Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Prompt: Left. In which no one ends up where they're supposed to be. Just a silly silly little drabble that turned into a silly long-shot. Enjoy!


"That was a pretty good feast wouldn't you say sire? Although, Lady Arlean was looking quite atrocious tonight; and she was making cow eyes at you."

"Merlin," exclaimed in dismay, thoroughly glad that there wasn't anyone else around to hear his manservant's blatant disregard for nobility. "You cannot just go around talking about a Noblewoman that way!"

Merlin looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Well, she was."

Arthur rolled his eyes, and then gave a small smile. "God, she was, wasn't she?"

Merlin gave him a triumphant grin.

"Anything you need before I retire for the night, sire?"

Arthur gave him a fond glower. "No, now off to bed with you, you disrespectful braggart. I will see you in the morning."

Merlin gave him a mock salute and practically ran from the room. He rolled his eyes.

Neither of them noticed the angry feminine shadow to the left in the corridor outside of Arthur's chambers.

XXX

"Well this is a bit disconcerting," Arthur said the next morning, as he looked left and right. "I could swear I'd just walked out of my chamber doors."

"I believe I know what you mean sire," Gaius said from his left.

Arthur frowned and looked over at the other man. He blinked. The man appeared to have left his room in his bedclothes.

"Forget something, Gaius?"

If Arthur hadn't known the physician for so many years he would have sworn he hear the man growl at him.

"I would thank you not to make comment on my attire, young Prince."

"No, no of course not. I just… never imagined that you liked to venture out in such refinery."

"Arthur Pendragon I've taken care of you since you were a boy, and I'm sure everyone would love to know about the time that you stole your father's boots and…"

"Truce!" Arthur bellowed in dismay. "You are a cunning man, Gaius, very cunning."

"Yes, well," Gaius said with a slight bow of his head. "I suggest we see if the door…takes us to the right place this time."

"Right."

They walked together out of the first door on the left.
XXX

"I…I am so sorry about this, Morgana," Merlin gasped, backing away from the woman standing stricken, holding her nightgown up to cover her half dressed figure.

"Merlin," she shrieked. "What are you doing here? "

"I don't know," he wailed, covering his eyes and spinning around to face away from her. "Arthur had just left his chambers but he'd forgotten his sword. I could swear I just walked out of his chambers!"

"Well you can't stay here, you have to leave," she said to him.

"Right," he said, still horrified.

"Get. Out."

He turned and fled out the door to his left.

XXX

"Hmm," Gwaine said with a little surprise. "I was sure that I'd just left the tavern, but I appear to be … in the kitchens. I must be drunker than I thought."

"It's well past dawn! How are you still drunk?"

"Ah, Sir Doesn'tdrinkalot. What brings you to the kitchens this morning?"

"The door to Gaius' actually. I was looking for Merlin."

"Merlin you say? I like Merlin. I'll help you look for him."

"I don't really think I need your help. With your help I'll probably end up back in the tavern, or running away from some Nobleman whose daughter's virtue you challenged."

"Aw, Lancelot. You're just full of witty barbs this morning."

"Only because you so inspire then, Gwaine."

"So, door to the left or right?"

"Left, I suppose."

XXX

"Oh my god, is that a Dragon?" Gwen gasped.

"It is," came Uther's harsh voice from behind her. "What I'm not sure is what you are doing down here with the beast."

She looked at him with wide panicked eyes.

"Or," he added a second later, "what I am doing here."

"Then I suggest you leave before I eat you, Uther Pendragon."

"Silence!" Uther demanded. "You will do no such thing. You are there, and I am here and I am the obvious victor here. So-"

Gwen shrieked and Uther ducked as the Dragon let loose a curl of flame.

"Time to go, I think," Uther said hurriedly, ushering the serving girl ahead of him toward the exit on their left side and pausing only to shoot a glare over his shoulder.

XXX

"Merlin," Morgana cried again, this time from her bath. "What is wrong with you? I'm starting to think your intentions are less than honorable!"

"Oh my God," Merlin clawed at his eyes and turned to run back out of through the door on his left. "I was just trying to get to the kitchens, I swear it!"

Gwaine staggered slightly, managing to run right into Lancelot and knocking him over. Lancelot, sprawled out on the floor, glared at his companion.

"Are you quite sure you should be up and about? I think maybe you should just sit down and have a rest. You're not actually doing anyone any good."

"If I am the one who is so drunk," Gwaine slurred slightly, reaching out to pull his friend up, "why is it that we can't seem to get to Gaius' chambers and find Merlin? We've been to the galley, the armory, the washroom, and my personal favorite the stables, which aren't even in the castle. Mate I hate to break it to you, but I think maybe you ought to stop and ask for directions because obviously you are not well enough acquainted with the castle."

Lancelot growled in frustration. "You are no help. You know as well as I do that there's something strange going on. That's why I need to find Merlin."

"What's Merlin gonna do bout it?"

"He's… he's just really good at solving strange problems, okay?"

Gwaine nodded at him seriously, "That's true. He always is around when the strange magic hoodoo happens."

Lancelot gave him a nervous look.

"I think it's just because he's got bad luck," Gwaine continued, oblivious to Lance's sigh of relief. "No, I think we need to find Merlin because the poor boy is probably lost somewhere in the dungeons with no one to save him."

"Umm," Lancelot said, "right. Well, which door do you think now?"

Gwaine contemplated their surroundings. "This way," he pointed to their left.

XXX

"Oh thank God," Arthur said with relief. "I've made it to father's work room."

"Arthur! Thank goodness, there you are!"

He looked over and rolled his eyes. "Merlin! There you are. I've been looking for you all morning."

"Well I think it's a bit excusable, don't you? I'm sure you've noticed but nowhere is anywhere that it should be."

Arthur tried to puzzle that out for a moment.

"Yes, I know what you mean. Every time I leave a room I seem to end up in the exact opposite place that I intend to be."

"Exactly."

"What do you think it means?"

There was a shuffling sound and then all of a sudden Lancelot and Gwaine were stumbling into the room.

"Merlin!" Gwaine said in delight as he managed to avoid stumbling over him.

"What are you two doing here?" Arthur demanded. "This is the King's personal work room."

"What, Merlin's allowed and we aren't?" Gwaine pouted.

"No, this is good," Lancelot said with a frustrated growl at Gwaine. "We've been looking for Mer- I mean for you guys all morning."

Merlin looked over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I think I know why this is happening. Last night I overheard the Lady Arlean in a murderous rage say that she was going to cast a spell over the castle to get revenge on the Prince and his idiot manservant for insulting her."

Arthur whirled around and pointed an accusing finger at Merlin.

"I told you that you couldn't speak about noblewomen that way!"

"Oh, that's what's bothering you?" Merlin exclaimed. "The fact that this is my fault and not the fact that a sorceress cast a spell on the castle?"

Arthur opened his mouth to reply, and then fell silent.

"How do we stop it?"

Merlin was about to respond with a shrug when he was interrupted.

"Heeey, your father has good taste Arthur. This is good stuff, this is."

Smack. "Gwaine, get out of my father's things. I don't care if you need a drink."

XXX

"Gaius!" Uther exclaimed, looking truly affronted.

Gaius gave a weary sigh.

"Sire."

Gwen giggled, and then fell silent when both men turned their glares at her.

"Gaius, pray tell, why are you in your sleeping gown? And why does your sleeping gown look like a sheet?"

Gwen had to try really hard not to laugh again.

"I was headed for the washroom, sire," Gaius said, a little red in the face. "I don't think I need to explain any further. Something is going on here, and I suspect that it has to do with magic."

XXX

"Okay, what does everyone remember?" Arthur asked the group. "Think hard."

"We went out the left door of the kitchen and ended up in the armory," Lance began.

"And then we ended up in the stables!" Gwaine added with a laugh.

"But the stables aren't even inside the castle," Merlin said with a raised eyebrow.

"That's what I said!"

"Okay, not helping," Arthur growled. "So you went left and then… wait a minute. You went out the door on the left side, right? I did too, this morning when I left my chambers."

"Me too," Merlin added. "But Arthur you can't seriously think that going through a door on the left has anything to do with it?"

"What theories have you got?" he snapped back.

"Arthur is right, though," Lancelot said. "We did always go left. So… maybe we try going right?"

"I guess it's worth a shot."

"But what if we get lost again?" Merlin questioned. "Or worse, what if something far worse happens if we go through the doors on the right?"

Arthur already had his hand on the door, other arm snagging Merlin's shirt and dragging him with him.

"We'll never know until someone tries."

XXX

Arthur blinked.

"Merlin… why does it look like night time outside my window? Wasn't it just mid-afternoon?"

"What, sire? Are you sure you didn't have too much to drink or something? "

Arthur turned around to look at his manservant and was rendered speechless again. There was Merlin, but he was wearing that ridiculous servant's feast attire that he'd had on last night. No… it couldn't be. But hadn't he just brought today's, (tomorrow's?) Merlin through with him? Where was he?

"That was a pretty good feast wouldn't you say sire? Although, Lady Arlean was looking quite atrocious tonight; and she was making cow eyes at you."

His eyes rolled upward. They were going to be stuck inside this castle forever.


There are doors everywhere in the castle, fyi. ;)

Thanks for all the positive feedback :). I also wanted to add that I do have a series of prompts on hand, but if anyone would like to provide a prompt of their own I wouldn't mind.

oceanmintleaves: Thank you for your review! :) At the moment I do not have plans to continue with that particular one-shot as it was meant to be just that, but I will keep it at the back of my mind if I run out of prompts!