Gwaine wasn't one for subtleness – a well known fact to the other knights. So when it began to snow, naturally, Gwaine was the first to yell with glee and run around yelling 'IT'S SNOWING!' in the middle of a training session. Needless to say Arthur was not impressed. Mainly because Percival joined Gwaine in his excitement and they both began throwing snow at each other.
This lead to Arthur getting a snowball smacked directly on his face – by 'accident' apparently. Now we all know how Arthur wasn't one for fun on the best of days mainly because he had had such a grumpy man for a father so the first thing that happened was Arthur to yell 'YOU IDIOTS.' Then storm off with Merlin laughing behind him only to get pushed over by Arthur seconds later.
With the king out of the way, Gwaine believed it was a golden opportunity to start a full blown "SNOWBALL FIGHT!"
Now you may be wondering how on earth they could begin a snowball fight so quickly but let's just say the snow back then fell quickly and wasn't all mushy like regular British snow nowadays. It's probably better to just go with it.
Many knights ran away for fear of their lives knowing from past experience that when Gwaine and Percival began a snowball fight, no-one was safe. Not even Leon and that says something.
After dramatic deaths from the multiple knights who stayed, Gwaine and Percival were the last ones standing. They celebrated with a very childish 'WE DID IT!' Yes. The two noblest knights in the kingdom were never known for their maturity around snow. They even had a victory dance, "WE DID IT, WE DID IT, WE DID IT, YEAH!" This finished with a high five as they jumped in the air dramatically.
After this, most of the 'dead' knights laughed at their antics and went home. But not Gwaine and Percival! Oh no, there was plenty more fun to do with the snow!
They made snow animals which included a dragon, a cat and Gwaine's favourite, a squirrel. Something about how it once attacked Arthur and it had made his day. They tried to make snow angels but it was still snowing so they just ended up getting covered in snow.
They probably did everything possible and it was past midnight when they finally rested by making snow castles of Camelot.
Nearby a soft mewing sound was heard. "Hey, Perce, did you hear that?" Gwaine asked halfway through trying to make his part of the castle.
"Hear what?"
"Mew..."
"That!" Gwaine frowned and stood up.
"I HEAR IT! OH NO! A CAT IS STUCK UNDER THE SNOW!"
"WE NEED TO SAVE IT!"
The two knights began a long and perilous journey (it took a minute) to find the kitten who was sitting in a small alleyway covered in snow and shaking. Since Gwaine found the kitten, he quickly picked it up and began cooing to it like a little baby.
"It's okay! Daddy's got you!"
"And me!" Percival protested.
"Fine, we've got you!" Gwaine continued to coo.
The kitten simply stared up at the two faces that were currently grinning down on him.
"WE NEED A NAME!" Percival suddenly demanded.
Gwaine widened his eyes, "OF COURSE! ... How about Mr. Cuddles?"
"I prefer Snuggles."
The knights aren't good at naming animals. Their horses were called Barnaby and Stella.
"How about... Mr. Snuggles?" Gwaine suggested.
"Perfect! Mr. Snuggles, I'm Percival, the cool dad. This is Gwaine the not so cool dad!"
Gwaine frowned. "It's the other way wrong actually, Mr. Snuggles. Excuse Percival, he's not right in the head."
"I'm perfectly sane!"
"Of course." Gwaine snorted.
"At least I'm a strong independent knight who doesn't need a candle on to get to sleep because he's afraid of the dark!" Percival argued.
"Yeah! Well... At least I actually have sleeves on my armours!"
"Only because your arms aren't as muscled as mine!"
"AS IF! I AM THE MOST HANDSOME IN THE ENTIRE KINGDOM."
The cat meowed again interrupting the quickly escalating argument.
The men stared quietly down at the kitten which began to play with Gwaine's Armour which he had neglected to take off since the snow had begun to fall.
"Gwaine?"
"Yeah?"
"How are we going to look after Mr. Snuggles?"
"In secret."
And that's exactly what they did. With a kitten in Gwaine's armour hood and Percival with an arm over Gwaine's shoulder, they managed to get to Gwaine's room without any suspicion as they just suspected they were drunk. Which they were also pretending to be too but that isn't important.
Gwaine placed the kitten onto his bed while Percival locked the door.
"He's so cute!" Percival exclaimed as he kneeled by the bed to watch the kitten.
"I know!" In the years to come after this story, the knights would never admit to be ashamed of their behaviour.
Percival sighed contently and rested his face on his hands. "What do we do now?"
"Um..." Gwaine hadn't thought about that. "We should probably feed it. Okay, I'll be right back with some milk. Cats like milk right?"
Percival nodded and began to stroke Mr. Snuggles who purred contently.
Gwaine left and quickly found the kitchens where a few servants were still walking around.
"Excuse me?" Gwaine asked a passing lady. The lady turned around, her eyes widening. Gwaine flashed his signature grin he gave every woman that always guaranteed him to get his way.
"Yes, sir Gwaine?"
"I have a huge craving for milk right now and I was hoping there was some around?" Gwaine made an effort to look around the kitchen hopefully.
"Of course! I will be right back!" She disappeared for literally 5 seconds before she came back with a glass of milk.
"Ah..." Gwaine suddenly realised that a cat does not simply drink a glass of milk. "Do you have a err... saucer as well?"
The women raised an eyebrow but didn't question him as she gave him a saucer knowing that Gwaine's actions should never be questioned. He had once asked the same maid to get him a stick with string and a hook on it.
"Thank you!" Gwaine practically skipped out of the kitchen in his hurry to get back.
"GOT THE MILK!" Gwaine cheered as he got back to his room only to see that Percival was throwing the kitty up into the air and catching it again. Gwaine gasped, "PUT. MR. SNUGGLES. DOWN."
"He likes it..." Percival pouted but put the bewildered kitten back down on the bed where it immediately meowed in shock of being put back on safe ground again. You have to feel sorry for the kitten, as soon as Gwaine had left the room; Percival had begun doing this so the kitten was just a little disorientated.
"Is everything ok in-" Leon knocked and entered the room only to stop in shock then raise an eyebrow. "A kitten? Really? You two would make the worst carers to this cat!"
Percival and Gwaine gasped. "Don't listen to them Mr. Snuggles! He doesn't understand our love!"
The cat simply meowed back. In protest or agreement, no one ever knew.
Leon dragged a hand over his face and stared at the cat. "You know what? I don't want anything to do with this. I'm leaving." And true to his words, he left.
Gwaine chuckled, "Someone isn't a cat lover..."
"Mr. Snuggles doesn't need to have Leon in his life." Percival stated.
"You're right! He has us instead! And the cooler dad just brought you milk!" Gwaine poured some milk into the saucer on the floor then picked up the kitten and placed him on the floor.
Except instead of drinking the milk, the kitten ran straight out of the open door which Leon had neglected to shut and out of sight.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Was Percival and Gwaine's simultaneous reactions as they both ran out the door to see where he went.
"Where'd he go?" Percival asked scratching his head.
"NO IDEA!" Gwaine yelled exasperated. "WE'RE TERRIBLE PARENTS!"
"I'll go this way, you go that way!" Percival then proceeded to run off in the direction of the kitchens.
Gwaine then began to speed walk through the castle but Gwaine couldn't see a single sign of the kitten. It wasn't till he passed Arthur's slightly open door that he realised it was too good to be true.
"ARGH!" Was heard from inside and Gwaine rushed inside to see Mr. Snuggles currently sitting on Arthur's face; the kitten had his claws on his face at the shock that his comfortable cushion made a sound.
Gwaine seized Mr. Snuggles from Arthur's face. "MR. SNUGGLES. THAT IS NOT HOW WE TAUGHT YOU TO TREAT PEOPLE."
Arthur just stared.
He soon came to his senses after watching Gwaine go on and on about responsibility to this supposed 'Mr. Snuggles' and shouted "GET OUT. AND TAKE THAT BLASTED CAT WITH YOU." Arthur isn't one for getting woken up by claws but I guess no-one is are they?
Gwaine simply 'Tsked' and walked out cuddling the kitten to his chest.
"Why did I ever give him responsibility?" Arthur mumbled to himself before falling straight back to sleep.
As Gwaine was walking down the corridor, an exhausted and upset Percival ran past him, stopped, turned around and squealed with glee. It's amazing how such a knight is respected.
"I FOUND HIM!" Gwaine cheered as he ran over and gave him to Percival who hugged him a bit too hard for comfort to which Gwaine had to take him back in fear of having a squashed kitten on their hands.
As the two knights fussed over the kitten, it didn't occur to them how much of a family they must have looked to the unsuspecting eye. Not that it looked liked that... no, of course not...
I think I'll continue this one to make a two-shot... it seems like more can happen, don't you think?