It was a chorus of loud, successive knocking that woke Arthur from his slumber the following morning.

"Come in." He groaned, his voice thick with sleep, his blonde hair tousled and disheveled by a night of fitful tossing as he'd tried to ignore his throbbing wound. He opened his eyes blearily to see Merlin gently push the door open with his foot, his hands otherwise occupied with a large silver plate laden down with bread, ham, cheese and various fruits; a breakfast fit for a prince.

"Good morning Sire." Merlin smiled with all his usual cheer and placed the plate down on the table.

"Sire?" Arthur repeated in groggy disbelief, struggling to sit up so he could quiz his servant. "When was the last time you had the manners to call me sire?" He laughed - more of a wheeze, really - as he threw back his blanket and swung his legs over the side of the bed, unable to disguise the pain in his leg as he winced. Glancing down, he was dismayed to see the dressing - so carefully applied by Gaius the day before - soaked with blood; perhaps the arrow had penetrated deeper than he'd first thought.

"Arthur," taking a hasty step towards the bed, Merlin started to explain his situation - before being swiftly cut off by an arrogant swish of Arthur's hand. Merlin's own hand fell to his side, previously moving to pull the blankets back over the Prince's bare body.

"Merlin, it's okay. I've had a wound like this countless times before - you know that - and I've pulled through each one just fine." Arthur interrupted - in a voice that could only be described as adamant - before pulling himself to his feet with all the difficulty of an injured man. Merlin watched helplessly as he swayed, before finding his balance and standing tall.

"Great, Arthur, but-"

For the second time, Merlin was cut off. "Anyway, what's with you calling me sire? I don't think I've ever heard that word come out of your pretty mouth before in my life." Arthur scoffed, taking a shaky step closer to Merlin, his arm reaching out to wrap around his servant's neck. Panic kindled in Merlin's eyes and he took a step back, trying desperately to distance himself from the steadily advancing Prince. "And I have heard a lot of words come out of you," Arthur continued, blatantly unobservant to the fact that Merlin wasn't acting himself, "including some that I thought I would hear no man ever say to me, like-"

"I found it Merlin! It was in the- oh!" Gaius stopped short at the sight of Arthur out of bed and leaning precariously close to Merlin - who looked agitated, to say the very least - clothed only in the bare minimum. Merlin jumped at the sight of his mentor standing in the room and froze, his cheeks flushing a scarlet red to match his shirt.

"Arthur Pendragon," Gaius frowned deeply, his face twisted into one of sour disappointment as the spell cast over Arthur was broken. The Prince whipped around, features drawn into guilt, - though he tried to disguise it - his mouth instantly falling open to mumble an excuse.

"I would have expected better from you. Get back into bed this instance." The physician snapped firmly, ignoring Arthur's minimal covering as he shuffled over with alarming momentum. Arthur obeyed without question, turning and burying himself back under the soft covers. Meanwhile, Merlin took a deep breath, trying to return his heart to its steady pace and his cheeks to their normal hue. That had been too close; what if it was Uther or Agravaine, or even one of the knights that had walked in? Anyway, it wasn't like Merlin hadn't tried to tell Arthur that Gaius was on his way.

If Gaius had thought that anything unlawful had been occurring, he certainly didn't show it; he was too busy scolding Arthur for getting out of bed and agitating the wound, rather than anything else.

"This could set the healing process back days," the elderly man chided, wagging his finger in his patient's face, who was now sat up against the headboard, "I know you think you can survive anything Prince Arthur, but you cannot." He reached into his robes and withdrew a small glass vile, filled with a sludgy brown tonic. "Lucky for you, I treated your wound quickly enough that I could prevent any infection - but," he pulled out the cork with a satisfying pop and handing the bottle to Arthur, who took is grudgingly but without complaint, "you still have to drink this." Gaius stared down at Arthur with an expectant look.

Arthur raised his eyebrows and studied the concoction, his nose wrinkling at the putrid aroma rising from the open flask.

"Come on, bottom's up. Tastes like goblin piss but it'll do you some good." Merlin declared, finally stepped forward to beam down at Arthur, who in return glared up at him before chugging the mixture. Instantly his face twisted and his eyes squeezed shut in a portrayal of utter disgust - it was such a sight, in fact, that Gaius and Merlin couldn't help but share a smile, any previous tension already forgotten.

"Good boy," Gaius praised, picking up the empty flask and stowing it back in his robes, "but hear me now, Arthur; if I catch you out of your bed once more today, I shall put you in the stocks myself." The physician warned with a jolly smile, before briskly turning on his heel and hobbling from the room, robes swishing in his wake as he hummed a merry tune.

There was silence for a moment as the sound of footsteps faded away, and all that could be heard was the wavering song of a blackbird perched on the windowsill.

Merlin's gaze slid to meet Arthur's own, and he grinned, his sparkling-blue eyes crinkling at the corners. "I did try to warn you that Gaius was coming." He said, throwing up his hands in a gesture of complete innocence.

Arthur rolled his eyes theatrically and licked his lips. "You were right; that stuff really does taste like piss."

Merlin paused, his gaze travelling down the Prince's body - lingering on his bare chest - before blinking and turning away, the familiar burning sensation pricking his cheeks as he blushed. It obviously didn't go unnoticed, for the Prince sighed and shook his head in mock disappointment.

"Hopeless."

Before Merlin could retaliate, the sound of footsteps alerted the pair to another approaching guest - and it was a good thing they had been warned too, for Arthur was just reaching out to pull Merlin closer to him. He snatched his hand away, deciding to run it through his hair instead as Merlin rushed off, bustling around the table in an attempt to look busy.

A knock at the door announced a guard, coming to deliver a message.

"What is it?" Arthur asked eagerly, sitting up straighter. "News of the patrols?" His eyes gleamed, keen to hear what his fellow knights might have discovered on their journeys.

The young guard bobbed his head nervously as his gaze flickered around the room. "Yes, sir. They're on their way back, sir. The sentries have just spotted them emerging from the outskirts of Darkling woods, sir. They should be back in a half-hour." The guard noticeably bit his tongue to prevent another 'sir' from slipping out.

Arthur grinned widely, unable to disguise his gladness. "Brilliant. I suppose Leon didn't have Morgana slung over his shoulder, did he?"

"Uh," the boy's eyes widened in panic and he stammered, not picking up the playful tone in the Prince's voice, "-no, no, I don't think so - I'm s-sorry... sir." Before Arthur could explain that it was a joke, the guard bobbed his head again and slipped from the room, leaving the pair in peace once again.

"Funny fellow, that one." Arthur declared after he had gone and threw back the covers, once again making to get out of bed. Merlin looked over his shoulder and tutted loudly.

"Yeah, he's one of the new trainees. Hey - don't you remember what Gaius said?" He reminded hastily, turning around and planting his hands on his hips in an act of dominance as Arthur planted his feet on the stone floor. "It'll be the stocks for you."

Arthur conjured a withering glare at Merlin that seemed to last minutes, as a silent battle of wits played out before them. Finally he huffed irritably - admitting defeat - and pulled the blanket back up over his chest. "I just want to see my men. Make sure they're okay. Find out what they've learnt and if there's any new advances on Morgana's whereabouts." Arthur grumbled, half to himself.

Merlin relaxed, nodded sympathetically and scooped up a pile of dirty clothing - discarded on the floor and stained with blood, sweat and dirt. "Well, they're not going to have forgotten by tomorrow. Or I could talk to them, and then tell you what they say, or... we could always try and arrange a visit?"

Hearing Merlin's last suggestion, Arthur shook his head, his sandy locks falling about his eyes as he clenched his jaw. "No." He said firmly, meeting Merlin's watery blue eyes with a steely gaze. "I don't want them to see me like this, crippled and bed-bound by Gaius."

"I understand." Merlin sighed and drifted to the door, before pausing and looking over his shoulder. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" He asked quietly.

The Prince sighed and cast his gaze around the room, his sharp blue eyes searching for something to pester Merlin about - perhaps it was just so he could have some company a while longer, or perhaps it was because he enjoyed it when Merlin groaned and tilted his head back, whining about whatever Arthur had picked up on - but, much to Arthur's disappointment, the room seemed spotless. Even as his head rattled through the chores that could be done, he knew it was a waste of time.

Finally he shook his head and watched wistfully as Merlin disappeared around the door; out of sight, but certainly not out of his mind.

a/n - I hope you enjoyed this chapter <3 Starting those Merthur feels off slow - but there's definitely going to be an abundance in the future ;)