A/N

Guess who is back with more Merlin feels! Is this fanfiction just a shameless excuse to amp up the angst and see some bonding between these two lovable idiots? Abso-heckin-lutely.

I'm gonna say right off too that there is no slash in this story, just a lot of good old fashioned bromance and the growing bond between these two dorks and all the others. Any relationships that occur throughout this story will be strictly canon, but I'll get more into that at the end of this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy!

He'd first noticed something was wrong when Merlin was late. Of course Merlin was always late, but recently he was even more so than usual. He seemed incapable of being on time to wake him up, in finishing his chores, or much of anything else for that matter. For once though, Arthur hadn't said much about it. He expected that Merlin was just caught up in the extra work that Sir Silas and his visit had brought along.

Frankly the prince hated it whenever a dignitary visited. The council sessions were always a bore, the feasts were tiring and playing nice with the accompanying knights was one of the man's least favorite pastimes. However he did as he was told and he acted the part of a dutiful prince. After all, regular dignitaries were bad enough, but Sir Silas was one of his father's oldest friends and he'd made it clear that his visit was to go smoothly.

And though Arthur was a perfect example of everything a prince was supposed to be, that didn't mean he didn't spend what time away from it all complaining about the man to his servant. Sir Silas was a horrid, rotund man of short stature who had an even shorter temper. Arthur had declared one morning when Merlin had finally shown up that the man in fact reminded him very strongly of a prized pig who had gone to rot.

Such a comment had brought a smile to the boy's face, but he hadn't made a retort back, something that had surprised the prince. He'd expected some sort of response from the servant, especially as Arthur himself had made it clear how much he detested the man and his vile sense of humor, but Merlin had merely carried on with his work in a much quieter fashion than usual.

Arthur was aware that all the servants were wary of Sir Silas, the dignitary having made it plain at every possible moment that he cared very little for anyone that was without a title, but he was shocked to find that even Merlin was careful when anyone spoke of the visitor.

The prince hadn't bothered to question things, instead poking fun at the way his servant shied away from any topic of the man or the way his eyes shifted to the floor when they spotted him across the room. After all, the man was only to be in Camelot for a couple of days, and Arthur wasn't above getting amusement from the rumors that had obviously come to worry Merlin.

But then Sir Silas' stay had stretched on and the prince found his manservant acting strangely as the days continued to pass. Not that Merlin ever acted normal to begin with, but his behavior was odd compared to what he'd grown accustomed to.

Instead of mindlessly talking the prince's ear off while he went about his chores, he'd grown more silent and reserved, hardly even speaking unless Arthur himself initiated a conversation. Even the playful bantering that the prince had come to expect, and yes fine, even enjoy at times had all but stopped, turning more into the blond's comments going unanswered or unheard.

And while the silence was bad enough, the way the boy went about his tasks had even begun to confuse the man. Merlin worked quickly and efficiently, but he stayed entirely out of Arthur's way, barely even looking up at the man unless forced.

The prince pushed the boy's actions aside however and blamed it on the added work from the meetings and feasts that even Arthur himself had grown weary of. At least, that had been his thinking until he'd caught sight of the discolored skin on Merlin's arm when he'd rolled up his sleeves to clean his floors. Arthur chalked it up to the boy being his usual clumsy self, but he began to keep an eye on him all the same as time went on.

By the time the longest week of the prince's life had come to an end, he was tired of the silence that fell upon his room whenever the servant appeared and he was sick of how late he constantly was. No matter what other work he'd been doing, his service to Arthur came first. Which was exactly what had led to the blond stalking through the corridors looking for the worthless boy who was late again with his lunch. Though as irritated as he was, he could not deny the small amount of uncertainty that had been lingering since their conversation the day before when he'd finally confronted the boy.

"What is wrong with you?" Arthur had snapped after Merlin had come to put away his laundry and had barely even glanced in the blond's direction. "Have you suddenly gone dumb?" He'd demanded, leaning forwards in his chair as he'd watched his servant tense.

"What are you talking about?" Merlin had questioned, his movements stiff as he'd kept his back to the prince.

"Merlin, you're acting like a.. a.. proper servant!" He'd sputtered out only to have the boy glance over his shoulder and furrow his brows at the man.

"Isn't that my job?"

"Of course that's your job, but you've never been this quiet before." He'd muttered, glaring at the boy who had turned back and continued to put away his clothes.

"I just haven't had anything to say."

That was when the observation had begun to spiral dangerously close to concern. Merlin always had something to say. Sometimes he hated the boy for prattling on about the most pointless things. And though he'd never have admitted it aloud, he had noticed its absence.

"What about how you got that bruise?" Arthur had asked as the boy froze, his fingers tightening around the basket.

"What are you talking about?"

"On your arm, I saw it there the other day." He'd waved a hand towards him, pretending as though the defensive expression he'd seen hadn't caused doubt to well up inside him at his previous thoughts towards the matter. "Did you walk into a wall or something?"

"Or something." The boy had murmured, taking the basket and making what Arthur had found to be too quick of an exit.

"Merlin." Arthur had called as his servant paused. "Is something going on with you?"

"No, nothing at all."

"Because that was very convincing." He'd retorted as Merlin pushed his door open. "You're really going to leave without telling me?"

"There's nothing to tell, Arthur."

Arthur had known at that point that something was wrong. But that didn't change the fact that he was outrageously late and Arthur didn't want to spend his time searching for the idiotic servant. Gaius hadn't seen the boy all day and neither had the cook, it was as if he'd simply vanished entirely.

Rounding the corner with an irritated scowl stretched across his face, the blond nearly crashed into Guinevere who was carrying a stack of linens towards Morgana's room.

"I'm so sorry, Arthur." She apologized quickly as he backed a step away and shook his head.

"No, I should've been looking where I was going, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She smiled, stepping to the side to let him pass.

"You haven't seen Merlin anywhere have you?" He questioned, his hands falling to his hips. "The idiot is late with my lunch again and apparently no one has seen him."

It was clear the question had startled the girl, dark hues widening a fraction before she was looking away. "No, I'm sorry, I haven't."

"Gwen?" With narrowed eyes, Arthur's voice softened. "Do you know what's been going on with him? I know it's something, but he hasn't told me."

"No." Gwen shook her head quickly before worried eyes rose to meet his and she looked away guiltily. "But.. I know he's been tending to Sir Silas when he's not been with you." She offered, and the small amount of concern Arthur had felt shifted into an irritating rush of worry.

"Why has he been serving Sir Silas?"

"I'm not certain." Guinevere shrugged lightly, pulling the linens closer as Arthur nodded.

"It's alright, thank you."

With a small smile the girl took her leave and Arthur found himself standing in the corridor alone. Why exactly was Merlin aiding Sir Silas? And why hadn't he told him about it? The bruise he'd seen on the boy's arm came to mind and a weight settled in the prince's stomach as he began to make his way back to his chambers. He'd heard the same rumors as everyone else, but he'd never thought them to be true. Though the dignitary was a horrendous man, could he really stoop so low?

As Arthur neared his room he caught sight of his partially open door and slowed his steps, stopping inside the doorway and spotting Merlin setting out his lunch tray. As the boy leaned forwards across the table to fill his goblet, Arthur stepped closer and caught sight of another patch of discolored skin that stretched down the back of the boy's neck that was almost entirely hidden by his scarf.

Clearing his throat with a frown prominent on his features, he watched as the servant jumped and turned, wide blue eyes staring back at him. "You're late, again." He commented evenly, walking around him and seating himself at the table as Merlin's gaze flickered away.

On any other occasion the prince would have dug into his meal, but he found the knot in his stomach had him staring at his servant instead, the meal remaining untouched before him. "What were you doing?" He asked, attempting to keep his voice light as the boy's hands fell and he stared at anything that wasn't the blond while he neatened a stack of papers on his table.

"Getting your meal ready."

"And before that? I've been looking for you and I checked the kitchen."

"You must've missed me then." He shrugged, but the way he winced at the movement had not gone unnoticed as Arthur shifted in his seat, no longer interested in waiting for him to tell him himself.

"Merlin, take off your neckerchief." The prince instructed, and where normally he would have enjoyed seeing such a shocked look on his servant's face at the order, he could not deter the thoughts that were running rampant in his mind.

"What?" The boy questioned, a weak laugh leaving him as he shook his head. "No."

"Merlin, take it off." Arthur commanded, leaning against the table and staring at him as Merlin backed a step away.

"I'm not taking it off, Arthur, what's gotten into you?" He scoffed, but his eyes held a hint of panic at the order.

"Take off that ridiculous scarf or I'll come over there and do it myself." Arthur warned, an authoritative tone woven into his words as the servant stared at him long enough to realize how serious the prince was before fingers that held the slightest tremble reached up and untied the fabric.

Arthur wasn't sure what he'd expected when the neckerchief was lowered, but the myriad of splotches that decorated the pale skin of the boy was the last thing he'd wanted to see.

"Gods, Merlin!" The prince's chair scuffed against the floor as he rose, striding towards the boy who pulled away and tried to put the scarf back.

"It's nothing, I've just got to learn to be more careful." He forced out another laugh with the poor excuse as Arthur batted his hands away and stared at the discolored flesh in horror.

Reaching a hand out and tugging at the collar of the boy's tunic, he found the marks stretched towards his shoulder and chest, a disgusting rainbow of blues and purples and blacks marring his skin as Merlin stumbled back and shoved at his hands.

"What the hell, Arthur!"

"Who did this to you?"

"I told you-"

"Was it Sir Silas?" Arthur demanded, the answer clear in the look of fear that flashed across the boy's face before he was turning his head away and tying the scarf back around his neck. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"There was nothing to tell. He wasn't pleased with my work, that's all." He murmured as Arthur scoffed and threw out his arms.

"That's all? Merlin, he's been beating you, that's not worth mentioning at any point? Or what about the fact that you're even serving him to begin with? That's not your job!" When the boy refused to answer the prince sighed, dropping his arms and shaking his head in frustration. "Fine, don't answer me. You're not to go to him again, I'll send someone else to take over."

"Arthur, no." Merlin spoke quickly, his head jerking up and catching the man's stare. "You can't do that."

"Excuse me?" He laughed dryly, jabbing a finger towards his servant's chest. "You don't tell me what to do, Merlin. It's the opposite, actually, and I mean what I said!"

"If you send someone else it will just be the exact same thing." Merlin argued, his shoulders slouching as he gestured towards the door. "Just let me do it, no one else needs to deal with this."

"You would rather continue to be beaten than have someone else take your place?" The prince asked, studying the boy as he stared at him and nodded his head.

"Yes."

The two stood in silence as Arthur looked away, a hand reaching up and dragging down his face. Why did he have to be like that? To care more about the wellbeing of others than himself?

"Stay here." Arthur muttered, pulling away from the boy as Merlin's eyes lifted and he drew his brows together in question.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to put a stop to this. And you, you're going to stay right there." He pointed as he opened his door.

"What? Arthur-"

"I mean it, Merlin, you'd better be here when I get back." The prince stated, stepping into the hall and pulling the door shut behind him. The fact that Sir Silas would treat any of the servant's poorly was bad enough, but Merlin? No, that wasn't going to continue any longer.

The walk to his father's chambers was a short one, but he could feel his anger mounting as he knocked and stepped inside, spotting the king behind his desk reviewing documents from the session they had had that morning.

"Arthur, what is it?" His father asked, glancing up from his work and staring at his son who came to a stop before him.

"Father, are you aware that Sir Silas has been beating the servants?" He questioned, keeping the tone of his voice level as the paper the man held lowered slowly to his desk.

Stern eyes regarded his son for a moment before he spoke. "I know that Silas is strict about the way work is done for him and that he has a very low tolerance for anyone incapable of doing their job properly."

"So you knew he was tormenting them?" Arthur stared, unable to believe what he was hearing. "And you did nothing?"

"Arthur-"

"Did you know that Merlin has been serving him? That he's been doing that to him?" He demanded, his voice rising as his father leaned back in his chair and frowned at his son.

"Seeing as I am the one who appointed him to Silas, yes. I thought he could teach the boy a few things about actually doing his job. Some disciplinary action might do some good." Realization struck Arthur and the reluctance Merlin had towards answering him suddenly made sense. "I know you're fond of the boy for whatever reason, Arthur, but he needs to learn. He's loyal to you, I'll give him that, but if I'd have known he was so incompetent I would never have appointed him to you in the first place." His father continued as the prince's mind reeled.

"So instead you've allowed my servant to be beaten because you think he can't do his job?" The words were spoken harshly as he glared towards his father.

"How many times has the boy forgotten to remind you of important meetings? How many times has he been in the stocks this past month alone? He's constantly dropping things, losing things, honestly the boy should have been sacked ages ago." He muttered while waving a hand flippantly.

"Merlin may be a klutz, but he does his job as he is asked. And regardless, how can you sit there and allow any of our servants to be treated in such a way? They're our people the ones we are supposed to protect! The ones we're supposed to keep from things like this!" Arthur scowled as the king's chair pushed away from his desk and the man rose, his hands falling flat on the surface as he stared his son down.

"This discussion is over. You will not say a word about this, Arthur. Silas is a friend and a trusted ally. You will not create tension over something as trivial as this. Am I understood?"

Standing straighter, the blond's jaw locked as his head tilted forwards. "I understand."

"Good." The man sighed, sitting back down and picking up the piece of parchment he'd been reviewing.

"I understand that you and I have very different views on what it means to protect our people." Arthur shot out, catching the look of indignation that his father wore before he was turning and striding out of the room.

The anger he felt was near its breaking point as he stormed through the corridors, his father's words playing over and over again inside his head. How could he stand to let this happen? All because he felt Merlin was incapable of his job?

Clenching his fists as he made his way back towards his chambers, a twinge of guilt struck him. Was this because he'd asked Merlin to lie for him? If he hadn't have run off with Sophia, would this have still happened? He knew his father had been furious with the excuses of forgetfulness that Merlin had come up with, but that was no reason to allow such a thing to happen.

Turning down the corridor and pushing open the door to his chambers, Arthur took a single glance inside and froze in his spot. His room was empty. His lunch remained on his table, but where he'd left Merlin standing was now empty space and a silence that was nearly deafening.

"Why do you never listen?" Arthur cursed softly before walking back the way he'd been. He had an idea of where to find the boy, and the very thought of it had him moving faster. As he neared Sir Silas' chambers and heard shouting, he knew he had been right. He could see the open door as he turned down the hall and the sound of a tray clattering to the floor echoed towards him.

"Clean it up! I've never seen such a useless servant before in my life!" The dignitary's voice screamed as Arthur practically jogged the rest of the way.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I'll get you a new tray." He heard Merlin apologizing, picturing the boy cleaning the mess as he slowed and neared the room.

"You come in late and then you just let the food fall to the floor. If you were my servant I'd have you flogged for such utter incompetence!"

Stepping through the doorway, Arthur caught sight of the two near the table in the center of the room. Merlin, as he'd suspected, was kneeling on the ground gathering together the food that must have fallen from the tray as the dignitary hovered over him with his face resembling that of an angry hog. Starting into the room, the prince watched in shock as Sir Silas' fist shot out without warning and the back of his hand connected with the side of the boy's face, sending Merlin's head jerking to the side.

"What the hell is going on here?" Arthur demanded, striding the rest of the way into the room and stepping between the two as Merlin's eyes met his. He could hardly swallow down his rage at seeing the moisture that had gathered in the boy's eyes from the strike or the streak of crimson that dotted across the surface of his cheek.

"Prince Arthur." The man bowed, his mouth drawn into a thin line as he clasped his hands together and met the prince's furious gaze. "I apologize that you had to witness such a scene. My servant, as you can see, was not only late in serving me but has proceeded to spill the meal all across the floor." He gestured as Merlin continued to clean the mess in silence.

"Your servant?" The prince asked brusquely, watching as the man stiffened. "Sir Silas, Merlin is my personal manservant." He stated sharply as the man shifted uncomfortably.

"I was not aware of that, Prince Arthur."

"While Merlin's lack of finesse may annoy me at times myself, there is no reason to lash out in such a fashion, on anyone." The prince spat, staring hatefully at the man who shuffled back a single step and glanced towards the servant with a reproachful glare.

Taking his own step back and to the side to block the dark haired boy from his view, Arthur's arms folded across his chest. "I apologize for the tardiness of your meal, and I'll send for another to be brought immediately. But I strongly suggest that from now on you keep your disciplinary actions to yourself."

"Of course, Sire." The man bowed his head as Merlin rose, his eyes on the floor and the tray in his hand as Arthur motioned for him to leave.

Following behind him and closing the dignitary's door, the blond shot a dirty look towards the boy. "What were you thinking?" He hissed as Merlin flinched away, his fingers tightening around the tray as his eyes remained firmly on his boots.

"I'm sorry, I'll get another tray for him."

"No, you won't." Arthur muttered as he took the tray from the boy's hand and glanced around. Spotting two maids as they rounded the corner, he gestured for one to near before handing it off to her. "Tell the cook to prepare another tray for Sir Silas and then have someone bring it to him." He spoke quietly as the woman's eyes darted to where Merlin stood silently near the wall.

"Yes, Sire."

"And if there's any problems," He called back as the maid paused. "Tell me immediately."

"Of course." She nodded, quickly walking off in the other direction as Arthur's hand fell carefully against the boy's shoulder.

"Let's go." He urged, ushering the boy back towards his chambers. The servant remained silent during the walk, his head down and shoulders slouched once Arthur had drawn his hand away.

Shoving open the door to his room and pushing the boy inside, he closed the door and pointed towards the chair he'd been in earlier. "Sit down, Merlin." He instructed as the boy sat without a word, his hands settling into his lap as he stared across the room.

Arthur watched him for a moment before he was walking towards a table near his wardrobe and picking up a pitcher of water. Pouring some into a bowl and dropping a rag into it, he rang out the excess water before striding over and tossing the wet mound onto the table as Merlin glanced towards it in confusion.

"You're bleeding." The prince commented dryly as his servant frowned and lifted a hand to his face. As the pads of his fingers brushed against the cut he winched and withdrew them, staring at the crimson that dotted his hand.

"Must've been his ring." Merlin murmured as he dropped his hand and grabbed ahold of the cloth.

"Do you want to tell me what happened? Why you so blatantly ignored me?" Arthur asked as he walked around and sat on the edge of the table while casting a disapproving gaze in the other's direction.

"I was doing my job." He muttered, pressing the cloth carefully to his cheek as he winced again. "He said the food was inedible and he pushed it away. The tray fell before I could catch it and well.. you saw what happened after that." He shrugged, his eyes flickering over the prince as Arthur pressed his lips together and drew in a short breath.

"Your job is to listen to me, Merlin. Not some visiting dignitary who can't be bothered to treat his help any better than he might his cattle." The prince ground out as Merlin glanced away, falling silent once more. "Why didn't you tell me that my father assigned you to tend to Sir Silas?"

Lowering the rag, the boy's fingers picked at the edges of the cloth. "I told you, I was doing my job."

"You should have come to me." Arthur shook his head, heaving a sigh as he placed his hand firmly on the table. "And you should have listened when I told you to stay put."

As Merlin sunk back in the chair and looked towards the door, the prince took note of the dark circles beneath his eyes. They were darker than usual, though he didn't find that surprising. If he was busy serving both him and Sir Silas, no wonder he'd looked exhausted the past few days.

The scarf around his neck worked to hide the other marks that wretched man had left, but the red welt that stretched across his cheek made the rest of his face seem paler in comparison. He hated that Merlin had been forced to deal with that. That his father was not only aware but had instigated it. A lot of their guests were unsavory, but Sir Silas was an entirely new breed. One in which Arthur abhorred.

"Go to Gaius, have him give you some salve for that cut." Arthur finally sighed, pushing away from the table and making his way towards his desk. "And let him look over those bruises because I'm certain you didn't tell him what was happening either." He added, hearing the chair move as the boy rose.

"I'll return as soon as I can."

Glancing over his shoulder, Merlin was already at the door when the next word flew from the prince before he could stop himself. "No."

"What?" Turning back and staring at the blond, the prince cursed himself silently as he cleared his throat.

"Take the rest of the day off." He muttered, waving his hand flippantly as if it were nothing. "There are quite a few meetings still to be attended, so I won't need you." And he would have to deal with the fallout from his father once Sir Silas spoke to him. "Besides, I'd rather have someone a bit sightlier to tend to me during the feast." He spoke, a teasing nature to his words that drew barely more than a second glance from the boy.

"I'm capable of doing my work, Arthur."

"I never said you weren't."

"Then why are you sending me away?" The question caught the prince off guard as he stared at him, the boy's expression a mixture he couldn't place.

"It's not a punishment, Merlin." Arthur spoke earnestly, turning and leaning against his desk as the boy's form tensed. "What happened was not your fault." He said firmly, his hands tightening around the edges of his desk as he imagined a hundred different scenarios in his mind of the accidents that might befall the dignitary in the future. "Sir Silas is a detestable man with ridiculous views and what he did is not tolerated. And how he treated you, that was not your fault, no matter what he might have said."

Merlin's gaze shifted away as he began to open the door. "Merlin." Looking back, a hard expression fell on the prince's face. "Stay away from him, I mean it. Until he leaves, you're not to go near him. And the next time something like this occurs, just tell me. There's no point in hiding it when it can be stopped." He stated as the boy nodded once, and as he turned to leave the room Arthur caught the smallest amount of relief washing over his face.

His father would not be pleased if Sir Silas spoke of what happened, but Arthur would stand by what he said. Treating any servant in such a way was unacceptable and deplorable coming from anyone. But to have his own servant treated in such a way? To have to watch Merlin be struck for no reason? No, he would not stand for that. He would not stand for any harm to come to him like that again.

A/N

Protective Arthur gives me LIFE. Okay, so I got this idea after having written a chapter in my previous story and I really wanted to play it through. And the idea behind this entire fic as a whole is that while each chapter will be contained stories of their own, there will be a long running plot connecting them altogether. I'd like to write from near the beginning of the show to the end and then past it (I refuse to acknowledge the death that occurred. I REFUSE) with yes, an eventual reveal and other fun little things along the way!

I don't really know how long each chapter will be seeing as they will each consist of their own short story, but I'm expecting anywhere between two to ten thousand words depending on the theme. That being said, updates may take longer to come out due to varying lengths, so bear with me!

I'm not really sure if this is anything you guys will be into or interested in, but let me know! I'd love to hear from you and get your thoughts and ideas as the story goes on! Thanks for reading, you guys are the best ^-^