#destinycrowned

@destinycrowned​

* places a soft kiss on her forehead *

IT’S NOT UNUSUAL TO FIND HER HERE. At least not for Arthur. They often disappeared to this meadow when they felt overwhelmed. By duty , by people , by the past , by the future. So when she hears the familiar tread on his steps , Rowena does not start. She wait until he’s cleared the tree line before turning to offer a small smile. Neither of them say anything until he sits in the grass next to her , the warmth of his body already quite welcome against the sunset chill. Arthur rests a hand on her cheek and leans in to place a soft kiss on her forehead. Her eyes close at the affection but open again to meet his when he pulls away.

❝ Hello , ❞ she murmurs.

———WENDY HAD ALWAYS been physically affectionate with arthur, but since she had been rescued, arthur had hardly let go of her, nor she him. she knew she was safe. they had already covered a good deal of ground to get her far away from that awful place. and the men who had kidnapped her were dead or grievously injured. ( she hadn’t asked, but she was certain of it. wendy had seen the blood on arthur and known not all of it was his. ) 

and it wasn’t as if arthur and wendy were alone. there were the knights. how she’d cried with joy to see them! they were her friends and she trusted each of them completely. she knew she was safe with them. but it was arthur that she truly, completely, felt safe with. arthur that she needed to see, or better to touch, to be convinced he was real and this was real and she really was rescued and going home. 

as such, there was none of the usual playful protesting, the swats to the back of his head or barrage of complaints, when he picked her up. she only yawned and curled closer in to him. let herself be lulled by the thrum of his heart as he carried her back to camp. 

      ━━          EVERYONE   STOP   WHAT   YOU’RE   DOING   IT’S   A   HOLIDAY .  

  THE  SUN  SHONE  THROUGH  the  trees  as  the  elegant  maid  made  her  way  through  the  dense  forest,  her  GOLDEN  voice  reverberating  throughout  the  trees.  Her  voice  seemed  as  if  it  were  HEAVEN-BLESSED  ( and,  it  was )  for  it  put  even  the  ANGELS  above  to  shame.  When  she  sang,  she  felt  as  if  she  were  as  LIGHT  as  a  feather,  floating  high  above  the  forest  to  wherever  the  winds  might  take  her.  Though  the  forest  was  her  FREEDOM,  she  could  still  feel  the  watchful  EYES  of  her  aunts  upon  her  back,  watching  her  through  the  dusty  windows  of  the  cottage  (  they  meant  well,  of  course ). 

 Above  her  head,  a  bird  PERCHED  itself  beside  another,  their  tiny  bodies  resting  beside  one  another  as  if  they  were  husband  and  wife.  

                                   “ I  wonder,  I  WONDER “    she  sang,  the  birds                                       responding  to  her  song  “ I  wonder  why  each                                      LITTLE  BIRD  has  a  someone “    

                                                                          ❝                 -for YOU.         i’d risk it            ALL ❞

               the lower town was jumping with the hustle and bustle of a mid-afternoon market; thankfully, the day was particularly beautiful and everyone seemed to be in a pleasant mood. normally, she stayed out in the market for hours as she picked out threads for her newest assignments and socialized amongst her friends. today, however, a ghost from her past had her ducking into an alleyway and praying that he hadn’t seen her. prince arthur pendragon of camelot. only recently had he begun visiting the lower town with guards from the castle and the few times before this, she had managed to stay out of his sight. she prayed that he hadn’t seen her; life would be so much easier if he continued to believe she was dead.

𝐀𝐍   𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒   𝐂𝐘𝐂𝐋𝐄   𝐎𝐅   𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆   𝐎𝐑   𝐃𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆  .      destiny     gave     no   time     for   catching   one’s   breath   .     lazy   was   the     last   thing     merlin   was  ,   despite   what     the   king     might   seem   to   think  .    the   only   time   arthur   typically     did     grant   mercy   to   allow   merlin   to   rest   was   if   he   was     physically   recovering   from   something     which   was   considerate  ,   yes  ,   but   of   course   it   was   only   the   times   arthur     knew     of   merlin’s   trouble  .        so  ,   maybe   every   tenth   brush   with   death  .        most   of   the   time   there   was      no   time    for   recuperating  .     CLENCH   YOUR   TEETH     &     TRY   NOT   TO   LIMP   TOO   MUCH  .     it’d   gone   on   so   long   that   he’d   even   long   since   stopped     complaining     about   it   to  gaius  . 

the   past   two   weeks   had   been     calm  ,     though  .      extremely   calm  ,   boring   even  .      merlin   was   in   good   health  ,   his   worst   ailment   being     chapped   lips     from   the   chilled   weather  .       WHAT’VE   I   DONE   WRONG   ?      WHAT’S   THE   MATTER    ?         worry   the   only   thing   he   can  begin   to   come   up   with   when   he’s   dismissed  .      its   concerning  !       until   the   end  .     then   is   almost   comical  ,   almost     endearing  .

 ❛      ——     who   told   you  ?     ❜                       he’s   not   walking   away  ,   that’s   for   sure  .       never   in     six   years     has    arthur   once   even     asked     of   his   birthday  ,   let   alone   wished   him   a   happy   one     &     given   him   a   day   off  .                 (     not   that   merlin   ever   minded .     )               &    even     if     arthur   knew   his   birthday   before   hand   he   would   have     never     remembered   it  .       ARTHUR   WOULDN’T   REMEMBER   HIS   OWN   WIFE’S   BIRTHDAY   IF   MERLIN   WASN’T   AROUND   TO   TELL   HIM  !       there     had     to   be   someone   else   who   set   this   in   motion  .                  ❛     was   it   gwen  ?    ❜