Aithusa
A/N: I would suggest going back and watching the episode, because I'm skimming over the first twenty minutes because I don't want to take the time to rewrite it. You'll be able to tell when my fix actually divulges from the episode.
Merlin woke to the sound of a late night visitor from Gaius. A man had come calling, by the name of Julius Borden. Gaius didn't want to help him on his quest to retrieve a dragon's egg, but after a conversation with Kilgharrah Merlin didn't feel the same way.
Borden said he could be found at the tavern nearby, and Merlin met him and formed a plan. After stealing the last part of the Triskellion, Borden betrayed him and left him with the key. Merlin returned it successfully to Arthur's room, when the warning bell rang and they met in the vaults to discuss who did this.
"The lock hasn't been damaged," Aggravaine said as Gaius walked in. "Which would suggest whoever it was had a key."
Uther's eyes narrowed on Gaius and Merlin as they entered the vaults. "Suspicious," he said loudly, "Since only two people have access to Arthur's bedroom," narrowing his eyes on Merlin.
"All these treasures, and this is all they were interested in," Arthur said. "What was in here?" Arthur asked, opening the small chest.
"I believe sire, one third of a Triskellion." Gaius said briskly. "A type of key that, according to legend, opens the ancient Tomb of Ashkanar."
"That tomb has a dragon's egg!" Uther exclaimed. "If you have been involved in this, boy," he growled at Merlin,
"He was not, and I can prove it," Gaius said, interrupting the king. "A man came by last night; he said he wanted to break into the vaults to get the key. He was trying to recruit me into the scheme. Since it was late and he had not yet committed any crime, I simply sent him away and told him it was impossible. I regret to say I was wrong, sire," Gaius said, hanging his head and taking the fall for Merlin yet again.
Uther regarded Gaius coldly. "We must stop this man from getting to the tomb. Within it lies a dragon's egg, and they can live thousands of years before hatching." Uther looked furious. "During the purge, I looked everywhere for the Triskellion, but it eluded me. Now you can correct that mistake," Uther said, turning to Arthur.
"You will go after this man, with a band of knights," Uther growled, clearly suspicious of Arthur, "and recover the dragon's egg before he does. I don't care what other treasures he finds, so long as the egg is ours." He swept angrily out of the vaults, leaving the rest of them standing there in silence.
"Well, that settles it then, lets get going." Arthur said, gesturing to Merlin as they left the vaults. "Ready our horses, we leave within the hour. I'm going to go fetch the knights of the round table," he said happily, clearly glad that he had men he could trust over his father.
After getting chastised by Gaius, they rode out after Julius Borden, Arthur talking to the company on the way out.
"My father always talks about dragons as beasts," he started saying, "But if he is wrong about magic, perhaps he is wrong about this. The legends always speak of dragons as wise and noble creatures. I would very much like to save this egg, so that we may see if it is true," Arthur said.
"The tales of the dragons were always my favorite growing up," Percival said. "The dragons and their dragonlords, sailing through the sky, fighting for good and equality." He smiled wistfully. "I know they were children's tales, but I always wished I could find out if it was true or not."
Arthur frowned. "Even if we recover this dragon, the last dragonlord died. Those days cannot return."
Merlin heard the sorrow in his voice, and badly wanted to correct Arthur on that notion. He wanted Arthur to know the truth about his father and himself, but he didn't want to do the telling. Merlin himself was so implicated in this one; he freed Kilgharrah, he didn't kill Kilgharrah after he attacked, he helped Borden steal the Triskellion piece, and now he was going to free the dragon… Merlin was very guilty this time.
Gwaine saw the distress on his face and mumbled quietly to Merlin, "You're hiding something again, aren't you."
Merlin looked to Gwaine. "Yep," was all he said as Arthur and Percival continued talking about the time of the old religion. It was very surreal to hear Arthur talk about it as if it were something he wanted back.
That night, after Merlin fed the knights and the horses, a surprise greeted them. A bunch of the druids walked brazenly up to their camp, with no fear in their eyes and no hesitance in their stride. He was woken by them speaking directly into his mind.
Emrys, they murmured into his mind, and Merlin shot awake to see them all standing around his camp.
"Guys," Merlin said to the knights, waking them quickly. They were trained to be sensitive to noises when out on patrol, or anywhere that wasn't Camelot. They sat up to join Merlin in looking at the druids.
"Iseldir," Arthur said, breaking out into a small smile.
"Do not be afraid," Iseldir addressed everyone. "We know your quest."
"How?" Arthur asked, a little suspiciously as he stood. The rest of the company followed suit.
"The man you seek also stole from us." He said solemnly. "He passed this way not three hours before you."
"Where did he go?" Arthur asked him quickly.
"To the east," Iseldir replied quickly in the darkness. "But you must be wary, Arthur Pendragon. The legends tell a tale that only the druids know."
After a couple moments silence, Merlin asked "What do they say?" Well aware of the weight of the eyes upon Emrys. He would be shocked if the others didn't notice it themselves.
"Ashkanar was a wise man. He knew one day men would come seeking, to disturb his rest. The Triskellion is not just a key. It is also a trap." Iseldir spoke with authority.
"What do you mean, what kind of trap?" Merlin asked quickly.
"I do not know, but the legends are very clear. You must beware." You must beware, Emrys, Another druid murmured into his mind.
"There is one other thing the legends say," Iseldir said. "'Only when the way ahead seems impossible, will you have found it.'"
They began to walk away silently, but Arthur called after them. "Why are you helping us?" he asked.
They stopped, and Iseldir turned around to look at Arthur. "We do not want to see the last dragon egg in the hands of this man anymore than you do," he said. Then they began their procession back into the forest.
Arthur settled back down into his bedroll, as did the others, and all that was said was "At least we know for sure there's a dragon's egg now, not just legends." They all fell asleep again, Merlin with the weight of his secrets heavy on his mind.
When they woke, they could find no trace of Borden anywhere. But with the druid's advice they headed east, and began to find traces of him in the travel. His tracks led directly to a cave; a dead end.
"'Only when the way ahead seems impossible, will you have found it.'" Elyan repeated. "He must have known," he said, pointing down at a footprint between the rocks, pointing into the cave.
Later that evening found the band of knights yet again giving Merlin grief by withholding food. He was sent out to collect firewood, and when he returned he found all of the knights sleeping. He fondly went to clean out the pot, and found a curious packet of dried herbs in the pot. He dimly sensed some magic on it, a weak sleeping enchantment. It was that moment that he heard the knights breath rattling.
The packet was poison, and it was stopping their breathing. Merlin knew he didn't have much time, he rushed over to Arthur and healed him quickly. "Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare!" He said quickly, Arthur's breath evening out. He cured all of the other knights, and them roughly woke Gwaine.
"Wh-what?" He said as hew as roused.
"He tried to poison you! I healed everyone with my magic - I think he's going to the tomb!" Merlin said. "We have to stop him."
Gwaine looked around, and raised his voice. "Guys, he's going for the tomb! We have to stop him!" Merlin swore, he didn't want to explain how he knew this. There was no good way out of it. He shot Gwaine a look, and whispered "Now I'll have to hide!"
"Not if you don't want to," Gwaine said, and Merlin saw what he was trying to do. He wanted to be mad at Gwaine for it, but he understood what the boisterous man's motivations were, and couldn't stay mad.
Luckily, Arthur nor anyone else questioned him, and they rushed off to the tomb.
When they arrived, they found the door open and Borden passed out.
"Percival, stand guard," Arthur said. "We'll go on ahead to get the egg."
They entered the great hall, and saw piles of treasure. The hall was filled with piles of gold, jewels and other wealth, but Merlin had eyes only for the blue teardrop-shaped egg in the center. He put his hands on the egg, when Borden roared "Stop!"
He let go, and the company turned to the man, his hand raised in fight. "I quickly disposed of your man, and can do the same to you," he growled. "Let me take the egg and I will leave in peace."
"It is not yours to take," Merlin ground back. Arthur was shocked by the venom in his voice, and remembered how edgy Merlin had been during this whole trip. Maybe there was an element to this Arthur didn't know.
"I have spent my life on finding it! If it is anyone's, it is mine!" Borden yelled. "I will have riches and glory on the back of this beast, and none of you can stop me." His eyes focused on Arthur. "Not even Prince Pendragon."
"It is not anyone's!" Merlin roared back. "And it is not a beast! They are independent, magical creatures, and should be free to roam the earth." Merlin raised his arm and pointed at Borden, and Arthur felt that the situation was going to quickly get out of hand.
Borden clenched his outstretched hand, and yelled "Ástillian!" And the knights were immobilized. Merlin alone was left able to walk, as Borden approached him,
"What can you do to stop me?" He jeered. "You are just a serving boy."
Merlin looked at Arthur as he looked back, and realized that there was nothing for it.
"I am more than a serving boy." Merlin looked Borden right in the eyes. "I am the last dragonlord," Merlin said regally, and in his peripheral vision he saw everyone's eyes widen, especially Arthur's. Fear filled Borden's face, and Merlin took his chance.
He let the voice he share with Kilgharrah rip through him, and roared with the voice of a dragon, just like he did when his father was struck down. A primitive desire filled him to protect the baby dragon at all costs.
Borden was blown back and fell unconscious when he hit the ground, his magic releasing and all the knights were mobilized. Arthur was staring at him in abject shock. Merlin turned around and grabbed the egg, and the tomb started to crumble.
"Run!" He yelled, and they all hightailed it out of the tomb, and saw it collapse on top of Borden spectacularly as the ran up the hill, the egg cradled in Merlin's arms.
When they stopped up on the top of the hill, out of breath, Arthur said "So you're a dragonlord?" He asked, doubled over to catch his breath.
"Yeah," Merlin affirmed, equally out of breath. "Balinor was my father."
Arthur turned to look at Merlin. "You told me you didn't know who your father was."
"Gaius told me the day we rode out to find him, when Kilgharrah attacked the castle." Merlin flinched, seeing his mistake.
"Kilgharrah, the great dragon? It has a name?" He asked incredulously. "How would you know it's name?" He asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Merlin looked up to the sky, praying to the gods he would somehow make it through this discussion okay. His lies about the dragon were about to come tumbling down like a house of cards.
"We..." He started uncertainly, and then dipped his head in defeat. "We're friends," he said weakly.
"Friends?!" Arthur exclaimed. "With the dragon that killed dozens of people!" Arthur threw his hands up and turned to the rest of the knights incredulously. They all looked back at him with equal surprise, and he turned to Merlin again, his eyes narrowed in anger.
"Tell me you weren't the one who freed him," Arthur said with narrowed eyes.
"Arthur," Merlin began, praying Arthur would give him a chance to explain. He did not.
"I trusted you!" Arthur screamed. "I trusted you all these years, and you betrayed me!" He exclaimed, hands in the air.
"My hands were tied!" Merlin yelled back. "If I didn't, Camelot itself would have fallen!" He mentally willed Arthur to give him a chance to explain.
"It almost did when Kilgharrah attacked," Arthur yelled, using the dragons name scathingly. "Go on, do your explaining," Arthur said with disgust. "You seem to be doing that a lot lately," he said to Merlin, a comment designed to hurt.
And hurt it did. It felt like a lance had pierced Merlin's heart as he said, "it was during Morgana and Morgause's attack with the Knights of Medhir. I didn't know what was happening and asked him for help. He said that for my help, I had to promise to free him using one of the Medhir swords; they were the only thing strong enough to break his bonds." Merlin raised his voice for the next words, making sure Arthur understood. "Without his help, everyone would have been slaughtered by the knights. He's who told me Morgana betrayed us, he told me Morgana was the source of the spell."
"You're a god damned dragonlord!" Arthur yelled back. "You couldn't make him promise not to harm Camelot or something?"
Arthur's anger weighed on Merlin heavily, and all the guilt over the attack he harboured came rising to the surface, and he felt he could yell no more. His response to Arthur was quiet and solemn. "A dragonlord's powers only come to fruition after their father dies."
Arthur froze, remembering how he had chastised Merlin for crying over Balinor's death, and the memory blunted his anger somewhat. Merlin continued, seeing Arthur calm. "I had already promised him I'd release him before, and didn't want to risk waiting anymore. Worse may have happened."
"That's a real shitty situation you got yourself in, Merlin," Arthur commented, eyes focused squarely on the manservant in front of him. "What made you think it was a good idea to talk to the great dragon in the first place?" He asked, stunned.
"Ok, this is a little weird," Merlin admitted before he forged ahead, "But he called out to me - in my mind. If there was a voice speaking to you in your mind - calling your name, I might add, you'd go after it, wouldn't you."
Arthur folded his arms and grimaced. "Fine, just... Did I really kill him?" He asked, seething.
Merlin smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. "Not even a little. He is a thousand year old dragon, Arthur, I doubt a lance in his side would do anything," he admitted. "I'm surprised Uther ever bought the story." Merlin paused, and Arthur waited for him to continue.
Merlin dropped the smile as he said, "When you were knocked unconscious, I ordered him in the dragon language to leave Camelot, and never harm her people again. When a dragonlord commands a dragon in the draconian tongue," Merlin said,
"He must obey," Percival finished. He was looking at Merlin with abject awe, and the rest of the knights were looking at him with a mixture of awe and shock. Arthur still stood angrily at the head of the group.
"Well I suppose that makes the dragon your responsibility, so..." Arthur trailed off, brusquely gesturing to the egg in Merlin's arms. "Are there any more secrets?" He asked roughly.
Merlin sighed. "Yes."
Arthur stalked away, and the company set off back towards their camp.
During the walk, Merlin said "I.. If I'm being honest, I don't really know what to do with it. I need to call Kilgharrah and ask him..." He said, trailing off and letting the question hang in the air. Would Arthur like to meet the dragon?
The others had their interest piqued, and Percival looked outright excited at the prospect. It was an odd thing to see, the ordinarily reserved knight looking like a child at the winter festival.
"Fine," Arthur said brusquely. "You'll need to anyways, better while we're far from Camelot." He kept marching forward.
"We'll need to find a clearing..." Merlin said uncertainly.
"Fine," Arthur snapped, and Merlin thought it wise to ask no more questions.
Very unsure of what he was about to do, he lifted his head to the sky and roared once more, "Ωδρακον, έάω μαλερός σοφόνους φθέγγομαι τείδε άναδικέω!" shocking everyone around him as he called into the sky.
Arthur looked back with anger in his eyes, and Merlin shrugged, as if to say 'What were you expecting?' Merlin knew Arthur's anger wasn't about his abilities, it was about lying and bringing harm to Camelot, albeit accidentally.
A short while later, they had returned to the large clearing near the tomb with their camping materials in tow. Kilgharrah arrived, landing in front of the company with his eyes fixated on the prince in front of him. Arthur and the knights drew their swords
"Prince Arthur of Camelot," Kilgharrah said, bowing to him. "It is a pleasure to meet you again."
"And yet you slaughtered my people!" Arthur swore, unable to check his tongue. His fear at the dragon was overcome by his anger.
"And Uther slaughtered mine," Kilgharrah replied in kind. "Every single one of them, but me. Tell me, young prince, if some magical creature slaughtered every human but you, and you alone, how would you feel?" His eyes peered down at Arthur's as he stretched his neck high, regally.
Fear shivered through Arthur as he saw Kilgharrah's point, and kept his mouth shut. He wanted to hold it against the dragon, but could not deny that in this case, it was Uther who was wrong.
"But it seems I am not alone anymore," Kilgharrah said as Merlin took the egg out of the bag, turning his attention to his kin.
"It would seem not," Merlin said, a smile splitting his face as it did Kilgharrah's. "Is it still alive?" He asked, concerned.
"It can live for more than a thousand years," Kilgharrah said, happiness in his voice. It was indeed, still alive.
"When will it hatch?" Merlin asked.
"Young dragons were called into the world by the dragonlords," Kilgharrah said. "Only they had the power to summon them from the egg. As the last dragonlord, this solemn duty falls to you, Merlin." He smiled as he peered down at the young warlock.
"How do I summon it?" Merlin queried Kilgharrah, as he stared down at the egg in his hands.
"You must give the dragon, a name." Kilgharrah informed Merlin.
Merlin held out the egg at arms length, and considered it deeply. The rest of the company were looking between the two with amazement in their gazes once more, aware that they were witnessing something both rare and powerful, something not many men saw, even in the time of the old religion.
Merlin closed his eyes, and reached out towards the dragon in the egg with his magic, searching for the dragon's name. It felt warm and hopeful, so innocent and waiting on a dragonlord to release it. It's warmth and light filled Merlin from the inside as he said, "Aithusa," his voice coming out deep as a dragon's.
He felt the egg crack in his hands, and felt the dragon poke it's nose out from the egg. The egg wiggled in his hands as Aithusa crawled out of it,
"A white dragon is indeed a rare thing," Kilgharrah said as the white dragon poked out from the shell, cooing at Merlin. "And fitting, too - for in the dragon tongue, you named him after the light of the sun. No dragon birth is without meaning; sometimes the meaning is hard to see, but this time I believe it is clear. The white dragon bodes well for Albion. For you, for Arthur, and for the land that you will build together."
Aithusa crawled fully out of the shell, and stood in it extending her wings. Kilgharrah folded his legs and sat down, as Aithusa crawled up Merlin's shoulder, ticking his arm. Merlin laughed in happiness, and he felt the happiness of the baby dragon on his shoulder.
Percival walked forward, a fist outstretched to let the baby dragon smell, as if she were a puppy. Aithusa cooed at Percival, and he put his thumb on her head as she pressed into the pressure. Gwaine and Elyan were next to walk forward, crowding around Aithusa.
"She's beautiful," Merlin said, as proud as if she were his own child. The others could see the love on his face, and for the first time in their lives understood what it meant when the tales said that dragonlords shared the souls of dragons.
Leon even came up after a couple of minutes, wanting to see the baby dragon for itself. It was not vicious or mean, and enjoyed the peoples company, since she knew they meant no harm.
Arthur was the only one who held back, skeptical of dragons in general and actively afraid of Kilgharrah. He knew, intellectually, that Aithusa was not evil, but a fear of dragons had been instilled in him since birth.
Eventually, though, even Arthur came towards the baby dragon, and it leapt towards him as it did Merlin. It was a new day for the people of Camelot.
A/N: I thought it would be amusing to put the actual dragon language down.
Translation: "Ωδρακον, έάω μαλερός σοφόνους φθέγγομαι τείδε άναδικέω!": O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!: O dragon, permit the appeal for an audience to speak here, fierce, wise-minded one.
I wrote the tomb with piles of treasure, because I thought it was a little ridiculous that that room was gigantic and there was only the egg. Where was the wealth Gaius mentioned?
Arthur still had the vault key because I'd imagine Uther would delegate the running to and fro from the vaults to his more active son.
And Borden had magic, because it seemed a little ridiculous that a mundane man thought he could control a dragon, at least for very long. They get to be horse-sized rather quickly.