A/n: Hi guys.

I am sorry for the delay. The first week of the delay was filled with writing (and then sending to my beta), packing for my holiday and watching my brand new sparkly series 2 Merlin box set. The second week I was in Skegness with no wifi. But now I'm back yaaaaay

Some of my reviewers have been saying that this story has been dragging. I'm sorry about that and agree :(. However they felt to long combine. But things should be picking up soon.

Now I've just realised that this is the sixth chapter and it's the first time I've used a spell. Although this will be the norm as Dragons in the series do not used words for their spells. This one is an actual 'spell' from the show (Se03Ep01). I will put the translation at the end with a new joke. :D

I humbly thank everyone who has reviewed, and/or added me or this story to their fav/alert list. I also thank any one who has just read the fic.

Now onto the chapter!

Chapter 6

Night had fallen and Merlin had finally managed to sneak out of Camelot. Since Arthur's ascent to the throne, this task had become much harder as the guards have actually gained competence. This was further proof that Arthur was a better King than his father, although this improvement did put a damper on operation 'use-the-incompetence-of-the-guards-to-sneak-around-Canelot-and-use-magic-to-save-the-prats-life.'

Running swiftly to what had been unofficially labled as the dragon clearing, (a name given by the knights as this was where the beast was 'defeated', and a name given by Merlin as this was the only place large enough within walking distance to call the dragon) Merlin reached down into the part of his soul that connected the warlock to his scaly kin.

"O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!" he roared to the sky.

His call was still echoing even as he reached the clearing. Skidding to a halt, Merlin shook himself before settling down to wait for the creature that would hopefully provide the answers to his current predicament.

Thud Thud Thud

Merlin jerked from his light doze at the sound of beating wings. It had been an hour since he had called for Kilgharrah and Merlin was starting to get nervous. What if Kilgharrah couldn't answer his questions? Or worse, what if he gave him some irrelevant sounding riddle that would only serve to make him even more confused before eventually leading him to an answer whilst simultaneously heading even more questions. Or what if, although unlikely, the dragon did not have any answer for him placing him right back to stage one and then he would get scalier and scalier and probably end up being burnt at the stake and then someone would finally be able to kill Arthur and then ...

"If there a reason you called me here Merlin, or are you just going to continue your panic attack while I watch?" Kilgharrah's dry voice interrupted Merlin's internal rant.

"Erm, right. I need your help." Merlin, knowing that the great dragon was about to say something along the lines of 'When don't you?' quickly added "Something weird has been happening to me. I've been growling at people, stealing shiny objects, being irritable to my friends. And my body has undergone some really strange changes."

The thousand year old dragon gave the warlock a strange look. "Young Warlock, I think Gaius would be better suited for this. Although, I will admit I thought that humans matured at younger ages and that you had already gone through this."

Merlin's face reddened as he remembered vividly the talks both Gaius and his mother had given him. He had no desire to go through those traumatising moments again!

"No ... I mean yes I've gone through puberty but that's not what I'm talking about. Just look." Rolling back his sleeve, Merlin presented the scales to the dragon, the creature's eyes easily picking out the dark mass in the starlight. "They appeared a few days ago and have spread rapidly. And I have been having dreams which I don't really remember but I know Freya appeared in one last night and said something about Dragonlords and Kin and bonds." Merlin blurted this out quickly, growing concerned about the look in the dragon's eyes.

"So the time has come again." Kilgharrah muttered. "And at such a time as this. Surely the time is coming for Albion to be born."

Merlin frowned. Kilgharrah had started on one of his annoying riddles and tangents. At this rate he would never get back before dawn. "I don't mean to rush you but I do need to be back in Camelot before dawn."

Kilgharrah's eyes focused on him as a large smirk settled on his scaly face. "Oh Merlin, you are not going back to Camelot tonight."

"What do you mean? Of course I'm going back. What are you doing? No, no, no. Put me down Kilgharrah! Put me down ARGHHHH!"

Gaius looked worriedly over at the door from the herbs he was currently crushing in a mortar. Merlin had been gone for too long. The dawn had just broken and if he waited any longer, someone might notice he was missing.

Hearing footsteps Gaius turned toward the door. "Ahh Merlin, It's about ... Sire what can I do for you?" The footsteps did not belong to his young ward but to the king of Camelot.

Said king frowned at the Physician. He didn't miss Gaius's quick change of subject. "Actually Gaius, I was wondering about this sickness. And where is Merlin? He was to muck out my stables but they were never done"

"Don't worry sire, the illness is not contagious. However I have sent Merlin off to collect some herbs just in case. He should have been back by now. Either he was waylaid or he's in the Tavern." Gaius mentally asked for forgiveness from his ward.

"Why am I not surprised? Well when that idiot gets back send him to me. The stocks have been kind of lonely lately and I'm sure Merlin is missing them to." With that Arthur stormed out.

Gaius sighed before lowering his head. "Where are you Merlin?" he whispered.

They had been flying for a while now, Merlin desperately clinging on for dear life clutched in a mighty claw. Earlier the Dragonlord had demanded that Kilgharrah drop him, but a sarcastic comment about them being 100 feet in the air quickly caused that order to be overturned.

Dawn had just broken when they were joined by a small white blur that zipped around its older kin. Aithusa had grown a lot since Merlin had last seen the hatchling. Her scales were still as white as fresh snow and if Dragonlord and dragon were to stand side by side then the chick would reach the man's waist.

As she circled around towards the captured sorcerer, Aithusa gave a whistling cheep that the dragonvoice inside Merlin knew meant hello.

Finally, the ground below seemed to get larger as Kilgharrah descended to land. When he reached a foot from the ground, the ancient creature dropped his cargo, causing Merlin to oomph as he hit the hard Earth. The young warlock rolled over to glare at his laughing kin as the Dragon landed.

"Kilgharrah! Why did you take me from Camelot? Where are we? Take me back!" Merlin was getting angry, the beast inside rearing up. Yet surprisingly when those large golden eyes started into his own, the feeling backed down, as if cowed by the even mightier beast before it.

"Young Warlock, I removed you from Camelot for both your own and the residents of Camelot's safety. Events are happening that may place all that you care for in great danger." Kilgharrah lowered his head until it was parallel to his lord's.

"Why, what's coming? Oh gods, something is going after Arthur. Something is always going after Arthur. Why did you take me? Who is going to look after that turnip head now? He's going to be captured and tortured. He'll be killed! Then someone like Morgana or Uthur will take over and Albion will never be formed and I will be stuck hiding forever. I've got to get back!" Merlin ranted, seemingly not breathing as he panicked.

Aithusa, feeling her hatcher's fear, rubbed her head against his leg, crooning softly. She didn't want the one-with-the-funny-ears-who-hatched-her to be sad. She liked his smile; it was as warm as the light of the great dragon fire of the day.

Merlin smiled down at Aithusa. Rubbing her head lightly, he looked up to glare at her older counterpart.

"Merlin, there is nothing coming that will harm the king. However if you had remained in the castle, it was entirely possible that you would of harmed Arthur." Seeing the look of horror and confusion of Merlin's face, Kilgharrah sighed. "I'm sorry Merlin; I forget you do not know much about your kind. You see Merlin, the first Dragonlord was created when the soul of a young dead dragon was merged to a sickly young sorcerer. At the time, our young were hatching but dying soon after wards. In a nearby human village, friends to the dragons, a plague was destroying the people there."

"I'm sorry but what has this got to do with anything?" Merlin was annoyed, he didn't come here for a history lesson, he got enough of that from Gaius!

"If you didn't interrupt you would find out. Ten young sick men were chosen to have their souls merged to the latest hatchlings that had passed. It was hoped that the human magic would help support the dragonet's own wild powers during hatching but dragon magic was needed to form the link. In return, the Dragons would help cure this sickness. As you can guess Merlin, the plan worked, with the unfortunate side effect of allowing the men, and later their sons, as the dragon spirit travelled after death from one generation to the next, to control us." Kilgharrah stared intensely at Merlin, waiting for this to sink in.

"So let me get this straight, inside of me there is a dead dragons soul that had been sort of possessing my father and ancestors. Right Ok, not the weirdest thing that has happened, that still goes to the Troll Queen of Camelot, but what has this got to do with these changes or the fact you kidnapped me?" Aithusa crooned and nuzzled the confused warlock again.

"Around 500 years later, it became apparent that the Dragonlords were forgetting, losing the connection to their dragon soul. A spell was cast so that the dragonlords could strengthen these bonds by taking on the form of a dragon. This allows their second soul to become stronger by following its nature. This meant the dragonlords had to avoid other humans for a while as their instincts became more powerful than a true dragons and during the transformation they were vulnerable The spell was later modified so that every 500 year cycle, it would activate, transforming all the dragonlords of the time into dragons. And now the time has come again."

Merlin nodded, absorbing this information. "Ok so basically I'm turning into a dragon due to the time of the spell coming around again. That makes sense." The warlock muttered. Suddenly he froze, staring wide-eyed into at the smug dragon. "Wait WHAT?!"

a/n:

Spell: O dragon, permit the appeal for an audience to speak here, fierce, wise-minded one.

Joke:

How to do post a coin.

Using first brass.