There's one more chapter left in this prompt before I move on, so bear with me. Anyway, thanks so much for the reviews and alerts and favorites last chapter. You guys are amazing and I am just so thankful that you keep putting up with me and my sporadic updates.

Anyway, this goes out to those who love Gwaine whump (though this isn't probably what you had in mind, and I guess you can argue that it's both Gwaine and Merlin whump). Anyway, thanks for reading, drop me a comment if you can, and yes, I am aware I used 'anyway' a lot. I guess that's my 'awesome.'

Kay bye!

Alright, research, Gwaine thought flipping aimlessly through a book. Research, research, research. He turned another page, skimming the page, but not really taking in any of the words. Research, he mentally repeated a fifth time, leaning back in his chair, turning another page. He sighed heavily, turning another page before closing the book and saying, "There has to be an easier way to do this."

"There isn't," Merlin replied softly, looking as if he were in the middle of a fascinating chapter. Gwaine wondered how, in the hell, he could sit through this crap without wanting to rip his hair out. "We have to fix us, but Arthur wants the knights fixed first, so if we both split the work, maybe we can solve both quicker."

"Yeah, mate, I get that, but can't you just, I don't know, magic the answers? Like, put your hand over the book," Gwaine placed his hand over his book, waving it back and forth, "and just instantly conjure an answer?" He waved his hand a second time, setting the book's cover on fire. "Oh shit," he cursed grabbing a second book, slamming it atop the first to try and put the fire out.

"Please don't wave your hands," Merlin said tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. Gwaine gave him a sheepish grin, successfully putting the fire out.

The door opened a second later, Percival entering Merlin's lab, followed closely by Leon. They both look worried, something both Merlin and Gwaine note, and they seemed to be ridiculously close to each other.

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked curiously, before Gwaine could say anything.

"We're stuck," Leon and Percival said together helplessly, the former waving his hand in the air. Percival did the same, lowering it when Leon lowered his own. "Do you know what's going on?"

"We'll look into it," Merlin said with a kind smile, shocking both Percival and Leon.

"Yeah, we'll add it to the list," Gwaine stated leaning back in his chair. The front legs left the floor and he rocked back and forth. "Right up there with antlered knights."

"What?" As one, Leon and Percival turned to give Gwaine a questioning look, while Merlin looked cross but not really shocked. "Oh, right, I forgot, we're supposed to keep it quiet."

"We'll look into it," Merlin repeated with a forced smile. He waited until the two knights left the room before rounding on Gwaine.

However, before he could scold the knight, Gwaine said, "I know, I know, keep it quiet, but it just sort of slipped out." The legs to his chair slammed back into the floor and he opened the book again. As he started flipping aimlessly again, he asked, "Do you find it odd that they were surprised by my kind smile? I mean, I'm a nice guy."

"Yes, you can be," Merlin answered continuing his reading.

"Right I'm…" Gwaine trailed off, glaring at Merlin. "What's that supposed to mean?" Merlin just shrugged innocently and didn't say another word.

Merlin decided to take a twenty minute break, more so for Gwaine's benefit than his own, and the two head down to the lower town. Wanting to snoop around the tavern again, figuring he might find some new clues, he left Gwaine at the entrance, heading towards the back rooms again.

The knights had been discreetly moved to another part of the castle. Besides Merlin, Gwaine, and Arthur (Leon and Percival, too), only one other knight knew, and he had been sworn to secretly under penalty of a day in the stocks if he said anything. The room was empty, save for a bed and a bucket. Merlin poked around anyway, moving the bed as best as he could (and finding Gwaine to be stronger than himself [not that he's surprised]); only finding dust and floorboards underneath it. He nearly pushed the bed back, but an oddly placed floorboard caught his attention.

Merlin knelt down, prying the floorboard up. He placed it to the side of him, reaching into the newly made hole, his fingers brushing something warm and hard. He wrapped his hand around it, pulling it free from beneath the floor.

He studied the glowing green ball, listening to it humming in his hand, and even Merlin, who had no magic, could sense the low levels of magic emitting from it. This spell wasn't cast by a novice sorcerer, clearly they had some type of power, and that meant it might be a bit harder to find them.

Merlin stood, intending to collect Gwaine and take the ball to Gaius, but his plans changed when he heard a familiar shot followed by a crash. Pocketing the ball, Merlin quickly left the room. A crowd of people had gathered around the bar, cheering on two people as they circled each other. With a sinking heart, Merlin immediately recognized one of the men.

"No," he whispered pushing himself into the crowd, muttering 'excuse me' as he tried to make it to the front. He managed it, but not without getting jostled a few times, and he hung his head. How, exactly, Gwaine ended up in a fight was beyond Merlin's understanding. They were in Camelot, a place that both he and Gwaine called home. There really was no need to get into a tavern brawl in the same place they lived; especially when Gwaine was not in his own body.

"Is the best you've got," Gwaine egged his opponent on, a burly farmer who was two times Merlin's weight. "Come on, big guy."

"Gwaine," Merlin called weakly, but the knight ignored him, meeting the farmer's attack head on. He managed to dodge the punch thrown at him, sending the farmer back with a right hook of his own, right into the bar. The farmer grabbed a nearby stool, brandishing it in front of him, swinging it at Gwaine's head.

The knight-turned-warlock ducked, moving quickly to avoid the staggering farmer, accidentally knocking into another man. Before he could apologize, the guy smashed his mead jug into the side of Gwaine's head, staggering him. As Gwaine took a step back, both guys stalking towards him, a burst of energy broke free from him, knocking his opponents (and everyone else for that matter) to the ground.

Merlin pushed himself to his feet, just as the door flew open and six knights ran in, led by Elyan. As they assessed the situation, giving aid to all who needed it, and restraining the two, still struggling farmers, Merlin moved forward, helping Gwaine to his feet.

"What the hell was that?" he hissed helping the knight-turned-warlock to a nearby table. He lowered him into a seat, keeping a hand on his shoulder just so he wouldn't topple over.

Gwaine held his head, taking a moment, before he said, "I have no idea. One moment I'm talking to a couple of the locals and the next that man," he jerked his thumb at the bigger of the two farmers, "is attacking me."

Merlin ran a hand down his face before pulling the glowing ball from his pocket. He showed it to Gwaine and said, "I think this is the cause of all these problems."

"What is it?" Gwaine asked curiously, reaching out to touch it. Merlin quickly pulled it back, unsure what would happen if his magic (or, in this case, Gwaine's magic) would react if it had come into contact with the ball.

"I don't know," Merlin answered eyeing the ball cautiously. "Let's get to Gaius' and see if he knows." Gwaine shrugged, but pushed himself to his feet. He wobbled for a few seconds, but managed to regain his balance, and the two hurried out of the tavern.