Eleanor Pendragon is the youngest daughter of King Uther. She is expected to be a proper lady and marry to become a queen to a kingdom. Her father's plans, however, slowly fall apart once Gwaine is brought into the picture. With the two of them toge...
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VI. DISTRACTIONS
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It was customary for the king's heir to decide on a quest to ascertain his worthiness to the throne, and tonight was the night before Arthur announced his decision. All day, he had been in deep thought regarding his inquisition. Once the sun had set and the moon began to loom over Camelot, Arthur ended up at the throne room to meditate. Of course, right behind him were Merlin and Eleanor, observing as he knelt before the throne. The princess had found it to be quite cheesy, but Merlin begged to differ.
As they watched over the prince, Gwen approached the two, looking through the opened doors.
"What's he actually doing?" Gwen asked in a hushed tone.
Eleanor's gaze remained on her brother. "Thinking."
"About?"
"You," Merlin smirked, provoking Gwen to punch him slightly. "Oh! Shh!"
Eleanor slowly closed the door, knowing that they would seize Arthur's concentration if they proceeded to converse as they were. Merlin exhaled sharply as he faced Gwen, settling to answer her question seriously this time.
"He has to decide upon a quest."
Gwen knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. "And crouching on his knees all night's gonna help?"
"Yes," Eleanor answered, a mischievous grin tugging the ends of her lips. "He has to transcend his body, so that the quest is revealed to him in a vision."
Gwen smirked at the duo as she attempted to conceal a laugh. "And you two are gonna stay here and watch?"
"Gwen," Merlin said, "this is one of the most important days in a prince's life."
"I'm actually going to go back to my chambers," Eleanor yawned. "It's getting late, and I'm sure my father would want me and Morgana to accompany him at the announcement of Arthur's quest early morn."
Gwen offered to walk Eleanor back to her chambers, to which she accepted. As they walked together down the moonlit halls, Gwen cleared her throat, looking at her dear friend. She had been meaning to ask her how Eleanor had been holding up since Gwaine's departure, but she was unsure of how to approach such a topic. Tonight, unlike all the nights prior, she finally had the courage to ask.
"So, tell me the real reason why you decided to join Merlin," Gwen stated. "I know it's not because of Arthur's quest."
Eleanor sighed, looking straight ahead. "I just needed a distraction from everything. My father has been communicating with other kingdoms in terms of marriage."
