Tip #4: You're a servant, not a rat-catcher. Besides, who doesn't like a little "biodiversity" in their room?
"MERLIN!"
Merlin quickly scurried into Arthur's room, where a very shirtless and a very red faced prince held a squirming rat by the tail.
"Good morning, your majesty." Merlin said, smiling as pleasantly as he could for having been woken up in the middle of the night.
"What. The. HELL. Is. This?!" Arthur questioned, shaking the rat in Merlin's face.
"I believe it is a...mouse, sire."
"A mouse?"
"Yes."
"DO YOU TAKE ME FOR AN IDIOT?!" Arthur exploded.
"Yes-no-of course...not. I'm just saying that you may want to call the Royal Rat Catcher." Merlin replied.
"We don't have a 'Royal Rat Catcher'. You know why? Because usually the competent servants that value their lives KILL THE RATS before the nasty rodents crawl across the face of their employers as they sleep!"
"Oh. My mistake."
Arthur took a deep breath, flexing and un-flexing his fist slowly.
"Take the bloody rat. Get rid of it. And all of its companions. When I come back from early morning training, I expect to NEVER have a repeat of this incident. IS THAT CLEAR?!"
"As the waters of Avalon." And with that, Arthur stormed out of the room, still half dressed, waving a sword, after tossing the rat (who had now fainted from fright) at Merlin.
Merlin looked out the door both ways to make sure the prince was really gone, and then knelt down, gently prodding the rat. Once the rodent had awakened, Merlin released him on the ground.
"Be free, Balthasar!"
