There were three things Arthur told all his young knights. The first, Arthur had told Merlin years ago. No man is worth your tears. The second was also widely known, and Merlin had been lectured on it more than a few times. In the heat of battle, there's no time for panic. The last was arguably the most important, if not recent, and it stood as the only knight's rule of which Merlin was not aware. It had become a well-established rule among those of the roundtable, that when on a quest or in battle, the knights were to do three things: Ensure King Arthur's safety, Ensure Merlin's safety, and then see to their own.

In that order.

Either Merlin never quite seemed to catch on to this, or, and the knights found this much more likely, he ignored it on purpose. As much as Arthur loved his best friend, the man could be stupidly stubborn when it came to disregarding his own well-being. And so, despite everyone's best efforts, it was always Merlin who went on dangerous quests, Merlin who rode at the front, Merlin who went into battles that were none of his business, and Merlin who decided the lives of those around him were more important than his own.

In light of this, it was no surprise that it was Merlin's fault that Arthur kept breaking the second rule.

Even if he wouldn't have it any other way.