Guys, Guys, GUYS. Feel proud of me. I have actually finished writing this (NB this isn't the last chapter before I get loads of reviews telling me it is a weird place to end this story). I have literally written 3 chapters in about 2 days and I am so happy how it has turned out. The last chapter may not be to everyone's liking but you guys can see it when I post it. I finished writing it about 2 am. I couldn't sleep.

Anyway on with the story.

The Day of the Dragonlord

"Give it here. Let me try." Merlin said as he walked up to Gwen.

"Merlin, if I can't, no anyone can."

"I … He will listen to me."

She shakes her head. "He has just admitted to me that he has been trying to avoid you. He isn't in the best place right now."

"I know. He is mourning and only a few months ago I was doing exactly the same. Just let me try."

She sighed before she handed over the tray of food. "Just don't be too surprised if he throws it back at you."

He let her walk off before he sighed heavily. Nothing had been the same since that night. Morgana had at least stopped blame herself when he gave her the necklace. She had too felt the magic that came off it. Even though she said she hated Uther, it was evident that she was saddened by it. She would ask him why she was crying over him. He had just told her that he had been her guardian since she was 10 it was inevitable that she would still cared for him.

He knocked firmly on the door before he opened it.

Arthur only looked up briefly before looking back down at his work.

"You need to eat. You also need to stop burying your head in your duties and mourn. Isn't that what you told me to do?"

The last thing Merlin expected him to do was to laugh. "He was the only parent I knew. He was all I have. He was my father. You know, you are lucky. You had both your parents. You knew what it was like to make both of them proud of you. So don't think that we are the same in this. Leave me."

He opened his mouth to speak but as soon as he did, Arthur stood up and walked passed him, out of the room. He wanted to make it better for him. He was going to but thought that it was best not to meant that he had only known his father for a year. At least he had, had both parents by his side, even if it was only for a while.

He ummed and ahhed about going to Gaius for advice. The physician could give him some way of sorting this out. But then he knew that Arthur would just need time. He made his way to the physician's chambers anyway. Even though Gaius was more friendly with his father, he was still friends with Uther. He just needed to check that he was alright.

"Save your eyesight, Gaius. It's the Triskelion of Ashkanar."

Merlin leant his ear against the door and listened into their conversation. He started to lose interest until Gaius said about a dragon egg.

The council might start to be a bit more open now but to bring home a dragon egg, to show them that he was committed to what his father believed, then he knew he would be flying. He needed that egg. He was the last known dragonlord as well. It was his right to have it, wasn't it?

He moved up the stairs a little more, into the shadows, as the man left the room.

"You heard didn't you?"

"Why aren't you going to help him?"

"Merlin … I don't trust him. If you came to me with a piece of it, I would happily do everything I could to help you find the other pieces. That dragon egg belongs with you or no one. And it looks like it will have to be no one. He is not to be trusted." Gaius sighed when he realise how harsh he sounded. "Just I don't trust him. He always has another motive. I would rather it lost than sold on the black market."

"No I understand."

"I could get the last piece and try and bargain with it."

Hunith raised her eyebrow at her son. "Gaius has told you the reasons why you shouldn't. I know that you want to go after it. I know you father would be exactly the same. But if Gaius doesn't trust him, then I doubt that you could bargain with it."

"Mother, it is a dragon egg. Killgharrah believes that he is the last dragon as I could be the last dragonlord. Shouldn't I have some say if it stays lost or whether it is brought into this world?"

"I understand where you are coming from Merlin. I really do. Balinor told me what it was like to speak to the dragons. He even took me to see Killgharrah. And don't go to him. You know what he will say. He will tell you to do it. You have to keep yourself safe. Please Merlin. There have been too many deaths over the last few months and I cannot lose you."

"Arthur! Good, I need you for a thing." Merlin said as he ran up to him, rubbing the back of his head.

One of these days, he will listen. Julius wasn't to be trusted and he had made of with the last piece of the Triskelion before running off. He had been woken up by one of his guards asking if he was alright. There was a sharp pain in the back of his head which he hoped would go away soon.

Arthur just snorted before walking off in the opposite direction.

"Come on Arthur. I cannot think of anyone else I would want by my side to do this."

He just ignored him. Merlin walked fast to be in front of him.

"You blame us for it. I know you do. Do you not think that we have tortured ourselves with what ifs as well? We wanted to help him. After everything he had done to our kind, we tried to save Uther Pendragon with magic. Maybe we should have checked but there is no need for you to act like an ass about it."

Merlin left him afterwards to let his words sink in. Maybe it was a little harsh.

Maybe the look on Lancelot's face made up for the fact that Arthur wasn't there. He watched as his eyes sparkled with awe at the beauty of the egg. It was still on it plinth, the sun reflecting off it. It made Merlin feel a little teary.

They had seen Julius' unconscious body lying by the door as they entered. Well Merlin hoped that he was unconscious. It would be a horrible way to go and so close to his prize as well. Not that he was going to get it. Merlin could picture the small dragon flying alongside Killgharrah. He couldn't wait for the dream to become a reality.

"Shall we take it home?" Lancelot muttered.

"Probably."

"It is beautiful."

"It is mine."

They both spun around to see Julius. He was unconscious.

"No. The dragons are a symbol of magic. Magic is of the earth. The dragon belongs to the earth." Merlin said.

"I did all the hard work. That egg will make me a king. You can join in. After all, you did give me a piece."

"I already am one and you aren't taking that egg."

The first thing that Morgana did when she saw him, was to try and brush all the dust out of his hair.

"I am sure this will make an interesting story."

Merlin smiled at her. "We went to the tomb. Julius had already done the honours of opening it for us. We probably shouldn't have stood staring at it for as long as we did but it was such a beautiful sight Morgana. The way that the sun reflected off the white shell. He tried to fight us for it but in the end he lost." He picked up the bag from behind him and opened it. "Because we have it."

She gently took it out and looked at it exactly the same as Lancelot did.

"When it was removed, the tomb collapsed. He won't be bothering us again. We only just made it out."

"So how … I mean is it still alive?"

"It should be." Killgharrah said as he landed.

"Then how?"

"I have to name it." Merlin replied. "Father told me about that. He told me to name any dragon egg I could come across as quickly as possible."

"Then I think it is time to call this one, don't you?"

Merlin took it out of Morgana's hands before placing it on the floor. He closed his eyes and remembered what his father had told him. The name would come to him apparently. He opened them and called in his deep voice. "Aithusa."

Seeing Morgana's face at the sight of the dragon was a thing of beauty and he was sure that he was never going to see it like that again. But part of him wished that Arthur had been with him. This would have maybe helped him to believe that magic was as beautiful as he once thought.