"Men! Kill the beast!" Arthur called, rallying his barely battle-worn soldiers against the new assumed enemy facing them.
"I am not a beast! That's so mean! I just saved your life!" Merlin protested.
Sure, Arthur had just found out that Merlin was a Sorcerer but calling him a beast was a little uncalled for. He'd had a hero moment of coming to the rescue and everything.
"I was talking about the dragon, Merlin," Arthur growled, indicating the enormous dragon at Merlin's back.
"Oh, him." Well, that makes a bit more sense.
"Yes, him!"
"Well don't worry about him he's not dangerous," Arthur gave him an incredulous look and Kilgarrah snorted, half offended and half-amused, "well he's very dangerous just not to us. He's a friend."
"Your… friend? You're friends with a dragon? What else are you hiding?" Arthur gave him another look like he was crazy.
"Just don't kill him, okay? He won't hurt you," Merlin said, wincing.
"You can't know that for certain, Merlin!" Arthur shouted, gesturing wildly at Kilgarrah with his sword, still crouching behind his shield. "He tried to destroy Camelot!"
"And he's sorry! Aren't you sorry, Killgarrah?"
"Nope."
Merlin shot the dragon the nastiest look Arthur had ever seen him give anyone.
"Really?" He spat. The dragon, Kilgarrah, rolled his eyes, actually rolled his eyes, and spoke again.
"I can assure you no harm will come to you from my hands."
The dragon didn't have hands. Arthur checked, feeling that he couldn't trust anything he'd previously believed. Merlin was a sorcerer and had a friend that was a dragon.
"And why should I trust anything you have to say?" Arthur dared to ask, thinking he shouldn't show fear to this beast in front of his men.
"You shouldn't," Merlin scoffed, sounding bitter and crossing his arms. "All he does is speak in riddles."
"Merlin is a Dragon Lord, Young Pendragon, I couldn't refuse Merlin's order to protect you even if I wanted to." Merlin shifted uncomfortably but he didn't refute the dragon's claim.
"So like, you can tell the big guy what to do?" Gwaine asked suddenly, drawing the attention of all three of them. To his credit, he didn't even flinch under the burning golden gaze of the dragon.
"Uh, yeah," Merlin said awkwardly.
"So then you can command him to give me a ride home so I don't have to walk all the way home in this rotten weather," Gwaine said, throwing his arms wide and taking several strides forward.
The dragon growled even as Merlin burst out laughing, shaking his head. The sound seemed off to Arthur, like the revelation that Merlin was a sorcerer should have changed everything about him, but that was the same laugh he'd always had.
"Yeah, he doesn't really do that, he's not a horse."
"And he'll never be one with that attitude! C'mon, Merlin, do your best friend a favor and save me from having to spend the next few days on the road with this lot and their stink," he gestured back to the assembled army.
"Anyway," Merlin said, gently pushing Gwaine away and turning to the dragon. "Thanks for the save, again. This might be the last time you have to bail me out of trouble if Arthur decides to kill me for sorcery." His tone was light, like a joke, but the words disturbed Arthur deeply.
Kill him?
Merlin?
He was angry, certainly, it seemed like everything he knew about Merlin was a lie, but killing him?
"You just saved his life, surely even he isn't that ungrateful."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Arthur snapped.
"You haven't been his servant for years, he can be a real bully sometimes."
"Hey!"
"As I recall he did call me a beast after I saved his men from a gruesome and bloody battle, it was very rude," Killgarrah added.
"I'm right here!"
"What a prat, why do we even bother with him?"
"I can hear you!"
"Face it, princess, you're entitled just like all you nobles are," Gwaine said, shrugging. Merlin cast him an amused look while Arthur spluttered.
"How dare you insult me! I am the king of Camelot!"
"And I am a creature of the old religion, I've seen empires rise and fall, and I answer to no king," Kilgarrah said, lowering his head and narrowing his eyes intimidatingly. Arthur drew back slightly but was brought back to the present when Gwain chuffed.
"No, but you do answer to a servant, apparently."
"Merlin is nothing short of the most powerful sorcerer who has ever lived, the last Dragon Lord, and the King of Druids, it is an honor to answer to him." Arthur was certain that even the men in the very back of his legion of warriors could make out the shade of red that Merlin blushed, but Arthur ignored that to ask the question that was now burning in his mind.
"I'm sorry did you say King of the Druids?"
"Good to see your status as Court Sorcerer hasn't changed your lack of regard for your appearance, Merlin. You know some people would try to dress to fit the role, but not you, you dress just the same as you did when you were my servant," Arthur said, taking in Merlin's familiar haggard appearance.
"Maybe that's because you still have me doing all of your chores," Merlin snapped. Even as they spoke a bucket and brush were washing some of Arthur's clothes five feet behind the sorcerer.
"Well it's not like you're doing it yourself," he gestured to the laundry. Merlin glared at him, eyes flashing, then turned smugly away when Arthur's shirt sleeve ripped off his shirt of its own accord.
"Merlin!"
"What? It's not like I did it myself."
Arthur frowned, trying to formulate a comeback when Leon stood up and cleared his throat.
"Actually, my lord, on that note I was hoping to make a suggestion."
"What is it, Leon?" Arthur, said, looking away from his torn shirt.
"I thought it might be prudent to legalize magic." Merlin and Arthur gave him a funny look. "The magic ban is still on the books, my lord, you never actually repealed it."
"Oh, oops," Arthur said, "right you are Leon, we'll do that now."