Arthur

Arthur slowly walked towards the great hall, taking his time to look around the castle. The walls need dusting, He noted to himself with a smirk, Maybe I'll make Merlin do it. Honestly, he was surprised at Merlin's endurance - most servants would have quit by now, or at least lost their temper. Not that Merlin hadn't lost his temper before - Arthur was a firsthand victim to his sharp words - but he always did as he was asked. Maybe it's because Merlin's a commoner, he pondered as he grew closer to where his father was waiting, He's used to doing this kind of work.

It was true - Merlin was just a commoner, a peasant. Nothing near as important to what Arthur was - a knight. A prince; someone with a heavier weight upon their shoulders. Merlin would know nothing of destiny, of a duty; Arthur felt weighed down, alone. No one understood, not even his only true friend.

You could always just tell Merlin how you felt, the voice in his head piped up as he came to a stop in front of the closed doors, nodding at the two guards who were walking past them, patrolling the hallways. He ignored the voice. How can I reveal myself to someone who won't know how I feel, but only judge me? No, it was better he kept this to himself. Besides, he argued, Merlin never shares anything with me - why should I be honest with him?

But somehow, he knew he was wrong.

Arthur didn't bother knocking before he walked through the doors. It was second nature to him - he'd been coming here since he was a baby, and the Great Hall was as familiar to him - if not more so - than his own chambers. As he walked, his eyes narrowed - his father sat on his throne, frowning as he stared up at the knight in front of him. Arthur paused a moment, annoyed that someone else was there.

"The bandits have taken over the forest, My Lord," The knight - Sir Leon - was breathing heavily. "It's not safe for anyone. Our patrol was almost overpowered, we were forced to retreat. It is too dangerous, sir," Sir Leon paused before continuing, "I would not send any of my men there, it would be suicide."

Uther Pendragon, who was still oblivious to the presence of his son, ran his fingers along his jaw. "Who is their leader?" He wondered, frowning up at the knight. "It is unacceptable that we should be denied passage through our own forest. Perhaps if we-"

Suddenly, he seemed to notice Arthur standing idly - if not now, slightly interested - in front of them. "Arthur," Uther sounded surprised, although he soon got himself under control, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long, father," Arthur began, "What were you two-" but Uther wasn't listening.

"Arthur," He said in a low voice, "I will not tolerate you listening in on my conversations. Wait outside for me to call you." When his son lingered, obviously unwilling to do as he said, Uther's expression hardened. "Now, Arthur. That is an order."

Raising his arms in defeat, Arthur turned tail and stalked out of the room. He closed the door behind him a bit harder than was probably necessary, but in that moment, he didn't care. What is my father hiding? Arthur wondered, looking around the hall. The King wasn't usually one to turn Arthur away, least of all when Camelot needed saving. .He only waited a second before putting his head to the door, trying to listen in on their conversation, but it was fruitless - the doors were too thick and Sir Leon and his father were too far away. He heard one of the guards yell, and turned, positive that he looked guilty, only to find that they weren't even looking at him. All Arthur heard was something about spying and then they were gone, in a clatter of swords and a whirlwind of voices.

He felt himself relax; then felt foolish for ever having been worried in the first place. After all, he was a prince - he had nothing to fear from these men.

When the doors opened, Arthur jumped back, surprised - that certainly hadn't taken long. For a moment, Sir Leon frowned, seeing the young Prince standing so close behind the doors, but he said nothing, simply nodded his head and left.

As soon as he turned the corner, Arthur shoved open the doors. "Father." He said, greeting Uther with a stiff nod.

"Arthur," Uther Pendragon turned to him, "I've called you today to talk about-"

"I want to go to the forests to fight the bandits." Arthur interrupted him, trying to force as much authority into his voice as possible. As if sensing this, Uther raised his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry?" The king asked, smiling.

Uncomfortable, Arthur repeated his words, trying to make it sound like something Uther couldn't overrule, "I am going to go to the forest to fight the bandits."

Uther laughed. "Are you, then?"

Arthur clenched his jaw, angry. Why did his father always do this? "I'm not a child, father." He said between clenched teeth. "You cannot tell me what I can and can't do."

"And I am the King of Camelot!" Uther said, smacking his hand against the table, and Arthur winced at the loud bang that followed. "It's too dangerous, Arthur!"

"What of all the innocents in those forests?" Arthur demanded, refusing to back down simply because he was afraid of what his father might say or do, "You would condemn them to death?"

Uther's voice was low. "I will not risk the lives of my knights."

Furious, Arthur stepped towards his father. "You can't just forbid me to go!"

"Yes, I can." Uther growled, "And you are not going into those forests." Arthur let out a disbelieving laugh before turning around and throwing the door open behind him. "Arthur, that is an order!"

Merlin was waiting for him right outside the doors. "What did he want?"

"Fetch the horses," Arthur commanded, a glint in his eyes. "We're going to catch some bandits."

A/N: I'm sorry it's taken so many chapters just to get to this part, but I wanted to provide a good background. Don't worry, much more will be happening in the chapters to come! Thanks for sticking with me. I want to thank katierosefan for reviewing, it means a lot to me! If everyone else could review, too, that'd be so awesome - it's a great motivator to write, knowing someone's actually reading. If anyone has any suggestions, please, please tell me - I'd love to get some imput.

Sorry it's taken me so long to update - I was working on another Merlin story I have on my page. You guys should check it out :3

Idonotownmerlin (right now)