A/N: Some bromance between Arthur and Leon for MadameMorganLeFay. Hope this is satisfactory!
Keep it up with the prompts! I'm keeping a nice list so don't fear yours will be lost in the mix :)
Arthur sat heavily on the bench, expelling a gust of breath as he did so.
The other knights congregated around a weapon rack, returning their practice weapons as they gossiped like a pack of servants.
Servants.
The prince had never before noticed just how alienated he was from his peers- not until Merlin had shown up and started treating him like an actual person.
Spying Sir Leon, also apart from the group, he sauntered over with a forced casual air.
"Good day, Sir Leon."
"Sire!" The knight started and half-bowed, "ah- yes, a very good day."
Arthur grinned at the way the knight's face reddened slightly, complementing his hair. Leon had always been quiet and clearly devoted to the crown. Despite having been in Camelot his whole life and growing up around the same time as the prince the two had rarely spoken.
"That was some fine work with the crossbow today," he offered, waiting for similar praise in return.
"Th-thank you, My Lord. I do have a particular liking for the weapon. This one," he picked up the crossbow beside him, "was my father's. He hand-carved it from hundred-year-old ash."
Leon gazed adoringly, caressing the wood. As the knight began to speak about the selection of perfect bolts, Arthur realized he had struck upon a subject about which Leon could speak at length. Deciding to get out while he still could, the prince made to leave. Unfortunately, this only managed to draw the attention of the suddenly passionate knight.
"You know, Sire, if you made some simple adjustments to your stance you would be an even better shot-" properly remembering who he was speaking to, the knight hastened to qualify, "not that you need improvement, of course. You already excel with all weapons." Leon looked away.
"I... shall take that under advisement. Thank you, Sir Leon," the prince gave a strained smile and walked off, leaving his gear for Merlin to tend to.
That had certainly not gone to plan.
No matter. He was royal; there was no need lower himself to interact with his knights on a personal level.
He stubbornly ignored the pang of loneliness that thought caused.
"What did I tell you about your stance, Sire?" Leon teased as Arthur's shot went wide, hitting the second bandit rather than the first.
"I was aiming for that one!" The king blustered, switching his weapon for the one Merlin had just loaded.
"Of course, My Lord," the knight's smile belied the sincerity of his tone.
Three more shots and their attackers had all been incapacitated.
"See, my plan worked perfectly. Shut up, Merlin; go get some firewood- we'll camp here and wait for the rest of the patrol to catch up."
The servant snapped his mouth shut and huffed, rolling his eyes as he stalked off to fulfill his assignment.
The two warriors set to work securing those of their adversaries who had survived and retrieved the horses, Leon laying out a fire ring in preparation for Merlin's return. Arthur sat on his bedroll, not even bothering to roll it out first.
"You're doing a fine job, Sire."
The royal looked at his second-in-command oddly, "Thank you, Sir Leon."
"Truly, Arthur," Leon held his sovereign's gaze for a only a moment before turning back to his task, "I know you sometimes doubt your choices and worry about what your father might think, but..." he sat back, once again locking eyes with the king. "You are the greatest ruler one could hope for. Every one of your men count it an honor to serve you," a crash and soft curses emanated from the woods. "Merlin too."
Arthur laughed at the jibe and turned a grateful smile on his most loyal knight.
"Thank you, Leon. For what it's worth, I've always found you to be trustworthy and honorable. It is the greatest of privileges to have you by my side."
The pair smiled softly at each other.
"Well, I can see you two are having a moment so I'll just take my leave then, shall I?" Merlin stated, dropping his burden of sticks and trundling off to refill their waterskins at a nearby stream.
The laughter that followed in his wake only made his grin wider.