So there was this post on tumblr about Merlin not having a seat at the round table after that first time and it makes me kind of angry because if anyone deserved a seat at that table it was Merlin and just... it makes me really angry that he didn't have a permanent seat there. Like, okay, Merlin would have said it was fine, because he didn't want the recognition or whatever in later years, but I dare you to look me in the eye and tell me that someone wouldn't have insisted—Gwen or Gwaine or Leon or Percival or Lancelot or Elyan or whoever. You look me in the god damn eye and tell me that someone wouldn't have insisted Merlin deserved a spot at the round table.

So. I wrote a thing.

Disclaimer: At this point, I would hope it's painfully obvious that I don't own Merlin or anything related to it. Because, like, I would have done tons of stuff differently—including the round table, and just... Obviously, I had no part of that bullshit.

Your Seat

*.*.*.*.*

It was a big day—tremendous, actually, as far as Arthur was concerned, and he'd had Merlin make sure his entire day was clear of all other commitments because of it. It was the day the first official meeting of the Round Table was to take place, and deciding who would have a spot at it… it was a difficult decision, to say the least. There were so many deserving of such an honor, but so only so many chairs to offer. He spent weeks in advanced mulling it over, making up list after list of those who might have a seat there, and even on the day of he was still making changes, swapping out this name for that one or vice versa—honestly, it was probably the most stressed Arthur had ever been by a decision he had to make as king so far.

But, as he walked into the room, walked towards the table, ran his hand absently over the polished top of it… He felt, in his gut, that he'd made the best decision in who would join him there. His closest knights, obviously: Lancelot, Gwaine, Leon, Percival, Elyan, and a handful of others whom he considered to represent his knights and what they stood for the best. Gaius, of course, would be there, some of his most trusted advisors, members of his court… Yes, when he thought about it, he'd made the absolute best decision in who would be joining him.

If all went well in this first meeting, the people sitting at the table would have a permanent spot there. And all would go well—of course it would. This was a brilliant idea and would, surely, bring about the support of all.

Of course it would.

*.*.*.*.*

Or, perhaps, not.

People had started coming in moments after Arthur arrived and they mulled about for a few moments, waiting for everyone to get there before they started occupying their seats—his knights and Gaius nearest him, of course. Merlin arrived just before the meeting started and, seeming to ignore the knights as they waved him over, took his usual spot standing behind Arthur, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed around the room with a steady eye.

With everyone finally seated, Arthur cleared his throat and stood up, called attention to himself, and started going over the reason for the round table, the tradition of the old kings, what it symbolized, and things of the such. Before they could get to the actual issues they were meant to discuss at such a meeting, Arthur took his seat and opened the floor to any questions they might have about the meeting and what it would entail from now on, and other things of the such that they might be curious about.

Before anyone else could finish their thoughts, Gwaine piped up, his question shooting out of his mouth with a hint of outrage around the edges in a way that silenced the entire room, "Why doesn't Merlin have a seat at the table?"

Everyone looked towards Merlin at the question, including Arthur whom, up until that point, hadn't given a single thought in the world to Merlin's presence behind him instead of next to him. Now that Gwaine brought it to his attention, however…

Why the hell wasn't Merlin sitting at the table? In all his planning, all his thoughts, Arthur had never… Oh God, how had he never…

"It's fine, Gwaine." Merlin assured him with a small smile of reassurance, but, of course, it wasn't. Of course it wasn't. Of all the people—of all the god damn people—

"It's not." Gwaine told him, turning back to Arthur. "Of everyone sitting here, surely Merlin deserves it more than us?"

"Gwaine's right." Lancelot added. "He's brave, loyal, noble—he's everything you stand for; why shouldn't he have a spot here?"

"If it wasn't for Merlin, we wouldn't even be here right now—any of us." Elyan said.

"He deserves a spot here more than any of us." Percival added.

Leon nodded. "They're right, my Lord."

Arthur nodded, of course they were right. Of course. Jesus, how had he never thought of Merlin? Merlin, who believed in him, who followed him into battle despite being a servant and not a knight? Merlin, whom he sought guidance and wisdom from on many different occasions? Merlin, whom always knew what to say, who did his job, who was there for all his friends, who never gave up on anyone, who never—

"But the boy is a servant, a mere peasant," One of his advisors sputtered. Arthur cut his eyes to the man, deciding right then and there that he, for one, would not be invited back to have a seat at the table. "Why should he be allowed—"

"In case you're forgetting," Leon said, almost glowering at the man. "Most of Arthur's most trusted knights are peasants: Elyan, Percival, Lancelot, Gwaine—are you saying they don't deserve their places here at this table? That because of the bloodlines they were born into that they shouldn't be here? Despite the sacrifices they've made for our king? Despite all they've done for his kingdom?"

"Of course not!" The man said in his defense. "But they have proven themselves worthy! They have proved—"

"Merlin has more than proved he deserves a spot at this table!" Gwaine hissed, jabbing his gloved finger at the table beneath his hands. "Time and time again—more than anyone else has. More than we have. In fact, most of us wouldn't even be knights if it was't for Merlin, and you're telling me you don't think he deserves a spot here? If it weren't for Merlin, there wouldn't even be a round table to have a meeting at!"

Arthur turned to Gwaine, to his knights, to the rest of the table, fully intending to put a stop to further discussion and to give Merlin his rightful spot at the table—because Merlin deserved it. Merlin deserved it—but...

"The fact remains that he is still but a servant—no matter what he's done, he's only a servant!" A different council member hissed, and Arthur mentally noted who it was so he, too, could be relieved of his seat at the table next time. "And a servant has no place in such discussions; a servant has no right to have any sort of say in the matters that are to be discussed at these such meetings."

"He's not just a servant, he's Arthur's servant, the king's servant! He's there for all the important decisions, he counsels him when he needs it, listens to him when he complains, pushes him in the right direction. He has helped make Arthur the great king that he is today!"

"Then why wouldn't the king see fit to appoint him a spot without the discussion? Hmm? Why isn't he sitting down instead of standing like the servant that he is?"

"That's enough!" Arthur hissed, addressing the whole room, silencing them all with a hard, flat palmed banged against the table. "If I hear one more word out of anyone—if one more person says 'he's just a servant,' I will personally see them relieved of their position and escorted from the city—do I make myself clear?" He demanded, his stare icy and fueled by the deep-seated anger he was feeling at certain members of the table, and himself, for neglecting to secure the most important person in his life a seat at something so monumentally important to him.

Everyone stared back at him in silence, a few of their friends giving him hard looks of their own, a few other knights and council members looking confused and perhaps a bit shocked at the outburst, but everyone remained quiet, nonetheless.

"Good. Now. Has the messenger from Lot's kingdom arrived with word on how he feels about my proposition?"

*.*.*.*.*

Of course, nothing too important was discussed at the lengths Arthur would have liked after that heated discussion concerning Merlin, who stayed oddly still and silent through-out the rest of the meeting, not bothering to make sarcastic or clipped comments under his breath that he knew Arthur could hear when things became too boring. Indeed, Merlin did little other than occasionally refill Arthur's water goblet over the course of the meeting, though Arthur waved him off whenever he did so, feeling guilty that he was left to serve him when he should have been seated next to him instead. Arthur felt so guilty about it, in fact, that he gave Merlin the rest of the afternoon off as soon as the meeting was over and everyone began to file out.

Arthur had been half-hoping, when he released him, that Merlin would shake his head at the offer and spend the day with Arthur anyway, as he went about seeing to this or that, because, while his schedule was technically cleared, he couldn't just sit around and do nothing for the rest of the day; that that simply was not who he was. So he felt a pang of something like disappointment when Merlin bowed slightly and excused himself from the room, walking quickly to catch up with Gaius as he left the room as well.

Arthur swallowed and made to stand from his own seat. He needed to get to his chambers, needed to draw up a new list of those who would be invited to the next round table meeting—by his count, there were at least five people he didn't want returning to the next one; if they were going to speak so lowly of Merlin… they didn't deserve the spot, really. And there were a few names he needed to add to the list—Merlin's belonging at the very top of said list.

However, he was waylaid by his knights before he could even leave the room. Leon, Elyan, Lancelot, Percival, and Gwaine all approached him once the room was otherwise empty, and Arthur knew what they wanted to talk about before Gwaine even opened his mouth, knew the conversation—the lecture—that was coming before they could even start in on him. And even though he was the king and they were his knights and were supposed to be loyal to him and side with him...

He let them go about with it anyway. Because Merlin was their friend and they had every right to be upset with him over this. Every. Right.

"I can't believe you wouldn't give Merlin a spot at the table!" Gwaine lamented. "He's been nothing but loyal, nothing but a good friend, and to not offer him a seat is an insult to him, to us, to everything you claim to stand for!"

"Gwaine's right, it's not fair not to give him a seat." Percival nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.

And Arthur stood there in silence, accepting of their anger, their outrage as they each offered their opinions, taking turns telling Arthur how wrong it was, how unfair it was, that Merlin, of all people didn't have a seat at the table. They each moreorless said the same things, but Arthur stood there and listened to them, let them have a go at him in a way no one else would dare talk to a king, until they seemed to wear themselves out and sighed, stood back in something like anger and an acceptance of their own as they waited for Arthur's reaction, what he might have to say in defense of himself.

"At the next meeting," Gwaine added quickly as Arthur opened his mouth to reply. "If Merlin isn't allowed a spot, then I don't want one either."

"I wouldn't be a knight if it wasn't for Merlin; if he's not allowed to sit with us then I want no part of these meetings either."

"Nor I."

"I couldn't imagine anything like this even happening without him, it's only fair."

"Yes, all right." Arthur interrupted, sensing they were just working themselves back up to have another go at him. "I messed up, I know. I should have given him a spot, but I forgot. I don't know how I managed to, but I was drawing up the names and… I forgot about him, all right? It's just… he's always there, I knew he would be at this meeting anyway, and I didn't think… didn't think I would need to… I'm sorry." He sighed, looking at each of them in turn. "I promise you—all of you—Merlin will have his seat at the next meeting and every single one after that. You have my word." He told them.

They kept him there a few moments longer despite his promise, perhaps wanting to make sure he really understood the situation and how badly he had fucked up this time, until finally he managed to tell them he needed to get to his chambers to draw up the new list of names of people who would be invited to sit in on the next meeting—because Merlin's name needed to be added, he said pointedly, and a few names needed to be struck from the list, and they knew exactly who he was referring to when he said that—and they reluctantly stepped aside and let him go.

*.*.*.*.*

When Arthur entered his chambers, he was still stewing in something like self-loathing when he saw Merlin tucked away with his armor, polishing it with a concentrated, distracted look on his face. Arthur closed the door much too loudly behind himself to draw his attention without saying anything, causing him to look up from his work with a curious look on his face. He nodded in greeting and went back to his work without a word, and Arthur wondered what the silence meant. Was it angry? Hurtful? Accepting? What was going through Merlin's mind in that moment?

He crossed the room to him and took the seat next to him, cleared his throat until he had Merlin's attention once again.

"About the meeting today…" Arthur began slowly when Merlin finally stopped his work and looked to him, the look in his eyes thoughtful and patient in a way Arthur was not accustomed to.

"I'm… sorry everyone was causing you such grief on my behalf." Merlin said in the pause after Arthur's words.

"No!" Arthur exclaimed insistently. "They were right, you should have a spot there—I'll deny ever saying this, but... none of this would be happening without you, without your advice and guidance; without you believing in me, I wouldn't... I wouldn't be half the king I am today."

Merlin looked at him with something like wonder and a spark of something resembling happiness as he shoved Arthur's armor to the side, half a smirk playing at his face as he turned back to Arthur, blinking at him.

"That almost sounded like a compliment or two." He chuckled.

"Yes, well," Arthur smiled at him, his voice teasing as he finished, "Don't get used to it."

Merlin chuckled again and shook his head, making Arthur soften and chuckle a bit himself. "You'll have a seat at the next meeting." He said after a moment, their laughter fading into a pregnant silence and encompassing the room in a way that made the moment seem almost surreal and...

"Arthur, you don't have to—"

"Merlin." Arthur cut in sternly. "You're going to have a seat at the next meeting, and every meeting after that. At my right hand. And I don't care what any of those idiots from earlier have to say about it."

"Those idiots are on your court."

"And they're making me rethink that."

"Arthur..." Merlin shook his head, his cheeks turning pink as he grinned, unable to stay displeased with Arthur at a time like this.

"Say you'll sit next to me at the table, Merlin." Arthur said then. He wouldn't make Merlin sit there—if he truly didn't want to be there, if he didn't want to have a seat next to Arthur for whatever reason... Arthur wouldn't make him, but... He hoped he did want the seat, hoped he wanted to be there with him...

"I will." Merlin nodded at last, his smile soft, face lit up with something Arthur didn't want to wrongly place. "Someone has to stop you from getting into it with half your court again, after all."

"I was defending you."

"I wouldn't have needed defending if someone had just remembered to give me a seat at the table to begin with." Merlin teased, nudging Arthur's shoulder.

"I thought you said you didn't even want a seat there." Arthur teased back.

"I never said that."

"I knew it bothered you!" Arthur exclaimed, almost triumphant.

"Everything you do bothers me at some point or another." Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Everything?" Arthur asked skeptically.

"Everything."

Arthur looked at Merlin for a long moment, then, at the slight grin on his face, and the way he was amused with himself as he waited for whatever Arthur would say in response... And then, because the moment felt too light and unreal not to do something that he'd always wanted to do anyway, he leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to Merlin's surprised lips, pulled back a moment sooner than he would have liked to to gauge Merlin's reaction.

"Did that bother you, then?" Arthur murmured, his voice unsure as his thudding heart.

"Only the part where you pulled back." Merlin grinned slightly, reassuring in his tone before he pressed forward to kiss Arthur again.

*.*.*.*.*

True to his word, Arthur made sure Merlin had a seat at his right hand at every round table meeting after that disastrous first one, and those who had a problem with it were promptly uninvited from subsequent meetings—a decision that was backed by most others who held seats of their own at the table.

*.*.*.*.*