Discovery

Whilst walking Gwen home, Arthur spots Merlin sneaking out of the city. He instantly follows his servant, but gets more than he bargained for along the way.

I know Arthur following Merlin to meet a certain Great Dragon is a popular story line, but bear with me. Next chapter Arthur and Gwen do some detective work.

Arthur leant down to kiss Guinevere goodnight. He hated leaving her every night, but they both knew it was too soon to broach the subject of marriage with his father. Uther was only just beginning to accept that Arthur was serious in his relationship with Morgana's former serving girl, who was now, by default, a Noble. Arthur had already spoken with Gwen over the prospect of marriage, and she had already agreed to accept his proposal once he had his father's blessing. It was just a matter of time.

A movement in a side alley caught his attention. He spun round, instinctively pulling Gwen behind him, and placing a hand on his sword. Immediately, he recognised the lanky frame of his manservant, skirting round a corner of the lower town, heading towards the South Gate. Gwen peered round him, just in time to see Merlin disappear.

'Where's he going?'

'I don't know, but I intend to find out,' Arthur took off after his servant, only half aware of Gwen following him.

The two hurried out of Camelot, the guards barely glancing at him as the Prince himself left the city. He could just see Merlin ahead of him, weaving through the tree's with an agility and stealth Arthur had never thought possible from the young man.

They followed him for a while, Merlin darting just ahead of them. He seemed to know where he was going, which confused Arthur. Who on worth could Merlin be meeting at this time of night?

Eventually, Merlin stopped on the edge of a clearing. Arthur and Gwen hid behind a tree, as they watched the young man walk out into the centre of the clearing.

'What's he…' Arthur was cut off as Merlin threw back his head, and roared.

'O drakon, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo!' (1)

Arthur clutched Gwen's hand as she gasped, he himself rigid with shock. Had Merlin just cast a spell? No, he couldn't have. Nothing had happened. But then, why was Merlin looking expectantly at the sky?

He soon got his answer.

A loud, beating sound soon reached their ears, and Merlin grimaced slightly in the clearing, still unaware of Arthur and Gwen watching him. The Prince watched in horror as a dragon, the dragon, the one he had supposedly killed, landed in front of Merlin and bowed, yes bowed, to the young servant.

'Did you complete the task I set you, Merlin?' So they'd met before. Arthur bit his lip. That wasn't a good sign.

'The Cup is safe, if that's what you mean,' Merlin smirked, looking up at the dragon without the slightest hint of fear on his face. For the second time in two years, Arthur had to marvel at Merlin's courage when faced with a dragon.

The dragon nodded. 'What is your reason for summoning me?'

'There is a darkness approaching Camelot. I've done what I can to ward it off, but nothing I've tried has worked.'

The dragon raised its head, sniffing the sky. 'You are correct young Warlock. There is indeed a darkness coming, but it has taken the form of a creature. A demon.' Demon? What the hell is going on? Arthur gripped Gwen's hand as another thought occurred to him. Warlock?

Merlin let out an aggravated sigh. 'Great. So, does that mean Morgause is back, or has Morgana learnt to summon creatures from Hell now?' Arthur gasped at the irritated tone in Merlin's voice, sharing a shocked glance with Gwen.

The dragon chuckled lightly. 'The witch, Morgause, has recovered enough to summon the creature.' Merlin scuffed the grass with his boot as the dragon continued. 'You're magic may not be enough to defeat it.' Magic. The word echoed around Arthur's head. Merlin had magic; he was a sorcerer… He was evil. He looked at Gwen, and even in the darkness, he could see the shock and sadness on her face.

Merlin's head snapped up to glare at the dragon. 'So what would you have me do? I'm not going to stand by whilst that thing attacks Camelot!'

'Camelot is not the main target!' the dragon boomed, causing Arthur and Gwen to jump. Luckily, Merlin didn't appear to hear them. His attention was focused solely on the dragon.

'Then, who…' Merlin paused. 'Morgause is targeting Arthur…'

'Destroying Camelot has never been the sister's goal, Merlin. You know this. Morgause once again intends to have Arthur murdered to make the witch the sole heir to the throne of Camelot. It is what they have always wanted.'

Even from their position behind him, Merlin's audience could tell that he was rolling his eyes. 'Can't they think of anything new?' he muttered. 'So, it will be hidden until it can get to Arthur. Subtle was always their style. How do I draw it out?'

'It is not as simple as you think, young Warlock. Your magic…'

'Isn't powerful enough, I know,' Merlin snapped, causing Arthur to jump. 'You've covered that. So what do you expect me to do, Kilgharrah?'

'I will give you the necessary spell, Merlin, just as I did with Sigan. But it will not be enough. You need a complete coin as a half is never truly whole without the other side. Without it, you will not be able to defeat the demon.'

Arthur's brow creased in confusion, and next to him, Gwen whispered, 'What?'

'Why couldn't you have just said, Arthur needs to help?' Merlin sighed, obviously agitated. 'I'm not involving him in this! It's too dangerous.'

'The demon is targeting the Young Pendragon. It is necessary…'

'No! I refuse to use Arthur as bait! There has to be another way.'

'There isn't,' the dragon responded calmly. 'You must use the Prince as bait, Merlin. It is the only way.'

Merlin paced in a small circle, his hands crossed across his chest. As he turned Arthur could see the troubled look on his face. 'What if he sees me using magic?'

Arthur's stomach dropped at the fear in his friend's voice. Merlin's scared of me. He's scared of what I'll do if I find out about his magic. But the worst part was he himself wasn't sure. And, from the look on her face, Gwen wasn't either.

'Maybe the young Prince is ready to know.'

'No.' Merlin's tone was abrupt and firm, causing Arthur's hands to clench in anger. Gwen placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and he covered it with his own, glancing gratefully at her. They turned back to listen to what Merlin was saying. '… betrayed both of them; their hearts have been hardened against magic, maybe forever. If it came out who I really was… I don't want to die, Kilgharrah. And Arthur will surely kill me if he found out I was born with magic, just like Morgana.'

The dragon lowered its head, so it was level with Merlin. 'Merlin,' his voice was so deep and comforting; Arthur felt some of his anger dissolving. 'You are nothing like the witch. She is dark to your light, the….'

'…Hatred to my love,' Merlin finished. The dragon gave what Arthur assumed was a smile and Merlin laughed slightly. 'Ok, I'm ready.'

The dragon drew back, before blowing a gold mist over Merlin. Merlin tilted his head back slightly, before nodding as the last of the light faded.

'Thanks.'

'Remember this young warlock; you have underestimated the Prince before. He is stronger than you think.' And with that, the dragon took off. Merlin watched it go, before turning back into the forest, and disappearing in the direction of Camelot.

XxX

Arthur was sat at his desk when Merlin arrived the next morning. The young man looked surprised, but went about his chores with his usual grumbling and bantering. Arthur joined in half-heartedly, before sending Merlin away for the day, much to Merlin's surprise. At midday, Gwen arrived.

'Did you sleep last night?'

Arthur shook his head as he drew a chair for her to sit down, before sitting down next to her. 'I've been trying to figure out what to do.'

She sat back, watching him. 'Me too. Merlin… all this time. He must have been so scared.'

'And lonely,' Arthur added, putting his head in his hands. 'How did we miss it?'

'That doesn't matter anymore,' Gwen touched his arm, and he looked at her. 'What do we do now, Arthur?'

Arthur bit his lip. 'We wait. This demon thing is coming. We wait to see what he does, and we'll decide once that issue is taken care of.'

Gwen nodded, and the couple sat together, talking, well into the afternoon, until Arthur had to leave to dine with his father.

'It'll be OK, Gwen,' he smiled as he kissed her.

She forced a smile, and held onto his hand for as long as she could before he left. She could only hope that he was right.

Spell from Merlin Wikipedia page. It has the majority of spells used throughout the series on there.

Sorry if it isn't what you were hoping for, and Arthur seems a little OOC, but he's just found out that his best friend's lying and he's with Gwen so he's allowed to get a little emotional. Please review! I'll update as soon as I can, but I'm moving to boarding school tomorrow, so it might not appear until we're all settled in.

Thank you to my beta's, Arthursmol and Hollyblue2.