A.N. Hi again! I won't be updating for a while because my internet's spazzing up, and I have college work! So, since the last chapter, I have figured out how to add line breaks.
Meaning longer chapters.
This one has 2000 more words!
I haven't had a proof reader for this, so any mistakes is entirely my fault (and my sisters - she was being lazy.)
I don't own Merlin, or it's characters. Thank-you!
If only Gwen hadn't stopped him on the way out of the castle. The young King didn't want her to see him like this, or to explain why his eyes were as red as they were. He was just about to mount his horse when she stopped by, smiling so innocently at him that he was sure his heart stopped beating for a second or two.
"Good morning, sire," she did that polite little half-curtsy she always did. He couldn't do anything other than give a small nod as acknowledgement. Now was not the right time to be focusing on the girl he loved. Or what she was carrying. What was she carrying? It didn't look anything like what she'd been carrying earlier. It was a fresh towel, crispy white in color, with a small brown blotch on it - Arthur guessed that was mud – wrapped neatly around – well, whatever it was containing he guessed.
"I'm guessing Gaius is keeping you busy." Gwen's smile momentarily made Arthur forget why he was leaving Camelot.
Pendragon.
Or at least, it did, until his surname rang in his head for probably the zillionth time.
"Yes, but it's interesting, honestly," she shifted the weight of the towel-wrapped package so she only held it with one arm, and gently patted the horse Arthur was going to ride on. She hadn't noticed his eyes yet, thank the gods. Arthur opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it again when she continued: "I think learning about medicines will come in handy, too – just in case Gaius falls ill or he needs to go somewhere... or if Merlin -" Oh, God, Merlin. He needed to get away from Gwen quickly, and in the nicest way possible, "–needs help getting some ingredients or if Merlin goes out again-" she blushed, and Arthur managed to smile weakly. She'd obviously realised she was talking random nonsense now. She clung to her package with both arms, now, hugging it to her chest as if it was something precious to her. "I-I'm sorry, sire. You were going somewhere?"
Another brief nod from the King. "I was heading to Ealdor to -" he coughed, trying to hide the pain in his voice, "– to check on Merlin."
"Oh, sir Gwaine just left for Ealdor. He looked upset about something, both when he arrived and when he left." She paused, taking this in. Arthur heard her gasp quietly. "Did… Did something happen in Ealdor?" and before Arthur could answer: "Did something happen to Merlin?"
This pained the King. His chest felt just about ready to explode. His eyes started stinging again, but something stopped him from crying.
Pendragon, you must hurry.
Whatever was going on in his mind was replaced with a single thought: hurry to Merlin. But was it really Merlin he needed to go to? He had the feeling he needed to go somewhere just before witnessing things for himself. Where, though, he had no idea.
Arthur blinked his tears back, remembering Gwen was standing right in front of him, with worry and concern written over her face. Bless her soul. She always worried when people were injured or ill. It was one of the things he liked about her. He gave her a half-hearted smile to reassure her, but that only seemed to worry her more. He tore his gaze away and hoisted himself onto his horse. Arthur looked back down towards Guinevere. He probably wouldn't be seeing again her for a day or two.
"It's nothing you should be worrying about, Guinevere. It's just some business I have to attend to"
"Arthur, you're avoiding my question – oh, no, it – it is something to do with Merlin, isn't it? Arthur, let me come with you; if he's ill I can ask Gaius to let me bring some medicine." She paused and watched Arthur with concerned eyes. "Arthur. Please. I'm asking because I'm his friend; I've been with him before when he almost died. I would do anything to help out."
Arthur stared at her, contemplating taking her along. He looked towards the sky; it was still light, but there were signs of rain. He didn't want to trouble the girl. He turned back towards her, one eye closed since he ended up looking at the sun for a bit too long.
"I know you're concerned for his safety, Guinevere, but it's nothing to worry about," he sounded like me meant it. No, he did mean it. Merlin was dead: fact. But he had the feeling, the slightest bit of hope, that it wouldn't stay that way. Gwen was right – Merlin had almost died countless times before. When they thought he was dead, he woke up all cheerful and idiotic, as if he'd just been sleeping or playing a joke on them. The servant was so going to get his punishment later. Cleaning all of the kings clothes, polishing every piece of armour he had – Merlin would only deserve it after making everyone worry. After making Arthur worry.
"I see I can't convince you. Very well, if you need anything, you should send word back to Lord Agravaine – I'm sure he'll help you in any way, sire, even if I cannot." And with that, she curtsied, and walked towards the castle gates, nodding to the guards and smiling. Her smile seemed slightly off. She was scared for Arthur. Scared for Merlin. Scared for Gaius…
He made sure he had everything then muttered under his breath:
"Wait for me, Merlin," and rode out through the gates. Destination: Ealdor.
Agravaine had watched his nephew depart through the window of his room and had that crooked smile plastered on his face. This was going well. Going great in fact. He'd already informed the council of Arthur's whereabouts and reasons for not attending, so all he needed to do now was find a way of leaving without being caught by a certain physician. That would be easy.
Or at least, it would have been, if he didn't happen to run into said physician when turning a corner after leaving his chambers. The old man was on his errands, it seemed. He carried vials with him; obviously medicines and remedies for the sick or injured.
"Gaius," he acknowledged the well-respected citizen of the castle. Gaius had served under Uther for ages and known Arthur since he was born, and that was probably why he stayed at the castle. He was a dear friend of Uther's, of course, and had probably felt like he should stay working in his current position. Despite being a free man, he didn't leave. Agravaine frowned, but only slightly. Hardly recognisable. With a nod, he continued walking.
"My Lord," Gaius nodded in return, side-stepping so he was blocking Agravaine. He didn't know if he did it on purpose or not, but he was in a hurry, so he didn't bother questioning Gaius' movements.
"Where's Arthur? Gwen looks troubled, and I was hoping he could shed some light on the situation at hand." So Gaius hadn't heard about Merlin's death? Agravaine's day kept getting better by the second. First there would be a broken king, then the king's lady-friend would be weeping over the news of the servant, and when he had been told, the court physician would be overcome with grief and sorrow. Perfect. Morgana would be pleased, no doubt.
"He just left, I'm afraid. He set out with Sir Gwaine but a few moments ago," he just about managed to resist the temptation of adding dangerous laughter to his tone. Just. Though he really wanted to add it in. He didn't want to give himself away, though.
"I see. Well, if you see him, my Lord, would you be so kind as to ask him to stop by? I fear for Gwen's emotional state; she was shaking when she arrived."
"Of course, Gaius. Good day to you," another slight nod of the head, and he continued walking, cape flapping behind him, almost as if the wind were blowing it in a dramatic kind of way. Truth be told, he was actually walking a bit too quickly.
Gaius didn't get a chance to return his farewell, but slowly turned to see the cape flowing, and Agravaine turning the corner. He was walking too quickly. That couldn't be good. Gaius had heard there were to be a council meeting today. Arthur could've been there, for all he knew, and Lord Agravaine may have just been walking to the council chambers. Except he wasn't. He was going the wrong way, and he sped up his pace, from what Gaius could see from the window.
A shiver crept through Gaius like he'd just been possessed by a ghost. He was fairly certain no ghost had taken control of him, though. He just had a bad feeling.
Today wasn't going to be a good day.
At All.
How the bloody hell did I end up here? Was all Arthur could think when he reached… well, not exactly his "destination," since he was nowhere near Ealdor, but the clearing where he fought that rampaging dragon and saved the whole of Camelot from disaster and won. He dealt the beast a fatal blow that day, Merlin had said. A sudden rush of pride shook his body, and then he remembered why he was here.
Although he actually had no idea.
The wind whistled through the trees, making the clearing sound creepier than it already was. Which, he found, was strange, since the clearing really wasn't all that creepy, but right now he couldn't be sure. He felt like he had to be here, and he had no bloody idea why. That might've been why it seemed creepy. Still sitting on his horse, he turned to leave and return to his original quest, when a bloody huge gust of air almost knocked him off of his saddle. Now was not the right time to be caught in the middle of a twister or a hurricane. He turned swiftly, only to see the dragon he had so badly injured swooping in from behind him. Arthur leapt from his steed's back and unsheathed his sword quickly, taking his fighting stance in front of the creature.
"I thought you were gone for good!" he raged, running towards the dragon at such speed, roaring as he prepared to deal a fatal blow for the second time.
The dragon looked at him and did nothing. It folded his wings back. Obviously it was amused at the boy's actions.
"Fear not, young Pendragon. I am not here to cause you or your kingdom any harm," it said, keeping his tone calm. Arthur had already attempted slicing the beast. Just his luck it wouldn't work like it had the first time. He staggered backwards, shocked to his very core. The beast could speak! Arthur shook his head and glared at the dragon. Why did he recognise this voice?
"You speak."
The dragons laugh echoed throughout the clearing, rattling the trees, but his laugh seemed genuinely happy.
"Of course. I have been speaking to you all morning, Pendragon."
Alarm bells rang in Arthur's head, and he automatically took up a defensive position. He hadn't been reminding himself of his own surname, it seemed. Now that he thought about it, the voice was a bit different to his own. Okay, a lot more different, but it's kind of hard to admit you're hearing voices in your head. Especially when it's not your own voice.
"So it was you in my head, then, was it? What do you want here? You must leave this place before I decide to kill you! You were lucky to live once, but I won't let it happen a second time!" The dragon didn't want to cause any harm? As if. He had no reason to trust magical beings.
The dragon laughed again, this time with more feeling in it.
"Pendragon, you are like Emrys in more ways than one." He chuckled. The leaves blew only slightly. "But what I say is the truth – I am here as an ally, not an enemy. In fact, I am here because you may need a bit of help."
Arthur had no idea who Emrys was, and frankly, right now, he didn't give a damn. Merlin was his top priority right now, but something kept him standing there, watching the dragon. He felt slightly at ease, but he was still concerned.
"I don't need any help. Now leave this place, dragon, before I -"
"Before you what, Pendragon? Before you attack me with a flimsy sword in hopes of injuring me? I don't mean to hurt your pride, sire, but I'm afraid to say that it was not you who forced me to leave Camelot last time. It was young Emrys." His breathing slowed to a much more normal pace, now.
"There was no one by the name of "Emrys" with me that night. Just the knights and Merlin. I need to leave, and so do you. I don't want to see you here again, or I swear I will do everything in my power to bring you down." Arthur turned towards his horse, which was standing awkwardly still. Surely the horse should've run off by now.
"I bring you news of your servant," the message was short, but it made Arthur freeze in place. He didn't turn around; he didn't say a word; he didn't show any emotion.
The dragon continued: "Young Merlin most certainly is dead," Arthur shook. He didn't need to hear that. He needed to see it for himself. That was why he was going to Ealdor, anyway; "but his soul and his spirit are still very much alive."
That got a reaction. Arthur span to face the dragon with a puzzled and utterly confused expression. This made the beast smile.
"How do you know about Merlin," Arthur retorted, though it was more of a statement than a question. He sounded a little annoyed, practically hissing his reply.
"I know most things, Pendragon. We don't have any time for idle chit-chat. You must return both the boy's spirit and soul to his body, or Camelot will perish under the power of a powerful witch. With Merlin's life in the palm of her hands, quite literally, she has the power to overthrow Camelot and all kingdoms alike."
And now Arthur had absolutely no idea how to react. A mixture of things were running through his head; confusion, hurt, anger, confusion, trust, confusion. Mainly confusion. Why he was listening to a dragon, a magical beast who had tried to burn the whole of Camelot to the ground, was beyond him, but he trusted the dragon's voice. The creature could've killed the king by now if it had wanted to, but yet there it stood, calm and collected, telling Arthur the things he wanted to hear. Arthur had no reason to advance on the dragon again. Everything the dragon said made so little sense to Arthur, and yet he understood it completely.
"Is it Morgana?" was the only thing he managed to say, however.
There was a slight pause. The only sound that could be heard was the slow, gentle, yet also strong, breathing of the beast that stood in front of the king.
"No, it is not. The witch is powerful, true, but she's not as dangerous as Morgana is. However, even though I say that, she is, indeed, quite powerful," came the reply that broke the peaceful quietness. Arthur grunted and rolled his eyes, slapping a palm to his forehead. That doesn't make me feel any better.
The dragon chuckled. He seemed to be warming towards the king. The feeling was mutual, for now.
"If it's not Morgana, who is it then? One of the druids?"
"She is not a druid. She wanders freely, and actually despises druids. She was searching for Emrys, since she heard that he had arrived in Ealdor. She had heard great things of him, and wanted him to join her." And still, Arthur had no idea who this Emrys person was.
"You keep mentioning this… 'Emrys' person. Does he have anything to do with Merlin? Because I'm pretty sure Merlin hasn't got any friends called "Emrys." Actually, I'm pretty damn sure he has no friends in general." Arthur couldn't help himself with the last part, and he surprisingly made himself smile, as well as the dragon.
"In a sense, yes. They are, indeed, linked to each other, but if I were to tell you the whole truth, well, that would ruin Emrys' destiny."
"So, this Emrys person – should I be wary of him?"
"No."
Oh. Well. That was that sorted, at least. The dragon resumed his talking:
"You have met Emrys many times, although you had not known his true name. You will meet him again in the future, and you will be great allies. But you are distracting me from the reason I have brought you here." Oh, yeah. I forgot about that bit. Arthur took a step closer, his sword now hanging loosely in his hand by his side.
"Sorry. Please continue… uh…" he left his sentence hanging. Yet again, Arthur had forgotten to ask for a name.
"My name isn't of importance, Pendragon. Your servant's life, however, is. The witch we speak of is a beautiful woman, and many people, men and women alike, fall easily for her charms."
"That witch sounds familiar."
"It is not the witch Nimueh – her time has passed. No, it is another witch I speak to you of. You will know it is her when you see her right hand. Blessed with great beauty, she has a certain… mark. Her right hand, Pendragon, is w-" the dragon cocked his head at the king. A smirk crept across his face, intrigued.
Arthur was now staring at the top of the dragon's head, jaw hanging open. When the dragon had tilted its head, something white clinged onto it, almost as if it were falling off. And then he saw wings.
"There's a dragon on your head."
The light figure on the darker one's head chirped, and flew down towards Arthur, landing on the tree stump to the side of him. It spread its wings again, examining the body of the blonde-headed male. Arthur just stared. Why hadn't he noticed it until just now? Likely answer was, it was sleeping until just that moment. The larger dragon cleared its throat to regain Arthur's attention.
"Young Aithusa, you should let me finish my sentences before interrupting." His laughter was full of warmth. The white dragon, Arthur guessed its name was Aithusa seeing as no one else was around, chirped happily again and sat down, gazing directly at Arthur.
"As I was saying," he cleared his throat again, not to get Arthur's attention, but because he'd laughed too much again; "The witch's right hand is withered and old. Only those with even the slightest bit of knowledge of her notice that flaw.
"Arthur, you must not fail this quest. Your servant's life, as well as the fate of your kingdom, rests on your shoulders. Aithusa will help you along the way in times of need, if you allow the dragon to do so. Though young, Aithusa is willing to travel alongside you on your journey."
The white dragon perked up and hopped off of the stump, plodding towards the horse. Judging by the way it turned its head in every direction, trying to get a good view of the mare, it hadn't seen a horse before. Arthur didn't quite know if he could trust this dragon. The dragon hadn't spoken to him or helped him in any way, but whenever it appeared to laugh, he was reminded of Merlin.
"He will come to you if you call. You must make sure that he does not appear in front of other people, though. The rules of your kingdom allow no magic of any kind, correct?" Arthur nodded, "and this is the only occasion where you will allow it?" He nodded again.
"Good decision. However, if people are to see Aithusa, a being of magic, they will think you are being unfair towards them, or they may feel as though using magic is now allowed. Is using magic still forbidden in your kingdom?"
"It killed my father; of course it's forbidden!"
The larger dragon shook his head. Arthur had no idea what that meant. Magic had killed his father – he witnessed it himself. If it hadn't have killed him, then Arthur would've allowed the practice of magic when he became king. Well, he was king now. After witnessing the darkness of magic, he decided there was no way it would be allowed. He planned to stick by that rule.
Today had to be an exception though.
"Then you must keep this one occasion a secret from the other people. Not all who practice magic use their powers for evil, Pendragon. Emrys has proved that time and time again."
They let silence fill the area again, this time the younger dragons breathing being the only thing Arthur heard. It strangely sounded like Merlin's breathing pattern for a moment.
"Thank-you," was all the king managed to say. With a brief nod, he turned and mounted his horse, stealing a quick glance down towards the smaller dragon. It chirped again. Maybe it couldn't talk just yet? Or maybe not all dragons could talk anyway? Last time he checked, there was only one dragon left, and he thought it would have died after he attacked it. But there it stood, now behind him. And if that wasn't bad enough, there was another dragon with him: Aithusa.
"Be careful, young Pendragon." The dragon's voice echoed after him, followed by the sound of trees rustling. The two of the dragons had probably left. Arthur's horse stormed through the forest, heading in the direction they had already intended to go to.
Once this was over, Arthur hoped never to see either of them again.
