Gwen & Art Are Not in Love

by Lex Croucher

she couldn’t help but think of all the times she had watched groups of young ladies laughing together at feasts and dances, telling herself she wasn’t anything like them, burying the part of herself that quietly ached for companionship.

Any other heir to the throne, Arthur thought, might protest at being hauled around by a minor member of his court; Gabriel seemed to take it in his stride, as if he’d just been waiting for somebody to tell him what to do next, and Arthur’s direction was as good as any.

“God,” said Gwen. “Then—why did you do it?” “Because it was what I wanted,” Bridget said, as if that were the simplest thing in the world.

Really, she had no idea how to proceed when he had hurt her, because he had never done it before. It was completely unprecedented.

True blue