She could have sworn he did it on purpose. There was no way that anybody could get injured so much when they were merely training with his men. Merlin had made some joking comment about how he was too busy watching her that he'd missed the new trainee swinging his sword towards his unprotected knee. It was a preposterous thought, utterly ludicrous.

She'd decided to put it to the test.

On an errand for Gaius to collect some pots from the town with Merlin, they detoured pass the training ground on their return. Gwen looked over her shoulder to see Arthur fighting one of the more experienced knights. Block, block, jab attack, block.

She kept looking as she walked the well known path back to Gaius', with Merlin prattling on about something else beside her. She caught Arthur's eye and smiled at him politely. He smiled back before crying out as the knight took advantage of the distracted Prince. Gwen bit on her lips trying not to laugh and looked to the ground in front of her before disappearing from sight.

-

"You should be more careful, Sire," Gaius reprimanded as he helped Arthur off with his armour so he could take a closer look at the wound beneath the broken chain mail, "We can't be having you in here more than you are training. Camelot's defences would be greatly lessened."

"He caught me by surprise. I was distracted," he looked across the room to the man's assistant to currently had her back to him.

"By what, my lord?" Gaius stood behind him undoing the strap of the shoulder plate with a playful smirk on his face. He had heard Merlin telling Gwen off for not listening to him. The words 'Arthur' and 'distracting' had past his lips. He could see the girl trying not to get involved opposite them.

"Nothing."

"Nothing distracted you?"

"Yes, precisely." Arthur said clearing his throat. Gaius helped him with his chain mail and ordered his back to his seat.

"It doesn't looks too bad, sire," Gaius concluded studying the gash across his lower ribs beneath his arm. I'll have Gwen clean you up," Arthur choked on his breath, much to Gaius' entertainment, "I have remedies to prepare."

"Of course. I shall not get in the way of your work," on hearing Gaius speak her name Gwen turned her attention to them. The sight of Arthur sat in just his trousers was one she had seen a few times in the past, but each time she did her heart hammered in her chest and she could feel the heat flush up her neck, "Guinevere."

"Sire," she dunked a bowl into the bucket of water she had collected that morning and grabbed a clean cloth, "This shouldn't take long."

"Take your time," she felt the flush rush over her face and tint the tops of her ears.

She ran the cloth over the cut, the ends of her fingers grazing over his skin. He winced with a small smile adorning his face.

"I'm sorry, Sire, did that hurt?"

"No, sorry, Guinevere, carry on."

She did so, repeating the moment, her skin contacting his each time. On the last he twitched so violently that he had to grab her hand away.

"Sorry, my lord."

"Not at all, I'm just slightly ticklish it would seem," he released her hand, only for her to linger before she moved it away.

"Well, I am done now. I will just dress the wound and you may go back to training."

-

"I didn't know you were ticklish," Gwen said smugly that evening as the pair of them sat in front of the fire. She sat between Arthur's outstretched legs, tucked into his chest.

"Neither did I."

"Nobody tickled you as a kid?" she asked sceptically, her hand running down his ribs over his shirt.

"No. Not many people would play with the Prince of Camelot. Let alone tickle me."

"Not even your father?"

"My father wasn't exactly the hands on type."

"That is a great shame, for him," she smirked as her fingers caught the hem of his shirt and adventured under the material.

"Oh no," he made to grab her wrist only for her to force her hand under his shirt faster, fingers working over the skin near his freshest injury. Rendered useless in laughter, Arthur fell back to the floor, taking her, and her feverishly tickling hands with him.

He jerked on the floor, trying to escape her. Unable to stop the giggling laughter escaping his lips. He fought to grab Gwen's hand away, and when it proved too difficult he hooked his leg around the back of hers managing to flip her over onto the floor and pinned her hands above her head.

He was still laughing, unable to be un-amused by her antics, and didn't notice the rather precarious position he had put them both in. He only became aware to it when she started to wriggle in attempt to free her hands from his.

He swallowed deeply.

It wasn't like they hadn't been this intimate before, it's just the door was unlocked and Merlin had an incredible ability of walking in on things Arthur rather he wouldn't.

Gwen sucked her bottom between her teeth before she smirked and rocked another time pulling one hand free and diving it down to the hem of his shirt. Arthur moved to grab her hand away stopping it from pulling at the material of his tunic.

Gwen stretched her fingers, prizing his hand off of hers.

He went to grab it again before he realised her intent as her fingers skimmed the rim of his trousers.

"Guinevere," he pulled her from the floor, kissing her firmly on the lips. Her hand ripped away from him as he stood, scooping her up into his arms and heading for the other half of his chambers, "Well if you're going that way about it," he played with the hem of her skirts as he lowered her onto his mattress. He pressed his lips to hers again as she laid back into the pillows taking him with her. One hand trailed up over her thigh as the other tugged at the curtains of his four poster bed, "Two can play at that game."