Chapter 3: The Wager

A/N: This is based on a suggestion in the reviews. I didn't follow the exact storyline outlined by the user, but it did serve as inspiration for this chapter. I'm not entirely sure how in-character Gwen is here because I get the feeling she would be quite a timid lover, but who knows. Maybe once she becomes comfortable with Arther as her lover, she might become a bit more adventurous. Please leave any comments or suggestions you might have. I really appreciate them. Let

Rating: M

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"He's useless, honestly," Arthur argued.

Gwen swatted her husband with a towel. "He's not useless. His talents probably far exceed your own. You've never had to work a day in your life."

Arthur pouted and pulled his wife into his lap on the chaise lounge in their chambers, eliciting a pleased giggle from his beautiful lover.

"I'll wager that if you two were to swap places for a day, you would be in over your head. Whereas Merlin would be perfectly capable to sit in a chair and command you around all day."

Arthur raised a hand to his chest in mock offence. "How dare you! I do far more than that. The idiot would probably wear himself out by lunchtime after training with the knights for three hours."

Gwen turned in Arthur's lap to look at him. She pressed a kiss to his nose and laughed. "Fine, let's put it to the test. I'll wager that if you two were to swap places for a day, you would come out second best. If I win, you will do anything you ask. And vice versa."

"Anything?" Arthur asked with keen interest. A coy smile played on his lips.

"Anything, my love," replied Gwen, raising her eyebrows seductively for effect.

Arthur let out a low growl and brought his lips to her ear. "Deal," he muttered, sending shivers down Gwen's spine when he flicked his tongue into her helix.

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"What?" Merlin asked, incredulous.

"I'm your King, you have no choice. Indulge me."

"Absolutely not, Arthur. No, no, no," Merlin shook his head emphatically.

"Too bad, the die has been cast. There's no turning back now – Gwen and I shook on it." Arthur said.

"Fine, but what do I gain from this?" asked Merlin.

"The chance to order me around. All day."

At that, Merlin's resolve dwindled, and he nodded. This would be an opportunity too good to miss.

"Alright, when do we start?"

"Now," Arthur said with obvious glee. He turned away from his manservant – now his master – to reach for the chainmail.

Merlin enjoyed bossing his King around when he was getting ready for training. He made Arthur fetch him breakfast, scrub the floors, tidy the room (which was all Arthur's mess anyway), and clean the candle wax off the table. Arthur had willingly obliged, reminding himself of his own prize with Gwen, which he had tactfully omitted from his conversation with Merlin. When Arthur had forgotten to clear away the plates from the decadent breakfast, Merlin threw a spoon at his friend. The servants around the castle bore confused expressions the whole day, wondering why Merlin was in chainmail attending knight training, and Arthur in peasant clothing, running errands for his own servant.

Gwen enjoyed the day very much – her best friend was bossing her husband around like he was the King of Camelot. She laughed hard when she walked in on Arthur attempting to scrub the floors. She had bent down to help him, laying her hand over his to demonstrate. Merlin seemed to do just fine in the training session with the knights and, while she was lying on the chaise lounge embroidering, he had burst into their chambers demanding that Arthur polish his armour immediately. Gwen couldn't help but laugh at her pathetic husband when he displayed obvious confusion at drawing a bath for his temporary superior. Merlin changed behind the screen and chucked his sweaty clothes over the divider onto Arthur's head. Unfortunately, Gwen had to exit the chambers when Merlin came out to take his bath, but she could hear yelling and metal hitting stone from the adjoining room.

After Merlin had taken his bath, he demanded (quite rudely, in fact, but he said it was all to keep in character) that Arthur bring him a roast chicken and roast potatoes for lunch, with an asparagus starter and black pudding for dessert. Arthur's mouth was agape when he returned with the shining platters, astonished by how insolent the cook was. He complained that she didn't even recognise him as her King in his plain clothes.

"Well of course not," Merlin said. "You're quite ordinarily plain when you aren't wearing that ridiculous cape and chainmail all day."

Arthur ran at his friend with fists up, ready to fight. "I'm a far sight better looking than you, my friend," he taunted. "And I have better luck with the ladies than you could ever dream of."

"I'll make sure to remind Gwen of that next time I see her," Merlin jibed back, ducking when Arthur released a boxer's blow to the air.

"Oy, you clot-pole! This is your King you're attacking. Best watch out, or I'll have you in jail for treason!"

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The sun sank low on the horizon, and Merlin savoured his third and last meal as the King of Camelot. He spoke lavishly of the rich food he was eating, eyeing Arthur who was standing in the corner fidgeting, itching to eat the food that was rightfully his. Merlin reminded him of the delicious boiled potatoes and barley-pea soup that Gaius was cooking that night.

Gwen ate beside Merlin in the royal chambers, and every now and then she would slip Arthur a forkful of patties, or a spoonful of fragrant mushroom soup.

"Cheating!" Merlin yelled the third time she did this. "Would you do that for me if I was standing there?"

Gwen put her fork down with a subtle smile. "I'm sorry, my Lord. Forgive my insolence."

"That's better," Merlin said, nodding contentedly.

"Boy, I'm glad you're not King. You're just abusing your privilege," Arthur piped up from the corner.

Merlin scoffed in return. Just then, the city bells chimed 6pm. Merlin cursed under his breath. This was the end of his short-lived reign as sovereign. Arthur clapped his hands happily and stepped forward, shoving Merlin out his seat and away from his half-eaten dinner.

"Right, Merlin. Looks like you're back to being a servant again, ey?" He looked up to Merlin from the table and picked up a piece of tasty beef on his fork. "This looks good, doesn't it? Oh well, enjoy your barley-pea soup." Arthur laughed heartily.

"Well, that concludes the bet Merlin," Gwen said, chuckling. "Thank you for complying. And now I must give my judgement, as an individual who has served in both roles: as servant and as sovereign." She looked between the two men, pausing for effect.

"I can justly say that the winner – he who played his role most convincingly – would have to be…" Arthur shifted in his seat and Merlin moved his head in interest. "Merlin!"

"What?" asked an incredulous Arthur. "I spent the whole day slaving away, working hard to polish the armour and polish the floor and wax the wood and dewax the tables and fetch dinner and draw baths. And I don't win?" Arthur looked out of breath after his little rant.

"Perhaps now it can give you some compassion for your trusty sidekick then, dear," Gwen chided condescendingly.

Merlin laughed out loud and pulled a face at Arthur. "That's how I feel every day, clot-pole."

"That'll be all, Merlin," Arthur said, dismissing his servant irritably.

Once the chamber doors clicked shut, the King and Queen finished their dinner companionably. Then Arthur turned to his wife. He looked at her for a while, and she stared right back at him.

"Well, I guess you won, Guinevere."

"I guess I did, my liege," she said, raising her eyebrows.

"So, what is your reward?"

Gwen said nothing but stood up. She walked around the table to Arthur and took his hand, coaxing him to stand up and follow her. She led him to their bedchambers and instructed him to sit down while she went behind the screen. Gwen undid the ties on her dress and let the cumbersome clothing fall to the floor. Reaching behind her, she retrieved a new item of clothing from the chest. This was something she had bought from the brothel in the lower town a few days ago but hadn't had the guts to show to Arthur. Stepping into the fabric, she pulled it up along her body and fastened the buckles along the bodice. She stepped out of her heels and away from the screen with an elegance of a queen.

Arthur was fiddling with his dagger in its sheath when Gwen emerged. At first, he didn't notice her, but when he looked up his mouth fell open.

"Do you like what you see?" Gwen asked in a sultry voice.

Arthur couldn't speak. His eyes roamed her lean body, lingering on the lacy fabric that was pushing her breasts up so far that they could easily fall out of the corset. He could see her nipples through the black lace, and there were thick, sexy buckles running upwards from her bellybutton to her cleavage. He gulped and his eyes widened when his beautiful lover turned around for him to see her backside. The lace barely covered her bum, and there were straps leading to the top of a pair of garters, tantalizing and sensual.

"Guinevere…" he said, as he stood up and walked towards her. "I thought I was going to have to do something for you… but this… is doing lots… for me."

He reached for her and pulled her frame towards him, pressing his lips passionately against hers. His erection was straining hard against his pants, and he relished in her sweet mouth as she opened it for him. But soon she pulled away and pushed him onto the bed.

"Stay there," she commanded, and Arthur obeyed.

He watched her lustfully as she turned to the chest and retrieved two pieces of silk. Then she turned back to him, holding his gaze with a smirk, noticing he had already removed his shirt.

"Lie down," she instructed, gently shoving her husband on the shoulder.

Gwen climbed onto the bed after Arthur and straddled his torso. She reached over him so that her breasts teased his face, and he placed a wet kiss in her cleavage.

"Guinevere," he moaned as she lifted his arms above his head and tied his hands to the headboard. She tied the second strap around his head and pried his mouth open to slip the silk between his teeth, silencing him. Arthur groaned and mumbled an incoherent sentence.

"Shhh, Love," she said, placing a slender finger on his parted lips, before she dipped it into his mouth and swirled it around.

Gwen rose again and climbed off her lover to remove his pants, freeing his straining member. Now he lay bared before her, like a lamb for the slaughter.

"Arthur, darling. It looks like you've gotten a bit ahead of yourself here." She traced her hands down his toned chest and around his hipbones, dallying before she gave in to her real target. Leaning down, she placed feathery kisses onto Arthur's squirming hips, barely skirting his cock.

"Ga..." he mumbled in a poor attempt at 'Gwen'. He tried to curse, to no avail. He settled on a frustrated growl, lifting his head to see her spying him from her lowered, sly gaze.

"Patience, my Lord," she whispered, intentionally directing her breath to his erect member. Arthur shivered at the warm flow of air.

Gwen adjusted her position so her mouth was squarely above his cock. Her left hand lifted it while her right moved over his balls. She plunged her mouth over him, and swirled her tongue enticingly, eliciting another growl from her king and lover. Bobbing her head up and down, massaging his tender balls, sheathing him in her warm mouth and gentle hands, she brought him near his climax. Arthur was moving his hips to meet every rise and fall of his wife's head, thrusting deep into her mouth.

But before he peaked, Gwen removed her mouth, climbing onto the bed and straddling his chest. She reached behind his head to undo the tie in his mouth.

"I think this is no longer of use anymore," she said matter-of-factly. "I have a job for you, King. One which you must complete to my satisfaction."

Once free, Arthur released a string of curses. "Guinevere," he said in a low, sexy timbre which made her core throb with need. "Why would you leave me unfinished." He flopped his head onto the pillow and groaned again.

"You lost," Gwen replied simply. "I won. Which is why you don't get to enjoy a finish just yet. But I do." She turned around so she was straddling him, facing his erection again. Then she removed her underwear and shimmied herself, so her core was directly atop his face. "Eat me," she commanded.

Arthur had to comply, for his sake as much as for hers. Pleasuring her brought great pleasure for himself, and he knew if he could do this for her, he would come too. He leaned upwards and darted his tongue into her wet, slippery folds. Gwen rolled her hips as his tongue slipped inside her. He had to be creative, as his hands were out of action. Soon Gwen was shivering and writhing above him, breathily panting his name.

"Oh, Arth… yes!" she cried out.

Arthur's climax came just after hers, as he listened to her gasp with untamed pleasure. Gwen waited a few moments before lifting her leg and climbing off him. She reached up to untie his hands.

"Oh Guinevere, you amaze me," he whispered, staring at her with dark, lust-filled orbs and a flushed face.

Gwen chuckled, suddenly shy under her husband's adoring gaze. She looked away from him and settled against his chest. But Arthur's hand came around her and tilted her chin, forcing her to face him. He lowered his lips and caught hers, tenderly kissing her. Both could taste themselves in each other's mouths. Gwen hummed as Arthur's hands roamed her body, feeling his warmth through the thin lace of her outfit.

"This is so sexy," Arthur commented as his left hand cupped a lacy breast. "Especially the buckles."

Gwen smiled. "I thought you might like it."

"Mmm, that I most certainly do." Arthur reached for one of the buckles and unclipped it, releasing a perky breast. He lowered his mouth and nipped her skin, his other hand lowering further down her body. "You're so beautiful, my Guinevere. I love you."

"I love you too, Arthur."

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A/N: Please leave any comments or suggestions you might have. I really appreciate them. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see in the Arwen dynamic :)