A Heart For A Heart

The Once and Future Queen Part 2

Alexandra's Point Of View:

Arthur or Sir William made it to the final. I was excited. I haven't seen much of Leon since our outing. I tried not to let it bother me, but it did. Gwen was telling me how inconsiderate Arthur was being. She said that she had been sleeping on the floor and had to fetch him water to take a bath on the other end of town. I nodded understanding that Arthur would be learning a second part of his own lesson of no special treatment with a title. When Arthur returned to Guinevere's house, I was sweeping. I told Gwen I would stand up for her if she wouldn't. The door creaked open and he called to her.

"Do you have a needle and thread? My shirt needs mending," the prince asked.

"I don't know Arthur, did you try to look and see?" I responded.

"Alex? Where's Guinevere?"

"I warned you Arthur that if you were a bad guest there would be consequences."

"Oh, I didn't realize..."

I interrupted him, "You have treated Gwen unfairly as she willingly welcomed you into her house. Today, you are stuck with me and Gwen is having a day off of Prince duty," I mocked. "First, this is where she's been sleeping. That's not very gentleman of you to take the bed." I pointed out.

"Why didn't she say something?"

"How could she? You're Prince Arthur of Camelot. Besides you probably didn't give her a chance and just assumed it was yours," I stated plainly.

"How was I supposed to know if she didn't tell me?" he tried to argue.

"Arthur, you aren't a child. You shouldn't have to be told to think of someone other than yourself."

"Is there anything else Gwen seemed to have a problem with? Please, I'd like to hear it. Don't let me stop you."

"You don't have any idea, do you? You can be rude and arrogant. This is Gwen's home and you are her guest. You claim titles don't matter, but then expect everyone around you to wait on you like a servant. It is the reason there is division among the knights. And it is the reason Gwen is not here telling you this herself!" My arms crossed over my chest. I was angry at Arthur's foolishness, but for some reason, I felt it was my destiny to change that.

"You're right. I have behaved appallingly," he claimed.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"Oh really?"

"Maybe a little," I teased. He chuckled turning away for a moment before he looked back at me.

"There's no excuse. I'll make it up to her. Tonight, I'll make her dinner."

"But you can't cook? And a palace meal won't fly."

"Right. Will you help me, please?"

"Well since you said please, but what's in it for me?"

"Anything,"

"Anything," I grinned mischievously, "I'll hold you to that." Tonight, I planned to teach Arthur something he wouldn't learn by being a prince. I told him to go and apologize to Gwen and invite her to dinner. While he did that, I would begin to gather the ingredients. Gwen already had a chicken for us to use. I skimmed her cabinets. I wasn't quite sure what herbs I was looking for. I hummed as I read off the labels from each container. Happily, I reached for the parsley and sage which would compliment each other well. Glancing at her produce options, I opted for the onion. The front door opened revealing, Arthur with a satisfied grin.

"She agreed," he cheered.

"Then let's get to work," I said. We began our culinary adventure by setting up a fire and boiling water to prepare the chicken. I asked Arthur to dice the onion, but he struggled with it at first, his hands shaking as he attempted to cut it into small pieces. I couldn't resist chuckling at his attempts, which made him shoot me a glare. However, I quickly composed myself and decided to show him how it's done, guiding his hand with mine to make sure the cuts were precise. Finally, he got the hang of it, and I let him finish it on his own, pleased with his progress. Next, I mixed two fragrant herbs together, adding a touch of honey to create a mouth-watering stuffing for the chicken. I showed Arthur how to stuff the chicken with the mixture, a process that made him visibly uncomfortable, yet curious at the same time. Once we had finished stuffing the chicken, we dropped it into a cauldron that was once used for metals but had now been repurposed as our cooking vessel. As the chicken simmered, we had some extra time, so I decided to teach Arthur how to set the table, carefully placing the plates and silverware while he added candles and flowers to create a cozy ambiance. Overall, it was a delightful experience, and I couldn't help but laugh at the moments that brought us closer together.