Everyone else's favorite bits ("more flowers, less murder"; "flowers good, murder bad") are my favorite bits too, to be honest. He's a persistent one, our Merlin, and I swear the show has just enough camp that this could easily be canon. Oh I wish it was. You balance snark with genuine emotion well here, and the overall comedic feel to it (that disguises how carefully the scales could be tipped) makes it utterly delightful to read.

Thank you ever so much for sharing.