to have another bite of the gruel.

"It's…" mumbled Guinevere, setting her spoon on the bowl. "Father, did you ever experience something where… you feel that something bad is going to happen…" she trailed off, not knowing what more to say.

"Hm," her father began, brows slightly furrowed as he thought about her question. "I couldn't say that I have."

"But," Tom continued, seeing her daughter's fallen expression. "I do know that you have a good mind and a good heart Guinevere. So whatever it is that is troubling you, then it must have a reason for you to feel that way. All I can say is… trust yourself Gwen, and then you will know what to do." He added, smiling gently at his daughter.

Feeling like a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders; she smiled gratefully at her father.

"Thank you."

"I'm always here to serve." said Tom, poking Guinevere's nose teasingly, causing her to let out a small laugh. "Now eat, or else it'll get cold." He gestured to remaining contents of her bowl.

She dug in quite ravenously, might she add.

WAMH…

Ducking and turning between the throng of people that occupied the busy hallways of the castle, Guinevere rushed through them knowing that she was very late for her work.

..

Oh no

I hope Morgana doesn't get mad

..

"Gwen!"

Guinevere stopped at the end of the hallway as she heard someone calling her. She scanned the people around her and saw that Luanda was waving at her, carrying a basket full of clothing.

"Here, Gwen," gasped Luanda, slightly out of breath, her golden hair ruffled from their normally sleek plaits. "I got this for you, it's the Lady Morgana's clothes." She added, smiling.

"Oh, thank you!" said Guinevere, getting the basket out of the blonde woman's arms. "I'm so sorry that I was late, I didn't notice the time."

"No worries." Luanda waved her hand, smiling breathlessly. "It's getting crazy around here. Anyway, I have to go, the Lady Helen awaits."

Guinevere caught Luanda's hand before she can leave.

"You serve the Lady Helen?" asked Guinevere, feeling numbed.

"Yes, isn't it exciting." gushed Luanda, eyes filled in adoration. "Maybe the Lady Helen could give me some pointers. I have always loved singing; Runulf said that I should sing on our wedding day because-"

Guinevere could only hear the ringing on her head. She could see Luanda talking but she could hear no sound being uttered beyond those lips.

'-Gwen?'

"Gwen!" Luanda called out to her, confusion alight in her brown eyes. "Sorry, you were spacing out."

"Sorry." rushed Guinevere, shaking her head.

Luanda nodded and made to turn around.

"Wait!" said Guinevere, gripping the basket tightly in her hands. The wood stung her palms as she gripped it tighter to still her nervousness. "Be careful."

Luanda stared at her curiously before slowly nodding once again.

"Alright. I will."

Guinevere continued to gaze at the back of her friend as her form slowly disappeared from the swarm of people rushing about in the corridors.

WAMH…

"Mind to tell me what you were doing in Morgana's chambers?"

"I-I… uh…" Merlin was at a loss, he didn't know what to say.

I mean, how in the world would one explain the presence of a man doing in a lady's chambers, while said lady was busy changing behind a thin screen, without giving them the wrong expression. No honestly, how?

Guinevere just raised her brows, awaiting Merlin's explanation.

"I swear that I wasn't doing anything inappropriate-" Merlin began, but stopped as Guinevere suddenly burst out laughing.

"You-" Merlin smiled, waving his finger at Guinevere.

They were both standing in a deserted corridor, just to take a rest for awhile from the commotion going on at the castle. One could only take so much.

As Guinevere quieted down again from her laughter, she could not help but think back to her current problem at hand. Her inner conflicts grew. She didn't know what to do.

"Merlin," Guinevere began, wringing her hands anxiously. "What do you think of the Lady Helen?"

Merlin seemed nonplussed by her question, and as the seconds dragged on without hearing a reply from him, Guinevere began to regret asking him about this.

"Well, people said that she's a great singer." Said Merlin finally, he had an odd look on his face as he said this but Guinevere couldn't decipher it. "Why do you ask Gwen?" he added, looking intently at Guinevere.

Guinevere debated on whether to confide her feelings regarding Lady Helen to Merlin. People would call her silly if they ever find out what she thought about Lady Helen. By the gods, she found herself silly; she hadn't even spoken to the woman herself.

"Gwen," said Merlin, his piercing blue eyes looking directly at her own. "Did the Lady Helen do something to you?"

"No, of course not." She shook her head, trying to smile, but she guessed she failed badly judging from the growing concern on Merlin's face.

"It's just…" began Guinevere, wringing her hands all the more. "I feel that… something is rather off about her."

"Rather off. What do you mean?"

"I feel that she is…" Guinevere trailed off, struggling with herself, her gaze directed at the ground below. "Dangerous."

There, she said it; she clenched her hands together and slowly looked up to see Merlin's reaction. She wished she hadn't, as Merlin continued looking blankly at her. No emotion covered his face, whatsoever.

..

He must think me silly

Of course, why wouldn't he?

Here I am, a lowly servant, slandering a renowned lady because of her jealousy

..

"I'm sorry, forget I said anything."

Feeling the tears prickling at her eyes, she quickly turned around and rushed away from Merlin.

"Gwen! Wait!"

She could hear Merlin calling out for her, but she found that she didn't care at the moment. She needed to get away from here, from him.

WAMH…

Arthur looked around the hall once again, looking for a certain young woman. The nobles this year had outdone themselves in their preparation. The women in particular chose dresses that seemed to get more and more revealing every year; no doubt they were hoping to catch his attention.

..

Well, they're certainly going about it the wrong way

..

He thought, quite amused by the ladies' antics.

But he didn't dare correct them, in fear that they will misunderstand it as a form of advances coming from him.

People who didn't know him personally will misjudge his character as an arrogant and notorious womanizing Prince. Well, he must admit they were somewhat correct on the arrogant part, but he would definitely counter it as 'Confidence' and not arrogance. He was confident in himself, as well as his own skills, was there something wrong with that?

And as for the womanizing part…

..

Where on earth did that come from anyway?

..

Arthur thought, bewildered.

He never had a romantic relationship before with anyone. Quite surprising to all, and even demeaning to some, since everyone expected him to fornicate with every beautiful woman he had ever met.

Everyone just assumed that he beds ladies and maidservants alike just to warm his bed every night. But truthfully, he had no care for such things. One night stands, or a quick stumble through the hay stacks, as his fellow Knights used to call it, did not appeal to him at the very least.

True, there were temptations, but he never did follow through with it. He had yet to meet a woman who cared for him as he himself, as Arthur; instead they always seemed to care more for his title, The Great and Courageous Prince of Camelot.

..

Except her

..

Guinevere

..

Arthur had never met a woman quite like Guinevere. Something in her drew him in, like a moth mesmerized by a candle-lit fire.

Her genuine concern for him, her kindness.

Taking another sip of his wine, he looked once more through the hall in search for Guinevere.

..

Where is she anyway?

..

Arthur then saw Morgana talking to the other ladies of the court. Her expression was of polite interest, but he knew it was a mask. He constrained his laughter as he saw her desperate need to get free of the women's, rather sharp, clutches.

Feeling a rush of pity for his father's ward, he excused himself from the group of Knights surrounding him, and then proceeded to walk over to her direction. After all, no man, or woman, should undergo such torture.

"Excuse me ladies." Greeted Arthur, charming smile in place.

The group of women turned to him, then blushed, giggled and batted their eyelashes at him.

..

The Horror

No wonder Morgana wanted to get away

..

He thought, very much revolted.

"May I excuse the Lady Morgana for awhile?" said Arthur, offering his hand to Morgana.

"Of course." Morgana immediately agreed, and then proceeded to drag him out of there, not even bothering to check the women's responses.

"Thank you." Said Morgana, pride be damned. "Now, what do you want?"

"You're welcome." Smiled Arthur, enjoying the moment for awhile. "And nothing at all. Now tell me, why do you always assume that I want something from you every time I get you out of a situation that's not entirely pleasing in your part?"

Morgana just raised her delicate brow at him, face blank.

"Fine," relented Arthur, waving his hand nonchalantly as if the following words that he was about to utter were not important to him. "Ladies of high standing such as you should not be alone, why these banquets are already filling up with drunk men as we speak."

Morgana has both her brows raised now, so he thought it best to get to the point.

"Where is your handmaiden anyway? What was her name again? Gen-gem-… Hm, Guinevere was it?"

Throughout Arthur's rant, Morgana's mouth slowly lifted to form a smile.

..

What a dim Prince indeed

..

Morgana thought, idly.

She could see Arthur beginning to get uncomfortable as she just continued to stare at him, knowing smile in place.

..

The poor fool

..

She began to pity him as Arthur started to fidget from side to side. Oh well, he did save her from those women's talons earlier after all. She decided to end Arthur's suffering.

"I have not seen her for awhile actually." Stated Morgana, brows furrowed. "The last time I saw her was when she was helping me prepare for the banquet."

..

Now that she thought about it, where was Gwen anyway?

..

WAMH…

Guinevere continued to wander around the deserted corridors, and from what she could see from the windows, night had fallen, and the celebration was about to begin.

Her walk had helped her clear her mind. She felt like beating herself on the head when she thought of her earlier interaction with Merlin. Why on earth would she think that Merlin would think of her badly anyway? He hadn't even said a word, she just assumed what he was thinking and then she fled. Well, if he hadn't thought of her silly then, then he certainly would consider her as one now.

Mind made up to apologise to Merlin because of her rather abrupt departure, she slowly turned around the corridor towards the direction of the Great Hall, since she was sure that the majority of the people were already there.

Guinevere suddenly stopped as she heard what seemed to be a choking sound followed by a loud thud from one of the chambers. Curiously, she sped her pace towards the chambers, fearing that someone was gravely hurt. There were no guards in sight, so she just opened the door slightly and peered in the room.

What she saw made her heart stop.

"Luanda!"

Guinevere rushed into the room and knelt before Luanda's body.

Lifeless dull brown eyes stared straight up the ceiling, her golden hair spread around like a hollow around her head.

"No!" Guinevere cried out in anguish, as she cradled Luanda's body, tears streaming down her face.

Her body stiffened as she heard footsteps echoing behind her.

She slowly looked up at the mirror in front of her to see who it was that was standing directly behind her.

Fear had gripped her heart.

A sneering old woman was reflected on the mirror, wearing the Lady Helen's clothes.

Guinevere abruptly got up and turned around in an attempt to escape.

She never got far.

The old woman pushed the air in front of her in one hand.

Guinevere could do nothing as a powerful force suddenly pushed her backwards through the air. She collided harshly on the stone walls behind her. Her vision blackened with the pain she felt coursing through her body. The pain only worsened as she hit the ground below.

"I never intended for this to happen." Said Lady Helen coldly, or at least the one pretending to be the Lady Helen. "Arthur Pendragon was the only one supposed to die."

Guinevere suddenly felt an extreme crushing sensation in her chest. She gasped as she can't breathe.

From her position, lying on the floor, she could see the imposter slowly clenching her hand around the air, as if squeezing something.

..

Feeling her heart burst.

..

Guinevere fell back on the stone floor.

..

Dead to the world.

..

A/N: Yes, I created an OC (well, she's not really an OC) just to kill her off at the end of the chapter. So please don't request for an OC, I'm afraid they'll only have a premature death. I am very bad with OCs.

I hope you guys like this chapter, the original chapter 5 of WAMH didn't include the Arthur scene at all. I just added that scene here because I think Arthur needs more scenes, don't you think?

Trivia for WAMH: did you know that the cover image for WAMH is just a random image of Arthur/Gwen that I picked on the net? I was quite shocked to know that the image was actually taken after Guinevere said 'With All My Heart' to Arthur in BBC Merlin season 5 episode 9, what a coincidence! LOL! :D

And did you also know that your reviews actually fuel my passion in writing this fic? This is actually quite a fast update for me, but I just have to do it because you guys made my day with your reviews. Thank you very much everyone.

Many thanks to the following wonderful individuals:

WhoNewbie, Birdy21, ABVM, KshMckenzie08, Arthurlover7, blissfulbeauty84, Larasmith, Guest#1, and myra