Wow! A hundred reviews already, this is really surreal. Thank you all for this so much, and maybe you should that yourselves as well because you're the reason I'm updating right now. That and the fact that MERLIN starts airing tomorrow and I really wanted to get something up in time for that. *sniffs* But that also means that Doctor Who is ending for now and we won't see it again for a while. I'm so torn, I love Doctor Who but I've really been looking forward to Merlin. I don't know if I want tomorrow to come or not. Yes, I'm a geek, that's pratically a given for anyone on this site. Or is it nerd? I never know which one is which.

Anywho, enough rambling, go read.

Michael was more than a little scared when he saw the death glare on the prince's face. But at the same time he felt like he deserved it. He knew that he really didn't have an excuse for what he had just done. He could say that he had had a bad day, or that his rage had overcome him. He could even say that Merlin had been all but asking for it. But Michael knew better.

He had just helped three other big men beat a defenseless boy into unconsciousness. There had been no logical reason, and what they had done was not justice or any form of teaching. They had hurt an innocent person. And so Michael knew that whatever the prince did to punish them was more than justified.

That didn't mean that he still wasn't scared, though.

The four men followed Arthur down several corridors and finally stopped at his chambers. The seething prince opened his door and gestured that they should enter. Once they were all in the prince shut his door firmly behind him and then went to stand in front of the foot of his bed.

The future king was practically fuming. All his muscles were tensed and he looked like he was trying to restrain himself from killing them. His jaw was clenched so tight that Michael wondered if he could even speak that way.

After a few moments the prince relaxed some and said to them in a terrifyingly calm tone, "I'm going to ask you only once. Why did you beat my manservant senseless?" His voice was so quiet that Michael couldn't restrain the shiver that went down his spine.

Michael honestly didn't think he could tell the prince if he wanted to, he was far too frightened. He truly didn't want to die today. But thankfully Hemlock seemed to be the bravest one there and answered the prince.

"Sire, he was being far too disrespectful. We heard how he was talking to you. No one should be allowed to do that, especially not a servant. We believed that if we taught him a lesson then he would know better than to treat you that way again." Hemlock was using his appeasing voice but one look at Arthur and anyone could tell that it wasn't working.

Arthur's features briefly contorted into the fiery rage that it had been before, but then quickly returned to its mask of calmness. Only in his eyes could one see the fury burning there. "So, you believed that my servant was being disobedient and disrespectful to me and that he deserved to be punished? You believed that you were doing me a favor by teaching him? If, as you say, Merlin was being less than the perfect bootlicking servant that you think he should be, then why wouldn't I have taken care of it myself?" The anger was slowly seeping back into his tone.

"I am the prince, the future king; don't you think that I am more than capable of dealing with my own servant? You took it upon yourselves to relieve me of this burden, but have you ever stopped to think that maybe what would be a burden to you isn't necessarily one to me?

"If I wasn't happy with Merlin's service or attitude towards me I could've put him in the stocks. Or flogged him. Or maybe turned him over to you so that you can punish him. Or, if he was really horrible, I could have just fired him." Arthur inwardly cringed at the idea of doing anything to Merlin.

"But I have done none of those things. But still you, all of you, believed that you knew better what I want and need for a servant. So you decided to teach Merlin a lesson."

The anger was now more than evident in Arthur's and he knew it, but he didn't try to restrain it any longer. "No! That's not why you hurt him, you may think that and fool yourselves to justify it, but that's not why you did it.

"You did it because you can't stand the idea that someone like him would challenge your pathetic sense of power. You think that because he's small and can't defend himself that you can pick on him. But when he stands up for himself and doesn't cower in fright when he sees you or me, you get angry. Angry because he just destroyed your illusion of power.

"If you were born with strength or size then you should use it to help others who aren't as strong as you, not beat them to death! And you had better leave Merlin alone from now on, just because he stands up for himself doesn't mean that he deserves that."

Arthur looked like he was about to dismiss them when Hemlock opened his big mouth again. "I don't see why you're defending him; he's just a servant."

What happened next was done so quickly that the guards barely managed to comprehend it. Arthur blinked at the guard and then drew his arm back and let it fly. Hemlock was knocked to the ground with the force of it, or maybe just the unexpectedness of it.

Arthur towered over Hemlock. His voice was pure rage and his eyes seemed to burn with a fiery hatred. The fierce expression on his face was enough to make any man scared for his life, even Hemlock. "Merlin is anything but 'just a servant.'

"When I first met him I was a bully, just like you. I had him put in the stocks several times and he still saved my life. Merlin doesn't let me get away with being a bully; if I'm being mean to someone he calls me on it. He doesn't like to see anyone get hurt."

The prince stepped down hard on Hemlock's forearm and held his foot there. His voice was almost like a growl. "Merlin is a thousand times the man you or I could ever hope to be. Do you want to know why? Because if you had done that to me I would have made sure that you paid dearly for it.

"But Merlin, after you had beaten him to the brink of unconsciousness, through all the pain and fear that all of you caused, asked me for something. Barely even awake, Merlin asked me not to hurt you. Any of you." Arthur looked around the room at the stunned guards.

"I could never be that forgiving. For what you have done to him I would love to see you all get beheaded, but I won't do that. Merlin asked me to leave you alone, so I will. That is just how much Merlin hates to see people in pain. He doesn't even like hunting because of the death. And it would destroy him to know that I killed you all because of him.

"Congratulations, you just half beat to death one of the most innocent and caring souls alive. You think that you're better than Merlin, that you're more powerful than him? Well, you're not. You're beneath him."

Arthur stepped off of Hemlock and stared straight into the eyes of each guard in turn, saving the slowly getting up Hemlock for last. "I have only known Merlin for a few short months and already he has made me a better person. I owe him a lot more than just my life. Though I've never told him, I don't think there is a better servant in the entire world. So listen carefully."

His voice took on an icy quality. "I swear to you, all of you. If you ever hurt Merlin again, if you even so much as glare in his direction, I will kill you, and it won't be as quick and painless as a beheading. I am leaving you alone because Merlin asked me too, but if you touch him again I swear to you that not even his kindness will be able to save you.

"So, if you value your lives then you will steer clear of my manservant. Next time he insults anyone leave it to me to decide whether or not that simple act outweighs all the good he has done.

"And since Merlin is otherwise preoccupied recovering from his multiple injuries I guess the four of you will have to take his usual place in the stocks."

And with that Arthur turned his back to them, gesturing as he did so that they were to leave. And it wasn't until he heard the door to his room close again that he let out the long and exhausted breath.

He smiled faintly at the idea of Merlin in the stocks. Of course, since he had sacked Merlin and then discovered that he had no legitimate reason for doing so he had tried to keep his visits to a minimum. And then when he had gotten a glimpse one time of some bruises on the boy's shoulders and had found out that they were from having potatoes thrown quite hard at him, he had decided that the stocks were only to be used as a threat from then on.

But the idea of those cruel bastards getting some of those same bruises made Arthur feel a little better. He knew he still had to get ready for the dinner, which in his anger he had almost forgotten about, but he wanted to check on Merlin one more time. However, it wouldn't be a very good idea to be fuming with hatred when he got there, so the prince tried to calm himself down before he left to return to the physician's chambers once more.

It wasn't easy. He had gotten so close a couple of times to running the men though with his sword. The entire time he was talking to them he kept on seeing Merlin's bruised and mottled skin and how bad he had looked. It wasn't even until he had started ranting that he had realized exactly how much it hurt to see the boy that way.

He had been right, Merlin had changed him and he certainly meant more to him than the prince had ever guessed. Arthur was slightly uncomfortable with his new knowledge about his "relationship" with the boy, but if admitting it—if only to himself—meant keeping Merlin safe then it was worth it.

He really didn't think that the injured servant would be awake yet; Gaius had said that he had given him something, so that was why he was surprised when he looked into a set of familiar eyes.

"Merlin! You're awake."

"I'm glad your eyes work, Arthur."

So, at first I really liked this chapter, but now I'm not so sure. Please review and tell me if you love it or not. And I'm sorry to anyone who was hoping for the guards to get a greater punishment, I don't want Arthur to get too carried away with revenge. But be grateful, originally I planned on only having them get yelled at. Besides, I don't love them nearly enough to whump them.