Work Text:
It was on one of his usual endeavours to the vaults that Merlin was interrupted on his search for secret magical artefacts by some weird noises to his left. He squinted into the gloomy corner but couldn’t see anything. Merlin decided to investigate, ignoring the quickening of his heartbeat and walked away from the chest he was looking through.
As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he stopped dead in his tracks. The light reflected in orange eyes that stared right at him. Merlin raised his hand, ready to strike should the creature attack. A small, curious sound escaped its throat and he watched as a tiny dragon crawled closer to him.
Merlin sighed in relief and squatted down, tilting his head to the side.
“Now, what are you doing here?” He asked in a higher voice and the dragon sat down a few feet away from him, watching him with curious eyes. Merlin shook his head in amusement and offered a hand to the little animal.
The dragon leaned forward but couldn’t quite reach him so she took a few more steps to brush her head along his hand. A sound irritatingly close to a purr escaped her when Merlin started stroking her head and he chuckled.
The little dragon looked up at him innocently and kept on enjoying the love and attention. Merlin made sure to cuddle her properly before speaking to the dragon in her tongue.
The dragon sat up straight and stared up at him with loving eyes but she didn’t reply when Merlin asked for her name and the reason she was there. Instead, the little one tilted her head to the side and then rubbed herself against Merlin’s shins.
Merlin sighed, accepting that she wasn’t yet old enough to speak to him and kept on petting her while trying to think of a name.
“What do you think about Mirod?” He asked and the dragon looked at him with a disappointed look. Merlin laughed and nodded.
“Alright, so you don’t like that,” he concluded and kept on thinking.
“Marduk?” He asked and she purred loudly, flapping her wings slightly. Merlin nodded contentedly and kept on petting her.
“Well, look at you, Marduk. What would you think about some food?” Merlin asked and she kept on purring happily. Merlin scratched her chin and got up. “I’ll get you something.”
He had long forgotten about the purpose of his visit to the vaults and so he left without looking back, quickly heading to the kitchen where he tried to charm the chef out of some chicken and beef.
He failed spectacularly and ended up stealing the food. Running from the scene of the crime Merlin bumped into armour, almost knocking Arthur over with his speed. Arthur looked at him with annoyance.
“How, Merlin? How? Am I that hard to see?” Arthur complained and Merlin strongly shook his head. Arthur’s expression turned even darker and scoffed at Merlin.
“I don’t even want to know what that’s supposed to mean,” he grumbled and Merlin grinned before quickly taking off again heading to the vaults. Arthur watched him leave and shook his head. Sometimes his manservant was indeed a mystery to him.
When Merlin reached the vaults again, Marduk was waiting by the door, looking at him with a slightly wagging tail and big, round eyes. When he offered her a chicken leg, happy squeals filled the dark room and soon after the sound of enthusiastic chewing. Merlin watched her with loving eyes while she devoured the food.
Merlin petted her a few more minutes until she curled up behind a chest and closed her eyes. Merlin smiled at the image before quickly heading back to work where Arthur was already expecting him impatiently.
~
Arthur knew he shouldn’t be there. The vaults were restricted for everyone except for his father and Gaius alone for a reason and the chill that crept up his spine upon entering only seemed to prove his point. When he then heard rustling in a far corner, Arthur’s pulse shot up and he reached for the hilt of his sword, trying to see in the dark.
When orange eyes suddenly stared back at him, he almost lost it and quickly started backing away towards the door. Suddenly, the eyes grew bigger and bigger and Arthur realised that it was coming closer quickly. Arthur shrieked and held his sword in front of him, swishing it through the air to keep whatever was coming away from him.
But it simply sat down a few feet away from him and looked at him curiously. Arthur squinted and then his jaw dropped.
“But dragons are dead,” he mumbled in awe at the tiny creature, who looked kind of offended by his words. She flapped with her wings and stood tall on her back legs. Arthur had to grin at the image and slowly knelt down.
The dragon crawled closer and brushed her head against his hand and Arthur carefully started stroking her neck. She started purring at that and Arthur shook his head in disbelief. This was not how he had imagined his encounter with a dragon at all. To be frank, he hadn’t thought of them as being tiny and cute before either.
She blinked at him with her big eyes and Arthur felt his heart melt.
“Oh, you are dangerous,” he mumbled as he stood up again.
“You must be hungry, right? I’ll get you something,” he decided and left the vaults, heading to the castle’s kitchen. Nobody questioned it when he asked for some chicken and beef. Even though the chef sent him an odd glance, he felt accomplished when he watched the small dragon munch happily on a chicken leg.
~
It became a habit for Merlin to climb down into the vaults at least twice a day to feed Marduk and keep her company. He quickly found out that she loved hunting magical butterflies that turned into snacks once she had caught them and Merlin couldn’t stop grinning watching her.
She became his sanctuary as life went on, he found peace watching her play and grow slowly.
Only down here, in the twilight of the vaults did he feel like he could truly be who he was. He felt like he could finally stop hiding and pretending and be who he was meant to be. Marduk made him feel happy, carefree even.
He lazily threw her some pieces of raw meat that she fried with her little flame and then caught with her mouth. After a few tries she had mastered that trick and not missed a piece ever since. Merlin wanted to make sure that she’d be able to feed herself one day and he thought that this particular skill could prove to be pretty helpful.
Obviously, she also tested her limits, trying to char his neckerchief which he didn’t like at all. In fact, he might have splashed her with a bit of water out of spite because he really liked that neckerchief.
And when Arthur asked him later, why he smelled like his arse was on fire, he mentally shot Marduk a dark look.
~
Arthur came down to the vaults as often as he could. He would usually head down between breakfast and practice, trying to feed her as often as possible. She always acted like she had been starving and Arthur happily brought her her favourite meat, chicken legs, as often as the suspicious cook would allow.
He absolutely adored the small dragon as he made her wrestle with his arm to build her strength. She would try to catch his fingers while Arthur tried to get a hold of her legs.
Her glance was fierce when they played but once he stroked her back she happily napped on his lap and Arthur wasn’t sure what he preferred. To some weird extent it felt like he was parenting a child.
A very independent and rather wild child but still. Arthur loved her like a daughter that was for sure and he kept on wondering what he could do to allow her out of the vaults but the only option he had was to legalise magic.
She wasn’t ready to leave Camelot and be on her own yet but he hated having her down here like a prisoner. But he didn’t know whether he could do this. He didn’t know if he could abolish everything his father stood for to make magic legal.
The thought had crossed his mind time and time again now but he hadn’t allowed himself to dwell on it because these laws were everything he knew. He didn’t know Camelot with magic and for all it was worth, he wanted to protect his kingdom.
And he simply didn’t know whether he needed to protect it from magic as well.
Arthur scratched her chin as she laid on her bag in his lap and he smiled at the purring dragon, who looked utterly content with the world. Her eyes were slowly shutting and Arthur decided that a few more moments of peace couldn’t hurt either of them.
~
It was just like any other morning. Arthur had just disappeared to the training grounds but Merlin hadn’t managed to check on Marduk before seeing Arthur so he snuck into the kitchen and then down into the vaults.
He opened up the heavy door and stood still as he took in the sight.
Arthur was sitting on the floor, slowly petting Marduk who seemed to be sleeping in his lap. Merlin’s brain needed a few moments to even understand what was going on, then his jaw dropped. The image was so unbelievable for him, somehow it felt like a dream come true seeing Arthur in harmony with a magical creature. He stared in awe for a few more seconds before Arthur must have sensed him.
Their eyes locked in a shared glance of shock and confusion. Merlin let the door fall into its lock and then slowly walked towards Arthur, still uncertain whether to believe in the sight in front of him.
Arthur had frozen in place in the meantime, his head resting motionless on Marduk’s back and Marduk started squirming underneath, shooting Arthur an impatient look. Then, she spotted Merlin and instantly jumped up, quickly padding over to him and brushing her head against his legs.
Arthur cleared his throat. “Hey?” He said with an uncertain voice and Merlin nodded slowly.
“Hello,” he replied, trying to ignore the awkward tension between them. “What are you doing down here?” He continued and Arthur shot Marduk a glance who decided to sit down right between them.
“I- I tried to help her alright,” Arthur said defensively and crossed his arms in front of his chest, still sitting on the ground.
“How did you even find her?” Merlin asked curiously but Arthur strongly shook his head.
“No, no, no what are you even doing here?” Arthur requested to know.
“Bringing her breakfast,” Merlin answered and pulled a chicken leg out of his pocket and threw it to Marduk who caught it with ease.
“Chicken leg,” Arthur whispered in disbelief and Merlin furrowed his brow.
“Yes?” Merlin said and Arthur groaned.
“That’s her favourite,” Arthur said and it dawned on Merlin as well.
“Marduk!” He said in disbelief. “The audacity!”
Arthur nodded and looked at her sternly. “Have you been getting food from the both of us?” He asked her and she looked innocently from Merlin to Arthur and back to Merlin as she munched on the chicken leg.
“That’s unbelievable,” Arthur muttered, then he looked up at Merlin again.
“But what were you doing down here?” Arthur asked and Merlin sighed, squatting down to pet Marduk’s head.
“I was looking for something,” he admitted and Arthur rolled his eyes at him.
“Maybe a tad more information, Merlin?” He asked and Merlin squinted at him.
“Shouldn’t you have killed her? Or at least sent her away?” Merlin shot back and Arthur pressed his lips together.
“Well, she doesn’t really harm anyone being down here,” Arthur tried to justify himself.
“No, Arthur. You didn’t only tolerate her, you helped her. You fed her and cuddled with her!” Merlin said and grinned at Arthur who sighed exasperatedly.
“Well, I wasn’t the only one apparently,” Arthur replied and shook his head at Marduk.
“It’s a wonder that you can still fly, you must have eaten so much!” Arthur accused her and she chirped at him happily. Arthur rolled his eyes at her before looking back up at Merlin.
“So we both are breaking the law,” Arthur stated, then added “my law” with a sigh. Merlin nodded slowly and he felt an opportunity that was slipping away quickly. He felt the urge, the desire to tell Arthur his biggest secret.
It seemed so easy now that a dragon sat right between them, so right to finally be honest. He surely couldn’t hate him if he took care of Marduk so selflessly.
“It’s not only that,” Merlin started carefully and he motioned for Marduk to come closer.
“This is not the first time I’ve broken the law,” Merlin admitted and looked Arthur in the eyes as butterflies appeared from his hand, circling Marduk’s head who instantly started chasing them enthusiastically.
“I have magic, Arthur,” Merlin confessed quietly and watched as Arthur’s expression went from shock and confusion to realisation.
“Oh,” was Arthur’s uninspired reply and silence settled between them as they watched Marduk play.
“Did you create her, then?” Arthur asked and Merlin quickly shook his head.
“No, I found her just like you did. I wouldn’t even know how to create a dragon,” Merlin started rambling but stopped himself.
“And I am sorry, Arthur. For not being honest, I just didn’t know how to tell you,” Merlin carefully added and Arthur nodded slowly.
“Well, it makes sense,” he said and he looked at Merlin contemplatively. “And it makes a lot of things easier actually,” he continued but didn’t care to elaborate further. Merlin didn’t dare to ask.
“What happens with her now?” Merlin asked cautiously and Arthur shrugged.
“She can’t leave just yet. I’d fear for her safety so until she’s big enough, we can start taking care of her together,” Arthur proposed and Merlin was once again in awe.
“If that’s what you want, Arthur,” he replied eagerly and Arthur couldn’t help but grin.
“This has to be a first. You agree with me without discussion?” Arthur asked jokingly and Merlin shrugged.
“It’s your first good suggestion,” Merlin replied dryly and Arthur rolled his eyes at him.
“Well, we should better head back up. I wouldn’t want anyone to come looking for us,” Arthur said and Merlin nodded quickly, sending off a few more butterflies for Marduk to play with.
“And you’re not mad?” Merlin asked on the way up. Arthur looked at him from the side before shaking his head.
“I’ve been taking care of a dragon, might as well add a sorcerer to the list.”
“If you’re thinking that you are taking care of me, you are gravely mistaken!” Merlin protested and Arthur grinned.
“Tell me about it.”
~
It became a habit for the two of them to descend into the vaults right after having breakfast in Arthur’s chambers which they started sharing out of comfort. It was way easier to talk about their past adventures in this new light over some breakfast eggs.
They would bring Marduk food that made her squeal with excitement and hop from one lap to another, ready to be spoiled rotten. They tried their best to raise her properly but they also couldn’t resist her big, innocent eyes.
Arthur found that Merlin was the happiest down in the gloomy halls, where he could use his magic freely and when he watched him play with Marduk, he was in awe of his gentle powers.
Merlin truly was a special soul and Arthur thanked the fates whenever he could, that Merlin had come to Camelot against all odds. Because even though he wouldn’t say it out loud, Merlin made his life better. Merlin made him better.
He watched as Merlin held her close and she protested against being held so tightly but Merlin only laughed.
“Oh, you little rebel,” Merlin complained and allowed her to sit on his shoulder, where she seemed to be grinning happily.
Arthur grinned and reached over to take her. She hopped into his arms only to start chasing for his fingers. Arthur laughed as they fought playfully. He caught Merlin’s glance a few times, answering it with questioning eyes but he only shook his head so Arthur didn’t think much of it.
It was only when Marduk layed down on a rug, curled together tightly and closed her eyes, they quietly went for the door. They walked up the small flight of stairs in silence before Merlin suddenly stopped and turned around.
“So, you’re alright with me having magic?” Merlin asked and Arthur nodded, looking at Merlin with confusion.
“And you keep a dragon in the vaults?” Merlin continued and Arthur furrowed his brow.
“Did someone curse you?” Merlin asked, squinting at him and Arthur burst into laughter. Merlin simply stood and stared while Arthur calmed down.
“No, Merlin, I feel rather much like myself,” Arthur replied and tilted his head to the side. “In fact, this feels more like me than most things I have done as king so far,” he added and Merlin raised an eyebrow.
“You have just said it yourself: I seem to be surrounded by magic and I don’t plan to act on that in any other way but to make magic legal again,” Arthur said in a low voice and Merlin’s eyes widened.
“You… Really?” Merlin asked incredulously but Arthur saw the way his eyes lit up with hope and Arthur realised he’d do anything to see his eyes light up again. He quickly burrowed that thought and nodded.
Merlin leaned forward and pulled him into a tight hug. Arthur froze for a moment, before awkwardly returning the hug. Merlin didn’t seem to care. He whispered “thank you” into Arthur’s shoulder and Arthur smiled softly.
“It’s all for Marduk of course,” Arthur joked and Merlin punched him in the arm as he pulled back.
“Sure, that little devious dragon is the reason you lift the ban and not your loyal manservant,” Merlin said but couldn’t hide his grin.
“Well, she is cute,” Arthur reminded him and Merlin only rolled his eyes at him, going back to climbing the stairs.
“Am cute, too,” he muttered under his breath and Arthur once again broke out in laughter.
~
It takes some time for Arthur to convince the council of his plan and create the right laws with Merlin. In the meantime, Marduk grew bigger and bigger and they started to realise that their days so close together might be counted. Only a few months after Arthur finally legalised magic again, Marduk had finally grown too big to remain in the vaults.
They brought her outside with the first rays of sunshine and she simply stood and stared for a few moments, taking in the view of her new freedom.
“It’s a big world,” Marduk told Merlin in dragon tongue and Merlin nodded.
“You can always return, Marduk,” Merlin offered and she lowered her head for the both of them to pet her. She was the size of a cow now and her growth still hadn’t stopped.
“I will, my Lord,” she said and looked at the two of them once more. “But for now, I need to live and see the world outside of these walls.”
“Take care of yourself,” Merlin said urgently and she seemed to be rolling her eyes.
“You really need to,” Arthur came in support and looked at her sternly. “We want you home by next winter,” he reminded her.
“Take good care of the king, my Lord,” Marduk urged him and Merlin nodded.
“I’ll try my best.”
Marduk took a deep breath and then she was off, floating in the air and disappearing behind the horizon. Merlin sighed as he watched her leave and Arthur watched her a bit wistfully as well.
“She was like a child,” Arthur sighed and Merlin raised an eyebrow at him.
“That makes us the parents, Arthur,” he reminded him and Arthur shrugged, peaking at him from the side.
“Might as well be,” Arthur said blatantly and Merlin raised a surprised eyebrow at him.
Arthur simply put his arm around Merlin’s shoulders as they stared into the rising sun and Merlin decided to keep quiet for once and enjoy the fleeting moment of peace and something deeper.