You would think the appeal of pelting the same person with fruit would wear off after a while, but oh no.
S1 E7The Gates of Avalon
Your father's bestowing a knighthood on one of your men this morning.
I'm giving it a miss.
Won't your king mind?
Not if you cover for me again. By the way, thanks for yesterday. I heard you ended up in the stocks. Bad luck.
They were throwing potatoes at me. It's only supposed to be rotten fruit!
I'm not sure there's any hard and fast rules. But, if it's any consolation, I think it was worth it.
It went well?
Great. Fantastic. She's incredible.
Don't worry. I'll find a way to get you out of it.
Make sure you don't end up in the stocks this time.
I won't. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this whole deception lark.
(Cut to Merlin in the stocks, being pelted with rotten fruit and potatoes)
Where's my son?
I'm not sure where he is. I think... there's been a mistake. But it's not his fault. Arthur's, I mean.
Stop gibbering and tell me where he is.
It's probably... no, it's definitely my fault.
Where is Arthur?
He's not here.
I can see that.
Arthur wasn't sure of his orders so he asked me to check with the guards and see if he was riding out this morning and, well, I may have forgotten.
You forgot?
I'm sorry, my lord. I am sure he would have been here- had I told him.
If this was a time of war, I would have you flogged.
And since it's not, we'll let it go just this once?
(Cut to Merlin in the stocks, being pelted with rotten fruit)
(Morgana and Gwen watch Arthur riding off with Sophia)
You're sure it's her?
I could never forget that face.
You should speak to the king.
And tell him what? That I can see the future?
If you think Arthur's life is in danger...
You know how he'd react.
You're his ward. He wouldn't harm you!
He hates magic more than he cares for me.
That's not true.
Would you care to put it to the test?
I'm taking Sophia out for a ride today. You know, show her around.
Where do I come into this?
Well, I'm supposed to be on patrol with the guard and my father this morning, so... I need you to cover for me.
What, and lie to the king? No. No way. No, he'll see right through me. He'll have me in the stocks quicker than you can say 'rotten tomatoes'.
Merlin, I need you to do this for me.
I am a terrible liar. I start sweating, my vision blurs, my brain stops working...
Well, no change there then. Look, I promised Sophia I'd take her out, and if I don't turn up, it'll blow my chances.
You like her, then.
Yeah! What's not to like? I want to spend some more time with her but I need to get my father off my back. I can't order you to lie to the king, but I'll be a friend for life if you do.
(after a pause) Go on, then. You don't want to keep her waiting.
Make sure you put her in a decent room.
The one next door's empty.
The one next door's fine. Excellent, in fact. (Merlin gives him a look) Shut up, Merlin.
What? I didn't say anything!
You didn't have to. I want to make it clear that my intentions towards Sophia are completely honourable. Put her in a room on the other side of the castle. It's warmer. More comfortable.
Of course. She is very... beautiful.
Yes, she is.
And if your intentions are honourable...
Oh, they are. Most definitely.
Then what's the problem with her staying next door?
There isn't one. You've convinced me. Put her in the room next to mine.
We're supposed to be hunting. It requires speed, stealth and an agile mind!
So, you're able to get by in two out of three, then.
S1 E8The Beginning of the End
The young warlock. No doubt you're here about the Druid boy.
How did you know?
Like you, I hear him speak.
Why does he call me Emrys?
Because that is your name.
I'm pretty sure my name's Merlin. It always has been.
You have many names.
Do I? How does the boy know who I am? I've never even met any druids.
There is much written about you that you have yet to read. You should not protect this boy.
Why? He has magic. He's just like me.
You and the boy are as different as day and night.
I feel like I've put you in danger without stopping to ask how you feel about it. I'm sorry.
I know how it feels to face the threat of execution and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
(telepathically to Merlin) Goodbye, Emrys. I know that some day, we'll meet again.
(Merlin lies on his bed; Mordred contacts him telepathically)
Emrys. Emrys. Where are you, Emrys? Emrys, help us. Please. They're coming. I'm scared, Emrys. They'll kill me. Don't do this. Don't ignore me. I know you can hear me. I thought you were my friend. We are the same. I don't want to die. Emrys. Emrys! EMRYS!
(Merlin bolts off the bed)
You're risking so much for this boy. You don't know anything about him. You don't even know his name!
There's a bond between us.
Stronger than the bond you have with Uther?
It's like nothing I've ever felt before. Perhaps I was always meant to help him.
How can that be?
I don't know. I can't explain it.
I assume it's the plight of the druid boy that's causing your forehead to wrinkle like a lizard's elbow.
Would you let something terrible happen if it meant you'd stop something even worse happening in the future?
I suppose it depends on what the terrible and even worse things were.
One of them's bad. Really bad. And the other... it's unthinkable.
Sounds as if you've already made your decision. You can only do what you believe to be right, Merlin. I just hope it doesn't involve putting yourself in terrible danger.
For once, you don't have to worry. I'm going to do nothing.
S1 E9Excalibur
So how does it feel to be servant to the crowned prince of Camelot?
Washing his royal socks will be even more of a privilege.
You're proud of him really, even though you complain about him constantly.
I am not.
You are! I can see it in your face!
Those socks are very clean, of course I'm proud of them.
Are you not fond of old crypts?
I wouldn't be seen dead anywhere else.
These quotes come from Wikiquote's Merlin pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.