Hi there. Sorry for my late update. I will try to update "Rise of the Emperor" too this week. Ok, well this is the sequel to "A play of Dusk and Dawn" so it does not make much sense to read this without reading it beforehand. I hope you will enjoy this fic as much as I do ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of their franchise. Furthermore I do not own any of the original Arthurian Saga.

It took Arthur and his men two long and exhausting months to return to Camelot. The new king was beside himself for the whole journey back, his father's death still chipping away at his mind every moment he looked into the battered faces of his remaining soldiers. Once more did magic its abominable deeds, leaving those without it rendered useless in front of its cruel onslaught of overwhelming power. Since they marched from Camelot to conquer the lands of the Forge the former prince had this dark premonition that this will not go well. Even the encouraging words of his father could not dispel the doubt he had felt. Furthermore there was the presence of Morgana which has to be considered too. No one of the knights was comfortable to wage war against the Dusk knowing that the once beloved princess was in the confines of Namhilrok. But nothing could stop Uther from pressing on. It seemed like he was possessed with the idea to bring their enemies down, no matter the cost. So, soon after they crossed the border, surprisingly messages of raids upon their own villages reached the army, which threw their leader into a predicament. Uther was forced to dispatch a huge amount of his soldiers to deal with the assaults since it was clear that if they did not take action their supply route would be cut and their advance would come inevitably to a halt. Without food and water no mortal army can put up a fight, so securing their vital provisions was paramount. Thereby the military strength of the main army got tremendously lessened, leaving them with only two thirds of their initial manpower. As the armies clashed their decreased numbers did not strike Arthur as much as a disadvantage as he thought. The bravery and vigour of Camelot's soldiers was more than enough to compensate the lack of additional men. Even the disarray caused by the suddenly appearing walls of fire did not as much damage to their moral as what happened thereafter. In hindsight, what actually cost them the battle was his father's reckless charge after his eyes beheld the figure of his very own daughter fighting alongside the enemy. Arthur could only watch with his blue orbs widened in horror as unnatural lightning pierced the chest of his father, knowing that he was dead before the body of the royal hit the ground. This was the turning point as all hell broke loose once the message of the king's death reached every last soldier of the Alliance. Arthur himself was too shocked to assume control of the battlefield so he just followed his trusted knights who pulled the blond between their formation to guard him. The former prince, now king, was sitting on his throne with a golden goblet filled with wine in his right hand. He was alone or so he thought as Arthur perceived a voice as clear as the one talking to him was standing right next to him.

"It does not befit a king to loose himself in his own lament."

The king jumped from his seat, his once clouded, darkened eyes were filled with caution and perceptiveness once again. A trait which was only able to be gained by years of training and fighting experience. As his eyes wandered around but were not able to locate the holder of the voice, Arthur replied to the bodiless voice.

"Show yourself!"

"I would, if I was not chained to a rock beneath the castle."

Arthur hissed at these words. He heard about the binding of the golden dragon from his father and it soon became his favorite story. It incited his interest and it was the first time that Arthur Pendragon read books out of free will. One could say that he became an expert concerning the "Draconian Times". So the former prince instantly knew who he was dealing with. His emotions were a torrent of excitement, awe, fright, dismay and hate. Hate because the dragon used magic to communicate with him, the one thing who took his father and in a sense Morgana from him. He was now all alone, left with the shatters of war which were left behind by Uther.

"What is it you want from me, dragon? I have no business with your kind."

They golden creature roared a chuckle before he proceeded.

"I am the last of my kind, but I suppose you were talking about those with magic. But let me assure you, I know the numbing feeling of grieve and the burning inside which is caused by the wish for revenge. And I have a bargain in mind which will profit the both of us. Come down to my cave and I will reveal to you the means to grasp what you wish for."

Arthur snorted a "fine", being well aware of the fact that this could go either terribly wrong or work perfectly into his hands. He did not know but Arthur was sure that he would take the risk. Therefore he hastened towards the caverns beneath Camelot. He ordered the guards to leave before he opened the door which was the only barrier between him and the mighty magical creature. With every step the nauseous feeling in his gut grew worse and worse. As the blond finally reached the small platform in front the giant rock a strong gust of wind hit his face and the young king was left motionless as the imposing figure of the winged beast descended upon him, while the metallic clattering of the chain resonated throughout the dragon lair.

"That was rather fast. I like the eagerness in your eyes."

"I am here because you offered me the means to make my wishes come true and not for idle chat."

Arthur snapped at Kilgharrah, but the dragon did not even flinch before he roared his words.

"You are right. I have a bargain for you. I will give you a sword which will give you what you need, if you will free me from my chains."

"That is impossible. I know the stories about the Draconian Times and I know that the chain which binds you to this rock cannot be broken."

"There is a way. Do not think I was sitting here for two decades doing nothing. I just need your help in executing it, since I am not able to do it alone."

"I do not think I can accept this deal. I cannot risk that Camelot and its people will be the target of your wrath once I have set you free."

"Do not worry. My wrath was with Uther, not with you or Camelot. I promise that I will do no harm to the Alliance."

Arthur cringed inwardly as the dragon mentioned his deceased father but soon regained his composure.

"It is hard for me to believe your words but I will trust in your promise. So what is it I have to do?"

The mighty beast chuckled before it opted to speak again.

"First you will have to make a choice. The spell can take form in two unique swords, each with its own properties. One form is called ´Excalibur´, fate of immortality. It has the power to strike down any foe who dares to step in front of it, disregarding if it is mortal, dead or just an object, like the chain which binds me.

The other form is called ´Caliburn´, doom of magic. It has the power to undo any magic and furthermore make any magic directed at its bearer void. With this ability you can dispel the unbreakable characteristics of the chain and I can break free.

Now choose wisely, young king, since it depends more than your destiny alone on your choice."

Kilgharrah gave the former prince a knowing smile, expecting his answer.

Little did Arthur know that what the dragon was implying with his last sentence was not the Alliance´s destiny alone like the new king thought, but the whole of Albion.

After some pondering the blond raised his head in order to lock his gaze with the winged beast. He opened his mouth to let the dragon hear his resolute voice.

"The sword I choose is the one which resembles the resolve of my ancestors. I choose Caliburn."

"And so it shall be. Lift your sword, Arthur and I shall grant you your wish."

The king of Camelot did as the dragon said and beheld the scenery in front of him in awe as Kilgharrah casted his magic. The blade was engulfed in his fiery breath. What for Arthur felt like minutes took actually only the blink of an eye and as the spell was finished the sword dug itself into the ground in front of Arthur. He marvelled at the weapon. Its golden hilt was not the most remarkable of its features, no, what really struck the former prince's eye was the perfect pitch black blade.

"This is Caliburn. I kept my part of the bargain now it is time to stay true to your word."

"Of course."

Arthur nodded as his hand grasped the hilt of his new sword, feeling a slights chill coming from it, before he pulled it out of the stone. As the blond moved towards the chain Kilgharrah started to shiver in anticipation and after the black blade made contact with the enchanted chain it broke apart like it was nothing more than a rusty piece of metal to the sharpness of Caliburn.

The golden dragon let out a deafening roar as he started to soar towards the skies after twenty years of confinement, leaving an awestruck king behind.

Beyond the Bruvile-Chain: The untamed lands

Two months passed since Nimueh left Merlin´s side. She thought if she distances herself far enough from him her emotions would settle but to no avail. Even the peace provided by the untamed lands did not change anything. This rural place beyond the massive mountain-chain was said to be uninhabited but much to Nimueh's horror the opposite was the case. The pure-blooded witch was resting in an enclave where a little waterfall was continuously producing its relaxing sound and white, yellow and blue wildflowers were adorning the surrounding area. It was one of the rare moments for the archon of the Ancient Cult where her mind did not think of the prince of Dusk and she was rather furious as she perceived something what sounded like actual speech. Cursing at it but still being intrigued by this abnormal phenomenon Nimueh decided to figure out whom or what was producing the all too familiar sound. As she reached the top of a hill the witch was frozen in her tracks because what she beheld was a big camp made out of tents like the ones her fellowmen and -women use to set up too. As her gaze started to wander around she noticed a shrine not too far off and as it seems the voices were coming from this direction. Gulping hard and stealing her resolve Nimueh decided to pry further. She soon reached the close perimeter of the shrine and she was now able to see ten people in total sitting around a round table made of stone. The things which Nimueh was now about to hear would throw her into quite the predicament as the youngest of them started to speak after he was asked what he wanted to say by a much older man wearing the same brown robe as every one of those ten did.

"After we discussed the usual matters, it was Mordred´s wish to state a request. Please go ahead."

"I thank you. My request was conjured by the recent events on the mainland. We have watched and stood by doing nothing long enough. There will never be peace for Albion if we do not interfere. We have to combine our forces and establish a supreme rule over Dusk and Dawn. Only our wisdom and benevolent rule will bring us the golden times we were promised a long time ago. Therefore we have to eradicate the ruling houses of Namhilrok and Camelot, Caerfyrddin and Pendragon. If they have no one to follow anymore the will turn to us and we will bring them the long awaited peace."

The other nine men nodded and once again it was the oldest one who started to speak again.

"Your words are as noble as they are drastic. I will give your request open for vote. Each of you who think our time to fight has come, please raise your staff. Each of you who think that we shall wait for a better opportunity, please stay still. The vote is now open for the round."

It did not even take five seconds for eight staffs to get raised and realization crept its way into Nimueh's mind. The mages of the untamed lands will invade the mainland and their goal is Merlin´s and Morgause's life. She had to warn them. As the witch was leaving the shrine she was still able to hear their voices but she was not able to understand what they were talking about anymore. As Nimueh made sure that no one was around she readied herself to use the teleportation spell Merlin taught her along their journey together and as soon as she thought about him, his face appeared in her mind. She hesitated.

How am I supposed to do this? I cannot simply appear out of nowhere and tell him his life is in danger, when I am currently the epitome of his impending death.

Nimueh shook her head to clear it from these thoughts. What she had to do now was more important than anything else. She has to warn the love of her life, disregarding how he might react.

And she. I do not even want to know what Morgause will do to me, not to mention Morgana.

Nimueh shuddered and let go of a deep sigh before she vanished into a vortex of colours.

A/N

So much for the first chapter. Sorry for the lack of Mergana but be assured their will be lots of it later on. Hope you will once again stick with me and my story and cya next chapter.

Versastyles.