A/N A million thanks to LyricalSinger for the help and great advice when I decided that I didn't like my original ending, scrapped almost the whole chapter and rewrote it. I hope you like the results.

Hard-Working - Part 5

Uther sat at his usual place at the head of the large table in the Great Hall, enjoying a tankard of the rich, strong mead that one of the visiting Lords had brought from his lands for the King's appraisal. He swallowed in appreciation as he looked around the room. There were more visitors in the hall this night than in previous days, and the room was already full of noisy babble, even though not many of the guests to be seated at the head table had taken their places yet. It was rare that nobody was vying for Uther's attention, and he was content for the opportunity to sit and simply watch people arrive.

Arthur was standing near the window with his own cup of mead, deep in conversation with a group of the knights he had bested that morning. His son was smiling while one of the knights in the group demonstrated some sort of swordsmanship manoeuvre. He jabbed his right arm out and proceeded to twirl in a circle before stopping and rolling his eyes, causing the rest of the men to burst out in laughter. Uther smiled, glad that his son had won not only the respect of the men he had fought that morning but also their friendship, based on the easy camaraderie that was emanating from the group.

Letting his gaze wander further to the right, the King frowned. That camaraderie obviously did not include the brothers Reginald and Derrick. Uther could see them standing near the wall, eyes narrowed and watching Arthur and the rest of the knights in the group with open disdain. From time to time they looked over towards the door, and the King guessed that they were waiting for his son's manservant to arrive. Uther had noticed that Merlin was not yet with Arthur, although he was not surprised since he knew the boy had had some things to attend to before he would be able to come to the feast.

A slight commotion at the door caught Uther's attention and the King smiled as he watched Sir Robert entering the room to back slaps and whistles from many of his peers. The young man looked tired and a little bit befuddled, but the grin on his face as he responded to their teasing comments spoke clearly of his happiness.

Gradually Robert made his way through the well-wishers to where Uther was seated and made the customary bow of respect to the King.

"I understand congratulations are in order," Uther said to the smiling knight after acknowledging the greeting. "And that you have made a fine contribution to the future defenses of Camelot," he added, trying to appear serious but unable to prevent the quirking of his lips.

Sir Robert laughed, seeing right through him. "Yes indeed, Sire. In fact, I have arranged a fitting for armour next week," he countered.

"No doubt," Uther responded with a chuckle. "Ah, well, that day will come sooner than you ever would expect," he added a touch wistfully, glancing briefly over towards where Arthur was still mingling with the guests.

"And how is the Lady Miriam?" he asked, bringing his attention back to the knight.

"She is well, Sire," said Sir Robert. "She was fussing over the babes when I left; could not even spare me as much as a glance." He leaned in and lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Some of her friends were coming over to dote upon our newborn sons, and I think she was glad to get rid of me so they could talk unhindered about bonnets and cradles and such."

Uther nodded, "You are better off here then," he said. "Assuredly. Where we can instead discuss knightly subjects such as the merits of various new advances in the design of mail helmets and the quality of our local bedroll fabricator's wares for use when out on campaign."

Sir Robert's eyes widened in surprise at hearing the King jesting and the young knight began to laugh.

Uther smiled at the reaction. "In truth, I am happy to hear that Miriam is recovered enough to receive guests so soon after her confinement," he continued. "And that you are also back to your usual good humour. Rumour has it that you reduced one of your sons' nursemaids to tears with a complaint about … a wrinkle in the swaddling … I think it was?"

"Ah… that," answered Sir Robert in obvious embarrassment. "Yes, I have since decided, based on the … rather loud … advice of my wife that it would be better for all concerned if I leave the care of the children to her and to our very capable nurses."

Uther smirked, "So there is some truth to it then?"

" Yes. I'm not afraid to admit it, and I now know with complete certainty that walking into a battle where all of the odds are stacked against a victory and where a painful death is all but assured, is much, much less fearsome than waiting for the birth of one's children," said Sir Robert. "And unfortunately, both during the wait and in its immediate aftermath, I may have been somewhat … less reasonable … than is my usual nature."

"Ah," was all Uther managed to choke out before giving into his laughter.

Sir Robert looked around the room, stopping when his eyes fell on Arthur, who was still talking with a group of knights. "Which reminds me; I must both thank and apologize to your son's manservant."

" His manservant?" Uther asked, furrowing his brow with confusion. "Why ever do you need to talk to him of all people?"

Sir Robert returned his regard to the King, having confirmed that the young servant was not yet present. "Merlin was with us all night acting on behalf of the Court Physician, Sire," he explained. "And I could not have asked for a more proficient and reassuring presence."

Uther nodded with sudden understanding. He knew that the servant was Gaius' ward and often helped out the elderly man, though he had not guessed that the young man's responsibilities included anything more than making and delivering medicines. He was very surprised to learn that the physician trusted the young man with something as important as tending to the birth of a highly-placed nobleman's heirs.

The King pursed his lips in thought for a moment, deciding that it also explained Merlin's interactions with Lord Branok. The boy must have been acting in some sort of medical capacity when Uther had watched through Arthur's window.

He frowned as he had yet another realization. "Wait a moment, he stayed with you for the entire night?" he asked, recalling how he had found the servant asleep in his son's chambers just that morning.

"Oh yes," Sir Robert nodded emphatically. "And as I said, I was not my usual generous and magnanimous self, but rather than becoming angry at me, Merlin kept both his patience and his smile right through to morning, and all the while taking excellent care of my wife and my sons."

The knight paused for a moment to think about the events of the previous night. "I did not even see him leave," he mused, "though the midwife told me that the sun was well up by the time he did so." He sighed, shaking his head with guilt, "And then I missed him once again when he came by in the afternoon to make sure all was still well with my wife and the babes. He must find me ungrateful for his help."

"I doubt he would have thought much about it," replied Uther, not sure why Sir Robert would worry about such a thing. "It is his job, after all - to serve." But the King admitted to himself that Merlin was proving much more competent and diligent than he had thought, and he supposed that some sort of acknowledgement of the exceptional service would not be out of order.

"However, if you feel you need to thank him, you will have an opportunity later on," Uther said much less grudgingly than he would have thought possible even half a day earlier. "I believe he is simply late, with my son's full knowledge and approval of course."

Uther looked towards his son only to notice that Arthur was looking back at him, or more correctly, at Sir Robert. "And if I am not mistaken, my son seems to be vying for your attention," he told the knight, cocking his head towards the Prince. "I imagine he wishes to know when your boys will be ready to be taken on as pages," he added with a chuckle.

Robert followed his gesture, and soon afterward was granted leave from the King so that he could head over to join the Prince.

Once he was alone again, Uther took another swallow of mead, emptying his cup and setting it down. After spotting Sir Leon at the next table, discussing something with Geoffrey of Monmouth, he waved off the servant who had jumped forward to refill the cup. Both men were laughing, piquing Uther's curiosity since neither was particularly known for his sense of humour.

Uther decided he would investigate; the mead had already caused a pleasant buzz and he found he was in the mood for a story. He stood and made his way over to the two men, who rose to their feet when they saw the King joining them.

"Sire, Sir Geoffrey was just telling me of the hobbies of his youth," said Sir Leon with a grin. "I would never have taken him for a fisherman!"

"Oh yes," said Uther with a laugh at the memory. "He used to disappear for days on end, in quest of some sort of gigantic … perch? Was it not, Geoffrey? … Something rare that Gaius used to use in his medicines, in any case. I well recall how you used to come back to Camelot looking as if you had fought in a battle!"

Geoffrey chuckled and nodded enthusiastically, "Just so, Sire," he said. "Young Leon and I were discussing that very beast. And it was a battle to land one, or what would have been the sport in it?"

"I was telling Geoffrey how I spotted one two days ago," added Sir Leon.

"I know you did, my boy; and very timely it was too," said the archivist, "Since yesterday I was in dire need of one of those medicines the King mentioned, and Gaius had some freshly made. Else no doubt I would be abed tonight instead of here with a good goblet of mead in my hand and waiting for some of cook's excellent stuffed pheasant."

Uther began laughing only to pause. "Wait, the fish was caught yesterday?" he asked, frowning at his sudden suspicion. "Sir Leon, did you catch it?"

Leon grinned, "No, I am no fisherman, Sire," he answered. "I believe Gaius was going to send Merlin to do it," he said, adding "Arthur's manservant?" as he was unsure if the King would know the boy's name.

"Is that so?" asked Uther softly, almost to himself, his suspicion confirmed.

"Yes, Gaius told me the boy caught five," Geoffrey enthused. "Five! I am surprised he is able to even stand today… though perhaps I am mistaken after all," the archivist said, scanning the room until he confirmed that Arthur was without his manservant. "I do not see him here."

Sir Leon shook his head, "No, he is about," said the knight. "I have seen him several times this afternoon. I believe he has been kept quite busy with all of the visitors in the castle." Leon also began to scan the room, stopping when he looked towards the door. "Ah, here he is now," he said as Merlin came into view, escorting Lord Branok into the room.

Uther watched as the servant helped his old friend over to the head table where he was to be seated beside the King's currently vacant chair. It was a slow and careful process, with Merlin scrutinizing every step that Lord Branok took and offering a steadying arm at the least sign of discomfort from the Lord.

Once the pair finally reached the table, Merlin took Lord Branok's crutches and leaned them securely against a nearby serving table before helping the nobleman get settled into his seat. After ensuring that the Lord was comfortable, the servant rushed to fetch him a goblet of wine, setting it on the table in front of him.

The two spoke for a few more moments before Lord Branok laughed and made a shooing motion, obviously meaning for Merlin to go and join Arthur.

The young servant smiled and Uther watched him fuss a little more; making a slight adjustment to the angle of the man's chair and moving the wine goblet a little bit closer to him, before he gave Lord Branok a last nod of respect and began to make his way over to where Arthur and Sir Robert were waiting for him.

"Ah, I should have guessed that Gaius would have him helping out Lord Branok," said Sir Leon, who still stood near Uther.

The King was surprised to notice that the Senior Knight and Sir Geoffrey were both apparently as captivated with the boy's activities, mundane as they were, as he was. He shook his head in bafflement, wondering how it had come about that watching a servant had become the evening's before-dinner entertainment.

Looking around the room he saw that they were not the only ones indulging themselves, either. Lord Branok also continued to watch the boy from where he sat, and from the other side of the hall the two brothers had spotted Merlin's entrance and begun to smirk.

Merlin seemed to have noticed this last, as his step faltered when he caught sight of the two, and he averted his eyes and quickened his pace towards Arthur just slightly.

Even the Steward, who stood attentively near the door from where the dinner would soon be brought in, looked at the boy with what certainly seemed to be pride.

"Merlin, it's about time you arrived," said Arthur as the servant reached him, allowing Merlin to put Sir Derrick and Lord Reginald out of his mind. "I thought perhaps Gaius had had to amputate your hand or something and I was beginning to reconcile myself to the thought that you would take twice as long with your chores as you do now."

Merlin snorted, but otherwise completely ignored Arthur in favour of greeting Sir Robert along with Lady Morgana and Gwen, who had come over to congratulate the young knight on his new sons.

"Now, now, Merlin" said Arthur, "I insist on seeing the evidence that you let Gaius attend to your hand. I need to be sure you are capable of serving me in the manner to which I am accustomed," he added as pompously as he could, "… though in retrospect, since that is abysmal, even if you are one-handed I probably would not notice much of a change."

"Yes, Sire," said Merlin, rolling his eyes as he held up his freshly bandaged finger for inspection. "I even asked Gaius to stitch it in the shape of a dragon so it would match the embroidery on your cloak," he continued, completely unaware of the amused chuckle that the watching King quickly supressed. "I know you can't see it under the bandages, but at least you will know just how seriously I take my job."

Uther missed any retort that his son might have made, since just then the Steward announced that everyone should take their seats. He did notice how Arthur clapped his hand fondly on the servant's shoulder and steered the young man towards the table.

"Branok, I am pleased to see you here tonight," the King said to his friend once he had taken his place at the head of the table. "I admit to being surprised when I received the message that you felt able to attend."

The noble shifted in his own seat and gave a slight wince which quickly gave way to a broad smile at Uther. "I am rather surprised myself," he admitted. "Especially when I consider my state not half a day ago." Lord Branok turned and dipped his head in greeting to Lady Morgana who had just taken her seat to his other side. "But your Physician and his young ward took excellent care of me, and so here I am," he said.

Morgana smiled back warmly at the man. The noble had been a friend of Gorlois', visiting her father's home frequently during her childhood. He had always acted as a kindly uncle towards her, and so held a cherished place in her heart. "I am glad to see you well," she said. "I was so worried when I heard of your accident. It was very lucky you were near to Camelot when it happened."

Lord Branok took her hand and gave it a kind pat. "Yes, it was lucky indeed," he said reassuringly before turning back to the King. "And I must thank you for moving my accommodations to the lower floor, Uther," he said. "I'm sure it was not easy for your Steward to find a place for me at the last moment, but it was much appreciated."

Uther frowned slightly. "Indeed…" he said slowly, the inflection making it unclear if the word was a meant to be a statement or a question. "I must admit… it was my understanding that he would only be able to arrange the change tomorrow. I am pleased to hear that I was mistaken."

"Oh, that was Merlin's doing," Morgana put in, cocking her head towards the other side of the table. The young servant was pouring a glass of wine for Arthur, showing a flash of dimples at something the Prince must have said to him. "Before you arrived this afternoon I heard him telling the Steward that he would clear out one of the rooms down the corridor from here."

"Well he has spoiled me since I have arrived, that is certain," Lord Branok chuckled, watching the young man. "Your son is fortunate to have him as a manservant," he added to Uther.

"Yes, he has been full of surprises," answered Uther shooting a glance at Merlin before returning to his conversation with his friend.

For a while, the King forgot about the young servant, concentrating instead on his meal and on catching up with Lord Branok. The noble from Gawant had not been in Camelot for over two years as he had been busy with his duties to Lord Godwyn, his King, so they had a lot to discuss.

However, as the dinner progressed, Uther could not fail to notice the predicament of Arthur's manservant. As was usual at this type of dinner, the young man was attending not only his son, but also the other nobles seated on that side of the head table. This included Sirs Leon, Robert and Geoffrey, but also Sir Derrick and Lord Reginald, who had somehow managed to convince the Steward to switch their seats so that they were closer to Arthur, and therefore Merlin, than they should have been.

The brothers called on the servant far more often than should have been necessary. At one point Uther suspected they had even pinched the boy ... inappropriately … given the look of wide-eyed startlement on his face, followed by his glare of anger and his hurrying back to his place behind Arthur.

After that, Merlin had done his best to stay out of arms' reach of the men, though it was not always possible. When he was unsuccessful, there always seemed to be some type of mishap; a slosh of wine, a dropped napkin, a piece of bread falling to the floor. The brothers then discreetly, or so they thought, glanced at the Uther to make sure he was noticing.

It was so obvious that they were intentionally making the young manservant look bad in front of the King that it was almost laughable. And even though Uther would normally never pay attention to a servant or care about his or her feelings, even he could tell that the torment, for that's the only thing it could be called, was having its effect on the boy, judging by his increasing pallor and the growing trembling in his hands.

Merlin also glanced anxiously towards the King once or twice, swallowing nervously when he saw Uther looking back at him.

Arthur was not oblivious to what the men were doing either, and even Leon and Lord Branok had noticed that something was not quite right. All three men glowered over at the brothers with increasing frequency, though naturally the two idiots were completely ignorant of the spectacle they were making of themselves.

Uther knew the two were setting the manservant up so they could make a case to the King, confident that Uther would agree wholeheartedly to whatever their 'proposal' was for getting the young man under their power. He suspected that they would make their final move soon, and he found himself looking forward to it. It would be very satisfying to put them in their place. Uther only hoped that they did whatever they had planned before either Arthur took matters into his own hands or Merlin made a mistake that would cause the other guests to support the brothers.

Just when things had escalated far enough that Uther had reluctantly decided he would need to call Sir Derrick and Lord Reginald out on their behaviour, Sir Derrick signaled to Merlin that the servant should bring him over a heaping helping of meat, gesturing that the boy should also put a ludicrous amount of sauce on it.

Uther put off his plans for the moment and instead watched from the corner of his eye to see what the knight was up to. Sure enough, just as Merlin was about to set the plate down, Lord Reginald raised his elbow, making it seem accidental of course, jostling the servant and knocking the plate right out of his hand. Sir Derrick made sure to angle himself so that the falling food would miss his lap and instead it headed on towards the floor, landing right on his boots.

The knight gave a completely contrived, loud and entirely unnecessary shout and leapt to his feet, causing all conversation in the room to come to a complete stop as everyone in the room tried to see what had caused the commotion.

With Merlin looking aghast at the mess on the floor, Uther heard a snort from a few seats away. "Sire, perhaps now would be a good time to act on our offer regarding this servant," Lord Reginald said, as reasonably as the man could muster. "I am sure you must be as embarrassed of his incompetence, laziness and clumsiness, and most especially of his disrespect, as we are on your behalf," he added.

Beside his brother, the King saw Sir Derrick staring at the dark-haired boy and licking his lips in anticipation, probably not realizing the telling lewdness of his reaction.

"Disrespect, you say?" Uther asked dangerously, although the grin that Derrick shared with his brother showed that they had no idea that the tone was aimed at them.

"Yes, Sire," Lord Reginald answered, believing he finally had the opening he had been looking for to clinch his argument. "Blatant. For example, just this afternoon the boy refused to obey my direct and reasonable orders."

He looked apologetically over at Arthur for a moment, "Forgive me, Sire, I had intended to bring it to your attention privately, but due to the circumstances I thought I had better not wait to tell the King of the situation." He turned back to Uther and went on sadly, "Yes, and earlier today my brother," he nodded towards Sir Derrick, "had to have words with him on exactly the subject of respecting his betters."

Uther noticed Merlin's eyes snap up, catching Lord Reginald's in dismay before dropping his gaze back to the floor with a sigh of resignation. The King glanced towards Arthur whose fists were clenched in outrage. The Prince had risen half out of his seat and looked like he was about to offer an argument in his servant's defence, but Uther held up his hand, silently ordering his son to keep his peace.

Scowling, the King turned back to Lord Reginald. "Is this true?" he asked, "and if it is, why would you still wish to have the boy in your employ? Perhaps I should simply sack him and send him back to the town he came from, so that nobody in Camelot need suffer from his deficiencies."

The two brothers shared a look of fear that Merlin may be put out of their reach. "Perhaps that would be prudent, Sire," answered Lord Reginald after a moment, "and I admit that I do have some misgivings about going forward with my offer to take him off your hands, but I think Derrick and I may have an idea which will please us all."

Uther indicated that the nobleman should continue, while also giving Arthur a piercing glare telling him to hold his tongue. The King was rather surprised that Arthur obeyed the silent order, but perhaps his son had a suspicion of what Uther was up to. Either that or, more likely, he was intending to wait and take care of his grievances out of the public eye, just as the brothers should have done. Although the King was quite looking forward to putting the noblemen in their place, really, a feast with the King was not place to be discussing the foibles of servants.

"Sire, I had been on the verge of rescinding my offer to hire the boy due to the offensive behaviour I have observed during the past day, culminating in the outrageous service we have all witnessed this evening, when I remembered how young Prince Arthur is," said Lord Reginald. "Perhaps he simply has not realized the extent to which his servant's behaviour is frowned upon in our noble circles." The man then had the gall to wave his hands in a gesture that was meant to include all of the assembled dinner guests, assuming that they would of course agree with him. "Or perhaps he has not yet had the servant long enough to teach him properly," he added.

Uther had to hide the quirk of his lips when he caught Arthur's justified outrage at the comment. He hoped his son could keep his anger in check for a while longer, though Uther had to admit he himself may not have had the ability were he in Arthur's place.

He also heard whispering around the hall, and knew that the vast majority of people present did not like to hear their Prince belittled, even over something as trivial as keeping a servant in check. Besides, as the King had come to learn over the last day, Merlin was also well respected in his own right.

For this reason, Uther was certain that Lord Reginald's words would in fact have caused him to lose the very support he had hoped to gain with them. Judging by the glares that Sirs Robert and Leon, in particular, were aiming at the visitors, Uther also guessed that he would not be the only one in the hall who would be pleased once he finally responded to the nobles as he'd been planning.

"Speak plainly of your intentions, Lord Reginald," the King commanded, trying to appear bored with the discussion, while needing to bring the noble quickly to his point. "I wish to return my attentions to my dinner."

"Yes, Sire," the Lord said, oblivious of the growing hostility against him. "Sir Derrick and I had cause to discuss the situation once our shock at the servant's disobedience earlier in the afternoon had worn off." He paused and nodded his head to acknowledge his brother who shook his head as though still dumbfounded by the event. "And we both felt that it was our duty to Arthur and yourself to revise our original offer somewhat."

The brothers had indeed discussed Merlin once they had reached their quarters that afternoon. The young man was not the compliant serving boy that they had expected – one who would have wordlessly accepted any order from his King, including a reassignment. Instead, rather excitingly, the servant had been rebellious and intelligent as well as exceeding loyal to Arthur. It did mean, however, that 'taking' him, almost as though he were a slave, would never work. They had needed to find an argument that would ensure that Merlin would come with them of his own will.

Lord Reginald paused, presumably waiting for the King to congratulate him for his magnanimous gesture, but when Uther only narrowed his eyes, the Lord hurried on. "We propose to take the boy with us for a period of time… simply to train him. Although it will be a hardship for us, perhaps away from the distractions of Camelot he will find it easier to understand his proper position and he can shortly be returned to the Prince with a much-improved attitude along with new skills which Arthur will surely come to appreciate." The brothers had reasoned that the only plan which Merlin would not be able to refuse would be one which made coming with them a condition for his continuing to serve the Prince.

"And you are doing this purely out of your sense of duty," Uther stated, not missing how Sir Derrick was now openly leering at the boy, nor how Merlin was beginning to look quite ill.

"Of course, Sire," said Lord Reginald. "It would be an honour to have trained the Prince's manservant, and we do have much experience in correcting disobedient behaviour. With us, in no time I am sure that his disrespect, laziness and incompetence will be things of the past."

"That is very generous of you," Uther said. "I realize that the boy has a tendency towards clumsiness, and of speaking out when it may not seem appropriate." He glanced over at Merlin, who was watching him wide-eyed with horror, obviously worried that he would soon be handed over to the now-grinning noblemen.

Uther scowled as though remembering something distasteful. "He does also tend to treat orders as … somewhat optional," he added, causing the servant to gulp anxiously.

"However," he shouted, in order to cut off Arthur who had risen to his feet ready to argue on behalf of his servant.

He fixed a stare on his son, and once Arthur had sunk back into his seat, the King leaned forward, and lowered his voice. "However," he repeated, "as for the rest of your allegations – disrespect, incompetence, laziness; my own information, Lord Reginald, tells a somewhat different story."

Merlin and Arthur shared uncertain glances, not sure what the King meant. It almost sounded like Uther was taking Merlin's side in the matter.

Lord Reginald had quickly come to the same conclusion. "Sire, has he made some complaint to you?" the noble spluttered. "If so, I must object. After all, his word cannot be trusted; he is but a servant after all."

Uther rose to his feet. "Do you doubt my word, Sir Reginald, or my ability to see what is right in front of my eyes?" he asked.

Sir Reginald seemed to shrink under the King's anger. "No, Sire! No, of course not," he answered. "I just…," but he could think of no argument, and could only gape as the King leaned forward, his hands on the table.

"Let us first talk of disrespect," Uther said. "I have watched all evening as you have been bothering the young man and monopolizing his time. He has taken much trouble not to let your selfishness hamper the service he is providing to everyone else, while you have seemed quite oblivious about the disruption you have been causing to your peers."

The King paused for a moment, enjoying how both Sir Derrick and Lord Reginald had become pale, and were practically cowering where they sat. He also inwardly smiled at the gapes of disbelief that had appeared on the faces of both Arthur and his servant, although he acknowledged that they had reason to be surprised that he was showing favour to the boy above nobles from his court.

"And regarding your insinuations as to his incompetence and laziness," Uther continued, knowing that the young men would be even more astonished at what he said next, "I have personally witnessed you hindering the boy in his important work for the court physician. Work that, as many in this Hall will attest, he does diligently and often to the point of exhaustion. You also obstructed him in his duties for my son by ordering him to attend to unsanctioned and trivial activities. Or am I wrong that your complaint of his disobedience is related to what I saw in the knight's quarters this afternoon?" Uther's glare intensified and he was glad to see that both of the brothers were now trembling in fear.

Lord Reginald was unable to answer, leaving Sir Derrick to gulp and offer a guilty, "No, Sire," not daring to contradict the King or offer any type of excuse.

"So, your proposal is rejected," said Uther, straightening from where he still leaned on the table and pushing himself to his full height. "In fact, it is your presence that I find an embarrassment to this Court, not the boy's, and so I would … respectfully… request that you leave this hall," he continued, although nobody in the room would have taken the words as giving the brothers any type of choice.

"Now!" the King shouted when the disgraced noblemen continued to sit in shock. "You are no longer welcome in my presence."

As Sir Derrick and Lord Reginald rose and hesitantly stepped away from the table, Uther spoke once more. "I will not banish you from the city nor from the coming tournament, since this matter is in fact rather insignificant," he announced.

The brothers shook off some of their shock and began to smile with relief, probably thinking that they would easily be able to put the fiasco behind them.

Uther was happy to remove that hope though. "However, should you decide to participate, bear in mind that among your allegations and evidence, you have given offence to my son," he reminded them, "and so naturally he will have an added incentive should he face you during the competition."

Sir Derrick looked over at Arthur, and the Prince's unfriendly glare left no doubt as to the truth of the King's statement.

Many of the other guests, especially the ones who had witnessed Sir Derrick's cowardly withdrawal from the 'demonstration' that morning, were openly smiling and snickering at the brothers' humiliation.

Lord Reginald and Sir Derrick took a last look around the room, and seeing no friendly faces, quickly headed to the doors and their escape from the hall.

Merlin was very happy when the dinner ended relatively early. He was still shaken by Lord Reginald's and Sir Derrick's proposal to take him away from Camelot, and could hardly believe that the King had not only rejected it, but had so strongly defended him against the brothers' allegations.

He trailed along behind Arthur, all the fatigue of the past day along with the stress of the evening catching up to him at once. It was not all that surprising that he did not notice Arthur stopping shortly after entering his chambers, and the young servant tripped, apparently on air, and dropped the empty goblet he had been carrying, in order to avoid running into the Prince.

"Perhaps I should ask Father to reconsider Lord Reginald's offer after all," said Arthur with a laugh. "A year or three of training may be just what you, and I, need to turn you into an efficient and … well, … basically, George.

"Don't even joke about it," said Merlin with a shudder, as he scrambled to pick up the goblet. With a cheeky grin he added, "You may get what you asked for, but then what would you do without my subtle reminders about your prattishness?"

Arthur studied him for a moment. "Perhaps you are right," he answered. "I would also sorely miss the look on your face whenever I send you to muck out the horses."

"Hey, I practice that look," Merlin said, "And I will gladly give it to you at any time just for the asking. No need to send me to the stables, I promise."

Arthur was looking for another rejoinder when Uther unexpectedly entered the chambers, smiling broadly.

"Father, what can I do for you?" Arthur asked, uncertain as to why the King would be visiting so late in the evening, and why he was in such a good mood. "I was just about to get ready for bed."

"I will not be here for very long," Uther answered. "But before your servant left for the night, I wished … to commend him for his attention to Lord Branok today." The King turned slightly so he could speak to Merlin directly, even giving a small nod of approval to the young man. "He spoke very highly of the care he was given. As did Sir Robert regarding his wife and newborn heirs."

Merlin's eyes widened in shock at being complimented. "Thank you, Sire," he stammered.

"It has also come to my attention that I was overly quick in passing judgement when I found you asleep in my son's room this morning," the King continued, before turning back to the Prince. "Arthur, I think it would be in order to allow your servant the day off tomorrow to rest. We would not wish his service to be substandard after all, and this period of recuperation will allow him to better perform his duties the next day."

Arthur smiled at Merlin, who stood stock-still with astonishment at having received not only a vacation but also what amounted to an apology, from the King. "Yes, Father, I think I should be able to make do without him for that long," the Prince answered.

"Good, then that is settled," said Uther, "Although, young man if you are able to stop in on Lord Branok from time to time tomorrow, I am sure he would appreciate it."

Merlin nodded, and then finally found his voice again. "Yes, Sire. I promise I will… I had already intended to do so," he said, reddening with embarrassment as he suddenly wondered if he may have seemed to be boasting. "Thank you, Sire," he added, unsure of what else he could say.

Uther gave another small smile to the servant and began to turn towards the door. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said, turning back around to face the Prince once more. "Arthur, I wanted to let you know that Sir Derrick and Lord Reginald have sent word that they have just received an urgent message from home and that regretfully, Sir Derrick must withdraw from the tournament."

Arthur laughed, and soon the King joined him in a rare shared moment of amusement; Merlin could not help his own snort of laughter as he watched them.

"I am sure he must be fairly weeping with disappointment," said Arthur. "Perhaps I should go to his room to comfort him."

"Ah, well, that would have been very generous of you, but I am afraid it will not be possible," said Uther, still smiling broadly. "I have been told that they have already left the city."

"Is that so?" asked Arthur, still laughing. "That is too bad, as I would have liked a chance to test his skills."

Uther paused, and glanced over at Merlin who still stood, goblet in hand and taking in the very strange spectacle of the King and his son bantering. "But, we have seen them tested tonight," Uther could not resist adding. "Sir Derrick did make a wonderful manoeuvre to avoid having a full plate of stuffed pheasant land in his lap."

Arthur had to wipe the tears out of his eyes.

"It was a shame it had to land on his feet though," Uther continued, pursing his lips as though in thought and adding with a sad sigh and a shake of his head, "he just did not seem the type to like to get his shiny boots dirty."

Uther turned and exited the chambers, still chuckling at the sound of the goblet that had fallen straight out of Merlin's hands as soon as the boy had heard the comment.

That's it for 'hard-working' Merlin. I kinda liked the idea of Merlin and Arthur getting surprised by the King

I hope you enjoyed the story, and thanks to everyone who followed and favourited. Special thanks to those who were able to take the time to leave a review. These are always much appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed the teasers I've sent your way when I could – it's the best way I could think of to thank you :)

Anyway – I've already got the stories for Merlin's two remaining 'skills' underway, but I think I will take a little break before I complete them. I want first to get back to a whumpy hurt/comfort story that I've had half-written for a good two years, and see if I can finish that one off before I get back to this.