"See, now -- that's not entirely true!" Merlin plopped down in the chair at the computer. "You've seen all the attention I get when I'm in the stocks! If you were thrown in the stocks, for argument's sake, everyone would be far too afraid to throw anything at you. So, you see, clearly I have more fans than you do. Or, at least less people that are afraid of me."
He grinned, nodding proudly. But Merlin knew that more people liked Arthur, mostly because they had no idea who he even was. In a way, he was okay with that. But it would have been nice to have been seen as something special for once in the kingdom. And not just Prince Arthur's manservant.