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(I've had All Time Low, Outlines in my head forever so I often like to imagine Merlin and Gwen running around drunkenly singing it.)
Arthur started noticing it about half-way through their first year of marriage. He'd wake up in the night and Gwen would not be there. He initially panicked, thinking that she'd been taken or something terrible had occurred, but she would be in bed beside him when he woke again. After they'd been married for a year, he noticed that it was happening at least once a week. It was frustrating. After her recent disappearance, Arthur decided he needed someone to talk to about it. Who would he talk to? Well, the only person he ever talked to about personal things. Merlin. But Merlin wasn't helpful.
"Merlin, I'm serious. Something is going on. At least once a week, I wake up and she's gone. Then she's back before morning. You don't think she's having an affair, do you?" Arthur was tense while Merlin buckled his armor on.
"I'm sure it's nothing Arthur. She loves you. She wouldn't do anything to hurt you." Merlin answered.
"Then what could be going on? It's not like she's only gone for a few minutes. She's gone for hours. Something is going on." Arthur said angrily. Merlin pursed his lips. He knew what was going on, but he also knew that Gwen would tell Arthur if she wanted to. Arthur caught the look on Merlin's face. Arthur could see that Merlin knew something and was keeping it from him. He thought about pressing further, but just then Merlin finished buckling his armor and was handing him his sword for training with the Knights.
"Sire?" Merlin questioned when Arthur hadn't taken his sword yet.
"You know. You know what she's doing." Arthur stated flatly. Merlin looked to the ground continuing to hold out the sword. "Well? What is it?"
"It's not my place to say, my lord." Merlin said, voice low, eyes still downcast.
"She's hiding something from me, Merlin. Her husband. Do I not have a right to know?" Arthur demanded, yanking the sword out of Merlin's hands.
"Do you trust her?" Merlin asked softly.
"What?" Arthur asked, face scrunched up in confusion.
"Do. You. Trust. Her?" Merlin said each word clipped.
"Wha- yes, of course I trust her." Arthur said.
"Then it doesn't matter what she's doing." Merlin said evasively, opening the door for Arthur to head to training. Arthur grumbled and left heading down to the training field. Merlin trailed behind like always. This time, however, his presence was not comforting. Training was stressful and Arthur couldn't focus. He noticed that Gwen had come down to watch for a bit, standing with Merlin. The pair spoke softly, Gwen smiling sweetly at Merlin, who returned the look. That's when it crossed Arthur's mind. That maybe Merlin and Gwen were having an affair. That would explain why Merlin was so evasive about answering. But that didn't make sense to Arthur since Merlin was with Gwaine. He'd caught them kissing and groping in alcoves so many times, he was quite annoyed. Gwaine didn't care, but Merlin always seemed embarrassed at least. After training was finally over, Arthur had a bath while Merlin laundered his clothes and Gwen reviewed various court documents they needed to go over before the next council meeting. It was coming up on the day that Gwen would disappear during the night, so Arthur decided he couldn't take it anymore and went to confront Gwaine. When he got to the Knights' quarters, he only hoped that Merlin wasn't there. Gwaine opened the door, surprised to find the King by for a visit.
"Princess? What brings you out my way? Gwaine asked, motioning for Arthur to come in.
"I was hoping to talk with you actually. About Merlin." Arthur started. Gwaine shut the door and sat at the table across from Arthur.
"What about Merlin? I've stayed away, for the most part, during the day."
"It's also about Gwen. Have you noticed Merlin disappearing once a week? Maybe in the middle of the night?" Arthur asked hesitantly. Gwaine stiffened.
"He says he likes to stay with Gaius once a week. He lived there for many years before we started spending so much time together. But, he has stayed here a time or two where I wake up and he's gone. Why?" Gwaine asked, frowning.
"Gwen's the same. I noticed it the first half year we'd been married. She sneaks out at least once a week in the middle of the night, only for me to wake up next to her in the morning." Arthur said meeting Gwaine's eyes. "I had hoped that since you and Merlin were together that would mean that he likes men, not women, so I shouldn't be worried they were having an affair." Gwaine shifts in his seat then.
"Merlin doesn't care. Man, woman. He's loved all kinds. Same as me." Gwaine said. Concern starting to shine in his eyes.
"I hate to ask this of you, but I need to know. Do you think they could be involved?"
"I doubt it. But if you want to verify that, I'm ok with a little undercover work." Gwaine said clasping his hands together. "Merlin told me he's staying with Gaius tonight, so I can meet you at your room if you mean to follow the Queen."
"Thank you, Gwaine. I'm sorry to put these thoughts in your head, but, I need to know. I need to know what she's doing." Arthur said standing up. "Meet at my chambers just after midnight. That's when she usually leaves." Gwaine nodded at Arthur and Arthur left. Gwaine was truly anxious as Arthur left. He knew Merlin had magic, but Arthur didn't. He didn't know if Gwen knew or not, they'd never discussed it. He knew he would do whatever he needed to protect his lover. Even if it meant leaving Camelot. He paced his room for the remainder of the evening and into the night. He couldn't think and knew that Arthur was having the same trouble. When the bell tolled midnight, he slipped out of his chamber and made for the royal suites. When he stopped outside the door, he listened for any sounds from inside. He heard a soft click as the servant's door closed and he waited a few minutes before Arthur opened the door and came out. The pair made their way through the corridors until they caught sight of Gwen heading to an unused section of the castle. Arthur noticed it as the wing that his father used to hold trials in and sentence sorcerers to death in the early years of the purge. The hall had been closed for at least 15 years now. What was Gwen doing here? She looked around, briefly, and entered the hall, pulling the door shut behind her. Arthur inclined his head to Gwaine and led him up a small staircase to the side that would put them in a belfry of sorts overseeing the hall. When they got there, they saw there was a small table in front of the matching thrones. They were his mother and father's. Arthur shook his head to clear it. He couldn't be thinking about his mother right now.
Gwen walked comfortably around the room, waiting for something. Or someone. Gwaine and Arthur were laying as flat as they could so they wouldn't be seen. A side door creaked open and a slim pale figure with a mop of dark hair slipped into the room. As soon as he was in the room, he smiled brightly at the Queen, meeting her in the center. She jumped at him and swung her arms around his neck while he picked her up and spun her around, laughing at her reaction.
"I'm sorry I'm late. Gaius took forever to go to sleep, and I was still trying to get the prat's armor polished." He stepped back and smiled at her, sweeping her hair behind her ear.
"It's fine, I haven't been here long. I think Arthur is starting to suspect something though. He's noticing when I'm gone in the middle of the night. I don't know what to tell him, though." She said sadly.
"Stop. No talking until we are well and properly smashed." Merlin said raising a hand to her. She grinned wickedly at him, then.
"Ok. Hurry up then," she said. Merlin waved his hand and the table suddenly had cups and a couple bottles on it.
"Now, would my lady prefer wine or something stronger for tonight?" Merlin asked mischievously.
"Oh, definitely stronger." She practically pouted.
"As you wish." Merlin said with a slight bow and pulled cork out of a bottle and poured some clear liquid in a few cups in front of each of them. Five in front of him and five for Gwen. They stood across from each other raising a cup, knocking it on the table, and downing the contents. They repeated the process five times each. Once the cups were all drank, Merlin shouted.
"Woo!" He laughed and shook his head. Gwen laughed as well, clapping her hands.
"Good sir, I do believe we need some lights. Oh, and don't forget to lock the doors and do that soundproof thing." Gwen added.
"Of course, my lady." Merlin chuckled and with another wave of his hand little blue and gold lights hovered in the air. Merlin poured them each a few more drinks, which they drank quickly, faces looking flushed the more they drank.
"Perhaps some music?" She asked, practically glowing.
"Hmm. Anything in particular you wish? Something from our time, or perhaps something from the future?" Merlin questions walking around to keep from swaying in place too much. He poured a few more drinks while Gwen bit her lip, thinking about a song choice.
"Play the one from last time. It was so wonderful! I may not have understood all the meanings, but I really loved it!" she pleaded, clapping her hands together. Merlin smiled at her and said a few words, eyes glowing bright gold, and strange music poured through the hall. As it did, Gwen and Merlin downed a few more drinks and then ran through the hall singing at the top of their lungs.
Gwen and Merlin were dancing through the hall, singing and twirling all over. Merlin spun Gwen and she turned and kept turning through the hall while Merlin did the same in the opposite direction. He ran across the room and leapt twisting in midair. When he lands gracefully on his feet Gwen screams her excitement and claps. When the song comes to an end the pair are back at the table taking more drinks. Merlin continues playing a random assortment of music that is of their time and some from the future. The few times he'd accidentally time travelled he was really glad he'd been able to remember everything, especially the music. Though it usually came out better when he was drunk. Which he and Gwen made a point to do at least once a week.
Up in the belfry, Arthur was stunned. He was completely frozen in place. Too many things were happening Gwen and Merlin were meeting in secret at least once a week to drink and apparently, dance. But Merlin had magic. He was using magic without even thinking about it. Arthur had never seen anyone just wave their hand and have something happen. All the sorcerers he'd ever encountered had used words to shape their magic. Merlin was just thinking things and they would happen. He'd mutter a few words here and there to apparently direct some of what he wanted, but for the most part it was just a wave of his hand and a flash of gold in his eyes. Arthur looked at Gwaine who looked tense. Of course he knew. It would be difficult to hide magic from someone who was intimately familiar with every part of them. Arthur and Gwaine kept quiet and watched as the pair drank and sang and danced. When Merlin flipped through the air, Arthur raised an eyebrow and Gwaine who was gaping at the display. As they continued to sing and dance Arthur found himself smiling at how free the two looked. How happy they were. Arthur had known they were good friends; he didn't think that the change in Gwen's station would affect that. But she was kept busy lately with all the court appearances and meetings. The castle staff didn't treat her the same anymore either. She was the Queen now, not just another serving girl. Arthur hadn't even thought about how drastically her life would change. He felt suddenly sad that he hadn't noticed. When Arthur glanced at Gwaine he saw the man was smiling adoringly at the drunken pair they were spying on. Arthur smiled to himself and turned to watch some more.
Gwen and Merlin had just poured the last of the bottle into the cups and were pouting that it was gone. They drank the last bit and then lay down in the middle of the floor. The music had gotten soft and Gwen was running her hands through Merlin's hair. He leaned in to the touch. He hummed while she continued to push her fingers through. She had absently started braiding. His hair wasn't long, just a bit shaggy, but she was able to pull the hair together in small, sectioned braids. Gwaine chuckled at the sight of Merlin with small braids in his hair.
"Tell me, Merlin. Has the week been quiet?" Gwen asked, continuing to braid.
"Mm. I wish." He replied.
"Was it bad?" She continued.
"Not so bad, I guess. One tried sneaking through the kitchen to poison the food. Cook was not happy when she saw someone messing about. She sent for me to check that the food was still ok. She had to throw out a whole batch of pies and stew. Took a dose of his own poison though, in the end. Once he'd seen he'd been caught. The girl went undetected a bit longer. I'm not sure how she got so close, but she had some sort of talisman she intended to use against him. When I confronted her in the woods, she told me that her family had died in an attack on a Druid camp. She blamed the Pendragon's. I tried telling her that Arthur was different, that he was the Once and Future King meant to unite the land. She scoffed at me and called me a traitor. She said I may be Emrys, but I've turned a blind eye to the suffering of those with magic for too long." Merlin paused and sighed heavily. "She wasn't wrong."
"Merlin. Don't believe her for one minute. You have helped Arthur become a more fair and just King than Uther ever was. If there wasn't a magical attack every other day, you'd be able to prove to him that magic could be good. I knew it the moment you healed my father all those years ago." Gwen said matter-of-factly. Merlin just gave her a sad smile.
"I know. I still wish I'd known you knew. It would have been nice to talk with you all that time ago. I had Lance for a while, but..." Merlin shrugged. "Gwaine knows, though he doesn't understand, I don't think."
"I barely understand, honestly. But I'm very glad you're here. You've become my best friend and I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you. So. What happened with the girl? Did you talk and she leave? Or...?" Gwen asked.
"Or." Merlin said subdued. "She refused to leave Camelot and Arthur alone. I warned her, that her power was nothing compared to mine. She knew, but she thought with the talisman that she could weaken me. I took her body back to the Druids and they gave her a funeral."
"I'm sorry, Merlin. I know it can't be easy." Gwen comforted him.
"I'm glad it was only the two this week though. Unlike last week. Remember?" Merlin asked, and Gwen just groaned.
"I had to tell Arthur that you were in the tavern, same as Gaius, just so he would stop looking for you!" She laughed, and then Merlin started laughing with her.
"It was so awful! My hair didn't turn back to it's normal color for three days!" Merlin was holding his stomach he was laughing so hard.
"Oh, come on! White hair looked good on you! Though the pink stripe was a tad distracting!" Gwen couldn't contain her laughter and was clutching her stomach.
"Gwen!" Merlin scolded, smiling so big it reached his eyes. When he laughed, the lights in the hall shined brighter and drifted lazily around the room as if on a warm breeze. "You promised you wouldn't bring it up again!"
"I'm sorry!" She laughed even harder until they were both rolling on the floor laughing hysterically. She wiped the tears from her eyes as her laughing died down. "Oh, Merlin. I'm so glad we can do this. I've missed getting to spend time with you like the old days."
"I know. I'm glad we can do this. You know, Arthur asked me if I knew anything about why you might be sneaking around. I asked him if he trusted you. He said he did, but he's noticing like you said." Merlin said.
"I won't give this up, Merlin. I'll make something up, or something. I'm not going to lose our friendship. You are the only one who hasn't changed since I've become Queen. Everyone else..." Gwen sighs. "It's like there's a barrier between us now."
"Well, to be fair, I never treated Arthur with any respect, so you won't get that from me. Unless, you know, situation dictates." Merlin said smiling crookedly at her.
"That's true. Honestly, Merlin. I don't know what you were thinking attacking him when you didn't know who he was." Gwen scolded.
"Oh, he had it coming. He shouldn't have been acting like such an arrogant sod." Merlin said earning him a shove from Gwen.
"He's not that boy anymore." Gwen reminded him.
"That's true. But we aren't the same as we were back then either." Merlin added. He sounded sad.
"I'm sorry you've lost so much, Merlin. Will and Freya. I will do everything I can to make sure Gwaine stays safe. You have my word." Gwen said as sternly as she could, though her words slurred a bit.
"I'll hold you to it." Merlin leaned in to Gwen. "I'll try my best to keep Arthur safe. He sure doesn't make it easy, though."
"I know. We'll work on it. I'm with him. For better or worse." Gwen said grabbing Merlin's hand.
"It'll probably be worse." He told her, chuckling.
"Mm. I knew that the day I met him." She agreed. They lay there on the floor watching as the lights danced around the room. "We should probably head back."
"You're right. I hate that it'll be another week before we can do this. I wish we could do this during the day." Merlin grumbled.
"Me too." Gwen agreed. She sat up then, and got to her feet, swaying slightly and laughing softly. "Come on then." She reached down and held out a hand for Merlin. He gladly accepted and stood up, nearly toppling back over. They both laughed and nearly fell back to the floor again. They stopped laughing, finally, but looked sad. Merlin waved a hand and the cups disappeared. Then, he raised a hand and the lights went out one by one. "Goodnight Merlin. I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight Gwen." Merlin watched Gwen leave and sighed heavily. "You can come out now." There was a soft spoken argument and Arthur and Gwaine came down the stairs to the hall where he stood. "You should head back to your chambers, sire, before the Queen gets there. She will notice you gone and will be worried."
"Merlin, I'm sorry we spied. Truly. And..." Arthur paused, rubbing the back of his neck, "thank you. For doing this for Guinevere. I hadn't thought about how much she was losing by marrying me." He turned to go and stopped at the door. "We will have a very long conversation tomorrow, though." Arthur pointed at Merlin, who simply nodded.
"Come on, love. Let's go, too." Gwaine said holding out a hand to Merlin. Merlin smiled at his Knight and took it gladly.
"I'm sorry I never told you." Merlin said as they walked the corridors back to Gwaine's room.
"Stop. You don't need to apologize. I'm sorry. For intruding on your time with Gwen. Anytime she needs you, let me know. Yeah?" Gwaine told him. Merlin just nodded. The walk back was a little more dangerous than the walk to the hidden hall as Merlin was feeling the effects of the drink. When they got back to the room, Merlin fell in bed and promptly passed out, while Gwaine just smiled at him. He was glad that Merlin had such a good friend like Gwen.