Gwen realized Arthur was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. One minute he was arresting her for sorcery, the next he was willing to lay down his life to obtain a flower to cure his manservant.
Said manservant was standing at her door, looking at her with those eyes and those cheekbones, asking her for a favor. Or two. One for him. One for Gaius. Merlin wanted her father's best sword and for her to follow him to Gaius. Gaius and Merlin explained what they wanted her to do then watched her imploringly.
"Why me?"She asked. But she knew she would do it, she would do anything these two men asked of her.
"Arthur knows the King does not want him to fight so he may be suspicious of me turning up at his door with a remedy he neither wants nor needs."
"Yes, but why me? Surely Merlin could deliver it."
The two men shared an exchange which didn't go unnoticed by Gwen, "What? What haven't you told me?"
"We also need to keep him locked in his chambers;" Merlin stated, "Sit with him."
"Again, why me?"
"We were hoping Arthur would be less suspicious of a pretty face."
"You do realize you are asking me to jeopardize my reputation. A handmaiden spending the night in the Prince's chambers?"
Merlin smiled wickedly; "Don't worry, Gwen, I'll make sure you get in and out unnoticed. And I'll explain your absence to Morgana."
Gwen sighed. Damn him and those eyes.
Gwen raised her hand to knock, then retracted it again, took a deep breath and before she could change her mind again, rapped on the door. She waited until she heard him give permission to enter before she pushed the door open. Prince Arthur was gazing out the window and only turned to her when she had clicked the door shut behind her.
"Guinevere,"he drawled in that way only he could. She curtsied; "My lord, Gaius asked me to bring you a remedy to calm your nerves."
"I'm not nervous."
"To help you sleep, then, you need to be well rested."
He narrowed shockingly blue eyes at her; "Why did he not bring it himself or send Merlin?"
"Gaius is attending to the King and Merlin is preparing your armor for tomorrow."She hoped it sounded plausible.
Was lying to the Prince treason? Surely being complicit in drugging him was. He seemed to accept her reasoning, gestured for her to come forward, took the vial from her and downed it in one go.
He waved a regal hand at her in dismissal; "You can go."
No, she thought, I really can't as he started to sway, the potion taking effect. She stepped forward and gripped his arm and guided him to the bed. He was asleep in mere moments. She pottered around his chambers picking up discarded clothes and straightening furniture before she pulled the key Merlin had given her out of her pocket and locked the door. Surely, Merlin stealing Arthur's keys was an act of treason. She couldn't worry about that now. She settled herself on the windowsill and waited for night to slip away into day and the Prince to wake from his induced slumber.
The fight was brutal, she knew the King could hold his own, but she feared this knight would be the death of Uther Pendragon. Gwen watched the fight from her perch on the Prince's windowsill. The fight was already underway when Arthur finally started to stir. Gwen held her breath as Arthur slowly rose from the bed, stand up to his full height as realization sank in. She watched as he raced to his door and rattled it again and again as if sheer force would make it open.
"There's no use doing that, Sire, we're locked in here."
Arthur spun and glared at her, his expression like thunder and for a moment she was worried. But Arthur was a knight, he would never strike a woman, it was part of the code. But he could and probably would send her to the dungeon. He pointed an acusatory finger at her and strode toward her; "You!"He shook his head; "You drugged me."
She shook her head, sending her curls flying around her face; "No. Not I, Sire, I was merely the messenger. You could not be allowed to fight."
"That is not your decision!"
"You should not have thrown down your gauntlet...My Lord."
"I am a Knight!"
"Yes. You are a great Knight. And you will be a great King but you cannot be a great King if you are dead. That Knight is risen from the dead. Even you cannot kill what is already dead. He would have killed you and then Camelot would be without an heir."
"So you took upon yourself to decide my fate?" His tone said it all, how could she a lowly servant deign to know what a Prince should or should not do?
She shook her head; "I told you, Sire, I was merely the messenger."
"This is treason!" He thundered.
"Not if it's sanctioned by the King."
"My father ordered me to be drugged?"
Gwen nodded; "It was not your battle to fight, Sire. And you are his son he did not want to watch you fight to your death."
He stood glowering at her, his hands clenched into fists, a muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenched it; "I am not a coward."She almost felt sorry for him, trying to defend his right, his need to fight.
"No, Sire, you are not," Gwen paused and looked out the window, down at the fight just in time to see Uther plunge his sword into the Dark Knight and obliterate him, she smiled; "But fear not, Sire, the fight is won. The King has vanquished the knight, all is well."
She stood up, smoothed down her dress and produced the key for the door, Arthur's glower deepened; "You had the key the whole time."
"Yes, My Lord, and now we can both leave."She told him as she brushed past him to the door, shoved the key in the locked and turned it, she was about to pull the door open when his voice soft and low stopped her.
"Why did you do this to me, Guinevere?"He made it sound as if she had done this to him, as if this was personal, just between the two of them. She spun around and walked back to him, standing just shy of being toe to toe. He looked down at her, eyes filled with anger, betrayal and a hint of sadness.
She pulled the little wooden star out from beneath the material of her dress, lifted it over her head and grabbing his wrist in one hand, pressed the star into his palm with the other. He looked down at it, his brow furrowed in confusion; "You kept it."
"Of course I kept it."
"Why? It's terrible, crudely carved by a boy who had no idea what he was doing."
"You see the flaw in its design. I see the kindness behind the gesture. I did it because I couldn't watch you fight a losing battle and die. Not when I know you have the potential to be a great King."
She left him holding the star in his palm, the wooden object eclipsed by the size of his hand, she was at the door when she turned back once more; "I'm sorry you feel betrayed, My Lord."