"Rabbits?"

The bemused voice made Arthur internally sigh as his manservant pushed past him to inspect the find. Hard to believe though it was, Merlin could be even more annoying than usual when he was hungry. Here they were, traveling on foot, out in the open (with Morgana tracking them no less), and all Merlin could worry about was food. No matter what Arthur said, Merlin found a way to relate it back to roasted pigs and apple pies, making it impossible to think seriously about anything.

(Not to mention that it was making Arthur feel a little hungry himself.)

Therefore it came as no surprise that when they found a pair of furry lumps lying neatly in the middle of their path, Merlin made a beeline towards them to investigate. Arthur, half exasperated, didn't bother and instead hung back. After all, it struck him as rather odd that two clean, fresh rabbits would just happen to be lying together on the ground. Especially since the two men were barely even on a trail, merely following some sort of animal path, trying to avoid the normal roads.

In fact, the rabbits looked as though they had been rather carefully placed next to each other. As Merlin crouched down for a closer look, Arthur happened to glance up and notice the large, gnarly tree on the side of the path. One which had something on the trunk. Something that looked suspiciously like a rope…

Hang on...

It was a lucky thing that Arthur had been training his reflexes since he was a boy, or else he never would've reacted in time. However, he recalled his training involving something more along the lines of 'back away' when confronted with a trap. And for some reason, as soon as his eyes landed on the edge of a net sticking out of the leaves, he found himself already lunging forward, towards Merlin, trying to push him out of the way.

Obviously this was a stupid idea, as the net immediately sprung and pulled them into the air, immobilizing them both. It was unclear whether Arthur was the one who set it off or he just ran forward in time to be caught; either way, he couldn't understand how it had happened. Everything he'd ever learned, every instinct he had, should have told him to throw himself backwards, getting himself out of range of such a trap. And he had known this all along, had felt those instincts rising in him; yet he had done the exact opposite, running forward into the danger. He hadn't even had time to think, so the question was… why?

Sadly, it was obvious why. Because Merlin had obliviously waltzed right up to the bait and poked at it, and apparently Arthur's instincts for safety had been outweighed by his instinct to protect Merlin.

Maybe it was from the time Merlin had pulled him out of the way of a dagger. Or even the time Merlin drank poison for him. He knew how far Merlin would go to save him, and he had automatically tried to do the same in return. A sense of guilt, or debt, perhaps. Which was stupid, since he could have helped Merlin a lot more by being free of the net and having a sword somewhere he could actually reach it. Then he could have saved his pride (which was embarrassed from being smothered in a net), cut Merlin loose, reprimanded him for being an idiot as usual, and they could have continued on their way, probably with Merlin continuing to complain like a child. But no, in that split second of realization and reaction, his instincts of loyalty had won out over rationality, and he had nobly (and stupidly) thrown himself at Merlin to try to move him out of the way. If only Merlin wasn't so damn loyal and self-sacrificing all the time, then he wouldn't have rubbed off on Arthur like this! And he wouldn't feel the foolish need to repay his loyalty!

...Although, the king grudgingly admitted to himself, it could be more than a feeling of debt. They'd known each other for years, and much as he hated to admit to it (even in his head), Merlin was the closest thing he had to a... a best friend. He was the king's closest companion, and annoying though he was, the thought of him falling prey to a trap was enough to make Arthur react the way he had. He would never admit it out loud, but... he cared about the servant, so much so that he would throw himself toward danger to save him, and—

"I got them!"

Forget it, Arthur decided, struggling to turn his head enough to glare at Merlin. As soon as they were out of this net, he was going to find another trap, push Merlin into it, and leave him for Morgana.