Sir Leon was one of Camelot's most famous knights. From an early age, Leon had worked hard to become a worthy knight for King Uther, but he had truly flourished under King Arthur's reign. He could often be found training younger men until they were too exhausted to even lift their swords, all the while reciting the knights' code for them to remember.
If there were one word to describe Leon, it would be proud. He took great pride in all his actions and words, and it reflected in his strong posture and fierce gaze. He was proud of his King and of his friends, and it brought him the greatest joy to proudly wear Camelot's red cape.
It was because of his pride that he had ended up in the mess he was currently in. A tuft of red curls betrayed his position underneath the sheets, and he groaned as the warm covers were roughly pulled away. His head was throbbing like Percival had hit him with a hammer, and his stomach churned at the slightest movement.
''Rise and shine!'' The call echoed painfully through his mind, and Leon desperately tried to shield himself from the person going about his room with annoyingly heavy footsteps.
''…'s not even light yet.'' Leon uttered grumpily, turning around in his bed in an attempt to avoid the other man.
''Are all knights of Camelot this hopeless at getting up in the morning?'' The raven-haired man quipped, and Leon could envision Merlin shaking his head in disapproval. ''Good thing our enemies don't normally attack in the morning, Camelot would be doomed.''
Leon pried open one eye to glare at Merlin. He was surprised to see the servant stood right in front of him, hands on his hips and a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
''Come on, then, can't keep the king waiting.'' He chided, and with those words Leon began to remember the cause for his growing headache.
For almost a week, Camelot's castle had been crowded with nobles from nearby regions as Arthur negotiated trading costs and other political matters with the landowners. It had been stressful for all parties involved, but last night the king had organised a feast in honour of their guests and their successful trades.
Gwaine had convinced them all to continue their celebrations at the tavern, and that's where things had truly begun to go south for Leon. He was well aware that he was not as ''skilled'' at downing tankards of mead as Gwaine, so the other knights were pleased to see Sir Leon loosening up after his third drink. They had played various games, and Leon had won about as many coins as he had lost. That was when they decided to 'up the odds'.
The specifics of the game were a bit of a blur for Leon, and frankly he did not want to try and overuse his mind today to remember it, but he clearly remembered the banter that had resulted in this early and unwanted morning call from Merlin.
Arthur had challenged him to a one on one match of- whatever. At first, Sir Leon had politely declined, but Arthur had insisted. Not only that, Arthur had raised the stakes: if Leon won, he would not need to go on nightly patrols for a month, and he would receive a new crossbow (how Arthur knew that Leon had been eyeing a specific crossbow for a while now was beyond him).
However, if he lost, not only would he be paired up with Gwaine for the next month of patrols (though he would never admit it aloud, Leon actually enjoyed the idle chitchat with the other knight from time to time), he would also have to act as Arthur's personal manservant for a day.
Leon vaguely remembered the banter that had followed after Arthur had declared that (something about finally getting a day off, and the king telling Merlin that Leon would need someone to 'show him the ropes'). He also vaguely remembered declining once again, but then Gwaine had called him out on his pride, and something about 'running away from a challenge'?
The rest of the evening was still quite hazy, but Leon once again found himself looking up at the grinning servant.
''I lost the bet, didn't I?'' Leon groaned softly, raising a hand to rub his tired eyes. The small movement made the whole room spin, and the knight was sure he was going to fall off the bed until he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, grounding him.
''You sure did.'' Merlin chuckled softly, though not unkind. Leon felt a small vial being pressed into his hand, his friend's rough hands helping his fingers grasp the potion properly. ''Don't smell it, just drink it all at once. I promise it will help.''
The knight did as he was told, downing the vile liquid in one go. He remained motionless for a while longer until he could feel his stomach settle, and only a few minutes later did he dare to sit up fully. Now that he was more aware (and he had to thank Gaius for that miracle concoction later, cause he truly felt much better than he had only moments before), he realised that Merlin had laid out his clothes for the day and had placed a tray of food next to his bed along with a goblet of water.
''You did not have to do this, Merlin.'' Leon said gratefully, picking a bit of the bread and hesitantly putting it into his mouth. Satisfied that he could stomach the bite, he dared himself to eat a little bit more.
''No, but you'll need it today.''
The servant was leaning against the wall to Leon's right, his arms crossed over his chest. There was something about the younger man that felt off, but although his stomach had greatly improved, Leon's mind was still rather sluggish, so the thought didn't really develop beyond that.
''I picked the oldest looking garments I could find for you, I doubt you'll keep them after today.''
Leon eyed the red tunic, plain slacks, and worn brown boots that Merlin had picked and nodded his approval. Looking out the window, he could see the sun starting to rise, and he realised that he needed to get a move on. He might have lost the bet, but he was still going to stay true to himself. If Leon were to be the king's servant for a day, he would do so with pride.
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After Leon had gotten ready, Merlin had led him through the castle and towards the kitchens. At this hour, the only people they had come across were the guards stationed at the entrances and the odd servant going about their morning duties.
Leon had silently observed as Merlin greeted people he walked past, pausing more than once to ask them about their private lives. Leon always prided himself in knowing his men, but he had been surprised to find out that Sir Gareth was about to become a father, or that his betrothed was one of the girls working in the kitchens.
It dawned on the knight that he knew his men's strengths and weaknesses in the field, and he mostly knew of their heritage, but it occurred to him that he never truly stopped to ask them about their desires, their thoughts and worries in life outside of knighthood. That morning, Leon vowed to be more invested, to listen as well as he taught.
In his entire life, Leon had only entered the royal kitchens a handful of times. Whereas the rest of Camelot seemed to still be silent, with most people still snoring softly in their beds, the kitchen was bursting with life. Servants were rushing back and forth, carrying plates and washing or chopping up vegetables.
There were people kneading bread, their aprons and faces covered in flour. There were servants carrying buckets full of water towards even larger pots and pans, and in the middle of the room stood Cooke, a large lady who was calling orders all around her while wildly pointing a scarily large butchers knife at whoever wasn't doing as they were meant to be.
''This way.'' Merlin instructed calmly, his voice barely discernable over the chaos. Leon was about to follow Merlin when a servant crossed the room in front of him, carrying a large and steaming hot pot in his hands.
Every time Leon took a step forward, it felt as if he was being pushed three steps backwards again. There were so many people rushing through the room that he had no idea how Merlin had managed to find a path through it all.
Still, Leon was determined to fulfil his duty with pride, so he continued to move forward, clumsily crashing into servants and kitchen staff alike, apologising with every step or bump. When he'd finally made it across the room, Merlin was waiting with a tray in his hands, a single eyebrow raised in a mocking gesture (the boy spent too much time with Gaius if his eyebrows were becoming this expressive, Leon thought).
''Right, shall we?'' Merlin asked, smiling kindly at the woman who had placed a bowl of fruit on his tray (Leon noticed the bump hidden beneath her apron, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was Sir Gareth's betrothed). Before Leon could respond, Merlin had turned on his heels and was confidently marching through the crowded room and towards the exit.
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Leon was already sweating more than he had in most of his training sessions by the time he'd made it out of the kitchens. The open fires and impossibly large amount of people had made it hard to breathe, and the few minutes in the cramped space had made the knight positively claustrophobic.
Merlin handed him the tray of food just outside of Arthur's chambers, then held the door open for Leon to enter. The knight felt strange entering the king's quarters without knocking first, but Merlin shrugged dismissively, as if he could read the man's mind.
The room was still relatively dark when Leon entered, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the lack of light. Merlin wordlessly pointed at the table on the other side of the room, instructing Leon to set the breakfast. Leon moved as quietly as he could, placing his finger between the tray and the table to muffle the noise as he gently set it down as he had seen servants do before.
Turning around, he could see Merlin had picked up the clothes, which had been scattered about the room only moments before, and for a moment Leon just stood there, watching as the servant moved through the room without making a sound. It wasn't just soundless; it was effortless. Leon gaped at the younger man as he almost floated through the room, picking up bits and placing them back where they belong.
Leon tried his best to listen for a noise, just the slightest scrape of the metal of a goblet against the wooden table, or the rustling of the papers that were scattered around haphazardly, but no matter how much he tried, he could not hear a thing.
How was it that Merlin could be this stealthy when performing a task so mundane? He had been on hunts with Arthur and Merlin before: he'd witnessed first hand how the servant would trip over his own two feet, or chase a deer away by stepping on a branch. He had often suspected that Merlin was being louder than he needed to be on purpose, but he never expected the man to possess quite this level of skill.
He was startled from his thoughts when Merlin suddenly appeared in front of him, eyeing the older man quizzically. Leon bit back a laugh as Merlin's eyebrow quirked up again and his head cocked sideways slightly, reminding the knight of a curious puppy.
''You want to do the honours?'' The question caught Leon off guard, and for a moment he didn't know what the servant meant.
''Sorry?''
''Would you like to wake up the royal dollop head?'' Merlin asked, rolling his eyes.
''Oh.'' Leon licked his lips nervously. He'd woken Arthur up before whenever they needed to swap lookout shifts on an overnight journey, but this felt different. Leon was in the king's chambers, in Camelot, and he was meant to wake his sovereign and prepare him for his daily duties. Suddenly his heart was racing, and he couldn't help but wonder how Merlin dealt with the pressure of such a responsibility.
Merlin guided the knight through the chambers, a hand placed reassuringly on the older man's shoulder. Leon was slightly flustered when he realised that Gwen was sat up in bed, seemingly reading through some papers by a faint candlelight. She glanced up when she heard their approaching footsteps and smiled warmly, first at Merlin and then at Leon.
''Good morning.'' She greeted, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
''My lady.'' Leon curtsied, his gaze slowly shifting over the bizarre display before him. Arthur was sprawled over the bed, one arm loosely dangling over Gwen's legs while he tightly hugged a pillow with the other. His legs were tangled in the red sheets, and his head was turned at such an awkward angle that Leon winced sympathetically. Gwen was idly running a hand through the king's ruffled blond hair, and if anyone asked, Leon would forever deny seeing his sovereign drooling.
''Go on then.'' Merlin chirped casually, gesturing for Leon to wake Arthur. The knight swallowed nervously, but he kept his chin up as he stepped closer to the bed. He realised both Gwen and Merlin were looking at him expectantly, but he wasn't going to give in.
''M-My lord?'' He called softly, resulting in no more than a snort from the servant stood closely behind him.
''You're going to have to try harder than that, I'm afraid.'' Gwen giggled softly, clearly amused by the whole situation.
''You know what he's like in the morning.'' Merlin quipped, exchanging a glance with the queen. Seeing that Arthur did not react in any way to their talking, Leon resolved to try again.
''My lord!'' He called out loudly, and this time he got a reaction. Arthur all but leaped out of bed, clearly startled by the noise. His arms were raised as if he was ready for combat, and he looked around nervously for a threat. His gaze finally landed on Leon, who gaped at his king awkwardly.
''Y-your breakfast is ready for you, sire.'' Leon stuttered. Next to him, Merlin doubled over from laughter.
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Leon's disastrous morning continued for longer than the knight deemed possible. After breakfast, he and Merlin had cleared the table and had helped the king get ready for the day. Although Merlin had briefed Leon beforehand, the knight could not remember all of the events on the king's schedule, so the servant had subtly stepped in whenever Leon missed something of the list.
Merlin had handed Arthur a pile of papers which he'd apparently gone through for the sovereign, putting them in order of urgency and marking the most important parts for Arthur to read before the council meeting this afternoon, and Leon half heartedly pondered about Merlin's education.
They had helped Arthur into his clothes and had taken the dirty clothes out of the chambers to clean later on. Leon had been confident that he could fulfil his tasks as a servant with pride, but he soon realised that Merlin did more than any of them gave him credit for.
The servant had not exaggerated when he had picked clothes that Leon could get rid off at the end of the day either. At first, he had spilled some of the leftovers from the breakfast over his tunic. He had helped the young man scrub the floors, during which his slacks had torn a little by his knees. Afterwards, they had collected Arthur's armour and weapons to prep for the training session in the afternoon, and Leon couldn't help but wonder how Merlin normally balanced all of the items on top of each other without falling down the stairs.
This led Leon to another revelation about Merlin: he was stronger than he looked. He knew that the armour and weaponry they used wasn't particularly light, so he was impressed that Merlin carried the load with relative ease. But that had not been all:
The servant had helped one of the servants up the stairs with the clothes she'd just washed (and she had thanked him for helping her again, which made Leon question how frequently Merlin assisted the other servants). He had carried countless buckets of water up the stairs to fill Arthur's bath for after the training (and Leon realised that normally, Merlin would have double the load to carry, as he currently had the knight's help). By the end of it, Leon's arms were aching fairly. That's when Merlin had told him to give him a hand mucking out the stables next.
''I do not envy you, Merlin.'' Leon sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. Merlin was lifting a bale of hay towards the horses, glancing over at Leon with just a hint of a smirk on his face.
''Are you not enjoying the horse dung in your hair?'' Merlin retorted, snorting as Leon's hand shot up into his curls with horror. He placed the bale of hay down in front of him and held up his hand. Leon watched as one of the horses closest to Merlin stepped closer and nuzzled the servant's hand.
''It's not all bad.'' Merlin continued to pet the horse, which seemed perfectly content with the affection it was getting. The servant pulled a handful of chopped up carrots from his pocket and fed a small piece to the horse when suddenly another horse neighed, demanding attention. Merlin continued to feed all the horses their small treat, and Leon wasn't sure if he was more marvelled by the young man's relationship with the animals, or by his courage for sneaking food out of Cooke's kitchen.
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Leon sighed in relief as he lay down on the grass. He had been working non-stop since Merlin had woken him up, and he was outright exhausted. They had completed all that needed to be done for now, and Merlin had told him that they would wait for the knights to finish their training before they'd continue their tasks.
Next up was Arthur's bath, lunch (during which they would polish and repair Arthur's training equipment), the sharpening of Arthur's actual sword, accompanying him to a meeting with the council, and… Leon really wasn't too sure what else there was, but that felt like enough.
''Here, you need to drink.'' Leon opened his eyes to find Merlin dangling a water skin in front of him. He gratefully took it and downed half its contents at once.
''Thank you.'' He sighed, handing the water skin back to the servant, who smiled and nodded. Merlin glanced over at the other knights, who were too busy with their sparring to notice either one of the other men.
''Where are you going?'' Leon asked as he noticed Merlin walking away from the training grounds.
''Gaius needs some help, I'll be back before you know it.'' The servant called over his shoulder, and he disappeared out of sight before Leon could even offer his assistance.
Truth be told, he was stumped. Leon knew that servants worked hard every day, but he had always expected that the knights worked just as hard. Though his training and work could sometimes be intense, he realised that they often had plenty of time to rest between tasks. He supposed that their days were different in the sense that whereas the knights rested until their duty required them to take action, thus letting out their energy in bursts and saving it the remainder of the time, Merlin and the other servants had to spread their energy through the day to continue without rest.
Most servants managed this by performing their tasks at a steady pace, always on the move but trying their best not to overdo it, so they would not fall short on their later duties. Merlin, however, was an exception.
The young man seemed to have an endless amount of energy, and performed all his duties at 200%. He ran around the castle as if it was on fire, and Leon realised that he often went above and beyond the duties required of a servant. He helped those who asked for assistance, and even those who didn't, and on top of his duties as Arthur's servant, he was helping Gaius with his rounds and any other tasks that the old man might struggle with.
''You'd better not be slacking off there!'' Leon was drawn from his thoughts by Percival's remark. The knight grinned at him cheekily before settling on the ground next to Leon.
''With the list of chores Merlin and I have left to do, I doubt I could.'' He huffed, a faint smile spreading on his face.
''Poor Merlin,'' Percival laughed, wiping the sweat from his brow. ''He must be exhausted after last night.''
''I think we all are.'' Leon responded with a chuckle.
He had seen Gwaine struggling during his sparring session with another knight. Normally, the rogue knight could stand his own with little effort, but today his footwork was all over the place, making him an easy target for the younger opponent.
''At least we didn't have to clean up afterwards.'' Percival commented nonchalantly, but something about that did not sit right with Leon.
''What do you mean?'' He asked, his gut churning uncomfortably like it had that morning.
''I mean we did not have to clean up after the feast.'' Percival repeated, slightly confused by Leon's sudden seriousness. ''Don't you remember?''
''I remember mead. A lot of mead. And a foolish bet.'' Leon frowned. ''What game did we play anyway?''
''You arm wrestled.'' Percival deadpanned before he continued. ''We met Merlin on our way to our chambers. We thought he'd gone to bed after helping Arthur and Gwaine home, but he was helping a servant with the dishes from the feast.
And just like that, it clicked. The thing that had seemed off about Merlin this morning suddenly hit him, and he could slap himself for not noticing it before. Merlin had been dressed in the same clothes as yesterday.
For commoners, it wasn't too strange to wear the same clothes multiple days in a row, after all they could not afford as many items as most nobles had in their wardrobes, but there had been a stain on Merlin's tunic from the night before, and surely the servant would have at least changed his shirt to be more presentable?
Merlin had been there until the end of their celebrations; he'd helped both Arthur and Gwaine back to their chambers (how he'd managed to stay upright under both their weight once again went beyond Leon's comprehension), and he had assured Leon that he would wake him in a couple of hours.
The younger man had been up before Leon, well before the sun had come up, and if he had truly helped with the clean up as well that night (and had somehow found the time to go through those papers for Arthur), that left one question on Leon's mind: When had Merlin slept?
The knight suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. If he'd not made that bet with the king, if he had just refused to play, Merlin would not have had to be up quite as early. The servant would have been tired, for sure, but perhaps he would have been able to at least get a few hours of shuteye.
He had thought that perhaps Merlin did not mind the extra pair of hands today, but now, Leon couldn't help but wonder if he had added pressure to the man's life unnecessarily. And just like that, Leon decided that he would no longer be a burden for his friend.
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The remainder of the day, Leon worked harder than he ever had before. He polished Arthur's armour, fetched the king's lunch and supper from that hellish kitchen, and stood with his head held high and a pitcher of wine in his hands behind Arthur throughout the meeting.
Merlin had continued to stay by his side, had aided him when his inexperience became obvious, but Leon had been adamant to fulfil most of the duties merely with Merlin's supervision, not with his assistance.
''Will that be all, Sire?'' Leon asked politely, bowing slightly as he cleared the last plate from the table. Merlin had just disappeared with Gwen's plates, trusting Leon to perform the same duties for their king.
''No, thank you, Sir Leon.'' Arthur sighed, leaning back in his chair. Leon frowned. If anything, Leon had expected Arthur to be tired, or amused: he seemed disappointed.
''Something the matter, Sire?'' Leon asked, his curiosity piqued.
''Everything's… Fine.'' Arthur gestured vaguely with his arms, seemingly exasperated. ''I made the bet with you because I thought it would be- I don't know what I expected, but you were a perfectly fine servant. Merlin was a perfectly fine servant, and he's useless most days.''
Leon hesitated for a moment, but eventually he stood upright, his chest puffing slightly and his chin raising slightly as he faced his sovereign.
''Forgive me, Sire, but you do not give him the credit he deserves.''
Arthur's eyebrows shot up, and Leon would have laughed had he not felt so conflicted about what he was about to reveal. The king clearly noticed the seriousness of the situation, his expression darkening.
''Is there something you'd like to tell me, Sir Leon?'' Arthur asked formally, though not unkindly.
''Have you noticed that Merlin has not slept?'' Leon asked simply.
''He- what?''
''He was wearing the same clothes today as he was yesterday,'' Gwen chimed in suddenly, reminding both men that she was in the room with them. The queen moved closer to her husband, placing a hand on his shoulder while frowning at Leon.
''As far as I can tell, he helped the kitchen staff after assisting yourself and Sir Gwaine to your chambers, my lord.'' Leon reported, his voice betraying some of the guilt he felt as he continued. ''When he woke me before dawn, my clothes had been laid out already, and he had provided me with breakfast.''
''I wish I could say it surprises me to hear this…'' Gwen mumbled, a sad smile tugging at her lips. Seeing both Arthur and Leon's confused glances, she continued.
''When I was still a maid, I occasionally had to teach Merlin about his duties. He'd never been trained to be a servant, so I helped him out. He got the hang of things pretty quickly, but he continued to help me on my duties, and I often saw him helping the other servants as well.''
There was a pause, and Gwen's eyes twinkled with a sense of melancholy.
''At first I thought he just wanted to improve his skills to serve you well, Arthur, but I eventually realised he was just- well, being Merlin, I suppose.''
''It's not just the servants he helps out,'' Leon continued. ''Whenever he had a moment today, he would assist Gaius with his rounds and his other duties. I tried to keep up with him, but frankly I admire his endurance.''
As if on cue, the door to the king's quarters opened to reveal Merlin. It had been less obvious in the daylight, but the candles clearly cast the shadows under the servant's eyes, and for the first time, all three of them realised just how exhausted Merlin looked.
''Merlin.'' Arthur began, drawing the younger man's attention.
''Sire?'' Merlin responded confusedly.
''When's the last time you slept?''
Merlin's gaze shifted guiltily, his mouth opening as if he was about to say something before deciding against it.
There was a tense silence in the room, and for a moment Leon wondered if it would have been better to keep things quiet. It suddenly dawned on him that perhaps reason why Merlin had kept going, despite his lack of sleep, was something Leon understood all too well: Merlin took pride in his work.
The relationship between the king and his servant was strange, to say the least. They continuously bickered and complained about one another, yet neither one lasted long without the other. Merlin was always by Arthur's side, and Arthur was there when Merlin needed him. Perhaps, Leon thought, Merlin was proud to be the one responsible for waking the king, to have an insight in the king's life that no other ever got. Perhaps it was because he was proud of his work that he happily helped others with theirs. Had Leon just challenged that pride by speaking up?
''Go to bed, Merlin.'' Arthur said finally, pinching the bridge of his nose. ''I'm giving you the rest of the evening off, and the morning.'
Merlin's head jolted up at those words, and after a moment, the ghost of a smirk formed on the younger man's face.
''And who exactly would wake you up in the morning?'' Merlin teased, but Arthur snorted confidently.
''Oh don't you worry about that, Merlin,'' He grinned devilishly. ''From what I've heard, you've trained Leon here sufficiently.''
Leon's gaped at Arthur, then at Merlin, and back at his king. In the end, it was Gwen who burst into laughter first, shortly followed by Arthur and Merlin.
Leon glared at them for a moment longer before joining in the laughter. This day had been one of the most ridiculous and exhausting things he'd ever experienced, but it had been insightful as well. And if he could help his friend get some much-needed rest by waking up his king in the morning, then he would do so with pride.
That's the end of this one! It's a bit fluffy, but I wanted to try something new, and this is the end result. I think you can also guess, based off this story, what the title of the NEXT one shot in the ''A Matter Of…'' series will be. For now, thank you for reading!