One of my fav BBC Merlin headcanons is that Arthur knows all the castle gossip cuz Merlin just blabs all the info he hears around the castle to him when they’re alone.
Merlin: *entering Arthur’s room to pick up laundry* “You’ll never guess what Mary said about Cassie.”
Arthur: *wants to know cuz he’s invested at this point* “What do I pay you to do Merlin? Listen to gossip in the Tavern all day?”
Merlin: *ignores him and continues the story*
And yes, Merlin does tell Arthur important stuff too like which guards are slacking off or who could be (is definitely) a traitor. But mainly Arthur is invested in the years long saga of a kitchen maid and a laundry maid that seem like they hate each other but Merlin caught them kissing recently and he *needs* to know what’s happening with them.
(Leon has overheard many… MANY… things he’d like to gossip about. He cannot for it would go against his beloved Knights Code. But he’s seen some shit. He would like to stop knowing things. Leon is tired. #LetLeonSleep2026)
