Caffeine and Manservants Don't Mix!

Merlin woke up one morning to raindrops splattering on the roof. He groaned and marched out into the main room of his and Gaius' room.

"Gaius!" He called, looking around for his surrogate father/mentor. When he didn't see him he looked down at the table and saw a bowl of porridge sitting on the table with a note beside it.

"I've gone to the lower town ~Gaius." Merlin read aloud and grabbed the bowl and the cup that was sitting beside it. He quickly consumed the porridge and took a sip of what he assumed would be mead or mulled wine, a logical assumption Merlin though, considering that was what they had most mornings.

Instead he almost spit out the bitter black liquid that was in the cup. He glared at the cup, swallowing what he had in his mouth and grimacing at the after taste it left there. Just then there was a knock in the door and Gwaine popped his head around the door

"Hello Merlin!" Gwaine said walking over to the boy, only to see him staring down into the cup of dark brown liquid. "Wait! What is that mate? I didn't know you drank coffee!" Gwaine seemed very excited about the idea of Merlin drinking coffee, "Well go on then, drink it!"

Merlin shook his head, "Is that what this is? It tastes awful!" He complained, a wry look on his face.

Gwaine shook his head and laughed, "First time drinking coffee then?" He asked and reached for a small container of sugar that was on the table. "Here," he said pouring a generous spoonful in, storing for a minute and handing it to Merlin. "Try it now."

Merlin took a sip cautiously and a smile spread across his face. "I like it." He said after gulping down the whole mug of coffee.

"Glad to see that." Gwaine said, "Also it is the perfect hangover remedy."

"Only you would know that!" Merlin laughed then made a face, "I'm late! Gaius had better not have told Arthur I was in the tavern again." He complained, knowing that the prince would not appreciate him being late... Again!

He thanked Gwaine and ran toward Arthur's chambers, the feeling of boundless energy flowing through his veins and when he arrived at Arthur's chambers he did what he did every morning.

"Rise and shine!" He yelled flinging open the curtains with his magic and pulling the covers off of Arthur.

"What in Camelot?" Arthur sat up faster then Merlin had ever seen him this early in the morning. "Merlin..." He moaned and flopped back down onto the soft plop. "What the bloody hell are you so enthusiastic about this early in the morning?"

"I have no idea!" Merlin yelled, bouncing over to Arthur's bed. "What are we going to do today? Are we gonna go hunting? Or we can train the knights!"

When Arthur didn't move to get out of bed Merlin grabbed his hand and pulled. "Let's go Arthur!"

Arthur pulled his wrist from his servants grasp and glared at him, "Go and get my breakfast, Merlin." He told the servant.

"Okay!" Merlin ran out of the room, through the hall and down two flights of stairs, gathered Arthur's breakfast and was back within five minutes. Then he went back to pulling on Arthur's wrist and asking what outside strenuous activity they were going to do that day.

Finally Arthur had had enough. "We are not going outside today Merlin!" He yelled, "We are going to stay inside and rest."

"Why?" Merlin practically whined.

"It is raining, Merlin!" Arthur stared at his servant as if the boy had finally lost his mind. "I am giving the knights the day off, and you hate hunting! Why would you ask to go and do something that you hate?"

"I just want something to do!" Merlin seemed extra jittery today and Arthur have him a strange look.

"Well I have plenty of chores if you really want something to do."

He fully expected the boy to turn down his "generous" offer, but to his surprise Merlin nodded and told him, "to give him all the chores you have sire!" He had given the boy a list so long it would take him all day. Arthur smiled at the thought of no Merlin to bother him till supper time.

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Merlin looked down at the list Arthur had given him. It included: Mucking out stables, Clean my room, Laundry, Polish my armor and weapons, and Take my dogs for a walk.

Merlin decided to start with the stalls of the princes two horses. He grabbed the wheelbarrow and fork before heading down.

"Hey Bessie!" He cheerfully greeted the mare before leading her into the empty stall they used to put the horses in before mucking. Quickly making work of Bessie's stall he set to work on William's and before he knew it he had completed his first task.

He then grabbed a leash and whistled for the Prince's hunting hound and took the dog for a quick walk. They walked through the woods for a half hour before heading back.

Merlin decided to tackle the room cleaning and laundry last, so he grabbed Arthur's armor and weapons, and some rags. Setting to work he quickly finished the weapons and started on the armor. He was about halfway through when the armory door opened and Lancelot walked in.

"Hey Lancelot!" Merlin said a little too joyfully, considering how much he usually hated polishing armor, and waved to the knight before continuing to finish the task he was currently finishing.

"Hello Merlin." Lancelot said, looking at the servant cautiously for a minute seeing how much energy the servant was putting into a job he usually whined and complained about as much as he could.

"How is your morning? Mine has been really good so far!" He continued before Lancelot could answer. "Arthur has given me all sorts of things to do today!"

Lancelot looked at Merlin, "And you are excited about all of these chores?" He asked skeptically.

Merlin nodded, "It feels wonderful having something to do! I couldn't imagine not having something to do at all times! Don't you like having something to do? I love it, Arthur gave me a whole list of chores to do." He would have continued talking but he noticed Lancelot had slipped off while he was talking. He shrugged and gave the armor one last inspection before heading off to clean Arthur's chambers and do his laundry.

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"Arthur!" Lancelot burst into the where Arthur was studying some old scrolls. "Something is wrong with Merlin!"

Arthur jumped to his feet, "Did you get Gaius? What happened? What did the idiot do this time?"

"Not that kind of wrong Sire." Lancelot was quick to correct himself. "He isn't hurt."

Arthur slumped back into the chair he had been resting in and sigh in what sounded to be relief. "Alright then. What has he done?"

"Nothing, well everything. I guess." Lancelot said. "He was happy to be doing chores and he had finished muck out the stables, walking you dogs and polishing you armor and weapons in a hour and a half! And he was headed to do you laundry and clean you room which if I estimated correctly he should be done in ten minutes."

Arthur stared at the knight in shock.

"That list takes him all day on a good day and he just did it in two hours?"

"Pretty much yeah." Lancelot said looking on as Arthur stood up and walked out of the room.

"Come on Lancelot!" Arthur called, and Lancelot hurried to catch up, half running after the prince in their search for his manservant.

He caught up to Arthur outside of his chambers where they could hear Merlin inside humming as he cleaned. Arthur threw open the door and stopped instantly. Lancelot looked over Arthur's should and instantaneously knew why the prince had stopped. His floor was sparkling, Lancelot was sure you could eat off of it, and everything was put away and organized.

Merlin looked up at that moment and saw them, he bounded over with more energy the Lancelot had ever seen anyone have. Even Gwaine on coffee didn't have this much energy.

As soon as he thought the word coffee, Lancelot groaned. He knew what was wrong with Merlin and he was willing to bet that Gwaine was behind it.

Arthur was still staring at his room in shock. "What did you do?" He finally asked Merlin looking at his manservant.

"I did everything you asked me to!" Merlin said in an overly cheerful voice, practically bouncing off the walls of Arthur's chambers.

"Merlin there's no way you could've done everything I asked you to do in this amount of time." Arthur said. "Go and complete whatever chores you have left."

"But I don't have any left!" Merlin protested, "Now can we go hunting? Or something outside?"

Lancelot tapped Arthur's shoulder.

"What?"Arthur asked, teeth grinding together as he surveyed his slightly more hyper... Make that way more more hyper manservant.

"Doesn't this remind you of Gwaine on coffee?"

"Yeah but Merlin doesn't drink coffee... Does he?" Arthur turned to his manservant and said, "Merlin?" He had to repeat himself four or five times before Merlin turned and acknowledged his presence.

"Yeah Sire?" Merlin asked, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"What did you have for breakfast this morning?"

"Porridge." Merlin was quick to reply.

"What about to drink? What did you..." It was here that Arthur realized he didn't have Merlins attention anymore. "Merlin!" He said rather harshly effectively getting Merlin's attention. "Did you have coffee this morning?"

Coffee seemed to be the only word Merlin had heard out of that entire sentence. He turned his head around looking at Arthur and asked. "Where is the coffee? Arthur do you have coffee?" When Arthur shook his head, Merlin turned to Lancelot.

"Come on Lancelot!" He asked hope shining in his eyes.

Lancelot shook his head, and made a mental note to find Gwaine and kill him.

"Who gave you coffee Merlin?" Arthur asked, and Lancelot thought that maybe he wouldn't have to kill Gwaine. Arthur might just do it for him.

"Gwaine did." Merlin said before his eyes lit up. "Maybe Gwaine will have some more for me! I must go find him."

"No Merlin." Arthur was firm with his servant. "Gwaine is forbidden from giving you coffee."

The look Merlin gave Arthur almost made the prince change his mind and give the boy coffee. Merlin stuck out his lower lip and had tears in his eyes. Tears!

He looked like a puppy who was left on the sidewalk and told to stay and he did knowing you would never come back for him.

Arthur grit his teeth and said, "Merlin I order you to never drink coffee again..." Then he thought for a moment, "Unless I tell you to." Like on hunting trips! He thought, smirking at the thought.

Merlin's lower lip started to tremble but Arthur quickly distracted him with, "Why don't you and I go find Gwaine and you can go train out in the training grounds with him for a while."

Merlin's eyes lit up and he grabbed Arthur's wrist to pull him around the castle to find Gwaine. Arthur laughed, "I have to get my armor on clotpole!"

Merlin must have set a record for getting a knight of Camelot into their armor the fastest, as he was done a couple of minutes later. Then he was off again heading down the stairs to Gwaine's room.

Soon the training grounds and the surrounding countryside was filled with the noises of Gwaine yelping in pain, Merlin laughing and cheering and the clash of Arthur's sword against Gwaine's armor.

There was an unspoken rule that passed from Gwaine to the rest of the Knights and from them to the maids, from the maids to the townsfolk and so on till it was known all over the lands that, upon the prince's decree, no one was to ever to give Merlin Coffee, ever!

The end.

AN: So I am taking prompts! As long as they are not slash/yaoi I am good with anything. Let me know in a PM or Review.