Alaia Skyhawk: I said I'd do it, and I have. Time for some baby dragon cuteness and fun. Oh, and by the way this is set between The Herald of the New Age, and The Hunter's Heart, at the time when it became obvious the show's writers had skipped past the winter months since the latter of those episodes is set at Spring Equinox :D
(Mild spoiler for S4E13) I wrote this in advance, so that it wouldn't interfere with me writing up episode 13. Which means that as you read this, I will be transcribing and tweaking part two of what is probably the most epic episode of the show to date. I will say that I do find the end of that episode ironic, since this Oneshot covers Aithusa learning something we see him doing at the end of that. I'd already plotted this three weeks ago. Although I will add that, using the rock he lands on in the ep and comparing that to Morgana's size, the show hasn't had him grow much in the months since he hatched. I've decided to tweak that fact a bit, since the degree to which I'm doing it I can get away with it :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Music: Nomitori no Uta (Escaflowne: The Movie) Arranged and performed by katethegreat19
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Aithusa's First Wintersday
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The celebrations of the festival were now winding to a close throughout the city and castle, the people returning to their home hearths from their visiting of friends and family. One of those was Merlin, who had chosen to spend his Wintersday evening at Liam and Hana's house. Unlike previous years, the Brotherhood had split up for the celebrations this time since they were too many for any one particular informal meeting place.
Gwen, Arthur, and Elyan had spent the evening with Gaius, bringing the traditional oak log with them for that as the guests. Percival and Leon had been talked into going to the tavern with Gwaine, before they'd likely dragged him back half or totally legless to his chambers in the Knights Quarters within the citadel. Merlin didn't know where Geoffrey might have gone to spend his evening, most likely he'd gone and dined with some member of the Council or other. But this year, instead of heading back to the warmth of his room to sleep till the coming morning, Merlin had other plans.
The warlock bundled his cloak more tightly around himself, tramping out through the city gates to the clearing where he normally called Kilgharrah. The dragon was not there, however, but a certain wyvern was.
Friou did her little chortle/whistle greeting that Gwaine had teasingly translated as 'Daddy!', before she half scrambled half slid through the deep drifts of snow to reach Merlin's side.
He petted her before climbing astride her shoulders, nudging her to send her aloft before turning her east towards the Ridge of Ascetir. It was going to be a long, cold flight hampered by her slower-that-a-dragon speed, but this year he wanted to end his Wintersday with someone rather special.
Merlin was shivering by the time she glided down through the night's darkness close to midnight, towards the visible bulk of Kilgharrah curled on his ledge covered by a dusting of snow. The dragon looked up when he heard their approach, letting loose a small plume of flame to light the last part of the landing.
He then frowned a little when he saw how cold Merlin was from the flight.
"You should have wrapped up better, young Dragonlord. You will do no one any favours if you give yourself frostbite with your carelessness."
The dragon seemed to shrug a little, allowing the heat he normally radiated, but which he'd restrained for camouflage in the snowy scenery, to disburse around him again. The dusting of snow on his hide promptly melted, water dripping off his scales as the warlock gratefully walked into the area influenced by the warmth.
"Well forgive me for forgetting that riding a wyvern is a lot colder than riding a dragon. I never had this problem when you carried me to Ulwin that one Winter Solstice."
The dragon snorted.
"Wyverns are not fire-breathers, I would have thought it would be obvious."
Merlin walked past under the dragon's wing, stopping at the edge of the nest which appeared to have been added to to make its sides higher since his first visit.
"How's Aithusa?"
Now the older dragon started to smile.
"Climb over the edge and have a look." Merlin started to do so, his head just cresting the top when a large white snout imposed itself in front of his face and he toppled backwards with a yelp. Kilgharrah then laughed, while Aithusa tilted his head to regard the Dragonlord inquisitively. "As you can see, he has grown somewhat bigger in the months since you were here last."
"No kidding."
Merlin sat himself up and got back to his feet, climbing back into the nest and allowing the dragonet to inspect him. Aithusa was a hatchling no longer, he was now actually a couple of hand-spans taller in the shoulder than Geleaffriou.
Kilgharrah watched as Merlin petted Aithusa, still smiling as the dragonet playfully nudged at the Dragonlord.
"He is still too young to speak, and will be for a while yet, but he at least comprehends what is said to him much better than he did when he was smaller. He is ready to start learning to fly, but the weather has not been cooperating. As a result he's been most restless."
As though to agree with that, the little white dragon let out a grumbling growl and a sigh as he set his head on the edge of his nest, turning one eye on Merlin before grumbling again and sticking his head under one of his wings.
Merlin moved himself to the other side of the nest from the dragonet, waving Friou over and directing her to lie on the nest edge so her half-open wing would shelter him from the snowflakes still floating down. Kilgharrah added to that by sweeping one of his own wings out and over the nest and its occupants, smiling still as Merlin's quiet and tired words drifted up to him.
"We'll talk more in the morning. But right now I agree with Aithusa, it's time to sleep."
When the dawn came, Merlin clambered out of the nest and viewed the surrounding woods below the ridge and the ledge. The snow had stopped, but it was windy and the gusts were erratic. Peering up at the clouds above, he then seemed to think for a moment before calling Friou and riding her up into the sky. Kilgharrah watched this, while deliberately failing at pretending to still be sleeping like the dragonet in the nest was. Indeed, the dragon chuckled quietly to himself as the warlock started coaxing the clouds to part and let the sun shine down.
They grudgingly did so, Merlin then calming the winds around the ridge so that they would aid in gliding rather than make it more difficult. He'd worked up quite a sweat when he returned to the ledge, and Kilgharrah noted that with amusement.
"Did you have fun doing all that?"
Merlin gave him a wry smile, rather satisfied with himself.
"Call it my belated Wintersday gift, what with the festival being yesterday. It'll only last for a couple of hours, so if you want to give our little friend his first flying lesson then I think you need to wake him."
Kilgharrah nodded at that, turning on the ledge so that he could hold his head over the nest.
"Time to wake up, Little One... Aithusa, it is time for you to fly for the first time."
The dragonet peeled one eye open, looking up at his foster parent before getting up with a croaking yawn. He ambled sleepily out of the nest, before looking up at the now clear sky and tilting his head in confusion. He was only young, but he instinctively knew enough about nature to know the clouds should not have cleared like this.
Merlin smiled at that reaction.
"Clear skies, just for you."
Beside him, Kilgharrah smiled as well.
"Merlin has done this as a gift for you, just for today."
Merlin was grinning at this point, and he jumped up to perch behind Kilgharrah's head for the better view that position provided, versus sitting just in front of his shoulders.
The dragon took flight, Friou following at a respectful distance. She cawed in urging, joining in with Kilgharrah's roaring encouragement.
Aithusa crept to the front of the ledge, peering over the edge of it uncertainly. He kept eyeing his foster father and the Dragonlord, before tentatively unfurling his slender and graceful wings. He then hesitated again, before Merlin called out.
"Forhtu ne, Lyhtling. Wit beon her."
Aithusa tilted his head at him, before considering the drop below once again. He wavered on the edge, leaning forward, leaning back, over and over while teetering in indecision. And then, at last and with an ungainly squawk, he launched himself.
A gentle gust of wind came up from beneath him, catching on his wings and steadying him in this first-ever glide. Aithusa could see the glow in Merlin's eyes, and hear his incantations, as the warlock manipulated the wind to best help the youngster. The lesson progressed well, and by the time the weather closed back in again the dragonet was confidently managing the basics of gliding and gaining height... even if his landing needed some work.
When Merlin got down off of Kilgharrah and helped Aithusa right himself from his ungainly sprawl where he'd handed, he was promptly mobbed by the dragonet who expressed his appreciation with a level of youthful affection that could have rivalled Friou at her worst.
Merlin laughed as he was knocked flat by all the fussing, returning the affection with some playful tussling that had Aithusa squealing in playful happiness. and when it was time to go back to Camelot, it was with some reluctance that Merlin clambered to Kilgharrah's shoulders. The dragon would take him home, as the faster and warmer alternate to Merlin shivering on Friou again, while Aithusa wafted his wings in wistful farewell before clambering back into his nest sleepily.
Learning to fly was a lot of work.
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Alaia Skyhawk: Short but very sweet. I didn't want to lose the adorable little visual images by adding excessive scene padding or conversation. Not when Aithusa doesn't need talk to express just how darn cute he is :)
Happy Christmas everyone!