The eternal suffering

That's not Emrys part 5

A.N.:// I kinda changed my approach on this.
Originally, Arthur and Merlin were not supposed to appear. But then I realized I need Gwen.

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"Gwen, don't be so rude. Sir Leon is a friend. Be nice to him."
Gwen was about five years old, when her mother introduced her to the man she was going to work for. Gwen's mother looked a lot like adult Gwen. Her face was rounder though. Her eyes a little smaller, her skin a tad bit darker. She looked at Leon like one would a brother. An equal.

"I don't wanna! He's OLD!", small Gwen pouted, while her mother snorted at that.

The man before her WAS significantly older than her, but the comment didn't seem to bother him. He crouched down, with a small laugh.
"How old do you think I am.", he asked, mock offended, and Gwen answered quietly:
"A thousand years old!"
Leon laughed even louder. "Close enough, but not quite."
He held out a hand. "It's okay, you don't have to be nice to me."

"Leon -"

"Delilah, she is going to look just like you, when she grows up. I want her to be just as strong willed and kind."

Leon didn't look at her, but he didn't need to. Gwen's mother, Delilah, self consciously brushed a stray line of hair out of her face. It uncovered a scar underneath her cheekbone. It was a seemingly random letter, burned into her cheek. This letter is the reason why she still worked in royal households as a maid and not as a blacksmith with her husband.
The hot iron scared her. And she refrained from touching anything that had to do with it. If she didn't love Tom as much as she did, she would never have married him. Probably never even entered his shop.

"Other royals will treat her badly. You know that, Leon. You can't let her run her mouth whichever way she wants to."

"So, you want me to be as bad as them?"

"I want you to prepare her."

Leon shook his head again. "There are better, safer ways to prepare a child than to traumatize them. I can educate her. Teach her to read and to write. She's smart, she will receive the training of a royal woman. That's the least I can do for both of you."

It was quiet between them, while Gwen still looked uncertain, whether or not to shake the stranger's hand.

"Sir Leon, this isn't another attempt of yours to make up for what happened that day, is it?"

Gwen could only blink. Completely in the dark as to what they were talking about.

"You saved my life.", Leon muttered and finally stood up with a sigh. Gwen wasn't going to be friendly today. But he had time.

"We both know that is not true. You saved us from that ... monster that held me and my sister captive, remember? Ellie would have loved you. I know she would have.", Delilah grew more and more quiet with each word. The memory was about seven years old, but Gwen wouldn't know that until much much later.

"I could have saved her."

"You died, Leon.", Delilah looked more miserable with each word. "You needed time to revive. It's not your fault."

"Except it is. I could have not died. And saved her instead.", Leon turned away. "Now, I have to go. Training is about to start within a candle mark. And I have yet to find a capable servant who can help me with my armor."

Delilah nodded. "What about Harry? You were satisfied with him, yesterday."

Leon turned around and blinked at her in confusion. "Who is Harry?"
Delilah seemed a bit confused, but she waved it off. "No one."