Summary: Collection of drabbles about various ways Arthur and Gwen find each other, in any time and any place. From canon era to outer space?

Author's Note: This first drabble to start everything off is set in canon era in the time before series 5.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

Hiding

Arthur walked the castle halls. It's been almost a year and still no sign of Morgana. He still worried, of course, but the return of the usual hustle and bustle brought him a bit of peace.

There was a sneeze followed by a giggle.

He turned toward the direction of sounds. It came from down a rarely used corridor he was about to pass. He made his way down it slowly until he heard shushing and shuffling. Stopping in front of the alcove the noise was coming from, he cleared his throat.

A young girl, about twelve years old, stumbled out. "P-Pardon me, King Arthur. I was—"

"She was keeping me company." Gwen stepped out, stood behind the girl, and rested her hands on her shoulders. "This is Annie, and she is Cook's apprentice. Cook was a little harsh with her today." She squeezed Annie's shoulders. "She ran off, and found this alcove with me in it."

Annie bowed her head bashfully. Arthur bent forward, hands on knees, and whispered, "Want to know a secret, Annie?" Her eyes lifted then darted back to the floor. Arthur tilted her chin up and her eyes widened. "I'm afraid of Cook too," he revealed and gave her a toothy grin.

Annie gasped. "But you're the king! You're not supposed to be afraid!" She clasped her hands over her mouth. Arthur laughed and stood up. "Believe me, I'd rather face a dragon than get on Cook's bad side."

"All of Cook's sides are bad sides," Gwen muttered. Annie looked up at her, shocked by the Queen's jest. Gwen smiled at Annie. "Don't tell her I said that."

Arthur turned his attention to his wife. "And why were you here, Guinevere?"

"I was hiding from the ladies of the court," she said, holding his gaze. Arthur knew that not all the nobles approved of his marriage to a servant; he would occasionally overhear them voicing their grievances in the halls. Gwen heard them too, more often than him. She never told him that she heard, but he knew by the slump of her shoulders, or when she'd hideaway in their chambers. On those nights, as they lay in their bed, he holds her a little closer.

Arthur broke their gaze when he saw out the corner of his eye as Annie's hands flew to her nose and her eyes clench shut. "Annie, are you alri—"

A stifled sneeze interrupted him. Four more followed in rapid succession. Annie sniffed then let out a breath of relief. "Cook kicked me out of the kitchen because I kept sneezing. She said I'm useless. I have to learn how to stop by tomorrow, or she'll never let me back in!" She sniffed again and rubbed her nose.

Arthur admired her determination. "It's getting late. You should go home and keep practicing, but don't be too worried about it. I'll take care of everything."

Annie beamed. "Really? Thank you, my lord!" She bowed deeply and turned to Gwen. "My lady," hugging her quickly before scurrying off.

They watched Annie hurry down the corridor until she disappeared around the corner. Arthur offered Gwen his arm. "My lady." She happily accepted. They headed down the corridor and passed an older noble couple, Sir Henry and Lady Elizabeth. Sir Henry nodded in their direction while Lady Elizabeth pursed her lips and looked the other way, pretending not to see. Once they were farther away, Gwen sighed.

"I'm glad I found you," Arthur said as Gwen leaned against him.

"You always find me," she said softly. They could've been talking about the past or the present.

Gwen noticed they were near the kitchen. "Don't want to face Cook alone, do you?" she chuckled and nudged Arthur with her hip. He made a show of it, acting as if she bumped him too hard and stumbled a bit to the side, pulling her with him. Another noble couple coming their way eyed them with disapproval.

Arthur glared back at them, and fear flashed across their faces before being quickly replaced with expressionless masks when they walked by. Gwen watched their retreating figures then turned back to Arthur.

He leaned down, placed a lingering kiss on her temple, and whispered in her ear.

"I'm not afraid when you're by my side."

A/N: One down, I don't know how many more to go. I have ideas floating around liiiiiiiiiike vampires, and apocalypse, modern era things, and stuff. I'M ALSO OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS

I hope you enjoyed this, and thank you for reading!