Merlin sighed as he wandered down the hall, lagging slightly behind Arthur as the two of them made their way towards the courtyard, where they would soon be greeting some visitors, the royal family of Varelia, and welcoming them to Camelot.

"Come on, Merlin! Keep up. What is wrong with you today?" Arthur glanced over his shoulder as he walked, glaring at his manservant.

"Nothing is wrong with me, Arthur," Merlin said, the irritation clear in his voice. "I'm just a bit tired is all."

"Well, wake up. I don't want you slouching when we meet King Phillip."

"Yes, sire." Merlin's tone oozed sarcasm.

Arthur ignored it. "And couldn't you have smartened up a bit? Worn something a bit more…?"

"A bit more what, Arthur? We don't all have the luxury of an entire wardrobe full of fancy clothes, you know."

Arthur didn't respond. He knew that Merlin's surly mood had everything to do with the visitors to Camelot. Truth be told, he felt just as uneasy. Something never failed to happen when people came to visit. He had had to deal with everything from love spells to assassination attempts. It didn't seem to matter who was visiting. Something always happened.

But Varelia was one of Camelot's closest allies. And King Phillip was a great man. Arthur didn't expect any problems from him.

His son, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. Arthur feared the day that King Phillip died and left his kingdom to his heir, Prince James. James was around the same age as Arthur, and the two had spent a lot of time together years ago when the Varelian royals made frequent trips to Camelot. Those trips had stopped, however, after the death of Phillip's frail and sickly wife, Queen Isobel; the devastated King choosing to stay within the walls of his own kingdom for the last several years. It had been a surprise to Arthur to receive word recently that Phillip wanted to visit again, and he had of course extended the invitation.

But thinking about James, Arthur had to suppress a groan. Even as a young boy, Arthur could hardly stand James. He could admit that he himself had been arrogant and obnoxious back then, a prat, as Merlin would say. But he had been downright angelic compared to James. The Varelian Prince's temper tantrums had been something to behold. He'd scream so loud that the entire castle seemed to be filled with the blood-curdling sound. For days afterwards, members of the guard and staff could be heard muttering under their breath that their ears were still ringing.

As he grew older, James' tantrums subsided, as it was no longer an acceptable form of behavior for a boy of his age, and a future king, no less. But he became increasingly violent, taking his frustrations out on anyone around him who seemed to be weaker than he. It was not uncommon to see several of the Varelian servants sporting black eyes and bruised faces.

It made Arthur feel sick. But he would have none of it on this visit. As the King now, it was his job to protect those who were weaker than him. And if he saw James harassing any of the staff that he had brought along with him from Varelia, he would not hesitate to say something.

Of course, it was entirely possible that James had grown out of his violent tendencies by now, right? It had been several years, after all. Arthur himself had changed a lot since their last encounter. What if James had, too? Arthur shook his head. He knew better.

"Exactly how long is this visit going to be?" Merlin asked, catching up to Arthur at last.

"A couple of weeks."

Merlin sighed again.

"They are our allies, Merlin. We need to show that we value that friendship. So please, be respectful when you're around them. And don't try to be too clever. Just keep your nose down."

"You mean, become a bootlicker?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm not asking you to become George or anything, but just to become- slightly less- Merlin."

This made Merlin laugh. "Alright, fine. I'll try to tone down my "merliness" for the next couple of weeks, at least around the royals. But don't go expecting any special treatment for yourself. I still won't hesitate to drag you out of bed in the morning if I have to."

Arthur turned and took a quick swing at Merlin's head, Merlin just managing to duck out of the way in time.

"So what are they like?" Merlin asked, as they finally reached the door that opened onto the courtyard. "Anything I should know before meeting them?" Merlin had never met the Varelian royal family, their last visit having been the year before Merlin's arrival in Camelot.

Arthur paused before opening the door to the outside world. Finally he said, in a low and serious voice,

"Stay away from James."