Chapter Text
This was a different kind of mission for Leon.
A little over a year ago, Umbrella was finally destroyed, but that didn’t mean the threat was over. Wesker was still at large, and there were plenty of high-ranking employees who survived and scattered all around the world like cockroaches, searching for scraps of power and resources to rebuild.
The remote kingdom Leon was travelling to was one of those– the land it sat on was rich with rare earth mineral deposits that are essential for manufacturing high-tech equipment, and the area was more than small enough to be an easy target. The DSO received intel that an unknown group was interested in seizing it, and if bioweapon manufacturers wanted something, it was their job to defend it.
But that information was purely the context behind Leon’s trip abroad. His assignment? To be the princess’s security detail until she finds a suitor.
Until she did, opportunistic sycophants could take advantage of the citizens’ waning trust in their monarchy, possibly even killing the only heir to create a power vacuum and install themselves as rulers. Although the area was a tiny dot on a map surrounded by a great deal of nothing, no threat of bioterrorism was too small to stop. Plus, the kingdom sent the request itself.
He wasn’t the most enthused about being tasked to another silver-spooned damsel, but it could be worse. At least this assignment was focused on protection and not rescue, like in Spain. No mind-controlling parasites were always a plus, and Hunnigan promised there’d be none, knock on wood.
He tried to think of it as a paid vacation with a boring itinerary. That fantasy was out the window the moment he saw land.
As his boat approached the peninsula, he knew there’d be no beach days spent soaking up the sun in his near future. He squinted his eyes through the misty air to get a better look, but the fog obscured the details like a sheer grey curtain. The overcast sky was a bleak backdrop to the quiet village, and the chill spring air nipped at his skin and promised many cloudy days to come.
He got a better look at the antiquated town as he docked. Townhomes and shops were scattered about and built shoulder to shoulder, all made of stone brick masonry and lit by gas streetlights. The overcast sky was a bleak backdrop to the quiet village, but beyond it, he could see acres of lush green farmland, distant rolling hills, and the pointy tops of trees. Peeking up from behind it all, barely visible through the fog, he could just make out the shape of the castle.
Definitely no wifi, he thought.
He stepped off the boat and onto the dock, where a trio of knights on horseback awaited his arrival. They were accompanied by a small parade of sergeants-at-arms and a few clerkish types who gathered Leon’s few belongings– just a single suitcase.
He wondered if this was what culture shock felt like. All he expected as far as an escort went was a guy in a suit with his name on a piece of paper. Little did he know that was just the start.
He stepped up into the horse-drawn carriage and found he’d be alone for the ride, not that he minded. It was a little bumpy and pretty slow, but it was as nice as it was strange. The white noise of carriage wheels and horse hooves clicking on cobblestone streets nearly made him drowsy, and he wished he’d broken his habit of not sleeping while traveling. It’d been a long day, and the day hadn’t even begun. He studied the town to keep his eyelids up, looking at the butchers, barbershops, bakeries, and bars, all with apartment balconies above.
It was a small town, so it was a short ride, and before long, the city streets turned into a dirt road. He passed humble country homes with smoke rising from the chimneys and clotheslines in the yard. Then all he could see was a field of green and the tall trees in the forest. If he ever wanted to retire to a small town to get away from it all, this place might fit the bill. Well, minus living under a monarchy. He was a bit too American for that.
But then the carriage briefly stopped before starting again, and the scenery suddenly changed. He looked at the knights in shining armor who opened the gates for his entrance, and the minute he was within palace grounds, it was obvious. It wasn’t over the top, but that made it look all the more refined. Shrubs that were sculpted into spheres and low-lying flowers lined the path now, and he knew if he had a window on the other side, his destination would be in plain view.
This time, when the carriage stopped, his door was opened shortly after. Leon got out and straightened his leather jacket, looking up and taking in his first good look at the castle.
“Right this way,” one of the clerksman said. He followed and gave the knights a respectful nod, although he really wondered how a kingdom thought it could defend itself with spears and heavy armor in today’s world. No wonder they had to outsource this job.
When he entered the castle, it was like he stepped into another world entirely. As he was led through, he was briefed on the general functions and customs of the kingdom. He wasn’t paying much attention; he’d been briefed before he left, and he wasn’t sold on bowing to a foreign leader. Plus, he still needed time to look around and adjust.
He’d been in castles before, but only the dilapidated ruins of them. No intel briefing or postcard photo could’ve prepared him for being here himself. Despite the lack of technology, there was clearly expert craftsmanship in every inch of the stone walls and hallway rugs. It was old and maybe a bit lacking in color, but it was incredibly well-kept, like a flawless preservation of a more prosperous era. And it wasn’t so opulent that it spat in the face of the modest townspeople who lived outside.
Eventually, his museum time was over, and the winding candlelit halls delivered him to the Presence Chamber. If he thought the rest of it was a sight to behold, he wasn’t ready to see you perched upon your throne.
He supposed he should’ve expected a princess to be beautiful, and he knew you were from your photograph, but he didn't expect to be so entranced (and intimidated) as he approached. Amidst the sepia-tone stone walls and the gloomy weather outside the stained glass windows, you seemed to glow in color. He felt incredibly out of place in his leather jacket and tactical pants, suddenly wondering if it was disrespectful to be underdressed in front of you.
The knights beside him kneeled and he snapped out of his thoughts to follow suit. All his prior scoffs at bowing were squashed by the sight of you.
“All rise,” you said, your voice calm and melodic even as you made commands. “State your business.”
He stumbled over his words as he rose. The knights marched to their posts against the wall, leaving him alone in the center of the room, standing like a fish out of water. He cleared his throat.
“I’m, uh. Leon Scott Kennedy, at your service,” he introduced himself with a shallow bow. “I’ve been assigned as your personal bodyguard until your wedding.”
“Ah, yes! Excellent timing.” You stood, hands clasped in front of you. “Follow me. We shall dine at once in honor of your arrival.”
You walked towards the door, hardly glancing at him as you passed by.
He quickened to follow you, head spinning a bit. Apparently, you needed no introduction, because you hadn’t.
Leon appreciated an early dinner after his travels, and he couldn’t complain about the food: roasted meat, fresh bread, strong wine he only sipped to be polite, and vegetables cooked in a way that made him consider seconds. A few military officials joined him at the table, and he realized meeting them was probably the true purpose of this meal.
But after introductions were made, the only sound in the room was silverware against porcelain plates. You sat and ate quietly at the head of the table, and he was starting to think he didn’t know anything about how this assignment would go. He was told it was borderline treasonous to speak to royalty without being spoken to first, so he had to fight every instinct to fill the empty air between you with small talk or questions about his assignment.
Before he had quite finished eating, you put your silverware down, and so did everyone else. Then you stood and the meal was over. You were halfway out the door by the time he scrambled to follow with a stifled sigh. All he knew about his day-to-day assignment was that he had to keep you in close range, and he guessed that started now.
It was feeling more and more like his time here would be something between a cultural immersion program and being a confused chaperone.
Luckily, you finally spoke, though your eyes were fixed ahead. You were all perfect posture and proud chin as you walked, a result of life in training for the crown. Leon studied the ornate embroidery on your dress as he listened.
“Your quarters are an en-suite connected to mine. My chambers have been renovated and are accessible only through yours for added security. My maids come to wake and dress me at the sixth hour of each morning, and you're expected to be ready when I am. Your belongings are already here, and anything else you need will be provided, all you have to do is ask.”
You stopped at the end of the hall, turning to face him and motioning to the door. He held it open for you partially on instinct, partially on duty. He was trying to take hints since that's all he had so far.
You only meant to present the room to him, but his chivalry made you smile. You were used to not lifting a finger, but it was nice to think it was an act of kindness instead of obligation.
You stepped inside. He felt his stomach tighten as he closed the door behind him, finding himself alone in your presence for the very first time. None of the briefings told him he'd practically share a room with you.
If he was unsure about how to treat you in public, he was totally clueless about how to treat you now. Especially as you let out a deep sigh in the center of the room, and all that regal posture suddenly fell away. When you spoke again, your voice was a touch lower, tired maybe, and he swore your eyes looked sad.
“If you hate the lack of privacy, trust me, I do too. My maids will be here soon to ready me for bed, try to make yourself at home.” You rubbed a knot in your shoulder as you closed the door to your room, leaving him there alone.
He felt more out of his element than ever. One moment you were courtly, poised, and impossibly elegant. Then in the blink of an eye you were a shrunken, weary thing. And then you were gone. If he blinked, he would have missed it. It made him more confused than ever, and in the million questions he had, there was also curiosity.
He looked around his room; there was nothing else to do but check out his new digs. The furniture was simple and mostly made of hardwood, but every piece was high-quality. His suitcase was by the armoire, and inside it, there were some shirts and trousers provided for him, definitely local fashions. There was a desk with a notepad on it for housekeeping requests. A cheval mirror stood in the corner. The window was dressed with long layers of linen curtains.
He parted them to see his view. Through the faint distortion of the old-school glass, he could see quite a lot. The garden down below, the forest to the right beyond the property gates, and the faint moon rising over the village as the sun set in the west behind him, the sky a pale pink through the parting clouds. He thought briefly of how easy it’d be for someone to scale the wall and break in through it, but mostly he was thinking about who you were under all the pomp and circumstance, and whether he’d find out.
He let the curtains fall back and sat on the edge of his bed, lowering himself on it gingerly, knowing the sheets alone were probably worth more than his net worth. He twiddled his thumbs as he waited for… whatever would happen next.
Soon, as promised, a trio of young women entered his room, ignoring him except for a side-eyed glance. They moved with purpose to knock on your door, and you greeted them with a familiar “hello.” He sighed as he was left alone again, his only company the quiet giggles from your room.
Thin walls, he noted with a sigh.
⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔
“Oh, hush,” you chided while your hair was let down. “I’m sure he wants to be here even less than I want him to be. He seems… stern.”
Sure, your new bodyguard was a sight for sore eyes, that was irrefutable. He was slightly slimmer in build than the broad-and-burly type you’d imagined, but he was still more muscular than anyone you’d ever met before. His face was soft in the right places and chiseled in all the others, and his ash-blond hair fell just right over his sharp blue eyes. Anyone would agree that he’s good looking.
But he also looked… dangerous. You supposed he was, since he’d earned himself a resume that made him quote, “overqualified” to protect you. Still, you knew little of his background other than that he was a “formidably capable” government agent from America, as it had been put to you. That was all thirdhand information, but it was still enough for you to be intimidated by his prescence. Especially since his presence would now be inescapable.
You humored your dressmaid’s remarks, though. She was trying to be an optimist for you and make light of the bind you were in. She was more sympathetic to it than most, and you appreciated that.
You had to find a suitor, fast, before your indecision put everyone’s lives and your lineage at risk from some vague threat of war. But that was easier said than done. You had an overwhelmingly long list of noblemen from near and far to choose from, and picking a life partner based on a picture, royal titles, and honorary achievements left little room for romance. But if you didn’t marry, you’d never be crowned queen, never have an heir of your own, and your kingdom would die with you.
Your life was not your own. And despite Leon’s easy looks, his presence was a reminder of that. Even your bedroom, the only space you could escape to, wasn’t yours and yours alone anymore. Your private world had been smashed wide open, and the mounting pressure was apparent everywhere you turned.
She placed the hairbrush down and you stood up from your vanity, smoothing out your nightdress. You bid them good-night as they curtsied and made their exit. The youngest was the last to leave. She gave you a mischievous look as she left the conjoining door open behind her.
You sighed, slightly annoyed at her meddling. Now you’d have to face him in order to close it, or else he’d just do it himself.
You didn’t know the last time someone other than your maids or a doctor saw you stripped of the fussy clothes and jewels you were put in every day. The only man who’d ever seen you walking around in a nightdress before was your father, and maybe a visiting cousin or two when you were a kid and had sleepovers, but never as an adult. It wasn’t anything revealing, but you felt nervous all the same.
You knew there was no escaping it, so you approached the door. You were basically roommates now; he’d see you like this eventually, so you’d have to learn to deal.
You found Leon sitting upright on his bed, facing away from you, still as a statue. You cleared your throat to announce yourself and tried to start with small talk. “Is everything to your liking, Mister Kennedy..?”
He turned to look at you, eyes darting over your changed appearance, and then he looked right back at the wall. “Please, just call me Leon. It’s um… very nice. I’m just getting used to it. Beats my apartment, that’s for sure.”
You stood in the doorway looking at his back, not sure if he was trying to make a joke or what you should say next. “Do you… have any questions? Before your duty starts tomorrow?”
“I’ll figure it out, I’m a quick learner. I was told every day is about the same for you.”
You laughed sarcastically, slumping against the doorway and looking at your feet. “Yes, that’s true.”
He craned his neck until he could just see you in his periphery, knotting his brow at your earlier tone returning. “I’m surprised. I thought running a kingdom would bring new problems every day.”
“Oh. You weren’t told?”
He finally turned to face you in his confusion. He shook his head.
You sighed and crossed the room to sit at the desk near his bed, shifting anxiously on it. “They must have meant to, they talked to me about it like you were informed. You’re sworn to secrecy, I must remind you.”
You gave him a serious look and he just waited for you to continue. He didn’t feel the need to assure you; he was already assured of his public hanging if he shared anything private he learned on palace property. But he had to know what was left out of his briefing, and he doubted it was a simple mistake.
You went on. “I’m not the ruling monarch. My father, the King, isn’t dead. A sudden disease left him… disfigured, they say, and permanently disabled. They won’t let anyone see him, not even me, so the townspeople were told he died peacefully of old age. I’m the nominal head until I marry, but he gives all the orders, makes all the decisions. I’m a puppet, more or less.”
Leon blinked as he took in the information. He had a bad feeling about what that disease may be given the circumstances, and you were clearly being sheltered. No wonder you looked so troubled the minute you were away from prying eyes. All you knew was that something was deeply wrong.
He felt a pang of pity in his chest at the last part that you shared. He knew what it was like to have his free will ripped away by the government. Only your government was also your dad.
“I see,” was all he could think to say as he thought it all over. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. If being sorry changed anything, I’d have it solved by now.”
He looked at you fully for the first time that night, taking you in with softer eyes and a new sense of empathy.
You looked younger with your makeup cleaned away, your hair a little longer than he thought it’d be now that it was taken out of your updo. You looked so small sitting there in your long silk nightgown, gazing at the floor, your chest caving inwards like you wanted to disappear into yourself. You were a grown woman with so much responsibility to bear, but he caught a glimpse of a heartbroken little girl underneath, all her dreams torn away, the story of her life inked over with tragedy.
He recognized that look. He caught the same one in his own reflection sometimes.
You suddenly snapped out of your thoughts, going back to your practiced bright demeanor as you stood. “Well then, that’s enough talk for tonight. I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Mister Leon.”
“Goodnight, your highness. And please, just Leon.”
“Very well, Leon.” You tried it on for size. It was exceptionally rare that you called someone by only their first name. “And… you can call me by my name too, if we’re alone, maybe. I might like that.”
He smiled at you softly as you closed the door that divided you. You didn’t seem too sure about it, but it was a nice gesture. Maybe you’d exceed his expectation, he thought.
He remained where he was for a while, contemplating your situation as he leaned back on the bed. The threat of bioterrorism wasn’t high enough for you to be told about it, so that was good. The king was in stable condition, whatever his condition may be. He may have lost his body, but his mind is apparently intact. And so far, no bloodthirsty monsters afoot. That was a pretty damn good start in Leon’s book.
And you weren’t a bad roommate so far, not rude or uppity like he thought a royal might be. You were a lot more normal than he expected, actually, despite your over-the-top well-manneredness and speech. And you didn’t seem to mind if Leon shed the royal treatment in private, so he could safely loosen up a little. This might not be so bad.
After a handful of minutes, he finally felt alone enough to change into sleepwear. He clicked the oil lamps off and tucked into his bed. His surroundings felt foreign to him, but they’d be home for a while, so he tried to relax.
He stared into the darkness and pondered you. He thought about the mask of composure you wore on the throne, compared with how you pulled it aside in private. He wondered how much more there was underneath it. He thought about it until he fell asleep.
The next morning, Leon woke up to his door abruptly opening. He was halfway to drawing his bedside gun before he realized who it was. The dressmaids scurried in, waited impatiently for you to unlock the door to your room, and then quickly closed it behind them. He blinked himself fully awake and sat up, looking back at the window where the sun rose over the kingdom. Time to get ready for his first full day.
He made fast work of dressing, opting for the clothes supplied in his dresser instead of his own so he’d fit in better. The loose white blouse did well at concealing the guns strapped to his chest, despite how deep the neckline ran, so that was good. But they could’ve gone up a size with the pants. They were way too tight from the thighs up. He looked at your door to make sure it stayed closed as he adjusted his crotch with a frustrated sigh.
Looking in the mirror, he felt like he was wearing a costume. He hoped he’d get used to it soon, because he really didn’t pack a lot in terms of his own clothes. He stepped into his shoes and ran a comb through his hair, and having nothing else to do, made his bed before sitting down just as he did the night before. Waiting. And waiting.
He waited for nearly an hour before you appeared, and he had to remind himself to keep his mouth closed when you did. It was truly as though there were two versions of you: the distressed girl who appeared last night, and the regal young woman who stood before him now as you did when you first met.
You looked astonishing. How could you not? You wore a velvet dress that draped along the curves of your figure, creating subtle shadows where it hugged your hips and cascaded down your legs, and your jewelry sparkled in the morning light. Your ears were adorned with small, glimmering jewels. A delicate ring sat on your finger, and a silver necklace was nestled tastefully at the top of the cleavage your tight corset created. Your hair was pinned back behind your ears, and your makeup was simple, just enough to accentuate your natural features and make your skin glow. You wore it all so naturally that, although it was incredibly elegant, it didn’t look over the top at all.
You were met by a new version of Leon, too. A change of outfit was all it took to transform him from a rugged hired gun to a strapping, dignified man. Wearing white instead of black brightened his stern face and the bags under his eyes, making it easier to catch the softer expressions that hid behind his furrowed brow and set jaw. Like the way his mouth twitched up into a smile before he pulled his lips tight to hide it. And even though the loose top hid the muscles you saw yesterday, his tight trousers fit like a second skin over his strong thighs, leaving little to the imagination. Your ladies seemed to notice too, stopping for a moment to eye him up and down before they rushed to leave.
He looked good. Good enough that you needed to push away a feeling that it might get you into trouble.
Leon stood at attention, your eyes locking as he awaited your instruction.
“Breakfast?” You finally asked.
“As you wish.”
The meal was quick; neither of you ate much. It once again turned into more of a meeting. He was informed by some kind of military admin that the rest of his meals would be brought to his room so he could eat while you dressed, and then join the knights who stood guard against the walls at your meals. They asked all sorts of questions about what artillery or support he needed, and they seemed skeptical and confused that he didn’t need any. They insisted on providing him with a jeweled dagger, but he was grateful they accepted when he turned down plates of armor. He needed to be light on his feet, and his current get-up was restricting enough.
You listened in, learning about his tactical preferences as an idle source of entertainment. You kind of hated that your first breakfast with non-diplomatic company in a year was being interrupted by his attention pulled elsewhere. It would have been nice to have a real conversation at a meal for a change. But then again, he was a man of few words so far, and you didn’t even know what you’d talk about.
It was finished before long, and so was your coffee, so you relaxed in your chair and debated what to do with the day. Being under such close supervision made you reluctant to consider the hobbies you usually filled your free time with. For some reason, you thought you might feel embarrassed doing them while he just… watched you. But you certainly didn’t want to get right into your responsibilities. Absolutely not. Anything but that.
“Oh!” You brightened as an idea hit you. “Let me show you around the castle grounds.”
It wasn’t a question, and you were already standing to start. He wiped his mouth and tossed the napkin down on the table as he quickened to follow you.
The hallways seemed endless as you took him on a tour. Though they could be differentiated from each other by various art pieces and detailed stained glass windows, the halls themselves all looked about the same to Leon. You led him at a leisurely pace, stopping at every other portrait to tell him about your great-great-great-great-grandfather or whoever, rambling without much enthusiasm. He nodded along, more interested in identifying weak points in security than your monologues.
You were trying your best to make conversation, but Leon was giving you nothing. It was starting to frustrate you. You were trying to make the best of this, and it was clear his mind was elsewhere. There goes your wish that your bodyguard might at least be good company.
You were mostly aiming to kill time, so you continued despite his disinterest. The indoor tour alone took hours, and then you reached the outside.
“This is my favorite part: the gardens.”
You took a deep breath of fresh spring air as you entered the patio. The daily morning fog had dissipated into a cool afternoon. A gentle breeze left the slightest goosebumps on your arms, and the sun peeked through the clouds to sooth them. Birds chirped in the background, and two white butterflies danced atop a shrub as the fuschias opened up. By all accounts, it was a beautiful day.
“There’s more?” He said with genuine disbelief.
Your smile fell. “We don’t have to walk them. I just thought you’d need to know the layout.”
He noticed your rejected look and tried to recover. He was tired, in truth, and he wondered how you weren’t, since your feet walked everything he did in a low heel that was clearly made for fashion over function. “You’re right, princess. And I’d like to see them.”
You carried on, deciding to ignore the apathetic man behind you. You walked ahead of him, creating just enough distance to pretend you were alone. As you did, an air of peace seemed to wash over you. You welcomed it.
Leon noticed. But your tranquility didn’t quite cover your composed mask or the discontent beneath it, and seeing all of those emotions at once left him studying the back of your head with confusion. He wouldn’t be so quiet if he knew which you he should address.
You grew quiet now, too. You strolled along like you were being called into a dream, fingertips gracing flower petals as you entered the courtyard’s maze of flora, with tall green bushes trimmed into walls on either side of you, humming faintly to yourself.
Leon rested his thumbs in his belt loops and watched, trusting that you knew your way around. He sure didn’t.
The gardens never completely lost the fairytale-like feeling from when you played in them as a child, and you held onto that feeling now more than ever. You tried to push away the troubled thoughts about your adult life, but the silence that accompanied serenity let too many of them through. Every time you shoved them down, you got more and more frustrated, and it was like they doubled their efforts in retaliation. It wasn’t long before that dreamlike feeling was overtaken, and instead you felt like you were wandering along in a waking nightmare, searching for a path out of the maze of your own mind. As the walls started closing in, a tear ran down your cheek, and all you wanted to do was hide.
Leon swore he only looked away for a second, and then you were gone.
“Princess..? Princess!” He called out, beginning to panic. First day on the job and he’d already lost you, just his luck.
He ran around a corner and then the next, wishing he’d paid less attention to the back of your head and more to the path. He swore under his breath and turned around, trying to figure out where he came from and where you could have gone. He backtracked to take a different turn, and then he saw you, sitting on a garden bench with your head in your hands.
“There you are,” he jogged over, “are you…”
He was going to ask if you were okay, but as he neared, he knew you weren’t. You were crying so softly that he never would have heard it from a distance, and your shoulders shook tightly like you were trying to hide it.
You didn’t move as he approached, hoping that if you stayed still enough, you could disappear and he’d go away and take all your worries with him. Instead, he sat down next to you.
“Hey now, it’s alright. Everything’s okay.” He got no response. His hand hovered over your back, unsure if he could or should touch you, and he wracked his brain for the right things to say. “I know you’ve got a lot on your plate, but I can tell you’re smart, you’ll figure it out.”
Your shoulders shook in a different way all of a sudden. You picked your head up. You were laughing, your face still red and wet with tears.
“Right, because the fact that I have a twenty-four-hour bodyguard means everything is okay.”
He couldn’t argue with that, and if anything, the situation was even worse than you thought. He bit his lip as you sniffled next to him. He didn’t anticipate this job requiring a side of talk therapy, but he had some training for this kind of thing, too. And he really did want to make you feel better. He didn’t know enough about you to do that, though.
“What’s got you so upset? Maybe I can help. I’m already sworn to secrecy, remember?”
You felt ashamed of crying and took a deep breath to steady yourself. You felt a bit ashamed at losing your composure like this, so you should probably explain yourself. It’s not like he had any reason to care, but he was trying to, and you had no one else to talk to. You had no one to talk to about anything other than kingdom business since your father fell ill and the nightmare began. So once you started opening up, it all poured out at once.
“I’m not supposed to be out here. I had important things to do today. I haven’t been able to pick a suitor, and it’s been a whole year. I just can’t bring myself to sign my life away.” Your voice broke, but talking was actually helping. “The pressure is paralyzing, and every day that goes by, one less person is interested in me, so the pressure only grows. It won’t be long before I’m too old to be desirable to anyone, and I’ll fail my entire–”
“I’m sorry, what? Too old?”
It wasn’t the most significant part of what you said nor the one most worth replying to, but it was so absurd it caught him completely off guard. He didn’t remember your exact age from your file– and that’s not the kind of thing he’d ask a lady, especially right now– so he knew you were an adult. But you looked way too young for any kind of biological clock to be a concern. And if you didn’t want to get married, you didn’t want to, age had nothing to do with it. Hell, in his line of work, not getting hitched was the norm.
You provided some more context, and he became twice as stupefied.
“Some are starting to suspect that I haven’t wed because there’s something wrong with me, or that I’m impure.”
He put his hands in the air and blinked, he was so taken aback. Impure? Is this some kind of joke? Who the fuck are these people that put these things in your head? He thought of Claire, and how her feminist heart would be engulfed in rage if she heard the words you just said. He was only less irate on the outside.
You said it as if it were the simplest thing in the world. As if it was obvious that something like that would make you undesirable. You might not know any other way. Not to mention how your apparent intact “purity” made his stomach churn. You were being all but forced to marry, and an unwilling marriage would come with an unwilling marital act, to put it delicately. He seriously wondered if the DSO invented time travel and dropped him off in the dark ages as some kind of fucked up experiment.
“I’m your bodyguard. I serve you. If you don’t want to get married, it’ll happen over my dead body.”
Your response was blunt. “I didn’t hire you. You serve the King. So it will happen over your dead body if that’s what you choose.”
Leon realized he was in a bind of his own now. His drive to protect wasn’t a byproduct of his job, it was the very core of who he was. It was as second nature as the instinct drink water. And sure, the threat of bioterrorism swam in the undercurrent of this mission, but his explicit task was to protect you at all costs. But the only threat he saw so far came from the same person who hired him, so there was a non-zero chance he’d have to go slightly rogue to do that. And that person was the king, or more importantly, your father.
Jesus, what a mess you were in.
He looked back at you as he thought it through. You looked completely defeated. A tiny piece of his heart chipped away and fell into your hands as they wiped your last tear off your cheek. At that moment, despite his best interests, he knew he’d do what he had to do if it came down to it. He never fought his gut when it came to protecting the innocent, and he had no plans of starting now.
He stood and offered his hand to you. “Come on, princess, let’s get you some lunch. Then maybe you should rest. I won’t let anyone bother you today.”
You let him help you up, and then you followed behind him. His stiff demeanor didn’t feel aimed at you anymore. Now it covered you like a shield. Maybe he wouldn’t just be an overbearing bodyguard. He’d vowed to be a protector in a way you didn’t think he could. It seemed like there was a bona fide gentleman under the cracks of his stoic exterior, and it made you want to believe him.
You felt nervous upon re-entering the castle until you realized he had a point. No one could come into your room without his approval. That was a good thing. A very good thing.
You returned just in time for lunch, and you ate while he stood against the wall across the room. Your eyes met in the beams of light that shone through the windows. You managed a genuine smile.
You took his suggestion to rest and spent the remainder of the afternoon nested in your bed, the conjoining door left open. Not quite together, but less than separated. The quiet was easy as you lost yourself in a book, feeling curious instead of annoyed each time you heard him stir.
A knock came at his door. You tensed as you listened in. You couldn’t make out the words that were exchanged when he opened it. But then you heard it close, and found that no one entered. No one had come to scold you or force you to look at your list of potential mates.
You requested that dinner be brought to you in bed. When it was, Leon stood over them and stared, daring them to do anything else but deliver it. His expression only cooled when he looked at you with reassurance.
No one would disturb you. Today, you had peace. Leon made sure of it.