To stand out
"Get Merlin over there."
Everyone went silent. Dead silent. And the silence had a very good reason to be there.
The speaker was George.
Everyone new that George didn't like Merlin because of the way the prince's manservant did his job. Everyone also knew that Merlin didn't like George because of his ways when it came to working.
But what George knew, and everyone didn't, was that prince Arthur would be alright no matter the circumstances…
If Merlin was there with him.
George didn't know how Merlin did it and he wasn't going to dwell on it. This was the one thing Merlin knew how to do better than anyone else and George wouldn't stop him, not when the thing was keeping the crown prince well, both physically and mentally.
George had lost count of how many times the prince had come out of a certain death missions. The dragon was only one example. To add to that most of the time the prince came out with only a few scratches. Merlin was always with him usually looking more worn out than the prince. He was a servant, not a knight, so it should be expected but George just didn't think that was the reason.
Merlin's eyes would linger in places people normally ignored. It was like he saw far more in them than the others did. Like he saw through them. This was normal whenever someone new came in to the castle. Or if no one had seemingly come George knew something was there anyway. When Merlin's eyes started to look through things something was about to happen. And when that something happened it was like Merlin could be everywhere at the same time if needed. He was everywhere without leaving the prince.
He was everything the prince needed. Everyone could see Merlin was an advisor, a servant, a constant. Some could see he was a friend and a shield. George didn't know if he was the only one thinking Merlin was prince Arthur's weapon too. Something in the way Merlin's eyes stayed on the people who would later turn out to be traitors told that heads were about to fall. And more often than not they did, one way or another.
And then of course there were the smiles. George wasn't thinking about Merlin's never ending, annoying, beaming smiles, no - he meant prince Arthur's. The ones that didn't tend to keep warmth or pure happiness in them. Well, they did now. This was most likely why the prince kept Merlin around even though he was shit at his actual job. That was one word George would never say aloud. It didn't stop him from thinking it.
Time and time again prince Arthur had gone to his chambers very anxious after having a discussion, or rather an argument, with the King. There he would end up in another shouting match with Merlin (it could be heard from the corridor outside). But unlike the King who blames the prince for not doing as he ordered Merlin would argue with prince Arthur for not believing his heart but his father in the end. They would both end up in a mess the next day because the prince would either protest against his father or just act without informing the King at all. The point was, the prince never ended up looking anxious after arguing with his manservant.
It was stupid really. The prince would defend the beliefs of the King and the manservant would defend the beliefs of the prince to the said prince himself. So, in the end, the manservant would argue against the King and the prince would argue against himself. This was the reason George never tried to keep track of conversations during court gatherings. He couldn't understand the logic of nobles'. But what good came from Merlin shouting treason in there was that he was shouting at the prince he was right just when he was about to give up his own beliefs.
Bantering, insulting royalty, fooling around with the knights, doing his job halfheartedly. George despised all of that. He didn't want to get to know the man but George wasn't about to get on the bad side in Merlin's eyes either. He wanted to keep his head, thank you, and if he was being totally honest with himself… He wanted to see the King prince Arthur could become. He wanted to see Merlin's version, not King Uther's.
"Please, trust me in this. It has to be Merlin."
They were making a decision among servants who should accompany and serve the prince on his mission starting the next day. It was a secret that the mission would be really dangerous so naturally every staff member knew. And since this was a gathering with a schedule set beforehand Merlin wasn't there in time. Some things just never changed.
The future of Camelot would be safe if the prince was safe.
The prince would be safe if Merlin was with him.
If the only way for Merlin to be there was by George standing out for him…
Then so be it.
"Yes, you heard me correctly. You gave me the choice and I made it. Send. Merlin. With. The prince."
I don't own Merlin or the ability to use English correctly since its not my first language. So please, if you find any errors point them out to me. I really hope you enjoyed my little story and I would love it if you told your thoughts about it to me.
I'm marking this story as complete but I wonder if I should do a second chapter with Merlin figuring out George was doing the talking for him? Would you be interested?