Arthur sighed, relaxing further into the bed. Merlin had made it up but now they were lying on top of the covers, Merlin with a book on Joseph of Arimathea and Arthur with a letter from Vivian, who had indeed had a secret boyfriend (named Bedevire) who'd kissed her and broken the enchantment, and was now writing to apologize for her "embarrassing deportment." Lady Vivian apologizing for something? Arthur'd thought he'd never see the day.

Merlin snuggled a little closer, resting back against Arthur's chest and letting Arthur loop his arm around his chest, keeping him close. Training had gone well, and there was nothing else to look forward to until dinner with his father. In fact, if Arthur waited until Merlin reached the end of a chapter, he had a good chance of persuading him to indulge in some lazy afternoon sex…

And then Gwen banged the door open and there went the day.

"And you're sure about this?" Arthur asked, pacing.

"Yes," Gwen replied. "I think she's realized that Merlin's been sleeping in your room."

Merlin muttered some words that he certainly hadn't learned from Gaius.

"We can't let her find out," Arthur said.

"Would it really be that bad?" Gwen asked.

Arthur remembered the last time Morgana had blackmail information on him and he shuddered. "Yes."

Merlin nodded. "Definitely."

"Then there's only one thing for it," Gwen announced, drawing herself up and squaring her shoulders. "Arthur, you're going to woo me."

Arthur stopped short in his pacing. "What?"

"You heard me. You need to act lovestruck." Gwen grinned mischievously. "Just try and remember what you did when trying to win Merlin over."

"You don't want that, trust me, all he did was stare a lot and insult my intelligence."

"Won you over anyway," Arthur pointed out, smiling. Merlin smiled back dopily and Gwen made a face.

"Right, stop being all romantic and disgusting."

"You're one to talk, you and Lancelot are the worst."

"Just do what the poets aways say to do!" Gwen said. "Write me love poems, bring me flowers!"

"Oh God," Merlin muttered.

"And make sure Morgana knows about it!" Gwen ordered. With that, she swept out the door.

"She'd make a good queen," Merlin noted. "She's got the ordering people around down pat."

"That's actually not a half-bad idea," Arthur grumbled. "Make her Crown Princess and the two of us can run off together."

"Don't be an idiot," Merlin said fondly. "You wouldn't last a week as a peasant."

Gwen's face upon seeing her romantic surprise was a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "A romantic picnic? Really? Do you have no other ideas?"

"That's what I told him," Merlin replied, leading her across the stream.

"Well it's not like I needed any romantic ideas the first time around!" Arthur protested.

"You're lucky I'm easy," Merlin said. "And easily swayed by sex."

"Why does this not surprise me?" Gwen sighed.

"Right." Arthur clapped his hands together. "Merlin, off you go. Gwen, come try this chicken, it's delicious. All we have to do is wait for someone to spot us, and we're good."

Apparently, the theme of the day was Ruin Arthur's Plans, because the someone who found them was Morgana.

And Uther.

"For the record," Gwen whispered as they were angrily led back to Camelot, "That was the most awkward kiss of my life."

"Ditto. Let's not do it again."

When it was all over, they met in Arthur's chambers. "No more," Merlin declared. "Your fake relationship is over, I am not letting either roy you stick your necks out like that again."

"It turned out all right," Gwen said dubiously, "But I have to say this thing has gotten away from us."

"I agree," Arthur said. "It has to stop. I mean, aside from the fact that my father is now convinced that my feelings for you were the result of an enchantment…" He frowned. "Who was that old man anyway?"

"He saved Gwen's life, whoever he was," Merlin pointed out. "Even if it was by accident."

"Yes…" Arthur folded his arms. He remembered the way the warlock—Dragoon the Great—had looked at him. The way he stuttered when he tried to accuse Arthur of wrongdoing. The flash in his eyes…

"What will you do now?" Gwen asked.

"Hmm?" Arthur shook off his reverie. "Oh. We'll carry on as before. We'll just have to be a little more careful, that's all."

"I think…" Gwen bit her lip. "I think it would be all right, if others knew. I think they'd be welcoming."

Arthur snorted. "Sure they would."

"The people love you, Arthur," Gwen said. "More than they love Uther, I'm afraid."

Merlin nodded. "She's right."

Words always seemed to hold more weight coming from Guinevere. Arthur knew he could trust Merlin, could rely on him for anything, but he also knew that Merlin has the habit of devoting himself to people wholeheartedly. When Merlin praised him, it was easy to dismiss it because he knew Merlin would say it no matter what. But when Gwen said it, Arthur found it harder to ignore. Gwen's respect was not easily won, and he had yet to see her lie except in assisting him and Merlin.

"If the castle knows, my father will know."

"Not necessarily," Gwen pointed out. "I'm sure they'll understand the need for secrecy." Seeing him waver, she pressed on. "I'm not saying blow the trumpets. I'm just saying you don't have to be so paranoid."

"I'm all for that," Merlin agreed.

Arthur nodded. "I shall think on what you have said."

Gwen sighed and pecked him on the cheek. "See that you do." She hugged Merlin, and then left.

Merlin coughed and looked down at the ground, ears pink. "So, when you said you'd run away to be with Guinevere…"

Arthur smiled. "You want to know if I'd do the same for you."

"What? No!" Merlin protested. "I just wanted to say it's an incredibly stupid idea, that's all."

Arthur took a few deliberate steps closer. "Did Gwen tell you what we talked about while waiting for someone to find us at the picnic?"

"Um… maybe?" Merlin replied, his voice cracking a little.

"Then she'll have told you that sometimes I want that." Arthur stopped a few inches from Merlin. "Sometimes I hate it here. I hate having to hide, to pretend, when all I want to do is be myself, be with you. I want to link arms when we stroll along the battlements, I want to kiss you whenever I feel like it, I want to have you sit beside me at feasts instead of having to stand behind me." He held up his left hand. "I want to be able to tell people the real meaning of this ring."

Merlin's eyes had gotten rather wet, but that could have been because he wasn't so much as blinking. Arthur took a final step forward, his mouth hovering right in front of Merlin's. "I would run away with you. I'd do whatever it takes to keep us together."

Merlin slammed into him so hard that he nearly fell over, but his battle instincts kicked in and he merely stumbled backwards a step, letting Merlin kiss him as long as he liked.

All right, so maybe all of his other plans had come to naught, but this—this he got right.