A/N: Thanks everyone for your reviews, it's more than I've ever received before ... so hopefully you like the later chapters as much as the preceding ones!

It was an anxious chirping that woke him, that, and the young dragon nudging his chest.

Merlin opened his eyes and came face-to-face with Aithusa, who gave a growl of happiness when he saw Merlin was awake. Merlin winced as the dragon's talons dug into his arm, he propped himself up on his elbows and blinked sleepily at his young charge and then he remembered his wound. He struggled to sit upright with the weight of the dragon on him, and Aithusa lost his balance with an indignant squawk.

Merlin's wound was gone, in its place was a long, pink scar, and a dark bruise about the size of his hand span. "You healed me." Aithusa flapped his wings excitedly at the sound of Merlin's voice, but Merlin's smile dimed as he looked beyond the small creature.

The pyre was gone, and the ground was mainly clear, all that remained was just a faint trace of smoke and a few drifting ashes over the patch of burnt earth. Off to the side, a mound of smooth grey-coloured substance remained, it was about knee high and Merlin guessed it was the remnants of the Southron's weapons, which could now pass for an oddly shaped rock. The clearing was clean again, but the stain on Merlin's soul couldn't wash away so easily.

Merlin swallowed and closed his eyes, but Aithusa's quest for attention distracted him and another thought occurred to Merlin; Aithusa was alone and the dragonlord in him was not at all happy about that. He didn't really think he'd have managed to miss noticing Kilgharrah nearby, but he glanced around automatically, then nudged Aithusa. "Where's Kilgharrah?"

Aithusa chirped again, but it wasn't an answer, and the young dragon clambered onto Merlin's lap and began tugging at a loose thread on Merlin's neckerchief with his sharp teeth. Merlin left him to it, the neckerchief had seen better days, and Merlin'd had enough experience with the young dragon to know that he wouldn't be easily distracted, by now Aithusa had a few scraps of clothing feathering his nest, including one of Arthur's shirts that Merlin was sure the king would never notice was missing, he had so many after all.

It worried him, the idea of Aithusa being on his own in the forest. He shouldn't be out in daylight like this, alone and unprotected. Aithusa had strong magic so he was hardly defenceless, however he wasn't wise to the ways of humans, he viewed the world through innocent eyes, he had a limited grasp of the consequences of actions, and Merlin knew he'd be easily manipulated by someone if they'd gained the trust he freely gave.

It was only a short time ago Kilgharrah had said Aithusa had tried repeatedly to heal a dying squirrel, not understanding at first that old age had already claimed the animal, and to heal one element in its body was at the expense of another.

Aithusa tugged at Merlin's neckerchief again, growling triumphantly as a thread unravelled. Merlin petted the small creature absently, he wasn't sure what to do. It would be too much to hope Arthur hadn't noticed his absence by now, and he had no way of getting back to Camelot quickly, the horses he'd taken had disappeared some time after he'd been attacked.

He also had no intention of allowing the young dragon to roam alone, so even the vague idea he'd had to sneak in a quick visit to his mother couldn't come to pass. And he couldn't call upon Kilgharrah right now, they'd be seen. The sun was shining brightly, by its position in the sky he estimated it was mid morning.

Well, there was nothing for it, he'd have to head further into the woods. They were too close to Ealdor here, he'd been lucky no one had chanced on him or Aithusa when he'd been unconscious.

Directives in human speech were still not always something Aithusa obeyed, so Merlin used the dragon tongue to command his young charge to leave the neckerchief alone, and follow me. He was guiltily aware he wasn't spending enough time with Aithusa, Kilgharrah had stressed several times hatchlings traditionally spent about half of their first few years with their dragonlords to learn the way of humans.

Merlin found his pack in the bushes where he'd left it, he was glad he'd thought to hide it rather than leaving it with the horses. He'd taken a few apples, a chunk of hard cheese and two-day old bread with him, along with a few thin, chewy pieces of the dried trail meat that habitually stayed packed in his bag and that were consumed, usually as a stew base, if he was travelling with Arthur through land where game was sparse. The pack was fairly waterproof and his food was mainly dry, although the bread was a little soggy on one side.

He still felt weak and exhausted from blood loss, but his mind was clearing again and he dried out his damp clothes with barely a thought and warmed himself up at the same time. He wasn't hungry but he knew he had to eat, so he made himself eat some of the bread and cheese as he followed a barely defined trail to the west, in the direction of Camelot.

Aithusa flew around him happily for the first half hour as they travelled, but then he grew fractious and it took a firm command in the dragon tongue to keep him moving. After several such clashes, Merlin picked up his young charge, and when Aithusa relaxed and snuggled in his arms without even trying to get to the neckerchief, Merlin realised the hatchling was simply tired.

Although the dragon weighed far less than the gear Merlin usually carried when he went hunting, he decided to stop. They were far enough from Ealdor now to be safe from accidental discovery, and he'd over-estimated his ability to travel far with the effects from his injury still persisting.

He edged through the thicket of bushes until he was in a small clearing well away from the path he'd been following. The trail itself did not look well travelled, but he did not want to chance Aithusa being seen. He was weary, and what he'd done was still lingering in the back of his mind. He had to move beyond it in order to be what Arthur needed him to be, and he couldn't get there, not yet.

Aithusa's presence was helping, he was comforting in a way that Arthur and Kilgharrah were not, because the young dragon's demands were simple and uncomplicated by past deeds and expectations. And magically, the closer he was to the dragon, the better he felt, the slight haze clouding Merlin's mind that he assumed resulted from blood loss, was slowly clearing.

Merlin settled between the roots of a large tree, and stretched his legs out, wincing slightly as the action pulled against his tender side. Aithusa flopped onto his lap and went straight back to sleep, and Merlin curled his hand over the fold of the dragon's wing, and let the peace and the warmth of the day fill him. Aithusa was still young enough that his hide, though tough, was smooth, even a little soft, quite unlike Kilgharrah's hide which was rough enough in places to slice human skin.

Arthur and Camelot tugged at his conscience and his heart, but Merlin resisted the compulsion to hurry back, and a large part of him wasn't in a hurry at all. Merlin had already decided he'd ask Kilgharrah for a ride back to Camelot, yet, in the end, he didn't call Kilgharrah at all that evening when he had his chance under the cover of darkness. Merlin knew he should, if he waited until the following night it would mean he'd be absent from Camelot for at least three full days.

But he couldn't, he needed some time alone, and he wasn't ready to face the world yet and be the person people expected to see. In the last week all his focus had been on Arthur, he'd put so much effort into helping and motivating Arthur, and keeping him safe as they reclaimed Camelot, and he now needed some time alone to think, and to reconcile his feelings with his actions.

Experience had taught Merlin that his conscience would always trouble him from time-to-time as a result of the choices he'd have to make. More often than not, he felt this sadness when he'd taken human life, or when the lies of omission were piling too high and threatening to come crashing down, and the possibility of Arthur's discovery of the truth, and the subsequent ending of all semblance of friendship between them, was all too real.

Merlin was astute enough to know that he could not allow his conscience to fester, burying his thoughts did not work for him in the long run. He understood he had to take time to think about what he'd done and how he felt about it, so he could regain some perspective of his situation. He'd analyse the decisions he'd made, then he'd piece himself back together and carry on.

He knew his emotions were off kilter more than they'd usually be, due to the effects of the trauma to his body as well as the enormity of his recent actions. He was certainly still very sleepy, and knew that physically he was still weakened.

He stroked the tip of Aithusa's wing. There was a good chance by now that Arthur had grown suspicious of whatever excuse Gaius had dreamt up for his absence, but with recent events and his impending wedding, Arthur had a lot on his plate, and Merlin was hopeful that Arthur would be too distracted to give Merlin's absence much thought. And it wasn't like Gaius would worry if he was a bit late, the old physician had learnt over the years that Merlin was well able to look after himself.

Merlin wondered if he'd be able to get away with not mentioning the attack by the Southrons to Gaius, he was feeling a lot better, just weak, and blood would replenish itself in time, surely?

Merlin half dozed for a while, but eventually he roused himself, shifting Aithusa off him so he could get a piece of the dried meat from his pack. It wasn't very appetising, but he made himself start chewing on it, he couldn't be bothered making it into stew.

Now fully awake, Aithusa eyed the food with curiosity and slight confusion as Merlin ate. Despite the folklore that lingered, Aithusa was not a predator like his nearest wyvern relations, nor did he require plant-based food. Instead he subsisted from the same magic that fed into the bare elements themselves. He did not require food at all, but from the first time he'd seen Merlin eating, his curiosity had been provoked by his dragonlord's bizarre behaviour, and he hadn't yet lost interest in the strange textures and smells of the the things his dragonlord kept putting in his mouth.

Merlin didn't know what he'd expected Aithusa would be like, if anything he'd just assumed Aithusa would be a miniature Kilgharrah, born wise and spouting advice about destinies and anything he cared to stick his snout into, and, although Kilgharrah had said that type of knowledge was there, at present it was yet unawakened, as the young dragon was just too immature to cope with it.

It was evident to Merlin fairly early on that dragon hatchlings were not much different to most young animals, Aithusa was playful, curious, energetic and generally interested in anything and everything.

Merlin swallowed a mouthful of the dried meat and grimaced, it wasn't very appetising. His thoughts turned again to the men he'd burnt, as he scratched a path along Aithusa's spine, and the small creature arched into the touch. Merlin said quietly, "The taking of any life should always be your last resort, Aithusa. You'll remember that, won't you?"

Aithusa blinked. "Emrys."

"Why do you call me that? Not even Kilgharrah does."

Aithusa stretched his wings out and tipped his head to the side. "Young warlock."

Merlin was all too willing to be distracted from the direction his thoughts were heading again, and his mouth quirked at the mimicry of Kilgharrah's deeper tone. Aithusa crept closer to the hand that was holding the food and Merlin broke off a small piece of the dried meat and held it out to him.

"Emrys." Aithusa took the food and settled down across Merlin's knees as he chewed, his expression turning inwards in concentration. Aithusa was also very affectionate, Merlin had noticed with some amusement he was slightly less effusive in his dealings with Kilgharrah, but he was all over Merlin like a rash whenever he was allowed, he was continually looking for attention and affection from his dragonlord. The slightest reprimand from Merlin devastated him, whereas Merlin had seen him try Kilgharrah's patience more than once.

"Say Merlin."

Aithusa paused in his chewing for a moment and then coughed and spat out the remains of the meat onto the grass, his expression both disgusted and slightly betrayed. He shook his head and coughed again, trying to rid himself of the taste. He eyed Merlin accusingly. "Emrys."

Merlin smiled slightly at the familiar game of words, he'd never managed yet to get Aithusa to call him by his birth name. Aithusa was still snorting and coughing. "Yeah, I agree, it doesn't taste very nice."

He gave up on the lesson in light of Aithusa's distraction, Aithusa still struggled with the human tongue, he was fairly good now at communicating with simple words in it using mind speech, but verbal speech was still a bit beyond him, Merlin supposed it would improve with time.

Spending time with Aithusa felt like time off from his responsibilities. It also felt vaguely selfish, to do this for himself, but as much as Arthur would always come first, Merlin too was a dragonlord, and he wanted to spend time with Aithusa, the sorrow that weighed him down seemed lighter with the young dragon's antics to distract him.

In the end, he stayed in the clearing with Aithusa for another full night and day before he made the call to Kilgharrah. He was late already, so if he'd been missed then another day wouldn't change how angry Arthur would get.

He'd found a patch of raspberries nearby and discovered that while Aithusa had a strong dislike for the chewy trail meat, the small creature loved raspberries, and Merlin found himself more relaxed than he had been for ages at the sight of raspberry stains all around the dragon's pale snout.

There was also a stream not too far away, and at first Merlin had been cautious with Aithusa, but the dragon had surprised him by the delight he took in wetting the tips of his paws and blowing a small blast of fire onto the water, succeeding in raising a weak cloud of steam. Merlin realised he was indulging himself in spending this time away from Camelot, but he needed it, and he gave in to the simple pleasure of being free for a short time from his responsibilities and the burden of his destiny.

When it was dark, he made the call to Kilgharrah, who arrived almost straight away, breaking off a few tree branches as he landed, as the clearing was barely big enough for him to fit. "Young warlock."

Merlin indicated Aithusa. "He's still very young, Kilgharrah. Should you be leaving him alone?"

Kilgharrah tipped his head to the side and eyed the man in front of him. "It's not me he wants right now. It's you, as I've told you before." Disapproval edged the dragon's words. "Even now, he ventures out on his own seeking humans. He looks for you."

"And you let him? He could be harmed, or captured!"

Kilgharrah was blunt. "I am not his keeper, young warlock, and he's not vulnerable like a human child. He needs human contact, yet you won't give it to him, so he seeks it elsewhere."

"He can't be seen by anyone, Kilgharrah. You know that. He'll be hunted, news of a baby dragon would get back to Camelot eventually."

Kilgharrah shifted his weight from one paw to the other. "He hasn't been seen by anyone, not yet. But Merlin, Aithusa is your responsibility now." Kilgharrah was vaguely sympathetic, but he had his own agenda to press. "He needs to see more of you, Merlin, you are his dragonlord. He needs to learn the ways of humans, to recognise their visual cues and body language, to understand the things they say when they are not speaking. I cannot teach him that."

Merlin glanced across at the baby, who'd grown bored by the lack of attention paid to him and was snuffling in the dirt beneath a clump of bushes, his hide gleaming whitely in the moonlight. Merlin carded a weary hand through his hair. "We've been over this before, Kilgharrah. I will, I promise. I'll spend more time with him. I want to. Just not yet. I can't get away from Camelot easily."

"Your excuses never change, Merlin." Kilgharrah was growing angry. "Aithusa needs you now. And you would do well to allow him to see your king from time to time, to begin to build a bond with him, and a willingness to serve. You must."

Kilgharrah's temper hadn't intimidated Merlin for a long time now, and it fed Merlin's own, his own voice rising too. "It can't happen yet, Kilgharrah, and there's no point talking about it further. Arthur isn't ready to welcome the existence of dragons, nor those who are kin to them."

"Perhaps it's you who is not ready to tell him, young warlock."

There was nothing to say to that, because it was the truth too. Merlin had thought about it, he really had. But he couldn't do this, to bring Aithusa to Arthur's notice was not only dangerous for the young dragon, but Merlin didn't think he could do it without revealing his dragonlord heritage, because Aithusa still relied heavily on the dragon tongue to communicate effectively, and Merlin certainly needed to use it to curb his sometimes impulsive behaviour.

Merlin sighed and turned away from Kilgharrah to watch Aithusa, this time the young creature was blowing on a clump of grass that rippled between gold and green and then a startlingly bright purple, before starting the cycle all over again.

Kilgharrah huffed in frustration then was silent for a long moment, and Merlin thought their conversation was over, but eventually the older dragon spoke again, his earlier anger muted. "Young warlock ... there were many dragons, before Uther's purge, though not many young dragons." He paused at the memory. "And even then, a dragon birth was a rare thing, such an event may not occur in a single human lifetime. Yet your father called forth a hatchling, when he was a little younger than you, Merlin. It devastated Balinor when she was killed almost at the start of the purge. Anya was her name."

Kilgharrah allowed the impact of his words to sink in. "You must take Aithusa to Camelot, and keep him with you for a while. You are a dragonlord Merlin, it is your sacred duty to do all you can for him."

Merlin met Kilgharrah's eyes for a long moment, then turned away, aware that he was being manipulated but feeling guiltily bidden to go along with it. "I know, Kilgharrah. But I can't." The regret bled through his tone. "It would be too dangerous for him, and for me."

"You must."

Merlin shook his head. "I can't do what you're asking of me, Kilgharrah."

"There is a way." Kilgharrah waited and then added smoothly, "Hatchlings have the ability to seem invisible when required, young warlock."

Merlin stopped his pacing and stared up at Kilgharrah, incredulous. He said flatly, "An invisible dragon?"

"Yes." Kilgharrah was slightly defensive. "Though they are not actually invisible, but merely no man nor beast will notice their presence. It works as long as the hatchling remains quiet."

Merlin was doubtful. "Okay." He glanced across at Aithusa, who was now gliding from tree to tree like a large, albino bat. "And still?"

"No, the hatching doesn't need to be still. Just quiet. The ability harkens back to the dragon wars, when the young were at risk from opposing males who fought over mates or territory. It's not been that way for many hundreds of years now, but the magic is instinctive in the very young. It's something he can do, which I cannot."

Merlin thought about it.

"And it would do you well to have Aithusa with you as you heal. Aithusa healed your injury Merlin. But he was not able to replenish your blood loss. You came very close to dying, young warlock, the magic in you still does not feel normal to me. You will take time to recover. The magic you can feel, just from being near him, will help your human body recover. He is magic, as are you."

Merlin didn't have the strength to argue. And he wanted to do it, as crazy as it sounded. He could imagine what mischief the young dragon would get into in Gaius's workshop, his mentor would have a fit, and the thought made him smile.

He shrugged inwardly. "Very well. But we'd better make sure I can see him all the time." He'd have enough to worry about what a visible dragon would get up to, let alone an invisible one.

Kilgharrah rumbled his approval, and Merlin thought for a moment. "And Gaius too, I think. Yes, he'll need to see him." It would probably be a good idea.

But later, he'd wish he'd left Gaius out of it.