"So," Arthur started quietly as he and Merlin were sitting by the fire in the forest. The rest of the knights fell fast asleep, exhausted after a whole day of riding. They were already within Camelot's borders so they felt safer than in Essetir, but still they had to be aware of bandits. Although they had not much to go to the castle, they decided to rest, taking into account the fact that they were in no hurry; "what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

Merlin blinked a few times as if he had just been woken up from a trance. "What?" he asked even though he heard Arthur clearly.

"You're doing it again," the king stated. That time the warlock looked at him questioningly. "You have your head in the clouds."

"Ah…," Merlin sighed. "I was thinking about what you just wanted me to tell you," he lied. He didn't want to bother Arthur with new problems that he couldn't really explain to him yet; and he didn't want to give his friend another reason to question his trust in him because he was not telling him everything.

"All right, I'm all ears."

"I only hope you won't hate me because of that."

"It's the past. What's done is done," Arthur smiled slightly, reassuring him. Merlin nodded.

"Do you remember when we returned from the fortress of Idirsholas to Camelot?" said the warlock after a moment. "Everyone was asleep, nothing could wake them up."

"Yeah," Arthur nodded. "But they woke up when Morgause undid the enchantment."

"Nevertheless she wasn't the source of it. Morgana was," Merlin looked at the king.

"How was that possible?" Arthur frowned.

"Morgause put some kind of spell on her so she could easily strike Camelot while it was defenseless because of Morgana whose presence made everyone ill," he took a breath. "I forced Morgause to stop the spell by…," he hesitated and Arthur stared at him intently; "by poisoning Morgana."

"You poisoned Morgana?" the king raised his voice slightly.

"Shh," Merlin put a finger to his lips. "You're going to wake them."

They glanced at the knights who seemed to sleep soundly, only Gwaine mumbled something in his dream and turned to the other side, facing Arthur and Merlin.

"She was your friend," Arthur said almost without any emotion. Merlin was surprised by that sudden coldness in his friend's voice.

"I know," said Merlin, not looking at him. "I struggled. I wasn't sure whether I was doing the right thing or not. Then, I thought it was the only way, but now…," he shook his head and eyed Arthur; "now I know that I could save both you, Camelot and Morgana, but I chose the easiest way."

"It was a hard decision for you to make," Arthur admitted. "I can't even imagine."

"I regret it more than anything, Arthur," the warlock looked at him with sadness and guilt in his eyes. "Morgana was scared and unaware of what was happening with her, and instead of helping her, I betrayed her," he sighed. "Perhaps then, she wouldn't have turned against Camelot."

"We don't know it for sure," said the king staring at the fire. Merlin looked at him concerned.

"The prophecy spoke of alliance between Mordred and Morgana," the warlock broke the silence. "I couldn't get my mind off it, and made the decision I made."

"I assume it wasn't the first time you tried to prevent it."

Merlin nodded. "Once I saw in the crystals that Morgana killed Uther, so when she went to do it I tried to stop her, but I didn't foresee that it was going to end so badly. Then I healed her because I couldn't bear to watch you suffer."

"And Mordred?" asked Arthur.

"I kept an eye on him and tried to convince you that he meant no good," he sighed. "I have enough of these prophecies and seeing futures. Never came any good of it."

"It turns out that the attempt to change the future isn't good as well," Arthur patted Merlin on the shoulder. "Now get some rest," he moved under a tree and put himself to sleep.

"Arthur?"

"Yes, Merlin?" the king raised his head.

"I'm not evil, am I?" he whispered.

Arthur looked at his friend's face. There was some kind of doubt in the warlock's expression and insecurity in his voice. Though Merlin never considered himself for being a bad person as he was always good in his heart, now a thought has been planted in him as to whether the decisions he had made so far were correct. He couldn't forgive himself for that, and if he couldn't, what would Arthur think of him? The warlock waited impatiently for an answer while the king was staring into his eyes.

"No, Merlin," Arthur shook his head. "It wasn't your fault," he said, like he knew that it was exactly what his friend needed to hear and which was actually the truth. "You meant nothing wrong, all you were trying to do was to protect Camelot," he sighed. "I never tried to understand Morgana, to talk to her. You cannot blame yourself for what happened to her or Mordred cause if you do I am to blame as well."

Merlin sighed in relief. "I…," he stammered. "Thank you, Arthur."

The king gave him a warm smile. "Try not to think about it anymore."

"I'll try."

"Goodnight, Merlin," said the king and closed his eyes. The warlock wished him the same and also went to sleep.

When the night passed they headed straight to Camelot. They were there just before noon and as soon as they arrived Arthur returned to his duties. He asked Merlin for council but the warlock was already occupied by other things so he told the king that he would join him later. Arthur wasn't convinced with such a weak excuse and of course it wasn't in his style to just let it go, so he started asking his friend questions. Merlin didn't seem happy about it because it meant again not telling the king the truth. He explained that he had to check up on Gaius first and see if he didn't need any help which was after all quite true. So when the warlock finally got rid of Arthur for some time, he entered Gaius' chambers. He saw the physician working with some medications and as the old man noticed Merlin's presence he greeted him with a smile.

"Merlin, how was the journey?" he asked.

"Pretty well, but there's so much to tell you," the warlock replied, looking at him earnestly.

He told Gaius about everything from the beginning of their expedition. The physician was listening carefully and his expression on his face was changing from shock to confusion as he heard about Mordred, Vortimer, the white dragon and of what Merlin was planning.

"Merlin, it is a very risky thing you are going to do," Gaius spoke in a wary tone. "You shouldn't trust Vortimer."

"I know, but I'll have to give it a try," Merlin looked at him. "There wasn't anything trickery in him, and Aithusa… She appears to be extraordinarily talented in reading people's intentions."

"Well, it seems that she has a talent for healing, too," the physician agreed.

"Gaius," there was a pleading expression on the warlock's face; "above all others you should understand it. As a dragonlord it is my duty to protect her."

"I understand it very well, though I am not a dragonlord."

"Vortimer already knows everything, he was following me so there is no way to not get him involved. Besides I will be needing help, it's not safe to travel there alone and I can't take with me anyone from Camelot," Merlin explained.

"Someday you will give me a heart attack," said Gaius and Merlin chuckled. "Please, be careful," he smiled slightly.

"I always am," the warlock smiled. "Also I have to send him a word and that is kind of problematic."

"Hm…," the old man walked to the desk and started looking for something in one of the drawers. "It just so happens that maybe I know someone who might be able to help."

"Really?" Merlin frowned. "But I cannot send a man without exposing my plan and it would definitely take too much time."

"Oh, don't worry. Here," Gaius handed him a paper and a quill pen. "I'll be right back, meanwhile you can write your note," he said and left the chambers.

It took Merlin a few moments to write some words as information about the place and the time of his and Vortimer meeting. By the time he was finished and folded the scrap of paper, Gaius returned holding something in his hands. The warlock looked at him and then at the thing the physician was carrying. It was pitch black, and if his eyes weren't fooling him, it was moving. Gaius stood at the desk in front of Merlin and put the black thing on it.

"A raven?" the warlock glanced from Gaius to the animal which was tilting its head and watching him once with one eye and time with the other.

"It can deliver a message," said the old man as if it was something obvious.

"Right…," Merlin nodded. "Like Morgana did?"

"Precisely."

"Well, Gaius," the young man smiled. "You're a genius," they both laughed.

"But I'm going to need a spell," he noted after a beat.

"Then we have work to do," said Gaius and threw Merlin's book of magic on the desk with a thud.

It took them about an hour to find the proper spell and for Merlin to learn it. The warlock attached the letter to the raven's paw and murmured some words, but nothing happened. The bird remained in its place, still looking curiously at the young man. Merlin tried incanting a spell again, holding this time a hand towards the raven to make sure that the enchantment would be focused on it. In the moment when he uttered the last words of the sentence, raven flew out through the open window.

"I hope it'll work," said Merlin, staring after it.

"For sure," Gaius glanced at the open window.

The young warlock closed the book and put it back in his room. As he did so he stood in the doorway watching the physician with a look that the old man knew too well to understand there was something else in his apprentice mind.

"Gaius," Merlin said; "now I need you to cover for me."

"From whom?"

"Arthur of course," the warlock replied. "I can't talk to him before I leave because he would ask the wrong questions and then I'm sure he won't let me go. But I have to leave within an hour if I want to be on time," he started packing his things.

"All right, I'm sure I'll think of something," the physician agreed, tidying up the potion bottles. Merlin gave him a meaningful look.

"What?" Gaius asked, confused.

"Anything but the tavern."

At that moment the door chambers swung open and Arthur walked into the room. He was dressed in ceremonial robes and was adjusting something on his sleeve before he looked at Merlin and Gaius standing in front of him.

"Ah, speak of the devil," said the physician.

"Sorry?" Arthur looked up at Gaius who smiled and bowed slightly.

"Sire."

"Gaius," the king nodded and then turned his eyes to Merlin. "There you are, I was looking for you."

"Yes, here I am," the warlock smiled.

"What the hell have you been doing all this time? We have a knighting ceremony in two hours."

"Well, I…," Merlin started but was interrupted by Gaius.

"Actually I was going to ask you, sire, if you could release Merlin from his duties today," he said; "and tomorrow."

"Why?" Arthur frowned, glancing from the physician to his friend.

"I need him to gather some very rare herbs to prepare my medication which I am currently running out of," Gaius explained. "It will take some time searching for them and of course it requires the ability to differentiate them. Merlin already has knowledge and experience in such things."

"But surely it can wait?" asked Arthur.

"I'm afraid not," the old man replied. "These medicines I'm going to make from herbs are significant in treatment of many ailments such as…, for example, flatulences."

"Flatulences?" the king raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"You know, Arthur," Merlin joined the conversation; you'll be needing that after such an abundant feast."

Arthur narrowed his eyes and walked closer to Merlin who was holding back his laugh.

"Really witty," the king said sarcastically. "I bet you could cure everyone in Camelot from these ailments if need be," he changed the attitude.

"Maybe," Merlin shrugged his shoulders; "but you cannot always rely on me and I cannot refuse Gaius; it is my duty to gather herbs, too."

Arthur looked back at the physician and then again at his friend. "All right," he said finally; "but don't be too long."

"I'll be back tomorrow morning."

"And obviously you're not going alone, it's too dangerous. Gwaine can go with you," the king stated.

"What? No, really," Merlin chuckled nervously. "I can manage by myself, I have magic. Besides, enjoy the ceremony and the feast with your knights. I wouldn't take their fun away, especially from Gwaine."

Arthur chuckled. "Fine, but be careful," he nodded and walked out.

"That went well," Merlin muttered to Gaius when there were only the two of them in the room. "Better if I'm on my way, too," he grabbed his bag.

"Good luck," said the physician watching Merlin go.

As the warlock left the castle behind he made his way to a nearby woods, where on the clearing he used to meet with a certain creature. Summer sun was shining bright but from time to time it was disappearing behind the thick clouds. Merlin looked up at the sky and took a deep breath, and after a moment a roar escaped his throat.

"O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!" the warlock screamed, still staring at the sky.

Soon Merlin spotted a small dot in the distance above the trees. It grew bigger and bigger as it was getting closer. The wind blew as huge wings whizzed through the air and the great dragon landed in front of him. Kilgharrah's movements were slow and his old, tired, dragon eyes were focused on jet-black haired man.

"Happy to see you again, young warlock," Kilgharrah said.

"Hello," Merlin smiled. "I'm sorry to summon you, I know you're not feeling well."

"I assume that it must be important, then. What is it that you want to ask?"

"One favour, but I fear you may not be able to make it in your state," the warlock looked at him, concerned. "I would like you to take me to the Forest of Merendra, near the cave where my father used to live."

"Merlin," the great dragon spoke in a vexed tone; "I told you before, you're using me like a horse which I am not."

"I didn't mean to offend you," Merlin said defensively. "It concerns the white dragon. She's hiding there but it is not safe. Vortigern means to imprison her because he thinks that Arthur will use her against him. That's why I intend to take her here, to Camelot, where she would be safe and live freely," he explained.

"I see," Kilgharrah moved his head closer to the warlock's face.

"I'm doing it for Aithusa. Could you be there for her, too? I feel like she needs you more than ever," he looked at him pleadingly.

"I may be weak, young warlock, but she is my kin, like you are, and I cannot refuse you even if you did not command me."

Merlin smiled. "So you'll go."

"I will," the dragon agreed. "So let's not waste the time, shall we?"

Kilgharrah allowed the warlock to climb on his back and then the dragon flapped his wings and took off from the ground. As Kilgharrah turned around in the air Merlin tightened his grip on the dragon's scaly prongs placed on both sides of neck. When they reached a certain height and flew quietly over the forests, the warlock leaned more over on the back of the creature as the cool wind blew harder in his face. The flight didn't take long, though it was dusk when they got to their destination, which was about the time he agreed with Vortimer to meet. When Kilgharrah landed carefully between the trees, Merlin slid down his tail to the ground and reached the white dragon telepathically.

"Aithusa, come out to us, have no fear."

After a few moments from the dark cave walked the young dragon. She looked at Merlin and then up at Kilgharrah who was three times bigger than her. Merlin's eyes were darting between the two of them. For the first time he saw these two dragons together, one next to another. He grinned as she spoke.

"I didn't know you would take Kilgharrah with you."

"Actually, it was him who took me," Merlin laughed.

"Where is this friend of yours who promised to help?" she asked, looking around.

"He should be there soon."

"What other friend did you involve in this?" the great dragon turned his head towards the warlock.

"It's Vortimer. He offered his help when he discovered Aithusa's whereabouts. He also told me about Vortigern's plan," the warlock replied. "But I'm not sure about his true loyalties. Can he be trusted?" he asked.

Kilgharrah straightened up and stared at him. "Traitors are among us and betrayal of loved ones hurts the most. Arthur learnt that the hard way," he spoke and Merlin narrowed his eyes trying to understand the meaning of these words. "It is said that the royal son will overthrow the father and banish the Saxons from the land of Albion for good."

"Oh," the warlock shook his head and chuckled in disbelief. "Another prophecy and another riddle, you're never tired of it, are you?"

"Otherwise, you would get bored," the dragon replied.

"So," Merlin started after a beat; "you said 'the royal son', could it be Vortimer?"

"Yes," Kilgharrah agreed. "It is also the answer to your previous question."

Merlin nodded. "Should he know?"

"Well, I think it is for you to decide."

The warlock thought for a moment and then replied. "Knowledge about the future can bring misfortune upon the one who has it, especially if this future concerns that person. It weighs upon you and gives you no rest."

"It is very wise, Merlin, not to tell him."

"You're doing the right thing," said Aithusa, turning to him. "You never really know what the future holds, better not to bother yourself about it."

"I swore to myself no more listening to prophecies," the warlock sighed. "But it seems that I will never get away from them. Glad, this one doesn't apply to me, I guess."

They turned their heads around when they heard the sound of hooves. From behind the trees appeared Vortimer, himself. He jumped off his horse and walked over to Merlin, looking up in amazement and slight fear at the great dragon.

"I didn't know there's another dragon," he said.

"It's Kilgharrah, he has come to help us," Merlin introduced the dragon to Vortimer who bowed looking the giant creature in the eye.

"Hello, Vortimer," Kilgharrah greeted him and the man smiled.

"So what's the plan?" Vortimer turned to Merlin.

"We travel at night and above the forests because it's more safe and there is a greater chance of us going unnoticed. We will take Aithusa to the Darkling Woods, it's a good place with dense trees and caves, and it's also close to Camelot so I can visit her often," the warlock explained.

"Right," Vortimer nodded. "There's one more thing. I cannot go back to the castle of Kent, I would rather make them think I'm dead."

"Your horse," Merlin pointed at the brown mare. "Obviously we can't leave it here alone," he walked to her and stroked her head murmuring at the same time some words that were not understood by Vortimer. Then he slapped the horse on the rump, and it sped away towards the kingdom of Kent.

"I think it will do for a while until they send a search party," the warlock said to him and then turned to the great dragon. "Kilgharrah, would you mind carrying me and Vortimer? You'll be guiding Aithusa."

"If I had a choice," the dragon chuckled.

The dragons took off from the ground, Aithusa alone and Kilgharrah with two young men on his back. Vortimer looked kind of scared just right after the dragon hadn't been touching the ground anymore. Merlin advised him to lie down on Kilgharrah's back and wrap his arms around the dragon's neck if he hadn't felt safe. Vortimer did so and kept his eyes closed the whole time they were in the air. From the distance Merlin saw the castle of Camelot. It looked more beautiful at night, illuminated, when in every window was the light; and more beautiful because he was not looking at this from the ground but from a bird's eye view. When they passed the castle the dragons spread their wings and allowed themselves to glide freely, only to slowly drop down in circles after a while. They landed on the same clearing that Merlin and Kilgharrah met up before. Vortimer loosened his grip and decided to slide to the ground, not even caring about how high he would fall. He collapsed with a crash, and Merlin only winced at the pain his new friend had experienced.

"Oh, thank God," he groaned, lying there and kissing the soil.

"I would never have thought that you are afraid of heights," Merlin smirked and got off the dragon by holding on to its paw.

Vortimer chuckled. "I'm brave enough not to be afraid of heights, but this, this was something completely different than just being somewhere high."

"Come on, on your feet," said Merlin and helped Vortimer get up, then he turned to the great dragon. "Thank you."

Kilgharrah nodded. "It's been a privilege."

"Will you take care of her?" the warlock asked. "I'll be checking on Aithusa, too, of course."

"As long as I have strength, I will," he agreed, glancing at the white dragon.

Merlin smiled and he and Vortimer said goodbye to the dragons and headed towards the castle. They were walking through the forest and after a while Merlin decided to break the silence and talk to Vortimer about what had been bothering him for a long time, because the man's earlier explanations were too vague.

"Why didn't you want to come back to Kent? It's your home."

"It didn't feel right to me being there and doing my father's bidding while my heart lies somewhere else."

"So you believe in Arthur, then, if you decided to betray your father like that," Merlin glanced at him.

Vortimer sighed. "All my life I've never wanted to be called a traitor," he looked at the warlock. "But you must know that I mean nothing wrong, I've no intention of killing anyone."

"Then what brings you here? Because admiration for Arthur is certainly not the only primary reason," said Merlin.

"There's no fooling you, Merlin," Vortimer chuckled softly. "Saxons came to Kent at my father's request long before Morgana did to offer an alliance," he began. "He needed to increase his army to conquer other kingdoms, and these are things they have in common, greed and lust for as much territory as possible. I see now that it was the biggest mistake my father could ever make because the Saxon's leader demands more and more space for his people, it doesn't matter that they've got part of our castle and part of our land," he took a breath and continued. "After Camlann the kingdom is in ruin, and it would be its downfall if my father will continue all this."

"Why don't you talk with him about it?" Merlin asked.

"He won't listen," Vortimer shook his head. "He's been manipulated by Horsa, Saxons leader. I must say that my father doesn't know how to rule, he's making bad decisions with tragic consequences. Even if my father listened to me, there is no going back. Horsa is a man who is not denied. If he had been ordered to withdraw his men from our lands, he would have taken over all of Kent and killed us all," he paused and thought for a moment. "I don't agree with what my father does, and I never hated anyone more than his allies. That's why I came here, because when the time comes I want to fight against the Saxons at Arthur's side."

"Do you really think there's gonna be another war?" the warlock looked at him with curiosity.

"I don't know when, but I'm afraid it's inevitable," he replied and again the silence fell between them.

"Where will you go?" the warlock asked after a moment.

"Actually," Vortimer stopped and looked at Merlin; "I was gonna ask you if I could stay in Camelot for a while."

The warlock sighed and shook his head slightly. "I don't know, Arthur knows you."

"Look, he doesn't have to know. I could just live like the others, making no trouble and paying taxes," he chuckled. "I took enough gold with me."

"Well, you mean live like a peasant?" Merlin stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," he nodded. "What's wrong with that? No one will recognise me, then."

"Nothing," Merlin chuckled. "It's just, you're royal blood and I've never seen a man like you wanting to live like a peasant," he said. "On second thoughts, once one tried but he didn't succeed because he's too much of a prat," he continued on their way.

Vortimer gave him a confused look and followed behind him. "So, may I stay?" he caught up with the warlock who glanced back at him.

"Of course, but we need to fetch you new clothes," he looked Vortimer up and down. "Because you look exactly like a Saxon," he smiled. The blonde man chuckled and let Merlin lead him straight to Camelot.