Title: Merlin's Shitty Brother
Description: Merlin finds Aithusa all alone, barely able to speak, and... human.
Word Count: 1,317
Part: 1/1

I know this one isn't my best work. But I don't think it's horrible. Also ignore the bad speech for Aithusa. She has trouble talking and I didn't want to spend a dozen hours trying to figure out how she would speak.

"Do you hear that?" Gwaine asked, while on a hunting trip. It was midday in the middle of a forest and he heard... crying. A child. Crying.

"Yeah," Leon replied.

"Oh my god is that a child?!" Elyan yelled running towards the noise.

They came across a child crying at the base of a tree, her hands in her knees. She had pure white hair and very pale skin. She was... small. She didn't look at all healthy.

Merlin, who had been lagging behind, had just caught up to them. He went to comfort the child.

"Hey, hey. It's okay," he said, crouching in front of the child, still a good distance away, "I'm Merlin, what's your name?"

The girl looked up and Merlin recognized those blue eyes.

"...Aithusa?" he whispered, much to the surprise of the other knights.

"M'rln?" she whispered, struggling to speak.

"Oh my god," Merlin said, shocked.

The child let out a cry and ran into Merlin's arms. Well, she more took a step or two and fell, seeing as she was having obvious trouble walking as well as talking.

Merlin cradled the crying child and she pressed her head against his chest.

"Aithusa, what happened? Wh-Where's Kilgarrah?"

The child started crying harder and looked up at Merlin.

"N't 'ere." (Not here.)

"Merlin? What's going on? Do you know this child?" Arthur asked.

Merlin turned to face Arthur and he saw Merlin fight to push down anger.

"I- Yeah. It's nothing. She's- I need to get her to Gaius."

Arthur nodded, and they quickly hopped on their horses and headed in the direction of Camelot, the hunting trip forgotten. They were still a ways away, and would have to camp for the night, but Merlin didn't stop until the sun was almost completely gone, and even then it took some prodding from the knights before he did. He didn't answer their questions when they asked. He only insisted it was nothing and eventually they stopped trying.

He looked angry, and sad. Never once did he let go of the child. He listened to her quiet crying and kept whispering words of comfort to her. She slept in his arms and he... didn't.

Once, in the middle of the night, the knights were woken when Aithusa started crying.

"Shh, it's okay 'thusa. It's just a nightmare, you're okay. You're safe now."

"'gana n't s'fe," ('gana not safe)

Merlin froze.

"Where were you? After he left you."

She shook her head.

" 'ark. c'ld 'oo 'mall" (Dark. Cold. Too small.)

As soon as everyone was awake the next morning, Merlin gave them time to make a quick breakfast (having already fed Aithusa) and once they were finished, he started riding to Camelot again, without stopping. Aithusa didn't wake up, exhausted and finally feeling safe. By the time they reached Camelot, it was midday, and Merlin went straight to Gaius's chambers, the knights not daring to follow him.

Arthur didn't see Merlin again until he got hurt during training and went to Gaius. Well, he didn't really see him. He was about to knock on Gaius's door! But, then he heard Merlin yelling at someone else in the room. Probably this "Kilgarrah" he asked Aithusa about yesterday.

Merlin was angry. How dare that damn dragon just leave Aithusa. Alone!

As soon as Merlin left his room, Aithusa still in his arms, he saw Kilgarrah. His eyes had widened in surprise when he saw Aithusa. Merlin walked over to him and smacked him across the cheek. Hard.

"What is wrong with you!" Merlin yelled.

The man recoiled in shock.

"I found her in the woods all alone. She can barely speak, barely walk, and was locked somewhere with "the witch"! Not to mention her current... appearance. What the hell happened?!"

"She-"

Merlin cut him off, despite having asked him a question.

"You were supposed to be watching her! I trusted you with her and you just... abandoned her!"

"You clearly don't know how these things work, Merlin. She was ready to leave, so she did. You don't understand."

"I think I understand just fine. You left her alone because you didn't want to deal with her!

"She's not my problem. I'm old, Merlin. Too old to be watching a young one like her."

"I don't care if you die tomorrow! She was your responsibility. I would have thought you'd have cared more, seeing as she's your last remaining kin."

"You and I are kin young Merlin, whether you want to be or not."

"You know it's not the same. You are a nasty liar and a manipulator."

There was a beat of silence.

"Is it true she was with the witch?"

"That's what you're worried about! Not, "she can't speak" or "she was locked up". No, just "she was with the witch?"

Kilgarrah didn't reply.

"From what I've gathered, seeing as she can barely speak and knows limited words, Aithusa healed her and they were really close for a while. Then they were both captured and held in a dark pit for a long time. It stunted her growth."

When Kilgarrah still didn't say anything, Merlin continued.

"Leave," he said.

"Merlin, you can't-"

"I said leave! I don't want you here. Get out of Camelot, forever."

"You will have need of me."

"Not anymore. I will not be needing your biased advice any longer. You betrayed me once, and now you have done this. I do not want to see you ever again! Go!"

"Goodbye, Merlin," he said, using his real name for once.

Merlin didn't reply, and Kilgarrah stalked out of the room, and out of Camelot. As soon as he was gone, Arthur decided to knock on the door. Before he could, however, Aithusa started speaking.

" w'at 'ong?" (what wrong)

"Nothing, Aithusa. Go back to sleep."

"'ot 'ired. 'ere 'garrah?" (Not tired. Where Kilgarrah)

"He's gone Aithusa. He won't be coming back again."

Then Aithusa wailed. As sad as she was, Merlin could not allow that "man" near her again. Aithusa didn't understand what he did. So, he comforted her in her wailings. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Merlin?" Arthur called, pushing open the door.

"Arthur!" he called, surprised.

"Who was that?"

"How much did you hear?" Merlin asked instead of answering.

"All of it. Now who was that?"

"My... brother?" Merlin asked, hoping Arthur would take that partial truth.

"And I've never heard of him before because...?"

Merlin had to think fast. Honesty is the best policy. I mean, in normal situations. So, he settled for the next best thing.

"Because he... did some things a while ago. He betrayed me. We had a falling out. He... left."

"And you know Aithusa because?"

"Because she's my... my-"

"Your what Merlin?"

"You know, it doesn't really matter what she is to me. Why were you eavesdropping!?"

"I- I was not! I was only coming to get my arm bandaged up! I got cut during training."

"Why didn't you say so sooner?! Let me see it."

"Merlin, it isn't that bad-"

"I'll be the one to decide that. Show me your arm."

Arthur reluctantly let Merlin fuss over him (which was considerably harder with a child in his hands). While Merlin worked, Arthur decided to question him further.

"What happened? To Aithusa I mean."

Merlin stopped for a second, caught off guard (when he really shouldn't have been), before continuing like normal.

"She was captured by... people. It doesn't really matter now. She's safe."

Arthur decided not to press any further, knowing he wouldn't get any answers from the man.

Years Later: Post-Reveal

"So, Aithusa's a dragon."

Merlin nodded.

"And you're a dragonlord?"

Merlin only nodded again.

"And Kilgarrah is the Great Dragon who I apparently didn't kill."

"That's right."

"It is way too early for this," Arthur grumbled.

"It's midday!"

Arthur rolled his eyes.

"I stand by my previous statement."

The End