The plan

Arthur and the knights have been wondering for this sorcerer for the whole day!

Merlin groaned in annoyance as it started to rain.

"WAIT, I THINK I SEE A TAVERN AHEAD!" Gwaine called.

Merlin looked up and gasped.

"I think we should find another tavern..." Merlin squeaked, his cheeks hot.

"What..why?" Gwaine frowned.

"Uhhh...n-no reason..." Merlin gulped, eyes wide as they tied their horses to the wood.

They soon walked in and Arthur gasped.

"Oh dear lord..."

"What?" Sir Leon asked.

"Gay bar..." Arthur whispered but pressed on and got a room for them.

"All in one room, eh?" The owner smirked.

Arthur sighed.

"It's not what you-" Arthur said but the man cut him off.

"MERLIN! How good to see you again!" He smiled and ran over to the startled man.

"Uhh...who?"

"You silly!"

Merlin blushed.

"Greg....they don't know-" Merlin whispered.

"What that you're gay?" Greg frowned and laughed.

"Oh Merl...you know what i always say...Be the Queer!"

Merlin moaned in annoyance.

"Oh and...Mark has been so worried about you...he's in the kitchen if you want to say 'hi'..." The owner smiled before walking off.

All were silent.

"MERLIN!" Mark cried as he spotted the warlock.

The poor man blushed deeper.
"It's good to see you again!" he smiled and hugged Merlin tightly.

"Good to see you too, mark!" Merlin smiled.

"Now...we need to catch up...i missed you so much!" Mark smiled, placing a kiss on Merlin's cheek and took his hand.

"Uhh...i'm kinda...with these guys...i mean not with with just...i'm his servant...and...they don't know that i'm...you know..."

"Oh!" Mark nodded.

"Well, i'll show you all to you're... room..." He smiled and showed them to the door.

They walked in and Mark and Merlin stayed outside.

"Come with me...i need you're excellent baking skills...and we got a piano so when those blocks are asleep we can have a night to ourselves eh?"

Merlin blushed.

"Yeah, i'd like that, thank you...i just need to help them..."

Mark nodded and walked away when he saw Merlin hadn't walked in yet.

he went over to Merlin and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"I'll help..." The man smiled and they walked in and helped take off the knights armor.

During the task Mark would look over to Merlin and smile.

The warlock would smile back.

When they were all done, the knights were fast asleep, or oh so they thought.

Merlin was sleeping with Mark sneaked in.

He found Merlin and kneed before him and placed a kiss on his brows before picking the man into his arms, gently walking him up by calling out his name in soft whispers.

"Merlin...Merlin..." He hushed.

"Mmm...oh, Mark...hey..." Merlin croaked and kissed Mark's nose before nesting into Marks chest.

"We don't need to spend time just yet...you could sleep for a bit more if you want?"
Mark offered but Merlin shook his head.

"Nothing like a cup of tea won't fix..." Merlin whispered.

Mark smiled and carried Merlin to the kitchen to make tea.

Merlin was resting on a bench.

Mark walked up to him and shook him awake.

"Hey..." Merlin smiled before drinking his tea.

"Mmmmmmm..." he hummed, smiling as the tea warmed him up.

"Ah...this is so good...thanks Mark..." Merlin croaked.

"No problem, hunny..." Mark grinned.

Merlin chuckled and finished his tea, he was wide awake.

"So...what do you want to do?" Mark asked.

"I think we both know..." Merlin grinned and leaned in, pressing his lips against Marks.

It was gentle and sweet, just like Mark.

After what seemed ages they broke off.

"I missed you..." Merlin whispered.

"I missed you more..." The raven haired man smiled.

"So...who are those guys?"

"The blond buff one is Arthur, my master and friend...the guy with the glorious hair is Gwaine, also a great friend of mine...The one with the blond curly hair is Leon and the really buff but sweetest guy ever is Percival and the other's Elyan..."

Mark nodded.

"Wow...Merlin...how do you control yourself with all those guys...?" Mark teased.

"You forget...i have someone that i'll never cheat on..."

"Oh?" Mark smirked.

"I met him when a friend died...i was messed up but he made me feel wanted and loved..."

"Sounds like a hell of a guy, Merlin..."

"He is..." Merlin blushed and kissed Mark once more.

When morning arrived, a maid told them to go down to the bar to eat.

Merlin wasn't there to dress them so all were grumpy.

Slowly the small band of knights sat themselves down on a table.

The whole bar was empty, Arthur was too thankful.

Suddenly they heard a bang.

All knights ran into the kitchen to see a fallen bowl of baking mix.

They looked up to see Mark sighing, clearly upset.

"Don't worry...we'll get another batch...i'll help!" Merlin smiled and kissed mark on the head and wiped it all up.

When it was all clean they stood up and the man gasped.

"Oh, Merlin...you missed a spot..." Mark said.

"Oh where!?" Merlin asked, looking around.

"Here..."Mark smiled and kissed Merlin on the lips, pulling back instantly.

Merlin laughed and helped get the food together.

The knights still stood there, watching Merlin.

"Hahaha, here..." Merlin laughed and helped Mark with the flour.

When it was mixed Merlin dabbed his finger in the mixture and wiped it on Marks' cheek.

Both laughed and Merlin leaned in and kissed it clean.

They soon had a flour fight and put it in the fire to cook.

"There!" Merlin smiled.

"Told you i need you're excellent baking skills!" Mark smiled and hugged Merlin from behind.

"Hmmm...no problem..." Merlin hummed.

"Whats wrong, you look down?"

merlin sighed.

"They might want to leave soon...when they finished eating of course...we might not travel past here again..." Merlin pouted.

"I'll try to visit you..." Mark said.

Merlin nodded.

"Thank you..." Merlin smile and turned his head to kiss Mark's cheek.

"I love you..." Merlin smiled.

"I...love you more..." Mark grinned and kissed the back of Merlin's head.

The knights sneaked out of the kitchen and sat down at their table in silence.

Soon the food was done but §merlin forgot to clean up so when they arrived, both were drenched in flour.

The knights laughed and all ate.

Then the best thing happened.

Rain.

merlin smiled.

"Seems we have to stay in..." Merlin grinned and ate his soup quickly and cleared the dishes.

When it was night, Mark and Merlin ran into the rain just for fun.

Merlin ran through the forest, Mark was close behind.

Both playing a fun game of cat and mouse when for a moment Merlin lost mark but found him again.

When they arrived, both were drenched.

"Where are the knights?" Mark asked, scared.

"Probably asleep..." Merlin whispered and kissed Mark on the cheek, the man growled in shock.

"What?" Merlin asked.

Mark's anger vanished.

"Sorry...errr, i fell on a rock...When I was chasing you..." Mark explained.

Merlin nodded and they went to his room to warm up.

Something was different about Mark, Merlin would expect the man to kiss him a kiss before he went to bed, or invite him for tea, not even a single farewell.

Maybe Mark was just tired.

Merlin fell asleep.

During the night, when all were asleep on the floor, well...instead of Arthur, Mark creaked it open.

He slipped in, carefully treading through the tangled limbs of the snoring knights.

Arthur woke up when he heard the door slam shut.

"Hmm?" He moaned as he searched the room, Merlin was missing.

"Probably sleeping with Mark the Lark..." Arthur scuffed and fell asleep.

The man gently sat the semi-conscious Merlin on the table.

He chuckled and leaned over him, lips parting towards Merlin's mouth when-

"What are you doing?" A man sneered.

Mark turned to see a rather grumpy Gwaine.

"Oh...you're Merlin's friend...aren't you...?" Mark smiled, innocently and sat down, stroking Merlin's hair.

The knight sat on the opposite table, holding a now fully aided mug of ale.

"I don't like you very much..." Gwaine hissed.

He threw the mug t the ground.

"-And by the way...the ale's crap..." He hissed.

Mark gave him a sad smile.

"Sorry...i'll try better and...well, thats' you're opinion and i respect it..." the man said.

Gwaine growled.

"You're annoying..." The knight mumbled.

Mark chuckled and carried on stroking Merlin's hair.

"Stop doing that...i know Merlin and i know that he don't like to be stroked in one place..." Gwaine growled.

"Oh? and how do you know that?" Mark frowned, almost...teasing him, taunting, shaming him.

"When he was nearly killed my a monster...i held him by me and i calming him by stroking his hair, then he said he likes someone stroking his hair in different parts of it...it annoys him..." Gwaine hissed.

Mark nodded and took his hand away from the sleeping warlock.

"Mmmm?" Merlin hummed but didn't wake.

"Seems he misses my...mistake..." Mark smirks.

Gwaine frowned.

"Seems you don't know merlin like I do..." Mark stated, coldly.

Gwaine shot up, extremely offended.

He grabbed Mark by the shirt and hit him against the bar, the owner watched in worry.

"I know Merlin better, way better than you... i care for him more than you and...you better sleep with one eye open if i see one tear falling down Merlin's cheeks..." Gwaine snarled.

"Gwaine...?" Merlin croaked sleepily.

THe knight looked at Merlin in guilt.

Merlin looked shocked.

Gwaine let go.

Walking away slowly.

"I'm watching you, Mark..." Gwaine threatened.

He left but someone grabbed him.

"Don't worry, Merlin... it's natural..." Mark smiled and sat down.

Merlin smiled and nodded.

He leaned in and placed a kiss on mark nose.

It was raining during the morning the next day.

The knights got a bit angry but Merlin calmed them down.

He talked to them, feeling a bit distant from them.

They explained, saying they felt awkward that they found out but said that they accept him and by the looks of things and the way Arthur and they were around him, they were the same.

Merlin was thankful.

During the day Merlin was happy to see Gwaine and Greg talking, and by the looks of things, very intensely.

Somehow Merlin noticed that Mark didn't like it, not.at.all.

Mark saw Greg and Gwaine giving him a icy glare and the man looked sacred, anxious and desperate?

"You okay?" Merlin asked.

"Err...yeah, yeah...just...worried..." Mark said, eyes darting around.
"Don't worry...i'm sure what ever it it, it'll work out..." Merlin reassured him.

Mark looked at him, smiling almost evilly.

"I hope so..." He chuckled darkly then laughed, dismissing the strange action as a joke, Merlin laughed with him.

The warlock looked at Greg and Gwaine one more time, they seems worried and scared...and by the way they were looking at him, they were scared for Merlin.

When it was night Merlin said goodbye to Mark, kissing him deeply.

"Creepy bastered..." Gwaine hissed.

"Don;t worry...if the plan works...Merlin will be safe..." Greg whispered to Gwaine and they sneaked into a room.

It was midnight and Arthur was just about to fall asleep when the door opened.

Mark walked in, eyes wide and shaking.

What? Arthur frowned.

He went over to Merlin.

"Wake up...wake up!" He hissed, shaking Merlin hard.

"What?" Merlin gasped.

"Oh, Mark...listen...i love you but i need to sleep...i've been up for so long..." Merlin whispered, falling asleep.

"We'll sleep in my room..." Mark growled and took Merlin out.

Something didn't seem right and Arthur followed.

He laid Merlin on the bed, Arthur hid in the cupboard.

He waited till Merlin was fast asleep and sat on the mans' side.

he chuckled and leaned over Merlin.

'Is Mark going to rape Merlin?' Arthur thought angrily.

Mark's lips ghosted over Merlin's, he opened his lips a bit and closed his eyes.

Arthur looked at the door and saw Gwaine and Gerg snaking in with a...rope?!

Okay this is getting wired! Arthur frowned.

Gwaine took out his dagger and walked behind Mark.

Arthur looked over to Merlin when he gasped.

Merlin's mouth opened, his jaw lifting and a blue string of light flowing out.

It slipped into Marks when suddenly Greg coiled his rope around Mark's neck and pulled him away from the bed.

Merlin gasped and the blue light slipped back in him, breathing harshly he sat up and gasped as Gwaine thrust his sword into Mark's back.

"MAARRRK!" Merlin screamed, eyes glowing.

Merlin ran to his boyfriend when Mark vanished.

He fell to his knees.

"Wh-what...what's going on!?!" Merlin screamed.

"Merlin...what do you think we came here?" Gwaine asked.

"Err....to...to find a sorcerer..." Merlin stated.

"Right...well, me and Greg grew suspicious of Marks...sudden change of attitude and thought of a plan to se if ti was the sorcerer, we saw him in the kitchen stealing power from a cook, their soul...a soul eater...so you were sadly bait and we got him..." Gwaine said.

"-But wheres' MARK!" Merlin cried.

Both were silent and Merlin ran out.

He ran through the rain and found Mark running up to him, they crashed into a hug, both kissing each other hungrily from utter relief.

"I thought you were dead!" Merlin cried.

"You'll never loose me, Merlin..." Mark whispered.

Merlin looked up to see a small gash on Mark's head and took the man in the building.

The warlock sat Mark down, Greg made tea.

Merlin slowly dabbed a damp cloth with medicine on the top onto Mark's brows.

Mark hissed.

"Sorry..." Merlin said, calmly.

When he was done, the raven haired man kissed the freshly threaded wound and kissed Marks' lips.

"You're okay....you're okay..." Merlin whispered over and over, hugging him and rubbing his back, trying to warm him up.

"I kn-know what will warm me up bett-ter..." Mark smiled.

Merlin blushed and took Mark into a room.

When morning broke, Gwaine opened their door to see both tangled in their sheets, wrapped up in each other's arms, with a calm smile on their face.

"Take care of him..." Gwaine whispered and closed the door, the knights gathered their equipment and left through the sunny pathway.

Months later Merlin arrived at Camelot, tears falling down his face.

Gwaine took him into his chambers, hugging him as Merlin told the knight of Marks betrayal.

Gwaine was there for Merlin, he waited for the man to cry so he could hug him tightly.

Gwaine waited patiently for Merlin.

One day as Gwaine and Merlin sat together in the knights chambers, the man looked up to see Gwaine look at him.

"Oh, Gwaine..." Merlin whispered.

"It was you the whole time...wasn't it...?" He sighed.

Gwaine kept silent.

"I'm sorry...i'm sorry i put you through all that..." Merlin croaked but lips soon pressed against his.

He knew then and there that Gwaine forgave him.