Hope for the Future
It was over. The dream of a new world, of Albion, had died on the battlefield at Camlann.
So many men, so many of Leon's friends, were dead or injured. Gwaine had been killed by Morgana and Percival had barely made it home. Friends and comrades-at-arms had spilled blood and laid down their lives for Arthur's vision, and now it was gone, drowned in a sea of red.
And, to make matters worse, Arthur himself had disappeared. Leon had spent long hours searching for his King, but to no avail. He was finally forced to report to Gwen that he had been unable to locate Arthur. He tried to reassure his Queen that Arthur's absence could be a good sign, but he wasn't sure he believed what he told her. The look of hope that had appeared on Gwen's face was enough to tear his heart to shreds.
Arthur was not the only one missing; Merlin seemed to have vanished as well. Gwen was still holding on to her belief that Arthur would return. In fact, she had told Leon that Gaius had approached her in the castle and told her that Arthur and Merlin were together. Apparently Arthur had been gravely wounded during the battle by Mordred, but Merlin had found his master and was taking him somewhere safe, somewhere he could heal. After relating her tale, Gwen opened her clenched fist and lying there on her palm was the Royal Seal.
"Can you believe that Arthur saw fit to ensure that I would be in possession of the Royal Seal?" she said to Leon, pain and wonder in her voice.
"My lady," answered Leon, "there is no one more capable of leading us until Arthur's return than you. You are wise and kind; Arthur had faith that you would do well, and for what it is worth, I have faith in you as well."
With tears in her eyes, Gwen gazed at her friend and said, "Thank you, Leon. I will be able to rely on your counsel, won't I?"
"Of course, my lady; you have only to ask."
Gwen did not allow herself to hang on to waning hopes, nor to sink into grief-driven inactivity. Instead, after less than a month, she requested Leon's presence in the Small Hall. On arriving, he saw Gwen standing at the head of the table, speaking with Gaius. Turning to Leon, Gwen gave him a small, sad smile and said, "Sir Leon, thank you for coming so quickly."
"Of course, my lady. How may I assist you?"
"Sir Leon, the time has come for Camelot to move forward from the terrible events of the past months. As sad as I am to say this, I do not believe that Arthur will be returning to me, to Camelot. Gaius, too, believes that Arthur's time has passed. It is now up to me to pick up the mantle and carry on as Arthur would wish."
"To this end, tomorrow we will formalize my appointment as Queen of Camelot. As much as I wish this wasn't so, I don't believe we have any choice in the matter. Camelot cannot be without a leader, especially now as we try to reconstruct our lives and the Kingdom."
"Of course, my lady. I understand, and I believe you are correct," said Leon.
"Which brings me to why I called you here. We have known each other a long time, and I trust your judgment. I would like you to become one of my advisors and, as my first act as Queen, I would also like to name you "First Knight of Camelot". Will you agree to take on these roles?"
Leon blinked at his Queen, his expression blank. Turning to Gaius, Gwen said, "I believe I have broken Sir Leon."
With a smile, Gaius answered, "My lady, I believe you have."
Leon swallowed and then, with his voice shaking with emotion, said, "My lady … Gwen … I am honoured and I willingly accept your appointments."
Sir Leon now stood in the Throne Room looking at the faces that surrounded him. Percival was there, as strong and silent as ever, but there were so many faces he would never see again: Lancelot, who had given his life to save Arthur those many years ago; Elyan who had died because of treachery; Gwaine, killed by Morgana in the most painful manner possible. Arthur was dead and Merlin was still missing.
Yet, watching his Queen walk slowly and serenely towards the throne and then seat herself, Leon dared to hope that he was wrong about the dream of Albion being finished. Perhaps it was not dead after all.
At Gwen's nod, Leon raised his voice, and with new hope clearly audible in his voice, called out, "The King is dead! Long live the Queen!"