Mary stretches her limbs. She has not slept well. It has been storming all night and she has been startled again and again. Tired, she sits down on the edge of the bed. She combs her hair and puts on her work clothes. She will help Gaius with his tinctures today. If she is lucky, she will still see Merlin. He has to work more and they don't see each other much anymore. Their friendship has cooled somewhat. On the one hand because of Merlin's new task as servant of the king and on the other hand because of Mary, who tries to protect herself with distance. After their talk in the west Tower, she knows that Merlin must maintain all his strength and faith in the fate that surrounds the young king and the warlock. That is why she has taken a step away from Merlin. And yet she knows that she cannot turn off her feelings. She likes Merlin very much and every time she does see him or is able to talk to him, her heart begins to beat faster with joy!

Mary knocks on the door to Gaius' chambers and enters quietly. It is still early and perhaps they are still asleep. She is therefore surprised when she finds Gaius, who is already mortaring.

"Good morning, Gaius!"

"Morning, Mary."

Mary notices that Gaius is mortaring more energetically than usual. Something seems to be bothering him. She also notices that Merlin's room is open and to her disappointment the young man is nowhere to be seen.

"Shall I make breakfast for us?"

"Don't bother. I already had something small and Merlin isn't here. Just grab something and we'll see what we get done today."

Mary grabs an apple and cuts it into pieces. She watches Gaius and asks, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Whatever it is that's bothering you! Have you been fighting? You and Merlin?"

Gaius looks at Mary over his glasses. Slowly he comes to her and sits down. "I had a visitor last night."

"From whom?"

"Julius Borden!"

Mary's eyes widen. "Your assistant who lied to you, cheated and stole from you years ago?"

"Yes, that's the one. He was here for a missing part of a triskelion. The triskelion of Askhanar. He knows that the last piece lies here, in the vaults of Camelot. He wanted me to help him get it."

Mary frowns, "Askhanar...is this the legend of the tomb with a dragon egg?"

Gaius smiles, "You are and always will be a bright one! I refused, of course, and sent him away. But Merlin overheard everything and only sees the possibility of saving the dragons from extinction if he gets that dragon egg."

Mary nods, "And you think it's already been well hidden for more than 400 years. Is that how you want it to stay?"

"Is that so wrong?"

"No, I see it that way too. But probably not quite so comprehensible to Merlin. After all, he is the last Dragonlord. Did you tell him, though, that this Borden is not to be trusted?"

"Yes. I think he understood. He was angry that I was holding him back. But he understood."

Lost in thought, Mary puts a piece of apple into her mouth and firmly hopes the old man is right about that.

Merlin doesn't return all day and so Mary goes to her room early in the evening and lies down. She can't shake the feeling that Merlin will try to get the dragon's egg. She falls into a dreamless sleep.

Mary is woken in the morning by the warning bells. She quickly gets up, gets dressed and goes to see what is going on.

Together with Gaius, she goes to the vaults, where the treasure chambers are. Arthur, Agrawaine and Merlin are already there. Agrawaine says, "The lock on the door wasn't broken, which means whoever it was had a key."

Arthur points to an empty casket: "With all the treasures here, that's all anyone was interested in. What was in here?"

Gaius replies, "I think a third of a triskelion. A kind of key that, according to legend, opens the tomb of Askhanar."

Gaius glances at Merlin. Mary follows his gaze as well. Merlin looks to the ground.

Arthur says, "I remember Father talking about it. It contains a dragon's egg?"

"So they say."

"Do you think that's true, Gaius?"

"Well, it is possible, Sire. The wealth and wisdom of Ashkanar are without equal."

"Is the egg still there?"

"I am not sure. But as far as I know, no one has disturbed the site in the last four hundred years."

"But with this triskelion, someone might?"

"Sire, a dragon's egg can survive a thousand years. It could hatch today and produce a dragon," said Agravaine.

"Then my father's work to exterminate these monsters would have been in vain?"

Agravaine nods, "That is our greatest fear."

"Then we have no choice. We must pursue the intruder and destroy the egg."

Gaius walks back to his room, closely followed by Merlin and Mary. Mary notices that Merlin's head is bleeding. He must have a headache too. As soon as they are in the physicians room, Gaius exclaims, "How could you be so stupid? What were you thinking?"

"I am a Dragonlord. It is my duty to protect the last dragon!" Merlin shouts back. He puts his hand to his head.

"The tomb could have stayed closed for another 400 years and the egg would have been safe. Now Arthur wants to go and destroy it."

"Let's hope Borden gets there first." replies Merlin bitingly.

"Do you trust Borden? Do you really think he'll let the dragon go? I don't even want to think about what his intentions are. Why didn't you stay out of it?"

Gaius is as angry as Mary has rarely seen him. Merlin goes quietly to his room to pack. Gaius turns away and sits down wearily at a table.

Mary fetches a bowl of water and a cloth. Slowly she walks to Merlin's door, knocks three times and peers in. Merlin is sitting on his bed rubbing his head.

Mary comes closer: "Let me see. How did you bump your head?"

Merlin shakes his head, "Borden knocked me down as soon as he had the missing piece. Ouch!" Merlin winces as Mary cleans the wound a little.

"That'll give quite a bruise and your head will hurt for a while. But it doesn't seem to be a bad injury." She sits down beside him "Even though he lied to you, do you think this Borden is up to good? Merlin, you're smarter than that."

Merlin looks at Mary and says, "I promised Kilgharrah I would keep the egg safe. So that his kind can continue. I also want to take Gaius' advice...I feel torn. Like so many times in my life."

Merlin hangs his head. Mary would so like to take him in her arms. But instead she gets up and leaves his room. He looks sadly after her. He misses her closeness terribly. Slowly he sets about packing everything he needs to accompany the king.

A little later Arthur, his knights, Merlin and Mary are ready and on their horses to chase the thief.

They ride without pausing and soon come to a fireplace, which is extinguished but still warm. Borden can only have a few hours head start. They ride on and on until it gets too dark to find any more tracks. Arthur plans to find a place to spend the night.

Merlin intervenes, "But we're so close!"

But Arthur has made up his mind, "There is nothing else for us to do. It's too dark."

They build a fire and Mary cooks them a stew. As everyone eats, Merlin goes to the horses to give them food and water too. Mary looks after him and fills a plate for later.

When Merlin is with the horses, he hears whispering and feels he is being watched. He looks around but cannot see anything. The horses don't seem to smell anything either. They eat peacefully.

Slowly Merlin returns to the resting place. The knights have already finished dinner and lay all the dishes at Merlin's feet. Arthur hands him his dishes and says, "Here, you can wash them all now."

Merlin notices how his stomach growls. But he takes the empty kettle and wants to go to the river with it. Maybe he will find some berries to eat there.

Mary stands in his way and holds out a plate of steaming stew: "Here, give me the dishes. I'll go wash up. You must be hungry. How's your head?"

"Better, thanks." He smiles. Merlin sits down with the plate and enjoys the warmth of the stew.

It isn't long before everyone is lying down for the night.

Merlin is awoken by a whisper. "Emrys." Sleepily, he looks around. Mary is not far from him, but not as close as she used to be either. Arthur and the knights are sleeping spread out around the fire.

Merlin gets up quietly and follows the whispers in his head. He comes to a clearing where some druids are standing. One removes his hood and says, "Do not be afraid. We know of your task."

"How so?"

"The man we are looking for stole from us too. He passed through this forest barely three hours ago."

"Where did he go?"

"Eastward, but you must be careful Emrys. Only druids know the legend."

"What does it say?"

"Askhanar was a wise man. He knew that one day men would come to disturb his peace. The triskelion is not only a key. It is also a trap."

"What do you mean? What trap?"

"I don't know. But the legend says it clearly. Watch out, Emrys." Merlin turns to go. "Emrys. The legend says something else. Only when the way seems impossible you have found it."

Early the next morning, Arthur and his followers set off again. Merlin leads them eastwards, as the druids have told him. At first Arthur doesn't understand, but when they find clear tracks he remains calm and says no more.

They come to a cave where the path goes no further. Arthur says, "It's a dead end. That's it. Let's turn back."

Merlin remembers the druid's words and continues, "What about the cave?"

"This is a waste of time."

Mary kneels down and holds Arthur back, "Arthur! Look...tracks. And they lead to the cave!"

One after the other they walk through the cave until they meet a large waterfall at its end.

Arthur slowly stretches his arm through the waterfall and keeps going until he is swallowed by the water. Mary can see light shining through and follows the king. On the other side they are in front of another forest. The knights and Merlin also follow. Dripping wet, they resume their pursuit.

Mary says, "No wonder no one ever found it."

As they come out of the forest, they can make out a tower in the distance. Merlin walks faster.

Mary's clothes dry very slowly. The sun is already setting again and so the air is getting cooler too. She grits her teeth so as not to show the men how cold she is.

They come to a small ravine. Suddenly Percival cries out and Mary sees an arrow stuck in his thigh. He sinks to the ground. Mary wants to rush to him, but Arthur grabs her and pulls her to safety behind a rock. The others have also moved to the edge of the gorge. Percival is still lying on the ground with a pained face. A second arrow lodges itself in a tree stump next to his head. Arthur tries to make out where the archer is firing from. To Sir Leon he says, "I'll draw him towards me. Get Percival to safety."

Arthur runs to the other side of the ravine and is narrowly missed by an arrow. Leon, meanwhile, was able to raise Percival and bring him to safety.

Mary is shaking uncontrollably. Merlin, standing next to her, suddenly sees Borden at the edge of the ravine behind a tree and is able to use magic to fling the weapon out of his hand before he can aim at Arthur, who has also spotted him. Arthur runs off in the direction where he saw Julius. By the time he reaches the top, however, the thief is already gone. Arthur gives the all-clear and everyone comes out of hiding. Gwaine sees that Mary is shivering from the cold and puts his cloak over her. Leon and Elyan help Percival on.

When everyone is together again, Arthur says, "We'll stop and go on at dawn. See that we have a fire to dry our clothes and warm ourselves." He looks at Mary, who is shaking like a leaf.

They build a big fire. Mary dries her cloak and overdress by the fire. Since she is in charge of the soup, she can sit close to the fire and so, slowly warms up again. Gwaine keeps checking on her, "Are you warmer again?"

Mary smiles and nods, "Thank you, I'm better already. I think my clothes will be dry soon too, then it will be even better."

Gwaine sits down beside her and watches her cooking. After a while he says, "What happened?" Mary looks at him questioningly. "Well, between you and Merlin! I've never seen you so far apart before. And believe me, as much as I like you, I think you need each other."

Mary stirs the kettle and looks sadly into the flames: "I don't know exactly. I think we just have different responsibilities. Merlin is the servant of a king now. We don't see each other that often any more. But we are still good friends."

Gwaine raises an eyebrow, "If you say so. But the Merlin I used to see around you noticed immediately when his Mary wasn't well. Today he didn't even notice you were cold."

"We were all cold, Gwaine. Don't be so hard on him. He's doing the best he can. The king comes first!"

Mary gets up and calls for supper. She sets the pot on a tree stump, not noticing how a small sack lands in it. She ladles out to each knight and the king and also prepares a plate for herself and Merlin.

But Merlin is nowhere to be seen. She sees the knights already slurping their soup contentedly and sets out to find Merlin before his food gets cold.

She finds him a little deeper in the forest, looking for wood. "Merlin, the soup is getting cold. I've already scooped you a plate. What are you doing? We have a big fire."

Merlin looks at her and says, "I want the fire to burn all night. So you'll be nice and warm. I noticed how cold you were, but couldn't do anything to make you feel better. I'm sorry."

Mary smiles gratefully at her friend and her heart leaps that he cares so much for her after all, "It's all right. My clothes are almost dry again. Come on, let's eat."

When Mary and Merlin return to the rest area, all the knights and Arthur are lying criss-crossed and already asleep. Mary senses that something is wrong. Arthur is breathing hard and the rest of the men seem tense. Merlin is about to eat a spoonful of soup when Mary calls out, "Stop! Merlin, don't eat the soup. Something is wrong here."

Merlin looks up, startled, and shortly afterwards finds a small bag in the kettle that smells funny. He immediately goes to Mary, who is bending over the king worriedly: "I don't know what's wrong with him. He seems poisoned, but there's nothing I can do!"

"Wait, let me!" Merlin holds his hand on Arthur's chest and speaks, "Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare!"

Immediately Arthur's breathing calms and it becomes deep and regular. Merlin repeats the spell to all four knights. Mary covers them all and then asks, "Was that Borden?"

"I suspect so. I'm going to stop him. Stay here."

"No Merlin, if you think I'm staying here, you're wrong. They're asleep. They're fine, I can see that. I'm coming with you."

As fast as they can, they run in the direction of the tower. When they get there, they only realise how high the tower is. Mary and Merlin see at the same time how Borden has just climbed up several metres and is now disappearing into an opening in the tower. Merlin looks at Mary: "Can you do this?"

Mary says indignantly, "Listen...I only have my undergarments on now. I can move much better in them. I'm probably faster than you."

Without warning, she starts climbing up the wall. There are rocks sticking out everywhere for her to hold on to. Merlin follows her, laughing. At the top they catch their breath briefly before continuing. They come through a narrow passage. Merlin takes Mary by the arm and pulls her behind him. The touch electrifies her. Quickly she pulls her arm back.

Merlin whispers, "Stay behind me. The druids warned me that the triskelion is not only a key but also a trap."

As they turn a corner, they see Borden insert the triskelion into a recess and turn it. Merlin shouts, "No!"

Borden turns and smiles. He opens the door and walks through. After a few steps, mist starts to come out of the walls and Borden starts to cough, slaps his hands in front of his face and sinks to the floor. Merlin takes a few steps towards him, but then sees that the mist is coming towards him. He takes off his scarf and hands it to Mary: "Here, hold this in front of your face. Don't breathe in the mist." Merlin stretches out his hand and with a gust of wind makes the mist disappear.

Slowly they pass Borden, who is lying on the floor, and come into a large hall. In the middle of it there is a stone pedestal on which lies a light blue dragon's egg. Mary gasps and Merlin beams all over. Reverently, Mary walks up to it and looks at it closely. "It is beautiful. And so small. It's going to be a mighty dragon one day, it's hard to imagine." Merlin nods and reaches out for it.

"Give it to me!" Sounds behind them and Julius comes towards them threateningly.

Merlin turns and Mary sees anger in his eyes, something she has never, until now, seen in him like this. "It's not yours to take!"

Borden says, "If you give it to me, I promise you half of everything."

"No, it must be released."

"Don't be a fool. Think of the power it will bring us, the lands we can rule, the wealth. Your girl and you would be set for life."

Borden comes closer and closer. Mary doesn't like the turn this is taking at all.

"I'm not interested!" says Merlin presently.

"With this dragon in our hands, we live like kings. We have the freedom and the power to do anything."

Merlin gets loud and Mary flinches at the anger in his voice, "Dragons must not be used like this!" A little more quietly he says, "They must be free and unrestrained."

Borden doesn't give up, "This is your chance, Merlin. Your chance to escape your meaningless life. Your worthless existence."

"My life is not to be pitied, but yours is. You've wasted it for nothing."

"I put the triskelion together. I found the way here! The dragon is mine. Hand it over to me."

"No!"

"You will not stop me, boy!"

Borden is now standing directly in front of Merlin. He swings out with a stick in his hand. Merlin ducks in time, but Mary doesn't see the blow coming as she stands behind Merlin. The stick hits her in the temple with full force. She collapses, unconscious.

Merlin sees it, but has to dodge Borden's next blows. Merlin says, "Dragons are magical creatures. They belong to no one. They are for the benefit of all." Merlin stumbles and falls to the ground.

Julius stands over him, "What do you know? You are nothing but a servant."

He lunges with the staff, but Merlin says: "I am the last Dragonlord! And I warn you, leave the egg alone."

He raises his hand and his eyes blaze. Borden is flung across the room and remains lying where he lands.

Merlin picks himself up and goes to Mary who wakes up moaning. Dazed, she looks at Merlin, "What happened?"

"Shh, you took quite a blow to the head. You're bleeding. Wait here. I'll get the egg and then help you out of this tower."

But as Merlin lifts the egg from the pedestal, a mechanism is triggered and the tower begins to shake dangerously and the walls collapse.

He takes the egg under his arm and helps Mary to stand up, "I'm sorry...this has to be quick now!"

Merlin pulls Mary along with him. She can only see everything in a blur and tries to keep up as best she can. At the last moment they make it out of the tower before it collapses completely. Merlin puts the egg in his backpack and then sits down next to Mary. He strokes her wound. She is still bleeding.

At that moment Arthur and the knights come out of the forest and watch the destruction in amazement. Arthur asks, "What happened?"

Merlin replies, "The tomb was a trap and he fell into it. He won't get out alive."

"What about the egg?"

"It's going down with him."

"You sure? We have to be sure."

Mary says quietly, "Nothing survives this collapse."

Only now does Arthur notice her, "Merlin, what happened? She's hurt!"

He kneels down in front of her. Mary replies, "I was hit by a falling rock. I'll be fine."

Arthur looks at her worriedly and tears his shirt into strips. Gently he binds her head and hands her, her dry coat. Mary smiles gratefully at him. Together they all make their way back to Camelot.

Gaius looks at Mary's wound. He cleans it and re-bandages it. "You were lucky. The wound isn't too deep, but there will be a scar."

She smiles tiredly, "That's not my only scar!"

Gaius shakes his head, looks to Merlin and says, "I know. Every time you're away with him, you come home with new ones!"

Merlin looks guilty, "You're right. I am to blame for her injury...if I hadn't ducked, this wouldn't have happened."

Mary waves it off, "But then we'd both be worse off."

Gaius sits down and says to Merlin, "Too bad about the egg! Arthur told me what happened." Merlin replies, "Yes."

"Couldn't you save it?"

"No."

Gaius glares at Merlin until he becomes quite nervous and begins to grin. Gaius smiles too and Merlin stands up and goes to his backpack, "All the jewels, all the treasures in the world don't compare, Gaius."

He lifts the egg and again it takes Mary's breath away, The beautiful, light blue oval structure in which a magical creature is waiting to be born. Reverently, Gaius takes the egg in his hands and looks at it. "And it was almost lost because of you."

"I'm sorry, Gaius. My actions were too rash." Merlin says quietly

"You need to think things through. Askhanar did. He was smart enough to hide it for 400 years. And now it's up to you, Merlin, to decide what to do with it."

"I have thought about it. I want it to go where it belongs." Gaius nods.

After Merlin has washed and put away the dinner dishes, he sits down beside Mary. She has put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. When she notices the movement beside her, she looks up. Merlin asks, "How are you feeling?"

"I have a headache, but it's already getting better."

"Do you think you can come with me? I'd like to take you with me."

"Where to?"

"I'm taking the egg where it belongs. Since you helped save it, I want you with me. If you like."

Mary stands slowly, stretches her neck, then nods to him. Together they leave Gaius.

Merlin leads them to a large clearing, some distance from the castle. The moon shines bright and clear. The air is cool but pleasant. He places the egg on a root and then calls the dragon. As they wait for Kilgharrah he says, "Keep a little in the background. I don't know how he will react to you."

"Don't worry. He wasn't very nice last time...I'll stand here quietly."

The mighty dragon comes flying and, despite its size, lands lightly and gently in front of Merlin. Kilgharrah looks at the egg joyfully. Merlin asks: "Is it still alive?"

"It can survive for over a thousand years."

"Then you are no longer the last of your kind!"

"Apparently not. What is the girl doing here?"

"She was there when I saved the egg."

"Was she? She's hurt, too."

Mary touches her bandage, "It's just a scratch. I'm glad the egg is still in one piece."

Merlin asks, "When will it hatch?"

Kilgharrah smiles, "Young dragons are summoned to this world by the Dragonlords. Only they have the power to make them hatch. As the last Dragonlord, this honourable task falls to you."

Merlin looks at the egg, "How do I do that?"

"You must name the dragon."

Mary stands a little closer to Merlin, who closes his eyes and listens deeply, seeking a connection with the unborn dragon. He senses the magic and follows the silver threads surrounding the egg to its core. He can feel the regular heartbeat of the creature and a warmth floods through him.

"Aithusa." he whispers clearly. Fascinated, Mary watches the eggshell crack. The cracks become more and deeper until a small dragon's head emerges. Mary covers her mouth in astonishment. The young dragon shakes off the remaining eggshells and then stands freshly hatched on the root.

Mary's tears run with happiness and she sees that Merlin is also crying with joy. The little dragon is snow-white and has big, sweet, dark eyes.

Kilgharrah says: "A white dragon is very rare. But it fits. In dragon language you named him after the light of the sun. No dragon birth is without meaning. Sometimes it's hard to see that meaning, but this time it's clear. The white dragon bodes well for Albion, for you and Arthur, and for the land you will build together."

Merlin and Mary then quietly return to Camelot. Each busy with their own thoughts, about the miracle they have just witnessed. Mary stops outside her room and turns to Merlin, "Thank you for taking me. It means a lot to me. And the dragon, was nicer today than he has been. Although he still can't say my name. Please tell Gaius I've gone to sleep."

Before Merlin can say anything back, she has disappeared into her room.