"Sir Percival, what do you make of the relationship between Prince Arthur and his manservant?" The big loaf was uncomfortably seated at a table far too small for him, somewhere at a tavern in the midst of Camelot. Gideon had discovered that the knight was paid a pretty coin for guarding the place of creeps. It was a few hours of sunlight away from the start of Sir Percival's shift when the young boy caught up to him.

"They're quite close. Dependant on one another." Percy didn't see Gideon as a snitch, and figured someone should actually tell the boy that Arthur's insults were actually his way of flirting.

Gideon already knew this, in fact had documented their dependence on one another so well he found it funny. He was really interested in the character of the knight, seeing him as the biggest and baddest of the bunch. He did not realize that Sir Percival's exterior visage was simply due to the influence of his closest friends and his objectified persona.

Sir Percival had the soul of a build-a-bear. Long ago, in another story, he had indeed seen some shit. Now, he had the maturity to deal with it. He saw no resolution to his or anyone else's problems without an exhausting amount of love and patience. He was perhaps the exact opposite of Sir Elyan.

"...But what nature would you say the feelings of the two are?"

"Oh, definitely romantic on Arthur's part." There was no question for Percy, who had seen time and time again the googly eyes and the protectiveness of the prince. Every time there was some confrontation, Arthur had to grab Merlin and shove him behind. It was certainly a good excuse to touch the boy.

Percival could understand that. Merlin was... cute. In the kind of way that sneaks up on you.

"But what of Merlin?" Gideon didn't bother asking why the knight was sure of the prince's sentiments, he had his own reasons. He was curious if the feelings the prince obviously had were reciprocated.

Unlike Prince Arthur, Merlin kept his heart revealing sacrifices and googly eyes on the down-low.

"Well. I would say the prince is his closest friend. I could not tell you if he wanted to share a bed with him." There were a few people in the castle that could.

Gaius, for example. Leon wouldn't, unless someone had a knife at his throat.

"I see."

........

Sir Gwaine and Sir Lancelot were having lunch in the gardens, seated at a gazebo Gideon did not previously know existed. He didn't comment, but he was a bit taken aback that the two had tea parties.

"It's the only place to get away from everyone. I think the last time Arthur was in the gardens was when he had to take a shortcut to the pot." Sir Gwaine had fit two finger sandwiches in his mouth, in the resemblance of threatening teeth. The only thing he threatened at the moment was his waistline.

Gideon took a look around, and beyond the maintenance of the flowers, it appeared as if no one had visited for a long time. Traditionally, the gardens belong to the queen. God forbid a woman not have flowers in her name, lest her femininity fade away.

Camelot had not had a queen in some time, Gideon knew. He suspected she had died in childbirth. Hers was a story no one had told him yet.

"Do you think that the prince's feelings for Merlin will continue after his eventual magic reveal?" Gwaine spit out the two sandwiches, pelting both the knight and scribe in soft chunks of food. Lancelot's face drained of color. It had slipped past the boy that the two knights did not know that the other knew.

Gwaine and Lancelot stared at each other, accusingly. The buffoons did not have the insight to consider that they had committed the same crime.

"Oh. Uh. You both know Merlin has magic and love him to death. Now, can we get back to the question?" The two knights would have to swallow their feelings for the time being. It was Gwaine who spoke first.

"No way would Arthur give up on Merlin because of his magic. He's going to be upset though. Oh, man. I don't know what I want more: to see the look Princess' face, or be two days ride away somewhere safe from his melodramatic breakdown." Lancelot nodded.

Gwaine knew Arthur didn't share the same hatred for magic that his father held; it was the reason he was a knight. Merlin was convinced that Arthur would one day legalize magic and unite all of Albion. Gwaine would do anything to keep that hope for Merlin.

Gwaine did not tell the manservant that if the king's consort turned out to be, say, a warlock, well that would be good incentive for the legalization of magic. It was merely a fact that didn't have to be stated.

"Are you not worried at all that King Uther will discover Merlin's magic? Will execute him?" The two knights were unfazed.

"Merlin? No way. Uther might try but if it comes down to it, say Merlin's on the pyre and the straw is burning; Arthur'll grab a few sticks and join him. Hard to see the king following through with that. I mean, either he calls it off or we kill him," Gwaine smiled.

"Whatever way, Merlin would be fine." Gideon hesitated to write that down. Perhaps there were some things that should not be recorded. The true limits of men, for one.

"You would kill your king? Commit that kind of treason?" Lancelot's eyes drifted down. He could not be so bold as to admit that, even if he agreed.

What Gideon did not understand was the loyalty of the knights of the round table. The lot were loyal to Arthur, which to most meant they were loyal to Merlin first. It did not matter whether Arthur lead to Merlin, or Merlin to Arthur. There was no one without the other. The men knew that would never change.

"Arthur's my king."

........

"The older Arthur gets the more supercilious and cranky he gets. Morgana says he actually used to be worse before he met me. I can't comprehend how someone could be worse." Merlin was recounting the discussion he had with the prince this morning.

"Merlin?! Where is my other boot?" One could not guess what possessed the prince to attempt to put on his boots, but surely it was not Merlin's comment the day previous of Arthur's ability being directly linked to his manhood. A servant over the age of twelve would never utter such words to anyone, in any capacity, much less to a prince.

"Have you tried bending over, sire? Perhaps it is still in your ass." Unless that servant was Merlin, who lived to torment the prince at every waking moment.

Arthur struggled to find his words, for he did not have the same vocabulary as the lanky servant boy.

"If you've the energy for such jabs, perhaps I should give you a reason to bend over."

Gideon thought he was too young to be involved with this.

"Oh, no! You misunderstand. Arthur said that to... to suggest I should shine his boots or something not- not like that." Gideon stop writing to look at the man.

The two were just outside the kitchens. Gideon had stopped Merlin on his way to retrieve Prince Arthur's lunch. Merlin's hair was in an oddly adorable disarray (as Arthur had described once, at the end of a long day when Gideon caught him staring out his window) and his face was flushed.

"Are you sure he didn't mean it like that?" Merlin looked to the tray of food, cooling beside him.

"I should get Arthur his food-,"

"No! No, please! What happened next?"

Merlin threw the boot that Arthur couldn't see at him. The prince, for all his athleticism, missed and was hit in the side. "Merlin-!"

Arthur had a way of pronouncing his name with such irritation. It was almost melodic.

"Found your boot, sire." Arthur held the boot in his hands. He looked at Merlin like he usually did, as if he had never seen a bigger idiot. The feeling was quite mutual.

"Merlin, you can't throw things at me. I'm the crown prince!" Time and time again, Arthur liked to remind Merlin of this. It was not as if he could forget.

Merlin was waiting for it to get through his thick skull that to him, he was just Arthur. Arthur, who was a dollophead.

"What is a dollophead?" or dollop-head? Gideon did not know how to spell it.

"In two words?"

"Yeah."

"Prince Arthur." Merlin had to kneel to help the prince with his boots. He was used to this game.

"Such an able knight, and ya still can't do your own boots." He stood up when he finished. Arthur scoffed and stood up, facing him but a foot away. He placed his hands on his hips.

"I slayed the great dragon; I don't think I need to prove to a peasant like you how able I am."

"Arthur did not slay the great dragon." Gideon watched as Merlin stole a sausage off of the prince's lunch tray.

Gideon figured as much. Merlin had told him that he was the last known dragonlord and that he was kin with the great dragon- Kilgharrah. It was unfortunate that even magic followed such misogynistic rules, for a birth rite to be passed only from father to son. Perhaps there would be more dragonlords left if there were allowed dragonladies.

"Yes. I remember."