A/N: I've had this Arwen idea for a while and thanks to embrasia's encouragement I finally decided to write a chapter. I will not make the chapters as long as my other fics just to try if I can update more with shorter chapters. Anyways hope you guys like this story as much as I'm excited to get it out of my head and into readable material.
Gwen is an exceptional young lady. Everyone back home knew she would do great things and her full scholarship to Columbia University in New York was proof of that. Her father could not be happier with the good fortune that has fallen to their family. Gwen has a good business head on her shoulders and going to an excellent business school would do wonders for his daughter's career. They are of lower than middle class standing but they get by and have no debts so they think of themselves fortunate by these standards. Gwen stood in the middle of Columbia University Campus taking in everything from the statues to the trees and savouring every minute of it. The smile on her face was priceless and the moment couldn't get any better.
"Mummy, I'm hungry!" The little girl whined which broke Gwen out of her reverie.
"Oh sweetie I'm sorry I lost track of time. What do you want for lunch?" Gwen asked.
"Can I have a hotdog?" The little girl was looking at a little boy eating a hotdog which made her crave for one.
Gwen checked her cash and saw that they do have enough for a hotdog. Not wanting to disappoint her daughter again today after making her wear shoes with holes on a promise they would drop by the salvation army to look for a new pair and finding none, Gwen left her daughter on top of the washing machine and told her to stay put while she goes and buy her a hotdog.
Morgana walked in the laundromat looking like a child in a candy store.
"Honey let's go, this place doesn't look safe. Think about the baby he might catch something in here." Leon her husband begged.
"Relax nothing will happen. Look there's not a lot of people here and there's even a little girl what could happen." Morgana playfully slapped her husband's arm and walked towards the little girl.
The little girl sat quietly on top of the machine folding some laundry. Morgana found it really adorable and couldn't help but talk to her.
"Hi sweetie, where's your mummy?" The little girl looked up and looked at the woman's belly.
"Mummy's outside buying lunch. Can I help you with laundry?" The little girl smiled.
"Oh how cute. Do you work here?" The little girl shook her head which made her curls bounce, Morgana soon felt stupid for asking such a dumb question.
The little girl saw the sadness in the pregnant lady's eyes and quickly asked her something that might cheer her up.
"Are you having a baby boy or a baby girl?" Morgana smiled as she thought about the sonogram they took last month.
"It's a baby boy." Morgana rubbed her belly affectionately as she looked at her husband.
Leon leaned down to place a kiss on top of his wife's head and pulled her closer to his side.
"My name's Morgana and this is my husband Leon, may I ask what's yours?" Morgana placed her arms around her husband's waist as she asked the little girl her name.
"It's Arianna. Nice to meet you Miss Morgana and Sir Leon." Arianna gave them a toothless smile and quickly closed her mouth as soon as she remembered her missing front teeth.
Morgana and Leon smiled at the girl and thought of her really cute and somewhat familiar.
Gwen saw a couple talking to her daughter and she quickly intervene wanting to know what's happening.
"Can I help you?" Gwen smiled at the couple after handing the hotdog to her daughter.
"You're British?" Morgana asked in surprise.
"Oh I'm sorry where are my manners. I'm Morgana and this is my husband Leon. You must be Arianna's mother, I'm sorry I was just surprised to meet a fellow Brit." Morgana extend her hand out for Gwen.
"Guinevere, but people call me Gwen. And yes I'm British. Can I help you with anything? This is a self-service laundromat but we do laundry service."
"So that's why Arianna was folding clothes." Morgana realized.
"She's such a little helper, cheap labour too all I need is to pay her with sweeties." Gwen teased her daughter and Arianna giggled with her mother's silliness.
"So do you own this place?" Morgana asked.
"Oh good God no. I wish I did but no I just work here. I earn extra when people avail of the laundry service. The laundry service is my own but obviously people here are capable of doing their own laundry. Well either that or they just can't afford it." Gwen chuckled at her own joke.
"Oh, well I've always wanted to see a proper laundromat, you know like the ones they have on tv or the American films. So when Leon here said he's going to New York for business I grabbed the opportunity to join him." Morgana excitedly explained.
"Is this your first time in New York?" Gwen asked.
"I guess you can say that. Not really my first time in New York, but first time with my husband and no nagging father forbidding me go out and about. How about you, how did you end up in the big apple?" Morgana curiously asked.
Gwen knew it would come up in their conversation sooner or later, but she has had her lines well rehearsed so it was no biggie.
"It's a long story but to cut it short I was given a full scholarship to Columbia University. I was doing quite well with school and work during my freshman year but due to a stupid drunken night I got pregnant and unfortunately unable to graduate. So I decided to remain here in the big apple; as you call it; and raise my American citizen daughter." Gwen snuggled her daughter not before wiping her face clean of the mustard from her half eaten hotdog.
"Here mummy I saved the half for you." Arianna held out the hotdog for her mother.
"Aww honey that's so sweet, but that's all yours I already ate mine on the way back here. I got hungry from the walk." Gwen rubbed her invisible belly miming being stuffed.
Arianna's eyes lit up and continued eating her hotdog. Gwen took out a packet of sweets from her apron and shook it in front of Arianna.
"Look baby I got your favourite. You can have a piece after your lunch then another piece in the afternoon." Arianna smiled at her mother brightly and continued chewing her food.
"What's her favourite?" Leon asked.
"Lemon drops. I don't even know how or why but as soon as she had a taste of it she just went bonkers for it. Not just Lemon drops but anything lemony." Gwen explained as Morgana and Leon chuckled.
"I'm sorry!" Morgana apologized before composing herself.
"We're really sorry, it's just your lemon story just reminded me of my younger brother. He loves lemony things as well and I always call him sour face 'coz he pouts a lot, you know the look when you've just tasted a sour lemon, that's exactly how my brother looks when he pouts." This time it was Gwen that's laughing.
"I know what you mean Arie here has the same pout. I keep telling her to stop eating lemony things or else that look would be permanent on her." Soon the adults were laughing together.
"Arthur!" Uther shouted.
Arthur was startled at his father's voice as he was reaching for a lemon drop on the candy dish in front of him. He quickly straightened himself out and looked at his father.
"Yes father?" Arthur asked.
"Were you even listening to what I've been saying all this time?" Uther probed.
"Honestly father I find it all boring. Your "old ways" of doing business is not doing anything for our company. Alright we are at the top but do we set trends father? I think not! With the way things are this century I'm afraid we might get left behind." Arthur expressed.
"If you are so good with setting trends then why don't you do something about it?" Uther challenged.
"And what do you have in mind father?" Arthur asked curiously.
"Our travel business needs a "revamp" as you young people call it, so I am putting you in charge of that. I'm giving you a year to launch the new and improved Pendragon travels." Uther explained.
"And what's in it for me?" Arthur asked.
"At the launch of the new and improved Pendragon travels you need to get the majority of the stockholders to backup your proposal to get further funding. If you succeed I will properly announce my retirement and officially name you as the head of The Pendragon Empire. However, if you fail you will serve under me for a year to learn the business my way and do everything that I tell you to do no questions asked." Uther explained the conditions.
Arthur thought for a moment whether it was a safe bet to accept. He is confident with his skills and knowledge of the business so to him the odds were in his favour. Arthur smiled wide and held out his hand to his father.
"You have a deal sir!" Uther took his son's hand to seal the deal.