Merlin sighed in relief, sitting back as he finished polishing the entire army's boots after hitting a particular nerve with Arthur. The man in question was standing behind him, having been watching him work and handing out snarky remarks about how to do his job.
Merlin had said, jokingly of course, that he would never win in a one-on-one fight against Gwaine. They were evenly skilled with a blade, and were constantly competing to see who was the better swordsman, and as he had just had one of these fights and lost -involving a bit of magic, no doubt, Arthur was in a very poor temper. In hindsight, Merlin wondered if it had been smart to make him lose and call him out on it, but what was done was done.
"Hey, speaking of Gwaine, where did that bastard run off to?" Arthur snapped. "I will have his head." He growled, storming out of the room.
Merlin let out a small laugh, taking that as his pardon (not exactly wanting to call out to the angry king just to be given more chores) and quickly exited the building. He had a hunch where the knight was, quite an accurate hunch at that, and headed off to the tavern in the Camelot town square, the Rising Sun, which had become popular with Gwaine because of its convenience and because of the company it holds. Many overconfident, arrogant people went to that tavern, drunken, and gambling, perfect for picking a fight with.
As Merlin entered, he found exactly what he had been expecting. Gwaine laying on a table, the expression of utmost amusement on his face, as others shoved him down along the wooden surface, knocking mugs and dishes out of the way.
"You know Gwaine, I'm getting a sense of de ja vu here." The young warlock laughed as he approached.
Gwaine raised his eyes, which lit up as they saw his friend. "Merlin! We have got to stop meeting like this." He laughed.
"I can't believe you abandoned me like that! Arthur had me polish the boots of the entire army!"
"Wow, that is de ja vu." Gwaine commented.
Merlin glowered at him for a few more moments, before the two burst out laughing. "How much have you had to drink Gwaine?"
"How much have you not had to drink?" The knight countered, a drunken smile alight on his face.
As Merlin reached out a hand to help up his friend, Gwaine was grabbed by the scruff of his shirt by the tavern owner. "My money?" She demanded, her hair tied back out the way in a pony tail, a furious look on her face, with muscles lacing her arms.
"Ah, you see my lady," Gwaine began, only to be punched in the face.
"Now!" She demanded.
"Only once I learn the name of my fair princess. Sophia? Esmeralda? That's it isn't it? Princess Esmeralda." Gwaine said confidently, though the effect was ruined with his drooping eyelids and clearly drunken expression.
Merlin let out a snort of laughter, which was evidently the saviour to his friend as the tavern owner had had a fist raised to strike his face. As she turned to glare at Merlin, Gwaine took his chance and shoved her away, grabbing Merlin by the arm as he bolted.
The two headed straight for the door, upturning tables and chairs as they went, however the door was blocked by a gang of burly looking men, flexing their muscles menacingly. "Nope!" Merlin yelled, steering Gwaine away from them. They crashed through the bar, quickly heading upstairs and through the inn part of the tavern. Heavy footsteps indicated that they were being pursued, and a quick glance behind them revealed the tavern owner in quick pursuit, followed by her gang.
"What did you do?" Merlin yelled.
"The usual Merlin! Four dozen pickled eggs aren't free you know!" Gwaine replied, sparing him a look of exhilarated amusement.
"What is it with you and pickled eggs?" Merlin laughed, unable to help his own amusement from revealing a large grin on his face.
"I have no idea!"
"How many times have you used that pick-up line?" Merlin questioned. "About the whole princess thing?"
"One too many times, Merlin." Gwaine replied, hoisting himself over a table.
They crashed out onto a balcony, however there was no way down, no conveniently placed stack of hay below, and all of the neighbouring buildings were too high and too far away to reach. It dawned upon Merlin that they were, indeed, trapped. One glance at Gwaine seemed to prove this theory fact.
"The one time you didn't bring a sword!" Merlin yelled.
"I was running away from Arthur! I didn't have time to pick up a sword!" Gwaine countered, somehow managing to still smile even in this predicament.
Merlin had no time to reply however, as their pursuers were upon them. "But I don't need my sword to fight." Gwaine said quietly to Merlin, the servant boy catching a whiff of his alcoholic breath and flinching back.
"How much did you drink?"
"Enough to do this." Gwaine stood up straight as the bar-woman approached, ducking under her swing and punching her in the gut.
"Very drunk indeed then, sober Gwaine would never punch a woman." Merlin commented, avoiding one of the burly men's punches and using magic to punch himself in the face instead.
"Oh Merlin, I'm never sober." Gwaine laughed, circling around one of the other men and causing the one behind him to aim a punch. Gwaine ducked and the punch hit his friend, who then turned on the one who punched him in outrage.
Merlin laughed, however that look was wiped off his face as Gwaine got knocked to the ground. In his distraction, neither of them had noticed the woman sneaking up behind Gwaine. She had hit him over the head with a clay pot, knocking his friend to the ground.
Gwaine slowly turned around to face his attacker, his eyes unfocused. Merlin quickly took in the knife in her hands, being held up over Gwaine, ready to strike. She poised, eyes set on his face, hands clutching the knife over her head. She lunged.
"No!" Merlin yelled, instinctively holding out his hand. His eyes burned gold. The woman was thrown back over the balcony. Merlin quickly turned to look at Gwaine, holding out his hand to help him up, however his friend was looking at him with an unreadable expression.
Gwaine couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. He could easily blame this on the fact that he was so drunk he could barely stand (however the thrill of a chase always seemed to chase that out of his system for some brief period) or the fact that he could hear a ringing in his ears from that pot smashing over his head (though Gwaine always had a ringing in his ears) but no. He could not be mistaken.
After his competition with Arthur, he had quickly made his way to the tavern to both celebrate on defeating his royal highness, and to escape him, quickly drowning out his victory in mead and ale. It had just gotten to that point when he realise he had left his gold in the castle and had lost all that he had had on him in gambling, which he never seemed to have any odds in, unlike Merlin of course.
They had just thrown him down the table when pure, convenient luck had shined at his doorway. Merlin never ceased to impress him and always managed to get out of whatever danger that faced him. If anyone can get him out of this particular predicament, Merlin can.
It had seemed so at first, they had managed to get an escape through the inn. Even a dangerous, life threatening chase could be fun with Merlin at his side, even if it were asking the most simplest of questions, the way he said it made it that much more amusing.
However, as the knife bore down on him and he was too dazed and confused to get out of the way, it had seemed as though his luck had failed him.
Or not. He saw it all. Merlin stood in front of him, behind the woman that bore down upon him with his life in her hands. His eyes burned gold and suddenly, his life was in his own hands once again. His attacker was thrown away from him and off the balcony behind him.
For a few moments, he and Merlin just stared at one another. Gwaine didn't know how he should feel, what he should think. Clearly, it was magic, he ought to feel terrified, angry, betrayed, but the only thing he could feel was slightly irritated.
But that couldn't overcome his amusement.
He hoisted himself onto his hands, still sitting, and the look of fear in Merlin's eyes proved everything he needed to know. He raised his finger, waving it back and forth at Merlin. "I knew there was something about you Merlin." He laughed, getting to his feet and clasping his friend's arm.
Merlin laughed, half out of amusement, half out of relief. "You mean, you're not mad? Angry? Scared? Wanting to chop my head off?"
Gwaine only laughed, shaking his head. "You know, I just can't believe you didn't tell me sooner Merlin." Before Merlin could think of an answer Gwaine continued. "Well! We have quite a few things to discuss Merlin, why don't we head somewhere a bit less full of drunken idiots?"
"So you then?" Merlin laughed, following his friend down the inn corridor, stepping over the unconscious men.
"So you mean to tell me, you released a goblin?" Gwaine clutched its belly in laughter. "And it possessed Gaius?"
"That would be correct." Merlin replied, grinning at the floor.
"And he licked the gold? Which you stole from Arthur?" Gwaine clarified.
Merlin nodded.
He had never heard Gwaine laugh so hard.
"Any other magical stories to tell?"
"Nah, not much." Merlin shook his head. He knew his secret, but he still had too much on the line to lose.
"Come on Merlin, you can't tell me you have this insane ability and have only released a goblin." Gwaine said, raising his eyebrows. "I bet that didn't even include magic to do! You're only telling me about that because you needed it to get the goblin back, correct?" He had been guessing, but from the look on Merlin's face, he was correct.
"Well, there was a time where Arthur was about to be killed, so I turned his attacker's sword into a magnet and everyone's helmets, pots and frying pans stuck to it which made him fall over." He began to a whoop of laughter from Gwaine. "Or there's the time I made Arthur "drop" his sword during battle training and he got hit in the stomach with a mace."
"Let me guess, he was irritating you?" Gwaine laughed.
"He's always irritating me." Merlin grinned.
"There's also that time where I made the ceiling collapse on Morgana, saved Arthur from a knife by slowing down time so I could shove his royal arse out the way, that time I defeated that army of the dead, remember that? Quite a few times actually, immortal armies are pretty popular, I made the top of Arthur's bed fall on him so he staggered around the room like a bumbling idiot, I swear I've turned into an old man at least three times under the name of Dragoon the Great, I've made the librarian believe he was dreaming by making random things on his desk float around and telling him to go back to sleep, and when I first met you I used it to throw a bunch of plates at people." He finished. "And the list continues."
"I like how you mixed up making Arthur stumble around his room like an idiot under his bed covers with making rocks fall on Morgana." Gwaine commented, grinning. "How many times have you needed to save his royal behind?"
"More times than you can count." Merlin muttered.
"And you seek none of the credit?" Gwaine clarified.
"If I did, I'd be dead."
Gwaine clapped him on the shoulder. "Come now Merlin, surely you don't believe that? Arthur is a good man-"
"That doesn't trust magic." Merlin finished. "If I told him, I have no idea how he would react." He paused. "I'd like to think that he would accept it. But he is the king, Gwaine, he could have me hanged with a single word. Gaius wonders how I still have my head on my shoulders."
"As do I, Merlin." Gwaine patted him on the back.
"How can you be so accepting of this?" He asked, staring at his friend, all traces of amusement wiped from his face, to be replaced with a serious expression. "Everything, you didn't even seem surprised."
"Like I said, I always knew there was something about you Merlin." Gwaine said with a smile. "And you're the best friend I ever had. I couldn't be mad if I tried." He paused as Merlin grinned. "And besides, I always had a nagging suspicion."
"How?" Merlin asked, growing alarmed. "Was I that obvious?"
"No no, well yes, but only because I already know." Gwaine added, a grin spreading over his face. "But I can explain it in three words. Courage, Strength, and Magic." He seemed to consider that for a moment. "Wait, four words..."
Merlin groaned. "Grettir! That small man on the bridge! I'd hoped no one had noticed."
"I'm not a fool, Merlin." Gwaine laughed. "I had my suspicions, I just didn't want to say anything."
"Thank you, Gwaine, I've never had a friend like you." Merlin said sincerely, grinning.
"Now, anything else you've gotten up to that I should know about?" Gwaine asked, resting his feet on the table and putting his arms behind his head as he settled down to listen.