This is based off of the song "That Girl is a Cowboy." However, it has nothing to do with the song itself. I was listening to the song, when I heard the line "sometimes the best cowboys aren't cowboys at all." I realized that the line could quickly be turned into something relating to Merlin. This is what my mind came up with.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

Arthur watched as Merlin left his room. It hadn't been too long since Merlin admitted to the prince that he had magic, and Arthur was still getting used to the idea. The news had been shocking; there was no doubt about it. How someone who was so bad at lying managed to keep a secret like that was beyond Arthur.

Sitting at his table, Arthur began to mentally compare the knights of Camelot with his clumsy servant. His knights were courageous and fearless. No matter what they were up against, they always managed to hold their own against a threat. They followed orders when they were told to. They showed up for training every day, learning to develop their skills so that they could protect themselves and their kingdom. Merlin, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He was clumsy. At times he could be annoying. He never seemed to follow orders and rarely showed up on time. However, like the knights, he could be courageous. The man was loyal to Arthur and Camelot. As Arthur had learned not that long ago, Merlin had saved his life on more than one occasion.

In one respect, Merlin was not so different from the knights of Camelot. There was, however, one major difference. The knights followed him and were loyal to him because he was their prince. It was their duty to follow and protect him. Arthur could not say that he had any true friends among them. Merlin followed Arthur for a completely different reason. The man believed in Arthur. He saw in Arthur not just a prince, but a regular man. Arthur could always depend on Merlin to be there when he was needed, be it as a friend or as his magical guardian.

Sometimes, the best knights weren't knights at all.

I would just like to say that at the point this takes place, none of the knights from season 3 or season 4 are around yet. Otherwise, Arthur's thoughts regarding the knights would be a tad bit different.