After the dragon left, Gwen ran across the grass and the mud. She was silhouetted by the pinks and oranges that bled through the treeline in the background. She flung herself at Gwaine, wrapping her arms around the cold knight who had just begun to remove pieces of his armor in order to dry properly. The under-padding that protected his fabulously fit body was now the biggest threat to his well-being in these weather conditions.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay. Don't cry," he mumbled into the maiden who was clinging to him like a lifeline.

She sniffled, her eyes were wild but rather clear for one who had been so upset for so long, "Gwaine, what happened to you? You just saw the dragon, that thing has attacked Camelot and you just stood there like..."

"You have been exiled for a while. There is a lot you don't know. That dragon defended Camelot recently," said Gwaine calmly holding her warm hands in his cold ones. She rubbed at his hands, concern blossoming anew on her pretty face.

"Defended? That must have been a sight. Arthur must have been confused. Oh! You're so cold..."

"Arthur and the dragon had a chat. Don't look at me like that and I'm not enchanted, Gwen. Not unless you think friendship is some sort of magic."

She opened her mouth to speak, but Glinde interrupted the two who had rudely forgotten her. Steam from her hot breath billowed before her face as she huffed in a way that was very much like the man that she had once promised to wed.

"Friendship is magic. So is LOVE. So is childbirth! It's just... a different kind... of magic," conceded the sidhe. "How can he love you?!" she demanded of Gwaine.

"We're the best of mates. I told you that," explained Gwaine, his grin formed by pain. Gwen was being a little rough. She was rubbing his hands with hers in order to chase away the chill. It was pointless since he was soaked to the bone.

"Disgusting creature," muttered Gwen passive aggressively – because it was just loud enough for Glinde to hear her perfectly.

"I think she's rather pretty," lied Gwaine, hoping the creature had an inkling of vanity. He wanted to stay on her good side. He didn't want her to fly off quite yet. "Glinde, I feel like I missed quite a lot. One second, I've got a sick Merlin in my arms and I'm going under the water... the next... I'm out of the water and he's fine. He's wet and there's a fire. And a dragon! So... mind filling me in? So, little one, did it work or was he faking it?"

"Did it work? No, it didn't work. You're still alive," sulked the little blue handmaiden, unaffected by the snow and the cold. Her bare skin of her legs and arms exposed to the elements, but she had not shivered or even showed one bit of discomfort.

"You mean you let him leave when he was still sick? The dragon said that..."

"He's perfect, even if his boots were still a bit soggy," she said, her eyes wide and her voice trembled with excitement.

"He's perfect? You said that it didn't work..."

"You were supposed to be sacrificed to heal him. I was going to use my magic which is kind of the same as the Cup. However, Lord Emrys has mastered the Cup of Life and Death...to the extent that he can reverse a use. Perhaps it is because he used his own soul as the power source? No matter. Instead of allowing a contract to be made with your soul as the price, Merlin simply undid the magic. – which has NEVER been done before. He did it and he did it sick. He did it and he did it after he purged magic. He did it with a torn soul. He did it on instinct just like any other magnificent creature of magic!" Glinde was getting more excited as she spoke. Her reverence for Merlin was becoming something of a concern. Gwaine wondered how she would react if he took Merlin back to Camelot – and there were more than just this one... errr sidhe thing, right? "... in fact, he is so perfect that he defies the word! It's not good enough for him. He's … Emrys. My Lord, my Master, my king... the one who will live outside of time for eternity."

She was panting as if she had been running. Her face bluer around the cheek bones, Gwaine wondered if that was her people's look for 'flushed.' She was hugging herself in her zeal, but she quickly soured.

"He must really care for you if he reversed that spell...," she said as if she were calling Gwaine a criminal. She obviously hated saying it. She was busy loving Merlin and hating Gwaine at the moment. Jealousy was flaring behind her miniature eyes.

"I told you we are friends. We're close, like brothers."

Gwen turned smugly to the little creature as she brushed flurries from her clothes, "That's right! Merlin loves Gwaine like a brother and you tried to murder Gwaine... so Merlin hates you now." Her head was capped with snow, like a little white hat and it clung in clumps to her long hair that was curling into unruly tendrils.

"Now Gwen, hate is too strong of a word. Merlin doesn't do hate well. And she was only trying to help. She didn't try to kill me, she was just trying to save Merlin," Gwaine was trying to heal the wound that Gwen ripped open. He had to admit if Merlin could just heal himself there really wasn't a reason for him to exchange his life to heal Merlin's soul.

"Save Merlin? He looked pretty powerful to me when he came and took me from my new home! He attacked my druid friend. He might have been sick, but he was no where near death!"

Gwaine shook his head, "Druid friend?"

Glinde threw her slight chest forward and raised her chin, "Fine! Fine!" She waved her hand and Gwaine could feel his overall discomfort and sogginess lessening.

"Fine! He loves you and not me. Fine! I get it! You can show me how to make him love me? You can make him love me?" Glinde demanded childishly. "What if you love me? Will he love me? Does it work that way for your... kind? It's bad enough he loves her!" The small angry female pointed towards the lake, her bottom lip quivering.

"Loves who?" Gwen asked with interest.

"Her! That druid girl he put in OUR lake all those years ago," Glinde was clearly jealous. "He can't even touch her or hold her. He's content to know she's here. He's only been able to glimpse her since, but nooooo that's enough to feed his heart. Yknow what his problem is? He lacks ambition. He could do so much better than to pine over a murdered girl."

"Merlin is in love? And she's dead?" Gwaine found this information upsetting.

"Yes! I just said that. Well she's not totally dead. She's preserved in between life and death, but more dead than alive...oh and in between time. That girl, is now able to be timeless. Somewhere he'll never be able to reach. She's dead in the way that she's not alive. Just as he's alive in the way that he is not dead – nor will he ever be. However there are worse things than being dead. They will both spend the rest of time on different sides of the gate, only able to see the other. Sometimes to speak. I know he's pure, but perfectly pure? What's the point in that?"

"You're making my head hurt," Gwaine told her. Mixed emotions coming to the surface in great floods, mixing with his own commentary in his head. The rejection of the creature's coldness. The realization that Merlin had a more complicated past that he could even begin to imagine.

Gwen moved closer to Gwaine, clearly disturbed by the sidhe.

Glinde's sulk wasn't over, "But if you ask me, she didn't really fully love him. She loved how he made her feel. I mean who wouldn't! He's Emrys. If Emrys loved you?! You're special. She was going to run off without him, but she got hurt. You know how mortals are, stick them with something sharp enough in the right place and the fragile things either fade dramatically or expire on the spot! She faded in his arms... right over there in that spot." Glinde indicated a spot with a toss of her hand.

Gwaine was pale with horror.

"Oh it was very touching," Glinde said sarcastically. "Then his grief and his will transformed her in the funeral pyre and the rest is eternal pining. Pathetic. Polluting Avalon with the soul of a HUMAN. He has me now, I'm here. I'm magic. I am totally willing..."

"Who killed her?" Gwaine interrupted interested wondering if Merlin even knew who murdered his lover.

The small creature shrugged, "I don't know and I never asked. Why remind him to think more about her? Really? I'm touchable and he's not interested in even being my friend!" The creatures coldness was overwhelming. Even Gwen was moved by the lack of care, "If you love Merlin you wouldn't … dismiss his feelings and judge him! You wouldn't mock his heart! You should be moved by this and not so.. COLD!" she shouted at Glinde and then gasped. "Oh." Gwen swallowed with a disturbed look on her face, "I have some thinking to do."

Gwaine was warming up, but he did think it was best to do their talking while camping properly. The fireflies, usually only found in summer, were out. It was getting dark and the dragon fire would soon consume his wood. They had no food and he wasn't keen on drinking water from a lake where Merlin's dead girlfriend lived... errr... existed.

He couldn't let it go, "So what happened to Merlin, Glinde? Where is he now? Why did he want to get away from the lake?"

The Sidhe snapped defensively, "I don't know where he went. What am I? I have magic, but I don't have all the answers. The dragon and he have a bond as they are kin. The dragon will not only obey him, but since they are close... who knows where he will take him. He might decide to take Emrys to his lair, back to the crystal cave, or where ever Emrys desires. He might fly as far and as long until he expires just to please Emrys and then he'll be loved even more than he is... and if he dies then Emrys will be so pleased and so touched there will be no room left in his heart for me!"

"Glinde, you want to be my friend, right? Can you tell me why Merlin didn't want to be near the lake?"

Her small eyes narrowed in anger, "He said something... once... about not wanting to return to Avalon while that Morganna witch is alive. I don't know the details. He was upset when he said he said it was his wish not to go to Avalon. We were all upset. He's our king, he belongs with his people."

"How can he be your king?" Gwen asked.

"Emrys killed our king and the one who kills the king, becomes the king. You don't understand. Our people are immortal so in order to kill one of us... we have to be completely destroyed. Our entire being, soul and all... erased. We follow the strongest. Emrys is the strongest. He is our king."

Gwen grabbed Gwaine's arm, she was shaking.

"Well, all well and good, but lets get back to the cave. We need shelter, warmth, and food. I'm not keen in spending time here if this is a place where he doesn't want to be. I want to talk to Merlin. I miss my mate," Gwaine said to Glinde. He left out a lot of information and she was regarding him with suspicion but she agreed to bring them back to the cave.

"Weren't you saying you couldn't leave his side?" Gwaine asked.

"He left my side, I don't think it counts. I ..."

"Give him a chance, Gwen. He's still the Merlin we all love. He's our friend. He's just been outed as a magic man and I think it's great! Hey, you'd love him in his cat form. He's practically kittenish... well unless you're trying to give him a bath. That was a pain."

Gwen nervously chuckled, she nodded. Grinning sheepishly she took Gwaine's arm again. "I think you're right. I … I just need some time to adjust to this. I'm not saying I accept all of this, I just.. well I think I need to know more before I judge him."

The handsome and incredibly fit knight wasn't sure he liked that, but it would do. He didn't like pretty ladies being unhappy. He knew that Merlin had been trying to talk Arthur into going after Gwen before his battle with Morganna. He couldn't even begin to guess what Arthur would say to the fact that she was back in his lands, but right now he had to protect her. He had to find Merlin and bring him home. He had to somehow make everything make sense and he had to do it alone.

He had never felt more lost. At least as a wanderer, he had the lack of direction to blame for his position in life. Now he had something to do and a purpose, he just wasn't sure how he was going to pull it off.

He picked up pieces of his armor and strapping them back on – with the help of the blacksmith's daughter. The metal was so cold that he felt as if the bare skin that touched it had burned. It wasn't a good sign. He was still very cold, despite the magic interference from Glinde. The trip would keep his blood warm and hopefully once back at the cave he would have figured out how to manipulate Glinde in taking care of them. She might be a useful Merlin locating device. She was definitely motivated to serve him.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I am not a horse, Merlin?" snapped the ancient dragon. His majestic and mythically beautiful self had been carting around a human on a joy ride since sunset and the night was half over. His dragon lord showed no signs of wanting to land nor had he requested a destination. Kilgharrah was getting a bit tired of all the whoops and exclamations of "Oh lets go over there!"

Merlin leaned forward and patted his friend's eye ridges, "Think of it as a personal favor? I'll owe you one!"

The smile on the warlock's face was so wide, Kilgharrah could hear it when he spoke. It did not matter if he could see the face of his dragon lord, he could hear the pleasure. Snow danced around them harmlessly. It was hard to imagine that Merlin could see very well through the thickening snowfall – but since he begged that Kilgharrah fly over Camelot just so he could see the palace...

Approval flowed from Merlin's lips, he commented on the coziness the little cottages. The smokestacks were streaming and that meant everyone was warm and comfortable. Arthur's room was lit. He was probably at his desk with a weak – but warm goblet of heavily spiced wine. It was time for him to review the taxes from last months collections. He would have to decide how much more or less to tax his people for the next month since the seasons were changing and it was best to lessen the burden when the people had little to no income. Winter was hard on a commoner.

It was disappointing that he couldn't be there for Arthur when Uther died, but Merlin decided that is was a small gift from Destiny. He wasn't quite sure if he could fake the amount of sadness, even for Arthur's sake, necessary. Part of him was relieved when he heard that the megalomaniac with paranoid and homicidal habits was finally dead. Finally Arthur was free to be the leader he was meant to be and he would be able to pick his own wife. Uther was denied little, but that he was unable to influence who stood at Arthur's side – gave Merlin a twisted sense of accomplishment.

Arthur deserved to be happy and Uther had wanted to chose the woman that Arthur was to love. As if a person could … oh crap, they were drifting lower "Hey! Kilgharrah, fly higher. It might be a moonless night but the guards on the towers aren't totally blind!"

"Now you are on expert on flight?" snapped the dragon – but his tone had a hint of playfulness to it. In truth, Merlin had never felt more connected to his kin. This legacy from his father was priceless. His family had grown. It was as if the dragon lord's gift was to have not only a protector, but a teacher, and a friend... a scaley brother who literally be there in a way that no human could. As much as Merlin would have loved to have had more time with Balinor... no...not even his bond with the dragons erased that pain. However they did ease it and make it more managable.

Merlin didn't have much time with his own father, but he was proud of his father. They had very little time to make memories. His father was honorable. Arthur had plenty of time to make memories, but he had a father that he would have been better off if he had as little time together as possible.

The sky was inky black and the stars shone with a brightness that rivaled the best jewels in the kingdom. Arthur could have the jewels. Merlin loved the sky – and the sky was free! Everyone could appreciate the sky. It was large enough to share with anyone and better, no one could fight over it. It was a place that belonged to no body and that was how it should be. Well, maybe it belonged to dragons!

"Merlin..." complained Kilgharrah.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. It's just been a long time since we went flying."

"Merlin, we've never just gone flying before."

Merlin grinned, "Well we should have!"

Kilgharrah despite his wish to remain forever difficult and dignified in the face of the little warlock, barked out a laugh. In truth he didn't mind. However if his fellow dragons had still been alive, they would have teased him for this. To allow a human, even a dragon lord, to treat a dragon like a common mode of transportation was bad enough, but to take a human on a joy ride was humiliating. Then again, Merlin was a magical creature himself. Perhaps he was not acting as shamefully. Perhaps, the others might have even of been jealous.

"Where do you want me to bring you?"

"I read about places that are far out at sea. I'd like to visit a tropical island with no humans, no sidhe, no druids, no magical creatures except for you and Aithusa, of course. Maybe my mother and Gaius, if you wouldn't embarrass me by grumbling like a mule, but really Kilgharrah, imagine it?... ahhhh... with nice soft trees that I can make a boat and float and fish? The waters are the clear and blue like a summer sky. There's all kinds of weird fish and some even..."

"Merlin! As much as that sounds like a good idea..."

"Oh I know, I know, but one day, Kilgharrah, when all of this nonsense is settled – that's what we'll do. We'll take a family holiday! You can teach Aithusa how to swim!"

"I... don't know how to swim," admitted the dragon.

"Then I'll teach you both!"

The dragon laughed, "Merlin, please, as strong as you are – you still have a frail human body. Even a creature with your magic cannot go without food, warmth, and sleep. Today has been a long and exhausting day. You need..."

"Alright already! Gee Kilgharrah. I haven't felt good in quite some time, can't you allow me a moment where..."

"Merlin! You keep chattering but you don't answer my question!"

Merlin deflated – his voice was flat when he spoke. "Fine. Take me as close to the Crystal Cave as you can. With my luck, Gwaine and Gwen will have gone there and they'll ruin my peace. I need to be there anyway to watch over Arthur, because it is my duty. He is my Destiny. The world will end if I don't do my job for every waking moment of every day... not to mention that I have to deny myself sleep in order to anticipate... "

Guilt surged through the dragon so he quietly added, "We'll go flying again... one day. Not to some island though and I'm not flying any other human other than you."

Merlin grinned. He held on tight to Kilgharrah and let the night air sting his eyes. Ice had formed on his clothes. His skin was red from wind burn. He was half frozen and he was happy. Once again, he could feel and experience the world the way it should be felt.

The world below was black and white. Snow decorated and iced the landscape and the stars added their mute illumination so that he could barely see what was really there from this height. It was marvelous. Just for now, he wasn't Emrys. He was Merlin again. It was great!

"Kilgharrah, once I kill the witch, we're going on a family holiday," stated Merlin confidently.

"Merlin..."

"So you'll have to coach Aithusa on long distance flying."

"Merlin!"

"And then you and Aithusa are going to learn to swim."

"MERLIN!"

AN:... ok?