Author's Note: There will be a lot of chapters, which is why they are all so short! Updates might be sporadic for a while, but it will never be too long! Please leave me a review! If you do, I can give you a preview of the next chapter! Thanks. This takes place after season 4, but before the coronation scene at the very end. Gwen and Arthur are not yet married!

"Merlin." Arthur's first word of the day – an exasperated grumbling toward his useless man-servant. He was annoyed prematurely, perhaps, but the fact of the matter was that his chambers were flooded with light, meaning he had slept in. Waking up wasn't his responsibility, after all. "Why am I still asleep? There's a kingdom to rebuild."

"My apologies, sire," a timid and subservient voice said. Artur swung his legs out from under the covers and faced the stranger standing nervously in the doorway.

"Who are you?"

"Uhm – Good morning, your majesty," the man stammered. "I've – come to prepare you for the day?"

"Where's Merlin?"

The servant jumped at the snappish tone and pulled a note out of a pocket with trembling fingers. "He left me instructions, sire… he said to wake you… uh… and that you have to meet with the advisors after breakfast, and then check on the new knights that – that, uh, Sir Leon is training, and then – "

"Woah, slow down," Arthur barked. He walked forward and snatched the note out of the stammering man's hands and scanned it quickly.

Make sure you wake him up in time or he might throw a goblet at your head. Get him ready to meet with his advisors and tell him to check on Leon. If he sets you chores he's probably just punishing me by proxy but come and tell me what he wants and I'll tell you what needs doing.

-Merlin

"The cheeky foul git," Arthur muttered. He was half way to the door before he realized he wasn't dressed, and circled around, throwing a short "you're dismissed" over his shoulder while he searched for a clean shirt. By the time he'd dressed, the stammering servant had disappeared.

Thanks!