A/N: Thank you GuestM, PadrePedro, mersan123, and Buckhunter for reviewing! Cliffhanger indeed.
Chapter 3
Arthur and his knights had made it past the sequence of booby traps mostly unscathed. After finding the first one disabled, they'd become a tad too lax, and one of them ended up with an arrow in the arm at the next corridor. The rest of the way had been slow going, but finally there was a large chamber up ahead glowing with firelight, and raised voices could be heard within. Arthur and his men drew their swords and quickened their pace, rushing into the central part of the tomb. They pulled up short at the top of a set of stairs. Down below, Merlin was reaching into a hole in the floor and shouting, "Hold on!" While Julius Borden was marching toward an altar in the middle of the room—and the dragon egg.
"Stop, Borden!" Arthur yelled and started down the steps, his men following.
The merchant thief paused and looked at them startled for a split moment before his face cracked into a smirk. Raising his hand, he uttered something indecipherable. Magic. The fire in the nearby trough leaped forth, engulfing two of the knights instantly. They barely had time to scream before they were dead. Arthur reeled away in horror, and the remaining two knights charged Borden. But then there was an audible grinding sound, and suddenly the floor fell away beneath them.
"No!" Arthur shouted, skidding to a stop at the edge in time to see his men plummet to their deaths far below.
Borden was going for the egg again, and Arthur would be damned if he let him get it. Drawing a knife from his belt, Arthur arched his arm back and threw it. The blade spun end over end through the air and struck Borden in the shoulder tip first, the force of the surprise blow knocking him down.
Strained grunts drew Arthur's attention to where Merlin was pulling Lancelot up out of the pit. This was his opening. Arthur raised his sword and ran for the altar, prepared to destroy the egg where it sat. But an invisible force slammed into him from the side and threw him across the chamber. He landed with a roll, his sword clattering out of his hand. Blinking the spots from his vision, he saw Merlin was now on his feet, hand outstretched, while Lancelot lay on his stomach and pulled Gwaine out of the hole next.
Arthur seethed at the sorcerer. "Haven't you caused enough damage by unleashing the Great Dragon upon us?"
"I tried to stop the dragon," Merlin retorted. "And if I take the egg somewhere safe, he has sworn to never attack Camelot again."
Arthur snorted in derision. "You're a bunch of black-hearted deceivers. Why should I trust your word?"
"Can't you see it's your own kingdom's history of hatred and fear that has fostered malcontent against you? That the Great Dragon only attacked because Uther and Constantine hunted down his kind to near extinction and slaughtered thousands! And you're perpetuating it!" Merlin shouted vehemently. "This egg doesn't carry any hatred toward anyone; the dragon hasn't been born yet!"
He started toward the egg, and Arthur lunged to grab his sword and stop him, but Merlin simply turned and with a flash of gold in his eyes, magically wrenched the hilt from Arthur's hand and sent the sword flying into the darkness of the massive chamber. Arthur clenched his fist in fury, now unarmed. Merlin closed the distance to the altar and reached out to pick up the egg. And then the ground shook.
Merlin snapped his gaze up at the ceiling as rocks began to fall loose and come crashing down. One final booby trap to ensure the egg never made it out of the tomb.
"Out!" Merlin yelled, running for the stairs.
Arthur staggered to his feet, unbalanced by the tremendous quaking the entire chamber was undergoing. To his surprise, Lancelot and Gwaine appeared at his side and grabbed his arms, hauling him toward the exit. He caught a brief glimpse of Borden struggling off the floor before an entire column toppled on top of him. The rest of them made it out the door before a bunch of rocks caved in the entrance. The entire tomb was still collapsing, but that served to aid them in their escape back through the traps, as massive chunks of boulders had filled the pit of spikes, and so they were able to scramble over those to get across.
Several arrows were zinging through the next passage as bits of stone rained down on the triggers, but soon the floor was covered and everything depressed, and they hurried across without fear of tripping any more. They finally made it to the exit and barreled out just as the last quake struck, and the entrance to the tomb crumbled in on itself, sealing it for good. But it didn't matter; Merlin had the egg. And Arthur was unarmed and outnumbered. He also didn't understand why they had bothered saving his life back there.
Merlin gently put the egg in a knapsack hanging over one shoulder, the bulge settling beneath his jacket. He then turned to Arthur. "Did you capture Elyan and Percival on your way after Borden?"
Arthur couldn't keep the surprise off his face. How could they have known that?
Merlin nodded even though Arthur hadn't verbally confirmed anything. "And you left them under guard where you found them?"
Arthur's jaw tightened and he didn't respond, but apparently his silence was answer enough again.
Lancelot motioned for Arthur to get moving as they made their way back through the woods. So he was to be used as a hostage exchange; that was why they'd saved him from the tomb.
When they came upon Leon and the prisoners, Arthur expected one of the hunters to hold him at sword point, but they didn't. Merlin held his hands up non-threateningly.
"We mean you no harm," he said. "But we would like our friends back. And I'm sure Camelot would like their prince."
Leon's hand was on the hilt of his sword, and he looked to Arthur for orders.
Gritting his teeth, Arthur nodded for him to do as they said.
Leon slowly moved toward Percival and Elyan and cut their bonds, then stepped away. Elyan helped Percival up and braced his weight as he limped over toward Merlin. Arthur went to stand next to Leon and Sir Bedevere. Merlin met his gaze.
"Think with your head and not blind obedience," the sorcerer said. "I'll keep the egg safe, and it will have no reason to threaten Camelot in the future. And neither will the Great Dragon anymore." Merlin paused, and his expression softened with remorse. "I'm truly sorry for what happened with Kilgharrah. I didn't mean for things to go that way. I'd hoped the dragon would have just left and never returned. I misjudged his anger and made a mistake."
Arthur didn't say anything. He had no choice but to grudgingly accept Merlin's terms here. Even if he wanted to make a last-ditch effort to destroy the egg, he didn't think they'd succeed.
"You know why people fear your kind?" Arthur said instead. "You hold immense power."
Merlin looked at him sagely. "So do kings."
With that, he and his hunters turned to leave, Lancelot and Gwaine taking up the rear with swords still drawn and watching the knights guardedly. Once they were gone, Leon turned to Arthur in concern.
"What happened?"
"I failed," Arthur replied bitterly. "I lost four men and failed to destroy the egg."
He turned and started back toward Camelot, footsteps weighted with defeat. How many more times could he return to his father in disgrace? Once was too much already.
"What did Merlin mean?" Leon asked quietly a few minutes later. "About the dragon."
"He claims to have struck a bargain with it—the egg's safety for Camelot's."
Leon looked thoughtful. "You don't believe him?"
Arthur shrugged. Did it matter? His father was never going to accept this anyway.
Once they were outside the Sanctuary, Merlin sent the others inside ahead of him to get Percival to Gaius while he remained in the meadow and mentally called out for Kilgharrah. It was several minutes before a dark shape obscured the blue sky, growing larger as it approached. The Great Dragon landed in the field and peered down at the warlock.
"Did you succeed?" he asked.
"Yes." Merlin pulled the egg out of his knapsack and held it in both hands to present to the dragon.
Kilgharrah's eyes glittered with a mixture of sorrow and joy. "I never thought I would see this. I am not the last after all."
"Will it ever hatch?" Merlin asked curiously.
"In time. It has been dormant for so long." He bent his head down to gingerly nose the egg, then straightened again. "You will keep it safe?"
Merlin nodded. "I promise." He placed it back in his knapsack. "And if it hatches, I will call for you."
Kilgharrah inclined his head in gratitude, then backed up to take flight. He flew off into the distance, away from Camelot, and Merlin felt in his gut that the dragon would keep its word.
Arthur strode into the council chambers with a heavy heart. He delivered his report in a deadened tone, grieved by the loss of his men and the shame of disappointing his father.
Uther's face grew more puce colored by the minute. "Where is the egg now?" he demanded.
"Merlin has it," Arthur said, risking a glance up from his downcast gaze.
Uther's expression was awash with fear and anger, but the anger quickly overrode the first. "That sorcerer must be stopped."
"The Great Dragon has promised not to return if the egg stays with Merlin," Arthur tried to explain, but his father whirled on him.
"Magic is too dangerous to be left out there!" He turned to the knights assembled in the room. "Scour the kingdom and increase the bounty. I want this Merlin and his acolytes found! Dead or alive!"
Uther shot a seething look at his son. "Do not fail me again, Arthur."
Arthur's stomach twisted and he bowed low in contrition. He would lead the search, and he wouldn't stop until he had redeemed himself in his father's eyes.
