Hiya! Sorry for the late update… I kinda had to update other stories for this… So… please don't hate me? Thank you for all those who reviewed, favorite, and followed! Please leave a Review and Favorite! Farewell and Enjoy!

-Let there be midnight

ME NO OWN MERLIN!


Pretty Mistress Encounter

Arthur swung his stick in the air lazily as he looked around the training field. It seemed different from the last time he visited, but that was probably because father was with him showing him around since he was going to learn how to fight when he turned seven. He just couldn't wait till he turned seven! Even though that was a whole year ahead… but the thought of learning about sword fighting excited him! He could impress father and make him proud! Yes, he just couldn't wait!

With a big happy smile on his face, Arthur started to skip happily as his stick/sword dragged in the ground behind him, leaving a thin trail in the dirt as he looked around the training field in interest.

"Um, excuse me, are you lost?" Arthur turned around to see a girl running up to him, a soft smile on her face. Arthur couldn't help but think she was pretty.

"No," he replied as he shook his head. He heaved up his stick/sword and placed it on his shoulder as the girl bent down to have a better look at him.

"Then what are you doing here?" she asked sweetly. Arthur beamed a smile up at her as he stuck out his chest trying to look strong.

"I'm training!" he said proudly. The girl giggled a little in amusement, making Arthur giggle along with her.

"What's your name?" she suddenly asked him, surprising the boy at the sudden question. Arthur relaxed a little as he dropped the stick to his side and let the tip rest just barely in the dirt.

"I'm Arthur!" Arthur told her. The girl stood up and smiled softly at Arthur as she gave him her hand.

"Well, that's a lovely name Arthur," she replied as the young child took her hand, feeling proud at having a name that was considered lovely by her. "I'm Gwen." Arthur nodded as he made sure to remember her name if he came across her in the future. Wouldn't want to embarrass himself in front of her now would he?

Gwen looked around as if trying to find someone among the crowd of training knights that cluttered around the field in small clusters. "Why don't you lead me to your parents, they must be worried." Gwen suggested kindly. Arthur shrugged as he frowned. He didn't want to lead her to father. One: Merlin said father would kidnap him if he saw father. Two: father was just plain mean sometimes and he didn't know if he would be in a good mood if he came up to him at the moment. He'll just lead her to wherever Merlin was instead of father. Father was probably busy anyway and couldn't be dealt with now, plus Merlin was funner than father. Way funner.

"Okay." Arthur said as he led Gwen along the dirt trail he made with his tick earlier, some parts smudged together from where people stepped on it.

"Arthur!" The boy looked up as he suddenly heard Merlin calling for him a little ways off, looking into the tent. Arthur's face brightened up as he dragged a slightly surprised Gwen after him towards Merlin who had yet to notice him.

"Merlin! Merlin!" Arthur shouted waving his stick/sword wildly in the air. Merlin turned around and saw Arthur rushing up towards him with Gwen in tow.

"Arthur, don't run off like that!" he scolded him once the blonde haired child came to a stop in front of him.

"Sorry Merlin." Arthur said absentmindedly as he had newfound interest in a small wooden sword, walking over to it and abandoning his stick on the ground. Merlin looked up at Gwen once he saw that Arthur was now occupied with investigating the wooden sword in his hands with wide curious eyes.

"So, what are you doing here Gwen?" he asked her, swaying back and forth on his heels. Gwen smiled pleasantly at Merlin as she dusted some dirt off the front of her dress.

"I found him dragging his stick around and thought he was lost." she explained, nodding towards the blonde hair child. "I didn't know you were friends with children Merlin? Or unless that's your…" she trailed off, her smile turning sly as Merlin started to panic.

"No! No! He—that—is not mine!" he said frantically, putting his hands in front of him with wide eyes. Gwen giggled a little finding his reaction all the more amusing.

"Are you sure?" she asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "You do look a lot alike." Merlin was now stuttering over his words as he kept trying to give her excuse after excuse, his face very red with embarrassment. "Relax Merlin, I was only teasing." Merlin relaxed a little but gave her a soft glare for that as his face turned back to its normal color.

"Merlin!" Gwaine shouted, interrupting the two from further conversation as he ran up to them with Percival following in behind. "Did you find Arthur?" he asked, a little out of breath while he looked at Merlin expectantly. Both of the knights had yet to look behind them and over to the child that was trying to put the sword strait down and climb on top of it. Merlin and Gwen looked behind the knights to where Arthur was playing, making them both look and sigh in relief as they saw him.

"As you can see he's perfectly safe and sound." Gwen told them.

"What are you doing her Gwen?" Percival asked as Gwaine went over to Arthur and tried to get him to stop trying to get on top of the wooden sword so he wouldn't hurt himself.

"I found him." she replied giving Percival a slight smile. Percival glanced over at Merlin as if to ask him if she knew the truth about Arthur. Merlin shook his head, mouthing 'no' to the knight as Percival just nodded and looked back over to Gwen.

"Okay, well… I have to get Arthur back to his real parents before they start to worry. Percival, Gwaine, would you like to accompany me?" Merlin asked them as he grabbed Arthur's hand, making him drop his wooden sword grudgingly in the process.

"We'll love to, wouldn't we Percy?" Gwaine asked, looking over at Percival smiling cheekily as they followed Merlin to Gaius's chambers.

Gwen just shook her head and walked off to finish some of her chores for the day, leaving the four of them to go to Gaius's chambers alone and hopefully with no further interruptions.

When they reached the physician's chambers, Merlin quickly put a chair under the door knob securely to make sure that Arthur wouldn't escape from them yet again.

Gaius looked up at them from where he was standing slightly hunched over a work bench, still flipping through pages of old delicate books. He stopped in the midst of it as his eyes laid on Gwaine and Percival.

"Merlin…" Gaius said warningly as his ward led the child-turned-prince over to a corner far away from the door and gave him a something to draw on. "What are Percival and Gwaine doing here?" The old physician's eyes never left the two knights who stood awkwardly in the doorway, shuffling a little as their hands unconsciously came to the hilt of their swords. Merlin looked up smiling a bit before he went back to convincing Arthur that coloring was fun.

"Oh, they volunteered to help!" Merlin replied. "Yes, Arthur, coloring is very fun! It could solve world hunger one day." Gaius rolled his eyes at the last thing Merlin said.

"So they did, did they?" Gaius muttered to himself as he eyed them once more before returning to his yellowing paged books.

"Actually not really…" Gwaine said only for Percival to nudge him hard in the ribcage. "Anyway, anything we can do to help?" he asked, coughing a little as he slowly sidestepped away from the taller and certainly stronger man.

"Just help Merlin keep Arthur occupied, we wouldn't want him running off again." Gaius replied curtly.

"Oi, Arthur!" Gwaine suddenly shouted, catching his and Merlin's attention as he walked over to them. "Coloring will get all the ladies attention!"