The nights spent either worrying or floating between awake and sleep were taking their toll on Arthur. The bags and circles aroung his eyes were starting to mirror those of Merlin's, and when his servant was in the room, an unbreakable silence settled between them like a thick, impenetrable wall. And this time, it wasn't a comfortable one. The prince never realized before how much they usually talked, and how he needed that to get through his day, to fulfill his duties as an heir to the throne. Merlin managed to become what a good servant should be: completely invisible.