AN.: Welcome back! :)

Big thanks to mersan123 for staying with me and this story and for always sparing time to write a review that makes my day.

Also thanks for the guest(s) (?) who leaves reviews that encourage me to get off my butt and continue writing.

Long chapter ahead for you guys.

"You-You are… Ha!" Gwaine was pacing in front of Merlin and Gaius.

"Yup." Merlin took a sip of the tea he was clutching in both hands. He had felt better after waking up and insisted on getting up and actually left his room. He was sitting on a chair, snuggled into a blanket, only his head and arms poking out to hold and sip the hot liquid from the mug. He had started to shiver a while ago but the trembling had already died down a little.

It had taken a few minutes after Gaius' and Gwaine's conversation before full realization had set in on Gwaine's side. Gwaine currently went through the stages of excitement and thrill. "And you saved us so many times!" He changed directions again, walking with fast strides towards Merlin, a bright smile on his face and an even brighter glint in his eyes. He stopped and looked at his friend. "Thank you."

Merlin paused, mug halfway up to his lips and glanced up at the knight in front of him. "What?"

Gwaine's gaze jumped from Merlin to Gaius for a brief second, a slight note of confusion visible in his gaze, before going back to looking Merlin into the eyes. "Thank you." Gwaine turned and walked around the room again. "I felt like it needed to be said."

Merlin nodded and smiled into his mug. Waking up, barely being aware over the fact that he had casted one of the most powerful spells he had ever dared to cast – and that in front of around five kingdoms – was something Merlin never wanted to do again. The moment the energy washed over the room and Merlin had felt his conscious fading, an image had popped up inside his head; Him tied to a stake, screaming in pain as the flames devoured his body. The biggest shock after waking up was, that everything seemed to be fine. Gwaine knew his secret and was more than okay with it. Gaius was by his side… oh, and he wasn't dead or about to be executed. While Gwaine was having his moment, Gaius took the time to explain to Merlin what had happened and Merlin was moved and impressed with Gwaine's quick thinking.

"Where is Arthur?" Merlin asked.

"He's-" As if on cue, there was a knock on the door and Arthur poked his head into the room. His face lit up the moment he saw his manservant being up and relatively well.

"Merlin!" He walked into the room and closed the gap between him and his friend, putting a strong hand on Merlin's shoulder. Arthur addressed Gaius. "How is he?"

"He suffered from light hypothermia but there was no damage done. A little rest and he'll be as good as new." Gaius answered dutifully.

"'He' is also present in the room." Merlin said, rolling with his eyes. "I'm fine." Arthur smiled at him before his gaze wandered to Gwaine.

"The other knights and I arranged a search party for the sorcerer that fled from the scene. We are determined to catch him and make him pay for what he did. I count the attack on Merlin as a direct attack on Camelot, on myself and on my guests. It was clearly an act of sabotage to prevent the kingdoms from coming to terms with one another and agreeing on peace and trading treaties." Arthur scratched his head, a sigh escaping him. "I have to catch that sorcerer… I can't let our guests think that I am incapable of handling a situation like this. We need to prove to them that we are able to defend ourselves from magical threats." Merlin looked up at his king, feeling guilty for the situation he had caused and the pressure that had been put on Arthur's shoulders.

"You will find him. And nobody is going to think that Camelot can't stand up for itself." Merlin reassured his stressed friend. Arthur smiled at him and ruffled his friend's raven hair.

"Yes, I will." He turned to leave the room. "But not with your help, Merlin. If that sorcerer attacked you to send a message to me, there could be the possibility of him trying to attack you again and I don't want to risk that." He looked at Gwaine. "Gwaine, you stay here and keep an eye on Merlin. I trust that you will not leave his side."

"Yes Sire!" Gwaine was very serious while answering. Merlin could feel a groan trying to escape him.

"And you Merlin-" Arthur pointed a finger at his friend. "-You are going to stay here and rest. Do as Gaius says, don't go out and don't try to look for that sorcerer." Arthur's mouth was pressed into a thin line while his eyes were opened wide and his eyebrows raised up to his hairline. He still wiggled that finger into Merlin's direction, indicating that he was serious. He took one last glance towards Gwaine and Gaius before he left the room again, comforted by the knowledge that his friend was fine.

As soon as Arthur left the room, Merlin stood up, threw the blanket off of himself and put the mug down on the table. He took one look at Gaius and said expressively. "I have to go."

"Go? Go where? Catch a non-existent sorcerer?" Gwaine asked, throwing his hands in the air in desperation.

"Merlin, I don't think this is a good idea. I know that we need to find a solution but I don't know if he has the answer we are looking for." Gaius said skeptically. Gwaine looked between the two perplexedly. Here he was, thinking he was already part of the 'knowing-the-secret-club' and yet he had no clue what was going on.

"Are you going to meet someone?" Gwaine asked.

"Hopefully. He is very wise and has helped me solve many problems before. He might have a solution for my predicament." Merlin informed Gwaine while putting his shoes on.

Merlin is meeting someone wise with knowledge of magic and sorcery? A druid maybe? Gwaine couldn't help but feel unease at the thought of Merlin having that kind of company or even conspiring with someone like that. It wasn't that Gwaine didn't trust Merlin… Merlin was someone who easily trusts others and who tended to be a little naïve from time to time. Merlin always saw the good in people and it was up to his friends to help him see the bad. But it also worked the other way around; Merlin helped his friends to see the good in people, no matter which prejudices they had to face. Gwaine wanted to meet that 'person' to be able to ease his troubled mind and make sure, that the person was trustworthy and not trying to exploit the young warlock.

"I'm coming with you." Gwaine grabbed his coat.

"It's better if you stay here, trust me. You know my secret now and you handled it pretty well, but I don't think that you are ready for coming with me into the forest, yet." Merlin had an almost conspiratorial undertone and grinned at Gwaine. Gwaine was upset that Merlin wanted to leave him out.

"I'm not letting you go on your own, Merlin." He put on a pout and folded his arms in front of his chest. "You heard what Arthur said, I have to stick to you and not leave your side. Besides, you are not well and if your shaky frame drops to the forest floor while nobody is by your side, Arthur would kill me. And Gaius probably too." A quick nod from the physician to his left confirmed that hunch. Instead of being annoyed or troubled, Merlin seemed relieved and happy that Gwaine was insisting.

"Alright Gwaine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Merlin." Gaius voice was heavy with worry as he addressed his ward once again. "I really think you shouldn't go and see him. Considering your current situation, it might be difficult to even call him." Gaius knitted his eyebrows and stared pointedly, relaying a hidden message with his eyes. Merlin considered his words before sending a reassuring smile towards his mentor. "I'll be careful. The moment I realize something is wrong, I turn and come back, promised." Merlin elbowed Gwaine in the side. "And I have Gwaine with me."

So they left Gaius' chambers and sneaked out of the castle. Gwaine was overwhelmed by the set of skills Merlin displayed; How he was able to time it right to avoid being seen by the guards walking by, how Merlin knew which entrance wasn't well-guarded, which guard was currently on shift and if said guard had a weak bladder and used to go to the toilet regularly, making sneaking by easier. Merlin must've a lot of practice, Gwaine figured. They left the castle behind them and entered the dark and ominous forest. A chill ran down Gwaine's back, his sensitive hearing picking up every sound around him. His heart was beating faster as he followed his friend into the unknown. Merlin put one determined step in front of the other, being the striking image of bravery. His back was straightened and his chest broadened with every step. They climbed over tree trunks and roots and Gwaine's eyes were thirsting for the pale moonlight that shone through the leave-roof above them. Gwaine's head was trying to spin tales about evil sorcerers, creatures of the night, outlaws and other threats cowering in the shadows behind the trees. His eyes snapped from one shadow to the next one until they finally landed on the back in front of him. His heartrate calmed down a bit. Even though Gwaine was supposed to be the protective knight in shining armour, he felt safer knowing that Merlin was there. They had been in silence for a while now, when Merlin's voice suddenly made Gwaine jump.

"You should know that no matter what happens, you are safe with me." Merlin threw a glance over his shoulder at Gwaine.

"Why don't you just tell me who we are going to meet? I think I can handle it." Gwaine countered.

"If I tell you now, you'll insist on turning on the spot and going back to the citadel." Merlin grinned self-confidentially. "That means if you even believe me. It's best to just go and see for yourself."

Gwaine laughed softly, unsure how to interpret what Merlin had just said. "You sound like we are about to meet a dragon, or a unicorn. How bad can it be?" At that, Merlin simply stared at Gwaine, saying nothing. Gwaine's incredulous smile faltered.

"You are pulling my leg, right? No way… Are we going to meet a unicorn?" Gwaine's eyes were wide, staring accusingly at Merlin.

They reached a clearing, bathed in the light the moon casted down from the star-filled night sky. Merlin went to the middle and looked up. As soon as Gwaine wanted to follow, Merlin held his hand up to stop him.

"You should keep a distance, just to be safe." The warlock then threw his head back and opened his mouth, a roar filled with foreign words suddenly echoing through the cold air.

"O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!" Gwaine stood there, open-mouthed, when a strong wind suddenly blew around them, whirling up dirt, leaves and grass. Gwaine had to protect his eyes from the sudden gust by covering his face with his forearm. His ears were ringing because of the sheer power of that roar Merlin had just send towards the sky. Gwaine feared that even the people in Camelot had heard the roar. Suddenly, there was a shadow towering dangerously above them, blocking the moonlight from the clearing. There was a strange sound of something loudly slapping something else. The noise filled the whole air and was accompanied with another gust of wind. Then the earth was shaking, the tremble originating from the spot were Merlin stood. Gwaine finally managed to look past his forearm at whatever was causing these natural catastrophes. Gwaine's mouth almost dropped to the floor. One thing was for sure: It wasn't a unicorn.

A dragon. A real dragon. It had just landed on the ground in the middle of the clearing and was about to tuck his big brown leathery wing in. As he moved them, the wind blew through the crowns of the trees again and made Gwaine furiously blink, as dust flew into his eyes. He kept staring at the glorious creature in front of him through his tears though. It was as big as the dining hall within Camelot's citadel and it would've probably filled the room in completely. It had a long neck and big brown scales covering its whole body. The front and hind legs were equipped with deadly, sharp claws and with every movement the creature made, Gwaine could see defined muscles moving beneath the scaly armour. The creature was looking at Merlin with its golden, glowing eyes before its eyes landed on Gwaine as well.

"I see you brought a friend, warlock." The dragon was talking! Gwaine felt like he was caught in the most bizarre dream he had ever had.

"Gwaine, Kilgharrah. Kilgharrah, Gwaine." Merlin waved a hand at his friend and the dragon in turn to indicate their names as a form of introduction. Gwaine was still rendered speechless, frozen on the spot and not daring to move a muscle as Kilgharrah's big head, covered in horns, came closer to eye the knight from Camelot.

"Ah of course, Sir Gwaine." The big head shifted again to look at the young warlock standing in front of him. "I take it that he knows of your destiny now, young one?" Merlin pressed his lips together while giving half a nod, half a shake of his head.

"He knows the basics… But I've come to you to look for help, Kilgharrah." Merlin's face turned serious and a little desperate as well.

"You seek a solution for gaining control back over your magic?" Kilgharrah suggested.

"How did you know?" Merlin asked, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Dragonlords are spiritual brothers to the dragons." Gwaine twitched at the word 'dragonlord'. "In the spirit we are one. We take upon the emotional burdens of one another if we desire to do so. We can communicate over great distance by telepathy and over even greater distance by empathy. I felt your distress, Merlin." Kilgharrah closed his eyes for a second before slowly opening them again.

"And to speak the truth, the call you send out to summon me was powerful enough to give me a slight headache." Kilgharrah's head suddenly dropped down until he was only a few centimeters away from Merlin's head. Gwaine had to resist the urge to lunge forward to protect his friend. Kilgharrah took a deep breath through his nose as if he was sniffing Merlin. Then he hummed in comprehension.

"Your barrier is cracked. It is a condition caused by your own magic and it will stay permanent if you don't counteract it with the very thing that broke it; Your magic."

"But I can't perform magic without making a big mess out of it! Can't you use your magic and repair my barrier for me?" Merlin pleaded.

"I fear I can't, Merlin. Every kind of magic is different and as unique as it's holder. I fear that it would inflict even more damage to your already instable barrier when I try to heal the crack with my unique energy. It has to be your own magic, so it doesn't get rejected by your barrier."

"How do I do that? Is there a spell you can teach me?" Merlin tried, still hopeful.

"There are a few ways. There are ingredients you could conjure-" Kilgharrah suddenly stopped talking and raised his head, searching the sky with his golden eyes. "I feared that this might happen." Kilgharrah sighed.

Gwaine looked up as well, not able to spot anything, but then he heard it; There was a horrible screech coming from a distance. Another screech followed and then it was a whole choir of these dreadful sounds, announcing that their demise was on its way.

"Wyverns. They heard your command as a dragonlord. It was powerful enough to summon them. A lot of them are coming to this clearing. You should leave. I will scare them off." Kilgharrah announced and without sparing another second, he spread his massive wings and took flight with one powerful flap. Merlin looked after him huffily and it was up to Gwaine to grab Merlin by the wrist and drag him into the safety of the woods.

"We have to get away from here!" Gwaine screamed while stumbling over the roots, dragging Merlin behind him. Above them, the night sky was ablaze with Kilgharrah's unforgiving breath, but the screeches from the wyvern came from all around them. They jumped over a fallen tree and slumped against the trunk to catch their breath.

"Thanks for coming along, Gwaine." Merlin said in between heavy breaths.

"You know that I would've preferred the unicorn, right, Merlin?" Gwaine looked at his friend, wishing that they had stayed in Gaius' chambers.

AN.: I hope you enjoyed it. A review his highly appreciated and always makes my day. See you next time!