A good(ish)-humoured snort come from off camera, his words muffled by the new shirt he's pulling on. ]
Merlin, telling people not to act rashly.
[ One day, he will shake that man. For now, Arthur simply comes back to sit behind the desk, pulling a comb out of a drawer and tapping it on the edge of the wood contemplatively before tossing it down.
He knows Gwaine. Not as much as the Arthur of the Knight's time, but well enough. The man is fond of anything but inaction. Arthur laces his fingers together and props his chin up with his thumbs. ]
You know I trust your judgment implicitly, Gwaine. The bond between us as Knights of the Round is one I value above near all else. I may not know the whole or even the half of your situation, but I know that I would do all in my power to spare you of the hardships you should never have been made to face.
[ He must be angry, Arthur thinks, and rightly so. Arthur has to remind himself that it is not here, it is not Asgard. It is not Morgana, who begged his forgiveness for a trespass she knew nothing of, who told Merlin to take her life if she should ever threaten Arthur's, who told Arthur herself she would sooner perish. They are not the same for all that they are one; this, he has to remind himself. He closes his eyes for the briefest of moments - begging for patience, for the heart to continue on as he had - and folds his arms atop the desk. ]
I understand your reservations of this request, for they are true and right. I meant it when I said I do not doubt you, which is why I would thank you for your forbearance in this. If the time should come, know that I would act with you and withhold nothing, but -
[ He hesitates, not for lack of certainty in the sentiment, but because he thinks Gwaine should not want to hear it. He thinks he should not think it at all, even, feel it down to his core. Arthur wonders if there isn't something wrong with him some days. ]
- I have faith in her still. The differences between this realm and our own are vast, beyond even my comprehension more often than not, and if you had seen the light that shone within her, Gwaine, before -
[ Before everything. Before nothing. He doesn't know where he went wrong. Arthur shakes his head. ]
I believe it is still there, beneath all her anger and her hatred. Whether she should choose to return to us or not, I still believe she can be found. I will not stand against her until the moment she should choose to remain lost in that darkness and spread it across this land.
[ He sits back, quirks a brow and props up his chin on his armrest. If he keeps this too serious, he'll doze off and it'll never sink into Gwaine's head. :| ]
At which time, I will fully expect you and your exquisite sword [ a nod of his head toward the wooden piece of shite he tossed away ] at my side. You can bat off any rugs that might be in the way.
holy crap I am sorry about this tag.
Gwaine can get him shirtless any day.A good(ish)-humoured snort come from off camera, his words muffled by the new shirt he's pulling on. ]
Merlin, telling people not to act rashly.
[ One day, he will shake that man. For now, Arthur simply comes back to sit behind the desk, pulling a comb out of a drawer and tapping it on the edge of the wood contemplatively before tossing it down.
He knows Gwaine. Not as much as the Arthur of the Knight's time, but well enough. The man is fond of anything but inaction. Arthur laces his fingers together and props his chin up with his thumbs. ]
You know I trust your judgment implicitly, Gwaine. The bond between us as Knights of the Round is one I value above near all else. I may not know the whole or even the half of your situation, but I know that I would do all in my power to spare you of the hardships you should never have been made to face.
[ He must be angry, Arthur thinks, and rightly so. Arthur has to remind himself that it is not here, it is not Asgard. It is not Morgana, who begged his forgiveness for a trespass she knew nothing of, who told Merlin to take her life if she should ever threaten Arthur's, who told Arthur herself she would sooner perish. They are not the same for all that they are one; this, he has to remind himself. He closes his eyes for the briefest of moments - begging for patience, for the heart to continue on as he had - and folds his arms atop the desk. ]
I understand your reservations of this request, for they are true and right. I meant it when I said I do not doubt you, which is why I would thank you for your forbearance in this. If the time should come, know that I would act with you and withhold nothing, but -
[ He hesitates, not for lack of certainty in the sentiment, but because he thinks Gwaine should not want to hear it. He thinks he should not think it at all, even, feel it down to his core. Arthur wonders if there isn't something wrong with him some days. ]
- I have faith in her still. The differences between this realm and our own are vast, beyond even my comprehension more often than not, and if you had seen the light that shone within her, Gwaine, before -
[ Before everything. Before nothing. He doesn't know where he went wrong. Arthur shakes his head. ]
I believe it is still there, beneath all her anger and her hatred. Whether she should choose to return to us or not, I still believe she can be found. I will not stand against her until the moment she should choose to remain lost in that darkness and spread it across this land.
[ He sits back, quirks a brow and props up his chin on his armrest. If he keeps this too serious, he'll doze off and it'll never sink into Gwaine's head. :| ]
At which time, I will fully expect you and your exquisite sword [ a nod of his head toward the wooden piece of shite he tossed away ] at my side. You can bat off any rugs that might be in the way.