Authors Note: Chapter 2 goes up now. Chapter 3 goes up tomorrow. After that updates will be slower. Probably once every 2-3 days or once a week. (still writing that portion, sorry)
Thanks for all the faves and follows. For those that have reviewed, thank you very much.

Oh, the disclaimer...I don't own BBC's Merlin or their depiction of the characters. Nor do I own their storyline.

Horatius swallowed hard and went to grab his cup of wine, which was empty. Arthur rose and got the pitcher of wine and refilled his cup. Horatius smiled up in thanks then handed the ring to the prince. Arthur looked down at the exquisite piece of jewelry as the old man took a sip of his wine before he began "This ring has a story. Unlike these other pieces, this ring is considerably older. Your father commissioned me to make it for someone over 25 years ago. The man for whom it was made, never received it." He paused for a moment then continued. "Your servant, Merlin, reminds me a lot of that man….or at least that man when he was younger."

"Did he die?" Arthur inquired.

"No, he didn't die, but he had to leave quite quickly" Horatius said sadly.

Arthur looked down at the ring. The top held an interesting stone. It was flat, with a high polish, almost mirror-like. When he looked at it straight on, it appeared a milky white, but with the slightest tilt, it appeared black as onyx. More remarkable than the stone was the ring itself. The sides were sculptured with a dragon – not the Pendragon emblem – but what looked like an actual dragon. He turned it upside down and followed the pattern of the band up the other side where it attached to the other side of the stone. That side resembled the dragon's tale. In all, it looked like a dragon encircling the finger. The prongs to the stone resembled a dragon's claw. Arthur looked up at the man who was studying him closely.

Horatius cleared his throat again and continued. "The last few times I was here visiting your father, I happened to notice you and your manservant walking around. He's a bit clumsy and really does have a ridiculous smile doesn't he?"

Arthur laughed "He's a complete idiot most of the time".

The old man laughed heartily. "When he was a teen, Balinor was much the same way."

Arthur looked up in shock. "Balinor? The dragonlord?"

"One in the same, you have heard of him I take it?" the old man asked.

Arthur sighed "Yes. We met him a couple of years back. We searched for him when the Great Dragon escaped and started attacking Camelot. Unfortunately, he died before we could bring him back to face the dragon."

Horatius sighed "I had heard as much, I had hoped it were only rumor. Tell me, how did he die?"

"We were on our way back to Camelot and were ambushed by Cedred's men. He died saving Merlin's life, he took a sword wound defending him.

Horatius huffed out an unamused half laugh "Fate can be cruel, can't she?" He placed his elbow on the arm of the chair and rubbed his head with his hand, shading his eyes. Arthur could tell he was affected by the news and started to offer condolences. But the old man sat up straight, sniffing once. "He died an honorable death. If one must go before their time, then it is good that they die for something important."

"That is true, he did die nobly and with honor" Arthur replied. He could see the Nobleman and the warrior in the aged man before him. He could tell that this man had seen battle and had lost comrades in arms. Horatius was silent again, lost in thought. Arthur placed his hand on the man's arm to comfort him. "I am sorry for your loss, he apparently meant a lot to you….if you wish, we can continue later"

The old man cleared his throat and took another sip – or was that a gulp? – of wine. "No, no, we should go on. Like I said before, I had already heard of his death. I just had not heard how he died. It is funny, you know…how I felt this ring should go to the lad, Merlin. The ring that was created for the man who, I now find out, died protecting him. Fate and Destiny always seem to get their way."

"I don't believe in fate or destiny" the young prince smiled.

Horatius laughed, "Don't be so quick to dismiss the superstitions of an old man. For most, Fate and Destiny have little bearing on their life….For others…" he stared hard at Arthur "…they play a pivotal role". Arthur refilled both their cups and the old man continued.

"Let me think where I should start, I guess starting near the beginning is good eh?" he said with a laugh. "When I met Balinor, he was just a bit more than a boy, probably around his 16th summer. He had moved to the area with his father Lucan Ambrose." He glanced at Arthur who had raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Yes, he was of the Ambrosius line as was your father, although I am not sure of the exact lineage. Apparently Lucan's wife had died in an illness of pregnancy a year or so before they moved here. As he was of Ambrosius ancestry, Rome had interceded on his behalf requesting a beneficium, and he was granted lands around the White Mountains. It was not good for farming, but it was an excellent area for dragons." At Arthur's wide-eyed expression, the old man laughed "Yes, from the lands of my manor, it was quite common to see dragons flying overhead."

"But didn't they attack?!" Arthur asked stunned.

"Oh no, my boy. Dragons don't attack humans unless there is good cause."

"But the Great Dragon!" Arthur exclaimed.

Horatius sighed "Arthur, Kilgharrah – That is the Great Dragon's name – Watched his kin killed by your father, as well as the dragonlords and their children…not just the sons, but the daughters as well. All of them executed. Then he was chained in the dark for 20 years…..If it were you, and you escaped…would you not seek out revenge? I know I would."

Arthur began to answer, then stopped and gave the question considerable thought. "Yes, I am sure that I would. But you speak as though he reasoned as a man and not a mindless beast."

Horatius started, and looked closely at Arthur. "Arthur…" he began hesitantly "what, exactly, were you taught about dragons?"

The prince frowned, knowing he was probably not going to like where the question would lead. "I was taught that they were dangerous magical beasts that would attack and destroy entire villages for no reason. That they were a danger to the kingdom and that the dragonlords were sorcerers who could spell them to do their bidding."

Horatius sighed and wearily rubbed his head. Arthur continued, eyeing the old man "But…that isn't the whole truth is it?"

The old man sighed and looked up at Arthur. "Son, it isn't in me to contradict the teachings of your father."

"No." anger simmering in Arthur's eyes and voice "my father has kept too much from me! How am I to be a good king one day if I am lied to and kept in the dark about things I should know?" Arthur leaned back and ran his hands through his hair then rubbed his face. When he looked at the man again he was calmer "Please Horatius, I know you are loyal to my father, but I need you to tell me the truth."

Horatius hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, but please remember, I am not an expert of dragon lore, what I learned, I learned through Lucan and Balinor." Arthur nodded his understanding and Horatius continued. "Dragons are highly intelligent creatures. They are able to speak once they have learned the language. Most begin learning the language of their dragonlord as hatchlings. Of course I presume they can learn other human languages as well. They also have their own dragon language which is very harsh and impossible to duplicate. Well except for dragonlords. I remember the first time I heard Lucan call a dragon. I was astounded that such a sound could come for a human mouth." The old man laughed and shook his head "Balinor, when he was young, would try to mimic his father to call a dragon, it never worked and he was always upset. His father would clap him on the shoulder and would assure him that his day would come. Anyway, I digress…um, let's see" He scratched his head as if the act would bring other information to mind. "Dragons have a very long lifespan. Where ours number in the tens of years, theirs are in the hundreds or even thousands of years. It is hard for me to even fathom to live so long. Lucan told me that Kilgharrah was over a thousand years old, and still in his prime. Imagine that! But really, it makes sense when we come to the next part."

He looks up at Arthur to make sure he is listening. "It is said that the wisdom of a dragon is second to none. That the great dragons are the creators and keepers of prophecies. That the Old Religion grants the greatest of them the right to influence fate and to assure destiny is achieved." He paused for a moment as if trying to remember something. "Now here, is where I am not so sure on things. There are dragons, and then there are Great Dragons. The best I could understand is that all are born dragons, but that when they reach a certain point…perhaps age or knowledge, they become 'Great Dragons'. I presume it is similar to the hierarchy of us humans. Rulers are supposed to be more intelligent and wiser than the common man…and if one isn't, he surrounds himself with those who are, lest he be overthrown as a nit-wit. Yes, I agree with your father, a ruler must be strong. But strength alone does not make for a prosperous kingdom. A King who rules wisely will have fewer comrades fall in battle, and healthier and safer citizens."

Horatius paused to take a sip of wine then continued "Getting back to dragons, it is said that the older they are, the harder they are to kill. Their scales grow thicker and harder and become almost impenetrable. I think that is the real reason Uther kept Kilgharrah as a 'trophy', I don't think he could figure out how to kill him. I was no longer in the kingdom by that time, but I hear the only way they captured him was by holding Balinor hostage with a sword to his throat. The dragon agreed to be subdued if Balinor was released." The old man paused to give the prince a chance to ask any questions.

Something troubled Arthur about some of the last part that Horatius had said about dragons. A niggling in his mind, but he couldn't put his finger on it. So he went back to something the man had said earlier. "You mentioned earlier about Balinor not being a dragonlord when you met him. How does one become a dragonlord? Is there a test, or ceremony when they become a dragonlord?"

"No. The gift of being a dragonlord is inherited. Although all children of dragonlords have an affinity with dragons, one does not have the power to control dragons or speak dragontongue until they become a dragonlord. Dragonlords are 'Kin' to dragons. When the old dragonlord dies, it is like a string is snipped separating their souls, and that string attaches to the firstborn male. If it is twin males, both will become dragonlords. However, I have heard that it is not absolute that the gift will pass. They do not know why. Lucan hypothesized that it may be due to the character of the heir. He said he had only seen the power not passing one time. He said the son of that dragonlord was a cruel and vicious man. It would have indeed been a catastrophe for such a person to be able to command dragons. So I think, from all I have heard of dragonlords, that his theory may be valid."

The prince thought of another question, "Are dragonlords sorcerers?"

The old man thought for a moment. "Not all. Some are, some aren't. Since dragons are magical beings, the dragonlords must have at least a spark of that special magic in them. But it doesn't mean that they can perform magic. Some can, yes. Lucan could do magic. He was quite good at it actually. But he mostly used it to amuse others. However it did come in handy when a wagon carting logs broke and the logs started rolling down the hill. It saved the lives of a couple of children that day. Balinor, however….I never really saw him performing anything other than healing magic. He may have been able to…or possibly picked it up later in life, but I don't know. Of the few others I had met, some had no magic capabilities at all, while others did. So it is pretty much a toss-up, I guess."

Arthur looked down at the ring again. "So….how does all of this concern Merlin?"