After grabbing his discarded clothes and weapons, he threw his shirt back on and went to his and Gaius's chambers, putting the bow and quiver, with the arrows back in it, in his chamber. Merlin kept his Khopesh on his person, in its usual spot at his lower back, and his daggers on his hips. After leaving the physicians chambers, Merlin headed to the kitchens and grabbed an apple. The head cook didn't bother scolding him, seeing that it wasn't a part of the upcoming meal she and the other women were preparing, though she did give his weapons an odd glance, but decided not to ask. After waving goodbye to the cooking staff, Merlin took a bite and headed to the council room. When Merlin got there he sees that they were almost done, so he walked over to stand next to Thomas and watched them finish up.
"So Merlin, what do you think?" Arthur asked Merlin, having looked up to see who came in. When Merlin got closer Arthur looked at him again and saw that he had, what he could guess, were his personal daggers strapped to his hips. The sheaths were leather with copper accents wrapping around the shaft in a scale pattern. He could also see the hilt of what he suspected to be the oddly curved blade Thomas gave Merlin poking out from around his side.
"It's looking great if you ask me. Thomas?" Thomas looked up from the planes. "Uh, Manen limbë úvëa uin hlócir ya mahta?" (Uh, How many number of dragons will fight?) Merlin asked, Arthur looking at him in surprise at the change of language. He has never actually heard Darthonian spoken, at least not properly, and it came as a shock to hear how fluidly it came out of his previous manservant. When he realized that Merlin had asked a question, he grew curious as to what was asked, seeing that Merlin has spoke in English up till now; Arthur wondered why Merlin had to switch to his native tongue. Before he could voice his thoughts, Thomas answered, also in Darthonian, though it was much faster than Merlin.
"Ve sam tuxa hlóci ya mahta as tye, manan?" (We have one hundred dragons who will fight with you, why?) Thomas asked, looking at Arthur briefly when he saw Arthur's surprise.
Merlin leaned over the table, his dagger hilts clanking against the table slightly, so that he could point to an area of the map. Merlin was well aware of Arthur's surprise, but he knew that his brother is struggling slightly to understand everything being said, and didn't want his brother to struggle in answering him. He also didn't want to scare Arthur away at the prospect of being surrounded by dragons when either fighting or simply being in Darthon, so he had decided to break it slowly to Arthur that there are, in fact, many dragons in Darthon.
While making pointed swooping motions over certain parts of the map, Merlin continued in Darthonian, saying "Mai, qui ve harya Sam tulya i hossë sís, Will sís, ar Al sís, tárë ve polenga limbë talan neri, Ná?" (Well, if we have Sam lead a troop here, Will here, and Al here, then we can save many ground men, yes?) Merlin leaned away from the table, taking another bite from his apple and offering the rest to Will, who gladly took it.
Thomas looked at the map where Merlin pointed and nodded. "Ná." Thomas looked at Sam and Will, two of the three men that Merlin assigned, to get their approval at this new development. "Cartye meran mittanya?" (Do you want to lead?)
"Ni tev lye atta." (I hate you two.) Samuel laughed, "Mal ná, ni sana Al ista mittanya i hossë. Ni níra." (But yes, I think Al can lead a troop. I will.) He nodded his head in agreement as he spoke, William nodding along.
"Hey!" Arthur exclaimed, leaning forward slightly, "I still don't understand Darthonian, care to explain what was just said?" Arthur looked pointedly at Merlin, seeing that he was the reason why the others are now speaking Darthonian.
"Well," Merlin sighed, so much for slowly breaking it to the Prat. "Seeing that Darthon is a magical kingdom, we have animals that are considered magical, and that includes dragons."
Arthur's face contorted into one of confusion. "Wait, I thought I killed the last dragon! Are you telling me that my father lied about killing off all the dragons?" Arthur demanded, looking between the two brothers.
Thomas looked uncomfortable, not knowing how to properly explain the answers demanded of him and his brother. He was also uncomfortable at hearing such a subject being discussed as if it's unfair that it might not be true. Thomas knew the legacy Uther Pendragon made for his ancestors to bear, but to have it confirmed in such a way, it was hard.
"We were discussing the number of battle ready dragons and where they can be placed to reduce casualties." Samuel sums up, before looking a little sheepish and turning to Merlin. "Manen cartye quet tuxa?" (How do you say 100?)
Merlin laughed breathily before answering. "One hundred pitya roquen." (Little knight.)
Sam growled at the nickname. He grabbed the discarded apple core from in front of Will and chucked it at Merlin, who was able to block it from hitting his face. Merlin laughed, before picking it up and placing it on the table again while Sam continued his explanation.
"As I was saying Sire, we have one hundred dragons that are willing to fight. The others are either unable to fight or needed to do other tasks."
Arthur's eyes widened. "There are over one hundred dragons in Darthon? How many are there unable to fight?"
Merlin was shocked, Arthur didn't look as scared as Merlin thought he would. Instead he looked intrigued, almost childlike at the idea of that many dragons. Merlin turned to Will, a questioning expression on his face. "Manen limbë?" (How many?)
"Otso enenqui cantuxa." (467.) Will whispered.
Merlin sighed. He knew that his uncle killed many that day, and he likely killed any he found after, but Merlin hadn't expected that Gurak was able to kill off three hundred dragons. Most of which were likely not even fighters by trade.
"Manen limbë vinimo vanwa?" (How many babies lost?) Merlin asked, dredding to hear the number.
"Atta-" Will choked up. He cleared his throat, taking a deep breath, he continued. "Atta leminquain enentuxa." (Two- 652.)
Merlin sighed. He had expected that many of the eggs and young were unable to be saved, but for so many… It was heart wrenching.
Arthur looked on in concern, seeing Merlin sigh in what looks like defeat bringing questions to his thoughts.
Thomas turned to Arthur, remembering that he had asked a question. "As a total there are 567 dragons left. 100 are able to fight, 42 are infants, 12 are still eggs, and 413 are adults."
"Yes Arthur, a magical kingdom has many magical flying lizards, are you really that surprised?" Merlin sighed.
Arthur straightened. "No, I just didn't expect you to have that many. Also I though the Great Dragon was the last dragon?" Arthur asked, remembering all the lessons about how his father took down the entire dragon race.
Arthur nodded, absorbing this new information, before smirking and looking up at Merlin again. "What I am surprised about is your grudge on that practice dummy." Arthur said, to which Merlin stopped chewing.
"You saw that?"
"Oh yeah, and the woman. They were practically throwing themselves at you." Arthur teased while leaning against the table.
"Well it's not like I'm going to ask any of them to court me just because they complimented my fighting. Besides, I have someone in Darthon." Merlin then turned to Thomas, a look of panic in his eyes. "Is she still..." Merlin asked, unable finish his sentence.
"Yes, she is still alive." Merlin let out a sigh of relief at his words.
"Wait, Merlin has a girlfriend?" Arthur scoffed.
"Yes, yes I do." Merlin retorted. Merlin started for the doors, overhearing Gwaine make a passing comment from the table.
"20 coins she's beautiful." Gwaine whispered to Percy, who nodded in agreement.
"I bet 40." Merlin yelled back as he walked out, Gwaine looking shocked at the doors as they close.
Arthur turned to Thomas with a small smile on his face. "That actually explains some of his past reactions to me jesting about women."
Thomas gave a small chuckle, "I know what you speak, before Merlin and Lady Indis, that is her name, started courting Merlin was uncomfortable at the idea of being with a woman. We don't really know when the two started courting, but they announced it at a masquerade, as is tradition when someone joins the royal house, even if only for the duration of the relationship." Explained Thomas.
Arthur nodded, turning this new information around in his head. He grew curious of the masquerade tradition Thomas mentioned, and asked about it.
"Masquerades are held at random, or during dark times to lighten the spirits of those in the kingdom. They are also held when a member of the royal family is coronated, weather as King, Queen, Prince or Princess. They are also held to announce relationships or marriages within the royal family." Thomas said, trying to not leave out any information. When Arthur asked why a masquerade, Thomas struggled more in his explanation. "It's, it's a symbolic event. When you go to a masquerade, you wear a mask that represents you, and if you have a partner, you're masks compliment each other. Um, for example, if someone was beautiful and kind, they would be a flower, and if someone was to court that person, they might adopt their mask to match with their partners, such as a butterfly.
"When Merlin and Lady Indis announced their relationship, they didn't outright say it at first, but instead wore complimentary masks. Merlin's mask before the relationship had been a sparrow, while Lady Indis's had been a tree with it's leaves. To show their relationship, Merlin adopted a copper leaf, and Lady Indis a bare tree. It represents that Merlin lives by his Lady, that as long as she is happy and blooming, he shall grow and help her prosper." Arthur nodded, seeing how the symbolism works.
Thomas smirked, "When they finally get married, and they keep this theme, their children will likely have green leaf or blooming flower masks, showing that they depend on their mother to grow as much as she does on them." Arthur looked surprised at the idea of Merlin marrying, but thinking on the fact that he is the true heir to the throne, it wasn't that far fetched.
"Why would Merlin have a copper leaf for a mask? Wouldn't he have a green one instead, because when leaves are of copper color that means they're dead, so how does that match the symbolism?" Arthur asked, having thought of the question when Thomas explained the symbolism.
Thomas nodded, "Good question. The mask is shaped to look like a healthy leaf, but it's colored copper because that is his signature color." When Arthur shot him a curious look Thomas explained his meaning. "A person in Darthon gains a signature color when, or if, they receive a dragon born on the same day as themselves. Merlin was given his dragon when he started to crawl for the first time, so that the dragon could learn how to take care of their human when they fall or can't go on. The dragon is supervised for the first few months by another older dragon to make sure that if something happens, no one gets hurt. The older dragon is usually its mother, but can also be one of the child's parents dragons."
Arthur nodded, seeing the symbolism in this. "So the persons signature color is the color of their dragon?" Thomas nodded. "How often does someone get their own dragon?" Arthur asked, wondering if it's a royal tradition or if it is for anyone in the kingdom.
"Anyone can be given their own dragon, especially if they have the potential of becoming a knight, if their family works in the forges or fields, and even if they are of a fishing family. The dragon is never owned by their rider or family, it is a friend and is always to be treated as one of the family. As a matter of fact, if the person becomes a cloth maker, where a dragon is not usually needed, the dragon is allowed to work any job it chooses and earn money for their rider. It doesn't cost anything, for when a child is born, the family is asked if they would like an egg to be hatched for their child. If they say yes then the egg is chosen by the mother of the egg and is then hatched and given free of charge."
Arthur nodded, starting to get an idea of the lives lived in Darthon. Thomas, seeing that Arthur had no more questions, excused himself, deciding to go explore Camelot, having not been able to properly yet.
"Thomas!" Merlin called from behind said brother, "Toron (Brother), what're you doing wondering this part of the castle?" Merlin asked, knowing that this was a rather bleak side of the castle, though Thomas didn't seem to mind.
"Wondering mostly, getting a feel of it. It has been ages since I have been in one." Thomas, who had stopped walking so Merlin could catch up, had presumed walking, though at a much slower pace.
"I know the feeling. When I first came to Camelot and I started working for Gaius I was constantly getting lost. Always forgetting that I wasn't in Darthon anymore. I would look up from walking while daydreaming and realize that I was walking to the Darthon kitchens instead of the Camelot kitchens." Thomas nodded, telling his brother to continue on.
"After a few days I was given the position of Arthur's manservant after saving his life. Uther was still king, and Arthur wasn't even officially the crowned Prince of Camelot yet, but he was a much bigger prat."
Thomas stopped walking, and Merlin stopped a pace in front of where his brother stopped, a questioning look on his face. Thomas was looking down, a far away look in his eyes. Merlin put his left hand on his brothers shoulder in worry, not knowing why his brother is acting like this.
"Ada ma qualin." (Father is dead.) Thomas said solemnly, looking up at his brother with watery eyes. The second Balanor had passed, Thomas felt something inside his magic fade and something new sproute from it. For when Balanor passed, both Merlin and Thomas inherited the Dragon Lord gift, and so when either brother encountered a dragon for the first time after, their new gift was revealed.
Merlin let out a shuttered breath, nodding his head. "Ne ista. Ne tirnë se qualin." (I know. I watched him die.) Merlin whispered, dropping his hand from his brothers shoulder. Merlin turned and leaned back against the window sill, tears falling from his eyes. Thomas, who let out a sob, wrapped his brother in a tight embrace. Thomas knew where their mother was, having passed through Ealdor on their way around Camelot. She was the reason why he went to Camelot, Thomas hadn't dared go into Uther's land, knowing what he did to those with magic. But when he found his mother and she told him that his brother was serving under Camelot's new King, he abandoned his previous quest of going to a different kingdom and went into the Land of Camelot the next day. Their mother had stayed behind, telling Thomas to come back through Ealdor after he had found Merlin.
The two brothers stayed in their embrace, not caring who went by or who could hear them grieve. When the brothers ran out of tears, they continued to comfort each other, only breaking their embrace to wipe the tears from their faces. Once they finished grieving, Merlin asked a question.
"Iva lië...?" (Our people...?) Thomas smiled, having expected his brother to ask how his subjects fair.
"Te nar coina. (They are alive.) Currently they are living near the border of Aran (King) Landar's númeni taurë (western forest). It is the only place with sufficient cover and room for all the people and hlóci (Dragons). We have been trying to grow crops with little success, but we are able to ration the food sufficiently." Thomas explained, starting to walk down the hall again.
Merlin sighed in relief, sad to hear that their people are struggling to survive, but glad that they live. The brothers wandered the halls for a few hours, taking about little odds and ends, and eventually wandering into the more populated area of the castle. While walking around, both Thomas and Merlin would switch between Darthonian and English, depending on how sensitive the subject is, or simply if Thomas struggled to find the proper way of saying it in English. Both brothers learned English after mastering Darthonian, but since Merlin has needed to speak solely English for the past few years, he was able to learn far more words than Thomas. Merlin found that he was actually struggling to speak Darthonian fluently after not speaking it for so many years, which has lead to Thomas laughing at him on a few occasions.
Many servants that passed the brothers found themselves staring at Merlin in wonder and curiosity.
"Anyway, I should be going, Arthur still needs a manservant." Merlin said walking to the door.
"Come on Merlin! You are a prince!" Thomas said. Merlin shrugged,
"Yah but I think he would want me to be his manservant for as long as I can before George has to take over." Merlin left the room and walked down the corridor to Arthur's chambers.
When he got there he went in and saw Arthur at his desk writing something down. Merlin went over to the table, which held Arthur's armor, and picked it up, causing Arthur to look up. "Merlin, what are you doing?"
Merlin looked at Arthur. "What does it look like? Someone still has to clean this." He said sarcastically.
"Merlin, you're a prince. I know you have been one this whole time but the point is I know now and I don't want a prince cleaning my armor or..." Arthur stopped talking in shock of what he has had Merlin do. "Oh my God I've had a royal muck out the stables." Merlin started laughing, making Arthur look puzzled. "What's so funny?"
When Merlin's laughing quieted down he responded. "What makes you think I did it without magic hear and there?"
Arthur made an exasperated face, before sighing. "Merlin that's not the point."
"I know what you mean, and I hold nothing against you."
Arthur nodded and clapped his hands. "Well speaking of your royal status, I have procured new chambers for you to live in for the short time you will be here and any other time you choose to visit."
Merlin almost dropped the armor. "What? Why would you do that?"
"Because no matter what you say you are royalty and I will not tolerate to have you sleep anywhere other then the chambers that I am giving you. It's next to your brothers, which will also always be there for him when needed."
Merlin shook his head. "Arthur, I've been living in the same chambers for the past few years, there is no reason to change that now."
Arthur smirked, and walked over to the door. "Follow me and see why I say you should." Merlin put the armor back on the table with a clunk and followed.
When they got to the end of the corridor they could hear Thomas and the other knights talking still, causing Merlin to chuckle. When he and Arthur got to the chamber doors Arthur opened them. Merlin walked in and saw that the chambers where the same size as Arthurs and the décor wasn't much different. The table was similar to Arthurs just had a different polish and design, the bed was a four poster with blue, gold, and silver while the pillows were the same. The rest of the furniture was in the same place as Arthurs, which was slightly creepy for Merlin.
"So, what do you think?" Arthur asked.
"It looks a lot like your room."
This caused Arthur to look around the room and shrug. "Yah but that can be changed. So besides that what do you think?"
Merlin shrugged and walked over to the table, moving his hand over the wood. With a flash of gold the table, along with the rest of the room, started to change starting from where Merlin was touching the table. Arthur jumped slightly, but was instantly amazed by the new room. The table was the same size just slightly more ovular and a darker wood with pictures all around the edges of dragons, unicorns, you name it. The bed was a solid color, the bluest of blues with golden drapes being held up by the same wood. The floor had a rug on it around the bed that was made out of deer hid. On the walls here were 3 deer heads with large antlers. The desk was next to the bed but they weren't touching, also made of that dark wood. The rest of the décor was in the same place just made out of the wood and had a different design.
Arthur looked on in amazement. "What... How...?" Merlin looked around the new room a bit more before taking his hand off the table causing everything to turn into the room it once was. "It was an illusion, of my old room. Sorry, couldn't help it." Merlin apologized, before walking out. Arthur looked after Merlin with a worried expression, and decided that he'll leave him alone. After all, tomorrow they're going to start their journey to reclaim his kingdom.
In quenya they say the numbers backwards, so it actually says 7 60 400. Thought you should know.