A/N: Sorry for the long wait everyone. What's sad is I've had it written, but unedited. Then life just went a little crazy there! This is the resolution to the story. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it, the ending is a little rushed I think. I still consider this a hard T, but if people feel differently let me know and I'll increase the rating.

"You didn't put that bruise on me."

Percival anticipated several beginnings to this necessary conversation. Merlin absolving him was not one of them. They sat together at Percival's table, each with a goblet in front of them—wine left over from Percival's supper. The moment they got to the knight's chambers Merlin busied himself stoking the fire while Percival gathered his goblets from the cupboard. It was achingly familiar. The only piece missing from their old routine was Merlin's idle chatter. After they had settled, Percival opened his mouth several times to properly talk to Merlin without shouting or crying. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to find the words. The ones he said before only angered the warlock, and the ones he could think of now were weak at best. However, it was Merlin who broke the silence with that simple sentence. Percival lifted his head from his goblet, trying to make eye contact, but Merlin gazed towards the fire burning merrily away—a stark contrast to the dismal atmosphere of the room.

"W-what?"

Merlin sighed, closing his eyes. "The bruise on my face? None of you put it there. None of you tou—hurt me." It was not unusual for Merlin to trip over his words occasionally, but Percival could tell this was a deliberate word change. His frown got even deeper. The knight began to wonder if he would ever smile again.

"It wasn't you. The Lamia—well it hit me across the face after I stabbed it."

The three of them—Merlin, Gwen and Arthur, all called Lamia 'it,' much to the knights' confusion. Percival knew there were gaps in his memory, but he was certain Lamia was a girl. A witch, yes, but still a woman. The callousness of their pronoun use was surprising. "I thought Gwen stabbed her."

Merlin snorted. "She definitely swung a sword at it. Might have stabbed it, too. I just happened to stab it first. Before it turned into a snake-monster."

Percival shuddered a little. None of them—Arthur, Gwen, or Merlin—described the beast to any of the knights turned into the monster. It was something truly grotesque, apparently.

Perhaps the use of 'it' instead of 'she' was appropriate.

"It... it got you. It got Elyan, Gwaine and Leon, too. I was... I was so scared, Perce. I thought you were dead," tears began leaking out of the corner of his eye again. "When I went to check on you it just... that thing just..." Merlin clamped his mouth shut and took deep breaths through his nose.

It was the most Percival heard about the two-day encounter with Lamia. The knights all sat around together to talk it out several times—usually in one of their chambers and typically deep in their cups, but the overall conclusion was that there was a mousy girl they rescued from bandits one moment, then they were waking up in Gaius' care the next. The gap was worrisome. After speaking with Arthur, they all knew that Gwen had defended Merlin against a creature (Arthur was adamant that whatever was with them was not a girl), and Merlin aided Gaius in bringing them all back to health. Percival knew there was more to the story, if only because of Merlin's magic. The sorcerer would never put Gwen in that kind of danger if he could help it. The knights had all concluded they needed to press Arthur for more details. Unfortunately the plan was useless, as neither Gwen nor Merlin were willing to divulge any information except that the knights were enchanted by the Lamia. The knights then decided they needed to ask the source directly. Percival had attempted to speak to Gwen, but the cold shoulder she had given him was so frigid he could barely manage a "Hello," whenever he spoke with her. Whenever he was alone with Merlin and approached him, the man flinched away so violently that Percival could only draw one conclusion: he hurt Merlin, thus angering Gwen and frightening the sorcerer.

Which lead him to the dilemma they were facing now.

"Merlin, what happened?"

Merlin's lips tightened as he shook his head. It was not normal for Merlin to hold his silence over something that affected him so heavily, at least not with Percival. The only exception was when he thought the truth would be more painful for the person who asked. "I can't," he whispered.

"Please, beloved," the sandy-haired knight pleaded.

"What do you want me to say?!" Merlin asked sharply, suddenly standing up. He still avoided eye contact, now staring at the shuttered window.

"I want you to say what happened!" Percival said firmly, nearly shouting. He somehow found himself on his feet, too.

"What happened?" Merlin said hysterically, whirling to face the knight head on. "You don't want to know what happened, Percival! If you did you would have asked before you decided to go off and entertain those plentiful options of yours," he snarled.

Having Percival's words thrown back at him was like a slap to the face, but rather than stunning the young man into silence it spurred on an anger he didn't know he was holding on to. This was his life, and his well-being. This should be his knowledge, and if it weren't for the magic of the creature it would be. How dare Merlin presume to decide what Percival could and could not know.

"You could have told me!"

"I tried!" Merlin threw his arms up at this. "I tried, Perce. I had been trying that whole week! I tried that day before you dropped that... that... that on me, and I still tried after. You kept leaving me! You kept running away!"

Percival thought back to the week after the Lamia. When they returned, the whole way back Merlin didn't let his mare ride beside Percival's gelding once, staying up front with Arthur, Gwen and Agravaine, or staying behind with Gaius and Gwen. Actually, Gwen never left his side the whole trip back, and she kept staring warily at the knights, as if she was waiting for them to do something awful.

"You and Gwen weren't exactly approachable," Percival said with frustration. Merlin blinked at him and opened his mouth a couple of times, small scoffs escaping him.

"I'm sorry? No, no I don't think that's a good enough excuse, considering how often I went to you!"

"You were frightened of me every time I came near you! Every time, Merlin. You think I don't know when you're scared of something?"

Merlin stared at him for a moment, mouth open and ready to argue before he visibly deflated in front of the other man. Percival moved forward cautiously. He stood in front of the raven-haired man, close enough to touch but not daring to shatter the fragile peace between them before he got his answers.

"I... I just don't understand, Merlin. Why did you flinch whenever I tried to get close?"

He waited with his breath held as the only noise that could be heard was their breathing and the crackling of the burning wood behind them. The fire cast shadows over the warlock's face. They stood there, allowing the uncomfortable silence between them to grow until Percival could barely stand it anymore, when Merlin finally spoke again.

"You... you liked it. Well, her I guess. None of us knew it wasn't a woman," Merlin whispered, voice catching a little. Percival's eyebrows furrowed. He was expecting some type of violent or loud behavior, not... what Merlin just said. "You all really liked her but didn't like each other or Gwen. And she really didn't like me, so none of you did either, and you weren't very shy about showing it."

"What?"

"She—it knew it couldn't enchant me. Every time I got close to it, it would pull away from me and act extremely frightened. One time when I got too close you shoved me," he said quietly. Percival could see the tears glistening on his face in the firelight. "When I spoke against it to you, when I tried to get you to listen you backed me into a wall and threatened me. When I did the same to all of you after it led us to a trap Leon threw me down." Percival could scarcely believe what he was hearing. "Later when I tried to go after you, because you were all still bewitched and wandering around its trap, Gwaine… well Gwaine wasn't very nice about it." There was more. There was so much more that Merlin wasn't saying, but Percival knew he had to be patient through this confession. "And I couldn't use my magic, because Gwen and I were together at all times, and I wasn't sure what you all would remember," he sniffled and rubbed the rough sleeve of his tunic against his nose. "A-and I knew you were bewitched. I knew it wasn't real and that you weren't suddenly besotted with this small, needy girl, but that just made everything worse," he lifted his head and looked into Percival's eyes now. "Then... then when we came back here, and you said those things to me, I wondered… I mean, I thought that maybe you thought that... that—"

Merlin thought Percival wouldn't want him, anymore. The revelation pierced the knight's heart, and he had a desperate need to assuage Merlin's fears. Percival carefully lifted his hands to Merlin's shoulders and pulled him close, gently trailing his fingers down the other's spine. Merlin stiffened a little but moved his own arms up to wrap around the knight's torso. It was definitely progress from earlier.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured into Merlin's ear. Merlin sniffled again. Percival could feel the tension radiating off of Merlin. It felt as though tiny taut strands were holding him together, working too hard to contain all that he had gone through in the past few weeks, and if any more stress were placed on them, he would break into a thousand pieces. He continued stroking Merlin's back, calm and even.

"I'm sorry too. It wasn't your fault, I know that you were enchanted, Perce—"

"You should never have had to go through that." Percival's tone was firm, but apologetic. "You should not have had to bear this burden alone."

"I wasn't entirely alone. Gwen—" Merlin cut himself off, reflexively holding Percival tighter as his friend's name slipped from his lips. Percival pressed a kiss to Merlin's temple and felt him relax a fraction.

"I am so sorry she's not here anymore," he said quietly. Merlin shuddered a little and pressed his face hard against Percival's shoulder, sniffling again. Percival held him tighter as Merlin grieved the loss of his friend. "It's alright, Merlin. I'm here now, and I won't leave again. I won't." Merlin's cries were quiet this time, pressed into the cloth of Percival's tunic. The knight held him gently as he let out his pain, occasionally pressing a kiss to his temple or head.

An inordinate amount of time passed. The fire was lower when Merlin finally pulled away to wipe his face again. Percival tutted and led him to his bed, settling him on the edge of the mattress and retrieving a soft cloth from his bedside table. Kneeling in front of the lithe man, he gently dabbed at Merlin's eyes, then chuckled when Merlin batted his hand away as he tried to dab his nose as well. Merlin claimed the cloth and blew his nose into it, before discarding it back on the table. His eyes were downcast again, focused on his hands that were twisting together in his lap. "I'm Sorry," he said, softly.

Percival took the other man's chin in his fingers and tilted his head slightly, so his eyes were on his face. "Whatever for, love?"

Merlin blinked and darted his eyes away for a moment before looking back at him. "For, well, this. I know it was hard for you, too. I should have been more patient with you and tried harder. I just, I feel like such a mess."

Percival smiled below him, rubbing his thumb over the sorcerer's slightly flushed cheek. "Merlin," he admonished slightly. "You've had a very, very hard day on top of a very, very hard few weeks. I think you're entitled to a little bit of mess."

Merlin sighed and closed his eyes, smiling a bit. "Is this real?"

Percival scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Of course it is."

"It's just that I've had this dream before," he sighed, leaning into Percival's touch.

Percival leaned forward, brushing his nose against Merlin's cheekbone, "it's not a dream. I'm here, you're here, and I do believe we've made up." Merlin chuckled at that, turning his face a fraction and opening his eyes again. Percival stared into them, wondering if it was the magic that captured the sky in the man's irises.

"You say that in the dream, sometimes," Merlin whispered, leaning a fraction forward. Percival felt his breath ghosting over his lips.

"I can pinch you, if you'd like," he whispered back, dragging his fingers down Merlin's forearms, causing the smaller man to shiver. "Or—" Percival closed the gap between them pressing his lips firmly to the warlock's. Feeling the warmth of Merlin's mouth against him, tasting the wine on his lips and smelling the woodsmoke and rosemary lingering on his skin. Gaius favored that oil, among others, for its medicinal properties, and often added its essence to a bath for himself or Merlin when the physician was drawing it. It was good to know that despite his difficulties, Merlin had at least one person looking out for him, ensuring he was taken care of after his time in the stocks. Merlin set his hands on Percival's biceps, gasping a little at the contact. Percival wasted no time pressing into Merlin's mouth, tasting the wine that lingered there. He thumbed Merlin's sharp collarbones, and reached behind his neck to untie his scarf, pressing his lips down against his jaw as the fabric fell away. Merlin sighed, letting his fingers trail against the hem of the knight's tunic. Percival pulled away, resting his hands on Merlin's knees and stared into his half-lidded eyes, watching his eyebrows furrow in confusion. He smirked a bit, slowly working at the rope belt that held the mage's pants and tunic around his waist.

"What are you—"

"Shh," Percival pulled the belt away, tossing it to the floor before hooking his fingers in the waistline of Merlin's trousers. He looked up as he slowly pulled the garment down. He pressed his face forward, looking up at Merlin's flushing face. "The only words I want to hear from you are yes, don't stop, and my name," he grinned.

Percival sighed as he nuzzled closer to Merlin, smiling in the afterglow. He gently massaged Merlin's neck, listening to his lover's breathing even out. Merlin kept letting out soft noises in his contentment, stretching a bit like a cat in front of a fire. Percival marveled at how he could have just let this slip away from him. All pale skin and lean muscle, a delicate casing for such tremendous power. "Oh, yes," Merlin moaned a little as Percival pressed a little harder into the muscle where his neck met his shoulder.

"I thought we were done with that part of the evening," Percival chuckled, kneading at the sore muscle.

"Mmmm. Well, I can go again, if you—can you move a little to the righ—oh there, right there..." Percival watched as Merlin's eyes drifted shut in the glow of the fire. The knight's smile took over his face, enjoying the sight of his beloved fully relaxing. Nothing could make this moment better, he thought as he kissed the dark crown in front of him.

"I love you." Percival stopped moving his fingers but did not pull away. His heart shuddered a little in his chest as he processed the words. It had been over a year. Percival had given up hope on ever hearing those words from this man, who had such heavy fears weighing down on him. "I… um… I have for a while," Percival could feel the warlock tensing underneath his fingertips. "A long while, actually. I just thought you should know."

Percival waited for the span of three heartbeats before flipping Merlin around so he could kiss him properly. He ignored the startled giggle that escaped the lithe man as he eased his mouth open with lips and tongue. Merlin's giggles turned to moans as Percival dragged him closer, grinding them together.

"I love you, too," he gasped as he finally pulled away, gripping Merlin's hair in one hand and his ass in the other. Merlin gasped, and his eyes widened a little at the confession. "Gods, Merlin, I love you so, so very much," he laughed before being pulled back against the warlock for another kiss.

"Truly?" Merlin smiled, throwing his long leg over the knight's hip and squeezing it, making Percival gasp a little at the pressure. He nodded as Merlin leaned in for another kiss. He leaned his head down and pressed his mouth against Merlin's flushed ear and jaw.

"Always."

The evening after, Percival noticed things seemed to have been righted between Arthur and Merlin. Mithian was as charming and graceful as ever, though she seemed to have a note of sadness hanging off her. The servant's seemed particularly pleased with him today as well. No, the only oddity was when he passed Erin and Mary. After he greeted them the redhead blushed scarlet and the blonde sent him a saucy wink before they scurried away, giggling. Percival frowned after them. He supposed he would have to get the gossip from Merlin later tonight.

A/N: So? did you like it? I hope so. It's a little mushy to me. I feel it necessary to say that Merlin and Percival have many talks about being open in their communication and how neither one of them should make decisions for the well-being of the other etc. etc.. It just wasn't convenient to fit in this fic. Who needs that mess? (That mess may be touched upon another time... I've been sort of dropping hints about some of their issues... but not obviously? I've been thinking about it.)

Also, you may have noticed in this chapter how Percival sometimes calls the Lamia "the Lamia" and other times just Lamia. That was deliberate. This is because from his perspective, he knows the Lamia as a girl named Lamia, but he's trying to combine that with the knowledge that Lamia is actually a monster, so things get a little mixed up. Anyway, feel free to drop a review! Thanks for reading!