Sadly, I don't own Merlin.
I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update this series, but I hope you enjoy this short story. Here's a question, what would happen if Merlin lashed out at Arthur before the final battle with Kilgharrah? What could happen?
Please let me know what you think.
Merlin Myriads.
Draconian Revelations.
As he sat on the bed in his room next to the Court Physician's quarters, Merlin just cried over the dragon figurine his father had made. It was hard to believe that something so simple could be so beautiful, and it was going to be something Merlin was going to treasure for the rest of his life. The warlock just…just didn't know what to do.
Ever since he had realised the scale of the mistakes he had made by not freeing the Great Dragon, Kilgharrah, and the price had been paid by the people of Camelot as the Great Dragon attacked Camelot again and again. A part of Merlin could understand the reason why Kilgharrah had taken things so far; the dragon had been forced to watch as his entire race had been massacred by Camelot's knights in the Great Purge.
Uther's disease of genocide had inflicted so many blows to magic, from the attack on the Isle of the Blessed, the murder of so many druids, but the dragons had been badly hit. In Uther's eyes, they were the epitome of pure evil, and that would and could never stand in the King of Camelot's eyes.
So many people had been killed by Uther's insane quest to get revenge on magic for the loss of Ygraine Pendragon, and disguising his grief as a purge against everything magic.
Maybe, somewhere along the way Uther had convinced himself magic was truly evil and needed to be eradicated, but what sickened Merlin the most was how the King of Camelot justified everything he did as being the Greater Good.
In the end, the Great Dragon was the only one left. As Balinor was the last of the Dragonlords.
When he had met his own father for the first time, and listened as he had tried to persuade Balinor to come with him to help defeat the dragon and stop him from killing anybody else, Merlin wasn't really surprised by his father's anger and his bitterness, especially when he related to Merlin how Uther had still hunted him down, even all the way to Ealdor. Merlin had heard the bitterness so many times before, from dozens of sorcerers ever since the day he had walked into Camelot for the first time. The moment he had witnessed Thomas Collins execution for practicing magic, Merlin had known he would need to be extremely careful.
But when he had listened to the Great Dragon's account of how he had come by his powers and the reason he had magic, Merlin had not given a damn about Albion or anything about the Once and Future King. All he had wanted was for the magic to be freed. That was the only reason he had stuck by Arthur at first, why he had put up and endured so much even as Arthur treated him like dirt, but as time passed Merlin had realised the good that Arthur potentially had, and that was why he firmly believed in Arthur's goodness.
And yet Merlin just simply couldn't shake off the guilt he felt for every single sorcerer who was executed by Uther and his prejudiced laws, and how Arthur was torn between loyalty to his father and innate goodness. They were sorcerers, his people. They didn't deserve to be killed, especially those who had not done anything to others. Merlin did his best to reason with Arthur, but the prince was firm and in the end, Merlin had taken the law into his own hands by helping them to escape while keeping his own secret safe.
But he hadn't done that with Morgana. He had been a coward to a woman who had been a true friend, but what made it worse was when she had come to him for help, he had sent her away, the words of Gaius and Kilgharrah in his head; one wanted to pretend nothing was happening or going wrong, the other was fixated on prophecies without even considering that there might be a way to change the future. Merlin should have listened to his inner voice and helped Morgana. He was more experienced with magic than she was even if he'd only had access to a book of magic for a year and a bit so far, but his greater experience would have helped him give Morgana the control she'd desperately sought.
Except I didn't, did I? I let myself be talked out of helping a dear friend and now I've poisoned her because I was too impetuous and stupid to come up with a better plan, so now all I have to look forward to is Morgana coming back knowing I poisoned her. It will be the first thing she'd remember when she wakes up! I can't help but think of Freya, her funeral; in the end, it boils down to one thing, I was willing to save a virtual stranger, expending so much time and energy keeping her safe and yet I was willing to turn a blind eye to a friend's suffering.
For a moment Merlin wondered what Morgause and Morgana were doing right at that moment. There was no doubt in his head Morgause was twisting Morgana's mind, but did she really need to work too hard? Morgana had seen and experienced Uther's wrath and prejudice several times, pushing him to the limits while defending her friends or her views of how he was only making more enemies by his brutality, but she had also seen for herself that he had betrayed her. But there was also no doubt in his mind at all that Morgause and Morgana were getting news of what the Great Dragon was doing.
What confused Merlin the most right now was how Kilgharrah was justifying everything he was doing. He was attacking Camelot, ironically now he came to think about it, confirming Uther's beliefs and gospel about magic being evil.
Surely Kilgharrah wouldn't want that? The dragon hated Uther, and he had dozens of reasons to be justified in attacking Camelot. Even Merlin knew the dragon was well in his rights to attack, not unlike so many other sorcerers like Edwin and Morgause. He had tried to reason with Kilgharrah so many times over the last few attacks, but the dragon had refused to listen. Gaius walked in and he sat down on the bed next to his ward. "Merlin, what happened?"
"I couldn't save him," Merlin sobbed. He didn't want to say another word, but he decided to; Gaius needed to learn the truth of what happened. "He was defending me and he was killed. It's my fault!"
"Merlin, no. It wasn't your fault."
"Yes it was, Gaius," Merlin argued while he wondered if they even had time for a talk; he and Gaius might have privacy right now, but with Camelot in the state it was, somebody could walk in and they might overhear what he and Gaius were saying. "If I was better at fighting instead of always cowering away, then he wouldn't have died."
"You can't think like that, Merlin; but if you want to learn how to fight, then you need to ask somebody. It's never too late to learn."
Merlin had to accept the fact Gaius was right, but the problem was could he learn to fight? "He said the dragonlord's gift is passed from father to son," he decided to change the subject, he would keep the idea of learning how to fight in mind for another time.
Gaius nodded, "That is true. Granted, I don't know how that power would work, or how you can summon it, but I have faith that you can do it. All we can do is hope."
Merlin snorted, "When I faced the Great Dragon, my magic was useless." "I don't know a great deal about the Dragonlord gift, Merlin, Your father wasn't dead. It's only then you can inherit his powers."
But how do I do that when I don't even know how a Dragonlord's powers work? Merlin thought to himself in frustration, but he pushed that out of his mind, for now, to focus on some of his other plans. "Do you think I'm strong enough to stand up to him?"
"Only time will tell."
X
As he stood in Arthur's chambers putting on the prince's armour, Merlin felt himself relax as he fell into the routine of a job he regularly performed in the past, but try as he might he just couldn't shake off how he was feeling. He didn't know anything about Dragonlords and he was annoyed, no he was furious with himself, for not bothering to ask his father about them when he'd had the chance. Balinor in his final moments had told him that he had to find the voice that and Kilgharrah shared because both of them were brothers.
No matter what kind of magic I come across, or what powers I gain it's always complicated, Merlin thought to himself as he kept himself quiet while he worked. Fortunately, Arthur was quiet, too. Both of them were terrified and for good reason. Kilgharrah the Great Dragon was incredibly powerful and he had proven that he was virtually unstoppable. That wasn't unusual since there were stories and legends of dragons fighting knights and how the dragons usually came out of the fight unless they were really unlucky, but even then the knights would more likely lose the battle themselves.
But they were silent for different reasons. Merlin had just inherited a power and an ability he didn't understand right now while he shouldered the blame and the guilt for what had happened to Camelot since it was his promise and his actions that had released Kilgharrah in the first place from Uther's prison, and Arthur was silent because he had been given the command to go and launch a final push against the dragon.
Merlin had been enjoying the silence with the only sounds in the room being the repair work outside the prince's chambers and the slight clanking of metal as he fixed Arthur's armour, but the silence was not to be. "Well, look on the bright side, Merlin. Chances are you're not going to have to clean this again," Arthur said.
Merlin stiffened. He was trying very hard to not react to the remark, but he couldn't help but feel it was an unintended insult to his own plans to find out how to become a Dragonlord, that he was going to fail, especially after all the times he had messed up in the past; after the almost simultaneous loss off Morgana and the realisation that his promise to Gaius was a massive mistake, the last thing Merlin needed after he'd unleashed this devastation on Camelot was to fail now. "You must be careful today. Do not force the battle," he said while trying to control his voice so it didn't shake.
Arthur typically didn't notice the mood he was in. "Yes, Sire!"
Merlin stiffened at the facetious reply. "I'm serious."
"I can hear that," Arthur said, all humour gone now. "Let matters take their course."
Arthur took a deep breath, making it clear that he was going to try to be sensitive, at least in his head, but to others, he was going to be offensive. "Merlin, if I die, please…," Arthur stopped as if he didn't know what he was going to say next. "What?"
"The Dragonlord today...I saw you," Arthur said, making Merlin stop and look at the prince slowly as he wondered where Arthur was going to go with this one. "One thing I tell all my young knights: no man is worth your tears."
For a moment Merlin couldn't believe what Arthur had just said. He had always seen two totally different men where Arthur was concerned, on the one hand, he could be a good man who cared about everyone around him, but on the other, there was the selfish spoilt young man who threw temper tantrums and ruined things while he lied to protect his precious honour and pride. But this was one of those moments where he was sick of his insensitivity. Even as he took in what Arthur had said, his response began forming in his mind. "Yeah. You're certainly not," he almost said. Except he didn't. Another part of his spirit urged him to lash out at the other man because he knew Arthur was just as much under pressure as Merlin was himself, and the prince knew there was a chance he was going to die alongside his men, to make him see how inappropriate that comment was because the man whom Arthur had just essentially insulted was Merlin's own father, a man who had loved his mother Hunith but was forced to escape when Camelot's knights kept hunting him, on and on until he had decided to simply break away from society and live off the land like a hunted animal.
While a part of him urged caution, Merlin quickly realised that he genuinely didn't care about the consequences because he knew after seeing the way Mordred's guide had been slaughtered, how Mary Collins's son had been executed on his very first day at Camelot, hearing how Edwin's parents were killed and he was burnt to try to save their lives, he was constantly at war with himself as the sorcerer within him who was embittered and furious because he couldn't reveal who he was without being terrified of being killed, mostly because of tyrants like Uther who was a murderer and a lying hypocrite for using magic in the past, and lashing out when things didn't go his way.
How often did history change and shift when it came down to words…..?
"Yeah, well it's a good thing I'm not a knight them, isn't it?" Merlin didn't mean to snap, but he did. He was furious with Arthur's lack of sympathy when it came to Balinor.
Arthur immediately caught his tone. "Merlin-," he began.
"No, did it never occur to you we're in this mess because your father massacred every single Dragonlord and dragon in existence?!" Merlin spat, immediately knowing he had just made a massive mistake.
Arthur's expression became stony, furious. "Merlin, dragons are magic, and magic is evil! The Dragonlord's abilities were deemed too close to magic to be allowed."
"So that made it all alright to round them up and slaughter them, right? Supposing your father needed the Great Dragon, somehow in the future-."
Arthur scoffed loudly, gazing at him in disbelief and contempt, the same way he regularly looked at Merlin. "You're being stupid, Merlin-."
"No, you listen to me. Just go with this; just suppose a magical threat or an army augmented by magic attack or threaten Camelot, and Gaius tells your father the magic is so powerful that normal sorcerers can't stop it, but the only way to dispel it is with the aid of a dragon, one of the most powerful magical creatures ever. But your father, regardless of what he tells the dragon, releases the dragon and it attacks Camelot anyway because he didn't have a Dragonlord around to make the dragon attack the army. What would happen to Camelot if your father's pointless war against every sorcerer and creature out there came to haunt him and everyone paid the price for the Purge because the last Dragonlord was dead? What would happen then, Arthur? Has it never occurred to you, not ever that your father's purge caused all of this; Mary Collin's attack, the fact you were enchanted several times, the troll stepmother who enchanted him who likely wanted to make him pay for everything he had done, all of it?"
Arthur's stony face became more mask-like in his fury. "You're speaking treason, Merlin," he growled. "Magic is evil. Those sorcerers and those beings were evil."
Merlin had to pull back the anger before he did or said something he would regret. He was already regretting saying all of that to Arthur in the first place, but he was chilled by what Arthur said as an afterthought. Whenever he said something like that Merlin wondered, really wondered, if Arthur was the Once and Future King. Not wanting to say anything more to Merlin, Arthur picked up a sword and, after he'd taken a deep breath and he'd pulled himself together Merlin did the same thing as well.
Arthur stopped and stared him down when he saw what his servant was doing, although he was making a mental note that when this was over, Merlin would answer for everything he had said just now. "What are you doing?"
"I'm coming with you."
"After the way you just spoke to me? Merlin, the chances are I'm going to die. My men and I are going off into battle against that evil beast. Trust me, you'll be safer here and with me." Privately Arthur was worried by what his servant had just said but the other part, the one who valued Merlin as a friend, didn't want him harmed.
"Arthur, you're wasting your time," Merlin countered. "I'm coming with you, like always."
X
What neither man knew was someone had been eavesdropping from outside…
X
By nightfall, Arthur and the knights had arrived in a large clearing. The dragon slayer party didn't need to wait for Kilgharrah for too long, although the timing was off since many of the knights would have preferred an opportunity to prepare themselves before the inevitable, the dragon didn't give them that chance.
The dragon arrived at the clearing within moments, following them from the castle and seeing a way to inflict more pain to Uther by killing his only son and heir. "Hold firm." Arthur shouted to his men as Kilgharrah dove at them, "Hold! Hold! Hold! Now!"
The knights circled the dragon, using their horses in a formation to surround Kilgharrah. But the dragon simply lashed out, using his tail to strike down the men off of their horses, knocking Merlin off of his own horse. The dragon lashed out again, swiping Arthur and some other knights off of their horses with his tail. Kilgharrah roared, shooting fire at the knights.
"No," Merlin felt like crying at the injustice as he tried frantically to get to his feet, seeing for himself how hopeless this whole mess was turning out while he tried to call upon his nascent Dragonlord inheritance. "Stop!"
Kilgharrah turned toward Merlin instantly, making the warlock stiffen and wonder if he had just used his Dragonlord ability or not… only for Arthur to pick up a spear and step in front, jabbing the spear threateningly while the Great Dragon looked over him.
Kilgharrah contemplates Arthur for a moment, but he fired a jet of flame towards the prince. Arthur jumped out of the way and he rolled to the side and he stabbed Kilgharrah in the side.
Merlin flinched harder than he expected when he heard Kilgharrah roars of pain, but these were different flinches. They seemed to be tearing into Merlin's own soul, but before he could dwell on them even further, the dragon's claw swiped Arthur and knocked him aside, knocking him out in the process and into the still shellshocked warlock.
Merlin got up, hearing his father's voice in his mind, "You're the last dragonlord now. You alone carry the ancient gift. Deep within yourself, you must find the voice that you and Kilgharrah share, for your soul and his are brothers. When you speak to him as kin, he must obey your will."
Merlin took a deep breath, for the first time paying full attention to the voice of his father. He reached deeply within himself, thinking of his connection with the dragon Merlin felt a roar bubbling in his throat, and he let out a dragon-like bellow, "Dragorn. Non-didlkai. Kari miss, epsipass imalla krat. Katostar abore ceriss. Katicur. Me ta sentende divoless. Kar… krisass."
Kilgharrah settled backwards and bowed to Merlin in acquiesce. Merlin picked up the spear Arthur had dropped. "I am the last of my kind, Merlin," Kilgharrah breathed, his voice and tone breaking Merlin's heart at the pain that was in there as he remembered living through the virtual extinction of his race thanks to Uther's bloodlust. "Whatever wrongs I have done, do not make me responsible for the death of my noble breed."
Merlin thrust the spear into the air, making Kilgharrah wince and rear backwards while he lifted a wing protectively, but nothing had happened and he stared at the warlock with such gratitude Merlin nearly wept. But he wasn't going to forget what Kilgharrah had done to Camelot. "Go! Leave!" Merlin ordered, "If you ever attack Camelot again, I will kill you!"
Kilgharrah bowed. Merlin dropped the spear. He'd had no intention of using the spear to injure or kill the ancient and proud dragon, but he had needed to scare the dragon to prove his point. "I have shown you mercy!" Merlin told the dragon. "Now you must do the same to others!"
Kilgharrah nodded solemnly, sadly before he spoke with a sadder version of his regal manner, "Young warlock, what you have shown is what you will be. I will not forget your clemency. I'm sure our paths will cross again."
Unfolding his wings, the Great Dragon flew off into the night sky, within moments he had vanished.
Merlin watched the Great Dragon fly away, wondering when he would see and speak to the dragon again. But for now, he was glad it was over, and he couldn't bring himself to really be affected by Kilgharrah's departure.
The Great Dragon had killed so many people to get revenge on Uther, but while Merlin wished the dragon had taken his anger out on the King and made the arrogant tyrant pay the price for everything he had done, he was glad the whole mess had been resolved peacefully with after all of his attempts as well as Arthur and knights work and sacrifices to stop the dragon.
He had promised to let the dragon free, coped with all the intrigue and the manipulations, only to watch as Kilgharrah attacked Camelot; he would have been happier had Kilgharrah attacked Uther directly, not go after the people of the kingdom. So many had paid the price for his stupidity, not only by ignoring Morgana and her plight, but now she had almost certainly been lost to them, but for his rash decisions with Kilgharrah.
Merlin was about to head over to Arthur once he had checked the knights - many of them had likely been killed and were dead, but he had seen Kilgharrah only injure the prince; a part of him was surprised by Kilgharrah attacking Arthur like that considering the prince's importance, but hopefully Arthur would be alright.
"DRAGONLORD!" The chill that went down his spine was colder than any chilly wind, and Merlin swung around, his eyes widening with horror as he took in the sight form one of his worst nightmares.
Uther, the murderer of so many sorcerers and the one who orchestrated the Great Purge on the Old Religion and all of magic and deemed it evil, was standing at the edge of the clearing. It was obvious the King of Camelot had followed them from the citadel.
Before Merlin could say anything, make some excuse, the King raised a hand. Merlin's horror only grew when a number of soldiers stepped out of the dark shadows of the clearing, wearing only chainmail suits and not wearing their armour. But all of them were armed with crossbows.
And all of them were aimed directly at Merlin's heart.
"You followed us," Merlin said, his eyes narrowing as his mind raced for a decent spell.
Uther glared coldly at him. "I overheard you shouting at my son. At first, I was prepared to see you flogged for your impertinence; if appeared at first my son was being too lenient with you, and you needed to learn a lesson to respect your betters, but I paid attention to what you were saying. Your views made me suspicious, especially since there are a great many…inconsistencies."
"So you followed me based on that?" Merlin said, hoping to keep Uther talking. Inwardly he was horrified that, in his arrogance, he hadn't stopped to think about what his raised voice would do, and now it could cost him his life.
"I wanted to know what you would do. I was concerned when you felt sympathy for those unnatural, evil beasts, so I came out here to see what you would do," Uther explained before he narrowed his glare on Merlin even as Arthur groaned as he began to wake up.
"What happened?" Arthur groaned, looking around the clearing, his eyes widening when he saw Uther. "Father, what-?"
"It seems all this time we had a sorcerer in Camelot, Arthur," Uther explained solemnly for his son's benefit, "and a Dragonlord. From what I have gathered, Dragonlords inherit their powers from their fathers on their father's deaths."
Merlin took a deep breath, realising that by lashing out at Arthur earlier, he had just revealed who and what he was to this thing who had murdered so many sorcerers over the years.
"What?" Arthur gasped. "Who, father?"
"Merlin."
"What?" Arthur repeated only this time, looking between his father and Merlin with shock, and more than a little bit of humour. "You're joking, father? Merlin, a sorcerer? He can barely walk in a straight line."
Uther's face darkened. He made a gesture with his hand, one Merlin almost didn't notice, but one of the soldiers carrying a crossbow fired a shot. Merlin reacted instinctively, his eyes flashed gold just as the crossbow was fired.
"Merlin, you're a traitor?" Arthur hissed.
"No. I'm not Arthur, I'm using my magic to protect people, to protect you," Merlin began, but before he could say anything more Uther overrode him.
"I made you Arthur's servant," the King said, gazing at him in horror although Merlin didn't understand why since he had just gotten confirmation of a theory he'd had.
"You're a sorcerer, and you lied to me?"
"Alright, I lied, but I had to; how else was I going to live? You're just listening to your father's sick propaganda," Merlin replied while he telepathically spoke to the Great Dragon.
"Kilgharrah," he called while he opened up his mind to the dragon and showed them what was happening from Uther's sudden appearance and how Arthur was there. "Get back here!"
Merlin had to drag his mind back to the present when Arthur began speaking again. "Why, Merlin?" Arthur demanded, looking like he was a moment away from bursting into tears. "Why study magic?"
"I didn't have a choice, Arthur," Merlin replied, determined to keep his mother out of this in case he gave the Pendragons a sick idea; he wouldn't put it past either of them either considering how Uther murdered babies who created even a spark with their minds, or levitated candles! The king wouldn't hesitate to order his mother to be executed. "I was told you were important for the future, and I was to protect you."
"Protect my son! As if a sorcerer could ever protect us! Magic is evil, it's capable of nothing but destruction!" Uther spat.
Merlin had come to believe the more times someone said a lie, the more they actually came to believe in it themselves. "Oh, you'd know, you murderer! Your own wife was barren so you turned to magic, but you failed to see the consequences!"
Uther stiffened while Arthur looked at him with even more betrayal in his eyes if that was possible. "Watch your tongue, boy! I warned you-!"
"What's the difference?" Merlin interrupted, glaring at Uther. "You're going to try to kill me anyway, so why should I keep the real reason you began the purge secret anymore?"
"You told me Morgause lied to me, Merlin, so why are you lying?!" Arthur demanded, his voice rising with every syllable.
Merlin sighed while he kept his ears tuned to the air, waiting for Kilgharrah to come. "I lied to save you from yourself, Arthur. Yeah, I admit, it was tempting to see your bastard father finally pay the price for his arrogance, but at the same time….," he sighed, "I realised if you murdered your father and you became king, and everyone knew what happened to Uther, you'd have a hard time keeping power."
"I'd have been king, Merlin, but what you have made of me in the meantime, a puppet?" Arthur shook his head, and he looked at his father for a moment before he turned furiously to Merlin. "Father was right, this whole time," he said, at last, his voice rising with every word, 'ALL MAGIC IS EVIL! You can't be trusted to even give me the truth!"
The impassioned shout made Merlin realise the Pendragons were just unreasonable. And just like that, he felt all of his hopes to free magic and stop Camelot's never-ending massacre just fall apart.
Because that was why he had even bothered. When Kilgharrah had told him about his destiny the first time shortly after he'd arrived in Camelot, Merlin had spent a sleepless night thinking of the possibilities. He had thought to himself that if he helped keep Arthur safe, one day he would reveal to the prince the truth.
At the time he hadn't given a damn about the Once and Future King part, or the part about the uniting of Albion.
All Merlin had wanted was to free magic, and usher in a new age where sorcerers and people like himself, people who were born with their powers wouldn't have to live in fear of purges, of bounty hunters, witch-finders or arrogant kings who wished to murder them.
Now it seemed that dream was dead and buried.
And he wanted to cry over this mess, but he didn't have time before he heard the beating of Kilgharrah's wings. The dragon's roar broke through the air, making Uther and Arthur look up in horror before the dragon landed. Merlin looked up, seeing the dragon walk protectively in front of him. Kilgharrah growled menacingly when he saw Uther. "We meet again, King Uther!"
"Y-you can speak?!" Arthur's surprise was almost laughable. But his ignorance of magical creatures was almost mad.
"Dragons are many things, young Pendragon," the Great Dragon replied, contempt lacing every single word. "We are not beasts, monsters, or animals. We are sentient beings, of wonder, wisdom and magic-!"
"Dragons are evil! You destroyed the kingdom, laid waste to the castle and the citadel. Do you deny that, beast?!" Arthur purposefully emphasised the word 'beast' to show the dragon what he really thought of his reply.
Kilgharrah lifted his head and bellowed his rage to the skies before he levelled his furious gaze down at the two frozen Pendragons. "I see my hopes you would be the one to usher in a new age for all men and women and children was wrong. You are just like your father. Young warlock, my apologies for hoping otherwise. Destiny has broken, and a new path has been forged. Now we must do what must be done now! Come, Merlin."
Merlin, for a moment, wondered what was going to happen to Gaius. There was no doubt in his mind the Court Physician was going to be interrogated because his ward had been discovered as a Dragonlord and a sorcerer. But he decided to break the news to Gaius before Uther and Arthur even returned to Camelot.
But looking at Arthur's face, twisted with hatred, his mind was made up. "It will take years, maybe months, but Camelot will pay the price for your crimes."
He jumped onto Kilgharrah's paw and he climbed up onto the dragon's back, using the files of scales as footholds before Kilgharrah took off.
"Thanks, Kilgharrah," Merlin said as he sat on top of the dragon's back.
"It is my pleasure, Merlin, and once more, I am sorry. I pushed you towards Arthur Pendragon in the hope of making the family make amends to the Old Religion," the Great Dragon admitted, "oh, I also told Gaius to leave Camelot, so Uther wouldn't harm him. I saw in your mind your fear of what would happen to him, so I called him."
Relieved his mentor and uncle had been saved Merlin just patted the top of the dragon's head. "Thank you, and I understand, Kilgharrah. I can see the thought behind it, but does it also mean your freedom would be certain?"
"Yes," the dragon said uncertainly before he sighed. "I am truly sorry, Merlin. The old druidic prophecies depicting the prophecy of Emrys have been around for a long time, but when you arrived in Camelot, I saw two opportunities, one for me to be freed, but for another with the Pendragons to pay for what they had done, to make amends. Try not to be so quick to judge, Merlin; I, like every being of magic, felt your birth and knew what it represented, but the paths your destiny could have taken were many. In one possibility, you were killed by the Pendragons. In another, you left Camelot after being sickened quickly by its cruelty, and you would have chosen a different prince or ruler to become the Once and Future King of Albion. In another, you could have let Arthur kill his father; while he would have become king, he would have floundered and the murder of his father would have caused more problems than it would have needed. Another possibility would be you decided Arthur wasn't the Once and Future king through some action of his own, or you never came to Camelot in the first place and you found someone to become a king who was a better candidate."
"So, in other words, you manipulated the destiny for your own reasons?" Merlin said.
"Yes, I did. I wanted to break down the numerous possibilities into one single chain."
But Merlin wasn't finished. "And you refused to offer suggestions to help me make sure Morgana didn't fall. Looking back, I can understand and even forgive your decisions, Kilgharrah. But the matter of Morgana is unforgivable. If I had trusted my instincts and helped her, she might not have turned to Morgause. Don't let your hate and anger towards Uther blind you, please don't. Too many of us have done that in the past. What's out there for me now?"
"That I can't answer, Merlin. One thing is certain though, things have changed for you, now."
Merlin knew the Great Dragon was right. But he had no idea what was in his future, whether they meant a better future, or a terrible future, he couldn't say.
"I always knew there was a chance of this happening, Kilgharrah," he told the dragon solemnly, and he was right; ever since the day he had walked into Camelot and he had witnessed that execution he had known he would need to be careful. Despite his somewhat flippant attitude, Merlin was actually more than aware of the dangers of using magic in Camelot.
He had taken so many precautions, making sure nobody saw him cast a spell. That time when he had conjured a smoke horse in the woods when he'd been with the other servants gathering up firewood didn't count; he hadn't used magic for a couple of days, and he had been desperate to feel the freedom and the joy of using one, but it had led to terrible consequences so he had gone out of my way to mitigate the worst of the disaster created by the Witch Finder.
Merlin sighed as he thought through his options, and he wondered what he was going to do now.
X
Morgause stared at Merlin, almost somewhat amused by the changes in the young man, but the aura coming from the warlock - now she knew Merlin was a warlock, she knew he was not someone to take lightly. "So you finally accept that Uther has poisoned his son's mind?"
"Yes," Merlin ground out, his eyes burning with rage to the point where they were flashing golden, but it was also a warning to Morgause to keep her tongue controlled.
Morgause couldn't help it, she chuckled - and she was thrown against the wall, and she grasped her throat when she felt something choking it. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw Merlin holding up a clenched fist and his eyes were burning gold.
"We were never actually enemies, as I remember, Morgause. I only poisoned Morgana to break the spell, but if you laugh at how my mother was murdered by the Pendragons, I will not hesitate to kill you. Besides, you are one of the most powerful enemies of Camelot, which is why I'm here. I want to destroy Camelot."
Morgause gasped for breath and she was dropped to the ground, breathless.
"Morgause, I want to join you. I want to see the Pendragons, all of Camelot burn, but I have a plan to ensure all sorcerers create a utopia without another purge. Over the last two months, Uther and Arthur attacked Ealdor, murdered Gaius and my mother. I want to join with you and Morgana, I want to see the entire kingdom ablaze. May the Once and Future King prophecy be damned. I don't care about that. I don't care about the 5-kingdoms; they can burn for all I care," Merlin's eyes were blazing with power and anger to the point where Morgause realised that Merlin truly was capable of being her and Morgana's greatest ally.
At the same time, Morgause wondered what he meant by a utopia.
It sounded appealing to her.
Perhaps when he and her and Morgana spoke - once she had spoken to her sister and she had adjusted the enchantments on Morgana to make her hate Merlin and everything about the Pendragons, that was - she would get a good idea.
