#bbc percival

Knights knights knights👹👹👹

Merlin: "yes."

Leon: "and only Merlin? Just him?"

Merlin: "as... As far as I know, yes."

Leon: "I though Arthur had magic-"

Arthur: "what the hell? Why would you think that?"

Leon: "you kept coming back from killing monsters that Gaius kept saying were impossible to kill without magic. I just assumed."

Gwaine: "I thought Leon was the one with magic."

Leon: "what? Why me?"

Gwaine: "I don't know you're so loyal and you were the only one there with the whole dragon thing so I thought you had learned it to better protect the crown!"

Arthur: "that's why I thought it was Lancelot!"

Lance: "of course it wasn't me!"

Arthur: "I thought that was why you left after the whole griffin thing!"

Elyan: "am I the only one that remembers Percy letting it slip that he was raised by druids or?"

Percy: "but I don't have any magic to do spells in the first place! I thought Gwaine did!"

Gwaine: "huh? Why me?"

Percy: "you can't be serious- you're so suspicious all the time! You're at the tavern more than anyone has any right -or the coin- to! I thought it was a cover!"

Merlin: It’s not that big of a deal. we don’t have to speak about it.

Elyan: Oh, no we absolutely do!

Gwaine: Yeah, c’mon Merlin, show us something cool, like money falling from the sky, or a pint in my hand, right now, come on.

Elyan: Can you really do that?

Merlin: *Sarcastically* If it’ll get Gwaine to shut up.

Arthur: Oh, so you can pour Gwaine a pint in the middle of the woods but you can’t clean my chambers?

It goes silent for a few moments, Merlin wonders if now is the right time for a joke but Arthur’s brow is furrowed and through the light of the fire he can see the firm press of lips on his face, he decides now is not the time. Gwaine rolls his eyes from across the flame before them.

Gwaine: He’s just saved all our arses, can you be grateful for two minutes?

Leon: Gwaine-

Merlin: He has every right to be upset-

Arthur: Do not address me as if i’m not even here, you owe me that at least.

There’s a tense silence as Merlin’s hand stills where it pokes at the fire with a stick, Leon eyes the King cautiously and Percival fiddles, wide eyed, with the frayed edges of his tunic. Merlin sighs and focuses again on the fire, it’s the only heat he can find.

Gwaine: What kind of things can you do?

Merlin is hesitant to answer but Elyan looks at him expectantly and even Leon has turned his attention to him now, seemingly awaiting either an answer from the servant or an order from his King.

Merlin: I- I can do small things like move stuff around, tell a broom to sweep or a rag to clean.

He thinks that’s enough but by the excited look in Gwaine and Elyan’s eyes it isn’t.

Merlin: I can light fires, fell trees, sense a nearby threat, anything… really.

Gwaine: That’s so cool

Arthur: So you could’ve been useful this entire time and you chose not to be.

There’s another lull as Arthur picks apart leaves and tosses them into the fire but as Leon speaks up even Arthur turns his gaze.

Leon: How long have you been able to do all this?

It’s hardly an innocent question but Leon’s tone is honest and Merlin cannot feel cornered by his words.

Merlin: Since birth.

Arthur: Lies.

Elyan: Is that possible?

Gwaine: What?

Leon: Is that all you can do? Move things? Will them to your command?

Now that question is loaded even if Leon means no ill will. Merlin swallows, he nods.

Merlin: Yes

Leon: What else can you command?

Merlin: The seas

Arthur: A mermaid are you, now?

Merlin: The trees and the ground.

Arthur: A nymph perhaps?

Merlin: The skies

Arthur: Now you’re just being absurd-

Merlin: Lighting.

Merlin cuts in quickly. He was never proud of it, bringing the bolt down so harshly and eradicating the sorceress to nothing but a pile of smouldering ash but Arthur will find out one way or another. Banishment or pyre he will make sure Arthur hears of his crimes before he goes.

Merlin: Nimue. I killed her. A bolt straight through her body. There was nothing left.

The group maintains their silence for a few moments and Arthur finally turns to look at Merlin for the first time since they’d stopped to make camp

Arthur: Prove it.

Merlin: Sire-

Arthur: Don’t call me that and prove it.

Merlin: Why? Hoping i’ll mess it all up and strike myself down? Save you the trouble of building the pyre?

Arthur: If I wanted you dead you wouldn’t be speaking so stop moping, get off your arse and prove. It.

Merlin doesn’t need to get up because the second Arthur stops talking Merlin’s eyes are sparking gold and the sky erupts in a violent flash of colour. tendrils of brilliant white crack the darkness apart, coating the forest in a momentary burst of day before the light fades and in its wake leaves behind the fading outline of the Pendragon crest in the forks of dying white.

The group remains still, staring upwards at the now pitch black sky before Elyan is laughing out loud and Gwaine is excitedly smacking Leon beside him.

Gwaine: Oh my god, we could do so much. We could strike Lord Harold down and he wouldn’t even know what hit him-

Arthur: shut up, Gwaine

Arthur is still staring at the sky and Leon speaks from beside him.

Leon: Forgive me for asking, ignore me next time

The Knight is almost blushing in his place and Merlin manages a small huff of laughter at that before he resumes poking at the fire but his moment of silence is inturpeted

Arthur: Sir Percival, you’ve been unusually quiet. Please, what are your opinions on all of this.

Arthur seems pissed off, but not in an angry way, more of an i’ve been outvoted and i’m not happy about it way. Percival shrugs, picking away at the skin of nails like he has no idea what this conversation could possibly be about.

Arthur: Percival?

Percy: Mhh hmm.

Arthur raises an eyebrow. Percival stares back at him.

Percy: Yes, Sire?

Arthur: Don’t play dumb with me.

Percy: I don’t know what you mean, sire.

There’s a moment , a beat, barely a second.

Gwaine: You knew?!?!!!?!???!?

Elyan: You sly bastard!

Leon: oh lord-

Percy: I didn’t, I swear-

Arthur: Percival-

Merlin: How-

Percy: I THOUGHT WE ALL KNEW-

Gwaine: WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT-

Elyan: HOW WOULD WE HAVE KNOWN-

Leon: Kill me.

Percy: IT WAS SO OBVIOUS-

Merlin: HANG ON-

GWAINE: WHY WOULD’NT YOU TELL ME?

Elyan: Gwen’s going to be so pissed off she missed this

Gwaine: I THOUGHT WE WE’RE FRIENDS-

Merlin: HOW WAS IT OBVIOUS-

Percy: WE ARE, I JUST THOUGHT WE WEREN’T ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT IT

Leon: please lord,

ELYAN: WHY WOULD’NT WE BE ALLOWED TO- Oh, no, wait, yeah got it, continue.

Percy: I THOUGHT YOU WERE ALL AWARE AND JUST NEVER MENTIONED IT CAUSE IT WAS SUCH A CASUAL THING THATS WHY I WOULD ALWAYS GIVE YOU A CLAP ON THE BACK AFTER AN AMBUSH OR-

Merlin: I THOUGH IT WAS CAUSE I DIDN’T DIE

Leon: Finish me off

Percy: YEAH, CAUSE YOU SAVED US. WITH MAGIC

Leon: I beg of you

ELyan: Holy shit-

Gwaine: Have we really been that blind?

Percival shrugs and Merlin still looks at him like he’s just betrayed his entire blood line.

Leon: Please, it would be the kind thing to do

Elyan: What?

Leon: What?

Gwaine: Did you tell him?

Merlin: Why would i tell him?

Percy: ouch.

Arthur: Percival.

Everyone pauses, Leon stops praying to a deity he does not believe in and Merlin stops looking so offended but Gwaine and Elyan still hold that child like wonder in their eyes.

Arthur: I’m not entirely sure what to threaten you with right now but I will think of something and trust me you’re going to wish you were never born.

Gwaine: Fair do’s, that

Percy: So Merlin gets away scot free but not me?

Merlin: OI-

Arthur: Oh, i’m not even started with you.

Gwaine: Oh, c’mon princess, don’t act like you didn’t have even the slightest hunch.

Arthur’s head spins at a pace that’s frankly alarming to look over at Gwaine. He narrow his eyes like he was lining up his next arrow for loosening. There’s another beat before Gwaine’s eyes widen

Gwaine: OH MY GOD YOU DID-

Percival: I'm half druid, but I follow their ways as best I can.

Everyone:*shocked*

Mordred, panicking and in solidarity: I too, am a druid, but a full one.

Everyone:*even more shocked*

Mordred, panicked, moving towards Pervical protectively: I won't let you hurt him!

Everyone: *looks at Arthur*

Arthur: *feels offended*

Merlin, has slept seven hour in the past week, super sleep deprived: *stumbles in with a serving table, looking five seconds away from passing out*

Sir 'best friends with my manservant'

Sir 'only here to hang out with my manservant'

Sir 'sister is also best friends with my manservant'

Sir 'always offers to carry my manservant'

And finally the best of them all,

He can also sort of understand why Lancelot picks up the habit. They’ve been close for years and he’d asked Merlin to stand next to him at his wedding. It wasn’t exactly a hardship to hear him say it, to have other people think he was related to two of his dearest friends, but he wasn’t sure how they’d take being related to each other. If they ever found out the other had also pseudo-adopted him.

He also supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised when Elyan caught on. Gwen had probably mentioned how red his ears got when Lancelot did introductions and Elyan was never one to pass up a good laugh. Especially since most of his introductions garnered a host of raised eyebrows until he tacked on “Adopted,” and the eyebrows became chuckles. And, after spending over a decade surrounded by knights, Merlin knew how to handle teasing.

Actually, it was Percival who surprised him. Merlin wasn’t sure if the others knew as much as he did about Percival’s upbringing, but he knew Percival already had a younger brother, and an older one. So when the introduction was again modified and Percival led with, “This is my youngest brother, Merlin,” he was a little stunned. Percival must have seen it, because he quickly found his shoulder encased in a side hug.

It was Leon he finally questioned about it. Everyone else had stuck to informal kinds of introductions. But as first knight, Leon had introduced Merlin as his younger brother to visiting nobles. And while everyone else had varying degrees of humor or levity, Leon only expressed a sort of quiet pride that finally clued Merlin into the fact he may have let this go on too long.

Actually, Merlin thought he might have instantly regretted the question given how quickly Leon’s eyebrows rose and furrowed. How quickly his surprise looked like disappointment.

“Do you not think we are?”

“I- What?”

“I’m asking if you don’t think of me as your brother, Merlin.”

“That’s not- I just meant that. Look, there’s a lot of teasing that I handle just fine it’s just that-“

“You think we’re teasing you?”

“Well no. I’m not sure. Maybe? Sure, Gwaine and Lance and Elyan maybe but, well.”

“Well, what?”

“You and Percival never take it this far just to tease me. So. I had to ask you why- Oh never mind. I should go find Arthur.”

“Thank you for letting me know, Merlin.”

And yes, Merlin had to admit that it was absolutely his fault for not realizing that wasn’t the end of it. Oh no, in fact, he should have realized none of them would leave well enough alone. That they would instead stage some sort of intervention at their first opportunity.

That they’d use Arthur as bait.

“Merls, as your older brother, I must say I’m disappointed you haven’t been introducing me as such.”

“Yeah Merlin, you were in our sister’s wedding after all.”

“As my best man! Don’t make this more confusing than it has to be, Elyan.”

Arthur’s hand on his shoulder kept him from bolting. Not that he wanted to take the cowardly way out of this conversation, just that he didn’t realize there would be such an audience. And one glance at Arthur’s smug smile told him he’d be absolutely no help at all. Typical prat.

It was Percival who was watching him steadily. The first figure to be visible in Merlin’s dense fog of misunderstanding. A single ray of morning light.

“Oh my goddess, you mean it.”

Leon looked at him, wryly amused. “What gave it away?”

Merlin whipped a startled glance towards Arthur and the smug smile was gone. The look of concern was the last piece of wood before the pyre.

He looked back at his brothers, all gathered before him in a form of reunion.

“I’m an idiot. Of course you meant it. I’m- it isn’t that I didn’t. Oh really! With how often you tease me about everything else I just. I didn’t think that. I know we’re friends I just hadn’t. Goddess above, you’re serious.”

“Merlin?”

He turned towards Arthur completely because that tone. That tone was the one he had used to explain to Merlin that he’d forgiven him for the lies, the magic, and everything that went with it. It was Arthur at his most heartfelt and there wasn’t a universe where Merlin would be able to ignore it. To ignore him.

Arthur’s hand brushed under his eye and Merlin realized what was wrong. When Arthur’s fingers came away wet with his tears, Merlin couldn’t help but laugh.

Lancelot regained his courage quickest to ask, “Is this alright? We didn’t meant to upset you Merlin. We just thought that, well. You are more dear to us than a friend. We thought that maybe you felt the same.”

“Lancelot- Arthur,” he interrupted himself when Arthur’s hand moved from his cheeks to his hair, brushing it out of his face and utterly distracting him. He caught the hand in his own and whatever was on his face must have reassured him enough that he let Merlin continue.

“Lance, I was an only child. Will and I were close but. I remember asking my Mum for siblings once,” Merlin cut himself off with more teary laughter at the memory. How surprised his Mum had been, and how crushed she’d looked when she’d had to tell him it wasn’t likely. “I told her I wouldn’t even mind if it was a sister. I think I just, didn’t think it was something meant for me. That it would always be just me and Mum and Gaius.”

Is it just him or was everyone closer than before? Merlin felt Arthur squeeze his hand and smiled a little wider. “I swear it wasn’t anything you did. I was just slow on the uptake. And it’s a lot to take in, five older brothers all at once. Mum’s going to be cross I’ve been the only one going home for Yule.”

Gwaine was bold enough to tug him from Arthur first, hugging him so tightly he remembered every broken rib he’d earned in the last decade. But Merlin held on just as tight.

“Merls, I know we kid, but I’ll make it an oath if I have to.”

And after he’d hugged each of them, his older brothers, he realized they were all standing apart from Arthur, too far for Merlin to abide by.

“What, don’t tell me you need another one. Six brothers is more than even you can handle.”

Merlin hugged him and knew that while Hunith now had, of all things, seven whole and hale children, Arthur, of all of them, had been her second. And not because he was Merlin’s older brother.

“I think five is plenty. That won’t stop Mum though and you know it.”

Arthur looked thoughtful for a moment.

“I suppose I may have to accept I have more in-laws than just Hunith and Gaius, hmm?”

Merlin’s smile was blinding, “If they’re my family, they’re yours too.”