This is my first attempt at writing my own story in the world of fanfiction so instead of doing the smart thing and taking a small dip in the form of a one shot, I did the stupid thing and took the plunge into a multi fic story. But then I've never done the smart thing before so why start now. Hope you enjoy my story and what my brain has been bugging me to start since I started reading fanfiction awhile ago. Anyway enjoy and Im not sure if all chapters will be this long, that is if anyone wants to read anymore of this!

Camelot had just finished recovering from its latest magical raid by the witch Morgana as the final clean-up procedures where in place. Clearing away any fallen debris left over from the raids on the front side of the castle whilst patrols were busy purging the forest of any straggles left from Morgana's army. Supplies were being replenished and a breath of ease passed over the citizens of Camelot knowing that they were in the safe hands of their King and his new Queen.

The market store holders had been surprised when days after the raid, the sight of their Queen strolling through the market square, with her maid purchasing a range of fabrics and silks, had stopped and greeted them all, asking on their recovery and how they were fairing.

In fairness it only added to the growing love the citizens were feeling towards their new Queen.

However a rare pocket of silence had befallen on the castle, due to the lack of one individual. It had only been two days since his departure but everyone in the castle sorely felt his absence from servants to the knights and even if he wouldn't admit it the king himself. Guinevere had already had to soothe a few of the palace staff who had unfortunate rifled the kings fraying temper. One young maid had apparently ran crying from the council room after encountering the king. The king later apologised for the outburst on his part but everyone started counting the days for his manservant to return after that. Merlin it seemed was the only one able to deal with the kings temper and remain unscathed in the thrall of it. Besides everyone missed the colourful banter that lifted the castle halls on a regular basis, the halls were far too quiet and organised without it.

One of the other new developments were the personal meetings the king had decided to hold with a close collection of knights and not surprisingly his manservant. No the surprising thing was the roundtable the King had had delivered for them to have these meeting around. None of those outside the select group knew in great detail what the meetings consisted of however the appreance of a running knight and the king patting out the fire in his hair had led to a highly memorable moment in the castle. Especially when Merlin had chucked a large jug of water over the Kings head. The incident the people of Camelot had dubbed the flaming arrow incident after more details had emerged.

The meetings were a frequent affair and even with the absence of Merlin, the group found themselves once again situated around the round table, discussing the latest magical raid and aspects of castle security that needed improving. If in fact they had such a thing as castle security, what with all the assassins and magical foes that always managed to slip through the guards. Apparently coming through the front castle gates was a firm favourite in being sly and tricking the guards.

Queen Guinevere was absent as she had been invited by some of the ladies of court for a late luncheon in one of the noble rooms. No doubt in order to gossip about their respected husbands and their actions.

Therefore it was left to Lancelot, Leon, Gwaine, Elyan, Percival and Arthur to carry on their small meeting even if Gwaine had been playing with his empty goblet for the past hour and the king was itching to throw being regal to the wind and tip him of his chair. But no the image of his manservant's disproving face loomed in his self conscious and saved Gwaine from a dissent to the floor. The fact that his manservant had any control over him, alluded Arthur as his hands flexed tighter round the paper he was currently reading off.

'Thunk'

The knights all winced in union with the sound as each spared a glance at their king, who was now starting to twitch quite furiously. His fingers opening and closing round the papers he held with a tight grip. Lancelot aimed a kick at Gwaine under the table if only for the noise if possible to get even louder.

'Thunk'

There it was again the sound of Gwaine's empty goblet being dropped onto the table for what seemed the hundredth time during this meeting of the round table. The growing ache in his head didn't help the fact that Arthur's brain was now evilly plotting the exact pressure of his sword that would kill the knight where he sat.

'Thunk'

As if the idea hadn't already crossed his mind on previous occasions where the knights behaviour had thrown his patience over the edge. The incident with the flaming arrow was still a hot gossip rag amongst the palace staff. Arthur still had the lingering singe marks from the ordeal.

'Thunk'

Ok plotting was now turning into a reality.

An accidental stumble into the knight perhaps.

Sword just happening to be outstretched?

One of Arthur's hands left the paper he was reading from to feel the scabbard at his side. The comforting touch brought a small grin to his face.

Elyan was the first to notice the positively evil smirk on Arthur's face, what was worse it bared a striking resemblance to a certain manservant's when he was up to no good. A worried glance was now thrown at the head of Sir Gwaine by the knights. He was dead. Defiantly dead.

The flaming arrow was just the run up to his demise it would seem. The running jump to his fall.

'Thunk'

"Gwaine" Arthur half shouted, throwing all façade of a patience king out the door causing everyone around the table to wince in union but said knight in question who spared but a quick head glace in Arthur's direction.

"Yes your ladyship" Gwaine slowly drawled back. Sarcasm heavy on each word.

Arthur resisted the childish urge to fling his papers at the knight, taking deep calm breaths as he steeled his hardest kingly glare at Gwaine.

"Am I boring you Gwaine or is there something more pressing that has your attention than the issues surrounding castle security" Arthur putting a hard tone into each word.

"Well apart from your obvious rivalry with Guinevere on who is the prettiest Queen in all the land, in your sense of dress wear then yes. The twinkle in Gwaine's eye showing his obvious pleasure in finally letting the comment out.

A collective sigh rang round the table causing the Knight to swivel in his chair, finally placing the goblet down.

"What" Gwaine inquired in mock surprise

"As if you didn't know" Ws the muttered response from Elyan.

Gwaine was shot a mixture of disproving looks from every angle of the table. The knight had been overly sarcastic and annoying since Merlin's departure. A fact that everyone had noticed. Strange how Merlin had become an unofficial babysitter for the nobles in Camelot since their promotion to knights and in one case King.

"Look Gwaine, I understand that your upset about not accompanying Merlin back to Ealdor whilst he visits his Mother, but I sent a few guards with him so he'll be fine. Besides nothing is going to happen in Ealdor."

Arthur tried to compromise with the knight for what seemed the tenth time in the last two days, his mind flashing back to Merlin's departure where the knight had thrown a fit on discovering he wasn't allowed to acompy him.

*FLAHBACK*

"Why cant I go with him. Honestly Queenie, give me one good reason why I cant go with him" Gwaine served at him, eyes ablaze.

"As a knight of Camelot, you cant be seen escorting my manservant back to his home town on a social visit. Its not up to noble standards Gwaine and you know it."

Arthur hit back calmly.

"Well if Merlin is just your manservant as you so claim then tell me why those two guards are going with him on, what did you call it, a social visit. Surely that's not up to standards. Gwaine returned.

"Well…uh…as my manservant he holds key information about me and Camelot and he risks being kidnapped in attempt to get information out of him.

"Well then how come I cant go if that's the reason, I'm much better than two guards, its one me to two guards, surely that works out better and your not down on castle security. Besides how are they going to fend of anyone, they've spent their guard life's patrolling corridors not fighting bandits in the wilderness."

"Its just a precaution Gwaine, its not like he's actually going to be attacked, its Ealdor, a peaceful village, nothing remotely threatening lies there, right Merlin"

Merlin who had been trying to edge his horse out the centre courtyard unnoticed sighed heavily before shifting in his saddle, having already said all his goodbyes to his farewell party before Gwaine had kicked up the argument on not going with him.

"Well there was that one time with the well wher..."

"Shut-up Merlin" Arthur promptly cut him off.

Merlin sighed and sent a pleading help look to the others. Guinevere suppressing a chuckle along with Percival, Gaius, Elyan and Lancelot.

"Cows" Gwaine called smugly.

"Excuse me what Gwaine?" Arthur replied. Expression unbelieving.

"Magic sword wielding cows sent by an evil witch"

"….Cows…with….swords...really?.."

"Very deadly, saw it once in the outer kingdoms, took out a guard with barely a glance, called themselves the order of the bells."

"Gwaine…just...how gullible do you think I am? My decision as King is final you are not going and you have to respect that and obey as a knight of Camelot."

"Well fine I drop my title as knight to guard, now if one of those guards would be happy to show me where they got those frankly unflattering helmets th…."

Gwaine was interrupted as Lancelot and the others walked forward.

" Um hate to break this up but Merlin left about five minutes ago before the whole cow argument broke out. Cows? Really Gwaine?"

Elyan laughed as the expressions on their faces turned to surprise as they wheeled around spotting the absence of said lanky servant.

Gwaine thereafter huffed and stormed off towards the knights quarters muttering darkly about evil cows, causing a few amused glances in his direction along the way.

By the end of the first day of Merlin's absence Gwaine had been successfully dragged from his room after barricading the door. The knights saw this as a success until he then in revenge locked the door to the whole of the knights quarters and ate the key. One battering ram, two arguments and a gruelling training session later the knights had there quarters back and Gwaine had gained an escort to stop his vengeful mood in the absence of his friend. Not to say that it was working if tieing Arthur's tunic to another horse on a brief early morning patrol was anything to go by. The training session was worth it, going by the smug grin the Knight still wore and the image of a muddy Arthur being dragged away implanted in said knights brain.

*FLASHBACK*

"Would this be the same Ealdor that was attacked and raided by bandits on more than one occasion and in the presence of your royal highness as well." Gwaine knocked him out his flashback abruptly with his small statement.

Damn he didn't know Gwaine knew about that, just wait until Merlin got back from Ealdor, Arthur would be having words with him on telling Gwaine anything that could be used against him.

Gwaine meanwhile had sat back in his chair quite smugly as he watched Arthur's face go from control to sheer panic as each of the knights around the table starting to now voice their worry on the young manservant. Even Leon and Percival the more reserved of the group had voiced their protest upon the revelation Of Ealdor's past history when Merlin seemed to visit.

Note to self warn Merlin of Arthur's incoming maiden rage on his return was the thought that crossed his mind as he waited for the table to calm back down.

Served the Queenie right for holding back information on them if he was honest, besides Merlin had told Gwaine everything and he meant everything about the Queenie in question and his events prior to Gwaine's arrival into knighthood.

Still feeling smugly about the whole upset he went to swipe his goblet back of the table only for him to reach out and grab an hourglass he had happened to nearly knock of the table.

Holding it in his hands Gwaine observed the strange runic patterns that swirled round the glass and the more unusual blue sand that filled the inside. Sorcery was defiantly evident here, but why was it present in the meeting, perhaps he should have been paying attention after all.

"Gwaine put it down before you break it, who knows what that thing will do" The strict voice of Arthur cut through Gwaine's mental thoughts and observations of the hourglass as he peeked back up to meet the glare of King Arthur and the worried looks of the others.

Turning it over so the sand would fall he placed it back on the roundtable and resumed his smug glance at Arthur who had managed to quell the knights arguments by the looks of it.

"Perhaps tell the time" Gwaine offered smugly, arms crossed over his chest.

"Its an item of sorcery Gwaine its not to be trusted let alone fiddled with, the only reason its here is to discuss how to destroy it, not for you to play with" Arthur replied curtly reaching to snatch the hourglass away from Gwaine, who in retaliation pulled it back out of his reach, which also ended up being the edge of the table.

The breaking of glass filled the silence of the room as Gwaine, hand still outstretched towards the hourglass, flexed his fingers for good measure as the small mummer left his lips.

"Opps"

Arthur again taking deep breaths pulled himself back into his chair and let out a kingly sigh. Great now there was blue sand left over his council floor, where was Merlin when you needed him honestly. Maybe he could make Gwaine sweep it up in punishment.

A loud gasp from Percival snapped Arthur out his inner mummers as to follow the shocked knights gaze where it rested upon the pile of blue sand on the floor. The moving and growing pile of blue sand. Wait?

Before anyone could move the blue sand started to whip up around them, slowly starting to raise higher and higher as it picked up speed. Leon and Lancelot pulled out their swords ready to attack.

"Unless your planning on using them as shovels I suggest you don't bother" Gwaine shouted from across the table as the sand picked up even more speed and starting to roar with power as they huddled closer to the table, now all standing but powerless to do anything to stop the sandstorm.

"Did you hear that?" Arthur shouted to the others as a large roar sounded through the sandstorm, blocking everything but their view of each other.

"You mean apart from your lovely voice Queenie" Trust Gwaine to still be sarcastic in any situation. A situation that was his fault.

Another roar started cutting off any further arguments as the sand started to thin around them only to gather in a large form at the top of the storm. The group now found themselves face to face with a large blue sand dragon with no route of escape as the whirlwind of sand cut off all possible exits. The large form of the dragon looked down upon them, its hollowed out eyes glowing an ominous yellow colour before rearing its head and letting out another ear shattering roar before descending down on them. Dissolving all of them into a sea of blue sand as one by one they were sucked into the vortex leaving behind nothing but an empty council room. No traces of sand to be found.

The sound of high pitch shrieking was the first thing Arthur was aware of, the next being that he and his knights had somehow arrived in the main throne room. The third and probably the most important thing was not the guards that were surrounding him and his knights, nor the shocked looks on any of their faces. No the third and final thing was the sight of himself if yet older and less sandy sat on the throne in front of him staring down upon him with a look of realisation. An oddly familiar hourglass sat comfortable in his hands. However what surprised Arthur even more was the fact that he..him didn't seemed shocked in the slightest.

Only another of Gwaine's witty remarks seemed to break the weird air of tension that surrounded the two parties.

"Wow and I thought the flaming arrow incident was the highlight of my career as a knight."

The silence was further broken by a string of angry shouts from all the past knights and Arthur.

"GWAINE"

Gwaine in my eyes just reminds me of a medieval version of chunk from the Goonies. If you haven't seen the Goonies then go watch it! Ahh the flaming arrow incident a personal favourite in the many adventures of Gwaine in my head, that Ive invented. That along with 'the order of the bells' in the form of sword wielding cows and Gwaine punishing everyone after Merlin leaves. So much fun =) Maybe I should turn his mini storie sin my head into oneshots? Hmm….

Reviews are really loved and appreciated! I would love to have some feedback on this as its my first jump into the world of fanfiction from making the progression from reader to writer. So feel free to talk to me =)

Much love to you for reading

x-x

Unicornkatt