This is so sweet. I love how Arthur explain to Merlin why he did not want Merlin to seat at Round Table. Sometimes I feel that Arthur only saw Merlin as an idiot manservant. I really want Arthur to know that Merlin kate because he nearly die. Thanks for this good story!

I have not reviewed every single one of your stories but I do love them all. every single one is true to the heart and soul of that very fine series. They feel like deleted scenes. As if they were written and acted out but the producers suddenly ran out of air time and had to reluctantly skip these important character development points in favour of moving the plot forward. These could have, would have, SHOULD have been part of the truncated story we were shown.

All I now have to say is, could we have a larger multi chapter fic in the future, or is that asking a tad too much?

cute! Go Merlin! also Merlin low key almost dying and also him being like ? does no one have a brain about suspicious people?

This was excellent! I loved every detail. Merlin's initial reaction, Gaius's words, Arthur's reaction when he thought Merlin was mad enough at him to skip the meeting... The bit about Merlin and Gwaine not sitting together made laughed xd... The part when Merlin was about to die and Arthur didn't have a clue and Merlin made up an excuse making sure he didn't find out was sad, but very in character, as well as the part when Merlin decided to give up his seat at the Table. At least Arthur showed him he values his opinion, and I like the way he explained why he didn't want Merlin sitting at the Table.
Everything, the dialogues, the half banter-half seriousness, their thoughts, theirs actions... they were so in character that I felt I was watching the show... and it would have been a very important part of it! Very well done! Thanks for this :)

(Sorry for any mistake, by the way, English is not my first language)

Oh this was really good and I can actually see this happening so well done with keeping their dynamics so close to canon.

Great words of wisdom from Gaius that Merlin echoed to Arthur. It was great that both Merlin and Arthur recognized his value and that sitting at the round table wasn't the only way to show it. Having the king's ear in private is a higher status and conveys their closer relationship anyway. Well done.

PS. I was hoping Arthur would learn about the scorpion. Merlin deserves to be recognized for that.

And Arthur asked him anyway, that's good enough for me. :-) Great idea, well written. Those scenes with Gaius, so typical of them. And with Arthur of course, fun banter and a touch of seriousness. Yes, Merlin should have sat at the table (not next to Gwaine, hahaha, that was funny), but Merlin's right, he can't. Awww...

I wrote a small piece where he does take place at the table, this one:
s/9607655/1/Not-Alone

i really like this idea about why merlin doesn't have a seat at the table - that's never occurred to me before. that merlin has a say in it, and decides not to, b/c arthur has already seated commoners and servants there and merlin doesn't want to undermine his credibility with the rest of them any further.
also i like the idea that merlin is handling stuff without arthur knowing - investigating all gifts before they're opened, for instance. and that he is an adequate student of gaius' - at least enough to save his own life. and that he's not too bad at his own job as a manservant, cleaning arthur's boots efficiently, too.
well done!

Lovely. But poor Merlin, how many time he have been to the edge of death? With no help.

Fantastic. Brilliant. Such a good explanation, and good characterizations. Mizzymel commented in a chat room once about Gaius taking Merlin's seat at the table and it's bothered me since, so thanks for this. (Not that this negates the S5 letdown but I won't go into that rant here about everything we were supposed to see that never happened, Merlin's seat at the table at Arthur's right hand included.) Good story.

That was amazing. Beautiful in its simplicity. The plot wasn't overly complicated, but the themes and expansion of the characters was incredible. A on this story!

aw!

Cool

Brilliant!

Aww...I loved it! I always found it so fusterating that Merlin of all people didn't get a seat at the table...like I seriously wanted to strangle Arthur. Anyway...great story and thank you to the person who suggested this!