Merlin One Shots

Secrets and Siblings

A/N: Angst and (past) Freylin. My favorite.

Setting: In between series 4 and 5.

Description: After a long day of hunting, the knights are talking about their families. Turns out, Percival has some connections Merlin wished he knew about sooner.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or it's characters.

"Why did I have to have such bad luck in the family department?" Arthur complained. The knights were gathered around a campfire, the flames casting shadows throw the dark woods.

Three days ago, rumors about Morgana had surfaced in Annis's kingdom. Arthur wanted to investigate the rumors himself, so he got his most trusted knights together. They had left the next day, and of course they had brought Merlin along.

"Personally, I find all Pendragons repulsive." Merlin spoke up from his spot, a slight smirk on his lips. Arthur glared at him, and the next thing Merlin knew, an empty bowl was flying towards his face. The manservant dodged it with ease, a full grin now spreading.

"You're not the only one with a terrible sister, princess." Arthur rolled his eyes at Gwaine's use of the nickname. "My sister was an evil toad."

"Did she kill innocent people and enslave an entire kingdom?" Elyan asked with a pointed look.

"That's fair." Gwaine muttered, leaning against a tree. "You're one to talk, Elyan. Your sister is the bloody queen. We can't all be as lucky as you." Elyan simply smiled contentedly. "What about you, Merlin?"

"Only child." Merlin replied. Gwaine turned to Leon, who just shook his head.

"You both are lucky. You don't have to deal with evil sisters. Percival?" The large knight winced slightly, as if he'd hope to go unnoticed.

"I had a brother, and a sister." A few sympathetic looks came from the others at the use of had.

"You don't have to talk about it, Percival." Arthur assured him. But the knight smiled, holding up a hand.

"It's alright. It's my way of keeping their memory alive." The other men seemed to shift closer a little, like children eagerly awaiting a story. "My brother, John, died young. He was overtaken by the same fever that took our mother. My sister and I lived with our father for many years after, until tragedy struck again." Percival hesitated, uncomfortable with all the attention. "I never really got a clear story, but my sister was out one day, picking wild strawberries. Apparently, she was attacked by a man..." the knight's gaze hardened. "She managed to fight him off, but ended up killing him in the process. The man's mother was a sorcerer," the mood seemed to shift in a darker direction at the mention of magic. "And she cursed my sister to kill forever more."

No one seemed to notice Merlin as his breathing quickened. This story seemed a little too familiar to the young man.

"My sister came home that night, bloody, bruised, and scared. Eventually, my father and I got her into bed, and we thought that was the end of it. It was around midnight when I heard my father's..." Percival swallowed, glancing hesitantly at the knights. "I heard my father's screams. I rushed to find him, and when I did, it was too late. The curse my sister had, it forced her to turn into a beast at night, and to kill anyone that stood in her path. I hid, and by morning, she was back to normal. With no family left, we sought out the druids."

"Why them?" Arthur asked.

Percival shrugged in response. "She was under a curse. We needed someone with magic to help. The druids were more than willing to help, until they found out about her curse. Or more specifically, what it was. When I woke up the next morning, I found out they had cast her out. They claimed she was a danger to all of them. I... I searched for her, but I never found her."

            "So you have no idea what happened to her?" Leon asked. Percival opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Gwaine.

            "Merlin, are you alright?" The manservant's head shot up, allowing the knights to see his face clearly. Merlin was obviously distressed about something. But he only shook his head, refusing to answer.

            "I actually got a message from her weeks later. She sent it to me using... magic." He was a little hesitant using the word.

            "What did it say?" Even Arthur wanted to know what had happened.

            "It said she had been captured by a bounty hunter not long after the druids sent her away. Apparently, the man's name was Halig." Arthur and Leon winced at the mention of the man. A girl who killed at night, captured by a bounty hunter. This story was becoming familiar to them as well. "My sister was taken to Camelot, to be sold to Uther because of her magic. In her message, she told me someone helped her escape. A man." A slight chuckle came from the knight. "The way she talked about him... she told me that this man made her feel loved, more than anyone else could have. She told me about how they were going to run away together." Percival's mouth twisted into a frown. "I'm assuming they never made it out, because I never heard from her again."

              "What was her name?" Elyan was quiet when he asked. A smile was on Percival's lips when he opened his mouth to answer. But it wasn't him who answered in the end.

               "Freya." The knights whipped their heads towards Merlin in surprise. His expression was anguished as he met the questioning gazes of the other men.

              "Yes, that was her name." Percival's tone was incredulous. Arthur sucked in a breath, staring at his manservant in shock.

              "Merlin, how did you know that?" The king demanded, a sinking feeling in his gut. Unshed tears were in Merlin's eyes as he spoke.

              "We were going to find a house by a lake."

And that's when they knew exactly what he meant.