Number three: This is a really short un-bamfy one that sprung from the prompt from Samerys707.
Sir Richard is just a random. If there actually was a knight called Sir Richard anywhere in the series that I missed or forgot about, it's not him. Sir Richard is a spawn of my imagination. I assume he knew Merlin as a friend and magical person before Merlin met Arthur. It's a long stretch, but whatever. Stranger things have happened – especially on Merlin. Hey, it's fiction.
-JC
Old friends, new enemies.
A Merlin oneshot by Januscars
For Samerys707
"I must say, it's absolutely splendid to see you so well Arthur!" Sir Richard said, pounding the King on the back. Arthur smiled with forced enthusiasm, unimpressed and annoyed at the knight's over-zealous nature.
"And you too, Richard," he said with a tight smile. Richard laughed a booming laugh.
"Ah, that's the spirit!" he cried, giving Arthur a friendly punch, that nearly knocked him off his seat, "Where's the dinner, lad?" He still insisted on addressing Arthur as 'lad' in private, even though, as king, Arthur was of a much higher rank. It was one of the many things that Arthur didn't really like about the man, knight or not.
"I don't know," Arthur said, real annoyance creeping into his voice, "MERLIN!" he yelled.
"Sorry, sorry sire," Merlin exclaimed, as he entered the room backwards so as not to spill the huge platter of meats and salads. He awkwardly negotiated his way around one of the cupboards, and narrowly missed tripping over a bucket left in the middle of the floor. Arthur rolled his eyes at Richard, mouthing something to the general theme of incompetence in lower staff, as Merlin wobbled under the huge dish.
He turned around, caught his first sight of Sir Richard, and jumped, tripping over his own feet and tumbling to the floor in amongst a mess of meat. There was a loud and resounding crash as cutlery and sausages spilled over the floor in a haphazard mess. Arthur ducked and felt a slab of meat whistle over his head.
"Merlin!' he yelled, and Merlin looked up from the floor, sheepish and covered in some kind of sauce. There was a leafy green plastered over one eye, and he peeled it off hurriedly.
"Uh… sorry sire," he said with a weak grin, "Shall I… clean this up?"
Arthur was about to insist that he did so, but Sir Richard interjected before he could.
"I say!" he cried jovially, leaping to his feet and wringing the servant's skinny hand eagerly, jerking the man upright "that's never Merlin! Good lord boy, you should have told me you were in Camelot! I would have come to visit you! What are you doing here? Still up to your old tricks, eh?"
Merlin reclaimed his hand with a wince of pain, and smiled awkwardly at Richard. The knight beamed back at him.
"You know Merlin?" Arthur asked in surprise, and Richard guffawed.
"O'course I do! He helped me out of a couple of scrapes when he was only a boy, and no mistake! I owe you a pint or two, don't I?"
A look of recognition clouded Merlin's face. Arthur sourly noted the omission of the customary title of 'lad', that Richard bestowed on anyone less than fifty.
"Oh, Richard. I didn't realise it was you." Merlin said, although it was plain that he had. Arthur frowned at the behaviour.
"Of course you didn't," Richard said with a laugh, "Head full of fluff, you have. What are you doing as a servant? A man of your talent and surely-"
"Ah, no, you see," Merlin said loudly, covering up Richard's words, "I don't really have any talents." He laid stress on the words, trying to indicate the situation to the red-faced knight, but it was to no avail.
"Oh, come on, of course you do! You always did, didn't you? Or don't you like to talk about it in front of the king? I'm surprised he still lets you serve him if-"
"No I really don't -" Merlin continued desperately, silently cursing mentally inept knights.
Arthur looked between the two, trying to gauge the subject of the conversation. Merlin's voice was growing more agitated.
"But what about the magic, boy?" Richard roared, "My, that did us a lot of use back in the days, eh?"
There was a pause, in which Merlin buried his face in his hands.
"What?" Arthur cried.
Richard stared at him, ridiculous smile beginning to slide off his face.
"Oh no," he said quietly, "You didn't know?"
"Magic is outlawed in Camelot, you dimwit!" Merlin cried in agitation.
"Is it?" Richard said in grief, "I thought that bag of trollop had been cleared up years ago!"
"What?" repeated Arthur, staring at his teary servant. Merlin was shaking his head, mouth opening to deny the claims.
"I thought," Sir Richard rephrased, thinking that Arthur was talking to him, "That that stupid law had been gotten rid of years ago!"
"Stupid law?" Arthur snapped, turning back to the guilty knight, "Stupid law?"
"Well," Richard said abrasively, attempting to place an arm around Merlin's shoulders but missing, "If it weren't for Merlin and his magic, I wouldn't be standing here today. And neither, I suspect, would you. Surely that counts for something, eh?" He smiled awkwardly.
Merlin groaned and shook his head, "You're making it worse, Richard," he said, "You haven't even given me a chance to deny it."
"Why would you deny it?" Richard said in genuine confusion.
"Because. It. Is. Out. Lawed. On. Pain. Of. Death." Merlin said slowly, "You clot."
"Well surely I didn't know that." Richard retorted. Merlin covered his face with his hands and spoke through his fingers.
"That's because you are a complete quality clotpole." He muttered, "I manage to keep a secret for years, and you blow it all in under five minutes. Well done. I think you owe me more than a couple of pints now."
"You don't need any more liquor," Arthur said automatically. His mind was reeling with Merlin's lack of denial.
"I don't go to the tavern, clotpole," Merlin said with a sigh, "You know I can't hold my ale. Never could."
"So wh-"
"What do you think?" Merlin asked.
Richard looked from one to the other, "Shall I… go saddle my horse?" He asked tentatively.
"Good idea," Arthur snarled, "I have a few words to say to my servant."
I now officially love Sir Richard.
-JC