Emerys-Magic Unleashed

A/N: This is my first attempt at a Merlin Fic

Summary- King Uther's attempt to stamp out magic has failed. Banding together underneath the Dragon Lord Balinor, Magic continues to thrive. Uther is devastated by the loss of his son Arthur who had mysteriously disappeared one night. The fall of Camelot is inevitable.

There is always that one event.

It is the moment when you knowingly make a choice, one that changes your life irrevocably but you don't know of it. It seems like an innocuous choice but the consequences are damning. This is what Balinor faced.

The council room was empty, save for a regal figure residing on the throne. Balinor strode forward, his cloak trailing behind him. His senses were jittery, wondering what possessed the king to summon him at such late hours.

"Uther my friend! It has been too long, Are you doing well? I have heard about the tragic situation about Ygaine's death. I offer my condolences."

Uther smiled, it was an empty smile, not quite reaching his eyes. "Balinor. Ygaine's death was a mistake, one I intend to atone for. Listen old friend, I require a favor of you."

"What could the King of Camelot possibly want from a humble man like me?" Balinor joked.

"I need you to call the dragons here."

There was a pregnant pause. The situation was starting to unnerve the Dragon Lord. "Why summon the dragons? It was to my knowledge that their presence would terrorize your subjects. The kingdom won't last a week if every time someone saw a dragon, they fainted."

Uther stood up, "I intend to have the dragons be Camelot's image. The family of Pendragon will be forever known as staunch allies of such noble creatures. Will you convince your brethren to join my cause in uniting Albion?" he intoned.

Balinor was the last of his kind, part human, part dragon, part magic. He was tired of having his family slaughtered for their ability to call on their kin, the kings of the skies. Entering this alliance with Camelot would cement dragons into history as peacekeepers of a powerful kingdom. The humor was not lost on him with Uther's last name.

"That's a wonderful idea! Too long have Dragons been misunderstood as dangerous creatures. So when will we be transitioning this change? Which Dragon should I call as a mascot? I think we should use the great dragon, he is the oldest dragon currently."

Uther cut in sharply, his voice curt and somewhat rude. "I need you to summon them all as soon as possible, tommorow morning."

This stuck Balinor as an odd request, summoning the dragons were within his power but such a delicate situation should be handled slowly. He would have to seek council with the dragons first to see if they would accept. Also it doesn't seem well for Camelot if twenty plus Dragons landed in Camelot at the break of dawn. Where was Uther going with this?

"Where will the Dragons stay? How will they be fed? I don't think that it is possible to house and feed so many dragons at onc-"

"JUST SUMMON THE DAMN DRAGONS!" Uther roared, spittle flying from his mouth. His face was twisted in rage which stayed frozen for a split second before he resumed his cold facade.

Madness.

There was a certain hint of chaos radiating from Uther. It was a simmering rage, uncontrollable and unpredicted. Balinor paused, uncertain of the situation. He wanted out, Uther clearly wasn't in his right mind and the entire situation smelled of a trap. He focused his senses and he could hear the palpitating hearts of the guards that were waiting for him behind the exit. He had to leave immediately.

As Balinor turned to leave, Uther realized his plot to ensnare the dragons had failed. 'Seize him guards!" He bellowed and the door slammed open as a small contingent of guards swarmed the place. Balinor cursed in the old tongue. He unsheathed his dragon claw dagger from his boot and attacked.

If there was any doubt of a dragon lords ability to fight, it was dispelled that very night. Balinor's dagger sliced punctured through the chain mail of the guards with the slightest of resistance. As a naturally light weapon and unnaturally sharp, Balinor could strike three to five times to vital organs and areas before they could finish a single swing of their heavy long sword or halberds.

The first guard died without knowing what had happen, Balinor had twisted himself into a spinning and streamlined path of death. He bled out in four different places, arteries severed and his own heart emptying his body of blood in seconds. The second guard feel to his knees as the ligaments and tendons on the back of his knees were taken out. It set him up perfectly with the jugular cut that ended his life.

After dispatching the guards, the council room was simply a pool of blood. The clanking and creaking of iron sent shivers down the dragon lord's spine. Uther had dispatched the Knights.

The Knights of Camelot were greatly feared. One Knight is said to be equal to a battalion of soldiers. Not only where they rigorously trained, they were also equipped with a full body of steel plated armor. They wield a variety of weapons, crossbows, maces, halberds, spears, swords, shields, and one of them even had a battle axe! They were equally as lethal with each weapon and professional warriors.

Synchronized as one unit, the shields came up in a clank as the group of knights entered a phalanx position. The spear and Halberd users approached first, trying to skewer and decapitate him.

"Why Uther, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!" Balinor cried as he leapt back to avoid a spear thrust. Was Uther under an enchantment somehow?

Uther watched coldly, "Because Magic is evil, I have seen it now. Ygaine wasn't suppose to die. It was magic that killed her. I was a fool to think otherwise, I have seen the light and it is my duty to eradicate magic from this realm!"

Balinor stood back with his eyes closed and began drawing on his energy, the magic and power of the Dragons. With this power, he was highly attuned to the world, up to a certain distance. His eyes snapped open in horror, eyes tinged yellow, the lids of his eyes scaly in appearance. "What happened to all the people? I can't feel their presence anymore."

Uther laughed madly. "All suspected and know sorcerers were rounded up secretly and killed. The final act would be to rid the magical beast from this realms.

To the untrained eye, Balinor was no different than a normal man but he was not. In his blood, ran the blood of the dragon kin. There was no one else as intimately related to the dragon as he was. In his body was their strength, their power, their rage.

He roared out in anger, a deep reverberating howl that shook the bones of those present. "If your duty is to eradicate magic from the realm, I WILL OPPOSE YOU! I WILL FIGHT YOU TO THE DYING BREATH TO KEEP THE MAGIC OF THE WORLD ALIVE! IT IS MY DUTY TO STOP YOU!"

With that proclamation, Balinor threw himself forward at the Knights. His enhanced strength allowed him bulldozer through the phalanx and to the exit. He was almost at the exit when he was shot in the back, the cross bolt almost reaching his heart. He was saved only by his enhanced defense which made his skin tough and leathery like dragon skin. It was a pale imitation as he did not have the scales but impressive defense for a human.

Gaius, the King's Court Physician and long time adviser was still alive. It was known that Gaius was a practitioner of magic and his continued existence meant Uther had spared him. Balinor headed toward Gaius, he was gambling on Gaius helping him otherwise it was over for him. He would be the last dragon lord if the blood lost was any indicator.

He turned the corner and saw Gaius just as his vision blurred and he slumped over. Will Gaius help him? or will he turn him in to the King?

It didn't matter, he was too tired to care.

Gaius bowed before the king. "My lord, I saw the departing of Balinor on a winged beast, most likely one of the younger dragons he summoned. That is where the blood trail ended."

"It matters not, he will die from blood lost before he can seek medical attention. With that level of injury, he won't last a night. My pressing concern is the what would happen to Camelot of attack of magic. I've pondered about it a bit and I intend to create a specialized attack force specifically prepared to deal with magical threats against the kingdom. I need you as an adviser, you are most knowledgeable about these matters."

Gaius bowed his head. "Why yes sire. It was a passing interest in my youth, something that I dabbled with and found most disagreeable. But I pursued it for knowledge sake. In order to fight the enemy, one must know them. I will not disappoint you my lord."

"You may retire for the night."

Gaius departed slowly from the chamber, his mind reeling from the sudden reversal and rejection of magic. Not to mention, he had an injured Dragon Lord stowed away in his wardrobe.

Balinor cannot stay.

Gaius entered his room and pulled all the bolts shut. He opened the wooden door and stood deathly still. Balinor was weakened but responsive enough to draw his dagger to his throat.

"You must leave Balinor, I have told the King that you had already departed but he will still look for your corpse. I have it planned out for you. You can stay low with my friend in Ealdor, her name is Hunith. You don't have to worry, her village lies in the kingdom of Escetia. Uther is unlikely to search for you there. You must depart with all haste."

Balinor gratefully accepted a rug sack with several days of provisions and potions for the journey. "Gaius, Why did you betray the others? Why did you not warn them of Uther's madness?"

"I am weary." Gaius confessed. He appeared to have aged ten years since their last meeting. "By the time I discovered Uther's plan, there was not enough time to send out a warning. I had to work from the shadows to aid the few that I could help escape and slip them from Uther's gaze. I have not abandoned magic. My belief in the time of Albion is still unwavering."

Balinor cloaked himself and put on his hood. "I will not forget your help anytime soon. Stay well and the time of Albion will come."

Gaius would not see Balinor for another decade and by then, many things have changed.

A/N: This is loosely based on the BBC TV series of Merlin. I will be incorporate a lot more from the original stories and what not. The many faces of Merlin. Excalibur. King Arthur. Dragon Lords. Morgana. Modred. This will be epic.

If you have never seen this TV series. You can find it on . Search Merlin, currently the fourth season is airing.

If you are wondering about my other stories, I'm currently putting them on hold.