Merlin lit the fire easily with a few muttered words.

"Impressive," said Gwen as she tossed in another twig onto the dancing fire. "You never use your magic much in Camelot."

"That magic ban might have something to do with it. Then again, there is a reason I always manage to finish all the chores Arthur gives me."

Gwen stretched out her legs, rubbing her thighs. As enjoyable riding was, too much of it made her ache and they had ridden hard, determined to reach this clearing by nightfall. "Speaking of Arthur, where did he and Gwaine go?"

"They've gone to get us some dinner." Merlin settled down on the damp log next to her. "You started it, you know."

"Started them finding us dinner?"

"The competition. They've both gone in separate directions to locate dinner. Instead of, you know, working together."

A twinge of guilt poked at Gwen and she shifted uncomfortably.

Merlin slung his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. "I was joking. You know the two of them would have found some way to justify acting like this, whether or not you made that suggestion."

Leaning into Merlin and staring into the fire, Gwen asked, "You've been in contact with Gwaine all these time. Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have told Arthur." She tried to mask her hurt but the way Merlin moved to look at her face suggested that she hadn't been very successful.

"I know you wouldn't have but I didn't want to put you in a difficult position. You know how Arthur feels about him."

"Arthur doesn't hate him. Not really."

Merlin nodded, his eyes suddenly troubled. "He doesn't like Gwaine much."

Rubbing Merlin's shoulder, wondering why he seemed sad that Arthur wasn't Gwaine's fan, Gwen said kindly, "Who does Arthur like, beside himself?"

Against her, Gwen felt Merlin chuckle. "And you?" Then he sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Gwaine."

"It's not like your suspicious behavior doesn't come up every other day as conversation," said Gwen. She scuffed the ground in front of her with her foot. "I never tell Arthur anything you don't want me to."

"Yeah well. It is a little private."

That made Gwen lift her head to peer at Merlin. "Private?" Even the dim light couldn't hide the slight flush in Merlin's face. "You and Gwaine?"

"No!" He turned away. "I mean, it's not like we're together or anything."

Biting down on her lip, Gwen looked back into the fire. "I suppose Gwaine has his charms – that devil may care attitude, that hair. His body –"

"Shush!" Merlin flapped his hands in her direction. "Someone is back and I swear –"

"You secret is safe with me. Although –"

Arthur was the first to reach Merlin and Gwen. A twig in his hair, scuff marks on his sleeve, Arthur didn't look like he had an easy time apprehending the squawking bird he held tightly under his arm. Still, it was a sizeable bird and Gwen's stomach rumbled at the prospect of it being roasted.

Passing the bird to Merlin who held it as far from himself as possible, Arthur glanced around their camp. "Ha! Gwaine is still hunting, isn't he?" Arthur ran a hand through his hair, a cocky smile spreading across his face. "So much for his fine hunting skills. Don't forget who brought dinner."

"You're such an ass," muttered Merlin. "Are you going to cook this?"

"No. I caught it. You can cook it. That's what I pay you for."

"It's still alive." The bird squawked into Merlin's face, then flapped its wings frantically. "Stop it!"

"I know." Arthur sat on the log next to Gwen and pulled off his boots, wriggling his toes. "You should probably kill it first."

"Why didn't you kill it?" grumbled Merlin as he stood and walked towards the fire, holding the bird as far from him as possible. "How lazy can you get?"

Gwen saw Arthur's smirk. "Hey, it's fresh!"

"I'm going to help him," said Gwen, ignoring Arthur's protest. Arthur was really an ass sometimes.

Just as Gwen and Merlin wrangled the freshly dead bird onto a stick to roast, Gwaine came tramping back into camp dragging a very dead deer with him.

"Hello!" Gwaine said cheerily. "Anyone fancy some deer?"

"I think Gwaine wins this round," said Merlin, flushing when Gwaine grinned at him.


"I am starting to regret this whole thing," said Gwen to Merlin as they packed up camp the next morning. "Look at all this meat! How will we carry them?"

"And this is when I impress you with my magic." Flashing her a smug grin, Merlin muttered some words she didn't understand and everything shrank. Easily, Merlin picked them up and stuffed them into his satchel.

A reluctant smile tugging at her lips, Gwen shook her head. "That is impressive but I can't help but remember someone making snow in a fight."

"That," said Merlin, refusing to meet her eyes, "is because I am a lover not a fighter."

Her reluctant smile blossomed into a full blown one and the laugh that escaped her caught the attention of Arthur and Gwaine, who were a distance away tending to the horses. "Have you told Gwaine that?"

The panicked look in Merlin's eyes made Gwen laugh even harder, although she covered her mouth with her hands. She waved at Gwaine who had turned to look at them. Beside her, Merlin blushed and fussed over the bags. Once Gwaine turned back, Gwen nudged Merlin and grinned at him.

"Don't you dare," said Merlin.

"I've no idea what you're talking about." Reaching over, she pulled another bedroll towards her to pack. "I just think that if you want something – or someone – you need to do more than blush in their general direction."

"What about you and Arthur then?"

It was Gwen's turn to look away. "We're friends, like you and Arthur."

"I don't know. Arthur's never kissed me before," Merlin said on an exaggerated sigh.

Finished with the bedrolls, Gwen stood and dusted off her trousers. "We're friends," she repeated, as if saying it with sufficient confidence would make it true.

"Sure," said Merlin. "You two are trapped in the strangest dance – one step forward, two steps back."

"You made your point Merlin. Can we drop the topic now?"

"Hey you two! Are you done?" Gwaine waved at them from the horses. "We need to get going."

Merlin waved back. "Coming!"

With a shake of her head, she watched as Merlin practically ran to Gwaine. She hoped she wasn't quite as obvious. But when Arthur turned and flashed her a warm smile, her insides quivered and she suspected that she was a mirror image of Merlin.

When Arthur's carefully aimed bolt merely bounced off the creature's skin, Gwen figured they might be in trouble. Squashed between Gwaine and Merlin, Gwen wondered if the difficulty she was having breathing was due to the fact that they were all huddled under a large tree root or the fact that the creature they were battling had the worst breath she'd ever encountered.

One moment, they were cantering through the forest, a slight breeze against their faces, the songs of birds in the air. The next, a large creature was upon them, teeth bared and claws unsheathed. Gwen wasn't even sure where it came from. But it came nevertheless, a giant ball of fur determined to tear them to shreds.

"Damn. His hide is far too armoured." Arthur twisted his head slightly. "I hope your magic is more useful, Merlin. I don't think snow is going to work."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "That's joke has gotten old."

"It will never get old," laughed Arthur.

"Excuse me, you jokers but there's a large, bear-lion hybrid out there trying to get his lunch," interjected Gwaine just as the creature reached in again, attempting to take a swipe at them. Gwen pressed back, dragging Merlin with her, narrowly avoiding its paw.

"Merlin!" she said urgently.

"Yes. Yes."

A loud explosion happened and Gwen cowered further into the root. When the smoke cleared, the creature roared again, leading to chorus of hissed Merlin.

"Look! I tried alright? He's indestructible."

"There must be a weakness," muttered Arthur. "Everyone has a weakness."

"You must have some other spell!" Gwen said. "You don't have to kill him, just make sure he doesn't kill us."

Merlin straightened and raised his hand. "Good point." Then he muttered something, there was a red flash and the roaring stopped. A grin slowly emerged on Merlin's face.

"What did you do?" asked Arthur suspiciously as the creature suddenly sat down placidly in front of the root.

Merlin's grin got impossibly wider. "I cast a sleeping spell."

When Gwaine slapped him on the back, Gwen thought she could see Merlin light up, even in the darkness. "You're brilliant."

"Come on. Let's make a move before it wakes up," said Arthur as he slowly unfolded himself and moved cautiously towards where the creature sat. He poked at it with his foot.

"What are you doing?" asked Gwaine incredulously. It was question Gwen wanted answered as well.

"Just wanted to make sure it was really sleeping." Just then a loud snore echoed through the forest, startling Arthur, who jumped back, stumbling over some roots. Loudly, he swore then gave the creature an extra kick for good measure.

Gwaine rolled his eyes. "And you're supposed to be the crown prince. Let's go." He crawled out from the root, reaching out a hand to help Gwen. Beside her, Merlin scrambled out as well, dusting off his clothes.

"Gwen and I win this round for sure," said Merlin with a smirk.

If Gwaine thought that killing a deer for one dinner was going to win him the rights to the Stone of Esthpet, he could think again. Arthur was not used to losing and he wasn't going to lose this time. Not that he knew what the Stone of Esthpet was exactly, but he was pretty sure it was magical and would make a nice addition to that room his father had where he kept an assortment of magical knick knacks. Plus, it would definitely impress his father.

And maybe Guinevere.

"Find anything?" Gwaine's voice echoed through the cave.

"Will you shut up?" snapped Arthur. "You're either going to get all manners of creatures coming out to kill us or you're just frightening them away."

"Hey, don't treat me like I've never done anything like this before. I am a mercenary you know."

"Obviously not a very successful one judging by the fact that you seem to be constantly broke."

Gwaine laughed. "I have needs. And the fact that nothing is lunging at us to kill us is a good thing."

"Right. Anyway, the cave looks safe enough for us to set up camp." Arthur waved his torch around one more time just to be sure. "I'll go get Merlin and Guinevere. Why don't you look for a patch that isn't damp?"

Gwaine grunted in agreement, then wandered off. Outside, Arthur saw Merlin and Guinevere laughing. Her hand was resting on Merlin's upper arm and a jealousy twisted in his gut, even as his head told him that he was being ridiculous.

"Merlin! Stop playing around and bring the bedrolls in!"

"The cave is safe?" asked Guinevere.

He nodded, the knot in his stomach easing when she smiled at him. Stretching out his hand, Guinevere took it with little hesitation. Without the constant reminders of their status, it seemed that Guinevere was more open with her affections and Arthur enjoyed it.

Gwaine had gotten a fire going when they entered the cave. With a smirk, he looked up at Arthur. "I think this is a point in my favour."

"Half a point," retorted Arthur. "Starting a fire is hardly anything special. Merlin can do it."

In the background, Merlin grumbled but Arthur ignored him and set the bedrolls down. One night together and the four of them were already working in rhythm. The bedrolls were laid out, dinner on the fire cooking, leaving them with little else to do except chat.

"By tomorrow evening, we would be inside Caerleon's borders. We need to be as inconspicuous as possible, since Caerleon is unlikely to welcome me skulking around in their land." Arthur absently sharpened his sword as he spoke.

"Relationships between Caerleon and Camelot haven't improved huh?" Gwaine's words were innocuous but there was an underlying accusatory tone. "Maybe if your father wouldn't keep pushing his borders further and further into their lands, things would improve."

Arthur dropped his sword. "Don't talk about my father. You don't know him."

"I know that all nobles are selfish and power hungry."

"Gwaine," Merlin whispered.

"Are you saying I am selfish and power hungry?"

Gwaine shrugged. "Only you know the answer to that."

"Arthur is not like his father," said Guinevere quietly and Arthur shot her a look of gratitude.

"I'm just saying power has a way of corrupting people. Never knew a noble I liked," said Gwaine.

"I'm not like that," Arthur muttered despite the tiny voice in his head suggesting that Gwaine's words held an element of truth. What did it matter anyway, if Gwaine didn't like him?

"It doesn't matter, does it? We're stuck together now." Gwaine stood. "I'm going to take a walk."

Arthur said nothing and stared into the fire, Gwaine's words still floating in his head. He felt movement and Guinevere sat next to him. Gently, she rubbed his arm. "Are you alright?"

"Do you think Gwaine is right?" Arthur leaned into Guinevere's warmth. "That power makes you selfish?"

"Once upon a time, I used to think you were selfish too," said Guinevere. "But I don't anymore. Not all the time anyway."

Her words were soft and earnest and at that point, Arthur thought he couldn't love Guinevere more. By the fire, although they had been travelling hard for the past two days, she still looked as fresh-faced and beautiful as ever, and the urge to kiss her welled up in Arthur.

But from across the campfire, Arthur noticed that Merlin was watching them, so he drew back and contented himself with looking at her.

"I bet you agree with Gwaine," he said to Merlin.

"Sometimes you can be a selfish prat," replied Merlin. "Isn't there any way we can avoid going through Caerleon?"

"Are you scared?" asked Arthur.

"No. I just – I mean, why risk it?"

In the flickering light, Arthur could see the concern on Merlin's face although why Merlin was so worried eluded him. But then again, Merlin had always been a worrywart – constantly worrying about all sorts of things.

"It isn't that much of a risk. As long as we are discreet and quiet – no tavern fights, for example – we'll be fine. Also, going around Caerleon means an extra two to three days. It's not worth it."

Merlin nodded, but the worry lines on his face remained.

"Look, I promise it will be fine. We have survived worse," Arthur said gently.

Guinevere stood, stretching and yawning. "I think Arthur is right. We just have to be careful. Also, it would be nice to stay in a place with a bed."

Immediately, Arthur reached out to rub her back, smiling when she moaned in gratitude. "You should get some sleep. You too, Merlin."

As Arthur watched the two of them curled up in their bedrolls, hopefully asleep, he wondered idly where Gwaine was. It had been quite some time since he went out for a walk. He was just thinking about going to check on Gwaine when footsteps made him grab his sword.

"It's just me."

"Good walk?" asked Arthur as he put his sword down. "You were gone for quite a while."

"I thought you'd be happy that I was gone." Gwaine flung himself on the hard ground and pulled off his boots.

"I may not be your biggest fan but I still wouldn't want you injured or dead."

"Look, what I said earlier, it was out of line."

Arthur squinted at Gwaine through the flickering flames. "Don't worry about it."

For a while, the two of them sat in silence, Gwaine poking at his boots while Arthur watched the fire. Like Merlin, Gwaine seemed worried and it made Arthur wonder if there was something the two of them knew that he didn't.

"What's up with you?" Arthur finally asked.

Gwaine looked up, slightly surprised as if he'd forgotten he wasn't alone. "Nothing. I just don't like Caerleon much."

"The King or the place?"

"Both."

"Aren't you from Caerleon?" Merlin had mentioned it once to Arthur, but he didn't seem to know much more than that.

A wry smile twisted Gwaine's face. "That was a long time ago. A lifetime ago."

There was more to the story but Arthur didn't want to pry. People should be allowed to have their secrets. Instead, he pushed himself off the ground. "Right. You take the first watch. I'm going to bed."