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“This is a stupid idea.” Merlin announced. “Just letting you know now.”
“This was your boyfriend’s idea,” Arthur retorted.
“Excuse me?”
“Well, Lancelot pretended to be a noble, why can’t I pretend to be a commoner?”
“Rolling up your sleeves is not going to make you pass as a commoner.”
“Shut up Merlin. I’ve always wanted to go to one of these taverns.”
“You really want people to treat you like a peasant?”
“Why not?”
“You know, when I met you you would never dream of letting anyone see you as anything other than a prince.”
“Well, I guess I’ve grown or something.”
Merlin had known this was a stupid idea.
Of course, it was very noble and all of Arthur to defend the barkeep (especially one as complimentary to Merlin as Mary) against a thug attempting to rob her, with what six months or so ago might have been princely arrogance, but was now a genuine desire to help people. But it did mean they were now in a standoff with said thug and about ten other thugs he had just summoned.
Granted, maybe Merlin shouldn’t have run his mouth in front of them. But really, what else could he have done? He screwed his eyes shut as the lead thug moved aggressively towards him, hoping he would not be too seriously injured and his magic would stay put.
“Stop!”
The strong, melodic voice cut through the tension rang out and made Merlin open his eyes to see the thug had indeed stopped in surprise.
Everyone looked towards the owner of the voice, a man with a short, sturdy build and a rather resigned expression as though despairing of himself. A slightly taller man with a long straight nose and very swishy hair stood on one side of him, a very much taller, very broad man, who looked very pensive, on the other.
“You should stay out of this,” Arthur warned.
“He really should,” the swishy-haired stranger spoke up, glaring in almost betrayal at the shorter one, who merely shrugged and rolled his eyes. The stranger’s gaze moved to Arthur and his nose wrinkled in distaste, before landing on Merlin and lightening somewhat. “But, here we are.”
He walked towards the thug, the other two moving with him automatically in a manner that made Merlin wonder how many times they’d done this before. The stranger handed the thug his tankard. He looked at him, confused, and the stranger smiled and punched him square in the face.
All hell broke loose.
Shouts and punches and shattering glasses rang through the tavern, and Merlin used the massive commotion to wield magic freely against their opponents. He sent plate after plate zooming at their attackers, toppling barstools and tables.
Suddenly a tankard whizzed past his ear and hit an attacker behind him, just as he sent a plate flying at very high speed into the main thug’s skull . His head jerked up and his eyes found a pair of bright gold ones which faded back to brown as his own did to blue.
Merlin was left standing frozen, staring at the short man who suddenly looked strangely familiar, and it wasn’t just the dimming amber of his eyes.
Then there was a shout and a weight collided with him, knocking him to the ground.
He looked up just in time to see Arthur subduing the last thug with a punch, before his gaze was wrenched away by a shout of “Gwaine!” and he turned to see the the swishy haired man, lying on the floor in a pool of blood with the thug’s knife embedded in his thigh.
The man’s two companions immediately rushed to his side, as did Merlin because he was a physician’s apprentice, despite knowing next to nothing about stab wounds yet. Fortunately the big man seemed to.
"Gwaine, come on, Gwaine, stay with us, I’m sorry I’m so sorry." The smaller man’s voice was choked with tears as he stroked the man’s hair, frantically trying to keep him awake but he was fading fast from blood loss. “Percival, Percival please tell me he’s going to be ok.”
The big man’s face was pale and he was biting his lip so hard it seemed about to bleed, but his hands were steady as they pushed down hard on either side of the knife, pulling a half-conscious moan from the Gwaine fellow. His eyes cast frantically around before they landed on Merlin. "I need that neckerchief. Now."
Thankful that he had chosen to wear one that day, Merlin immediately began to untie it and handed it over. The big man – Percival - tied it tight around the wound as well as he could with the knife in the way.
"Why don’t you just take it out?" Merlin couldn’t help but ask.
"Because it’s stemming the bleeding," Percival answered tersely. His hands were shaking now, as was his voice, and his face was sheet white, streaked with tears. The short man had one of Gwaine’s hands in a vice-like grip, the other still carding through that hair, and he too had tears trickling down his face.
"We need to get out of here," Arthur called, from where he had been hovering awkwardly. Around them the thugs were beginning to stir. Merlin cast a silent sleeping spell all around them that made the short man look up sharply and the thugs slumped to the floor again.
"Where can we go?" Percival asked, eyeing his companion strangely hopefully. The short man swallowed hard and nodded, but Merlin jumped in.
"I’m the court physicians apprentice, we can take him there and he’ll look after him," he offered.
"Court?" asked Percival warily, looking at the short man again, but when he shrugged and nodded he did too.
"We can take care of them," the barkeep, who had wielded a tankard impressively herself, said grimly, nodding at the thugs.
Arthur nodded, and opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then closed it again and went to help Percival with Gwaine. He did slight double take when the giant picked him up like he weighed nothing.
"I’ll carry him on my horse," he offered slightly dazedly, his eyes on the man’s bulging muscles.
The short man walked with them to where the horses were tethered, refusing to let go of Gwaine’s hand until he was settled across the front of Arthur’s saddle. "Thank you," he said in the curtest of tones to Arthur. "Your Highness," he added quietly as he walked away, and Arthur’s head whipped round in shock.
Dire as the situation was, Merlin couldn’t stifle a smirk. Clearly Arthur’s aura was just too pratly princely.
"Uhm," said Arthur, trying to recover. “How many horses do you have?"
"Just the one," he answered.
"Ok, well you take that one," Arthur delegated, gesturing to Percival. "And you-" He was eyeing the small man somewhat apprehensively now. "Ride with Merlin.”
The short man had automatically moved towards Percival’s horse, and scowled at Arthur’s orders.
"I know he’s an ass, but we’ll be able to go quicker,” Merlin offered. Merlin was skinny and this man was small, their horse would have an easier time of it than if they overloaded the big man’s horse.
Apparently coming to the same conclusion and smirking a little at the insult, the short man nodded and took his hand, putting his foot in the stirrup and boosting himself up behind him.
"When we get back home..." Arthur threatened as they set off, but Merlin ignored him. He had long since stopped following through on his threats and indeed they came less and less by the day.
"Sorry," Merlin mumbled to his passenger as they broke into a harried canter.
"Why?"
"He saved my life."
"Don’t be, it’s my fault. We were trying to keep a low profile, and somehow I’m the one who fucks it up. All for the bloody prince… Gwaine would’ve done the same, if I hadn’t told him who he was.”
“So you recognised him?”
“Arrogant dick.”
“Hey, he’s not so bad now,” Merlin defended automatically, prompting a snort from the other man.
“So he knows?”
Merlin flinched. Now that the immediate emergency was over, what had transpired just before was flooding back. “Um, about that…”
The man’s hands tightened momentarily on his hips and he muttered. “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything if you don’t.”
Merlin could not help smiling a little at the half compromise, half threat. “Deal,” he murmured back.
Arthur was whisked away as soon as they got back, doubtless to be chewed out by his father for his absence, leaving Merlin and the two strangers to get Gwaine to the physician’s chambers. Gaius’ expression went from irritation to surprise when he saw them.
“Gaius, we need help!” Merlin announced, already ushering the others forwards.
Gaius got to his feet at once and began gathering supplies, but he was still staring, at the short man in particular for some reason. "You've got some nerve boy," he muttered as they carried Gwaine past him to Merlin’s bed. The short man glared. Merlin stared.
“He’ll need honey to stop infection,” Percival said, hovering anxiously as Gaius began to examine Gwaine's wound. “And sage, and St. John’s wort-“
"I know what I’m doing boy," Gaius growled. The short man took Percival’s arm placatingly and pulled him away a bit, glaring at Gaius nonetheless. Apparently however he knew Gaius, he at least trusted him to do a good job.
After he had cleaned the wound, applied honey and a poultice, and wrapped it in a clean bandage, Gaius said, "All right, I have to get going. He should be fine now."
"You can’t go!" Merlin exclaimed, panic-stricken at the thought of being left in charge. "What if-“
"He’s stable. And unfortunately babies don’t pick convenient times to be born." He arched an eyebrow at Percival. “And Mr Healer here apparently knows what he’s doing better than I do. Good day."
"Old git," the short man muttered as Gaius left the room and the pair sank down beside the bed, before catching Merlin’s expression. "Sorry, I know he’s your mentor, but seriously!" He reached out, apparently about to rub his companion’s back comfortingly, before seeming to remember Merlin was there and snatching his hand back.
"Um, I’ll go… tidy up,” Merlin invented, wanting to give them some privacy. He had a sneaking suspicion about the nature of the three’s relationship, and didn’t want to put them any more on edge than they were already.
As soon as he left the room he saw through a crack in the door the short man - gods he really needed to learn his name - take Percival’s hands tenderly in his own and begin to clean the blood off of them with a cloth. His shoulders shook, and suddenly they were both crying, Percival opening his arms and pulling the smaller man into them, kissing and then laying his cheek on the top of his head as he buried his face in his chest.
Merlin jerked his gaze away, suddenly missing his own partners. He had meant to have lunch with them like they usually did before… well, plans had changed.
“We should never have come,” he heard the short man sob into his chest. “You should never have come with me, I’m so sorry it’s all my fault.”
“Shhh El,” Percival murmured, his voice trembling. “Gwaine chose to come with you just like I did, and he’s going to be fine. You know we’d follow you anywhere.”
Eventually their crying petered out and Merlin ran out of things to clean, so he ventured back into the room to check on Gwaine.
The two of them were sitting leaning against one each other, the short man’s head on Percival’s shoulder, Percival’s head resting on his. Merlin’s gaze was drawn to their hands, fingers intertwined with Gwaine’s on the bed like logs on a pyre, and longed for his partners again.
“So…” he said, breaking the silence and them apart suddenly. “Are you... from here?" It would explain how he knew Gaius.
The short man looked suddenly wary. "I guess you could say that. They’re not." He indicated his two companions.
"And you came here... together?"
Percival tensed as the short man’s expression hardened, and Merlin knew they had betrayed more than they meant to in their panic.
"It’s ok," Merlin reassured them with a conspiratorial grin. "I’m courting a maid and a knight, three commoners isn’t going to bother me."
A smile tugged the corner of the short man's mouth. "You don’t know the half of it,' he mumbled, his eyes clinging to his partners.
Percival smiled meaningfully at him. "Nice job with the plates."
The short man caught his companion’s arm, trying to hold back a laugh. "Percival no, you’re supposed to not notice remember?”
"Oh!” Percival immediately looked remorseful. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see any plates."
The short man shot an apologetic look at Merlin. "He won’t tell anyone. Neither will Gwaine.” He glanced at the unconscious figure on the bed. “He probably saw too. He’s an annoyingly perceptive bastard like that."
Merlin just stared, unable to work out what to make of these three strangers. Still, he felt more comfortable around them now with all that they had in common. “I’m Merlin by the way.”
“Elyan,” the short man answered. “That’s Percival, and that idiot-“ he said the word with utmost affection- “Is Gwaine.”
Merlin froze. “Wait… Elyan?”
“Yes?”
He took in his short stature, undeniable good looks and the kindness he exuded even in this short meeting. “Elyan Smith?” El, how had he not thought-
“Yes?”
“Gwen’s brother.”
His expression cleared but now looked a little nervous. “Right. You know Gwen. Are you two friends?”
Surprise and excitement fizzed through Merlin, joy for his partner along with the shock that Gwen’s brother had magic temporarily robbing him of the ability to think. Not that he blamed her for not telling him. It did make her unconditional acceptance of him make more sense though.
Then he thought, and it was his turn to be nervous. “Ummm, you know that maid I mentioned?”
Elyan’s eyes widened, but before he could say anything the door was flung open and Gwen bounced in, tugging Lancelot by the hand. “Merlin, you’re late! We-“ She abruptly fell silent at the scene that surrounded Merlin. Her runaway brother, a seven foot mountain of a man, and a bloodless figure lying unconscious in the hospital bed.
“Elyan?” she gasped.
“Gwen!” Elyan cried, and the two siblings rushed to each other and flung their arms round each other. They clung to each other as if their lives depended on it as Merlin, Lancelot and Percival exchanged smiles, united despite their utter strangerdom in their mutual joy for their partners.
Then, as the siblings released each other two things happened. The injured man Gwaine stirred, and Gwen burst into tears.
“I’m so sorry Elyan, I should’ve seen, I should’ve-“
“No Gwen,” Elyan mumbled, his voice thick with tears too. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t’ve run like that, it’s not like you or Dad would ever-“
“Of course not, but still I-“
She broke off as tears strangled her voice again. Merlin and Lancelot started towards her automatically but she just grabbed Elyan and hugged him even tighter than before, so they clutched each other tight instead for comfort, Lance’s arms sliding around his shoulders where they belonged.
Gwaine was blinking at his partner apparently being strangled. “Elyan,” he said feebly. “Y’all right?”
Elyan lifted his head from Gwen’s shoulder to give him a watery smile. “Oh he’s fine,” Percival assured him, smiling as he climbed onto the bed behind Gwaine and let him lie against his chest, kissing the top of his head and murmuring in his ear.
Gwen ignored them completely. “You could’ve been dead. We’ve been so worried...“
“I’m sorry Gwennie,” Elyan whispered, eyes shining with tears of his own. “I’m so sorry.” Eventually they let go of each other, and Elyan kissed the top of her head. “I missed you. I love you. I’m sorry.”
Gwen reached up and kissed his cheek, wiping his tears away with a watery smile. “I’m sorry too. I love you so much.”
With a final squeeze Elyan reluctantly let go of her and rushed to Gwaine’s side, climbing onto the bed on his good side as it creaked ominously under three people’s weight and snuggling up to the other two. Merlin and Lancelot reached out and pulled Gwen into their arms, swaying gently back and forth as they listened to Elyan’s mumbled apologies and Gwaine covered his forehead in kisses and reassurances as Percival cuddled them both.
Then Gwaine looked up at Gwen and smiled broadly. "You don't have to tell us who this is then."
Gwen cleared her throat. "Elyan, are you going to introduce me to these two fellows? It seems that they know me."
Elyan grinned teasingly. "Only if you’ll introduce me to yours."
When Tom looked up at footsteps entering the forge he was expecting a customer, or perhaps Gwen back early from work. He was not also expecting Merlin, Lancelot, a very tall man carrying a long-haired rogue in his arms, and his son, hand in hand with his daughter.
Tom let out a strangled sound of shock and lunged towards Elyan, wrapping him tight in his arms with Gwen too, tears blurring his eyes. And Elyan just cried.