The ride had been very quiet and gloom, not many words were spoken. Madelyn knew all of them had a lot on their minds, Merlin finding out about his father, herself remembering moments of her childhood and Arthur who had a whole kingdom to save. As they had reached a small village it was pouring down and Madelyn had pulled the hood from her cloak closer around her, when they had entered the inn she hadn't dared to pull the hood down.

Luckily there was a vacant room with three beds and somehow Merlin fixed a makeshift divider so Madelyn had her own privacy in the room. Laying down, tired and weary from everything Madelyn couldn't fight the sleep and soon she was sleeping not able to listen in on the conversation between her brother and the prince.

Merlin p.o.v.

Why couldn't Arthur just shut up? Merlin screamed internally as Arthur kept poking and speaking about what troubled the servant.

"I'm worried about everyone back in Camelot. I hope they're alright." Merlin prayed Arthur would fall for the lie.

"So do I." Thank the gods. Merlin sighed relieved hearing Arthur's reply and went back to trying to sleep. After a short while there was a whimper heard. Is Arthur... crying? Turning around slightly Merlin saw Arthur looking at him confused, he must have heard it aswell. A pained cry was heard and Merlin knew who it was and threw himself out of the bed and towards where Madelyn slept. As he came around the screen he saw her twisting and turning, her face pained with tears falling down her cheeks.

"Maddy! Wake up!" Merlin knew of her recent nightmares and how she avoided sleeping and so he threw himself towards her and tried to shake her awake. With a scream Madelyn opened her eyes and her hands gripped tightly onto his shirt, not fully awake.

Madelyn p.o.v.

Fire. Pain. Screaming. Pain. Fire. Flames. Pain. Bernhard dead. Mary dead. Gwen dead. Arthur dead. Merlin dead. The necklace broken.

Madelyn tried to breath but felt like she was choking and tried to scream. All of a sudden she realised she was screaming and she was awake, her brother was sitting in front of her and his mouth was moving. Crying she collapsed into his arms, his sweet words of comfort acted as a shield during the rest of the night.

3rd p.o.v.

The night was dark and the morning still some hours away when the door to the room slowly opened. Quiet steps crept closer to the bag by the prince bed and just as the hand almost touched it... A strong grip held onto the wrist of the thief, the prince was awake.

Madelyn and Merlin woke up from sleeping in Madelyn's bed, hearing a slight cry and both hurried to see what was going on. On Merlin's empty bed was a man sprawled out and held down by the prince. A long knife was held by Arthur, threatening the stranger.

"Do you know what the punishment is for theft?" Arthur's deadly threat almost scared Madelyn, Merlin held her closer to him in comfort.

"No, please! I've got children to feed." The man was scared, no doubt for anyone.

"Tell me where to find Balinor."

"Balinor?"

"Tell me what you know of him."

"Nothing. I-" Madelyn felt Merlin's grip tighten slightly, the lie obvoius. Arthur apparently thought so aswell.

"Do you value your life?" The calm and coldness of Arthur's voice work almost like magic.

"It's been years since I saw him!"

"You know where he lives?" Madelyn felt her heart beat faster and faster.

"You must travel trough the forest of Merendra to the foot of Feorre Mountain. There you'll find the cave where Balinor dwells." Madelyn knew Merlin's heart beat just as fast as hers. They now had a location for their father. The siblings shared a slight glance, they were getting close.

"But don't get your hopes up." The voice of the thief made them look back at him and Merlin to speak.

"Why?"

"He won't welcome you. Balinor hates everyone and everything. A cave's the best place for him."

The next day they walked beside their horses, minimizing the risk of getting spotted by Cendred's men who could be in the area. Madelyn walking in the front with Arthur in the back, but hearing stumbling and a grunt Madelyn turned around at the same time as Merlin did and looked at Arthur.

"It's alright." Arthur's voice convinced no one and soon they had stopped and Merlin looked at the wound and his face said it all, it was not good. A branch breaking loudly and Madelyn found herself being pulled down by her brother behind a huge treetrunk, with the prince leaning more and more towards her, his eyes not focused.

"Merlin..." Madelyn tried to gain Merlin's attention with a very quiet whisper. Arthur was now closing his eyes and his head fell down onto Madelyn's shoulder and she held her breath catching him, she heard the close footsteps and realised they were very close to beeing seen by Cendred's men. "M-merlin..." Madelyn tried again to gain the attention of her brother but was met by a finger held up, silencing her. Closing her eyes she had to use all her strength to hold up the limp prince, if they were caught they were as good as dead.

After what felt like minutes Merlin turned towards them, his eyes looking at to were the last soldier was seen. "Arthur." Merlin's whisper made Madelyn open her eyes as she struggled with the weight and her arms hurt from holding Arthur. Could her brother just look down at her already?

"Arth- Maddy? " Merlin's eyes finally fell onto his sister and the unconscious prince.

They had kept going, Arthur hanging over the back of his horse as they reached to foot of Feorre Mountain. Merlin turned towards his sister and Madelyn knew what it meant.

"No, don't you dare leave me here with him."

Of course he left her with the Prince. Now she stood beside an unconscious prince looking around scared and holding onto a sword so her knuckles were white. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and her hand moved as if on instinct towards Lancelot's necklace. With a sad sigh Madelyn realised, just like she had many times the past few days that it no longer hung around her neck. Madelyn could only hope it was somewhere in the shop... what ever was left of it. Opening her eyes she heard hurried footsteps and soon Merlin emerged from where he had left... alone.

"Where is he?" Madelyn asked confused, hadn't Merlin found anyone?

"H-he told me to... fetch him." Merlin stumbled slightly over his words, his gestures and body language as confusing as the tone in his voice.

"Wha-... Merlin what happend? " Madelyn moved towards her brother as he took a hold of the prince's horse aswell as his own, not answering his sister and Madelyn hurried to follow with her own horse.

Standing beside her brother inside the cave Madelyn understood what had made Merlin so... perplexed. She found herself in a loss for words as she watched the man put some kind of mixture on Arthur's wound. The man with greasy hair, scruffy beard and an intimidating attitude was not like the one she remembered but as she heard him mumble as spell over the prince she took a tighter hold of Merlin's hand. As Balinor stood up and looked at the other two Merlin's tounge finally moved.

"Will he be alright? "

"By morning." As the man moved past them Madelyn managed to speak aswell.

"Thank you." The eyes that met her own was the once she rembered. This was their father.

"This looks good." Madelyn sat silent, looking at the bowl with food in her hand listening to the conversation Merlin tried to have with Balinor. She was still stunned that this man, this grumpy, harsh, ragged man was the same as the one that had made her mother laugh all those years ago. Only listening with half an ear but as Balinor raised his voice she snapped back into the on going conversation.

"Who are you?"

"I'm... Merlin. She's... Madelyn." Glancing up the both siblings watched the man, seeing if any of the names sounded familiar but no reaction was seen. Balinor didn't seem to reflect on their names but simply turned towards the sleeping prince.

"And him?"

"He's my master. " Merlin tried to avoid the name.

"His name!" The loud, irritated voice made Madelyn flinch.

"His name is... Lancelot. He's a knight. You know, a nice one." Merlin tried and smile, joking to lighten the mood while Madelyn simply couldn't stop herself from wishing it was Lancelot here with her.

"His name is Arthur Pendragon. " the voice of Balinor wasn't as loud any longer, nor was it as intimidating. "He is Uther's son."

Merlin looked for a moment as if he would argue so Madelyn quickly spoke up.

"Yes." Balinor's eyes now fell upon the young woman and as he spoke his voice was back to a gentler tone.

"This is Cendred's kingdom. He's asking for trouble. What do you want for me?" They kept eye contact and somewhere inside Balinor a small warmth was starting, but he couldn't understand why.

"You're Balinor, the Dragonlord." Madelyn's voice was kind and gentle but firm, giving no room for argument. "The Great Dragon is attacking Camelot. "

"His name is Kilgharrah. " The grumpy man wanted to shy away from the woman's eyes, her gaze reminding him of what he had lost.

"Well, we can't stop him. Only you, a dragonlord, can." Madelyn added a small smile, her voice hopeful as she tried to find that spark in his eyes that she remembered.

"He doesn't act blindly. He kills for a reason. Vengeance. This is Uther's making." Balinor was scared of the feeling inside him, the warmth that had been gone for so many years scared him and so he wanted to push away this young man and woman. Madelyn got slightly teary eyes as she stood up, she'd had enough.

"That Dragon is killing innocent people and sparing no-one. Woman, men and children alike. We've... people have lost f-families." Feeling the cry stuck in her throat Madelyn kept her eyes on the man she knew was her father and never had she felt so disappointed. Balinor watched the young woman open her mouth as if to speak but she shut again and shook her head. Grabbing her cloak she walked out of the cave leaving the males of her family alone.

Inside tye cave Merlin hated to see Madelyn so upset, she rarely lost her temper. He wanted to run after her but Camelot needed this man to save them.

"Uther pursued me, he hunted me like an animal! " Balinor had been baffled seeing the look in the woman's eyes but as she left he felt the rage return.

"I know." Merlin answered but it only seemed to anger Balinor even more.

"What do you know about anybody's life, boy?! Uther asked me to use my powers to bring back the last Dragon to Camelot. He said he wanted to make peace with it but he did not! He lied to me! He betrayed me! You want me to protect this man?" Balinor was not seeing beyond his own hatred.

"I want you to protect Camelot." Merlin's begging voice was filled with sadness.

"He killed everyone of my kind! I alone escaped!"

"Where did you go?" Merlin started forming a plan in his head.

"There's a place called Ealdor." Balinor looked into the fire and his mind went back to the memories he had cherished so much.

"Yes." Merlin saw the look in Balinor's eyes.

"I had a life there. A woman. A good woman." Balinor stopped slightly. "And a beautiful child." The pain was clear in the man's eyes, the loss of his daughter still hurt like an open wound. "Ealdor is beyond Uther's realm, but still he pursued me. Why would he not let me be? What was it that I had done that he wanted to destroy the life I had built, abandoning the women I loved and leave a my daughter without her father? He sent knights to kill me. I was forced to come here, to this!" Balinor had never spoken about anyone about this, the pain in his chest made him hate Uther even further and as she continued to speak tears was showing in his eyes, threatening to fall. "So, I understand how Kilgharrah feels. He's lost every one of his kind, everyone of his kin. You want to know how that feels? Look around boy! Let Uther die. Let Camelot fall."

Merlin knew that Balinor had made up his mind, but maybe he could say something to change it. "You want everyone I Camelot to die?"

"Why should I care? "

"What if one of them was your daughter or son?" Merlin felt his heart beat out of his chest, maybe if Balinor knew about him or Madelyn...

"I don't have a son." Balinor's sneering voice was stung in Merlin.

"But a daughter. And if I told you-"

"Merlin." A coughing Arthur interrupted. "Merlin." His mumbles made Merlin lose his courage to tell the truth and Balinor left the young man to tend to his master.

Madelyn sat outside the cave and watched the moon and the stars. Maybe Mary and Bernhard was looking down at her right now. Closing her eyes she felt a tear fall down her cheek. The sound of heavy footsteps coming closer made Madelyn look back over her shoulders, seeing Balinor approach she not her tounge not to snap at him to leave her alone.

"You should come back inside, it's getting cold." Balinor's gentle voice was not what Madelyn expected.

"I'm fine." Madelyn didn't mean for her voice to sound so snappy and cold but she wouldn't apologize for it right now.

Balinor sighed, studying the stubborn young woman. "You should at least go get some rest, you have a long way to ride."

"I'll be fine." Madelyn suddenly realised the words she said were the last one Mary had spoken and another tear fell. She hurried to whipe it away but Balinor had noticed.

"Who did you lose?" His question almost made Madelyn flinch as if she was slapped and she realised that this man was not the same as the one she rembered. Her father was gone many years ago. Sighing she turned around and just as she had walked past him she stopped.

"My family. Now all I have is my brother." With a heavy heart Madelyn walked inside the cave. All the hope she had felt was gone, and gone was the hope she had for a father.

Not edited.