Dinner Guest

Ch. 2

A/N: And here the promised, but not so promised second half to Dinner Guest.

"Merlin, were you aware that for a short time, Guinevere and I were no longer together?"

Arthur asked Merlin as he sat down to dinner in his chambers.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Merlin said.

"I broke-up with Guinevere." Arthur said.

"What! Why did you do that?" Merlin asked his eyes wide.

"It was Uncle's idea" Arthur replied picking around the food on his plate. He subconsciously wondered what Gwen made for Rowland.

"Oh, of course, Lord Agravaine. Surely everything that leaks from his poisonous mouth must be the truth." Merlin muttered under his breath angrily as he furiously tucked the corners of a sheet into Arthur bed. It seemed that everything Agravaine said never seemed to sit right.

"What was that?" Arthur asked.

"Why would your Uncle have any say in the matters of your heart?" Merlin questioned.

"He doesn't."

"Then why—."

"At the time, I thought it was for the good of the kingdom, it isn't exactly the most appropriate thing to be seen courting a servant." Arthur said pushing his plate of barley touched food away from his person.

"You told Gwen she wasn't appropriate!" Merlin asked incredulously.

"Yes," Merlin eyes were the size of saucers, " but I didn't mean it that way." Arthur tried to justify.

"Doesn't change the fact that you said it." Merlin said hotly.

"That's not the point right now." Arthur said.

"What is then?" Merlin asked standing beside Arthur who was now leaning on his table. "Why did you tell me?"

"Because, during this time that we were...separated, Guinevere invited someone to dine with her." Arthur said distastefully.

Merlin watched Arthur's face when spoke, it contorted with disgust and a hint of something else. "I'm guessing that this someone is a man?"

Arthur grunted.

Merlin smirked. "Serves you right. Yet I still don't see what this has to do with me."

"She's dining with...him, tonight." Arthur told him.

"Oh really?" Merlin asked sounding genuinely interested. " What's she making?" He wondered.

"Merlin." Arthur warned.

"I'm joking. What is it you're wanting me to do?" Merlin asked. Arthur gave him that look."Oh no, Arthur I'm not going to stake outside of Gwen's house! What if they want their privacy?"

"They don't need any privacy." Arthur all but growled.

"I don't think Gwen would approve of you sending me out to spy on her."

"You're not spying on her, you're spying on him, making sure he doesn't try anything." Arthur said, telling himself that there was nothing wrong with what he was telling Merlin to do. She was his Gwen, and as he told her before, he doesn't share.

"I don't even know the name of this guy." Merlin said, snapping Arthur out of his thoughts.

"Rowland." Arthur said.

"Rowland." Merlin said. "Rowland from the kitchens?" He asked.

"Yes Merlin, Rowland from the bloody kitchens." Arthur hissed.

"I know Rowland, he's a bit taller than you, he can cook seeing as he's the head chef and all, and he has just about every non-noble female in this castle fawning over and or fancying him. They say it's his eyes, they're really green you know. I didn't know Gwen was one them." Merlin rambled, not paying attention the fact that Arthur face was turning more red with anger by the second.

"She isn't." He said, his teeth grinding.

"Yeah, but you said—"

"I know, what I said Merlin. You know what, just forget it. I'll do it myself." Arthur was tired of the idiocy known as his manservant. He grabbed his blue cloak that was hanging conveniently on the edge of his changing screen.

"Suit yourself." Merlin said heading towards the door.

"Where are you going." Arthur asked tying his cloak.

Merlin shrugged. "The tavern."

"Rowland." Guinevere smiled as she opened the door to reveal the tall and handsome ginger.

He bowed at the waist. "Mi lady."

"My brother may be a knight, but I am no Lady." Gwen said as she opened the door wider to let him into her small home.

"To each his own, what makes a Lady is not in her blood, but in her actions." He said handing her a small bouquet of wildflowers.

"Such wise words." She said taking the flowers. " Thank you."

"I try." Rowland said in response to her comment.

"And much too serious. Come now, and please, call me Gwen." She said searching for a place to hold the flowers, before settling to place them in the center of the table.

"How about Guinevere?" He asked.

"Most people call me Gwen." She said thinking on how her full name is usually reserved for Arthur.

"But Guinevere is such a lovely name." He said.

"Very well," She said " Would you like a drink."

"Water would be fine," Gwen handed him the drink."Thank you. You have a wonderful home."

"Thank you." Gwen replied. It got quiet as Gwen made the plates, and Rowland looked around as far as his eyes would let him. Gwen brought the food, and they ate in relative silence.

"This is delicious." Rowland said after eating a bite of the roasted pheasant.

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it." Gwen said. The awkward silence continued until Rowland set down his fork.

"Is it just me, or is this more awkward than was planned?" He asked.

Gwen smiled in understanding. " Yes, it is." She agreed.

"Alright," He said pushing his plate aside. "Tell me something about yourself."

"Well."She said doing the same. " What do you want to know?"

"Anything you want to tell me." He said.

"Okay, uhmm, I am-was the daughter of a blacksmith." She said quietly.

"So I've heard. They say he was a master at his craft." He commented.

"He was indeed."

"What happened to him?" He asked, but he saw the pained look on her face. " You don't have to answer that if you don't want to." He said wanting to take back the question, it was obvious that she wasn't still over whatever had happened to him.

"It's alright." She assured. She took a deep breath. "He was wrongfully executed."

"By whom?" Rowland wondered out loud.

"King Uther, my father was accused of consorting with magic. He never received a fair trial, he had lost all hope, and when he tried to run, they killed him." She said hopelessly biting back tears as she remembered what tragedy that had befallen her father. "Uther claimed that the fact that he ran, only solidified his guilt." She wiped at her eyes.

"Guinevere, I am so sorry." He said sincerely, not knowing how to comfort her.

"It's alright." She sniffed. "He's in a better place now."

"Let's talk about something else, I can't stand to see you cry." He said as he gently rubbed small comforting circles on her back. "...What's you favorite color?" He asked.

"That was random." She said drying the last of her tears.

"It worked in changing the subject did it not?" He answered. Gwen took a few moments to regard him.

"Fine, it's red." She said.

"Really?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" She asked.

"I thought it'd be purple." He said.

"Well, things are not always as they seem." She said smartly as she picked up the dishes to wash them in the nearby basin.

"Do you know what they say about red?" He asked.

"That it's the color of Camelot?" She said as she turned back around to find Rowland dangerously close to her personal space.

"No," He replied, his voice dropping quieter and somewhat hypnotic. "that it's the color of love," he took a step closer , "fire," he took another step, standing so close that Guinevere had to tilt her head back to look him in his beautiful green eyes. "and passion..." He whispered, his lips leaving a phantom caress. Gwen shivered.

"I never knew the color held such a significance." Gwen said her voice sounding like a squeak.

"It holds a great deal." He said. She was breathing rather hard now due to Rowland's close proximity. She was just about to ask him to take a step back when he spoke. "Guinevere."

"Yes Rowland?"

"I'm going to kiss you..." He said going in for the kill.

"Rowland I can't—" Too late. Rowland leaned in to kiss her. Guinevere gasped, shocked that he actually pulled through with the action.

Rowland kissed her with as much passion as he could muster into the kiss, but Gwen remained frozen. He pulled started to pull away wondering why she didn't respond. He liked her, he thought she liked him. Then why didn't she kiss him back?

"Guinevere I—"

CRASH! It resounded throughout all of the small house, the chorus of clinging metal and tumbling wood.

"What was that?" Rowland asked.

"I don't know. Perhaps I should see about it." Gwen suggested. Rowland grabbed her upper arm. Gwen stopped and looked at Rowland questioningly.

"No, you stay here." Just as Rowland made his way towards the door, Gwen heard a muffled voice.

"Oww!" It hissed in pain. She knew that voice, it was all too familiar.

"Uh, you know what Rowland, I do believe I know what that noise is." She said, trying to save hidden guest the embarrassment of being found.

"Are you sure." He asked not entirely believing her.

"Yes, the stray animals make a habit of going through my trash that's out back. One of them just probably knocked something over." Guinevere said leaning on the door, blocking his exit.

"Ohhkay, well I guess I could help cleaning up—." Rowland conceded picking up the cups.

Guinevere took the mugs from him.

"No, no, it's okay. I've got it...It's getting late, you should be getting home." She winced at how anxious she sounded for him to leave.

"Okay, well...Goodnight Guinevere." Rowland said sounding disappointed.

"Goodnight Rowland." she replied.

He had barley made it out of the door when Gwen called out to him.

"Rowland!"

He turned, a hopeful look on his handsome features.

"Yes Guinevere?"

"I think it would be best if we just remained friends. I'm sorry." she added sheepishly.

She watched him leave with his shoulders sagged and his head down, he looked like a lost puppy, and that made Gwen feel horrible.

Suddenly there was a dark figure that appeared before her, she jumped in surprise.

"Guinevere." It said flatly.

"Arthur, you gave me a fright. And how dare you spy on me!" She hissed the latter angrily.

"It's a good thing I did." he says just as angrily. With that statement, he pulled her body flush against his before his lips claimed hers in a searing kiss that made her weak at the knees. There was a statement in that kiss, that she was his and that he did not like what he saw that evening.

Guinevere managed to pull them apart, her eyes fluttering madly in the process. She had to take a moment to completely come to her senses and not succum to turning into a puddle of boneless goo on the floor, before her eyes flashed in a cross between disbelief and anger.

"Why were you staking out my house." She demanded still entrapped in his arms.

"To prevent the very thing that happened." He replied drily refusing to let her go completely.

"I could have handled it myself thank you." Gwen said stubbornly crossing her arms.

"Oh sure, because things were going just peachy before I just so happened to fall over a barrel." Arthur muttered darkly.

An amused light glinted in Guinevere's amber eyes. "You fell over a barrel?" she asked.

"I was kneeling on it to get a better view of you and Rowland."

"And just how long were you there?" She asked lifting an eyebrow.

"Does it matter! I saw enough, more than I wanted to anyway." He eyes turned an icly blue as he was reminded of that fact that another had kiss his Guinevere.

"No one told you to watch." She said smartly.

"What happened to keeping it platonic?" He asked.

"I didn't kiss him! He kissed me!" She said exasperated.

"You sure as hell didn't fight him off!"

"I was in shock!. You don't have to be such a bloody prat about it, if feel horrid enough without you thrusting it in my face." She said, her eyes starting to water.

Above all things, Arthur never wanted her to cry. "I'm sorry Guinevere."

"You know, you've been saying that alot lately." She sniffed.

"I know. It's just...when he kissed you...I wanted nothing more in that moment than to run him through." He said, softly thumbing away the stray tears.

"Arthur—"

"I don't like people touching what belongs to me." He said before kissing her fiercely again. "You are mine Guinevere, do you understand that, you belong to me."

Gwen stared at Arthur wide eyed thoroughly surprised by his possessive statement. She had never belonged to anyone before, so she she didn't know if she should be offended that he thought her similar to a possession to be won, or thrilled that he wanted her so.

"I'm not quite sure how to respond to that." She whispered.

"Just say you're mine." He said simply. A possessive fire raged in his cerulean orbs.

"Arthur, is that really necessary?" she asked.

"Please, just humor me." He begged.

Guinevere sighed. "I'm yours Arthur Pendragon. I shall belong to no other man as long as I live."

His shoulders released the tension Guinevere didn't even know was there. He took a deep breath through his nose as if to absorb the words she had just spoken.

"Say it again." He pleaded his beautiful face full of so much passion and love.

Guinevere obliged. "I love Arthur and only you. I desire no one else." She she said more forcibly staring directly into his eyes.

"And I you Guinevere. Nothing will ever change that."Arthur whispered, his lips grazing the shell of her ear. "Nothing."

A/N: I'm sorry you guys. I have no excuses. Consistency is not my forte... I'm not really fond of this chapter, it just seemed awkward and not structured, but I put it out because I said I would if you guys reviewed. You did, and I was sooo grateful, you don't know how good it makes my 15 year old heart feel:) I feel I should also say that I am once again disappointed in my dear Arthur for his choices in 'Lancelot du Lac'. I cried, and his stupid uncle drives me up the wall! Sorry, anyway, if you read please review, I'd love to hear feedback about it. If you don't I'd totally understand...Sorry about the double alert.