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“Are toi sure toi are not coming? Lancelot wants me to persuade toi and he isn’t going to be satisfied with your answer, Arthur,” Gwen says as she arranges the vegetables inside the refrigerator. She did to do some shopping at Arthur on Merlin’s request. Though she didn’t know what the lads needed, she practically bought most of the vegetables and products on sale.
Arthur, seated at the dining table, shakes his head. “I have some things to get done here… sorry, sweetheart. Send my wishes to Morgana and tell Lancelot I’m sorry… oh, maybe I’ll tell him myself later,” he says.
Gwen arranges the cartons of lait neatly on the glass shelf, the berries on the left and the eggs on the egg shelf, yanks herself out and closes the door. She crumples the shopping bag in her hand, tosses it into the litter bin and moves over to nourriture cupboard. “I can do all that but Lancelot… he’s not going to like it,” she adds and arranges the dry foods on the appropriate shelves.
“I know darling, but…”
“Well, if that’s your wish, there’s nothing much I can do I suppose,” Gwen sighs, takes out a can of soda and walks towards Arthur.
“You sound disappointed,” Arthur guesses, noticing the grumpiness in Gwen’s voice.
“That’s because I am,” Gwen réponses shortly.
“Come on, I told you…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know!” she réponses again.
Arthur smiles and extends out his hand. At first she ignores it but after further pressing from Arthur, she takes it and he pulls her closer to him. Circling his arms around her waist, he reaches up and clips her chin. “I know this is a big disappointment for you, sweetheart, and how much it means to toi but I really can’t make it. I have some things to do, and… hope toi understand. Please don’t be gutted with me,” he asks, caressing her chin.
Gwen keeps quiet.
Noticing Gwen’s quietness, Arthur trails his hand to cup her cheek. “Is there any way I can make it up to toi for this?”
Gwen sighs. “I don’t know, Arthur…”
“Guinevere, please…”
Gwen feels her cœur, coeur sink. Watching and listening to Arthur pleading actually softens her and makes her feel guilty. There’s nothing wrong with him saying he doesn’t want to come along and there’s no reason why she should be upset about it. She looks at him and smiles when Arthur pouts his lips, pleading for his forgiveness. He looks cute when he does that and eventually Gwen will give way for that particular look. Just like now. “Fine,” she sighs.
“Don’t be angry with me…”
“I’m not angry at you, Arthur… so there’s no need to make it up to me.”
“But I want to. I might be blind but I can feel the hurt and disappointment in you.”
“Good,” She tells him flatly.
“Guinevere… I hope toi understand…”
“I do, Arthur. Like I told you, I’m not angry, hurt ou disappointed. I’m just curious why toi prefer to coop yourself up in your apartment when it’s best to spend some time with your Friends and myself, outside.”
Arthur laughs. “Just this one time, Guinevere, I promise. I have something really urgent to be done and I can’t déplacer anywhere without it getting done. But I promise the suivant time, no matter where toi invite me, I’ll follow.”
“Really?” Gwen asks.
“Really,” Arthur promises.
“All right then,” she réponses with a smile.
“You’re not angry, are you?” Arthur asks again.
“Nope.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah, promise,” Gwen finishes it shortly, playing with his hair.
“Thank you, Guinevere. When are toi leaving?”
“After lunch.”
“And when will toi be back?”
“Miss me already?” she laughs teasingly.
“I miss toi all the time,” Arthur smiles and kisses Gwen’s hand. “But I need to know when you’ll be back.”
“Probably evening, why?”
“Can toi come over for a short while?”
“Why?” she asks again.
“No questions please… just do me this favour, all right?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks,” he answers.
“But I’m still curious why toi need me back here,” Gwen eyes him keenly.
“Trust me… you’ll be in for a surprise,” he says.
Gwen smirks and runs her hand through his hair. Arthur closes his eyes and savours the sensuous feeling creeping up him. He loves it when she does that and he could let her go on for hours, savouring her fingers in his hair. Just when Gwen bends down to joint, joint d’étanchéité her lips with his; the doorbell rings. She sighs and straightens herself. “Saved par the bell,” she remarks to herself, leaves Arthur and walks towards the door. Clutching the knob in frustration at being interrupted, she pulls the door open only to stand petrified looking at the person outside the apartment.
“Hello, Guinevere, is Arthur in?” Elena asks, standing with her hands clasped together.
“He… he… hello,” Gwen stammers.
Elena smiles and waits for Gwen to invite her in.
Realising she hasn’t moved ou spoken since finding out Elena standing outside the door, Gwen shakes her head and steps back. “I’m sorry… I was just… please, come in,” she invites and urges Elena to enter.
Elena steps in and looks around.
“Arthur’s in the kitchen,” Gwen réponses as if lire Elena’s mind.
“Thank you.”
“Who is it, Guinevere?” Arthur’s voice is heard from the kitchen. Both Elena and Gwen smile at each other, listening to him.
“Maybe toi should surprise him,” Gwen suggests.
“I’m not sure if he’ll like it.”
“Trust me, he will,” Gwen says and leads the way as Elena follows closely behind.
“Guinevere?” Arthur calls out, his face worried as Gwen hasn’t answered his call a while ago.
“Yes, I’m here, Arthur.”
“Who is it? Was someone at the door?” Arthur asks as Gwen comes around and stands beside him while Elena stands quietly in a distance from them, her eyes fixed solely on both Arthur and Gwen.
“Yes,” Gwen answers.
“Who is it?”
“Someone you’ve known since childhood.”
“Merlin?”
“Nope… someone toi hold very close to your heart,” Gwen tells him, looking Elena.
“Elena? Is she here?” he straightens up, his face brightening immediately.
Elena looks up at Gwen immediately. Her eyes are both questioning and surprised. Surely Arthur wouldn’t have known of her presence? But he does. And he guesses right as well! How? Perhaps Gwen is right after all. He does think of her and this is a proof that he does. Gwen winks at her and clasps Arthur’s hands warmly.
“Guinevere? Is she here? Elena… are toi here? Why are toi not talking to me? Are toi still gutted after that night? Elena?”
“Arthur?” Elena calls softly.
“You’re here!” he says excitedly.
“Yes I am Arthur. I came to see you,” Elena says. And that’s the truth.
Gwen watches both Elena and Arthur struggling to talk with one another and she suspects her presence around could be one reason why. They both need to talk and she is just going to be a barrier between them, so it’s best she be gone. She does have a place to attend and it will be perfect if she can take her leave now. She squeezes Arthur’s shoulder.
“Guinevere?”
“I have to go, Arthur. I’m going to leave toi both alone,” she tells him, almost in a whisper.
Arthur catches her hand and clasps it tightly. Gwen pats it gently, realising his grip is unusually tight.
“It’s all right, Arthur. Everything will be good, trust me. Have a good time together and be nice, all right?”
“You promise to come here once you’ve returned?”
“I will, promise,” she tells him warmly, bends down and kisses him on his lips. Elena looks away. Gwen releases Arthur, caresses his cheek and looks up at Elena.
“Elena?” she calls her.
“Yes?” Elena turns back at Gwen. Her cœur, coeur is still aching watching Gwen Kiss Arthur. But what can she do? He chose her and she Lost her opportunity. Now, she must avaler, hirondelle her pride and get matters solved as smoothly as ever.
“I have to leave to meet a friend of mine so, can toi stay with him until Merlin arrives?”
“Until Merlin… ermm…” Elena isn’t sure because she does have an appointment with her dermatologist at three.
“Merlin will be here at noon, could use the help,” Gwen asks.
“Erm … All right then, sure,” Elena agrees.
“Thanks, bye Arthur,” Gwen says and leaves. Arthur holds on to Gwen until her hand is completely out of his reach and Elena watches how close both Gwen and Arthur are. Gwen picks her manteau and bag and leaves, closing the door behind her.
Elena clears her throat.
“Elena?”
“Yes Arthur,”
“I was wondering if you’d ever come… thank toi for coming.”
“I wanted to talk, Arthur.” Elena removes her manteau and hangs it on the chair and sets her handbag on the table. She circles around the table, pulls out a chair and sits opposite Arthur.
“About what happened?” he guesses.
“Yes,” she réponses shortly. “So, that’s her?”
“Yes, Guinevere.”
“She’s pretty,” Elena leans and crosses her leg.
“I wouldn’t know, Elena… I have never seen her,”
“Yet toi l’amour her?”
“Elena…” this is not starting off as well as he wants.
“No, I mean it as a compliment. toi haven’t seen her and toi l’amour her, but… you’ve seen me and can’t find a reason to l’amour me? It’s kinda weird, isn’t it? What is it toi find in her that toi couldn’t do in me?”
“Elena, is this why…”
“Arthur, look…” Elena cuts him first. “I’m not here to argue with toi ou hurt each other further. I’ve had torrid time with that already… I just needed to know something and I’m expecting honesty from you. I guess I didn’t give toi room to explain the other night, so I’m granting toi that now. Just tell me what toi see in her. Please.”
Arthur swallows. This is going to be harder than he thought. He knows Elena expects réponses but how is he going to give her without hurting anyone. Will she be able to handle whatever he gives her? Will she throw another tantrum? ou will she use this against him later? Arthur doesn’t know why is she here ou why is she demanding the réponses from him though he knows he should give her one. But, how will he put it into words?
“Arthur?”
“Elena…” Arthur sighs and gets to his feet. He taps his way to the mur and stands there, leaning his head against it. “I don’t know how…” he pauses. How is he going to do this? “Guinevere and you… are different in many ways,” he begins and pauses again. “I’m not saying toi and she are… miles apart, no… that’s not what I mean, but… it’s…”
“Arthur, I know why it’s hard for toi to tell me this, but trust me, I really want to know. Just tell me, please.”
“You are my friend Elena, that’s how I’ve seen toi all my life and will do forever, but it’s different with Guinevere, because I felt something connecting us from the moment we met. toi are right, Elena. I have never seen her, nor have I known her before recently, but still, I feel connected… there was chemistry, a feeling between us that I have never felt that with you. With Guinevere, I feel a feu in my heart, but I never felt that feu with you.”
Elena thumbs off a tear from her cheek. She knew this was coming and yet she wanted to hope. She thought there might be another reason but she is wrong. She hates hearing this but since she started it, she has to finish it.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Elena, but I never wanted it to end like this and I didn’t think toi thought differently of my kindness. I never in my life ever behaved ou thought of toi plus than a friend. If I did in any way gave toi a different impression, than I am truly sorry.”
“When?” Elena pauses as she chokes back her tears. “When did toi meet her?”
“When I was in the hospital. She paid me a visit and after that our paths crossed plus than we thought. It was like… destiny. We kept bumping into each other and became friends. Friendship blossomed into l’amour and now, we can’t keep ourselves away from each other. I l’amour her, Elena. I have never felt happier with anyone else than I am with her. I… can’t explain how I feel because the l’amour we feel is wordless. It’s beautiful and poignant in our future. We need each other and I can’t imagine a world without her, Elena. Do toi understand?”
Elena wasn’t listening because her cœur, coeur is aching, scorching and tearing in pieces. She loved him but after discovering his l’amour belongs to someone else, she knows the heartbreak will be devastating. And it will take ages to cure. But despite the heartbreak, she feels the l’amour that flows between Arthur and Gwen. She saw how close they are, how loving they have been and Arthur is right, they belong with one another.
“If I marry toi Elena, I can never make toi happy and we will both strive to maintain a loveless and unhappy marriage. But if toi still want that, I can give toi that sort of marriage. But trust me, it’s not something toi want,”
“And what about Guinevere? If toi marry me, what’ll happen to her?”
“She’s tough Elena. And this is in fact her idea. She told me she’d rather spend a minute with my l’amour than live a thousand years without me. So if I decide to marry you, she’d be happy to carry on with my memories.”
Elena is awed. She hasn’t the chance to know Gwen better but from what she hears from Arthur, now she knows why he is in l’amour with her. She’s kind, honest and respects the feelings of others. She is willing to give Arthur away as long as Elena is happy despite not knowing anything about her. Elena has never come across anyone like Gwen in her life before. But now, she’s glad she did. Suddenly her cœur, coeur lifts and her sorrow subsides. She is still nursing her pain but she is happy Arthur found someone who can keep him happy. She suddenly understands l’amour and a new sense of appreciation for l’amour dawns upon her.
“Elena?”
“I’m here, Arthur. You… are still willing to marry me if Gwen tells toi so?”
“Yes, and I won’t lie to you, Elena. I would do it for her,” he puts it firmly and turns around to meet her.
Elena wipes the tears streaking down her cheek and closes on him. She reaches out and takes his hand. “I came here with a hope Arthur, hope that toi might, just might have a change of cœur, coeur and accept me. But I was wrong and I know what Gwen means to toi now. I understand l’amour better, thanks to yours,” she tells him. “I thought all this while that I knew about love, but I didn’t. I didn’t understand it as good as toi did but now I do… thank you,”
“Elena, I hope toi are not disappointed with me.”
“Off course not, Arthur. I am thankful toi are being honest with me. Since you’ve been frank, I will do the same, so… I won’t lie. I am hurt, in pain and devastatingly cœur, coeur broken. But I am also freed from the cage that puts us both together. Knowing toi have never loved me means I am no longer bound par the promise your father made mine. I am now my own person, free to make my own choice. And I will make one with my heart, no longer with my head. I will find someone who loves me as I l’amour him. And thanks to you, I will have better understanding of l’amour from now on.”
“I am happy to hear this, Elena.”
“Thank you, Arthur, and… toi couldn’t have found a better person than Gwen. Keep her happy, Arthur, I know toi will. I apologise for all the misunderstandings and… for everything.”
“Elena, I am partly to be blamed, too.”
“I hope my father understands when I tell him,”
“I am sure he was looking at your interests, Elena. Can’t really blame him, toi know?” Arthur replies.
“What about your father?”
“He’ll come around,” Arthur says and he isn’t sure if Uther will do that. Knowing how temperamental his father is, Arthur is hoping Elena’s father will solve the matter quickly.
“Well, what now?” Elena asks, looking around, releasing him.
“Can toi stay with me until Merlin arrives?”
“Sure, I promised Gwen I would… let’s head to the front and toi can tell everything about Gwen. I like to know her better,” Elena tells Arthur, rushes to get her bag and coat, walks back to him, takes his hand and leads him to the living room.
Arthur smiles and follows her quietly. He is happy with Elena’s change of heart, but it surprises him how quickly she turned over a new leaf. He ignores his suspicions when he recalls her words. She seems genuine and Arthur is willing to trust her. Elena’s only fault was to fall in l’amour with him, and apart from that, she is a good girl. She has been a good friend of his for years and still remains so. And that alone is enough for Arthur to put his full trust in her. Perhaps one jour when she meets her own man, she will understand. And until that, Arthur is happy to teach her about love.
Gwen switches on the light in Arthur’s apartment and walks inside, dropping her bag on the couch, searching for him. “Arthur?” she calls out. There’s no answer. She walks ahead and reaches the kitchen. There is a cake on the table, tableau with one candle lighted on haut, retour au début of the cake. Gwen nears the cake and takes a look. The words Guinevere, my l’amour are written on the cake. Gwen smiles, swipes the cream and licks it. It was creamy coffee flavoured icing and Gwen licks off all the cream from her fingers and looks around. There is still no sign of Arthur and she arches her brow. ‘Where could he be?’ she thinks and takes another swipe of cream. And then she notices the small note beside the cake. She licks off the remaining cream and picks the note, unfolding to read the contents. ‘Come to my room.’ Gwen reads it twice to fully absorb it and looks behind, towards Arthur’s room. The content might be a little fishy but is Arthur in there? She leaves the note on the table, tableau and walks towards Arthur’s room. “Arthur?” she calls as she enters the room.
“Wait there Guinevere!”
“Arthur?” Gwen really can’t see anything as the room is dark. The only light in the room came from streaks of moonlight creeping silently from the window. But it was enough for Gwen to notice someone kneeling par the bed. It is Arthur.
“Arthur…” Gwen steps vers l'avant, vers l’avant but Arthur’s voice cuts her off immediately.
“Guinevere, please… not another step forward,” he tells her.
“But why? Why are toi kneeling down?”
“Because there is something I need to give you.”
“Arthur, what…”
“Guinevere, it’s all right. Just listen and don’t say a word until I have finished, yeah. This is something I’ve been planning for a long time and I don’t want to lose another day, putting it off.”
“You’re scaring me, Arthur.”
“I’m trying not to, but I need toi to listen patiently. Just ours with me, Guinevere.”
“All right.”
“All right,” Arthur takes a deep breath and waits patiently. When he is confident enough, he starts. “Our meeting came par an accident. I still think it’s funny that we should traverser, croix paths in such an incredulous manner, but now it makes sense. It was destiny. toi and I were destined to meet each other and I mean this not just based on our meeting but on every other detail that surrounds our encounter. My accident, your father’s death, your hatred and my guilt… they all were reasons. And they make sense, too,” he laughs nervously. “But I was relieved to meet toi Guinevere, because something about your presence in the hospital that jour gave me hope.” He sighs. “I was tired, Guinevere, tired of living and tired of pretending, but all that changed the moment toi stepped in. Your charm, your spirit and your strength Charmed its way into my cœur, coeur and it left such an impression that I was looking vers l'avant, vers l’avant to meeting toi again. But that never happened and toi know the rest don’t you?” Arthur says. “But what I’m trying to say is, you… Guinevere, toi a volé, étole my cœur, coeur from the very first jour I heard your voice. toi left an impression in me, toi Charmed me, Il était une fois me… I can go on and use as many words there are in the dictionary to describe that particular moment but nothing can come close to explain the way my cœur, coeur beats each time I hear you. Yes… it still does, Guinevere, though I don’t montrer it on my face, it does,” he laughs again. This time he hears Gwen laughing too. ‘Good, she hasn’t left’ he thinks.
“I always thought God abandoned me since my mother’s death, my father’s neglect and my luckless life, but he didn’t. Because he kept the biggest surprise from me all this time and I am glad he did. toi are my light, Guinevere. toi are my beacon of hope and I don’t want to lose out on toi again. I’ve thirsted for l’amour since my mother’s death and toi filled that void; toi gave me l’amour and I want to give toi something plus than just love. I want to give toi my promise, my life, my body and my soul. I want to bind this relationship into an unbreakable bond.”
“And I can do that only par sealing this relationship, Guinevere,” Arthur says and pauses. This is the hardest part and he has only a couple plus lines to complete his task but as he nears the very important line, his cœur, coeur rams faster. He feels sweat trickling down his forehead, down his lids and he ignores it. He is wondering what Guinevere is be thinking right now. Will she like what he is about to offer?
“Guinevere, I… l’amour toi very much. I can never think of a life without toi and I can never live without you, not even a second. toi brought back happiness in my life and I haven’t donné toi anything at all…”
“Arthur …”
“No, Guinevere… let me finish. I want toi in my life forever… till eternity. I want us to have a future together. So, the only way we can have that is to joint, joint d’étanchéité our l’amour with something powerful, like… matrimony,” Arthur licks his lips. His cœur, coeur beats like a drum in his ribcage while his stomach churns. He is nervous and scared, afraid of what she might say. He braves himself and sighs, taking in huge gulps of air. No matter what she might say, Arthur has to respect her decision and though it’ll pain him, this is something he must accept. But he is confident she might accept what he is about to offer. “Guinevere, will toi do the honour of becoming my wife?” He finally says it and await the results nervously.
Gwen feels her world spinning. She didn’t anticipate this; not from Arthur and not so soon. She is petrified. She didn’t know how to arrange her words to form the sentences. Arthur has a dit his part and now it was her turn. But will she say? Arthur is surely expecting an answer and does she has one? She loves him, but marriage so soon after her father’s death is not in her plan at the moment. She knew someway down the road, she will commit herself but is she ready now? She thinks back to the night Arthur came to dîner and impressed Elyan. There have been constant taunts of brother in law inserted in their conversation and later on the way home, Arthur did mention about marriage but she didn’t think he means it! She seriously thought he was joking but now it seems he wasn’t. Gwen sighs and looks uneasily at Arthur. What is she going to tell him?
“Guinevere?”
“I’m here, Arthur…” she steps closer and kneels down in front of him. She takes his hand.
“No… toi have to stand up, that’s how it should be,” Arthur jokes. Gwen smiles and kisses both his hands.
“Is something wrong, Guinevere?”
“No, Arthur…” she lies and watches him. She loves him and there’s no doubt in that but why is she afraid of what he’s offering? Why is her cœur, coeur sinking down the moment he asked her to marry him? Why?
“So?”
“Arthur…”
Arthur’s smile fades as he recognizes the tone. She seems unsure and he recognizes it immediately. It disturbs him and his face darkens with hurt. He lowers his face.
Gwen’s cœur, coeur tugs the moment she sees him sinking. She didn’t want it to be this way but how will she explain it to him without hurting him? She reaches and cups his cheek. Lifting his face up, she caresses his cheek. “Arthur, I…”
“Don’t say it Guinevere,” he stops her, removing her hand from his face. “What ever toi have, please don’t say it. Don’t tell me…”
“But I…”
“No, I’ve been hurt far too long and too much and I can’t accept another rejection in my life. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to force toi to accept me. I respect your wishes and if this is what toi want, I’m happy for you. Your happiness means the world to me so if this is how it’s supposed to be, then so be it. But please don’t say that word… I’d rather not hear it.”
“But if toi don’t hear my reason, then…?”
“I don’t blame you, Guinevere. I understand why toi decided such, but… I just don’t want to hear toi say it, because it’ll break my heart. I’d rather live on with hope than to carry on without one. Please… try to understand it,” Arthur says.
And that was it. Those words were enough to convince Gwen to rethink her decision. She was sad to see him hurt and wished there had been another solution for this matter, but the moment Arthur assures her that he is fine with her decision and fully stands par her, she knows she’ll be making a big mistake; the biggest in her life if she decides to reject his hand in marriage. She will not find another man like Arthur and like he said, they are both destined for each other. If she refuses him now, God will find another route to bring them both together again. She was afraid, nervous and edgy with the thought of starting a family so soon; but somehow later on in her life she will have to eventually do so… so what’s the big difference anyway? par rejecting his hand in marriage, she would hurt him again, and this was something she promised herself not to repeat regardless what the situation is. So if that occurs again, and if he is hurt beyond words she will not be able to forgive herself.
Gwen watches him keenly. He is hurt and clearly disappointed with the way the events have turned out. Gwen is sorry to have caused this uneasiness in him but she is also thinking about his words. The way he handles her refusal, without eventually hearing it, makes her proud. He understands her, seems to put her first before him and it’s a trait not easily available on most guys she came across before. And his word, those strong words gives her strength, security and encouragement. To be honest, she has been afraid of committing to marriage, but after listening to what he said; Arthur is the one she wants to have her future with. And she isn’t afraid to commit with him. She beams with hope and excitement. The worry and nervousness she felt earlier is now replaced with happiness and excitement. Arthur is still sad and she wants to let him know about her change of cœur, coeur but she plans to do it in a way he likes it. She leans forward, bends to her left a little and grazes his lips with his. But he keeps his lips sealed tightly. She smiles and nibbles his lips; stirring Arthur’s well cocooned passion.
“Guinevere…”
As his lips part, she thrusts her tongue inside, catching him par surprise. She hears him gasp but ignores as she drinks in his love. Though her action catches him off guard, Arthur immediately regains his guard, responds to Gwen and lifts his hand to cercle her back, pulling her close. His chest crushes against her bosom, weakening Gwen as Arthur presses his lips demandingly. Gwen feels her cœur, coeur throbbing as Arthur teases, probes and drinks greedily. One hand of his leaves her back and trails back to cup her cheek, stroking it gently. Gwen gasps and Arthur takes that opportunity to trail down to her neck, placing soft kisses all along her nape. Gwen opens her eyes, lifts his face and places a Kiss on his forehead.
“I accept Arthur,” she says.
At first Arthur thought he is dreaming. But after she repeats herself, he knows he isn’t dreaming anymore. A smile flashes on his face and he cups her cheek with both hands. “You… what?” he has to hear it again.
“I will become your wife,”
“Oh, my… I l’amour toi Guinevere!” and he presses his lips against hers, hard and hungry. Gwen reaches up and circles her hand around his neck while Arthur keeps his lips cemented against hers. Only after a while he releases her yet he still trails short kisses all over her face, along her jaw line and finally her forehead.
“And I l’amour you, Arthur.”
“Wait…” Arthur releases her and digs into his manteau and fishes out a small box. Gwen’s cœur, coeur races. Could it be…?
“I want toi to have this, Guinevere,” Arthur says and opens the lid of the box. Inside, lays a or and platinum band with a three carat blue diamond surrounded par smaller brilliants. The combination is striking and Gwen is in awe, looking at it. She looks up at Arthur, quite not believing what she sees.
“Arthur, this is… beautiful.”
“It’ll fit you… please, help me remove it from the box,” he requests and she does like he instructs. She places the ring on his palm and waits. Arthur feels the ring with his fingers and takes her hand, carefully searches for her finger and with care, he slips the ring into her ring finger.
Gwen feels her eyes moist as she watches the ring slips around her finger with ease. Her cœur, coeur tugs and she just wants to savour this moment all jour long. Once Arthur has slipped the ring, Gwen lifts it up and admires the beauty of the workmanship. “It’s beautiful, Arthur.”
“Thank Merlin… he had it done and I suppose he did a brilliant job?”
“He nailed it,” she tells him. “Thank you.”
“Let’s celebrate, Guinevere, let’s go out.”
“Sure…” Gwen says and gets up and helps Arthur to get back on his feet.
As soon as he stands up, a sting of pain shoots up his knee casquette, cap and he grimaces, clutching his knee. Gwen bends down and places her hand over his knee, looking worried.
“Are toi all right, Arthur?”
“Yeah, I’m fine… I’ve been on my knees too long, I guess…”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”
“I didn’t know when you’d be back and I wanted to be ready when toi arrived so I decided to wait on my knees.”
“All this while Arthur?” Gwen is shocked.
“Hmmm…”
“God… toi had no idea when I’d be back… what if I didn’t, how long would toi wait?”
“For as long as I needed, I suppose,” Arthur says with a smile as he massages his knee softly.
“Oh, Arthur…” Gwen is moved. Her cœur, coeur goes out to him and she just wants to give him a big warm hug. “I am truly sorry,”
“No, don’t be, love… it was all worth it,” he finishes.
Gwen sighs and helps him to stand up straight. Arthur grimaces as he begins to walk but as they head out from the room, the pain starts to lessen. Gwen picks up his manteau and supports him out, his hand around her waist. “Where shall we go?” she asks.
“Your choice…” he tells her.
Uther is finalizing the financial plan for suivant an in his study. The reports are well prepared par his accountant and he is keen to see the plan put into action suivant year. If everything goes according to plan, his company will reap plus profits than they do this year. He puts his signature at the end of the plan and flips the seconde page. But his concentration is diverted par the hurried knock on the door. Uther looks up from his work, frustrated being interrupted.
“Who is it?’
“Geoffrey, sir… there is a phone call for toi from Mr. Godwyn. Shall I put it through?”
“Godwyn… right,” Uther says and he hears Geoffrey walking away. After five minutes, the phone on his bureau rings. Uther picks it up.
“Hello?”
“Uther?”
“Yes, Godwyn… what is it? Is something wrong?”
“No, I’m fine… fine, actually and better than I expected,” Godwyn says from the other side of the line. His voice seems cheerful and all the anger he unleashed at Uther before has vaporized.
“You seem happy.”
“Of course I am … remember I asked toi to convince Arthur to marry Elena some days back?”
“Yeah… about that, Godwyn.”
“Well, forget it, Uther. There’s no need for toi to do that anymore because my daughter isn’t interested in him any longer.”
“WHAT?”
“Don’t sound too stunned, Uther… we knew this was on the cards all the time but we decided to keep quiet, didn’t we? I kept it quiet because of my l’amour for Elena and toi did because of your l’amour for power and money. toi didn’t care for your son’s welfare, Uther, only yours… everyone knew that, including me, but I opted to keep quiet for my daughter. But now that she isn’t interested in this agreement any more, I won’t be wasting my time.”
“Wait, wait, Godwyn… I don’t understand. Why did Elena… I mean, why the sudden change?”
“She Lost interest in him, that’s what she told me. She a dit she wanted a marriage based on l’amour not infatuation ou promises. She wants commitment from both sides and it’s obvious she stands alone in this matter. Which is why she decided to bring this agreement to an end.”
“And toi agree with it?”
“Of course I do Uther! Elena is my daughter, the pomme of my eye and I care for her well being only. Everything else comes in second, so if she’s unhappy with your son and wants to end it, I am fine with it. She wants to pursue her education and meet someone who will l’amour her as she is. This is the life she chooses and as long as she is happy, I am fine with it,”
“But the promise…”
“Uther,” Godwyn sounds pretty disgusted from the other side of the line. “As far as I know, this arrangement was in your best interests and no one else’s. And I know toi will be reaping plus rewards and benefits than my daughter ou your son through this marriage and I would have donné it to toi blindly if Elena chose your son. But she doesn’t anymore, and with that I have end the agreement and carry on with my life. We will still remain Friends and partners in business but other than that, it’s a closed deal. Get it? Now… I am sure Arthur will be happy with this news and I’m giving toi the liberty to pass this news to him personally. He is a good boy, Uther, and toi should pay plus attention to him. Let me know when he’s getting married and I’ll inform toi of Elena’s… goodnight Uther,” and the line goes dead.
Uther holds the receiver, staring at the mur in front of him like a man hypnotized. The line goes from long stretching sound to beeps and any moment now the line will start alarming off. Uther stirs and places the receiver back properly and leans back against his chair. Godwyn’s conversation plays back in his head and he couldn’t find the words to describe how pissed and disgusted he is right now.
‘This is all your fault!’ he thinks in anger. ‘You ruined everything!!’ he slams the side of his chair. ‘You will pay… toi will pay for this. I will never let toi near my son!!’ he hisses bitterly and pounds his table.
“Are toi sure toi are not coming? Lancelot wants me to persuade toi and he isn’t going to be satisfied with your answer, Arthur,” Gwen says as she arranges the vegetables inside the refrigerator. She did to do some shopping at Arthur on Merlin’s request. Though she didn’t know what the lads needed, she practically bought most of the vegetables and products on sale.
Arthur, seated at the dining table, shakes his head. “I have some things to get done here… sorry, sweetheart. Send my wishes to Morgana and tell Lancelot I’m sorry… oh, maybe I’ll tell him myself later,” he says.
Gwen arranges the cartons of lait neatly on the glass shelf, the berries on the left and the eggs on the egg shelf, yanks herself out and closes the door. She crumples the shopping bag in her hand, tosses it into the litter bin and moves over to nourriture cupboard. “I can do all that but Lancelot… he’s not going to like it,” she adds and arranges the dry foods on the appropriate shelves.
“I know darling, but…”
“Well, if that’s your wish, there’s nothing much I can do I suppose,” Gwen sighs, takes out a can of soda and walks towards Arthur.
“You sound disappointed,” Arthur guesses, noticing the grumpiness in Gwen’s voice.
“That’s because I am,” Gwen réponses shortly.
“Come on, I told you…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know!” she réponses again.
Arthur smiles and extends out his hand. At first she ignores it but after further pressing from Arthur, she takes it and he pulls her closer to him. Circling his arms around her waist, he reaches up and clips her chin. “I know this is a big disappointment for you, sweetheart, and how much it means to toi but I really can’t make it. I have some things to do, and… hope toi understand. Please don’t be gutted with me,” he asks, caressing her chin.
Gwen keeps quiet.
Noticing Gwen’s quietness, Arthur trails his hand to cup her cheek. “Is there any way I can make it up to toi for this?”
Gwen sighs. “I don’t know, Arthur…”
“Guinevere, please…”
Gwen feels her cœur, coeur sink. Watching and listening to Arthur pleading actually softens her and makes her feel guilty. There’s nothing wrong with him saying he doesn’t want to come along and there’s no reason why she should be upset about it. She looks at him and smiles when Arthur pouts his lips, pleading for his forgiveness. He looks cute when he does that and eventually Gwen will give way for that particular look. Just like now. “Fine,” she sighs.
“Don’t be angry with me…”
“I’m not angry at you, Arthur… so there’s no need to make it up to me.”
“But I want to. I might be blind but I can feel the hurt and disappointment in you.”
“Good,” She tells him flatly.
“Guinevere… I hope toi understand…”
“I do, Arthur. Like I told you, I’m not angry, hurt ou disappointed. I’m just curious why toi prefer to coop yourself up in your apartment when it’s best to spend some time with your Friends and myself, outside.”
Arthur laughs. “Just this one time, Guinevere, I promise. I have something really urgent to be done and I can’t déplacer anywhere without it getting done. But I promise the suivant time, no matter where toi invite me, I’ll follow.”
“Really?” Gwen asks.
“Really,” Arthur promises.
“All right then,” she réponses with a smile.
“You’re not angry, are you?” Arthur asks again.
“Nope.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah, promise,” Gwen finishes it shortly, playing with his hair.
“Thank you, Guinevere. When are toi leaving?”
“After lunch.”
“And when will toi be back?”
“Miss me already?” she laughs teasingly.
“I miss toi all the time,” Arthur smiles and kisses Gwen’s hand. “But I need to know when you’ll be back.”
“Probably evening, why?”
“Can toi come over for a short while?”
“Why?” she asks again.
“No questions please… just do me this favour, all right?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks,” he answers.
“But I’m still curious why toi need me back here,” Gwen eyes him keenly.
“Trust me… you’ll be in for a surprise,” he says.
Gwen smirks and runs her hand through his hair. Arthur closes his eyes and savours the sensuous feeling creeping up him. He loves it when she does that and he could let her go on for hours, savouring her fingers in his hair. Just when Gwen bends down to joint, joint d’étanchéité her lips with his; the doorbell rings. She sighs and straightens herself. “Saved par the bell,” she remarks to herself, leaves Arthur and walks towards the door. Clutching the knob in frustration at being interrupted, she pulls the door open only to stand petrified looking at the person outside the apartment.
“Hello, Guinevere, is Arthur in?” Elena asks, standing with her hands clasped together.
“He… he… hello,” Gwen stammers.
Elena smiles and waits for Gwen to invite her in.
Realising she hasn’t moved ou spoken since finding out Elena standing outside the door, Gwen shakes her head and steps back. “I’m sorry… I was just… please, come in,” she invites and urges Elena to enter.
Elena steps in and looks around.
“Arthur’s in the kitchen,” Gwen réponses as if lire Elena’s mind.
“Thank you.”
“Who is it, Guinevere?” Arthur’s voice is heard from the kitchen. Both Elena and Gwen smile at each other, listening to him.
“Maybe toi should surprise him,” Gwen suggests.
“I’m not sure if he’ll like it.”
“Trust me, he will,” Gwen says and leads the way as Elena follows closely behind.
“Guinevere?” Arthur calls out, his face worried as Gwen hasn’t answered his call a while ago.
“Yes, I’m here, Arthur.”
“Who is it? Was someone at the door?” Arthur asks as Gwen comes around and stands beside him while Elena stands quietly in a distance from them, her eyes fixed solely on both Arthur and Gwen.
“Yes,” Gwen answers.
“Who is it?”
“Someone you’ve known since childhood.”
“Merlin?”
“Nope… someone toi hold very close to your heart,” Gwen tells him, looking Elena.
“Elena? Is she here?” he straightens up, his face brightening immediately.
Elena looks up at Gwen immediately. Her eyes are both questioning and surprised. Surely Arthur wouldn’t have known of her presence? But he does. And he guesses right as well! How? Perhaps Gwen is right after all. He does think of her and this is a proof that he does. Gwen winks at her and clasps Arthur’s hands warmly.
“Guinevere? Is she here? Elena… are toi here? Why are toi not talking to me? Are toi still gutted after that night? Elena?”
“Arthur?” Elena calls softly.
“You’re here!” he says excitedly.
“Yes I am Arthur. I came to see you,” Elena says. And that’s the truth.
Gwen watches both Elena and Arthur struggling to talk with one another and she suspects her presence around could be one reason why. They both need to talk and she is just going to be a barrier between them, so it’s best she be gone. She does have a place to attend and it will be perfect if she can take her leave now. She squeezes Arthur’s shoulder.
“Guinevere?”
“I have to go, Arthur. I’m going to leave toi both alone,” she tells him, almost in a whisper.
Arthur catches her hand and clasps it tightly. Gwen pats it gently, realising his grip is unusually tight.
“It’s all right, Arthur. Everything will be good, trust me. Have a good time together and be nice, all right?”
“You promise to come here once you’ve returned?”
“I will, promise,” she tells him warmly, bends down and kisses him on his lips. Elena looks away. Gwen releases Arthur, caresses his cheek and looks up at Elena.
“Elena?” she calls her.
“Yes?” Elena turns back at Gwen. Her cœur, coeur is still aching watching Gwen Kiss Arthur. But what can she do? He chose her and she Lost her opportunity. Now, she must avaler, hirondelle her pride and get matters solved as smoothly as ever.
“I have to leave to meet a friend of mine so, can toi stay with him until Merlin arrives?”
“Until Merlin… ermm…” Elena isn’t sure because she does have an appointment with her dermatologist at three.
“Merlin will be here at noon, could use the help,” Gwen asks.
“Erm … All right then, sure,” Elena agrees.
“Thanks, bye Arthur,” Gwen says and leaves. Arthur holds on to Gwen until her hand is completely out of his reach and Elena watches how close both Gwen and Arthur are. Gwen picks her manteau and bag and leaves, closing the door behind her.
Elena clears her throat.
“Elena?”
“Yes Arthur,”
“I was wondering if you’d ever come… thank toi for coming.”
“I wanted to talk, Arthur.” Elena removes her manteau and hangs it on the chair and sets her handbag on the table. She circles around the table, pulls out a chair and sits opposite Arthur.
“About what happened?” he guesses.
“Yes,” she réponses shortly. “So, that’s her?”
“Yes, Guinevere.”
“She’s pretty,” Elena leans and crosses her leg.
“I wouldn’t know, Elena… I have never seen her,”
“Yet toi l’amour her?”
“Elena…” this is not starting off as well as he wants.
“No, I mean it as a compliment. toi haven’t seen her and toi l’amour her, but… you’ve seen me and can’t find a reason to l’amour me? It’s kinda weird, isn’t it? What is it toi find in her that toi couldn’t do in me?”
“Elena, is this why…”
“Arthur, look…” Elena cuts him first. “I’m not here to argue with toi ou hurt each other further. I’ve had torrid time with that already… I just needed to know something and I’m expecting honesty from you. I guess I didn’t give toi room to explain the other night, so I’m granting toi that now. Just tell me what toi see in her. Please.”
Arthur swallows. This is going to be harder than he thought. He knows Elena expects réponses but how is he going to give her without hurting anyone. Will she be able to handle whatever he gives her? Will she throw another tantrum? ou will she use this against him later? Arthur doesn’t know why is she here ou why is she demanding the réponses from him though he knows he should give her one. But, how will he put it into words?
“Arthur?”
“Elena…” Arthur sighs and gets to his feet. He taps his way to the mur and stands there, leaning his head against it. “I don’t know how…” he pauses. How is he going to do this? “Guinevere and you… are different in many ways,” he begins and pauses again. “I’m not saying toi and she are… miles apart, no… that’s not what I mean, but… it’s…”
“Arthur, I know why it’s hard for toi to tell me this, but trust me, I really want to know. Just tell me, please.”
“You are my friend Elena, that’s how I’ve seen toi all my life and will do forever, but it’s different with Guinevere, because I felt something connecting us from the moment we met. toi are right, Elena. I have never seen her, nor have I known her before recently, but still, I feel connected… there was chemistry, a feeling between us that I have never felt that with you. With Guinevere, I feel a feu in my heart, but I never felt that feu with you.”
Elena thumbs off a tear from her cheek. She knew this was coming and yet she wanted to hope. She thought there might be another reason but she is wrong. She hates hearing this but since she started it, she has to finish it.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Elena, but I never wanted it to end like this and I didn’t think toi thought differently of my kindness. I never in my life ever behaved ou thought of toi plus than a friend. If I did in any way gave toi a different impression, than I am truly sorry.”
“When?” Elena pauses as she chokes back her tears. “When did toi meet her?”
“When I was in the hospital. She paid me a visit and after that our paths crossed plus than we thought. It was like… destiny. We kept bumping into each other and became friends. Friendship blossomed into l’amour and now, we can’t keep ourselves away from each other. I l’amour her, Elena. I have never felt happier with anyone else than I am with her. I… can’t explain how I feel because the l’amour we feel is wordless. It’s beautiful and poignant in our future. We need each other and I can’t imagine a world without her, Elena. Do toi understand?”
Elena wasn’t listening because her cœur, coeur is aching, scorching and tearing in pieces. She loved him but after discovering his l’amour belongs to someone else, she knows the heartbreak will be devastating. And it will take ages to cure. But despite the heartbreak, she feels the l’amour that flows between Arthur and Gwen. She saw how close they are, how loving they have been and Arthur is right, they belong with one another.
“If I marry toi Elena, I can never make toi happy and we will both strive to maintain a loveless and unhappy marriage. But if toi still want that, I can give toi that sort of marriage. But trust me, it’s not something toi want,”
“And what about Guinevere? If toi marry me, what’ll happen to her?”
“She’s tough Elena. And this is in fact her idea. She told me she’d rather spend a minute with my l’amour than live a thousand years without me. So if I decide to marry you, she’d be happy to carry on with my memories.”
Elena is awed. She hasn’t the chance to know Gwen better but from what she hears from Arthur, now she knows why he is in l’amour with her. She’s kind, honest and respects the feelings of others. She is willing to give Arthur away as long as Elena is happy despite not knowing anything about her. Elena has never come across anyone like Gwen in her life before. But now, she’s glad she did. Suddenly her cœur, coeur lifts and her sorrow subsides. She is still nursing her pain but she is happy Arthur found someone who can keep him happy. She suddenly understands l’amour and a new sense of appreciation for l’amour dawns upon her.
“Elena?”
“I’m here, Arthur. You… are still willing to marry me if Gwen tells toi so?”
“Yes, and I won’t lie to you, Elena. I would do it for her,” he puts it firmly and turns around to meet her.
Elena wipes the tears streaking down her cheek and closes on him. She reaches out and takes his hand. “I came here with a hope Arthur, hope that toi might, just might have a change of cœur, coeur and accept me. But I was wrong and I know what Gwen means to toi now. I understand l’amour better, thanks to yours,” she tells him. “I thought all this while that I knew about love, but I didn’t. I didn’t understand it as good as toi did but now I do… thank you,”
“Elena, I hope toi are not disappointed with me.”
“Off course not, Arthur. I am thankful toi are being honest with me. Since you’ve been frank, I will do the same, so… I won’t lie. I am hurt, in pain and devastatingly cœur, coeur broken. But I am also freed from the cage that puts us both together. Knowing toi have never loved me means I am no longer bound par the promise your father made mine. I am now my own person, free to make my own choice. And I will make one with my heart, no longer with my head. I will find someone who loves me as I l’amour him. And thanks to you, I will have better understanding of l’amour from now on.”
“I am happy to hear this, Elena.”
“Thank you, Arthur, and… toi couldn’t have found a better person than Gwen. Keep her happy, Arthur, I know toi will. I apologise for all the misunderstandings and… for everything.”
“Elena, I am partly to be blamed, too.”
“I hope my father understands when I tell him,”
“I am sure he was looking at your interests, Elena. Can’t really blame him, toi know?” Arthur replies.
“What about your father?”
“He’ll come around,” Arthur says and he isn’t sure if Uther will do that. Knowing how temperamental his father is, Arthur is hoping Elena’s father will solve the matter quickly.
“Well, what now?” Elena asks, looking around, releasing him.
“Can toi stay with me until Merlin arrives?”
“Sure, I promised Gwen I would… let’s head to the front and toi can tell everything about Gwen. I like to know her better,” Elena tells Arthur, rushes to get her bag and coat, walks back to him, takes his hand and leads him to the living room.
Arthur smiles and follows her quietly. He is happy with Elena’s change of heart, but it surprises him how quickly she turned over a new leaf. He ignores his suspicions when he recalls her words. She seems genuine and Arthur is willing to trust her. Elena’s only fault was to fall in l’amour with him, and apart from that, she is a good girl. She has been a good friend of his for years and still remains so. And that alone is enough for Arthur to put his full trust in her. Perhaps one jour when she meets her own man, she will understand. And until that, Arthur is happy to teach her about love.
Gwen switches on the light in Arthur’s apartment and walks inside, dropping her bag on the couch, searching for him. “Arthur?” she calls out. There’s no answer. She walks ahead and reaches the kitchen. There is a cake on the table, tableau with one candle lighted on haut, retour au début of the cake. Gwen nears the cake and takes a look. The words Guinevere, my l’amour are written on the cake. Gwen smiles, swipes the cream and licks it. It was creamy coffee flavoured icing and Gwen licks off all the cream from her fingers and looks around. There is still no sign of Arthur and she arches her brow. ‘Where could he be?’ she thinks and takes another swipe of cream. And then she notices the small note beside the cake. She licks off the remaining cream and picks the note, unfolding to read the contents. ‘Come to my room.’ Gwen reads it twice to fully absorb it and looks behind, towards Arthur’s room. The content might be a little fishy but is Arthur in there? She leaves the note on the table, tableau and walks towards Arthur’s room. “Arthur?” she calls as she enters the room.
“Wait there Guinevere!”
“Arthur?” Gwen really can’t see anything as the room is dark. The only light in the room came from streaks of moonlight creeping silently from the window. But it was enough for Gwen to notice someone kneeling par the bed. It is Arthur.
“Arthur…” Gwen steps vers l'avant, vers l’avant but Arthur’s voice cuts her off immediately.
“Guinevere, please… not another step forward,” he tells her.
“But why? Why are toi kneeling down?”
“Because there is something I need to give you.”
“Arthur, what…”
“Guinevere, it’s all right. Just listen and don’t say a word until I have finished, yeah. This is something I’ve been planning for a long time and I don’t want to lose another day, putting it off.”
“You’re scaring me, Arthur.”
“I’m trying not to, but I need toi to listen patiently. Just ours with me, Guinevere.”
“All right.”
“All right,” Arthur takes a deep breath and waits patiently. When he is confident enough, he starts. “Our meeting came par an accident. I still think it’s funny that we should traverser, croix paths in such an incredulous manner, but now it makes sense. It was destiny. toi and I were destined to meet each other and I mean this not just based on our meeting but on every other detail that surrounds our encounter. My accident, your father’s death, your hatred and my guilt… they all were reasons. And they make sense, too,” he laughs nervously. “But I was relieved to meet toi Guinevere, because something about your presence in the hospital that jour gave me hope.” He sighs. “I was tired, Guinevere, tired of living and tired of pretending, but all that changed the moment toi stepped in. Your charm, your spirit and your strength Charmed its way into my cœur, coeur and it left such an impression that I was looking vers l'avant, vers l’avant to meeting toi again. But that never happened and toi know the rest don’t you?” Arthur says. “But what I’m trying to say is, you… Guinevere, toi a volé, étole my cœur, coeur from the very first jour I heard your voice. toi left an impression in me, toi Charmed me, Il était une fois me… I can go on and use as many words there are in the dictionary to describe that particular moment but nothing can come close to explain the way my cœur, coeur beats each time I hear you. Yes… it still does, Guinevere, though I don’t montrer it on my face, it does,” he laughs again. This time he hears Gwen laughing too. ‘Good, she hasn’t left’ he thinks.
“I always thought God abandoned me since my mother’s death, my father’s neglect and my luckless life, but he didn’t. Because he kept the biggest surprise from me all this time and I am glad he did. toi are my light, Guinevere. toi are my beacon of hope and I don’t want to lose out on toi again. I’ve thirsted for l’amour since my mother’s death and toi filled that void; toi gave me l’amour and I want to give toi something plus than just love. I want to give toi my promise, my life, my body and my soul. I want to bind this relationship into an unbreakable bond.”
“And I can do that only par sealing this relationship, Guinevere,” Arthur says and pauses. This is the hardest part and he has only a couple plus lines to complete his task but as he nears the very important line, his cœur, coeur rams faster. He feels sweat trickling down his forehead, down his lids and he ignores it. He is wondering what Guinevere is be thinking right now. Will she like what he is about to offer?
“Guinevere, I… l’amour toi very much. I can never think of a life without toi and I can never live without you, not even a second. toi brought back happiness in my life and I haven’t donné toi anything at all…”
“Arthur …”
“No, Guinevere… let me finish. I want toi in my life forever… till eternity. I want us to have a future together. So, the only way we can have that is to joint, joint d’étanchéité our l’amour with something powerful, like… matrimony,” Arthur licks his lips. His cœur, coeur beats like a drum in his ribcage while his stomach churns. He is nervous and scared, afraid of what she might say. He braves himself and sighs, taking in huge gulps of air. No matter what she might say, Arthur has to respect her decision and though it’ll pain him, this is something he must accept. But he is confident she might accept what he is about to offer. “Guinevere, will toi do the honour of becoming my wife?” He finally says it and await the results nervously.
Gwen feels her world spinning. She didn’t anticipate this; not from Arthur and not so soon. She is petrified. She didn’t know how to arrange her words to form the sentences. Arthur has a dit his part and now it was her turn. But will she say? Arthur is surely expecting an answer and does she has one? She loves him, but marriage so soon after her father’s death is not in her plan at the moment. She knew someway down the road, she will commit herself but is she ready now? She thinks back to the night Arthur came to dîner and impressed Elyan. There have been constant taunts of brother in law inserted in their conversation and later on the way home, Arthur did mention about marriage but she didn’t think he means it! She seriously thought he was joking but now it seems he wasn’t. Gwen sighs and looks uneasily at Arthur. What is she going to tell him?
“Guinevere?”
“I’m here, Arthur…” she steps closer and kneels down in front of him. She takes his hand.
“No… toi have to stand up, that’s how it should be,” Arthur jokes. Gwen smiles and kisses both his hands.
“Is something wrong, Guinevere?”
“No, Arthur…” she lies and watches him. She loves him and there’s no doubt in that but why is she afraid of what he’s offering? Why is her cœur, coeur sinking down the moment he asked her to marry him? Why?
“So?”
“Arthur…”
Arthur’s smile fades as he recognizes the tone. She seems unsure and he recognizes it immediately. It disturbs him and his face darkens with hurt. He lowers his face.
Gwen’s cœur, coeur tugs the moment she sees him sinking. She didn’t want it to be this way but how will she explain it to him without hurting him? She reaches and cups his cheek. Lifting his face up, she caresses his cheek. “Arthur, I…”
“Don’t say it Guinevere,” he stops her, removing her hand from his face. “What ever toi have, please don’t say it. Don’t tell me…”
“But I…”
“No, I’ve been hurt far too long and too much and I can’t accept another rejection in my life. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to force toi to accept me. I respect your wishes and if this is what toi want, I’m happy for you. Your happiness means the world to me so if this is how it’s supposed to be, then so be it. But please don’t say that word… I’d rather not hear it.”
“But if toi don’t hear my reason, then…?”
“I don’t blame you, Guinevere. I understand why toi decided such, but… I just don’t want to hear toi say it, because it’ll break my heart. I’d rather live on with hope than to carry on without one. Please… try to understand it,” Arthur says.
And that was it. Those words were enough to convince Gwen to rethink her decision. She was sad to see him hurt and wished there had been another solution for this matter, but the moment Arthur assures her that he is fine with her decision and fully stands par her, she knows she’ll be making a big mistake; the biggest in her life if she decides to reject his hand in marriage. She will not find another man like Arthur and like he said, they are both destined for each other. If she refuses him now, God will find another route to bring them both together again. She was afraid, nervous and edgy with the thought of starting a family so soon; but somehow later on in her life she will have to eventually do so… so what’s the big difference anyway? par rejecting his hand in marriage, she would hurt him again, and this was something she promised herself not to repeat regardless what the situation is. So if that occurs again, and if he is hurt beyond words she will not be able to forgive herself.
Gwen watches him keenly. He is hurt and clearly disappointed with the way the events have turned out. Gwen is sorry to have caused this uneasiness in him but she is also thinking about his words. The way he handles her refusal, without eventually hearing it, makes her proud. He understands her, seems to put her first before him and it’s a trait not easily available on most guys she came across before. And his word, those strong words gives her strength, security and encouragement. To be honest, she has been afraid of committing to marriage, but after listening to what he said; Arthur is the one she wants to have her future with. And she isn’t afraid to commit with him. She beams with hope and excitement. The worry and nervousness she felt earlier is now replaced with happiness and excitement. Arthur is still sad and she wants to let him know about her change of cœur, coeur but she plans to do it in a way he likes it. She leans forward, bends to her left a little and grazes his lips with his. But he keeps his lips sealed tightly. She smiles and nibbles his lips; stirring Arthur’s well cocooned passion.
“Guinevere…”
As his lips part, she thrusts her tongue inside, catching him par surprise. She hears him gasp but ignores as she drinks in his love. Though her action catches him off guard, Arthur immediately regains his guard, responds to Gwen and lifts his hand to cercle her back, pulling her close. His chest crushes against her bosom, weakening Gwen as Arthur presses his lips demandingly. Gwen feels her cœur, coeur throbbing as Arthur teases, probes and drinks greedily. One hand of his leaves her back and trails back to cup her cheek, stroking it gently. Gwen gasps and Arthur takes that opportunity to trail down to her neck, placing soft kisses all along her nape. Gwen opens her eyes, lifts his face and places a Kiss on his forehead.
“I accept Arthur,” she says.
At first Arthur thought he is dreaming. But after she repeats herself, he knows he isn’t dreaming anymore. A smile flashes on his face and he cups her cheek with both hands. “You… what?” he has to hear it again.
“I will become your wife,”
“Oh, my… I l’amour toi Guinevere!” and he presses his lips against hers, hard and hungry. Gwen reaches up and circles her hand around his neck while Arthur keeps his lips cemented against hers. Only after a while he releases her yet he still trails short kisses all over her face, along her jaw line and finally her forehead.
“And I l’amour you, Arthur.”
“Wait…” Arthur releases her and digs into his manteau and fishes out a small box. Gwen’s cœur, coeur races. Could it be…?
“I want toi to have this, Guinevere,” Arthur says and opens the lid of the box. Inside, lays a or and platinum band with a three carat blue diamond surrounded par smaller brilliants. The combination is striking and Gwen is in awe, looking at it. She looks up at Arthur, quite not believing what she sees.
“Arthur, this is… beautiful.”
“It’ll fit you… please, help me remove it from the box,” he requests and she does like he instructs. She places the ring on his palm and waits. Arthur feels the ring with his fingers and takes her hand, carefully searches for her finger and with care, he slips the ring into her ring finger.
Gwen feels her eyes moist as she watches the ring slips around her finger with ease. Her cœur, coeur tugs and she just wants to savour this moment all jour long. Once Arthur has slipped the ring, Gwen lifts it up and admires the beauty of the workmanship. “It’s beautiful, Arthur.”
“Thank Merlin… he had it done and I suppose he did a brilliant job?”
“He nailed it,” she tells him. “Thank you.”
“Let’s celebrate, Guinevere, let’s go out.”
“Sure…” Gwen says and gets up and helps Arthur to get back on his feet.
As soon as he stands up, a sting of pain shoots up his knee casquette, cap and he grimaces, clutching his knee. Gwen bends down and places her hand over his knee, looking worried.
“Are toi all right, Arthur?”
“Yeah, I’m fine… I’ve been on my knees too long, I guess…”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”
“I didn’t know when you’d be back and I wanted to be ready when toi arrived so I decided to wait on my knees.”
“All this while Arthur?” Gwen is shocked.
“Hmmm…”
“God… toi had no idea when I’d be back… what if I didn’t, how long would toi wait?”
“For as long as I needed, I suppose,” Arthur says with a smile as he massages his knee softly.
“Oh, Arthur…” Gwen is moved. Her cœur, coeur goes out to him and she just wants to give him a big warm hug. “I am truly sorry,”
“No, don’t be, love… it was all worth it,” he finishes.
Gwen sighs and helps him to stand up straight. Arthur grimaces as he begins to walk but as they head out from the room, the pain starts to lessen. Gwen picks up his manteau and supports him out, his hand around her waist. “Where shall we go?” she asks.
“Your choice…” he tells her.
Uther is finalizing the financial plan for suivant an in his study. The reports are well prepared par his accountant and he is keen to see the plan put into action suivant year. If everything goes according to plan, his company will reap plus profits than they do this year. He puts his signature at the end of the plan and flips the seconde page. But his concentration is diverted par the hurried knock on the door. Uther looks up from his work, frustrated being interrupted.
“Who is it?’
“Geoffrey, sir… there is a phone call for toi from Mr. Godwyn. Shall I put it through?”
“Godwyn… right,” Uther says and he hears Geoffrey walking away. After five minutes, the phone on his bureau rings. Uther picks it up.
“Hello?”
“Uther?”
“Yes, Godwyn… what is it? Is something wrong?”
“No, I’m fine… fine, actually and better than I expected,” Godwyn says from the other side of the line. His voice seems cheerful and all the anger he unleashed at Uther before has vaporized.
“You seem happy.”
“Of course I am … remember I asked toi to convince Arthur to marry Elena some days back?”
“Yeah… about that, Godwyn.”
“Well, forget it, Uther. There’s no need for toi to do that anymore because my daughter isn’t interested in him any longer.”
“WHAT?”
“Don’t sound too stunned, Uther… we knew this was on the cards all the time but we decided to keep quiet, didn’t we? I kept it quiet because of my l’amour for Elena and toi did because of your l’amour for power and money. toi didn’t care for your son’s welfare, Uther, only yours… everyone knew that, including me, but I opted to keep quiet for my daughter. But now that she isn’t interested in this agreement any more, I won’t be wasting my time.”
“Wait, wait, Godwyn… I don’t understand. Why did Elena… I mean, why the sudden change?”
“She Lost interest in him, that’s what she told me. She a dit she wanted a marriage based on l’amour not infatuation ou promises. She wants commitment from both sides and it’s obvious she stands alone in this matter. Which is why she decided to bring this agreement to an end.”
“And toi agree with it?”
“Of course I do Uther! Elena is my daughter, the pomme of my eye and I care for her well being only. Everything else comes in second, so if she’s unhappy with your son and wants to end it, I am fine with it. She wants to pursue her education and meet someone who will l’amour her as she is. This is the life she chooses and as long as she is happy, I am fine with it,”
“But the promise…”
“Uther,” Godwyn sounds pretty disgusted from the other side of the line. “As far as I know, this arrangement was in your best interests and no one else’s. And I know toi will be reaping plus rewards and benefits than my daughter ou your son through this marriage and I would have donné it to toi blindly if Elena chose your son. But she doesn’t anymore, and with that I have end the agreement and carry on with my life. We will still remain Friends and partners in business but other than that, it’s a closed deal. Get it? Now… I am sure Arthur will be happy with this news and I’m giving toi the liberty to pass this news to him personally. He is a good boy, Uther, and toi should pay plus attention to him. Let me know when he’s getting married and I’ll inform toi of Elena’s… goodnight Uther,” and the line goes dead.
Uther holds the receiver, staring at the mur in front of him like a man hypnotized. The line goes from long stretching sound to beeps and any moment now the line will start alarming off. Uther stirs and places the receiver back properly and leans back against his chair. Godwyn’s conversation plays back in his head and he couldn’t find the words to describe how pissed and disgusted he is right now.
‘This is all your fault!’ he thinks in anger. ‘You ruined everything!!’ he slams the side of his chair. ‘You will pay… toi will pay for this. I will never let toi near my son!!’ he hisses bitterly and pounds his table.
![The Evolution of Arthur & Guinevere [10]](http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/33900000/The-Evolution-of-Arthur-Guinevere-10-arthur-and-gwen-33986568-245-170.gif)
