Emyrs: Magic Unleashed

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the prologue. I will flesh out the details slowly, there will be hints regarding Merlin and his abilities and also about Arthur.

Chapter 1: The Once and Future King

Ealdor was exactly how Balinor expected it to be. A lot of farmers in a small village at the outskirts of the Escetia Kingdom. It was a good place to settle down and recuperate from his injury. The potions provided by Gaius and the medicinal patches did wonders to alleviate the pain and aid in recovery but the wound was a deep one. He still need to avoid attention.

The trip out of Camelot was uneventful, he had simply enchanted a pendant that masked his appearance. Magic is wonderfully convenient, unfortunately it results in being hunted and persecuted for it. Unless his reflection in the water or a mirror revealed his true appearance, he was disguised as a beefy man with a protruding belly and an unkempt beard.

Which needless to say, made him stick out like a sore thumb in Ealdor where everyone knew one another. Suspicious glares and whispers aside, this meant it would be a lot simpler to locate Gaius' friend Hunith. He approached the local blacksmith, "My good friend, I'm new to this village and I am looking for a Friend. Hunith. Do you know of her?"

The blacksmith slammed his hammer down, hoping to intimidate the stranger. Balinor quirked his eyebrow. Apparently the village didn't take well to strangers asking about one of their own. Balinor clarified, "I was sent to deliver a message for her from her friend. He believed that she could help me in some regard."

"She lives down the village near the pond yonder, the house with the greenest garden you'd see. Can't miss it. Keep your nose clean you hear?"

"Thank you kindly." With the information in hand, it was time to meet this Hunith. Aside from her name, he knew nothing of her except that she has a nice garden. In fact, aside from the introductory letter from Gaius, he doubt she would understand the situation forcing him to retreat here.

Apprehension set in for Balinor. Exactly how long was he suppose to stay under the radar? He had plenty of time, it's not like he had anything to do at the moment. The dragons were safe at their nesting grounds high up on a distant mountain protected by a vast stretch of water.

He politely knocked on the door and waited. A soft spoken but courteous voice answered him, "Just a moment." There was a slight rustling as the place was tidied up for the guest. The door open and Balinor took in the appearance of his host for the first time. She was young, in her early twenties.

She had curly brown hair that would have reached mid-back but twisted up and secured tastefully with a piece of cloth. Most of all, she had striking blue eyes that had a hidden depth to them, like trying to see through to the bottom of the ocean. She looked at the stranger at her door, his haggard appearance and slightly depressed eyes. "How can I be of help?"

Balinor had dropped the glamour on his way over, it wouldn't be fair to hide himself under a glamour during the time he would be in the hospitality of another. "Good day miss, my name is Balinor and I believe that you are acquainted with Gaius? He told me to seek your help, this letter from him should explain a lot."

Hunith took the letter and perused it, she glanced up and him and then read the letter again. Flicking her eyes at him, she was glad to see him a bit unsettled. Balinor grimaced, "Is there a problem?"

"A Dragon Lord Huh? Do I need to worry about my livestock? Just so you would know, If your dragons eat my cattle, I expect reimbursement." She said wryly.

Balinor choked on his own spit, spluttering. "That is definitely not going to happen. I'm just seeking a quiet place to recuperate."

"Then we're going to have no problems. So what cover story do you have set up? In a small town like this, it won't exactly go unnoticed when a new face shows. Any occupational experience?" She lead him inside the house, it was nice and had a homely feel to it. There were a lot of sun dried herbs and vegetable but not much meat,

He sat down, "Well aside from being a Dragon Lord, I'm a magic practitioner but aside from that, the only thing I know what to do is fighting."

Hunith sighed. "Men." She muttered irritably. "Ok, you're a traveling mercenary who had gotten injured. I was one of your previous clientele and I was the closest one to you."

She took out a clean bowl and stirred the stew resting in the pot. "Do you like your stew with beef?"

Balinor smirked, it appears that residing here for a while wouldn't be so bad after all.

( Six months later )

Hunith was everything that Balinor needed and wanted. He came from a broken family, his mother gone from the pains of childbirth. It was his father who raised him and taught him about their rich heritage. Even growing up, he found himself isolated from women but now...

After six months of spending time with Hunith, he grew to admire her. He dare not admit that it was something greater than mild attraction because he knew at one point of another, he would have to leave her.

"Idjit, those damn fools raised the price of the beef once again. It's not like I have a goose who lays golden eggs!" Hunith raged as she entered their residence.

"Wait, when did I start thinking about this place as our home? This has to stop!" Balinor thought.

"Hunith, you don't need to buy the beef if it's expensive. I think it's a fine stew with just barley and assorted vegetables."

Balinor knew it was a lie, he was a dragon lord and he was more connected with his draconian side than most human. This included an increased desire and taste for red meat.

"But the beef stew is your favorite..." Hunith mumbled.

Balinor felt mixed emotions warring within himself. On one hand, he was overjoyed that Hunith would be so attentive to his needs but at the same time, this spelled disaster because it meant Hunith actually liked him. This simply cannot be!

He made a great show of stretching his arm, swinging it side to side. "Ohh, this feels good. I think my wound is healed pretty much."

Hunith ignored this and tended to the fire. It was a topic that she did not want to broach. She dimly hoped that if she ignored the topic, the idea of his departure would not be brought to light.

"I think it's time to go." Balinor uttered softly. His breath hitched as he saw her shoulders tense but she continued to ignore him.

"The stew will be done in half an hour, why don't you go to the back and prepare a chicken, the feathers need to be plucked and it would be nice to save them for the pillows becuase the winter chill is coming an-"

Balinor interrupted her rushed rambling by grabbing both her shoulders and forcing her to face him. There were unshed tears blinking in her eyes and he knew. "Hunith, I have to go. It's not safe for you if I stay, I know that Uther does not believe me dead and it won't me long before something terrible happens, I can feel it in my bones."

She stopped struggling for a moment before pushing him boldly in rage. He fell backwards in an undignified roll from the unexpected assault. He looked up in time to see the bottom of a frying pan connect harshly with his face.

God bless his ancestor for their supernatural connection with the dragons. If he had been a normal human, one or more of his teeth would be missing.

Hunith panted indignantly as she continued to brain him with her trusty frying pan.

"You idiot waste of-" Clang* "Dragon shite, eating beef stew every other-" Smack* "Day telling me you're leaving because it's -" Clooong* "not safe? I'll show you why it's not safe!"

Last Dragon Lord or not, Balinor knew better than to aggravate a lady who wanted to exact vengeance. It was better to take the beating now rather than interrupt it halfway. He learned that the hard way when he accidentally burned her favorite quilt.

That evening, he spent the night outside in the cold.

The next day, he decided to apologize by helping her with her chores. Collecting firewood was a physically demanding task and with the winter season coming, quality firewood was even harder to find. Most of the decent firewood were transported from Camelot where the tree trunks were thick and pithy.

In Escetia, the trees were skinny and branchy, not good burning material in the winter. So Balinor decided to borrow her axe and head to the borders where the trees gave better material. It was near dawn when he reached the border and found a nice middle sized tree which he could log.

Before he could get started, he spied the smothering smoke from a recently restarted camp fire. Merchants perhaps? It would be nice if he could purchase a gift for Hunith as an apology.

As he got closer, he could see the sun's first rays shine off the metal armor showing the red insignia of a dragon. His fingers twitched to his hidden dagger as he recognized them as Knights from Camelot. They weren't your typical knights either, he could see protective runes etched into their armors and their swords were forged with runes for heightened piercing and slashing capabilities.

Hell, he even saw some anti-magic amulets and charms to repel metal compulsions and enchantments.

It was a chilling prospect but it appeared Uther had created a specialized anti-magic combatant team, specializing in killing scorers and magical creatures.

Balinor quietly went back to his horse and set off for Elador, he had to leave immediately.

xXxXx

Hunith had just finished making the porridge when Balinor rushed in, sweating wildly and in a frenzied rush. Her heart sank when she saw his expression, he looked like a panicked animal under the fire of a crossbow.

"What happened Balinor. I didn't see you this morning and I thou-"

"I have to leave by nightfall! I went to the borders this morning to log some firewood when I saw Uther's men! They were equipped in anti-magic gear and they are here for me! I can't let them discover me here. Aiding a fugitive is punishable by death."

Balinor grabbed several key essentials and stuffed them into a knapsack. When he was done packing he turned to her. "Hunith, I don't think I've ever been so happy before or felt so warm. Being with you was like being a family, if I could stay... I would have taken you as my wife."

Hunith gasped and blinked tears at his confession. She ran at him to hold him, to show him that they could indeed be together. Balinor dropped his bag and met her halfway with a searing kiss.

For Balinor who has close ties with his emotions and magic, he knew she was the one. His magic blazed within him in a washing tidal wave of fulfillment. At that very moment, he didn't care even if an army of knights camped outside waiting . He felt invincible and capable of taking on the world if it meant he could keep her safe.

He broke off the kiss for a gasp of air. "Hunith, I ne-"

She cut him off and kissed him again. "Shut up. You don't need anything but to remember this. I expect you to experience many a lonely night so let's start working on giving you something to remember."

Balinor could only gape and nod his head dumbly. He never knew Hunith could be so agressive but oddly enough, he liked that aspect of her more than he would care to admit.

xXxXx

Hunith wrapped her shawl around her to ward off the chill in the air. She had convinced Balinor it would be easier to depart when the sun set.

"Where will you be going?"

Balinor put on his hood and double checked his provisions. "Deep into the Kingdom of Camelot. They had already searched their kingdom excessively. It would be unlikely for them to expect that their enemy would be right in the heart of their territory. Also I have to go back and help those that Uther is hunting."

She clutched at his robes fearfully. "I know I can't convince you to stay but promise me that you will be safe and that you will think of me from time to time."

Balinor looked at her with the blue eyes she looked so dearly. "I don't think I can come back anytime soon but keep this with you on all times. This is an artifact passed on from my great grandfather. It will repress any magic you might innately have and put protect you from any scrying and magic detection spells. I lived here for far to long with you and my aura is all over the place.

He gave her the deceptively plain looking leather band and secured it to her wrist. He whispered an incantation usable only by Dragon Lords.

ἀζωία!

The leather band glowed gold as the name Hunith appeared on the brown leather. "There, this will suppress your presence so no one can find you. No matter how many times they check, you will be a normal woman." He gave her a brief kiss, "I will be back" and he left abruptly knowing if he stayed even just a bit longer, he would not be able to bring himself to leave.

"I will wait for you no matter how far and wide you travel, no matter how long time passes." Hunith vowed as she watched the man she loves departed.

Balinor set off the Camelot with one goal. "I will need some sort of insurance over Uther, the only thing he ever loved and held dear was his wife who is departed. That leaves his young son, Prince Arthur. I will take Arthur and raise in my own image, teaching him to embrace magic. When I use the young prince to overthrow Uther, I can finally be with Hunith."

Little did he know, that was the last time he saw Hunith.

A/N: Here is the first chapter. It goes a bit in depth about Balinor and Hunith.

Certain events start to change drastically. Balinor does not go into hiding in the woods but instead decides to kidnap Arthur and use his as leverage against Uther. At the same time the leather band has a special property that was activated by Balinor's spell.

I proudly present the first spell of this story!

ἀζωία! - Dragon Lord Spell translating "the absence of life" It is a spell originally created to repress a dragon lords power and abilities during a time of persecution. It hides any abnormal abilities and protects the wearer from any sort of Magical detector.

The next chapter will be a short chapter on Merlin and Arthur.

Read and Review. Let me know what you think, this story will be very Alternate Universe and have a lot of magic, new abilities, and legendary weapons!