Chapter Text
Bianca considered herself a good servant. She minded her own business and did her job, had no problems with anyone, and was always up to date on all the castle gossip.
Just a few months ago, they had hired a new servant for Prince Arthur, a lanky and clumsy boy named Merlin. It was said that he had insulted and challenged the prince, but also that he had saved his life.
She had no problem with them hiring him. God knows how much the previous one had suffered. Besides, Merlin seemed like he was going to last. The previous servant had lasted two weeks, and the one who had lasted the longest had made it six months.
Besides, Merlin was a sweetheart. He helped anyone who seemed to be in trouble. He was clumsy, yes, but he was very courteous and a true gentleman and a real knigth. It was strange to use that expression, considering that most knights were idiots, but she felt Merlin lived up to the word. He was always decent with the ladies. She had seen him giving Carmen flowers for her birthday, and he had even helped Connor with his tasks when he hurt his ankle so he wouldn't have his pay docked.
In short, Merlin was wonderful.
But he was also a bigmouth.
Especially with the prince. Everyone knew they had a peculiar relationship, but it wasn't until that moment that she realized just how personal it was.
She hadn't intended to spy. It was simply a coincidence that she had gone down a hallway and happened to drop her laundry basket, and while she was picking it up, she heard footsteps and shouting. It sounded like a fight.
Although it was completely one-sided.
When she peeked down the hallway, still on all fours, she saw them.
To anyone who didn't know them, it looked normal. Prince Arthur was yelling at Merlin about something, and he, as the neat servant he was, was standing silently, with only a slight grimace, displaying a submissive attitude and a slight inclination of his head.
But the thing was, Merlin was a terrible servant.
"Good Lord! Stop acting like that!"
"Like what, Your Highness?" Merlin asked politely.
Politely.
Merlin was not polite.
Ooh, someone was in trouble. Merlin was only polite when he was angry, which was ironic considering that being polite was his job and he was always in a good mood.
"Like that! All submissive and... and stupid!"
"I'm very sorry. I will try my best to please you."
"Don't you dare NOT talk back to me!" Arthur shouted, grabbing Merlin by the shoulders and shaking him as if he were trying to knock some sense into him.
Merlin broke free of his grip and took a step back. "If that is all, Your Highness, I must retire to attend to my duties."
"Liar! You have no duties. I relieved you of them."
Merlin raised an eyebrow and looked at him with such contempt that it was almost comical.
"My duties as the physician's assistant. Do you think your enormous royal arse is my only responsibility?"
"I—"
"With your permission." And with that, Merlin walked away.
Anyone else would have been beheaded if Uther had heard them, beaten or whipped by Arthur before Merlin had arrived in Camelot (because Merlin's arrival had taken the edge off him and made him more humble), or at the very least they would have spent a few hours in the stocks. Even Merlin himself, on a bad day.
But this was Merlin. An angry Merlin, and not without reason.
Later, she found out that Merlin had tried to stop a Lord who had arrived for a visit the previous day. He had tried to warn Arthur that the Lord would try to kill him that afternoon. Normally, because it happened very often, Arthur would have dismissed it and barely escaped the assassination attempt, but this time, the Lord had ordered someone to deal with Merlin during the night.
No one knew how, but according to a guard, Merlin had arrived limping, covered in mud, and extremely angry at dawn that same day, saying that he had had to walk for two hours.
When the Lord tried to kill Arthur, he didn't stand a chance when a shovel used to collect manure struck him on the head.
Merlin dropped the shovel and, looking disdainfully at Arthur, walked away.
If she saw Merlin wearing a new shirt (suspiciously similar to one of Arthur's old ones) and free of duties the next morning, she said nothing.