The last man on the attack had been huge.

Tired and already near beaten it hadn't taken more than a punch to get Arthur to the ground. He'd come from behind and with all the cries and fire surrounding him Arthur hadn't heard him until it was too late and the man had rounded on him and had him on the floor.

Once he was down, the enemy didn't hesitate to take him by the shoulder plate and punch him to the ground over and over again. Resistance was futile and not altogether worth it.

Arthur was the last line of defence and he was down, it wouldn't be long until the last men standing had the castle under siege. Now beaten to an indistinguishable pulp in his own courtyard.

"Arthur?" he couldn't focus on the source of the voice, all he could make out was it was male and familiar?

-

He had that feeling again. That one he had back when the Questing Beast had attacked him and Guinevere had been tending to his fever.

He coughed.

"Arthur?" the voice was female now, "Arthur, open your eyes."

Slowly he opened his eyes, the world a tad wobbly as he looked at the source of the voice. he didn't need focus to know it was Guinevere.

"Hello," he could see her wide smile.

"Why can't I focus on you?" he asked, suddenly aware to the bruises and pain that he could feel across his chest and his face. He slowly raised his hand to his forehead, feeling over his features, "Never mind."

He coughed again, forcing himself onto his side making it easier to breathe. He felt her hand rubbing on his back.

"Deep breaths, okay?" he nodded, "here," she held out a goblet of water. He raised his hand and placed it over hers on the cup, guiding it to his lips.

"Thanks," he mumbled, "how long have I been out?"

"A couple of hours."

"What's happened?"

"Leon and the last line managed to fend off the attacks. Gaius has the Great Hall acting as a ward now. We got you to Merlin's quarters because it was the closest place," she submerged a cloth into some cool water and moved to dab at the cuts and grazes across his face. Arthur winced as she touched the cool fabric to his split lip, "There."

"Thanks," he sat up on Merlin's bunk, swinging his legs down over the side.

With him sat beside her now she looked over his injuries at a closer level. One eye was swollen with a cut through his eyebrow. The same cheek was badly bruised with the lip split on the same side, all injuries from the man's punch. On the other cheek was a graze from where his head had hit the floor. All of his injuries were clean, one half of his face discoloured and blotchy, the other near perfect.

"Kiss it better?" he said meekly, a questioning look on his uninjured side of his face.

With a small smile on her lips she moved to kneel one leg on the bunk to give herself more height. She pressed her lips to his injured brow, followed by both cheeks. She could see that his split lip wasn't hindering him from smirking at her as she sat back again.

In the privacy of Merlin's quarters, Gwen found herself leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss to the uninjured side of his lips.

"You missed," she rolled her eyes at him, but her smile never faltered. She reached up to cradle the grazed cheek and kissed his split lip. She felt him inhale a sharp breath at the contact and laughed slightly.

"That's what you get for being an unsatisfied customer."

"I didn't realise I was paying for this," they both let out short laughs at the implication of his words.

"I would hope you weren't."

"Perhaps I could repay you in kind?" he asked, one side of his mouth forming into his trademark smirk yet again.

"Perhaps you could."