Guinevere is awake. The room is dark but her body knows that it is morning. She hears the slow heavy breathing of Arthur behind her. Perhaps one day I'll be able to sleep longer, she thinks. However, years of being up at dawn have been ingrained into her and she fears it will always be a habit.

Arthur is laying on his left side, sleeping deeply, his right hand resting on her bare hip under the covers. She reaches up with her left hand and places it on his. His hand moves under hers, registering her touch even in sleep, and his thumb strokes the curve of her waist. She considers turning and kissing him awake, like she did yesterday. And the day before that. She sighs. Not today, she thinks, he has a busy morning planned and I don't want to make him late. She slips out from under Arthur's arm and the bedclothes, reaches for the dressing gown she keeps hanging next to the bed, and slips it on. Arthur makes a strange sound in his sleep. Did he just whimper? she wonders, chuckling.

She sees their clothes strewn about the room, lying just where they landed after being passionately flung last night. She gathers them up and places them neatly across a chair. She knows Merlin would never say anything, but somehow that just makes it more embarrassing.

She walks over to the privacy screen and makes use of the chamber pot she has placed back there. Married just under a week ago, this is one intimate detail she isn't very keen on sharing with her new husband. She moved the pot behind the screen their first morning together, and Arthur, bless his heart, did not say a word about it.

It is a beautiful morning in late spring, and Gwen decides that she will take a walk to ensure that Arthur won't wake up with ideas in his head that she will not be able to resist. She crosses to the wardrobe that has been moved into Arthur's room containing her clothes, and selects trousers, a tunic, and some boots. Clothes suitable for going out and walking around in. She dresses, knowing Merlin will not come barging in until she has signaled that she is decent.

Once dressed, she walks over to the door, unlocks it, and opens it just a tiny bit to let Merlin know it is safe to come in. She walks back over, looks at her hair, decides to leave it braided as it was when she slept, and goes back to the door. She reaches it just as Merlin opens the door slowly, peeking in cautiously. He jumps when he sees how close Gwen is, and she laughs at him.

"Good morning, Merlin."

"Good morning, my lady."

"Oh, stop that."

"You're never going to get accustomed to it if you don't hear it. Besides, I enjoy it." He notices her attire. "Where are you off to?"

"Just taking a walk. I don't have anything to do now, and I need some activity."

"He's not going to like this," Merlin says, looking towards the sleeping figure in the bed.

"I'm not going to leave the castle grounds, Merlin," she says, rolling her eyes.

"He's still not going to like it."

"He will forgive me," Gwen says as she strolls out the door.

Merlin closes the door behind her, shrugs, and says, "Of course he will."

Merlin goes to the closed drapes at the window. A wicked grin creeps across his normally sweet face as he thinks, Well, if he's going to be mad, I may as well enjoy myself. He whips open the curtains, letting the bright sunlight in and says in a loud voice, "Rise and shine!"

Arthur opens one eye and fixes it on Merlin. Then he looks at the empty space next to him and grumbles, "Where's Guinevere?"

"She's gone out for a walk."

Arthur rises up on his elbows. "A walk? But…" he trails off. He looks profoundly disappointed. Merlin bites the insides of his cheeks to keep from smiling and quickly turns to Arthur's wardrobe.

"Unlike you, she remembered that you have an early start to your day today, and went out so she wouldn't be… a distraction," he says to the wardrobe. Arthur flops back down on to the bed. He is trying not to pout.

"Where, exactly, did she go?" Arthur demands.

"She promised she wouldn't leave the grounds."

"Good."

"Arthur, you needn't worry about her so much."

"Merlin…" Arthur warns.

"Yes, yes, we don't need to have this debate again. Now get out of bed."

"What for?"

"Early training, council meeting, guard inspection…"

"Is that all?"

"…and then there's Gwen's coronation to plan, not to mention the feast."

"What feast?"

"The coronation feast."

"What of it?"

"We need to have one."