Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Merlin or anything affiliated with it.

If Gwaine had realized that being a knight also entailed boring and lengthy meetings, he would have never knelt before Arthur in that abandoned castle. He was currently sitting relaxed (others would say slumped) in the meeting hall staring intently off into space as Arthur was droning yet again about something related to… well, it wasn't that important anyway if the subject didn't garner Gwaine's attention in the first place. Now women, on the other hand…

Unfortunately, the only woman in the hall was married to none other than the King himself. To top it off, there wasn't even any hint of ale, let alone a goblet. This meeting couldn't get any worse. Perhaps he could count the stone blocks it took to build the opposite wall.

Two minutes later, Gwaine sighed. Obviously it didn't take enough blocks to keep the knight entertained. He looked over at Arthur at the head of the table to find that his lips were still moving. Had he even taken a breath since he opened his mouth? And Arthur thought he talked too much. He looked around the table to see other knights and important men look onto the King with interest, as if what Arthur was saying was actually important. Maybe he should give this whole listening thing a go.

"- Which is why I propose that farmers grow their crops against the slope, as opposed to with the decline of the hills. We can enforce this by-"

Gwaine shuddered. That was enough listening for today. If anything, Merlin would give him a condensed version later if he asked. He looked over at his friend who stood with half-closed eyes in the corner behind Arthur. Gwaine took comfort that he wasn't the only one sane enough to realize how extremely boring this meeting was. If only a sorcerer would make a flashy entrance and injure a few of the extravagantly dressed men so Arthur could at least pause and take in some air. He toyed with the idea of actually wanting Morgana to come back from whatever hovel she was hiding in before he realized that might be a little bit too much excitement- some of these men might be subjected to shock after this boredom they've been experiencing for the past- has it only been half an hour? The clock tower outside chimed and Gwaine nearly let a long-suffering groan escape his mouth. It has only been half an hour. He threw back his head in exasperation and it hit the hard back of his chair with an audible clunk that preceded the dull pain that bloomed at the site of impact.

Leon looked over next to him and tried not to grin at Gwaine's antics. "Gwaine?"

"Bored," the knight replied.

"It shows."

"Arthur thought I talked too much?" Gwaine's eyebrows disappeared behind his mop of hair.

Leon chuckled at the irony of Gwaine's facial expressions. It was usually incredulity and exasperation that mingled on Leon's face, not the other way around. "You'll become used to these meetings, just give it time."

"It's been two years. Time is not on my side."

"Gwaine? Leon?" Arthur interrupted his speech. "Do you two have anything to add?"

"No, Sire," Leon answered, his face reddening slightly at being caught. "My apologies."

Arthur nodded, knowing full well Leon was dragged into Gwaine's antics- whatever they were- unwillingly, like he always was. He turned to Gwaine and waited for an explanation. "Gwaine?" The knight turned his head toward him so fast he was surprised he didn't get whiplash. "Would you like to add anything to the speech?"

Gwaine didn't even pause to think. "I agree with you whole heartedly, Sire."

A quick glance to Merlin and Gwen at his side only encouraged a smirk to sneak up on the King's face. "Indeed? And what part of my plan would you like to carry out?" Why did he have any misgivings on seeing his plan through to completion? He should have planned on conning Gwaine into this in the first place.

Gwaine's face quickly drew itself into suspicion. Oh, he's good. "All of it, Sire." Too good.

"Excellent!" Arthur exclaimed with a grin. He turned to the rest of the council, "Thank you for all your time. This meeting is adjourned. Gwaine, stay after so I can give you my instructions."

"Let this be a lesson, Gwaine," Leon laughed as he stood from his seat. "Always pay attention to the council meetings, lest you want the consequences."

Gwaine sighed and slumped even farther in his chair. "Duly noted."