Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Leon wasn’t panicking. Why would he be panicking? So the knife wound to his arm he sustained in a battle with some bandits healed up in less than an hour leaving nothing but a thin white scar. Nothing to panic about there! It's not like it was normal or anything. 

Leon was very much panicking. It wasn't the first time this had happened and it showed no sign of being the last. On one hand, Leon found himself grateful that he wouldn't have to endure the pain and inconvenience of the wound. On the other hand, the one that was a trusted knight to king Uther of Camelot, who hated anything that even remotely resembled magic, Leon would rather the stab wound to the headache this situation was causing him. 

Personally, Leon did not hold any ill will towards magic or those who practiced it. Still, he was a knight of Camelot and Uther hated anything that even looked like magic. And a sudden unexplained ability to heal from wounds in hours certainly looked like magic or at least magic adjacent. Leon knew that he could tell no one. Could not let anyone find out. For not only would his life be in danger should they turn him in, but their lives could be in danger if they did not. And if there was one thing Leon could not bear, it was the thought of innocent people dying because of him.

So Leon panicked quietly. When he got injured and people were around to witness it, he would keep bandages over the wound long after they were healed to match his expected healing rate. And when there wasn't anyone around to witness it, well. Leon got very good at cleaning up blood and disposing of the mess inconspicuously. 

He had nearly gotten used to the idea of having an increased healing factor when he realized it was far more complicated and headache inducing than that. 

Leon has had to deal with some weird shit over his years as a knight. The dragon was probably the worst and Leon didn't just say that because his accelerated healing factor kicked in shortly after the incident. Leon never wanted to see a dragon again and was quite relieved to know it was dead. Then there was Uther's troll wife in what was hands down the grossest and most exasperating event he ever had to deal with. But there was something about fighting an animated skeleton that moved and fought with the skill of a fit knight that made Leon think "I've finally seen it all." 

And it was probably a good thing he had, because he was fairly certain it had killed him. The wound was right below his stomach, a deep stab that burned like dragon fire. How Leon managed to stay standing, he'll never know. Nor would he ever figure out how he managed to convince everyone he was uninjured and the blood was not his own, and made it back to his room without collapsing. He just knows that somehow, he did.

It was only when the door was locked tightly behind him that Leon collapsed to his knees from the pain. It was with flagging strength that Leon managed to strip off his chain mail and weakly toss it away so he could look at the wound. It was deep and bleeding steadily. It showed no sign of healing. That's just my luck, Leon thought, his vision starting to go black around the edges, I can only heal from minor wounds. All the risk with only a fraction of the reward. It was with this last thought that Leon collapsed the rest of the way to the ground, his vision going black.

When Leon woke up, he was in for quite the surprise. First of all, he woke up. That in itself was incredibly unexpected. The pool of blood he was sitting in shouldn't have been considering the last time Leon was conscious, but the lack of a wound anywhere on his person elevated it to unsettling. Because Leon had been a knight for a long time and he knew a fatal amount of blood when he saw it. And he was laying in a pool of it. He could tell he had lost some time, the sun coming in through the window suggesting maybe an hour or two had passed. And yet he felt perfectly fine. Well rested, even. Not at all like he had stumbled into his room bleeding to death in excruciating pain a couple hours previous.

The more evidence he gathered, the more certain he became, much to his confusion and horror: he died. He died, in a locked room, and he woke up. He was dead, and then he wasn’t. There was a word for this, for being unable to die, and the thought of it alone was enough to give Leon the biggest headache of his life: Immortality. 

Never had a single word made Leon want to get drunk more than that one did. It was a tempting thought, but a wishful one. Leon had not allowed himself to get drunk since his first miraculous healing incident six months previous. He was definitely not about to start again now with a word as dangerous and ludicrous as “immortality” rattling around in his head. 

Leon sat up with a groan that had nothing to do with pain, but more with the lack of it. He felt better after dying than he did after his average night of sleep. Go figure. 

Leon looked down at the bloody mess that was both himself and the floor and sighed. This was going to be a lot more complicated to clean up than he was used to. 

Chapter Text

Ever since he discovered he could not die, Leon found himself far more sympathetic towards magic users than he had before. Living in Camelot while harboring a massive secret was terrifying and exhausting. 

It had been months since he died the first time and he had been lucky enough to only die one other time and no one had noticed. But Leon knew his luck was bound to run out eventually. 

It was supposed to be a laid back hunt with the prince and a few of his knights. The only ones supposed to get hurt were the animals they were hunting. It turned out they were the prey. One moment he was on his horse looking for game, the next he was on the ground, pain and blood coming from his side as the world went dark.

When Leon blinked his eyes open, it was to see a very started Merlin. Shit. "Uhhh," Leon said, clearly panicking. The gears in Merlin's head, temporarily frozen from the shock of witnessing Leon come back to life, began to turn again and quickly. Merlin bent over Leon, hiding Leon’s face from view and lifted up Leon’s bloody tunic to begin wrapping bandages over where Leon's wound should have been. "What are you-" Leon began, completely befuddled at this turn in events.

Merlin began talking fast and low. "You lost a lot of blood but if we get you back to Gaius in time, you should survive. I've dressed the wound tightly to slow the bleeding to get you more time. You are weak and are in and out of consciousness. You are too weak to speak. It's serious, so once we get you back to Gaius, you'll have no visitors until Gaius is certain you're stable."

Leon blinked at him. "Merlin, I don't-"

"You have to trust me, Sir Leon, I don't have time to explain. But you have nothing to fear, I promise. Just pretend to be unconscious. Okay?" Merlin’s answer was Leon going limp, his eyes shutting. He had no idea why Merlin was helping him, but he was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Though he was slightly concerned at the speed at which Merlin thought of a plan, and with no hesitation.

It was difficult to remain completely limp the whole ride back to the castle, and Leon could admit how humiliating it felt to be slung over the side of a horse and then carried up to Gaius’s chambers like a sack of potatoes. But he remained limp, letting himself trust in Merlin’s plan.

Leon waited as he heard Arthur fill in Gaius and Merlin said something to Gaius that had the physician shooing everyone other than Merlin out of the room. The sound of the door shutting tightly reached his ears and after a long minute, the lock was thrown into place. 

"Merlin, would you care to explain to me what all the secrecy is about and why you won’t let me check my patient?" Gaius’s voice was irritated.

Instead of answering, Merlin said, "Leon? The coast is clear, it's just Gaius and I." Time to face the music. Leon opened his eyes and sat up, a nervous grimace on his face. 

Gaius looked startled, then suspicious, then irritated. "Any time one of you would like to start explaining why a man supposedly on the brink of death is sitting up with no assistance, I'm all ears!" The physician bustled over to Leon, undoing the bandage Merlin applied in the forest to find smooth skin.

"I can't die?" Leon framed it as a question and when Gaius looked up at him, he was not impressed.

"What do you mean you 'can't die?'"

Leon smiled sheepishly. “Every time I die, I wake up some time later in perfect health feeling rested and uninjured.”

“Every time? What do you mean every time? This has happened before?” Merlin asked, sounding concerned. He was under the assumption that this was the first time this had happened to Leon, but apparently not.

“This is the third time I’ve died in the past six months. Though I suspect the number may actually be four, as my accelerated healing did not start until after the great dragon attacked Camelot and I was relatively unscathed from the attack on the dragon,” Leon admitted. He knew it was unwise to give so many details about his immortality, but it felt so freeing to actually talk about it with someone else that he couldn’t stop.

“Accelerated healing you said?” Gaius asked, done with checking over the knight. For a man who died earlier that day, he was in perfect health.

Leon nodded, shifting on the cot. “Wounds disappear in a matter of hours,” he explained and Gaius hummed thoughtfully. 

Merlin, meanwhile, was stunned, caught up on the detail of how long Leon had been like this. A year. Almost as long as Merlin had been a dragon lord. And he never noticed anything different about Leon. Though, now that he stopped and thought about it, the knight had begun to look uncomfortable whenever Uther went on rants about the evils of magic, and he had looked amused rather than angry when Merlin as Dragoon lectured the king on his attitude towards magic. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but Merlin couldn’t help but think that maybe Leon’s apparent immortality had made him accepting towards magic. There was only one way to find out.

Merlin looked at Leon uncertainly. "Do you think all magic is inherently evil, Sir Leon?"

The question startles both Leon and Gaius, the latter of whom looked at Merlin sharply. "Merlin," he warned.

Merlin was not looking at Gaius, but at Leon, waiting for an answer. Something told Leon that his answer, no matter how he responded, would have lasting consequences. So it was with great care that Leon chose his words. "Though magic is illegal in Camelot, I remember a time from my youth when it was not. I remember the impact it had on my life then and I know the influence it has on my life now. Though it may be treasonous to say so, no, I do not believe magic or all those that practice it are evil." 

Something like hope gleamed in Merlin’s eye. "And if someone were to tell you they had magic, how would you respond?"

"With alarm at their choice to live in Camelot, of all places," Leon responded. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

Merlin's lips twitched. "But what would you do?"

Standing there, looking at Merlin’s hopeful, earnest, trusting face as he risked so much by even having this conversation with him, Leon made a choice. He just hoped it was the right one. "I would do my duty as a knight of Camelot: protect the kingdom and her people. If a person told me they had magic, and I knew them to be no threat to Camelot, I would do my duty. I'd protect them.” Merlin, who had bowed his head at the beginning of Leon’s response, jerked up, eyes wide and disbelieving. Gaius too was staring at him in shock.

"If the past year has taught me anything, Merlin, it is that we don't always choose what happens to us. Only how we respond. Some people respond with hatred and violence. Others with loyalty and forgiveness. I would not condemn an innocent to death for something outside their control, such as having magic."

Merlin stared at him for a long moment with wide eyes. Slowly, Merlin turned to look at Gaius and the two seemed to have a silent conversation that ended with a sigh and a nod from Gaius.

Merlin turned back to Leon. "Leon, can I show you something?" The question was asked with fearful hope and trepidation. Leon had a feeling he already knew what it was. He nodded. 

Merlin cupped his hands and held them close to his mouth. "Gewyrcan lif" he whispered, his eyes flashing gold. He opened his hands and out flew a blue butterfly which fluttered over to Leon. The knight stared at the butterfly and stuck out a finger. The butterfly landed on it and Leon studied it carefully.

"It's beautiful, Merlin. It's Polyommatus icarus, isn't it?" 

Merlin blinked. "Uhh...Y-yeah. Maybe. I think so. Actually I don’t really know."

Leon nodded, gently blowing the butterfly off his finger. He folded his hands on his knees and looked back at Merlin. 

"Is… is that it? I expected you to be asking a lot of questions," Merlin said uncertainly.

"Oh, I have a lot of questions. The biggest of which being why on earth you would come to Camelot and then continue to be the prince’s manservant when you use magic."

Merlin flushed. "It's my destiny to protect Arthur. I was born with my magic."

Leon nodded again, looking exhausted. "So all those magical attacks and creatures that have been mysteriously defeated over the past couple of years, that's been you protecting Arthur?"

Merlin nodded. Leon ran a hand through his hair. "And that time, a couple of years back, when you confessed to sorcery to protect Guinevere, you were telling the truth?" Merlin nodded again. Leon looked up to the ceiling. "Quick question Merlin, do you have any sense of self preservation?"

Merlin blinked at him and Gaius huffed a laugh. "If he does, Sir Leon, I haven't witnessed it yet," Gaius said dryly. 

Leon chuckled at Merlin’s disgruntled "hey!" as he pouted at Gaius. The physician raised an eyebrow at him and gathered up the bloody bandages. “I’ll go get some fresh bandages to wrap your wound,” Gaius said with a meaningful glance to Leon. He murmured a thank you in response.

"Leon," Merlin asked, "just to be clear, you don't plan on telling the king or Arthur about my magic, do you?"

Leon’s expression softened. "No, Merlin, I don't. Are you going to tell them about me?"

Merlin shook his head immediately. "No, never."

Leon smiled and reached out a hand to gently mess up Merlin’s hair. “Thank you, Merlin.”

Merlin grinned back at him and for the first time since he discovered his immortality, Leon felt calm. He just hoped the feeling would last.

Chapter Text

When Merlin heard the report that the entire Camelot patrol including Leon had been killed, he was concerned. He had no idea how Leon was going to explain away his good health when he inevitably returned to Camelot. And he was going to come back. He had to. Merlin had learned that for a man with so many secrets, Leon was a very honest person. He did not lie. 

‘It’s not lying if no one ever asks and I never bring it up,’ Leon had told Merlin when he asked.

‘What if you were asked? About me or about yourself?’ Merlin had wondered. 

Leon had smirked at him. ‘Then I suppose that would be the day I start lying,’ he answered. 

It looked like that day had finally come when Leon arrived back to the castle exhausted but unharmed. “We thought you were dead for sure,” Arthur said, clasping Leon’s arm in a knight’s handshake, the other gripping Leon’s shoulder. 

“I was dead, or as good as. Until the druids found me,” Leon told him. The air grew still. Merlin tensed, worrying about the knight and where he was going with this.

Uther was clearly wondering the same thing. “Druids?”

“Yes, my lord. I owe them my life.” Leon’s words were said with such conviction that Merlin found himself believing them, and he knew they could not be the truth. But it was also too risky of a story to be a lie. 

“How did they heal you? You were as good as dead, you said.”

“I don’t know,” Leon said hesitantly and Merlin could see why he never outright lied. He wasn’t very good at it.

“Did they use magic?”

“Well, I--” Leon began, clearly searching for a way to neither outright lie nor reveal the whole truth to Uther. 

The king did not allow him any time to think, pressing, “Yes or no? It's a simple enough question.” Merlin highly doubted that.

Leon sounded exhausted when he responded, “All I know is I drank from some kind of cup.” 

“Cup?” Merlin felt a pit of dread in his stomach. If there was an element of truth to Leon’s story, Merlin had a feeling he knew what cup Leon was referring to. But it couldn’t be. It was destroyed with Nimueh, surely?

“It was extraordinary, my Lord. I have known nothing like it,” Leon’s voice stumbled over the lie but it sounded like nothing more than exhaustion. “From the moment it touched my lips, I could feel my life return to me.”

The court held its breath in apprehension as Uther studied Leon in silence for several drawn out seconds. “Well. Your trials have left you weary, I’m sure,” everyone seemed to breathe again when Uther turned to Arthur, “We must let him rest,” and walked out of the hall.

Merlin saw Arthur put an arm around Leon’s shoulders, providing support to his obviously exhausted friend as he led him out of the hall to his chambers, Gaius close behind them.

Merlin followed them out, casting a suspicious look at Morgana as he did, dreading that Morgana would find a way to tell Morgause about what she had learned at her first chance. 

~~

After Gaius checked Leon over and declared him perfectly fine other than exhaustion and dehydration, he left the room, Uther going with him leaving Merlin, Arthur and Leon alone in the room. 

"I'm glad you're alright, Leon," Arthur said, hand on Leon’s shoulder. 

Leon smiled up at him, lightly patting Arthur's hand. "Thank you, Arthur," he replied, a rare lapse from his usual formality. 

Arthur's lip twitched upwards. "I'll let you get some rest," he told him, squeezing Leon’s shoulder before letting go, turning and leaving the room, giving Merlin a nod of acknowledgement as he left. 

Merlin waited a few long moments before shutting the door, turning to look at Leon. "So what really happened then?" Leon looked up at Merlin’s question and frowned.

"That is what happened," Leon insisted.

"Leon, it's just me here, you don't have to pretend," Merlin said, with a slightly stained laugh. It quickly died at Leon’s serious expression. "But- you said the druids came across you half a day after the battle," Merlin protested.

"They did," Leon confirmed.

"But your healing-"

"It wasn't working," Leon interrupted. "I don't know why, I don't know how. I suspect that perhaps the blade was poisoned or perhaps even enchanted. I just know that I couldn't heal. When the druids found me, I really was near death and that cup saved my life."

“Do you, do you think that if it hadn’t, you would have…” Merlin trailed off, not wanting to put the unsettling thought into words.

“I don’t know,” Leon admitted looking just as disturbed at the thought as Merlin felt. The two fell into heavy silence, each lost in thought over what might have happened had the druids not found Leon. Merlin had not put much thought into the extent of Leon’s immortality before, simply assuming that there was no limit to it. But now it appeared that maybe that wasn’t the case. And it scared Merlin far more than he could say.

The silence was broken by Leon. “Something to worry about another day. The Druids did find me, I’m still alive, and nobody is in the dungeons. Best possible outcome, considering.”

Merlin huffed, shaking his head fondly as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “You would find the bright side,” Merlin teased.

“Well, somebody has to,” Leon shot back, ruffling Merlin’s hair. 

Merlin smiled back at him, relief over having Leon safe and whole overwhelming him. It wasn’t until that moment, Leon teasing him with a smile on his face, that Merlin felt the worry and concern that had taken up residence in his chest vanish. It was only in that moment that Merlin fully processed that everything would be alright, that he hadn’t lost another friend. 

Leon let out a loud wide yawn, making Merlin smile and stand up. "Get some rest, alright? You're exhausted." 

Leon couldn’t deny that. He shuffled around a little to get comfortable and sighed. "Good night Merlin," he murmured. 

His eyes closed and he was asleep before he could hear Merlin whisper back "Good night, Leon."

Chapter Text

Leon knew that eventually, the wrong person would find out about his inability to stay dead. But he never dreamed that the wrong person would be Morgana and his secret would be discovered by public execution following his refusal to pledge loyalty to anyone other than King Uther or Prince Arthur. 

“I will give you one more chance to pledge your allegiance to me!” Morgana shouted from her balcony, a row of archers raising their crossbows at Leon and his fellow knights. 

Leon lifted his head, making eye contact with the woman playing Queen, wearing a crown that did not and would never truly belong to her. He smirked at her, already imagining the look on her face when he wakes up from the dead later. He’ll regret it later, but for now, “Long live the king!” he shouted, his brothers in arms echoing him around him. Leon stayed watching Morgana, smirk fixed on his face.

“Perhaps this will help you change your mind,” Morgana said, raising her arm and letting it drop. The archers turned and Leon’s smile dropped from his face.

“No!” Leon shouted in horror, watching as innocent bystanders were shot down and killed for his defiance. People he had sworn to protect, dead because of him. Leon found himself wishing Morgana had discovered his immortality instead.

~~

It had been a very long couple of days. Leon had watched innocents die because of his defiance, Guinevere helped him break out of the dungeon to find and join Arthur, the two of them fled Camelot in the dead of night while he was wearing a dress, they found Arthur, Merlin, and to his surprise, Elyan and Gwaine, the latter of whom had been exiled from Camelot earlier in the year. Then they had been found by Morgana’s men, were saved by Lancelot and Percival, traveled to an abandoned castle to hide out in, swore his loyalty along with everyone else to assist Arthur in reclaiming Camelot, and witnessed Arthur knight the four other men. Again, a very long couple of days.

Despite the late hour and everyone settling down to sleep, it seemed for him, the day wasn’t over yet. Merlin caught Leon’s eye and flicked his gaze to a corner of the room slightly away from where everyone else was settling down to sleep. He nodded almost imperceptibly, settling down a few feet away from Merlin, not close enough to draw attention or seem intentional, but also not so far that he couldn’t move closer once everyone else was asleep to talk privately with Merlin. 

Leon felt uneasy when he saw Lancelot lay down beside Merlin, not bothering to put much distance between them. How was Leon to talk to Merlin if Lancelot was right there? Merlin, however, didn’t look worried at Lancelot’s closeness. Leon laid there pondering the mysteries that were Lancelot and what Merlin wanted to talk to him about until Merlin’s hushed voice called out his name sometime later.

Leon carefully and silently sat up and looked around, noticing that everyone appeared asleep with the exception of himself, Merlin, and Lancelot. Merlin waved at him to get closer and Leon carefully and quietly brought himself close to them, close enough to whisper without anyone else hearing. Leon laid on his side so he would not draw attention if anyone were to wake up and see him sitting up.

Lancelot was eyeing Leon apprehensively, though he said nothing. Leon too felt apprehensive about the other man. Merlin clearly did not, telling them in a hushed voice, “Morgana has the cup of life. If I can find it and empty it of the blood within, then the army will be destroyed, and Morgana will be powerless.”

Leon found himself nodding. He knew from experience how difficult it was to kill immortal men, so he knew removing the cup from the equation and destroying the army was their only option of making it out of this. 

Lancelot, however, noticed a flaw to the plan. “Aren’t you forgetting something? It’s guarded by an immortal army.” He had a point.

“Aren’t you forgetting something? I have magic,” Merlin returned. Lancelot and Leon instantly stiffened, eyes flying to each other as they both tensed to defend their idiotic sorcerer friend who just admitted his magic in the presence of another.

Merlin’s eyes widened as he realized his mistake. “It’s okay,” Merlin hurried to explain, looking at both men, “he already knows.”

Two surprised heads swung in tandem to stare at Merlin. 

“He knows?” Lancelot repeated in a hushed whisper, absolutely baffled.

“You told him?” Leon hissed just as quietly and sounding exasperated. 

“Well, no, not exactly, he figured it out on his own,” Merlin admitted to Leon. He rushed to defend himself at Leon’s ‘I’m getting a headache’ look. “He’s my friend, Leon, I trust him. Besides, he’s known since the griffin attacked Camelot, much longer than you have Leon, I only told you a couple of months ago.” Leon nodded in begrudging acceptance, though he still did not look pleased at Merlin’s recklessness of letting his magic be discovered, positive outcome or not. 

Leon was not the only one that was unimpressed. “Merlin, do you mean to say that he didn’t discover your ability like I did, but you told him? You told a knight of Camelot?” Lancelot’s whisper was barely a murmur, but the incredulity in his voice was as chastising as if he had yelled it at Merlin. 

“Yes?” Merlin answered, though it came out like a question. Merlin looked back and forth between the incredulous and the unimpressed knight. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you apparently willingly told a knight of Camelot about your magic,” Lancelot grumbled, fed-up. 

“It worked out!” Merlin protested.

Leon snorted and immediately covered his mouth, casting a quick glance around to make sure no one had noticed. No one stirred. Leon turned back to Merlin and Lancelot, the new knight looking at him appraisingly while Merlin just looked put out. “He has a point, Merlin. Telling me was reckless and you know it.” Merlin gaped at him, looking betrayed. Lancelot now looked more amused than anything.   

 “I knew you wouldn’t turn me in! Not considering-” Merlin cut himself off awkwardly, glancing guiltily at Lancelot before grimacing apologetically at Leon. 

Leon sighed. He could do one of two things: He could abruptly change the subject back to planning, which would do nothing to earn Lancelot’s trust, or Leon could let him in on the secret. Leon looked at Merlin, gestured with his chin at Lancelot, and raised an eyebrow. ‘Can he be trusted?’ Merlin’s nod was instant. Leon turned his gaze back to Lancelot who was watching them both with patient curiosity. Leon trusted Merlin. And Merlin trusted Lancelot, with good reason, considering he kept Merlin’s secret for so long. If Merlin trusted him, then Leon did too.

“I can’t die,” Leon admitted, voice low and barely audible in the quiet room. 

“Pardon?” Lancelot asked, staring at Leon. He had heard him just fine, he just couldn’t believe he heard right.

“I can’t die,” Leon repeated. 

So he had heard right. "You’re like them? The immortal soldiers? You can't be killed?" Lancelot was looking at Leon in apprehension again.

Leon grimaced and shook his head. "No, definitely not like them. It's not that I can't die, I can, I just always come back," he explained. “I don’t know why.”

Lancelot blinked. He looked to Merlin who nodded confirmation: Leon was telling the truth. Lancelot’s eyebrows raised and lowered quickly. Lancelot met Leon’s gaze and said simply, “Alright then.”

Now it was Leon who wasn’t sure he heard right. He had been expecting disbelief or fear, not blanket acceptance. “That’s it? Just like that?”

Lancelot shrugged. “I believe you. You don’t strike me as the type of person to lie about something like that. And if Merlin trusts you, then so do I."

Huh. It seems like I’m not the only one who has faith in Merlin’s judgement, Leon thought.  

“This has been great, I’m glad we all trust each other, but can we get back to planning how we’re going to retake Camelot tomorrow?” Merlin whispered. 

“Right, of course,” Lancelot said.

“I can use my magic to get to the cup as long as I can slip away without anyone else noticing,” Merlin told them.

"I'm coming with you," Leon said immediately. 

"No, it's too risky," Merlin protested.

"You're not going alone, Merlin," Lancelot insisted, and Leon was glad to have someone else on his side helping him (try) to keep Merlin out of too much trouble. 

"I have my magic," Merlin pointed out.

"You're not immortal, I am," Leon countered. 

"You can still die Leon, and if anyone witnesses it, it could be very bad."

"All the more reason for him to go with you," Lancelot said. "You know about his immortality, and the whole goal of getting to the cup is destroying the army. They won't be able to tell anyone if he does get hurt."

Merlin still looked uncertain. "Merlin, we’ve already established that you’re not going on your own, and you’ll need someone who knows about what you can do to go with you. That leaves Lancelot or myself. If I don't go with you, I go with Arthur to get Uther. And if I do die, I don't know how I'd be able explain it away to them. Me going with you is the best option and you know it.”

Merlin sighed, knowing Leon had a point. “Fine. How are we going to get to the cup without Arthur finding out about my magic?”

“The warning bell,” Lancelot said. Merlin and Leon turned to look at him and he elaborated, “stealth is the obvious approach since there are so few of us. Taking out the warning bell is a good tactical move, one Arthur is bound to agree to.”

Leon nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right, it is. Merlin, you should propose it in the morning when Arthur outlines the battle plan. I’ll volunteer to go with you to watch your back since you aren’t a trained swordsmen.”

Merlin nodded slowly, still looking unsure. “Do you think he’ll agree to it? Both of us going?”

Leon nodded reassuringly. “He will. Both of us going ensures we have someone to watch the other’s back. Arthur will not object to that.”

Merlin nodded slowly. “Alright. Alright, we have a plan then,” he said, laying flat on his back. “All that’s left for us to do now then is get some sleep while we wait for tomorrow.”

Leon and Lancelot both nodded in agreement, laying down to sleep themselves.

Leon laid on his back and stared up at the ceiling. He heard Merlin’s breathing even out into sleep but despite his own exhaustion, Leon could not manage to find sleep.

“Sir Leon?” 

It appears I’m not the only one, Leon thought. “Yes, Sir Lancelot?” 

Lancelot smiled at the use of his new title, a thrill of happiness running through him. He just hoped he would get to keep it this time. “Why do you protect him? You’re one of Uther’s most trusted knights. Why do you risk that to protect Merlin?”

Leon rolled over onto his side to face Lancelot, studying him carefully in the dim light. Lancelot didn’t look accusing, more curious and a little troubled, like it had been eating away at him. “A lot of reasons, I suppose. Since discovering my inability to die, I’ve come to realize that my beliefs don’t exactly align with those of my king when it comes to magic and those who use it. I now know how terrifying it is to live in a kingdom where something out of my control would lead to punishment and I would not wish it on anyone, let alone Merlin. He helped me and protected me without hesitation when very few in his position would have done the same. For that, I will forever be in his debt. But above all, Merlin is my friend and I refuse to let any harm come to him.” Lancelot smiled at Leon’s answer, giving the knight a nod as he laid his head back down.

“And you?” Leon asked. Lancelot lifted his head again to look at him and Leon elaborated. “You’ve known since your exile but you never told anyone. Why?”  

“He’s my friend. He gave me an opportunity to live my dream of being a knight for Camelot and he fought for me to keep that dream, even if he wasn’t successful at the time. I care about him very much. I too will not let anything happen to him,” Lancelot responded. Leon grinned at the other knight, satisfied in his answer.

“Merlin tends to have that effect on people, doesn’t he? He causes this overwhelming desire to protect him,” Lancelot pondered, an amused smile on his face.

Leon chuckled quietly, rolling onto his back again. “He does doesn’t he. I suspect it’s because he was born with no self preservation of his own and it’s so painfully apparent that those that do possess it are drawn to him to do the protecting for him. He’s like a helpless baby duck: you can’t not protect him.”

Lancelot had to muffle his laughter with his hand to prevent himself from waking everyone up. Leon grinned proudly and closed his eyes. Tomorrow was a new day. Tomorrow, they’d retake Camelot.

Chapter Text

Gwaine did not like nobles. He was not discreet in his disdain nor had his position on the matter changed much since being knighted, which by all rights, made him a noble. I’m a noble twice over now, he thought. Go figure.

His attitude tended to put him at odds with most of the other knights, but Gwaine preferred the round table knights to the others anyway, so he didn’t mind. He liked the other round table knights. Well. Most of them.

Elyan he had hit it off with in the cave and found he quite liked the younger man. He felt similarly about Percival, impressed by the quiet giant since he first caused a rock slide using nothing but his own brute strength. Lancelot surprised Gwaine. He was everything Gwaine thought a noble should be, minus the noble upbringing, even if he did think him to be a bit boring at first (boy had Lancelot proved him wrong). 

But then there was Leon. Leon, the only member of the round table other than Arthur (and Gwaine himself but only Merlin knew that) who was noble. Leon, the man who arrested him his first time in Camelot for defending Merlin. Leon, who was now first knight and technically his manager. Gwaine wasn’t a fan. The man was too serious, too uptight. He was loyal to Arthur, he’d give him that, and he was a hell of a swordsman, but that wasn’t enough for Gwaine to like the man. 

Gwaine tended not to be very polite to people he didn’t like. Leon had asked him if he had upset him in any way a couple of days after retaking Camelot. Gwaine had denied it at the time, like a liar, and if anything, was more of an ass. Now, that’s not to say Gwaine went out of his way to make jokes and digs at the first knight. But if the opportunity was set up for him, Gwaine rarely failed to take it. 

This occurred for about a month before an intervention from Merlin and an overheard conversation caused Gwaine’s view on Leon to shift.

Gwaine was rather protective of Merlin, he’d admit it. He seemed to constantly need saving and protecting and Gwaine was perfectly happy to do it. But he had on occasion… over reacted to a threat that was not a threat at all. He appeared to have landed in such a situation again if the way Merlin was looking at him was any indication.

"Gwaine, why did you threaten Leon?"

Gwaine raised his eyebrow. "He told you about that?"

"Well yeah Gwaine, it kinda pertains to me. Now why on earth did you threaten him if he ever hurt me?" 

"Because I'd do it." At Merlin's look Gwaine sighed and started to actually explain. "I saw him bothering you earlier in the hallway."

Merlin’s brow furrowed and he squinted at Gwaine. "In the hallway?"

"He bumped into you and said something to you that made you frown. I decided to let him know that I wouldn't let him keep harassing you."

Merlin gaped at Gwaine and let out an exasperated and slightly hysterical laugh. "Gwaine! You got it all wrong! He wasn't harassing me at all. He was teasing me. Completely friendly. I frowned because he called me baby duck, a nickname he has for me."

Gwaine raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Baby duck?" He repeated with a laugh.

Merlin scowled at him. "Yes. Long story. I find it a little insulting, but it's not a malicious nickname."

"It's accurate," Gwaine mused. 

"Gwaine!" Merlin protested. Gwaine laughed and raised his hands in surrender. Merlin’s expression became serious. "Gwaine, Leon is my friend. I trust him with my life. You certainly don't need to protect me from him or threaten him."

"Alright, I'm sorry I over reacted."

"He's a good person Gwaine. I think you'd like him if you just gave him a chance."

"I'm not so sure about that," Gwaine snorted.

"Gwaine, I'm serious. Can you at least give Leon a chance? Just give him a break for a while, he's dealing with a lot right now. For me?" Merlin was giving Gwaine his best puppy dog look. That wasn’t even fair.

Gwaine sighed "Alright Merlin, just for you, I'll give him a chance."

Merlin beamed at him. "Thank you, Gwaine."

~~

When Gwaine passed by the armory after he parted ways with Merlin and heard Lancelot talking to someone in his Patiently Responsible™ voice, he slowed to a stop and hovered outside the door, curious who had earned the concern of Lancelot. So he was a curious guy. Sue him.

"When was the last time you actually slept?" Lancelot's voice drifted through the door.

"Last night," came the dry, clipped reply. Leon. Of all people, Leon was the last person Gwaine expected to draw the worry of mother hen Lancelot. 

Lancelot sighed heavily. "Let me rephrase: when was the last time you slept through the night restfully?"

The answering silence was telling. The eventual muttered "maybe a month" that Gwaine had to strain to hear was even more so. Gwaine's eyebrows shot up his forehead. The guy hadn't slept through the night in a month? How was he functioning?

"Leon-" Lancelot started, disapproval clear in his voice. 

Leon cut him off, sounding absolutely exhausted and 5 minutes from a breakdown. "I know what you're going to say, Lance, but I don't have time to take a day off. I have too much to do between repairs to Camelot, patrols, training, my new duties as First Knight, the endless line of reports to read, write, and sign. Not to mention additional training and reading sessions between myself and Percival, as well as our reading sessions," Leon listed. Gwaine frowned at the door. He hadn't realized how much the head knight had on his plate, let alone that he was teaching Percival and Lancelot how to read.

"I told you Leon, I can always have Merlin teach me if you're too busy," Lancelot gently reminded him.

"That's not my point. I don't mind doing it, Lance, I wouldn't have offered if I had. But with everything I'm doing, I don't have time to rest. And even when I do, it's not quick to come."

"Nightmares?" No answer came from the room, but from Lancelot's response, it was a nod. "Did you ask Gaius for a potion to help?" Another pause. "Leon, there's no shame in asking Gaius for help. You need to rest. You're running yourself into the ground."

"I appreciate your concern, Lancelot. Really I do. But I'll be fine. I always am." The sound of movement behind the door had Gwaine rushing away from the door and behind a pillar out of sight. The door to the armory opened and then closed again and the sound of footsteps receded into the distance. 

Gwaine leaned against the pillar and frowned. Perhaps he had underestimated the man and there was something to him after all, like Merlin suggested. If both Merlin and Lancelot were friendly with Leon, perhaps the knight wasn't so bad. With a sigh, Gwaine’s resolve to cut back on the grief he gave the first knight strengthened. 

~~~

It had been a week since Gwaine heard Leon and Lancelot talking in the armory and Gwaine had stuck to his resolution to give Leon a break. The first knight definitely looked like he needed one. It almost looked like he had gotten no sleep since his conversation with Lancelot, the circles under his eyes dark. 

Gwaine twirled his sword, genuine concern bleeding into his voice when he asked "Are you alright there Leon?" 

Leon gave him a tight smile. "Never better," he replied. Gwaine raised his eyebrows at that. 

"Alright then. Let's see what you've got," Gwaine said, a mischievous smile on his face.

Leon huffed and rolled his eyes at Gwaine's antics, though his lip twitched. 

When they started sparing, Gwaine could instantly tell something was wrong. He had trained with Leon plenty of times since becoming a knight and he knew what a skilled fighter he was. But now Leon’s blows were weak and clumsy, his blocks slow. Gwaine found himself holding back on his hits and deflecting Leon’s easily.

It was at a particularly sloppy parry that Gwaine asked hesitantly, "Leon, are you sure you're alright?"

Leon looked up at him and opened his mouth to no doubt insist he was fine when what little color he had fled from his face and his eyes rolled back as he collapsed.

With a curse, Gwaine lunged forward and grabbed him before he could hit the ground. "A little help here," he called, glad it was only Arthur, the round table knights, and Merlin today. He didn't think Leon's dignity would survive anyone more than that. When did he start caring about Leon’s dignity?

Merlin dashed forward, followed closely by the other knights.

“He appears to be exhausted, but we should get him to Gaius to be sure.” Arthur nodded at Merlin and instructed Elyan to run ahead and inform Gaius they were bringing up Leon, and instructed Gwaine and Lancelot to carry him up to Gaius’s chambers.

About halfway there, Leon stirred, blinking blearily at them. He started to pull away and Lancelot tightened his hold. "Don't even think about it Leon." Leon looked put out but he stopped trying to pull away, though he did attempt to be more than just dead weight.

Once they had arrived in the quarters, Gaius's verdict was an unsurprising one: "He's exhausted, sire. He needs rest and to not be overworked constantly." Gaius fixed Leon and Arthur both in turn with pointed looks of disapproval. At Arthur for not seeing the stress of the workload he had given Leon, and at Leon for hiding it for so long without asking for help.

Both men looked chastised, Arthur turning to address Leon. “You should have said something, Leon. Had I known you were overworked I would have assigned some of you duties to others.”

“I’m sorry, Sire, I thought I could handle it and I didn’t want to bother you,” Leon admitted, looking Arthur in the eyes. 

Arthur sighed, patting his friend and first knight on the back. “Ask for help next time, alright? You’re first knight Leon, you have plenty of men under you to delegate tasks to should the need arise. I don’t want to hear about you passing out from exhaustion again because you don’t know how to take a break.” Leon nodded in agreement.

“He really should rest now, Sire,” Gaius said pointedly, eyeing the number of people crammed into the small space.

Arthur nodded, taking the hint. “Of course. Leon, you have the next few days off, I want you to get some rest.” Leon looked like he was about to protest but one look from Gaius had Leon wisely nodding in acceptance instead.

With that, Arthur, Merlin and the other knights filtered out of the physicians quarters, leaving an exhausted Leon alone with an irritated Gaius. As he exited the room, Gwaine could have sworn he heard Gaius grumble at Leon, “I thought you were supposed to be the responsible one.” 

~~

Gwaine didn’t see Leon again until a few days after he passed out during training. Gwaine entered the armory and found Leon sitting in a corner sharpening his sword.

“Leon,” Gwaine greeted, letting a hint of surprise into his voice, “I thought Gaius banned you from anything strenuous for a week.” Gaius had been very annoyed at the head knight for being so careless about resting so he was using his position as physician to make Leon take a break. Gwaine thought that Leon was possibly the only person alive that a week off served as an effective punishment for.

“Gwaine,” Leon greeted a little stiffly. Gwaine supposed he deserved it. He hadn’t exactly made Leon’s life easy lately. “He did. I’m just taking care of my weapons, I’d hardly call it strenuous.”

“Of course,” Gwaine replied. Leon returned his attention to his sword and Gwaine found himself searching for something to say to break the tension between them. He settled on something he overheard the other week and had wondered about since. “Reading lessons with Percival and Lance, huh?” Gwaine said casually. Leon raised an eyebrow at him, not asking him how he knew. “How come Elyan and I didn’t receive that offer?”

“Elyan knows how to read, his mother worked for my parents and whenever he and Guinevere were around I would teach them,” Leon explained. Gwaine was surprised, he hadn’t known that. “And as for you, I figured I didn’t need to teach you what you already knew,” Leon added.

Gwaine looked at Leon sharply. “Why did you assume I knew how to read?”

Leon fixed Gwaine with an unimpressed look. “Because I have yet to meet anyone of noble birth who couldn’t?” Leon said as if it were obvious.

Gwaine’s expression turned thunderous. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about,” Gwaine gritted out.

“Gwaine, please. I know a noble when I see one. I’ve known since your first time in Camelot.”

“You never said anything.”

Leon shrugged, running a cloth over his sword blade. “I figured that you had your reasons for not mentioning it, especially if you were willing to accept banishment rather than reveal it.”

“Does Arthur know?”

Leon shrugged. “If he does, then he figured it out on his own. I didn’t tell him,” at Gwaine’s look Leon frowned. “Why do you look so surprised?”

“I thought you told the king and Arthur everything,” Gwaine admitted.

Leon laughed, a wry smile on his lips. “You’d be surprised what I know that has never reached the king’s or Arthur’s ears.”

Gwaine raised an eyebrow at that, but he found he believed him. “My, Leon, you are just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Leon patted Gwaine on the back as he passed him. “Gwaine, you have no idea.”

Gwaine watched him leave and reasoned he probably didn't. It seemed he had misjudged Leon. Gwaine wasn’t pleased that the other man knew about his nobility, but the fact Leon knew for so long yet did nothing with that knowledge earned Gwaine’s gratitude. And some time between him passing out in training and walking out of the armory moments before, he managed to earn Gwaine’s respect as well. Gwaine had been wrong about people before, and it seemed like he had been wrong again. He found himself feeling glad he was wrong. He was beginning to like Leon.

Chapter Text

"How did you manage to convince Arthur to give us the day off?" Merlin asked Leon. He, Leon, and Lancelot all had the afternoon free and were taking advantage of the sunny summer weather to relax by a secluded stream in the woods.

Leon smirked. "I'm First Knight, I have my ways."

 "Did you lie to Arthur?" Lancelot asked.

"No, of course not. Only dishonest people with something to hide lie. I have absolutely no secrets," Leon replied, completely deadpan. Lancelot snorted and shoved Leon with his shoulder, the head knight breaking out into laughter. "No, I didn't lie to Arthur. Ever since I overworked myself a few months back, Arthur has made a point to make sure I got time off semi regularly. I think he was relieved when I actually asked for a day off rather than him having to force me," Leon explained. "And because I'm in charge of scheduling, I just made sure Lance had the day off too.”

“Thank you for that,” Lancelot said sincerely. Leon dipped his head in response.

“What about me? How’d you convince Arthur to let me have the afternoon off? He never gives me time off,” Merlin wondered.

Leon, who was examining a lady bug that had landed on his finger, didn’t look up when he said, “I didn’t. You’re collecting herbs for Gaius.”

Merlin stared at him for a moment before he pointed an accusing finger at him. "So you did lie to Arthur!"

"Not if you pick herbs for Gaius on our way back," Leon responded with a grin. Merlin sighed dramatically and the two knights laughed.

Above them, a crow let out a sudden piercing cry that made Leon jump, hand moving reflexively to his sword. The ladybug flew away at his sudden movement and didn’t return.

Merlin laughed at Leon, tossing a clump of grass at him. "Leon, you're immortal, why do you still jump at unexpected sounds?" Merlin snarked.

Leon looked unimpressed, brushing the dirt and grass off of himself. "“It's called instinct. Reflex. Self preservation skills. Something you do not have. It's what's kept me alive as long as I have."

Now it is Merlin's turn to be unimpressed. "First of all, rude. Second of all, Leon, you're immortal. You have died. Your instincts need some work."

“They're sharper than yours!" Leon retorted.

"I'm sorry, who has died less times here?"

"I haven't died that many times!" Leon protested.

"Five," Merlin declared, holding up five fingers. "You have died five times which is four more than the average person, and really, that number should be zero.”

“Lancelot!” Leon protested, turning to his fellow knight for backup. 

Lancelot shrugged, holding back laughter. "The number really should be zero, Leon," Lancelot admitted. Leon pouted and Merlin laughed victoriously. Leon pounced at him making Merlin shriek as Leon gave him a noogie while Merlin laughed and squirmed. 

When Leon finally released him with a last gentler ruffle, Leon turned his attention to Lancelot, a mischievous glint in his eye. Lancelot raised his hands in placation, smiling. “With that being said, Merlin you do have no self preservation. None, less than zero. You truly are a baby duck.”

Leon cackled, hand going to his side as he doubled over with laughter. He looked up briefly to see Merlin’s disgruntled pout and started laughing harder, letting himself flop onto his back as he laughed.

"Lance! Whose side are you on!" Merlin complained, flicking water from the stream at Lancelot. 

Lancelot laughed. “No ones. Everyone's. My own?” He raised an eyebrow at Merlin and smirked. Merlin scoffed and rolled his eyes, clucking his tongue. “I’m sorry, Merlin,” Lancelot apologized. 

“Thank you,” Merlin said, exaggerating his words.

Lancelot glanced at Leon who had finally managed to get his laughter and breathing under control and was starting to sit back up. Lancelot caught his eye and while maintaining eye contact, a smirk on his face, Lancelot said, “Quack.”

Leon lost it all over again, Lancelot joining his laughter. Merlin groaned in exasperation, flopping onto his back and turning his face away from his friends so they would not see his smile. Laying on the grass in the warm sunlight, his friends around him as laughter filled the air, Merlin felt content and happy and safe. He wanted the moment to last forever.

Chapter Text

Leon really wished that just once, he could conduct a patrol with everything going according to plan with no surprises. Leon’s wishes never seemed to come true. It certainly hadn’t this time. Sir Bertrand and Sir Montague were both dead by Morgana’s hand and Leon was nearly certain she had killed him too, if the rested feeling he always seemed to get after dying was any indication. Luckily, he woke before Elyan, who other than a large bump on his head that would need to be checked by Gaius at their return, was unharmed. Small mercies, he thought, and immediately felt guilty for doing so. Mercy would have been them all walking away unharmed. 

They could do nothing for the fallen knights beyond note the location and shelter the bodies the best they could so they would be untouched by predation when they were retrieved. As soon as this was done, Leon and Elyan rode with haste back to Camelot.

~~

When Merlin collapsed to the ground, Leon wanted nothing more than to rush over to him like Lancelot did. He nearly did, but he knew Merlin was in Lancelot’s capable hands and Arthur would not be pleased by his First Knight leaving his side in the middle of a feast to tend to Merlin. So he begrudgingly stayed put and watched Lancelot leave the room with Merlin in his arms, Gaius right behind them, headed to Gaius’s quarters. 

~~

As Arthur’s First Knight, Leon was present when Gaius informed Arthur the most likely way to defeat the Dorocha was to close the tear between worlds by sacrificing someone to it. And when Arthur made his intention to sacrifice himself to save his people clear, Leon saw the look on Merlin’s face. He saw that look and knew exactly what was running through Merlin’s head: Merlin intended to sacrifice himself in Arthur’s place.

 In that moment, Leon made a decision. He was not going to let any of his brothers die to seal the veil. There had to be a reason he couldn’t die. A reason why he kept coming back. Merlin had told him about the destiny he and Arthur shared and Leon wondered if maybe, his destiny was to ensure they got to fulfil theirs. And even if it was not, he would make it so. 

~~

Leon had a plan, but it hinged on Gaius. He just hoped the physician would agree to it without much convincing, as Leon did not have much time. Leon waited around the corner to Gaius’s chambers the morning Arthur, Merlin, and the round table knights were to begin their journey to the Isle of the Blessed. He waited until he heard the chamber door open and close and heard footsteps heading away from him to peak out from his hiding spot. He saw Merlin just as he disappeared down the other hallway. Now or never.

Leon walked quickly over to the door and opened it, stepping inside and closing it behind him. Gaius had his back to him.

“Merlin did you forget something-” Gaius began to say as he turned around but stopped short when he saw Leon instead. “Sir Leon, hello, is there something I can do for you?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have much time Gaius, but Merlin’s determined to do whatever it takes to protect Arthur, isn’t he.”

Gaius looked a little stunned at Leon’s urgent tone but he nodded, a grave look on his face. “Yes, Leon, he is.”

Leon nodded back. He had already known this, but Gaius being aware of it should make his job easier. “I won’t let that happen, Gaius. You have my word.”

“While I appreciate that, Sir Leon, I’m not sure there is much you could say to convince him otherwise. I know I couldn’t.” 

“Maybe so, but I can still try. And when that doesn’t work,” Leon took a deep breath, “I’ll have a back up plan. Gaius, do you have a spell that can temporarily knock someone out?”

Gaius’s eyebrow climbed higher than Leon had ever seen it before. “You want me to teach you a spell?”

“Just something to put Merlin to sleep or temporarily knock him out, just to stop him from sacrificing himself.”

“So you may do so instead,” Gaius finished. Leon nodded hesitantly, not because he was having doubts, he just wasn’t originally planning on telling Gaius that particular detail. “Leon,” Gaius began, looking skeptical.

“Gaius, I’m sure. I know how strong he is, there’s no way I’d be able to stop him by knocking him out with a blow to the head. And besides, that could injure him. But he wouldn’t expect me to use magic,” Leon reasoned, his eyes pleading.

“You’ve never used magic before. It may not work,” Gaius warned him.

“I know. But I have to at least try.”

“Your immortality may not save you from the veil, you realize this?” Gaius asked.

Leon nodded, looking determined. “I know.”

Gaius looked at him sadly and sighed. “Swefe nu. It's a sleeping spell. I don’t know how long it will last on Merlin, his magic tends to protect him from the effects of simple spells.”

Leon muttered the spell quietly to himself, memorizing the way Gaius said it. He would only get one shot at using it, and he would not be able to practice while traveling to the Isle of the Blessed.

“I’ll make sure he returns to you Gaius, I promise.”

"Thank you, Leon," Gaius said, enveloping Leon in a hug.

Leon hugged Gaius back. "You can thank me when Merlin is back home safe and sound."

"I'm afraid I might not get the chance," Gaius pointed out, sounding sad.

"Right. You're welcome." Leon pulled back and gave Gaius a lopsided smile. “I have to go, Gaius. Thank you, for everything.”

Gaius nodded and smiled at him, smile fading as the door closed behind the knight who had become almost like a second son to him over the past couple years. It seemed that no matter what happened, he would lose a son. “Goodbye, Leon,” he told the empty room.

~~

Leon kept watch as Merlin collected firewood, holding a torch aloft to throw enough light for Merlin to see by. They were far enough away to not be overheard. Leon decided to get right to the point. "Merlin, I know what you're planning, and it's not going to happen. You are not sacrificing yourself to close the veil."

Merlin tilted his head to the side as he continued to collect firewood. He did not look surprised. "Yeah, and why not? Because you're determined to do it instead? Because we both know Arthur isn't closing it."

"Merlin, I'm the obvious choice, I can’t die. I'll come back." 

Merlin straightened. "Yeah? And just how sure of that are you? We found out the hard way from the Cup Incident that there's a limit to what you can come back from on your own, Leon. How do you know the veil won't just kill you?"

"I don't, but I have a chance at surviving it. You don't. No one else does."

Merlin turned away and picked up another piece of firewood. "It's too risky."

Leon looked frustrated, his mouth a thin line. "Merlin, are you hearing yourself? Do you want to die?"

"No!"

Leon flung his arms out, the torch flame dancing wildly. "Then why are you being so unreasonable? I have a chance here!"

"It's my destiny to protect Arthur through any means necessary, Leon."

Leon did not look at all impressed. "How are you supposed to protect him if you're dead?"

"I don't know! But this is my destiny, not yours."

"What if it is!" Leon shouted. Merlin's eyes widened and Leon took a step back and took a breath, running his free hand through his curls. "What if this is the reason I could never die? What if my destiny is to close the veil so you don't have to? So nobody else has to?"

“You don’t know that for sure,” Merlin pointed out quietly, bending down to collect more wood.

Leon sighed, taking a few steps towards Merlin. “But you have to admit, it makes sense,” he said softly, voice level and rational.

Merlin stood up abruptly, firewood clutched tightly in his arms. “That should be enough. We should get back to the others.” Without waiting to see if Leon was following, Merlin walked briskly towards camp, leaving Leon to hurry to keep up with him.

~~

Leon put another log into the fire, eyes scanning the darkness for any movement, ears straining to hear any sign of Dorocha. It was quiet and still. Beside him sat Lancelot, also keeping watch. Around them, everyone else was fast asleep.

“You’re planning on sacrificing yourself in Arthur’s stead, aren’t you.” Lancelot’s voice was quiet and though it was phrased as one, it was not a question. 

Leon appeared to realize this. “Please don’t try to talk me out of this, Lancelot. If I don’t then Merlin will instead in order to save Arthur. He’s determined. I won’t let either of them die Lance, I can’t. Tell me you wouldn’t do the same,” Leon demanded, but his eye’s pleaded with Lancelot to understand. He did.

“I would,” Lancelot allowed with a bone weary sigh. Leon looked relieved. "I understand, Leon, that doesn't mean I like it. No matter what, I lose. I lose you or Merlin or Arthur. By the end of the week, someone I love as a brother will be dead. I won't talk you out of it Leon because I know how stubborn you are. I just-" Lancelot broke off with another sigh, tugging Leon by the shoulders into a hug. 

Leon hugged back, his heart in his throat. "I know." He leaned back, hands still on Lancelot’s shoulders. "Take care of him for me?" Leon murmured.

"You know I will," Lancelot replied.

"I know he's reckless and always getting into trouble, you’ll probably have to bail him out constantly."

Lancelot nodded then paused. "Just to be clear, are you referring to Merlin or Arthur?"

Leon smirked. "Both." 

Lancelot snorted, though it quickly died with no mirth to sustain it. The two of them separated and Lancelot added another log to the fire. Neither let themselves think about how that hug very well could have been their last.

Chapter Text

'No mortal can survive the touch of the Dorocha.' Gaius’s words echoed in his head. And yet Merlin was, somehow, clinging to life. Leon wondered if Merlin was like him. If his born magic also made him immortal. He shoved the thought away. Whether Merlin was or not, Leon was not going to let that kid sacrifice himself. Not on his watch. 

So when Lancelot volunteered to take Merlin back to Camelot to be looked after by Gaius, Leon was quick to voice his support. Arthur looked reluctant, but ultimately agreed, much to Leon’s relief. In Camelot he would be safe and looked after by Gaius, and nowhere near the Isle of the Blessed.

Right before they were about to depart, Lancelot grabbed Leon’s arm in a proper knights handshake, his grip desperate and his eyes filled with all the things he couldn't say out loud. There was no doubt that this was goodbye. Leon nodded at him, a sad smile quirking the corners of his lips. "Take care of him," Leon told him. 

Lancelot nodded seriously. "I will. You have my word. Goodbye Leon," Lancelot told him, the finality to the farewell painfully clear. 

Leon patted him on the shoulder. "Goodbye Lancelot." Leon moved to where Merlin was already on his horse. "Goodbye Merlin," Leon said, and the way he said it sounded like a promise. 

"Leon, don't," Merlin croaked out. Leon smiled sadly at him, gently ruffling his hair. He took a step back and gave Lancelot a nod, before turning away. If the other knights noticed the tears shining in Leon’s eyes, they had the decency not to comment on it. 

~~

That was a dragon. Lancelot was staring at a giant dragon . A giant dragon who wouldn't stop speaking in riddles. 

"Then whose destiny is it? Who is destined to save Arthur?" Merlin asked Kilgharrah desperately, after the dragon told him he could not let Arthur sacrifice himself, but it was also not Merlin’s destiny to take his place.

"Leon," Lancelot said, Merlin and the dragon turning to look at him. "It's Leon’s destiny, isn't it?"

Kilgharrah smiled, a thoughtful chuckle to his voice, "Sir Leon… ah yes, the most loyal knight, the Immortal. Yes, it very well could be his destiny, should he so choose."

Merlin’s gaze grew hard and he frowned at Kilgharrah. "What do you mean, should he choose? When we first met, you said that we don't choose our destinies! That they are chosen for us!"

"That is correct, young warlock. We don't choose. It is said the Immortal's destiny is to die at the veil. But it is his choice as to how that will make all the difference."

"You're contradicting yourself," Lancelot pointed out, looking frustrated.

Kilgharrah smiled, tilting his head to look at him. "Am I?" 

"Will he die? Permanently?" Merlin asked, trembling. 

Kilgharrah examined him for a long moment before replying carefully and seriously, "It is the fate of the Immortal to perish in closing the veil, for an immortal’s life can only be given once.”

“What does that mean?” Merlin shouted desperately.

“I’m afraid I can not be any clearer, young warlock. You know what must happen to keep Arthur safe, there is nothing else I can say,” Kilgharrah replied, his wings unfurling from his back.

“Kilgharrah!” Merlin protested, upset and confused. 

“Farewell, young warlock,” Kilgharrah said, and flew away into the night, leaving a distraught Merlin and a befuddled Lancelot behind.

Lancelot was far more confused after listening to Kilgharrah than he was before the  conversation began. Somehow, in getting answers, he was left feeling like he had only gotten more questions. Merlin seemed to agree. He ran a hand down his face, extremely frustrated.

"When we meet back up with Arthur and the others, we're not telling Leon what Kilgharrah said." Merlin declared firmly.

"Merlin…" Lancelot protested, a frown on his face.

"He'll be even more determined, Lance, and I'm not going to let him do this. And besides, we'd have to tell him where we got the information and he doesn't exactly know Kilgharrah is still alive. I don’t want him to get mad at me before…” Merlin trailed off.

“One of you dies?” Lancelot finished.

Merlin scowled. “I die. No one else. Not Arthur, not Leon. Me. And we’re not telling Leon about Kilgharrah.”

“So you’re going to hide it from him? Keep him from his destiny?”

"Do you want him to die?" Merlin regretted it the moment the question left his mouth, Lancelot looking like Merlin had just slapped him.

"Of course not, Merlin. I don't want anyone to die. But someone has to. And Kilgharrah said that Leon was the one destined to do it. You have always spoken of the importance of destiny, so why are you so opposed to it now?”

“Because it should be me!” Merlin shouted, his words echoing in the dark empty clearing. The wind rattled the tree branches and an owl hooted in the distance but the two men were silent, Lancelot staring at Merlin with an unreadable expression.

“It should be no one, Merlin. No one should have to die,” Lancelot said quietly, breaking the silence that stretched between them. Merlin didn’t respond, tilting his head to the side while looking at Lancelot with a look that showed just how afraid and anxious and worried he truly was. “There’s no point in arguing about it. Come on, we should keep moving,” Lancelot said, putting a hand on Merlin’s shoulder and steering him in the direction of the horses. They had a lot of ground to cover still.

~~

When Leon saw Merlin walk towards them, he felt a confusing rush of mixed feelings. At first, the most prominent was pure joy and relief at seeing Merlin alive and whole. Next came confusion at how he recovered from death’s door in just a couple of days in time to meet up with them. Then there was dread and frustration and guilt. So many conflicting feelings in the span of seconds. Leon let relief take over as he stepped forward to greet Merlin, giving him an affectionate ruffle to his hair and a brief hug before letting him go. 

Then Leon moved to greet Lancelot, hugging him and keeping an arm around his shoulders as he walked with him towards the fire. “What happened,” he murmured.

“River spirits healed him. He refused to go back to Camelot,” Lancelot answered just as quietly.

Huh. Leon wasn’t sure whether to mentally thank the river spirits or curse them.

~~

Overhead, more wyverns screeched. “Go sire, we’ll hold them off,” Lancelot shouted. Arthur nodded and pressed ahead. Without stopping, Leon put a hand on Lancelot’s shoulder and squeezed briefly in a silent goodbye, before letting go and following Arthur and Merlin, Gwaine right behind him.

~~

With the veil in sight, everything in him was screaming to act but Leon waited. He knew he only had one shot at this. So he waited. He waited as Arthur took a few steps towards the Cailleach. Waited as Merlin cast a spell that sent Arthur flying backwards, hitting the ground unconscious. And when Merlin turned to Leon, no doubt to do the same thing, Leon stopped waiting. “Swefe nu,” Leon uttered, hoping, wishing, needing it to work and felt a surge of warm energy run through him. It seemed one of his wishes finally came true after all. Merlin collapsed to the ground, asleep, and Leon allowed himself a quiet “I’m sorry,” before he was striding towards the Cailleach.

She smiled. “The Immortal,” she greeted him and Leon felt himself falter.

“You know who I am?” He asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

“I do. I know of The Immortal’s destiny, so I must ask if you are certain you wish to do this. For The Immortal’s life can only be given once.”

 “I’m certain,” Leon said, and he was. The Cailleach gestured to the veil with a smile. 

With a deep breath that he did not dwell on being his last, Leon walked towards the veil. He had just reached it when he heard a panicked “No!” behind him. He looked over his shoulder at a wide eyed Merlin struggling to sit upright. With a shaky smile and tears in his eyes, Leon kept walking.

Chapter Text

Death had always been quiet for Leon. It was almost like falling into dreamless sleep, only usually with a lot more blood. His eyes would close and then what felt like moments later, he’d blink them open again, completely whole. Like no time passed at all.

Every moment in the veil felt like an eternity, each eternity filled with endless all consuming screams of pain, hurt, loss, anger, anguish and despair from the dead. The worst fears and pain, the strongest feelings of hatred and anger and despair, they all bombarded Leon's senses at once. Thousands upon thousands of tortured souls, endless torment, the worst of all of humanity. 

As his screams and pain became another voice of the endlessly tormented dead, Leon prayed the pain would end. It didn’t. 

~~

No one talked on the journey back to Camelot. There was nothing to say. Nothing that could put into words the loss and pain they were all feeling. Nothing to say that would fill the vacuum Leon had left behind.

None of them ever thought they would lose Leon. He was a constant reassuring presence in all their lives in Camelot, for as long as any of them could remember. He always seemed invincible. Always walking away from fights and situations with negative odds with barely a scratch. 

And now he was gone. Gone in the blink of an eye, leaving behind nothing more than his cape and his memory immortalized in all their minds.

~~

It didn’t.

~~

“He used a spell Gaius! He used magic to knock me out so he could go into the veil. There’s only two people he could have learned that from, and I know it wasn’t me!”

“Would you have had me refuse his request, knowing it would mean your death?”

“Yes! It was my choice, Gaius!”

“Well it was his choice too!”

Merlin stared at Gaius for a long moment before turning on his heel and walking out, tossing “I need to do chores for Arthur,” over his shoulder.

~~

It didn’t.

~~

"I would like you to be my first knight, Lancelot. You are the most noble of my knights and I have complete trust in you." 

Lancelot looked surprised at Arthur's earnest words, then sad. "Sire, I am honored that you hold me in such high regards, but-"

"He would want it to be you, Lancelot," Arthur interrupted gently, putting a hand on Lancelot’s shoulder. "He respected you greatly and held you in high esteem. There's no one he would rather have take over for him." 

Lancelot swallowed around a lump in his throat and gave a shaky smile. "Thank you, Sire. That means a lot to me. More than you can know. I would be honored."

~~

It didn’t.

~~

Gwaine was drunk. This wouldn't normally be a problem, as Gwaine was a relatively happy drunk, but no matter how many drinks he downed, he couldn't chase away the sadness that had settled into his bones. 

After several drinks too many and a night of loudly moping in the tavern, Elyan and Percival finally found him. "Come on Gwaine, time to go," Percival sighed, putting a hand on Gwaine’s back.

Gwaine turned around and slid off his stool in a manner that was unintentional, but he managed to catch himself on Percival. “Percival!” he exclaimed, the most happy he’d sounded all night. He latched onto the tall knight and didn’t let go. Percival chuckled and patted him on the back.

Elyan smiled too. “Gwaine, you need to let Percy go so we can get back to the castle,” he told him gently.

Gwaine shook his head stubbornly. “No. I’m not letting him go, ever. Elyan, come here, I’m not letting you go either,” Gwaine declared, making grabby motions at Elyan.

“Once we’re back in the castle, promise,” Elyan assured him. Gwaine seemed satisfied by that. They made their way back to the castle and the moment they stepped inside the citadel, Gwaine started grabbing at Elyan again. That was on him for not being more specific. He held out his hand for Gwaine to take, which he did happily. 

When they got back to Gwaine’s room, they all settled onto Gwaine's bed, since he still refused to let go of them. “Do you want to talk about why you’re so drunk you can’t stand up on your own?” Percival asked quietly once they were all situated. 

Gwaine frowned, the cloud of gloomy grief that hung above his head in the tavern before seeing Elyan and Percival returning once more. “I realized I never apologized to him,” Gwaine muttered mournfully. Elyan and Percival exchanged a look. They didn’t have to ask who he was talking about. 

“Apologize for what?” Elyan asked, giving Gwaine’s hand a squeeze. Gwaine squeezed back.

“For being such an ass to him in the beginning. All because he arrested me one time. He was just doing his job! I wouldn’t have arrested me, but I’m me. I was such an ass. And I never apologized for it. Now I’ll never get the chance,” Gwaine explained, words slurring together a bit.

“I’m sure he knew, Gwaine,” Percival soothed him, shifting his weight in an effort to get more comfortable but Gwaine misinterpreted, holding on tighter.

“Why don’t you want to let us go, Gwaine?” Elyan asked him gently.

 “If I let you go then I can lose you. I already lost Leon. I don't want to lose you two too. You two too. You too two." Gwaine repeated several times, getting slightly off track. Elyan squeezed Gwaine’s hand, getting him back on topic. "I love you too much," he said, swinging his head back and forth to look between the two of them. Percival held Gwaine a little tighter and Elyan put the arm not holding Gwaine’s hand around Gwaine's back and ending on Percival’s shoulders.

”We’re not going anywhere, Gwaine,” Elyan promised, Percival humming in agreement. Gwaine hummed contently, comfortable between the two of them.

The three of them would talk about this in depth later, once Gwaine was sober. But for now, the three of them sat together, grateful they still had each other.

~~

It didn’t.

~~

“Gaius doesn’t think I should.”

“I agree with Gaius."

“Lance! Don’t you see? If I can heal Uther, Arthur will change his mind about magic!" 

“Merlin, you’re awful at healing spells. Anything could go wrong."

“I can do this! I can try, I have to try,” Merlin insisted, a hysterical and desperate note to his voice. 

“Merlin,” Lancelot's voice was soft and filled with grief. “We both know why you really want to do this.”

“I don’t-”

“Merlin, even if you do manage to heal Uther, it doesn’t change anything. Merlin, he’s gone. Saving Uther isn’t going to change that. And if you don't manage to save Uther, you'll just feel worse. Let him go, Merlin. Let him go."

They weren't talking about Uther anymore. Merlin looked at Lancelot, his lip trembling and his eyes filling with tears. “I miss him so much,” he choked out. Lancelot opened his arms and Merlin buried himself in them.

“I know, I know. I do too. There’s nothing you could do,” Lancelot whispered, holding Merlin as he sobbed.

~~

It didn’t.

~~

Merlin knew Lancelot would be upset at him later for not waking him and instead going after Julius Borden alone, but the pain of losing Leon was still too strong, still choked Merlin up at the thought, and the idea of potentially losing Lancelot too? No. Merlin would take an upset Lancelot over a dead one any day.

~~

It didn’t.

~~

The egg cracked open and out came a small white head. Merlin and Lancelot looked on in wonder while Kilgharrah informed them, "'A white dragon is indeed a rare thing--and fitting. For in the dragon tongue, you named him after the light of the sun. No dragon birth is without meaning. Sometimes the meaning is hard to see, but this time, I believe, it is clear. The white dragon bodes well for Albion, for you and Arthur, and for the land you will build together.'"

Watching the white dragon, so young, so magical, so pure, that he helped bring into this world, Merlin felt overwhelming happiness for the first time since Leon died. For the first time since the veil, it felt like everything was alright. 

~~

And then it did.

Chapter Text

The first thing Leon became aware of was the silence. There were no screams. The second was that while he felt cold and stiff, he was not in pain. The third was a young voice, urgent but unafraid. “Mother, I think he’s finally waking up!”

Leon blinked open his eyes to find himself in a small one roomed wooden house lit by many candles. A kind looking woman with dark hair and blue eyes was walking towards him. A floorboard creaked under her weight and to Leon’s ears it was like a scream, a terrible scream. He couldn’t go back to the screams.

Leon struggled to sit up, eyes darting around the room wildly looking for spirits that were not there. The woman approached him more slowly, her hands out in front of her in a nonthreatening manner, as if she were calming a spooked horse. "Easy, easy, you're safe. My name is Sigrid, this is my daughter Savia. You are in our home. You were found half dead a little ways up the mountain from here about a week ago. We’ve been taking care of you, you’re safe.” The woman’s voice was calm and soothing. Leon found himself believing her and laid back down on the pillows. The woman reached his side and in slow deliberate movements helped him sit up. “What’s your name?” she asked him.

“Leon,” he croaked out, voice horse from lack of use or was it from the endless screaming with the dead?  

"Savia," Sigrid began, not needing to finish her instruction before a young girl no older than nine with dark hair and dark, bright eyes appeared at her mother's side with a cup of water. The woman smiled fondly at her daughter, taking the cup from her and offering it to Leon.  

He took it gratefully, forcing himself to take slow even sips. Once he had drained the cup he asked, "How long has it been since Samhain?"

Sigrid looked a little confused at that being his first question, but she answered it anyway. "Well over four months now."

Leon’s heart dropped to his toes. Four months. He was dead for four months. "I need to get back to Camelot," he declared, struggling to get out of bed.

Sigrid stopped him with a hand to his chest. "You are in no shape to go anywhere. You are not yet recovered, you must regain your strength first."

Leon hated to admit it, but she was right. Just the effort of trying to swing his legs out of the bed exhausted him. He couldn't even make it out of bed, let alone all the way back to Camelot. With a sigh he abandoned his efforts.

“How about we get you something to eat,” Sigrid said, turning away from the bed to a large cooking pot on the other side of the house. “After that I can answer any questions you may have.” 

~~

Leon learned that he had somehow ended up in the Madhavi mountains where he was found by a few of the villagers. They took him to Sigrid who was the closest thing the village had to a physician and she had been taking care of him with the help of her daughter. When Sigrid asked him how he came to be on the mountain, he was not lying when he told her he had no idea. He did not know how he was alive, how he escaped from the veil. He just knew he was glad that he was. When it became clear that Leon couldn’t and wouldn’t give details on how he had ended up half dead on the mountain, Sigrid let it go. 

Sigrid made it clear to Leon that he would not be going anywhere until he was well enough to travel, and that would take time. Leon wasn’t happy about it, but he agreed. Days passed and his strength slowly began to return, able to get out of bed and walk to the table to eat without much help.

It was an evening a few days after he woke up that Savia approached Leon after dinner with a surprise. “Leon, look what I can do,” Savia said, her eyes bright and excited. Leon watched as her eyes glowed gold and a small yellow flower bloomed in her hand. 

On the other side of the room, Sigrid stiffened, eyes narrowed as she watched Leon for any sign of negativity. She had heard of Camelot and it’s hatred for magic, and she now knew that Leon was one of its knights. If he reacted with anger at Savia’s magic, Sigrid didn’t care how weak he still was, he could seek aid elsewhere. To her surprise and relief, Leon smiled at Savia, no anger or hate or suspicion to be found. “It’s beautiful, Savia,” he praised her.

Savia beamed and held out the flower to Leon. “For you,” she said shyly. Leon carefully took the flower from her and tucked it behind his ear.

“How do I look?” He asked and Savia laughed delightedly nodding her approval. He grinned back at her. “Thank you, Savia.”

Later that night, after Savia had fallen asleep, Sigrid asked Leon about it. “I thought magic was illegal in Camelot. Feared and hated,” Sigrid said.

Leon looked over at her and sighed. “It is,” he admitted.

“And yet you are not afraid. There was no hate in your eyes. You are a knight of Camelot who does not hate magic. Why?”

Leon carefully pulled the flower out of his hair, the petals beginning to droop and wilt. He examined it as he answered, “I don’t agree with every law Camelot has. The ban on magic is one of them. I have a little brother who has magic. He was born with it. There isn’t a bad bone in his body. All he wants to do is help people with his magic, keep them safe, and yet according to the law, he’s evil for something he did not choose and has done no harm with. He is innocent, just as most magic users are. I could never blame the many innocent for the actions of the rare guilty. Savia grew a flower, how could I see that and feel anything but happiness and pride?”

A smile slowly grew on Sigrid’s face over the course of Leon’s explanation and by the end it was a grin. She nodded acceptance at his answer before asking, “Your little brother has magic? Do you?”

Leon shook his head. “I don’t, no. He’s not actually my little brother, not through blood anyway, but he is my brother by choice. He’s always getting into trouble, I’m constantly worrying about him,” Leon explained, a small smile forming at his many memories of the mischief Merlin got himself into. Leon’s smile faded. “I miss him,” Leon admitted.

Sigrid smiled sadly, a look of understanding on her face. “You’ll be well enough to travel before you know it, and you’ll be able to see him again,” she reminded him.

Leon smiled and nodded. Something to look forward to. 

~~

Time passed and Leon continued to get stronger. One afternoon, Leon was watching Savia while Sigrid attended to a matter in the village when Savia asked him, “Do you get a lot of bad dreams?” Leon looked at her in surprise and she shrugged. “You toss in your sleep a lot and sometimes you make sounds. It doesn’t look peaceful.”

Leon sighed. He had always had his fair share of unpleasant dreams, it came with being a knight. But ever since the veil, his nightmares had reached another level of bone chilling. Sometimes when he woke up he didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. Some days it felt like the whole day went by without Leon being certain if he was truly real, if this was reality or another cruel torture from the veil. But he couldn’t tell a child that. What he did say was, “I do get a lot of bad dreams.”

“What do you dream about?” 

Leon hesitated. He couldn’t tell the whole truth, he knew that. He couldn’t tell Savia that he dreamed of dying, of the screams of the dead, of watching his friends dying with him helpless to stop it. So with as little detail as possible he carefully said, "I dream about my friends being scared and hurt. Of myself being scared and alone. And old memories rearranged to be frightening.”

"You don’t have to be scared, you aren't alone here," Savia reassured him with innocent sincerity. 

Leon chuckled. “I know that, but I can’t control what I dream about.”

Savia nodded wisely. “I understand. I sometimes get nightmares too. My mom made me a bracelet to keep them away," Savia said, holding up her right wrist to show Leon her bracelet. Leon had noticed it before but never had the opportunity to examine it closely. It was a thin metal bangle made for a child, intricate markings and symbols engraved into the surface of the bracelet. 

“It’s beautiful,” Leon told her. Savia beamed.

Her smile faded a little when she said, “I dream about my dad sometimes. I miss him.”

“I’m sorry,” Leon told her softly.

She shrugged, trying to keep a brave face so she didn’t look like it still saddened her. “It’s okay. Well, it’s not, I wish he was still here, but the bracelet helps keep the dreams happy.”

“I’m glad,” Leon said softly and Savia smiled at him before turning her attention back to sewing.

~~

Three weeks had passed since Leon woke up in Sigrid’s house. Three weeks of slowly regaining his strength enough to return to Camelot. He no longer needed help to get around and did not tire immediately like he did at first. He was finally well enough to leave. As eager as he was to get back to his friends, Leon felt a dull ache of regret that it meant saying goodbye to Sigrid and Savia.

“Do you have everything?” Sigrid asked him as he stood together with her and Savia outside the house. He was wearing his armor which they had found him in, a sword gifted to him by the village blacksmith hung at his side as his own had not been recovered, and a bag filled with water, food, and other provisions including a map of the area was slung across his back. He nodded.

“Wait,” Savia said, bringing Leon and Sigrid’s attention to her. She was holding her metal bangle out to Leon. "I want you to have this. To keep the bad dreams away," she told him.

"Savia, I can’t accept this, this is yours," Leon protested. 

"I want you to have it. You need it more than I do. And this way you'll always remember me," Savia said shyly.

Leon bent down to be eye level with Savia. "I could never forget you, Savia," he told her, sincerity in his voice and eyes as he gently took the bracelet from her. “Are you sure you want me to have this?” He asked. She nodded.

“I’m sure,” she insisted. She pulled out a thin cord of black rope from the pocket of her dress and held it out to him. “Your arm is bigger than mine, but you can use this to wear it around your neck. It should still keep the bad dreams away,” she explained. Leon took the cord and glanced up at Sigrid who was smiling. She gave him a small nod. Leon looped the cord around the bangle and knotted it so it wouldn’t slide around and then he knotted the two ends together and slipped it over his head, the bracelet turned necklace resting against his chest.

“How does that look?” he asked her, the young girl nodding before throwing her arms around Leon in a hug. Leon hugged back. “Thank you, Savia,” Leon told her. Savia grinned and when Leon let go of her she bounded a few paces away to talk to one of her friends. Leon chuckled quietly at her energy.

Leon got to his feet slowly, his hand around the bracelet. He raised an eyebrow at Sigrid in silent question. “Keep it,” Sigrid smiled. “I can always make her another. Where you’re going, I have a feeling you won’t be able to get another one so easily.”

"Thank you," Leon told her gratefully, glad to have any form of relief from the nightmares that plagued him.

Sigrid eyed him thoughtfully. "Are you sure you want to go back? I know you have a life there, but you could have a life here too. I know Savia would be glad to have you stay, as would I."

Leon would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it for a moment. But that’s all it was: a fleeting thought. He couldn’t not return home. He couldn’t leave his friends to mourn him and feel guilt over his passing when he was still alive. He could not bear the thought of never seeing them again. He told her so. "My life is in Camelot. All those I hold dear are there. They need me. And I need them. I am grateful for the help you have given me and I will forever be indebted to you and your people. I will never forget you or Savia. But I must go home."

Sigrid smiled at him and nodded, if a little sadly. “I had a feeling that is what you would say. I wish you well, Leon. Safe travels." Like her daughter, Sigrid gave Leon a hug goodbye. 

Leon hugged her back. "Thank you for everything, Sigrid. Goodbye."

Leon made his way out of the village, nodding and smiling to the people he had begun to get to know during his weeks of recovery. He took one last look at the village, waved back to the energetically waving Savia, and proceeded down the mountain, beginning his long trek back to Camelot. Back home.

Chapter Text

Leon had been walking for nearly two weeks when he heard the sound of hoofbeats. A hand strayed to his sword and he went on high alert, but he did not stop walking. He was finally beginning to recognize the terrain. He was almost back to Camelot’s borders. 

The sound of horses grew closer and he heard a shout. He had been spotted. Leon did not want to deal with a delay, he had been lucky enough to not come across anyone before this point, but it appeared his luck had run out (it was bound to eventually). “State your name and business!” A voice called and Leon froze. He knew that voice. Maybe his luck hadn’t run out after all. 

Leon lifted his head in the direction of the voice, hoping his ears had not deceived him. When he heard several sharp intakes of breath and his eyes found the face of the one he was looking for, he knew they had not.

"Leon?" Gwaine's voice came out as a whisper but he might as well have shouted with the effect it had. He looked the same as he had the last time Leon saw him, though the wide eyes quickly filling with tears was new.

Leon grinned that oh so familiar grin. "Gwaine!" He exclaimed, striding towards Gwaine, who had dismounted from his horse. Without slowing down, Leon barreled into him, throwing his arms around Gwaine in a strong embrace. Gwaine staggered a step back, letting out a small “oof” at the impact, but he wrapped his arms around Leon almost immediately.

"I've never been happier to see you in my life!" Leon chuckled. 

"But you. You were dead. You closed the veil. It's been months!" Gwaine protested, sounding absolutely confused. He leaned back slightly to look at Leon’s face but he kept hold on Leon’s shoulders, unwilling to let him go.

"It spat me out far from here. I promise to tell you and everyone else everything, just, not right now. I'd rather not have to tell it more than once," Leon said, an uneasy look in his eye that had Gwaine immediately agreeing.

Gwaine nodded, eyes still stunned and a little damp. "Of course. The king will be delighted to see you. Everyone will."

"The king? Uther?" Leon asked, his eyebrows creasing together. He knew Uther regarded him as one of his most trusted knights but “delighted” was not a word he associated with Uther. And the last Leon knew, Uther was still ill from Morgana’s betrayal.

Gwaine's lips twitched. "No. Arthur."

~~

Leon rode on the back of Gwaine’s horse with him, the long-haired knight unwilling to let Leon out of his reach. Leon did not mind in the least. 

“Leon,” Gwaine murmured after about fifteen minutes of riding.

“Yeah?” Leon responded.

“I’m sorry.”

Leon frowned in confusion, wishing he was able to see Gwaine’s face. “For what?” He asked.

“For being such an ass to you in the beginning,” Gwaine responded.

Leon laughed incredulously. “Gwaine, that was well over a year ago. That’s water far under the bridge.”

“I just realized I never apologized for it,” Gwaine muttered. Leon held onto Gwaine a little tighter. “It’s okay, Gwaine.” And it was. 

~~

There was a mischievous tilt to his smile as Leon bowed his head towards Arthur. "Sire," he greeted respectfully. 

Arthur stared at him, eyes wide, before he shook his head once to quiet the endless thoughts bouncing around his head. "Leon," he said, grabbing his thought to be lost friend by the shoulders. He studied Leon's eyes and whatever he saw in them had him drawing Leon into a hug, patting his back with much less force than he might normally, like he was afraid Leon was an illusion that could break. Leon hugged him back, his eyes closed. 

The moment he was released from Arthur, he found himself swept up in a hug from Percival, and then Elyan, which Leon returned in kind, the empty ache he felt in his soul since waking up from the veil fading a tiny bit more with each assurance that they were real, that he was real.

Then he found himself in Lancelot’s arms and he was hugging him like he might disappear at any moment. Leon hugged back just as tightly. “I managed to keep them both out of trouble for the most part,” Lancelot whispered in his ear and Leon laughed, loud and a little wet. When he finally let him go, Lancelot was smiling at him and Leon smiled back. 

Next came Gwen, his childhood friend giving him a quick hug and a bright smile.

The last person left to welcome Leon was Merlin. He had been standing stiffly the whole time, studying Leon closely, just as he did when Leon approached him. “Merlin,” Leon greeted, a wide smile full of all the words he couldn’t say with others present. Merlin’s smile was brittle and his nod stiff. “Sir Leon,” he replied, his voice nothing but polite. Merlin could have stabbed him in the gut and it would’ve hurt less. Leon could feel his smile falter but before he could say anything, an arm was around his shoulder, steering him away. It was Arthur.

 “Come, you must be starving. We will have dinner with the round table so you may tell us of your story.”

“Of course sire,” Leon responded. He forced a light smile on his face that he didn’t realize looked as hollow and fake as it felt. 

~~

At dinner, Leon recounted how he was found and nursed back to health by the healer of an isolated mountain village. His words were carefully chosen, like he was hiding something. Leon was careful not to mention anything about magic, remembering what happened last time he spoke of its role in his recovery and not wanting a repeat. 

When Arthur asked him if he had any memory of what happened before he woke up on the mountain, Leon lied. He claimed he had no memory between walking into the veil and waking up in the healer’s house. Nearly everyone in attendance could spot the lie. Which made Leon’s answer to Arthur’s following question all the more bizarre. “How did you end up on that mountain?”

“I do not know, sire. I can not explain it, though I have tried many times to do so to myself.” Leon was telling the truth. He did not know how he wound up on a mountain, and yet he had memories in the time between walking into the veil on the Isle of the Blessed and waking up in the mountain village. It didn’t add up.

“With all the close calls you’ve had and now this, I’m starting to think you might be immortal, Leon,” Gwaine joked in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. With everyone’s attention on Leon, no one noticed the way Merlin and Lancelot both went stiff and wide-eyed while everyone else chuckled. 

What they did notice was Leon laughing along too, tipping his drink in Gwaine's direction before taking a sip and saying, “I think you might be onto something Gwaine, cause it certainly feels like it some days.” This caused another round of laughter, most everyone relieved that Leon was in good enough spirits to joke about his ordeal. 

But Merlin and Lancelot were not laughing, though Lancelot made an effort to smile so as to not look suspicious. Because Leon just made an off hand joke about immortality like it was nothing. Leon never joked about his immortality like that unless it was just Merlin and Lancelot around to hear.  The fact he had done so now as flippantly as he did was… worrying.

A terrible thought wormed its way into Merlin’s mind and as hard as he tried to shake it loose, it held on tight. The Leon Merlin knew wouldn’t joke about his immortality like that. The way he had done so was almost like he hadn’t known he possessed it in the first place, and there was no way Leon would just forget about his immortality. The thought grew stronger until Merlin feared it may be true: what if that wasn’t truly Leon?

~~

“Immortality, huh? I didn’t expect you to laugh along with Gwaine on that one,” Merlin said, trying to be casual and failing. He was cleaning up his room for Leon to sleep in, insisting that Leon take his bed for the night despite Leon’s protests.

Leon repressed a flinch. He did not want to talk about his immortality right now. Not to Merlin. Not since he was almost certain he no longer had it, if his once again normal healing rate was any indication. He gave Merlin a sheepish smile that he wasn’t sure he saw with the way he was bustling about the room putting away clothes and books. “It was just a harmless little joke, it’s not like anyone would believe such an unbelievable thing. Gwaine thought it was hilarious, it was nice to hear him laugh,” Leon said, missing the way Merlin’s face fell and his shoulders stiffened.

“Yeah, it was,” Merlin agreed. "It's good to have you back, Sir Leon.” There was that title again, sounding completely wrong and hurtful coming from Merlin to describe Leon. Before he could say anything, Merlin barreled ahead, his words coming rapid fire one after the other. “It’s been odd without you here, I know everyone missed you. Gwaine took it pretty hard, as did Arthur. Again, we all did, Lancelot and myself included of course, it wasn’t right without you, but you weren’t here, we thought you were dead, you were dead-”

“Merlin!” Leon exclaimed, finally halting Merlin’s rambling. “First of all, could we drop the “sir” please? There’s no one else here but us,” Leon asked, though it sounded more like pleading. 

Merlin still didn’t look at him when he said “Of course, Leon.”

“I understand that you’re upset, but can you at least look at me?” Now there was no question that Leon was begging. When Merlin looked at Leon there was hurt in his eyes. “I’m sorry that I hurt you but I won’t apologize for protecting Arthur, for protecting you,” Leon murmured and Merlin’s heart clenched.

“Why did you do it?” Merlin whispered.

“You know why,” Leon whispered back.

That wasn’t the answer he was looking for. Merlin wanted Leon to give some mention, some indication, of whether he knew of his own immortality. Only then would he be certain if it was truly Leon before him. “I want to hear you say it,” Merlin requested, his voice tight with emotion.

Leon shut his eyes tight. He didn’t want to talk about this now. Didn’t want to have to bring up his immortality because then he’d have to talk about his memories from the veil and how he no longer believed he had immortality. But if Leon was honest, which he very often was, his reasons for entering the veil had nothing to do with his inability to die. So he answered truthfully: “I did it because I knew how determined you were, Merlin. How convinced you were that the only way was for you to die. And I couldn’t accept that. I wouldn’t accept that. So I made sure that I, we, would not lose you.”

“By making me lose you instead,” Merlin choked out. “I grieved you, Leon. We all grieved you. I kept turning to look for you and you weren’t there,” Merlin looked into Leon’s eyes, his own wet with tears. “I needed you there.”

The dam on Leon’s eyes broke and a tear trickled down Leon’s cheek as he tugged Merlin into a hug, his little brother clinging to him desperately. “Oh, Merlin. I’m so sorry,” He whispered into Merlin’s hair. 

Merlin didn’t reply, he just clung to Leon. Leon hadn’t mentioned anything about his immortality. It was almost like he had forgotten about it. Leon wouldn’t do that. Merlin was nearly convinced that the person in his arms was not Leon, not truly. But in this moment, Merlin let himself pretend. He let himself have this one last hug as he grieved his brother of choice for the second time.

When at last his tears slowed to a stop, Merlin pulled back, wiping a hand over his face to brush them all away. “You should get some rest,” Merlin said, his voice still tight from crying. 

Leon was reluctant to let Merlin go, but he was right. Leon was exhausted. So he let Merlin go with a sad smile. “Goodnight, Merlin.”

“Goodnight, Leon,” Merlin responded and walked to the door shutting it tight behind him.

~~

The look on Merlin’s face when he walked into the main chambers to Gaius and Lancelot was pure devastation. “I don’t think it’s truly him,” Merlin whispered. “He didn’t seem to remember his immortality at all. He treated it as a joke or didn’t mention it at times where he should have. And he’s different.”

Both Lancelot and Gaius nodded to that: they had noticed it too. How Leon seemed to be trying just a bit too hard to seem like his normal self. Leon had always run warm, putting out heat that his friends would take advantage of: hugging him, putting an arm around him, walking closer than necessary. Now, Leon was cold. Not supernaturally so, not cold enough to draw the concern of anyone who didn't know him, but Leon no longer put out heat. That was one of the many thoughts that ran through Lancelot’s mind when he had hugged Leon earlier. There was just something off about Leon. His smiles were just a bit too wide, his laughs too loud, his eyes a little too haunted. Not to mention there was clearly something Leon wasn’t saying. “Who else could it be? It certainly looks like him,” Lancelot whispered.

Merlin turned to Gaius, a look of dread on his face. “Gaius, what do you know about necromancy?”

~~

“My lady, I’m afraid we may have a problem,” Agravaine said nervously.

Morgana looked at him sharply. “What kind of problem?”

“It’s Sir Leon-”

“Leon?” Morgana interrupted with a scornful laugh and a raised eyebrow. “I don’t see how he is a problem anymore, he’s dead.”

“Evidently he’s not.” Agravaine said.

“What?” Morgana growled. 

“He arrived in Camelot earlier today, alive. He claimed that he was found half dead by a village in the Madhavi mountains and was nursed back to health. He also said he had no memory of how he got from the Isle of the Blessed to the mountain.”

Morgana clenched her fist tightly. “Was he telling the truth?”

“It sounded like it, my lady. But he could have been lying-”

“No. If his story sounded like the truth then that means it is. Sir Leon can not lie to save his life.” Morgana stood up and paced back and forth. “It was Emrys. It had to be. There’s no other explanation for how Arthur’s most loyal knight could rise from the dead.”

Chapter Text

Leon left Merlin’s room the next morning to find Gaius’s chambers empty. Both he and Merlin must be out doing their jobs. He walked out of the chambers on his way to the royal garden, not noticing the symbol painted on the floor or Merlin and Gaius in the closet. 

~~

“Leon?” Leon looked up from his seated position on the grass to see Elyan, Percival, and Gwaine all looking at him with varying levels of concern. He frowned slightly.

“Is everything alright? You all look concerned.”

“We are; about you,” Elyan said.

“Me?” Leon repeated. He supposed it made sense, he had only been back in Camelot for a day, there were bound to still be feelings about it. But Leon wasn’t expecting concern. He had been trying very hard to not attract concern.

Gwaine rolled his eyes. “Yes, you. Why are you acting like you’re perfectly fine when you’re clearly not?” Leon gaped at Gwaine and floundered for a response.

Percival elbowed Gwaine gently in the side with an exasperated sigh. “What he means is it’s alright if you aren’t. We couldn’t even begin to understand what you must have gone through, and we don’t need to. Just know that we care about you and are here for you if you want to talk about what’s bothering you.”

“You don’t have to pretend with us, Leon,” Elyan said gently.

Leon blinked. He nodded slowly, letting out a long breath. There was no use denying it. “How could you tell? That I wasn’t alright? I was trying not to make all of you worry,” Leon admitted. 

Elyan, Gwaine and Percival all looked at each other and then settled down on the grass around Leon. This was a conversation to have sitting down. 

“It was that you were acting like everything was fine,” Gwaine explained. 

Elyan nodded. “You were trying too hard to seem happy.”

“I am happy! I am, I swear, being back home-”

“We know, Leon,” Percival interrupted soothingly, a hand reaching out and settling on Leon’s boot. “We know. It’s clear in the way you look when you first see one of us. But then your smiles keep on going, until they are too wide, too bright.”

“Like you can hide the hurt you’re feeling by smiling wide enough,” Elyan added. 

Leon looked back and forth between them before his eyes landed on Gwaine. He nodded and shrugged in an “its true” type of way. “I didn’t realize I was doing it,” Leon admitted.

“Well, it's like an animals built in defense mechanism, isn’t it? It’s not necessarily deliberate.” Gwaine noticed everyone staring at him. “What? I know things too!” Elyan rolled his eyes and leaned into Gwaine’s side. 

Leon let out a chuckle. A genuine one. "You make me sound like a porcupine." He began laughing loudly.

Gwaine grinned proudly and started laughing too, Percival and Elyan joining. Leon had missed this, missed them. 

"We want you to know that you don't need to pretend with us. If you want to talk, you can. But only if and when you want to.”

Leon frowned, a hand running through his hair. "I-” he began before cutting himself off. 

“Take your time,” Percival reassured him.

“I can remember it. Being in there. The veil. It was loud. So loud, and it feels like sometimes I’m still there. Like this is just an illusion I’ve thought up in my head to keep myself from going insane and it’s going to shatter at any moment and I’ll be back there, all alone with the dead,” Leon admitted his voice low and haunted. An arm wrapped around his shoulders and he found himself leaning into it, the touch grounding him in reality. He watched as hands gently pulled his away from the grass, which he hadn’t even realized he had been shredding and tearing up clumps from the ground. His eyes wandered slowly up to Elyan’s face which was sympathetic.

“You’re not alone,” Elyan promised him. “We’re all right here too. Can you feel that?” he asked as he squeezed Leon’s hands. Leon nodded.

“We’re real, Leon. You’re real,” Percival said, picking up where Elyan started, moving his hand from Leon’s foot to his knee where he could feel it easier. 

“You’re alive, Leon, with the three of us, sitting on some grass in Camelot. You’re not in the veil. We’re not going anywhere, and neither are you,” Gwaine told him. It was blunt, direct, and to the point. And it helped. Leon’s breathing evened out and he hadn’t even realized it had grown unsteady. 

“I don’t think I want to talk about it anymore,” Leon whispered.

“That’s fine,” Elyan assured him. “When and how much or how little you want to tell us is up to you. But all of us are here for you anytime Leon." Leon smiled gratefully at him.

Now that he had calmed down, Leon took the opportunity to simply observe his friends. He had noticed the way Percival and Elyan had leaned into Gwaine earlier, more affection in the action than annoyance. And the way the three of them sat together the night before at dinner, seats so close together their elbows were bumping. And how they stole little looks at each other when they thought no one was looking, and that wasn't even mentioning how they seamlessly finished each other's thoughts. Leon wasn’t blind. Leon looked between the three of them and gave them a small smirk. "So how long has this," he waved a finger back and forth between them, "been a thing?" They all looked at him in surprise. "What? I notice things too," Leon laughed. 

Gwaine shook his head in disbelief. "We are giving Merlin so much shit when he does finally notice, if Leon figured out in one day what he didn't see in three months."

Leon snorted. "You're telling me you've been together three months and Merlin hasn’t noticed?"

Elyan shrugged. "If he has, he hasn't said anything to us or Lancelot. We're all waiting for him to figure it out on his own, so don't say anything to him about it?"

Leon held out his hands in front of him. "Believe me, I won't, I'm curious to see how long it will take him."

"We have a betting pool going, want to join?"

~~

When Leon walked into Gaius’s chambers that evening, he nearly lost his balance when Merlin barreled into him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. Leon hugged him back, ruffling his hair lightly, and that just made Merlin hold on tighter. Leon looked to Gaius and Lancelot for any clue as to what was going on, but they said nothing. “Merlin, not that I’m not glad you’re happy to see me, I’m quite relieved in fact after yesterday, but what’s with the monkey impression?"

“It’s you, it’s really you. I wasn’t sure it was you but it’s really you,” Merlin murmured. 

Leon frowned. “It’s really me. What do you mean you weren’t sure?” 

Merlin pulled back from Leon, guilt in his eyes. “You were gone for so long and were acting so oddly, I thought that maybe it wasn’t you. That Morgana was controlling your spirit, a shadow of who you were,” Merlin admitted. Leon stared at him, taking a half step back as if Merlin had punched him.

"You thought I was an evil spirit being controlled by Morgana, a shadow of my former self?" Leon repeated dully, something hurt and broken in his eyes. 

"You were acting strange, Leon. You came back from the dead after months and you were acting off and lying about what you remembered. We had to rule out the possibility," Lancelot said gently.

"I’ve been acting differently because I am different! I was dead, for four months, and I remember all of it! Every moment felt like an eternity, and sometimes it feels like I'm still stuck there! Excuse me if the experience changed me and left me not wanting to talk about it!" Leon burst out, and immediately looked like he regretted it. 

“You remember it?” Merlin asked in a small voice.

Leon sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yes, I do. I don’t think it’s something I’ll ever be able to forget. But I would like to try, so I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Of course, Leon,” Lancelot agreed softly. Merlin and Gaius nodded in agreement. 

“So you thought that I was an imposter because I was acting off?” Leon asked, a wounded quality to his voice.

“It wasn’t just that. You didn’t mention your immortality. I didn’t know why you would do that unless you had somehow forgotten about it. And you wouldn’t forget about it unless it wasn’t you,” Merlin explained.

This was it, Leon couldn’t avoid it any further. “I didn’t mention it because I didn’t want to talk about it. Merlin, I don’t think I’m immortal anymore.” Three sets of eyes widened in alarm.

“Are you certain?” Gaius asked. Leon nodded.

"An immortal’s life can only be given once," Lancelot whispered to himself. Leon heard him.

"Where did you hear that? I was the only one conscious when the Caileach said that to me," Leon asked, looking confused.

Lancelot and Merlin exchanged a guilty look. “Well, we heard it from Kilgharrah,” Merlin explained cautiously.

“Who’s Kilgharrah?” Leon asked, growing more confused by the second.

“The great dragon?” Merlin said, but it came out as a question.

Leon blinked blankly at Merlin. “The great dragon as in the great dragon that attacked Camelot and killed me the first time?”

“Yes?”

Leon could feel a headache beginning to form as he calmly took a few steps towards Merlin and rested his hands on Merlin’s shoulders. “Merlin. Merlin, I thought he was dead. Merlin, you can’t get information from a dead dragon, how is he not dead?” 

“I’m a dragon lord. I ordered him to stop attacking Camelot and he had to listen to me.”

“You’re a- okay. Well, that’s the only dragon, right?” The silence he was met with was not reassuring.

“There’s also a baby dragon named Aithusa that Merlin hatched a couple of months ago,” Lancelot admitted. 

"You hatched a baby dragon?" Leon asked, sounding almost hysterical. Merlin nodded. “Where did you even find a dragon egg? Where is the dragon now?” Leon asked with a groan. 

“We were talking about how you no longer think you’re immortal," Merlin said instead of answering, wanting to get back on track. 

Leon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We're coming back to the baby dragon later," he grumbled. He waited for Merlin to give a jerky nod before Leon lifted up his shirt sleeve and revealed a bandage. He unwrapped it and revealed a scabbed over shallow gash. "I got this nearly a week ago," Leon said meaningfully. 

"But, but your healing factor takes care of things like that in less than an hour," Merlin protested, looking scared.

"And so you see the problem. It took me a week to wake up after they found me on the mountain and another 3 weeks to be strong enough to make the journey back to Camelot. Scratches last for days and deeper cuts are still healing a week after they occur. I don’t think I’m immortal anymore.”

“Maybe because you gave your life at the veil, you’re mortal again?” Lancelot suggested.

“But why am I even back in the first place? The Caileach made it sound like I was done after the veil. And I was in there for months, why did I come back when I did?” 

“I think we should talk to Kilgharrah,” Merlin said, “he might know why you’re back, and if your immortality is really gone.”

Leon didn’t look thrilled at the thought. “We just established that it seems like I’m mortal again. I’m not sure going to talk to the dragon that has already killed me once is a great idea.” 

“He won't harm you with me present, he can't. And you'll be able to meet Aithusa as well," Merlin told him. Leon nodded begrudgingly. Merlin smiled at him, though it looked a little forced. “We’ll figure this out,” Merlin told him. 

Leon gave him a small smile and messed up Merlin’s hair. “Thanks, Merlin,” he said softly. Merlin returned it, more genuine this time and turned away to sit at the dinner table.

"Leon," Gaius called, drawing the knight’s attention. The old man smiled warmly at him and drew him into a hug. "Thank you, for keeping your promise," Gaius whispered into Leon's ear.

Leon hugged Gaius back a little tighter, and chuckled. "You're welcome Gaius." 

Somehow, as much as it didn't look like it for a while there, everyone made it back home. Some pieces were a little jagged and it would take a long time for everything to get completely back to normal, but Leon was home, he was safe and himself, and the air felt lighter than it had in months. 

~~

Lancelot led Leon to his own quarters so Merlin would have his own bed back. The assurance that Leon would be with Lancelot seemed to be the only thing that made Merlin agree, hesitant to have Leon far from his reach. 

Once the two had eaten and had settled sitting side by side on the bed, one of Lancelot’s arms around Leon, Leon asked him, “So what happened, when I was gone? The long version?”

Lancelot filled him in on the past several months, telling him about the attempt on Arthur’s life that resulted in Uther’s death and how Lancelot and Gaius had to talk Merlin out of trying to use magic to heal him (which Leon agreed was probably a good call), he told him about the quest to find the dragon egg which Merlin rescued and hatched, and he told him about the war with Caerleon, adverted by Arthur’s honorability, Merlin’s magic, and Queen Annis’ wisdom. Then Lancelot filled him in on the smaller moments, the struggle to adapt without him, the grief everyone felt. And how glad they all were to have him back.

“It’s good to be back,” Leon admitted softly.

Lancelot smiled at him before hesitating. There was still one more thing Lancelot hadn’t told Leon about yet. His voice was nervous when he slowly said, "When you were… gone, Arthur promoted me. To First Knight."

Lancelot was expecting some kind of negative reaction or half hearted congratulation. He did not expect Leon to grin at him, genuinely grin, and slap him on the shoulder. "That's great, Lance. I'm glad Arthur chose you.”

"It's yours again as soon as you're ready," Lancelot assured him. Leon went to protest, expression now uncertain, but Lancelot cut him off before he could "and before you make up some sort of excuse for why you shouldn't, I've already talked to Arthur and he agreed. When you're ready, Leon, not before."

Leon sighed and nodded. “That may take a while Lance,” he warned him.

Lancelot nodded and shrugged. “That’s fine. It could be tomorrow, could be years from now, point is it's yours as soon as you’re ready to wear it again.”

Leon nodded, the message clear: there was no pressure or time limit. He was setting the pace. “Thank you, Lancelot.” Lancelot hummed in acknowledgment and leaned into Leon’s side. The movement reminded Leon of earlier in the day and he grinned. “I joined the betting pool today. I can’t believe Merlin hasn’t noticed.”

Lancelot laughed, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “Of course you know before him. In Merlin’s defense, he’s been quite busy, but at the same time it’s not like they are subtle. Did they tell you?”

Leon shook his head. “No, I figured it out. The three of them tracked me down earlier to find out how I was doing and I could tell things had changed between them. About time,” Leon added.

Lancelot chuckled. “Only took them over a year and a sad drunk Gwaine to get their acts together,” Lancelot mused.

Leon furrowed his brow. “Sad drunk Gwaine? Since when is Gwaine a sad drunk?” Lancelot looked at Leon pointedly and tilted his head in a silent ‘why do you think?’ Realization hit him. “Oh.”

Lancelot patted Leon’s shoulder with the arm he had wrapped around him.  They sat in silence for a minute until Leon said slowly, a wicked grin spreading across his face, “So you could say that they finally got their acts together because of me.”

Lancelot looked at him and took in the shit eating grin on Leon’s face. “I suppose you could say that,” Lancelot allowed, uncertain where his friend was going with this. “I’m almost afraid to ask why you look so happy that it was your death that led your friends to form a relationship.”

Leon looked absolutely thrilled. “Gwen owes me a custom forged weapon of my choosing now, that’s why,” Leon declared with a grin. That cleared absolutely nothing up, which Leon seemed to realize at Lancelot’s amused but lost expression. “She bet me, I suppose nearly a year ago now, that those three would figure things out on their own with no outside influence. So she would win if one of the three of them confessed their feelings with no prompting and if their reason for confessing had nothing to do with anyone outside the three of them,” Leon explained. “I bet her that it would take the actions of someone else to make them realize their feelings for each other and get together. If they got together because of my death, that means I won the bet!” He finished with a grin.

Lancelot blinked at him and started laughing heavily as he shook his head. “Have fun collecting on that one, Gwen might actually beat you up if you try to collect on that bet using your own death,” he pointed out between laughs.

Leon tilted his head as he considered that. “You’re probably right,” he admitted. “But she would give me a hug afterwards and probably agree to forge me a dagger,” he finished with a grin.

Lancelot laughed again, shaking his head. This was the Leon he knew and missed, the man full of laughter and mischief. Lancelot knew that Leon had been through a lot and he wasn’t completely alright, not yet, but the light in his eyes as he grinned in anticipation over collecting on his bet convinced Lancelot that in time, he would be.

Chapter Text

“This is an awful idea,” Leon grumbled, glancing about nervously. Leon, Lancelot, and Merlin were in a large clearing a little ways from the castle in order to meet with the great dragon and the baby dragon. Leon still wasn’t a fan of the plan, though he supposed it was a little late to back out, since Merlin just summoned the dragons.

“It’ll be fine, Leon. Merlin won’t let anything happen to either of us, and we might finally get some answers,” Lancelot reminded him. The sound of large wing beats and a massive shadow falling over them prevented Leon from answering. 

A giant dragon landed with a thud in the clearing, large wings folding flat onto his back. Leon had to resist the urge to draw his sword. He somehow had forgotten just how giant the great dragon was. “You summoned me, young warlock?” Kilgharrah addressed Merlin, bowing his head to him. 

“Leon is alive, and we wanted to know if he’s still immortal,” Merlin told him. Kilgharrah swung his head to examine Leon who looked back stiffly. 

“I see,” Kilgharrah said slowly and thoughtfully. He addressed Leon directly when he said, “I’m afraid to say that an immortal's life can only be given once. You gave your life to close the rift between the realms of the living and the dead, forfeiting your immortality. If you ever freely give your life again, it will be your end.” Merlin looked devastated and Lancelot looked grim. But Leon only nodded as he had been expecting this answer. 

“How am I back at all? I gave my life, shouldn’t that have been it?” Leon asked the dragon.

“Before I answer that, I believe it may be prudent for you to meet Aithusa,” Kilgharrah replied. Right. Baby dragon. 

Leon folded his arms and glanced at Merlin who spoke in a strange deep voice words he could not understand. A small figure came flying out of the trees and landed a little clumsily on the ground in front of Merlin. “Leon, meet Aithusa,” Merlin said cheerfully. The dragon was small and white, and actually quite cute. 

Leon crouched down and held his hand out to the baby dragon, letting him approach Leon first. Leon was aware that he was treating the dragon like a dog, but he wasn’t sure how else to approach him. The dragon came over to him with little hesitation, letting out a chirp after he smelled Leon’s hand before he leaned into it. His scales were a lot warmer than Leon would have expected and they were perfectly smooth almost to a point of softness. Leon smiled. “Hello, Aithusa,” Leon greeted, earning him a cheerful chirp in response. 

Leon sat down on the ground properly and Aithusa instantly climbed up on his lap, letting Leon stroke the scales on his head. For the first time since before the veil, the silence felt completely silent and the shadows only looked like normal shadows. For the first time since the Isle of the Blessed, Leon felt unbroken and unafraid. He felt real .

Leon looked up to find Merlin and Lancelot both staring at him in surprise and amusement. “What?” He asked defensively.

Merlin smirked, hands on his hips. “I thought you didn’t like dragons, Leon?” Merlin teased.

Leon rolled his eyes. “Aithusa is an innocent baby, how could I dislike him? But just because I like Aithusa, doesn’t mean I like the giant homicidal lizard who killed me.” Leon raised his voice pointedly at the end, making sure said lizard could hear him. Lancelot and Merlin stared at Leon in disbelief, Lancelot casting nervous side glances at Kilgharrah. Leon honestly wasn’t sure where the confidence had come from. He definitely had not been planning on provoking the dragon and in fact had resolved to let Merlin talk to him for the most part. But ever since petting Aithusa, he felt calm, safe. And Leon had an unfortunate habit of acting recklessly when he felt safe.

Fortunately, Kilgharrah did not appear angry at Leon’s barbed words, instead sounding almost amused. “Ah yes. I would apologize for killing you that first time, Sir Leon, but I’m afraid it was necessary both to your destiny and for the good of Albion, and I can not apologize for that.”  

Leon frowned up at the dragon. “You killed me. The first time. You killed me and you did it on purpose. For the good of Albion?”

“That is correct, Sir Leon, for I knew of your destiny. I knew that new life of the first death was the only way an immortal dead could rise again,” Kilgharrah explained, as if that cleared everything up. It didn’t.

“You are the most frustrating being I’ve ever met, and I’ve met Lord Shitstain,” Leon grumbled at Kilgharrah, giving Aithusa a scratch on his head that the dragon leaned into. 

Merlin choked and Lancelot laughed loudly. "Are you talking about Agravaine?" Merlin sputtered.

"Yes."

“Leon!” 

“What? He’s not here, is he? It’s not like I’d say such a thing to his face.”

“It’s that it’s you saying it at all,” Lancelot laughed.

“I get a bad feeling around him. I don’t trust him.” Kilgharrah cleared his throat. “Speaking of which,” Leon mumbled under his breath.

“I have told you all you need to know. It is up to you to find meaning in my words,” Kilgharrah explained. Leon was of the opinion that the giant lizard just enjoyed word puzzles and spoke in riddles any chance he got to mess with people.

Leon sighed and ran a hand down Aithusa’s back, still marveling over how calming it felt despite how bony the baby dragon was. Leon ran through everything Kilgharrah had said and it suddenly occurred to him that he waited to give his riddle until after Leon met Aithusa. Leon looked at the dragon in his arms, how calm and unafraid he felt when ten minutes before he was on edge and dreading meeting the two dragons. A thought began to form in his mind.

“Merlin, how long ago did you hatch Aithusa?”

Merlin furrowed his brow in thought. “About seven weeks ago? Why?” 

Seven weeks. That’s around the time I appeared on the mountain. “New life of the first death,” Leon murmured to himself, absentmindedly scratching Aithusa’s head. Leon’s eyes widened and he turned to look at Kilgharrah who was watching him with a smug look in his eye. “New life,” Leon said pointing at Aithusa, “of the first death,” he continued, moving his finger to point at Kilgharrah. “Aithusa’s birth saved me from the veil, that’s how I’m alive.”

“Very good, Sir Leon!" Kilgharrah praised. Merlin and Lancelot both stared at him in shock.

Leon scowled at him. "You couldn't have just said that from the start?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

“So because you were first killed by a dragon, the birth of one is what brought you back?” Lancelot asked. Kilgharrah bowed his head in confirmation.

“Why?”

“I’m afraid I can not tell you the why, only the how. Fate can be a very tricky thing, and knowing too much about it can lead to catastrophe,” Kilgharrah said. 

“So we’re just supposed to trust you?” Leon asked warily.

“Yes. Sir Leon, you currently hold Aithusa in your arms, do you feel unsafe?”

“No,” Leon admitted.

“And how do you feel?”

Leon turned to look at Merlin and Lancelot, addressing them rather than Kilgharrah. “I feel like myself. Like before the veil. I don’t feel broken. I feel… normal. Safe.”

Kilgharrah looked pleased at Leon’s words. “You may not trust me, Sir Leon, but you may trust in Aithusa. Without his birth, you would not currently have your life. The two of you are connected and as such, neither can truly harm the other.” 

Leon looked down at Aithusa, the baby dragon looking up at him and letting out a content chirp. Huh. I definitely wasn’t expecting that.

Chapter Text

When Merlin came into the armory looking for a weapon for Arthur and asked for his advice, Leon was ecstatic. It had been a couple of weeks since Leon’s return to Camelot and while Leon and Merlin had had several conversations in that time about the veil and all that had occurred and changed since then, Leon still felt like things were strained between them. Just the previous day, when Merlin was brought back to Camelot by Arthur and Gwaine alive, and Leon gave him a hug, the one he got in return was stiff, wrong, like Merlin was mad at him. Leon had tried apologizing to him; that day and a half where it looked like he may have lost Merlin after just getting back to him himself gave Leon a tiny taste of what Merlin must have experienced in those months, but Merlin had brushed him off. It stung, but now, being asked for weapons advice by Merlin, it felt almost like an olive branch and Leon was eager to take it.

“What are you after?” Leon asked, replacing a sword to the rack.

“Arthur wants a crossbow,” Merlin replied.

Leon looked over to see Merlin fiddling with an old rusted crossbow that was more a relic than it was a weapon. “That one’s ancient. Probably wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Well, if you did want to hurt a fly, or even a human, what would you use?” Merlin asked, curiosity in his voice.  

Leon could barely contain his excitement. Over the past couple of years, Leon had tried several times to get Merlin interested in different types of weaponry but with no success. He had managed to train Merlin into a semi decent swordsman in that time, but beyond learning simple sword handling skills, Merlin had shown no interest in any other weapon. ‘I have my magic, Leon, why do I need to know how to wield a mace?’ So to hear him now sound actually interested in crossbows, Leon was thrilled. 

“You would use a thing of beauty like this,” Leon replied, stepping towards where his favorite crossbow was mounted to the wall. He gently took it down and turned in Merlin’s direction, who had moved closer to him. “Carved from fifty year old ash,” he told him and Merlin looked at it admiringly. It would certainly be an excellent choice for Arthur’s needs. With a genuine excited smile, Leon handed the crossbow to Merlin who instantly started fiddling with it.

“Uh, be careful-” Leon started to say, but before he could finish, Merlin had released the bolt, sending it into a barrel which exploded into bits. Okay, Leon thought to himself, we’ll have to work on that so he doesn’t accidentally kill somebody. But he said it was for Arthur, who actually knows how to work a crossbow so it should be fine.

“Oh!” Merlin exclaimed, twirling the crossbow in his hands and looking delighted. Leon grinned.

“Will that do the job?” Leon asked.

“Oh yes. That will do the job nicely,” Merlin chuckled.

Leon's grin quickly turned into a thoughtful frown. “What is the job exactly?” he asked, realizing Merlin had never specified.

With no hesitation, Merlin replied, “To kill Arthur.”

Leon smirked knowingly. Arthur was no doubt being particularly insufferable now that Merlin was back and safe. He was either being overly nice or overly rude, both of which tended to drive Merlin up the wall. “Driving you mad, is he?”

Merlin grinned at him, crossbow over his shoulder. “Not for much longer!”

Leon’s laughter accompanied Merlin out of the room, Leon shaking his head in amusement. On a normal day, Leon may have gently scolded Merlin for being so loud while speaking treason, even if it was clearly a joke, but it had been just the two of them in the armory and it felt good to laugh and joke with Merlin again, even if it was over a normally grim subject. Leon thought little more of it until a concerned Lancelot entered the armory.

“Have you seen Merlin?” Lancelot asked, sounding concerned.

Leon nodded. “Yeah, he was in here just a few minutes ago looking for a crossbow. He actually seemed excited about it, can you imagine?” Leon asked with a little chuckle.

Rather than reassure Lancelot, his frown only seemed to deepen. “No actually, I can’t,” Lancelot said. “He’s acting strangely.”

 Leon pouted and rolled his eyes. “Lance, just because he actually showed interest in a weapon for once, doesn’t mean he’s acting strangely. Let me have this.”

“Sorry, Leon, but it’s not just that. I talked to Gaius earlier and apparently he was incredibly short tempered and rude to Gaius earlier, and when I saw him last night he sounded all wrong. Not to mention his hug was all stiff.” It was this last detail that made Leon truly frown. Merlin had no reason to be upset at Lancelot, hugging him stiffly made sense, but not Lancelot.

“I actually noticed that too, but I just assumed he was still mad at me,” Leon admitted. 

Lancelot shook his head. “He’s not Leon, truly. He’s just glad you’re home. His anger melted away into concern as soon as we realized you were you and not enchanted,” Lancelot explained. Then his eyes widened. “Enchanted,” he repeated. “Leon, what if Merlin is enchanted?”

“Enchanted? To do what?” Leon asked

“I have no idea. What did he want from in here?”

“Like I said a crossbow…” Leon began but he trailed off, dread washing over him as Merlin’s words echoed in his mind ‘kill Arthur ’ “Oh no,” Leon groaned, walking quickly to the door, an alarmed Lancelot at his heels. 

~~

Leon led a patrol of Elyan, Gwaine, Lancelot, and Percival through the woods, investigating an unusual sound. Although Lancelot was present, he was letting Leon lead the patrol since it was just the five round table knights. Leon knew that it was Lancelot’s way of slowly building back Leon’s confidence in his abilities as a knight and as a leader. He wasn’t subtle, but Leon appreciated it all the same.

Leon caught a flash of movement through the trees and held up a hand to halt the knights. He pointed and they all walked forward stealthily. Until they saw who it was. It was an old man with long white hair and a beard dressed in red robes attempting and failing to climb onto a horse. Leon signaled for them to approach, swords sheathed. It seemed that the man had made an appearance in Camelot recently, as the other knights seemed to recognize the old man, just as Leon did.

The old man turned around, hearing their approach. “Gentlemen! What a pleasant surprise!”

“I wish we could say the same thing,” Leon said dryly. He remembered the old man from a few years previous when he claimed to enchant both Gwen and Arthur into falling in love. It was bullshit, but the man was also clearly a sorcerer. Leon was glad he managed to escape before his execution, but with the other knights present, he couldn’t exactly let the man go now. He may not like all the laws, but he still had to enforce them. “Move away from the horse. Please.”

“What lovely manners. I do admire a man who says ‘please.’”

“Now,” Leon ordered, putting his hand on his sword hilt but not drawing it. Yet.

The old man looked to Lancelot who indicated with his head that the man should move. Leon frowned at the look in Lancelot’s eyes. Did he know the man? 

The sorcerer- Dragoon, if Leon remembered correctly- walked slowly away from the horse and the knights circled him. Leon noticed Lancelot keeping to the outer edge of the circle and Leon couldn’t tell if it was simply to signal Leon that he still had the lead, or if Lancelot knew something Leon didn’t.

“Have you gotten bigger?” Dragoon asked Percival and Leon raised an eyebrow. The old man either had a death wish or he was incredibly confident. 

“You’ll be getting shorter if I had it my way,” Percival responded.

“Nice. I like it.” Definitely a death wish.

Before Leon could say anything, Dragoon turned to him and addressed him by name, “Leon, really, there must be something in the knights’ code about how to treat an old man.”

“How do you know my name?” Leon asked, eying the man suspiciously. There was something about him that seemed familiar almost, something about his eyes, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Oh ho, I know a lot of things! I know things about all of you,” Dragoon smiled. He looked slyly at Percival, Elyan, and Gwaine and gave them knowing looks. "I understand congratulations are in order?" Gwaine and Elyan both pulled their swords at his words, Percival’s already out. Gwaine looked thunderous and Lancelot coughed suddenly, sounding suspiciously like a laugh. 

Leon frowned as he realized that while Lancelot’s sword was drawn, it was held loosely in his hand and was not pointed at the sorcerer. The sorcerer with very familiar blue eyes that knew his name. Oh you have got to be kidding me. Leon barely managed to suppress a groan. So much for not letting him go. Leon held out a hand to the other knights, a silent order to stand down. "I am going to give you one chance to walk away. If you leave peacefully and swear to do no harm to Camelot, you may go, but if any of us see you again, I can not guarantee the same leniency," Leon said, much to the surprise of the other knights.

"Leon!" Gwaine protested.

"Gwaine, he's an old man that can't even get onto his horse." Leon replied, not looking away from the sorcerer who was smiling at him.

“He’s a sorcerer who has enchanted Arthur and Gwen in the past,” Elyan interjected, glaring at the sorcerer.

Leon turned to Elyan, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Elyan, I was actually here at that time. Arthur was not enchanted and neither was Guinevere. Uther was on a sorcerer hunt and got it into his head that your sister was enchanting Arthur to love her. That man,” Leon pointed at the old man he now realized to be Merlin, “claimed to enchant both of them and it saved your sister's life. There was never any enchantment and yet he took the fall and nearly burned for it. I have not witnessed this man perform magic today nor do any harm. I see no reason to condemn him to death when he has done no harm.” Elyan studied Leon, his eyes darting back and forth. Finally, with his lips pressed tight together, Elyan nodded once, but he did not lower his sword.

Leon turned to Merlin and fixed him with a stern glare. “Get on your horse and leave. Do not show your face in Camelot again, Dragoon.”

“That is very kind of you Leon and I am most grateful for your mercy. However, as you may have noticed, I’m having a bit of difficulty getting on my horse. Old bones, I’m sure you understand.”

Leon was going to kill Merlin. 

Before any blood could be shed, Lancelot stepped forward. “I’ll give you a hand,” Lancelot volunteered, somehow managing to keep a straight face. Leon was going to give him shit later for not warning him about this. 

"Why thank you, young man! Such chivalry!" Dragoon crowed and Leon had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. 

“You realize you just let a sorcerer go, right?” Gwaine asked him as soon as the sorcerer was out of ear shot, studying Leon closely. 

“I do,” Leon replied evenly.

“Leon-”

“Gwaine, do you really think I would have let him go if I thought there was even the smallest chance he would harm Arthur or Camelot?”

Gwaine shook his head immediately. “No, of course not.”

“Then trust me, okay?”

“You know I do,” Gwaine told him sincerely. Leon gave him a grateful nod.

“What are we going to report?” Percival asked.

“The truth,” Lancelot replied, rejoining the four of them since he helped the sorcerer onto his horse and he had ridden out of sight. “We came across an old man riding through the woods alone. We stopped and questioned him and upon determining he was no threat, sent him back on his way.” 

"I wouldn't exactly call that the full truth," Elyan said slowly. 

"It's missing a few details, but it is what happened," Lancelot replied.

Percival looked back and forth between Leon and Lancelot. “The two of you know something we don’t, don’t you.”

Lancelot shrugged with one shoulder. “We might,” he allowed.

“Anything we should be concerned about?” Gwaine asked.

“No,” Leon and Lancelot both answered at the same time, voices sincere and steady.

Percival nodded, as if that settled that. “Alright then."

~~

"You gave me a crossbow after I said I was going to kill Arthur with it?!" Merlin screeched. He was back to his normal self and had destroyed the fomorroh. Gaius, Gwen, Lancelot, Leon, and Merlin were in Gaius’s chambers and they had just filled Merlin in on the events that occurred when he was being controlled by the fomorroh, which he couldn’t remember. Merlin was not pleased to hear about Leon giving him a crossbow.

"Technically, I gave it to you before," Leon defended himself.

"But you let me leave?!" 

"I missed our banter, I'm sorry it's been a while and I overlooked  the signs of your homicidal tendencies!" Leon shot back, throwing his hands into the air.

Gaius sighed heavily and side eyed Lancelot. He didn't bother lowering his voice when he said tiredly, "You know, Leon was actually responsible before he met you."

Leon spun around and looked at Gaius with a betrayed look, much to everyone's amusement. Lancelot smiled, taking a sip of his drink. "What a coincidence," Lancelot mused. 

“Gwen!” Leon protested, looking to his friend for support.

Gwen smiled sweetly at him. “Dagger, Leon,” she said simply and Leon groaned, turning back to an irritated Merlin. 

“Dagger?” Gaius asked, confused.

“Leon asked me to forge a dagger for him. My only condition was he could not ask me for another favor or to expect me to take his side in an argument until I was done forging it.” 

Lancelot grinned. “It’s taking an awfully long time to complete, isn’t it?”

Gwen smiled innocently at him. “The forge is awfully backed up at the moment, it could take at least a week if not more to finally finish it,” Gwen informed them seriously. Lancelot burst out laughing. "I take it you know why I'm forging him a dagger?" Gwen asked with a smile.

"Oh yes. He told me all about it. I warned him against it, but you know how he is when it comes to bets," Lancelot said, a gleam in his eye.

Gwen shook her head with fond exasperation. "That I do. You'd think I'd learn by now not to bet against him. He always wins."

"I thought you were finally showing an interest in finer weaponry!" Leon was saying to an irate Merlin.

Before Merlin could respond to that, Gwen stood up from her seat. “As entertaining as this is, I have to go. I’m having dinner with Arthur tonight,” Gwen told them, giving them a smile and a wave before leaving, Leon and Merlin pausing in their bickering to say goodbye to her.

Leon waited a long moment after Gwen had left the chambers before whirling back to face Merlin. “Do you have a death wish Merlin?” He growled.

Merlin folded his arms. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Leon let out a noise of frustration. “Dragoon? You didn’t think that maybe you should have told me about that?”

"I didn't think I needed to! I wasn't expecting you guys to be passing by right then!"

“Merlin, do you have no self preservation at all?”

Merlin's eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to hear you giving me crap about self preservation, Leon, not anymore. You have no right. You’re worse than I am,” Merlin retorted hotly, pointing at Leon. Leon blinked and swallowed harshly. 

“You should have told me,” Leon repeated, less heat to his words.

Merlin shrugged, slowly calming down himself. “You figured it out well enough on your own.”

“And if I hadn’t?”

“I would have stepped in,” Lancelot said from his spot at the table, a cup in one hand. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to see what you would do. You handled it better than I thought you would.”

Leon scowled at Lancelot who just smiled back. A memory from earlier came back to him and Leon frowned. “Wait,” Leon said slowly, turning back to Merlin. “What was that whole congratulations thing about earlier?”

Merlin fixed Leon with an unimpressed look. “Did you honestly think I didn’t notice that three of my closest friends were in a relationship?”

Lancelot choked. “Wait, how long have you known?”

“Like two months?”

Lancelot’s eyes widened. This was news to him. “Why haven’t you said anything?”

“I heard about the betting pool and decided to see how long it would take everyone to realize I know and am messing with them,” Merlin responded with a wicked grin. 

As he watched Merlin laugh at Leon and Lancelot’s stunned expressions, Gaius, not for the first time, wondered how the three of them managed to be Arthur and Camelot's primary defenders while simultaneously behaving like children.

Chapter Text

"Leon, may I ask your advice on a sensitive matter?" Arthur asked. It was late at night and Leon was in Arthur’s chambers after giving him the report of what happened earlier that day on the patrol (the condensed version that Lancelot proposed that conveniently left out them letting go a known sorcerer).

"Of course, sire," Leon responded.

Arthur braced himself against the back of his chair, looking troubled. “It’s about the traitor who revealed our route.” Leon nodded in understanding. “There were less than ten people who knew of the route we would take, myself not included. I know it wasn’t Merlin, you, or any of the other knights. After questioning the council members, I was left with only one other person who knew of our route: my uncle.”

Leon was not surprised. He had had a bad feeling about the Lord for quite some time, long before the Isle of the Blessed. Imagining Agravaine betraying Arthur was not difficult, especially after what Merlin, Lancelot, and Gaius had told him about the man during his absence and Merlin’s report that he saw Agravaine with Morgana. Arthur, however, seemed to be struggling with the concept of another family member betraying him. 

“I confronted him with my suspicions and he swore to me he had not betrayed me,” Arthur said, looking troubled.

“Did he provide an alternate explanation, someone else it could be?” Leon asked, tone business like and serious. 

Arthur sighed and nodded. “He pointed out to me that Gaius was also aware of our route.”

Leon frowned. “Gaius? He told you he suspects Gaius to be the traitor?” Leon asked, unable to keep the disbelief from his voice.

Arthur nodded. “I fear he may be right,” Arthur admitted, sounding exhausted.

 Leon blinked. Okay. No. There was no way he was going to let Lord Shitstain make Arthur distrust and suspect the one person in Camelot who has had Arthur’s best interests at heart longer than anyone else. 

Leon shifted his weight. “May I speak candidly, Sire?” Leon asked. Arthur dipped his head in permission and Leon took a big breath. “Gaius has served both you and your father since before the purge. He saved the lives of yourself and your father countless times from seemingly deadly ailments. If he was the traitor and wanted you dead, all he would have to do is be a less than stellar physician one time. And if he were the traitor, why wait until now? Why provide the route you would take to an outside party that may or may not succeed in their attempt on your life while putting Merlin, who is like a son to Gaius, in danger?”

Arthur blinked, Leon’s words clicking. “He wouldn’t,” he responded.

 Leon nodded. “Exactly. He wouldn’t. Gaius has not betrayed you, Arthur.”

Arthur looked relieved for a moment before the troubled look returned. “But that just leaves me with my uncle again.” 

Leon shifted uncomfortably. He knew how highly Arthur regarded family, the importance of trusting family one of the few things drilled into Arthur by his father that firmly stuck. He knew Arthur would not like to hear what he had to say, but that did not make it any less true. “Arthur, you may need to accept that the bounds of blood and family mean much more to you than it does to other people, including individuals related to you by blood. Before you became Prince Regent, did Agravaine make any effort to be an uncle to you?” Leon asked carefully.

“No. He said it was because my father did not like him,” Arthur responded.

“But did he try to send you letters? Invite you to his estate as a boy? Did he ever try to know you before your father fell ill after Morgana’s coup?” Leon pressed.

“No.”

“And yet he would play the card of blood and family now to make you cast suspicion on a man who has known you and cared for you since you were a boy.”

Arthur looked conflicted, his heart warring with his brain, trying desperately to deny the only possible truth: that another member of his family had betrayed him. “But…he said his love for my mother would never allow him to betray me. That betraying me would be betraying her,” Arthur protested weakly. For a moment Leon saw not the king of Camelot, but the young prince he trained to be knight after his first real battle: afraid and so uncertain of himself.

Leon took a deep breath, knowing he had to be very careful about how he proceeded. “Sometimes hate is stronger than love. And grief does things to people, makes them capable of things they may not have been before. Arthur, it is possible that Lord Agravaine's love for your mother was overpowered by any hatred or blame he may have felt towards your father. He needed someone to blame for the loss of his sister and so he directed it at your father. And when he could no longer blame him, he turned that blame to you, despite your innocence.”

Arthur was silent for a long time, mulling over Leon’s words. At last, he nodded, looking displeased but determined. “I want evidence of my uncle’s betrayal before I make any decision. I want you to follow my uncle, see where he goes. Observe him only, do not confront him, no matter what you find. If he leaves the city, take Lancelot and Elyan with you and follow him. Do not tell them why. What was said here tonight is to stay between us until I am certain of my uncle’s loyalty or his betrayal. Is that clear?”

“Yes sire,” Leon answered, bowing his head respectfully. 

“You may go,” Arthur dismissed him. Leon again bowed to him and turned to leave, nearly reaching the door before Arthur’s voice stopped him. “Thank you, Leon, truly. It’s good to have you back.”

Leon looked over his shoulder and smiled at Arthur. “You’re welcome, Arthur. It’s good to be back.”

~~

A couple of days of careful observation later, Arthur called a meeting in his council chambers with only himself, the round table knights, Merlin, and Lord Agravaine present. The lord was the last to arrive, looking surprised to see the chamber so empty. "Are we waiting on anyone else, Sire?" 

"No, uncle, this is all of us. The topic I wish to discuss is of a sensitive nature. It has to do with the traitor," Arthur said and Agravaine nodded, looking confident and smug until Arthur continued, "I have reason to believe it is you, uncle."

“Arthur, I have already told you, I would not betray my sister by betraying you! I am not the traitor!" Agravaine protested.

“I know what you said, uncle. And I was inclined to believe you. But it was pointed out to me that Gaius has no reason to betray me, whereas you do.”

Agravaine scoffed in disbelief. "What reason? I have no reason to betray you, Arthur! How do you know the traitor is not the person who convinced you of such a lie?"

Both Arthur and Leon’s eyebrows raised and Leon stared at Agravaine coolly when Arthur responded, "Because I trust Sir Leon completely, uncle." 

Agravaine's face faltered as he realized that his odds of convincing Arthur that Leon was the traitor and he was framing Agravaine were slim to none. But in a move that Leon had to appreciate if only for the amount of sheer dedication and audacity, Agravaine tried anyway.

“Sire, I know this may be hard for you to hear, since Sir Leon has long been a trusted knight under your father and yourself, but his sudden reappearance after months of no sign of him and with no explanation of what happened in that time, well, forgive me for saying it, but it seems to me like perhaps something may have happened to him between closing the veil and returning to Camelot. Perhaps something to sway his loyalty to you-"

“Uncle! That is enough! Leon is a loyal and trusted friend, he has never shown any sign  of disloyalty to me," Arthur snapped, looking furious, as did the other occupants of the room. All except Leon, who had a glint in his eyes.

“No, Sire, it’s alright. I can not blame Lord Agravaine for being concerned about my loyalty given my absence from Camelot and the reason for it. If you would allow me, sire, I am more than willing to put Lord Agravaine’s mind at ease over the extent of my loyalty.”

“Very well,” Arthur allowed after a long moment of studying his friend. He was uncertain as to why Leon wanted to humor Agravaine, since they all knew that it was Agravaine and not Leon that was the traitor, but he trusted him. 

“Thank you sire,” Leon said respectfully. He turned to Agravaine and took a couple steps towards him, a hard glint in his eyes that was at odds with Leon’s perfectly polite formal tone when he said, “I am aware you have not resided in Camelot for long, Lord Agravaine, so I can not fault you for being unaware of some of the situations I have followed Arthur into. Allow me to enlighten you. I have followed Arthur into battle more times than I can count, each time knowing there was a possibility I would not make it out alive. One such occasion was the Great Dragon’s attack on Camelot. I was the first of Arthur’s men to volunteer to go with him to face the dragon, despite knowing my odds of surviving the battle were incredibly slim. I fully expected to die that day but I did not hesitate because of my duty to Camelot and my loyalty to Arthur. Another was when Morgana took control of Camelot and she presented me with a choice: swear loyalty to serve her or die. I chose death, for my loyalty was to Uther and Arthur alone. Had I died that day like I expected to, my last words would have been long live the king. As soon as I could, I escaped and made my way to Arthur. I assisted in retaking Camelot against an army of men that could not die. All of this happened before you arrived in Camelot, Lord Agravaine, so you had no way of knowing. But I know you have not forgotten the dorrocha and the tear between the realms of the living and the dead. And I know you remember what I gave to close it, as you so eloquently used my sacrifice as justification to accuse me of treason. Let me be perfectly clear: I have died for Arthur once and I would do so again in a heartbeat if it would keep him and Camelot safe. Can you say the same, Lord Agravaine?"

There was stunned silence broken only by Agravaine gaping at him and sputtering. Leon waited a long moment before calmly raising an eyebrow and said “That wasn’t a rhetorical question, my lord.” 

Agravaine finally managed to regain the use of his tongue, turning to Arthur. "Arthur, this is ridiculous, surely you don't doubt-"

"You still haven't answered the question, uncle," Arthur interrupted. 

Agravaine blinked at Arthur, a look of apprehension flickering in his eyes before being replaced by conviction. "I, yes. I would, because I am loyal to you Arthur."

"You have an awfully funny way of showing it, Lord Agravaine," Arthur said, tone cold.  

Agravaine looked startled, taking a step back. "Sire-"

"Enough! Enough with the lies! You were seen by three of my knights conspiring with Morgana. I know you were the one who betrayed me, uncle," Arthur said, voice raised.

Agravaine went pale and swallowed harshly. "Sire, I can explain."

"Explain how you betrayed me and my mother by assisting in my sister's quest to kill me?" Agravaine's jaw tightened and he kept his mouth shut. "That's what I thought. You have committed treason, uncle. By all rights, I should have you executed. But unlike you, uncle, family means something to me, and I have no desire to see you dead. You are hereby banished from Camelot. If you ever show your face in Camelot again, you will be executed for treason."

"Arthur-"

"This is not a negotiation, uncle. If you attempt to stay or try to change my mind, I will have no choice but to sentence you to death. So you will leave Camelot immediately, escorted to the border by Sirs Percival and Gwaine, or you will be executed. The choice is yours, but those are your only options."

Agravaine straightened his back, posture stiff. "Will I be allowed to collect my belongings?"

Arthur gave a short nod. "Only what you had with you when you arrived in Camelot. Percival, Gwaine, go with him. Do not let him out of your sight until he is out of Camelot’s borders."

Both knights nodded and walked forward to flank Agravaine, who glowered at them. "After you, Lord Agravaine," Gwaine said, gesturing grandly with his hand. The lord glared at him and wrenched the door open with more force than necessary.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Arthur sat down heavily in his chair. "The rest of you are dismissed," he said heavily. The remaining three knights inclined their heads towards Arthur and took their leave. Merlin was the only one who remained with Arthur when the door shut for a second time.

Chapter Text

“We’ll be safe here til morning,” Leon announced.

Merlin approached Lamia and held out a hand to her to help her down from the horse. “Here,” he offered, but she let out a loud gasp, flinching away from him and looking terrified.

Percival came around the side of the horse so Lamia would see him. “Hey, it’s okay,” he assured her gently. “Merlin won’t hurt you, no one will. You’re safe now.” She glanced at Merlin apprehensively and Merlin took a step back to give her space. Percival stepped forward and held a hand out to her to help her down. Lamia offered him a tight smile and took it, sliding off the horse and stumbling a little. Percival steadied her and as soon as she got her balance he let her go.

Percival turned to Merlin and Gwen and gave them a small shrug. "I wouldn't take it personally, Merlin, she's obviously still scared. Give her time."

Merlin nodded and gave Percival a small smile. However, he couldn’t help the feeling of unease that he felt. There was something about Lamia that put Merlin on edge, he just couldn’t put his finger on what.

~~

“Sorry,” Merlin apologized and Percival lowered his sword, relaxing considerably. “Is everything alright?”

Percival re-sheathed his sword and nodded, holding a hand out to Lamia to help her up. She took it and stood, but she looked unhappy. “Lamia just got scared is all. Come on, let’s get you back to camp. You’ll feel better with sleep.”

~~

“It’s been two days, they should have been back by now,” Arthur said, looking concerned. Gaius and Lancelot, who were both with him in the council chamber, were similarly worried. 

“I would suggest they could have been delayed, but they would have sent word if they had,” Lancelot said. Arthur nodded in agreement. “Would you like me to lead a patrol to search for them, Sire?” Lancelot asked.

Arthur turned to Gaius. “Gaius, is your work here done?”

“Yes sire, I’m satisfied that the sweating sickness is all but passed,” Gaius confirmed.

“Then we leave for Longstead at first light,” Arthur declared, already moving to the door as he said so.

~~

“Pack your bags. We ride east with the rising sun,” Leon declared.

“Wait...east? Camelot lies west of here,” Merlin said, puzzled. The others looked similarly confused.

“Lamia has asked that we take her home,” Leon replied.

“No, we need to get Gaius,” Merlin protested, Elyan and Gwaine nodding in agreement.

“He’s right, Leon,” Elyan said. 

Leon’s jaw clenched. “Gaius can wait.”

Something was wrong. Merlin knew something was wrong, that feeling of unease that started yesterday growing stronger by the moment. “We were sent to help the people of Longstead. Their lives depend on us,” Merlin reminded Leon, hoping that the reminder would make him remember what their true priority should be.

It only served to make Leon react angrily. “You dare question my judgment? You are not a knight! You're not even a physician! You're nothing but a servant!” Leon snarled and it was like the forest went still at his words. 

Merlin stared up at the man towering over him and he could not recognize him as his brother. For the first time since before Leon accepted Merlin’s magic all that time ago, Merlin was afraid of the knight.

There was a time, long ago, when Gwaine expected this type of behavior from Leon. A time when he considered it not to be if, but when he would inevitably fight Leon for mistreating Merlin. But that was nearly two years ago and one of the many things Gwaine had learned about Leon in that time was how much he cared about Merlin. The friend he knew that regularly referred to Merlin as a brother would never call him just a servant. Not in his right mind.

“What the hell, Leon?" Gwaine growled, stepping into Leon’s space to bring him up short. 

Leon stared back at Gwaine haughtily. “I am the one in command here, Sir Gwaine, not you. You follow my orders. If I say we are going East then we are going East. I know you do not act to your upbringing, but surely some remnant of your noble birth remains in that drunken head of yours enough to do as you’re told.” 

Gwaine’s hands curled into fists and he just barely managed to resist the urge to punch Leon. He probably still would have if Percival hadn't put a hand on Gwaine's shoulder and gently pulled him away from Leon. Gwaine looked up at him and while Percival's eyes were sympathetic, the stern shake of his head was clear: don't engage. 

Leon observed the silent exchange coolly, and when Gwaine turned back to him, livid but silent, Leon sneered. "That's what I thought. We're leaving. Now," Leon declared, taking Lamia by the arm and leading her to his horse. Merlin was struck by how smug the girl looked.

Percival kept his hand on Gwaine’s shoulder, speaking quietly in his ear as he steered them in the direction of their horses. Elyan beelined over to Gwen and Merlin.

"What the hell was that?” Elyan hissed, sneaking glances in Leon’s direction. “He’s never acted like that, not even when we were younger and he had a shorter temper.” Gwen nodded in agreement. Both siblings looked at Merlin who was frowning. 

“I think he might be enchanted. It’s the only thing that explains his behavior and makes sense,” Merlin mused, brow creased with worry.

Both Gwen and Elyan looked uncomfortable at the thought, but agreed it seemed the most likely explanation. “Enchanted by what though?” Gwen questioned.

“I think it might be her,” Merlin said, inclining his head in Lamia’s direction.

“Lamia?” Elyan asked skeptically.

“Leon was fine until we found her,” Merlin pointed out, voice low.

“But she’s just a girl, how could she be strong enough to affect him in this way?” Gwen asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s the only explanation I can think of. He’s not himself and hasn’t been since she showed up.”

“What do we do?” Elyan asked.

“We could try knocking him out once we set up camp before we confront her, that way if she is enchanting him, she won’t be able to make him attack us,” Merlin explained.

Elyan frowned but nodded. “Why not  just do that now?”

“He’s probably expecting for one of you to do something now, especially considering what he said about Gwaine. He might not after a days travel.”

Gwen looked to Elyan, her eyebrow raised. “What was that about?” she asked.

Elyan shook his head. “Ask Gwaine later, once he’s calmed down some. It’s for him to tell, not me.” Gwen nodded to that, looking satisfied but still curious at that answer. “I’ll find a chance to fill Gwaine and Percival in while we’re riding,” he told them both before walking over to his horse.

~~

When they stopped to make camp and dismounted their horses, Percival walked over to Leon, first giving a tiny nod to the others to let them know what he was about to do. “Hey Leon?”

Leon turned to face Percival, answer on the tip of his tongue, but before he could say a word, Percival’s fist hit him in the temple and he dropped to the ground like a sack of bricks.

Lamia backed up several steps, eyes wide, staring between Leon’s unconscious form and Percival. The others hurried over, Merlin quickly checking Leon to make sure he was completely out but otherwise unharmed and Gwaine and Elyan picking him up under the arms to drag him away from Lamia. They leaned him against a tree by his horse. “Damn, Percy, could you have hit him any harder?” Gwaine whistled. 

Percival looked a bit guilty. “I wanted to make sure I fully knocked him out,” he defended.  

"He'll be fine," Merlin told him, giving his shoulder a comforting pat. He then turned to Lamia, the friendliness vanishing from his demeanor. “Why are you enchanting him?"

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she tried, eyes wide and afraid. Merlin wasn’t buying it.

“Release him. Now,” Merlin ordered, a dangerous edge to his voice that had his friends side eye him strangely. ‘Dangerous’ was not a word they had ever associated with Merlin.

Lamia’s demeanor changed, the fear vanishing and giving way to arrogant confidence as she straightened her posture. “Or what? Your magic holds no fear for me, and as much as these three baffle me with their resistance to my charms, I have nothing to fear from them either.”

Merlin’s world ground to a halt at Lamia’s words, aware of his friends tensing around him. Over the years, Merlin had used his magic on numerous occasions against magical threats, bandits, assassins, and to heal and protect his friends, and despite several uncomfortably close calls, he somehow managed to keep his magic a secret from almost everyone. So of course the way he got outed as a sorcerer to four of his closest friends was by the careless mention of a girl who Merlin suspected was not even human.

“Magic? What does she mean, magic? Merlin, what is she talking about?” Gwen asked, her voice an octave higher than usual. Merlin half turned away from Lamia to look at Gwen, to look at all of them, and while he couldn’t tell by their expressions what was going on in any of their heads, his wide eyed stricken look was answer enough to Gwen’s question. 

Lamia smirked, noticing how tense Merlin had gotten and the way the others were now looking at him, like they’d never truly seen him before. “They didn’t know,” she said, a taunting lilt to her voice. Merlin swallowed harshly, turning back to face her. He took a shaky breath and rolled his shoulders, forcefully shoving away his fear and dread to deal with later.

“No. They didn’t. But they do now, and you may regret that if you don’t release him,” Merlin told her, his voice sharp. 

“I don’t think I will,” Lamia responded, tilting her head to the side in silent challenge. 

Merlin pursed his lips and nodded tightly. “Then you give me no choice,” he said, his eyes flashing gold and a previously sturdy tree branch fell from above with a crack, landing heavily on Lamia, knocking her to the ground.

Merlin stared at Lamia’s still body under the tree branch, tears burning in his eyes, not because of what he had done, but because of who had witnessed him do it. Knowing he couldn’t avoid them forever, Merlin slowly turned to face his friends, who were staring at him or the fallen Lamia with horror, shock, and (Merlin was almost certain) fear. Merlin opened his mouth to say something, he wasn’t sure what, maybe an explanation, maybe a plea for understanding, when Gwaine’s eyes widening with horror stopped him. Merlin felt his heart break when Gwaine’s eyes hardened and he pulled his sword from its sheath, brandishing it in front of him. Merlin closed his eyes tightly, a sob lodged in his throat when he heard Elyan and Percival draw their swords as well.

As much as he had always feared it would come to this, Merlin somehow never quite expected for it to actually happen. Like he always secretly believed that the friendships he had would be enough for them to listen and make an exception for him. It seemed like he was wrong.

Or so he thought until he heard Gwen’s panicked gasp followed by, “Merlin! Behind you!”

Merlin instinctively turned around and saw the reason for Gwen’s panic and the real reason the knights had drawn their weapons. Lamia had emerged from under the tree branch, except she was a girl no more. The creature had snake-like green eyes set into a bulbous head, body covered in gray scales and far too many appendages.

Merlin scrambled backwards, getting behind Gwaine as the knights charged forwards, striking the creature. The creature roared in anger and pain and lashed out with its appendages. Gwen and Merlin were far enough back to be out of range, and Elyan and Gwaine managed to avoid the attack, but one of the limbs struck Percival and sent him flying across the clearing, landing in an unmoving heap. The Lamia changed targets, turning its back on the group still armed with swords and advanced towards the vulnerable Percival, much to the collective horror of the group. 

Thinking fast, Merlin’s eyes landed on Percival’s fallen sword and with a blaze of golden eyes, the sword launched itself at Lamia, impaling her side. With a screech, the creature turned away from Percival and hurtled towards Merlin who held out a hand and shouted “Astrice,” sending a blast of fire at the creature, hitting it dead on. With a horrific sound, it collapsed with a giant thud and moved no more, finally dead. 

The threat over, Elyan and Gwaine both ran over to their partner, Gwen and Merlin close behind. Together, Elyan and Gwaine rolled Percival onto his back. His eyes were closed and he didn't react to Gwaine tapping his cheek. "Come on, Percy," Gwaine murmured. 

“Hi, physician’s assistant here, will you let me take a look at him?” Merlin asked pointedly. Elyan scooted over to make room for Merlin in answer. Merlin pressed his fingers to Percival’s wrist and was relieved to feel a strong steady pulse. Concentrating, his magic told him that other than some impressive bruising, Percival would be fine. “He’ll be alright, he’s just unconscious. He should wake up soon,” Merlin assured them. 

~~

“Leon should wake up soon on his own,” Merlin informed them, sitting back on his heels. Once Percival had regained consciousness, they had moved their camp to another clearing, away from Lamia’s corpse. 

“Couldn’t you just wake him up with magic?” Percival asked curiously. 

Merlin hesitated but eventually answered, “I could if I needed to, yes.”

“So, are we allowed to ask questions about that now?” Gwaine asked, an easy smile on his face. Merlin nodded slowly.

“How long?”

“I was born with magic,” Merlin answered.

“Born with it? So you had it when you came to Camelot?” Gwen asked, disbelief in her voice. Merlin nodded. Gwen frowned then her eyes went wide. “All those years ago, the water supply, my father recovering, that was you, wasn’t it?” Elyan’s eyes narrowed, remembering Gwen writing to him about the ordeal shortly after it happened. 

Merlin winced and nodded again. “Gwen, I am so sorry you got mixed up in that oof-” he got cut off by Gwen walking over to him and throwing her arms around him in a hug. After a moment to process what was happening, he hugged her back. “I never expected the blame to fall on you, Gwen,” Merlin told her.

Gwen shook her head. “I don’t blame you for that Merlin. You saved my father. And after it happened, Morgana told me how hard you worked to clear my name,” she said, letting him go. A frown took over her face. “Wait. She also told me you confessed to it. That you told Uther you healed my father but you lied to protect me.” she stared at him with a mixture of awe and disbelief. “But it wasn’t a lie. You actually confessed to being a sorcerer to Uther to protect me.”

“I couldn’t let you die because of me,” Merlin said with a little shrug. Gwen blinked, tears welling up in her eyes and she threw herself at Merlin again, holding him tight.

“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear. Merlin hugged her back tighter. You’re welcome.

When she let him go, Merlin was pulled into a short hug from Elyan, the knight patting him on the back a few times before letting him go. “Thank you. For looking after Gwen.” Merlin acknowledged his thanks with a little smile. 

“Who knows? Other than us, now,” Percival asked.

“My mother, Gaius, Lancelot, and Leon,” Merlin said, gesturing to Leon when he listed his name. 

Gwaine raised his eyebrows. “Leon knows? One of Uther’s most trusted knights, first knight to Camelot Sir Leon, knows about your magic?” he asked incredulously. 

Merlin crossed his arms. “Yes. He does. He’s known since before any of you became knights,” Merlin added. 

Gwaine looked stunned and fairly impressed. Then he laughed suddenly. “He wasn’t kidding when he told me he was full of secrets,” he shook his head in amusement. 

Before Merlin could ask Gwaine what he was referring to, Leon stirred, letting out a low groan. His eyes blinked open and a hand went to his head, wincing as he did so. Merlin crouched at his side and gently removed Leon’s hand from his head. “Hey,” he said quietly, “welcome back. Here, let me look at that.”

Merlin reached for Leon’s head to examine it, but before he could, Leon caught Merlin’s arm in a firm but unpainful grip. "You are not just a servant," Leon told him, looking Merlin in the eyes, nothing but sincerity and guilt in his own. 

"You remember that?" Merlin asked, surprised. Typically, people whose actions and behaviors are controlled by enchantments did not remember the experience afterwards. But then again, when had Leon ever been ‘typical’? 

Leon nodded. "Bits and pieces. I'm so sorry, Merlin. I swear to you, I don't believe that-"

"I know, Leon," Merlin interrupted gently. "You were enchanted, you had no control over what you said or did. I know that and I don’t blame you.” 

Leon frowned, looking frustrated with himself. "I should have fought it.”

“You couldn't have, the enchantment was too strong.”

“I keep failing you, Merlin,” Leon whispered.

“No. You don’t,” Merlin assured him.

Leon sat up straighter, ignoring the pain in his head as he did so. “I do! One thing after another, I keep making you upset or mad at me and-”

Merlin cut him off. “I’m not mad at you, Leon. I’m not. I’m scared. I can’t lose you again, I can’t. You call me your brother yet you don't seem to realize that you’re my brother too. I care about you Leon, and I don’t want to lose you again. But you haven’t failed me, and I am not mad at you,” Merlin insisted, maintaining eye contact, his eyes serious and sincere.

Leon let out a shaky breath and nodded. He tugged Merlin into a tight hug, whispering into Merlin’s ear with a watery smile on his lips, “Love you, baby duck.”

Merlin let out a laugh of his own, hugging Leon back just as tightly. “Love you too, old man.”

Leon let out an indignant sound and pulled back frowning. “I am not old.”

“No, you’re right, you’re ancient.” Leon glared at him without any heat and knocked his shoulder against Merlin’s. The motion aggravated Leon’s head and he winced, hand going to his head. “You alright?’ Merlin asked, concerned. 

“My head hurts like hell.”

“Sorry!” Percival called, looking incredibly guilty. Leon peered around Merlin to see Percival and the others sat around the fire, looking at him. He hadn’t realized that they were so close by. Leon realized they probably heard most of his conversation with Merlin. Opps.

“Here, let me,” Merlin said and put his hand on Leon’s forehead. Before Leon had the chance to question what Merlin was doing, he had whispered, “Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare.” Merlin’s eyes flashed gold and the pain in Leon’s head vanished. 

Leon was grateful, truly, he was, but he was less concerned about being polite than he was concerned over Merlin blatantly performing magic in front of Gwen and the other knights. Leon’s eyes went wide. “Merlin. Why did you just do that?"

Merlin looked over his shoulder at his other friends who were watching the two of them. Gwaine gave a little wave and smiled. Merlin looked back to Leon and laughed nervously. “Yeah, they know now. Lamia could tell I had magic and had no qualms revealing it,” he explained. 

Leon’s expression darkened at the mention of the girl that enchanted him. “Where is she?”

“Dead.”

Leon nodded, a vindictive look in his eye. “Good. Are you alright?” Merlin nodded. 

Gwaine rolled his eyes and scoffed loudly, bringing everyone’s attention to him. “Why do you always worry so much, Leon? He has magic. He killed a giant snake creature with fire from his hand. He can handle himself, I think.”

“Well, yeah, you’d think that be the case.” Leon grumbled. Merlin frowned in response and Leon ruffled Merlin’s hair until an exasperated smile took its place. 

“I’m not that bad,” Merlin protested.

Leon fixed him with an unimpressed look, one eyebrow raised in a way that would do Gaius proud. “Don’t make me break out the list.” Leon warned.

“List?” Elyan asked.

“Yeah of-”

“Now that you’re awake,” Merlin interrupted loudly, cutting Leon off with a glare that Leon returned with an added eye roll, “we should probably decide what we’re going to do next.”

"We're already settled down for the night, we might as well sleep and set out back to Camelot in the morning," Elyan pointed out. Every one agreed.

“What do we say happened here?” Gwen asked.

“The truth, just minus the extent of Merlin’s involvement. The creature was slain with swords, not magic. Can everyone live with that story?” Gwaine proposed and got affirmative responses from everyone.

As much as he wished the events of the past couple days could have been avoided and he still hadn’t quite forgiven himself for his actions under Lamia’s enchantment, Leon felt a rush of gladness that the other knights and Gwen were now aware of Merlin’s magic and were all accepting of it. In theory, with all them knowing, it should be much easier to cover for Merlin and protect him from discovery. In theory. Leon learned a long time ago that nothing about Merlin conformed to expectations. But as much as it caused him to worry, Leon wouldn't have it any other way.

Chapter Text

“Alright, who drank all my water?” Elyan asked, annoyance creeping into his tone. They had been on patrol all day and when they finally had a chance to stop, his waterskin was empty.

Gwaine grinned cheekily and let out a loud burp. “I believe you have your answer,” Arthur said in amusement as he tended to his horse. The other knights and Merlin chuckled along.

“You said I could have some,” Gwaine reminded Elyan with a grin. 

Elyan rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I said you could have some. I didn’t say you could drink every last drop,” Elyan shot back, tossing his empty water skin at Gwaine who caught it.

“I was thirsty,” Gwaine defended with a smug grin. Elyan had to bite back a smile of his own, holding onto his annoyance.

“Here. Have some of mine,” Leon offered, leaning against a tree and made as if to toss it to Elyan but as Elyan reached out to receive it, Leon tossed it behind him to Percival with a laugh and a grin.  

“Haha, very funny,” Elyan said, unimpressed.

“Here sweetheart, I actually know how to share,” Percival said, holding out the water skin to Elyan as he walked towards him. Right as Elyan reached out for it, a thank you on the tip of his tongue, Percival tossed it over his shoulder to Merlin, smiling mischievously at his significant other. Elyan most certainly did not pout at this, causing everyone to roar with laughter.

Lancelot, who had been watching the antics, sighed heavily and shook his head with amusement. “Here, Elyan,” Lancelot said, handing his waterskin to his friend.

“Thank you, Lancelot,” Elyan said, taking a long drink from the skin and then handing it back. “See, Lancelot knows how to treat me,” Elyan declared, earning amused laughs from Percival and Gwaine. “Oh, you love us,” Gwaine replied and Elyan smiled giddily. “Mmmm, I do, but I can’t imagine why.”

Leon and Merlin both rolled their eyes. “Do you ever stop flirting?” Leon asked, mock disgust in his voice. 

“You’re just jealous,” Percival said with a grin.

Leon shoved him playfully with his shoulder. “Okay, sure, keep telling yourself that, big guy.” 

“Shhh,” Arthur hissed, getting the knights’ attention and quickly switching them from relaxed and joking around to serious and alert. 

“What is it?” Merlin asked.

“I saw something in the trees. There,” Arthur said, gesturing in the direction with his sword, already walking towards it, the knights and Merlin filling in behind him. Leon was the last in line to enter the strange clearing. The ground was covered in fallen leaves and strips of cloth tied into flags strung about the site. Leon got a chill up his spine. He got an awful feeling from the place.

“What is this place?” Percival asked, staring at the flags fluttering in the wind.

“This is a shrine. In the time of the Old Religion, they built shrines like this to appease restless spirits. We shouldn't be here.” Merlin sounded panicked, and Leon couldn’t say he blamed him. The air felt wrong, thick and cold and Leon felt an urge to leave as quick as possible.

He jumped slightly when Gwaine grabbed Merlin’s shoulder, making him jump. Elyan and Percival both laughed along with Gwaine, but Leon and Lancelot didn’t. Leon could feel something off about the shrine and Lancelot knew that when Merlin said they shouldn’t be somewhere, then they definitely shouldn’t be there.

“It isn't funny. Gaius told me about places like this and they're cursed.” Merlin insisted. A sudden gust of wind caused the fabric strips to dance threateningly and Leon felt something awful and sinister in the air. 

Leon just about jumped out of his skin when a crow flew above their heads with an awful screech. Distantly, Leon could hear the voices of his friends and was aware of them beginning to move out of the shrine. But as much as he wished to leave the cursed place, he was rooted to the spot, the crow’s screech setting something loose. Leon could hear screams, so many screams of terrified and dying people echoing in his head and off the mossy stones and trees. Children screaming and crying out in terror. It was awful. Leon could feel the suffering, feel the terror. Like he was right back in the veil again.

“Leon?” Elyan’s voice jolted Leon back to the present with a flinch, though the overwhelming wrongness and distant feeling did not dissipate. 

“Coming,” Leon said, his voice coming out a bit thin despite his best efforts. Elyan cast him a look over his shoulder, but other than that, didn’t comment. Leon quickly followed Elyan out of the shrine, expecting, hoping, for the screams and anguish he felt to fade away once he was away from the site, but they persisted, refusing to let Leon go.

~~

That night, Leon dreamed of the veil. It was not the first time he’d done so and he knew it would not be the last. As effective as the bracelet Savia gifted to him was at holding bad dreams at bay, it could only do so much. It was no match against the terrible memories he had from the veil, exacerbated by the echoing suffering, fear, and screaming anguish of the druids slaughtered in that former camp.

 Ever since being dead, Leon had become far more sensitive to spirits. Leon wondered if it was a sign that he too was still dead, a sign that he was nothing more than a spirit stuck in the veil that fabricated his own escape to keep himself sane. And the screams he sometimes heard in the castle courtyard, in the dungeons, and that he heard in the shrine, were his reality bleeding in. On those days, nothing felt right. 

He was back in the veil. Everything was wrong, he couldn’t feel anything and yet he was somehow cold, so cold. How could he be cold when he couldn’t even feel his own body? And the screams of suffering, the cries of despair, the terrified begging of children, they were all Leon could hear, all he knew other than the pervasive cold. And then the sounds changed. Instead of anonymous dead screaming, the voices changed to those he knew: Merlin, Lancelot, Gwaine, and Arthur all in pain; Guinevere, Elyan, and Percival crying in despair; and Savia, dear, cheerful little Savia sounding so terrified as she begged for her life-

Leon jolted back to consciousness with a panicked yell, flailing out of bed and landing on the ground with a thud, breathing hard and clamping his hands around his ears to block out the screams of the dead sounding in his mind. The room looked hazy and off and he felt wrong. Detached. Like he was back in the veil. Like he had never left. 

The door swung open forcefully, a visibly concerned Gwaine looking around the room before spotting Leon on the floor and beelining to him. “Leon, are you alright?”

Leon turned to look at him, his pupils blown wide and his gaze blank, like he was seeing through him. “No, no, you can’t be here, you aren’t supposed to be here, you’re supposed to be alive,” Leon mumbled.

Gwaine knelt down in front of his friend. “I am alive, Leon. So are you. We are both sitting on the floor of your chambers in Camelot. You’re alive, Leon. Not in the veil.” This was not the first time since returning to Camelot that Leon seemed to get trapped in his mind, believing himself to still be in the veil. Now that Gwaine thought about it, Leon seemed distant and jumpy since the shrine. Perhaps there was something to what Merlin said about the place being cursed.

“That's nice of you to say. It’s a lie, but it's nice all the same,” Leon responded, his voice distant.

Gwaine put a hand on Leon’s shoulders and squeezed and he nearly jerked his hand away at how cold Leon felt. “Leon, do you feel this? It’s real.”

“I feel everything, that’s the problem. I feel everything except for me. All that pain... That’s how I know I’m not real.”

Shit. Gwaine was completely out of his depth. He had never seen Leon get this bad. He knew there were a few times right after a nightmare where he took a while to calm down, and there were a few instances shortly after his return where he was noticeably out of it and uneasy, but Gwaine never witnessed those larger reactions alone. 

Gwaine grabbed the blankets off the bed and wrapped them around Leon tightly. “Will you be alright if I leave you alone for just a minute so I can get the others?” Gwaine asked him. He didn’t want to leave Leon alone, even just for a minute, but he was out of his depth and Leon needed help. Leon shrugged and Gwaine took that as a green light.

Gwaine darted out the door and went right into his room, Elyan and Percival sitting together on the bed. They both looked up at his entrance with a smile but quickly grew concerned at the look on his face. “Gwaine, what's wrong?” Elyan asked.

“It’s Leon, he’s completely out of it and he's freezing. Nothing I said seemed to click.”

Elyan and Percival climbed off the bed, both alert and serious. They followed Gwaine to the door. “I’ll get Lancelot,” Elyan told them, heading in the opposite direction of them to Lancelot's room. Percival followed Gwaine to Leon’s room and they found Leon in the same position as Gwaine left him. 

Percival crouched down in front of Leon and put a hand on his forearm. Leon lifted his head slightly, eyes blinking sluggishly at Percival. “Hey, Leon. Do you know where you are?”

Leon nodded dejectedly. “The veil,” he whispered. Percival looked up at Gwaine who gestured to Leon in a manner that said ‘see what I mean?’ 

Before Percival could respond, the door opened and Lancelot came strolling in, heading straight for Leon. Merlin also entered the room, but much slower, edging to the side of the room on the other side of the bed, out of Leon’s line of sight, as displeased as Merlin looked to do so. The last time Leon was convinced he was still in the veil, he reacted poorly when Merlin tried to calm him down, believing that somehow he had been unsuccessful in preventing Merlin from sacrificing himself. So Merlin stayed out of sight for the time being to prevent another incident.

Lancelot sat down on the floor beside Leon, draping the blankets he brought with him around Leon’s shoulders. “Hey, Leon."

“Lance, you’re here too. Why are you all here?” Leon asked, sounding dejected and hopeless.

“Rescue mission. You didn’t honestly think we’d leave you trapped back there when we can get you out?” Lancelot asked, keeping his voice light but feeling a tug at his heart at how miserable Leon was.

“Yeah?” Leon’s voice sounded pessimistic but hopeful. “How are you going to do that?”

“By convincing you that you’re already out,” Lancelot replied matter of factly. “Leon, you said the veil is full of crying and screams, right? Unhappiness and suffering?”

Leon grimaced, and he subconsciously pulled the blankets tighter around himself as he shivered. “Yeah.”

“No happy sounds?”

“No. Never. It’s so loud, Lance, I just want it to stop,” Leon said, his voice coming out broken and defeated.

Lancelot grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly. “It will. It will Leo, I promise. You are safe, you’re not there. Did you ever hear singing in the veil?”

Leon furrowed his brow. “No. There’s no reason to. No opportunity to.”

Lancelot hummed quietly in acknowledgment, putting an arm around Leon’s shoulders and tugging him into his side. “Do you remember that song we heard in the lower town on our day off together last spring? Spring has come?” A ghost of a smile appeared on Leon’s lips. He nodded. 

Lancelot rested his head on Leon’s shoulder and began to sing in a strong melodic voice, “Spring has come with love to town, 

With blossoms and with birds' songs, 

Which all this bliss brings; 

Daisies in these dales, 

Notes sweet of nightingales;

Each fowl a song sings.”  

At this point, recognizing the song and settling down on Leon’s other side, Percival began to hum along to Lancelot’s lyrics, the other knight sending Percival a smile as he sang. Leon’s breathing slowed down, syncing to the melody of the song, his eyes gradually growing more clear as he relaxed into Lancelot’s side. “The threstlecock he scolded aye; 

Away is their winter woe, 

When woodruff springeth. 

These fowls sing fairly much, 

And look back on their winter well being,  

So that all the wood rings. 

The rose puts on her red; 

The leaves on the trembling trees;  

Grow forth with eagerness. 

The moon sends forth her brightness; 

The lily is lovely to see, 

The fennel and chervil. 

The moon sends forth her light, 

So doth the pleasing sun bright, 

When birds sing lustily;

Dews drench the hills.”

“Lance?” Leon asked when Lancelot had finished singing, his voice quiet. Lancelot hummed in answer. “Do you promise that this is real? That I’m not in the veil?”

“I swear to you on my life, Leon," Lancelot promised, meaning every word.

“I believe you,” Leon whispered and everyone in the room let out a collective breath. “I still don’t feel right, but I trust you,” Leon continued, burrowing further into Lancelot’s side.

“Do you want Merlin, here, Leon?” Lancelot asked softly. Leon nodded and by the time Lancelot was lifting his head to nod Merlin over, Merlin was already crouching down in front of them.

Leon’s lips twitched. “You were already here, weren’t you. Waiting for me to calm down? I freaked out last time this happened, didn’t I?” he asked, fuzzy memories of getting alarmed last time he was convinced he was in the veil and Merlin attempted to calm him down, as Leon thought Merlin was in the veil with him.

“Your selective observational skills never cease to amaze me, Leon,” Merlin teased gently. His gaze softened and he patted Leon’s knee comfortingly. "I'll take you to see Aithusa tomorrow, that always seems to make you feel better." Leon brightened a bit and nodded in agreement. 

"Who or what is Aithusa?" Gwaine asked from his seated position beside Percival. 

Merlin hesitated. The other knights may know now about Merlin's magic, but he had not filled them in on the dragon lord part. Luckily, Leon saved him from answering. "Trust me, way too much to unpack right now," he said with a little chuckle. It was probably only because of that final detail being the first definitive sign of Leon truly coming back to himself that made Gwaine drop the subject with nothing more than a raised eyebrow and a look exchanged with Percival. 

All signs of Leon’s temporary mirth quickly faded, his expression growing distant and hesitant. "Could. Could you stay with me tonight?” Leon asked haltingly, eyes on Lancelot for a long moment before darting to look at Merlin and the others as well. "All of you? All of you being here is the only thing I'm certain is real. I don’t want to lose that,” he admitted softly.

Elyan, who had been silently entering and exiting the room throughout Lancelot’s song setting blankets and pillows in the corner, dropped his last armful and turned to Leon with a smile.  "Way ahead of you, Leon. We aren't going anywhere tonight."

"Thank you," Leon whispered as Elyan started passing out pillows and blankets to everyone and they all got settled down for the night. Elyan settled down next to Gwaine, cuddling up to his partner. Merlin’s eyes narrowed.

 "No getting overly cozy, you three. Some of us don't want to watch you make out all night long,” Merlin warned, waving a finger at Elyan, Gwaine, and Percival.

"Aw, fuck off, Merlin, we're not that bad. We do have manners," Gwaine protested. At Merlin's dubious look, Gwaine amended, "well, Elyan and Percy do." Everyone chuckled.

Elyan’s eyebrows furrowed. "Hey, hang on a second. Merlin, you know, don’t you,” he said accusingly, pointing at Merlin.

Merlin raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “Of course I know. You guys are as subtle as a stone wall to the face. I’ve known since about a month before Leon came home,” Merlin told them.

Leon and Lancelot laughed at their friend’s incredulous and stunned expressions. “So much for the bet,” Leon murmured to Lancelot as Gwaine yelled at a laughing Merlin. 

Lancelot hummed in agreement, looking down at where Leon was burrowing into his side with a soft look on his face. “Comfy?” he asked him with amusement.

“Yes,” Leon responded, earning him a loud laugh from Lancelot, and bringing the other’s attention back to them. “I’m sorry if I wake you up in the night from nightmares. This helps sometimes but it's not foolproof,” Leon said, his hand resting on his chest, revealing the outline of an object.

“What is ‘this?’” Elyan asked him. Leon reached under his shirt and pulled out a small ornate bracelet tied to a thin black cord around his neck. He kept a hand protectively curled around it even as he showed it to them.

"Savia gave it to me when I left the Madhavi mountains. It helps keep unpleasant dreams away," Leon explained.

"Who is Savia, Leon?" Gwaine asked curiously.

Leon frowned, looking at him. "Did I never talk about her?" Several head shakes answered him. "Hm. Probably because of the magic. Savia is Sigrid's young daughter. They were the ones that nursed me back to health," he told them. 

“It’s tiny,” Gwaine commented.

Leon smiled, a little more awareness returning to his eyes. “So is she.”

Lancelot held Leon close. “Nightmares or not, none of us are going anywhere until morning. You’re not alone Leon, not now, not ever,” Lancelot said with conviction, like a sacred swear. As his eyes grew heavy once more with sleep, Leon found himself wholly believing and trusting Lancelot’s words. He was safe in Lancelot’s arms surrounded by the people he cared about most in the world and for the moment, that was enough.

Chapter Text

“Knights of Nemeth, Camelot welcomes you and extends the hand of friendship,” Arthur declared, standing hand in hand with Guinevere on the front steps to the citadel. Behind them stood the knights and the members of the court and servants of the royal household. They were all gathered to greet Princess Mithian of Nemeth and her escort of knights. The princess was visiting for the purpose of finalizing and signing negotiation treaties over the lands of Gedref, the treaty having been in the works for many months between Camelot and Nemeth.

The Nemeth knights parted, revealing a veiled woman wearing a long cream colored coat riding a chestnut horse. She halted her horse and pulled back her veil. With the assistance of one of her knights, the princess dismounted her horse. Princess Mithian began to walk towards them, Arthur and Gwen meeting her half way.

“Princess Mithian, on behalf of the people of Camelot, we welcome you,” Arthur greeted her.

Mithian smiled, bowing her head in greeting to Arthur and Gwen. “Thank you, Your Majesties. I have heard much about you both and your kingdom and I look forward to working with you to finalize an arrangement that will benefit both of our kingdoms.”

“As do we,” Arthur responded. He and Guinevere turned together to stand beside Princess Mithian, facing the steps. “This evening there will be a feast to greet our worthy friends,” Arthur announced to the gathered crowd. In response, they smiled and clapped. When the applause petered out, Arthur gave a nod and the congregation began to disperse back to their duties. 

Leon remained where he stood, waiting for Arthur to introduce him as first knight. Lancelot had officially stepped down from his role a few weeks ago, leaving Leon as the first knight once more. He still wasn’t certain he was ready, but Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, and the other knights all assured him he was. He just hoped they were right. 

 “Princess Mithian, this is my First Knight, Sir Leon. He will be joining us in the process of finalizing the treaty,” Arthur said.

Leon smiled at Mithian, bowing his head to her respectfully. “Princess Mithian,” he greeted.

“Sir Leon,” Mithian responded with a smile. 

~~

A knock sounded at the door to Arthur’s chambers. “Enter,” Arthur called. In came Gwen, her skirt swishing about her as she closed the door behind her. “Ah, Guinevere. Has Princess Mithian settled in?”

“Yes, she has. We had a very nice conversation earlier. I think she’s quite lovely,” Gwen remarked. She grinned slyly. “And I don’t think I’m the only one,” she added. At Arthur’s confused look Gwen elaborated. “I’m referring to Leon, Arthur.”

“Leon?” 

Gwen rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around Arthur and looking up into his eyes. “Come now Arthur, surely you noticed how he looked at her when they met, and she seemed quite charmed by him.”

“Really? You think so?”

“Arthur, she enjoys hunting, is very kind and humorous, and she has raised and trained falcons. I think they will get along perfectly,” Gwen listed out, letting Arthur go. 

Arthur’s eyebrows shot up and he hummed thoughtfully. “It does sound as though they would have plenty to talk about,” Arthur agreed. 

“How about you seat them next to each other at dinner? Give them a chance to talk?” Gwen suggested with false innocence.

“What are you up to?” Arthur asked with a dopey smile, hugging Gwen from behind.

“You’ll see,” Gwen replied with a mischievous smirk, twisting around to give Arthur a kiss.

~~

“Thank you, Merlin, but I’m all set,” Leon said, trying to turn back to his conversation with Princess Mithian. She had been telling him about the hunting falcon she trained, but Merlin had interrupted to ask Leon if he wanted more soup.

“Are you sure?” Merlin pressed.
Leon sighed and raised an eyebrow at Merlin. “Yes, baby duck, I’m sure,” Leon emphasized. Merlin scowled at him and turned away. The next thing he knew, Leon spilled a spoon full of his soup down his front. Leon had to concentrate very hard in order to not glare in Merlin’s direction, knowing that to do so might draw suspicion, as Merlin could not have possibly been to blame for the accident when he was several feet away. “I’m sorry,” he apologized to Mithian, embarrassed. 

Mithian, however, did not look the least bit disturbed, instead smiling pleasantly. “Here,” she said, using her napkin to wipe away the spilled soup, “no harm done.”

Leon smiled back at her warmly. “Thank you.”

Gwen nudged Arthur lightly with her elbow. When he turned to look at her, she whispered, “Look,” inclining her head marginally to his other side. He turned to see Leon smiling at Mithian like a lovestruck fool. “See what I mean?” Gwen whispered with a grin. 

“Yes, I do,” Arthur agreed, amused. “Do you mind adding one more to our picnic tomorrow?” he asked. 

Gwen’s eyes light up. “Not at all, it’s perfect.”

Arthur turned to Mithian. "Princess Mithian, Guinevere and I wanted to know if after the treaty talks tomorrow morning, you would like to accompany us on a picnic."

“I would enjoy that greatly, my lord, I look forward to it,” Mithian accepted politely.

"Wonderful," Arthur said, taking Gwen’s hand in his own. "Sir Leon," Arthur added, waiting for his friend to look at him before continuing, "you will also be joining us."

Leon looked a little startled, but he bowed his head in acknowledgment all the same. "Of course, Sire."

~~

“Where did you get this?” Helios asked, examining the siege tunnel plans.

“The source is impeccable,” Morgana assured him.

“If I'm to risk my men against Camelot, I need more than impeccable, Morgana,” Helios frowned.

“One of King Arthur’s trusted knights, Sir Brennis.”

“And you are certain he has not deceived you?”

Morgana’s eye glinted. “Rest assured, these are genuine. Sir Brennis knows what will happen if he lies to me. He has a daughter. It’s surprisingly easy to make people betray their king when you threaten those who they love.”

~~

“You know how to forge your own weapons?” Mithian asked Gwen, sounding intrigued and impressed. Arthur, Gwen, Mithian and Leon were all seated on a picnic blanket in the woods enjoying lunch together, Merlin sitting a little ways away against a tree watching them.

“I do,” Gwen confirmed, eyes lighting up. “My father was a blacksmith, he taught me everything I know.”

“I would love to see a sample of your work, if you’d be willing.”

“Of course,” Gwen agreed with enthusiasm. “I wish I had something with me to show you,” Gwen added regretfully.

 “Here,” Leon said, shifting so he could reach his belt. He withdrew a silver dagger with an ash wood hilt and a looping pattern engraved into the quilions. He handed it to Guinevere who took it with a laugh and held it out to Mithian. She took it carefully and weighed the balance in her hand, admiring the design. 

“It’s beautiful,” Mithian remarked, handing it back to Leon who put it away again. “Is there a story behind it?” Gwen and Leon shared a look and started laughing. Mithian turned to Arthur, bemused. “Was it something I said?”

Gwen shook her head, her giggles subsiding. “No, no, I’m sorry, it’s just there is a story behind it.”

“Quite an amusing one, I gather?”

Arthur shook his head with a fond smile. “Only to them.”

“A couple of years back, Leon and I made a bet over how my brother, Elyan, would enter a relationship with his partners,” Gwen began to explain, her hands folded in her lap. “I was of the opinion that they would figure out their feelings naturally and over time, without any outside influence-”

“Whereas I was of the opinion that the actions or influence of an outside party would be necessary for them to get their acts together,” Leon joined in.

Gwen rolled her eyes good naturedly, shaking her head. “So we made a wager: If I was right, Leon would carve me something of my choosing, and if Leon was right I would forge him a weapon of his choosing,” she explained.

“I see. So I gather that it was Sir Leon who won the bet?” Mithian asked, receiving twin nods from Gwen and Leon. “If I may ask, who allowed you to win this bet, Sir Leon?” Mithian asked.

Leon grew sheepish, scratching at his beard. “Well, myself, actually,” he admitted.

Mithian raised an eyebrow and turned to Gwen for an explanation. “Surely you had had safeguards to prevent tampering?” 

“Of course. Leon was only indirectly responsible. I did nearly refuse to make it for him, because of the manner he played a hand in their relationship, but in the end, I was just grateful he was able to collect on it,” Gwen explained softly.

Mithian looked between Gwen and Leon and realized the mood had shifted. “I take it there’s more to the story,” Mithian observed slowly, curious but not insistent to know the rest of it.

“There is,” Arthur confirmed, a grim under current to his words. “May I, Leon?” Arthur asked his knight. Leon looked surprised that Arthur was asking his permission to tell the princess, but nodded all the same. In his peripheral vision, he noticed Merlin tense, watching Leon closely for any hint of discomfort. “Last Samhain, a tear was made on the Isle of the Blessed between the lands of the living and the dead, letting loose spirits of the dead called the Dorocha,” Arthur began.

“I remember that,” Mithian remarked. “It was a frightening several days, dreading the setting of the sun and fearing what lurked in the dark. We lost many people to the spirits. We didn’t know where they came from, or for that matter, what caused them to vanish. We were just grateful they were gone.”

“Yes, well, I can solve that mystery for you. In order to close the veil, a life had to be sacrificed. I had decided to do it myself, but I was not given the opportunity to," Arthur said, looking right at Leon as he spoke.

Mithian followed Arthur’s gaze to look at Leon in surprise, respect and amazement in her eyes. “You sacrificed your life to stop the spirits?” she asked, receiving a small nod from Leon in response. “And yet here you are, alive and well. Pardon my curiosity, but how did you manage such a thing?”

“That is still one mystery that has yet to be answered,” Arthur said, saving Leon from having to respond.

“How ever it happened, I can only express gladness that you are back among friends and I have gotten the chance to meet you and thank you in person for putting an end to the terror those beings brought,” Mithian said with soft sincerity.

“Thank you princess,” Leon responded quietly, ducking his head. A silence began to descend upon the group of them.

“I must ask, how did these events allow Sir Leon to win the bet?” Mithian asked, breaking the silence. The tension in the air dissipated and Leon chuckled awkwardly as Gwen glared at him playfully.

“Grief and an evening in a tavern,” Arthur explained before chuckling in amusement at the very emotive silent argument going on between Gwen and Leon.

“That would do it,” Mithian nodded seriously, but she was unable to hold back a smile in the face of the queen and first knight’s antics. She turned to Leon. “Sir Leon, the Queen said something about you carving? What do you carve?”

Leon's eyes lit up as he turned towards Mithian and began to tell the princess about the little animal carvings he started making for his friends as a boy and kept up with as an adult.

~~

“Sorry I’m late,” Leon apologized, sitting next to Lancelot at a table in the tavern with the other round table knights. “Arthur asked me to escort Princess Mithian back to her room,” Leon explained, blushing slightly. It was barely noticeable in the lighting of the tavern, but Gwaine spotted it immediately. 

“You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with Princess Mithian these past few days, haven’t you, Leon?” Gwaine mused, a wicked grin on his face.

Leon shifted in his seat, pointedly not looking at Gwaine. “I suppose so, I really hadn’t noticed.” This was the wrong thing to say, because it was clearly a lie. And as anyone who has known Leon for longer than five minutes can attest, Leon was an awful liar.

Gwaine jumped on it instantly with a smirk. “Really? You hadn’t noticed that you were spending time with the Princess?”

“Well, of course I noticed, I just didn’t realize it could be classified as a lot,” Leon tried.

Elyan laughed at him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Nice try Leon, not even remotely believable.”

Percival grinned at Leon, taking a drink from his tankard. “How are you still so bad at lying about the simplest things?” Leon rolled his eyes and didn’t respond.

Gwaine grinned at Leon, a predatory glint in his eye. “So tell us Leon, what is princess Mithian like?”

Leon’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“You’re avoiding the question, Leon!” Elyan cackled, earning him a scowl that only made him laugh harder.

 “Fine. She’s very nice, and pleasant to talk to, she’s an engaging conversationalist. Happy?”

“You like her! Don’t you?” Gwaine crowed.

“How did you possibly get that from what I said?” Leon asked with dry incredulity.

“Don’t deny it!” 

“So what if I do?” Leon said challengingly, though the red tinge to his ears detracted from his ire. Gwaine, Elyan and Percival roared with laughter.

“As much fun as this has been, I think I’m going to call it a night guys,” Lancelot announced abruptly, rising from his seat.

“I think I’ll join you,” Leon said with a playful glare aimed in Gwaine’s direction, standing up as well. He nodded to Elyan, Gwaine, and Percival before he followed Lancelot out of the building, ignoring Gwaine calling after him that he had only just arrived.

Gwaine watched them go with a smug smile. He knew why Leon came in the first place and it was the same reason he just left. And it wasn’t just because of their teasing. Gwaine turned to his partners and declared “I have an idea for a new betting pool.”

~~ 

“You like her, don’t you?” Lancelot asked Leon as they walked side by side back up to the castle, a barely discernible hint of wistfulness accompanying the humor in Lancelot’s voice. “Princess Mithian, I mean.”

Leon flushed, but unlike he did in the tavern to Gwaine, he did not try to deny it with Lancelot. “She makes me feel normal. She isn’t comparing me to who I was before, she just knows who I am now and she likes me for me now and I didn’t realize how much I needed that. Everyone except you still walks on eggshells around me, worried I’ll break if they say the wrong thing, and it’s never the wrong thing but they’ll apologize anyway because they think it is. And I know they do it because they're worried and care, but I want to feel normal, I need to feel normal. Mithian doesn’t worry about upsetting me, she doesn’t apologize, she makes me feel normal. She didn’t know me before the veil, she’s not comparing me to the person I was before it. I didn’t realize how refreshing that was,” Leon vented, letting out all the thoughts that had been bouncing around his head the past few days. Lancelot listened quietly, knowing to wait until Leon was completely done before speaking. This wasn’t the first time Leon had gone on a rant to Lancelot, and Leon had been privy to the rare Lancelot rant himself. They had a system down.

When Leon had gone quiet for several seconds, Lancelot responded, “It sounds like she’s good for you, Leo.”

Leon let out a long breath, meeting Lancelot’s eyes. “I think she really is. Do you remember what I told you and Merlin? About Aithusa making me feel whole, and myself?” Leon asked and Lancelot nodded. Being around the young dragon made Leon feel grounded and stay grounded for days, and they had taken Leon to see Aithusa a few times, once after Lamia and again after the shrine. “That's how it feels to be around Mithian.”

Lancelot smiled. “Mithian is your dragon.”

"She’s one of them," Leon agreed, looking at Lancelot before looking away again, not elaborating. “I am a bit concerned though. Merlin doesn’t seem to like her and I don’t know why. I’ve learned to trust his instincts when it comes to people, but she seems like a perfectly lovely person, I can’t figure out why he’s been so hostile.”

Lancelot tensed and internally sighed. He had a feeling he knew the reason for Merlin’s behavior and resolved to have a talk to Merlin about it before he retired for the night. “Are you sure it isn’t just annoyance at all the extra work Arthur is making him do? You know how he can get when important guests from other kingdoms visit,” Lancelot suggested.

Leon mulled that over and relaxed slightly, a small smile on his lips. “That’s true. Do you think that’s all it is?”

Lancelot smiled warmly at him. “I’m sure it is, Leon.”

Leon smiled back. “Thanks, Lance. Good night,” he said, having arrived at his chambers. 

“Good night, Leon,” Lancelot replied, waiting for Leon’s door to shut before quietly doubling back down the hallway away from his room and instead towards Gaius’s chambers. He needed to talk to Merlin.

~~

“Is there a reason you are being cold towards Princess Mithian?” Lancelot asked, walking into Merlin’s room, having been directed there by Gaius.

"Where did you get that idea?" Merlin asked, not looking up from his book.

"Leon," Lancelot said pointedly, “he’s noticed that you don’t seem to like her.”

Merlin looked up at him, sighing. “I don’t have a problem with her, really, it’s just she’s been spending an awful lot of time with Leon, that’s all,” Merlin said meaningfully, watching Lancelot closely. 

“Leon likes her quite a bit, I think she’s good for him,” Lancelot declared.

Merlin scoffed. “I can think of someone else that would be much better-” 

“Merlin. Don’t," Lancelot cut him off sternly with a warning look.

"Lance, I don't see why you don't just tell him," Merlin protested.

 "I'm his best friend, Merlin, and I have accepted that is all I'll ever be. Princess Mithian makes him happy and he likes her. That is what matters. I will not stand in the way of his happiness over my own feelings. He is my best friend, and that is enough."

Merlin looked doubtful but he refrained from calling him on it, knowing it would get him nowhere. “Is this your way of telling me to play nice?

“Yes,” Lancelot replied simply. 

Merlin folded his arms and nodded once. “Alright fine. I’ll be civil to the princess,” he sighed. “But I still think you should tell Leon how you feel.”

Lancelot didn’t respond to that, simply giving Merlin a tired look. “Good night, Merlin,” he said before exiting Merlin’s room, leaving behind a frowning warlock to wonder at the obliviousness and stubbornness of his friends.

~~

“What is your opinion of magic?” Mithian asked Leon suddenly. The two of them were having lunch together in Mithian’s guest quarters after a morning of final revisions to the negotiations. Gwen had originally joined them (and in fact had been the one who invited Leon) but she left a little while ago to attend to some “prior engagement," leaving the two of them to finish their lunch alone together. Mithian had to appreciate the Queen’s persistence, even if it was lacking in subtlety. 

“Why do you ask?” Leon asked.

Mithian shrugged. “Curiosity. Magic isn't illegal in Nemeth like it is here in Camelot. I am curious to know the typical Camelot view on magic.”

“If you are after the typical Camelot’s citizen’s opinion on magic, I’m afraid you’ve asked the wrong person," Leon admitted, taking a sip of his drink.

Mithian looked intrigued at this, an eyebrow rising. “Oh? Then what is your untypical opinion?” 

“I think it is helpful and useful and wonderful far more than it is dangerous or fearsome. I admire the bravery of those that use it for benevolent purposes in Camelot despite knowing the penalty of such a thing. I have no personal quarrel with magic or those that use it," Leon explained carefully, aware that if Mithian repeated any of his words to Arthur he'd be in a lot of trouble. But he found that despite not knowing her for long, he was inclined to trust the princess.

“And if someone told you they had magic?” Mithian asked, and there was something in her eyes, calculating but hopeful, that reminded Leon of an almost identical question asked of him a lifetime ago. A part of him wondered if the reason behind this question was the same as the first.

“As long as they posed no threat to the king or Camelot, I’d protect them and their secret,” he admitted to her in a low voice. 

Mithian studied Leon, a satisfied glint in her eye at his answer. “You are the most unusual knight, Sir Leon,” Mithian mused with a smile. “So full of surprises and mystery. I like that.”

Leon could feel himself blush as he took a bite of his lunch.

~~

“Do you think they believe we don’t know what they are doing?” Mithian asked with amusement in her voice. It was the night before Mithian was set to return to Nemeth, the terms of the treaty finalized and signed earlier that evening. Arthur and Gwen had suggested the two of them take advantage of the pleasant weather and take a stroll through the castle garden. Mithian had agreed that the idea sounded lovely and that's where they were now, walking between perfectly maintained rose bushes.

“Who?” Leon asked, confused.

“Your friends. King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. Do they think they are being subtle?” Mithian explained.

Leon chuckled, realizing what Mithian was referring to. They had been rather obvious in their approach. “I do believe that that is what they are aiming for. As you can probably guess, subtlety isn’t their strong suit.”

Mithian laughed loudly, putting a hand on Leon’s arm as they continued to walk leisurely through the garden. “No, it’s not. If this is subtle, I’d hate to see the blunt approach.”

“I’m sure it won’t come to that,” Leon reassured her. It was as one of her eyebrows raised coyly that Leon’s brain caught up with his mouth. Leon blushed as he hurried to clarify, “That is, I didn’t mean to say, it’s just that you’re leaving in the morning, that’s all, I-”

"Leon," Mithian interrupted, bringing them to a stop. Her eyes were soft and shining in the torchlight of the garden. "I'm also certain it won't come to that," she whispered, standing up on her tippy toes to press a kiss to Leon’s cheek. She pulled back with a pleased smile, taking in Leon’s stunned expression. 

As they began walking again in silence, a giddy smile slowly broke out across Leon’s face as his brain rebooted and processed what had occurred.

"I hope I didn't over step, or misread things," Mithian said, for the first time sounding uncertain of herself, having not noticed Leon’s smile.

Leon, who had been scanning the garden path as they walked, searching for a particular flower, finally found what he was looking for. He stooped over to carefully pluck a white lily and stood, presenting it to her with a smile. "You did neither, Princess, I assure you," Leon told her. 

Mithian took the lily with a wide smile and brought it to her nose, breathing in the fragrant scent. "Lilies are my favorite. How did you know?"

Leon flushed. "I remember you were talking to Guinevere about them the other day," Leon admitted.

"It's beautiful, thank you," Mithian said sincerely. She then let out a yawn, shifting the flower to one hand to cover her mouth with the other. "Excuse me, I apologize," Mithian said.

"No need to apologize. It seems it is later than I realized. We should return to the castle,” Leon suggested and Mithian nodded agreement. 

When they arrived outside of Mithian’s chambers, Leon cleared his throat, causing Mithian to turn her back to the door to face him. "Mithian, I know you are returning to Nemeth tomorrow and I was wondering if I might write to you, every now and then, to keep in touch,” Leon suggested awkwardly, all the confidence he had in the garden gone and transformed into shyness.

Mithian beamed at him. “I would like that very much, Leon.”

Leon grinned back at her. “Good night, Princess Mithian,” Leon said, gently taking her hand and pressing a kiss to it before letting it go.

“Good night, Sir Leon,” Mithian replied, her eyes twinkling. With a smile on her face, Mithian glanced over her shoulder at Leon one last time before shutting the door behind her.

Leon walked back to his chambers, sporting a wide, giddy smile the whole way.

~~

“I hope you and your people will find peace in the agreement we reached here, Princess Mithian,” Arthur addressed Mithian. The scene was nearly identical to the one several days before at Mithian’s arrival, only now it was in farewell rather than in greeting.

“I’m sure they will, King Arthur. I thank you and Queen Guinevere for your hospitality during my stay. It is clear to me that Camelot is in capable hands under your loving rule. One of the many things I observed during my stay is how much the two of you love each other," Mithian said, causing Arthur and Guinevere to look at each other lovingly. Mithian smiled warmly as she continued, softer, "I have come to the realization that I would gladly give up my kingdom to be as loved by someone as the two of you clearly love each other," Mithian said sincerely.

Arthur looked slightly taken aback at this declaration, but Gwen only grinned at Mithian, feeling satisfied that she saw, for a brief moment, Mithian's eyes darting to a point behind them, where Gwen knew Leon was standing.

Chapter Text

Fires were burning all through the lower town and no matter what they did, it kept spreading. "We need more water," Elyan shouted to Gwaine. 

Normally, he would agree with his partner. But as he watched a mass of leather clad men with swords start to spread into the town, Gwaine figured the fires were the least of the worries at the moment. "Forget the fires, we have company," Gwaine announced. He grabbed Elyan by the shoulder and squeezed, the action tender but his words authoritative, "We're under attack, go, send up the alarm." 

Elyan glanced at the approaching army and nodded. "Be safe," he whispered, not waiting for an answer before running in the direction of the castle to ring the warning bells. Gwaine raised his sword, ready for this long night to get a whole lot longer. I'll try, he thought. 

~~

It was the Feast of Beltane, Arthur and members of his council were gathered in the council dining chamber for the feast. Guinevere was beside Arthur and Gaius, Percival and Leon were seated at a table to their left. Lancelot, Elyan, and Gwaine were not present as they had shifts. Merlin approached with a plate full of food for Arthur. Arthur smiled. “Ah, my favorite, herb crusted capon.”

Merlin grinned mischievously and said loudly, “Easy now, we don’t want any more holes in that belt.”

Percival, who had just taken a sip of wine, choked and quickly set down the drink. Gwen let out a giggle next to Arthur, putting a hand over her mouth, her eyes twinkling in amusement. Leon very resolutely stared at a fixed point, willing himself not to laugh. The phrase ‘no self preservation’ came to mind, but Leon didn’t dwell on it, especially since he himself was still on thin ice for carving Arthur a small wooden donkey as a wedding gift. Gwen and Merlin thought it was hysterical. Arthur, however, did not share their amusement and Leon was trying very hard not to get further on his nerves.

Arthur plastered on a fake smile and forced out a “Ha ha.” Merlin chuckled and poured wine for Gwen and Gaius. “Hey, Merlin?” Arthur said, waving him closer. Merlin leaned in and Arthur put a heavy hand on his shoulder, dropping the smile. “It’s a good thing you don’t have anything of actual importance to keep secret, isn't it?” he grumbled, removing his hand. 

Gwen took a sip of her wine, her lips pursed, her eyes darting over to Percival and Leon who were both looking intently at their food, Leon looking like he was fighting not to burst out laughing. Arthur had no idea.

The mirth was short lived. The warning bells began to chime, the laughter and chatter dying out as Arthur stood in alarm at the sudden interruption. Lancelot came striding into the hall, a grim look on his face. “Sire, we’re under attack! They are within the city walls.”

“Merlin, get everyone into the inner chamber,” Arthur ordered, removing his cloak and tossing it aside.

“Yes sire. Everyone, follow me!” Merlin yelled, waving everyone in the direction of the inner chamber. 

“Arthur,” Gwen said, grabbing onto his arm, concern and fear in her eyes.

“It’ll be alright, Guinevere, go with Gaius and Merlin, you’ll be safe,” Arthur assured her.

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” Gwen whispered, her hand reaching up to cup Arthur’s cheek. “Arthur, please be careful,” she begged.

Arthur leaned down and captured Gwen’s lips in a quick but passionate kiss. “Everything will be alright, I promise. Go with Merlin,” Arthur said, releasing Gwen and leaping over the table, drawing his sword. “Lancelot, secure the armory! Leon, Percival, you’re with me,” Arthur ordered.

Gwen watched them leave, a pit of dread in her stomach. “Come now Gwen, he’ll be alright. We have to go,” Gaius urged her, ushering her towards where Merlin had led the others to safety.

~~

Wounded knights and guards had been intermittently hauled into the inner chamber since shortly after Merlin and Gaius arrived, both them and Guinevere, who had changed into a much more practical and simple dress of a serving girl, had been running back and forth among the injured, offering whatever assistance they could. 

Merlin helped Gaius drag a wounded knight over to a table, setting him down heavily. “The lower town is lost. It's only a matter of time before they reach the citadel,” Merlin told Gaius in a low voice. 

“But how did this happen? How did they get in without being detected?” Gaius asked.

“I don’t know,” Merlin admitted. He had been asking himself that question since the alarm went up. He had been wracking his brain for any sign or warning of this attack that he had missed or somehow overlooked but he came back empty each time. Somehow, he had completely missed that Morgana was planning an attack on Camelot. He had wrongly assumed that Agravaine was Morgana’s only ally and accomplice inside Camelot. After his banishment, Morgana had gone quiet. Merlin should have known that her silence was a bad thing, that she was planning something. He should have anticipated this. 

“It appears your worst fear is being realized Merlin,” Gaius mused. Merlin stilled, not because Gaius was right, but because he wasn’t. Camelot falling was one of the many fears Merlin had. But his worst fear? Failing to protect Arthur. Arthur who was a danger magnet and constantly getting himself injured. Arthur who was nowhere in sight. 

Merlin bolted towards the door, catching the attention and alarm of both Gaius and Gwen. “Merlin?” Gaius shouted after him.

“I have to find Arthur,” Merlin shouted back over his shoulder before running out of sight.

~~

The Lower town was chaos. The Camelot knights were fighting a losing battle, more and more of them being cut down by the attacking Southrons in their efforts to hold them back long enough to evacuate the townsfolk to safety. They could not hold them back much longer. If they did not retreat immediately, there would be no one to protect the escaped towns people from being hunted down and slaughtered. “We can’t hold them back much longer!” Gwaine shouted, cutting down another Southron soldier. “Lead the people into the woods. Retreat! Retreat!” He yelled to his fellow knights.

~~

Merlin raced through the corridors, letting his magic guide him towards Arthur. He arrived in time to watch Arthur knock down a soldier and stumble towards him, clearly in pain. Shit. Merlin leaned out from behind a pillar and snagged Arthur by the arm, pulling him in and against the pillar.

Arthur let out a pained groan. “Been hiding in the broom cupboard as usual, Merlin?” 

They didn’t have time for snarky quips. “We need to get out of here,” Merlin declared, shoving Arthur with all his strength. Merlin peered back around the pillar to see a group of men advancing. “Bael on bryne,” Merlin hissed, causing the torches to flare across the hallway, halting the men in their tracks and covering Merlin and Arthur’s escape.

Merlin darted after Arthur, catching up with him quickly. “Are you alright?” Merlin asked Arthur as they ran, noticing Arthur clutching his torso. 

“I’m fine,” Arthur said, sliding to a stop against a stone pillar and gasping in pain, the impact aggravating his wound. “Maybe a broken rib or two,” Arthur amended.

They both peeked around the pillar to see Morgana striding through the courtyard, a crowd of soldiers following in her wake. And trailing a step behind her was: “Agravaine,” Arthur murmured, betrayal, rage, and hurt bombarding him all at once. He had already known his uncle was a traitor, had exiled him for it. But it appeared there was still a part of him that hoped that his uncle cared about him more than he hated him. But seeing him trailing after Morgana with a smirk on his face, that was clearly not the case. His anger bubbling over, Arthur tried to surge forward, only to be stopped by Merlin.

“No! It's no good! Arthur! There are too many of them. We can deal with your uncle later. All right?” Merlin whispered urgently. He watched to fight drain out of Arthur, exhaustion and pain taking its place as he stopped struggling. Merlin needed to get Arthur back to Gaius. “Let’s go,” Merlin said, dragging Arthur with him back in the direction of the inner chamber.

~~

Camelot was on fire. Camelot was on fire, countless innocent townspeople and brave Camelot knights were dead, the survivors forced to flee for their lives to the surrounding woods, and Gwaine had no idea the fates of his sovereign, partners, or friends. 

Still, Gwaine could not afford to dwell on such things, not yet, not when so many people were still depending on him to protect them and keep them safe. So Gwaine swallowed harshly and tore his eyes away from the fires in the distance, focusing instead on continuing to direct people into the direction of the woods where they would hopefully be safe at least for the night.

~~

“I can bind the ribcage, but even that would run the risk of puncturing a lung,” Gaius warned.

“Do whatever it takes, Gaius, just so long as I can swing a sword,” Arthur instructed through gritted teeth.

“Arthur, please, you’re in no condition to keep fighting,” Gwen begged, trying to reason with him.

“I have to, Guinevere. I won’t just leave my people to die while I still draw breath,” Arthur insisted stubbornly.

Elyan, Lancelot, Percival and Leon slipped through the door, Percival and Leon slamming it shut behind them while Elyan headed straight to Gwen. Gaius and Merlin walked over to meet them. “How do we stand?” Gaius asked urgently.

“The citadel is overrun. We can't hold out much longer,” Percival reported, expression grim.

“How long before they reach us?” 

“Minutes at best,” Leon responded.

“They’re coming for Arthur. If they find him, they’ll kill him,” Merlin said.

“We have to get Arthur to safety while we still can,” Leon said, still catching his breath.

Lancelot frowned and shook his head. “Arthur will never abandon his people, not willingly. He’d rather die.” They all frowned, knowing it to be true.

Merlin turned to the three knights. “Barricade the doors. Buy us as much time as you can,” Merlin instructed, receiving nods as the knights dispersed to gather materials to do so. Merlin walked back towards Arthur with Gaius following but he stopped outside of Arthur’s earshot. “We need to get Arthur out of here, whether he likes it or not. Do you have a potion that can knock him out?” Merlin asked hopefully.

Gaius shook his head regretfully. “I don’t have anything strong enough. In my chambers, maybe, but there’s no way to get there now, the Southrons control the palace.”

“There must be something.”

“I'm sorry, Merlin. Maybe there's something you can do. Arthur won't go willingly. But what if he was to lose his will?”

“Are you suggesting magic?” Merlin asked in surprise.

“Can you do it?”

Merlin considered it and raised his eyebrows with a shrug. “I can try," Merlin said and walked away from Gaius to stand behind Arthur’s head, bracing himself against the table with his hands.

"Merlin?" Gwen asked, looking at him questioningly from Arthur’s other side.

Merlin smiled at Gwen reassuringly before refocusing on Arthur. When Gaius put pressure on the wound causing Arthur to yell, Merlin whispered a spell. Arthur blinked lethargically, his head lolling about as he looked around. The knights came back from barricading the door with what they could find. It wasn’t going to hold long, they needed to leave immediately.

"We need to go, Sire," Merlin insisted.

"Of course," Arthur said promptly, rising on unsteady feet and swaying. He looked like he was absolutely wasted. Several looks were tossed Merlin’s way, suspecting his involvement in Arthur’s sudden and unexpected agreeability, but the knights had neither the time nor the desire to call him on it.

Percival recovered first, slinging Arthur’s arm around his shoulder. “Then let’s go. We’ll use the postern gate,” he said, following Leon, who had his sword out in case they came across any Southrons. Elyan started after them, his expression grim but determined. Lancelot, Gaius and Gwen did not move to follow them.

"What did you just do?" Gwen whispered urgently once Arthur was out of sight, grabbing Merlin’s arm.

"I don't have time to explain right now, Gwen, but I promise I will. Do you trust me?"

Gwen looked at him appraisingly for a long moment before nodding. "You know I do, Merlin," Gwen told him. Merlin gave her a small smile and a nod.

Elyan, realizing Gwen was not behind him, had doubled back and was striding over to them. “Gwen, we need to get you out of here, let’s go,” he said urgently. Gwen nodded and let her brother lead her to the tunnel that Leon and Percival took Arthur down.

Merlin shoved a few items into his bag and turned to look at Lancelot and Gaius expectantly. “Gather your things, we need to go,” he said, the sound of battering against the door emphasizing his point.

“You go, I’ll just slow you down,” Gaius told him.

“Gaius, no,” Merlin protested, looking to Lancelot for back up, “Lance.”

Lancelot shook his head, giving Merlin a sad smile. “I’m not coming either, Merlin. I’ll buy you as much time as I can,” Lancelot said. 

Merlin shook his head stubbornly, looking between them both, his lips pursed. “If you stay here-”

Lancelot put his hand against Merlin’s shoulder and walked towards him while pushing, forcing Merlin to walk backwards towards the exit, effectively cutting him off. “There’s no time to argue, Merlin, you need to go. Look after them, we can take care of ourselves,” Lancelot insisted. Merlin looked ready to argue some more but Lancelot pushed him back further. “Go, Merlin,” he ordered sternly. Merlin stared at them for another moment before turning around and running after the others.

Gaius and Lancelot both turned to face the barricaded door, Lancelot moving to stand shoulder to shoulder with the physician. The door was hit again and it creaked and groaned, no doubt moments from giving out. Lancelot drew his sword, though he knew he wasn’t likely to accomplish anything by trying to use it.

The door splintered open and Lancelot quickly saw that to fight would be suicide. So he stood still beside Gaius, allowing himself to be divested of his sword and restrained. Morgana strode in, eyes scanning the room for Arthur, frowning when she could find no sign of him. “It seems your victory is short lived, Morgana,” Gaius said, staring at Morgana with stubborn resolve. 

Morgana spun around on her heel, striding away as she called out, “Prepare the horses. We’re going on a hunt.”

~~

Merlin caught up with the others right at the edge of the woods, the knights lowering their swords when they saw it was only Merlin. “Where’s Lancelot and Gaius?” Leon asked him, looking around for them.

Merlin shook his head, fear and guilt on his face. “They both stayed behind. To buy us more time,” Merlin said bitterly. Everyone looked grim at this, Leon looking particularly troubled.

“We best take every advantage of it then, we have to keep moving,” Percival pointed out, spurring them all to pick up the pace. “They'll come after us. They know Arthur's still alive,” Percival added as they hurried along, Percival helping support Arthur on one side and Leon on the other. Elyan, Gwen, and Merlin were close behind them.

“Then we have to make it across the border, find sanctuary anywhere we can,” Elyan pointed out.

“I know a place. Ealdor. It's beyond the White Mountain, we should be safe there” Merlin told them, earning nods of agreement from everyone. Merlin stiffened. “Wait,” he hissed. The sound of hoofbeats met their ears.

“Run!” Leon ordered, and they all began to sprint away from the sound as fast as they could. But they were no match for the speed of horses and magic. One spell from Morgana sent them all flying and scrambling to regain their footing. Elyan and Leon regained their footing and helped Gwen and Arthur to their feet, Merlin scrambling after them as they began to run once more.

“Where’s Percival?” Elyan shouted, looking about wildly for his partner.

Leon looked around as well for any sign of his friend but could find none. But Morgana was rapidly closing in and there was no time to search. As much as he hated having to leave a friend behind, they had to protect Guinevere and Arthur. “We have to go,” he yelled, dragging Elyan along, shoving him in front of him to help Gwen along. Luckily, Elyan did not put up a fight, diverting his attention and worry into keeping his sister safe.

They reached a narrow rocky pass and Leon waited for everyone to pass him into it before stopping and planting his feet, sword raised to strike. “Leon, let’s go!” he heard Merlin shout from behind him. 

“Go, I’ll hold them off as long as I can,” Leon shouted, allowing himself to look over his shoulder at Merlin. 

Merlin hesitated. “Leon-”

“Go, Merlin! We don’t have time to argue. Keep them safe.” Leon ordered. Merlin gave him a nod, a silent plea of ‘please stay safe’  in Merlin’s eye that Leon returned before turning around to face his destiny, though he did not yet know it. 

~~

After over fifteen minutes of nonstop running and no sign of their pursuers, Elyan, Gwen, Merlin, and Arthur came to a stop to catch their breaths, panting heavily at the exertion. Arthur stumbled into Merlin clumsily and immediately apologized, earning surprised looks from Elyan and Gwen. Merlin ignored their questioning looks for the time being, instead focusing on more immediate concerns. “It looks like we’re safe for now, but we need to find a disguise for Arthur, he’s too recognizable. Elyan, you should probably change too, your armor makes you identifiable as a knight.”

Arthur nodded obediently. “If that’s what you think is best Merlin, it sounds good to me.” Elyan bit his tongue as his eyebrows climbed up his forehead at that. He nodded to Merlin though, agreeing it was a good idea.

They started walking again, Gwen picking up speed to walk side by side with Merlin, Elyan close behind, keeping an eye on Arthur who was trailing behind him. “Merlin, what exactly have you done to him?” Gwen whispered nervously. 

“He’ll be fine, I’ve just briefly enchanted him to be agreeable, it was the only way to get him out of Camelot without knocking him out,” Merlin explained softly. 

“Now that we’re out of Camelot, can’t you remove it?” Elyan asked, glancing back to make sure Arthur was still there, which he was.

“It should wear off on its own after a night’s sleep,” Merlin informed them. 

“You don’t know how to remove it, do you?” Gwen accused him, a slightly hysterical note to her voice.

“I do, I do Gwen, I promise,” Merlin soothed, bringing them to a brief stop to hold her by the shoulders and look her in the eyes. “I’ll remove it tonight while he’s sleeping, that way he’ll be more likely to think the blank in his memory is from passing out from his injuries rather than magic,” Merlin promised.

Gwen looked away guiltily. “Right, of course, I hadn’t even thought of that, I’m sorry, Merlin,” she apologized. Merlin gave her a little smile and nod and began walking again.

~~

As Leon was marched down to the dungeon, he was struck with deja vu. Two years ago he was in a very similar situation: held prisoner when Morgana forcefully and falsely declared herself queen of Camelot. If it weren’t for all the pain and suffering she caused and the repeated attempts of regicide, Leon would almost be begrudgingly impressed that Morgana managed to seize control of Camelot on two separate occasions. For all the similarities between now and then, however, there was one crucial difference that set the two experiences apart, something Leon was abruptly reminded of when he was yanked to a stop in front of a cell holding Gaius and Lancelot. He had a hell of a lot more to lose now than he did the first time. 

Lancelot, who had been sitting on the floor against the wall, scrambled to his feet when he saw Leon, a mixture of relief and worry in his eyes. Leon felt similarly, relieved to see both Lancelot and Gaius alive, but worried what Morgana may have in store for them all. 

“Wait,” a voice called out before the guards could unlock the cell. Leon’s eyes narrowed: he unfortunately knew that voice. He turned his head to glare at Agravaine, the lord walking towards him. “Lady Morgana will want to talk to that one,” Agravaine declared, pointing at Leon with a smirk.

I somehow doubt she just wants to ‘talk’ Leon thought, and by the way Lancelot stiffened in Leon’s peripheral vision, the same thought occurred to him as well. “Lord Agravaine. I would say it’s a pleasant surprise to see you here, but I fear it would come off as disingenuous since it is neither pleasant nor a surprise,” Leon greeted snarkily. He earned a punch to the stomach for his troubles. 

“I suggest you don’t test me, Sir Leon. I still remember vividly your role in my banishment,” Agravaine warned. Leon glared up at him but stayed silent. “Good choice,” Agravaine sneered. He jerked his head at the men holding Leon to follow. Leon had just enough time to flash a worried looking Lancelot a tiny reassuring smile before he was dragged out of sight. 

~~

Merlin spotted a hut in a clearing with laundry hung outside and pointed it out to the others. “That takes care of the disguises,” Merlin said. Elyan nodded and took Arthur by the arm to change into something less conspicuous.

~~

Percival woke up with a groan, his body sore and stiff. He sat up abruptly, nearly hitting his head on an exposed tree root as his memory came back to him. Carefully, as to not knock himself back out, Percival crawled out from under the underhang created by a large tree that had hidden him from discovery. The sun was low in the sky, but it was past sunrise. He had been out for hours. There was no sign of anyone else, no clues to tell Percival what happened to Arthur, Elyan, or the others.  

Percival found his sword laying on the ground several paces away, picking it up and keeping hold of it. He set out, choosing a direction and hoping it would eventually lead him to friends and not foes.

~~

Agravaine strode into the council chamber, passing a couple of guards dragging out a beaten Camelot knight. Agravaine did not even spare him a glance, focused entirely on Morgana, curled up on her throne looking up at Helios standing at her side.  “All quarters of Camelot are now under our control. Some knights have fled to the woods, but those that did not escape are either in our dungeons or dead,” Agravaine told her.

“Very good,” Morgana praised, earning a smile from Agravaine. “Have the people of Camelot welcomed me as their queen?”

“They will swear allegiance to no one but Arthur,” Agravaine informed her.

“I expected no less. Burn their crops,” Morgana ordered, not noticing how Agravaine’s smile vanished, replaced with shock. “Let’s see how they feel when their children begin to starve.” 

“And what of Arthur?” Helios asked.

Morgana, having noticed that Leon was dragged in behind Agravaine, nodded with her head in his direction. The guards holding him shoved him towards Morgana. Helios nodded to them and Leon was shoved to his knees at Morgana’s feet. She smirked. “We'll find Arthur soon enough.” Leon glared up at her. I wouldn’t count on that, Leon thought.

 Morgana rose to her feet and started walking to a side room, snapping her fingers for the guards to follow with Leon. They dragged him to his feet and shoved him into the room. It held a wooden chair that Morgana gestured towards. Leon was shoved into the seat, held in place by tight grips on his shoulders. Morgana looked at him and spoke a spell, black rope materializing and binding Leon tightly to the chair. She looked at the two men and dismissed them with a wave of her hand, leaving her and Leon alone in the room.

“I must admit, Leon, I never thought I would ever see you again. Not after your tragic demise,” Morgana said conversationally, watching him closely. Leon rolled his eyes. “So you can imagine my surprise when Agravaine informed me that you lived. How did you manage that?”

“Death didn’t agree with me,” Leon said snarkily. 

“Now, now, Leon, I hope you plan on giving me a better answer than that when I ask you where Arthur is,” Morgana tutted.

“I will tell you nothing, Lady Morgana,” Leon said defiantly.

“That is Queen Morgana now, Sir Leon, you’d do well to remember that,” Morgana warned with a smirk.

Leon scoffed scornfully. “We have been here before, Morgana. I did not call you a queen then and I have no intention to do so now. You are not my queen, nor will you ever be.”

Morgana’s eyes narrowed dangerously and Leon tensed, expecting her to lash out. Instead, she turned around and walked to a throne that had a wooden box sitting on it. She opened the box and picked something up before walking back over to Leon.

“Do you know what this is?” Morgana asked him, showing him a blue-green serpent cupped in her hands. Leon didn’t respond, just looked back at her. “No?” she said with a smile, looking pleased at his lack of response. “It’s a Nathair, from the Mountains of Asgorath. Harmless enough most of the time. But with a little persuasion, it can cause a man pain beyond all imagining. So you have a choice: tell me where Arthur is or sample the delights of my little friend here.”

"I would rather die than tell you anything," Leon spat.

"Oh I know. And I'm sure you will. I look forward to it," Morgana purred into his ear. She leaned back again and began reciting a spell, Leon mentally preparing himself. It didn’t make it hurt any less when the strike came.

“Where is Arthur headed?”

“You’re wasting your time, Morgana. I won’t tell you,” Leon panted.

Morgana regarded him coolly. “If you do not, you will die,” she warned.

Leon laughed, catching Morgana off guard. “Been there, done that. Didn’t agree with me. I will gladly die before telling you anything,” he told her with a smirk.

“This time you won’t be coming back, I’ll see to that,” Morgana hissed, pressing the Nathair against his forearm, making him writhe and scream. 

“I have no disillusion over death’s permanence, Morgana. It doesn’t change anything. I won’t tell you,” Leon said breathlessly once she removed the serpent. He didn’t get a chance to regain it fully before he was screaming in pain once more.

“You should do yourself a favor, Leon, and tell me where Arthur is headed. It will save you a world of pain,” Morgana told him, switching tactics.

Leon laughed mockingly, a hysterical edge to it. “I endured the screams and pain of the countless dead when I closed the veil. Nothing will ever be worse than that pain. So go ahead and torture me, Morgana. I will die before I tell you anything.”

Morgana snarled at him, digging the Nathair into the side of his neck, her eyes glinting madly as Leon thrashed and screamed. An idea was forming in her mind. She removed the Nathair and watched Leon slump against his binds, breathing heavily. 

Morgana walked back and forth in calm measured steps around Leon. “How about we make this a little more interesting, hmm, Sir Leon? You said you would rather die before telling me anything. I believe you. And you said no earthly torment could break you after the torment of the dead. I believe that too. But there is something else I believe,” Morgana said, halting in front of him and crouching down so she was looking up into his eyes. She smirked. “I believe that your little friend downstairs, Sir Lancelot, isn’t nearly as resilient as you are.” 

Leon's head shot up and he went pale. “He doesn’t know anything. He wasn’t there,” Leon protested through gritted teeth. 

Morgana’s smirk widened into a smile, cruel and gleeful. “I know that. But I also know you care about him. If you care as much as I think you do, then as long as you tell me what I want to know, there will be no need for him to join us in this room. But if somehow I’ve misjudged you and you continue to defy me,” Morgana leaned in closer, “I will drag him up here and make you watch him take your place until he dies.”

Leon lunged against his bonds at her, his eyes wild, causing Morgana to lean back abruptly. “If you harm him, I will kill you with my bare hands,” Leon growled, each word dark and sincere.

Morgana quickly regained her composure, rising to her feet and looking down on him. “You are welcome to try, my dear Leon, but you seem to be a little tied up at the moment. Besides, he has nothing to fear as long as you continue to draw breath and answer my questions. You do that, and this little guy will only encounter you. So I will ask you one last time, and I suggest you think very hard on how much you care about your little commoner knight friend before you refuse me again. Where. Is. Arthur. Headed?”

Leon would die for Arthur. He had died for Arthur. He had pledged his loyalty to Arthur till the day he died and he meant it with all his being. And he knew, he knew that Lancelot felt the same way, knew that he too would die for Arthur. Knew that if he were here he would tell him not to tell Morgana no matter what. Leon knew this. But there was a reason why Leon didn’t let Merlin or Arthur close the veil. A reason why the nightmares that haunted him were filled with the bodies of those he loved. Leon’s greatest fear was losing a friend, losing someone he loved. Losing a loved one because of his actions or lack thereof. Leon knew that if Arthur, Elyan, Gwen, or Merlin were harmed because of him he would never forgive himself. But he also knew that he would not be able to live with himself if Lancelot died because of him. Died in front of him in excruciating pain. Leon might be willing to die for Arthur, but he was not willing to let Lancelot do it in his stead. He couldn’t lose Lance. He couldn’t. 

“Ealdor,” Leon whispered, his head bowed and hot tears that had nothing to do with the pain trickling down his cheek. “He’s headed to Ealdor.”

Morgana tilted her head and studied him, a smile growing on her lips. She closed the gap between them and raised his chin with one hand, taking in the look of utter defeat and exhaustion and hatred on Leon’s face. In a move that almost bordered on tender, Morgana brushed the tears away from Leon’s eye with her thumb, hushing him when he flinched away from the touch. “It’s alright, I believe you.” She smiled and for just a moment Leon saw the girl he watched grow up alongside Arthur. And then her eyes went cold again as she stabbed the Nathair into Leon’s neck and his world became nothing but pain.

~~

Agravaine leaned against a tall stone column, grimacing as he listened to the screams coming from the chamber. Somehow, Helios was able to eat to the sound of extreme human suffering. If Agravaine hadn’t already distrusted him, his current attitude would have been enough to do it. The sound of silence and the door opening caused both men to turn.

Morgana strode out of the torture chamber, a satisfied look on her face. “Arthur travels to Ealdor. You will leave without delay. And Agravaine,” Morgana said, leaning in close, “if you fail me again, you’ll be taking Leon’s place.” Agravaine stared at her in horror, Morgana smiling and turning away to walk out with Helios.

~~

The jangle of keys prompted Lancelot to look up. A guard stood outside the cell and unlocked it, stepping aside to let two men drag Leon in. Lancelot rushed forward, managing to catch him as the men let him go carelessly. Lancelot waited until the guards were gone and the cell locked again before he crouched down to look at Leon, Gaius next to them watching in concern. Leon’s face was covered in tear tracks, another tear slipping from his unfocused eyes. “Leon?” Lancelot asked softly, concerned. Leon’s eyes focused at the sound of Lancelot’s voice and he threw his arms around him, clinging tightly when he realized it was Lance. Lancelot hugged him back, his concern growing. “Leo, what happened? What did she do to you?” he whispered.

Lancelot could feel tears soaking into his shirt. "She knows where they're heading," Leon whispered back, his voice horse and raw from screaming and his words hollow. 

Lancelot looked up at Gaius who looked grim. Gaius spotted several puffy red bite marks on Leon’s neck and his frown deepened. “Leon, are these from a Nathair?” he asked. Leon nodded his head, not breaking his hold on Lancelot. 

Lancelot looked at Gaius in confusion. “What’s a Nathair?”

Gaius sighed heavily. “It’s a serpent that can be used to cause unimaginable pain. She tortured him until she got what she wanted.” Lancelot looked horrified, holding Leon a little closer. 

“It wasn’t the serpent,” Leon croaked. Gaius and Lancelot both looked at him in confusion.

“What do you mean?” Lancelot asked.

“It wasn’t working. So she changed her tactics,” Leon muttered, his grip on Lancelot loosening as the stress and exhaustion hit him all at once. Gaius helped Lancelot lift Leon onto the bed, Lancelot sitting down with an arm around him to keep him upright.

Gaius looked astonished and disturbed at Leon’s words. “There is nothing more painful or effective than a nathair, Leon, what on earth did she do to you?”

Leon’s eyes drifted to Lancelot before his head grew heavy and he let it fall against Lancelot's shoulder. “I couldn’t let her hurt you, Lance,” Leon murmured, fresh tears falling from his eyes. “She would’ve killed you.” 

Before either Lancelot or Gaius could finish processing his words, Leon’s eyes fluttered shut and he went limp. “Gaius,” Lancelot said desperately, his heart in his throat. Gaius pressed one hand to Leon’s forehead, the other to Leon’s wrist. After a moment, he moved the hand on Leon’s forehead to gently lift one of his eyelids to examine his eye. Satisfied with his findings, Gaius let go and stepped back with a sigh.

“He’s unconscious. I’m not surprised, he’s been through an incredible amount of stress, both physically and mentally. He needs time to rest to get his strength back.”

“He’ll be okay?”

“Physically, yes. Mentally?” Gaius shook his head grimly, “That I do not know. Nathairs can be very nasty creatures. He was clearly subject to one several times, that could not have been easy to endure. Morgana was clearly determined to learn Arthur’s location.”

“He said it wasn’t because of the nathair,” Lancelot reminded him, frowning. 

“I know. That’s part of what troubles me. I have never heard of any person able to endure the pain of a nathair. If what he said was true and it was not the nathair that motivated him to divulge Arthur’s location, then that would have to mean the pain was not more than he had endured in the past.”

Lancelot looked at Gaius sharply. “What are you saying, Gaius?”

Gaius sighed, looking frail and old when he said, “I hate to say it, Lancelot, but it is possible his time in the veil was much more devastating than we realized.”

~~

Morgana sat at Arthur's desk in his chambers, looking over the various papers and documents spread across it in interest. She registered someone moving towards her and she looked up to see Agravaine walking towards her, looking serious. “I thought I told you to leave at once. I know you don’t want to fail me again, Agravaine,” Morgana reminded him.

“My men are all ready to depart,” he informed her.

“Then what are you waiting for?” she asked dismissively, looking at a paper rather than him.

Agravaine wrung his hands together, conflict warring on his face. “I-” he began, causing Morgana to look at him. “I just wanted to say goodbye.”

Morgana blinked. He was acting flighty and nervous over wishing her farewell? There was amusement in her tone when she replied, “Consider it done.”

Agravaine took a few steps closer, determination replacing the conflict on his face. “And to ask you to take care,” he added.

Morgana put down the paper and tilted her head to look at Agravaine. “Why,” she asked, her voice hard and dangerous, “I have nothing to fear,” she added smugly.

“Despite all you have achieved, Morgana, you must remain cautious. There is danger at every turn. You can trust no one, not even Helios,” he warned her resolutely. 

Morgana, who had been regarding him with an unreadable expression, smiled at Agravaine’s warning about Helios. She had no idea Agravaine would get so threatened by the man to the point of warning her against him. “I can trust no one but you, is that it?” she asked in amusement, a challenge in her eyes as she leaned back in her seat and looked up into Agravaine’s eyes.

“I am your one true ally, my lady. I am your one true friend,” he declared with conviction, walking around the desk to stand beside her, Morgana tracking his movement with calculating eyes. “I would do anything for you, you know that,” Agravaine said.

Morgana did know. The fool was infatuated with her and didn’t even try to hide it. Convinced that if he proved himself to her by bringing her Arthur’s head, she’d fall in love with him. As if. But despite all the times he had failed her and his carelessness that led to his banishment, his loyalty to her was never in question. “I am grateful for your loyalty, Agravaine,” Morgana said softly, leaning towards him with a slightly condescending smile to continue, “That is why I have entrusted this mission to you.”

“I understand,” Agravaine said, and Morgana highly doubted that, “of course I do. I only wish it did not take me from your side, where I can best protect you.”

Morgana did not need protecting, certainly not from Agravaine. “Find Arthur and you need never leave my side ever again,” Morgana told him, saying exactly what he wanted to hear. He smiled and bid her farewell, leaving the chambers.  So caught up with the prospect of being with Morgana, Agravaine had missed the unspoken continuation: But if you do not, it will be the last time you ever fail me.

~~

“Stop,” Merlin said, bringing their group to a halt, all of them turning to Merlin expectantly. They had been traveling for hours through the forest towards Ealdor.

“What is it, Merlin?” Elyan asked, hand going to his sword, looking about for any sign of danger. 

“I’m not sure. I can sense something, a group of people, that way,” Merlin said, gesturing his head in the direction they were headed.

“Who?” Gwen asked, looking nervous.

“I don’t know,” Merlin admitted. “We should give them a wide berth though, we can’t take any chances.” Elyan and Gwen both nodded agreement and followed Merlin’s lead as he changed directions in order to not cross paths with the mystery party. 

~~

Agravaine and his men came across a hut and Agravaine ordered them to search it and the surrounding area for any trace of Arthur. Behind a stone wall he found Arthur’s cloak. He stooped down to pick it up. “What kind of coward would deny who he is?” Agravaine muttered to himself in disgust. Raising his voice to be heard, he called, “Men, this way. They can’t have gone far.”

~~

The sun was high in the sky, the midday sun beating down on Percival as he carefully traversed the woods. So far, he had come across no sign of anyone, the most eventful part of his trek since waking was when he saw a doe in the distance drinking from a small stream. 

The sound of a branch breaking caught Percival’s attention, his sword coming up defensively as he whirled to face the sound. What he saw made him drop the sword down to his side, his face breaking out into a relieved grin. “Gwaine!” he exclaimed, rushing towards his partner. He swept Gwaine up in a fierce hug, kissing him deeply as he did so.

Gwaine returned his kiss and embrace, pulling back breathlessly with a smile. “Percy, you are a sight for sore eyes,” he told him, grabbing him by the hand. “I didn’t know what happened to you,” he admitted. Percival squeezed Gwaine’s hand reassuringly.

“I managed to escape the castle with Arthur, Gwen, Merlin, Leon, and Elyan, but Morgana found us and I got separated from them. I woke up under a tree hours later, no idea where they’d gone,” Percival told him. Gwaine looked relieved at the news that Elyan was one of those that escaped the castle. 

“So Elyan's okay?” Gwaine asked.

“Last time I saw him he was,” Percival confirmed. He looked out into the green forest. “We can only pray that he still is,” he added grimly, worse case scenarios taunting him. Gwaine squeezed his hand tightly, sharing his fears. Please let him be alive.

~~

Nightfall found Merlin, Arthur, Elyan, and Gwen eating rabbit and berries that Elyan had managed to catch and Merlin and Gwen had gathered. A small fire was their only source of light and heat. Merlin offered Arthur another piece of rabbit. “Would you like some more?”

Arthur nodded. “Yes, please,” he said, taking it from Merlin with a “thank you.”

“A please and a thank you all at the same time. Amazing,” Merlin remarked, shaking his head. Elyan and Gwen seemed to agree.

Arthur swallowed his bite of food and tilted his head at Merlin. “Is it?” he asked.

Merlin hummed confirmation. “Let’s just say manners are not your strong suit.”

Arthur turned to look at Gwen and Elyan. “Really?”

Elyan gave a hesitant nod and Gwen said softly, “You can be rather insensitive at times, Arthur,” she admitted.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Arthur said, sounding genuine. He then let out a loud yawn. Gwen smiled, patting his hand. 

“Why don’t you get some sleep, Arthur?” she suggested.

He nodded. “Excellent idea, Guinevere. Good night,” he said, laying down flat on the ground, much to Merlin, Elyan, and Gwen’s fond amusement.

When Arthur finally drifted off to sleep, Merlin whispered something, his eyes flashing gold. With that, he turned to Gwen with a smile. “He’ll be himself again in the morning,” he informed her.

Gwen smiled back gratefully. “Thank you, Merlin. For everything.”

Merlin ducked his head and laid down to sleep. “We should get some rest ourselves, it's been a long day.”

~~

Arthur blinked awake to find himself in a forest. He felt a hand in his own and turned his head to see Guinevere asleep beside him; it was her hand in his. He tried to sit up to further take in his surroundings but stopped with a groan of pain as the movement pulled at his ribs. The sound and movement woke Gwen who turned her head in his direction and upon registering he was awake, she sat up with a wide smile. “Arthur you’re awake!” she exclaimed happily.

“Guinevere? What happened, where are we?” Arthur asked, trying to move again only to stop with a groan yet again. 

Gwen’s face grew pinched with worry. “Camelot was attacked, you were badly injured. We barely escaped,” she admitted softly. Arthur stared at her with wide eyes, sucking in a pained breath. Gwen frowned and turned away. “Merlin,” she called and Merlin, who Arthur had not seen, sat up, turning to Gwen groggily. The sleep disappeared from his eyes when he saw Arthur looking at him.

“Arthur,” he exclaimed happily, walking over to his side and crouching down. Merlin’s exclamation woke Elyan, who also joined them beside Arthur. 

“Where are we?” Arthur asked, looking around the best he could. 

“We’re headed north to a safe haven, Ealdor. We’ll be safe there for as long as we need to regroup and plan,” Merlin explained.

“Why can’t I remember leaving Camelot?”

“You were fading in and out of consciousness from your injured ribs,” Elyan informed him. “When you were awake you weren’t very lucid,” he added. 

“And my clothes? Why am I dressed like this?” Arthur asked, gesturing to his commoners clothes. 

“To minimize attracting  attention. No one searching for you will look twice at a man wearing common clothing. And I still have your chainmail, just in case things change,” Merlin told him. 

“The others?”

Gwen shook her head sadly and shrugged. “We don’t know.”

~~

Morgana walked into the dungeons stopping in front of the cell containing Gaius, Leon, and Lancelot. Behind her stood two guards. “Have you come to gloat, my lady?” Gaius asked.

“Is that any way to treat an old friend? I'll forgive you. After all, you're not looking your best,” Morgana said, looking at Gaius in mock pity.

“He’s starving, my lady. We all are,” Lancelot pointed out

“Of course you are. You killed so many of my men. I'll have the kitchen prepare you a feast,” Morgana said sarcastically. 

Leon went to take a step forward, his hands balled into tight fists. Before he could, however, Lancelot grabbed him by the arm and stopped him, shaking his head firmly. I’ve got this. Leon was clearly displeased, but he made no further effort to approach the bars.

Lancelot turned back to Morgana, satisfied that Leon wouldn’t do anything rash. Morgana was regarding him with a calculating look. “I think not of myself, but of Gaius. He can't survive long without food,” Lancelot appealed to her.

Morgana smiled, an idea coming to her. She approached the bars, eyeing Lancelot up and down. “Oh, Lancelot, so noble, so selfless. Of course you shall have some supper...as long as you're prepared to fight for it,” she grinned, stepping back to let the guards unlock the door. 

The guards stepped in, grabbing Lancelot roughly. Leon straitened, looking like he was about to charge the guards and demand they take him instead. Lancelot caught his eye and with a barely noticeable shake of his head, he insisted Leon stand down. Stay with Gaius, I’ll be alright. And so, despite all of his instincts screaming at him to act, Leon remained where he was, his jaw clenched painfully tight as he watched Lancelot disappear from sight after a delighted looking Morgana.

Leon let his head fall back to rest on the wall, staring up at the ceiling. He knew Lancelot was a formidable fighter and he could take care of himself. But he also knew that Lancelot was not at his best right now, hunger and injuries from when he was captured putting him at a disadvantage. 

“Lancelot is a skilled fighter, Leon. He’s perfectly able to hold his own in a fight. He’ll be alright,” Gaius said weakly, breaking Leon from his thoughts.

Leon shook his head, tilting it to look sideways at Gaius. “I know he is, Gaius. But I also know Morgana. And she doesn’t believe in playing fair.”

Gaius had no answer to that, the two of them falling back into silence until multiple sets of footsteps echoed through the dungeons about an hour later, approaching their cell. 

The door was unlocked and Lancelot was shoved in, stumbling and barely managing to keep his balance. Leon rushed to his side and let Lancelot lean against him. The guard relocked the cell and left. Lancelot limped to the bed and deposited three pieces of moldy bread. “I’ll say this, she has a sense of humor,” Lancelot said humorlessly.  

“Yes, a sick one. Are you alright?” Leon helped Lancelot onto the bed beside Gaius, his eyes searching for injuries. His eyes landed on a bloody gash on Lance’s shoulder. He gently pulled the sleeve down to look at it. It was shallow and bleeding sluggishly.

“It’s just a scratch, I’m fine, Leo,” Lancelot insisted, gently removing Leon’s hand where he was poking at it. Leon looked to Gaius and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Even a scratch can become infected, Lancelot, you need to clean it out the best you can and wrap it,” Gaius said tiredly.

Lancelot sighed but sat still and let Leon wipe the wound clean the best he could and tie a makeshift bandage from his shirt around it.

~~

After a day of traveling, Arthur, Merlin, Elyan, and Gwen arrived at a stream. Arthur used his sword as a pointer to gesture at the stream. “This marks the border between Camelot and Lot’s kingdom.”

“Ealdor lies on the far side of that valley. Maybe half a day on foot,” Merlin said.

“We’ll rest here for the night, it’ll be dark soon,” Arthur declared.

Night fell and the four of them sat close to the fire Merlin started for warmth. Arthur broke the silence. “How did the army get into Camelot without being spotted?”

“It’s possible Agravaine smuggled Morgana plans to the tunnels before his banishment,” Merlin suggested, though he looked doubtful. If she’d had the plans before Agravaine was banished then she would have attacked sooner.

Arthur scowled at the mention of his uncle. “I am grateful Leon convinced me to see the truth of my uncle’s treachery. I don’t wish to know what could have occurred if he stayed within Camelot’s walls,” Arthur said. His expression grew grim. “I hope Leon’s still alive. I hope they’re all still alive.”

Elyan’s frown deepened, a troubled look in his eyes as he thought about his partners with no way of knowing if they were safe or even alive. He shivered, but it wasn’t from the cold.

~~

At long last, they were in Ealdor. Arthur and Gwen had both been once before years ago to help defend the little village from greedy bandits, but this was Elyan’s first time in Merlin’s hometown. 

Merlin led the way confidently, his eyes scanning for his mother while taking in the familiar surroundings and the changes to it since his last visit. Hunith rounded a corner of a house holding a basket. She caught sight of Merlin, a wide smile lighting up her face, the basket placed on the ground so she could race over to envelop her son in a warm hug. “Merlin!” she exclaimed, hugging him close.

Merlin grinned as he hugged her back, stooping to rest his chin against her shoulder. “Mother,” he responded in greeting. 

Hunith gave him a kiss on the cheek, stepping back to put a hand on his cheek, regarding him lovingly. “Welcome home, Merlin,” she said, eliciting a breathy laugh from Merlin. She looked behind him and caught sight of Arthur and Gwen, who she recognized, and Elyan, who she did not. “Something’s happened, hasn't it,” she asked, worry in her eyes. Merlin nodded solemnly in response. Hunith gave a smile to the group of them. “You can tell me all about it inside,” she said, turning around to pick up her basket and lead them back to her house.

~~

That night, after a warm meal and filling Hunith in on what happened to Camelot, Arthur was resting in the side room, his ribs rebandaged by Merlin shortly after they arrived. Merlin had gone on a walk with his mother to catch up on more personal matters, leaving Elyan and Gwen sitting together in silence in the house.

 Elyan stared down at his hands folded on the table, his mind elsewhere, a troubled frown on his face. “Are you alright?” Gwen asked him.

 Elyan looked up and nodded, then swallowed and shook his head. “I’m worried about Percival and Gwaine. They could both be dead, Gwen, and I-”

“Hey,” Gwen interrupted him, putting her hand atop of his and squeezing it. “You can’t think like that. They’re both incredibly skilled fighters, they can take care of themselves.”

“I know, But I keep on thinking how Percival was right behind us and then he wasn’t and what if he’s dead Gwen?” Elyan asked, his voice wavering. Gwen pulled him into a hug.

"It's alright. Everything will be alright Elyan, you have to stay positive," Gwen soothed him, holding him close. 

Merlin bursting into the house caused the siblings to separate, Elyan reaching for his sword. “We have to go, now. Agravaine’s found us,” Merlin said urgently, tossing Elyan’s bag that contained his chainmail to him. “No point in stealth anymore. Gwen, can you help me with Arthur?” Merlin asked, snagging his bag as he walked to the other room. Gwen hurried after him, her heart pounding. “Arthur, wake up, we need to leave,” Merlin ordered, pulling back the blanket. 

Arthur woke up, looking disoriented. “What happened?” he asked, accepting the shirt Gwen handed him, pulling it on over his head with her help. 

Merlin held out Arthur’s armor, gesturing for him to raise his arms to put it on. “Agravaine has found us, we need to leave before he catches us. We can exit around the back, there’s cave tunnels that we can use to evade him,” Merlin explained quickly. He handed Arthur his sword and walked briskly to the main room, Arthur and Gwen following close behind. Elyan had his sword out and armor on, looking grim. Hunith stood by the back door, fear and worry in her eyes.

“Please be safe,” she pleaded, her eyes trained on her son. 

“I’ll try, mother,” Merlin promised, giving her a quick hug before letting her go, turning to wave the others forward. “This way.” The four of them sneaked out, keeping close to the building. They saw Agravaine directing soldiers to fan out and search. “Around back,” Merlin told them, waiting for them to get out of sight before focusing his attention on a cart on the path behind Agravaine and several of his men. His eyes flashed gold, setting the cart in motion. “Bael on bryne,” he whispered, setting the cart on fire. Merlin did not wait to see what would happen, turning and running after Arthur, Elyan, and Gwen.

Agravaine, who managed to throw himself out of the way of the burning cart, looked up in time to see the four of them fleeing into the forest. “There, get them!” he shouted to his men, struggling to his feet. 

In the night, with only the moon to light their way, Arthur, Elyan, Gwen, and Merlin ran for their lives, hoping that morning would see them all alive.

Chapter Text

The entrance to the cave tunnels was just up ahead, just a little bit further and they would be able to navigate themselves to safety. However, with Agravaine and the Southrons right behind them, they would need to gain an added advantage in order to escape. And Merlin knew exactly how to give themselves that advantage.

“I’ll cover our tracks, keep going!” Merlin shouted once they were within sight of the caves. The others forged ahead, Merlin waiting a few moments for them to put distance between them. While Elyan and Gwen knew about his magic, they did not know he was a dragon lord and Arthur knew about neither, nor could he find out. Not yet. 

Merlin walked a few paces back the way they had come, just to be extra safe he would not be overheard. Satisfied, Merlin called out to Kilgharrah, asking for his immediate assistance and protection against Agravaine and his men. Merlin waited, looking up to the sky for any sign of the dragon. The flickering of torches getting closer and closer made Merlin look between the lights and the sky nervously before he could wait no longer, turning and bolting towards the cave, hoping Kilgharrah would arrive in time to help.

Merlin had just reached the mouth of the cave when he heard the flapping of wings and men shouting in terror behind him. Merlin smiled and sent a silent thank you to Kilgharrah, resolving to thank him properly when he had the chance. Without looking behind him, Merlin ran into the caves, letting his magic guide him to his friends.

~~

Merlin caught up to Arthur, Elyan, and Gwen, a lit torch in his hand. The three of them were turned in his direction, having heard his approach. They relaxed when they saw it was only Merlin. “Did you lose them?” Arthur asked.

“It’s safe,” Merlin confirmed, squeezing between Elyan and Gwen and past Arthur to take the lead.

“Are you sure?”

“Do I look like an idiot?” Merlin asked over his shoulder.

“Yes,” Arthur responded simply, earning him a disapproving frown from Gwen and a snort of laughter from Elyan.

“He doesn’t change, does he,” Merlin remarked to no one in particular. He stopped at an intersection of different tunnels branching off.

“Which way now?” Elyan asked. Merlin looked about him, looking back and forth between the different tunnels, trying to remember which one to take.

Arthur looked unimpressed. “I thought you said you grew up in these tunnels.”
“I did, it just- it could be that way,” Merlin said, gesturing to the path straight in front of them with his torch.

Arthur gestured to a tunnel branching to the right. “Or it could be that way,” he stated.

“Yes,” Merlin admitted, sounding frustrated. He hadn’t been in the caves in years, excuse him for not remembering every detail! Merlin started down the tunnel straight ahead, going with his gut.

“That’s very reassuring,” Arthur said dryly, following Merlin, Gwen and Elyan right behind him.

~~

Agravaine was having a good night. Was being the operative word. An hour ago, he and his men had Ealdor surrounded, with Arthur within their grasp. Now, most of his men were dead or dying, burned alive by a dragon that had come out of nowhere. A dragon. And because his night would not stop getting worse, the dragon, who had appeared to have flown off, was back for a second round of destruction. 

“Run!” Agravaine shouted, running as fast as he could into the cave, just barely escaping the dragon’s flames.

Safe from the beast’s reach, Agravaine and the few men that managed to make it to the caves regrouped, gathering themselves to search these labyrinthian caves for Arthur. 

After several minutes, Agravaine heard distant clattering and shushed the men, listening intently, another clatter echoing through the caves. Agravaine gestured the direction with his hand, mouthing the words ‘this way.’

~~

Clattering rocks echoed through the tunnels behind them, the four of them looking over their shoulders sharply at the noise. “I thought you said we’d lost them,” Arthur said from the rear of the line.

“I thought I had,” Merlin responded with a frown.

“It won’t take them long to catch us,” Elyan remarked grimly. 

“I’ll go back,” Merlin said, already making his way back down the tunnel, shuffling sideways past Elyan and Gwen.

“What are you going to do?” Arthur asked him, stopping him with a hand on his arm.

“Create a diversion,” Merlin replied, like it was obvious.

“It’s too risky,” Arthur protested, shaking his head. Merlin was unarmed and had no real experience in combat. If he was caught...

“I know these tunnels and Agravaine doesn’t. You keep going,” Merlin insisted, handing his torch to Arthur. Stealth would be his friend.

“Merlin… Don’t do anything stupid,” Arthur ordered, covering his concern with sternness. 

“Me?” Merlin asked with a smile, darting back down the tunnel. Arthur sighed, handing Merlin’s torch to Elyan. They resumed their progress and Arthur did his best to shove his worry away.

~~

Merlin quietly traversed the tunnels, keeping close to the wall as he made his way in the direction of Agravaine and the Southrons, their clinking armor making them easy to track. He edged along a wall, the flickering of approaching torches combined with the clinking telling Merlin that it was time to act. Merlin grimaced, because despite Leon’s popular belief to the contrary, Merlin did have a sense of self preservation, thank you very much. And he knew how absolutely idiotic it was to reveal his location to a band of men with weapons even though he had his magic to protect him, even if the whole point of revealing himself was to act as bait to lure them away from Arthur, Gwen, and Elyan. It was reckless and he knew it. That didn’t stop him from stepping out from around the corner and announce, very loudly to the group of armed men, “Oh! Hello!” and bolting down a tunnel that led away from Arthur, Elyan, and Gwen. 

Merlin quickly realized he made a fatal mistake in his choice of tunnel; it ended in a dead end with nowhere else to go except for the way he came, the way blocked by Agravaine and the soldiers. Fatal, but not for Merlin. Merlin’s heart sank: he intended on leading the men on a wild goose chase through the tunnels far from his friends and sneaking away undetected to rejoin them without lifting a finger against the men. Now, however, with Agravaine behind him repeating his name in a way that demanded answers, Merlin knew there was only one way he was going to leave this tunnel. Merlin slowly turned around to face Agravaine. “Where is Arthur?” Agravaine demanded.

Despite knowing how willingly they would kill Arthur, him, and his friends if given the chance, Merlin had no desire to kill these men. He didn’t even wish to see Agravaine dead, not truly, even with all he had done to betray Arthur and assist Morgana in her attempts against his life. Merlin did not want to kill anyone. He never did. Nimueh was the first and only exception and even that brought him no pleasure. Merlin killed out of necessity to protect Arthur and those he held dear and for self defense alone. If they turned around and walked out of the cave with the intention of leaving and not pursuing them, Merlin would let the men go. Unfortunately, Merlin knew that was not going to happen. But he still had to give them that choice. “Be careful,” Merlin warned.

“What are you talking about?” Agravaine asked as he looked around in confusion, looking around for some hidden threat, not realizing that the danger Merlin was warning him of was Merlin. Agravaine did not heed the warning, passing it off as a failed diversion or distraction to buy him more time. “Where’s Arthur?” Merlin didn’t answer, looking down at the ground. “Tell me. Now. Or I’ll have to kill you,” Agravaine said.

Merlin shook his head in pity, his voice sad and regretful when he said, “I don’t think so.” Agravaine raised his eyebrows in amusement, a silent “is that so?” before advancing towards Merlin, hand reaching for his sword. A step was all he had a chance to take before Merlin threw him and all the other men against the wall with a flash of gold in his eyes. They all lay still and unmoving where they landed. Merlin looked over them sadly and walked forward to ensure they were all dead, when Agravaine stirred, coughing and gasping for breath, stopping Merlin in his tracks.

Agravaine sat up abruptly, still gasping for breath, staring at Merlin in disbelief as he propped himself upright against a stalagmite. “You have magic!” Agravaine exclaimed, pointing at Merlin.

“I was born with it,” Merlin responded coolly.

Agravaine’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped in amazement as a thought occurred to him. “So it’s you! You’re Emrys!”

“That is what the druids call me.”

“And you’ve been at court all this time, eh? At Arthur’s side?” Agravaine observed with a breathless laugh, slowly and steadily stepping closer and closer to Merlin. “How you’ve managed to deceive him. I am impressed, Merlin,” Agravaine laughed. “Perhaps we’re more alike than you think.”

Merlin scoffed, hand raising in warning for Agravaine to stay back or else, though they were far past the point of warnings. “I am nothing like you, Lord Agravaine. Unlike you, I would never betray or harm Arthur,” Merlin declared. Agravaine smirked at him, shaking his head pityingly. And then he lunged at Merlin with a dagger he had hidden in his sleeve. He should have heeded Merlin’s warnings.

Unlike the first blast, there was no way Agravaine was getting up from this one, his eyes staring sightless at the ceiling, dead. Merlin took a deep breath to steel himself before walking towards the bodies and carefully weaving around them, taking care not to look at their faces. It was necessary. There was no use dwelling on his guilt. He needed to get back to his friends.

~~

Arthur, who had taken the lead, stopped in his tracks, turning around and listening intently. “Arthur, what’s wrong?” Gwen asked, looking concerned.

Arthur put a finger to his lips, asking her to be quiet. The sound of rocks rumbling in the distance caused Arthur to stiffen. “Merlin.”

“He knows the tunnels, Arthur. He'll find his way,” Elyan assured him.

“I'm going back,” Arthur declared, ignoring Gwen’s worried look and Elyan’s frown. He retraced their steps, keeping his ears open for any sound. He saw a shadow moving towards him down another tunnel. Arthur crouched into a fighting stance, prepared for combat if the shadow belonged to a hostile party. Luckily, from the light of his torch, Arthur was quickly able to identify the figure as Merlin and relaxed his stance. “Merlin! Where have you been?” Arthur exclaimed, frustrated. He had been gone so long that Arthur had worried something had happened to him and here he was, perfectly fine, taking a leisurely walk back to them apparently.

Merlin looked at Arthur strangely, his head cocking minutely to the side. “Were you worried about me?”

“No,” Arthur said forcibly after a pause that was a second too long to be convincing. “I was making sure we weren't being followed,” Arthur lied. He wasn’t fooling Merlin.

“You came back to look for me,” Merlin insisted, looking at Arthur strangely. He didn’t think Arthur cared that much. And yet here he was, lying to him about coming to look for him because he was worried.

Arthur’s voice became quiet and serious. “All right, it's true. I came back because you’re the only friend I have and I couldn’t bear to lose you,” he admitted. 

Merlin stared at him in amazement. He smiled and tilted his head to the side, looking at Arthur, swallowing before he asked, “Really?”

Arthur promptly turned around and started walking away back towards Elyan and Gwen. “Don't be stupid.” Merlin watched him go, a small disbelieving smile on his lips. Arthur was almost as bad at lying as Leon. He may have played it off as a joke, but Merlin knew that Arthur meant it. And as Merlin trailed after Arthur, that was enough. 

~~

At last, they emerged on the other side of the mountain, Arthur clutching his wounded ribs. “So, where now?” Elyan asked, looking around over the landscape.

“Maybe we could find somewhere here. A house where we could rest,” Gwen suggested.

Merlin shook his head with a thoughtful frown. “Morgana isn’t going to give up trying to find Arthur. We could put anyone who shelters us in danger,” Merlin pointed out.

“Then what would you suggest?” Arthur asked testily, raising an eyebrow at Merlin.

“You and Gwen will never be safe until Morgana is dead, Arthur,” Merlin said softly, watching Arthur closely. His expression grew hard and he clenched his jaw, but he said nothing. As much as he didn’t like it, he knew it was true. “She’ll only stop when she’s made to stop. We must travel back towards Camelot,” Merlin concluded.

Arthur frowned. “I thought the whole point of going to Ealdor was to stay far away from Camelot, to be safe far from Morgana’s reach.”

“It was, but it clearly didn’t work. She’ll search for you wherever you go, Arthur. But if we take the fight back to her,” Elyan said, trailing off meaningfully. Merlin nodded.

“Exactly, with you last being seen in Ealdor, Morgana won’t be expecting you to be within Camelot. We would have the advantage. If we hold up in the Forest of Essetir, we'll be safe at least for a while. If anyone has survived the battle, that's where they'll be hiding,” Merlin noted. Elyan perked up at the prospect of survivors, his mind drifting once more to his partners. 

Arthur looked between Merlin and Elyan, a thoughtful look on his face. They had a point. He looked to Guinevere, who smiled encouragingly at him. Arthur nodded firmly, making up his mind. “All right. Forest of Essetir it is,” Arthur agreed.

~~

Leon was worried. That seemed to be his constant state of being these days. Really, his state of being since he first discovered he healed abnormally fast. He had just been accruing additional worries ever since. He was currently worried about Gaius. The physician, who had somewhere along the way became a second father to Leon, was declining rapidly. He was old and not used to having so little food and water. He no longer had the strength to sit up on his own. Leon feared he may not survive for much longer in these conditions. A few days at most. 

The sound of jangling keys brought Leon’s attention away from Gaius and to the cell door. A guard unlocked it and two more filed in, heading for Lancelot. Leon surged to his feet to stop them, but he didn’t get very far, one of the guards moving to intercept Leon and push him to the ground while the other hauled Lancelot to his feet. Leon struggled to his feet and tried to follow, but all he got was the closed and locked cell door to grip onto as he watched Lancelot get dragged away out of sight for Morgana’s amusement, helpless to stop it. Yet another thing to worry about.

A bruised and bleeding Lancelot was shoved back into the cell by two guards about an hour later, stumbling and failing to stay upright. His shirt could barely be called that anymore, all torn and bloody, more resembling rags than anything. Leon was going to kill Morgana. He glared at her furiously, the sorceress looking pleased.

“Enjoy your supper,” Morgana smirked, tossing a moldy half loaf of bread into the cell.  “I fear it'll be your last,” she added, looking between the rough shapes of each occupant of the cell. She sneered and walked away, the cell getting closed and locked with her departure. 

Leon picked it up and tore the bread in half, handing one piece to Lancelot and bringing the other piece to Gaius. “You need to eat, Gaius,” Leon said softly, his hand pressed over Gaius’s which held the chunk of bread.

“Whether I eat or not, I'm not long for this world,” Gaius remarked. 

Leon shook his head, his lips pursed. “Come on, Gaius, don’t say that,” Leon protested.

Gaius laughed weakly. “I'm a physician, Leon. I've spent my days watching the cycle of life. If there’s one thing I’m not afraid of, it’s death. Don't waste your food. If Lancelot has to fight again, he'll need all the strength he can get.” Leon looked down at him sadly and patted his hand, leaving the bread with him as he turned to check on Lancelot. 

Lancelot was leaning against the wall while holding his side and breathing heavily, his chunk of bread clutched in one hand. Leon crouched down in front of him, looking him over. He looked awful. “How bad is it? And do us both a favor by not saying you're fine."

“I feel like I’m all bruise,” Lancelot admitted. He certainly looked the part, old and new bruises adorning his skin, and where there were no bruises there were cuts. Cuts that Leon needed to tend to and couldn’t with Lancelot’s shirt still in the way.

“Do you think you can lift your arms enough for me to help you out of that?” Leon asked, gesturing to Lancelot's shredded shirt.

“I can do it-” Lancelot protested.

“It will be easier and less painful if you just let me help you, Lance,” Leon interrupted him softly. Lancelot sighed and lifted his arms in response, letting Leon do what he needed to to clean and tend to his wounds.

~~

Arthur, Elyan, Gwen, and Merlin trekked through the forest of Essetir, traveling in the direction Merlin suggested and knew the Camelot survivors to be, having used his magic to track them down the night before. 

They had been walking for a while when a relieved shout sounded through the trees. "Elyan!" Elyan’s head snapped in the direction of the oh so familiar voice that shouted his name. His face split into a giant grin at the sight of both of his partners standing there alive and whole grinning at him. Elyan broke into a sprint, hurling himself at Percival, enveloping him in a hug and capturing his lips in a kiss, one hand reaching out blindly until it found Gwaine’s and yanked him in close as well. When Elyan had caught his breath, he pulled Gwaine in for a kiss as well, just as relieved and passionate as the one he'd given Percival.

Eventually they broke apart and the relief turned to annoyance. “Don’t ever do that to me again!” Elyan snapped, stepping back and shaking a finger at Percival who raised his hands in surrender. He looked to Gwaine who shrugged unhelpfully. 

“What did I do?” Percival asked, confused.

“You suddenly disappeared on me! You were right there and then you were gone! I didn’t know what happened to you, I thought you were-” Elyan broke off with a frown.

Percival’s eyes softened and he wrapped his arms around Elyan, holding him close. “I’m okay, Elyan. I’m not going anywhere, promise,” Percival assured him.

“You better not,” Elyan muttered. When Percival released him, someone clearing their throat got their attention, the three partners turning to see a mildly amused Arthur with his eyebrows raised at them, Gwen trying to hide a smile behind him. Right. Taking back Camelot.

"Good to see you're all in one piece," Gwaine remarked, his eyes taking in their appearance. 

"Likewise," Arthur agreed, stepping forward and greeting his knights with knights handshakes. "Is it just the two of you?"

Percival shook his head. "No, everyone that got out is in a clearing that way," he said, gesturing.

"Lead the way," Arthur said with a tilt of his head.

~~

“When they arrived there, the ground itself was still on fire. They'd all been slaughtered, every last one of them,” Helios informed Morgana grimly as they walked down a sunny corridor, repeating what the messenger reported to him. 

Morgana looked troubled, coming to a halt to look at Helios.“And Agravaine?”

“Dead.” The news of Agravaine’s death was a heavier blow than Morgana expected it to be. It seemed he truly had failed her for the last time.

“There's only one person who could've done this, only one man who could command a dragon,” Morgana said, terror in her voice and heart. “This is the work of Emrys,” she said, rushing away with her heart thundering and her mind in turmoil.

~~

“What about the drawbridge?” Arthur asked, walking with Elyan, Gwen, Gwaine, Merlin, and Percival as they ran through strategies to reclaim Camelot the next morning.

“Well manned,” Gwaine told him, shooting down the idea.

“As are the northern gates,” Percival added from Gwaine's side.

“The battlements on the south side?” Arthur suggested.

Percival shook his head. “Arthur, even if we can get inside, she has an army.” 

“And we have, what? A few hundred?” Arthur asked, looking around the clearing.

“They still outnumber us,” Percival pointed out.

“Yeah, but only three to one,” Arthur dismissed with a light tone, drawing little huffs of laughter from his knights.

~~

Morgana paced back and forth in her chambers, her mind racing and her heart pounding. She wanted answers. She needed answers. The question of who Emrys was had plagued her ever since she learned he was her destiny and her doom all those months ago. Agravaine had suspected that Gaius knew of Emrys’ identity but had never been able to confirm it. And now, with Gaius on the brink of death and still as stubborn as ever, his heart would give out before he would be able to tell her anything. There has to be some other way to find out who he is, Morgana thought. And then it hit her: there was one other person that could tell her Emrys’ identity. Leon. It was Emrys who brought Leon back from the veil, Morgana was certain of it. And there was every possibility that Emrys revealed himself to Leon. 

Morgana strided out of her room, a determined and satisfied smirk on her face as she headed to the dungeons. Emrys’ identity would soon be hers.

~~

Leon was really starting to hate the sound of keys. They always seemed to herald bad news. Definitely bad news, Leon thought when Morgana came into view, a determined look on her face. Leon struggled to his feet, planting himself between Lancelot and the guards. “Haven’t you already had enough entertainment for one day?” Leon growled, his hands clenched into fists.

Morgana scoffed at him. “I’m not here for him,” Morgana said, the guards grabbing Leon, much to Leon’s surprise and Lancelot’s alarm. Now it was Lancelot that got to his feet, having a much harder time of it than Leon due to his injuries. The cell door was already swinging shut before Lancelot could take a step forward. Morgana watched him with a self satisfied smirk on her face, turning on her heel and striding away, the guards following with Leon in tow.

"Why are you taking him?" Lancelot called out after them but he got no response. Lancelot slid back down the wall to sit and wait, hoping that Leon would be relatively unharmed when he returned. He wasn’t counting on it though.

~~

Morgana stared down at Leon, bound to a chair, with a frown. The combined forces of starvation and his wounds from the Nathair had left him weak. Pain tolerance be damned, Morgana knew Leon would not survive the Nathair a second time. But unlike Gaius, Leon was young. He would live long enough to tell her what she wanted to know. Morgana held the serpent aloof, a threat and promise of what would happen if her questions went unanswered. Leon eyed it apprehensively. “Who is Emrys?” Morgana demanded.

Leon frowned, genuine confusion wrinkling his brow. “Who?” He had barely finished asking his question before it morphed into a scream, Morgana jabbing the Nathair into Leon’s neck.

“Come now, Leon, there is no reason for you to protect him. You’ve already proven that you aren’t the faultlessly loyal knight you pretend to be. Sir Lancelot’s continued life is proof of that. You’ve already betrayed your king, what is the identity of one sorcerer? Who is Emrys?” Morgana tried.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Leon gritted out. There was no sign of any of Leon’s tells that always gave him away as a liar. Morgana scowled angrily. She must be missing something or perhaps he became a better liar in the time since she knew him because he had to know Emrys’ identity. He had to.

Morgana leaned in close, digging the Nathair into Leon's neck while she snarled, “Perhaps you have forgotten what I will do to Sir Lancelot if you lie to me, Leon. Allow me to remind you: I will kill him slowly and painfully if you don’t tell me who Emrys is!”

“I don’t know!” Leon screamed, fighting and kicking in pain against his binds but they held him fast.

“Tell me!” Morgana shouted, her eyes alight with rage and hate.

“I don’t know! I swear to you, Morgana, I don’t know!”

There was something about the way Leon said her name, so familiar despite the alien wrongness of it being screamed in terror and pain, that made Morgana remove the Nathair. She breathed heavily, staring down at him with wide eyes and pursed lips. The haze of red clouding her vision receded, leaving her to accept the truth that she had known but refused to accept when Leon first asked who Emrys was: he didn’t know.

Leon gasped for breath, sagging in the chair. He was so weak, so broken. So unlike the person she knew a lifetime ago. As hard as it was to believe now, with Morgana looming over him with hate in her heart and Leon trembling with pain that she caused, there had been a time when the two were friends. A time when the words they exchanged were teasing and full of laughter, not hatred and screams. A time when she knew him as well as he knew her. A time when Morgana considered him her closest and most loyal friend. A time before he became one of Uther’s most trusted knights and his loyalty shifted. A time before her visions and her magic began to manifest themselves. A time before Morgana realized she didn’t trust him with her secrets anymore. A time before the two drifted apart and became different people. Before they became enemies. Looking down at him now, his eyes wide with fear and his face twisted in pain, Morgana wondered when exactly everything had gone wrong. “You never were a very good liar, Leon,” Morgana sighed.

“I’m not lying!” Leon tried to shout, it coming out more as a strangled yelp, panicked and terrified, his heart thundering in his chest and his vision blurring. He had no doubt that Morgana would keep her word, and Leon couldn’t risk that. 

“I know,” Morgana said, stepping away from Leon and taking the Nathair with her. She whispered a spell to render it calm and harmless once more and returned it to it’s box. When she turned back around, Leon was staring at her in confusion and disbelief. “You forget there was a time we were close, Leon. I know you. You can’t lie to save your life,” literally, Morgana added internally, her magic letting her see that he was a dead man already, death creeping in slowly and painfully to claim him.

Leon struggled to keep his head up, meeting her eyes. "I never forgot, Morgana. I am not the one that forsake our friendship. You did when you took over Camelot. I am not the one who did the betraying, Morgana, you did.” Leon’s words were said with conviction and tinged with bitterness.

"You would have," Morgana snapped, marching over to him, her anger and hatred rising within her once more, "if you ever learned what I was. If you knew I had magic. Don’t pretend you have the moral high ground here, Leon, not when we both know you would have delivered me to Uther, straight to my death, in a heartbeat had you found out I had magic.”

It was a different kind of pain than before in Leon’s expression at her words, his frown regretful. “If that is truly what you believe, Morgana, then it seems you never knew me at all,” Leon said softly.

Morgana scoffed, squinting at him in disbelief. “You really expect me to believe that you, Sir Loyal First Knight of Camelot, would have kept my secret? Would have lied to Uther and committed treason to protect me, a person with magic? You’re lying, Leon, if not to me, then to yourself if you believe that.”

Leon looked at her sadly, pity in his unfocused eyes. “You were like a sister to me once, Morgana. I would have died for you back then. You having magic would not have changed that.”

“You don’t know that, not for sure,” Morgana protested, though she sounded uncertain.

Yes I do, Leon thought sluggishly, his mind drifting to Merlin on that first day in Gaius’s chambers, butterfly flying out of his hands with his eyes tinged gold. But he couldn’t tell Morgana that, instead saying, “Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“No. It doesn’t,” Morgana agreed, walking over to the throne and sitting on it, her arms crossed.

Leon tracked her progress, raising a tired eyebrow at her. “Aren’t you going to kill me, Morgana? I thought you said you looked forward to killing me. Surely you aren’t going to let the starvation get me?”

“I already have. You’re dead, Leon, your heart and brain are just taking a while to accept it. In a couple of hours, your heart will accept what your body already knows and what your mind is trying to deny,” Morgana said, leaning forward in her throne towards him, "and you will die."

Leon took in a sharp breath, his eyes widening with fear and his heart beating faster in his chest. Ever since the time he lay on the brink of death surrounded by his fallen brothers for a half day, helpless to move or do anything other than lay there in agony and wonder why death refused to come until the druids found him and saved him with the cup of life, Leon had been terrified of slow and painful deaths. So of course that was how he was going to go.

Morgana noticed his reaction. With a frown, she rose from her throne and walked over to Leon. She lifted his chin with her hand and turned his head to face her. Unlike a few days ago when Morgana looked into Leon’s eyes and found anger and hate, now she found only pain, fear, and desperation. Morgana sighed in pity, making a choice. “You should have sworn your allegiance to me, Leo,” Morgana whispered. Leon did not have enough time to frown in confusion before Morgana’s eyes blazed gold and Leon’s neck snapped, the knight crumbling like a puppet with its strings cut. The only thing keeping him in the chair was the ropes binding him and Morgana’s hand still supporting his chin. She used her other hand to close his unseeing eyes. With this done, she let his head fall to his chest and cast a spell to undo the rope, letting him slide to the floor in a heap.

Morgana looked down at Leon’s corpse and felt none of the pleasure she thought she would. At the end of the day, she was still no closer to learning Emrys’ identity than she was before and while Arthur had lost a loyal protector and Morgana a thorn from her side, she would hardly call his death a great victory. If anything, if she let herself, she would feel regret. Regret as she wondered if they were always destined to end up here or if in another life Leon could have been beside her rather than against her. But Morgana did not let herself regret, did not entertain what ifs that would never be. She made her choices and he made his. Now, she had to make another choice. She could leave him here, rotting alone and forgotten in this dark room forever, or…

Morgana strode out of the chamber and addressed the guards standing outside it without looking at them. "It's time for Sir Leon to return to his cell," she instructed emotionlessly. She waited for them to disappear into the room to retrieve him before she started walking, her destination the dungeons. 

~~

The sound of something being dragged accompanied by the jangle of keys had Lancelot struggling to his feet, leveraging himself against the wall. He had just gotten upright when the cell door swung open and two guards dumped a completely limp Leon to the ground before stepping back out of the cell, the door locking. An overwhelming sense of dread and fear slammed into Lancelot when Leon did not move at all. He stumbled over to him, dropping to his knees. “Leon?” Lancelot called, hoping his voice would wake him. It didn’t. With some difficulty due to his injuries and Leon's dead weight, what a sense of doom that word brought, Lancelot managed to roll Leon flat onto his back. “Leon?” he repeated and he was officially panicking now. Lancelot grabbed Leon’s arm and pressed his fingers to Leon’s too cold wrist in the way Gaius taught him to search for a pulse. Lancelot felt nothing beneath his fingertips and felt everything within his heart at that absence of life. “Leon?” he whispered, this time knowing he wouldn’t get an answer. Leon was dead. 

“Call his name all you like, Sir Lancelot, you will get no answer,” Morgana stated bluntly from her vantage point outside the cell, having stayed to watch the spectacle. She squashed down the empathy that tried to rear up against her will back to the recess of her heart. 

"Why," Lancelot said, his voice quiet and his head bowed over Leon, hiding his face from Morgana's sight. He was shaking, whither from grief or fear Morgana couldn't tell. 

"Why, what?" Morgana asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Why did you kill him," Lancelot elaborated, his voice soft and deceptively calm. He still didn't lift his head to look at her. 

"Why shouldn't I have? He was no longer any use to me," Morgana scoffed dismissively. 

Lancelot straightened, his head lifting. He slowly turned to look at Morgana and she nearly took a step backwards as she realized that she had miscalculated. For it was not fear or grief that had him trembling. No. Mild mannered Lancelot was shaking with anger. "He answered your questions! He told you where Arthur was going! Was that not enough for you?" Each sentence grew in volume until he was yelling at her, anger and grief fueling the fire in his eyes.

Morgana quickly recovered from her momentary shock, stepping closer to the bars to glare at Lancelot scornfully. "You seem to be operating under the assumption that it is my intention to keep all of you little prisoners alive long term. Let me rid you of this notion: I do not care if you continue to live. I do not care when you die, but I assure you, you will die. Whether it is down here from starvation or up in the square by execution, you will die and join your beloved Leon in death,” Morgana taunted, her eyes squinting and her lips curling into a cruel smile.

Lancelot stood abruptly, ignoring the screaming protest of his injuries, and this time Morgana did step back. Though Leon had been the one who delivered the threat, Morgana had no doubt that Lancelot too would attempt to tear her apart for killing Leon with nothing but his hands and anger to aid him. 

Before Lancelot could take a step towards the door, Gaius let his arm fall from his chest, effectively blocking Lancelot’s path and diverting his attention away from his anger at Morgana and towards his worry for Gaius instead. Lancelot put his hands on Gaius’s shoulders, turning his back to Morgana. Morgana scoffed at them and walked off, leaving Lancelot and Gaius alone save for the company of Leon’s corpse. “I thought you were supposed to be the level headed one,” Gaius murmured, fixing Lancelot with an unimpressed eyebrow. 

Lancelot deflated, all the fight leaving him. “He’s gone, Gaius. She killed him,” Lancelot choked out, saying it out loud making it suddenly feel unbearably real and Lancelot couldn’t accept it. This couldn’t be it. Leon had come back before, he had to come back again. He had to because Lancelot didn’t know if he could keep going if he didn’t.

“Rising to her taunts won’t change that, Lancelot,” Gaius gently scolded, the reprimand lacking any edge, grief completely dulling any intended sharpness to his words.

Lancelot didn’t respond, instead turning around and stooping down to hook his arms under Leon’s arms and he dragged him to the back wall by the bed, ignoring his protesting injuries. 

"What are you doing?" Gaius asked weakly, his head turned to the side to watch Lancelot position Leon’s body Leon onto his side facing the back wall, his left arm coiled under his head so it wouldn't rest on the cold dirty stone floor. He almost looked like he could be asleep. Almost. He was far too pale and still. 

"When he comes back, I don't want Morgana to find out. If he's facing the wall his face can't be seen," Lancelot replied lowly. 

Gaius looked at him pityingly. "Lancelot, as much as I wish it wasn’t true, he’s gone. He’s not coming back this time,” Gaius said sadly.

Lancelot shook his head stubbornly. “Kilgharrah was always specific. He always said Leon couldn’t give his life again, not that he couldn’t come back at all. I- I have to believe that means he can come back, that he's coming back, I have to, Gaius,” Lancelot insisted desperately. 

"That’s a lot of hope to put on the riddles of a dragon,” Gaius remarked, raising one eyebrow. Lancelot was in denial.

"Hope is all I have right now, Gaius,” Lancelot whispered, looking down at Leon, a shaking hand reaching out to brush his curly hair out of his face, but Lancelot aborted the movement, letting his hand fall to the side instead. “I can’t lose him again. It was hard enough the first time trying to move on from losing my best friend, but I don't think I can do it this time. Not now.” 

"Not when this time it’s the person you love," Gaius finished knowingly.

Lancelot huffed a humorless laugh, his eyes filling with tears as he nodded. "Am I really that obvious?" he asked, looking to Gaius.

"I'm old, Lancelot, I'm not blind or deaf. But yes, it was obvious," Gaius admitted. 

“Not to him,” Lancelot whispered, a tear falling down Lancelot’s cheek and splashing onto the grimy stone floor.

“No, not to him. But it wasn’t obvious to you either,” Lancelot looked at Gaius, more tears pooling in his eyes, and frowned in confusion. Gaius turned his head to look back up at the ceiling. “He always sought you out after the veil. Any time he needed to convince himself of reality he looked for you first. You always managed to calm him the fastest too,” Gaius remarked.

Lancelot frowned, not knowing what that had to do with anything. "I'm his best friend.”

Gaius rolled his eyes. “It was more than that, Lance. He looked at you the same way you look at him," Gaius insisted softly.

“Then why didn’t he say anything?” Lancelot whispered.

Because both of you are idiots, Gaius thought. Out loud he said, “Because he was oblivious.”

Lancelot had nothing to say to that, his thoughts bogged down by grief that he desperately tried to hold at bay with the tiny shred of hope he had. He just prayed hope would be enough.

~~

“You all right?” Merlin asked, jogging over to walk at Arthur’s side.

“Yes,” Arthur responded in a way that clearly said there was something bothering him.

“Do you think there are too many of them?” Merlin asked, trying to find the root of Arthur’s unease.

Arthur waved a hand dismissively. “The Southrons are men like you and me. Men we can fight. But Morgana…” Arthur trailed off, shaking his head, “Her power is so great and we've got nothing to answer it with.”

We do: me, Merlin thought, but since Arthur did not and could not learn about that, Merlin resolved to come up with a more subtle way to level the playing field between them and Morgana. Out loud he said, “I believe in us, Arthur. I believe in you. You are the Once and Future King of Camelot, destined to unite the lands of Albion and not even Morgana can stand in the way of that.”

Arthur looked at Merlin with a strange look on his face. “I never know what to think when you say these things, Merlin,” he admitted.

Merlin shrugged, grinning cheekily. “You could think that I’m very smart and always right about these matters.”

Arthur scoffed, shoving him playfully and walking off. “Fat chance,” he retorted, though he seemed lighter and less troubled than he had before. Merlin watched him go with a smile.

It was later that night, after most everyone else had drifted off to sleep, that a perfect plan to even their odds against Morgana occurred to him. The plan itself was simple enough: all he had to do was get a poppet to restrict Morgana’s magic under her bed and it would work its magic on her magic while she slept. It was the getting into Morgana’s chambers in Camelot without revealing his identity that was the difficult part. Luckily, Merlin had Dragoon.

With this plan firmly in mind, Merlin slipped away from the clearing, his destination Camelot.

~~

“You must send emissaries to Lot's kingdom. We must offer a reward for Arthur's capture,” Morgana instructed Helios. She rounded the corner and froze with terror, the man that haunted her dreams there in the hallway, making brief eye contact with her before he ran off out of sight. “It's him! It's Emrys, he's here!” Morgana gasped, petrified.

“Guards!” Helios shouted, already in pursuit of Emrys, his men falling into a jog in his wake. Morgana watched them go in terror as the warning bells began to ring.

~~

The sound of the warning bells woke Lancelot. He limped over to the bars but there was nothing to clue him in on what had triggered the alarm. He limped back over to Gaius, the physician opening his eyes to look at him questioningly. At Lancelot’s shrug, he closed them again. 

Lancelot closed his eyes tightly as his memory of the day before returned to him. He looked over to where Leon lay in the same position Lancelot left him in, no sign of movement. Lancelot moved over to him and sat down beside him. Lancelot reached out a hand and pressed his fingers to Leon’s cold wrist. There was nothing. Swallowing harshly, Lancelot let go of his wrist and tried not to lose his hope that Leon would come back to him.

~~

“We searched everywhere. He fled Morgana; he trembled at the sight of you,” Helios said, trying to calm and reason with Morgana as he followed her into her chambers.

“Then why was he here? Why does he choose to taunt me like this?!” Morgana’s voice was shrill and scared, halting her brisk walk to spin to look to him for answers. 

“We must hold our nerve. Maybe you should get some sleep,” Helios suggested calmly, rubbing her arm comfortingly. Morgana gave a hesitant nod that gained confidence. 

Morgana walked over to her bed and then turned around to face Helios. “Make sure there are guards on the door,” Morgana told him, but instead of an instruction it came out as a plea. He gave her a nod and left the chambers, closing the doors behind him.

Morgana curled up on her bed and took a deep calming breath. You’re safe. He’s gone. The guards are on high alert. He can’t get to you, she reminded herself and gradually the tension dissipated and her mind calmed, allowing her to drift off to sleep.

~~

It had been embarrassingly easy for Merlin to break into Morgana’s room to leave the poppet and then slip back out of the city without being apprehended. Morgana should have invested in better security. As easy as it had been, it still took up much of the night and took a lot of magic, leaving Merlin exhausted with very little time to sleep. Nothing he hadn’t dealt with before, though. He’d be fine. He always was.

Arthur snapped his fingers inches from Merlin’s face, jolting him back to the present. “Wakey, wakey. You look like you’ve been up half the night,” Arthur observed.

“I was. I couldn't sleep,” Merlin said.

“I thought you believed in me,” Arthur said lightly.

“Now where did you get that idea?” Merlin joked with a teasing smile, Arthur shrugging good naturedly and walking off to find Gwen. It would be time to head out soon.

~~

"Be safe, alright?” Gwaine instructed his partners sternly. In a short while, it would be time to storm Camelot. They both gave him little smiles and nods.

“Mm, right back at you, tough guy,” Elyan replied. Gwaine grinned at that.

“I love you both,” Percival said with a sappy smile, pressing a kiss to their heads. They both echoed his words, leaning into each other, sharing a private moment before they would have to separate and do their parts to reclaim Camelot.

Across the clearing, Arthur and Gwen held each other in a warm embrace. “I still think it would be safer for you to wait here,” Arthur said.

Gwen fixed him with an unimpressed look. “Not a chance, Arthur. It’s my kingdom too, and I will not just wait here and wring my hands with nothing to do but worry while you and all our friends and subjects risk their lives. I’m coming with you,” she declared firmly.

Arthur smiled at her, bending down to capture her lips in a kiss. When they broke apart, he whispered, “I love you, Guinevere.”

She smiled back at him with love in her eyes. “And I love you, Arthur.” 

Reluctantly, Arthur let go of Gwen, knowing they needed to begin their attack when the day was still young to have an advantage. It was time to take back their kingdom.

~~

Helios strode into Morgana’s room, throwing open the doors. Morgana woke up and quickly rose to her feet, walking over to Helios. “It seems we have company,” he said, looking satisfied.

“Emrys?” Morgana asked, scared.

“Arthur,” Helios corrected with a smirk. 

Morgana relaxed, a smirk of her own gracing her lips. “My dear brother,” she said, the fear vanishing from her voice, “we must welcome him home,” she declared.

Helios’ smirk grew and he waved a hand to the door. “Shall we?” he asked grandly. Morgana smiled and walked out of the room, leading the way to the council chamber to wait for Arthur, Helios following right behind her.

~~

For the second time in one day, Lancelot was awoken by alarm bells. This time, it was accompanied by the distant sounds of metal clashing with metal that had Lancelot smiling for the first time in days. They might actually get out of here. Lancelot’s smile faltered when his eyes fell on Leon, remembering the lack of a sign of life when he checked earlier. Please, he prayed to any deity who would listen, pressing his fingers against Leon’s wrist. Nothing. Lancelot hung his head, biting back a sob as he left his fingers where they were. And that’s when he felt it. Lancelot’s head shot up and he stared at Leon, hope rekindling in his eyes. Because under his fingertips, as faint and slow as it was, was a pulse. Lancelot cast a glance towards the cell bars but there was no sign of any guards. Looking back at Leon, Lancelot positioned a finger under Leon’s nose for any sign of breath. There was.

Lancelot sat back heavily, a hysterical laugh full of relief and happiness bursting out of him. Gaius awoke at the sound and made a questioning noise, too weak to properly speak. Lancelot stood and put a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him. “My hope wasn’t misplaced,” Lancelot told him in an excited whisper. Gaius raised a surprised eyebrow at him. Are you sure? Lancelot nodded. “I’m sure.” Gaius smiled faintly at that, letting his eyes close again. Lancelot patted his shoulder and sat back down against the wall, watching the outside of the cell hoping for rescue.

Lancelot’s hopes kept becoming reality today. The sound of fighting got closer, bringing Lancelot to his feet. It was the sound of keys jangling that sent him to the cell door. And the sight of a smiling Gwaine, accompanied by two of their fellow Camelot knights, had Lancelot moving back from the door with a laugh so they could open it.

“You miss me?” Gwaine asked with a grin, grabbing Lancelot by the arm in a knight’s handshake. Lancelot returned it.

“You have no idea,” Lancelot replied. Gwaine grinned, which then morphed into an alarmed frown when he spotted Leon laying on the floor behind Lancelot. Lancelot followed his gaze and his smile died. “He’s, he’s alive,” Lancelot said and Gwaine deflated in relief, “though I don’t know for how long. Morgana did something to him, I thought I lost him,” Lancelot whispered. 

Gwaine patted his shoulder gently, avoiding the worst of the bruising. “We’ll get him help, he’ll be just fine, Lance. You and Gaius will be too,” he added, his eyes landing on the physician who was being helped to his feet by the other two knights. They had wisely left Leon for Gwaine and Lancelot to take care of. “Let’s get all of you out of here, shall we?” Gwaine asked, moving to pick up Leon. Lancelot moved to help him and Gwaine put up a hand to stop him.  “No, I’ve got him. You look like a stiff breeze could topple you over. What happened to you?”

Lancelot frowned but let Gwaine hoist Leon over his shoulders. “Morgana had me fight so we could eat," he said simply. 

Gwaine frowned at that but didn't press for more details. "Come on, let's get you somewhere safe," Gwaine said, leading the way out of the cell. 

~~

Arthur fought his way to the council chamber, Gwen, Merlin, Elyan, and Percival joining him along the way. After dispatching a group of soldiers, the four of them stood behind him with their weapons drawn. “Ready?” Arthur asked them, and all of them nodded. “For the love of Camelot!” they shouted, charging into the council chamber. They stopped short when they saw not a room full of armed soldiers waiting for them, but just Morgana curled up in the throne with a man, Helios, standing beside her.

“Welcome, dear brother. It's been far too long,” Morgana said, getting up from her seat and walking towards him. "I apologize if you had a difficult reception. It's hard to know who to trust these days.”

Morgana stopped halfway between them and Arthur approached slowly to meet her there. He raised his sword with his hand open to show he did not intend to attack her, Morgana watching warily until the sword slid into his belt. He finished closing the gap between them, leaving them toe to toe.

“What happened to you Morgana?” Arthur asked softly, all the hurt and pain he felt over her betrayal laid bare in his voice. Morgana looked back at him with regret. “I thought we were friends,” Arthur said.

“As did I,” Morgana replied just as softly. Then her eyes hardened with her voice as she said bitterly, “but alas, we were both wrong.”

“You can't blame me for my father's sins," Arthur protested softly. 

A brief bitter smile flitted across Morgana’s lips. “It's a little late for that. You’ve made it perfectly clear how you feel about me and my kind,” she said, resentment and hurt in her voice. “You're not as different from Uther as you'd like to think," she taunted.

“Nor are you,” Arthur replied before Morgana could even finish her jab.

Morgana’s eyes became cold and her jaw clenched with anger. “I’m going to enjoy killing you, Arthur Pendragon. Not even Emrys can save you now," she declared, stepping back as she did so. Arthur drew his sword in response, Percival, Elyan, and Gwen raising their own swords and moving closer to guard his back. Morgana smirked, dark amusement in her voice, “Your blades cannot stop me. Hleap on bæc,” she said. Arthur braced himself for her attack, but nothing happened. Morgana looked scared, looking back at Helios in confusion. Arthur frowned, realizing that something was wrong. Behind him, Merlin had a grim satisfied look on his face. The poppet was working. Morgana raised her hand to direct her magic and tried the spell again, putting more force and desperation into the spell. Still nothing. Morgana looked at her hands in fearful confusion.

“Not so powerful now, my lady,” Arthur said, a tear gathered in his eye. Morgana stared at him in terror as Helios grabbed her by the arm and pulled her behind him. Morgana turned and fled out the back corridor. “After her!” Arthur ordered, Gwen and Merlin running to follow her.

That left Arthur, Elyan, and Percival to handle Helios and the soldiers that poured into the room, the three knights leaping into battle. 

~~

Gwen and Merlin weaved through corridors, following the trail of red clad bodies Morgana left in her wake. It appeared that Morgana had managed to acquire a sword, the former lady not needing her magic to be deadly with the weapon. Unfortunately for her, if it came down to them or her and Merlin deemed it necessary, Morgana’s sword would be no match for his magic.

~~

Percival dispatched his opponent and looked around to find another. Elyan was handling the last two soldiers with ease. Percival looked around for Arthur and his blood went cold when he saw Arthur on the ground, sword lying out of his reach a few feet away, with Helios looming over him. Percival advanced forward, his sword raised. He reached Helios just as he finished raising his sword as high above his head as he could, intending to bring it down full force on Arthur. Percival wasn’t going to let that happen. With a powerful thrust that he stepped into, Percival stabbed Helios in the back with his sword and yanked it back out. Helios collapsed to the ground, twisting as he did so. Arthur looked up at Percival and he gave his knight a smile, which Percival returned. But then Percival’s smile morphed into a pained grimace. His abdomen burned with pain, his arm instinctively pressing against it which only made the pain spike. Frowning, Percival looked down at himself, tilting his hand away from his stomach so his palm was facing upward while still keeping his arm pressed against it. His hand was covered in blood. Oh. That’s not good.

“El?” Percival called out. He was aiming for calm but his voice came out shaky and panicked. Elyan, who had incapacitated both of his opponents, turned towards him. “I-” Percival said, trying to take a step towards his partner. ‘Trying’ being the key word. Percival stumbled, the world spinning about him.

"Percival!" Elyan cried out, rushing over to him and grabbing him by the arms to steady him, letting his sword drop to the ground beside him. "What happened?" Elyan demanded, staring at the blood leaking around Percival’s arm and dripping to the floor in horror. 

"He was going to kill Arthur, I got him but when he went down he must have got me too," Percival explained briefly, gesturing unsteadily with the hand still holding his sword. Elyan gently took it from him before dropping it beside his own. He then looked around Percival to see Helios dead on the ground and Arthur on the ground looking up at them with horrified guilty eyes. 

“Are you alright, Sire?” Elyan asked Arthur in a business like tone. Arthur just nodded, pushing himself to his feet and leaning against a nearby pillar for support. He was fine. Percival was not, his legs buckling beneath him. Elyan returned all of his attention to his partner, helping him control his descent to the ground, guiding him over to a pillar. Elyan sat down himself, pulling Percival close to him, leaning his head against his shoulder. Elyan took a deep breath and laid his hands over Percival's wound, remembering from Gaius and Merlin that pressure slowed bleeding. Percival’s breath hitched in pain. "I know, I know sweetheart, I'm sorry, but I have to slow the bleeding," Elyan apologized, his voice thick. 

"I don't think that's going to matter, Elyan," Percival whispered regretfully. 

Elyan stiffened. "Hey, don't talk like that, you're going to be fine. Merlin and Gwen will be back any moment and Merlin will help you with all that physician's knowledge in his head," Elyan insisted in a way that said he was trying to convince himself just as much as Percival. 

Percival shook his head sadly. "I don't think potions and bandages are going to fix this, El," he whispered. A sob shuddered through Elyan's body, a tear rolling down his face. “Gwaine’s going to be pissed,” Percival laughed weakly, the laugh quickly morphing into a groan. Elyan squeezed his eyes shut tightly, the memory behind his words rising to the surface.

It had been a night when all three of them were off duty after a mission with Arthur earlier that day. It had gotten a bit hairy, though luckily no one was seriously hurt. Still, it had gotten Percival thinking. "We're all knights," Percival started. 

Gwaine had looked up from the desk and laughed. "One point for Percy for figuring that one out," he laughed. Elyan, who was sitting next to Percival on the bed, laughed too.

Percival frowned and tossed a sock at Gwaine. "Oh, shut up. I'm trying to make a point here.” Gwaine raised his hands in surrender. "We’re all knights. It's a dangerous job we have. I think we need to talk about the possibility that one day not all of us come home," Percival concluded, his voice becoming lower as he spoke.

All the mirth on Gwaine’s face fled. “Nope. No. Why do we need to talk about this? What even is there to talk about?” 

“What happens after. For those who do come back,” Percival said softly.

“If either of you go before me I’ll be pissed,” Gwaine grumbled. 

Percival looked at Elyan who was frowning. He sighed. “I don’t want to think about it either, but Percival’s right. We should probably talk about it,” he acknowledged.

Gwaine sighed. “Alright, fine, we’re already talking about it anyway, might as well. Percy, you brought it up.”

“Whoever comes home, they have to keep living. No trying to speed up the process of following. No matter what. Even if two of us are gone, no throwing away your life to join us,” Percival said quietly, not looking at either of his partners. They both hummed agreement.

“Hold onto whoever is left. Take care of each other, no letting grief split you apart,” Gwaine added, looking at his boots. 

“No blaming others for the loss. We’re knights, we know what we signed up for. If any of us-” Elyan cut off and took a breath. “If any of us don’t come home, no blaming those who did or anyone who was there.” He was met with nods and a long silence.

Gwaine cleared his throat. “Perce, anything else or can we drop this and never talk about it again?”

“We can drop it now,” Percival agreed softly. "I'm sorry for making you sad," Percival apologized. Gwaine nodded, making a gesture with his hand for Elyan to scooch over. Elyan did so, creating a gap between himself and Percival. Gwaine squeezed between them, laying down and waiting for Elyan to do the same before wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. Behind him, Percival also lay down and cuddled up to Gwaine, draping one of his arms over both Gwaine and Elyan. Holding them close to keep away the thoughts and fears now echoing through their heads of a future without the others.

“Take care of him for me,” Percival said, pulling Elyan from the memory. His words were slurring together at this point and it was becoming harder and harder for Percival to keep his eyes open and remain awake. 

"You know I will. We'll take care of each other. And we'll take care of you. You're not dying on us, Percy,” Elyan insisted, more tears falling from his eyes.

"It hurts, El," Percival groaned weakly, trying to curl into himself further. 

“Hey, hey, hey, Percival, look at me. Look at me darling, I’m here. Just hold on, alright. Merlin, Merlin is a physician, he can help you, just, please-” Elyan babbled, tears streaming down his face freely.

"I love you," Percival whispered, looking up into Elyan's bloodshot eyes.

“I love you too, Percy, you know I do. Gwaine loves you too, we both love and need you, please don’t leave us. Come on, Percy, we need you, please,” Elyan whispered, pressing his forehead against Percival's. If he had any choice in the matter, Percival would stay, of course he would. But that choice was not in his hands, hadn't been since Helios's blade pierced his armor and sliced through his abdomen. He always knew there would come a day when one of them would die in battle, it was the whole reason he started that conversation all those months ago. But he never imagined it would be so soon.

Percival’s eyes slipped closed and didn't open again despite Elyan’s urging. It was only the continued rise and fall of Percival’s chest that kept Elyan from completely breaking down, but only just. Please, Percy, just hold on.

~~

Merlin and Gwen came to a stop at the end of a corridor, Morgana standing at the other end with a sword in one hand resting by her side and the other holding her side. Gwen raised her sword defensively. “Why are you doing this, Morgana?” Gwen asked, staring at her sadly.

“I want what I’m owed. And I will do whatever it takes to get it. I will have no pleasure killing you, Gwen,” Morgana said, looking at her former friend with a sad look. Her expression hardened when she turned her gaze to Merlin, “You, on the other hand, Merlin? I look forward to killing you. You can join Arthur’s other loyal pest in death.”

Merlin stiffened at her words, exchanging a scared look with Gwen. “Other?” he asked, his voice betraying his dread and fear. 

Morgana smirked. “Let’s just say Sir Leon isn’t with us anymore.” 

Merlin’s world ground to a stop at her words, his face paling and his hands curling into fists. Beside him, he distantly registered Gwen gasping but the sound was muffled over the roaring of his own blood in his ears and the volume of his thoughts screaming at him that he had lost Leon again, had lost his brother because of a mistake he made, how many more people that I love are going to die because of choices I made? When will it end?

 “You didn’t,” Merlin denied, a deadly warning behind his words that Morgana missed.

Morgana tilted her head and smiled. “Oh, but I did,” she mocked. 

Gwen took a step forward, tears blurring in her eyes and her sword raised for an attack, but Merlin put his arm out, stopping her from getting any closer. “Gwen, please step back. I will handle this and I don’t want you to get hurt,” Merlin said, his voice dangerously cold, never once taking his eyes off Morgana. Gwen’s eyes widened and she backed up several steps, seeming to realize that Merlin was not messing around. 

Morgana scoffed, eyebrows raised and smiling in amusement. “Merlin, please. You’re not even armed, you have no chance against me.”

“No, Morgana,” Merlin said, face an emotionless mask but his eyes so full of pain, “you’re the one with no chance. You shouldn’t have killed my brother.”

Morgana snarled, lunging at him with her sword. With a blaze of gold in his eyes, Merlin blasted the sword from Morgana's hand, knocking her backwards in the process. Morgana struggled to her feet, her eyes wide in fear. Merlin did not give her a chance to regain her equilibrium. He was done being subtle, done not cleaning up his messes. She killed Leon and laughed about it. Merlin was not going to give her a chance to take anyone else from him. Merlin directed an open palmed hand at her. “Astrice.” The blast caught Morgana right in the chest, knocking her to the ground, where she stayed, twitching feebly. Merlin walked over to her staring down at her as she gasped her last breaths.

“Emrys,” she gasped out, the terror on her face becoming her death mask. Looking down at her corpse, Merlin didn’t feel any better than he had a minute ago, though he certainly felt safer. Morgana being gone didn’t bring Leon back, didn’t stop the pain and grief that was somehow worse now than it was after the veil. 

Merlin tore his eyes away from Morgana and turned to Gwen who was staring at him with wide eyes. “Are you alright?” he asked her softly. 

She nodded firmly. “I’m fine, Merlin,” she promised, awe and grief mixing together in her voice.

“We should- we should get back to Arthur,” Merlin said quietly. Gwen nodded and together the two friends made their way back to the council chamber in silence.

~~

Merlin and Gwen walked into the council chamber and upon realizing something was very, very wrong, broke into a run, Merlin practically sliding to his knees beside Percival and Elyan. Elyan was a mess, his eyes puffy and red with tears that stained his cheeks and his hands stained red with blood. Percival looked even worse, his skin so pale it almost looked gray, the only color to him being the pool of red that surrounded him, leaking from his abdomen. He looked more dead than he did alive. 

"What happened?” Gwen gasped, going to her husband but her eyes glued on the sight of her crying brother holding his partner.

“Helios,” Arthur said, his voice tight with emotion, gesturing to the fallen man. Arthur turned his gaze to Merlin who had a hand pressed to the base of Percival’s neck, a worried frown on his face. “Merlin is there anything you can do?” Arthur asked desperately.

Merlin examined Percival’s stomach, his mouth pressed into a thin line. Percival was pale, unconscious, his skin clammy and cold, lying in a pool of his own blood. He needed help now, and Merlin had no supplies, not that he thought normal supplies would cut it in this situation. “Arthur, I don’t-”

“Merlin, there must be something. Anything at all, I don’t care what,” Arthur insisted.

Merlin looked up at Arthur sharply, his eyes wet but determined. “Anything at all?” Merlin repeated. There was only one thing that could save Percival now. Merlin just hoped it would work.

Arthur frowned. “Yes, Merlin! Anything! Just do it!”

Merlin didn't need to be told again, nodding resolutely. He doubted Arthur would be as receptive if he knew what Merlin was planning, but he didn’t care. Funny, considering just the night before Merlin had thought about how he could not let Arthur find out about his magic no matter what. It wasn’t the right time it never was and if Arthur found out now, Merlin had no idea how he’d react, but he doubted the reaction would be a favorable one. But Merlin couldn’t let himself dwell on his possible future as an outed sorcerer to the king when Percival most certainly would not have a future at all if Merlin did not act. And Merlin refused to lose another friend today, refused to lose another brother, consequences be damned. He was done losing people without even trying to save them. He gently removed Elyan’s hands, placing his own over Percival’s wound instead.

Gwen looked at Merlin nervously. “Merlin, what are you doing?”

Merlin looked up at her, fierce determination in his eyes that was a stark contrast to the hollow emptiness of his declaration, “I’m proving Leon right, once and for all: I do have no sense of self preservation.” He didn’t give anyone a chance to ask him what he meant, Percival’s life slipping away under his palms necessitating him to act now. “Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare,” Merlin recited clearly, his eyes glowing gold.

Chapter Text

Healing spells had never been Merlin’s strong suit. He usually either had to try them multiple times for them to work or they would just not work at all. Neither outcome was an option in this case. If the spell failed, Percival would die. With this in mind, Merlin put everything he had into the spell, praying to the triple goddess for it to work, for him to be in time to save him. He didn’t care what happened to him as long as Percival survived. He couldn’t lose another friend, another brother, today.

When the gold faded from his eyes and Merlin lifted his hands, it was to reveal whole unmarked skin, the only evidence there had ever been a wound there at all was the blood staining Percival’s armor and Merlin’s hands. Percival’s breathing evened out, his heart returning to a steady and healthy rhythm. It seemed like the goddess had decided to answer his prayer. Merlin sat back heavily on his heels, an exhausted breathy laugh bursting out of him. Percival was alive.

Percival’s eyes blinked open, confused, but not pained. Elyan’s breathing hitched and he let out an unhinged laugh. Percival didn't have enough time to look at him fully before Elyan was kissing him desperately. When he finally pulled back for air, Elyan rested his forehead against Percival’s, breathing heavily. “I thought I told you not to scare me like that again,” Elyan whispered. Percival’s eyes softened and he lifted one of his hands, the one free of any blood, and gently brushed the tears, now ones of relief, off Elyan’s cheeks. 

"Didn’t mean to," Percival murmured back. He leaned back, pulling himself upright as he did so and looked down at his abdomen with a puzzled look. He had been dying a minute ago, he knew this for a fact, there was no denying it. And yet now he felt perfectly normal and was decidedly not dying. No pain, no wound, not even a scar Percival realized when he pulled his chainmail up to examine his stomach. Percival looked up, his eyes glancing between Elyan, who was teary eyed but joyful; Merlin, who looked grim but relieved; Gwen, who had a hand to her mouth in shock but her shining eyes and relaxed stance revealed her relief; and Arthur, whose mouth was hanging slightly ajar and looked to be going through all of the five stages of grief simultaneously. "How…?" Percival asked as he looked between them. 

“I healed you.” Merlin’s voice was quiet, his words like a confession. Percival frowned before the implications behind his words hit him. That would explain Arthur’s reaction then. 

This reminder of Merlin’s role in Percival’s recovery had Elyan grabbing Merlin by the arm and pulling him into a hug, the sudden movement startling a small yelp from Merlin. Elyan held him tightly, his voice full with gratitude when he whispered into Merlin’s ear, “thank you.” Merlin patted Elyan’s back, the hug itself too tight for Merlin to manage a vocal response. When Elyan at last released him, Merlin gave him a smile before turning to look over Percival, who was now sitting completely upright.

“How do you feel?” Merlin asked quietly, concern in his eyes as he looked for any sign he hadn’t fully healed his friend.

“Completely fine, which is a bit disorientating. I- thank you, Merlin,” Percival said sincerely, reaching out his blood free hand to ruffle Merlin’s hair affectionately, letting his hand fall to Merlin’s shoulder when he saw the way Merlin’s breath hitched when he messed up his hair. 

Before Percival could ask if he was alright, Merlin was smiling at him and replying, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Elyan got to his feet and held a hand out to Percival to help him stand. “I’m fine, El, I can get to my feet on my own,” Percival sighed. Elyan’s hand did not move, though his eyes narrowed. Percival rolled his eyes and took hold of Elyan’s hand, letting his partner assist him to his feet. When he moved close to support him as if he’d fall over in a light breeze, Percival realized that he was likely to be subject to a lot of fussing in the near future. Percival didn’t try to move away from Elyan, resigning himself to his fate.

He wasn’t the only one. Merlin stood slowly, his eyes darting to Arthur’s face as he did so to find it carefully blank and he looked back down, not meeting Arthur’s eyes. Merlin looked like a man already condemned to death and standing in the flames of the pyre. Arthur supposed, under the letter of his father's law, he was. If Uther had still been alive, Merlin would have been grabbed and thrown into a cell to await his execution with no trial and no listening to explanations. But Arthur was not his father. Arthur needed answers and he would do nothing until he got them. “How long?” Arthur asked, his voice cold. How long have you lied to me?  When Merlin's eyes had flashed gold, Arthur’s world ground to a halt. His friend, his best friend, used magic. Merlin was a sorcerer and Arthur had no idea. Five years. That was how long Merlin had been Arthur’s manservant, been his confidant and friend. Arthur had trusted Merlin with his life time and again and he had thought Merlin returned that trust. Merlin had claimed to believe in Arthur and trust him, had even expressed his willingness to die for him if he needed to, and yet he didn't trust Arthur enough to tell him the truth. That revelation, that Merlin did not trust him with the truth, was a far heavier blow than Merlin being a sorcerer. If Merlin had kept that from Arthur, then what else could he be hiding? What else had he lied about? 

Merlin swallowed harshly. “Since I was born.” 

He had been a sorcerer all along. “Why did you come to Camelot,” Arthur asked, eyes studying Merlin like he'd never seen him before. 

“My mother sent me here in the hope I would learn to control my magic. I stayed because protecting you is my destiny. I stayed because you became my friend," Merlin said softly, looking up at Arthur through his lashes, like he didn't dare look at Arthur fully. 

Arthur visibly swallowed. “You’ve lied to me, all this time. Why didn't you tell me?” 

"I wanted to tell you, Arthur. I nearly did so many times. I did tell you once, but you didn't believe me," Merlin tried to explain. 

Arthur’s eyes narrowed before widening again, seeming to remember the instance Merlin was referring to. He opened his mouth and then shut it again with a snap. I'll deal with that later, he decided. Now that he knew that Merlin had been willing to trust him with the truth once, he had a far more pressing question he needed answered. 

“Why did you save Percival?" Arthur demanded to know. While it lined up with the man he knew, it didn’t line up with what Arthur was taught about sorcerers. Didn’t line up with his father's picture of sorcerers being evil hearted people who only brought death and strife, though Arthur had long suspected his father was not right about everything, especially when it came to magic. There was a reason no sorcerers had been executed or hunted during Arthur’s reign. A reason for the series of documents locked up securely in Arthur’s chambers that no one but Arthur himself knew about. Still, his father’s rhetoric had been drilled into Arthur’s mind for as long as he could remember and being faced with the undeniable fact that Merlin, the last person Arthur thought would have magic, was a sorcerer and had lied to him for years, had Arthur wary and confused. 

"You told me to,” Merlin replied, his hands fidgeting. It was the literal answer and while technically the truth, it wasn't the real reason. 

Arthur was done being lied to. Done being given half truths and vague answers. He held up a hand and shook his head firmly. “No. Stop. I never would have believed you were a sorcerer if I didn’t just witness it with my own eyes. You’ve kept it hidden for years and yet you revealed it without hesitation to save Percival’s life when you know the penalty for sorcery in Camelot. So, tell me, Merlin, why you saved him. The real reason.”

For the first time since before healing Percival, Merlin looked Arthur in the eyes. Arthur watched as something shattered in them, releasing a flood of emotion and frustration that came pouring out. “I couldn’t just sit by and watch him die when I knew I could save him. I couldn’t-” Merlin broke off, his grief for Leon hitting him like a storm wave, “I couldn’t lose anyone else today. I’m done with losing people, I can’t do it anymore, I won’t! Not, not if I can stop it. I’m tired of losing people I care about. What’s the point of having the ability to help people with my magic if I can never use it?” Merlin ranted, his voice petering off into a broken, teary whisper. 

“You did it because you care,” Gwen said softly, speaking for the first time since Merlin healed Percival.

“Why else?” Merlin asked, the earnestness in his tone heartbreaking. He may have lied to Arthur about a lot of things, but he wasn't lying about this. 

Movement at the door had Arthur straightening into a defensive stance, the movement pulling at his injured ribs. Everyone else looked to see what caught Arthur’s attention and they all relaxed as one when Gwaine came strolling into the room with a grimly satisfied look. “Sire, we have regained control of the castle, the last of the Southrons are either dead, imprisoned or have fled. Gaius, Lancelot, and Leon are all safe in the infirmary, though they are in rough shape, Leon especially-” Gwaine cut off in his report when he registered that Percival was covered in blood and Elyan had tear tracks staining his face. Gwaine took a step forward, alarm on his face. “What happened?” he asked no one in particular.

Merlin did not answer Gwaine’s question, instead asking one of his own, his brain caught on something Gwaine said. “Gwaine, did you say Leon was in the infirmary? Alive?” Merlin asked shakily, a swell of hope threatening to overwhelm him. 

Gwaine turned to him with a frown, tearing his eyes away from Percival. “Yes, he is, as are Gaius and Lancelot.” At this confirmation, Merlin let out a watery laugh, his hands coming up to his head as the news that his brother was alive overtook him. 

Gwen too was elated at this news, a smile on her lips as she tilted her head back in relief. “When we caught up to her, Morgana taunted us, saying she had killed Leon,” Gwen explained when she noticed everyone’s confused frowns. Their reactions suddenly made a lot of sense. 

"Where is Morgana?" Arthur asked, not letting himself think about the possibility of his friend dying on him (again,) and instead focusing on the pressing issue of his sister’s location.

"Dead," Merlin said simply, unspoken depths behind that one word. Arthur looked to Gwen and she nodded solemnly. Arthur felt conflicted, a confusing mixture of relief and grief washing over him at the news of Morgana’s demise. Regardless of what she had done and had become, she was his sister and he never stopped loving her. But on the other hand, she constantly brought suffering and death to his people, to him, to his friends. Merlin had been right, when he said outside of that cave only two days ago (it felt like a lifetime ago) that the only way to truly stop Morgana was to end her life. Later, when he had time, Arthur knew he would grieve the girl he grew up with but for now he let himself relax at the elimination of a threat to Camelot. He nodded in weary approval, unable to find any words to express how he felt at the news.

“She died lying to you then, because Leon’s alive, I assure you. He’s barely hanging on by a thread and needs attention as soon as possible, but Leon is alive,” Gwaine informed them. It was at this detail, that Leon was alive but still in danger, that had Merlin turning sharply to look at Arthur, his eyes wide and pleading. Please let me go help him, they begged.

Arthur had a sneaking suspicion that Merlin was going to help Leon regardless of what Arthur said, not that he would hinder any efforts to save his first knight’s life. Arthur sighed and nodded once, "Go. Do what you need to," Arthur said. Merlin instantly shot to his feet. "Merlin!" Arthur called, stopping Merlin in his tracks. "You and I are going to have a very long talk after this. I expect you to tell me everything. No more lies. Do I make myself clear?" Arthur ordered.

Merlin nodded his head rapidly. Arthur giving Merlin a chance to explain was more than he ever expected. "Thank you," Merlin murmured, before turning back around and dashing off to help his brother. 

"Okay, I'm obviously missing something," Gwaine observed, frowning as he turned to look at his partners. "And you still haven't told me why you're covered in blood," Gwaine said, pointing at Percival.

 "Merlin saved my life. He. He healed me. With magic."

Gwaine looked confused before horror and realization dawned on his face. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, closing the distance between them and putting his hands on Percival's shoulders while he studied him. "Princess, tell me you aren't going to punish Merlin for this," Gwaine demanded, whirling to look at Arthur once he was satisfied Percival wasn’t about to fall over on him.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Arthur admitted. "He lied to me."

"To protect himself! I don't know if you've noticed, Princess, but magic is a tad illegal around here and freely admitting to the king that he has magic would mean death!” Gwaine retorted hotly. 

"Sir Gwaine! I suggest you calm yourself before you say something you regret," Arthur warned. He was walking a very thin line that led to treason and Arthur had too much to deal with already without adding Gwaine on top of it all.

"Merlin’s not evil, Arthur. I wouldn’t be alive right now if he was. I doubt any of us would be alive right now if he was," Percival pointed out quietly. 

Arthur sighed, leaning heavily against a column and running a hand down his face. "Of course he's not evil. Do you really think I would have let him go alone to help Leon if I thought he was?"

~~

“Tell me who Emrys is!” Morgana snarled angrily, digging the nathair deeper into Leon’s neck, watching with cold dispassionate eyes as Leon screamed and kicked.

“I don’t know, Morgana, I swear to you, I don’t!” Leon screamed. Morgana tore the nathair away, scowling down at him as he gulped lungfuls of air. 

“I don’t believe you,” Morgana whispered into Leon’s ear. His blood went cold at those four words but it was the four she said next, an order given to the two guards outside the room, that made Leon’s heart stop. “Fetch me Sir Lancelot,” she ordered.

“Stop! I’m not lying, I don’t know who that is!” Leon shouted desperately, straining against his bonds with all he had. 

Morgana knelt down beside him, carefully staying just out of range of the distraught knight. “See, I think you’re lying, Leon. You’ve gotten better at it, I’ll give you that. But you don’t fool me."

“I’m not lying! I don’t know who Emrys is!” Leon insisted.

“I misjudged you, Leon,” Morgana said, standing up and walking around Leon in calm, even strides. “I thought for certain your loyalty, as misguided as it is, would stand no chance against your heart. Alas, poor Lancelot forsaken to protect some sorcerer. Such a shame,” Morgana said.

Leon growled in frustration, the ropes holding him not giving at all. “I betrayed my king to protect him, do you really think I would let him die now to protect the identity of someone I’ve never even met?” he bit out challengingly. Morgana stopped in front of him, studying him closely. 

“You know something,” Morgana said finally, “and you will tell me what you know or he dies.” Morgana gestured to the door with one arm and the door swung open, the guards dragging Lancelot in. Leon lunged against his bonds with all his strength, panic and fear and tears visible in his eyes. 

The guards forced Lancelot to his knees a few feet in front of Leon, their hands restraining him and keeping him in place. “It’s okay, Leo. It’s okay. It’s not your fault,” Lancelot told him, a sad but brave smile on his face. No. It's not okay, Leon thought. Nothing about this is even remotely okay.

Morgana stood with the nathair poised above Lancelot’s neck, staring at Leon challengingly, one eyebrow raised and a cruel smirk on her lips. “One last chance, Leon,” Morgana said.

A tear rolled down Leon’s cheek. "Please," he pleaded, not caring one bit about his dignity, the only thing he cared about in that moment was protecting Lancelot. "Morgana I swear to you on my life, I don’t know who Emrys is! I'm not lying!"

"That's the problem, Leon. You’re not swearing on your life, you're swearing on his," Morgana said, pointing to Lancelot with her free hand. “Now you have five seconds to give me Emrys’ true name before I introduce our little friend here to dear Lancelot.”

Leon pulled and strained even though he knew by now it was no use. He was helpless. He shook his head frantically; he had no name to give.

Lancelot, his eyes never having left Leon’s face since he was dragged into the room, was looking at Leon with damp but clear eyes. "Leon, I lo-” Leon never found out how that sentence was supposed to end, for Morgana had struck, brutally digging the Nathair into Lancelot’s neck. Leon wouldn't be able to drive the horrific sound of Lancelot screaming from his mind for as long as he lived, however long that ended up being. Leon screamed at Morgana to stop, the tears falling in floods from his eyes not being enough to hide the agonizing pain on Lancelot’s face or the sadistic glee on Morgana’s. She wasn't going to stop. Lancelot was going to die and it was Leon’s fault.

~~

Leon bolted upright with a yell, lashing out blindly, still trapped in his nightmare, not realizing that it was gentle hands and not unyielding rope restricting his movements. 

“Leon!” Leon froze, chest heaving as that familiar voice cut through the haze his nightmare left him with. His eyes snapped to the direction of the voice and saw Lancelot, alive and whole, half in half out of a chair at Leon’s bedside. He was alive. The relief slammed into Leon, knocking the air out of his lungs. It was a dream, just a dream.  

“Lance,” Leon breathed, reaching forward and latching onto Lancelot tightly, pulling him close to him, Leon's entire body trembling. 

Lancelot embraced Leon back just as tightly, one hand on the back of Leon’s head. “Shh, you’re alright. You’re safe, I have you.”

“I thought she killed you,” Leon choked out, his hands bunching up the fabric of Lancelot’s shirt between his clenched fingers.

“She never touched me. She did kill you,” Lancelot murmured back, “I didn’t think you were coming back, Leon, I was so scared. I thought I lost you." Leon shook his head against Lancelot’s shoulder. 

Lancelot was safe. He was alive and whole and in his arms and the relief Leon felt was overwhelming. They were both alive but they almost weren’t. Leon almost left Lancelot without telling him something he should have told him a long time ago and he wasn’t going to make that same mistake again. "Iloveyou," Leon murmured, his voice further muffled by Lancelot’s shoulder. 

Lancelot’s heart skipped a beat. Had he heard that right? "What did you just say?" Lancelot asked.

Leon wrapped his arms tighter around Lancelot like he was afraid he would pull away from him, but he lifted his head off Lancelot’s shoulder so he could repeat, slower and just a bit louder, "I love you."

Lancelot let out a shaky woosh of breath at those three words. He blinked rapidly, stunned at this information. Leon shifted uncertainly in his arms, breaking Lancelot from his stupor. With a giddy smile, Lancelot pressed a kiss to Leon’s head. “And I love you, Leon,” he whispered. Leon relaxed in his arms, still holding on tightly. It seemed Leon knew how that sentence ended after all.

After a minute, Merlin cleared his throat, causing his friends to partially break apart to look at him. Leon’s eyes widened, having not realized that Merlin was in the room. Merlin was grinning widely, happy that they had finally gotten their shit together, but he had a rough day so far and really needed to convince himself that Leon was truly alive and it was difficult to do that when he was third wheeling on a very private moment. “Took you two long enough,” Merlin said, teasing them both. Lancelot rolled his eyes and Leon ruffled Merlin’s hair, Merlin’s grin softening.

“Are you alright?” Leon asked him, scanning his little brother for any sign of injury. 

Merlin huffed an exasperated laugh. “You died yesterday and you’re asking me if I’m alright?”

Leon stilled. Though he had heard Lancelot say that Morgana had actually killed him, it didn’t fully register until that moment that he had died and came back. “I died?” Lancelot nodded by his side. On one hand: yay! He wasn’t dead and probably still had some immortality after all. On the other hand: Shit. The memories were coming back to him now, what really happened in that room. It wasn’t Lancelot Morgana had killed, but him. The last thing he remembered was pitying golden eyes and then darkness. 

“Leon?” Merlin asked, his face concerned as he put a hand on Leon’s shoulder. “Leon, take deep breaths,” Merlin instructed firmly. Leon did as he was told, getting his breathing back under control.

As soon as he was able, Leon said breathlessly, “Morgana killed me. If she finds out I’m still alive-” Leon broke off to take another deep breath, Lancelot’s hold on him tightening. If Morgana found out it would be very bad.

“We don’t have to worry about Morgana any more,” Merlin told him, a dark edge to his words. “She’s dead.” 

Leon blinked. “How?”

“She said she killed you,” Merlin said, not meeting Leon’s eyes. That was not what Leon had asked but it answered his question all the same. There was a lot to unpack in that simple statement but this was neither the time nor the place to do so. He decided not to dwell on it for the time being. His secret was safe and for now he needed to know if everyone else was safe too.

“Is Arthur safe?” 

“He is. His ribs are still bothering him but other than that he’s fine,” Merlin assured him.

“What about everyone else? Gwen, the other knights, are they alright?” Leon pressed, needing the assurance that his friends were all safe and alive.

“Everyone is fine, Leon," Merlin said, hesitating for a moment before he said it.

“What? What happened?” Leon asked in alarm, having picked up on that tell tale moment of hesitation.

“Everyone is safe and alive, Leon, I promise,” Merlin insisted. Leon stared at him.

“But someone almost wasn’t,” Leon guessed, putting the pieces together. Not wanting to lie to him, Merlin nodded. “Who?”

“Percival,” Merlin admitted, his throat tightening with emotion at the memory. “He uh, he saved Arthur’s life. I healed him, but it, it was a really close call,” Merlin admitted, tears welling in his eyes at the remembered fear and panic as he felt his friend’s life fading away under his hands. Leon tugged Merlin by the arm into his and Lance’s hug, holding him close. 

“Leon,” Merlin whispered after a long minute, sounding scared.

“Yeah, Merlin?”

“Arthur knows about my magic.” Leon looked down at Merlin in alarm, his hold instinctively tightening as if he expected Arthur to appear out of thin air to drag Merlin away from him.  

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. He let me come heal you, but he wants me to tell him everything,” Merlin’s eyes widened and he began to pull away. “I should go find him, he told me after I healed you to tell him everything and it's been hours, I have to go.”

Leon snagged Merlin's arm and held on firmly, just enough to keep him from running off. "Arthur can wait, Merlin. You're exhausted, you need to sleep," Leon told him sternly. Merlin was clearly running on sheer stubbornness alone, explaining anything to Arthur in this state would be a disaster. He needed to rest.

Merlin frowned and gave a half hearted tug to free his arm. "I'm fine, Leon. I need to go find Arthur," he protested.

Leon shook his head. "You can do that after you've slept. Now come here, baby duck, before you collapse in a heap on the floor," Leon insisted, tugging him gently towards him.

Merlin glared at him and offered a token protest, but he did not resist Leon pulling him in and laid down on the bed beside Leon, his head ending up against Leon’s chest, the knight propped up with pillows behind him. "You do know they're called 'ducklings' right?" Merlin muttered petulantly once he was settled. Both Leon and Lancelot let out laughs at that.

"I sure do, baby duck," Leon said with a grin, emphasizing the nickname. Merlin grumbled softly, sleep claiming him before he could make any kind of comeback. Leon’s grin softened into an affectionate smile. Leon looked over at Lancelot and said softly, “I would offer you the same but I don’t think there’s enough room.” Leon waved to the nonexistent space on the bed on the side nearest Lancelot. 

Lancelot smiled at him, amusement twinkling in his eyes. 

“Why don’t you go get some sleep? You look almost as exhausted as Merlin,” Leon observed. It was true, the darkness of the circles under Lancelot’s eyes alone were cause for alarm, let alone the fact that Leon had caught Lancelot forcing his eyes to stay open a handful of times already since he woke. 

Lancelot smiled tiredly at him. “That would probably be wise,” he agreed. He stood up, grabbed the arms of the chair and dragged it closer to the bed. Setting it down, he sat in it and wiggled around until he was able to comfortably lay his head down on the bed and hold Leon’s hand at the same time, all while still seated in the chair.

“I was thinking in an actual bed, Lance. You’ll be so stiff you won’t be able to move when you wake if you sleep like that,” Leon said, amused but exasperated.

“I’m not letting you out of my reach any time soon, Leon. A bit of stiffness will be a small price to pay for being secure in the knowledge you will be here when I wake,” Lancelot said with a smile.

Leon blushed at that, his smile fond. “I don’t suppose anything I say will get you to change your mind so you sleep restfully?”

“Nope,” Lancelot replied cheerfully. His smile turned into a mischievous smirk. “You do realize the irony in you being insistent that Merlin and I sleep when the first month of our friendship you stubbornly refused to rest for longer than five minutes?”

“I would hardly call the two situations similar,” Leon protested with a raised eyebrow.

“Irony,” Lancelot repeated quietly, his eyes slipping shut as he drifted off to sleep, a smile still on his lips.

Looking down at his little brother peacefully asleep on one side and his best friend who he loved holding his hand while he slept on the other, Leon felt a sense of safety and relief that he hadn't felt in a week. His friends -- his family -- were all safe and alive. It had been a close call, far too close from what Leon gathered, but everyone was alive. Arthur knowing about Merlin was concerning, and Leon was more than a little worried about Merlin’s future, but that was a worry for later.

The door to the infirmary opened and Arthur walked in, spotting Leon and making his way over. Maybe it was a problem for now after all. Leon slowly lifted the arm curled around Merlin and carefully signaled to Arthur to not wake them. Arthur glanced between Lancelot and Merlin and something in his eyes softened. He nodded in understanding and quietly picked up a nearby chair, putting it down quietly by the foot of the bed and sitting in it. It did not escape Arthur’s notice that when Leon lowered his arm back down, he pulled Merlin marginally closer to his side in a protective manner. He knows something then, Arthur thought. Quietly, as to not disturb his sleeping friends, Arthur said, “I’m glad to see you all alive and in one piece.” 

“Thank you, sire. I too am relieved to see you alive despite Morgana’s best efforts,” Leon replied in a low voice. Arthur inclined his head in silent thanks. They sat in silence, neither making any indication that they had any intention of breaking it. After several minutes, it was Arthur that finally spoke.

“You know, don't you,” Arthur said quietly, his eyes lingering on the peacefully sleeping Merlin for a long moment before he focused on Leon. Leon gently brushed some hair away from Merlin’s face before looking at Arthur.

“Yes, sire, I do,” Leon replied in a low voice. He didn't have to ask to know Arthur was talking about Merlin’s magic. There was no point in denying it.

“How long have you known?” 

“Since before the immortal army,” Leon admitted.

Arthur’s eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing before he managed to regain his composure and said, “But that was a few years ago.” 

Leon nodded. “Yes, Sire, that is correct.”

“You’ve known all this time and never told me. Why?”

Leon raised an eyebrow. “Sire, magic is illegal and punishable by death. Had I told you, I would have put Merlin’s life in peril and I could not do that.” 

"Did it not occur to you that by protecting a sorcerer and allowing him to continue to serve at my side that you were putting me and all of Camelot in danger?” Arthur asked stiffly.

Leon understood that Arthur had a thing about betrayal and that it had been an incredibly long week and even longer day for him but Leon couldn’t help but feel insulted by Arthur’s accusation. And if that made him more sarcastic than he should have been, well, it had been a long week for him too. He died yesterday, give him a break. “Arthur,” Leon said dryly, looking incredibly unimpressed, “do you truly believe I would have protected him if I suspected for even a moment he was a danger to you?”

“I just learned that Merlin, the last person I ever expected to be a sorcerer, has magic. I don’t know what to believe any more,” Arthur said quietly, sounding lost and defeated.

That stung. Leon tried not to let the hurt his words caused show on his face. “Arthur, I would do anything for you. I would ride into the mouth of hell for you. If I thought for one moment Merlin was a danger to you, I would have told you.”

Arthur’s eyes scanned Leon’s face for any sign of deception but there was none. Still, that little voice whispering doubts in the back of his mind had him ask, “How do I know you’re not lying to me?”

“Arthur, you’ve known me since you were a boy. You know I hardly ever lie. I have it on good authority that I can’t lie to save my life,” Leon remarked, his mind drifting back to Morgana’s words before she- before he died. Arthur sighed and dipped his head in agreement. That was apt. Still, there was a lingering tendril of doubt in the back of Arthur’s mind and Leon could tell Arthur wasn’t entirely convinced. Leon closed his eyes tightly, breathing out slowly as he gathered his thoughts. He needed to convince Arthur of his sincerity and the depths of his loyalty and there was one way he knew how to do it: tell the painful truth. “Arthur, I’ve known you for a very long time. I care for you like I would a brother,” he said softly.

“As do I,” Arthur admitted quietly.

Leon gave him a little smile. It faded as he said, “Years ago, before she betrayed you, your father, and Camelot, I viewed Morgana as a sister just as I view you and Merlin as my brothers. That loyalty, that care, died the moment she wrongfully claimed the throne for herself and became an enemy of Camelot. My first loyalty is to you, Arthur, to Camelot. If- if Merlin ever brought harm to you or Camelot, which he wouldn’t,” Leon stressed, “I would stay beside you and do what was expected of me." Though it would no doubt destroy me in the process. Even the thought of facing against Merlin as a foe turned Leon’s blood to ice. 

Arthur wasn’t always the most observant man, but he wasn’t completely oblivious and he wasn’t stupid either, nor was he cruel. “Then it’s a good thing that it will never happen, like you said Leon. And know that I would never ask such a thing of you,” Arthur said.

“Thank you, sire,” Leon whispered quietly before clearing his throat and making eye contact with Arthur. “All the same, my point is that while I am loyal to all those that sat at the round table, my loyalty to you and to Camelot always has and always will come first before all else,” Leon insisted firmly. After the words had left his lips, Leon barely managed to hold back the flinch at his unintentional lie. For he remembered in that moment that his words were not entirely true. He had placed another before his loyalty to Arthur just days ago. Leon’s eyes strayed to Lancelot, asleep at his side, only alive because Leon had told Morgana where Arthur was headed. 

“Leon?” Arthur asked, his brow furrowed. He had noticed the way Leon had faltered after his declaration, his glance to Lancelot. His words were not intended to be a deception, and yet Arthur knew what a guilty Leon looked like and he was looking at it. 

“I must apologize to you, sire, and beg your forgiveness. Despite my assertion that I have always put my loyalty to you above all else, that’s not actually true,” Leon said, his words clinical and said emotionlessly. Arthur’s frown deepened. Arthur hated when Leon did this to him, slipping behind a wall of stiff formality devoid of any of his personality. Arthur hated it more than when Leon read out pages long reports at meetings. At least then he would find ways to slip the occasional bit of sarcastic humor in when he noticed he was putting the council to sleep. This just made him sound generically empty. 

“What do you mean, Leon?” Arthur asked, his voice gentler than Leon expected.

“Morgana wanted to know where you were heading and she figured I would know where that would be. She was very... creative in her attempts to get me to tell her,” Leon said carefully, sending off warning bells in Arthur’s head. He doubted Leon would willingly give him details on how Morgana was creative, which meant he would just have to ask Gaius once he had recovered. “I resisted her methods and I could have and should have continued to do so, but…” Leon trailed off, his eyes once again resting on Lancelot, unable to find a way to put his thoughts into words. Arthur waited patiently, letting Leon take his time. At last, he continued, “She changed tactics. She gave me a choice: Tell her where you were headed or watch as she tortured Lancelot to death,” Leon whispered dully, stumbling over the word ‘tortured’. 

Arthur stared at Leon with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open in shock. Arthur thought he might be sick, his stomach clenching at the thought of his sister being so cruel in her pursuit to find and kill him. “Leon, know that I do not for a single moment consider your choice a betrayal nor do I blame you at all. You have nothing to apologize for and there is nothing to forgive. I would never expect you to endure that. Never.”

“It’s our duty to protect you, Arthur, even if it means death,” Leon said, his words hollow. 

Arthur glowered. “I’d rather it not come to that, especially when it’s not necessary. I have never demanded anyone die for me and I’m not going to start now. You made the right choice, Leon. Don’t you dare feel guilty because you think you’ve ‘failed’ me by keeping yourself and Lancelot alive. You made the right choice,” Arthur said firmly, his tone brooking no argument. Leon nodded jerkily, a far away look in his eye.

Arthur began to stand, hand outstretched to land on Leon’s shoulder to comfort his first knight. "Wait, don't," Leon protested before he could, stopping Arthur in his tracks. "I'm sorry, sire," Leon apologized. "I appreciate the gesture, I really do, but I don’t want to risk waking Merlin. If he wakes, he’s going to try to stay awake and do work when he desperately needs to rest, he's completely worn himself out. Healing magic is incredibly difficult for him and when he does succeed, it takes a lot out of him. I am impressed and baffled that he managed to pull it off once, let alone twice in the span of an hour. How he managed to keep going for as long as he did is beyond me,” Leon explained.

“Best we let him sleep then,” Arthur agreed, looking at Merlin’s sleeping form with new eyes. This newest bit of information left Arthur feeling horrified, not because of Merlin, but for him. How many times had Merlin run himself to the bone and been unable to say anything or ask for a break because of why he needed the break? Arthur reached a hand out to rest on Leon’s leg instead, squeezing comfortingly. Leon gave him a worn smile and the two of them fell into silence.

Arthur was deep in thought. What ever lingering doubts Arthur had about Leon’s loyalty were gone. However, there was no questioning how close Leon was to Merlin. And this made Arthur curious to how impartial he was truly capable of being when it came to him. “What if I said I was planning on banishing Merlin from Camelot?” Arthur asked, watching Leon closely. He had no intention of doing such a thing, but he wanted to see how Leon would react, what he would say.

Leon took a steady breath, recognizing the curiosity in Arthur's voice. He slipped easily into first knight mode. “As your first knight, I would strongly advise against it, Sire. Merlin is a powerful magical ally, one that has thwarted many magical threats to you and the kingdom over the course of his residence in Camelot. The very laws forbidding magic in Camelot are the same ones that leave it vulnerable to magical enemies. And it is very difficult to fight magic without magic. If you were to banish Merlin you would leave yourself and Camelot without one of your most powerful defenders,” Leon listed out diplomatically, steady and without passionate emotion, a stark contrast to his tone a minute before. 

Arthur was… not expecting that. He had expected indignant protest and words in Merlin’s defense, not well thought out tactical reasoning. Apparently he could be impartial, or at the very least professional. “Do you believe I should repeal the ban on magic, Leon?” Arthur asked thoughtfully, his arms resting on his knees.

Leon hesitated. “Do I have permission to speak freely, sire?” Leon asked. Arthur inclined his head in the affirmative. Leon had already been doing so, there was no point in stopping him now. Leon nodded. “Yes, I do. Magic is a tool, and a useful one at that. It is not inherently evil, nor are all of those that use it, despite what the law says. The law would see you execute a man who has risked his life every minute of every day for years to protect you and keep you safe. Who has killed and sacrificed so much for you, Arthur. He’s directly saved your life, has saved mine and Percival’s, and no doubt countless others. The law would have you punish him and reward those who have done the exact same thing without the use of magic and at far less risk to themselves. It isn't just. To be quite honest, sire, the penalties and restrictions against magic are harmful. Murder, treason, theft, these are all crimes, no matter how they are achieved. And yet when magic is involved, such normal everyday legal tasks such as growing crops and healing the sick and wounded become death sentences as serious as those crimes. It promotes hatred and fear in the hearts of those with magic or who have lost those they love due to the law. It is my belief that many of the attacks by sorcerers over the years never would have occurred had the ban and purge never existed,” Leon finished.

Arthur really shouldn’t be surprised by Leon’s answers at this point. Nothing about today was typical, why he expected Leon to be was a mystery. He examined Leon appraisingly. "I didn't realize you knew so much about the magic laws, Leon."

"I'm first knight, it's my duty to know the letter of the law so I can uphold it," Leon reminded him.

"Or break it in this case," Arthur remarked, glancing at Merlin. He didn’t sound mad, more dryly amused. Leon had the decency to look sheepish. Arthur could use this. He trusted Leon, earlier crisis of faith aside, and he clearly knew much about how the ban affected citizens with magic. And on top of that, Leon was capable of being impartial and bluntly realistic, two things Arthur appreciated about his council. Not to mention he is apparently excellent at keeping secrets. “Leon, once you have fully recovered and returned to duty, I have a paper I would like your input and council on,” Arthur declared.

Leon looked surprised and confused at the seemingly sudden and random subject change. "Of course, Sire, but I don't see how-"

"It's a paper to repeal the laws against magic in Camelot," Arthur interrupted lowly, just loud enough for Leon to hear him. Leon wasn’t sure he had heard him.

“I’m not certain I heard you correctly, sire. A paper for what?” Leon asked, his voice an octave higher than usual.

“To repeal the magic ban,” Arthur repeated. Leon stared at him, stunned. Arthur frowned when he didn’t say anything. “Well?”

Leon blinked, seemingly jolting himself from a stupor. “Sorry sire, you surprised me. What brought you to this decision, if I may ask?” 

Arthur glanced away briefly before returning his gaze to Leon. “Do you remember the shrine from the old druid camp we came across a couple of months back?” Arthur asked him. 

Leon suppressed a shudder. “Yes, I do,” Leon said gravely. 

Arthur shifted in his seat, detecting the darker note to Leon’s voice. “I’m the one that led the attack,” Arthur admitted quietly, his voice barely a whisper. Leon went pale, his jaw tightening. Now that he thought about it, Leon remembered Uther letting Arthur lead a raid on a druid camp when Arthur was only 17, despite Leon’s cautioning. Arthur had been upset when he found out, thinking Leon doubted his abilities as a knight and a leader. He had refused to take Leon along on the raid because of it. Leon could tell when Arthur returned with a haunted look in his eyes and an emptiness in his voice when he reported to his father that none of the druids survived the attack that he had been right to be wary. It was the flash of disgust that Arthur quickly hid when Uther had praised his son for the camp's extermination that gave Leon hope for the young prince.

“When you were 17,” Leon said. Arthur nodded miserably. 

“You were right, I wasn’t ready. I told the knights to spare the women and children,” Arthur whispered. Leon gave him a sad sympathetic look, realizing what he meant. There had been no survivors. “When we got back to Camelot I realized why it looked so familiar. They were innocent people, peaceful people that didn’t even fight back, and I let them die. And I started to think back on all the executions over the years, all the people put to death for sorcery. My first execution was a man that used a spell to save his four year old daughter’s life,” Arthur said hollowly. “My second execution was that four year old little girl who was so scared that she couldn’t contain the magic she was born with when they dragged her father away. I remember both Morgana and I begged my father to spare her. He refused. He called a four year old girl an evil burden. As soon as I remembered that, I started drafting the repeal.”

Though it was treason, Leon found himself incredibly glad Uther Pendragon was dead. Arthur was already a better and wiser king than Uther had ever been. Leon wished he had a free hand to offer Arthur some kind of comfort, some physical support. “You are a good king, Arthur, and a good man. You’ve made mistakes but you’ve learned from them too. Repealing the laws against magic, it’s a very wise and admirable decision to make. I will gladly assist you in any way I can,” Leon told him, pride in his voice.

“Thank you,” Arthur said softly before turning his head to the side to hide the dampness in his eyes. Leon looked politely away, letting Arthur compose himself. 

“Does Merlin know about the repeal?” Leon asked once Arthur faced him again, Leon glancing down at his sleeping brother.

"Until a few hours ago, I thought Merlin was a normal Camelot servant who was terrified of magic," Arthur pointed out with raised eyebrows. Fair enough.

"Why didn't you mention it to me before now?" Leon asked curiously. 

"You served my father before you served me, and you were loyal and trusted by him. I assumed you were opposed to magic and I did not wish to have you attempt to talk me out of the repeal," Arthur explained with a shrug.

Leon was officially bothered by everyone he knew assuming he had a negative view on magic and sorcerers. He did his job, just like every other knight, yet Leon doubted that anyone that knew Percival would react with shock if he were to say he had no prejudice against magic. But then again, anyone who was aware of Percival’s childhood would already know he had nothing against magic. Still, Leon had no idea what he had done to earn himself a reputation of hating magic. 

Before he could say anything about it and potentially reveal more than was wise to Arthur, a sound that could best be described as a whimper sounded from Leon’s side. Both men’s eyes whipped to the source of the sound and were greeted by the sight of Merlin, his face scrunched up in fear, but still deeply asleep and clearly having a nightmare. Arthur shifted to move to Merlin but Leon shook his head sharply at Arthur, the silent threat demand for the king to stay back shocking Arthur into stillness. Leon turned his full attention to Merlin, running a gentle hand through Merlin’s hair. "Shh, you're safe, Merlin, I have you. Everyone is safe, Arthur, Gwen, Percival, me, Lancelot, Gaius, Gwaine, Elyan, we're all safe. Camelot is safe. You're safe too, nothing is going to happen to you, I promise. Rest, little duckling, I have you," Leon rambled softly, his tone calm and soothing. 

Arthur doubted Merlin could actually hear what Leon was saying, as he was clearly deeply asleep, but something about Leon’s calm practical words cut through to Merlin’s subconscious, the young man going still once more, his face relaxing from a troubled frown to peacefully blank. Arthur got the impression that this was not the first time Leon had done this.

"Did I just lie to him?" Leon asked softly, his eyes on Merlin's face, looking for any sign the nightmare wasn't over. Arthur frowned, uncertain as to what Leon was referring to. Leon looked up and upon seeing Arthur’s confusion, elaborated. "I promised him he was safe and nothing was going to happen to him. Did I just lie to him?" 

Arthur sighed. "No, you did not. I do not plan on enforcing a law I have actively been in the process of repealing for nearly two months. I want answers, not retribution. I don’t know what I’m going to do but I do know that I have no desire or intention of seeing Merlin harmed.”

A wave of relief washed over him. "So you aren't upset at Merlin?" Leon asked.

"Oh no, I am. He lied to me and kept it from me for years. I trusted him completely and I thought he felt the same only to find out he didn't trust me at all,” Arthur said bitterly.

"Hiding parts of yourself, especially parts you didn't choose, isn't a sign of distrust. It’s a sign of fear, fear of rejection,” Leon protested.

Arthur tilted his head, his expression pensive and a bit wary. “Are you speaking from personal experience, Leon?” Arthur asked.

Leon stilled, his breath hitching as he realized he may have unintentionally revealed too much. He really did not want to bring up the whole immortal thing tonight. "Everyone has parts of themselves, truths they can't change, that they wish to hide. Sometimes it feels easier, safer, to hide those parts away so completely that hiding them becomes habit, instinct, a part of who they are. To a point where the idea of entrusting the existence of those truths on others is terrifying, regardless of trust. Everyone has secrets. Some secrets get kept for so long it’s hard to let them go,” Leon said carefully.

“As insightful as that was, you didn’t exactly answer my question, Leon,” Arthur pointed out calmly. 

“Everyone has something they wish to hide, sire, even me,” Leon said simply.

Arthur sighed. That was probably the most Leon would say on the matter without being ordered and as much as Arthur was sick of people keeping secrets from him, he would never force Leon to tell him whatever it was that he was hiding. Glancing out the window, Arthur could see the sun starting to set. “Fair enough,” Arthur allowed, rising to his feet as quietly as he could. “It’s been a long day, I’ll let you all rest, we can discuss official matters once you are recovered,” Arthur said.

“Yes, sire. Thank you,” Leon replied with a nod, watching Arthur leave the room before he let out a heavy sigh, letting his eyes close. That certainly could have gone worse, Leon thought before sleep claimed him.

~~

Merlin was trying very hard not to fidget under Arthur’s gaze. It was easier said than done. When Merlin had eventually woken up hours after he fell asleep, Merlin had carefully extracted himself from under Leon’s arm, managing not to wake him. He had then found Arthur in his chambers. Before Merlin could start explaining everything like Arthur asked him to, Arthur told him that he had a conversation with Leon the night before and was aware that the first knight had known about Merlin’s magic for years. Merlin had gone rigid and Arthur had rolled his eyes at him before dryly informing him he had no intention of punishing Leon or anyone else that may be aware of Merlin’s magic, all he wanted was the truth. 

And so it was the truth he got. Merlin told him everything, starting with Merlin’s first day in Camelot and working his way forward. Every now and then Arthur would stop him to ask a question or just make a disbelieving sound, but for the most part he stayed silent and listened. There were a few notable exceptions, including Igraine, poisoning Morgana (which Arthur forgave him readily for), releasing the great dragon (far less forgiving), the veil, and Aithusa. When Merlin admitted that Gwen, Elyan, Gwaine and Percival all knew about his magic, Arthur had frowned.

"You told them before you told me? Do you trust me so little Merlin?"

"No! No, Arthur I do trust you. And I didn't tell them. Lancelot heard me cast a spell to combat the griffin, and Elyan, Percival, Gwaine, and Gwen found out because the Lamia told them. I didn’t choose for them to find out,” Merlin rushed to explain.

“Would you have ever told them or me if the choice was fully yours?” Arthur asked quietly, his gaze intense. 

Merlin swallowed. “I’d like to think I would have, eventually. But I don’t know. It’s hard to go against a lifetime of “never tell anyone about your magic” being drilled into my head. I trust Lancelot completely but I don’t think I ever would have confided in him about my magic if he hadn’t found out on his own,” Merlin admitted, sounding troubled by his own uncertainty. Oddly enough, this lessened Arthur’s bitterness. Arthur knew how close Lancelot was to Merlin and hearing that even now Merlin wasn’t confident he would have freely confided in him about his magic, Merlin not trusting Arthur with it felt far less personal. 

Arthur hummed thoughtfully, nodding for Merlin to continue. When he at last finished with the events of the day before, Merlin shifted, taking a deep breath before resolutely saying, “I’m sorry for lying to you and making you feel hurt, Arthur, but I did what I had to to survive. I was born with magic and hiding it and lying were the only ways I wouldn’t be executed for something out of my control. Every time I thought it was finally safe to tell you the truth, something would happen to change that. No matter how much I hated lying to you and wanted to tell you, I had to protect myself first and I will not apologize for doing what I had to to stay alive. And illegal or not, I refuse to apologize for using my magic to protect and save you and Camelot. And I won’t apologize for saving Percival’s life. I would do it again,” Merlin said, a fire behind his words that Arthur hadn’t heard since before they left the forest to retake Camelot. Arthur would never admit how relieving it was to hear it again. 

Arthur said nothing, he simply nodded in acknowledgement at Merlin’s words. And now Merlin was waiting, trying not to fidget as Arthur decided his fate. 

At last, Arthur spoke. “You broke the law. And the law says you have to die," Arthur said. It was cruel to let Merlin believe for even a moment that Arthur might be planning on upholding the law when he had absolutely no intention of doing so. But Arthur was not a perfect man and the sting of Merlin’s lies were still fresh, making Arthur petty. 

“And what do you say?” Merlin asked, his eyes fixed on his hands which he was wringing together.

“That some laws are flawed and should be changed. This is one of them. I’m not going to kill you, Merlin. But I don’t know how to trust you right now. I need time to reach a decision on your continued position as my manservant. Until I do, you will fulfil your duties as Gaius’s assistant only,” Arthur informed him.

Merlin’s head whipped up to stare at Arthur and he blinked, stunned and confused and oh so hopeful. “You’re not going to burn me?” Merlin asked, his voice a whisper.

“No!” Arthur responded indignantly. “Of course not! Merlin, did you really think I was going to sentence you to death?” Arthur asked, horrified. 

“Like you said, it's the law,” Merlin said with a helpless shrug. Arthur bit back a curse. He had said that in a moment of weakness to give Merlin a small scare, he didn’t think Merlin would seriously believe Arthur would even banish him, let alone burn him to death. 

“No one is sentencing you to death, Merlin, you have my word. You’ll need to continue to be discrete as it is still illegal, but you will not be executed,” Arthur said seriously.

Merlin looked like he was trying very hard not to throw his arms around Arthur in a hug or cry in relief. “Thank you,” Merlin said, the overwhelming gratitude in his voice taking Arthur aback. His best friend was thanking him for not killing him for existing. Arthur needed time alone to process all of this.

“Go tend to Gaius, if I need you I will send for you,” Arthur instructed, dismissing him. Merlin nodded and walked to the door.

“I’ll earn your trust back, Arthur, I swear it,” Merlin said earnestly from the doorway, his eyes meeting Arthur’s before he dipped his head respectfully and left, shutting the door behind him.

“And I hope one day I’ll finally earn yours,” Arthur said quietly to the empty room, his eyes straying to his desk drawer where the magic repeal papers were locked away. It would take time and effort, both repealing the law and regaining trust between himself and Merlin, but Arthur knew it would be worth it. Though he rarely showed it, Merlin’s friendship was important to him and he cared deeply for his friend. Legalizing magic in Camelot wouldn’t fix everything between them, but Arthur hoped that it would at least be a start.

Chapter Text

The past month had been incredibly eventful, for Leon especially. It had been a month since Morgana’s death and Arthur retaking Camelot. A month since Arthur had learned about Merlin’s magic. A month since Arthur told Leon about his plans to legalize magic again and Leon had begun to advise him on the bill. A month since Leon learned the details of his destiny.

A couple of days after Morgana’s death, Merlin, Leon, and Lancelot had sought out Kilgharrah for answers. He was a lot more direct and helpful than he was the first time Leon met him. He actually answered when Leon asked what his destiny was. “Your destiny has always been to save Arthur Pendragon,” had been his answer. 

“There was one prophecy that always intrigued me because it hinged on my involvement. That prophecy was of the rise of the Immortal, a trusted ally and protector of Emrys destined to save Arthur Pendragon. But the prophecy said that in order to claim their destiny, the Immortal must first arise from the ashes of the last dragon’s flame. Only then would the Immortal be able to carry out his duty as the Once and Future King’s savior.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that the first time? Why the secrecy?” 

“You must understand that destiny is a tricky thing. It is not guaranteed, and even when it is, there are a great many ways to achieve and fulfil one's destiny. Due to what choices one makes, the outcome can vary greatly indeed. If you had known of your destiny too soon, it is very possible you would have failed to fulfill it. I was not willing to take that risk and it seems I was right not to.”

Leon wasn’t so sure he agreed with the dragon’s decision to hide his destiny from him, but at the end of the day Morgana was dead and Arthur was safe and his friends were all alive so he wasn’t going to waste his time arguing when he had more pressing questions. “Morgana killed me and I came back to life. Does that mean I will still come back if I die?” Leon asked.

“Though the process of returning to life will be much slower, yes, you will continue to return from death as long as your life is not given.” 

That had been a relief for all of them. Leon still didn’t plan on dying and was going to avoid it as much as possible, but he didn’t exactly have a great track record, so the knowledge that he would come back if he died again was reassuring. 

He still hadn’t told Arthur. The king was dealing with more responsibility and changes than Leon was and the last thing he wanted to do was upset the fragile balance and trust reforming between Arthur and Merlin. It only took Arthur a week without Merlin before he missed him so much got tired of dealing with the overly polite and boring George and reinstated Merlin as his manservant. Things between them weren't completely back to normal yet, but substantial progress had been made.

Leon hoped that today’s council meeting would add to that progress. Leon didn’t think he had ever looked forward to a council meeting as much as he did this one. As the table filled completely as all the council members took their seats, Leon folded his hands over themselves to keep from fidgeting. 

With everyone present, Arthur addressed his council, getting right to business. “You will find in front of each of you a bill repealing the law that forbids any form of magic in Camelot on threat of death. The repeal goes into effect immediately and will be announced to the people this evening,” Arthur announced. 

Everyone in the room except for Leon and Gwen looked at Arthur in shock. Leon was glad Arthur insisted Merlin take a seat at the table for this meeting otherwise he might have fallen over in shock. His mouth was hanging open in disbelief. Leon found himself hoping that Arthur made the right call in waiting to tell Merlin about the repeal with everyone else.

"Sire, do you mean to say that magic will no longer be outlawed in Camelot?" one man asked in a squeaky voice.

"I do believe that is what I just said, yes," Arthur said dryly, a tinge of annoyance coloring his tone. 

One of the council members that was appointed long before the Purge was the first to regain his composure at this news, saying, “Sire, forgive me, but are you sure this decision is wise at this time? The damage done to the city by Lady Morgana is still being repaired and the terror she inflicted may never be undone.”

Arthur gazed at the man levelly. “My sister may not have died innocent, but she was born innocent. It was fear that turned the kind caring girl I knew into a violent killer. It was not magic that corrupted her, but fear. I could not save my sister from her fear but I can save my people from the fear of prosecution and death for simply having and using magic. The fear she caused and that the law caused will always linger and I would rather act sooner than later to ensure that fear does not turn to hate in any other magic users within my kingdom,” Arthur said. The man bowed his head in agreement, looking satisfied at this answer. 

“But sire, you father-” another council member began to protest. Arthur cut him off.

“My father is dead. I am king now and while I respected him, he was not right about everything and he wasn't right about magic. I am not my father, I will not punish innocent people for a choice made 25 years ago. Magic will return to Camelot,” Arthur declared firmly. Many of the council members that had showed hesitation relented at this, bowing their heads in acceptance. Most, but not all.

“So you will just let those with magic do as they will? Without the ban, how do you expect to prevent sorcerers from committing crimes? Will they just have free reign?” a member of the council appointed by Uther during the height of the Purge asked.

“If you were to read the changes put in place by the bill, you would see that any crimes committed through the use of magic will be subject to the same laws and punishment that has always been in place for those crimes,” Leon said briskly. This time it was Leon that everyone looked to in surprise. His hands were still folded over the paper and had not made any move to look at it.

The council member blinked owlishly. “Sir Leon, do you approve of this legislation? Do you approve of magic returning to Camelot?”

Leon exchanged a look with Arthur who casually waved an arm in Leon’s direction. “I would certainly hope so. Sir Leon assisted me in revising its contents, after all,” Arthur said nonchalantly. Merlin was staring at Leon with wide eyes and Leon gave him a tiny nod, a silent ‘this is real.’

The counselor looked like he just bit into something sour. “Sire, I implore you reconsider this decision-”

“This is not up for debate, councilor,” Arthur interrupted, a harsh edge to his words. The man went silent with a grimace. “I am your king and my word is final. I presented this revisement to you for you to learn it and be informed before it is announced to the public, not for you to question my judgement. Do I make myself clear?” The counselor swallowed harshly and bowed his head to Arthur. “Good. This meeting is over, you are dismissed.”

The council chamber slowly emptied out, eventually leaving behind only the original round table members. Everyone except Merlin, who looked like he was going into shock, had risen from their seats and gathered around Arthur’s seat.

Gwaine was the first to speak, breaking the silence with a grin. "So how long have you been working on this, Princess?"

Arthur rolled his eyes at the nickname. "About three months now," Arthur said. "I brought Leon in on it a month ago.” 

It was the words ‘three months’ that finally seemed to break Merlin out of his stupor. He stood from his seat and walked over to the group, everyone’s eyes on him expectantly. He still hadn’t spoken.

“Merlin? You’ve been awfully silent, I thought you’d be pleased,” Arthur said, for the first time sounding uncertain. Merlin shook his head, a grin breaking out across his face. 

“This is real, you’re really making magic legal again,” Merlin said, his voice a mixture of awed disbelief.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Yes, Merlin, I am. I have made it legal again,” he said dryly. In a gentler voice he said, “I promised you no harm would come to you for having magic and from now on, no harm will come to any innocent magic user in Camelot,” Arthur promised him. From beside him, Gwen smiled proudly. 

“Are you going to move away if I try to give you a hug?” Merlin asked Arthur, tilting his head to the side, his eyes bright.

Arthur sighed dramatically, turning his head to the side. “Only if you get weird about it,” he said, holding his arms open. Merlin raised his eyebrows with a wicked grin. Arthur pursed his lips, glancing at Merlin. “Or take too long,” he said, starting to lower his arms slowly. Merlin surged forward and hugged Arthur. Arthur tensed briefly at the abrupt contact before relaxing, bringing his arms around to pat Merlin on the back. 

“Thank you,” Merlin whispered.

“You don’t have to thank me, Merlin. This should have happened a long time ago,” Arthur murmured back. Merlin released Arthur and stepped back, grinning at him. Arthur gave him a smile and a nod back. Gwen put a hand on Arthur’s arm, drawing his attention away from Merlin. 

Merlin sidled up to Leon, standing close beside him, almost shoulder to shoulder. “You didn’t tell me the project Arthur put you on was to repeal the laws against magic,” Merlin said, aiming for casual and missing.

Leon shrugged. “I was under orders not to speak of it to anyone until it was made public,” Leon replied. “I think Arthur wanted to surprise you,” he added.

“He certainly succeeded,” Merlin murmured, a giddy smile on his lips. Leon smiled at the sight and warped an arm around Merlin’s shoulders, pulling him into his side.

“You’re safe now, Merlin, you don’t have to hide anymore,” Leon said softly, Merlin leaning into Leon’s side with a hum. Neither of them did. Leon knew that when he was ready to tell his friends about his destiny and his aversion to death, he would have nothing to fear. He would have to do a lot of explaining but they would not reject him. As he looked around at the people he cared about most in the world, smiling and celebrating the return of magic to Camelot, Leon felt a rush of contentment and happiness. Leon would do anything for this group of people- his family.

Despite the many challenges over the past three years, Leon knew he wouldn’t change a thing. He would live it all again a hundred times over for it to lead to this moment in time: his little brother at his side, the happiest he had ever seen him; their little family all around them; and magic, free to return to Camelot. No, Leon thought as he took in the sight of Gwen hugging Arthur, Elyan and Percival teasing Gwaine, and Lancelot watching him and Merlin with a soft smile on his face, I wouldn’t trade this for the world.