A/N: Alright I usually don't write one shots or even read them for that matter but I got a good idea for one and it should be funny to write, so here it is.
Summary: A bit of a longer discussion between Arthur and Merlin during the episode "The Witchfinder" words in italic are from the show itself. Warning: Will contain corporal punishment.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The witchfinder walks up to towards Uther "Bear witness and heed this warning"
Arthur sits in his throne beside his father as he watches his servant get angry he could see it in his eyes and the way he was breathing, overly fast. 'Merlin don't do this' he thought to himself as he continued to watch everything.
The guards are already to the door with Guias in their arms as they dragged him out the door. Merlin steps out from behind the one person he is standing there. Gwen looked worried about everything. His memory flashed back to only a few months ago when she was supposed to be burned at the stake. Merlin had just gotten there and he wanted to save her. He could only imagine the feelings that were running through his servant's head right now that his master has been taken away on the charges.
Merlin comes straight for the witchfinder almost yelling at him "You're a Liar"
By the time the sentence is half way done Arthur is out of throne with his servant in his arms as he dragged him towards the door of the throne room.
Uther gets up and says "Guards" pointing at Merlin.
Arthur hurries past the guards, telling them. "I'll deal with this" He hurries to get him out of the throne room and into the hallway away from few of everyone. In the privacy of the hallway Arthur tosses Merlin forward making sure he lands on his feet.
Furious about what has just happened in the room Merlin takes a swing at Arthur. "You can't do. You can't burn him. Your father is wrong to do this." Merlin shouted at Arthur. "That man is lying about all of this, Guias is not a sorcerer. He can't be. And even if he was he has helped so many people that he should not have to die like this."
Arthur glared at him. "I know you're mad, I know you're angry" He blocks the wing that Merlin has thrown at him and pins his arm behind his back. "That is not the way to deal with this at all, Merlin, you know that."
Merlin squirms against the hold. "Let me go, Arthur Pendragon. You can't do this to me."
Arthur smiled. "Really I am the prince I have been doing this to you since the first day that we met you should be used to it by now. So stop fighting me." He let him go and threw him a bit away from him again. "I don't want to have to talk to you in my chambers right now after this."
Merlin glared over at Arthur again. "You will not do that to me again ever. I don't want a spanking and you will not give me one, Arthur Pendragon. Me being your servant or not it does not matter no one deserves to have that done to them."
Arthur took a quick look around and seen the knight that usually protected his father, Mathias. "Mathias, a hand please," He said to him. "I want to get Merlin up to my chambers."
The two knights had no problem getting Merlin up to Arthur's chambers, when they got there Mathias turned to Arthur and asked. "Do you need any more help in here?"
Arthur shook his head. "No, just wait outside the door if I need you I will let you know. Don't let anyone in here and don't tell anyone where Merlin is alright?"
Mathias nodded then left the room shutting the door behind him. He waited outside the door as requested.
Back inside the room Merlin was still furious about everything that had gone on in the throne room and he was even more furious now that Arthur had suggested the dreaded word to him. Merlin crossed his arms over his chest. "You can't do this to me, I already told you that. I wonder what your father would say if he ever found out you have done this to me in the past."
Arthur laughed. "My father might actually be happy that I have beaten you. He thinks I am too soft on you as it is. He might have more respect for me if he knew that I've hit you."
Merlin charges at Arthur. "I say you can't do that to me. One spanking today is enough as it were I don't want another one before I go to sleep tonight. If anyone should be getting one I would say that it should be that witch finding liar in the throne room."
Arthur caught him, pinning his arms behind his back yet again he stood him up straight and spoke very calmly in his ear. "Stop this right now Merlin. I mean that. I understand what you are feeling but this way of acting does you no good. I am the only one that can act like it because I am the prince but you can't do that." He pushed him over to the bed.
Merlin started to cry. "Please Arthur don't do this. You can't do this to me right now. I'll behave I promise."
Arthur took a seat on the bed and grabbed his belt that he had sitting on the bed from earlier that day. He placed his hand on Merlin's shoulder forcing him to his knees so that his stomach was on top of Arthur's legs. "Merlin, you have to learn that no matter how you feel right now you can't act that way towards people in the throne room especially when my father is present." Arthur let out a sigh. "Since this is your second one today I am going to let you keep your trousers on."
Merlin started to squirm to get away from Arthur. "Please no. We need to be finding a way to help Guias out not punishing me. You can punish me later." Merlin was hoping that if he could get Arthur to change his mind about doing it right now that he would forget about the spanking all together and he would not end up getting one.
Arthur shook his head. He admired the boy's persistence to get out of the punishment "Merlin the last time I let you put off the punishment I forgot about it until two days later when you reminded me. I think we do this right now." Arthur took the belt in his hand and raised it up above his head. Bringing it down on the seat of Merlin's pants once before he starts his lecture to him about throne room etiquette yet again. "Merlin, you very well know that the people that my father brings into the court are supposed to be treated with respect. Even if you think they don't deserve it they still need to be treated with it."
Merlin tried to cover his backside although he knew there little chance of it working, "I'm sorry Arthur, I will never do it again I promise. Just please stop this."
Arthur had seen the hands coming to cover him and he knew they would not stop the spankings. "Merlin, I have told you about this a thousand times. Two things hands go up and I stop counting and two this is the second time today I have called you on your disrespect. We are going to finish these this time." He let out a sigh as Merlin let his arms hang down.
Arthur let out a sigh continued the lecture through the swats on Merlin's backside. "If you have a problem with one of the people in the courtroom you come and discuss it with me in private the same as they are expected to do for you. As a servant the laws state that you can't be the one to make a scene in that court room therefore I have to do it for you. Don't let this happen again. Next time if I am not there you will get thrown in jail for this behaviour."
Merlin started to cry a little by the time Arthur had finished the lecture. "I will try to not let that happen again sire." He said through the tears.
Arthur put the belt down on the bed and gave him another five swats with just his hand on the sensitive under curve. "Good, Merlin I don't want to have to do this again." Arthur rested his hand on his back for a few seconds. "Now get up."
Merlin stood up, franticly wiping away the tears on his face. "If you are not going to throw me in jail what are you going to do?"
Arthur tossed Merlin a towel. "You can wash that when you are done with it." He smiled. "I plan on breaking the law." He opened the door to his chambers. "Mathias, Uther will be expecting you in the throne room I will be there shortly if he needs me. I just have an errant to run."
Mathias took off for the throne room. He was not intending on telling the king unless he asked where his son was.
Arthur looked at Merlin, he grabbed his keys from the drawer in his room and headed back to the door. "Come on Merlin we have not got that much time for you to have with him."
Merlin looked at Arthur confused. "I did not think you were serious about that."
Arthur grabbed a hold of Merlin's wrist. "I am now let's get going. My father will be expecting me back in the throne room soon." They left the room and headed down to the dungeon. Arthur unlocked the door to the cell and then turned to Merlin. "I can't give you much time"
Merlin smiled and went into the cell and hugged Guias.
A/N: Okay hope you enjoyed the story. As I said this was an idea that popped into my head while I was watching this episode. If someone does know the proper name for the knight that usually follows Uther around I can change it. I don't know the name that is why I stuck in the name Mathias. But let me know what you think about the story.
