Was finally nagged into doing this. Sorry if there's mistakes in the dialogue and stuff, haven't actually seen the episode in like two years. So yeah, hope you guys like! ^-^

Beta- Hi guys. My tedious nagging has finally paid off (smirks evilly). I'm new to this but it is certainly fun helping writing this especially when I have nothing better to do (compared to my dear friend, the author who seems to like not having proper sleep for some reason). Anyway I hope you enjoy the story.

Merlin laid in his makeshift bed. He could hear Arthur laboured breathing in the next bed. He couldn't sleep either. Not that Merlin blamed him, how could he knowing that right now Camelot was under attack from a vengeful dragon. The young warlock mentally cursed himself again. Why had he listened to Kilgharrah? Why had he released the dragon? Then there was his father. Gaius had said that Balinor the Dragon Lord was his father. Merlin still couldn't wrap his head around it. As a boy, it had always been him and his mother. You couldn't miss something you never had right? And now, all of a sudden, he had a father; a heartless vengeful one at that. What kind of man would refuse to save innocent people just because one king had kicked him out?

"Can't sleep?" Arthur said, shaking Merlin out of his thoughts.

"Mmhm." The servant mumbled, not turning to look at the prince.

There was a pause.

"Alright Merlin, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He replied, still not facing him. How could he explain that the heartless dragon lord was his father and that it was his fault Kilgharrah was laying waste to Camelot?

"Are you missing Gaius?" Arthur asked in a mocking tone, sitting up.

"Something like that."

"Well then, out with it."

Merlin sighed and sat up.

"I'm worried about everyone back home."

Arthur's teasing smile faded and he looked down.

"Me too."

There was a silence as both boys thought of Camelot and its suffering.

"We should get some sleep." Arthur said, breaking the silence.

Merlin nodded and lay back down. When he finally off to sleep, his dreams were filled with nightmares. But, one thing that kept recurring was the lonely wail of a child, calling for her parents. Just before he awoke, Merlin saw a glowing brown-gold egg. However, before he could get a good look at it, it disappeared and he woke up.

Merlin sat up, dazed from his strange dream. He looked across to Arthur. The prince was still asleep, unsurprisingly, as his injury was still pretty bad. The gash in his shoulder was deep and it sapped his strength like a leech saps blood.

Quietly, the servant climbed out of bed. He looked into the cave. Balinor was asleep. Oh well. He thought. I might as well make breakfast.

Arthur awoke to the sweet smell of porridge. He sat up quickly, wincing at the pain that blossomed in his shoulder. That blasted dragon. Swinging his legs over the bed he grabbed his tunic and pulled it on. Following his nose, he walked into the cave. Merlin looked up from his perch by the fire just outside the cave.

"Morning." He said, before turning back to the pot that was suspended over the fire.

"Morning Merlin." Arthur replied, taking a seat next to him.

Merlin passed him a bowl of steaming porridge. Arthur eyed it suspiciously before tasting it. Swallowing, he stuck his bottom lip out and nodded.

"Not bad."

Merlin gave a ghost of a smile before eating his own. Finishing it, he took Arthur's empty bowl and walked away to wash it.

While Merlin washed up the dishes Arthur begun pacing, a habit he had when he was anxious. Merlin returned with the clean dishes, he cocked his head at Arthur.

"This is ridiculous!" the prince spat, throwing his ever present sword into the ground.

It quivered there for a moment, humming.

"We came all this way and the fool refuses to even think about it!" Arthur continued.

Merlin sighed, tell me about it. However ranting and insulting the dragon lord wasn't going to make things any better. It was time Merlin came out with the truth.

"Calm down Arthur. He'll come round eventually." When he realises I'm his son…maybe…

"Merlin!" Arthur cried, turning to face the servant. "There are innocent people dying!"

"I know!" the servant replied in a restricted voice. "But what can we do? Give me a day to try and change his mind."

Arthur growled and plonked himself down on the log.

"Trust me." Merlin told him, sitting down on the log opposite.

"Pfft…about as far as I could throw you."

The ghost smile touched Merlin's lips again.

"You know…" Arthur said, taking his sword out the ground and inspecting it for chips. "If I weren't a prince, we could probably be friends."

"Probably." Merlin said.

They looked at each for a moment.

"Nah!" they said in unison.

"Who'd be friends with a man who wears neckerchiefs?" Arthur taunted.

"Fine then." Merlin replied and walked away.

Stepping back and poking his round the side of the cave, the servant said.

"Prat!"

They smiled and Merlin entered the cavern. Inside, there was no sign of the dragon lord. Merlin's smile faded. His bed was messily made and the remnants of a paltry breakfast were left on a low table.

"Hello? Balinor?" Merlin called.

For a few moments, the only sound that could be heard was Merlin's breathing and the rhythmic drip drop of water in the cavern.

"I thought I told you two to leave." Balinor's deep voice called from the cavern.

The man walked into view, a bundle of clothes under one arm.

"Please reconsider." Merlin pleaded. "There are innocent people dying."

Balinor locked Merlin's gaze in his. In those deep brown eyes, Merlin saw only anger and hate.

"Those people hunted me down. Why should I help them?" Balinor demanded. "Let them die, I don't care."

He bent down and busied himself packing away the clothes in a crude chest.

Merlin looked at the dragon lord, struggling to fathom how this cold-hearted man could be his father.

"Even if one of them were your son?" Merlin asked in a small voice, blinking back tears.

"I have no son."

Balinor might as well have punched the boy in the stomach for all the damage it did.

"Yes you do." Merlin felt his throat closing up with unspoken sobs. "You left him with his mother in Ealdor and disappeared.

"I have no son." Though this time, he said with less conviction.

"Yes you…" A wail cut Merlin off. "What was that?" his eyes darted to the cavern entrance, yet Arthur was quietly brooding, unaware of the sound.

Balinor looked at the boy with wide eyes.

"You heard that."

Merlin nodded, though his eyes were narrowed in confusion.

The wail cut through the conversation again.

"What IS that?"

Merlin cocked his ear to the sound and began walking away from the rather shocked dragon lord. He followed it through the winding cavern, heading deeper in. Balinor followed him, ideas and questions forming in his mind. The wail came again. Merlin's pace increased, his desire to reach the source unknowingly stronger than before. Balinor also picked up his pace, following the boy through the twisting cave. A few minutes later, the cave opened up in a clearing ringed by sheer cliffs. In the centre, a large pine large enough for Kilgharrah to perch in reared from the ground. Its branches added to those overhead, creating a leafy roof through which shafts of golden sunlight filtered onto the ground. Ferns sprung up from every cranny. On the edge of the clearing grew smaller pines and firs with holly and over evergreens. Balinor's eyes widened in surprise, he had lived in these caves for nigh on twenty years and explored every nook and cranny yet never had seen this clearing before.

The wail sliced through the air again. Merlin jogged forward, ducking under the leafy bough of a fir tree. The sound came from the roots of the tree. Merlin bent down to the place from which the wail was loudest. At his nearness, the wail subsided to a forlorn whimper. He pushed aside the ferns to reveal a golden brown egg pulsating with warm yellow light nestled amongst ferns and downy feathers the size of pillows. The egg was no bigger than an owl, some two hand lengths (not widths). Merlin, entranced by its beauty reached out to pick it up.

"Merlin." Balinor warned.

The boy ignored him and took the egg into his hands; it was pleasantly warm to the touch. It stopped pulsating and began glowing warmly. Merlin stood up and turned to Balinor, though his eyes were fixed on a shadow squirming beneath the shell.

"Merlin…put that down."

At the sound of his voice, the egg begun to glow even more brightly until the light it gave off was the same as that of a torch (as in flame torch not electric one).

"What… What is it?" Merlin asked, his eyes still on the egg.

"That-is a dragon egg. Put it back before it-" Balinor never finished his sentence, he had reached out his hands to take the egg from Merlin and put it back when at his touch, the egg flared gold.

Merlin's eyes flashed gold in unison with the egg and a warm jolt shot up their hands. A crack ran down the side of the egg. Then another, and another, spreading across the top. In Merlin's hand, it begun to shake. The shaking snapped Merlin out of his daze and he stared at the egg in his hands with a mixture of shock and fear. A small yellow beak broke through the top of the shell. Then a soggy grey head smashed through the fractured shell. The creature looked up at Merlin and squawked happily.

"Emrys!"

Ok, short beginning chapter, but I think that's a good cliff hanger place. Might upload again later in the week or Monday. And yeah, you get my OC next chapter. Can't wait, can't wait! –runs round in impatient circles- So yeah, please review guys. It's what stops me procrastinating and keeps me writing. Adios!

P.S. I have an awesome new beta! Ain't she just the best! She's also the one that nagged me into doing this.

Beta- Aw hi guys! It was certainly fun reading the first draft of this story in the morning after I completed a random homework early in the morning. We certainly slaved over this masterpiece, especially in Maths (never Class Civ as we both love that subject far too much to be distracted). Hope you enjoy the story and please review so we can know what you guys are thinking. Hopefully the next update will be soon as it is a choice between writing or histograms (which are evil) Or that ghastly triangle thing that we are doing now (it's easy but so annoying). See you soon.