Merlin insisted he did not need very much in the way of supplies, as he would not be staying in Camelot too long. Gwen did not protest this, but she hoped, perhaps not so secretly, that Merlin would not be returning to his cave in Ealdor. They set out that very night, despite the approaching dusk, for the queen feared if Merlin was given any time to think he would reconsider. So they traveled in the dim light, Gwen on her white horse and Merlin walking beside his white dragon.

"Excuse me, Sir Sorcerer," Tristan said from the rear.

"I am not a knight, you needn't call me 'Sir.'"

"Then what shall I call you?"

"Merlin would do," Merlin said. Guinevere smiled knowingly at Merlin, and Merlin smiled back. Though neither of them would admit it, both were the happiest they'd been in a long time.

"Merlin Sorcerer," said Tristan, "Why don't you ride your dragon to Camelot? That sure would beat walking."

"Aithusa has a bad back," Merlin said. "When she was young she was captured by a cruel man, who threw her into a pit. She grew too large and was crippled." Merlin glanced back at Tristan, who was listening intently. "Besides, dragons are not horses. They are not meant for riding."

"So you've never ridden a dragon, then?"

"Oh I rode one. A bigger one than Aithusa."

"Really?" Tristan said, leaning forward. "Did it fly?"

"Flew over all of Camelot with me on his back."

"Merlin, are you making this up?" Guinevere asked.

"No," Merlin said, "Do you remember the dragon that attacked Camelot?"

"Arthur slayed that dragon."

Merlin chuckled and looked at Gwen, his blue eyes sparkling. "No he didn't." The chuckle grew into a full laugh, and it was contagious; Gwen began laughing at the absurdity of it all, and Tristan laughed too, simply because he liked to laugh.

"Tell me more about the dragon you rode," Tristan urged. "How big was he? Could he breathe fire?"

"This one sure talks a lot, doesn't he?" Merlin whispered to Gwen. Then, to Tristan: "The dragon's name Kilgarrah. He was the last great dragon—the very last dragon, until Aithusa hatched. Now she will be the last. Kilgarrah could speak as clear as you or me, and he had the knowledge of a thousand years. There wasn't a prophecy or spell he didn't know. And yes, he could breathe fire. Aithusa breathes fire too."

The dragon reared up, sucked in a deep breath and spat back out a little ball of fire no bigger than a closed fist, which caused no damage except to singe the top of Sir Leon's curly hair.

"Merlin!" Leon protested, "Control your pet!"

"Sorry," Merlin said. He winked at Gwen, who stifled a laugh.

"That's amazing!" Tristan shouted. His horse startled and took a few steps sideways before regaining composure. "What happened to Kilgarrah?"

"He died," Merlin said.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Merlin said. "I was fortunate to know him. He lived a long life—over a thousand years. It was his time."

Guinevere heard the sadness in Merlin's voice and felt sadness creeping over herself as well. To keep the sorrow from consuming her, she said, "You know, Merlin, I've never actually seen you do any magic."

"Oh sure you have, lots of times. I was just in disguise."

"I mean I've never seen you do magic as you, the Merlin I know."

Merlin exhaled. "Would you like me to do some magic?"

"Would you?" Gwen asked.

"For you, Gwen, of course." Merlin stretched out his hand before him, his fingers curling just the slightest in concentration. He glanced at Gwen to make sure she was paying attention, and he felt a mischievous smile creep onto his face. Magic still felt like a secret to him, especially in the company of Camelot's finest knights, but here he was about to perform a spell with complete disregard. It felt wrong, but in the right sort of way.

"Asthaiu voendum" Merlin said definitively. At once, last autumn's dead leaves flew up from beneath the horses hooves, and hoovered in the air around Guinevere and the knights like little brittle flags. Then they began to fold themselves inward over and over again until they inexplicably transformed into golden butterflies. Gwen smiled from ear to ear and held out her hand so that one may land on her palm.

"Do you like it?" Merlin asked.

"It's beautiful."

Aithusa took interest in the butterfly hoovering nearest her nose, and with great focus she leapt toward the thing, mouth open, and narrowly missed catching it.

"Sir Galahad," Tristan said, watching as a butterfly landed gracefully on his shoulder. "Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

Galahad, who was less amused, swatted away a few of the fluttery bugs and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Now we have a dragon and magic butterflies. Perfect."

They walked on through the first hours of the night, Merlin and Aithusa leading the way.

"How can you be sure you're going the right direction?" Gwen asked.

"I can see the path ahead," Merlin said.

"Even in the dark?"

"It's the same path in the dark as it is in the light," Merlin assured. Aithusa spit out another ball of fire, which lit the forest for a moment before it fell back into darkness.

Eventually the party grew weary, and decided to make camp in a clearing just across the Camelot border. All the knights and Gwen's serving girl went about doing their business, and Merlin settled into the old habit of gathering fire wood. He lay the sticks, and Sir Leon began striking the flint to start the fire.

"May I?" Merlin asked.

Leon glanced up from the fire, thought for a moment, and then leaned away. Merlin raised a hand above the sticks and muttered, "Bealobё" Flames leapt from the lifeless wood, casting an orange glow on Leon's face.

"Did you do that when we used to ride out on quests?" Leon asked.

"Only when you weren't looking." Merlin said. He sat down beside Leon with a sigh. "How has Camelot been these past years?"

Leon removed his boots and set them near the fire to dry. "There was some upset after Arthur died, but it did not last long. Gwen is a strong queen, and the people recognized her fairness. We had many years of peace."

"And now?" Merlin asked, sensing something in Leon's somber tone of voice.

"Now who can say? Something has changed of late." He stared into the flames for a moment, his thoughts wandering, but it seemed he noticed Merlin studying his face, for he said, "What about you? How is life as a hermit?"

Merlin laughed. "Clearly you haven't met many hermits."