Gaius quickly checked Merlin over and after satisfying himself that although the boy was still far from well he was no worse for his visit to the planet's surface. He showed Merlin the food selector and after some debate between them a breakfast was selected for Merlin, who ate it slowly. Gaius had told him he was to eat little and often, as he had been without proper food for so long. Merlin was then shown how to use the sonic shower, a new experience for him, but he loved it. Then Gwen cut Merlin's hair and got all the tangles out of it. This showed his ears rather more than Merlin liked "I always got called names because of my ears" he told Gwen.

"Well I think they suit you" she reassured him.

Then after satisfying himself that the Dracon was alright Merlin accepted yet another protein drink to sip while Gaius called the Captain. As they waited Merlin introduced Aithusa to both Gaius and Gwen, the tiny dracon was unsure but allowed them to touch her before settling onto Merlin lap.

When Arthur arrived with Leon they all sat down in Merlin's new room, with Merlin and Aithusa on the bed. Arthur looked at Merlin. "I'm sorry Merlin but we need to ask you lots of questions and I want you to answer truthfully. We need to sort out what is best for you, and to do that we need all the information we can gather. Do you understand?"

Merlin looked at Arthur "Off course I'm not stupid and my mother always told me speak the truth or not at all." Arthur looked at him wondering if the boy was being facetious and decided that he wasn't sure.

"Well can you tell us first whether your father's people were native to the planet?" Arthur said "Or when they arrived, it might help us to establish the facts"

"I will tell you what I know, my mother told me this once I reached my teens she thought it was right I should know. She also gave me father's books then. It seemed that centuries ago the Dracon's sun was beginning to die so they started to look for a new home. They sent out groups in every direction, several found places, but they were already inhabited. They would stay to see if it was suitable to share without causing problems. But after several of our lifetimes most beings decided whilst we had been useful they no longer needed us and persecuted us and the Dracon. So we continued to search. They keep in touch with each other. In my Grandfathers youth some landed on our planet, we don't give places names, the earth will name itself when ready. At first all was good there were no other people but other animals and retiles and food enough for small numbers. We don't take more than the land can give. More of my grandfather people joined until there were some hundred Dracon and forty people. Times were good and the group breed. Then in my father's young adulthood the others came. They were peaceful to start, but the dracon were cautious so didn't let their new neighbours realise the interdependence between Dracon and people." Merlin stopped and had a drink before continuing. Aithusa was asleep on his lap.

"Then the trouble started the others started to destroy the balance, taking more than they needed. My father people spoke to them and asked them to care for the planet. Relations became difficult. My father loved my mother and this was disproved of. The others wanted more land and wanted my father's people to move to the desert, we are nomads and have no fixed places moving with the seasons and to spare the land. They didn't understand our ways or abilities. They started to call us demons and monsters. One night father stayed with her and in the morning when he went back to his camp he found all dead. Men, women and children. Mother looked at them they had been poisoned they water tampered with. My father was the last living, the other's said it was a group that lived apart and blamed them. They then said they had found them guilty, killed them but offered no proof. Father stayed with mother they hand fasted in our religion, the others wouldn't allow mother to marry in her religion. As her father and mother were dead she was the only healer so they let them stay. But at the edge of the village. Father would still travel at times he found the staying hard. He also needed the dracon. He made the dracon swear not to let the others see them breath fire or seem too friendly he didn't want them hunted as well. Then one day father didn't come back. Mother said she went to find him, he was found with a broken neck at the base of a cliff. By now she had me growing in her, so she stayed with the others, knowing she wouldn't survive alone." Merlin started to look upset.

Gaius spoke up "Do you want to leave it for a bit?"

Merlin shock his head and continued "They hated me, no one of the children could play with me or speak to me. I was monster, devil sperm." Merlin took a deep breath "But I had my mum and the Dracon, but I had to be careful. I was not to be seen with Dracon or use my power. I helped mother we had little but were happy together. The Dracon got us meat and hid it for me to fetch, or we would have starved in the winters. One time when I was out with the dracon Mum got sick, no one would help her. I got back she was ill, I stayed with her she knew she was going to join father and told me to go, she feared for me. I stayed, she was my mother, she was all I had, but I packed bag with my important things and hid it ready to go. When Mother passed I carried her to where father was buried and placed her with him. I cried I was alone" by now Aithusa was trying to comfort Merlin who had tears running down his face. The small dracon was clearly picking up Merlin's distress.

"In the distance I could see our home burning they had destroyed it. I fell asleep on the grave…. I was woken later with rocks being thrown at me, all the others were there, even the children. I tried to get away ….. they said they would burn me alive. I had promised mother I would not let them see my powers…. but it hurt. The Kilgarrah the oldest Dracon swooped me up and took me to the hills. I hid in the cave but I didn't want to live alone. Two of the smaller Dracon got my bag and gave it to me." By now Merlin was shaking and very pale.

Arthur took pity on the boy. "One more thing for now, and then we will let you have a rest. How long ago did this happened?"

"Two moon cycles." Merlin muttered.

Leon looked at Merlin with pity "How old are you Merlin?"

"I have seen seventeen winters" by now Merlin was clearly very distressed and Aithusa was trying to wrap her wings around the young man's shaking body.

"That's enough Captain, The boy needs rest." Gaius leant over and gave the distressed Merlin a hypo spray of a sedative and the distress boy closed his eyes. "He's too weak to cope with this. Next time I insist on shorter sessions. Merlin seems to have been though too much for his mind to cope with to much"

"I agree doctor, but it does give us something to work on." The Captain looked down at Merlin with pity.

"Do you think he was telling the truth, or that he had been told the truth?" Leon asked.

"I met the settlers and yes I'm sorry to say I do." Arthur admitted "But what I need to know is about these powers he talks about. And what the connection with the dracons means, they seem to communicate and he certainly has some unexplained powers, how else did he get to the planet and back. I wish we could have stayed there longer, but orders are orders"

"When he wakes I will try to get him to answer some of your questions" Gaius told him "It might be easier on him then doing this"

Arthur he nodded "You can try but either way I need answers" then walked out his visit giving him more questions than answers.

Gwen covered Merlin up and gave the dracon a pat on the head. Then she turned to her boss "He's been through a lot, it must have been hard on him growing up like he did."

"If those settlers did cause the genocide of his father's people they need to be punished. But it will be Merlin's word against theirs unless the Captain can get back to the planet and find proof" the older man said thoughtfully.