aww he's not paranoid, just an insufferable gryffindor who doesn't know the meaning of the term 'self-preservation'. not ONLY does he have to protect his arthur-king, he appears to be biologically wired to follow the hunches he shouldn't. maybe edmund can save him from something, or watches him save himself using magic. and merlin doesn't notice him until after the fact and he's like "!!!!" and bites down on asking him "you didn't just see that, did you?" because that would be a supremely stupid question to ask (not that it's stopped him before). so merlin just gawps a while, and edmund lets him gawp, and merlin's like, "your highness--"

"you can get killed for doing that, i hear," says edmund casually.

"it wasn't... i can't..."

edmund cocks his head to one side. "how exactly did you do that?"

"i didn't!" merlin bursts out. "i mean, i didn't mean to. that is-- that wasn't what you think it was."

but he only gets more and more flustered, which suits edmund just fine, because edmund wouldn't want to come head to head in a game of wits against THE merlin. but this merlin, he thinks he can handle. gotta get 'em while they're young.

edmund steps towards the wizard, sees too late the boy's eyes flash gold, is picked up by something unseen and is thrown through air. he hits the wall head-first, too shocked to cry out, and then there is darkness.