Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

        Gwaine's head ached worse than the pain in his leg. 

        His mind stirred at that. Why did his leg hurt? And why was his head aching? A headache after a day or night at the tavern wasn't new, but this time he felt a source of pain in his head. The events of the previous day slowly came flooding back, his mind providing him with unhelpful fuzzy memories of the tavern he was at, the blokes he'd helped, the knife in his leg- the knife in his leg?!

         He jerked upwards, accompanied by a painful twinge in his leg that confirmed his clouded realization. Bleary-eyed, he squinted as he scanned the unfamiliar room; though any room would be unfamiliar to a man like him whose bed most days was a cold floor. 

        The door opened moments later and in walked in someone that was familiar. 

        "Oh, you're already awake!" the raven haired boy grinned as he entered the room. Gwaine remembered him from the bar fight, also remembering his first conscious thought had been about the blokes ridiculously prominent ears and cheekbones.

        "What am I doing here?" Gwaine sat up, his posture stiff.

        "You were wounded." he provided. "Arthur wanted to ensure you were treated by his personal physician."

        Gwaine narrowed his eyes at him and wracked through his hungover brain to recall the lad's name. Even exchanged amidst the chaos of a bar fight, his memory recalled it clearly. 

        Merlin.

        Merlin's words finally caught up to his muddled mind. 

        "Arthur?"

        "...Prince Arthur. You saved his life." Merlin's expression mixed between surprised and amused while Gwaine didn't even hide the unpleasantness he felt in his plaguy frown. Great, good to know he was injured and in pain all for saving a spoiled prince. Gwaine scoffed.

        "I probably wouldn't have if I'd known he was a noble." he adjusted the pillow to help sit him upright, wincing as he did so. 

        "Well- he- Arthur is a good man, if you overlook the title." Merlin moved to his bedside and set down the tray of food on the nightstand. Gwaine eagerly reached for the water cup. 

        "If you say so." he shrugged, taking a hurried drink. Merlin watched him with careful eyes, unable to tell if it was his subconscious saying to stay close in case he needed something or if he'd just wanted to stay close. 

        "The king wishes to thank you in person." he says to fill the silence. Gwaine nearly choked on the water, quickly pulling it away and shaking his head. 

        "Ah, no thanks-" he hurriedly said, "I'll pass. I've met my fair share of kings and trust me, once you've met one you'll have met them all." he grimaced. 

        Merlin was intrigued by Gwaine now. It wasn't often he met men who would turn down a thanks from the king or some kind of recognition for their heroic actions. He pressed the matter.

        "He'd probably give you a reward." Merlin was testing him now.

        "I'm not interested." Gwaine swiftly responded and began eating the food provided. Merlin was admittedly a little baffled at the casual dismissal. "Besides," Gwaine paused, turning and gesturing to his belongings that were neatly resting on the hook by his bedside, "I have everything I needed right here." his smile returned. 

        Merlin wasn't sure what to make of the strange man. One second he thinks he can understand him, the next he's a stranger again. He thinks for a moment longer, letting his mind make a decision for him to switch to a different-ish conversation. 

        "Back at the tavern yesterday, you helped us... Can I ask why? It's not like you needed to step in." he was truthfully very curious about what his intentions had been- if he even had any intentions- because Gwaine really didn't need to step in. He hadn't known he was coming to aid the Prince of Camelot, he could've stayed blended amongst the crowd and not had to deal with it or the aftermath that'd followed.

        "Your lads' chances of winning looked next to none," he grinned, something short of mischievous glimmered in his eyes "guess I just like the look of those odds." Gwaine winked.

        Back to a stranger. 

        "The odds turned in our favor with you there. I'd say we came out lucky, but... your leg." he frowned. Gwaine waved it off. 

        "I've had worse." he replied too casually for Merlin.

        Definitely a stranger.

        Gwaine resumed eating, paying no mind to Merlin while he watched. Merlin's stare curiously lowered to the necklace around his neck, but then found his gaze going over the man's lower body, and the moment he realized his eyes had wandered his face flushed and he took a staggering step back. 

        "I, um- I'll... I'll leave you to your breakfast. I have to go serve Arthur." he pointed to the slightly open door and backed up to it. "I-I'll come by to check on you later." He briefly met Gwaine's eyes before fleeing the room. 

        He leaves his chambers with thoughts of gentle brown eyes flooding his mind. 

[-]

        Gwaine had rested for a bit longer after Merlin left, and a couple candlemarks later he was now awake and uncomfortably stiff.

        He was eager to get up and move, confident that the pain in his leg had subsided enough to let him. He gave it a quick once-over to make sure it wasn't dulled from a potion and would hurt or worsen if he was moving when he shouldn't be. Satisfied with the stitches and bandages feeling firmly set, he stood to test his range of movement around the small room.

        Merlin hadn't told him that it was his room, but Gwaine could tell almost immediately that it was. It was littered with what looked like various lists all in different handwriting, a few bits of medical supplies, books (some that made Gwaine frown), but he also noted a few various trinkets that seemed a little too exclusive for a servant to have. 

        The biggest giveaway was the dark, slightly torn red neckerchief neatly folded and settled away on the nearby desk beside a needle and thread. It was the one Merlin wore yesterday when they met, duly noting the dirt and ale stains on it, but upon a closer inspection he realized some were also blood stains. Merlin must've used it to help against his injury at some point, not that Gwaine would know since he'd been unconscious at the time. 

        A wave of embarrassment overcame him because oh Gods- he'd fucking knocked himself out against a seat bench. Fuck.         

        He promptly justified his humiliation with I was stabbed and lost balance.

        Letting out a heavy sigh, he set the neckerchief back down on the desk. At least it wasn't the worst state Merlin could've seen him in; earlier that morning hadn't been all that innocent. He hadn't missed when Merlin's eyes ran along his open torso and was completely and shamelessly flattered by it, he probably would've tried teasing the poor lad if he hadn't retreated. Gwaine thought Merlin was handsome, he had a nice, thin face, attentive blue eyes that he enjoyed looking into and an enchanting smile. 

        He abruptly found himself with further thoughts of Merlin, mostly of prominent cheekbones and full lips.  

        He wasn't one to turn away from someone attractive that caught his eyes, he was always up for a one-night-stand the few times he found someone mutually sober and appealing for it, but something about Merlin had caught further onto Gwaine, the foreign feeling of wanting more than just pleasure and a night of sweet nothings made him feel apprehensive and positively enthralled. 

        He dressed himself quickly and exited the room, not too sure where in the castle he was actually located. Merlin had said something about Arthur wanting him treated by a personal physician so physician's chambers was probably a good start. Gwaine briefly considered the thought that Merlin was Arthur's personal physician, but not only were there signs of two people living here, Gwaine couldn't figure out how to properly word it, but in the most respectful way possible Merlin also just seemed too credulous and ingenuous to have such a grueling job.

        He was thinking too much about Merlin. 

        Gwaine hastened himself out of the room and made for the lower town.

        It felt good to be out in the open; it helped to clear his mind a bit.

        He was able to take in the small part of what made up all of Camelot. There were shops, open barter stands and to his delight, plenty of rather fetching young women that caught his eye. 

        As he walked, his attention was caught on a passing young woman with long, curly brown hair and light dark skin that beautifully contrasted her pastel purple dress. She paid him no mind as she continued past him, her focus was elsewhere. He abruptly turned to another young lady walking the opposite way of him carrying a basket of various flowers. He quickly plucked one from her bunch and hurried after the captivating woman.

        "I believe this belongs to you." Gwaine spoke once she turned to acknowledge him, her eyes met his before trailing down to the outstretched flower he held. 

        "Sorry, I don't think so," she gave a polite smile, moving to sidestep him and continue walking, "it's not really my color." 

        Gwaine took a few steps back to follow and keep her attention. 

        "Think so? Let us see, then." he paused to give her the chance to push him away, but seeing none he reached forward and gently tucked the small flower behind her ear. 

        Once in place, his hands retreated. Her expression gently fell into an indifferent smile. 

        "I'm sure you have plenty of those to hand out, hmm?" she challenged. 

        "Yours is the only one." he smiled, showing his now empty hands. She let out a faint breathy laugh and moved to continue walking. Persistent, he held his hand out and kept his smile up. "I'm Gwaine." he greets. Clearly uninterested, she takes his hand and gives it a gentle shake, nodding in recognition and moving forward. Gwaine lightly tugged on her hand to turn her around, still gentle to the young lady. "And you are?" he smiled. 

        She wasn't keen to answer, which was fine. He was starting to acknowledge his advances weren't getting anywhere, fine with continuing this until she wasn't. He lightly stepped to rotate them, giving her the most charming smile as he decided to see how far she'd let him go with his ridiculous antics. 

        "You look like a princess to me, so it must be something like Ciara or Esmerelda." he grinned when her face scrunched to something mixed of amused and aversion. "That must be it then," he gave a small bow, "Princess Esmerelda."

        "Stop- people are staring." She wore a forced smile now. 

        "You haven't told me your name yet." he goads. 

        "It's Gwen." she hurriedly answered. Gwaine stood up straight.

        "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" he took a step forward, but she moved to keep walking, basket clenched tighter than before. He reached out and gently took one of the handles. "Let me carry that for you, a princess shouldn't have to carry around her laundry." 

        She let out a defeated sigh and turned to him. 

        "Unfortunately, I'm not a princess." she half smiled. 

        "You are to me." he all but purred, searching between her eyes for a reaction. He wasn't all that surprised when she suddenly burst out laughing. His lips pressed into a thin line after a moment and he gave a small chuckle. "This isn't working, is it?" 

        "I'm sorry, but no. I like that you tried though, and that you know when to give up..." she smiled, it widened after a moment, "eventually." she teased.

        "Tell me then, is it me?" he pouted playfully.

        "Not necessarily... but, there was something in your eyes." she gave him a knowing look. "You're not interested in me, not actually. You're thinking about someone already. Maybe feeling a little indifferent about it." she said, letting her words settle in his mind. She reached up and took the flower from behind her ear and handed it back to him. 

        "Here, maybe you can give it to your intended." She gave him a friendly smile.

        "What if I don't have one?" his eyes narrowed playfully. 

        "I'm sure you don't." she teased, continuing on walking down the street.

        He was left standing there baffled and amused. He placed the stem into his mouth, swarmed with newfound thoughts and feelings. He absentmindedly chewed on the stem of the flower while he pondered.

         He settled on it was the right gesture, not the right person, and that he knew who the right person was.

        Gwen's words were jumbling in his mind, making him ponder more than he wanted to as he continued walking. He was surprised to find himself admitting he was truly fancying someone, not desiring someone, and the thought of blindly pursuing it made nervousness rise unpleasantly inside him. He'd never done something like it before and the risk of not only rebuffing rejection but also being disdained was weighing heavily on him.

        Or maybe he was overthinking this and needed to shut up and try. That shouldn't be too hard, right?

        He first needed to find a way and let them even know.

        He looked around the market area till he spotted the young girl who he'd procured the flower from and approached her. 

        He asked a simple question, she gave a simple answer, and with that he went off on his way. 

        And that was how Gwaine found himself sneaking into the royal gardens.

Chapter Text

        "This is my servant Merlin. He loves hard work, so consider him at your disposal should you need anything." 

        Merlin swears those were going to be Arthur's last words. 

        It's not the first time he's had to put up with an unpleasant knight or two throughout his time as a servant, but he has never encountered men of nobility quite like Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan.

        They were cruel and demanding men, it hadn't even been two hours yet since their arrival. The moment Arthur had left him to them they effortlessly made his job that much harder; they demanded for whatever reason that he alone carry all their belongings to their room, they mocked his face and body- not even wanting to think about how Sir Oswald had been openly and uncomfortably ogling him, some stares lingering a bit too long.

        The worst was that he couldn't do anything against it, they were knights and he was a servant. That didn't stop him from cursing them in his mind each time they were rude or outright unpleasant. They began to give Merlin a bad "they could become a threat" feeling, which led to the only good thing to come out of this is that if they were a threat, specifically and worryingly to Arthur, Merlin had direct and discreet access to them.

        "What took you so long?" Sir Oswald sneered down at Merlin as he entered the room. He practically collapsed to the floor with the last chest of their belongings the moment his muscles went slightly lax under the ridiculous weight. Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan had grown bored of him after a while, mostly because of Merlin's eventual lack of reaction to their words, and had left to settle into their chambers, leaving him to haul their things up the stairs and to their room.

        "What?" he breathed a laugh as he confusedly stared at the man, "It weighs a ton! S-Sire." he hurriedly added the title at the end. The man's unwavering stare was, well, unwavering as he glowered down at the servant. "Seven- i-it's seven flights of stairs..." Merlin uselessly rambled and he awkwardly shut himself up. He warily rose to his feet and rubbed at the shoulder that took most of the weight. 

        "That's very kind of you." Sir Ethan suddenly said. Merlin's tense face softened for a second to a small smile, he was pretty sure it was the first and only nice thing he'd heard from either of them. Taking it as a sign of dismissal and entirely eager to leave, he began to back up to the door. He didn't get more than two steps when Sir Oswald spoke again, because nothing was ever easy with men like this. 

        "You can't leave it there." his words terse, taking a long drink of wine from the goblet beside him.

        "Sire?" Merlin tilted his head. 

        "It's in the way, you fool. Move it." He used the goblet in hand to gesture to the chest. 

        "O-Of course sire. Sorry sire. Where would you like it?" Merlin complied. He hadn't pieced together at first that they were drinking, which meant that depending on how much they'd had, leniency with Merlin's merlin-ly-ness would be very slim. 

        The two men shared a look, before Sir Ethan nodded to the bed. 

        "Over there by the bed." 

        Merlin followed his eyes, deciding it was better to just comply; he gave a small shrug and prepared himself for the weight. Well he wasn't prepared for the weight and felt a strain on his body as he heaved the chest to the bedside. He'd just gracelessly dropped to his knees with it a second time when Sir Oswald fucking spoke again. 

        "Oh, no, the other side." he smiled. Merlin caught on now to their toying with him, the bad feeling in his gut stirred unpleasantly. Knowing he wouldn't be able to pick it up again, instead he casually dragged it along the floor to the other side of the bed. He could feel their eyes on him, it made his shoulders tense and his guard raised. He kneeled as he moved to push it into the corner between the bed frame and wall. 

        "You look good like that, boy. Are you often down on your knees?" Sir Oswald was leering closer to him. Flabbergasted and admittedly a bit alarmed, Merlin stumbled to his feet and spun around to face them and their suggestive eyes. He needed to leave. Now. 

        "If that'll be all..."

        "For now." Sir Oswald stood, slightly swaying as he took the few steps closer to the servant. His hand reached out and grasped under Merlin's chin, tilting his head up. "We'll require your services again soon. When we do, you are to come immediately and obey. Understand?" his tone lowered to something no noble man should ever possess.

        Merlin refused to meet his eyes, instead keeping his gaze locked on the neatly drawn curtains to his right.

        "Y-Yes sire." 

        "Look at me." he growled. Merlin did. "Understand?"

        No longer trusting his voice, he meekly nodded his head. 

        Sir Oswald looked at his lips now, the longer he stared the more Merlin's dormant magic began to manifest under the intimidation and fear. He eventually let go, albeit a little harshly, and stepped back down to his chair. 

        "You're dismissed." Sir Ethan waved him off.

        Merlin bowed to them. 

        Terrified, shaking and disturbed, Merlin hastened himself out of the room and away from the two. He was halfway down the staircase before it all caught up to him. He dropped down to sit on a step and recover himself before he gave out and ended up falling down the stairs.

        He felt sick, his lingering anxiety provided the nerve-wracking thought that as long as he was alone with them, he was helpless. He couldn't use his magic to defend himself without revealing (and condemning) himself, and given the staggering physique the two knights stood at, with or without magic, he was helpless. 

        He wished he could see Gwaine, Merlin thinks he would listen.

        He pushed himself past the wall he'd leaned against and forced himself down the hallway. He didn't know what to do or even if there was anything he could do. All he knew was that it was avoidable until it wasn't. 

        Now down at the laundry room, thankful to see it devoid of other servants, he was able to continue on with his chores. He had Arthur's laundry to do, he had Gaius's list of items to gather, and he had Gwaine's dirtied and bloodied clothes to wash.

        As he starts with Gwaine's clothes, making sure to get out the dirt and blood. There was still a hole in the fabric from where he was injured, so he mentally reminds himself to get thread to patch it up. He let his thoughts run wild and useless in an attempt to keep himself distracted from thinking about what'd happened with the two visiting knights.

        Instead, he thinks of the aroma not of his own emitting, of ale and earth. He thinks of gentle brown eyes, creased as they meet a smile.

        He affectionately thinks of Gwaine.

Chapter Text

       Gwaine had a lot to say about palaces.

        Granted he never had anything good to say about them, but he still had plenty to say. It was mostly on the things royals tended to have around their castles and how much it reflected them, having encountered enough nobility more often than he liked to see that Kings would almost always have some kind of outlandish display of power. It was mostly statues, but he encountered the occasional large painting(s) or gold and jewel fixtures.

        But as he rounded the corners of the many halls of the castle, he was amazed to see all the impressive artifacts the King seemed to collect. While yes they were technically symbols of power out for display, they looked like they were worked for, like they were earned. He felt for a brief second some of his disdain towards Pendragon's diminishing. 

        With his newfound knowledge, as he turned to the open hallway that led outdoors to his destination, one thing he could say about Camelot's royal gardens was that it was truly astonishing. 

        The garden was huge, much larger than Gwaine was expecting, and had a lot to look at. He noted the different flowers that lined the ground, all beautifully arranged and impressively healthy, the short and neatly trimmed hedges that divided the garden into sections and the surprising quietness of the place.

        It was clear the gardens were feverous-ly cared for...which means he had to be attentive and cautious to pull this off without getting caught.

        He had entered in the main way from within the castle, but it was safe to assume there were other entrances that guards or servants could use, so he needed to be quick.

        Gwaine had one rather useless advantage right now, one that he was certain that he'd never confess to in this lifetime, and that was he knew almost exactly what he was looking for.

        With a rough up-bringing that was almost entirely fatherless, it fell to him to look after things at home while it fell to his mother to take care of everything else. Later on, part of his responsibility was taking care of his older sister, Ciara. 

        Ciara was a being of pure energy and curiosity; she loved to look, listen and learn no matter what it was. She would often share her newfound knowledge with him, despite knowing he rarely ever listened, but occasionally she managed to get him to tag along on her short traverses through the nearby meadows to show him her knowledge about earth, life and its creations.

        Life takes back its most precious creations, and unfortunately Ciara was no exception. 

        Sometime around her nineteenth winter, she fell sick. Worryingly sick. The physician that came by once a month throughout outlying villages confirmed that she wouldn't see her twentieth.

        She spent what remained of her life teaching what she could to Gwaine, and this time he listened to every word she had to say.

        She loved flowers, spending a lot of time after receiving the grave news talking about them with Gwaine.

        He thinks of her as he maneuvered through Camelot's royal garden, making sure to stay close to the larger hedges that would provide easy cover if need be and made his way through. He finds himself moving along a hedge of familiar looking flowers, a small dark green base with decently sized white flowers scattered within.

        "How can there be so much to say about these things?" Gwaine frowned at the small green bush with white flowers nearby where Ciara had stopped them. He knelt down and picked one past its stem, plucking the small leaves off. "They're just plants." 

        "They have meaning." she'd said, carefully kneeling beside him and copying him.

        "What does this one mean then?" he turned to her, subconsciously bending the stem around his finger.

        "Gardenias are a bit complicated." she began, her eyes lighting up as she visibly grew excited, "But they're pure, gentle almost. You'd give them to someone you care about." 

        Gwaine glanced to the flower in hand, then back to Ciara. Wordlessly, he reached forward and gently tucked it behind her ear, the curled stem securing it in place.

        Caught in his thoughts, he failed to remain focused on listening for the presence of another.

        "I hear Sir Leon withdrew from the melee earlier this morning." a female's voice reached his ears, sounding dangerously nearby.

        "Shit." he mouthed, quickly crouching as low as he could get and ducking his head, hoping the hedge in front of him was tall enough to effectively shield him.

        Gwaine could've sworn the voice was familiar, but his mind was too focused on staying out of sight to entertain the thought further. He waited till he heard absolute silence once again before cautiously rising from his spot and moving on. 

        He only had a vague idea of what he was looking for, he didn't have anything specific come to mind that he thought would be fitting enough for him.

        For Merlin. 

        He thinks of Merlin's eyes, a beautiful blue that he just couldn't look away from. They displayed his emotions openly and clearly, Gwaine was glad that Merlin's eyes had only looked at him with curiosity and kindness reflecting within.

        'Something blue', he thinks to himself, 'small enough for what I want, but it has to stand out, something...' his thoughts leave him. He could hear in the back of his mind Ciara saying 'something pretty', but he knew what he was looking for. He moved from his spot towards the east area of the garden, just needing to find a dry area the sun would hit most of the day. He spots a variation of flowers, mostly of purples, blues and whites, but after just a little depth searching... there they were. 

        Nigella flowers.

        Planted in a row, the vibrant green stems packed close together made the white and blue flowers they sprouted stand out in contrast. He knelt in front of the nearest bush and began rummaging through the variously sized and colored flowers for the right one. The perfect one. Nigella flowers sometimes grew awfully big, so he was trying to find ones the right size for his means. 

        He finds three various sized ones he thought looked perfect, so with gentle movements, he removed them from the earth and safely tucked them away, ensuring they wouldn't be damaged before he could get them to Merlin.

        Somewhere in the universe, Ciara was smirking.

        "And these?" he pointed to the bunch of spiky looking blue and white flowers. 

        "Nigella flowers?" she beamed suddenly, "I can't wait to see your face when you learn about these ones."

        And in that moment, Gwaine was blushing.

[-]

        It hadn't been hard to sneak out of the gardens, but it was incredibly hard to find the physicians chambers again. It felt different walking the opposite way of the direction you came, disorienting even, especially in a place as huge and unfamiliar as a palace like this.

        Thankfully, Gwaine did eventually arrive back, although he wasn't alone when he did. 

        An elderly man stood by the table off to the right, a potion in one hand and a vial in the other. They held eye contact until the man finally spoke. 

        "I take it your leg is healing well then?" 

        Gwaine's eyebrow furrowed for a moment before nodding. 

        "Yeah... I take it you're the physician I owe my thanks to?" 

        "Should it suit you. I was just performing my duties." he responded. 

        "Thank you, sir." he winces when he takes a hesitant step further inside, closing the door behind him. The man gave a half-hearted scoff.

        "Gaius will do just fine." he waved him off, "Are you experiencing any pain or discomfort?"

        Gwaine in fact was. All the crouching and sneaking about he'd done had put some pressure on his stitches, making it ache, but it wasn't his main focus right now. The wound hadn't re-opened, meaning he was fine and therefore didn't have to deal with it, he had other things to do. Besides... it was nothing a nice afternoon in the tavern couldn't fix. 

        "No. I admittedly think my head hurts worse than my leg." he mumbled, not entirely a lie. "Where's Merlin?" 

        That got him a raised eyebrow in response.

        "I believe serving Prince Arthur and any visiting knights he is assigned. Why?" Gaius paused his potion brewing to look at Gwaine. 

        "Just wondering." Gwaine gave a simple shrug. He gave a wary look at the man and suddenly felt like the invisible weight of the flowers tucked away was out in the open. "It's not too much trouble if I stay for today, is it?"

        "You are still healing, I would advise against leaving unless you want a lecture from a physician or the wrath of a Merlin on you."

        Gwaine's shoulders shook as he let out an amused laugh.

        "So long as it's from Merlin, I'll risk a little wrath. I'll probably rest soon, I just need to take care of something." he informs, walking up the steps to Merlin's room. 

        He let out a heavy sigh once he pushed the door closed slightly behind him, leaving a small bit of space open to keep it from fully shutting. He set the flowers onto the bed and rummaged through his bag for the bit of thin wire and thread he carried and borrowed the scissors off Merlin's desk. He first cut excess stem off, then carefully encapsulating the stem of the flowers in the wire and thread.

        It didn't sound like much of a process, but he ended up sitting in there for about an hour working till he was sure they were just right, not wanting to risk messing one up.

        He finished attaching the last bit of string to the stem, confident in its durability and bit the thread off. He looked down at the finished pieces as he gently held them in his hands and sighed; the reality of what he'd just done settled in his mind.

        He'd just broken into the royal gardens just to steal flowers for Merlin.

        An ache in his heart formed when he reminded himself that he'd just met Merlin yesterday, he might not return his feelings and hell- Gwaine wasn't even sure he understood his own feelings.

        With a defeated sigh, he settled the flowers on top of the contents in his bag and stood up from the bed, coming out of Merlin's room and approached Gaius.

        "Gaius, as much as I fear Merlin's wrath..." he joked, his lips tightening into a forced smile, "would you mind directing me to the nearest tavern?"

   "Oh, Gwen! There you are, perfect. Can you do me a favor?" one of the council members' servants approached Gwen before she got to the staircase to check on Morgana.

        "Of course, what is it?" she smiles. The servant handed her a paper, which she took and began going over. She frowned when she finished. 

        "I know, I don't understand it either." the servant frowned as well, having recognized her expression. "That needs to be given to Merlin, but I've already got too much to do for the council members. They shouldn't affect you as badly as Merlin, but right now those are our orders. Not much we can do about it." 

        "Hardly seems fair... Merlin has so much on his plate already." she sighed. "I'll get this to him. Any idea where he is?" 

        "Laundry room, I believe." 

        With that, Gwen set off. Carefully hurrying down the stairs to the wash room and stepping inside. Merlin was in the middle of washing clothes when she entered. 

        "Hey Gwen. Everything alright?" he smiled hesitantly. 

        "I hope so. I'm not too sure what's going on right now, but there's been an odd schedule change." she held out the paper so he could read without getting it wet. 

        Merlin frowned at the paper he read. 

        Servants had normal duties to attend to on a daily basis, but when events like the melee came up they would instead be dividedly assigned daily or hourly schedules with their jobs to orderly and neatly accommodate their guests. 

        According to this paper, all of Merlin's time for today was supposed to be dedicated to Arthur, Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan.

        "I... does Arthur know about this?" 

        "Unfortunately Merlin I don't think it would make a difference." she frowned. "I'll take care of the deliveries you make for Gaius, I've got most of the day off." 

        "Thank you Gwen." Merlin was still frowning as he dried his hands and rummaged through a section of the room for something. "This is for Oliva, she should be on shift soon if you want to wait a while." he said as he handed her the items. 

        "I don't mean to pry Merlin, but... you seem really upset about this. Has something happened?" she frowned. 

        "No." Not yet, he bitterly thought, flinching at the memory. He felt her hand gently rest on his arm to give a reassuring squeeze. 

        "If anything happens, go straight to Arthur. He'll take care of it." she said as faithfully and loyally as he would've. He nodded his head and gave the best reassuring smile to her he could before returning to his chores. In the back of his mind, he hears it, Sir Oswald's voice.

 "We'll require your services again soon. When we do, you are to come immediately and obey."

       Two drinks, Gwaine told himself when he entered the small tavern Gaius had (hesitantly) directed him too. 

        One for the feeling of unrequited love.

        One for Ciara. 

        And after he had finished that second drink, he waved the bartender over for another one for good measure. 

        "Rough day?" one of the patrons had asked him after taking a seat beside him. 

        "Mhm." he could only hum in response as he drank. He probably wouldn't have responded at all, but the funny feeling that always came after a good flagon of ale had him feeling unguarded.

        He was normally always up for engaging with others in whatever tavern he found himself in, usually seating himself at a random table and making conversation. But right now he hated the thought of being around anyone, especially when he wasn't at his best. He didn't want to play nice with other people and he didn't want to pretend to be their friend and coerce drinks from them once he wasn't able to afford anymore.

         Maybe that was why he didn't have friends.

        He grimaced and nodded to his empty tankard, the bartender supplying his fourth drink. The man beside him gave him a friendly smack on the back and an irritating smile. 

        "So what's her name then?" 

        "Who?" his eyes squinted as he looked at the man. He hadn't come in with anyone and there weren't any females in his vicinity, save for the serving girl across the tavern. 

        "The girl you're drinking because of. No man comes in here with a thirst like that with a clear conscience." 

        "It's... it's complicated." he sighed, because it was. Nothing about the situation he'd found himself in was easy to explain or understand. How would he even go about giving the flowers to Merlin? And if he did figure that out, how would he handle how Merlin reacted? Could he handle it? He's been rejected plenty of times before, he always expected it, but this was different. This was the first time he feared facing rejection. But if Merlin didn't reject him, then... then...

        "You really feel for 'em, don't you?" the man asked with a knowing grin. "How about this, come sit with my pals and I, tell us about your swain and we'll drink over it." 

        "Sounds lovely." Gwaine hoped the terse smile on his face passed for acceptable as he downed the last of his drink. He stumbled with the man to their table. He felt drained as he vaguely describes his situation, vaguely describing Merlin and what the lad was doing to his heart. 

        Just a few more, he told himself when the bar wench carried over a tray of various alcohols. 

        He didn't quite remember what followed in the hours after his... whatever-teenth drink, but he just remembered feeling elated and thinking of striking blue eyes and high cheekbones. 

        "Gwaine?" a familiar voice called to him. He lifted his head from staring down into his half empty tankard and looked to his left, breaking out into a grin. 

        "Gwen! Fancy seeing you here. Care to join me for a drink?" he smiled brightly. 

        "No- No thank you, Gwaine. I just came to drop something off to Olivia and I saw you." she frowned, looking at Gwaine's glazed eyes. 

        "Ah. Shame you won't stay. Where's Merlin?" he asked, tilting his head back as he finished off his drink. 

        Gwen tilted her head at that suddenly. 

        "Merlin? You know Merlin?" she frowned.        

        "Yeah, he's great. He's got nice..." he vaguely gestures to his eyes, "nice eyes. A nice face. Big ears though." he chuckled to himself. 

        "Right... um." Gwen bit her lip, not liking the thought of Gwaine staying here in this condition and possibly making himself worse. "Well in that case, how about we get you back to him and you can rest? He'll look after you." 

        "You think so? I'd like that." he nodded, debating another quick mug of mead but was cut off when Gwen took his tankard and set it aside. She moved to help him stand up and leave, but was stopped by the bartender's hard stare. 

        "He still has to pay." he said, leaving no room for discussion and glaring down at the two. 

        "Of course. Gwaine? Do you... oh..." she frowned at the innocent-guilty smile on his face as he shrugged. She sighed heavily and led him over to a nearby table and seated himself down. She walked over to Oliva and asked for his bill. She checked her purse first, not seeing a lot and feeling worry rise. Her worry turned to dread when she saw the bill and looked at Gwaine with a shocked look. 

        She didn't judge him, she felt for him, but she couldn't feel for him when he had managed a bill this high. She didn't have enough, he didn't have enough, and given that he apparently knows Merlin, that left her with one other option. 

        "I'll be right back. Stay here and do not drink anymore. Understand?" she gave her best stern voice, watching a lazy grin form on his face in response. 

        She sighed, making her way out of the tavern and to the castles physician's chambers. 

          After about 4 hours of working, Merlin finally returned to his and Gaius's chambers to eat. He didn't comment on Gwaine's absence, but he felt his heart flutter at the sight of Gwaine's belongings still neatly kept in his room. 

        Still uncomfortable and more than exhausted from serving Arthur and Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan, he had felt drained of almost all his energy. He was dreading getting back to work, but the sooner he did, the sooner it was over and the sooner he could pretend it never happened.

        He didn't ask Gaius where Gwaine was when he sat down across from his guardian, he didn't ask Gaius anything in fact and instead hurriedly began eating. He knew that he was going to have to be prepared to serve the visiting knights again afterwards, and because both of them, specifically Sir Oswald, were pushing him to his limits, he was going to need every bit of strength he could get.

        He wasn't even aware of his unpleasant sounds as he ate until Gaius commented on it.

        "Sorry Gaius, I just haven't had anything to eat all day. Sir Oswald had me at his beck and call all day. They- the knights- gods Gaius they're terrible and I can't even think about bringing it up to Arthur and even if I wanted to I wouldn't be able too since there was some weird change in jobs for the day and-"

        "Merlin- soup is not meant to be inhaled and your words shouldn't be either. Breathe, my boy." Gaius interrupted him and patted his hand with a sympathetic frown. He waited till Merlin did as instructed, taking a deep breath in and a deep breath out and settling himself down. "You say you were serving Sir Oswald? How is he?"

        "Awful." Merlin grimaced. "He treats me like dirt."

        "That doesn't sound like the young man I knew." Gaius frowned. "He always appeared to be a rather kind and thoughtful soul." 

        "You sure we're talking about the same Sir Oswald?" Merlin scoffed incredulously. Sir Oswald? Kind and thoughtful? Those two words belonged nowhere near a description of the man. "He must've changed." he eventually mumbled, reaching over to take a drink from his cup. 

        "Even if so, you must remember Merlin that not all masters are as good to their servants as Arthur." Gaius said.

        Merlin choked on his drink at that, gracelessly turning his head to the side and coughing up the water stuck in his esophagus.

        "What?" he barely managed to wheeze out before returning to coughing. Gaius merely gave a sympathetic pat on the back, located just right to actually help Merlin clear his throat and finally settle down.

        Gaius had handed him a rag to clean the water from his mouth with when there was a gentle knock at the door, they both turned to see Guinevere halfway stepping inside. She paused at the sight of the state Merlin was in and furrowed her brows confusedly before speaking. 

        "Merlin, I think you should come with me."

        "Is everything alright?" he frowned

        "Ah... it's Gwaine." she said.

        Merlin felt his heart sink. He and Gaius spared each other conflicted glances before he hurriedly stood from the table and followed her out the door. 

      When Gwen had told him that Gwaine was in trouble, Merlin didn't know what to expect. 

        What he wasn't expecting was a bill thrust into his hands and a demand that he pay. 

        His eyes went wide as he read cost twice and turned to look at Gwaine incredulously.

        "You drank all this?" he gaped.

        "With the help of my new friends!" Gwaine drunkenly beamed. He was being held up by the man he'd been approached by. 

         He didn't mean it though and he had a grateful feeling Merlin couldn't tell. He noted that Merlin didn't look mad, even though Gwaine thinks he absolutely should've, but instead he sighed.

        "He hasn't got the money for it." The bartender explained, grabbing Merlin by his jacket and lifting him up to create as much intimidation as possible despite the height difference. "So you'll have to." he glared.

        "Wh-" Merlin was startled by the sudden act and tensed up. "I can't afford this!" he frowned.

        "Then you'd better find someone who can." the man hissed and let go of him. Merlin let out a nervous breath and turned to look at Gwaine, who had stiffened to full height and was now looking a little bit more sober. When they made eye contact though he seemed to have relaxed, Gwaine now gave him a bright smile again and broke out into laughter.

        He watched as Merlin's eyes softened for a moment, even if at the pathetic sight of him. It reminded him of why he had snuck into the royal gardens, the same gentle blue eyes that he'd grown to love. But then it reminded him why he had been drowning himself in alcohol. 

        Merlin took the bill and gave a polite smile. "I'll get the money to you before the end of today. Let me take him home?" he nervously smiled. The bartender nodded with a huff and returned to business. Gwaine hands his tankard to the man supporting him up and gestures him away. He keeps himself standing by leaning against the table and eyeing the two.

        Merlin folds the paper and handed it to Gwen, but before she could say anything he lowered his voice and directed her where to go. Gwaine watched as her eyes went wide and went to protest, but their conversation was unheard to Gwaine, so he wasn't sure what Merlin was explaining. All he knew was that judging by the looks on their faces, whatever solution Merlin had just come up with, neither of them liked it. 

        He was caught up staring at Merlin as Gwen left when he suddenly turned and stalked up to Gwaine, he lost his footing and stumbled, nearly falling over. He steadied himself, feeling as Merlin's arm wrapped around his waist and the other pulling his arm over his shoulders. 

        "Let's get going Gwaine, you need to rest." he said, his tone unreadable.

        Gwaine stumbled as Merlin attempted to hold his weight and ease him out the door of the tavern and make their way back to the palace and to his chambers. 

        "Arthur's going to kill me when he sees the bill." Merlin sighs heavily. 

        "Arthur?" Gwaine questioned, turning to look at Merlin which turned out to be a bad idea since he slumped forward and almost fell from Merlin's grip. The lad was surprisingly strong, tightening his grip as he hauled Gwaine back up. 

        "Yep." he grunted as he draped his arm back over his shoulder. "I won't be able to pay that, I would never ask Gwen or Gaius to... Arthur will understand. If not, I'll think of something." he smiled. 

        "I'm sorry to put all this on you." Gwaine frowned. 

        "Don't worry about it. I'm your friend, I'm happy to help." Merlin beamed at him, his smile held as he helped him through the door to his chambers. Gaius was there, sitting at his post by the door and was reading when they stumbled inside. He didn't say anything, just stared for a moment before returning to his book.

        They crossed the room in silence and stumbled up the stairs to his room. Merlin ineptly kicked his door closed, he planned on having a talk with Gwaine and unleashing a little wrath on him for his reckless actions.

        "You're the best friend I've ever had." Gwaine suddenly said, grinning as he stumbled inside. 

        "You seem to have quite a lot of those." Merlin eased him onto the bed. His plans for wrath didn't last long when Gwaine broke out laughing again, rolling over to face him, feeling elated at the sight of Merlin's following laughter.

        "I'd love to see the look on Arthur's face when he gets that bill." he chuckled, straining to adjust himself on the bed. 

        "That's it-" Merlin huffed, moving to sit himself on the other side of the bed to give Gwaine room to lay down, "what is it with you and nobles?" he asked.

        "Nothing huge." he sighed heavily, head turning over to hold their gazes. "My father was a knight. Caerlon's army." he explained, watching the genuine surprise form on Merlin's face. "I can hardly remember him, he died in battle. He left me and my family in poverty to struggle for every piece of bread." he felt his heart growing heavy, not sure if it was from the summary of his childhood or the sympathetic hurt in Merlin's eyes. "When it became too much, my mother went to the king for help. And what did he do to help? He turned her away." he glared at nothing. 

        There was a heavy silence that followed, Gwaine couldn't tell if he appreciated or was unnerved by it, but Merlin did eventually speak. 

        "Your father... you didn't know him?"

        "Only through the few stories my mother had to tell." 

        "I know how that feels." Merlin frowned, lowering his gaze to his hands. Gwaine's eyebrows furrowed, waiting and hoping Merlin might choose to elaborate. He did. "I met my father just briefly before he died." 

        Merlin looked vulnerable, his eyes sad and heavy in striking contrast to the eager and grinning lad he'd been seeing. 

        "You didn't know him either?" he asked, pushing himself to sit up straight and give Merlin all his attention. Merlin shook his head, hesitating to continue.

        "No, he... he was banished." he explained. 

        "What'd he do?"

        "Nothing." Merlin mumbled, his tone changing to something familiar. "He served the king."

        "But the king turned against him?" Gwaine knew where it was going, only confirmed by the flexing and shift of Merlin's jaw. He scoffed. "Can't say I'm surprised. Nobel's like that? They're all the same." 

        "Arthur's not like that." 

        "Ha! I'm sure he isn't." Gwaine rolled his eyes. He leaned forward and grasped Merlin's shoulder. "But none of them are worth our lives, hm?" he held a stern look on his face before letting out a small laugh. Glad to see Merlin smiling, he moved to lean back, but given his disorientation from too much alcohol and his depth perception out the window, he wound up knocking his head against the wall. He let out a brief wince, but began shaking with laughter again.

        He was extremely happy to see Merlin laughing too. The sound was sobering him up, the smile on his face was terribly beautiful and Gwaine felt several different urges rising in him.

        Merlin moved to stand and help Gwaine comfortably settle into bed, but paused when Gwaine grabbed his wrist and shook his head. 

        "Wait, Merlin?" he asked, sitting himself back up. Merlin's eyebrows twitched together in confusion, but he quietly seated himself back down on the bedside. "I... ah, don't laugh, but..." he trailed off.

        Gwaine wanted to look at him just a bit longer, his hold on Merlin's wrist lowering to instead gently hold his fingers. That comforting buzz that kept him light was leaving, he felt heavily engrossed in the moment. 

        "Gwaine?" he whispered. 

        Their eyes held each other's gaze, gentle stares and unspoken words between them. 

        He finally managed to pull himself from his daze and reached into his bag, never letting go of Merlin's hands as he pulled out the small flower from his bag. Merlin's eyes were carefully watching him and his movements, never straying, but he also never moved away.

        "I hope you don't hate this... or me." he smiled unsurely. "Especially since I broke into the royal gardens for this." 

        "You- what?" Merlin gaped, looking between the flower and Gwaine, waiting for him to say he was joking, but he didn't. "When did you have time for that?" 

        "Sometime after you left this morning." Gwaine chuckled. He actually had no idea how long it'd taken him to get it. 

        "You didn't get caught either? Have to say I'm impressed." Merlin mumbled, his expression softening as he looked at the flower. It was beautiful, its size giving detail that made it stand out. It had light blue pointed tips, thin, layered and lifted that faded to a darker blue around the vine-y green and purple pistil. 

        "I-It's beautiful." he felt his face flush when his mind caught up to him that Gwaine got it for him. 

        "Nigella flowers. Not nearly as easy as you'd think to find one small enough like this." he chuckled, looking down at it before looking back to Merlin's eyes.

        "I-I..." Merlin wanted to say something, anything, but he was at a loss... a complete and utter loss.

        "May I?" Gwaine smiled. Merlin could only nod his head.

        Tentatively, he reached forward and tucked the flower behind Merlin's ear, carefully bending the stem enwrapped in wire so it stayed secure in place.

        He let his hand hover for a moment before lowering and gently cupped Merlin's cheek, stroking the prominent cheekbone with his thumb.

        "Wh-What do you think?" Merlin found himself struggling to hold Gwaine's gaze.

        Gwaine didn't answer, instead leaning forward and placing a quick, chaste kiss to his lips.

       "I think you're beautiful." he mumbles softly when he pulled back, gently running his thumb along Merlin's bottom lip before pulling him into another kiss. 

        This time Merlin was able to kiss back, his hands lifted to gently hold onto Gwaine's arms. 

        Seconds or minutes passed, they weren't sure, but they parted eventually. Gwaine began gently touching the stem behind his ear, adjusting it and smiling.

        "Sometimes they're called love in a mist." he spoke quietly. Merlin's face flushed as he looked between Gwaine's eyes.

        "Do... does this... are you...?"

        "Yes." Gwaine could tell what he was trying to ask. He'd been asking himself the same things all day. "I won't rush you into anything though, alright?" He kissed Merlin's forehead. He received a nod in response, Merlin carefully easing Gwaine to lay back down on the bed.

        "Th-Thank you." he stuttered out, his face reddening even more at the playful grin that Gwaine splayed out. 

        "For what?" 

        The flower, thinking of him, calling him beautiful, not pressuring him, the gentleness, the kiss...

        "Everything." he quietly managed out. He gave a gentle kiss to Gwaine's cheek. "Sleep well, Gwaine." he smiled. 

        "Mmh, I'm sure I will." he smiled, lying back down. Merlin didn't even hide the feeling of elated embarrassment he felt.

        He only left his room once Gwaine was fully settled down and sleeping. He closed the door to his room quietly, his face red and breathing ragged.

        Merlin felt Gauis's stare on him linger as he halfway crossed the room to the door.

        Tensely, he paused himself and turned his head to meet Gaius's unreadable stare and judgmental eyebrow. Only Gaius wasn't judging...at least Merlin think's he's not judging, but he definitely looked like he was questioning.

        "I-I should probably get back to Arthur..."

        "Indeed." Gaius tilted his head downward to look at his ward over his glasses and turned a page in his book without breaking eye contact. Merlin narrowed his eyes at his guardian, taking slow steps towards the door till his outstretched hand grasped the handle. 

        "I'll be back in time for supper, hopefully. If not then don't wait up for me." he says, opening the door without breaking eye contact. He turns to leave and escape the unexplained tension, just barely getting out the door before Gaius's voice begins speaking again. 

        "Merlin?"

         Merlin turned halfway to make uncomfortable eye contact with Gaius again.

        "Yes?" he gave a tense smile. Gaius was still staring.

        "A Nigella flower suits you well," he says. Gaius's unyielding composure breaks and now he's holding back laughter.

        Merlin's face completely flushed red. He nervously adjusted the flower tucked behind his ear and gave a sheepish smile. 

        "I-It's from Gwaine." he said. 

        "So I gathered." Gaius isn't even trying to hide his non-malicious laughter. He looked back down to his book and shooed Merlin along, who promptly turned and slammed the door closed behind him.

        For the second time that day, Merlin fled.

Chapter Text

        Merlin had energetically made his way down to the kitchens to gather Arthur's food for the afternoon. He felt giddy and happier than he'd felt in weeks, even Audrey the cook noticed it. Granted she was hardly ever happy, but she didn't threaten to thwack him over the head with her wooden spoon when he came in late.

        He went to gather Arthur's tray to bring it up to him, mentally listing out his chores. He'd first have to clean up Arthur's chambers entirely, since the rush of arriving knights and Arthur so kindly loaning his services to Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan, he hadn't had enough time to clean Arthur's chambers earlier that morning. 

        And speaking of Sir Ethan and Sir Oswald...

        He still needed to tend to them. 

        He grimaced, feeling the wave of dread overcome him as he looked down at Arthur's tray of food and nervously up at Audrey.

        "I uh... forgot to do something, I'll be right back?" he gave a weary smile and took a few steps back, watching the look of disapproval on Audrey's face form as she pointed at him with the end of her spoon. 

        "You best hurry up then. The prince won't be happy to receive cold porridge." she held his eyes, picking the tray up and separating the cold food from the warm and setting the bowl on a table closer to the fire before returning to her kitchen. 

        Merlin breathed a sigh of relief and rushed back out the door he came in, mentally reminding himself to thank Audrey properly later, and hurried up the dreadful seven flights of stairs to the part of the castle where visiting knights were staying. 

        He paused outside the door to their chambers, pondering heavily if it would be worth it to plea to Arthur to assign him to serve absolutely any knight other than these two. He knew that Arthur would probably be willing to assign him someone else, but unfortunately everything went through Uther, and Uther would see this as disrespect. He had no say in anything about the matter.

        He knocked, despite his mind's desperate protests and stepped inside their room. 

        Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan were standing close by their table, observing an item in Sir Oswald's hand that Merlin couldn't see. They were talking quietly to each other till Merlin entered, immediately silencing themselves. Sir Ethan was the only one to turn and face him, the look in his eyes made Merlin mentally scold himself for not waiting for permission to enter. He looks at the table and at whatever they'd been focused on, but he didn't get much of a glance before Sir Oswald covered the item with the fold of a long red cloth it'd been wrapped up in. 

        "I- sorry," Merlin gave a slight bow out of nervous respect, "I came to see if there was anything you needed before I tended to Prince Arthur." he explained. Gods above- why couldn't he just wait for a response before he walked into a room?

        "You'd think a servant would know better than to barge into a knight's room." Sir Oswald moved slowly towards him. Merlin's posture tensed, his hands settled behind his back to hold that of a servants stance. 

        "I didn't mean to intrude-"

        "Be quiet and stay quiet." Sir Oswald snapped, to which Merlin tensely listened and silenced himself.

        "So you do know how to follow some orders then." Sir Ethan scoffed. Merlin fought back the urge to glare. He hated this, hated everything about this. He hated not being able to speak out, not being able to just leave and not being able to tell Sir Ethan to go fu-

        "A servant knows their place. You've shown me that you don't." Sir Oswald began speaking again, now standing directly in front of Merlin. "Most masters wouldn't be as lenient with you as Sir Ethan and I are willing to be. If the king would hear of this, he'd probably have that pretty little head of yours cut off." he said as his expression twisted to something untoward, making Merlin shiver. His hand reached out to stroke Merlin's cheek, close to his ear, and as he leaned away from Sir Oswald's touch a cold realization dawned on him.

        The flower. He had completely forgotten about the flower.

        "The king might even be so kind to let us remind you of your place." Sir Ethan spoke from Merlin's left. The disquieting smile on Sir Oswald's face at the suggestion sent a direful feeling through Merlin's chest. 

        "I'm sorry sire but I must return to Prince Arthur-"

        "I said be quiet, boy." Sir Oswald snarled, but his expression was soon replaced by a leering grin. He gripped Merlin's chin and tilted his head upward, turning his face slightly in hand to observe him. "You continue to talk out of turn...keep it up and I'm sure we could find something to use your mouth for, hm? We'll even let you keep that little flower in. I'm sure it'd look lovely against your exposed skin."

        Merlin barely managed to keep a repugnant look from his face as he straightened his posture and pushed Sir Oswald's hand off, trying not to give off even the tiniest bit that he was growing scared. 

        "I am Prince Arthur's manservant, I obey his orders. He has extended and assigned my services to you but he did not assign my body. Even he doesn't have the power to do that, nor do you have a place to demand it." he snapped. 

        He didn't even get to feel proud of his words when suddenly a pain and force on the back of his right knee sent him to the ground, landing hard on it with an audible thud. He'd barely registered it in time to steady himself with his hand, but managed to grit his teeth to bite back his yelp, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of knowing they'd hurt him.

        At some point, Sir Ethan had mirrored Sir Oswald's circling and made his way behind Merlin. The moment Merlin spoke out, he'd kicked the back of his knee.       

        A hand came down and yanked his head up by his hair, forcing him to look up and face the now enraged Sir Oswald and gods he was seething. His other hand moved down and grabbed Merlin tightly by the throat. 

        "We do not need a place to demand it. You are a servant, your job is to serve. I don't care if it's opening the curtains or opening your legs, you obey and you keep your mouth shut." he tightened his grip on Merlin's throat, pressing his thumb against the hollow of his neck where his windpipe was and forced him to choke. Pain bloomed in his throat as his air was cut off and he coughed and wheezed.

        Sir Oswald's hand remained firmly clasped around Merlin's throat, tightening when he made eye contact and then abruptly releasing him with a hard shove. Merlin's hand flew up to his throat as he coughed and gasped, head hung low to avoid their gazes and attempt to regain himself.  

        "Pathetic." Sir Ethan sneered. Merlin flinched. With the pain he was in from the situation, he might as well be pathetic. He had the power to stop all of this with the blink of an eye, but instead here he was, at the mercy of two tainted knights.

        "I won't be so clement with you next time. Get out of my sight, before I change my mind." Sir Oswald snarled. 

        That would be the first and only command of Sir Oswald's that Merlin would ever eagerly listen to.

        He fled their room, the cold and empty hallway brought little comfort to him as he hurried almost blindly to the staircase. The pressure on his trachea had caused a lump in his throat to form where Sir Oswald had squeezed. His fingers gently stroked along it before becoming rougher, a hysteric attempt to rub it from existence so he could just stop feeling it.

        He stumbled down the first flight of stairs when he forced himself to stop before he fell and hurt himself. He limply dropped to sit on a step and muffled his choked out sobs. It caught up to him, hitting him all at once, the ache and lump in his throat plus the intensifying pain in his knee were two unpleasant reminders to the situation he was in. 

        The urge to go to Arthur and beg to not have to serve the two knights was strong, but the last thing he needed or wanted was to be questioned or ridiculed. Arthur was a good man, he knew that, but when it came to see reason for the un-pleasantries the servants went through during events like this, the man was blind. 

        He held his head in his hands, pressing the base of his palms against his eyes to stop the tears from falling. He needed to get himself together, sooner rather than later if he was going to make it through the rest of today. 

        A pedal brushed along his fingers, startling him from his stupor. 

        Lifting his head, he tentatively removed the flower from behind his ear and looked down at it. It was still a vibrant, beautiful blue, the thread wrapped around it had slightly loosened, but it stayed intact. He still couldn't believe that Gwaine had snuck into the royal gardens just to get it for him.

        A thought had passed him, that maybe Gwaine had meant it as a joke, which he could believe, but... the kiss they shared earlier couldn't have been. Gwaine didn't seem like someone who would play such a cruel one if it were.

        He carefully tucked the flower back behind his ear and stood up, steadying himself and his breathing. The last thing he wanted to do was more chores, but he knew the sooner he got them taken care of, the sooner he could see Gwaine. 

        Going down the last few flights of stairs and making the last of the trip to the kitchens was still a bit painful with his knee, but it was tolerable if he walked slow enough.

        He was grateful to see the kitchens were now significantly more empty, meaning none of the servants around were ones that cared enough to comment on his awkward walking. 

        Audrey gave him a simple stern glance and nodded her head back towards the exit. Merlin had been around enough to know that meant "get going" and learned to not question it. He picked up Arthur's tray of food, grateful to notice it was still warm and gave Audrey his best smile before slipping out the door and back up the stairs, belatedly remembering that climbing stairs with an injured knee was not going to be fun or easy.

        The first thing he planned on doing was going back to Gaius's, hopefully to be able to spend a moment with Gwaine before he joined Arthur for training. He began to compose himself after climbing the last stair, he smoothed out his features to hide any pain he was still in and took a last deep breath to relax himself.

        He entered Arthur's chambers and put on his best convincing smile. 

        "Sorry, I'm late I know." Merlin carried the tray over to Arthur's desk and set it down on his table. 

        "No, not at all." Arthur said, sounding surprisingly calm. Merlin was expecting some kind of remark toward his tardiness, but nothing came. Arthur just stared at him. 

        "Uh... right." Merlin smiled, taking a step back. He was about to turn and start tidying up Arthur's chambers, but stayed still when he saw Arthur was still staring at him. His eyebrows furrowed and he wore a confused expression. Merlin found himself mirroring the look.

        "What is that?" Arthur eventually spoke, pointing to Merlin's...face.

        "Sire?" Merlin gaped. But then he remembered. The flower. "Oh!" his hand flew up to adjust it and smiled widely at the feeling of it. "It's from Gwaine." 

        "Gwaine?" he looked incredulous. 

        "Yes..." Merlin hesitated now. "Why, what's wrong?"

        "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." Arthur frowned and shook his head. "I just didn't think Gwaine was your type."

        "My type?" Merlin tilted his head. 

        "Though I suppose it doesn't seem entirely like Gwaine is the kind to give you a flower like that." Arthur continued on, paying no mind to Merlin's question. "He must like you." Arthur gave a knowing grin. 

        "Well-" Merlin felt his face flush, "I-I... suppose he does. But it's just a flower." he shrugged. And a kiss, he reminds himself, but Arthur didn't need to know that. 

        "Just a flower, Merlin? Ha! Tell me, how often does anyone take a fancy to you and is brave enough to show it?" he scoffed. Merlin frowned at that, but did actually think about it. The few people that he ever had mutual affections for were not memories he wished to revisit. 

        "You think Gwaine does actually fancy me?" he frowned, hating that his uncertainty was out for display to Arthur. It wasn't that he didn't trust Arthur with sensitive subjects like this, it's just that oftentimes Arthur didn't quite go about them in the best of ways. 

        The matter of Gwaine was a very sensitive one, one even Merlin didn't fully understand; He wasn't sure if he wanted Arthur's opinion on it. 

        "Merlin, I know you're an utter dollophead, it's actually quite concerning sometimes-"

        "That's still my word." Merlin mumbles with a pout. Arthur ignores him.

        "-but I want you to stop and think about this scenario." he grinned. 

        Merlin's face scrunched confusedly as he pondered Arthur's words. 

        "Gwaine gave me a flower?" he lamely said after a moment.

        "Yes, Merlin well done. You're absolutely brilliant." Arthur deadpanned as he spoke.

        "Prat." Merlin tsked. "Would you be so kind as to enlighten me then, sire?" he huffed. Arthur gave an uncharacteristic smile and leaned back against his chair.

        "Gwaine, who you've just met, has taken a liking to you. Even went out of his way to get you a flower. Now mind you, he was drunk and not entirely in the right mind, but he still consciously formed the thought to go and gather you a flower."

        "Well... yes, but he wasn't-" Merlin's eyebrows shot up and he slapped a hand over his mouth. He shouldn't let Arthur know that Gwaine wasn't drunk when he had stolen the flower from the bloody royal gardens, even if Arthur didn't know it was a stolen flower.

        "He wasn't what?" Arthur smirks, leaning towards him now.

        "Nothing!" Merlin answered immediately.

        He hesitantly considered Arthur's perspective, which then became an entirely different story since Gwaine was only drunk when they'd kissed earlier, he wasn't drunk that morning, which meant one thing. 

        Gwaine, completely sober and sound of mind, snuck into the royal gardens to get him a flower.

        "Oh..." Merlin's blush reached his ears. 

        "Mhm." Arthur raised an unimpressed eyebrow. He plucked a grape from his tray and popped it into his mouth. 

        Merlin took a step back towards Arthur's bed, ready to start making it when he realized something.

        "Wait," he turned around, noticing Arthur's eyes still on him fit with a knowing look, "how did you know Gwaine was drunk?" he tilted his head. 

        Arthur smiled at him with unnerving fake politeness as he lifted a paper from his desk and dramatically straightened it. 

        "Let's see...14 quarts of mead," he began and oh shit, Merlin entirely forgot about sending Gwaine's bill to Arthur, "3 flagons of wine, 5 quarts of cider-"

        "Ah- Arthur- I can explain-" 

        "And four dozen pickled eggs." Arthur glared.

        "That was Gwaine." Merlin grinned stupidly. Arthur fixed his eyes on him, waiting for him to continue. "He went to the tavern earlier and couldn't pay for it." 

        "So you said that I would." It wasn't a question, Merlin couldn't tell how upset he was and it was making him nervous. 

        "Mm, yeah no if I hadn't then- that barman, he would've strung us both up!" 

        "I fail to see the downside." Arthur's teasing levels were still debatable behind his monotone voice. Merlin deadpanned, raising his eyebrow towards him and returning to his bed frame.

        "You did say Gwaine should be given anything he needs." he mumbles, suppressing a smile.

        "Merlin!"

        "I'm sorry!" he gave in and broke out into a grin. Arthur simply sighed and looked over the paper once more, mumbling something under his breath. "Actually... Arthur, how did you know that was Gwaine's bill?" 

        "Well at first I assumed it was your bill, but you don't drink, so it couldn't have been you." he tilted his head. "Then you said Gwaine gave you the flower. Given where we first met the man, it wasn't a totally off assumption." 

        "If I'd known Gwaine giving me a flower was what kept me from punishment then I would've-" he paused, pressing his lips into a thin line. He was about to say he would've kissed him sooner, but he'd sooner die than say that to Arthur. Instead, he hurriedly began straightening up Arthur's bedsheets.

        "Well I hate to break it to you, Merlin, but you're not kept from punishment. You won't do it alone though, as Gwaine will be helping you serve your sentence." 

        Merlin rose at that, turning his head with furrowed brows and pursed lips.

        "My what?" 

        "You are going to drag Gwaine out of bed and to the knights lounge, gather all of their boots and give them a nice cleaning." 

        "All the knights?!" Merlin gaped. 

        "All the knights." Arthur smiled. 

        Any protests Merlin had were futile as Arthur flung the paper down upright on the table as a reminder. He groaned loudly and annoyed as he finished tidying the pillows on Arthur's bed, picking the last one to fluff it.        

        "This is going to be absolute torture, isn't it?" he whined. 

        "It most certainly will be." Arthur grinned.

        Merlin fought every bone in his body to not launch the pillow in hand at the prince's face. 

        Arthur held Merlin captive in his room to clean it for a slow hour, mostly keeping him around to have him deliver a letter or three to council members between cleaning. After his last delivery Arthur had finally dismissed him to gather Gwaine and carry out their punishing chore. It should've been straight to the knights lounge to start cleaning, but because Merlin was still assigned to Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan, he had to attend to them before any miscellaneous tasks. He could get away with just quickly bringing them their food, but he had little to no power over what they decide to do when he's there. 

        His job would've been to bring their lunch and organize their chambers, neither of which he wanted to do. Since it was now mid afternoon, the knights would be meeting for training soon, so he would have to bring their lunch beforehand.

        Either way, he didn't have a choice.

         He gathers their meal trays and hurries back up to their chambers. He feels like the pain in his knee gets worse whenever he was doing something specifically for the two knights, hell or even if he thought about them. 

        He reminds himself he still needed to get Gwaine and then gather the knight's boots. Or should he gather them himself and then wake Gwaine? He didn't want to make Gwaine do a lot, even if the punishment was because of him, he was still injured and he still needed rest. Maybe it'd be best to just try and get it all done himself...

        He was barely down the cold hallway to Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan's chambers when the familiar feeling of dread and panic settled in him. It stopped him in his tracks, any step forward from there he tried to take felt like it was an added weight to slow him down. He couldn't, he just... he just couldn't.

        Backtracking, he turned and walked back down the direction he came till he saw a passing servant with a tray of dishes. He called out and nervously approached him, all but begging the poor boy to take the platter to the knights chambers and in turn Merlin would complete whatever job he was on his way to fulfill. The gods took pity on him, finally that day, as the servant agreed to it, explaining how he was just returning from serving one of the other visiting knights and had been dismissed.

        They swapped trays and turned to walk back in the directions they'd came. Merlin had absolutely nothing to say against the pain in his knee as he hurried back to the kitchens again, more grateful than ever to be going down the stairs.

        Audrey gave him an irritated but sympathetic shake of her head when he set the tray down in the sink and shooed him away, mumbling something about too many distractions in her kitchens.

        That just left gathering Gwaine and the knight's boots, then cleaning them. Shouldn't take too much time. 

        He didn't even get a start towards the knights armory before the same servant that'd helped him suddenly stopped him. 

        "George says you're needed in the great hall." he'd said. 

        'George?' Merlin thought with a frown, mostly to himself. He gave the serving boy a quiet thank you before changing route, heading towards the great hall instead. He couldn't imagine why George of all people would've sent for him, especially given that the two were polar opposites and therefore constantly separated, but there was only one way to find out. 

        He approached the great hall a few moments later and pushed the door open, entering in time to see George rising from kneeling at the end of a long line of neatly organized and lined up boots. 

        Merlin blinked, trying to figure out the picture of what he was looking at. George must've noticed the look on his face and nodded towards the row.

        "Prince Arthur sent for me to gather the knight's boots and bring them to the great hall. I assume something for you and your guest to do." he said. There wasn't any malice in his voice, maybe a touch of sympathy? Merlin subconsciously touched the stem of the flower to ensure it was still tucked behind his ear. He hadn't even realized he'd just done it, but thankfully George didn't comment on it.

        "Er...yeah, thanks George. It was probably a lot of work gathering those." Merlin gave a hesitant smile.

        "Everything within the castle walls of Camelot is a lot of work, Merlin. A helping hand is the least I could do." he gave a polite smile. It looked a bit awkward on his face, as if it wasn't something he wore often.

        "Well if you ever need a helping hand, I'd be more than glad to return the favor. " Merlin grinned, giving the man's shoulder a friendly squeeze. 

        "And speaking of helping hands, I shall go and gather your guest." George nodded in recognition before gracefully exiting the room.

        Merlin relished in the relief that filled him as he was finally able to take a break from walking around. He turned to look down the long row of boots, letting a defeated sigh bounce off the walls of the empty room.

        Pushing his sleeves up, he plopped himself down on a step and picked up one of the brushes, which George had also kindly brought, and picked up the first pair to clean. 

        With some much needed silence and a decent distraction, Merlin set to work, alone with his thoughts. 

        He didn't know how long it would take Gwaine to arrive, but he wasn't planning on waiting for him to start.

        The flower behind his ear shifted and he immediately went to fix it, gently bending the stem so it curled around his ear again. He thought about taking it out whenever he needed to serve the knights, since it didn't seem like having it in around the two men was the best idea, but the thought of removing it so soon felt wrong. 

        He loved it. Gwaine could say it had been a joke or that it hadn't meant anything at all, he could say the same thing about the kiss, and it would hurt more than Merlin thought himself capable of dealing with in his current state of mind, but it was the circumstance in which they'd happened that Merlin clung to. Gwaine had gotten him a flower, which didn't sound like much, but when you added in that he'd snuck into the royal gardens to gather one for him made it much more sentimental.

        A kingdom's royal gardens are tenderly cared for, filled with the best flowers that only royalty received as compliments of beauty. 

        There was no doubt in his mind that Gwaine was entirely aware of all that.

        It was approximately 15 painfully lonely minutes later when Gwaine came through the door, peering his head in and scanning the room first. Once his eyes landed on Merlin, he broke out into a bright grin and stepped inside. His shirt was loosely done up and his hair was a bit messy, but somehow it's made him look even better.

        "Merlin! Fancy seeing you here, you look good." he winked. 

        "I'd say the same to you, but you look like you just rolled out of bed." Merlin scooted over to make room for him.

        "I did, out of your bed." Gwaine scoffed, taking a seat beside him and running his hands through his hair to try and reduce its messiness. "What's this that sod that brought me here said about a chore from Prince Arthur?" he kept his eyes fixated on Merlin.

         Merlin didn't respond, instead he quietly closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, fighting to choose between either laughing or being irritated. After a moment of silence, he turned his head and opened his eyes to meet Gwaine's eyes. 

        Merlin laughed. 

        "Four dozen pickled eggs?! Gwaine!" he grinned. Gwaine stuttered momentarily, trying to find something to say in response, but eventually gave in too with a small laugh. 

        "Ah- sorry. I do get a little out of control when I'm drunk." he chuckled, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. 

        "A little? Gosh Arthur was terrible when he got that bill." Merlin snorted, but stopped and instead composed himself because they had work to do and handed Gwaine a second polishing brush. 

        "What's this for?" Gwaine made a face at it as he took it, which worsened when Merlin handed him a boot. 

        "Our punishment." Merlin said with a smile that was too cheerful for something like this. "We're to polish the boots of the knights of Camelot and we need to finish by this evening." he turned his attention to the boot in hand and aggressively began brushing. 

        Clicking his tongue, Gwaine took the boot and brush and got to work. 

        They worked in silence for a while after that, the only sound between them was of brushes against leather and boots returned in pairs set aside as completed.

        After Merlin's 3rd pair of boots, he realized Gwaine wasn't moving, instead he was glaring at the brush in hand.

        "Prince or not, Arthur is a thoroughbred little braggart for making us do this." 

        Merlin breathed out a small laugh, looking back to his task and resuming it. 

        "I think it's fair, all things considered." 

        Gwaine looked cynical at him, gesturing down the dreadfully long line of boots that hadn't looked like it'd gotten any smaller. 

        "For the entire army?" 

        Merlin paused, pursing his lips as he looked at Gwaine and blinked owlishly. 

        "If you told Arthur your father was a knight then you wouldn't have to." he gave a tiny fake smile and began aggressively scrubbing the boots again. 

        "As tempting as that sounds, I wouldn't stoop to be almost as bad as Arthur and leave you alone to do all this." Gwaine gave a half-hearted scrape to the boot in hand before tossing it aside with the rest.

        They returned to their comforting silence, nothing but the sound of the brushes against leather and their occasional puffs of air to lingering loose dirt.

        Merlin was a bit glad now to be set to work, even more so with Gwaine there too. The last thing he wanted to do was be around the two knights any more than he'd already been, but even then he would still have to worry about Sir Oswald or Sir Ethan following after and bothering him here. 

        Gwaine was just flat out bothered to be doing this, especially just after waking up with another aching headache, but he reminds himself that he is the reason that both he and Merlin are doing this. This was also a chore that Merlin would have to deal with more times than Gwaine ever would have too. It was his job, a thankless job Merlin often had to do by himself.

        "My father would never be as okay assigning such onerous jobs to his servants as Arthur is." he spoke quietly when Merlin turned to give his full attention. "He treated them well."

        "I thought you didn't know your father?" 

        "I didn't," he spared Merlin a hardened glance, "but I'd like to think that he treated them well."

        Merlin furrowed his brows, but had no riposte towards Gwaine's shift in tone.

        "I'm sure he did, Gwaine." he gave a small smile and resumed working.

        Gwaine's features softened, quieting as he took to watching Merlin. In the moment, he'd blame it on his headache, maybe the alcohol still in his system, but later he'd acknowledge that anything to do with his father always set him in a mood. Gwaine let out a hesitant exhale and nudged his knee against Merlin's to get his attention.

        "What about your father, then?" he asked, his tone softened now.

        "Hm? Oh- no, he- he didn't have any servants. He didn't have...well, anyone, actually." Merlin recalls. His father had lived by himself, isolated in a cave he'd cloistered in since before Merlin was even born. 

        "When did he die?" Gwaine was now focused entirely on Merlin, having discarded the brush and boots at this point.

        "About a year ago." he swallowed his emotions before they could display themselves in his voice. It felt bittersweet talking about his father. He'd had a year to grieve, and truth be told Merlin was still grieving, but it had been a year since he had anyone to talk to about his father. "I wish I'd gotten to know him better... there was so much he could've taught me." 

        "But you did get to meet him." Gwaine's voice had lowered, the softhearted tone sent a positive clench to Merlin's heart. He gave a gentle nod of recognition, smiling lightly.

        "At least one of us can hold a warrior father to a higher standard of nobility than we can with most royalty." Gwaine's smile was terse.

        "What makes you think my father was a warrior?"

        "I can't see you being the descendent of anything else." Gwaine raised an eyebrow at him, pausing before giving him a smile. Merlin returned the smile with a small chuckle. 

        "Maybe it was because my father wasn't a nobleman of any kind that he was so great. Nobility, royalty, any sort of title tends to go to people's heads. You rarely meet a nobleman that treats people well. Especially knights." Merlin grimaced, subconsciously having just shamed Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan in his words. Gwaine's brow furrowed at his words, picking up on it immediately.

        "Are you talking about Arthur? I thought you said he isn't like that?" Gwaine then tensed protectively, "Did he do something?"

        "No no! It's... it wasn't... the knights were just..." Merlin sighed shakily and gave up, looking at him with pleading eyes to drop the subject and to pretend they never started this conversation, but Gwaine's eyes never strayed and he reached out to him, setting a hesitant hand on Merlin's shoulder.

      They were interrupted by the sound of the door to the room suddenly swinging open, Merlin yanked himself away from Gwaine, who hadn't missed the fear that filled his eyes for the briefest of moments before relaxing when he saw who entered.

         Gwaine's eyes narrowed as the same servant that had brought him here leaned halfway through the door and looked at them. His eyebrows furrowed, apparently having noticed Merlin's reaction before adjusting his features to his normally blank expression. 

        "Merlin, Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan have requested your presence in their chambers." he said. Gwaine frowned at the statement. He distinctly remembered Merlin saying he was Arthur's manservant, so who were Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan? He turned to ask, but felt his body turn rigid at the state of Merlin. 

        Merlin was frozen, his eyes were wide and he wasn't smiling. His hold on the brush was tight, clenched in his hands till his knuckles turned white. He looked terrified.

        "Merlin?" he dropped the items in hand and put his hand on Merlin's arm, feeling how tense he was and didn't miss either how he'd jumped at the contact. 

        "S-Sorry- I- George can you- I'll, um-" he stuttered, looking terribly distraught. It was upsetting, seeing Merlin in such distress from a mere two names...it didn't sit well with Gwaine.

        George opened the door and stepped fully into the room, standing with a stiff posture as he kept his gaze hardened on Merlin in his distressed state. For a moment, Gwaine thinks he's about to scold Merlin, but he doesn't. 

        "I shall tell them that you are busy with Prince Arthur's chores and will instead attend to them after training. Should they ask where you are, I shall regretfully inform them that I could not locate you. If they find a problem with my resistance to their orders, I'll ensure that I will send Sir Leon's servant to locate you." 

        Merlin frowned at the statement, the confusion was a welcome change to the terror that had originally been daunting on his expression. 

        "But...Sir Leon doesn't have a servant." his voice barely loud enough to be heard from a distance.

        "No? Could've sworn he did... my mistake then." he gives a knowing smile for all of one second before his expression drops to blank again. "As you were." he gave a respectful nod of recognition to them both before stepping out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him. 

        They listened to the faint echo of footsteps as they faded to nothing.

        Left alone again, Merlin fell apart.

        It wasn't till Gwaine reached out and grasped hold of Merlin's hand that he realized his breathing started to pick up in response to his rising panic. Gwaine gently squeezed his hand and waited for Merlin to calm down, watching terrified blue eyes dart everywhere before screwing shut.

        It took a few minutes, but he felt relief when Merlin's breathing eventually became less labored, squeezing his hand in recognition.

        He curled in on himself, pressing his hand to his forehead as he let out a shaky breath, finally feeling able to breathe again. 

        Two minutes turned to five, five turned to seven till he finally found his voice.

        "Sorry." Merlin whispered, finally opening his eyes, "sorry... I just-" he shook his head, "sorry." he repeated. Gwaine felt his concern twisting to an unwanted anger, there was no reason that he should ever look so distressed at the mere mention of two knights' names. 

        "It's okay..." Gwaine spoke gently, leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss to his hairline. "Talk to me, Merlin. Please." he frowned. Merlin hesitates again, and Gwaine briefly worries that he won't speak at all. 

        "I was assigned to serve two visiting knights here to participate in the melee, Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan. They're...they're foul, unfavorable, to say the least." Merlin mumbled, finally opening his eyes.

        "Merlin, love," Gwaine clasped both his hands around Merlin's shaky left one, "unfavorable men don't send fear like through the heart of a man as brave as you. Something happened. Will you tell me what it was?" 

        The look that befell Merlin's expression made Gwaine tense with defensive anger. He doesn't think Merlin should ever look as scared and hurt as he did.

        Merlin felt his throat clench in fear. He felt like saying the words out loud would give the men power. 

        It was brief, a split second, but Merlin's eyes flicked down to his right knee. He knew it was definitely bruised, or that it would eventually bruise but he was too nervous to look and find out. Part of him feared that Gwaine would get the wrong impression of how he got it.

        Gwaine was attentive. He followed his eyes and looked at his knee, sparing Merlin a reassuring glance before pulling up his trouser leg with gentle movements. It'd only happened earlier, but there was already a distinguishing redness swelling the skin over and around his kneecap. By tomorrow it would be a disgusting swirl of black, blue and purple, but for now the only indication of it being exposed to any impact was the faint swelling and the tender ache that came from it. He didn't even want to think about the bruise that'd be on the back of his leg.

        He finally dragged his eyes to look at Gwaine.

        Gwaine looked like he was barely keeping himself calm; A controlled rage in his eyes waiting for something, anything, the final straw to set him off. 

        "What happened?" he asked through clenched teeth, taking a deep breath as he gently, oh so gently tugged his pant leg back down.

        "Arthur assigned me to them during their visit here. Each time I went to serve them, they..." he paused, taking a deep breath to keep himself from breaking again. "They'd hurt me, threaten or say how they wanted to use me-" his voice closed up with emotion, silencing him completely. 

        "I'll kill them, Merlin. I swear I fucking will." Gwaine growled lowly. He leaned to gather Merlin in his arms and pulled him close, nestling his head in the space where his neck met his shoulder. Merlin's breathing hitched as he let himself be held and began to quietly sob. Gwaine tightened his arms and pressed a gentle kiss to his neck. 

        They sat together in silence, Gwaine's arms around him made him feel the safest he'd felt all day. His tears stopped and he relaxed against the protective embrace. Gwaine believed him, he would keep him safe...

        "Thank you." Merlin said after a while. Gwaine tilted his head up toward him in acknowledgement, lifting his hand and gently adjusting the flower behind his ear.

        "Nothing to thank me for." he smiled when Merlin began blushing. "You look beautiful, you know." 

        Merlin snorted. He wiped away any remaining tear streaks from his face and started smiling.

        "Flattery gets you nowhere, Gwaine, we still have a chore to do. I'm going to be late serving Arthur for training. I won't have time to finish this before I need to be there." Merlin frowned and almost began losing himself to his thoughts.

        "I don't want you to be overwhelmed more than you already are. This is my punishment, not yours." Gwaine frowned and nudged him to keep him from going to his thoughts. He watched relief flood through Merlin's expression before being replaced with uncertainty.

        "Are you sure?"

        "Yes, Merls, I'm sure." Gwaine said with a stern look, but dropped it to grin at him and nudged him to get going, hesitantly removing his arms. Merlin let out a faint annoyed grunt in response, but complied and stood from where he was seated. He took a step forward, but paused and tentatively turned to face Gwaine.

         Before either of them decided to say anything, Merlin leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Gwaine's lips.

        Gwaine smiled as he immediately began kissing back, excitedly noticing how Merlin wasn't as hesitant as he was when they first kissed earlier. They parted, and Gwaine's eyes creased as he grinned.

        "Again." his grin turning stupid and lazy on his face. 

        Merlin rolled his eyes, ignoring the blush that began forming and kissed him again, placing his hands on Gwaine's shoulders to stabilize himself. He pulled back, breaking the kiss much sooner this time and giving a playful glare down at him. 

        "I'll be late because of you." he huffed with a playful pout. 

        "Mmh, I think it'll be worth it, no?" Gwaine pressed another kiss to Merlin's pouted lips.

        Merlin quietly watched him instead of responding, staring lovingly into Gwaine's gentle brown eyes. Gwaine watched the emotions and feelings lay themselves out in softened blue eyes. It was like staring into a decorated sky with calming clouds to contrast, and he had the sky staring back at him.

        "What are you looking at?" Merlin murmured with a small smile. 

        "You. I love it when you look at me like that. Do it more often, please?" Gwaine kissed him again. 

        Merlin groaned and tilted his head back away from the kiss, hesitantly lifting his hands from his shoulders and standing up straight. 

        "I will if I ever have the time too. I'll be late for sure if I don't get going and then Arthur will assign me every chore under the sun." he sighed dramatically and began walking to the door to leave. He stopped before he could leave though and turned to Gwaine. "I'll be back when I've finished the last of my chores... maybe sooner if Arthur decides to dismiss me earlier. Get some rest, and try not to cause any more trouble, please?" he smiled and opened the door to step out. 

        "Sounds like a challenge... think I'm capable of it?" Gwaine called after him. 

        "Nope!" Merlin called back, and just like that, he was gone. He began grinning when he heard the sounds of Gwaine's muffled laughter.

Chapter Text

        It's barely an hour after Merlin had left Gwaine to finish up their chore when he concludes he was not a servant of Camelot and therefore he didn't have a care in the world how polished the army's boots were. It was a stupid and meaningless chore to want completed; one could hardly call it much of an actual punishment rather than just a tedious task. Gwaine hates the twinge of jealousy that pangs through him at the thought that Arthur knew that. 

        Gwaine puts in a decent level of effort polishing a few more of the boots, which he'd credit to Merlin, and then as his headache wonderfully begins to settle in, he finishes halfheartedly with the rest of them. He wastes no time in releasing himself from the throne room, eager to finally get out and lie down.

        He wishes he paid a little more attention when George led him there so he wouldn't be walking down the unfamiliar hallways again till he found himself on the way back to the physician's chambers. It's easier this time to get back, thankfully. 

        He knocks once on the door to alert his presence before pushing it open and letting himself in, greeted by Gaius.

        "Ah, there you are." Gaius nods to him from his alchemist station. He then gestures to the bench in front of him. "Sit. I would like to discuss something with you." he says with a slight edge to his voice that instantly made Gwaine nervous.

        He complies, seating himself on the bench and holding his head in his hand as a dull ache hits him. Gaius wordlessly set down a small vial in front of him and pushed it towards him, meeting Gwaine's acknowledging stare with an unimpressed eyebrow raise. 

        "What's this?" Gwaine asks as he picks up the vial. 

        "The tonic you were meant to drink earlier." he said. 

        "The what?" Gwaine shook his head once and looked down at it. 

        "A relief tonic. I had set it out for you to take when you woke, but it seems you missed it." Gaius said with a suspicious lack of sympathy.

        "Ah, yeah. I had a bit of a rude awakening." Gwaine smiles bitterly as he pulls the cork out of the vial and looks down at the liquid. "Still safe to drink?" he asks unsurely. Gaius's confirming nod is all he needs and Gwaine downs it in one, making a face and gracelessly coughing after holding out from trying to not display how disgusting that was. 

        "All well?" Gaius asked with a mildly amused look.

        "All well." Gwaine repeats with a grimace, letting out one last suppressed cough before Gaius took mercy and handed him a small cup of water, which he also then gratefully downed. "Glad Merlin wasn't here to see that." he weakly chuckled. His humor diminishes a little when he saw Gaius giving him a blank stare, though with how his eyebrow was raised he thinks the look probably actually meant something more.

        "Speaking of Merlin," Gaius started, "that's what I wanted to discuss with you. I noticed the flower he wore when he left to serve Arthur. He didn't have it when he brought you back earlier. He left his room rather flustered, don't you think?" Gaius says in a tone Gwaine instantly placed as protective. He realizes a bit too late that Gaius's entire demeanor had shifted to that of a parent protective of their child, Gaius being protective over Merlin who was like a son to him. 

        Fuck.

        "Right..." he trails off nervously. He knew he couldn't try and deny anything because for one thing, Gaius had been there for most of it, and importantly because Gwaine didn't want to lie about anything. He really liked Merlin, he'd never do anything hurtful to him and he could spend his entire life proving that to him, but right now the last thing he wanted was for Gaius of all people to think he had ill intentions. "It wasn't what you think though, if you'll hear me out-"

        "Don't think I'm unaware of your advances with my ward, young man. I may be old but I am not blind!" he says as he exaggeratedly brandishes the point of the pestle in hand in Gwaine's direction. Despite how that sounded, it was admittedly a bit intimidating.

        Gwaine nervously raised his hands in mimic surrender with a weak smile.

        "Of course not! I don't think I've been exactly subtle..." he lets out a nervous chuckle.

        "No." Gaius hesitantly hums in agreement. He sets the pestle onto the table. "Then please, explain. Again, I may be old but do assure me that I do not need to pay someone to break your legs." he says and turns half his attention back to his alchemist post and continues the salve he had been working on.

        "Pay someone to..." Gwaine repeats to himself, trailing off. He shakes his head and backtracks to the topic. "There's not a lot to explain, I suppose. But, I like Merlin, and it's as simple as that." he gives a small shrug. 

        "And if it's not as simple?" Gaius demurred. 

        "How so?"

        "What if complications between the two of you arise that are simply unavoidable? You hardly know Merlin and the burdens he shoulders, the same goes for him to you " 

        "I've never let a complication or two affect something important. I trust Merlin and I'd like to think he trusts me. I care about him, I would never willingly hurt him. And if it's not as simple as I seem to think it is, then take my word for it that I've never backed down from a challenge." he grinned. 

        Gaius looks unimpressed for a moment before letting out a scoff of laughter, shaking his head amusedly as he turns the page in a book in front of him. 

        "Then I suppose I can't ask for anything less."

        They settled in silence, mostly awkward on Gwaine's part. He was no stranger to the scrutinizing stare of a protective parent, guardian or sibling the few times he ever encountered them, but this was different. He could tell fairly quickly that he wasn't the only one that was protective of Merlin; Arthur had shown a lot of care about Merlin during the bar fight, Gwen's reluctance when it came to the risky decision of sending his bill to Arthur, hell even George covering for Merlin earlier... they all cared about him, and he knew it was hardly a surprise. 

        "Is there anything I can do to help out? I'm feeling pretty unproductive right now." he says. It's half true, considering he's been doing something almost all day, but he couldn't handle sitting in awkward silence with Gaius any more. 

        "Yes, fetch me that box of hawthorn, will you?" he points to the shelf of neatly lined boxes filled with various plants. Gwaine stood quickly and moved over to the shelf. He had to lift the open lids on the boxes to read their labels, since he had no clue what hawthorn looked like. Ciara couldn't teach him everything.

        He sets the box down beside Gaius's other surrounding containers of plants and liquids, taking a step back to straighten up some of the stray papers around the bench. He looks down at the blank pieces and flicks his gaze up at Gaius. "Mind if I take one?"

        "Not at all." Gaius says, paying him little attention. Gwaine sets aside one of the blank pieces and then continues to sift through the rest of the papers. He pauses when he works out he's holding a rather impressive stack of notes. 

        "Is this Merlin's writing?" he asks, skimming along the long length of writing. He can tell Merlin was tired while writing as some bits get messier, or when he gets distracted or stuck by the ink splotches at the end of letters, but Gwaine is entirely captivated by what he's reading. 

        "Indeed. They're his studies as my apprentice. I teach him all I can when I finally get him to sit down for a lesson. Despite how little time I have to actually teach him, I've found Merlin is a lot smarter than I think he realizes." 

        "He's brilliant." Gwaine grins as he looks through Merlin's notes. His handwriting is small, not quite cursive as it is lumped together, like he doesn't lift the pencil when writing unless he has to.

        "That he is." Gaius says after a moment, pausing from the salve he was working on.

        "He wants to be a physician?" Gwaine asks after a moment, neatly setting aside the notes.

        "Merlin is destined to do great things." Is all Gaius can say. He's sure Merlin is content working for Arthur, but he's also leading a much greater task of returning magic to the land, fulfilling a prophecy with no one to guide him. " But settling him on simple studies for now puts my mind at ease. My heart can't take the level of trouble that poor boy already gets himself into on a regular basis."

        "I hate to agree with you." Gwaine frowns. "He needs a day off. Or two."

        "I'm sure Arthur will agree after the melee. For now, let's just do our part to help out and get through today without trouble."

        Gwaine nods wordlessly in response and turns to put the papers aside. They could handle the rest of today without trouble, right?

        Then the door burst open and in came a shaken Merlin clutching a bleeding hand to his chest. 

        Gwaine was at Merlin's side in seconds, setting a gentle hand on his shoulder as he led him over to Gaius. The man gathered his medical supplies without a word. Gwaine did not like how normal it seemed between them that Merlin returned with an injury.

        "Are you alright?" he asks, concern overtaking his voice was better than the anger he felt knowing that something had happened. He could feel how tense Merlin was and could see how shaken he was, meaning that whatever happened wasn't an accident that could be waved off. Merlin still hadn't answered by the time he'd gotten him seated in front of Gaius and so he grabbed him by the shoulders and ducked his head to look at him. 

        "Merlin," he lightly tightened his grip, "please, are you alright?" he asks again. The hold he had on him managed to snap Merlin from his daze and he finally met Gwaine's concerned eyes. 

        "I-I... yes, sorry. I'm okay." he nods, looking at Gwaine nervously, maybe a bit sickly. Gwaine nods in response and gently lets go of him, taking a reluctant step back to let Gaius work.

        "What happened?" Gaius asks as he coaxes Merlin's hand from where he clutched it to his chest and carefully holds it to locate the wound. The laceration went about an inch across his finger, it was obvious it wasn't something that he would have accidentally gotten from anything in the castle, anything but a weapon. 

        "I was cleaning up Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan's chambers after training." he hesitantly starts, still trying to find his voice. He noticed instantly when Gwaine's posture stiffened and reached his spare hand out to gently set it on his arm. "They didn't do anything, not directly, at least." Merlin quickly clarifies. Gwaine didn't relax any, but the confusion across his and Gaius's face was clear.

        "Not directly?" Gaius questioned as began wiping away the blood from the rest of his hand first. 

        "Earlier after I left, I walked in on them discussing something they had on their table. I didn't get a good look at it, but they were exceptionally upset when I interrupted. I didn't think much about it, but when I was tidying up their table I saw they hadn't moved it so I looked. It was just their swords, but- ow! Gaius!" he hissed in pain when Gaius finally began to clean the cut.

        "Sorry, Merlin. That won't be the worst of it though so hold still, otherwise this'll hurt worse." Gaius says as he began applying the poultice he'd just made earlier over the wound. Taking a deep breath to gather himself didn't help much for the pain that followed; it was absolutely terrible. It burned and stung and took everything in Merlin's power to not yank his hand away and try and heal it himself. Gaius began wrapping a bandage around the paste and wound, only after the pain began to subside did Merlin continue.

        "To the eye the sword appeared blunt, but when I touched it..." he gestured to his wounded finger. 

        "You were lucky, there could've been a much worse injury from that blade." Gwaine neatly set away the poultice as Gaius handed it back to him. "I've seen them in action before. They're wicked, forged with sorcery." he informed with furrowed brows and an upset look. 

        "What would they want with such weapons?" Gaius asked, patting Merlin's hand once he was done. It was a good question; no man would ever carry around a dulled blade for protection, only the melee was to be fought with dulled blades. They wouldn't need a sharp sword for such an event, especially one as sharp as the blade he'd touched, but then Merlin remembers that the blades only looked dull. He was putting the scenario together and was not happy with what he was coming out with. 

        "I think they mean to kill Arthur in the melee..." he hesitantly says, knowing it was a very bold accusation to be making. But what he couldn't put together is why.

         Gwaine's expression was unreadable, but given how he'd reacted earlier when Merlin told him of his encounters with the knight's plus his own personal experience with nobility, he doubts that Gwaine has anything recriminative to say. Gaius looked on with disbelief for a moment, but after this long he's learned to trust Merlin's words and instinct.

        "I hardly think they would take such a risk in front of all those people, especially knowing the King will be present."

        "Think about it." Gwaine uncrossed his arms and moved from the table he'd leaned against. "With it happening during a melee, no one would suspect it was anything but an accident."

        "It sounds like a perfect cover." Merlin grimaced. "I need to warn Arthur." he goes to stand, but goes still when Gaius lightly tugged on his finger to get his attention.

        "Merlin, Sir Oswald is a Knight from a highly respected family! You can't accuse him of such a circumstance without proof!" he chastises.

        "Then we need that blade." he avidly stood up.

        Gwaine's features hardened as he stepped and stood perfectly in his path. "I'll get it."

        Merlin looks at him incredulously. "And if you're caught? What reason would you have for being in Sir Oswald's chambers? No, it'll be safer if I do it." he tilted his head towards Gwaine to match his stern stare.

        They held each others gaze, challenging the other to say something against the fairly stupid plan in protest, but nothing came out.

        "Alright." Gwaine eventually said. "I don't like this, but...alright." 

        Merlin grinned in triumph and took a step back. Gaius looked over his glasses between the two with an unhappy expression, partly in agreement with Gwaine's statement, but remained silent to the matter and stood from the table to put away the medical supplies and give them space.

        Gwaine's eyes hadn't left Merlin's, continuing to stare at him, or rather what he thought was him. Merlin tilts his head confusedly when he notices Gwaine's eyes don't quite meet his.

        His confusion didn't last long though when he felt a strand of thread from the flower still tucked behind his ear slightly loosen. His smile fell, eyebrows furrowed as he hesitantly reached up to take it out, but switched abruptly to just adjusting it instead.

        "I guess I was lucky they wanted me gone, for once. I was worried the flower and me snooping around might set them off." Again, he bitterly thought. Merlin found it hard to make eye contact with Gwaine after that and he averted his eyes.

        "As much as I love seeing you wear it, you probably shouldn't be when you go to get the swords, especially if it's causing trouble. I hate knowing I've put you in situations where it has." Gwaine's voice was concerned and serious. Merlin quickly shook his head in response.

        "I'll take it out before I enter their chambers. I...I want to keep it in." Merlin decided, now nervously looking down at his bandaged finger and absentmindedly testing its range of movement. 

        "Really?" Gwaine's expression briefly altered from surprised to gentle when Merlin looked back up.

        "Of course I do!" his hand subconsciously reached up to ensure it was still there, smiling as he felt it. "It's endearing, I love it. I don't think I'll ever look at these flowers the same." 

        Gwaine gave him a gentle smile as he took a step forward and adjusted the flower behind his ear.

        "Me neither." his voice soft, always soft, when he spoke to Merlin.

        After Merlin had composed himself well enough, he stood to go and return to Arthur for the rest of the evening, but instead Gwaine and Gaius insisted (rather aggressively) that he stay behind and let the cut on his finger heal for the time being, especially since it'd needed stitches. Any strain or weight on the tender and sensitive could result in worse damage, to which Gaius had promptly lectured Merlin on the dangers of split stitches.

        Gwaine handed him a book to read, finished straightening up the last of what he'd started while Gaius prepared them an early dinner.

        Merlin had wanted to get someone to assist Arthur for the rest of the day, but Gwaine refused to let Merlin leave, asking that he stay with him instead. Gaius was about to make his final delivery to Uther for the evening and offered to send for someone when he finished, which Merlin then confidently said to send for George.

        With the two now left alone, Gwaine stood up from the bench and held his hand out to Merlin. He stares at the outstretched hand, his brain going blank for a moment, which Gwaine then noticed and grinned.

        "Oh!" Merlin slightly jumped and he quickly took his hand. "I- uh, s-sorry..." he felt his cheeks heating. 

        "No worries," Gwaine was still grinning. "Let's go lie down for a bit, yeah?" he smiles. Merlin nodded and stood up, following him up the steps to his room. 

        Merlin set the book he'd brought with him on the nightstand while Gwaine laid down on his stomach on the small bed. Merlin opted to sit off to the side a bit, not feeling tired in the slightest but eager to be close to Gwaine. They stayed in a comforting silence, looking at each other with gentle stares before Gwaine shifted to wrap his arms around Merlin's waist and pull him further onto the bed and nestled his head on his stomach, using him as a pillow.

        Merlin began gently threading his fingers through Gwaine's long hair, his smile widening at the feel of him leaning his head further into the touch. 

        They stayed like that for a while, neither of them quite so much as tired as they were weary. Merlin felt on edge as the minutes passed, pondering his risks that'd follow from trying to steal the blades from the knights. He considered changing his mind and bringing Gwaine along, but the thought of putting him in danger or risking him any more injury made an unpleasant feeling rise in him. He wouldn't be able to protect Gwaine; the safest place for him was here.

        "Gaius will be back soon." Merlin whispered.

        "Mhm." Gwaine hums quietly in response. 

        "I'll have to get up."

        "Mhm." Gwaine hums again. 

        "You'll have to stay here with him when I go to steal the blades." he said, his voice rising to a mumble.

        That got Gwaine to react, his arms tightening around him and lifting his head to look up and directly at Merlin. 

        "I still don't like this, Merlin." He frowned.

        "I know Gwaine, but it's better this way." Merlin smiles sadly. He hesitantly pulls the flower from behind his ear and tucks it underneath his neckerchief. 

        "How? Not only is it incredibly dangerous, but you're insistent on doing it alone too." he propped himself up on his elbow and kept his arms around Merlin's waist, holding his gaze with hardened eyes. He watched as Merlin's lips pressed to a thin line and twitched to one side of his mouth, a nervous response.

        "Because if I get caught then I'll have a reason for being there, however there wouldn't be a believable excuse for you to be there. I don't want anything to happen to you."

        "And I don't want anything to happen to you." Gwaine's features hardened. 

        "Well there's not much of a choice now, is there?" Merlin smiles sadly. He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to Gwaine's forehead, who loses a bit of tension after a moment. 

        The faint sound of the physician's chamber door opening pulled them from their moment. Gaius was back, which meant Merlin needed to get going to Sir Oswald's chambers. The knights should be asleep by now, and Merlin pleads to any gods listening that they are heavy sleepers.

        Gwaine hesitantly withdraws his arms from around his waist and sits up straight, keeping himself faced to Merlin. He looked upset, wearing his conflicted emotions clear on his face. Merlin couldn't think of anything to say that would reassure Gwaine since there wasn't anything he could say. Nothing true, at least.

        Gwaine lifted his hand up to gently hold Merlin's cheek, his thumb stroking along the prominent cheekbone. 

        "Please be careful tonight."

        Merlin leaned into his touch. "I will be."

        Stealth, debatably, is not Merlin's strong suit, whether he tried his damnedest or not.

        He's had his lucky moments, some of them not quite so much as luck as they were just his magic working with him, but no matter how many times he committed the same two or three crimes at once they just never got easier.

        He could sneak about, he could be stealthy, but once he pushed open the door to Sir Oswald's chambers and stepped inside, he would have little to no control over his surroundings. That little reminder played in his head as he wisely chose not to close their chamber door all the way; it was his only route of escape, closing it is probably the last thing he should do. 

        Sir Oswald was asleep on his bed, thankfully turned away from facing the corner Merlin was ducked behind while he scanned the room for any sight of Sir Ethan. He supposes it was a bit of a long shot to hope they might've been dumb enough to leave the blades out on the table again, but nothing was ever easy when it came to dangers in Camelot.

        He wordlessly mumbles to himself as he glances around the room and spots the chest he'd carried into the room earlier that day, noting that it'd been moved from where he'd put it earlier. He moves lightly on the tip of his toes as he crosses the room to it, cautious to not make any noise and watching Sir Oswald's sleeping figure. 

        Slowly opening the lid of the chest only slightly muffled its creaking sounds, he nervously checks to make sure Sir Oswald is still sleeping before opening it all the way. He sees the swords laid atop the same red cloth, carefully picking it up to observe it and make sure it was the right blade. He sure as hell wasn't going to touch it to check them, he's already learned his lesson there, but he still needed to be sure they were the right ones. 

        The sound of Sir Oswald shifting makes him freeze where he stood and jerk his attention over, holding his breath as he watches him turn over and adjust himself, waiting for him to settle. It was only once Sir Oswald had settled that Merlin then noticed something on his person. A necklace. Some knights wore necklaces, but he's never encountered any with a crystal pendant. 

        He quietly shuts the chest lid, evil enchanted blades forgotten, and quietly shifts over to him. 

        The crystal could have easily been written off as strange sentiment or symbolism, but with how long as he's been living in Camelot, Merlin has an easier time recognizing powerful magic objects. Why he couldn't recognize any of the magic in the Stulorne Blades however, he wasn't sure. 

        He moves carefully, reaching out to take hold of the crystal and tentatively lifts it from Sir Oswald's chest and observes it, feeling the magic radiating from it. It was dark magic, not something a knight should own. He notices something in the crystal shift, a sleeping face slowly appears. It's not a reflection, but something about it was familiar. 

        His blood runs cold when he realizes the sleeping face staring back at him wasn't Sir Oswald, it was the man from the Tavern that had attacked them.

        Dagr's sleeping face suddenly shifts, his eyes snapped open and before Merlin could register it, Sir Oswald grabs him tightly by the wrist, the anger on his face that tells Merlin he's well and truly in more danger than he could've possibly predicted. 

        Merlin's reassurance to Gwaine and Gaius that it would only take a few minutes once he was in had sounded far too improbable, but still they patiently sat waiting.

        It'd been 10 minutes, meaning he should be coming through that door back to them in a few minutes and then they could safely take care of the issue at hand themselves because Gwaine was internally refusing to ever let Merlin go into danger ever again.

        After another 5 minutes they were wary, but still remained patient. 

        It was now 20 minutes, and they were growing nervous. Gwaine stood from his seat and began pacing the room, ignoring Gaius's concerned stare and was thankful that the man chose to stay quiet. 

        It'd been 30 minutes, and now Gwaine was out of patience. 

        "Merlin should be back by now." he grits his teeth as he picks up his sword and hilt.

        "I know." Gaius frowns, looking conflicted.

         "I'm gonna go see what's going on, I need to make sure he's alright." he equips himself without another word and stalks out of the room, not responding to Gaius's delayed "be careful!".

        He was sure of one thing as he rushed through the empty halls, that he would relinquish any nobility to him and his name he had left to strike down the bastard knights if anything happened to Merlin. 

        "What do you think you're doing?" Oswald's grip on his wrist hadn't let up as he stood from his bed, looking down at Merlin with a menacing stare that sent a wave of fear through him.

        "I-I was- I-" Merlin stuttered, he couldn't think of anything to say. His heart sinks as he hears the door to the antechamber pulled open and footsteps entering the room. Sir Ethan, or Ebor, enters the room and moves to stand by the doorway, blocking Merlin's exit route. 

        "Well? Speak up!" Sir Ethan shouts. The fear coursing through him makes his words get caught in his throat. He didn't know what to say or what to do. He was terrified. 

        "I-I..." he tried again, but again couldn't find words to say. Oswald shoves him to the nearby wall and walks over to the chest on the floor, opening it and observing it. 

        "Hm." Oswald scoffs, pushing the lid all the way open and pulling out four separate daggers. "Seems he was trying to steal our blades from us. Is that right, boy?" he asks, looking at Merlin as if he were prey. He probably was. 

        "N-No, I was just-!" Merlin's words are lost to a startled gasp as a dagger flies past his head, landing directly above him. "I was just rearranging the bedsheets!" he cried out as his nerves took over him. The next dagger came just as fast, landing just beside the left side of his head.

        "You hear that, Sir Ethan? He was just rearranging the bedsheets." he mocks with a glare. Merlin was breathing heavily as he watched him ready another dagger. 

        "Indeed, it seems he wasn't the sniveling thief I thought he was." he scowls. 

        Merlin grasped at the dagger right by his head, desperate for some kind of weapon against the two, but it became his biggest mistake when the third dagger flung just in front of him and through the loose fabric of his sleeve, pinning his right wrist to the wall. 

        He began futility struggling to free that dagger now with his left hand, but it was hard with the awkward angle he had been reduced to. He wiggled the blade by the handle, feeling it begin to loosen between the wood, but didn't manage to free it when Oswald was suddenly in front him.

         He grabbed Merlin by the shoulder and turned him around so his chest was pressed against the wooden wall and pinned his free hand behind his back. He was officially trapped, at the mercy of the man in the worst possible way. 

        He struggled in a panic when Oswald's hand gripped him by the hip, his fingers lifting the fabric of his shirt and tracing his fingers along his exposed skin. Merlin had never felt a fear like the one that just bristled through him. 

        "Get off me!" he shouts. "Gwaine!!" he cries out in a fit of panic, now truly hating his decision for not bringing Gwaine. He hears the men as they start to laugh, Oswald cruelly tightening his grip and grinning when Merlin whimpered. 

        "No one can hear you, no one is coming to save you. Useless, pathetic whore of a serv- agh!"

        Merlin gathered his anger and terror and put it all into one last effort, jerking his head back as hard as he could, hitting what he hoped was Oswald's nose.

        He took advantage of the man's grip faltering and yanked his sleeve through the blade and shoved Oswald back from him, stumbling to his right, putting space between him and the two men.

        "You'll pay for that." Oswald looked murderous as he regained himself, immediately drawing his sword and readied a fighting stance that only a man meaning to kill would eagerly induce.

        "Stay back!" Merlin outstretched his hand in instinct, a gesture he hopped they wouldn't recognize too quickly. Merlin was in danger, but his concern now was how the hell he would be able to get himself out of this without damning himself. He wasn't coming up with many options. 

        The door to their chambers slammed open, and in stormed Gwaine. 

        The room fell silent, Oswald and Ethan looked like they were briefly considering standing down, but stood their ground. 

        "What's going on here?" Gwaine asked as he took slow steps further inside. 

        "Nothing that concerns you," Oswald hissed, briefly lowering his sword and nodding to the door. "Get out."

        Gwaine paid him no mind, instead turning to look at Merlin with tense shoulders and a dangerous look on his face. He didn't need an answer, hell he didn't even need permission, he could see the terror on Merlin's face and he wanted to pummel the bastards in front of him for causing it.

        "Are you alright, Merlin?" he asked as gently as his seething would let him, waiting for the one word he needed to spring into action. Merlin hurriedly shook his head in response, too terrified to speak. 

        "I thought I told you to leave." Oswald took a step forward.

        "I wasn't talking to you." Gwaine was seething as he turned to him. "I suggest you stay quiet."

         "You dare speak to a knight like that?" Sir Ethan hissed, aiming his sword at Gwaine. Gwaine reacts almost instantly, drawing his own sword and readied against Sir Ethan's blow. Sir Ethan's stance worked in Gwaine's favor apparently, because in a matter of seconds Gwaine has disarmed the man.

        It all moved so fast, the moment their swords made contact Gwaine used the pressure Sir Ethan applied against him by pressing his blade to the floor, then using his sword as an extension to circle their blades and pull Sir Ethan's blade from him. It was incredible.

        Gwaine kicks Sir Ethan to the floor, distracted from Oswald advancing. Merlin barely registers his warning cry in time for Gwaine to turn and parry the attack. 

        Merlin took a step forward to intervene, prepared to do something, anything other than just stand there.

        "Don't." Gwaine's sharp voice came through, not taking his eyes off Oswald and he shifts his sword for show. "I can handle this thug." he spits the last word out. Oswald acts the moment he says it, lunging at Gwaine to attack and delving them back into a fight with a loud clash of swords.

        Sir Ethan has regained himself, escaping Merlin's heavy focus on the two and rushes to attack. Gwaine had apparently been paying more attention than him, as he turned instantly to attack after Sir Ethan's angered shout.

        With a well timed and placed block, Sir Ethan is close enough for Gwaine to land a solid and forceful punch, sending him to the floor.

        Escaping his attention was that Oswald had started towards Merlin now. The moment Gwaine sees, he acts on impulse, his sword prepared to do something worse than try and disarm the man. Oswald doesn't get any further towards Merlin before Gwaine angrily maneuvers in front of him, forcing him the other away as he deals with Oswald one last time.

        Their fight ends with Oswald's sword knocked from his hand and cornered with Gwaine's sword pointed at his throat.

        Gwaine is grateful that his back is to Merlin, he knows that the violent look on his face isn't something he wants Merlin to see.

        The three of them barely register the heavy footsteps marching into the room before Merlin sees Sir Leon, followed by two palace guards marching inside.

        "What's going on?" Leon demands, casting glances between them all. 

        Gwaine kept his blade raised close to Oswald's neck, but he slowly looks at Leon. The brief distraction was just enough for Oswald to act. He backhands Gwaine, sending him down to the floor.

        Merlin instinctively took a step forward to them, but quickly stops himself. He's no help to Gwaine if he interferes and risks making an already bad situation worse. 

        "This man attacked me!" Oswald growled, regaining his noble pretense. "I demand an audience with the King!"

        With Leon only just arriving, he listens to Oswald's word and hardens his features, a hand settled on his sword handle.

        "Arrest him." he says with no hesitation. Merlin realizes he must not have hidden his unease as well as he hoped, if the brief flash of concerned confusion on Leon's face was anything to go by. 

        The two guards took hold of Gwaine and yanked him up by the arms, dragging him towards the door. Gwaine began resisting the moment he regained himself, turning to look at Merlin before he was forced out. 

        "Sir Oswald, Sir Ethan, I'm terribly sorry for this ordeal. I shall wake his majesty and meet you in the council room to settle this."

        "Thank you. This matter must be solved vigilantly." Oswald sniffled, rolling his shoulders and shooting a look at Merlin. Merlin tenses under his stare and takes a nervous step back.

        "I'll need Merlin's testimony." Leon says, bowing in respect to them. "Sire." he says lightly before grabbing Merlin by the arm and pulling him out the door with him.

        They walk a bit down the hall to get away from the room when Leon turns to him with an unreadable expression. 

        "Merlin..."

        "I swear Leon, Gwaine didn't do anything! He was protecting me from them."

        "I don't know what happened Merlin and I'm sorry but the King will not hear anything from you or your friend; it's a knight's word against yours and I wasn't there. We know who he's going to listen to." he says, stopping them and laying a gentle hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Keep your head low and please stay out of trouble, okay?"

        Merlin nods solemnly and lets out a heavy sigh after a moment. "Yeah, alright. And thanks, Leon." he frowns. "I'm lucky it was you that showed up. I owe you." he warily does his best to smile. 

        Leon tensely returned the smile and straightened himself out. "You should get going, I'm still the one left that has to wake the King." he sighs heavily. 

        "Good luck, and I'm really sorry." he frowns. Leon gives a brief smile before walking the other direction towards Uther's chambers.      

        Merlin turned to head back in the direction of the council room, grateful and relieved by the sound of Gaius calling out to him. He wastes no time and hurries down the hall to him.

        "Merlin!" Gaius pulls him into a tight hug the moment he's in front of him, Merlin shakily returns it "Are you alright? What's happened?"

        "I'm okay Gaius." he gives a shaky smile and leads him towards the council room. "Gwaine's been arrested. He was protecting me from the bandits posing as Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan."

        "Bandits?" Gaius frowns.

        "It's not Sir Oswald," Merlin explains as they round the corner. "It's the thug from the tavern, Dagr. He's been using this... magical crystal to change his appearance." he loses his words the moment they see the guards walking in front of them, dragging and shoving Gwaine to the floor in front of a very furious looking Uther. 

        Arthur stands a bit behind him, his arms crossed and a frown on his face. 

        "Sire, this man attacked me, with a sword." Oswald stood haughtily as he relays his story. "Tried to kill me," he adds.

        "Is this true?" Uther looks down at Gwaine, visibly perturbed by the events being told.

        Gwaine doesn't even hide his anger as he refuses to look at the King. "I stepped in to protect Merlin. From them." his jaw clenches. 

        A few of them glance in his direction, including Arthur sparing a concerned glance to Merlin for a brief second before they return their attention back to the matter at hand, but Gaius's own questioning glance makes Merlin feel terrible when he nods to confirm Gwaine's words. 

         "I tried to talk with him, reason with him, but he was like a man possessed." Oswald says with false solemnity that makes Merlin feel like sneering. Even Gwaine turns his head to glare at the man and his lies. Oswald pays him no mind and nods behind him. "I'm sure Sir Ethan will confirm as much." 

        "Oh indeed, I can vouch for his every word."

        "He's lying!" Gwaine shouts, standing from his knees and turning to grasp at whichever one of them was closest. The chains and the guards behind him however are restraint enough that he doesn't get very far. 

        "Mind your place!" Uther shouts, taking a harsh step forward. "How dare you speak to a knight in such a way!" he glowers. Merlin feels himself tense up. Uther's growing temper makes him less likely to be reasonable. Even Arthur looks a bit nervous at the outburst. 

        "Nobility is defined by what you do." his voice hardens with anger and he shoves his shoulder against one of the guards holding him to loosen their grip. "Not by who you are." he turns to Oswald and Sir Ethan, "These men are anything but. They are foul, arrogant thugs!" he shouts, making a futile lunge towards them again. 

        "Gwaine." Arthur says in warning.

        "You see now, sire how he behaves." Oswald says in a tone so condescending it makes Merlin have to restrain himself from shouting a few choice words at the man. 

        "I've heard enough." Uther still looks miffed. "For a commoner to attack a nobleman is an extreme punishable offense." he says sharply. Merlin feels a pang of worry as he looks at Gwaine and mentally pleads to him to declare Uther's commoner comment wrong and hope that it would even slightly help him.

        "I couldn't agree more, sire. He must be made an example of." Oswald nods in agreement. 

        "Sir Oswald, please-" Arthur tries, but Oswald ignores him.

        "Nothing less than his execution will give me satisfaction." he declares. Merlin spares Gaius a glance of concern and frustration. They can't do anything, they're essentially powerless. But if Uther agrees, then Merlin knows he'll be in the cells right after him to release Gwaine himself. He has one hope though, pleading internally to Arthur to step in.

        "Father, I understand how this must look, it's a trifling situation I agree; Sir Oswald is a dear friend and our guest here in Camelot. But Gwaine," he gestures to him, "is my guest here too. And he may not be of noble birth, but I can vouch that he has a noble heart." Arthur says firmly.

        "How can you believe that after you've seen how he behaves?" Uther all but scoffs. 

        "Gwaine risked his life to save mine. Now please, I beg you, if a knight's word is his bond... then I give you my word." he glances to Gwaine, giving him a faint nod. "Gwaine is a good man, he deserves clemency." Arthur finishes stern. 

        Merlin feels like he's going to faint with relief when he sees that Uther is listening. He lets out a shaky breath, glancing between Gwaine and Arthur with tense trepidation. He owes more to Arthur right now than he'll care to admit for this, he couldn't possibly be any more grateful. It's not over yet, unfortunately as they wait in tense silence for Uther's verdict. 

        "You are banished from Camelot." Uther finally breaks the silence. Gwaine visibly deflates in defeat and Merlin feels his heart sink. He sees Arthur doing his best to minimize his display of objection, his expression clearly reading that's not what he was hoping his father would say. "If you ever return you will pay for it with your life. You have until dawn to leave the city." he says, and with that, he's gone.

        Merlin can feel his eyes stinging with forced back tears, especially when Gaius turns to look at him. This can't be how this goes. This was his fault, not Gwaine's. Gwaine was helping him out of the stupid situation he caused...

        Gwaine's defeat is replaced with anger, thrashing against the guards holding him to reach for Oswald in a fit of rage. Gwaine starts to feel more upset and angry than he can handle, wanting nothing more than to throttle the man in front of him for this; for coming here, for being around Merlin, touching Merlin, and for being the final problem. He was banished from Camelot, where he wouldn't be able to see or protect Merlin.

        He's dragged from the room, anger growing stronger as he loses sight of Merlin. 

        Merlin does his best to hold his composure as he watches Gwaine being led away. He wants nothing more than to follow after, to pull Gwaine back to him and never let go. 

        He meets Oswald's eyes. The smug, knowing look of a man who thinks he's won sets on his face. It lasts only a moment when suddenly challenged by Merlin's seething glare. This was nowhere near over.

        Gaius was quick to notice the tension that started growing between Merlin and the two men, but right now was not the time to make the situation worse.

        "Sire, are you in need of medical attention?" he asks, breaking their eye contact. Merlin watches Oswald turn to the door when Gaius steps forward and holds up his hand to tell him to stop.

        "No." he says sharply. Merlin sinks back when Oswald turns his attention to him and straightens his shoulders. "So unless Merlin would be so kind as to tend to me, I would like to return to my chambers and sleep. Undisturbed." he sneers, looking him up and down once before walking out of the room with Sir Ethan. 

        Merlin visibly deflates when he's out of sight, nearly collapsing to the floor if it weren't for Gaius holding out his arm for Merlin to take and steady himself. Merlin is shaking when he takes hold of his arm and allows him to lead back to their chambers. He was too out of it to properly focus on where he was going. 

        "This is all my fault, Gaius..." Merlin finally mutters once they're outside the door. 

        "What's done is done, Merlin. We should focus on handling this, Arthur is still in danger." Gaius opens the door for him and lightly nudges him inside. "Gwaine should be released soon and it's best if you're here. I'll leave you two be." he frowns, gently patting his shoulder before stepping out and closing the door behind him, leaving Merlin in the empty room. 

        It only took a few seconds of silence till Merlin collapsed on the bench with a wheezing sob, his emotions spilling out right there. His head held in his hands, his breathing comes out uneven and heavy as he nearly loses himself.

        The door opening with force startled him, looking up and seeing an exceptionally upset Gwaine barging in. His hardened gaze lands on Merlin, standing at the doorway staring at him. Merlin quickly wipes his eyes and stands up slowly. 

        "Gwaine..." he tries, feeling the loss of words overcome him again and a wave of tears building up. His head lowers in guilt and his shoulders start to shake. He wasn't even aware Gwaine had moved until he was in front of him, gentle hands grasping the sides of his face and lifted his head to meet Gwaine's gaze.

        Merlin can barely take the look of worry and concern in his eyes, Gwaine shouldn't look so worried about him. Not after all this.

        He feels his face scrunch up as a small sob wracked through him and tears spilt past, angrily telling himself he doesn't have a right to cry. He did this. It was all his fault, and as determined to fix this as he was, he doesn't think he can.

        "Are you alright?" Gwaine asks in a soft voice. Merlin barely manages to react properly to that, a sound torn between a sob and a laugh escapes him.

        "I mess everything up and you're asking if I'm alright? Gods, Gwaine I'm so sorry, it's my fault the King banished you- you didn't do anything and it's not fair." 

        "I don't care about that right now Merlin I care about you. Now, are you alright?" he asks. Merlin reaches one hand up and gently settles it over Gwaine's, leaning into his touch with a hurt smile. 

        "I'm alright." he nods. He watches as Gwaine visibly relaxes, his shoulders lose their tension and he breaths a small sigh of relief.

        "Good. That's all I care about." Gwaine says. Merlin doesn't know what to say, and to be fair, he doesn't really want to speak. Gwaine doesn't look too eager to talk either, instead he lowers his hands to Merlin's and gently leads him up the steps to his room. 

        "What..." is all he lets out before quieting himself. 

        "I'd like to use up as much time as I have left with you." Gwaine says when they enter the room.

        "I'll help you in any way that I can." he frowns, glancing around the room. "And anything you need, I'm sure Gaius wouldn't mind sparing a few blankets... or I've got enough savings I can part with, it can cover renting a room somewhere for a few nights-"

        "Merlin, I'm not taking anything from you okay? Like I've told you before, I've got everything I need." he says firmly and grasps Merlin's shoulders. The hurt look on his face is almost enough to make Gwaine give in, but he had to hold out for both their sakes.

        He'd be okay, they'd be okay, and right now he's focused on getting that through.  

        "Okay... okay." Merlin nods, mostly seeming to try and convince himself it was okay. 

        "We'll deal with that soon. Just let me hold you for a minute, yeah?" he smiles sadly, and again, Merlin can only nod. "Actually, where's your flower?"

        Merlin falters for a moment, he'd completely forgot about it. He tentatively pulls the flower from its place under his neckerchief and looks down at it. The edges had started to wither a bit. He reminds himself to fix that later.

        Gwaine gently takes it, noticing the withered edges as well. He gently tucks it behind Merlin's ear again. "I'll try and get you a new one."

        Merlin shakes his head ever so slightly. "I don't need a new one."

        Gwaine frowns, but nods regardless. He settles down on the bed before pulling Merlin into his arms, holding him close and not wanting to let go. Merlin's arms followed and tightened around Gwaine, clinging to him and trying his hardest to not break down. Not right now, at least.

        "It's not going to be forever...yeah? I... we can always write to each other, the couriers might be a bit slow but still, it's an option. Letters are romantic, the concept always made me smile." he says with a weak smile of his own. "And I'll speak to Arthur later, see if maybe he can try and get Uther to change his mind..."

        "Don't worry about it." Gwaine mumbles. "I'm sure we'll come up with something that'll let us stay together."

        Merlin smiles sadly, and then he begins to tear up. "We will. It might take a while, so I hope you didn't get too attached to Camelot." he wipes his tears quickly.

        "It wasn't Camelot I got attached to...and it certainly isn't what I'm going to miss." Gwaine's desolate smile does nothing for them, feeling as if the sadness between them merged and left them both hurting. Merlin looked heartbroken, and Gwaine felt his own heart aching at the sight of him looking so defeated. "I'll write to you." he says hurriedly. It at least pulls a small smile from him.

        Merlin lets out a small chuckle. "Promise?"

        "I promise."

         Gwaine gently rubs his back and plants small kisses to his head, continuing until he finally feels Merlin relax in his arms.

        They didn't get to lay together nearly as long as either of them would have liked, but for what it was, it was enough for both of them to gather themselves for the even harder part. 

        They hadn't spoken when they pulled themselves from each other's arms and started to gather Gwaine's things, Merlin stepping off to get a few necessities for his trip that he might need. Despite what Gwaine insisted earlier, he did find himself having a harder time saying no when he saw the borderline miserable look on Merlin's face. 

        He's just finished attaching his belt and sword when Merlin breaks the silence.

        "I don't want you to leave." Merlin says, looking down at the cloth in hand and nervously gripping it.

        Gwaine frowns when he notices that Merlin can't seem to hold his gaze anymore. He leans over and reaches out toward him, gently lifting his chin with his finger and thumb. "Even after all the trouble I caused?" He asks, smiling when Merlin finally looks at him.

        "You liven the place up." Merlin's voice is barely above a whisper, his lips twitching up into a faint smile. Gwaine lets out an amused chuckle, grinning at him and reaching forward to adjust the flower tucked behind Merlin's ear. The sweet smile on Merlin's lips made his heart ache, and briefly he's listening to the part of him that wants to bring Merlin with him, that wants the smile on Merlin's face to stay, but he knows that there's still an issue at hand. He takes hesitant steps back and pulls the strings of his bag closed.

        "Will you be okay handling Oswald and Ethan? I don't know if their eagerness to kill Arthur has grown since last night but he's still in danger." he mumbles. Merlin's momentary silence is enough to make him lift his gaze and meet Merlin's confused/amused look.

        "You're concerned about Arthur? I thought you hated nobles." he tilts his head.

        "Concerned is a bit of a stretch but, well... maybe that one is worth a life." he shrugs. He'll deny it, but some part of him doesn't quite believe that's the full reason. "After what happened earlier, I'd feel better knowing someone like him is looking after you while I'm away." Gwaine eventually acceded. 

        "Arthur looking after me?" Merlin scoffs. "He wouldn't last a day without me." he mumbles. 

        "I somehow don't doubt that." Gwaine chuckles. He gently takes hold of Merlin's arms and pulls him close. 

        "I'll miss you..." Merlin's voice is shaky as he lowers his head and tries to hold back the floodgate of emotions building up.

        "I'll miss you too. I promise to write the moment I settle." he says, cupping his cheek to lift his gaze and smiles at him, "and I promise this isn't forever."

        This time Merlin knows he'll break if he speaks, so he nods, letting his words calm him. And in his mind, he's letting himself slowly but surely start to believe them. 

        Gwaine kisses him on the forehead, refusing to say goodbye because that's not what this was. He doesn't want to let go of Merlin either, but he's not keen on pressing his luck and overstaying his time in Camelot. He tentatively lets go, picks up his bag and walks to the door, hating the cold feeling of the handle.

        "I'll look forward to your letter." Merlin says when he opens the door.

        Gwaine turns, instantly grinning at him. "And I'll look forward to knowing it made you smile." 

        Shakily returning the smile, he watches as Gwaine reluctantly leaves.

        Merlin waits a few moments after the door closes before allowing the levee to break and he sinks to the bench seat with a sob.

        Gwaine was reluctant to leave the castle, and as much as it pained him, he really hated how much easier it was to find the way out of the castle than it had been to get back to Merlin's chambers. 

        As he walks, he's surprised to see Gwen's familiar face. 

        He doesn't even get a word in before she's enveloped him in a gentle hug. He barely manages to pull himself together in time to return the gesture one-armed. 

        "I heard what happened...what you did." she starts, gently pulling back from the hug to smile gratefully at him. "You did a brave thing."

        "Ah, well..." he warily returns the smile, "I don't think it meant much to the King." his smile turned bitter. 

        "Arthur is nothing like Uther. He'll repay you one day." 

        "He tried to speak up for me, I know he's not like his father." 

         "Arthur... Arthur's fair. He's loyal, and I know he'll be a great King one day." she says with a light smile. It doesn't quite seem like she's talking to him...

        "I'm sure he will." Gwaine says, narrowing his eyes at her, "if he makes everyone feel the way you do." his playful suspicion is confirmed by her startled expression. "At least now I know why you turned me down." he grinned.

        "It's not just me that says that about him." Gwen grew flustered.

        "Oh of course, I believe you." he gave a playful smile. She looks like she's about to retort to that, but a small accepting laugh came through instead and she playfully pushed his arm.

        She lit up with a much brighter and knowing smile. "At least now I know who your intended was." she beamed. 

        That caught him off guard, he couldn't be that surprised though with how blatant he'd actually been with Merlin. He evidently broke out in a grin. "Was it obvious?"

        Guinevere lightly tapped beside her ear. 

        "It was the flower. I'm yet to meet someone other than yourself who would make such a sweet gesture." she smiled. She took a step forward and placed her hand on his shoulder, giving him a truly happy smile. "A Nigella flower... it looked good on him, you could tell Merlin loved it. It was a very specific flower to have chosen," she smiled, giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze, "safe to assume you know what it means?"

        Gwaine couldn't bring himself out of his surprise enough to give an answer. She let out a quiet giggle before continuing down the hallway. Gwaine was left to his thoughts, and once he was finally able to pull himself from his stupor, he continued walking.

        She was right. He was entirely aware of what that flower meant. It was why he gave it to Merlin in the first place. Gwaine wasn't used to romantic gestures, he was used to a meaningless night with someone and then he was off somewhere new. He's never wanted to stay somewhere before and he's certainly never felt so hurt that he had to leave.

        But like he said earlier, it wasn't Camelot he'd be missing. No, he would be greatly missing Merlin. He'd miss his contagious smile, his laugh, his voice, he'd miss everything about him. He didn't want to leave, he loved him.

        Gwaine froze. 

        He loved Merlin.

        When Gaius returned a half hour later, the first thing he did was pull Merlin into a hug. Merlin felt like he'd start crying again as he hugged his mentor back.

        "We'll figure this out, Merlin. Hold your head high." Gaius frowns, patting his back gently. 

        "I'm trying my hardest, Gaius." he whispered shakily.

        "And that's more than enough, my boy."

        It took Merlin a while before he calmed down enough to talk with Gaius. He had been so wracked with guilt, anger and sadness hitting him at once it left him disoriented.

        When Merlin started pacing the room, Gaius seated himself down and patiently waited for him to talk.

        "We need to find some way to protect Arthur. Oswald is no doubt onto us, he could become reckless." he says after a bit. Merlin had been worrying internally if there was a chance they'd attack Arthur before the melee, but chances of that were slim to none if it was revenge they wanted without being charged with high treason. 

        "I can try to persuade Arthur to withdraw from the contest." Gaius offered.        

        Merlin shook his head with a frustrated sigh. "I know Arthur, he won't withdraw." he frowns. He hates that stubborn part of Arthur that would listen to reason even if it meant his life was in danger. It left Merlin finally coming to the one solution he was trying his hardest to avoid. He looks at Gaius with nervous eyes, watching the man grow tense as he realizes whatever Merlin was about to suggest would no doubt be a bad idea, but it would also be their only idea. "I'll have to find a way to use my magic to help him." 

        Gaius's head lowers solemnly for a moment, his expression showing just how much he disagreed with the idea before reluctantly following along. "It sounds like a risk I don't know if you're prepared to take just yet, Merlin." he frowns. "Especially with the King and half of Camelot watching."

        "We don't have a choice though, do we? Believe me, I don't like it any more than you do, but for Arthur... I think I'll have to."

Chapter Text

        Merlin barely managed to pull himself together enough when he woke Arthur. It wouldn't take long for him to bounce back, he always did, always had too, but it was never immediately. 

        He knew it was only going to draw more attention to him, but he couldn't bring himself to say much to Arthur. 

        Arthur of course noticed immediately, but he didn't say anything, not until after Merlin finished helping him get dressed and he couldn't handle the silence. 

        "I'm sorry about Gwaine." he frowns. He notices it when Merlin stiffens and his movements falter for a moment. In almost the same second, he gathered himself and finished tying the lace on the front of Arthur's tunic.

        Merlin didn't say anything in response, and that made him frown more. "He said that he was trying to protect you from them. What happened?" he continued. 

        Merlin remained stoic. 

[-]

        An hour of a miserable looking Merlin was an hour too long before Arthur felt his princely conduct of Prince-Servant completely vanish and instead concern for his friend set in. The only problem was he had no clue how to approach the situation. What would he even say? 'Sorry my father banished your... whatever Gwaine was to you.'? 

        Arthur groans at the sheer stupidity of that and hits his head on his desk. 

        He waits till Merlin comes back from getting his breakfast to try talking to him again. 

        "You're wearing the flower still?" Arthur spoke carefully when he set the tray of food down.

        "Yes." Merlin nods his head, his hand still subconsciously reaches up to gently adjust it by the stem. Arthur realizes he must've been staring, because suddenly Merlin's expression looks indifferent. "Is there a problem with it?" he frowns.

        "No. Not at all." Arthur says and picks up the first few papers to go over. "It looks good on you, Merlin." he says a bit more hesitantly. It was worth it though for the first sincere smile from Merlin that followed.

        The tension slowly faded, and suddenly the room felt a bit brighter.

        It was time for the melee. 

        Merlin spent the rest of his time helping dress Arthur in his armor for it, trying to find some- any - possible way to get him to withdraw. Arthur is fastening his belt when Merlin carries the dulled blade Uther had brought by for him earlier. He tells himself even if he knows it might be futile, he has to at least try.

        "Arthur..." he starts slowly, "you know all those times I've told you something feels like a bad idea?" he carries the sword over. 

        "Yeah, and then I ignore you." he says a bit mockingly. 

        "And then I'm proved right?" Merlin says sternly, not feeling it was the time to joke. 

        "Merlin your concern for me is touching, but-"

        "I'm serious." Merlin interjected, looking at him with furrowed brows. "I think you should withdraw."

        It gets Arthur to pause, at least. But Merlin has been around Arthur long enough to know that nothing he could say right now would actually convince him to withdraw. 

        "Merlin... I know you think the melee is just some pointless game, but it's not. It's about proving to the people that I'm capable of leading them." he says.

        While Merlin did in fact think the melee was pointless, he knew that Arthur's reasons for seeing and feeling otherwise were important... noble. Arthur would always be under pressure to prove that he's good enough to rule as king, and pointless tournaments and dangerous contests were his way of doing just that. 

        "I know..." Merlin smiles sadly, glancing down at the blade before holding it out to him. "Just...be careful?"

        Arthur takes the blade with a acknowledging nod.

        With nothing more to be said, Arthur left, with Merlin following after him. 

        Merlin waits to see Arthur off as he joins one side of lined up knights on the field before hurrying to the crowd. He spots Gaius and quickly stands at his side. 

        The knights lower their helmets and tighten their grips on their swords.

        Uther's raised hand comes down in signal, and the melee starts. 

        The knights slowly come together in a mass and Merlin ends up losing sight of Arthur. He instead takes to watching Oswald and Ethan as best he can, as it's obvious to notice them when the knights that fall from their horses struggle to get up, followed by those who won't get up. 

        He'd never admit it to his face, but Merlin is confident and has firm faith in Arthur's fighting skills; he knew Arthur wouldn't be down in the first 7 minutes. 

        As the number of remaining knights slowly starts to lessen, Merlin manages to catch sight of a blade raised in a malicious way aimed straight at an unsuspecting Arthur.

        "He's heading straight for Arthur..." Merlin breathes out and nervously tenses. His confidence in Arthur's talents pays off when he turns around in time to notice it. He ducks out of the way just in time. 

        Oswald's horse suddenly grows visibly upset and throws him from the saddle. As much as Merlin enjoyed using his powers to even the score sometimes, it was much more amusing when it happened without his influence. He grins for a moment.

        The melee continues, and this time Merlin doesn't lose sight of Arthur.

        Ethan has started to play dirty against other knights apparently, as he punches a knight in the face and sends them from their horse. Merlin flinches when the knight lands hard on their left shoulder, and he doesn't get up. Merlin briefly wonders what he missed between them to enrage Ethan enough to punch a knight with an iron helmet on. He pities the knight, but unfortunately his call for concern and focus is on Arthur.

        As more knights slowly start to leave the field, those who are lucky at least, Oswald and Ethan have seemed to give up on their pretense and have instead taken to enacting their plan of revenge.

        Ethan rides directly in front of Arthur, making him quickly pull on the reins to stop their horses from colliding. Oswald takes the opportunity on foot and rushes him, grabbing him by the waist and yanking him from his horse. The crowd and no doubt the King have officially noticed something is wrong, but Uther doesn't stop the match.

        The crowd watches in terror as Oswald raises his sword on the floored Arthur, aimed at his chest and intending to kill. It's only because of Arthur's "trained to kill since birth" reflexes that he manages to roll the other way and save himself in time from the pierce of the blade.

        He doesn't catch a break before he's thrown into a sword fight with Ethan. He wonders if it's the adrenaline from trying to kill Arthur or Arthur's shock from the situation, but the two of them are having more close calls than Merlin finds comfortable.

        "I don't know if Arthur can hold out much longer Merlin, you'll need to do something." Gaius says, looking equally concerned. 

        Merlin agrees entirely, but with the two of them moving so fast he can't find much of an opening to direct his magic too. He doesn't want to risk injuring Arthur, but like Gaius said, it doesn't look like he can hold out for much longer. 

        Oswald has gathered his horse in a cheap move to gain the upper hand, and it would've worked if he didn't become the opening Merlin needed. He doesn't hesitate, no words spoken as his magic courses through him and snaps the buckle on Oswald's horse, sending him rolling painfully to the floor. 

        As quick as he was down, he was back up a minute later, both of them aimed and ready to attack. 

        "It's two against one..." Merlin grimaces. The situation has escalated, he has to do something.

        Just as he's starting to prepare himself to use his magic, suddenly someone one of the downed knights has lifted themselves from the ground, staggering and is now at Arthur's side. Merlin worries it was another opponent against Arthur, but the new knight starts fending off Oswald, protecting Arthur's back. A flood of relief fills him and he relaxes. 

        The crowd is watching with immense interest, and Merlin is upset they still haven't stopped.

        Back to back, Arthur and the unknown knight continue to fend off Oswald and Ethan. The knight is evidently skilled, but something about it makes Merlin curious. Arthur's moves excellently display that of a trained knight's, but the unknown knight's are much more swift, more precise in a way. 

        "Who is that?" Merlin asks Gaius the question on everyone's minds. 

        "I'm not sure." he responds.

        "He's helping Arthur." Merlin points out with a relieved, nervous grin.

        "And we should be thankful he is." Gaius responds, sounding more relieved compared to Merlin's curiosity. Something about Arthur and the knight fighting together has made him less worried and he's not sure why. 

        The fight continues, and before Merlin can even question it, the unknown knight suddenly advances on Ethan and performs a move that is startlingly familiar.

        Using his sword as an extension, he takes advantage of their colliding swords and circles their blades, using the motion to pull Ethan's sword from his hand.

        Merlin is frozen in shock, and then he's grinning in delight the moment he recognizes the disarming tactic. 

        "There's only one person I know who can do that." Merlin beams brightly, chuckling at Gaius's brief confused expression. 

        Now disarmed, it leaves Ethan open and defenseless against the blade piercing through his chest. He collapses to the floor, dead.

        Arthur still wasn't having much luck, with Oswald gaining the upper hand again and shoving him to the ground, yet again raising his sword to pierce through his chest. He doesn't get far before his sword is blocked by another interrupting blade. It leaves him open and vulnerable to the sword stabbed through the side. He too collapses.

        The bandits wearing noble faces are dead, killed by their own enchanted blades. 

        The fight ends there.

        Arthur and Gwaine keep their swords pointed at each other, supposedly exchanging unheard words.

        Arthur removes his helmet first, his sign of surrender and giving Gwaine the victory. 

        Hesitantly, Gwaine went to remove his helmet, but switched instead to lifting the front cover, revealing himself to Arthur. Merlin can't help but smile at the sight of Arthur's own grin as he recognizes who just saved his life. Again.

        Now Gwaine fully removes his helmet, exposing himself to the crowd, and unfortunately, to the King. 

        "Guards! Seize him!" Uther's voice is powerful across the stadium. Guards move quickly and Arthur stands still with prominent disdain, and sadly he knows not to interfere and has to stand by and let Gwaine be dragged away again.

        Merlin and Gaius wait till the crowd has left a bit before maneuvering through and down towards the tents, hoping to explain the situation to Uther and spare Gwaine an execution.

        "Gwaine is even more trouble than you, Merlin." Gaius shakes his head.

        "I'll take that as a compliment." Merlin is trying not to let his panic get the best of him. Gaius notices, but can't find any truthful comforting words. He stops them both outside the tent of the two most recently deceased and turns to Merlin.

        "It might be best if you are not present during this, Uther is no doubt in an unpredictable mood and I would hate for the situation to worsen." Gaius frowns.

        "I don't know how much worse this situation could get, Gaius." Merlin matches his frown. 

        "I'll do all I can, but for now the best you can do to help is go and tend to Gwaine. He'll need all his strength too if he's to deal with Uther again."

        "I'll bet you a new leech tank he'll have Gwaine's name at the ready for this." Merlin mumbles and quickly ducks away to avoid Gaius's unimpressed stare.

        He's grateful for Gaius sending him away though, he wastes no time in running to the palace dungeons to be by Gwaine's side again.

        As tedious as it was sometimes being a physician's apprentice, it really did have its perks. And after running the entire way down to Camelot's cells to catch up with the guards, Merlin doesn't hesitate to use it to his advantage. 

        "Wait!" he calls out to the two guards dragging Gwaine down the hall to an open cell. Gwaine turns at the sound of his voice, looking surprised and goes to speak, but Merlin gives him a look and he wisely remains silent. "I'm here to tend to his injuries." Merlin tries to keep his voice firm, still out of breath.

        "Only the court physician is permitted to treat prisoners." one guard says and tightens his hold on Gwaine's left arm.

        Gwaine instantly flinches, but he doesn't fight back. It momentarily startles Merlin, since he's come to see Gwaine as someone who would never let himself be manhandled, but then Merlin remembers Gwaine's fall from his horse.

        "Gaius is busy with his majesty and sent me in his place. He's been injured and I need to tend to him before you lot make it worse." Merlin snapped. 

        The guards exchange agitated looks, and then they stare at him. Merlin suddenly feels like the flower tucked behind his ear is a noticeable weight under their stare and instantly he wishes he kept his mouth shut. 

        Eventually, they nod and let go of their tight holds on Gwaine's arms. Merlin barely manages to stop his breath of relief and sets a gentle hand on Gwaine's uninjured shoulder, leading him back through the halls to his chambers. 

        There's a tense silence between the two, both having so much to say but unable to find the words. Merlin can't bring himself to look at Gwaine, conflicted emotions making him feel like one simple thing will set him off, but he does notice the occasional small side glances Gwaine kept giving him. 

        Merlin opens the door to the physician's chambers and lets Gwaine step in first, nodding to the bench for him to sit down. Gwaine wordlessly does, taking instead to watching Merlin go about the room and gather supplies. 

        By the time Merlin starts to help him out of the armor, Gwaine has grown a bit hurt by the cold shoulder he's being given.

        "You don't seem too happy to see me, Merls." he frowns. 

        "How did you enter the melee?" Merlin snaps, setting the armor pieces aside until Gwaine was left in his sweaty tunic.

        Gwaine's eyebrows raise in surprise at the switch in subject and he turns to look at Merlin. He sees the hardened features on his face and frowns. He waits till Merlin has painfully helped him out of his shirt to speak.

        "It wasn't exactly difficult. Despite how little the title means to me, I am a nobleman."

        "You fought two men with enchanted blades with a dulled blade and an injured shoulder." Merlin switched angrily, giving him a pointed look and grabs hold of the bandages. The sight of his shoulder where broken skin began bleeding made him feel ill, he hates to think of how it'll look once the bruises set in. 

        Gwaine's frown deepens, wearing his growing anger out to see. "I was trying to help Arthur. Should I not have?"

        "I could've done something!" Merlin fumbles with the bandages as his hands begin to tremble and his eyes sting with frustrated tears.

        "Like what?" Gwaine snapped. He stood up, startling Merlin into stillness and standing close enough for their chests to almost touch. They hold each other's gazes, Gwaine's anger does nothing for Merlin's breaking composure. 

        "I-I..." he tries, his voice shaking. He wants to tell him, and for a moment he almost did, but could he? Would Gwaine keep and protect his secret, as Lancelot had? He looks into Gwaine's angered eyes, and finds that he couldn't. 

        "I could still fight and things weren't looking good for Arthur." Gwaine has softened a bit, but he still looks upset. "I had to do something."

        "You could've died." Merlin breaks.

        If he had known Gwaine was out there he would've protected him too, he could've done something more than uselessly hide in a crowd. His eyes squeeze shut, not even bothering to try and hide his tears, but he couldn't look at Gwaine. He lowers his head to press against the space between Gwaine's neck and uninjured shoulder. "You could've died..." he says again, voice shaking. 

        Gwaine remains tense for a moment, but he doesn't hesitate to take Merlin into his arms. The kisses Gwaine starts planting into his hair do little to soothe him, but the reassuring hold Gwaine has on him helps.

        "I'm sorry." Gwaine says after Merlin has started to calm down. 

        "I overreacted... I'm sorry too." Merlin's voice is only slightly more steady as he pulls himself away and wipes his eyes. "Sit down, I still need to tend to you." he says. 

        Gwaine does so without a word. 

        "Are you at least happy to see me?"

        "Of course I am, Gwaine." Merlin frowns, looking at him with sincerity. "But we still have a problem. The King is going to react to this and he's not going to be happy to know it was you. Again." Merlin's head tilted with the last word.

        "I saved his son's life. I don't have much respect for royals but I get the feeling he values Arthur's life enough to not eagerly jump to execution from someone who just saved it. Again." Gwaine mimics the head tilt.

        Merlin just lets out a heavy sigh and drops his head. "You're insufferable, but you're probably right." he mumbled. "There's also Arthur... he'll talk to Uther." 

        "You have a lot of trust in Arthur." Gwaine says with a small returning frown, his arms snaked around Merlin's waist and tugged him close. 

        "As of late? I think I have to." he sighs. 

        Gwaine simply grunted and pressed his forehead against Merlin's chest, tension slowly leaves him when Merlin's fingers instantly began to thread through his hair. It felt comfortable, it felt right, and Gwaine was hit with dread at the thought of having to leave.

        He has to put trust in Arthur too, if it meant being able to hold Merlin in his arms like this again.

[-]

        They waited a bit longer to make sure Gwaine was properly bandaged and clothed before they set out to wait for Arthur to inform them of Gwaine's fate. 

        They waited in the hall that led to the council room. It was tense between them, both unable to think of something to say.

        "I'll leave with you." Merlin's eyes hesitantly flicked up to meet Gwaine's.

        "You'll do no such thing." he replied rather quickly. Merlin frowned at it.

        "Why not?" 

        "Because you don't want to." Gwaine looked stiff. "I can tell, Merlin. You want to stay in Camelot." 

        "I want you to stay too." he mumbled, his head lowering to look down at his feet instead.

        Gwaine's only recognition to his words was a low sigh. Merlin keeps his head low, his eyes closed and eyebrows knit together in frustration.

        He feels Gwaine's hands gently cradling his face and lifts his head. He feels Gwaine's lips pressing kisses to his hairline, and instantly he feels like crying. 

        Gwaine stays there for a moment longer, his warmth leaving as he steps back and begins pacing the halls, leaving Merlin to feel only the ghost of his affection.

        Merlin wasn't ready for Gwaine to leave. He didn't have to, he shouldn't have to, and he was prepared to fight for that the moment he saw Arthur walking towards them in the hall.

        "The King is willing to pardon you for competing in the melee. You won't be punished for it." Arthur says. Merlin feels a wave of ease settling over him for a moment, briefly sharing relieved glances with Gwaine. 

        "Thank you, Arthur." Gwaine's smile slowly turns to a worried frown when he notices the bitter look on Arthur's face.

        "What is it?" Merlin asks, almost instantly noticing the look on his face as well. 

        "I'm sorry Gwaine, if it were up to me I'd have you pardoned entirely, but... my father's leniency only goes so far. He will not retract his decision, you must leave Camelot." he frowns. Gwaine nods along with an expression that so vehemently expressed 'I knew it'. 

       Merlin frowns and takes a step forward, "Arthur please, you've got to speak to your father again-" 

       "Merlin." Gwaine stops him, gently touching the back of his arm and giving him a subtle look telling him to back down. "It's alright." he gives a small smile. 

        "You'll have until sunset." Arthur says, a displeased look set on his features. Gwaine can't bring himself to respond to that, the pain in his shoulder combined with the anger rising in him meant it wouldn't take much to set him off.

        Merlin, bless him, notices and is quick to get them moving. "Come on." he says gently, setting a hand on his uninjured shoulder and starts to lead him back to the chambers. They both stopped at Arthur's voice. 

        "My father is wrong about you, Gwaine. You're a good man, you deserve... better. Truly." Arthur says with sincerity.

        Gwaine can only manage a small smile in response when he sees that Arthur had nodded in Merlin's direction when he spoke.

        The walk back to the chambers is purposely slow and painfully quiet. It became slightly easier though when Merlin's hand reached down and gently took hold of his in a gentle grip. 

        When they re-entered the chambers, Merlin all but broke the moment the door closed behind them.

        He pressed his head against the door once it closed.

        "Gods Gwaine it hasn't even been a day and we're already saying-" he paused, taking a deep and shaky breath, "we're already parting ways again." he says bitterly, looking at him with hurt and dismay. "I'm serious, I could come with you, I... I can-"

        Gwaine shuts him up with a kiss. It's hurried, with Gwaine grabbing him by the hips and Merlin's hand settling gently on his shoulder.

        Gwaine pulls away first. Merlin doesn't move, instead watching Gwaine enter his room. Merlin doesn't question it, and instead starts to put together Gwaine's things for him.

        And just like that, on the same day, they're confronted with the same heartbreak this time. They were saying their not-goodbyes to each other, but this time it felt scarily more permanent. 

        "Where will you go?" Merlin asks when Gwaine came down and to his side.

        "I was thinking Mercia." he shrugged, giving a playful smile.

        Merlin scowled at him. "It's dangerous there." 

        "Exactly. And you get plenty more ale for your money." he smiles. He quickly noticed that Merlin wasn't smiling. "I'm joking, love."

        "It's not funny." 

        "It was a little funny." he shrugged. 

        "Gwaine." Merlin huffed, stopping him from continuing forward and stood in front of him, blocking his path. "Why don't you just tell the King who you really are? He'd grant you a pardon and you'd be able to stay in Camelot." he frowned. Did he not want to stay in Camelot?

        "You know how I feel about royals, Merlin. I could never serve a King like Uther, it'd be a further stain on a name I don't have."

        "I do know how you feel about royals, and yet you still helped Arthur."

        "He stood up for me." Gwaine concedes. 

        "And I knew he would." Merlin gives him a look. He hadn't lied to Gwaine about the honor Arthur held to his name, he was a good man, he had proved as much.

        "I have no doubts that Arthur is truly a noble man."

        "Then why won't you stay?" Merlin takes a step toward him, hoping the hurt he was feeling wasn't obvious. He tries to tell himself that this isn't about him, but it's hard to hold that mindset when the desperation for Gwaine to stay was purely selfish. "You fought well with Arthur... you'd make a great knight." Merlin says with a weak smile. 

        "Maybe one day." Gwaine says, and Merlin deflates.

        "Maybe one day." he dejectedly repeats.

        "Merlin." Gwaine starts, pulling him into his arms and holding him tight. "I do intend to go to Mercia. Mercia is dangerous, and I would never be able to forgive myself knowing I pulled you into a life of nights on cold floors, danger and foraging when you have everything you need here." he says.  

        Merlin, deep down, knows he'd never forgive himself either if he left Arthur. He's long since accepted his destiny, but that shouldn't mean he has to deal with it alone. Even just Gwaine would be enough. 

        Merlin thinks of all the dangers and troubles that follow Camelot constantly. There were monsters, there were curses, there were unavoidable dangers that he'd be pulling Gwaine into if he made him stay. 

        "Will you still promise to write?" his voice breaks in his failed effort to not cry. 

        "I promise to write." Gwaine wipes a tear from Merlin's cheekbone with his thumb.

        Merlin takes hold of his arms to keep himself steady when Gwaine kisses him. 

        Merlin met with Arthur to see Gwaine off.

        It both hurts and makes his heart tighten at Gwaine's bright smile at him, giving the two of them a placid wave. 

        "It's unfortunate, his situation. He fought well, he could've been a great knight." Arthur says. Merlin scoffs to himself; he'd said practically the same thing.

        "Maybe one day he still will be." Merlin grins, the conversation startlingly similar to the one he and Gwaine had just had mere moments ago. 

        "The rules wont allow it." Arthur gives him a look, "knights are noblemen, remember?" He turns to look back down at Gwaine as he walks. "Besides, he-" Arthur suddenly went still, Merlin watching as his face twists to something hilariously familiar. 

        Merlin follows his gaze and grins when he sees Guinevere and Gwaine have stopped and are now talking to each other. Gwen looks exceptionally happy and Gwaine looked exceptionally flirty. 

        "They seem very friendly." Arthur huffed. "I thought you and-"

        "Why should you care if she and Gwaine get on?" Merlin interrupts, giving him a knowing look to distract from how obvious it was that, in this situation, Arthur had absolutely nothing to worry about.

        Arthur rolls his shoulder and schools his features. "I don't." 

        "No?"

        "No!" Arthur huffed. "I just think she could do better than that." He uses his whole hand to gesture to Gwaine and it makes Merlin laugh. 

        "Are her sights not high enough for you, sire?" Merlin teased, watching Arthur's conflict between jealousy and embarrassment fluctuate. "Oh but I forget! A girl of Gwen's standing? She can't! No, she could never consort with a nobleman." he shrugs, wearing a stupid look on his face that he knows pisses Arthur off. 

        "Merlin." Arthur's voice is hardened in warning.

        "Shut up." Merlin finished for him with the same stupid smile.

        "Good guess." Arthur fakes a smile for all of two seconds before looking back towards Gwaine and Guinevere. The two continue talking for a moment before Guinevere gives him a gentle kiss on the cheek before parting. Merlin feels his own pang of momentary jealousy when Gwaine stares after her for a moment before suddenly looking up at Merlin with a beaming smile. He gives a playful shrug and a small wave before continuing on.

        "How serious do people take that?" Merlin suddenly asked, turning his head towards Arthur.

        "Huh?"

        "A nobleman consorting with a servant. Or at least a man of noble birth consorting with a servant."

        "Why would you want to know?" Arthur asked, both teasing and curious. 

        "Just...useful knowledge?" Merlin's uncertainty rose with each word. 

        "Ha!" Arthur crowed, grabbing him by the back of the jacket and turning him around to walk back to the halls with. "What man of noble birth would want to consort with you?" 

        "Prat." Merlin rolled his eyes and grinned, nudging Arthur harshly with his elbow. Arthur didn't hesitate to jab back at him, turning into a tussle between them and the next thing he knows Merlin is being chased by his prince and is bloody sprinting for his life. 

        Merlin finally returned back to his chambers after Arthur dismissed him early for the rest of the evening.

         He wanted nothing more than to prepare for bed and sleep away the bad memories of the events that had followed the last two days and dream of the good ones. His heart felt heavy at the emptiness that surrounded his room, hurting over how much he began to miss Gwaine. He hadn't had much of a chance earlier to miss him with all the chaos going on, but now that things had settled down... the room felt even more empty.      

         When he entered his room, pulling off his neckerchief, he spotted something on his pillow. There laid a folded piece of paper, but what had his heart fluttering were the two small Nigella flowers resting on top of it.

        He closed the door behind him before carefully seating himself on the bed. The stems had been neatly tied together in a small bunch similarly to how the one tucked behind his ear was done. 

        Tentatively, he picked up small flowers, one white and one blue, and gently held them to his chest to relish as the heaviness in his heart began lifting. It was too much and not enough. He opened the letter. 

        'For Merlin,

        Till we meet again, I take comfort in knowing you're smiling as you read this. I hope you'll think of me often, as I'll be thinking of you. 

        Fondly yours, 

        Gwaine.'

        Merlin's smile never faltered, even when tears freely began to flow down his cheeks. He enchants the flowers to keep them from withering and tentatively lays himself down on the bed, clutching the flowers and the letter to his chest. 

        Fondly, he thinks of Gwaine.