Arthur raised his eyes from the white altar, made of the same stone as Camelot itself, covered in a cloth embroidered with gold thread, when he heard the commotion by the door followed by the excited murmur of those present.
His Guinevere stood finally in the doorway, the sight of her making his heart stumble. She was the... most beautiful, most perfect thing... She looked as if she was wearing sunlight trapped in the mists of the Lake, or the flickering light of the hundreds of candles lit around the chapel, adding the scent of melted wax to the one of burning incense.
Arthur had noticed the great quantity of people crowded within the walls of the small room as he had walked through a few minutes ago, however he saw no one but Ginny from the moment she entered the chapel, then continued down the narrow lane created by two long rows of pews, her hand resting on old King Leodegrance's arm.
His own arm trembled slightly as he extended it towards her the instant she was within his reach. He watched her father's lips move with a short speech Arthur did not hear because he could feel her eyes on him, making him feel as if he was the only man in the world. The feeling was wonderful, exhilarating, and distracting... He wished to look into those eyes and get lost in them... He simply bowed to the old man, expressing his gratitude for the daughter he was giving to him to make his bride, his queen, once he stopped talking.
Arthur hardly noticed when the old king stepped back, blending with the background, and both his and Guinevere's attention was called to Father Patrick appearing in front of them, now talking to them, then addressing the people gathered in the chapel, his words turning into chants as he finally brought their rings-- two simple bands of gold-- and two elaborate crowns made especially for the High King and Queen of Britain. They knelt as King Leodegrance put them on their heads with reverence... And then it was all over, the moment Arthur had desired from the instant he had first laid his eyes upon Ginny, finally arrived.
He stood up quickly, pulled her to her feet, and wrapped his trembling bride in his arms, pressing his lips to hers. At last, he could kiss her as much as he wished, as much as she would allow him.
"I love you, Guinevere," he whispered in her ear, and she murmured her response, not trusting her voice, smiling as he wiped a couple of tears that escaped her eyes into his sleeve.
The people cheered. Some, the couples' closest family and friends came forward to shake their hands, pat their shoulders or embrace and kiss the newlyweds, others strolled out of the chapel, towards the Great Hall where the lunch was to be served at the round table.
Ginny was surprised when Abbess Agatha and sister Mary materialised in front of her from the crowd led by Aunt Ealasaid, followed by Lord John, who paused in his lively, friendly conversation with Myrddin only long enough to tell Ginny and Arthur that he had not suspected the real identity of his former guests until he received the invitation to the royal wedding.
Ginny caught Garreth rolling his eyes meaningfully behind Lord John's back, and that finally made her giggle, shattering the tension and nervousness of the previous days. She was married. She finally belonged to the only man she had ever loved. She looked up at him, smiling, catching him watching her. He smiled back and kissed her again before they followed everyone to the feast.
Just as Morgaine predicted the night before, it was a long day. The wedding feast wasn't over until mid-afternoon and then Ginny and Arthur were obliged to walk outside, into the warm sunshine, and stroll among the hundreds of colourful tents and pavilions covering the hillside like huge, strange flowers all the way to the shores of the Lake, to greet those of Arthur's allies who did not fit within the walls of Camelot.
"They are here for you, not me," Arthur whispered in her ear as he kept pulling her onwards, to yet another pavilion, his hand around her waist for support, her tired feet stumbling on.
"They are here for us," she replied, kissing him on the cheek as yet another chieftain wished them a happy marriage and pledged his loyalty to King Arthur, while his eyes were glued to Queen Guinevere's Excalibur.
Ginny thought they would never reach the end of the sea of tents when they suddenly did, her feet sinking into the sandy shore of the Lake. Sighing, she looked up the hill, back to the castle perched on its top-- Goodness it looked far, and the hill steep!-- wishing she could rather swim in the cool, placid waters spreading at her feet, on such a warm, sunny day, than climb hills.
Divining her thoughts, Arthur chuckled softly, his lips quickly finding hers. "Not now. Now we must go back. The dinner will be served soon and then..."
His unfinished line, the unspoken thought lingered between them for a few moments, making Ginny's heart beat faster as her mind painted images of the approaching night, their first night together as a husband and wife.
She nodded, not knowing what to reply, letting him pull her up the hill, giggling when he swept her off her feet later and carried her inside the castle in his arms.
They reached the rose garden, where the dinner was served, out of breath and happy. The night was falling slowly, but the golden glimmer of the first fires of Beltane made the dusk beyond the castle's walls look bright, gilded, as if the sun had never set tonight.
The moment they were seated, Aunt Ealasaid leaned towards her, but Ginny struggled to listen to her; her attention was claimed by Arthur's hushed conversation with her father and Myrddin. She picked at her food, pretending to listen to her aunt, while she followed the men's talk closely.
They were talking about the approaching war, the Saxons landing on the northern shores in great numbers again, the treaty troops becoming restless, and Arthur's army camped at Mount Badon, new men joining them daily.
She jumped when Morgaine's hand came to rest on hers.
"Don't worry about it now, Ginny. Remember your promise to Avalon, make him remember his, and everything will be fine... There will always be wars; the two of you can't change mankind. But you may secure peace for your country for as long as you'll live."
"What are you whispering about, girls?" Arthur, finally noticing their seriousness, interrupted them, making Ginny and Ealasaid look at each other guiltily, while Morgaine laughed.
"Just your future, Brother," she told him, making it sound like a joke. "Speaking of which, it's nearly time to take your bride to be..."
"Morgaine," Arthur said, his voice laced with warning when he noticed Ginny's blush, followed by her aunt's giggle.
But she was right, the dinner was over and as Ginny looked around the garden she noticed people strolling inside, towards their chambers.
Aunt Ealasaid stood up. "I'm leaving now, Ginny, Myrddin will take me back home before he will join you father," she glanced at Arthur quickly and apparently having obtained his permission she continued, "in the army camp."
"And I'm leaving too, thank you for your hospitality," Morgaine smiled at them, kissing Arthur on the cheek, then pulling Ginny in an embrace. "Don't worry about anything," she whispered to her, then was off, followed closely by Aunt Ealasaid and Myrddin, and Garreth and Lancelot who disappeared into the castle after them, to say their goodbyes.
Soon, it was only Ginny and Arthur, and the servants who were clearing the table, left in the garden.
"Shall we...?" he asked, suddenly looking as nervous as she felt.
"Yes," she replied, smiling shyly, letting him lead her inside, down the long, dimly lit corridors and wide, white staircases, towards their bed chamber.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
