Things That Merlin Isn't Allowed To Do (According to Prince Arthur)
2: Spend Time Alone (and preferably not in any other manner either) With Gwaine

The morning is bright and Merlin's late. It's not unusual. In fact, if Merlin is early or too meek or quiet or submissive – all in all acting as a servant should – Arthur knows that something is very, very wrong.

So he isn't directly concerned when Merlin stumbles inside without knocking, threw open the curtains with a "Morning lazy daisy!" (Could he never come up with anything new?) – Arthur mutters something into his pillow and slowly makes it out of bed, as the servant goes about settling breakfast on the table, humming quietly. Hm, Arthur usually doesn't hear Merlin hum silly little melodies unless the servant thinks he's alone, and whenever the prince makes his presence known, the servant stops and mumbles in embarrassment, suddenly busy with something else. Now however, he won't shut up, and won't stop smiling.

Not that it's a bad smile, but it's … distracting.

So is that stupid flush on Merlin's cheeks.

"Aren't you in a jolly mood today, Merlin," Arthur remarks raising an eyebrow as he takes seat by the table.

"What? Hm. Yeah." Merlin crosses the room and starts searching the wardrobe for the prince's wear.

"Has anything special happened that I should know about?"

"Not really…"

"Really now," Arthur says not very impressed, his expression falling, darkening and there's an edge to his tone as he continues: "Nothing to do with Gwaine then and your chit-chatting during training yesterday, then?"

The boy glances at him. "Err…Well, he invited me to dinner last night, and then took me to the tavern…it was nice."

For a moment Arthur is torn between throwing a pillow at him, snort in amusement or march out and turn that grinning, hair-flashing knight into a cowering pile of—

Okay, he shouldn't think evil things when Merlin's looking at him like that, worriedly and innocently. Though it can hardly count as evil, can it. It's just – he's defending Merlin's virtue, that's all, from grabby knights. If the boy had any idea of the things running through the men's heads …

Arthur grabs the nearest object, a goblet, clenching it hard to fight the urge to march out of his chambers and hit the flirtatious stupid knight in the face. Didn't the man know his place? Doesn't the man know not to touch what isn't his?

"Gwaine made you dinner?"

"Yeah, though I don't think he cooked it," Merlin says with a chuckle, oblivious to the prince's inner struggle. "He probably pilfered it from the kitchens."

The rest of the morning, Merlin goes about his duties still humming and Arthur is abnormally brisk and Merlin probably doesn't get why the prince's replies are suddenly so short and without banter. However, he's unfocused (which makes Arthur's behavior worse but Merlin is too distracted to notice) and he keeps smiling.

Arthur seethes. That smile is his, damn it! Whenever Merlin smiles like that it should be for him and not some dim-witted, coy, boyish knight who flashes his hair and white teeth at anything on two legs. Before the man had at least had some decency and kept to unclaimed skirt-wearing ones (although, Merlin isn't really claimed, physically or emotionally – but Arthur's logic doesn't really follow that. Merlin is his. Not that dillydallying knights'.

"I had a great night," Merlin keeps talking about his Wonderful Dinner And Outing With Handsome Sir Gwaine; "He's so nice and has a great sense of humour and ..."

At which Arthur grunts and replies, not-being-but-trying-to-sound-nonchalant, "After you've cleaned my room, you'll polish my armour and muck out my stables."

"But I did that yesterday!"

"Yeah. I'm sure they've gathered lots of dirt and dust overnight, as does everything in this infernal castle."

Merlin amazingly enough obeys (not excluding calling the prince a clotpole though. What the hell is a clotpole anyway? Arthur wonders, shaking his head. Merlin is such an oddball.) He does his work sulklingly slow, though, and doesn't care if he misses a spot on the already shining armour. He really had cleaned it yesterday, for some strange reason since Arthur hasn't used it for three days and Merlin always cleans it directly after training. Some part of him thinks Arthur is just giving him lots of chores to annoy him. He's not exactly got a job with weekends and holidays. When has the prat ever given him a day off?

Which reminds of him of Gwaine. Last night at the tavern had been really nice, it had almost been like a day off: no work, no chores, not even from Gaius. He could just relax without complaints, without demands. Gwaine had shared stories and made him laugh and Merlin idly wondered if Arthur knew that Gwaine calls him a princess behind his back. Arthur being called that, that is, not Merlin. The look on Arthur's face would've be hilarious. The thought of Gwaine makes him smile a bit, despite he's determined to sulk; the man promised they'd see each other later, maybe toda the man will drop by to say hello; that'd be nice. At least he doesn't go around acting like a prat because he's too high and mighty to show that he cares…

"Stop smiling like that. It annoys me."

Merlin is so startled he drops the pitchfork.

"Wha—Arthur! What are you doing here? Are you watching me work? That's a bit creepy, you know. And why are you holding a sword?"

Arthur pretends he's seen a rat or something other interesting thing in the hay which he proceeds to chase down. He can't exactly say he's safeguarding the royal stables from one the city's knights.

()()()

...Or Any of the Knights either

()()()

"Merlin, stop sighing like some lovesick milkmaid and get back to work."

"I'm not…Hey! I'm working. Look: bucket, cloth. Work." Merlin holds up the items, then gestures at the wet floor and glares at the prince. "And I'm not lovesick," he adds, eyes narrowing. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Sure not. You're only going on about 'Gwaine that, Gwaine this' or 'Percival is so nice to me' or 'Have you seen Gareth's new sword technique?' and staring toward the window forlornly every five minutes. What are you waiting for - for them to arrive with flowers?" Arthur says rather mockingly, raising his voice a pitch while imitating opening a door. "'Oh, hello Merlin, do you want to share dinner with me? Here, I picked you some lilies, don't worry if they're a little mushed after I sat on them'. And you'd be blushing like some stupid smitten maiden."

Some say jealousy is the truest kind of love. But Arthur isn't doing this in attempt to make Merlin stop longing for someone and sigh because he's jealous. No, Arthur's doing it because it's bothersome, he's not paying his servant to day-dream. No, really.

Honestly.

Merlin frowns. "That was nothing like Gwaine."

"How did you know I was imitating Gwaine?" Arthur demands furiously.

"You did that hair-flicker thing, you know that doesn't work, you haven't got hair like him. Not that your hair isn't nice, it's very beautiful, but it's not longish like Gwaine's."

"So I've got nice beautiful hair, do I Merlin?" Arthur asks, drawling in that special tone which he knows affects anyone, slowly looking over the servant. "Something else you like about me, Merlin?"

Merlin's a girl really so it's not surprising when the servant suddenly blushes, red spreading over his cheekbones and all the way up to the tips of his ears.

"N-not like that!"

Arthur leans forward, in an almost dangerous possessive way, and reaches out to touch the neckerchief. Today it's red. Red is a good colour: it's Camelot's colour, therefore his, and something in his chest warms up (almost like pride) when seeing Merlin in his colour. "You sure, Merlin? It didn't sound like any other way."

The boy looks mortified or flattered, it's hard to tell which, Merlin keeps avoiding looking him in the eye, and stutters something about 'getting more water', scrambling to his feet and hurrying out of the door. Arthur stares after him rather accomplished.

That'll keep the boy's thoughts off Gwaine. For awhile. Long enough at least for the prince to seek out his loyal men for a small chat.