AN: Back again with a fun chapter! I spent a good amount of time on this one and it was fun taking a break from Arthur's POV in favor of Gwaine's. I know Gwaine is a crowd favorite so I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Of course, Gwaine had always known too, from the first day he met Arthur and Merlin in the tavern. It was his second bar brawl of the day… not that he would admit that to anyone else. He had been on the losing end of the other one which was why he had ended up in this tavern nearly five kilometers from the original. He tossed one of his last three coins at the tavern owner, Mary, and flipped the other two in his hand. He had been lucky they had not taken his money when they threw him out, but he could never resist a good fight… and by good he meant fights that seemed totally out of his favor. But after all that fighting, even Gwaine was tired.

That's why when the thugs walked in he merely turned back to his drink, and why, even though it made him feel guiltier than he would ever admit, he didn't stand up to face them when they threatened Mary. He sat staring at into his mug, ashamed with himself, knowing that if he didn't help her, he was no better than the people he had come to despise, but then again, maybe he was being naïve, maybe there were no heroes to stand up for defenseless tavern maids.

Like an answered prayer a voice spoke up from the crowd.

"Take your hands off her."

Gwaine glanced up at the pretty boy walking across the bar. He seemed fit and strong, but also young. He leaned back slightly and squinted at the young man before taking another casual drink. The thug smirked with amusement and swung at the pretty boy without saying a thing. If Gwaine had blinked he might have missed the swift move as the man ducked under the thug's arm and pushed him towards a corner.

Gwaine's eyebrows raised and gave an impressed smirk.

"I'm gonna make you pay for that." The thug said, still looking more amused than annoyed.

A soft chuckle from across the room drew Gwaine's eyes to a strange lanky fellow with large ears.

"I'd like to see you try," the boy said quietly, but in the dead silence the whole tavern heard him.

The thug gave the boy a look. He tried to look innocently away but it was too late. The ugly man placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. Soon the tavern was swamped with equally as ugly thugs.

The boy jumped to his feet and backed away nervously.

"You had to open your big mouth, didn't you, Merlin?" The pretty boy said under his breath.

Intrigued by the two men and their entertaining relationship he swiped up the mug he had been drinking and moved closer to the pretty boy.

"You two have got yourselves in a bit of a pickle, haven't you?" He strategically placed himself directly between the thug and the hero.

"You should get out of here while you have the chance," the other man warned.

"You're probably right." He took another gulp of ale and held it out to the thug who took it automatically, giving Gwaine a confused look. Gwaine smirked and then punched the man in the gut.

The next few minutes were a blur, but Gwaine managed to keep an eye on both of the friends as they shouted warnings back and forth to each other, each watching the other's back. The one called Merlin managed to duck behind the bar and Gwaine made his way over there.

"Pass the jug, huh?" Gwaine asked.

Merlin glanced around confused and then handed the jug to Gwaine.

"What do they call you, then?" Gwaine asked as he dodged a punch. He knew the answer but Gwaine always strove to be polite.

"Merlin."

"Gwaine. Pleasure to meet you."

"Watch-"

Gwaine grabbed the jug and swung it at the charging man's head. The jar shattered spilling ale in all directions.

"Such a waste, huh?"

Gwaine wasn't blind. He had been watching the young man closely and he saw what the boy was trying to keep secret… unsuccessfully. With plates flying this way and that and benches jumping into thugs it was easy to tell. Merlin wasn't as subtle as he thought he was and Gwaine was not an idiot.

He wasn't afraid of magic, Gwaine had met many good sorcerers in his day… and also some very bad ones. There was something to Merlin though, something Gwaine sensed immediately, something good and noble, and not the rich man's kind of noble either.

Speaking of noble, the hero was on the losing end of his fight, while they had been fighting neck and neck for a while the head thug had pulled out a knife, turning a friendly tavern brawl into a fatal disaster. Without thought Gwaine charged the man successfully tackling him to the ground, but from the pain in his leg he recognized that he hadn't come out of it unscathed.

Attempting to stand up he slipped and fell, hitting his head as he went down. He had a vague recollection of Merlin leaning over him and he took comfort in the fact that he was in the hands of magic.

~.~.~.~

It wasn't the first time Gwaine had woken up in a strange place and a strange bed, but usually not with such a clear head and there usually wasn't this much pain, in his leg at least. He had been awoken by footsteps and just as he pushed himself up the door to the small chamber opened.

The face that entered was familiar, but only just so, and Gwaine couldn't help feeling slightly suspicious knowing that Merlin was a sorcerer.

"What am I doing in this bed?" Gwaine asked.

"You were wounded." Merlin explained. "Arthur wanted to make sure you were treated by his physician."

"Arthur?" Gwaine asked, somehow knowing where this was going.

"Prince Arthur. You saved his life."

Gwaine let his surprise show for only a moment. "If I'd known who he was, I probably wouldn't have," he said. Not just any noble, Arthur, son of Uther persecutor of all things magic. Merlin probably hated him for saving the slime.

Merlin looked confused.

"He's a noble," Gwaine said by way of explanation. It was obvious Merlin didn't know that Gwaine knew, and he wasn't about to make the man with food feel uncomfortable.

"Yeah, but he's a good man." Merlin protested, and what was stranger was Gwaine felt he was telling the truth. He chuckled and shook his head as Merlin placed the tray of food and drink by his bedside.

"If you say so."

"You're a hero. The king wants to thank you in person."

Gwaine choked on the drink he had just taken. "Please, no." he protested. "I've met a few kings. Once you've met one you've met them all."

"He'll probably give you a reward."

"I'm not interested." Gwaine insisted.

Merlin looked more confused.

"Besides, I've got everything I need right here." He patted the bag hanging by his bed. It was the first thing his eyes had searched for upon awakening.

"Why did you help us?" Gwaine knew what he was doing. Merlin was trying to ascertain what kind of man he was. Gwaine didn't want the glory of being a hero, nor the riches of a reward, was he a noble hero, or something entirely different, strange and unpredictable.

"Your chances looked between slim and none." Gwaine stated. "I, uh, I guess I just kind of like the look of those odds."

Merlin looked as though he didn't believe him but smirked with amusement at the answer.

~.~.~.~

Gwaine was drunker than he had been in a while, but as he hung off of Merlin's shoulder he knew it was because he felt safer than he had felt in a long time.

"You're the best friend I've ever had," he slurred at Merlin.

"You seem to have quite a few."

Gwaine laughed at the remembrance of the night.

"OH, I'd love to see Arthur's face when he gets that bill!"

Merlin cocked his head and his expression changed to one of fearless determination.

"Right. What is it with you and nobles?"

"Oh, nothing." Gwaine said, Merlin gave him an incredulous look and Gwaine relented. "My father was a knight in Caerleon's army," Gwaine explained. "He died in battle, leaving my mother penniless." Merlin's face began to take on understanding. "And when she went to the king for help, he turned her away."

"You didn't know him?" Merlin asked hesitantly.

"Just some stories I've been told," Gwaine admitted.

"Yeah, I know how that feels." Gwaine sent a questioning look Merlin's way. "I met my father just briefly before he died."

"Why?" Gwaine leaned forward, his brain clearing to make way for his curiosity.

"He was banished."

"What had he done?" Gwaine prodded.

"Nothing." Merlin was hesitant. "He served the king."

"But the king turned against him." Gwaine said quickly. His voice was foreboding. He could see it clear as day. Merlin was clearly loyal to Arthur, for whatever reason, and yet if Arthur knew he had magic he would turn against him, just as Uther had turned against Merlin's father. Merlin's silence to his query was answer enough. "That doesn't surprise me."

"Arthur's not like that." Merlin assured, understanding the hidden meaning in Gwaine's words.

"Ha! Maybe." Gwaine wasn't sure if he was laughing at Merlin's cleverness or naivety.

"But none of them are worth dying for, huh?" Gwaine said trying to lighten the mood. He laughed at Merlin's serious look and leaned backwards clumsily, banging his head against the wall, producing a chuckle from his sorcerer friend.

~.~.~.~

Gwaine had lost a friend to a Stallorne blade… well he didn't suppose he could call the man a friend, but perhaps a friendly acquaintance. They were nearly sharper than normal swords and twice as deadly considering many believed themselves to be safe around them. Someone who had them wasn't afraid to kill and Gwaine knew when Merlin brought it up that he was getting mixed up in something dangerous.

"I'll get it," he stated. Merlin didn't seem to realize he was already in danger just being a sorcerer in Camelot. Why go to the trouble of putting himself more at risk. Still knowing the boy's loyalty to Arthur he knew there was no way he was going to let this one go.

"What if they catch you?" Merlin asked. "What reason would you have to be in Sir Oswald's chambers? No. It's safer if I do it."

Which left Gwaine pacing and moving about restlessly for the next hour or so.

"Merlin should be back by now," he told Gaius.

"I know," said the old man far to accustomed to worrying.

"I'm gonna go see what's going on." Gwaine said in a tone that left no room for argument, he left the room quickly and ignored Gaius' calls.

Gwaine heard Merlin's panicked voice and the clang of metal when he reached Sir Oswald's room. He stepped in quickly to find Oswald with a sword in his hand and a very frightened Merlin.

"Is there a problem here?"

"No. Now, leave." Oswald ordered.

"You all right, Merlin?" Gwaine asked. The frightened boy shook his head.

"I thought I told you to leave." Oswald said irritably.

"I wasn't talking to you." Gwaine said with barely contained anger that he had no problem letting loose.

"How dare you speak to a knight like that!" Sir Ethan shouted in anger pulling his sword from its scabbard. Gwaine followed suit.

Ethan attacked but it was only a moment before Gwaine had both their swords in either hand.

"Careful!" Merlin shouted nervously.

"Don't' worry." Gwaine said calmly. "I can handle this thug." Something like fear flashed through Oswald's eyes.

He backed Oswald into a corner, disarmed Ethan again, and then knocked Oswald's sword from his grasp, holding the point of his blade to the dirty noble's neck. Before he could make another move several knights entered the room, drawn by the noise and clang of metal and several minutes later Gwaine was in chains in front of King Uther himself.

"Sire, this man attacked me. With a sword. Tried to kill me." Oswald accused.

"Is this true?" Uther asked, sounding mortified.

"I stepped in to protect Merlin." Gwaine didn't think he had ever been so honest in his life.

"I tried to talk to him. He was like a man possessed. I'm sure that Sir Ethan will back me up." Oswald insisted.

"Indeed, I can vouch for his every word."

Anger boiled up inside him. "He's a liar!"

"I will have your tongue! How dare you speak to a knight that way?" Uther's accusing finger showed Gwaine all he needed to know, he wouldn't receive any leniency from this King.

"Nobility is defined by what you do," Gwaine said looking at Oswald with a sneer, but for the second statement he turned his eyes on Arthur. "Not by who you are."

Uther glanced back at Arthur in question. Arthur in turn shifted uncomfortably.

"And these men are anything but. They are arrogant thugs!" Gwaine pulled at his chains.

"Gwaine," Arthur protested.

"Well you see, sire, how he behaves." Oswald shook his head in mock pity.

"I have heard enough." Uther declared. "For a commoner to attack a nobleman is in violation of the knight's code." Apparently, even though a commoner wasn't a knight, he could still violate the knight's code…

"I couldn't agree with you more, sire." Oswald stated calmly. "He must be made an example of."

"Sir Oswald, please," Arthur finally stepped forward.

"Nothing less than his execution will give me satisfaction."

"Father I understand how this must look," Arthur petitioned, "It's an embarrassing situation." Gwaine scoffed lightly. Arthur spoke as though Gwaine had spilled his mead on Oswald's lap, Arthur either didn't hear him or ignored him.

"Sir Oswald is… a dear friend and our guest here in Camelot." Gwaine stared at the ground wondering where the prince was going with this. "But Gwaine is my guest here, too." Gwaine looked up and stared suspiciously at Arthur, what did Arthur have to gain by standing up for him? "And he may not be of noble birth, but I can vouch that he has a noble heart."

"How can you say that when you see the way he behaves?" Uther asked incredulously.

"Gwaine risked his life to save mine. I beg you… please… if a knight's word is his bond, then I give you my word, Gwaine is a good man. He deserves clemency." Arthur said his piece and then stepped back respectfully, once again giving authority over to Uther.

Gwaine stared at Arthur, his brow furrowed in confusion. Arthur didn't even know him, the few things he had seen of Gwaine were tavern brawls and drunkenness. His petition to the king made no sense and definitely did not seem honest. Uther pondered these words as he turned back to Gwaine, but Gwaine could see the hardness in his eyes.

"You are banished from Camelot. If you ever return you will pay for it with your life. You have until dawn to leave the city."

~.~.~.~

The guards dragged Gwaine out of the room, with him struggling against his bonds the whole way. He didn't know what he was planning to do if he got out of the chains but he couldn't sit still. They took him to an empty room and pushed him down onto a bench, unlocking his chains. When he tried to stand up though they pushed him again. Then Arthur appeared in the doorway.

He glanced at the two guards.

"Leave us," he ordered and they swept out of the room.

Arthur paced to the other side of the room with Gwaine watching him carefully. A small barred window let in a trickle of light. Arthur leaned against it, staring into the world beyond.

"You didn't have to lie for me," Gwaine murmured.

"A simple 'thank you' would suffice." Arthur shot back surprisingly caustic.

Gwaine sat there a moment, inspecting Arthur.

"Why did you do it?" he asked, curiosity winning out again.

Arthur didn't respond, just continued to stare out the window.

Gwaine stood up. "Well as much as I'd like to sit around brooding all day I only have a short window of time to get out of the city so-"

"You know don't you?" Arthur asked. Something in his tone caused Gwaine to freeze in his footsteps. Arthur turned and looked him square in the eye. "About Merlin."

Gwaine was silent for too long, he knew that, but it didn't stop him from trying to deny it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Arthur gave a humorless chuckle. "Sure you don't."

Gwaine glanced away uncomfortably. What did Arthur know? How much did Arthur know? How much did Gwaine even know?

"Does he know you know? Did he tell you?" Arthur asked, and there was something vulnerable and searching in his question.

Gwaine was silent a long time. "No."

"To which question?" Arthur asked.

"Both."

Arthur deflated, though whether from relief or disappointment Gwaine couldn't really figure out.

"Why?"

Gwaine shrugged. "Didn't want him to feel uncomfortable around me. Easier to trust someone when you don't think they can hurt you."

Arthur's expression became dark and protective. "You won't though, will you? Hurt him?"

"No. It was protecting him that got me into trouble, but I would do it again."

This time Gwaine was sure Arthur did look relieved.

"Why are you protecting him?" Gwaine asked.

Arthur looked uncomfortable with that question.

"He's my friend." There was a deeper hurt in his voice than Arthur wanted to admit.

"He doesn't know you know either." Gwaine said in realization.

Arthur shook his head. "I… I want him to trust me…when he finally tells me."

Gwaine glared at Arthur. "So that that trust can be broken as soon as he finds out you've been lying to him all this time."

"He's the one lying to me! At least I don't hold it against him… I don't want to force the truth out of him! He's the only friend I've ever had and I just…. I just want him to trust me." Arthur glanced away. "And I'll know he does when he decides to tell me."

They were silent for a few moments and Gwaine finally broke the silence. "You know… you must know… he's loyal only to you."

Arthur nodded. "I do… but for the life of me, I have no idea why…"

Gwaine had no answer, he himself wasn't completely sure.

Arthur looked seriously at Gwaine. "I need you to promise me… with your life… that you will protect Merlin…and his secret, to your grave."

Gwaine spent a long time staring at Arthur and saw for the first time the nobility in his heart that Merlin was so insistent on. Noble not just in blood but in soul. He leaned back and nodded his head.

"I think I'm beginning to understand."

~.~.~.~

"I'm sorry," Merlin lamented.

"Don't be," Gwaine said calmly. "I never stay in one place for very long. People get sick of me too quickly."

"I didn't." Merlin said quickly.

Gwaine glanced at Merlin disbelievingly. "After the trouble I caused?"

Merlin shrugged. "You livened the place up."

Gwaine chuckled and swung his pack over his shoulder. "Make sure you look after Arthur. He's in danger."

"I thought you hated nobles."

"Yeah. Well, maybe that one's worth dying for, eh?"

As Gwaine walked away, down the street and towards the gates, he never before felt so torn. He realized that in the past few days he had made the two closest friends that he probably ever would and he was leaving them both in danger. He spoke so much about the nobility of heart … how noble was he if he didn't risk his own life to save his friends.

~.~.~.~

It seemed like such a simple plan. One of the knights had nearly drunken himself off his feet so it only took a slight bang on the head to knock him out and he would be none the wiser when he awoke. That part was simple, the rest was more complicated. Once he was in the melee he had to keep track of who was who. The bad guys and the good guy, wherever he saw a spurt of blood was the thugs, only their swords were sharp enough to pierce armor, but he ended up being so distracted with the real threat that he managed to get knocked out by a not so real threat.

When he awoke a few moments later only Arthur and the thugs were on the field. Arthur was outnumbered and even as great a warrior as he was, starting to flounder. Gwaine stumbled over and pressed his back to Arthur's. Arthur seemed to pick up the danger he was in and accepted the help gladly. It only took Gwaine a moment to trade his useless sword for fake-Ethan's enchanted one and a stab to the heart silenced the thug forever.

Then jumping once again to Arthur's aid he stopped a mortal blow and quickly stabbed the other thug in the stomach. The gasps of the crowd assured him that they knew fake-Oswald was dead, but they clapped joyously nonetheless.

Gwaine turned to face Arthur, swords raised. To Arthur this was still a melee and he would be damned if he went down without a fight, even with a blunted blade.

"They'll expect us to fight to the end, you know?" Arthur stated. Gwaine just stood staring at him. Arthur reached up and pulled the helmet from his head. Signifying his surrender, or perhaps truce was a better word.

"You fought bravely," Arthur commended. "The field is yours."

Gwaine glanced around at the roaring crowd, letting it sink in for just a moment before he revealed himself and it would be all gone.

Arthur's smile was genuine when he saw Gwaine's face.

"I should have known. Nobody fights like you do."

The moment was ruined when the guards surrounded him.

~.~.~.~

Arthur looked anything but happy when he approached Gwaine and Merlin.

"The King is prepared to overlook the fact that you fought in the melee," he announced.

"That's fantastic!" Merlin exclaimed.

"Thank you, Arthur."

"But…" Arthur fumbled for words. "He's a stubborn man. He will not rescind his judgment. You must leave Camelot."

"Oh, you've got to speak to him, Arthur. Make him change his mind." Merlin protested.

Gwaine held up a hand to stop his friend. "Merlin."

"I'm sorry, Gwaine." Arthur said earnestly. "My father's wrong. If it were up to me-"

"I know." Gwaine answered. "You don't need to explain yourself." Their eyes met knowingly with the secret they both now shared. Arthur broke the contact uncomfortably.

"You have until sunset."

~.~.~.~

"Where will you go?" Merlin asked.

"I was thinking… Mercia." Gwaine responded.

"It's dangerous!" Merlin protested like a mother hen.

"Yeah." Gwaine agreed. "And you get a lot more ale for your money." Mother hen look intensifies. "I'm joking!"

"Why don't you tell the king who you really are?" Merlin asked. "He'll grant you a pardon. You can stay in Camelot."

"I could never serve under a man like Uther."

"Yet you helped Arthur."

"He stood up for me."

"I knew he would."

Gwaine smiled. "That showed indeed he is a noble man." That and other things… mainly things concerning Merlin. Gwaine wondered if Merlin knew how central he was to the man Arthur was becoming.

"Then why don't you stay?" Merlin asked. "You could be a knight, like your father." Gwaine said nothing, just stared at Merlin. "You and Arthur, you fought well together."

Gwaine was torn. He knew something was happening here. Something big, and more than anything he wanted to be a part of that, with his two closest friends. But he wasn't lying when he said he couldn't serve under a man like Uther. It was only a matter of time before he got himself banished again… or worse. He chuckled.

"Then maybe one day, we will again."

AN: So what did you think? I really enjoyed writing the Gwaine and Arthur deleted scene. I know these characters so well sometimes I feel like I'm just listening to a conversation instead of writing it. I hope you got the same natural feeling with their conversation that I did.

As always leave a review!

God bless!