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Leon was deeply hungover when he went to start practice. As the head knight, he was responsible for overseeing all practice sessions, although King Arthur would sometimes still lead when he had time, as he enjoyed doing it.
Good for him for still having some joy in his life.
As Leon was walking through the courtyard, a small creature with a pointy hat landed on the ground in front of him, bouncing once before it lay still for a moment. Leon thought it dead, and was grateful he could just nose it into the gutter with the toe of his boot and forget he ever saw it, but it scrambled to its feet and started gunning it for a dark side corridor.
Leon only had time to wonder if he should at least pretend to chase after it, before a bucket slammed down, trapping the creature underneath.
This clearly did very little to deter the little shit, as it ran off, dragging the bucket with it like the world's worst hermit crab. Leone watched it scamper down the corridor, running into the walls multiple times, before it scurried around a corridor. Leon resumed his walk, already rehearsing ‘No, I didn't see anything strange this morning.’ in his head as he heard a distant scream down the corridors.
When he walked onto the training field, there was a figure already standing near the trees. Leon considered just turning around and letting someone else discover whatever Gwaine was up to now, but he figured being outside the castle meant no more creatures coming down from above.
“Leon! Perfect timing.” Gwaine turned from where he was looking up at the trees, and flashed a bright grin. “Can I have-”
“No.” Leon finished immediately, having learned from past experience it's best to just not.
Gwaine pouted, giving his best puppy dog eyes that Leon had long grown immune to.
“Gwaine! I got more!” Percival ran onto the field, carrying a bundle of clothes in his arms that he promptly dumped onto the ground.
Gwaine immediately brightened up, before looking back up at the tree. “We've got more!”
A streak of white dived out of the branches, landing on the clothes on the ground, immediately investigating each piece of clothing, picking them apart and tucking certain pieces up onto their back.
It was a dragon. Only three feet long, white as snow and with big blue eyes that flicked around the knights before returning to the clothes Percival had brought.
Leon turned to Gwaine, and made direct eye contact with the grinning idiot. “If the king asks, I have never seen this beast.” Gwaine only grinned wider.
The dragon, having picked out what clothes it liked from the pile, glanced at Leon before taking off and seemingly making a beeline for the physician's chambers.
“She left Arthur's feast jacket, but she took his socks?” Percival commented, as he picked up what was left, hopefully to put back where they belonged and not just to get rid of the evidence.
“You've given a baby dragon a pair of the king's socks?” Leon asked before he could help himself.
“No no, of course not Leon.” Gwaine stopped him, and Leon felt strangely relieved that he had misunderstood. “This is the 6th pair of socks she's taken!” Gwaine looked oddly proud of that statement.
Maybe Mercia had better wages and benefits than Camelot. Surely they would accept an application from him? He had a lot of experience, he was a good loyal knight. They would at least give him a knight's position at least, right?
“GWAINE!” Arthur burst out of the armoury onto the field, and immediately set his sights on the troublemaker knight.
Percival and Gwaine immediately took off running when Arthur burst onto the scene, and Leon realised he was left standing alone with the pile of the king's clothes left on the ground. Well, there was only one rational course of action.
Leon turned heel and sprinted after Gwaine and Percival, their king left bellowing with rage behind them.
~~~
*About ten minutes later*
Arthur, now sat on the grass, completely defeated, still sockless:
Aithusa, flying over and curling up on his lap:
Arthur: …okay I'll allow it because you're cute.
Aithusa: *eyeing up his shirt for her nest*