Spoilery fill for mousey ("Part One")
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Percival feels Arthur's hand flex against his shoulder, a barely there movement of recognition and thanks, as they move away. Percival's working through the options of where to go in his head and decides the place the guards slept is the best bet.
"Where's Merlin?"
He pauses and turns to Gwaine who's still glancing at the odd looking kid who was half carrying Arthur and sure enough, still no Merlin. Percival frowns and raises a hand, indicting for three knights to go with Gwaine.
"Bring him to the place the guards slept, closest to our spot."
Gwaine nods and turns with a skip to jog back, three knights dutifully following, the rest of them watch for a moment. Then Arthur moans and Percival is brought back to his own duty. He tightens his arm around hsi king and moves forward but Arthur digs his good leg into the ground and grips Percival's shoulder with what strength he has. Percival stops and meets Arthur's dazed but commanding gaze.
"Mer... lin."
"Gwaine's getting him. We've got it covered. We need to-"
"Merlin."
Arthur's stubbornly insistent but he's also barely standing now, his hand slack once more and his weight almost entirely on Percival. So Percival lifts him subtly so the other knights won't notice and half drags him the rest of the way, dumping him uncermoniously, though gently, onto the pile of furs.
"Sir... disobeying my... orders?"
"Yes Sire."
Percival kneels beside Arthur and pulls him into a sitting position to remove the heavy leather armour before letting him drop again, again gently.
"Where?"
"Left shoulder... left thigh."
Percival pulls out his knife and cuts the cloth away. Not so much Arthur's shoulder as the left side of his chest. Percival winces and quickly cuts up the rest of the fabric to press against the wound.
"Boil some water, someone. And find me something to use for bandages."
He hears movement behind him and assumes that's his orders being fulfilled, which is still a thrill, but then someone is pulling him away and Merlin is taking his place, hands busy and worried over Arthur's body.
"Idiot. Why'd you antagonise her? I bet you said something dumb. Look at this, I turn my back for one second to deal with a dragon and you get yourself stabbed."
Percival looks for explanation from Gwaine as to what happened to Merlin, usually so close at Arthur's back, but Gwaine just shrugs looking as confused as Percival feels.
"Merlin. Merlin."
"Yeah yeah, you missed me. I'm fine."
"Mm-mm, idiot... an idiot."
"Ah, I see. I save your skin and I'm an idiot. Thanks a lot."
Percival laughs, glad he's no longer charged with Arthur's care. He sidles closer to Gwaine and nudges him.
"Are you all right?"
"Fine."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Mm."
"Fine, I hurt but I'm not damaged. Happy?"
"Mm."
They both sit by the fire someone's lit and watch the water boil, listening idly to Merlin bantering with a gasping, muttering Arthur and trying not to think about the pain Arthur's in, the wounds they all saw clearly.
Percival feels Arthur's hand flex against his shoulder, a barely there movement of recognition and thanks, as they move away. Percival's working through the options of where to go in his head and decides the place the guards slept is the best bet.
"Where's Merlin?"
He pauses and turns to Gwaine who's still glancing at the odd looking kid who was half carrying Arthur and sure enough, still no Merlin. Percival frowns and raises a hand, indicting for three knights to go with Gwaine.
"Bring him to the place the guards slept, closest to our spot."
Gwaine nods and turns with a skip to jog back, three knights dutifully following, the rest of them watch for a moment. Then Arthur moans and Percival is brought back to his own duty. He tightens his arm around hsi king and moves forward but Arthur digs his good leg into the ground and grips Percival's shoulder with what strength he has. Percival stops and meets Arthur's dazed but commanding gaze.
"Mer... lin."
"Gwaine's getting him. We've got it covered. We need to-"
"Merlin."
Arthur's stubbornly insistent but he's also barely standing now, his hand slack once more and his weight almost entirely on Percival. So Percival lifts him subtly so the other knights won't notice and half drags him the rest of the way, dumping him uncermoniously, though gently, onto the pile of furs.
"Sir... disobeying my... orders?"
"Yes Sire."
Percival kneels beside Arthur and pulls him into a sitting position to remove the heavy leather armour before letting him drop again, again gently.
"Where?"
"Left shoulder... left thigh."
Percival pulls out his knife and cuts the cloth away. Not so much Arthur's shoulder as the left side of his chest. Percival winces and quickly cuts up the rest of the fabric to press against the wound.
"Boil some water, someone. And find me something to use for bandages."
He hears movement behind him and assumes that's his orders being fulfilled, which is still a thrill, but then someone is pulling him away and Merlin is taking his place, hands busy and worried over Arthur's body.
"Idiot. Why'd you antagonise her? I bet you said something dumb. Look at this, I turn my back for one second to deal with a dragon and you get yourself stabbed."
Percival looks for explanation from Gwaine as to what happened to Merlin, usually so close at Arthur's back, but Gwaine just shrugs looking as confused as Percival feels.
"Merlin. Merlin."
"Yeah yeah, you missed me. I'm fine."
"Mm-mm, idiot... an idiot."
"Ah, I see. I save your skin and I'm an idiot. Thanks a lot."
Percival laughs, glad he's no longer charged with Arthur's care. He sidles closer to Gwaine and nudges him.
"Are you all right?"
"Fine."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Mm."
"Fine, I hurt but I'm not damaged. Happy?"
"Mm."
They both sit by the fire someone's lit and watch the water boil, listening idly to Merlin bantering with a gasping, muttering Arthur and trying not to think about the pain Arthur's in, the wounds they all saw clearly.