A/N: Sorry for the late chapter! It's really been too long ^-^

Anyway, here's something of a little link chappie for the next. Depending on when that one gets up too... :D

Warning: Anything you might find that you would think needs a warning

"The royal edict is to laud this boy, though he is a droll, loquacious servant who doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut whenever he speaks with or not-"

"Arthur," Merlin interrupted. "You're supposed to be praising me. Not complaining about how useless and clumsy I am."

The prince lifted a brow. "I never said that. But now that you mention it..." He looked over the promotion speech he had written. "You lack brains and prowess, are too reckless- and that horrid thing around your neck clearly states how terrible your sense of style is." Arthur smirked and looked back up at his servant. "And your amazing talent at being a clumsy oaf just appals me. Please, someone ought to alleviate me of this burden," he lightly teased.

Merlin scoffed. "You can't belittle or dishearten me today, sire. After all, I'm moving up in a rank." He grinned in a sudden rush of exhilaration at his promotion. "But my kindness will forgive your harsh words. Truly I am magnanimous in my way, aren't I?"

Arthur shook his head. "You're an idiot Merlin. And bite your tongue. Honestly, I should be praised for putting up with such an ill-mannered bumpkin for all these years, It's mandatory that a servant be respectful to their master...but it's like your completely immune to that!"

"I do try," Merlin said with a smile. "I can't help it if I have a tongue that likes to bother you. You frown way too much and a boring servant would do nothing to help you."

"Glad to know you think of me as a bloody bore," Arthur wryly said, scratching away on his speech. "Care to take it back?"

Merlin paused and then brightly bobbed his head. "Not at all! And you can't do anything about it because Gwen will have your head."

Arthur blinked and paused in his editing. "Gwen...?"

Merlin's smile spread. "Your future wife. She'll kill you for hurting me."

Arthur placed down the parchment he had been writing on. "Will she now?" A grin equal to his servant's broke out on his fair features.

"Yeah. Sire," Merlin snickered.

"Right." Arthur leaned back in his chair. "We'll see what one day in the stocks will do for you."

"Wha-?" Merlin hastily backtracked. "You can't do that sire! It's not fair!"

Standing, the prince smirked and clapped him on the shoulder. "Life's not fair Merlin."

"You're impossible!" Merlin dreaded the stocks with his life. All Arthur had been doing was sticking him in them since day one. The bloody bastard! "This is the forth time since yesterday."

"And it never gets old," Arthur said, turning him around and marching his servant to the door.

"But-!"

"Would you like to make it three days?"

Merlin sighed in defeat. "No..."

Arthur lifted a brow as his servant came ambling into his room late that night. "What's that horrible smell?"

"Eggplant," Merlin said, sniffing his shirt covered in the splattered remains of the vegetable. "I don't see why you're so surprised. Everytime you put me in the stocks I come out smelling like your clone knights."

"Merlin."

"I'm just saying," the brunette said in his own defense. "Why don't you spend a day in the stocks?"

Arthur laughed. "What kind of a question is that?" He moved his head side to side, still laughing. "You idiot- princes don't belong in stocks."

"Some do..." Merlin grumbled under his breath.

"I beg your pardon?" Arthur now had a wicked glint in his eye. "Would you care to repeat that?"

Merlin coughed. "I said...er- need food."

"Mmhmm," Arthur looked him over. "I'm sure you did."

"I did!"

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did sire."

"Oh for goodness sake- I'm not deaf."

They glared at each other for the shortest of moments, realizing how much of an idiot the other one was. And then-

"You're wrong."

Arthur let out a heavy sigh, finding it too late to deal with his servant's lies. "You know what? Just leave and take a shower."

"Why?" Merling couldn't resist asking why the prince had given up so easily.

"You're killing my room and everything in it." Arthur narrowed his eyes. "You have a terrifying stench."

Merlin gave him a funny look but starting backing away all the same. "Right...I'll get right on it then..."

Hey- the prince was crazy. He wasn't going to mess with him until tomorrow morning. And he definitely wasn't going to risk being put in the stocks at midnight like the night before. Now that was a harsh punishment. He still smelled from that... what kind of people threw their urine at a helpless servant boy?

"Good night sire."

"Goodnight loser."

A/N: Bad ending I thought but...whatever you guys thought of it that's fine ^v^

Would you like another chapter?