Archive of Our Own

The thing about eavesdropping was that it wasn’t really a one time occurrence.

That little tid-bit had been left out of his childhood teachings – his mother had failed to mention that once you eavesdrop on someone, you’re bound to do it again.

Of course, she’d raised him to never do it in the first place and likely hadn’t felt the need to teach about the consequences involved with doing the things outlined on the list titled ‘Things My Son Will Never Do, Lest He Disappoint His Mother’.

She’d taught him not to lie as well, but Leon had weighed the pros and cons of this situation and come to the conclusion that for the sake of her health, she would never, ever, ever know that he was committing treason by harboring a sorcerer in the castle. Especially one that he wasn’t one hundred percent certain he could trust just yet.

Hence, the additional eavesdropping. An activity that Leon was coming to find out through his own experience was kind of like going to the tavern and saying you’ll only have one drink.

It was impossible.

Except for Lancelot, who was practically a god at all things moral and righteous.

But that wasn’t the point.

The point was that despite his insistence that Gwaine leave him the hell alone and his adamant desire to not have the words “Merlin” or “magic” or “treason” mentioned anywhere within fifty yards of him… well, it wasn’t as if he could actually bury his head in the sand and ignore that there was a damn sorcerer living in the castle with daily access to the future king.

He wasn’t about to add “stupid” to his growing list of crimes.

Leon was constantly watching Arthur’s servant.

Always.

Every damn day.

Half the time it wasn’t even on purpose except that he was the First Knight of Camelot and had almost daily interactions with Arthur. And wherever Arthur was, Merlin also happened to be there too.

Fortunately, he knew how to be discrete about it. And perhaps eavesdropping wasn’t quite the word he was looking for. If Leon was being honest, he now had an irrational hatred for it ever since the one time he did it, it went terribly awry. He certainly wasn’t hiding behind doors or lurking in corridors hoping to hear something interesting or useful.

It more of a matter of simply being very aware and very patient. It was watching when he otherwise wouldn’t have watched. Listening when he wouldn’t have previously listened and humbling himself enough to accept and acknowledge that a station did not make or determine a person.

And in all his observations, he’d come to learn that Merlin, though a peasant, was terribly shrewd and far from being an idiot. Rather, he was intelligent, thoughtful, and impressively clever.

He supposed that that made sense. Any sorcerer who wished to live in Camelot during Uther’s reign wouldn’t survive very long if they were anything but clever or careful.

Merlin also wasn’t a normal sorcerer. He’d witnessed the servant perform magic several times now, was slowly getting a sense of how powerful he might be, and call it whatever you wanted, intuition or gut feeling… but Merlin was different from other sorcerers. Leon didn’t know how or what made him different just yet. He only knew that he was.

For the moment, he’d decided that that was a path he wasn’t interested in going down just yet.

What Leon wanted to do was make sense of was why Merlin was in Camelot at all. What had he come here for? What did he plan to do?

He already knew that Merlin was loyal to Arthur. Had known it even in the moment he and Gwaine and discovered that the servant was a sorcerer. It was one of the only things keeping Leon from revealing what the law dictated he should have revealed several weeks ago. Granted, it was possible that he was pulling a long-con of some kind… but then, Leon sensed no real guile in Merlin. Sure, he was a liar, and apparently a very good one… but that seemed to be more for the sake of survival than anything else. He showed no signs of aggression and didn’t seem to have any intention of doing harm to the royal family. Hell, he was one of the few people that Arthur was trusting to care for the King.

A sorcerer. With almost daily access to the man who’d committed genocide on everyone even associated with sorcery. A man who’d sentence the servant to death without a second thought. Hell, Uther would likely light the pyre himself if he knew Merlin was a sorcerer – if Leon knew the king at all, he wouldn’t be able to stand the insult of Merlin living in his castle and serving his only heir. There would be hell to pay.

And yet, the king was still alive. At his most vulnerable and being tended to by an old physician, a maid, and a damn sorcerer.

Leon just didn’t get it.

And it was driving him crazy.

He couldn’t even focus on this damn hunt, which he’d only agreed to go on in the hope that it would help him relax. He needed to get out of the castle and off the training grounds. Training had become an irritant ever since he’d realized the knights of Camelot were all morons and his irritation was causing everyone to treat him like he had gone insane.

Which he hadn’t.

Leon didn’t give a rats ass what anyone thought about him right now – they weren’t the ones committing treason and trying to balance honor and loyalty to the crown while simultaneously attempting to show mercy to a people he was fairly certain had been wrongly persecuted and murdered.

None of them had that on their conscience so if he came to training with his shirt untucked and his shoes untied, looking like he hadn’t had a decent nights sleep since last year, anyone who thought to try and point that out to him could frankly just fuck right off.

Besides. Leon was fairly certain that if Gwaine would simply give him a moment to himself and a chance to breathe, he wouldn’t be half as frazzled as he felt.

Not that Gwaine was a problem today. Being the First Knight of Camelot meant he was occasionally able to pull some strings and he’d reassigned his fellow treason partner at the very last minute, assigning Sir Kay to come on the hunt in his place. Kay, who Gwaine did not like.

And because he was feeling particularly vindictive, Leon also put Gwaine alone on guard duty in the castle vaults where he knew and personally took great pleasure in the knowledge that he would be infinitely bored and probably very cold for at least a solid eight hours.

Today was the first time that Gwaine hadn’t had the chance to breathe down his neck or watch him take a piss in weeks and Leon refused to feel sorry about it.

Seniority had its perks and payback was a bitch.

“Having any luck?” Leon was pulled from his thoughts, glancing to the side to see that Lancelot had crept up on him. The man was a damn fine knight and a very decent hunter. One who's company he found surprisingly pleasant.

He shrugged. “None so far.”

“You looked distracted.” Lancelot said quietly, keeping his voice low and calm. He pulled out an arrow and silently prepped his crossbow, gesturing briefly to some thickets a few yards away. Leon followed to where he was pointing and stood still, watching intently.

After a moment, he saw movement and realized there was a buck grazing on the grass between the trees. It had an impressive set of antlers – at least eight points. Leon mentally frowned at himself, annoyed that he’d been distracted long enough for the buck to not notice that he was here. It was an impressive prize.

“I’ve had a lot on my mind.” He whispered back, moving carefully to the side to allow Lancelot a better shot. The knight merely nodded, eyes trained carefully on his prey as he moved a little closer. He stood up slowly, straighter, positioning the crossbow on his shoulder. He released a slow, steadying breath and then took his shot.

The arrow pierced the bucks back flank and it cried out, immediately bounding off further into the trees.

Lancelot lowered his crossbow with a frown.

“He won’t get far.” Leon said simply, patting him on the shoulder and then bending to pick up his own discarded supplies. “It was a good shot.”

“I was aiming for his neck.”

“Well. No one is perfect.” He managed to tease.

Lancelot’s lips twitched in amusement and together they set off to follow the blood trail.

“Where are the others?” He asked after a few minutes of silence.

His fellow knights pursed his lips. “Not far. Percival and Benedict were a few minutes behind me, off to the left. I think they were heading toward the river. Arthur and Merlin are maybe a quarter mile that way, last I saw. They’d gotten a few rabbits and a turkey.” He pointed northeast. “The rest, I’m not sure. We’re supposed to round back in ten or fifteen minutes to meet up though.”

He nodded, pulling up some straw to chew on for a moment. “Better hope we find your buck then.”

Together, they found it a few minutes later. As Leon had suspected, it hadn’t gotten far. Up close, he could see that Lancelot’s arrow had pierced right into the muscle of its hind leg and after running a short distance, it seemed to have collapsed under the weight of its body. Blood was beginning to pool beside it and its breathing was harsh. It saw them approach and attempted to get up again, eyes wild with fear.

Lancelot quickly notched another arrow and made his kill shot, putting it out of its misery.

“Damn.” Leon whistled, impressed as they took in the size of it. “Look at the antlers on him. Ten points.”

“Biggest I’ve ever shot. I do believe I’ll win the pot with this one.” Lancelot said, looking pleased as he circled the animal.

“Which means you can pay for the first round at the tavern tonight.”

Lancelot laughed, shooting him a smirk. “Not a chance. I need a new sword. I bought mine from a blacksmith in Essetir a few years ago. The metal work was done poorly. It’s already got a few cracks in it.”

“Mm. Well, you won’t have that problem in Camelot. Our forges are the best in the kingdoms.” Leon said proudly. After a moment, they looked up to the sound of the horn calling everyone back from the hunt and then back at the buck again. No way were they getting it back on their own.

“We’ll cover it up and come back with a horse.” He suggested. They found a few branches of a decent length and covered the kill well enough to where it would be safe for half an hour or so before starting the short trek back where they’d left the horses earlier.

The trip back was quiet, only a few words shared between them and nothing of any importance.

Certainly not anything to do with magic.

For a moment, it was easy to forget everything that had been weighing on his mind the last few weeks. Leon felt more like himself for the first time in far too long and he breathed in deeply, relishing the opportunity. There was something to be said about Lancelot. He didn’t pry into people’s affairs, was polite, well spoken, and he had a calming affect on people that was very opposite of what he’d been experiencing recently with Gwaine.

Leon wasn’t one to hide behind anyone else to escape his problems, but he knew for a fact that Gwaine was not completely won over by Lancelot just yet. His treason partner seemed to think the man was a bit of a priss. Leon thought that Lancelot’s morals made Gwaine uncomfortably aware of his own bad habits.

He couldn’t help but wonder if it would be taking advantage of Lancelot to hang around him a little more with the hope that Gwaine would back off a little.

He doubted it’d be a successful tactic but if nothing else, he enjoyed Lancelot’s company and thought it wouldn’t be a bad thing to strengthen the relationship. Leon could easily envision him being a captain of the army one day and wouldn’t mind nurturing that.

They were maybe twenty yards from their home base when the sharp clanging of swords suddenly broke the quiet between them and with a startled jump, they both broke into a sprint.

Any hope of the sound coming from a friendly duel between knights was dashed as they entered the small clearing where they’d tied off their horses. Only a few of the knights had made it back – Arthur, Elyan and Kay, and Merlin – but in the time they’d been off hunting, it seemed that their horses and supplies had been claimed by a band of thieves.

He had no idea what possessed the four of them to approach such a large looking group without more back up and didn’t have time to consider it before jumping into the fight.

Leon pulled his sword from its scabbard and quickly joined Kay, who was dueling three of the strangers at once and flagging under the assault. He heard the others fighting, saw Lancelot quickly get the attention of two men who were surrounding Arthur and Elyan and heard a shout that sounded a lot like Percival coming from behind them.

He made a swift end of one man who didn’t turn quickly enough to see him coming and engaged the second, letting Kay deal with the third.

The man was good, not quite as skilled as a knight, but good enough to stretch out the attack without much difficulty. They parried and blocked each other until Leon saw an opening and swiftly kicked his opponents knee out. Kay turned just as he fell and gutted him.

Leon turned, breathless for his next opponent. His grey eyes swept the small battlefield and he saw Merlin off to the side, watched as his eyes flared gold and a hunting spear lift and fly straight through the air and impale a man sneaking up on Lancelot from behind.

There wasn’t time to witness anymore magic as he got lost in another duel, aware of others falling around him. The horses were upset, their whinnying loud and their feet stomping on the dirt ground in agitation. They were horses bred to fight and to move in battle and none of them liked that they couldn’t.

He disarmed a man and Benedict tackled him before he could take up his sword again.

“Keep that one alive!” He ordered, turning quickly around when he heard a shout of pain from the direction that Arthur had been in.

The prince regent was farther away than he’d been before and Leon could instantly tell that he’d been struck in the face with something hard.

He stumbled, clutching instinctively at his head with his free hand, missing his footing and losing the chance to block the sword that was aiming for his neck. Leon’s vision was then blocked by a new challenger but the man meant nothing – he was in the way and Leon was filled with protective fury. He made his move fast and stabbed the man in the stomach, turning just in time to see that Arthur’s fall had somehow miraculously protected him from the worst of the blow. The sword had cut a gash in his arm instead of his neck but Arthur didn’t have time to regain his feet and couldn’t see with the blood in his eyes and wouldn’t be able to prevent the next swing from killing him and Leon was running but he wouldn’t get there quick enough –

And then there was another crash of metal on metal - another sword was there, another person standing in the way and blocking what would have been a killing blow.

Merlin had gotten there first and he strained against the sword for a moment before he pushed hard, forcing his opponent back from away Arthur a few steps and then swung, immediately taking the defensive. The bandit parried his attack and raised his foot to kick him harshly in the stomach.

“Watch your feet –“ Arthur coached, his voice sounding strained as Merlin stumbled backwards with an oomph. He barely managed to correct himself, but then quickly cut down diagonally with his sword to catch the other man on the leg.

The bandit snarled in pain but before he could counter again, Leon stepped in to take over and saw from the corner of his eye as Merlin backed off and left his field of vision. The adrenaline racing through his system helped fuel his rage at this man who’d dare to try and kill Arthur, who almost had if not for a servant and damn it, why couldn’t it just be calm for one… fucking… day? They exchanged sharp, vicious blows and Leon ducked a swing just as the man suddenly stumbled on air and fell, dropping his sword as he did so.

Leon didn’t waste a second before plunging his own straight into his heart.

The pounding of his own heart was the only thing he could hear for the next few seconds and he panted, wiping away sweat from his brow. Slowly, he became aware that the sound of fighting had stopped at last.

“Arthur –“

“You idiot,” Arthur snapped and Leon didn’t think he was imagining that the prince regents voice was far more relieved than it was angry. “Don’t you ever do that again! I swear to God, if you do I’ll keep you in the stocks for a week.”

Leon turned around, taking note that the other knights had made it back, knowing in his head that they’d assisted in the fighting but didn’t really have eyes for them, wasn’t quite registering anything outside of Arthur just yet.

Merlin huffed a laugh from where he was bent over, an arm wrapped protectively around his ribs. The sword he’d fought with lay discarded at his feet. “You’re welcome.” He coughed hoarsely, lifting his head and offering Arthur a stupid grin even as he panted for breath.

Arthur stared, a wide range of emotions on his face, from furious to concerned, angry and then relieved, before he finally settled on something very fond. He hadn’t quite gotten up from where he’d fallen, a sure sign if there ever was one that he was hurting. The blood on the side of his face was smeared from where he’d wiped it away and Leon could see that the source was a decent cut in his hairline.

“One of these days,” Merlin continued breathlessly. “I’m going to save your life and you’re going to say thank you.”

Arthur couldn't seem to help it. He barked a laugh, slumping backways a little. After a moment he offer his servant a tired smile in return. “Are you okay?” He gestured to Merlin’s ribcage.

The servant nodded. “Yeah.” He groaned, coming to kneel beside his master. “Might have a cracked rib though. How’s your head?” Merlin asked with concern, reaching to gently examine the cut over Arthur’s eye.

He flinched, and Merlin made a sympathetic expression.

“Bleeding.”

“And your arm?”

“Also bleeding.”

The prince allowed Merlin to look at his injuries as he glanced around, mouthing their names to himself until he was sure everyone was present and accounted for. He didn’t bother to hide the relief once he saw everyone was unscathed.

“Elyan, take Kay and scout out the area. Make sure there aren’t any others. The rest of you, grab the weapons and the bodies make sure we have everything.” He stared at the man being restrained by Benedict and Lancelot for a moment. “Tie him to one of the horses. We’ll take him back with us to be tried. Be quick about it. I don’t want to be out here after nightfall.”

There were a few yes sire’s and then everyone was moving again.

“I’m going to put a stitch or two in this.” Leon heard Merlin say as he parted the tear in Arthur's shirt to look at the nasty gash in his arm. He stared at the two of them for a moment and then he made his feet move and walked off to help deal with the bodies. He needed a moment to calm himself before he checked on Arthur personally.

It had been way too close. Way too damn close to losing his friend and the next ruler of the kingdom. And on a hunt where nothing was supposed to happen.

For the absolute love of Camelot. He was going to have some very harsh words with the scouting party that had said this area was clear for them to go hunting in yesterday because they obviously didn’t know how to do their damn jobs properly.

Hell, he’d personally see to it that they were all fired, Leon thought furiously. This was a mistake that was not going to be repeated. Not if he had anything to say about it.

Leon shook his head in disbelief as he and Percival picked up the last body – out of eleven – and tied it to one of their new horses. They’d dispose of the bodies back in Camelot. He doubted anyone would claim the remains, but they always tried to write down descriptions and find any identifying information on them in the event someone did come looking for a lost loved on.

Ten bodies and one captive.

Unbelievable.

Lancelot jogged over just as they finished, having quickly gather all the weapons after securing their prisoner. The weapons had been cleaned, enough for the hour or so it would take to get back to the city.

“Elyan and Kay are rounding back now, I think. I asked Arthur if I could take Percival and a horse – Benedict is watching our prisoner and if it’s all clear, I want to go grab my buck before we head out.”

He was tempted to tell him to leave it but for all the chaos, no one seemed badly injured and everything was under control once again and it wasn’t very far. Truthfully, it was also too good of a prize to leave for wild animals to eat. Leon nodded, still tense from the fight. “Sounds good. Don’t leave until the other two arrive and then watch your backs out there.”

Lancelot nodded his understanding and a few minutes later, he and Percival were leaving with a promise to return quickly.

Slumping against a tree, Leon grabbed a canteen and took a long drink before wiping the sweat off his forehead again and making a split second decision to order a bath the second they got home.

His hands were shaking a little and he dropped the canteen and clenched them tightly at his sides, trying to relax.

Far, far too close.

Arthur still hadn’t gotten up yet. From the short distance that separated them, it looked like his head wound wasn’t bleeding anymore. The clothed he had pressed against it didn’t seem to have blood on it at least. Merlin was finishing with some stitches and Leon watched as he carefully applied some kind of salve on the wound and then wrapped it tightly.

“I’m going get you something eat and drink.” He said, with an additional order for Arthur not to get up. He stood carefully, still holding his ribs and walked back to his horse and supplies.

Leon watched him, thinking back to the last man he’d killed – the one who’d tripped on nothing but air. And the other, the one Merlin hit with a spear. He’d seen Arthur’s servant using magic. To protect them in a fight that he still didn’t know the details of.

In a moment, all his frustration came flooding back.

Merlin and his magic. Damn it all to hell, he couldn’t go a day without having to think about magic and he hated – absolutely hated that he was torn between gratitude and the constant paranoia of being wrong about everything.

Without consciously deciding to do so, Leon straightened up and headed for the servant, who had pulled out a canteen and was now pouring some of the water over his hands, rinsing them of Arthur’s blood. He was distracted and didn’t notice Leon until the last second, flinching when he looked up in surprise.

“Leon – Sir Leon,” he amended awkwardly, taking note of the expression on his face and obviously remembering that he’d been short with everyone lately. “Um, sorry – I was just going to get Arthur something to eat. For the blood loss.” He explained glancing back towards where Arthur was waiting. The prince had sprawled back in the grass, a hand over his eyes as he rested.

Leon spared a moment to hope that he wasn’t too bad off.

“He’s just really dizzy.” Merlin explained quickly. When Leon didn’t say anything, he took a step back. “I should go –“

“Hang on.” Leon stepped closer, not quite in his space but close enough. “Why are you here?” He demanded quietly. It took effort not to be too threatening.

Merlin blinked, confused. “I… I always come on Arthur’s hunts.”

“That’s not what I meant. Why are you here?”

Why? Why, why, why? Why was a sorcerer – a damn good one, if he had to hedge a guess, a servant to the next king of Camelot? It didn’t make any sense.

He’d tortured himself with this question for weeks. Agonized over this decision to keep it a secret and he needed to know, right now that it was the right thing to do. He needed to know, damn it – to have it said out loud, whatever the answer was.

“I don’t understand. You know I work for Arthur –“

Leon raised a hand, interrupting. “Don’t make me repeat myself.” He said shortly. “Why. Are you here?”

Merlin hesitated and seemed in an instant to realize that he was being seen. For a moment, the mask he hid behind slipped and then the servant was matching his energy and was reading him with a calculating kind of intelligence. Leon could see the gears turning in his head and knew the question he was asking himself but didn’t know the answer to.

What did Leon know?

The young man before him was certainly no fool and nor was he someone who could be easily intimidated. That same quiet, dangerous confidence that he and Gwaine had witnessed in the corridor was present once again. Subtle, but present. It would have startled him if he hadn’t already known it was there.

As a knight, Leon couldn’t help but grudgingly respect it.

It only took a moment for Merlin to decipher the real meaning behind the question.

“I like Arthur.” Merlin finally admitted, his tone careful but honest. “And I want to see him become king. I have ever since he risked his life for mine after I drank poison for him at a banquet. I think his reign has the potential to be the best this land has ever known. I want to make sure he has the chance to prove that.”

Leon blinked, considering the words and the sorcerer before him very carefully.

“That’s it?” He asked cautiously, almost disbelieving. Merlin only nodded.

He was being honest, that much Leon could tell. His words were genuine and the emotion behind them was real. A lot of things could be faked, but the type of loyalty he had for Arthur… and that hadn’t ever really been a question. Leon doubted anyone could lie that good.

No one who was lousy with a sword ever stepped into a sword fight to protect a man they didn’t care about.

He pondered the answer, wondering if it answered what he desperately wanted to know and after careful consideration, hesitantly decided that it did.

He didn’t know everything but he knew why.

Why Merlin was here, what he wanted. The end goal.

It was to see Arthur become king.

He had no doubt that there were certain things Merlin was hoping for in Arthur’s reign. But he wasn’t pushing it or manipulating the prince into anything. And if he’d cast an enchantment on him to force the return of magic, it wasn’t working very well.

Arthur’s feelings on magic were perfectly clear as of right now.

But Merlin was patient. One had to be, if they were going to be around Arthur everyday for years on end. Servants were a dime a dozen and Arthur’s had never stuck around for very long. They were either fired or they quit and left Camelot all together.

Leon remembered taking bets with the others knights in the beginning about how long Merlin would last. Everyone ended up losing because while Arthur fired him, he’d also hired him back a day or so later. Practically unheard of and as close to an apology as anyone had ever gotten out of him by that point. And for all the shit Merlin put up with in those early days, which was more than enough to drive anyone crazy, he hadn’t left either.

Leon wondered briefly if Merlin’s loyalty could have really stretched back that far – back to that banquet, only a few weeks after being hired. He hadn’t ever considered what had caught Merlin’s interest in Arthur beyond a decent paying job. What event had made him willing to do anything for him, even put his life on the line. At this point, Merlin had been around so long, it didn’t seem to be important to wonder about those things.

Obviously it was though. Someone saving your life wasn’t something you forgot easily.

If it was true – and he couldn’t help but feel that it was – than he briefly wondered if Arthur had any idea how much of an impact his act of mercy had had on his servant all those years ago. Everyone had thought he’d been an idiot to put his life on the line for a peasant and had made their opinions known after the fact. Leon had never considered that Merlin had likely heard those comments as well or what impact they may have had on him.

Frankly, at the time, Leon thought Arthur had deserved the week in the dungeons for his actions. Arthur was the only heir to the throne and he’d risked a lot more than his own life that day. It had been stupid and reckless and irresponsible –

“Merlin!”

Arthur’s voice broke his train of thought and he glanced across the small clearing to see the prince sitting up and beginning to look frustrated.

The prince who’d be dead a couple times over by now if it wasn’t for a sorcerer who was unflinchingly loyal to the man who’d been willing to say his life was worth something.

In the end, Arthur’s actions had won him a friend. A real friend – and a type of loyalty that no man, even a king, could unwillingly force out of a subject.

Leon suddenly realized, if it’d been him… if he’d grown up a nobody, a bastard peasant in addition to being a sorcerer in a land that hated magic… that maybe he’d be willing to do anything for a good man that was willing and had the potential to change all that too.

He glanced at Merlin again, feeling for the first time that he understood him just a little better. There was still a chance he was wrong. In the end, most of his musing would be speculation. Merlin didn’t know what Leon knew – he could still see that. There was caution, a question still in his eyes. But he was too smart to give up a secret to someone who might not actually know the truth.

Leon didn't think he was wrong about Merlin. Hadn't, all this time, not really. 

The servant met his gaze and shrugged casually, slipping his hands into his jacket pockets. The mask was slowly coming back, Leon realized. It didn’t stay down for long but Merlin seemed to sense that Leon had gotten what he wanted for now.

“Merlin!”

The servant made a face.

“Just because I think he’s going to be a great king doesn’t mean he’s not an ass now and then.” He whispered conspiratorially. 

Leon felt his lips twitch in honest amusement and just like that, all the tension between them was gone. And the stress he’d felt since this whole situation came and uprooted his life started to bleed away also. Finally, he huffed a disbelieving laugh.

“You know, you’re the only one who’s ever had the balls to tell him that.” He said quietly.

“I know.” Merlin nodded sagely, a mischievous glint in his eye as some of his usual humor started to return. “And believe me, I enjoy making up for all the lost opportunities.”

“Merlin!”

The servant sighed and offered him a somewhat apologetic look as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I have to go cater to his whims.”

Leon nodded in agreement, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. “Have fun.” Somehow, he didn’t think Merlin considered it that much of a hardship.

Merlin shot him a half smile and started making his way back. After a few steps, hesitated and then turned around again. “We good then?”

Leon offered him a brief smile in return. “We’re good.” He confirmed simply. “And thank you.”

There were a lot worse things to do than protect a good, if maybe not quite so innocent man, he thought, watching Merlin walk back across the clearing.

Treason or not, Leon decided that keeping this secret was a crime he was willing to commit after all.