AN: A bit of fun for a Saturday evening. I have two more of these written already, the next of which I shall post on Monday, and after that I'm open to requests and suggestions. Enjoy!

Chapter summary: Gwen really doesn't understand Arthur and Merlin sometimes.

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Oh, The Shenanigans

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Except for the fact that Prince Arthur does not giggle, that's exactly the word that Gwen would have used to describe the sounds issuing from underneath the table in the hallway.

The muffled laughter turned into two gasps of discovery as Gwen lifted the edge of the table cloth and peered under it. Both Arthur and Merlin looked incredibly relieved to see her.

"Oh – thank goodness it's you Gwen!" Merlin exclaimed, grinning at her. "I thought we were gonners!"

She stared at the two of them – squashed together under the table like a pair of boys hiding from their tutor, with close to identical grins that screamed mischief – in bemusement.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her amused confusion clear in her voice.

"Hiding," Arthur informed her with a grin.

"...From who?" she asked, thoroughly befuddled by their behaviour.

At that moment, Uther's thunderous roar of "ARTHUR!" echoed through the hallway, and both the Prince and the servant gasped dramatically and lunged forwards to yank the tablecloth back down into place, sending Gwen staggering backwards a little in surprise.

She'd just steadied herself when Uther came storming around the corner looking utterly livid, his face the same shade of Pendragon red as his cloak, and... his whole body dripping wet?

He spotted Gwen standing in the hallway and thundered towards her, ignoring her frightened squeak and hurried backwards step.

"You! Maid! Have you seen my son?"

"U-uh... um – I... well, I – " Gwen stammered, trying to work out a way to not give away where Arthur (and Merlin) were hiding while at the same time not lie to her King.

Fortunately, Uther was apparently too furious to be able to deal with stuttering maids, and he took a step towards her and pointed intimidatingly at her.

"If you see him," he fumed, looking decidedly dangerous, "you tell him that the King is looking for him."

She nodded jerkily and he stared hard at her for another long moment before spinning away and storming off down the hall, his cloak swishing damply behind him and his boots leaving sodden footprints on the floor in his wake.

A second or two after he'd disappeared around the far corner, there was an explosion of laughter from underneath the table and Arthur and Merlin crawled out, looking very much like they might split apart at the seams from the force of their laughter.

"Great work Guinevere," Arthur said, using Merlin to pull himself up into a standing position and managing to temporarily control his hysterics. "We owe you one."

He reached down and hauled the still-laughing Merlin to his feet and began shepherding him down the hall in the other direction from Uther. "Come on Merlin – we'll make a break for it before he comes back this way."

Grinning broadly, the two of them set off at a jog, waving to a still very bemused Gwen over their shoulders as they went.

"Arthur!" she called as they rounded the corner, remembering something.

He drew to a halt, looking back at her questioningly.

"Uh... your father is looking for you..." she said.

Arthur laughed again.

"I'll let him know you passed on the message!" he grinned, then disappeared around the corner after Merlin.

Gwen stared after them for a long moment after they'd disappeared, jaw slightly slack in befuddlement, before she picked up her basket and went on her way.

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Prince Arthur doesn't giggle when he's pranking his father the same way Dean Winchester doesn't snuggle when he's sick.

Please review! Next installment on Monday. First in is first done for requests!

Bundi