*looks up from the book he’s reading and smiles* Hey, Summer. What’s going on?
“It wasn’t — ” She flushed. “I don’t know the person who said it, I just know it was someone … I think he’s a knight.”
Merlin nodded. Alright. I may need to have a word with Arthur about his knights’ lack of respect, then.
“Merlin — please don’t. Just — it doesn’t matter. I’m not that important, really. After all, it’s not like they were wrong … ” She rubbed at her face, trying to hide the tears about to fall. “Really, they’re right, I — Gwaine isn’t going to — I mean, just — ” She stumbled to a stop, swallowing hard.
As a matter of fact, you ARE that important, he insisted, walking over to her and draping an arm across her shoulders. He sighed slightly. Look, what happens or doesn’t happen between you and Gwaine is nobody’s business but yours and his. Nobody should be sticking his nose in where it doesn’t belong.
Summer turned her face into his shoulder and burst into tears. “I shouldn’t care so much,” she whispered. “I know they’re just idle gossipers, they’ll talk about anyone who comes along, and it might not have been me. If anybody can know these things it’s me, but I just want to be — ” She stopped, and gulped hard, sniffling gracelessly.
“You don’t love me,” she said at last. “I want to meet someone here who sees /me/, and loves me, everything, all the things you know, and I’m such a failure.”