The instant her foot connected with the muddy bank, her knight, swift as the warm wind blowing through the reeds, was at her side, steadying, pulling her away from the oarsman, close to him.
Her breath hitched as she looked up and met his eyes, the blue orbs taking her in, devouring her, confounding her mind.
It took all her willpower to shake her head at him, drop her eyes to the ground and take a step away, brushing his arm off and curtsying silently before she continued on her way up the slippery bank, towards the group of knights around King Arthur-- her soon-to-be husband who was so distracted by her cousin's closeness that he didn't notice her arrival at all.
Arthur, surprised by her behaviour, grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him, making her nearly slip again.
"Lady Guinevere... Ginny... Are you still angry with me? I'm sorry, please forgive me... It's been so long, I missed you... I...love you..."
Tears flooded her eyes and spilt down her cheeks as she met his honest, loving eyes again. He wasn't making it easy for her at all.
"I... I must go to my Lord Arthur, I have to marry him, I promised..." she said, then continued in a half-whisper, "I... love you, too. But you must let me go, forget about me..."
She saw confusion flicker in his eyes as he stared at her before he looked over his shoulder to where Morgaine now stood, giggling silently.
Then, as if simply by looking at her he realised something, he laughed with relief and pulled Ginny, who still understood nothing, to him, crushing her against his cold, hard armour, kissing her again and again...
"They did not tell you. My dearest love, I'm Arthur. It had all been just a charade I played with Lancelot since we were young lads... I meant to tell you everything the night at Tintagel, but Cai appeared so unexpectedly, and we had to leave... I was sure you would have found out by now, though..."
Her knees trembled, and the world faded into darkness around her as she sank into him, feeling his arms holding her upright, hearing his voice filled with panic calling her name.
"Calm down, brother." She heard Morgaine then, even as the woman pushed a bag of some dried herbs under her nose, their pungent scent forcing her to open her eyes. "You just made her faint. Will you finally grow up now? Britain does not need a High King acting like a child. The Goddess knows why she chose her to stand at your side and guide you through your duties! Let me carry Lady Nimue's message to Lancelot, Ginny, while you two talk. But before I return to Avalon, I'll need a word with you, Arthur, I have a message from the High Priestess for you as well."
With that, she left them alone and walked up the slippery bank towards the knights, whose inquisitive eyes were on them now.
Arthur frowned in their direction and waved his hand, making them return to their own conversation even as Morgaine reached them.
"You?" Ginny muttered then, looking at him incredulously, "You are Arthur? Is it true, are you sure?"
He laughed out loud, nodding.
She couldn't believe it. He had left her suffering from a broken heart all these months, and he was laughing?!
She closed her hand into a fist and pummeled against his chest, forgetting about the armour, until her hand started to hurt. As he only pressed her against him again, closer yet, kissing her on top of her head, sending her heart soaring as she finally realised what this all meant, she let her arm drop to her side, giggling.
The sound leaving her lips-- she had had no reason to laugh since that day at Tintagel-- surprised her as much as it seemed to please him.
"I missed that sound," he said, cupping her face, making her look up at him.
He kissed her then, slowly, deeply, making her feel unsure on her legs again. She sighed in exasperation when they pulled away for breath.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting in confusion as his eyes searched hers.
"There is still a month left... Four weeks... Thirty long days..." she muttered, feeling a blush spread over her cheeks. As he just kept looking at her nonplussed, she added, "Before our wedding, silly. Lady Nimue said that we shall marry on the Beltane night, not before..."
He laughed, loudly, happily, making the tall reeds growing in the shallow waters of the Lake explode with the frightened water fowl, filling the air with their screeching followed by clinking of swords and armour from the group of the knights, all turning towards them again.
"I waited so long for this moment. It's only one more month... And I still have to court you lest your father will deem me an unworthy suitor and marry you off to someone else..."
She blushed again, and pressing one burning cheek against the cool metal encasing his body, pledged, "I'd rather go to a convent or back to Avalon than marry another."
He kissed her on top of her head and pushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear as he added, "And I have our castle to finish before our wedding, too... God, it's been too long..."
"How long, exactly? she asked as they started to walk towards the group of knights, hand in hand.
"It was more than a year and a half since I left you in that ruined castle."
Ginny could not believe it. She didn't feel a day older than on that day, nor loved him the tiniest bit less. She still hadn't properly understood this when another thought crossed her mind, making her stop in her tracks. If he was Arthur...
"You lost your father... and you were wounded..." she whispered, not sure what she should do, how to behave. Thinking of him as King Arthur, her soon to be husband, was still strange and alien to her.
He sighed, his hand closing tighter around hers, making her resume their walk while he said, "This might sound cold to you but my father... was my king, a great warrior, and I loved and esteemed him as such. It's Cai's father, my foster father, whose passing away I would suffer more..." She only nodded when he searched her eyes for understanding, feeling his words echo in her own memories of childhood. She would suffer much more if her Aunt Ealasaid, or Arwen passed away, than her father whom she hardly knew.
"And the wound is healing well." He smiled, wrapping his arm over her shoulders as they reached his knights.
There were so many of them Ginny mused, realising what a great honour it must be, belonging to King Arthur's Company. But it was not him, their beloved king, whom their eyes rested on now, but the Excalibur hanging from the leather belt tied around her waist, perfectly inappropriate for the cloud like gown she wore, the same colour as her Lord Arthur's eyes.
"Ginny," Garreth broke the short, awed silence, pulling her into his arms, away from Arthur.
Sir Lancelot took her from him, stumbling over his words of apology, then Gawaine, Morag's brother, his thanks interrupted by Arthur's voice.
"Fine, that's it," he announced, pulling her back to his side protectively. "We must go. It's late."
Morgaine laughed, shaking her head at his poorly hidden jealousy.
"First, you must hear the message I bring you from the Lady of the Lake, brother."
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