I know I have a great many stories unfinished, but ever since I started watching Merlin, I've had the storyline unfolding. And now, with the help of my wonderful beta Wisegirl6, this story finally gets to be seen. Thank you so much for helping me make my story better when you already have so many fans to appease!

The day Igraine died, magic did as well. It screamed as Uther declared it evil, corrupting, and an abomination. But this man did see sense, albeit only a small amount.

He knew magicians and sorcerers were powerful, and could take apart his carefully created kingdom. Banded together, the sorcerers could raze the whole of Camelot to the ground if they so wished. Many knights had died from the dragon slayings, and the capturing of the Great Dragon. Nobles were reluctant to send their sons to their deaths facing an amass army of magical beings.

But King Uther Pendragon had a solution, one that involved one of the most influential voices of the magical realm: Balinor the Dragonlord.

Knights caught the renegade Dragonlord in Ealdor three years later, after receiving word from his spies in Lot's kingdom. He had struggled, kept his ground, and fought like a cornered beast. Balinor knew he was more powerful than any knight, but when they produced Hunith, his lover, he gave himself up. So the Camelot knights clad the man in chains, and took the pair of lovers to Camelot. Currently, the King sat patiently at his throne, Arthur behind him with his nurse. The royal toddler prince was already showing similarities with Igraine, his blue eyes that radiated so much child-like innocence. His blonde hair was choppy, and he held a wooden knight one hand, and his nurse's in the other.

Balinor was thrown through the wooden door, accompanied by a knight still holding Hunith; a knife pushed up against her delicate throat. The eyes of him were wild, full of uncontrollable rage only a madman would dare express. Never before had a man looked so much like a dragon. His hands already reached Uther's neck before he spoke in a gruff voice.

"You took my home, my family, the dragons, and even took the woman I love. Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you right now!"

Uther had already pulled his blade from the scabbard, and plunged it deep into the leg of the Dragonlord. Blood spattered the floor, but the sword still blocked much of the blood from dripping out.

Balinor let loose a howl of pain, and his fingers were pried off as he was restrained.

The collected and calm monarch had already stood from his throne. Biting back impulsive orders to kill the Dragonlord, Uther spoke coldly. "I am the only one who is able to stop the commands of the burnings. And I am willing to stop the slaying of magical beings, but only if you give time to listen."

A dragon's pair of eyes looked up, mistrust obvious in his gaze.

Hunith looked towards Uther, unwilling to show her paralyzing fear. But when she saw Arthur, her heart melted at the sight of the little boy. The Ealdor woman gave him a sweet smile. When the young prince saw her, his eyes lit up as he tugged the hand of his nurse to try to get to the woman. His voice sounded small, and had a light friendliness that resembled nothing of his father's own.

"Mama? Daddy, is that Mama?" Arthur asked, barely able to contain his excitement over the answer. Uther's eyes went as hard as stone. The King looked like he was about to speak, yet that woman from Ealdor had beat the king to it.

"Young Sire, why would you think that I am your mother?" Hunith asked, her voice as soft as silk and sweet as honey.

Uther's head snapped towards his son, but Arthur continued the conversation, holding the little wooden knight as tight as a toddler could. His deep blue eyes became sad as he told Hunith what his daddy had told him only a few days before.

"Daddy says that Mama was a pretty lady, and that she had to go away to a faraway place. A castle in the clouds." Arthur then looked up with such vivid happiness, it nearly made the woman cry. "But I knew you'd come back, I knew you would!" Arthur's tiny hand pulled free of the nurse's and he threw his arms around Hunith's torso, a smile stretching across his face and tears dripping down his face. The knight had been long discarded, for now the wooden toy lay under the tiny prince's feet.

The woman could only stare with shock and sadness at this little boy's story. No son should be deprived of a mother.

As her delicate hand reached out to Arthur's, Uther's barking order snapped her out of her shock.

"ARTHUR! Take him back to the nursery!"

The nurse, with a flourish of skirts, snatched the boy into her arms. She didn't even spare a glance at Hunith as she carried Arthur on her shoulder.

Yet the young prince was screaming and kicking to get himself free from her tight hold. He didn't understand! Mama was right here! Daddy's taking her away again, and not letting him at least tell her goodbye! It wasn't fair! "Mama! Please Daddy! Please let Mama stay! I want my Mama here with me! Please!"

The crying toddler was soon carried out of hearing distance. But it still made Hunith shed tears at this little boy, who had lost his mother so young, he'd never seen her face. She cried, choking sobs breaking the woman's usually calm demeanor. Hunith thought about how she and Gaius, her brother lost their parents when they were both children. The woman couldn't imagine life without at least knowing one's parents.

"No boy should be without one's moth..." Hunith didn't even realize she had spoken until she was interrupted.

Uther's hand whipped across her face, ending her outburst. The slap was hard enough to leave a mark, a narrow cut on her face that was already beginning to bleed. Knights turned to stare at each other, wondering what had possessed the monarch to hit a woman. But the King didn't care, he was already seething as he shouted at the woman.

"You traitorous woman! You dare tell me what's good for my son?! He's the Prince of Camelot, not some simple peasant boy!"

Blue eyes widened in shock. Of course she hadn't meant any corrections to the king. No one could do so without either a noble or having everything lost from the neck up. But there was one thing that Hunith would never do. She would never remain silent when this king, this vile man, had been cruel to his son. Just because of her. Just because of what Uther didn't say to his son.

"The young Prince isn't you Uther, he may be blood, but he is only a child! Arthur doesn't understand what's happening! He doesn't even know what his mother looked like. So how was this my fault that he thought that I was? This is your fault Uther Pendragon, and not even your kingly decrees can change it." Hunith replied, her voice defiant and strong when faced with an unstable king. She was not yet deterred from her anger at the monarch. A man couldn't do that to his son, leave him missing his mother to the point where he assumed the role could be filled by any woman walking by.

Balinor gave her a look of fear, not for himself, but for his lover. The man's blood still fell steadily on the ground, staining it Pendragon Red. But it was nothing compared to the red that Uther was seeing. His hand went up again, and this time, slapped her hard enough to make her scream that much more chilling. She was holding her face in one hand, her tears trickling down her face slowly like dripping candle wax.

Balinor roared as he stumbled to his feet. The guards were brushed aside as easily as flies, even with his injury. Balinor rushed to his beloved's side, showing still no regard for the deep laceration in his leg, and holding her delicately. His wounded leg was bleeding more profusely as the sword moved and the blade managed to wedge itself deeper into the injury. But the Dragonlord was oblivious to the wound, or he just didn't care.

His beloved Hunith's safety concerned him more. He turned to the monarch."Do you expect me to make peace with a tyrant?! You injured my wife!" Balinor held her close, clasping her hand in support of her endurance.

Uther stalked back to his throne and sat down with his arms folded. His eyes were now steady and his composure regained.

"I do expect you to agree, otherwise this woman will be sentenced to death for harboring a sorcerer." Uther signaled the guards to hold the knife against her throat.

Balinor was pushed away and restrained as he saw Hunith tense up with fear. The Dragonlord only hesitated a moment, until he saw the knife slip in the guard's untrained hand. There was a faint line of blood beginning to surface from the open wound on her neck. He cried out, pleading mercy for his poor beloved. He looked up at Uther with desperation.

"I will obey any demands! Just please, let her go!"

"Very well." Uther replied smugly. To the guards, he muttered a set of commands that released the injured woman.

She fell to the floor, gasping for breath as her throat slowly dripped scarlet raindrops onto the marble floor. Looking up at Balinor, she tried to stand, but she stumbled and fell into his arms. Her collective, short gasps broke the uneasy silence of the throne room.

"You must tell all sorcerers, including the Druids, that from here on out, they are banished to the Darkling woods. And should we find a sorcerer has left, the penalty of the crime is death."

"Why should I? All of the sorcerers can take apart any kingdom we wish. What's to say we refuse your offer?" Balinor raised an eyebrow, his eyes still holding the look of mistrust.

Uther sighed, and stood tall and kingly. Walking over to the couple, his footsteps echoed as loud as the beat of a drum. The pace was slow, deliberate, yet at the same time wary. When he stood in front of the Dragonlord, still sitting while holding Hunith, the king gazed down with remorseless demand written in his features.

He only said four words in reply, but they still made Balinor's heart stop.

"Then watch them burn."

I know I may be an Uther right now and be mean to you all by leaving it off here, but I hope it has you intrigued!

Review Question: Do you think that even destiny can prevail this challenge?

Dragon Out!