Title – Rowing, Winning, and Gossip
Author – Moonbeam
Prompt – None
Pairing(s) – Arthur/Merlin, with a sneaky John/Sherlock that stole a large chapter, and a range of other ships of mine.
Olympic Events – Swimming and Rowing, and mentions of lots of other ones.
Summary – Crown Prince Arthur is rowing for Camelot. Merlin Emrys is at his fourth Olynmpics swimming for Great Britain. They are about to meet – what comes next will be the most interesting part of the Games for both of them.
Rating – Teen
Disclaimer – I own nothing, Merlin and the Olympics are well beyond my scope.
Author's Note – This is the story I started to write for the merlinolympics challenge. I was thinking about what to write and I thought Arthur's still a prince and Merlin's English. But then how to get them to flirt - and decided it would be awesome to have Merlin basically dragging Arthur to lots of events and knowing everyone from all of the countries. Then I contemplated what would they do while watching the other events and GOSSIP – from there it made complete sense to just fill the story will almost all of my ships – I have a lot of them. Then it got bigger and I ran out of time to get it finished for my posting date. Mainly because Sherlock just usurped a chapter. Now it's much longer than intended – not quite finished but almost there so you should get a new chapter every day.
I have fiddled with a few times of official race times to make the story work. I'll wave my artistic license flag now.
Also, some of the chapters are written like newspaper articles – my original intention was to have one between each chapter and then this got bigger than intended and they are only here and there now. I was also deluded for a few days that I might create images for the newspaper articles – I have been informed I try to jam too much in. But since next week is Children's Book Week simply posting a story is insanity.
Enjoy!

Rowing, Winning, and Gossip
by Moonbeam

/ / / Prince Rowing For Camelot \ \ \

Prince Rowing For Camelot

Crown Prince Arthur Pendragon has been selected for the Camelot Men's Eight Rowing team. Prince Arthur made a name for himself at the 2012 London Olympic Games when he led the Rowing Eight to gold against Germany.

His team going into the Rio 2016 Olympics will be long time cox of the team Leon Knight. Prince Arthur will be the team's stroke, position seven will be filled by Gwaine Chevalier – one of only two other members that also rowed in London. The new members of the team making up the engine room will be Elyan Leodegrance, Percival Vitez, Oswald Ritari, and Pellinore Ritter. Rounding out the team is the bow-team of Lancelot du Lac and Kay Ridire, Lancelot the last member of the team from 2012, and Kay being the youngest member of the team at only twenty.

When asked for comment, Prince Arthur said:

"This team has been working hard in the four years since London. While it was hard to lose Bors, Tristan, Owain, Geraint, and Gareth, this team has been rowing together since 2013 and while we know that there is more at stake here, at the Olympics, than anywhere else we also believe in our ability to take home a gold medal. That is our aim; we will not be satisfied with anything else. But the same can be said for the English, Dutch, and German teams and we know how hard they are going to be to beat. Every country that puts a boat in the water is here to win. If at the end of the day we nine can look at one another and know we did everything we can, that we did Camelot proud, there is nothing more that we can ask of ourselves."

Prince Arthur's team, affectionately referred to as the Knights of Camelot, won at the 2015 World Rowing Championships in France, and came second to Australia in the 2014 World Rowing Championships in Netherlands.

/ / /