A/N: Wow, so it's been a while. I didn't mean for it to take this long, but I was finishing my last semester of undergrad and I'm proud to say that I've graduated a semester early and I was accepted to my top choice grad program, which I'll begin this fall! To make up for my absence, I've written a longer chapter. Hopefully now it won't take as much time between chapters. At least for the next 6 months, I'll only be working a day job, so I won't have to worry about homework and applications taking up my time. Thank you for sticking around through my erratic posting! I truly appreciate all the favorites, bookmarks, and reviews! I hope you enjoy!

"Merlin!" Arthur cried indignantly, horrified that a servant of Camelot, no matter how close to the King he may be, would dare address another kingdom's royalty in such a manner.

"No, it's quite alright," Aurelius placated. "I think it may be best if perhaps Merlin and I took a walk."

At the warlock's terse nod, the two men departed before anyone else could think to interject in the odd situation. As they disappeared into the surrounding woods, the Camelotian knights seemed to break from their stupor.

"What the hell just happened?" Arthur was the first to begin spouting questions as Gwaine seemed to be questioning just how much he'd drunk that night.

Garrick, seemingly shaken by the turn of events, attempted to explain, "I- I'm sorry King Arthur, but I'm not sure I can quite explain everything. But I should apologize as we may not have been completely honest with you."

Immediately on guard, Arthur gestured for him to continue.

"It is nothing that will cause you or your people harm," Thomas interjected. The older knight seemed especially concerned about the hasty, and somewhat tense, departure of Dreócræft's princes. However, his placation seemed to have the opposite effect on Arthur and his knights, who were becoming more apprehensive as the Dreócræftan knights avoided an explanation.

"For the gods' sake, Thomas, I'll tell them," Elias spit out, quick to temper. "We know Merlin."

"Of course you know him. We've been traveling together and he served you in Camelot." Arthur may be the King and good at strategy, but he could be a bit dense when coming to conclusions. Especially those that could change his perceptions of those that he cared about.

Now somewhat over his shock, Garrick cut back in. "No, Arthur. We know him from before these past few days. I'm sorry that I cannot explain completely, as it is not my place. But I can tell you that we know him quite well, in fact, as he lived in Dreócræft before the uprising."

Arthur froze. Merlin wasn't from Ealdor.

He lied, again?

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"Merlin!"

Merlin sniffled from his hiding place under the bed. Of course his big brother would come looking for him. It never failed that whenever he wanted to be alone, Aurelius would be able to find him, no matter how good a place he chose to hide. And Merlin was good at hiding. Always teased by the other noble children about his stature, they never realized the benefits of being so small. He could hide wherever he wanted, in places no one else would ever suspect; curled up in a tiny broom cupboard, under the lowest beds, even in the little trunk he kept in his room that was supposed to store his toys. He never had a knack for keeping things tidy, so the trunk generally made a good hideaway.

But despite his skill in being hard to find, Aurelius always seemed to be the one to best him. Not that he completely despised this, since he supposed it meant that Aurelius cared. But after almost burning down some guest chambers while practicing his magic this afternoon, he really didn't want to be found. He was only trying to learn to keep his magic under control. Merlin was practicing on small objects: gently moving a goblet or quill into reach, closing doors without slamming them, and, when it all went wrong, trying to light a candle with a small flame. But he didn't account for how difficult this last action would be, nor the layer of dust coating the rarely used room. When the candle lit, so did the dust and, spooked by the rapidly growing fire, Merlin forgot to keep his emotions under control.

When it was discovered just how powerful Merlin was, even as a young child, his parents stressed how important it was for him to keep calm, especially when using his magic. If he didn't take the time to breathe and focus on his actions, it was easy for a small feat of magic to explode into a big one. And today, explode it did. When the flames began to spread, Merlin allowed his fear to take over and the flames grew faster, jumping from surface to surface, eventually catching the drapes, which were, of course, highly flammable. Once the room was properly on fire, he at least had enough sense to try to put it out. Once again, using magic while upset had never worked in his favor, and the guest chambers were now charred and smoking, in addition to being completely flooded. He ran.

After he was sure that no one had seen him, he found another rarely used room and crawled under the bed, curling into a ball to make himself even smaller and harder to detect. Now he was just waiting to hear the commotion and the inevitable search for whoever had destroyed the room. But he wasn't expecting Aurelius to find him first.

"Merlin, I know you're in here."

Maybe it was better that Aurelius found him first. Maybe his mother and father would go easier on him if Aurelius was there too. Not that he's ever been too severely punished before, but he's also never messed up this badly.

"Merlin, please come out. We just want to know if you're okay."

Merlin sniffled again, then resigned himself to the fact he'd been found. "I'm okay."

He heard footsteps move across the room, then the bed above him dipped slightly as Aurelius sat down.

"You know, when I was first learning how to control magic, I set Father's pants on fire," Aurelius chuckled.

"You did?"

"Yes. I was trying to show him and mother that I'd learned how to light a candle, and I lit his trouser leg instead."

Merlin giggled from his hiding place, imagining Balinor hopping around the throne room trying to douse his burning pant leg.

"Everyone has trouble learning to control their magic. Accidents happen."

"But not everyone destroys the nicest guest chambers." Merlin wiped his eyes and crawled out from under the bed, joining his big brother.

"That is true." Aurelius chuckled again, then sobered. "Merlin, Mother and Father are very upset," he began, quickly continuing at the look on his little brother's face, "but not with you. They're afraid that you've been hurt. They just want to make sure you're okay. We can replace everything in the guest chambers."

"I know, but they're going to be mad once they realize that I'm fine and I destroyed the nicest one."

"Perhaps, but they understand what it's like to learn magic, and how hard it can be to control. I don't think they'll be unfair when dealing with your situation. Besides, you're their favorite." Aurelius gently elbowed his brother.

"No I'm not. All I do is mess things up. You can control your magic perfectly and you're better at training with swords, and learning how to be a prince. I'll never be good at any of it."

"That's a load of rubbish and you know it." Aurelius gave Merlin his best impression of their father's stern look. "You'll be good, probably even better than I am. You're just younger. I've had more practice than you."

"I guess," Merlin relented. "But I still don't think I'll be better than you. You're going to be King one day. You're supposed to be the best."

"Maybe that's true, but you'll be next in line for the crown if anything happens to me, so you'll be just as good. Truce?"

Merlin nodded.

"Good. Do you think you're ready to face Father?"

Though the conversation with Aurelius had calmed him down, Merlin wasn't sure if he was ready to face the aftermath of his mistake.

"Come on, I'll be with you the whole time." Aurelius stood from where he perched on the bed and reached out a hand to his brother. "I promise, I'll always be here for you."

Merlin tentatively took his brother's hand and stood. While he was afraid of the repercussions of his actions, he knew he could count on Aurelius to be there for him, no matter what. "Alright. I'm ready."

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Though they had already passed out of earshot, Merlin wasn't sure he was ready to talk to Aurelius. They continued walking in silence, shooting each other furtive glances when they thought the other wasn't looking. Though he hadn't seen his brother in many years, Merlin still felt guilty that he wasn't able to help the night of the uprising and that his family was left to scatter while he left for Camelot. He'd obviously made a much better life for himself while his brother, father, and people were left to fend for themselves. When he'd heard that Aurelius was nearby, Merlin was beside himself with excitement for a family reunion, but now he wasn't sure if he even deserved one; if his brother would welcome him back after he'd abandoned him.

Aurelius had changed quite a bit in the years since they'd seen each other. He was taller, much broader, and carried the air of royalty; he'd truly make a great king once the kingdom was retaken. Merlin had changed too, though he was much leaner than his brother, even if he were a bit taller. He also knew that his destiny was not that of what had been planned for him. Now that he was to have a place in Camelot and help bring about a golden age of peace, he wasn't sure that he would even want to remain in Dreócræft once their job was done. But to choose destiny over family and his duty to his people? Merlin wasn't sure about anything anymore.

Coming to a small clearing, the two men slowed and finally turned to face each other. Merlin opened his mouth to say something, anything to try to account for his actions after the uprising, but there was nothing he could say to make up for abandoning his people, his brother. He closed his mouth again and shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts, only to suddenly find himself locked in his brother's strong embrace.

"Merlin," Aurelius gasped. "I thought you'd been lost. I am so sorry I never found you before now."

Merlin was surprised to find his brother's face was wet with tears, as was his own. "Aurelius, I've missed you so much. There's so much that has happened since the night of Uncle's attack."

As they broke apart and wiped their faces, Merlin and Aurelius found two boulders on which to sit as they regaled each other with stories of the past years.

"When the attack began," Aurelius started, "the knights and I tried to hold off Uncle's men as long as we could. But there were too many. We had to retreat before we lost any more lives. Once we made it to the forest, we were unable to find you and Mother, or Father. We searched for days, trying to avoid the new patrols, but there was no sign of any of you. We had to give up and regroup to protect the people that escaped."

"I'm so sorry that Mother and I couldn't find you once we escaped through the tunnels under the castle. Evrain died trying to get us out, and Mother knew we had to leave before Uncle could find us, so we went to Ealdor and made a new life. Once things had settled down, she sent me to Camelot to her uncle, Gaius, to help me learn to control my magic."

"She sent you to a city where you could be executed just for existing?" Aurelius seemed horrified. "I know your King has seemed to change his mind about magic, but how did you survive before he ascended the throne? Uther was famous for his crusade against magic users."

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Merlin chuckled. "There were many moments where I wasn't sure that I would. But Arthur is a good man, nothing like his father. Once he found out about my magic, he was able to understand that it wasn't inherently evil and began to learn more about it. He intends to change the laws."

Aurelius seemed taken aback by this news. "And how did you come to know Arthur so well, that he would change the laws because of you? In fact, how did you become his manservant when you were supposed to be training with Uncle Gaius?"

"It's a long story." Merlin shook his head. "But I suppose you deserve to hear it." And Merlin began his tale, telling of how he became the servant to the Prince, and now King, of Camelot. He told of the many battles and adventures he'd been on. Morgana's fall to darkness, and finally, how he'd found their father, only for him to die protecting Merlin. The two brothers grieved together, one after hearing the news for the first time, and the other finally able to process it properly now that it was understood what the man had meant to him.

Wiping his face and taking a deep breath, Aurelius let out a shaky sigh. "I suppose that means I'm the King now."

"Yes. And you'll make a great one. Father would be so proud of you." Merlin smiled wanly at his brother.

In between his own tales, Aurelius had told his own story of the past few years. How he'd stepped up to lead in his father's absence, keeping their people safe from his uncle and slowly gathering an army to reclaim the kingdom. Now that he had a large enough army, he just needed the support of another monarchy, the role of which he chose to fill with Camelot and her king.

"There's just one thing I don't understand." Aurelius turned back to Merlin. "If Father is gone, then shouldn't the gift of Dragonlord have been passed down? I would have known if I had received the gift, wouldn't I?"

Merlin hesitated. As the second born, he shouldn't have become a dragonlord unless Aurelius had died without an heir. He could only attribute it to his role as Emyrs and his destiny with Arthur. But he hated to be the one to tell his brother that he was the reason why Aurelius had been denied his birthright.

Aurelius slowly straightened with understanding. "It's you, isn't it? You're the last dragonlord now."

"Yes," Merlin sighed. "At first I was afraid that meant that you had perished as well, but I've since realized that destiny has a much bigger hand in choosing our paths for us."

"What do you mean?" Confusion had once more clouded his brother's face.

"I-," Merlin began. "I suppose there's one last thing to tell you about what I've learned in the years I've been gone." And he proceeded to tell his brother about his destiny as Emrys. How he and Arthur are two sides of the same coin and are destined to bring about a golden age of peace. How he was magic incarnate, and the pieces began to fall into place for Aurelius.

"So that's why you had so much trouble controlling your magic when we were young." Aurelius seemed lost in thought. "No wonder you destroyed those guest chambers."

Merlin guffawed, caught off guard by the fact that his brother would bring up such an incident from their youth. "That's the first thing you think of when I tell you of the "all important" destiny I've been given?"

Chuckling, Aurelius shook his head. "I'm sorry, it's a lot to take in." Sobering once again, he continued, "But I am so proud of you. You've become a fine young man, despite the horrors of our past, and I can see you'll have a wonderful future. You deserve the title of dragonlord, especially for the many good deeds I can see you've done."

"You're not mad? It should have belonged to you. You're the King now." Merlin was incredulous at his brother's admission.

"No. Truly, you deserve it. Besides, I can still be King without such a title." Aurelius paused a moment. "But there's one thing I must ask. Once we reclaim Dreócræft, what will you do? You obviously have a duty to Camelot, but you're also the prince."

"I don't know." Merlin looked grim.

"I will not ask for an answer now, but you will have to decide once this is all over. Just know that I will support you either way. Remember, I'll always be here for you."

Touched by his brother's unwavering support, Merlin stood and pulled him into another hug. "I know."

After a moment, they stepped back from each other, relishing each other's presence after so many years apart. Before the silence could become awkward, Merlin cleared his throat.

"I suppose we should be getting back now. Arthur's going to have a fit about how we walked off."

Aurelius chuckled. "Your king certainly has a temper, doesn't he?"

"He's not so bad. At least, once you get to know him. I think you'd get along quite well. Perhaps you can even make a full alliance once this is over."

"Perhaps." Aurelius looked wearied by the task ahead of them. "There is much to be done to fix all that Uncle has destroyed. We'll need all the help we can get."

Merlin, ever faithful in his King, reassured his brother, "And we'll have it. These are Arthur's best men. We will take back Dreócræft and set things right again. You'll be the king and we'll reach a new era of peace." He turned to begin walking back to their camp, and Aurelius followed. "Come on, there's going to be a lot of explaining for me to do."