Hey guys I'm back for chapter three! Oh and i totally forgot the disclaimer the last three chapters so...
UNFORTUNATELY I DO NOT OWN MERLIN *sobs quietly in a corner*
Without further ado say hello to chapter three!

Chapter 3

Arthur was forced to put the thoughts on his future self he had circling around his head when both Arthurs' ran into a fretting (older) Leon babbling about missing knights and the ridiculous amount of time it took for the guards to realise that the past versions of the knights had scurried off.

"Wait," both older parties turned to look at him. "The knights? As in more than Gwaine!?"
Both nodded in confirmation before Leon spoke up. "But I'm afraid they have escaped Sire." He paused. "Sires'?"
Both Arthur's smirked and the older counterpart turned to Arthur. "Would you have any idea where they would go? I mean Camelot's fairly the same and they are your knights."
Arthur rubbed his thumb and fore finger against his temple. "Ummm." His brow creased in thought and then it finally hit him. "They would most definitely have gone to the dungeons!" At Leon's and his own confused expression, Arthur continued. "There is a secret room behind the farthest cell where Father used to keep even more dangerous magical artefacts."
At the mention of magic, Older Arthur tensed up and Leon flicked his eyes uncertainly towards his King. "Thank you Sire." Leon bowed and was about to head off when both Arthurs' stepped forward.
"You really think you're going without us?" They said together.
Leon chuckled and waved for them to follow.

They started off and quickly hopped down the first staircase they came to. When they reached the bottom, they turned right and walked forward until they came to the stairs that inevitably led to the cells below the castle. Arthur was about to follow the others down when a brief flash of a black cloak caught his eye. The others didn't notice and kept on toward their destination.

Arthur turned and saw a tall slim figure dressed in fine black clothes and face hidden by the heavy black hood that shadowed their features. Arthur slipped into a shadowed alcove before they noticed him watching. When they stepped past, unaware of his attentions, Arthur felt a cackle in the air. It was as if the air around the figure beckoned and swayed to his will. It was a feeling of extreme and pure power. The space seemed to ignite along with the stranger and when they had disappeared around the next corner, Arthur felt himself wanting to experience that blood rushing sparking that seemed to draw him in. It felt strange, like some unknown force pulling him into the unknown but he trusted all the same.

He was considering going after what was obviously the Court Sorcerer when he heard a loud boom and some frantic yelling below his feet so he ditched the idea and raced after the other him.

What Arthur found when he entered the secret chamber could rival the hilarity of a bald and moping Uther. All of Arthur's knights were facing up, swords held at their clones' throat. Arthur spied his older self holding (and failing) back an obvious smile.
"Ahh!" Older Arthur swept over to Arthur with a beaming smile. "Would you kindly tell your knights to lower their swords, I'm afraid my knights are getting far too annoyed."
Arthur nodded at his counterpart and put on, what Merlin dubbed, The 'I'm-The-King-Prat-Of-Camelot-And-You-Must-Obey-My-Every-Prattish-Command-Mwa-Ha-Ha-Ha'.
"Knights!" All eyes flicked towards him. "These people mean no harm. I have just come from a conversation with the King of Camelot here and, as you can see, I am not dead. Lower your weapons."

At his word all of the knights from his time had lowered their swords and skittishly moved towards Arthur. There was quite a long awkward silence as each member of each party surveyed the other (in Gwaine's case, he was too busy practically hiding from an even bigger Percival as casually as he could.
Leon (Arthur's Leon) spoke first. "Ummm, Sire?"
"Yes Leon?" Arthur gave him his biggest shit-eating grin. "Is there something wrong?"
The older knights huffed and Lancelot carried on Leon's question. "Please forgive me for speaking out of turn Sire but," he paused not knowing how to continue. "Could you explain to us why we are talking with ourselves?"
There was an answering murmur from the rest of knights when Elyan put in. "And please do so quickly." He glanced at Gwaine. "I'm afraid Gwaine might faint if Other Percival comes any closer without an explanation."
Everyone's eyes turned towards the (admittedly) huge Percival and he cracked a grin. "It's not my fault you guys are tiny."

He said it with such seriousness that the whole group erupted into a loud and quite needed laughing fit.
Older Arthur, like the king he was, quickly captured everyone's attention and beckoned them towards the exit to the cells. "If everyone would please head to my chambers, I believe you all know where they are."

After a few more choruses of chuckling, the group of double-ganger knights headed off towards the King's chambers.

Arthur was pondering as he sat at one end of the familiar table listening to the raucous conversation of everyone around him.

After the knights had double checked with Arthur, they found themselves enjoying the company of themselves (especially Gwaine) and hit it off excellently. There was something troubling Arthur however.

He noticed, as the very unusual group passed through the castle earlier, that no one seemed to think anything was out of the ordinary. It was like they had double-gangers pass through Camelot every week. It was disconcerting and Arthur found his thoughts heading towards the possibility that this (he mentally waved around the room) could actually be normal in Camelot in the future. Which brought him to the question of How? He wasn't an idiot, he could actually be very intelligent when it was needed, and he knew that the Court Sorcerer was responsible for this.

Court Sorcerer. The words sounded alien in his mind, as did the word magic. He was finding it hard to grasp the fact that one day magic will roam freely in his Kingdom and the fact that he would have sorcerers on his side was just too much. This begged the question of Who? Who was the sorcerer who he had glimpsed from afar? Who could possibly be powerful enough to alter time itself? Why had their magic made him feel safe and secure even though he found himself out of depth and defenceless.

There was also the matter of the event. The one thing that his older self had so emotionally described yet so vague that Arthur didn't have a clue what to think. His words, his words, had told a story of pain and loss yet they had said nothing at all. And knowing, knowing, that this day would one day come was unbelievably frustrating. Older him had said that it was worse than banishing Guinevere, the love of his life, and Arthur knew that doing that to her had almost completely wrecked him. He couldn't imagine what could be worse than losing his love. Who was there that Arthur cared about more than anything else? Unless…..

Arthur's train of thought was interrupted when older him coughed loudly and stood up. "I believe you all have questions and you have the right to know what's going on. And trust me when I say that some of the things that I will reveal, you will not like. I have already talked with Arthur here, and he has accepted so I hope you will do the same." He took a deep breath as the table quietened to listen to the king. "Ok. So you, the knights of Camelot and King Arthur, has been thrown into the future Camelot," he gestured around. "And those who sit with you are my knights and your future selves." The table was deathly silent as they all processed this information. "And no doubt you will ask how this was done and the answer is, in fact, sorcery."

The whole table stiffened, even Arthur, he wasn't used to hearing the word said so freely.
Elyan spoke up. "So this is a trick of magic?"
"No doubt that evil sorceress bitch Morgana." Gwaine spat.
All of the future knights tightened their grip on the chairs and glanced worryingly at their king. Arthur did the same to find his own eyes once again looking cold and stormy.
Leon sighed heavily. "When will we ever be rid of the horribleness that magic brings."
They all jumped when the table lurched forward and spilled the contents of their drinks.

Gwaine whirled around to snap at the older Arthur but his sentence died in his throat when he saw the look on his face. All of the younger knights shrank a little in their seats as the thunderous gaze of a now truly terrifying king landed on them. The older knights perched themselves in a position where they could hold Arthur back when he snapped.

Arthur answered cold and unforgiving with a jaw so tight that it was difficult to speak. "This was not due to Morgana and the evils of sorcery." He hit the table with his fist. "It was due to the unstable powers of our own Court Sorcerer. And I will have you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons if you insult him ever again."

They all froze at this proclamation and stared wide-eyed and unblinking at the king before them. They had no doubts that this man would carry out his threat if need be.
Present Arthur was not surprised in the least, so he decided to speak up before anyone started flinging things. "Listen up. I know that this is quite a lot to take in but I have accepted the truth and now so must you." He stood up and beckoned his knights to follow then turned to his still pale other self. "I shall talk to them tonight."
He bowed and followed his knights and when one opened their mouth to say something, Arthur would hold up a hand and quiet them.

So guys please read and review and i love everyone's comments you're all so lovely! I write so much faster knowing you guys like what I'm doing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll be back for chapter 4 soon!