Misdirection [Leon]

[mysery]

The 'what if's' were officially driving her insane. Morgana would testify to her having a sound state of mind, when she had a good night's sleep of course, but even she was losing at over her worry for Guinevère. And Arthur. And Merlin. But she had faith in the latter pair. They would find Gwen and bring her home. More than anything, the lady wished she hadnt left her maid and closest friend behind, but she'd told her to run and, while she would kill Arthur before admitting to it, she had been afraid for them both.

That bastard Hengist had sent his men to snatch them, and snatch them they had, but Morgana nor Gwen were the type to let themselves be hauled off like some prize. So they'd fought, and she'd gotten away. Gwen hadnt, and Morgana hated to think of what could be happening to her.

Which was the reason she was now at the training grounds. Uther may have disapproved, but right now, she didnt care. Morgana needed to distract herself, and she was angry. Ergo, beating the crap out of a dummy with a sword was the only solution to the problem. She wore pants and a normal tunic, uncaring of the odd looks she was getting. Why had Uther denied rescuing Gwen? Did he not see she cared about her? That they were friends?

It made her angry that he would toss aside someone she cared about so blithely and it made her striking at the dummy all the harder.

--------------------

Setting: The Training Grounds

Tag: Sir Leon

Timeline: 'Lancelot and Guinevère'

[Deleted]

When ever the time was called for him to take over the prince's duty, the knight was up and willing. He was after all the second in command of the troops and a well respected knight among the members at court. Most times it was said when Leon would be taking on those duties, this time it was different. Arthur had come to the knight one night and asked him to look over things for a bit as he had something to take care outside of the kingdom. It was not like Leon didn't know the reason for the prince leaving, he knew well about what had happened the last few days and Leon was a little worried. He was glad that the Lady Morgana hadn't been hurt, but he felt a little pain in his heart that Gwen was missing. They had grown up together and she was a dear friend to him. Only there friendship had to put on hold because of rules of the kingdom. He was of noble birth and a knight of Camelot, and she was a commoners and a servant girl. Of course these titles meant nothing to the knight, he didn't care who you where, everyone should be cared for the same. So when the King had said no to sending out a party to go find Gwen, he understood why the prince had left and taken his manservant with him.

As for Leon, he was left with the normal things he did every single more, plus the princes duties on top of that. He bowed his head as he left the council chamber after speaking to the King and now he was on his way to the training grounds where he was spend some of his day training the knights. Many of them were season knights, so they knew what they were doing, but about half of the knights were young and still had much to learn and that’s where Leon came in. He didn't mind teaching and telling the young ones what to do or what they needed to improve on. Here in Camelot you have to be ready for anything, that’s why pretty much every day there was a training session, it didn't matter what it might be, melee, archery, hand to hand, or anything else that might need to be covered, because as said before in Camelot you had to be ready for anything.

The training session soon finished and all the knights left to do what they pleased for the rest of the day. Most of them would be on portal duty and others would find themselves down at the pub having a relaxing drink. Leon didn't know the meaning of relaxing, he was always on his feet, all he pretty much did was work and more work. He really didn't have much time to himself, and since he didn't have any family to out after or a women to come home too, work was pretty much his life. He headed from the training grounds to his chambers in the castle. As it was still sunny out and the day was not over, he made the choice to head down and have some sword training, because a knight can never be to much trained, in Leon's case he always like to be fit and handy with his sword at anytime. The more he trained the more he pushed everything that was going on around him away, it was a place where he could just block out all his thoughts and not think about anything that might be going on. And at the moment Gwen was on his mind, her safety as well as the prince. He wished he could have gone with him to rescue her, but then it would have looked a little weird if the knight was going with the prince and it would leave the kingdom without someone to do the duties.

He changed into a different set of clothes and grabbed his sword, strapping it to his side as headed out of his chambers. It wasn't a long walk back to the part of the training grounds where the dummies where. Leon more liked to fight with another person rather then a dummy, but it would give him something to do and get his mind off all the things that were going on. He nodded to a few people walking up the steps in the main courtyard as eh was heading down them. He walked across the main courtyard when light footsteps, not heavy, he was not in a hurry to get anywhere. Soon he found himself on the grass of the training grounds and after that he was at the place where the training dummies where. At first he thought there was no one done there. Till he heard the sounds of a sword slashing at a dummy and as he approached he noticed someone down there. As he grew closer to the person he saw it was none-other then the Lady Morgana herself. He walked close, enough for her to see him and that he didn't want to come up behind her and say something and scare her. Many of the knights knew to stay away from the lady or be care what they do or say around her, because she was after all the King's ward and he would have anyone's head if harm came to her. He bowed his head, “My Lady”, he said has he came up from his bow, “I didn't think anyone else was down here, let alone you, Lady Morgana”. Not that he didn't mind her being down here and training, for all Leon cared she could go right ahead he had nothing against women using swords.

[mysery]

Morgana's strikes were growing ever so less efficient each time she attacked the dummy, her arms growing tired and her eyes blurring as tears threatened to spill over once more. She really didnt like crying, made her feel helpless and, while in this situation she really was, it didnt mean she had to like it. All she could do was wait, pray and hope that Arthur and Merlin brought Guinevère back safe and sound. Or she was never going to forgive herself. Her arm was protesting her continuance, so she paused and lowered her sword just as someone approached her. For a moment she was tempted to growl at them, she had no patience for idle gossip and if anyone even thought of reprimanding her for being down here right now, she was going to start inflicting pain.

But, as it were, it was only Sir Leon, who inclined his head respectfully and spoke. That was alright then. He could be excused. "I had nothing to do," she replied kind of abruptly, though anyone in the castle knew the meaning behind that. There was nothing she could do about Guinevère being gone. The Morgana paused. Gwen had mentioned to her a few times about Sir Leon and how she had grown up with him and were still, somewhat, friends. What must he be feeling about her being gone?

"I apologise for being short with you," she said honestly as she made her way over to the rack and put away the sword she had been using. At least she had let out some of her anger and frustration at Uther's dismissal of her friend. "Gwen told me she grew up with you," she added, partly out of conversation, partly to offer some aid. No doubt he would be worried just as she was about their friend. 'Please bring her home Arthur,' she prayed silently, the mantra that had been going through her mind all day.

--------------------

Setting: The Training Grounds

Tag: Sir Leon

Timeline: 'Lancelot and Guinevère'

[Deleted]

The training grounds were a place the knight could think, a place where he could just forget the worries around him and forget everything bad that might be happening. Even though he wanted to take the focus of something else besides Gwen being out there somewhere, and he couldn’t go and help Arthur and his servant find her. But as rules show it, nobles and commoners where not allowed to be friends, which Leon wished were not true, he remembered all the times when he was younger that he spent with her, laughing and just being kids, but then they grew up and Leon became a knight and his days became filled with nothing but work and it pretty much took over his life, pushing Gwen out of his life and he never got the time he would have liked to see her, or even get pay a quick visit, but as it stated he couldn’t even do something as simple as that. It angered him deeply but there was nothing he could do about it. Other than just dealing with it.

When he found Lady Morgana in the training arena, he wasn’t sure is he might have wanted to be left alone, he knew that her and Gwen were close. He remembered the day when Leon had told Gwen that he had gotten her a job in the castle working as a maid, and then when the Lady Morgana had come to the castle, she was the King’s ward, and he had told the King that he thought Gwen would be the perfect maid for the lady. And he had been right, he was glad that there was someone watching over her, when he couldn’t. But as it seemed the lady didn’t mind him being here. He nodded his head when she said that she had nothing to do. It was understandable, who would want to be keep locked up in a room all day when there good friend was out there. That’s why Leon had come down here to see if he could put his mind off of the subject and he wondered if the Lady felt the same way.

He shook his head and bowed a little as he watched her move from where she was standing and to the rack to put away the sword, “There’s no need for an apologise, my lady, it’s quite understandable”, he could tell she was just as worried as he was. But he had faith in the prince and he knew that he would bring Gwen home. He nodded his head, “Yes her mother was a maid in my household”, those where many years ago, and he was happy that Gwen was still thinking and talking about him. He wouldn’t doubt that they talked about pretty much everything, or whatever women talked about. Leon just hoped that they would come back to the castle soon so he could stop worrying and everything could get back to normal. But then again nothing was ever normal in Camelot and there wasn’t a time when something wasn’t going in the kingdom.

[mysery]

Morgana paused by the rack as Leon replied to her. Gwen had mentioned it but she hadnt gone into a lot of detail. Something which gave Morgana the impression that she was speaking about the past, rather than the present. She knew how it felt to grow apart from people and having duties get in the way, she'd done it herself growing up, though hers were more along the lines of growing out of people rather than apart from them. Most of the young women she'd known growing up in Camelot she had thought were her friends. Then she'd gotten a little older and come to realise they saw her as either a way into court, or a way to Arthur. She'd put a quick end to that. Gwen was probably the only woman she knew who didnt see Morgana's friendship for her title and what it could do for her. Just as Morgana didnt care Gwen was her servant. She was her friend and that was all that mattered.

Coupled with the fact Leon was now a knight made Morgana wish Gwen still had that closeness with him. Feeling herself choke up once more, she pulled another sword from the rack and turned to Leon.

"If you are not needed elsewhere, would you spar me Sir Leon?" she asked, tilting her head a little as she gestured with the weapon. "Normally I would challenge Arthur and relish the opportunity to outdo him, however since he is... otherwise indisposed, I would like to see how you fair," she added, smiling perhaps honestly for the first time all day. "See if it is simply Arthur or his teachings that lead him to be bested by a woman." Yes, she knew she sounded impertinent and disrespectful, but at this point, it was all she could do to smile so she didnt really care. Not to mention she would never let Arthur live down that she found someone else to be a better sparring partner. True or not, the look on his face would be priceless.

--------------------

Setting: The Training Grounds

Tag: Sir Leon

Timeline: 'Lancelot and Guinevère'

[Deleted]

With all this talk about Gwen, it brought Leon back to the day’s when Leon was with the family at the estate, they were there most of the seasons, when it came to winter time, his father would travel to Camelot and say in the city well Leon and his sister spent the cold winter nights with their mother. Those had been the days, when you didn’t have to worry about things such as laws and battles. He didn’t see Gwen as a commoner, he saw her as his friend. Maybe things could have been different if there hadn’t been such laws. When Leon was spent to the castle to start his training, that’s all he ever did, there was no time to spend with Gwen like he use to when they were kids, it all went away. He now worried that if Gwen never came back he would never be able to tell her such things, how he missed those days. The bright warming sunny days when Leon and Elyan, Gwen’s brother, who be play fighting with wooden sticks from the old chairs up stairs and Gwen would sit their cheering them on and giggling. He remembered the morning he would sneak down to the kitchens and leave flowers for Gwen, because he knew how must there made her day bright, but of course such things were gone.

Now there was older and things were different. Leon was a knight and that took up all his time when he was giving reports or doing patrols he was out training the knights and visiting kingdom and the list went on and on. He had to shake away his thoughts for any more thoughts of Gwen would not break his heart even more.

He bowed his head, “I would be honoured my lady”. He had seen Morgana fight before, against Arthur and he had to say that she was pretty good. Leon wasn’t the best swordsman that was left for Arthur but with his very tall size he was a pretty fine swordsman because of his towering heavy blows of his sword. He knew that Arthur hated fighting her; he would see it in the prince’s eyes. Leon didn’t mind fighting Morgana, he would just have to watch, he wasn’t fighting another knight, and if anything happened to Morgana Uther would have his head. No harm was to come to the ward, by anyone and Leon felt like keeping his head, didn’t mean he would hold back, he just wouldn’t be the same as if he was fighting another knight. He smirked at her comment, “As you wish my lady”, he pulled out his own sword and grips his hands around it. The knight couldn’t help but chuckle, “We shall see then”. He knew that Arthur would never fight a woman because of the fear of harming her, and he was too noble for that. Leon was the same way, but if it meant making the Lady Morgana feel better then he was willing to do what ever she asked of him. Because in the sense it would clear both of their minds on the subject of what was going on.