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Now Gwaine wasn’t stupid. Yes maybe he was hungover or drunk most of the time, but he could still put two and two together. All the convenient branches, the can only be killed with magic creatures that Arthur somehow killed, and for God sakes he’s strength, Arthur’s courage, and Merlin just happens to be there? Give him some more credit.
He’d left Merlin to his own devices, waiting for him to tell him when he was ready. But come on he can’t just ignore the brooms cleaning the floor by themselves, or the brushes polishing the armour, or the clothes being washed in the corner of the room by no one. Especially since there Merlin is on the King’s bed, which so happens to be in the King’s chambers, reading what looks to be a huge book about magic. Does this man have no self-preservation skills?
Gwaine quietly sighed then took a deliberately loud step into the chambers. Merlin fell out of the bed in his surprise. The brooms, washing, and armour fell to the ground in one loud clang that echoed through the empty chambers.
“Oh um, hi Gwaine,” Merlin slid the book under the bed, trying to hide it from his sight, and awkwardly stood up.
Gwaine raised an eyebrow, a trick he’d learned through hours of studying Gaius’s expressions.
“Hi, Merlin.”
Silence stretched for a minute before Merlin smiled in the fakest way Gwaine had seen someone ever smile.
“Well this was fun, but I need to go do my chores,” Merlin said walking away from the side of the bed.
“Merlin, we both know you never do chores,” Gwaine said, and Merlin sighed.
“You saw then?” He asked.
Gwaine nodded.
“And you’re not angry?”
“Merlin, the princess may be an oblivious sack of potatoes, but I notice when one too many convenient branches fall on one too many conveniently placed bandits.”
“Oh.”
“Yep.”
“How long have you known?” Merlin was curious how long he’d known Gwaine before he had figured it out.
“I’d had my suspicions a bit after we met in the tavern, but I knew for sure after the bridge.” Gwaine said after some thought.
“Arthur really is oblivious isn’t he?” Merlin asked once he remembered the bridge.
“He really is, or he just hasn’t told you that he knows.”
“He’d be furious with me if he knew and would have confronted me about it ages ago,” Merlin said with confidence.
“Yea, sure,” now that Gwaine had thought about it he was pretty sure that Arthur knew but just wasn’t letting on like he had done for ages.
“He doesn’t know. He would tell me!”
“Mhm, cause that’s exactly what I did as well.”
“Arthur would tell me!”
“Suurreee.”
“I’ll go ask him then, shall I?” Merlin exclaimed, not thinking through his annoyance at Gwaine.
“Do it, it’ll only prove me right” Gwaine exclaimed back, also not thinking through his competitiveness.
_________________________________________________
Arthur was having a peaceful afternoon. His council meetings had gone well, training had been hard but not too straining, and even the castle halls weren’t too busy.
He was in the armoury when that peace was shattered into a million pieces.
This shattering was, of course, caused by his useless manservant and Gwaine who both came barrelling though the door (after a short problem when they both got stuck in the doorway) and stood over him staring him down. Arthur sighed; this day had been too good to be true.
“What is it?” he drawled and continued taking off his armour.
“Do you know about my magic?” Merlin said in a rush.
“Do you know about his magic?” Gwaine said at the same time.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
“Huh?” Arthur asked, half because he hadn’t properly heard, and half because who just goes admitting that they have magic to the king?
“Do you know I have magic?” Merlin asked by himself this time.
Arthur just stared at him, and Merlin stared back. After a couple of seconds Merlin turned to Gwaine.
“See? I told you he doesn’t know!”
“He hasn’t actually answered the question yet!”
“He doesn’t have to; you can see it on his face!”
“You cannot!”
“You can!”
“Can’t!”
“Can!”
“Can’t!”
“CAN!”
“CAN’T!”
“SHUT UP!” Arthur yelled over their argument, and both froze having forgotten that he was there.
Arthur rubbed his forehead and sighed; he shouldn’t have expected any different from these two.
“Merlin I know about your magic.” Arthur said in an exasperated tone.
“I knew it!” Gwaine exclaimed triumphantly.
“Oh come on,” Merlin sighed; he would never hear the end of this from Gwaine.
“But, why the fuck would you ask me if you thought that I didn’t know?”
“Uhm?” It was only just sinking into Merlin what could have happened if Arthur hadn’t known.
“Ah yes, ever the intelligent responses Merlin,” Arthur replied to Merlin, staring him down.
“I wasn’t thinking?” Merlin asked.
“That much is clear.”
Merlin just stared at him, no response coming to mind. While this was happening Gwaine had been slowly moving towards the door, hoping to not be caught by either.
“And Gwaine?” Arthur called, aware that Gwaine had been moving away from the moment he took his first steps.
“Yes, Sire?”
“Don’t ever let Merlin do something this stupid again. I know you share half a brain cell when you’re together but have a bit more common sense.” Arthur said because if his idiot was insistent on being idiotic he was going to have to rely on others stopping him from doing so.
“Of course, but-” Gwaine started.
“No buts,” Arthur interrupted in a stern voice, “You can leave now.”
Gwaine left the room wondering why he felt like he’d just been scolded by his mother.
Arthur turned back to Merlin who grinned sheepishly. Arthur sighed again.
“Well I suppose that now you know that I know you can help me with the new laws on magic, because I have no idea what to do,” Arthur said shoving Merlin playfully as he stood up, “on top of your usual chores of course.”
“Of course,” Merlin smiled.