Alaia Skyhawk: lol, I didn't notice last chapter until after I posted, but this fic has passed the 100 review mark! YAYNESS! Hehehehe, anyhow, time to start wrapping this one up with a scene that both embarrasses Merlin, and yet he also gets to show he's not as stupid as he might look XD

Also, I changed the summary of this fic... Now it sounds a bit less lame and a bit more interesting hehehe.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

Music: The Forged Seal (Merlin OST)

"Whom History Won't Remember" Episode: N/A

~(-)~

Chapter 12: How Not to Impress a Prince ~Part 3~

Paperwork paperwork paperwork, if there was one particular downside to being a prince, it was the fact that in the time since he'd turned twenty his father had started to send certain items of it his way.

Arthur sighed, flipping through the rather small stack of reports. He knew that when he turned twenty-one in a few months time, and was named Crown Prince, he would start getting a lot more... But that didn't change the fact he'd already sat here for two hours trying to decide how he should respond to and pass on the information on these things. Should he write out a summary of what they contained and how they would be dealt with, or go give a verbal report to his father. He'd been juggling this dilemma ever since his first time being given the task, and so far his father had seemed indifferent to his efforts either way.

This was becoming frustrating.

That chain of thought was broken when there was a quiet knock and the door opened, Merlin entering carrying an armload of wood to go into the rack by the fire. He spotted Arthur at his desk, as well as the frustrated expression, and raised his eyebrows in query.

"Having trouble with that, Sire?"

Arthur started to frown, annoyance starting to add to frustration.

"As if you would understand how to deal with reports. All I have to do is read them, come up with a solution, and then inform my father of how they can be dealt with."

"Then why do you look like you want to throw them out the window?"

"Merlin!"

The servant winced as Arthur half-rose from his chair, but didn't back down from another comment.

"Am I right in guessing that no matter how you report back to him about them, the king never seems interested?" Arthur paused before he could begin another reprimand, Merlin taking that to mean he was right. "If he's sent them to you, then it's obvious he's already read them. He probably wants you to just get on with sorting them out without constantly going to him for approval. How's he going to know what sort of king you're going to be, and what you need to improve on, if you keep asking him to 'hold your hand'?"

"Merlin... shut up."

"Yes, Sire."

Arthur glared at Merlin, who had that tiny challenging glint in his eyes again. How the hell could a servant just walk in and spot something that should have been so obvious to him? Forget the paperwork being frustrating, Merlin was becoming frustrating.

He felt slightly better a moment later, when the servant fumbled his burden and dropped half the lengths of wood onto the floor instead of in the rack. He would have allowed his amusement at the sight to show, were it not for the fact that a moment later the door opened and the king walked into the room.

Merlin went rigid for a second in reaction, hastily retrieving the last pieces of wood before standing and bowing to the king. He then put them in the rack, bowed again, and just as quickly left the room to give them privacy and forcing Arthur not to laugh at his reaction.

Instead he turned his attention to his father, nodding politely in greeting.

"Can I help you, Father?"

Uther approached the table where his son sat, eyes moving to take note of the papers spread on it.

"How are you doing with those reports?"

Arthur looked down at them, considering all the solutions he'd already decided for them, before returning his gaze to his father. The king had been making visits like this fairly often lately, and usually left with a curt nod afterwards. But this time the reply was going to be different.

"Everything's fine, Sire. They will all have been responded to and dealt with by mid-morning."

"No report to me?"

Arthur remained silent for a moment, remembering what his impertinent servant had said, and then replied.

"No, Sire. It has occurred to me that by sending them to me you wished to see how I would handle them alone. I will give my report once they are dealt with, and await your approval or criticism at that time."

The king regarded him for a long moment, before nodding and smiling with a clear hint of pride... It was the first time Arthur had seen a real reaction from him about these things.

"Good, I will look forward to receiving your report then. As for other things, I came to ask how your new servant is turning out. I know you were far from pleased when I appointed him to the position."

And there was the question, how to respond to that. Should he say his new servant was terrible and useless, or would he be honest? ...Well he did just sort-of owe Merlin for the fact the king was now pleased he'd 'realised' why he was being given those reports to deal with.

Arthur tapped the fingers of one hand on his desk, thoughtful as he replied.

"He's not as good as Bern, not yet at least, but that will be down to the fact he's new to the job. So far his performance has been more than acceptable. To be honest, given he's new to the city and comes from a tiny backwoods village, I expected him to be illiterate and lacking in a lot of skills to manage here. When I queried him being actually able to read, he informed me that his mother taught him."

Uther raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"His mother? If she knows Gaius, was she a scholar?"

Arthur shook his head.

"No. Apparently she served as a maid in King Herwen's castle for a time."

The king's surprise became even more evident at the mention of the deceased king.

"Well that's surprising, although fortunate. Prior to his death, King Herwen was a man of firm rules and morals. His staff were all trained to uphold the highest degree, he made sure of that, so perhaps those teachings have been passed on." He paused, both thoughtful and seemingly pleased. "I would hope so, for if they have then you can expect that boy to be loyal without question. King Herwen held much regard for servants who swore true to those they served... But be that he may boast such a connection, as well as his connection to Gaius, should he fall below the standards within the next three weeks, you are free to reassign your former servant back to the position. He has earned the reward of a chance to serve you, but if he cannot do the job then it doesn't mean he can keep it."

The king's manner had turned serious as he'd said that, Arthur nodding in understanding.

"I will keep that in mind father." Uther nodded as well and left the room, closing the door behind him before Arthur then murmured to himself. "Although I think I may have seen signs of that loyalty you spoke of already."

He sat there in silence, still thinking, until a short while later Merlin came back in with his evening meal. The servant had been nervous as he'd done it, but relaxed once he realised the king was no longer present. He then headed to the table and set down the tray, glancing to the prince who watched him with an unreadable expression.

"Is there anything else you need, Sire?"

Arthur continued to stare at him, the silence almost becoming uncomfortable until he leaned back into his chair and finally spoke.

"I have a question, Merlin. I know you said your mother served in King Herwen's household, but what else did she teach you about it?"

Merlin's expression changed to a small frown, puzzled by why he would ask.

"She just told me things about how she was taught to respect her superiors, but also to expect courtesy and respect in return. About how he was such a good and fair king, that any servant found guilty of double crossing him or any of the nobles... would be hounded out by the rest of the staff unless they proved their regret and worked hard to regain the lost trust."

Arthur stiffened in surprise.

"They would chase such a servant out of their job?"

Merlin shrugged, explaining.

"Well, not chase, but make things difficult for them. Speak to them only when they had to, refuse to assist them for certain things. It was how things were, and my mother said it didn't happen often." He straightened up, quoting something she'd said once. "'Loyalty earns respect, betrayal earns shame, and atonement earns forgiveness. Just and true are those who remember this'." He started to smile, a little sadly. "That was was King Herwen's motto, his belief, and I remember it kept his lands a really good place to live until Cenrid changed all that when I was seven. Now the kingdom is just a place where some people cling to those ideals, some just give up, and the rest decided to grab what they can when they can. Even if it means stealing from someone just as bad off as they are."

He turned away from the table, heading to the dressing screen to lay out Arthur's nightshirt and get a head start on tomorrow's clothing. Meanwhile the prince had been stunned into silence, feeling almost uncomfortably humbled and not wanting to admit it as he went and ate the food Merlin had brought. From the way he'd said it, Merlin's village was one where they still clung to those ideals of that great and now dead king... And he'd called Ealdor a 'backwoods village'. That village was probably closer to being truly 'civilised' by Camelot's standards than Cenrid's capital. Merlin had surprised him once again, by revealing his mother had indeed passed on those morals from King Herwen's court. And what morals they were.

If he wanted Merlin's respect, then the servant would expect his loyalty to be returned in kind. Merlin would never look up to and admire a man who would cast him aside without thought or hesitation, and with that in mind Arthur found himself musing to himself. Even if Merlin did fall below the required standard, would he want the boring and subservient Bern back? He wasn't quite sure anymore. Merlin could be annoying, but things had been a bit more interesting this past week, and the idea of idly betraying the loyalty Merlin was already showing to him just seemed... wrong.

'Betrayal earns shame.'

That thought jolted him back to action, and he almost barked out his orders in reaction to his inner confusion.

"Prepare my bed and you can go. Make sure you get here on time tomorrow. I'm supposed to be seeing Sir Tarven on his way in the morning, and you still need to thank him for bringing that horse."

Merlin turned and faced him, nodding but not saying a word. He'd seemed to have realised Arthur had a lot on his mind, and was leaving him to think about it in peace. After turning back the covers on the bed, he went to the table and collected the tray of now cleared plates and cup, heading for the door but managing to stumble slightly in the process.

The cup started to slide across the tray, Merlin forced to resist the instinct to stop it with magic because of Arthur's presence. Instead he tried to balance the tray in the grasp of one hand, using the other to grab at the cup when it tipped off the edge.

He failed miserably, Arthur watching as the metal cup's fall was followed by a plate, which in his scramble Merlin promptly stepped on, slid, and careened head first into the wall beside the door. He then sat sprawled on the floor for a moment, stunned by the impact, before putting everything back onto the tray and hurrying out the door.

Arthur just stared in bemused amazement... That same clumsy idiot was the one who a moment ago gave him the most straight talk that he, Arthur, had ever heard? On loyalty, betrayal, atonement, and how he thought it applied to everyone including servants and nobles? It would be laughable if that single unforgettable phrase wasn't now circling through his head. 'Loyalty earns respect, betrayal earns shame, and atonement earns forgiveness'. Ten short words that had just turned all his ideas about nobles and commoners upside-down. Ten words that had been the cornerstone of Herwen's rule, and were the likely source of the loyalty that cost the lives of every single person in his castle that fated night he died. They could have fled, but instead they chose to fight to the last man trying to save him and his kingdom... At least that was what those who witnessed the burning of the castle had believed, a fact taught to him by one of his tutors. Good kings are respected by their people, great kings are loved by them.

Unnerved by the turn of thoughts his mind was taking him along, thoughts which before meeting Merlin would never have crossed his mind, Arthur stood up and went to get ready for bed. Merlin was such a clumsy idiot, and yet in barely a week he'd displayed moments of such wisdom and insight it was barely believably. And yet what was more unbelievable to him was that to him each and every one of them had made perfect sense...

It was a hard thought to swallow.

~(-)~

Rubbing at his head where he'd banged it on Arthur's wall, Merlin winced as he made his way from the kitchens and back to his room. Not being able to use magic freely was so frustrating, especially considering the fact he could have caught that cup so easily by using it. At least one good thing had come of the incident, and that was an idea on how to deal with the 'dog'.

Merlin sighed, practically kicking himself for not realising the obvious. Telling an animated stone dog to 'sleep' was not going to turn it back into stone. Stone was stone, just like the wall he'd slammed into, and if he wanted to fix it then he needed to use a spell that would change the dog back into what it was originally... A lump of carved rock.

Gaius looked up when he entered, immediately noting the bruise forming just below his ward's hairline. He went to his shelves to get a jar of balm he used for bruises, indicating the young man sit so he could treat it.

"And how did you manage this?"

Merlin snorted in self depreciation.

"Making myself look like an idiot in front of Arthur... I stumbled and went head-first into the wall on my way out the door." Bruise tended to, he got up and headed to his room where the dog was scrabbling to be let out, allowing it greet him before shooing it out of his way and coming back into the main room with his spellbook. "Do you have any idea where in here I might find a spell that will turn something that was once stone, back into stone. I was trying spells to return the dog to 'sleep', but I think I should have been looking for something a bit more literal."

Gaius accepted the book from him, sitting down and starting to flip through it.

"Indeed, much of the simpler magic is very literal. What makes the complicated spells so much harder is the fact the sorcerer is forced to try and explain a concept in the incantation, instead of a clear instruction. Further difficulties arise when they must also hold that concept in their minds while they do it. Each single word can do many different things, with the right thoughts behind it."

Merlin looked over his shoulder, watching the pages be turned.

"So you know something that I can use."

Gaius nodded.

"Perhaps. Here, try this. You'll need to substitute the first word with the one for stone. It's an incantation for a widely applicable but mostly redundant healing spell, where the caster's thoughts direct the concept of it to cure the injury they specify in their head. There are any number of spells that do a much better job with healing, but if you take the words literally, and replace the first word with 'stan', it might just work for what we need."

Merlin read the line he pointed to, looking a bit unsure.

"You want me to use a healing spell to turn that dog back into a statue?"

The physician sighed in exasperation.

"It is only a healing spell if that is the thought in your mind. Use the words and turn them to your purpose. The Old Tongue may be the language that can be used to call on magic, but it is still just words. Words on their own do nothing, it is the desires of the caster that determine what the words will ask that power to do. On their own they do nothing. Now point at that dog and say 'Stan tu bist, ic edstaoele tu'. Focus in your mind your desire to turn it back into a statue."

His ward continued to look a bit sceptical, but waved the dog over all the same. Once it was sat there, staring at him rather woefully like it knew he was about to do something to it, he grimaced a little and pointed at it.

"Sorry... Stan tu bist, ic edstaoele tu." The dog let out one last pitiful whine, before its form rippled and changed grey. Once again it was the statue he'd 'borrowed' from the courtyard, and he could only stare in shock. "That actually worked? I swear, magic is crazy. Swapping one word and turning a healing spell into something totally different."

Gaius closed the book, handing it back to him.

"Well you'd best get used to it, that is if you want to be a great warlock. There will be times when you need a spell that this book does not contain. In those instances, like just now, you will create your own."

Merlin accepted the book, before pointing to the dog.

"Bebeode pe arisan cwicum."

The statue turned back into the dog, before proceeding to go mad with glee and following him to his room with its tail wagging with sheer happiness. Meanwhile Gaius stared.

"Why did you do that?"

Merlin came back out of his room, having returned his book to its hiding place.

"If you think I'm going to carry that thing back to the courtyard when I can make it walk there, then you've got to be joking."

"Ah."

He headed for the door, the statue dog following him, and took the spiral stairway all the way to the base of the tower. From there, with just a little bit of judicious sneaking, he reached the doorway out into the central courtyard where the dog's pedestal was set just outside.

He waited until the last of the servants heading home for the night had passed through the open space, the guards taking up their night-time posts which thankfully were out of line of sight of this position. With the sky now almost totally dark, Merlin reached down and petted the dog one last time... He had to admit, with how easy it was to care for and its happy nature, he'd been tempted to keep it. But it would be too risky, and someone would notice eventually that it wasn't a normal dog.

"Well, I guess this is it. You're just going to have to go back to keeping watch outside this door again. Go on, sit on the pedestal." The dog slicked its ears back, doing as commanded and giving him one last forlorn glance before he uttered the words that turned it back into stone. "Stan tu bist, ic edstaoele tu."

Merlin turned and retreated back into the castle, making his way back to Gaius' chambers, unaware then when passing near that door, a guard had paused and frowned... Thinking they'd heard the faint sound of a dog growling, before shrugging and continuing on their way.

~(-)~

The following morning was bright and clear, perfect travelling weather for the knight and his servant about to depart. Neither Merlin nor Arthur noticed the half-wit glance at the dog statue, not with the warlock awkwardly thanking Tarven for the horse.

The knight smiled at the attempt, nodding in acceptance of the gratitude.

"So, have you decided on a name for him? Considering you're the first person other than his trainer to ride him, I think you have the right even if he belongs to you lord."

Merlin looked a bit uncomfortable when three sets of eyes all looked at him, hesitating before making his reply.

"I was thinking of calling him 'Bitan'... Since it sounds like 'bitten' and he bites people he doesn't like."

Arthur had scowled at that remark, considering he was one of those people, while Tarven smiled a little. If only the prince were aware that bitan was the word in the Old Tongue that meant 'to bite with the teeth'. The name didn't just sound like bitten, it basically meant that.

"I think it's a good name for a good horse. Too many times Ulwin's horses get ridiculous names from their owners, if they're named at all, so it's interesting to see one get a name with a bit of humour behind it." He turned and mounted his horse, nodding to Arthur. "Until out next meeting, Sire, I wish you good health... Maybe next time we compete against each other in a tournament, I'll be the one to win."

Arthur laughed, smiling.

"Well, we'll see."

Tarven and his servant turned and rode away, Merlin and Arthur watching them go until the latter frowned at the former.

"Well what are you standing there for? Go get to work on your chores or you'll be late for your riding lesson... And this time I'm coming with you."

Merlin winced at that, but seemed resigned to it all the same. He'd hoped to get a bit more practice in before he had to do any real riding in front of Arthur. This was not going to go much towards making him look less of an idiot.

Diving head-first over your horse's back when getting into the saddle was not the best way to impress a prince.

~(-)~

Alaia Skyhawk: lol for the ending. And as for the scene in Arthur's chambers, yeah, Arthur is all confused inside, changing already because of things Merlin has said and being almost a bit frightened by it. It's going to be a major theme of his all the way through this, the idea of how he inwardly admires Merlin for being so forthright, but outwardly refuses to admit it and so keeps acting like a prat. The same way he starts viewing Merlin as a friend, yet again refuses to openly admit it. You've got to love him for being so stubborn XD