Haha, bet you weren't expecting this! 100 Reviews people! You guys are the best! I am still buzzing!
Admittedly, this was supposed to be up yesterday, as a thank you to all you fantastic people out there, but there was an incident with a balloon, a bucket and a goal post that turned into a full blown girls vs boys water fight. But that's what you get for living in a boarding house.

Anyway, bromance and banter galore! Guilty!Arthur inspired by 4x10, and a big thank you to saroura92 for the suggestion about the scene with Kilgharrah! And to JenniCDS for the stuff on stab wounds! It was really helpful.

On with the chapter!

'You what?'

'Would you keep your voice down? Or do you want Morgana to hear us?'

'An army? You have an army?'

Merlin sighed at the incredulous look on Arthur's face. 'No, I have the leaders of two large druid clan's allegiance, one of whom was originally on Morgana's side. Whether or not they, or their clans, will fight with us is another matter. That's the whole point behind this trip!'

'An army, Merlin!'

Merlin threw his arms up in the air. 'So what if I have fifty or so druids behind me? You have a thousand or so of Camelot knight's and guards behind you! You don't see me freaking out!'

'It's not the same thing,' Arthur muttered.

'How isn't it?'

'It just isn't!'
Merlin sighed again. Arthur was beginning to sound like a petulant child.

'Well, they might not come anyway.'

The young King grunted and they continued to make their way through the forest silently for a moment. Merlin glanced at his friend before, adding casually, 'Of course, I think the dragons will still give Morgana a good scare.'

Arthur almost fell off his horse and he twisted round in his seat.

'Dragons? As in, more than one?'

'You expected there to be a dragon?'

'Well, sure. I didn't think you'd really leave that poor dragon egg to be crushed!'

Merlin raised an eyebrow. 'Poor? You're going soft Arthur!'

'Are you going to answer my question, or not?'

'Yes, Arthur,' Merlin rolled his eyes. 'There are two dragons. One is Aithusa, the dragon from the temple, and Kilgharrah's slightly older and bigger. And I can control them because, when my father died, he passed his Dragonlord power's down to me. I am the last of my kind.'

'Balinor.'

Merlin nodded. Arthur paled, and dropped his head, staring intently at his horses' mane. Merlin instantly felt a twinge of guilt and they rode on in silence for some time. He pressed his hand to his side, attempting to suppress the pain. It had been over a week since the fight, and Merlin was doing significantly better, but his wound still ached him from time to time. Gaius had said it was normal, but Merlin was annoyed that he couldn't just heal the thing with magic. Too many people had seen him injured.

'So,' he was shaken out of his thoughts by Arthur's obnoxious voice. 'Are you going to tell me where we're going?'

'Kilgharrah will definitely fight,' Merlin explained. 'He's never liked Morgana, and thinks she's a hindrance on destiny. Aithusa's still very young, so it'll be up to Kilgharrah as to whether he's ready to fight or not; although I'm not going to be happy if he does.'

'So the dragons are sorted. What about the druids?'

'Well, I'm not too sure where Alator is. The Cathe are rather secretive, so it may take some looking before I can contact him, but I think I know roughly where he is. We're out here to meet Iseldir, the leader of a clan of druids just on the edge of Camelot's borders. We've already met several times; I'm almost certain he'll want to help.'

'Almost certain?'

Merlin gave him an exaggerated sigh. 'They're druids, Arthur; they may not fight at all. That's what peaceful means.'

He ducked as Arthur threw his water skin at him, before summoning it back without having to get off his horse. Arthur rolled his eyes, but grinned when Merlin beamed at him.

It was so good not to have to hide anymore.

XxX

'That's it?'

'That's it.'

'No wonder you think I shouldn't be concerned.'

Merlin glared at the King, before swinging down off of his horse. 'They can't exactly live in villages, can they?'

That shut Arthur up, and he dismounted with a little more grace than Merlin. The young Warlock rolled his eyes and began to make his way down the slope, towards the cave at the bottom.

'Stop!' Arthur's hand shot out, gripping Merlin's under arm. Merlin stilled immediately, crouching down in the brush, his eyes narrowed.

'What is it?'

'We're being watched.'

Merlin held his breath, his eyes darting around. A twig cracked behind them, and, drawing swords, they swung around to meet the intruder.

'Iseldir!'

Merlin threw his sword to the side, as the old druid came forward to meet them. 'Emrys; this is a great honour. We heard that you had been killed.'

'Just a graze,' Merlin smiled, shaking his friend's hand. 'I apologise if the news upset you. It was the only way to stop Morgana from looking for me.'

'It is good to see you are alright.'

Iseldir turned to Arthur, and gestured for the King to follow them into the cave. Arthur hesitated; Merlin stopped and turned back to him. 'Are you OK?'

'I shouldn't go in there.'

Merlin shook his head, smiling encouragingly. 'Nah, you don't want to take away their opportunity to meet a real clot pole do you?' Arthur looked at Merlin sceptically. The warlock nodded, and moved back up the path.

'I killed so many of their kind, Merlin. Your kind. How can I walk in there and ask for their help after what I've done?'

'Arthur,' the young King looked up, surprised at the tone in Merlin's voice. It was a tone he rarely heard, and was always accompanied by some of Merlin's rare words of wisdom. 'I know that this is hard. But these people have been waiting for us, for you, for over 25 years. It was the hope for us, and the future we will bring that kept them going all these years. I don't think we should keep them waiting much longer. Seeing Emrys and The Once and Future King working together is the motivation they will need to finally fight back.'

'I'm not…'

'Arthur, if you don't get in there, right now, I'm going to knock you out and drag you in.'

Arthur's eyebrow shot up, causing Merlin to laugh. He made his way slowly down the slope to where Merlin stood, and the young Warlock could see the tension in his friends' steps. Iseldir was waiting for them about the bottom and proceeded to lead them into the cave.

It was light inside, and quite open. Brown clad figures were scattered around a large fire, but they all looked up as Iseldir entered with the strangers. The older druids jumped to their feet, bowing low as Merlin walked up beside him, smiling at them. The children looked surprised by their elder's behaviour, but slowly followed them. The curiosity in their eyes as they watched Arthur and Merlin made Merlin smile.

'My friends, Lord Emrys lives!'

The druids all broke into large smiles as Arthur turned to stare at Merlin. 'Lord?'

'That's a new one to me!'

Iseldir laughed and beckoned them to the fire. None of the druids moved away as Arthur sat cautiously among them. During the course of the discussion he visibly relaxed, and Merlin felt an overwhelming feeling of pride for his King. He made his case well, and the druids listened respectively. The conditions that he offered the druids made Merlin's heart swell with joy. Arthur hadn't told him what he'd been planning to offer them, in exchange for their help.

'Even if you don't fight, I am only asking for your support in preventing Morgana from taking over Camelot once again, although if you refuse, I fully understand. I cannot erase the sins that myself and my father have committed against you, but I am willing to do everything in my power to make Camelot safe for you and your kind. I owe you that much.'

Iseldir turned to Merlin, looking him in the eyes. I cannot speak for my men, but I will be more than willing to fight by your side, Emrys.

I understand. Thank you.

'I will fight.' Merlin turned to look at the young man who had stood.

'And I.'

'As will I.'

One by one, they rose to their feet, even some of the women. Merlin couldn't help but grin as he glanced at Arthur, who looked both relieved and delighted.

'And fight we shall.'

XxX

They rode in silence. Merlin kept glancing at the King, but Arthur made no move to initiate conversation and Merlin didn't want to disturb him. So they continued on until they reached a clearing, where Merlin reined in his horse. Arthur stopped beside him.

'Is something wrong?'

'Of course not,' he smiled, once again swinging down off his horse. 'But there's someone else I need to talk to before we head back to Camelot.'

Arthur frowned at him, before dismounting and tying up both his and Merlin's horses. 'This is your job, you know.'

'Keeps you on your toes,' Merlin grinned, heading into the centre of the clearing. Before Arthur could follow him, he threw his head back, and roared.
Arthur jumped, and stumbled backwards, tripping over a tree root. He scrambled to his feet, but not before Merlin saw him, and laughed.

'You'll get used to it.'

'I hope not! What the hell did you do?'

'Summoned the dragons.'

'Summoned… of course you did,' Arthur sighed, dropping down on the grass and rubbing his temple.

Merlin sat down beside him, leaning back against the tree with his eyes closed. He felt so relaxed, so free.
It wasn't long until he heard the beating of wings, and two dark shapes appeared in the sky.

'There they are.'

Arthur stood up, watching them approach, his awe turning to shock as he recognised the larger of the two dragons.

'What? That's… that's…'

'Kilgharrah, the Great Dragon.'

'What is going on, Merlin? That monster killed my people and destroyed half my city!'

'I can hear you, young Pendragon!' The ground shook as Kilgharrah landed, and there was humour in his voice as he regarded the two men in front of him.

'And it talks too. Great.'

Kilgharrah chuckled. 'It is good to see you too, young Pendragon. It is an honour to finally meet you.'

Arthur stared at him. 'You killed my people!'

'I was blinded by grief and hatred for your father. I regret the pain I caused Camelot and I am willing to fight by your side when the witch once again attacks as redemption.'

Arthur seemed lost for words, so Merlin seized the opportunity to change the topic.

'We need to locate Alator of the Cathe. Can you find him for us?'

'Of course, young Warlock. It will not take me long.'
Merlin smiled. 'Well, then you can find Gilli as well. I'm sure he'd come if we give him enough time. He's good at using magic in battle to his advantage.'

The dragon bowed, before turning his head to the small, white dragon hidden behind his leg.

'The young one did not want to be left behind.'

Merlin grinned, and squatted down. Aithusa scampered over to him, crooning softly. Merlin scratched his head, before looking expectantly at Arthur.

'He won't bite.'

The young King moved slowly, so he didn't scare the young dragon. He knelt down, and reached out hesitantly. Aithusa rubbed his head against Arthur's hand, causing him to grin. 'He won't be fighting, will he?'

'He's not big enough or strong enough yet. I won't let him fight.'

'A wise decision. But he should be in Camelot during the battle. He cannot be left behind just yet.'

Both Dragon and Dragonlord turned to look at Arthur. Arthur stared back for a moment, before nodding. 'But he'll have to stay concealed, at least until Kilgharrah enters the battle. We don't want Morgana finding out that we have dragons.'

'Agreed.' Merlin stood with a grunt, pressing his hand to his side. Aithusa crooned sadly, staring at the wound that was covered in bandages. 'I'm alright. Just aches a bit.'

'Why don't you heal yourself?'

'Too risky. I'll be fine.'
Kilgharrah seemed to disagree but didn't argue. For once, Merlin thought with a smirk.

'Time to get to work then,' Arthur smiled. He made to return to the horses, but seemed to think twice about it. He turned back to face the Dragon. 'I'm sorry for… you know… stabbing you. And calling you a monster.'

Kilgharrah chuckled. 'It is forgotten, young Pendragon. Just don't do it again.' Arthur grinned, and Kilgharrah unfolded his wings. Aithusa scampered away, taking off after the Great Dragon.

King and Warlock watched him go. Arthur clapped Merlin on the shoulder, and the two shared a grin, and, mounting their horses, they made their way back to Camelot.

Admittedly, I'm not too keen on this ending, but it needed to finish somewhere.

It had been pointed out that Merlin would have fought back with magic during his fight with Agravaine. My excuse is, I needed him to be injured, and it was unlikely he would have been if he'd used magic. Sorry about that. But, in my defence, he does seem to forget to use it against imminent danger… occasionally… he didn't when Morgana captured him. So, that's my excuse.

Poll time! What would you guys like to see in the next chapter? Scenes from within Camelot as Merlin and Arthur prepare for battle, which might include Alator and Gilli (I seem to have an obsession with him…)? Or shall we go straight into the battle, where things really start to heat up? Leave a review and let me know!
Thank you again for all the fantastic reviews! But I could always use a few more! ;)
See you Saturday
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Valkyriexx