100 Fantasies Challenge: #13 Fic
Title: Trapped
Author: crumpeteer
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Arthur/Gwen
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except two cats. I do own two cats.
Summary: Caught eavesdropping, Gwen and Arthur have to do some quick thinking.
Gwen switched the basket of flowers from one arm to another as she walked through the castle. It had been a nice day. She had been very pleased to get out of the castle as the emissaries from East Anglia had turned the castle upside down. Gwen had been glad to get away from the uproar and spend some time to herself. Morgana wasn't difficult to work for, but she'd had trouble of late dodging Prince Arthur, whose recent more flirtatious behavior with her had given her some cause for embarassment. It had almost been easier when he didn't really pay her much mind, but somewhere deep down she admitted to herself that she didn't really want to go back to that either.
As she turned the corner, she heard voices coming from one of the rooms being used by the ambassadors from East Anglia. Normally she would have kept walking except that she repeatedly heard Arthur's name in raised tones. Gwen paused at the angry words, torn as to whether to keep walking or not.
"It belongs to Prince Arthur," one voice said, "it should be his."
"Prince Arthur wouldn't know what to do with it if it hit him over the head," the second voice retorted angrily, "besides, Uther outlawed magic and would probably destroy it if he ever found out about it anyway."
"I still don't think- " the first person started.
"You aren't paid to think!" the second person snapped.
Gwen heard the sound of a box clicking shut and quickly hid around the corner as the two men left the room. She peeked around the corner to make sure she wasn't spotted. She wasn't nosy by nature, but the odd conversation had piqued her interest. Just what was supposed to be Arthur's? Checking to make sure no one was coming, Gwen quietly slipped into the room. On the table was a large, ornate box. Gwen slowly stepped closer, placing her basket of flowers on a table. Carefully opening the box, she stared in puzzlement at a large leatherbound book. On the cover was intricately tooled designs and when she lifted it, she gasped at the beautiful illustrations inside.
"Gwen? What are you doing?"
Gwen nearly screamed at the familiar voice behind her and dropped the cover. She spun around, now face to face with Arthur, who looked half surprised, half amused.
"I wasn't- I didn't mean- they were- I heard your name and- "
Arthur grabbed her shoulders and held her still, looking confused and a little worried.
"Gwen, slow down. What is it?"
Gwen took a deep breath and explained what she'd overheard.
"I thought maybe they'd stolen something," she ended.
Arthur looked curious now and opened the book.
"It looks like a history book or something," he said, slowly turning the pages.
"I wonder what it has to do with anything," Gwen said, peeking over his shoulder.
Arthur seemed puzzled himself.
"I don't know, it's just names and dates and..." Arthur trailed off as he stopped turning pages and pointed to something, "...and that might be it."
Gwen looked at what he was pointing at. There was a beautiful illustration of an enormous emerald.
"That's not a name or date," Gwen said.
Arthur shook his head, "No, and I think I know what it is."
They both suddenly froze as footsteps sounded in the hall. The two gave each other a paniked look.
"Wardrobe," Arthur whispered, grabbing Gwen's hand, to her shock.
He flung the door of an enormous wardrobe in the corner open and pulled Gwen in after him, closing the door behind them. Arthur pulled Gwen close to him and peeked through a crack in the door. Gwen realized how close she was to the prince. He smelled like wood smoke, earth, and cloves. It was a surprisingly attractive smell and Gwen was glad he couldn't see her blushing in the dark. The wardrobe, being large, would have given them plenty of room to stand, yet for some reason Gwen realized they were sitting and far closer than they needed to be. Heads close together, she and Arhtur watched the head ambassador from East Anglia re-enter the room. Gwen suddenly let out a sharp gasp. Arthur's hand quickly covered her mouth and he raised his eyebrows at her.
"My flowers," she whispered, pointing at the table.
Arthur's eyes widened and Gwen fought the urge to laugh hysterically. She was dangerously close to being found in a cupboard with the crown prince, which was something that wasn't going to be easily explained away.
"He'll just think the maid left flowers," Arthur hissed, seeing Gwen's frantic expression.
He suddenly pulled her so closed that her face was almost buried in the curve of his neck. Gwen resisted the insane impulse to nuzzle against him. She shivered as his lips brushed against her ear as he whispered again.
"I think the emerald might be the one that was supposed to have been lost from Camelot years ago. Something about fairies or some nonsense. It was supposed to have magic properties."
"They must know where it is from that book," Gwen murmured, her breath brushing Arthur's jawline. She felt him stiffen against her, but he made no move to pull away.
"I'm inclined to agree," he said, turning a little more toward her, his voice taking an uncharacteristically husky quality.
Gwen looked up and made eye contact with Arthur in the sliver of light making it into the wardrobe. He slowly reached up and brushed her cheek with his thumb.
"We're in a really awkward position, aren't we," he whispered.
"Literally and figuratively, my lord," she said.
Arthur smothered what might have been an amused snort. Unfortunately the noise had been enough to alert the ambassador that something was amiss in his wardrobe.
"Damn," Arthur snarled, then fell backwards pulling Gwen on top of him.
Before Gwen could react, his lips were on hers and one of his hands was tangled in her hair. Gwen impulsively buried her hands into blonde hair and kissed him back with an abandon she hand't known she possessed. She felt his arm tighten around her and she felt like twining around him, feeling the solidness of muscle under his shirt, fingers curling into the short hair at the nape of his neck. She then flung herself off of him and gave an expected shriek when the wardrobe door was thrown open.
"Prince Arthur!" the ambassador gasped.
Arthur gave Gwen a surprised and appreciative look, then let out another curse and Gwen went about acting the part of an embarassed handmaiden caught in a tryst, which really wasn't far from the truth. Between Gwen's embarassed wailing and Arthur's indignant sputtering, the ambassador looked too confused and flustered to wonder too deeply about a prince and maid in his wardrobe. Gwen burst into tears at that moment and Arthur ushered her towards the door, alternately attempting to console her and give lame excuses to the ambassador as they left. As they rushed down the hall, Gwen began laughing, partially from the absurdity of the situation and partially from embarassment at having kissed Arthur as she had. She hadn't realized how much of her admiration of him had moved to a much more earthy emotion. She wasn's sure if she could ever look the prince in the eye after this.
"Oh no," she suddenly said, "I left my flowers."
"Where they for Morgana?" Arthur asked as they ducked down another hallway.
"They were actually for your room," Gwen said ruefully.
"You can always bring more later," he said, sounding like he was trying to keep from laughing himself, "and I've got a pretty large wardrobe we could hide in."
Gwen turned bright red and glanced over at Arthur in surprise. He seemed to take pity on her awkwardness and changed his tone.
"I'm not going to tell my father about the Anglians. Let them find the stone. Father would only want to destroy it anyway. If it really does have magical properties it might be useful at some point in the future. At least we know where it is," he then looked at Gwen seriously, "and I'm sorry I might have compromised your virtue in East Anglia."
"How can I ever show my face in East Anglia again," Gwen said sarcastically.
Arthur shot her a devilish smile and Gwen smiled back, then suddenly ducked her head in a burst of shyness. She turned and started to dart down the hall. Arthur managed to grab her sleeve before she escaped.
"I knew you liked me," he said, a genuine grin creeping over his face, "there's no way for you to bluff your way out of this one."
Before Gwen could splutter out any protests, Arthur quickly leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
"I'm still waiting for the day you'll be honest with me without having a cupboard involved," he tossed back as he started down the hall, "I look forward to it."
Gwen shook her head as she watched him leave. Her kiss kept replaying in her mind and she realized she'd been far too honest with it, and what was more, Arthur was smart enough to know that. She'd have to tell him what he wanted to hear some day. He now wasn't going to be able to be brushed off by lame protests. Gwen touched her cheek where he'd just chastely kissed her. She found she really didn't have too many protests left.
Author: crumpeteer
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Arthur/Gwen
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except two cats. I do own two cats.
Summary: Caught eavesdropping, Gwen and Arthur have to do some quick thinking.
Gwen switched the basket of flowers from one arm to another as she walked through the castle. It had been a nice day. She had been very pleased to get out of the castle as the emissaries from East Anglia had turned the castle upside down. Gwen had been glad to get away from the uproar and spend some time to herself. Morgana wasn't difficult to work for, but she'd had trouble of late dodging Prince Arthur, whose recent more flirtatious behavior with her had given her some cause for embarassment. It had almost been easier when he didn't really pay her much mind, but somewhere deep down she admitted to herself that she didn't really want to go back to that either.
As she turned the corner, she heard voices coming from one of the rooms being used by the ambassadors from East Anglia. Normally she would have kept walking except that she repeatedly heard Arthur's name in raised tones. Gwen paused at the angry words, torn as to whether to keep walking or not.
"It belongs to Prince Arthur," one voice said, "it should be his."
"Prince Arthur wouldn't know what to do with it if it hit him over the head," the second voice retorted angrily, "besides, Uther outlawed magic and would probably destroy it if he ever found out about it anyway."
"I still don't think- " the first person started.
"You aren't paid to think!" the second person snapped.
Gwen heard the sound of a box clicking shut and quickly hid around the corner as the two men left the room. She peeked around the corner to make sure she wasn't spotted. She wasn't nosy by nature, but the odd conversation had piqued her interest. Just what was supposed to be Arthur's? Checking to make sure no one was coming, Gwen quietly slipped into the room. On the table was a large, ornate box. Gwen slowly stepped closer, placing her basket of flowers on a table. Carefully opening the box, she stared in puzzlement at a large leatherbound book. On the cover was intricately tooled designs and when she lifted it, she gasped at the beautiful illustrations inside.
"Gwen? What are you doing?"
Gwen nearly screamed at the familiar voice behind her and dropped the cover. She spun around, now face to face with Arthur, who looked half surprised, half amused.
"I wasn't- I didn't mean- they were- I heard your name and- "
Arthur grabbed her shoulders and held her still, looking confused and a little worried.
"Gwen, slow down. What is it?"
Gwen took a deep breath and explained what she'd overheard.
"I thought maybe they'd stolen something," she ended.
Arthur looked curious now and opened the book.
"It looks like a history book or something," he said, slowly turning the pages.
"I wonder what it has to do with anything," Gwen said, peeking over his shoulder.
Arthur seemed puzzled himself.
"I don't know, it's just names and dates and..." Arthur trailed off as he stopped turning pages and pointed to something, "...and that might be it."
Gwen looked at what he was pointing at. There was a beautiful illustration of an enormous emerald.
"That's not a name or date," Gwen said.
Arthur shook his head, "No, and I think I know what it is."
They both suddenly froze as footsteps sounded in the hall. The two gave each other a paniked look.
"Wardrobe," Arthur whispered, grabbing Gwen's hand, to her shock.
He flung the door of an enormous wardrobe in the corner open and pulled Gwen in after him, closing the door behind them. Arthur pulled Gwen close to him and peeked through a crack in the door. Gwen realized how close she was to the prince. He smelled like wood smoke, earth, and cloves. It was a surprisingly attractive smell and Gwen was glad he couldn't see her blushing in the dark. The wardrobe, being large, would have given them plenty of room to stand, yet for some reason Gwen realized they were sitting and far closer than they needed to be. Heads close together, she and Arhtur watched the head ambassador from East Anglia re-enter the room. Gwen suddenly let out a sharp gasp. Arthur's hand quickly covered her mouth and he raised his eyebrows at her.
"My flowers," she whispered, pointing at the table.
Arthur's eyes widened and Gwen fought the urge to laugh hysterically. She was dangerously close to being found in a cupboard with the crown prince, which was something that wasn't going to be easily explained away.
"He'll just think the maid left flowers," Arthur hissed, seeing Gwen's frantic expression.
He suddenly pulled her so closed that her face was almost buried in the curve of his neck. Gwen resisted the insane impulse to nuzzle against him. She shivered as his lips brushed against her ear as he whispered again.
"I think the emerald might be the one that was supposed to have been lost from Camelot years ago. Something about fairies or some nonsense. It was supposed to have magic properties."
"They must know where it is from that book," Gwen murmured, her breath brushing Arthur's jawline. She felt him stiffen against her, but he made no move to pull away.
"I'm inclined to agree," he said, turning a little more toward her, his voice taking an uncharacteristically husky quality.
Gwen looked up and made eye contact with Arthur in the sliver of light making it into the wardrobe. He slowly reached up and brushed her cheek with his thumb.
"We're in a really awkward position, aren't we," he whispered.
"Literally and figuratively, my lord," she said.
Arthur smothered what might have been an amused snort. Unfortunately the noise had been enough to alert the ambassador that something was amiss in his wardrobe.
"Damn," Arthur snarled, then fell backwards pulling Gwen on top of him.
Before Gwen could react, his lips were on hers and one of his hands was tangled in her hair. Gwen impulsively buried her hands into blonde hair and kissed him back with an abandon she hand't known she possessed. She felt his arm tighten around her and she felt like twining around him, feeling the solidness of muscle under his shirt, fingers curling into the short hair at the nape of his neck. She then flung herself off of him and gave an expected shriek when the wardrobe door was thrown open.
"Prince Arthur!" the ambassador gasped.
Arthur gave Gwen a surprised and appreciative look, then let out another curse and Gwen went about acting the part of an embarassed handmaiden caught in a tryst, which really wasn't far from the truth. Between Gwen's embarassed wailing and Arthur's indignant sputtering, the ambassador looked too confused and flustered to wonder too deeply about a prince and maid in his wardrobe. Gwen burst into tears at that moment and Arthur ushered her towards the door, alternately attempting to console her and give lame excuses to the ambassador as they left. As they rushed down the hall, Gwen began laughing, partially from the absurdity of the situation and partially from embarassment at having kissed Arthur as she had. She hadn't realized how much of her admiration of him had moved to a much more earthy emotion. She wasn's sure if she could ever look the prince in the eye after this.
"Oh no," she suddenly said, "I left my flowers."
"Where they for Morgana?" Arthur asked as they ducked down another hallway.
"They were actually for your room," Gwen said ruefully.
"You can always bring more later," he said, sounding like he was trying to keep from laughing himself, "and I've got a pretty large wardrobe we could hide in."
Gwen turned bright red and glanced over at Arthur in surprise. He seemed to take pity on her awkwardness and changed his tone.
"I'm not going to tell my father about the Anglians. Let them find the stone. Father would only want to destroy it anyway. If it really does have magical properties it might be useful at some point in the future. At least we know where it is," he then looked at Gwen seriously, "and I'm sorry I might have compromised your virtue in East Anglia."
"How can I ever show my face in East Anglia again," Gwen said sarcastically.
Arthur shot her a devilish smile and Gwen smiled back, then suddenly ducked her head in a burst of shyness. She turned and started to dart down the hall. Arthur managed to grab her sleeve before she escaped.
"I knew you liked me," he said, a genuine grin creeping over his face, "there's no way for you to bluff your way out of this one."
Before Gwen could splutter out any protests, Arthur quickly leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
"I'm still waiting for the day you'll be honest with me without having a cupboard involved," he tossed back as he started down the hall, "I look forward to it."
Gwen shook her head as she watched him leave. Her kiss kept replaying in her mind and she realized she'd been far too honest with it, and what was more, Arthur was smart enough to know that. She'd have to tell him what he wanted to hear some day. He now wasn't going to be able to be brushed off by lame protests. Gwen touched her cheek where he'd just chastely kissed her. She found she really didn't have too many protests left.