My first Merlin fic! No slash. Hope you enjoy and please review afterwards!

Disclaimer- I would LOVE to own Bradley James, but it's probably never going to happen :(

Arthur banged his head against the bedpost in frustration. NOTHING was going right for him today. His father wanted him to marry ANOTHER princess he had no feelings for (he made that the 4th this week, and it was only Wednesday!), Merlin had dropped a mace on his foot that morning and he was confined to his chambers and told not to move because his foot was now broken. And how the hell was Merlin even strong enough to lift the mace in the first place? Merlin couldn't lift a bag of washing let alone a mace!And even worse, he had spotted Guinevere cosy-ing up on Sir Lancelot after she had proclaimed her undying love for Arthur. Arthur moaned groggily. The potion that Gaius had given him ('for the pain, sire') was making him feel sleepy and slightly out of it. As a result, when Merlin came sheepishly in carrying a plate of food, Arthur didn't feel up to giving Merlin a earful, which is what he'd been planning on doing all morning. Arthur just led in bed feeling sorry for himself while Merlin put a plate of food next to him in silence and snuck out. Arthur eyed the stew- it better not contain rats. That would just be the straw the broke the camel's back. Arthur then had to endure listening to Gwen and Lancelot laughing and giggling as they walked down the corridor together outside his chambers. If Arthur was that way inclined (which he wasn't)- he would have felt like crying.

Outside the sky got darker and darker and Arthur felt more and more alone. He had been on his own for approximately 4 hours now and not even Merlin had dared to venture in to take away the empty stew pot and bowls. When the door creaked open, Arthur looked up excitedly, but it was just his father coming in to tell him that he better not do what he did last time and humiliate him in front of Camelot's nobles. Arthur protested again that he would not marry her and Uther left in a fume, probably to go and torment the knights. Arthur sighed and stretched, trying not to move his foot. Merlin crept in at that point and lifted up the empty bowls, trying not to meet Arthur's gaze while Arthur glared at him in silent fury.

'Sorry,' Merlin mumbled, standing there awkwardly and shuffling his feet.

'Sorry does not even begin to cover it,' Arthur snapped at him.

'How is your foot?'

'Still broken,' Arthur said sarcastically.

Merlin carried on feet shuffling.

At this point, Gwen walked in and Merlin took the opportunity to dash out. 'Hi Arthur,' Gwen said cheerfully.

'Guinevere,' Arthur greeted, his heart cracking inside. Merlin, who was halfway out the door, heard the strain in his master's voice and decided to come back after dropping off the dishes.

'Did you have a nice day?' Arthur asked, trying to remain pleasant.

'I had a lovely day, thank you,' Gwen said, her cheeks going pink.

There followed an awkward silence and Gwen eventually said; 'I better go and… um… comb my hair.'

'Bye Gwen,' Arthur said, not looking at her.

Merlin waited until Gwen left before he came back in with a bowl covered in a cloth. Arthur was looking miserable and was reading a book about dragons.

'Are you sure your father would approve?' Merlin asked.

Arthur looked at him confused and Merlin nodded at the book. 'Oh, probably not. I don't really care to be honest.'

Arthur looked so downhearted that Merlin actually felt sorry for him. Merlin sat next to Arthur on the bed and handed him the cloth-covered bowl.

'What's this?' Arthur asked, looking perplexed.

'It's to cheer you up,' Merlin said, removing the cloth and revealing the cake underneath it.

Arthur's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. 'You made me a cake?'

'Yes, it's a sorry-cake for dropping a mace on your foot this morning and for all the awful things that have been happening to you recently, especially concerning Gwen and Lancelot.'

Arthur actually felt a bit chocked up inside. 'Um… thanks, Merlin.'

'That's okay, you can make me a cake the next time you throw something at my head.'

Arthur batted him around the head with the pillow and Merlin ducked, the pillow sailing through the room and clocking Uther around the head with it as he happened to walk in at that particular moment.

While Uther was detangling feathers from his face, Arthur handed the cake to Merlin and told him to hide it. Merlin jumped up and hid the cake under the bed, pretending to sort Arthur's armour. Uther finished his feather-detangling and glared at Arthur, who coughed and tried to look innocent.

'There's no point coughing and trying to look innocent, Arthur,' Uther informed his son. 'Merlin, leave.'

Merlin got up and hastily left.

'I can't marry her,' Arthur said. 'I don't love her.'

'Well, luckily for you her father refuses to agree to the match because he will allow his daughter's feelings to get in the way of a union between you and the princess.'

Arthur tried not to sigh in relief.

'I can tell you're trying not to sigh in relief so I will leave you, but be assured that this is not the end of it.'

Uther swished his cloak over his shoulder in a dramatic fashion and left thinking 'damn I'm dramatic.'

Merlin crept back in where he had blatantly been listening in and grinned.

'One less problem to worry about!' he said.

'Don't think I've forgotten that you broke my foot earlier, Merlin,' Arthur said, glaring at his servant.

Merlin looked slightly downhearted and Arthur grinned. 'Now where's that cake?'

Merlin's head snapped up and he smiled.