Chapter Text
If Arthur had been asked to list all the things Merlin was not , he could have rattled off a dozen without blinking.
Merlin was not punctual.
Merlin was not respectful.
Merlin was not subtle.
And above all, Merlin was definitely not a noble.
So it made absolutely no sense when the royal chef offered Merlin the last slice of honeyed apple tart with a little bow and a fond “for you, dear.”
Arthur blinked. “Did you just—?”
Merlin, mouth already full of tart, nodded at him cheerfully. “Want a bite?”
Arthur stared. The chef was already bustling off, smiling like she’d just served the King himself. Merlin didn’t seem to notice. Or care.
—
It wasn’t the first odd thing that day.
Sir Leon had apologized when Merlin spilled an entire bucket of water across the training grounds— on Leon’s boots. Apologized.
“I should have been watching where I was standing,” Leon said, with a gentle smile and a pat to Merlin’s shoulder.
Arthur nearly choked on his own spit.
“What in the bloody hell is going on?” he muttered, watching Leon walk off like he hadn’t just excused a soaked tunic and possible trench foot.
Merlin gave him a look. “You alright?”
“No,” Arthur said. “Are you ?”
Merlin squinted at him. “I’m fine. Why?”
Arthur didn’t know how to explain that everyone in Camelot was apparently under some collective delusion that Merlin was the most precious creature in the realm.
—
Then there was the time the royal tailor adjusted Arthur’s cloak twice before finally saying, “It’s just… a little off compared to Master Merlin’s fit. He wears his so gracefully.”
Arthur stood there, half-dressed, arms out, jaw slack. “Master Merlin ?”
“Yes, sire,” the man said gently, as if Arthur might break under the news.
Merlin, who’d been lounging in the corner, kicked his legs innocently and grinned. “They just like me more, that’s all.”
Arthur narrowed his eyes. “Why do you think that is?”
Merlin shrugged. “Maybe I smile more than you.”
Arthur privately agreed that Merlin’s smile was irritatingly effective. But still—he wasn’t wrong to suspect something strange was happening.