A/N: So this is my first foray into the world of Merlin fanfiction. I only got into the show fairly recently but fell in love with it instantly and this is the result.
This is set after the end of Season 3, probably quite a while after as I wrote this thinking that the Knights of the Round Table have had many more adventures together. In this, Gwaine knows about Merlin's magic. It is suggested that Gwen does as well, but that can also be interpreted as her simply trusting the others and helping out without knowing the full story – you can read it how you want. Uther is alive but not really doing anything of use.
Hope you enjoy it! ~SG~
Sometimes Arthur thinks that, despite being Prince Regent, he is the only person who never truly knows what's happening.
Merlin is constantly in the thick of things. Arthur never quite understands how or why, but Merlin always seems to know exactly what's going on. How many times has he come to Arthur, telling him about sorcerers and disguises and evil plots? And each time, Merlin has turned out to be right in the end. Arthur, no matter how hard he tries, can never get a satisfactory answer as to how Merlin comes to know so much, because surely being a servant and hearing the gossip can't possibly supply him with so much information.
Gaius is much the same. His role is rarely as active as Merlin's, but Arthur knows how close his manservant is to the kindly old physician. Sometimes the two of them seem to know about a threat before it has even occurred. And then there is Gaius' ability to cure so many impossible ailments, to produce a miraculous remedy just in time to save Arthur or his father or half of the citizens of Camelot.
Lancelot often turns out to be involved in Merlin and Gaius' little adventures. Whenever Merlin needs to rush off somewhere (never bothering to tell Arthur where) or Gaius needs assistance with his more unusual cases (that Arthur is never allowed to see), Lancelot is the one they turn to. Arthur has lost count of the number of times he has seen the three of them huddled together in a corner whispering urgently. And whenever he asks for information they have suspiciously well-matching stories, blocking him at every turn.
Gwaine has been cropping up in the schemes of the other three more and more frequently, usually in much the same role as Lancelot. Gwaine, however, doesn't even bother to pretend that he's not keeping Arthur out of the loop. He has turned dodging questions into an art form, and Arthur often finds himself dragged into an argument that has him forgetting what he was trying to find out in the first place.
Sometimes even Guinevere appears to be in on it. She has always helped Gaius with his patients when necessary, but only recently has so much secrecy been involved. Occasionally she is a member of the small whispering group on the sidelines and other times, when the remaining four are conspicuous only by their absence, she looks at Arthur with those big brown eyes and tells him how Gaius is resting his weary body whilst Merlin gathers herbs with Lancelot and Gwaine for protection against the various bandits, sorcerers, magical beasts and other dangers in the woods. Arthur ignores how these times often coincide with whatever new peril is threatening the kingdom.
Most of the time, Arthur is immensely grateful for Leon, Elyan and Percival because he sees the looks on their faces when Merlin bursts in yelling about a new threat, when Gaius claims to know just how to solve the problem, when Lancelot and Gwaine disappear with a flimsy excuse, when Guinevere tells them everything is going to be alright, when the five of them murmur together and exchange glances and back each other up. Arthur is grateful because usually he can tell that they know as much as he does about what is truly going on.
But then sometimes...sometimes he thinks that perhaps they're involved as well. He knows all three are fiercely loyal to him, would walk at his side into any battle and die for him and for Camelot in a heartbeat. But he also knows that they have deep respect, affection and loyalty for each of the other members of the Round Table. And that if one of the others asked them to do something without his knowledge and gave a reasonable explanation for it, they would do it.
Arthur knows his father would never stand for this kind of behaviour and that maybe he shouldn't either. He also knows that he can trust each and every one of them to do what is right for themselves, for each other, for him, for his father, and for Camelot.
So he accepts it and waits patiently for the day when they will prove that he has given his trust wisely, the day when the bonds between them will be forged stronger than ever.