Hi all! Thank you to Tagrea for being my first reviewer! For this chapter, I've taken liberties with the time it would take to travel from place to place, so it may seem a bit out of joint.

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything except for longing ;)

Chapter Two

'What did Gwaine do again?' Lancelot groaned, for once losing his knightly composure.

'He sent messengers to Ealdor whilst in a drunken haze thus losing all control of what he was saying, the end result being that Merlin's mother will arrive earlier than we have prepared for.' Leon said in a monotone, staring at the tapestry on Lancelot's wall. This was a disaster. How on earth were they supposed to give Merlin an appropriate birthday surprise if other people insisted on misplacing their faculties at completely the wrong time?

'It won't be as bad as that, now.' Elyan tried to comfort the distraught knights. 'When did Gwaine send the messengers?' 'Yesterday afternoon,' Leon sighed. 'This means that Hunith will be here by nightfall, considering the messengers were instructed to collect her 'with all necessary speed'.'

'There's no problem in that. We'll just have to make sure she doesn't enter the castle. Hunith can stay at Gwen's for the night.'

'Yes, I suppose so,' Lancelot said glumly from his corner. 'Although the idea was to have Hunith ride triumphantly through the castle gates tomorrow surrounded by the Camelot knights, bearing a 'Happy Birthday, Merlin' banner, while Merlin watches in amazement from the castle steps.'

'And don't forget the players in the throne room,' Leon mumbled sadly. 'With jugglers and dancers and animals.' They looked so miserable that for a moment Elyan wondered if his friends had been replaced by children who'd just been told they couldn't go set Daddy's beard on fire (Gwen's idea, not his). 'Ah, guys? We can still do all that. We just have to keep Merlin busy for the morning while we set everything up.'

'Hunith was also meant to bake Merlin a special cake. The cook gave her specific permission to use the kitchen at mid-morning. How will she ever get into the kitchen now if Merlin will be there at the same time getting Arthur's breakfast?'

Make Arthur eat earlier, Elyan thought. He shook his head. 'Cheer up, knights! We'll manage this, problems or no. If it's for Merlin, we'll manage and make it a day to remember!' Elyan's pep talk had the magic effect of setting a small smile onto Sir Leon's face, and even Lancelot looked a bit happier. A spectacular snort from Gwaine, who'd been passed out unconscious (from sleep deprivation, considering last night's activities) on Lancelot's bed, ruined the rather inspirational moment. The roguish knight yawned and sat up, stretching his arms out. 'What'd I miss?'

'We were figuring out how to solve the problem of Hunith's early arrival.' Lancelot said. 'Oh, yeah. Sorry about that, mate. Funny what eleven flagons of mead can do to your tongue!' Gwaine wrinkled his nose, opened his eyes wide and flipped his hair all at the same time, looking so Gwaine-like that none of the knights could stay irritated for long. Laughter filled Lancelot's chambers as they waited with anticipation the day that was to follow.

That night, while Arthur kept Merlin busy with chores befitting of the King's manservant—scrubbing his floor, cleaning out his fireplace, changing the sheets, giving Arthur a shoulder massage ('for crying out loud, Merlin, do you have any concept of human bone structure at all? Last time I checked, hitting my shoulders with a hammer does not have any good effect whatsoever, clot-pole!' 'I barely touched you! Isn't the mighty King Arthur meant to be able to take a little pain, or as you put it last time, 'being punched in the face by a feather would cause more pain than you, Merlin.' And clot-pole is my word, go find your own.' 'Merlin, I'm the King and anything I want is mine.')—Percival, Leon and Gwaine waited for Hunith by the castle gates.

'Where is she?' Leon wondered when two hours had passed. 'She should be here by now.' 'Perhaps they did not leave till late. We should wait a bit longer,' Percival replied quietly. When another hour passed and there was still no sign of Merlin's mother or the messengers, the knights began to worry. Gwaine paced to and fro, frowning. His instincts, hypersensitive from long days on the road with hardly a break towards civilisation, did not like this at all.

'It's nearly midnight,' Leon said. They'd been waiting for almost five hours and no-one had come through the gates. 'Something must have happened; the messengers would have sent word if they were not leaving till tonight or tomorrow.' Gwaine nodded grimly, and Percival was about to speak when the sound of hooves came thundering over the cobblestone.

It was the night patrol, and in their arms they bore a bloody body.

End Chapter Two

Thanks for reading, folks! I hope it wasn't too slow moving, or the dialogue awkward. As usual, reviews and critiques are extremely welcome!