Jealousy-PG 13
It was entirely possible that it was only curiosity that made Arthur look upon Lady Sophia for what Gwen would swear was a good two and a half minutes longer than was completely necessary. Then again, she decided as Arthur bowed over Lady Sophia’s hand and the striking redhead’s vapid ‘lady of the court’ smile transformed into a far more emotive not to mention intimate smile that Gwen herself had once shared with the future king, it seemed just as likely that on quiet days, Uther enjoyed riding unicorns about the castle grounds while dressed in Morgana’s gowns.
Lady Sophia was the ward of some warrior king buddy of Uther’s whose name Gwen hadn’t caught because she’d been too distracted by the nearly collective jaw dropping of the men of the court once her ladyship had swept into the room, curtseying deeply before Uther’s throne.
Morgana had warned her beforehand that the princess’ beauty was rumored to be second to none, while her might on the battlefield was said to be second only to Prince Arthur’s. And the aggravated maidservant had to admit that Sophia was indeed very beautiful in a simple yet elegant blue gown Morgana wouldn’t be caught dead in, the ornate tiara on her head the only thing delicate thing about her. She had a slightly husky voice that-judging from the restless shifting of the men of the court-only served to make her appear more like a woman while Gwen, seething silently, jealous of another desiring what she secretly thought of as hers, felt like a silly child.
King Uther gestured for the statuesque beauty to rise. “Lady Sophia. Welcome to Camelot. I trust your journey went smoothly?”
“If only that were true my lord. A group of bandits ambushed us as we crossed Odin’s borders. I lost one of my servants in the struggle but was able to defeat them before they were able to do any further harm.”
Uther’s eyes widened a bit in surprise. “How extraordinary. And how many bandits were there?”
Lady Sophia lowered her green eyes demurely.”Nine sire.” Her eyes darted a moment to Uther’s left where Morgana sat, looking bored.
“Did you hear that Arthur? It sounds as if Lady Sophia’s skills have advanced quite a bit since you two and Morgana played as children,” the king chortled.
Arthur’s expression spoke volumes; he was impressed. “Perhaps we can put that to the test later?”
Lady Sophia’s lips twitched slightly upward. “As you wish my lord.”
Uther appeared idly amused by their exchange. “Perhaps you can wait until after she’s had time to rest Arthur. See that she’s made comfortable. Morgana, have your maidservant see to Lady Sophia tonight.”
Morgana shot her an apologetic look and she shook her head in response; it’s all right.
“Thank you sire, for your kind generosity.” Lady Sophia bowed again to Uther, shooting one last lingering gaze at Morgana before she swept down the aisle, Arthur at her side. Gwen reluctantly followed a respectful distance behind them, wishing more than ever before that she was free to say ‘no’. As if this beautiful, perfect princess’ very existence wasn’t bad enough, now she had to bear witness to her and Arthur getting on.
Arthur and Sophia spoke animatedly about jousting, hunting, and sword fighting maneuvers all of the way to the guest chambers and kept on talking for a good fifteen minutes more as Gwen tidied the room and turned down the bed.
“I’m not fifteen anymore Arthur! You’ll find that I’ve learned how to lose gracefully.”
He smirked, his eyes resting on Gwen briefly as if she was in on the joke. “That’s a relief. I remember when winning against you meant I should expect you to blacken my eye later as payback.”
Lady Sophia’s laughter grated Gwen’s nerves. She briefly considered interrupting their nostalgic conversation. It was getting late and she had other duties to tend to.
Almost as if she could sense her frustration, the princess turned to Gwen, a pensive expression on her face. “So! You are Morgana’s maid. What is your name?”
“Guinevere…my lady.”
Sophia’s smile was wistful. “You should return to your lady Guinevere. I thank you for all you’ve done, but I am most capable of seeing to myself.”
Arthur’s brows knit but he said nothing as Gwen bowed and left.
“You should go too Arthur. I have the feeling you too have much to say to the woman you love.”
“God Sophia; still?”
“Always.”
He shook his head and left, jogging slightly to catch up to the weary maidservant. “Guinevere!”
She stopped in her tracks, turning slowly to face him, her expression apprehensive in a way he’d never seen before. “Yes my lord?”
“Arthur,” he corrected automatically. “And about Sophia--”
“There is no need to explain Arthur,” she interrupted, not wanting him to say the words. “I understand perfectly, and I think i-it’s for the best really. She’s the perfect princess and it’s easy to see how much more suitable she is than--”
“Wait just one minute Guinevere. You think me and Sophia…?” He burst into laughter.
Gwen bristled, crossing her arms over her chest. “I fail to see how this is in any way funny.”
Arthur sobered quickly, looking up and down the hall to see if they were alone. “Actually, since Sophia’s been keen on my father’s ward since she was 15, yeah, it is a little funny.”
“W-what?” Gwen felt slightly faint in relief.
His grin was far too cheeky. “So, what was the rest of that speech going to be about?” he asked her lowly, his voice sending tremors through her body.
“I thought you’d found your perfect princess,” she answered breathily, still a bit shocked, but mostly in response to how close his lips were to hers now.
“I have. And I’m looking right at her,” the prince replied and kissed her.
In that moment, Gwen felt every bit deserving of his affections as she’d ever wanted to be and she could forget the obstacles that would doubtless stand in their path later. For now, being with the one she loved was all that mattered.
*Fin*