Summary: Merlin is not the useless idiot that he is assumed to be. This is the first chapter in the collection 'Five Times Merlin Surprised People with Unexpected Skills'

This collection of stories has been on my to-do list for quite some time. The basic idea of Merlin having unsuspected talents was what originally spawned my 'Harmony' story, but I had some other ideas I also wanted to explore.

Beta'd by LyricalSinger as always. Thanks also to Lyric and to Moon Fox for brainstorming on some (many!) of the plot points.

Note: rating will likely change for future chapters.

Chapter 1 - Kindness

"Who is this Lord again?" asked Merlin as he hoisted up a bag from the floor of the entrance hall. "And why exactly is your father so intent on impressing him?"

"His name is Lord Garrick, and he is the Regent King of the lands between our eastern border and the ocean," answered Arthur. "So he controls the main trade route to the port. Father wants to renew Camelot's access agreement with him."

"Ahh," said Merlin as, shifting the heavy bag to a more comfortable position, he took a step towards the stairway. The young servant still did not see why that made this King any more important than any other noble that came to visit. The man must be formidable if he had Uther bowing and scraping though.

Before Merlin could take another step, Arthur cleared his throat and pointed towards two large trunks and several more bags pushed up against the wall. "You'll need to take those up too," he said.

"All of them?" complained Merlin. "Is his entire army staying in those chambers? He's only meant to be here for four days."

"Uh, no… it's just him and his father, King Ulmer," chuckled Arthur, "but Kings rarely travel light."

Or Regent Kings either, whatever those were, Merlin surmised with a scowl. He guessed that a 'Regent' was an heir that was beginning to take on more Royal duties; probably the King was getting quite elderly or something. He'd ask Arthur more about it later if he remembered. Right now he could only shake his head in dismay at the waiting pile of luggage and try to decide if it was better to attempt to pick up another of the bags, or to make more trips.

"And Merlin," Arthur called as he headed towards the Great Hall to greet the visiting Royals, "make sure you don't break anything. Lord Garrick is notoriously short tempered!"

"Oh great," Merlin grumbled under his breath, putting the second bag he'd hefted back down lest he drop it. "Just what I need, another self-important noble telling me how useless I am."

"Lord Garrick, welcome to Camelot," said King Uther, clasping the arm of a middle-aged man who stood in front of the throne. "Arthur, come and meet my old foster brother," he added warmly as the Prince came into the room.

"Thank you, Uther," Lord Garrick answered, greeting first the King and then nodding towards Arthur as the Prince come up beside them. "It's been some time since I was last here, but the city is as beautiful as I remember it."

"Yes, little has changed since then, although the gardens have certainly benefitted from the roses gifted by your Lady Mother all those years ago," Uther said. "I was sorry to hear of her passing last spring," he added after a pause.

Garrick nodded, "It has been a difficult time. As you know, she was well loved by everyone and my father has never really recovered from his grief."

"I had guessed that was the reason for your being named Regent," admitted Uther. "How is King Ulmer? I saw him ride in with you. Is that a sign that he is improving?" he asked hopefully.

Lord Garrick gave a sad shake of his head. "I fear not. Although he is still whole of body, my father's mind remains trapped in the past. However, he wished to make the trip and I saw no reason to deny him, though he will be unable to participate in our talks."

Garrick smiled fondly, "He remembers more of you, these days, than of me, Uther. He seems to be dwelling back in the time you were his fosterling and so I am often made to relive many of our youthful exploits."

Arthur looked from one man to the other with a smile of his own. He hoped he would get a chance to ask Garrick about some of his father's childhood misadventures.

"Well, I do hope you are avoiding the punishments for them this time around," said Uther with a nostalgic chuckle. "But where is Ulmer now? Would you like me to have someone assigned to stay with him?" the King asked, wanting to be sure that he had done everything he could to ensure the comfort of his beloved foster father.

"No Uther, he should be fine," said Garrick. "One of my knights is watching over him and has taken him out to the gardens; he would not enter the castle until he had seen them again. He is in good hands."

Uther smiled with relief, "I apologize if these discussions are ill-timed for you," he said, "But with the unrest in Odin's Kingdom, I thought it prudent to make a show of strength by reinforcing our alliance. It will also let us plan an expansion of our security measures over the supply routes to the coast."

"I would not have made the journey if I did not agree with you, Uther," said Garrick, "and as I have only three days, I am ready to get started immediately."

"Excellent," said Uther, stepping down from the dais, and gesturing to Arthur and Lord Garrick to precede him towards the door. "I've had the maps brought into the Council Chambers. We can begin by updating those. After lunch, we can have our advisors join us to get into the details."

Merlin hated hauling around luggage. If there was ever a chore begging to be helped by magic, this was surely it; well, this and mucking out the horses. He thought for a moment about trying a weight-lessening spell that he'd recently learned, but quickly and reluctantly discarded that idea. He was still not able to control the amount of power he put into his incantations, and when he'd tried that particular spell in the privacy of his chambers, his socks had ended up floating on the ceiling for hours.

In the end, it took the young servant five separate trips to bring everything up the four flights of stairs to the suite of rooms that had been prepared for Lord Garrick and his father.

Once he'd lugged in and deposited the last trunk, Merlin straightened up with a sigh, rolling his shoulders and his back to get out the kinks. He took a last look around the room to make sure everything was neatly arranged before deciding that he could go back to his own chambers and get some lunch. He'd already tidied Arthur's room, so the Prince would not need him until the evening. He would have plenty of time to do some work for Gaius and maybe even practice some spells before then.

As he passed by the Council chambers, where no doubt Arthur was already holed up with his father along with the King and his Regent, Merlin felt a pang of hurt. Another sigh escaped the warlock as again as he recalled exactly why he had so much time on his hands.

He'd thought he'd been carrying his new duties as Arthur's servant quite well. Sure, Arthur teased him about how bad a servant he was, but Merlin had learned a lot about courtly manners in the short time he'd been at the job. Besides the usual household chores that he'd done since childhood, he now knew where to stand while he poured wine; what all of the cutlery was for and where to position it; he knew when to clear away the dishes to make room for the next course – all things that never mattered in Ealdor, although they seemed extremely important here. Merlin also knew how to stand respectfully when attending Arthur during meetings, though admittedly he did not always bother with this. He'd also learned that caring for armour and warhorses was more complicated than he'd ever thought possible.

But apparently he was still not deemed worthy of even being in the presence of whomever Lord Garrick and King Ulmer were.

"Arthur, your manservant is not allowed into the Great Hall, or any other place that would put him near our guests," Uther had announced earlier that morning. "I can't risk the clumsy buffoon spilling the wine or dropping a plate on them," the King had added, shooting a glare at the dark-haired servant. "There is too much at stake."

That had hurt and Merlin thought it was entirely unjustified. He hardly ever made mistakes like that anymore. The boy had wondered again exactly who these men were, that Uther did not even want him in the same room. After all, Merlin had served Arthur plenty of times during visits from other nobles, and some of them had been Kings too.

What was even worse though, was that rather than stick up for him, Arthur had laughed and even agreed with his father.

But there was no sense in dwelling on it. At least Merlin was getting some free time out of the situation. He'd had precious little of that since he'd arrived in Camelot.

After having a lunch where he was actually able to sit at the table to eat, Merlin headed out to do some deliveries for Gaius. He'd just dropped off the last of his bottles and bounded up the steps to the castle, when he saw an elderly man ahead of him; he'd obviously just entered the castle and was looking around in confusion. Merlin did not recognize him, but the quality and colours of his clothing marked him as one of the visiting nobles; probably the elderly father of one of the knights, who had been brought along for a sort of vacation.

"Oh there you are," said the old man, causing Merlin's brows to rise in surprise at having been addressed. "Have you been outside with Garrick?"

The mention of Regent King confirmed that the man was from the group of visitors, but Merlin also realized that the old man was not quite living in the present. He'd seen such a thing in some of Gaius' most elderly patients, and knew that the malady could not be cured. The best treatment seemed to be to play along when the memories were happy, and above all to keep a close watch on the patient, to ensure they did not wander away in their confusion and get lost.

After looking around the large entrance hall and confirming that the man's caretaker was nowhere to be seen, Merlin concluded that the elderly knight must have done just that. He quickly decided that he had better stay with the man until whoever was in charge of him came looking.

Giving a smile to the old knight, who was obviously seeing in him one of his young squires or fosterlings from many years ago, Merlin said, "Yes Sir, but he had to go and see to his horse, so I was coming to find you."

"Were you, then?" said the knight with a laugh, "Coming to hear some stories of valour and conquest, I'd wager."

Merlin took the old man by the arm and led him over to one of the benches by a large window overlooking the courtyard. "Oh yes, please. One with a battle and victory," he added, trying to imitate the child that the knight must have mistaken him for.

"Very well then, though your foster mother will have my head if I keep you from your chores," the man said, though his twinkling eyes showed that he was not overly concerned about the possibility.

Soon the knight was enthusiastically telling his story while Merlin sat with mouth open, as though in childish wonder and excitement. Truth be told, the young servant was enjoying the tale; the old man may have been lost in his memories, but he was a good storyteller regardless.

It was midafternoon when a knight a few years older than Arthur rushed frantically up the steps, coming to a sudden stop when he saw the old man happily talking to the dark-haired servant. "Thank the Gods," the newcomer said quietly to Merlin after making his way over to the bench. "I've been searching half of Camelot for him. One moment he was walking beside me in the gardens, and the next thing I know he's disappeared.."

Merlin smiled at the man, "Don't worry; I guessed what had happened, and it was my pleasure to look out for him."

"Sir Clifford!" the old knight said to the newcomer, "Did you have a nice walk? I've been telling a story to my foster son here, but it is time for us all to get back to work I think."

The young knight looked at Merlin with an apologetic smile before turning back to his charge, "Yes My Lord, I will take you there right away," he said, taking the old man by the arm and helping him to stand.

Turning back to Merlin, Sir Clifford whispered gratefully, "Thank you for watching him," before heading over to the stairway leading into the living quarters of the castle.

Sir Clifford smiled as he watched his elderly charge. The old man was happier and more animated than Clifford had seen him in some time, and had told him all about the wonderful afternoon that he'd spent with his foster son.

It took the young knight some effort to sort between his charge's memories and his actual afternoon activities, but Clifford easily concluded that the young servant who had found the elderly man was the main reason for his happiness.

While he was reflecting, the door opened and Lord Garrick walked into the room.

"Clifford, how fares my father?" the Regent King asked, looking over to where the elderly man was now sitting at one of the window seats absorbed in one of the books that someone, probably Uther, had thoughtfully left on the desk.

"The King is very well, Sire," Sir Clifford answered. "He… had a bit of an adventure… or rather I did," he added hesitantly.

Garrick looked at him questioningly. "Did he? What do you mean?"

"Well, he gave me the slip for a time," Clifford admitted. "But it worked out very well in the end, as one of Camelot's servants found him and entertained him all afternoon. The boy has done your father a world of good today."

That brought a grin to the Regent King's face. "Then bringing him to Camelot was the right decision," he said.

The dinner that evening was a quiet and private meal, with only Uther, Arthur, Garrick and Ulmer in attendance. The King wished to spend some time with his old foster father, even knowing that the man would likely not even remember him.

"How are your chambers?" Uther asked Garrick as an efficient young servant filled his cup of wine. The King briefly noted that this servant had barely been noticeable during the meal, fading into the background as was only proper. However, Uther did have a moment of regret that his son's dark-haired manservant was not present. The boy was undeniably terrible at his job, but it was often quite amusing to watch him muddle through. The expressions on the young man's face when he made mistakes were almost worth the trouble those same mistakes caused, depending on whom the victim was of course.

"They are well very well appointed," the Regent answered, "And it was good of you to remember my father's love of books. He has already read through two of the ones that were left on the desk."

Uther smiled. He had many fond memories of Ulmer's love of stories and storytelling, having spent many nights listening in rapt attention to after-dinner tales when he was a young child. "It was no problem, my son selected those personally. He is much more of a reader than I ever was."

Arthur almost choked on the wine he'd just swallowed, feeling slightly guilty for having delegated the book-selection task to Merlin. His manservant loved to read, and had chattered endlessly on about the merits of the different books he'd added to the pile on Arthur's desk the previous day. "Yes, I sent over some of my favourites," the Prince finally said, although in reality he had no idea what stories had actually been provided.

"Good stories, they were. Good stories," put in Ulmer, "Would you like to hear one? I could tell it. Yes, perhaps the one about the unicorn, now how did that go?"

Garrick patted the old King's hand, "Perhaps later on, father," he said. "We are still finishing our dinner."

"And I would like to know if you enjoyed your visit to the gardens," said Uther kindly.

"Oh yes, the gardens, they were lovely," said Ulmer, "and my wife loved them too." He looked around in confusion. "Now, where did she go to?" he asked.

Garrick shared a sad smile with Arthur and Uther before turning back to his father. "I believe she has gone back to our chambers," he said. "Would you like me to have Sir Clifford bring you there?"

"Yes, I should go to her," Ulmer said, "She does not like to be alone."

Once King Ulmer had been led out of the room, Uther sighed. "It is difficult indeed to see him in this state," he said. "He was such a powerful figure in my childhood memories."

Garrick gave a nod of agreement, "I brought him to Camelot in hopes that it would cheer him up. He loves this city." Turning to Arthur he added, "And he always had quite a soft spot for your father, though I'm not sure why. Uther caused his fair share of trouble, unlike me who was always a model Prince."

The three men laughed and Garrick said, "He has been happier today than I have seen him for many months, Uther."

"Oh? Well, I am glad to hear it," said the King.

"Yes, Sir Clifford told me that once they'd returned from the gardens, a kind young man sat and listened to his stories for most of the rest of the afternoon," Garrick explained. "I think Father thought it was you he was talking to, Uther."

The King chuckled, but at the same time felt a pang of sadness. In some ways he wished it could have been him sitting and listening to the man. But since that would have been impossible, he was very grateful to whoever had taken the time to make an old man happy.

Merlin woke the next morning to a beautiful, warm and sunny day. He hoped that he would have some chores that took him outside the castle; something other than mucking out the horses, that was. He also admitted to himself that his real reason for wanting to be away from the castle had very little to do with the weather. The young servant simply did not want to be faced with whoever had taken his place – the 'better' servant. He knew he was being petulant about it all, but could not chase away his feelings of disappointment and self-doubt.

The young servant got his wish sooner than he'd expected.

"Merlin, I'm running low on many of my herbs," Gaius said as they ate their breakfast. "Since you've got reduced duties for Arthur today, would you mind going to the gardens to restock them?"

"Sure, Gaius," Merlin answered with relief. "I've got to bring Arthur his breakfast and clean up his room, but after that I'll be free for most of the day. It's probably a good time to get some of the ones that are further afield too, if you'd like."

"Rise and Shine, your Royal Pratishness," called out Merlin with a forced cheerfulness as he flung open the curtains in the Prince's chambers.

Not hearing any immediate answer, the young servant walked over to the large bed where Arthur was still lying asleep, and grasping the Prince's pillow, yanked it right out from under his head.

"Wha?…. Why are you here so early?" Arthur asked, holding tightly to the edge of his pillow, which he'd managed to catch hold of before Merlin had gotten it clear of the bed. "I don't have any training this morning, and I don't have to be in the Council Chambers for hours," he complained.

"Well, I need to collect some things for Gaius," Merlin said, relinquishing his hold on the pillow now that he'd seen a sign of life from Arthur. "So I need to finish up in here straight away." The servant went back to the table where he'd put the breakfast tray, and poured out a cup of tea. "Unless you have some other duties for me of course," he added.

"No, no, go ahead," said Arthur with a yawn as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and pushed himself into something resembling upright. "I do envy you though, being outside in the sun rather than stuck in a stuffy room with a bunch of statesmen."

Merlin handed the Prince his tea. "I'm definitely intending to drop soup on your father the next time I see him," he said, trying his best to use his usual teasing tone. "I quite like being banned from having to stand behind you all day long."

"Oh, so your clumsiness is all a ploy, is it?" Arthur asked. "I'll bet you turn into a model servant, come winter."

Merlin smiled back at the Prince from where he was already busy pushing a broom, but Arthur had somehow managed to pick up on his servant's real mood.

"Merlin, Lord Garrick is only here for a few days and then things will go back to usual," the Prince said, all trace of their usual banter gone.

The young servant lowered his eyes to the floor as though trying to locate some dust bunny that he'd missed, "And by then I'm sure you'll be more than ready to have me embarrassing you with my peasant ways while you are in the company of important people," he said. Although Merlin again tried for teasing, this time there was no mistaking the hurt in the retort.

"My father was wrong, Merlin," Arthur said softly, "You are doing just fine given the short time you've been at this job. But King Ulmer fostered my father for many years – and so my father is particularly touchy about anyone who serves him while he is visiting. He wants it to be perfect."

"Oh, I didn't know that," said Merlin looking up sharply at the information.

"Yes, and to be honest you are better off out of my father's sight just now, just in case any … incident … did happen," said Arthur. "Not that it would of course," he added quickly.

Arthur's obvious concern finally brought a real smile to Merlin's face, "You could be right," he said. "I guess it's just as well I have something that will keep me away for the day."

Only a short time later Merlin was in the large gardens. They were just outside the castle walls, not far from the main gates to the courtyard.

The young servant always liked to start his collecting in the eastern corner where Gaius had cultivated the herbs that appreciated shady conditions. By midmorning he'd already brought two large sacks of mint, comfrey and thyme back to the Physician's quarters.

After cleaning them and setting them out to dry, Merlin had an early lunch and headed back to the gardens. This time he aimed for the sunny southern section just near the roses, since that's where the verbena and lavender were growing.

Before bending to his task, the young servant closed his eyes, turning in a slow circle and breathing in deeply the beautiful scent of the roses. This section of the garden was his favourite. Opening his eyes once more, he allowed himself a few minutes to appreciate the beauty of the many colourful blossoms around him.

Merlin had always found it strange how such a warrior King as Uther could have such a soft spot for flowers. But, just now, with the sun on his face and the birds singing in the trees around him, the young warlock decided it didn't much matter, and was only glad for the anomaly.

With a last smile and deep breath, he knelt down to begin his harvesting.

Merlin had only picked about half of a bag when the sound of cursing just on the other side of the pink rose bushes he was working near made him jump up in alarm. He'd been so concentrated on his herb collecting that he had not noticed that other people had come into this area of the garden.

The cursing was immediately followed by the sound of a hand striking flesh several times in succession, and the young servant decided he'd better go and investigate.

"What have you done, Clifford?" Merlin heard a familiar voice ask just as he rounded the bush. There ahead of him were the elderly noble and the knight he'd come across the previous day.

"Oh, good afternoon my boy. Best slow yourself down," said the old man when he noticed Merlin rushing up to them. "I think Sir Clifford has had a bit of a run-in with a wasp, and I would not want you stung too," he added, nodding towards the young knight who was cradling his arm and scowling.

"It was more like fifty wasps," Clifford said in anger, or perhaps embarrassment. "I must have disturbed a nest when I tried to pick the flower he wanted."

Merlin frowned. "Here, let me take a look," he offered.

Clifford hesitated for a moment, not knowing what a servant or gardener or whatever this boy was could possibly do for him. Merlin's concern along with the care he'd given Ulmer the day earlier soon won out over his doubts and the knight held his arm out.

Merlin gently but quickly raised Sir Clifford's sleeve and turned the arm slightly, peering intently at the area where most of the stings were located. "I'd say you were right about it being fifty wasps," the young servant said looking back up at the knight. "And judging by how fast this is swelling, you may be having some sort of reaction. Have you ever had a bad encounter with a bee or wasp before?"

"No, I don't think so," said Clifford, wincing as the throbbing in his arm began to intensify.

Merlin noticed the knights increased pain and lowered the sleeve again carefully. "That's good, but you need to go and see Gaius, our physician, to treat it," he said. "The amount of poison from that many stings should not be taken lightly."

Clifford hesitated, glancing over to where the elderly knight was wandering happily among the nearby roses. "I cannot leave him on his own," he whispered to Merlin reluctantly. "I'll have to take care of it once he goes for supper."

"I don't mind staying with him," Merlin volunteered. "I'll have plenty of time to finish up this herb-collecting for Gaius once you return."

Sir Clifford looked up hopefully, "Are you sure?" he asked, "I would not want to get you in trouble with your master over my clumsiness."

"That's okay," the young servant answered wistfully. "I'm already in trouble because of my own. Actually, that's why I'm out here today rather than attending to him in the castle."

The knight raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had a hard time imagining that the youth would be the type to fail in his duties. Although he had only interacted with the boy twice, that had been enough for Clifford to see that the servant was both competent and quick-witted. Most telling of all was how much King Ulmer had enjoyed the previous afternoon. In spite of his failing mind, the elderly man would never have suffered the company of a dullard.

The young knight would have liked to learn more but his arm was now throbbing so fiercely that it almost brought tears to his eyes. "Well thank you for your help," he said, deciding to put his questions on hold, and after checking that Ulmer was still busy enjoying the garden Sir Clifford hurried back towards the castle.

Merlin set down his herb bags in a place where they'd be safe until he could collect them later on, and caught up to the old knight. "These are my favourites in the entire garden," the young servant said, bending close to the pink roses that Ulmer was admiring, and breathing in their sweet scent.

The elderly man smiled, "You have the same fancy as your foster mother then, my boy," he said, obviously slipping back into his memories. "I am not much surprised. You always do seem to share her tastes."

"Or perhaps she shares mine," Merlin answered with a grin. Although the young servant had never even learned the elderly knight's name, his previous afternoon with the man left him certain that the knight appreciated good-natured teasing. A soft chuckling told Merlin that he wasn't wrong about it.

When Sir Clifford finally returned, it was to find Merlin and Ulmer sitting at one of the tables set up in the middle of the garden. The young knight paused before they saw him, and was amazed to find his King laughing heartily at some riddle that the young servant had just stumped him with. It gladdened Clifford's heart to see the old man happy. It had been an exceedingly rare occurrence since his wife had died.

"I'm sorry to have taken so long," Clifford said to Merlin as he joined them at the table. "Your physician would not let me leave until he was sure the swelling was going down."

Merlin smiled, "Yes, that sounds like Gaius," he said. "He's very thorough."

"Have you returned from patrol already, Sir Clifford?" asked Ulmer, obviously having forgotten where his knight had been. "Well that's fortunate, because I think it is time to head back into the castle. I need to check that my son is not hiding away from his duties," he added, pushing himself to his feet.

"Certainly, my Lord," Clifford answered, standing quickly in order to take the old man by the arm. "Thank you for taking care of him for me," he whispered to Merlin as the young servant also rose from the table.

"Come along young man," Lord Ulmer ordered when he noticed that Merlin was not joining the nobles as they started along the path towards the castle. "I'm sure you've also got your chores to do, as much as I know you love to hide away in the gardens."

Merlin smiled back at the old man, "Yes, I promise I will be along in a few moments," he said.

"Well, see that you are," Ulmer said with a chuckle, before allowing himself to be led on his way.

Sir Clifford turned back to see that the young servant was watching them leave, a look of wistfulness on his face. The knight remembered that the young man been barred from serving his master in the castle and wondered again at the reason. He guessed it could not be anything too dire, or the boy would have been punished or dismissed outright, and not simply reassigned.

Lord Garrick entered his chambers after a long day of discussions to find his father laughing as he related something to Sir Clifford.

"Hello Father, it's good to see you so cheerful," Garrick said, taking the glass of wine that Clifford held out to him. He took an appreciative sip before walking over towards the fireplace, where he took one of the comfortable chairs near Ulmer.

"Ho, I've been wondering when you would come home," the old man said with a twinkle in his eye. "Skipping out on your chores and leaving them all to your foster brother, I see," he added teasingly.

Garrick shot a look of confusion over to Clifford, before turning back to his father. "Yes, Sire, you know me too well," he said with a smile.

As Ulmer prattled on about riddles and roses, the Regent King beckoned Sir Clifford over. "Foster brother?" he whispered.

"Your father has spent the afternoon with the same young man as looked after him yesterday," the Knight whispered back. "The boy is not a noble, though. I believe he is some sort of servant to the physician, and quite bright from what I've seen."

Ulmer evidently caught the last part, "Ah that boy. Such a wit!" he laughed. "I've not had such a pleasant test in many a day. No wonder your mother dotes so on him."

Lord Garrick chuckled and turned back toward Clifford, "A servant, you say? I wonder if the physician would give him up," he asked. "Any man who can bring my father this much pleasure is worth his weight in gold."

The young knight nodded thoughtfully. "You know, he may be willing," he said. "The boy was in the gardens as a punishment, from what I understand. Perhaps he's not suited to the tasks he has here."

"That would be fortunate for us," Garrick said. "Let us look into it, Clifford."

Merlin yawned as he made his way up the steps into the castle. He was looking forward to getting back to his chambers and getting into some clean, dry clothes. Once he had finished in the castle gardens, he had trekked out to a nearby bog to search for some of Gaius's rarer supplies. As usual though, getting his hands on them came with a bit of a price, and now the young servant was soaked from head to toe with the foul-smelling swamp water.

He hoisted his heavy sack and gave a smile. Even though he was still upset about having been barred from serving Arthur, all in all his day had been a good one.

A sudden commotion in the entry hall made Merlin look up quickly, and to his surprise the old knight that he seemed to keep coming across was hobbling as quickly as he could manage towards him, a look of concern on his face.

"My boy, what's happened to you?" the man asked. "Have you been hurt?"

Merlin smiled warmly, "No, My Lord, I'm just a little wet is all. In fact, I'm just on my way to get changed."

"Good lad," said the old man with relief, "Then you had best hurry. Dinner starts very shortly."

As Merlin had expected, Sir Clifford was following closely behind his elderly charge, and soon joined them. The knight smiled at Merlin when he reached them, although Merlin was getting quite embarrassed at being addressed by the nobles while he was in such a filthy state.

The young servant's discomfort turned into outright alarm when a tall, elegant man, who had up until then been blocked from Merlin's view, also made his way over to the three. "Well Clifford, is this the young man who has been keeping my father so well entertained?" the newcomer asked.

The blood drained from Merlin's face so quickly that he began to feel dizzy, for this man could surely be none other than Lord Garrick. That meant that the old knight who Merlin had been looking after was Ki…. Ki…. King Ulmer! The very men he'd been so firmly ordered to stay away from.

A sudden buzzing in his ears prevented him from fully hearing Sir Clifford's confirmation. "Yes, Sire, this is the lad I've been telling you about."

"Very good," smiled the Regent King and turning back to address Merlin, Garrick said, "My boy, I had hoped to have a word with your Master. When would be a good time to do so?"

Merlin frowned in confusion, wondering for a moment why the Regent King wanted to speak with Arthur when he had already been with the Prince for most of the day. But as his shock wore off, the young warlock felt quite silly when he realized that Garrick could have no idea who his master was.

Merlin decided that it would be much wiser to keep things that way, at least until he could explain to Arthur that meeting the visiting Royals had been accidental. "Well, Sire, I would hate to make you late for your dinner," he said, "so if you like, I could bring him to your quarters later tonight or maybe after you've had your breakfast tomorrow."

"Garrick, leave the boy alone," cut in King Ulmer crossly, before his son could answer Merlin. "Can you not see how cold and wet he is?"

"That's alright, Sire," said Merlin, smiling affectionately at the old man. The Regent King gave Clifford an approving look when Ulmer immediately responded with a smile of his own. Merlin continued, "I promise I'm on my way to clean up now."

Once he was sure that Ulmer had calmed, Merlin turned back to Garrick, hoping he could quickly take his leave before anyone saw him talking to the Regent King. Unfortunately, before he had a chance to excuse himself, he heard the voice of the person he'd most wanted to avoid.

The young servant spun, and to his absolute dismay he saw Arthur coming up the steps leading into the castle. Worse still, the Prince was not alone. Uther was right behind his son. Merlin stood rooted to the spot. It crossed his mind that he should run before Arthur and the King noticed him, but it was already far too late for that.

Just as Merlin had expected, it was only moments before Uther caught sight of him. The King's initial surprise at seeing the bedraggled and dripping young servant right in middle of the party of visiting Royal's rapidly turned into anger.

Uther advanced on the horrified boy and Merlin could not prevent himself from edging away from the King in self-defence. Unfortunately, in his haste to get away, the servant backed straight into Lord Garrick, causing the Regent King to stop him from going further by placing his hands on the boy's shoulders.

At the sudden contact, Merlin tried to turn in order to see what was blocking him, but this only made him slip due to his wet boots. The servant ended up falling on the floor right at Garrick's feet, dropping his very full sack of herbs on the way down. Merlin made a grab as the bag began to tilt, but he only managed to push it over that much faster. Soon half of the contents were on the floor with most of the herbs covering Garrick's and Uther's boots.

"You!" shouted Uther, reaching over and grabbing Merlin by the collar, hauling him to his feet. "How DARE you disobey me!"

"I'm so sorry, Sire," stammered Merlin. "It was all an accident. I was just on my way to Gaius' chambers, and they were here, and I didn't know…" he trailed off. Uther was not listening, not that Merlin expected any differently.

"Now look what you've done!" the King continued to rage, giving Merlin a shake. "This is exactly the type of disaster I expected to avoid. You should be nowhere near this hall while Lord Garrick and King Ulmer are present."

"Father, he said he ran into them when he was coming through the hall on his way home," Arthur pitched in, taking his servant by the arm and moving him away from the irate King. "He did nothing wrong. And it's just a bit of dirt on the floor," he added. "I'm sure Merlin will have it cleaned up again in no time. Won't you Merlin?"

"Yes, yes, straight away," said the servant shrugging Arthur off and bending to start collecting up the fallen plants. He purposely avoided looking at anyone as he worked, and hoped they would all just leave.

However, the herb-covered boots made no immediate move. "You'd better get every last leaf, you clumsy oaf," Uther said to him between clenched teeth. "And as a reward for your blatant disobedience, once you are finished here, don't expect to see the outside of the dungeons for at least a month."

Merlin's heart sunk. "Yes, Sire. I understand," he whispered, although he really didn't. It was so unfair. How had he been supposed to know that the elderly man with the failing memory had been the visiting King?

The servant sighed in resignation. If he'd only kept away from Lord Ulmer earlier, the elderly man would not have had any reason to seek him out in the hall just now, and Merlin would have avoided any punishment. But he knew in his heart that even if he had known Ulmer's real identity, the man had needed his help, and so Merlin would not in good conscience have done anything differently.

"Father, a month?" he heard Arthur ask. "That's a bit excessive for spilling a bag of plants…and what am I meant to do without my manservant for all that time?"

Merlin winced. He was touched that the Prince was trying to intervene, but suspected that Uther would not appreciate being contradicted in front of his guests.

"Get a proper one, is what!" shouted Uther, proving Merlin right. "Arthur, you and he should be thankful that I have not sacked him on the spot. And if I hear another word on it, I may still do so."

With that the King decided that he'd had enough of the young servant's presence, and without waiting for Merlin to finish collecting up his herbs, the King shouted "Guards!" gesturing to the pair of sentries who were standing by the entryway to the castle.

"Uther, I don't think this is necessary..." said Lord Garrick, trying to stop the King from punishing the servant. It appeared that the boy had been ordered to keep away from the Regent King, in which case Garrick considered himself at fault. After all he had been the one to seek Merlin out, and not the other way around. "It was I ..." he began to explain, but got no further because his father had also decided to object, and much more dramatically as it turned out.

"Stop!" cried out the old man. "What do you think you are you doing?" he asked as the two guards closed in on Merlin. "Stop this moment or I will have you relieved of your duties," he said in the voice of command that he'd honed over a long lifetime.

The guards hesitated and looked to Uther who impatiently gestured at them to continue. In the King's opinion, the sooner the blasted boy was out of sight the better it would be for everyone.

When Ulmer saw that the guards were still intent on restraining … he could not quite recall the boy's name … he decided to take matters into his own hands. Shaking off Sir Clifford, who was supporting the old man by the elbow, Ulmer began to hobble towards the guards. "You will not touch him!" shouted Ulmer, shaking his fists in anger and giving hard push to the guard who was closest to reaching Merlin.

The motion was enough to destabilize the elderly King, and Ulmer fell heavily to the ground where he lay in confusion, having forgotten how he'd come to be there.

"Lord Ulmer!" cried out Uther. "Help him up you idiots," he snapped at the guards who had stopped their advance and were standing unsure of what to do next.

"No, stop" called Merlin urgently when one of the two guards reached down with the intention of pulling the old man upright. "He may be hurt. Let me check him over before you let him get up."

Merlin was seemingly unaware that he was ordering about three Kings and a Prince, not to mention a knight and two palace guards. The young servant only had thoughts for the old man lying on the floor.

"Stay away from him," Uther objected, moving to block Merlin's hurried advance and reaching down with the intention of helping Ulmer himself.

"No!" cried the old man, holding up his hands to ward Uther off. "I want the boy. Only he may come near."

Uther stopped and shot an incredulous look back at Garrick.

The Regent King shrugged, "Yes Uther, that's what I was about to tell you. The boy has been helping Clifford with my father these last days and has established some sort of bond with him. I was rather hoping I could steal the lad away from Camelot, as I have not seen my father so engaged and happy in a very long while."

Uther turned back towards his prone foster father and could only watch in amazement as Merlin smiled and spoke soothingly to the old man. The servant quickly and competently patted down Ulmer's legs and arms, testing for injury, and asked some questions that Uther knew would help detect any hurt to the man's head. The King could not deny that regardless of how Ulmer had come about meeting the boy, the two were fond of each other and Arthur's servant knew what he was doing.

Finally Merlin looked up at Garrick and Uther and said, "He seems to be fine, though maybe it would be best if you have Gaius take a look."

Garrick nodded and beckoned to Sir Clifford who was looking on in concern.

Merlin offered a smile of reassurance to the young knight and turned back towards Lord Ulmer. "Are you ready to get up, My Lord?" he asked.

"Yes, my boy," the elderly man answered, glaring at Uther who had taken a couple of steps forward, intending to offer his hand.

The King halted his advance although he stayed ready to jump in, lest the clumsy manservant not be up to the task.

He needn't have worried. Merlin expertly placed his hands behind Ulmer's shoulders and then at his elbows. This gave the old man not only the support he needed, but also a measure of dignity, allowing the old King to stand mainly under his own power. All the while the boy continued to smile and speak kindly.

"Father, Sir Clifford is going to bring you for a small visit to the physician's chambers," Garrick said, as Merlin relinquished his hold to the young knight. "You must remember Gaius," he added, "So I am sure you will enjoy having a talk with him."

"Gaius?" asked Lord Ulmer, his eyebrows crinkling as he tried to remember why the name sounded familiar. "Oh yes, Gaius!" he said with a smile. "Are we in Camelot then? Is he not Uther's physician?" At Garrick's nod of confirmation, the old man continued, "Such a nice young man he is. Yes, I should like to visit with him."

As Sir Clifford began to lead him away, Ulmer stopped and turned back towards Merlin. "Young man," he said sternly, "I shan't be gone very long. I expect that by the time I return, you will be properly dressed and ready for dinner."

"Yes, Sire," answered Merlin with a grin, "Don't worry, I would not dare to be late. Now do not let me hold up your visit."

With a last nod at Merlin, certain that the boy would obey, the old King allowed Sir Clifford to lead him away.

Once Ulmer had left the hall, Garrick, Uther and Arthur all turned their attention to Merlin, who was still watching where the old King had disappeared.

When he noticed all eyes on him, the young servant caught his breath and with trepidation took a defensive step backward. The guards who had come forward earlier to take him into custody were still just behind Uther, waiting uncertainly for their next orders.

It was Lord Garrick who spoke first. "That was well done, young man. You have a gift for dealing with people, if I may say so."

Merlin gulped and glanced at Uther, certain that the King would be quick to contradict that opinion.

Before Uther could say anything, Arthur added his own praise. "Yes he does have his moments," the Prince said. "Between bouts of being a walking disaster zone, of course," he added, the twinkle in his eye clearly showing his affection for the young servant.

Lord Garrick looked from Arthur to the serving boy and back again, and then towards the King. "Uther, as I said, I was hoping to ask young Merlin if he would consider joining my household. He would make a fine companion for my father."

Merlin looked up sharply, eyes wide in surprise at the unexpected offer.

Uther studied him for a moment, and Merlin was completely unable to read the King's expression.

"Well boy," Uther said finally, "would you accept such a position?"

Merlin opened and shut his mouth several times. "Thank you very much for asking me, Sire," he said to Lord Garrick gratefully. "But although I really would like to help your father, I think I would prefer to stay in Camelot."

Beside him, Arthur let out a loud breath of relief, covering it with a cough when he realized that he had shown some emotions that he would have preferred to keep hidden.

Merlin did not miss it, and gave him a tiny smile before turning back to Garrick and Uther. "It's just that my mother is nearby, and my friends are all here," he said. "Also, I do enjoy working for my current Master, and….well… he needs me, I think."

Uther actually snorted at that, and it was his turn to hide the reaction in a cough.

Garrick nodded, smiling at the two young men. "I'm certain he does," said the Regent King with a chuckle. "I am not surprised by your rejecting my offer, Merlin, but I had to ask you just in case. If you are sure….?"

"Yes Sire, I'm sure," the young servant answered.

"Then there is no help for it," Garrick said with a last smile at Merlin. Turning back to the King, he added, "Now, if you will excuse me, I shall head to the Great Hall so that I may get an early cup of mead. I have been looking forward to a Camelot-style feast for the entire day!"

As Garrick took his leave, Uther fixed his glare back on Merlin.

Arthur gave the serving boy a reassuring slap on the back, but Merlin still glanced towards the waiting guards. The servant was completely unsure how the King would react to what had just happened.

Uther said slowly, "Tell me the truth. Did you take care of King Ulmer hoping for some sort of reward?"

"What?" Merlin asked with surprise. "No, of course not! I did not even know who he was," he said. "And why would I expect to be rewarded just for treating an old man like I would like to be treated myself someday."

"Yes, but this old man was a noble – a King," Uther insisted.

Merlin looked at him incredulously, and paused before continuing. "Sire, forgive me for being blunt, but whether King or farmer, I think we all wish for the same things when we are in need: a little bit of respect, dignity and some kindness."

Uther continued to glare at him, but finally the King nodded thoughtfully and to Merlin's relief he waved the waiting guards back towards their usual posts. "Now boy," said the King, "Ulmer said he expects you dressed and in the Great Hall by the time he returns. I suggest you do not disobey his orders."

Merlin stood rooted in place, shooting a confused look towards Arthur.

"Nor mine," Uther continued. "I have decided that for the duration of his stay, you will act as Ulmer's manservant. You will naturally receive additional compensation for this important extra responsibility. Arthur will have to make do without you for a few days."

"Thank you, Sire," Merlin whispered, while Arthur grinned at him proudly. "I will be right there."

"Oh, and boy?" Uther added, turning back one last time. "Do try to stay dry…."

A/N I hope you enjoyed this. I was aiming for something a bit lighter than 'Overlooked' for this first chapter, although the touch of hurt/comfort just had to creep in there.

Also, I apologize in advance. The next installment of this collection won't be up for quite a while. I originally planned to wait until the whole thing was done, but since each chapter will stand on its own, I changed my mind.