"No one must know about this, understand?" Arthur demands, pointing at Merlin and Gaius who sit at his bedside. Merlin nods quickly with a smile still on his face and Gaius nods his assent with what appears to be a suppressed smirk at the edges of his old mouth. They leave him soon enough and Arthur lays back down on his bed, his head still throbbing horribly.
He screws his eyes shut and tries to remember, what on earth convinced him to elope with Sophia? And furthermore how on earth did Merlin, Merlin, manage to knock him out? He lays an arm over his eyes to blot out the light in an attempt to soothe his aching head. Perhaps Merlin snuck up on him? But he had said that he'd been beyond reason, so Merlin surely must have spoken to him before hitting him, so how did he manage it? He tries to imagine various possible scenarios hoping that if he stumbles across a correct one that the sense of familiarity will make him recall the memory.
But no memory comes forth. Arthur yawns and allows himself to fall into sleep.
He's angrily stacking his clothes, still raging at his father's foolishness, how dare he treat him this way? The door opens with a slight squeak and Merlin's standing there, he narrows his eyes at him.
"Get out." He orders angrily as he slams another shirt onto the pile.
"I thought the King was a bit harsh." Merlin says lightly as he walks towards Arthur's bed.
"I don't need sympathy Merlin, especially not from you." He adds as the irritation rushes up his spine like an itch.
"But I did think he had a point." Merlin adds, ignoring Arthur's last remark.
"I ordered you to get out, now leave me!" Arthur growls darkly as he leans forward threateningly towards Merlin.
"I know what you think you're doing, and I know you think you're in love with Sophia but-" Merlin starts, Arthur feels something snap in him.
"Who are you to tell me what I'm thinking?!" He snaps furiously.
"I'm your friend." Merlin says gently.
"No, Merlin." Arthur says with a condescending air as he snatches the shirt pile from his bed, "you're my servant."
Merlin's mouth opens slightly at this point, as if to say something but he snaps his jaw shut tight and a wounded look flashes across his face and his Adams apple bobs as he swallows hard, he lowers his head, takes a breath and moves on, thinking of Arthur's wellbeing only.
Arthur sits up abruptly in bed, the vision of Merlin's face still burnt into the back of his eyes. Unbidden another memory floods back to him. He leans against his bedpost, looking at Merlin with a smile who is stacking his pillows and trying to beat them into the right shape.
"I can't order you to lie to the king," he hears himself say, "but… I'll be your friend for life if you do." He says temptingly. He watches as Merlin's brain whirrs, he's clearly deciding what to do. He sees the small smile on Merlin's face that he tries to suppress as he looks up at Arthur.
"Go on then, you don't want to keep her waiting." He says with a long-suffering sigh.
"Thanks Merlin, I won't forget it." He grins hitting Merlin on the arm. He turns to leave but as he shuts the door behind him he catches a glimpse of Merlin's unhidden smile and the glow of happiness from him.
Arthur, sitting in bed, covers his mouth with his hand and feels the guilt spread up his neck. It's hot and it itches, almost like the prickling on his neck that he's felt before throwing up in the past. Suddenly the cause for all of his guilt comes into the room, he stares at the pale dark haired boy, he stops when he sees Arthur.
"You're still in bed? Come on, you're going to be late! Uther will be so angry at you, and if he's angry at you he's angry at me." Merlin sighs pulling the sheets back.
"Of course… my father." Arthur murmurs still not moving.
"Yeah, we're going to have to find something to tell him about why you're late." Merlin nods as he grabs Arthur's clothes. Arthur winces, he dislikes his father being angry at him, but equally he can't ask Merlin to take the fall for him again. What could he promise Merlin if he did? That he'd be his friend for life again? No, that won't do.
"I'll just tell the truth." Arthur declares as he stands up and pulls of his nightshirt and shrugs on his undershirt. Merlin snorts at this.
"Yeah, right." He says disbelievingly. Arthur's head snaps over to Merlin, he's not even looking at him properly, he's holding a jacket against Arthur's shirt to see if it matches.
"You're just going to tell him what then?" Merlin asks handing Arthur the garment, "that you did in fact elope? Do you know what he'd do to you? Not to mention the fact that you were brought back by me?"
"I…" Arthur tries and feels his face heat up and is ashamed to realise that he's already deciding that he won't under any circumstances tell people that.
"Anyway, the King would probably still find some way to make that my fault." Merlin shrugs as Arthur fumbles with the tie on his breeches.
"Just… tell him it's my fault somehow. Come up with something." Merlin says waving vaguely in Arthur's direction with a pair of boots. Arthur takes them and hops into them as he follows Merlin out of the room.
When the time comes Arthur finds that the lie slips from his lips easily, and he forces himself to stare straight ahead as his father demands to know if Merlin is wrong in the head.
Later Arthur looks out the window as Merlin is pelted by fruit, he feels bad and tries desperately to feel worse. Yet he seems to find himself incapable. Perhaps it's not Merlin who his father should be accusing of having mental disorders, it's him. He seems to be incapable of being… honest, of being true, of being someone's friend, of being Merlin's friend. Some knight of Camelot he is, some prince.