She'd lost the feeling in her legs an hour ago, and still he wasn't done.
"Head high, beautiful."
She scoffed, but did as she was told. He was the artist so she didn't really have much choice. Internally sighing, she watched her former knight dip his brush into blue paint. He was smiling. At least she got to see his face when he did his works. It was quite a spectacle. Definitely a huge difference from his old agonized expression.
"Smile, gorgeous."
"I could do without the needless compliments, knight," she stated, fixing the folds of her blue dress.
"I'm merely stating facts, beauty."
She rolled her eyes at his words, but quietly did as she was told, so as not to upset him. Arturia couldn't remember exactly when Lancelot had picked up the hobby for painting, but my, was he good at it. Sometime two years ago he decided to pick up a brush, and in weeks he was painting like a pro. It was incredible, really. Who would have thought the most serious of her knights could have such wonderful artistic talent?
Of course, with this newfound skill, it was inevitable that she, as what the modern people would call his 'girlfriend', would become his model….which brought them to his studio for their 'date' today.
She glanced at the man just in time to see him smudge a cheek with red paint. A chuckle escaped her lips. He looked so focused when he was painting, and to see him so passionate about something let her think that for him, she'd endure this silly posing a thousand times over. Even if it was taking forever.
She should have expected this though, since it had taken him a year of their miraculous post-Grail War life to talk to her again, and another two years of beating around the bush to ask her to ask her out on a date. The man sure liked to take his time.
Not that it was a bad thing. Actually, it was quite nice to have the luxury of time. They certainly didn't have that back in Camelot. Hell, they didn't even have this...this…
Lancelot cleared his throat, interrupting her thoughts. She didn't even have to look at him to know that he had just covered his mouth with his right fist, and that he'd take a deep breath and straighten up his posture. Crack his neck once to the left, then to the right, then flick his long ponytailed hair back, out of his face. It was a habit of his. Kind of...cute, actually.
She felt herself blush. Her thoughts wander too much when she's around him.
Their eyes met when he looked at her over the canvas, and they both found themselves swiftly looking away, hearts hammering in their chests.
Love. This love. They didn't have this back then. They could never have this back then. But now that they did, it was as if everything finally had color.
Oh, that sounded so cheesy.
"All right. I'm finished," Lancelot said, rising from his chair.
"May I have a look?"
"Oh, Uh-yes. Yes of course, my king. I-uh just have to go get something. Come look and tell me what you think when I get back," the artist said, disappearing into his room.
She raised an eyebrow, but got off her seat and fixed her blue dress. It was a little exciting actually, walking to see what was behind the easel.
"Oh my goodness…"
Green eyes lit up in pure astonishment. This painting...every detail…This was her, definitely. But what stood out the most was the dress. It was no simple blue outfit, but an exquisite white gown that flowed all the way down to her toes and trailed over the ground. The fabric looked like silk, and she was accessorized in colorful flowers. Her blonde hair was done in a single braid that ended on her right shoulder, covered by a short translucent veil that flowed from an elaborate flower crown.
"Arturia Pendragon."
She turned sharply at the call of her name, finding Lancelot down on one knee, holding in both hands the very gown she was wearing in his painting.
"Arturia...I have little else to offer you but my love and my loyalty. Be that as it may...I still hope you'd make me the happiest man alive by saying yes."
He held up the white gown, and with a hopeful look and a red smudge of paint on his face, he asked.
"Will you marry me?"
At that very moment, she realized that she wanted to be by this man's side forever. She wanted to smile with him, to laugh with him, to share her happiness with this man and only him.
She needed Lancelot. Needed the joy, the nervous statements, those darned compliments, those cute mannerisms, his voice, his smile, his passion...
Him.
She kissed him.
"So, do I take that as a yes?"
"Yes, you fool. Yes."
….
"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all to the L. Du Lac exhibit. By the entrance hallway, we have his biography, the west wing holds his collection on still life, the east wing, his sculptures and handicraft items, as well as an activity center for your kids, last but definitely not least, the north wing holds the collection he became famous for, the collection of works he dedicated to his beautiful wife and the subject of his paintings, Arturia du Lac. Now if you'll please follow me this way, we can see that…"
Meanwhile, in the North wing, a cute ginger girl with blue eyes stared up at the The Wedding Gown, one of L. Du Lac's most famous works, and then snuck a peek at the blonde woman in a sunhat, who sat right in the middle of the room holding hands with a tall man in sunglasses.
Her eyes shone when she looked up at the pretty blonde lady.
"Mommy, the pretty lady in the painting, she's seated right there, with that sunglasses guy."
"Shush, Hoseki-chan that's impossible. We just asked and they said the artist and his wife were out, right?" her dark-haired mother replied.
Hoseki pouted, disappointed that her mother didn't believe her.
"But Mom, she's sitting right there!" she whined stubbornly. Unfortunately, because of her voice the the hazel-eyed baby in her mother's arms began to cry.
"Oh no, Mamoru-kun, don't cry. Shhh…" the blue-eyed mother said, rocking the baby as she tried to calm him down.
"Hoseki, honey, I'm sorry, but next time we'll try to come when the artist and his wife are here okay? Now why don't you go to your father while I calm your brother?" her mother said.
The girl sighed an 'okay' and walked toward her orange-haired dad, but a nagging feeling prompted her to steal one last look at the pretty woman in the sunhat.
Suddenly, the beautiful blonde woman moved and held a single finger to her lips.
Hoseki giggled happily and imitated the gesture.
Shhh.
And the girl skipped away happily, knowing she'd just learned a huge secret.
"Dad, can we buy one? I wanna look just as pretty as she is when I grown up!"
Meanwhile, the blonde woman blushed as she heard the girl's words. The man at her side chuckled at his wife's actions. Hoseki-chan was right. His wife truly was beautiful.
Lancelot squeezed Arturia's hand, and brought their intertwined fingers to his lips. He placed a kiss in between her knuckles, happy to see their matching gold rings.
The little girl's ginger dad almost flipped when he looked at the price of the painting. The artist made a mental note to send Hoseki's family a piece after this.
His wife giggled, and Lancelot smiled back at her. Most people would be happy to have one of his paintings of her sitting in their living room. But him?
He was the happiest man on earth to have the real thing.
Heya!
Here's the promised happy chapter AHHHHHH! So anyway, this happened because my best friend is an artist and she drew Arturia for me and she was just so perfect and beautiful and perfect so here's Lancey as a painter!
Actually, the original file for this got wiped, so I had to write it again. It didn't come out quite as perfect as it was before, but I still hope it at least makes up for all the dark things I've written for the poor knight. I do like LancelotxArturia and I must say they get way too little love around here.
Anyways, I'm uploading another chap along with this one. It's not as good, but it's still a sweet nothing, so...
Oh yeah! I updated my other fic, The Play of Fate just now, so if you like, do check it out! :) It came with a preview on this new thing I'm starting because it just won't get out of my head. Here's the preview:
/start/
"This worries me, Enkidu," said the tall Earth Prince to his faithful servant, as he slumped into his luxurious hardwood throne.
"What does?
The monarch almost snorted at his servant's complete lack of formality. Part of it annoyed him because it meant Enkidu didn't recognize him as his prince, but at the same time, since they've known each other since birth, and since he did consider Enkidu one of his few friends, he found it quite nice. He wasn't one for being called "Prince" or "majesty" anyway. But the furrow in his brow didn't leave.
"Aria."
His servant's mouth formed an "O" in response, but his expression swiftly changed into something much more teasing.
"What about her bothers you?" The servant said, his green eyes leaving his ruler for the cup of tea he had been preparing for his liege. The aroma was quite fantastic; Enkidu was getting better at growing chamomile. Surely he'd be pleased. But even if he wasn't, his master was never one to show dissatisfaction.
Anyway, it seemed the prince was having a bit of trouble with his guest lately, but what could have brought this on? He and the Air elemental got along so well. Too well, even. Enkidu was beginning to worry for his flammable friend, for it seemed the flame elemental had taken a fancy to the foreign girl.
His master shot up in his seat. "N-no! Nothing about her bothers me. She's fine company. In fact, I wouldn't mind if she'd like to stay-"
"Forever?" Enkidu interjected jovially.
"Ye-NO! Enkidu, stop it!" the prince shouted, red-faced and obviously flustered, as he jumped out of his seat. It was so fun to tease the guy. He had such a weak control of his facial expressions, even at the age of twenty, he couldn't pull off a simple pokerface. Enkidu happily handed his master the steaming cup of tea. The man looked at him with a cross expression, and then at the tea, and proceeded to take the cup and sit down again.
"So, what is it really?" Enkidu asked, but the twenty-year-old only stared at him with annoyed orange eyes. The smaller man held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, fine. No teasing," he promised, offering a Cheshire cat smile.
Thankfully, his employer sighed in defeat. Enkidu knew he was his prince's personal confidante. It wasn't the King, and it wasn't like the heir could tell his brother anything anymore, so that only left him, the Earth Prince's forever servant.
"It's just...I feel like there's something she isn't telling us," the man admitted.
Us, namely Enkidu, the Earth Prince, their grumpy flammable friend, and...throw in Cú too since he's somehow involved...somehow.
"Well, we have only known her for a few days. And it's not like you told her who you really were, Diarmuid," Enkidu said as-a-matter-of-factly, crossing his arms over his chest with a smirk on his androgynous face.
Diarmuid shot him a look, but sighed again. Enkidu was always right.
"But seriously, Dia?" the green-haired man man mocked, "Couldn't come up with a better alias?"
Diarmuid only groaned from his position, burying his face into his hands. He didn't come here to be made fun of. He picked up his cup of chamomile tea and downed it like a drunkard would do beer.
Setting the cup down, he resumed his serious face and said, "It just feels like that 'something' could be important, alright? I'm not suspicious of her. She doesn't seem like—she isn't a bad person. I don't believe she'd ever harm us."
Enkidu could giggle at how defensive Prince Diarmuid was getting about Aria.
"I think so too," he replied, looking back in the direction of the guest room where their foreign guest lay sleeping.
Or so they thought. Arturia lay under the silk covers, green eyes very much awake, wondering if it was good luck or misfortune that she'd lost her crown.
/end/
Aaaaaand that's all for the preview for my upcoming thing, Earth, Wind, and Fire! Do read when it comes out! :D
Thanks as usual for all your support, everyone! Everytime a new review, or follow, or favorite, or pretty much any notif comes up, you should know it brings me a lot of joy. :) I wake up my entire dorm with excited squeaks.
Until next time!
-akampana