After a night of uninterrupted sleep, Merlin was in a much better mood.

"Morning, Gaius!" he greeted cheerfully over breakfast.

"Gaius!" Aithusa sounded just as bright.

"Feeling better about your responsibilities, I see?" Gaius raised an eyebrow.

"Don't know what you're talking about!" Merlin beamed. "Aithusa's no trouble. Watch – Aithusa, are you going to eat anything you shouldn't today?"

The dragonlet shook its head from side to side so vigorously that it staggered a little way across the table. In reward, Merlin tossed him a piece of bread, which he lunged for, missed, and rounded on before devouring.

"And if you're hungry, what are you going to do?"

Aithusa paused in his meal, tilted his head to the side, and made a chirping sound in the back of his throat.

"See? Sorted!"

"I'm not sure teaching him a trick will solve the problem, Merlin."

"It's not a trick!" Merlin insisted. "He does it all by himself – I think he really understands me. Look – are you a dragon?"

Aithusa bobbed his head up and down.

Gaius frowned, and peered closer at the dragonlet. "Do you know who I am?"

"Gaius!"

Gaius broke into a smile. "And do you know who this is?"

Aithusa nodded, but didn't speak.

Merlin's grin shrunk slightly. "Well, he still doesn't seem to know my name. But everything will be alright. We're communicating now, aren't we?"

"So it seems," Gaius admitted. "Just be careful you don't attract the wrong kind of attention."

"I always am!"

Gaius chuckled to himself as he headed out of the room, but something made him pause in the doorway. He glanced back at the table to see Merlin petting Aithusa gently behind the ears as the young dragon nuzzled into his arm, both wearing a soppy expression that Gaius knew Merlin would deny if ever questioned about.

Perhaps everything would be alright after all.

True to his word, Aithusa behaved himself all morning, perhaps nibbling the occasional, particularly delicious looking, piece of clothing, but largely staying settled on Merlin's shoulder and causing little trouble.

Until the council meeting.

"Your Majesty, we have received word that a dangerous sorcerer is loose in your lands."

The meeting had already dragged on for several centuries – or, by the clock, about half an hour – and Merlin had long since stopped paying attention, but the mention of a sorcerer brought his focus back to the present. Every time he crossed paths with another magic user, things seemed to end badly – either they faced death just for existing, or, on the off-chance they had done something worthy of punishment, they served only to further convince Arthur that magic was irrevocably evil and its users could not be tolerated.

Although, Merlin remembered, his own recent actions, however unwitting, had contributed to that belief a great deal more than he would have wished.

"What details do we have of this sorcerer?" Arthur asked, leaning forwards. He looked angry at the mere thought of magic, and guilt filled Merlin's stomach with lead.

Agravaine shook his head. "I am afraid that there is very little information, sire, only that this sorcerer is a grave threat to Camelot and your own person, and that he is known by the name of Emrys."

No.

Time seemed to slow to a standstill as Merlin tried to force his face to remain blank.

How could anyone know that name? No-one knew that name – well, okay, yes, lots of people knew that name, but no-one who would want Arthur to seek him out as a threat. Only other magic users – the Cailleach. The Druids…

A terrible thought struck Merlin. Morgana had lived with the Druids. Had she learned the truth about him? If Morgana knew he was a sorcerer, would she want Arthur to find out?

Yes. There was a time when they had been friends, but now – now, she would tell Arthur in a second.

But – why would she do it like this?

"Merlin! Merlin!"

The deafening roar of panic receded from Merlin's ears, and his eyes focussed again, on –

Arthur. Shouting.

"Merlin, can you keep that bloody bird quiet?"

Both Arthurs shouting. On Merlin's shoulder, screeching so loud that the council members were wincing, was Aithusa.

"Emrys! Emrys! Emrys!"

They were thrown out of the council meeting. Arthur didn't look pleased, but that was the least of Merlin's problems.

"Emrys!"

"Shh!" he begged Aithusa. "Please, be quiet."

Aithusa tilted his head to the side. "Emrys?"

Merlin hurried back to Gaius' rooms – he needed advice, and Arthur wouldn't want him again until the meeting was over. The entire journey there, he was going over and over it in his head: Aithusa was smart, dragon smart, and probably already twice as magical as Merlin, and he didn't like to use nicknames –

Would anyone have noticed? Probably not – if they thought Aithusa was just a parrot, there was no reason to be suspicious. But, if every time someone said Merlin, Aithusa corrected them…

He was in so much trouble.

He walked into the empty room, shut the door behind him, and removed the enchantment from Aithusa, knowing that it would make communicating this easier.

"Emrys?" Aithusa asked him again, sounding confused by his behaviour.

"Yes," Merlin said. "Hello, Aithusa, I'm Emrys."

"Emrys!"

"But you can't call me that," Merlin told him.

The dragon tilted his head, looking utterly bewildered.

"It's a secret," Merlin said, wondering if the dragonlet even knew what a secret was. "You have to call me Merlin."

"Emrys?"

"Merlin."

The dragon fell silent for a second.

"Murrrleeeen."

Aithusa pulled a face, like the word itself tasted bad.

"I know," Merlin told him, rubbing the dragon behind the ears. "Lying isn't fun. But we have to. Otherwise both of us will be in danger."

"Merlin." The dragon coughed. "Merlin."

Then Aithusa fixed Merlin with a glare and began to chirp.

"Okay, okay, lunchtime!" Merlin promised, his heart finally slowing down.

Another day, another crisis averted.

Morgana had one eyebrow raised as she opened the door.

"Back already? Important news, I hope."

Agravaine smiled. "I am afraid Arthur has made little progress yet in seeking out Emrys, but I believe it may no longer matter."

"Really?"

"Are you familiar with Arthur's servant boy?"

Morgana scowled. "Merlin. Yes, we have met."

"He has recently come into possession of a talking bird, an exotic gift from a friend," Agravaine explained. "But when the name Emrys was mentioned in front of it, the bird echoed it incessantly."

"A bird." Morgana's expression darkened. "What use do I have for a bird?"

"A bird familiar with the name," Agravaine insisted. "I am certain of it. Merlin's friend knows something of this Emrys."

Morgana glared at him. "But you have no idea who that may be."

"What one friend knows, might not another?"

Morgana laughed. "You think Merlin knows something? I assure you, Agravaine – that boy is as dimwitted as he is loyal to Arthur. If he knew anything of this Emrys, he would have come forward."

"Not if he has something to hide, especially about his friend." Morgana shook her head. "I beg you, at least consider it."

Morgana paused. "Perhaps it is worth trying to seek this friend of his. But I assure you – Merlin knows nothing of Emrys."