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Leon stood upright with his hands clasped behind his back, almost swaying in weariness as he listened to the more senior knights report to the king about the success of their patrol. Bandits had once again begun to roam the forests more often than normal and after more than one story had been brought to the king's attention about people being attacked on the road, he had sent in his knights. It had taken days and they had lost many good men, the bandits working together far more efficiently than Leon had ever seen. He knew that while some still remained, they would prove a threat to the kingdom. But barely a knight had escaped unscathed and they were all exhausted. A fresh patrol were leaving at dawn, and Leon was just glad the gash on his leg meant he wasn't going as well.

"Very well, dismissed."

"Sire," the knights almost collectively dipped their heads and moved towards the door, relief obvious in the way their shoulders seemed to slump.

"Sir Leon, a word?" Leon bit back a groan. He knew he couldn't very well tell the king he would rather sink down in a hot bath than stay behind, however, so he once again stiffened his body, turned and bowed before Uther.

"Sire?" Uther waited until everyone else had gone and the doors shut with a satisfying clunk that seemed to echo around the room.

"Was he hurt?" It took a moment for Leon's tired mind to register what the king was asking him before he smiled softly. While he wished that Uther would just go and find out for himself, Leon was glad that he had asked. It showed that he cared, even if he didn't know how to show it.

"A mild concussion and a grazed arm, My Lord. Gaius has already seen to him."

"Good, good. And did he...?"

"He fought brave and true, Sire. You should be proud." Leon wasn't sure whether he was being a little reckless adding the last part on the end, but he couldn't help himself. This had been Arthur's first official patrol, despite having snuck out into the woods on his own over the years. Leon had been hoping it would be a quiet one for Arthur's first time, that he would have been able to use the time to bond with the other knights in a way that could only be found away from the castle. But instead, he had been forced to watch as men were killed in front of him, and for the first time ever, Arthur had been fighting for his life. He had been in scraps for years now, but never before had Arthur faced the very real danger that he could be killed.

Sir Hector – the man leading their patrol – had taken one look at the pale and trembling eighteen year old when they got back and sent him straight to his rooms with a servant sent for Gaius. Arthur didn't need to withstand the debriefing, especially not considering his father would most likely make him deliver it. He had just seen men die, he had just killed for the first time. This was when a more gentle hand than the king was needed.

Leon didn't realise he had frozen at his words until the king waved a hand in his direction, dismissing him without a word. As quickly as he could, Leon limped from the room, wondering what was going through the man's mind. Was he thinking about how he could have lost his heir out there today, that he needed to tell Arthur he had done well? Or was he simply thinking about how to flush out the rest of the bandits without losing any more men?

Once outside, Leon instantly picked a direction. He knew that he should be going to see Gaius in order to get his leg treated. If nothing else, he knew that infection could claim a man just as easily as any sword. But he also knew the physician would have his hands full right now. The rest of the knights would have gone there once they had been dismissed, and being a few moments later meant Leon would be firmly at the back of the queue. Not to mention he knew that he was in no immediate danger, he had cleaned the wound up as best as he could anyway. He would simply be made to wait. While he was waiting, however, Leon knew that he could be doing something far more beneficial.

It seemed to take him an age to get to where he wanted to go, his leg holding him up. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he was being made to feel every step. More than once he had to rest a hand against the wall and take a few shaky breaths just to stop his leg from giving way from under him, but Leon knew that he couldn't stop. Not until he got to where he needed to go. Eventually, he came to the doors of his chambers, but deliberately walked past them. Instead, he managed to limp his way a little further down the corridor and around the corner before knocking softly on a door.

"Arthur?"

There was no answer, but Leon knew that he was in there. He also knew that if Arthur had fallen asleep, then Leon's entrance was not going to disturb him. The prince was used to servants coming and going while he slept, movement wasn't enough to disturb him from his rest. Leon hoped that one day, that would not be his undoing, but for now, he just pressed down on the handle and let himself in.

The room was dimly lit. A fire was burning lowly, barely sparking and only a couple of candles still had their flames flickering. Judging by how low even they had burnt, Leon had a feeling that Arthur had dismissed everyone as soon as Gaius had left him. Glancing towards the bed, Leon could make out a shape curled up, although whether Arthur was actually under the covers or not, he couldn't tell. He knew that Arthur wouldn't say anything until he felt ready, so Leon forced himself to hobble over to the fire place. He braced himself on the wall with one hand as he bent down, poking through the sparks until more of the wood eventually caught and the fire leapt up, bathing the room in a golden light. Instantly, Leon could feel the warmth seeping into his tired body and he was hard pushed not to groan out loud at the sensation.

Leaving the candles for the time being – knowing he had enough light to see by – Leon made his way over to the bed. Thankfully, Arthur must have been lying down when Gaius examined him for there was a chair resting by the bed. Leon didn't particularly care who had left it there, but sank down into it. It was only then that he realised he was shaking as he stretched out his leg with a long groan. Arthur was curled up on top of the covers, his arms wrapped around himself as he seemed to stare off at nothing. Leon could see that his eyes were alert though, he knew that the knight was there. Reaching out a hand, Leon gently touched Arthur's shoulder.

"You're cold!" he exclaimed, shifting forward. He tugged at the blankets, but they were trapped under Arthur's body and he wasn't yet ready to make himself stand again. He wasn't sure he would be able to stay upright. He still managed to move too far, however, and hissed with pain as it jarred his leg. Arthur's eyes snapped onto him.

"You're hurt." Arthur pushed himself up, but he made the same mistake that Leon did. He put his hand down to support his weight, forgetting about the nasty cut running up his arm. The limb refused to lock and Arthur ended up back down where he started. Leon shifted in sympathy, but then found a wave of alarm was shooting through him at the tears burning in Arthur's eyes. The boy never admitted to being hurt, no matter what he had done. In fact, the only time Leon had seen him kick up a fuss was when he had been faking it and trying to get out of a formal dinner. To see him looking this vulnerable now pulled on the knight's heart.

"Do you want to something for the pain?" He asked gently. He was certain that Gaius would have left provisions in case Arthur needed them. The prince shook his head.

"It's fine," he muttered, and despite the evidence saying otherwise, Leon found that he was believing him. If the pain was bad enough to bring tears to Arthur's eyes, Leon would have heard it in his voice. This was about something different, and Leon had a feeling he knew what. He managed to inch the chair forward without hurting himself.

"What is it?"

"Nothing! I'm fine."

Leon knew Arthur well enough to know when he was trying to force his voice to stay steady. Arthur was trying to hold himself together, and Leon was certain that he knew why.

"You did well out there. I saw you save Harold's life. Your father will be proud. You fought well, Arthur, you earned your place on that patrol."

Arthur simply shrugged, biting back a wince as it jarred his arm. Leon fell silent, studying him. He had a feeling that Arthur was about to say for himself what the issue was. He knew how much the prince closed up when pushed, but he also knew how to read the signs – he knew when to wait Arthur out. He had just begun to think that he was going to have to get back across the room to stir up the fire again when Arthur spoke. His voice was quiet and a far cry from the usual confident tone the eighteen year old displayed.

"What was the point?

"What do you mean?"

"We didn't even stop them all. More people are going to have to go out there in order to find the rest of them, more people will get hurt. More will get…" Arthur broke off, sucking in a sharp breath through his nose.

"Killed?" Leon prompted, realising that he had been right in thinking about what was going through Arthur's head. He had been trained to kill ever since he had begun his training. While practice was different to reality, Arthur had known what to expect from it. What no one had trained him for, however, was watching comrades being cut down next to you. Leon knew there was no lesson for that, no way to explain how it felt until one had experienced it. Then it was just a matter of picking up the pieces.

Arthur nodded, his face angry even as he confirmed Leon's thoughts. He made it into an upright position this time, swinging his legs over the bed and glaring at the wall.

"We're protecting people, Arthur."

"At what cost?!"

"What did you see?" Leon said slowly, realising that this was more than just seeing death. Arthur had touched death.

"Sir Lawrence. He was right next to me. One of them, he had a crossbow. My back was turned, I was fighting someone else. Lawrence yelled my name and the thug fired even as I turned. Lawrence threw himself in the way. He didn't just die, Leon, he died for me!"

Arthur's voice had started off quiet and unsure, but he was yelling by the time he had finished. Leon managed to shuffle closer still, reaching out and gripping the back of Arthur's neck. His grip was firm and strong, grounding the young man back in reality before he could lose Arthur to whatever was running through his head.

"Then he died with honour doing his duty."

"He shouldn't have taken that bolt!"

"Yes, he should."

"How can you say that?" Arthur pulled away from the touch and Leon let him. But Arthur didn't go far, his eyes wild as he stared at Leon. The knight was forcibly reminded of a much younger Arthur demanding to know what the difference between a knight and a soldier was. He still had the same stubborn glint in his eye now as then and Leon knew that he would not be permitted to leave the room until Arthur had all the answers that he wanted. Unlike when the prince had been small enough to just crawl across his lap, Arthur could physically stop him now if he wanted.

"It was his duty, Sire. Any of those men out there would have taken that bolt for you. Myself included."

"Don't say that! Don't ever say that! You are not to die for me, you hear? None of you are!" The last part was added onto the end wildly, almost as if Arthur had only been able to focus on Leon's offer to die for him rather than saying that any of the men would have. Leon smiled gently.

"You are our future King, Arthur. It's our honour and duty."

"I don't care. I don't ever want people dying for me like that! What's the point of all this training and all the lessons if I'm supposed to just sit back and let men die in my place? I didn't watch my back today, it should have been me who paid the price."

"Then how many would have died?"

"What?" The heat had gone from Arthur's voice and Leon smiled gently. How had he coped with it? He had been knighted when he had been Arthur's age, he had been thrown out on patrols without the comfort of a master waiting to explain it all. Bors had only taken one look at them on arriving home and told Leon that it was up to him to sort the prince out. But Leon could remember how he had stayed up the whole of the night after his first time, wanting someone to tell him that it was going to be alright and missing his father more than ever.

"Arthur, you are the future of this kingdom. If something happened to you out there, there would be no heir to the throne. The kingdom would tear itself apart trying to solve who would be next in line to the throne. No matter the costs, you have to live."

"It's wrong though." Leon sighed, knowing that Arthur was in an argumentative mood. In a way, he was glad because he knew that would be the only way the young man would be able to work through what was on his mind. "Bors forever tells me to watch my back. I forgot, and look what happened to Lawrence."

"He won't be the last, Arthur. I know you don't want to accept that, I know how hard that is. But there is only one thing you can do."

"What?"

"Learn from it. Make sure that you don't make the same mistakes. You fought bravely out there, and if that isn't enough to get your father to allow your knighthood brought forward… You don't want people to die for you because you are a good man, Arthur. But that? That is precisely why they would do so."

Arthur didn't answer and Leon was pleased to see that the prince was clearly thinking over his words. He let his hand rest on Arthur's neck again.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of because of what happened out there. If it is any help, Kay pushed Thomas off his horse to make him avoid an arrow. You're not the only one they would die for. That's what makes us so unstoppable." Leon slowly began to push himself out of his chair, wincing as he did so. He jumped in surprise when a hand curled around his wrist, the touch fleeting and unsure.

"Don't leave me?" Arthur whispered, and Leon immediately sank back into his seat. He knew Arthur was afraid of the nightmares, especially considering what was running through his head.

"I'll be here for as long as you need me. Come, Sire, you should get some sleep." Leon managed to tug on the blanket and this time, Arthur helped. He scooted up the bed until Leon could tug it free, then laid back down at the knight's prompt. Leon slowly drew the blankets up over him.

"Get some rest, Arthur. I swear I won't go anywhere." Arthur nodded, clearly forcing his body to relax. Both men stayed quiet and Leon found himself staring into the flames. It didn't matter what he had just been saying, it didn't make it any easier to lose friends out there. He sighed, just feeling himself beginning to doze off when Arthur spoke again.

"Did I really do alright out there?" It was nothing more than a whisper in the darkness and Leon smiled. He stretched out a hand until he rested it on Arthur's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Yes, Sire, you did. You should be proud of yourself."

"I don't want to be proud of myself." Leon drew back, knowing that Arthur was still thinking that he caused the deaths. But before he could turn completely, Arthur spoke again.

"As long as you are proud of me."

"More than you'll ever know. Now, sleep."

This time, Arthur did as he was told and Leon found that he was watching him closely. When had his little prince turned into such a strong knight and leader?

As Arthur slept, Leon sat by his side. He knew the day had been a hard one for the prince and that the next few days would have Arthur no doubt acting up more than he had done for years as he struggled to cope with how he was feeling. But for the first time, Leon had finally seen the king that he knew Arthur was going to become.