Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights belong to their respective owners.

I haven't posted a long one for a while. I hope there are still Merlin readers out there that might find and enjoy this. For those of you who have found it - enjoy the ride and don't forget to let me know what you think! This is set between series 3 & 4.

Arthur sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he made his way from the king's chambers. He didn't know how many times Gaius had reassured him there was nothing physically wrong with his father, but it didn't soothe Arthur's mind. It wasn't just his father that plagued his thoughts; Morgana's betrayal still hurt as much now – two months later – as it had the moment he had watched her be crowned Queen. It made sense now he was looking back on it – all the things that had gone wrong since she had returned. But he would have never have considered her the traitor even if someone was holding a sword at his throat.

When they had first taken the castle back, there had been so much to do he was able to force himself to forget about her. It became clear very quickly that Uther was not the man who had first been locked in the dungeons and wouldn't be making any decisions in the near-future. Arthur had been trained to rule since birth and he knew his men looked up to and respected him – even Merlin although the man would sooner cut out his tongue than admit it. Arthur could see the look in his eye though and knew he had his servant's support. Or rather, he had the support of his friend. Right now, he knew which meant more to him.

He wasn't ready for this! How could he convince the nobles his father was only sick and needed time to recover rather than admitting the truth - that he was a shell of a man now, one who even Arthur barely recognised. But saying that out loud would be risking an uprising: Camelot would be seen as weak and Arthur knew he would be pressurised to take the crown and rebel against his father in order to give the kingdom a definite ruler.

It had been days of hard work and lack of sleep before Arthur had been able to convince the council (and himself) that his father would recover in time and meanwhile Arthur would act as regent and oversee decisions that had to be made. He wasn't sure if they believed him or not, but no one openly challenged him. Arthur convinced himself all was fine.

Stopping a few paces away from his father's door, Arthur leant against the wall in exhaustion. How could he pretend everything was okay when that was as far from the truth as he could get? He didn't know what he was doing and every day Uther seemed to retreat further into himself. Patrol after patrol had ridden out to secure the kingdom and make sure there was no trace of Morgana. Merlin had told him some of what had happened with the cup but Arthur wasn't a fool. He knew he wasn't being told everything. It was enough for him to learn his half-sister had magic and was both dangerous and powerful. If she attacked…

Arthur shuddered at the thought and reassured himself his knights were well trained and they had safety in numbers while Morgana was in hiding and alone. The reassurances only worked in daylight. When the dreams begun each night, nothing helped.

"Sire?"

A guard had paused a few feet away from him, keeping a respectable distance. Arthur immediately snapped to attention, hiding signs of weakness by straightening. He nodded at the guard, dismissed him with a gesture and forced himself to continue towards his own chambers. Only there could he let down his defences, for Merlin didn't count as witness. Arthur's cheeks still burned when he thought about how he had given up when they had first escaped from the kingdom. Honestly, he barely remembered most of their flight from the castle and could only assume that it was thanks to Merlin they even made it out alive to join the others in the forest. Merlin had seen him falling apart and feeling defeated. It was humiliating thinking about it. But it meant Arthur knew the man wouldn't judge him for showing his weaknesses in the privacy of his own chambers.

This time, he didn't stop and only let his mask of indifference fall away when his door was firmly shut and locked behind him. Merlin paused from where he was making the bed, a pillow in his hand and a concerned look on his face.

"How is he?" the servant asked quietly. Arthur found himself suddenly putting up walls. Merlin was still his servant and right now, Arthur had a kingdom to run. He didn't have time for this.

"How do you think, Merlin?" He scoffed, shrugging off his jacket and leaving it in a pile by the door. It was his own silent revenge on Merlin: no man before had ever managed to make him show emotion. He had been trained to hide how he was feeling and yet something about Merlin made him want to open up.

"I was only asking," Merlin retorted, a touch of annoyance lacing his tone before he sighed. "Sir Leon dropped some more papers by."

Arthur knew why Merlin's voice had softened. It seemed to be Merlin's opinion that Arthur was working too hard, but whenever he said anything about it, an argument always started. The shouting had been so loud once that a guard had knocked to make sure no harm was befalling his prince. But whenever someone dropped by with more work for Arthur, Merlin's eyes tightened and his jaw set. In a way, Arthur was touched. It made him feel cared for although he careful not to let Merlin know that.

Arthur nodded curtly, not trusting himself to speak as he moved across towards his desk. He only just hid his grimace from Merlin as he sat down. Although he was acting as regent, Arthur still had his duties as the Crown Prince. He knew any sign that he couldn't balance both roles would lead to the nobles once again questioning the strength of the kingdom. They didn't need to know how tired he was: they needed results.

"Go and muck out the stables when you've done that," Arthur muttered, making sure his voice was loud enough to carry. Most days – not that he admitted it – he appreciated Merlin's company. The man had a way of making Arthur laugh even if he didn't want to. Considering everything that was going on, he needed that more than he could say. But he wasn't in the mood today and they would only end up snapping at each other. He would rather Merlin moaned about his workload than have a reason to hate Arthur.

Shaking his head, Arthur pulled the first stack towards him. When had it mattered to him what his servant felt? Forcing himself to start reading, the prince tried to concentrate. But he found his mind kept going back to that question. Why did he care what Merlin thought?

As he heard the flump of a pillow hitting the floor and Merlin cursing as he bent to pick it up again, Arthur knew. Merlin had sacrificed his chance to get out of the castle - knowing they were facing the undead - to make sure Arthur didn't witness Morgana's betrayal on his own. Merlin had acted as a friend in a way no one had ever done for Arthur before and he knew he would regret it if he snapped at the man now out of tiredness.

But when Merlin did finally leave the room, Arthur's aim to get work done failed. He had a headache building and the words were blurring together, causing his thoughts to pound uncomfortably against his skull. He needed a good ride through the forest, with the wind blowing in his hair and the thrill of a hunt flooding through his veins. Not being stuck inside with endless reports just to placate some nobles who were more interested in helping themselves than helping Arthur.

He truly intended to keep working. But his eyes were drawn by the fire and Arthur found himself lulled by it before he realised what was happening. His mind buzzed as he tried to process all that he still had to do, but soon was drowned out by an incredibly sadness. He felt like he was losing his father, having shortly lost the woman who had been a sister to him. He didn't care if they were related, they had that relationship when they were young and naïve to their parentage. It hurt to see her turn against them like that.

As his mind spiralled down into sadness, Arthur couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. Awkwardly slumped in his chair in a way that was by no means befitting of a prince, Arthur fell asleep.

MMM

Merlin sighed as he lent on his fork, brushing the hair from his eyes and staring around the stables. It was the middle of the day, meaning things were quiet. Patrols were either already gone or weren't due to leave for a few hours, so only Merlin and a couple of stable boys were present. Merlin preferred it like that; he had done ever since Morgana had revealed herself. Although he had known for far longer than Arthur about her true nature, he had still hoped - right up until the moment she had sat on the throne - that she could be redeemed.

But there was no chance now. Her actions had destroyed the king and if there was one thing Merlin knew Arthur wouldn't forgive, it was that. The prince idolised his father, it was obvious in the way he still followed orders he didn't agree with. Morgana had taken that from him and Merlin knew Arthur was struggling.

He was sure he was the only one who could see the slump to Arthur's shoulders when he thought no one was looking and the haunted look in his eyes from time to time. It was why he had come to the stables without putting up a protest for once; he knew Arthur wanted the time alone and Merlin wasn't sure he would have kept his mouth shut. If he could just get Arthur to go on one of the patrols, to get out of the castle for a little while…

Merlin stopped there and shook his head. It wouldn't happen. Arthur had to think of it for himself - he seemed to be ignoring everything Merlin said and doing the opposite. If Merlin didn't know better, he would have said it was just to spite him.

A horse nudged him in the back of the head and Merlin jolted, realising he had been standing still for a few moments. He turned to face her with a laugh, rolling his eyes when he saw it was one of Arthur's mares.

"Are you telling me to get on with it as well?" He murmured, scratching her behind the ears in the way he knew she liked. He received a snort and a flicker of said ears in response, making him smile. It came to something when he could have a better conversation with a horse than he could his friend.

Finishing up, Merlin put the fork to one side and gave the horse one last pat before heading back towards the castle. Technically, Arthur hadn't given him any more chores to do after he had finished the stables. Merlin was going to take the chance to get cleaned up before returning to the prince's side. It seemed the more work that Arthur had to do, the less Merlin found piled on him because Arthur forgot. The reports meant he hadn't thought about his armour needing polishing for weeks.

The route back to Gaius' was familiar but Merlin thought about how much had changed during the years he had walked these corridors. He would do anything to go back to those early days, where the main danger came from Arthur's missiles. He couldn't bring himself to regret everything that had happened though. His tentative friendship with Arthur when they had first met was nothing compared to what it was now and he wouldn't change that. After all, the man was his destiny.

Gaius was out when Merlin returned and the warlock enjoyed the rare moment of being on his own. Pouring some water into a basin, he quickly washed his face and hands, shuddering at the coldness. Towelling off, he sat down on the bench, resting his hands next to him and leaning forward slightly in order to simply think.

He knew he had to get through to Arthur. The prince couldn't keep going the way he was. Merlin knew what Gaius had told Arthur and what the physician had confided in him afterwards; Uther wasn't going to recover unless something jolted him out of his reserved state. And - as Gaius pointed out - the king was no youngster. Another shock that great had as much chance as killing him as it did aiding in his recovery. All they could do was keep him comfortable.

Merlin found himself wishing Uther would snap out of it. It was for the same reason that Gwen was tending to a king that had tried to execute her more than once and had her father killed. It was all for Arthur. It would destroy him if Uther should die and so Merlin knew he wasn't alone in wishing the man would recover.

The world was a strange place, Merlin mused as he stood back up again. He couldn't stay here all day. He didn't trust Arthur to remember to eat lunch if his servant wasn't there to remind him. Running a hand over his hair with the hope it would lie flat again (it didn't) Merlin left his chambers and returned to Arthur's.

Halfway there, his attention was drawn by a returning patrol. They were back early and Merlin saw a couple of horses without riders and another knight that seemed to be slumped in his saddle. This was the third group to be attacked by bandits in the last fortnight – they were growing bolder. He knew this was only going to add to Arthur's worries – he had the patrols thinly spread as it was and Merlin knew that was half the problem – everyone was riding out so much there wasn't time for sufficient rest and that made them careless. They needed more men or Arthur needed to come up with a new strategy.

Something told Merlin he was the only one who was going to have the courage to tell Arthur that. Even the newly knighted Gwaine didn't dare cross Arthur right now; the prince was prone to explosions of temper. Working out how he could say something and keep his head attached, Merlin was lost in thought as he traversed the rest of the corridor. He knew the route so well he could do it with his eyes shut if he so wanted. But he silently put his hand on Arthur's door and pushed it open without knocking. Arthur hadn't managed to get him to change during all of their time together so far; Merlin wasn't about to start now.

"Arthur, I-," His words died on his lips when he caught a glimpse of Arthur. For a moment, Merlin could only stand there and smile, something akin to fondness swelling in him. He knew Arthur was exhausted and hadn't been sleeping, but he didn't think the day would come when even the ever growing mountain of work wasn't enough to keep him awake.

As he watched, Merlin realised he was going to have an irritable prince on his hands if Arthur continued to sleep at that angle. Shutting the door carefully behind him, Merlin's eyes flashed. Part of the table cleared and Arthur rocked forward - snoring softly - as his arms cushioned his head in the space. He wouldn't be comfortable, but at least he wouldn't have a twisted back and a crick in the neck when he woke. Unable to stop himself, Merlin pulled the spare blanket from the bed and draped it over Arthur's slumbering form. When the man awoke, Merlin knew it was his duty to tease his master about it. If nothing else, it would coax a smile from Arthur even while he was pretending to be mad.

But for now, he wanted to make sure the man got some desperately needed rest.

Once he knew Arthur was comfortable, Merlin moved across to the window. With a sigh, he leant against the wall, arms folded across his chest as he continued to watch the scene in the courtyard. He knew the knights respected him more now after he had been part of the fight. Maybe he could talk to Leon - get the man to organise the patrols more effectively without Arthur ever finding out?

The last thing the kingdom needed right now was for Arthur to overwork himself. He was doing it to make the kingdom strong, but if he carried on the way he was going, the result would be no king and no prince either.

Merlin was not going to let that happen.