#also don’t mind me just analysing every single merthur scene until i can’t stop thinking about them

[dollopole]

What fascinates me the most about this scene is how Arthur always waits for Merlin, always wishes for him and him only to serve him, to assist him, to do a thing even as simple as serving him breakfast (something that so many other trusted servants in the kingdom could do with ease), no matter how clumsy Merlin is at his job or how forgetful. Arthur doesn’t even care whatever Merlin has missed his duty or not and arrived late.

The amount of trust Arthur has in Merlin makes him the most important person Arthur has in his world, and he masks what he feels behind reproaches regarding Merlin’s job as a servant.

And no matter what he has done that’s so secret, Merlin knows he has to be at Arthur’s service for one more reason other than that being his job. Merlin loves serving Arthur, he wants no one else to do it (like we’re shown when George has done it in his absence or Guinevere when he was both enchanted and not.)

What is even more amazing in this scene is how comfortable both Arthur and Merlin are around each other, around each other’s bodies.

How Arthur lifts his hand to touch Merlin’s head and pull off a leaf from his hair shows how actually soft Arthur longs to be with Merlin, with a man he can’t even afford to call a friend, let alone his lover.

And Merlin slowly moves around Arthur, like he knows already what Arthur is about to do, like he’s following his lead, much like he does in battle, which means this is not the first time Arthur adjusted something on Merlin or dusted his clothes off, much like Merlin does with Arthur.

It’s proved by how Merlin doesn’t even flinch, the moment Arthur’s hand gets close to his face.

For Arthur, this is simply another way of serving Merlin, instead, a way to show him he loves and cares for him, other than with the way he speaks softly at him, because Arthur knows how Merlin’s personality is by then, and he’s not angry at it anymore:

Arthur is just fondly and gently amused at Merlin’s antics and his mysterious self. (alias, he’s in love)

It’s also endearing how Arthur seems to tell Merlin, “Where the hell were you, I searched for you, what have you been up to?” with, “You thought that was more important than my breakfast.”

Merlin’s “No” is so convinced, I bet it’s not the first time Merlin says it to Arthur, as if he wants to tell him, “No, don’t worry, I’m still here, you idiot, I just went away for some time.”

Then there’s Leon the Long Suffering, at your service, and a very unusual bickering about whatever a plum is an apple or not.

Seems very fitting.

(Can we also talk about the other servants and the guards being so used to Merlin’s strange personality? Merlin literally has the consort treatment, and you cannot convince me otherwise.)