Gaius loved his work as the Court Physician. He loved getting to help people, curing what ailed them, and figuring out even the most complex illnesses. But his work was often tiresome, and there were some days when the elder looked forward to returning to his home and relaxing in the late afternoon and evenings with an old tome.
Today had been one of those days. Had been, because as Gaius climbed the steps to his tower, his work done and finished early for once and leaving a promising evening ahead, was when he heard them. He should say that it hadn't been right outside the door, or even on the landing. No, the elder could hear the prince and his servant while he was still halfway down the steps, and as the physician paused, he wondered briefly if he truly wanted to return home or if he wanted to just let them carry on alone.
What ultimately made up his mind was the yelp of pain that had unmistakably come from his ward, and the harsh yelling of the prince that followed. So, with a heaving sigh, Gaius finished the trek up to his home before cautiously pushing open his door.
He spotted them right away, the pair taking up space next to one of his workbenches in a fashion that he'd often seen in the past. The elder's eyes first found his boy, the stupid child he could be at times, and noticed immediately the crimson smeared across his open palm.
What caught Gaius' attention next was the anger that was displayed openly on Merlin's face. Anger no doubt directed at the blond standing over him with one hand wrapped around the boy's wrist and one holding a dagger against his blood stained hand.
For a moment neither noticed the physician as he stood shocked in the doorway, merely watching while Merlin struggled to free himself from the prince, only to have Arthur's fingers tighten around his wrist.
"Would you stop it already? Sit still and let me do this or we'll be here all day!" The royal snapped, pulling the dagger away while Merlin squirmed in his seat.
"No! You're making it worse when I told you I would just wait for Gaius!"
"Wait for me for what? What exactly is going on here?" The elder finally questioned, drawn from his stupor and stepping fully into his chambers as both of their heads swiveled towards him.
"Merlin's being an idiot, as usual." Arthur scowled, immediately dropping the boy's hand and taking a step away.
"You're the one stabbing me!" Merlin cried out in objection; his mouth agape while he stared at the physician in an appalled manner.
"What happened?" The elder asked, grabbing a rag from off a stack of clean linens in the corner before walking to the boy's side.
"He's acting like.. like.. an infant!" Arthur huffed while Gaius sat beside his ward and began to carefully clean away the blood smeared across Merlin's hand.
The cut wasn't very deep, but it was long, stretching from the base of his thumb out across his palm as the boy let out a quiet hiss of pain. "I am not! You're the one who insisted you could handle it even when I told you I was going to wait for Gaius."
"And I could've if you'd have just stood still. Honestly Merlin, you act as though I was threatening your life!"
"You practically were." The young warlock grumbled, refusing to meet his guardian's pressing gaze.
"What happened?" Gaius repeated, applying pressure to the wound as Merlin flinched.
"It's a long story."
"It's really not." Arthur muttered, setting his dagger on the table and folding his arms across his chest. "It wouldn't have even happened if you'd have just listened and done your job."
"I always do my job." Merlin shot back, letting out a huff of indignation.
"Always do your job?" Arthur scoffed, taking a step closer before jabbing a finger out towards the boy. "You were late in waking me up, you pouted through all your chores, then you proceeded to act like an idiot all because I needed your assistance with training the knights. The only one to blame for this whole mess is you."
"That is not what happened at all!" Merlin stared, his mouth dropping open as he leaned forward, forcing Gaius to readjust his hold on the boy's hand. "I was there on time this morning; you were the one who didn't want to wake up! And you gave me the most ridiculous chores, not to mention asking me to be nothing more than a field dummy!"
"That's quite enough." Gaius interrupted before the prince could fire back, the scolding tone directed at his ward, though the words were clearly meant for both. "Just tell me what happened to your hand, Merlin."
Leaning back, Merlin cut his eyes to Arthur before looking back to the physician. "Well, it started when I woke up this morning.."
The sun had only just begun to peak over the horizon as Merlin pushed himself from his bed. His body was stiff and sore from work the night before when Arthur decided the boy needed to mend every piece of armor before a ceremony the following evening. But as he dressed and splashed water onto his face to wake himself up, Merlin at least had the satisfying knowledge that he would be on time in rousing the prince that morning.
Hurrying out of his room and quickly eating the delicious breakfast that Gaius had prepared for them, the boy had rushed off to the kitchens for Arthur's tray of food, wanting nothing more than for it to be ready the moment the man desired it. Merlin often tried to do things like that, to be considerate of course, but also because he took his job very seriously.
Early morning rays of light shined through the halls as the servant carefully pushed open Arthur's chamber doors and set the tray quietly on his table. The room was still shrouded in darkness with heavy drapes blocking out the sun and the embers from the fire having died out during the night.
Walking to one end of the room and pulling back the drapes in a smooth, slow motion so as not to drown the room in light all at once, Merlin was greeted with a low growl coming from beneath the blankets.
"Good morning, Sire." The servant spoke gently, approaching the bed and offering a low bow to the prince as Arthur's head appeared from beneath a pillow and glared at the boy.
"What are you doing here, Merlin? It's barely morning!"
"You asked me to wake you early today, Sire. You said you had a lot of work to catch up on before your training session with the knights this afternoon."
"I don't recall saying any such thing." The blond snapped, burying his head back beneath his bedding as Merlin drew away and began to tidy the royal's room. No matter how many times a day he cleaned it, Arthur always managed to make such a mess.
"It must have been my mistake then, I do apologize. I did bring your breakfast here, however, in case you wish to eat."
"Breakfast? Well now I have to get up to eat or it will spoil." Sitting up and kicking away the covers until they fell to the floor, Arthur cast another scowl towards the boy. "Well? Are you going to continue to stand there like an idiot or are you going to do your job and help me dress sometime this morning?"
"Of course, Sire." Merlin nodded quickly, retrieving clothes from the man's wardrobe and carrying them over to the changing screen while the prince pushed himself out of bed.
"Clean this up when you're done, you know I can't stand a mess." Walking behind the screen and snatching the clothes from the servant's hands, Arthur began muttering while Merlin hurried to clean up the rest of the room. "There are several things I want you to do today, so you'll have to actually be quick about it all instead of lazing about as you'd normally do." The prince spoke while adjusting his tunic, stepping out from behind the changing screen and sitting at the table in front of his food.
"What all needs done?" Merlin asked obediently, choosing to ignore the apparent bad mood the blond had awoken in.
"You'll need to muck out the stables, wash my laundry, scrub the floor, clean my boots, mend my tunic, and run a bath after my training with the knights this afternoon."
"Yes, Sire. I'll make sure it all gets done." The boy nodded, making a mental note of all the chores while he finished fluffing the prince's pillows.
"This tastes awful." Arthur grumbled, poking a sausage in disgust before waving a hand towards his door. "Go, get started on your work. Make sure to come by the training field when you're finished though in case I require you later."
Without a word, but giving another low bow, Merlin hurried out the door with an over piled basket of laundry in his hands. The rest of the servant's morning was filled with busy, dirty tasks, with errands for Gaius interspersed and a brief chat with Guinevere in the gardens. By the time Merlin returned to Arthur's side, it was early afternoon, and the training field was filled with knights running their drills.
The prince himself stood by a long table filled with weapons and shields and armor, and as Arthur worked to tighten a strap around a shield propped against a table, he caught sight of the boy and waved him over. "There you are! What took you so long? I specifically told you not to laze about all day!"
"I wasn't lazing, Sire. I was doing the work you requested of me." Merlin answered respectfully, inclining his head an inch towards the royal as irritation flooded Arthur's face.
"I highly doubt that, seeing as you're barely capable of doing one thing I ask, let alone an entire list. But you're here now. I need you to fill in today, we're down a man and a training dummy."
Throwing a heavy wooden shield at the boy, Merlin lunged forward to catch it, fumbling with it as it slipped through his hands. Something sharp dug into his palm as it did, and the boy let out a yelp of pain as he let the shield fall to ground.
"What are you doing, Merlin?" Arthur yelled, staring at the shield as the pain lessoned to a dull throbbing.
"I'm sorry, it just—"
"What? It just what? Was too heavy? I swear, you're beyond worthless sometimes." The prince snapped, turning away as Merlin lifted his hand and inspected his palm.
Imbedded deep in his skin just below his thumb was a large splinter that had come from the shield. A single dot of blood had puckered to the surface where the shard went in, and as the servant began to prod it with his nails, he winced in pain.
"What did you do?" Arthur demanded upon turning back around, and Merlin was quick to drop his hand and slide it behind his back.
"Nothing, Sire. I'm fine."
"Merlin, show me your hand." Biting the inside of his cheek but not talking back, the boy reluctantly pulled his hand back out and held it up for the royal to see. "You're complaining over a splinter?" The blond scoffed, grabbing the servant's wrist and yanking it forward. "God, Merlin. You truly are an infant."
"It's nothing, I'm sure I can—"
"Shut up, Merlin. Hold still while I get it out."
"What?" Merlin's eyes widened and his body tensed as Arthur pulled a dagger from his side and readjusted his too tight grip on the boy. "N-No, Arthur, really, I—"
"Be quiet and quit moving." The prince grumbled as he pressed the tip of his dagger against the servant's hand. Letting out another yelp Merlin jerked his hand away and felt the edge of the knife slide along his palm. "Merlin!"
"Please, I'll just go to Gaius." The boy said, cradling his injured hand against his chest while taking a step away.
"If you'd just hold still—"
"That story is nothing short of lies!" Arthur scowled, cutting the boy off as Merlin stared up at him with wide, innocent eyes.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Sire. That's exactly how I remember it happening."
"I'm sure you do." The prince practically growled as Gaius sighed and pulled the young warlock's hand closer.
"So, you've got a piece of wood caught in your hand?"
"Yes." Merlin nodded, looking down at his palm while Gaius finally pulled back the cloth.
With the blood out of the way the physician could see the very tip of the splinter caught beneath the first layer of skin. "Right, hold your hand up. I'll just be a minute." The elder instructed before pushing himself up and walking to the back of the room. Rifling through some of his cabinets for the items he needed, Gaius listened as the bickering continued behind him.
"First of all, why do you make me out to always be shouting?" Arthur demanded.
"Because you always are." Merlin retorted dryly, and Gaius heard a scoff come from the blond.
"No, I'm not. Second, I didn't give you that many chores, and third that entire story was riddled with inaccuracies!"
"He asked what happened, and I told him how I remembered it."
Walking back to his stool and sitting down, Gaius took Merlin's hand and twisted it carefully towards the window so the afternoon light would aid him.
"If you wish to know what really happened, Gaius, then I'll tell you." Arthur huffed as the physician held the warlock's hand up and lowered a scalpel to his palm. "It started when Merlin was late, as usual.."
Arthur had been sleeping peacefully all morning. The room was dark and cool, and the air was less stuffy than it had been the previous two weeks.
He'd requested that Merlin rouse him early that day though, as he had work to finish before training with his knights. The prince was well aware that Merlin wasn't the best servant, but he figured if he asked to be woken early, he might stand an actual chance of being woken up on time instead.
However, nothing could have prepared Arthur for the near violent way that Merlin chose to wake him that morning. One moment the prince had been sleeping soundly in his bed, and the next he was startled awake by dishes clattering and the drapes being torn open to flood the room in light.
"Wake up, Arthur!" Merlin's obnoxiously loud voice echoed through the room as the servant stepped closer and gestured toward the table where a lopsided tray sat next to an overturned goblet.
"Must you be so loud straightaway, Merlin?" Arthur asked quietly, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the sudden blinding light.
"Sorry, Sire." The boy spoke with a fair amount of sarcasm dripping from his words. "I didn't sleep much last night after fixing all your armor, so I suppose I'm still a bit on edge." Walking up behind the man and beginning to yank the pillow out from underneath him, Arthur jerked away and stared at the boy in concern. "Your breakfast is sitting there, just waiting for you." Merlin indicated with another brusque wave of his hand as he began tugging on the blankets until the prince climbed out of the bed.
"I would prefer to dress before eating." The man spoke warily, eyeing the servant as he straightened and quickly nodded.
"Right, course." Bounding towards the wardrobe, Merlin began tearing through the items before he pulled out a tunic and threw it over his shoulder towards the prince. Lunging forward to catch it, Arthur had barely saved it from the floor when a pair of trousers landed on his shoulder. "There you are! Hurry and change or your food will be cold." Merlin encouraged, going back to fix the bed that still looked as though someone were sleeping in it.
"Are you feeling alright this morning, Merlin?" The prince asked cautiously, wondering if he needed to give the boy yet another day off to recover from whatever brain ailment was causing him to act in such a way.
"Feeling perfect, Sire." The boy replied cheerily, though the prince was unconvinced.
Not wanting to endure a soggy meal, Arthur hurried behind his changing screen and dressed himself while listening to the servant clattering about in his room. Moments later, the prince was sitting at the table, and as he removed the covering over his tray found himself pausing and staring in shock at the meager meal set before him.
The food was thrown all about the plate, and the portions were far smaller than they normally should have been. The sausages were cold, the fruit was brown, and the whole thing looked as if it had been sitting out for hours. In fact, it looked almost as though the meal had been comprised out of someone else's scraps from the night before. However, not wanting to cause a stir, the prince ate in silence while Merlin prattled on and on.
The boy spoke of how tired and how sore he was, and how he'd nicked his finger on a sword the night before and how he'd wanted no part of mending the armor as he'd been asked to.
"Speaking of that," Arthur cut in before the boy had a chance to continue on about the horses. "I need you to clean out the stalls today. And if you could clean my boots as well, and perhaps if you have the time, wash a couple of my tunics. I'll also need a bath drawn before the ceremony tonight, but if there isn't time then I can request another to do it instead."
"Perhaps you should request someone to make you a better meal." Merlin scoffed, leaning over the prince's shoulder and gawking at the food while completely ignoring the man's list. "Suppose it's a good thing there's not much on there though. It's better if you can actually fit into your clothes for that ceremony tonight."
"Merlin, did you just call me fat?" Arthur stared, his head swiveling around to look at him as the servant turned away and lifted his hands defensively.
"Of course not. I'm merely saying that you could stand to lay off the bread for a while." Merlin spoke with a shrug, grabbing hold of the laundry basket in the middle of the floor while the prince gaped.
"That's a bit rude and uncalled for, don't you think?"
"I'm only trying to be honest, Arthur. After all, you've needed mending on quite a few things recently haven't you?"
"It's called muscle, Merlin!"
"Of course it is, Sire." Merlin smirked, walking towards the door. "I'll find you when I'm finished!" He waved, disappearing from the room without another word and leaving Arthur in shocked silence.
The rest of the prince's morning passed without disturbance, and he didn't see his servant again until training that afternoon. The knights were sparring with each other, and Arthur was preparing for the final test for two of the newest recruits. The problem, however, was that Leon had destroyed one of the dummies last week during his own training, and they needed someone to fill in.
The solution appeared in the form of a snarky manservant that came meandering towards him as if he were taking a leisurely stroll through the woods. As the boy approached, Arthur beckoned for him to hurry. "Perfect timing, Merlin."
"For what?"
"For assisting with training today. It seems we're down both a man and a sparring dummy and I need you to fill in." Picking up a lightweight shield that even Merlin would be able to use, the prince held it out to him. "All you have to do is stand there and take the hits."
"With that?" The boy stared, gesturing to the wooden shield in horror. "You're joking, right?"
"Merlin, this is incredibly important, and it won't take long. You'll be perfectly fine." Arthur pressed, holding the shield out further as Merlin shook his head.
"No, no way! I'll be beaten senseless!"
"They're not going to hurt you, you idiot. And frankly, you don't have enough sense to have beaten out of you anyway." Arthur frowned, lowering the shield and rolling his eyes. "Honestly it's just a part of their training. They'll hit you a couple of times to demonstrate, and they'll be hitting the shield not you."
"Doesn't matter." Merlin shook his head back and forth while lifting his hands and holding them out. "I want no part of it."
"Merlin—"
"Arthur, I won't."
"Stop being such a girl and take it!" Shoving the shield at him, the servant reluctantly grabbed hold before letting it slide through his hands. As he did, he let out a yelp and jumped away, holding up his right hand with a grimace. "What did you do?" Arthur asked with a barely suppressed sigh, staring at the boy in annoyance.
"Your shield attacked me!" Merlin cried, his voice coming out in a whine. "I told you I didn't want to do this!"
"Let me see."
"It's fine."
"Merlin, let me see!" Snapping at the boy, Arthur stepped forward as his servant extended his hand out to him. A small dot of blood had puckered up from a dark spot just beneath Merlin's thumb, and as the man looked closer, he could see a splinter of wood caught beneath the skin. "How do you always manage to do this to yourself?" Arthur scoffed, pulling a dagger from his side and cradling Merlin's hand carefully.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to get it out."
"What? No!" The boy shouted, starting to pull his hand away as Arthur tightened his hold.
"It's not in there very deep, just hold still and I'll take care of it." Lowering the knife and pressing the tip against the piece of wood, Merlin let out another yelp and tugged his hand away, causing the knife to slide across his palm.
"Look what you've done!" The servant cried out, drawing his hand close again. "I just want Gaius to look at it, that's it!"
"I was merely trying to help."
"Well, a whole lot of good you—"
"Why exactly do you make me out to sound like I'm whining all the time?" Merlin interrupted, his ears a bright red as he glowered at the man.
"Because that's how you sound to me." Arthur retorted dryly, giving the boy an equally dirty look as Gaius sighed softly and continued to wrap a dressing around his ward's hand. The splinter hadn't been very big, and it had come out somewhat easily, but the cut from the prince's dagger had done more damage than the physician getting it out himself would have.
"You're just trying to make it out to be all my fault." Merlin muttered.
"It was all your fault, Merlin." Arthur countered before throwing his hands up as he turned and strode for the door. "I have better things to do than to sit here and listen to your moaning."
"I am not moaning!" Merlin shouted, standing up the moment Gaius was finished. Uttering a quick thanks to his mentor, the boy hurried after the prince and the physician was left alone as their bickering voices faded down the stairwell.
Sitting back and releasing a heavy breath, Gaius began to clean up the bloody rags when a soft knock sounded at his door. "Come in." The elder called, hearing the weariness in his voice as he did.
"Hello, Gaius." A familiar tone greeted, and as the physician turned, spotted an older guard waiting just inside his door.
"Ah, Dorian. Please, come in. I have that elixir just over.. well, somewhere around here." Gaius chuckled, rising from his seat and looking around the table for the bottle that had no doubt been moved earlier that day by his ward.
"Take your time, old friend. I'm in no hurry." The guard urged, stepping further into the room and letting the door fall shut behind him. "You know, I passed the prince and that boy of yours on my way here." The man began conversationally, and Gaius had to work to suppress the initial noise of irritation that wanted to come forth.
"Did you?"
"They seemed rather.. lively today."
"I suppose that's one word for it." The physician murmured, finally spotting a glass bottle filled with a dull pink liquid. "Ah, here we are. Now, this should help to aid your back."
Holding the bottle out to the guard, Dorian took it gratefully. "I appreciate this, Gaius. Those younger men the King has recruited have been running circles around me lately."
"You don't think it's time to resign?" Gaius asked, waving towards a stool as the both of them took a seat.
"Do you?" Dorian returned with a raised brow that had the physician chuckling again.
"That is a decent point you make, though I believe we're both getting too old for the trouble this kingdom often finds itself in."
"Too old perhaps for the prince and his own misadventures." Dorian shook his head while tucking the bottle into a pouch hanging from his side.
At that, Gaius let out a snort before quickly smothering it with a cough. "Yes, Arthur does have a habit of getting himself into his own difficult situations."
"Him, and Merlin." Dorian hummed; the smallest smile alight on his lips while Gaius sighed.
"Yes, that boy attracts more mischief than anyone I've ever seen."
"I noticed Merlin's hand was wrapped as I passed them by, is he alright?"
"A mere splinter." Gaius nodded, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands in his lap. "Arthur thought to help by getting it out with his dagger and Merlin felt that was the wrong choice."
"Ah, that would explain the bickering I heard earlier than."
"Yes, they're so loud I'm surprised that the entire citadel didn't hear them." The physician grumbled as Dorian sat up straighter.
"No, I meant on the field today. I heard them also in the prince's chambers this morning while I was doing my rounds."
"Oh? Perhaps you can give me some insight as to what really happened then?" Gaius pushed as the guard settled back and lifted his eyes to the ceiling in thought.
"Well now, let's see. I believe it started early this morning. Merlin rushed past me, late as usual I expect.."
"Sorry!" The boy flew around the corner and nearly crashed into Dorian; the tray Merlin was carrying bumping into the man's chest as whatever food lay inside bounced around in chaos.
"Be careful, Merlin!" The guard shouted after him, though he doubted the boy heard as the servant went skidding around the next corner. Shaking his head, Dorian continued his patrol, pausing next to the prince's chambers when he heard arguing coming from inside.
"—blinding me!"
"You asked to be awoken early, Sire." The sarcasm dripping from Merlin's words were clear, and Dorian found himself once again surprised at how the prince let the boy get away with speaking to him in such a manner.
"Yes, Merlin. Awoken, not startled awake by you slamming doors and ripping open drapes!"
"I'm sorry." The apology seemed genuine enough, though moments later there was a soft thud and Merlin was scoffing. "If you're going to throw pillows, Arthur, you should at least hit your—" Another thud sounded behind the closed doors and cut off the boy's words before he finished seconds later. "Target." The word came out dry and annoyed, and Dorian began to step away when the prince spoke again.
"Stop talking, Merlin, you're causing my head to ache. Go about your work and just leave me be."
"As you wish."
"Actually, wait." Arthur's voice lifted, as if he were talking to the boy from the other side of the room. "I have a list of things I need you to do today, and then I will need you to come by the field when you're finished."
"A list?" Merlin gasped, and at that, Dorian finally pulled himself away, glancing behind his shoulder before continuing down the hall and berating himself for eavesdropping for so long.
As his day continued, the guard found himself on his break looking out over the training field where the prince and his knights were running drills. Or at least the knights were, Prince Arthur just looked irritated, throwing looks occasionally to his right before glancing back to his men.
Dorian wasn't sure what the cause was until he spotted Merlin walking towards the field. A bit of dirt coated the side of the boy's arm, and an expression of annoyance of his own lingered as he sauntered towards the prince, almost seeming to walk slower under the royal's pressing gaze.
"Where the hell have you been?" The prince demanded once his servant was closer, and Merlin's shoulders went up in a shrug as he stopped in front of Arthur.
"Doing the things on that absurdly long list of chores that you gave me. I only just finished."
"Somehow I don't believe much of what I gave you actually got done." Arthur scowled, the man in a particularly foul mood as the prince picked up a wooden shield. "One of the training dummies was destroyed and I need you to fill in. Hold this and try not to get your idiot head struck."
"Wait, what? You want me to just stand there while the knights pummel me? They'll break this in half in no time, and then me!"
"You'll be fine, Merlin. Just hold it up and try not to whine." Arthur smirked, pushing the shield closer to the boy's face.
"Can't you give me something stronger?"
"Like what? It's only for a few demonstrative moves, anything heavier and you won't hold it as high as it needs to be."
"I really don't think this is a good idea." Merlin muttered, letting the shield slide through his hands to the ground before the boy let out a sudden yelp and jerked away, leaving the shield to fall to the dirt.
"What did you do?" Arthur demanded, a mixed look of irritation and concern rising to his face as Merlin grimaced.
"I think I got a splinter."
"A splinter? Honestly, Merlin, you're ridiculous." Turning away, the prince began to pull a dagger from his side while Merlin probed at his skin.
"It looks fairly deep, ouch! And long."
"Give me your hand."
"What?" Jerking his head up, Merlin pulled his hand closer and took a step away. "Why?"
"Because I'm going to get it out so that we can finally continue with our training. Now give me your hand."
"I'd really rather let Gaius get it out actually." Merlin shook his head, backing another step away as the prince's hand shot out and wrapped around the boy's wrist.
"Stop being such a girl, Merlin. This won't hurt so long as you stay still."
"Arthur, really, I don't—" The boy's words cut off abruptly as the tip of the royal's dagger pressed into his palm. Letting out a sharp hiss and wrenching his hand back, the edge of the knife drug across Merlin's hand and caused a thin stream of blood to begin dripping over the edge of his palm.
"What are you doing?" Arthur shouted as the boy cradled his hand against his chest.
"What am I doing? What are you doing? I told you Gaius should do it!"
"Great, now you've bled on the shield." The prince grumbled, looking at the shield still lying at their feet.
"That's what you're concerned about?" Merlin gaped as Dorian blinked a couple of times.
Rising from his perch and stretching out his aching back, the old guard was just starting to turn away to return to work when he saw Arthur pushing Merlin's shoulders back towards the citadel.
"Fine! Go see Gaius! But hurry up!"
"Of course, neither of their telling's were completely true. I really should have known." Gaius sighed, lifting a hand to his head and rubbing at his tired eyes while Dorian laughed across from him.
"I do believe that Merlin is the only one who will ever be able to get away with addressing Prince Arthur so formally while also being able to shout at him."
"Yes, so it seems." Lifting his head, Gaius looked up to see Dorian standing.
"I think it's time that I got back, my wife and son will surely be waiting."
"Your son is around Merlin's age, isn't he?" Gaius asked, following his friend to the door.
"Just a couple of years apart. Soon he will be fit to be a guard himself. Perhaps that is when I will take my leave of the job. You might even consider the same."
"The same what?" Gaius asked with an arched brow.
"Plan. Teach Merlin your trade. He cannot plan on being the prince's manservant forever, can he? I think they might kill each other before that played out."
"Perhaps you're right." Gaius smiled, though his mind was now racing as he tried to picture Merlin doing his job, even training to be a physician. "Goodbye, Dorian. Say hello to your family for me." The elder waved, pushing the door closed after his friend and letting his hand linger on the wood.
Train Merlin to be a physician? What an interesting idea.
A/N
Wow I have been gone for a REALLY long time.. I'm so sorry guys! My muse completely vanished which is rare for me but left me in a slump for months! I kept trying to write and just kept giving up. But I'm here now, and the story will go on! Thank you all for sticking with me!
I really wanted to give Gaius a friend, and I think it is totally plausible that he had friends in guards and others in the citadel, but let me know what you think! You guys also might see Dorian in the future, so keep an eye out!