It was early morning, and Merlin had made a point to wake up extra early. He still felt the food that he ate last night, and he felt great. He ate a quick breakfast before running up to Arthur to wake him up. Maids and servants bustled around the castle, getting things ready.

"Wake up Arthur. The King and Queen will be here soon. You've got to greet them at the entrance." Merlin said. He opened the blinds, and threw Arthur's blanket off of him, per usual. Arthur groaned, but got out of bed. Merlin helped him into his more fancy complicated clothes, and fixed his hair. He placed the crown onto his head, and Arthur was ready. Since there was a little bit of time, Arthur went to Uther with the signed papers, and Merlin went outside to give Arthur's horse a quick wash and brush. The horse was soon pure white, and saddled up.

Merlin saddled up both Arthur and Uthers horse, and everything was set. Since the carriage was too large to enter the Camelot streets, the King and Queen would ride on horse with Arthur and Uther. Merlin and Gwen were allowed to come along since he was the servant of Arthur, and she was the head female servant.  Along with them was Uther's servant, Gibralter. Since Gibralter did not have a horse, he had to walk behind the horses. Merlin thought about letting him ride on his horse with him, but the two never really got along well. Gibralter was a bit snobish in Merlins opinion. So Gwen rode with him on his horse.

Arthur and Uther walked out of the castle, and headed to the front gates with Merlin and Gwen behind Arthur, and Gibralter walking.

Once they got to the entrance, Arthur, Uther, and Merlin all got off their horse to get off the bridge.

"Would you please keep the horses here Gibralter. Make sure they don't run away." Arthur told the servant. Gibralter happily held onto the reigns, thinking Merlin was not going to be of use.

"Merlin. Gwen. Come with me. You'll help me greet the King and Queen." Arthur said. Merlin nodded happily, and helped Gwen down. Merlin flashed Gibralter a grin while handing him the reigns, and the two followed Arthur.

"King George and Queen Amelia will be here soon. They will both be wearing black as the King had died rather recently after George's corination. Make sure when we get back that they both have cold water to drink to cool themselves down with. Also, you will both attend to their needs, along with ours. But put the guest first." Uther informed them.

They waited a little while, and soon say an enormous carriage ride towards them. With two brown horses driving. The carriage stopped, and the coachmen held the door for them to come down the steps. The King was out first, per usual, so Merlin held a hand out to help him down. When the Queen came out, George helped her down. Uther was right. They both wore black clothes. It contrasted deeply with the Queens pale complexion and black hair. But both smiled and greeted them.

"Long time no see Uther. Arthur. I'm glad we could see each other again. And after so long." George greeted kindly. Uther respectfully shook his hand, and then kissed Amelia's ring. So did Arthur.

"It's nice for you to come stay with us for a bit. The trip must have been harsh. Let's go inside, and get you some cold water." Arthur urged. The carriage was pulled to the side, and the coachmen unleashed the horses. The two brown steeds immediately went to their owner, and they King and Queen mounted them. Soon a couple of knight trotted towards them.

"We let the knights surround the coach as we travel. They love horse riding." Amelia told them. Arthur, Uther, Merlin, and Gwen went back to their horses with the Stavia knights and royalty, and rode back to the castle. Gibralter kept behind them. Once back they led their horses to the stables where Gibralter hooked them up, and Merlin and Gwen escorted them in.

"Please let me lead you to your room." Merlin said. Merlin lead the George to his seperate room, while Gwen lead Amelia to her own. Since they were so newly wed, they stayed in seperate rooms still.

Merlin lead the King to a large luxurious room, with decorations all around, and a smartly made bed.

"Thank you." George answered dully.

"I will go fetch you some cold water and your luggage. My name is Merlin if you need anything." Merlin said. King George looked back at him.

"Merlin? I've heard of someone named Merlin from here. You're either the little druid boy from a tiny village, or the servant who saved Arthur's life a couple times. But those were probably two different Merlins." George said. Merlin laughed.

"I can assure you that I am not the little druid boy. I did save Arthur's life a couple times though. That is how I attained this job. Now I shall fetch you something to drink, and your belongings." Merlin said quickly, getting out of the room.

'It's a bit funny really. Because I'm both Merlins.' Merlin laughed to himself.

Merlin went to go grab the clean cold water. There was a new system in the castle, where the condesed water was collected from the underground aquafer. It had no germs in it. But since there was not a lot, it was reserved for guests. But it was nice and cold. He brought back a pitcher with a goblet, and poured him a cup. Then he set out to grab all his belongings. And boy were there a lot.

Merlin struggled a little bit because of their weight. So while no one was around, he muttered a little spell, and it made the cases much lighter. He was able to cary them all stacked up, and used his mind vision to see what was in front of him. He pushed the door open, and placed all of the case down next to the bed.

"You must be quite the strong servant to have carried everything in one trip." George commented. Merlin noticed that he spoke this in latin. Probably trying to throw him off. Merlin laughed nervously.

"Lots of labor makes a man strong. Is there anything else you'll need?" Merlin asked politely in latin as well. George gave him a look, before continuing in English.

"Not for now. Just come for me when dinner will be served. I think I will have a quick noon nap. The trip was hard." George told Merlin. Merlin left the room, and found Arthur. He was in his room, looking over the latin papers.

"One of the knights tried to speak to me in latin, and I couldn't understand him!? Thankfully he knew some English. But still, how do I communicate with these people when they choose to speak in latin." Arthur said, stressing over the papers.

"I can translate for you if you'd like. The King just spoke to me in latin. They use a different dialect than I'm used to, but I can still understand them." Merlin offered.

"Thank God. What would I ever do without you." Arthur thanked you. Merlin laughed.

"Simple. You'd be dead." Merlin laughed. He picked up some of the new papers, and told Arthur what they meant. Some of them he signed, while most he did. They reached the last paper. It was about magic.

"Oh. This one says if you ever come across a magic user in the empire of Stavia, you are obligated to kill him on the spot. Failing to do so will cause conflict among the two. All knights from Stavia are allowed to kill a sorcerer in the kingdom of Camelot, and may be punished if not doing so. No changes will be made to this agreement after the death of Arthur Pendragon himself." Merlin said incredulously. It seems they were taking advantage of the fact that Arthur could not speak latin. Merlin placed the paper on the desk.

Arthur hesitated for a moment. "I will leave that document for another time. Lets go outside to see the other knights." Arthur said, placing the paper into his drawer. They headed back outside to the training field. Merlin strapped on Arthurs armor, and handed him his sword.

"Make sure not to get in the knights way. I heard they are vicious. They are the complete opposite of Gwain, Leon, and Percival." Arthur warned Merlin. Merlin took the hint, and hid off to the side. Close enough so he could hear if they needed anything, but far enough way that he was out of their way.

"Hello there my fellow knights." Arthur greeted the Stavia knights. Gwain and Percival were there with them.

"Hello Prince Arthur. I am Hughes. This here is Remon, Pierce, and Cole. We are the head knights of the King and Queen." A very large man introduced his three equally tall knights.

"It is nice to meet you all. I see you have met Gwain and Percival. Two of my three best knights. Sadly the third couldn't be here. He sure is a mighty fighter." Arthur said. They talked for a moment or two.

"How about we do some target practice?" Pierce suggested. Arthur agreed. He turned to Merlin.

"Please bring the target, and 6 crossbows." Arthur asked Merlin.

"Will do Arthur." Merlin replied as he ran to the target.

"Your servant doesn't call you sire?" One of the knights asked.

"I quite disliked being called sire. Sounded too formal for my taste. Plus I only want my enemies to call me sire when they're bent down at my feet." Arthur told them.

"Wicked." Said Remon. Merlin carried the large target onto the field, and handed each knight a crossbow.

"This'll be too easy. It's enormous and in one place. Could you move it around? We could shoot it from afar." Cole suggested. Arthur didn't want to deny them, so he called Merlin.

"Are there any other servants around?" Arthur asked.

Merlin looked around, but they all seemed to flee. Merlin knew what he would end up doing.

"I guess not. I shall move the target then." Merlin said. He walked over to the target, and he held onto the handles. The knights back up far away, and Merlin went on the move. Zigzagging, going back and forth. Stopping abruptly to go the other direction. He wanted it to be a challenge for them. Sadly the wood was a bit softer from time, and an arrow or two grazed his skin. He just tried to run around with the target not as close to his body. Turns out the target should have been replaced. So many arrow penetrated the wood, that is caused it to crack right down the middle. This caused a single arrow to slip in between the two pieces, and it sliced the side of Merlin's back. He gasped a little, and dropped the two target altogether. It was now in two large pieces. The knights ceased fire, and Arthur went to Merlin. Merlin stood up, and tried to fake being not in pain.

"We'll need a new target. Are you alright Merlin?" Arthur asked. Merlin nodded, not saying anything as he might started to cry. Arthur noticed the blood on his shirt, and when Merlin turned around to get another target, Arthur noticed the large cut on his back.

"Merlin. Go to Gaius to get your wounds wrapped. Just send another servant to come here. Rest until dinner is ready. I'll need you to translate the latin for me." Arthur told Merlin. Merlin thanked him, and started to walk away. There was one more whistle that sprung through the air, and an arrow grazed the back of his calf. Merlin stumbled down, and held the wound for a moment. Arthur went to help him up, but Merlin pushed him off.

"It's alright. I'll be fine once I get to Gaius. Just keep the knights busy until I can send another servant down." Merlin told Arthur.

"Are you sure you can make it there?" Arthur asked. Merlin nodded.

They heard one of the knights yell to them.

"It's just a tiny flesh wound. Nothing to be all worried about. Let's get on with fightin'!" Yelled Hughes.

Arthur walked back to them, and Merlin limped back to the castle. He passed Gibralter who was in the stable combing the horses.

"Arthur needs you to help the knights conduct their training. He careful. They like taking shots." Merlin warned Gibralter genuinely. Gibralter couldn't help but feel scared when he saw Merlins limp and cut back. Nevertheless he walked to the training field. Merlin went to seek Gaius.

"I need help." Merlin said as he walked in. Gaius stopped the potion he was working on to help Merlin to the cot.

"What happened?" Gaius asked. Getting a washcloth to wipe away the blood.

"The knights like moving targets, and I was the only servant around at the moment. I can't heal this immediately since the wounds are visible, so I'll just speed the process." Merlin told Gaius. Gaius agreed, and he placed a little numbing paste on the wounds, and Merlin conducted a simple spell that would speed the healing process a little. Just enough so it seemed like the natural healing time.

Merlin took a tonic to soothe some of his aches, and laid on his stomach for a bit, letting the wounds on his back heal.

After an hour or so, Arthur knocked on the door.

"Thank you Gaius." Arthur said as he entered. He went over to Merlin, who had no shirt on.

"Is it time for dinner. I can get dressed ready in a moment." Merlin said.

"No no. We finished training early because two other servants got hurt. Dinner is not until an hour. How is your back?" Arthur asked him. He pulled up a chair.

"The wounds are healing alright. Right now I can't feel them. I'll be fine." Merlin dismissed himself. Arthur nodded, but couldn't help noticing the other scars.

"How come you have so many scars? I've never noticed them since you always wear long sleeved shirts." Arthur asked curiously. Large and small scars littered his back, shoulders, and arms. He even noticed a whip mark. "Why do you have whip scars?" He asked.

Merlin laughed nervously and sat up. "They're nothing. Just silly scrapes here and there." Merlin brushed off. Now that he was sitting up, Arthur could see his chest. Although he was bulked a bit, his ribs till showed. And more scars showed as well. Some very deep.

Arthur pointed to one. "What was this one from?" Arthur asked. Merlin didn't answer, and grabbed his shirt to put on.

"I should probably go help out the other servants. Dinner should be soon, and there's a lot of food to lay out. I'll see you at dinner time." Merlin excused himself as he left the room. Arthur was still left in the room.

"How does he get so many scars Gaius?" Arthur asked. Gaius sighed.

"Merlin protects you more than you think. He has friends that give him information of impending attacks. Even if they are minuscule and easily defeated by a couple knights, Merlin still goes out to stop it. You may not realize it, but he gets hurt a lot without anyone knowing." Gaius told him. He topped off the bottle, and excused himself from the room. Arthur stood dumbfounded.

"Merlin protects Camelot without anyone else knowing? He's never told me before." Arthur said to himself. He left the room to gather the rest of the papers, and reroll them in their original ribbons.

Once dinner was ready, Merlin went to George to tell him.

"Excuse me sire. Dinner is ready." Merlin told him. King George understood, and let Merlin lead him to the dinning room. He sat opposite of Uther, while Amelia sat opposite of Arthur. Percival and Leon sat with Remon, Hughes, Pierce, and Cole. Merlin walked around, and poured everyone their wine. He did get a dirty look here and there by the other knights.

"So how are you? Hope we didn't damage you too much." Hughes said.

"I am quite alright now. Thank you Sir Hughes." Merlin said very politely. Once he was done pouring drinks, he stood behind Arthur, as instructed.

Everyone at the table spoke, mostly with accents. There came a couple words or phrases here and there that Merlin translated.

"How come you do not speak latin, but your servant does?" King George asked. Uther smiled.

Sadly we have a low population of latin speakers. Most are just passing travelers. The servant merely picked it up after meeting some travelers as a child." Uther said, speaking on Merlin's behalf.

"What village did you come from, Merlin?" King George asked Merlin in latin.

"I grew up in Ealdor." Merlin told him. He turned to Arthur and Uther.

"He asked what village I was from. I said Ealdor." Merlin informed them, as to make sure he wasn't acting rude by not translating.

"Very good." George switched back to English. "I am not much of a wine drinker. May I please have some water to wash the food down." He asked.

"Of course. I'll fetch it." Merlin said. He handed the wine pitcher to a nearby servant, and he went into the aquafer to grab the pitcher held under dripping water. He brought it back, and got George another goblet in which to pour it in.

"Thank you." George thanked him in latin. Merlin nodded, and assumed his place next to Arthur.

"I am glad you allowed us to come for a visit. It has been very nice, but we must start speaking business. Since my father is no longer with us, I would like there to be some changes. Magic used to be acceptable in Stavia, but I want it banned. And I wanted your signature on that part. I believe I sent the documents to you last week." George said. Arthur nodded, and pulled out the scrolls.

"I'm sorry sir, but I do not recall receiving any documents about magic." Arthur said, lying through his teeth. But only Merlin and him knew.

"That's a shame. My servant must have forgotten. Nevertheless, I brought copies. You can sign this one." George said, sliding the exact document towards Arthur. Arthur became a little nervous. He pretended to read through it, but in his mind tried to think of a way out.

A servant handed him a quill, and Uther looked down to watch him sign the sheet of paper. Arthur faulted, and couldn't sign it.

"I'm sorry. I cannot sign this." Arthur said. "Because there are some things missing." Arthur said trying to save himself.

"Like what?" George asked.

"Well I would hate for someone to be killed on the spot, and for them to not have actually been a sorcerer. I think that the knights should bring them in with evidence, and we'll figure out if they really are magical. It seems a bit of a waste to have our laws if we change them suddenly." Arthur explained. George and Uther took this well.

"That is true. We did have an incident where an innocent was killed out of revenge. The murderer pleaded that they were a witch. That's why we built the law. They would get a public burning if caught. I believe my son is right not to sign the document." Uther concluded. He rolled the document up, and handed it back to George.

"I understand perfectly. We will leave this one. But the others?"

"Most of them I signed. Some I wanted to speak to you about since the wording was vague." Arthur said. Everyone talked about the problems with the papers, and the knights were even permitted to give their thoughts and opinions. Merlin walked around to pour more cups of wine, when one hand accidentally knock the pitcher out of Merlin's hands, and onto the table.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry. Let me get you a cloth to dry it up." Merlin hurried, but a hand grabbed his wrist. Before Merlin could think, he got a punch to the jaw. Just as he fell, Percival and Leon stood up, their hands on their sword handles, ready to unsheathe.

"Calm down Cole, and sit down." Amelia told him. He noticed the threatening knights, and sat down. Uther looked down, and saw that even Arthur's hand was on his sword handle. Leon and Percival sat down, and Merlin got up to get a rag. He came back, and dried the mess. Then he placed himself back to his normal spot behind Arthur. At the moment, Uther was speaking to the table about the issue of famines. Arthur motioned for Merlin to bend down to his level.

"You alright?" Arthur whispered. Merlin nodded. He did a little silent spell in the hall that made the pain go away, but it would only last a short while.

"Good. By the way, what does 'rusticus' mean?" Merlin thought.

"It's supposed to mean peasant in latin, but it sounds like rural in English." Merlin told him. Merlin stood straight up, and assessed the conversation.

Arthur knew they called Merlin a peasant. They weren't wrong, but the word itself was rude.

Merlin could hear the side conversations in latin. Mostly it was the knights speaking ill of him, but thought he could not hear over the noise.

Dinner finally came to a close, and Merlin escorted King George back to his quarters for the night. Merlin brought him a bucket, and filled it with hot water for him to have a bathe.

"You can leave the bathe be when you are done. I will have it collected in the morning before you wake." Merlin told him.

"Goodnight Sire." Merlin said.

George did not respond back. Merlin left to go get Arthur ready. He brought a tub up to his quarters, and filled it with hot water.

Arthur wrapped a towel around his waist, and laid in the steaming water while Merlin read through the papers.

"Most of these are self explanatory. Make grains easily accessible. Allow farmers more cows to take care of for more milk. Just simple agricultural topics." Merlin told him.

"Goodnight Arthur. Just leave the bath be, and I'll collect it in the morning." Merlin told him.

"Goodnight Merlin." Arthur told him.