A/N: Sorry for the long wait everyone, I kind of had a writer's block for this one. So what will happen between Merlin and Arthur, will they understand the other's feelings and will they overcome their differences to create Albion? And what will become of the attack planned on Camelot? I hope I will give you guys the next chapter sooner. So enjoy!

xxx

Arthur stared nervously at the raven, both staying silent and it was Morgana who broke through it. 'I still haven't introduced myself, I'm Morgana.'

He saw how Merlin blushed. 'Hello... I'm Merlin, but you knew that already.'

The brunette next to the boy sighed and shook his head. 'Gwaine.'

Arthur rolled his eyes seeing Morgana's face, she was clearly curious about them, she looked at the brunette with her wide curious eyes. 'So are you also a druid?'

Gwaine shook his head again. 'No, just traveling with them.' He glared at Arthur, maybe there was less hatred in his voice, but the brunette clearly still didn't like him. The man turned to the smaller raven. 'We should go back.'

Arthur's eyes widened, he still wanted to know more, but before he could say anything Merlin replied. 'But Gwaine-.'

'No Merlin, if your father finds out you talked to the prince of Camelot then he would kill me!' Gwaine shouted to the raven and Merlin bit his lip.

Arthur himself frowned, he knew that most magic people would hate him for what his father had done, but it still hurt to hear. Merlin sighed. 'Yeah... Guess that it's time for us to go.'

'Wait!' The prince said, before taking a step forward. 'Ehmm... I want to know you, can we meet again?'

The brunette's eyes darkened, but before he could react Merlin answered. 'I don't think that's a good idea... we live in such deferent worlds, your father would kill me and because of him my people hate your family.' The raven bit his lip, his eyes growing sad.

The blond nodded, he understood. He saw Morgana's face next to him turn into anger, he knew that she hated the way his father looked at magic and she opened her mouth. 'But-.'

'No, its fine, he's right.' He interrupted her.

Merlin gave him a sad smile and Gwaine started to drag him away, but before the brunette had set more than a few steps he froze on the spot and his eyes grew wide with fear, Merlin behind him did the same and Arthur turned to where they were looking. He saw a older man rushing towards them, sword in his hand and instinctively he reached for his own.

Arthur wanted to pull for the two men back, but was too late, the man had already reached them, but instead of attacking the two boys he pulled them behind his back and pointed his sword at the prince's chest.

Merlin gasped and grabbed the man's arm, pulling the sword away from the prince. 'Dad, don't!'

Arthur blinked in surprise, that man was Merlin's father, now he looked closer they indeed looked like each other, but the older man's face showed traces of an dark and difficult life, while his son was still the innocence himself. The man hissed back. 'He's a Pendragon.' He then turned back to the blond. 'Stay away from them, a Pendragon like you isn't welcome!'

'I... I only wanted to thank him.' The man took a quick look back at the raven before turning back to Arthur.

It was Morgana that responded back. 'Arthur's right, we don't want to do any harm to your people.'

The men let out a soft growl, clearly not calmed by her words. 'I would love to believe that, but I should know better than that. I have trusted a Pendragon before and I still regret doing it.'

Arthur blinked, that man had known his father, or at least worked for him. 'What happened?'

the man narrowed his eyes. 'Just another story of betrayal... one of the many I have to say.' He let out a sigh. 'I hope for the people that you look more like your mother then your father, she was a good woman.'

Arthur's eyes widened, that man knew his mother? 'You knew my mom?' He felt his heart skip a beat, his father never talked about her, but from Gaius he knew that she was a kind and warm woman, the physician was the only one that ever told him about her.

The older man's eyes softened, something of regret could be seen in them. 'Yes, but that was a long time ago... you have her eyes.' He rubbed through his grey hair. 'We are going, but... I have to warn you, soon Camelot will be under attack.'

It was then that Arthur's instincts took over, his mind sharp by those last words. 'Camelot is going to be attacked, when, by who?'

'That I won't say, I have already told you more then I should. Merlin, Gwaine we're going!'

Arthur looked stunned at the man, before realizing that for a druid he had already told him more then he should have. 'Thank you... can I at least know your name.'

The man stopped and turned around, his eyes still questioning if he should tell him. 'Balinor, my name is Balinor.' It where his last words and he dragged the two boys with him, Merlin looked back while being pulled away, his lips forming the word 'Goodbye'. Arthur did the same, still longing to know more of the raven, but his mind was already filled with so much questions.

'Arthur?' Morgana tenderly asked, worry clearly showed itself in her voice. 'You okay?'

He was shocked by her words. 'Uhmm... yeah, we have to go back and warn my father.' She slowly nodded and they too headed home.

xxx

Arthur walked with a stern pace through the castle, he was still frustrated by the conversation he had with his father, those many questions and of course how he knew about the attack, Arthur had to lie, he could never tell him about Balinor.

He stopped in front of Gaius' chambers, he hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door and stepping inside. The physician smiled at him, the man was working on one of his many potions, it was currently a dark green liquid. 'Can I have a moment with you?'

'Of course my dear boy.' Gaius said while putting the potion away and sitting down at the table. The prince sat down in front of his older friend, nervously he opened his mouth, but was cut off. 'Let me guess, you went to see Merlin?' Arthur's eyes widened in surprise and Gaius took that as a yes. 'And you found him.'

'Yes I did... I went together with Morgana.' This actually surprised the older man. 'We had a talk, about him healing me, he said he didn't regret it... but what really surprised me was when I met his father, that had man lived in Camelot.'

The physician frowned. 'There were many magic users in Camelot before the great purge... what is it?'

Arthur looked confused at the man before realizing that his face was twisted in a sad frown. 'I... It's just that... Gaius he said that knew my mother.'

Gaius leaned closer towards the prince. 'What was his name?!'

'Balinor.' What happened next made Arthur look stunned at his older friend, the man's eyes widened, while tears appeared in his eyes. Gaius leaned back, his hands placed on his face. '... Gaius... did you know him?'

The man didn't say anything, but Arthur saw tears running beneath his hands. It was a while before Gaius finally pulled his hands away and he took a deep breath. 'Balinor...' The name sounded rough. 'was a good friend of mine, we studied magic together, I eventually stopped practicing it, but he didn't.'

'What happened to him, he said that he was betrayed by my father.'

Gaius closed his eyes for a moment. 'I think you could say that he was... but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell it to you.'

The blond lifted his eyebrow. 'It has never stopped you before.'

The physician laughed. 'I guess you're right... don't tell you father that I told you... Your father had asked him to bring the last living dragon to Camelot.' Arthur looked stunned at him, did he mean the dragon in the cave beneath Camelot. 'Yes, a dragon... Balinor was the last living dragonlord and he did what Uther had asked him. Uther said that he wanted to make peace with it, because it was the last of its kind, but he locked the dragon away in a cave beneath the castle... After that he wanted to arrest Balinor, I helped him fled across the borders to a friend of mine, but... Uther still went after him, I always thought that they were dead, killed by Uther's hands.'

'Oh.' Was Arthur's only word, after what Gaius had told him he understood the hatred the man had for him and still... Balinor had warned him. He looked Gaius in the eyes. 'And... and did he know my mother?'

'Yes... they were close friends since they were little. Balinor followed your mom to Camelot when she went to live with your father. After her dead he broke down and your father probably used that to convince Balinor to do what he wanted him to do.' The older man stared sad in front of him, his eyes far away as if they remembered old memories.

The prince felt sick, that man had been his mother's best friend, Balinor could have been like an uncle to him and then... what his father had done, he felt terrible only thinking about it. 'I...' He started but didn't finish what he wanted to say.

'Arthur?' The blond looked up at the physician. 'You said... you said that Merlin was his son, do you know who his mother was.' Arthur shook his head and Gaius sighed. 'At least he has a son, it was what he always had wanted... will you see them again?'

'Probably not.' Gaius took his head in his hands and Arthur stood up, knowing their conversation had ended. 'goodbye.' The older man didn't reply and Arthur turned around, leaving the man alone.

xxx

'Dad?' He asked softly when his father sat down in their tent, the man didn't look up. 'You knew Arthur's mother, Camelot's queen.'

There was a long pause before his father answered. 'Yes... she was a good friend of me back at Camelot.' Merlin knew what had happened between his father and Uther, but knew nothing more than the basics.

He sat down next to his father, his hand on the older man's shoulder. 'There is going to be an attack on Camelot?'

Balinor looked tired at him. 'Yes, but don't tell the others. Alice came to ask if we wanted to join their army, Cornelius refused, but if some of the younger men knew about it then they would join them.'

'Alice is a murderer, isn't she?' Ever since she touched him he felt as if she was like the dead itself, a murderer, someone who would kill in cold blood.

'Yes.' Balinor brushed his son's head. 'I traveled with them for some time, but when I realized what she was I left.'

Merlin gulped, he had never imagined him, his own father, as a murderer, a protector yes, but not a murderer. 'Have you killed?'

'Yes...' It was not more than a whisper, but strong enough to shock the raven. The older man pulled his son against him. 'Don't become like me...' He sighed. 'But there are still things I have to explain to you, about our family's heritage.' Merlin frowned, his father never talked about his family. 'I, just like my father, am a dragonlord and after I die you will inherit my powers.' A dragonlord, his father was a dragonlord! He was scared, but at the same time he was curious, it sounded right.

'Tell me more.'

His father gave him a sad smile, before he started to talk, explain what it was to be a dragonlord and a promise to learn him everything he knew.

xxx

'That will never work!' The tall blond almost shouted at Alice. Jason was a great fighter, but his sneaking skills were the greatest in all the lands, but still he could panic about the smallest things.

But she remained calm, of course she know they had to make a plan, they needed the boy, even when he was still weak. Those idiots should have trained him to kill, murderer the Pendragon's, to take over Camelot, but they just wanted to deny who the boy was. 'You don't have to shout, we will get the boy on our side.'

'Yes, Alice's plans always work!' Emma's joyful voice shouted, how you wouldn't think that she was able to fight for herself, but she incredible with the bow.

'Yes my dear, but I'm afraid we have to trick him, he has a soft heart.'

'I will harden him.' Anton proclaimed, his muscular build was something to fear, together with his enormous hammer he almost looked like a giant and some even say he was one.

'That would be a stupid idea, you will only break him.' Rolf replied, the man was silent and to Alice's opinion way to boring, but he was a great sorcerer and followed orders perfectly. She knew he was right.

'First we have to get him away from his protectors, which probably will be a rather difficult task. That brunette seemed to be a good fighter and I know that Balinor is one of the best, so...' She stopped and her eyes started to shine devilishly, she had the perfect plan.