credit to anonymousstoryperson who gave me the idea for this as I had run out and my dad took my phone so I can't see what ideas I already had, also, thanks to her for editing this!! This is before Arthur and Gwen were married but, Uther is still sick because he's an a*****e, So enjoy!!

   Merlin inwardly groaned as he stood off to sides of the ball, where everyone of the royal court: the servants, cooks and everyone else who worked with the royals and knights who were also forced to attend. Since he hated dancing, Merlin tried to stay off at the side but, that didn't work very well. Arthur wasn't allowed to dance with Gwen so Gwen was sitting alone, looking very disappointed that she couldn't dance with Arthur or anyone since she didn't know servants who could dance (that's what she thought).

Merlin realized this and sighed, knowing he would have to or his mother raised him like she did in vain.  He hesitantly started walking over to where Gwen was sitting and sat down next to her. 

"I take it you know how to dance" Merlin stated after he sat down 

"Yes, but obviously Arthur and I can't dance together. And none of the other servants know how to dance." Gwen sighed, watching sadly as the royals swayed and spun and danced in a flurry of colour.

"I'm going to regret this later." Merlin mumbled incoherently before standing up and turning to his friend.

"May I have this dance, milady?" Merlin smiled, offering his hand to her politely. Gwen looked at him in surprise, and after a couple of seconds of an internal debate: 

"You know how to dance Merlin?" Gwen asked.

"Well, when your the prince's manservant, you're forced to attend every event, whether you like it or not, so you pick up a few things... and my mother taught me a little when I was younger." Merlin shrugged, keeping his hand out for Gwen to take. She smiled for little bit before taking it and standing with him. She smiled gratefully at him and he smiled back, a little sheepishly in Gwen's opinion before leading her to the space that had been cleared for dancing. 

They danced through the room with grace ad skill, throwing many royals out of their own dancing at the surprise that two mere servants could dance, and fairly well at that. Arthur watched how close his friend and the girl of his dreams were as they danced and pushed down the jealousy that was rising within him. He knew Merlin was just being nice. But it was still slightly unfair that his status had robbed Arthur of the privilege to dance with Gwen himself. Yet he couldn't help but smile at the sight of his two best friends having fun, even if it was without him. He did wonder where Merlin and Gwen learnt, but he didn't dwell on it too much. He wondered if he'd live to see himself dance with Gwen like that, or even to see Merlin dance with his own girlfriend. He wondered if, upon times of war, they would look back on these kinds of memories and envy their past selves for giving themselves false senses of hope. He wondered if their innocence would last, if there was even any innocence left in Camelot. 

Merlin and Gwen had both seen death and Arthur wished they didn't. Merlin had killed people too, and Arthur could barely remember the goofy, innocent young boy who came to Camelot, despite that these changes were being hidden by the servant's care-free smile. The prince sighed,  thinking of how naive they had all been: thinking of the future, worrying if the person they liked had liked them back and how they focused so heavily on making their parents proud. 

At least, that's what Arthur was like. It hadn't occurred to him until now that Merlin didn't grow up with a dad to make proud and Arthur was sure Merlin didn't have any siblings to look up to, meaning Merlin had had to grow up quickly and be the man of the house. Had Merlin lain awake every night, worrying if he and his mother would survive the next winter? Did he wonder why his dad left them? What was Merlin's childhood like? 

He knew Gwen grow up with both her parents and her older brother, so she probably didn't have the same problems growing up like Merlin. But being so poor that the youngest child had to take a job in the castle mustn't have been easy. Arthur decided in that moment to figure out exactly what his two best friends' childhoods were like, so he could make sure they never had worry about their worries repeating. 

But that could wait. For now, he was meant to be celebrating. What they were celebrating, exactly, he had already forgotten: Merlin had written the speech and nothing had actually stuck in his mind, but he began to enjoy himself again as he resumed watching Merlin and Gwen with a mixture of surprise and envy, wondering how much to tease his manservant on his dancing later.