A/N: Here is the next chapter, the story is closing to its end. I think two more chapters, maybe three. There is another Authors note in the end.

Leon woke up when someone proclaimed behind his window: "Long live Queen Morgana."

Queen Morgana, was he dreaming, had Uther died, had Arthur, it could not be anything but a dream? Because only in dreams could Morgana raise to be a queen, in real life it would not be possible. Arthur would never give up the throne of Camelot, even under a threat of death.

His head hurt, why did his head hurt, and it was not his bed where he laid, it was a stone floor. Something was off, in a bad way. He opened his eyes and found himself in a dungeon. What was he doing there? This was not right, had a sorcerer come and turned everything upside down.

And then fragments of what happened started forming in his mind. He had been on a patrol fighting with a knight who did not die when he had pushed his sword thru his chest. He had escaped and found his way back to Camelot. He had informed the king, who instead of retreating had decides to stay in the city and defend it. Even if he had known about the immortal army, he had decided to let his people get slaughtered.

Leon had followed orders even knowing that death waited for him, but he tried to keep his promise to Arthur and Merlin.

He had not died but got hit on the head and now he was in the dungeon and Morgana was the queen. But where was king Uther? Had they killed him? Or was he in prison as Leon?

Arthur had been on quest for the cup. Leon could conclude it failed, otherwise there would not be an immortal army, if he remembered correctly Gaius had said to the king that it was the only chance how an army like that could be born. Leon hoped that Merlin and Arthur had survived the situation that gave the cup to Morgana and Cenred. And speaking of Cenred, where was he? How and why had Morgana betrayed them? So many questions so little answers. It made his head hurt more than it was before.

He closed his eyes and could only hope that Morgana had not just yet gone beyond the city, she needed to make her claim in the city first and then move to outer estates, Leodegrance was safe for a while. But soon when the city and her prisoners were under her thump she would move and claim all the Camelot. Something had to be done soon, he feared for his mother, who would never surrender, who even in her great intelligence would do something foolish. Bryndis Leodegrance would die before she yielded to an authority of usurper.

Leon felt how mist he had just come out of tried to take power over him again, all these thoughts, all his worries tried to make him wish that it would take him down, away. But he was a knight of Camelot, he would not let it happen.

He shook his head and the mist receded a little, he found the strength to rose. He looked around, it was the same cell, he had brought Merlin week or so ago. How the mighty have fallen a little voice whispered in the back of his mind.

He stepped to the bars and looked around. No guards were around, he whistled, every knight had birdsong parole for situations like that. When they fell prison and they did not see other knights they whistle, and the others would answer with their tune. Leon was a swallow, he just hoped he got it right, but you could never tell, with a headache like he was sporting.

It took moment when he got the answer a bullfinch call. It was Sir Erec, the boy had survived.

"Sir Leon, you are finally awake, we were worried about you."

"How long was I out?" Few hours? Half a day?

"A day, we were worried that you were dead." Came the answer.

A day, that was a long time, it happened with concussions and head traumas, but it was unusual. He wanted to slap himself, Leon concentrate, he thought, there was no time to wonder over trivial problem like that, there was time for it when he and the others were not in the middle of this muddled mess.

"Who are We?"

Erec counted name of nine knights. There were much senior knights in there why had they chosen the boy to speak for them? "They put us together into on cell and separated you from us."

Leon could see the rightness of Morganas plan. "Where is King Uther, is he dead? Imprisoned?"

"He is alive." Thank the gods for that Leon could only think. "They placed him farther from us, so we could not talk to him."

"The other knights, guards?"

"Knights slaughtered or escaped. Guards imprisoned or forced to serve Morgana under threats of killing their families." Kayan must be one of the last, Leonn could conclude.

"What news of prince Arthur and Merlin?" He held his breath waiting for the answer.

"We heard the guards talking, they are still searching for them. Gaius escaped as well."

"Good." If Arthur, Merlin, and Gaius were hiding then there was still a little hope.

"What about Gwen?"

"She serves Morgana." It was Gwen's only way to survive. Leon did not even condemn her for it.

"What are the orders, Sir Leon?" Erec asked, when the older knight did not answer

Leon was confused, there were more senior knights with the boy, why did he ask from him? Then it hit him, gods' damn concussion. He was Arthur's second in command. If king Uther was in prison, and they could not reach him and Arthur was in hiding, he was the one who was in command.

"Morgana," Leon could not add the title, he did not have respect for the woman anymore, "wants our fealty, so the people of Camelot could see that she has knights, their protectors, on her side, we will not give her that. Right now, we will wait, we cannot do anything. We cannot escape." he paused then said. "Now would be perfect time to confess if any of you is a sorcerer, no consequences." He waited, but there was silence. "As I suspected. Then we have nothing else to do but wait."

He went and sat back to corner, he had not ever imagined that he would find himself lock up in the dungeon of Camelot, he had feared it but never believed that it would come true.

It did not take half an hour before he heard footsteps, he rose and went to the bars. Few moments later Morgause stopped in front of his cell. "Sir Leon, you are finally awake."

"Morgause." He almost spat.

"Oh, so informal, what happened to the always proper knight?" when no answer came, she continued, "Queen Morgana, asks for your loyalties, honour and your servitude." Morgause stepped closer.

"My loyalties lay with King Uther and Prince Arthur." Leon sneered at her.

"Good to know." Morgause smirked, she went and turned to the other knights. "And you?"

"Our loyalties lay with King Uther and Prince Arthur." The knights said as one man.

"We shall see." She turned to the guard. "No food and little water to our guest for a week." she proclaimed and left.

Leon went and sat again, he hit the back of his head against the wall and groaned, he had hit the wound back of his head, he had forgotten. "So, it will begin," he whispered, "the rule of Queen Morgana."

Week without food and little water, would drive any man mad. It was surprise that they had survived, Leon thought as the guards came into his cell and chained his hands. But Morgana would never get what she wanted.

He was brought before her in the council chamber.

"Tell me Sir Leon, how have you enjoyed the first week of my reign?" Morgana asked when Leon was pushed on his knees in front of her. Leon sigh from the rough treatment but did not answer her.

"Speak up." Came a command, but she was no one to command him. Leon clenched his jaw and looked before him.

"Are you and your fellow knights ready to serve and honour me?"

This time Leon raised his eyes and looked straight at her. "I would rather die." And he meant it, he had given an oath to die for Camelot, her king, and her prince.

"That can be arranged." Morgause smirked.

"My loyalties are to the King and Prince Arthur. There is nothing you can do change that." Leon said waiting for the killing blow to come. But it did not.

"We shall see," Morgana rose, "everyone out I want to talk to the prisoner alone."

"But..." Morgause started to protest, but Morgana send her a look. Morgause frowned, but she Gwen and the guards left.

"Sir Loen, I do not understand how a man with intelligence and wisdom like yours, can serve Uther Pendragon, who has brought pain and terror into this kingdom, he has killed innocent and felt nothing?" Morgana pierced her angry eyes at him.

Leon felt sadness for her, what had happened to beautiful and kind lady? "And what have you brought Morgana?" he could not use any title, she had not deserved them, "the same, pain, terror, fear. You have started your reign has he, all who have appose you have to die. Soon that fate will wait me. What happened Camelot's favourite daughter, where that fear and anger came from? We talked once about a coup, then decided to wait, let the situation pass, a coup was a last change, if Arthur was not named heir again. We both knew and know to whom this throne belongs. Why did you let yourself to be led to this? When it all started why did you not ask help, I would have helped you."

"You, the most loyal knight to Uther Pendragon, you who hate magic? You would have not helped me." She spat it.

"You think I hate magic? You forget that I lived before the great Purge. I remember the time before it. You do not know me as well as you think, none of you do. I am a knight; knights most important duty is loyalty to the ruler he serves. I swore myself to king Uther and his son, his heir and nothing will change that, but that does not mean I hate magic. But I despise those who use it for evil."

He saw something in her eyes, was that regret, but as soon as he saw it, it was gone. "Guards take him away." The doors opened and he was dragged away from her.

In the name of Maiden, Mother, Crone, what had happened to Morgana. Tears swelled in his eyes, but none fell. Innocent people had died because of him because he was loyal to his king and prince. Then a voice what sounded like Merlin, Arthur and Gaius combined whispered in his head, that he was not at fault. He had done his duty, stayed loyal and honoured his oaths. It was all Morgana's doing, she gave the order. The voices were right, he admitted, but it did not mean, that he should not feel guilty.

Then another thought came to him, voices he was hearing voices, mad, he was going mad from hunger and dehydration. Madness was the only thing he had not experienced in his service of Camelot, it would have happened at some point, thankfully he was not in front of the king when it happened. That would have been fun.

His brooding was stopped when Gwen rushed in with her strange plan of escaping. In the middle of Gwen's explaining Leon felt like someone was watching. They were alone, how could it be. Guard had stepped away from his cell and there was no one else. Then his dehydrated, hungry and sleep deprived brain remembered. In the name of Maiden, how could he such an idiot? He, second in command to prince Arthur, did not remember the peepholes that were in four cells ceilings, his cell was one of them. He wanted to curse. But he could not. That would give him away and he could not tell Gwen anything, it would scare her, and that Leon did not want. If Morgana, Morgause or one of their henchmen were listening, there would be two outcomes. They would execute Gwen and himself for a treason. Or they would let them escape, so they would take them to Arthur. If Leon would been in their boots, he would do just that. So, he did not stop her, even if it sealed both their faiths. If they could escape, he knew that he would find a way to save them and the others.

Before Gwen left Leon bulled her into a hug and whispered. "If you have chance, send my mother a word. Tell her, that she should be ready for the new purge, this time not against the people with magic, but to the people who supported the male Pendragons."

"Leon." Gwen whispered; Leon shushed her.

"Tell her, if she does not hear from me for the next two weeks, she will know what to do."

She nodded into his shoulder, then backed away and left him.

Leon sighed, he hoped, that Morgana thought like him, otherwise he was going to meet his death in the morning.

For once his prediction was right, Morgana let them escape. Gwen's plan was perfect, if you leave out the dress, he could not even look back without moving the hood, and gods be damned, how did they tolerate the corset and high heels. When he finally got rid of the dress, he had much more appreciation for women than before.

"What is taking you so long?" At Gwen's annoyed question made him almost curse.

"I am a woman." He knew at one point that annoyed snap would come and bite his ass, but that moment he did not give a damn.

Thankfully after helping him, Gwen did not make any jokes, Leon was grateful for that. Every now and again he checked over his shoulder and made little sidesteps form the road.

"Leon are we being followed?" Gwen had always been observant.

"Yes." And he explained everything.

"Why did you not tell me when we were in the cell?" Gwen was angry.

"I know you are a good actor, you proved it in the last week, but I was afraid, that knowledge would have changed something in the way you laid your plan out to me. They would have picked it up." Leon smiled apologizingly. "I suspect that they put a spell on you, or you ate or drank something with a potion to make following us easier." The look on Gwen's face told him everything. "You drank/ate something?"

"Yes, drank."

"Well, we have a conformation, how they are following us and then we can figure out, how to make their job difficult. Even if it almost impossible. Now do not fret about it, we can out manoeuvre them and warn the others, or we will die fighting with our prince and friends." Leon knew it was not the best way to comfort one of his oldest friends, but Gwen took a breath and nodded.

There was silence for a little while, they did another hook in their way and then Gwen asked: "What is going on between you and Merlin?" She needed a subject to talk about, about this she had been curious about.

Yes, Gwen had always been observant. "What do you mean?"

"You have acted differently with each other for months now. Did you have fight?" Leon kept his smirk at bay, form Gwen's voice he could pick up that she already knew what was going on. She was almost as good as his mother – almost.

Leon had a feeling, that Gwen had assumptions about Merlin's magic, but he did not want to go into that. Then he would have to confess other things, like harbouring a sorcerer in the walls of Camelot. But Gwen had asked him something and waited for an answer.

"I am in love with her." He decided to be honest.

"And her, how does she feel about you?" There was no surprise on Gwen face or voice.

"We have not had that conversation yet." So, he told her everything, about Meredor, Uther's words, missed changes.

"It would be for naught to ask if the king really was that cruel when we think what he tried to do to me and Arthur." In Gwen's gentle way, the words sounded much more lenient than they were meant to. "As the king and power of Law of the Nobility, he feels that he has every right to intervene in his knights love life."

"He has, he is the king." Leon could only say. He wanted to change the subject because loyalty in him, made him want to argue with Gwen, even when he knew that she was right.

"So, you do not know, how Merlin feels about you?" Gwen could not stop herself.

"Sometimes, it feels like she feels the same as me, but then it does not."

"I have feeling, she does." Gwen smiled her clever smile. There was silence, Leon did not know what to say to her and changed finally the subject.

"Did you ever suspect that Morgana would turn on us and go after the crown?" He had not, even if Merlin's behaviour towards the king's ward should have made him suspicious. Merlin had feared it and could not tell anyone, she would have been thought mad.

"No," Gwen took a deep breath, "I never did. And it is extremely hard for me to say it, but I prefer king Uther on the throne over her."

"I think there are many who think like you." Gwen nodded. There was no answer to that, they had reached nature made stares of the ravine in the Darkling woods.

"Are you sure they are here?" Gwen was hesitant.

"There are two places they could be, one is here, other is the castle of ancient kings. Knowing Arthur, he will be here, because it is ten miles further to the castle." Leon was quite certain, that their prince and friends were here.

When they reached into the bottom of the ravine, they headed to the north, the caves were eight hundred yards from there. Leon let Gwen go before him, so he could protect their backs. They were just at the cave entrance when someone grabbed Gwen, she gasped, and Leon raised his sword to attack.

"Guinevere." Arthur sighed in relief. He hugged her and turned to Leon. "Sir Leon." Prince shook his knight's hand. "Sire, we are being followed." Leon said the same time when Elyan came running. "We have been found! They are almost up on us."

"Damn, they were quick." Leon muttered.

"Get Gaius!" Arthur ordered Merlin, who nodded and went.

A/N: The way Morgana and Morgause learned about Gwen's and Leon's plan off escape has been troubling me for a quite while. Leon, is the knight of Camelot, he would definitely know about the peepholes. I understand it was for the plot, but he is Leon.