"Where am I going to sleep?" Merlin had Arthur say.
Gwen looked at the frog a little funny. "I don't know. Where is it that frogs normally sleep? Do you want a bowl of water or something?"
"No, I want to sleep in your bed."
"You want to sleep in my bed?" Gwen said, enunciating each word to make sure she had heard right.
"Remember you promised I could go wherever you go for at least a full day. If you go to bed, I have to go with you."
Gwen's eyes narrowed as she looked at the frog. She looked ready to protest, but Merlin knew Gwen wouldn't break a promise. It's what he had counted on from the beginning. She scooped him up and headed off to bed. Merlin took a shortcut and hurried ahead. He distracted the guards in front of Gwen's bedchamber by magically knocking over a suit of armor in the next corridor. It gave him just enough time to sneak into her room undetected.
Merlin hid under the bed. If he got caught hiding under the queen's bed, he would be in some major trouble. Gwen might go easy on him, but the guards sure wouldn't.
Gwen came into the room less than a minute later. She set Arthur down on the far end of the left pillow. "There you can have the pillow right beside mine. Don't move an inch from this pillow or you'll find yourself back in the well quicker than you can say ribbit."
Merlin watched as Gwen's feet went behind the screen to change into her bedclothes. She came back out eying Arthur with the same disdain that had been a part of their early relationship. She slowly and carefully got onto her side of the bed.
Merlin slowly released his breath. Gwen hadn't caught him in here. He was safe for now. He listened as she twisted and turned, trying to get comfortable. He didn't know if Gwen normally had trouble getting to sleep or if she was more restless because there was a frog sleeping beside her.
He waited until he heard some gentle snoring. He didn't want her to get into heavy a sleep or it would never work, but he hoped it was deep enough that she wouldn't wake up. His new plan was ready to be set into motion. If he could give her a dream about kissing Arthur, she might kiss Arthur the frog by mistake. The fortunate thing about sending people dreams is that it was always more vivid and real than a regular dream, so it was perfectly possible that she would act it out.
"Arthur," Gwen moaned in her sleep. It seemed to be working. Merlin peeked out from under the bed. He had to position the frog king in exactly the right spot.
Her lips were already in the kiss position. She was inches away from Arthur's frog lips. She moved closer and closer until there was contact! Gwen, feeling the cool, wet lips of Arthur, immediately woke up and realized it wasn't exactly Arthur, at least not the Arthur she was used to seeing.
She picked him up and threw him onto the floor in disgust, shouting, "You, Sir Frog, are no gentleman!"
It appeared all this plotting had been wasted. Gwen's unknowing kiss hadn't been enough to change Arthur back. Merlin rolled out from under the bed to ensure Arthur hadn't been injured in the throw.
Gwen's mouth dropped open, "Merlin, what are you doing under my bed?" Her eyes flitted from Merlin to the frog as she rubbed her lips and a slow horror seeped into her expression. "This is your frog from earlier. You wanted me to sleep with the frog. I bet you had something to do with me kissing him too. What's going on here?" she demanded, sounding very queenly and very angry.
"It isn't as perverted as it sounds," Merlin began. The look of rage on Gwen's face convinced him that the only thing he could do at this point was tell the truth. What did it matter anyway? It seemed Gaius had been right in supposing that a kiss turning a frog back into a king was the work of fiction. "You were right before. This frog isn't a gentleman. He's your husband."