Arthur looked up from the letter he was reading and turned his head around to Merlin who was watching him over the shoulder. He had been reading a letter from King Olaf who wanted Arthur to come to the marriage of his daughter, Vivian. "What are you doing," he asked Merlin while he put away the letter.
Merlin blinked and stepped away from the now annoyed King. He had been trying to read the letter in hope of finding out if it was important or not. God knows he would need a little extra help in protecting the prat. If he knew beforehand if they were going somewhere then he could prepare himself for the worst. It was usually bandits if they went on a trip somewhere, though. Why was it always bandits?
"I was checking for dust," Merlin blurted out when he realized the King was still waiting for whatever stupid explanation would sprout out of Merlin's mouth.
Arthur just stared. Merlin had come up with really weird explanations before. Moths, wood worms and Gaius always wanting some kind of herbs, and this was just another plain stupid excuse. Did Merlin actually think he would fall for it? Well, Merlin was an idiot sometimes after all.
"Well, you can look for dust in the horse stables because you're going to muck them."
"I always do. You don't have to remind all the time," Merlin mumbled.
They both jumped when the door banged open, but they relaxed when they saw it was only Gwaine.
"Something hilarious just happened," he stopped to take his breath and then started laughing hysterically, "You have got to come and see for yourself," he said after a while.
Merlin and Arthur looked at each other and then both shivered. "We don't want to see Leon naked, again. Once was enough. Oh, and you need to stop pranking him like that," said Arthur.
"It's not like that. Don't look at me like that. I swear on my ale, it's not Leon being naked," Gwaine argued.
Soon they were outside on the training grounds and looking at Leon covered in honey that ran for his life from hundreds, maybe thousands of bees. He cursed and screamed, but if someone asked he did it all like a man.
Merlin couldn't help but laugh so much so that he got tears in his eyes, together with Gwaine. Arthur on the other hand was not failing on keeping his laughter in. But if you knew him enough, you could see the amusement in his eyes.
The other Knights ran after Leon trying to help him somehow, but none knew how. This situation was bad, but it got worse when Leon and the Knights ran into the castle wall and the bees started attacking them so that when they were finished with the men who at some point started swinging their swords at the fast insects. They looked ridiculous. The Knights skin had gone red and swollen and to Jimmy, a child who happened to walk by, the Knights looked like big monsters. The little boy's eyes started watering and no more than seconds later did he start bawling and calling after his mother in hope that she would save him from the scary monsters.
Merlin and Gwaine were still laughing, while Arthur watched everything unfold, but was startled by a servant who now stood beside him.
"My lord, Queen Guinevere has ordered me to remind you that the nobles from house Sevarie are coming and that you, and the Knights should to be ready around midday." The servant had to raise his voice over the loud noises coming from the others.
All Arthur could think of while he looked over the people who were supposed to stand by his side and represent Camelot, while the nobles came to the kingdom, was that they would certainly make a strong impression if someone saw the red and swollen Knights, and the servant and a Knight who looked like they had rolled around on the muddy ground, which they had.
Arthur sighed and threw the water skin he had in his hand, on Merlin. Satisfaction came when he heard a scream of pain, following with a comment about the king of Camelot looking like a toad.
A strong impression indeed.