Summary: When Merlin gets caught in a storm, the king and queen do everything in their power to get their friend warm again. However, it seems that the couple have an ulterior motive; a problem which requires a 'Pinch of Spice' to solve.

A/N: Set any time from S5 onwards. Gaius isn't around, although I've kept if fairly vague as to whether he's died, retired or is just otherwise occupied. I've also skirted avoided the issue of Merlin's magic and whether anyone knows yet.

A Pinch of Spice

The king and queen of Camelot sat at the table in the royal chambers, merely picking at their evening meal whilst a wild storm raged outside, rattling the windows and causing strange whistles to echo around the castle. The royal couple were obviously highly distracted, only reacting when the lightning flashed and regularly casting worried looks at each other before turning back to their plates and nibbling their supper half heartedly.

At the next rumble of thunder the door to the King's Chambers burst violently open and Gwaine and Percival barged in, the latter carrying a semi conscious Merlin in his arms.

"You found him!" Gwen exclaimed as she and Arthur quickly abandoned their meal and rushed forward to help.

"I hope you don't mind me bringing him straight here but he's freezing cold and I thought ..?" Gwaine nodded towards the fire that was currently blazing in the royal hearth.

"Yes, of course, you did the right thing," Arthur confirmed, indicating that Percival should put Merlin down in front of the fire.

Gwen moved quickly to the young man's side and placed a gentle hand on his chest. "He's soaking wet," she complained, before quickly getting back up and moving over to a nearby cabinet. "What happened? Where was he?" she continued, fully aware that the men present were all as concerned as she was – even if they were unlikely to say so out loud.

"We found him lying in the nearby stream. I don't know how he got there but I assume he came back late and the storm caught him by surprise," Gwaine answered.

"Why was he out there anyway?" Percival asked.

"I have no idea," Arthur complained with a large sigh, coming closer and placing a hand on his servant's forehead.

"Collecting supplies," Merlin slurred, his voice no more than a whisper.

"In a storm?" Gwen asked as she came back over with a pile of blankets. "Oh, Merlin, couldn't it have waited?"

"No, no – tonight. Had to be herb," he insisted. "Is cold a bit warm here?"

"What?"

Gwen turned a confused look towards her husband who was now frowning on hearing Merlin's response. He had almost sounded drunk and was quite obviously not himself.

"He's not shivering," Arthur observed with a shake of the head. "Which isn't a good sign seeing just how wet and cold he is. We really need to get him out of those clothes."

"Percival and I can do that if you want," Gwaine said, moving back towards Merlin.

"No, that's fine, we'll take care of it," Gwen replied sharply, waving the knight away. "I think we've got everything we need here?" She turned to Arthur who was already removing Merlin's boots and jacket and the king simply nodded a confirmation, looking serious – although Gwen could easily interpret the look as worry about his best friend's current condition.

"I just thought that, perhaps … her majesty should wait next door whilst we undress him," Percival pushed.

Gwen laughed gently at the suggestion, "I'm a married woman, Percival, I'm sure Merlin has nothing that I haven't seen already."

"Oh, I wouldn't be to sure about that," Gwaine replied lightly. "What our Merlin lacks in muscle, he more than makes up for in other areas." Gwen looked up at the knight and raised her eyebrows suggestively. "I didn't mean that," Gwaine continued not looking the least bit embarrassed by the misunderstanding. "I just meant that he often joins us knights when we bathe out on the road sometimes and so I …" He glared as he noted the the other three were now all grinning broadly at him. "Look, will you all stop smirking like that. Arthur knows what I mean."

"We believe you, Gwaine," Arthur said with a smile the denied such a statement, "but Guinevere is quite right, we can take it from here. Off you go now and close the door behind you, you're letting out all the heat out."

"Of course," said Gwaine as he started to walk out of the door. Then he paused, looking over at the three huddled around the fire with an amused expression on his face. "However, you should remember our earlier conversation, Arthur. You should take any opportunity that – might – present - itself." He gave the young couple an exaggerated wink and pulled a frowning Percival after him.

"What did you mean by that?" they heard the larger knight ask as the pair left.

"Not that this is the ideal situation," Gwen said thoughtfully in response, "but I'd still rather it was Merlin than Gwaine, wouldn't you agree?"

"Seeing you won't contemplate a woman," Arthur retorted with a small smile as he removed the last of Merlin's clothes. Despite her earlier comment to Percival, Gwen still felt her cheeks warm as she caught a glimpse of her friend's naked form before he was quickly covered with a blanket. She had to admit that she was impressed with what she had briefly seen and grateful for her dark skin – hoping Arthur wouldn't see quite how affected she was by the sight. "It's not about jealousy, Arthur, I told you. It's about who we can trust to be discrete. Frankly I was surprised you sought Gwaine's advice about such a matter."

"You know I trust all of my knights implicitly. The rumour's out there already anyway, but I'm happy that only he and Merlin know the full extend of the situation. It makes sense that it doesn't go any further."

"So, what do you think?" she asked. "About Merlin and ..?"

Arthur got up and walked to the table to the large jug that was on the table and put a finger into the liquid to test the temperature. "I'm still not convinced it will have any bearing on the situation but, if it has to be anyone, then Merlin really is the only one I'd trust. The problem is, I doubt that he'd agree."

"Oh, I don't think he'll be as reluctant as you think," Gwen replied, watching carefully as Arthur poured some of the wine into a glass and brought it over. "Perhaps we should have asked Gwaine to get him a hot drink," she suggested.

"No, this is fine. You can't give hot liquid to someone in this condition. This is still a little warm – which is perfect. Here, Merlin, take a sip of this."

The young man had been semi conscious when he was brought in, and had only made that one comment since he'd arrived, but now he did react; shaking his head and pulling away from the goblet that Arthur offered him. "Not hot ..." he complained.

"Yes, I know," the king responded, raising his eyes to the ceiling. "It's just warm – trust me. You're not the only one with some medical knowledge, you know."

"Prat," Merlin muttered, taking a gentle sip. "Feels hot."

"I'm sure it does. Make sure that you sip it slowly."

"Spice ..." Merlin muttered. "What is this?"

"Mulled wine. Surely you've had that before?" the king asked.

"No such luxury for servants, unfortunately," Gwen said in response.

"Cinnamon and … ah … " The dark haired man frowned, his voice still sounding a bit slurred. "I know it - really I do. I just can't seem to remember the name."

"It's not important right now, Merlin," Arthur complained raising his eyes. "You can ask cook tomorrow if you're really that interested."

"He doesn't feel that much warmer," Gwen observed, as she put one hand on Merlin's brow.

"No, you're right," Arthur agreed, copying the action. "Let's get him into bed."

"So much for asking his opinion first," Gwen said with a small laugh as she helped Arthur to carry him over.

Arthur grinned in response as he and his wife worked quickly to pull the blankets to one side, before deposited Merlin on the bed and quickly covered him up. "I suppose this is a good excuse to get the conversation going, at least. After all – the very best way to get him warm is to share body heat."

"Good point." Gwen paused and looked over at her husband questioningly.

"Yes, I know but, right now, we just need to get him better," Arthur replied, now more than able to tell what she was thinking by a look. "Let's just work on heating him up for the moment and see how things pan out later."

She nodded her agreement as Arthur came over to help her untie her dress, kissing her back tenderly before taking off his jacket, belt and boots and getting into the bed on his usual window side. Gwen, now only wearing her under-dress, got in on the other and they both moved up close against their friend throwing their arms around him and holding him close.

"W-what are you doing?" Merlin asked Arthur who he was currently facing.

"You're the physician – work it out," the king retorted.

"Yes, but … I'm in your bed?"

"The warmest bed in the warmest chambers. It really is quite logical."

"B-but … I … c-can't … oohhh," Merlin countered, his teeth suddenly chattering violently.

"I don't understand, why is he shivering now?" the queen asked.

"G-gwen … w-what … w-why is she …?" Merlin quickly turned around to face her, his eyes wide as he realised it wasn't just Arthur keeping him warm.

"Hello," she smiled, amused by his expression. "Just relax and get better." Why could she not stop thinking about what Gwaine had said to Arthur yesterday? Why could she not seem to dispel the image of Merlin's naked body from her mind? Her husband was right – their friend's health was the only thing of importance right now and any other thoughts were pure selfishness on her part but still, this did feel good - the three of them together in one bed.

"Relax?" he squeaked.

"Shut up, Merlin. What part of 'sharing body warmth' don't you get?" Arthur retorted, and Gwen was aware of her husband moving his hands vigorously across Merlin's shoulders and arms and in order to warm him up even more quickly. Merlin's eyes suddenly widened at the gesture and she smiled sympathetically at him before doing the same from the front – her hands rubbing his back, her body wriggling just a bit closer to his. Merlin shook his head and closed his eyes a little and she thought that perhaps, despite the cold, he was beginning to experience a few other sensations now.

"We need to get you warm, Merlin," she whispered. "Don't worry about it."

"The shivering is a good sign, Guinevere," Arthur replied to her previous question. "I can't remember why, but I've seen this before."

"I was t-too cold to shiver b-before," Merlin muttered. "Apparently I'm w-warmer now ..." He gave a slightly sceptical giggle as he said it, his teeth now chattering violently.

"You are getting better," Arthur confirmed. "You're slurring less and you're starting to make a bit more sense."

"T-thank you," Merlin managed, slowly finding the courage to look Gwen in the eye. "S-sorry," he apologised.

"Don't be," she replied, deciding this was a good opportunity to test the waters. "I'm certainly not complaining."

"Hang on ..." Merlin tried to pull away from her slightly, but wasn't really able too, seeing that Arthur was pushed up against him on the other side. "I'm not wearing anything!"

"Your clothes were soaked through," Gwen explained. "We had to get you dry and warm as soon as possible.

"Yes, but ..."

"As I said … absolutely no complaints here."

"Gwen!" Merlin's eyes widened even further.

"I knew you were looking, Guinevere," Arthur grumbled, although his protests were quite obviously half-hearted.

"What? You could have taken Gwaine and Percival up on their offer?" she reminded him.

"S-sorry," Merlin repeated – this time obviously to Arthur; half turning his head to look over his shoulder.

"As Guinevere said, I could have objected if I wanted to, but I didn't. She's seen me naked now, Merlin, so I admit that I wasn't especially worried about the comparison."

"Hey!"

"There are certainly a few interesting differences," Gwen commented – trying not to giggle at Merlin's shocked look. "Although it's probably best that I don't share my thoughts here – I'm sure you'd both agree." She heard Arthur's quiet scoff and smiled – raising her hand to place her hand first on Merlin's forehead and then his arm. "The shivering seems to be easing. I hope that means you're warmer and not going into shock."

"Yes, I'm feeling much better," Merlin said calmly. "So, perhaps I could just trouble you for some spare shirt and trousers of Arthur's and then I'll just quickly get dressed and go home."

"Don't be an idiot, Merlin," Arthur replied. "You're not going anywhere. You can sleep here with us tonight. I don't have any objections to that. In fact, this feels quite nice, doesn't it, Guinevere? Cosy."

It seemed that Arthur was now also starting to test the water – trying to gauge Merlin's response. Gwen couldn't help a shudder of excitement go through her as she thought about what might be happening later if things went the way she and her husband hoped.

"I am a bit tired, I admit," Merlin agreed, his voice now very quiet; not slurred and distant as before, but quiet and sleepy. Gwen watched him closely as his eyes start to close and his breathing became slower and more even. She moved her head to smile at Arthur over the top of his dark head and her husband blew her a kiss before laying his head back down on the pillow and pulling his friend close against his body. Gwen smiled and did the same, planting a gentle kiss on Merlin's forehead. He smiled then, sighing deeply as he fell asleep, held firmly within the close embrace of his two closest friends.

~o~0~o~

Satisfied that Merlin was warm enough, the couple took it in turns to leave the bed to deal with a few things that had been left unfinished due to the earlier interruption. A servant was called to clear away the table and bring up some water and plain food for later if needed and, once that was sorted, Arthur came over to his wife and kissed her gently but passionately, his eyes bright as he shot another glance at the sleeping figure lying next to her in their bed.

"Well?" he asked. "Are we really going to continue with this?"

"Yes," she said moving over to the side table to pick up a small vial that was on her table. "If we take this potion that Merlin made for us too ..?" She left it hanging and Arthur nodded, moving back to his side of the bed and swigging from his own bottle, pulling a face at the taste.

"I'm very grateful that Gaius trained Merlin to take over from him," he observed, "but did the old man really have to teach him how to make things taste so bad too? Couldn't he have missed that part of the lesson out?"

Gwen laughed before quickly turning serious, suddenly remembering. "Oh, I think I know why Merlin was out there today. He said he had run out of one particular herb needed for this potion."

"Yes, but to go out tonight of all nights?"

"I believe he made some comment about picking it during a particular time during the lunar cycle?"

"It's one extreme or the other with him, isn't it?" Arthur observed with a sigh. "Either he totally ignores my requests and commands, or he takes them to the other extreme and almost gets himself killed in the process – and this is not the first time."

"You know why that is, Arthur," Gwen replied gently. "Deep down I think you're aware of how he feels about you. It's why he may not object to – this - quite as much as you think."

The king sighed deeply. "Yes, I know. I think I always have. His devotion to both of us goes well over and above the call of duty, which is another reason I think we can persuade him to help us here too. So …?" He looked back at the bed briefly. "Are you ready for what ever might happen here tonight? Are you ready for me to get back in?"

"Yes," she replied. "I think you should. Let's not let risk him getting cold again.

~o~0~o~

A/N: So, this bit is really only T, but Part Two is definitely going to be M and is probably pushing the FF MA rules a bit. Not because I'm going to be any more graphic than my usual M fics but simply because it's a threesome. So, I've putting this notice up here, rather than flagging it.

Nice, sexy threesome between Arthur, Gwen and Merlin coming up. What's not to love? :D

I've suffered from mild hypothermia myself and so have based Merlin's experiences on my own.

"Do I have hypothermia?" I asked the doctor who was attending me after my two and a half hour open sea swim, suddenly guessing why everyone had been fussing over me so much during the previous ten minutes. (Yes, I used to do that sort of thing a lot! :D)

"Yes," he replied, "but fairly mild. Otherwise you would not have been able to reach that conclusion." That's when I suddenly started shivering!

14/11/12