Donna was getting bored, she wasn't one for being kept prisoner and the Doctor was taking forever if she could get to the TARDIS before him then she should be able to do something.
"Terrance" she whispered "do you think you could distract the guards?"
Terrance reached down towards his boot where he had hidden his small pistol and Donna slapped him.
"Not like that" she hissed and glanced to the door, the guards remained unaware that anything had happened "There obviously not that smart, can't you figure something out!"
The Doctor was getting exasperated, the prince wasn't getting it, no he couldn't leave without the TARDIS to fetch the Gwen and the King (in that order) no matter how many horses Arthur offered.
"I could go with the Lord Doctor" offered Merlin
"No" said Arthur, he obviously had an affinity to the boy again the Doctor thought of what they would become and wondered why he hadn't visited them before.
"You have my word Merlin will remain safe" Said the Doctor, you may keep Donna here if you don't trust me to return, although I will need my guard he added referring to Terrance, the sooner he got him back to Unit the better, the boy was to rash.
At that thought the great doors of the hall opened and a breathless knight appeared "the prisoners your highness, they've escaped"
Donna and Terrance crept along the edges of the castle walls keeping to the shadows "You didn't have to hurt them you know" she hissed to the solider, a little too loudly.
"They will wake up from it won't they, with nothing but a black eye" he shuffled forward and gestured for Donna to follow. Not that she even knew if they were going the right way, maybe they should have just waited for the Doctor.
"What the..!" Cried Terrance as he was grabbed by a figure on a horse and Donna found herself surrounded by swords.
It was only minutes after the call that Donna and Terrance had escaped that the two of them were brought to the throne room where the Doctor still stood as Arthur paced. Merlin stood too, in a corner his eyes flicking from the Doctor to the prince thinking.
Donna and Terrance entered the room soon after, looking muddy and rather irate; Donna ran to the Doctor and gave him a little playful shove, "can we go now?"
"Guards take all three of them to the cells, I will sleep on the offer The Doctor gave me" announced the prince, "Merlin come with me."
The three of them found themselves manhandled into a cell and the door slammed with a heavy clank of metal.
"What now" sighed Donna "I had enough of playing prisoner on Messaline. You got anymore toy mice"
"Not on me" said the Doctor "but don't worry Merlin will be here soon"
Merlin didn't come soon though and as night fell and Terrance fell asleep the Doctor began to worry, maybe he overestimated the young wizard, and he was still only a boy.
Merlin cursed Arthur as he sat scrubbing his boots by moonlight, as the Prince had ordered. Usually he would be down in the cells rescuing whomever had been thrown in there in Uther's rage against magic, but how did he know these strangers hadn't harmed Gwen or the King.
He finished up the polishing and did what he usually did in a time like this, went for help.
The familiar steps led him down into the deepest part of the dungeons where he found the great dragon standing restlessly upon the rock, his great chain shining in the moonlight.
The dragon roared "Merlin, who is in the dungeons up there, I feel a strange force"
"A man who calls himself The Doctor" Merlin shouted back "I need to know if I should help him and his friends"
The Dragon, growled, "Bring him to me, Merlin"
The Doctor stood by the bars of the cell and watched the guards play dice, of course a simple blast of his sonic would open the bars that was for sure, but he didn't want to risk it without knowing where the TARDIS was and not with two others to look after, maybe he could escape by himself and bring the TARDIS back to get the others.
As he watched the guards he noticed a plate on their table wobble it rose into the air and all three sets of eyes followed it, it jerked forward and knocked one of the guards on the head rendering him unconscious the other turned to the Doctor mouth wide open his arm stretched out in an accusing manner "Sorc..." he managed to say before the plate hit him on the top of the head and he joined his friend.
A pair of shoes began to descend down the stairs and The Doctor grinned at Merlin who stepped over one of the guards to reach the cell door, "you need to come with me" he whispered
"Brilliant" grinned the Doctor "I'll wake my friends"
"No" whispered Merlin "It has to be just you, it'll be easier that way"
Donna had been pretending to be asleep for a while before the clang of a plate had knocked out the guards. She kept her eyes closed as The Doctor and Merlin talked for a few moments but as soon as Merlin began to imply he'd only help the Doctor leave this infernal cell she jumped up.
"Oy. Magic boy, you're not leaving me here with him" she gestured to Terrance who was somehow still asleep.
"Fine all of you come" sighed Merlin "But we need to get a move on, the guards are stirring."
The familiar sound of the warning bell became more and more dimmed as Merlin led the three strangers into the depths of the castle; he hoped he wasn't making another mistake by leading them all to the dragon. They turned the final corner revealing the great canyon that held the Great Dragon.
He turned to see the reactions of his companions, as Terrance and Donna stared in awe at the enormous creature before them, the Doctor only grinned, a grin which he turned quickly into a laugh.
"Kilgharrah" He yelled "I thought all of your kind were dead"
"As I, yours Doctor" replied the Dragon with a roar "You never returned for us"
"I'm sorry" replied the Doctor "I wanted to, but the time of Dragons was ending, I couldn't change that"
"YOU COULD HAVE SAVED THEM" the dragon roared breathing fire around their heads, causing Merlin to jump back in terror.
"I COULD NOT" the Doctor was equally as terrifying "I couldn't save either of our races, you should be able to foresee that" his voice softened.
"THEN FREE ME NOW" commanded the dragon "THE BOY MERLIN REFUSES TO"
"Oh but the man Merlin, that's a different story, right Dragon. You grow impatient old friend" Merlin gulped at this, how did this strange thin man know so much about him, but still insist he wasn't magical.
"Would you rather I rot here Doctor" the Dragon asked, having seemingly calmed down.
"No, I'd rather you help me leave this place so history may continue undisturbed"
"You're machine is where Uther throws all the objects he has no understanding of. Merlin knows of it he will show you"
Merlin suddenly noticed all eyes were on him "I'll take them" he told the Dragon and nodded to the doctor who began to follow him.