A/N: Thanks so much for all of the reviews! :) Super glad you all are still enjoying this… it's about to get pretty juicy. Also, sorry for the delay! Please review and enjoy! :)

The Visiting Prince

Chapter Ten: The King's Decision

Arthur wasn't sure what to expect when his father sent a servant to his chambers with the message that the prince should report to the council chambers as soon as possible. Apparently an important matter needed to be discussed. Arthur hadn't seen Merlin since dinner but didn't think anything of it. He wasn't worried about Prince Edmund bothering his servant any longer, considering the satisfying crack as he had more than likely broken the other prince's nose. You see, Edmund was all about power – and now Arthur had shown that he was not going to put up with Edmund's controlling and violent ways, and the balance of power had shifted from one prince to the other – or so he thought.

When he entered the council chambers, it was to his father, looking angrier than he had seen him in a long time, sitting on his throne with his arms crossed over his chest. An equally enraged King Herbert sat beside him, in the chair that Arthur normally occupied. Arthur's mouth was beginning to go dry, his stomach doing nervous flips. Both kings looked so serious. This couldn't be good.

It wasn't.

Still, even though he had had a feeling that whatever his father and King Herbert wanted to talk to him about wouldn't be pleasant, he wasn't expecting the discussion to go in the direction that it did. "Father."

"Arthur." Uther's voice was almost as tight as his face, his eyes gazing at his son, his mouth in a stern line.

"Father, what is this about?"

The king thought for a moment before answering slowly. "I heard some very interesting news today, Arthur. Something that makes me question whether or not you are ready for the throne." Arthur swallowed, determined not to show his nervousness. What was going on?

"Sire?"

"Your servant, Arthur." Instantly, Arthur knew that this wasn't going to be a conversation he would like. At all.

"Merlin? What about him?" Arthur mentally winced as he heard the poorly masked defensiveness in his voice. Uther noticed and his eyes narrowed.

"What," the king said in a too-calm tone that sent shivers down Arthur's spine, "makes you think that you can assault another royal, a visiting guest, because of a servant?" A great fist of anger socked Arthur in the gut. Edmund had told? Arthur had been sure that he wouldn't, seeing as he and his father needed this treaty to pass just as much as Camelot did.

He tried to keep his voice as steady as possible, shaking off the foreboding feeling that this was going to end badly. "I'm sorry, Father, and King Herbert, for losing my temper with Prince Edmund. Perhaps I shouldn't have reacted violently, but he was overstepping his boundaries—"

"Edmund is King Herbert's son and heir to the throne of Stafford, and one of our closest friends, Arthur! We have told the family of Stafford time and time again that they are welcome to any of our luxuries while they are staying with us in Camelot – that means the food, wine, animals, and servants."

"But Merlin is my personal servant," Arthur argued. "Surely Prince Edmund should have let me deal with him as I see fit."

"From what my son tells me," King Herbert said, speaking up for the first time since Arthur had entered the room, "you haven't been dealing with him the way he needs to be. Edmund told me that your servant was rude, impertinent, and not efficient at his job. He also tells us that he thinks your judgment may be clouded when it comes to this 'Merlin'."

"I am inclined to agree," Uther added, "considering your attack on him in the throne room for correcting your servant."

"Correcting him?" Arthur spat incredulously, indignant at the way Edmund had apparently spun the tale. "Is that what he told you? Father, he had beaten—"

"Enough. Your servant was disrespectful to a royal guest, and Prince Edmund dealt with him as he saw fit. It is you and that boy, and this companionship between the two of you, that is the problem at hand, Arthur. This boy should not be so important to you that you forget your place. Our guests are here to sign a vital treaty, you'll remember, and breaking Prince Edmund's nose isn't a way to secure that." Arthur felt a wave of satisfaction in hearing that he had done what he had set out to do. His father's cold, angry voice brought him out of his triumphant reverie and he winced at his father's words. "Normally, such behavior from a servant, and your reaction to said servant would mean a flogging – but King Herbert, Prince Edmund, and I have come to an agreement that you will abide by, or the consequences for Merlin will be quite severe."

Arthur gulped past the lump forming in his throat, furious at the injustice of it all. Not only was he concerned about Merlin's part in all of this and what his father's solution to the so-called problem was, but his father's dismissal of him for Edmund stung. Uther hadn't been the same since Morgana's betrayal. He'd spent much less time with his son and more time in his chambers. Arthur had thought that having an old friend come around would be good for the king, but now he wasn't so sure. It seemed that some of Emdund's lofty views of the world might have stemmed from his father, and now both royals were working against him, causing Arthur's father to second-guess his judgment. "What is your agreement?" he asked dully, positive that he was not going to agree with it.

"Your servant will be spending the remainder of Prince Edmund's stay with him, and will be taught how to be a good servant."

"What are you saying?" Arthur knew, but he had to ask.

Herbert smiled like Edmund was God's gift to the world and said, "My son is going to train your servant."

As soon as he got out of the meeting, Arthur set out to find Merlin. He had to warn the boy of what was to come, what his father was forcing upon him. If he'll just suck it up, pretend to be Edmund's idea of a perfect servant, he thought almost frantically, maybe we'll get through this with as little pain as possible.

He didn't even believe his own thoughts. He'd seen the look in Edmund's eyes as he stood over the bleeding Merlin. Triumphant. Fierce. And full of more hate than anyone should ever direct toward someone as good-natured as Merlin. It made Arthur sick to think about it. And now Uther was going to essentially give Merlin to the visiting prince, like Merlin was just a piece of property. Distantly, Arthur remembered a time when he had behaved the same about the servant that was now his closest friend. Disgusted, he forced the memory out of his mind and continued his search for Merlin with renewed vigor.

Merlin was in his room, enjoying some rare evening downtime, when they came for him. Two guards barged into the physician's chambers, and Merlin could hear them through the door asking where Merlin was. A cold hand of fear encircled Merlin's heart as he listened. Distantly, he hard his guardian ask what this was about but the only answer they gave was, "The prince is in need of his services."

For a moment, Merlin was relieved. No, Uther hadn't found out about his magic, and no, the guards weren't here to drag him to the dungeons or his execution. Arthur wanted him. Suddenly, as the footsteps of the guards drew closer to his room, Merlin realized that the guards hadn't said which prince wanted him, and since when did Arthur send his father's men to fetch Merlin when he had the chance to yell at his "lazy servant" himself? Griping at Merlin for not doing his chores well or fast enough was one of Arthur's favorite pastimes.

That must mean…

As the guards took either of Merlin's arms in their hand and marched him out of the chambers with Gaius looking on nervously from his place at the table, Merlin realized that the prince he was being brought to wasn't Arthur – it was Edmund.

Arthur wasn't able to find Merlin in any of his usual spots – lounging about by the windows in the corridor outside of Arthur's room, in the armory (although, truth be told, he wouldn't blame Merlin in the slightest if he wanted to stay away from the armory from now on, given all that had happened to him there), or in the lower town. He decided he would go to Merlin's room, just in case, although he had a sinking feeling in his gut that Merlin wouldn't be there. Where is that idiot?

When he knocked on Gaius's door and was told to come in, he saw a slightly nervous physician crushing herbs at his table. The old man looked up when Arthur entered, confusion on his face. "Sire?"

"Gaius. Is Merlin here?"

The expression on Gaius's face was guarded, but Arthur could tell that he was growing more concerned with each passing second. "No, I thought he was with you."

Arthur gave Gaius a strange look. "I gave him the afternoon off, remember? To… rest." What he didn't mention was that he had been worried that Merlin was over-exerting himself after having just been injured. He had wanted to make sure the servant wasn't going to collapse because he was working too hard right after his painful encounters with Edmund. No, he couldn't say that; heaven forbid that he show how much he actually worried over that imbecile, even if he had a suspicion that Gaius already knew as much.

"Yes, of course I remember, sire. But some guards came in about an hour ago and took Merlin away… They said the prince had need of him."

Arthur's mouth was completely dry by now. Oh, no. "They didn't mean me, Gaius. They meant Edmund."

Wrinkled face paling, Gaius gasped, "But what does Prince Edmund want with Merlin?" The unsaid question remained: Hasn't he done enough to him already?

Grimly, Arthur replied, "My father has declared that Merlin is unruly and that he and I have become too 'close', whatever the hell that means, and has decided to allow Prince Edmund to 'train' him, giving Merlin to him until King Herbert and Edmund leave Camelot."

Gaius's eyes, even the one that normally drooped, went wide and up went the eyebrows. "Arthur, Edmund's cruelty towards those who serve him are well known, and he has never failed to break a servant."

"I know."

Tears threatening the back of his eyes, Arthur spun on his heel and marched out of Gaius's chambers, heading in the direction of Edmund's. He had to talk to Merlin.

A/N: I know it was short and didn't have much action, but I felt like you guys needed something since I was running so late, you know? If all goes to plan (and hopefully it will), I'll have another longer and more eventful chapter for you Tuesday, in just a few days, to make up for my lack of update. Is that okay? And even though it wasn't the most exciting of chapters, a lot of important stuff took place, stuff that is going to impact the rest of the story and sets the stage for the next bit. So yeah, important stuff… Next chapter, we'll get a taste of what dear Eddie has in store for Merlin. *gulp* lol Please review! :)

~Emachinescat ^..^