A/N: Good news! No cliffhanger this time! You can all stop hating me and put down your enchanted torches and magical pitchforks and read the chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Merlin is not mine!

He felt Merlin stiffen beside him, but tried to ignore it. The dragon, however, seemed unmoved by the interrogation and straightened up. "That is information I cannot disclose," said the dragon simply, making full eye contact.

Another thought dawned on the prince and he glared at Merlin. "You told me I had dealt him," he gestured towards Kilgharrah, "a fatal blow! Fatal!" he snapped at his friend who flinched backwards. But the dragon chuckled. "What could possibly be funny? Making a fool out of me?"

"A sword cannot kill a creature of magic," it commented matter-of-factly.

The prince turned to Merlin, eyes dark. "Did you release him?"

Knowing that he could no longer lie, Merlin muttered a vague "yeah." In an instant, Arthur was on top of Merlin, his sword out. The prince's mind flashed back to the dreams he had; Merlin wore that same terrified face. The blade of the weapon was at the warlock's throat, and Arthur knew Merlin couldn't do anything about it. He no longer had magic.

"But," Kilgharrah snapped, "swords do kill warlocks!" The beast growled under its breath.

But Arthur wasn't paying attention. "Do you realize how many people died because you let that thing out? I lost knights, citizens, he almost killed Gwen!" the prince roared as a single tear rolled down Merlin's cheek. "Damn it, Merlin, he almost killed me!"

"That is a lie," the dragon spoke sharply. "I never tried to kill you."

"You breathed fire at me on the field!" Arthur reminded him, not moving from his offensive position.

He shook his scaly head. "But I never meant to kill you. I knew for a fact that you had a great destiny. Your life was not to be taken… by me." The last statement made Arthur curious, but he shook it off. He was still angry at the stupid dragon, at his idiot friend! "I have always helped save Camelot in the past."

Arthur gaped, removing his sword from Merlin's neck without knowing. "You saved us just so you could be the one to destroy us?" A word for this beast came to mind; hypocrite. The dragon remained silent and Arthur looked down at the petrified Merlin lying stiff still underneath him on the ground. "You've got explaining to do," he growled at the warlock and got to his feet. Merlin quickly got of the ground, eager to get away from the subject.

He didn't want anger to get the best of him. Arthur had let that happen too many times recently, and, knowing Merlin, the prince would be forgiven for anything. But he didn't want to have to be forgiven. Maybe it was time for him to forgive Merlin and trust his judgment.

That would take getting used to…

The softened expression on Arthur's face seemed to reassure Merlin slightly, and the man stepped closer to the prat. "Er, about why we came," Merlin started, wanting the conversation to move along.

"Yes, it is strange indeed that your powers have abandoned you," Kilgharrah mused.

"Can he get it back, his magic?" Arthur asked.

The beast nodded his head to one side. "Given the fact that the young warlock is Emrys, it is entirely possible. And you, Arthur, had better hope he is able. If Merlin is not able to retrieve his powers, both your destinies will be doomed."

"That's reassuring," Merlin muttered.

~(o)~

"You breathed fire at me on the field!" Merlin saw Arthur yell, but he did not get up. The poor warlock was stuck on the ground with his life being held at sword point. He knew – or at least hoped – that Arthur knew better than to kill him.

Kilgharrah seemed unworried about Arthur's accusation. "But I never meant to kill you. I knew for a fact that you had a great destiny. Your life was not to be taken… by me." At that, Merlin swallowed. The dragon gave him an all-knowing glare.

I know. Mordred.

"I have always helped save Camelot in the past."

In that instant, Arthur's attention was fully pulled away from the warlock. The sword was removed roughly from cutting distance of his jugular. "You saved us just so you could be the one to destroy us?" he shouted. Arthur glanced down at Merlin harshly. "You've got explaining to do."

And Merlin knew this.

The two got to their feet, and Merlin knew a subject change was in order. He didn't want to say anything, for it might set off Arthur again, but he didn't have a choice. Looking at the prince, he saw that Arthur seemed to calm down instantly, thoughts blasting through his blond head. Merlin figured it was safe to come stand with Arthur again.

"Er, about why we came," he began.

The Great Dragon tilted his head. "Yes, it is strange indeed that your powers have abandoned you."

"Can he get it back, his magic?" For a moment, Merlin wasn't sure that Arthur had asked the question, but no one else was around to speak. The warlock's lips pulled into a small grin.

Kilgharrah gave this some thought, and Merlin feared he would hear a riddle. "Given the fact that the young warlock is Emrys, it is entirely possible. And you, Arthur, had better hope he is able. If Merlin is not able to retrieve his powers, both your destinies will be doomed."

Great.

"That's reassuring," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "What do I have to do?"

The dragon took to laughing again, annoying both boys. "Why, it is obvious."

Apparently not.

Merlin shook his head and waved his hands. "Please, no riddles this time!" Then a thought occurred to him. He could simply command Kilgharrah to speak clearly. No, not in front of Arthur. That would not be a very good idea. There could be so many outcomes of ordering the dragon around; Arthur would think he's power-hungry, Kilgharrah would say that he abuses his power, which, in turn, would make Arthur think he's power-hungry.

Luckily, no such measures had to be taken. "You must practice," he answered at last.

"Practice?" the boys echoed together. The dragon simply nodded and flapped his wings.

"Wait!" Merlin shouted after the beast as he took to the air. The warlock groaned and turned to his friend. "He likes to do that," he explained, answering Arthur's baffled expression. Taking in a breath of air, Merlin tried to grin. "Well, now we know what to do… sort of…"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "How are you supposed to practice magic without magic and in Camelot? That bloody beast was no help," he mumbled, but Merlin wondered if Arthur was annoyed solely because he hadn't succeeded in killing the dragon after all. He attempted to stifle a laugh as Arthur's face appeared to get more and more bothered by the second.

Sighing, Merlin glanced down at his hands again. "I guess," he began, "that I'll have to try, no matter how ridiculous it sounds."

"Merlin, maybe," Arthur took in a breath, "it would be better if you didn't get your magic back, don't you think?" His words came out quiet, but certain, leaving Merlin flabbergasted by Arthur's words. Didn't he hear what Kilgharrah said?

He shook his head vigorously. "No, I don't think!"

Arthur nodded, voice rising. "No, you don't think, do you? You didn't think when you came to Camelot where you could be executed for magic! You didn't think when you set the Great Dragon free! You didn't think when you tried to escape the dungeons! You didn't think when you told me you were Emrys! You just don't think!" he boomed, making Merlin tremble slightly.

"Yes," he whispered, "I did think when I set the dragon free. I didn't have a choice."

"There are always choices, Merlin!"

Merlin shook his head. "No, you don't understand." Arthur was about to retort, but he didn't give him a chance. "I had to promise to set him free or else he wouldn't help me save Camelot. I had no idea what he was going to do when he got out. Kilgharrah never dared to tell me!" he finished on an exasperated note, Arthur's expression still the same. "I regretted the promise the second I made it," he said, recalling how he felt that day, "but it was either promise or watch Camelot fall to Sigan."

Arthur looked at his feet, not knowing completely what to say next, so Merlin continued.

"And I told you, partially because you were about to kill me… and because I trust you," the warlock admitted.

The prince retorted quickly. "If you trust me you would have told me sooner."

"I didn't want you to have to choose between your father and keeping my secret," Merlin explained, and with a small grin he added, "and Gaius never wanted me to utter a hint to you, which was easy because you never took hold of my hints anyway."

Wanting to comment, but unable to, Arthur put his sword back in its scabbard. "Well, let's get a move on back to Camelot before anyone notices that we're missing."

They made a steady pace back to the gates, all the while not saying a single thing. The guards bowed at the sight of Arthur, but the prince gave them no recognition and walked straight in with Merlin at his side.

"Balinor," he suddenly said, breaking the strained silence. Merlin stiffened, but composed himself. "He was your father." It wasn't a question. The warlock nodded once and gave Arthur a sheepish smile. The empty corridor they stood in was casting shadows in all shapes and shades making Arthur look guiltier than he probably was.

Suddenly, loud footsteps followed by arguing voices could be heard. Then, a bright torchlight could be seen rounding the corner.

"…not back by then-"

"They will be… I think," then a chuckle. "It's not like Merlin would do…"

"Merlin!" Lancelot and Gwaine exclaimed as Leon said, "Arthur!"

Leon looked from Merlin to Arthur. "Sire, where did you go?" he asked, taking a second to glare at Merlin.

The warlock whispered to Arthur. "What was that about 'before anyone notices'?" However, Leon and the other two heard him as well, and the latter seemed a bit worried.

Sir Leon stared at the warlock, looking as if he wanted to pound the boy in the corner, but restrained the urge. "My Lord, may I have a word with Merlin?" he asked curtly, not taking his eyes off the servant. Arthur folded his arms over his chest, about to say yes when he stopped himself.

The prince took a glance at Merlin and the warlock nodded once, indicating to Arthur that Leon knew about his magic. Thankfully, he got the message. "It's okay, Leon, I know about Merlin," he said, and Merlin shrugged his shoulders, feeling as if some heavy weight had been lifted.

"What?" Sir Leon exclaimed.

Gwaine snorted and patted the knight on the back. "The princess is in the know." At these shocking words, Leon looked Merlin up and down as if expecting to see a sword sticking out of his stomach. For a moment, Merlin thought he saw a flash of worry in Leon's face, but dismissed this as a trick of the light from the moon.

~(o)~

Gwaine strolled into the armory, having been told by a serving kid that Lance was in there. It was already dark, but sure enough, the knight was polishing his sword, his mind preoccupied. Gwaine questioned whether or not he should tell him about Merlin's magic loss. Naw, he shouldn't keep the man in the dark.

Having made up his mind, he called out the knight's name. "I've got some bad news."

Lancelot stood up, setting the spare weapon down on the bench. "The tavern ran out of ale?"

Gwaine chuckled. That would be bad news indeed! "Ha! No, it concerns Merlin." The grin on Lancelot's face was wiped off in an instant. Instead of waiting for the man to ask, he decided to simply come right out with it. "Arthur knows about Merlin's magic… and Merlin lost his magic." It sounded awkward, but it was the best he could do.

"What?" Lance asked, wide eyed. "How'd this happen? How'd you know?

Shrugging, Gwaine shuffled his feet a bit uncomfortable. He didn't know all the answers, but he knew enough. Deciding to leave out how he had come to know about Merlin's No More Magic situation, (Arthur running up to him and practically screaming it at him, then offered him ale in exchange for help on tracking Merlin down) he gestured for Lancelot to follow him. However, they didn't get the chance to reach the door.

Leon threw himself in the room with a lit torch, panic on his face. "Arthur is missing!" While Lance looked worried, Gwaine stayed calm and chuckled.

"He's not missing," he explained, scoffing it off. "He's with Merlin."

"That's supposed to make me feel better, that the Prince of Camelot is out with a sorcerer?" he asked harshly.

"Well," Gwaine shrugged, "Lance seems reassured."

Letting out an annoying sigh, Sir Leon left the room with Gwaine and Lancelot at his heels. "Damn it, Gwaine! If something happens to Arthur…" but he didn't finish the threat. The three walked fast paced down various hallways.

Lancelot spoke up. "Merlin isn't going to hurt Arthur," he defended.

This didn't seem to comfort Leon in the least, and Gwaine knew that trust still hadn't been established. "We will wait until morning. If they're not back by then…"

"They will be," Gwaine insisted, then added with a small laugh, "I think. It's not like Merlin would do…"

As they came around a corner, despite the torch, the three almost ran into "Merlin!" Two out of three shouted out of surprise. Leon, however, ignored Merlin and cried "Arthur!"

Lancelot and Gwaine grinned happily at their friends' impeccable timing. "Sire, where did you go?" Leon asked immediately.

"What was that about 'before anyone notices'?" Merlin whispered in Arthur's ear, but the words echoed in the corridor and reached everyone's ears. Gwaine and Lancelot bit their lips, exchanging worried glances.

To Gwaine's surprise, Leon suddenly asked, "My Lord, may I have a word with Merlin?" Arthur folded his arms and looked at Merlin who nodded slowly. Gwaine raised an eyebrow. Mind reading? He thought.

"It's okay, Leon, I know about Merlin," Arthur said calmly. Gwaine smiled at the fact that he was actually being calm.

Leon, however, still wasn't calm. "What?"

Going up to the knight, Gwaine chuckled once. "The princess is in the know." He then patted him on the back and stepped away. Leon seemed to be examining every inch of the lanky boy, and Gwaine kept gnawing on his lower lip.

After another long, awkward silence, Arthur stepped in. "Speak freely, Leon."

The knight nodded to his prince and looked to Merlin. "As you probably know, Emrys has escaped," he said matter-of-factly. "Why do I have a feeling you know where he is?"

Gwaine and Lancelot saw Merlin tense up under Leon's pressuring gaze.

"Y-yeah," Merlin stuttered nervously, "I know he has."

Leon nodded once, and Gwaine watched as he reached over to touch the hilt of his sword. "I- I want you to get in contact with him." That's when something clicked in Gwaine's head; Leon didn't know Merlin was Emrys… or a Dragonlord… or that he had lost his powers. He doesn't know anything, does he? Perhaps that was for the best.

Merlin looked to his feet for the correct words, and for a moment Gwaine wondered if Merlin was going to come out and tell Sir Leon everything. He certainly seemed as if he wanted to do so. Glancing at Lancelot, he saw that the knight was eyeing Leon with great suspicion.

"Did you hear me?" Leon questioned harshly. "I said I want you to-"

"I heard you," Merlin answered instantly, his gaze finding a random spot in the hall. Arthur gave his servant a strange and puzzled look, but luckily Leon didn't see it. "I will see if I can… get in touch with him." Arthur, Lance, and Gwaine all understood just exactly what he meant by 'in touch,' but for Leon, it aroused more questions.

Sighing and understanding that that was all he was going to get out of Merlin, he turned to Arthur. "Sire, can I speak with you, alone," he asked briskly, glaring at the warlock somewhat.

A/N: I had to stop there because I was too tempted to put:

Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted by a strange, green light that glowed into the hall. Looking at the night sky, the five saw a giant skull with a snake slithering out of the skull's mouth. There was only one thing that they could call it; it was a Dark Mark.

So yeah! And about three times I almost wrote 'Harry' instead of 'Merlin.' I do believe I have spotted a crossover plot bunny coming on. Anyway, please review! It would be much appreciated!