See No Arthur, Hear No Arthur...

Summary: Arthur is cursed and becomes invisible to the whole of Camelot – no one can hear or see him, except, of course, for Merlin.

Timeline: Set in season 2

Spoilers: Up to and including season 2

A/N: Thank you for the response to this fic and for reading! I hope you enjoy the rest!

Chapter 2

The sky over Camelot was growing dark, the day becoming night. Every single muscle, large and small, in Merlin's body ached with the possible exception of his small toe on his left foot. But as he dropped Arthur's bedpan and was unable to react in time, even that joined in with the protest.

"Really, Merlin?" Arthur droned on from his position on his bed. He lay fully clothed atop the covers, legs crossed at his ankles and arms crossed behind his head, his eyes gazing up at the canopy and only lowering enough to appraise Merlin for a short moment. "I always knew you were incompetent, but I feel I truly learned to today just how incompetent."

Merlin gritted his teeth together, refusing to look at Arthur as he bent down to pick the heavy bedpan up. The day had gone as Merlin had expected it to. Arthur, being constantly there, made sure that Merlin was busy for every single second of every single minute. Before he had even managed to complete one set of tasks, Arthur was already listing several more chores for Merlin to crack on with. Worst of all, each task was made ten times harder.

Being unable to use magic to aid him, he could have dealt with. He could have managed. It was difficult, he would admit that, as all those little tasks would have been completed so much faster if he had been able to just utter a single magic word. But he could have dealt with it, if he didn't have Arthur constantly uttering offhanded comments. 'Are you sure that's really clean, Merlin?' 'You missed a bit of rust on that chainmail there, Merlin.' 'You don't really expect me to use my sword when it's in that condition, do you, Merlin?'

"You have no idea," Merlin started, returning the bedpan to its proper place, "just how difficult it is to work with someone constantly watching over you."

"Oh, I can imagine," Arthur answered, voice light. "Perhaps when this whole thing is over, I should have someone watch you constantly, that way I would know you were doing the job right."

"Why not?" Merlin replied, tone dry and irritated. "I'm sure after today everybody already thinks I've lost my mind. What's one more piece of humiliation to that?"

Arthur pushed himself up from the bed and swung his legs over the side but stayed seated. "You make it sound like there were people who didn't think that already."

Merlin grunted and moved away to clear up the papers on Arthurs desk. "Yes, of course," he drawled out, a light growl etched into the undertone of his voice, "because I regularly go about the castle talking to myself and tripping myself up and... and just generally making a prat of myself."

He spat the word prat out, his eyes darting to Arthur who casually stretched out as if making Merlin appear even more of a fool was his idea of good fun. But then, it was Arthur.

"Cheer up, Merlin, it's hardly the end of the world."

"You would say that! You're not the one who got the blame for the missing bun in the kitchen and let me tell you, the kitchen staff – they hold grudges. Loooong, long, lon-"

But Merlin's tirade was cut short, the door creaking open. The noise, and Arthur's distracted gaze, had Merlin silencing immediately. His eyes found the door also, his gaze taking in the presence of Uther and the very suspicious look that sat upon the king's features.

"Father," Arthur breathed out, his posture straightening even if the man still couldn't see him. Ever respectful, ever desperate for the man's approval.

Merlin offered up a sheepish smile and met Uther's gaze briefly before inclining his head. "Sire."

Uther narrowed his eyes, as if not entirely convinced that Merlin was sound of mind. Merlin couldn't really blame him, after all, almost everyone else had been giving him the exact same look all day. "Any news of my son?"

"I believe he's still out hunting, Sire," Merlin answered, trying not to shuffle on the spot under the intense gaze.

"Very well," Uther went on to say, letting go of a deep breath, his eyes wandering the room for a moment before returning to Merlin. "I expect that you've completed the chores you were left with in Arthur's absence?"

"Of course, Sire."

"Good, then you can make use of yourself and attend to Lord Kenward and his son."

Smile growing tighter, Merlin nodded, bowing his head in respect as he sent a glare in Arthur's direction. "Of course, Sire."

"And when my son returns," Uther continued with one last sweep of the room, "please inform him that I wish to see him at once."

He didn't wait for a reply, another round of 'of course, Sire' or even a nod, he simply turned and left the room, left Merlin to it. Merlin's shoulders sank at the thought of even more work. Arthur's posture had fallen as well, his jaw tightening. With a wave of his hand, he turned away, dismissing Merlin.

"Go," he ordered, "see to the Lord and what's-his-face."

"What, no 'please'?" Merlin questioned, his attempt at lightening the suddenly foul mood that had fallen over the room. He received a glower in return and watched as Arthur threw himself back onto his bed to stare up at the canopy once more. Hesitating, he moved off toward the door but paused with his fingers wrapped around the handle. "You're not coming?"

"You are dismissed, Merlin," Arthur growled out without even looking to Merlin. "Go attend to our guests."

But still Merlin didn't push on. He let go of the handle and took a step back into the room. "Arthur..."

The name was a worried plea but all he received in return was an angered warning, a low growl in the form of his own name.

"Merlin..."

So he left without another word.

When Merlin arrived at Kenward's room, the Lord was nowhere to be found. According to one of the guards, he had decided to take a quick tour of the castle before the feast that evening. Given that it was already late and his body still protested against overuse, Merlin decided it was in his best interests not to track Kenward down. Unfortunately, he knew it would also be in his best interests to at least check on the Lord's son.

He moved to the door and gave a brief knock, awaiting a reply before opening it and stepping inside. Merlin had heard various things about the Lord's son throughout the day. 'Alaric the Small' had been one of the names given to the boy by several of the knights of Camelot. Merlin could see why. He was as small and as wiry as Merlin himself, his stature even shorter. Though he was supposed to be the same age as Arthur, he looked several years younger, his features much more boyish and childlike, unlike the hardened and knight-like features of Arthur.

He took a step forward, bright eyes appraising Merlin before he finally spoke. "You are Prince Arthur's manservant, are you not?"

Merlin inclined his head, gaze dropping to the ground as he fought the smile on his lips at the thought of the boy before him getting his sleeve tangled in Arthur's crown. "Yes, my Lord."

Alaric took another step forward, hesitant almost. "And where is the beloved prince?"

There was a hint of distaste to the boy's words and Merlin raised his gaze to see a slight grimace twisting up Alaric's features, though the look was soon gone, replaced by a much more pleasant, if false, smile.

"Hunting," Merlin answered, simple and short.

"Shame," Alaric went on with a wave of his hand before turning away from Merlin and heading toward the windows that looked over Camelot, "I had been so hoping he would show me the ropes of Camelot."

"If there is anything you require," Merlin started, but Alaric cut over him.

"I require nothing," he answered pointedly, his gaze coming to rest on Merlin once more, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. "However, if you would be so kind as to pass on a message."

"And what message would that be?"

"A message to Prince Arthur..."

It was morning before Arthur saw Merlin again, though really, he heard him first. A clattering of noise had Arthur pulling his sheets up over his head as he attempted to bury himself further in the mass of fabric.

"Merlin!" he growled out, voice muffled.

"Morning, Sire!" Merlin called out to him, continuing in his clattering and clashing and general noise-making. By the sounds of it, he had brought breakfast and after setting it on the table, had moved off to open up the curtains.

"Why is it, Merlin," Arthur started, tone dry, "that when I actually want to sleep, you choose then to be on time?"

"Why would you want to sleep on a glorious day such as this?" Merlin answered, and he was beaming, Arthur knew he was. He knew that the sun would be shining and the sky would be blue, the air would warm and Merlin would be beaming.

Arthur didn't care for any of it. "Leave me be," he growled, turning over under his sheets to bury his head into a rather plushy pillow. "Go bother Lord Kenward and... and whatever his name is."

"Alaric," Merlin supplied and that had Arthur coming out from beneath his covers, purely to glare at Merlin.

"What?" he asked, the word more of a venomous demand, spat out at the manservant, his brow burrowed and mouths twisted up into a grimace.

Merlin didn't give him an answer. He didn't even look his way. He simply moved away from the window and toward the table to sort out the mess there. "I have to say though," he said after a moment, "I don't think he's much of a fan of yours."

Arthur let go of another lengthy growl before throwing his covers off and pushing himself up. Merlin wasn't leaving which meant peace and quiet was well and truly out of the window. Arthur would be best just giving up and getting up. "And what makes you say that?"

"He asked me to give you a message," Merlin went on, nodding at the table as if he was proud of his cleanup work. To Arthur it looked no different.

"And?"

Finally, Merlin's eyes found him, bright and cheery, his face a picture of confusion. "Huh?"

"The message, Merlin!" Arthur pushed out, moving away from the bed and toward his breakfast instead. "The message!"

"Oh yes, the message," Merlin went on, playing with a stack of papers. The medallion, the gift from Lord Kenward, fell out from in between the sheets to land with a thump and a clank on the floor. So that was where the ugly thing had ended up. Merlin immediately bent to pick it up, continuing on. "He wishes you to know that he is asking after your wellbeing."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at Merlin, halfway to grabbing his fork. "That's it?"

Merlin nodded, his eyes on the medallion, studying it.

"And that's why you believe he doesn't like me?"

Those blue eyes left the medallion and met Arthur's, Merlin's features twisting up. "It was more how he said it."

"And pray tell, Merlin, how did he say it?"

Merlin seemed to think about that for a moment before moving away; evidentially deciding he couldn't give a proper answer. "You know, you really had to hear it for yourself."

Arthur let go of a breath and shook his head, choosing to ignore it and enjoy his breakfast in peace. But then, Merlin was present, 'cleaning' his room and things were so rarely peaceful when the manservant was there.

"What is this?" the manservant questioned, holding up the medallion, a frown in place on his features. "I haven't seen it before."

"It is exactly what it looks like, Merlin," Arthur answered, cutting into a bit of sausage, his gaze only briefly moving to Merlin. "It's a medallion. A gift from Lord Kenward."

Merlin's nose wrinkled up in distaste. "And what did he give Morgana? A sock?"

"That is our esteemed guest you are talking about," Arthur warned, failing to admit that he didn't particularly like the medallion much either. "And no," he continued, his voice falling into what he would never admit was a sulk, "Morgana's gift was much nicer."

Merlin snorted and Arthur raised his eyes to glare at him, silencing him from saying anything further. It was a shame it never really worked.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" The look on Merlin's face was smug and if Arthur hadn't been enjoying his breakfast so much, he would have launched it at the manservant.

"I am the Crown Prince of Camelot," Arthur answered, "I don't get jealous."

"Of course not," Merlin taunted and sometimes Arthur hated how the dark-haired boy knew him so well. "And you don't get turned invisible either, do you?"

"This is just a minor setback. I'll have it figured out and fixed in no time."

"And how's that going for you?" Merlin raised an eyebrow, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

Arthur glared at him. "I will have you know, Merlin, that I have just about come to a conclusion."

"You don't have a clue, do you?"

Reluctantly, Arthur slumped in his seat, his gaze falling to the food. "Not one."

Merlin moved forward, coming to stand before the table. He placed the medallion down on the surface and rested his hands against the edge. "You said it happened during the feast, right? So what about a potion?"

Arthur raised both eyebrows. "You think someone slipped a potion into my drink?" He scoffed and shook his head. "No one had the chance."

"Well they wouldn't exactly make it obvious, would they?" But Arthur's gaze had Merlin holding his hands up in defeat as he went on to offer up another idea. "Okay, what about Lord Kenward."

Again, Arthur shook his head. "Impossible," he answered, but even he heard the hesitation in his voice.

"And Alaric? I mean, how much do you actually know about them?"

"Alaric?" Arthur questioned. The name sounded vaguely familiar, though perhaps it was because Merlin had said something similar earlier.

"His son," Merlin answered him, and that sparked a light.

But still he shook his head. "He's an idiot. Got his sleeve tangled with my crown during the feast."

Merlin fell back, his lips twisting in the way they always did when he was either upset about something or thinking. "And you can't think of anything else that may have happened at the feast? Nothing unusual?"

Arthur laughed, dry. "The most unusual thing was being ignored, and this of course." His hand snaked out to grab the medallion from the desk. He played with it for a moment before tossing it back down.

"You were wearing it at the feast?" Merlin asked, eyes narrowed, moving between Arthur and the medallion.

"Of course, Merlin," Arthur answered. "It was a gift."

Merlin picked the medallion up once more, turning it over in his hands as if he expected to find out something new and interesting about it. "I need to take this to Gaius. If you were wearing it at the feast, it could have been enchanted. This could be the reason no one can see you."

"Merlin, it's nothing but a simple trinket."

"Exactly," Merlin pointed out, as if that was somehow significant. "Why would you, or anyone, suspect something like this?"

And really, Arthur just couldn't be bothered to argue. He let go of a long breath and relaxed in his chair. "Fine," he sighed, "go show Gaius."

"And what will you do?" Merlin questioned, eyes narrowed on him, hand gripping the medallion tightly.

A small smile played on Arthur's lips and he knew if Merlin could see what was running through his mind, the manservant would not approve much less leave him alone. "I'm sure I can think of something."

Thanks for reading!