breaking the codex; leomord even after being certain of his freedom, he finds no productivity in leaving.
n. leo mains have my heart <3 this work was supposed to be published alot sooner, but here we are.
c. queen!reader, knight!leomord, angst(?), unrequited love that’s actually requited
”my queen, you have requested me to your quarters?” leomord kneels at your feet, heeding to any orders that you may assign him. leomord bared the heart of a spirited warrior. he never strayed away from battle, and you admired that from afar.
in order to succeed, leomord disregarded any feelings of the past. he dismissed his own being to serve you.
“my knight, leomord, i would like to meet you at the horse stables during sunset. can i leave it up to you to accompany me?” how could leomord ever defy your orders? if leomord were to be appointed to any other ruler, his knowledge would be in vain. he would have never learned the way of the warrior codex.
may you never notice, but his intuition had grown stronger, along with his physical strength. whenever he mentioned of his progress, he mentioned you as well.
“i have become stronger, stronger than i ever have. i believe this is the result of you.” you never believed leomord. you were not one to ever believe in your powers, really. you had never seen a spark in your magic, of course, a few tweaks of magical power here and there. but it never had really progressed enough for your own eyes to see.
in the events of today, leomord was to accompany you down at the horse stables. you had no real reason of dragging him down there, but it created a great sense of scenery, apart from the heartbreaking news you have prolonged to tell him.
“he’ll leave, and once he does so, these feelings will leave as well.” you and leomord were on very formal terms. he treated you like the queen you were and went above and beyond to meet your criteria.
leomord never once conveyed or spoke about his feelings, you thought he buried them deep in his heart. which was no way a warrior should cope. but, then again, you had no say in asking what he felt or wanted.
it was a knight to a queen, a queen to a knight. that’s all it was.
“leomord has too much pride, he would not just leave.” faramis thinks differently. you felt guilty, having leomord serve you as a knight. you made him a weapon, without his consent, you trained him to serve you and you only.
“he knows better, he’ll leave. after all he’s been through, im certain he’ll leave.” you let your mouth run, babbling, until faramis calls you out on it.
“leomord is not going to leave. have you seen the way he’s looked at you?” you whip your head to look at him, shaking your head. faramis talked nonsense at times, but this time—you were invested.
“faramis, you sound absurd.”
“if leomord was ever given the chance, he’d come up to you with his proposal of love, but as a knight, he has self control over his desires. especially for his queen.” almost immediately, you are at a loss of words. you knew well, leomord had great control over his desires and much more. but you just can’t resist the urge to wonder if he’s ever thought about you in a way more than queen and knight.
“the sunset is almost here, excuse me.” the sun paints the room with warm colors, it’s rays of light brightening the lands below.
“don’t be so rash. leomord will always respect you and your choices, be honest with him.” faramis’ suggestion eases the tension in you and you thank him for the wise words.
sprinting down the spiral stairs in a quick action, you hold the ends of your flowy dress as you do so, averting the problem of ever toppling down the staircase.
you see a tall figure at the bottom of the lobby, but can’t clearly make out who it is, as you near closer, you can see it’s leomord. your mind automatically reverts to the conversation with faramis.
speak reasonably, be honest, he’ll respect your decision.
“leomord, im sorry to keep you waiting.” you come face to face with him, his broad build towering over yours.
“no worries, my queen. barbiel is waiting right outside.” he gingerly takes your hand in his, you smile at the action, eager to follow.
barbiel stands proudly, ears perking up and nickering playfully at the sight of you. leomord lets go of your hand, walking back into the castle. probably telling off the guards and informing the servants of your leave.
“barbiel!” you stroke his coat of fur, nuzzling your face into his neck and giving him a few scratches behind his ears. barbiel shows you his gratitude by giving you a nudge as leomord comes trudging over.
“please, ladies first.” a hand interlocks into yours once again, guiding you to the stirrup where you place your feet. while the other unoccupied hand hovers over your lower back, providing more support to mount the tall horse.
after you are successfully mounted atop barbiel, leomord gets on without issue—sitting behind you. the heat of his chest lingering on your back. leomord clutches the reins of the bridle, tugging on it gently caused barbiel to trot lightly, following the path down to the horse stables.
you both sit in silence for the most part, instead, relishing the company of each other. the restoration process of necrokeep was no simple task. there were sacrifices made, lives lost, and hardships met. but in the end you decided it was all worth it.
your father could rest easy, just as leomord could. he would be free of the necrokeep curse, enjoying a life without hardships. modern days were coming and you’d hoped to prepare him for that.
he would no longer serve you. no longer live in the castle. no barbiel. no more leomord. you would soon tell him that you had a proposal for him. one that would urge him to leave completely.
“princess, we’ve arrived.” leomord’s hoarse voice snaps you out your trance. scanning your surroundings and surely, you’ve made it to the stables.
leomord hops off barbiel, opening his arms for you to jump in. you become quite hesitant at first, but still, jumping into his arms with your arms wrapped tightly around his neck. he effortlessly holds you, finally letting you gain your composure by placing you on your feet.
as soon as you’ve hit ground level, leomord grabs the reins of barbiel, using it to tie a knot around a tree which restrains barbiel from going anywhere. you wave goodbye to barbiel, following the footsteps of leomord.
leomord keeps his pace slow as he walks—and with a soft voice asks in curiosity, “princess, enlighten me. i want to know your intentions here.” his voice is demanding in favor, though really, curious of your request.
he stops in a secluded area, where the sunset is mainly visible. it’s a perfect spot for the two of you. before sitting, leomord scans the area, looking for any hidden dangers. after being rest assured, he allows you to sit.
you two sit side by side—admiring the sunset. despite the pleasant dialogue being muttered to one another, there is a weighted tension. you’ve saved the response to his question for later. too afraid to spill your true motivation for bringing him here.
“leomord, did you have anything you’d like to change about necrokeep?” you suddenly queried, it startled him. he assumed you brought him here for business matters, but it seems now you’ve brought him here for a genuine conversation.
“princess.. im not entirely sure if i should be answering your question. i do not bare the ability to rule over a country.” he assured you—he was certainly not leader material.
“i want you to answer my question, truthfully, honestly, and calmly. it is no trick question.” you attempt to ease the conversation with a few statements of reassurance. leomord looks very conflicted while looking down at the grass.
“i suppose.. another ruler, aside from you of course.” the answer he gives you is bizarre. he didn’t mean a king, did he? you turn you focus on him as he does the same. it confuses you and causes you to think for a moment.
“another ruler?”
“yes, my queen.”
your father left this kingdom in your hands, bringing any another individual would completely shatter the kingdom, no? how would another ruler.. be trustworthy enough to rule necrokeep?
“i see.. other than that, i have one more request of you.” one more request of the day? leomord didn’t know what to think but he would always comply to any order you gave him. you were his only purpose, as he was the knight to his queen.
“i wish for you to leave necrokeep,” leomord was stunned. his heart ached in his chest, even if the only physical emotion he showed was blank.
“you are no longer needed here. necrokeep is safe,” you stood up as you announced, hands fisted at your sides. leomord remained completely calm, still looking at the grass below him.
“you are no longer a glorified knight. you are no longer under my order.” your eyes became glossier as you spoke. letting go of leomord was about the most inhumane thing you’ve ever done.
you hadn’t not learned of his true feelings towards you, yet you dismissed him as quickly as possible. it was a selfish act of love. you had grown fond over leomord, but not once had you seen an ounce of fondness come from him when he saw you.
you assumed leomord didn’t enjoy the time spent with you—that it was just a job. after the job was done, he would leave peacefully.
“that is my final order.” you didn’t speak in authority like you always did, this time you spoke in hurt and sorrow. leomord was quick to notice it, still keeping quiet under the fading sun.
you bit your lip in anticipation, awaiting any movement from him. your entire body was anxious. how would he respond?
“if that is what you wish. but now, your order means nothing to me.” he coldly states, getting up from his own sitting position. you watch him intently, searching for any signs of emotion.
“just because necrokeep does not seek out protection, that doesn’t determine whether my queen does or does not.” he stands with power—speaks with power.
“in spite of battle, you were my only purpose. it made me realize how much i was fighting, for you. i failed to show you how exactly much you meant to me. my eyes failed to see what love you reciprocated for me,”
“if i had noticed the feelings you had for me, i would have told you to discard me of my rank. that way, the queen and the knight would no longer just be a story, but our reality.” leomord discourse at a great length, your thoughts in a fuzz. leomord had so much on his plate, you hadn’t had a clue what situation he was in, as were you.
“banishing me from necrokeep was your way of pushing me away. but that was no civil way of feeding your dejection.” leomord knew more than he said. he knew just exactly how the cogs in your mind worked. perhaps, serving you for so long uncovered the most venerable parts of your mind.
he truly saw you for who you were. not just as a queen, but someone who had fully earned his heart. he followed your orders up until the end. he stayed by your side in the worst times. and it wasn’t because of his rank—but because he swore his heart to you.
“i wish to stay and be rid of my title.”
© 3xen
