And there's another one off the list ^_~

Yes, I am still accepting prompts, though I'm doing them in order so you may have to wait a bit!

Lancelot was about to take a detour to avoid a nearby corridor - which was often home to servants seeking privacy – when a familiar voice made him stop in his tracks.

"I can't believe you would betray me like this."

Hearing the prince's voice so full of venom was already bad, but his body went cold when the reply came from the person he'd feared it would.

"Arthur, I-"

"Save it, Merlin. Just- leave me. I'll decide what to do with you later."

"Let me-"

There was a slapping noise and shuffling before the prince growled "I can't believe you" and charged off, oblivious to Lancelot's presence. The knight rushed forward to check on his friend, but Merlin had already gone. In that case...

Lancelot hardly waited for permission before entering the royal chambers, firmly closing the door behind himself.

"Sire, about Merlin-"

"What, has he sent you to plead his case? Well I don't want to hear it."
Arthur turned his back, clearly expecting Lancelot to make his exit.

"He hasn't sent me." The prince looked askance, surprised that the normally-respectful knight was ignoring his wishes.

"Sire, you've no idea what Merlin has done for you, the things he's endured, what he's lost... I don't even want to think... but the point is, no one is more loyal to you than he."

The royal slowly faced Lancelot fully, looking slightly confused and curious but saying nothing.

"You can't be thinking of punishing him for that, no matter what methods he may have used. Everyone knows Merlin isn't evil – far from it! It's not as if he chose this for himself; he was born this way." Lancelot had begun pacing as he settled into his defense, which is why he missed Arthur's look of dawning horror as the knight continued. "I've known about his magic since the first time I came to Camelot. He enchanted my lance to slay the griffin, apparently thinking I wouldn't notice when it started burning with blue flame."

He paused to shake his head, smiling slightly at the thought.

"But that just- Sire?"

The prince sat heavily in his chair, staring open-mouthed.

"Arthur?"

"Merlin... Merlin has magic?"

Lancelot froze and Arthur frowned, anger bringing him partially out of his shock.

"Answer me."

"You... didn't know?" Oh lords, what had he done?

"Obviously!"

"But, I heard you in the corridor just now..."

Now Arthur was the one pacing.

"That was about his habit of spending days in the tavern whenever I need him most! He-" Arthur's knees seemed to give up, though he managed to land back in his chair.

Ignoring whatever revelations his sovereign was currently having, Lancelot felt his own ire rising.

"You hit him over that?"

The regent's head snapped up.

"What? I would never- I didn't hit him!"

"I heard you-"

"The idiot tripped and I helped him up. I thought he was still drunk!"

The two stared at each other for a moment before Lancelot sank into one of the dining chairs, burying his face in his hands.

"What happens now?" His tone was bleak. Internally he was already making plans for getting his friend out safely. "You can't just ignore this."

"You're right;" they locked eyes again and the prince continued, "no one could ever believe Merlin to be evil."

Lancelot allowed hope to creep into his heart as Arthur gave him a faint smile before scowling.

"I don't think the stocks are quite going to cover this."

Despite Merlin being the sole caretaker for a month, the stables were the cleanest they'd ever been.