Life Outside of the Shadows

by TreeOfLife1997

Based at the end of series four. When Merlin reveals his magic to save the life of Isolde, has he just sacrificed Albion's golden future? Or has he just began the new age? Arthur and the knights must come to terms with Merlin's magic. So with a little help from Taliesin, they watch Merlin's adventures. And with a new form of dark magic rising, will all be learnt before all is lost?

46. Chapter 45

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter forty-five: The wicked day and Aithusa.

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In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man his name…. Merlin.

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In Camelot a circus is just arriving to perform at Arthur's birthday feast, Merlin is watching them with excitement from Arthur's room. Arthur appears behind him and isn't the slightest bit impressed, Merlin tells him it must be a terrible burden to have such birthday celebrations and Arthur tells Merlin he has the mind of a child. Yet Merlin is still more intelligent than Arthur. In the main hall the preforms are setting up their acts and are preparing a celebration Arthur will never forget. Elsewhere in the castle Arthur is talking to Uthur about what the council have been discussing and Uthur tells him he should not talk about such things today, it's his birthday. Arthur tells him there are plans for his birthday celebration and Uthur tells him he wouldn't miss it.

Gwaine looks at Arthur. "How could you not be excited? You got a whole circus performing for you!"

"I don't have the mind of a child, Gwaine." Arthur answers. "Unlike you, who seems quite impressed with a man throwing sticks in the air."

"No, he doesn't have a mind of a child," Percival answers. "He simply enjoyed the celebrations, due to the fact he got free mead and wine."

Gwen shakes her head. "You shouldn't talk about matters of state on your birthday Arthur, it the one day you can really enjoy yourself."

"I was regent," Arthur answers. "I did not have time to enjoy myself, I was running the kingdom."

Leon shakes his head. "We should have known they were planning something."

"I doubt you could ever have known they were planning something," Tristan answers. "Circus acts have a lot of dangerous acts, knife throwing is simply one of them."

Isolde nodes. "You could never have known."

Later that night the circus perform at Arthur feast. Merlin watches with a smile, the knight's watch and cheer, Arthur and Uthur also watch, smile and laugh. At last the man doing the knife throwing asks for a volunteer, when no one speaks up, he asks Arthur and he agrees. As Arthur hands Merlin he cloak, the two of them exchange a few words. Arthur is tied up on the wheel and Merlin and Gwen watch with worry as the knives are thrown, even Uthur looks slightly worried. Everyone is relieved when it's over and Arthur is perfectly fine, Arthur returns to his seat and Merlin hands him his cloak. The knife thrower talks to his companion, telling him the sedative on the apple will take effect in a couple of hour and Arthur will be completely defenceless.

"He worked his plan well," Elyan mutters. "If Arthur had refused to be the volunteer, he would have appeared a coward in front of the whole court."

Leon nodes. "Do you think Merlin knew they were planning something, or was he just worried Arthur would get hurt if one of them missed."

"I think," Gaius speaks up. "Merlin thought both, if one knife was to miss and kill Arthur, it would be the perfect cover for an assassination and you could never prove the knife thrower killed Arthur purposely."

Gwen grips Arthur's arm as she watches the knives being thrown a second time. "I was so worried something was going to go wrong."

Arthur smiled slightly. "I'm sorry I worried you."

"Did Merlin use magic to slow down the knife?" Percival asks.

Taliesin shakes his head. "He made his sight speed up, making everything else appear slower."

"There was a sedative on the apple," Tristan mutters. "They really worked there plan out well."

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Later that night, Arthur returns to his chamber with the help of Merlin. He appears to be drunk and walks into a pillar, much to Merlin amusement. After Arthur declares he is glad Uthur enjoyed himself that night, he decides to go and visit his father. Merlin tells him, he doesn't think that's a good idea, Arthur asks why and Merlin tells him it's because he isn't wearing any trousers. And so Arthur makes his way to his father's chamber, but fails to notice he's being followed. Once Arthur has vanished from sight, the knife thrower knocks out the guards and steals a sword.

"Drunk already, princess?" Gwaine laughs. "You didn't even drink that much!"

"I was not drunk!" Arthur snaps.

"I believe," Gaius speaks up. "Arthur appeared drunk due to the sedative they placed on the apple…. If Arthur was to just pass out, it would cause a lot of suspicion and possibly cause panic."

Leon nodes. "If Arthur had passed out, he would have been placed under heavy guard and the assassins would never have been able to get past them all."

Elyan grins. "How did you not notice your trousers had fallen down?"

"My mind had been drugged with a sedative," Arthur mutters. "So it wasn't working properly."

"No change there then." Gwaine grins.

Meanwhile Arthur has taken a seat beside his father. He notices the reflection of the knife thrower come up behind him, wielding a sword. He quickly grabs a sword and defends himself, but he sedative is taking affect and Arthur ends up on the floor, weapon less and hardly able to move. As the knife thrower goes to kill Arthur, Uthur grabs Arthur's fallen sword and defends his son. The knife thrower and Uthur battle, as Arthur can only watch. At last Uthur gets the upper hand, as he kills the knife thrower, but the knife thrower drives a knife into Uthur's side. Arthur just manages to catch Uthur as he falls, as the two of them lie on the floor, Uthur tells Arthur he always loved him and he knows Arthur will make him proud.

Leon shakes his head. "We should really have put more than two guards there…. Anyone could have got past them."

"It was the kings' chambers," Percival reminds him. "You would have to have got through the whole castle and past all the guards on patrol to get there."

Elyan nodes his agreement. "No one was expecting an attack from within the castle."

"We should have been prepared…. We knew Morgana was active again, we should have known she'd try something at least." Arthur sighs.

"But Morgana didn't send them," Gwen speaks up. "It was King Odin."

"It was Agravaine who said they were sent by King Odin," Gwaine speaks up. "How do we know that wasn't just a cover for his and Morgana's plan?"

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The following day in Camelot, Gaius has finished checking on the king. Arthur and Gwen are also present. Arthur tells Gaius there has to be something they can do, but Gaius informs him there is nothing they can do, the blade had touched Uthur heart, causing internal bleeding and it was only a matter of time before Uthur died. Merlin watches all this from near the door. Later in the council hall Agravaine tells Arthur they traced the assassin to Odin's kingdom and Odin was the one responsible for the attack. Merlin appears seconds after Agravaine has left, Uthur's condition has not changed and there was nothing more Gaius could do. Later that night Agravaine goes to visit Morgana and tells her Uthur is dying. Morgana tells Agravaine they must strike the kingdom while Arthur is emotional weak, but Agravaine warns her to pick her moment carefully.

Gaius sighs sadly. "I am truly sorry Arthur, but there was nothing I could do for him."

"You practice magic, Gaius," Arthur replies. "Could you have saved him?"

Gaius shakes his head. "Uthur was too close to death, for a sorcerer of my power to save him…. Even Merlin might not have been able to save him, without a death of someone else to take Uthur's place."

"But whose life would Merlin have traded?" Isolde asks.

"He would have traded his own, wouldn't he?" Gwen asks, slightly horrified. "If a life had to be given to save Uthur, he would have given his own."

"I fear he may have," Gaius answers. "Merlin would never have sacrifice the life of another, when it could have been his."

"But why would Merlin do that?" Tristan asks. "If Merlin had healed Uthur I doubt Uthur would have thanked him."

The following day Arthur watches as Gwen tidies Uthur's room. Arthur tells Gwen he can't watch his father die, they was still too much he wanted to tell him. That night Merlin watches from one of the windows in Arthur's chambers, as the people of Camelot gather in the court yard holding candles, he only looks away when Arthur enters the room. Arthur joins Merlin at the window, he tells Merlin the people may have given up hope of his father's recovery, but he won't. Merlin tells Arthur it's hard to accept, but nothing more can be done for his father. Arthur quickly tells him one thing can be done to heal his father, he can be healed with magic. To say Merlin is surprised is an understatement.

Gwen grips Arthur's hand. "I know how hard it was for you, Arthur, but Uthur's time in this world had come to an end."

"He ruled his kingdom for many years," Leon agrees. "He had lived his life to the full and he…."

"He was broken, Uthur would never have recovered from Morgana's betrayal," Gaius speaks up. "As much as he appeared to be recovering, it would have only taken Morgana to attack again and he to return to state he was in."

Arthur shakes his head. "He would have recovered."

Gaius shakes his head. "In body, maybe. But in heart and soul, he was broken…. Even if Morgana hadn't placed the charm on Uthur, he may still have died. His body was weak and may not have been able to cope with such powerful magic."

"Mortals cannot live for ever," Percival speaks up. "Uthur would have died at some stage and he would never have been well enough to take the thrown."

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Later Merlin tells Gaius Arthur is planning on using magic to heal his father, Gaius is also highly surprised. Gaius warns Merlin he cannot expose himself like this, if he was to try and heal Uthur. Merlin tells Gaius he'll heal Uthur in the form of Dragoon, Gaius warns him, last time he used the ageing spell, he almost got burnt at the stake and Merlin tells him it's worth the risk. Gaius tells Merlin Uthur won't be thankful and would more than likely have him hanged, Merlin tells him he knows Uthur will never change, but this could prove to Arthur that not all magic is evil. Gaius tells Merlin he can't stand by and let Merlin do this, Merlin warns him, not to try and stop him, because he's going to do this. Gaius warns him, he's playing a dangerous game, Merlin just smiles and answers, he's been playing a dangerous game since the first time he set foot in Camelot.

"That boy," Gaius sighs. "There are times I wonder how he still has that head of his, on his shoulders."

Tristan shakes his head. "Merlin is brave…. He would risk his life, to heal the man who would have him killed for the way he was born…. That takes some real courage, to heal and save the life of your enemy, all the while knowing he could be killed for it."

"If that was me," Isolde mutters. "I wouldn't have risked it…. Like Gaius said, the last time Merlin used the ageing spell, he was almost burnt at the stake."

"Merlin plays a dangerous game," Gaius speaks. "A game that if he loses will result in the loss of his life."

"Who would have thought sweet, innocent, Merlin was in truth a gabbler." Gwaine grins, trying to lighten the mood.

Later still Merlin returns to Arthur's chambers to talk to him about the use of magic to heal his father. Merlin tells Arthur, Gaius knows of an old man who may be able to help. Arthur tells Merlin to gather supplies, they ride at first light, but not before asking Merlin, if he would do the same to save his father. After Merlin has gone, Arthur goes to see Agravaine and tells him he planning on using magic to heal his father. Agravaine tells Arthur not to do this, his mother died because of magic, but Arthur tells Agravaine, his mind is made up.

"I shouldn't have asked about Merlin's father." Arthur mutters. "He died in his arms and he could do nothing to save…. He couldn't even use magic."

Gwen places a comforting hand on his arm. "You couldn't have known about Merlin's father, he never told you."

"Yet he should have been able to trust me enough as a friend to have told me." Arthur replies.

Gaius shakes his head. "Being a dragon lord put Merlin at risk of people finding out about his magic…. Merlin could not take that risk."

"And that's where everything started to go wrong," Percival mutters. "Agravaine will no doubt tell Morgana about your plan to heal Uthur with magic and she'll do all in her power to stop it."

"You would have thought, she'd let Uthur be healed with magic," Elyan mutters. "It would prove to Arthur magic can be used for good and magic would be freed once Arthur became king."

Gwaine shakes his head. "Morgana didn't want magic freed, she wanted the thrown."

"Maybe if she was simply fighting for magic to be freed, she would have let Uthur be healed." Leon nodes. "But all she was fighting for was the throne."

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The following day, Arthur and Merlin ride out to try and find the sorcerer who might heal Uthur. They arrive at an old hunt, which reminds Arthur of charcoal makers hunt. Merlin tells him, a sorcerer can hardly make a living using magic. As Arthur makes his way to the hunt, Merlin stays with the horses and Arthur has never before meet someone who is so scared so often. Arthur enters the hut to find it empty and returns outside, just in time to see Merlin making his way into the woods. After asking Merlin where he is going, Merlin tells him he needs to pee. Merlin makes sure Arthur has gone onto the hut before he finds a place to hide and quickly casts the spell.

Elyan smiles. "Merlin is right, sorcerers can't make a living using magic, but I highly doubt the charcoal making business is the best way of making money."

"I don't think there are many things that truly scare Merlin," Gwaine grins. "Least of all himself."

Arthur turns to Gwaine. "I didn't know Merlin was going to be the sorcerer who tried to heal my father."

"I think you'll find," Taliesin speaks up. "Merlin fears himself more than anything he has ever faced. He fears he own power and that one day his powers will corrupt him…."

"Why would he fear his own power," Percival asks. "He is the kindest person I know…. He has no lust for power."

"Merlin's is the strongest being of magic to have ever lived or will ever live," Taliesin answers. "He has the power that can match any god and a heart purer than gold…. But even gold can be tainted with elements that are not pure."

Back in the hut, Arthur is looking round, he knocks a pot off the table with his sword. He quickly kicks as many prices as he can, under the table, with his foot, but suddenly Dragoon appears through the door. As Arthur reaches for his sword, Dragoon asks him, if he has come to kill him. Arthur tells him that was not his intension, as Dragoon makes his way toward Arthur, he stands on a piece of the broken pot. Arthur admits to breaking the pot, Dragoon hands Arthur and broom and makes him sweep up the broken pot. Dragoon then demands to know why Arthur has come here, he was sure it wasn't just to break his favourite pot and Arthur admits if he had known who he was he would never have come. But as Arthur leaves Dragoon tells Arthur the reason he came and Arthur asks him if he'll help. Arthur tells him he'll do anything if his father is healed. Dragoon tells Arthur he does not want gold, he simply wants him and his kin to be able to practice magic freely and not be hunted.

"Arthur!" Gwen exclaims. "You have to be more careful! You cannot go into other people homes and just destroy their possessions!"

"Merlin didn't live there," Arthur answers. "It was just some old hut he was using."

"And how would you know?" Gwen asks. "Merlin could have known the person who lived there and asked them if he was able to use it."

"Merlin couldn't have known someone who lived that far from Camelot." Arthur answers. "He doesn't have the time to travel that far!"

"Merlin has disappeared for weeks on end and never told us where he's been," Gwen answers. "He could have gone anywhere!"

Gwaine nodes his agreement. "You never know a druid could have lived there and offered Merlin help, he is their king after all."

"Druids live in the woods or in caves," Arthur answer. "They do not live in huts."

"Druids do not live in caves and small camps in the middle of forest through choice," Tristan snorts. "They live there because it safe from people like your father and easy to escape from if they are attacked."

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Dragoon agrees to help heal Uthur, after Arthur swears people like Dragoon will not have to live in fear once he is king. Arthur tells Dragoon they have to leave now, he can have Merlin's horse and Dragoon disagrees. Dragoon tells Arthur he will come to Camelot at night fall, but no sooner. Once Arthur agrees and tells him where to meet him at nightfall, Dragoon makes Arthur wait in the hut until he's gone. Once outside, Dragoon finds a place to hide and downs a potion quickly. Back in the hut Arthur sits down, sniffs a cup and almost knocks it over twice. After getting bored, Arthur leaves the hut and looks for Merlin, who appears out the trees. After Arthur decides there is something really wrong with Merlin they head back to Camelot.

"That is all Merlin has ever wanted," Gaius sighs. "He just wants to be free."

Gwen smiles sadly. "He can never return to Camelot…. Well least not until magic is legal."

"When I return to Camelot," Arthur vows. "I will make the peace we have with the druid's official…. But I fear it will be a while until the council are convinced magic is an ally, not an enemy."

Leon smiles. "Merlin complains about the excuses Gaius come up with yet he lets Arthur believe he had to pee for the whole time Arthur was speaking to Dragoon."

"Yeah," Percival agree. "He could have simply said there were some herbs in the area that Gaius wanted him to pick and it would save him having to come back later."

Back in Camelot Merlin starts looking for a spell capable of healing Uthur, as he tells Gaius everything went fine, other than the fact Arthur thinks Merlin has something seriously wrong with his bladder. If this works, Merlin and his kind will never have to hide again. Gaius again warns Merlin is something goes wrong he could pay with his life. Merlin tells Gaius he lives with the risk of being exposed every day, his destiny was to return magic to the land once Arthur was king and maybe this was the time. And so Merlin begins to search through books for a spell to heal Uthur, after being able to find none, Gaius gives him a book with a spell in it. Elsewhere Agravaine is riding out of Camelot to inform Morgana of Arthur's plan to heal Uthur. Morgana enchants a necklaces, bounding it to the left hand power, Agravaine has to place it around Uthur neck and it will reverse any healing magic and increase it tenfold.

Gwaine glares at the screen. "How could Agravaine even want to side with her? That was quite clearly dark magic!"

"Agravaine was hungry for power and blinded by lust," Taliesin speaks. "He believed by siding with Morgana, he would gain more power and would rule by Morgana's side."

"What is the left hand path?" Gwen asks, turning to Gaius.

"In basic terms," Gaius explains. "The left hand path, is dark and black magic. Magic such as necromancy, voodoo, summoning demons of the other world and invoking the spirits of dead for dark purposes."

"Would Merlin practice magic like that?" Elyan asks.

"Merlin is a high priest of the old religion," Taliesin explains. "He has spent time in Avalon, during which time he learnt the ways of the high priesthood…. High priests practice both the left and right hand paths of magic."

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Back in Camelot Gwen has just finished tending to Uthur, when she looks up to find someone standing in the door way to the room and its Agravaine. Agravaine sends Gwen of to collect fore wood to start a fire, so Uthur will not be effected by the cold. As soon as Gwen has gone Agravaine walks over to the bed and places the charm around Uthur's neck. Back in Gaius's chamber, Gaius is helping Merlin prepare the spell he's going to use to try and heal Uthur. Suddenly they hear Arthur calling from the corridor outside Gaius's chamber and Merlin quickly finds a place to hide, as Arthur enters. When Arthur asks where Merlin is, Gaius recommends checking the tavern. Arthur leaves shutting the door behind him, revealing Merlin, who had hide behind it. And Merlin isn't the slightest but impressed Gaius had used the tavern excuse again and asks him if he canonise the second or third idea that pops into his head next time. Soon after Merlin leaves to go and meet Arthur in the form of Dragoon.

Gwen shuts her eyes for a second. "I shouldn't have left."

"Agravaine would only have dismissed you," Elyan mutters. "And you would have gotten into trouble had you refused the orders of a lord."

"I believe Merlin and I are also to blame," Gaius speaks up. "We should have known Arthur would tell Agravaine and we should have known Agravaine would tell Morgana…. Both of us should have known Morgana would've done something like that."

Gwaine laughs. "Merlin was hiding behind the door, princess! You should really check your surroundings more."

"Merlin could have been an assassin," Leon agrees. "You really need to be more observant."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "I doubt Gaius would have just stood there, if Merlin had been an assassin."

Arthur stands waiting for Dragoon who soon appears behind him. As Arthur and Dragoon make their way through a secret passage, into the castle, Dragoon stops for rest, much to the annoyance of Arthur, who is then forced to carry him. Arthur dismisses the guards and Dragoon makes his way into the kings' chamber. After Arthur voices his doubt on using magic to save his father, Dragoon begins the spell he hopes will heal the king. Dragoon is forced to use magic to knock Arthur out before fleeing, hiding and taking the potion to return him to his normal form. Merlin returns to Uthur's chambers in time to hear Gaius tell Arthur the king is dead.

Elyan smiles as Merlin pretty much uses Arthur as a horse. "Merlin's revenge."

Gwaine laughs. "Or he could have just done it for fun! I mean he wouldn't do that for fun?"

"That spell," Taliesin speaks up. "Is one of the most powerful healing spells known…. A lesser sorcerer would not have had the power or the skill to cast such a spell."

Arthur shakes his head, tears glitter, unshed in his eyes. "We should have all known Morgana would interfere…. We all knew how much she wanted him dead."

"We couldn't have known Morgana would have done something like that," Leon speaks up. "We had no idea that Agravaine was working for Morgana. We didn't believe we had a traitor in the court."

"If Agravaine dares to show his face in Camelot again..." Arthur threatens, darkly. "He'll pay for helping Morgana kill my father."

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Merlin and Gaius return to the physicians' quarters. Merlin doesn't understand what went wrong, the spell had been working. Gaius shows Merlin the charm he found around Uthur's neck, explains what it purpose was and they both agree this was the work of Morgana. Elsewhere Agravaine has just arrived at Morgana's hovel and Morgana tells him Uthur is dead. When Agravaine asks how she knows, she tells him she felt it, she felt his pain and she seemed slightly upset. Agravaine tells her she should be celebrating and Morgana tells him, she will not celebrate until the throne is hers. Agravaine promises her, Arthur will fail.

Gaius sighs. "Merlin believed he killed the king, because he wasn't strong enough to cast the spell completely…. I think it was a slight relief when he found out it wasn't his fault."

"Morgana is a coward," Tristan mutters. "If she wanted Uthur dead so badly she should killed him herself, not let someone else take the blame and nearly die as a result."

Isolde nodes. "Morgana seems to do that a lot…. She was going to let Gwen be killed by the Dorocha rather than kill her."

"She seemed upset," Gwen points out. "When Agravaine arrived to inform her of Uthur's death."

"She said she felt Uthur's death and the pain he felt," Elyan points out. "She could have been in pain still."

Gaius shakes his head. "No, I think she was upset about his passing…. It showed her what the consequences of choosing her path were and at some level she regretted her choice…. Uthur was like a father to her, was her father. Before her hate and fear corrupted her she loved him, like any daughter loves their father."

Elsewhere Arthur is sitting in his room, Merlin enters and apologises for Arthur lose and wishes he could have done something. Arthur tells him it wasn't his fault a d he was the only one to blame, if he hadn't used magic to try and heal his father, his father wouldn't be dead. Merlin tells Arthur, it wasn't his fault, Uthur was dying and maybe nothing could have saved him. Arthur simply tells Merlin magic is pure evil, it killed both his parents and he would trust magic again. There is a knock on the door, Arthur gets to his feet and leaves the room. Merlin just watches him go.

Arthur bows his head, slightly in shame. "I was so angry, that Merlin never trusted me enough to tell me he was a warlock and now I understand why…. Every time I have come close to accepting magic, something happens and it only hardens my heart against it."

"It must have been hard for him," Gwen nodes. "To have to live in a place where everyone would hates you, if they ever found out who you were."

"Possibly even kill you," Elyan adds. "If you couldn't escape."

"Merlin did everything in his power to save your father," Gaius mutters. "But fate just wasn't on his side."

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Arthur walks to where Uthur has been laid on his death bed, in the throne room, ready to be taken his place in the burial chambers below the castle, the following day and kneels beside it. Merlin and Gaius shut the doors to the throne room after Arthur enters, before sitting down in the corridor outside. Merlin tells Gaius this was all this fault, he killed the king and now Arthur will never accept magic…. Arthur would never know who Merlin truly was. Gaius tries to explain to Merlin, he didn't kill the king, Morgana did. Gaius promises Merlin one day, Arthur will know who he is and magic will be free but that time is yet to come and Arthur is king, he'll need Merlin's protection more than ever before.

"I'm glad Merlin never gave up," Arthur mutters. "He could have left Camelot right then, because at that time, I was never going to accept magic was anything but evil."

Gaius sighs. "Merlin has lost hope before…. But he would never leave Camelot defenceless."

"We wouldn't stand a chance against Morgana, without merlin." Leon agrees.

Gwen looks at Gaius sadly. "It's just a shame, he's been forced to sacrifice so many people he cares about, to keep us safe…."

"Great deeds are done through great sacrifices." Taliesin mutters.

Merlin refuses to return with Gaius to their quarters and waits in the corridor all night as Arthur mourns the death of his father in the throne room. The following morning Arthur gets to his feet, kisses his fathers' forehead and leaves the throne room. Merlin is resting against the staircase leading to the royal wing of the castle, as the throne room doors are pulled open. Arthur tells Merlin it's a new day, when Merlin doesn't turn to look at him. Once Merlin does look at him and gets to his feet, he asks Merlin if he had been out there all night and Merlin answers he didn't want Arthur to feel like he was alone. The two of them quickly go off to get breakfast together. Sometime later, everyone gathers in the throne room as Arthur is crowned king of Camelot.

Arthur smiled. "I'm glad Merlin stayed with me, even if I didn't know until the next morning."

"He is a true friend," Isolde speaks up. "You could almost be brothers."

Gwen grips Arthur's hand. "Merlin, I'm sure, will always stand beside you."

"I just hope," Arthur mutters. "That he can return to Camelot soon…. But I know it will be a while until the council agree to make magic legal once more."

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In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man his name…. Merlin.

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Only a handful of candles burn in a druids' cave, everyone is asleep. Suddenly a rope drops down from the opening in the cave above them and a man climes down. He sneaks past the sleeping druid and finds a locked box among their things, he opens it and pulls out a third of a key, which he quickly joins with the third he already has. As he turns to leave he finds all the druids have surrounded him. The man quickly flees, but when he comes to a sharp ridge, he attacks one of the druids and hold them a knife point. Iseldir warns the man the part of the key is not worth someone's life, but the man disagrees. He releases the druid, telling Iseldir he already knows where the third piece of the Triskelion is. And so he rides off, to find the third part of the key, he pulls his horse to a stop in front of Camelot castle and smiles to himself.

Gaius shakes his head. "He was a foolish man to think he could steal from the druids, without the noticing."

"What is a 'Triskelion'?" Isolde asks.

"The Triskelion is the key to the tomb of Ashkanar," Gaius explains. "Ashkanar was a rich, cleaver and powerful man. He created the Triskelion in hopes that no one would ever be able to break into his tomb and steal the riches he left."

"The tomb was also rumoured to be home to the last dragon egg," Arthur adds. "And that egg was destroyed when the tomb collapsed."

Tristan glances at Gaius. "Merlin is the last dragon lord…. He wouldn't let the last dragon egg be destroyed would he?"

"It's not my place to say." Gaius smiled slightly.

Later that night Gaius is up working, when there is a knock at his door, the knocking also wakes up Merlin who was asleep in his room. As Gaius and the man, who Gaius calls Borden, talk, Merlin gets up and listens to them talking through the door. Gaius asks why Borden has come here and Borden shows Gaius the Triskelion to Gaius, who studies it closely. Merlin is still listening as they talk about the dragons' egg, which is hidden in the tomb. Borden tells Gaius the last part of the Triskelion is in the vaults below the city, but Gaius wants no part of Borden's plan and tells him to leave. As soon as Borden has gone, Merlin comes down from his room and Gaius explains who Borden is and warns Merlin not to trust him. Merlin tells Gaius, he owes it to Kilgharrah to save the last dragon egg so he'll no longer be the last of his kind, but Gaius tells him the tomb is better left untouched and that the egg remains hidden.

Arthur turns to Gaius. "You knew him?"

"I did," Gaius answers. "His name is Julius Borden…. And he should never be trusted."

Gwaine grins. "People should really start checking if Merlin is listening when they speak with you Gaius…. Merlin has heard so many interesting conversations."

"He was a pupil?" Gwen asks. "I didn't know you used to teach."

Gaius nodes. "Before the great purge, I used to teach the children the old ways."

Elyan glances at Gaius. "Did you really want the dragons' egg to stay lost?"

"I believed if the dragon egg was to fall into Borden's hands, it would do more damage than good." Gaius answers.

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Later that night Merlin lies awake, thinking about the last dragon egg. He quickly gets changed, grabs his jacket and leaves the physicians quarters. He runs through the forest and stops at the clearing where he summons Kilgharrah. A couple of minutes after Merlin summons the dragon, Kilgharrah tells Merlin he didn't dare dream of news such as this…. He believed the dragon egg would never be found. Kilgharrah tells Merlin he must retrieve the egg, but Merlin is unsure, Gaius had forbidden him from doing it. Kilgharrah tells Merlin he is the last dragon lord, he must do this, after all his father had given up everything to save him. Kilgharrah makes Merlin promise in his fathers' name that he will do anything to rescue the egg. The following morning, Merlin makes his way to the tavern Borden is staying at and agrees to help get the final piece of the Triskelion.

Gaius shakes his head. "That boy…."

"The egg wasn't destroyed was it?" Arthur asks. "Merlin saved it didn't he?"

Percival smiles slightly. "I think he did…. He is Merlin, after all."

"Plus," Leon points out. "He promised the great dragon he would do anything to try and save the egg."

"But the tomb could have collapsed before Merlin had a chance to enter it," Elyan mutters. "Borden was ahead of us."

"Merlin knew Borden never made it out," Gwaine points out. "How else would he have known, if he hadn't entered himself and seen Borden in there."

Later that same morning Merlin sneaks into Arthur room, without waking him and begins to look through Arthur keys. But when Arthur wakes and sees Merlin, merlin quickly lies and tells the king he's looking for woodwork, Arthur just tells Merlin to get out. As Merlin leaves, he notices the key he needs on Arthur belt and quickly picks them up with the cloths that need washing, but before Merlin can leave Arthur takes the belt. Later Arthur is talking with the council, when Merlin uses magic to make Arthur trousers drop, he quickly rushes to help Arthur and steals the key.

"Woodworm?" Gwaine laughs.

Arthur glares at Gwaine. "Shut up, Gwaine."

"You tell Merlin he's couldn't lie to save his life yet you believed him, when he said he was looking for woodworm." Percival grins.

Arthur rolls his eyes. "It's not like I'm the only one who believes what Merlin said in the past."

Leon smiles. "None of us would have believed him, when he said he was looking for woodworm, when he was quite clearly looking through the keys."

"What? So you would have believed he was trying to steal a key?" Arthur asks. "It's Merlin!"

"None of us would have believed Merlin would break the law," Elyan agrees. "I think we all would have believed he was looking for woodworm over the fact he was trying to steal a key."

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That night Merlin gives the key to Borden, shows him the lath to the vaults, but does not go with him. Borden knocks out the guards and enters the vaults where he finds the third and final piece to the Triskelion. The guards notice what happened and Borden makes his way back to Merlin, who helps him escape the guards. Borden knocks Merlin out and leaves the key with him, hoping to frame him for the crime. But not long before dawn Merlin regains consciousness and quickly takes Arthur's key back to his room. As Merlin finishes placing the key on the side, he turns and a knocks a goblet off the side, he dives after it and catches it with the help of magic. He lies about checking for woodworm after waking Arthur up, who voices his concern about Merlin metal wellbeing. Suddenly the warning bells go off and Arthur is forced to get out of bed.

Arthur shakes his head. "If Merlin had been caught, he could have been executed for helping someone steal from the royal vaults."

"Well," Leon mutters. "That explains how Borden got into the vaults without having to break down the door."

Tristan glances at Gaius. "Why didn't Merlin just steal the Triskelion himself? He could have used magic."

"Merlin didn't know what the Triskelion looked like," Gaius answers. "And to use magic could have started a witch hunt, or worse."

"Do you think Borden could have been working for Morgana?" Isolde asks. "If she had a dragon at her command, there would be few people who could stop her."

Gaius shakes his head. "Borden wanted the egg so he could sell it…. A dragon could be used as a powerful weapon."

"We all know the damage the great dragon did to Camelot," Arthur mutters. "If an enemy ever gets hold of a dragon, we'd stand little chance."

Gwaine grins. "Good thing the last dragon lord is on our side then, isn't it?"

Down in the vaults Agravaine explains the thief must have had a key. Arthur asks Gaius why they only took one item, when the vault was full of priceless treasures. Gaius informs Arthur they took one of the thirds of the Triskelion to the tomb of Ashkanar, which Arthur had heard from his father held a dragon's egg. Agravaine warns Arthur the egg could still hatch, so Arthur decides to hunt down the intruder and destroy the egg. When Gaius and Merlin return to the physicians' quarters, Gaius yells at Merlin. The egg could have remained in the tomb for four hundred years and still be alive, but now Arthur was going to rid out and destroy it.

"Beasts?" Isolde asks. "Dragons are not beasts, they are noble creatures and are more knowledgeable than we could ever hope to be."

Arthur sighs. "At the time all I had seen a dragon do was try and destroy Camelot-"

"Kilgharrah had every right to want revenge on your father," Tristan speaks up. "Wouldn't you want to destroy someone who held you prisoner in a cave for close to twenty years? Slaughtered all your kin and kept you as some sort of trophy, he could gloat about."

Arthur glares at Tristan. "That gave the dragon no right to kill innocent people…. Some of whom may not have even known the great dragon was trapped below the city."

"And Kilgharrah is sorry for the deaths he caused," Taliesin speaks up. "He regrets what he did, but the past cannot be changed."

Tristan snorts. "That's better than you father…. He doesn't feel the slightest bit guilty for the deaths he caused! Or the families he ripped apart!"

Arthur wanted to yell Uthur was a good king and that magic was evil, but he knew Tristan was right... Magic wasn't good or evil and Uthur was nothing more than a hypocrite and a liar.

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Later that day Merlin is running late as Arthur and the knights wait to ride out after Borden. They follow Borden's tracks and Merlin spots smoke in the distance, where Borden had made camp. Upon finding the camp Arthur works out Borden can't be more than a few hours ahead. When it gets too dark to follow the tracks they make camp for the night, where Arthur and the knights trick Merlin into thinking they've eaten all the food, before revealing they had saved him a bowl. But before they reveal they have a bowl, Merlin is sent to check on the horses, where he senses someone or something watching him.

"What do you think Borden would have done, if we caught up with him?" Elyan asks.

"There wouldn't have been much he could do," Leon mutters. "He didn't attack us with magic, so the chances he had magic is slim."

"He could have told us Merlin helped him." Percival points out.

Gwaine shakes his head. "I don't think we would have believed him."

Gwen turns to Arthur. "You shouldn't have teased him with the food…. I've known Merlin to go days without food before because he been too busy working for you! He is supposed to be your friend!"

"It was a joke." Arthur defends himself.

"Well it wasn't a very funny one!" Gwen snaps.

"Merlin senses someone watching him," Isolde speaks up. "But who was it?"

Gaius shakes his head. "I'm not sure…. It's possible it was a druid, I have no doubt they aided Merlin on this quest…. It's also possible it was Borden, but I would have thought he was much further ahead at that point."

"Or it could have just been an animal." Tristan points out.

Later that night when everyone is asleep, Merlin is woken up by the druids calling to him. Lucky he is furthest from the fire at the centre of the camp is able to leave without waking anyone up. He follows the druids' voices into the forest, until he finds a small gathering of druids. They tell him Borden went east, they also warn him that the Triskelion is not just a key, it's also a trap and when they way ahead seems impossible that is when you have found it. The following morning, Merlin, Arthur and the knights find Borden's camp and no horse tracks. Merlin walks off and Arthur asks him where's going, Merlin answers Borden is heading east, which Elyan conforms as correct.

"Why were none of you on watch?" Tristan asks.

"We didn't feel the need for someone to be on watch," Leon answers. "Bandits hardly ever use that part of the forest and Borden was ahead of us."

Isolde turns to Arthur. "You said you believe in equity, yet Merlin sleeps furthest from the fire."

"That was the way Merlin set up camp." Arthur answers.

"And none of you thought to disagree?" Gwen asks. "If I had been with you, you would have insisted I sleep closes to the fire…. I like Merlin was a servant in the royal household."

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They follow Borden's tracks to a cave, where Arthur decides it's a dead end, but Merlin doesn't think so and asks about the cave. They walk through the cave until they come to a waterfall, passing through, they continue on their way and soon the tomb comes into view. But as they approach the tomb, they walk through a narrow pass, Borden shots Percival in the leg with a cross bow. As Arthur goes to catch Borden, Merlin sends the cross bow crashing from his hands, with magic.

"That cave," Gwen mutters. "That was Balinor's cave, isn't it? That's where Merlin's father lived!"

"Do you think Balinor knew about the tomb?" Elyan asks.

Gaius thinks for a moment. "It is quite possible…. It would make sense if he did, as a dragon lord, he could have been guarding the entrance to the tomb and have a place to hide if Uthur ever found him."

"I should have remembered it was Balinor's cave," Arthur mutters. "If I had known I wouldn't have thought it was a dead end."

Gwaine glances at Gaius. "Do you think Merlin recognised the cave?"

"I think he did," Gaius answers. "But there was little he could say…. Arthur didn't notice and for him to speak up about it could have caused suspicion."

Tristan glances at Percival. "Did the arrow do much damage?"

Percival shakes his head. "Merlin treated it before we continued after Borden, he told me I was lucky it didn't do any serious damage."

"Merlin is right," Gaius speaks up. "I have known many to die from wounds like that…. Bleeds in that area can be hard to stop."

They continue as far as they can, but are forced to make camp for the night, but as Merlin cooks, Borden uses a sling shot to drop poison in the pot and Merlin fails to notice. Merlin is sent off to collect fire wood before he can eat any of the stew, when he returns to the camp he finds everyone unconscious and when he checks the pot he finds the poison. After healing everyone, Merlin continues after Borden alone. He catches up with Borden just as he unlocks the door to the tomb. Merlin tries to warn Borden it's a trap, but it's too late and Borden gets gassed. Merlin uses magic to move the gas out his path and he enters the tomb, but not until after he has stolen Borden's torch.

"Thank god Merlin healed you!" Gwen mutters. "If he had returned much later, you could all have died!"

"How didn't Merlin notice?" Elyan asks. "It was quite a big splash."

"Merlin did have his back turned," Percival points out. "And he was sorting through one of the bags."

"Plus," Leon adds. "We all though Borden was ahead of us, we thought he had fled after he failed to kill us, when he ambushed us…. We had no reason to think he'd come back and try again."

"Good thing Merlin didn't get any food then." Gwaine mutters.

Gwen glares at Arthur and the knights. "You really have to stop doing that to Merlin…. He misses out on enough food as it is."

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Merlin walks through the tomb until he finds the dragons egg, he about to take it from its stand when Borden appears behind him. Merlin tells Borden the dragon must go free, when he demands that Merlin give him the egg. Borden grabs the torch and threaten Merlin to give him the egg, as Merlin is forced to the ground, Merlin warns him he is the last dragon lord so leave the egg alone. Borden goes to attack Merlin and Merlin throws him back with magic, with Borden unconscious Merlin takes the egg. But as soon as the egg is removed the tomb begins to collapse and Merlin runs, only just making out of the tomb in time. He hides the egg in his bag seconds before Arthur and the knights appear, they all watch as the tomb collapses completely and Leon tells Arthur nothing would survive that.

"The egg is beautiful!" Gwen gasps.

"It is." Isolde nodes.

Gwaine glares at Borden. "If he dare harms Merlin…."

"Wow," Elyan mutters. "Merlin can be scary when he wants to be."

Percival nodes. "He was lying on the floor and he still seemed threatening."

"Borden didn't stand a chance of getting out." Leon mutters.

Taliesin suddenly speaks up. "Dragon eggs are strong. Even under all that rubble the egg could still survive."

Sometime later in Camelot, Merlin and Gaius have just finished eating. Gaius tells Merlin it was such a shame he wasn't able to save the egg and Merlin agrees without looking Gaius in the eyes. Gaius glares at Merlin for a moment, before Merlin smiles. Merlin quickly goes and finds the egg and hands it to Gaius, who looks at in awe and tells Merlin it was nearly lost because of him. As Gaius hands the egg back to Merlin, Merlin tells him he's going to make sure they egg goes back to where it belongs. Once night falls, Merlin goes to where he and Kilgharrah meet and places the egg down on a tree stump. Once Kilgharrah arrives, he tells Merlin dragons were called into the world by dragon lord and Merlin being the last, meant that duty fell to him. So Merlin names it Aithusa. The egg cracks and a small white dragon head can be seen through the gap, Merlin just steps forward in awe and wonder. Kilgharrah tells him, what Aithusa name meant in dragon tongue and how a white dragon bodes well for all of Albion.

Gaius smiled slightly. "It was a true honour to see and hold a dragon egg. Even before the great purge, dragon eggs where seldom seen by those over than dragon lords."

"And it is rarer still to see a dragon hatch." Taliesin adds.

"Does Merlin even use magic to get out of the city, anymore?" Leon asks.

Gaius shakes his head. "Merlin worked for Arthur and had lived in tone city for years, he knows the rotations the guards follow."

"It is easy to slip past the guards when you know where they are at all times and which routs they patrol." Gwaine grins. "I have been trapped in quite a few places before, knowing the rotations of the guards really does help when you need to escape."

Gwen smiles. "The dragon is gorgeous…. I've never seen something quite that beautiful before."

Taliesin smiles. "A white dragon does indeed bode well for Albion."

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Hey, in case anyone is wondering, Voodoo magic has only been known as a form of dark magic in recent times. Voodoo and Hoodoo are actually West African religions and have their own forms of white and black magic, it is due to western media that people believe Voodoo is a form of black magic. Well I hope you enjoyed that chapter, the next chapter should be up by Thursday.

Blessed be,

TreeOfLife1997.