A/N:

Here's a little bit more to keep you guys smilin'! Enjoy, leave comments, and always suggest ideas! I'm open! Have a great day, guys.

Chapter 14 – Military Training...MARINE STYLE! - Part Three

The Colonel paused after the morning's inspection. Satisfied that he had a sober, though sleep-addled crew in his midst, he thumbed both Kelly and Merlin over to stand on either side of him. He spoke loud and clear, his voice carrying across the castle's training grounds. "Guess what time it is!" he yelled, looking exaggeratedly jubilant. Clapping his hands together once, he stated, "It's 'Go' time, ladies!" Already he could hear the groans of defeat, and the teams hadn't even begun running yet.

David suppressed a gleeful laugh and instead firmed up his stance. "We begin this morning with our beloved five mile run! You will be split up into two teams: Kelly will lead the advanced runners on ahead at what I hope is a challenging pace, and Merlin-" he clapped a hand on the boy's thin shoulder-"will lead the Turtle team! He might not be as fast, but he will boost your endurance!" With a decisive nod at the manservant, David smiled, clapping Merlin's shoulder again. "They're all yours, son." He was anxious to put the often-humiliated and abused servant in charge for once. There was nothing quite like turning the tables on people in power to make them realize how precarious their positions really were...

Merlin stood and uneasily surveyed the knights. They seemed fine with his leading role; not so much the case for Arthur. The Prince was incredulous, visibly insulted, and all at once trying to swallow his rampant pride. Really, was it that awful to take direction from one's servant? Merlin couldn't contain the goofy grin at that particular thought. Ah, nothing like a forced lesson in humility...

The Colonels nodded to his assistants to move off to collect their teams. "Leon! Elyan! Gwaine! You're with Kelly!" He saw the twitch on his son-in-law's face, but continued as though he had seen nothing.

"Booyah!" Gwaine paused as his fellow knights looked at him strangely. "What? It's a common shout of victory in 2012." More cautious glances. "I guess you just have to have been there..." He jogged on over to swing an arm around the shoulders of his Prince's wife. "Hey, 'Red'-"

-"Gwaine, get your hands off my wife before I remove them FOR you!" There was no mistaking the fury in Arthur's voice as he stood in the other group. He looked about ready to charge on over to do just what he had threatened to do.

Gwaine dropped his arm, bending to speak in the woman's ear. "Somebody's a bit touchy today..." He straightened up and gave off a wide, teasing grin. "Wouldn't want to infringe on your territory, Sire! It's all good!"

David clapped a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Son, leave it. Just some harmless foolin' around. Learn to roll with it, you hear me? No room for hotheads in my company." His own voice held a note of warning. When Arthur visibly backed down, nodding his acceptance, the Colonel moved on.

"Lancelot! Arthur! Percival! You're with Merlin! Remember who's in charge, people! I'll be trailin' along behind to catch any stragglers!"

With ten minutes spent in stretching and discussion about injury prevention, the Colonel finally stood back with hands on hips. "All right, people! MOVE OUT!" And with that, both teams were off.

The sun was coming up over the hills, making the fields and trees that much greener in contrast. For the most part, the teams were fairly close together, maybe twenty feet apart. Upon hitting about the three-mile mark, there was an undeniable sense of fatigue, especially among those in the Turtle group. All playful banter had ceased, and they struggled to keep moving. When it got too silent, the Colonel started calling out cadence, trying to rally that all-important group effort. This run was still an improvement over the last time, he mused. They were learning, and finally growing to be more of a team.

Returning to the castle training field, he put Percival in charge of planks—upon demonstrating how the exercise was done. The burly knight quickly took up the challenge, adopting as commanding a presence as the Colonel himself. Within minutes he was walking the rows, bending to chastise his fellow knights when their technique was off.

"SUCK IT IN!" Percival yelled, forgetting for a moment who he was standing over. When a stormy pair of blue eyes met his own, he added hastily, "SIRE!" Still, the Prince corrected his posture, though his glare promised retribution.

Training continued like that for most of the day. When they got to the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, they thought they were in familiar territory—until the first demonstration. The Colonel introduced them to a series of throwing techniques. A few yelped with the shock of being sent crashing to the ground, and others grunted on impact. Everyone suffered the same fate, lead by an enthusiastic Colonel all the while.

Arthur felt his pride hit an all-time low when his own wife sent him crashing down hard on his right shoulder. He cried out in pain and looked up at her in utter shock. "Ow!" he cried. "You didn't have to be quite so mean about it!"

Kelly grinned, helping him up. "Sorry. I'm small. I make big moves to compensate for my lack of size. " She felt all eyes on them and immediately shoved him back. "ONE more time! C'mon, you're supposed to try to take me down!"

Arthur stared at her in a state of conflict. "But I-I can't throw a woman-" No sooner had he said that when her leg shot out and swept his feet out from under him. Face down on the grass, he resolved to change his way of thinking...