Front to Front: Arthur and Gwaine, and Merlin on the side.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Summary: Bandit attacks are on the rise so when Merlin decides he needs to gather supplies for an ageing Gaius, Arthur sends him out with Gwaine for protection. Things don't go exactly to plan. [Slash, nothing explicit]

"No."

"Tha- What? No?" Merlin frowned up at Arthur.

"You heard me. No."

"What do you mean? No?"

"I mean no. It's really quite simple, Merlin."

"Gwaine, help me here!" Merlin exclaimed, turning to the aforementioned Knight as he rounded the corner and walked towards them.

"Certainly! Help you with what?" Gwaine grinned, stopping when he was shoulder to shoulder with Arthur.

"Merlin just informed me he was heading out of the city to pick some ingredients from the forest."

"So... what's the problem?"

"Alone." Arthur finished and Gwaine frowned.

"No," he said, resolute and Merlin stared at him, aghast.

"Why not?" the sorcerer demanded.

"You attract bandits and trouble wherever you go. You are not going outside of this city without at least two escorts," Arthur stared at Merlin, arms crossed, face set. Merlin turned and started at Gwaine, who was stood beside Arthur, mirroring his stance completely.

"You cannot be serious!" Merlin said. "It's just a little supply gathering!"

"The last lot of supply gathering we did together, alone, let to my sword being stolen!" Gwaine said.

"I cannot control the will of bandits! And I will not be locked inside this city like some prisoner!" Merlin glared at both of them.

"Merlin, as your King I am ordering you not to leave the gates of the city without at least two escorts. Knight, escorts." Merlin stared between him and Gwaine, eyes wide and mouth agape before he made an incomprehensible noise in the back of his throat and stormed off. "I think that went well," Arthur said to Gwaine, who nodded.

"I'll be relegated to the sofa, but yes, it went well."

"It's for his own good," Arthur said firmly.

"You know he could make us let him go, right?"

"He wouldn't use magic on me," the King's voice was positive in the truth of his words.

"What's protecting me, then?" Gwaine asked, aghast.

"He'll be too mad at you to try anything on you. Don't worry!"

Gwaine was not impressed.

"My Lord," Merlin entered the assembly hall, his robes billowing out behind him as he strode forward with purpose, interrupting Arthur during one of his morning meetings with the privy council that Merlin himself was originally meant to attend, but had begged off to help Gaius. "I am aware you have forbidden me to leave the city walls without a two-knight escort, so I ask you pick your knights. It is urgent I leave to collect ingredients for Gaius as he cannot and I am the only one with the knowledge to do so."

"Can the trip wait?" The King asked, eyes narrowed and Merlin narrowed his own in response.

"No. I am to leave within the hour. If your knights are not in the courtyard by the midday bell, I will tell the city that you and your petty insecurities are to blame for the current and continuing outbreak occurring in the lower city." That said, Merlin nodded to the King and the council before spinning around and stalking out of the room, a cloud of thunder over his head so dense no one dared try stop or even question him.

Three quarters of an hour later, Merlin was stood in front of his horse in the courtyard while waiting for whoever had the misfortune of being his guard for the day. His mood only soured when he saw Arthur and Gwaine descend the steps from the Palace doors together, dressed to ride. Without acknowledging them, Merlin hauled himself up and settled on his horse, bringing it around so he head facing the courtyard gates.

"Shall we?" he heard Arthur speak when the pair had finally gotten themselves settled and he took off at a walk without looking back, leading them out of the palace walls and eventually, out of the city. They ran into Leon and his garrison on their way back from patrol when they were less than half a league out of the city and the Knight gave them all a considering look.

"No," Merlin said, staring at the older man hard. Leon, for his part, raised an amused eyebrow. "No you cannot offer to accompany us. The arrangement was two knights and I am sticking to that."

"Merlin..." Arthur said and Merlin spun around just in time to see Gwaine waving at the King frantically, trying to shut him up, movements stopping when Merlin sent him a look. "Last time I checked, I was King and I saw who goes on whatever expedition." Merlin's eyes narrowed.

"Last time I checked, I was the court sorcerer. Last time I checked, I was an apprenticed court physician. Last time I checked, King Arthur, I was an adult!"

"Then start acting like one and stop throwing a tantrum," Arthur said simply and Merlin's eyes narrowed, before flashing gold. "Leon, we'll be fine," Arthur said quickly and the garrison soon left, amused. "Merlin," Arthur sighed when the other knights were gone. "I didn't mean it like it sounded-"

"Then tell me please, how could you possibly miscommunicate my acting like a child and throwing a tantrum?" Merlin demanded. "Come on, explain it. I'm just dying to hear this!"

"Merlin please! Just stop, will you?" Gwaine spoke up for the first time.

"Just because you and I share a bed does not give you the right to dictate my life. Nor does the fact that you and I kissed, Arthur," Merlin continued to glare. "Bad things happen, bandits attack unfortunate people, it's just life. You need to get over it, and get over your own self-importance." That said, he kicked his horse, sending it into a trot and moving away from the other men.

Merlin managed to get ahead a ways that after around half an hour, he started wondering at the last of anyone following so, he dismounted, his herbs already collected and stored, and sent the horse to Camelot, a note in the saddle ordering whoever caught the horse not to send the cavalry. He then slowly made his way back the way he came and after another half an hour, he was forced to hide as a group of bandits rumbled passed, laughing and sporting shiny familiar armour. He used his magic to switch out his own pointless sword for Arthur's significantly shinier and grander one, and just took Gwaine's from the back of the bandit carrying it, and waited for the danger to pass.

Following the trail the bandits had left, led him to a small clearing where he found Arthur and Gwaine, bound together, unconscious. Their horses were lurking beyond the tree line and he saw to them before taking a seat on a nearby rock to wait for them to wake up from their slumber.

"I should think, my lord," Merlin said when he felt Arthur wake up. "That the next time you wish to leave the palace with but one knight, that you think twice. These times are dangerous wouldn't you know?" he saw Arthur shift and stare at him from over Gwaine's shoulder.

"Have you finished gloating? Let us out!"

"Oh no, I can't touch the chain. Magic repellent, remember?" Arthur's groan startled Gwaine into waking up. "So maybe," Merlin said with a laugh. "It isn't me that needs to worry, it's the numbers in the groups. I mean, we've only been attacked while in groups of three or less. So Arthur, how about you make it a policy that, until the bandits are taken care of, only groups of four or more are allowed to enter the thick of the woodland areas."

"Yes, yes, fine. We were wrong to treat you the way we did, we apologise. Now can you please find a way to let us out of these bindings?"

"I can't touch them, you know that. And I don't know where your horse went so there's no way of getting to your knives. Really Arthur, you already know these things."

"If I find out you have left us deliberately tied this way-"

"You'll what, my liege? Confine me once more to the city walls? How about the Citadel this time? Maybe the Palace itself. I know! Why not lock me in my room until you need someone to cast a spell for you!" By the time Merlin had finished, Gwaine was fully awake, Merlin's voice had ridden, his face was like thunder and Arthur was glaring. "You may care about me, Arthur Pendragon, as much as I care for you I'd wager, but I am still a man. And I know how to take care of myself. Just as, I imagine, you and Gwaine do too. And still, you sit there, bound together with chains I cannot touch, making petty threats at me when really, you should be using that oh so graceful Kingly head of yours to think of a way out."

"What did you say to annoy him this time?" Gwaine muttered and flinched as something small and hard hit the back of his head.

"I heard that!" Merlin snapped.

"Quit your yapping," Gwaine muttered. "My head hurts."

"I wonder why that is," Merlin said, voice full of feigned wonder. "Oh wait..." he drawled.

"Yes, okay, you were right. We were wrong. Can we please get over this now?"

"Can't get you out I'm afraid..." Gwaine groaned when he double checked the chain used to bind himself and his King together. "I think the Bandits like terrorising Camelot Knights. And Sorcerers. And Kings. Or King, singular."

"Of course they do," Arthur ground out. "Because they're bandits. And they cannot make an earning doing anything honest."

"Now, that's hardly fair Arthur. You come from privilege. You don't really know what it means to be so low. And before you accuse me of siding with the rotten toads, I'm not. I simply see their plight for what it is. With a little added lust for mayhem. I mean really, if they knew you were the King, they certainly wouldn't have left you here. Gwaine would probably be dead and my bed would be a very lonely place. Also Camelot would have to deal with a royal ransom."

"The heat in your bet is more important than a royal ransom?" Arthur asked, eyebrow raised, glaring at Merlin over Gwaine's shoulder while Gwaine shook with silent laughter - shaking that jostled Arthur enough to feel certain stirings in his loins.

"He's that good," Merlin winked, gesturing to Gwaine, who threw Arthur a smirk. "Really Arthur, you and I shared a kiss in this very situation before, you should try Gwaine. He's very talented."

"Merlin, we've talked about this," Gwaine said. "I'm not a whore for you to loan out for tips." There was only humour in his tone though, taking the sting out of the words.

"This is true," Merlin said. "However, maybe I just want to watch..."

"Find a way to unlock these chains and you can watch whatever you want," Arthur snapped, making Merlin laugh.

"But if I could, sire. But if I could! I would, considering that most tempting offer. I most certainly would."

"And what would you ask of him, Merlin?"

"Don't encourage him, Gwaine," Arthur moaned, letting his head drop onto Gwaine's shoulder.

"Who says I'm encouraging him? Who's to say he isn't the one encouraging me?" Gwaine winked.

"I think such talk should be kept for ones private chambers," Merlin said idly.

"And what talk it is," Gwaine laughed quietly. "Did you know, Arthur, that Merlin has a very active imagination?"

"Gwaine, I may not be able to touch you but I can certainly silence you." Merlin's voice had warning in it.

"You are not to use your magic against the Knights of Camelot Merlin, you know this," Arthur pointed out, watching Merlin stand and shrug.

"I warned you," the sorcerer grinned. "Let him talk your ear off. And if you can't look me in the eye later, I'll take great, great, somewhat perverse pleasure in saying 'I told you so'. In the meantime, I think I'll go do a perimeter sweep, see if I can't find your horses." That said, he walked out of the clearing, leaving Arthur and Gwaine bound together, position compromised and both feeling a little hot under the collar.

"I can feel you on my hip, sire," Gwaine said, voice near a whisper, and Arthur blanched.

"That isn't appropriate, Gwaine."

"Says he who kissed the last man he was in this position with," Gwaine's tone was teasing but his words rang true. He was right. Arthur had. Merlin had. And now he was here with the one in the middle. But for both Gwaine and Merlin being so close, Arthur was certain he'd have the sorcerer in his bed already. He had longed for it for so long after all. And then Gwaine. Always Gwaine. "You want him..." Gwaine breathed and Arthur froze.

Yes. It was always Gwaine.

Word Count: 2,152

Final instalment up! Tell me what you think! No one reviews enough anymore… I'm not really one to talk for all I read, but still. Reviews help authors and I do occasionally! That counts, right? I hope you enjoyed it :)

This and other stories from various fandoms written by me are available on my AO3 account under the same name :)