A/N Hey there so a Sir Leon fanfic and a multi chapter one at that anyway this could be considered a sequel to my first sir Leon fanfic the heroes of sir Leon, whilst it's not necessary for you to read that one to enjoy this one, it sets up how I perceive the character. If you want to read it you can it's in the sir Leon community and it's not that long. So here chessily is the story of Sir Leon's first love and heartbreak. I'm going to say this takes place when Leon is 17 and about 7 years before series 2 where we see him for the first time.
Dawn
He arrived at his fiancée's house at dawn. The word still seemed foreign in his mind like it was some exotic creature from a faraway land. The idea of marriage appealed but also repelled him at the exact same time. Leon had never wanted to be married not because he disliked women, far from it but he saw how much pain and misery it caused. His mother had died by his father's hand and his stepmother had used her marriage to act like a spoilt brat. So for most of his life, he'd focused on being a good knight, keeping his stepmother from spending all his money when his father died and trying to maintain his castle and his business. The latter being why he was here, he needed her father's money and connections, the so called Merchant king. His stepmother practically screeched when she learnt that her stepson was considering marrying the daughter of a merchant but as he explained while the merchant king may lack noble blood, he does not lack money which is what they needed so she relented. He also seemed kind and jovial and looking forward to having him as a son in law.
He rather shallowly wondered what she looked like when he told Arthur of his business plan he looked confused "Why would you agree to marry someone you've never met? She could be ugly with warts and hairy feet" At 15 the young prince was beginning to experience an appreciation for women but it was only shallow and skin deep. Leon would like a pretty bride but he was more scared of what she'd be like, he didn't want to have a woman like his stepmother who was vain and only saw her stepson as she saw his father in terms of money. He wanted someone kind, contemplative and proper. Someone who would tend his wounds. Help run his business. And maybe just maybe someone who loved him. He looked up at this big imposing house and he'd never been more scared but he went in.
She looked down on him from her bedroom, Penelope had always had trouble sleeping and knowing that her fiancée was coming had not helped matters. At least staying up meant she got the chance to see him. He looked handsome with sand blonde hair and he looked quite strong but she couldn't see his face that well. She decided she might as well see him before their wedding tomorrow especially since he was up and although she trusted her father's judgement, a few questions wouldn't hurt just to see if they were compatible. She'd done the exact same thing when she'd gotten her sisters married and since her sisters couldn't question him for her. She must do it herself but how to do this without him knowing she was his bride. She knew that Tom their footman was fast asleep and it seemed a shame to wake him when all she had to do was open the door and show him to his room. She just needed to put on some scruffy clothes so she looked like a servant and voila one maid.
As she patted her new outfit, she realised how nervous she was. For one if father ever found out that she'd dressed as a servant and tricked her new fiancée, he would be quite angry but also, she was nervous about meeting him, through that door was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. She was going to be whisked off to a new home just like her sister Katarina and while she knew that Katrina was happy, she couldn't help being scared about her own fate so she trembled as she opened the door to let her husband in. Now that she could see him properly in the light, she could see that he was quite handsome. He had blue eyes and soft features. He even thanked her when she showed him his room, a noble always went up in her opinion when they thanked the people who served them. He also thanked her properly which she found very few nobles knew how to do; he looked her in the eyes and said the words without sounding like he was forced to acknowledge an unpleasant smell.
The young servant girl who escorted him to his room looked at him with a mixture of suspicion and appraisal and when they got to his room, he waited for her to leave but she just stood there so after a few moments he said politely. "Um do you want something?"
"I would like to ask you some questions" she said curtly "to ascertain your Compatibility with Penelope."
"Don't worry her father asked me plenty of questions when I decided to go ahead with this arrangement."
"Even so I would like to ask some more firstly have you ever made love to anyone" she said. There was an awkward silence
"I really don't think that's an appropriate question for you to ask" Leon replied politely but taken aback by the bluntness of the question.
"My lady is quite nervous about the whole thing and she wants to know if you've had experience in that business." Penelope blushed as she said it, she couldn't believe she'd started with such a question, it was a topic that troubled her deeply but she knew that proper ladies ought not to discuss it.
Leon not sure how to react to this decide that he'd better retreat from this situation. "I'm very tired" he yawned "I've spent all day riding and I'd like to look my best for your lady tomorrow."
Penelope couldn't help but smile at that and politely nod her head and decided to leave. She left and then she immediately bashed her head against the wall, resisting the urge to curse only because her nursemaid had taught her better than that. She went to bed; she hadn't learnt anything useful about her new fiancée, anything to ascertain his character. She'd seriously put her foot in her mouth and now he'd seen her, he'd recognise her tomorrow. She could only pray that he wouldn't mention this to her father, he was so afraid she'd scare him of and she could see why now.
"I don't see why I have to get married" she thought to herself. Sure her sisters were happy; she'd made sure of that. She'd decide when she was 15 that Joan and Rowan were perfect for each other, he started working for their father and everyone knew he was considering making him his heir. She realised that he'd fallen for Joan and had given him a foolproof plan to seduce her. Admittedly, this plan did end up with him getting a broken leg but he'd proposed and now they were happy. Katarina was harder, she was always so fanciful and flighty, she had a crush on Oliver who was a prince from a faraway land and with their foolproof plan, she ended up seducing him, unfortunately, she'd also ended up starting a minor fire but he proposed and took her away to his kingdom. She didn't like being far away from her sister but from her letters, Katarina was clearly happy so she decided she was happy to. But was there any guarantee, she'd be happy so far away from home. She didn't want to get married, love was messy and she didn't like mess. Her father still wasn't over her mother's death, not after all these years. There was always a hint of sadness in his eyes and sometimes, she caught him staring at a wall, talking to her. She never wanted to be that sad but when she asked Joan about it, she just said "Well, you've got to risk being really sad to be really happy." Penelope wasn't so sure so she decided to try and get some sleep.
Meanwhile Sir Leon was lying on his bed, hoping that at some point, he'd feel tired. He knew the chances were pretty low. All he could think of was "I'm getting married tomorrow." The conversation with the maid hadn't exactly allayed his fears either. Because she'd manage to give him a whole new thing to worry about. Sex. He was 16 at his first time, she was one of the servants, and it was a week after his father died. He just went to bed after a long day and there she was lying naked on his bed. He had no idea what to do but she did. Her name was Lucy and she'd wanted to curry favour with her new lord. It hurt to think how he'd been used but he had enjoyed the experience even though he'd never felt more inept. He had no idea what he was meant to do and where he was supposed to do it. It didn't seem to matter though she screamed in what he hoped was ecstasy. It happened a couple more times after that but they always wanted something from him. If any of them enjoyed his company, they enjoyed his money and position more.
He wanted a partner though someone to share his life with, to help him but he also wanted her to be happy. Could he satisfy her? Would she even want him? All these questions buzzed in his head desperately demanding answers but all he could do was speculate. His imagination unfortunately had decided to become very cruel and by mourning, he was half convinced, he'd agreed to marry Satan's daughter. He was almost relieved when another maid came in and gave him breakfast. He was informed that, he had to have a business meeting with his future father in law and brother in law to discuss business, then he'd put on his best suit and be escorted to the church where he'd meet his bride to be. He was just glad this meeting would give him something to think about apart from his wife, he could handle the business side of things.
She looked at herself in the mirror and stated to make funny faces until Joan hit her gently. "You're going to be married, stop acting like a child" Joan informed her as if she didn't already know so she stuck he tongue at her, Joan smiled regretfully and continued doing her hair. Her dark ebony curls had white roses weaved into them, in a long complicated plait. She was already wearing her dress it was a flowy white fabric that covered her arms and chest and a light pink silk that made up the rest of the dress. She also had pink ribbons tied around her waist. As she looked at herself, she was sure; she'd never have looked more beautiful. But she still felt terrified.
"I know you're scared" Joan said.
"No I'm not, I've never been scared" Penny replied.
Joan smiled "You are going to make a great wife" Penny smiled weakly and Joan added "I'll tell you something else; you're going to enjoy it."
Penny looked confused "How do you know that?"
"I'm the older sister, I know everything" Joan said knowingly.
"Yeah right" Penny smirked and started laughing and this set Joan of.
"Come on let's get to the church" Joan said. As she looked at her sister, she realised no matter what, she had a great family who would look out for her. She decided she needed to have some faith in herself. She was a smart, beautiful and admittedly stubborn girl; she could make this marriage work.
All too soon, here he was at the church waiting for his bride to come, he had an urge to run as far and as fast as he could but he shook that thought out of his head. He'd agreed to this and it was a good deal, it would completely revitalise his business and he could use the money to repair his castle, which had fallen into some disrepair much to his stepmother's chagrin. He heard the music and he saw the servant walking towards him in a wedding dress. He wondered if this was some kind of joke but his future father in law seemed to think everything was ok and so did the rest of the church, he just turned to the priest looking slightly confused. She walked up beside him.
"I'm really sorry" she whispered to him. The priest started talking.
Leon whispered back "So you're not a servant"
"No" she whispered "I was just nervous, I shouldn't have lied to you but I've never done this before"
Leon laughed "Me neither"
She gave him a look "You should take this seriously; we're going to be together for the rest of our lives."
"Yes I know" Leon replied "But now I know you can make me smile"
Penny blushed and smiled back, "Well I guess that's something."
A/N Well this took a lot longer than I thought it was going to take, I've just been really busy sorry that not much happens in this chapter this is just character set up and more things will happen in the next chapter. So I hope you like Penny I didn't want her to come across a s Mary Sue nut I didn't want her to come across as annoying either so this is the first time where an oc is one of the main characters so I'd really like to know if I succeeded so thnx for reading and plz review.