Sorry about the wait, but back by popular demand, Our Darkest Hour! So, I do not own anything. And, just a reminder, this is slash, so if you are a hater then, don't say I didn't warn you. Now...The show must go on!

1 Year Later Things were hard in Camelot for the first few months: a lot of people were devastated when they heard about Gwaine's disappearance. He was very well liked throughout the land.

The knights had taken it hardest, though, as they were closest to him. There were times in meetings and other times they were all together that they expected a witty comment whenever Arthur finished speaking. Once, they had all gone to the tavern and laughed and talked, and Percival turned to his left where Gwaine usually takes his place, but then they all remembered and they just couldn't enjoy it anymore.

Merlin had locked himself up in his room for the first couple of weeks, and Gaius and Arthur let him grieve for a while, but they needed him to help. So, when he was not doing chores for Arthur or the knights, he would stay in his room, trying to look for a way to find the lost knight. He even attempted scrying, and that was just a myth and hadn't worked at all.

Arthur had been strong on the outside, and acted like the King he was taught to be. He got everything back into an order they didn't exactly want, but made do with because it was the only one they had. But when he was alone, he'd grieve. He'd miss the way he'd be called Princess, he'd miss the way Gwaine's perfect lips curved when he smiled, he'd miss the way he tasted against his tongue, the way their hands fit together, the way their bodies molded when they made love. He tried to keep looking, but he had duties to the kingdom.

Everyone did everything they could to help each other to get through it, but no one could know what the 1st year anniversary of his kidnapping would bring, and how it would tear all their work down…

**Page Break**

"Arthur, it's been one year."

"I know."

"You can't keep looking for him."

"I know." "Look, you need to-"

"I know, Gwen!"

"…I'm sorry. I miss him too you know?"

"Yeah." Arthur put his head in his hands and sighed. "God! Why is this so hard?" He cried. He stood up and began pacing.

"Because you love him." Gwen replied, her expression soft as she took in the state of the King.

Arthur stopped pacing and faced Gwen. He was frowning and there were tears in his eyes. "Yeah, I do. It's just, I've gone this far without him and he was always by my side, and now it's been a whole year and I just don't know what to do."

"Well, first you're going to get ready, without Merlin's help, because he's taking the date hard, and then you will go on this hunting trip you have put off for who kn0ws how long." Gwen sternly told him.

"How is he?"

"He blames himself. I said you gave him the day off."

"Good."

"He wants to come with you."

**Page break**

"This wasn't your fault, Merlin."

"Yes, it was." The warlock's voice was tired. He kept replaying the events in his head, and the result was the same; it was his fault. "If I had used magic or something to help him-"

"Then you would have exposed yourself, and the consequences would have been direr." Gaius interrupted his train of thought. "You can't blame yourself. It won't bring Gwaine back."

"Fine. I'm still going on the hunting trip. It's the first one since…um…yeah."

"Are you sure you want to go?"

"I have to. What if they need my help?" Merlin picked up his small sack and began to put healing herbs, and other necessities in it. He heard Gaius sigh behind him. "Gaius, its been a year. I need to do this." With that, he left the room, the door echoing behind him as it closed.