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It's been three days since I drank the poison and nearly died. It's been three days since Arthur saved my life.

It's been three days since Gwen kissed me.

She'd taken me by surprise, considering that only seconds before I was awakening from the clutches of death. It was quick and hasty, but lovely nonetheless. Gwen had apologized immediately, explaining that she'd thought I was dead. She hadn't needed to tell me how relieved she was that I was, in fact, still alive and breathing, for her kiss had told me loud and clear.

I'd told her that it was fine, more than fine actually, for it truly was. Although I hadn't been able to feel a great deal of it, I'd felt enough to know that I wouldn't mind kissing her again if the opportunity arose.

There's just one problem - Gwen and I haven't spoken since it all happened. We haven't necessarily been avoiding each other, though, we just haven't bumped into each other around the castle like we usually do. Or that's why I've been telling myself at least.

Somewhere deep down, I know I've been steering clear of her, for although her kiss was certainly wonderful, I also know that it was a kiss of relief rather than one of love. Gwen had simply been glad that I was still alive, as she'd told me so herself. It had nothing to do with love.

I'd never really thought about Gwen in a romantic way before since I'd always assumed she didn't think of me in that way either. Now, however, there's a little spark inside of me that's simply bursting to ignite into a full blown inferno; all it needs to light up is another kiss from Gwen.

As I go about my duties that day, I ponder the idea. Perhaps one more kiss would clear this mess between us up, if not help us to figure out any feelings we may have for one another. Besides, I've realized over the last three days that I really want to kiss her for a second time or maybe even more than that. And so, with my mind made up, I take off in search of Gwen and a second kiss.

It takes me a painfully long time to eventually find her doing laundry in the lower levels of the castle. The door is ajar, and I can hear her humming away happily to herself, clearly lost in her own little world. With a slight tremble in my hand, I knock the door gently as I step inside.

Gwen looks up from behind the table with a somewhat startled expression on her face, but she calms when she realizes it's just me. "Merlin, you made me jump."

"I've been looking all over for you," I say, closing the door fully behind me.

"Oh, well, I guess you found me," she says with a small laugh. "Was there something you needed?"

"I guess you could say that," I say vaguely, taking a few small steps further into the room.

"Well, what is it?" she asks in a curious tone.

I glance down at the floor awkwardly as I become overwhelmed with nerves all of a sudden. I struggle to answer, unsure of how to initiate my plan, for it really is rather odd to ask your friend to kiss you out of the blue.

"Merlin, you've been looking at the floor for nearly five minutes," says Gwen, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Is something wrong?"

"I want to kiss you again," I say quickly, deciding to throw caution to the wind and just get on with it.

"What?" asks Gwen, clearly caught off guard by my bold question.

"I want to kiss you again," I repeat, speaking slower this time. "When you kissed me the other day, it surprised me, and even though I couldn't feel much of it because I had just barely woken up, I know I liked it. In fact, I really, really liked it."

I pause for a brief moment to look at Gwen, trying to figure out what she might be thinking. She seems remarkably well-composed, looking directly at me without even a tint of a blush on her cheeks. I begin to worry that I've made a mistake, but I've already come this far so it would be pretty much pointless to turn back now.

"So now, I want to kiss you again, just to make sure I wasn't just caught up in the heat of the moment," I finish, somehow managing to speak without looking away from her.

Gwen is quiet for a few moments, obviously mulling over everything I've just said. I remain silent, my eyes darting around the room nervously.

"Okay," she says eventually, stepping around to the front of the table so that we're merely inches away from one another. "We may kiss again."

"Okay."

I gaze into her soft brown eyes and cup her warm cheeks in my hands, simply enjoying her beauty up close. Gwen remains still, waiting for me to make the next move. So that's what I do. I move in just a tiny bit more, pulling her towards me as I lean down to kiss her softly, slowly, gently.

Gwen is static for a few seconds, not pulling away but not reciprocating either, making it hard for me to figure out her thoughts. But then I realize just how amazing kissing her feels, so I decide to be a little selfish for once and continue, hoping that eventually she'll begin to kiss me back.

Thankfully, that's exactly what happens. She moves her lips against mine, matching the gentle pace that I've set. Her hands settle at the base of my neck, playing with my hair as she keeps me firmly in place. I find my own hands wandering down her sides, before eventually coming to rest on her waist.

I'm not sure how long we stay like that - it could have been a minute, maybe even five or ten minutes. When we do finally pull apart, we rest our foreheads together, breathing deeply in tandem.

"So, I think I'd be willing to do that again, if you'll allow it," says Gwen, a sweet smile gracing her face.

"I'll definitely allow it," I say, smiling happily back at her. "How about right now?"

"Right now it is then," she says, reaching up to kiss me once again.

This one is different to the previous one, more intense, more passionate. It's hot and heavy, exciting and thrilling. When I've had enough of her lips, I begin to trail kisses up and down her neck, receiving a small moan of pleasure as a reward.

I push Gwen towards the table, not caring about the bucket of water crashing to the floor. She sits on the edge of the table, wrapping her legs around my waist tightly as my kisses make their way towards the top of her dress. Her hands rest on my shoulders, determined not to let me move away, even though I have absolutely no intention of doing so.

When Gwen begins to push me out of my jacket and tug at the base of my tunic, I remove both immediately, tossing them aside carelessly along with my neckerchief. I untie the laces of her bodice, slipping her dress down to her waist so that I can kiss her now bare skin. My hands begin to wander all over her beautiful body, feeling her chest, her sides, her hips, anywhere that is no longer clothed.

I pull away for just a brief moment to catch my breath, allowing Gwen to take the lead for the first time. She kisses me everywhere, starting with my mouth before moving down to my chest. When she eventually pauses to also get some air, I lean my head on top of hers, closing my eyes to fully take in the sweet, flowery scent of her hair.

We stay that way for a few minutes, just enjoying a rare snippet of peace and serenity for once. I open my eyes, looking down into Gwen's brown ones as I study each and every part of her. It's then that I realize that I'm not quite finished with her yet, so I move away and begin searching for my discarded clothing.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" asks Gwen, watching me curiously from her spot on the table.

Hastily pulling on my tunic, I shove my neckerchief into my pocket and slip Gwen's arms into my jacket as I take her by the wrist.

"I am taking you to my chambers so that I can take off that dress properly," I say, leading her towards the door and out into the castle corridors.

"Merlin!" says Gwen, laughing as she pushes me playfully, but hurrying along with me nonetheless.