Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of the characters in the series, I'm just borrowing them from BBC to play with a little and I promise to give them back when I'm done. No copyright infringement is intended and I don't make any money from writing fanfiction.

MMIA

The King of Camelot goes MMIA (Mittens Missing In Action)…

Gwaine and Merlin searched through the whole castle and still there was no sign of Arthur. Merlin was worried sick and just couldn't understand how this had happened. Allegedly, he'd made a mistake but they'd managed to get Arthur back to his normal self and there was just no logical explanation as to why he was suddenly turned back into a cat again. If only he'd had Gaius to ask, or at least some time to sit down and look through some of his books. But no, he had to run around the whole of Camelot to find a missing cat, that he had absolutely no idea what to do with, even if he found him. He was already starting to get questions on the whereabouts of the king and he was running out of excuses. It was only thanks to the fact that Gwaine was a much better liar than Merlin that they managed to get Leon off their backs, and the knight still didn't look totally convinced.

At last they returned to Arthur's chambers. Merlin really had no idea where to look anymore and he needed to get the book back to Gaius' study before anyone found it.

"I'll be right back" he told Gwaine, tucked the book under his jacket and left. Gwaine decided he might as well make himself comfortable and stretched out on Arthur's bed. After all, it wasn't as if the king was around to see what he did. He closed his eyes for a moment and allowed himself to sink into the soft mattress. Then he heard a small rustle and his muscles tensed. Before he had the time to react, something a bit heavy, rather furry and very angry landed on his belly.

"Ow!" Gwaine managed to get out before he had to throw his arms up to protect his face from Arthur's claws. "Hey, Mittens lay it off!"

If that was supposed to calm the angry monarch-turned-cat down it didn't have the desired effect as Arthur gave a displeased yowl and attacked with renewed forces. Apparently he wasn't all too fond of his new title and Gwaine wondered if it would've gone down better if he'd added a "sir" as well. Unfortunately Arthur didn't seem to like that either and Gwaine cursed loudly at the long scratch that appeared on his forearm.

At last he managed catch Arthur by the scruff of the neck and wrap a blanket around him. Arthur was very much the spitting, hissing and loudly meowing image of a very displeased cat but he wouldn't scratch Gwaine anymore and he valued his health higher than Arthur's sense of dignity at the moment. At the sound of someone entering the room Gwaine looked up and his attention slipped momentarily. Arthur took his chance to wriggle free, bolted and disappeared somewhere behind the privacy screen next to the wardrobe.

"Merlin?" Gwaine said as Merlin entered the room, looking tired and worse for wear. "I've found him."

"Where?" Merlin seemed to snap back into action, looked around the room.

"Somewhere in here." Gwaine made a vague gesture around the room and Merlin promptly went to close the door, then at an afterthought he also bolted it. There would be some serious explaining going on in this room and he rather no one was around to listen to that conversation.

"Arthur? Where are you?"

"Meow." Two large yellow eyes peered out from under a drawer.

"Come on, get out of there."

"Yes princess, come on, show your pretty face" Gwaine added teasingly and Arthur hissed, ears flattened to his head.

"Gwaine, really?" Merlin shot the knight a disapproving look. "Arthur, come on."

"Really Merlin, out of all people that you could possibly bring, you choose Gwaine?" Arthur sounded both annoyed and embarrassed, still refusing to come out.

"I had to tell the one I asked for help about my magic, sire, and I knew Gwaine wouldn't..."

"… wouldn't have him thrown in the dungeons, or allow anyone else to do it either" Gwaine interrupted, moving to stand protectively in front of Merlin. Arthur was silent for a moment, then sighed and padded over to Merlin, still glaring a bit at Gwaine.

"Don't you dare call me Mittens again" he threatened as he jumped up to sit on his desk but the effect was somewhat lessened due to the fact that all Gwaine heard was a series of meows.

"Can you hear what he says?" Merlin asked Gwaine.

"Meow?"

"No, like when he talks telepathically" Merlin tried to explain.

"All that mead that he keeps pouring down his throat has probably muddled his mind to the point where he can't hear his own thoughts anymore" Arthur said irritated as Gwaine shook his head.

"Be nice" Merlin chastised him. "You know how the druids can speak to each other in their minds?" he asked, turning back to Gwaine who nodded. "That's what it sounds like to me."

"Yeah, what's he saying then?" Gwaine asked and Merlin winced.

"That you should shut up because he wants me to explain myself" Merlin answered, shoulders slumping slightly as he sunk down into a chair. "And I guess I should."

"For once I agree with the princess" Gwaine said, pulling up a chair for himself. "Let's hear it then."

So Merlin talked and talked, and he told Gwaine everything. About how he was supposed to make a potion that would disguise Arthur so that he could go to a meeting incognito, how something went wrong and he turned into a cat, how Gaius found a solution and how they thought everything was right again. About how Arthur had been sick this morning and now somehow had turned back into a cat. About his magic, how Arthur had found out and why they'd kept it a secret from everyone else. About their work to lift the ban on magic in the future. Arthur had been uncharacteristically patient throughout the whole of Merlin's story but now he interrupted and started pacing back and forth on top of his desk, tail swishing.

"And as much as it would be lovely to continue like this for the rest if the night, I very much would like you to start finding me a cure!"

"I guess I could give you the same thing as Gaius did last time but…" Merlin said hesitantly.

"Yes?" Arthur prompted, ears pricked up and whiskers shivering impatiently.

"I don't think that it'll work, because he gave you something to neutralize the effects of the potion. But this time this didn't happen because of a potion, I need to find out what caused it." Merlin looked apologetically at Arthur who slumped in disappointment, drooping from his nose to the tip of his tail.

"Then. Get. To. It." Arthur spat out between gritted teeth.