Queen Guinevere's Secret

Rated T

Written for Camelot Love's Drabble Tag

Nicely Prompted by Rubber_Glue

Original Prompt: Gwen's First day as queen

Special thanks to Rubber_Glue for a great prompt

II

It was a curious story, that of the queen and the little girl, who walked at her side. How did this come to be everyone wondered?

The story had actually begun…

Early that morning.

II

Holding to her wild curls of hair, she rushed to the tall ornately decorated wardrobe. Opening it up, she perused for the gown that would fit best the occasion. It was the day after their lavish wedding.

She was Queen.

Finally finding it, she heard a low grumbling as her fingers raised it from the hanger.

"Eh…what in all of Camelot are you doing so early in the morning Guinevere? Raised me from my sleep."

His protest was a bit moody. Even though the wedding had been such a joyous occasion just the day before, that evening he and the knights had dealt with an unexpected bandit attack. It hadn't resulted in much except his slightly wearying expression before the affections took over as they prepped for their first night together…

As man and wife.

It had not been their first night of intimacy. That had come some years ago during heated and other times intimate emotions.

Then months ago the king became ill. After barely having time to mourn his loss, but thankful for Guinevere's support, the prince became king. It was too soon to marry then though, so discreetly they waited to reveal their relationship.

Now that revelation was known and finally they could be together in full public view. Well…mostly anyway. Some things still should be in private. Like their bedroom talk.

Getting up from the bed with a restless sigh, Arthur, bare from the waist up, moved to his wife, his face falling into her hair. She often complained that her curls were too wayward and never obeyed. He personally loved their ferocity of abandon.

"Mmmmm…"

Standing in back he pressed kisses against her shoulder bone. "I ask it again, what are you doing?"

She closed her eyes with an enraptured curve to her lips at his affections.

He changed his mind. "No, forget that. Just come back to bed. Your King orders it."

He wrapped his hands around her waist and dug his fingers past the ties that the sleeping gown so nicely had. They made it easy to get inside.

She dropped the dress she had picked out for the day with a moan, feeling his hand at her breast, and chastised quickly.

"Oh, now stop. Look what you made me do. Ooooohhhh…don't stop."

He grinned with a wicked laugh and pressed into her harder. "So you will follow your king's orders?"

She reopened her eyes and turning back for a moment gave him a firm look as his fingers did such naughty things. Terrible man, her husband…terribly wonderful. "You too easily forget I am now your queen."

He laughed harder at the firm rejoinder, something he so desired of her personality, and swept her up into his arms.

She laughed at his playfulness as he galloped like a little boy and dropped her down upon the messy sheets with a tumbled following of his own.

The dress lay beyond the bed where they tangled into ecstasy…

Quite forgotten for the moment.

II

Many moments later, the sunlight soon to begin breaking into their windows, she began to move away before he clearly protested. "No."

She smiled only for a second.

"What is it?" He asked intently, bringing her down upon his lonely chest.

"Were you nervous at all?"

He frowned at the words, pulling back a wayward curl and smiling with contentment as it furiously fought him back and once again trailed her cheek. Heavenly Camelot, they were like silk untamed bonds. "What do you mean?"

She pushed away from his chest. His hands were too deliciously wandering. She sat up on the bed, hearing his groan of discontentment. But this was serious. It was the commencing day of it. "Arthur…please listen to me. I need to speak to you about this."

Taking those words more soberly, he lifted up too, touching at her cheek. "What is bothering you?"

"Were you nervous…the first day, when you became king?"

He nodded his head with more understanding. He touched her cheek with his lips before pulling back and speaking to her midnight eyes. "You saw me that day. Not so much, but then it was just hard…the loss of my father. Still, as I got over that emotion, I worried I wouldn't be enough, but having you always at my side, even if you couldn't be my queen yet…that made it better."

Frowning he asked her now, "Are you nervous?"

"Yes…a little." She admitted sheepishly.

Smiling reassuringly, he brought her against his bared chest again. "Don't be. The people already adore you. You know that. You were born to be queen, Guinevere. Never doubt that."

She lingered in his touch, a part of her wanting to stay like this forever, and another knowing that hiding away from your issues was no way to be a rightful queen. "It's just I've been a servant most my life. I've served royalty, not BEEN it. I can't dismiss those I've worked with like most royalty does. I can't…I won't. But then there will probably be those who see me as lesser a queen and-

He kissed her brow. It was so unlike her to doubt so much, but this was a huge new life she was taking on. It was true, she was a mere servant for many years, but the mereness of it was the mistake. His and his father's. One he was rectifying now with every day of his rule. Already there were knights who had no inch of noble blood in them. And he intended to recruit more. He wanted to build the strongest rule of knighthood ever, using any who was worthy of it by deed…

Not birth.

"And I wouldn't expect you to. I'm glad you won't. I will always honor my father Guinevere, but he made so many mistakes too because of his fears of magic and such. I know now the ultimate tragedy of that, how it took the life of my mother, but I've wept from that sadness enough. And thankfully I had you by my side through it all. There are knights now with no royal heritage because of what you've taught me…and okay…Merlin too."

She smiled at the wryness of his voice. He protested plenty that Merlin was not all that great, but she knew their friendship was entirely special. After all, it was the start of Arthur's understandings about magic. He could never kill his friend, sorcerer or not.

"My father sometimes didn't realize how much a kingdom depended upon its every subject, down to the lowest bit of class. You've taught me that not only does that matter, but there's no shame in believing that."

"I just want to be a queen of importance. I want to touch the lives of people."

He reluctantly lifted away from the bed, bringing her up too. Languishing with his newly married wife was so satisfying, but duty of the morning called. Soon enough they would be interrupted by knocks on the door. "You already have. By becoming…

Queen."

II

Hours later, attended to by more servants than she cared to be, Guinevere stood in the mirror, taking in her reflection. A gown of deep royal purple, her hair rolled into the most precious tiny flowers and pressed underneath the crown of her coronation, she glowed. All around her the servant ladies were gushing. Politely Guinevere thanked them, but still she was as nervous as-

"QUEEN GUINEVERE-

"Come back here right now!"

"Halt in the name of Camelot!"

Quietly ignoring the ladies who told her to not worry about it, they'd take care of it, Guinevere instead went to the door of the room she shared with her husband, opening it. In the middle of the hallway was the culprit of all the commotion. The guards were holding to a young peasant girl with long strands of wheat colored hair.

"Excuse us your majesty, we will take her down to the-

"No." Guinevere answered kindly, but firmly. Putting her hand up, she dismissed them with a look of quick gratitude.

The guards bowed before retreating.

Seeing that the girl was horribly frightened now, but still so insistent upon something, Guinevere lowered on her feet and waved the girl over. "Come here."

The little girl, probably not more than five, hesitated before walking over shyly. Perhaps even though she had pursued her, she hadn't completely believed she would get an audience with the queen. Now in her close proximity, the girl's dusty fingers of one hand flailed a bit, while the other hid behind her plain brown dress.

Years ago, she too had dusty fingers. It was too hard not to when you were doing so many castle duties. Maybe that was why Guinevere did not mind when with those slightly dirtied fingers the girl touched at her expensive dress.

"Sorry. I only wanted to bring you these."

The little girl whispered.

Before she teared up. "But now they're ruined."

Guinevere noticed now what was in the girl's other hand, a gathering of pretty purple flowers, her favorite color. Only after the guards' pursuit of her, most of them were crumpled and some had fallen completely off the stem. Still, they were the loveliest thing she had ever seen. And they were the lesson she would never forget.

"Oh no, they're not. They're beautiful! They're my favorite color, did you know that?"

The little girl smiled a fraction, looking up into the queen's eyes, before shyly looking down again. "Yes. Most the kingdom does. The king made sure the entire bunch of them was picked for the wedding. It was so pretty! You were."

Guinevere let out a small laugh at the girl's comments about her husband and the flowers. It was true. There were so many lavenders and violets, she had gasped at seeing them all and asked the smirking Arthur if he had uprooted every flower in that color family.

Now she told the girl in a whisper, "But it seems you found a special bunch that he must have missed. And you brought them to me. How kind."

The little girl smiled once more before looking down again.

Now she felt it. Now she knew it. First her husband and now this little girl had made the lesson plain. Touching at the girl's shoulder, Guinevere whispered once more. "You know. I'm a bit nervous. Please don't tell anyone. It will be our secret. I could very much use a hand to hold onto before I go outside. Will you please join me…I think I'll feel much braver then."

The little girl's smile finally beamed. She was getting to walk with the queen! "Oh yes!"

Around the two of them the servant women smiled and the guards watched with wonder before looking like they were supposed to at their posts. Camelot had always been a noble kingdom to serve, but now with Arthur as Prince, even if his first days had been hard, and Guinevere as Queen…

It seemed a grand time was coming to the kingdom.

A time…

Well of Camelot.

Regally the queen moved down the steps and out the doors to the reception of people waiting.

And at her side…

Was the little girl who would never forget the day…

She met Queen Guinevere.

And learned her secret…

That she never did tell.

II

Thank you for reading. Comments warmly appreciated. I'll be posting two more of these drabbles (ficlets) soon, both completed. Also, I'll be working on updates for Cycles of Love and Hello I love you. Got at little sidetracked with these, lol.