Arthur took Leon aside the next day, after training.
"I need you to do something for me, and I need you to be discreet about it," Arthur told him, voice low but firm.
He had dragged Leon to the far end of the training fields, where Merlin couldn't listen in. Arthur could see him over Leon's shoulder. The manservant was busy picking up the discarded weapons with the help of some squires.
"Of course, sire," Leon replied. His voice was carefully neutral, but the harsh line appearing between his eyes gave away his worry.
"It's about Merlin," Arthur revealed.
"Your servant?" One of Leon's eyebrows ticked upwards.
Arthur quickly placed a warning hand on the knight's shoulder to keep him from turning around and making it apparent that they were talking about Merlin. "I'd like you to make some enquiries, around the lower town and the castle."
Leon's eyes narrowed slightly as he considered this. "What kinds of enquiries, sire?"
Arthur briefly looked past him again to track Merlin's movement across the training field. He had his arms full with blunt training swords and was now approached by Sir Lucan, who added his own sword on top of Merlin's pile, causing Merlin to sway a little. "I need you to ask around the taverns. Not just The Rising Sun, but the more dubious dives. I need to find out if Merlin frequents any of those establishments and if he does, if he's accumulated any debts or made enemies there."
Leon's second eyebrow ticked up, giving him a distinctly Gaius-like flair. But he only nodded once, to show that he had understood.
Arthur's eyes flickered over to Merlin again, who was now making his way towards the citadel to return the weapons to the armoury. "I'd also like you to ask around at the castle. Discreetly, as I said. I want to know whether Merlin is friendly with one of the servant girls. More friendly than he usually is, if you understand my meaning."
Leon's eyes widened a bit, but again, he only nodded curtly.
"I can't stress enough how important it is that nothing about this comes back to Merlin. There can be no gossip, either."
"I understand, sire," said Leon. Arthur scanned the training grounds one more time, then turned his full attention on Leon, squarely meeting his eyes.
"I trust you on this, Leon," he said firmly.
"And I will endeavour not to disappoint you, my lord," Leon replied solemnly and bowed. When his head came up again, he had his lips pressed together just a bit too tightly, though.
Arthur let out a long exhale, then prompted, "What is it? I can see you have questions."
"It was my understanding that you trusted Merlin completely, sire," Leon replied, though he was careful not let a single note of what he might be feeling bleed into his tone. "Has he done something to merit this kind of… vetting?"
"I do trust him," replied Arthur. It was true. He still did. He would have fired Merlin on the spot if he didn't. "But I think he might be in trouble. Trouble he would not tell me about, even if I asked."
"I see," said Leon, and seemed to relax a little.
He cares about Merlin, Arthur suddenly realised. It warmed him to see that another nobleman had come to look out for his manservant. Merlin was, of course, a very likable person. But Arthur knew that most knights, while too respectful or judicious to make any such comments in Arthur's presence, found their Prince's attachment to the insolent servant strange, if not unsuitable.
Leon here didn't seem to think ill of Arthur's camaraderie with Merlin. This fact made it all the more clear that Leon was the best choice for this unusual assignment.
Arthur put his hand back on Leon's shoulder and squeezed it as he said, "I appreciate this, Leon. Thank you."
"I will report to you as soon possible, sire," Leon promised, and they parted.
Arthur walked back to the castle, collecting Merlin on the way so he could get out of his armour and freshened up before meeting his father for lunch. Merlin was unusually quiet as he efficiently tugged at vambraces and plates. He was looking rather pale again and Arthur wondered if that was simply because of the lingering cold or because of the trouble he was keeping from Arthur.
"Anything the matter?" Arthur found himself asking. "You seem awfully quiet." Though he knew it was unlikely, there was a part of him hoping Merlin would spill his secret if only Arthur appeared approachable enough.
But Merlin shook his head. "Just tired, sire."
"Are you up to serving lunch? You know how my father can be…"
"I'm fine," Merlin insisted, then smiled a little. "Look at you, all worried about me. Have you hit your head during training?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Arthur scoffed, automatically returning the usual banter before he could help himself. "I only want to make sure you don't dump wine into my lap."
"I haven't done that in over a year," Merlin replied indignantly. "I like to think I have improved as your manservant."
"You have," Arthur conceded, perhaps too pointedly.
Merlin looked up at him, eyes widening a little. "Now you really got me scared," he quipped. "Are you sure Sir Kay didn't manage to bash your brains in a little?"
"Quite sure," replied Arthur, masking the oncoming sigh as a heavy exhale. If Merlin was picking up on Arthur's attempts to appear open for a more serious conversation, he wasn't taking the bait. At least they had bantered a little.
Merlin made it through lunch without embarrassing Arthur, but again, he was unusually quiet, offering none of his cheeky commentary when Uther wasn't looking in favour of blending into the background like any other servant might have. Arthur almost forgot he was there, which was rather worrying.
In the afternoon, he sent Merlin off to help Gaius. Arthur knew the physician was still working hard to contain that fever outbreak in the lower town and could probably use a pair of additional hands. It was an excuse, though, to be rid of Merlin. This would give Arthur the opportunity to approach the steward without Merlin tagging along or hearing about it.
The steward, Lord Alymere, was a short, serious-looking man well past sixty summers. His title was a reflection of his standing at court. Alymere, Arthur knew, was of unlanded nobility and had no estate tied to his lordship, which meant he took his job all the more seriously.
Arthur also knew Alymere had originally frowned upon Merlin's appointment as Arthur's manservant, but as Merlin was a hard worker – no matter what Arthur liked to insinuate when in a bad or joking mood – the steward had come to grudgingly accept Merlin in the position.
Still, it wouldn't do to make it look like Arthur wanted to get rid of him and give Alymere any ideas about replacing Merlin. He needed to be circumspect about this enquiry. He couldn't outright ask if anything was amiss and there was only one way to broach the subject of Merlin's wages without the whole thing appearing suspicious.
Arthur made a point of knocking at the steward's office instead of simply striding in, aiming for respectful rather than authoritative.
"Your Highness!" Alymere exclaimed and immediately got up from his chair behind the desk. "May I offer you a seat? Would you care for a refreshment?"
"No need to bother yourself, I'll be quick about this," said Arthur, gesturing at Alymere to settle down as he sat himself.
Alymere did as he was bidden. "Anything I can help you with, sire?"
"I was wondering about my manservant's wages. He's been working here for two years now, has he not?"
Alymere gave a short nod. His face was guarded. "Yes, sire, I believe so."
"Would it not be time to give him a raise?" Arthur mused, trying to sound nonchalant about it.
Apparently, not nonchalant enough. Alymere's mask of polite deference slipped and Arthur suddenly found himself facing a scowling steward. "Insolent whelp!" he barked out and slammed his open hand on the desk with a loud thud.
Arthur's eyebrows flew up. "Excuse me?"
Alymere immediately caught himself. "Ah, forgive me, Your Highness," he said, wrinkled cheeks reddening a little. "It's only that I specifically told the boy not to approach you about this. Clearly, he still has a hard time following the orders of his betters."
"What do you mean?"
"Merlin asked me about a raise, two weeks ago," explained Alymere. He was scowling again and his eyes were wandering towards the window as he recalled the conversation. "I told him it wasn't his place to demand such a thing, that a raise was something that would be granted by his master in due time, if he was found worthy of such a reward. He was quite insistent, however, that he was deserving of more money."
That didn't sound anything like Merlin. At least, not like the old Merlin, the one who hadn't been just a moment away from stealing from Arthur. Oh, Merlin had pestered Arthur about a raise plenty of times, but just like his never-ending demands about a day off or less chores, Arthur knew they were jokes and banter for the most part. Merlin, ironically, never seriously asked for anything he actually deserved.
"Is that so?" Arthur prodded, hoping for more information.
"I warned him not to speak of this to you, but clearly he didn't heed my orders," Alymere continued his rant. "Disobedient and impudent! Conduct unbecoming of a royal manservant! Why, I never!"
"Peace, my lord," Arthur said, aiming for a soothing tone when he realised nothing good would come from this after all. "Merlin never mentioned this to me."
"He must have insinuated it, then!" Alymere insisted. "He always seemed the sneaky type to me, Your Highness! A nobody from the countryside, you cannot trust those insidious—"
"Lord Alymere," Arthur interrupted him, this time more firmly. "I've come here on my own accord. Merlin never said anything, directly or indirectly. I think I know better than to let myself be manipulated by a servant."
Alymere blanched. "Oh—I—," he stammered, his eyes flying to focus on Arthur before he lowered them all the way to his lap. "I humbly apologise, sire, I didn't mean to imply—"
"You didn't," Arthur assured him. "All is well."
Alymere nodded. Arthur decided he had made enough trouble for Merlin. It wouldn't do to push the point.
"Perhaps you're right, though," said Arthur. "Merlin still isn't all that experienced. We should postpone the raise for another six months or so."
That did, indeed, seem to mollify the steward. "Quite right, sire," he said. "Fifteen silvers a month is plenty of money for a farm boy!"
Arthur nodded his agreement, though privately, he found himself surprised at the sum. He had never bothered to check how much Merlin was paid, but was fairly sure the cook, Audrey, made more than that. Was that the whole reason Merlin was in need of money? Should Arthur consider topping it up with his own funds in the future? But even if fifteen silvers were too low a wage for a royal manservant, Arthur couldn't imagine it would make Merlin consider theft.
Arthur thanked the steward for his time and was off, ruminating as he walked the hallways of Camelot.
While his meeting with the steward had certainly been informative, it hadn't shed much light on why Merlin needed money, only that he was indeed going to great lengths to get his fingers on more.
Why now? Why so urgently? What kind of secret was Merlin keeping from Arthur? Why couldn't he trust his Prince to help him? It was incredibly frustrating. Arthur arrived at his chambers with a sour taste in his mouth and an urge to throw something. Spying after Merlin was not something Arthur found himself enjoying.
Yet, once the next afternoon had arrived, Arthur sent Merlin off again, then approached the masters of the castle, trying to find out more.
"Yes, he's been picking up odd jobs, here and there," confirmed Master Mave. Arthur already knew Merlin had been stacking boxes for the man, but apparently, Merlin had been helping out sorting, carrying and loading supplies for the better part of the month.
"Did he say why?" asked Arthur.
"Ah, I'm not one to pry, Your Highness," replied Mave with a shrug. "Would you like me to send the lad away, next time he asks? If he's slacking—"
"No," Arthur intercepted. "In fact, I'd prefer you didn't mention this to Merlin at all. I was only wondering what he was up to. He looked a bit ill and I wouldn't want him to overwork himself."
Mave gave Arthur a rather fond look. "You care for the lad, eh, my lord?" he asked. The master had always been the forthright type. "Hard not to. Likable boy, our Merlin."
"He's a decent servant," Arthur evaded, but Mave gave him a knowing smile and looked like he might have slapped Arthur on the back were he not the Prince.
The stable master, the kennel master, the armourer and even Audrey, the cook, all gave Arthur similar information. If the opportunity had presented itself, Merlin had shown up to help, earning himself some additional coin on the side.
Arthur wondered when and how Merlin was getting any rest and how unobservant a person Arthur had to be not to notice that his own manservant had been working jobs on the side for weeks.
What was worse, nobody seemed to know anything about why Merlin was doing all this. All Arthur had confirmed was that Merlin was in dire need of money, and he had already known that. It was vexing!
When Leon finally came to report back a couple of days later, Arthur found himself hoping the knight had heard something, even if that meant Merlin did indeed have a gambling problem or, gods forbid, a bastard son.
"Nothing," Leon told him after training, however, and Arthur couldn't help but let out a frustrated groan.
"Nothing at all?" he prodded, once more keeping an eye on Merlin, who was busy ladling out hot ale to shivering knights. Winter would soon be here and it had been freezing during training.
Leon shook his head. "I asked my own manservant about any gossip regarding Merlin. He can be trusted not to tattle, but he knew of none. No girls. Nobody has any qualms with him, either. On the contrary, the other servants speak very highly of Merlin. I went to the lower town myself to ask around. Most innkeepers said Merlin never even set foot in their rooms and if they knew him, it was because he assisted Gaius, not because he was a regular." Leon retrieved a piece of paper from his armour. "I've heard a couple of other stories, though, about some of the knights. I've made some notes, if you care to know."
Only half-interested, Arthur accepted the folded parchment and stuffed it past his own armour and down his tunic for later perusal. "I can't believe nobody knows or has seen anything," he told Leon, unable to conceal the growing concern in his voice.
Leon watched him carefully. "Have you considered confronting him?" he finally ventured. "I don't know what exactly it is you believe Merlin has done, my lord, but he always appeared to be the honest, loyal type to me. I can't imagine him keeping a secret from you for long."
Once again, it struck Arthur that Leon seemed to genuinely care for Merlin and on a whim, he told Leon as much.
"Sire," said Leon, eyes serious. "I faced that dragon with you, fully armed and armoured, and nearly died because of it. How could I not come to respect a servant willing to fight that beast with nothing but a shirt on his back? Merlin is devoted to you and to Camelot, perhaps more so than any knight, and I would hate to see him leave your side."
Arthur let his eyes wander back towards Merlin. He had finished handing out drinks and was now busy collecting the mugs, respectfully lowering his head as he approached Sirs Bors and Lucan, looking every bit the servant. "You're right. He's brave and loyal. Which has me all the more worried about him. He hasn't been himself for a couple of weeks now."
"Your Highness, may I ask…?" Leon trailed off, perhaps fearing he was overstepping.
The knight was understandably curious, but Arthur didn't want to tell him about the Incident. He didn't want Leon to think ill of Merlin, especially not after what he had just said.
"It's nothing to concern yourself with," Arthur said. "I'm determined to find something out eventually."
And find something out, Arthur did, though it all came down to coincidence.
Over a week after the Incident, Arthur was lying awake at night. For an hour, he had tossed and turned in his bed. He was still worrying about Merlin. Now that Arthur knew something was going on, he kept seeing more signs. Their usual banter had started to dry up considerably. Merlin appeared jumpy and anxious. Two more times, Arthur spotted the servant work other jobs. On one occasion, he was late for work and claimed to have been in the woods to gather herbs for Gaius, though Arthur now knew he had likely been foraging for himself.
Arthur groaned as he stared at the canopy, then pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes until he saw stars. What in all hells was wrong with his servant? What kind of trouble had Merlin found himself in?
Finally, Arthur gave up on sleep and got up again. He sat down at his desk for a while, lighting a candle to go over some patrol reports to get his mind off things, but his eyes were too tired to keep it up for long. Eventually, he went to open the window, hoping some fresh air might clear his mind.
As he glanced down into the courtyard, he spotted a figure leaving the physician's tower. Even in the dead of night, Arthur would recognise his manservant everywhere. Merlin was quickly making his way towards the drawbridge. As Gaius wasn't with him, an emergency patient seemed an unlikely explanation.
Arthur suddenly was completely convinced that this nightly excursion had to be connected to the Incident. As fast as he could, Arthur threw on some clothes, wrapped a cloak around his shoulders and left. A couple of guards eyed him curiously as he passed them in the hallways, but when Arthur gave them a pointed look, they promptly averted their gazes. Arthur should probably make up some excuse for his father, should the King hear about this. Ever since Morgana had disappeared, he could be quite controlling.
When Arthur had finally made it to the drawbridge, Merlin was of course long gone. Arthur decided that there was no point in being subtle and approached the two guards manning the archway to the main square.
"My manservant, Merlin – did he just pass you by?"
The guardsmen looked each other. "I think it was him, Your Highness, yes," said one of them.
"Did you happen to see where he was going?"
"Followed the main street towards the lower town, I believe."
Arthur nodded his thanks, pulled up his hood and made to follow Merlin, when the other guard added, "I think I saw him near the eastern gate just a few nights ago when I was on duty there, my lord. I didn't think anything of it, but…" He trailed off.
"Yes, that information might come in helpful. Good man," said Arthur and the guard stood up a little straighter.
"Would you like one of us to accompany you, my lord?" he asked. "It's quite late…"
"I brought my sword," said Arthur. "Don't worry about me."
The guard looked like he wanted to argue, but in the end didn't dare to question his Prince.
With nothing else to go by, Arthur made down the main road and towards the eastern gate.