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Sometimes it was important to remember that everyone was important. Never, in any life, on any occasion, had anyone ever found someone unimportant. Everyone had a role, everyone had a purpose.
Knights, councilors, kings, princes, lords, farmers, blacksmiths, merchants, until the servants.
However, not everyone knew this. Not everyone knew that they were important. Not everyone realized that they were worth as much as the others were.
And many took advantage of it.
An insult first, a laugh then. A mockery, to the point of becoming offensive and cruel. End of making a word, servant, and everything that represented just an offense.
Servants were people who helped where no one else did. Anyone could be a servant, but few could conduct themselves with all the decorum and dignity that the job required.
And, due to the offenses of a few, ‘servant’ had become synonymous with rag, nothingness, idiot, pathetic.
It had been emptied of everything and filled with the offenses and thoughts of those few who, over time, had become many.
And Merlin felt exactly that.
He believed that his magic would put him in danger, and he was right. But he believed that it was the only thing that would do it and he was wrong.
Being a servant put him in danger, and being King Arthur's personal servant made him a target.
"This can't go on, Merlin." Gaius told him, watching him limp. "You need to report to the steward. They will have to…"
“Assign another servant, perhaps?” Merlin asked, ironically. "No. Gaius, I asked the steward to assign me to Sir Malvor. Unlike many, I am under the constant attention of the king of Camelot. Malvor cannot exaggerate and he knows it. And, more importantly, I have access to your knowledge. Many servants couldn't heal themselves and wouldn't feel comfortable asking for help. Gwen and I have already tried, believe me." Merlin smiled sardonically. “We've thought of everything, as you can see.”
"And who thinks of you, Merlin?" Gaius asked and Merlin smiled. "I don't need anyone to take care of me, Gaius! I can take care of myself!"
Merlin then left, heading for the kitchens, where he would collect the king's breakfast and then have to endure his chatter about the tournament.
At his retreating back, Gaius whispered. "The fact that you think you can take care of yourself and that that's what you're doing is taking care of yourself is what worries me, Merlin."
***
The tournament had reached its last day.
Malvor would finally return to his kingdom, along with his knights.
Merlin entered Arthur's rooms with a smile, skipping and throwing open the curtains. "Wake up! The sun is shining and a day full of useless wounds and donkey knights awaits you!"
"They are not useless wounds, they are proof of a knight's courage," Arthur replied, his voice muffled in the pillow he had thrown over his face to block the sunlight, "and my knights are not donkeys."
"Whatever gets you to sleep at night, Arthur." Merlin murmured, rolling his eyes. "You still have to get up. Don't make me come and hit you with the pillow. I will."
" Mer lin, I am the king!" Arthur protested. "You can't threaten to..."
Merlin never found out what he couldn't do, because at that moment he grabbed the pillow and used it to hit the still half-asleep king repeatedly in his face.
" Merlin !" Arthur exclaimed.
Then the king, showing himself to be the greatest warrior in the five kingdoms for a reason, grabbed Merlin's hands and reversed their positions, pinning his servant down and preventing him from striking him further.
" Mer lin, I told you…" Arthur's voice trailed off. “What happened to your neck?”
"What?"
"Who did this to you?" Arthur asked, looking at the purple bruises on his manservant's neck, anger building slowly and surely.
"Oh, just Malvor." Merlin relaxed, realizing that Arthur hadn't seen anything serious. Just a few bruises.
"Malvor? The guest king?" Arthur asked, his gaze still on the bruises. "How long has he been doing this?"
"Oh, he always has." Merlin shrugged as best he could, at least limited as he was by Arthur's weight on him. “We added his name to the list.”
"List? We?" Arthur looked shocked. "What are you talking about?"
"George, Gwen and I." Merlin explained patiently. "We've come up with a list of nobles and guests who turn out to be more out of sorts than others." Merlin spoke as if Arthur was the one who was overreacting. "And then we'll take care of it. Let's leave the less experienced servants alone, you see."
"Wait. Since when have you been doing this?"
"Since I became your servant." Merlin replied, without hesitation. "Gwen explained to me how this worked."
"It's normal?" Arthur asked, stunned.
We had a list. A rotation. They had an introduction to explain how it worked.
"Of course it is," Merlin snorted. "We are servants."
Arthur shook his head. "You're human. You don't deserve to be beaten. You shouldn't have a rotation."
"No?" The shock and bewilderment in Merlin's voice cut Arthur like a blunt knife would.
"No. You deserve as much respect as I do." Arthur said. “You deserve to be loved.”
"I… Really?" Merlin asked.
"Really." Arthur promised. "And it's okay if you don't remember. I'll be here to do it for you."
Merlin nodded hesitantly.
Arthur took a deep breath. An uphill journey awaited him.
But, for Merlin, he was willing to start climbing.