Title: Aithusa
Summary: When Merlin takes the dragon egg to Kilgharrah, he takes along a special friend for the experience.
Add. Info: AU 4x04, ArthurKnows!AU, established relationship
Paring(s): Merlin/Arthur
Rating: PG
Author's Note: Sorry that I've been writing oh-so-much Merlin lately. I can't get enough of it! I'm on season 5 now.
"Arthur." Merlin hissed, shaking the sleeping king's arm. "Arthur. Wake up."
Arthur groaned, annoyed, and opened his eyes. "Merlin," He said. "Why on earth are you waking me up in the middle of the night? And why didn't you come back here after you went to see Gaius?"
"I'm sorry," Merlin said then kissed his lover's lips gently. "I had supper with him and then, well, I had to prepare for something. Come on. We have to go now." Merlin said then leapt off the bed and began pulling clothes out of Arthur's wardrobe.
"Merlin?" Arthur questioned him. "Prepare for what? What do you think you're doing?"
"You've got to get dressed," Merlin said. "You and I have a meeting to get to."
"Uh," Arthur furrowed his brows. "No, we don't."
"Yeah, we do." Merlin said. "It's just that you're only now finding out about it. Do you remember what I told you about the Last Dragon the day that you found out about my powers?"
"Ah, yes," Arthur sighed as he threw the covers back and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He got to his feet and, despite himself, did as Merlin said and began dressing. "Kilgharrah. The Last and Great Dragon. The one you told me I had slain, but it turns out he's alive! Thanks again for that, Merlin. Anyway, what about him?"
"We're meeting with him," Merlin said.
"Wait, what?" Arthur said. "No. I am not meeting with a — Merlin, you didn't."
"Didn't what?" Merlin said, playing dumb with a huge grin on his face.
"Oh, dear gods," Arthur sighed heavily, exasperated. "Merlin, please tell me that you didn't save that dragon egg!"
"I had to!" Merlin exclaimed. "Kilgharrah will be the last of his kind forever if this egg never hatches and as the last dragonlord, it is my duty to protect the dragons. Now, come on. I'm going to show you something and I'm reasonably certain that we're the only two people alive who will be able to say we've seen such a thing."
Arthur looked unsure.
"It will be amazing," Merlin said. "I promise."
With another sigh, Arthur nodded. "Okay, fine. I'll just get dressed and then we can leave." So he pulled on a shirt and threw one of his leather jackets on over, then yanked a pair of boots onto his feet. He put on a belt with his sword's sheath attached and slipped the weapon in. "Alright, let's go."
"Is the sword really necessary?" Merlin sighed.
"We're going to meet a dragon and we're bringing a dragon egg," Arthur rolled his eyes. "Yes, the sword is absolutely necessary."
"We're going to meet a dragon that can't be killed by an ordinary sword with a dragon egg that cannot be destroyed by an ordinary sword," Merlin said, pulling his satchel over his head and letting it hang across his body. "Besides, I've spoken to Kilgharrah many times since his supposed death. He's my friend, and I his. He will not harm us. And even if he were to make an attempt to harm either of us, I could stop him simply by commanding him. A dragon can not resist a dragonlord, even if they want to."
"Very well," Arthur said. "Let's get on with it, then."
And so they set off, through the castle and out into the night. Through the woods they went, until they came to a very large clearing.
"What now?" Arthur asked.
Merlin smirked at the king before turning his gaze skyward. When he spoke, Arthur was taken aback by how deep and powerful his voice was. "Draca, eom, ala, sece findan metan, teosu hus anbid! Ærne!"
Arthur gaped at him for a few moments before he turned his gaze skyward as well. The sound of incredibly large wings flapping in flight rented the air until the dragon that had just appeared landed in front of Merlin in Arthur. The king's mouth was hanging open and he was at a loss for words.
"Merlin," Kilgharrah said, eyeing Arthur suspiciously. "Would you care to explain to me why you have brought along the King of Camelot?"
"He talks," Arthur said dumbly.
"What have you done, young warlock?" The dragon sighed.
"Oh, erm, about that," Merlin rubbed the back of his neck in an awkward manner. "I may have failed to mention that Arthur here sort of...found out about my powers. Several months ago."
Arthur wasn't listening to a word either of them were saying. He was too busy staring at Kilgharrah with a mixed expression of horror and wonder. A dragon, he kept thinking to himself. A dragon! He wasn't at all sure how to feel about any of it, but he knew for one thing that the dragon wasn't — at the moment — trying to hurt or kill him and that was a plus. On the other hand, it was causing quite the internal conflict within Arthur as he had been taught all of his life to resent all things magic... Now look at me, he thought. I share a bed with a creature of magic every night. If only my father could see me now!
"Merlin," Kilgharrah hissed.
"It's fine." Merlin reassured the mighty dragon. "He knows everything and he's accepted it. All of it. Haven't you, Arthur?"
"I — uhm — what was the question again?" Arthur asked.
Merlin and Kilgharrah both sighed. "Besides the point," Merlin said to the dragon. "He's completely accepting, he's just in a bit of shock at the moment, I think. And I've brought you something." Merlin took his bag off of his shoulders and laid it down on the grass. From it he pulled an egg that he placed on a wooden post. An egg that was a brilliant royal purple, which faded into white, and that white faded back into purple. "So," Merlin smiled up at Kilgharrah. "You're no longer the last of your kind."
All of the anger in Kilgharrah's eyes drained away when he saw the egg, and he smiled. "It would appear so,"
Arthur was staring at the egg, now, and he still didn't know how to feel about any of this and he was really wishing now that Merlin had left him in bed and had just done this on his own.
"When will it hatch?" Merlin asked.
"A dragon egg can only be hatched by a dragonlord," said Kilgharrah and Arthur's gaze turned to Merlin, truly acknowledging his presence for the first time since they arrived. "As the last dragonlord, that responsibility now falls to you, Merlin."
Merlin considered this. "How do I hatch the egg?"
"You must give the dragon a name," Kilgharrah said.
"A name?" Arthur said. "That's it?"
"Yes," Kilgharrah nodded slowly, obviously irritated by Arthur.
"Okay, I'll do it," Merlin said. He closed his eyes and scrunched his face up in intense concentration. He stood there in thought for a solid minute before he spoke in that low tone that seemed to emit raw power. "Aithusa,"
The moment the name left his lips, a long crack appeared in the egg's shell. There was a small tapping nose came from within and then a white snout broke through the eggshell. It was followed by a head, a body, and beautiful little wings until the eggshell fell to the ground in pieces and the small dragon stood on the post, sucking in its first breath of fresh air with obvious content and an adorable smile on its face.
In that moment, Arthur forgot all about his inner conflicts with magic and dragons and he began to wonder how anyone could ever hate something so precious and beautiful. He thought that magic, if used for good, could be a very wonderful thing. As he watched a baby dragon come into the world, Arthur began to question everything that his father had ever taught him.
"A white dragon," Kilgharrah mused. "How very rare. And how very fitting, indeed. For the name you have bestowed upon her, Aithusa, means light. This is no coincidence, Merlin. This is a sign. Albion will be united. She represents the light that will show you the way, I'm sure of it."
Arthur and Merlin both smiled. Arthur looked up at Kilgharrah and spoke to him. "Where will she go?"
"Dragons have a way of finding their own way in the world," Kilgharrah said. "She will go off on her own very soon, but fear not. She will be fine." The Great Dragon nodded his head toward the newborn, and the king and the sorcerer turned to look at her.
Aithusa was flapping her tiny wings, making an attempt to fly.
"Until she leaves, I will look over her." Kilgharrah promised. "You two should get back to the castle now."
"Thank you," Merlin said.
"No, Merlin," Kilgharrah shook his head. "Thank you. You have restored my kind. And thank you, as well, Arthur."
"For what?" Arthur asked, puzzled.
"For striving to see beauty in the things your father could only ever hate," Kilgharrah said.
Arthur and Merlin then bid the dragon goodbye, and set off, back through the woods and towards the castle. "So," said Merlin. "Is your view on dragons and magic and all things of the sort changed forever or what?"
And Arthur couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "Yes, I think it is. I'm going to work to legalize magic in Camelot. It will take time, of course. If I was to do it all at once then every evil sorcerer would begin working feverishly at once, and every person who uses magic for good would work in the open and would likely be killed by their neighbors. But I promise you, Merlin, that one day you will see your people walk free without having to hide who they truly are."
"I understand why you have to wait, of course," Merlin said and smiled once more. "Thank you."
"Of course," Arthur nodded. "Magic, it seems, can be very beautiful...as I've now seen with my own eyes."
"Aithusa was very beautiful, wasn't she." Merlin nodded.
Arthur wrapped an arm around the young warlock and beamed. "I was talking about you, Merlin." And he stopped walking to kiss his lover sweetly. Merlin blushed and Arthur laughed before he laced his fingers through Merlin's and they continued on their way back to the castle.