Merlin really wanted to be anywhere but here right then. He had things to do, questions to ask Kilgharrah, but Arthur had made it clear he was supposed to be there to greet Bayard. Dressed in the finery as he was, and a long cape, he felt out of place. He'd probably get used to the clothes, in time, but it just wasn't who he was. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at his husband next to him. At least Arthur wasn't attempting to change him. He had insisted on an updated wardrobe and that was it. He wasn't asked to learn etiquette or required to do things that he hadn't done before. He was allowed to be the same as before, with the exception of a few times Arthur had asked for his presence.

Which made him all the more determined to solve Arthur's little heir problem. There was no way he could convince the king to consider a surrogate and he couldn't do the same spell on himself that had been used on Yggraine. Completely disregarding the fact that he didn't remember what happened to the cup of life, he wasn't even sure if he could cast the spell on himself. It didn't exactly have a timer. So that left finding another solution and the only one he could think to ask would be Kilgharrah.

"Try not to look so distracted," Arthur told him quietly and he jerked a little.

"What?"

"They're about to enter the courtyard any minute, so could you possibly stop looking as if you're contemplating running away?"

He grinned at Arthur. "I don't know, maybe."

The king rolled his eyes, but there was a slight smile on his face regardless as he struggled to keep his serious expression. The clopping of the horses' feet on stone signaled the arrival of their guests and Bayard with a small contingent of soldiers and servants rounded the corner.

"King Bayard," Arthur greeted as the man dismounted. "We're honored by your visit."

The man looked at Arthur and Merlin for a long minute before finally saying, "Well I had to meet the young man again that accused me of poisoning you years ago. I didn't think I'd be congratulating you for marrying him."

"Is this a problem?" Arthur's voice seemed calm and completely composed, but Merlin was used to the telltale signs around his eyes that said he was tense.

"If it's a problem, then it's yours," the blunt king said. "It is of no concern of mine who you marry and what you do about an heir. Instead, we will celebrate your marriage."

Arthur nodded and turned, slipping an arm possessively around Merlin's waist. Servants broke from the crowd on the steps of the palace to take the horses and lead the guests to their chambers as Bayard himself accompanied them through the halls. "A feast will be held tomorrow night and we shall use your generous gift to us when the treaty was first signed."

Merlin watched as Bayard stared in surprise. "I feared you had them melted down."

"Why should I, when it wasn't your or the cups' fault? The workmanship is superb and it was a gift."

"And of the poison?"

"The cup itself wasn't tainted. Just the edge of it with an herb. The properties of it were enhanced with magic," Merlin explained. "We removed it, that's all."

Bayard looked at them with what Merlin thought was new respect. "We had heard rumors in Mercia that you were in love with a servant and would marry one, but I thought they had said it was a woman."

Merlin glanced at Arthur, but the king merely looked back at Bayard. "The rumors were mistaken then."

So he wasn't going to tell them about Gwen? In some ways, he understood. What happened was a very complicated situation and despite how things had turned out a few days ago, it didn't change the initial reason for their marriage. At the same time, it bothered him that Gwen seemed to be glossed over.

"…Indeed." Bayard turned the conversation then to policy and Merlin tuned it out. He didn't ask to leave, nor did Arthur make him, even though he felt bored to tears. Finally he slipped off when the two kings were winding their conversation down and Bayard being shown his rooms.

He turned the corner and spotted a familiar back among the servants. Merlin bit his lip, but squared his shoulders and called, "Gwen!"

At the very least, Gwen turned and she actually smiled at him a bit. "Merlin. What are you up to?"

"I was…" He hesitated and Gwen seemed to get the idea.

"Walk with me."

She led him into a rarely used corridor and Merlin made sure no one was around before he could answer. "I was going to see a friend about…a problem. Normally I go at night, but Arthur would notice if I'm not there."

"Why can't you tell Arthur?"

"He'd get angry at me. Really mad. Like lock me in a room for three weeks and not let me out mad."

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise before they lowered in concern. "Merlin, what would you be doing that would make him that worried?"

Merlin found himself rubbing his hands together in nerves, but admitted, "Arthur…has a problem and I'm trying to fix it. It probably won't be easy because fixing his problems never is, but I'm prepared to do it."

"Merlin… Prepared to do what?"

He had to hand it to her, she was patient and letting him dance around the subject as long as he wanted so long as he finally did say it. "Arthur needs an heir," he blurted. "He's saying he'll just appoint someone in a few years to take his place, but I know that he wants to be a father."

Gwen was staring at him, her face blank, and he wished desperately to know what was going on in her mind. "A surrogate?"

"He won't consider it. He's…being faithful."

"Well I knew it was a long shot. Arthur has always been noble." Her eyes widened. "You're not considering using magic, are you?!"

"Yes. What else am I supposed to do when the conventional way isn't possible?"

"Merlin, it's impossible!"

Merlin shook his head. He was used to bending the world to his will. He was not used to having an impossible problem that he couldn't solve in one way or another. Every challenge that he'd come across, he'd found a way to surpass. Oftentimes it meant using his magic, but so long as the problem was gone, did it matter how it was accomplished?

"That's why I'm going to see that friend I mentioned. There is…a spell that…could be used to get someone pregnant, but it would require a sacrifice and that's..."

"Out of the question," Gwen told him without pause, a resolute look in her eyes. "You're not going to do anything that would hurt yourself or worse. If you do, I'll tell Arthur about this little idea of yours."

He blinked. "But…"

"Arthur loves you, Merlin. Even I can see that. And you're my friend, do you really think I'm going to let you do something to get yourself hurt while trying to fix a problem in a way that Arthur doesn't want you to? I swear, you two will be the death of me yet."

Merlin smiled a little at her fondly exasperated expression and for the first time since Arthur had proposed to him, he felt hope that their friendship would endure. "I promise, what I'm going to try to do won't involve anyone getting hurt or dying. I don't even know if it's possible yet."

"Are you going to tell me what 'it' is?"

He hesitated, glancing around, but still no one was there. "I was going to ask if it was possible that…I could give Arthur children."

"Merlin…you're a man."

"I know."

"You think you can turn into a woman?"

"Well, I've done it once before, but it was a bit uncomfortable and I'm not sure that the…ability I'd need as a female would actually work. It's a temporary spell. It's not like when I'd age myself, that's still my body, just older. Being a woman isn't my body."

"…I don't think I want to know when you'd need to be an old man," Gwen decided. "So you think your friend can tell you a way that, as a man, you can have children without turning into a woman?"

Well when she put it like that… "Yes."

"Do you need help? Should I come?"

Merlin chewed on the inside of his lip as he considered it. Clearly Gwen knew about his magic, but did she know he was a dragonlord? He didn't want to bring her and then have her freak out on him, particularly since like most of Camelot, they'd been on the receiving end of Kilgharrah's attack when he'd freed him. At the same time, she clearly did want to help. "You can…but I should probably warn you… My friend is a dragon."

"A dragon?!"

"His name is Kilgharrah. I'm the last dragonlord."

"Oh Merlin…"

"…What?" he asked cautiously, afraid of what would come out of her mouth. Would she say that she had never known him at all with all these secrets? That this was one secret too many?

"You must have been terrified for so long when Arthur's father still ruled."

Merlin relaxed a bit. "Not as much as I should have. It didn't stop me from using my magic. I even saved his life a few times with it, not that he knew that."

Footsteps passing nearby reminded them that they were still in public and didn't have a lot of time. "Okay, let me get out of these noticeable clothes and I'll meet you at the gates. Don't tell anyone where we're going."

"Don't forget to bring something to cover your head. You're not so anonymous anymore, Merlin."

Merlin grimaced, but nodded.

-0-

Gwen was indeed waiting for him when he reached the main gate to the city. He'd deliberately caught Arthur in a corner in the hallway after he'd changed and had gotten into an extended kissing session. It had frustrated and aroused his husband, but also made him late for his next meeting which meant he'd be less likely to notice when Merlin was gone.

If Merlin enjoyed what they had been doing, that was just a pleasant bonus.

"I promise, he's not going to hurt you so you don't have to be worried," he told her as Gwen followed him to the clear he habitually called Kilgharrah to.

"It's not him I'm worried about."

Merlin smiled before looking at the sky and calling out. Gwen squeaked a little at how loud he was and the strange words, but she remained at his side. They waited a few minutes and soon enough, Merlin heard the sounds of wings beating in the air. Kilgharrah circled the clearing, taking note of Gwen, before he landed. "If it isn't the new consort. I haven't see you since before your wedding, Merlin." Merlin blushed as Kilgharrah leaned his head down and sniffed him. "And I see you've chosen to consummate your marriage."

He couldn't look at Gwen, dared not to. Everyone else in the palace had never questioned that, but she and the knights had known the truth and that the marriage had been arranged for a purpose. He hadn't wanted to tell her that they were actually sleeping together, didn't want to upset her. In fact, he should be happy that she was even speaking to him as normal right then as only a month had passed since the engagement had been broken off.

"Why have you called me here, young warlock? In the afternoon, no less."

"It was a risk I had to take. It's too hard get out at night anymore."

"Really. Should the Pendragons be known for their virility then?"

He turned a bright red at the teasing. "I called you here to ask you something."

"As always. What do you want to know?"

"Is there a way for me to…have Arthur's children?"

To his credit, Kilgharrah didn't seem surprised. "There are many ways of creating life and some are non-magical. Why would you choose to ask me?"

"Because magic is my only option. Arthur won't do any of the other non-magical things."

"You already know of one method."

"I don't know where the cup of life is and Arthur would refuse to let me use it. I can't use it anyway. I can't cause someone else's death just for my sake." He clenched his fist tightly and blinked when he felt Gwen's hands enclosing it. It calmed him and he asked, "Is there any other way?"

"Perhaps. There is a rare herb that I know of that increases fertility. Properly prepared, it can be very potent. You also have magic enough to shapeshift for limited times, do you not?"

"So you're saying to use the shapeshifting spell on the herbs…?"

"No. You would need something else as a catalyst to bring the two together."

It was a testament to how long he'd been friends with Kilgharrah that he figured out what he was saying. "Dragon magic. I bring the herb to you and you use your dragon magic to combine my magic, the magic of the old religion, with the herb?"

"Yes."

"What will that do?" Gwen asked. "Will it make him a woman?"

Kilgharrah looked at her for a long moment, then to Merlin, and back again. "No. The shapeshifting spell will be changed by my magic so that he will remain male for the most part, but not all. It will give him the internal ability to bear children."

"If the two combining spells will do that, then why do I need the herb?" Merlin asked in confusion.

"Because without it, you will never be fertile enough to conceive. You must take a much higher dose and repeatedly to make it effective. Without it, the spell will be useless."

He let out a sigh of relief and began to smile. "Thank you, Kilgharrah. I didn't know if—"

"Listen to me, Merlin. There are some things you need to know." His smile began to slip. That seriousness was never a good sign. "This particular mixing of spells and herbs is very rarely successful. It was tried long ago, when the old religion still ruled, but often the spells never took to the person or the herbs just could not increase the fertility enough to conceive. There is a great chance that this will fail."

"If it does, what happens?"

"No harm will befall you, if that is your concern. It will just as likely fade away as if you had never done anything at all. You must also be aware that the spell is temporary. It will last merely weeks and supposing the spell does successfully take to you and you take the herbs daily, it will still take more than once to conceive. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

"Then summon me when you have the herb in your possession and I will tell you how to prepare it." Kilgharrah burst into the sky then, flying off to wherever he slept during the day.

Gwen squeezed his hand. "Now tell me the truth, Merlin. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go through with it…but don't tell Arthur about it. We can't because if it doesn't work…"

"Merlin, Arthur should know about this. It's not just your decision!"

"And if I tell him and the spell doesn't work, Gwen? He'll be crushed! I can't hurt him like that!"

Gwen's eyes were glittering with determination. "Kilgharrah didn't tell you what the herb was, so that means you'll have to ask Gaius, right?"

"…Right…?"

"Well if you don't tell Arthur just what you're planning, then I'll make sure that Gaius won't help you."

"Gwen!"

"I'm serious, Merlin. You are going to learn that you can't do everything on your own! You've spent years hiding things, doing these spells on your own without any input whatsoever and suffered because of it. Now your friends know and should be involved. This is a life-changing event, Merlin, you can't just spring it on Arthur that suddenly you're pregnant! Particularly since it's going to be obvious that magic caused it!"

He hadn't thought that far. How would they explain it to Camelot? He bit his lip. Considering what Arthur had gone through to keep him safe, he needed to know. Sighing, he nodded and allowed himself to be bullied by Gwen. He had always wanted his friends to see him for who he was, magic and all, but now he was beginning to see downsides to them knowing…