Sorry! I crashed the other day, as my weird habit of surviving on like, six hours a day (and still be chirpy the next morning), and I basically slept from 9 till half 7, which meant I couldn't write much.

In Memory of the Fallen

Chapter 11 – The Names of The Operations

Arthur's POV

"Well done dear. You did very well."

"I-Thanks."

There was silence for a few moments in the royal chambers, before Arthur said angrily;

"Can you please get this disgusting mush of my face? It's beginning to drip down -and under- my shirt!"

"Of course, my King." Guinevere smiled at him, and Arthur once again reflected on how lucky he was to have such a beautiful and kind wife.

"I love you, you know." He said as she gently, gently wiped his face with a cloth.

"Of course you do, that's why you did my suggestion, although I did think that you were going to put it in action tomorrow."

"It was not your suggestion! And no, I was planning to execute it today." Arthur said indignantly. Gwen frowned before continuing on as if nothing had happened.

"If you say so, although I think we both know that isn't true."

"Yes it is!" Arthur shot back once more. For his completely true statement, he managed to get a cloth in the face, which his wife 'lovingly' smeared all around his face, much like what he had done to his idiotic manservant, all those years ago.

"Hey! I was planning to sleep in this shirt tonight!

"Who said you needed a shirt?" Gwen said in a suggesting tone, smiling at Arthur and somehow managing to look sexy, even though she was in her nightgown. Her very revealing nightgown...

"Stop trying to distract me!"

"Then take it back and this will all end."

"Never!" Arthur said defiantly, not for one moment intending to give into a girl, even if it was his wife and other half of his soul. He did have his pride and reputation to keep, after all.

Once again, Gwen dipped her cloth in the water, but this time she squeezed it on top of his head, so the water dribbled with slow intensity down both sides.

"I always thought that Merlin was the mean one, but it seems that you are much worse!"

"I take pleasure in it, dear. Now, do you admit that it was all my idea?"

"Not for one minute." Arthur retorted.

"Then I am so, so sorry."

The way Guinevere said it made Arthur shiver, the intensity and sorrow in her voice believable, making Arthur wonder what she was going to do to him.

Gwen walked over to the head of bed, where she found a small, square pillow, which she often used to bop Arthur over the head with when they were in bed. She fiddled with it for a moment, although the way she positioned herself meant that Arthur couldn't see what she was doing.

A few moments later, she walked back over to Arthur, her hands clasped out in front of her. Arthur glanced over to the bed, and when he swivelled back, he found his queen right in front of him. Right in front of him.

She lovingly extended her thumb and placed in on the corner of Arthur's mouth, where she slowly wiped before flicking the piece of pear away.

"Remind me again, who was it who came up with the idea?" His queen said sweetly.

"Uh-" For a second, Arthur's marvellous brain overloaded, because Gwen was so close and he couldn't think because her fabulous beauty distracted him. Then he remembered what he had to say and opened his mouth, saying;

"Me? I came up with the plan!"

"I warned you Arthur." Gwen sighed seemingly unhappy, before fiddling with something on her dressing gown that had been sticking out.

With dawning realisation, Arthur glanced back towards the bed; the small head pillow had gone.

He turned quickly back around and opened his mouth; just in time to see Gwen smiling evilly before she wacked the pillow over his head.

Feathers flew out of the small rips she had made, and they all floated down, until they reached a surface. Seeing that Arthur was completely sodden, they all stuck to him, making his handsome looks disappear, and instead looking like a walking pillow.

"Don't you look handsome?" Gwen teased, then seeing Arthur's pleading face, stopped shaking the pillow.

"How am I supposed to go out and do my kingly duties looking like a walking scarecrow?"

"The children will love it, I'm sure." Gwen replied, on purpose referring to the Lower town duties he had today.

"Will you help me get all of this off? I need to get Merlin in payback before I even start today's duties!"

"If you tell the truth."

"I am telling the truth!"

"Then you can stay like that all day." Gwen sashayed over to the breakfast table, where she delicately poured herself a drink.

Arthur debated with himself for a few seconds, before saying quietly;

"Fine, fine. I didn't completely come up with the plan."

"What was that dear? I didn't quite catch that." Gwen asked her back to Arthur.

"You came up with the plan and I helped." Arthur sighed in defeat. "But yes, I was supposed to stay in bed today, it was all part of the idea."

"So it's not that you overslept and were meaning to put it in place tomorrow?"

"Of course not! I had always meant for it so be put in action today."

"Then well done, as you even managed to convince me."

"I am a good actor after all."

"Those snores you gave were unbelievably realistic."

"Snores? Oh yes, my snores and snorts that I gave."

Gwen walked back over to Arthur and took his hand. "Let's get those feathers off shall we?"

Thankfully, it only took a few minutes to take of his soaked clothes and to put on fresh, clean and above all, kingly clothes. Arthur strode to the edge of the chamber and he looked at himself in the looking glass before exiting the front door.

"Remember, he might not be where you think he is, Arthur." Gwen looked at him from the vanity table, where she was busily doing her hair.

"It's fine; I had put a safeguard in case of that happening."

"Then please don't be too harsh on him, after all, he has been in a hard time, one which he went though alone, without us."

Arthur nodded his consent before going out the door. His cloak billowed behind him, vaguely giving the impression of the king being on fire, although that was a ridiculous notion.

He turned the corner, where he saw Merlin talking to one of his knights. Perfect. They had got here in time then.

"Stop hiding behind Percival and face me like a man, Merlin."

"... I'm simply stating my own opinion. You also said that we have one of those too." Percival quipped, and barely able to hold in his laughter, it seemed to the King.

"Yes, yes, I believe in all of that. However..."

"There are no exceptions to the rule. That's what you said, if I remember correctly, so why should Merlin be any different?"

"You know why Merlin is different, Percival. Now let me through"

"Hmm..." There was silence for a few moments, with Arthur shaking in anticipation and slight rage, hoping feverishly that Percival would get out of his way.

Eventually, Percival replied, after many minutes of "Hmm" and "Well".

"I think... I will not let you through."

"Seriously Percival? Remember who you serve!"

"I do. That's why I'm doing this."

"You are going directly against my orders. A true soldier would never do this!"

"A true solider would never leave their comrade to the enemy!"

"Merlin has to you!"

"Well, I'm better at defending myself then he is."

"Percival!" Arthur nearly screamed in frustration, until he remembered that it wasn't kingly and there were other people in this corridor, watching the king get beaten by his manservant and co. Again.

"Yes Sire?" Percival enquired calmly, as if they were not standing in the corridors being insolent.

"Please can you just get out of my way?"

"Of course sire. All you had to do was show your delightful manners."

With that passing comment, Percival strode away from Arthur back down the corridors. Arthur slumped slightly in defeat; By now Merlin would had reached the Physician's chambers, and Gaius would defend him from anyone who came calling, especially since the disastrous conversation that had happened.

He stood there in the corridor silent for a few seconds. Then turning back the way he came, he decided to call another meeting.

"Men! This is now getting serious. We have tried two out of the plans that were suggested and both failed."

"Miserably." Gwaine added, although it didn't seem to be compatible with his usual level of enthusiasm.

"As much as I hate to say it, Gwaine is right. We were defeated, albeit graciously, by Gaius, who is an old man-"

"Who is still extremely scary, fearsome and not to be underestimated." Someone said quietly and it sounded a lot like Sir Leon, but when Arthur glanced over to the said knight, he was looking at the supreme leader with a concentrating expression on his face.

"Anyway, talking with Gaius didn't work, as he unfortunately didn't yield any answers, however hard we tried and persuaded."

Arthur was coincidently looking at Gwaine at this point, as he had a habit of when he was speechmaking, glancing around at his audience. Gwaine had reacted rather strangely to the last sentence; he had shaken his head and had had opened his mouth in contradiction, but then he shook his head again and seemingly deciding against it.

"So that is Plan Number One; Operation-"

"Put-Gaius-Under-Questioning-And-Hope-That-He-Answ ers-Simply." Gwaine interrupted, managing to say it in all one breath.

"Actually, it isn't called that it's called Operation-"

"Put-Gaius-Under-Questioning-And-Hope-That-He-Answ ers-Simply." Gwaine interrupted again. "Yes Princess, we have worked that one out. It isn't hard or anything. Or at least, for the people who have a brain, which looking around here isn't admittedly many."

Arthur opened his mouth to say the real name which he had came up with all by himself, but seeing this action, Leon intervened;

"There's no point, Sire. We've all tried already and he simply won't drop it."

Arthur conceded, so consequently went quickly on with the agenda, before Gwaine could realise that he had won against the royal.

"Plan Number Two; Operation-"

"Arthur-Sleeps-In-On-Purpose-And-Merlin-Wakes-Him- Up-Nosily-So-Merlin-Runs-Away-
And-Knight-Intercepts-And-Talks-To-Merlin." Gwaine intercepted, again managing to say it in one breath, though how he managed, Arthur had no idea seeing as it was considerably long.

Arthur groaned and looking around the room, Leon shook his head in sympathy. It looked as if that was that name gone as well. Elyan seemed to be looking confused, but Arthur decided to ask him later, as at this rate, Merlin would go and search for him and realise they were doing something behind his back.

"Fine. Whatever. Anyway, I put in place Plan Number Two-"

"But Sire!" Leon interrupted, not being able to help it. Then realising that he had just stopped his king in mid flow, said "Sorry your majesty, I didn't mean to-"

"No worry, Sir Leon. Please" Arthur gestured, "go ahead with what you were about to say."

"Sorry Sire," Leon apologised once again, "But were we not going to implement that plan tomorrow?"

"Things change, Sir Leon." Arthur replied promptly.

"So it's not that you actually slept in today?" Gwaine questioned a knowing grin on his face.

"You think that I would run a plan at the incorrect time? That is a preposterous idea!"

"This is why it is so true. It's in your nature Princess!" Gwaine said, cheering up a little bit now that he was taking part in his favourite past time...well second favourite past time anyway; Annoying Arthur.

"Whether you believe it or not," here Arthur glared at Gwaine to make his point before continuing, "It did happen and-. Now what?" Arthur complained, looking at Elyan who had interrupted with a cough, the confused expression more prominent.

"But I wasn't there, Arthur."

"There for what Elyan?" After this sentence, Elyan looked at Arthur like he was extremely stupid, with the rest of the knights joining in, all with puzzled looks on their faces.

"I wasn't there at the time, as I thought it was taking place tomorrow."

"Just talk straight man! What are you talking about Sir Elyan?"

Once again, Elyan looked at Arthur as though he was extremely stupid with the rest of the knights looking on in various states of confuzzelment.

"I mean that all of us knights got together and decided who was to hold up Merlin until you came. I didn't hear the signal of you shouting at the top of your lungs saying Merlin, so I wasn't there to stop Merlin from making his getaway."

"So you were the elective?"

"Uh-that's right, as that is what I just said."

"Which reminds me; where is Percival? I called all the knights together and the boy I sent said that he acknowledged the message."

"I don't know" rang around the room, the various knights chipping in, although they didn't quite get the abrupt subject change.

"Anyway, back to the matter in hand. I wasn't there Arthur, so no one could have stopped Merlin."

"But someone did."

"Who, then Sire, if it wasn't me?" Elyan questioned. He searched around the room, where each knight shook their heads in reply to his silent thought.

"Percival held him up according to plan, which made me think that he was the knight; At least until he started to argue back, letting Merlin escape."

"Percival?" His brother in law looked at him in surprise; "Percival didn't want anything to do with this plan; you know how strange he has been acting lately."

"Then what on earth was he doing there?"

So did you like it? I promise that you will find out who is in the painting in probably the next chapter, but not yet.

I'm playing in the Royal Albert Hall on Monday, with rehearsals on Saturday and Sunday, so I won't be writing from then until Tuesday, which is when I will arrive back in Wales.

Keep on reviewing, and your thoughts on what's to come are really amusing me (along with I admit, giving me a few ideas.)