Board Thread:Rewatching "Merlin" - Season Two/@comment-5102537-20130518184122/@comment-5674726-20130613002921

One interesting thing about this episode is that Cedric's efforts to show Merlin up highlighted that, by the standards of royal servants, Merlin is likely to be considered quite lacking. Arthur has no trouble believing that Merlin screwed up saddling his horse, a task he presumably performs on a daily basis, or that he'd fall asleep while mucking out the horses. The breakfast Merlin brings Arthur is very basic, and I suspect that the spread Cedric prepared is closer to the norm for a meal for a royal. I can't imagine many servants to kings or princes could hope to keep their job after calling their master a "clot pole".

Granted, Arthur can hardly complain about Merlin's service if he brings him along on his hunts, patrols, etc, when the presence of a servant is hardly necessary, and said servant has plenty of work to occupy him back in the palace. Without magic, Merlin probably wouldn't have time to do half his chores.