A/N: Finally, I have finished this chapter, it has been almost a month, a hell of a month, but it is here finally. Enjoy I hope I have finally found the voice of Leon.
Leon was wakened before dawn by someone sneaking into his rooms. He woke feeling movement around the bed, his hand crept under the pillow and grabbed one of the daggers that he kept there. It was in his hand ready to fly, when he opened his eyes and recognized Merlin.
"Darling, are you trying you get yourself killed?" His sleepy brain did not register the slip, later when it occurred to him, he was ready to kill himself. With some strange luck Merlin did not notice it or she decided not to point it out. "They arrested Gwen; the plan is off." The words come out as huffs; she had run herself breathless.
"What why was she arrested?" Leon jumped out of the bed, being glad that he did not sleep nude.
"Someone, rumours tell that Morgana, found magical object from Arthur's rooms, Gaius identified it as object which was used for love magic. The king accused Gwen with sorcery, saying that she placed the item in the prince's rooms and that's why Arthur fell in love with her."
"That is ludicrous. Gwen would never..." He spluttered. Then he took a calming breath. "The king loves Arthur too much, too be so cruel, he could not be the one who had the object placed in son's rooms. He would have Gwen banished not dead."
"No, it was not the king, it was someone else." Leon read the truth from Merlin's eyes.
"You know who it was?" He got his red shirt on and tried to figure out if he needed to put on his gambeson and chainmail.
"I have my suspicions, but without proof I cannot tell you."
"You told me about the troll." Leon's eyebrow rose. He decided no armoury not just yet.
"That was different. I knew then that it would come out soon, but this... for this I really need proof." She sent sad smile to Leon. "I am going to go and find it now."
"I am going to figure out, how to get Gwen out of dungeon." He told that to the empty air, Merlin was already out of the door.
He leaned against the table and tried to get feeling of guilt out of his system. He should have pressured Arthur too leave in the evening, he - strategist - should have seen it coming. But no, he had been too confident, had not seen undertones. A fool he was. He had served in Camelot many years, he should have known that secret was no secret in Camelot, they should have left the kingdom immediately, not wait.
He pinched bridge of his nose, self-bitty and guilt did not help at that moment.
He needed to prove, that Gwen had nothing to do with the spell. If he knew anything about magic, and it was little, the object to have any effect on person, it should be near the subject of the spell at least day too two days.
Leon had to prove now that at least a week, Gwen had not entered Arthur's rooms. He had to figure out a plan how to approach maids, manservant, guards so that no one would suspect what he was doing.
The bell tolled seven in the morning, he could just yet start his investigation, it would be strange for him to be up and about in that hour, he did not have any training or obligations, and the servants knew that he had to wait for at least an hour.
First, he needed to look over the guards' schedule, which guards were on their duty by Arthur's door and Lady Morgana's doors.
He looked at the desk corner where stood a stack of report and schedules, two weeks full. Arthur wanted him to look them thru, he did not need to go looking for them.
He hoped that the stacking and bringing them onto his desk was Merlin doing, if it was Arthurs, then it would be a total mess.
The triple goddess was at his side, he found all the schedules and reports placed by date and time. The shift change was within two hours.
There was order was to write a report on who entered princes and king's wards rooms, there were times when one could go in and out of the room unnoticed, but you must know the routine of the guards and the occupants of the rooms. When Leon and Arthur were teenagers, they had used those windows many times to do mischief.
But the reports over two weeks proved that Gwen had not entered to Arthurs rooms and when there were windows to sneak around Gwen had been in Morgana's chambers.
When he had looked thru the reports, the clock had turned ten. The time was running out, in two hours he needed to be in council chamber.
He headed to the kitchens, the best place he knew to get the rumours, the kitchen staff knew everything, and he was hungry.
He had planned his entrance perfectly, cleaning of the breakfast had ended and preparations for lunch had not yet started, kitchen maids were busying themselves with what need to do and Marleana was looking at a cooking book.
"Good morning Marleana." He smiled when he stepped down from the stairs leading to the kitchen.
"Morning, it is almost noon." Marleana snaped without turning around, suddenly it hit her, that it had not been one of the servants who she snapped at. She turned and bowed her head. "Sir Leon, I am sorry I was..."
Before she could finish Leon raised his hand, "There is none of that. It will be not first or the last time you snap at me."
Marleana shook her head. "You are so different, from the other nobles," her eyes turned into slits, "the rumour has, that you have not have your breakfast yet." accusing tone made Leon lower his head a little. "I had some paperwork to catch up."
"Come sit and eat, some of the porridge was left over from the breakfast." She gestured to the table, what was already under next meals ingredients.
"Have you eaten?"
"It has been couple of hours," she said without thinking, then her brows furrowed, "alright it has been five hours."
"Come eat with me then." Leon smiled.
At that there was silence, all the servants who had been busy were listening, Leon almost laughed here was his proof that there was nothing secret in Camelot, if there were servants around.
"Sir Leon, it is not proper." Marleana admonish.
Leon blushed, Marleana smiled, the redness of his cheeks made him look younger than his 24. years. Marleana sent warning glance to underlings, and they went back to work.
"It would not be the first time, when I and prince Arthur were boys, you ate many times with us."
"That was because I did not want you get up to any mischief in my kitchen." She looked around the kitchen again. "Alright." She filled two plates with porridge. "Let's go to the storage room."
The storage room they entered was full of shelves with dry ingredients there was only one window and under it a desk. Marleana sat behind it and pointed Leon to sit into the guest chair.
"I know you Leon, there something on your heart." She said when she took first spoon full.
"Gwen." was only thing he said.
"Please tell me, that you do not think that she is sorcerer."
"No, I am trying to prove that she is not. I just worked thru all the reports in two weeks to show that she did not enter in prince Arthur's rooms."
"What help you need from me?" Marleana raised a curious eyebrow.
"The king would say that the reports are not proof enough, Gwen could go to the room when the guard was changing. I need some more information and I know kitchen staff is always well informed."
Sly smiled formed on Marleana's lips. "Oh, yes we are. There is not a gossip, that does not reach to the kitchen. The best way to solve your problem, is talking to the laundry maids, Gwen spends many hours with them, then go and talk to seamstresses and then with the steward. If one of the servants is idle he will find a job for them."
Leon placed the plate onto the desk. "I figured that I could go talk to the steward. And talk to the other servants, but going to the group of them is a good idea. I am glad that I came talk to you."
"You know, I always help you. You and prince Arthur made my days brighter, when you were lads. And Gwen is a sweet girl, I would never think she was a sorcerer."
"I will prove that you are right." Leon smiled, thanked for the meal and went to search the Stewart.
The bell tolled one when he finally finished his investigation and had proof that Gwen could not place the magical object into Arthur's rooms.
The council meeting had started, yes he was late, but he had more important things to do. And he was going to interrupt the meeting to present his finds.
He was half way to the council room, when a guard almost ran into him.
"Sir Leon." He was panting.
"Simeon, what's wrong?"
"Prince Arthur found a sorcerer from his chambers."
"What?" Leon had a bad feeling.
"He is taking her to the council room." Leon nodded to the guard and quickened his step, do not run, was only thing he could think.
Fear crept into back of his head, he had a suspicion who the sorcerer was. Leon only hoped that she was not that stupid.
Leon's hopes were shattered when he stepped to the council chamber and saw the old sorcerer berating Uther. He stepped closer when the woman turned to Arthur. Dressed in all black, grey hair flowing down her shoulders, wrinkled face, but something was so familiar.
Those eyes, no one else had that kind of eyes, how anyone did not see who the woman was a mystery. Or maybe he was the only one who had ever looked into those eyes so deeply.
"And you. Oh, I have heard how you...mistreat your servants! They do everything for you, but do they ever get any thanks? No! You're a spoiled arrogant brat! With the brains of a donkey and the face of a toad." Leon felt sudden urge to shake Merlin, had she lost her mind, she was placing wood for her own pyre, and if Arthur would start thinking, he would definitely recognize his servant, the only one who had enough guts to insult her prince. He looked around the room, the lords and knight were ready to kill her, he saw Gaius' eyeroll, of course the old man knew what was going on. How could Gaius allow Merlin to do something this stupide?
"This serving girl. She is your accomplice?" Uther spat out.
Merlin shook her head. "I enchanted her too. The girl is entirely innocent."
"My Lord, he has confessed." Leon could see relief almost washing over Arthur but the prince was too well trained to let it show, only those how knew him well could see the change.
Uther picked up the poultice, Merlin must have thrown it on the table before Leon arrived, the sulk of the king was seen by everyone. "Release the girl. Tomorrow at dawn you will take your place on the pyre. Take her away."
When the guards started to drag Merlin away, Leon stepped forward. "I will take her, if you give me leave, my liege."
Uther huffed, waved his hand. "You may go Sir Leon, but when she is in her cell and the serving girl free, I want you back in this chamber, this council is too important for you to miss."
"Yes, my liege." Leon bowed and took Merlin arm dragging her to the door, he will save her. May it cost him his title, the lands, his head.
"Oh, Sir Leon, busy-body, knight who does everything what his master bids." Leon wanted to hiss at her to shut up. But the servants were watching, her shouts brought them around like flies to the honey pot.
"A knight on his high horse, never coming down, never seeing his lesser." If he would have not known that Merlin just played her part, he would have been offended. He dragged her along to the dungeons, trying to find a privet corridor where he could push her so she could escape. But her ranting got attention of guards and servants who came to see what was going one, there was no privacy.
"Shut up." he finally hissed, but did the girl listen – No.
They were getting close to the dungeon stairs, there was no way to escape. "You know Sir Leon, you have go so far with your loyalties that you have forsaken all the values of chivalry." Now Leon frowned, he hoped that the girl really was playing her roll, not thinking what she said. If she did Leon knew that there would be no hope form them, he felt how cracks started forming in his heart.
"You are a puppet on a string, doing everything his master wants. Have you enjoyed the killing, execution of my kind. Our good and loved Sir Leon, most loyal and trusted knight of them all." That hurt, the girl had just struck a dagger into his heart.
They reached to the cell, Leon waved the guard away and took Merlin into himself, he raised his eyebrow and said quietly. "Well, it is good to know, what you think off me. It is too bad that you could not shut up and attracted attention, otherwise I could have pushed you into some empty corridor and let you escape, feigned that you used magic on me." With that he turned and locked the cell, he handed the key to the guard, when he looked over his shoulder Merlin was standing in the middle of the cell hugging her elbows closer to herself. He shook his head, he had tried. Few steps on, where nobody saw he leaned against the wall and let his head fell back, he had tried and he could not done anything, now the woman who he loved more than his life was in a cell and he could do nothing to help her. He hit his head against the wall, it hurt, in some strange reason he wanted to do it again so he would feel that pain and not the one in his heart. He took a breath, let the pain fade into the background, first he needed to let Gwen go and then find Gaius and ask if he had a plan. But before he could talk to Gaius, he needed to get back to that gods damn meeting.