Merlin One-Shots

Percival: My Hero

You really should have been paying better attention as you were picking flowers. If you had been, you might have noticed the group of riders going past. Or at least that it was the king and some of his knights. Or maybe that you were very quickly sliding down the small embankment into the creek you were next to. You had merely wanted to pick the small violet colored flowers to give to one of the children in the lower town. You didn't want to end up ruining yet another dress from your clumsiness. But as you fell to your knees to keep from falling further, you got the hem of your dress in the mud.

Before you could blink, a large hand wrapped itself around your arm, keeping you from hitting the water. The man pulled you to your feet and you stumbled into him as he helped you stand. Some of the flowers in your pockets fell to the ground, but you couldn't care less staring at the attractive man in front of you. His biceps alone were the size of your head. And your head was level with them so it was very easy to compare them.

"Are you okay?" the man asked, removing his hands from your shoulders and looking you over.

You nodded and brushed the front of your skirt off. "Thank you for saving me. How can I repay you?"

The tall man smiled and shook his head. "No need. Just doing my job."

And with that he nodded a farewell, turned to the lone horse grazing on the side of the road, and walked away from you.

-

It was a week later that you ran into him at the castle. You were hoping to see him and spent as much time as possible at the training grounds or by the armory. Unfortunately, you always seemed to just miss the large knight. Your friends laughed when you told them about him saving your life, but you knew you had to thank him. Even if it was something small.

One day you left cool, fresh, water outside his room on a particularly hot day. The next, you had put some of the same flower with a plate of food by his door. You had even made sure that his sword and armor were freshly polished every morning. 

He never saw you, but you had heard rumors of him asking about the one leaving him gifts. And you were happy that he seemed to like the small gifts. Slowly working up the courage to talk to him face to face.

Smiling, you placed the shirt that you had made for him at his door with a note on top. You were finally ready to thank him in person and wrote "If you want to meet the person leaving you gifts, come to the training field tonight."

After putting the shirt down, you rushed off to quickly finish your work so you could go home and get ready to meet your knight in shining armor again.

-

"So it was you who had been leaving everything. Gwaine thought it would be you. Leon was sure I was making it up." Percival smiled as he walked up to you, wearing the shirt you had made him.

A large smile spread across your face to match his. "So you aren't mad that it was me?"

"Of course not. I'm kind of happy that it was you all along."

You spent the next two hours laying in the moonlight with him staring at the stars and talking. It was easy to talk to him and you found yourselves never wanting to stop. When the moon was at it's highest point, he sat up and looked down at you.

"Would you allow me to escort you home?" He asked nervously, the moonlight being just bright enough to see him blush.

You nodded and allowed him to help you to your feet. Looping your arm in his, he walked you home in silence. You arrived home faster than you had hoped but he smiled at you before speaking. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Of course. Perhaps we could have lunch together?" you said, taking your arm from his.

His face lit up with a grin and he nodded, bidding you a good night.

-

After that night, you two were always together. More often than not, Arthur had to yell at you to get you to leave Percival's side for longer than an hour. And as soon as he was done with the king, he rushed to your side, sweeping you up in a warm hug. You had never felt safer or more wanted.

"Percy, some of the other servants asked if we were officially courting." You said, scuffing your feet on the castles stone floors.

"If you would like to, then yes." He mumbled, his ears turning pink.

You stopped and turned to face him, nodding ecstatically. "Of course I would. I have never cared for anyone more than I care for you."

He looked down both sides of the hall before crowding you against the wall, smiling he whispered, "Can I kiss you?"

You smiled and rocked forward on your toes, bring you lips into a quick and gentle kiss.

AN - So I wrote this listening to a song called Pennyroyal Flowers by the Armadillos. And I was thinking, "this song kinda fits the image that came into mind for this fic". Then I looked up pennyroyal just to be sure only to find out that the oil from these flowers is highly toxic and causes severe illness, liver failure, and death. Oh, and that it can be used to force a miscarriage but can cause the mother to die as well or at least kidney or liver damage. These flowers are crazy. Anyways, hope you liked this one, despite making it seem as though reader is now an assassin that specializes in poison flowers... - Evan