A/N This is my first Merlin fic so any help or advice is much appreciated.
In case any of you are wondering the villain's name is pronounced (az-ree-all). Just one of those useless and unnecessary facts. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own this or any other awesome TV shows (or any TV shows period awesome or otherwise). And if I did own Merlin it would not be ending with season 5 and I would not have to wait months after season 5 originally aired before I can see it.
Parts in italics at the beginning, middle, and end are what is going on at the moment, everything else is one big flashback.
Prologue
Balinor stole through the night, an infant clutched to his chest as he sneaked out of the castle and toward the forest. He could hardly believe the circumstances of the past few hours that led to his flight from Camelot with the young prince asleep in his arms.
)()()(
King Uther paced the length of the throne room and back for what had to be the millionth time.
"Uther will you please sit down you're driving me mad," Balinor told his friend as he paced by... again.
Uther stopped pacing and looked up at his old friend. He sighed and sat in the chair next to his dragonlord and court sorcerer and began drumming his fingers on the table.
"Look, it's going to be fine," Balinor assured. "Ygraine is strong. It'll all be fine and in just a little while you'll be the proud father of a strong, young boy."
Uther smirked as he remembered how Balinor had maintained that the child would be a boy ever since they found out Ygraine was expecting. Every time he asked his friend how he could be so sure the dragonlord would simply reply that he 'just knew.' At first it irritated Uther to no end but then it became a sort of joke between them.
The fond memories made Uther relax just a bit and he gave the dragonlord a grateful smile.
If Balinor isn't worried then I shouldn't be either, Uther thought.
"Thank you, my friend," the king said sincerely and they both knew the king wasn't just talking about Balinor's reassuring words.
The dragonlord smiled and a moment of complete understanding passed between the two men before they lapsed into a silence broken only by the sound of the king's fingers drumming on the table.
Balinor had always been able to lift Uther's spirits. The two men had grown up together and had always been inseparable. They were closer than just friends, they were more like brothers and indeed both viewed the other as their brother in every way but blood and they trusted each other completely. They were so close, in fact, that years ago when Uther became king he officially adopted Balinor as his brother thus making him a member of the royal family.
The dragonlord's official title was Prince Balinor though he hardly used it. He didn't care for power or titles, the fact that he was not only Uther's brother in spirit but was so legally as well, was all that mattered to him and if that made him a prince then so be it. The one thing Balinor hadn't been too happy about was the fact that Uther had also put him into the line of succession regardless of Balinor's protests. Balinor didn't want the throne, he was more than happy to be Uther's adviser and court sorcerer but the king would have none of it. He reasoned that if Balinor had been born his brother then Balinor would be in line to become king should Uther die. So the king had made him heir to the throne even though Balinor hated it. Uther secretly suspected that this was one of the reasons Balinor was hoping for a boy, because if Uther were to have a son then Balinor would not be the heir apparent anymore which was more than fine as far as the dragonlord was concerned. But regardless of whether it was a girl or boy Uther just hoped the child was strong and healthy.
The two men sat in silence for a few more minutes, Uther completely lost in his thoughts, before Balinor reached his wits end and grabbed the king's hand.
"If you really want to thank me you will stop doing that," Balinor said exasperated.
Uther looked at his hand only just then realizing that he had been drumming his fingers on the table top for the last ten minutes.
"Sorry," he mumbled as he removed his hand from the table and crossed his arms.
"King Uther who laughs in the face of fear, can fell a hundred foes, and who quakes in the face of childbirth," Balinor said in another attempt to lighten the mood and get his friend's mind off of his worries.
"You just wait until you have a child," Uther shot back thankful for the distraction.
"Don't you think I should probably find a woman and get married first?" Balinor asked with a wry smirk.
"Oh, shut up," Uther snapped but the twinkle in his eye undermined his 'I am king you must do as I say' tone and Balinor just laughed as Uther reached over and playfully shoved him.
Just then the throne room doors opened and Gaius walked in. Both men leapt to their feet expectantly.
"Congratulations Sire! You have a son," Gaius answered the unspoken question.
"I told you so," Balinor said laughing happily.
Uther looked at Balinor his whole face lighting up as a smile split his face.
"Congratulations my friend!" Balinor exclaimed as he clapped his king on the shoulder. "Now go. See your son."
Uther smiled brightly at his friend before turning and walking out of the throne room.
Once he was gone Balinor turned to Gaius and allowed the worry he had hidden from his friend to show.
"Gaius is everything all right? The boy? The queen?"
Gaius smiled softly at his concern.
"Everything is fine my friend. The queen is tired but that is to be expected and the child is a fine, strong, and healthy boy."
Balinor sighed in relief and let a genuine smile spread across his face.
"Come. I'll bet the proud father wishes to show off his boy," Balinor said and he and Gaius walked out of the throne room and turned in the direction Uther had taken minutes before.
They arrived at Queen Ygraine's chambers and Balinor knocked softly before entering the room. Queen Ygraine sat in bed the king sitting beside her holding a small bundle in his arms. They both looked up to see their friend in the doorway.
"Balinor," Ygraine said smiling. "Come in. Come in."
Uther stood up and walked forward as Balinor entered the room. Balinor stood in front of the king and looked down at the sleeping prince a huge smile spreading across his face.
"He's perfect. I'm so happy for you both," Balinor said squeezing his friend's shoulder.
"You want to hold him?" Ygraine asked.
Balinor's smile fell from his suddenly pale face.
"No, no. That's alright. Maybe later," he said a little too quickly.
Uther laughed at the look on his friend's face.
"Balinor, the mighty sorcerer who can bring down an army with a few words, who's friends with and can command fierce dragons, and who is afraid to hold an infant," Uther laughed as his friend glared at him.
"He's not going to break, Balinor. Just hold him the same way Uther is," Ygraine said.
Balinor studied the way the king was holding the child a moment before Uther held the child out to him and laid the boy in the uneasy dragonlord's arms.
Balinor stood as still as a statue as he held the small bundle. After a moment the sleeping boy snuggled into Balinor's chest and grabbed a tiny handful of his tunic. A huge grin lit up the dragonlord's face as he slowly relaxed.
"I think he likes me," he said not looking away from the sweet face.
Uther and Ygraine shared a happy and content smile as they watched their friend with their son.
"He'd better like you. It wouldn't do for him to not like his Uncle Balinor," Uther said casually.
Balinor continued to look at the prince a few moments before Uther's words registered and his head snapped up so fast the king and queen were surprised he didn't hurt himself.
"What?" he asked staring at his two friends, sure that he had heard wrong.
Uther couldn't hold in a laugh at the look on the man's face.
"You heard me, my friend. You are my brother in spirit as well as legally. That makes you his uncle in every way that could possibly matter."
The biggest smile that they had ever seen split Balinor's face.
"Uncle Balinor," he said experimentally. "I like it."
"Good, because we weren't really giving you a choice in the matter," Uther said matter of fact.
Balinor smiled at his friend and king and suddenly all of his joy bubbled up and came out in the form of a deep laugh of pure happiness. After a moment Uther and Ygraine joined in and the three friends reveled in the moment together.
)()()(
Balinor blinked back tears at the happy memory. The three of them had been so happy and free only to have it all ripped apart in an instant.
)()()(
"Sire?" a servant said as they tentatively entered the room.
"Yes, what is it?" Uther asked looking up.
"Sire there is a man here who wishes to see you," the servant replied.
Uther heaved a sigh and began to leave when Balinor stopped him.
"I'll go," he said. "You stay here with your wife and son."
Balinor held the child out to the king who took him with a grateful look.
"Thank you," he said.
Balinor nodded to him and left the room. He followed the servant into the throne room where a hooded figure stood with his back to him.
"Can I help you?" Balinor asked.
"Yes," an oily voice said. "I think you can."
The man turned around and threw his hood back. Balinor sucked in a sharp breath his eyes widening as he instantly recognized the man.
"Azrial," Balinor gasped.
Azrial was an evil sorcerer who along with his brother had tried to overtake a neighboring kingdom a few years before by kidnapping one of the king's sons. Uther and Balinor had gone to the neighboring king's aid and had stopped Azrial's plot and rescued the boy but only just barely. Both men had been injured and nearly killed in the process and as such the sorcerer had escaped capture. Azrial blamed them for his failure as well as the death of his evil conspiring brother and just before he disappeared he vowed to exact revenge against Uther and Balinor. Now he was back, and bold enough to walk right into the throne room of Camelot, and Balinor was afraid of what that might mean.
"Oh good. You remember me," Azrial's said with a wicked smirk.
"What do you want?" Balinor asked regaining his composure.
"You know what I want," Azrial said just before he muttered a few words under his breath and his eyes flashed red.
Balinor had just enough time to put up a shield before the massive blood red fireball barreled into him. His eyes flashing gold, Balinor pushed his hand toward his opponent and the evil sorcerer was sent flying backward and crashing into the big oak table behind him.
Azrial got to his feet and sent another fireball shooting at the dragonlord who blocked it before being forced to leap to the side as yet another fiery blast sought to take his life. He hit the ground and rolled to his feet muttering a spell as he did so. A flash of lightning struck out toward Azrial but the vile man deflected it and sent two more fireballs careening toward Balinor. Some distant part of Balinor's mind noted that fireballs seemed to be Azrial's weapon of choice as Balinor's eyes flashed gold again and a wave of water appeared out of nowhere and doused the flames.
The two sorcerers continued to send all manner of attacks at each other as they ran and dodged around the now ragged looking throne room. As Azrial saw that his fireballs weren't proving effective he began to throw more flashy and elaborate spells at Balinor but ironically it was actually one of those fireballs that got the dragonlord.
Balinor was focused on blocking several chairs that Azrial had sent flying at him when out of the corner of his eye he saw movement and turned to see a huge red fireball flying right for him. He leapt sideways but wasn't quite fast enough. The fireball caught him on his shoulder and sent him flying into the wall behind him his head slamming against the thick stones. He slid down the wall to lie in a crumpled heap on the floor. Balinor's head swam and his vision blurred as he looked at the evil sorcerer approaching him. He tried to sit up but pain flared in his left shoulder and he dropped back to the floor with a hiss.
Azrial stalked toward him and loomed over the injured dragonlord.
"I could kill you right now," Azrial said hatred dripping from his voice. "But that is not why I came here and I want you to die slowly and painfully and I don't have the time for that right now. I will have to get my revenge on you later. Perhaps when I have achieved my objective I will return for you."
He turned and walked toward the door just before he left the room he stopped and spoke one last sentence over his shoulder to the dragonlord.
"I think I will congratulate the king on his happy news."
Balinor's blood turned to ice.
The Prince!
With a monumental effort, Balinor forced himself to his feet and staggered after the evil madman. He was not going to let that monster hurt his nephew.
)()()(
Uther, Ygraine, and Gaius talked softly as the prince slept in the queen's arms. Balinor had been gone about thirty minutes and had yet to return but none of them were worried. If there was something serious going on Balinor would have alerted the king so they all figured that whatever matter Balinor was attending to was routine and mundane.
They did not know just how wrong they were.
As it was, they were all expecting their friend back any minute so none were alarmed by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall followed by the door opening a moment later. But all of the blood drained out of Uther's face when he looked to see not his best friend but a very dangerous enemy standing just inside the door.
"Hello, Uther Pendragon," Azrial said with a evil smile.
Uther shot to his feet.
"How did you get in here?" he demanded hiding the fear in his voice with anger.
Azrial ignored the question and continued speaking.
"I thought when someone asked to see the king they actually saw the king, not his pet dragonlord," Azrial said offhandedly.
The implications of his statement were not lost on the others in the room.
"If you've hurt him-" Uther began to threaten him but Azrial cut him off.
"You'll do what?" he spat. "If that miserable excuse for a sorcerer couldn't stop me what makes you think you can?"
"What do you want?" Uther asked trying to ignore the fact that the sorcerer was right. If Azrial wanted to do something, Uther wouldn't be able to stop him.
"Finally a pertinent question," he said with a smirk. "I've come to take my revenge. You killed my brother and you must pay."
"You and your brother tried to take over a kingdom by kidnapping an innocent twelve year old boy," Uther replied angrily.
"You are still responsible for his death!" Azrial shouted before smirking and returning to his softer tone once again. "And as I said you must pay, and pay you will, with your son's life."
)()()(
Balinor all but ran down the hallway bouncing off the walls as he staggered and struggled to remain on his feet. He couldn't afford to slow down or fall. That would mean failure and he could not fail. Not this time. As his vision swam sickeningly and fiery pain screamed in his shoulder Balinor dimly wondered when this hallway had gotten so long.
Finally after what seemed like years the door he was seeking came into view and he threw himself toward it praying that he wasn't too late. He reached the door just in time to hear Azrial speak.
"...and pay you will, with your son's life."
Balinor fell against the door frame and looked into the room to see Azrial muttering something and holding out a hand toward Uther and Gaius who were trying to shield Ygraine and the crying child in her arms.
"NO!" Balinor screamed as a blood red fireball flew from Azrial's hand and straight for his friends but the fireball never finished it's task as with a flash of gold all four of them were enveloped in a light blue shield that stopped the fireball in it's tracks.
Uther, Ygraine, and Gaius were prepared for fiery pain and death but it never came instead they felt a peace and safety that Uther instantly recognized as Balinor and he knew the dragonlord was using his magic to protect them. They watched as the fireball slammed into a light blue barrier about a foot from them and dissipated without so much as any heat getting through.
Azrial roared in anger and whirled around to glare at Balinor.
"I thought I took care of you," Azrial said angrily.
"Not quite," Balinor said with a small smile.
"No matter," Azrial said waving a hand through the air. "I will simply finish what I started with you then take care of the prince," he spat the last word like a curse.
"I will never let you harm him," Balinor said deadly serious.
"And just how do you propose to stop me?" Azrial asked skeptically.
Balinor smirked. Fortunately he had a backup plan.
He threw his head back and began speaking an ancient language in a strange and deep voice. After a moment he stopped speaking and looked back at Azrial.
"Tell me Azrial. Do you think you are good enough to fight off two dragons?"
Balinor smiled triumphantly at the fear he saw in Azrial's eyes at the mention of the fierce creatures. Azrial may be powerful but he couldn't fight off even one dragon by himself let alone two.
"This is not over!" he screamed in outrage. "There is nowhere in this kingdom that he is safe. I will have the boy's life and I will not stop until he is dead."
With that, Azrial disappeared leaving Uther, Ygraine, Gaius, Balinor, and a screaming baby in the room.
The shield around the physician and the royals flickered out as Balinor slid down the door frame and sat exhausted and bleeding on the floor, his eyes slipping shut as pain and fatigue overtook him.
"Balinor!" Uther cried as he rushed to his injured friend and crouched down beside him. His face clouded with worry as he took in the dragonlord's injuries.
Balinor's shoulder was burned and blistered with blood oozing from the angry wound and he had a gash on his forehead that was bleeding freely.
"Balinor?" he asked as he gently laid a hand on his uninjured shoulder.
"I'm all right," he mumbled tiredly, his eyes remaining shut.
Uther sighed and leaned his forehead against Balinor's, a gesture dating back to when they were boys.
"Thank you," he breathed.
Balinor reached a shaky hand up and squeezed his friend's arm in reply.
Uther looked up to see Gaius crouch down on Balinor's other side and begin to assess his injuries.
"What happened?" Uther asked.
Balinor opened his eyes and looked at Uther as he began to fill him in.
"I went to the throne room to see the man that had asked for you but when I got there it was Azrial. He attacked and and I was forced to fight him," Balinor grimaced remembering the state of the throne room. "Uh, speaking of that. Um, don't go into the throne room for a little while. All right?"
Uther simply closed his eyes and shook his head. Balinor was so much like a younger brother sometimes.
"Anyway, we fought for a while until he caught me off guard and one of his fireballs got me in the shoulder and slammed me into the wall. Then when he started to leave he said he wanted to 'congratulate you on your good news' and I knew he was going after the boy. So I got up and somehow got here in time to stop him but it was only the threat of the dragons that got him. He will be back," Balinor stated looking Uther in the eye.
"I know," Uther growled at the thought of his son in danger.
Gaius whispered a few words, his eyes flashing gold, and Balinor's shoulder wound healed up. Then he proceeded to do the same with the gash on the dragonlord's forehead. In a matter of minutes Balinor's wounds were gone and he felt much better if still a bit tired. Uther took his arm and helped him to his feet where he leaned unsteadily against the wall a moment before straightening and addressing the king once again.
"Uther we must do something. Azrial will be back and I don't know if I can stop him the next time," the dragonlord said.
"I know, and there's certainly nothing I can do," Uther said irritated by the fact that he couldn't protect his family from this threat.
"Sire, might I make a suggestion?" Gaius asked.
"Of course Gaius," Uther replied.
"I think we need to get the boy out of the kingdom and hide him somewhere safe until Azrial is caught," Gaius stated.
Uther thought about it a moment. He was loath to send his son away but he knew Gaius was right. His son could not stay there, it was just too dangerous. If he was hidden, perhaps in a village a ways from here, in a place Azrial wouldn't think to look then he might be safe. He turned to look at his wife and he could see she had reached the same conclusion.
"You're right," Uther said turning back to Gaius. "He is not safe here. We must have someone take him and hide him where Azrial won't find him. Somewhere where no one could possibly know or recognize him as a prince."
He looked at Ygraine who had tears running down her face and she nodded knowing exactly what he was thinking.
"Balinor. Take my son somewhere safe and protect him," he said turning back to his friend.
Balinor was shocked and unable to speak for a moment.
"B-but," he swallowed thickly. "But surly there is someone else. A better choice besides me."
"Balinor," Uther said placing his hands on Balinor's shoulders before continuing sadly. "I cannot protect my son. You are the only one who is even remotely capable of that and if I cannot protect him myself you are the only other man I would trust him with. You are my brother and I know you will take care of him."
Balinor swallowed around the lump in his throat and tamped down his panic at being entrusted with something so terribly important.
"I will protect him with my life, Sire. He will be safe with me. I promise," he vowed with every fiber of his being.
"I know he will," Uther replied.
"Sire," Gaius spoke up. "You need to realize that the child cannot return until Azrial is captured and that may not happen right away. Azrial is smart and powerful," he hesitated before finishing what needed to be said, "and it could take years to catch him."
Uther took a deep breath blinking back tears as he absorbed the new information. After a moment he turned and spoke to Balinor once again.
"In that case, you will have to raise him. And you will have to raise him as your own so as to divert suspicion," he glanced at Ygraine yet again and she nodded through her tears once more. "And you mustn't tell him who he really is."
Balinor's eyes widened. "But he deserves to know of his parents. You deserve for him to know."
"It is for his own protection. The less he knows of his true origins the safer he'll be. There will be time for him to know of us once we are rid of Azrial. And it may not even come to that. Hopefully we will catch that monster and have you both back within a few days," Uther said.
Balinor wanted to believe he was right but he had a feeling that it wasn't going to be that easy. Something was telling him he wasn't going to see his home or his family again for many years.
"There is a place I know of outside of Camelot where I believe he will be safe. I will take him there," Balinor said at length.
"Where?" Gaius asked.
"No, don't tell us," Uther cut in. "It is safer for you both if no one else knows."
Balinor nodded.
The king looked him in the eye a moment more before embracing the younger man. A few tears ran down both men's faces as they were forced to acknowledge that this would probably be the last time they saw each other for several years.
"I will miss you, my brother," Uther whispered into Balinor's ear.
"And I you," Balinor replied.
They released each other and Uther walked over to Ygraine.
"Goodbye, my son," she whispered then kissed her son on the forehead before passing him to Uther.
As Uther held his son for the last time Balinor walked over and took Ygraine's hand and pressed a kiss to it.
"I hope to see you both soon," Ygraine said to her friend.
"As do I," he replied.
Balinor turned to his friend once more who took one last look at his son and passed him into the arms of his brother.
Balinor and Uther shared one last look. No words were spoken. They didn't need any. A world of communication passed between them. All of the things they just couldn't put into words were conveyed in that one look. Then Balinor nodded and turned toward the door.
"Goodbye, Gaius," he said as he passed the physician.
"Goodbye, my friend," the physician replied.
Balinor strode to the door and was almost out of the room when he stopped and turned back to look at Uther again.
"What did you name him?" he asked only just then realizing that he didn't know the child's name.
"Arthur," Uther replied.
Balinor jerked his head in a single nod, then turned and disappeared out the door.
)()()(
A single tear rolled down Balinor's cheek as he stood at the edge of the forest and took one last look at the castle that had been his home before he turned and disappeared into the forest carrying his precious cargo in the direction of a small village called Ealdor.