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Percival's been away for a while. There had been some unrest in a few villages near to the border of Camelot's lands, some of the people weren't keen on Guinevere as Queen now Arthur was gone and slowly their anger had begun to build so they had sent a few battalions out to squash the flames of rebellion before it grew too far. Their job had been to reassure the people of the strength of the Crown even now with the end of the official Pendragon line, to bring the people back to their side - not to engage in fights or battles that would only stoke the flames.
For most of the battalions sent this had gone well. Reassure people the Crown was still on their side and that they could rely on it when needed, schmooze the locals with some odd jobs if needed and head back to the citadel.
Even for Percival's group this had been a success. They spoke with the village elders and reassured them, they aided the men with their laborious work for a few days, they drank with the boys and bonded with children. It was peaceful and Percy was reminded of his own childhood, the days before Morgana had taken everything from him.
They were set to head back to the city after a week in the village, the Knights all felt much more rejuvenated after some time away from their regular duties too, when one man from a different group arrived with news. The group from a village not too far from this one had not been as successful and the unrest had now turned to challenges and fighting. At this news Percival's men got angry at the thought of the disrespect the villagers must have shown and began preparing to ride out and defend them.
"Calm!" Percival called "The last thing we need is to make things worse by riding in there ready for battle." He sighed as he thought of their next moves "I'll ride with you and we'll see what we can do to settle things down again" He said to the man who had brought the news to them "The rest of you head home, you've been away long enough I'm sure you've all got people you want to return to." So they all packed up the last of their belongings, Percival shook hands with the village elder and thanked him for his hospitality and everyone headed out.
They parted ways after only 30 minutes and Percival asked the younger Knight to explain what had happened from the beginning.
"The villagers just weren't interested in talking! The men turned violent as soon as they saw our crest." He spoke quickly.
"So what took you so long to call for help?"
"Sir Gerrant was sure he could calm things but I fear things were only escalating. That's why I rode to find you, I remembered your group was the closest to ours."
"Gerrant didn't send you himself?"
"No, but he was a little preoccupied I suppose. I doubt he's even noticed I've left." Percival didn't answer, just beckoned his horse to ride on faster.
It should have been almost a day's ride to reach the next village but with the speed Percival pushed them they made it in just over half. Before they even approached the clearing the village resided in they could already see smoke billowing up to the skies. Preparing for the worst, Percival drew his sword as they came into view and the younger Knight did the same.
However things were quieter than expected when they dismounted in the square. In fact there was no one around at all. When questioned with a look the young knight just shrugged that he didn't know what was happening so Percival slowly walked through the deserted village, treading carefully and looking for any signs of what could have happened. A noise came from the right, he turned and made his way towards it. A door swung open and 3 of Camelot's knights poured out of a small building laughing and clearly more than a little drunk though they sobered up rather quickly when they saw who was standing in front of them.
"Sir Percival!" The one in the middle spoke first
"Sir Kieran, Calvin, Henry" Percival acknowledged each of them and returned his sword to his belt "What's happened here? Where is everyone?"
"Erm…" Sputtered Henry, the knight on the right "... everyone is here, around, in the village you know?" But his words were slurred from the drink.
"Right where's Gerrant. He was put in charge of the lot of you, I want to speak to him. Now." Percy snapped, feeling awfully irritated now. He could have been part way home by now. On his way to his own bed, to not wearing Armour for a day or so, to Leon.
"He's in the village hall" Calvin spoke quickly and with that the irritated knight turned on his heel and headed towards the hall, giving the young knight who brought him here a foul look for not telling him the whole truth.
He shoved open the double doors of the village hall and saw a number of Camelot's knights lazing about on the benches and tables within. It was clear they had previously been lively in the socializing but Percival's arrival at the door startled them and they had quietened down. "Sir Percival!" Cried a voice from the middle of the group as someone stood to greet him "What brings you here?"
"Sir Gerrant." He nodded to the man as he walked towards him "What's going on here. Where are the villagers? Why is the place deserted?" Gerrant chuckled as did a few others around the room
"They need to be punished don't they!" He spoke loudly "They have disrespected our Queen! That's what we were sent here for wasn't it!" The all laughed. Every single man around the room laughed and Percival saw red.
"You were sent here to show the people who live here that they could trust us! To reassure them we could still protect them after the turmoil the Kingdom has been in the past few years!" He roared back and ended with shoving Gerrant back until he stumbled to the ground.
Gerrant tried to stand and fight back but he was pushed down again. He tried once more with the same results before he gave up and stayed down. "Where are the villagers?" Percival asked once more, his voice frighteningly low. The double doors behind him opened again.
"They're in the stables!" He turned to see the owner of the voice. The Knight who brought him here was stood in the doorway with another knight who must have been of a similar age. It was the second one who had spoken. "They're being kept in the stables. Men, women and children alike."
"And your name is?"
"Leonard my lord. Sir Leonard. I have a little knowledge in the healing arts, I've been trying to help those who have been injured." He explained
"Some are injured?" Percival felt his anger rising again. Leonard just nodded.
"Take me to the stables?" Percival asked earning a nod in response before turning back to the group of knights "And someone arrest Sir Gerrant here and bring him too!" And so he turned once more and followed the two youngest of this battalion to where the so called 'treacherous villagers' were being kept. "You said some were injured?" He questions Leonard as the walk
"Yes. It's mostly wounds from being handled too roughly or tied too tightly but some of the men fought back against the knights actions and they were more severely punished. I was told not to help them but it seemed wrong to leave them like that and I stand by that decision. Their wounds may have become infected if I didn't help them." The boys tone held defiance, a strong will beneath the well trained mask of a loyal knight of Camelot. It brought a slight smile to Percival's face.
"You made the right decision Sir Leonard, relax. Who was it who told you not to help them? Gerrant?" Now speaking his words slower and more calm, Leonard continued
"No his second. Sir Timothy I believe?" Percy nodded in understanding before turning to the boy who had started this whole investigation.
"And you? Why didn't you tell me what had really been going on here from the start?"
With quick words he answered
"Sir Gerrant's been a knight longer than I have been alive, my lord. If I had come to you making accusations against someone who has served our Kingdom for so long I wasn't sure you would have actually believed me. So Leonard and I agreed it would be best if he stayed here to help who he could and I ride for help from the nearest other group and convinced you to come yourself and see how things were here, however necessary."
With a sigh Percival felt his shoulders drop.
"You've both made smart and well thought out decisions. I'm impressed." And the two gleamed from the praise. "Remind me your name once more?" He asked
"Oh Peter, my lord."
"Well Peter, Leonard you've both done well faced with so many of our brothers turning against our orders and our code." He may a hand on each of their shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. "Now let's see if we can't do as we were supposed to and get things back on track here." The three had arrived at the stables.
The sight that greeted them made Percival's stomach flip and his heart fill with great sadness. An entire village worth of people were crammed into a stable block only big enough to house 5 or 6 small horses. They were bound together by their wrists, some held together in groups cramped in the corners, others tied alone held to beams and supports around the stables. The villagers had all flinched and a few cried out when the doors first opened.
"It's alright!" Leonard reassured "It's just us and we've brought help." At that the people relaxed a little. They weren't about to be hurt again.
"How many people are in here?" Percival questioned "Is there anything we can light for a torch?" He looked around but it was Peter who got some hay burning to illuminate the area. "Bloody hell!" In the light Percival could now see the extent of what had happened here. Some of the men had clearly been beaten, probably multiple times, there were healing cuts and bruises, fresher wounds, marks of lashings scattering their bodies. It was clear where Leonard had been trying to aid their pain and start the healing process but there was only so much one man could do. On the other side of the stables were the women and children. Their clothes were disheveled in places or even ripped. The children had clearly lost weight where their own clothes fit them so ill now. Percival counted as he looked around, there were dozens of people in this small space. He had counted at least 60, likely more. "I'm so sorry." He whispered at first "I'm so so sorry." He said louder as he drew a dagger and began to cut their bonds with Peter and Leonard immediately following suit.
It was at this point the other Knights of this sham of a battalion arrived dragging Sir Gerrant in tow with his hands bound in front of him and a rag in his mouth to muffle his continuing cries of how unfair this all was. Percival stopped untying people when the others entered and he stepped back into the central area of the stables. Gerrant has been dropped to the floor at his feet, the rest of the knights cowered together in the entrance. Percival stared into Gerrant's eyes for a moment, feeling his anger rise again before he looked up at the others. "Who else here has experience in the healing arts?" He spoke calmly but no one answered him "One of you must!" He yelled as his temper rose "This battalion would not have been sent out with only the expertise of one of our youngest recruits!"
"That would be me" Came the meek voice of one in the crowd "Sir Edmund, my lord"
"Well then Edmund you will assist Sir Leonard with anything he may need to give these people the best care possible. If he wants you to fetch something you will do it, if he asks you to grind something together you will do it, whatever it may be you will do it and to the best of your abilities am I understood?"
"Yes Sir Percival." Edmund answered with a nod of the head
"And you will not question his decisions in their care. Do I make myself clear?" Edmund nodded again. "And the rest of you. Get these villagers untied and freed. Ensure they are fed and given freshwater. Sir Leonard has full use of the village hall for him to tend his patients so you will find other large spaces where you can prepare hot water for people to bathe and serve them the meals you are all going to put together. And those meals are not deplenish from this village's stock of grains, wheat or vegetables, you will source the ingredients elsewhere. Divvy the jobs between you. If you cannot even manage that then I don't see how any of you are fit to be knights of Camelot." You could feel the tension rolling of Percival's shoulders as he gave his orders to those in front of him. He took a deep breath before turning back to the villagers. "I would be honored if the elders among you would be willing to meet with me and talk. Although I fully understand if that is not a possibility." He bowed lowly to the people of the town and turned back again, bending to his knees to talk directly into Gerrant's ear in a low and menacing voice "And you are going to stay here, bound, just like you've done to these people. Until I say otherwise." He rose once more and began to leave the stables as the knights began their jobs. "You bind Gerrant to the supports of the building." He said pointing to one last knight still rooted to his spot in the doorway "And Peter come with me!"
Life began to return to the village almost instantly as the villagers were freed, children poured out of the stables and ran back to the square as they got to stretch their legs for the first time in almost a week, the sounds of cries and cheers filled the air as people saw daylight again and some of pain were heard as Leonard got people who needed help transferred to the large hall where they could finally get some decent care. Percival and Peter walked back along the paths at a slower pace than the one they took going in the other direction. "What's next?" Peter asked
"Well if the knights are smart then they will use that small inn we passed to prepare that large meal since it should be equipped to cook a lot at a time and hopefully I'll be granted the opportunity to speak with the elders and perhaps make amends. They may not want to, though and we will have to accept that. Gerrant and those who followed his actions may have destroyed all chances of making peace here." Percival thought for a beat before continuing on "You should know the area well enough by now Peter, is there any other public space we can use for a small time? Not someone's home, the last thing we want to do is impose ourselves anymore on these people. A community space that we can use to stay out of the people's way and perhaps meet with them should they wish too?"
"Yes!" Peter answered immediately "They have a small school house here, Leonard and I were using it to keep to ourselves."
"They have a school house? The children are all being educated?"
"It's excellent, let me show you!" And Peter took off with a renewed energy which Percival had to find the strength to keep up with. It has been a long day and an even longer week or so away from home. Now things were being set to rights he could feel the weariness catch up with him.
It didn't take long to reach the schoolhouse at the pace Peter set and after climbing the few steps at the front they entered into a medium sized hall with a high ceiling. 'Wow!" Percival exclaimed "This is perfect!" There were benches that had been moved to the side except 3 that had been pushed together and had Camelot camp blankets on. Clearly this was where Peter and Leonard had been sleeping. There was a pile of parchment and some inkwells, although when looked at more closely they were not filled with ink but with a liquid made from berries that they had been using instead. There was a singular bookshelf in the corner that housed journals of information that had been collected together. Agriculture, healing, building, cooking. All sorts that went into the running of a village. The town was ensuring all of their children had the knowledge they needed to survive and thrive in their home between a forest and the mountains. Percival thought it was beautiful. "This is exactly what we need Peter well done. The men can sleep here until we are ready to return home and if anyone wishes to meet with us they can do so without us having to enter their homes. And before we leave we will make sure it looks exactly as it did when Leonard and yourself first walked on." And the two began arranging areas for the men to sleep and for talks to be had and once this was done Percival finally sat down for a while.
A knock was heard. Percival sat up and took a sharp breath in, looking around as assessing his surroundings. Peter was sitting on a nearby bench reading one of the journals he must have pulled from the shelf. "Did I fall asleep?" Percival asked. Peter nodded to him. "You should have woken me!" Percival stood and began to cross the hall.
"You looked like you needed the rest." Peter countered
"I don't need rest Peter, the people who live here need rest. Rest from us!" At the last word he pulled open the door where the knock had come from to come face to face with 3 people. It had also fallen dark over the village. Goodness knows how long Percival had slept for.
"You're the man Peter returned with." One of the villagers said. It was not a question, it left no room for debate.
"Yes I am. My name is Percival." He stepped out of the doorway and the 3 stepped into the room.
"I am Jeremiah." The first person spoke again "I am the elder of this village and this is my wife Delilah." Jeremiah gestured to the one woman of the group "And this is my brother. Jameson. You said you wished to speak with us." He spoke courtly. To the point with little room for questioning.
"Only if you wish to that is. I would be overjoyed at the opportunity to sit with you and hear from you exactly what happened here in your words but I understand the sort of trust that would take. I also understand that we do not deserve your trust after how you have all been treated." The 3 considered his words for a moment.
'And who exactly are you?" Delilah asked sharply "To these so called knights who are you? Why was it you Peter sought out help us?"
"Completely fair question. Why should you speak with me when I could be exactly the same as the others here. My title is Sir Percival. I am a knight of Camelot. I was among the first group of commoners to be knighted by, at the time, Prince Arthur and I am an original member of the Knights of the Round Table. I have served under King Uther, King Arthur and now Queen Guinevere. My loyalty is to Camelot and the people who live within her borders. And that includes your people."
"Those other Knights…" Jameson spoke for the first time "...they serve your Camelot do they not? That's why they came here in the first place!"
"Those men have gone against direct orders from the Queen. Their orders were not to harm you. That is why Peter left to seek me out, to inform me of the wrong they were doing and put a stop to it." The 3 then took a moment of pause, they looked between each other a few times and then turned to Peter who nodded quickly as if to confirm everything Percival had said was true.
"Alright." Jeremiah said, "We will talk with you."
"Thank-you." Percival reached out to shake his hand but his action was not met. He led them over the area Peter and he had set up especially for this moment and they all took a seat facing one another.
"I'll step out." Peter said "Give you all the space to talk."
"No Peter, please stay." Percival answered, stopping Peter in his movements across the room. "You've earned these people's trust I'm sure they would prefer if you stayed." The 3 nodded in agreement that they liked this idea. "Besides, would you be happy to take notes Peter?" Confused looks spread among the others in the room "Gerrant and the others have directly disobeyed orders and they have committed horrible crimes against this village. I want the truest account of their actions recorded to be given to the Queen so they can appropriately be punished for what they have done." With that Peter nodded again, took a sheet of parchment from the pile and a pot of the homemade ink to scribe what would be said here.
It took more than an hour for Jeremiah and his family to tell the detailed story of what had happened from the moment the battalion had arrived. No talks had taken place, no arrival in peace, no explanations. Gerrant had ordered his men to raid the village without question. He had them pull the people from their homes and demand their 'submission to the Crown". One young man had spoken up from the crowd, stating they would not bow to someone who allowed them to be treated like this. That was all it took for Timothy to lash out at the man and once one knight had started the others followed suit in making sure every villager knew they were taking charge of their home. What followed was a horrific display of force that carried on for more than a day before the villagers were finally corralled into the stables. Where the majority remained until Percival arrived that day.
Percival sat and listened to them tell their story. He did not interrupt or ask questions. He heard them out and made sure they knew they were being heard. Peter wrote every line down, being thorough in his notations so as not to miss anything and when the group finished their story Percival sat in silence for a moment as it all sunk in.
"My apologies are not great enough to even begin to make up for the harm caused to you all." He sighed and sat back in his chair, thinking. "These horrors should never have been brought to your doors."
"Then why are you all here?" Cried Delilah, "What was your purpose in our village if not to cause us such harm!" Her voice rose but Percival answered with a cool and calm voice
"The Queen wishes to rebuild connections with her people. She understands she is not most people's first choice for the throne but her late husband believed she was the right person for the job and so do I. She asked a number of her battalions to reach out to the villages that lay along Camelot's borders to extend our hand. Build trust among the people, help where we can. The Kingdom has been in great turmoil over the last few years, we hoped to reassure the people that we were in a stronger place now. That we are safe." Jameson scoffed at the notion. "We do not deserve your trust. I know that. I would not dare ask any one of you to trust us after what has been done to you all." He took another moment to think before leaning forwards again to continue, "I would like -if you would allow us- to see you village put back to rights. Whatever damage that has been done I will have the men correct it. If buildings have been torn down, I will have them rebuild it. If you have missed out on trade opportunities, I will see that money put back into your economy whilst we are here. Have your farms been harmed? Let's put them to work out there until they are thriving again. I cannot, do not expect anyone to see us as allies to you after what has been done. We do not deserve that from you. I also cannot heal the emotional harm that has been done. Leonard will work on the physical but the emotional and mental scars may be left with you a long time after we are gone. What I can do, with your permission, is remove the traces of us left on your infrastructure. Could you allow us to do some right by you after all the wrong?" A silence fell after Percival finished speaking as the 3 once again thought over his words and spoke to each other through their passing looks as they came to an agreement. It was a few minutes before anyone spoke again.
"We accept." It was Jeremiah who broke the silence, "As long as the rest of the village is comfortable with this notion we accept your offer."
"Thank-you." Percival answered quickly "Thank-you for this chance." As he did earlier Percival extended his hand to the elder man. This time Jeremiah clasped his hand in return and shook it.
The next morning Percival set the knights to new jobs. They had actually done a decent job of sourcing food and taking care of those who needed it. They had made a stew with meat they had hunted for and had in fact used the inn to do it. So far Percival was pleased but now they had to start undoing the damage they had done. Peter went around with Jameson and created a list of everything that needed to be done before the knights left, information that made organizing everyone far easier. Sending some people to the fields to help the farmers, some to begin rebuilding and the rest were helping Leonard in the village hall. Peter had checked on him after the meeting had ended in the schoolhouse last night. He had a lot of work to do but things were moving well now they had the room they needed. Gerrant was still being held in the stables. One of the other Knights had offered him some food the night before but he had refused it. Percival did not plan on releasing him anytime soon so he didn't worry himself with his current behaviour. For now all he wished to do was oversee the rebuild plan and make rights with the people.
Over the next five days there was much success, the buildings that had been damaged had been fixed up some even better than they were before, the farms had been tended too and the Knights had spent plenty at the inn and made trades with the locals. Their work to fix the damage they had made had almost come to an end. Over that time relations with the villagers had slowly started to improve, things were not fixed not by a long shot but things were better now than could have been expected. Today Percival was going to meet with Jeremiah and Delilah again to discuss their next steps however this time he was walking to meet with them at their home where he was now welcome. He knocked gently on the door and waited. It only took a moment for Delilah to open the door for him and welcomed him inside. "Morning Delilah, Jeremiah." Percival greeted as he took a seat "How are you both doing today?"
"Better thank you Percival" Jeremiah answered "How are you? How are things moving along?"
"Well! Leonard reports everyone is on the mend now and there should be no lasting injuries left. The farmers tell me they are happy with the work the men have done and the rebuild is almost complete. I actually think it should all be finished by nightfall tonight."
"Fantastic. I am pleased, your men have worked hard my friend and we are grateful.," Jeremiah smiled for the first time since Percival had arrived and it warned his heart.
"I'm glad too Jeremiah, I aim to get the men out of your hair once the sun has risen tomorrow."
"Good" Delilah added as she placed some bowls of porridge on the table and sat down with the men "You're a good man Percival but your men have hurt our people enough. Now our best way to heal is with them gone."
"I agree. We won't intrude here any longer." The 3 ate together before continuing with their day.
Mid-morning the next day the entire battalion of Knights were preparing to ride for Camelot after being away now for around a month. Gerrant had been let out of the stables and would be allowed to ride himself back to Camelot but under the watchful eyes of the other Knights in case he tried anything on their journey. Jeremiah and his family had come out to see them off along with a few other villagers to see them off. Percival chatted with them a little as the men gathered their belongings. There was also chatter among the men, some of it Percival started to pick up on "Sir Percival is in charge now." One voice said
"Why? Because he showed up and demanded it?" Another answers
"Well no one else is taking the lead are they?" Clearly unrest was building among them. It seemed an easy fix to Percival though. He shook Jeremiah's hand one last time before walking to his horse and addressing the party.
"Right then!" He bellowed, "I know over the last few days I have taken charge among you all. It was necessary at the time. However I am not a member of your battalion, I know this. In fact I have my own to lead that are now long since home. Somewhere I also look forward to being. Now there are some among you I simply no longer trust enough to put in charge of knights of Camelot. So I am placing Peter here in charge of this battalion until it returns to the citadel with Leonard as his second." He placed a hand on each of the younger boys shoulders and squeezed gently. "They have proven themselves to be loyal to our cause and to make very wise decisions. I have no doubt they will see you all home safely." He smiled encouragingly at the pair and that was enough for Peter to step forward and take charge
"Alright then! Let's clear out of here!" The group mounted up and headed off into the forest and towards home.
The first part of the journey Percival rode at the front alongside Peter, giving him advice on leadership when he felt it was needed. Occasionally reminding him to check in on the men or prompt that the horses may need a break soon. But after a few hours he hung back at the back of the group, watching from behind as the group made steady progress. Leonard also kept a close eye on both Peter and the rest of the men. Doing well to reiterate Peter's orders when needed and showing his support for their new leader. The pair brought a genuine smile to Percival's face. They made a good team
Peter didn't need prompting that the sun was setting and that they should make camp soon. He had been watching the skies and knew exactly when to call it a night. Some of the men pushed back a little as he gave them orders on who was to build the fire or prepare food but he stood his ground and asserted himself. It didn't take long to get the men moving where they should be.
Percival stayed until night had fallen and most of the men had fallen asleep. The group has solid leaders now and would make it back to Camelot safely, hopefully without much more push back.
"You're leaving aren't you?" A voice behind him called. Percival turned to see Peter in the darkness watching him.
"You don't need me here Peter, you've got this under control. I trust you. Besides, someone should inform the Queen of what's happened so she is prepared before some of these fools are dragged before her to answer for their crimes." He gestured to the men now asleep around the campfires. The two reached out and shook hands
"Ride safe Sir Percival." Peter said with a smile
"And you, Sir Peter." Percival returned. Peter turned away and went to sit next to Leonard who was just drifting off into sleep. Percy smiled wider at the two. They reminded him of another pair of knights he could think of. And that was why he was riding through the night to get back home.
A night and day later Percival could finally see the city he called home. He had rested a few times on his journey to tend to his horses needs but spent most of that time riding. The sun had already set again and his body was screaming at him to stop but with home in sight he pushed on with a renewed speed. His bed was near, a warm bath was near, his love was near. Another 30 minutes he rode under the gate to the castle and came to a holt in the courtyard. God he had missed this place. When he had been in the first village he had visited he felt a sense of peace he had not felt since his childhood but the second had left him yearning for the busyness of the city and castle once more. A stable hand took his horse from him as he dismounted and he gave them a short "Thank-you." Before climbing the stairs and heading into the castle. He walked quickly through the corridors with his destination clear in his mind. Despite his excitement though he hesitated at the door. Does he just enter? Should he knock? It had been a month now since he left. Would he be welcomed if he walked straight in? So he knocked.
"What!" A voice came from behind the door. A voice that made Percival's heart swell and his excitement build. He knocked again. "What!" The voice called again louder this time as the person behind it was closer to the door. It swung open and the two came face to face. "Percy?" They asked, unsure if they were truly there and in front of them again.
"Leon." He answered before opening his arms to the man in front of him. They were only empty for a moment before that space was filled with the warm body of the one he had missed the most over his time away. The two stepped into the room and closed the door.
"You're home!" Leon said, still wrapped up in Percival's arms.
"I'm home my love, I'm home"
"Come, sit" Leon pulled out of his embrace and pulled him over to sit by the fire. Leon poured them each a goblet of wine before sitting next to him. Snuggling in close. "I've missed you."
"I missed you too Leon. So very much." Leon was pulled back into another warm embrace.
"What happened, why were you gone so long? Your men returned a week ago and you weren't with them. They said you went to aid another battalion that needed help. I thought the worst must have happened. I thought you must have been caught up in battle!"
"Relax Leon!" Percival began gently running his fingers up and down Leon's arm in an effort to soothe him, "There was no battle. I am fine, you do not need to worry, love."
"Where have you been?" Leon pressed and Percy sighed
"Gerrant and Timothy got a little power hungry. I handled it." He reassured.
"But-"
"Love! I will debrief both yourself and the Queen in the morning. All you need to know right now is the men are safe, I've left Sir Peter in charge-"
"Peter? But he's so young!"
"He can handle it! I promise you Leon. The men are safe, Peters in charge and I am home. I am home my love, I'm here. I'm with you. Can you please stop working for one night?" Percy brought their foreheads together and closed his eyes. Breathing in his lover's scent.
"I've missed you Lee "
"I've missed you too Perc."