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Chapter Text

“This may sound strange, Merlin, but I have dreamt of you.”

Merlin froze as the voice of the King’s ward spoke up from behind him. He had just gone to give Morgana her dose of sleeping draught, though he knew it would do barely anything to stop her visions. Morgana’s gift as a seer was strong.

It had been a rough day for Morgana. After the fire that burnt her chambers, the fire that she was adamant she started, both he and Morgana had been on edge and Merlin was amazed she was comfortable enough to try and sleep in her own chambers again.

The king’s ward believed it to be magic. Merlin knew this to be true. He knew the signs and he knew exactly how Morgana felt. But he was cautious. He wanted to tell her the truth, but it had been drilled into him since he came to Camelot to keep the magic a secret. However this didn’t stop Merlin from wanting to sit down and explain to his friend that magic wasn’t evil, to simply conjure a flame in his hand to prove to Morgana that she wasn’t alone.

Merlin stopped halfway to Morgana’s door and his heart began to pound as he wondered which of his many secrets could be revealed to her in her dreams.

He turned to face her, schooling his features to look surprised instead of nervous. Morgana herself had a pink tinge to her cheek, as if she was embarrassed.

“I know it is strange to say, considering everything that has happened, but I have dreamt of you three times this past week. It is always the same. I see you in a grand castle, far from here. In a kingdom that embraces magic. In my dream you are the prince, a fierce warrior and beloved by your people. But you were forced to leave. There was a rebellion, a coup, a traitor who wanted the power for themselves … you had to be taken to safety…” Morgana trailed off. She shook her head and laughed, “Sorry Merlin. I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Merlin forced himself to laugh along with her, “It is alright, my lady. They are only dreams. If only they were true though! If I were a prince, I wouldn’t have to look after the Prat!”

Morgana chuckled and Merlin took his cue to leave. “Goodnight, my lady.”

“Goodnight, Merlin.”

The warlock exited the chambers, pausing to compose himself outside of Morgana’s door. He should have seen this coming. Morgana’s visions had been true in the past, and this time was no different. Morgana thought them to be merely dreams, but he, Merlin Ambrosius, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Dracona, knew better.

Morgana’s dreams were true.

Chapter Text

“What’s wrong, Merlin?” Gaius asked as soon as Merlin walked into their chambers after leaving Morgana. Gaius had seen that troubled expression on his ward’s face too many times. It did not bode well.

Merlin sat at their table. “… Morgana’s dreams. Gaius, she knows. She knows I’m a prince. She’s been dreaming of me. Of me in a kingdom that embraces magic. She has seen the rebellion...”

Gaius sat beside the young prince and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He knew the subject of the rebellion was a painful topic for him. A traitorous noble of the court, Lord Anthony Blackwood, desired the Draconian throne for himself. After months of preparing, he attacked the citadel with a large army of traitors, mercenaries, bandits and powerful dark sorcerers. Merlin and his mother, Queen Hunith, were forced to flee whilst King Balinor stayed behind to give them time to escape and rally his people.

Queen Hunith and Merlin finally took refuge in the village of Ealdor. They traded their fine gowns for peasant clothes and assumed the life of a lowly single mother and her son. Every day they waited anxiously for news of Dracona and of Balinor, but none came. They had no idea what happened to their people, or if the king even still lived.

Finally, a message arrived. King Balinor was alive and in hiding. The War for Dracona was still waging, but Hunith and Merlin were to stay in Ealdor. As crown prince and sole heir to the throne, Merlin’s safety was paramount. Merlin had protested greatly at these orders. He should be fighting alongside his father! Many times the young prince had packed his bags with the intention of leaving to join the king, but his mother’s wise and soothing words had always stopped him. Eventually though, Merlin had to leave Ealdor regardless. His magic had become too strong, too noticeable. The prince had to learn to control it, and so, Merlin was sent to Camelot and Gaius.

Merlin had found a place to belong in Camelot. Arthur, Morgana and Gwen had become his close friends, but he always yearned for Dracona. Where dragons soared across the skies and magic was used freely. Where those born with the gift were not prosecuted, but embraced. He missed the friends he had in the knights, he missed his father, he missed his people. He just missed his kingdom.

“It is alright, my boy,” Gaius said comfortingly. “I do not believe you will have to stay away forever. The war with Blackwood will end, and you can go home.”

Merlin nodded, though his eyes were filled with frustrated tears. “I also worry about Morgana, Gaius. Her visions, her powers are getting stronger. That fire … she deserves to know the truth.”

“But if Uther-“

“Forget Uther!” Merlin snapped, “If she was a citizen of Dracona, her gifts would be welcomed. She would know that magic is not something to be fearful of! I would never let one of my subjects go so worried their gifts, so how can I not do the same to someone who I call a friend?”

“The same way you can allow the Great Dragon to be chained beneath the castle. Because you know what will happen if it is set free.”

“Kilgharrah deserves to be set free,” Merlin countered, though his heart was not in the argument. His thoughts were far away, filled with the picture of a beautiful young woman who was struggling with her newly-found power. “Dragons are not meant to be chained. They should be free to roam the earth.”

“In Dracona, yes. But the Great Dragon has spent decades under Camelot. He will want revenge.”

“Do you not think he deserves it, though?” Merlin asked harshly. “To be imprisoned and separated from your kin? I am the son of a Dragonlord, Gaius. Kilgharrah is my kin. It pains me to see him in chains as much as it pains me to see Morgana struggling with her magic.”

“Merlin,” Gaius said seriously. “I know you wish to help. But promise me you won’t do anything rash. It could have disastrous consequences.”

It took a long time for Merlin to answer his guardian. He didn’t want to promise Gaius anything, because the prince knew that sooner or later, he would break that promise. Both Morgana and Kilgharrah needed help, and Merlin was honour-bound to help them.

But regardless of how he really felt, he found himself replying, “Of course, Gaius. I promise.”

The next day found Merlin with a list of chores to do that was a mile long. It didn’t really bother him though; people left him alone and that gave him time to think. Also scrubbing the floor of Arthur’s chambers gave him a way to vent his frustration at his predicament. Did he tell Morgana the truth and should he release Kilgharrah?

“Alright, what’s with you?” Came Arthur’s instantly recognisable voice.

Merlin looked up to see the Prince of Camelot standing in the doorway. Arthur had spent the day looking into the case of Morgana’s burnt chambers and rounding up those accused of sorcery. Now, however, he was looking at Merlin with both an amused and concerned expression on his face.

“Sorry?” Merlin asked, pausing in scrubbing the floor.

Arthur walked into his room and sat at his desk. “Believe it or not, Merlin. I do enjoy hearing your surly retorts. Yet you’ve been totally quiet and dare I say efficient in your tasks all day. You’re never on time and you always complain, so … what’s wrong?”

Merlin continued cleaning the floor, “Nothing’s wrong, Arthur.”

“Come on, Merlin,” Arthur said, and Merlin could hear the serious concern in his master’s voice. “I know it’s been a bit of a rough few days with Morgana’s chambers being attacked, but those responsible will be caught. It will all work out in the end. If anything is bothering you, you can tell me.”

Merlin sighed, ceased his scrubbing and looked up at the prince. “Of course I’m concerned about Morgana, but it’s also just a bit of home sickness, sire. It will pass.” It wasn’t entirely untrue. He did miss his parents, his homeland and his people and he was concerned for Morgana. He just didn’t exactly have the same concern for her as Arthur did. Arthur was worried about her because she was like family to him; Merlin was worried because she was a friend who was struggling with magic.

“You miss Ealdor and your mother?”

“Yes, and my father.”

“Your father? You never speak of him.” Arthur’s tone was surprised and held a lot of curiosity. Merlin winced inwardly. He should have known better than to bring up Balinor.

“My father is a good man, to which bad things have happened to. My mother and I had to separate from him for a while. I would rather not speak about it, sire.”

Merlin had used the prince’s title two times in the last minute. Arthur knew it was Merlin’s way of shutting him out, of keeping his privacy. It struck Arthur that Merlin was a very private person.

There was a silence until Arthur finally said, “Alright, Merlin. But if there’s a problem you come to me, alright?”

Merlin sent him a grateful smile. “Yes. Of course. Thank you, Arthur.”

Arthur was spared answering by a knock on the door. The prince called out “Enter” and Morgana opened the door, followed closely by Gwen.

“Arthur, I was wondering if you would like to accompany Gwen and I for a ride?” Morgana asked.

“Morgana, you’ve been attacked, I’m supposed to be leading the investigation. And do you really think leaving the castle is the best thing for you right now?”

“I talked with Uther,” Morgana replied. “He was reluctant, but I just need to get out of the castle for a while. He said I could go if you accompanied me. Please Arthur?”

“Of course,” Arthur said eventually, and Merlin noticed he kept looking over at Guinevere. Merlin smiled smugly. He knew there was something between Arthur and Gwen after the whole ‘Sir William of Deira’ incident. “Come on, Merlin,” the prince said.

“But I haven’t finished the fl-“

“-You can finish that later,” Arthur said. “Come on, it would be good for all of us to get out of the castle.”

That was how Merlin found himself out on a ride not ten minutes later. Arthur and Morgana rode ahead whilst he and Gwen trailed behind them. Merlin still couldn’t shake the thought of whether or not to tell Morgana the truth. And he knew he ought to free Kilgharrah, but he was afraid of the dragon’s wrath towards Camelot.

“What is the matter, Merlin?”

Gwen was looking over at him in concern.

Merlin winced inwardly. He really needed to stop being so noticeably upset. People would continue to ask questions if he continuously seemed troubled. He forced a smile on his face and turned to Gwen.

“I’m fine,” he said.

Guinevere looked at him, clearly unconvinced. “Really, Merlin. You are my friend. I know you aren’t alright. Please, let me help you.”

“It’s alright, Gwen. Really.”

“Merlin.”

He sighed, “What would you do if you knew a friend up was upset, and you could help them, but by doing so, you had to reveal a part of yourself that you have never shown anyone? Would you help them? Or would you keep to yourself?”

Merlin knew he shouldn’t have said anything. But this was Gwen. He had always valued her opinion. She had a calm head on her shoulders and she always had good advice.

She went silent for a while before replying. “I think,” she said at last, “that if you were really someone’s friend, you would help them, regardless of whatever effect it had on you.”

Merlin nodded silently. Yes, he thought. I must help Morgana. She deserves to know the truth. And Kilgharrah deserves to go free, but I fear what he would do to Camelot.

“I hope you know, Merlin, that you can always come to me if you have a problem,” Gwen said, still looking at him in concern. “Or Arthur, or Morgana. We are your friends.”

He smiled more naturally at her, “I know, Gwen. Thank you.”

They continued to ride on in silence as their masters still rode on ahead. “Although,” Gwen said, “Morgana has been troubled too of late.”

Merlin wasn’t surprised, he knew what Morgana was going through, but he acted it. “Really? What’s wrong? I mean, besides the fire?”

Gwen bit her lip, clearly uneasy about telling her mistress’s secrets.

“You can tell me,” Merlin said, “I won’t tell a soul.”

Gwen hesitated a moment longer, but eventually said, “It is her nightmares. They are getting worse. Gaius’s sleeping potion isn’t working well enough. Do you think he could make them stronger?”

“I’ll ask him,” Merlin promised.

“They haven’t been quite as bad this week,” Gwen admitted. “She’s had at least three nights of peaceful rest.”

I have dreamt of you three times this past week. Merlin thought back to what Morgana said the night before. Were her dreams of him the nights where Morgana slept peacefully?

“What does she dream of?”

Gwen shook her head, “She never tells me. But she will wake up screaming and I can tell she is becoming more and more reluctant to go to sleep. It is almost as if she is afraid of what she will dream. I am worried for her, Merlin.”

“I will talk to Gaius,” he vowed.

She smiled gratefully at him, “Thank you, Merlin.”

Merlin went to reply, but any further conversation was halted by Arthur and Morgana suddenly taking off in a race against each other, their laughter loud and carefree as they galloped. Merlin and Gwen shared a look of fond exasperation and then hurried to keep up with their masters.

It was late, Gwen had left taking the candle with her and Morgana was left on her own. She was afraid to sleep. She didn’t know what would happen and the word ‘magic’ kept entering her mind, but she didn’t want to admit it. To have magic and be the ward of Uther Pendragon … it was horrible to even think of.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Morgana couldn’t tell if she was happy or sad about that. Her dreams had been so frightening lately – except those strange ones about Merlin as a prince – and she didn’t want to use magic again.

No, she told herself. It isn’t magic. It isn’t!

She tried to think of anything else. What dress she would wear the next day, what she would talk to Gwen about, anything, anything but the possibility of magic.

Merlin… A strange voice sounded in her head. It was male and decidedly old-sounding.

Upon hearing it, Morgana gasped and sat up in bed. It was nothing, she thought. I’m just imaging it.

Merlin.

The voice sounded again. Someone or something was calling out to Merlin. But who would be calling out to Merlin? And how?

Merlin.

She tried to ignore the voice, but it was persistent.

Do not ignore me, Merlin.

Her curiosity piqued, Morgana got out of bed and put a robe on over her nightdress. She left her chambers and headed towards Gaius’s. On her way there, she saw Merlin himself leaving the physician’s chambers.

Acting on instinct, she did not call out to him. Instead, she clung to the shadows and followed him. Perhaps Merlin was off to meet with the one whose voice sounded in her head. That had to be where he was going.

She was surprised they had not been stopped by any guards. Considering Uther thought she’d been attack the night before, she figured there would be more on patrol, but they encountered none as Merlin unknowingly lead her to the caverns underneath the castle.

“Where is he going?!” She whispered to herself.

Eventually Merlin stopped at a huge cavern. Somewhere on his path from Gaius’s to the caverns beneath the castle, Merlin had acquired a torch and he held it aloft as he stared out at the dark cave. “Well?!” He shouted into the darkness. “You called for me, Kilgharrah! Where are you?”

Who is Kil-

But Morgana’s thought was cut off by the arrival of the Great Dragon. It landed on a rock just beyond the ledge Merlin was standing on and Morgana was amazed to see that Merlin didn’t look remotely alarmed at all by the dragon’s presence. Morgana had to stifle a gasp at the sight of the dragon, but Merlin hadn’t even taken a surprised step backwards. He hadn’t shouted in fright, he didn’t run for his life, if the way he’d shouted was anything to go by, he sounded more annoyed than anything else.

“Indeed I did call for you, young warlock,” the dragon said.

Morgana was completely shocked. There was a dragon under the castle and it could speak. Actually speak. And Merlin was in contact with it. In fact, the dragon had called Merlin a warlock! A warlock! Morgana knew what that meant, of course. From a young age Uther had educated her and Arthur about magic and the Old Religion, so they may better identify magic users and eradicate them. Apparently she and Arthur hadn’t paid close enough attention to these lessons, because if what the dragon said was true, Merlin had magic!

Merlin has magic! I am not alone! She thought in relief, before focusing back on Merlin and the dragon as they continued their conversation.

“I sensed a magical disturbance in the castle last night, young warlock,” the dragon went on. “It must have come from the witch.”

“Don’t call Morgana a witch!” Merlin snapped.

They’re talking about me, Morgana realised and instantly was even more curious as to their conversation. She quietly inched closer to them, making sure to keep to the shadows and that she was hidden behind some rocks.

“She is as much as witch as you are a warlock, Merlin. You were both born with your magic; Morgana’s has just developed later in life than yours.”

Now it was confirmed. Merlin definitely had magic. But what was he doing living in Camelot? A place where those with magic were put to death? Why would he serve Arthur, the son of the man who would see his kind destroyed?

The dragon’s words also confirmed Morgana’s fears that she had magic. Strangely, knowing that Merlin had magic made her not as afraid to have the gift. If Merlin could survive in Camelot then so could she. Perhaps they could learn magic together? Perhaps Merlin could teach her control?

“Morgana is scared,” Merlin said. “I have to talk to her. To tell her I have magic. I know what she’s going through. She needs to know she’s not alone.”

“Morgana Pendragon has a dark destiny. It would be better if the witch never knew the true extent of her powers.”

Pendragon? Morgana thought. I am not a Pendragon.

Merlin was clearly as confused as Morgana was. “Pendragon? What are you talking about? Morgana is from the House of Gorlois.”

“Uther is her father!” The dragon insisted, “He and the Lady Vivienne spent a night together, which resulted in the birth of the witch! She is a Pendragon! Daughter of Uther and half-sister to Arthur.”

Morgana’s eyes pooled with tears. Why had Uther not said anything? This couldn’t be right. She was a Gorlois! Not a Pendragon!

“Pendragon or not, she is my friend. I will not abandon her,” Merlin declared.

Morgana felt a wave of gratitude and love towards the manservant. Magic or not, here he was arguing with a dragon on her behalf. Love. The thought pulled her up short. Love? I don’t love Merlin. He is my friend, nothing more. But now that the idea was in Morgana’s head, it refused to leave. She shook her head, as if to clear it and focused on what Merlin and the dragon were saying once more.

“Morgana has a dark destiny; she will oppose you in yours. You are Emrys. Too much rests on you to be swayed by your feelings for the witch. Your duty is to Arthur, the Once and Future King, not your heart and how you feel for the Lady Morgana.”

Morgana only just managed to stifle her gasp. Her hand covered her mouth in shock and she stared wide-eyed at the manservant and the dragon. Merlin is Emrys and Arthur is the Once and Future King! Morgana remembered back to the lessons she had as a young girl about the druidic prophecies and the Coming of Emrys. Again, it was Uther wanting her and Arthur to recognising to make sure it never happened. But here was a dragon, a creature of the Old Religion, proclaiming that Merlin was Emrys and Merlin wasn’t contradicting him at all. He was Emrys. The greatest sorcerer to ever walk the earth.

“I know my destiny, Kilgharrah. I know what I must do. I have been taught it from the cradle in my father’s palace. I know what is expected of me, but that does not mean I will abandon my friends! I will not forsake Morgana!”

Morgana was bewildered. This conversation was too much for her to take in. What in the world did Merlin mean by ‘in my father’s palace’? That would mean that Merlin is a –

The dragon, Kilgharrah, growled in frustration. “Your affection for the witch clouds your judgement! You are a prince, Merlin! The sole heir to the throne of Dracona! You should know to put duty before yourself.”

Morgana still hadn’t lowered her hand away from her mouth as she stared at Merlin in shock. Her dreams were true. Merlin was a prince. A prince in a land that embraces magic! No wonder Merlin had magic and was accepting of hers. If he was a prince what was he doing here? Morgana thought back to her recurring dreams of Merlin and what she had said to him the day before. In my dream you are the prince, a fierce warrior and beloved by your people. But you were forced to leave. There was a rebellion, a coup, a traitor who wanted the power for themselves … you had to be taken to safety.

Morgana didn’t doubt that this was the reason for Merlin being in Camelot and pretending to be a servant. The idea that Merlin was a prince was hard to wrap her head around, but she knew it was true. Merlin had a certain sense of nobility about him. A wisdom that normally wasn’t seen from those of the lower classes – Merlin, Gaius and Gwen being obvious exceptions to that rule – and an inner strength that shone through everything Merlin did, that went hand in hand with his kindness and thoughtfulness for others.

Yes, Merlin had numerous princely qualities. How had none of them ever seen it before?

Morgana thought back to Merlin’s cheerful response the evening before: if only it were true, though! If I were a prince, I wouldn’t have to look after the Prat! None of them had ever seen it because Merlin hid his secrets well. Merlin didn’t allow them to see the real him.

That thought made Morgana sad.

“Just because I care for Morgana doesn’t mean I’ve turned my back on my destiny, Kilgharrah!” Merlin argued. “You have always cautioned me away from her. Why? Why do you think so little of her?! She has a good heart!”

“She has a good heart now, young warlock. But her heart will not always be pure. Destiny will not be kind to Morgana Pendragon.”

The Lady Morgana flinched at hearing herself being called a Pendragon, but that was nothing compared to what the dragon said. Why would her heart not always be pure? What did Kilgharrah mean?

“What are you talking about?” Merlin demanded. “Tell me!”

The dragon hissed angrily, “You are not a dragonlord yet, Merlin. You may be the son of the last dragonlord, but do not assume to control me. You can give me no orders.”

Morgana gaped unladylike in Merlin’s direction. Dragonlord?!? How many surprises was this conversation going to reveal? How many secrets was Merlin hiding?!

Merlin put his hands up in a peaceful gesture. “Please, Kilgharrah,” he entreated, “please don’t ask me to turn my back on a friend. What do the prophecies say about Morgana?”

Kilgharrah seemed reluctant to speak, but eventually he did. Morgana found herself inching closer, desperate to hear what the dragon had to say. “Morgana’s destiny is unclear. Her path is undecided. I have cautioned you away from her, young warlock, for it is most likely that she will follow the Path of Darkness. There is little hope for her.”

Morgana felt tears running down her face. No! No, that couldn’t be right.

“You’re wrong!” Merlin shouted at the dragon. “She is a good person. You said there was little hope, but that means there is some hope for her!”

“Her destiny is undecided. She will either be the hatred to you love, the darkness to you light … or she will be your strongest ally.”

Morgana felt hope stirring in her chest. His strongest ally, she thought. That means I will not turn dark. It must! I won’t! She was determined not to turn into what the dragon thought she would be.

“There is but one string of hope, one path of light in the darkness that is the future of Morgana Pendragon,” the dragon went on and Morgana clung to his every word. “I caution you from her, for the hope is slim, young warlock. Focusing on it could jeopardise your destiny as Emrys.”

Merlin shook his head. “Some hope is worth focusing on, Kilgharrah. If there is a chance Morgana won’t turn into the enemy you believe her to be, I will take it. I told you, I will not abandon her.”

The dragon looked displeased, but he nodded his large head. Merlin, clearly thinking the conversation was over, nodded once and left. Morgana momentarily panicked as she saw Merlin head her way, but she crouched behind a rock and Merlin didn’t see her at all as he passed. Unfortunately Merlin took the torch with him, so the cave was blanketed in darkness once he left. Morgana had to blink a few times for her eyes to adjust to the change in light.

“I know you’re there, young witch,” the voice of the dragon spoke out of the darkness.

Morgana froze, suddenly terrified. Steeling her courage, she crept out of her hiding place. She needed to talk to the dragon. She needed to know what the hope for her was.

She approached the dragon; Kilgharrah hadn’t moved since Merlin’s departure. Morgana stopped just a short way away from the edge and stared at the great beast. He was hard to make out in the dark light of the caverns, but his golden eyes stood out amongst the darkness. The dragon surveyed her as Morgana stood there, silently wondering what to ask of him. She had so many questions she didn’t know where to begin.

“You followed Merlin, young witch,” the dragon said at last, breaking the silence that had formed between them.

Morgana found herself nodding. “Yes,” she croaked out, before clearing her throat and repeating in a firmer voice. “Yes. I heard you call out to him.”

“I will admit, this is the first time the young warlock has had someone follow him down to my cavern.”

The young warlock. Kilgharrah’s words reminded Morgana of one of the many discoveries she had made that night. “Merlin has magic.”

“Yes, and so do you.”

The dragon’s blunt words pulled Morgana up short. There it was. The first time that someone had told her outright that she had magic. She felt both relieved and horrified at what Kilgharrah had said. Relieved that it was finally acknowledged and she now knew what was happening to her, and terrified of being a magic user and also the ward of King Uther.

“There is no need to look so distraught, Morgana Pendragon-“

“-I am not a Pendragon!” Morgana surprised herself by shouting back at the dragon. “I am Morgana Gorlois!”

Kilgharrah gave what could only be described as a grunt of irritation. “It seems you are as stubborn as Merlin. You both seem to believe I am wrong when I speak nothing but the truth. You are Uther’s child, Morgana Pendragon. That tyrant’s blood run’s through you.”

“You’re wrong!”

“I am correct. You merely refuse to accept the truth.”

“Uther wouldn’t lie to me and my mother would never betray my father!” Tears began to stream down Morgana’s face as she shouted at the dragon in defiance.

“This betrayal cuts you deep, I see. I would caution you against such thoughts, they will only lead you down the Path of Darkness.”

“You believe I’m going to turn evil.” Morgana couldn’t fathom ever doing so, but the dragon was right – hearing of her true parentage hurt her.

“I have cautioned the young warlock away from you time and time again, but he remains stubbornly affectionate towards you and ignores my advice. You have a dark destiny, young witch; a dark future with only one chance of salvation.”

“What is it?! You must tell me!”

“Why should I? If prophecies are to be believed, you will be Merlin and Arthur’s greatest enemy. Why should I tell you of the future when you could just use that information to further your own dark desires?”

“Please!” Morgana begged. “I have no wish to be evil. I refuse! That’s not me! I’m not who you think I am. Your knowledge of the future of prophecies clouds your judgement of me. I know what the Coming of Emrys means! If Merlin is Emrys and Arthur is the Once and Future King, then I know what that means for those with magic. I know what it means for – for people like me. Why would I jeopardise that?!”

There was a silence as the dragon studied her. “Merlin is right – for now you have a good heart,” he said eventually. “But I do not trust you. The prophecies state that you and the Druid boy, Mordred, will be united in evil. This union will result in the death of Arthur and Albion will never be realised.”

Morgana gaped at him. Mordred and I united in evil?! She shook her head. None of this was right. None of this made any sense.

“No,” she said.

“No?” The dragon repeated, a hint of mocking in his voice. “You believe the prophecies to be wrong?”

“JUST - NO!” Morgana screamed. Suddenly, she felt a rush surge through her body and a boulder to her left exploded into pieces. Morgana shrieked in surprised and covered her head with her arms, protecting herself as pieces of rock flew everywhere.

When the chaos subsided, Morgana cautiously lowered her arms and stared at what she had done. That was magic. She knew. She could feel it. She’d lost control and blew up a rock. What if that was a person?! She thought, utterly terrified at herself.

The dragon merely stared at the where the boulder had been, seemingly unconcerned. “You are powerful, but lack control,” he observed.

“Please,” she entreated, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Please tell me. You said there was hope for me. I don’t want to be evil. I don’t want to be the hatred to Merlin’s love, or the darkness to his light. I want to be his strongest ally. I don’t want to bring about Arthur’s death. I don’t want to be united with Mordred in evil. I want Albion to be real. I want peace for those with magic. Please, please, just tell me…. What hope do I have?”

Kilgharrah studied her silently for a long time. Morgana held her breath. He had to tell her. He just had to.

“I will tell you where your hope lies, young witch,” the dragon said at last. “But you must do something for me first and I will not tell you anything until this deed is done.”

“I’ll do anything, I promise!” Morgana said immediately.

It was only after Kilgharrah had given her a savage, toothy, dragon grin that Morgana came to regret agreeing to something so readily.

“Then I take you at your word that you will do what I ask,” Kilgharrah replied. “Only then will I tell you what you want to hear.”

“Of course. What do you want of me?”

“Why, you must free me, Morgana Pendragon.”

Chapter Text

It seemed like Merlin had only just laid down on his bed before the serenity of the night was broken by screaming and destruction.

He jumped up and opened his window. The sight was a horrid one. Kilgharrah flew across the skies breathing fire down on Camelot. His roars shook the building and drowned out the screams of Camelot’s citizens.

Merlin swore and hurriedly got changed out of his nightclothes. Both Arthur and Gaius would need him right now. His thoughts flew as he descended the stairs from his room to find Gaius already up and about preparing medical items to deal with the wounded. Merlin had only just spoken to Kilgharrah, so how had he gotten free in such short a time?

Gaius turned to him, tension and concern written all over his features. “This wasn’t your doing, was it, Merlin? I know you felt Kilgharrah deserved to be free, but –“

“-I didn’t do it, Gaius. It wasn’t me. I know I only just came back from talking to him, but I didn’t free him. I knew this would happen if I did. I didn’t free him, I give you my word.”

Some of the tension left Gaius’ body and the physician nodded once, clearly relieved and satisfied at Merlin’s answer. However, the concerned expression never left his face. “But if you didn’t free the Great Dragon, who did?”

Suddenly, the door to their chambers burst open and in flew a distraught Morgana. Merlin barely had time to register who it was before Morgana flung her arms around him and was sobbing into his shirt. “Merlin! I did it! This is all my fault! Oh, god, I’m sorry! I didn’t know! I didn’t know!”

Merlin felt his face flush at being held so desperately by the lady, but he automatically put his arms around her. He glanced over at Gaius, but his guardian looked just as confused as he did. Turning back to his crying friend, he tried to gently lift her head up from where she had buried it in his shirt. “Morgana,” he said softly, “what’s wrong? What are you talking about?”

“I set the dragon free!” Morgana sobbed, and both Merlin and Gaius drew in a startled breath at her words. “He said I was destined for darkness and wouldn’t tell me what my hope was until I freed him. I didn’t know he’d do this, I swear! I just wanted to know where my hope lied! I didn’t know he’d do this! I didn’t want to be e-evil and l-l-l-look what I’ve caused!” She broke down into more furious tears and clung to Merlin even tighter.

Merlin and Gaius shared incredulous looks. How did Morgana even know about the dragon? Did she use her magic to set it free? What exactly had Kilgharrah said to her to make her believe she’d go evil?

“Morgana, what –“ Merlin began.

“You can defeat it though, right?” She cut him off. “With your magic? You can beat him?”

Merlin felt the blood rush out of his face. She knew. She knew about his magic. Merlin opened his mouth to protest, but no sound came out. He was in too much of a shock.

“I can help you with my magic,” Morgana went on, “But I don’t know any spells, so you’re going to have to teach me. I want to right my mistake, Merlin. Please, you must help me.”

She knows about her magic?! He thought. What did Kilgharrah say to her?!

“Morgana,” he managed to get out, “you can’t, I mean, you mustn’t – I mean – magic-“

She stopped his spluttering by pulling away from him and dipping in a low curtsey. Merlin stared at her incredulously. No one had curtsied to him in years. “I followed you when you went to see the dragon, my Lord. I heard him calling to you and followed you down into the caverns below Camelot. I know everything. I know of your magic, I know of your status, I know my true parentage and I know what the dragon thinks of me.”

“Y-you know who I am.”

“Crown Prince Merlin of Dracona and Emrys of the Prophecies.”

Merlin was at a loss for words. All the times he had imagined his secret coming out, he had never pictured it like this. Gaius apparently saw that his ward was incapable of speaking, and sought to intervene. “My Lady,” the physician said, “That information is dangerous, you cannot speak of it.” Merlin was marginally surprised Gaius didn’t try to pass it off as nonsense, but like him, his guardian could obviously tell there was no lying their way out of this one.

Morgana wiped her eyes, “I know,” she said. “I’m not a fool, even if my actions tonight say otherwise. I know what is on the line. I will not tell a soul.”

“You can count on our silence about your own gifts as well,” Gaius promised.

She nodded gratefully and then surprised Merlin by taking his hands in her own. “Please, Merlin,” she said. “There is so much I would like to ask you about magic, but please –  first help me right my wrong and defeat the dragon. I will not go down the Path of Darkness, but I will follow the Path of Light. So … What do we do?”

The warlock was just about to reply when a loud “MERLIN!” was heard from outside the physician’s chambers. Seconds later, Arthur had burst through the door. He was dressed in his armour and a sword was sheathed at his side. “Merlin! Where are you?! We can’t find Mor – MORGANA! Where the hell have you been?!”

Merlin and Morgana both looked at the prince, who was now looking at their clasped hands. They hurriedly let go of one another, blushes tainting their cheeks. Arthur disregarded them, “Where have you been, Morgana?! The city’s under attack by a dragon and you weren’t in your chambers!”

“I-I just,” Morgana began. “I was...”

“She had come to me for a sleeping draught when the dragon began its attack, sire,” Gaius supplied for her.

“Right. Well, Morgana, you and Guinevere are to help Gaius with the infirmary, so you can stay here for now. I’ll let father know you’re alright – he was worried sick when we couldn’t find you in your chambers – Merlin, you’re with me and all of you, stay safe. Don’t do anything stupid.”

With that, Arthur nodded once and quickly left the room. Merlin went to follow him, but was stopped by a call from Morgana.

“Merlin, wait!”

He turned back around to face her, “What’s wr-“ he began, but was cut off by Morgana pressing her lips to his. Merlin stiffened in surprise, but slowly relaxed into the kiss; his eyes shutting and mouth opening for Morgana’s soft lips and tongue. Unexpected though it was, Merlin felt himself tingling all over. It was like when he used his magic, but he knew that this feeling was due to the woman who was now burying her fingers in his hair and pulling him even closer to her. Merlin’s hands found their place at Morgana’s hips, and he held her there as the kiss lengthened.

It was Gaius clearing his throat that brought the pair back to their senses. They broke apart from each other. Both were blushing furiously and their breath was slightly erratic, but they both refused to look at Gaius. Instead, they only had eyes for each other. “W-why?” Merlin managed to get out. “Not – not that I didn’t like it – I did – a lot. But you – me – what?”

“I was proving the dragon wrong,” Morgana said. “Or proving him right. It depends on how you look at it.”

“R-right...”

“MERLIN!!” Came Arthur’s screaming voice from down the hall. His voice was faint though; god knows how far away Arthur got whilst Merlin was caught up in the sweet oblivion that was Morgana’s kiss.

She leant in and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Go,” she said.

Merlin nodded mutely and clumsily ran from the room, rushing to catch up with Arthur. As the walls shook and people screamed around him, he couldn’t escape the memory of the feel of Morgana’s lips on his. There was a loud boom from outside and the citadel trembled. He shook his head, as if to clear it. I really need to get my act together, he thought. Now isn’t the time to be thinking about girls.

He finally caught up with Arthur. The prince was standing outside the Great Hall, conversing with his father and a group of knights. Oh yes, he definitely needed to get his act together. Merlin figured he would rather take on Kilgharrah than a protective Uther and Arthur.

“There you are, Merlin,” Arthur said, frowning in his direction. “You certainly took your time.”

“Well, Gaius-“ Merlin began.

“-Yes, Gaius will need help with the injured,” the King interrupted.

“I need Merlin with me to hold my weapons,” Arthur said. “Morgana are her maid will help Gaius, as will the castle servants. Morgana’s maidservant, Guinevere, is particularly adept in medicine. She has helped Gaius tend to numerous patients before.”

Merlin looked down, trying to hide the smug grin that came on his face at Arthur talking about Gwen in such a high regard. He schooled his features back to neutral and looked back up at the King and Arthur.

“Very well,” Uther said. “You have your orders. Protect our people, Arthur.”

“I will, Father,” Arthur promised.

The king nodded once and left, entering the Great Hall once more. Arthur watched him go before snapping to attention. “Come on, Merlin. We and the knights have a dragon to take down.”

Morgana stood watching the door that Merlin had just rushed out of. Her heart was still pounding from when she’d kissed him. Part of her couldn’t believe she’d done it, and part of her couldn’t believe how much she wanted to do it again. She hadn’t planned on doing it, but her mind was still reeling from what the dragon told her. She needed to know if it was true.

She had always thought fondly of Merlin. He was a good friend. But she had never entertained the thought of herself and Merlin as an item. After all, she was a noble, and he was a servant. They were a match that could never be.

But Merlin wasn’t a servant. He was a prince who wielded fantastic power. There was so much more to him than met the eye. And now Morgana’s mind was with the possibility of Merlin being more than just a good friend. That one kiss … no, two kisses. She’d kissed him twice. Unable to control herself as she bid him goodbye, she’d pressed another kiss to his lips. Two kisses … that was all it took for Morgana’s heart to be pounding and her imagination to be running wild.

Well, she thought. Two kisses and some words with a dragon.

“My Lady,” Gaius spoke up from behind her.

Morgana started. So caught up in her thoughts, she’d completely forgotten he was there. Completely forgotten that he’d just witnessed the passionate exchange between her and his ward. Morgana’s cheeks burned as she turned to face him.

Gaius looked grave, “My Lady, I will keep my silence about you and Merlin, but I would advise you caution.”

She was surprised, “I would have thought you would tell me to never do that again.”

“Part of me is exceedingly concerned about what I just witnessed. If Uther were to find out about that, Merlin would lose his head. However, everyone deserves happiness. Merlin, especially. He has gone through such hardships. You have as well, My Lady. I know how scared you are about your magic. But Merlin can help you; he wanted to earlier, but I advised him against it.”

“Why?” Morgana asked, hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Uther despises magic above all else. I didn’t want you to fear for your life in the very place you call home. Better you be ignorant of your powers, to believe them to be merely dreams, than for you to live in fear of Uther discovering you. I’m truly sorry, Morgana. But I was only trying to protect you.”

“Ignorance is bliss?” Morgana said scornfully. “I was already scared Gaius. I’m still scared! I knew what it was! Uther taught Arthur and I to recognise it from an early age. I just wanted someone to confirm it so I didn’t feel like I was going out of my mind! But you said nothing!”

Morgana was aware that tears were building in her eyes. She wiped them away impatiently; she had cried too much already that evening.

Gaius bowed him head. “I’m sorry, Morgana.”

She sighed. Don’t let anger rule you, she thought to herself. Don’t prove Kilgharrah right in his presumptions of you. “It is alright, Gaius. I am hurt, and angry, but I know you were just trying to help me. However, in future, please be honest with me.”

The physician sent her a smile, “Of course. I promise.”

“Thank you.”

 “However, again, I would advise you to take care. These are troubling times. The dragon attacking, for you to discover your magic, that … exchange between yourself and Merlin just now. We would all be wise to be cautious.”

Morgana nodded. “I know. I – I hadn’t planned to kiss Merlin. Not at all … It’s just … talking to the dragon, I discovered something.”

“You said you were proving the dragon wrong or right?”

She nodded again. “Proving him wrong about me and…” she trailed off, turning to look once again at the door Merlin had rushed out of minutes before. “Wrong about me and right about my hope.”

“Your hope, My Lady?”

Morgana turned back to Gaius. “Yes. Hope. Merlin is my hope.”

“HOLD!” Arthur shouted as Kilgharrah closed in on them. “HOLD!”

Merlin, Arthur and the knights were up on the battlements, crossbows aimed at the Great Dragon who was flying towards them. Well, more correctly, Merlin was crouched behind the wall, ready to give Arthur his next bolt when he asked for it.

Merlin knew this was pointless. Mere weapons would do nothing against Kilgharrah. But how could he say that to Arthur? Your weapons are useless. I know because I’m the son of a dragonlord and grew up surrounded by dragons. Also, I’m a prince, a warlock, your fated protector and we’re destined to unite Albion and return magic to the land.

Somehow, Merlin didn’t think Arthur would believe him, or take that news too lightly.

“FIRE!”

Predictably, the bolts did nothing against Kilgharrah’s tough scales. They couldn’t win without a dragonlord, and Merlin wasn’t a dragonlord yet. In fact, he didn’t want to be one for a very long time. If receiving his powers meant the death of his father, Merlin didn’t want to receive them until his father lived to be old and grey, passing away in his sleep after a long and happy life.

Kilgharrah opened his maw and breathed fire upon the castle. “TAKE COVER!” Arthur yelled.

Everyone did as Arthur ordered and took shelter where they could. Arthur must have realised that what they were doing wasn’t working, because he then started shouting, “RETREAT! FALL BACK! RETREAT! REGOUP IN THE GREAT HALL.”

As Arthur and the knights made their retreat, Merlin followed them just enough to see Arthur enter the safety of the castle and then used the confusion and panic to slip away. He may not be a dragonlord, but he could still try to talk some reason into the Great Dragon.

He had to; he couldn’t fail, for Camelot’s sake.

Morgana, Gwen and Gaius had turned the Great Hall into an infirmary, so they was right there when Arthur and his knights came straggling into the hall. Morgana and Gwen immediately approached the prince, whilst Gaius tended to the more seriously wounded knights.

Gwen began checking Arthur over. “I’m fine, Guinev-“

“-Where is Merlin?” Morgana interrupted.

Confusion coloured Arthur’s features. “What? He’s right –“ He looked around for his manservant, now looking thoroughly alarmed. “He was right behind me!”

“You mean you left him out there?!”

“Morgana, you know I wouldn’t do that on purpose.”

All three of them looked concerned for their missing friend. Morgana knew that Merlin was more than capable of taking care of himself, but he was up against a dragon. Who knew what could happen?

“I’m going out there,” Morgana said. “I need to find him.”

“No, my Lady!” Gwen protested. “It’s too dangerous!”

“Merlin would do the same for you!”

Gwen drew breath to argue, but couldn’t think of a reply. She knew what Morgana said was true. Merlin would do anything for his friends.

“I can’t let you go out there, Morgana,” Arthur said seriously. “Guinevere is right, it’s far too dangerous.”

“I don’t care! Merlin –“

“I will go find Merlin,” said Arthur. “You two stay here and tend to the wounded.”

“Arthur – my lord,” Gwen said, “Merlin is precious to us, but so are you. Please be careful. Merlin would be upset if you got hurt for his sake.”

“Guinevere, nothing is going to happen to me. I’ll be fine. I’m just going to get Merlin back. He needs me.”

Morgana used the moment between Gwen and Arthur to slip away from them. Their whole exchanged surprised her. Since when were they so close? And Arthur was looking at Guinevere with such a tender expression. Morgana knew that look. It was the look Arthur got when he had feelings for each other and it was a look that was reciprocated in Gwen’s expression. Arthur and Gwen? Morgana wondered. How have I not seen it until now?

The thought of them as a couple made her smile. The both of them deserved to be happy with one another, regardless of what Uther might think of Arthur loving a servant. That made Morgana think of herself and Merlin. It was the same situation, but reversed. Except, she thought. Merlin is really a prince, so we are both of nobility. Not that it mattered. Here in Camelot, Merlin was a servant and she a Lady. Although she knew that a relationship between them was impossible, that didn’t stop Morgana from wanting one.

Her feelings for Merlin had appeared suddenly, as if from nowhere, solidified by his kindness, by his defense of her against the dragon, by his acceptance of her magic, by him finally being honest telling her the truth, not passing it off as nonsense. Her feelings solidified by the kisses they shared.

This is too fast, she thought as she searched for Merlin. Whatever I have with Merlin is too fast. Calm yourself, Morgana. Forget about what you feel. Just focus on finding Merlin.

Somewhere behind her, she could hear Arthur shouting for her. He’d noticed her disappearance and was searching for her. Morgana ignored him. Arthur could yell at her later for as long as he wanted. He didn’t matter right now.

All that mattered was finding Merlin.

All that mattered was finding Kilgharrah.

Arthur was safely inside, so now Merlin could talk to the dragon without worrying about the safety of his friend. If Merlin could convince Kilgharrah to leave, than no one else would get hurt.

A roar from above notified Merlin of the Great Dragon’s presence. Merlin was in a deserted courtyard of the castle. No one was around, except for the depressing sight of lifeless bodies on the ground.

“Kilgharrah, stop this!” Merlin shouted as the dragon landed, angrily smashing his tail into a wall as he did.

“You cannot control me Merlin,” the dragon replied. “Do not presume that you can. You are not a dragonlord yet!”

“Why are you doing this?!”

“You would do the same if you were imprisoned for twenty years. Uther deserves this, and more.”

“Revenge isn’t the right answer, Kilgharrah.”

The Great Dragon growled, “I have lived for thousands of years. I will not be lectured by a mere warlock who hasn’t even reached thirty summers. You are not a dragonlord, Merlin Ambrosius, I do not have to answer to you!”

“If you will not listen to me as Merlin, then at least listen to me as Emrys!”

That got Kilgharrah’s attention, but he remained silent, allowing Merlin to speak. “You are constantly telling me of my destiny. How Arthur and I are to unite Albion and return magic to the land. Do you really think your actions here are showing Arthur what good the Old Religion can do?! You are killing innocent people! You constantly say that Morgana is a threat to my destiny, but you are being the threat right now! Arthur will never trust magic if he sees a creature of magic bringing such destruction down on his people!”

Kilgharrah said nothing and Merlin continued, “You are destroying Camelot. The very heart of what Albion will be! Revenge on Uther shouldn’t matter, you should be looking to the future and what good Arthur will bring. But he won’t do that if you murder his people and his father! He will see magic as a force of evil. Is that what you want?!”

Merlin stopped to draw breath, but was cut off by someone shouting his name. He turned to see Morgana sprinting towards him. She finally reached him and he began to ask what she was doing there, but Morgana cut him off by throwing her arms around him. “Thank goodness you’re alright!” She said as she hugged him.

Merlin returned the hug, but then pulled away. He still had an angry Kilgharrah to deal with. Standing protectively in front of Morgana, he addressed the dragon. “Leave here, Kilgharrah,” he said; he had an air of supreme authority around him. Merlin’s tone was one that allowed no argument. “This act of revenge is pointless. Leave. Go to Dracona and be with your kind. Leave Camelot in peace.”

Kilgharrah remained silent, but he studied both Merlin and Morgana before finally replying. “I see the wisdom in your words, young warlock. I will not stand in the way of destiny. But you, Morgana Pendragon, I do not trust. I have already told you what you need to hear to follow the Path of Light, but in a week’s time you will face a choice. One that will decide your destiny. This choice will decide if you forevermore follow the Light, or embrace Darkness. Choose wrongly, Morgana Pendragon, and I will return. I will raze Camelot to the ground in my quest to see the end of you, your tyrant of a father and anyone else who stands in the way of the Coming of Emrys and the return of magic.”

“Kilgharrah, enough,” Merlin said.

“No,” said Morgana, stepping forward from behind Merlin. “It is fine. You are wrong about me, Great Dragon. I will magic the right choice.” She turned to look and smile softly at Merlin before once again facing the dragon. “I know I will. My heart and hope will not fail me, and I will not fail destiny.”

“Hmm,” Kilgharrah hummed, leaning in to study them both. Morgana couldn’t help but take a step back under the dragon’s gaze. Merlin instinctively put his arm around her in comfort. “I can see into your hearts,” Kilgharrah said. “And I see the two of you reflected in each other’s. I didn’t believe I’d see you walk this path, and I remain unconvinced you will stay on it. I will go to Dracona as you suggest, you warlock. But I will return. You have one week. Choose wisely, Morgana Pendragon.”

With that, the dragon abruptly took off and in a matter of seconds he was but a dot in the sky. Merlin sighed in relief at seeing him go. He turned to Morgana. “Are you alright?”

He was alarmed to see tears in her eyes. “He is so convinced I’m going to be evil, Merlin,” she said.

“Hey,” he said softly, pulling her in for a hug. “That’s not gonna happen. You and I, we’re not going to let that happen. Everything is going to work out and I’m not going to let you face this on your own, I promise.”

“Thank you, Merlin,” she murmured into his shirt.

His response was to only hold her tighter, but the moment was soon ruined by an irate prince of Camelot. “WHAT THE BLAZES ARE YOU TWO DOING?! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!” Arthur shouted, running up to them. Merlin and Morgana broke apart and looked at Arthur. The prince was scowling at the two of them. “You!” He said to Morgana, “You can’t just run off like that! And you! Merlin! Where the hell did you get to?! You were right behind me and then you were gone! In the middle of a dragon attack! The nerve of you two. I was worried sick!”

Arthur stopped ranting and seemed to realise what he’d admitted in his panic. He cleared his throat and looked embarrassed. “Right. Just don’t do it again.”

“You were worried about us,” Merlin said, a teasing grin on his face.

“Don’t be stupid, Merlin,” came Arthur’s immediate retort. “I was merely concerned for Morgana’s safety.”

“Just admit it, Arthur,” Morgana said, “You care and were worried about the both of us.”

“Nonsense. It’s just that decent servants are hard to come by.”

“Arthur,” said Merlin, “You’re always saying I’m an awful servant.”

“Alright fine, I was concerned about the two people I consider like my sister and my brother, are you happy now?”

“Arthur…” Merlin and Morgana chorused, feeling touched at Arthur’s honesty.

“Repeat that and I’ll deny anything and put you in the stocks for a week!” Arthur said vehemently, his cheeks pink in embarrassment. “Now come on, Father is having a council in the hall about this dragon and we all need to be there.”

“Sire, you know as well as I do that there is one type of person who can control a dragon,” Gaius said.

Uther, Gaius, Arthur, Morgana, Gwen and Merlin were all gathered in the hall to discuss the dragon attack. As per their station, Merlin and Gwen stayed silent and out of the way while the attack was assessed. The damages were excessive and many citizens and knights had lost their lives. They wouldn’t be able to survive continuous attacks in their current condition.

“No!” Uther snapped, “Absolutely not.”

“Sire-“ Gaius tried.

“No!” The King said. “If you think I’m going to resort to him for help, you are mistaken.”

“What is it?” Arthur asked. “Who is it?”

“The only person who can control a dragon is a dragonlord,” Gaius explained. “Your father had them all executed during the Purge, all but one: King Balinor Ambrosius of Dracona.”

Merlin tried to look impassive at the mention of his father, but it was difficult. He was also aware of Morgana shooting him sympathetic looks. If she wasn’t careful, she’d give him away. Don’t look at me, Morgana, he projected his thoughts to her and he could tell by the startled expression on her face that she’d heard him. Do not give me away. I am just a servant here, remember? I must seem like I know nothing of Dracona. Morgana imperceptivity nodded and Merlin knew she understood, so he focused on the conversation once more.

“There’s a king who is a dragonlord?” Arthur asked.

“He is the last of his kind,” Gaius said. “There is no other who could control or kill the Great Dragon.”

“I am not resorting to getting the help of a King who condones the use of magic in his kingdom!” Uther spat. “I’ve heard that he even uses magic himself. I am not having that man in Camelot! If it wasn’t for their civil war, I would have invaded and destroyed that kingdom years ago!”

Merlin hands fisted at his sides. Control yourself, he thought. Don’t get angry.

“Civil war?” Morgana asked, even though she knew the truth.

“A noble wanted the throne for himself,” said Gaius. “So he tried to take it by force. He sent the royal family on the run. There has been continued conflict in Dracona ever since, for even though King Balinor has dragons on his side, the usurper, Lord Blackwood, was backed by an army of dark sorcerers.”

Memories of the rebellion flashed before Merlin’s eyes. Remain calm. Remain calm. Remain calm he told himself.

“’Dark sorcerers?’” Uther repeated. “Every sorcerer is dark and evil, Gaius.”

“Of course, sire,” Gaius said, bowing his head.

“But Father,” Arthur said, “Surely we must go this Balinor? Magic kingdom or not, Camelot is doomed without their assistance.”

“I said no!” said Uther. “My decision is final. Camelot has the finest army in all the lands, we will be able to defeat this beast.”

“But-“ Arthur, Morgana and Gaius tried to protest.

“I said my decision is final! You may leave me.”

Bowing their heads, Gaius, Morgana and Gwen all left the room. Morgana seemed like he wanted to protest further, but Merlin gave a tiny shake of his head and she got the message. The only one with a chance of getting through to Uther was Arthur.

“Father,” Arthur began. “Father, surely, for the good of Camelot –“

“-I have given you my decision, Arthur,” the King cut him off. “We are not seeking assistance from that pathetic excuse of a king.”

Merlin looked down at his feet, scowling at his shoes due to the disrespect shown towards his father. My father is a better king than you could ever hope to be! He mentally shouted at Uther.

“But Father-“

“-Enough, Arthur. All those who use magic are evil and cannot be trusted. My decision is final.”

“Father-“

“-You are dismissed.”

Seeing it was pointless, Arthur swallowed his protests, bowed to his father and left the room, Merlin trailing behind him. As Merlin expected, Morgana and Gwen were waiting for them outside. Arthur gestured for them to follow him and in a few minutes they were in his chambers. Merlin had barely shut the door behind them before Morgana was rounding on them.

“Well? What did he say?!” Morgana demanded.

Arthur sighed, “Father refuses to change his mind.”

“What?” Morgana said. “But surely he sees that without a dragonlord Camelot is doomed?”

“I tried to explain that, but he wouldn’t let me get a word in. He will not yield in this decision.”

“And I suppose you’re just going to go along with it, then? Just because Uther said so?”

“Morgana-“

“-It’s pathetic, really. You always refuse to go against your father.”

“Morgana-“

“-When are you going to show a bit of backbone? I mean, Camelot only has a week –“

“-MORGANA!” Arthur shouted, cutting her off. Morgana stopped talking, startled at Arthur’s outburst. Wordlessly, she gestured for him to continue. “Father said we were not to go to Dracona for help, but I cannot stand idly by while our people are attacked. I will go and find Balinor and ask for his assistance.”

Before Morgana could even respond to Arthur’s idea, Gwen spoke up, “My Lady, what do you mean that Camelot only has a week?”

Merlin tensed, thinking about what the dragon had said. I will raze Camelot to the ground in my quest to see the end of you, your tyrant of a father and anyone else who stands in the way of the Coming of Emrys and the return of magic. Morgana clearly hadn’t meant to let their deadline slip, but she had.

“I just meant that we could barely survive another week, if all the attacks are like the one we experienced tonight,” Morgana lied easily. Merlin was slightly impressed with her ability to think on the spot like that.

Arthur and Gwen nodded, accepting her words. They looked troubled. “You’re right,” Arthur said. “We have no time to lose. Merlin, get everything organise. We leave at first light.”

“No,” Morgana said.

They all turned to look at her. “Sorry?” Asked Arthur.

“No, we leave at first light,” Morgana said, gesturing to them all.

Arthur tried to protest, but Morgana wouldn’t have any of it.

“No Arthur, we are all going. Complain about it all you like, but Gwen and I are coming with you. We’re all going to save Camelot.”

Chapter Text

“You seem troubled, Merlin.”

Merlin looked up to see Gwen looking up at him in concern. His friend was dressed in her normal travel clothes: brown tights, a white shirt with a brown over-shirt and belt. Morgana and Arthur, riding up ahead of them, were dressed just as plainly. Arthur had wanted nothing to connect them to Camelot. Arthur was in his standard red shirt and pants, Morgana dressed similarly to Gwen but in green.

It was late in the afternoon and they were on their way to Dracona to find his father. That in itself made Merlin uneasy. Did he tell Arthur and Gwen the truth? The truth would surely come out once they reached his father, but Merlin wasn’t sure if he was ready for it to be revealed. He’d spent so long living a lie he didn’t know how to handle being honest.

Merlin felt disgusted with himself. Where was the brave Prince Merlin? The one who was beloved by the people of Dracona and fearless in the face of battle? Merlin felt terrified. If he told his friends the truth, that he was a prince, or that he was a warlock, they might treat him differently. Merlin wasn’t sure if he could handle that.

Then there was the added problem of Merlin’s whole existence being illegal in Camelot. He didn’t want to put Arthur in the position of choosing between him and his father, and he didn’t want to put Gwen at risk of being seen as harbouring a sorcerer.

And on top of all that, there was the whole Morgana situation. She’d just kissed him out of nowhere! Twice! And Merlin had liked it. Quite a lot, actually. But here in Camelot, he was a servant. He was nothing here. So matter what he might be feeling for the Lady Morgana, nothing could come of it, despite how much he wished it could be the opposite.

Gods, everything was troubling. But he forced a smile at Gwen and said, “Oh, it’s nothing. Just, you know, it’s frightening. The whole dragon thing, and now we’re off to find a dragonlord in a kingdom that uses magic. It’s a bit overwhelming.”

Gwen gave him a comforting smile, “It’s alright, Merlin. I feel the same as you. But we’ll find this Balinor and I’m sure we can convince him to help us. I have faith that Camelot will be saved.”

Guinevere was always so kind and comforting. She had a level head and was wise. Merlin knew she’d make an excellent match for Arthur, despite her humble beginnings. He nodded, taking in her words. “Thank you, Gwen.”

Before she could reply, Arthur called out from where he and Morgana were riding up ahead. “There’s a clearing near a stream not far from here! We’ll rest there for the night.”

Merlin and Gwen sped up to catch up to their masters and within ten minutes they had reached the clearing Arthur spoke of.  They all helped each other set up camp and soon they were merely resting as Merlin prepared a stew for them to eat.

“I think I’ll go and freshen up before dinner,” Gwen said, standing up and heading in the direction of the stream.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright, Guinevere?” Arthur asked, immediately concerned. “Perhaps Morgana-“

“-I will be fine, My Lord.” Gwen said quickly, a blush burning her cheeks. “In this case, I can handle myself.”

Arthur seemed to realise exactly why Gwen needed to go off in the bushes on her own and his face flooded with colour. “Right. Well. Yes. You may go then.”

Gwen nodded once and quickly walked away. Arthur did nothing but look at the ground while Merlin and Morgana burst out laughing.

“Good one, Arthur,” Morgana said, still chuckling. “Can’t even tell when a girl’s going to relieve herself.”

“Shut up, Morgana.”

“And a classic comeback from Arthur Pendragon,” Merlin teased.

“That goes for you too, Merlin!”

“Of course, sire,” Merlin once again managed to make Arthur’s title sound like an insult.

“You can’t talk to you prince like that, Merlin?”

“How about talking to an ass?” Merlin muttered as he tended to the stew.

“I heard that!” Arthur said as Morgana continued to laugh.

Merlin looked up, “You were sup – supposed to.” Merlin has faltered in his banter as he looked upon Arthur. If he hadn’t seen the tell-tale sign of gold fading from Morgana’s eyes, he wouldn’t have known what had caused it. Thank god Arthur had missed it, but Merlin had to struggle to keep a straight face as he beheld Arthur who now had donkey’s ears growing out of the top of his head.

“Just focus on our dinner, Merlin,” Arthur said, completely unaware of the new development.

Morgana, for her part, was now staring horrified at Arthur. Merlin knew she mustn’t have meant to do it. Morgana was only just coming to terms with her magic. She could barely control it. One mention of an ass and Arthur suddenly had donkey’s ears.

Merlin looked down and with a wordless flash of his eyes, Arthur’s new ears disappeared. As funny as it was, it wouldn’t do for Gwen to come back and see them. Merlin didn’t know how they would have talked their way out of that one.

Morgana abruptly stood, “I’m going to collect more firewood,” she said and fled into the forest.

Merlin added a few more ingredients into the stew. “You know, this could use a few more herbs. I’m going to see if I can find some.” Without waiting for Arthur’s reply, Merlin ran off after Morgana.

He found her sitting up against a tree, out of the earshot of their campsite, and sobbing. “Morgana,” he said, running up to her and crouching down to her level, “Morgana it’s alright.”

She shook her head, “It’s not! It’s not alright! I can’t control it! What if Arthur had seen?!”

Merlin sat down beside her and wrapped and arm around her, hugging Morgana close to him. “It’s alright. I took care of it. Arthur is oblivious as always. He didn’t notice a thing. It was actually pretty funny.”

Morgana didn’t seem to think so. “But I can’t control it, Merlin! What if Gwen was there?! She would have noticed! I can’t control the magic. You said ass and then Arthur had donkey ears! I can’t – I can’t control it! I’m so scared! I’m – I’m a monster!”

Merlin drew in a startled breath at her words. Gently, he turned her head so she was facing him, “Don’t you ever think that about yourself,” he said vehemently. “You’re not a monster, Morgana. You’re just someone who’s a little scared right now. I can teach you. I can help you control it. Magic isn’t something that you should be afraid of. It is a gift.”

“But Uther –“

“Uther is blinded by hatred and prejudice. He will never see the beauty and goodness of magic.”

Morgana wiped her eyes, “But you can see it.”

“I have grown up like this, Morgana. I grew up in a country that accepted magic. I was levitating objects when I was just a few hours old and everyone in the kingdom was rejoicing because it seemed like the crown prince had powerful magic. They all thought I’d been given an incredible gift and I was taught not to fear it, but to control it from a young age by my father’s Court Sorceress, Elaine.”

“Court Sorceress?”

“My father doesn’t believe men to be more powerful than women. And there is none in Dracona more powerful than Elaine. Well, except for me, but I don’t really like to think about that. Elaine was quiet and serious and never spoke about herself, but she was a great teacher. I would always ask about her life ... Where she learnt magic, about her family, how she came to be Court Sorceress, but she would always say, ‘That is not important, my young master.’ Every time I tried to get her to talk about herself, it was always that same response. I never got a word out of her that wasn’t learning related, but I was always fond of her. She was a great ally of my father and helps him fight in the War Of Dracona.”

“And will you help me, Merlin?” Morgana asked. “Like Elaine helped you? You control it so well. You protect Arthur with it. Please, please just help me.”

“You are my friend, Morgana. Of course I will help you. But please promise me that you will never think of yourself as a monster again.”

Morgana wiped her eyes again and wordlessly nodded.

Merlin smiled at her, “Good. Now … Your magic is going out of control because you’re not using it. It’s getting all bottled up inside and coming out at inopportune moments.”

“So what do I do?” Morgana asked, the fear still evident on her face.

Merlin grasped her hand comfortingly. “You learn to release some of the built up magic. A simple sell that will let some of the magic go whilst you’re still building up your control.”

“Like what?”

Merlin held his right hand out, his palm facing up. “Here. Watch.” Then when he was certain he had Morgana’s undivided attention, he said, “Forbearnan.”

Morgana drew in a breath of awed surprised as a flame appeared in Merlin’s hand. “Merlin, that’s incredible!”

“You try. Just say the spell like I did – Forbearnan.”

“Forbearnan.” Morgana recited, holding out her hand, but nothing happened.

She gave Merlin a disappointed look, but the warlock seemed unfazed. He would have been surprised if she got it straight away. “Just focus on you magic,” he said. “Feel it inside of you. Just breathe and focus on it. Forget about the spell right now, just find your magic.”

Morgana closed her eyes and focused, her forehead furrowed in concentration. She was silent for a while before uttering, “Forbearnan.” Merlin watched in delight as a small flame appeared in Morgana’s palm.

“You did it!” He shouted, at the same time as Morgana let out an ecstatic, “I did it!”

Her concentration lost, the flame spluttered out, but that didn’t wipe the wide smile off Morgana’s face.

“There,” Merlin said. “We can start with that and build your control up from there. You did brilliantly, Mor – Morgana?” Merlin’s praise trailed off into a concerned question as he took in Morgana’s terrified expression. She was looking at something behind him and Merlin turned to find a wide-eyed Guinevere staring at them.

Merlin felt dread course through him. She’d heard them. She’d seen them. “Gwen,” he breathed out.

“S-sorcerers,” the maidservant whispered. She was standing a few metres away from them, but they heard her just fine. “You’re sorcerers.”

“Gwen, please,” Morgana entreated. “You can’t say anything. Uther would have us killed! Magic – magic isn’t evil! We – we were born with it! We didn’t choose it, it chose us!”

Gwen approached them. She still looked surprised and slightly uneasy, but it wasn’t surprising when she’d grown up in a city where magic was considered evil. She looked at Merlin, “That day you admitted to the council that you healed my father. You really did use magic to save him, didn’t you?”

Merlin felt hope stirring in his chest, “Yes, I wasn’t lying. I cured your father.”

Suddenly, Gwen engulfed him in a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. “He’s gone now, but I was given more time with him than I would have had. Thank you, Merlin.” She turned to Morgana and hugged her as well, “My Lady, I would never turn you in to Uther. Never. I wouldn’t turn either of you in. You are my best friends.”

“Gwen,” Merlin said seriously. “We’re asking you to commit treason. Our existence is illegal in Camelot.”

“I do not betray my friends,” Guinevere said determinedly.

“Even if you have to lie to the King, or to Arthur?” Merlin pressed.

Gwen looked pained at the thought of lying to the prince, but she didn’t change her mind. “Even then,” she vowed.

“Oh Gwen!” Morgana said, hugging her maid once more. “Thank you!”

“I’ll admit I’m still shocked, and a little uneasy – all my life I’ve been told magic is evil and my father lost his life when he was caught up in it, but I trust the two of you with my life. I know you wouldn’t use it for evil. But there are a few things I don’t understand.”

“Yes?” Asked Merlin.

“Morgana said you protect Arthur with magic?”

Merlin nodded, “It’s my destiny to protect him. The prat gets a lot of unwanted magical attention.”

“What do you mean your destiny?” Gwen asked, “And how many times have you saved him?”

“I promise I’ll explain it to you, Gwen, but now is not the time. Arthur will come looking for us all soon enough. And I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve saved him.”

Gwen still looked a little bewildered, but she smiled at him, “You weren’t kidding when you said you were in disguise when we first met.”

Merlin laughed, “No, no I wasn’t.”

“Morgana, you said you were born with it?”

Morgana nodded in response to Gwen’s question. “We both were. Although where Merlin could use magic at only a few hours old, mine have only just begun to develop. All my dreams, Gwen, they weren’t nightmares, but visions of the future.”

Gwen’s eyes widened in surprise, and her mouth opened in shock, but she quickly composed herself and nodded in understanding. She turned to Merlin, “There is one last thing. I heard you talking of a castle and a Court Sorceress teaching you. I don’t understand…”

Merlin looked embarrassed, but Morgana wore a proud expression, “May I introduce Crown Prince Merlin Ambrosius of Dracona. Sole heir to the throne and son of Queen Hunith and King Balinor, the Dragonlord we’re going to find.”

Gwen stared at Merlin, dumbfounded.

“Morgana,” Merlin grumbled, “Did you have to say it like that?”

She smirked at him, “Of course.”

“A – a prince! You’re a prince!” Guinevere said, gaping at him before dipping into a low curtsy. “Forgive me, My Lord, I didn’t realise. I mean, you don’t look like one – I mean – of course, you’re in disguise. I mean, I’m sorry, I just meant-“

“-Gwen! Gwen! It’s fine!” Merlin said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. “Really! You don’t have to curtsy. Actually, I’d rather you didn’t.”

Gwen stopped her babbling and stared at him in wonder. “Merlin, you a prince! This whole time you’ve been cleaning up after Arthur, doing everything he asks and you’re a prince! Why?”

“No one can know who I am,” Merlin answered. “You heard about the war in Dracona. I had to leave – not that I wanted to – as sole heir to the throne, my father thought it best that I was taken to safety. But please, Gwen, please don’t treat me any different. I am still Merlin. I am still your friend.”

She studied him before breaking into a brilliant smile. “You are, aren’t you? I always thought there was something about you, Merlin. Now I know what it is. I’m still a little in shock about it all, and I’m a little hurt you didn’t tell me. But you are my friends and I understand why the both of you didn’t say anything. Your secret is safe with me.”

Merlin and Morgana sent her grateful smiles, glad she’d accepted the truth so readily.

“But you must tell Arthur,” Gwen said. “We’re going to your kingdom, Merlin, to meet with your father! He needs to know.”

Merlin’s smile faltered. “No, Gwen. Please. Not yet. I – I’m not ready. I’ve spent so long hiding who I am I don’t know how to tell Arthur the truth. I will tell him, I promise. Just not right now. I’m not sure I could handle both of you finding out right now. I’ll tell him before we arrive in Dracona, I give you my word. Just not right now. It’s cowardly, but I’m not strong enough. Not yet.”

Morgana and Gwen gave him comforting smiles. “It’s alright, Merlin,” Gwen said. “We understand.”

Morgana nodded and then hugged him, “Everything is going to be fine, Merlin. I know you think you’re not ready and you’re scared of how he’ll react, but Arthur will accept you as you are. I know it. But come, we must return to the campsite, otherwise he’ll start to worry wear we are.”

Merlin and Gwen nodded at Morgana’s words and followed her back to their campsite. When they arrived they were met by an irritable, yet relieved Arthur. “Where have you all been? I was about to come looking for you. And I thought you two were looking for herbs and firewood?” He asked Merlin and Morgana who had come back empty handed.

“Uhh…” They chorused.

“Merlin got stuck in a bush, sire,” Gwen supplied for them. “Morgana and I had to help him out. The task was a bit tedious.”

As Arthur broke into laughter, Gwen ignored the betrayed look Merlin was giving her. Really? He mouthed to her. Gwen shrugged, looking apologetic, but at least Arthur had bought their story.

Merlin sighed. Arthur wasn’t going to let this one go anytime soon.

“Perhaps we should stay in an inn tonight?” Arthur suggested the next afternoon as they rode. “We wouldn’t want Merlin to get stuck in anymore shrubbery.” Arthur laughed at his joke, with Gwen and Morgana joining in.

Merlin rolled his eyes, “Oh very funny, sire. Your wit knows no bounds.”

Arthur laughed, “Cheer up, idiot.”

“Prat.”

“Girls petticoat.”

“Cabbage head.”

“Clotpole.”

“That’s my word.”

“And it suits you perfectly.”

“If you two are quite finished,” Morgana interjected. “I would like to stay in an inn tonight. It would do well for us to get a good night’s sleep so we can reach Ealdor quickly tomorrow.”

They all nodded. Ealdor was on the way to Dracona, so they’d planned to stop by Merlin’s home as a place to rest the next day, before continuing on their journey. Merlin smiled at the notion of seeing his mother. It had been too long since they had last been together. He’d missed her.

They rode on until they reached the next town and arrived at a two story inn. There was a tavern connected to it, and they could tell before they’d opened the door that the place was rowdy. The noise from the tavern was muffled, but loud enough for them to hear them before they’d even opened the door.

“Remember,” Arthur said, “We’re just travellers.”

Morgana rolled her eyes, “We know, Arthur,” she said, pushing open the door and entering the tavern.

A few customers looked up at their arrival, but no one paid them any mind. There was a minstrel playing in the corner, unfortunately accompanied by a drunkard who was singing suggestive song off key and at the top of his voice.

The group made their way to the counter and ordered rooms and a hot meal. They all sat at a table and waited for their food and drinks to arrive.

“It’s good to relax after that day of riding,” Gwen said.

Morgana hummed in agreement, “Yes, and I for one am looking forward to a hot bath.”

“Aww, is the princess upset at being a little dirty?” Arthur teased.

Morgana smirked at him, “You may be accustomed to smelling like a pig, dear Arthur, but I am not.”

“Hey!” Arthur said indignantly.

“The truth hurts, I know.”

“You’re the one that smells!” Arthur really needed to work on his comebacks.

“It’s called soap, Arthur. Perhaps you should try it?”

Merlin and Gwen burst out in laughter at the two of them. Arthur kept opening his mouth to retort, but could think of nothing to respond to Morgana’s quick wit. Thankfully, he was saved by the arrival of their dinner.

They all dug in heartily, famished after a hard days ride. Afterwards, Gwen and Morgana retired, leaving Arthur and Merlin at their table by themselves. A silence came over the two men as they both were lost in their own thoughts.

“Do you think Balinor will help us, Merlin?” Arthur asked at last.

Merlin was surprised at Arthur’s question, but he had to think about how to respond. “I think he will. If we tell him of Camelot’s plight, I am sure he will want to help us. The only problem is the war. Balinor is fighting a war in his own kingdom, I’m not sure he’ll want to leave to go to Camelot and deal with the dragon. I suppose we won’t know until we get there.” My father will help us, Arthur. Merlin thought. He may be fighting for our kingdom, but he will help Camelot. He is a good man.

Part of Merlin wished he could say that aloud, but he lacked the courage to do so. Arthur nodded at his response. “I hope so,” he said, seeming very vulnerable at that point.

Merlin drew breath to start cheering him up, but Arthur suddenly down the rest of his drink and stood up. “I am going to bed. Are you finished?”

Merlin looked down at his still nearly full tankard of mead. He looked back up at Arthur and the prince of Camelot laughed. “Alright, finish your drink, Merlin. I think I can manage going to bed on my own. But just have one, mind you. I don’t want to deal with your sorry hung over behind tomorrow morning.”

Merlin laughed and nodded, “Yes, Arthur.”

His master nodded and left, heading for their rooms. Merlin took another swig of his drink and studied those still left in the tavern. Grasping his tankard, he stood and made his way over to the drunk who had been singing off key earlier.

Merlin sat down beside him, “What are you doing here, Gwaine?”

His friend grinned at him, “Hello, sire.”

“Gwaine.”

The knight laughed, “It’s good to see you, mate.”

Merlin couldn’t help it; he broke into a smile. “You too, old friend.”

Gwaine was a knight in the Draconian army, and one of Merlin’s closest friends. They had met in a tavern much like the one they were currently in. Merlin had stopped there on his way home from touring the outskirts of Dracona, and Gwaine had found his way there in his wanderings. The two had got talking, with Gwaine expressing his hatred of nobility, and Merlin had said nothing to change his mind. Instead, they had drunk the night away together and it wasn’t until Merlin’s knights had come looking for him the next day (both he and Gwaine had passed out under the table from too much alcohol) that Gwaine even realised he’d been drinking with royalty.

An unlikely friendship had been born, Merlin had sworn to never drink that much again, and Gwaine had found a noble worth following. So when Merlin asked, he followed Merlin back to the capital of Dracona, was introduced to Merlin’s parents whom he immediately liked and in a matter of weeks, was sworn in as a Knight of Dracona.

Gwaine had tried to follow Merlin to Ealdor, when he and Hunith fled, but Merlin had specifically asked him to stay and look after his father. The knight, true to his word, was the king’s staunchest protector in the War Of Dracona, and only left the king’s side at express orders from Balinor. Much like what he was doing now.

“You father sent me to check up on you,” he said. “He and your mother send their love.”

“My mother? She’s supposed to be in Ealdor. We’re going there tomorrow.”

Gwaine wore a grim expression, “The King got word that Blackwood had found out where you and the Queen were hiding. Balinor flew by dragon-back himself to go and get Hunith before any harm could befall her. Don’t worry, they’re both fine and your father has placed wards and guards are hiding around Ealdor. They’re not to be seen, but they’re there to protect the people. No harm will come to the villagers.”

Merlin nodded, relieved that the people of Ealdor wouldn’t be hurt because of him and his mother. Still, this new development threw a spanner in the works. Merlin had to seem surprised when they reached Ealdor the next day. He hoped his mother had given the people of Ealdor a good excuse before she left. He wasn’t sure he could think of a decent one.

He sighed, “Well at least Mother and Father are together at last.”

Gwaine nodded, before breaking into a mischievous smile. “And what about you, Merlin? Found yourself a woman worthy to be your Queen yet?”

Merlin immediately thought of Morgana, and something must have shown in his expression because Gwaine delightedly cried, “You have! You sly dog! Who is the lucky lady?”

Merlin felt a blush burning his cheeks, but he replied nevertheless. “The Lady Morgana. She was here earlier. You saw her. The tall one with the black hair.”

“The King’s ward?! You definitely don’t do things by halves, mate.”

Merlin cringed, “Yes, Uther would have my head. But in my defence she kissed me first.”

“She kissed you?!”

“Gwaine! Not so loud!” Merlin hissed.

“Sorry,” Gwaine said, lowering his voice. “But she kissed you?”

“Twice,” Merlin replied awkwardly. “I really don’t want to talk about this.”

“Have you kissed her?”

“No, but –“

“-Why not? It seems like she’d want you to.”

“I’m not having this conversation with you.”

Gwaine laughed and clapped him on the back. “Well, I wish you all the happiness, my friend.”

“Thanks Gwaine.”

The knight took another swig from his tankard. “What about the other girl you were with? She’s quite a beauty.”

Merlin laughed, “Unless you want Arthur to run you through, I’d stay away from Guinevere. She’s Morgana’s maid, but I’m certain Gwen will be the next Queen of Camelot.”

Gwaine looked dumbfounded, “Arthur Pendragon is in love with a servant?”

Merlin nodded, “It’s all very recent, but I can tell they both have feelings for each other.”

“Well,” Gwaine said, seeming impressed, “Who what have thought? Perhaps he’s another one of those rare nobles worth giving a damn about.”

“He’s a good man.”

“You like him then?”

Merlin laughed, “It’s like I told you in my letters, when I first met him I thought he was a prat. I only protected him because I was told he was the Once and Future King and that it was my duty to do so. But, in the time since then, he’s grown to be one of my closest friends. He’s like my brother.”

“You like my better though, right?” Gwaine asked, a mischievous grin on his face.

Merlin laughed and shoved him to the side, “Shut it, Gwaine.”

Gwaine merely laughed and finished his drink. “I am here under orders though,” he said seriously. “I know you asked me to protect your father, but he asked me to protect you. I can’t deny express orders from the king, even if they clash with ones from you.”

“I can look after myself fine, Gwaine.”

“Your father’s merely worried. There’s been a lot of movement from Blackwood’s forces lately. We think they’re planning something big. But I just realised I haven’t asked you an all-important question.”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing here?”

Merlin sighed, “The Great Dragon, Kilgharrah, was released and rained destruction down on Camelot. I convinced him to go to Dracona, but he said he’d return in a week – something about Morgana and a choice and destiny – if she chooses wrong, he’ll destroy Camelot, so we’re off to find Father and get him to control Kilgharrah.”

“No pressure on Morgana’s part,” Gwaine said.

“I think she’s more scared than she lets on. She has magic, Gwaine.”

The knight’s eyes widened in surprise, “The ward of Uther Pendragon is a magic user?”

Merlin nodded, “I’ve been helping her. Trying to make her see that it’s not evil and to help her gain control.”

“No wonder she likes you, Merlin,” Gwaine said teasingly. “To be taught by the great Emrys himself! That would have any sorcerer or sorceress swooning.”

“Shut up,” Merlin said, marvelling at how much he sounded like Arthur in that moment.

Gwaine laughed, “Alright, alright. I won’t say anything else about you and Morgana.”

Merlin made a noise of disbelief. “Yes you will!”

Gwaine grinned, “Okay, yes I will. You caught me. I was lying. I’m never going to let this go.”

Merlin scowled at his friend and took another drink. “Enough of this,” he said. “Tell me about the war effort.”

Gwaine’s news on the war, whilst not unfortunate, didn’t really have any positive sides to it. Both forces seemed to be at a stalemate, unable to get an advantage over the other. “Blackwood is supported by a powerful High Priestess,” Gwaine reported. “She has hair of gold and knocks down any in her path.”

“How does Elaine fair against her?”

“They’ve only met in battle a few times, but there is strong animosity between them. It almost seems personal. Each time they have fought, there has been no clear winner, but Elaine has had a hard time about it. The Priestess isn’t always at the battle, though. We think she is more of a tactician, calling the shots from behind the scenes.”

“Why has no one told me this?!” Merlin demanded angrily. “I would have come home! I would have helped! I have the power-“

“-You have the power, yes, but you are the only heir to the throne. We need you safe.”

“I can handle myself.”

“I know. But you also have a duty not just to Dracona, but to the magical community. You know your duty as Emrys. You know your place is at Arthur’s side.”

Merlin sighed in frustration, “I know that, but it is little comfort when I hear that my people are suffering and I know I have the power to stop it.”

Gwaine clapped Merlin on the back, “I know, mate,” he said gently. “I understand. But we all have to do our duty. Right now, yours is protection Arthur, and mine is protecting you. So I’ll be joining you when you leave tomorrow.”

“Try explaining that to Arthur.”

Gwaine waved away his concern. “We’ll just say that I’m a knight of Dracona. I know the way and I know where Balinor’s forces are stationed. He’d be mad to deny my help.”

Merlin nodded, and then projected his thoughts to Gwaine, Morgana and Gwen know the truth about my powers and that I’m the Prince of Dracona. Arthur doesn’t, so keep silent about that. Do you still have the telepathy stone I made you?

Gwaine grinned and pulled his necklace out from under his shirt. Along with all his other talismans, the blue stone Merlin had crafted to allow a person with no magic to project their thoughts hung their proudly. Sure do, Gwaine’s voice sounded in Merlin’s head.

“Good,” Merlin said aloud. “That could come in handy.”

The warlock finished his drink and stood up; Gwaine followed suit. Merlin pulled him into a hug, “It’s good to see you. If you’re set on accompanying us, we’ll be leaving at first light.”

Gwaine pulled out of the hug, “I’ll be there.”

“Right, but I can’t promise Arthur will believe you.”

“Pfft,” Gwaine scoffed. “He’ll be fine. What’s not to believe?”

“You’re a knight of Dracona?” Arthur asked, clearly unconvinced.

Told you, Merlin thought to Gwaine.

No one likes a gloater, sire, Gwaine thought back.

They had all been introduced to each other, and their quest had been explained to Gwaine, but Arthur was having trouble accepting Gwaine was a knight. Admittedly, he didn’t look the part. Gwaine wasn’t wearing armour and was dressed in his standard travel clothes. The only thing that could pin him as a knight was the fine sword that hung at his waist.

“Sir Gwaine, at your service. Member of the Kingsguard to King Balinor Ambrosius of Dracona.”

“What are you doing so far from Dracona?” Arthur questioned, clearly suspicious.

“Chasing down rumours,” Gwaine lied easily. “We heard our lost prince was in these parts, so I was sent to investigate.”

“Your lost prince?” Morgana asked, carefully not looking at Merlin.

“When the rebellion began, our prince was sent from Dracona and to safety. He greatly protested it, but the king was adamant. Now, however, we wish for our prince to return home. But for safety’s sake, he wanders. It’s been hard to track him down. But now I know that the rumours he was in this region are simply rumours, and I must return my findings to the king. I can lead you there, if you’d like.”

Arthur was silent, before: “Alright, we’d be thankful to have your assistance. But please – no more singing. We had enough of that last night.”

Gwaine laughed, “I promise nothing, my Lord.”

“I’m begging you, no more!” Arthur moaned whilst Gwaine continued to sing as they rode.

“You love it, Princess,” Gwaine taunted, before bursting once more into song.

“Princess?!” Arthur spluttered indignantly while all the others laughed.

“Gwaine, please, enough,” Merlin said and Gwaine immediately fell silent, shooting a grin at the secret prince.

“How come you be quiet when Merlin asks?” Arthur asked petulantly.

“Simple,” Gwaine replied airily. “He said please.”

As everyone else laughed at him, Arthur tried to save face by changing the subject, “We should arrive in Ealdor by nightfall, given nothing unexpected happens.”

Merlin groaned loudly.

“What?” Arthur asked.

“You just had to say it, didn’t you?” Merlin said, clearly annoyed.

“What?”

“’Given nothing unexpected happens’. Now something unexpected is definitely going to happen! You jinxed us!”

Arthur scoffed, “Merlin, I think you’re being ridic-“

But the prince was cut off by a swarm of bandits screaming and running out of the woods, surrounding them in a mere couple of seconds.

As Arthur unsheathed his sword and prepared for a fight, he couldn’t help but hear his manservant have the last word.

“I told you so.”

Chapter Text

Lord Anthony Blackwood stared coolly at the High Priestess.

He called himself the King of Dracona, but the people had a different name for him: The Usurper. Despite the War of Dracona now spanning many years, the people would not yield to his rule. They still supported the dethroned king, Balinor. The people’s defiance made Blackwood’s blood boil. They should be revering him! Not clinging to the rule of the weak Balinor.

Lord Blackwood wasn’t a pleasant man. Not in looks or personality. He dressed primarily in black which matched his greasy, unkempt hair. He had cold grey eyes and an expression that was almost always in a frown. He believed himself better than anyone else, was ruthless and desired power above all else. He may not have the gift of magic, but that didn’t stop him employing magic users of the darkest kind to work for him. He was a cruel man with a wicked heart, who wouldn’t stop until all of Dracona was under his control. When it was, he planned on expanding his lands, and would wage war on any who would get in his way.

“Tell me, Morgause, why have you yet to defeat Balinor’s Court Sorceress?” He demanded. He was sitting on his throne, in the Draconian castle he had taken from Balinor. Morgause stood in front of him, her head bowed in submission.

“We are evenly matched,” she replied, though she was at loath to admit that.

“Elaine-“

“-Do not mention her name to me!” Morgause spat.

Blackwood scowled at her. “I’ll mention your sister if I damn well please! She’s Balinor’s faithful lapdog and you have done nothing to get rid of her.”

“Elaine is powerful-“

“-You told me you were the most powerful sorceress, Morgause. Was that a lie?”

“No, it’s just--“

“-I don’t want to hear excuses!” Blackwood shouted. “You forget … I need you far less than you need me. I am backed by an army of mercenaries and sorcerers. You may be powerful, but we can always make do without you.”

“We had a deal!” Morgause protested.

“We had a deal, yes,” Blackwood drawled. “You help we win the war, and I march on Camelot so you can be with your lovely sister, Morgana. Tell me, does she even know of your existence? Does she know she even has a sister – no – sisters?”

“Elaine isn’t our sister!”

“Oh, but she is.”

“She isn’t. She hasn’t been my sister for a long time.”

“Because she chose to use her powers for Light and you for Darkness, yes?”

Morgause scowled, “Yes.”

Blackwood nodded, “Yes, and because of her, you’re not keeping your end of the deal. This war has gone on long enough, Morgause. I want it ended.”

“There is a chance! The Choice is coming. If you would just allow me to go to Camelot and Morgana, I could bring her to our side-“

“- You will go nowhere.” Blackwood sneered at her, “Do you honestly believe I’d put any stock in Druid fairy tales? The Choice you blabber about is nothing. You may believe in Light and Dark when it comes to magic, you can be angry at Elaine about that for all I care. It matters not to me. What matters is crushing Balinor and his forces once and for all.”

“Of course, My Lord.”

“However, we have a problem. My spies have alerted me of a group approaching from Camelot. It seems that Balinor has turned to them for help.”

“Uther Pendragon would never support those with magic.” Morgause said, trying not to glare at the man before her. The Choice was important, but he refused to believe.

“And yet, a party left Camelot all the same.”

“They could be mere travellers.”

“Well now they’re unfortunate travellers. I’ve sent bandits and mercenaries after them. Even if they are no one, I won’t risk anyone coming into Dracona and ruining my plans.” He lounged back on the throne. “Now, show me the bandits attack. I want to see these ‘travellers’ dealt with.”

Morgause approached the king so she was standing beside him and murmured a few words in the Old Religion. A projection appeared in front of them and they looked on at the vision of a group of five who were taking on the men Blackwood had sent after them.

They watched at the travellers easily dealt with the bandits, but each of them only had eyes for one person.

“Morgana,” Morgause whispered, staring at the picture of her sister in awe.

“Prince Merlin,” Blackwood spat. “And Arthur Pendragon!” He turned to the High Priestess, “Go to them, Morgause. Deal with them, and bring Balinor’s whelp of a son to me! I don’t care what you do to the others.”

Morgause waved her hand and the projection in front of them disappeared. “Of course, my Lord,” she said, trying to supress her glee at this opportunity.

She would go to her sister and convince Morgana to join her. She would train Morgana in in the art of magic, and when they were ready they would get rid of Blackwood and take Dracona for themselves. Morgause was tired of acting as Blackwood’s faithful lapdog. She was a High Priestess of the Old Religion! Far superior to this man who believed himself a king! He had no magic. He had no notion of real power. He was undeserving to rule a kingdom primarily of those who were sorcerers and sorceresses. But she and Morgana … they would rule and crush anyone who opposed them.

“Bedyrne mé! Astýre mé þanonweard!” She intoned and disappeared in a gust of wind.

It was time to go meet her sister.

Morgana blocked another stroke with her sword and in a second she had dealt her opponent a crippling blow. The bandit fell to the ground, but Morgana paid him no mind. She was already looking for her next target. Morgana idly wondered about their horses that had disappeared when the fighting started, but that was a problem for a later time.

To her right, she could see Merlin duelling with a man who looked twice his size, but Merlin was holding his own. Just from watching him for a few seconds, Morgana could tell his natural skill with a blade. Merlin must have been hiding his true abilities all along. Morgana had lost count at how many times Arthur had said that his servant was hopeless with a sword, but here he was, fighting like an expert swordsman. In a matter of moments, the bandit Merlin was lying dead at the warlock’s feet.

She turned to find another to duel, but it when then that she realised there was no one else to fight. It was over. Bandits were either lying defeated on the ground, or running away from the onslaught they received at the hands of Morgana and the others. Convinced there was no more threat, Morgana sheathed her sword.

“Since when can you fight?” Arthur asked Merlin, apparently impressed at what he had witnessed.

“I must have picked something up from you after all, sire,” Merlin replied.

“But you were using moves I’ve never-“ Arthur began, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by a fierce wind buffeting them all and a blonde sorceress appeared before them.

“You!” Gwaine snarled, drawing his sword. Everyone else followed his lead. “She works for Blackwood!”

Everyone was on their guard, but Morgana couldn’t help but think to what the dragon had told her before she released him: Beware the Priestess with hair of gold who calls herself your kin. Morgana was immediately ten times more suspicious of this newcomer. But what was unnerving was how the sorceress was staring at her. She paid the others no attention, but was staring at Morgana so intently that it made Morgana’s skin crawl.

She sorceress finally turned her attention to the others. “My name is Morgause, High Priestess of the Old Religion and you, little Prince, are coming with me,” she announced. “Lord Blackwood desires an audience with you.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” Arthur said immediately.

Morgause scoffed, “I wasn’t speaking to you, Arthur Pendragon, but to the Draconian prince.”

“What?” Arthur asked, and immediately looked at Gwaine. It made sense, seeing as though Gwaine was the only one Arthur knew was from Dracona, but Morgana couldn’t help but be annoyed on Merlin’s behalf that Arthur hadn’t even considered that his manservant could be royalty.

“He’s not going anywhere with you either, Morgause,” Gwaine said, walking to stand protectively in front of Merlin.

Morgana winced. The truth is out now, she thought. I know Merlin didn’t want it to be so soon, but now we have to deal with it.

Arthur wore a dumbfounded expression, “Now hold on a second. You can’t possibly think Merlin is a prince. He’s not a prince – he’s my servant! He’s – he’s an idiot!”

Morgause disregarded Arthur entirely, “You’re quite hard to track down, Prince Merlin. King Blackwood has been searching for you for years.”

“That man is not the King!” Merlin and Gwaine chorused.

“My Father is the true King of Dracona!” Merlin shouted, ignoring Arthur who was staring at him like he’d grown a second head.

“And to think you were hiding out in Camelot?” Morgause continued as if they hadn’t spoken. “Someone with your talents being the servant of Arthur Pendragon himself. I can’t tell if that was foolish or inspired. No one would think to look for you there.”

“Enough of this, Morgause,” Merlin said, his voice darker than Morgana had ever heard it. “You do not want to test me.”

“Yes, you’re right, there are things I must get to,” she agreed, and with a flash gold she had all of them bar Morgana bound in magical chains. Everyone’s swords had been forced out of their hands and their arms were pinned to their sides; they were forced on their knees and completely wrapped in magical chains. Morgana’s breath hitched in fright, but she knew Merlin would be able to get out of them. She had faith in him.

As the others struggled against the chains, Morgana ran so she stood protectively in front of the warlock. “If you think I’m just going to let you take Merlin, you’re wrong,” she said.

Morgause’s expression softened. Her expression looked almost … fond? “Morgana, please,” she said softly, “you must listen to me. I am your sister.”

Shocked silence from everyone followed that statement. Morgana took a few stunned steps backwards, shaking her head. “No, no, I have no sister.”

“Sisters,” Morgause corrected. “Elaine, Balinor’s Court Sorceress is mine and your elder sister. There are some years between us, but we are sisters nevertheless.”

Morgana only shook her head mutely, but she was surprised when Gwen spoke up, “If Elaine works for Balinor, why would you follow Blackwood? Why fight against your family?”

Morgause scowled, “Elaine follows the Path of Light.”

Morgana gasped at the familiar term she’d heard so often in the past few days. The dragon’s advice repeated in her head: Beware the Priestess with hair of gold who calls herself your kin. “You follow the Path of Darkness,” Morgana said.

Her apparent sister nodded, “Yes. We have been at odds ever since I made my choice to walk in the Dark.”

“Lady Morgana, don’t listen to anything she has to stay!” Gwaine called out as he struggled against his chains. “She’s killed hundreds of Draconians! She’s evil!”

Morgause’s only response to that was to make Gwaine’s chains tighter. The knight groaned in pain but Morgause ignored him. “Come with me, sister. I can take you home.”

“No! Morgana!” Arthur called out, who was apparently out of his shocked silence. “Camelot is your home!” Gwen called out in agreement just a second after him.

Morgana, Merlin’s voice sounded in her head and it was an immediate comfort. She was so confused by the sudden development, but hearing Merlin sent a wave of relief coursing through her. I’m almost out of Morgause’s chains, but I need you to distract her. These chains are powerful. I just need a moment of lapsed concentration and I’ll be able to break through.

Morgana thought an okay to Merlin, but she didn’t know if he’d heard her. It didn’t matter though. She’d heard him.

“No,” she said.

Morgause frowned, “Sorry?”

“No, I’m not going with you. I don’t know you! You’re not my sister!”

“Morgana-“

“-I said no!”

“Sister, please-“

“-I SAID NO!” Morgana shouted, and she felt the familiar feeling of her magic building up inside her. Without thinking of what she was doing, she thrust her arms out and with a rush of magic, she threw Morgause backwards. The Priestess went flying, landing in the dirt a few metres away with a loud thump.

Morgana stared down at her hands in shock. She couldn’t believe she’d done that. Slowly, she turned to face the others. She almost didn’t want to turn around, she was so afraid of Arthur’s reaction.

Arthur was staring at her with his mouth wide open in shock. “Magic,” he choked out, “you have magic.”

“Arthur please – I was born with it!” She babbled. “I didn’t choose it! I didn’t! I can’t help it!” But the prince of Camelot just continued to stare at her in shock.

“I was right,” came the voice of Morgause. They all turned to face her. The Priestess was now standing and staring at Morgana with a proud smile on her face. “I knew you would have magic, just like Elaine and I. And powerful magic too. You must come with me, sister. You cannot return to Uther; he would have you killed for your gifts.”

“No!” Arthur shouted. “He loves you, Morgana!”

Morgana shook her head, “My place is here!” She said defiantly, “I’m not going with you and I’m not letting you take Merlin!”

“The time of the Choice is approaching, sister. You must-“

“- Do not presume you can tell me what to do! I will do nothing you tell me!” Morgana yelled at the Priestess.

Morgause growled in frustration and gestured towards her sister. Morgana gasped. She was suddenly frozen, unable to move. “I – I – I can’t move,” she choked out.

“If you will not come with me willingly, sister, I will just take you and the prince by force!”

With a shout, Merlin stook up, his eyes blazing golden and Morgause’s chains’ disintegrating into nothing, disappearing off not just him but all of their group. “Ástríce!” Merlin yelled, gesturing at Morgause and the Priestess once again went flying. Ignoring the shocked and betrayed looked Arthur was giving him, Merlin stalked forward to Morgana’s side. “You dare use magic to control your own sister?!”

Morgause struggled to stand. The wind had been knocked out of her.  She gasped in air before speaking, “My chains. All of them. You just –“

“-Surely you know who I am, Morgause. The prophecies do not lie. You should know that nothing holds me for long. I was out of those chains as soon as Morgana threw you, waiting to see what you would do … And you should also know that you have made a grave error. You stand on the side of the man who overthrew my father, you follow the Path of Darkness, not only have you threatened my friends here today, but you have threatened The Once and Future King and the women who holds a place in my heart – your own sister.”

Morgana gave a small gasp at Merlin’s words and she broke out into a wide smile. But she didn’t have long to dwell on it as magic was started to build up around Merlin. The very air shook with power. Merlin’s eyes were shining a constant gold and his expression was cold as he stared at Morgause.

“You know who I am. You know what happens to those that threaten The Once and Future King. All those that stand in the way of Albion feel my wrath.”

Morgause was staring at Merlin with both fear and awe written on her face. “Emrys,” she whispered.

Suddenly, all the magic building up around them disappeared. Merlin, showing incredible control, reined his powers in. His eyes faded back to blue, but he still looked at Morgause with that unsympathetic expression that Morgana had never seen on Merlin’s face before. “Leave here, Morgause,” he said, his voice cold and commanding. “Return to the Usurper, tell him what happened here today. Tell him that Emrys is coming, and all the dark sorcerers in the world won’t be able to protect him. Tell him that Crown Prince Merlin Ambrosius is returning to Dracona to reclaim his father’s kingdom.”

Morgause’s eyes flicked from Merlin to Morgana and back, “Sister-“ she tried.

“Leave here, Morgause,” Morgana said, adopting Merlin’s cold tone. “You and the Great Dragon say that my Choice is coming, but there is no choice at all. I will always choose Merlin and the Path of Light. Always. Leave here, and do not try to contact me again.”

“But Morgana-“

“-LEAVE!” Merlin and Morgana shouted in unison.

Morgause, seeming to admit defeat, simply said, “I will be back for you, sister. The Choice is coming and Darkness will claim you,” and with a murmured incantation, she disappeared in gust of wind.

Both Merlin and Morgana sighed in relief. Morgana bowed her head, trying to compose herself. Everything that had had happened … it was just too much to take in. Merlin stepped closer to her and gently lifted her chin up so he was facing him. Concern was written all over his features. “Are you alright?” He asked softly.

Morgana felt her eyes building up with tears. She shook her head and buried her face in his shirt, wrapping her arms around him as he did. “They all think I’m going to turn evil! Why does everyone think I’m going to turn evil! It’s like they want me to!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Merlin said, gently, returning her hug. “You’re not going to turn evil. I don’t think you’re going to turn evil. None of us do.”

Slowly, Morgana pulled away from him. She nodded and wiped her eyes, “Thank you, Merlin.”

He took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, “It’s alright,” he said, and as one, they turned to face their friends. Both of them were scared of how Arthur was going to react. He was the only one out of the loop. He’d grown up believing all magic was evil, and now he’d found out that both Merlin and Morgana had it. And to top it all off, Merlin was a prince. Yes, they definitely didn’t know how Arthur was going to take it.

Morgana could only hope Arthur didn’t hate them.

Arthur’s expression was one of forced politeness, Merlin could tell. It was the one he wore during council meeting and had to be courteous, even when he wanted to hit someone in the face.

This didn’t bode well.

Considering what he just thought, Merlin really should have expected the punch. Arthur’s right arm came out flying and connected solidly with Merlin’s right cheek. As he fell, all Merlin could think of was at least he hasn’t run me through with his sword.

Merlin hit the ground with a grunt and there were shouts of “Arthur!” from Gwen and Morgana in protest. Morgana leant down to help him up and as she did, Merlin became aware of Gwaine moving to stand protectively in front of him, glaring at Arthur with his sword in his hands.

Morgana helped Merlin back on his feet and he said, “Stand down, Gwaine.”

“But sire-“

“-I said stand down.”

Morgana stood by Merlin’s side, supporting him. She had one arm wrapped around him and Merlin was thankful for the contact. It was a small comfort in what he knew was going to be an unpleasant conversation.

“Who – who are you?!” Arthur demanded, hurt and betrayal etched on his face.

“I’m Merlin,” he replied.

“No! No you’re not! Merlin is clumsy and honest and an idiot. He’s – he’s not a prince! He’s not a sorcerer! He doesn’t lie to me!”

Merlin flinched, “It really is me, Arthur. Nothing has changed.”

“Everything has changed!” Arthur shouted. “You’re a bloody sorcerer! And a prince! I’ve had you mucking my stables, cleaning my chambers – everything! – and you’re a bloody prince! Is this some kind of sick joke?! How – how could you do this, Merlin?”

“Arthur, you need to trust me-“

“-Trust you?! How could I trust you, Merlin? Everything I know about you is a lie!”

Merlin bowed his head, overcome with emotion. His worst nightmares had become realised. Arthur had learnt the truth and reacted in the worst possible way.

“Was it you that taught Morgana magic?” Arthur demanded angrily. “Was it you who filled her head with sorcery?!”

“Arthur, no!” Morgana said. “I told you, I was born like this. We both were!”

“That’s impossible,” Arthur said, “no one is born with magic.”

Merlin looked up, “It’s not impossible, just rare. I’m even rarer. I’m Emrys. I’m magic incarnate, your magical protector and destined to stand by your side. You can hate me all you want, Arthur. But that’s not going to change that I am your friend and destined to serve you.”

Arthur was shaking his head, “The Coming of Emrys was just a druid story.”

“Druid prophecies, Arthur,” Morgana corrected.

“You are the Once and Future King, Arthur,” Merlin said seriously, “and I am Emrys. It has been foretold that we will unite Albion and create a land of peace for all people, non-magical and magical alike.”

Arthur just continued shaking his head, “It’s just a story.”

Merlin growled in frustration, “It’s not just a story, you prat! It’s our destiny! And ever since I met you I’ve been doing everything in my power to keep you safe. At first it was just because it was our destiny, but then it was more than that. You’re my friend, Arthur. You’re my best friend. Why wouldn’t I want to protect you? It’s me. It’s always been me. Every tree branch that fell on an attacker, every bandit that suddenly lost their sword, everyone who has ever tried to kill you has been defeated by me using my magic to protect you. And in case you didn’t notice, I just did it again! I broke you all out of your chains and scared Morgause into leaving! Do you want more proof? The bite of the Questing Beast is supposed to be fatal Arthur, but you survived that one, didn’t you? The High Priestess Nimueh? Who sent the afanc and gave Camelot the plague? I blew her up with lightning. Cornelius Sigan? Defeated. By me. Using magic. I have used magic countless times to save you and Camelot, but no, you just go on believing it’s a force of evil.”

Merlin’s chest was heaving by the end of his rant. Arthur looked shocked at his outburst, but muttered something that sounded like “Lied.”

“Of course I lied!” Merlin exploded. “My very existence in your kingdom means death! Forgive me for wanting to stay alive so I could protect your royal backside! Are you angry I didn’t tell you I’m a prince? Would you even have believed me? That would have been a wonderful conversation. ‘Hey Arthur, just letting you know that I’m the Crown Prince of a magical land. I’m on the run because my kingdom is in the middle of a war, but my Father won’t let me fight because I need to be kept safe.’ Oh yeah, you would have totally believed me!”

“You should have trusted me!” Arthur shouted back at him, “Like I trusted you!”

“Of course I trusted you, you clotpole! You’re my friend! But did you ever think I kept my silence for your sake as much as mine?!”

“Wh-what?” Arthur asked, caught off guard.

“I didn’t want you to have to choose between your father and I. If you had found out, you would feel duty-bound to tell your father, but conflicted because it was me who was the sorcerer. I was sparing you that pain,” Merlin broke off and shook his head. “I have done so much for you, Arthur. I have killed for you, drunk poison for you, I’ve protected you, and I’ve protected Camelot and your father, even though I know he would execute me if he knew the truth. I’ve battled the sidhe and sorcerers out for vengeance, all the while hiding one of the most integral parts of myself. You may be upset that I lied to you, Arthur, but I had to. I had to stay alive and protect you. I had to stay I’ve so that I may one day return to Dracona. I’m sorry that I lied and I’m sorry that I hurt you, but what would you have done in my position? Could you say that you would have told the truth, if you had gifts such as mine in a land where magic is met with execution?”

Merlin didn’t even give Arthur the chance to reply; he just kept talking. “And back to your original question, no, I didn’t teach Morgana magic. I’m teaching her control. She was born with her magic and was scared out of her mind because she’s the ward of a man who murders her kind without a second thought.”

Morgana clung to Merlin as he said that. Arthur’s hurt and angry expression softened and he turned to her, “Father would never do that to you. He loves you.”

“Forgive me for not believing you,” Morgana replied. “Uther may be fond of me, but when it comes to magic, he is ruthless. We had to sneak out of Camelot just to come on this quest, remember?”

Arthur slumped; it seemed like all the fight had gone out of him. He looked up at Merlin uncertainly, “You – you’ve really done all that for Camelot? For me?”

“And more … I can show you, if you’d like?”

“Huh?”

Merlin said a few words in the Old Tongue and a projection appeared in front of them. Arthur, Gwen, Morgana and Gwaine all stared transfixed as Merlin’s past deeds played out in front of them. Merlin, for his part, merely stared at the ground. He didn’t need to relive it all.

When it finished, he merely waved his hand and the projection disappeared, but he didn’t lift his head. He wasn’t sure if he could handle the expression on everyone’s faces at that moment. However, to his surprise, Arthur marched over to him and pulled the warlock into a fierce hug.

“Ar-Arthur, you never do hugs,” Merlin said, shocked.

“Thank you,” the prince of Camelot said, “Thank you for everything, Merlin …. And I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright, Arthur,” Merlin said.

“It isn’t! I’ve been such a – a – a prat! Blinded by my father’s hatred…” Arthur trailed off, looking guilty and lost.

It was Gwen that spoke up in the silence that followed, “You may have been blinded, but now you can see,” she said, putting a comforting hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “Now you understand that there is good in magic; it is not just the evil entity your father believes it to be. Lives can be saved with magic – like my Fathers – it is not only a tool of destruction.”

“Magic is like fire,” Merlin said. “It can burn and destroy, but it can also protect you. Think about it – yes, fires are normally seen as destructive, but they can also keep you alive in the coldest winter, or it could be used to scare away dangerous beasts. They is both good and bad to fire, it just depends on how one chooses to use it.”

“… I – I understand,” Arthur said, giving Merlin a tentative smile.

Merlin beamed back at him, “That is why I know you will be a better king than your father. That is why I know you are worthy to be the Once and Future King.”

Arthur looked overwhelmed at that, “That’s a lot to take in. I’m the Once and Future King and you’re Emrys! That’s unbelievable!”

Morgana laughed and they all turned to her, “Sorry,” she said, “I’m just laughing at the fact you’ve had a future king and the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth mucking out your stables.”

Arthur’s expression at Morgana’s words made everyone break out in laughter. When it subsided, Arthur looked seriously at Morgana and Merlin. “On my life I swear that I will protect you in Camelot. I will keep your magic a secret. No one will learn of it from me, I promise you.”

“Or me,” Gwen said, despite promising the same thing the day before.

“Thank you,” Merlin and Morgana said sincerely.

Arthur wore a determined expression, “And I swear that when I am king, magic will return to Camelot. You and all other magic users will be free to live in my kingdom. They will no longer have to live in fear.”

Whatever Arthur thought Merlin and Morgana would have said to that, he clearly wasn’t expecting the latter to launch herself at him. Tears streamed out of Morgana’s eyes as she hugged him. “Thank you, Arthur! Thank you! I’ve been so scared and just – thank you!”

Although Arthur wasn’t one who dealt well with emotions, he hugged the girl he’d grown up with back. They may tease each other mercilessly, but it was in moments like this one that you could see the real bond between the two of them.

“There’s one thing I still don’t understand,” Gwen said and everyone turned to her.

“Just one?” Gwaine joked, but faltered under everyone’s hard stares. “Sorry.”

“What is this Choice Morgause was talking about?”

“Before I released the –“ Morgana began, but then cut herself off after she realised what she’d been about to say. However, the damage had been done.

“Released? What are you talking about?” Arthur asked, looking down at Morgana who was still in his arms. Gwen looked just as confused. A second later, comprehension dawned on Arthur’s features. “Oh no. Morgana, you didn’t!”

“I’m sorry!” She said, tears building in her eyes again, and Merlin had to physically stop himself from going to pull her out of Arthur’s arms and into his own. “I didn’t know the Dragon would destroy Camelot!”

Gwen gasped, finally understanding what they were talking about.

“He made me promise to release him!” Morgana continued tearfully. “He wouldn’t tell me where my hope lied until he was released.”

“Your hope?” Gwen asked, “What do you mean?”

“The dragon believes I am destined for evil,” Morgana explained, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. “That when my Choice comes, which is apparently in a few days, I will choose the Path of Darkness. I would become Arthur and Merlin’s greatest enemy; I would be the opposite of Emrys, the hatred to Merlin’s love, the darkness to his light, never stopping until I claimed Camelot for my own … Unless I follow the Path of Light. But the Great Dragon, Kilgharrah, believes I only have a slim chance of Choosing the Light, only one hope at being turned from the Darkness. He wouldn’t tell me my hope until I freed him from underneath Camelot.”

“And what was your hope?” Gwaine asked just as interested as Gwen and Arthur.

Morgana pulled away from Arthur and walked back so she was once again standing beside Merlin. She wrapped an arm around his waist and Merlin automatically returned the gesture. “Merlin,” Morgana said at last. “Merlin is my hope. According to the dragon, I am either to be his Queen, or his most mortal enemy.”

Merlin tensed and felt a blush taint his cheeks. Regardless of his feelings for Morgana, this was news to him.

“What?!” Arthur exploded, looking between the two of them in both surprise and displeasure. “You and Merlin … together? As a couple? That is – that’s … that’s..” He trailed off, unable to think of a word that properly described his disgust.

“Wonderful!” Gwen finished for him, a wide smile on her face.

“That’s not what I was thinking, but fine, let’s go with that,” Arthur muttered.

“Does it really make you that uncomfortable, Arthur?” Morgana asked, arching an eyebrow.

“…Well. Yes. I mean, it’s you and Merlin,” Arthur replied, the epitome of a sibling being disgusted about their sister’s love life.

Morgana smirked. “Well this is really going to make you uncomfortable,” she said, and with that, she pulled Merlin down into a kiss.

Merlin lost all coherent thought. His world was suddenly encompassed by Morgana. The soft feel of her lips on his, the way she threaded her arms around his neck, the way her mouth opened for his tongue as the kiss deepened. Merlin was lost in the oblivion that was Morgana. His heartbeat was racing and his thoughts were made up of only one mantra: Morgana, Morgana, Morgana…

She pulled away from him. Like him, her breath was slightly erratic and a blush tainted her cheeks, but she smiled widely at him.

We need to do that more often, her voice sounded in his head.

You can use telepathy! He thought back in delight, a wide smile on his face.

Apparently so. I just tried it and it worked, she replied.

This is brilliant! Now we can talk without the prat overhearing!

Morgana smirked at him. And what would you like to say that Arthur couldn’t hear?

Merlin hoped he wasn’t blushing. A few things… Mostly relating to sneaking away and doing more of what we were just doing.

Prince Merlin, you scoundrel, you! Morgana’s mental voice was teasing.

“And now they’re doing to telepathy thing,” came Gwaine’s voice.

Merlin and Morgana started, shocked out of their own little world by the knight’s voice. They turn to see Arthur and Gwen staring at them with identical expressions of surprised. Gwen was the first to look away, staring down at her shoes. Arthur continued to gape at them in the most un-princely manner. Gwaine was the only one who seemed unconcerned.

“That was – that was,” he began, but apparently couldn’t find the words. Pulling himself together, all he said was “For the love of god, don’t do that where Father could see you!”

Morgana rolled her eyes, “Because we’re that dumb, Arthur.”

“Maybe not you, but Merlin definitely is.”

“Hey!” Merlin said indignantly, but on the inside he was beaming. For Arthur to joke and insult him so close after finding out the truth, after accepting him for who he was … It was perhaps the best thing the Prince of Camelot could have done.

Merlin’s eyes caught Arthur’s and his friend merely nodded. The warlock knew there was a lot to that nod, an acceptance and understanding that until that day Merlin had only dreamt of.

A silence lapsed between them. All of them lost to their own thoughts, wondering just how they continued on from the revelations that that afternoon had given them. It was Gwaine, typical Gwaine, who decided to break the silence.

“Well that was an emotionally charged afternoon, wasn’t it?” The knight said cheerfully. “A fight, some magic, some reveals, a punch, some shouting, a kiss – but don’t you think we should be continuing on? Dracona awaits, my friends!”

Everyone immediately agreed, silently thankful for Gwaine’s suggestion. “Yes,” Arthur said. “We need to find our horses, though I still wouldn’t mind discussing this Choice that you spoke of.”

“Your horses are here, Arthur Pendragon,” spoke a new, young voice; a voice that Merlin instantly recognised and sent dread coursing through him.

Merlin turned slowly. The boy was surrounded by other druids who held the reins to their horses. Merlin even recognised the druid chieftain, Iseldir, amongst them. But it was the boy who had spoken who had Merlin so on edge.

“Hello Emrys,” said Mordred.

Chapter Text

Merlin, what is the matter? Morgana’s concerned voice sounded in his head.

They were heading to the druid camp that was nearby. Night wouldn’t fall for some hours, but they needed a place to rest for the evening and the druids were more than happy to take them in. They lead them to their camp with promises of food and drink, and murmurs of “Emrys” and “the Once and Future King” whispered amongst them.

I’m fine, Merlin thought back to her.

You’re not. You’re clearly not. Is it because of what the dragon said about Mordred? That he’ll kill Arthur? He wouldn’t – he’s just a boy!

Merlin knew Morgana was fond of the boy. She wouldn’t want to believe that Mordred was anymore capable of turning evil than she was. As Merlin I want to trust him but as Emrys … I can’t afford to.

Destiny isn’t set in stone, Merlin … I have to believe that it isn’t, after everything I’ve heard about my own supposed destiny.

That’s not going to happen, Morgana, Merlin told her determinedly.

Then who’s to say that Mordred’s destiny is going to happen? She replied, and Merlin had no reply to that logic, but he still felt uneasy.

There was a rush of activity as they finally arrived at the camp. Druids, both old and young, were gathering, looking at Merlin in awe. “Emrys! It’s Emrys!” The children shouted with glee. “Emrys is here!”

To Merlin discomfort, some of the elder druids were even bowing to him. Growing up in Dracona, Merlin had never been totally comfortable with people bowing or curtsying to him. He bore it because it was proper, but here in the druid camps what another story entirely.

“Please,” he entreated. “You don’t have to do that. Please rise.”

The druids did as he asked and Iseldir and a dark skinned druid Merlin didn’t recognise stepped forward. “We welcome you to our camp, Emrys, Prince Arthur, Lady Morgana, Lady Guinevere and Sir Gwaine,” the unfamiliar druid said. Merlin knew without even looking at Gwen that she was blushing at being at called a Lady, but he pushed the idle thought away as he focused on the unfamiliar druid. “My name is Aglain and I am one of the leaders of this camp. And I believe you are familiar with Iseldir? He is a druid chieftain who is visiting our camp. His visit timed fortunately with yours. We are honoured to have you with us,” he said.

Merlin bowed his head respect and the others followed suit. “We are grateful for your hospitality.”

Aglain gestured towards the campfire, “Come, rest. We will bring you food and drink.”

They followed him to the campfire and all sat around it, groaning in relief at finally being able to sit down and rest after the after they’d just had. Arthur and Gwen sat beside one another on the opposite side of the fire, while Merlin sat between Morgana and Gwaine. Morgana had her hand in his, but neither of them said anything. Nothing needed to be; they were comfortable with one another and both enjoyed the contact.

Merlin couldn’t help but notice Arthur staring around at the camp in wonder. Merlin looked on as Arthur watched a pair of druid children: A young girl with auburn hair and a younger boy who looked so similar to her that they had to be siblings. The elder couldn’t have been more than eight, but she was conjuring little butterflies of light for her younger brother to try and catch. The young boy laughed in delight every time he caught one, and his sister looked on fondly.

As if feeling his gaze, Arthur turned to Merlin. “My Father is wrong,” he said, “my Father is so wrong.”

He didn’t say it loudly, but they all heard him. All Merlin did in response was nod in a direction away from the fire and stand. Without a word, Arthur stood and followed him. No one tried to stop them. They all sensed that this was a conversation that needed to happen.

When they reached a distance far enough to be out of the earshot of the others Merlin turned to Arthur. “Are you alright?” He asked the Prince of Camelot.

Arthur looked all around at the druid camp. “It’s so much to take in. But yes, I am alright.”

“And are … are we alright?” Merlin asked nervously. He was staring at Arthur, desperate for his answer.

It took a while for Arthur to respond. Merlin’s heart hammered in his chest in anticipation for whatever Arthur was about to say. Arthur had forgiven Merlin earlier, that was true, but there was still so many things left unsaid.

“We’re alright, Merlin,” Arthur said at last and Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. “I was angry ... So angry and hurt. I thought you had betrayed me and learnt magic. But I understand why you kept your silence. Camelot is not a safe place for someone with your gifts and not once did I ever give you any sign that it could be, not with my father’s teaching drilled into me for so long.”

“Well-“

“-No, Merlin, let me finish. It hurt and it still does hurt that you didn’t trust me. Even if it was the fact that you’re a prince. I would have given you all the protection Camelot could offer. I still would. But you kept quiet, and I understand why, but it still hurts. I feel like you know everything about me and I know next to nothing about you when I thought I knew everything there was to know.”

“I’m still me,” Merlin said. “I’m still Merlin.”

“Yes, but now you’re a powerful Merlin. You’re a prince and the greatest sorcerer to ever walk the earth. You’re probably not even clumsy-“

“Oh no, I’m clumsy. Father had hoped I’d grow out of that, but apparently not.”

At that, Arthur laughed. “Well no, you wouldn’t of, would you?”

Merlin smiled, “Exactly. See? I’m still me, Arthur. I’m still your friend. I’m just stepping out of the shadows instead of hiding behind them.”

“You’re not my friend Merlin,” Arthur said, and his manservant gaped at him. A rush of despair went through Merlin until Arthur finished his sentence, “You’re my best friend.”

Merlin frowned at him, “You prat!” He said, punching Arthur in the arm. “Did you have to start with that?! I thought you hated me for a second!” But even as Merlin said the words, he could hear Kilgharrah’s voice from so long ago: The half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole.

Arthur laughed, “Sorry.” His expression turned serious, “But you know you won’t be able to work as my servant when we get back to Camelot, don’t you?”

Merlin gaped at him, “What?! Of course I’m going to be your servant!”

“You’re a prince, Merlin. You’re working below your station –“

“-To keep an eye on you! I have to stay close and protect you!” Arthur took a breath to respond, but Merlin didn’t give him the chance. “Don’t even give me any of that ‘I’m a prince’ stuff or I will give you back the donkey ears Morgana gave you!”

“The what?”

“I’m staying as your manservant, Arthur, and that’s final!” Merlin continued, ignoring Arthur’s confused expression. “I told you I’d be happy to be your servant until the day I died and I wasn’t lying about that. I do have a responsibility to my homeland, but you and I have a responsibility to all of Albion. I am not leaving your side. As soon as you’d be out of my sight, some rouge sorcerer will come to take your head off your shoulders. I’m not going anywhere,” Merlin finished stubbornly.

Arthur put his hands up in a placating gesture, “Alright, alright. I get it. You’re my manservant.” Merlin eyed him suspiciously. Arthur gave in far too easily in that argument. The warlock wouldn’t be surprised if when they get back to Camelot Merlin’s chambers had been moved to the most ostentatious rooms Camelot’s castle had to offer.

“I would have had you as my Court Sorcerer you know,” Arthur said. “I know you’re a prince – however long it’s going to take me to get used to that, I know you’re a prince – so that means you can’t. You have court responsibilities elsewhere. But I would have made you my First Advisor and Court Sorcerer, or Warlock, or whatever you would have liked to call yourself. There would be no one I would trust with that position more than you.”

The warlock in question felt tears building in his eyes, “You never know what could happen in the future, Arthur. I hope I am in Camelot for many more years to come. My Father has many years ahead of him and so does yours. Just because you found out the truth about me doesn’t mean I’m going to leave you. Like I said, I’m not going anywhere. I could still yet be your Court Warlock. And if I’m not – for what it’s worth – I’m honoured that you wish it would be me.”

Arthur smiled and held out his arm. Returning the grin, Merlin grasped Arthur’s forearm in the standard symbol of acceptance. Merlin’s worries had disappeared. Friends they were and friends they would continue to be. Arthur and Merlin; Emrys and the Once and Future King: Two men with a relationship as close as brothers.

They returned back to the fire. Arthur once again sat beside Guinevere and Merlin took his place next to Morgana. As soon as he had sat down, Morgana once again took his hand in hers. Merlin smiled at the gesture and gave Morgana’s hand a squeeze. They both sat in comfortable silence until druids approached them with food. Soon their stomachs were full and Merlin let out a yawn, the day’s events, coupled with a decent meal making him feel fatigued.

“You used a lot of magic today,” Gwaine said. “I know you used it to just scare Morgause, but perhaps you should rest, sire.”

Merlin shook his head and Arthur spoke up. “Yeah, I’m still not used to that.”

“Used to what?” Morgana asked.

“Merlin being called sire,” Arthur said. It wasn’t surprising; Merlin had spent his entire time in Camelot in Arthur’s employ. To suddenly find out your manservant – albeit a back-talking, doesn’t-follow-orders one such as Merlin – was royalty was a bit much to comprehend. It would be hard to consider someone a prince, when all the time you’d known them they were scrubbing floors and mucking stables for a living. “It’s so strange. It’s so … not-Merlin.”

“But it is,” Morgana interjected, looking between both princes. “Merlin may have had to pose as a servant, but surely you would have noticed the prince side of him coming through? He may have acted the fool, but he couldn’t always hide his nobility. His wisdom and inner strength, his kindness … these are all traits of a prince, but we never thought of him as anything but the cheerful manservant.”

Merlin blushed at Morgana praise and looked away. He became aware of Arthur studying him. “All this time I’ve been treating you as my servant, when really you’re my equal. You’re even my better. You have such power, Merlin,” Arthur said.

“It’s really not that impressive,” said Merlin, humbly.

“So we can add ‘humble’ to the list of Merlin’s attributes,” Gwen said, a teasing smile on her face.

“I’m really not that powerful-“ Merlin tried to say, but was cut off by the arrival of Mordred. He immediately tensed, eyeing the druid boy with distrust.

“This is no one to match the power of Emrys,” said Mordred, looking at them all before focusing on Merlin himself. “Yet you fear me, Emrys. Why?”

Silence fell over the campfire and tension built at Mordred’s blunt question. Everyone was looking intently at Merlin and the young druid. “Morgana, Arthur and I aren’t the only ones the prophecies speak of,” Merlin said at last.

Mordred approached the warlock, standing in front of Merlin and looking at him with an expectant expression on his face. He wanted more answers, but Merlin was reluctant to give them. “You have a part to play in the future of Albion,” was all that he gave away.

Merlin, Morgana’s voice sounded his head and Merlin sent her a questioning glance. Finding out my future was beneficial. It made me determined to prove the prophecies wrong. Perhaps the same will happen with Mordred? We cannot know what the future will hold for him, but he is just a child and deserves the best chance we can give him.

Despite the logic to Morgana’s argument, Merlin was still reluctant. Kilgharrah told me not to trust him.

The dragon also told you to not trust me, yet you do. Kilgharrah’s word isn’t law. Please, let us give Mordred a chance.

Merlin didn’t want to. It went against his better judgement. There was just something so unnerving about the druid boy who was staring at them with his wide, blue eyes. But Merlin couldn’t help but think back to when he first helped Mordred. Back to when he heard the desperate boy’s cries for help and how he, Morgana and Arthur were so determined to get him out of Camelot and return him to his people.

The prophecies stated that Mordred would be the one to kill Arthur, but they also stated that Morgana was to be Merlin and Arthur’s greatest enemy. Yet here she was as one of their staunchest allies. Morgana was right. If the prophecies could be denied for her, why should they not give the same chance to an innocent boy? Coming to a conclusion, Merlin shifted his focus to the young druid in question. “The prophecies state that Arthur will meet his death at your hand,” he said at last.

“Sorry, what?” Came Arthur, looking at the druid boy in disbelief.

The rest of their group only looked at Mordred in silence. It was clear from Merlin’s expression that he wasn’t joking. Mordred was to be the one who would kill Arthur. “It is said that you and Morgana will be united in evil,” Merlin continued.

“But that is only if we follow the Path of Darkness,” Morgana said, taking pity on the boy who was now staring at both Arthur and Merlin in shock.

“And long have we been teaching you the ways of the Light,” said Aglain, and everyone looked up to see him arrive with Iseldir. The two druid elders were looking at the young boy with comforting smiles on their faces, but Mordred seemed to be in shock.

“…Why … why would I kill Arthur?” He asked at last. “He saved me from his father. I owe him my life! He’s the Once and Future King! Why would I – I wouldn’t! – Why do you think I would do that?!”

The boy was getting more and more agitated as he spoke. It was also the most they’d seen the young boy say at one time. Merlin saw the young druid’s distress and moved so he was crouching in front of Mordred, taking his hands. “Mordred, calm down. You haven’t hurt Arthur yet and you’re not going to. I never liked learning the future. I always thought no good could come of it, but perhaps this is the exception. You know what the prophecy expects you to do and now you can prove it wrong.”

“Like what I’m doing,” Morgana put in, smiling at Mordred.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been kind to you,” Merlin continued, “But I was just worried about Arthur. That doesn’t excuse it, but I hope you can understand why I haven’t been the kindest to you.”

Mordred was silent for a while before he eventually replied, “It is alright, Emrys. I understand your actions now. But Aglain and Iseldir have been teaching me of the Path of Light. The Path I see you and Morgana are following now.”

 “Well, we’re trying,” Merlin replied. “Although I know what she is going to Choose, Morgana has yet to make the Choice.”

As Morgana nodded, Gwen piped up, “Would someone care to explain that to me please?” Everyone turned to look at Guinevere and she clarified herself. “People keep talking about Light and Dark and Choices. I was just hoping someone could explain it.” Arthur nodded along with her. Even Gwaine, who grew up in a magical environment, seemed to want more clarification.

Merlin frowned in thought, trying to decide just how to explain it to them. “Do you remember when we were talking to Uther about going to find my Father and Gaius mentioned Dark sorcerers?”

Arthur and Gwen nodded, though Gwaine shook his head. For the Draconian’s knights benefit, Merlin explained, “Gaius had mentioned to Uther about Dark sorcerers, and the King replied back with that anyone with magic is Dark and evil. He is wrong in that regard. Each sorcerer or sorceress faces the Choice at some point in their lives. It’s where they finally decide to use their powers for Light or Dark; for Good or Evil, as it were. Every magic user goes through this – well, except for me, but-“

“-How come you never faced the Choice?” Morgana asked. This was news to her. She’d thought Merlin had gone through the same thing she was facing.

“He is Emrys,” Iseldir said. “His destiny has always been to follow the Light side of magic.”

Morgana’s expression turned terrified, “But if that’s your destiny, than mine must be to go evil! The dragon said so. If you didn’t get a Choice because of destiny, than doesn’t that mean I won’t get one because of my destiny to follow the Path of Darkness?!”

Merlin moved so he was in front of Morgana and he engulfed her in a hug. “Shhh,” he said soothingly. “Morgana, it’s alright. I’m just an anomaly in the world of the Old Religion. Everyone gets a Choice. I didn’t, but that doesn’t matter because even if I did get one I wouldn’t decide any different. You’re okay. You’re fine. Who was just telling me that Kilgharrah’s word wasn’t law?”

Morgana gave a weak laugh at that and nodded. “That’s better,” Merlin said, but he didn’t move to let go of her. Instead, he merely stood with his arm around her waist as he spoke to the others. “Every magic user faces the Choice. Light and Dark are at war inside of us all, but once we make the Choice – that is the Path we must always follow. That’s not to say that we cannot be tempted by Darkness – it’s quite the opposite – for you cannot have Light without Dark and vice versa. They can’t exist without the other. But a sorcerer can choose one over the other and try to follow those rules throughout their life.”

Arthur groaned, putting his head in his hands, “This is getting too complicated. You’re saying Light and Dark and Choice too much!”

“So in a nutshell,” Gwen said, trying to see if she understood, “Good sorcerer’s follow the Light, evil ones follow Darkness, but each of us has both Light and Dark inside us.”

“That is correct, Lady Guinevere,” Iseldir said, bowing to her.

Gwen blushed, “I’m not a Lady.”

“But you the Once and Future Queen,” said Aglain. “It is only right we give you our respects.”

Merlin, for his part, had tried to stop Aglain from giving too much away, but he wasn’t fast enough. Arthur and Gwen turned bright red and refused to look at each other. Gwen stared resolutely at her feet and Arthur was staring in the complete opposite direction, looking up at the sky.

Morgana laughed and Merlin heard her voice in his head: The Once and Future King and Queen in all their majesty. They won’t even look at each other.

Can you blame them? Aglain just surprised the hell out of them, Merlin replied.

Merlin could tell from the determined expression on Morgana’s face that she was about to go and get Arthur and Gwen to stop being ridiculous, but she was interrupted by Mordred. The druid boy approached the Once and Future couple and a silence fell over them all as they waited to see what he would say. Merlin also felt a flare of pride at the fact that he no longer felt any alarm at Arthur being close to the boy.

“You should be honest with yourselves,” Mordred said. “Why do you deny your feelings for each other?”

“Uh, we – Guinevere – I – not-“ Arthur tried.

“We’re not – I mean – servant – prince, we’re not –“ Gwen babbled at the same time.

Merlin scoffed, “Please, you two like each other so much a blind man could see it.”

Arthur and Gwen said nothing. If anything, they just blushed darker and refused to look at each other all the more.

“You’re already planning on changing the laws on magic when you become king,” Morgana said, “So why shouldn’t a servant become queen?”

“Morgana!” Gwen hissed, looking down in embarrassment.

“I’m just putting it out there,” Gwaine said, coming in between the two, slinging and arm over Gwen and Arthur and interjecting his opinion in typical Gwaine fashion. “But love is love and status shouldn’t matter.” His piece said, Gwaine stepped back to give Arthur and Gwen a moment to themselves.

Merlin glanced at Arthur and saw that the prince had a determined expression on his face. “You’re right,” he said, before abruptly turning to Gwen, leaning down and giving her a kiss; a gesture that was returned by Guinevere as soon as she got over the shock of it occurring in the first place.

Everyone turned away to give the Prince of Camelot and his future Queen a moment to themselves. Merlin’s attention was caught by the little druid girl who Arthur was watching conjure butterflies earlier. Her younger brother was nowhere to be seen, but the girl was being chased around the camp by a worn out druid woman.

The girl darted towards Merlin. Her auburn hair was flying behind her as she ran. Reaching Merlin, the girl clung to his leg, using Merlin as a shield between her and the haggard druid woman who had been chasing her.

The woman bowed. She was a middle aged woman with a kindly face and light brown hair with wisps of grey through it. “Forgive me, Emrys,” she said. “I am Juara, I am the guardian of Aislinn, the little one at your side, and she is being a naughty little girl and not coming for her meditation lessons.”

Merlin gave Juara a smile, “It is alright.” He bent down so he was at eye level with Aislinn. “I saw you conjuring butterflies earlier. They were very good. Were they for your brother?”

Aislinn nodded shyly but didn’t say a word.

Morgana knelt down beside the girl as well. “Can you show us?” She asked softly.

Aislinn looked at Juara for permission and her guardian nodded. She was about to cast the spell when Arthur and Gwen arrived, having apparently finished their passionate exchange. The both of them had blushes tainted their cheeks, but they looked on at the young druid girl with interest. Aislinn, already shy in front of her audience, was even more so in front of the Once and Future King and Queen, but Morgana spoke up, “Just focus on me,” she said. “Forget everyone else and just show me the spell.”

Aislinn nodded once and with a flash of her eyes little golden butterflies of light appeared around her head. Everyone applauded her. It made Merlin happier than he would like to admit to see the wide smile on Arthur’s face as he congratulated the girl, instead of the glare that would no doubt be on the face of Uther at such a display. But it made Merlin even happier to see the expression on Aislinn’s face. The young girl was simply beaming at her audience. This was what the prophecies – what Albion – was about: magical and non-magical people together, with no judgement between them.

“That was amazing!” Merlin congratulated her. “Would you like me to teach you another kind of elemental spell?”

Aislinn, too excited at the prospect of being taught by Emrys, didn’t even bother to look at her guardian for permission. She nodded excitedly, her smile never leaving her face. Merlin turned back towards the fire and raised a hand at the flames. “Upastige draca,” he intoned and a picture of a flying dragon appeared in the flames. As everyone murmured appreciatively at the picture, he turned back to Aislinn, “You try.”

Aislinn’s brow furrowed in concentration. “Upastige draca,” she said after a while, her eyes flashing gold. A picture of a dragon appeared above the fire. It wasn’t as perfect looking as Merlin’s had been, but the fact that she’d even conjured the dragon at such a young age was impressive.

She looked disheartened, so Merlin gave her a comforting smile. “Keep at it,” he said. “Soon you’ll be conjuring dragons that will make even the Great Dragon, Kilgharrah, cover with fear!”

Aislinn beamed at him and Juara took this as their cue to leave. “Come on, Aislinn. We must go practice your meditation.”

The young druid girl refused to move, “I don’t want to!”

“Aislinn, please,” Juara entreated, blushing with embarrassment.

“What does she need to meditate for?” Gwen asked in interest.

“She has the gift of prophecy – the sight,” Juara explained. “Meditation will keep her level headed when the visions take her.”

“Aislinn is a fitting name then,” Merlin said with a smile.

“What does it mean?” Asked Gwaine.

“It means dream, vision, or day-dream,” Merlin explained. “A fitting name for someone who sees the future.”

“You poor thing,” Morgana said, obviously seeing a bit of herself in the small child. Merlin knew that Morgana was thinking of her own experience with visions. He was about to suggest that she get the druids to help her, or to even join in with Aislinn’s meditation when something unexpected happened.

Morgana reached out to put a comforting hand on Aislinn’s shoulder. As soon as she did, Aislinn gasped and her eyes burnt a bright cold. Then in a voice that was laced with power, she began to speak:

“Royal witch, born with the sight,
Path of Darkness or Path of Light?
Heart of love or black of heart?
Destiny’s game, you’ll play your part.
The time is nigh, the Choice draws near,
Will you act out of love, or act out of fear?
Hope, or your kin with hair of gold?
Your Choice between them has been foretold.
Destiny, this Choice will bring,
Suffering or The Once and Future King?
Queen of shadows or Queen of dragons?
Morgana of the House Pendragon.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Aislinn’s eyes rolled back into her head and she fell forward. Juara must have been expecting this, because she darted forward and scooped up the young girl before she could hit the ground. Murmuring apologies, Juara left to go lay Aislinn down to rest.

Morgana hadn’t moved from where she was crouched on the ground. She was just staring at the place where Aislinn had been. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was opening and closing like she was trying to speak but couldn’t find the words. Merlin crouched down beside her and wrapped and arm around her. “Morgana? Morgana, are you alright?”

Morgana ignored him; she just put her head in her hands. They’d all just witness a prophecy, that much was obvious, but it clearly hit Morgana hard.

“’Morgana of the House Pendragon’,” Gwen quoted. “That can’t be right. My Lady is from the House of Gorlois.”

Merlin, tell them, Morgana spoke into his head. Even her mental voice sounded distraught. Tell them the truth, please.

He nodded and looked up at all the others around them. “It’s true,” he said, “Uther is her father. The Great Dragon told us so.”

“That can’t be right-“ Arthur began, but was interrupted by Morgana lunging to her feet.

“-If it’s not right than how come a dragon who has lived for centuries and a girl who’s gifted with the power of prophecy both seem to think it’s true? Why do you think that Uther has never pushed for you and I to get married, Arthur? It would make sense wouldn’t it? The Crown Prince and the King’s Ward? Yet Uther has never mentioned it. Not once. It’s because we’re siblings, Arthur. I am your half-sister. Gorlois is not my father and my real father would see me and the rest of my kind eliminated!” As soon as she finished speaking, Morgana broke out in sobs. She clung to Merlin, burying her face in his shirt.

Merlin tried to comfort her, but was interrupted by Arthur. The Prince of Camelot gently coaxed his newly-found sister out of Merlin’s arms and turned her to face him. “Morgana,” he said softly. “Morgana, look at me.”

She did as he asked, looking up at him and trying to blink tears out of her eyes. “I have always thought of you like my sister, Morgana – Lord knows you annoy me like one,” Arthur said, earning a weak laugh out of the King’s Ward. “I just guess that now it is official. I swore on my life that I would protect you. No harm will come to you in Camelot, I promise. I don’t believe that my Father – our Father – would harm you, but we don’t have to risk it. Your magic can stay a secret. No one need know until we are ready. You are my family, Morgana. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Tears once again leaked out of Morgana’s eyes and she pulled Arthur in for a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered to him. She pulled away from him and took a few steps backwards. “I just need to be alone for a bit,” but even as she said the words, Merlin heard the mental communication of Merlin, please come after me. I only want to talk to you.

Before he could even respond, Morgana took off through the druid camp. It took Merlin a second before he followed her. As he ran, he turned back to shout, “We’ll be back in a bit, don’t worry!” He hoped Arthur wouldn’t try to follow them. Merlin knew that this was a situation that would be better handled one on one, and if Morgana had requested for him to be that one person than so be it.

He followed her as she left the camp and walked into the forest. When Merlin finally caught up to her, Morgana was sitting on a log and furiously wiping her face to stop herself from crying. “Hey,” Merlin said gently as he approached her. “Hey, you’re alright.” He sat down on the log beside her and gently took her hands in his. “It’s just a prophecy, and it spoke of a choice. You’re Choice. There’s nothing about you being destined for Darkness. It’s just you making a choice.”

“But what if I don’t really have a choice at all?” She tearfully asked him. “What if I’m like you and I am just destined for Darkness instead of Light?”

“Do you really believe that?”

“I don’t know what to believe! I don’t feel predominantly Light or predominantly Dark … I feel grey. Like I’m both good and bad.”

“I understand. We all have good and bad inside of us,” said Merlin.

“No, you don’t! You don’t understand! I’ve – I’ve tried to kill Uther in the past! I’m – I’m evil!”

Merlin raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face. “I know you tried, but you changed your mind and saved him.”

She stared wide-eyed at him, “You know?!”

He gave her a small smile, “This is back when Gwen’s father died, yes? What do you think happened to the rest of Tauren’s men?”

Morgana gave out a weak chuckle at that. “Of course you were there. Camelot’s silent protector.”

“Well it’s a full time occupation,” he joked, before turning serious. “But Morgana, you’re not evil. You, like every other person in the world, was tempted by Darkness and overcame it. You saved Uther.”

“But it was because of my actions that he was in dangers in the first place!”

“But you saved him and you reconciled with him. You regret your actions, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And you no longer have any wish to hurt Uther, do you?”

“No. To live without his rule, perhaps, but I don’t wish to hurt him.”

“So basically you want the same thing as every other sorcerer or sorceress in Camelot: to live without the fear of death over your head. That’s completely normal, Morgana. It’s what we all want. We just have to wait for Arthur to take the throne.”

“But I’ll have to interact with him every day! I don’t know how I’m going to handle that!”

Merlin squeezed her hands in comfort, “You’ll have Arthur, Gwen, Gaius and I all there to support you. You’re not alone in this. You heard Arthur earlier; he knows you’re his sister now, he knows about our magic. He knows it all and he accepts it. You have the Crown Prince of Camelot, the Crown Prince of Dracona, The Once and Future Queen and the Court Physician who all love you and will look out for you. You’re going to be fine. And if something unthinkable happens and you’re in danger. I will take you to Dracona where you can stay with my parents and have the finest army in Albion to protect you!”

“’Finest army in Albion’” Morgana quoted, “I think Arthur would disagree with you there.”

“Arthur’s a prat,” Merlin quipped, but he was glad to see the smile forming on Morgana’s face. “The Knights of Dracona fight with magic and weapons. We’re a kingdom founded on magic. If we wanted to, we could make it so that the opposing army couldn’t even make it through our shields. There is no better army to protect you.” Merlin thought of what Morgana had said only a few hours before and continued, “And I could think of no better sorceress to be their future Queen.”

Before his nerves could desert him, he leant in and kissed her. He felt Morgana smiling against his lips before kissing him back with the same amount of passion. Her arms wound around his neck while Merlin’s hands found their place at her waist. Their kiss deepened and Merlin marvelled at the way one kiss with Morgana could distract him from anything. He should have been worried that Arthur or someone would come looking for them.  He should have been worried about his kingdom and the War for Dracona. He should have been worried about the promise Kilgharrah made to raze Camelot to the ground if Morgana made the wrong choice, but one kiss from her and all of that faded into nothing.

Getting a grip on himself, he went to pull away from her, but Morgana was having none of that. She held him still and began to trail kisses down his neck. It made him shiver and his blood pound, but Merlin didn’t want to risk anyone finding them in such a compromising position. “Morgana,” he protested.

She pulled away from him, looking flushed. Merlin wondered idly if he looked just as red-faced as her. “Do you really think I’d make a good Queen of Dracona?” Morgana asked him.

Merlin wasn’t expecting that question, but he answered her honestly. “Yes, of course. You are kind, thoughtful, generous, beautiful, powerful … You are amazing, Morgana. You’d make an excellent Queen.”

She gave him her signature Morgana smirk, “Was that a proposal, Prince Merlin Ambrosius?”

Merlin froze and could feel a blush burning his cheeks. He hadn’t been thinking of marriage at all. But upon reflection, Merlin knew he wouldn’t want to marry anyone else. He went to say that, but Morgana cut him off with a laugh.

“It is alright, Merlin,” she said. “I’m only teasing. Our relationship has gone in leaps and bounds these past few days. Marriage is a bit soon, don’t you think?”

And yet, I wish to marry no one but you, he thought to her.

Morgana’s answering smile was brilliant, lighting up her entire face. And I you, she thought in reply.

Merlin cupped her face in his hands and pulled her in for one last kiss. “Are you feeling better?” He asked as he pulled away, “Are you ready to go back? If you’re not we can stay here for a while longer.”

She nodded and took his hand, “I’m ready.”

Hand in hand they walked back to the druid camp. When they arrived back, Gwen and Gwaine looked positively relieved to see them. “There you are!” They said, running up to meet Merlin and Morgana. “Thank goodness.”

“Arthur was about to send a search party,” Gwaine explained.

“We weren’t gone that long,” Merlin said.

“Long enough for me to be worried about my sister,” Arthur said, striding over to them. He came up to Morgana and looked at her in concern, “Are you alright?”

Morgana hugged him, “I’m fine, you prat.”

“Hey!” Arthur said indignantly as he hugged her. “Merlin’s been a bad influence on you.”

“More like a fantastic influence,” Merlin quipped.

As they all laughed at him, Merlin studied his friends and then the druid camp around him. As nice as the moment was, Merlin couldn’t help but wonder about Dracona and the deadline Kilgharrah gave them, which was only in a few days’ time. The others must have noticed his serious expression because the laughter died instantly.

“Oh no,” Gwaine said, coming over to clap Merlin on the back. “I know that look. What are you planning?”

Merlin turned to his Camelot friends, “I wasn’t kidding when I told Morgause that I intended to reclaim my father’s kingdom. I need to help Dracona, but you are here for Camelot’s sake. We are on a deadline. The Great Dragon isn’t attacking Camelot right now. He gave us a week and then he would return, depending on the outcome of Morgana’s Choice.”

“That’s what you meant when you said that Camelot had a week,” Gwen said, catching on and Morgana simply nodded.

“We now only have four days to find my Father and get him to convince Kilgharrah to stop attacking Camelot. My Father will do that without a problem. He would never allow one of his kin to behave in such a way. Once that is completed, you may all return to Camelot, but I am staying to help my kingdom. Don’t worry, I’ll return once my Father is back on his throne – I do have a destiny and a prat to protect after all – but right now Dracona needs me more. Besides, if Blackwood knows that I was with a party from Camelot, there’s no point me staying away for my protection anymore. He knows where to find me now. So I am staying in Dracona and I am returning my kingdom to its rightful ruler, but I can’t ask you to do the same.”

A silence followed his speech. It was finally broken by Arthur, “You really are an idiot, Merlin.”

“Wh-what?”

Morgana smiled at him, “We are your friends, Merlin. Do you really think we’d let you face Blackwood alone?”

“We’re not going anywhere,” said Gwen in determination.

“Blackwood and all his minions are going down!” Gwaine declared.

“You support us all the time, Merlin,” Arthur said seriously. “You save Camelot without expecting even a word of thanks. Just this once let us help you.”

Merlin stared at all his friends. They were all so willing to help him. To help Dracona. He gave them a wide smile and said a variation of a call he’d heard Arthur make countless times before: “For the love of Dracona!”

His love for his friends swelled in his heart as they repeated the shout back to him, creating a loud ruckus in the middle of the druid camp.

“FOR THE LOVE OF DRACONA!”

Chapter Text

Morgause wanted to strangle Lord Anthony Blackwood.

To say he was angry at her because of her failure to bring him the Draconian prince was an understatement. He was furious. Blackwood had raged at her for an hour about her incompetence and Morgause had very nearly lost her temper and blasted him into smithereens.

However, she had reigned in her temper. She would bide her time. She would convince Morgana to join her and get her away from the influence of Emrys and together they would overpower Blackwood and take Dracona for themselves.

Morgause smiled at the thought. Even her sisters cold reception and blatant refusal to leave with her the day before would not dampen her spirits. The Darkness would take Morgana; Morgause wouldn’t lose another sister to the Light.

As she entered the throne room to give her report of the strength of their army of sorcerers, she nearly faltered at the sight of Blackwood draped over the Draconian throne. It made her blood boil. That throne was meant for someone with the power of the Old Religion running through their veins, not this busybody who wanted power simply for the sake of power. Both Blackwood and Balinor were unworthy to be the rulers of Dracona. One had no power at all and the other had all the powers of the Old Religion and even the dragons on his side, yet he refused to expand Dracona’s boarders.

When Morgause and Morgana were the rulers of Dracona, they would control the most powerful army in Albion. They would expand Dracona’s boarders. They would march on Camelot and dispose of Uther Pendragon, the one man who had committed more crimes against those with magic than any other. His son, Arthur, would suffer the same fate.

But first they had to find a way to deal with Emrys. Prince Merlin’s magic was incredible, even if Morgause didn’t want to admit that. He would have to be taken care of before any of Morgause’s plans could come to fruition.

“Ah, Morgause,” Blackwood drawled from his position on the throne. “How goes our army of sorcerers and mercenaries?”

“We are still recuperating from the raid we received from Balinor’s forces, my Lord,” Morgause reported. She wished she didn’t even have to tell Blackwood about this particular raid, but even someone as incompetent as Blackwood would notice if prisoners disappeared from their dungeons. Balinor’s forces had snuck into the castle, using night and magic as cover, and freed the last of the loyal subjects that Blackwood had imprisoned. None of the prisoners or any of Balinor’s men received any injuries, but the mercenaries under Blackwood’s employ had been wounded.

Blackwood scowled at her but Morgause kept speaking, “However, I would suggest that you keep more guards around you, following Prince Merlin’s threat.” The cold voice of Merlin echoed in her mind: Tell him that Emrys is coming, and all the dark sorcerers in the world won’t be able to protect him. Tell him that Crown Prince Merlin Ambrosius is returning to Dracona to reclaim his father’s kingdom. Part of Morgause wished that Merlin would do away with Blackwood himself, but she knew she couldn’t allow that to happen. She would be the one to dispose of Lord Blackwood. No one else. The throne of Dracona would be hers.

“Prince Merlin is inconsequential,” Blackwood said.

“My Lord, he is Emrys. There is no one more powerful than he. It would be wise to-“

“- I seem to recall that you told me there was no one as powerful as you, Morgause,” Blackwood interrupted. “I don’t appreciate being lied to.”

“I didn’t realise Emrys existed-“

“-You didn’t realise Prince Merlin, the son of my greatest foe … existed?” Blackwood was looking at Morgause like she was pathetic.

She glared at him, “I knew of Prince Merlin’s existence, but I didn’t realise he was Emrys. The Coming of Emrys has always just been a druid prophecy.”

“A druid fairy tale,” Blackwood corrected. “You know I don’t care for these druid stories, and all this talk of Light and Dark. It’s all very tiring. All I care about is ending this war. Can you do that, Morgause?”

The High Priestess pictured Blackwood dead at her feet, with blood seeping out of him as he stared up at her with lifeless eyes. Yes, she would end the war. Just not in the way Lord Blackwood was expecting.

She gave him a smile, “Yes, my Lord. I can do that.”

“I wonder would he’s talking to the druids about?” Gwen said and Morgana followed her gaze to where Merlin was in deep discussion with Aglain, Iseldir, Mordred and a number of other druids. Morgana couldn’t hear what was being said, but she could see Merlin gesturing with his hands as he spoke and it made her smile.

She, Gwen, Arthur and Gwaine were once again all sitting around the campfire. Arthur and Gwaine were anxious to be off, but Merlin had spent the entire morning talking to the druids and had barely said two words to them. Whatever he was planning, their group would have to wait until Merlin told them himself.

“He’s up to something,” Gwaine said.

“Obviously,” said Arthur. “But what?”

Gwaine was saved from answering by Merlin running over to them. “Good news,” the warlock said, “the druids are going to help us!”

“Help us with what?” Morgana asked.

“Also, sire, it’s not the druids way to deny help to anyone,” Gwaine said. “Especially you. They love you.”

Merlin rolled his eyes at the knight, “I know that, but they’re helping us get to Dracona!” Merlin seemed very excited with this new development, and got frustrated when they others didn’t react in the delighted way he expected them to. He sighed and explained further, “It’s going to take us too long to get to Dracona at the rate we’re going. I can get us there with a teleportation spell, but it’s going to take a lot out of me.”

“Even for the great Emrys?” Arthur asked, a teasing smile on his face.

“Even for me,” Merlin answered solemnly. “If there were only two of us, I’d probably be able to do it no problem, but there’s five of us plus our belongings and our horses. The druids have agreed to lend me the strength to make the jump to Dracona.”

His Camelotian friends stared at him in shock. Gwaine was the only one who seemed unsurprised. He was well aware of the huge magical feats that Merlin was capable of.

“The druids are then going to follow on foot and help with the struggle against Blackwood,” Merlin continued. “They’re not going to fight, but they’ll help heal the injured. Gwaine’s right – it’s not the druid’s way to deny help to anyone.”

“That’s wonderful!” Morgana cried.

Merlin nodded, “Yes. We’ll be grateful for the extra support. Father no doubt already has the druids of Dracona helping him, but it’s not bad to have more on hand. The druids have fantastic healing powers … something I’m rubbish at.”

“Merlin the all-powerful warlock is rubbish at healing spells?” Arthur asked, a wide, mischievous smile on his face.

Once again, Merlin rolled his eyes. “Yes, you dollop head. Now, the druids are going to channel their power through me and we’re going to teleport ourselves to Dracona. Any objections?”

“Oh, I’ve got a few, Merlin,” said Arthur, looking dubious, all traces of his earlier teasing smile disappeared.

“Are you sure you can make it that far?” Gwen asked, uncertain. “It’s going to take us days to get to Dracona and you want to do it in one go? Are you sure that’s safe?”

“Normally I wouldn’t try with so many people and all our belongings, but with the druids help I’ll be fine. I know it seems like a lot, but I can handle it.”

Morgana gave him a smile, “I believe you, Merlin.”

He returned the grin before looking at them each in turn, “Right, are you all ready?”

“Wait, what? You want to leave now?” Arthur demanded, looking incredibly unsure about the morning’s developments. Accepting that his manservant was ‘the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth’ was one thing, but to trust him to teleport them kingdoms away was another thing entirely.

Gwaine clapped Arthur on the shoulder, “Suck it up, Princess,” he said jovially. “The sooner we get there, the better.”

Merlin nodded in agreement, “He’s right. It would be beneficial to get to my Father as soon as possible.”

Arthur swallowed his uncertainty and nodded. “Alright. I trust you, Merlin.”

Just those few words made Merlin beam at the Prince of Camelot. For so long her had waited to hear Arthur say something like that; For the Once and Future King to know of his abilities and accept them. For Arthur to trust his judgement when it came to magic, the way destiny had decreed he would.

Before he could comment on that, however, Merlin was approached by Iseldir and Aglain. “We are ready for you, Emrys,” the latter said.

Merlin nodded and gestured for the others to follow him. In a matter of minutes, their group was standing in the middle of a circle of druids. Each of them had a hold of the reins to their horse and looked on while the druids stood around them in the circle, hand in hand. Arthur had a hold of his and Merlin’s horses while Merlin himself stood in the dead centre of the circle with his head bowed. No one made a noise, but Morgana’s magical senses could feel a build-up of power around them. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she could feel magic rushing from each druid into the centre of the circle where Merlin was standing. Even the others, who Morgana knew wouldn’t be able to sense magic quite like she could, could sense what was happening.

No one said a word as the magic continued to build around them. There was so much of it that the very air seemed to shake with power. Morgana felt a bit nervous at what was about to happen. She’d never travelled by teleportation before, let alone teleporting with four other companions, their horses and all their belongings. But she trusted Merlin and knew he wouldn’t lead them astray.

Before anything could happen, she looked around for Mordred. She realised she hadn’t said goodbye to him. She found him standing just outside of the circle of druids and watching on with interest. Despite having promising powers, he wasn’t asked to join in on helping send them all to Dracona.

Thank you, Mordred, she thought to him and she saw him smile at her mental contact. Thank you for having us. I hope we meet again soon.

We will see each other again, Léoma, Mordred replied, shocking Morgana by referring to her by the unfamiliar name. I will see you in Dracona, where the Choice will be made and destiny will be decided.

Morgana didn’t have time to wonder about the unfamiliar form of address – Léoma – or his ominous sounding words, as Merlin finally looked up. His eyes were burning bright gold. "Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard!" He shouted, throwing his arms skyward as he cast the spell. Morgana’s last glimpse of the druid camp was looking into Mordred’s clear blue eyes, before they were caught up in a strong wind and swept away.

It was a testament to Merlin’s powers that they all landed safely coming out of the teleportation spell. There were no hard falls to the ground, no ungraceful collapses, not even their horses looked spooked. It was simply as if they had blinked and appeared in a completely different place. They might have appeared a little windswept, but that was it.

“Wow,” Merlin said, looking around at them all, an impressed expression on his face. “I can’t believe that actually worked!”

“You didn’t think it would work?!” Arthur demanded angrily.

“Well … not quite this well. I expected a few collapses and for our horses to be a county away.”

Arthur hit him around the back of the head, “You idiot!”

Merlin laughed, putting his hands up in a placating gesture. “Okay, okay, I’m kidding. I knew we’d make it.”

Arthur harrumphed in disapproval. “You’re not funny, you clotpole.”

“That’s my word.”

“And yet, it still describes you perfectly.”

“Boys!” Morgana and Gwen interjected, putting an end to their banter before it could even start.

“Perhaps you could tell us where we are?” Morgana suggested.

Merlin looked around and then gestured at their surroundings, “Welcome, my friends, to Dracona!”

The warlock’s homeland was a lush land. Their company found themselves situated in an abundant, green forest. Sun was shining through the forests canopy, casting shadows on the ground. Merlin took a deep breath, closing his eyes and drinking in the sensation of being back in his kingdom. “Oh, it’s good to be home. We are in the Forest of Alor,” the prince said.

Gwaine was doing much the same as Merlin, “Dracona is welcoming us home, as always.”

The three from Camelot looked at the Draconians’ in confusion. “What are you talking about?” Arthur asked.

Merlin looked at them; now he was the one confused, “Can’t you feel it? The magic in the earth? In the very air?”

Morgana copied his and Gwaine’s actions, taking a deep breath and focusing on the world around her. “… I can feel it,” she said after a few moments of silence.

Merlin was impressed to see Arthur and Gwen now attempting to do the same and focus on the magic of Dracona. In a matter of moments, Merlin could tell from their expressions that they felt it. “You don’t just have to have magic to sense it in the earth,” the warlock explained. “Magic is a thing of the world – it is everywhere – but here in Dracona, in a kingdom that was founded with magic and where the Old Religion is still followed, it is even stronger. It is almost a tangible thing, and because the Old Ways are respected – because the earth is respected – Dracona is always flourishing. For as long as I can remember, we have never had a bad harvest.”

“But what did Gwaine mean about Dracona welcoming you home?” Gwen questioned.

“Gwaine and I had become used to not feeling the touch of magic that’s in the Draconian air,” Merlin said. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it in a bit. But don’t you feel a bit stronger? It’s like the magic gives you an energy boost as soon as you get into Dracona. My magic is always stronger here than anywhere else. People’s magic is stronger within our boarders, which works both for our benefit and against it.”

“What do you mean?” Morgana asked.

“That was one of the main reasons that Blackwood’s army of Dark sorcerers were able to inflict as much damage as they did. The benefit of Dracona’s magic boost helped them as much as it did us. Magic doesn’t discriminate. It helped both sides, even if one followed the Path of Light and the other followed Darkness.”

Arthur groaned, “More stuff about Light and Dark?”

Merlin grinned ruefully. “Magic isn’t nearly as black and white as these last few days have made them out to be,” he said, looking pointedly at Morgana. “Sometimes things are grey, and that is totally understandable. But essentially, there are two ways in which to follow the Old Religion: The Path of Light or the Path of Darkness. It’s like Gwen said yesterday: Good sorcerers who try to use their powers for the betterment of others follow the Light, evil ones who use their magic for their own personal gain and for evil purposes follow Darkness, but each of us has both Light and Dark inside us.” He lapsed into silence and watched as comprehension dawn on the face of Arthur, Gwen and Morgana.

“I see you have been listening to your lessons, my young master,” said a new, instantly recognisable voice.

Merlin spun to see his Father’s Court Sorceress, Elaine, standing before them. So caught up in his explanation of Light and Dark, no one had heard her approach. With the knowledge he had now, it was easy to see the similarities she had with Morgause and Morgana and Merlin wondered how he had never made the connection before. Elaine had the same golden hair as Morgause’s, but the same green eyes and smile as Morgana. The similarities were astounding and Merlin thought that maybe Arthur wasn’t too wrong in calling him an idiot; he sure felt like an idiot for never noticing it earlier.

“Elaine,” he breathed out, surprised at her appearance. Although he was itching to wrap his arms around her in a hug, he knew that Elaine was a reserved person and wouldn’t appreciate that in front of so many people. Their proper reunion would have to wait until later. But Merlin was delighted to see her again. Here was his teacher. The one who taught him control when his magic had seemed so untameable. So much of Merlin’s time before he went to Camelot was spent under Elaine’s careful guidance. It wasn’t until he was with her once again did the young prince realise how he had missed the Court Sorceress.

Merlin noticed that Arthur nervously had his hand on his sword at the arrival of the newcomer and he gestured for his friends to relax. He beckoned for Morgana to come over to him and she did without question. She was looking at Elaine in shock and awe, an expression that was mirrored by the Court Sorceress. “Everyone, this is Elaine. She is my Father’s Court Sorceress and a trusted friend of mine,” Merlin said, before turning to Morgana. “Morgana, I didn’t realise it, but this is your sister.”

He then stepped away to give them a moment to each other. They were both staring at each other in shock before Elaine’s features shifted into a guilty, pained expression, “Mor – Morgana, I know you might have some mixed feelings about meeting me. I don’t know what Morgause has told you and I know you might be angry that I left you alone. I – I thought you would be happier without me. I heard you were happy in Camelot and I had already lost Morgause to the Dark-“ But whatever else Elaine was about to say was lost as Morgana lunged forward and pulled her newly-found sister in for a hug.

Merlin was surprised to see tears in Elaine’s eyes. Elaine, who was always so reserved and composed, was crying freely as she embraced her youngest sister. “I thought you would despise me,” Elaine said, pulling away from an equally weepy Morgana.

“Merlin told me about you,” Morgana replied. “He said you taught him magic and control. I have already met one sister on this journey and she tried to hurt my friends. I would very much like to learn from a sister who follows the Path of Light instead of Darkness.”

Elaine wiped her eyes, a tentative smile lighting up her face. “Morgana…” She murmured, seeming unable to say anything else.

Morgana stepped away and took a hold of Merlin’s arm. “I am told I face a Choice soon, though I feel as if I have already chosen. I will always choose Merlin and the Light, even if that is not what Destiny thinks I am going to do. But I would appreciate your help in it, as someone who has faced the Choice and picked the Path I wish to follow.”

Elaine looked between Merlin, Morgana and the intimate hold Morgana had on his arm. You are fond of each other, sire. Elaine’s voice sounded in Merlin’s head.

Merlin gave her a shy smile. A little more than fond, he replied.

Elaine bowed to them, “I would be honoured to help you, Sister. I wish you and my young master all the happiness in the world.” She turned her attention to Arthur, Gwen and Gwaine. “Welcome to Dracona, Prince Arthur Pendragon, Lady Guinevere, and welcome back, Sir Gwaine. It gives me great pleasure to see you here, my Lord, my Lady. That you are here – the Once and Future King and Queen – with Emrys and Léoma, means more for the magical people of Albion than you realise.”

Once again, Gwen and Arthur turned bright red at their Once and Future titles. As they stammered out denials and looked at each other shyly, Merlin voiced his confusion over something Elaine had said. “What do you mean Léoma?” He asked, having never heard the term before.

“Yes,” Morgana said, “Mordred called me that just before we left the druid camp. I’d never heard the name before.”

Elaine smiled at them, “We are perhaps getting ahead of ourselves. Léoma is the name you will be known by to the druids should you choose the Path of Light, Morgana. It is a fitting name. It has a variety of meanings, such as ‘ray of light, beam, radiance, gleam, glare, or lightning,’ but they all relate to the Path of Light you will walk alongside Emrys.” Silence followed that announcement. Whatever they thought Léoma was, Morgana’s druid name wasn’t it.

“Just out of curiosity,” Gwaine piped up, breaking the quiet, “but does she have a druid name for if she chooses the Path of Darkness.” He ignored the glares the others all sent him. “I’m just curious.”

Elaine nodded, “Should she choose Darkness, Morgana will be known as Cwalu. It means ‘killing, murder, violent, death, or destruction.’ She will be Merlin’s and Arthur’s greatest adversary, allied with Morgause and Mordred in evil.”

Morgana shuddered, “That is not happening!” She declared. “I don’t care what that stupid dragon says! I am not going evil!”

Elaine frowned, “You have spoken with a dragon?”

“With Kilgharrah,” Merlin explained, “He seems hell-bent on believing Morgana will turn evil.”

“That is not happening!” Morgana, Arthur and Gwen chorused, before sharing a small smile with one another.

Elaine let out a huff of irritation. “Kilgharrah returned to Dracona some days ago, though he refuses to speak of his time outside our boarders and your father will not abused his powers as Dragonlord and force him to speak against his will.”

My Father… Elaine’s words reminded Merlin of why they were there. “Father…” was all he said.

Elaine nodded. “Of course. I was sent to collect you. You teleported as closely as our shields would allow you to our base. It was nicely done, my young master,” and Merlin smiled at her praise. “But it was has been some time since you were last here, sire, and even you wouldn’t be able to pass through the shields of the Kingsguard.”

At the mention of the Kingsguard, the Camelotians turned to Gwaine. “Hey, don’t look at me,” the knight said, “You’re looking at the only non-magic user in the Kingsguard.”

“Why are you the only one without magic?” Gwen asked.

“Because of him,” Gwaine answered, pointing at Merlin.

Everyone looked at Merlin expectantly and the Prince shrugged. “When my mother and I fled Dracona, I wanted Gwaine to stay behind and protect my Father. He’s got a unique way of looking at the world, Gwaine does. You need people like that in a Kingsguard. So one of my final orders as Crown Prince before we left was to instate Gwaine as a member of the Kingsguard and from what I’ve heard, he’s proven his right to be there ten times over, magic or no magic.”

Gwaine bowed his head in a rare show of solemnity and respect, “Thank you, sire.”

Elaine nodded in agreement, “For his efforts, Sir Gwaine has been given the title of Strength.”

Gwaine smiled proudly and even Arthur looked impressed, “Nicely done,” the prince of Camelot said.

“Thank you, Princess!” Gwaine said cheerily.

Arthur’s face fell at hearing the nickname, “I take back my congratulations.”

Gwaine laughed and slung an arm around Arthur’s shoulders. “Aww, don’t be so grumpy, Princess! We’ve got royals to impress, after all!”

At Gwaine’s words, everyone snapped to attention, ready to go meet the rulers of Dracona. Merlin nodded once to Elaine and she returned the gesture and turned around, walking away. She gestured for them to follow her. “This way, please.”

They all followed her through the Forest of Alor. Merlin was practically buzzing with excitement as he walked alongside the Court Sorceress, asking her questions about his parents, the kingdom, the knights and the war effort.

“All will be explained to you, my young master,” Elaine answered with fond exasperation.

“I know,” Merlin said, looking around at the Draconian forest wistfully. “It’s just that I’ve been away for so long…” He trailed off with a sigh. I’ve been away for so long, he thought forlornly. I didn’t help my people when I could have.

Morgana quickened her pace so she was walking beside him and she slipped her hand in his. Merlin’s heart began to beat faster at the contact; a habit Merlin had noticed it had been doing a lot in Morgana’s presence over the last few days. It is alright, Merlin, she projected her thoughts to him. Don’t think of how long you’ve been away, but what you are going to do now that you’re here.

Her words brought a smile to Merlin’s face and he pushed away his negative thoughts. Morgana was right. He couldn’t dwell on what had happened while he was away from Dracona. He had to focus on the difference he could make now. Thank you, love, he thought back to Morgana, before freezing momentarily when he realised just how he’d finished that sentence. Love. That wasn’t a word either of them should be thinking at all. Not this soon into their … what? Were they in a relationship? The King’s Ward and secret daughter and Arthur’s manservant and secret prince in his own right? They made an odd pair that was for sure.

But Morgana’s response to Merlin’s slip was to smile wider than Merlin had ever seen her and grip his hand even tighter. Looking at Morgana now, Merlin knew that regardless of what their relationship actually was, regardless of their stations, regardless of what slim chance Destiny gave them to be together, Merlin wanted to be with Morgana, and judging by her reaction Morgana wanted the same. You’re welcome, my love, she replied.

And Merlin knew he should be more concerned about what was to come. He knew he should have been more worried about the prophecy that Aislinn had told them the day before and the Choice Morgana was soon to face. He knew he should have been more concerned about Blackwood and Morgause and the War of Dracona. But in that one moment, where Morgana was smiling at him and Merlin was beginning to realise just how much she had come to mean to him, where that one little L word that there was no going back from was echoing in his head … Merlin truly did feel like Emrys. He felt like the most powerful man in the world.

He felt like he could do anything.

Morgause wasn’t entirely sure what made her decide to kill Lord Anthony Blackwood as soon as she planned to do the deed. She had meant to wait under Morgana had chosen the Darkness, and then together they would take Dracona as their own, but there was something about the way the Usurper was leering at her over dinner. Like she was some prize; like she was some wild horse that he had broken in.

Morgause didn’t appreciate that at all, so she decided that her plans to get rid of Blackwood would have to be accelerated.

That was how she found herself in a secret meeting with the leaders of the sorcerers and mercenaries they had in their army. She would only succeed in taking out Blackwood if she had the support of these men and those under their command.

And she knew exactly how to get it.

She threw the Head Sorcerer the key to the Draconian Vaults. “Take as much out of the Vaults as you like,” she told them. “Money and jewels mean nothing to me. Just swear your allegiance to me and you can take as much as you please.”

The Head Sorcerer, a gruff man with a scar spanning from the tip of his left eye down to his chin, exchanged glances and nods with the other leaders in the room. Speaking for all of them there, he turned to the High Priestess and bowed deeply to her. “It is an honour to serve you, Queen Morgause.”

Chapter Text

Morgause’s heels clicked loudly on the floor as she approached the throne where Lord Blackwood was once again lounging. She felt a thrill of savage pleasure at what she was about to do. It was time for Blackwood to get what was coming to him. It was time for him to experience what real power was.

The High Priestess exchanged a glance with the guards stationed by the throne. They nodded slyly at her. They knew what she was about to do and they would do nothing to stop her. Even if they tried, Morgause was more than able to do away with them as well. She had all the powers of the Old Religion on her side and she would crush anyone that got in her way.

“Ah, Morgause!” Blackwood drawled as she approached him. “I have a task for you.”

Morgause halted just before the throne, but she didn’t curtsy or bow her head to him. She showed Blackwood no ounce of respect she had been forcing herself to show since she’d joined his cause. Instead she narrowed her eyes at him and clenched her jaw stubbornly. “No,” she said.

Just as she expected, Blackwood’s eyebrows rose up in surprise and he leered at her in an expression of forced politeness. “Oh? What was that?”

“I said no,” Morgause repeated, loud and clear.

Blackwood’s mask of politeness slipped and he stared coolly at her, “No?”

“No, I won’t do whatever it is you wish of me,” Morgause said. “I am done playing the happy little servant to a man who doesn’t even have the powers of the Old Religion.”

The Lord glared at her, “You overstep yourself, Morgause.”

Her eyes trailed over him, as if she was sizing him up. “No, I think you overstep yourself, Blackwood.”

“You dare-“ Blackwood began, but Morgause cut him off.

“Yes, I dare. You are nothing. You don’t have magic yet you believe yourself to be worthy of the crown of Dracona? Please,” she scoffed at him. “I would leave you for Emrys to deal with, but I don’t want to deny myself the pleasure of seeing the life fade from your eyes as I kill you.”

Her feeling of savage pleasure increased as she saw true panic flare to life in Blackwood’s eyes. “Guards!” He called, “Take her away!”

But the guards by the throne didn’t move. They didn’t even turn in his direction. Nor did any of the guards who were stationed outside the throne room come in when he called. Morgause had bought the loyalty of them all.

“Guards!” Blackwood shouted again, a panicked edge to his voice.

“Oh, it seems like your guards no longer answer to you,” Morgause said with false sympathy. “That’s the problem with having an army of mercenaries … they’re always someone who could outbid you.”

“… No … No…” Blackwood said, gripping the arms of throne he sat on so tightly that his knuckles were white. “I am the King of Dracona!”

“You are a child who has had his turn at playing king and failed at it,” Morgause replied. “But now it is time for someone with true power to rule.”

Blackwood, to his credit, sat up in the throne and for a moment his panic was momentarily gone as he shouted at her in defiance. “The throne is mine!” He stood up in anger, “If you think I will just let you-“

But once again Morgause cut him off. She waved her hand at him and with a flash of her eyes, she froze him in place. His eyes darted around in their sockets as the rest of him tried to move, but it was pointless. Under her magical grip, Blackwood couldn’t move a muscle. “Let you?” Morgause echoed. “My dear Lord Blackwood, for you to ‘let me’ do anything, that would first mean that you had to control me, and do not for one minute think that you had any sort of control over me at any moment of our acquaintanceship.  I may have bowed to you and called you ‘my Lord’, but that was merely a show. I am the one with the real power out of the two of us. I have all the powers of the Old Religion at my fingertips. You have nothing. I merely needed you around so that you would eventually march on Camelot … but now my sister has come to Dracona and I no longer need you to help me reach Morgana. Our relationship has run its course, you see. How did you put it earlier?” She asked, pausing for dramatic effect. “Ah yes ... I need you far less than you need me.”

Morgause relished in the absolutely terrified look in Blackwood’s eyes. “I would say it’s been a pleasure, but you’ve been a thorn in my side since the day I met you. However, since I am about to be crowned Queen and this is a special occasion I will show you mercy…” She trailed off, a pretend thoughtful look on her face. She savoured the hope that dawned in Blackwood’s eyes. She always enjoyed giving people false hope in these situations, just to take it away again.

And take it away she did with her next sentence: “You death shall be quick and painless instead of the drawn out torture I had originally planned for you.”

Panic re-entered Blackwood’s eyes, but he still couldn’t move a muscle. He couldn’t do anything to defend himself and no guards were coming to his aid. He could only look on in terror as Morgause conjured a fireball in her hand. “Goodbye, Lord Blackwood,” she said, before gesturing to him. “Forbærne! Ácwele!” The fireball soared out of Morgause’s hand and struck Blackwood square in the chest. The impact sent him crashing into the back of the throne and his shirt was burnt and smouldering. The stench of burning flesh filled the air. Morgause looked on with a wicked smile on her face as the fireball combined with the killing spell did its work. In a matter of minutes, Blackwood’s lifeless body was slumped in the throne. His unseeing eyes staring back at her as Morgause regarded his corpses with contempt.

“Guards!” She called, and immediately the two that were stationed by the throne snapped to attention.

“Yes, my Queen?” One of them asked.

“Deal with this,” she commanded, waving an imperious hand Blackwood’s body. “I want him off my throne.”

“At once, Your Majesty,” the guard replied and he and his partner set about removing Blackwood’s corpse from the room.

Once the guards had left with the body of the previous king, Morgause sat on the throne, feeling a thrill of pleasure and satisfaction as she did. Now all she needed to do was to bring Morgana to her side and everything would be perfect. She recalled her sister’s cold voice as she declared: I will always choose Merlin and the Path of Light. That wouldn’t do. Morgana needed to follow the Darkness.

A plan began to form in her mind. If she could make Morgana terrified of returning to Camelot, terrified of returning to Uther, then Morgana would have no choice but to join her. She would make Morgana despise Uther so much that she would want the king dead. Another thought crossed her mind … If she could make Morgana and Arthur despise the king, if she could make them both want him dead … Uther wouldn’t stand a chance.

She would influence Morgana’s dreams and make her terrified of the King of Camelot. She would raise the spirit of Queen Ygraine and tell Arthur the truth surrounding his birth. Yes … both her sister and the prince would hate Uther. Arthur might even be so infuriated he’d kill the king himself. Morgana would turn to Morgause and choose the Path of Darkness. She’d be away from the influence of Emrys and her traitor of a sister, Elaine…

Yes. Everything would work out perfectly. Morgause broke out in a sinister grin. “Soon, Sister,” she said. “Soon you will make the Choice, and soon we will be together.”

Travelling by teleportation did have some drawbacks, Morgana found. For even though their horses didn’t looked spooked, they were slightly disoriented and thus unable to ride. So their group had to walk and lead their horses through the Forest of Alor to where King Balinor and Queen Hunith were residing.

Seeing Merlin so full of excitement at the prospect of seeing his parents and his people brought a smile to Morgana’s face. The prince of Dracona was practically buzzing with enthusiasm as they followed the Court Sorceress, Elaine, to the base of King Balinor’s forces.

Elaine… That was another though that made Morgana smile. She had a sister. A sister who walked in the Light, instead of that deranged Morgause who’d attacked them the day before. Morgana wanted nothing more than to sit down and talk to Elaine and to get to know her. But she knew it would be some time before they would get the chance to do so.

Still, that didn’t mean she wasn’t excited to meet King Balinor and Queen Hunith. However, she was filled with the ridiculous worry that they might not like her. Morgana supposed that everyone felt that way when they were going to meet the parents of the person they loved, but that didn’t stop her from worrying. Or hoping that they liked her.

The person they loved. Yes. She loved Merlin. She knew their relationship had been a whirlwind. It had all happened so quickly, but they didn’t make her feelings any less real. Simply being with Merlin made her happy. Thinking of him made her smile. Holding his hand made her heart pound. Kissing him brought on the most ridiculous reactions; her pulse raced and her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. She simply adored Merlin. She wanted to spend the rest of her life by his side, him teaching her magic. Emrys and Léoma. Defying destiny and going their own way, instead of the way Kilgharrah was convinced their fates would pan out.

If that wasn’t love, than Morgana didn’t know what was.

As Morgana mused on her feelings, Elaine led them through the Forest of Alor. They all took in the scenery as they walked. Dracona was beautiful. The forest was filled thick trees that reached high into the sky, and Morgana knew Arthur would love to hunt through there because so many animals and game crossed their path as Elaine led them further and further through the woods.

“We’re approaching the Réonian Falls,” Elaine announced. “The King’s base lies in the caves beyond the Falls.”

“Re-what?” Came Arthur.

“The Réonian Falls,” Merlin explained. “They are also known as the Falls of Whispers, or just the Whisper Falls. They were given that name because of the constant sound of the waterfall rushing – it’s like a whisper. Vast caverns can be found when you walk through the waterfall. My father has stationed the majority of his forces there.”

“Not to sound negative, but isn’t it a bad idea to have a cave as a base?” Arthur asked. “If the enemy is clever they’ll just block you in and wait for you to starve.”

Merlin, Elaine and Gwaine all exchanged glances and knowing grins. “Normally, yes,” Gwaine answered. “But you’re dealing with sorcerers and sorceresses here, Princess.”

“As I mentioned earlier,” Elaine said. “There are wards surrounding our base. They are held up by the Kingsguard – the elite fighting force of Dracona’s soldiers, dedicated to the protection of the King and the royal family. No one can come close to our base, so no enemy can get the opportunity to block us in and attempt to starve us out.”

“If the shields are so powerful wouldn’t that tired out the member of the Kingsguard?” Gwen inquired.

Gwaine nodded, “Yes, that’s why all magic users contribute to the wards. But it is the members of the Kingsguard – well the ones besides me who can use magic – who are tasked with the monitoring and maintenance of the shields.”

“We’re approaching the shields now,” Merlin said, pointing up ahead. “You can see it. The Falls aren’t far away now.”

Everyone looked up ahead to where Merlin was pointing. Morgana was surprised she hadn’t noticed the wards until now. They were translucent and looking through them was like looking through a soap bubble. “Just a warning,” Merlin continued, “walking through them will feel as if water is running down your back.”

Passing through the wards was an odd experience. Elaine strode up to the barrier, placed one hand on it and said a jumble of words in the Old Tongue that Morgana didn’t recognise. Her sister then stepped through the barrier and gestured for the others to follow her. Just like Merlin said, it felt as water was trickling down Morgana’s back. She shivered involuntarily. As soon as they walked through the shields, they could hear the sound of running water. The Whisper Falls, Morgana realised.

After only a few more minutes of walking, they came across the Falls. The sight was breathtaking. The Alor Forest thinned out, revealing a cliff face that loomed above them, over which a ledge waterfall gushed and fell into a pool at the bottom. They couldn’t see any cave entrance through the rushing water, but Elaine, Gwaine and Merlin didn’t hesitate as they approached the pool.

Elaine stopped at the water’s edge, “You may leave your horses here,” she said. “You will not be able to bring them any further. Do not worry, they will not wander and stable hands will have no doubt already been sent to collect them.”

“They know we’re here?” Gwen asked.

“The Kingsguards monitor the wards,” Elaine answered. “That spell you heard me say as he passed through it was me asking permission to pass through them, as well as telling the Kingsguard how many I had with me. The Kingsguard already know how many people and horses are in our party. They would have already sent people to collect your horses, since we are using this entrance to the caverns.”

Morgana felt a little unsure about just leaving her horse, Swifthoof, to wander, but she trusted Merlin and his people. She dropped the reins she’d been leading Swifthoof by and watched as the rest of their group did the same. She then turned to the Draconians’ expectantly, wondering just how they were going to proceed from there.

“I hope you don’t mind getting a little wet,” Gwaine said to her, Gwen and Arthur as he, Elaine and Merlin entered the water.

Morgana, Gwen and Arthur followed their lead. The water was cool and the pool shallow. Morgana shivered getting into the pool, but she swallowed the squeals of protest she wanted to let out at the waters temperature. She glanced over at Gwen and could tell by her maidservant’s expression that she found the water just as cool as Morgana did. Arthur’s face was stoic, revealing nothing as he stood waist-deep in water as he waited for the others to lead the way.

If Elaine noticed their discomfort, she said nothing as she waded through the water and passed under the waterfall. She disappeared from their sight and the others hurried to catch up with her. Morgana smiled as Merlin took her hand before they waded through the cascading water. It was a simple gesture, but it gave Morgana support as she attempted to do something she’d never done before. Morgana had been nervous enough about meeting King Balinor and Queen Hunith in the first place, but that on top of the complicated way of reaching Merlin’s parents, plus the impending Choice she was soon to make … Morgana was more on edge than she’d like to admit.

It’s alright, Love. Merlin’s comforting voice spoke in her mind. I’m here.

Thank you, Merlin.

… Are you alright? Merlin’s mental voice sounded worried.

I am fine. Just a little nervous is all. I am meeting your parents for the first time after all.

Morgana caught Merlin’s bashful smile as she took in her surroundings. They were still standing waist deep in the pool. The caverns Merlin spoke of began right behind the waterfall and were lit up by little balls of light that floated just below the ceiling. Elaine was already climbing out of the pool and the Court Sorceress waited patiently while the rest of their company clambered unceremoniously out of the water.

Morgana shivered as the cool air hit her drenched clothes. Merlin took one look at her and the others and uttered, “ádrúgian.” Instantly, everyone’s clothes and hair were company warm and dry. It was like they hadn’t even entered the water at all.

“Thank you,” everyone chorused, happy to no longer be completely soaked.

Merlin gave them a wide smile. “It’s alright.”

It was then that Morgana realised that this was probably the first time in years that Merlin was able to perform magic without worrying about the consequences. He was in his homeland, with his friends, and away from the threat of Uther. Merlin had Arthur’s acceptance, and destiny or not, anyone could tell that the pair of them were best friends. Morgana knew that despite her and Gwen accepting Merlin for who he was, Arthur accepting it after being taught that magic was evil for his whole life by Uther meant just that little more to Merlin. That didn’t mean that the warlock liked her and Gwen any less, Morgana knew that Merlin didn’t think that way. It was just that the bond between Arthur and Merlin was special.

Emrys and the Once and Future King, she thought with pride as she saw them standing next to one another.

But she was drawn out of her musings as Elaine said “Welcome to the Dragon Caves. These caverns are the home to King Balinor’s forces, as well the home of many of Dracona’s dragons.”

“Dragons?” Arthur asked, catching the use of the plural.

Merlin let out a little snort of disbelief. “Did you really think The Great Dragon was the only one?”

Arthur just sent him a displeased look. Merlin seemed to realised he’d sounded condescending and apologised, “Okay, sorry. I know you’ve only ever believed what your father has told you. But no, Kilgharrah isn’t the last dragon in Albion. Camelot, perhaps, but there are dragons elsewhere. In Dracona especially, as our kingdom was founded by dragonlords and dragons are an intricate part of our culture. Sorry, Arthur. I know this is all new to you. I’ll try to not sound so patronizing in the future.”

In response, Arthur merely nodded and said, “Idiot.”

Merlin smiled wickedly, “Prat.”

And Morgana knew that they were going to be okay.

“Perhaps we could walk and talk?” Elaine suggested, frowning in confusion at the two princes. She wasn’t used to their banter, but was trying to move past it. Everyone agreed with her idea and she said, “leoht,” and conjured a sphere of light in her hand. The caverns may have been illuminated by the little balls of light hovering by the ceiling, but they weren’t that bright, and the light conjured by the Court Sorceress was welcomed.

Merlin glanced at Elaine’s ball of light and grinned impishly. “Fromum feohgiftum on fæder bearme. Fromum feohgiftum,” he intoned and a blue-white orb of light appeared before them.

There was a wide variety of reactions to Merlin’s source of light. Elaine simply raised an eyebrow in a very Gaius-like expression of disapproval at Merlin out-doing her and showing off with his magic, Gwaine seemed perfectly fine with it, and Arthur and Gwen were staring at it with identical expressions of astonishment.

“That – that light!” Arthur spluttered. “You couldn’t of – you were dying in Gaius’s chambers at the time!”

“Dying?!” Chorused Gwaine and Elaine.

 Merlin shot Arthur an aggravated look. “Thanks, Arthur. You just had to mention I nearly died.”

“You’d drunk the poison for Arthur and he’d gone to find the antidote,” Gwen spoke up. “You started speaking gibberish and Gaius said it was the fever taking you. But it wasn’t. It was that spell. Exactly that. Word for word.”

“Merlin, how can you be nearly dead and yet still save my life?!” Arthur demanded, looking at his manservant in awe. As if he was only just realising how powerful the warlock was.

Merlin shrugged, “I don’t really remember much of that incident to be honest.”

“Yes,” said Gwen, “You woke up and you couldn’t remember anything after drinking the poison. That was when I –“ She broke off, a sudden blush tainting her cheeks. “Never mind.”

Morgana saw Merlin blushing as well as was curious to hear how that sentence was going to end. She was struck with the unfamiliar feeling of jealousy. Were Merlin and Guinevere once a couple? Morgana pushed the errant thought away. Whatever happened between them was clearly over now. Guinevere clearly had feelings for Arthur and Morgana and Merlin were now together. The King’s ward felt disappointed in herself for even allowing the notion of envy to engage her thoughts.

So she saved Gwen from answering the questioning glance Arthur was sending her and said, “With that cleared up, shall we continue?”

“Oh, yes! Let’s!” Gwen said, perhaps a little too quickly. “I can’t wait to meet Merlin’s parents!”

Everyone smiled at the ecstatic look that was instantly on Merlin’s face. “Yes,” Elaine said. “I will take you to them. Follow me.”

She turned and started down the cave. They all followed her. As they walked, Merlin spoke up, “You do realise that you’ve already met my mother, Gwen? You, Morgana and Arthur all have. You helped us save Ealdor.”

Merlin’s words brought her, Gwen and Arthur to a standstill. They all exchanged looks of shock with one another. How could they have forgotten their trip to Ealdor and their stand against Kanen? It had been such a monumental quest for them too. The four of them banning together to help the people of Merlin’s home village, them meeting Merlin’s mother and his friend Will, Arthur teaching the people of Ealdor how to fight and Kanen’s men being driven off by a fierce wind that Morgana was willing to bet wasn’t conjured by Will at all. Morgana supposed that with all the revelations that had happened over the past few days, that the fact that they’d already met Hunith had slipped their minds.

“Your mother came to Camelot for help,” Arthur said. “Father wouldn’t give it. He thought it would seem like an act of war. Why didn’t she seek assistance from her own kingdom?”

Morgana thought back to that day in the Throne Room, where a bruised, tired and desperate Hunith requested help from Uther. Morgana had thought that the peasant woman had shown amazing courage that day. It was easy to see where Merlin got it from. But in reality Hunith wasn’t a peasant at all. She was a Queen. Morgana wondered how Uther would have reacted if he knew the true identity of Merlin’s mother.

“Mother knew it was too dangerous to return to Dracona,” Merlin explained sadly. “It was better for her to come to me and Camelot than to return here and risk getting caught by Blackwood’s men.”

They started walking again and Gwen said, “Your mother was very brave.”

Merlin smiled proudly, “Mother and Father both are brave. Father for not giving up and continuing to fight this war. For sending Mother and I away for our safety even though he didn’t want to be parted from us. And my mother gave up being Queen, gave up all the finery and the servants, to live as a peasant woman. A single peasant woman with a son with hard-to-control magic. They both have amazing courage and I am proud to be their son.”

“Wait until you meet them,” Gwaine said as they continued on. “King Balinor is a great ruler and Queen Hunith may not have magic but she is beloved by all.”

Elaine nodded in agreement, “Yes, we were all overjoyed when the Queen of Dragons returned to us.”

Morgana gave out a small gasp at hearing the familiar title. The line of Aislinn’s prophecy ran through her head: Queen of shadows or Queen of dragons? “… Queen of Dragons?” Morgana asked at length, her voice coming out more timidly than she would have liked.

“It is the honorific given to the Queen of Dracona,” Merlin clarified, eying her with sympathy as they walked through the caves. He must have guessed that her gasp was from hearing the title after it had been mentioned in the prophecy. He and Gwaine must have known exactly what that line meant as soon as Aislinn had said it. The prophecy was all about her upcoming Choice. That line must have meant that Morgana would have to choose between Darkness and the shadows, or following the Path of Light, staying with Merlin and eventually becoming his Queen. The Queen of Dragons.

There is no Choice! She told herself fiercely. I am staying with Merlin and I will be the next Queen of Dragons. The shadows won’t take me.

“I wasn’t kidding when I said our dragons were an intricate part of our culture,” Merlin continued. “I mean, even our name ‘Dracona’ sounds partially similar to the word ‘dragon’. Each King of Dracona is always a dragonlord. The gift passes from Father to son upon the Father’s death. Although the Queen doesn’t have the power, she gives birth to the next dragonlord. The next heir to the throne. We see our Queens as being just as important as our Kings, so although my mother has no control over our dragons, they respect her and she is given the honorary title of the Queen of Dragons.”

Morgana may have been nervous about her upcoming Choice, but she felt excitement building in her as she thought about meeting the King and Queen. Well, meeting King Balinor and seeing Queen Hunith again. Not to mention meeting other magic users! Merlin had given her one short lesson about magic, when she had conjured the flame in her hand and Gwen had discovered their secret. But now they were in an entire kingdom where magic was accepted. Who knew what Morgana could learn from the Draconian people?

Elaine led them through the Dragon Caves and it wasn’t until they had been walking for a further five minutes that they finally saw someone else. Two knights stood standing guard at the entrance to what was clearly a huge cavern that natural sunlight was shining in. As soon as they saw Merlin, they burst out in wide smiles and bowed low to him. “It gladdens my heart to see you again, Sire,” the guard on the right said, and his partner chimed in in agreement. Their respect for Merlin was evident in their tones and Merlin beamed back at them.

“It has been too long, Sir Brom and Sir Richard!” Merlin said jovially, with a respectful bow of his head. “How are you families? I hope they have stayed safe in these troubling times.”

The knight who had greeted Merlin first, Sir Brom, was a dark haired, dark eyed, well-built man, but he smiled widely at Merlin’s question. “Indeed they have, my Lord. Even as the Usurper sits on his throne, King Balinor still protects the people of Dracona. My family has remained safe here in the Dragon Caves and in the areas surrounding them.”

Merlin turned to Sir Richard, who was as fair as Brom was dark. He had blonde hair and bright green eyes and he smiled at the prince as Merlin asked, “And yours, Sir Richard?”

“My family has remained safe as well, sire. All thanks to the work of the King and the wards held up by the Kingsguard.”

“It delights me to hear that,” Merlin replied sincerely, “But if you excuse me, I have been away a long time and I wish to see my parents.”

“Of course, sire,” they said, bowing once again. Merlin didn’t even hesitate, but with one last smile at the two guards, he continued past them. Morgana and the others had no choice but to follow him, with Sirs Brom and Richard respectfully greeting them with a bow of the head and “My Lords, My Ladies” as they passed.

The next cave they found themselves was lit up with natural sunlight like Morgana had suspected. The roof of the cave was high above them and had skylights that Morgana could see the bright, blue sky through. Morgana delighted in the natural light, but Arthur was staring at the skylights, nonplussed.

“We walked into the cliff,” he said, clearly confused. “We were at the bottom of the cliff, where the waterfall ended, and we walked into the bottom of the cliff. We should be miles underground. How can we see the sky? I don’t-“

But he was cut off by a laugh from Gwaine who simply clapped him on the back and said, “Magic.”

Arthur’s only response to that was to shrug and nod, like he was agreeing that he really should have thought of that answer himself and Gwaine continued to laugh. Gwen and Morgana just exchanged amused glances at them both.

Merlin and Elaine forged ahead and the others rushed to catch up with them. More people were starting to appear in the cavern and they all flocked to see their prince. Merlin greeted them with a smile and knew most of the people by name. Those he didn’t, he politely inquired their name and the citizen would beam with pride and adoration at him while they gushed out what they were called.

Whispers, murmurs and even shouts of “Prince Merlin!” were heard as they continued through the Dragon Caves. The caves took a while to get through as nearly every people they passed wanted to stop and talk to Merlin. Each cavern they found themselves in was larger than the last. The whole underground system was huge. It was easy to see how both a large group of people as well as a race of gigantic dragons could fit in such a place.

Merlin was near bursting with excitement by the time they reached the King and Queen.

Morgana didn’t know what she was expecting when they finally came across Merlin’s parents, but after taking one look at Hunith and Balinor, she knew they weren’t it. Due to her life growing up in court, she presumed that the King and Queen would be a couple dressed in finery, sitting primly on a pair of thrones and looking resplendent.

Hunith and Balinor were anything but that.

They were standing side by side, a huge boulder was in front of them that served as a table, upon which laid a blue baby dragon. The royal pair was lent over the small creature, tending to it. The blue dragon appeared to be injured and the King and Queen were healing it.

“One of the bones in its right wing is broken, dear,” Hunith advised and Balinor immediately tended to it. Hunith looked much the same as she did the last time Morgana had seen her. Her dark hair was in a loose bun and her clothes were of a finer make than they were when they’d seen her in Ealdor. Much like what Morgana and Gwen were wearing, she was dressed in brown tights and boots, a green long sleeved shirt and a furry white vest over the top, but she still wore a kindly smile and her eyes filled with tears the moment she laid eyes on her son.

None of their party had been announced, but Hunith gently nudged her husband and Balinor looked up from tending to the small creature, doing a double take when he saw his son standing there. Like Hunith, Balinor was dressed plainly. He wore dark blue shirt, brown pants and a black coat. His dark hair was long, scraggly and greying, complete with a matching beard and like his wife, his eyes immediately began to fill with tears as he took in the sight of Merlin standing before him.

“Hello Father, hello Mother,” Merlin said, his voice thick with emotion. “I’d use the Gestepe hole. Þurhhæle spell on the little one. I’d do it myself, but you know I’ve always been rubbish at healing spells.”

He didn’t get a chance to say anymore. Merlin was suddenly engulfed by the arms of his parents, who had run from their place behind the makeshift boulder-table and crushed Merlin to them in a hug. The three royals were crying freely as they embraced each other, murmuring greetings and words of love as they did. They were finally reunited after years of being apart.

Watching them brought a tear to Morgana’s eye. She was so happy for Merlin. So glad he was finally able to see his parents again. Everyone in their group gave the royal family a moment to themselves; they all knew what it was like to lose a family member or to be separated from those that you love. So they happily let Merlin and his parents have their moment together.

Composing himself, Merlin pulled away from Hunith and Balinor and gestured to his friends. “Mother, Father, I’d like you to meet my friends.” To Morgana’s surprise Merlin pulled her up first to be introduced. She had expected Arthur to take that honour, as he was Merlin’s best friend, not to mention the Once and Future King. But Merlin pulled her up to his parents and said, “This is the Lady Morgana Gorlois.” Morgana sent him a wide smile. He hadn’t introduced her as a Pendragon, for which she was grateful. She turned her attention to the royal couple and sunk down into a curtsy. “I’m pleased to meet you, my Lord and to see you again, my Lady.”

“You need not curtsy to us, Lady Morgana,” Balinor said. His voice was gruff, but it suited him. “We were never ones that stood on formality much, and now we do even less so that we’re stationed here in the Dragon Caves. But I welcome you to Dracona.” He turned to the rest of their group, “I welcome you all to Dracona. Well, I welcome you back, Sir Gwaine.”

Gwaine respectfully bowed his head, “Sire.”

“And now that my son has returned, I relieve you of your position in the Kingsguard and station you as my son’s protector. Not that he needs it, but it would help me rest easy all the same.”

Gwaine nodded once again, his signature smile on his face. “It would be my honour.”

Balinor then turned his attention to Arthur. “Prince Arthur Pendragon. Welcome to Dracona. I wish I was able to receive you in my palace instead of the caves we find ourselves in, but fate had other plans.”

Arthur bowed to him, “I’m honoured to meet you, my Lord, regardless of where ever that may be. Merlin is a great friend of mine; my best friend,” he admitted in a rare show of emotion and Morgana saw Merlin beam at Arthur. “It gives me great pleasure to meet you, though I wish it could be on more fortunate circumstances.”

Balinor and Hunith nodded. “We know why you are here, Arthur Pendragon,” the Queen said. “And be rest assured, we will help you.” She turned to Gwen, “Hello, Guinevere. It is nice to see you again.”

Gwen curtsied, “I’m happy to see you too, my Lady. It has been a long time since Ealdor.” Turning to the King she said, “And my greetings to you, King Balinor. I’m glad to be finally meeting Merlin’s father.”

Balinor and Hunith looked at Gwen. They had a knowing expression in their eyes. Morgana wouldn’t be surprised if they knew exactly what Guinevere meant to Arthur and what role she’d play in the future of Albion as the Once and Future Queen.

Hunith faced their Court Sorceress. “Thank you for bringing them to us, Elaine. I see you have been united with your sister at last.”

But before Elaine could reply, the sound of running footsteps was heard echoing throughout the cavern. Seconds later, a messenger sped into the cave. He paused at the sight of Prince Merlin and their group being present, but he remembered himself and reported to his King. “Sire! Forgive my intrusion, but I bring important news!”

Everyone was immediately on edge. “What is it?” Balinor asked.

“It is the High Priestess, Morgause,” the messenger said, and Elaine and Morgana automatically flinched at the mention of their sister’s name.

Merlin took Morgana’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. “What about her?” He asked.

The messenger gave a short bow in Merlin’s direction. He looked shocked; like he couldn’t quite believe the news he’d been told to deliver. “She – she has killed Lord Blackwood and taken power for herself.”

Everyone gasped at that announcement, but the messenger wasn’t done yet.

“She calls herself the Queen of Dracona and states she will not stop this war until everyone single person who is loyal to your family is dead. She also wishes to speak to speak to two people who are here in the Dragon Caves, my Lord.”

“Who?” Balinor demanded, and Morgana was suddenly very afraid at what the answer was going to be.

“The Lady Morgana and Prince Arthur, sire.”

Chapter Text

“No.”

Merlin’s reaction was immediate and everyone turned to face him. “No,” he repeated. “No, you’re not going. No.”

“Merlin-“ Arthur started.

“-No, you prat! No! You’re my friend. After everything I’ve done to keep you safe you think I’m just going to let you go wandering off to meet Morgause? No. Did you forget it took Morgana distracting her just for me to out of Morgause’s chains? She’s powerful and she’s dangerous. You’re not going!”

Merlin was tense. His hands were balled into fists as he stared at them all in defiance. No. They weren’t going. If something happened to either of them, Merlin didn’t know what he’d do with himself.

Merlin, Morgana spoke telepathically to him. Calm down. We need to see what she wants.

Morgana’s voice sounded nervous but determined. Merlin took her in his arms, holding her by the waist as Morgana automatically wrapped her arms around his neck. “Morgana,” he said, his voice full of concern. “If something happened to you – I couldn’t-“

“Shhh,” she hushed him, gently covering his mouth with her hand. It is alright, she thought to him as she slowly lowered her hand. She was so close to him. Her green eyes were wide, and held a little trace of fear, but there was also resolve there. Morgana didn’t want to meet Morgause, but Merlin could tell that she was determined to do it anyway. We can handle this and even if something does occur, I know you won’t let anything bad happen to us.

Merlin shut his eyes and leant his forehead against hers. I don’t want you to go.

We need to find out what she wants, and if this will help with the war against her then we can’t afford not to go. She may be my sister, but I don’t think of her as one. I don’t want anything to do with her, but for I’ll face her for you and Dracona. We all said we would help you reclaim your father’s kingdom and we will. So let us help you.

If you were hurt… Merlin couldn’t even finish the sentence. His pictured the lifeless corpses of Morgana and Arthur. It was a horrifying thought.

… So we’ll get hurt, Morgana replied, that’s the risks we take in wartime, my Love. Just let us help you. Let us help Dracona.

Before Merlin could reply, another voice sounded in Merlin’s head. Merlin? Gwaine said. Mate, you’re making a bit of a scene.

Merlin lifted his head and opened his eyes. In his arms, Morgana was doing the same and they looked around at the others. Apparently he and Morgana had been so lost in each other that they’d forgotten about the others present. Gwen was blushing, Arthur looked uncomfortable, Gwaine just nodded in response to Merlin hearing his message, Elaine simply smiled at them, the messenger whose name Merlin didn’t know was gaping at them and his parents ... Oh god. His parents. Balinor and Hunith were looking at the two of them, their eyebrows raised in surprise. Their expressions then morphed into identical knowing looks as they smirked at their son and the woman in his arms.

 Is there perhaps something you want to tell us, Merlin? His father’s mental voice spoke in his head.

“Uh…” Merlin let out. He had no idea how to even start to explain what he and Morgana were to each other. To his embarrassment, he felt a blush burning his cheeks.

“A conversation for another time,” his mother said, saving Merlin from answering. “We have a serious situation here.”

Thank you, Merlin thought to her before addressing the rest of the group as Morgana stepped out of his embrace. “Mother is right,” he said, trying to act normal and save face. “… and so is Morgana. We need to know what Morgause wants.”

Although the others had no idea what Morgana had actually said to him, they all nodded. Balinor turned to the messenger, “Walter,” he said, and Merlin finally knew the man’s name, “What else did Morgause say?”

“She wishes to meet with Prince Arthur and the Lady Morgana tomorrow at noon at the Dragonlord Grove.”

Balinor’s face was thunderous. “She dares violate that sacred place with her presence?!”

Hunith put a soothing hand on Balinor’s shoulder, “Relax, dear. She only chose that place to rile you.”

“What is the Dragonlord Grove?” Gwen asked.

Merlin felt as indignantly angry as his father, but he answered her. “Dragons can only be called from their eggs by dragonlords. My father would give the dragon a name and they hatch. It’s important to us. As I told you, dragons are an intricate part of our culture. A dragon’s birth is special and never without meaning. The Dragonlord Grove is where Father hatches the eggs. It’s a sacred place to our dragons and to our culture. That Morgause is using it as a meeting place is blasphemous. Humans are only allowed to enter it on the day of the Hatching. Only dragons are free to enter the Grove whenever they choose.”

Everyone nodded in understanding and Merlin saw the same outraged expression on Arthur, Gwen and Morgana’s faces as they now knew how offensive Morgause’s actions were.

“But Morgause is powerful,” Merlin went on, “Morgana’s magic is only just emerging. You’re not strong enough to meet her head on,” he said, looking at Morgana. “I’m not even sure if I could last against her in a fight.”

“But you’re Emrys,” Arthur said. “There’s no one more powerful than you.”

“I can’t afford to underestimate people like that,” Merlin said. “If I went around thinking ‘I’m Emrys so no one can beat me’, I’d eventually be beaten for sure. I’d be so confident in my own power that I wouldn’t even believe I’d be able to lose. I mean, I’m already like that. You never wondered why I was never scared, Arthur?”

The prince of Camelot looked confused, “What?”

“Think about it. I’m your manservant that goes on quests with you. I’ve stood my ground against enemies with you. I had no armour and I had to pretend I had absolutely abysmal skills with a sword because what peasant knows how to fight? But I still faced enemies with you. You never once wondered why someone who apparently had no skills like me was never afraid in those situations? It was because of my magic. I was confident in those circumstances because I knew I could handle it. I knew I could protect you. With Morgause I don’t know if I can handle it and that makes me uneasy.”

There was a silence after Merlin finished speaking. Arthur frowned in thought, apparently thinking back over all the adventures he’d had with Merlin. “No,” he said at last. “I always just thought you were brave. Foolhardy maybe, but I always thought you were the most courageous man I ever knew.”

Whatever Merlin thought Arthur was going to say in response to him, it wasn’t that. “Arthur … Thank you,” he said sincerely.

Arthur blushed and shuffled his feet, uncomfortable with his uncharacteristic show of emotion. “Yes, well. Repeat that to anyone and I’ll put you in the stocks for a week.” His reply was instantaneous. Born of the hours of banter they’d shared over the course of their friendship. Arthur’s eyes widened as he realised that he’d just threatened to put the Crown Prince of Dracona in the stocks while standing in front of the King and Queen.

Before Arthur could apologise, Merlin replied in typical Merlin fashion: “Prat.”

“Idiot,” the insult was out of Arthur’s mouth before he stop himself.

“Dollophead,” Merlin shot back.

Arthur controlled the urge to insult Merlin further and turned to the King and Queen, ready to apologise for abusing their son in their presence. But he was cut off by an unexpected sound from Balinor:

Laughter.

The King chuckled and the Queen quickly joined in. Their laughter echoed around the cavern they were in and Arthur simply stared at them in surprise.

“It is good to see my son has such a friend in you, Prince Arthur,” Balinor said when their laughter subsided.

“I told Merlin once that the two of you were like two side of the same coin,” Hunith added. “I’m happy to see that hasn’t changed.”

Arthur still seemed surprised at their reaction, but he composed himself, giving the King and Queen a smile and a nod.

“We have a problem though,” Elaine spoke up, her expression angry. “Prince Merlin’s party has only just arrived at the Dragon Caves. How can Morgause have found out that Prince Arthur and the Lady Morgana were here so quickly?”

King Balinor wore the same dark expression as his Court Sorceress. “We have a spy in our midst.”

Silence followed his words. Everyone looked just as upset and nervous at the thought of a traitor amongst them. In the span of a few seconds, the atmosphere had changed completely from the happy environment of the laughing King and Queen and the bantering princes, to the tense air they now found themselves in.

“Perhaps she is using magic to spy on us and there isn’t a traitor at all?” Guinevere suggested at length, trying to stay optimistic.

“No one can scry through the wards we have in place around the Dragon Caves,” Elaine said.

Gwen’s face fell. “Oh.”

“She did attack us on our way here, so she knew where we were when that happened,” Merlin said. He saw the alarmed expressions on his parents faces and rushed to calm them. “It’s alright! I dealt with her. I scared her into leaving.” The concern immediately left Hunith and Balinor’s faces. They nodded in acceptance; trusting in their sons power to know he had the situation handled.

“But Merlin, we weren’t even out of Camelot by that stage,” said Arthur. “Granted we were right on the border to Essetir, but that’s a kingdom away. We covered days of riding with your teleportation spell. How could she know travelled so far so quickly?”

Merlin just shrugged hopelessly. It seemed like a spy was the only answer.

Balinor turned to Walter, “How did she send us this message?”

Merlin studied the messenger. He had never seen Walter before. The man had the same built as Merlin: small and wiry. He had short brown hair and hazel eyes. Walter seemed slightly uncomfortable in their presence, but Merlin figured it was because he wasn’t used to all the attention he was getting from nobles such as themselves.

“She sent it via a raven, sire,” Walter answered.

“Do you have the paper with you?” Balinor asked.

Walter shook his head. “No, sire. She literally sent it via a raven. A raven flew into the Dragon Caves and spoke. It told us her message.”

Everyone seemed surprised at that. Merlin couldn’t help but begrudgingly think that talking ravens were impressive, but he kept his opinion to himself.

Arthur looked taken aback. Poor Arthur, Merlin thought with sympathy. This whole trip is one shock after another for him. Arthur may seem to be okay with the magic and coming to term with his manservant being royalty, but Merlin didn’t think Arthur was expecting talking birds to turn up during their time in Dracona.

Well, Merlin thought wryly, I wasn’t expecting them either.

“What about our spy?” Hunith asked. “What news of him?”

Merlin’s attention was immediately caught. One of the few letters he’d received from home had mentioned the knight who had taken on the precarious duty of being a spy within Blackwood’s – well now Morgause’s – forces. Seeing as though Merlin had recommended this knight himself, he was particularly interested with how he fared. “Oh yes, how is he?!”

“He is fine, my Lord,” Walter answered, however he looked tense. “The missive he sent us the day before states that his cover is still intact and that no one suspects him.”

 Again, Merlin noticed that Walter appeared uncomfortable. It seemed like the messenger had more he wanted to say, but he didn’t offer up any more information, so Merlin pushed the errant observation away on focused on what Walter had just told him. He nodded, relieved. “Good. I hope we’ll be able to see him again.”

“You have a spy within Morgause’s ranks?” Arthur asked.

Before he could reply, his father spoke up. “Yes, he was once from Camelot. Merlin sent him to us.”

Morgana, Gwen and Arthur all looked shocked at this. “Who is he?” Morgana inquired. “Do we know him?”

Merlin was reluctant to answer. He didn’t know how the news would affect two of his Camelotians friends. “Yes, you know him.”

“Who is he?!” Arthur asked, clearly trying to think of a knight who had left Camelot.

Merlin figured that they were going to find out sooner or later. He hoped this new information wouldn’t mess up the relationship that was between Arthur and Gwen. Later, he would reflect on how much he wished he had noticed Walter shaking his head, or the desperate look in the messenger’s eyes. Later, Merlin would wish he had never answered Arthur’s question. But he didn’t notice any of that and instead gave them a small grin before replying.

“It’s Lancelot,” he said.

Morgause was pleased. Pleased and smirking as she sat upon the throne of Dracona. Everything was working in her favour.

Balinor was an idiot. Her spy was right beside him, giving him information, and all the while he was giving her information as well. It had been easy, so easy to kidnap one of Balinor’s whelps and coerce him into working for her. A bit of intimidation, a touch of violence, a small show of her powerful magic, topped off with the threat of murdering his wife, and Walter was putty in her hands.

He had unwilling, of course. Exceedingly so. He was filled with pride and undying loyalty to Balinor and his Queen. It was only the sight of his wife, Margaret, bloody and beaten in front of him and a knife at her throat that finally forced him into complying with Morgause’s demands. She had to admire his dedication to his King, but it just made it all the more satisfying when she’d finally broken him.

Walter was a nobody. Just another face in Balinor’s forces. But as a messenger he was privy to sensitive information. Despite this, he had failed to procure anything important until that day. Morgause didn’t know if this was because Walter was fighting her, or if Balinor was simply paranoid and kept his secrets and plans quiet. But she was thankful her investment in the messenger was finally paying off. It had been a sore point when Balinor’s men had raided their castle and freed all of their prisoners. Morgause now knew how they’d managed to accomplish that: they had a man on the inside.

She was quite impressed with the spell she had used on Walter. A small bit of blood magic and she was about the control the man. She could control his movements, see what he saw, hear what he heard, control what he said and even speak into his mind. She conveyed instructions to him this way, as well as the odd threat to Margaret’s life to ensure Walter’s cooperation. It was true that no one could scry through the wards they had around the Dragon Caves, but the blood magic was different; Morgause had found a loophole around Balinor’s precious wards.

Morgause could feel Walter’s resistance to her spell. Numerous times he had tried to warn others of his manipulation, but whenever he did, she’d inflict a pulse of magic through their connection. It resulted in a sharp pain in Walter’s head whenever she did it. It was an excruciating pain; like a nail was being driven into his skull. As well as the pulse, Margaret was also punished. Walter learnt the hard way that resisting her control was futile.

Her connection with Walter was rewarding in more ways than one. As soon as she said sent the message to Balinor, she reestablished the blood control link between herself and Walter. She saw what he saw, heard what he heard. It was well worth her time. As well as finding out the identity of Balinor’s spy, Morgause found an unlimited sense of satisfaction in the fact that the great Emrys was afraid of facing her in battle. And so he should be, she thought smugly. After all, she was a High Priestess of the Old Religion. Her power was vast.

As rewarding as the connection she had made with Walter was though, it took time and a vast amount of energy to perfect. Walter was the only man she currently had under her control in Balinor’s forces. She had planned to control more of Balinor’s whelps, and take them down from the inside, but the arrival of Prince Merlin and his friends had forced her to change her plans. First she had to bring Morgana to the Darkness and ruin the relationship between Arthur and Uther.

Her thoughts drifted back to the Draconian prince. She begrudgingly admitted that Emrys had surprised her when she’d confronted them. The power he had shown to break free from her chains and fee the others in his group was amazing. Morgause had been shocked to find that the figure of the druid prophecy was real. She’d been taught of the Coming of Emrys since she was taught by the Priestesses on the Isle of the Blessed, but she didn’t realise that the warlock of legend was real. Let alone the son of Balinor. She knew that Prince Merlin was a powerful sorcerer, but to find out he was Emrys – that had been shocking. And that power she had felt building up around him; Morgause didn’t want to admit that she had never felt anything like it before. Merlin indeed was powerful.

She scowled. It was just typical that Merlin was Emrys. That just made everything all the more difficult. Morgause pushed the irritation aside. She wouldn’t let Emrys ruin her good mood. She would simply need to find a way to deal with Prince Merlin. Perhaps another blood control spell? It seemed to work flawlessly with Walter. If she could bring the Emrys under her control … the possibilities were endless.

“The ultimate weapon,” she murmured, as she imagined the prince turning on his father’s forces and destroying them all at her order. Yes, it would do very well to have Merlin Ambrosius on her side.

She once again remembered the message he had told her to deliver to Blackwood: Tell him that Emrys is coming, and all the dark sorcerers in the world won’t be able to protect him. Tell him that Crown Prince Merlin Ambrosius is returning to Dracona to reclaim his father’s kingdom. Yes. It was slightly frightening. He boy was incredibly powerful, but power wasn’t everything. It also took brains, cunning and strategies to win wars. Turning Merlin to her side would be the ultimate strategy. The ultimate trump card. If she could bring him under her control, than Merlin’s threats meant nothing.

She mentally compiled a list of things she needed to do: She needed to influence Morgana’s dreams, meet up with Morgana and Arthur the next day, tell Arthur about the circumstances of his birth and destroy the relationship between Arthur and his father, and bring Emrys to her side. Simple. Morgause was sure she would be able to do it.

But first some fun, she thought.

Morgause turned to one of the guards stationed in the throne room. “You!” She called imperiously to him.

He bowed to her, “Yes, my Lady?”

“Bring me our prisoner, Margaret.”

“At once, Your Majesty,” the guard replied and rushed to do her bidding.

Morgause turned to the other guard who was present in the throne room. “And you!” She called.

“Yes, my Queen?” He answered at once.

“Bring me the knight called Lancelot.”

Their reaction was pretty much how Merlin expected it to be.

“Lancelot?!” Chorused Morgana, Gwen and Arthur in surprise.

Merlin shrugged, “He didn’t get to be a knight of Camelot like he wanted to, so I sent him to Dracona. We accept anyone as knights here as long as they have proven their worth and skill with a sword. If they are worthy we make them knights of Dracona, regardless of their status.”

As Merlin spoke, Arthur looked down at the ground, apparently reliving his defence of Lancelot becoming a knight. Arthur clearly didn’t agree with his father about the law decreeing only those of noble blood could become knights.

“I am glad he was made a knight at last,” Arthur said, looking up. His eyes widened as he suddenly thought of something. “Wait! Does that mean he knew about you being a prince before us?! And about your magic?!” There was hurt in Arthur’s tone and this was immediately reflected in Gwen and Morgana’s expressions as they realised that Lancelot must have had to have known.

Merlin flinched. “I didn’t mean for him to find out. He heard me enchanting his lance when we killed the griffin. It could only be killed with magic, so I helped and apparently Lancelot didn’t miss when his spear turned bright blue and magically charged. That, plus he heard me shouting the incantation…” Merlin trailed off with a shrug.

“You killed the griffin?” Arthur said in shock.

Merlin nodded. “Lancelot didn’t want to take the credit for something I’d done – even though we both killed it together – so he left. I pointed him in the direction of Dracona. I didn’t tell him I was a prince. I figured he’d find that out when he got here. I just told him to find my father and say that Merlin had sent him.”

“Yes,” Balinor spoke up. “Lancelot was very travel worn by the time he arrived here. Following Merlin’s directions, he made it to the wards around the Dragon Caves. When approached by the Kingsguard, all he said in his defence was that Merlin had told him to come here. Needless to say, he was very surprised to find out that his friend was royalty.”

“We all were,” Morgana said, shooting Merlin a small smile.

Gwen had stayed very quiet throughout their conversation. Other than her initial outburst of surprise, she had yet to say anything. Merlin could see a faint pink tint to her cheeks and Merlin figured that she was thinking of how fond she and Lancelot had once been of each other. That was the main reason Merlin had been reluctant to mention Lancelot. But the knight was his friend, so Merlin had wanted to hear how he was going. There was only so much that could be said in the letters Lancelot sent to him. (The first of which started off with Lancelot demanding why Merlin had failed to mention he was the Crown Prince of the kingdom he had sent him to).

But Merlin smiled as he watched Gwen. The maidservant may have been blushing, but she took one look at Arthur and broke out in a wide smile. Her feelings were shining in her eyes. Lancelot had made his choice to leave Camelot, and Gwen had made her choice to move on. Merlin knew from that one look that seeing Lancelot again would have no ramifications on the relationship between Arthur and Gwen.

“It will be nice to see him again,” the maidservant said at last.

“You’re acquainted with him?” Arthur asked, a flash of jealousy appearing in his expression.

“I was once,” Gwen replied, taking a step towards Arthur and in an uncharacteristically forward move, she laced her fingers through his. “But that was a long time ago.”

The smile that graced Arthur’s features was tenderer than Merlin could ever remember seeing on Arthur’s face. Guinevere’s returning smile was just as loving and the two lost themselves in each other’s eyes for a moment before they remembered they had company. Arthur pulled himself together and turned to King Balinor and Queen Hunith. His hand was still entwined with Gwen’s, but his expression was serious. There was no more trace of his earlier hurt or indignation about Lancelot knowing the truth about Merlin. There was just pure seriousness on his face. An earnest expression, that as soon as Merlin saw it, he knew what the Prince of Camelot was going to say.

“Your Majesties,” Arthur began, his tone of voice just as solemn as the look on his face. “I understand that you – we – have a situation here with a spy in our midst. We told Merlin that we would help him reclaim your kingdom and that it is a promise I intend to keep. However, before we knew of Merlin’s royal heritage, the reason we were coming to find you was that the Great Dragon was attacking Camelot and you, King Balinor, are the only one with the power to stop him. With what I know now, I understand Kilgharrah’s anger. It was wrong of my father to imprison him underneath Camelot. But I cannot condone his act of revenge. I must protect my people. So before we go any further, please let me do my duty to my kingdom and may I formally ask for your help in saving Camelot from the Great Dragon’s wrath.”

Merlin’s father gave Arthur a comforting smile, “Of course I will help you, Prince Arthur. Come, we will go to Kilgharrah now and deal with him quickly.” He turned to Walter. “If you have nothing else to report, Walter, you may go. But take Eastrodor, the wounded hatchling, with you and make sure he sees a healer.”

Merlin once again thought that the messenger seemed like he wanted to say more, but Walter simply bowed his head and with a murmured, “My Lords, my Ladies,” he scurried off, gingerly picking up the wounded dragon the King and Queen had been healing as he went. The warlock didn’t have long to ponder over the odd behaviour of the man though, because Balinor and Hunith had started leading them through the Dragon Caves and to Kilgharrah.

“Does the name Eastrodor mean anything?” Gwen asked in curiosity as they walked.

Balinor smiled, “Indeed it does, Lady Guinevere,” he said with a smile. “In the Dragon Tongue his name means ‘The Eastern Part of Heaven.’” It was a very poetic name. Merlin wondered if he’d be able to give the dragons such imaginative and whimsical names when he became a dragonlord. He certainly hoped so.

A sudden thought stuck Merlin and a wide smile appeared on his face. “Father?” He said, hurrying to walk beside the King.

“Yes, son?” Balinor replied, and Merlin momentarily paused. Son. It had been too long since he had heard his father address him like that. It was good to be home.

“Is she here?” Merlin asked, getting back on track. “Is she alright?! With everything that’s happened I forgot to ask earlier.”

Balinor chuckled and Hunith wore a fond smile, “Aithusa is here. She has missed you,” the King said.

“Who’s Aithusa?” Morgana asked, a little sharply.

Merlin glanced at her in confusion. Was she jealous? He beamed at her and put her worries to rest, “Aithusa is my dragon.”

An expression of comprehension immediately dawned on Morgana’s face, followed by a soft smile. Her half-brother, however, didn’t quite take the news that Merlin had a dragon quite so well.

“Your dragon?!” Arthur spluttered. “You have a dragon?!”

Merlin didn’t know why Arthur was so surprised about that development. Their whole culture was based around dragons. He shrugged and said, “It’s customary.”

There was a short silence before Arthur said in an exasperated tone, “Do you want to be a little bit more specific with that response?”

“Whenever a new prince or princess is born into the royal family, a baby dragon is hatched. The baby and the hatchling become a bonded pair and friends for life,” Queen Hunith explained. “Aithusa was the dragon hatched when Merlin was born.”

“Though it is not as if we just wait for a baby to be born to hatch dragons,” Balinor added. “We simply ask one of the dragon mothers who has laid eggs at the time of the birth if one may be used as the dracawine.”

“Dracawine?” Gwen asked, frowning at the unfamiliar term.

“It means dragon-friend or dragon-protector,” Merlin clarified. “It is the role of the dracawine to protect the royal family. They’re kind of like the dragon version of the Kingsguard. They are our best friends, our staunchest guardians and advisors. In battle we protect each other and each royal is taught from a young age how to fight from dragon-back…” Merlin trailed off with a fond smile on his face, clearly lost in memories of himself and Aithusa. He shook his head, dragging himself back to the present. “Aithusa was my best friend growing up. She still is. I have missed her terribly.”

“And she has missed you,” Hunith said.

“She has grown large, my young master,” Elaine said. “Wait until you see her.”

Merlin gave the Court Sorceress an excited grin and then turned to Arthur, “I honestly don’t know why that surprised you.”

“Most people have hounds or horses, Merlin,” Arthur grumbled, “not dragons. It just shocked me, that’s all. This whole trip has shocked me.”

Merlin gave Arthur a sympathetic look. It was true. It seemed like this whole journey was one surprise after another. For someone who had grown up under the influence of Uther Pendragon’s magic-hating ideals, Arthur really was taking this all rather well. Merlin smiled impishly, “I’m not most people.”

Arthur let out a short bark of a laugh, “No, you’re definitely not.”

“Why thank you, Arthur Pratdragon,” Merlin replied cheerfully.

Gwen and Morgana giggled at the insult; Arthur frowned, trying to think of a comeback, “You’re welcome, Merlin Amgirlsius,” he said after a second.

Morgana and Gwen’s giggles turned into groans and Gwaine chuckled at Arthur. “Mate,” the knight said, “that was pathetic!”

“Pathetic?!” Arthur was indignant. “Have you heard his insults?” He said, pointing at Merlin. “They’re pathetic. I’m still trying to work out what exactly a clot pole is.”

“In two words?” Asked Merlin with a smile.

“Yes,” Arthur replied, though he really should have seen what was coming next.

“Arthur Pendragon.”

Two guards deposited Margaret at the feet of Morgause’s throne. The High Priestess smirked at the look of utter terror that was on the woman’s face. Lancelot hadn’t been brought to her yet, but as soon as he was they could begin.

This was going to be fun.

“Ah, Margaret!” Morgause said with faux joviality. “I’m glad you’re here. As soon as my other guest arrives we can get started. It’s going to be so enjoyable.”

Margaret didn’t say a word. The woman had been beautiful once. Before she had become Morgause’s prisoner she had bright blue eyes, smooth, healthy auburn hair, a wide smile and flawless skin. Now her hair was in tangles, her skin was covered in cuts and bruises, she never smiled and her eyes were haunted.

Before Morgause could say anymore, the door to the throne room opened and Lancelot was dragged inside by the guard she had sent to fetch him. “Our second guest arrives,” she said as Lancelot was brought before her.

She dismissed the other guards in the room. She wouldn’t need them. There was nothing the two in front of her could do to her. Lancelot watched them go before turning to her, “What is it that you require, my Lady?”

To the knight’s credit, he didn’t even seem remotely alarmed. If Morgause didn’t know that he was a spy she would have never of suspected him. But his act of fake loyalty irritated her. “What I require, Sir Lancelot,” she said, still using her fake cheerful tone, “is entertainment.”

“Entertainment, my Lady?”

“Yes. Entertainment. You see, I’ve recently found out how a group of Balinor’s men could just waltz into our dungeons and free all the prisoners.”

Ah, there it was: the flash of panic in Lancelot’s eyes.

She turned to Margaret, “Well, all except one. But I’ve always kept Margaret close to me. As insurance, you know. It is just so hard to find decent spies these days. Margaret is here to ensure my operative’s cooperation.”

The flash of panic in his eyes was more prominent this time. Morgause smiled sinisterly, and dropped her cheerful tone of voice. She glared at the man in front of her. “And you, Lancelot, are apparently here to spy on me. That won’t do.”

Before he could react, Morgause uttered a spell and froze him in place. She watched in satisfaction as he struggled against her magical grip. But it was pointless; he couldn’t move an inch. He could speak, of course. She let him keep that ability. She wanted to hear him scream, after all.

She looked between Margaret and Lancelot. “Noble Sir Lancelot,” she said mockingly. “You should know that spying on me has consequences. I’m not going to hurt you just yet. That’s going to come later. I will make you scream and I’ll force every last secret about Balinor and his forces out of you. All you will know is pain and once I have you beginning for death only then will I give you relief; I will break you!”

Morgause turned to Margaret, “But I mentioned entertainment, didn’t I? You, my dear, are the entertainment. It is one thing to physically hurt this traitor, but another thing entirely for him to see someone tortured in front of him.”

Both Margaret and Lancelot took in startled breaths. “No!” They chorused.

 “Oh yes,” Morgause snarled. “I can’t kill you, Margaret. Keeping you alive is what is forcing your husband to do as I command, after all. But I can still hurt you. And I do intent to hurt you. I will torture you to the edge of human endurance right in front in of the noble Sir Lancelot. And he will have to know that there is nothing he can do about it and that it is all his fault.”

Lancelot glared at her; Margaret shook in terror.

“You’re wrong,” the knight said.

“Oh?” said Morgause with a laugh. “How could I be wrong?”

“There is something I can do about it,” he declared, and then all he said was a single word. “Fultum.”

Far away in the Dragon Caves, Elaine suddenly gasped and stopped in her tracks.

Everyone stopped walking to stare at her, automatically on their guard. Those that knew Elaine well were especially so.  Her gasped of alarm was most unlike the normally unflappable Court Sorceress. Something must have been wrong.

“Sir Lancelot has uttered the fultum,” she said gravely.

Merlin, Balinor, Hunith and Gwaine all gasped. Those from Camelot looked on in confusion at the tense faces of their Draconian friends.

“What is the fultum?” Morgana asked.

“It is a spell we placed on Lancelot before he went to spy for us,” Elaine answered. “Although Lancelot has no magic of his own, the fultum spell works as an emergency alert and beacon. It doesn’t matter if the person it is cast on had magic or not. If someone with the fultum spell finds themselves in a dangerous situation, they simply say the word ‘fultum’ and an alert is sent to the one who cast the spell on them in the first place. In this case: me.”

“Lancelot knows the gravity of this spell,” Balinor said. “He wouldn’t utter it unless the situation was of the most importance.”

“We have to go and get him,” Merlin said urgently.

“This is not a situation we can go rushing into, son,” his father replied.

“But the fultum is only ever used in life or death situations,” Gwaine spoke up. “We may not have time to plan this.”

“I’m going to get him,” Merlin said.

“Merlin, you just said earlier that you weren’t sure if you could handle Morgause,” Arthur said, concern evident in his voice.

Merlin clenched his jaw stubbornly, “That was before my friend’s life was on the line.”

“He’s our friend too Merlin,” Gwen said, an anxious expression on her face. “But we need to be careful about this.”

The warlock was had a fierce and determined expression on his face. “We can do this, because we’re going to have something Morgause won’t expect.”

“Which is?” Arthur asked.

“We’re going to have Aithusa.”

Chapter Text

Merlin’s statement was met by a short silence.

“Aithusa?” Morgana asked at last, breaking the quiet.

Merlin nodded, “Yes. We’re going to go in with Aithusa, get Lancelot and get out.”

“That’s not much of a plan, Merlin,” his mother said, worry etched on her features.

“We don’t have time to think of a plan,” Merlin said.

“I agree that this is time sensitive, mate,” Gwaine spoke up, “But rushing in there isn’t a plan. We don’t know what we’re going into.”

“I’m not letting you just risk yourself like that!” Balinor said. “Not when I only just got you back.”

“Lancelot has invoked the fultum!” Merlin protested. “We can’t just leave him!”

“But rushing in there isn’t the way to go about it, Merlin,” Arthur said.

“I have a plan,” Merlin replied. “I just need you to help me.”

“What is it?” Gwen asked.

Merlin faltered. “… I haven’t really thought of one yet.”

Everyone groaned. “Merlin,” Arthur said, clearly exasperated.

Merlin let out an annoyed noise, “Half of my plans to keep you alive, Arthur, were sudden think-on-the-spot jobs.”

“That doesn’t mean anything!” Arthur said. “Like you said, you don’t know whether you can handle Morgause.”

A fierce expression appeared on Merlin’s face. “And like I said, that was before my friends life was on the line. I have spent so long protecting you all in Camelot. I know what I’m capable of. I can get Lancelot back. Let me go and get him.”

Merlin stared at them all, determination burning in his eyes. A moment passed as he and Balinor locked eyes. To the others around them, a wordless conversation seemed to be happening between the two, but Balinor hadn’t bothered to instigate a telepathic conversation with him; they knew each other well enough to communicate with their expressions. And Balinor could tell from his son’s expression that he would not be swayed from his chosen course of action.

“Very well,” the King relented. “You may go. But you go in, you get him and you leave. Understood?”

“Understood, Father.”

“I will talk to Kilgharrah while you’re gone and will get him to stop his planned attack on Camelot,” Balinor continued. “I will also send the dracawine with you.”

“They’re not needed,” Merlin replied. “A small group is better. Just us and Aithusa.”

Balinor looked unconvinced, “I would rather the dracawine go with you.”

“I was just going to teleport us. I can’t teleport us and the dracawine. I may be Emrys but I’m not that powerful.”

“Then they will support you from the air,” Balinor said. “If something goes wrong, they’ll be there to help.”

Merlin nodded. “Okay.” His determined expression morphed into a smile. “Now, where is Aithusa?”

Lancelot didn’t know what he expected would occur when he activated the fultum spell. But the silence that followed was disconcerting.

Nothing had happened.

There was nothing but silence until it was broken by laughter from Morgause. “Oh, brave Sir Lancelot,” she mocked. “Was something supposed to happen?” The High Priestess seemed tense though. Perhaps the fultum was a spell she didn’t recognise?

“Was that your pathetic attempt at trying to use magic?” She asked scornfully.

So she doesn’t know about that spell, Lancelot thought, hope blooming in his chest.

“But really,” Morgause continued. “What spy doesn’t change their name? You didn’t even think up a fake name. It’s very uninspired of you. It’s a miracle you lasted this long without being found out.”

Lancelot just kept glaring at her, but he resolved to keep her attention on him. If he kept Morgause talking then maybe she would forget about her notion of ‘entertainment’ and torturing Margaret. “I was good enough to fool you,” he taunted.

Her eyes flashed in anger. Yes. That’s it. Infuriate her, he thought. Keep her attention here.

“A mere lapse on my part,” Morgause said. “It will not happen again. But you have much fight left in you, Sir Knight. I will enjoy breaking you.”

No, he thought. I have to keep her talking. Morgause was prideful. Perhaps a jibe at her appearance would anger her further. “I am not afraid of an ugly hag like you.”

Morgause’s face looked thunderous and Lancelot had a small moment of victory. The feeling of achievement at insulting her faded quickly though. It was replaced by pain as the witch backhanded him across the face. Lancelot felt his lip split and he tasted blood in his mouth. “You would be wise not to anger me,” she snarled.

“Something tells me it doesn’t take much to anger you,” Lancelot replied, spitting the blood out of his mouth. “I’m terribly sorry if I wounded your pride, you boar-headed, foul smelling witch.” He channelled his inner-Gwaine. Lancelot was good friends with Gwaine. The usually-drunkard knight had been the one to show Lancelot the ropes when he had first arrived in Dracona. Merlin had been a bonding point for them both, as they both had a strong loyalty to the prince. Lancelot considered Gwaine to be one of his closest friends and comrades, but he knew how annoying the knight could be. He drew on that knowledge as well as Merlin’s talent for creative insults as he faced the sorceress.

“Honestly, you are a bit of a prat,” he continued. “I mean, you don’t look too bright. I’m surprised you became a High Priestess. They must let anyone be one.”

“Be silent!” Morgause seethed before raising her hand towards him and uttering, “hearm.”

The pain was instantaneous. It felt like a thousand needles were being shoved into Lancelot’s body. It felt like he was being engulfed in fire. It felt like every single one of his bones breaking simultaneously. It was the most painful thing he had ever experienced.

I will not scream, he told himself through the pain. He gritted his teeth, refusing to make a sound.  I will not give her that satisfaction. I will keep her attention on me and protect Margaret. I will not scream. That was as much as he could think to himself. The pain was too intense to be able to think comprehensively after that.

“Oh, you’re being courageous, are you?” Morgause asked. “Not making a sound, eh? I can change that.” She grinned sinisterly at him. “Hearm endian.”

The pain increased tenfold and despite his intentions, Lancelot screamed.

 "O drakon, Aithusa, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo!” Balinor called to the skies.

Their party had left the Dragon Caves and were now back outside. The Whisper Falls cascaded behind them as they stood in the open space beside the Falls and waited for Aithusa to arrive. Arthur, Gwen and Morgana stared at Balinor in awe. They had never heard the call of a dragonlord before and were quite impressed with the feat.

“That were quite remarkable,” Arthur said at last to the King and Morgana and Gwen chimed in in agreement.

Balinor smiled at them, “Why thank you.”

Further conversation was halted by a loud, joyous roar emanating from the sky. They all looked up to see a white blur speeding towards them.

“Aithusa!” Merlin cried jubilantly.

The blur landed, buffeting them in a strong wind. Before them stood Aithusa: a large, white dragon in her prime of youth. They all studied her as she bowed to Balinor and Hunith, a mark of respect to her dragonlord and the Queen of Dragons. Aithusa wasn’t nearly as large as Kilgharrah, but she was still larger than a horse. Her scales shone, her talons were razor sharp, her large wings tucked up against her body. Her large, sharp teeth were pulled in what could only be described as a dragon’s smile as her crystal blue eyes zeroed in on one particular member of their group.

Merlin didn’t even hesitate. He barrelled towards her. “Aithusa!” He shouted as he collided with her, avoiding her spikes and wrapping her arms around her neck in a hug. Her scales were warm to the touch, as always. “Aithusa,” he repeated, pulling back and leaning his head against her snout. “I’ve missed you.”

“And I’ve missed you,” she replied in her familiar, clear voice. Oh, it felt good to hear her voice again. Unable to control himself, Merlin hugged her once more. He laughed in utter delight at being reunited with his friend once more. Aithusa’s tinkling laughter joined in with his. “It’s good to see you after so long, Merlin.”

“It’s good to see you too, Thusy,” he said, and Aithusa chuckled at the familiar nickname. It was the name Merlin had given her since childhood. Since Aithusa had been hatched at the time of Merlin’s birth they had grown up together and the young Merlin had trouble pronouncing Aithusa’s name. Instead, he had called her ‘Thusy’ and the name had stuck.

Merlin was itching to climb on her back and go flying, but there were more important things to do first. “Come,” he said, leading her over to the others. He excitedly dragged each of his Camelotian friends over to introduce them to her.

“This is Arthur Pendragon,” he said, pulling an awed Arthur forward.

“The Once and Future King,” Aithusa said, “my greetings to you.”

Arthur swallowed, composing himself. “I’m not really sure if I’m worthy of that title,” he said.

“But you are, young Prince,” Aithusa replied. “The very fact that you are standing here in Dracona is proof of that. Your Father would never willingly enter Dracona’s borders. You are willing to change; you are able to admit past mistakes. You are a fair and just ruler, Arthur Pendragon, and worthy of the title that Destiny has given you.”

Merlin pulled Gwen forward and she squeaked out a nervous, “I’m Guinevere – Gwen.”

The dragon turned her huge head in Gwen’s direction. “And you too are worthy of the title that Fate has awarded you, Lady Guinevere. Do not let the bindings of status make you not believe in yourself or your worth. Arthur and Merlin will need your help in order to bring about Albion. Look deep within yourself. Are you worthy of the crown of the Once and Future Queen?”

Like Arthur, Gwen looked awed and slightly frightened of being addressed by the large dragon. This was way out of her comfort zone. But a determined expression appeared on her face and she clenched her jaw stubbornly, looking defiant. “I am more than a maidservant,” she declared. “I am worthy.”

Aithusa inclined her head, pleased with Gwen’s response. Her toothy dragon smile increased further when she saw Arthur entwine his hand with Gwen’s. Finally, Aithusa turned to Morgana. She studied how close Merlin and Morgana were standing to one another. “So Emrys and Léoma have found each other at last.”

Merlin blushed, but Morgana took a step forward and reached out a tentative hand. “May I?”

Aithusa nodded and Morgana gingerly touched her hand to the dragon’s scales. A small, delighted laugh escaped Morgana’s lips. “You’re amazing,” she murmured.

Aithusa let out a little snort of amusement which resulted in a small flame and smoke to come out of her nose. Everyone took an immediate step backwards, looking alarmed. “Sorry,” Aithusa said sheepishly. Merlin smiled, it seemed she hadn’t grown out of letting out flames when she snorted or sneezed.

His expression turned serious, “As happy as I am to see you … we need your help, Thusy.”

“What is wrong?”

“Lancelot had invoked the fultum,” Elaine said.

Aithusa hissed, “Then we must rescue him at once!”

“You can tell you're Merlin’s dragon,” Balinor grumbled. “You’re just as impatient as each other.”

Aithusa turned to Merlin, “I take it we’re going in, getting Lancelot and leaving?”

“Yes. Definitely Merlin’s dragon,” Gwaine commented while Merlin nodded in response to her question.

The white dragon let out a fierce roar and everyone flinched at the suddenly loud noise. “We will get him back,” Aithusa promised.

Merlin turned to his Camelotian friends, “You should stay here.”

They reacted just how he expected them to: “What?!” They shouted in unison, before speaking over the top of one another.

“You’re not going alone, Merlin!” Said Arthur.

“We’re coming with you!” Came Gwen.

“Don’t even say that we’re not!” Said Morgana.

Merlin looked at Morgana and Arthur. “She wants you,” he said. “She specifically asked to meet you. It’s dangerous.”

Morgana’s only response was to step forward and kiss him. As always, Merlin lost himself in the kiss, not even worrying about just who he was kissing her in front of. When she pulled away from him, she said, “We’re coming.”

“Okay,” Merlin agreed dreamily. He then shook his head, coming back to himself. “Wait – no! You can’t distract me like that!”

“We’re coming Merlin,” Morgana said. “We discussed this earlier.” And Merlin immediately thought back to the conversation he’d had with her in the Dragon Caves: That’s the risks we take in wartime, my Love. Just let us help you. Let us help Dracona.

He sighed, “Fine.” He turned to the others. They all wore surprised expressions at seeing the kiss between Merlin and Morgana, but their expressions morphed in serious, determined looks when Merlin continued speaking. “Mother, Father, you stay here and send the Dracawine after us. Elaine, Gwaine, we could use you for back up. You coming?”

“Of course,” the knight and sorceress replied.

“Elaine, where was Lancelot when he said the fultum?”

“The throne room, sire.”

Merlin nodded. “We can’t afford to waste any more time,” he said. “Is everyone ready?”

“Yes!” His friends all chorused, looking determined.

“We’ll be back soon,” he promised his parents.

“Good luck, all of you,” the King and Queen replied.

Merlin then sent a mental message to Aithusa: Thusy, please lend me your strength for this.

Of course, Merlin, she replied and Merlin instantly felt a surge in his magical power. He focused his thoughts on the throne room of the Draconian castle. The castle he hadn’t set foot in in years. The castle they were now going to storm to get their friend back.

“Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard!" He shouted and he, Arthur, Morgana, Gwen, Gwaine, Elaine and Aithusa disappeared in a fierce gust of wind.

Morgana didn’t know what to expect when they came out of Merlin’s teleportation spell.

They were standing in a vast throne room. Its walls stretched high above their heads and the hall was illuminated by torches placed on the walls and huge chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. Two empty thrones stood side by side on a raised dais. Tapestries hung from the walls, depicting an emblem of a black tree. Morgana could only assume that it was the personal emblem of the now-deceased Lord Blackwood. Apparently Morgause hadn’t decided to change the decorations yet.

Morgause, Morgana thought, her eyes zeroing in on the High Priestess as the winds from Merlin’s spell died down. Her sister was towering over the bruised and bloodied form of Sir Lancelot. A woman Morgana didn’t recognise was crouched beside the knight, trying desperately to shield him from harm. The woman looked just as beaten as Lancelot and her clothes were torn. Whoever she was, Morgause had not been kind to her.

The High Priestess turned to them in surprise. She clearly hadn’t been expecting to be interrupted. “So that’s what that spell does,” she began.

Merlin didn’t even give her the chance to say anything else. “Astrice!” He shouted, gesturing at her. Morgause went flying backwards, colliding with the steps of the dais with a loud bang.

Merlin must have been communicating telepathically with Elaine because the Court Sorceress said “Yes sire” and walked immediately over the unknown woman and Sir Lancelot. “Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard!" Her sister chanted and she, Lancelot and the wounded woman disappeared.

Now all that were left we her, Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, Gwaine and Aithusa. Morgause was on her feet in an instant, shooting a spell at them that Merlin blocked easily with the ‘scildan’ shield spell.

Aithusa growled at Morgause and Morgana wondered how the Priestess could be smiling when she was being confronted by Emrys, four people with swords and a dragon.

“Hello sister,” Morgause said.

“We are not sisters,” Morgana spat.

“But we are, Morgana,” Morgause said earnestly. “We share the same blood. We are family. And now you have come to be a day early.” She turned to Arthur. “You have both come to me.”

Merlin took a step forward, placing himself before them all. Aithusa went with him, positioning herself so that Merlin stood protected in the circle of her tail. Her tail wasn’t touching him; it simply lay on the floor around Merlin. Morgana knew it would instantly pull Merlin out of harm’s way, or block an attack should the need arise.

“You do not talk to them,” Merlin said, cold authority in his voice.

Morgause sneered at him, “But I have so much to say.” She turned to Arthur, “Arthur Pendragon … wouldn’t you like to meet your mother?”

The glare that was on Arthur’s faced morphed into shock and confusion, “What?”

Instead of replying, Morgause just let out a long, complicated sounding spell. Morgana saw Merlin tense, his stance ready to attack, but then a figure appeared in front of them. She had long blonde hair and a set of familiar blue eyes. Eyes that were the same as Arthur’s. Everyone instantly knew who was standing in front of them.

Ygraine Pendragon.

“Hello Arthur,” she said.

Morgana turned to study the look on her half-brother’s face. Arthur looked completely shell-shocked. Tears were building in his eyes and he lowered his sword. There was also awe in his expression as he took in the form of the mother he never knew.

“Mother,” he gasped out.

The moment was ruined by Morgause, “Don’t you want to know the truth about your birth?” She demanded. “About how that hypocrite father of yours was so desperate for an heir that he resorted to magic? That how balance must always be kept in the world of the Old Religion, so he traded your mother’s life for yours?!”

“Wh-what?” Arthur was staring at the spirit of his mother in horror. “No…”

“It’s true!” Morgause snarled. “Uther is nothing but a tyrant. He’s a hypocrite and a liar. He is the one responsible for the death of your mother and yet he blamed magic. Our kind was wiped out because you father refused to accept the consequences of his own actions.”

Arthur shook his head. “No, no that’s not true.” He looked at his mother, “Tell me it’s not true!”

Ygraine took a step forward. She reached out for her son, gently cupping his face with her hand. Seeing that he didn’t pull away, Ygraine pulled him in for a hug. Arthur clung to her desperately. The Queen of Camelot pulled back and looked her son in the eyes. “You were born of magic, Arthur, and my life was given in return for yours.”

“No!” Arthur pulled away from her. “That can’t be right!” Tears were streaming down his face. “That’s not … that can’t be … that – that-“

He was interrupted by Gwen coming to stand protectively in front of him. She had her sword aimed at the spirit of the previous Queen.

“Guinevere!” Arthur said in protest.

“Gwen!” Morgana called out at the same time.

Gwen ignored them. She just stared unwaveringly at the spirit of Ygraine that was in front of her; her mouth was set in a thin, determined line. “I don’t know whether you are the real Ygraine Pendragon,” she said. “But I love your son and I can tell that seeing you is hurting him. I don’t know whether you speak the truth or you’re just spreading lies, but you are hurting Arthur. So if you’re really his mother, please leave, or I will force you to.”

Morgause laughed, “Look at this! The prince being protected by a mere peasant! And love? You love him do you, Guinevere? And I suppose he loves you back? The Prince of Camelot and Morgana’s maidservant?!” Morgause laughed even harder. “That is just too amusing for words!”

“I am the Once and Future Queen,” Gwen said resolutely, “and that is a title I didn’t steal from somebody else!” Striking forward, Gwen swung her sword through the body of Yrgaine. The spirit burst into smoke and disappeared. There was a fire in Gwen’s eyes that Morgana had never seen before. Morgana watched as her maid turned to face Morgause and lifted her sword as if she was going to charge at the Priestess. But Morgause uttered a single spell and waved a hand lazily in Gwen’s direction that sent the maid flying. The spell was so strong that it sent Gwen colliding with a wall, despite her standing near the middle of the room. There was a sharp cracking sound as Gwen collided with it and she slumped down on the ground, unmoving.

“Gwen!” Morgana and all her friends cried. Morgana ran to help her, but Arthur got there first.

“Guinevere!” He shouted desperately, cradling her limp form.

Aithusa roared and swung her tail at the Priestess. It hit Morgause and sent her careening into the wall behind her, much like Gwen, but the force behind this hit was so powerful that it broke some of the stone. Morgause slid down the wall and collapsed on the ground with a groan.

“Good hit,” Gwaine commented to Aithusa as he, Merlin, Aithusa, and Morgana all concerned Morgause as the Priestess struggled to life her head. Morgause looked up and locked eyes with Morgana. She looked bruised and battered and blood was trickling out of her mouth. Morgause looked between her and Merlin. “He didn’t want you to meet with me,” she said. “I saw it. He didn’t want you to go tomorrow. I saw your embrace. You love each other. But I will show you the truth, Sister. I will show you what will happen if you let that emotion cloud your judgement.”

Morgause then raised a shaking hand in Morgana’s direction and began chanting in the Old Tongue. Merlin tensed, obviously recognising the words. His voice sounded in Morgana’s head: I need to get you out of here. I’m sorry. I love you.

“Bedyrne them!” He shouted, gesturing with both hands at Morgana, Gwaine, Gwen and Arthur.

“MERLIN, NO!” Morgana screamed, recognising the start of the teleportation spell and realising what he was about to do.

“Astýre them þanonweard!" Merlin finished and Morgana was suddenly caught up in a strong wind. Her screams of protest died as her vision turned black and Merlin’s spell whisked her away, safe from harm.

Merlin felt relieved as his friends disappeared out of the throne room. He knew they would have already arrived safely at the Dragon Caves by now. They were safe. They were out of Morgause’s reach. Now it was just him and Aithusa left to face her. But Merlin was filled with an insane fury; Gwen had been hurt, Arthur traumatised and Morgana … that spell …

“What was that? What were you doing to her?!” He growled, stalking forwards, one hand raised threateningly.

It had been a spell he hadn’t heard before. He had recognised the words ‘nightmare’ and ‘darkness’ in it and had sent Morgana and the others away before it could be finished. But Merlin needed to know what the spell was. He needed to know what Morgause had just tried to do.

“I already told you,” Morgause said, pushing herself up off the ground and standing. She leant heavily against the wall she had just been thrown against. “I showed Morgana the truth. I showed her what will happen if she stays with you. What will happen if she goes back to Camelot. Every night her dreams with show her the nightmare of Uther’s rule. She will see what will happen when her magic is discovered. Uther will kill her. Every night her dreams will show her the consequences of staying with you and following the Light. She would have had no choice but to come with me and Choose the Path of Darkness. At least, that’s what would have happened if you hadn’t interrupted me!” Morgause stood up fully and sent a pulse of magic in Merlin’s direction.

“Scildan!” Merlin cried, and the shield appeared in front of him.

Aithusa roared and slashed at the priestess with her right paw. Morgause ducked in the nick of time and Aithusa’ s claws scratched nothing but the wall Morgause had just been leaning on.

“You interrupted the spell!” Morgause shouted at him. “You have put Morgana at risk! An incomplete spell has its consequences! Who knows what it will do to her?!” She fired spell after spell at him, apparently enraged that Merlin had hurt Morgana by sending her out of the way of Morgause’s enchantment.

It struck Merlin that they were both furious at the other person for hurting Morgana. Anger clouded Merlin’s judgement. He knew he and Aithusa should leave, but he just kept hurling spells at the Priestess. If Morgause cared for Morgana that much she shouldn’t have cast that spell on her. Then he was furious at himself for not thinking of the consequences of teleporting Morgana away and letting an incomplete spell be cast on her in the first place.

And it wasn’t just about Morgana. Merlin was furious that Morgause had hurt Gwen. His mind replayed the sight of Guinevere crashing into the wall and the sickening crunching sound that came with it. Gwen had been his first friend when he’d come to Camelot. Merlin wanted to hurt Morgause ten times worse than what she had done to Gwen.

Then there was Arthur. Merlin had never seen him so shocked and lost. He had spent his whole life being told that magic was evil and killed his mother. Now it had been revealed that his father had used magic in order for Arthur to be born; that it was essentially Uther’s actions that brought about the death of Ygraine. Even if what Morgause said was true, Merlin was angry at her for putting Arthur through the turmoil he was now going through.

Guards started trying to force their way into the throne room, but Aithusa kept them at bay with her breath of fire. Merlin stopped using spells and started throwing wordless, instinctual magic at Morgause. He soon had the upper hand, but he could feel himself tiring. After the journey to Dracona and the numerous teleportation spells he had used over the last few days, Merlin was more worn out than he realised.

He needed to get back to the others. He needed to make sure all his friends were okay. He needed to find the spy that had infiltrated their forces. He needed to take the spell off of Morgana.

He needed to get out of there.

He mentally relayed a series of instructions to Aithusa. With effort, he extended his telepathic senses.  He located the dracawine who were circling above the castle like his father promised they would. Upon sensing his telepathy, the dracawine asked if he needed assistance and Merlin could hear them from outside as they roared in defiance at the Usurper-Witch and her men. Merlin ordered them to leave and fly back to the Dragon Caves. It was time for them to make their retreat.

I understand, Aithusa replied to his directions.

“Hleap on bæc!” He shouted and Morgause once again went soaring backwards. Merlin immediately turned and jumped onto Aithusa’s head, settling down in the spot where he always sat when they went flying together.“Aithusa! Now!”

The dragon let out a stream of flames from her mouth towards the sorceress and simultaneously gave Merlin a boost of strength in his magic. Merlin had enough time to see Morgause conjure a small shield around herself before he was shouting, “Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard!"  The spell took hold and he and Aithusa teleported away from the crumbling, burning throne room, landing safely back in the Dragon Caves seconds later.

“YOU!” An instantly recognisable voice cried in accusation.

Merlin got his bearings and saw an irate Morgana storming towards him and Aithusa. The only other people who were in the cave Merlin and Aithusa had arrived in were his parents and Gwaine. Merlin hoped the absence of Arthur and Gwen meant that they were seeing a healer.

Morgana walked over to him. She looked like she wanted to smack him across the face. “You can’t just send us away like that, Merlin Ambrosius!”

“Morgana,” Merlin breathed out in relief and jumped down off Aithusa’s head. She seemed fine.

She stopped in front of him. Her expression was angry and she raised her hand as if she was going to slap him. But she didn’t and instead lowered her arm and put her hands on her hips. “You have a lot of nerve-“

“-Morgana! You’re okay!” Merlin said delightedly and reached out to pull her close to him.

But as soon as he put one hand on her everything went wrong.

Morgana stiffened at his touch. “Get away from me!” She screamed, shoving him backwards.

Merlin stumbled a few steps backwards. His heart sank. That had surprised him and by taking one look at Morgana’s suddenly terrified face, he knew she wasn’t as okay as he had thought she was.

He could see his parents and Gwaine behind Morgana. They looked shocked and moved to come towards them, but he motioned for them to stay where they were. Morgana didn’t need to be crowded right now; she needed space.

“Morgana,” he said softly, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. “It’s me. It’s Merlin.”

She had her head in her hands and was whimpering. Merlin caught the words ‘magic’, ‘fire’ and ‘Uther’ and instantly knew what was going on. Morgause had tried to enchant Morgana so that she would have nightmares whenever she went to sleep. But Merlin interceding and teleporting Morgana away had altered the spell so that she was experiencing nightmares while awake.

Merlin had done this to her. I am an idiot! He thought, furious at himself.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” Hunith asked, concerned. Despite Merlin telling them to stay put, his parents and Gwaine approached him and the frightened Morgana.

“It’s that spell, isn’t it?” Gwaine said, looking solemn. “The one she was trying to put on Morgana before you sent us away.”

“Some spells can have consequences if they’re not complete, son,” Balinor said gravely.

“I can see that, Father!” Merlin snapped, before reigning in his anger. It wasn’t his father that Merlin was angry at. He was angry at himself. He should have known. He should have known about the risks of incomplete enchantments. Looking back now, he was certain that Elaine had mentioned it at least once in his magical education before he had to flee Dracona. But he had forgotten. In all the years he had spent away from his kingdom, the knowledge had slipped his mind. All he had seen was Morgause casting a spell on the one he loved and his protective instincts had kicked in. He had gotten Morgana out of the way of Morgause’s spell without realising the cost of what his own actions would be.

“I didn’t remember,” he murmured, feeling incredibly guilty. He had done this to Morgana. “I didn’t remember about incomplete spells. I just wanted to get her to safety. To get them all to safety.”

Balinor put a comforting hand on Merlin’s shoulder. “It will be alright, son. We will fix this.”

Merlin nodded and then took a tentative step towards Morgana. “Morgana,” he said. “Morgana, look at me. You’re fine.”

Morgana lifted her head out of her hands. Merlin drew in a surprised breath as he saw Morgana’s eyes. They were flashing between their normal green colour and a sinister looking black. “Stay away!” She cried. “Uther knows! He’s burning me a pyre! I’m a monster!”

Merlin’s mind flashed back to the day in the forest after Morgana had accidentally given Arthur donkey ears.  I can’t control it! I’m so scared! She had said. I’m – I’m a monster!

So he told her the same thing he had told her then. “You’re not a monster, Morgana. You’re just someone who’s a little scared right now.” He took another small step towards her. “It’s going to be okay, trust me.”

Morgana’s eyes returned to their normal green colour, “Merlin,” she whimpered. “Merlin, make it stop.” Then they changed back to black and she shuddered in fright.

The situation became painfully clear. Morgana was having moments of clarity in between the nightmare visions she was seeing. When he eyes were green, she was normal. But when they were black, she was lost to the spell Morgause put on her.

Merlin moved so he was standing in front of her. She tried to push him away, but he grabbed a hold of her arms. “Morgana, look at me,” he said. “It’s not real. It isn’t real. Trust me.”

Her eyes flashed between green and black, “He’s going to kill me,” she said hysterically, “He’s my father and he’s going to kill me because I have magic! – Merlin, help me. Make it stop – I’m hurting everyone. I can’t control it – Merlin, what is happening to me!? – The Path of Darkness. I will follow the Path Darkness – No! I follow the Light! – I will kill anyone who opposes me! I am Cwalu! – NO! NO I WON’T! I AM LÉOMA! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!”

As she became more and more horrified, Morgana’s magic responded to her distress. Her eyes were shining a constant gold, but judging by the look on Morgana’s face, she could still see the visions.

The magic built up around her. Morgana’s expression was stricken, “I … can’t … control … it.”

Merlin was unable to tell if she meant the magic or the visions that were plaguing her mind. He was inclined to think she meant both. However, the magic building up around her was the more pressing issue. It would soon explode out from her with incredible force, he could tell.

He turned to his parents and Gwaine. He raised a hand and went to construct a shield around them.

Save your strength, son, his father’s voice spoke in his mind. I will protect your mother and Gwaine. Focus on Morgana. Merlin heard this father utter a spell. Balinor’s eyes turned gold and a shield appeared around the King, Queen and Gwaine.

Merlin faced Morgana once more. She was shaking in his arms and her eyes still shone gold, but her voice seemed normal when she spoke. Her voice was quiet and meek, but it had lost its hysterical edge. “Merlin, I’m sorry.”

He considered making a shield around them, but when the magic exploded, it would focus on him and Morgana. Merlin was fine with getting injured, but he wasn’t sure if the magic would hit Morgana and didn’t want to risk her getting hurt any further. Still, an explosion in the Dragon Caves could do serious damage to the caverns. He couldn’t risk a cave in. Not with so many people stationed inside the Caves.

Aithusa, he thought to his dragon. I need your help. I need a shield spell powerful enough to contain and absorb this. Do you know one?

If you create a shield around you and Morgana, you’re the one who’s going to get hurt the most. Aithusa said. Are you sure about this?

I can’t risk doing damage to the Dragon Caves. Morgana’s magic will explode outwards, so if the shield absorbs the magic it shouldn’t rebound and hit her. As for me, I don’t care about getting hurt, so long as Morgana and everyone here are safe.

Aithusa seemed uneasy. I don’t like this Merlin.

We don’t have time to do anything else. Please, Aithusa, I need a stronger spell!

Aithusa made a grunt of displeasure and then breathed on Merlin, gifting him with the knowledge of a complex shield spell.

“Scildan stíþmægen forswelgan!” Merlin chanted, and a sphere of bright blue magic formed around them, sealing them away from the outside. Now no damage would be made to the Dragon Caves.

“Merlin,” Morgana groaned as the magic continued to build around her. She seemed to be trying to hold it in, but she didn’t have another practice with control. It was going to blow any second. “Merlin, I can still see the visions … And the magic … I’m scared.”

He took her head in his hands, “Hey,” he said softly. “It’s alright. I’m here. Look at me. Focus on me. They’re not real, Morgana. The visions aren’t real. It’s fine. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Tears were streaming down Morgana’s face and Merlin gently wiped them away with his thumbs. “I need…” She said, struggling to speak as the magic built to uncomfortable levels. “I … need to say … it … back … to you.”

“Say what?”

She looked him in the eyes. The force of the magic was shaking the air about them, blowing her hair haphazardly around. Morgana looked terrified but utterly determined to say what she wanted to say.

“I love you too.”

Morgana leant in and sealed the declaration with a kiss. Then the pair were torn from each other as Morgana lost the small amount of control she had and the magic exploded around them.

Chapter Text

Arthur clung desperately to Gwen’s hand.

Guinevere was being treated by Elaine. She lay on a bed in the quarters of Balinor’s Court Physician. She was still unconscious and it was clear she was having trouble breathing, but Gwen had been taken straight to be healed after their arrival back at the Dragon Caves, so Arthur had hope that their quick treatment would work in their favour.

The Court Physician was a middle aged woman called Joan. She was busy healing the unconscious forms of Lancelot and the woman whose name Arthur had been told was Margaret. Joan had greying brown hair that was up in a bun, and her normally blue eyes shone gold as she cast healing spell after healing spell on the bruised and battered bodies of her patients.

Joan’s quarters in the Dragon Caves were much like Gaius’s back in Camelot. You could tell a physician lived there. Shelves were carved out of the rock walls and they were stocked with all sorts of herbs, pastes, medicines, potions and books. The cavern was lit up by one of those unnatural skylights in the roof, as well as numerous candles and little balls of floating light placed around the cave. A smaller cave seemed to lead off from the back of the room. Arthur couldn’t see what was in it, but he hazarded a guess that it was where Joan slept.

Elaine kept working on Guinevere. Like Joan, her eyes were shining a near constant gold as she continued casting spells and chanting in the unfamiliar language of the Old Religion.

Please be alright, Arthur thought to Gwen as he clutched her hand even tighter.

Sitting there next to Gwen gave Arthur a lot of time to think. His feelings were in turmoil. He felt overwhelmingly worried for Guinevere, worried for Merlin because he had sent them away to fight the sorceress on his own, and absolutely shell-shocked at the revelation Morgause and the spirit of his mother had told him.

His mother … He had met the spirit of his mother. He’d hugged his mother! And then she’d agreed with Morgause that her life had been given in return for his. His father had traded her life for Arthur’s. Uther had brought about the death of Yrgaine and blamed magic for it!

Arthur was suddenly filled with righteous fury. How many people were put to death because his father couldn’t accept the consequences of what he had done?! Uther was nothing but a hypocrite and a liar! How could his father have done this?! Arthur felt sick, disgusted at the actions of his father. He didn’t even want to think of Uther as his father in that moment. He didn’t want to be Arthur Pendragon, the son of the man who committed genocide just because he couldn’t face the consequences of his own actions.

His anger died down. Now wasn’t the time to be angry. Not when Gwen was so injured. Arthur looked at Elaine as she worked on Guinevere. She had sweat glistening on her brow. That can’t have been good. If treating Gwen required such effort from the healer then Guinevere’s injuries much have been extensive.

Gwen’s words echoed in his mind. But I love your son and I can tell that seeing you is hurting him … So if you’re really his mother, please leave, or I will force you to. Arthur felt a rush of love for Guinevere, but it was marred by guilt. Gwen had been hurt trying to protect him.

I am the Once and Future Queen, Gwen had said. She’d said it so determinedly, without a trace of uncertainty. There had been some embarrassment throughout their journey about the two of them being referred to as The Once and Future King and Queen. He and Guinevere had just barely discovered their feelings for each other. It hadn’t been that long since Arthur had posed as Sir William of Deira, but Arthur’s feelings for Guinevere had grown stronger and stronger. She was kind and compassionate, but wasn’t opposed to calling Arthur out when he was being an arrogant prat. Arthur needed someone like that.

He hadn’t wanted to accept his feelings for her because he thought nothing could happen between them, but this journey had confirmed that they would become husband and wife. Guinevere would become his Queen. Arthur thought back to what Gwaine had said to them: But love is love and status shouldn’t matter. No, status wouldn’t matter. Guinevere would stand beside him as they ruled Camelot together. His Queen. Guinevere Pendragon.

The thought brought a large smile to Arthur’s face, despite the situation.

Elaine stopped casting spells and took a step away from Gwen, wiping the sweat from her brow as she did. “Guinevere is going to be fine, Prince Arthur,” she said. “All she needs now is to continue resting and to not attempt anything too strenuous.”

Relief bloomed in Arthur’s chest. “Thank you,” he said sincerely and he felt tears of happiness building in his eyes. “Thank you so much.”

The Court Sorceress smiled at him. “I know how important Lady Guinevere is to you and the others. I am not normally a healer, although I do have the aptitude for it. Since Joan was already busy with Sir Lancelot and Margaret, I gladly treated Gwen for you.”

Arthur studied Elaine. In hindsight it was easy to see the resemblances between her, Morgana and Morgause. They did look similar to one another.  But Morgana and Elaine were vastly different to their crazed, power-hungry and frankly evil sister. Arthur looked at the prone bodies of Guinevere, Lancelot and Margaret. Morgause had done that to them. She wasn’t anything like Morgana or Elaine.

Seeing where Arthur was looking, Elaine spoke up. “Morgause will pay for this, Arthur. I promise you that.” She gestured to Margaret. “Margaret is the wife of Walter, the messenger we met earlier. We can only assume that Morgause used Margaret as a way to get Walter to work for her. I have already sent people to detain him. We will find out what he knows. We will help him. He’s clearly been blackmailed into committing treason by my snake of a sister and Morgause will pay for her actions.”

Elaine wore a determined expression on her face as she spoke and Arthur had no doubts that Morgause would end up paying for what she had done against the Crown and people of Dracona. There was something about Elaine’s character that made Arthur whole-heartedly believe her words. She was unflappable. From what he’d seen of her, Arthur knew that she was powerful. If her healing of Gwen was any indication of just how powerful she was, then Arthur knew that Elaine would be a formidable opponent. She had brought Gwen back from what was presumably the brink of death, after all.

Arthur’s musings were cut short by a loud booming noise echoing through the Dragon Caves. Both he and Elaine looked up at the sudden noise. “What was that?” Arthur asked.

Elaine looked uneasy, clearly on guard. “I don’t know.”

“If could have been the dragons,” Arthur suggested.

Elaine shook her head and Joan called over from where she had paused healing Lancelot and Margaret. “No, the dragons know to not damage the Caves.”

“Then what was it?”

“I am unsure,” Elaine said. “But that noise wasn’t normal. I must go find the King.” She went to exit out of Joan’s chambers, but was stopped by familiar echoing voices coming from outside. The voices were accompanied by the sound of running footsteps. They were getting louder, so it was clear that the speakers were getting closer as they talked.

“Quickly, Gwaine, we need to get them to the healers!”

“I’m right behind you, sire! What the blazes happened inside that shield?!”

“We won’t know until they’re treated and wake up.”

In a matter of seconds, King Balinor ran into Joan’s chambers, cradling a limp Merlin in his arms. Right behind him was Gwaine, carrying an equally unconscious Morgana.

Arthur was on his feet in an instant, “What happened?!” He demanded, looking at the king as his two friends were laid on beds, and Joan and Elaine immediately began treating them. Joan starting casting spells on Merlin, while Elaine did the same to her sister.

He was distracted by Queen Hunith entering the physician’s quarters. Behind her came a girl Arthur didn’t recognise. She seemed around Merlin’s age, but she seemed absolutely otherworldly. She had the palest skin Arthur had ever seen and her hair was pure white. She was wearing Balinor’s black coat and was barefoot. Arthur got the impression that she was naked underneath the coat and his cheeks burned. The girl fixed Arthur a cool stare with familiar-looking crystal blue eyes before turning her attention to the forms of Merlin and Morgana. Arthur dismissed his inspection of the girl and focused on the important issue.

“What happened?!” He asked again.

“I’m presuming this had to do with the loud booming noise?” Elaine guessed.

Balinor nodded. He turned to Joan. “Do you need more room? Gwaine and I can move Lancelot and Margaret.”

“That would be helpful, sire,” the Court Physician replied. “I’ve already sent out a telepathic call for other healers to come and tend to them while I treat Prince Merlin. If you take them to the infirmary then Eloise and Rowan can look after them.”

Arthur didn’t recognise their names, but he watched as Gwaine and Balinor gently lifted the unconscious Lancelot from his bed, being careful not to jostle his injuries. Arthur snapped to attention and realised that he could help. He gently picked up Margaret and followed Balinor and Gwaine to the infirmary. Arthur was burning with questions, but he waited until Lancelot and Margaret were placed in the care of Eloise and Rowan – a young dark-skinned woman who looked no older than twenty and a greying, balding man who looked three times Eloise’s age – and they had returned to the Court Physicians cave before Arthur once again demanded, “What happened?!”

Balinor turned to him, “You remember that Morgause cast an enchantment on Morgana?”

Arthur’s mind flashed back to the throne room, where he was cradling an unconscious Guinevere and Merlin suddenly transported them away. He remembered Morgana screaming “MERLIN, NO!” and then they’re arrival back in the Dragon Caves and the rush to get Gwen to a healer. Wordlessly, he nodded in response to Balinor’s question.

“Merlin sent you away before the spell could be complete,” the King continued. “But incomplete spells have consequences.” He gestured to Merlin and Morgana. “This is one such consequence.”

Arthur stared at his unconscious friends. Merlin, Morgana, Gwen. They were all unconscious and hurt. This was awful. He turned back to Balinor. “But what happened?!”

“Morgana is at war with herself,” Hunith said.

Arthur grew frustrated, “What does the mean?!”

“Morgause has enchanted Morgana,” The girl with the white hair explained and Arthur was shocked to hear her speak in Aithusa’s voice. “She is seeing visions. She was terrified. Her magic responded to her distress. It built up around her and eventually exploded. Merlin contained the explosion inside a shield, but as a result Merlin bore the brunt of it and was gravely injured.”

Arthur gaped at the girl. “Aithusa?! How – how are you human? What? And how we help Merlin and Morgana?”

Aithusa let out in impatient snort. “Every dragon is born with a special gift. Mine is the ability of transformation. This particular form allows me to walk easily through the Dragon Caves. For although the Caves are large, I would not be able to fit in here in my true dragon body.”

“But if you could pose as a human, why did you not come to Camelot with Merlin?” Arthur asked, feeling as though Merlin would have appreciated the company of his dragon friend.

Aithusa scowled at him, “Your father is ruthless against those with magic, Prince Arthur. Do you really think I would have escaped your father’s persecution looking as I do? I may not be a dragon in this form, but I still look unnatural. Merlin did not need that sort of attention. Do not presume that I didn’t want to be with him. It pained me to be away from him as much as it pains you to see him injured on that bed. Do not test me right now, Arthur Pendragon. I am the one who gave Merlin the shield spell he used. I am one of the Dracawine and I allowed my prince to be injured. So I would rather focus on Merlin getting better than your ill-conceived questions about my apparent lack of want to be by Merlin’s side.”

Arthur didn’t reply. He felt sufficiently chastised. “Sorry,” he murmured sincerely. “I didn’t mean to suggest anything like that.” Seeing Aithusa nod in reply to his apology, he turned back to the others. “What do we do for them?”

Joan took a step away from Merlin’s body, “Prince Merlin’s injuries are extensive. Lady Morgana’s magic must have been quite powerful.”

Gwaine studied Merlin and spoke up, “But he doesn’t look injured at all. I take it that all his injuries are internal?”

Joan nodded, “Yes, Sir Strength. I will do my best, but it will be difficult.”

“Just how powerful was the explosion?” Arthur asked.

Joan looked up from casting a spell on Merlin. Her eyes faded from gold back to blue. “Picture the tallest tower in Camelot, Prince Arthur, and the force with which someone would hit the ground if they jumped from it. That is the equivalent of what Prince Merlin had been hit with. Lady Morgana’s magic burst from her with explosive force. It is a miracle Prince Merlin is even alive.”

Everyone looked grave at her statement and a silence formed, broken only by the constant chanting by Elaine and Joan as they worked on their patients. “I warned him,” Aithusa said at last. “I warned him he would get hurt, but he didn’t care. He only wanted to contain the magic and protect the Dragon Caves. He didn’t care so long as Morgana and everyone within the Caves were safe.”

Arthur looked at the limp form of his best friend. That was so like Merlin. To put the needs of others ahead of himself.

“Morgana is barely injured,” Elaine said. “It is just Morgause’s spell which is plaguing her and she will no doubt be exhausted after letting loose so much magic.”

“So what do we do for them?” Arthur repeated.

King Balinor looked to Aithusa, “Light of the Sun,” he said seriously. “Can you help us?”

Aithusa took a step towards Merlin. “I may still be considered a hatchling to other dragons,” she said, “But I still possess knowledge known only to my kind.”

Aithusa walked so she was standing at the head of Merlin’s bed. She looked down at Merlin. The Prince was still unconscious and gave no indication that he would wake up anytime soon. He didn’t even seem to be in pain. If Arthur didn’t know that he was seriously injured, he could have just assumed Merlin was sleeping.

Aithusa leant down so she was leaning over Merlin’s head. Her white hair cascaded around her face, shielding her from the onlookers and it pooled on Merlin’s face, but Aithusa impatiently tucked it behind her ears. “My actions are partly responsible for you being like this, old friend,” she said to the unconscious Merlin. “So I will do what I can to help you.”

She then breathed onto Merlin’s face. The sight was entirely unusual, but Arthur had gotten used to strange magical happenings since coming on their quest to Dracona, so he simply watched as golden light and breath poured from Aithusa’s mouth and engulfed Merlin in its glow. Arthur didn’t realise he’d been holding his own breath until he released it as the golden glow faded into Merlin’s skin. Her magic cast, Aithusa stepped back. She looked to the others. “I have done what I can. Merlin’s magic will take care of the rest. He will be fine.”

Arthur stared at her in awe. In the span of a few seconds she had taken Merlin from being ‘it’s a miracle he’s even alive’ to ‘he’ll be fine’. That was incredible. Arthur couldn’t help but think of how many knights’ lives could have been spared if his father allowed magic within Camelot.

Thinking of his father brought on a stab of irritation and hurt. Arthur pushed aside his thoughts of his mother and father. He couldn’t afford to think of them right now. He needed to focus on Merlin, Morgana and –

“Arthur?” A weak but instantly recognisable voice spoke up.

Everyone turned to see Guinevere sitting up in her bed. She was staring at them all in confusion. Arthur rushed to her side. “Guinevere!” He said in delight, relief written all over his features. “You’re alright!”

He pulled her in for a hug, being cautious not to hold her too tightly. Gwen hugged him back, but Arthur could tell she was dazed. “What is going on?” She asked as she pulled away from him. “I don’t – Morgause, she cast a spell – I went soaring, but I can’t remember. What happened after that?” Gwen caught sight of Merlin and Morgana and gasped. “Arthur, what happened?!”

Arthur calmly filled her in. Guinevere was even more distressed at hearing what had happened to her friends, but she thanked Elaine for healing her and thanked Aithusa, Joan and Elaine for the work they were doing for Merlin and Morgana.

Arthur held Gwen close to him. He almost didn’t want to let her out of his sight. All of his friends had been hurt during this trip. He didn’t want to risk Guinevere getting hurt again. But he fought down his worry and focused on the others and the task at hand. Merlin may be fine with a little rest, but there was still the issue of the incomplete spell that was cast on Morgana.

Any further thought was halted as Morgana stirred. Elaine stepped away from her as Morgana slowly opened her eyes and sat up with a groan. Like Guinevere, she seemed disorientated upon waking up. Without a word, she stared at all the people gathered in Joan’s quarters, her gaze finally settling on the unconscious form of Merlin. She blinked once, a frown of confusion upon her face, and then gasped as comprehension dawned. “Merlin!” She exclaimed, moving to get up and rush to him.

Elaine and Joan tried to stop her, citing that she needed rest. But Morgana shook her head and pushed away their hands as they tried to grab a hold of her and lay her back down. “No!” Morgana said, shaking her head. She stood up on shaky legs and stumbled to Merlin’s side. Morgana collapsed on her knees beside his bed. She was level with his head and reached out a shaky head to brush her hand through his dark hair. “Merlin,” she repeated in a softer voice. “Merlin, I’m sorry. I did this to you.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Morgana,” Aithusa said.

Morgana ignored her. Arthur didn’t even think she noticed that the dragon was now in human form. She just kept stroking Merlin hair. “I did this to you,” she said again.

“Prince Merlin will be fine, Sister,” Elaine said. It was the first time Arthur had heard Elaine address Morgana like that. It sounded so much better and comforting than when Morgause tried to acknowledge the sibling relationship between her and Morgana.

Morgana looked up at her sister. Arthur was alarmed to see tears in her eyes. “I couldn’t control myself. I would have hurt everyone, but Merlin stopped it. He blocked it in. I was so scared and I lost control. I did this to Merlin. How can you even stand to look at me, when I did this to him?”

Hunith took a step towards her. “None of us blame you, dear,” the Queen said comfortingly. “And we know that Merlin wouldn’t blame you, either.”

Morgana said nothing, but suddenly her whole countenance changed. Instead of being slumped miserably at Merlin’s side, she sat up straight and a dark chuckle escaped her lips. “Emrys,” she said scornfully and Arthur was even more alarmed to see that the colour of her eyes had turned black instead of where he’d been worried about her tears a moment before. “You’re so weak, Emrys. I will destroy you.”

Arthur stared at her in shock. Balinor’s words from earlier replayed in his mind: Incomplete spells have consequences.

“Morgana, what are you talking about? What – what is happening with your eyes?” Came Gwen’s confused voice from Arthur’s side. He turned to her, belatedly realising that Gwen wasn’t awake to hear the explanation about Morgause’s spell. She wasn’t even conscious when Morgause cast the spell in the first place. Arthur had told her that Morgause had cast a spell on Morgana and that her magic had gone out of control, but he realised that he hadn’t said anything about the ramifications of the incomplete spell.

Morgana turned her gaze to Gwen and Arthur was taken aback by the hatred in her expression. “I am Cwalu,” she said in a sinister, cold tone. “Emrys is nothing compared to me! I will destroy you all!”

Gwen stared at her friend in horror. “Morgana – what?”

Morgana’s eyes returned to her usual green and her voice changed to normal. “No! No, don’t listen to me, Gwen! It’s not true! This isn’t me! The visions – the visions are returning!” Her eyes went back to black. “Everyone will bow to me. I will be the Queen of all Albion. Anyone who opposes me will die! – No! That isn’t me! I will be the next Queen of Dragons! – The Path of Darkness welcomes me and with its power I will kill all of you. – No! I follow the Path of Light. The Darkness will not claim me! – Merlin means nothing – No! I love him! – The famed Emrys will meet his death at my hand!” With that, she turned back to Merlin, reaching her hand out and her lips began to form words. Her eyes were almost feral; a murderous glint was in them.

Before Arthur could even react, Elaine gestured to her sister. “Swefe nu!”

Morgana’s eyes rolled back into her head and she started to fall, suddenly put in a deep sleep. Arthur immediately stepped forward to grab her before she hit the ground. Gwaine helped him lift her and gently place Morgana back on her bed. She looked so peaceful now; nothing like the woman who had just attempted to murder Merlin. He thought back over Morgana’s swapping of personalities and Queen Hunith’s voice echoed in his mind: Morgana is at war with herself. That must have been what Hunith meant.

He looked up at the others, feeling lost. He didn’t even know what to say.

Gwen broke the silence that was formed. “What was that?”

Arthur half listened as Balinor fully explained the situation to Guinevere. He was still trying to process the fact that Morgana had just tried to kill Merlin. He just couldn’t wrap his head around it. Morgana wanting to hurt Merlin seemed even less likely than his father deciding to legalise magic.

Arthur fought back a yawn, suddenly aware of how tired he was. When was the last time he had slept? Had they only been in Dracona a day? It seemed far longer than that.

His attempt at not yawning wasn’t lost on the Queen. “You should get some rest, Arthur,” Hunith said. “We will take care of things here.”

Arthur shook his head, “I’m fine, thank you.”

Hunith looked unconvinced. “I doubt that. You look exhausted. Come. I will show you where you can sleep.”

She went to leave the physician’s quarters, but Arthur stayed put. “Really, I’m alright,” he protested, not wanting to leave his friends.

“Arthur,” Gwen spoke up. “There is nothing we can do for Merlin and Morgana right now. We would only get in the way at the moment. I may have only just woken up, but I am still tired. Let us go and rest.”

She took his hand and coaxed him towards the exit. He didn’t want to leave, but Arthur conceded that Guinevere was right. They didn’t have magic. This work of spells and magic was way over their heads and out of their skill range. They would only be a hindrance if they stayed in Joan’s quarters while the others tried to help Merlin and Morgana. Arthur was determined that he would help his friends, but only after resting and after they worked out what exactly needed to be done.

Rest first. Yes. Sleep sound like a really good option to Arthur at that particular moment.

“Please come and get us if anything happens,” he said to Balinor.

Merlin’s father nodded.  “We will send for you if anything changes,” he promised.

“Thank you,” Arthur replied. Then he and Gwen murmured goodbyes and goodnights and followed Hunith through the Dragon Caves to where they could rest.

Although filled with worry, Arthur was asleep in minutes.

Merlin’s first thought when he woke up was that he ached everywhere.

Blinking blearily, he sat up. He was in Joan’s quarters in the Dragon Caves. The physician was nowhere to be seen, and Morgana was sleeping peacefully in the bed beside him. Merlin was immediately concerned upon seeing Morgana. Was she alright? Had she been injured? But Merlin couldn’t get up to check on her, because there was the issue of the person sleeping on his legs. She had snow-white hair and was dressed in a simple white tunic and brown leggings. She was sitting on a chair by the bed, but had stretched out so she was more perched on the edge of chair and leaning forward so she was half lying on Merlin with her head resting on her arms. Merlin hadn’t seen her in this form in a long time, but there was no doubting who it was.

“Aithusa?” He said, and he watched as Aithusa slowly opened her eyes.

“Merlin!” She exclaimed once she was fully awake, sounding both relieved and guilty. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have fallen asleep. I was supposed to be looking after you.”

“It’s alright, Thusy. You must have been tired, so it’s good that you had a sleep.”

“-But-“

“-It’s fine, Thusy. Really.”

“But it isn’t!” She protested. “You nearly died, Merlin! You nearly died and I was the one who gave you the shield spell. I am one of the dracawine and you are my best friend. It is my duty to protect you, not aid you in nearly getting yourself killed!”

Merlin reached out and took her hand in his. It was always so strange when he did that; holding her hand instead of her paw. He could still remember the first time she had changed into human form. Each dragon came into their special gift once they reached ten summers. That was barely the blink of an eye to the elder dragons that had lived for centuries. But for him and Aithusa, they had waited impatiently to see what Aithusa’s power could be. They had both been so surprised when she had transformed into a human. Merlin had been disappointed that she couldn’t change into other animals, but Aithusa had given him a proud look and stated that she was a dragon and any other creature was beneath her.

The elder dragons called her Aithusa Awendendness from then on. Awendendness meant 'change' and apparently the power to transform was as rare as Aithusa’s white colour. She was seen as a symbol of hope and change. For everyone knew of Merlin’s destiny to help unite Albion and restore magic. Aithusa ‘Light of the Sun’ Awendendness was seen as the one who could walk amongst humans and help them to see the truth about magic and her dragon kin. She would help Merlin towards his destiny and be a figure of light, hope and change in the darkness that was Uther Pendragon’s Purge.

“Thusy,” Merlin said and shook his head like he thought she was being ridiculous. “We did the right thing. Who knows how much damage could have happened to the Dragon Caves if we didn’t contain that magic, Aithusa Awendendness?” He said her full name teasingly to try and get her out of the sour mood she was in.

Aithusa just gave him a disgruntled look at him using her full name. “That may be, but you still nearly died. I had to use my dragon-breath on you, Merlin Ambrosius.” She still looked upset, but she said his name just as playfully as he’d said hers.

Merlin’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He must have been seriously injured if Aithusa resorted to that. “Thank you, Thusy,” he said solemnly.

She gave him a small smile, “Just don’t do it again, you prat.”

“Hey!” He protested. “I’m not the prat, Arthur is!” But he was glad that Aithusa didn’t seem as marred by guilt as she was when she first woke up. Merlin’s playful smile disappeared as his turned to look at the sleeping Morgana. “How is she?”

“She woke up before you. She was distraught her actions had hurt you, but…” Aithusa trailed off and Merlin’s heart sank.

“But?” He asked, fearing the answer.

“She is still at war with herself. Her magic didn’t get out of hand, but she tried to kill you. Elaine stopped her and put her to sleep, but Morgana still did try to kill you.”

Merlin wasn’t really that surprised, but it hurt to know that Morgana was going through that. He was determined to get the spell off her and Morgause would pay for everything she had done. Merlin knew that he was partially responsible, so he would apologise to Morgana as soon as she was out of Morgause’s influence.

“What about Lancelot and the woman?” He asked. “What about Gwen?! And is Arthur alright?”

“The woman’s name is Margaret,” Aithusa answered. “She is the wife of Walter, the messenger. Walter has been detained. He was Morgause’s spy. Lancelot and Margaret are being treated but the healers believe they’ll make a full recovery. Elaine healed Gwen and she is fine, merely resting, and Arthur is worried about you and Morgana, but physically fine.”

Merlin blinked at the onslaught of information Aithusa had just given him. He was relieved his friends were alright, but: “… Walter was the spy?”

“We believe Morgause used some kind of controlling spell on him and was using Margaret as blackmail. His actions were not his own. But Morgause is hurting him. She must have realised that his cover was blown. Walter has been sitting with his head in his hands and groaning for hours now. When we asked what was wrong, all we could get out of him was ‘The link!’ Elaine thinks it could be some sort of blood control spell, but we have no idea how to end it. If whatever Morgause is doing to Walter keep up much longer, he could die.”

Merlin nodded then asked, “How long have I been asleep?”

Aithusa seemed confused by his random question, but she answered. “Only a few hours. It’s the next day, but it's not as if you’ve been unconscious for days or anything like that.”

Good, Merlin thought. There’s still two days before the Choice must be made. We need to get Morgana back to normal before then.

Merlin’s familiar determined expression came on his face. “Right, so we need to get the spells of Morgana and Walter. Thusy, help me up.”

“You should be resting,” Aithusa tried to protest.

Merlin shook his head. “No. Take me to my father, please. We need to talk to Kilgharrah.”

“O drakon, Kilgharrah, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo!”

It had taken more time than Merlin would like to get his father to summon Kilgharrah. Aithusa flatly refused to take him to the King until Merlin had bathed and changed his clothes. “You smell like the backside of a horse and you’re still wearing your Camelot servant’s garb,” Aithusa had said. “You are the Prince of Dracona. It is past the time you looked like it.”

So Merlin had bathed and gotten into clothes more befitting of his status. He had refused to wear anything overly ostentatious. Just a simple blue shirt, with a brown jacket, pants and boots. They were clearly of finer make than the clothes he had back in Camelot, and there was something to be said about the comfort of wearing his own Draconian clothes, but what had surprised Merlin the most was that Aithusa had manage to procure his old sword.

While Merlin preferred to use his magic in combat situations, he did love his sword fighting. He was itching to have a good training session after so long of having to pretend he was useless with a blade in Camelot. His sword was one of the finest the Royal Blacksmith of Dracona had made, and it now hung comfortably at his waist whilst he, Aithusa – now back in her dragon form – his parents, Arthur, Gwen, Gwaine and Elaine all waited for Kilgharrah to answer Balinor’s summons.

Their group was another reason it had taken so long to call the dragon in the first place. Once Aithusa decreed that Merlin looked decent enough, she had taken him to his parents. His mother had fussed over him, wanting to make sure he was alright and his father had done the same before sending pages to go and tell Arthur, Gwen, Gwaine and Elaine that Merlin had woken up. Apparently he had promised them they he would notify them as soon as there was a change in Merlin’s condition.

So once they all had arrived and all hugged Merlin in relief, the warlock prince had told them of his plan to speak to Kilgharrah. “He has the gift of foresight,” Merlin had said, “and he seemed overly interested in mine, Arthur, Gwen and Morgana’s destinies. I am sure he’ll know what we can do.”

At least that’s what Merlin told himself as Kilgharrah flew into their field of vision. In seconds, the Great Dragon had landed and bowed to the Dragonlord and the Queen of Dragons. “Greetings, young ones,” Kilgharrah said. He eyed Merlin and Arthur. “It gives me great pleasure to see you standing side by side; Emrys and the Once and Future King.”

Merlin sensed Arthur tense behind him. The prince of Camelot was obviously thinking of all the damage and destruction Kilgharrah had caused to his kingdom. Merlin took a step forward. “Kilgharrah,” he said. “Can you please promise Arthur that you will no longer cause destruction to Camelot?”

The Great Dragon looked solemn and bowed his giant head to Arthur. Merlin was impressed. He had never seen a dragon bow to someone who wasn’t part of the Draconian royal family. “Great King,” Kilgharrah said to Arthur. “I apologise for my actions against your kingdom. My dragonlord has commanded me to not engage in any hostilities against Camelot, so you can be rest assured your home will not be attacked by me ever again.”

Arthur stepped up so he was standing beside Merlin and nodded solemnly. “Thank you. I’m not sure I can forgive you for the lives that were lost, but I am willing to put this behind us for the betterment of Albion.”

Kilgharrah looked equally serious. “Thank you, Arthur Pendragon. You are truly worthy of the title of the Once and Future King.” He then turned and looked at them all. “But where is the witch?”

Merlin felt a rush of irritation go through him. “I told you not to call her that.”

“She is as much a witch as you are a warlock, Prince Merlin.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to say it with much disdain. Morgana is not the evil sorceress you believe her to be.”

“Then why is the Lady Morgana not here?”

Merlin explained the situation to Kilgharrah. The dragon seemed a strange mix of grave and hopeful once Merlin finished speaking. “I did not believe destiny would go this way,” Kilgharrah admitted. “I thought Morgana would be destined for the Path of Darkness, but she seems determined to follow the Light. However, you must be cautious. Due to the spell put on her by Morgause, Morgana may yet choose the Darkness. The time of the Choice is fast approaching, and you must act fast before then.”

“So what do we do?” Arthur asked urgently.

“This is but one place in Albion that has the healing properties to cure this spell from the Lady Morgana,” Kilgharrah said. “You must travel to the Cauldron of Arianrhod and call upon the White Goddess. Only there can Morgause’s dark magic be purged from the witch.”

“But the Cauldron is days away!” Elaine said, her concern for her sister evident in her voice. “How long do we have until the Choice?”

“There are two days until Morgana must choose between the Path of Darkness and the Path of Light,” Kilgharrah answered. He turned his head so he was looking directly at Merlin. “But you must be wary. One must enter the Cauldron of their own free will. They cannot be forced. They must choose to enter the waters of the Cauldron.”

Kilgharrah’s emphasis on the word ‘choose’ was not lost on Merlin. Suddenly everything made sense. For most sorcerers and sorceresses, the Choice was simple. Just the conscious decision to follow the Path of Light or the Path of Darkness. It was normally an easy choice based on one’s personality.

But destiny hadn’t been that kind to Morgana.

Morgana was now battling with herself. Her normally caring personality was being altered by the dark enchantment put on her by Morgause. If fate was kind, it would have been a simple choice. But fate wasn’t kind and now Light and Dark were warring inside Morgana and only by going to the Cauldron of Arianrhod could she be cured.

That was the Choice. That was where Morgana would Choose. She would have to Choose to go into the waters and be cured. She had to go of her own free will; otherwise she would face the continuation of Light and Dark battling inside her. And after she had tried to kill him that morning, Merlin could only assume that Darkness had the upper hand.

It would be decided at the Cauldron. That would be where Morgana would make the Choice.

Chapter Text

"I wish to believe in a righteous light that encompasses the rage and sadness. The righteous light which guides all things."
- Mystogan, Fairy Tail episode 28, Fairy Law.

 “What do you mean we’re not coming?!”

As Merlin had expected, Arthur didn’t take too well to being told to stay behind in Dracona while Merlin and Morgana flew on Aithusa to the Cauldron of Arianrhod.

It was the day after they had spoken to Kilgharrah. Merlin had wanted to go charging off as soon as they’d finished speaking to the Great Dragon, but the others had convinced him to rest for the day. Now Merlin was glad he had listened to their advice. Now he felt rested and ready for the journey to the Cauldron as he packed his things. This was how Arthur had found him and their argument had inevitably started. The Prince of Camelot had found Merlin as he was about to leave the Dragon Caves. Arthur had looked just as prepared for the journey as Merlin was and apparently hadn’t been told of the plan of Merlin going on his own.

“It would be faster if I just took Morgana,” Merlin said patiently. “Aithusa can only carry so many and we’re already taking Walter.”

“I still don’t like the idea that you’re taking him with you. What if something happens? What if Morgause turns up?” Arthur seemed uneasy.

“Walter deserves to be rid of Morgause’s clutches just as much as Morgana does,” Merlin replied. “The Cauldron is the only place we can take the blood-control spell off him.”

“When was it decided that you would go alone?”

“I decided it as soon as Kilgharrah told me what to do.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me you’d made this decision?”

“No, because I knew you’d reaction like this.”

“Merlin,” Arthur said, exasperation clear in his tone.

“See? This is what I’m talking about,” Merlin quipped.

Arthur ignored him, “I don’t like this, Merlin.”

“Well tough, Prince Prat. Because I’m going.”

Arthur had kept up his protestations even until they had left the Dragon Caves and had joined the group who had assembled by the Réonian Falls. Merlin’s parents, Elaine, Gwaine, Guinevere and a still-injured Margaret had come to see them off. They had tried to convince Margaret to keep resting and recuperating under Joan’s care, but the woman had stubbornly refused to not see her husband off, despite the fact that Walter was in no position to say goodbye to her.

Morgana and Walter had already been strapped to Aithusa’s back. For safety purposes, they couldn’t be allowed to be conscious for the flight, so they were both slumped in sleep upon the dragon’s back. Walter sat first, right behind Aithusa’s head, Morgana behind him and Merlin would bring up the rear. It wasn’t wear he normally sat when riding Aithusa – he would normally sit where Walter was placed – but he forwent his usual position to sit behind Morgana. He knew he would feel more comfortable sitting with his arms secure around her than he would sitting in his normal place. At least sitting behind the two he wouldn’t be constantly turning to reassure himself that Walter and Morgana were alright.

That the pair would be asleep created dangers in itself, but Merlin was more confident in his ability to keep the two of them safely on Aithusa than he was of trying to deal with an enchanted Morgana, or risk Morgause finding out their plans through her link with Walter.

“I don’t like this, Merlin,” Arthur repeated as he stared at the slumbering forms of Morgana and Walter upon Aithusa.

“You don’t have to like it; you just have to go along with it.”

Arthur just sent him an unimpressed look in repsonse.

Merlin put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Arthur,” he said seriously. “It’s going to be fine. I can handle it, and when I’m back we’ll have Morgana back to normal and there won’t be a spy in our midst anymore. It’s going to be fine.”

“You seem confident.”

“Well, I am Emrys,” he said cockily, and Arthur knew Merlin was only doing it to cheer him up because Merlin never usually flaunted the Emrys title.

“You’re an idiot, that’s what you are,” Arthur said, a small, tentative smile on his face.

“And you’re a prat,” Merlin replied, beaming at Arthur. He knew that Arthur wasn’t happy about the fact that Merlin was going alone, but the look on his friend’s face told Merlin that Arthur accepted it. Merlin’s expression grew serious. “But, Arthur, please … take care of everyone while I’m gone.”

Arthur mirrored Merlin and put a hand on the warlock’s shoulder. “Of course, Merlin. You don’t even need to ask.”

Merlin gave Arthur a small smile and then turned to walk over to Aithusa and the others. Arthur followed behind him.

Supported by Guinevere, Margaret approached him. “Sire,” she said. “I’m sorry for the trouble my husband and I have caused you. But please, please bring him back to me.”

He smiled at her, “You have no need to apologise to me, Margaret. This is all Morgause’s doing. I will bring Walter back and she won’t have any control over him anymore. I promise you.”

Margaret gave him a weak smile in return, hope shining in her eyes. “Thank you, my Lord.”

“You will be careful though, won’t you Merlin?” Gwen asked, concern written on her features.

“I’ll be fine, Gwen,” he said and turned to look at Aithusa and then looked back at his friend. “Aithusa will look after me.”

“That’s comforting, but I wish we were coming with you.”

“I’ve been trying to tell convince him otherwise, but he won’t budge,” Arthur interjected.

“That’s Merlin for you,” Gwaine interjected, and Merlin saw that everyone had moved in so they formed a group around him. They looked worried, but gave him brave smiles. His parents just looked at him with pride shining in their eyes.

“Once he’s made up his mind, there’s no changing it,” Gwaine continued.

“I wonder where he got that from?” Hunith said, shooting a look at her husband.

“He’s an Ambrosius, through and through,” said the King proudly.

Merlin stepped forward and embraced his parents. “I’ll be alright. See you soon.”

He took a step back and looked at them all. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.” He walked over to Aithusa and went to climb on, but Elaine’s voice stopped him.

“Please be careful, my young master,” the Court Sorceress said. “I don’t think Morgause will make the Choice easy. Please be on your guard and bring my sister home.”

Arthur stepped forward. “Please bring our sister home.”

Merlin looked at the sleeping form of Morgana and then turned back to Elaine and Arthur. “I will. I promise.”

With that, he climbed on top of Aithusa, wrapped his arms around Morgana’s waist, checked that she and Walter’s ties were secured, placed a layer of his magic around them to be doubly sure they wouldn’t fall off. Satisfied that everything was fine, he called to Aithusa, “You ready, Thusy?”

“Of course, Merlin,” Aithusa replied. “It’s time we rid these two of Morgause’s darkness.”

Merlin nodded and turned to his friends, “We’ll be back soon,” he said once again. “Take care.”

Taking her cue from Merlin’s words, Aithusa spread her wings and shot into the air. Merlin, having flown with Aithusa since childhood, was ready for it and wasn’t even fazed by her sudden take off. Instead, he wrapped his arms tighter around Morgana’s waist and pressed a kiss to the back of Morgana’s head as they gained altitude and flew towards the Cauldron.

We’re going to get you better, he thought to her. Just hold on a little longer for me. Don’t let the Darkness take you. I’m here for you. It’s all going to be alright. Just hold on a little longer, love.

As soon as Walter passed through the wards surrounding the Dragon Caves, Morgause felt it. She had made the spell so that as soon as the messenger had passed through those infernal wards, Morgause would know about it.

She was in her chambers in the Draconian castle. Construction was being made on ruins of the throne room after the battle she had had with Emrys. She scowled at the memory.

Emrys … He would play for what he had done.

But first she needed to find out why Walter had left the wards. She had spent the last day amusing herself by torturing him with pain through the blood spell’s link. He shouldn’t be able to go anywhere. She knew if she kept up sending painful bursts of magic through the link he would die. Good. He had outlived his usefulness. After Prince Merlin and his friends had invaded her castle and taken Lancelot and Margaret with them, she knew that they would realise she was using Walter against them.

They must have worked out a way to take the spell off him. That wouldn’t do. Morgause had plans to infiltrate Balinor’s forces with more spies like Walter. If her enemies knew how to undo the spell then all her plans would be for naught.

Emrys. That meddling Prince Merlin must be behind this, she thought. He will pay.

She had originally intended to turn Merlin to the Darkness as she had tried to turn Morgana. But she didn’t want to do that anymore. The thirst for revenge was burning in her blood. He had interfered with her plans, he had cause an incomplete spell to be cast on Morgana, and he was keeping her sister from her.

She didn’t want to admit that his power had scared her when they had had their first confrontation. But everyone had a weakness. She would find his. In fact, she was positive that she already knew what his was, and she knew that even Emrys had trouble breaking out of her magical chains.

Yes. He would pay. Forget seeing him embrace the Darkness; she just wanted to see the light die from his eyes as she took his life from him.

With a few murmured words in the Old Tongue and a flash old gone, she was gone. Disappearing in a swirl of wind and following the blood spell she had placed on Walter.

Arthur thought the waiting was the worst part.

It was like the waiting before a battle. Arthur felt all keyed up and wanted to move. He wanted to help, to do something. But he couldn’t; there was nothing he could do help Morgana and Merlin. All there was to do was wait.

So that was what they did after Merlin and Aithusa had flown away and he and the others had all returned to the Dragon Caves. Arthur still wished he could have accompanied Merlin to the Cauldron of Arianrhod. He wanted to help his friend, his sister and the messenger who’d been caught up in the clutches of Morgause.

But no, he had to wait here until they returned. Arthur hated waiting.

The atmosphere was subdued. He sat with Guinevere, Gwaine and Elaine in one of the many caverns of the Dragon Caves that was light with the unnatural skylights that Arthur had become so used to during his time in Dracona. Guinevere sat next to him, her hand entwined with his. It was a small comfort from the worries that plagued Arthur’s mind. They all sat in silence, each lost to their own thoughts.

And Arthur’s thoughts were a mess.

He felt worried for Merlin, Morgana and Walter. He felt worried for Camelot. How was his kingdom faring in his absence? He felt worried for all his newly-made friends in Dracona. Something in him new that this conflict with Morgause was going to end in a battle and on top of all his worries was the fact that he was still trying to accept that he had talked to the spirit of his mother and that he was born from magic. His mother’s life had been given in return for his. It was too much for Arthur to wrap his head around.

“Elaine,” Arthur said, looking up at the Court Sorceress.

Everyone was startled out of their thoughts and turned to face Arthur. “Yes?” Elaine said.

“You weren’t there but Morgause … she conjured the spirit of my mother. You know about magic … Was that – was that real? Was it really her? Was my life really given in exchange for hers?”

Guinevere gave his hand a squeeze, “We can’t trust what Morgause tells us, Arthur. And even if it is true, you can’t feel guilty for it. You can't be held responsible for the death of your mother and blaming yourself will do nothing good for you.”

“Lady Guinevere speaks the truth,” Elaine said. “It would be unwise to trust the words of my sister. However, she may be powerful enough to raise the spirit of your mother. Many talented sorcerers and sorceresses possess the gift to do so, but I was unaware Morgause had it. Gwaine filled me in as to what exactly happened in the throne room, but I would not trust Morgause. It may very well have been your mother, Arthur, but I would guess that it was Morgause’s words that Ygraine was speaking.”

“But my mother – if my father traded her life for mine, he as good as murdered her.”

“We don’t know that,” Gwaine said, speaking up for the first time. “We don’t know if your father willing traded your mother’s life for yours.”

“The power over Life and Death is rare,” Elaine said. “It as a form of magic that lies at the heart of the Old Religion. Only exceptionally powerful magic users can harness it, but it is difficult. Balance must be kept: a life for a life. However, the balance may not always be kept in the way that it is expected. You parents may have been willing to for someone’s life to be given in exchange for yours, Arthur, but perhaps they thought it was someone of inconsequence? Perhaps they thought it would be a peasant who would die so you could live? We do not know. The only way you will know the truth is to ask your father.”

Arthur’s expression darkened. “Even if he did not willingly sacrifice my mother’s life for me, he is still a hypocrite. He denounces magic and executes those who use it, yet he is willing to use it for his own gain! He blames magic for what happened to my mother instead of accepting his own actions! For so long I thought he wouldn’t tell me about my mother because it was too painful, but now I know he just didn’t want me to learn the truth! He’s a hypocrite and a liar!”

Guinevere squeezed his hand even tighter. “Arthur, calm down,” she said. “I know you’re confused, angry and upset, but you mustn’t let those feelings cloud your judgment. Elaine is right. The only way for you to know the truth is to ask your father, but when you do you mustn’t be overcome by what you’re feeling now.”

Arthur calmed himself and sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just … this journey … everything I’ve ever been taught by my father, everything I’ve been taught since birth, I’m finding out is wrong. Magic isn’t the evil force I thought it to be, someone doesn’t have to be of noble birth to deserve to be a knight, my father isn’t the honourable man I thought he was. Everything I’ve ever known, everything I’ve ever accepted to be true has been turned on its head.”

“You’re being a bit dramatic there, Princess,” Gwaine said with a disarming smile, ignoring the irritated look Arthur sent his way, before his expression turned serious. “But we understand. I know it must be hard to question everything you ever thought was right, but it takes courage to question and accept that what you thought was right might not have been as true as you thought it was.”

Arthur stared at Gwaine. He hadn’t expected that to come from the usually joking and jovial knight. “I know what you’re going through,” Gwaine continued. “Perhaps not to the extent that you’re feeling right now, but my life has been ‘turned on its head’, as you say. Before I met Merlin, I hated nobility. I didn’t think they were worth the time of day. When I first met Merlin, I had no idea he was a prince. He didn’t tell me who he was and we spent the whole night drinking together. It wasn’t until the next day, when we were both waking up underneath a table with killer headaches and Merlin’s men came looking for him, that I realised I’d been drinking with the Prince of Dracona. My life took a turn that day. I realised that what I previously thought was wrong: not all nobles were snooty piles of horse dung. Merlin asked me if I would come back to the palace with him. It would have been so easy just to say no, to go back to my wanderings and my life of tavern and women. But I said yes. I followed Merlin and my life has changed for the better. There’s still taverns, but I’ve got a King, Queen and a Prince that I would die for, I’m a knight of a country I love, I’ve got a roof over my head, money for ale and people that care about me. My life changed for the better because I admitted I was wrong and that what I previously thought was wrong.” Gwaine stood up and walked so he was standing in front of Arthur. The Prince of Camelot stood as well, so he wasn’t looking up at the knight.

“So muster your courage, Arthur,” Gwaine went on. “If I am Strength, you can be Courage, and make a better life for yourself, a better Camelot. Unite Albion. Do what you’re destined to do and forget about the influence of your father. Because life doesn’t end when you realise you were wrong; it begins.” Gwaine finished his speech by holding his arm out for Arthur to grasp.

Arthur was partially in shock. That was more than he’d ever heard Gwaine say at any one time, and Gwaine was always talking. He hadn’t expected Gwaine to give him a pep talk, but that was exactly what he needed. Arthur’s feeling’s still felt like a mess and he still didn’t know exactly how he felt about his father, but it was wrong to dwell on the negative thoughts and emotions. Gwaine was right, he could be better now that he knew the truth. So with a tentative smiling lighting up his face, Arthur grasped Gwaine’s forearm in the standard form of camaraderie. Strength and Courage standing together as friends and brothers-in-arms.

Arthur wished Merlin could have been there to see it.

The rushing of wind and the beating of Aithusa wings was all Merlin could hear. Morgana and Walter were still sleeping soundly in front of him. Merlin had heard Morgana mention his name in her sleep once or twice. He figured she was dreaming about him; he just didn’t know if she was dreaming about him in the normal-Morgana sense, or dreaming that she was squeezing the life out of him in the enchantment-induced, Cwalu state.

He hoped it was the former.

How are you going, Thusy? He projected his thoughts to her instead of trying to shout over the wind. You’re not used to carrying this many people.

I have grown since you last saw me, Merlin, Aithusa replied. I am capable of carrying the three of you.

I know. I just don’t want you to tire yourself out.

I am fine. Worry not.

Sorry, Thusy, I’m just … well, worried.

Aithusa’s mental voice was comforting. Everything is going to be fine, my little dragonling.

Merlin smiled. It had been many years since she’d called him her ‘dragonling’, but for old time’s sake, he protested. Hey! His voice was indignant. Little?! I’m older than you! You were hatched after I was born!

Aithusa’s mental laughing echoed around his head. And yet, you are still littler than me. You cannot hope to outgrow me, Merlin.

Merlin grumbled in displeasure and Aithusa continued to laugh, but then she returned to her original point. Everything will be alright, Merlin. We will not allow your beloved to be lost to Darkness.

He smiled. Thank you, Thusy, and thank you for taking us. We needed the speed of a dragon to get there. The deadline is tomorrow.

We will get there well befo – Aithusa had begun to reply to him, but Merlin felt her tense. I sense an evil presence! She cried.

“Morgause,” Merlin said darkly, looking around for any sign of the High Priestess, but all he could see were clouds and the land stretched out below them. Quickly, Aithusa! We need to get to the Cauldron as fast as we can!

Aithusa put on a burst of speed. That witch won’t catch up to me. No one can match the speed of a dragon! She said, and with that she shot off in the direction of the Cauldron of Arianrhod.

After that, Merlin didn’t relax until they’d landed at their destination.

The Cauldron was much like Elaine had described it to him: A body of water surrounded by rocky terrain and cliffs, with small bits of green grass was growing here and there. Merlin wished he had more time to appreciate the scenery, but with their earlier scare from Morgause, he didn’t have the time.

He untied the sleeping Morgana and Walter from Aithusa’s back. The dragon lay on the ground, exhausted from the journey and the speed in which she’d flown to get them there so quickly. “Thank you, Thusy,” Merlin said sincerely as he used his magic to gently lower Walter and Morgana to the ground. “Rest now. Your job is done. You got us here ahead of Morgause. I will handle the rest.”

“I told you no one could match the speed of a dragon,” she said tiredly.

“It was a feat worthy of one of the Dracawine, Thusy. When we get home, I’ll make sure you get a few days of rest. You deserve it.”

“Three.”

Merlin laughed, “Three days off then.” Merlin then turned his attention to his two sleeping friends, frowning in thought. Did he undo the spell on both of them at the same time, or do them separately? Did he wait or do it now?

“I thought the Choice was not to be made until tomorrow?” Aithusa said.

“Morgause is forcing my hand,” Merlin replied, coming to a decision. “I need to do this now and get the spell off the both of them.”

“Is that wise?” The dragon asked. “If it has been foretold that Morgana will not make the Choice until tomorrow then maybe we should wait.”

“Kilgharrah’s special dragon power may be the gift of foresight, but he is not always right. It is like Morgana said: Kilgharrah’s word isn’t law. I can’t risk Morgause catching up to us; I need to do this now. And things foretold in prophecy don’t always come true, Thusy. Kilgharrah thought Morgana would be my worst enemy, yet she is the keeper of my heart and loyal to Camelot.”

“She may yet choose the Darkness, Merlin,” Aithusa said, a hint of warning was in her voice.

The warlock shook his head. “She won’t. I know she won’t.” Merlin raised a hand towards Walter and Morgana and said the spell to wake them: “Ic ácwice þé.”

Slowly, Morgana and Walter opened their eyes. Blinking and groaning, the pair sat up. They looked around trying to get their bearings.

“Merlin?” Morgana said, and Merlin was relieved to see that her eyes were their normal green. Morgana was alright. For now, Merlin thought.

“My Lord?” Asked Walter. “Where are we? What is going on?”

“You have been under the influence of Morgause,” Merlin explained. “If you go into the water, I can use its healing powers to cleanse you of her spells. But you must go in of your own will. I cannot force you. It must be your own choice.”

Morgana’s eyes widened, obviously piecing it together like Merlin had. “Merlin, where are we? What day is it?!”

“It is alright, love. You haven’t missed the day of the Choice. I am just doing it a little earlier. Morgause is after us. I’m sorry, but we have no time. The Choice must be made now.”

To his horror, Morgana’s eyes flickered to dark. “Does it, Emrys?” Morgana was once again talking in the sinister tone she spoke in when influence by the Darkness.

Merlin’s heart sank, but he looked at her evenly, “Yes, Morgana. It has to be now, and I know that inside you, you want to make the right choice.”

Whatever Morgana was going to say in reply was interrupted by a fierce wind buffeting them all. The winds subsided and Morgause stood before them. The Priestess looked tired, like the teleportation spell had taken a lot out of her, and she looked surprised at seeing Morgana there, but she glared at Merlin before walking over to them.

Merlin didn’t respond, he just turned to Morgana hurriedly and said, “Morgana, listen to me. I know you’re in there. I know you’ll make the right choice.”

“What are you doing with Morgana?!” Demanded Morgause as she reached them.

Merlin glared at her, “Undoing what you did to her!” He turned back to Morgana, “Listen to me, Morgana. I know you don’t want to do what the Darkness is telling you to.”

Morgana didn’t reply, she just put her head in her hands and groaned as Light and Dark waged war inside her.

“And who are you to know the mind of my sister, Emrys?” Morgause said.

Aithusa gave a low roar and bared her teeth. Merlin stood protectively in front of Morgana and Walter and Aithusa wrapped her tail protectively around Merlin. “Who are you to know the mind of Morgana?!” He shot back. “You don’t know her. She knows nothing of you, except for what she has learnt about you in the past few days, and let me tell you – you’ve made a poor impression.”

“She is my sister! I love her!”

“Well you’ve got a funny way of showing it!”

“I’m not leaving here without my sister, Emrys.” Morgause glared at him; her voice was threatening.

“And I’m not letting you take Morgana,” he replied in the same dark tone.

“I had originally come here for Walter and to destroy you, but my sister is far more important. She will come with me.”

Merlin shook his head at her, “You know nothing of Morgana. She is kind and loving. You have nothing but hatred inside of you. She will not go with you. She wouldn’t want to. You want to force her to come with you, but that will just make her hate you all the more. Morgana wouldn’t want to be controlled. She would despise you for taking her freedom away.”

“What freedom?! There is no freedom for our kind in Uther’s lands.”

“Freedom of choice, for one thing!” Merlin shouted at her. “Something you have tried to take away from her with the dark magic you have used on her! You’re magic is converting her to the Darkness so there isn’t a Choice at all!”

“Better her to be with me than under the tyranny of Uther.”

“You would have her trade one tyrant for another.”

“I am nothing like that murderer.”

“Your actions say otherwise.”

With a shout, Morgause shot a spell in Merlin’s direction. He blocked it easily and Aithusa swiped her tail at the High Priestess, knocking Morgause’s feet out from under her. While she was distracted, Merlin projected his thoughts to Walter, who until then had been sitting on the ground by Morgana and watching their exchange with wide, terrified eyes. Go into the water while she’s distracted, Walter! She doesn’t have control of you right now; you can do it of your own free will! Merlin thought to him urgently, and he could tell by the surprised sound that the messenger made that Walter had heard him. I can release you from her control! Quickly! Or she’ll use you against us!

Merlin didn’t know how Morgause could use Walter, but seeing as though he was sitting by a distraught Morgana who still had her head in her hands and was groaning as she sat on the ground, he didn’t want to risk a Morgause-controlled Walter doing anything to her.

The messenger stood up and hurried to the water, just as Morgause was struggling to her feet. She saw what Walter was doing and shouted, “No!” She raised her hand in Walter’s direction, and went to chant in the Old Tongue, but was interrupted as Aithusa sent a jet of fire in her direction. Walter safely made it to the water and while Aithusa launched herself at Morgause and distracted the High Priestess, he raised his hands towards Walter and summoned the White Goddess. “Yfel gæst ga þu fram þisse lichaman. Biþ hire mod eft freo. Ar ond heofontungol sceal þurhswiþan!"

Walter was suddenly bathed in a bright golden light. The glow faded and Walter was left standing dazed in the water, but he got a hold of himself and sent a wide grin to Merlin. “Thank you, sire!” He called, and began to walk back to the shore. He was reluctant though, now very aware that he was caught in a battle between two very powerful sorcerers and a dragon.

“Go hide!” He shouted back, and saw Walter get out of the water and run for cover.

“No!” Morgause shouted again as she dodged another attack from Aithusa. The dragon had Morgause on the defensive, and the Priestess was unable to get any decent shots in as she had to devote her time to not being burnt to a crisp by Aithusa’s flames, or ripped to shreds by her talons.

As Aithusa kept Morgause occupied, Merlin focused on Morgana. He crouched down so that he was on her level. “Morgana, Morgana please listen to me,” he said softly, reaching out to gently pull Morgana’s hands away from her face. Morgana’s eyes were flashing from green to black and tears were streaming from them. “I know you can hear me, love. I know you’re in there, and I know you’re fighting it. But you’re going to have to fight it a little more.”

“You’re so pitiful, Emrys,” Morgana snarled, “So convinced that the Lady Morgana is good. But she is gone. The lady you know is gone – no! Merlin! I’m here! I’m fighting it! But I’m tired. So tired. It hurts – Her will is fading! She will belong to the Darkness. The Darkness is me. I embrace the shadows. I am Cwalu!”

Merlin took her by the shoulders, “This isn’t you, Morgana! Fight it! You can –“

But Merlin was cut off by a loud painful roar from Aithusa. He stood and spun quickly to see Morgause pull a blade out of Aithusa’s front left leg. Merlin hadn’t even realised that Morgause had had a knife in the first place. Blood flowed from the wound and Aithusa roared in pain, sending a stream of fire at Morgause. The sorceress wore a savage grin, proud to have hurt Aithusa, but immediately had to go back on the defensive to safe herself from being burnt.

“Aithusa!” Merlin shouted in concern.

“I am fine!” She shouted back at him. “Focus on the next Queen of Dragons!”

Merlin wanted to help his friend, but he followed her advice and turned back to Morgana, crouching back down so he was once again on her level. “Morgana, I can help you. If you go into the water, I can take Morgause’s spell of you. This is the Choice, my love. We’re doing it earlier than Kilgharrah said, but we have no other option. You have to choose to go in there. I can’t force you. It has to be you.”

“Don’t listen to whatever he says, Sister!” Morgause called as she sent a spell at Aithusa. The dragon dodged it by launching herself in the air, sending another torrent of flames in Morgause’s direction as she did.

“There is nothing for you back in Camelot!” Morgause continued. “Only Uther’s tyranny and fear! Where our kind is persecuted and sent to our deaths! There is nothing for you there! Just fear and rage and sadness as you wait for you magic to be found out and for you to be sent to your death!”

“Your friends are in Camelot, Morgana,” Merlin said. “We will look after you. Uther won’t find out anything. You just have to trust us. Trust me.”

“No, sister!” Morgause shouted, and Merlin turned to see her running towards them. But before she could get close, Aithusa’s tail wrapped around Morgause’s body. Aithusa lifted the Priestess as high as her tail could reach, ignoring Morgause’s screams of protest, and then slammed her hard into the ground. The rocks cracked under the force of Aithusa’s attack and Morgause lay face down on the ground, unmoving.

Seeing that Morgause was out of commission for the time being, Aithusa turned to Merlin. “Convince her, Merlin. My strength is waning. The Priestess will rise soon enough. We must finish this now.”

Merlin eyed her stab wound. It was incredible that Morgause had even managed to land a hit on Aithusa, let alone the serious stab wound that she’d inflicted on his dragon. Aithusa must have been more wearied from flying them here than she let on. Merlin felt a rush of anger go through him. Morgause would pay for hurting his dragon friend.

“Focus on, Morgana, my little dragonling,” Aithusa said.

He did just that. He turned back to Morgana, took her by the shoulders once more and said, “Morgause is right. I can’t say that going back to Camelot – that following the Path of Light – will be without pain, suffering, rage or sadness, because that just happens in life sometimes. But you will have Arthur, Gwen and I there to help you. We’re your friends, your family. It’s the people that love you which get you through the hard times. We all look after each other. Nothing will happen to you, I promise. But I need you to come back to us, Morgana. I need you to come back to me. Because I love you and I need you beside me.”

Merlin’s voice began to crack as he was overcome with emotion. He couldn’t lose Morgana to the Darkness. He couldn’t. He gently cupped her cheek with his right hand. “Come back to us, Morgana. It’s okay if you feel grey: neither one nor the other. We all have good and bad inside of us. You just need someone to lean on when things get tough and things get dark. We can help you. I can help you. You don’t have to do it alone. Just come back to us.”

Merlin shut his eyes and bowed his head, trying to compose himself. But they flew back open when a warm hand covered his own. Merlin’s head shot back up and he found himself staring at a clear, green-eyed Morgana. She was holding his hand to her face and tears continued to stream down her cheeks, but she gave him a weak smile. “I never left you, Merlin. I just got push off the Path of Light for a small while.”

“Morgana,” he said in awe, breaking out in a wide smile.

“Help me stand,” she said. “I can only control it for so long.”

Merlin did as she asked and helped her towards the water. As they reached the shoreline, Aithusa’s voice stopped them: “You’re not going anywhere, witch!”

They turned to see Morgause pinned to the ground by Aithusa’s tail. Try as she might, the High Priestess could move out from underneath it. Morgause raised a shaking arm in Morgana’s direction, but it wasn’t in an attacking fashion. It seemed like she was more entreating her sister than going to cast a spell. “Sister, please,” she said weakly. “The Choice – Darkness will give you freedom. Protection. The power to bring Camelot and all those who have wrong us to their knees.”

Morgana shut her eyes, as if composing herself before she replied. When she opened them, Merlin was relieved to see they were still their normal green. “I am Morgana Pendragon,” she said, and Merlin was surprised at her declaration. It was the first time that Morgana had referred to herself as a Pendragon. “Camelot is my home. I don’t wish to see it destroyed, I want to see it flourish. And it will when Arthur is King. Magic will return, as it is destined, and I will be right there when it does. You say that you are my sister and that you care for me, but your actions say the opposite. You tried to poison my mind and turn me away from my friends. You tried to hurt the ones I love. I cannot forgive you for that.”

“Sister, please,” Morgause implored, though she looked surprised at Morgana calling herself a Pendragon.

“I told you before,” Morgana went on, “There is no choice at all. I will always choose Merlin and the Path of Light. I will always choose my friends. Just because I have darkness within me doesn’t mean I’m unable to walk in the Light. Destiny says my fate was to be in the shadows. But neither destiny nor you can tell me what my fate is! I decide which Path to follow, and I have chosen the Path of Light!”

With that, she stepped into the water. Morgause was shouting protests behind her, but she paid them no mind. Morgana waded out into the water until it was up to her waist and then she turned back to Merlin. “Do it, Merlin!”

Merlin raised his hands in her direction, “Yfel gæst ga þu fram þisse lichaman. Biþ hire mod eft freo. Ar ond heofontungol sceal þurhswiþan!" He shouted, once again calling on the White Goddess.

“NO!” Morgause screamed as Merlin said the spell, but there was nothing she could so. The magic was cast.

Morgana was covered in the golden light of the White Goddess. The light stayed on her far longer than it did Walter, but Merlin presumed this was because Morgana’s spell was far more complicated than that of the messenger’s. When the light finally faded, Morgana stood beaming in the water before she started hurrying back to the shore.

“Merlin!” She shouted ecstatically as she clambered out of the water, dripping wet, and ran at him. He opened his arms for her and she flew into them, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him to her. She then took his face in her hands and pulled him in for a searing kiss. Merlin was nearly laughing with joy as he held her. Morgana was back. She was okay, she’d made the Choice. She was okay and in his arms and definitely not trying to kill him.

She pulled away from him and turned to face Morgause, who was still pinned down under Aithusa’s tail. “Leave here, Morgause,” she said. “I will not go with you. You following us here was in vain.”

“Aithusa, let her up,” Merlin said.

Aithusa let out a grunt of displeasure at that suggestion, but she did as he asked. She lifted her tail and Morgause was able to move again. The sorceress composed herself on the ground for a few seconds before struggling to her feet. She had blood pouring down her face from a wound on her forehead and disappointment was in her eyes. “You would choose him over me, Sister?”

“Always. You have not acted like family towards me. I do not recognise you as my sister. Leave.”

Morgause glared at them and wiped at the blood that was trickling down her face, but all she did was smear it and make her look even more sinister than she already did. “So be it,” she said. “If you stand with those in the Light, then you too will be destroyed by Darkness.” She turned to Merlin, “You have wrecked my throne room, cleansed my spy of my control and taken my sister from me, Merlin Ambrosius. You will regret that. This rebellion of yours cannot go unpunished. If it is war you want, little prince, it is war you shall get! We fill finish this on the battlefield!” Morgause looked like she could barely stand, but she shouted, “Bedyrne mé! Astýre mé þanonweard!” and disappeared in a gust of wind.

Merlin felt himself relax once Morgause had disappeared, but he still felt uneasy. She had just declared war on them. They were already at war, but Morgause wanted a full blown battle. Nothing like the small skirmishes and raids that had happened recently. He had to return to his Father and warn him, but first –

“Let me heal you, Thusy,” he said, approaching the dragon.

“You will do no such thing,” she replied. “I will heal fine. You’ve used up too much magic this afternoon, calling on the Goddess twice!”

“You’ve lost too much blood!” He protested.

“I will be alright!”

 “Aithusa!” Merlin groaned in frustration. He didn’t want to admit that she was right. Calling on the goddess had taken more out of him than he had realised, but he would be damned if he didn’t heal Aithusa.

 “My Lord?” Walter said, approaching them. Merlin was glad to see he was alright. He had barely seen him after he had told him to go and hide.

“There you are, Walter,” Merlin said. “Are you feeling better?

“Incredibly so, sire, and perhaps Aithusa would benefit from the healing waters of the Cauldron as well?” Walter suggested. “I felt both free of Morgause’s magic and my energy was completely restored after I went in the waters.”

“I’m fine,” Aithusa said stubbornly.

“We don’t have time for this, Thusy!” Merlin said. “We need to get back to Dracona as soon as possible. Morgause wants to fight us in open battle. My father needs to be notified. So please, get into the water so I can heal you and we can leave.”

For a moment Merlin thought Aithusa was going to protest further, but she turned and water into the waters of the Cauldron, muttering about idiotic princes as she went. Merlin drew on the remainder of his energy and once more called out to the Goddess, his voice building up with power as he spoke the long incantation: “Yfel gæst ga þu fram þisse lichaman. Biþ hire mod eft freo. Ar ond heofontungol sceal þurhswiþan!"

The same glow that had healed Walter and Morgana surrounded Aithusa. Merlin collapsed to his knees as soon as he had cast the spell, utterly spent. The light faded and Aithusa got out of the water. “That was reckless, Merlin,” she said as she approached him. “I would have been fine. You shouldn’t have used so much magic.”

His fatigue was setting in. Summoning the White Goddess for the third time had used up the last of his energy. “… Had to … take care of … you Thusy,” he mumbled. “Had to … look after you … all.”

Merlin’s eyelids drooped. He had the vague notion of Aithusa catching him with her tail as he fell forward, and he did hear Walter and Morgana calling his name, but he couldn’t reply. He was lost to his magical exhaustion and in seconds Merlin had drifted into the world of sleep.

Chapter Text

"Since beginningless time, Darkness thrives in the void. But always yields to purifying Light."
- The Lion Turtle, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Sozin's Comet, Part Two: The Old Masters.

In his sleep, the White Goddess spoke to him.

He saw nothing in his dream; it was just an expense of blackness until a bright golden light appeared. Everything turned white before fading into a vision of the Cauldron. It was as if he and his friends had never arrived there at all. There was a calm sense of serenity. Nothing like the panicked and intense fight they had just had with Morgause.

My greetings to you, Emrys, a voice spoke in Merlin’s mind, yet he couldn’t see anyone.

He spun around, trying to find the speaker. Who is there? He projected his thoughts.

It is not often I am summoned three times in one day, the voice spoke with a trace of humour in her tone, before appearing in front of Merlin.

“The White Goddess,” He breathed out in awe and bowed low.

When the others – mainly Arthur and Gwaine – asked him about it later, Merlin couldn’t properly describe what the Goddess looked like. She was a being made entirely of light. It was impossible to tell what the colour of her hair, eyes, skin, or even the flowing dress she wore was. She simply glowed. Light that was a combination of gold and white. It was easy to see where the Goddess got her name.

“Rise, Prince Merlin,” the Goddess said in a clear, musical voice that was laced with power.

Merlin did as she bid and stood up. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “For allowing me to heal my friends.”

“Destiny has been decided here today, Emrys,” she replied. “I am happy to have helped Léoma be cleansed of the taint of Morgause’s darkness.”

“So that’s it then? The Choice has been made?” Merlin asked, hardly daring to hope that it was true.

“In the eyes of Destiny, the Choice has been made. Though I believe a certain prophetic dragon will demand an audience with Léoma upon your return to Dracona.”

“Kilgharrah,” Merlin mumbled in annoyance. “He always is so quick to think the worst of people.”

“The Great Dragon has his reasons, Emrys,” The White Goddess chided. “He, like all other creatures of the Old Religion and sorcerer and sorceress alike, is desperate for the return of magic and the creation of Albion. Kilgharrah was only doing what he thought was best.”

Merlin sighed, “I know you’re right. It’s just that…” He trailed off, not knowing how to put his annoyance into words.

“You do not wish to see your beloved judged so harshly,” she finished for him.

“Yes,” Merlin said. “That’s it exactly. I don’t care about people judging me. I just don’t want them to look down on Morgana.”

“Léoma is strong and courageous. She can handle it. As long as the two of you are together, there is nothing you cannot overcome.”

Merlin was about to reply when everything went dark once again. The next thing he knew he was opening his eyes and Morgana, Walter and Aithusa were leaning over him, calling his name.

“Wh- What?” He questioned croakily, sitting up with the support of Morgana and Walter.

“I woke you, Emrys, for it was time we spoke to your companions,” called the familiar voice of the White Goddess.

Everyone turned to see the Goddess hovering over the Cauldron. Merlin’s three companions gasped at the sight. Merlin’s support with sitting up was suddenly gone as Walter bowed, Morgana curtsied and Aithusa arched her neck and gracefully bowed her head in the ultimate form of a dragon’s respect towards the Goddess.

“My greetings to you all,” The Goddess said.

Aithusa raised her head and regarded the Goddess. “You honour us, O Bright One,” she said reverently.

“Hello, Aithusa Awendendness,” The White Goddess replied. “Long have I awaited meeting the dragon-friend of Emrys. Long have I awaited meeting all of you,” she said, regarding them all.

Merlin got to his feet as Morgana and Walter let out awed greetings back to the Goddess.

“What is it you wish of us, My Lady?” Morgana asked, seemingly overwhelmed at the fact the Goddess would want to talk to them.

“I come to give you tidings and warnings,” The White Goddess said gravely; all trace of the earlier humour in her voice was gone.

Everyone was immediately on edge. “What is it?” Merlin asked.

“The Dark Priestess Morgause has declared war on Dracona. This you know. She and her army will march upon the forces of Dracona and thousands will die in this final battle for the throne.”

“NO!” Chorused Merlin, Morgana, Walter and Aithusa.

“So Destiny has proclaimed,” the Goddess continued. “But Fate can be changed.”

“What can we do?” Aithusa asked.

“Emrys and Léoma, I shall give you each one spell. You should use them wisely.”

Merlin and Morgana instantly stood to attention when the Goddess mentioned their druidic names. Merlin felt a dark sense of foreboding come over him as the White Goddess addressed Morgana.

“Léoma,” the Goddess said. “You have powerful magic inside of you. You have the makings of a great healer. So I give this spell to you.” The Goddess raised her hand and a beam of golden light shot out from it and engulfed Morgana. When the glow faded, the Goddess went on. “Here at the Cauldron I am known as the White Goddess, but I am merely just one aspect of the Triple Goddess of the Old Religion. I name you, Morgana Pendragon, as one of my Priestesses. You are worthy to be one of my High Priestesses. You are Léoma. Embrace what that title means. You and Emrys are leaders within the magical community, so embrace the Old Religion. Do not let fear of Uther Pendragon hold you back. Do not let hatred or fear fester in your heart. You have Chosen the Light, yet Darkness is still within you, as it is within everyone. But Light will always prevail against the Darkness. Remember that.”

Morgana bowed her head. “You honour me,” she murmured, before looking back up at the Goddess. “Although my home is Camelot, and magic is not yet free, I promise I will do all I can to learn and study your ways.”

The White Goddess smiled at her, “You will do wonders. However, the healing spell I just gave you is powerful, so use it wisely. You will need it in the days to come. There is an innocent I would not see die upon that battlefield. You will know of whom I speak when the time comes.”

Morgana nodded and the Goddess turned her attention to Merlin. “As for you, Emrys … These next few days will test you. What I said to Léoma was as much for you benefit as it was for hers: Light will always prevail against the Darkness.”

Merlin’s sense of foreboding increased as the Goddess went on. “This final battle with Morgause will decide everything. You will be tested, you will be tried, of that there is no denying. Like Morgana has done today, you will face a hard choice. But this is the War of Kings, and only you can decide how it ends. So I give you this spell, Merlin Ambrosius, in the hopes that it will help you achieve your wanted outcome.” Once again, a beam of light shot out of the Goddesses hand, this time engulfing Merlin.

He was covered by its glow longer than Morgana was, and when it finally faded Merlin knew exactly what the Goddess wanted him to do; what the spell was designed for. The spell had also revitalised him. He no longer felt magically exhausted. “I understand,” he said to her. “Thank you.”

The White Goddess turned to Walter, “And you, Master Walter. I see the pain in your expression even if you try to hide it.”

Everyone turned to face the man in question. His awed expression at being addressed by the Goddess quickly turned into an anguished one. “I betrayed my country and my King,” he said with a quiver in his voice.

“Your actions were not your own,” she comforted him. “You were under the control of Morgause.”

“I tried to fight it!” Walter said, “But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. She was too powerful.”

Merlin, Morgana and Aithusa looked on with sympathy as tears began to stream down Walters face.

“Be at peace, Walter of Dracona,” said the Goddess. “You tried your hardest to fight against a power beyond your control.That in itself is a great feat and shows true loyalty. For that, you shall be rewarded.”

Walter gasped and began to argue that he wasn’t worth of anything, but the Goddess kept talking as if he hadn’t spoken. “You and your family shall receive the blessing of the Triple Goddess. From this day on, you shall be blessed with luck and you and your kin will no longer be able to be controlled by any Dark magic.”

“Th-th-thank you, My Lady,” Walter stuttered out, bowing low to her, before he too was bathed in the golden light of the Goddess’s blessing.

When the light faded, the White Goddess smiled at him and turned to Aithusa. “What to give a dragon?” She mused.

Aithusa once again bowed her head. “I need nothing, My Lady. I have already been healed in the waters of your Cauldron. I have the strength back to protect my Prince and his friends. That is all I could ask for.”

The White Goddess chuckled. “You are indeed worthy of being one of the Dracawine, Light Of The Sun.”

Aithusa raised her head. “Being of the Dracawine is an honour amongst my kind. It is an honour to protect the royal family of Dracona. Prince Merlin is my best friend. I am happy with my lot in life, O Bright One. There is nothing I could ask of you.”

“And yet I shall give you something all the same,” the Goddess replied. “You are a dragon with fearsome power and the gift to transform. I shall bestow you with even more power, Aithusa Awendendness. With this blessing of the Triple Goddess your scales will forevermore be twice as hard, your breath of flames twice as hot, your claws and fangs twice as sharp, and you shall have the strength and endurance of the oldest of the elder dragons. You say you wish nothing of me, but I hope you take this blessing and go forth as the most powerful of the Dracawine.”

For the final time, the glow of the Goddess’s blessing lit up the area of the Cauldron. When it finally faded, Aithusa once again bowed to the White Goddess. “You honour me,” the dragon said humbly. “I thank you.”

The White Goddess smiled at them all. “This is where I leave you,” she said. “Remember: Darkness always yields to Light and beware of Morgause’s power over blood.”

They all bowed once again to the Goddess. “Thank you,” Merlin said once more, which his companions chiming in with their own thanks just a second behind him.

 The White Goddess nodded her head in acknowledgement and in a bright flash of light, she was gone.

They all turned to face each other; all unsure how to continue after the awe-inspiring fact that they’d just spoken with a goddess. It was Morgana who finally broke their dazed stupor. She walked forwards and pulled Merlin in for a hug. They said nothing; they just clung to one another.

Finally, she pulled away from him, but she still stood in the circle of his arms. A soft smile graced for face and she said, “Let’s go home, Merlin.”

Merlin looked from her to Walter and finally to Aithusa. Yes. Home. There were things to do. A battle needed preparing for and their friends needed to know that they were all okay. Yes. Home. It was time to go home.

He leant in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

“Okay,” he said as he pulled away. “Let’s go home.”

No one said a word as they flew back to Dracona. It was only when Aithusa started slowing down that Morgana broke the silence. “Are we there already?”

Merlin laughed, “Well we are riding a dragon.”

With the White Goddess’s blessing, Aithusa was faster than she had ever been before. Their return trip from the Cauldron of Arianrhod seemed to take no time at all.

Morgana just rolled her eyes at him. “Merlin,” she said, sounding very much like Arthur in that moment.

“Alright,” Merlin said, with laughter still in his voice. “We’re nearly there. We’re just approaching the wards of the Kingsguard. I have to ask permission to go through.”

“Even you, the Prince?”

“It is wartime, My Lady,” Walter spoke up. “There can be no exceptions.”

Ahead of them were the translucent shields that surrounded the Dragon Caves. Morgana was impressed that they spread so high into the sky. It must take incredible magical power.

Aithusa slowed and stopped just in front of the shields, flapping her wings to keep them aloft as Merlin began a complex spell: “Strang bordweall tó sé bregu cwéman álíefan mé tó gefælsian.” His eyes flashed gold as he finished the spell and after a few moments he smiled and said, “We can go through.”

Aithusa flew on and continued her descent. In a matter of minutes, they were landing by the Réonian Falls, where all their friends were waiting anxiously for their arrival.

Arthur and Gwen were the first two to come racing towards them once Aithusa landed. “Merlin! Morgana!” They cried joyously, as they were followed by Elaine, the King and Queen and Walter’s wife, Margaret, who was being helped along by Gwaine.

Merlin, Morgana and Walter all dismounted off Aithusa and were immediately engulfed by their friends. There was a loud babble of voice as everyone all talked over one another, all asking about what happened and if everyone was alright. Eventually it was the voice of King Balinor who silenced everyone and addressed the Crown Prince, “Are you alright, son?”

Merlin beamed at them all and gently pulled Morgana to his side. “The Choice has been made,” he announced and looked at Morgana to continue.

“I follow the Path of Light,” she finished.

Everyone cheered and once the noise had died down, Merlin went on. “Both Morgana and Walter have been cleansed of Morgause’s influence.”

The group once again cheered jubilantly and then looked on with fond smiles as Margaret fussed over her husband. Walter was doing much the same to his wife: anxiously looking her over to see if she was alright. The couple has tears in their eyes as they regarded one another. They had both suffered at Morgause’s hand, but they had survived.

Merlin turned back to his Father, a grave expression now on his face. “I have much to tell you,” he said. “And not all of it is good news.”

The King nodded, looking equally serious, “We too are the bearers of bad news. Come. We will continue this in the Dragon Caves.”

“Wait,” Merlin said, holding up a hand to stop everyone. “There’s one more thing we need to do while we’re out here.”

Morgana stood just apart from everyone while she spoke to the Great Dragon. They all stood behind her as silent support as she talked to the dragon that seemed to hate her for so long. But Morgana stood ahead of them as she and Kilgharrah spoke. This was a conversation they needed to have on their own.

It seemed like Merlin was always the one arguing with the dragon on her behalf. Now, Morgana was determined to end the animosity between her and the Great Dragon herself. Or at least – she would give Kilgharrah an earful about how upset she was with him.

“And what have you chosen, witch?” Kilgharrah asked.

Morgana raised her chin proudly. “I have Chosen the Light, as I said I would,” she told him. “And I have been named one of the Triple Goddess’s High Priestesses. If you are to call me anything, call me a High Priestess, not ‘witch’ – a term you deliver with much disrespect. I don’t know what I have done to wrong you, Great Dragon, but I have proven that I am a friend to Merlin, Arthur and all those who follow the Old Religion and wait for the creation of Albion.”

Kilgharrah went to reply, but Morgana cut him off. She heard murmuring coming from behind her and idly wondered if it was considered disrespectful to interrupt a dragon. They were beings of great wisdom and power and should be respected. But it wasn’t until she was standing in front of the Great Dragon that she realised exactly how much she was angry at and had been hurt by Kilgharrah’s insistence that she would turn evil. Morgana decided to let him know just how angry she was.

“No, you do not get to speak!” She shouted at him. “You destroyed my home, you killed hundreds of people from Camelot and yet you have the audacity to call me the evil one! You judged me on prophecies! Prophecies! Not even my own actions! You cautioned Merlin away from me just because of what could have happened in the future! How are you to know that it was not your actions of influencing Merlin that would lead to my supposed following of the Path of Darkness?! You know nothing of who I am, Kilgharrah, and yet you presume to know everything! You claim to have the sight, but you are nothing but blind! Blind to those who have done nothing to warrant your hatred yet you scorn them anyway – like Mordred! He and I apparently stand in the way of destiny so you brush us aside before we have even done anything to deserve it! If we ever will!”

Morgana was aware of the dead silence of her companions as she shouted at the dragon, but she disregarded it. All that mattered was standing up for herself and getting that infuriating dragon to see that she wasn’t the enemy. “I am Morgana Pendragon,” she said. “Léoma of the Prophecies, High Priestess of the Triple Goddess and sister of Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King! I will have your respect, Great Dragon, for I am undeserving of your hatred!” Morgana’s chest was heaving by the time she’d finished ranting, but she stared at Kilgharrah, silently daring him to even say one word against her. However, she was surprised by what happened next.

Instead of replying, the Great Dragon bowed his head at her, humbling himself in a show of respect that Morgana had only seen dragons do to the royal family of Dracona or the White Goddess herself. “I have wronged you, High Priestess,” the dragon said, a tone of respect in his voice that Morgana had never heard addressed to her before. “You are correct. I have judged you too harshly on actions you did not even commit. I was so focused on the realisation of Albion that I disregarded any who may have stood in its way. If you would have them, I give you my most humble apologies.”

For a second, Morgana stood gaping at the Great Dragon. She was not expecting that response. She was still angry at the creature, and she knew it would take time for her to completely forgive Kilgharrah for his actions. But she collected herself, graciously nodded and said, “Of course. I hope we can move past this for the sake of our friends and for Albion. Animosity between us helps no one and just gives Darkness the upper hand.”

“You speak wisely, young witch,” Kilgharrah said, and for the first time there was no disrespect in his voice as he called her such. “You are right. I was blinded, but now I am able to see clearly, and I don’t even need to see the future to see that you will make a fine Queen of Dragons.”

With that, he bowed once again to her and the others and took to the skies. Morgana was expecting that, however. She knew that Kilgharrah was one for abrupt departures. Though it was a nice feeling knowing that she was making progress with him. A fine Queen of Dragons, she repeated to herself. I certainly hope so.

She turned to go walk back to where the others were standing and stopped as she took in their expressions. They all seemed dumbfounded. Even the normally calm and collected King, Queen and Elaine were all staring at her in wonder. “What is it?” She asked as she approached the group.

“You – you – you just shouted at the dragon!” Arthur said in amazement.

“Should I not have done that? Is that not allowed?” Morgana asked, looking around at the Draconians.

“Well, there’s no law against it – it’s just – well – no one shouts at Kilgharrah,” Merlin said. He was staring at her with an expression nothing short of awe.

“In all my years, I have never seen a dragon bow like that to anyone who wasn’t a dragonlord or a part of the House of Ambrosius,” King Balinor added.

“It really was quite remarkable, My Lady,” Gwen put in.

Morgana didn’t think it was that impressive. All she had done was yell. She was quite accustomed to yelling and calling people out on their failings – she had grown up with Arthur, after all – but she just nodded at their praise. She then put on her best Morgana smirk and said, “Well, now that’s all finished, don’t we have some important discussions to get to?”

Morgana watched as Merlin reported to his father, giving small inputs every now and then when Merlin forgot a detail.

They were now back in the Dragon Caves and Merlin was giving a description of their confrontation with Morgause to the King and their friends. Morgana noticed that he tried to downplay it as much as possible, but no one seemed to be fooled. They all knew Merlin too well to believe that it wasn’t as serious as he made it out to be. Morgana knew that Merlin was doing it to make sure that the others weren’t that worried, but he was an idiot if he thought they believed that their fight with Morgause was ‘not that bad’.

An idiot, Morgana thought idly. I’m beginning to sound like Arthur.

Queen Hunith also insisted that they all be checked over by the Court Physician. Merlin had tried to argue that they’d been healed by a goddess, but Hunith was having none of it. The Queen wasn’t relieved until Joan had checked them all over and decreed that they were fine.

Walter had also reported to the King and had been checked over by Joan. He and Margaret had been dismissed to go and spend time with one another, but not before the King and Queen had thanked them for their loyalty and promised that they would be rewarded for remaining faithful to the Crown.

Aithusa, too, had left. She’d given a report to the king and then went to go and speak to the leader of the Dracawine about what exactly had happened at the Cauldron and the blessing that the Goddess had given her. She did, however, promise to re-join them later.

No one had been surprised when Merlin mentioned that Morgause intended to face them in battle. “She has already sent us a declaration of war,” Balinor told Merlin and Morgana. “It arrived shortly before you returned.”

“We’re already at war,” Gwaine said.

“Yes, but I believe my sister wants to finish it,” Elaine put in.

“We’ve had nothing but skirmishes so far,” Balinor said. “By facing them in open battle we run the risk of the Blessing of Dracona helping their sorcerers as much as ours.”

Morgana frowned at the unfamiliar term. The Blessing of Dracona. But then her mind flashed back to when they’d first arrived in Merlin’s home kingdom. People’s magic is stronger within our boarders, which works both for our benefit and against it, Merlin had said. Of course they would be hesitant going up against other sorcerers. The magic of the land didn’t discriminate. It gave its Blessing to anyone, regardless if they used it for good or evil.

“That is a risk we have to take,” said Hunith.

“Our magic users are strong,” Elaine said. “With the Blessing on our side, we can overcome Morgause’s forces even if they’re backing by the same magic enhancer.”

Morgana was surprised that she, the Queen, Elaine and Gwen were allowed to join in what was quickly becoming a war council. In Camelot only the men were the ones allowed to advise the King.

“Is there any way to get rid of the Blessing?” Arthur asked.

“Yes,” Gwen said. “If the land doesn’t give either side a boost in their magic than the battle would be decided by their skill alone.”

Everyone bar Merlin and Morgana shook their heads at the suggestion.

“No,” Balinor answered.

“Yes,” Merlin said at the same time.

Everyone turned to him in shock. Elaine looked especially surprised at Merlin’s response. “The Blessing has been a part of Dracona for centuries. I’ve taught you this, my young master,” the Court Sorceress said. “We can’t just make it disappear.”

“Leave it to me,” Merlin replied, sounding determined.

“Son, what you’re proposing is impossible,” Balinor said. “It can’t be done.”

For a second Morgana could have sworn Merlin’s eyes flashed gold. “I can do it,” he said.

Morgana thought back to their encounter with the White Goddess at the Cauldron of Arianrhod. The Goddess had gifted Merlin with a spell. I understand, he had said after receiving the enchantment. Merlin hadn’t told Morgana what the spell entailed, but if Merlin was this determined, then Morgana figured it had something to do with the Blessing of Dracona.

Morgana was confident in Merlin’s abilities, but that didn’t stop the little bit of worry starting to bloom in her chest. If Merlin had a plan that he didn’t want to share, then that meant it was probably dangerous and he didn’t want to worry them. Much like how he tried to make their confrontation with Morgause less than it was.

However, before anyone could respond to Merlin they were interrupted by the sound of fast approaching footsteps and a young page boy appeared. The boy stopped in the entrance way of the cavern they were in and waited to be beckoned forward. Seeing the sight made Morgana smile. There was no way the page could respectfully knock before being bid to enter like they all did in Camelot. Here in the Dragon Caves they simply had to wait.

“Thomas,” the King greeted, beckoning him forward.

The boy couldn’t have been more than nine years old. He had a head of unruly blonde curls and bright, inquisitive eyes. He was short and thin and all but scurried to the King to deliver his message.

“What is it?” Balinor asked kindly.

“Sir Bors of the Kingsguard sent me to tell Your Majesties that druids have begun arriving just outside the wards,” Thomas reported dutifully. “He asked whether or not to let them pass.”

“That has to be Mordred’s camp!” Morgana said delightedly, happy to be able to see the young druid again.

“The young druid boy you’ve told us about?” Hunith asked.

“Yes,” Merlin answered. “His people promised to help us against Blackwood – well, Morgause now. They said they would help as healers.”

“That would be exceptionally helpful in the battle that is to come,” said Elaine.

Merlin nodded, “They won’t fight. That’s not their way, but the druids are incredible healers.”

“Then we will go and meet them,” Balinor said.

Everyone sprang into action at the Kings words. Balinor and Hunith walked out of the cave they were in and everyone hurried to follow after their abrupt departure. As excited as she was to see Mordred again, Morgana still had a few questions that needed answering. So she dawdled at the back of the group and at the first chance she got, she pulled Merlin, unnoticed by the others, into an alcove in the wall of the cavern they were in.

“Morgana, wha-“ Merlin began to say, but she covered her mouth with her hand. When she was satisfied he wouldn’t make any loud noises, she withdrew her hand. “What is it with you and alcoves?” He asked her in a low voice.

Morgana disregarded him, “What are you planning about the Blessing of Dracona? I know it has something to do with the spell the Goddess gave you. What is it?”

“Morgana, do we have to do this now?”

“Yes, otherwise you’re going to go off on your own and do something stupid.”

“Oh, hello Arthur,” Merlin grumbled.

“I mean it, Merlin,” Morgana insisted. “What are you planning?”

“I don’t have a plan yet,” he said. “I just know that the Blessing isn’t going to be a problem. You’re right in guessing that that’s what the Goddess gave me, but I don’t have a plan. I never really have plans. I just kind of go with it.”

“And that’s the ‘go off on your own and do something stupid’ thing.”

“Hey!” He said indignantly.

“Really, Merlin, tell me one time you saved Camelot which didn’t involve you risking your life.”

“I wouldn’t call that stupid,” he argued.

“I would.”

“Morgana, it’s fine-“

“-No it’s not!” She cried, clutching at his shirt. “It’s not! First you send us away to battle Morgause on your own in the castle and now you’re trying to go off on your own again! Do you know how worried I was waiting for you to get back?! I admit that as soon as you did I turned into some deranged Morgause-influence lunatic. You touching me set it all off, but do you know what it was like before you got there?! I didn’t know if you were alive or dead! I don’t want to go through that again. You don’t have to do things on your own. Let me help you.”

“Morgana,” Merlin said, but didn’t say anything more. It looked like he didn’t know what to say.

Morgana sounded both upset and angry as she relived her distress of being sent back to the Dragon Caves when they’d gone to rescue Lancelot. “Don’t ever send me away like that again!” She said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “I can help you, Merlin. You don’t need to do everything alone.”

It was then that Morgana realised exactly how close they were standing to one another. The little nook she had dragged Merlin into wasn’t very spacious. She had the urge to reach up and kiss him, but she disregarded that and went on. She was there to make a point, not get distracted. “And if you ever send me away again, I’ll learn the teleportation spell just so I can come straight back!”

“Okay, Morgana,” Merlin said. “I won’t send you away.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise. Unless the situation is absolutely life threatening, I won’t send you away.”

“Merlin,” she said, exasperated.

He shook his head, “No. It’s that or nothing. I can’t lose you either, Morgana. I know what that feels like. I nearly lost you to Morgause. I don’t want to go through that again, either. I love you too much for that.”

A silence followed his words. Morgana’s eyes drifted to his lips and then flicked back up to his eyes. “Merlin,” she said again, but like him earlier, she didn’t know how to finish her sentence.

They just stood there, looking at one another, the tension between them building until it broke and she was kissing him … Or he was kissing her. Morgana didn’t know who started it. They’d both just rushed at each other at the same time.

Morgana realised that still had Merlin’s shirt clutched in her hand. She let go and reached up to bury her hands in his hair as Merlin trailed kisses down her neck, giving Morgana shivers.  She heard him murmur a spell and felt a rush of magic and she pulled back. “What-“ She began.

“Illusion and silence spell,” Merlin replied, his voice husky and low. “No one will see or hear us here now.”

“You shouldn’t have done that,” she said, giving him her best Morgana smirk.

“Why not?”

She pushed him up against the wall of the alcove. She leant in so she was so close she could feel his breath. “Because now there’s nothing to make me stop.”

“We can stop if you want to. I mean, I don’t want to push you into anything; I just didn’t want to get caught in a compromising position. But if you want to stop-”

“-Who said anything about stopping?”

“You did. Just then-“

“- Shut up and kiss me, Merlin.”

He laughed and complied with her orders. Their lips met and Morgana laced her arms around his neck and Merlin’s wrapped around her waist. The kiss was slow in comparison to their earlier ones and Morgana could feel Merlin smiling through it.

“What?” She asked with a laugh as she pulled away from him.

He shook his head. “It’s nothing. It’s just – you’re here. You’re okay. When that incomplete spell was on you, there was a short while where I wasn’t sure if you were going to be. I wasn’t sure if we’d be ever able to do this again.”

She took his face in her hands. “I’m fine, love, and everything’s going to be alright. We’re going to free your Kingdom from Morgause and we’re all going to be okay.”

“I know,” he said, smiling at her.

He leant in to kiss her again, but the moment was ruined by a loud “MERLIN!” echoing through the Dragon Caves. “Merlin! Where are you?!”

The pair of them froze. Only one person could shout like that.

“Arthur,” Morgana said.

Merlin sighed in frustration and stepped away from her. “That man has the worst timing.”

“Quick,” Morgana said. “Use magic and straighten our clothes. If Arthur catches us like this, it won’t matter if you are the Prince of Dracona. He’ll kill you.”

“You started it,” Merlin mumbled, but he did as she said and with a flash of his eyes, their clothes were back to normal. Leaving no trace of their passionate exchange.

As she fixed her hair, she said, “Now drop the illusion and sound spell and follow my lead.”

Merlin frowned, clearly wondering where Morgana was going with this, but he did as she asked. As soon as cancelled out the spell, Morgana started on him. “I don’t care what you say, Merlin, I’m coming with you!”

Merlin jumped in surprise at hearing her yell at him. “Morgana, wha-“ He began to ask, but cut himself up at Morgana’s pointed look. After a second, he understood her plan and sent her a mischievous grin. “Be reasonable Morgana,” he said, catching on.

“Don’t tell me to be reasonable!” She pretended to rage at him. “Just because you’ve got some half-baked idea-“

“-It’s not half baked-“

“-It certainly sounds like it!”

Morgana could tell that Merlin was struggling not to laugh, so she was thankful when Arthur came into view. The Prince of Camelot took one look at Merlin and Morgana wedged in the alcove and appearently angry at one another and rolled his eyes.

“Sorry to break up your little lovers quarrel,” he drawled. “But in case you forgot, we’ve got some druids to meet.”

Showing superb actioning skills, Morgana glared at Merlin and shoved him aside as she stepped out of the alcove. “We’ll talk about this later, Merlin,” she snapped and imperiously flicked her hair over her shoulder as she stalked away.

It wasn’t until she heard a “What did you do?!” come from behind her that she allowed herself to smile.

Thank the Goddess for Arthur’s obliviousness.

Chapter Text

"You're my knight in shimmering armour ... You shimmer and you glow."
- Bonnie, What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Aglain, Iseldir and Mordred were the druids that came to speak to them on behalf of the druid camp that had gathered outside of the wards.

After they had gone through the ceremony of formally welcoming the druids to Dracona, and the druids had pledged their allegiance to their cause, Morgana had let out a delighted “Mordred!” and engulfed the young boy in a hug, ultimately breaking the serious atmosphere that had built up around them.

“I am glad you have chosen the Light, Léoma,” he said.

She smiled at him and hugged him once more. “We will prove our destinies wrong,” she vowed. “We will follow the Light and we will be happy. I promise you that, Mordred.”

He merely gave her a smile in return.

Everyone chatted amongst themselves until the King spoke up. His face was serious and instantly the easy atmosphere was gone. Without even realising it, Morgana drew Mordred closer to her, as if to protect him.

“Come,” Balinor said, gesturing towards the Dragon Caves. “We have much to discuss.”

Morgana took Mordred’s hand in hers and together they followed the others towards the Dragon Caves.

It was time to have a war council.

Arthur felt hopelessly out of his depth. It was a feeling the Prince of Camelot didn’t appreciate.

He followed the others back into the Dragon Caves, keeping pace beside Merlin. Arthur was no stranger to war councils. He knew what it took to command and organise armies. It was what he had been studying since birth. But Arthur was finding that battles in Dracona where something entirely different than the ones in Camelot.

The King listed off instructions and information at a brisk pace as they walked. “I will give everyone a half hour to prepare. Elaine, gather the Kingsguard. I will call the Dracawine. Gwaine, you get the Captains of the Knights. I’ve sent word to Joan that she needs to start organising medical supplies. Aglain, Iseldir, and Mordred, I would appreciate if you would collaborate with Joan able the healing and infirmary of the army. As for weaponry, the blacksmiths are already working on making new weapons and armour. Merlin, you come with me.”

With that, everyone dispersed. Merlin had left with his Father, bidding Arthur, Gwen and Morgana a goodbye with a promise that he’d be back soon. The three from Camelot stood in the walkway of the Dragon Caves, wondering just what they should be doing. That was why Arthur felt out of his depth. Battle plans, he knew. Warfare, he knew. Swords, armour, and weapons, he knew. But throw magic and dragons into that mix and Arthur suddenly had no idea what he could do to help.

“You are troubled,” came a new voice.

They all turned to see Queen Hunith standing before them. Arthur was surprised. He was certain he saw her leave with the others. But there she was: standing there and giving them her kind and comforting smile.

“I wish to help,” Arthur said. “But warfare of magic and dragons … it is not one I have ever studied for.”

Hunith chuckled, “No. I don’t suppose you would have.”

“Then how can we help?” Gwen asked.

“Yes,” Morgana put in. “We promised Merlin we would help him reclaim his homeland and we intend to keep that promise. But the King didn’t give us any orders. What can we do that isn’t already being taken care of?”

The Queen of Dragons gave them a sympathetic look. “You must excuse my husband,” she said. “He did not mean to overlook you. He is simply preoccupied. Follow me, I have something that may interest you.”

Hunith turned and started walking away. Arthur, Gwen and Morgana exchanged looks before hurrying to catch up with her. “What is it?” Arthur asked.

The Queen didn’t reply. She simply led them further into the Dragon Caves. Eventually they arrived at their destination, which was revealed to be a forge. The air was filled with the sounds of metal being hammered and there was the smell of fires burning. Arthur saw a soft smile light up Gwen’s face. It must remind her of her home, he thought, looking at the blacksmith’s daughter.

The blacksmiths’ all stood to attention when the Queen entered the forge. She merely nodded at them with a smile and bid that they continue with their work. She then turned to Arthur, Morgana and Gwen. “I brought you here so that you may be fitted with Draconian armour,” she said.

They all looked at her in surprise. Arthur hadn’t been expecting that. “You honour me, My Lady,” he said, “But I already have armour.”

The Queen shook her head. “Yes, but you are going up against an army of sorcerers, Arthur. It is only fitting that you should have armour that repels magic.”

Arthur’s eyebrows rose, “Your armour can repel magic?”

“Yes, and it is also thinner than yours, but reinforced by magic to be just as strong. The lighter armour allows for better movement, as you know. So I implore you to get measured for your own set of armour.” She looked at Gwen and Morgana. “And I mean you ladies as well.”

“What?” Arthur said. “They’re not going to be-“

“- If you say that we’re not going to be fighting, Arthur Pendragon, I swear to the Triple Goddess I will slap you in the face!” Morgana growled.

“But-“ The Prince of Camelot tried.

“No, Arthur,” Gwen spoke up, looking determined. “We promised Merlin that we would help him reclaim Dracona. I intend to keep that promise. So I will fight.”

“But you’re-“

“-If you even try to bring up the fact that we’re women, I won’t just slap you in the face, I’ll punch you in the nose!” Morgana threatened.

“Here in Dracona we do not discriminate on gender,” the Queen said. “Those who are able and want to fight are allowed. Although I admit that men generally have more strength when it comes to sword fighting, we still allow women into our army ranks.”

 “Can all of your knights can use magic?” Morgana asked.

Hunith gave a small laugh, “Heavens no,” she said with a shake of her head. “Not everyone in Dracona has magic. As you know, I myself don’t have the gift. Our forces are made up of both magic and non-magic users.”

The Queen of Dragons looked at Gwen and Arthur. “I urge you to get fitted for armour. It will be most beneficial for the battle to come. And do not even think to try and give us anything for it. They are a gift for you.” Before either of them could protest, she turned to Morgana and said, “Morgana, if you would please come with me.”

Hunith said goodbye to the blacksmiths and left the forge. It seemed that Arthur and Gwen had little choice but to stay and get fitted. Morgana shrugged at them and with an “I’ll see you at the meeting”, she hurried after the Queen.

Arthur and Gwen were left on their own, but before either of them could comment on the abrupt exit of the Queen, a blacksmith came up to them.

“What can I do for you, My Lord? My Lady?”

Hunith led Morgana once again through the complex maze that was the Dragon Caves.

They arrived in a large cave, about the size of the Court Physician’s cave – not too small, but not ostentatiously large either. Like Gaius’s chambers in Camelot, it was filled with books and potions, but what struck Morgana the most was the feeling of magic that was present in the cave. Clearly magical items were all around the room: magic staffs leaning up against the walls, there was a cauldron that was stirring itself, old looking trunks were placed all around the room, books clearly about magic were stacked on the table that was in the middle of the room, one left open and displaying a language that Morgana didn’t understand. It was only when Elaine stood up to greet them that Morgana realised that they were in the chambers of the Court Sorceress.

“Hello Sister,” Elaine said.

“Elaine,” Morgana said, looking from her sister to the Queen and wondering just what was going on. “... What?”

Her sister and Hunith smiled at her. “I took Arthur and Gwen to be measured for armour,” the Queen said. “But Elaine and I had something special in mind for you.”

Elaine gestured to one of the many chests that were in her chambers and said a few words in the Old Tongue. The trunk opened and out floated numerous pieces of armour, which levitated towards them before dropping gently onto the table. “This was my old armour,” Elaine explained. “It was designed especially for magical combat.”

“I thought all your armour was designed for magical combat?” Morgana asked, thinking back to what Hunith had said to them in the forge.

“All Draconian armour can repel spells, that’s true,” Elaine answered. “This armour is a little more enhanced than that. It’s imbued with a spell that gives the wearer more energy and makes their spells more powerful. I would like you to have it, Morgana.”

Morgana took a surprised step backward, “No, I couldn’t! It’s yours.”

“I did say this was my old armour,” Elaine said with a smile. “I want you to have it, Sister.”

“But will it fit me?”

“My magic can make it fit you,” was Elaine’s simple response.

Morgana broke out in a tentative smile. “Thank you.”

“And I have something for you as well,” Hunith said, stepped forward to hand her an ornate dagger in a beautiful blue and gold sheath.

Morgana gasped in awe and gingerly took the dagger in her hands. The sheath was of a royal blue with gold trim at the top. Upon closer inspection, Morgana found that dragons were engraved in the gold and what was clearly the emblem of the House of Ambrosius was positioned in the middle of the sheath: a shield with two rampant dragons facing each other. The hilt of the dagger was also covered with blue and gold and when Morgana unsheathed the blade, she saw that it was razor sharp and was so shiny that she could see her reflection in it.

“This is an heirloom of the House of Ambrosius,” Hunith explained. “It is passed from one Queen of Dragons to the next. It is my wish that you have it.”

Morgana gasped once again, sheathed the blade and tried to give it back. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly!” She said, holding out the dagger.

Hunith gently pushed Morgana’s outstretched hand back so Morgana was clutching the dagger to her chest. “My son has always been one to wear his heart on his sleeve,” the Queen said. “It is true that he has had to hide most of himself in recent years, but I have always been able to tell his emotions. It is clear that you are in his heart, as he is in yours. The love you have for one another is obvious in the way the two of you look and act around each other. I cannot claim to know the future. I don’t know what will happen in this upcoming battle, or when you must return to Camelot, but I do know my son. I know what you mean to him and him to you. This dagger is yours, Morgana. For you will be the next Queen of Dragons. Of that I am certain.”

The line from Aislinn’s prophecy once again played through Morgana’s mind: Queen of shadows or Queen of dragons? Her thoughts flashed to Merlin and she broke out in a wide smile. “I love Merlin,” Morgana said. “And Dracona is a beautiful place. I hope will be a good Queen of Dragons.”

“You will be the most beloved of us all,” Hunith said, drawing Morgana in for a hug. “You are a fine match for my son. I am glad he has you.”

“As am I,” Morgana replied as she hugged Hunith in return. She then stepped back and looked down at the dagger in her hands. The dagger that was now hers. The dagger of the Queen of Dragons. For Morgana to accept it was tantamount to her wearing a ring on her finger. Everyone from Dracona would know what it meant. Morgana wondered what Merlin would think when he saw her with it. She felt a blush burn her cheeks, but she looked back up at Hunith and said, “Thank you. I will treasure it and wear it always.”

Hunith simply smiled at her as Elaine stepped forward. “The sheath is enchanted so that it will never come off your belt unless you yourself take it off,” her sister said. “Magic keeps the metal strong. This dagger is hundreds of years old, yet it looks brand new.”

“That is the only magic is has though,” Hunith put in. “But legend says that it is filled with the will and spirit of all the previous Queens before you. May those spirits protect you in the battle to come, Morgana.”

This time Morgana was the one to pull Hunith in for a hug. She squeezed the Queen of Dragons to her, trying to convey all her feelings through the embrace. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.

“You are welcome, my dear,” said Hunith as she pulled away. “Now come, we have a council of war to prepare for.”

After being measured for their armour and answering numerous questions about what exactly they wanted, Arthur and Guinevere were allowed to leave the forge.

They retraced their steps that Hunith had led them through earlier, hoping that they wouldn’t get lost in the vast Dragon Caves. The place is a labyrinth, Arthur thought as they walked.

“It is like a maze in here,” Gwen said, after a period of comfortable silence had passed between them, unknowingly voicing Arthur’s previous thought.

Arthur sent her a wry smile and laced his fingers through hers. “That it is,” he said.

“It’s incredible though,” Gwen added, smiling shyly at Arthur.

“This whole trip has been incredible,” Arthur said.

Gwen drew breath to reply, but was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. After a few moments, Merlin appeared. The warlock rounded a bend that was ahead of Arthur and Gwen and immediately broke out in a smile when he saw them. “There you are!” He said, hurrying to reach the pair. “I have something for you.”

Arthur and Gwen exchanged a look. First Hunith and now Merlin wanted to give them something. How many gifts were they to receive that day?

Merlin’s smile increased a little more when he stopped before them and saw Arthur and Gwen’s entwined hands, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he reached into his pocket and drew out two necklaces. Both were of a simple metal chain, but what were impressive about them were the blue stones that hung on each necklace.

Arthur couldn’t help the automatic jibe that immediately sprung to his lips. “Necklaces, Merlin? I always knew you were a girl, but this just proves it.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “No, you prat. These are telepathy stones. They allow someone with no magic to use telepathy with someone who has magic or is using another telepathy stone.” He held them out for Gwen and Arthur to take.

“You can hear our thoughts if we wear them?” Gwen asked, a smile on wonder on her face as she took one and put it on.

Arthur followed her lead and put his own necklace on. He felt engulfed by a warm rush of magic as he put it on, but it was gone in an instant. He felt totally normal, but he focused on Merlin and sent out a tentative thought of Merlin? Merlin, can you hear me?

Merlin beamed at him. Yes, I can!

It was strange to hear Merlin’s voice sound in his head. Really?

No, you dollophead. I can’t hear you at all. Merlin’s reply simply oozed sarcasm.

Idiot, Arthur thought back.

Merlin just laughed and a silence followed as he turned to Gwen. Judging by the identical smiles on the faces of his two friends, their telepathy was successful.

Gwen turned to him and sudden there was a –thur? Arthur, can you hear me? As Gwen’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

Guinevere?

Arthur! She thought delightedly. You can hear me!

He grinned at her. I take it that means you can hear me too?

Yes! This is incredible!

They turned back to Merlin. “Thank you, Merlin! These are wonderful!” Guinevere said.

Arthur nodded. “Guinevere is right. And the benefits of being able to speak in battle without making a sound are phenomenal.”

Merlin nodded along with Arthur. “That’s why I was giving them to you,” he said. “Gwaine and my mother have one as well, and Elaine, Morgana, my father and I will be able to talk to you through our magic, should the need arise.”

Arthur didn’t know what to say to that. The idea that they could talk to one another without saying a word was amazing. Arthur couldn’t help but start running through all the tactical advantages it could give a soldier in battle. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he nearly missed Merlin saying that he’d lead them back out of the Dragon Caves. The warlock had already turned around and started walking away before Arthur realised what was going on. “Wait, outside?” Arthur said. “I thought we were going to the war council?”

Merlin just threw them a grin over his shoulder as he continued to walk away. “Exactly.”

Morgana heard Arthur and Merlin before she saw them.

She, Elaine and Hunith were walking through the Dragon Caves to where they were to have the war meeting when she heard the pair bantering, accompanied by the occasional comment from Guinevere.

Their voices got louder the closer the two groups got to one another and Morgana couldn’t help but laugh at their topic of discussion.

“Merlin, I am not fat!” Came Arthur’s clearly annoyed voice.

“The holes in your belt say otherwise,” Merlin quipped.

Morgana laughed as she turned a corner and Merlin, Arthur and Gwen came into view. They stopped when they saw Morgana, Hunith and Elaine, before setting off again to hurry and catch up with them.

“Hi,” Merlin said as he reached them. “Where have you b-“ But Merlin cut off as he caught sight of the dagger hanging at Morgana’s waist.

Arthur and Gwen frowned at him in confusion.

“What is it?” Arthur asked.

“That’s a beautiful dagger, Morgana,” Gwen said.

That dagger, Merlin’s awed voice sounded in Morgana’s mind. You’re wearing that dagger.

Yes, and I know exactly what it means, she replied.

“It is, isn’t it? Hunith gave it to me.” Morgana said aloud in response to Gwen.

Merlin still hadn’t said anything; he was just staring wide-eyed at the dagger at Morgana’s waist. Arthur was sending him a questioning look and Morgana decided to save him before Arthur any questions. “Are you on your way to the council? We were just heading there.”

“Yes,” Arthur said, obviously deciding that Merlin wasn’t going to be speaking anytime soon. “Merlin was leading us there.”

The warlock in question shook his head slightly, as if to clear it. “Yes,” he said, collecting himself. “We were just on our way.”

“Well then,” Morgana said, offering Merlin her arm. “Let’s go.”

He took it and they set off again. Merlin didn’t say any more about the dagger. There would be time for that later. For now they had to focus on the war meeting and the battle that was to come.

But despite that, Morgana still heard Merlin’s voice sound in her mind. I love you.

And I you, she thought back.

It was the strangest council of war Arthur had ever been to.

For starters, it was outside. All experience Arthur had with making battle plans was made inside around a table covered in maps, figures and plans, surrounded by Lords and Knights. The Draconian war council took place outside and was made up of the royal family, Arthur, Gwen, Gwaine, Elaine, Aglain, Iseldir, Mordred, and a number of knights, druids and Lords and Ladies that Arthur didn’t recognise. Arthur was also surprised to see Lancelot there. The knight looked tired, but that was all that showed his previous torture at the hands of Morgause. Arthur put it down to the skill and magic of the Draconian healers. They were incredible.

However, what was most daunting about the war council was the group of large, ferocious looking dragons – Aithusa and Kilgharrah included – that were also taking part. They were the Dracawine. Balinor had called for them as soon as everyone had convened outside of the Dragon Caves. Merlin had told him that Kilgharrah wasn’t actually part of the Dracawine, but he was an Elder Dragon with a particular interest in Merlin, Arthur, Morgana and Gwen, so he demanded to be a part of the proceedings. And it was apparently sacrilegious in Dracona to deny an Elder Dragon anything, so the Great Dragon was included.

“He’s infuriatingly cryptic,” Merlin had said before the meeting started. “But he also has the power to see the future, which can prove useful.”

Dragons of all shapes, sizes and colours were gathered around them as the war council took place. Everyone sat in a loose circle on the ground. It reminded Arthur of the legends of the ancient kings of Camelot; the ones who sat at round tables which afforded no man more importance than another.

Unlike councils at Camelot, there was no table, no maps or anything like that. At least, not yet. They simply sat in a circle as Balinor filled them all in about the situation and began making battle plans.

They were now speaking about the division of troops and battle tactics that involved not just the Dracawine, but all the other dragons in Dracona. No one specified just how many dragons lived in the Kingdom, but Arthur thought it would be hard for them to lose with both an army of knights and an army of dragons.

Still, it would not do for Arthur to underestimate their enemy. They had beaten the Draconian forces before. He was determined that it wouldn’t happen again, but it wouldn’t do for Arthur to just blindly trust in the dragons and magic to win the battle for them.

“Merlin,” Balinor said, “you’ll lead the forces from the front while I lead the Dracawine from the back. Elaine, Gwaine and Lancelot will go with you.”

The King turned to Arthur, “Prince Arthur,” and the prince in question straight up straighter at hearing his name called. “You are not of Dracona and I cannot give you orders, but I would have you by my son’s side.”

Merlin smiled at him from his position beside his father. Merlin, his friend, who had stood beside him for so long, who had protected him with his magic and asked for nothing in return. Merlin. Brave, selfless, kind, idiotic Merlin. His best friend.

“There is nowhere else I’d rather be,” Arthur told the King, and Merlin’s smile just grew in response.

Balinor turned to Gwen and Morgana. “I take it that you won’t be dissuaded from joining the battle?”

The two women jutted their chins out stubbornly. “No,” they said in perfect unison.

Merlin looked like he wanted to protest and Arthur tried to send him a warning look, but Merlin was cowled by the look that Morgana herself was sending him. Apparently there was some telepathy involved, because Merlin just nodded and didn’t say a word. Arthur had to fight back the laugh that threatened to come out. He just knew that Morgana was giving Merlin an earful like she had given him earlier. He wondered if she had threatened to punch Merlin in the face as well.

The King went to speak, but was interrupted by a roar from above them. They all looked up to see an emerald dragon flying towards their group. It landed and bowed to the royal family before speaking in a feminine voice. “I bring a report from the border.”

“What is it, Joycia?” Balinor asked.

“A border patrol asked me to deliver you a message, as they were too far to reach by telepathy,” the dragon who was apparently called Joycia said.

Arthur watched the exchange with interest. It must have been important for a dragon to consent to being a messenger. Everyone seemed to be on edge, which was expected when a dragon suddenly interrupts a war council with a presumably very important message. What was unexpected, however, was when the dragon turned to regard Arthur.

Arthur felt his breath hitch as the dragon stared at him and he really hoped he didn’t look as taken aback and worried as he felt. Why would the dragon be singling him out?

“A group of knights from Camelot have arrived at the border. They are being detained by guards,” Joycia announced.

The reaction was instantaneous.

“WHAT?!”

It was him, Arthur, Morgana and Gwen who had all shouted at once.

Merlin was automatically tense. His thoughts ran at a mile a minute. Knights of Camelot are here. In Dracona. The one place I didn’t have to hide. I suppose we should have seen this coming. We’ve been away from Camelot for a while now. We should have assumed Uther would send people after us.

He eyed his Camelotian friends. Arthur looked stressed, Gwen looked worried and Morgana looked terrified. She’s afraid they’ll find out about her magic, Merlin thought.

But even as he thought that, Morgana’s expression morphed into a determined one. She sensed Merlin’s questioning gaze and she spoke to him through their telepathy. I’ve fine, Merlin. I just refuse to let my fear of Uther rule me.

Merlin nodded and stood up. “I’ll handle it,” he said.

Arthur, Gwen and Morgana had also risen to their feet. “You’re not going alone,” Arthur said. “They’re my men, so I’m coming with you.”

“And we’re not getting left behind,” Morgana said, gesturing to herself and Guinevere.

Merlin sighed. He knew that his friends wouldn’t be left behind. Them coming with him to the border wasn’t what worried him. It was the Knights of Camelot that were waiting there. There was no way they could explain away this. No way they could spin a believable story as to why an entire kingdom thought he was their prince. And they were going to battle soon and Merlin would be damned if he let the fear of Uther Pendragon stop him from using his magic to his fullest abilities to save Dracona.

He was surprised when Arthur’s voice sounded in his mind. It will be fine, Merlin, Arthur said through the use of his telepathy stone. We’ll get through this. I’ll make sure the knights don’t say I word.

Merlin wasn’t entirely sure if Arthur could manage to do that, but he sent his friend a grateful smile and turned to Aithusa. “Thusy? Can you take us all?”

She nodded. “Yes,” she said. “But you must look the part.”

The warlock looked down at his clothes. They were plain, but clearly of finer make than anything he had in Camelot. “What? What’s wrong? And what is it with you and my appearance?

Aithusa eyed him, apparently displeased. “You are the Prince of Dracona and you’re going to meet Knights of Camelot. It does not matter if you know them, their laws and their previous opinions of you do not matter either. You are of Dracona. You need to make them know, understand, and appreciate that. Past secrets mean nothing now. You are our Prince, and you must look the part.”

Merlin tried not to look exasperated. “Aithusa, I don’t really think we have time for me to go and change.”

“The Light of the Sun speaks with the truth,” rumbled Glédegesa, his father’s dragon-friend and leader of the Dracawine. “You must make an impression, Prince Merlin.”

Glédegesa was a dragon whose scales were a dull red and his eyes were amber. He was slightly larger than Kilgharrah, had spikes running down his back and razor sharp fangs and claws. To anyone he would seem intimidating or utterly terrifying, but Merlin had grown up with Glédegesa and viewed the dragon more as an uncle than the formidable leader of the Dracawine.

“You must look the part,” Glédegesa said, echoing Aithusa’s words. “And so, we shall give you the armour of the Dracawine.”

Before Merlin could even comprehend what was happened, all of the Dracaewine had turned to him and simultaneously engulfed him in their breath of magic. Shrouded as he was in the misty, golden glow, he couldn’t really tell what was happening, but he could feel his attire changing. They were giving him armour. It appeared on Merlin as they continued to breathe pure magic onto him. When the magic faded, Merlin was able to finally get a look at himself and he gasped at the sight.

It was light armour that covered him from head to foot and was imbued with magic. The crest of the House of Ambrosius was displayed proudly on the chest plate. His sword was hanging at his waist and he could feel powerful magic humming through it as it was now forged in a dragon’s breath. A cloak of Ambrosius blue hung from his shoulders and Merlin felt a weight around his head. He reached up to feel a circlet resting on the top of his head. The dragons had completely altered his appearance. Merlin looked more like a prince in that moment than he had ever done before, even before Blackwood’s rebellion and when Dracona was at peace.

Everyone was staring at him in either awe or shock. Arthur, Gwen and Morgana were gaping at him and even the unflappable Elaine seemed to be impressed.

“There,” Aithusa said, looking much more impressed. “Now you look the part.”

“We give you the blessing of the Dracawine armour, Prince Merlin,” said Glédegesa. “May it serve you well.”

“Thank you,” Merlin said, hoping they could tell just how grateful he was. “This is incredible. You honour me, noble dragons of the Dracawine.” He bowed to them all.

All the dragons looked pleased at Merlin’s words, and they all inclined their large heads in response to his. When they all finished their show of respect, Aithusa took that as her cue to get everyone moving.

“Come,” she said, lying down so they’d be able to climb on her back. “I can carry you all. It won’t be a problem.”

Merlin ignored Kilgharrah as he made some statement about dragons not being horses and climbed up on Aithusa, sitting in his usual spot behind her head. Morgana rushed over to sit behind him and Gwen and Arthur followed, more nervous and unsure about getting on the dragon than Morgana had been. But they gathered themselves and climbed up, with Gwen sitting behind Morgana and Arthur on the end.

Merlin turned to his parents. “We’ll send word when the situation’s been handled.” He then turned to Joycia, “Can you please lead us there?”

The green dragon nodded, “Of course, my prince.”

Joycia took off into the sky. Merlin felt Aithusa tense, preparing herself to fly, and he managed a quick, “Hold on!” to his friends before she launched herself into the air, speeding after the emerald dragon.

Merlin’s feelings were in turmoil as they flew towards the border. His secrets were about to be revealed to people from Camelot that weren’t his close friends. Well, perhaps Leon might be there. Merlin liked Leon and considered him a friend. But Leon was very loyal to the Crown and there was no guaranteeing that he’d keep Merlin’s secrets.

Do not worry, Merlin, Morgana told him telepathically, tightening her arms around him momentarily in a hug. Things will turn out well, you’ll see. I have faith in you. And that was before you had special armour, or that I knew you were a prince. There has always been something special about you, Merlin.

Merlin didn’t reply; he was too caught up in his thoughts.

We’ll be able to get through this, Morgana continued. Everything will be fine. I know it’s daunting but we can’t let the fear of Uther control us.

Merlin was still silent, staring out at the horizon while Aithusa flew on.

Also, Mordred is really mine and Arthur’s son and the heir to Camelot, Morgana went on.

That startled Merlin out of his pensive thoughts. Wait, what?

Thank you! Morgana sounded exasperated. You finally start listening to me. Disregard that last sentence; I was just trying to get your attention.

Well it worked. Sorry, I was just caught up in my own thoughts. For people who are completely loyal to Uther to find out the truth … Morgana, that frightens me.

Morgana once again tightened her arms around him in a hug and she pressed a kiss to his shoulder. It was the best she could do to comfort him in their current position. Like I said, we can’t let the fear of Uther rule us. It will all work out, she told him. We are the next King and Queen of Dracona. We can do anything and we won’t allow this small problem to stop us from saving our kingdom.

Merlin broke out in a wide smile at Morgana calling Dracona their kingdom. I can’t believe you’re wearing that dagger. Morgana … that … I can’t even describe how happy that makes me.

I will wear it always. This dagger is mine, as my heart is yours.

And mine is yours, he replied, feeling a rush of love and affection for the woman behind him.

I love you, Merlin, she said, her voice tender before swapping into a more determined tone. Now stop being ridiculous. This patrol of knights from Camelot is nothing. We are the future King and Queen of Dracona and we are backed by the Once and Future King and Queen themselves. We follow the Path of Light, we have basked in the glow of the White Goddess and we have denied our destiny of Darkness. There is nothing we can’t accomplish, so put your worries to rest.

Merlin shook his head. Morgana was right … he was being ridiculous. He was suddenly filled with resolve. It was time to stop worrying about his secrets being revealed. It was time to stop being ‘Merlin the servant’ or ‘Merlin the idiot.’ It was time to be what he was born to be: Prince Merlin Ambrosius of Dracona.

Thank you, Morgana, he thought to her, hoping she realised just how much she had helped him.

it is alright, Merlin, she replied. You are welcome.

They reached the border and Merlin saw the Knights of Camelot surrounded by the border patrol, the red of the Knights cloaks clashing with the royal blue of the Draconian guards. He also noticed two men not in armour: a man with dark skin and a man with large, bulging muscles.

Aithusa seemed to think they needed to announce their arrival and let out a loud roar, startling her passengers. She dove towards the ground, eliciting shouts of surprise from Morgana, Gwen and Arthur, before fanning out her wings and landing lightly beside Joycia and in front of the group of Knights and border guards.

Merlin jumped her back in an instant, leaving Arthur, Morgana and Gwen to do it themselves. He marched over to the group of men. His stood tall, with his shoulders back and chin raised proudly. He was Merlin Ambrosius, and he would not let his fear of Uther Pendragon stop him that day.

“Sire!” The Draconian guards chorused and bowed to him.

He motioned for them to rise and gazed at the Knights of Camelot. Except for the two unarmoured men, all of their party were gaping at him. Sir Leon was there, to Merlin’s surprise. Although he was glad that there was a knight present that Merlin was on better terms with, he had figured that the senior knight would have been stationed at Camelot to help oversee the reconstruction and defence of the city. But apparently Uther had thought that Arthur and Morgana’s return was much more important and had sent his best knight after them.

All those from Camelot had their hands on their swords, and Merlin was surprised to see that the two unarmoured men, who wore clothes befitting of a peasant’s status, also had fine swords hanging at their waists. The dark skinned man disregarded Merlin, however, and was gaping at a space behind him, where Arthur, Gwen and Morgana were still climbing down off Aithusa.

The Prince of Dracona didn’t turn around. Instead, he eyed all of the knights. Well, he thought. It’s now or never.

“I’ll be honest,” he said, speaking on his usual, cheerful, 'Idiotic Merlin' voice. “When we left Camelot, I didn’t expect Uther to send a party after us. You’d think a city facing a dragon attack more be a bit more important than a missing prince, a noblewoman and two servants. Well, I suppose you could say two missing princes, a noblewoman, and a servant, but you weren’t supposed to know that.”

All the knights were gaping at him. He may have looked different in his princely attire, but there was no mistaking Merlin’s characteristic cheery voice.

He sensed Arthur, Morgana and Gwen finally reaching him and standing behind him in a silent show of support. Arthur didn’t even acknowledge his knights. Not yet. Merlin had the lead and like Glédegesa had said, he needed to make an impression.

Merlin’s cheerfulness and light tone morphed into a grave one. He was there to make an impression. He was there to show that Uther Pendragon couldn’t just send a bunch of Knights to their kingdom without a care in the world. He was there to prove that Arthur, Morgana and Gwen were beside him of their own volition. He was there to represent the royal House of Ambrosius, as he was born to do. No more Merlin the idiot, he told himself.

“Camelot is not a friend of Dracona and yet a party of her knights stand at our border,” he said in a loud, serious and authoritarian tone of voice. “Why are you here? If you think we have taken your prince, I can assure you that Prince Arthur came here of his own free will. As did the Lady Morgana and her servant, the Lady Guinevere.”

He paused, making sure he had their undivided attention. He did. As soon as he had started speaking, he’d had the knights attention. But the dramatic pause added emphasis. Aithusa would be proud, Merlin thought idly. She’s always had a flair for the dramatic.

He pushed the errant thought aside and stared down the men before him. They were continuing to gaze at him in utter astonishment. Like they couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing. Merlin felt a smug sense of satisfaction at their amazement, which only increased with his next sentence.

“So tell me, noble knights of Camelot: What are you doing in my kingdom?”

Chapter Text

The knights just all gaped at him, looking from Merlin, to the dragons and back.

It was, predictably, Sir Leon who spoke first.

“Merlin?!”

“My greetings to you, Sir Leon,” Merlin said formally. “Now answer my question.”

Leon looked absolutely flabbergasted. The normally calm and unflappable knight just looked between Merlin and Arthur in absolute confusion. “Sire?” He said at last, looking to Arthur for clarification.

“You better answer his question, Leon,” Arthur replied, sounding as equally serious as Merlin.

“But … But it’s Merlin!” Spoke up one of the other knights, getting over his shock and now sounding indignantly angry.  Merlin recognised him as Sir Bartholomew and a knight with more strength than brains, short brown hair, green eyes, and a crooked nose where it had been broken one too many times. He was a knight who had a particular grudge against Merlin. He presumed it was because of how awful he was of a servant: always speaking out of turn, being late, dropping things, calling Arthur a prat. Bartholomew had never liked Merlin.

“He’s nothing. Just your manservant. Why is he dressed like this?” Bartholomew demanded of Arthur, before turning to face Merlin. “Why are you speaking to us in such a manner, you dog?!”

That provoked a low snarl from the two dragons present. Aithusa and Joycia glared at the knight and walked forward, standing protectively on either side of Merlin. The knights of Camelot all took and alarmed step backwards and their hands automatically flew to their swords.

“Know who you speak to, you pathetic little worm!” Aithusa growled and Bartholomew’s eyes widened in fear at being addressed by the dragon. “This is Crown Prince Merlin Ambrosius, son of King Balinor and Queen Hunith, and heir to the throne of Dracona. Speak to him that way again and you forfeit your life. Insult my Prince once more or even try to harm him and I will kill you.”

“Aithusa, enough,” Merlin said with an air of authority in his voice that the knights weren’t used to. He turned to them and continued speaking, not once loosing that cold, authoritarian tone of voice. “Dracona does not answer to Uther Pendragon. I may have lived there for a time, but he is not my King. Your laws do not apply here. So tell me: What are you doing in my kingdom?!”

Merlin let his magic loose. Much like when he done the same to Morgause, he let the magic build up around him in an impressive and intimidating show of power. The air shook with his magic and the ground began to shake and crack under the pressure.

“Magic!” The knights exclaimed and drew their swords. Leon was the only one who stayed his hand. He didn’t draw his sword, but he kept a tight grip on its hilt. The Draconian border guards also drew their swords, ready to protect their Prince if he needed it.

“Answer me!” Merlin demanded; even his voice seemed to be laced with power.

“We will tell you nothing, sorcerer!” Bartholomew shouted, brandishing his sword and going to charge forward.

Merlin sighed in frustration and muttered a few words in the Old Tongue. Instantly, the swords of all the men were ripped out of their hands and were floating above their heads. The swords turned in the air so they were now aimed at their owners.

“You dare threaten me in my own kingdom?” Merlin said glaring at them all. “I told you, Camelot’s laws don’t apply here and you’re all fools if you think magic is completely evil. I am not the Merlin you know. This is Dracona. This is my kingdom and I am its prince. I have powers you know not and I will not be frightened into hiding the gifts I was born with just because you have arrived at our border. I tire of this, so I will ask you once again: What. Are. You. Doing. In. My. Kingdom?!”

 He let the magic disparate. It had done its job. The knights of Camelot seemed sufficiently intimidated. They were staring at him in both fear and astonishment.  They wouldn’t see him as Arthur’s servant after that display. He was someone to be reckoned with, and so was Dracona.

“Answer me,” he repeated.

It was Leon who broke the silence that followed. He looked between Merlin and Arthur. “King Uther has declared war on Dracona. We are just a scouting party he sent ahead to investigate the land and see if we could find Prince Arthur and the Lady Morgana.”

Merlin was sure to not let his emotions show on his face. Uther declaring war on Dracona wasn’t unexpected. Uther’s ruthlessness against the Old Religion was formidable, but they didn’t need this just before going up against Morgause. Merlin suddenly remembered what the White Goddess had said to him: This is the War of Kings, and only you can decide how it ends. This must have been what she meant.

Arthur stalked forward, “What is the meaning of this?! Why has my father declared war?”

“He believes you and the Lady Morgana are bewitched. He believes that’s why you have gone to Dracona. He has brought the army to crush Dracona and end those with magic once and for all,” Leon replied.

Merlin could tell that Arthur, Morgana and Gwen were about to go off on a tirade about how completely and utterly wrong that was and he raised a hand to forestall them. “Uther would risk the lives of thousands for his prejudice? Arthur, your father is a fool.”

“How dare you talk of our King that way!” Bartholomew shouted, disregarding the floating swords aimed at him and rushed at Merlin with his fist raised.

Merlin didn’t even bother to use magic. He just stepped out of the way of Bartholomew’s rage-induced attack and swung his right arm as he did so. Merlin’s fist connected with the knight’s stomach, the force of it combined with Bartholomew’s charge made it an incredibly forceful hit and the knight dropped like a stone, curling in on himself in an attempt to stop the pain.

Merlin drew his sword and held it to the groaning Bartholomew’s neck. “Do not presume to think that just because I can wield magic, I cannot defend myself by other means. I told you, I am not the Merlin you know and I will not be trifled with.”

Aithusa approached the fallen knight. “I said your life was forfeit,” she said, baring her fangs.

“Aithusa! Leave him be!” Merlin ordered. He might not have been a dragonlord yet, but Merlin’s voice carried so much authority and the dragons had so much respect for him that none of them would defy his orders.

Aithusa did as Merlin asked and didn’t approach Bartholomew any further. She did, however, glare at him. “I am of the Dracawine, and am the chosen protector of Prince Merlin. I already warned you once. Try that again and I will kill you.”

“Aithusa,” Merlin warned, still holding the sword to Bartholomew’s throat.

The white dragon turned away from the knight. She turned her gaze to the other knights of Camelot. “That warning goes to you too. If any of you hurt Merlin, you answer to me.”

Merlin should have felt some sort of satisfaction at seeing the knights mutely nod to Aithusa’s threat, but all he felt was worry. He was hiding it behind a mask of bravado, but a war on two fronts was going to be difficult.

“We can’t go to war on Dracona!” Arthur said. “Father is wrong. The people of Dracona have done nothing to deserve this.”

All of the knights looked surprised at Arthur openly defying his father, but they didn’t say a word.

“This is ridiculous,” Arthur continued, staring at his knights. “Take me to my Father. I will change his mind.”

Merlin shook his head. “No, this is a matter to be settled between our Kings. You can try, Arthur, but I don’t believe your father will be dissuaded. He won’t be happy until all magic is purged from the world. We need to-”

“-As it should be!” Bartholomew growled from his position on the ground. “All magic should be destroyed!”

Merlin removed his sword from the knight’s throat and looked down at him with contempt. “Magic is of the land, you misguided idiot. Destroy that and you destroy your very future.”

“All those with magic should die!” Bartholomew shouted as he lunged to his feet and tried to take another wild swing at Merlin.

The Prince of Dracona side stepped him easily, holding his sword up in front of him. “Do you really wish to duel me, Sir Bartholomew?” He asked coldly.

“I will kill you and drag your lifeless corpse back to King Uther proudly!”

“Bartholomew, stand down!” Arthur ordered.

Both Aithusa and Joycia were growling at the knight, stepping forward to protect their prince. “Everyone, stand back,” Merlin said, gesturing for them to move away. “Bartholomew and I will settle this amongst ourselves.” His eyes flashed gold and Bartholomew sword floated from where is had been hanging in the air to the knights hand.

“Merlin, no!” Arthur, Gwen and Morgana called out.

“Stop this foolishness!” Aithusa shouted.

Merlin got into a fighting stance. “If this is the only way to stop his complaining so we can move onto more important things, so be it. It’s you move, Sir Knight. Though I warn you, I’m very keen to test out this new sword. It’s recently been forged in the breath of dragons and holds incredible power. Do you really wish to cross blades with me?”

“Die!” Bartholomew yelled in way of reply, charging forward with his sword raised.

The two blades met in the air with a loud clang of steel and a flash of sparks. For a moment to two men just stood there, trying to push as much force against their opponent as they could. They broke apart and merely stared at each other for a second before charging at each other once again. What followed was an exchange of strokes and parries as Merlin analysed Bartholomew’s fighting style.

He definitely relies on his strength, Merlin thought. But his movements are sloppy, most likely because he’s just fighting in a blind rage. I have to end this before he calms down and starts fighting and thinking rationally.

Merlin feinted attacking from the left before switching to aim at Bartholomew’s right side. Not having time to block the attack, Bartholomew hastily jumped out of the way. However, Merlin didn’t give him time to recover. Quick as a flash, he spun around to wear Bartholomew had retreated to, his sword aimed for the knight’s neck. The knight managed to block it with his blade but Merlin kept hammering at Bartholomew, forcing the knight on the defensive as Merlin delivered blow after flawless blow upon his opponent.

Merlin’s blood was pumping and he felt high on adrenaline. It had been so since he had actually fought against someone like this. He fought fluidly, in the graceful style of Draconian fighting he’d been taught since birth and the one that he’d gone to such pains to practice in secret during his time in Camelot.

Bartholomew charged at him, but Merlin parried the blow easily. The warlock even had a moment of savage pleasure when Bartholomew left himself open and Merlin swing out with his left fist, while still defending himself with his right. He hit Bartholomew square in the nose and heard the satisfying sound of it breaking.

The knight stumbled away from him with a cry of pain, one hand automatically flying to his nose. He glared at Merlin and wiped at the blood that was now running down his face.

“Another broken nose, Sir Bartholomew?” Merlin taunted, unable to help himself. He normally wasn’t one to goad an opponent, but he wanted to hurt this man as much as possible. Bartholomew was the epitome of Uther’s prejudice against magic. He was one who hated it without reason and refused to be convinced otherwise.

It’s time to finish this, Merlin thought determinedly, getting once more into a fighting stance and swinging his sword in a circle as Bartholomew decided to leave his nose alone and continue with the fight, copying Merlin’s stance.

Merlin then executed a series of attacks that ultimately ended with Bartholomew collapsing on the ground and Merlin’s sword once again pointed at his throat. “What did I say about presuming I couldn’t defend myself?” Merlin asked the fallen knight. “I think I just proved my point. We’re done here.” He sheathed his sword, looking down at Bartholomew with disdain.

“Bastard!” Bartholomew spat, but it was plain to see that the man was injured and unable to continue. However, that didn’t stop him from trying to get up and continue fighting.

“That’s enough!” Arthur snapped, walking forwards to get in between the knight and Merlin. “Know when you are beaten, Sir Bartholomew.”

The knights of Camelot were all looking at him in shock. Even Arthur, Morgana and Gwen seemed to be impressed. Not only had he held his own against a knight, but he’d dominated the fight and even while preoccupied, his magic had still held up and kept the floating swords aloft in the air.

As his adrenaline and the pride from winning the match faded, Merlin became aware of a new emotion bubbling up inside him: anger. Merlin had never been one who had been quick to anger. But as he looked at he looked at the knight he had just defeated, it sparked up within him and grew like a flame. How dare they? These knights came to his kingdom. Bartholomew had challenged him to a duel and even had the gall to tell him of the evils of magic.

Leon helped Bartholomew to his feet. The latter just glared at Merlin before spitting at him. A glob of saliva hit Merlin in the face and everyone tensed as Merlin slowly lifted his hand to wipe it away.

The fire of anger that was inside Merlin grew into an inferno.

He stalked toward the knight. His fury must have shown in his expression because both Leon and Bartholomew looked alarmed. To Leon’s merit, he didn’t let go of his comrade until Merlin had all but growled for him to release Bartholomew. Merlin grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him towards Aithusa. “Here you go, Thusy. Lunch.”

As Aithusa started approaching the knight and baring her razor sharp teeth, Bartholomew starting whimpering and fighting against the grip Merlin had on him. Merlin allowed Bartholomew to fall to the ground and shuffle backwards, before stopping Aithusa’s advance with a hand gesture. The dragon immediately stopped and a look of relief passed over Bartholomew’s face. But it was replaced with trepidation as Merlin walked towards him and crouched down on his haunches so he was eye level with Bartholomew.

“Be thankful I am not a man who kicks another while they’re down,” Merlin said coldly. “Or I would repay you in double for what you just did. I will explain it to you one more time, seeing as though you are too thick to get it into your head: This is not Camelot. This is Dracona. And you just gravely insulted her prince. Had anyone else seen that you would be severely punished, but I will let you off with a warning.” He glared at Bartholomew. Merlin wanted to repay him for the insult with another good punch to the face, but he knew it would only make matters worse. So he resolved to wound him with words as best he could.

“You believe yourself above me. You think I am still the skinny, insubordinate man that raced after Arthur and who had to serve meals and muck out stables. You are wrong. The revelation of my magic only worsens your opinion of me. You think that my magic makes me a monster. Again, you could not be further from the truth. But you, Bartholomew?” Merlin spat the name out like an insult, refusing to acknowledge the man’s title for the first time since their confrontation had begun. “You are so far below me that you don’t even equal the dirt beneath my boots. I am Prince Merlin Ambrosius of Dracona, future King, Emrys of the Prophecies and protector of the Once and Future King. You are a knight who is blinded by hatred, nothing more. That is the truth.”

Merlin stood and looked down at the knight, giving him one final glower. “The sooner you remember your place, Bartholomew, the better. I would hate to have to put you in it a second time.”

He walked back towards Arthur, Gwen, and Morgana before turning to face the other knights of Camelot. He was pleased to see that they were no longer looking at him in shock, but in more of begrudging respect and a small trace of fear. They knew what he was capable of now. They knew not to take him for granted. They now knew what Dracona was made of. They now knew that Uther couldn’t just march on Dracona and expect an easy victory. He had done what he had intended to do: he’d made an impression.

“As I was saying, this is a matter to be settled between our Kings. Tell Uther that my Father will meet him at any time to try and resolve this idiocy your King calls a war.”

The atmosphere was tense. They were all outside the Dragon Caves, waiting for Uther to arrive and begin his meeting with Balinor.

Merlin felt a flare of pride in his countrymen as Uther and his retinue appeared. Not one person said a word as Uther approached. They simply stared at him coldly as the King of Camelot walked towards them.

Arthur had gone back to his father to try and change Uther’s mind. But judging by the dark look on Arthur’s face as he walked just a step behind Uther to where Merlin, his parents, Elaine, Gwaine and various members of the Kingsguard and Dracawine were waiting, Arthur hadn’t been successful.

Morgana and Gwen had stayed with Merlin. When Sir Leon had asked if Morgana was coming with the knights and Arthur, the King’s Ward had simply shook her head and said that she had no place in Uther’s Camelot. She now stood at Merlin’s side as Uther, Arthur and a handful of Camelotian knights approached them.

You were right, Merlin. Arthur’s voice spoke up in Merlin’s mind. Father won’t be dissuaded. Bartholomew told him that you’re a prince and Emrys and now he’s certain that you’re a Draconian spy. He knows the prophecies and he’s even more determined to not allow magic back to the land. He wants to destroy it.

Merlin didn’t say much in way of a reply. He simply sent an ‘I understand’ to Arthur and focused on the King who stood before him.

Uther, to his credit, didn’t seem alarmed by the group of heavily armed knights and ferocious looking dragons. He merely looked them over, his eyes lingering on Morgana for a moment, before turning to regard Merlin’s father. “Balinor,” he said simply.

“Uther,” came King Balinor’s reply. “Perhaps you would like to tell me why you’re declaring war on my kingdom?”

Uther glared at him, “You are the one who stared this, Balinor. You have bewitched my son and my ward.” Uther turned his icy stare towards Merlin. “And now I hear that your son is none other than Arthur’s pathetic manservant. Surely he was sent to Camelot to spy on us, and I unknowingly made him Arthur’s servant. I bet you thought I was incredible fool.”

“The only reason I think you’re a fool is because you think that we sent Merlin to spy on you or that we’ve bewitched Arthur and Morgana,” Balinor said. “Merlin was sent to Camelot for his own protection and your son and ward came to Dracona of their own volition.”

“And now you are holding Morgana captive,” Uther continued as if Balinor hadn’t spoken. “Return her to us.”

Balinor looked at Uther evenly. “Again, you are mistaken. Morgana is here of her own free will.”

“You lie,” Uther snarled. “Return her to us!”

“They speak the truth!” Morgana exclaimed, walking forwards so she was standing in front of Balinor and glaring at Uther, her hands on her hips. “I am here of my own free will!”

“Morgana, you wouldn’t,” Uther said, his fierce expression softening as he looked as his ward. “They must have enchanted you, as they’ve enchanted Arthur. It is alright. We will defeat them and the spell will be broken.”

“We’re not enchanted!” Morgana and Arthur shouted in unison.

Arthur moved so he was standing beside Morgana and the two Pendragon stared down their father. They had identical expressions of exasperation and anger on their faces.

“I keep trying to tell you, Father,” Arthur said, “we are not enchanted! We came here of our own volition! It was to help Camelot and then to help Dracona! Why can’t you accept this?!”

 “The two of you would never betray me like this.”

Arthur drew breath to reply but Morgana beat him to it.

“Yes, you’d know all about betrayal. Wouldn’t you, Father?” Morgana snapped at him.

There was a silence as everyone processed what she said. Uther uncharacteristically gaped at her, but Morgana didn’t give him a chance to speak. “You want to talk of betrayal?” She continued. “Well then how about we talk of how you betrayed my father and bedded my mother? How I’m really your daughter and not simply your ward?!”

“Morgana,” Uther tried, but she still refused to let him speak.

“You have no right to speak of betrayal! None at all! Your actions were awful. You may care for me, but my father was Gorlois, not you! On this journey I found out that I was Morgana Pendragon, but I do not take that name in homage of you. I am the sister of Arthur Pendragon and it is because of him that I will wear the name proudly. Arthur and Morgana: the two children who would outshine the father.”

Uther looked ashen. “Morgana,” he began again. “Morgana, please. I wanted to –“

“I do not want to hear your excuses!” She interrupted. “It’s too late for that. I told you, Uther, I am here of my own free will. The Draconians didn’t enchant me; I just no longer have a place in your Camelot. When Arthur is king, I will return. But as long as Camelot is under your reign, I do not belong there.”

“I admit I should have told you the truth-“

“- This is not just simply because I found out the truth of my parentage!” Morgana exclaimed. “It is due to something far more damning in your eyes. Something you would condemn me for even though I had no choice in the matter.”

Merlin and Arthur seemed to realise what she was about to do, because they both let out a warning cry of, “Morgana!”

She ignored them and mustered her magic, sensing it inside of her like Merlin had taught her. Morgana her hand out toward Uther, her palm facing up. “Forbearnan!”

A small flame lit in Morgana’s hand. Uther stared at it, wide eyed. He gaped at her. “Magic!” He gasped, staring at the tiny flame. “You have magic!”

His astonished expression turned into one of fury and Uther looked up past Morgana to where Merlin was standing beside his father. “You!” Uther growled. “You have filled her head with magic! You have corrupted her!”

Surprising them all, Uther sprung forwards in an attempt to attack Merlin. He charged past Morgana and Arthur, ignoring their cries for him to stop and unsheathed his sword. He glared at Merlin with a murderous intent and the young prince got into a defensive stance, ready to draw upon his magic to protect himself.

Except he never got the chance. Balinor pushed Merlin behind him and said a few words in the Old Tongue, sending Uther flying backwards and landing on the ground with a loud thump.

The King of Camelot sat up to find the King of Dracona standing above him, his arms stretched out and looking every bit as threatening as if he were holding a sword to the man’s throat. “No one attacks my son!” Balinor spat at him.

Uther stood and glared at them all, but it was obvious that he was trying to save face. Then, surprisingly, he turned his fierce gaze towards Arthur. “You knew they all had magic. You knew and you didn’t tell me!”

“Father-“ Arthur tried.

Uther had a look of blind fury on his face and raised his hand, as if to strike at Arthur, but suddenly Merlin was in front of him, his eyes blazing gold and a shield forming between them. “I know you love your son, Uther, but you are blinded by rage,” Merlin said. “Remember yourself. Think about what you’re about to do.”

“Who are you to tell me what to do?” Uther sneered at him, although he did lower his arm.

“Someone who would protect Arthur until my dying breath. No one harms the Once and Future King in front of me.”

A look of confusion flashed over Uther’s features before he broke out in an expression of understanding. “The Once and Future,” he murmured, looking between Merlin and Arthur. “… Bartholomew said you called yourself Emrys. The Once and Future King – no! No you can’t be! Arthur, no!”

Arthur said nothing. He just stared at his father evenly before nodding once.

Uther shook his head and turned to look at Morgana beseechingly. “Morgana, please. Be like Gaius. Swear that you’ll never use magic again-“

“-Never!” Morgana exclaimed vehemently. “I have been named a High Priestess of the Triple Goddess. I will never swear to not use magic. It is a part of who I am.”

Uther looked from Morgana to Arthur, before his gaze finally settled on Merlin. A dark expression came over his face. “Magic has taken everything from me,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “My wife … My kingdom was nearly burnt down by that infernal dragon and now magic has claimed my children. I will not rest until it is destroyed and all those who use it have perished.” He looked towards Merlin’s father. “Save your pathetic excuses and lies, Balinor. This means war and Camelot will crush you all.”

With one final scowl, Uther turned and stalked away, gesturing for his knights to follow. He didn’t even try to get Arthur or Morgana to join him, he merely left.

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances in the silence that followed. They were about to be involved in a war on two fronts. Morgause and Uther’s armies combined would make powerful opponents.

“This changes things,” Balinor said, breaking the silence. “We need to alter our battle strategies.” He looked gravely at them all. “We have much to discuss.”

Once again, Morgana heard Arthur and Merlin talking in the Dragon Caves before she saw them. Their topic of discussion, however, was far more serious than the time before.

“Mordred, your far too young to go into battle,” said Merlin. “You should be with the other druids.”

“Yes,” Arthur agreed. “With Aglain and Iseldir in the healer’s tents. They’re your guardians, aren’t they? That’s where they’ll be.”

“No!” Came Mordred’s passionate reply. “I must be with the two of you!”

Morgana was suddenly filled with worry for the young druid boy and hurried to where she heard their voices coming from. Merlin and Arthur were right. A battlefield was no place for Mordred.

“Why are you so determined to fight?” Merlin asked, as Morgana rounded a corner and caught sight of the three of them.

When Mordred replied, his voice was far softer and more vulnerable than before. “… I have to prove it wrong.”

Morgana instantly understood what the boy meant in those six words, but Arthur and Merlin weren’t so quick to understand. Morgana thought that perhaps she was the only one out of the three of them that could. So she approached them and crouched down to Mordred’s level, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“You wish to prove Destiny wrong,” she said. “You want to prove that you’re not destined for Darkness, don’t you?”

Unable to speak and clearly distressed, Mordred simply nodded.

“I know how you feel, Mordred,” Morgana said kindly. “I know how it feels to want to prove that you’re not destined for the Dark path that people believe you are fated for. But you don’t need to prove anything. The fact that you are here with us and want to prove destiny wrong is proof enough that you already have. Battlefields are no place for young children, Mordred. Please stay with the druids where you’ll be safe.”

“But-“ Mordred began.

“-You are already walking the Path of Light, Mordred. You have nothing to prove. We just wish to see you safe. Please, stay with Aglain and Iseldir.”

There was a silence as Mordred considered what she had said. He looked unhappy, but he nodded. “Alright, Léoma,” he said at last. “I’ll stay with them.”

She smiled at him, “Good. We’re all going to survive this, Mordred. You’ll see.” She stood up and held her hand out to him. “Now come, it’s late and we should get you to bed.” Morgana turned to Arthur and Merlin. “We should all be getting to bed. It has been a long and tiring day and we need our rest.”

Merlin and Arthur nodded, both looking as exhausted as Morgana felt. Once Uther had left they’d all begun serious planning for the battle that was to come. Arthur especially looked tired. Morgana knew that he felt torn. Arthur’s loyalty was to Camelot, his kingdom, but he also knew that his father was wrong to wage war on the Draconians. So Arthur had resolved to fight for both Camelot and Dracona against their common enemy: Morgause.

“Come on, Mordred,” Morgana said, leading him away. “Let’s get you back to Agalin and Iseldir.”

As she walked away with Mordred, she heard Merlin and Arthur begin to bicker amongst themselves. Morgana turned to call back over her shoulder to the both of them. “Go to sleep, you two!”

Morgana allowed herself a small smile as she heard their reply, spoken in perfect unison and sounding like scolded children, “Yes, Morgana.”

Fire and smoke were everywhere.

Morgana struggled to breathe and she made her way through the smoke, her sword in hand. Both her blade and her armour were covered in blood and the sounds of swords clashing, dragons roaring and spells being cast was all that she could hear as she tried to make her way through the chaos.

“MERLIN!” She yelled. “WAIT!”

Morgana kept running after Merlin and finally made it out of the smoke cloud, only to stop dead at the sight of Arthur duelling an opponent. “ARTHUR, STOP!” Morgana screamed, running towards her brother. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

But she was too far away from him. He couldn’t hear her and she couldn’t get to him in time. Morgana looked around her in desperation. What could she do to stop this? But before she could try anything, a total silence fell across the battlefield. There was no more noise of swords clashing, dragons roaring, or spells being cast. Just total silence as Arthur’s opponent fell to the ground. The sound the body made as it crashed to the ground sounded spectacularly loud in the quiet.

Morgana didn’t know how long she stood there staring at the sight in horror, but everything changed as a guttural, power-laced voice broke the silence.

“O drakons!” The King of Dracona called to the skies, shouting out a long sentence in a language that Morgana could never hope to understand.

Morgana watched in both awe and fright as the dragons responded to their dragonlord’s call and a wall of fire blazed down from the sky to engulf them all –

Morgana woke with a start, her breath erratic and her heartbeat racing.

“Just a dream,” she whispered to herself. “It was just a dream.”

But no matter how many times she repeated that, Morgana couldn’t find it in her to believe herself.

Chapter Text

Where is Gwen? Morgana thought as she made her way through the Dragon Caves.

It felt like she hadn’t seen Gwen in quite some time. After coming back to the Dragon Caves once they’d finished the war council the day before, Gwen had all but disappeared. Morgana knew that Gwen would be fine on her own, but she wanted to talk to Guinevere about the dream she had the night before.

Morgana shuddered at the thought of her nightmare. That was why she needed to talk to Gwen. Her friend was always a comfort whenever Morgana had had her nightmares … or visions.

No! Morgana told herself fiercely. It wasn’t a vision … it can’t be.

Morgana tried to push the thought aside as she continued looking for Gwen, but because she didn’t want to think about the dream, that was the only thing Morgana could think of. She was glad when she finally found Gwen and was able to distract herself from her thoughts.

“Morgana!” Gwen said delightedly, walking towards her. Morgana was surprised to see that she was accompanied by the two peasant men who were with the Camelot scouting party the day before. The huge man with the bulging muscles and the man who Morgana now saw had a small resemblance to Gwen. “There are some people I want you to meet.”

Morgana frowned. Could this be..?

“Morgana, this is my brother, Elyan and his friend Percival,” Guinevere introduced them.

It is! Morgana thought. So this is the infamous Elyan.

Gwen had told Morgana of her wayward brother who had left Camelot and hadn’t kept in touch with his family. Guinevere had said that it was hard not know where Elyan was at times, or if he was even alive. But the two siblings seemed perfectly happy with one another when Elyan and Percival were introduced.

Percival, for his part, seemed perfectly polite, bowing along with Elyan as the two of murmured a greeting of, “My Lady.” He struck Morgana as one of those ‘strong but silent’ types, but his expression was kind as he regarded her.

“Please,” she told them, “Just call me Morgana.”

They tried to protest, but Morgana wasn’t having any of it. Finally they just accepted it and nodded, promising to call her by her name from then on.

“Elyan and Percival were already on their way to Dracona when they ran into the scouting party,” Gwen explained.

“When I found out that they were looking for Gwen,” Elyan put in, “I was determined to follow them.”

Morgana eyed the swords that hung at their waists, “Can you fight?”

“We’re not knights, by any means,” Percival spoke up. “But we’re handy in a fight.”

“Will you fight?”

They both nodded, looking determined. “Gwen here won’t be dissuaded from going into battle,” Elyan said, looking at his sister. “I haven’t been the best brother in the world, but I’m not letting my little sister go into battle without me to back her up.”

“Your enemies are my enemies,” Percival promised.

Morgana nodded, pleased, before turning to look at Gwen, “Have you introduced them to Merlin and Arthur?”

Gwen shook her head, “No, not yet.”

Morgana nodded once again. “Come with me,” she said, turning and beckoning them to follow her. “We’ll introduce you to the princes. I’m sure they’ll be happy to get two more fighters.”

As expected, Merlin and Arthur were pleased to have two more men pledged to the cause.

Elyan had been more than a little surprised to learn of the relationship between Arthur and Gwen, and Percival was even more so when he learnt of their identities of Emrys, Léoma and the Once and Future King and Queen. Apparently the man had had druid friends as a child, so he was well versed in their legends.

But the two men fit easily into their group, and when they’d been introduced to Elaine and Gwaine, the rouge knight was delighted to have two more brothers-in-arms, inviting them eagerly to the tavern once all the fighting was over.

Merlin thought over their introduction to Gwaine as he sat in his quarters on his own, absentmindedly cleaning his Dracawine armour and making sure it was all in order. The battle was the next day. It wouldn’t do for his armour to be faulty.

“Merlin, you’ve been cleaning that same piece of armour for ten minutes,” came a familiar voice from the doorway.

Merlin looked up to find Aithusa standing there in her human form. She wore a simple blue tunic and pants and her long white hair was pulled back out of her face. An expression of concern clouded her features as she looked at the prince she’d grown up with and sworn to protect.

“I doubt you’ve been standing there for ten minutes,” he replied as Aithusa walked over and sat down beside him. “You don’t have the patience for that.”

“Well, that’s true,” Aithusa conceded. “But I know you well enough to know when you’re brooding. And you’re doing that now, Merlin, don’t even try to deny it.”

“I am not,” Merlin began before sighing and accepting that she was right. “Well, I am, but I’m just worried.”

“Everything will be fine,” Aithusa said. “It is true that we have never faced a threat quite like this, but we are the forces of the Light, and we will prevail. Now stop wallowing. You are the Prince of Dracona. People look to you for leadership. If they see you being all scared and worried, how do you think they’re going to feel? Show them the bravery of Prince Merlin, show them the might of Emrys, and show Uther and Morgause that they made a mistake in challenging us. Lead your people to victory, Merlin.”

Merlin broke out in a small smile. “You always know just what to say to knock some sense into me, don’t you, Thusy?”

Aithusa returned the grin. “Only when you’re being a silly little hatchling.”

“Hey!” Merlin said indignantly as Aithusa stood up.

“We’ll all be fine, Merlin,” she said as she looked down at him. “Have a little faith. But I must go, someone is coming and I think the two of you should be alone. It is late, though, and you should rest once your visitor leaves. I will see you in the morning. Sleep well.”

Before Merlin could even protest, Aithusa swept from the room. Merlin heard someone greet her, and he smiled as he recognised the voice as Morgana’s. His smile faded when he saw the troubled expression on her face. “What’s wrong?” He asked, standing and pulling her gently into his arms.

“Merlin,” Morgana said, her voice filled with apprehension. “Merlin, I had a vision.”

The worry that Aithusa had just dispelled returned and Merlin was once again filled with unease. “What did you see?”

“It can’t be a vision!” Morgana exclaimed, disregarding his question. “It can’t be!”

“Morgana,” he said in a soothing tone of voice and pulling her in her a hug. “Shh, it’s fine. It’s going to be okay. Just tell me what you saw.”

She clung to him desperately. “I talked to Gwen about it and she said it could have just been a nightmare, but it isn’t! I know it isn’t! Merlin, it was awful.”

“Morgana, it’s alright. Just tell me what happened.”

Merlin listened intently as Morgana explained what happened in her dream. Like Morgana, he felt mortified by the vision. There was no way they could let that happen. But he refused to be taken over by what the vision told them. He couldn’t be consumed by trying to stop it from happening, not when they had a battle to fight and two armies to overcome. The vision was awful, that was true, but they also had to focus on the Battle of Dracona.

Morgana stepped away from him, wiping her eyes where tears had begun to build. “I almost didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want you to worry any more than you already are, but –“

“-Morgana, it’s alright. I’m glad you told me-“

“-But-“

He approached her, taking her hands in his and giving them a comforting squeeze. “Everything is going to be alright, love,” he said. “We’re not going to let this vision come true.”

“How can you be so sure? So confident?”

“We have defied destiny once already, haven’t we?” He said, stepping forward so there was barely any space between them and lifting a hand to gently wipe a tear off Morgana’s face. Morgana leant into his touch, closing her eyes at the contact. “You were supposed to be the darkness to my light, and yet we both follow the Path of Light together.”

She opened her eyes and gave him a small, uncertain smile.

“You told me once that destiny wasn’t set in stone,” Merlin continued. “And this vision isn’t either. Just because you saw it doesn’t mean it’s going to come true. We’re going to be fine, Morgana.” He thought back to what Aithusa had told him just before Morgana arrived. “We just need to have a little faith.”

Merlin finished his encouraging speech by leaning to press a soft kiss to Morgana’s lips. He’d meant it to be gentle and comforting, but Morgana was apparently having none of that. She grabbed Merlin’s face in her hands as he went to move away and pulled him back down for a searing kiss. Merlin responded automatically, his arms wrapping around her and murmuring her name against her lips as they kissed again and again.

“Morgana,” he said at last, pulling away slightly. “It’s late. We need to get to sleep. We need to be rested for tomorrow.”

“We could die tomorrow,” Morgana replied, her worry once again showing on her face. “That vision – you were in so much pain, Merlin. I could see it on your face. This could be our last night together. I don’t want to sleep just yet.”

Merlin blushed, “Morgana-“

She realised what her words could have sounded like and blushed as well. “No! I didn’t mean that! I just – I just don’t want to be alone right now. The visions – I’m afraid to go to sleep. I just want to stay with you.”

Merlin’s blush faded and he gave her a soft smile. “Okay, how about this? You can lie in my bed and I’ll sit with you until you fall asleep?”

“You’ll stay with me?”

He led her to his bed and she laid down on it so she was lying on her left side. “Always, Morgana,” he replied and she got comfortable. “Always.”

She smiled and closed her eyes as Merlin sat beside the bed. “Goodnight, Merlin.”

“Goodnight. Pleasant dreams, love.”

It didn’t take long for Morgana to fall asleep after that. In an effort to make sure she got a decent night’s sleep, Merlin cast an enchantment for a deep and dreamless sleep over her, hoping that would keep Morgana’s visions at bay and ensure a nightmare-less rest for her.

He was then, of course, faced with the issue of a sleeping Morgana in his bed. He could only imagine what it would look like if she was found there in the morning. He could just go and sleep in Morgana’s bed, but that would raise just as many questions as Morgana being in his own bed.

I really should have thought of this earlier, he thought.

Merlin resolved to take her back to her own quarters. Certain that she wouldn’t wake due to his spell, he stood up and gently lifted her up off the bed. Morgana didn’t even stir.

Holding her in his arms, he turned and left his rooms.

“Come on,” he murmured to her as he went. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Sir Leon didn’t really know what he was doing when he was escorted through the Dragon Caves in the middle of the night.

He didn’t have much of a plan. He’d snuck away from the Camelotian forces with the idea seek out Prince Arthur, but then he’d been stopped outside by some magical force-field and surrounded by guards in an instant. He was then led through the Dragon Caves; his guards were silent and kept a firm grip on their weapons, clearly suspicious about Leon’s arrival. The guard walking directly behind Merlin had a spear in his hand and had it pressing against Leon’s back, forcing the knight of Camelot forwards.

Leon didn’t even know what he was going to say to Arthur when – if – he finally found his prince. But Leon felt torn when it came to his loyalties. On one side he was loyal to his king, but Leon was also fiercely loyal to Arthur. He was at a loss of what to do. He had hoped that talking to his prince would give him some idea as to help him, because judging by the confrontation with Uther, Arthur seemed just as torn as Arthur was.

“Please,” Leon entreated to his guards. “I just wish to speak to Prince Arthur. I am here for no other purpose. On my honour as a knight, I swear I’m not a spy. I just wish to talk to my prince.”

“Silence!” One of the guards barked at him. “You’re to go to the King.”

“Please,” Leon tried again, even though he knew it was pointless. “I only want-“

“- I said be quiet!”

“What is going on here?” Demanded a new, instantly recognisable, and yet totally unrecognisable voice.

Leon turned to see Merlin approaching them, carrying the slumbering form of Morgana, of all things. The King’s Ward – daughter, Leon corrected himself – seemed perfectly comfortable in Merlin’s arms. She was deeply asleep with a peaceful expression on her face.

“Sire!” All of Leon’s guards chorused at once.

Sire, Leon echoed the word in his mind. He was still trying to wrap his head around the idea of Merlin as royalty. When he had first revealed himself as the Prince of Dracona, Leon had been in a state of absolute shock. However, now that he’d had time to process the revelation, Leon had to admit that it was easy to see the prince in Merlin. He was always more than he seemed, but it wasn’t until Merlin had confronted them by arriving on a dragon, displaying powerful magic and incredible skills with a sword that Leon had realised exactly how extraordinary Merlin was.

But even now, when Merlin wasn’t wearing armour or a circlet on his brow, even when he was carrying someone in his arms, he still had an air of authority about him.

I am not the Merlin you know. Leon thought back to what Merlin had said to the scouting party. No. He definitely wasn’t the Merlin Leon knew. This was someone different, and yet when Merlin reached him and welcomed him with his usual sunny smile, he seemed like his same old self.

“Sir Leon,” Merlin greeted.

“P-Prince Merlin,” Leon replied, bowing his head respectfully and marvelling at how utterly strange that was to say.

“He was found trying to get through the wards, Sire,” one of the guards reported.

Merlin nodded in response and eyed Leon, his smile disappearing and changing into a serious expression. “Why are you here, Leon?”

“I came to see Arthur, My Lord.”

Merlin gave him a wry look. “Leon, you’ve seen me scrubbing floors, mucking stables and being a general dogsbody. I don’t think we need to stand on propriety. Besides, you are a friend. You can just call me Merlin.”

Leon merely nodded as Merlin turned to address him men.

“Let him go,” the prince said. “He is fine.”

“But sire,” one of the guards tried to protest, but fell silent at the glower Merlin sent his way. “Never mind – release him,” he said to his fellow guards.

The guards surrounding him took a step backwards immediately.  Merlin nodded, pleased, before gesturing with a shake of his head for Leon to follow him. “I’ll take you to Arthur.” To the guards he said, “I’ll handle things from here, go back to your posts.”

The Draconians bowed their heads respectfully and with murmurs of “Yes, my Lord” or “Yes, Sire”, they did as he ordered.

Merlin shifted Morgana slightly in his arms and then set off. Leon hurried after him, walking just a step behind him. Merlin noticed and stopped, rolling his eyes. “You can walk beside me, Leon.”

Still not saying a word, Leon nodded and fell in step beside Merlin as they set off again. “Sorry about that back there,” Merlin said as they walked. “I normally don’t glare my people into doing what I tell them, but I’ve had a long day – as you can imagine – and I’m really not in the mood for my orders to be questioned.”

Leon glanced at the sleeping form of Morgana. She was asleep in his arms and Merlin wanted to clarify why he glared at a guard? That was what he cleared up?

Merlin saw where he was looking. “Oh, she fell asleep in my quarters. I’m just taking her back to her own chambers. I’m glad we’re nearly there … Don’t tell her I said this, but she’s heavy.”

Leon surprised himself by laughing. “She would challenge you to a duel if she heard you’d said that.”

“Which is exactly why she won’t be hearing it,” Merlin quipped, before ducking into a small cave. It was a fairly plain and small cavern, with a bed, a small table and chairs and a few bookshelves. Merlin crossed over to the bed and the covers automatically pulled themselves down.

Leon stiffened. Magic, he thought.

Merlin hadn’t even said a word. Leon had heard that wordless magic was difficult, but Merlin had made it seem effortless. It had also seemed so mundane. Uther had always proclaimed that magic was evil and that it corrupted you. But all Merlin had used it for was to pull some covers down because his hands were full. That wasn’t evil at all. And Leon struggled to accept that Merlin had an evil bone in his body in the first place. Granted, Merlin was incredibly intimidating when he’d given Leon and the other knights an idea of just how powerful his magic was, but he hadn’t hurt them. He’d only threatened them when they’d threatened him, and he’d only hurt Bartholomew when the short-tempered knight had attacked him first.

Leon was just struck with the overall question of: Was magic really evil?

But he pushed the thought aside as Merlin gently laid Morgana on the bed. She didn’t wake up, but she did speak. All she said was a name: “Merlin.”

The man in question seemed genuinely surprised that Morgana had said his name. He looked down at her in surprise and crouched so he was level with her. “Morgana?”

But she didn’t stir. Her breathing was even and it soon became apparent that she was sleep talking. Leon didn’t really know what to make of the Lady Morgana calling out to Merlin in her sleep, but his surprise was doubled by Merlin reaching out and gently pushing aside a hair that had fallen in front of Morgana’s eyes. There was something so tender about the action, something so personal and intimate that Leon just stood there gaping at them. Merlin and the Lady Morgana? He thought to himself in shock.

Considering Merlin’s true status, the match wasn’t that unprecedented. At least, it was easier to grasp than if Merlin was still considered a servant. Leon just wondered when the pair had gotten so close. It seemed that quite a lot had happened on the quest that Prince Arthur and the Lady Morgana had to actually sneak out of Camelot to go on.

Merlin stood and turned back to Leon. His face portrayed no embarrassment about what Leon had just witnessed him do. It was as if Merlin did it all the time. As though it was an accepted fact that he normally just brushed hair lovingly out of the Lady Morgana’s face.

Just how close are they? Leon wondered.

“I’m surprised she even spoke,” Merlin said as he led the way out of Morgana’s quarters. “I put a powerful sleeping enchantment on her to make sure she had a decent night’s sleep.”

Once again Leon was struck with the notion of magic being used for good. How could anyone ensuring that someone had a full night’s sleep be in any way considered evil?

He followed Merlin through the Dragon Caves to Arthur’s quarters. They looked much the same as Morgana’s, but Arthur was sitting on his bed, his hand entwined with Guinevere’s as she leant her head on his shoulder. They were talking quietly with one another when Merlin barged in in typical Merlin fashion, with Leon following behind him.

Despite just coming to terms with the idea of Merlin and Morgana as a couple, Leon was surprised at the notion of Arthur and Guinevere. He had known Gwen since they were children and her mother worked in Leon’s household. She was a kind girl, but Leon had never picked her to end up falling for Arthur, of all people. Or Arthur returning those feelings.

They both looked surprised to see him, but Arthur collected himself and stood to grasp Leon’s arm in welcome. “Leon! What are you doing here?”

“Sire. Guinevere,” Leon said in greeting, bowing his head respectfully at them both. He looked uncertain. He didn’t really know what to say not that he’d met up from the prince.

“Is there any news of my father?” Arthur asked.

Leon shook his head. “No, my Lord. It’s just … my loyalties are torn. I am loyal to you, Sire, but I am foremost a knight of the King and my loyalty must be to him. But I know that you wouldn’t defy the King without reason … and just from being here for a short time, I can see that magic isn’t as evil as King Uther makes it out to be. Surely magic can’t be as black and white as His Majesty believes. I’m just here, I suppose, because I don’t know what to do.”

Arthur looked sympathetic. Leon figured that the prince seemed just as torn as he did. “I understand how you feel, Leon,” Arthur said after a period of short silence. “I am not normally one to defy my father, but in this case he is wrong. Magic isn’t the evil force I once believed it to be. Merlin, Morgana and the people of Dracona taught me that. There is no evil in magic, only in the hearts of those who misuse their powers.”

“I was born with my magic,” Merlin said. “I’ve been using it since I was a few hours old. I’ve had it my whole life. Do I seem like an evil, corrupted person to you?”

Leon shook his head. There was nothing remotely evil about Merlin at all.

Which meant … The King was wrong.

Leon couldn’t fight the Draconians knowing that King Uther was wrong in his belief that all those with magic were evil. He couldn’t go to war with innocent people.

His conflicted feelings must had shown of Leon’s face, because Arthur stepped forward and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I know that you’re loyalties are divided, and I know you’re struggling to come to terms with finding out that everything you thought you knew about magic was wrong. Trust me, I know. I went through the same thing when Merlin revealed his magic by breaking out of magical chains and throwing Morgause through the air without touching her; throwing her through the air like she weighed nothing. Merlin was protecting us and how did I repay him? With a punch to the face.”

The prince of Camelot’s tone was filled with guilt. “Arthur-“ Merlin tried to speak.

Arthur shook his head before turning to Merlin. “No, Merlin. We may have moved past it, but it doesn’t change the fact that my first reaction was to attack you.” Arthur turned back to Leon. “But after listening to Merlin and seeing what he’d done for me with his magic, and then seeing the druid camp filled with innocent and kind people who all had magic … it was impossible to keep believing it was evil, regardless of what I had learnt from my Father. So yes, I know what you’re going through, Leon. Incredibly so. My loyalties are divided between Camelot and Dracona. So when it comes to the battle tomorrow, I will be fighting for the both of them against our mutual enemy: Morgause.”

Leon nodded. Fighting for both of them. Yes. Leon couldn’t fight against the Draconian people, and he was too loyal to turn his back on Camelot, so he would fight the army that was trying to destroy them both.

King Uther hadn’t even been dissuaded about engaging the Draconian’s in battle when he’d heard that there was another army to be fought. If anything, he was even more determined to crush all those with magic, especially when he found out who was leading the second army. Uther had raged about Morgause and declared that she and her followers would all be crushed by the might of the Knights of Camelot.

Leon was more concerned about facing two armies at once, but when he had tried to talk to the King about it, Uther refused to see reason. They were to engage both Balinor and Morgause’s forces and that was it.

“I will do as do, Sire,” Leon said at last, drawing himself out of his thoughts to regard his prince.

Arthur nodded. He didn’t say a word, but held out his arm for Leon to clasp.

Leon didn’t even hesitate; he grasped Arthur’s arm in a symbol of loyalty and camaraderie.

Elaine poured over maps and battle plans as Gwaine sat beside her, intently sharpening his sword.

“You need to stop, Elaine,” Gwaine said, breaking the silence that had formed between them and sounding unusually serious. “You need to sleep. Rest.”

“I don’t see you going to sleep either,” she shot back as she continued to go over the plans for the battle the next day.

Gwaine stopped sharpening his sword and put it aside. “I’ll go to sleep when you do,” he said stubbornly. “You’ve done enough, Elaine. There’s nothing more we can do but get a decent night’s sleep so we’ll be ready for tomorrow.”

Elaine shook her head. “I have to make sure everything is perfect.”

Gwaine stood and gently forced Elaine to look at him. “You may be the Court Sorceress and leader of the Kingsguard, but even you need to sleep. You’re doing more harm than good by forcing yourself to stay awake and worry over the battle plans.”

“And like I said, I don’t see you going to sleep either,” Elaine said.

“And like I said, I’ll go to sleep when you do,” he replied. “Everything will be fine, Elaine. Trust me.”

Gwaine studied the Court Sorceress. She looked like she was wavering, giving into her fatigue and considering going to sleep. But part of her was determined to continue. To go over every plan, every detail, every statistic and piece of information until she was certain it was perfect.

There is a lot of pressure on her, Gwaine thought.

As Court Sorceress, Elaine was automatically given the title of the leader of the Kingsguard. The Court Sorcerer or Sorceress was always considered the most power magic user in Dracona outside of the royal family. The Kingsguard was the elite magical fighting force of Dracona, so it was only natural that they answer to the most powerful sorceress in the Kingdom, who in turn answered to King Balinor. They all answered to the king, of course, but Elaine was the one in charge of the force and the one to lead them.

Which was why she was keeping herself awake and pouring over battle plans. She would not risk any harm coming to her guards, or to the royal family.

She was also stressed because her sister was one of the people that they were going up against. There was no love lost between Elaine and Morgause, and Elaine rarely spoke of her sister. But what she had told Gwaine was that Elaine felt guilty that it was her sister that was causing harm to Dracona and she also felt like she had failed her younger sister. Elaine knew that Morgause wasn’t one to be dissuaded from the Path of Darkness, but Elaine still felt like she had failed her family for allowing Morgause to fall into Darkness, or to not associate with Morgana until she came to Dracona.

Gwaine was the only one that Elaine had ever revealed that to, save the King and Queen. He had spent a lot of time with Elaine over the years and they were close; they trusted each other and confided in one another. Like his relationship with Lancelot, the pair had initially gotten close due to their relationship with Merlin. But it was working together as members of the Kingsguard that had solidified their friendship. There was a certain kind of closeness that came with trusting someone to watch your back and keep you alive in combat situations, and Elaine and Gwaine had saved each other’s lives countless times over the course of the war with Blackwood and now Morgause.

They knew how each other worked; Gwaine who was normally cheerful and would fight with reckless abandon and Elaine with her calm and collected personality and fighting style. They made a good pair. They balanced each other out and never once failed to protect the royal family or each other.

There was no second-in-command of the Kingsguard. But it was generally accepted that due to his close relationship with both Elaine and Merlin, and how much Elaine trusted Gwaine and often sought out his advice, as well as Gwaine’s own skill and strength, that he was the unofficial secondary leader of the force, even when he had recently been removed from it to be Merlin’s protector.

And as that unofficial second-in-command, Gwaine was determined to get Elaine to sleep.

He put a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Elaine. You know I’m right. Go get some rest.”

“Uther Pendragon will admit that magic isn’t evil before I ever admit that you’re right, Gwaine,” she drawled. “In other words – it isn’t going to happen.”

Gwaine laughed, glad that she was still in a well enough mood to crack jokes. “Sure it will! And one day I’ll even get you to come to the tavern with me!”

Elaine cracked a small smile. “You’re delusional, Gwaine,” she said, but she relented and looked away from the battle plans. “I will go to sleep, though.”

“Was that a ‘you’re right, Gwaine’? I think that was you admitting I was right,” Gwaine teased as they made their way out of the cavern they were in to their own separate quarters.

“Once again, you’re delusional,” Elaine said as they stopped outside of the Court Sorceress’s chambers.

He gave her a playful smile. “Be in denial all you want. I’m taking that as you admitting I’m right.”

Elaine rolled her eyes. “Goodnight, Gwaine,” she said dryly.

“Goodnight, Elaine,” he replied cheerfully, before turning serious. “Try to get some sleep.”

Elaine nodded. “You too,” she said, before disappearing into her quarters.

It took a moment for Gwaine to continue on after bidding Elaine a goodnight, as he was lost in his thoughts of Elaine and memories of the battles they’d faced together. But as he finally got a hold of himself and wandered through the Dragon Caves to his own quarters he wondered if – despite all his nagging to Elaine – he’d even be able to sleep that night.

When Merlin woke the next morning, he was filled with a determined resolve. He would lead his people to victory and he would make sure that Morgana’s vision didn’t come true.

Today is the day, he told himself. The Battle of Dracona.

He once again thought of what the White Goddess told him at the Cauldron of Arianrhod: The is the war of Kings, and only you can decide how it ends.

I’ll end it, he thought, before thinking over the spell the White Goddess gave him. Dracona will be at peace at last.

The rest of the morning was a quiet, tense affair. Everyone was dressed in armour, messengers were running to and fro, his Father was giving out last minute orders, his Mother was with the druids and healers, helping make sure that everything was in place for the infirmary that would be at the battle.

And when Merlin came across Arthur, Gwen was helping him put his bright red Camelot cloak his new Draconian armour. Morgana was also there, looking on as Gwen helped Arthur get ready. Leon wasn’t with them, the knight had returned to the Camelot forces, promising to do what he could to make the other knights see reason.

Both Morgana and Gwen wore their own Draconian armour. The symbol of the House of Ambrosius was showing proudly on the breastplate of the armour and both women had swords hanging at their sides. Morgana, Merlin was pleased to note, also wore the dagger that Merlin’s mother gave her.

Merlin studied Arthur. He was a perfect blend of a knight of Dracona and Camelot: He wore the Draconian armour that Queen Hunith had commissioned for him, but his cloak identified him as a knight of Camelot; his sword hung at his waist.

When Merlin walked in, everyone stopped to greet him. They seemed in good enough moods, but there was an undercurrent of tension amongst them all. Merlin didn’t blame them. He felt nervous too. But he mustered his courage as he looked as his friends, Aithusa’s advice from the night before echoing in his mind: People look to you for leadership. If they see you being all scared and worried, how do you think they’re going to feel? Show them the bravery of Prince Merlin, show them the might of Emrys. So he would do as his dragon friend said and be the brave Prince Merlin Ambrosius that he needed to be. He would protect his Kingdom, people, family and friends.

“If you’re ready, come with me,” was all Merlin said to them. “It’s time.”

The place the battle was to be held was called the Dracacynn Plane. It translated roughly to ‘Dragon-Kin’ Plane. Legend had it that it was the place where the first dragonlord tamed his first dragon. It was a historical place for the people of Dracona and Merlin was at loath to stage a battle there, but it proved tactically advantageous. There was a hill where their forces were stationed. Morgause and Uther’s armies would have to cross the plane and climb the hill to get to them.

Merlin stood at the top of the hill. Behind him were hundreds of men and women all standing in perfect lines, waiting to fight for their kingdom. His father was behind them, where he would be directing the attacks of the dragons. As speaking in the Dragon-tongue could often be a long and arduous process, it left the king open for an attack. As skilled as Merlin’s father was, he couldn’t fight, defend himself, direct dragons and oversee the battle all at once. He would stay behind their lines until he saw fit to enter the fray. It would be up to Merlin to lead the troops until then.

His mother was even further behind the frontlines; stationed at the healers tents where she would help to take care of the wounded. The Queen had flatly refused to be left behind while the rest of them went off to war and was now with Aglain, Iseldir, Mordred, numerous other druids and the Draconian healers, preparing for when the battle began.

Merlin became aware of the sound of hundreds of stamping feet. A roar from above had Merlin looking to the sky. Aithusa flew towards him and landed. “They come,” she reported. “Morgause’s forces from the East and Uther’s from the West.”

Merlin nodded. He sensed movement behind him and Arthur, Morgana, Gwen, Gwaine, Elaine, Lancelot, Percival and Elyan split away from the main force and came to stand beside him. They were serving as Merlin’s personal guard and platoon.

Merlin turned to them. “This is your last chance to back out. Only Gwaine, Elaine and Lancelot were originally part of our forces. You don’t have to fight for us.”

Arthur frowned and immediately responded with, “We’re not going anywhere, Merlin.”

Despite the situation, Merlin broke out in a smile as the rest of them added their own refusals to leave. “Thank you,” he said sincerely, before his attention was drawn away from friends by the arrival of their two opponents.

Both armies came into view, marching onto the Dracacynn Plane in perfect lines. Some people in both forces ride on horses, while the others walked on foot, but all of them walked in perfect unison. The army of Camelot carried bright red flags that displayed the gold dragon of the Pendragons. Morgause’s army sported flags of black with nothing but a crystal with rays of light shining off it pictured on them in silver. Merlin understood what the picture meant. It was a reference to the fabled Crystal Cave, which was said to be the birthplace of magic. Morgause was making a statement with those flags; telling all who came upon them that they were fighting an army of magic.

Merlin turned to his knights. Despite their bravery, seeing two armies march upon them was a daunting sight. Merlin needed to speak to them; to raise their spirits and morale.

“Thusy, may I?” Merlin asked, turning to his dragon-protector.

The dragon must have known exactly what he meant, because she nodded and bent down so Merlin could climb on, sitting in his favourite place behind her head. She then shot off the ground, flying a few meters into the air and staying there so Merlin would be seen by everyone in the frontlines.

“KNIGHTS OF DRACONA! HEAR ME!” Merlin called out to them. He had their attention as soon as he and Aithusa had launched off the ground, but now each man and woman was regarding him intently. “It has been many years since I have fought amongst you. It has been many years since I had the honour of fighting alongside the mighty army of Dracona. It has been many years since I have openly called myself your Prince, but I would have you hear me now! Indeed, it has been many years since we have faced a threat quite like the one we are facing today, but I promise you that we will prevail! I see an army before me filled with courageous men, women and dragons. I see an army that will strike fear into their enemies. An army that will win this battle because we have something worth fighting for. We are not just fighting against two armies today. We are fighting against hatred, greed, prejudice and Darkness. But I repeat: We will prevail! We are the forces of the Light, but that is not all we fight for! We fight for our homes, our families, our friends, our kingdom! We fight for Dracona! We will not be cowled by these two tyrants! We will not give in to their hate! Darkness will not win this day, I promise you that! Now who here will fight with me for our kingdom?!”

The resounding roar from the Draconian forces echoed across the Plane. Merlin drew his sword and held it aloft his head with a roar of defiance.

They all copied him, shouting and lifting their weapons in response and banging them against their shields, creating a loud ruckus; a challenge aimed at the two opposing armies.

Aithusa landed and Merlin sheathed his sword before jumping off. He landed on the ground in a crouch and turned to face the others. “Whatever happens, don’t interrupt me,” he told them. “This spell is complicated and it would be disastrous if I got it wrong.”

They all nodded solemnly and Merlin turned to place his hands palms down on the dirt. It didn’t take him long to sense the magic in the land and the powerful Blessing of Dracona that was a part of the land. He felt his magic building up within him and he pushed it towards the magic of the earth. The two powers combined and Merlin felt himself be engulfed by the land’s magic. It felt like every time he returned to Dracona and experienced the Blessing’s magical boost, just a hundred times more powerful.

“Blétsung of Dracona, cume tó mé.” Merlin intoned in the language of the Old Religion as he was engulfed by the earth’s magic. “Fífmægen of sé eorðe, cume tó mé, Emrys. Híeran mé ond þára ic álesan, swá sé Hwíte Gyden álíefans. Fífmægen of sé eorðe, hieran sé Léoht!”

Merlin stood as he said the last word and turned to face the army behind him. Those that could see him gaped at him in wonder and many of the soldiers in the front line of the army were murmuring to those behind them, describing what they could see.

It was an awe-inspiring sight. Merlin stood, bathed in magic. It hung around him like a golden cloak and his eyes were shining the constant gold colour of magic. Merlin raised his hands towards the Draconian forces. “Líesing!” He shouted.

The magic erupted out of Merlin. A wave of pure magic washed over the Draconian forces and those of Merlin’s friends standing around him. Because his platoon was so close to Merlin when the magic was released, they staggered a little under the force of it. They weren’t harmed, no one who the magic touched was harmed, and as soon as they were engulfed in its glow, they stood up straighter. They seemed more energised; stronger.

It was the Blessing of Dracona, amplified to be more powerful than they had ever experienced it.

Once all the magic had flooded out of Merlin, he stumbled backwards. Arthur rushed to catch him and lowered him gently in to the ground; everyone crowded around them in concern.

“Are you alright? What did you do?!” Arthur demanded.

“It was the spell the White Goddess gave you, wasn’t it?” Morgana said. “Are you okay?”

Merlin nodded, a little dazed. “I tapped into the magic of the land and used myself as a conductor,” he explained. “I drew the magic into myself and spread it out over our forces. For the span of this battle, the Blessing will only work for our army. It won’t strengthen Morgause or Uther’s forces, only us. That is the spell the White Goddess gave me.”

“How can you even do that?” Gwen asked, looking amazed.

“I just pushed my magic into the ground until I felt the magic of the earth,” Merlin said with a small shrug.

Elaine shook he head in wonder. “This is unprecedented, my young master. Many sorcerers and sorceresses have tried to tap further into the magic of the land than that of what the Blessing gives them. They all ended up going mad due to the power that courses through their bodies. They can’t handle it, let alone give it to other people – a whole army!”

“You really are Emrys, aren’t you?” Percival said, seeming awestruck. “The ones from the legends my druid friends used to speak of? Magic incarnate.”

“Perhaps that’s how you could harness the magic,” Elaine said thoughtfully. “You are the physical embodiment of magic itself.”

Merlin looked uncomfortable at this and stood up slowly. They all went to help them, but he waved them away. “It doesn’t matter how I did it,” he said. “What matters is that I did.” He then walked stiffly over to Aithusa. “Thusy, again, please?”

She nodded and Merlin climbed up to sit behind her head. Aithusa once more flew into the air so Merlin could address the Draconian people. As she flew, Merlin also felt her lending him some of her strength so Merlin could quickly get over the effects of altering the Blessing of Dracona.

Thank you, Thusy, he thought to her.

It is alright, Merlin, she replied. Now address your people.

Merlin nodded and looked out at the mass of people that were standing before him. “Noble knights of Dracona!” He called out. “No doubt you are suddenly feeling stronger and can guess what I just did. I have changed the Blessing of Dracona so that it is amplified and only benefits our army. It will not make the opposing armies stronger, and nor will it make their magic more powerful than it already is! Today, the Blessing of Dracona serves only us, its people! The followers of the Light! So let us use this advantage. Let us use this magic and win back our Kingdom! Let us restore my parents to their rightful thrones! Let us prove to these people that they cannot simply march into our home and think they can conquer us! Let us show them the bravery and the strength of the army of Dracona! Let us win this day, together, as one!” Merlin once again raised his sword above this head. “FOR THE LOVE OF DRACONA!”

“FOR THE LOVE OF DRACONA!” Shouted back hundreds of voices as they raised their weapons once more. In the sky above, dragons roared their approval at Merlin’s speech. The Draconian forces were just one big entity of noise. Shouting and roaring at the opposing armies, daring their enemies to even try to cross them.

The two approaching armies stopped their advance. Morgause and Uther’s forces stopped on either side of the Dracacynn Plane, a few hundred metres from each other. Morgause and Uther stood at the front of their forces as their own armies answered Dracona’s challenge with their own yelling.

From his position on Aithusa, Merlin was visible to both armies. He used this to his advantage and used his magic to amplify his voice. “I am Crown Prince Merlin Ambrosius,” he said and his voice sounded incredibly loud, carrying over the Plane and drowning out the yelling of the two armies. He was once again talking in his cold, authoritarian, tone of voice. “And I give you this last chance to retreat. Especially you, Uther Pendragon. Dracona’s quarrel is not with you, but with the Priestess who now calls herself Queen. However, we are giving you both the chance to retreat. To leave Dracona. Leave us to our kingdom and spare thousands of lives in battle.”

“I am going nowhere, little Prince,” Morgause replied, her voice magically amplified as well. “My army will crush you all and this war will finally be won. I can sense what you did with your kingdom’s Blessing, Emrys, but that won’t save you. Everyone in my army has powerful magic, and we will destroy you all.”

Uther, for his part, couldn’t magically make his voice louder, but yelling came up from the army of Camelot and none of them moved, so Merlin took that as Uther’s refusal to withdraw. He didn’t think either of them would have retreated, but he had to give them that chance. He had to try and save as many people as he could.

“So be it,” Merlin said. “But Dracona will be victorious!”

His people roared in approval behind him and Merlin ended the spell to amplify his voice. However, the standoff between the three armies ended when someone in Morgause’s forces decided that Merlin made a decent target floating up in the air and sent an arrow soaring his way. Merlin blocked it easily with a shield spell and Aithusa landed unharmed, but the moment of peace was lost. The Draconian’s yelled angrily at their opponents, but they didn’t break ranks. However, Morgause’s forces began their assault and charged at both armies, splitting so half was running at the army of Camelot and half was charging up the Plane to the Draconians. Uther’s force began their charge a second behind them, splitting in the same manner, but those that were charging towards the army of Dracona kept a safe distance from those of Morgause’s that were doing the same.

The Draconian army didn’t move an inch.

As one half of the forces of Uther and Morgause collided, the Draconians stood stock-still; they merely stood and stared as the other half of Uther and Morgause’s armies ran towards them. Their opponents were halfway up the Dracacynn Plane when a roar sounded from behind the Draconian lines.

“O, DRAKONS!” Shouted Balinor, and gave out a string of commands in the harsh language of the dragons.

The dragons of Dracona took to the air. There was dozens of them in all shapes, sizes and colours, but Merlin knew that this wasn’t the entire amount of Draconian dragons. There were hundreds of dragons within their kingdom, but his father wouldn’t use them all at once and there were also young hatchlings back at the Dragon Caves, protected by a variety of Elder and Younger dragons. They were to protect the continuation of the dragon race, should the worst happen in the battle.

The dragons soared towards the approaching armies, and as one they opened their maws and released their breath of fire. However, they didn’t aim for the knights of Camelot, and aimed solely at Morgause’s forces. There were a number of reasons for this. Firstly, those from Camelot didn’t have magic to even try to protect themselves from the dragons-fire, so Balinor had said that if they were to go to battle with the Camelotian forces, then it would be solider to solider to give their opponents a fighting chance. Like the prince or Leon, there could have been people within Camelot who were only fighting because their King ordered it. It would be unfair to simply annihilate them with the dragons-fire. This was why dragons-fire was rarely used in battle situations such as these. Although it was a powerful weapon, it was hard to control and innocents could be caught up in the flames.

It was also in reverence to Arthur. Those were his men out there. King Balinor did not wish to burn all of Arthur’s knights’ right in front of his eyes.

Morgause’s forces, however, were made up of Dark sorcerers and sorceresses, mercenaries, bandits and thugs who were all willingly working for the High Priestess because she had enough gold to pay for their loyalty. They would show no mercy to their enemies, so Balinor and the dragons would show no mercy to them.

Screams filled the air as Morgause’s forces were engulfed in flames. It was a horrible sound, but Merlin ignored it. Instead, from his position sitting on Aithusa, he turned to regard his friends, “Are you ready?” He asked them. They all nodded silently, looking determined.

“We’re ready,” Morgana replied, answering for them all. “This war ends today.”

“Be careful, all of you,” said Merlin.

“Same goes to you, mate,” Gwaine said. “I’m planning a huge trip to the tavern once this is all over and you better be there.”

Despite the situation, Merlin laughed. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Merlin reached out and put one hand on his dragon-protector’s head. “And you, Aithusa? Are you ready?”

She twisted her large head around so she was looking at him. “These humans will regret challenging us.”

Merlin turned once more to look at each of his friends; his gaze lingered on Morgana for just a second longer than the others before he turned back to the approaching foes that were still charging up the Dracacynn Plane. “Then let us fight.”

On his cue, Aithusa shot into the air once more. Merlin wasn’t even ruffled by her abrupt take off. From as soon as he and Aithusa were big enough, they had trained in flying and fighting from dragon-back. Only the royal family were permitted to ride dragons, as they had dragon-protectors in the Dracawine and had grown up with them. But those outside of the royal family seldom ever rode on dragons and it so rarely happened that it was nearly unheard of. Merlin wasn’t often one to agree with Kilgharrah, but dragons weren’t horses and to ask a dragon to let you ride it could often sound like an insult to the creature. A dragon could permit anyone to ride them, of course, it was their choice. But it was generally taboo.

Despite being separated for so long since Merlin was in Camelot, he and Aithusa were still just as comfortable with each other in the air than they’d ever been. So as Aithusa shot off from the ground, Merlin unsheathed his sword and brandished in the air. “KNIGHTS OF DRACONA!” He shouted as Aithusa levelled herself so they were once again floating just above the ranks of the army and visible to everyone.

Merlin had looked over his shoulder at his army as he’d said the words, but he then faced forwards and swung his sword in a graceful arc, pointing it towards their approaching enemies. “ATTACK!”

The army of Dracona immediately surged forwards; Merlin’s friends leading the charge.

No one in the army was on horseback. As docile as the horses of Dracona tended to be, any sensible animal would be spooked when surrounded by dozens of ferocious dragons. That was a fact they intended to exploit when it came to their enemies. But it meant that everyone was on foot as they streamed towards their opponents with weapons drawn, once again shouting in challenge.

Merlin flew overhead with Aithusa, his heart racing as Aithusa roared and dived towards their first target. It was a bandit of Morgause’s that had miraculously survived the dragon-fire attack and had continued towards the Draconian army. He faltered in his approached as he saw Merlin and Aithusa flying towards him and feebly held his sword up in an effort to protect himself.

It was pointless.

In a blur of white, Merlin and Aithusa landed and were upon the man, with Merlin running the bandit through. Their opponent fell to the ground, lifeless, as Aithusa turned sharply, her tail hitting numerous members of Morgause’s army and knocking them over.

More soldiers tried to swarm Merlin and his dragon-friend. His right hand held his sword, so Merlin raised his left towards them. “Hleap on bæc!” He cried.

His magic sent his approaching enemies soaring backwards. They landed on the ground; some were groaning, others were silent and motionless. “Thusy, go!” Merlin shouted.

Aithusa took to the air once more. She dived towards another enemy and grabbed him in her talons. The mercenary screamed and thrashed around as Aithusa climbed high into the air with the man still in her grip. Once she had flown to what she believed was high enough, she let the man go.

The man screamed as he fell. It was a horrible sound. The whole Plane was filled with the screams of the wounded and dying. Merlin cringed at the noise. He hadn’t wanted this to happen. He didn’t like taking people’s lives. But he would protect his kingdom. He would protect Dracona, even if that meant having to be ruthless.

Merlin gripped his sword tighter and Aithusa roared as she dived towards another target.

As the battle progressed, Merlin kept as close an eye as he could on his friends from the sky. He and Aithusa never strayed far from them. Merlin’s friends were holding their own against the forces of Uther and Morgause, and it wasn’t until Morgana was ganged up on by three different opponents that Merlin intervened.

Morgana was being forced on the defensive by a Knight of Camelot and didn’t notice the sorcerer and sorceress that were sneaking up behind her. Morgana disarmed the knight and knocked him unconscious. She stopped to take a breath, completely unaware of the pair of magic users approaching behind her.

Aithusa snarled and Merlin was filled with a protective fury. Without Merlin even needing to say a word, Aithusa took off towards Morgana. “MORGANA!” Merlin shouted. “BEHIND YOU!”

The white dragon landed in front of the sorcerer and sorceress as Morgana turned to see the two other magic users. With a sharp intake of breath, she raised her sword. It was covered in blood and her armour was the same, covered in blood and dirt. Her hair was falling out of the braid she had it in and her forehead was glistening with sweat. The battle hadn’t been going for long, but the effort she had been going to since it started was obvious.

Merlin raised a hand towards them. “Forþ fleoge!”

In an instant, their two opponents had flown backwards. Merlin turned to Morgana and held out a hand to her. Unhesitatingly, she took it and climbed up on Aithusa so she was sitting behind him, with her arms wrapped around his waist. “Are you alright?” He asked her as the white dragon took off into the air.

“I’m fine,” she replied a little breathlessly.

Merlin’s momentary panic and fury at seeing Morgana in danger subsided. “You had me worried.”

“I’m fine,” she repeated, tightening her grip around him momentarily in a hug.

From the position in the air, they could see the whole battle spread out before them. They could see the red-cloaked Knights of Camelot clashing with the blue-cloaked forces of Dracona or the black-clad army of Morgause. Fire and smoke was everywhere and they could see spells flashing all across the Plane.

“This is awful,” Morgana said, looking down at it all.

“I want to finish this as soon as possible,” Merlin said. “We need to find your sister.”

“Perhaps we could talk sense into her.”

Merlin shook his head. “Morgause is past the stage of being reason with,” he said. “We can try, but I don’t believe we’ll accomplish anything.”

“Yes, but we can try. Except I don’t want to leave Arthur and Gwen … If something happened while we were separated…” Morgana sounded as worried as Merlin felt.

Merlin knew that Arthur and Gwen would be able to handle themselves, and the others in their platoon would be able to protect them, but Merlin would feel better if they were with them. He asked Aithusa to head towards the Once and Future King and Queen and she flew towards the pair without hesitation. Arthur and Gwen were standing back to back, fending off attackers. Gwaine and Elaine were beside them, taking down Uther and Morgause followers alike. They had lost Percival, Elyan and Lancelot somewhere in all the fighting.

Arthur, for his part, was only focusing on members of Morgause’s army. Any knight of Camelot he came across, he merely turned away; those from Camelot who came across Arthur did the same. The prince and his people studiously avoided each other the battle; Arthur out of love for his people, and the knights out of love for their prince.

Like Morgana, Arthur and Gwen were covered in dirt, sweat and blood. Despite only focusing on one army, Arthur still looked fairly worn down and a trail of blood was running down his face from a wound at the top of his head. Gwen looked even more exhausted than Arthur. She may have grown up in a forge and knew how to handle swords, but this battle was fast becoming more than she could handle.

Aithusa landed, drawing the attention of everyone there. With a swipe of her tail and a slash of her claws, she had gotten rid of all the enemies surrounding their friends. “Climb on,” she told Arthur and Gwen. “We’re going to stop Morgause.”

“We’re going to try and talk her into ending this. And if not – we’ll end it ourselves,” Merlin said, as Arthur and Gwen hurried to do what Aithusa had told them.

“We should also find my Father,” said Arthur. “Make him see sense and stop this madness.”

Aithusa took off, her keen dragon eyes seeking out Morgause and Uther. “There they are!” She told them all.

Morgause, Uther, and numerous knights of Camelot were all locking in combat. But despite being outnumbered, Morgause was holding her own against them.

“Come on,” Merlin said to her friends. “Let’s finish this.”

And with that, Aithusa dove towards the High Priestess and the King of Camelot.

Elaine watched Merlin, Morgana, Gwen and Arthur fly off. Momentarily distracted, she didn’t notice a knight of Camelot slicing his sword in a graceful arc towards her until it was blocked by Gwaine. Her friend quickly disarmed the Camelotian knight and knocked him unconscious with a blow to the head.

“Come on, Elaine!” Gwaine said, turning to face her. He was covered in blood and grime and his hair was sticking to his forehead because of sweat. “Can’t be getting distracted now! We’ve got a battle to win and a tavern to get to!”

“You’re delusional,” she said, repeating herself from the night before. “I’m just going to send a message to the King and let him know that Merlin and the others are going after Morgause and Uther. I think he’ll want to be there for that.”

Reaching out with her telepathic senses, Elaine delivered the message to the king. As she had expected, Balinor wanted to join the potential discussion between the leaders of the armies about getting their forces to retreat.

Within seconds, she saw their king flying over the battle on his dragon, Glédegesa.

I hope they’re careful, Elaine fretted, but that was as far as she could dwell on it. An approaching bandit demanded her attention. She swung her sword in a graceful circle and got into a fighting stance. “Come, trash. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Aithusa landed amongst Morgause, Uther and the knights of Camelot with a loud roar.

Leaping off her back, Merlin landed and raised his hands, one aimed at Morgause and one aimed at Uther and his men. Merlin was displeased to note that Sir Bartholomew was one of the men at the King of Camelot’s side. However, he was happy to see that Leon was also one of the knights present.

“You,” Uther snarled, glaring at Merlin.

Morgana, Arthur and Gwen climbed down from Aithusa and came to stand on either side of Merlin; a clear slow of support.

“Father, please,” Arthur tried once again to reason with his father. “There is no need to fight. This battle is just a senseless waste of lives.”

“Magic must be destroyed!” Uther cried stubbornly.

“No, magic will destroy you!” Morgause spat, and sent a ball of fire towards Uther.

Merlin reacted, running in-between the Priestess and the King and casting a shield: “Scildan!” A hazy shield appeared and protected Merlin, Uther and the knights from Morgause’s magic. “Enough!” Merlin shouted as the shield disappeared. “Arthur is right! This battle is pointless!”

“Why would you protect one who has persecuted so many of our kind?” Morgause demanded, looking livid. “You are becoming a thorn in my side, Emrys. It’s time I removed you – permanently!”

“No!” Morgana shouted, running forwards and standing in front of Merlin, her arms thrown out in an attempt to shield him as much as she could. “I will not let you harm him!”

The two sisters simply stared at one another; Morgause in challenge and Morgana in defiance. A tense silence fell over them all.

“I know you are fond of him, Sister,” Morgause said at last. “But move out of the way. Emrys must die.”

“No!” Morgana cried. “I won’t move!”

“Morgana,” Merlin tried to calm her. “It’s fine. I can handle this.”

She shook her head and ignored him. “Sister, please,” she entreated to Morgause. “This war is pointless. End it now.”

Hatred was in Morgause’s eyes. “Never. Move out of the way, Morgana.”

“Never! I love Merlin! I won’t let you hurt him! I won’t move. You’ll have to kill me first.”

That declaration was met by a lot of murmurs from the knights of Camelot. Uther himself let out an, “You what?!”

Morgana ignored them. “Will you do it, Sister? Will you hurt me? The one you claim to love so much? Your family?”

“You said it yourself, Morgana,” Morgause said darkly. “You don’t recognise me as your sister. Your family. And now you stand in my way. If you won’t move, so be it.”

She raised her hand toward Morgana and Merlin, but was distracted by a huge shadow passing over them all. Everyone looked up to see King Balinor landing on Glédegesa. The King of Dracona leapt off the red dragon, said something in the dragon tongue to him and Glédegesa went flying away.

Merlin felt both momentary panic and relief at seeing his father. Panic in the sense that he didn’t want anything to happen to him, and relief at the fact that now Balinor was there. His father had always had a calming effect on Merlin and Merlin had always believed – even when he had to live in exile in the Dragon Caves – that his Father was capable of handling anything. Seeing him there now came as a relief, even if Morgana’s vision was playing in Merlin’s head.

“Please refrain from harming the future King and Queen of Dracona,” Balinor said as he approached them, his expression dark and serious.

Everyone once again ignored the “What?” that came out of Uther and focused on the showdown that was now occurring between Balinor and Morgause. The King and High Priestess were glaring at each other as Balinor came to stand in front of Morgana and Merlin, shielding them from Morgause.

“Balinor,” Morgause sneered by way of greeting.

“Leave here, Morgause,” King Balinor replied. “Get your forces and leave Dracona. Never come back. Leave now, or we will destroy you. We have no wish to continue this fighting and bloodshed, but we will to protect our home. I give you this one last chance to retreat. Take it and leave.”

Morgause didn’t move an inch. “And as I told your whelp of a son, I am going nowhere.”

King Uther, it appeared, didn’t like being ignored. “Do not disregard the strength of Camelot!” He butted in. “We will be victorious in this battle!”

“Father, this battle is pointless!” Arthur spoke up once more.

“It’s just taking lives!” Gwen put in from her position beside Arthur.

“No, this whole discussion is pointless,” Morgause said before Uther even had the chance to speak. She glared at Arthur and Gwen, “You may think you are The Once and Future King and Queen, but you know nothing of the way of magic. You know nothing of the pain we have suffered at the hand of Uther Pendragon,” she said, turning her fierce gaze to the man in question.  “And my army of Darkness will annihilate you all.” She gave Morgana one last look. “You should have chosen the Path of Darkness, Morgana. You should have chosen me.”

With that, she sent out a blast of magic. It knocked Uther and his knights over and Arthur immediately ran to their aid, only to be stopped by Morgause. She ran into his path and reached out towards him. Arthur faltered in his attempted to get to his father and tried to raise his sword to protect himself, but it was too late. He froze in her magical grip and Morgause took another step towards him, reaching out towards his face.

Everyone started running towards them. Uther and his men were trying to pick themselves off the ground, Morgana and Gwen were charging towards them and Merlin and Balinor were heading their way, words of magic already forming on their lips.

But it was too late.

Merlin watched in horror as Morgause swiped at the blood that had been oozing down Arthur’s face from the wound at the top of his head. Even as she did, Merlin was recalling the White Goddess’s words: Beware of Morgause’s power over blood.

Morgause smiled an awful grin of victory. She raised her blood-covered right hand towards Arthur and uttered a string of words in the Old Tongue. Merlin felt the magic being cast and everyone stopped charging towards Morgause and Arthur; they stopped to see what would happen. Charging in blind wasn’t going to help Arthur. There was a short silence and then the Prince of Camelot began walking toward Uther, slowly drawing his sword.

The King of Camelot had gotten to his feet and was eyeing his son warily. “Arthur, what are you doing?”

“You can’t reason with him,” Morgause said. “He is under my control. There is only one way to break the spell and the Cauldron of Arianhod won’t help you now.”

Arthur raised his sword; his expression looked pained, as if he didn’t want to do what he was doing, but he had no control over his movements. Sir Leon and the other knights stepped forward to protect their King, but they seemed just as reluctant to hurt Arthur. Arthur’s sword came swinging down, and the knights got in a ready stance, but Arthur’s blade was blocked by another.

King Balinor had stepped forward and stopped Arthur’s attack with his own sword.

Merlin watched the exchange in shock and horror. He tried to move, but he seemed rooted to the spot. Everything was going wrong. Arthur attacking Uther … Balinor stopping it … Merlin remembered Morgana’s vision once again and shuddered. Move! He told himself. Make sure it doesn’t happen.

Just as Merlin took a step forward, his father let out a sentence in the Dragon Tongue. Suddenly, Aithusa was grabbing Merlin, Morgana and Gwen in her claws and shooting off into the air, leaving his father, Arthur and the others behind them.

Gwen and Morgana screamed in fright. They were in Aithus’s left claw and wedged together, clutching at Aithusa in a death grip, scared of falling. Merlin was in her other claw and not terrified, but furious. He yelled at his dragon-protector, “AITHUSA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PUT US DOWN!”

“The King ordered me to get you out of there!” Aithusa replied. “I cannot disobey my dragonlord!”

Even though Merlin knew this to be true, he still shouted, “PUT US DOWN!”

Aithusa flew a little further before deciding that they were apparently out of danger and landed in a small space in the battlefield. By which she flew close enough to the ground and dropped Merlin, Morgana and Gwen so they landed heavily but unhurt, before she landed with all her legs free from her sudden passengers. The battle was still raging around them, but no one dared come close once Aithusa roared at them all.

It took Merlin as minute to get his breath back, but when he did he scrambled to his feet. Morgana and Gwen did the same, both looking a little winded as well.

“Morgana-“ Merlin began.

“-Your dream – your vision-“ Gwen put in as she tried to get her breath back.

“-I know,” Morgana finished.

They didn’t need to say anything else. They simply nodded and headed off back towards where they had just come from.

“Merlin, no!” Aithusa said, darting in front of them. “Balinor said I had to get you out of there!”

“And you did!” Merlin shot back. “You got us out of there, but did my father say anything about stopping us from going back?”

“No.”

“Then let us go!”

“Merlin-“ Aithusa tried.

“-No!” Merlin interrupted. “I will not let anything happen to my Father or Arthur! Thusy, please move, please!”

She hesitated for a moment before she replied, “I will protect you from above.”

With that, she shot into the air and Merlin, Morgana and Gwen exchanged one final glance before they took off back towards Arthur and the others.

Fire and smoke were everywhere.

Merlin, Morgana and Gwen fought their way fiercely through the battle. They ran in a line: Merlin took the lead, followed by Morgana and then Gwen. Aithusa flew above them, diving at enemies and raining destruction down on anyone who got too close to or threatened their group.

That was the same for most of Draconian dragons. They filled the sky and their roars echoes across the Dracacynn Plane, but Morgana ignored them. She simply focused on getting through the hoards and trying not to think of how similar this all was to her vision.

It’s not going to come true! She thought. It’s not!

Merlin ran into a smoke cloud and Morgana momentarily lost sight of him. She charged after him, coughing through the smoke. When she finally made it out of the smoke cloud, she stopped in horror. She was vaguely aware of Gwen coming up behind her, but all she could stare at was what was happening in front of her. It was just like her vision and Merlin was still running towards it.

“MERLIN!” She yelled. “WAIT!”

But he didn’t stop. She knew he wouldn’t. Instead, he was sprinting towards Arthur and King Balinor who were locked in combat. Arthur still seemed to be under Morgause’s control, because he was attacking Balinor with everything he had.

Morgause and Uther were still there. The Knights of Camelot were all on the ground, seemingly unconscious or perhaps even dead, but their King and Morgause were duelling each other in a intense sword battle. But Morgana knew that Morgause was only toying with Uther. If she really wanted to end Uther, she’d use her magic, not fight him with a blade.

Morgana realised she was just wasting time looking at them. What was the gift of foresight if she didn’t do anything with it? If she didn’t stop the things she saw from happening?

She took off once more, screaming as she did, “ARTHUR, STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

But she knew what Arthur was doing, and she knew that he was merely Morgause’s puppet. She knew that Arthur didn’t want to do what he was doing any more than the rest of them wanted him to. They just had to get to him. To make him stop.

Morgana and Gwen ran as fast as they could, hoping to get there to stop it. To stop what they knew was going to happen.

They didn’t make it in time.

Merlin sprinted towards Arthur and his Father.

I have to stop it, he thought. I have to.

Merlin could tell just by looking at Arthur and his Father’s battle that Balinor wasn’t putting his heart into it. He didn’t want to hurt Arthur and wasn’t using any magic to protect himself. He was just relying on his sword skills to defend himself against Arthur’s attacks.

“ARTHUR! FATHER! STOP!” Merlin shouted as he ran towards them.

But all that served to do was distract his Father. Balinor looked towards him, momentarily distracted, and that was all the opening Arthur needed. His sword swung in a deadly arc to where Balinor had left himself open.

“LOOK OUT!” Merlin yelled, still running and feeling terrified.

But the blade never made contact. Arthur stopped his swing just before he could wound Merlin’s Father. He looked like he was in pain and his was gripping his sword tightly, but he didn’t attack Balinor.

“… No,” Arthur ground out. “Won’t … do … it…”

Merlin stopped running momentarily in surprise, but then he remembered himself and kept sprinting towards them. He was so close to them and his fear died down. It didn’t happen like Morgana’s vision. Arthur fought Morgause’s blood control. He didn’t kill his Father.

Arthur dropped his sword and collapsed onto his hands and knees, groaning in pain and Balinor bent down to check on him. Merlin raced towards them, his eyes locked on the two of them, but a sudden movement caught his attention and sent dread coursing through him.

Morgause had blasted Uther away from her with a spell and turned towards Balinor.

“FATHER, LOOK OUT!”

Merlin didn’t get there in time.

Morgause’s sword pierced Balinor’s stomach and then came out of his back. Merlin saw his Father stiffen with pain and then Morgause slowly withdrew the blade from his body. Balinor dropped to the ground beside Arthur, his blood oozing out into the dirt and Morgause towering over him in triumph.

Merlin stopped in his tracks. “No,” he whispered, tears building in his eyes.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this! Merlin thought. We were supposed to stop this from happening! Father wasn’t even supposed to be here! His job was to stay behind and direct the dragons! This wasn’t – he can’t be – no – NO – NO!

Everything seemed silent as Merlin looked at his Father’s fallen body. It seemed like everything had stopped. He couldn’t hear anything. Not the sounds of swords clashing, dragons roaring or magic being cast. Nothing.

His Father tried to raise his arm in Merlin’s direction and everything came back into focus. The sounds of the battle came back and Merlin gathered himself sprinted towards his Father. He finally made it to Balinor’s side and collapsed on his knees beside him, completely disregarding Morgause or the fact that Arthur was still seeming to be in pain. To Merlin in that moment, all that mattered was his Father.

“No … no …” He murmured, trying to think of the best possible healing spell. “I can heal you – I can – just-“

“-No, son.” His Father rasped out. “Save your strength.”

“No!” Merlin shouted at him, tears following freely down his face. “I will save you.”

“Protect Dracona,” Balinor said.

Merlin shook his head, “Gestepe hole-“

“-I love you ... and your mother…”

“Þ-Þurhhæle,” Merlin whispered as tears cascaded down his face, but he knew it was pointless.

His Father was already dead.

He gently raised a hand to close his Father’s eyes and then slowly raised his head to stare at Morgause. She was still standing there, but now she was laughing. Laughing! Merlin glared at her, hatred coursing through him.

“Yes!” She cried victoriously. “King Balinor is dead!”

Merlin flinched at that. Yes. His Father was dead. But Merlin was still there. He would make her pay.

“You-“ He growled, but before he say anymore, a loud roar came from above. A loud roar that was echoed by dozens of other dragons across the Dracacynn Plane. Merlin looked up to see the sky filled with dragons. They must have all felt his Father pass on. The first roar had come from Aithusa and Merlin saw her diving towards him. She landed and with a smack of her tail, she sent Morgause flying and landing a short way away from them with a groan. Aithusa then turned to him and bowed low.

“I am sorry, Merlin,” she said. “The loss of Balinor wounds us greatly. He was a great friend to dragon-kind and a wonderful dragonlord. But he has passed and we dragons are honoured to have you as our dragonlord, King Merlin. Let us work together and get justice for Balinor’s death!”

Merlin felt it, then. An ancient power that Merlin instinctively knew was his dragonlord gift awoke within him. It made Merlin cry harder. Recieiving his dragonlord powers meant that his Father was definitely gone.

He recalled his Father’s voice from when he was very young: Like all dragonlords, you won't know for sure that you have that power until you face your first dragon. And now he stood in front of Aithusa and he felt the power coursing within him. She had even called him King.

King Merlin Ambrosius of Dracona.

He turned to see Morgause struggling to her feet. He stood as well and Morgause must have seen something in his expression, because she took a nervous step backwards. Merlin gathered his power, raised his head to the sky and shouted out in a language that he now instinctively knew. “O DRAKONS!” He yelled, before uttering a command in the Dragon Tongue.

As ordered, Aithusa took to the sky, joining her dragon brethren.

Merlin watched her go and then turned to Morgause. Her expression of triumph was gone and replaced by fear.

“You should not have murdered my Father,” he told her. “You should not have waged war on my Kingdom. You should have left when we gave you the chance.”

Then the dragons let loose their breath of flame and a wall of fire blazed down from the sky.

Chapter Text

Merlin regretted ordering the dragons to let loose their breath of flames as soon as he saw it heading towards them.

This wasn’t how his father had taught him to use his dragonlord powers when he had finally acquired them. Long had Balinor stressed how destructive the dragons-fire could be. Innocent people could be caught up in it. The dragons-fire was a force of pure destruction and the dragonlords of his family always knew to only use it sparingly or in the direst of situations. Now Merlin was using it as a tool for revenge and the collateral damage was going to be great.

Merlin couldn’t let that happen, no matter how much he wanted Morgause to pay for her actions.

“STOP!” He shouted to the dragons in their Tongue, before drawing power from the Blessing of Dracona, raising his hands to the sky and shouting, “SCILDAN STÍÞMÆGEN FORSWELGAN !”

A giant shield appeared above them. It was larger than any shield that Merlin had ever conjured and spanned nearly the entire breadth of the Plane. The dragons might have stopped their breath of flames, but the fire they had already sent blazing toward the Dracacynn Plane collided with the shield mere seconds after Merlin created it. But it wasn’t enough. Although Merlin’s shield was absorbing the fire, there was more than what his shield was covering and some of the flames reached the ground.

Screams of pain filled the air.

It’s hurting people, Merlin thought as he gritted his teeth and fed more magic into the shield, expanding it.

Merlin was vaguely aware of Morgause standing near him and staring at him in surprise. He was also vaguely aware of Arthur still on his hands and knees and who still seemed to be in pain from fighting Morgause’s orders, but he disregarded them. The shield was more important.

He groaned with the effort and felt sweat dripping off his forehead. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep up a shield this size.

“SCILDAN!” Cried a new voice.

Merlin turned to see Morgana standing beside him, copying his stance. Her arms were positioned over her head and her eyes flared gold as her magic was cast. Her shield joined Merlin’s and created an even bigger barrier between them and the flames.

“Morgana-“ Merlin began.

“-Hush,” she said, her face screwed up with the effort of keeping up a spell she was unfamiliar with. “Focus.”

Merlin nodded and turned back to the spell, feeding even more of his magic into it before he was distracted once more. All across the Dracacynn Plane, sorcerers and sorceresses were incanting shield spells, adding to the one Merlin and Morgana had already created. The shield expanded above them, absorbing the flames.

Merlin was both surprised and pleased to see that those without magic were protecting those who were now preoccupied in conjuring the giant shield. The non-magic users in the Draconian army were standing protectively by their magical brothers-in-arms, making sure no harm came to them while they were distracted. Merlin was especially surprised to see some of the knights of Camelot doing to the same. They were not attacking those with magic, but protecting them from those in Morgause’s army that decided to keep up the attack while being protected from the dragons-fire by the very ones they were attacking.

Morgause herself took Merlin and Morgana’s preoccupation to her advantage and did the same as her men. Her expression of fear had once again turned to that of triumph as she approached her next victim: Uther.

“No! Father!” Arthur said, struggling to stand. But the enchantment Morgause had put on him with the blood control was hurting Arthur internally and the fact that he was trying to go against Morgause’s wishes doubled the pain; the spell was designed to hurt if you fought against it.

Morgause barely even glanced at Arthur as she continued towards Uther. “I will make you pay, Uther Pendragon,” she said as she approached him.

Uther stood from where Morgause had thrown him earlier, picking up his fallen sword as he did. He looked dazed, but he managed to get into a fighting stance and to say a weak-sounding, “Do your worst.”

Morgause continued as if Uther hadn’t spoken. “I will burn you, like you have burnt so many of my kin. But before I do, I will make you experience their fear. You will know just what it was like to live constantly in terror. Their nightmare will become yours.”

“Father!” Arthur gathered his strength and lunged to his feet, stumbling forward to protect his father.

But somebody else beat him to it.

A grimy and dishevelled Guinevere darted in front of Morgause, blocking her path to the King. Gwen’s sword was held up in front of her and she wore a fiercely determined expression. “You will not harm the King,” she said.

Morgause gave a harsh laugh. “Are we really going to do this again, Guinevere? The last time you stood in my way didn’t end well for you. Are you sure you want to go through that once more?”

“You will not harm the King,” Gwen repeated. “There is no love lost between Uther and I. He took my Father away from me. But his is my King and he is Arthur’s father, so I will not let you harm him.”

“Step aside, girl,” Uther said, but he still sounded weak.

Morgause just continued to laugh. “Oh, it’s for Arthur’s sake again, is it?” She said mockingly. “Because you love him? And he loves you too? I bet that makes you feel so proud, Uther, that your son is in love with a serving-“

But that was as far as she got. Arthur ran and slammed into Morgause, sending her falling to the ground. Arthur stumbled a few steps but remained standing. His sword was in his hand once more and he held it at Morgause’s throat. “It’s true that I love Guinevere and despite what I have learnt on my journey to Dracona, despite what you have told and shown me, I love my Father. I won’t let you hurt them.”

Morgause sneered at them. Even when she was on the ground with Arthur’s sword aimed at her throat, she didn’t seem remotely alarmed. “You’re a fool, Arthur Pendragon. You think you can challenge me? I have you under my control. You may be able to fight my blood-control enchantment but not for long.” As she finished speaking, her eyes flared gold.

Merlin watched in horror from where he was still holding up the shield as Arthur turned his sword around so he was going to stab himself. It was obvious that Arthur was trying to fight Morgause’s magic. His movements were strained and shaky, but in the end Arthur was poised to run himself through with his own sword.

“Die, Arthur Pendragon!” Morgause snarled.

“NO!” Cried out Merlin, Morgana, Gwen and Uther as Arthur went to ram his sword into his stomach.

A scream of pain filled the air.

Except it didn’t come from Arthur.

Everyone turned to see Mordred next to Morgause; no one had seen him arrive, but he was now looking evenly at Morgause. The Priestess was clutching her hand to her chest in pain and the young druid boy was holding a blood-soaked dagger. He had cut her hand. It was the hand that Morgause had covered in Arthur’s blood for the spell, but now Morgause’s own blood was oozing over Arthur’s.

“Mordred?!” Morgana gasped. “What are you doing here?! We told you not to come on the battlefield!”

“There’s a loophole in Morgause’s spell,” Mordred announced. “If the blood that is used to control a person is contaminated, the spell breaks. So if Morgause’s blood mixes with Arthur’s…” he trailed off and turned to the Prince of Camelot.

Everyone followed the druid’s gaze and looked to Arthur. He no longer was about to stab himself, and instead he held his sword firmly in his right hand; he didn’t seem in pain and looked ready to continue fighting.

“Mordred’s right,” Arthur said. “She’s not controlling me anymore.”

“You little brat!” Morgause snarled, and in a flash she had taken her own sword and rammed it into Mordred’s stomach.

Mordred gave a gasp of pain and expression turned into one of agony. Morgause withdrew her sword and Mordred collapsed to the ground. He was still alive, but his breathing was shallow and blood stained his clothing, the bloodstain becoming bigger by the second. It was clear to them all that he wouldn’t last long without help.

“NO!” Morgana screamed.

The shield that Merlin and Morgana were holding finally absorbed all of the dragons-fire. Morgana stopped casting the magic, lowered her arms and ran to the fallen druid boy. She fell to her knees beside him, leaning over Mordred and inspecting his injury.

Instead of doing the same, Merlin kept up the shield spell and instead of holding it to the sky, he sent it like a wave towards Morgause. It slammed into her with the same amount of force as if she had run head first into a stone wall. Like Mordred, she fell to the ground.

It was then that Merlin stopped to breathe, bending over and resting his hands on his knees. Keeping up that spell for so long had taken a lot out of him. He looked up to see Aithusa flying towards him, but he headed towards Morgana and Mordred. Arthur and Gwen did the same. They all crowded around the boy, ready to help in any way they could when Uther spoke up.

“He is a druid, Arthur. A sorcerer. He deserves to die.”

Arthur turned to his father, looking furious. “That druid just saved my life. Be quiet, Father. Keep your prejudiced opinions to yourself!”

Uther looked shocked, but the surprised quickly turned to anger. He opened his mouth to speak, clearly about to shout as his son, when Aithusa landed.

“Whatever you are about to say, you pathetic excuse of a king, save it,” the dragon said, before she took in the scene around her and then turned to Morgana. “Remember what the White Goddess told you.”

Morgana gasped. “There is an innocent I would not see die upon that battlefield,” she whispered.

She immediately held her hands over Mordred’s wound. The young druid she had become so close to blearily looked at her. “Morgana…” Mordred said, though it was hard for him to speak.

“Shh,” Morgana said comfortingly. “It’s going to be alright. I can help you.”

Mordred merely groaned in pain by way of response and then lost conscious.

Morgana gathered her magic. Like Merlin, she was feeling drained from holding up the shield, but she was determined to save Mordred.

“Ágíeman hine! Andweardian hine hrycg fram sé brýmme of cwealmbealu!” Morgana intoned.

Merlin watched in both relief and pride as Morgana cast the magic and Mordred’s wound closed, as if he had never been hurt in the first place. He marvelled at the fact that he could feel such relief at seeing Mordred alive. For so long he had considered Mordred a threat, fearful of what he was destined to do, and yet here Merlin was, overwhelming relieved that Morgana’s spell worked and that Mordred was going to be alright.

Morgana lowered her hands away from Mordred, looking drained. Merlin went and stood behind her, letting her lean back on him, so she was resting against his legs. Are you alright, Morgana? He thought to her.

Yes, she replied. Just tired. That spell took a lot out of me.

Merlin nodded in agreement. It seemed the spells that the White Goddess gave them were powerful, albeit draining. I’m glad you were able to save him.

She tilted her head back to give him a weak smile, but then turned back to the boy in question as Mordred gave a low groan as he woke up. They all leaned forward, eager to see how Mordred was feeling.

“Mordred?” Morgana asked tentively.

The druid boy groaned again and his eyes blinked open. “Morgana?”

She gave him a relieved smile. “How are you feeling?”

He frowned. “I’m sore. Morgause – she – what – what happened?”

Merlin moved so he could crouch down beside the druid boy. “You saved Arthur,” he said with a smile.

“Emrys … I did it …” He turned to Morgana. “Like you said, Léoma … I proved it wrong.”

“You proved your destiny wrong,” she said in understanding.

He flashed them a weak smile and nodded.

“Mordred,” Arthur said, looking grateful. “You saved my life. Thank you. Just … thank you.”

“What you did was very brave,” said Gwen.

“Yes,” Arthur agreed. “I could use you as a knight of Camelot one day.”

Mordred gave a short laugh and went to reply, but was interrupted by a cry of alarm. Everyone turned sharply to see Morgause standing over the fallen form of King Uther.

“Aithusa, get Mordred out of here,” Merlin ordered.

Aithusa nodded once, and Merlin and Arthur gently lifted the boy onto Aithusa’s back. As soon as he was secured, she took off into the sky.

Morgause didn’t even look at them. She just glared at Uther. “I told you that I would make you experience their nightmare.” The High Priestess then let out a long and complicated spell, her hand outstretched towards the king.

They all watched as the magic took hold of Uther.

“Father!” Arthur called out in distress and went to run to the King, but Merlin held him back. Arthur looked angrily at his friend. “Merlin! What are you-“

“We can’t just go rushing in there!” Merlin cut Arthur off. “I’ll take care of Morgause while you all get Uther to safety. Find Elaine. She might know-“

But Merlin was interrupted as well by King Uther letting out a horrible shout of fear. He looked utterly terrified and buried his face in his hands. It was then that they became aware of the fact that King of Camelot was whimpering in anguish. He pulled his hands away from his face. His expression was one of absolute terror. His eyes were wide; he stared at their group, but it was like he was staring right through them, unseeing.

“Make them stop,” Uther whimpered. “Make them stop.”

“What is going on?” Gwen asked, voicing the thought that they were all having.

“Make them stop! Make them stop! Make them stop!” Uther shouted.

“It’s like my visions,” Morgana said in realisation. “When I had the waking nightmares because of that incomplete spell. Morgause has used it as a way to hurt Uther.”

Arthur threw off Merlin’s restraining hand and charged towards the King. “Father!”

The others had no choice but to follow. Merlin, Morgana and Gwen took off after Arthur. The Prince of Camelot collapsed on his knees beside his father, clutching at Uther. “Father! Father! Are you alright?!”

“Let go of me!” Uther roared hysterically, pushing Arthur away. “I am going to burn! I am going to burn on the pyre! – No! This is just an enchantment! – Arthur – I am going to burn! The King is going to find me! – This isn’t real – Arthur – help me – I am going to burn – do not use you magic, whatever you do, or the king will find you – Magic is evil! Its depravity knows no bounds – I am going to burn! – No! I am King Uther Pendragon! – I am going to burn – to – burn – burn – burn – magic – burn – Arthur – burn – Please don’t kill me – I didn’t do anything! I don’t have magic! I’m innocent! – Please don’t kill me! AHHHHH!” Uther’s deranged ramblings turned into a scream and the King once again clutched at his head.

“What did you do to him?!” Arthur demanded to Morgause, as Merlin, Morgana and Gwen crowed around them, all in defensive stances as they glared at the High Priestess; Morgana and Gwen had tight grips on their blades and Merlin had his hands raised, ready to fire spells if the need arose.

“I made him experience the fear of all of those with magic,” Morgause said coldly. “Now he knows what it is like to constantly live in fear. I based the spell off what happened to Morgana. He is experiencing waking nightmares. He now knows what it is like to have magic under his reign. He now knows true fear. The spell is blurring the lines between his reality and the nightmares. The longer it continues, the more he will lose hold of what’s real. Eventually, he will no longer be Uther Pendragon. Just a shell of his former self. But take heart, Prince Arthur, I plan to kill your father before that happens.”

With a shout, Arthur launched himself of the ground and lunged at Morgause. Before he could even get close enough to land a blow, Morgause raised one hand towards him and the other towards Uther. “Hearm endian.”

The father and son screamed as the torture spell took a hold of them. Arthur collapsed on the ground beside his father, withering in agony.

Something inside of Merlin snapped.

This had been going on too long. This battle had been waging for too long. For too long had Merlin just let Morgause stand there while he’d been distracted by something else. He would end the battle and he would end it now. For all those whose lives had already been taken in the war, for all those who’d been injured, for all those who were currently fighting for their lives, for his friends, for his Father, for his Father … he would end it.

“ENOUGH!” He shouted and let out a blast of energy in Morgause’s direction. The Priestess had to construct a hasty shield to block it and her attention on the torture spell was broken. Arthur gave a noise of relief followed by a groan of pain. Gwen gave a cry of alarm and rushed to Arthur’s side. Merlin glanced at them quickly to check that Arthur was alright before focusing on Morgause once more. He shot another spell at her, forcing her on the defensive once more.

It was then that Elaine, Gwaine, Elyan, Lancelot and Percival ran into their midst. Gwaine and Elaine made a beeline to the fallen body of their late King, cries of anguish on their lips. Elyan dashed to his sister’s side, relieved she was alright, and Lancelot and Percival came to stand by Merlin and Morgana.

“You lot sure picked a hell of a time to turn up,” Merlin groused. “I can’t take her on when there’s so many of you here. You could get hurt.”

Merlin fired another spell in Morgause’s direction. The Priestess countered it and sent a fireball his way. Merlin quickly absorbed it with a shield. “Get out of here!” He shouted to the others.

“We’re not leaving you!” Morgana shouted back.

Merlin went to reply but a groan alerted them all to the awakening forms of Sirs Leon and Bartholomew. They stood shakily and blinked blarily at the situation around them. Leon seemed to grasp the situation first, and ran to check on Uther. A second later, a furious scowl was on Bartholomew’s face as he glared at Merlin, who was standing by the fallen form of Prince Arthur and the knight came to conclusion that it was Merlin to had put Arthur in that position, not the crazed sorceress who was currently firing spells at the Draconian prince.

“You!” Bartholomew growled. “Sorcerer scum!”

Merlin sighed in frustration and sent another wave of power at Morgause, knocking the Priestess off her feet and sending her tumbling a few metres away from them. While she was distracted, Merlin marched up to the predjudiced knight, muttering an irritated, “I don’t have time for this,” as he did and promptly punched Sir Bartholomew in the face. Merlin felt a thrill of satisfaction as the knight once again crashed to the ground, and he turned to Lancelot and Percival. “Keep an eye on him, will you?” He said, gesturing with a jerk of his chin towards the fallen knight.

Lancelot and Percival merely nodded and Merlin raised his head to the sky, using his dragonlord powers to call the Dracawine to him as Morgause once again got to her feet. The Dracawine were there within seconds, responding to his call and landing so they were positioned in a circle around them, effectively blocking them all in. None of them could get out without trying to pass the dragons.

Aithusa was once again at Merlin’s side. “The Dracawine stand with you.”

Merlin nodded and then asked, “Where did you take Mordred?”

“He is with his druid kin, being tended to,” she answered.

He nodded once more. “Good. Now.” Then Merlin called out another string of instructions in the Dragon Tongue, ordering the Dracawine to not let Morgause pass their circle perimeter, or let anyone else in. He then turned to address the High Priestess. “Surrender, Morgause. We have you surrounded and outnumbered. You cannot hope to beat us.”

Even with the odds stacked up against her, Morgause refused to back down. “Never!”

“Morgause, please!” Elaine entreated, speaking up from where she and Gwaine still crouched by the body of King Balinor. “Enough is enough! End this, sister!”

“You are not my sister!” Morgause snarled and sent a fireball soaring Elaine’s way.

They all watched as the fireball flew towards Elaine. The Court Sorceress began incanting a shield spell, but she wasn’t fast enough. Merlin raised his arms in Elaine’s direction and gathered his magic, ready to protector her by any means necessary, but someone else beat him to it.

Gwaine lunged at Elaine, pushing her out of the way just as the fireball was about it hit her and ball of flame collided with him in her stead.

“GWAINE!” Merlin and Elaine shouted in unison as the others all gave out their own cries of alarm.

Gwaine fell face-first to the ground, collapsing into the dirt with a dull thud. Elaine scrambled to his side, rolling him gently over so he was on his back. “No, no, no,” she said frantically, her usually calm persona shattered by concern for the man lying before her. “No, you’re not dying. Not for me. You’re not dying on me, Gwaine!”

Gwaine was unresponsive. Elaine leant down to rest her head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. Her eyes widened in even more panic and she hurriedly began casting healing spells. Merlin held his breath for a few tense moments before Gwaine took in a huge gulp of air, coughed and then groaned. He didn’t even get a chance to speak before Elaine was pulling him up and crushing him to her in a hug.

“You idiot!” She admonished. “What did you do that for?!”

“Elaine – ‘Laine – too tight – can’t breathe,” Gwaine ground out and Elaine pulled away from him, taking his face in her hands.

“Don’t scare me like that! You could have died!” Elaine said, sounding angry but clearly relieved that Gwaine was alright.

Gwaine gave her a disarming smile. “I’m not dying yet. I told you – we’ve got the tavern to go to after all this.”

Elaine’s frantic expression turned into one of exasperation. “Gwaine-“

Morgause rolled her eyes, clearly bored of their exchange, and interrupted. “I tire of you making a scene, Elaine. But he must be important to you for you to make such a fuss. Still, we have more important things to deal with than whatever you feel for some knight.” As the Priestess finished speaking, she sent another fireball in her sister’s direction.

But Merlin was ready for her this time. He conjured a shield in front of Elaine and Gwaine. “I will not let you hurt them, Morgause,” Merlin said, his voice cold.

“Oh, you’re acting all brave now, are you, Emrys?” Morgause said mockingly. “Now that your little friends are here and you’ve got your dragons to protect you? But you are weak. You hold the power of the dragons at your command and what do you do? Construct a shield to stop the attack that you ordered.”

“It was wrong of me to call down the dragons-fire. It is too destructive to use in such an open space. Innocents can get caught up in it. I was mistaken to order the dragons to do that.”

“Innocents! Bah!” Morgause scoffed. “That is just an excuse. You are weak.”

“I wanted to get revenge for my Father’s death,” Merlin said, his eyes flicking to the body of his Father; Gwaine and Elaine were still crouched by Balinor’s body and Elaine still looked tense and Gwaine still looked like he was in pain, but they were watching the exchange between Merlin and Morgause intently. “And that was wrong. My Father taught me never to use my dragonlord powers that way. Calling down the dragons’ wrath was a moment of weakness, perhaps. But protecting innocents from it was not.”

Morgause sneered at him. “You are weak,” she repeated. “You are weak, just like your Father-“

“-Do not speak of my Father that way!” Merlin snapped, and felt his magic starting to respond to his anger. It built up around him, causing the air to shake and as he began to walk towards Morgause, the ground cracked beneath his feet.

He was also aware of Aithusa walking with him, as well as the fact that Gwen, Elyan and Leon had pulled Uther and Arthur out of the way of the magical showdown that was about to begin, or that Gwaine was carrying the limp form of Balinor out of the way as well, albeit slowly, due to the knight still being in some pain. Merlin also saw out of the corner of his eye that Arthur stood, leaning heavily on Guinevere and watched as Merlin continued his approach to Morgause while Uther was still on the ground looking traumatised, but he pushed the fleeting observations out of his mind. Instead, he merely turned to his friends and said in a tone of absolute authority, “Whatever happens … you do not interfere.”

Arthur was the only one to reply to him. “Make her pay, Merlin.”

Merlin simply nodded in response and then turned to Morgana. Their gazes locked, but Morgana didn’t say anything. Not out loud, at least. Instead she sent him the mental communication of: I love you. Be careful.

I will. I love you too, he replied.

Merlin turned to face his foe once more, ready to fight her and finally finish the war, but it seemed that Morgause still wanted to continue goading him. “Your Father was weak. He allowed himself to be overthrown,” she went on. “For years he just stayed in those Caves, behind those infernal wards and did nothing. He was a coward-“

That was as far as she got before she had to dodge the stream of fire Merlin sent towards her as he let loose the magic that had been building up around him.

“My Father was not a coward!” Merlin shouted, anger and hatred boiling in his veins. He then climbed on Aithusa and the two of them launched themselves at Morgause. Aithusa flew towards the Priestess with her claws outstretched and a roar emanating from her throat; a roar that was echoed by the other Dracawine who were positioned around them, but who wouldn’t attack until Merlin ordered them to.

Morgause darted to the side to miss the dragon that was speeding towards her, but Aithusa was anticipating that and swiped out with her tail; it would have collided with Morgause with incredible force, if not for the hasty shield that the Priestess conjured. However, it was clear that the shield wasn’t that effective, as the strike still sent Morgause stumbling back a few steps.

Merlin didn’t even give Morgause a chance to regain her footing. With his hand outstretched, he sent out an arch of lightning from his palm. It streaked towards her and Morgause was once again forced to conjure up a shield, unable to dodge the bolts of lightning. As soon as Merlin let up his lightning attack, Morgause lowered her shield and sent a fierce gust of wind at Merlin and Aithusa. The white dragon had to dig her talons into the ground to stop them from being pushed backwards. As soon as the wind died down, Merlin leapt from Aithusa’s back, shouting out a spell as he did.

“Ic þe bebiede þæt þu abifest nu!” He cried, landing in a crouch and slamming his hand against the ground as he said the final word of the spell.

The earth below their feet responded to Merlin’s magic immediately: shaking and crumbling in an earthquake that Merlin directed only at Morgause. The ground between Merlin and Morgause began to crack apart, but it didn’t anywhere else. The ground cracked in a line between the warlock and the High Priestess and didn’t expand anywhere else. Merlin and Aithusa weren’t affected by it; the ground on which they stood stayed perfectly still. It was a testament to the power of Merlin’s magic that he could control the earthquake to such a large degree.

Merlin felt a grim sense of pleasure at the cry of alarm that Morgause gave out as the earth began to move under her feet. She had to dive out of the way to avoid falling into the chasm that Merlin had created in the ground. There was a glisten of sweat on Morgause’s brow and her breathing was harsh. Merlin could tell that he was winning.

With a scream of exertion, Morgause threw another spell at Merlin. He dodged it easily and fired one back at her. The two magic users exchanged a number of incantations at one another and Merlin could tell that Morgause was tiring. Her spells were getting weaker and her reflexes and reactions were getting slower.

Merlin also felt himself tiring, but he refused to back down. He refused to give into the exhaustion that he felt. He would beat Morgause. He would do what Arthur said and make Morgause pay for her actions. He raised his hands towards the Priestess and shouted out a loud and complicated spell, “Ic her aciege ænne windræs! Færblæd wawe! Windræs ungetermed: gehiere! Ic ðe bebiede mid ealle strangnesse ðæt ðu geblæwest ond sierest strange! Ge spurne þeos hægtesse!” A fierce whirlwind, far stronger than the one Morgause sent towards him, headed towards the High Priestess. Morgause went crashing to the ground and weakened as she was, she struggle to get back up. She pushed herself up off the ground, but her arms shook with the effort and she collapsed once again.

Merlin took the opportunity. He charged at Morgause, drawing his sword as he did. In a matter of seconds he was standing above her with his blade resting at her throat. Morgause weakly raised her head. She was covered in sweat and dirt and her lip was split open. “What’s wrong, Emrys? Can’t go through with it?”

“Tell your forces to retreat.”

Morgause spat a glob of blood out of her mouth. “Not a chance. You might as well run me through now, because I’m never going to do it.”

A blur of white appearing in the corner of his eye told Merlin that Aithusa had come up beside him. “Merlin, this is not a time to be courteous to a fallen opponent. Finish her,” the dragon said ruthlessly.

In any other situation, Aithusa’s callousness would have unnerved Merlin. But this was war and Merlin knew that his normally kind dragon-protector was just reminding him that he couldn’t afford to be the courteous knight he would usually be. At his mercy was the one woman who stood in the way of peace and he couldn’t afford to be merciful, even if striking at a fallen opponent went against his morals.

Morgause took advantage of Merlin’s hesitation and lunged to her feet. She still seemed exhausted, but she unsheathed her sword and swung at Merlin. There was a clang of steel as Merlin blocked her blow. Morgause slashed at him again and again, forcing Merlin on the defensive due to the wild style of her attacks. It was much like when Merlin had duelled Sir Bartholomew: his opponent’s attacks were fuelled by rage and so they lacked the precision of a calm and focused adversary. But despite how wild the attacks seemed to be, they were forcing Merlin to take steps away from Morgause and distance himself from her.

When Morgause had decided she had pushed Merlin back far enough, she raised a hand towards him, mustered her magic and sent a fireball his way. Despite hearing his friend cry for him to dive out of the way or to conjure a shield, Merlin did neither of their suggestions. Instead, he merely stood his ground as the ball of flame soared towards him.

Merlin could feel Aithusa standing tense beside him, but he calmed her with a telepathic thought. He had a plan. A reckless plan, because Merlin wasn’t totally sure he could pull it off, but a plan nevertheless. He could tell that Aithusa didn’t like the plan, but he ignored her, focusing instead on the fast-approaching ball of fire.

Merlin’s brow furrowed in concentration. He couldn’t afford to mess this up. At the last possible moment, he swung at the fireball with his sword. Merlin cut the fireball clean in two and it separated, the two halves of the fireball careening off on either side of Merlin.

Morgause was staring at him in undisguised shock. “You – you just – you just cut through my spell,” she stammered. “That’s impossible.”

Merlin didn’t feel the need to explain that it was only possible due to the power his sword had after it had been forged in the breath of the Dracawine. Instead he merely swung the sword in a quick circle and said, rather cavalierly, “Not impossible. Just a bit unlikely.”

He felt a thrill of gratification as Morgause’s expression turned into one of scorn, because Merlin knew that it was just hiding an undercurrent of fear. He had shocked her with his ability to cut through her spell. Whatever confidence Morgause had gained by forcing him on the defensive with her swordplay, Merlin had just shattered it.

With a snarl, she charged at him again, her sword raised. With another loud clash of metal, their swords connected and the two of them stood there, their sword locked together and Merlin and Morgause simply pushed at each other with all the force they could muster, trying to get the upper hand on their opponent.

Because Morgause was more exhausted than Merlin, the Prince of Dracona had the advantage in this situation. With a grunt of exertion, he pushed Morgause away from him and the Priestess went stumbling back a few steps. He then basted her with another powerful gust of wind, just to distract her further.

In the few spare moments Morgause’s distraction brought, Merlin mentally contacted Aithusa. Thusy, he thought to her. Get into the Dracawine circle. Be ready to attack when I give the word.

He could tell that Aithusa that was surprised by his request, but she didn’t argue with him, even if she wanted to. Be careful, she said. Don’t do anything foolish. With that, the white dragon shot off and joined the circle of her dragon breathren that was positioned around them.

Merlin ran towards Morgause once more. In a series of slices, parries and swings, the pair exchanged blows. It was in that moment that Merlin left himself open for a fraction of a second and Morgause’s sword sunk into the side of Merlin’s stomach. The warlock let out a hiss of pain as agony ripped through him. It was a deep wound, but it wouldn’t be fatal if Merlin tended to it in time.

Not that Morgause would allow him to do such a thing. Seeing that she’d hurt Merlin gave her more confidence and she once again began taunting him.

“I am a Priestess of the Old Religion,” she said. “Your mere mortal blades cannot harm me.”

Merlin’s reactions to her attacks were slowing as the wound in his side weakened him. He could hear the dragons of the Dracawine growling and shifting their weight, getting ready to jump and attack; to protect their dragonlord. He could hear his friends calling his name in distress.

Merlin pushed his pain aside and swung at her again. Morgause sidestepped him easily and Merlin stumbled. As he tried to regain his footing, Morgause swung out with the hand that wasn’t holding her sword and punched Merlin on the wound in his stomach.

Agony. Pure agony. That was all that Merlin felt. It was like his side was on fire and he let a harsh cry of pain.

“MERLIN!” Cried out numerous voices in alarm, human and dragon alike

He couldn’t answer them. Merlin’s legs buckled underneath him and he fell to his knees. Morgause stood over him, smirking in victory, her sword poised to strike.

Arthur, Morgana and Guinevere went to run to his aid, but Merlin held up a hand to stall them. He wouldn’t risk them getting hurt for his sake. Aithusa! Now! Merlin projected his thoughts to his dragon-protector.

Merlin looked up as Morgause said one final goodbye to him. “Farewell, Emrys.”

She had meant it to sound sinister, and it would have been if Merlin wasn’t distracted by the streak of white that broke formation and sped towards Morgause. Aithusa flew towards the High Priestess with a fierce roar, her talons outstretched and poised to rip the High Priestess to shreds.

Startled at the loud sound of Aithusa’s roar, Morgause turned sharply to see the dragon speeding toward her. Using her distraction and mustering his strength, Merlin stood and raised his sword to the sky, letting out a command in the language of the dragons as he did. Responding to his orders, the Dracawine that surrounded them stood to attention and let loose their breath of flame. The fire came at the sword from all sides, bathing the blade in the intense flames of the dragons. The sword was coated in flames, but Merlin knew that he was safe to use it; the sword would not burn him – just his opponent. The heat coming off the blade was intense, but Merlin ignored it. He was filled with determination. He would end the War of Dracona once and for all.

Her attention drawn back to Merlin, Morgause had just turned back to face him when he rammed the flaming sword into her stomach. Like what she had done to his Father, Merlin drove the sword so far into her abdomen that the tip of the blade protruded from her back. “Farewell, Morgause,” he said.

She gave a sudden intake of breath and a look of intense pain clouded her features. But what she said was, “Mortal blades cannot-“

“-This is no ordinary blade. It was forged in the breath of the Dracawine and the dragons-fire consumes all,” Merlin said as he twisted the sword. Morgause gave out a weak cry of pain and protest at the motion and her eyes were wide with both fear and surprise. It was clear her life was leaving her.

 “You should have left my Kingdom alone,” Merlin told her as he withdrew the blade and Morgause dropped to the ground.

Her mouth moved at if she was trying to speak, but no words came out; nothing but short gasps of breath; a desperate attempt to keep living. But eventually her chest stilled, her breathing stopped, and her eyes were wide, glassy and unseeing.

Morgause was dead.

Merlin stood over her and looked down at her fallen body. But he only had a small moment of victory before he too was collapsing on the ground, giving into the physical and magical exhaustion that he felt and the grievous sword wound he had in his side. He fell down face first, collapsing so he was lying on his stomach in the dirt, his now flame-free sword clattering to the ground beside him.

“Merlin!” Numerous voices shouted and suddenly he was surrounded by his friends. Human and dragon alike gathered around the wounded prince in concern, but was Morgana who got to him first. Much like what her sister had done with Gwaine, Morgana gently turned him over to inspect his wound and muttered, “You’re fine. You’re going to be fine. I can help you. You just have to stay with me.”

Merlin blinked blearily at her and he gave her a weak smile despite the pain he was in. “Always,” he murmured.

She gave him a small grin in return as she recognised that he was repeating himself from the night before, but then her expression changed to a determined one and she held her hands over where Morgause had stabbed him. “Ágíeman hine! Andweardian hine hrycg fram sé brýmme of cwealmbealu!” She shouted.

Morgana’s eyes flashed gold as her healing magic took effect. Merlin felt his pain disappearing and within seconds it was if he hadn’t been stabbed at all. He still felt tired from the battle, but his life was no longer in danger.

“Thank you, Morgana,” he whispered and closed his eyes, taking a moment to himself as relief coursed through him. It was over. Morgause was gone.

Merlin’s eyes flew open as he felt a pair of lips press on his own. They hastily closed again as Merlin saw it was Morgana. With one hand, Merlin pushed himself up to he was in a sitting position and the other hand held Morgana close to him so their kiss never broke as Merlin moved; Morgana simply moved with him and their kiss continued as Merlin repositioned himself.

As much as he would have liked to continue their kissing session, Merlin pulled away from her. There was one more thing he had to do. He looked up at their others around them. Arthur, Gwen, Elaine, Gwaine, Lancelot, Percival, and Elyan were all looking him with mixed expressions. They all seemed a mixture of relieved that Merlin was alright and embarrassed at seeing the passionate exchange between him and Morgana. Aithusa and the rest of the Dracawine also seemed relieved that their dragonlord was healed.

Merlin heard horrified noises coming from somewhere behind him and turned to see King Uther gazing at him and Morgana with an expression of dismay. But whether it was from the fact that he’d just witnessed Merlin and Morgana kissing, or whatever Morgause had done to him, Merlin couldn’t tell. Uther was being guarded by Sir Leon and a seething Sir Bartholomew. The latter had apparently recovered from the punch Merlin had dealt him and was looking for a rematch, but he stayed loyally by his King. However, judging from the filthy looks that Bartholomew was sending Leon, something told Merlin that the only reason the short tempered knight didn’t come charging at him was because Leon had pulled rank and told Bartholomew to stay where he was.

Merlin’s eyes focused back on the King of Camelot. He clearly can’t run Camelot’s army in that condition, but Uther is a problem for later, Merlin thought. There is another King that needs my attention.

He slowly pushed himself to his feet and Morgana rushed to help him stand. Arthur and Gwen were also there to help him, concern written on their features.

“Are you alright, Merlin?” Gwen asked. “Should you be standing?”

“Don’t push yourself, you idiot,” Arthur said.

That made Merlin laugh. Idiot. Everything must have been okay – Arthur was calling him an idiot. But he then turned serious. There was one more thing he had to do before he considered this battle to be truly over.

Merlin turned to his friends. “This isn’t over yet.”

“Yes,” Arthur agreed, “The battle is still going, but my Father is in no condition to lead. So as Prince Regent-“

“-That wasn’t what I meant,” Merlin interrupted.

Everyone turned silent at his words. They all looked at him in confusion. A few of them opened their mouths to question exactly what he meant, but they were stalled by a large shadow covering them. They all looked to the sky to see the large form of Kilgharrah blocking out the sun momentarily as he landed before them.

“I see you are once again playing with forces you only just seem to understand, young warlock,” The Great Dragon said in lieu of a greeting.

No was prepared for the dark look that passed over Merlin’s face. “Kilgharrah,” he said coldly.

“It seems you have not forgotten what happened the last time you played with this magic,” Kilgharrah observed.

“You mean how Gaius died and nearly my mother as well and you were only concerned with your freedom?” Merlin snapped.

“Something you, a future dragonlord, were reluctant to give me.”

That gave Merlin pause. “I-“ He bowed his head. “Forgive me, Kilgharrah. I should have released you sooner. I was just scared of what you would do to Camelot.”

The Great Dragon extended his long neck and bowed low Merlin. “You are forgiven, young warlock. You were right to fear my actions and I regret my attack upon Camelot as much as I regret my callousness during what happened the last time you used this magic. But I hope we can move past this, Merlin. We are kin, after all, and I have come to help you as I have done in days gone by. I just want to know that you remember the risks. You know the price that must be paid?”

Merlin felt touched that Kilgharrah was apologising to him, but then he pictured his mother dreadfully ill and the slumped, lifeless form of Gaius and Merlin shuddered. “I know only too well,” he said.

“Very well,” Kilgharrah said, nodding his large head. “Then proceed.”

A silence then fell as everyone tried to process what the two were talking about. It was inevitably broken by a loud, prat-ish voice demanding an explanation.

 “Okay, what is going on?!” Arthur asked. “What are you talking about and I’m pretty sure Gaius isn’t dead!”

Everyone seemed confused; no one seemed to have any idea what Merlin and the Great Dragon had been going on about. No one except Elaine. “My Lord,” she said, looking to Merlin. “You can’t possibly be thinking of that-“

“- I am.” There was a determination in Merlin’s voice that took the others aback. “I can do it and I will.”

“But it is dangerous magic,” Elaine protested. “There must always be balance-“

“-The balance has already been restored.”

“Merlin,” Elaine tried.

He shook his head and walked to where the body of his Father lay. “You cannot dissuade me, Elaine,” Merlin said as he sat on his knees beside Balinor. “Everything is going to be okay. Dracona’s true King is going to return.”

“Merlin,” Morgana said softly and took a tentative step towards him. “You’re the true King of Dracona now.”

“Not for long.”

“Have you been taking cryptic lessons from the dragons, Merlin?” Arthur interjected, frustrated. “Just tell us what is going on!”

Merlin looked down at the body of his Father. “I have the power over Life and Death,” Merlin answered. “I can bring my Father back to life.”

A stunned silence followed his words. “You – what?” Arthur asked at last.

Merlin faced him, “I showed you how I blew up the High Priestess Nimueh and used her life to restore Gaius’s, didn’t I? In that vision I showed you of all the things I’d done with my magic?”

Arthur shook his head, “No, you showed us you bargaining your life for mine and then blowing up Nimueh with lightning. Nothing about Life and Death and balance. Nothing about Gaius dying.”

“Oh. I guess I missed out some details.”

“Oh?! That’s all you can say: Oh? Gaius was in the vision, yes, but I thought he was knocked out, not dead!”

“Well I’m sorry the vision spell wasn’t perfect! I was a little concerned about you hating me or running me through at the time!”

“You idiot! As if I would-“

“-Enough!” Chorused Morgana and Gwen. Merlin and Arthur turned to see the two women frowning at them with their hips on their hips.

“You’re just bickering because you’ve been concerned for one another throughout this whole battle and it’s coming out as anger,” Morgana said. “Now stop it!”

“Yes,” Gwen agreed. “And then perhaps we could get back to the Life and Death explanation?”

Merlin and Arthur apologised to one another and then Merlin launched into the story of Arthur being bitten by the Questing Beast. He could tell that they had a lot of questions about it, but he ignored them. “I killed Nimueh and used her life to bring Gaius back to life. I can do the same with Morgause and my Father … well, not the same. A little differently, but the end result will be the same.”

“Different how?” Elaine asked, looking concerned, but there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“With Nimueh I blew her up with lightning. With Morgause I stabbed her with my sword,” he said, looking around for the blade in question.

Gwaine picked it up from where Merlin had dropped it when he’d collapsed. They all studied it at Merlin continued his explanation. “I told Morgause that dragons-fire consumes all,” Merlin went on. “And it did. The blade and dragons-fire took her life and stored it in the sword.”

They all murmured in awe at that. “Wait,” Gwaine said. “You mean that Morgause’s life is in this sword right now?”

Merlin nodded.

Gwaine could give him back the sword fast enough. “It’s not her life, per se,” Merlin said, taking the sword and kneeling by his Father’s side once more. “Just her life force. My Father won’t wake up as a Dark High Priestess in the King of Dracona’s body. He will just be my Father.”

Merlin laid the sword down beside his Father, conscious that everyone had crowded around – both human and dragon alike – to get a better view. “Please work,” he whispered and then let a long string of words on the Old Tongue. A spell that harnessed the power of Life and Death.

A sphere of soft, white light came out of the sword: Morgause’s life force. With his eyes burning a constant gold and as he constantly chanted in the language of the Old Religion, Merlin took the sphere of light in his hand and pushed it into his Father’s chest. “Edhwierft tó æ!” Merlin shouted as he finished the spell.

The light was completely absorbed into his Father’s body and Merlin waited a few tense moments, hoping his spell worked. Everyone around him waited with bated breath, desperate to see if the King would return to life.

Merlin felt when it happened. He felt his dragonlord powers disappear. Just as he felt them appear after his Father died, he felt them fade as Balinor came back to life. However, something felt different about his magic, but Merlin pushed the idle observation away. Instead, Merlin let out a hysterical sounding sob of relief just as his Father opened his eyes and arched his back as he took in a huge lungful of air.

His Father was alive. King Balinor Ambrosius of Dracona was back in the land of the living.

Balinor coughed harshly and blinking blearily around him. His eyes fell on his son. “M-Merlin?”

“FATHER!” Merlin cried delighted and wrapped his arms around Balinor in a tight, desperate hug. “I did it! You’re alive! Thank the Goddess!”

It was only then that Merlin became aware of the tears that were streaming down his face. It was only then that he became aware of the cheering, crying and joyous roaring of the people and dragons around him. And as happy as their cheering made him, the thing that made Merlin most happy in that moment was the feeling of his Father’s arms around him; the Father who was alive and breathing and murmuring, “Thank you, son. I love you,” into Merlin’s ear.

As happy as he was to see Merlin tearfully embrace his recently resurrected Father, it made Arthur think of his own Father and the Prince of Camelot turned to approach Uther.

King Uther Pendragon was a pitiful sight.

Arthur’s sudden euphoria at seeing Balinor alive and well faded. His Father was sitting on the ground, was still being protected by Leon and Baratholomew and still looked utterly terrified, even now that Morgause was gone and her magic should have stopped having any effect on the King. “Father?” Arthur asked softly as he slowly approached his Father. “Are you alright?”

Arthur was alarmed to see that his Father was shaking. “Burn – going to burn,” Uther stammered out, before having a small moment of clarity. “The sorceress – their fear, Arthur, I feel their fear. She did this to me.” The moment didn’t last long. “Burn – going to burn,” he repeated.

Arthur had absolutely no idea what to do. He felt tears building in his eyes. “It’s okay, Father,” he said. “I’m going to take care of you. It’s going to be fine.”

“Morgana – Morgana used magic,” Uther said. “She kissed the serving boy – no – the Prince – magic is evil, Arthur – why – why can’t you see that – the fear – my fear – their fear – Morgana has magic. My Morgana has magic – it’s evil – scared – evil – burn – going to bu-“

“-Onslæp nu,” Merlin’s familiar voice spoke up from behind him and Uther was instantly asleep. Arthur rushed forward to stop his Father from falling to the side and crashing into the dirt. Wrapping one arm around Uther’s shoulders, Arthur turned to see Merlin supporting his own father, with Balinor’s arm thrown over Merlin’s shoulders and it was clear that he was leaning heavily against his son. The others were also standing around them, looking at Arthur and Uther in concern and not a little bit of pity.

“I thought he would be more comfortable asleep,” Merlin said in explanation.

Arthur nodded and went to stand. Sirs Leon and Bartholomew came up on either side of him to assist him, but Arthur shrugged off Bartholomew’s helping hand. He wanted nothing to do with that knight.

“Not you, Bartholomew,” Arthur snapped.

Arthur felt the knight in question stiffen in anger. He turned to see a heated glare on Bartholomew’s face.

It just wasn’t directed at him.

Bartholomew was staring at Merlin with an intense hatred in his eyes. As if it was Merlin’s fault that Arthur suddenly didn’t want his help. Bartholomew lunged towards Merlin with a deranged cry of anger, intending to hurt him in any way possible.

No one saw Morgana move until she had struck.

Bartholomew’s charge was abruptly cut off as a dagger was driven into his stomach. Morgana must have used a fair amount of force, as the blue and gold dagger that he’d seen Morgana carrying around in the last few days was driven in up to its ornate hilt. It had cut threw Bartholomew’s armour like it wasn’t even there at all.

Bartholomew stumbled and fell, crying out in pain as he did. He feebly pulled the dagger out of his stomach with a whimper and covered the wound with his hand, trying to stop the bleeding. Even just watched him lying there, taken aback.

It was Balinor that brought them out of their shocked stupor. “Elaine, tend to him,” the King ordered, jerking his chin at Bartholomew.

Elaine moved to kneel beside the wounded knight and raised her hands to heal him.

“No!” Bartholomew snarled. “I will not let you use magic on me!”

“You’ll die otherwise!” Arthur protested. As much as Bartholomew angered him, he didn’t want his knight to die.

“I rather would!” The man said stubbornly, but it was clear that he was weakening.

“Damn it, Bartholomew, I order you to let yourself be healed!” Arthur commanded.

Bartholomew spat at him in disrespect. Everyone bristled at his action and the dragons around them growled. “You have thrown your lot in with the magic users,” Bartholomew said. “You are not my Prince.”

As quickly and as gently as he could, Arthur gave his Father’s slumbering body to Sir Leon, so the knight was now supporting the king instead of himself. Arthur then marched over to where Bartholomew had fallen. He knelt beside the knight and looked to Elaine. “Please heal him.”

Arthur held Bartholomew down and Elaine once again raised her hands over his wound.

Bartholomew thrashed against his grip, but he was weak and the knight was only getting weaker. “You’re a disgrace to the name Pendragon,” Bartholomew spat out.

“Ic þe þurhhæle-“ Elaine began and then abruptly cut off.

“What?” Arthur asked her, “Why did you stop?”

“Arthur,” she said gently. “He’s dead.”

Arthur looked down at Bartholomew. He was still and lifeless. Arthur slowly drew his hands away and sat back. Dead. He was dead. Dead because he was too predjudiced to allow himself to be healed. Was this what his Father’s Purge had done to the world? Made people fear and hate magic so much that they’d rather meet their death than let it be used on them?

It had to change.

Arthur stood and he turned to his sister. Morgana was looking at Bartholomew was a shocked expression on her face. Like she couldn’t believe that she was the one that put him like that.

“Morgana,” Arthur said. “Are you alright?”

“I – I just – he was going to hurt Merlin. He wouldn’t let himself be healed. Just – why?” Tears were forming in her eyes. “I know we’ve been at battle all day, but this feels different. I killed him. I just-“

Arthur walked forward and pulled Morgana in for a hug. “It’s alright, Morgana. You did the right thing.”

She clung to him and Arthur just continued to hold her until he was certain she was alright. When she was, Morgana stepped away and wiped her eyes. “Thank you, Arthur.”

He gave her a soothing smile, “Anytime, Morgana,” he said, before positioning himself beside Guinevere and taking her hands in his. He would much rather take her in his arms and kiss or hug her, but he knew that there were other things that demanded his attention. Namely, the battle they were still a part of.

Arthur turned to look at his Father; Uther seemed deeply asleep, but Arthur had the feeling that even if he was awake that he would be the stuttering mess that he was before Merlin put him to sleep.

The Prince of Camelot turned to Merlin, “You alright?” He was, after all, just the target of Bartholomew’s attack. Who knows what could have happened if Morgana hadn’t got to Bartholomew first?

Merlin nodded, shifting Balinor’s arm around his shoulders as he did so. “I’m fine. Thanks to Morgana,” he said, shooting the woman in question a smile. Arthur was sure there would have been some telepathic sickenly sweet communication between the two of them to go with that, but Arthur pushed that thought out of his mind. That didn’t matter. What mattered was ending the battle.

“My Father is in no condition to lead,” Arthur said, addressing them all. “So as Prince Regent of Camelot I am taking over command. As the leader of Camelot’s forces, I am calling for an immediate truce and an end of hositilies between Camelot and Dracona. What say you, King Balinor?”

Balinor sent him a tired smile. “I agree entirely, Prince Arthur.”

All their friends around them broke out into relieved cheers, and despite that there was something seriously wrong with his Father, despite the fact that they had all nearly died that day – Balinor actually had died – Arthur allowed himself to smile. It was then that he allowed himself to take Guinevere in his arms and kiss her passionately.

It was then that Battle of Dracona was over.

Chapter Text

“Son, we need to talk.”

Merlin had been sitting by himself at the top of the Whisper Falls, overlooking the Forest of Alor. The water gushed out over the ledge to Merlin’s left, cascading down into the pool that Merlin knew hid one of the entrances to the Dragon Caves. He had come to the top of the waterfall for some solitude, for a few moments to himself to process everything that had happened over the last few days. To think over Morgause’s forces surrendering, Arthur claiming a truce on behalf of Camelot, the burying and honouring of their fallen soldiers and the general recovering from the battle. Merlin also wanted the time alone to ponder over the change he felt in his magic since bringing his Father back to life. It felt like his dragonlord power, but different. Like something had changed. But Merlin didn’t get long to think over anything, as apparently his hiding place had been discovered and Merlin turned to face his Father who had come up behind him.

Balinor looked unusually solemn. “Father?” Merlin asked, immediately concerned. “Is everything alright?”

His Father sighed and then moved to sit down beside him. “Everything is fine, Merlin. It’s just that I need to speak to you.”

Merlin was struck by a sudden sense of unease. “What is it?”

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate what you did, Merlin,” Balinor said. “But I need to know that you understand the repercussions of what you did when you brought me back to life.”

Merlin frowned. “What do you mean? I saved you-“

“-Yes, but I did ask you to save me? No. What I asked you to do was to save your strength.”

Merlin looked at his Father in confusion. “Would you rather I let you just die?”

“Son, we’re dragonlords. Death is an intrinsic part of that gift. It’s an intrinsic part of life itself. You have to accept that.”

“But if I have the power to do something, then shouldn’t I do it?”

“You are Emrys, son. There is no one more powerful than you, so the legends say. But you could have all the power in the world and still the most acceptable thing to do would be nothing. It takes strength to accept something you wish didn’t happen.”

Merlin looked aghast. “You wish I didn’t save you?”

Balinor shook his head, chuckling as if he thought Merlin was being ridiculous. “Of course I’m glad you saved me, Merlin. I now have more time with you, your Mother and our people. But you need to understand that even though you have all this power, you shouldn’t always use it. Elaine said she cautioned you against using it. She was happy at the prospect of me returning to life, but she was right in saying that it was risky. The power over Life and Death is dangerous. So many things could go wrong.”

“But I was in control,” Merlin protested. “I knew what I was doing. Morgause’s life for yours. I mean, I wasn’t entirely sure it would work. I didn’t exactly do it like I did with Nimueh, but I hoped it would wo-“

“-Exactly, son. You weren’t entirely sure it would work. How would you have felt if it wasn’t Morgause who died so I could live? What if it was one of your friends? What if it was Arthur, Morgana or Guinevere? Considering your friendship with Arthur, and the circumstances involving his birth, or what happened what he was bitten by the Questing Beast, you should especially know the risks involved with mirroring Life and Death.”

“I-“ Merlin tried to find something to say to that and found he had no argument. He was filled with the sense that he’d disappointed his Father. He hadn’t had such a talk with his Father since he was young.

“I just want you to be careful, to understand,” Balinor went on. “You may have this power, yes, but where do you stop? Are you going to resurrect me the next time I die? Are you going to bring back everyone who leaves you? We lost a lot of men and women in that battle. Are you going to use the deaths of Morgause or Uther’s fallen soldiers to bring them back to life?”

“No,” Merlin answered immediately.

“Why not?”

“Because that’s wrong,” Merlin said.

“So why was it different for me?”

“Because-“ Merlin faltered, unable to think of a proper argument to his Father’s question. “I just…” He trailed off, incapable of finishing the sentence.

“Just what, Merlin? Were you not ready to become King? For I have long believe that you will make the finest King Dracona has ever seen.”

Merlin shook his head. “It wasn’t that. It wasn’t the fear of taking the throne. I just…”

“Just what, Merlin?” His Father repeated, sounding insistent.

“I wasn’t ready to say goodbye,” he faced Balinor, looking uncertain. “Does – does that make me weak?”

Balinor smiled then and slung an arm around Merlin’s shoulders, pulling Merlin to him in a one-armed hug. “It’s not weakness to want to spend more time with the ones you love,” he said, before his expression turned serious once more. “You just need to learn that there is a time to let people go. I was quite willing to die on that battlefield. I knew I was leaving the kingdom in good hands. You brought me back – and I am incredibly grateful for that, make no mistake – but eventually I will die. Everyone dies. It is a part of life. You need to accept that. To be a good king, you need to accept life and death when they are presented to you. Kingdoms are built on the passing of Kings. Each new reign is a new era for that Kingdom; a new age. Where there is death, there is life, so to speak. I need to know that you understand and accept that, Merlin.”

Merlin had been wincing throughout Balinor’s entire speech, engulfed by the overwhelming feeling that he’d disappointed his Father. “I am sorry to have disappointed you, Father. I understand what you mean, but I can’t bring myself to regret my actions. You’re here – alive – beside me. I understand that using the power of Life and Death is wrong and I should have known better after all my experience with it, but I still can’t regret bringing you back.”

Balinor nodded, “So long as you understand what I am trying to tell you, Merlin. You can’t abuse the Power of Life and Death just because you don’t agree with what has happened. Promise me you’ll be more careful, less hasty, when – if – you use that power in the future.”

Merlin looked at his Father. Balinor had such an earnest expression on his face. He was looking intensely at Merlin, desperate to see if he understood.

“I understand, Father. I promise I’ll be more careful in the future,” Merlin looked down, feeling guilty. “I – I’m sorry.”

Balinor chuckled then, and it made Merlin look up in surprise. This really wasn’t a conversation for laughter. “Only you would apologise for bringing someone back to life. I understand that you can’t regret your actions, son. So long as you understand the risks involved with mirroring Life and Death.”

Merlin nodded solemnly and the two fell into a companionable silence, both of them looking out to the Forest of Alor and all they could hear was the rushing of the Réonian Falls. Eventually though, Balinor broke the silence.

“I didn’t come out here to intrude on your solitude just to give you a stern talking to. There is another reason I wanted to speak with you,” his Father said, and Merlin turned to face him, wondering what else his Father wanted to talk to him about.

“Monarchies are passed down upon death,” Balinor continued, sounding very much like Gaius whenever the physician gave an information-filled lecture. “That has always been the way with royals. Our family especially. But as I said, we’re dragonlords, son. We are of the House of Ambrosius. For centuries our family have ruled Dracona and long has the dragonlord gift passed through the generations. What you did is unprecedented. Never before has a dragonlord lost their powers because the dragonlord before them has come back to life.”

“I felt it,” Merlin said, interrupting his Father’s long speech. “I felt the power disappear.”

Balinor grinned at him; he had an expression on his face like he knew something that Merlin didn’t. “Yes, well,” his Father said, “I have been speaking to Aithusa, and we realised something.”

Merlin’s eyebrows rose at the mention of his dragon-protector and then rose even higher at what his Father said next.

“I want you to try and call a dragon to us. Call Kilgharrah; he seems to be fond you.”

“But – but I don’t have the power anymore!” Merlin spluttered.

“Just try,” was all his Father said and looked at Merlin expectantly.

The warlock sighed and tried to find the words and the power to call to the Great Dragon. He knew how it should have sounded, with the ‘O, drakon!’ and the string of instructions in the Dragon Tongue, but Merlin just couldn’t do it.

“I can’t,” he said at last.

“No, I didn’t think you would,” his Father said, sounding totally unsurprised. “Now, trying calling Aithusa to us.”

Merlin’s eyebrows rose again. “But I just tried to call Kilgharrah and-“

“-Indulge me.”

Merlin once again looked within himself to find the link of kinship between him and the dragons. He surprised himself by shouting out, “O drakon, Aithusa, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo!”

Aithusa must have been expecting his call, because she responded within seconds: Flying up from the bottom of the Réonian Falls so she suddenly appeared as she flew up and over the cliff that Merlin and Balinor were sitting atop of. She blocked out the sun for a moment, throwing a large shadow over the pair before coming to land in front of Merlin.

She bowed to him and then turned to do the same to Balinor. “Light of the Sun,” the King greeted. “It seems your suspicions are confirmed.”

Merlin was staring dumbfounded at his dragon-protector. He opened and closed his mouth a few times in an effort to speak, but nothing came out. Eventually he managed a weak, “What?”

His thoughts, however, weren’t so inhibited and were flashing back to the moment when he felt his dragonlord powers leave him. He had sensed that something had changed with his magic, but with everything that had happened since the end of the battle, Merlin hadn’t had time to reflect on how exactly his magic felt different. He has surmised that it felt different due to losing his dragonlord powers and he was still getting used to the sudden change, but if what just happened could be believed – he still had part of his dragonlord powers. His powers still counted in regards to Aithusa.

“I still sensed the dragonlord connection between us, Merlin,” Aithusa said. “I spoke with those in the Dracawine and my other dragon brethren and they could not; they could only sense it with King Balinor. I now sense it with you both.”

Merlin got to his feet so he could walk forwards and embrace his dragon-protector, wrapping his arms around her large, scaly neck. “I thought my magic felt strange, but I never thought it would be this. I didn’t even stop to figure out what it was. Thusy, I’m sorry. You’ve probably been so confused and I hadn’t even mentioned it. I hadn’t even tried to work out what had changed.”

“It is alright,” the white dragon said. “I am not a hatchling. I knew what it was. A dragon cannot mistake the kinship they have with a dragonlord, and I do not blame you for not noticing sooner. When I spoke to the King, he said you had been busy over the last few days, but that you had noted that your magic felt different. Now you know why: Your dragonlord powers still work on me.”

Merlin pulled back so he could look Aithusa in the eyes. “And are you alright with that?”

She gave him a dragon grin. “There were once many dragonlords all across Albion, now there is only one,” she said and glanced at Balinor before turning back to Merlin. “Of all the people to receive even the smallest part of that gift while another dragonlord walks the earth, I am glad it is you, my little dragonling.”

Merlin returned her smile. “Thank you, Thusy,” he said, resting his head against her snout and closing his eyes for a moment; just basking in the bond between him and his life-long friend. He was suddenly struck with the desire to go flying with Aithusa. He turned to his Father and something must have shown in his expression because Balinor sent him a knowing grin and said, “Go. I had nothing else to say to you, son. I know you understand what I wanted to tell you.”

Merlin nodded solemnly and climbed onto Aithusa’s back. Once he sat in his familiar spot behind Aithusa’s head, Merlin just turned back to face his Father. But Balinor just wore a wide grin and made a shooing motion with his hands. “Go.”

They needed no further encouragement. With that, Merlin and Aithusa took off into the air.

After his flight with Aithusa, Merlin sought out Arthur. The Prince was with the Camelotian forces that were camped just beyond the Dracacynn Plane. They were recuperating after the battle, but were planning to leave in the next few days. They were still mourning their dead, or burying the bodies of their fallen. Knights were resting, the wounded were healing and everyone in the camp had a solemn, yet relieved, air in the aftermath of the battle. There was, however, an undercurrent of worry and tension about their King.

That was where Merlin found Arthur.

Some of the men in the Camelot camp had looked at Merlin suspiciously when he landed in their midst on Aithusa. But no one charged at him or tried to harm him. After the Battle of Dracona, no one was willing to cross the knights of Dracona, let alone their apparently all-powerful prince who was said to have fought like a demon during the battle and arrived in their camp on a dragon. Instead, they merely murmured instructions as to where Arthur was in the King’s tent, tending to his Father.

When Merlin entered the tent – Aithusa waited outside, they didn’t think Uther would handle seeing the white dragon too well – he was met with the sight of Arthur kneeling before the King. Uther was sitting in a chair at a desk to the side of the tent, looking down at his son. Arthur had Uther’s hands in his and looking tense and yet saddened as he spoke to the King. Sir Leon was there too, standing loyally to the side, watching the two royals of Camelot with concern.

 “We can heal you, Father,” Arthur said, sounding both determined and desperate. “We can take you to the Cauldron and you can be healed. I’m sure – I’m sure the Cauldron would be able to help you.”

“No,” Uther rasped out; his voice was incredibly weak. “You mean … to use magic … no.”

In the days following the battle, Uther had deteriorated even more. Whatever Morgause had done to him, whatever nightmare she made him see, Uther had been traumatised and retreated into himself. He barely spoke or ate, he never left his tent and rarely moved from the chair in which he now sat and the only people he would speak to were Arthur or Leon.

Arthur had told Merlin that he had heard Uther murmur Morgana’s name numerous times, but he had never asked for her to be brought before him. Because of this, and because of her revelation of being a magic-user, Morgana didn’t feel comfortable in the Camelotian camp. Instead she stayed with Merlin in the Dragon Caves, helping him, his parents, and any she came into contact with overcome their grief following the battle.

Merlin didn’t expect her to see Uther until the King left for Camelot, but Merlin should have known that Morgana wasn’t one to do what was expected of her. Merlin had barely opened his mouth the greet Uther and Arthur before a call was heard from the camp outside: “Dragon incoming!”

Merlin and Arthur shared a glance. Arthur sighed and let go of his Father’s hands. “I’ll be back, Father,” he promised, before following Merlin back out of the tent, Sir Leon following right behind them.

“Is it Aithusa?” Arthur asked, looking up at the sky.

Merlin laughed. Arthur had completely walked past and not noticed the white dragon that was lying beside the tent. Aithusa had been lying with her head resting on her front legs and her eyes shut, soaking in the sunlight. She seemed quite comfortable, despite the fact that Merlin had been in the tent for mere seconds before coming out gain. She opened eye and stared at the Prince of Camelot. “No, it’s not me,” she said dryly, before muttering under her breath about oblivious princes.

Merlin laughed again and Arthur looked indignant, but he was spared from replying by a loud roar from the approaching dragon. They looked up to see a green dragon soaring towards them.

“Joycia,” Merlin said.

But Joycia wasn’t alone. On her back were two riders. Two very familiar riders.

“It’s the Lady Morgana!” Leon observed.

“And Guinevere,” Arthur added, breaking out in a smile and his tone of voice showing his affection for her.

Joycia landed before them. She bowed to Merlin. Ever since he had gained and lost his dragonlord powers, the dragons had treated him with even more respect than usual, even if he wasn’t a dragonlord to any dragon other than Aithusa anymore. “My lord,” Joycia greeted him, before turning to do the same to Arthur and Leon. She then lowered herself so Morgana and Gwen could climb down off her back.

Her feet firmly on the ground, Morgana approached Merlin and hugged him, as Gwen did the same to Arthur. Morgana then pulled away and turned to the green dragon. “Thank you for bringing us here, Joycia,” she said, bowing her head respectfully to the dragon.

“Yes, thank you,” Gwen said, bowing her head as well.

“You are welcome, my ladies,” the dragon replied.

Morgana smiled at Joycia before turning to the others and getting straight to the point. “I want to speak to Uther.”

Arthur immediately looked tense and worried. “Morgana, he barely speaks … I can barely get more than a sentence out of him … He barely eats or sleeps. He – He is not in his right mind. What he says – or doesn’t say – could hurt you. And by that same token, what you say could upset him.”

Morgana approached Arthur and put a hand on his shoulder. “Please, Arthur,” she said beseechingly. “I know that you are preparing to leave for Camelot soon. I have to speak to him before you go.”

Arthur hesitated for a few more seconds before reaching up to cover her hand with his and nodding his consent. “Very well,” was all he said.

Morgana sent him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

As Merlin watched her walked towards the tent, he sent a wave of gentle magic out to her. Unnoticeable by the others, it enveloped her like a hug; a silent show of support before a conversation that Merlin knew was going to be difficult for her. 

Morgana paused by the tents entrance. Thank you, Merlin, Morgana’s voice sound in his head, but she did not turn around. Instead, she took a deep breath, steeled her shoulders and entered the tent.

It was time for her to have an audience with the king.

Uther Pendragon was a pitiful sight.

That was the first thing that struck Morgana as she took in the form of the King of Camelot: Pity. Uther sat, slumped, in one of the chairs that were positioned by the desk in the King’s tent. It seemed as if he was staring at nothing. He merely sat, silent and unmoving. He didn’t even turn when Morgana entered the tent.

She walked and sat in the chair opposite Uther. The King’s chair was pushed away from the table slightly and turned to face the opposite chair, so Morgana was looking straight on at the King and he was looking directly at her.

But he said nothing.

He didn’t move, he didn’t acknowledge her presence; he simple sat there and stared at nothing.

“Uther,” Morgana said.

Silence.

“Uther.”

Nothing.

“My Lord.”

Still silence.

“Look at me.”

Uther still didn’t say a word. Morgana immediately understood what Arthur meant when he said that Uther barely spoke. She wondered has long Arthur had to stay and try to talk to his Father before the King would say so much as a word.

“Please speak to me,” she entreated.

“Leave me,” he replied.

Morgana gave a short gasp, surprised that Uther had said even that much. He looked at her, he no longer stared through her as if she wasn’t there, but his expression was blank, his eyes dull. He looked weak. Defeated. She never thought she would ever see Uther Pendragon in such a state. He wanted her to leave, but Morgana wasn’t one for doing what he told her to.

“No,” she said stubbornly.

“… I will not … have visitors … Leave me.”

“You will have me,” she replied determinedly. “And you will listen to me.”

Uther merely said nothing, so Morgana continued. “I know I told you that I have no place in your Camelot, and I stand by that. You are unaccepting and ruthless when it comes to magic. You found out that Arthur is the Once and Future King, the one destined to bring greatness to this land and you reacted with fury. You saw I had magic and immediately tried to attack Merlin, thinking he corrupted me. Yet you are a hypocrite, Uther. We all know the truth of Arthur’s birth. You persecute those with magic, but you are nothing except a hypocrite and a liar.”

Morgana knew she was being harsh. Uther didn’t need to hear this. Not in his current condition. Morgana thought back to what Arthur said outside of the tent: what you say could upset him. She was sure that what she was saying was hurting the King – not that he gave any indication of that, he merely sat there, expressionless – but Morgana still had so much hurt and anger inside. She needed to get it out, she needed to tell Uther how she felt otherwise it would fester away inside of her. It was better to get it out now before that happened.

“I told you that Arthur and I would outshine you,” Morgana went on. “And I stand by that. Arthur will be the greatest king Camelot had ever known. And I – I will be the Queen of Dracona.”

Uther flinched at that. It was the first indication he’d given that he was even listening to Morgana’s rant and Morgana zeroed in on it immediately.

“I will,” she said. “I love Merlin. You think he filled my head with magic, that he corrupted me, but you’re wrong. He made me realise that what I have is a gift and that I shouldn’t be afraid of it. You were the reason I was afraid of it in the first place. You were the one who made me so scared of even entertaining the thought that I might have magic! Merlin made me see otherwise. But I don’t need to explain my love for Merlin to you. Even someone with such hatred in his heart as you should understand love.”

“… Morgana..” Uther finally spoke up, but Morgana didn’t give him the chance to continue.

“No! You don’t get to speak! You will sit and you will listen and you will know how I feel! I was terrified of you! Of what would happen if you found out my magic. Everyone with magic is so fearful of you, or so angry. Why do you think there have been so many attacks against Camelot by those with magic? They want revenge for what you have done and I don’t even blame them. Once, I was one of those people. I planned your demise, but I couldn’t go through with it. Because I cared for you. I still care, but you find out I have magic and you react with anger, you ask me to shut away an intrinsic part of myself. To be like Gaius and promise to never use it again. Well I won’t. I have had an audience with the White Goddess and I have been named a High Priestess of the Triple Goddess and I will not forsake that side of me just because of your hatred of magic! I will stay in Dracona and I will learn to use my magic properly and be a powerful High Priestess. I will no longer be your ward!”

Some of the fire in Morgana died out. Her anger faded and she was simply filled with sadness and pity. “But I was never simply your ward, was I?” She said softly. “I am you daughter. You betrayed my Father’s trust and bedded my Mother. Do you know how I found that out? I heard it from the Great Dragon. Not you. A dragon. A dragon I didn’t even know existed. The truth of my heritage came from a creature of magic who hated me and not the man who took me in and claimed to love me. The man who was my real Father. You never told me. How could you not tell me? Or Arthur? How could you do that to Gorlois?! And I have sisters! Elaine and Morgause! How could you not tell me that I had family?! Don’t you think I would want to know that?! I was your ward! Your ward! I thought I had no family left!”

As Morgana spoke, her anger returned and became more and more distressed as she went on. She realised this and took a deep breath, calming herself. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, shaking her head. “It wasn’t my intention to come in here and shout at you. I just wanted to tell you how I’m feeling. To tell you that what you did wasn’t right. To tell you how I feel before you leave and I won’t get another chance. I didn’t mean to lose my temper … It’s just…” She trailed off, not knowing how to continue. She looked down at her hands. She had them clenched in her lap as she tried to control her emotions.

“… You are crying.”

Morgana’s head snapped up in surprise. She hadn’t expected Uther to speak. Nor did she even realise she had been crying, but she raised her hand to her cheek to find that they were indeed wet with tears. She pulled her hand away and looked at her now-wet fingers in surprise. “Oh.”

“ … I can hear them …” Uther said, and Morgana frowned at him, unsure of what he meant. “I can … still see them … The sorceress, Morgause … She made me experience the fear of those with magic …. She … made me think I was … on of them … Burn, burn, burn. I am going to burn … They all burned … I made … them burn.”

Morgana’s frowned deepened. It was clear that whatever Morgause had done to Uther was still affecting him, but that shouldn’t be possible. The effects of the spell should have ended once Morgause was dead, so why was Uther still acting like this?

“Burn … burn…” Uther murmured softly.

Unless he’s been traumatised to the point where he can’t come back from it, Morgana thought in realisation.

“… It comes and … it goes,” Uther rasped out. Morgana couldn’t remember ever hearing his sound so weak. “I will have … moments … where I am lost to … the memory of … the visions. Other times … I am myself … Lost to the … realisation … that I have lost both … you and Arthur … to magic.”

Uther fell silent after that, and Morgana had the suspicion that that was the most he head said since the Battle of Dracona. But she frowned at him; she didn’t agree with what he’d said. “You didn’t lose Arthur and I to magic,” she said softly. “You lost us through your own actions. But that’s not even right. You haven’t lost us. Arthur could never hate you, never leave you, no matter what you’ve done. His eyes might be opened and he now knows that you’re not as perfect and noble as he always thought you were, but he could never hate you. And as for myself … well, I don’t belong in Camelot anymore, and I’m disgusted be your actions, but even so there is still a part of me that cares for you. A part of me that remembers the man who took me in and helped raise me. It is for the memory of that bond that I am here, and it for that memory that I going to help you.”

Morgana reached a hand out to Uther and the King instantly flinched away from her. “No … magic.”

Morgana sighed, “There is no magic that can really help you, Uther. What Morgause did to you ended as soon as she died. What you are dealing with is the mental repercussions of that spell. You have mentally traumatised and you cannot deal with it. You have drawn into yourself. No amount of magic can help you with that. There is no spell to instantly make you better. The only one who can help you now is yourself.”

The King said nothing. It seemed that Uther had said all that he was going to say. His eyes had returned to that dull look and Uther barely seemed to see her at all. Pity welled up in Morgana and she continued speaking, even if the King of Camelot was no longer listening. “I said I would help you, and I will. There is no spell to reverse the effects of Morgause’s spell, but there is one to ensure you get a decent sleep and lots of rest. Swefe nu, Uther.”

Morgana’s sleeping spell immediately began to take effect on the King and Uther’s eyes began to droop. Morgana sighed once again and stood up. She had said all that she wanted to say, but she didn’t feel any better. If anything she just felt sad, disappointed and full of pity for the man who was falling asleep before her. “Goodbye … Father,” she said, resolving never to call Uther that ever again. She didn’t think he deserved it.

Morgana was halfway to the tent’s exit when she heard the weak and clearly sleepy voice speak up from behind her. “Morgana … I am sorry…”

She paused and took a deep breath. “Sometimes sorry isn’t good enough,” Morgana said flatly.

And with that she walked out of the tent.

Morgana was solemn following her talk with Uther. When she came out of the tent, she didn’t acknowledge anyone or answer any of their questions. Instead, she walked straight up to the emerald dragon, Joycia, and respectfully asked if the dragon would take her away from the camp.

Joycia agreed and she and Morgana were gone almost instantly, flying away from the Camelotian camp and heading off in the direction of the Dragon Caves.

Merlin watched her leave and then turned to Arthur, “I’m going after her. Remember that my parents are having the Commemoration Feast tonight at the Whisper Falls. You and all your people are invited.”

Merlin knew that if Arthur wasn’t so worried about his Father and Morgana, he would have made some jab about Merlin being an idiot and that there was no way that he could have forgotten about such as important event. But all he said was, whilst still looking up at the sky after Morgana, “I know. Take care of her.”

The Prince of Dracona nodded and within seconds he and Aithusa were off and following Morgana and Joycia. They caught up to them just as Morgana was climbing off of Joycia at the top of the Whisper Falls. Merlin mused on the fact that Morgana went to the same place that he did when she was seeking solitude. Below them, at the entrance to the Dragon Caves, people were rushing about in preparation for the Commemoration Feast that was to take place that evening. But Merlin paid them no mind, what mattered to him in that moment was Morgana.

“Are you alright?” Merlin asked as Aithusa landed and he jumped off her back with the skill and grace that came with years of experience.

Morgana didn’t answer. She merely stood and stared out at the landscape of Dracona, taking in the sight of the Forest of Alor as it stretched out like a vast sea of green. Merlin approached her and Aithusa and Joycia tactfully flew away, giving the two some privacy. “Morgana?” Merlin said as he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Her voice was low when Morgana finally replied to him. “I thought talking to Uther would make me feel better, but it didn’t. All I did was shout at him.”

Merlin didn’t find it prudent to mention that they could hear her shouting at Uther from outside the tent. At least, they all heard some of it before Merlin put a silencing charm up. He, Arthur, Gwen, Leon, the dragons and presumably many other members of the camp hadn’t heard a thing until Morgana starting yelling that Uther was going to sit and listen to how she felt. They heard up until Morgana said that she had been terrified of the King before Merlin had finished muttering the silencing spell.

“I said everything I wanted to say to him,” Morgana said, turning to pull Merlin into a hug; she clutched at him desperately and buried her face in his shirt. “I told him exactly how I felt and what I thought of him and his actions. I did everything I set out to do when I left the Dragon Caves today. So why do I feel so sad?”

It took a long time for Merlin to answer. For a while he just stood there in silence and rubbed soothing circles on Morgana’s back. But when he finally replied, Merlin’s answer was simple: “Because it is sad.”

That made Morgana look up at him and Merlin continued. “My Father told me earlier that where there is death, there is life. He meant that in the sense that when something dies, or ends, something new comes from it. He was using it to describe monarchies, but it can be applied here too. Uther has been an important part of your life for many, many years. He is your Father, even if you don’t think of him as such, and today you essentially cut that bond. You say that you don’t belong in Uther’s Camelot and you have no intention of returning to be his ward, or his daughter. Your relationship with Uther, in that sense, has ended. It’s died, and that is sad. The end of something that once brought you happiness is always sad.”

Morgana was silent as she took what Merlin had said in. Her eyes then filled with tears, and her bottom lip trembled in a gallant attempt to not cry, but Morgana broke down into sobs as she acknowledged the change and ‘death’ of her relationship with Uther. Merlin simply held her as she cried and let it all out. He held her to him, murmuring words of comfort and pressing kisses into her hair.

Eventually Morgana’s sobs subsided and she looked up at Merlin. “Then where is the life?” She asked. “If life comes from death, then what comes from my relationship with Uther?”

Merlin sent her a small, comforting smile. “Everything’s got to end sometime. Otherwise nothing would ever get started. What starts for you now is a new life. A chance to study magic freely. To be with your magical kin and to use your magic without fear of persecution. A chance to be a new Morgana. A citizen of Dracona, if that is what you wish. A High Priestess, healer, knight, lady, Princess, Queen – whatever you want. Whatever you desire to do, that is what this chance, this new life, is giving you.”

A new light shone in Morgana’s eyes. Merlin could tell that she was coming to terms with the change that had happened. She still seemed sad about it, and Merlin supposed she always would be. Losing someone close to you was always sad, but he knew that Morgana would be able to move past it. She was already doing so now.

But his musing were cut short as Morgana gave what sounded like a cross between an ‘I’m-trying-not-to-cry’ inhale and a laugh. “’Princess, Queen,’” she quoted, her sad expression morphing into a teasing grin. “Prince Merlin, was that a proposal?”

Merlin tensed in surprised and turned beet red. “I – I – I –“, he stuttered.

Morgana let out a giggle. “Relax, Merlin,” she said. “I know that’s not what you meant. But when you do finally ask, the answer will be yes.”

He gave a shaky laugh before his eyes widened at the implication of what Morgana had said. Morgana just continued to laugh at him, taking pleasure in his seemingly shocked and slightly dumbfounded expression.

Merlin shook his head. If Morgana could be teasing and flirtatious than so could he. “And what question would that be, My Lady?” He asked, gently pulling her even closer to him so there was barely any room between them. He had a small moment of victory as he noticed a blush taint Morgana’s cheeks.

“I think you know exactly what question I’m talking about.”

“Enlighten me.”

Morgana drew breath to respond, but Merlin didn’t give her the chance. He leant down to press his lips to hers; effectively silencing what he knew would have been a flirtatious quip. Merlin felt her smile before enthusiastically kissing him back. When their kiss ended Merlin pulled away from her and helped her to sit on the ground before sitting down beside her. Morgana immediately leant her head on Merlin’s shoulder and the warlock wrapped and arm around her and pressed another kiss to the top of Morgana’s head.

It was there that they stayed for some hours. Lost in each other and the view as the Whisper Falls cascaded beside them.

As Merlin flew away from the Camelotian camp after Morgana, Arthur and Guinevere watched him go before turning to face one another. As worried for his Father and Morgana as he was, Arthur had a smile on his face when he looked at Gwen. She had something about her that automatically put him at ease; that automatically made him happy.

“Come on,” he said, gesturing with his head to somewhere further in the camp. “Walk with me.”

Arthur and Gwen immediately fell into step with one another as they wandered through the camp. They had lost Sir Leon somewhere along the way, but as they walked Guinevere noticed that she was getting a lot of stares from the Knights of Camelot. “They’re all staring at me,” she noted, feeling more than a little uncomfortable at all the attention.

Arthur sent her a proud smile. “Of course they are,” he said. “Word has spread about the brave handmaiden who courageously stood in the path of Morgause to protect her King. What you did was an incredible thing, Guinevere. You have earned their attention and respect, and I cannot thank you enough for protecting my Father.”

A faint blush rose up in Gwen’s cheeks. “I only did what was right,” she said.

The Prince of Camelot gave a chuckle. “You’re always so humble, Guinevere. You didn’t need to protect my Father. As you said on the battlefield, there is no love lost between he and you. Yet you still walked into Morgause’s path to defend him.”

Gwen’s blush increased, but he was spared answering by she and Arthur arriving at another large tent. “This is my tent,” Arthur explained. “Would you care to join me inside? I want to talk to you privately.”

Gwen’s blush increased tenfold and she automatically began babbling. “Are – are you sure? Is it seemly for us to be alone? – I mean – I want to – but – but – your knights are still staring. I mean, what will they think? I mean, we shouldn’t care what they think. But –“

“-Guinevere,” Arthur said with laughter clearly in his voice and a teasing grin on his face. The way he said it reminded Gwen of when she’d been tending him after he’d been bitten by the Questing Beast and Arthur revealed that he’d heard her talking to him. He was all teasing and goading, with that smile on his face that was far too handsome to be allowed, even if Gwen had thought he was a bit of a prat at that stage.

“It’s fine,” Arthur said, looking highly amused. He then leant in and murmured, “For all they know, I’m merely thanking you for your actions in the battle.”

Guinevere wasn’t entirely sure if that was true. Who knows what people could have found out in the confusion that was the Battle of Dracona? People could have found exactly how she and Arthur felt for one another. Arthur had kissed her on the battlefield after all, and that made Gwen worried about what was going to happen with her relationship with Arthur. Because destinies of being the Once and Future King and Queen besides, she was still a servant and Arthur was still a prince and woefully above her station. Knowing that she was going to be the Once and Future Queen gave her hope, of course, but she still worried about what was to happen when they returned to Camelot. That was even if she was even returning to Camelot. After all, she was Morgana’s maid and Morgana hadn’t shown any intention of returning to Uther’s kingdom.

Her worries were pushed aside as Arthur led her into his tent. It was much the same as Uther’s: a cot, table, chairs, weapons and not much else. Arthur led her other to one of the chairs and helped her sit, before taking his place in the chair opposite her.

“Guinevere,” he said, sounding very serious and all trace of his earlier amusement was gone. “Are you alright?”

His question was unexpected and caught her off guard. “Y-yes,” she answered. “I’m fine.”

Arthur had a knowing expression on his face. “Guinevere, you’re not a knight. You may be the daughter of a blacksmith and you may be familiar with words, but you’ve never been in a battle before. They are frightening things. I just want to know if you’re alright after the one we just had.”

Gwen stared at him. He had such a knowing, yet concerned look in his eyes. It didn’t take long for Guinevere’s defences to come down under Arthur’s gaze. “…No, no. I am, but I’m not. Arthur, I was so scared! I’ve never been that scared before. You were about to run yourself through and there was nothing we could do and I was just so frightened-“

She didn’t get any further. Arthur stood, gently pulled Gwen to her feet and then engulfed her in a hug. “It’s okay, Guinevere,” he murmured into her ear. “It’s alright. We all made it through the battle.”

Gwen held onto him tightly. “I just – I just thought I was going to lose you. I was so scared that I was going to lose everyone. It was awful, Arthur! The whole thing was awful!”

“I know it was,” he replied in a soothing voice. “It always is. However, you shouldn’t hold it all in. So let it out, Guinevere. No good comes from trying to hold everything in and pretending you’re fine. You can let it out. It’s just me here, and you know I would never judge you for feeling upset.”

Guinevere’s only response was to pull Arthur in for another hug and bury her face in the crook of his shoulder as her body was wracked with sobs. Eventually though, and far sooner than Arthur assumed, Gwen pulled away from him and took a deep breath. “Thank you, Arthur,” she said, wiping her eyes. “That made me feel better.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

Gwen nodded. There was a determined expression on her face. “Yes. I’ve cried enough. I may not be used to battles and warfare, but I don’t want to be someone that just cries about it. I want to be strong and move forward, and help everybody else come to terms with the battle as well.”

Arthur sent her a proud smile. “You’re incredible, Guinevere,” he said and then froze, as if he didn’t mean to say that out loud. Both he and Gwen reddened in embarrassment. Arthur then thought that was ridiculous. Why should they be embarrassed around one another? The Prince of Camelot resolved to push that embarrassment aside by kissing the beautiful woman in front of him, but his plan was ruined by Guinevere.

Apparently the maid had the same idea he did, because in a surprisingly forward move she pulled him into a kiss. Caught off guard, Arthur stiffened in surprise at the action, but it didn’t take him long to relax into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around Guinevere and pulled her as close as he possibly could to him. Gwen gave a small gasp of surprise at the movement, but that was quickly disregarded as their lips reached for one another’s again and again. Arthur lost track of how long they stood like that. They were too caught up in the feeling of being in each other’s arms and the sweet oblivion that came with kissing the one you love.

When Arthur finally pulled away from her, he only had one very important thing to say: “I love you, Guinevere.”

And Gwen’s earlier worries about what would happen to their relationship when – or if – she returned to Camelot. All that mattered was saying on very important sentence back to him: “I love you too.”

That evening was the Commemoration Feast. The people of Dracona and Camelot gathered in their hundreds outside of the Dragon Caves to celebrate the end of the War of Dracona and the incredible battle that was widely becoming known as either ‘The Battle of Dracona’ or ‘The Battle of Dracacynn Plane.’

The people of Camelot still seemed a bit uncomfortable around the magic-wielding Draconians, or the mysterious druids that were also taking part in the celebrations, but as the night went on there were slowly losing the awkward uncomfortableness and making friends with the citizens of Dracona and the druids.

There was a vast amount of food and ale (much to Gwaine’s delight). Music was playing and dragons flew overhead, though the great magical creatures mostly kept to themselves and out of sight. As accepting as the people of Camelot were showing themselves to be, they were still on edge around the ferocious-looking dragons, even when Balinor had promised them that they would do them no harm.

One main surprise of the night was when Elyan and Percival arrived to the celebrations with Arthur, Leon and the rest of the Camelotians, clothed in the chainmail and cloaks of a Knight of Camelot. Guinevere had gaped at her brother, before turning to look at Arthur for an explanation. The Prince had sent her a beaming smile and said that Elyan and Percival had proven themselves to be true men of honour and nobility and deserved to be knights, common born or not. Merlin, Morgana, Gwen, Elaine, Gwaine, Lancelot, Leon all cheered and the two newest Knights of Camelot were thumped on the back in congratulations.

“You know what this means?” Morgana asked excitedly.

Everyone turned to look at her. “What?” Merlin asked.

“Gwen, if your brother is a knight that means that you’ll be a Lady of the Court!”

Guinevere looked dumbfounded. “What?”

“A Lady, Gwen,” Morgana said, beaming at her friend. “You’ll be a Lady!”

“I won’t be your maidservant anymore?” Gwen looked a little sad at that.

Morgana pulled Gwen in for a hug. “You’re my best friend, Gwen,” she murmured into Guinevere’s ear so the others wouldn’t hear her. “And you love Arthur. I wouldn’t have made you stay here with me in Dracona when you heart is leaving for Camelot. I thought you knew that?”

“Well, I wondered … but I will miss you, Morgana.”

“Oh, Gwen. I will miss you too,” Morgana said, stepping back and speaking back in her normal volume of voice. “Look after the prat for Merlin and I, will you?” She asked, looking over at her brother.

“Hey!” Said prat sounded indignant and Arthur put on an affronted air. “I can look after myself fine, thanks!”

“Says the man who needs help to get dressed,” Merlin teased.

Arthur opened his mouth to retort, but was spared by Walter the messenger appearing in their group. “I apologise for interrupting, my Lords, my Ladies,” the man began, looking sheepish. “But King Balinor-“

“Walter!” Merlin said cheerfully in lieu of a greeting. “How are you?”

“Quite well, sire.”

“And your wife, Margaret?”

“Fully recovered, thank you, sire,” the messenger replied. His message momentarily forgotten, Walter broke out in a relieved smile. “I must thank you all in the part you played in my wife’s rescue from Morgause. Especially you, Sir Lancelot. Margaret tells me that you took the brunt of Morgause’s rage so that Margaret could be spared. You have my eternal gratitude.”

Lancelot looked surprised at the man’s words, but he quickly got over it and sent Walter a smile. “Think nothing of it, my friend. I only did the right thing and your wife was very courageous herself.”

Walter bowed his head respectfully. “All the same, Sir Knight, thank you.” He then turned to Merlin, “Your Father wishes to address the people, sire, and asks that I bring you to him.”

Merlin glanced at all his friends and they nodded, ready to follow Walter. Merlin turned back to the messenger. “Very well, Walter. Lead the way.”

Walter did just that. He lead them through the vast amount of people that were gathered by the Whisper Falls and to where Balinor and Hunith were waiting for them. When they all arrived, Balinor turned to Walter. “Thank you, Walter. That was all I needed. You may go and enjoy the rest of the evening.”

“Thank you, sire,” Walter said, before bowing to them all and disappearing back into the crowd.

Merlin turned to his Father. “You wish to address the people?”

Balinor shared a glance with Hunith before turned back to face his son. “Yes, that was the plan. We presumed that you, Arthur,” he said, with a glance to the Prince of Camelot. “Would also like to speak in your Father’s stead. Is that so?”

Arthur nodded. He hadn’t even tried to get his Father to come to the celebrations. Even if Uther wasn’t so weak, Arthur knew he would never consort with sorcerers.  Uther was back at the Camelotian camp with a handful of magic-hating knights who refused the invitation to the feast. “Yes,” he replied. “I will speak. I have nothing planned, but I would still like to address the people all the same.”

Balinor and Hunith nodded, looking pleased. “Well then, Merlin,” Balinor said. “You can speak for Dracona.”

Merlin’s eyebrows rose. “Really?”

“Yes, Merlin,” Hunith replied. “You and Arthur should speak together.”

“I haven’t written a speech.”

“Neither have I, you clotpole, and I’m going to say something,” Arthur said. “Just do what I do. I’m a great public speaker.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Firstly, that’s my word. And secondly, Arthur, I write all your speeches!”

Arthur clapped him on the back. “Then you’ve got nothing to worry about. Come on, you idiot. Let’s go give a speech.”

Merlin huffed in exasperation and muttered something under his breath about prats. All that aside, he led Arthur to a large rock by the Whisper Falls and he and Arthur climbed on top of it so they’d be seen by the large crowd. Just the action of them climbing on top of the rock made a hush come over the crowd, but it still took a few moments for there to be complete silence in their audience, broken along just the continued rushing of the Whisper Falls beside them. Even the dragons had returned to hear the speech, for they played just as an important part in the battle as the men and women from both armies. Dozens of dragons landed around the crowd and many of them – Aithusa and Kilgharrah included – perched at the top of the Whisper Falls, all listening in with their keen dragon hearing to see what Arthur and Merlin had to say.

“People of Dracona, Camelot and noble dragon-kind,” Merlin called out to the vast crowd before them. “We thank you for coming to this Commemoration Feast!”

Merlin paused and Arthur continued, “Tonight we honour those who have fallen in the Battle of Dracona. We lost many friends and comrades that day, and although we have already buried them and mourned them, this feast gives us one last chance to say goodbye.”

“It has been many years since people of Dracona and Camelot have stood beside one another without hatred and fear between them,” Merlin spoke up. “Seeing you all here together gives me hope that this can happen once again. For although we were all on the battlefield for different reasons, we both lost valuable comrades and now here we all are, as one, to honour their memory.”

“Three armies met upon that battlefield,” Arthur went on. “Two remain standing and victorious. Merlin is right. You courageous people of Dracona fought for your homeland, and my brave knights of Camelot fought for our King, my Father, Uther Pendragon. We fought for very different reasons, we saw ourselves as each other’s enemies, yet here we all stand on the threshold of friendship blooming between us all.”

Merlin went to speak, but Arthur kept talking. “There is one saying that my knights are familiar with, for I say it to every young knight that I train: No man is worth your tears. Looking back on this battle, I find that to be an idiotic statement. We were enemies upon that battlefield, and yet when the dragons-fire threatened us all, we worked together to protect one another. Those with magic from Dracona helped conjured that shield, and knights of Camelot protected those sorcerers and sorceresses from the minions of Morgause. For that, you should all be proud. But there were some on the battlefield that didn’t make it home, and perhaps they helped you in that battle, perhaps they didn’t. But they all died honourable deaths and they are worth your tears. They are worthy of us mourning their passing and I would ask you to all join me in a minutes silence to honour our fallen heroes.”

Arthur and Merlin bowed their heads and everyone gathered at the Whisper Falls followed suit. There was complete and utter silence as everyone stood with their heads respectfully lowered. Even the dragons had bowed their large heads. Some people had tears streaming down their cheeks, others stood stoic and silent, but they all paid their respects to those who didn’t survive the Battle of Dracona.

It was Merlin who eventually broke the silence. “We will never forget those we lost or their brave sacrifice. To my dragon kin, I thank you for heeding my call and helping us to win against Morgause. I may no longer be your dragonlord, but I am proud to say that I was and I can only hope that when it truly becomes time for me to take up the mantle of dragonlord, that I will do you proud.”

Merlin went to continue speaking, but he was stopped by movement from the dragons. All around, moving as one, the dragons raised their heads to regard Merlin before arching their necks and bowing low to him in the ultimate show of a dragon’s utmost respect.

The Prince of Dracona suddenly found himself unable to speak. He was at a loss for words as he watched all the dragons bow to him. Merlin swallowed the lump in his throat and managed a sincere “Thank you” before gesturing for Arthur to continue while he composed himself.

“I have taken over leadership of Camelot as its Prince Regret,” Arthur went on, before faltering a little. “My Father – my Father is in no condition to rule. He does not think kindly of those with magic; however I have no quarrel with Dracona, its people, or any magic user, regardless of what kingdom they are from. Although as Regent I cannot change the laws of Camelot and our policy against those with magic still stands, I urge my subjects to look at the people around you. Those with magic are not the evil-doers that I once previously believed and I urge you all to think the same. These are people that fought beside you, protected you, and now we celebrate with them.”

Arthur turned to Merlin, “I cannot promise when it will happen, but I, Arthur Pendragon, Crown Prince of Camelot and the Once and Future King of the Druid Prophecies swear that when I am king, the law against magic will be abolished!”

There was a murmur from the crowd following this declaration. It gave Merlin hope for their two kingdoms and the rise of Albion that there wasn’t anyone looking angry or mutinous at Arthur’s promise. Merlin beamed at Arthur and felt tears building in his eyes. “We look forward to that day, Prince Arthur,” Merlin said, bowing at his friend in a rare show of respect. “And please know that even though it’s not official, Dracona will stand with you as your ally.” Merlin then turned to face the crowd. “Dracona will always support Camelot,” he vowed to them.

Arthur stepped towards Merlin to clap the warlock on the back. It was a clear show of friendship and loyalty. They were Emrys and the Once and Future King standing as one, and the speech they had just given was a clear indication of what the pair of them were destined to do. Anyone who had just listened to their speech and had knowledge of the druidic prophecies could not deny that it was Merlin and Arthur who were destined to unite Albion.

“For now,” Arthur said, calling out to the crowd. “Let us celebrate our victory with our found friends, let us honour the memory of our fallen dead, and let us continue to enjoy this feast that King Balinor and Queen Hunith have generously thrown for us!”

Merlin’s attention was caught by Morgana who stepped up to the rock he and Arthur were standing on and wordlessly handed him two mugs of ale. Merlin immediately knew what she had in mind. He passed Arthur one of the mugs and lifted his up into the air. “A toast!” He cried. “To newfound friends and lost ones! Long may they be cherished and remembered!”

“To newfound friends and lost ones!!” The crowd shouted back at him.

Their speech over, Merlin and Arthur climbed down from the rock they were standing on and were immediately engulfed by their friends. The feast got back into its festival swing, with people with Dracona and Camelot even more compatible than before and some of the Camelotians were even venturing up to the dragons to engage them in conversation.

Merlin’s parents approached them. Balinor and Hunith both wore proud smiles. “A wonderful speech,” Balinor praised.

Hunith nodded. “It will be remembered throughout the ages, I’m sure.”

“Thank you,” Merlin and Arthur chorused.

A roar from above them alerted them to Aithusa’s approaching presence. The all looked up and then hurriedly made room for the white dragon to land amongst them. As soon as she had, she turned to Merlin and Arthur. “A well said speech,” she complimented. “It is but a hallmark of what is to come in your destinies as Emrys and the Once and Future King.”

“Thank you, Thusy,” Merlin said, as Arthur chimed in with his own thanks.

“You are welcome, my little dragonling.”

Merlin broke out in a smile, “I think you mean little dragonlord. My powers still work when it comes to you.”

Aithusa shook her head, “No. You will always be my little dragonling.”

Merlin’s smile grew and he walked forward to hug his dragon-protector. Everyone looked on fondly as the dragon and the warlock embraced. The moment was ruined, however, by a loud exclamation from Gwaine.

“Ohh, I just thought of something really good!” The knight had clearly had quite a few ales, but there was an excited light in his eyes as he regarded them all. He had a drink in one hand and he was waving the other around, caught up in the excitement of whatever the ‘really good’ thought he had was.

Elaine rolled her eyes at him. “How many drinks have you even had?”

Gwaine paused in his excitement to send a charming smile in Elaine’s direction. “It’s a celebration, Lainey, dearest, but that’s beside the point.”

Everyone raised their eyebrows at the nickname Gwaine gave Elaine, and it made Merlin wonder how many ales Gwaine had consumed to even think to call Elaine ‘Lainey’, let alone ‘dearest’. But following what happened between the two of them during the Battle of Dracona, with Gwaine nearly sacrificing himself for Elaine’s welfare and the Court Sorceress utter panic at seeing the man seemingly lifeless, it was clear that there was something between them. Merlin wouldn’t be surprised if the two of them announced that they were courting anytime soon.

Everyone turned to Elaine, anticipating the sorceress to put Gwaine in his place for evening daring to call her such a name. Elaine opened her mouth to speak and everyone subconsciously leant in, eager to see was she would say or do.

“You’re an idiot,” Elaine deadpanned.

There were a few groans of disappointment at Elaine’s response, but Gwaine didn’t give them much time to dwell on it. “No, seriously!” The knight said earnestly. “I just thought of the best title for Merlin!”

They all looked at him expectantly, but Gwaine didn’t say a word. He just beamed at them all.

“Well?” Merlin prompted.

Gwaine more the biggest smile Merlin had ever seen. He looked so proud of himself. Gwaine made them wait a little longer before he continued, as if to build up the suspense. Merlin was on the verge of prompting him again when the knight finally spoke.

“The Once and Future Dragonlord!” Gwaine announced.

Everybody moaned.

“No! No! It’s a great name!” Gwaine went on, clearly confused as to why no one was appreciating his apparently genius. “Do you get it, Merlin? Cause you were a dragonlord once and you’re going to be one sometime in the future. Do you get it? It’s good!”

Merlin laughed. “I get it, Gwaine. I’m not sure if I’d call it the best title-“

“-It is the best title,” Gwaine insisted.

“But it was very clever of you,” Merlin finished.

Gwaine huffed in irritation and lifted his ale to his lips, muttering something into his mug that sounded like ‘underappreciated’ before taking a big swig of the drink.

“It was very clever of you, Gwaine,” Morgana said, trying to make him feel better.

Gwaine just muttered under his breath again, this time it sounded suspiciously like “Prats” and everyone laughed. The title was then forgotten as the conversation moved on and they all went to dance, eat, drink or merely celebrate. No one knew then that Gwaine had just pegged Merlin with a title that he would be known by in future years, they were all the busy enjoying their time with one another.

It was a few days after the Commemoration Feast and the Camelotian camp was packed up and everyone was ready for the long trip back to Camelot. The druids were also packed and ready to return to their camps. They were to travel with those from Camelot until they reached their homes. It made Merlin proud to see that the knights of Camelot weren’t nearly as uncomfortable with this arrangement as they once would have been. There were still some misgivings about it, but it was a start.

Arthur, Gwen, Leon, Elyan, Percival, Mordred, Iseldir and Aglain were standing a bit apart from the main group of travellers, saying their last goodbyes to Merlin, Morgana, Aithusa, Gwaine, Elaine, Lancelot and the King and Queen of Dracona.

Arthur said he had tried to get his Father to come and say goodbye, but Uther had refused to move. Instead he stayed with the knights of Camelot, still stuck in his quiet and weak state, indifferent to the world around him.

Morgana and Gwen were hugging each other tightly and both had tears in their eyes. “You be careful on the trip home,” Morgana said as she pulled away. “You take care of yourself, and don’t let those of hags of the Court get you down!”

“Morgana,” Arthur said reprovingly. “They’re not that bad.”

His sister just sent him a scathing look and said, “That shows what you know, prat.”

Arthur sighed and walked over to give Morgana a hug. “Merlin’s too much of a band influence on you. Remind me again why I’m going to miss you?”

“Because you love me,” Morgana said impishly.

“Yeah,” Arthur conceded. “I do.”

While the two Pendragon siblings embraced, Merlin pulled Gwen into a big hug. “I’m going to miss you, Gwen!”

Guinevere still had tears in her eyes, but they were yet to fall. “I’ll miss you too, Merlin.”

“You were my first friend in Camelot, you know. It certainly wasn’t Arthur – he was too much of a prat – you were my first friend, Gwen, and it all started when you came up to me when I was getting vegetables thrown at me in the stocks.”

“You said you were in disguise,” Gwen said, sounding sad as she remembered their first meeting.

“Apparently I wasn’t a rough, tough, save the world kind of guy,” Merlin joked, trying to pull Gwen out of her sad mood. It wouldn’t do for it to be a sad goodbye between them all.

Guinevere laughed. “Oh Merlin!” She said, pulling him in for another hug. “I’ll miss you! I promise to write to you all the time!”

Merlin chuckled. “You better,” he said, pulling out of the hug to look at Arthur before turning back to Gwen. “And look after the prat, will you? Make sure he doesn’t too anything too prat-ish, or get a big head. You might be out of luck about the big stomach though; I think that’s a bit too far gone, don’t you?”

Arthur marched over while Gwen dissolved into laughter. “What was that, Merlin?”

Merlin grinned at that typically Arthur way of saying his name. He wasn’t going to hear it for a long time. “Nothing, prat. Nothing at all.”

Gwen went to say goodbye to the druids and gave Arthur and Merlin a moment to themselves. Merlin thought he was doing alright with all his goodbyes, but faced with the sudden act of saying goodbye to Arthur, he had a lump in his throat and was lost for words. Arthur, it seemed, was the same. For a while they just stood there staring at one another.

It was Merlin who broke the silence. He swallowed the lump in his throat, held his arms out and a teasing grin formed on his face. “A hug? Just this once?”

Arthur laughed and walked forward to embrace his best friend. “You idiot,” was all he said.

They held onto each other tightly. It was going to be strange being away from one another. For so long Merlin and Arthur had been a unit. A pair that went everywhere together. Where Arthur went, Merlin followed. It was going to be strange for them to be separated.

“I know when we first came on this quest that I said I would return to Camelot with you,” Merlin said as he pulled out of the hug. “And it is my destiny to protect you, but Dracona needs me right now. We need to rebuild, recuperate, plus there’s the added problem of me outing myself as a sorcerer, but I can’t leave Dra-“

Merlin was cut off as Arthur pulled him in for another hug. “You idiot,” he said again. “I wouldn’t ask you to abandon your kingdom and people just for me. They need you.”

“Be careful, okay?” Merlin said as Arthur pulled away from him. “I don’t want to hear that some sorcerer came and took your head off while I wasn’t there to look after you.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “I’ll be fine, clotpole.”

“That’s my word, you prat.”

“Idiot.”

“Cabbage head.”

“Girls petticoat.”

“Dollophead.”

“What even is that?”

“In two words?”

“Yes?”

“Arthur Pendragon.”

There was a pause before the two of them broke down into laughter. When it subsided, they simply stared at one another; content smiles were one their faces. They would see each other again. This wasn’t goodbye forever.

“Give my love to Gaius, would you?” Merlin asked as he handed Arthur a letter he’d written to the physician. “And this?” 

“Of course,” Arthur replied, carefully taking the letter off Merlin.

“Take care, Arthur. I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Arthur said, before turning away to compose himself. Seeing Arthur so emotional at their goodbye made tears build in Merlin’s eyes. Arthur turned back to him and huffed, clearly trying to keep himself calm. “Take care, Merlin,” he said gruffly, and then turned to say a few more goodbyes to the others before heading back over to the waiting knights and druids who were ready to leave.

There were a few more goodbyes, hugs and tears to the others before they all followed Arthur’s lead and went to join the knights and the druids. Then it was finally just Mordred who remained behind. Ever since the Battle of Dracona, the boy had been regarded as a hero. He had defied his dark destiny and saved the very man he was fated to kill. There was still a part of Merlin’s mind that whispered to him that there was still a chance that Mordred could kill Arthur in the future, but the warlock ignored it. Merlin decided to trust Mordred, believing that no good would come from pushing the boy away and that everyone deserved a chance. Merlin also believed that Mordred had more than proved himself to be trustworthy. If it wasn’t for Morgana, Mordred would have died in his attempt to save Arthur and prove his destiny wrong.

Merlin smiled at the young druid boy and went to speak, to once again apologise for treating him with such mistrust and suspicion, but Morgana moved before he got the chance. She knelt down so she was on Mordred’s level, reached out and drew Mordred into a fierce hug. The scene put a smile on Merlin’s face. Both of them were hugging each other tightly and Merlin could see that they both had tears building in their eyes.

It was Morgana who pulled away first. She drew back, but still held the boy in her arms. “You be careful, okay?” She told him. “You take care of yourself. And go and learn lots of spells and have fun. I’ll send you letters all the time, and I’m sure you can come back and visit anytime.” Morgana turned to face Hunith and Balinor for confirmation for that.

The King and Queen smiled fondly at the boy.

“You are always welcome here,” Hunith said.

“We look forward to your return,” Balinor added.

Morgana turned back to Mordred. “See? You can come here anytime. You and I can even learn magic together and – and-“

Morgana broke off as she pulled the boy in for another hug. Tears were following freely down her face. “I’ll miss you,” she said.

“And I you,” Mordred replied.

He pulled away from Morgana and turned to face their entire group. “It was a pleasure to meet all of you. Hopefully I will return soon.”

The King and Queen, Aithusa, Elaine, Gwaine and Lancelot replied back with their own goodbyes, declaring that it was lovely to meet the boy and that they hoped they saw him soon. With that, Mordred turned back to Merlin and Morgana. “Emrys … Léoma,” he paused. “Merlin, Morgana – thank you.”

Merlin, like Morgana, bent down to be on level with Mordred and went to speak again, but this time Mordred was the one who stopped him from talking. “It is alright, Merlin,” the druid boy said and Merlin marvelled at unfamiliar sensation of Mordred calling him by his given name instead of his druid one. “I understand what you are going to say and it is alright.”

Merlin shook his head. “That does not excuse my actions. I have behaved horribly to you.”

“As is your right. You are Emrys.”

That just made Merlin feel worse. “I still-“

Mordred cut Merlin off again. He didn’t hug him like he had done Morgana, but he reached out to put a hand on Merlin’s shoulder. “It is alright,” Mordred insisted.

Merlin studied the serious-looking young druid and then broke out in a smile. “Alright then, Mordred. Then let us move forward from this. Let us be friends, and when you return to Dracona, I will personally teach you some magic.”

Mordred broke out in a tentative smile. “I look forward to it.” Mordred then stepped away from Merlin, gave one last hug to Morgana, bid them all one last goodbye and then hurried over to his druid kin.

“Goodbye!!” All their Camelot and druid friends called out as they waved.

“Goodbye!!” Merlin, Morgana, Elaine, Gwaine, Lancelot, Balinor and Hunith called in response.

With that, the Camelotian forces and the druids walked off. Merlin and his friends watched them go. Eventually all his friends bar Morgana left to return to the Dragon Caves, and Aithusa took to the skies, but Merlin and Morgana stayed even after they lost sight of Arthur, Gwen and the rest.

“Goodbye,” Merlin murmured. “Hopefully we’ll see each other soon.”

Morgana turned to him and smiled. “We will, Merlin. We will.”

Merlin once again stood alone atop the Whisper Falls. He was staring out at the Forest of Alor, as if trying to catch a glimpse of Arthur and Gwen’s group through the sea of green.

“Any sight of them?” Morgana called out.

Merlin turned to see Morgana climbing off Aithusa behind him. The pair walked over to him and Merlin patted Aithusa’s snout before hugging Morgana. “No,” he said with a laugh. “No sight of them. Not that I thought there would be, but I like it up here.”

Morgana looked out at the forest and the clear blue skies that were stretched out before them. “It is beautiful.”

He turned to her, a smile lighting up his face. “Want to get a closer look?”

Morgana frowned in confusion. “Huh?”

Merlin looked at Aithusa. “Thusy?” He asked, knowing that she’d know exactly what he meant.

The white dragon nodded her large head. “Of course,” she said. “Climb on.”

Realisation dawned on Morgana’s features, followed quickly by a wide smile. She followed Merlin as he climbed up on Aithusa. She sat behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder.

“Are you ready, my little dragonlings?” Aithusa asked.

“We’re ready,” Merlin and Morgana replied.

Aithusa walked forward, approaching the cliff that the Whisper Falls cascaded down. “Oh,” Merlin said in realisation. “We’re doing that, Thusy?”

The dragon chuckled. “Yes, we’re doing that.”

“Doing what?” Morgana asked.

Aithusa had reached the edge of the cliff. “Hold on tight!” She called.

“Wait, what?” Morgana called out, apparently clicking onto the fact that they were about to launch themselves off a cliff. There was a hint of panic and fear in Morgana’s voice.

“Hold on tight!” Merlin called out, copying Aithusa. But before Thusy took off, Merlin put a layer of protective magic around Morgana that would kept her from flying off.

Aithusa jumped into the air. Merlin let out a shout of exhilaration and Morgana let out a scream as Aithusa plummeted down the cliff. She had her wings tucked up against her body and they were diving straight towards the ground. It was something Merlin and Aithusa had always done in their youth. It had been many years since they had done it last.

“Merlin! Oh my G-“ Morgana screamed in his ear as they fell headfirst towards the ground. But her voice was cut off as Aithusa spread her wings moments before impact and it in a great show of her strength and talent in flying, she pulled up so they were flying close along the ground.

Aithusa let out a chuckle that Merlin and Morgana could feel rumble through her body. She then flapped her wings and climbed high up into the air again.

Morgana let out a relieved breath. “Oh my – that – that was…”

Merlin laughed. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” He said, sounding teasing.

“Oh yes,” Morgana huffed. “Thank you, Sir I’ve-Flown-With-Dragons-Since-Birth. Tease the one who had barely gone flying at all.”

Merlin laughed again and turned to face her. He had a wide grin on his face and his eyes were excited. “Sorry,” he said. “But that was fun, wasn’t it?”

Her heartbeat slowing and her breath returning, Morgana nodded; a tentative smile formed on her face. “Yes, it was.”

Merlin leant in and pressed a kiss to Morgana’s lips. It was slightly difficult to kiss upon a dragon, but they managed it. Merlin felt her smile and kissed her again, losing himself in the sensation. Wind rustled his hair as Aithusa soared through the skies, and Morgana’s lips were soft against his. When he pulled away from her, Morgana’s smile was brilliant.

In that moment, Merlin thought he was capable of anything. They could restore Dracona to its former glory now that the war was over and his parents were restored to their thrones. With Morgana, they could bask in their freedom and learn whatever magic they chose. With Arthur and Gwen, they’d be able to unite Albion and create peace throughout out all the lands. Anything was possible.

“Say, Merlin?” Morgana spoke up, pulling Merlin out of his thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Can we dive off the cliff again?”

Chapter Text

“This may sound strange, Merlin, but I have dreamt of you.”

Everyone turned to look at Morgana, who had spoken up and broken the silence that had formed amongst their group.

She, Merlin, Elaine, Gwaine and Lancelot were on their way to Camelot, riding their horses at a leisurely pace. Aithusa flew above them as their Dracawine protector for the journey. They also planned on stopping at Mordred’s camp and picking up the druid boy before continuing on to Camelot.

They all had an air of excitement about them at the prospect of seeing their friends after months of being separated. There was an undercurrent of tension amongst them, as Camelot had yet to change their laws on magic and those who used it or sympathised with magic-users. But Arthur had sworn that no harm would come to them. Ever since Arthur had stepped up and became Prince Regent, Camelot had had a large decline in sorcerers or sorceresses being caught and executed. There were rarely any magic users who were caught in the first place and those who were mysteriously escaped from the dungeons and no one was sent to try and retrieve them.

Arthur had said in one of his letters that the Council was up in arms about Arthur’s sudden sympathies to those with magic, but Arthur wouldn’t budge in the matter and most of Camelot’s knights were the same. After the Battle of Dracona, many were open and accepting of those with magic, even if they were a little tense around them to begin with.

Magic was by no means free in Camelot, as Uther was still King, but it was Arthur who ruled in everything but name. His Father merely stayed in his chambers, silent and apathetic to whatever was going on around him, and no amount of pleading on Arthur’s part would change that.

Arthur had also claimed that Merlin and his party would have immunity when coming to Camelot, as he was the royal representative of the House of Ambrosius and no one would dare harm him or anyone with him for fear of staring hostilities between Camelot and Dracona; of staring another war after they’d all just gotten over the last one and seen just how powerful the Kingdom of Dracona really was.

There were a number of risks involved in coming to Camelot, with all of them revolving around the magic issue, but all of them were determined to do so. They were all determined to attend the event that they’d all been invited to:

Prince Arthur and Lady Guinevere’s engagement feast.

Everyone had been delighted to hear about Arthur and Gwen’s engagement (except for, perhaps, Lancelot. But the knight had kept his true feelings silent and resolved to be happy for his friends). Upon receiving the invitation, Merlin and Morgana had been determined to take off to Camelot then and there, but Merlin’s parents had cautioned them against it. Even with Arthur as Regent, it wasn’t a good idea to just turn up to Camelot. At least give Arthur some time to get people used to the idea of a party arriving from a magic-embracing kingdom, the King and Queen had said.

Balinor and Hunith had respectfully declined the invitation, citing that Dracona still needed them. Their kingdom was still getting over the damage that Blackwood and Morgause had wrought when they had been in power and Balinor and Hunith didn’t want to leave until Dracona was completely back to normal. The royal family had also moved out of the Dragon Caves and back into their castle, but the palace was under repairs.

So the King and Queen had sent Merlin and Morgana in their stead, along with Elaine, Gwaine, Lancelot and Aithusa. They told the group to have a nice time with their friends and to tell Gwen and Arthur that they were sorry for missing the engagement feast, but a band of rampaging dragons couldn’t keep them away from the wedding.

And now, as they were riding along, their party all turned to look at Morgana, whose sudden statement had broken the comfortable silence that had formed between them.

“No,” Gwaine said, “what’s strange is that you think it’s strange that you would dream about Merlin. You two are practically married anyway.”

“Gwaine,” Merlin and Morgana chorused reprovingly; blushes of embarrassment burnt their cheeks.

“Leave them alone,” Elaine admonished.

Gwaine smiled beatifically at them all. “What? I’m just speaking the truth.”

“No, you’re just teasing them,” Elaine said.

Merlin looked at the pair of them and laughed. Despite him thinking that Elaine and Gwaine were sure to start courting one another, they never did. Despite their clear affection for each other, Elaine and Gwaine continued to tip-toe around one another. Their feelings for each other were clear to everyone but themselves and it seemed that neither of them was going to confess them. It left the rest of the kingdom waiting with bated breath to see when the head of the kingsguard and her unofficial second in command were going to get together.

The knights also had a betting pool going on about it. Not that they would ever let Elaine and Gwaine know about that. Gwaine would probably find it amusing, but Elaine’s retribution would be brutal and swift and no one was willing to risk her finding out about it.

However, there was truth in what Gwaine had said. Merlin and Morgana were practically married. They did everything together and although they weren’t engaged, the people of Dracona treated Morgana like a princess. They simply adored the High Priestess who had captured their Prince’s heart so fully. Morgana was kind, generous, was quickly becoming a talented and powerful sorceress and was beloved by all.

The knights didn’t find it prudent to mention to their Prince that there was also a betting pool going on about when Merlin would pop the question to the Lady Morgana.

“What were your dreams about, my Lady?” Lancelot asked, getting the conversation back to Morgana’s original point.

Morgana had a wide smile on her face. “I see such wonderful things! I see Arthur as King and Gwen his Queen. I see Albion getting united all under one banner: Emrys and the Once and Future King fulfilling their destinies. I see magic free and everyone is happy. Everyone is so, so happy.”

Merlin beamed at her. There were some people who would say that there was no chance that that could happen. That magic was so hated that there was no way it could be free. That Albion would never rise to be a symbol of peace and acceptance throughout the world. That there was no chance that the happiness Morgana had seen could ever be theirs. Be he, Merlin, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Dracona, knew better.

Morgana’s dreams were true.