A/N: Finally here is this chapter, I am sorry it took me so long, to update. My original stories charterers decided to start talking to me again and thanks to that I finished the book.
Then Leon came back and sweet talked me to write this chapter. Remember I told you that this is the final chapter. Seems like I was wrong, the characters took over and made me think on somethings, so this story continues, at least for few chapters more, the part I thought to write as a one-parter, is added to this story. I do not know anymore when this story will be finished, I hope soon Leon will have the answer for me. But now, read, enjoy and review. (If I do not answer to your reviews quickly, do not worry I am not ignoring you. Something is wrong with my account, again I don't get the notification e-mails, I wrote to the support and hope the problem will be solved.)
Two days passed since the eve in Leon's rooms. Information about the knight that had escaped and hide, started to reach back to the city, the sigh of relief what Arthur and Leon let out when they discovered how many knights had escaped came deep from the heart.
Arthur sent the heralds out to declare all around the kingdom that, the throne was back in hands of the king and the prince, but as the king was ill, the prince would rule as a regent.
Now all the Knights of the Round Table, Gaius, Gwen, and Merlin had gathered into the small chamber, on the first floor under king Uther's council chamber, on the summon of Arthur.
"First of all, this is going to be our council chamber, I will not disband the old council, my father is not dead and may return to the throne, I will keep his support system. But you will be my primal council. I will discuss everything thru with you and then go to them, as Sir Leon and Gaius are part of that council everything will be simpler."
He looked around the room, getting nods from everyone he continued. "Second, as I am regent, I cannot hold position of First knight of this realm, from this day forward Sir Leon will hold it, it will be announced at noon to everyone."
He turned to Lancelot, Gwaine, Elyan and Percival. "Your training will start tomorrow morning. Your lessons must wait until Master Dareon reaches to Camelot if he agrees to come."
"Master Dareon?" Leon's eyes had grown in surprise.
"Yes, I talked to Gaius, who knows and remembers your teacher and wrote to your mother," Arthur smirked at the face Leon made, he had fun reminding the older man of Gaius connection to his mother, "her reply reached to us this morning, she will talk to Master Dareon and we hope to get his agreement by tomorrow's morning." He looked at Leon again. "Do not be surprised, you yourself told me that he accepted Elyan's and Guinevere's presents in his classroom. If he did not have any objections to teach servants children, then he would agree to teach our knights."
"You are right Master Dareon was most accepting." Leon had to approve Arthur's choice.
"Good," Arthur smiled, and turned to the knights, "you will be learning etiquette, decorum, aesthetics, dancing, poetry," he saw hesitation in Percival and Lancelot, the latter hesitation was smaller, and added, "and if need to learn reading, writing and calculating." The two knight relaxed and smiled.
"And for third, Sir Leon will be your trainer." Leon held back his surprise, they had not discussed it, he had not known. But the knights surprise shined on their faces.
This time Arthur laughed. "You will be my elite knights, there is no one better than Leon to show you the ropes. Until you are trained fully, you are not going to go patrols, quests or battles, same goes to Leon," the latter opened his mouth to protest, but Arthur raised his hand, "you are the best knight I have, and I am confident, that you train the Knights of Round Table as good as you, even if not better, so I will not trust their training into no one else's hand while you are gone away." He raised his brow as too challenge Leon argue, but the knight only nodded, seeing no reason for it.
"Good, now I have other pressing matters to addend to, Leon you will have rest of the day off," the knight wanted to argue again and declare it was only noon, but Artur stopped him, "I am the regent, you will do as I say, if I say you will have rest of the day off, you will, you are over worked, last time I saw you rest was two nights ago, Merlin has reported, that you have had only four hour sleep at both nights." Leon shot a look at the girl, but she only smiled at him sweetly, "so you will rest."
Leon sighed. "As you say my Lord," then a smirk appeared, "but I have to say, I have heard the same reports."
"Merlin!"
"Merlin was not the only one." Arthur did not need the explanation of whom the other reporter was, he shot a look at the girls, and both smiled at him.
"So, I think Gaius would agree, if I need rest, then should you." Leon new well how to play the prince.
"Yes, Sir Leon is right." Gaius answered, keeping his face straight to not to so his amusement.
Arthur sputtered, but seeing his friends he gave in. "Alright, I will take the night off. But now I must leave." He huffed and left the room, Gwen followed him. Leon raised his brow at Gaius and Merlin, Gaius only smiled and waved to him to go on.
Leon shook his head and looked at the knights. "You will also have a night off, but tomorrow morning I expect you on the training grounds two hours after breakfast. If you are late there will be twenty push ups in full armour. If you show up to training with a hangover, there would be ten laps around the citadel and forty push ups with full armour, if that does not remind you the rule, Gaius has a leach tank what he needs to be cleaned and if it is recurring occurrence, you will be Gaius' slave for two months."
"Isn't the last thing what happened to you in your squire days?" Elyan's eyes shined with mirth.
"Wait Sir high and mighty Leon, showed up to training with a hangover. That I would have liked to see." Gwaine laughed.
Leon held his sigh back; he was going to have so much trouble with Gwaine. Before he could answer, Gaius opened his mouth. "Yes, he was my slave, as he likes to call it, for two months, but I have to tell you, he got that punishment for his first offence not third like you are going to have. And Elyan should not be smirking, if I remember correctly, it came out that he was one of Leon's accomplices. His punishment was not better," The other knights looked at Elyan who was blushing furiously, "at his two months in my service Sir Leon learned field medicine and thanks to that he has saved many lives while I and Merlin were not there."
Only one whose respect did not grow for the older knight, was Gwaine, he was suspicious of all nobles, even if he trusted Merlin's opinion – gods be damned the girl was in love with the older knight, but the First knight needed to prove himself before he could be trusted.
Leon could read it all from the face of the other knight and knew, it will not be easy to get to Gwaine.
Leon stayed stoic, even if he sent a grateful look at Gaius. "Everything else I will discuss with you tomorrow's morning, you may go."
As they looked the knights go, Leon turned to Gaius. "Thank you, but you did not stay here to defend me?"
"Do not pretend that you do not know." There was the eyebrow, it took all the willpower of Leon to not to take a step back. "You and Arthur are both idiots. Do not even start arguing." Gaius raised a hand, "you have leaded this kingdom for two days and you both are overworked, tired and if I see correctly, you are hungry and dehydrated. You have not healed from the ordeal Morgana but you thru, you are making it worse. Who would lead the protection of this city if you collapsed." Gaius saw that his words reached Leon. "If I learn again you do not rest, eat, or drink. I will personally lock you into you chamber with food and drink until you a rested. Am I making myself clear?"
"Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, Gaius, you are making yourself clear." Leon felt like he was teenager that had just been caught breaking rules.
"Good, now I am going to have same discussion with Arthur."
When Gaius left, Merlin lingered behind.
"You told Gaius?"
"Of course, I did, if you two idiots would have listened to me, stopped reading the reports and go to sleep, I would not had to." Merlin did not even look apologetic.
"How did you know when I went to sleep?"
"What do you think I have guards for?"
Leon looked her in astonishment. "You had them check on me, on Arthur?" Merlin nodded. "That is why they investigated my chamber three times last night, using excuse that they heard something strange. Those sneaks."
"Do not punish them for it, they did as I asked, they know I worry about you and Arthur. So do they, they would do anything for you."
"I know," sad smiled appeared on Leons face, "they were puppets in Morgana's games, they have suffered enough. I will not punish them, but you, I will have a payback."
Merlin smiled stepped closer and kissed him gently. "Of course, you will. Now go eat, drink and sleep."
She turned to go when Leon grabbed her arm and pulled her against him and gave her much deeper kiss than she had given him before. "Is your evening full?"
Merlin took a step back, she needed little to collect herself to kiss her made her knees weak and she looked little flustered. "I do not know. That depends on Prince Charming, if he listens to Gaius and takes the evening off. I may have to be with him to amuse him. But he may spend it with Gwen. We will see. But as I told you before go and eat. I must go before everyone in the castle knows that the prat needs me." She stepped to arms reach when Leon wanted to grab her again, blew him a kiss and took off into the direction of the smaller throne room, where she knew she would find Arthur.
Leon looked after her, smiled and headed to the kitchen, food, drink, and sleep were on his agenda.
When he had woken the dinner bells tolled and he discovered that he had slept five hours straight. His stomach had grown empty, he had eaten little at noon, so he decided to head to the Nobles' Hall for dinner. As soon he stepped into the hall, he saw the problem he needed to solve. Most of the survived knights were back, they started appearing as soon as the word reached to them, that Camelot was back in the rightful hands. Leon suspected that there were at least 10-15 knights who had not yet made it back.
He groaned when he looked at the room, Arthur may want to create a kingdom with equality, but his subjects may not agree with it. The Knights of the Round table had been pushed into a table in a corner, there were sneers and looks shooting at their way. He should have guessed, not all his fellow knight will agree with prince's decision.
As he entered the room grew quieter, the word was out that he was the First knight now. The balance was off and there was going to be a struggle to get some of the older knights at his side.
He would have been glad if he could deal with everything the next day, but everything pointed to fact that he needed to do it now. He took a plate of food and goblet of water and headed to the head table to the place of the first knight. He was never going to sit in there, but the situation now needed to be dealt from that place.
The room became silent everyone looked at him. "My fellow knight, as you know by now, from this day forward I am going to hold position of the First Knight of Camelot, as Prince Arthur must take the position of Regent. I will do everything in my power to lead you as well and equally as I can. And we must not forget that The Law of the Nobility is null and void, by the law of Prince Arthur." He looked at the room and noted the knights who did not approve with his words, they had accepted him as Arthur's second in command, but this position over them, that was not to their taste, he did not know yet how to turn them to his side, but he had too. "We are knight of Camelot, we are brothers in arms, in that brotherhood we forget our lineage, we are all equals, we are here to protect Camelot and her people, to be true to over vows and loyalties to our King and Prince. Let us never forget what is most important." Looked at them all, hoping his words got to them and made them think. He raised his goblet. "For the love of Camelot!"
The room echoed the call, but Leon saw reluctance of many, his work was cut out for him. He was not in the mood to start with that, that eve, it could wait until tomorrow.
He took his plate and goblet, he was not going to sit in the head table, he was not going to sit with the former knights, he did not have any friends amongst them, the friends he had in the knights were all dead. Before he would have gone and sat with the new knights, but now it would destroy the meaning of his speech, some older knights would take it as a favouritism, so he needed to go and sit alone. Next time he would remember to take his dinner in his rooms, but he realised what conclusions some might draw from that. Now he understood his father words: "To be a leader is to be lonely." He headed to the other corner table, that was empty, hopefully it would send another message. He had accepted the position, he himself had signed his fate.
He had just started to eat when he heard a chair pulled back at his table and then another one, he raised his eyes and saw Lancelot, Elyan and Percival placing their place on his table, he looked back at their table, Gwaine sat and looked his friends with astonishment then rose and came to them.
"I hope you have nothing against us sitting with you?" Lancelot asked.
"No, of course not." Leon was surprised.
They all sat and Gwaine looked at Leon. "Why did you stand up for us, you are a nobleman."
Leon wanted to hit Gwaine over the head, and answer back: you yourself are from nobility, if my suspicions are correct, why do you pretend you are a commoner? But it was not the time nor the place to let Gwaine's secret come out. Elyan looked bewildered, Lancelot and Percival uncomfortable at Gwaine's words.
"As I said we are brothers in arms. Gwaine you do not know me, so do not assume, it makes ass out of you and me." He was on his last rope; the words did not come out as a snap but sad statement.
Gwaine was taken aback, but he was not letting go of his opinion, but there were moments when he knew to keep his mouth shut. The table fell silent and now words were said until Percival asked hesitantly. "Sir Leon."
"Just Leon, we are not in training grounds or on assignment so no need for titles."
The smile Percival gave him warmed his heart. "What is it?"
"I wanted to ask about Master Dareon, is he a good teacher." The hesitation was back in Percival's voice. But Leon already understood what worried Percival, if the man accepted that he needed to teach grown men to read and write. Leon remembered what word had been wrote on Percival's place on the round table, bravery. A brave man could only admit his weakness.
"Master Dareon is a fair man and fair teacher, he accepts all." Leon tried to reassure the big knight. Smile returned on to Percival face and he relaxed.
"And he is fair with his punishments." Elyan smirked; Leon felt how heat started to raise on his cheeks. He ducked his head a little so his hair would hide his face. Elyan who knew him, saw it and smiled. "Remember what he made us do when we put a frog in his desk drawer?"
"You did what?" Lancelot thankfully kept his exclamation quiet.
"Elyan and Gwen did it, I just stood on a watch." Leon defended himself.
"Yes, but Master Dareon punished us all. We had to write fifty times: Frogs are amphibians, they belong to forest or in water not in the desk drawer of a teacher."
Whole dinner Lancelot and Percival, even the quiet one, pried stories from Elyan about Master Dareon, Leon added sometimes something, but most of the time he was silent, as was Gwaine. Leon felt the other man's eyes on him many times, but he decided not to acknowledge Gwaine's hostility.
When Leon's plate was empty, he rose. "Thank you for your company, but I have to leave, I have somethings to do."
"Arthur ordered you to have a day off?" Elyan interrupted him.
Before Leon could answer Lancelot piped in. "Yes, and I heard from quite reliable sources that Gaius did also order it, because he is worried for your health."
Merlin, Leon smiled a little, he did not even get upset, she loved him and trusted Lancelot.
"Yes, I got both orders. I am going to rest and figure somethings out."
"Do you want our company?" Percival asked.
"No thank you, these are things I need to ponder alone." Leon let his eyes sweep over the Noble's Hall, hoping the men would understand.
He saw how Elyan, Percival and Lancelot exchanged worried glances.
"You do not want even Merlin's company?" Elyan asked.
"She is busy and when she is free, she will know where to find me." He nodded and headed out of the door, knowing well, as soon the knights finished eating, they going to find Merlin.
Two hours later Merlin found him in his favourite place on the highest tower.
"I heard what you said and what happened at dinner." She said sitting beside him.
"I suspected that they would come to find you." Leon said kissing her hand.
"You are a smart man. They are worried."
"They should not be."
"Elyan knows you, better than me, if he is concerned the others are too. If you do not worry about yourself, others must." She hooked her arm under his, "tell me what happened?"
Leon looked at the setting sun, the castle started to grow silent, evening was coming, and everything was still all right.
"Arthur may wish equality, but the old guard would do anything, so his will not get his wish," Leon began, "most of the older knights want the Law of Nobility back, commoners as knights is unforgivable for them. And now there is resentment against me."
At that Merlin shot up. "Resentment against you? Why? you are one of them, you have trained with the, fought and slept beside them. You were Arthur's second in command, you still are, just with another title."
"Because I surpassed them, they accepted me as Arthur's second in command, Arthur was the first knight, the king's son. No one could argue with that, but now." He took deep breath and held out his hand for her to sit beside him again. When she did, he continued. "I am Sir Lionel's third son, third. To their eyes I am as low as a servant and suddenly I am their leader, they must listen my commands, that can't be."
"Oh, I turn them all into frogs." Merlin muttered.
Leon laughed, that would be a sight, instead of knights of Camelot a group of frogs. How had any of the sorcerers who had attacked Camelot thought about that? It would be so easy to concur the city, take the throne. The thought itself was so scary that Leon felt how cold shivers ran up his spine.
To forget it he made a joke. "Well, Gwen would definitely want to catch them and organise an expedition led by her, me, and Elyan to do it."
"Seems like you are speaking from experience." Merlin chuckled.
"Oh, believe me I do, there many evening from our childhood were spend like thus." Leon smiled, memory playing in the mud, trying to catch frogs with Gwen and Elyan was one of his cherished memories. But the smile faded, it was in the past, reality was more complicated.
"There is another problem?" Merlin squeezed his hand.
"Well, we can call him a problem." Leon let out low chuckle.
Merlin did not need to hear more. "Gwaine."
"Yes, he has taken a dislike to me. He has problems with all the nobility, but as I am the closest representative, he is decided to act it out on me. And that will make my job harder than it should be."
"He will come around, somehow, someway, you will find a path to him. He has not yet understood that you are different than the other nobles, he does not see it, even if he has proof that you fell in love with me and vice versa." Merlin soothed; she placed her head on Leon shoulder to comfort him.
"We will see." Leon muttered, he laid a kiss on her brow, raising his head again his eyes fell on his glove on Merlin's belt.
"Will I ever get the glove back?"
Merlin shook her head. "No, it's my good luck charm."
"If it helps you get back to me, then keep it." He smiled and placed a sweet kiss on Merlin's lips. He needed to remember to get himself a new pair, he had only one pair left, and they were worn, Merlin had stolen one of his new one, but when did he had time for that.