( he's long since outgrown feeling jealous about arthur's privilege -- accepted it, along with his backseat on arthur's destiny. sort of. he does still get giddy when people acknowledge him ( and he can't lie about having some pride in being in the stories as the great warlock merlin, more famous than arthur himself perhaps ), of course, and there's excitement in watching max's face light up because of something merlin did. he brightens up right there with him, standing to gesture in the book. )

Gaius -- I'm not sure he's in the stories, but he gave me this book to teach me magic. He's the court physician of Camelot. ( he flickers through it, still in max's hands, landing on a page telling the spell of a fiery lance, made to slay mythical creatures. ) I used this spell to enchant a lance wielded by Lancelot, to help him slay the Griffin.

( is he bragging? maybe a little -- mostly he's just excited on the fact that he can share these treasures with someone who will understand and appreciate them. with the book still spread between them, merlin tilts his head and draws his eyes up the connecting path of max's wrist, tracing the lines and swirls of his arm tattoo with his eyes. they comfort him -- magic, definitely, though he wonders for what purpose. the only tattoos he's ever seen have been the mark of the druid people, triskelion‎‎, which pull a similar emotion from him, fluid and moving, like nature itself. )