Set me free


Autumn came and scent of pine filled the air. The forest grew red day by day, like a drunken knight. Red and golden leaves showered down on the white walls of the castle, like a gigantic crest of Camelot.

Arthur loved kicking up the leaves wherever he went.

He would have a blanket of leaves in his chamber if Bernard had not begged him to stop.

Emrys' cave was chilly, though the scent of autumn never quite made it down there.

Arthur showed him a cape of Camelot. The golden dragon on the red breech looked much more powerful than the chubby creature in front of him.

Emrys blinked.

'Why does Camelot use dragon as symbol? Don't they hate dragons?'

'The crest was made long ago before the Great Purge.'

'And you are a "Pen-dragon".'

'Doesn't mean that I love dragon.'

And Arthur didn't love pens either. Geoffrey loved pens but he wasn't a Pendragon.

Maybe name didn't mean anything at all.

Arthur stood up and tied the cape around his neck. He stood proud and noble and he unsheathed his imaginary sword.

'For the love of Camelot!' He pointed his great sword at Emrys, who stared back at him stupidly.

'One day I am going to the greatest knight in all kingdoms!' Arthur declared triumphantly. Emrys ogled cross-eyed at the finger jabbing at his nose.

Arthur's excitement brought him to the top of a rock, a kingdom he conquered with a great leap, where he announced his great plan for the future.

'I will go on quests with my knights. We will save poor villages, defeat evil sorcerers and kill magical monsters!'

And Father King would be so proud of him…

When Emrys the idiot fell into trouble he would swoop in and save the day…

Arthur finally noticed Emrys had not shared his passion.

'What's wrong?' He poked at his friend flopping onto the ground. Emrys' head emerged from under his wing.

'You can go wherever you like. I will still be here when you want to kill your last monster.'

'Don't worry Emrys you can go with me!'

'Your father won't allow that– ' the prince was silent – 'And Arthur?'

'Hmm?'

'Your dragon was upside down.'


The leaves drifted down to the cave.

Arthur watched as Emrys snapped at the leaves in the air, swinging up and down with the rhythm of the leave dance. Hanging in the air, the chain on his leg looked enormous, trailing all the way down to the deep dark bottom of the cave.

Emrys would be thrilled to see the forest, with all the brown and red and gold and green.

The brown bark coarse and aromatic. The flaming leaves like a whirlwind of fire. The ever-refreshing green of the grasses. All together they were a world only belonged to the dreams.

And he knew his vocabulary wasn't that adequate yet.

And no word could replace the mind with the eyes.


With autumn came the birds. Father King and the nobles would go hunting in the forest with the knights. Sometimes Arthur would tag along, riding on a pony beside Father. And Father would tell him names of the animals and terrain of the forest and how to be a great hunter and the tales of the knights.

Arthur loved hunting.

Though his back was always sore afterwards.

Arthur shifted uncomfortably on his spot on the stony ledge. The rock hurt his bottom after a day of bumpy ride. The worst thing was it didn't just hurt, it also itched, like tiny needles prickling.

'Sometime I see birds flying by the opening of the cave.'

'What do they look like?' Arthur shuffled, shifting his hand closer to his-

'Narrow wings. Quite big. I only see them in autumn.' The dragon's head popped out from over his shoulder and the prince withdrew his hand immediately in shock. He tugged on the fabrics of his clothes. Emrys raised his wings and rolled his head in a circle to demonstrate the features of a bird. Arthur couldn't understand it and he itched.

'Wait! I have something to show you!' Emrys leapt into the sky and Arthur raised his arm to shield himself from the flattering wings. Gushes of winds meshed his hair. Then the dragon was gone and Arthur finally had the privacy to do something unprincely.

Emrys was back with a feather in his muzzle. A large grayish tail feather. Arthur smiled as he recognized it. It was a type of noisy bird that tweeted non-stop in the hunts.

''That is a merlin.'

'Merlin?'

'Aye. They only come to Camelot in autumn.'

Emrys flexed his wings. 'I want to be a merlin so that I can fly away.'

Arthur ran his hand over his dragon's smooth scales. Emrys always leaned in towards his touch and Arthur too had enjoyed it. He savaged their moments together; they were close by an invisible bond, something that Arthur couldn't explain. The way it felt all right when he was sitting on the ledge with Emrys, arm around the crouching dragon, legs dangling dangerously at the cliff.

Maybe the des-tin-ny thing Emrys said was right. They were like two grains of the same corn.

If he ever admitted it Emrys would go all puffed up.

Emrys arched his neck to the opening of the cave longingly. Arthur followed.

Actually Arthur had been thinking.

Yes he could never bring Emrys to his quest. And unlike him, Emrys would never have a future.

But he could change that.

He was a prince after all.

'Emrys? If you are free, promise me you won't turn evil. Promise me you won't attack Camelot.' Arthur looked at him in the eyes. He saw Emrys' blue eyes dilated in fear.

'I won't! but – Arthur? Why are you saying that?' The dragon tried to back away, tail coiling and wings flaring unconsciously. Arthur held him in place. Not yet.

'Pinky promise!' Arthur pressed his lips together, giving him the most serious look he could muster, though Gwen always said it looked like a pout.

No it wasn't a pout. He was serious.

He had been thinking about this for nights.

In the end it was straight forward – If Arthur didn't like it, it was bad, and so it would be bad for Emrys too.

The dragon was still struggling under his grasp.

Impatient, Arthur grabbed his paws.

And they sealed the promise, finger and claws.


The first snow came. A quiet gentle drift.

Patches of white dusted the stones and shadows. The bottom of the cave glimmered white from the thin blanket of snow. Arthur saw traces of the fading paw print of Emrys, a crisscross of steps and an occasional slash of a tail on a craven of white.

Arthur wore a thick fur coat that made him look as chubby as Emrys.

He discovered that Emrys was warm like a hearth – the snow melted instantly as it fell on the scales.

They cuddled together, watching the snow fell and fell.

He used stones and knives and Emrys used fangs and claws.

Arthur once even sneaked a torch with him.

The chain glimmered silver underneath the rust, unscratched.

Arthur had a plan though, sort of.

He didn't know how to break Emrys' chain, but he would.


Deep in the library there was a place he knew where Father King hid all the magic books from the Great Purge.

He had discovered the place accidentally when he played hide-and-seek with Morgana. He was trying to hide inside the strange room when Geoffrey caught him struggling at the door. He was told sternly never to enter, and in the archivist slip of tongue he learned of one of the castle's secret. It made Geoffrey even madder. But it was not fair! He hadn't even touched the doorknob! And Morgana then had caught him standing stupidly with Geoffrey and won the game.

This time he would just have to sneak past Geoffrey.

He first hid a book, then he asked Geoffrey for the book.

As Geoffrey happily went to his search, pleased that the prince had developed a taste in the jewels of history, Arthur slipped deeper into the library.

It was incredibly easy. Arthur thought he was very clever.

The old wooden door stood inconspicuous beside a shelf, bending into the brown wall of the library.

Arthur was about to turn the worn brass knob when he realized he had no key.

Opps.

Then the door gave way with a soft mourn, politely inviting the prince inside. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the darker room. The rails of the door had been eaten away by age, patches of black moldy woods covered its surface.

Lucky!

Arthur sneezed as dust assaulted his nose, the door closed behind with a loud bang. He jumped. Hopefully Geoffrey still hadn't given up finding the book. He had thrown The Rise and Fall of the Malessizia Kingdom underneath a bookshelf across the labyrinth.

Arthur surveyed the room. It was slightly smaller than his chamber. On all sides of the wall were shelves housing a few books and items. Some looked suspiciously like magical artifacts that had escaped the vault somehow. In the centre, also covered in thick layers of cobwebs and dust, was pile of books, each slumped upon one another in a fragile balance, as if someone had thrown all the books inside and left in a hurry.

Arthur goggled open-mouthed at the book tower. It was even taller than him!

He didn't want to be crushed underneath. It would be stup –

A book tumbled from the pile and landed at his feet, a gentle nudge at his toe.

Curious, Arthur picked it up and looked at the page it was opened to.

It bore a picture of a manacle and chain exactly like the one on Emrys. Even the strange craving and words looked similar.

Arthur smiled. He was really lucky.

He tore down a few yellowish crispy pages and hid them in his tunic.

He headed back to the entrance of the library. Geoffrey still hadn't come back.

Arthur felt so proud. The plan wouldn't have worked without his great intelligence.


Breaking the chain was different from what he had expected.

There was no dancing around the fire, killing animals, blood sacrifice, hurting children or anything evil he had come to associate with magic.

The book said the Bind of lstheir could be broken by a virgin….sword… and a lunar eclipse.

He knew what an eclipse was. That was the moon disappearing from the sky, though it would not be forever. The moon was going to be gone next week. People were afraid. Gaius had reassured his father it was not sorcery and his father in turn had reassure the people it was not magic. His father addressed Camelot from the castle balcony. He looked so powerful and regal and the people below looked so small; some were shaking.

Arthur wasn't afraid because he was brave. He wondered how the moon would disappear. Would it go out like a fire? Would it fall from the sky? It might be fun.

But he didn't know what a virgin was.


'Gaius what is a virgin?'

Gaius' eyebrows shot up in the air. Arthur thought he looked shocked.

Maybe he asked the question wrong.

'Gaius where can I find a virgin?'

Arthur had never seen Gaius' eyes this big. It looked funny.

'You have no need to concern yourself with that Arthur.'

Then he buried his head back into the book and continued reading. Arthur stomped his feet underneath the table. He still hadn't got an answer.


'Can you tell me where to find a virgin Sir Florence? '

Arthur looked up to the tall knight in shiny armour with a large sword on his belt. He thought the knights would know a lot from their adventures.

'Thinking about the future of the kingdom already my prince?' Sir Florence said in a teasing tone. He burst into laughter, holding his belly before dropping onto the grass laughing, split flying everywhere. The other knights soon followed.

Arthur frowned.

'The prince sure knows how to enjoy life!'

'I know so many virgins! I can hook you up with one!'

Arthur was angry. The knights were laughing at him. One day he would be as tall and he would get his own shiny armour and the best sword in the world and he would beat them all.

He probably would get all the virgins too, no matter what they were.


It turned out to be very simple.

'Virgin sword? That is a sword never used!' Gwen said cheerfully, glad she could answer the prince's question. She set the jar of water on the floor and waited with her hands behind her back, expectant.

She looked very cute that way.

Arthur remembered now her father was a blacksmith, but still Gaius and Sir Florence were very stupid not to know the answer. Even a peasant had known.

All the swords in the armoury had been used by the knights and the soldiers. So Arthur whispered in her ears and asked Gwen a flavor, she couldn't refuse his prince anyway.


'Arthur? Are you sure it was right?' Emrys eyed the virgin sword on Arthur's hand wearily. The blade Gwen took from his father. The chain rattled on the floor as the dragon shifted nervously again and again.

'Shut up Emrys.' Arthur snapped. The sword, taller than half of his height, was heavy. He concentrated at the moon through the opening. It had started to disappear, as if something was eating up the moon bite by bite. The cave was growing darker with the night and Emrys' eyes glowed like sapphire.

Shadow marched on the walls and the moonlight retreated deeper into the cave.

'Arthur? I am scared...'

The sword hilt was slipping under his sweaty palm, despite the cold winter air.

The last ray burrowed into the crease of the stones. The cave was dark. The sky was dark.

Now!

Arthur raised the sword above his head and brought it down hard.

There was an ugly screech as metal and metal collided. Then Arthur felt something broke –

The cave was awash in a golden light. Every rock and every breach was encased in the golden halo. It felt so warm and light at the same time.

Arthur didn't notice the sword lying at the ground or his arms hanging limply by his side. Emrys tackled him to the ground and nuzzled him on the face and neck.

It was so warm and light. So right. And Emrys' eyes were gold.

The shrill eventually brought him back to the cold night. It was a harsh piercing sound like an animal dying; and the dying animal never stopped its scream–

It was an alarm. The chains must have been enchanted to prevent a flight.

Emrys nudged at the broken chain at his feet. At the slightest touch the entire manacle crumpled to dust.

The dragon' blue eyes widen in disbelief.

'You have to go now! It is an alarm! My father is coming!' Arthur shouted to the dragon sitting in shock in front of him.

The moon was coming back, illuminating the glittering tears on obsidian scales.

The alarm bells of Camelot joined the chorus.

'GO NOW!'

At the third prompting, the dragon finally took to the air.

'Thank you…Arthur…thank you.'

He swooped down and grabbed the sword in his jaw.

'Fly as far as you can go! Don't let my father get you again!'

Arthur….thank you…

The dragon turned for one last time at the opening. There he was, a silhouette so small and so bright at the top of the cave, wings flapping slow and fluid as he hovered before his freedom.

'Fly, you idiot!' Arthur shouted.

He thought he saw Emrys smiled.

Then the dragon vanished into the night.


Arthur raced through the castle, heart throbbing at his throat.

All along the corridors were disheveled servants looking blank or shocked at each other.

He heard the knights shouting in the training field as they gathered for the emergency. For the first time in his life, he was afraid of them.

He ran into a robe of dark red and stumbled. A strong hand gripped his arm.

'What are you doing here Arthur?' Gaius asked, his voice hoarse and out of breath, his face was deadly white.

'I…I… am watching the eclipse!' Arthur tried his best to look innocent; he hoped he had not stammered too much. His arm hurt and Gaius' knuckles had gone bone white.

'You need to get back your chamber immediately. And do not come out.'

Arthur hadn't realized he was nodding frantically. Gaius never sounded so frightening. Gaius finally let him go and Arthur staggered back to his chamber. He slammed the door behind him and leaned on it, slowly sliding on his back to the floor. His breath came out in shallow ragged gasp as his heart gradually started to slow.

He hoisted himself up and hobbled to the window. There beyond the market and the city wall was the snow-lit forest. The moon was back, a full circle bright in the dark.

And no Emrys.

He shivered against the mistral. It was the deep of the winter.

He saw the knights pouring into the market like a horde of red ants.

The warning bell had stopped, but the magical shrill hadn't.

Emrys?

There was a muffle in his head that sounded like Arthur, like Bernard talking to him when he was still dozy from sleep. Emrys was getting too far away for them to talk in the head. The knights couldn't be that fast. At least Emrys was safe now.

Remember your promise.

This time Arthur heard it clear and loud, as if Emrys was here in the chamber right beside him.

I promise.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

AN: Err…so what do you think?

I really don't want to let Emrys go so fast, but any longer it will be a drag for story. Little Arthur and Emrys will come back in the latter chapters I promise, there are still so many cute pictures I have in stock. So if you have any idea/scene about them you want to see, you can leave a review and I will try to make it happen.

Next chapter Uther would find out who let loose the dragon, and with great regret, kill his own son. Then Emrys would come back and rain hell on Camelot. Yelp end of story then. Or Uther found a scapegoat to blame and Arthur lived. Seriously? I think the first version is way cooler, but it's not going to happen.

As always, hope you enjoy the story and find the joy in writing.