AN: Thank you all for being so lovely! I appreciate the reviews! I apologize for the delay- work caught up with me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Prompt: Balinor of Camelot. Before Merlin, there was Balinor. What if Balinor and Hunith had met in Camelot, and Balinor had had his family before having everything taken away from him? (It makes it a little more tragic, I think.) Dragon-Lord's were highly revered in this head-canon of mine. They also could control dragons, like in canon, but did have individual dragons that they bonded with. Props if you catch the LOTR reference. (There will be many more Dragon-Lord ones coming I think.)

14. Balinor of Camelot

It had been a very long day for those lucky enough to be summoned by the King into the emergency war council. Uther had been very adamant about including the Dragon-Lords that resided in Camelot in this council with King Barryl of Minas Lark. A nobleman of Uther's kingdom had tried to lay claim to lands just across Baryl's borders and had started a small dispute that quickly devolving into potential war. Luckily Uther was as diplomatic as he was ruthless, and had spent the better part of the day calming Barryl's frayed nerves and promising that the nobleman would be duly punished.

The Dragon-Lord's had been present as a show of force in the event that things did go wrong. Because Balinor was Gaius' trusted friend, and in turn Gaius was Uther's trusted friend, his services were specifically requested by the King.

All in all, Balinor could say that he didn't really mind all that much. Uther was a good man, harsh and a bit unfair at times, but he had brought peace to Camelot and kept things in good working order. The day had ended with a feast in celebration of the avoidance of war, and Balinor had quickly bowed out so that he could return home to his family. He knew that Hunith and Gaius, and little Merlin, were waiting for him.

"The meeting's were successful then? I will not be flying into battle over a few lines in the mud anytime soon?" The amused voice of his dragon asked.

'Eavesdropping again, Glaurung?' he teased. 'Where have you been all day?"

He projected images of boring meetings and Uther dragging on and on. The dragon's laughter rumbled in response.

"I was watching over the young one."

A gentle smile crept onto his face and he sent a sincere feeling of gratitude to Glaurung. He would need to go out and see to the beast's needs tomorrow, but for tonight he was content with simply letting him be. He knew that wherever he was hiding himself, they were not so far apart that if need be they couldn't find each other quickly.

The dragon remained silent after this, and he smiled almost jovially as he passed by Gaius' meager lodgings. The cottage in which they lived was mere minutes from Gaius' home and was located in the far side of the upper village. As he approached their home he paused to appreciate his wife's rose garden. She tried, really tried, but she couldn't keep them alive for long. He loved her all the more for it.

From the sounds of it, Gaius was here keeping Hunith company while she waited for him. The sight that met his eyes as he rounded the corner to the main room made him stop and a smile come unbidden to his face. Gaius was sitting at one of the dining chairs smiling at the two figures in the center of the room with glee. There, on the dusty wooden floor, sat Hunith holding their little Merlin up by his tiny pudgy arms and helping him clap his hands together and cooing at him adoringly.

It was such a heartbreakingly beautiful scene that he simply stopped in the doorway and stared, mesmerized. They made such a picture- if Balinor had the skill, or even the money, to commission a painting of them, he would preserve their images into a canvas for all of eternity. He supposed he could do it by magic, but that was neither here nor there. Tiny blue eyes locked onto his own and he nearly gasped. That little baby, his son, was staring at him with eyes that made Balinor swear he was at least a hundred years old. Yet he could do little more than babble and drool.

Balinor was almost certain that there was something special about Merlin- something other than the fact that he was his and Hunith's son. His suspicions of magic had long since been confirmed, as they often found him floating objects that he wanted across the room, but there was something else; something greater that Balinor couldn't yet put a name to.

Merlin let out a little shriek of happiness and reached out for him, altering the others to his presence. He couldn't stop the grin as thoughts of his day's business melted away and he scooped up the little child and spun him around, before cuddling him close. He was completely in love with this perfect little soul that he and his beloved Hunith had brought to life.

There was a high-pitched giggling, and then Merlin reached out and fisted a hand into Balinor's beard and tugging. He winced, but did not lose the smile. Turning back to the floor, he held out a hand to Hunith, drawing her to her feet and into their little huddle. They stayed that way for a long moment, and he basked in the happiness that had set his soul ablaze. He grinned over at Gaius, who was watching wistfully in the corner, and felt that his life had never been so perfect.