Keep Your Enemies Closer

Chapter 1

"I don't see why you had to bring that idiotic servant of yours. " Uther said as their horses trotted along the path. Today was one of the few times per year when Uther and Arthur spend time together. It's their annual hunting trip. It was Uther and Arthur alone in the woods. Something was bound to happen. And that is why Merlin was with them. Well, that's not the entire reason.

"Merlin!" Arthur called as he was leaving his chambers. Merlin pocked his head back into the room.

"I need to ask you a personal favor." Merlin nodded, gesturing to continue.

"As you know my father and I are going on a hunting trip. As our 'yearly bonding experience'." He taunted that last part causing Merlin to chuckle.

"I want you to go. Because I don't think I can do it alone." Arthur's voice cracked so he cleared his throat and tried to play cool. " I mean. You know. Make dinner and all that stuff." Arthur's eyes were pleading.

"Okay, Arthur. I promise you won't do anything alone." Arthur smiled at his friend. They stayed like that for a moment. Until Arthur broke eye contact and sternly told Merlin to leave.

So that's why he was here. For Arthur and to make sure he and Uther didn't die.

"Well, we need someone to cook dinner tonight and set up camp. " Arthur said turning around to look at his father.

"Still, why him?" Uther's voice was full of loathing.

"Because he was the only one I asked without prior engagements." Arthur then looked at Merlin. He gave Merlin a tiny smile which he gladly returned.

For the next three hours, Merlin and Arthur chatted while Uther scowled at the two.

Why were they so close? Why did Arthur treat him better than some of his knights? Uther was hoping to ask that while on this trip but with the boy here, he didn't know.

The two royals and the warlock finally deciding that they were deep enough in the forest, stopped to hunt. Merlin decided that he would let Arthur have a successful hunt. So he stayed soundless, rarely moved, and didn't dare use magic.

But when he did unintentionally fall, provoking the deer to flee, Uther was furious.

"Are you serious? We almost had a deer! A deer! You lousy servant."

"Father, he fell. " Arthur stated softly. Arthur knew that Merlin was trying, for him. So his father wasn't upset. And he was grateful for it.

"Whatever. Go make us dinner boy." Uther sternly told Merlin. Merlin nodded his head and ran off to where the horses were. Once there he made rabbit soup. One of his personal favorites. He served the two dinners and then took some for himself. While eating, Merlin could feel it. Something bad was about to happen.

"Arthur." Arthur and Uther's head shot up.

"Did you just call him Arth-" Uther began but Arthur cut him off.

"I know. I sense it too." At that moment Arthur and Merlin both got up and reached for weapons. Arthur had his sword and Merlin grabbed in from the horses.

"What are you two doing?" Uther asked as if the two were idiotic. Suddenly around 15 bandits jumped out from behind the trees and charged. Arthur took on two while Merlin took on one. Uther who had been caught unaware swiftly pulled out his sword and attack two. But they couldn't hold them all off.

Both Uther and Merlin turned to Arthur and yelled, "Arthur run!" Arthur looked at them both and then ran. Once he was far enough away to take a small break he turned around to see that not one of the two men were behind him. Panic ran through his veins and he started to run back towards the fight.

Merlin and Uther tried their best to hold them off, but two to 15 was not going to end well. Soon the two had their hands tied behind their back and started to be pulled off. Merlin could see Arthur running back sword in hand. The two eyes meet.

Merlin shook his head and Arthur stopped, confusion on his face. Merlin nodded his head towards the castle. Arthur nodded and ran towards the castle, off to get reinforcements.

"Why would you do that? He was our only chance getting out of this!" Uther scolded quietly.

"If the two of us couldn't defeat them, then do you think a distraught and panicking Arthur is going to do us any good. He is going to travel to Camelot and get his knights. Hopefully, by the time he is back in Camelot he will have relaxed enough for his thoughts to be clear." Merlin whispered back. All though Uther hated the boy he had to give him credit, he was right. Arthur would have been panicking, causing his fighting to be bad, causing the bandits to catch him and no one would know. Everyone in Camelot would think the trio was still in the forest hunting.

"Oi! Stop talking you two! Get these two in the cart." One of the bandits said as they were pushed into the cart. They traveled for around two hours in silence leaving Uther to his thoughts. He has been thinking of how the boy addressed Arthur. He had said his real name. Not a title like 'Sire' or 'Your Highness' and it made him curious.

"Why don't you use Arthur's title?" Uther's question startled the warlock. He looked at Uther to see genuine curiosity, no fury or disappointment.

"Well, because Arthur is so much more than a title. So much more than a prince. He is a selfless, kind hearted man that I have the honor of knowing. I feel that calling him by a title would mean that I see him just as a prince, nothing more. But I don't. He is honestly one of the closest things I have ever had to a friend that is still living, sire." Uther stared at the servant. He felt many emotions, he felt disappointed that his son was friends with a servant, outraged that Arthur let the boy speak to him without titles, and pride for knowing that people saw him as more than a prince, that they saw him as a real person.

"But you use titles when talking to me?" Uther didn't really mean to say it out loud. It just sort of came out of his mouth, no filter.

"Well, no disrespect mi' lord but, I don't know you. I know Arthur. I know that Arthur is grumpy in the morning until he eats a big meal. I know that when he is standing by his window something has gone wrong. And I know that when he asks me to muck out stables everything will be okay." Merlin chuckled. Smiling a little at the thought.

"And I feel that if I didn't use a title around when addressing you, you would get angry. Even your closest friends, like Gaius call you by your titles." Uther had never noticed that. His 'friends' saw him as a king. Not as Uther.

"Stop talking back there! Or I'll skin you alive!" The bandit threatened.

So sat Merlin. In a cart being pulled away by bandits from his friends and family in his home, Camelot. With a man that would kill him without hesitation if he slipped up, Uther Pendragon.

As Merlin thought to himself:

'This'll be fun.'