Gwaine and Arthur friendship, Gwaine and Arthur are trapped

"When are you going to ask her?"

"Ask who, what?"

"Ask Gwen to marry you." Gwaine flips his hair in that irritatingly swish way that he had and looks at Arthur in the dim light provided by their one last guttering torch.

"Gwaine, we're trapped in a cave and you're asking about my love life?"

"Yeah," he shrugs. "Gotta talk about something."

"No, we don't. Wish I was trapped with Percival. He could have at least moved some of the rocks and we might have had a chance to get out."

"Stop avoiding the question," Gwaine goads.

"And Percival doesn't prattle on incessantly," Arthur adds pointedly.

"Well?"

"Gods, you're like a badger," Arthur groans. "All right, fine. I don't know, okay? And if we never get out of here I'll never get the chance anyway."

"Why don't you know?" Gwaine asks, ignoring the second half of Arthur's groaning reply.

Arthur says nothing, tracing patterns in the dirt with the tip of his sword.

"You love her?"

"Yes."

"Then ask her, Princess."

Arthur is quiet again. "I screwed up," he finally admits.

"What? She doesn't seem heartbroken, I would know, believe me. Or, wait – did you do something and she doesn't know yet? I know you're my king and all, but if you destroy her I will cut your throat without a second thought," Gwaine is suddenly agitated, his passionate nature clearly extending to all aspects of his personality.

"No, it's done already, and she's forgiven me. Though I can't imagine why. I just… Well, now I'm just not sure if she'll say yes."

Gwaine notices that his threat didn't seem to faze Arthur at all, which is very telling. Almost as if Arthur would want his throat slit if he hurt her. Somehow that makes me feel better. "What did… you know what? I don't even want to know." Gwaine waves his hand dismissively. "She'll say yes, Arthur. Why would you even doubt that?"

"She's always been a lot more careful about our relationship than I have. She may say no because she feels she has to, even if she wants to say yes."

"You're the king now," Gwaine reminds him.

"I'm not going to order her to marry me!" Arthur is appalled.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. You're the king; you make the rules. If you want to marry a beautiful serving girl who is wiser than all the knights put together, including you, then go ahead and do it."

"My uncle will be against it."

Gwaine narrows his eyes. "Agravaine is an ignorant toad."

Arthur looks at him. "What?"

"He was the one that advised you to kill Caerleon. Wrong move, mate, sorry."

"I know that now. He also advised me to end things with Guinevere."

"Did you?"

Arthur resumes tracing patterns in the dirt.

Gwaine rolls his eyes, disgusted. "You did! You bastard!" he exclaims.

"I know. But like I said, she forgave me and took me back."

"Arthur, have a backbone, man. He's an advisor, but you're still the bloody king. You don't have to do what he recommends just because he's older. He doesn't know what Camelot needs. Hell, I've been in Camelot longer than he has."

"He's family."

"Doesn't mean he's always right."

Arthur shrugs.

"And besides, Gwen isn't as careful as you think. I saw it the first time I came to Camelot, just from two conversations with her."

"Really?"

"Well, I am a bit more… attuned to the ways of women than most…" he brags, flipping his hair again.

"What did she say?" Arthur asks, expectantly.

Gwaine laughs now. "Stop behaving like a girl. And it wasn't so much what she said, but how she said it. She got that faraway look in those beautiful brown eyes when she started talking about you. Her breathing sped up. Her lovely face went all soft. I could have seen it if I was blind, mate."

"Merlin said the same thing. 'A blind man could see it,' he said once. Years ago," he chuckles.

"Years? How long have you two been sneaking around, anyway?"

"About five years."

"Five years?!"

Arthur nods.

"Have you…" Gwaine nudges him with his elbow, "with her?"

"Not that it's any of your bloody business, Gwaine, but no. I wouldn't compromise her virtue that way, nor would I keep her as my mistress. She wouldn't go for that, anyway."

"Too right there, mate. But five years? So then, you've had… nothing in the way of female attention other than the occasional stolen kiss?"

Arthur says nothing, and Gwaine has his answer.

"No wonder you're always so hard on us during training," Gwaine smirks.

"Shut up. I shouldn't even be discussing this with you."

"Who else are you going to discuss this with? Merlin?" Gwaine laughs. "Merlin's a great guy, but he's hardly an authority on love."

"He's hardly an authority on anything," Arthur mutters.

"Oh, now, you know that's not true. You just don't want to admit you like him."

"That would be correct," Arthur smirks.

Gwaine shoves him lightly. "When we get out of here, ask Gwen, marry her as soon as possible, and then I don't want to see either of you for at least two days after the wedding. At least."

"Wha—oh." Arthur presses his lips together and hopes that he's not blushing. He probably is, because Gwaine is snickering now.

There is a rumble at the pile of fallen boulders blocking them in. They hear voices. They scramble to their feet.

A boulder shifts. A shaft of sharp sunlight pierces through the darkness before it is blocked by Percival's head peeking in.

"Oi! All right in there?" he asks, smiling.

"Thank the gods," Arthur starts to walk forward, but then he stops, grabbing Gwaine's arm. "Not one word."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I fell asleep," Gwaine says, winking at him.