I disclaim.

AN: Not a future story but a little young Leon and Leon/Merlin friendship. Because Leon went from older, respected knight in season 1 to mentor in 2/3/4 to head of knights in 5 and yet didn't seem to age at all. Also, he was the only knight to survive the dragon. Coincidence? I think not.

Kindness/Resemblance

Leon was not a fool. People did not stay young forever. It was not natural to never grow old and yet he seemed to be the only aged warrior amongst young men. He was Prince's mentor, now the King's right hand and it was as if only a year past, rather than fifteen.

People forgot that he was as much a part of the old king as the new. People forgot that he knew things. And people.

People like dragonlords.

He'd only been a child when the purge began, but he remembered when magic was free and welcome in the halls of the palace. His was a minor family, noble but poor, and they relied on Uther's kindness for their wellbeing. He'd lived in Camelot all of his life, his family in residence in the grand white structure. He remembered banquets with glowing balls of light twinkling above them and sorceresses who could conjure stories with fire. There were magic users and non-magic users and each had their nobility and rules.

Entire families had been driven from Camelot's walls with the purge, some servants but some nobles.

Sir Balinor was one such man. The dragonlord had been a fleeting shadow at Uther's side for years; he had his own lands and duties as a warlock, but had fought with the kings to bring peace to Camelot and so often in the capital, offering council and relaxing with his friend. Large and dark and simmering with power, he was an intimidating figure. At eight, Leon was afraid him, this larger than life shadow that appeared on the back of fire breathing creatures. But it was at eight the young noble was forced to confront his fear.

He'd been trying to keep up with the older boys, the squires, and had quite literally fallen from the castle walls. Thankfully, a cart of hay had broken his fall, but his chest felt like someone was sitting on it, he couldn't breathe, gasping shallowly for air. "Be calm." A growling voice instructed him. A warm hand rested on his chest. " Let all the air from your lungs... now take a deep breath. You can do it- it feels like you cannot but you can- just focus on expanding your chest and not the pain." After a few minutes of instruction Leon managed to open his eyes and almost curled in on himself in seeing Lord Balinor's face above him. "Calm boy. Come on now- let's go see a healer."

Despite Leon's panic, Balinor lifted the small boy into his arms easily, holding him in his arms as he made his way to the Physician's tower. Leon tried not to flinch as he stared up at his savior. Perhaps he wasn't as scary as he appeared from a distance?

The man's dark hair was cut short, the messy inch long strands curling slightly as they grew out. His thick eyebrows and full beard covered much of his face but both were clean and trimmed, and the visible skin was tan and unlined. Blue eyes seemed to twinkle as he greeted servants in the hall and his arms were warm and reassuring.

Finally they reached the physicians tower. "Hello? Gauis? Patient for you." The warlock's voice boomed out around the barren tower. "Lad's had a slight tumble from the battlemats."

Leon looked around, curious. The old physican had recently died- a new man from town had only just come to replace him. A few boxes and vials were scattered around, a pile of herb and magic books on the long table in the center of the room. "Yes? Oh, hello my lord." A grey-streak haired man bustled in from a back room.

"No need for formalities Gaius- we've known each other long enough for you to call me by my given name." Balinor boomed with a smile, carefully depositing Leon into a cot set up by an empty fireplace.

He tried to step away as Gaius moved in but Leon was suddenly struck with fear. Balinor was intimidating, but he was familiar- this new man was an unknown, with his long robes and hair. His hand shot out to grab the dragonlords jacket, fisting the leather to tug the man back. "It's alright child." The physician smiled, trying to sooth his patient. "Well you can't blame me for being wary Balinor. It's only my first week. I must say I'm not quite sure what to do now that I'm here. Four days in and already the Queen's sick. She's been purging every morning, feeling faint- and the King expects me to diagnose her with barely a glance. I'm walking on eggshells."

Balinor's warm hand pushed back Leon's fringe reassuringly as the healer ran his hands over the boys limbs. "Nimueh and I recommended you because you're more than capable Gaius- don't let the prat bully you into anything you're not comfortable with." The physician shot a stricken look at the tall noble before glancing down at Leon. "Oh not to worry man, young Leon here is a close friend, isn't that right lad?" Balinor winked at Leon, grin spreading across his face. Despite his pain, Leon found himself smiling back.

~Merlin~

"...lad. Leon?" The knight shook himself from his memory, face shell shocked as he stared at Merlin who was offering him a bowl of something. "Did you hear me Sir Leon? Would you like some stew? I was able to make it a bit more flavorsome today- everyone else seems glad."

The light haired man accepted the stew in silence, eyes still focused on the servants features.

Merlin swept a hand over her face self consciously and then turned back to the fire to scoop up his own dinner. Leon glanced around. The rest of the knights- the few of them left- were all eating with gusto. Leon tried his own meal, pleased to find both meat and flavor in the recently tasteless mush. Even Arthur wasn't complaining, quietly speaking to Merlin as the young man settled himself beside his master.

Their group was ragtag and drawn, having been pushing themselves to patrol the border in a show of strength. It was only last month that the dragon had attacked and Leon felt like he hadn't slept since the first siege. It didn't help that the main knights were dead, killed by the beast. Leon and Arthur had been pushing these replacement men, second and third sons, lesser nobles, in training, trying to get them into fighting shape, but it was no easy task. Hell, Merlin was better with a sword than some and that was saying something.

It had been the kings idea, this rapid and far-reaching patrol and he could see the Prince's unhappiness from across the fire. Arthur had wanted to stay and help the city rebuild, to give the men more time to repair and rest, but Uther had been insistent.

Leon would have preferred they wait as well. He hadn't been sleeping well, haunted by memories of flame and terror. And of times long past.

He focused on Merlin once again. The young man hadn't had time to shave, none of them had, and although it had taken the servant's beard longer to grow in than most, after almost two weeks he'd finally sprouted a full chin of dark hair.

He thought it'd been strange, the servant riding out with them to face the dragon and living where others died; he'd chalked it up to loyal stupidity and luck. But he could have sworn, as he lay surrounded by dead comrades, feeling the vibrations of the dragons feet and it descended, and knowing death was coming, he could have sworn he heard the boys voice. Merlin's and yet... yet someone else's.

He'd passed out soon after, but the thought had tickled the back of his mind for weeks now.

It hadn't been until Merlin's beard grew in that he realized. The voice he was remembering, was thinking of- was Balinor's.

Years had passed since he'd thought of the man's kindness and remembered the name that Uther had forced from the castle's walls. Balinor, who had been warm and reassuring to a hurt boy, the dragonlord who had been betrayed by his greatest friend and cast out of their noble circle for his magic. He looked at Merlin's face and stared into a younger version of his one time hero.

Leon wasn't sure how he felt about magic. He knew it's terror- but he'd also known it's pleasure. Magic could bring safety and love as well as fear and he wasn't as quick as some of the younger knights and lords to condemn it. His mother had practiced the old religion before she'd died (long before the purge) and he could remember dancing golden horses swirling above his head. Surely his mother had not been evil?

And Balinor, the dragonlord who cared for him when the older boys had run in fear, he'd been good. Leon was sure of it.

The dragon had rather conveniently disappeared after Arthur dealt it a mortal blow. Quite a coincidence that his serving boy, a boy who was almost the spitting image of Balinor, survived and was the only one conscious to tell the tale. Leon stared at servant and master, watching the two banter and Merlin eventually concede, his dark head bending as he muttered "prat" under his breath. Once again the memory smacked Leon upside the head and clutched his bowl tight against his chest. He wondered what Uther would say if he realized his son was best friends with a man he betrayed, a boy of dragon magic. He wondered if Merlin had ever known his father, had know how kind he was to scared boys and nervous physicians.

He wondered if it broke Gaius' heart to see the boys together and think of another friendship shattered forever.

With a renewed faith in the kingdom he tucked into his stew. Things were bad, yes, but he knew that with a dragonlord on their side nothing too horrible could happen. And if it came to it, and Merlin was exposed, Leon would help the boy escape.

He had a debt to repay and a memory to honor.