I've had quite a few messages about a certain knight called Percival and what I've done with him. Rest assured he is safe and shall make his grand return next chapter so don't worry. Again thanks for all your positive feedback. It makes me type quicker when I know people are enjoying this.


According to the nearest guard he has asked, the gruesome twosome were holed up in Gwaine's chambers still, after their early walkout of his meeting.

Ignoring the respectful idea of knocking, the king strode into the chambers of Sir Gwaine with the past group tagging along behind him. Expecting to see his warlock and knight scrunched over some elaborate plan to sabotage him, the king was slightly shocked by the sight that greeted him.

Merlin, half asleep, was reclining on a nearby plush chair, feet propped up on the edge of the nearby table while Gwaine was…well.

Pushing the mild amusement aside the king asked the inevitable as the warlock finally looked up to acknowledge their presence. Even if I was just a brief head nod.

"Why's Gwaine on the floor seemingly knocked out?"

The warlock shrugged, clearly not caring, but offered an explanation anyway.

"He decided to test out one of his lines for his book on the kitchen maid who delivered lunch earlier. I personally thought it was quite clever but-

The warlock waved a hand at the knight on the floor.

"She obviously thought otherwise."

The king didn't really think anything the knight said was practically clever, aggravating yes, but clever. Never.

"I'm going to personally regret asking but what did he say Merlin?"

The warlock tilted his head in thought before responding in an amused tone.

"I swore to lay off gorgeous women but your beauty just hammered me"

The line was met with a handful of groans and face slaps. The younger Gwaine however taking a mental note to use that line at a later date.

The king staggered over to stand behind the warlock's chair leaning on the back of it, overdramatically. A large sigh ruffling the top of Merlin's unkempt hair.

"You didn't think to stop him?"

Merlin, glancing up, looked insulted at the question.

"Your right that was a stupid question, I retract it"

The conversation stopped when a grunt rose from the floor and the slightly disorientated Gwaine leaned an elbow on the table edge. Expression practically screaming what did I miss.

Leaning over the top of Merlin the king shook his head at the knight. A slightly patronising tone reprimanding the supposed noble.

"What did we learn about hitting on the maids Gwaine"

The knight groaned and rubbed the sore spot on his head. The beginning of a light bruise starting to show.

"That a serving tray is not only a household tool but a lethal weapon aswell"

He responded seriously.

Gwaine would never learn.

"I think we can count that one out of Travel Tavern Love"

Merlin offered helpfully from his chair. The unimpressed gauze of Gwaine only adding to his evil little smirk.

"Merlin"

The king's tone warning him not to dent the knight any further. Not that he ever got the sentiment returned by any of the others when Merlin's evil little smirk dived on him. Deciding to distract the warlock he dropped a very familiar blue hour glass into the man's lap. The warlock scrambling to catch it, lest it bounce of him and onto the floor.

"I think you lost this"

Feigning disinterest, the king pulled back from his hovering over the warlock as Merlin started examining the piece.

"I take it you didn't find it on the shelf in my chambers did you. The place I last saw it"

Merlin looked up with hopeful eyes only to be met with an impressive eyebrow raise on the king's part.

"Surprisingly no, your little trinket is the cause of our little problem currently stood in the doorway over there."

The past group shuffled as the calculating gauze of the warlock fell upon them, paused, and then returned to his king.

"Care to explain what it was doing in the past and how it brought them here Merlin?"

The light humour ever present in the serious situation, as the warlock offered an explanation.

"Well by smashing it you can transport yourself forward in time, if the right amount of magical residue is left upon it. I'm guessing one of you smashed it-

Several looks were loaded on the past version of Gwaine who looked down at his feet.

"That somehow doesn't surprise me. Did I perchance touch this before your arrival here."

The question directed towards Arthur, who like his knights had been nothing but bystanders in the conversation so far.

Startled slightly at being put on the spot, he spouted out the response quickly. His mind thinking back to the event's leading to the discovery of the glass.

"You were the one who found it after our last attack by Morgana."

The warlock nodded reverently at the answer. Holding the hourglass square in front of him and running his fingers along the glass.

"Ah, that would do it. This hourglass is useless to anyone but me. I made sure of it when I first discovered it. How it got into the past though, I'm not sure….."

The warlock paused suddenly, eyes widening in an almost comical sense. A light going of in the depths of his mind.

"Well have you figured out how it got there then Merlin?"

The warlock's eyes locked with the king's.

"Why do you always assume I know everything, maybe it's just a coincidence. I don't know. Last time I checked I was out of it for the past three days"

The warlock's increasingly higher pitch voice was silenced as the king placed a firm hand on the warlocks shoulder.

"Ok Merlin…don't freak out on me. So can you send them back or not?"

The warlock allowed himself to relax under the grip before a deep look crossed his face.

"Yes-

The group from the past all brightened visibly. The king removing his hand and smacking Merlin playfully on the shoulder.

"Well hurry up then and-

"But not with this hourglass."

Merlin interrupted firmly, setting the hourglass down on the table in front of him.

"What?"

The single word popping from the king's mouth.

"We need its twin, which allows you to travel into the past."

Gwaine, now recovered from his blow to the head, stood at this comment and made his way across the room, sharing a knowing look with the young warlock who returned it with a brief nod.

"You have two? I've only seen this blue one." The king replied confused as he gestured to the offending item sat in front of him.

"Its twin is red and works the same way, Gwaine where did I hide that treasure map from last year"

Standing from the chair, the warlock joined the knight who was currently pulling apart one of the cupboards in his room. A mass of past junk decorating the floor in a colourful display of hording. It seemed nothing got chucked away.

"Why do you need a treasure map?"

The king and the group at the door clustered closer amongst the growing pile of rubbish pouring out the knight's cupboard. The warlocks responding words muffled as a pair of old trousers connect with his head. Gwaine tugging them off a moment later, muttering an apology, before retuning to his rummaging.

"I buried the other hourglass, along with some other objects during the year where my state made me think I was a pirate-

"…Pirate?"

The muttered query of past Leon unheard as the warlock let out a triumph cry and emerged from the cupboard, a piece of parchment clasped in his hand.

"I made a map so I could return to dig it back up later. However I'd personally forgotten about it till now"

Closely following Merlin, Gwaine also exited the cupboard to join his best friend. Slinging an arm round the man's shoulders as he let out a hearty laugh. His eyes fondly warm as he reminisced outloud.

"I remember that year, you flooded the corridors and we had to spend three days on those boats that you conjured up. Remember I was your first mate tavern jumper Gwaine. If I wasn't mistaken didn't we rob Arthur?"

The knight smiled happily at the memories while Merlin shuffled guilty by his side.

"That's irrelevant, I wasn't in control."

"Yes we did, I remember we tied him upside down to one of the castle pillars. After boarding his ship."

The knight ploughed on, oblivious to the growing embarrassment of the king and warlock around him.

"You made Lancelot and Leon walk the plank"

Merlin had to intervene there, yes he might have not be in control of his thoughts but he defiantly remembered that part.

"If I recall that was you Gwaine."

The knight smacked a hand to his forehead.

"What.. oh yes you right that was me you were too busy trying to untangle the sails from our rough boarding attack!"

As Arthur looked quite shocked at the growing unknown of the his future, the king nudged his younger self in the side. Voice slightly humorous as he remembered the scene from the past.

"Yes you have that to look forward to Arthur, have fun with that. I was stuck upside down for at least an hour before I was cut loose. What fun memories"

His younger self still look bemused at the prospect of being overpowered by two idiots, but then he had yet to experience the pleasure of blood rushing to his head whilst said idiots screamed at you as they floated away.

Memories disturbed, the king focused his attention as Merlin spoke up.

"If I remember, it wasn't so much fun when I regained control of my thoughts later on and you made me dry out all the corridors."

"You flood them you dry them."

The king threw back.

The conversation still felt lost however on the past group. Speaking up Elyan asked what he thought was a valid question. The answer hopefully clearing up the confusion that had been building.

"Sorry but what is 'the state' you keep talking about."

The king then proceeded to reel of what seemed a pretty practised speech, as if he had spoken it before.

"Merlin is the most powerful magical being of all time and every year round the same time his magic sort of goes into overload. This overload we refer fondly to as 'the state"

Merlin decided to tag along extra details.

"Over a course of three days I lose all practical sense of thought and control. Submitting to what I like to call the magical whimsy side of my thoughts. Thus deepening my abilities further and wild things to happen.

Merlin was met with blank stares all round by the past group.

"I learn a new magic skill each time I enter the state"

Merlin offered again in hopes for more understanding only for the stares to remain.

"My magical side wanted me to learn water manipulation to a higher degree, therefore it made me a pirate for three days, till I was accustomed to it, better."

The warlock sighed in defeat as a chorus of hums broke out in understandment.

"So what did you learn with the sleeping state we encountered upon arriving here?" Lancelot probed, remembering the earlier conversation in the council room.

"That, erhm…it's not important really. We should really concentrate on finding the hourglass first"

Merlin shifted awkwardly, fingering the hem of his tunic.

The king zeroing in the tiny movement. Eyes narrowing in a knowing way.

"Merlin what have we talked about in great detail concerning lying"

The warlock fidgeting even more as all stares lay on him.

"What makes you think I'm lying about anything Sire?"

The king gave him a pointed look before gesturing to the fidgeting mannerisms the warlock was displaying. Not to mention the use of his proper title.

The warlock shifted even more if possible.

"Look Merlin whatever it is you ca-

"Do you want the stupid map or not."

Sputtering the king dropped the subject and held his hands up in a sign of surrender. Merlin may be a bad liar but right now he was a bad liar with something he wanted and if denial gave him the map then so be it. He could always get Gwen to interrogate Merlin later. Poor sod wouldn't stand a chance on the end of one of Gwen's killer glares. Yes plotting against Merlin was fun. He now saw why Merlin and Gwaine did it to him. Evil plotting!

As if sensing the king's evil plan Merlin regarded him sternly for a moment before thrusting the parchment into his hands.

Unrolling it quickly ,before the warlock changed his mind and snatched it back ,the kings face fell as he noticed something important that Merlin had seemed to overlook.

"Merlin this is only half a map, where's the rest of it"

At the victorious grin he received the king realised that he had been played. Rather spectacularly played infact.

"First mate Tavern Jumper Gwaine, seducer of women and more cunning than the king, keeper of the second part of the map at your service."

High fiving the still grinning warlock, Gwaine waved a second piece of parchment just in reach of the kings grasp. Mocking grin in place as he snatched it back with a singsong voice as the king went to grab it.

"Nah Ah Ah!"

Gritting his teeth the king retracted his hand and straightened into a more noble manner.

"What's your price Gwaine"

What no hand it over because I'm the king speech. Your learning Queenie."

"Gwaine-"

"Simply a game."

"Gwaine we don't have time for this. Fine I agree to your selfish-

"Not you Queenie, him."

The knight pointed a finger at Arthur. A strange glint in his eye as he measured up the younger king. The latter stiffening under the pointing finger.

"I want him to agree to this game, I have my reasons so don't protest"

The older king moaned at the knights antics. Why he wanted his youngerself to agree to this he didn't know. Understanding Gwaine was a career in itself and as such only Merlin had ever managed to accomplish it. But then Merlin was difficult to understand aswell.

Arthur under the scrutiny of the older Gwaine stepped forward from his cocoon of personal knights and nodded to the deal.

"Fine I agree to this game"

The firm voice of Arthur cementing the deal, as the knight grinned in satisfaction at the turn of events.

"Splendid then we have a deal"

There was a slight pause before Arthur spoke up again, now having found his voice instead of letting the future group do all the talking for him.

"What game are we playing?"

Gwaine exchanged an evil grin with Merlin, this being their evil plan it seemed from the beginning, before uttering two words to the group in front of him. The future king turning an odd shade of pale.

"Castle siege"


Next Time On One Jump Forward;

The king spread the blueprints of the castle over the tabletop, using a goblet to steady one end.

"Ok the rules are simply capture your opponent's and stop them getting here to the throne room."

"How hard can it be to catch two people."

"You're forgetting its Merlin and Gwaine were up against."

"So?"

"One's the most powerful magical being of all time. With an army of druids and mystical beats at his disposal. The others a drunkard with no sense of reason or predictability, armed with said powerful magical being."

"Oh!"


Please review! I'll love you forever if you do!

Is anyone interested in hearing more lines from Gwaine's new book Travel Tavern Love? I guarantee it will be a best seller ;)

Also I'm really considering writing out the pirate state of Merlin. Complete with water hijinks! I can just see it. Tell me what you think!

I swear I no longer control this story, the evil gnomes in my brain have taken over and decided to wager a game. If anyone knows how to get rid of mind gnomes please let me know ASAP! I think they've started adding potted plants up there O.O

Save me!

Unicornkatt

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