AN: And another chapter - sorry to those who have been following my other fic, it is following behind, but I'm about to post another chapter there so don't fret!
There will be a little more action in the next chapter, this is just setting it up and clearing the air a little bit, but nothing is by any means fixed.
Just so you know, there is not going to be much present-day adventure, most of that sort of thing will happen in the flashbacks.
I love you all!
Read on!
Now...
"Shall we go for a walk, then, sire?" Merlin asked, after Arthur had processed the information for a little while and Merlin had eaten his fill of the feast laid out on the table. Arthur simply nodded, and stood up.
"Freya, don't worry. Aithusa is here." The warlock reminded her, knowing that she would be a little anxious to be left alone with the knights. He trusted them completely, even if he claimed he'd lost that, but she wouldn't.
"Aithusa?" Arthur asked, not sure what - or who - that would be.
"My dragon." Merlin answered, getting up from the table. He started walking towards another room, one that branched off from the kitchen and that Arthur had not noticed before.
"Your dragon?!" Was it some kind of magic code to say important things out of the blue, then act as if nothing was wrong?
The room was dimly lit by floating candles that drifted aimlessly above the heads of the King and the Warlock. Tools and oddments and books and pages and scrolls and herbs were spread out along large tables, while a green liquid bubbled in a cauldron.
"You... you have a dragon?" Arthur asked. He wasn't sure he'd heard Merlin correctly.
"Well, I hatched her, so she is my responsibility until she is a little bit more grown up." Merlin explained, pointing to the fireplace. Sure enough, curled up among the flames, the white body of a beautiful dragon was sleeping, her tail twitching and little trails of smoke slowly drifting from her open mouth and nostrils. Arthur leaped back in surprise.
"How can you have a pet dragon? Don't you remember what happened with the last dragon?" Arthur shouted while whispering, a feat only the most skilled in dollop-headedness can accomplish.
"You don't have to whisper. Aithusa is a deep sleeper. And of course I remember! I was the one who defeated Kilgharrah and sent him back to his home. Did you really buy that story about you getting a lucky blow?"
Arthur sat down, right on the floor, amid all the forbidden books and tools.
"But... Balinor..." Arthur started to protest.
"...was my father, yes, so when he died I inherited his dragonlord powers. But I'd been going to Kilgharrah for years, asking him for advice. He forced me to make a deal to get more help, and swore on my mother's life that I would release him. I had no choice." Merlin's voice had gone from pity for Arthur to sadness and regret.
"That means that you..." Arthur began again, and again was unable to finish.
"Yes, Arthur, I was the one who released Kilgharrah."
"How could...?" Arthur finally found his voice once more, but trailed off, his hand going to his sword.
"Let's take that walk and I'll tell you. I only came down here to grab... this." The warlock pulled, from under a pile of junk, his Sidhe staff.
"Why do you need that? And what is it?" Arthur couldn't keep the curiosity out of his voice.
"I don't know, but we might meet bandits and this will help."
"I could protect you." Arthur replied, feeling as though his own skills were being overlooked.
"Arthur, all I've ever done is protect you."
"Until Freya came along."
A tear trickled down Merlin's cheek, but he was also smiling. Arthur nearly laughed - two things he'd never expected to come between him and merlin: magic and a woman.