Merille Marc: I'm so happy you liked the chapters. Yes, things will get even more complicated and Merlin will have to make some decisions. Indeed, Morgana isn't helpless, but she can get hurt, too. Despite the image she tries to create for herself, she is just a scared girl. How will he manage to keep his cover? Interesting question. You'll find out.

Too many people to save even for Merlin and too little time left.

Today

"Why are you helping me?" Merlin asked Kira as they were far enough to speak freely. "My cousin seems to treat you highly.."

"Killing my parents and everyone I love? That's hardly highly. He cares for no one, but himself. You're different. I don't mean your powers. I don't doubt you're incredible, but there's more than that. The way you care for your friends. Even for that woman, Morgana. She doesn't deserve it. Though, I'm not better than her. Yes, I would have married Prince Eugene if I had the chance. I was sick of being a poor servant. I was sick of being ordered around."

"I can't promise you anything. Not even that I'll keep you safe. I'm a curse for those around me. No matter what I do, I keep losing everything I love." Despite his young age, his voice reflected years of pain and loss. There was such maturity in his blue eyes. Hell and heaven both reside in his skinny body.

"Life can be hard." She had no idea what else to say.

"Call it life. Destiny. Gods. They hate me." He replied.

"Be it what may. I don't want to be a coward. Not anymore. For so many years I've thought there was no hope for Drakar. I hated myself for obeying Eugene. My father died challenging his father. But king Balimore was dead and so were our hopes. I didn't know what I could do. I've just tried to survive. But you can change that. If I were to die, I would die knowing that I did something worth fighting for. I don't want to be a queen. I don't want wealth. I only want to be my father's daughter."

For a while none of them said anything. They kept walking through the forest, up the hill, towards the path that led to the old cave. It was cold, but none of them seemed to care much. Kira had a fur coat that covered most of her body, but Merlin hadn't been ready for such bad weather. In Camelot it had been warm, almost summer.

They'd used a portkey so they could travel secretly to the forest. Due to security precautions, the portkey had been set to send them to the base of the hill, so if someone used them, they wouldn't be able to find the dragons.

"Helping me with that friend of yours, Gwain, is quite enough for me." Kira added after a very long awkward silence.

"Gwain?! Do you really like him? Sure. Who doesn't? Though, I don't know what he thinks about magic and sorceress."

Merlin finally relaxed, as much as his current situation allowed him to. He had been afraid she was expecting him to marry her. Considering his cousin had offered to make her queen, the warlock suspected he would have to offer something at least as tempting as that. But…. There was a big "but" Merlin didn't dare to face. It didn't seem right. Yet hardly anything in his life seemed right. What his heart wanted and what his mind knew he should do were two different things. As a king things would get even more complicated. If he ever were to be king.

Everything seemed to go according to the plan and it worried the warlock. He didn't remember the last time things had actually been simple.

"The dragons" he spoke again. "Why would they kill Eugene's prisoners? They hate Eugene, don't they? Why help him then?" That question had been crossing his mind for a very long time. It seemed wrong. Not only his kin helping Eugene, but the idea that his dragons - yes, they were his even if he hadn't met them yet and they would be his no matter what they did: he would forgive them just the way he'd done with Kilgharrah - the idea that his dragons would kill and eat innocent people.

"They didn't kill all of them, Merlin. They remembered your father's men and they spared them, but those people could never return to Drakar. I don't know where they are now. Yet they had to feed..They couldn't spare everybody. There was no hope. Eugene had many enemies, but none could have claimed his place on the throne. Without an heir to the throne, Drakar would have fallen into chaos."

"What about the people? Are they happy?" Merlin wasn't sure he was doing the right thing. Eugene was the heir to the throne, after all, while he was just a usurper. He had no legal claim apart from his father's legacy. Eugene must have been taught what to do since he was a baby. Merlin hadn't been prepared for such a role.

"Prince Eugene cares only for himself. Every year the taxes get higher and higher. The queen seems not to care much. She got cold and heartless. She used to love her elder son so much, people said. I hope you'll make her care again."

"I'm just a stranger. I'm just a peasant. I can't handle a sword. I don't know how to deal with lords. I… "

"If you don't do something, the country will fall into chaos."

"Why does everybody seem to think I can do something?"

"Because you can."

He said nothing for a while. Then, as he finally managed to put some order in his thoughts he spoke again.

"How are we going to set them free?" Merlin had been so euphoric about meeting the dragons that it hadn't crossed his mind that it wouldn't be so easy to set them free. The sword was in Camelot and...well, Camelot was far away. For the umpteenth time, Merlin realized he didn't have a plan.

"I've thought you knew how," Kira answered. "You're carrying the legacy of one of the noblest bloodlines."

"Until today, I was just a poor servant. Yes, I know a way of freeing them, but the sword is in Camelot and Kilgharrah won't be very happy to carry me."

"Maybe the queen knows about a way, but..." She tried to help him.

"Where is the queen?" She was surprised by his determination. "She will help me, won't she? You said she didn't know about my….uncle's doings."

"She will, but it will be risky to go back."

"I'll call Kilgharrah first. Then, I'll go back. You try to find people. We're going to need all the support we can get. We don't have much time. I can't let my friends at my cousin's mercy. Not even Morgana."

07.06.2021 (Ignore the date. It doesn't symbolize anything for the story. I just want to remember the date.)

I've forgotten to say sorry for not publishing on time. I didn't have the energy to do it.