Merlin cursed under his breath releasing a cloud of vapour from his lips as he hurried along the icy corridors of Camelot. Only Prince Arthur would be so poorly prepared as to require his servant to fetch him water in the middle of the coldest night the country had seen in decades. The young warlock quickened his step, both in a want to return to his bed as quickly as possible but also to prevent the water from freezing.

On reaching Arthur's chambers, he knocked briskly; hoping the Prince hadn't fallen asleep in his wait. Thankfully, the door opened quickly, revealing the future king wrapped in a warm cloak. Merlin offered him the pitcher of water and he took it. As the boy turned to walk away, Arthur grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him back around.

"Your lips are blue." There was no question in his tone, nor any concern. His voice was cool and even, simply stating the facts he saw. His eyes trailed down his servant's body as he took in the little he was wearing. "Why aren't you wearing something warmer?"

"Don't have anything, sire," Merlin managed to force out between chattering teeth. "Which is why I'd like to return to my bed, if that's alright."

"Don't be ridiculous." His voice was somewhat patronising in that way Merlin had come to know and love. "Come in here before you freeze to death."

"But sire-"

"It wasn't a question, Merlin." His mouth snapped shut and the warlock did as he was told, stepping inside the room which was warmed by the fire he'd started just a few hours ago. Arthur, without looking back at his visitor, removed his cloak and returned to bed, all but disappearing beneath the sheets. Merlin stood awkwardly in the doorway, unsure of what he was expected to do.

Finally, the Prince took pity on him and spoke; his voiced laced with slight annoyance. "Sleep, Merlin."

Merlin nodded slightly and turned to leave but was stopped by a yell. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To bed, sire."

"If you attempt to walk back you'll freeze before you clear the courtyard."

"Well I did just fine retrieving your water."

"Which is why your lips are as blue as your shirt?"

"I said I survived it, not that I enjoyed it."

"Well for all I know you won't survive the return trip and I'll have to look for a new servant; which by the way is most tedious and annoying so," Arthur sat up in his bed, "you'll stay here."

Merlin let out a defeated sigh before closing the door; admitting defeat as he walked back into the room. He sat down in front of the fire and began to ready himself to sleep there; adjusting himself as he lay down. He had just closed his eyes when he felt a sharp gust of wind on his cheek, threatening the flame for a long while before finally extinguishing it with a puff of smoke.

An irritated groan passed Merlin's lips as he stood to gather materials to relight the fire, when he heard the same prat-ish voice behind him, laced with exhaustion. "Just leave it, Merlin."

"I didn't realise you wanted to be frozen to death, sire," he answered quickly, continuing to prepare the fire, when he felt a pillow hit the back of his head. He turned to face Arthur, whose face was only lit by a candle beside him, with a slight smile on his face before returning to his work. "It'll only take a moment."

The Prince let out a groan. "During which time you'll become increasingly unbearable. Just sleep up here."

Merlin stopped dead, freezing into position as he replayed the words in his head. When he was certain that he had in fact heard the Prince correctly, he turned to him slowly. "Sire?"

"Oh for God's sake, if it means you'll shut up and I can go back to sleep you can sleep up here in my bed, alright." Merlin blinked a few times, still not quite understanding. Arthur, his forearm over his head, continued to speak. "Unless of course you'd rather sleep in the stocks and be pelted with frozen fruit."

At this, the hesitation left him and Merlin tentatively walked over to the bed before lying down on it, above the covers. Arthur again let out an irritated sigh as he threw the blanket over his servant before rolling away from him; his back facing Merlin.

Knowing that the Prince couldn't see him, Merlin snuggled down into the blankets, enjoying their warmth and texture and breathing in their clean, warm scent. In this blissful state, he finally fell asleep.

-/-/-

When Merlin woke up, he immediately knew something wasn't right. For one, he was far too comfortable. As a servant boy who slept on a straw mattress with scratchy sheets, he knew when he was where he shouldn't be. The second thing he noticed was that he was warm; in credibly warm, which was something else that was foreign to him. It took him a moment to realise why, during which time last night's events returned to him.

Arthur was pressed against him, holding the young warlock tightly to his chest with their legs tangled together and his head burrowed into the brunette's neck, clearly still very much asleep. Merlin couldn't understand how they had come to this when they had fallen asleep so far apart. He reasoned that it must have been for warmth, given the icy wind he heard howling outside the windows. However, this all fell through when he tried to escape to see to his duties and Arthur grabbed him tighter, speaking a muffled but unmistakeable word into the pale skin of his servant's neck. "Merlin."

The warlock froze in his struggles, trying to comprehend what had happened before smiling slightly. He turned slightly and pressed a gentle kiss to Arthurs cheek; light enough not to wake him, but strong enough to cause him to sigh in his sleep. Merlin chuckled lightly and allowed himself to be held, no longer having the motivation to move.

It was another fifteen minutes before Arthur woke up, his eyes hazed with sleep. It took him a moment to realise where he was and that Merlin was in his arms. But when he did, he immediately let go, springing back. "Merlin, what are you doing?"

"You wouldn't let me leave last night. And apparently even this morning your subconscious decided I was too weak for the cold."

"You are," he said unabashedly, contrasted by the slight blush creeping onto his face and down his throat. "Still, you'd best return to you…to you…um…"

"I suppose you want breakfast then?" Despite the words being a question, there was no question in his tone. Merlin stood and made to leave the room. His hand was on the handle when he heard his name called.

"Merlin." He turned to face his Prince. "We never speak of this again, you understand? Not to anyone. Is that clear?"

Merlin smirked, his eyes jovial. "Crystal."