streetprince | open post

Arthur! I have something for you!

[By some stroke of luck (or misfortune, depending on how he sees it) his day is spent in her company out in the vast expanse of nothingness. Really, it's a large flower covered field with a bright spring sun shining overhead. But it lacks the usual bustle that being within the city's walls would provide them with.

She's just spent the past thirty minutes meticulously stringing strands of flowers together, humming to herself. Gathering up the plentiful fabric of the brightly colored pastel gown she made herself, she rises up to her feet and heads over to him at a run. The flower crown is held securely in her hands, and as she moves birds fly overhead to chirp and tease her about how smitten she is.

Thankfully, Arthur doesn't speak bird. He won't have any idea, though it's probably easy to tell that she's a little taken with him by the way she flashes him a dimpled grin and blushes as she tries to place that flower crown upon his very handsome head.]

I know it's not the same as a real crown, but I think it looks just as lovely.

[ It's pretty hard to consider an afternoon spent in the company of a kind and beautiful woman misfortune, but Arthur would not hesitate to admit that he has no clue what to do with Giselle. She's so innocent and pure, and he is... well, not.

Since taking the throne he's had to shoulder a massive burden of responsibility, and on that pile rests quite heavily the expectation of marriage and children. He is supposed to find himself a wife, and this lovely young woman was presented to him as an option.

By the way she's been reacting to him all day, he's pretty sure he could talk her into it given some time. He's also pretty sure that he won't, not because she is in any way lacking, but because she makes him feel utterly unworthy.

When she sprints up to him with the flower crown, he bends his head and lets her put it on him. He wouldn't describe the crown he usually wears as "lovely", but he has already figured out that Giselle views the world through a very particular lens. ]

Thank you.

[Giselle may be naive and more than a little innocent, but she isn't stupid. She knows exactly why his attention is on her. His role doesn't allow him much room to wiggle, it's obvious that he's expected to marry and have children right away. Giselle has always had her head in the clouds, she's always had a dream of finding her prince charming and living happily ever after. But now that she's in the real world, far away from the remote area she had been raised, she's starting to understand that there's a lot more to happily ever after than she ever realized.

She's just glad that she's able to help him slip away and relax, even if she wonders if there's something else he'd rather be doing.

Trying to hide her smile from behind her hand, she pretends to give him an appraising look over. Even if he doesn't choose to wed her in the end, at least she'll be able to remember him like this. At ease and wearing bright flowers, with the sun shining down over him.]

I've been thinking, [She starts to explain, nervously reaching up to brush some of her hair behind her ear.] About why I was brought here. And about why I choose to stay.

[He hasn't tried so much as bringing up the subject of marriage or children, or even anything close to it. But men usually didn't spend the afternoon in the company of a lady this way without even considering it.]

[ He hasn't really been a prince since he was a child, before everything was taken from him. He sort of skipped right to the king part, really, and whatever charm he possesses is probably not the sort she imagined when she dreamed of her very own knight in shining armour.

His charm is the kind you use when you want to hide things, or avoid things, or sometimes when you just want things. It isn't meant to be pleasant, or to make anyone happy except for him and the people he cares about.

Not as bad a trait for a king as it might sound like, really, because while his attitude has always been that he looks after his own... well, these days England is his own, and so he will fight tooth and nail for every single person within her borders. It isn't so much a change of heart as it is a stretching of it, a widening of the boundaries of his personal sphere.

All the same... he can't give anyone happily ever after. He can't even promise happiness, as much as he would love to be able to do that.

He hasn't known Giselle for very long, but he already knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that he could not bear to see the bright light she emmanates be dimmed. Especially not if he was to be the cause of it. ]

Go on.

[ If he sounds a little nervous, it's because he is. This has the potential to get really uncomfortable. ]

[He definitely sounds nervous. Somehow that makes her feel a little more at ease with this subject. If they're both nervous, then it won't be as bad if she says the wrong thing completely. Which she's likely to do, since this is the first time she's ever had a conversation like this.

Her hands anxiously smooth down the fabric of her dress and she tries to keep herself from rambling too much. She knows that she has a tendency to do that, and right now she doesn't want to bother him and push him away. ]

I know people here think I'm strange.

[The tone of her voice implies that she knows he probably thinks she's odd too. She sings too often and talks to animals, and makes her own dresses out of fabrics she finds hanging in the castle. She isn't even of royal blood, but that doesn't seem to bother him. ]

But there's more to me than everyone thinks.

[Even him. She's not simple and empty headed, and she knows better than to confuse her usually positive and upbeat demeanor as a weakness.]

And if you needed someone to stand by your side, I'm not afraid to do it.

[When she first arrived, she had been a mess. She knows that now. She didn't understand how anything worked, and had no idea how to do anything but spout off ridiculously cheerful lines all the time. But she's met people, and she's getting to know him. He's changed her, just the way her friends she's made have. She'll never stop being optimistic and she'll never lose her desire to bring sunshine to others, but she's more grounded in reality now. She's more realistic, she understands the way the world works. Giselle would've been afraid of what was needed of her when she first arrived. Now, she doesn't think twice about attempting to offer.]

Unless...you're afraid. But oh, I hope you're not.

[ Her fidgeting is starting to make him feel a little on edge, so he reaches out to take her hands. The gesture serves the dual purpose of keeping her a bit more still, and conveying his sincerity. ]

Giselle... you are a wonderful woman, any man would be lucky to have you by his side. But you deserve to give that gift to someone because you love him, and he loves you back.

[ And that isn't what this is. It could be in time, perhaps, but he is not going to make her the disservice of claiming to love her already. That would be cruel. ]

Well...yes, that would be ideal.

[She softly responds, looking at his hands over hers. Her cheeks are a ridiculous shade of pink now, and she tries not to look like she's being rejected because even she can pick up on the fact that she is.]

I know I'm not very pretty, and I've always been told that I'm not very smart. True love's kiss is important, but you don't have the luxury of that.

[And she's so smitten with him that she sees trying to help him as the right thing to do. Her head hangs a little, letting her hair fall down to cover her face. Her eyes are downcast, and she tries to sort through her feelings right now. Being rejected is...well, painful. Even if Arthur is trying to do it kindly.]

I could help you find someone. A woman that you could love.

[She forces a smile, trying to be supportive in his decision to rip his heart out of her chest and stomp on it right in front of her face.]

[ What he experiences in that moment is a very profound wish to pound anyone who ever told this woman that she was ugly and stupid into a bloody smear on the ground. Which she would probably not like very much, but it would absolutely make him feel better. It's an old habit from when it used to be his job to help the girls working in the brothel he grew up in make sure that no one crossed any lines with them. ]

Hey, hey... no...

[ He lets go of her hands so that he can cradle her face between his hands instead, tilting it back up so that he can see her expression properly. ]

You are beautiful, alright? And you're not stupid.

[ He might have thought so at first, but he knows better now. ]

This isn't about... you not being good enough, or some horseshit like that.

[That forced smile stays on her face, though she can't help that it looks a little sad. Her cheek briefly leans into his touch, but she's careful not to let that linger for too long. At least it makes her happy to know that he doesn't think she's stupid.]

Then what is it about?

[She probably shouldn't be asking him to explain himself. But Giselle does what she wants, and right now she's very curious about what his answer will be.]

Tell me. I promise I'll understand.

When I marry... it's going to be an arrangement, right? There isn't time for niceties like getting to know each other properly, falling in love, any of that.

[ The best he can hope for here is instant attraction, and for sure they've got that going here but that isn't what Giselle wants. At least that's not the impression he's been given. ]

I hope I'll get along with my wife. Hell, maybe I even will fall in love with her, eventually.

[ He smiles at her a little, and there is tremendous sadness in it, but also genuine affection. ]

Falling in love with someone like you... I can't imagine it'd be too hard. But I can't swear to you that it's how things would turn out, do you understand? I care about you, Giselle. I want you to be happy, and if I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I could do that for you... well, I would be one lucky son of a bitch.

[Now she understands it when she overhears married women talking among themselves, saying that men are hopeless. Arthur's just as hopeless as any other man, when it comes to matters like this. The fact that she feels like she's the one who's in better control of the situation makes her smile a little. And instead of commenting on his language, she decides to stay focused on what matters here.]

Why don't you think I'd understand? I know how things might turn out. But I care about you enough to want to try.

[Silly Arthur.

He has no idea that she was fully planning on marrying him three seconds after meeting him. It was a love at first sight, singing songs in her head and then singing songs out loud to animals kind of thing. Now that she knows that isn't normal, she's made it a goal that he never ever find out.

So she does what people are supposed to do when they're attracted to someone and feel something for them. She leans in to press her lips against his. For someone who's never kissed before, she's pretty good at taking charge and initiating contact.]

[ He's as hopeless as any other man when it comes to most things, really. What he has, however, is a drive that burns hotter than the sun. Once he has set himself a goal, he will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

The kiss takes him completely by surprise, he wouldn't have expected something so forward from her, but in light of what she just told him... he doesn't mind going along with it at all, actually.

Unlike Giselle, Arthur has certainly kissed before, though he doesn't really make use of any of the skills he has picked up in this particular moment. He just adjusts the position of his head a little so that their lips fit together a bit better while he wraps his arms around Giselle to pull her close.

He doesn't try to deepen the kiss, he just makes very sure that she knows that the gesture is appreciated before his lips break away from hers so that he can talk again. ]

You sure about this?

[They're close enough that she doesn't feel awkward bringing her hand up to the back of his head. Her fingers gently thread through his hair, and she smiles contently as she guides him to rest her forehead against hers. A few breaths pass, the warmth between them mingling and filling her with a sense of certainty.]

Of course I'm sure. Have you ever known me to be unsure about anything?

[She's not someone who changes her mind often. When she believes in something, she sticks with it. She's confident in her choices, and she doesn't feel unsure about whatever it is that's happening right now. Whatever exists between them, only time will be able to tell what it will grow into.

Still pressed together, her hand drops from his hair to his shoulder as she kisses him briefly once again. ]

[ He huffs out a quiet little chuckle, unable to deny her point. What Giselle wants may not always make sense to him, but she does know what she wants out of life and doesn't tend to stray from that path. They're sort of alike that way. ]

Well. Until we're pronounced husband and wife you can still change your mind. After that things get more complicated.

[ But obviously he would never force her to stay in a situation she couldn't stand. ]

Mm.

[She makes a vague, non-committal sound at that. She knows that things will be complicated, in a variety of ways. She counts her lucky stars that she's really matured since leaving her little cottage in the middle of nowhere, because that Giselle probably would be tempted to suggest they get married right away. The woman she is now can wait.]

I'll definitely keep that in mind.

[The flower crown that he's wearing slips and bumps against her head, and she laughs as she steals in and places it upon her own instead. She pulls away from him completely after that, grinning as she turns to keep walking. In her head,
she thinks she's playing it cool. But she definitely looks ridiculously smitten.]

You can spare the time to stay out a little longer, can't you? I'm not ready to go back yet.

[ Yeah, he's not really buying into the act, but it's fun to watch her give it a go.

He starts walking after her at a leisurely pace, one hand resting on the hilt of Excalibur. The sword is the reason they can have this measure of privacy, since with it he can take on a large number of attackers on his own. ]

I'm not in a hurry.

[ She looks good in a crown, he thinks, and decides to take it as a good sign. ]

I don't get many days like this anymore.

Edited 2017-05-13 22:24 (UTC)

i am sorry

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Matt as a knight AU?

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canonsmash I guess

Baby!

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