Honest Motives (Merlin)

[thegwaine]

Gwaine was bored, and he really couldn’t think of any other way to describe his current state of mind. He had finished his patrol a few hours ago, and he had been wandering round without anything to do since then. Some of his fellow knights had promised him a few rounds of cards, and ales to go with it. However, they had been called up for a last minute patrol around the lower town; Gwaine couldn’t really go on it as he was expected on the earlier patrol in the morning. He had been of course ready to do his morning patrol with a hangover; it wasn’t anything he hadn’t done before after all. Now he had no one to drink with, and though he was sure that he could find someone at the tavern to drink with, he didn’t want to waste his money on the regular tavern drunks. They were good company from time to time, but Gwaine would rather be with his fellow knights, or at least someone he knew from around the castle.

He chewed on a piece of bread as he continued to weave his way through the castle. He had stolen this loaf of bread from the castle kitchens, and he needed to get it eaten as soon as possible, before Meghan caught up with him. He wouldn’t put it past her to rip the bread from his hands and take what little she could back to the kitchens with her. Well, Gwaine had still been hungry after dinner, so dodging Brynn’s mother for a few hours for stealing a loaf of bread was a small price to pay. Hunger was one thing that Gwaine could not stand. Chewing on the bread, Gwaine sat on the window; looking out at Camelot as the sun began to set. It was one sight he never really tired of. Who else could say they had such a view to look upon while they were snacking? Well, he supposed the rest of the knights could, but he doubted most of them would ever think to steal food from the kitchens.

Finishing his bread, Gwaine brushed the crumbs off his tunic and sighed, well, now he’d finished his bread he didn’t have anything to do. Great. Pushing himself off the ledge, he began to walk down the corridor, wondering if he should just head back to his chambers or not. He was really losing his touch; Camelot was turning him native. He couldn’t imagine his thoughts being so... sensible when he had arrived in Camelot a year or so ago. Now he was a knight, and he was expected to act like one. Well, he never had done before, so why should he start now? Luck seemed to be on Gwaine’s side that night though however, as he heard footsteps approaching him. “Merlin!” Gwaine enthused as he walked up to his friend; he couldn’t see Merlin as much as he would have liked, as whenever he did see him he seemed to be running after Arthur. It never ceased to amuse Gwaine. “Fancy saving a friend from his boredom?”

Tagged: Merlin
Timeline: Series 3-4 gap
Time of Day: Evening
Location: Camelot Castle[/color][/size]

[youngwarlock]

Merlin looked thoroughly worn out as he came pacing down the corridor, a bemused look on his features after his encounter with Arthur just moments ago. It had been a long day as usual. Seeing Gwaine however, instantly brought a huge smile to his face as the young servant approached his friend. "Gwaine!" he grinned.

A noble knight of Camelot. Merlin would always be proud of Gwaine. He even wished that the knight were more like Lancelot in one particular way but he couldn't risk telling the man about his magic, even though he had a strong feeling that Gwaine would indeed risk everything to keep it a secret.

Merlin slumped his shoulders, letting out a weary sigh as he stood before Gwaine, finally feeling as though he were relieved of all his duties, even if it was just for a short time. The offer of saving his noble friend from boredom was an offer he couldn't pass up. There was never a dull moment with him.

"Now there's an offer I can't refuse, you wouldn't believe some of the things Arthur's had me doing today" he replied, shaking his head in bemusement and instantly lifting a hand to his neck to rub at the sore spots. If he had to dress up in armour and allow himself to be used as target practice one more time..... A look of annoyance crossed his features for a fleeting moment before he brought his attention back to Gwaine once more. "Anything in particular you fancy doing? I don't spose you've got anything to eat have you?" By now he'd noticed the distinct aroma of fresh bread wafting through the air. "I'm starving!"

[thegwaine]

Gwaine was always thrilled to see Merlin, and he would never refuse his company. Then again, he would never let his friend refuse his company either. He was one of his closest friends, and yet, he still could not understand what kept him running after Arthur all day long. In his opinion, Merlin was mental, but then, who was Gwaine to judge? He had been a nomad for the majority of his life, a lifestyle which most would dub as stupid, ridiculous and simply dangerous. Funnily enough, those were all the traits which had appealed to Gwaine when he had set off on his travels all those years ago.

He embraced his friend with a sharp clap on the back and a wide, trademark cocky grin. Gwaine was sure whatever gruelling treatment Arthur put his knights through at training, he put Merlin through far worse in his day to day training. Gwaine could sometimes hear the shouts from his chamber when Arthur was in a particularly bad mood; it was a small wonder that the pair of them didn’t keep most of the castle awake most of the time. Gwaine’s grin only increased when Merlin agreed to join him for the evening, of course, Merlin didn’t know what he had in mind yet, so he was putting himself at great personal risk but Gwaine wasn’t going to mention that just yet.

His grin turned slightly sheepish when Merlin mentioned being quite hungry, though he brushed this off with ease. Rubbing his belly, he nodded with a serious look about his face, “Merlin, if I had anything to eat I would have already eaten it by now.” He explained, and looked up and down the corridor. Even though Gwaine had only literally just finished eating, he still felt hungry. He was never full, that was the long and short of the matter. “Let’s go and grab something from the kitchens. Then, I’ll buy a round at the tavern; Arthur had to let you have the night off once in a while.”

[youngwarlock]

A look of disappointment crossed Merlin's features as his friend declared having nothing to eat. The young warlock guessed that if he had arrived a bit sooner, there would have indeed been something ....A nice, fresh piece of bread. He could still smell it, his tummy grumbling as he breathed in the faint aroma. He couldn't remember when he'd last eaten.

“Let’s go and grab something from the kitchens. Then, I’ll buy a round at the tavern; Arthur had to let you have the night off once in a while.”

Gwaine's words interrupted Merlin's thoughts, instantly perking him up. "Sounds good to me, let's go!" he exclaimed with a huge grin, already hurrying off down the corridor. Mere seconds later he spun around, pacing backwards as he spoke to his friend. "Just don't tell Arthur we were in the tavern, he'll put me in the stocks if he thinks I spent another night in there!"

He turned then, continuing on his way toward the kitchen, hungry for the days leftovers. He wondered what the night had in store for them, knowing that there was no way he and Gwaine would ever get away with a relaxing evening in the tavern. For some reason, wherever his noble friend ventured to, excitement, danger and adventure always seemed to follow. Unfortunately this only made Merlin all the more eager to confess his magical secret.

[thegwaine]

Gwaine felt quite bad with the expression that Merlin was giving him. If he had known that he was going to run into his friend tonight, he would have saved him some of the bread. As it were, he hadn’t expected to see him for some time. Arthur rarely seeded to relieve him of his duties, and as such, Gwaine never took for granted that Merlin would just be available. However, this was an opportunity rather than a hindrance, and Gwaine’s usual cheeky smile slipped over his lips. It meant they could go out in search of more bread. Gwaine was never full, and would never pass up the opportunity of an extra meal.

He was surprised to see Merlin so enthusiastic about stealing bread, but perhaps his usual subtlty was hindered by his hunger. That was of course completely understandable, given Merlin was stick thin anyway. Gwaine was sure that Gaius was feeding him air and nothing else, as he never seemed to grow, upwards or outwards. He grinned, and began to lead the way to the kitchens; it was a route which was practically engrained on Gwaine’s mind. He laughed as Merlin swore him to secrecy over them going to the tavern. Gwaine patter Merlin on the shoulder, “Your secret is safe with me Merlin. We won’t give you too many ales either, wouldn’t want you looking too rough for work in the morning, ey?” He chuckled a little, amusing himself at the thought of Arthur going completely ballistic at Merlin being hungover. Gwaine really needed to stop finding the problems of others quite so amusing, he was turning into Iwan.

As they neared the kitchens, Gwaine slowed his place a little, Meghan, Brynn’s mother, was one of the cooks in the kitchens and if she caught him snooping around she’d never let him forget it. She’d beat both himself and Merlin out of the kitchen with a wooden spoon. That was something Gwaine was keen to avoid. He had thought of proposing the wooden spoon as a weapon for the knights to use, as in his experience when used properly it could be a lethal weapon. However, he doubted the other knights would believe him. Poking his head into the kitchen, he grinned; it was still empty, “Coast is clear.” He called to Merlin, and began to look through the kitchens to find some bread.

[youngwarlock]

One moment in the corridor keeping watch for guards was all it took before Gwaine's attempt at checking the kitchen succeeded. It was handy having a knight as a friend, for even if they had been caught, they wouldn't get into anywhere near as much trouble for it, and any excuses they made for being here, would be far more believable.

Merlin snook into the kitchen behind his friend, still feeling somewhat wary that the head cook might suddenly pop out from nowhere, although with the size of her it would be a bit difficult to hide in here Merlin thought to himself, stifling a laugh.

"Just don't touch the pies!" The servant called out quietly. "Or the flans ....Those are even worse than one of Gaius' potions" he murmured, pausing as he spied something on the counter top through the corner of his eye. "Ohhh yes...." he said, turning towards the familiar gourmet meal, the smell already filling his nostrils as he drew nearer to the cold, whole roasted chicken that awaited him.

"Gwaine!" he called, turning to seek out his friend in the dimly lit room and holding up the cold drumstick he'd just pulled from the chicken, showing the knight what he'd found before biting into it hungrily. This certainly made up for all the work he'd been doing all day.