Merlin One Shots

Follow Your Heart

Okay so this goes to @crystalan915 who requested something funny (for a change...) with Gwaine in it.

This is set sometime before Arthur confesses his feelings for Gwen.

Enjoy!!!

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Where is that idiot? Arthur muses to himself as he searches the corridors of the castle for his servant. "Didn't wake me up. Didn't bring me breakfast." Arthur grumbles aloud. "How am I supposed to train my men on an empty stoma-" he cuts off as he bumps into Gwen turning a corner. "Guinevere!" Arthur exclaims.

Gwen bends down and begins to collect the bedclothes she was carrying, now in a disordered heap on the stone floor. "I apogize, sire. I wasn't watching where I was going. . . ."

Arthur bends down beside her and grabs her hands. "Guinevere." he says, forcing her to look at him with his voice, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Let me." Gwen sighs and sits back on her heels as Arthur begins collecting the bedclothes. "You know you don't have to call me that. And you don't have to apologize," Arthur says as he struggles to fold a piece of clothe, "it was my fault . . . anyway. . ." Arthur huffs, holding up a sloppily folded bundle and looking at the heap still to fold. "Uh..."

Gwen laughs. "Let me help you, . . . Arthur." She unfolds his bundle and flattens it out, handing one end to Arthur to hold and folding her two corners together. Arthur copies her movements as best he can, struggling to make his corners line up as perfectly as Gwen's. "There. Now you hold these-" Gwen hands him her folded corners and helps him line them up with his. "I'll straighten this out. . ." Arthur watches Guinevere as she flattens out the crease in the sheet, then takes the corners from him and folds it again over her arm. She has this look of concentration on her face that makes the work, however menial, beautiful. "And there," Gwen announces, holding up the finnished product. "it's folded." she notices Arthur staring at her. "What?" Gwen asks, blushing and tucking a stray strand of her curly hair behind her ear.

Arthur blushes as well. "Nothing. It's just . . . I'm glad to see someone in this castle can fold better than Merlin." Arthur jokes. "My shirts are always wrinkled!"

Gwen laughs again and they repeat the process on the other sheets.

"So what did Merlin do this time?" Gwen asks.

"Merlin?" Arthur asks, starting. He had gotten distracted watching her again. "Wha-?"

"I heard you grumbling." Gwen explains, smiling.

"Oh. Yes, well," Arthur clears his throat, trying to hide the blush rising to his cheeks. Gwen laughs and the sound is like music. Arthur can't remember ever feeling this way about someone before. He clears his throat again. "He didn't wake me up and I haven't gotten my breakfast." It seems ridiculous now, to be worried about such things. What time did Guinevere wake up this morning to get to the castle? Did she get to eat breakfast before she started her duties?

Of course she did. Arthur tells himself. Morgana is a fair mistress. Arthur decides to change the subject. "Have you seen him?" He asks Gwen.

"No, not this morning." she tells him. "Have you checked Giaus's chambers?" she suggests.

"That's where I was headed." Arthur confirms. He hands her the corners of the last sheet and she folds it once more and adds it to the stack. Arthur rises to his feet and holds out his hand to help her up. Gwen hesitates but accepts his offer and Arthur thinks he can see a little red creeping to her cheeks again.

When Arthur pulls Gwen to her feet he pulls too hard, accustumed to helping knights in full armor to their feet after beating them in a fight. She is much lighter than any knight and comes tumbling into him. "Eek!" she shrieks.