Board Thread:What If?/@comment-173.245.80.12-20140903054558/@comment-37017073-20190520205604

Brutegwaine wrote:

They had evidence in "The Secret Shearer" to tell Arthur where Agravaine's true allegiance was. They didn't, and it doesn't make sense to me why. I don't think Gaius ever actually saw Agravaine during his abduction, did he? (It's been awhile since I rewatched that episode, so I could be wrong.) If he didn't, then all they had was the dust on his boots and the sorcery books under his bed as evidence, and it's entirely possible that Agravaine got rid of both after seeing Merlin sneak out of his chambers, so it would still be their word against his.

Agravaine's explanation for why he was in the Mines is, admittedly, pretty flimsy, but again, Arthur is generally a very trusting person, and unless he's presented with inarguable proof (like actually seeing his uncle march out to join in Morgana's invasion) he tends to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Edit: Was looking at the transcripts, and Merlin actually does want to tell Arthur about Agravaine at the end of 5x07. It's Gaius who vetoes the idea because they don't have any evidence and Arthur wouldn't believe them over his uncle (a view which is supported by the fact that even Gwen believes Arthur trusts Agravaine more than anyone), and I'm guessing Merlin doesn't argue with him because he tried to tell Arthur about Agravaine earlier in the episode and was immediately shot down.