Just One Dance

It had been a relatively normal and quiet day for Gwen. She'd picked flowers for Morgana-hoping they would cheer her up-done laundry, and was helping Gauis sort out his medical supplies, when *IT* happened. Merlin approached her with a wide grin on his face, which usually meant that he was about to ask her to do something she wouldn't like.

"Gwen," he greeted. "I've been looking all over for you."

Gwen sighed knowing how impossible it was for her to say 'no' to her friend. She continued folding bandages as she waited for Merlin to get on with whatever it was he wanted to say. "Oh?" she prompted.

"Arthur asked me to find you. He said he needs your...expertise."

Gaius looked a bit surprised by the vague summons but Gwen merely finished folding the last of the bandages into neat rectangles. "Right. Guess I'll have to go to him then Gaius."

The Court Physician nodded mutely as Morgana's maidservant swept from the room with Merlin hot on her heels.

"And just what area of my 'expertise' is it that the prince needs my help with Merlin?" she asked once they were well away from Gaius' quarters.

Merlin looked nervous. Maybe he was afraid of her reaction. "Uh, well you're not going to believe this but...dancing."

Gwen stopped so suddenly Merlin barely avoided colliding with her. He was right; she didn't believe it. And why should he need me of all people?
 
Irritated now, Gwen proceeded with new-found haste toward the prince's quarters. He really has some nerve,  she thought as she knocked on his door.

Arthur opened the door to find a flushed Gwen. "Guinevere," he exclaimed, his face breaking into a smile on being in her presence. "Come in," he invited, gesturing her inside.

She did so silently, her eyes bright with some emotion he well recognized from experience. "Er, so the thing is--"

"I'm here," Merlin announced breathlessly, panting as he walked through the doorway between the two of them, holding a stitch in his side. "Gwen, for the record you walk incredibly fast for someone in a dress. I had to run to catch up."

Arthur scowled at his manservant whose timing was terrible. "Do you not see you're interrupting something here Merlin? Or are you blind as well as stupid?"

Merlin blinked. "I thought that--"

"I wasn't aware you were capable of thought Merlin. Why don't you go make yourself useful and muck out the stables instead of standing 'round here gawking?"

"Yes...sire." Merlin met Gwen's eyes and shot her a look that said 'good luck' before making a hasty retreat, shutting the door behind him.

Arthur seemed nervous now that Merlin wasn't there to poke fun at and for a moment she thought he would call the younger man back.

"You summoned me sire?" Gwen prompted.

"None of that Guinevere," he told her, a bit hurt at her insistent usage of formalities.

She clasped her hands before her in an effort to maintain her composure. "Then I shall ask you plainly. Why am I here Arthur?"

He beamed at her--he really did like it when she called him by his name. "I need your help. I have a ball to attend and I'm expected to dance."

Gwen remained silent as he smiled at her entreatingly. "I was hoping...that is, would you teach me? Please," he added.

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly at him. "And what of those months of dance lessons you received from the time you were 16 until the age of 20?"

He cleared his throat. Obviously he'd forgotten she'd been around for that. "Ah...well. Too many blows to the head from training, saving Camelot and so on; I can hardly remember a thing. I just need someone to remind me."

Her lips quirked upward slightly. This was rather obvious, even for him. "Really, Arthur," she exclaimed, her voice exasperated.

His blue eyes implored her and he held his hand out to her invitingly. "Just one dance Guinevere. That's all I ask."

Gwen felt her cheeks flush as she gave in and took his hand because she could not not take it. "Just the one Arthur."

He bowed over her hand, a satisfied smile on his face.

Gwen fought the urge to roll her eyes. "There are other ways to see me alone you know."

Arthur's brows arched. "Not that that was the point of all this, but just out of curiosity, why don't you name a few."

Guinevere burst into laughter and the prince found himself grinning widely in response to it. "I think someone clever enough to come up with that head trauma story can figure it out on his own, don't you?" She didn't let him answer, shifting into instructor mode. "Now, the King usually starts the ball off with a 'balade' and then goes on to a 'carola'. As you know, the 'balade' usually occurs in line formation whereas the 'carola' occurs in a circle..."

Arthur managed to nod his head once in a while as she spoke so that she thought he was actually listening. He absently wondered how angry she would get if he were to ask her to repeat everything because he was too busy fixating on the way the light through his window played on her skin. Probably very. No...better make that extremely. But he figured it'd be worth it if it meant he could prolong their time together.
 

*Fin*