Chapter Text
Your dark sapphire scales shimmer beneath the full moon light as you glide through the sky. The night grows shorter and daybreak will soon be upon you. You delicately hover your wings and land near the large cave in the thick forest. Tucking your wings down you crawl into the cave and lay not far from the man who dwelled in the cave as well. As the sun peeks over the horizon you begin to whine.
The dragon form that holds you begins to change, shrinking in size. Your large wings rescind into your shoulder blades, the horns on your head do the same leaving only scars from where they had once been. Before long your entire form is that of a young woman.
In a completely human and naked form you pull your knees to your chest and huddle for warmth. A blanket is thrown over you by the older man who was woken by your whining. He places a set of clothing next to you for when awaken before heading out to hunt for breakfast.
This was all too normal of a routine for you during the full moon. The man that cared for you during this time was the last dragon lord, Balinor. Every full moon you were forced to transform into a dragon, and it was Balinor that helped you to control the magical beast inside of you. For this reason, he took you in when you were a child and cared for you as if you were his own daughter. Sure a cave wasn’t the best place to grow up, but with a curse such as yours what other choice did you have? Of course, it has been some years since you actually lived with Balinor. When you were around 17 you moved into the nearby town and began working at their tavern. You still visit occasionally, which is one of the little joys in the dragon lords life.
You awaken and dawn the clothes left beside you. You start a fire and sit to wait for the older man to return. At last he arrives back at the cave, breakfast in hand for the two of you. It has been awhile since you last saw him and breakfast is the perfect time to catch up.
“Thank you for always looking after me.” You say between bites of food.
“Theres no need for thanks.” Balinor responds succinctly. He was not a man of many words.
“I know. And yet, I feel that I must.” You smile at the dragon lord who only hums in response with a small smile upon his lips. You clear your throat before speaking again. “I’ve heard tell of a dragon ravaging Camelot.” Balinor looks up from his meal. You can tell that you have struck a nerve. “Sorry. It’s just what I’ve heard from the tavern.” You continue to quietly eat your meal.
“You were safe last night?” Balinor finally speaks.
You nod your head. “I believe so. I stayed mainly near the mountains, away from any villages.”
“Good, good.”
You spend the better part of the morning conversing with Balinor. Eventually you do have to bid goodbye, for your journey home was rather long and you had to return to your duties at the tavern in the coming evening.
Nightfall brings a very busy time for the tavern, especially during poor weather like tonight’s. The guests are rowdy but bearable, that is until the doors open and two strangers walk in. Suddenly the entire room falls silent. The innkeeper takes it upon himself to serve the two men, but being nosey you attempt to listen in to their conversation.
“We’re looking for a man named Balinor. Im willing to pay handsomely.” the blond man says, slapping a bag of coins down on the table.
Why are they looking for Balinor?, you think and your heart begins to race. You try to continue listening, but the other patrons are getting antsy.
“Barmaid! Another pint over here!” shouted an unsightly gentleman.
You sigh, roll your eyes, and run to fetch the mans ale. “Right away sir!”
After a long and grueling shift you finally return to your home for the evening, badly wanting to go and warn the dragon lord that someone was looking for him. However, you knew all to well of the dangers in the woods…especially for a young maiden on her own. Instead you plan to go at first light. You only hope that those two men dodn’t find the information they were looking for.
—————————————————————
“Balinor!” You call out into the cave.
“Y/N? What are you doing here?” The older man greets you at the cave entrance.
Barely having time to catch your breath from running, you hastily say “There are two men looking for you. They asked for you by name in the tavern last night. I don’t know who they are or what they want but-“ Balinor raises a hand to signal you to be quiet. He looks out towards the forest. “What is it?” You whisper.
He looks at you intensely. “Stay out of sight.” He orders and you fall further back into the cave.
“Hello?!” Another mans voice rings out through the cave, you recognize it as one of the men from the tavern the night before.
“What do you want here, boy?” Balinor responds in aggravation.
“My friend, he’s sick! He needs help!” The mysterious man shouts.
“Show me, boy.” There a moment of silence. You peek out from behind a rock to notice the young man staring at Balinor. You jump when Balinor impatiently shouts “What are you waiting for? Fetch him!” When the other man leaves the dragon lord looks back at you. “You must go. Now, before they see you.”
You approach Balinor and wrap your arms around his torso in a hug. He stiffens from the sudden contact. “Be safe.” You release him from your embrace. “I’ll come back tomorrow.”
You quickly exit the cave, being careful not to run into the two men you know are in the woods. You spare a single glance back to the cave, and the man who was the closest thing you had to family, before finally departing for home.
You return to town and go to the tavern for the evenings work. However, the other workers at the tavern can tell that something is off with you. In your distracted state you make many more mistakes than you normally would have. The innkeeper decides to let you off early before you can cause any more trouble for his business. With nothing else to do you return home and spend the rest of the night trying and failing to distract yourself from the worry you felt for Balinor.
Come morning you begin your journey back to the dragon lords cave. When you arrive you are relieved to find him well, but keep your distance when you see that the two strangers are still around. You watch as Balinor walks from the nearby stream up to the cave. You sneak a bit closer, hoping to hear what they are saying.
“I will not help Uther.” Balinor sternly states.
“Then the people of Camelot are damned.” the blond man argued.
“So be it.”
“Have you no conscience?!” The blond man sounds desperate.
“You should ask that question of your father!” You can sense the deep hatred in Balinors voice.
“And you are no better than him!” The dark haired one finally speaks up, catching you off guard.
“Don’t waste your time, Merlin!” The blond man turns to walk away. You stand as still as possible in the underbrush near the cave so as to not draw attention to yourself.
The other man stays where he sits by the cave entrance. After a moment of thinking he turns towards Balinor to reprimand him. “Gaius spoke of the nobility of dragon lords! Clearly he was wrong!”
The old dragon lord almost didn’t respond, but he recognizes the name the younger man said. “Gaius?”
“Yes.”
“A good man.”
“Yeah. I was hoping you’d be like him.” The dark haired mans voice is riddled with disappointment.
“Merlin!” The blond one, insistent on leaving, shouts at his friend.
“I wanted to…” Merlin doesn’t listen to his friend.
“Merlin!” Comes another order from the impatient man.
“Well theres no point.” Merlin turns away to leave Balinor to think about all that has been said to him.
Once they are out of sight you sneak out from the underbrush. You wipe the leaves from your dress and approach the old man, who is lost in thought. “Who were those men?” Your question snaps him out of his musing.
“How much of that did you hear?
“Something about Camelot needing help. Who were they?” You repeat your own question after answering his.
“Camelots prince and his servant.” Balinors eyes become distant once again.
You place a hand on his shoulder. “What is it?”
He sighs and pulls away from your touch and gazes out of the cave. “I’m going to be going away for awhile.”
“You’re going to help Camelot after all?”
“Yes.” He turns his gaze back to you. “Please don’t worry about me.” You give him a melancholy look and he can tell that nothing he says will cause you to worry any less. “Stay safe Y/N.”
Balinor exits the cave. You put up a hand and wave him off. “You too, Balinor.”
—————————————————————
You know Balinor told you not to worry, but there is still a pit in your stomach and you are distraught with concern. It makes the journey back to town seem even longer than usual.
Your night working the tavern isn’t any easier, though you are better at hiding your emotions than the previous night. That doesn’t stop your mind from wandering all the while. Come the end of the evening you have made a decision. Tomorrow you shall follow Balinor to Camelot.
You return to your small home and look around. This may very well be the last time you stay here. After taking a moment to recall the good memories of your time here you begin to pack supplies for the journey ahead. While you hope to run into Balinor on his way to Camelot, you can’t say for certain that it’ll happen. Only time will tell what tomorrow will bring.
You set off at first light, hoping to make up any time lost from not immediately following Balinor. The journey is rather easy at first, but soon you spot Cenred’s men. You quickly hide and wait for them to pass. Not too long after you hear swords clattering and shouting. You feel sorry for whoever had the misfortune of fighting Cenred’s men.
“No!” shouts a familiar voice in the distance.
“Balinor?!” You whisper to yourself in fear.
When you hear another shout you run towards it, but not soon enough it seems. You arrive to see Balinor on the ground in the arms of the man known as Merlin.
“No!” shouts Camelots prince as he throws his sword on the ground. After a moment Merlin stands and faces his friend. “Camelot is doomed.”
Your heart races and tears well up in the corners of your eyes. You step out to face the two men. “Balinor?” you say in a hoarse voice. The duo look at you in surprise. They did not expect to see a woman alone in the woods, and they definitely didn’t expect you to know who Balinor is. You stumble past the two men and fall to the ground beside him. “No.” You squeeze your eyes shut and let your tears fall to the ground. You take Balinors lifeless hand in your own and hold it tightly. “I told you to be safe.”
The prince steps forward to speak but his servant shakes his head at him. Merlin crouches beside you instead. You hear him sniffle a bit but decide to ignore him. “I’m sorry. He was important to you wasn’t he?” Merlins own voice cracks while he speaks.
You don’t bother to look at him. “He was- he was the closest thing I had to a family.”
The dark haired man is surprised to hear that. Balinor didn’t mention you at all. Merlin hesitantly lifts a hand and places it on your shoulder. He feels you tense up before letting out a deep sob. He is on the verge of tears himself when the prince speaks up.
“Merlin.” He says, looming over his servant. Merlin wipes the tears from his eyes and looks up. “We have to go. It’ll do Camelot no good to waste time here.”
Merlin nods and turns his gaze towards you. “Who are you?”
You wipe the tears from your eyes and look at Merlin for the first time. You don’t quite understand why he has also been crying. “I’m Y/N.” It was hard for you to get any words out.
“Y/N.” Merlin repeats to himself. He stands and offers a hand to help you up. You look back down at Balinor, not wanting to leave his side. When he sees that you’re not going to take his hand, Merlin rescinds it. “You said he was like family to you. Are you… his daughter?”
You shake your head. “No. Not really.” You give a melancholy smile. “He raised me, but… he didn’t want me to call him father. Still…” Your smile fades and sadness once again takes over.
“You loved him like one.” Merlins voice catches in his throat. The two of you share the same feeling of grief.
Arthur sighs with impatience. He grabs Merlins shoulder and leans closer to him. “I understand that this is a sad moment, but we really must be going.” The prince tries to drag his servant away but you catch Merlin by the hand. Both Merlin and Arthur look down at you.
You gaze up at them through sorrowful eyes. “Please. We have to give him a proper burial.”
Arthur’s face drops into a visage of annoyance. Merlin looks at him, his own expression is downcast. “Arthur, we have to help her.”
Arthur groans. “Fine. If it’ll get us moving again.
“Thank you, your highness.” You can’t stop the tears from flowing down your cheeks.
Arthur and Merlin work together to set up a small grave for Balinor. While they work, you take the time to mourn by yourself. Once he is buried you spare a few moments of silence for the departed dragon lord. When the impromptu funeral is complete Arthur once again insists that it is time to return to Camelot.
Merlin turns to you. He knowing that you are a close connection to his father. “Come back with us” he insists.
Part of you wants to say no, to stay and grieve by yourself. However, another part of you can’t resist his offer. You clutch the satchel that’s flung over your shoulder. “I-“ you look into Merlins intense eyes. “Ok” you give in.
The three of you ride back to Camelot. Word of the dragon lords death is devastating news to the king and his people. Arthurs resolve doesn’t waver. He takes it upon himself to lead an army against the great dragon once night falls.
—————————————————————
“Please take a seat here and I’ll be with you in a moment.” The old physician named Gaius leads you to a table to sit at and follows Merlin into his room.
You set your bag down on the table and glance around. Being within the walls of Camelot is unlike anywhere you have been before. It’s almost overwhelming. This room alone has more knowledge than you have seen in your entire life.
Gaius exits the bedroom and takes a seat across from you at the table. “I’ve been told that you were raised by Balinor. Is this true?”
You nod your head. “My parents abandoned me as a child and Balinor found me alone in the woods. He took pity on me and let me stay with him.” You say through slight sobs.
“Staying with him was a huge risk. Even as a child you must have known this.” Gaius sounds like he is scolding you.
“I was a child. Being with someone was better than being alone.” Your anger catches both yourself and Gaius off guard. You wipe more tears from your eyes.
“I see.” The old man could tell that you were withholding information from him, but he didn’t want to pry. “Well, there is much I need to prepare for this evenings battle. You may stay here for the night.”
“You are very kind Gaius.” You recall Balinor saying that Gaius was a good man and it seems that he was right. “Could I help you with anything?”
The physician nods at you. “You can help me gather some medical supplies.”
—————————————————————
You and Gaius wait for Arthur and his knights to return from their battle. Finally the brave men are spotted on their return and the kingdom celebrates. Gaius immediately rushes to meet Merlin at the gates to the citadel. However, you are not as keen on the demise of a dragon. After all you are technically part dragon and would meet the same fate if anyone were to find out about your curse. You decide to return to the physicians chambers for the night. When you’re finally alone the weight of the events from today hit you. You curl up on the spare bed and uncontrollably sob into the pillow until you fall asleep.
The dawn greets you with the smell of a freshly cooked breakfast. You slowly roll out of bed and move to take a seat at the table.
“Ah, good morning.” Gaius greets.
“Morning.” your response is lacking in any emotion.
“How are you feeling today?”
You hesitate before replying, trying your best to find the words to describe your emotions. “I’m… doing better than last night. Is it normal to feel numb?”
Gaius stops cooking and turns towards you. “You suffered a great loss. Feeling as though you lack emotion is part of the grieving process.”
Merlin exits his room and walks down to the table to sit in front of you. “Morning Gaius, Y/N.”
“Good morning. Breakfast will be ready in a minute.” Gaius replies.
“How are you?” Merlin asks.
“I’m alright. And you?” Your tone, or lack thereof, tells a different story than your answer.
“I’m doing well.”
Gaius places a plate in front of both you and Merlin before taking a seat himself. The three of you eat in silence. Once you finish with your meal you slide your plate forward. “I want to thank both of your for your kindness. But, I’ve done some thinking and I believe that coming here was a mistake.” Merlin’s face grows concerned. “I plan to head back to my home in Cenreds kingdom.”
“You can’t!” Merlin blurts out.
You’re taken aback by his remark. “I…what do you mean I can’t?”
“Sorry. I just mean to say that you’ve only been here one night. You have to give Camelot a chance.”
There was that weird feeling again. Like you couldn’t resist what Merlin was saying. “Why is it so important to you that I stay?”
“Because-“ Merlin is cut off by someone shouting his name.
“Sounds like the prince is calling.” Gaius commented. Merlin groaned in protest and left to aid the prince without answering your question. You stand up and go to grab your satchel from beside the spare bed you had slept in. “So you’re still leaving then?”
“I’ll give Camelot another chance, but I can’t just sit around here. I have to find some place of my own.”
“I suggest you go to The Rising Sun. It is Camelots inn and tavern. You could stay there until you decide if you’d like to remain here.” Gaius advises.
You nod and open the door to leave. You take a moment to turn back to Gaius. “Thanks again.”
You find yourself wandering the town trying to find the inn, and perhaps even work if they’ll have you. You finally spot a sign for The Rising Sun. Upon entering you approach the innkeeper. “Excuse me, do you have any vacant rooms?”
The innkeeper takes a moment to look at his records. “We do.” He leans forward to try and intimidate you. “We require payment upfront.”
You take out a small bag of coins from your satchel and place it on the countertop. The innkeeper then gives you a key for your room. “I was also wondering if you are in need of any new barmaids?”
The innkeeper scratches his chin in thought. “I suppose I could. Have you worked in a tavern before?”
“Yes, in my old town”
The innkeeper spends another grueling minute in thought. “Alright. Stop by tonight and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you sir.” You nod in appreciation and head up to the room you paid for.
—————————————————————
You have been working for the Rising Sun tavern for several days now and avoiding contact with Merlin in the meantime. You have occasionally seen him around town, but after the strange feeling you got when he told you to give Camelot a chance you don’t want anything to do with him.
Unfortunately you can’t avoid Merlin forever, and it seems your luck has just run out. You look up from the table you were serving to see the young man himself standing in the doorway. “Take a seat anywhere” you give a shout to him as though he were any other customer.
The raven haired man takes a seat at a table in the corner of the room and waits for you to come over. You take a moment to yourself to prepare to talk to him. After a long and deep sigh you finally approach his table. “What can I get for you Merlin?”
“A moment of your time perhaps?” he gives you a sarcastic smile.
“Excuse me?” You say in aggravation.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
“No. I’ve just been busy is all.” You say matter-of-factly.
“Is that all?” He laughs and rests his head on his hand.
“Yes. Now is there something I can get you?”
Merlin frowns at you. His eyes are fraught with disappointment. “Just a tankard of anything will do”
“Of course.” You give a small curtsey and return to the bar. Merlin doesn’t wait long before you arrive with his drink. “Here you are. Just give a shout if you need anything else.” You turn to leave and Merlin takes hold of your wrist.
“Y/N. Sit with me… please.” There was that feeling again. You can’t bring yourself to disobey him and sit down at the table with an agitated groan. The expression on your face is pure annoyance.
When Merlin doesn’t say anything immediately you speak up. “Well?”
“I know you said you weren’t avoiding me, but I’m not stupid Y/N. You have been. I want to know why?” You don’t say anything back. Instead you simply gaze out into the tavern. Merlins hand touches yours and you can’t help but look at him. “Please, talk to me”
“Whenever I talk to you I get this strange feeling and I don’t like it. I’ve been avoiding you so I don’t get that feeling.” After abruptly speaking your hands immediately clasp over your mouth. Getting the wrong idea of what you mean Merlins face goes completely red. “I’m sorry I don’t know why I said that.”
“I-it’s fine.” He stutters back to you.
“That can’t be the only reason you’re here.” You avoid his gaze, your own face growing red from embarrassment.
Merlin clears his throat. “I actually wanted to ask you about Balinor.”
“Balinor?” Your head whips back towards him. “What is he to you?”
Merlin lowers his voice and leans in closer to you. “Are you good at keeping secrets?”
You nod your head. “Yes I’d say I am.”
“Balinor was my father.” He says in a whisper.
“He’s your- what?!” You are completely surprised and baffled by his confession causing you to raise your voice. Merlin promptly shushes you. “Sorry. He just never mentioned having any children.”
“He didn’t know. At least, not until I told him.” Merlin explains.
Relief comes over your mind to now know why you can’t resist Merlins commands. “So that means that you’re a dragon lord too right?” You lower your voice to avoid suspicion.
Merlin nods. “Yes. When my father died I inherited his powers.”
You give Merlin a heartwarming smile and stand up. “I’ll tell you anything you’d like to know about Balinor. But, I can’t right now. I have to get back to work and there are too many people around here.”
Merlin pulls out a couple of coins to pay for his drink. When you reach for them he places his hands over your own. You look at each other and he smiles. “Meet me in the woods tonight.” You nod at him and smile in agreement. You turn on your heel to return to work, but stop when Merlin once and calls out to you. “And Y/N,” you turn to face him, “thank you.”
—————————————————————
Your feet carry you to the edge of the dark woods. Merlin didn’t give you an exact location so you’re just hoping you run into him soon. “Y/N!” You hear the familiar voice of Merlin behind you.
“Good evening Merlin.” You greet back. You expect him to want to sit and talk but instead he grabs your hand.
“I want to show you something.” He begins to drag you through the forest.
“I thought you wanted me to tell you about your father?” You say through your heavy breathing.
“I do!” Merlin explains back. “But this is important too.”
After a while of running the two of you end up in a clearing. You are completely dumbfounded by what Merlin could possibly wish to show you all the way out here. The young dragon lord takes a few steps in front of you and turns around. “Have you ever seen a dragon before?” He asks enthusiastically.
“A couple of times actually.” You joke, though you are really only referring to seeing yourself on full moon nights. Merlin looks a bit disappointed and confused, he had thought that dragons were hunted to near extinction. “Don’t look so disappointed. Balinor was a dragon lord, of course I’d have seen a dragon before!” You giggle.
Merlin sighs and regains his composure. “Right. Well, I want you to meet Kilgharrah.” He turns back around before you can say anything more. The dragon lord lifts his head towards the sky and begins to chant in another language.
In human form you don’t understand it, but the dragon spirit within you knows it well. His words call forth a dragon and your curse wishes to oblige his request. “No! Merlin-“ you force his name out of your mouth in a pained state, but unfortunately not loud enough for him to hear. You stumble back to the tree line as quickly and quietly as you can.
You hadn’t expected to transform tonight and as such didn’t bring any change of clothes. You desperately try to disrobe, but getting a corset off is difficult enough without your rapidly growing claws.By the time you manage to get it off your body is starting to grow. You quickly remove the rest of your clothing, just in time for your wings to stretch from your shoulder blades. You give them a couple of flaps while scales begin to cover your body, your transformation almost complete. When you hear a loud thump behind you and crane your now dragon-like neck to see a large golden dragon through the trees.
Merlin turns around to find that you have disappeared. “YN?!” He calls out your name. There’s a moment of silence before your dragon form pierces the tree line as you fly into the night sky. The gust of wind your wings create through the forest nearly knocks Merlin over. You quickly redirect yourself and land next to the great dragon. Your form is only about half Kilgharrahs size, but still far larger than the dragon lord that summoned you.
You lay down and bow your head to the ground. “Merlin… this is not how I wished to show you this side of me.” Your voice is deeper in your this form, but the dragon lord can still tell that it is you. He takes a moment to take in your features. Shimmering dark blue scales and golden eyes that remind him of stars. Two large horns protrude from your head and curve towards your back and your large wings.
“Y/N… I don’t understand” he finally says.
“I’ve… been this way since I was a child. My parents always said I was cursed.” Merlin stares at you, enticing you to continue to speak. “Usually I am only in this form on a full moon, but you called for a dragon...” The dragon lords face falls with his guilt. You stand back up onto four legs and look at the other dragon beside you. You tilt your head curiously, “I’ve never actually seen another dragon before.”
The great dragon bows his head in greeting. “Before tonight I had thought I was the last of my kind.”
You turn your gaze away from the large creature and out to the forest. “In a way you still are. I am not quite a dragon…” your eyes glance down to Merlin. “but I am not quite human either.”
“I’m sorry.” Merlin blurts out.
You laugh, “Whatever for?”
“Forcing you to-”
“It was an accident Merlin. You didn’t know.” You once again lay down to try and get closer to his level. “If you order it, I’m sure you can also change me back.” He nods and opens his mouth to chant once again. “Wait!” you roar.
Merlins blue eyes look at you with confusion. “Don’t you want to be human again?”
“I do. It’s just…” Your eyes stray to the forest behind him. “I need you to bring me my clothes first.”
Merlins face heats up and turns bright red when he realizes that you are naked in this form. The look on his face causes the great dragon to erupt with laughter. “Young warlock did you truly expect a dragon to wear human clothes?”
The young man scurries into the forest in embarrassment to gather your discarded clothing while Kilgharrah continues to chuckle. When he returns he drops them in front of you and promptly turns around. The dragon lord calls to the magic within himself and once again chants in a language only known to the dragons. He orders you to return to human form. You tilt your head to the sky and let out a loud roar. Your body begins to shrink, wings, tail and horns receding back into you along with your scales. The final changes back into human form cause you to let out a groan of pain.
“Are you alright?” Merlin asks but doesn’t dare turn around.
“Nothing Im not used to.” You continue to groan and get dressed as quickly as you can. “Alright, you can turn around now.” You say as you finish lacing up your corset. Merlin slowly turns around and you can’t help but let out a small laugh. You plop down into the grass and pat beside you. Once he sits down there is an awkward silence that lingers between you. You sigh to break the tension. “So where should I begin?”
Melin thinks for a moment before responding. “Did you stay with my father because of your curse?”
You rub the back of your head and sigh. “Kind of, but it was more than that. Maybe I should just start at the beginning.”
“Please.” the warlocks eyes plead with your own. The excitement to learn about not only Balinor, but also your life is evident in his eyes.
You begin your recount at childhood. “My parents didn’t know why or how it happened but I have been cursed since I was born. At first they tried to live with it, to raise me without anybody knowing about the dragon curse. The pressure must have gotten to them though. When I was ten they took me out to the forest for the change, just as they always had. I should have noticed that they were acting strangely but I think I just didn’t want to see it.” Tears threaten to fall from the corners of your eyes. Merlin places a reassuring hand onto your own. “My father raised a sword to me that knight. He tried to slay me.” You pause for a moment to collect your thoughts. “I-I killed him in self defense. My mother couldn’t stand what I’d done. She told me to leave and never come back.”
“I’m so sorry.” The dragon lords soft blue eyes were filled with an empathetic sorrow. Your heart ached to know that he cared.
You nod to let him know that you acknowledge him but continue your story. “I ended up flying far away from that village. When my wings couldn’t carry me any more I found myself in a far off forest. I don’t remember too much after that, but Balinor found me that night. Somehow he got me back to the cave, though I was a much smaller dragon at that point so I suppose it’s possible he was able to carry me.” You give a small smile to recall your next memory. “You can imagine the shock he got when he woke up the next morning to find a human girl instead of a dragon.” Both Merlin and the great dragon let out a small chuckle at the thought. “I can’t claim to know what Balinor was thinking, maybe he couldn’t let a child in need be by herself, or maybe he just wanted to help a dragon… Whichever it was doesn’t really matter in the end. He was kind enough to take me in and give me a home, even if it was just a cave.”
Merlin is grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you for telling me all of this.” His smile doesn’t last too long before a look of guilt passes his face.
Upon seeing the warlocks crestfallen face you grow concerned. “What is it?”
“Its just… when we met you mentioned he was like family to you. I couldn’t help but feel jealous of what you had. He was my father, but you-you were the one who really knew him.” Merlin sounds aggravated with himself.
“Oh.” You do not sound disappointed, in fact you understand very well why he would feel that way. Once again the air falls silent between the two of you. You adjust how you’re sitting and clear your throat. “I must also admit, after coming to Camelot I held some resentment towards you. At the time I did not know why I couldn’t resist your commands, and it bothered me to know end”
“Im sorry about that. I had no idea.”
“You do apologize a lot.” You giggle.
“Sorry.” Merlin repeated before laughing himself upon realizing what he had said.
“Balinor didn’t know at first either.” You state. “Once he realized though he was a lot more careful with what he said to me. I believe the intent with his words also had an effect on whether or not he could control me.”
Merlin takes your hands in his own and looks at you, his eyes determined. “I promise to be more careful. I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do”
You smile at him. “Thank you.”
Merlin stands and looks towards Kilgharrah. “I do wonder…” You give him a very questioning look. “Is there a way to break her curse?” He asks the great dragon.
“I have lived many years young warlock, but I’m afraid I have never heard of such a curse existing before. If there is a cure I do not possess knowledge of it.” The great dragon speaks clearly with a tone that conveys his great wisdom.
Once again the raven haired man looks disappointed. You stand and place a hand on his shoulder. “Its alright Merlin. I appreciate the sentiment, but I have never known a life without this curse. At this point I feel that I would not even know myself without it.”
At your kind words Merlin smiles once more. He takes your hands in his own. “Allow me to help you like my father did. I want you to be able to stay in Camelot, to feel like you belong here.”
A slight blush sneaks across your face at his words. “O-of course!” You stutter a bit, unsure of what was coming over you.
Merlin is ecstatic to hear you say that. So much so that he wraps his arms around you in a hug. “I swear I’ll make sure you’re safe! Especially on the full moons.”
You laugh at how overeager he is and continue to hug him back. “Merlin, I can’t thank you enough!”