Author's Note: Thanks for your interest! Please review. :)
When King Dareth arrived, Arthur was prepared. He was waiting in the courtyard, an assembly of courtiers and trusted friends to greet the visiting royals.
As each man dismounted his horse, Arthur's stable hands rushed forward to whisk the horses away for watering and grooming. King Dareth led the procession, followed by Prince Henry. Arthur shook hands with them both. Then, they continued down the line. Trusted advisors, Sirs Leon, Gwaine, Percival, and Elyan, Gaius.
All in all, it went rather smoothly. King Dareth was obviously quite a bit older than Arthur himself, but he looked at the young king with the proper amount of respect.
As they all piled into the inner chamber, the first order of business was undertaken.
"King Arthur," King Dareth said, a grin covering his face. "It is so good to see you. I thought of you when I heard of your honorable father and his tragic passing."
Arthur bowed his head. "I thank you for your kindness."
Prince Henry was staring at the ceiling, a bored look covering his somewhat handsome face. At the very back of the group was a young man, eyes downcast and clothing torn.
Arthur turned subtly and glanced at Merlin, eyebrows raised apologetically.
"Prince Henry," Arthur began. "I was sorry to hear about your servant."
The prince let his eyes fall on Arthur. "Oh, yes," he said, his voice dripping with self-importance. "Poor Tom had an unfortunate fall." Merlin's eyes widened at the smirk on Henry's face. He took a closer look at Tom, the servant. He was favoring one leg slightly and he had a rather nasty bruise on the side of his jaw.
Merlin glanced at Arthur and saw the king's eyes widen nearly imperceptibly. With seeming reluctance, he beckoned Merlin forward.
"I would like to offer you the use of my personal servant. This is Merlin."
Merlin bowed his head. "Prince Henry. It's an honor."
The prince glanced, barely interested, at Merlin. King Dareth gave his son a small glare, and Henry straightened up.
"Thank you, my lord," he said, bowing to Arthur. Merlin stepped forward and took a subjugated position behind his temporary new master. Arthur tried to ignore how anxious he suddenly felt.
The signs of trouble were present from the beginning, but for the first day of Dareth and Henry's visit, Prince Henry merely displayed a level of prat-ness that would have put Arthur five years ago completely to shame.
"Oy, you, boy. Come put away my things." Merlin kept his head bowed, biting his tongue against a retort. He had to keep reminding himself that this was for Arthur – Arthur, who, no matter how awful he'd been in the past, had never called Merlin "boy" with that self-important smirk that seemed permanently plastered on Henry's face.
"Yes, sire," Merlin said, rushing to his work. Henry had given him work to take up the entire day. His first order had been to scrub the floors of his chambers. Merlin had bowed, and politely pointed out that the chambers had been newly scrubbed and cleaned to prepare for his arrival. This had earned him a back-handed slap that had turned the side of his face a stinging, bright red. Since that incident, he had gone to his work without comment or complaint.
Finally, he managed to escape back home. Gaius was just clearing away his supper when Merlin entered the room.
"Oh, good. I was getting worried!" Gaius exclaimed, pushing a bowl of cold stew towards his young charge. With a lazy wave of his hands, Merlin turned the stew to a hot simmer once more. Gaius glared half-heartedly at Merlin's use of magic, but suddenly his eyes widened.
"Merlin!"
"Hm?" Merlin said through a hungry mouthful.
"You have a hand imprint on your face."
Merlin's hand jumped up and felt the side of his face. "Oh yeah," he said, swallowing. "Prince Henry." At Gaius's alarmed expression, Merlin smiled. "Don't worry. It was one hit, and I've already learned how to keep in his good graces." He dove back into the food, ignoring the dark look covering Gaius's face.
Arthur didn't miss Merlin, or anything. That would be ridiculous. He was so busy with Dareth and negotiations that he'd barely had time to spare for his wife, much less his servant.
It was true, however, that Merlin did have a calming effect on Arthur. Things seemed a bit simpler with him around, as if nothing could go wrong.
King Arthur rounded the corner toward his chambers for a quick break before his next meeting, on the third day of King Dareth's stay. He nearly ran into Merlin, who was hurrying, head bent, down the hall.
"Merlin!" Arthur said, grabbing the man's shoulders to avoid a collision.
"Oh, hello, Arthur." Merlin couldn't help smiling – it had been strange not to see his friend for the past few days.
Arthur smiled back. "How's the prince?" he asked. Merlin's face turned slightly dark.
"He's alright. How are the peace talks?"
"They're – " Arthur stopped short. "Merlin, what happened to your face?"
Merlin's right hand jumped up unconsciously. Prince Henry had made sure to administer just enough hits to leave a bruised imprint. He opened his mouth, trying to decide what to say.
"What happened to your hand?" Arthur spoke again. Merlin's hand, raised to his face, was marred with a deep laceration along the back.
Merlin dropped his hand quickly, hiding it behind his back. Prince Henry had given him that little marking as punishment for not arriving with his breakfast with appropriate promptness.
"I – was down in the armory picking up a sword for Prince Henry and I cut myself. An accident."
Arthur looked suspicious. "And – your face?"
"I should be getting back," Merlin said, backing up in the hall. Arthur had just opened his mouth to protest when one of his advisors appeared on the scene.
"Sire, we are ready to start," the man said, bowing. Arthur stared at the sheepishly retreating Merlin for one final glare and turned away.
"Right, yes. Of course."
He would deal with Merlin later. There was no way he was letting this slide.
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