"I, Lancelot of the Royal Knight of Camelot and Advisor of the King, offer you Gwynnever, my hand in marriage to repair the mistake the King did toward you."
Everybody stopped breathing. Gwen was a statue of salt and Arthur felt like he was suffoca...
"Would you listen to me, child?" said Merlin holding a marvelous ocean blue dress embroidered with little tiny shiny stones he called sapphire. "It will suit you. You will have a mask, no one will bother to look at you."
"With that one, they sure will." She was trying to do the smart thing; she'd rather attend the ball as one of Arthur guard than as one of his guests.
"Well it's kind of the point of the whole ball." Retorted Merlin and she literally growled in frustration.
"I'm not like them. Pretty princesses that live for pretty dresses and nice things." Merlin lowered the dress and his eyes warmed. His eyes were the same color of the dress, she then noticed. Made by his magic, apparently.
"You could be for one night, if you wish." He tried again to put the dress in her hands but she jumped like she touched burning fire.
"No, I won't be able to move in that." She pointed out. It was like she was a demon and he was trying to exorcise her with that dress.
"You will not need to. You are a princess, you must participate. It is your right." Merlin started chasing her around the table in his room, she was faster of course but the old man was a warlock so he was just letting her choose.
"With all due respect, I don't care." But she did, she just didn't care to admit it to herself. Maybe if Arthur came here and asked her himself she would because it was her king but Merlin was just an old man for her. So he eyed her and she paled.
"No." she growled again like a cat cornered.
The door opened before he could do anything and Percival showed up surprised to see Gwen still there.
"It's been 5 hours. You're still not dressed?" he crossed his arms on his chest and she raised an eyebrow.
"I do not wish to come. I declare myself ridiculous in women attire." She said with her chin up.
"It is a shame. Because Arthur expected you to be there and now you even know how to dance."
"Yes indeed." Repeated Merlin winking at Percy. "Shea didn't before?" Marlin was amused but Percy signaled him to stop or they will never convince her. She was not buying it.
"Oh, be done with it. It's not happening."
"Why are you not ready, Percy?" exclaimed Gawain bursting through the door unannounced. He took a look at the squad, asking himself why the long faces. Merlin informed him and after one little look at Gwen, he lowered to Percy's ears and whispered something. Merlin excused himself before storming out throwing his hands to the sky in a not-so-subtle attempt of acting up. "I give up, you guys try."
"Whatever he said to you. He has been working on me for 5 hours and managed not to win me over. You won't." Percy smirked and leaned on the table looking at his hands, seeming very sad as Gawain said: "it's a shame. I didn't mean to tell you this but Percy, poor little Percy, was hoping you'd be his date to the ball. Since, you know, all the knights have one and he couldn't find it because was so busy looking after you that...."
"You are one subtle little thing Gawain." She blurted out grabbing the dress and moving to the screen to change. Percy giggled as she thrown him a shoe that hit him on the arm.
"Do you need help? I'm not sure you remember how to be a lady." Said Gawain and she snorted as getting into the long sleeved dressed. It fit perfectly as she fixed the bell sleeves that were narrowed to her forearm with golden bracelets and then set lose into beautiful silk. It was slightly open in the front showing her breast yet, she felt like this was the one dress she could actually enjoy wearing and to her surprise, Merlin even managed to stitch some regular pockets on the side and inside in the skirt to hide all her knife and weapons.
"I don't know how to do my hair." She emerged holding her hair up as Percy laughed. She looked like a poodle with her hair clipped like that on the top of her head. He seated her down and Gawain moved him away and told him to go get something to pin it with. She felt so weird as he begun to braid it into a perfect style fit for a queen.
"How did you learn?" she inquired and he scoffed as Percy returned with the necessary. "My mother was often ill and I have two little sisters." He used her hair to block it in always smaller knots so she wouldn't have her hair fully down. She looked into the mirror and smiled grateful. Gawain didn't know what honor was given to him by touching her hair but he suspected it by the way she tensed when he reached for it and never relaxed until he let it go.
Percy offered her the mask and she pulled it on and just like that, the little wild Gwen was gone and she was the picture of elegance so much that the both of them suck in their breath to her appearance. Merlin picked the most delicious dress for her.
They escorted her out and the warlock was there looking at her with a huge smile on his face as he winked and a pair of drop-shaped diamonds appear on her ears.
"Stop it." She whispered as she moved to follow the boys, raising her skirt showing her knives. "don't tempt me." He giggled and she smiled back thankfully.
"Gwen," murmured Percival to her ear "Where did you learn the current style of Camelot?" he inquired and Gawain send her daggers implying she didn't share their secrets. Probably, even if he saw Gawain with working her strands, he must have thought she what told him where to put what.
"Merlin told me how to do it..." she was a deadly weapon but not a so good liar when taken aback like that. Percival pretended to buy it and placed his hand on hers. She was starting to feel soft for all of them. For the way they took care. Even Gawain watched her with a little pride as she entered the ball room. The Knights of Camelot were dressed with their formal uniforms along their immense scarlet capes and ceremonial swords, they were clean as Gwen never seen them. Even Merlin had a different gown on.
"I..." said as Percy took her for a dance.
"It's easy." He explained showing her again. This time she didn't murder his feet... too much at least. It was a delight watching her smile and laugh at her friend as they whirled and bowed or went under the bridge of arms. She was having so much fun that every man in the room started noticing her, proving that the best attire for a woman was not her garment but the heart and how she wore it on her sleeves. And she did it like she was the most precious of the queens and it showed.
Trumpets sounded and the festivities stopped making way for the king. Everyone had their head down as he moved to his throne, a feast of read and gold. Arthur had his hair slipped back and was handsome like the perfect portrait of Apollo itself among mortals.
He gestured for them to go on and the dances continued as he looked around the room to see if something caught his sight.
"Thence, how does it work?" asked Gwen while sipping at her glass.
"The King has a white rose on his pocket. it's a Camelot Rose, or so they call it because it is the emblem of purity hence every part of it being as white as snow. that type of rose does not grow anywhere else and it can only be found between the walls of Camelot. The girl that gets it, is the one he'll dance all night with. The one he chooses." Explained Percival. Gwen didn't dare to look at him. She was afraid of what she felt in the pond with the king. He hugged her so tight she didn't feel herself anymore. Nothing was broken, nothing hurt anymore. She was not used to this, so she pushed the thought away and kept enjoying chatting with Percy.
***
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