Girl in the Yellow Dress

Author's note: I am so very new at this, not expecting many views as this is for an older fandom, but to the person who randomly, accidentally clicked on this, thank you for reading (yay!) and enjoy:)

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The feast had been going on for sometime. The hall a cacophony of sight, sound and smell but Arthur seemed oblivious to it. He took a sip of the wine from the goblet Merlin had just refilled and tried to pay attention to the story an old lord was telling his father. When Uther laughed uproariously, he realised he'd missed the joke entirely. Morgana was at the opposite side of the hall speaking to some ladies of the court. They were all dressed in some of the finest fashions that Camelot had to offer. The colourful silks gleamed in the candle and fire light, bright and cheerful.

Arthur noticed a few glances coyly directed at him and giggles of girlish laughter bubbled among some of the noble born ladies. They whispered to each other and pretended they didn't see him, even as he saw them looking. Normally Arthur would be holding court with some of his knights, normally he would be jesting with them and preening for those very same ladies who wished to gain the attention of Prince Arthur. But not tonight.

Tonight he felt bored, restless and pre-occupied. There were times Arthur felt out of place within the system that governed the days and lives of Camelot. So much was expected of him as his father's son that he felt isolated and alone, even as dozens of people filled the room around him. They looked to him to one day lead them and he felt wholly the pressure of what that meant. He shifted in his seat, took another sip of wine when something snagged his attention from the corner of his eye.

A piece of yellow fabric. He smiled, knew what it was even as he tracked its progress through, in and among the guests. It was his hunter's skills he employed the way he did when he was in the woods tracking a stag among the trees. Everything faded and became sharper at the same time. It was a game he had begun to play with himself during previous similar evenings to alleviate some of the boredom. It was a familiar brown and yellow tunic of a servant girl and it captivated his attention as none of the beautiful noble ladies dresses had.

No one else paid her much attention as she filled cups and served food. They ignored her because they were higher born and expected to be served, and she was just one of many who served in the King's household. In fact Arthur too was aware of her as just Morgana's serving girl. She flitted about the castle, always on the periphery coming unexpectedly from a doorway or walking down a corridor. Quiet, going about her business. They had never spoken except on the rarest of occasions when he had asked for something and she had answered: "Yes, my lord," very softly, almost nervously, with the bow of her head and small curtsy. Always the master and servant relationship.

Her hair was tied back as it usually was but a few curls had escaped its mass, no doubt due the scurrying back and forth she was doing. Arthur seemed somewhat more at ease when he saw her, a little more relaxed as he was when he realised his prey was just within reach on the hunt. Objective achieved. She was here. She was always somewhere here in the crowd and somehow that made the evening more bearable. She was walking his way carrying a pitcher. Not towards him really just his general direction.

Arthur raised his cup, ignoring Merlin who would have seen to his needs, and called out, "Gwen."
She hurried over to him to refill his goblet with red wine. Leaning forward slightly she brushed his shoulder, so close he caught a light fragrance of lavender. Then she was gone and Arthur turned to the knight at his right to discuss training schedules for tomorrow.