This was just a little prompt that I got from tumblr. I have it posted on Ao3 and decided to post it on here too! The person wanted Arthur and Merlin getting protective over the knights instead of the other way around. Hope you like it!
"Hello Lord Kyner," Arthur greeted, rising from his throne. Merlin watched with a half interest as to who the lord was this time. This meeting was one of dozens as of late. With Uther's passing, Arthur was making quick work on maintaining and gathering nearby alliances. There had been nicer Kings and Lords who had honored their treaties with Uther, and therefor Camelot and Arthur. There had been some plotting and calculating Lords, ones who seeked the advantage of a new King of Camelot and a weakened morale as a whole. Merlin detested those Lords; he didn't care for their beady, sneaky eyes upon Camelot. In addition, they were all Lords or Knights or higher stationed, so most of them looked upon Merlin as if he were just a stable cleaner or below the King's servant and not one of the strongest magic wielders to be prophesized about. Not that anyone, save a few, knew that last bit.
"Prince Ar- Forgive me, King Arthur," the tall man greeted, tsking sadly. "I am truly sorry for your loss. Uther was a good king to Camelot and her people."
Merlin already disliked the man.
"He was, thank you," Arthur continued diplomatically as appropriate for his new station. "Why don't we get you and your knights settled for the evening. I'm sure you are exhausted from your long travels. My servant, Merlin, will show you the way as I make sure preparations for tonight's banquet is fit for this reunion."
Merlin wanted to narrow his eyes at the visiting lord. Something was amiss about him, and he couldn't tell whether it was just the man's condescending behavior, even towards Arthur, or if it could be something more sinister. Either way, he had learned to listen to his gut instincts long ago and he wasn't going to stop now.
The sounds of sword training drew Merlin forward. He was out walking Arthur's dogs around the castle grounds and enjoying a bit of sunshine. Arthur had been working Merlin to the bone with all the new guests. Apparently, he was to help service all of them with anything they needed, be it food, clean clothes, polished boots, or armor. Walking Arthur's dogs gave Merlin a much needed reprieve from everyone clamoring for something.
Around the corner and ahead of him, stood the Knights of the Round Table. Elyan and Percival were sparring with Gwain two-to-one, Gwaine being the single combatant. Merlin couldn't help a fond smirk; Gwain did always like the odds against him. A few of the visiting Lord's knights walked up to watch, their faces nearly mocking as they stood off to the side.
Merlin let the dogs wander a bit, letting their leashes fall to the ground. They were trained well enough that they wouldn't wander too far, and if they did, a simple command would bring them back. He slowed near the castle wall to help avoid possible detection from Arthur as he watched the knights spar with each other. Although, by what Merlin was watching, they didn't seem to be taking it too seriously. It seemed more like they were getting to know each other's fighting style; gauging their reflexes and movements more than anything.
Before long, the other knights started to chuckle and made rude noises as they watched the sparring match. After stopping, and some unsurprising challenging remarks from Gwaine, the visiting knights decided to spar with them.
Merlin watched more intently now, eyes slightly narrow. The feeling of initial dislike wiggled in the back of his mind, though he was still unsure as to why.
Gwaine decided to spar with one of the knights, just a one-on-one match. They circled each other slowly, Gwaine's steps lighter and smooth while the others were slow and calculating. After a few tense moments, the two finally lunged at each other, swinging their swords. Each clash rang over the field while the knights watched. Merlin noticed that the other knight was using a bit more force than strictly necessary for a simple sparring match. Gwaine quickly lost ground, caught unaware at how viciously the knight was coming at him. Not long after, Gwaine's sword was flung to the side to clatter to the ground while the other knight still stood posed to attack.
Gwaine conceded with grace, hands held up in surrender, and went to pick up his fallen sword. Only, as he was walking away, the other knight decided to lunge at Gwaine again while he was about to turn to walk away. The other Camelot knights shouted a warning as they all tried to sprint forward to help. Before Merlin could fully make a conscious decision, magic burst through him making the attacking knight go flying forward as if he had tripped while running.
"Gwaine!" everyone shouted, clammoring to know if the knight was alright. Thankfully, Merlin had intervened in just the knick of time. Percy and Elyan stood near Gwaine, somewhat surrounding him. Percival kept a side-eye on Gwaine, however, as Gwaine was looking ready to start a free for all brawl right there on the practice field.
Lord Kyner's knights picked up their fallen knight and brushed him off, then proceeded leave from where they came from. Merlin exhaled slowly, glad Gwaine was unharmed. Whistling for the dogs, he continued on his way back into the castle. He had to tell Gaius about what happened. Maybe the older man would have some insight on Lord Kyner and his knights.
By the time Merlin got a chance to ask Gaius, it was late into the night. Dinner had been... fair. Gwaine was still tense around some of the visiting knights and Percival and Elyan seemed to keep an eye on him, while Leon kept an eye on all of them. They didn't need to ruin any chances of a continued alliance with Lord Kyner, who was apparently a strong ally near the southern borders. Gaius had told Merlin later on, that Lord Kyner was a seeker of strength rather than integrity, which is why his knights had tried to attack Gwaine while he was unarmed. The knights were as ruthless as they were direct, which is why they held much land in the south.
Merlin still didn't like it. The knights of Camelot had all saved or helped him in some way at some point, even if he was just a servant. They acted like Merlin's family, and he'd be damned if he let someone hurt the people he cared about.
Which is exactly what happened a day later, when Arthur and Lord Kyner had taken a handful of knights to go hunting in the dense forests just over an hour's ride from the castle. Merlin had gotten all of Arthur's riding equipment together and was ready to go as well, when Arthur had decided to leave Merlin behind saying he'd only scare away all the game and make unnecessary noise or commentary. Merlin had been more than happy to comply, less time around Lord Kyner or his brutish knights was welcome. Maybe he could get some magic studies in while they were gone.
An hour into reading over his books again and trying some smaller spells inside his bedroom, he heard the door to Gaius' chambers burst open and voices talking quietly. Snapping the books shut and stashing them under the floor boards, Merlin jogged out to see what had happened.
"I swear if they don't leave soon, treaty or not-" Gwaine's voice whispered harshly.
"You'll do nothing," Leon told him, helping Percival onto a bench. Gaius made the knights move so he could look at Percival's arm.
"We can't just let them do what they want! I say we go give them a taste of their own underhanded tactics. They're supposed to be here for peace, not trying to take each of us out," Gwaine grumbled, pacing like an angry animal.
Leon sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I agree, but we do not need to be fighting with anyone right now." Gwaine went to interrupt before Leon continued. "Regardless if Camelot's forces are larger than theirs, they are still a formidable group who'd be better on our side. We have enemies, and we don't need to help them by sending them more forces against us. We can hardly tattle on them like children. We're knights and we should act accordingly."
"I hate politics," Gwaine continued to grumble, arms crossed. "How's his arm, Gaius?"
Percival forced a smile as Gaius tried moving Percival's arm around to test the limits of movement. "Well, it's not broken. You're lucky, but I'd recommend not using it for a few days to heal. How exactly did this happen?" Gaius asked.
"Lord Kyner's knights happened while we were hunting. Funny how we've never had an incident on our own before," Gwaine said with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.
"We were running down some game, and one of them pushed me out of the way down a steep hill," Percy offered. "It would have been fine but I landed hard on it and rolled a little ways."
The bowl Merlin had grabbed for Gaius shattered in his hands and fell to the ground in shards. He flinched and bent down to clean it immediately. "Sorry, a bit clumsy today," Merlin explained hastily, willing his magic back. The others, who had turned to see what the sudden noise was, continued on with their conversation. Merlin gathered what Gaius had asked for and handed the items over for Gaius to wrap the knight's arm snuggly. If only they knew he had magic, he could heal Percy's arm in less than a minute, but they didn't know. The less people who knew was safer for him, even if it killed him to keep his secret sometimes.
With the wrapping finished, the knights helped Percy up and to his chambers. Merlin told Percy that if he needed anything, to find him or have someone find him and he'd get it to the knight as quickly as he could.
By the fifth day, Merlin was nearly close to blowing his cover as a simple servant and revealing himself as a powerful sorcerer by throwing Lord Kyner and all of his knight's outside the castle and onto their asses. Not only had the visiting knights not offered any sort of apology (they'd even thought it necessary to blame Percy for not moving out of the way) they had continued to subtly insult the knights and cause small, yet infuriating, problems.
Gwaine actively avoided Lord Kyner's knights on orders from Leon. Gwaine had nearly gone after a couple of the knights when they had been blaming Percy and insulting Camelot's hunting styles and routines. Elyan was on Gwaine watch, and Percival was still healing, even if he didn't have the arm sling anymore. Leon was acting as buffer between the two groups, but it was beginning to get under the eldest knight's skin too.
What was worse was their cavalier attitude towards the knights when they knew their Lord or Arthur wasn't around. Dinners had an odd atmosphere around them while the Camelot knights and servants tried to avoid the visitors as much as possible without seeming rude. No one dared complain, however. The only people with a high enough station to complain would be the knights, but Leon had told them to just wait it out, that they would be gone soon. A bit of patience would be better than having insult anyone, and it seemed best to just avoid any form of confrontation for diplomacy sake.
Merlin was getting really tired of diplomacy.
On the sixth and almost final day of their visit, Arthur had called an informal meeting in the throne room. Merlin had been counting down the seconds until Lord Kyner would take his men and leave. A week was far too long for a visit from these people.
Trailing behind Arthur, Merlin stood off to the side as a few of Camelot's knights lined the walls official as ever, and then Lord Kyner appeared in the room. Arthur hadn't told him what the meeting was about, but he had said that Lord Kyner had wanted to discuss something with Camelot's new king.
"Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice," Lord Kyner bowed. His knights had filed in behind the man, standing tall and every bit as formidable as they were rumored to be.
"What could I help you with, Lord Kyner?" Arthur asked.
"I was wondering if you'd be interested in taking some of my knight's into your care to use as needed. I understand with the attacks you've had recently, that you've suffered a great loss to your forces."
"A great loss?" Arthur repeated.
"Yes, King Arthur," Lord Kyner continued. "Why else would you let men who are not of noble blood serve as knights? You must be desperate for men if you're asking peasants and near strangers to serve you. I mean no disrespect, Camelot has been through a great deal."
Merlin barely managed to conceal a scoff at the man's words. Camelot's men were worth at least ten of the Lord. And at least twenty of his knights.
"Lord Kyner," Arthur said, "you seem to be under the impression that my knights are not up to the task of protecting Camelot, protecting me. Is that true?"
"Of course, King Arthur. You're knights lack a certain... experience as knights to be of any effective use for the kingdom. They simply have not been taught and bred with the ways of a true knight," he explained, haughty as ever.
Merlin watched in his anger as several of the knights shot the Lord barely concealed glares. Gwaine's jaw was clenched as he just looked ahead of him, trying to focus on some spot on the wall. Elyan's eyes were narrowed slightly, hands clenched behind him. Percival looked resigned to dealing with the brutes for the indefinite future. Leon was watching Arthur dutifully.
The room remained quiet for a few moments before Arthur stood from his throne. "I'll hear nothing more from you, Lord Kyner. I will not have you insult my Knight's of Camelot further."
Lord Kyner went to say something before Arthur continued over him, his voice carrying through the room. "I have hand picked these men myself to fight for Camelot. They have more integrity and strength than you will ever know, and they have saved my life numerous times. They are more than worthy of bearing the title of Knight, and I am honored that they serve me so loyally. I will hear no more of these insulting remarks towards my knights or Camelot. Bearing that, I would have you leave Camelot within the hour."
Lord Kyner looked at Arthur with widened eyes and a semi-slacked jaw. "King Arthur-"
"No, I do not want to hear it. I've heard of your knights causing trouble all week and the rudeness they have displayed in my home. They have insulted my people, and therefore have insulted me, and I will not tolerate it. I ask you again to get your men and leave. The servants have already gathered your things and readied your horses for your travels."
The older lord watched Arthur closely. "And what of the treaty? Are you saying you'd rather not abide by it?"
"Not at all," Arthur replied, stepping down from the throne. "I would still like to keep the treaty in tact, but I will not have you insulting me any further. We will keep our relation between messengers and small visits, nothing more. Do you wish to break the treaty?"
Silence.
Merlin watched as every knight in the room shift nervously, watching each other closely.
Finally, the lord shook his head. "No. Camelot is still a good ally to have, even if our opinions differ. We'll be taking our leave now. Thank you for your gracious hospitality."
Merlin didn't hold back his snort that time as the Lord forced the neutral words from his mouth. He didn't particularly sound happy about what had happened, and Merlin couldn't help but enjoy every minute of it.
With that, the Camelot knights let out a collective breath as Lord Kyner and his knights made their way down to the stables to leave. Frankly, Merlin was surprised that none of them tried to argue or put up a small fight, but he was glad they didn't.
Arthur let out a long breath and stood there for a minute before Leon stepped forward to kneel before Arthur. "Thank you for the words, my King. We shall do our best to live up to your expectations." The rest of the knights in the room followed suit, kneeling in a flourish of red capes and shiny armor. Arthur bowed his head back in respect and acknowledgement. With a motion, the knights all rose to stand, more relaxed than before.
"Although," Arthur continued, looking around at his knights. "Gwaine, how did you not throttle one of them this past week?" he wondered. "If anyone would have thrown a punch, I figured it'd be you."
The knights all laughed, the tension draining out of the room quickly.
"It was a challenge," Gwaine declared dramatically. "And now I need a drink! Anyone up for a trip to the tavern?" Arthur nodded at them in dismissal, and several of them agreed, walking out of the throne room. Arthur said that he had other things to take care of, so he left after telling Merlin to get back to work.
"You alright, Merlin?" Leon asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm fine," he answered, watching as Arthur walked away. Besides Arthur telling Merlin to get back to work like he hadn't put up with the knights all week as well, Merlin still felt a deep respect for Arthur. It took a lot to potentially turn away a powerful ally for the sake of his knights. "But how did Arthur find out? " Merlin asked aloud, "I thought we all agreed to keep it quiet and wait for them to leave."
"Who knows, Merlin?" Leon smiled at him, patting his shoulder. "Who knows? It's just good that they're finally gone and away from Camelot."
After an almost-knowing smirk from Leon, Merlin looked up at the older knight. "Did you-?"
"Who knows," Leon shrugged, before smirking and walking away.
Merlin stood there dumbfounded for a moment. Leon that sneaky knight... He'd been the one trying to be the buffer between the two groups and telling everyone to be patient and just wait for the visitors to leave. "I thought you said tattling was childish?!" Merlin couldn't help but yell after Leon, chasing the man down to get answers.