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Try as she might, Arthur could not get the sight of Merlin with a noblewoman’s dress (probably Morgana’s) out of her mind. It had been days since it had happened, yet it still gnawed at her.
She wished it had been her with the dress, but Arthur would never dare risk asking Morgana if she could take one of her dresses, nor would she risk taking one without asking - it would inevitably be discovered and she would most likely face Morgana’s wrath for taking her dress.
But there was someone who could help her.
She took her blue cloak out of her wardrobe and put it on, before leaving the castle and walking to Guinevere’s house, where she knocked on the door.
Guinevere opened the door, and heir face lit up when shey saw her. “Arthur!” she exclaimed, smiling widely. “Come in.”
She followed heir inside, steepling her hands together. “Guinevere,” she began, “I was wondering if you could do something for me?” Then she winced. Her words made it sound like she was using Guinevere as a servant, as she had done when she had stayed in heir house a few months prior. “Sorry. That is to say, I was wondering if I could borrow one of your dresses?”
She knew there was no reason to be nervous - Guinevere heirself was similar to Arthur, though in a different direction - but nevertheless it was hard not to be afraid of what Guinevere might think of her.
“What’s brought this on?” Guinevere asked, clearly curious. Shey paused and seemed to consider something. “Is there anything you’d like to tell me? Not that you have to tell me anything, of course, you’re Prince Arthur and I’m just a servant.”
“But I’m not,” she said.
“Not what?”
“Prince Arthur,” she replied. “Well, I am Arthur, but oftentimes I wish I were a woman, which is why I asked to borrow a dress. Of course, I know that wearing a dress doesn’t make someone a woman, but -”
“Arthur,” Guinevere interrupted, taking her hand in heirs and leading her deeper into heir house, “you can have one of my dresses. I don’t mind.” Shey frowned. “Of course, my dresses might not fit you. Would you like me to take your measurements and make a dress of your own for you?”
“Yes,” Arthur smiled. “That would be perfect. Thank you, Guinevere.”
Guinevere let go of her hand, and she found herself missing its warmth. “I’ll just get my tape measure.”
It was not long before shey was back and bent down to start measuring Arthur’s legs. “What sort of dress would you like?” shey asked.
Arthur hesitated. This was not something she had ever thought about. “Perhaps something discrete, not anything that would be too noticeable if anyone were to rummage through my wardrobe.” She thought for a minute. “Something blue.”
“Of course,” Guinevere agreed as shey moved behind her with heir measuring tape. “I should have it done in a few days.”
“Thank you, Guinevere,” Arthur smiled.
“Of course,” shey replied, smiling back. Shey rolled up the tape measure. “Alright, we’re done. I’ll just have to buy some materials at the market, but it shouldn’t take too long.”
At this, she withdrew a pouch of gold from her pocket and placed it in Guinevere’s hand.
Guinevere’s eyes widened with surprise as shey began protesting, “No, Arthur, you really don’t have to pay me, I’d do it anyway.”
“Still,” she replied, “you shouldn’t waste all your money on my account. I know times have been hard since your father-” she cut herself off.
“I wish he could be here with us,” was all Guinevere said, but shey accepted the money.
A few days later, Arthur made the familiar route to Guinevere’s house, once more in her blue cloak. Merlin had passed on a message from Guinevere asking her to come, though they hadn’t known why, and had made some remark or other about the state of her relationship with Guinevere. Arthur hadn’t bothered to reply, deeming her imminent meeting with Guinevere to be of more importance
Arthur had just raised a hand to knock on the door when it swung open and there Guinevere stood, smiling at her like a deity. Arthur’s deity.
“It’s done,” was all shey said before ushering her quickly inside.
The dress was the most beautiful she had ever seen - Morgana’s dresses, whilst extravagant and the height of fashion, were mostly not anything she would ever want to wear (though there were some she wouldn’t mind wearing) - even more beautiful than the purple dress Guinevere had worn when they had first kissed each other.
Arthur smiled.
Guinevere twisted heir hands together. “Do you like it?”
“Like it?” she shook her head. “I love it. It’s no wonder you’re known as the best seamstress in Camelot.”
Guinevere’s face split into a smile and shey wrapped heir arms around her, Arthur embracing her back. It was some time before they extricated themselves from one another so she could try the dress on.
“Could you help me with it?” Arthur asked after she had taken her clothes off. “Usually it would be Merlin helping me get dressed but…”
“You can trust them, you know,” Guinevere said but moved to help with the dress.
“I know,” Arthur replied. “I just need some time, that’s all. I’ll tell them eventually, though then I'll probably have to deal with even more of their stupid jokes.”
Guinevere pulled the dress over her head and it was done. She moved to the mirror so she could inspect herself. Wearing a dress felt different. It was… freeing, perhaps because it helped her feel more like a woman.
“Thank you,” Arthur breathed as she gazed, transfixed, into the mirror at the person who was her, not Prince Arthur, before turning back to Guinevere and kissing heir deeply.
She was glad she had seen Merlin with that dress, all those days ago - she had never been so happy as she was, here with her beloved in clothes that felt like hers.