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Chapter Text

Her second night in Camelot, a knock startled Lynette awake, her eyes snapping open. 

Darkness greeted her and no matter how she squinted, she could not make out anything more than an arm’s length away from her. Which meant it was way too early to be awake. 

Unfortunately, the person knocking didn’t seem to think so, as they knocked again, only louder this time. 

She groaned. It was probably important. Lynette rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her tunic as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. Shivering, Lynette fought back the urge to curse at whoever was making her leave the warmth of her bed when it was this cold outside. 

Next to her, Leon mumbled in his sleep, eyes fluttering and hand reaching for her in the sheets. She brushed some curls out of his eyes as he dozed back off. 

Not bothering to light a candle yet, Lynette stumbled her way to the door, stopping only briefly to tug on her robe. 

She cracked the door open and peered out. The torches lining the hallway made for an eerie sight, and she almost flinched when she saw the knight standing in the door. 

He was rather short, but clad in the entirety of his armor, cape draped over his shoulders and gloved hand resting on his sword. Lynette wondered why he was here; perhaps something had happened on his patrol around the castle and he needed the First Knight. 

“How may I help you?” she asked. The knight looked startled to see her, his mouth opening and closing a few times. 

“I’m sorry, I thought these were Sir Leon’s quarters,” he said after an uncomfortable length of silence. “I think I’m in the wrong place.”

“No,” Lynette replied. “These are his quarters. Shall I fetch him for you?”

A look of confusion flashed across his face before he shook his head. “Yes, please.”

“One moment please,” she said, closing the door in his face. He seemed sort of surprised, but it was an unholy hour in the morning and neither her nor Leon were fit to receive visitors at the moment. 

Lynette lit a candle now; it would likely be quite a while before she would be able to return to bed. She set it down on Leon’s nightstand and it cast golden shadows across his face. He looked so lovely that she had to pause for a moment to admire. 

But the knight still waited outside. 

“Leon,” she called softly, shaking his shoulder. “Darling, I need you to wake up.” 

He mumbled in his sleep again, screwing his eyes shut, turning his face away from her and burrowing deeper into the covers. “Darling,” she tried again, a little louder, shaking him a little harder. When he still didn’t stir, she ripped off his covers. “Leon! Wake up!” 

At the sudden rush of cold air and her loud voice, Leon jolted awake with a loud gasp, arms flailing for a moment as he looked around in panic. As he registered his surroundings, he calmed and looked at Lynette in confusion. “What is it?” 

“I’m sorry to wake you,” she said. “But there is a knight waiting for you outside. It seems urgent.” 

Leon sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. “I better see what he needs.” He climbed out of the bed and dressed quickly in a long tunic and baggy trousers before answering the door. 

“Ah, Elyan, what can I do for you?” It seemed he knew this man and Lynette hoped that meant this was just a friendly, if ill-timed, visit and not a sign that something was going wrong in the castle. 

But something was going terribly wrong in the castle. “Um, would it be alright if I came in? There is something I need to discuss with you.” Lynette took a moment to grieve a good night’s rest. 

Leon glanced back at Lynette to ask for permission. She was the one currently unsuited for visitors, with her nightgown and all. But this seemed important, and she and Leon had always agreed that Camelot must come first. So she drew her robe tighter around her and nodded. 

“Certainly.” Leon stepped aside to allow Elyan in. 

Elyan glanced nervously at Lynette, now moving around the dark room and lighting more candles. He seemed confused, and almost a little bit upset at her presence. She couldn’t imagine why.

“Have a seat,” Leon sat down at his desk and gestured for Elyan to sit down across from him at Lynette’s desk. “What is the matter?” 

Elyan looked even more confused at the presence of the two desks, but sat down all the same. “There is some sort of beast wreaking havoc in the lower levels. It is breaking through walls and killing livestock.” 

Candles lit and the room much brighter now, Lynette came to stand behind Leon, resting her hands on his shoulders and leaning forward with thinly veiled interest. Why hadn’t the alarm bells rung if such a beast was loose? 

She felt a swell of pride fill her chest when Leon asked that exact thing. The pride shriveled just a tad when she noticed the state of Leon’s hair– sticking up in every which angle and the curls all knotted together. As subtle as she could manage, Lynette tried to straighten them out. Leon had always said a knight’s appearance was one of his greatest weapons. 

Lynette had laughed at him at first, surely a sword or a shield were greater weapons than the state of a knight’s hair or beard, but Leon was adamant. Knights represented their kingdom, and were a symbol to the citizens they protected. They must always look their best. 

She would be remiss if the First Knight of Camelot looked unkempt or unfit for duty in any capacity. 

“We don’t think it is a big deal yet, and don't want to disturb the rest of the city. I am sorry for waking you, but we wanted your opinion and insight.” Elyan glanced between her and Leon, eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly. 

Leon paused, thinking deeply on the matter. 

“I think you should go,” Lynette said softly, tracing her fingers down the crook of his neck. Leon leaned slightly into her touch as he considered her words. “It deserves investigation, and perhaps the matter can be resolved without disturbing the King and the rest of the city.”

“It does not seem to be as big or destructive as the other beasts that have found their way into the city,” Elyan agreed. He was still giving Lynette a strange look, and she could not figure out why. Perhaps she wasn’t behaving Lady-like enough?  It wasn’t really her place to tell a knight what to do about a magical beast, but Leon had always valued her input. “I believe it is within our capabilities to defeat it, if we had a patrol or two’s worth of men join us. And if we knew what exactly it was we were dealing with.” 

Without another word, Lynette left Leon’s side to dig between folders in a chest next to the wardrobe. She pulled out the parchment with the lists of patrol groups and handed it to Leon. He thanked her as he accepted it. 

Elyan stared at Lynette, eyes widened and mouth slightly ajar as Leon told him which patrols to wake. 

“Is there a problem, Elyan?” Leon asked, seeing his confused expression. 

He blinked, looking back at Leon. “No, not at all. I’ll go wake the men.”

“Can you describe the creature, Sir Elyan?” Lynette asked, curiosity getting the better of her. 

“It would help us to know what we are dealing with,” Leon agreed. 

“We think there is just one or two, but it flies. We’ve received reports of glowing red eyes, scales, and horns,” Elyan said. 

“That is quite a beast,” Leon murmured. “We should attempt some long range attacks, if it flies.”

Lynette moved to sort through the pile of parchment on the edge of Leon’s desk. She knew he kept a list of all the beasts Camelot had faced since he became a knight. Perhaps a beast matching that description was somewhere in here. 

“Darling, what are you doing?” Leon asked her. Elyan started coughing, but stopped once Leon glanced at him. 

“Ah,” she pulled out one in particular. “I do hope this is the beast. A wyvern.”

“Lynette, I hope the beast is not one of those.They are dreadful.” 

“I think knowing the identity of the beast is much better than not having a clue, my dear Leon.” Lynette patted his head. “Sir Elyan, do you think this is it?” 

“It might be.” Elyan accepted the parchment and looked it over. 

“Then I don’t suppose you have a Dragonlord laying about, do you? They can control the beasts.”

Leon snorted. “A Dragonlord in Camelot? They would have to be a masochist to stay here. Will normal, non-magical weapons work?” 

“Unless your report is incomplete-” Lynette poked at Leon’s side, an action that did not go unseen by Sir Elyan, especially not as Leon winced and fought off a smile. “- then there is nothing here to say they shouldn’t.” 

“Then it is settled, normal weapons and two more patrols should do it.” Leon and Elyan both stood. “I will see you shortly, Elyan.” 

As Elyan left the room, Lynette asked Leon, “Do you need help with your armor?”

“Thank you, my love, I would greatly appreciate it.” 

Just then Elyan tripped over nothing before he quickly fled from the room. 

“He was rather odd, don’t you think?” Lynette opened the wardrobe to pull out the armor pieces. 

“He certainly was just then, but he normally isn’t like that at all.” Leon pulled on his boots. “It must be the beast that is getting to him.”

“Well it is a good thing that Sir Leon is now on the case, he’ll vanquish it in no time.” Lynette stood on the tips of her toes to tap him on the nose. 

Leon let out a chuckle and looked away. “You should go back to sleep. The beast isn’t anything for you to worry about.” 

“Let us get you into your armor and on your horse before we entertain any thoughts of me resting once more. Camelot is waiting for its First Knight to save her.” 

Chapter Text

Elyan must be coming down with something. A new plague, perhaps, that was spreading silently through Camelot and must be magical in nature. He needed to see Gaius. 

There was no way that Sir Elyan, brother of the sensible Guinevere and Knight of the Round Table, was considering that Gwaine was right. 

Simply preposterous. Gwaine enjoyed his crazy theories and wild ideas as much as he enjoyed a good tankard of ale. As much as he enjoyed a mediocre tankard of ale.

And his idea that Leon was in a ‘secret courtship’ with a noble lady was the most insane theory Elyan had heard. Yet… Leon had called her things such as ‘my love’ and ‘darling’, and there weren’t many other reasonable explanations. Elyan had choked on his spit and tripped over his own feet out of shock. 

But he could not admit that Gwaine was right. He simply could not bring himself to do it. 

And yet… the facts were staring him right in the face. There had been a lady dressed in a nightgown in Leon’s room at unholy hours in the morning when the knight in question had been asleep. And he certainly had been asleep, judging by the state of his hair. Elyan had only seen Leon’s hair that mussed whenever Elyan woke him up for his watch in the middle of a mission. Like a storm cloud that couldn’t decide which way the wind was blowing. 

And she had combed through it with her fingers, and Leon had let her. He had always been a reserved person and taken care of himself entirely on his own, but he let her comb his hair and dig through his reports. 

“There is nothing to worry about, Elyan,” Leon said kindly, wildly misinterpreting Elyan’s upset expression. “If it truly was a wyvern, we can take care of it. We have faced them before.” 

The beast was the least of Elyan’s worries. And brought up another strange observation. The woman, Lynette Leon had called her, had apparently been in Leon’s chambers enough to know where he kept his reports, and felt comfortable enough to dig through them and provide insight on Leon’s job.

Perhaps the worst part of it all was how unbothered Leon had seemed by it all. As if the things Elyan had just been unfortunate enough to witness were completely commonplace. He didn’t even bother explaining anything to Elyan, it was as if he expected him to already know and not think it was any strange. 

Well, Elyan did not know and it was plenty strange. 

 Elyan eyed Leon as the pair strode through the stone hallways of Camelot. The torches on the walls flickered ominously, covering the knight’s face in terrifying shadows. Leon looked exhausted, eyes a bit cloudy and unfocused. 

Elyan’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Leon again. Even on days without sleep, Leon had been able to focus and complete tasks everyone else would have thought impossible. Was his friend bewitched? It certainly hadn’t been the first time someone in Camelot had been placed under a spell. 

Rumor was that Uther had even been bewitched into marrying a troll. Elyan thought Uther deserved it. Merlin had agreed while Arthur looked rather hurt. 

Perhaps Lynette was also a troll. 

What were the signs of enchantment? It couldn’t have been anything obvious if not a single knight or advisor had noticed Uther’s bewitchment. No glowing eyes or pointed teeth (though it did bring Elyan joy to imagine Uther with such things). 

If Elyan was remembering correctly, Uther had been wearing an enchanted necklace. How had they known the necklace was enchanted? 

He could ask Arthur. Or perhaps Merlin; it had seemed like a touchy subject with Arthur. 

But first things first, he took a deep breath to calm himself. Leon didn’t wear any jewelry, right? So if he was wearing some now, then it might be the cursed jewelry. Then he could go to Merlin. 

Elyan side-eyed Leon once more, faintly hearing his mother’s voice in his ear threatening that his eyes would get stuck like that. 

There was an audible gasp, and Elyan didn’t realize it was his until Leon was looking at him weirdly. 

Leon, who had been looking  a bit dazed as he fiddled with a ring hanging around his neck. 

Hand tightening around the necklace, Leon asked, “Elyan are you alright?” 

Elyan studied the older knight. Leon likely would not appreciate such ideas against his companion, whether she truly was a troll or not. And it would do no good to reveal his suspicions too early. So he lied. “Of course. Just a bit worried about this beast, is all.” 

“We’ll have it vanquished in no time,” Leon promised. That still was not what Elyan was worried about. And his worries didn’t lessen as Leon tucked the ring underneath his chainmail. 

As they continued their march through the castle, Elyan thought back to Lynette. He knew she was not just a mere mistress, Leon would never do such a thing. 

When they were children, Leon had angrily sworn off marriage and anything of the sort after a particularly disastrous banquet he and his father had attended in Camelot. Elyan sometimes still laughed about how red Leon’s face had gotten (his complexion matched his hair) and how his frustrated scream had shaken the trees. 

That wasn’t the first time nor was it the last that Leon had expressed a general distaste for anything romantic, let alone anything of the sexual nature. Elyan could not bring himself to even imagine that changing in this lifetime, even if he hadn't seen the older knight in many years. 

There wasn’t much he could do now, with no clue as to the true nature of the enchantment and little proof. And Elyan was a respectable swordsman, but he still knew he could not best Leon who had been born to be a knight and trained for such since he could walk and talk.

So instead of taking action as Arthur or Gwaine might have done, Elyan waited and he watched. 

The ring emerged from its hiding spot two more times, once when Leon began banging on doors to wake up the unfortunate knights that had been selected to fight the beast (which Elyan had trouble remembering was a problem in light of this newest crisis) and once in the stables as Leon mounted his horse and rode off to the lower town. 

But besides the tired, foggy look in his eyes and the appearance of the ring, Elyan really couldn’t find anything else that marked the First Knight as bewitched. 

He issued orders with the same calmness and efficiency. The other knights seemed to respect him all the same, oblivious to Elyan’s gradual spiral into lunacy. 

Leon even fought exactly the same, and to top it off the beast was quickly banished from the lower town. Elyan was only a little bit upset that they hadn’t managed to kill the thing. 

He was, oddly, more upset that Leon even demonstrated the same compassion he always had, taking extra time to escort the injured knights to Gaius. Clearly, someone hadn’t replaced Leon and used magic to mimic his likeness. This was a spell on Leon himself. 

It filled him with dread; he couldn’t think of what Lynette’s plan for Leon was now. Bordering on despondent, he trailed after Leon to Gaius, hanging in the back of the group and watching Leon talk to the physician. The physician who also did not notice anything strange with Leon. 

“Are you alright?” Merlin had yawned. Despite his ruffled hair and the poor, wrinkled state of his clothes, Elyan had the feeling the servant had been up for awhile. Was that a leaf in his hair?  

“Yeah,” Elyan had said, but even he could hear the moroseness in his own voice. 

Merlin eyed him. “What happened?”

“Y’know, got stuck with the night shift and had to fight a magical beast.” Elyan waved his hand as if this were an everyday occurrence normal people dealt with. 

“What kind of magical beast?” Merlin seemed to wake up at that, leaning forward in thinly veiled worry. So, Elyan told him all about his disastrous night, leaving out the part about Leon. The distraction helped him calm down and focus. 

Not soon after, Gaius chased them all out of his chambers, telling them to go to bed and rest for once in their ‘short, miserable lives’. 

The other knights bade their goodnights and went off in the opposite direction to their respective chambers, leaving Leon and Elyan alone. 

“Are you sure you are alright, Elyan?” Leon asked. “You seemed quite… frazzled earlier.”

“I think the beast just set me off,” Elyan said quickly. “I’m feeling better now that it is gone.” 

Leon gave him a kind smile. “You should have more confidence in yourself, Elyan. I know you could have handled this yourself. Arthur knighted you for a reason.” 

Elyan let out a strained smile. “Thanks, Leon. That means a lot.” Any other night, that certainly would have been true, and Elyan would have been over the moon with joy from receiving such praise. But he was too stressed right now. 

The pair drifted into silence, Elyan trying to figure out what to do and Leon probably waiting for more orders from his troll-enchantress. 

Then Leon hummed, and Elyan got the impression he was talking to himself more than anyone. “I hope Lynette went back to sleep, but knowing her she is still awake. Working on one of her plans, or something of the sort.” 

One of her plans? Elyan nearly screamed in horror. But before he could (subtlety) pry any further, they had arrived at Leon’s door. 

“Well, good night, Elyan. I hope you rest well.” Leon smiled softly at him, concern still covering his features. 

“Goodnight, Leon. See you tomorrow at the Round Table meeting?” Elyan asked. 

“Of course,” Leon replied. He didn’t seem at all surprised by it, further proving someone hadn’t replaced Leon. That was sort of comforting, at least.

As Elyan stood there, puzzling over what to do next, Leon bade him goodnight one more time before stepping into his room. 

Elyan didn’t mean to eavesdrop, he really didn’t. He had been raised better than that. It was not his fault that he just happened to be standing so close to the door.

“I couldn’t sleep unless I knew you were alright!” Lynette’s voice rang through the door, followed by a soft chuckle from Leon. “What if you were injured and I was just lying here asleep?” Then Lynette lowered her voice and Elyan felt a twinge of shame, though not enough shame to turn away and go to bed, as he leaned against the door to hear her say, “I need you.” 

“You should have a little faith in me, love. When have I ever let you down?” Leon replied. 

Elyan had heard enough and all but ran away from the door. First thing tomorrow, he needed to tell someone about this. Someone he could trust to take this seriously.

Chapter Text

But the next morning, Elyan couldn’t find Merlin anywhere and with the meeting drawing nearer he was getting desperate. At this point, he would have settled for finding Gwaine. 

Luckily, he did not have to stoop to such lows, and he rounded a corner to see the King standing at the end of the hall. 

“Arthur!” he called out in relief, rushing over. 

Arthur looked up from a roll of parchment he had been discussing with other knights. Elyan only felt half-bad about interrupting. But this needed to be dealt with before the meeting. Who knew what Lynette was planning. Maybe she would make Leon get himself expelled from the Round Table, or force him to confess to treason. Maybe it was a more elaborate plan and Leon would convince Arthur to walk straight into a trap disguised as a routine patrol. The possibilities were endless and terrifying. 

“I have a question for you, my lord,” Elyan said, shaking his head to rid himself of such awful thoughts, “before the meeting starts.” 

Arthur frowned slightly, brows furrowing. “Well, what is it?” 

Elyan glanced nervously at Arthur’s entourage, a random assortment of knights Elyan barely knew. “Uhm, it is sort of a personal question, I’m afraid.” 

Arthur waved his hands and the knights bowed their farewells. “What is it, Elyan?” 

“Uhm.. well..” Now that he was here, Elyan wasn’t quite sure how to phrase his request. 

“Spit it out!” Arthur rolled his eyes. “You’re acting as bad as Merlin. If you have something to say just -”

“I think Leon is enchanted!” 

It seemed his interruption was a greater insult than he had thought as Arthur shook his head slightly, eyes widening and mouth falling open slightly. He stared at Elyan for a few moments. “Excuse me?” 

Well now Elyan was nervous. “I mean- you told me to spit it out.” 

“That’s not it. What did you just say?” Arthur looked faintly insulted now. 

Elyan shifted his weight across his feet. “Well… I… uh had to stop by his chambers last night and there was a woman in there with him and I was… he was acting a bit strange I thought. He also had a necklace on I didn’t recognize and it made me think of Uther and how he married-”

“That’s quite enough, Elyan.” Arthur held up a hand to stop him. The troll situation must still be a sore subject. “I don’t think Leon is enchanted.” 

Elyan tried not to point out that is, according to Merlin, what Arthur had said when the servant had told him Uther was enchanted. “With all respect Arthur, you weren’t there. She knew of magical beasts, he allowed her to look through his reports, and she combed his hair. He also called her my love?” 

Arthur’s shoulders began to shake, and Elyan realized with horror that it was with repressed laughter. “Can you describe what this enchantress looked like?”

“Yes, of course.” Elyan didn’t think he could forget her if he wanted to. No doubt she would plague his dreams tonight, her hair turned to tendrils, teeth sharpened and eyes glowing red. “She had long black hair, either green or blue eyes? A mole underneath her eye. I think Leon called her Lynette?”

Now Arthur started cackling. That was the only word Elyan could think of to describe the king’s aggressively loud laughter.  

“He said she was always planning something!” Elyan continued, unable to stop his voice from rising in volume. “She said she needed him!” 

“Elyan,” Arthur wheezed, doubling over to catch his breath. “I thought you of all people would have recognized Lady Grance!”

“I don’t… I don’t really see what she has to do with anything?” Elyan felt his cheeks heat up. Arthur seemed to think him a fool and the servants were looking at him now in a way he didn’t really like. 

Was.. was Gwaine right after all? Was Leon just having a secret courtship?

Arthur raised an eyebrow, creating an expression of disbelief and disgust that would rival Gaius’s. A look that seemed to be saying, “I know it is small and smooth, but do try to use your brain a little bit.” 

And now that Elyan thought about it a little bit, didn’t Lady Grance have hair very similar to Lynette’s? It was a bit hard for Elyan to tell at first, as Lady Grance’s hair had been piled atop her head while Lynette’s had flown freely down her back. But years of watching Gwen do her hair had taught Elyan how hair length could be disguised, and he supposed Lady Grance’s and Lynette’s could be of the same length.

His suspicions were confirmed when Arthur asked, “Lady Lynette Grance?” 

“Is that her name?” Now Elyan felt positively faint. He was also convinced that passing out in the hall right here and now would be less embarrassing than Arthur’s line of questions. 

“I do believe so, Elyan. I tend to know all the nobles of my kingdom.” 

“So Leon isn’t enchanted? You’re sure?” Elyan felt sluggish, the world in front of him fading away 

“The title Lady Grance didn’t give away her connection to Leon?” Arthur asked. “She probably said she needed him because she loves him, you idiot.”

Elyan felt stupider by the second. How had he forgotten Leon’s family name? Elyan had grown up there! Sure it had been some ten odd years at least since he had been there, but still! “I thought it was an unrelated Grance?” 

In his defense, at least he hadn’t thought Lady Grance was Leon’s sister. 

His defense crumbled when Arthur started laughing all over again. “This is hilarious!”

“No it isn’t!” Elyan shrieked, control over his body returning to him as he digested the news. “Why is he so secretive about his marriage?”

“He isn’t, though.” Arthur breathed out between laughs. “I went to his wedding. Lynette stayed with him here in Camelot for years. When the previous Lord Grance passed, she moved home to manage their fief while Leon continued serving as a knight. She visits every once in a while, normally for tournaments or large banquets. He returns home for the harvest every year.” 

Elyan felt even more embarrassed now. “Oh. I see.” It was fine. This was fine. Leon was not enchanted, there was no threat to Camelot. He should be happy: this was one of the better outcomes! 

But Elyan was not happy, and he did not think he could be happy ever again. It might just be better if Camelot crumbled into dust and took him with it. 

“Can we go to the meeting now?” Arthur asked. Without waiting for an answer, he began walking away. “Merlin will never let me hear the end of it if he manages to beat me there.”

“Certainly, my Lord.” Elyan said simply, trying to wrangle his expression and mental state back into one of a Noble Knight of Camelot as he fell into step alongside Arthur. 

“I’ll do you a favor, Elyan, because I like you.” Arthur rested a gloved hand on Elyan’s shoulder. It was equal parts comforting and intimidating. “I won’t tell Leon you thought he was cursed, and I won’t tell him you thought his wife was a troll.” 

“Thank you, my Lord.” 

“Let us never discuss this again.” Arthur stared straight ahead as they approached the meeting room. 

“I would like that very much.” Elyan was humiliated. The last thing he needed was Gwaine finding out about it, the wretched man would never let him live it down. 

“Are Gwaine and Percival also wondering about Lynette?” Arthur asked.

“Yeah. Gwaine was quite suspicious that you asked Leon to meet her instead of doing it yourself. He has been trying to convince us Leon is secretly courting Lady Grance since she arrived. Percival is trying not to care.” Elyan spoke quietly as they passed other knights and servants. He didn’t need them knowing of his blunder, nor of Gwaine and Percival’s ignorance on an apparently very well-known topic. 

“I fear I’ve knighted a batch of idiots.” Arthur shook his head. He pushed open the door to the meeting room and it crashed against the wall. Elyan was a bit surprised to see Merlin and Gwaine already inside, talking about something. Usually those two were the last to arrive, and they were both almost always late. 

“At least we’re idiots that can swing a sword, my Lord.”