Author's Note: An idea that I had for some time and I just never got around to it. Been a fan of the show for a while now and I just had to make a story. Anyway, please review. Constructive criticism is welcome. Also, Merlin is property of BBC.

TAMING A DRAGONLORD ~ A MERLIN FANFICTION

Written by C.L. Night

Genre ~ Adventure and Romance

Rating ~ T for mild sexual content, language, and violence

Pairings ~ Merlin/OC, Arwen, Slight Mergana

Chapter One : Turn Back the Hands of Time

Gray irises scanned the pages of the history textbook, the words piquing little to no interest as the young woman read on. The information wasn't foreign to her, in fact, it was somehow lodged in her brain and the subject came natural to her but it still lead her to feel bored. History, especially Medieval Studies, was one of the twenty-two year old's strong points. She tend to know much about the subject and without checking confirmation from textbooks or professors. Already achieving her B.A., many suggested that she become an expert in the field, and that's why she was sitting in the University's library looking over History's Greatest Monarchs. A tired sigh exhaled from between her firm tan lips as she leaned back in the wooden chair. She was so freaking tired and she would give anything to just fall asleep. Her eyelids slowly closed as she tuned out the hushed conversations and the pattering of feet against hardwood floors. In an instant, her mind traveled to that odd part of her subconscious that she begun to visit frequently.

Her bare feet walked along cool green blades of grass. Warm breezes brushed against her cocoa skin as she moved through tall trees, their leaves creating a canopy above her. This place was something she often visited in her dreams. However, when she awoke, the image would vanish and she would be left feeling that she should remember that place. Her eyes focused on a figure that stood in the middle of a clearing. Short black hair, lengthy figure dressed in old clothing. He looked to the sky, unaware of the woman who stood in the midst of the trees. Fluttering of wings rung in her ears and her eyes widened as a large beast hovered above before landing; its head bowed to the male. She seen this male before. It wasn't surprising that he would again appear in her dreams. His lips moved but no sound was heard. Instead, the dragon nodded its scaly head.

"Tempus et deos fac voluntatis," The words seemed to surround her. The image of the beast and the stag deteriorated as the words echoed in her ears. This was new. Eyes searching for the source, the voice continued. "Summone qui de quo quod defert sanguinem draconum." Something was calling, calling to the very fiber of her being. Her limbs began to feel like jello. Her legs weakened and she fell to the floor. "Stop it!" she cried out as she covered her ears. However, the voice grew louder and more forceful. Fear began to clutch her, rising from the pit of her stomach. This never happened in her dreams and it frightened her.

"Esther!"

Shooting her eyes open, the worried tan face of her friend, Connor, came into view. Those hazel eyes shimmering with worry under furrowed bushy auburn brows. He let out a relieved sigh realizing that she was awake. "Christ, are you alright?"

Esther sat up in her chair, placing her head in her palms. Sweat formed on her brow. "Yeah... just another weird dream." Regaining her composure, Esther glanced up at the Irishman and she blinked as a realization hit her. "What are you doing here, Walsh? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"I am," He gave a wry smirk before turning a chair around and seating down, his forearms resting in front of him on the back of the chair while his legs sprawled apart to the sides. "But the doc decided to let us out a little early. Besides, I came to answer your problems."

The statement caused a dry chuckle to come from the woman. "And what problems would those be?" Connor Walsh always had a knack for teasing her, ever since they were young. However, it wasn't no surprise that her stressed disposition was so easy to pick up on. Frequent restless nights, lack of appetite, and shifting work and school written all over her. Still, if there was anything admirable about Esther Walker, it was the way she continued to push on and still succeed.

Connor smiled, "Come and have a drink with me tonight. Come out and have some fun once in a while. We both know you need it."

"Maybe next time, Walsh. Since I don't have work, I already decided to wrap up some of these papers." She responded, placing her books in her bag and rising from her seat. "I'll talk you to later."

"Alright, lady." He nodded as he watched her leave.

Damn. She thought as she stepped out of the library's door and onto the stone stairs. Rain fell from the gray sky and smacked against the streets and cemented sidewalks. People moved hastily about, their focus on getting out of the rain or to their next destination. Why did it have to rain today? Sighing, she pulled the hood over her head and shifted the weight of her bag on her right shoulder. She joined the bustling crowd and made her way through the drenching rain. Luckily, her apartment was only ten blocks from the university. As she made her way up to the front door, an odd sliver of fear spiraled through her being that caused her to stop frozen. She felt cold, like all warmth had vanished. Slowly, her eyes glanced over her shoulder. A figure stood across the street. Soulless metallic eyes peered through the shadow of the black cloak. Strands of oily black hair fell over sunken pale cheeks and wrinkled forehead.

The young woman's heart raced as she stared at the unknown male. His pale bloodless lips moved, "Baeto." The words came in a hushed scratchy voice, a voice she heard before. It struck fear into her heart and she felt as if her soul was draining. Her muscles ached. She turned her gaze away and closed her eyes. The sound of a car rushing by broke her out of the trance. Opening her eyes, she glanced back where the man stood and... there was no one there.

"Get a hold of yourself, Esther..." she commanded of herself. She struggled to get the door open but once she did, she moved into the walkway rather quickly and slammed the door behind her, shutting out the strange visitor and the rain. She was safe. Kicking off her boots onto the beige welcome mat and shrugging off her wet hoodie, Esther walked into her modest but quaint apartment. She flipped on the switch that cause her living room to illuminate, revealing a simple white sofa against the pumpkin colored wall, a small glass table with a lone vase filled with poppies and lilies, and long oak bookcase with various books organized neatly. A black stereo stood between a self-painting that she done years ago and a door that led to her bedroom. A sigh escaped her as she closed the white curtains over the square windows. The apartment was quiet and it always disturbed her since then; although she now begun to grow accustom to the lonely silence.

Her feet patted across the wooden floors as she moved towards the open kitchen and stepped down the step that broke the kitchen from the living room. Much like the rest of her apartment, the kitchen was modest, only supplied with a refrigerator, a gas stove between two counters and a microwave, all aligned against the cracked brick wall. The woman's hand reached for the handle of the fridge and tugged it open so she could peer inside. Those gray orbs, rimmed with dark black curly eyelashes, scanned over her item of interest, a bowl of her mother's leftover spaghetti. She licked her lips as she took hold of it and placed it in the microwave.

A clank caught her attention and drove her away from her meager meal. She walked back towards her door and wasn't surprised to see her mail damp and sprawled onto the floor. "Damn mailman... always late." Picking up her mail, she nonchalantly flipped through the envelopes, reading the items aloud. "Water bill. Rent. Gas bill." She stated uninterested. Her hands stopped, however, on a red envelope with the name, Andrea Walker, written in an impressive and familiar handwriting. Something mixed with regret and annoyance fluttered in the pit of her stomach as she stared at the envelope from her elder sister. It wasn't odd that her sister sent her a letter after what happened but Esther couldn't help but feel disrespected. Sitting the rest of the mail on the glass table, she sat on her plush sofa as she stared at the envelope. What the hell did she have to say after what she done. What could she say. Angry, the young woman dropped the letter onto the table, allowing it to join the others. "Forget it."

The hours passed rather slowly as the young woman attend to her daily activities. As her eyes read over the last line of her paper, she smiled in appraisal of her work. It was an essay based on the monarchs of old and legend. She stretched her long bare arms behind her back and ran her fingers through her thick bluish black wooly, straight hair. A few rebellious strands falling back in front of her forehead. Her eyes glanced at the time on her laptop and she yawned, realizing that it was a little past ten. Rising up from her desk, she decided to check the locks on the front door before she head to bed. Once she was done with her safety check, her eyes settled on the envelope. Esther couldn't sate her curiosity and picked it up before going into her room. She opened the letter as she sat on her double bed.

Esther,

It has been months since we have spoken and it is not surprising after what happened. However, I can not let this continue, even though you are willing to. Dad always told us to be strong and that we should stay close no matter what. I know that we never gotten along well and now, you despise me. But you ARE my sister, my blood, and we have to stop this. I hate myself for what I did to you. I am terribly sorry, Esther. When I was in London, I stumbled across something you may like. It's supposed to be historical and it brings good luck. I sent it with this letter. I know that this can't possibly erase what I have done, but hopefully, it serves as a part of my apology. Please take it, love. If this helps in any way, I hope that you can respond to me.

Love, Andrea

Esther's face softened and she released a sigh before placing the letter on her nightstand. Opening the envelope more, she pulled out the gift. A leather string chocker embedded with black pearls and something that resembled a fang dangled in the middle of it. As the young woman looked closer, she could see an odd symbol etched into the fang. It was an odd and interesting piece indeed. She toyed with it between her fingers, inspecting it further. Suddenly, a burning sensation shot up through her arm, causing her to drop the trinket. However, the pain did not stop. The pain burned through her bones and she winced, her hand clasping her left arm. "What the hell?!" she panted, frightened.

"Sit tempore et spatio revelare draco sanguine." The voice echoed around her and she fell from her bed on her knees. She panted as her mind began to swirl and her vision shifted. "Voco te." The words were the last thing she heard before she collapsed onto her floor, the pain too much to bear, her vision black.

~ooo~

The sound of chirping surrounded the young female. A warm breeze caressed her relaxed face, shifting strands of her choppy bang. Their was a coolness against her back and the back of her legs and arms. Her eyes were closed shut, her lips parted slightly. Her limbs lay by her side limp. A leaf fell from the tree above her and tickled her eyelid and cheek before it cascaded to the ground beside her head. Fluttering her eyelids open, her vision swirled as she sat up slowly. Her hand rubbing her throbbing arm. "God, what was that..." As her vision adjusted, panic began to manifest in her stomach. Trees surrounded her, a blue sky was above her head. First instinct was yelling at her that it was another dream but the ground beneath her bare feet felt all too real. She spun as she gazed around her. "This can't be real..." She told herself. She gripped her hair, "Wake up. Wake up!"

The words did nothing and she couldn't pull herself from this odd dream. Taking an inhale of the forest air, she tried to calm her ever-rising fear. "Come on, Esther. Focus." Esther commanded, she glanced around. Staying in one place wouldn't help much with her situation. So, she began her search. She didn't know what she was searching for but anything would be good. The grass beneath her feet was cool as she trekked along the forest. This was weird. Talking was heard not too far off from where she was and decided to head in that direction. She jogged towards the voice and she stumbled out of the dense foliage and onto a dirt path. Her eyes averted to a woman with a young boy. What struck her as odd were their clothing. The woman's body was obscured by a simple beige wool dress and her golden hair was pulled up into a bun. The boy wore a small tunic and tights. This was most peculiar. However, she ignored this and made her presence known.

"Excuse me." Esther called, walking up to them. The woman gazed at her with wariness as she pulled her boy closer. Her eyes trailed up and down the young woman. Esther already felt hesitant to talk to the woman but she needed answers. "Um, I need help. I woke up in the woods and I have no clue where I am." She blurted out rather quickly, her panic evident in her voice.

The woman took a step back. "Are you a witch?" It was a question but the tone implied that it was more of an accusation. "If you are, we don't need any trouble."

The question caused Esther to raise an eyebrow and gave a sardonic chuckle in response. "A witch? No."

"Then why you are wearing strange clothing?"

Esther blinked and glanced down at herself. She wore a simple tank-top and a pair of black boxers. Her night-clothes. Embarrassment became written on her features and she shifted uncomfortably, her arms going up to cover her breasts. "Look, can you just tell me where I am and I'll be on my way."

"You are near Anier Village, in the kingdom of Camelot." The boy spoke up behind his mother who quickly hushed him.

"C-Camelot?" The name seemed preposterous. Camelot, the greatest kingdom in Arthurian legend. "And let me guess, King Arthur rules it." The boy gave a simple nod and Esther shook her head in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. Camelot is just a legend. Isn't it? She paced a couple of times, trying to figure out what to do. She needed to get home and out of this fairy tale nonsense.

"Well, miss. We have to bid you farewell. Hope you find whatever it is you are looking for." The woman interrupted and gave a slight nod before turning to walk down the road.

Esther felt a need to go with her but decided against it, the sense of not welcome to do so still present. But where should she go? She needed answers to why she was here and how the hell did she get here in this supposedly Camelot. Nothing was making sense. A scream broke her out of her thoughts. It was a woman and the voice of a young boy echoed farther down the road. Without too much thought, she ran down the road and turned the bend where she was faced with two men dressed in ragged clothing assaulting the mother and her boy. "Hey!"

Her voice caught their attention and one of them simply tilted his head to get a better look at her. "Now what do we have here?" His voice oozed from between his lips. He stalked towards her. "A little nosey aren't cha?"

The mother struggle to squirm out of the other man's grip. "Run, girl!"

Esther ignored the woman's order and stood her ground. Fear and panic settled in her being but she stood with a stoic face. Her fists were at her sides as the man stalked towards her, his lecherous eyes trailing down her hourglass figure. "Let them go." The words did not betray her emotions, the inner fear was hidden away from her predators.

"Let them go?" The bandit chuckled, glancing back at his comrade. "Oh you are a brave lass." His hand reached out for her and Esther prepared herself. She quickly snatched up a fallen branch and smacked the man inside the head, sending him tumbling over. His comrade pushed the woman aside and unsheathed his sword, his attention now on Esther. She sent another smack to the fallen bandit before taking off down the road. Their footsteps now was audible behind her as she ran. Pebbles from the road lodged themselves into the soles of her feet but she continued to run. A horse ran in front of her and caused her to turn on her heels. Other bandits on horseback came striding out of the foliage, surrounding her. As the man came towards her, she swung maniacally in attempt to protect herself.

However, a stick doesn't compare to ten swords. It wasn't long until they disarmed her and had them in her clutches. She struggled and cursed as she tried to escape. Though, her motions were halted when a sword was pointed at her neck by what seemed to be the leader of the group. His ember eyes scanned over her but lingered on her neck. He moved closer and gripped the necklace that was now around her neck. Esther never realized that she had it on and that scared her. His eyes inspected it before smiling. "We found her. Our mistress will be pleased..." He looked down into her gray eyes and gave a small smirk. "Let's go."

The cage door was thrown open and she was thrown into the space, her wrists bounded. The door slammed behind her and she watched as a bandit lock the door. "What are you doing? Let me out!" Esther screamed, though her protests were ignored. The sound of a reign whipping sounded and the cage began to move along with the soldiers.

What the hell have I gotten myself into!