The first Yule celebrations after Arthur had abolished the laws against magic were always going to be special. His former manservant was now the court sorcerer sitting to his right, and about half the people at the feast were druids. Arthur and Merlin had ridden out together to one of the druid camps to invite them, as a show of the new peace that existed between their people. The druids had asked to incorporate some of their traditions in the celebrations, and Arthur had gladly welcomed them and their traditions into the heart of Camelot.
One of those traditions was the hanging of mistletoe over doorways. Arthur and several other members of the court had been suspicious at first, for they had been taught mistletoe was poisonous, but so far nobody had experienced any ill effects from the plants. Everyone had been able to enjoy the feast to the fullest, with much eating and drinking and dancing. The trouble started when Gwaine wanted to leave the great hall at the same time as Percival. They tried to move through the doorway, but it seemed like they were stuck.
"What's the meaning of this?" Gwaine shouted.
Percival leaned over. "I think we're stuck," he whispered.
Gwaine spotted one of the younger druids hanging about nearby and called him over. "Why are we stuck?"
The druid boy pointed at the mistletoe. "It will only release you after you have appeased the magic within."
Somehow Arthur, Merlin and some of the other knights had noticed the commotion at the end of the hall, and they came over to see what was happening. Meanwhile Gwaine and Percival were still interrogating the young druid.
"How do we appease the magic? Is there like a spell we need to say or something?" Percival wanted to know.
The druid boy was joined by his mother. "We use the mistletoe to strengthen the bonds between our friends and family. The magic forces us to express our true feelings for one another."
Percival went bright red. "Exactly how do you express them?" Gwaine asked warily, avoiding the looks they were getting from their king and fellow knights.
The druid woman smiled. "As you are both Knights of the Round Table, I assume you are friends. In most cases, a handshake is enough to be released by the mistletoe."
"We should get this over with then," Gwaine said as he grabbed Percival's hand.
They shook hands for a few seconds and then released each other. Gwaine took a deep breath and tried to move his feet, but the mistletoe still kept him stuck in his place. Percival made a half-hearted attempt, but his feet didn't move an inch either. They looked at each other and then at the druid woman.
"Oh dear me. It should have worked," the woman said.
"These men have fought alongside each other in many battles," Arthur said as he stepped forward. "The battlefield creates a deep bond between men. Perhaps a handshake was not enough?" He turned towards Merlin. "Oh, great Emrys. Go on then. Help your friends."
Merlin looked at him with surprise in his eyes. He had been quietly standing by up to now, observing the situation. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with this kind of magic. But if a handshake didn't work, maybe something else will."
Lancelot cleared his throat, causing everyone in their little group to look at him. Most of the occupants of the great hall were thankfully still too busy drinking and dancing to notice anything was wrong, but still he decided to whisper lest anyone overhear. "How about a hug?"
The woman shrugged. "It could work."
It was hard to say who reached for whom, but the hug was over before it had even begun. Gwaine once again tried to move, but found his feet still firmly attached to the floor. Percival didn't even attempt to move, shoulders already slumped in defeat. They looked towards the druid woman once more, desperation beginning to creep into their eyes.
"Come on, put a little more effort into it!" Leon shouted.
The others laughed while Gwaine's eyes shot daggers at Leon. Percival seemed about ready to sink down into the floor, face redder than Gwaine had ever seen it. He patted the taller man on the arm to get his attention. Percival looked at him, and it didn't take long for Gwaine to see his own embarrassment reflected in his eyes.
"Let's just try this again," he whispered.
Once more they embraced, this time holding on to each other for longer. Gwaine could be mistaken, but to him it felt like Percival was holding back despite his arms already squeezing him quite strongly. He settled his hands on Percival's back and grasped at the tunic his friend was wearing. They lost track of time during the hug, but eventually they released each other. Gwaine, grinning at his friends, and Percival tried to take a step forward at the same time, both nearly losing their balance when their feet still wouldn't move. They clung to each other, trying to keep themselves from falling over. The small group of friends was staring at them.
"Maybe it would be best if we let Gwaine and Percival figure out their next step in peace," Merlin suggested. "We should all just get back to our tables." He tried to herd everyone away from the door, but nobody seemed to be paying any attention to him.
Mordred tilted his head until suddenly his entire face seemed to light up. "Are they going to… They are, aren't they?" he asked nobody in particular, although Elyan was more than eager to start a muttered conversation with him about it.
Lancelot had at least the decency to respectfully bow his head and look away from them, but Leon gave them no such curtesy. "Go on. Do it," he said with an enormous grin on his face.
Finally Arthur had caught on to what everyone had already figured out. "Maybe Merlin is right." He shot Gwaine and Percival one final look before turning his back to them and addressing the small group. "Let us all rejoin the party."
They had no choice but to follow an order from the king, even if it had been disguised as a friendly suggestion. They slowly walked back to their seats, Leon and Elyan turning around one final time to give them both a thumbs-up. The druid woman and her son were called back to their table too, leaving Gwaine and Percival behind in their magical trap.
"So I guess we are doing this then?" Percival asked, staring at the floor.
Gwaine brought his right hand up to touch Percival's cheek, tenderly caressing the soft skin. He reached up to press a kiss against his forehead. "It will be okay."
"They will all know now," Percival whispered to the floor.
Gwaine kissed him on the cheek. "It will be okay." He kissed his other cheek. "We're in this together."
Finally his lips found Percival's lips. From somewhere down the hall they could hear someone cheering them on, but neither of them let themselves be distracted by it. Percival had found his way back out of that hole in the ground he had so desperately been wishing for only a minute ago, and was now sliding one hand into Gwaine's hair while using the other to balance them against the doorway. Both had discovered their feet had become unstuck, but they were too wrapped up in each other to stop. Ultimately they had to come up for air. Looking around, they were surprised to find themselves in the hallway outside the great hall.
"The druids hung up that mistletoe all over the castle," Percival said between panting breaths.
Gwaine looked at him with a devilish glint in his eyes. "Maybe we should investigate how many they hung between here and our rooms. Maybe some of them demand a higher price for freedom. It would be best if we found out which ones do. For general safety reasons, you know."
Percival planted a sloppy kiss against Gwaine's lips. "I love the way you think."
Arthur and Merlin were too busy watching Leon and Lancelot each firmly holding a hand over Elyan and Mordred's mouth respectively to notice Gwaine and Percival leave. Once the knights were all playing nice again with each other, Arthur turned to Merlin.
"So, how long have you known about those two?"
Merlin shrugged. "I wasn't sure, but it made sense." He poured Arthur and himself some more mead.
Arthur took a sip. "You didn't think to mention it to me?"
"I assumed you would figure it out for yourself eventually. You always need a little more time when love is involved."
Arthur entwined their fingers. He brought Merlin's hand up to his mouth and pressed a tender kiss against his soft skin. He smiled at Merlin, twinkles in his eyes. "Maybe I would've figured it out sooner if we had had mistletoe," he casually said.
"Let's give Percival and Gwaine a while to make it to their chambers. We can test the mistletoe's magic after the feast is over."