Author's note: After weeks of poor Merlin being dumped on by, well, everyone, the Merlin in my mind stood up and dumped back. I hope you enjoy this, it kind of wrote itself, its basically a 2nd draft had has not been beta-ed.

Spoilers for 4.09. Not slash, no pairings, just friends being prats.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, but I'm enjoying the ride!

They had traveled through the forest from the druid shrine in silence. Elyan was unconscious, one arm flung over the King's shoulders, the other around the King's servant.

Arthur felt nothing but relief. It was the gentle soothing balm of forgiveness of past sins. Little did he know that next to him, Merlin was seething. They stopped to rest in a small grove of trees, laying Elyan carefully on the soft ground; they sat on a fallen log.

How many times in the past days had Merlin reached out to Arthur? How many times in the past had Arthur called Merlin his friend? Yet when they were at the castle, Arthur treated him like a petulant child. Merlin though after all they had been through, all the quests and danger, that Arthur knew he could trust, rely and lean on him. He was always there. Finally he could bear it no longer.

"You PRAT!"

"Excuse me?"

"No, prat is too nice. You ASS!" Merlin stood up and walked away, stopping to lean against a nearby tree.

"What is wrong with you Merlin? Don't tell me you're possessed now."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner Arthur? Do you not trust me at all? After all these years, all our adventures? All the dirty socks! I'm always here for you!"

"Maybe this isn't about you Merlin! Maybe I had to work through this myself!" Arthur was now standing across the small grove from Merlin, their voices growing louder in the dark.

"Once you had decided, why didn't you tell me? I could have helped or come with."

"You did come with Merlin! I'm the King. You're my servant, not my mother. You don't have any say."

"I'm your friend!""

"You're a peasant!" Arthur instantly regretted it, but his pride wouldn't allow him to back down.

Merlin took a step back like he had been slapped on the face. After a pause, Merlin advanced on his King, his voice starting quite but growing louder.

"Lancelot was a peasant, Elyan was a peasant, Gwaine was a peasant, Percival was a peasant, yet you knighted them all! Haven't I done as much as them, been by your side, been as loyal!'

"Gwen was a servant, a peasant, too, yet you were going to make her Queen!"

"Guinevere betrayed me!"

"I'm not Gwen, Arthur! I've always done my best to serve you; I've even dared to advise you! Think back, have I ever steered you wrong? Yet you trust your Uncle or anybody's word over mine time and time again!"

Merlin collapsed back on the fallen log. He was tired of yelling and placed his head in his hands defeated.

Arthur stared at him in shock as they words repeated in his mind. Why did he treat Merlin like he was worthless? Was he really a lesser man than any of his knights? Arthur sat down beside his friend.

"He's my Uncle; he's family."

"He's been here just a year, Arthur, and every time he gives you advice you almost start a war, or mistrust an old friend or someone almost dies, sometimes, someone does."

"My Father always taught family first."

"Your family is the people you can always trust and rely on to support you. They build things up together not tear things down."

They sat in quiet silence for a while again. Arthur's feelings of guilt were returning. Merlin's thoughts had turned to the druids.

"Arthur, did you mean what you said about the druids?"

"The druids are a peaceful people. Gaius is always saying it."

"But they have magic."

"I know."

"And magic is banned."

"I know."

"So?"

"So if the druids leave us alone, we will leave them in peace. I don't want to be the cause of unrest again. I'm a man of my word. The druid people will be treated with the respect they deserve."

Merlin thought for a moment, "The druids speak of a warlock, a man born with magic. He didn't choose to use it, it is part of him. They call this man, Emrys. Are you telling me, if this man came to you, in peace, and told you he wanted to help you, you wouldn't kill him?"

There was a moment of silence while Arthur thought.

"I guess I would hear him out."

"But he has magic."

"I don't know, Merlin!" What do you want me to say!"

"I don't know, either," Merlin kicked the dirt from his shoe. Light was starting to rise from the tree tops. "We should get going before we are missed."

Merlin stood and walked towards Elyan's resting form.

"Merlin, wait," Arthur stood as Merlin turned back. "I do trust you. When we are away from the Castle I remember that because we have to trust each other or we would probably be dead, but at the Castle… Well there is so much expected of me that I feel I must act a certain way. I get pompous and cocky because that's the way my Father ruled, and I feel like I have to be that way, too. I do it because I think; I thought that was how a good King acted. It's not right, and it's not fair, and I'm sorry. I promise that I will do my best to remember that you have always been faithful to me. I do trust you."

Merlin stared his friend in the eyes and nodded. No other words needed to be said that moment. Things hadn't totally changed overnight, but it was a start in the right direction.