A/N: Hello, friends. Well, we got through those gruesome executions. Now let's go see what that old dragon is up to. Thanks to Charis77 for smoothing out the edges and keeping me in check. I hope you enjoy! IDOM … unfortunately.

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Chapter 28 Dread the Triple Goddess

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Arthur could not believe it. The Great Dragon had returned and apparently very angry about something, blasting fire that skimmed the heads of the people in the square and licked at those on the balcony. He twisted on instinct to block Gwen's crouching body. Fredrick wrapped his long arms around them both and Merlin, standing protectively outside them all, was no doubt casting a shield. Horrific screaming came from below and Arthur saw blinding white even behind eyelids squeezed shut. He was in a furnace, surely, the heat of its breath roasting him in his chainmail.

The beast hovered when its fire was spent and then bellowed a mighty roar as they tentatively straightened halfway on the balcony. It was massive, thirty meters at least, and in the sun, shimmered in hues of gold and brown. Great leathery wings more than twice the length of its body blasted hot air on them but now sent cold shivers through Arthur. Rows of thick, armored scales protected its neck, a ridge of horns down the middle, and double rows of spikes lined its back and the length of its spike-tipped tail. Talons on giant feet had made the appendages as long and as thick as a man's body. He'd felt the bite of those steeley claws and absently flexed his shoulder. He'd only seen the great dragon under the cover of darkness. Here in the daylight, it was terrifyingly magnificent. The beast roared once more in a slow ascension above them and then soared quickly toward the northeast.

"Clear the square," Percival shouted below in the courtyard, pressing his way toward the keep. "Knights, secure the citadel!"

"Not again." Arthur's teeth clenched so hard the pain in his jaw watered his eyes. He unraveled his arms from around Guinevere and threw Merlin a severe glance. They'd been through this before, and here he was trapped on the balcony. The other balconies of nobles and royals emptied easily, quickly, leaving only a smattering of guards and archers, but a lot of people still occupied the square and they couldn't be wailing any louder.

Their bodies scattered in wild mosaic color in all directions, waves of panic crashing against each other, slipping in the blood and tumbling into the hanging corpses. The covered walkway was a mass of desperate people crushed against each other, trampling those who lost their footing while attempting to enter the tiny tower entrances. The gates, too, were already jammed with those seeking sanctuary within the great castle and some trying to flee toward the towns.

Morgana still knelt in front of the wood block, hugging it, looking wildly around at the madness. Her guards had closed in and took defensive stances, unable to return her to the dungeon in the chaos. Ranulf and Elyan stationed at the main stairs practically shoved people through the double doors while Vidor did the same at the soldier's housing and Brennis at the chapel. Castle guards blocked the entrance to the keep directly under the balcony, and panic rose.

"Let them in, damn it!" Percival growled at the soldiers, pushing his way to the front and clearing a path to the king's inner sanctum without waiting for them, ushering people through. Arthur nodded in agreement when the knight looked up toward the balcony, though he swore under his breath. His halls would be full of frightened people and he had no assurances for them.

The assault conjured those same helpless feelings from the last time the beast had razed Camelot. The courtyard had blazed with spot fires and been strewn with debris and burnt and broken bodies. Some of his men had been cooked in their armor, and others snatched with iron claws and dropped from great distances. He couldn't let these things happen again. The king turned to Gwen who was staring out at the chaos in distress.

"Guinevere," Arthur said, turning her to him. "Get to safety." She'd stood strong with him the entire time, not a word, not a sound, save a deep breath now and again. A brave little warrior doing her duty.

"I'll be all right," she reassured, haunted shadows fading from her eyes, her voice calm and steady. During the last dragon attack, Guinevere, in her mercy of fetching water for the injured, exposed herself to danger. His desperate bellow of her name made her turn and see what was diving toward her and in their mad dash for cover, steely hot talons had ripped his chainmail deep enough to scratch through skin. He'd cried out from the searing pain as he and Guinevere crashed onto the cobbles. He'd endure it again if it meant keeping her safe.

"I've never doubted your bravery, Gwen, but we're easy targets here in the open. It's too dangerous. Fredrick, get her inside."

Despite the urgency in his voice, he left her in Fredrick's care, assured the soldier would get her to safety. Moving shoulder to shoulder to Merlin, he glanced in the direction that the dragon had departed. It was still retreating and some distance away, thank God.

"Merlin," Arthur prompted, his eyes giving equal attention to the creature in the pale morning sky and the terror-stricken people still in the square. When he received no response from the sorcerer, he growled, "Merlin!"

The dragon banked left and headed back toward them, and Merlin just stood there, staring in its direction, his face scrunched in deep concentration.

…..

Merlin hadn't heard Arthur or the cachophy of terror below him for quite some time. He'd reached within himself to draw forth the powers Galahad said he had. He'd never spoken to the dragon in his mind before, so he didn't know if would work. "Kilgharrah, can you hear me?"

Nothing.

"Kilgharrah." Nothing but his own troubled thoughts. Not good enough, Merlin admonished himself. He needed his dragonlord voice, the one that vibrated to his very core, unleashing his unavoidable power.

"Dragon," he summoned from the deep of his mind in the language of dragons, his inner vision zooming in and focusing on Kilgharrah in flight."I command you to stop."

"So, you have mastered the mind-speak of the Druids." His mind tremored from the buzz of the dragon's great voice in his head, same as it did through his body when Kilgharrah spoke. "Your powers are growing, young warlock."

"I've learned many things about my powers over the last few days; things you've neglected to tell me."

"Neglected?" Merlin actually heard the dragon chuckle. "No. You were not ready for some truths, Merlin. It was my choice not to tell you."

Merlin couldn't help but surmise that this had been the dragon's way of keeping him under control. In a way, it was the same as he'd done with Arthur, withheld truths about their missions and his magic because Arthur hadn't been ready for the knowledge yet. Kilgharrah's raspy laugh thundered through Merlin's head upon hearing his inner thoughts, and Merlin's anger boiled over.

"You must obey!" the warlock commanded, his silent voice cold and cross.

"I am obeying, Merlin," Kilgharrah grumbled.

"Then stop what you're doing."

"I cannot," the dragon snapped.

The warlock blinked with true perplexity. "W-what?" he asked.A dragon could not disobey its master even if it wanted to.

"Merlin!" Arthur growled tightly, grasping the sorcerer's arm and forcing him to look at him. "I thought you were a Dragonlord."

"I am a Dragonlord," he grated, annoyed at the king's jarring intrusion as his vision returned to normal.

"Then what's he doing?" Arthur asked, just as frustrated. "Why is he here?"

"I'm not quite sure yet."

"Dear God," Gwen gasped, drawing their attention. Both he and Arthur followed her line of sight.

Morgana's awkward attempt to rise was halted when a guard rushed forward and jerked her back into place, pinning her shoulders to keep her head on the block. Liam was his name, a troublemaker, and so was his small band of likeminded guards whose questionable methods often listed their names on the disciplinary roster, and who Merlin now noticed made up most of the complement surrounding Morgana. They were very rough men, the sort who thought they answered to no one but the king and their captain. Necessity dictated their brutish tactics at times, Merlin admitted. Other times, they were just thugs that Arthur assigned to duties where they were not likely to encounter and harass the locals, like the dungeon and late night guard duty.

Liam muttered a few quick words to the executioner who raised his sword with both hands. The man was ready for the downward swing but stopped in midair, propelled off the platform by something unseen. Several unfortunate people broke his fall, tumbling over. A few seconds later, Liam landed right beside him, no one to break his fall, his neck snapping like a twig.

"What was that?" Arthur wondered aloud.

"A sorcerer," Merlin whispered with surprise.

"No doubt here to rescue Morgana," Arthur growled. "Can it get any better?" Glancing at the people streaming into the entrance below, Merlin could tell Arthur would have no hope of pushing past all of them to get to the courtyard. His king must be utterly frustrated at being unable to reach the fight his knights were already engagd in. He wished Galahad was here now. His talents could pinpoint the new threat with ease. Relying on his and the king's instincts, both of them searched the thinning courtyard for any sign of magic users, but the chaos prevented easy identification; he or she could be anyone.

"He's no match for Kilgharrah." Merlin kept his focus on the crowd. He'd lost control of Kilgharrah somehow, so there was nothing he could do about him right now. Still, the dragonlord needed to know why the dragon was here.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked just as Percival rallied the knights once more with a bellowing cry.

Merlin didn't mean to ignore the king again as he eyes looked skyward, Kilgharrah laughing in his head and irritating him further. He turned his thoughts toward the taunting dragon.

"Kilgharrah, tell me what you're doing."

"I'm here for the witch."

Merlin struggled to grasp the meaning in a long, discernable pause. "No," he gasped at last. "You - You can't."

"You should have let her die instead of forcing me to give you a cure to heal her," the dragon said with harsh incrimination. "I warned you of the suffering that would follow if she lived. Look at the blood on your hands today?"

He'd always struggled against killing Morgana outright, still clinging to the hope that she could be saved. When she aided Morgause to cast the sleeping spell upon Camelot and he poisoned her to force Morgause to lift the spell, the chance of ever regaining Morgana's confidence and trust had died in her place.

"Then why are you saving her now, Kilgharrah? What aren't you telling me?" Kilgharrah's inner thoughts were cut off to him, Merlin hearing only what the dragon wanted him to hear and this time there was nothing. "Morgana must pay for what she's done. The people of Camelot have suffered too greatly by her and demand justice. I command you to stop!"

"I cannot oblige!" There was pure disdain in his voice, anger almost. "There are forces far greater than yours, Merlin, powers that refuse to let the Old Religion die. I was born of those powers, and even I cannot disobey the will of the Triple Goddess." Kilgharrah actually growled this time, sending shivers through Merlin's body.

"The Triple Goddess?" he wondered, a touch of dread prickling his skin as the dragon grew larger in the cloudy blue sky.

…..

Arthur couldn't wait for an answer from Merlin once Percival rallied the knights to Morgana's platform. The dragon was nearly upon them, a sorcerer was amongst them, and Gwen was still on the balcony, oozing the same helplessness he was feeling. Fredrick stood behind her scanning the sky.

An old woman scrambled behind the scaffold of hanging dead. Tristan and Galahad squeezed out of the castle's main entrance, and Kolby and the rest of his men attempted to escape the barracks. A young maiden fell near the beheading platform, slipping in the watered-down blood and bursting into tears. Brennis scooped her up and carried her to the steps of the chapel. Arthur scowled and screwed his lips. Everything seemed out of control.

Merlin stood on the edge of his periphery staring up into the sky, no doubt still communicating with the dragon, and Arthur couldn't squelch his disfavor. He knew so little about Merlin even as he knew so much. The man scaled a slope so slippery in deception that Arthur was amazed he hadn't been caught and killed. He assumed Merlin had used magic within the first few days of arriving in Camelot and that was seven years ago. He'd done it all to keep an arrogant young brat alive long enough to unite the five kingdoms.

Everything he thought he'd known about sorcerers and magic soured in his belly since retrieving Excalibur. He had yet to learn from Merlin the clear details of many of their exploits now that he was aware of them, and some of his actions had clearly been detestable, such as setting the dragon free. The part of him that had been raised to believe magic evil argued for condemning him, but his love for his brother wouldn't let him. Merlin was young and had made mistakes, guided by righteousness and his heart. He was a better man than Arthur in so many ways, a good friend that Arthur was ready to embrace. The dragon roared above and Fredrick stepped closer to Gwen.

"My lady," Fredrick urged.

"Inside, Guinevere!" Arthur ordered as he whipped his gloves from under his belts and thrust them on.

With fingers as quick and adept as a knight, Gwen unlatched the clasp on the bejeweled scabbard at her hip and then snapped the dagger to the ready, taking the defensive stance he'd taught her. "I can take care of myself, remember?" The hard tone of her voice mirrored the familiar edge of his own when in combat. "This is my kingdom, too." Good God. She still looked fierce even with the paltry dagger, and he was proud of her courage, but that would not save her from dragon fire and an evil sorcerer.

"I know." He softened his voice for her. "It's my turn to protect you. Please, my love." With a firmer tone, he called Fredrick and hurried Guinevere into the knight's hands, wanting to be sure this time his orders were not mistaken as a request. "Get her to safety. The dragon is nearly upon us."

"Yes, sire!"

Gwen held her stance, her mouth moving as she searched for words. Arthur shook his head with an expression on his face that meant no matter what she'd say, it would not sway him. Gwen nodded reluctantly and sheathed her dagger, her eyes full of concern. His gaze lingered on her long enough to see her dragged to safety behind the wide doors that Fredrick was now closing. He drew Excalibur, his lips pulled in a hard line.

Arthur spun around just in time to catch a spear engulfed in an ethereal blue fire striking the dragon and breaking its descent. Another soon followed from the opposite direction, the scaffolds where the old woman had taken cover. Both attacks were as ineffectual as the spears and arrows the Camelot defenders volleyed at the hovering beast.

Arthur searched the scaffolds, but did not see the old woman. A man with cropped dark hair dressed as a merchant stood there instead and Arthur was sure he had not been there before. The man's lips moved and a javelin not far away rose, blue flame engulfing it. Arthur swallowed before a wall of fire sprang from Kilgharrah's giant maw, grazing over the tops of their heads again, the javelin clanking to the ground as everyone dove for cover. He hunkered behind the stone railing, Merlin right beside him. He could see Gwen pressed close against the panes looking out, worry on her face.

"The sorcerer is behind the scaffolds," Arthur said. "He's certainly here for Morgana."

"So is the dragon," Merlin replied. "And I can't stop him, Arthur. He won't listen to me."

"What? Why?"

Merlin swallowed. "It's Destiny's way of straightening itself out. 'Dread the Triple Goddess' she'd said."

Arthur's face twisted with confusion before it turned red with realization that something divine had intervened, proclaiming to all that the Old Religion was alive and well. "Damn it, Merlin! I defended that creature a few days ago and now it's in league with Morgana! I should have had it hunted down!"

"I don't think it's his fault."

Arthur scoffed. "You dare to defend it? It has no right to take her, Merlin. My people need to see an end to this. To her." Arthur started to rise. He must face this beast and demand its cessation.

Kilgharrah blasted more fire and pinned Arthur in his place, the king snarling with frustration. Both he and Merlin twisted to peer through the railing. Knights and soldiers were immobiled behind whatever coverings they could find and too many civilians were still trapped with them. The great dragon maneuvered with swift grace over Morgana and stretched wide his giant toes to delicately grab her, talons scraping against the wooden platform and carving three claw marks.

"No!" Arthur yelled in chorus with two desperate pleas from below just as more spears engulfed in ethereal blue fire hurtled toward the creature rapidly ascending, Morgana securely in its grip.

"There!" Elyan's voice rang out as he and some of the knights began to pursue a youth with dark brown hair and clothes even darker tossing men aside with magic to clear his exit out of courtyard.

"Mordred," Merlin whispered.

That name was from long ago, a distant whisper that soon shouted recognition—the druid boy he'd carried to safety when all of Camelot had been hunting him. A cold shiver ran down Arthur's spine when he spotted the boy, now a teenager, propelling Vidor into knights from Gwynedd with a wave of his hand, and then another Camelot knight into more people clearing a path through the gates. The sorcerer he'd seen under the scaffold followed close behind the boy, tossing knights and soldiers aside like rag dolls, and disappeared with him in the crowd of fleeing citizens.

Merlin and Arthur could only stare dejectedly between the dragon who'd rescued Morgana and the vanishing sorcerers who'd tried to.

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A/N: I know what some of you are thinking. Ugh! Morgana escaped! Sorry about that. I have plans for her, so hang in there, my friends, so let's see what discoveries await us down this path. Thanks for reading. Would love to hear from you.