Work Text:
FOREVER INDEBTED
I stepped in to protect Merlin.
Who would have thought that six words could have such an impact on Arthur. Six words, and all his system was active, all his nerves on edge, his fists urging him to do something, to hit, to hurt; his fingers itching to reach, to touch, to comfort.
His blood boiled in his veins, but Arthur stayed carefully still, his face blank and his stance nonchalant. The only movement he allowed himself was carefully reserved to his eyes, who darted for a millisecond to his manservant to check him over. No bruises, no cuts, no pain in his expression. He hadn't been limping when he came into the room. Gwaine must have arrived on time, then.
Relief flooded in, fighting for space with guilt. He had assigned Merlin as a provisional servant to these so-called knights. It was Arthur's fault that they were in that situation. If something had happened to Merlin… Well, to say that Arthur would have never forgiven himself was an understatement.
Uther spoke, sir Oswald spoke, and Arthur tried to mediate, knowing that Gwaine’s bravado wouldn’t do him any good in front of his father. But then...
Nothing less than his execution will give me satisfaction .
How dare he. How dare he.
He used to be friends with sir Oswald in his youth and now Arthur regarded him as his sworn enemy. He had a good memory of the little time they had spent together but, then again, Arthur had been an arrogant princeling back then, and his memories could be hindered by his limited pre-Merlin vision of the world.
And what kind of world was this that Arthur lived in, which would see a man executed just for saving another man? What kind of justice was that which would punish Gwaine for protecting a man that had been mistreated, a man who happened to be Arthur's dearest friend?
He stepped in, measuring carefully every word, knowing that messing with his father's temper would only lead Gwaine to the executioner's block. He didn't mention Merlin; he knew it would be useless. Uther didn't give a damn about Arthur's feelings for the boy, and Arthur knew that showing just how much his manservant meant to him would only work against all of them.
He vouched for Gwaine and his noble heart, he reminded Uther that he owed Gwaine his life, that his son was alive only because of him. Uther was always preaching how much Arthur meant to him; if there was any truth to his words, then that should soften him up.
In the end, Uther settled for banishment, which was far from fair, but better than death nonetheless.
Nobility is defined by what you do and not by who you are , Gwaine had said.
And damn if Gwaine, with all his impertinence and mischief, wasn't one of the noblest men Arthur had ever known. And yet, in that twisted world they lived in, Gwaine was being banished for saving a friend.
Had Arthur been king, he'd be being rewarded.
After the guards dragged Gwaine away before Merlin's steely gaze, Arthur offered to kindly walk their guests to their chambers. He wanted to apologise privately, he assured Uther.
As Arthur walked by sir Oswald and sir Whatever, he chatted animatedly.
"It's truly amazing, what a commoner is willing to do for another peasant, isn't it?" he said.
It is. It is. Outrageous. Inadmissible , they chirped like the fucking idiots they were.
"To confront two nobles like that, what would he be thinking?"
Indeed. Indeed. We understand you were indebted to him. But he truly deserved execution.
"I have to admit, he was very brave. He must have known what would happen to him. A commoner against two knights of noble blood… he wouldn't stand a chance at a trial."
Brave? I'd say stupid , one of them laughed, just like that mouthy servant of yours , the other added, and Arthur sent them both a toothy grin.
"It never ceases to amaze me, this system of ours. I mean, just imagine... if something were to happen to any of you and somehow I was pointed out as the responsible, I don't think the consequences would be too severe. After all I am a noble too, and, well, the crown prince."
A heavy silence fell over the freezing corridor. The two Sir Bastards paled visibly, but there was a flash of fury in their eyes too, and Arthur gritted his teeth.
"Oh, no, I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression," Arthur continued, his voice even, calm, and much more threatening than if he were yelling, "What I am trying to say is that if any of you mistreat Merlin ever again, you'll be the ones to vanish from Camelot in a very permanent sort of way. Have I made myself clear?"
Arthur patted them on the back and spun around, not sparing them a last glance.
He hadn't taken three steps away when he caught sight of a blur of brown, red and blue half hidden behind a pillar. Two steps more and there was Merlin, looking at him wide-eyed and in evident awe.
Arthur froze as a deer. Merlin wasn't supposed to hear any of that.
But of course, of course, the buffoon would have followed him.
"What?" Arthur sputtered, struggling to suppress a blush.
"Nothing."
But Merlin was smiling that tiny and soft smile of his.
"When I lend something to someone, I expect them to return it to me in perfect condition," Arthur explained haughtily.
Merlin just stared at him, his eyes tender and full of devotion, two pieces of sky that were too knowing and seemed able to speak volumes in the deepest of silences.
Merlin had always been too smart for his own good.
"Gwaine doesn't deserve to be banished," his servant settled for saying.
"No, he doesn't," Arthur agreed. And then: "You are dismissed, Merlin. Go bid him farewell."
Merlin nodded politely and turned around.
"Merlin," Arthur called after him. Merlin looked back at him questioningly. "Thank him on my behalf."
Merlin flashed him a bright smile and disappeared around the corner.
Arthur let out a shuddering breath.
Gwaine may have saved his life first, but it was there and then that Arthur knew he was forever indebted to him.