Hello all! Here is the next chapter, just a tiny bit longer than the last one. Hope you enjoy :)
And a big thank you to my beta Paralelsky!
o}O{o
Mordred stood beside Arthur in the sun drenched field. He was unaware of the smile on his face as he looked around at the knights. He then glanced back at Merlin who was sitting beside Morris on the grass, on the other side of a short fence. Merlin was staring at his lap, avoiding looking at the foreign knights.
"Alright," Arthur said as he took the sword Mordred carefully offered him. "Be ready to come should I need you." Mordred nodded and the prince turned away.
But before he took more than a few steps, Mordred's voice called him back.
"Prince Arthur?"
Arthur turned to look at Mordred who was fidgeting slightly.
"Thank you for earlier... for treating Merlin like a person. Because he doesn't talk, people tend to ignore him. Or at least most of the druids did," Mordred told him and his gaze held Arthur where he was. "But you actually talk to him instead of me and treating him like he's an idiot...thank you." Mordred bowed and retreated to where Merlin was, leaving a rather flummoxed prince behind.
The knights all looked appraisingly at the new servant, causing Mordred to straighten his back and meet their gazes coldly. Some of them laughed, but others tilted their heads curiously at him; he noticed that Leon, the knight he met before, was one of them.
He turned his back and smiled when he got to Merlin. "Isn't this exciting, Merlin?"
Merlin looked up from the ground and glanced at the knights. He twitched uncomfortably when he found that many eyes were centered on him, and his fingers reached to grasp the collar of his cloak. Mordred turned and saw that the knight's stares were dubious and just a bit unfriendly as they looked to the five year old boy. Mordred then narrowed his eyes and speared those knights with a frosty glare.
"Stop looking at them like that, you'll get put in the stocks," Morris whispered. Mordred merely sniffed disdainfully and carried on as he was.
Arthur then called the knights to attention and Mordred unconsciously sat straighter. He refused to grin as the knights began their training.
When Arthur ordered them to pair off and fight each other with maces, Mordred could no longer hide his smile. He looked down at Merlin, expecting him to be just as excited as he was. His face fell however, when his eyes assured him that the boy was much more interested in looking at the bogey he had pulled out of his nose.
"Merlin!" Mordred hissed and Merlin quickly wiped his finger on the grass beside him. Mordred glanced at the knights to see if anyone had seen Merlin, and then sighed with relief, realizing they had not. Merlin grinned at him and Mordred couldn't help a smile of his own. He ruffled Merlin's hair and turned his shining eyes back to the knights. And before Merlin could try again, Mordred grabbed his wrist causing Merlin to huff.
The session went on without Mordred losing interest and he was more than happy to help the other servants set up the archery targets when called for. The arrows kept flying into the targets with loud thunks, at the end of each round Mordred would pry them out of the targets and set them in a quiver. Merlin, however, continued to avoid looking at the training ground and resorted to pulling up the grass.
This carried on until the sun climbed high in the sky to signal noon. Arthur called the end of the session and made his way to Mordred while undoing his piece of armour.
"Alright, take these back to the armoury." Arthur passed him the crossbow, sword, mace and shoulder brace. "After that have Morris instruct you on chores and how I like things done. If you finish quickly, you have free time until you bring me dinner which I will be taking late."
"Yes Sire." He grabbed the items and Morris thankfully grabbed the sword and mace before they could fall. Mordred looked to Arthur when the prince looked like he wanted to say something. But the next second Arthur cleared his throat and turned away, heading back to the castle.
"Alright." Morris clasped his hands together. "Let's go." He began walking toward the armoury with Mordred and Merlin close behind. On the way, Merlin worked up the courage to let go of Mordred's cloak, but let his hands fiddle nervously in front of him. Mordred sent him an encouraging smile which Merlin returned. They entered the empty armoury and Morris directed Mordred to put Arthur's things in the designated spot. That done, Morris handed Mordred the tournament spaulder so that he could learn how to polish it. But when Mordred made for the exit, he stopped when two figures entered the open doorway: knights from the training session walked in and stared down at him with unfriendly eyes. If Mordred remembered correctly, and he knew that he did, their names were Sirs Lloyd and Nathaniel.
"You saved the prince's life." Lloyd frowned inquisitively at Mordred.
"That is correct," Mordred replied stonily, not liking the knight's tone.
"Mind who you are speaking to, boy," Nathaniel said in a hard brogue.
Mordred felt Merlin slip behind him and cling to his cloak which caused him to stare at his boots. "My apologies."
Morris was busy ducking his head while Sir Lloyd sneered at them. "And what reason is there for your little whelp to follow behind? The prince is too busy to be looking after children."
Mordred looked up slowly at him, his turquoise eyes colder than ice. Nathanial noticed a flash of uncertainty in the other knight's eyes before Lloyd gritted his teeth. "Do not call him a whelp," Mordred hissed.
Morris cleared his throat fearfully. "Ex-excuse me Sirs. I am so sorry for his insolence, he- he is but a boy," the older servant grovelled and bowed repeatedly.
"Silence, servant," Lloyd growled and Morris backed away hastily.
Merlin's grip became tighter on Mordred's cloak and the older boy felt him trembling. "Do the knights of Camelot take pleasure in scaring children?" Mordred sneered, "You think this makes you look strong?"
Before Lloyd could take a threatening step forward, another knight swept into the armoury. Sir Leon looked to Nathaniel and Lloyd and his brow relaxed, but not in a good way. "What are you doing here? You have patrols."
The two knights stood straighter and Nathaniel spoke. "I apologize, Sir Leon. We wanted to investigate Prince Arthur's new servant and the boy," he said honestly.
"They are none of your concern," Leon spoke sharply, "Mordred has earned his place and it is up to the prince to decide on Merlin." He then turned to Mordred and his tone became less stern. "I trust Prince Arthur has allowed him to follow you while you attend to your duties?"
"Yes Sir," Mordred also eased his manner.
Sir Leon turned a hard gaze to the knights. "That is all you need to know then," he told them.
The two knights nodded respectfully to him and Lloyd strode out. Nathaniel followed close behind him after giving a curious look to Mordred.
Merlin inched out from behind Mordred to reveal half his face, and Leon met his curious eyes. The knight allowed his face to soften before turning seriously to Mordred.
"Many knights are curious about you two," Leon told him.
"They wish to test me. And they don't want children to tarnish their honour." Mordred flicked his eyes towards Merlin.
"You have a sharp mind," Leon acknowledged. "And the knights will have to learn to accept the prince's decisions."
"Have you?" Mordred asked. Behind them Morris licked his lips uncomfortably.
"I trust Prince Arthur's judgement," said Leon, "Now I believe we both have duties to attend to."
"Yes, m'lord," Mordred bowed his head respectfully. He looked up to see Leon's retreating back and behind him Morris huffed a sigh a relief.
"Come on, let's get to work… And hopefully we will be done soon," Morris told Mordred and walked out of the armoury. Mordred grabbed Merlin's hand and followed Morris out, listening to the man's jumbled muttering.
Mordred spent the next few hours learning how to do chores: polishing armour, cleaning floors, cleaning windows, dusting, doing laundry (which took Morris quite a while because the wash women were busy fawning over the two boys), and a plethora of other tedious chores. Mordred only had one complaint and that was when they went to the stables.
"Are there not stable hands to muck out the horses?" Mordred complained with his nose slightly wrinkled. He gazed appraisingly at the horses sticking their heads out of their stalls. Beside him Merlin gasped excitedly and tried to veer to the nearest horse but his guardian firmly held him back.
"Oh there are," Morris sighed, "but Prince Arthur likes to have his servant do it occasionally. That is one thing I will not miss."
Mordred frowned and Morris continued to ramble. "Well I won't miss anything really, it was- I mean," Morris coughed uncomfortably, "working for the prince was great. Best job I could ask for. He was..." He trailed off when he looked back and saw that Mordred was not paying him any attention.
"I suppose I will need to learn to groom Arthur's horse?" Mordred mused.
"Ah yes, and learn to ride one as well," Morris nodded, glad to get on topic once more.
This certainly grabbed the boy's attention. "Ride them?" he asked incredulously. Mordred could practically feel Merlin's grin. The child was trying to strain against him again, but how was he to know a horse wouldn't bite Merlin's head off if he got too close? They were big.
"Well of course. You'll have to go on patrols with him you know. Well maybe, most knights leave their servants behind but not the prince. Have you ridden a horse before?"
"No," Mordred frowned.
"Something for later then." Morris waved his hand absently. "But you should meet Arthur's horse for now. Get him to know you before you start grooming him." He delved into his pocket and brought out three small apples, giving them to Mordred.
"Don't go anywhere, Merlin," Mordred ordered when he was forced to take his hand off the boy. Merlin gave him a small pout but stayed where he was. Morris then grabbed the reigns and bridle that were hanging on the hook just outside the first stall.
The boys looked at Morris as he went into the stall and gingerly brought out an impressive light bay horse out. The horse snorted and snapped at Morris' fingers. The servant yelped but managed to avoid the horse's teeth.
"This is Hengroen," he huffed. "Give him the apples so he doesn't bite you right away. And keep the boy away because he isn't too friendly with anyone but the prince."
"His name is Merlin," Mordred told Morris but was looking at the horse. The young servant was inclined to believe Morris because Hengroen was stamping his hoof with what he imagined was annoyance. Then quick as lightning, Merlin stole an apple from him and bounded to the horse.
"Merlin!" Mordred quickly followed him but stopped when Hengroen tilted his head at the boy who was offering him an apple. Morris gave a scandalized huff, but allowed the horse to bend his neck down. Hengroen took the apple from Merlin's hands and loudly chewed on the fruit. Merlin smiled and beamed at Mordred who was not all that surprised. Selwyn's donkey had taken to Merlin after all.
Hengroen stuck his head in front of Merlin and stared at him. Merlin obligingly ran his small hands above his nose. "Well I'll be," Morris said as Merlin continued to pet the horse. "I've never seen him be nice to anyone."
"Animals like Merlin," Mordred told him earnestly. He then offered the remaining two apples to Hengroen who eyed him before accepting the treats. The horse gave a snort when he looked at him and Mordred did not know whether to be offended or not.
"Go on, try to pet him. Mind your fingers," Morris prompted. Mordred swallowed and tried not to think about how big the horse was as he reached out his arm. Hengroen did not try to bite him but he gave a harsh sniff when he touched his head. Mordred quickly withdrew his hand and kept it to his side. "Well that's enough for now," Morris stated and led Hengroen back into his stall. There was a loud grunt and Morris came out with his finger in his mouth. He glanced down at Merlin and his face softened. "Don't worry, little guy, you will have plenty of times to see him later."
Merlin blinked and inched behind Mordred but could not hide a smile. Morris sent him a grin and then looked for a pitchfork, his grin diminishing. "Alright, I'll show you how to muck it all out."
Luckily, Morris only showed him how to do it and then they were off to the next item on the list without actually doing the chore. Mordred suspected that they did not do any of it because Morris was too lazy. Not that Mordred minded, he had no wish to clean anything before absolutely necessary. After that, Morris showed Mordred the kennels and where the leads were to walk Prince Arthur's dogs. The older servant did not even look in the dogs' direction to the disappointment of Merlin and even Mordred, though he hid it. Morris then sent them home to grab something to eat before tending to Arthur's dinner.
For once, Merlin ate without picking at anything and was done before Mordred. Gaius tried to get Merlin to go to bed afterwards but the boy refused. "If you are grumpy tomorrow it will be your own fault," Mordred warned to which Merlin gave him a cool look. The physician laughed and admitted defeat. When Mordred was finished, he thanked Gaius and began to head to the kitchens where Morris would meet them. They would be rather early but Merlin's constant staring at the dinner table was beginning to grate on his nerves. As they walked out of the chambers, Mordred found that he was eager to finish the day so he could start tomorrow without Morris. Not that he disliked the servant, but Mordred liked independence more.
o}O{o
When they got to the kitchens they stood against the wall, looking at the multitude of servants watching them as they came to and fro. Mordred had never been very patient with anyone but Merlin so he did not think twice about deciding not to wait for Morris. "Alright, Merlin," he said and looked down at his charge seriously. "Keep hold of my cloak, I don't want you getting hurt with all the people in there."
Merlin nodded and reached out a hand to grab Mordred's teal cloak. The older boy ruffled his hair before delving through the entrance. Once again everyone stared, and this time there were a lot more eyes watching them. He could feel the slight tugs on his cloak, but he wouldn't let Merlin retreat. The child knew what Mordred had to do and had to learn to follow through with his decisions. However, it did not stop Mordred's light blue eyes from boring into any who stared. And even though many were not looking at him, Mordred made his gaze be felt; it was a trick he learned from watching Selwyn, and proved to be quite effective.
Mordred successfully grabbed a platter of food for the prince and a goblet with a small flagon of wine. He nodded to those that greeted him and encouraged Merlin to acknowledge them as well, but the stubborn boy firmly studied the floor. They were close to the exit when someone stood in Mordred's path, forcing them to stop. He looked up to see a middle aged man with greying brown hair, clothed in livery and sporting an ugly glower.
Mordred said nothing and merely frowned at him, forcing the servant to speak first. "Who do you think you are, boy?" he growled.
"That is hardly a polite introduction," Mordred informed him. Merlin hid fully behind Mordred and clutched his cloak. Some servants ignored them, but many stopped to watch, and some called warnings to the leering servant which was how Mordred found out his name was Ivor. "Ivor." Mordred said the name haughtily.
"You think you can just waltz into Camelot and pretend like you own the place?" Ivor put his hands on his bony hips. Mordred was sorely tempted to say yes, but he kept his mouth shut. "You haven't even worked a day in your life have you? And yet you get to be the prince's servant along with your snot nosed brat." Merlin stiffened behind him and held on tighter.
Anger flared up inside Mordred and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Ivor sneered at him to cover up the flash of doubt Mordred caught in his eyes. "Leave Merlin out of this," he said dangerously. For the moment the middle aged servant had insulted Merlin, it had become something. "You are just angry that I have a higher rank than you do."
Ivor gritted his teeth and drew himself up. "Watch what you –"
"Ivor," a gruff voice barked. They both turned to view a grey haired servant standing beside them. Merlin still had his face glued downwards. "What do you think you are doing?"
This servant was familiar to Mordred and the fact that the man was not wearing livery clued him into the fact that he was high ranking. The next second Mordred remembered the man as the one who was waiting on King Uther at the feast. This was one of the King's servants.
"Rupert," Ivor mumbled and then spoke clearer. "We were merely having a chat."
The older man frowned. "The boy is right, Ivor. He serves the prince so I suggest you show some respect."
"He's a child!" Ivor hissed.
"A child who saved the prince's life. Need I remind you that while he risked his own skin, you were cowering on the floor."
A smile grew on Mordred's face as Ivor spluttered. "You can leave now. And do not let me see you harassing them again."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Ivor spat sarcastically and threw a glare at Mordred whose smile had turned into a challenging smirk. He hoped Ivor and he would cross paths again, and Mordred would show him that he should never have said a word against Merlin. Mordred could not very well best him physically but he could definitely take Ivor down a few pegs.
And when he learned how to use a sword, he would show Sir Lloyd not to make the same mistake. Mordred stilled. Now where had that thought come from? "Are you alright, lad?" Rupert asked him, shaking Mordred out of his inviting thoughts.
"Yes," Mordred said and felt Merlin still clinging on his cloak. From the shaking, Mordred guessed he was crying and his anger returned with a vengeance. "Thank you for helping," Mordred bit out.
"Of course. You are Prince Arthur's servant after all," Rupert smiled. "Ivor is someone to be ignored. You should run along, before the food gets cold."
"Thank you, it was good to meet you," Mordred said politely before continuing on his way.
"Oh, and Mordred," Rupert called, causing the boy to look back. "Many are envious of your position. The prince is known for sacking his servants so several will most likely encourage that avenue. Do not let them bully you into giving up, although I do not think it will be a problem for you." He gave a final smile before going to get the king's food.
When the man's back was turned Mordred finally left the kitchens, but instead of turning right to get to Arthur's chambers, he took a left. He turned a few corners before setting the tray of food on the floor and kneeling down to face Merlin. He took the boy's chin and coaxed it up. Tears were dripping from the boy's eyelashes and his nose was running above his trembling lips. Mordred knew exactly what was wrong.
"You are not a snot nosed brat, Merlin. You hear me?"
Merlin sniffed and averted his eyes since Mordred held his chin. "Merlin." Mordred waited until cobalt blue eyes met his own. "Who are you going to believe, that mean man? Or me?" The younger boy blinked and pointed at Mordred who nodded. "Good. Now, you know how sad it makes me to see you cry. Where's that smile?" Mordred wiped away Merlin's tears and poked him on the nose. The young warlock gave a small smile before wrapping his arms around Mordred's neck. The servant returned the hug for a few moments before drawing away and sending Merlin a smile.
"Do you want to see Arthur, Merlin?" Mordred asked and Merlin nodded. He stood up and grabbed the tray. "Come on then, let's go." Mordred led the way and Merlin immediately grabbed onto his cloak, and this time Mordred did not try to persuade him out of it. They turned into the hall to the kitchens and met Morris who was running out of the warm room.
"There you are! Sorry I was late- Sir Phillip needed - what were you doing that way?" he panted and rested his hands on his knees. The servant's reprieve was short lived as Mordred passed him by with Merlin on his heels.
Mordred did not respond but Morris found his answer when Merlin glanced back and he glimpsed the boy's red eyes and nose. "What happened?"
"Ivor," Mordred spat.
"Ooh." Morris made a sympathetic face. "Don't listen to him, Merlin, everyone around here knows he's a big old jerk." His smile turned into a grin when Merlin gave him a small smile.
"Yes, the king's servant Rupert, implied as much," Mordred said to Morris.
"Rupert? That old goat? Sour puss that one," Morris continued, encouraged by Mordred's cordial tone. "You know, I've never seen him smile in all the years I've been here. Not even when he was promoted as the King's servant. I suppose he's alright though."
"He got rid of Ivor for us. Watch the step, Merlin," Mordred spoke as they climbed the first set of steps. Merlin heeded his warning and tightened his grip on Mordred's cloak.
"Yes well, Ivor's mouth can run away with him. Only listens to higher ranking servants. Though I don't think he'll listen to you. No offence."
"I gathered that from our first meeting," the young servant said flatly. He did not say much else and let Morris prattle on until they reached the prince's chambers. Mordred had to balance the tray of food in his hands while he opened the door and was rather proud that he did it mishap free because Morris was telling him of all the times that he had spilled food right in front of the prince.
"You're late," Arthur's voice called. Mordred and Morris looked to see Arthur stacking papers at his table.
Mordred opened his mouth heatedly but fluidly changed what he was going to say when Morris coughed. "I apologize, Sire," he said instead, with only a little ire seeping through. Merlin stayed behind with the older servant as Mordred moved forward to the table. He placed the tray in front of Arthur and poured him the wine.
"I did not give you time off so you could slack and not be on time with my dinner," Arthur frowned before digging into the chicken.
"Yes Sire," Mordred spoke evenly and went to stand behind the prince. Morris had warned him that Arthur was always in foul moods when he was hungry, but Mordred was not impressed by it all the same. The prince busied himself with eating and Mordred took the chance to study Merlin. The boy was standing with his head down, twitching when he felt Mordred's gaze but not looking up. He must not have wanted Arthur to know that he had been crying.
The prince finished quickly and leant back in his chair with a satisfied sigh. Morris stepped forward after bowing. "If that will be all, Sire, I will take my leave."
"Yes, go ahead," Arthur said dismissively.
"If I may Sire, it has been a pleasure to serve you and I shall endeavour to help your current manservant when I am able." Morris looked to Mordred who gave him a tentative smile.
"What you do is none of my business."
"Yes Sire. Goodnight Sire." Morris gave a final bow, before patting Merlin on the head and leaving the room. Arthur's gaze was then drawn to the still boy.
"Would you like more wine?" Mordred asked and pointedly left out the word, 'Sire'.
"No. What's wrong with him?" Arthur nodded his head to Merlin who shifted.
Mordred cleaned up the plates as he replied. "I can't imagine you would be interested, m'lord."
"I asked you a question and you are expected to answer."
Merlin glanced up at their increasingly strained exchange and caught Arthur's alarmed gaze. He quickly ducked his head down and rubbed at his eye.
"A servant called him a name. I don't think he would have cried but he is rather tired now."
"Then why is he not in bed? You are not under the impression that he had to come are you?" Arthur asked, actually sounding a little worried.
"No, Sire, we tried to get him to bed, but he wanted to see you," Mordred replied. Arthur shifted uncomfortably causing his servant to wonder about his apparent talent at making the prince feel guilty.
It was then silent as Mordred cleaned the rest of the dishes until Merlin yawned. "Perhaps you should go for the night and get him to bed. You can take the dishes tomorrow," Arthur told him not unkindly.
"Thank you, Sire." Mordred needed no further prompting and went to the bed to turn the covers back. He strode back to where Merlin was standing and stopped beside the small boy. "Goodnight my lord."
"Yes goodnight...goodnight, Merlin," Arthur ventured and was rewarded when Merlin looked up and smiled. Mordred gave a bow and turned, the younger child hurrying to grab his hand to follow him. On their way back to the physician's chambers, Mordred reflected on his first day, and how hard it appeared to be to remember that Arthur had freed Isaac.
Mordred had never met anyone who had tested his patience so but he had to endeavour to put up with it. It was his destiny after all. To distract himself from that burdening thought, he talked to the increasingly sluggish Merlin. They reached the courtyard and Mordred was stunned at seeing the rosy clouds scattered in the golden saffron sky- he always liked sunsets and seeing one above the castle walls was just marvelous. After admiring it for a moment he strode across it and glanced back to Arthur's chamber window. He could have sworn he had seen the prince looking out but it lasted for a split second and he passed it off as a shadow. Mordred carried on his way and got to Gaius' chambers just to hear a loud bang sound from inside. He was going to be worried until he heard Gaius yell something obscene from inside.
"Those were bad words, Merlin," Mordred told him before opening the door. Merlin nodded understandably, very used to those words coming out of Mordred's mouth every time they were around Rolf. Merlin's lips tugged down in a slight pout upon remembering the nice druid but then a grin formed on his face upon seeing Gaius.
Beside him, Mordred chuckled at the physician. "Ah, I see you have the worst timing imaginable," Gaius said dryly as he looked for a cloth to wipe away the soot covering his face. Mordred glanced at the smoking beaker on Gaius' workbench and let go of Merlin's hand to go and open the window. At once cool air wafted in to clear the pungent smoke. "Thank you, Mordred." The young servant turned and did not succeed at keeping in a laugh. Half of Gaius' right eyebrow was singed off. The physician waved his hand dismissively. "Happens all the time."
Merlin's previous tears were forgotten as he grinned at Gaius, and Mordred hid disappointment that the boy did not laugh. "Well I am glad I amuse you, Merlin" the old man said and smiled at the child. Merlin nodded, causing Gaius to chuckle.
"I think that's enough excitement for one day though, don't you Merlin?" Mordred asked. He wasn't surprised when Merlin shook his head but began to lead him to their room anyway. "Say goodnight to Gaius."
Merlin hurried over to Gaius who bent forward to receive a hug. "Goodnight, Merlin," Gaius smiled. He stood up and held his back when Merlin went back to Mordred.
Unsurprisingly it did not take Mordred long to put Merlin to bed. All Mordred had to do was give Merlin a goodnight kiss and tuck him in. He was back out to Gaius within minutes and gratefully sat down at the table. Gaius finished clearing away the remains of his experiment before taking a seat across from Mordred and asking him about the day. The boy told him of the knight training which he was particularly excited about, the rude knights, Sir Leon, Arthur's horse, how they didn't get to see the dogs, Ivor and Rupert, Morris, and how Arthur was confusing.
It was dark when he finished, the only light being the small candles around the chambers that Gaius had lit mid conversation. Mordred didn't think that he had said so many words together in his whole life and said as much to the physician. "Well you know what they say about good company," was the old man's light reply.
Gaius then opened his mouth just to shut it, causing Mordred to stare at him expectantly. The boy felt the mood turn serious and he sat straighter. "Mordred. Do you know of the dragon beneath the castle?"
"…Yes, Uther managed to capture him a few years ago. He's the last of his kind." Mordred said evasively. "Why?"
"I need to tell you something. About Merlin's father."
"What?" Mordred asked eagerly.
Gaius looked away before pinning Mordred with a solemn gaze. "Do you know what a dragonlord is?"
"Isaac told me that they can command dragons. Was Merlin's father...?"
"Yes. And Mordred, the power is passed down from father to son in death."
"What?" Mordred said sharply.
"Merlin has the potential to be a dragonlord. I know not if his father is still living but their power extends more than to just commanding them," Gaius told him.
"What do you mean?"
"They share a bond. Only made stronger since they are both creatures of the old religion. But Kilgharrah is the last dragon and Merlin may be the last dragonlord. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with. I do not know the extent of a dragonlord's power- only Kilgharrah knows."
"I am grateful but why are you telling me this?" Mordred asked curiously.
Gaius sighed. "I have no doubt Merlin will find Kilgharrah eventually,"- here Mordred shifted- "and you need to make sure that he is not taken advantage of."
"What does he want with Merlin?" Mordred asked seriously.
"That I do not know, but the dragon cannot be trusted. He yearns to gain revenge for his kin."
"I'll watch over him, Gaius."
"I know you will," Gaius smiled, "now you too should go to sleep."
"Alright." Mordred stood up but faltered when the sound of hysterical crying and screaming reached his ears. "Oh no," he breathed. Mordred raced to their room to Merlin who was having a nightmare.
o}O{o
Mordred's first day as Arthur's servant! How did everyone like it?
Thanks for reading, and please review! Oh if anyone has something they want to see in this story, I'd love to take suggestions. It may not show up for quite a while but it just might pop up one day :)