Thank you so much for all the reviews for the last chapter! I really did love how that one turned out. It was probably the best chapter for this fic. Since I worked a nine-hour shift last night (as a care provider, so it was mostly uninterrupted), I have another chapter for you guys, with less than twenty-four hours between them. Yay!
Just to give you all fair warning, from here on out, there probably won't be much more action. Maybe a few bumps along the way as magic makes its official return. We'll see. I have some vague ideas, but nothing really set in stone yet.
THIRTEEN: SHOWING OFF (314 days)
Scathach looked at Merlin. She didn't spare a single glance toward the dead witch. Before she could speak, he asked, "What will you do with Aithusa?" He wanted to make sure she would be better cared for than she had been by Morgana. He wasn't sure why this goddess would have taken Aithusa as a trade for a spell. He took hope from the fact that she seemed to have been disgusted by Morgana's willingness to do so.
She smiled at him, and there was warmth in that smile. "I will heal her as much as I can. I'm afraid that I won't be able to heal everything. There are some things that not even magic can heal. Then I will give her to you."
"Me?"
"Who better to own a dragon than a Dragonlord?"
Merlin scowled, ignoring the looks his friends were giving him. He just hoped they would wait for him to explain everything. Even after rebuking Morgana for treating the young dragon like a possession, this goddess was going to do the exact thing. "She is not something to be owned," he growled.
"While I agree, Aithusa has suffered much trauma in her young life. She needs a guardian, someone to care for her and protect her."
"Kilgharrah?" Merlin wasn't suited to raise a dragon.
Scathach grimaced. He got the feeling that she didn't like Kilgharrah. Not that he blamed her. Half the time, he didn't like the Great Dragon much himself. "He was her guardian. You saw how well that worked out. And he is getting quite old. He won't be around much longer to care for her. She needs you, Emrys."
"How can I -"
"You'll know. You'll know how to care for her. It's part of your Dragonlord legacy." Merlin nodded in agreement, though he wasn't exactly thrilled about it. A dragon would be a lot of responsibility. "Farewell, Emrys, until we meet again." A black mist enveloped the goddess's body, and then she was gone.
There was silence. Then, Arthur said, "Mordred? Just when were you planning to tell me that you're a sorcerer as well?" Of course. They'd all heard what Morgana had said about Mordred's magic, just as they'd turned the corner.
Mordred blushed. "A druid sorcerer, actually, sire." Merlin wondered if Arthur remembered now the name of the druid boy he'd saved all those years ago. He would probably put it together eventually. "And I would have told you as soon as magic was legal again."
"Hmm." Arthur looked around at the rest of the group. Merlin was relieved to see that he didn't look angry. Just annoyed. He really was accepting magic, fully accepting it. "Is there anyone else harboring secret magical abilities? If so, now is the time to tell me."
Leon, Elyan, Gwaine, and Percival shook their heads. Arthur glanced back at Merlin. "Is that why you didn't trust him, Merlin? Because he has magic, too?"
"No," the warlock answered, shaking his head. He hadn't forgotten his anger toward the king, but they were all staring at him and expecting an answer. Mordred's gaze was especially intense. "That was…complicated, and is no longer the case. I trust Mordred."
Arthur nodded, accepting the answer - for now, at least. Merlin knew he was probably just creating a mental list of all the things he would expect a full explanation of from him. "She called you a Dragonlord. I thought they didn't exist anymore. Balinor was the last."
Merlin gave his friend a sheepish grin. "Surprise?"
"How long have you been a Dragonlord?"
"Since Balinor's death."
Arthur was silent for several minutes, digesting this information. Merlin wished one of his other friends would speak up. Or even the wild druid girl - Kerenza. Why didn't she say something? He was sure she could come up with something that would distract them all. "I didn't kill the Great Dragon, did I?"
"No," Merlin admitted.
"You did?"
"No," he admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't kill him. At the time, we both thought he was the last of his kind. It would have been a waste. So instead, I commanded him to stop attacking Camelot."
"And he listened?"
"Well…yes. I'm a Dragonlord. He couldn't refuse me."
"How? How did you become a Dragonlord?"
Merlin sighed. He didn't really want to talk about this in front of all of them. He could already feel his eyes stinging. He'd never really had a chance to properly grieve for his father. "I inherited the gifts from my…father, when he died. That's how the gifts of the Dragonlords are passed on, from father to son upon the father's death. Balinor was my father."
The king stared at him. "You told me you didn't know your father!"
"I didn't. Gaius told me just before we set out to find him. He'd never known that he had a son - he had left Ealdor before my mother could tell him. He was surprised when I told him. And then he died, protecting me." Merlin swiped at his eyes as the tears began falling, bracing himself for the teasing. Arthur was sure to call him a girl. Again.
Instead, the king hugged him. "I'm sorry," he said.
Gwaine, in his usual obnoxious fashion, pursed his lips and made smacking noises. Arthur pulled away quickly, but the short hug had been enough for Merlin. His tears stopped rolling. "Right. Let's get out of here."
Merlin looked down at Morgana's still body. "We should bury her." He didn't like the idea of simply leaving her there to rot. It felt...wrong.
Arthur's expression hardened. "She doesn't deserve it."
"No," he agreed, "but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't do it."
"I…can't."
The warlock nodded in understanding. After everything Morgana had done to him, of course he wanted nothing more to do with her. He bent and lifted Morgana into his arms. He grunted; he hadn't expected her to be quite so heavy. After a brief moment of hesitation, Kerenza helped him. Together, they carried the witch outside.
None of the others followed.
They worked in silent tandem, using their magic, until the grave was filled again. They didn't place a marker.
Then they just stood there, neither of them saying a word. As they'd left the dungeons earlier to find Morgana, Kerenza had explained that she and her mother had come to help rescue him. She had kept up a steady stream of conversation during their trek through the manor. It hadn't taken long for Merlin to realize that she was both impulsive and entertaining.
"So why are you wearing my neckerchief? And how did you get it?" he asked, after several minutes of silence.
She shrugged. "I used it for a tracking spell. King Arthur gave it to me."
"Can I have it back now? You don't need it anymore."
She winked at him. "No. I think I like it."
He just stared at her. He really didn't know what to think of her. He liked her. She was a very interesting young woman. She was very beautiful, too. And he loved that she was willing to speak her mind, no matter who was listening.
Arthur didn't look back as they left the manor. He was glad it was finally over. Morgana was dead. Now all he had to worry about was his council, and getting his Court Sorcerer settled into the new role. And one of these days, he was going to make Merlin sit down and explain everything to him.
Everything.
It didn't take the group very long to get back to where they'd left their horses. Treasa curtsied deeply. And, after a sharp jab from her mother, Kerenza bowed. "We will go our separate ways now, sire. It was an honor to serve you."
"Thank you, both of you." He looked at the girl as she smoothly mounted her horse. "Please reconsider my offer, Kerenza."
She just snorted, which he took as another no.
Merlin narrowed his eyes. "What offer? Did you offer to make her Court Sorcerer? That might not be a bad -"
"No, of course he didnt," Kerenza cut in, rolling her eyes. "He offered to make me Court Physician. Well, apprentice to the Court Physician."
Merlin looked wounded. "What about me?"
Had he actually considered himself the apprentice? He was certainly skilled at the healing arts, but he had to have known better than that. He had other skills that he needed to use elsewhere. "What about you, Merlin? You're my Court Sorcerer."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Gwaine lean against a tree, grinning widely like he was watching a tournament. He was enjoying this far too much.
"I'm not."
"You are."
Merlin threw his hands up in the air, irritated. "I haven't agreed to this. You can't just appoint me Court Sorcerer without consulting me first, Arthur."
"I'm the king, Merlin. I can do whatever I want."
"No, you can't."
"Yes, I can." This was getting ridiculous. Why was Merlin being so stubborn?
Arthur heard Kerenza ask, "Are they always like this?"
"Yes," all of his knights responded.
Gwaine added, "Isn't it sweet?"
"It's certainly entertaining. I could happily watch this all day," Kerenza said.
Treasa cleared her throat. "Emrys," she called. He looked at her. "You asked me to be Court Sorcerer, and I refused for a reason. Our legends depict you as a trusted adviser to the Once and Future King, not his servant. Take the job."
"I -" Merlin's shoulders sagged slightly. "Fine. I'll be Court Sorcerer."
Arthur clapped his shoulder. "I knew you'd come around."
Merlin just scowled.
Looking satisfied, Treasa nodded to Arthur. "Farewell, sire. And congratulations. He will be a very fine -" she broke off, looking at Merlin. Her eyes widened. "Oh. I see."
Arthur looked at his servant - Court Sorcerer - to see him hastily hiding his hands behind his back. The knights were all snickering. Merlin had an overly innocent expression on his face, which the king didn't trust for one instant. He'd obviously been using hand signals to stop Treasa from saying whatever it was she had planned on saying.
"Merlin."
"Yes, sire?"
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing, sire."
"Merlin."
"Yes, sire?"
"Stop saying 'sire.' It's annoying. What was Treasa going to say? And why did you stop her from saying it?" He doubted it would do him any good to ask Treasa herself. He sensed that she could be very stubborn herself when she wanted to be. It didn't look like he was getting anywhere with Merlin, either, though.
"Just that she thinks that I'm going to make a fine Court Sorcerer. Sire. There was no reason for her to say that. Sire." Merlin gave him his trademark smirk. "Should we leave, sire? It is getting late."
Arthur glared at him. He sighed. At least he could hound Merlin on the way back to Camelot. "Fine."
Treasa and her daughter had just started to leave when Kerenza pulled her horse to a stop. "Wait, Ma!" she called. "There's something I want to do first."
She swiftly dismounted and ran toward Merlin. She kissed his lips fiercely, pressing her body against his, nearly knocking him over.
"Kerenza!" Treasa yelled, her tone one of shock and embarrassment.
Kerenza pulled away, grinning recklessly. Merlin just stared at her. He looked like a fish out of water. "Nia will be quite jealous to hear that I kissed Emrys."
She was gone, riding into the forest, only a moment later. Treasa hurried after her, calling out an apology.
The knights and Arthur laughed at Merlin's stunned expression. "Isn't that sweet?" Arthur asked, unable to entirely contain his laughter. "Our little Merlin finally got his first kiss."
Merlin snapped his jaw shut and glared at him. "That was not my first kiss, King Clotpole." He began making his way toward the horses, only to stop and say, "There are six horses, Arthur."
"And?"
"There are seven people. Or did you expect me to walk all the way back to Camelot?"
"Ah…" Arthur exchanged an embarrassed look with his men. How had none of them thought to bring an extra horse for their friend?
The sorcerer shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I didn't really want to travel back with you, anyway. I have a better way to get home." His eyes glowed golden, and then he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Gwaine whistled. "That is going to take some getting used to. Merlin, performing magic at will."
"I think he's a little irritated with us," Mordred stated. "He seemed rather irritated."
"Do you think he's going to do magic tricks like that all the time, now that we all know his secret?" Leon mused.
Elyan grinned. "Probably not. I think he's just having fun showing off."
"He'll be bored with it by the end of the week," Percival said.
Arthur scowled. "He better be. I don't want him get annoying about it. He may be a powerful sorcerer, but he doesn't need to use his magic for trivial things. Let's go."
