Balinor shaved his beard first. It'd been useful where he'd been before- it made him look gruff and intimidating. It also kept his face warm. Here it would make him stand out.

A hair cut came next. His hair was now barely an inch long and shorter than it had been for decades.

His clothes were rough, but so were most people's. He left them as they were. Then he walked into Camelot.

It had changed. He remembered a time when magic had danced through this city- it was different now. There was a rumbling in the air- like the charge in the air before a lightning strike. Good.

Finding Kilgharrah was easy. Getting in to see him was even more so. How long had Uther had guards on a passageway they thought led nowhere?

All it took to slip past them was a murmured incantation and some rolling dice.

Then Balinor was in.

…-…

"You led me here." Kilgharrah said, "You owe me. Free me."

Balinor looked at him for a long moment. "I'm sorry," he finally said, "That you were captured, and I couldn't save you. That I didn't even try. I will free you."

Kilgharrah's lips turned into something almost resembling a smile. "But," Balinor continued, "You will not burn down the city. Your quarrel is with one man. As is mine. You will have your chance with him. But you will leave the innocents alone."

Kilgharrah snorted, but both of them knew the truth. Balinor's words now were a mere formality. If Kilgharrah strayed it really would be quite easy for Balinor to stop him.

…-…

The people snuck into the city all that morning, walking in with those who had legitimate business and places to be.

Druid after druid entered the city and breathed a sigh of relief once the red capes were out of sight.

Lancelot and Gwaine both spared a moment to be very glad that no one recognized them.

Hunith stalked to the square. To the pyre. She could not help her son yet, but she wouldn't let him suffer alone either.

…-…

The bells rang at sundown. And it was time.

The knights, led by Arthur, took control of the castle.

There was very little resistance. The servants saw Arthur, and they knelt. "Long live the Old Gods," they would say, and Arthur would move on.

Morgana joined them, a sword on her hip. Arthur nodded to her, and she nodded back.

They found Uther in his room, staring out in shocked horror as the druids took down the pyre and a dragon subdued the knights and soldiers who tried to stop them.

"Father," Arthur said, and Uther turned, the horror in his eyes deepening to betrayal and anger in a moment. "You are no longer King of Camelot."

Arthur took a deep breath. "I am."

Uther stepped forward, face reddening. "This kingdom is mine!" he shouted, "You cannot take it from me! I am your father you-"

Morgana's dagger- where had she even gotten a dagger? Was on his throat in an instant.

"Just like you shouldn't steal another man's wife?" Morgana asked, voice deadly calm.

Arthur choked. What?

Uther's eyes widened further until he snarled, though he couldn't seem to bring himself to break free. "Gaius," he said, "Gaius is in on this. I should have killed him. I should have killed him years ago- I knew he'd done magic once. Now he's found it again- it's corrupting him. Can't you see? Can't you see?"

He was begging. Something in Arthur's chest ached at that. "I see nothing." Morgana said, voice barely above a whisper. "I see nothing but a deranged old man."

She watched at they put him in chains.

Then she walked away.

…-…

They didn't even wait for the fire to be fully out before Hunith helped Balinor break the chains binding Merlin and let him slump into their arms.

Balinor could see that their son wasn't quite… human anymore. There were dragon scales adorning the more delicate parts of his body- his eyelids were covered completely as were his lips and ears, and there was some delicate scaling around the cheekbones. He was naked, clothing long since burnt away, and the patches of scales became even more prominent as they wove down his chest and legs. All around the scales his skin was burnt- but the scaled parts of him were unblemished.

There was a cuff around his wrist- a magic suppressant.

Balinor recognized the style.

He tasted bile in his throat again at the thought. This was his son. His son who'd been burning for so long- been without magic for so long…

Most people, if they were making a weapon forged of dragon fire, chose a sword. Technically speaking, a spear or a dagger would work just as well.

Balinor used his dagger to break the lock on the cuff. He took it out as gently as he was able, seeing as it was stabbed through the boy's wrist…

As soon as it was off Merlin's eyes snapped open, glowing gold.

Balinor felt the force building a second before it hit as everyone within a hundred feet of Merlin was slammed backwards.

Merlin stood, and burnt skin regenerated before Balinor's eyes. Merlin screamed then, and every fire in Camelot went out.

The wind picked up, raging, going faster than it had any right to and Merlin's scream rang out above it somehow.

Stop him! Kilgharrah roared into Balinor's mind, He is kin now. Stop this before it's too late!

And Balinor stood. As the wind roared around him, Balinor roared back. He meant to say Merlin. Or perhaps Emrys. What came out was something much closer to hatchling. Or son.

"Stop this!" Balinor called out, "You are hurting innocents. You must stop."

The wind died as quickly as it had begun, and Merlin stumbled.

Balinor was there in an instant, catching his son before his body could hit the ground.

And as Balinor knelt, with his son in his arms, he vowed that though he did not know how to be a father, he would figure it out.

…-…

2 weeks later

Arthur stood up, with the crown on his head, and watched as his father raged and screamed and denied everything.

Denied that he had killed thousands on false charges. Denied that he had tortured and imprisoned and betrayed his own citizens. Denied that he had dismantled the old religion and allowed his kingdom to stagnate in ignorance.

The only thing he didn't deny was taking another man's wife. Being Morgana's father.

It was still strange to think that she was his sister- that they were related.

He was king, and she was second in line for the throne.

Arthur sighed heavily before he spoke. "Uther Pendragon," he said, "For crimes against your nation and your people, for the murder of Ygraine Pendragon, for crimes against the other nations and peoples of this land, we judge you guilty. Your execution will be at dawn."

The words clawed against his throat. He didn't want to say them. He didn't want his father to die.

But he would. Because Arthur would be a better king than his father. He would be just.

…-…

Arthur visited Merlin that night.

Merlin's quarters, with Balinor and Hunith were… odd.

They didn't use natural fire for anything. Their light came from magical blue orbs that looked rather… familiar.

Heat came from the orbs as well. Arthur wasn't quite sure how they'd managed that.

Then again, he didn't know much about magic.

Merlin looked so different now. It wasn't necessarily bad- he was just a bit more… scaly. His eyes were the same though.

Merlin smiled as Arthur came in. Arthur managed a smile back.

"Something wrong?" Merlin asked.

His voice was deeper, raspier than it had been before.

"Uther dies tomorrow morning." Arthur said.

The words tried to clog in his throat and tears rose, unbidden to his eyes.

Then Merlin was there, and Arthur let himself be held. It was ridiculous, seeking comfort over Uther's death from Merlin- who had been hurt more by Uther than probably anyone else in this world…

But Arthur did it anyways.

…-…

Arthur visited his father that night. He watched him for a long time. But he didn't know what to say. Eventually, Uther fell asleep.

Arthur sat in front of his father's cell. Morgana came a couple hours later, and they sat together through the night.

…-…

Kilgharrah executed Uther at dawn.

…-…

Six months later

Camelot had an official Court Warlock. Merlin grinned as he took the staff, but absolutely refused to wear the hat. Arthur was disappointed, but a trick like that could only properly work once.

It was nice to have him there.

With a fiercely loyal half-dragon for a friend and a fiercely loyal sorcerous for a sister, the attempts to assassinate Arthur really started to taper off.

And they were happy.