Oblivious

Characters: Merlin, Arthur

Summary: Three times Arthur is oblivious to the troubles of his manservant and one time he isn't.

"There was no answer, except the general answer life gives to all the most complex and insoluble questions. That answer is: one must live for the needs of the day, in other words, become oblivious."

Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

"Sire, I need to talk to you."

Arthur blew right past the servant. "Not now, Merlin, I don't have time for your rambling." He stopped, collapsing into the chair beside his desk. "A dragon! A bloody dragon," He muttered angrily, rubbing the bridge of his nose in exhaustion.

"Actually, Arthur, it's sort of about that -"

"How in the world has a bloody dragon been sighted!" Arthur slammed his fist on the table. "That's impossible! I killed the last one! I did! You told me I did!" He pointed grandly at Merlin to emphasize his point.

Merlin shifted, avoiding his eyes, "Yes, sire, I did say that."

"Well then how could someone have seen the -" He thought about what Merlin said and started over. "Yes, you did 'say that'. And I did, didn't I? I killed the dragon. Me. Dragon. Dead. It's dead. The dragon is dead! I took my spear and I killed it! I killed it!" It was here that the King of Camelot began resembling a spoiled teenager throwing a tantrum.

Merlin rolled his eyes at the king. "Arthur, you know as well as I do that only a dragonlord can slay a dragon."

Arthur's forehead knotted in confusion. "But then how did I slay the dragon? I'm not a dragonlord!"

Merlin held back a groan. "Yet the dragon must have been slain by a dragonlord. So either a dragonlord was there that slaid him, or he was not slain at all. On that note, I do have something rather important to tell you-"

Arthur gaped at him. "I'm a dragonlord?"

"No sire, I can assure you that you are not a dragonlord," Merlin forced between his teeth, an eye twitching in irritation.

Arthur stared at him for a long while.

Suddenly, he burst out in a giant grin. "But then I'm the exception! I slayed the dragon, and I'm not a dragonlord!" Arthur laughed giddily. "I am the exception to every rule, aren't I? I slayed the Afanc, I survived the Questing Beast, I braved the Perilous Lands and bested the Isle of the Blessed! Honestly, I'm just too good."

Merlin looked on in poorly concealed disbelief. "Incredible. Absolutely incredible."