Uther Pendragon wasn't always the heartless, emotionless man he was now. Once, a long time ago, he had a wife and friends instead of his advisers that he kept at an arm's length.
It all changed when Ygraine died. He cherished her, protected her and loved her more than anything else in the world. If he had fully understood the consequences of his actions that his desire of an heir to Camelot's throne would cause, he might have been more forgiving on those with magic. It was his fault. He knew that, but he was King and, therefore, couldn't blame himself. It would make him, and his kingdom, look weak and unprotected.
So, magic was blamed. Magic users were killed. Dragon Lords and their Dragons were killed, mercilessly.
Well, all but one, that is. Balinor was locked in the dungeons of Camelot, waiting for the day it would be his turn to burn on the pyre of flames. For a whole year, he was at Uther's mercy but the fire never called his name like the others.
Uther couldn't bring himself to kill his friend, and practically the Uncle of his son. The one man that he could see that magic didn't corrupt and that magic could be wielded like a sword. The man Ygraine trusted with her son, she had said so herself in her last breaths.
Uther still hated himself to this day for what he did to his best and, arguably, only friend.
Uther looked at his old friend.
'No,' his mind reminded him.' He's the enemy and everything you hate. He's the reason Ygraine's dead and your son is growing up without a mother.'
Balinor was still tall and wide with muscle as he had been when he was put in this cell a year ago. His hair and beard were wilder but otherwise he looked the same as he had always done.
He was still proud and the last Dragon Lord. By the new laws, he should have died as soon as he was captured but, no, there was something that Uther needed Balinor to do first.
"Uther," Balinor said as he leaned against the bars of his cell," long time, no see. What brings you to my humble abode?"
"It's Sire or Your Majesty to you," Uther snapped. "And I'm here to offer you a deal." He gave Balinor a moment to process what he had just said. Balinor nodded his head for Uther to continue. "I want you to bring that dragon of yours, Kilgharrah, here so I can apologise for my actions towards your kin and let you live in peace."
Balinor flicked his brown eyes on Uther's blue ones. He stared at him for what seemed an eternity. Finally he spoke. "Will you really? For some reason I doubt that you are telling me the whole story, Your Majesty." How he managed to twist those two simple words into what sounded like an insult, Uther had no idea.
"Well, that's all you're getting to know."
Uther didn't regret that he pretty much forced his friend to help him capture Kilgharrah and lock him in chains deep within the caves beneath his castle. No, what he regretted was what happened next.
He took out his sword and tried to kill Balinor where he stood. Balinor threw him against a wall with his magic, along with all the knights that were there. He disappeared up the stairs before anyone could react. He then proceeded to vanish. Uther had a feeling that Gaius had a hand in that but didn't confront him. He knew that Gaius' sister, Hunith, had a soft spot for the Dragon Lord and that the feeling was reciprocated.
He also knew where Hunith had moved to. A small village called Ealdor in Cenreds kingdom. He chased Balinor there but he had disappeared and all he received was an angry women screaming in his face about everything from being a hypocrite to being a horrible King that didn't deserve what he had.
He forgot all of that though. Until almost twenty years later, when a young man challenged his son over the treatment of servant and got into two fights with Arthur in as many days then saved his life.
When he had gone to reward the boy for saving the life of his son and heir, he'd almost lost his nerve. The face staring back at him was the younger version of the man that had offered to protect his son such a long time ago. The only differences being the lanky frame instead of the broad shoulders and the cerulean eyes that replaced brown.
He was left in no doubt that this was Balinor's child. The Dragon Lords son and Uther didn't know what to think.
He was surprised when either of the young men liked the reward he gave to this Merlin. Of course, Merlin didn't speak up about his displeasure but it was visible in the way his face fell and his eyes lost some of their light.
The following day, Uther watched his son and his new manservant with a bemused smile. Arthur was running the boy into the ground and yet Merlin still found the energy to fight back, with his tongue rather than fists, and stand up for himself. The boy called his son many things but never 'Prince' or 'Sire' unless in company of someone who would make sure he was punished for his disobedience. Uther didn't really notice this much as he concentrated on his sons' reaction or, more appropriately, his lack of reaction.
His son, instead of putting his manservant in his place, like he should, also fought back with words.
Just like Balinor and Uther used to do before Ygraine's death and Arthurs birth.
And when Kilgharrah escaped, he was no-one's fool. He knows that the powers of a Dragon Lord only pass on from father to son upon death but a lesser known fact, which Balinor told him, was that Dragons could communicate with their kin. It didn't matter whether they were to be a Dragon Lord or not. Though, usually it would be the former rather than the latter.
Merlin must have done something; he just didn't know what and, as such, couldn't do anything about it without upsetting his son.
He was most surprised when Gaius offered up information on Balinor's location as readily as he did. He really shouldn't have. Gaius loved his sister dearly and Balinor was his friend as well. The fact that he was protecting his family didn't surprise the King; he would do, and had done, the same.
Merlin's reaction, however, made him realise he didn't know who his father was. Merlin had frowned at the mention of the term 'Dragon Lord' like he hadn't heard of it before. The frown had stayed in place (if not grown larger) when the name of the aforementioned Dragon Lord had been said. Did he really not know who his father was?
On reactions alone, Uther would think not. And he remembered when Hunith had spat insults his way that fateful day eighteen years ago. She hadn't been showing any signs of carrying a child. Uther remember that Ygraine didn't know she had been with a child until she felt more tired and sick than usual and that had been when she was about two or three months in, when her lower abdomen had rounded ever so slightly.
No, Hunith hadn't looked that way. She couldn't have known and Balinor wouldn't have known either.
But surely the boy would at least know the name of his father?
Once again, it didn't look like it.
He knew that had changed when three days later, his son and servant had been the only survivors to make it back from killing the dragon. Arthur didn't look anything worse than fine; Gaius confirmed that he had a concussion, while his manservant didn't even appear to have a scratch on him. The solemn look said it all.
The boy had inherited his powers and he knew about them. The only reasonable question on Uther's mind being: why didn't he order the dragon to burn Camelot to the ground? After all, e had caused his families unhappiness, his father's absence in his life and the fear he would no doubt be feeling just by living in Camelot.
And yet, there was no dead body of a dragon. The young man must have ordered Kilgharrah off of his murderous rampage against Camelot.
Such a thought confused the old ruler. If it had been anyone else, they would have let Kilgharrah continue starting the fires that had killed and injured so many of his people and allow the death of his son. The question was: why didn't he?
Uther was no idiot, not by any means. He knew that having Dragon Lord powers was often coupled with a natural talent in magic. Balinor's, and Merlin's, forefathers had all been Dragon Lords for various kingdoms- Balinor ,and his father and his father before him, being loyal to Camelot.
Maybe some research was required to understand the young raven haired man.
He spent some time in the library over the next few days, looking at records and Druid legends.
On his third day searching, he found what he was looking for. The prophecy of a sorcerer called Emrys, a man that the Druids had been waiting for a very long time. The legend read like a history of what Uther had started more than twenty years before.
A dark time would fall over magic; a king would kill all those with magic. Then the Once and Future King would restore magic to the land and Albion would be united under one rule. The King wouldn't be able to do this on his own though. A very powerful sorcerer, described as a Warlock in the text, would protect the King and help him bring magic back. This Warlock was called Emrys. He would be able to control the elements and creatures of fire.
It was a nice thought and it seemed accurate enough to Uther except… In the legend Emrys was described as an old man, not a young man barely able to walk without falling over his own two feet, which he had witnessed the manservant do many a time. Sometimes, it seemed like he wasn't even trying.
Clearly the druid seers had been having a bad day, or something along those lines, when they had recorded this particular dream.
Or it could all be a story.
And if it wasn't, who was this 'Once and Future King'? The prophecy said something about Emrys protecting this King- just like Merlin seemed to do with Arthur but that didn't equate to anything, Merlin was just a very loyal simpleton. Loyalty didn't equal protection after all. If it did, he would have a very strong kingdom.
In either case, he was going to keep an eye on that boy… Who knows when he might slip up?
A/N: I hope you liked how I portrayed Uther. I just decided to write something and this is what happened.
Roxanne.