Author's Note: YAY! My first published Merlin fic! I've been a fan of the BBC show for so long and really wanted to write it for just as long - and now I've finally got the right inspiration to actually finish something! I'm having so much fun playing with this idea and I'm so pleased with what I've already done with it! I hope some of you enjoy it too. :)

First: To best understand this series, you should really read "Five Universes That Never Happened to Merlin" written here by chibikaty. Her drabble entitled "The One Where Everything is Backwards" is what inspired this entire collection and it best lays out the base of the world explored here.

Second: I am primarily a Merthur girl. So it might surprise you to learn that this IS NOT a slash fic. Not specifically anyway, so fellow Merthurians feel free to read into what you find here. There will be no specific mention of a MerlinxArthur relationship, and actually mentions of Merlin with someone else, but - as always - fans will do as fans will do and I do not resent that at all.

Third: Some of these entries are pretty legitimate drabbles - just a couple hundred words. Other entries are up to 2,000 words. So there isn't really a great consistency, even though I've named this collection a drabble series.

Disclaimer: Merlin isn't owned by me. No profit being made. No copyright infringement intended. Universe idea taken with permission from chibikaty.

This one was inspired by the scene in the 1x02 where Arthur is beating Merlin four different ways around the training field.

Training

The prince was hell. Outright hell.

"On your feet, Arthur!"

When Merlin the Royal Clotpole had told him they were to train that morning, Arthur had actually been excited. Fear of Camelot's central law banning most primitive and barbaric actions had kept him from practicing his swordsmanship for days. Of course, this premature enthusiasm only endured until the 'training' actually began…

"You'll have to be quicker than that!"

Diving to the side, Arthur barely managed to dodge the metal projectile – goblet, platter, whatever it may have been – and took this time on the ground to thoroughly curse Prince Merlin with every nasty thought that came to mind. If he had even a smidgeon of magic, the prince would be cursed twelve times over by now.

The prince's idea of 'training' was of the magical sort, though it mostly consisted of beating Arthur left and right around the royal's private field. This was done through casting a series of levitation and momentum spells – performed by the prince – and a spry running target – performed by his manservant. In all brutal honesty, Arthur could see the value in the exercise. Even born without magic, he knew enough to realize that casting several differing spells on top of each other, from several points of reference, whilst blindfolded – blindfolded! As though Arthur weren't humiliated already – and trying to hit a moving target was probably very beneficial for fine-tuning the prince's magic. Just like the body's physical muscles, it was important for magic to exercise and sharpen its acuteness through challenging activities such as this.

But the prince was only using the time to entertain himself, Arthur was sure. Merlin hadn't even broken a sweat – though, to be fair, he had only been standing in the one spot during the whole thing – and the grin on his face was growing with the sound of every distinctive collision between the flying cutlery and Arthur's head.

"Come on, Arthur-boy! Up and running or you'll be gathering all the equipment yourself!"

Arthur snorted – as if that wasn't going to happen anyway. Still, with the warning shot of a goblet striking his left shoulder, Arthur clambered to his feet, trying to stay optimistic in thinking that at least the running gave him plenty of training as well.

Author's Note:Feel like reading chibikaty's fic, now? I promise you, my stuff will make more sense. Copy, paste, remove the spaces:

www. fan fiction s/ 7555505/1/ Five_Universes_That_Never_Happened_to_Merlin