Title: The Knights’ Code
Rating: PG (I think)
Spoilers: Season 3
Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to the BBC, not me. And no money is being made either.
Summary: What does the Knights’ Code have to do with Arthur and Gwen?
Author’s notes: Written for the lovely ella_rose88  for a Secret Santa exchange. I adapted the Knights' Code from various explanations I found around the web. 

Faith. Generosity. Honour. Courage. Hope.

Every knight in Camelot knows these words by heart. They are the core of the knight's code - an ideal they are expected to aspire to.

Faith

The first time Guinevere expressed faith in him, he was somewhat taken aback and oddly pleased. He wasn't actually sure why, seeing that she was just a handmaiden. What did it matter that she was standing just a few steps from him, earnestly avowing her faith in him? That she was sure he could lead a group of untrained men in a fight against bandits?

He soon learns that Guinevere’s faith in him is unwavering and in times when things seem the bleakest, he clings on to her faith. It pushes him forward and provides him comfort. Everytime he rides out to defend the kingdom from its latest threat, she bids him goodbye and tells him she has faith he will return victorious.

As they rebuild Camelot after Morgana’s brief but destructive reign, Lancelot proves himself invaluable. He is a natural leader, works hard and never complains. Arthur is glad Lancelot has returned but there’s an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he sees Lancelot and Gwen in the same place. On the rare occasion Gwen and Lancelot are in contact, Arthur’s stomach clenches painfully and as Merlin constantly tells him, he glares and sulks. He cannot help the voice in his head that tells him Lancelot is so much better for Gwen than he is. There are no status barriers between them. Lancelot is generous and giving and kind while he is petty and selfish. Lancelot has pretty words while he has none.

“You’re doing it again,” Merlin whispers as he watches Gwen and Lancelot converse.

“I can’t help it. I don’t know what I would do if Gwen decides it is him she wants,” he admits slowly, his heart breaking a little as he imagines her rejection. She would be kind and he would want to hit something.

“Gwen will be disappointed that you have so little faith in her,” mutters Merlin before moving away.

This gives Arthur pause. Sometimes, Merlin is a lot more astute than he looks, Arthur muses as Merlin’s words sink in. Guinevere puts her faith in him without question. He resolves to have faith in her too.

He looks up and sees a smiling Guinevere coming towards him.

Returning her smile, he cups her face and steals a kiss. For once, he doesn’t ask her what she and Lancelot were talking about.

Generosity

Arthur knows he is selfish. He doesn’t like to share and he definitely doesn’t like sharing Guinevere. So it is with a mixture of pride and annoyance that he observes how fond his knights are of her and how she returns their affections.

On Monday, Elyan took her somewhere for a picnic. He wanted to get to know his sister better. Arthur had grinned and wished them a good day.

On Tuesday, Merlin disappears with Gwen, leaving Gaius to inform him that they were out picking herbs. It seemed that Merlin wanted the company of ‘someone who wouldn’t use him as target practice’, whatever that meant.

On Wednesday, Arthur is in complete shock to hear that Gwen has gone off with Percival to help him choose something from the market for a girl he fancies. He had no idea Percival was even interested in anyone outside of Lancelot.

On Thursday, it is Gwaine who steals Gwen for the day. By the time he meets Gwaine, it is evening and Gwaine is too high to be coherent, bellowing with laughter and going on about his princess.

On Friday, Guinevere tells him she promised to help Lancelot mend some of his clothes. Arthur wants to ask why Lancelot cannot get the castle seamstress to do it but swallows his words. It is well worth it as Guinevere looks at him with both pride and adoration when he doesn’t sulk or pout.

Honour

Although their relationship is something of an open secret now, Arthur and Guinevere still try to keep it quiet. They don’t need or want others nosing around or kicking up a fuss. Not now when the rebuilding of Camelot was far more important than them.

Despite this, Arthur cannot resist pulling Gwen into his room. Flushed, he hopes because she is pleased to be with him, she makes noises of how she has a lot of work to do and cannot afford to dally. Yet she makes no attempt to leave and smiles up at him instead. He leans down to capture her mouth and she allows herself to sink into him embrace.

His fingers tangle in her hair as he inhales her scent. She smells of lavender and soot, a mixture he has long associated with perfection. As his lips leave hers and move on to trail small kisses down her neck, he feels her work-roughened hands inch up his back, under his shirt. A shudder runs through him and he hears her laugh softly before she steps back. Her eyes are dark, her lips turned up and he wonders if she can hear the erratic thumps of his heart. Slowly, she lets her fingers run over his jaw before they trace his lips with gentle affection. Unthinking, he opens his mouth and captures her finger before she withdraws it from between his lips. He cannot help the smile that breaks across his face when he hears her breath hitch and sees her eyelids drop. Nothing gives him as much joy as this, as seeing Guinevere all soft and yielding because of him.

He is too far from her. Grabbing her around the waist, he hauls her closer as she giggles and cups his face. She is lovely and sometimes, he wonders how he ever got so lucky. But his thoughts are interrupted by her hands stroking his chest, moving lower and lower. His own hands are gripping her waist, afraid that he might lose control if he was not holding on to something. He can feel his desire building steadily as Guinevere peppers his face with kisses and caresses his bare flesh. When did she slip her hands under his shirt again?

With a groan, he lifts her up and carries her to his bed, desperately kissing her along the way. She responds with equal fervour and he is lost in a haze of desire and need. Setting her down gently at the edge of his bed, he allows his hands to roam over her, familiarising himself with her curves.

Then, he pulls away, remembering why they’ve never gotten further than this. Many would say it was his right but doing what he wanted, what they both wanted, was more damaging for Guinevere in so many ways.

“Arthur?”

“We should stop,” he rests his forehead against hers.

She smiles and sighs, nodding her head before standing. “You are an honourable man Arthur.”

“You think too highly of me,” he laughs, “now go before I change my mind and forget to be honourable.”

Courage

Arthur hasn’t seen Guinevere in three days, not a common occurrence. In fact, he has been making it a point to avoid wherever she might be which means he’s been spending too much time in his room and in the training field.

When Merlin comes across Arthur, he is standing at the window brooding.

“For a man of action, you don’t seem to be doing anything …”

“Merlin.”

“Come on, Gwen is miserable as well.”

Turning to face his manservant, Arthur rubs his face and snaps, “Then maybe she should do something about it.”

Merlin shrugs his shoulders and continues tidying the room. He can feel Arthur staring at him.

“I know what you’re thinking Merlin. You think it’s my fault.”

“Is it?” Merlin does not turn around.

“No. She was being unreasonable,” grumbles Arthur, “and you know that because we discussed this yesterday.”

“You know I don’t think that it’s entirely her fault.”

Arthur sighs, turning back to the window. Looking out, he can see Guinevere strolling through the courtyard on her way home with Gwaine and Elyan. Before their huge argument, it was him who walked her home in the evenings. He sighs again, a strange ache in his chest.

The sun has long set when he arrives at Guinevere’s house. He can see the flicker of fire through her window and he hopes she has no visitors.

“My lord!” She gasps as she opens the door, “I was not expecting you.”

He bites back a retort at her use of his title and instead lowers his gaze to the floor as he gathers his courage. It’s been a long time since he has done this and he hates how this is scarier than any beast he has faced.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, hands clenched at his side.

“What?” Her expression is a mix of shock and disbelief.

“I’m sorry,” he tries again, “It was rude of me to say those things about the castle servants.”

This time, he sees a ghost of a smile cross her face. And when she apologises in turn and they are entwined in a hug, he thinks to himself that the courage to admit his mistakes goes a long way.

Hope

It was perhaps unrealistic of them to think that Uther could be kept in the dark forever. A slip of the tongue by one of the serving staff during dinner and all hell breaks loose. However Uther’s long illness and Arthur’s steadfast rule in his place had changed things in Camelot.

The knights, having sworn their allegiance to Arthur, refuse to arrest Guinevere or Arthur and despite Uther’s ranting and raving, Uther soon learns there is little he can do.

The weather is cool, the evening sun low in the sky. Arthur settles himself down on the wooden bench outside Guinevere’s house, gesturing to her to do the same. The crisp evening wind makes her tremble and he wraps her in his cloak. They say nothing but watch the lower town slowly go to sleep.

An eldery couple ambles past, arm in arm.

“One day, we may be like them,” Guinevere whispers, a smile in her voice.

“Don’t be silly,” Arthur grins at her fondly, “we will be King and Queen. Our lives will be completely different.”

“No long walks in the evenings?”

“Not in the lower town. Maybe in the castle gardens.”

She laughs but sobers immediately. “Do you think they will accept me as Queen? I don’t think I can accept myself as Queen.”

“What are you talking about? Everyone loves you. I am even starting to think my knights are more devoted to you than they are to me.”

“Your father …” she turns her head and her words trail off.

“He will come around. I will make him,” he states with more assurance than he feels.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Someone wise once told me, ‘there is always hope’,” Arthur curls an arm around her shoulder, “ And my hope is that one day, we will rule over a peaceful and prosperous Camelot together, have a dozen smart and handsome children like and love each other forever.”

The sun has long disappeared but the young couple enjoying their moment of peace and quiet stay out in the moonlight for a while longer, their hearts full of love and hope.