chaletian: (merlin arthur/gwen)
chaletian ([personal profile] chaletian) wrote2009-10-23 02:55 pm
Entry tags:

[Merlin] Waiting :: PG :: Het :: 1/1

Title: Waiting
Author: [livejournal.com profile] chaletian
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: PG
Spoilers:None
Summary: Arthur and Guinevere wait.



They wait.

Days slide by, one blurring into another. Seasons change, the sun dipping lower and darker, leaves blowing to the ground, damp rising. The time comes for a new dress for Gwen. Arthur finds himself needing new armour.

Months pass. New enemies attack Camelot and old enemies return. Uther’s hatred of magic grows, if anything, stronger. There are tournaments, festivals, feast days and executions. (Arthur decides to grow a beard.) Morgana is exiled, and they watch, separately, as she rides out of Camelot. (Gwen makes him shave it off, and he obliges because he sees how much she misses Morgana, and can’t stand for her not to be happy.)

And eventually, months roll into years. Arthur Pendragon is not a boy any more; no longer a sulky prince but a king in waiting, and Camelot a land in waiting.

“It feels like everyone’s waiting for something,” Arthur says one day, leaning against a pillar as Gwen folds laundry, an every day sight that no one heeds.

Gwen thinks, “They’re waiting for Uther to die,” but she doesn’t say it, even though it’s true, even though they are, even though she is, even though
Arthur is. Instead she says, “You’re getting mud over everything,” and he smiles and looks sheepish and backs away slightly, scuffing muddy boots on uneven stone flags, and she falls in love all over again.

“Sorry,” he says, then, “it’s a bad harvest this year, isn’t it?”

“Dreadful,” says Gwen, and they discuss what might be done.


They wait. And one day Uther Pendragon dies, and amongst the pomp and plumes and gilded grandeur of his funeral and Arthur’s coronation, Guinevere and Arthur exchange glances no longer secret, because their wait is over.

FIN

[identity profile] jusrecht.livejournal.com 2009-10-23 04:09 pm (UTC)(link)
That is so beautiful in its jarring quality and more than a little sad. Thank you for writing this lovely ficlet ♥

[identity profile] thy3tuth-iswon.livejournal.com 2009-10-23 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
I like how you have them talk about the harvest- a domestic situation with them talking about a present concern that has to be dealt with. It sounded like a foreshadow of them as husband and wife and king and queen

[identity profile] thornyrose42.livejournal.com 2009-10-23 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Wonderful. I have such a soft spot for Gwen/Arthur. Odd that in the Merlin fandom it feels like a weird little out of the way pairing when really it is one of the most canon of them all. This is really beautiful in its simplicity.

[identity profile] starry-laa.livejournal.com 2009-10-23 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
That was beautiful. I loved it for its simplicity, and the sweet alebit brief interactions between them.

[identity profile] kasie101.livejournal.com 2009-10-23 08:39 pm (UTC)(link)
it's kind of sad that everyone's all waiting for uther to die.

real sweet that their glances are no longer secretive.

thanks for posting :D
tielan: (Merlin - Arthur/Gwen)

[personal profile] tielan 2009-10-23 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
(Arthur decides to grow a beard.) Morgana is exiled, and they watch, separately, as she rides out of Camelot. (Gwen makes him shave it off, and he obliges because he sees how much she misses Morgana, and can’t stand for her not to be happy.)

I want to see this fic!

This is lovely - a lyricism that just fits the scene, and a degree of comfort that isn't usually found in Arthur/Gwen fic. And Gwen's thought that they're all waiting for Uthyr to die? Both terrible and true.

It's short, but the little details say so much. Beautiful work!

[identity profile] kepp0xy.livejournal.com 2009-10-24 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
This is so lovely. It's a short piece, but you've managed to paint a detailed picture of Camelot's future. I think my absolute favourite bit is with Arthur's muddy boots, and Gwen falling in love with him again. It's just so heartwarming :]

[identity profile] yalegirl03.livejournal.com 2009-10-24 12:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Very well done. Beautifully written.

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/la_esmeralda_/ 2010-01-08 12:43 pm (UTC)(link)
via camelot_recs - this is beautiful, and i love how much understated emotion you pack in such a short piece.

[identity profile] dis-netis.livejournal.com 2010-01-09 12:37 pm (UTC)(link)
AW this is beautiful! I really enjoyed it :D.
ext_22293: ([merlin] lurking adorably is an art)

[identity profile] anjali-organna.livejournal.com 2010-02-18 04:04 am (UTC)(link)
Gah. This is so short and so perfect, and I just want it to go on forever.