Work Text:
From the moment that his father had assigned that idiot, Merlin, to his service, young Prince Arthur knew he needed to do whatever it took to show the fool just how wise, dangerous, and ruthless he was born to be. Of course, he couldn’t outright harm his new servant. Not only would he receive a lecture from both his father and Gaius, but his newly appointed and highly uncultured manservant already seemed to lack propriety and have a distaste for persons in authority. Best not make it worse.
No, if Arthur wanted to make a point, he needed to do so more subtly - which is why he requested Merlin report for his first day of duties before the crack of dawn.
“My lord” the bleary-eyed servant mumbled as he fell through the doorway nearly knocking over the tray of bread and cheese he carried.
Arthur scoffed. This boy didn’t have an ounce of proper upbringing in his body. He was just a poor, feeble-minded country bumpkin and it would be his pleasure to put his new servant into his place.
“Come, Marvin” Arthur said feigning warmth. “Sit.”
That certainly got the fool’s attention. However, Arthur was expecting a litany of excuses about how that wouldn’t be proper and how unworthy he was to sit at the same table as his master- as Merlin should have responded. Instead he was met with a very firm, “Merlin.”
“I’m sorry?” The young prince asked cocking what he hoped was a stern and disapproving eyebrow. Maybe that was one thing he had managed to learn from Gaius.
The boy seemed to quickly realize his error as he lowered his head. “It’s…” the boy hesitated.
“Go on, then.”
“Merlin.” The boy daringly looked Arthur in the eyes. “My name is Merlin.”
Arthur was...surprised. No one had ever spoken to him like this boy had and he made sure to correct him the first time, but here he was - with the gall to do it again. But no worries, Arthur would soon be showing his brazen servant exactly how cold and calculating he could be.
“Well, Merlin” Arthur took care to draw out his name. “Why don’t you have a seat? There’s something I’d like to show you.”
Merlin watched his new master with a hesitant eye before taking a seat at the large oak table in the center of Arthur’s chambers. He looked so small and weak as the large chair engulfed him. He was such a pale and tiny thing. Maybe it was his appearance that had taught him to be quick with his tongue and resistant to authority. But there was something else that Arthur couldn’t quite put his finger on. Something in the boy’s eyes - those deep blue orbs with flecks of gold. Eyes that held a depth that Arthur hadn’t seen in anyone other than the wizened old men that his father called upon for advice. But this boy - not that much younger than Arthur - had eyes that twinkled with a deeper wisdom and understanding than Arthur could ever hope to achieve. Or maybe it was just an illusion created by those sharp cheekbones and how Arthur couldn’t really take his own eyes off them.
“Chess!” Arthur boomed getting his thoughts back on track. “The game of kings! I’m assuming you’ve never played.”
Merlin shook his head weakly but there was the hint of a retort on his tongue. Arthur sighed. “Yes, Merlin?”
Merlin eyed his prince warily before asking, “Why are we playing chess, Arthur? What does this have to do with dragging me out of bed before the cock crows?...sire?” He tossed in catching the glare Arthur threw his way.
“We are playing chess because as the future king I will one day lead armies to battle.” Arthur was struck by the sudden darkness that the boy’s eyes took. As if he heard this all before, and didn’t care to hear it again. But Arthur ignored it. “And as my manservant - that is, if you do your duties to the appropriate standards and remain in my service - you will be expected to follow me into battle.”
Arthur smiled to himself, pleased with the glimpse of fear that appeared in Merlin’s eyes. “And as King and the leader of my armies, I will be forced to make decisions that I don’t expect you to understand. To make sacrifices that seem cruel but are ultimately necessary for Camelot and her people.”
Merlin sat quietly as if ruminating on the prince’s words.
“As King,” Arthur continued, “I will be expected to make difficult decisions and I need you, as my servant, to be willing to follow them without question or hesitation. Chess, Merlin, is all about strategy. This is our practice run. These are the decisions I’ll need to make one day and I need to trust that you’ll be able to handle those decisions when the time comes.”
Arthur watched as Merlin took in this knowledge and nodded. Truthfully, Arthur was using this opportunity to show Merlin that he was his superior - greater mentally as well as physically - but this was also a test to see where his new manservant stood and if he did have the potential to one day follow his king into war.
With his game face in place, Arthur began to explain the rules to a very stubborn opponent. “But it doesn’t make any sense for a knight to move in that pattern” and “I would havethought the great Arthur Pendragon would have made sure that the King held the most power, not the Queen.” With a quick slap to the back of his servant’s head, Arthur sat down to show off his mental prowess. After all, he’d been playing this game since he was a child.
As he sat down and prepared for a quick win, Arthur took the time to study the boy in front of him. The way his forehead crinkled in concentration and the way he gnawed slightly at his lip when he was focusing. Not that Arthur was thinking about those perfectly pouty lips. No, he was not thinking about those at all.
Arthur made sure to set up his defenses and carefully watch every move Merlin made - even though he had no chance of winning, Arthur didn’t want to give him the notion that he even stood the slightest chance. Within minutes, Arthur had taken out both of Merlin’s castles, a knight, most of his pawns, and had claimed Merlin’s queen. Confident that he would soon have possession of the king, Arthur sat back ignoring the boast that this was the quickest game he had ever played bubbling up inside and focused instead on his very much defeated manservant.
But just as Arthur was most certainly not thinking about those lips and how they would feel pressed against his own, he was interrupted by a very quiet “checkmate?”
Arthur stared at the boy in front of him who had yet to look up from the game. “I’m sorry, Merlin, what was that?”
Merlin’s eyes shot up in concern. “Umm...Checkmate, sire? That was the word, wasn’t it?”
Arthur let out a chuckle. “Don’t be daft, Merlin. You need to be sure you have won to say ‘checkmate’ and you most certainly have not beaten me.”
Merlin’s lovely lips turned up into a grin. “But, sire” he said with the same inflection that Arthur had used with his own name and a mischievous glint in his eye, “I am almost certain that I did beat you.”
Arthur stared at the chessboard between them, anger rising inside of him. “You can’t have won! I just taught you the rules! Look, Merlin!” He pointed forcefully, trying very hard (and unsuccessfully) to keep the hysteria out of his voice. “See, even if you try to attack me with that knight, which you are set up to do, I can take out your knight with my bishop!”
Merlin was giving him a patronizing smile and Arthur didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one bit. “You’re right...sire. But if you move that bishop, that gives me direct access to take out your king with my pawn.”
Arthur threw himself back down in his chair. Merlin was right. Merlin had beaten him. And with a pawn, no less! Arthur Pendragon had lost a game of chess to his idiot manservant.
“Again!” Arthur yelled as he slammed his fist down onto the wooden table, causing Merlin to jump in fright.
For three more games, Arthur stopped staring at those stupid blue eyes that occasionally flared gold when the prince wasn’t looking and focused on the game at hand. There was no way Merlin was winning. He had to be cheating, but Arthur couldn’t figure out how.
As Merlin declared a fourth checkmate, Arthur grabbed the chessboard and threw it into the floor. “Aren’t there chores you need to be doing?”
Merlin grinned as Arthur folded his arms and pointedly ignored him.
“You’re right, sire.” he said with a small bow. “I’ll return once I’ve polished your armor and taken care of the horses.”
Arthur huffed as his new manservant left and shut the door behind him. Maybe he could convince Geoffrey to teach him a few more strategies before he challenged Merlin to a rematch that he was sure to win.