Okay, first of all, the series finale was so sad. Granted, it was around three in the morning when I watched it online and sleep deprivation did play a good part, but that was depressing. I still enjoyed the series and was pretty happy with how it ended (with a few words of criticism that I won't get into because it would be too long), but it stayed true to the Arthurian legend for the ending. Nonetheless, I was depressed for a good day in a half after watching it but I'm over it now so finishing this chapter was much easier.
Poor Merlin...that's all I have to say.
Secondly, thank you Black Iron, ruby890, WishIwasthere, and Unknown for reviewing last chapter. You guys are great. :)
Disclaimer: IDOM
Chapter 2 - Meeting On Fair Ground
The sun had already risen over Camelot and the servants were going about doing their appointed jobs. The stalls in the market place were opening up, ready to take on another busy day of profiteering. And it was on such a day that found the Court Physician guiding (what others assumed to be) his apprentice/foster son towards the stables, going unnoticed due to the morning hustle and bustle.
The stable master wasn't there to question them (Gaius thanked the gods) as the older man fetched Merlin's older horse. As he was doing this, Gaius silently reflected on his journey to the stables. The physician had to teach (in a matter of minutes) the Great Dragon how to walk in his new body, which proved to be a difficult task. Not only did he have trouble adjusting to two legs but his ward's natural clumsiness did nothing to ease his frustration. In conclusion, Gaius was pretty sure (and pleasantly surprised) that Kilgharrah didn't reign down fire and brimstone upon him ...or the occasional stepping stones that caused him to frequently trip.
Right now, he had to focus on the next task at hand - getting Kilgharrah on a horse. After the Great Dragon communicated with Merlin (with all the 'don't take that tone with me, young warlocks' and 'it isn't my faults', it made for a very amusing conversation to listen to), it was agreed that both dragon and warlock would meet in the forest of Ascetir. Where? Well, that was a whole other issue that they were going to solve on the way there.
Once Gaius brought the horse out, he tied it closely to a stall and went to help Kilgharrah mount. The Great Dragon was looking at the beast in fascination and awe. He'd never seen one up this close before (aside from the few seconds he would glimpse at his dinner before scooping it up in his mouth). The horse, on his part, took a good look at his usual master and its eyes widen in terror. Whether or not it knew who it actually was, the horse knew it was not truly his master but someone - or something - else. Every time Kilgharrah tried getting on, the horse would move around in the limited space given and rear up. It was when it almost kicked him in the face that broke the last straw. Growling, Kilgharrah furiously rambled some words in the dragon tongue, shutting the horse immediately up.
With a quirked eyebrow, Gaius finally managed to get the Great Dragon on to Merlin's horse, which now looked like a bag of bones rattling under fur.
"Kilgharrah, what did you...?"
Snorting in amusement, the Great Dragon eyed the physician and simply said, "I showed him his place...andIthreatenedtoeathimwhenIr eturnedtomyactualform".
"What was that?"
"I threatened to eat him when I returned to my actual form" he said blushing in embarrassment.
Not bothering to comment at the Great Dragon's quick temper, Gaius undid the knot and handed the reins to him.
"How are you going to find Merlin?"
"The young warlock and I are bound together through our bond as dragon and Dragonlord. We'll communicate as we draw closer together"
Gaius nodded in partial-understanding before another thought struck him.
"Won't Merlin have already arrived before you do? After all, a horse cannot hope to outride a dragon"
"True", Kilgharrah said smugly in a matter-of-fact tone, "but you're forgetting one thing". He paused to gather his thoughts, trying but failing to hide the ever-growing grin forming on his now human face. "If I, with your help, had trouble learning how to walk, imagine what the young warlock must be going through with only a hatchling at his side to teach him how to fly". And before Gaius could get a word in, Kilgharrah growled a command to the horse and made his way to the forest of Ascetir.
The physician shook his head amusingly before slowly making his way to his chambers. It was when he was opening the door that he realized he forgot one important fact.
...
...
"How the heck am I going to explain this to Arthur?"
"Meet me in the forest of Ascetir, he says. It'll be easy enough to get there, he says...Stupid, cryptic old dragon". Merlin was not having a good day. It was bad enough to find himself in the body of a dragon but now he had to meet said dragon at some not specific location...oh, and he had to fly there. Great, can my life get any worse?
"...And then, it swooped down low... and rose back into the sky! It was like a shooting star, which it probably was by the distance and...Grumpy Scales told me about them and how they're a long distance away...do you think you could reach one Father - ooh, that would be great and..."
Yes, it can. And, in reality, it did.
When it dawned on the white dragon that she would be able to spend time with Father, poor Merlin became the recipient of her unbound excitement. And right now, he was forced to passively listen as Aithusa went on and on and on about gods knew what.
Now I see what Kilgharrah means, Merlin thought to himself (though he would never admit it to Kilgharrah). It wasn't until five minutes into their walk outside their den that the young warlock had enough.
"Aithusa"
"And then I tossed some trees on his backside to make it look like he had feathers on his arse and..."
"Aithusa"
"Oh, Grumpy Scales was so upset when he woke up"
"Aithusa!"
"Yes Father?"
"How about we quiet down for a bit?"
"But being quiet is boring!...I know! We could..."
"You know what", Merlin had to think quickly, "h...how about you teach me how to fly"
The dragon's white face lit up in excitement. Oh how Merlin was going to regret asking that favor.
It was around midday when Kilgharrah felt it - the tingling presence of his Dragonlord. Muttering a few choice words to the already frightened horse, it swiftly changed directions and headed east until he came to the edge of the cliff.
"Where is that boy?" the Great Dragon angrily mumbled to himself. After letting out a frustrated sigh, he closed his eyes and focused on the young warlock's mind.
"Merlin...where are you?"
...
...
"Argh, stupid rock!"
"Merlin, what is going on"
"Uh,...nothing Kilgharrah. We're almost there"
"We?"
"Hi Kilgharrah!"
"Aithusa?! What are you doing here and what's taking you both so long?"
"Father is having trouble flying. We're almost there"
"Well, where are you exactly?"
"Right here!"
At this, the horse couldn't take the excitement and before Kilgharrah could threaten it further, it reared up causing the Great Dragon to not-so-gracefully fall to the ground and took off in the opposite direction. Apparently, one dragon was too much for it to handle.
After rubbing the soft texture of his hair on his head, Kilgharrah looked up to see an amusing sight.
Aithusa was sitting on top of Merlin's (or he should say his) head, just right in front of the horns, while the young warlock was...climbing the cliff side (Kilgharrah didn't bother wondering why the mountain side didn't give way to his weight).
Kilgharrah didn't know if he should feel offended or amused. In the end, he settled for the latter before clutching his side and laughing at his Dragonlord, who at this moment had finished hauling himself onto the edge and was laying on his stomach panting gray smoke from his lungs.
"I see you still haven't managed to fly young warlock"
Merlin turned to reprimand him but was too out of breath for his words to properly flow from his mouth. Taking a few seconds to let his lungs catch up, he glared at himself (he found it very weird to say the least) and said, "Yeah, I bet Gaius helped you get here to begin with"
"Err...no" Kilgharrah lied before slowly staggering to his feet. Catching himself before he fell, the Great Dragon continued. "Well, he may have helped me...um, find the stables but I reached this destination without his help"
"So you rode my horse then?"
"Yes I did, another task I did totally on my own"
Merlin looked around before flashing a reptilian grin. "So where is he?"
Kilgharrah let his mouth drop as he looked around and remembered that his steed ran away at the sight of Merlin...er, himself.
"Stupid horse. Oh when I get my hands on him, I'll threaten to roast him before I eat him this time" Kilgharrah meant to mumble that to himself. Unfortunately, Merlin's better hearing caught what the Great Dragon had said.
"Oh, I see. You bullied him into riding you here without any trouble. Well, that explains a lot!"
"Merlin!"
"Kilgharrah!"
"Um, why are you two fighting?"
Both dragon and Dragonlord, who were about to verbally clash, both simultaneously turned their heads towards the white hatchling who looked both amused and bored.
"Don't you guys have something important to do?", Aithusa finished.
Kilgharrah, of course, was the first to recover. "The hatchling is right. We need to figure out a way to fix this Merlin"
"Right. Well, I guess we should start with the obvious question. How did we get into this predicament in the first place?"
"I honestly do not know. The last thing I remember before all of this happened was speaking to you last night. After that, I flew back to the den and went to sleep"
"That's exactly what happened to me last night. Although..." Merlin trailed off while turning his head away from Kilgharrah's gaze.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. Um, maybe the answer is in one of Gaius' books?"
"At this point, it's worth a look. I'll head back there and see if the physician and I can find the answer"
"Great. Then I'll just go back to the den and wait for you to..."
"Oh no Merlin. You have to keep an eye out on the border. There could be more sorcerers trying to get in"
"But how am I going to do that? As much as it pains me to say it, I can't fly" Merlin complained before unnaturally shifting his wings.
"There's a mountain whose caves overlook different parts of the border that the sorcerers travel from. You could go there if you want. Or, Aithusa can try to te..."
"NO!"
At this, the white dragon, who after the first sentence of their long conversation went off to the edge of the trees and began chasing the animals for a quick lunch, turned her head at the mention of her name.
"What?..."
"Nothing nothing. Go back to hunting for lunch young one" Merlin hastily said before the Great Dragon could interject.
"Okay Father" she said before turning around and continuing on her business.
Kilgharrah eyed his kin who let out a deep breath.
"Don't ever suggest Aithusa teaching me how to fly again"
"What happened?" Kilgharrah inquired, not bothering to hide the wide grin forming on his face.
"Let's just say, she can be very...enthusiastic when it comes to doing just about anything"
"Merlin. She's just a hatchling. I thought you said that babysitting a hatchling all day long was easy" he teased. The young warlock quickly shook his head in annoyance.
"It's not difficult nor was I complaining. I just...er, wanted to warn you in case this issue comes up again"
"Sure Merlin. Sure"
"Besides, there's no way you'll be able to last in my shoes in Camelot"
"Oh, I think I can manage much better than you at the very least"
"I'll like to see you try" Merlin retorted.
"Trust me, it will be effortless young warlock"
Without saying another word to each other, Merlin called Aithusa before both dragon and Dragonlord left in opposite directions.
Merlin sighed in distress at realizing that he had to find his way down the mountain side. At least it's not too steep, he thought to himself. A possible solution came to mind but just as he was debating whether or not to actually do it, Aithusa must have thought of the same thing too. Before he knew it, Merlin felt something small collide with his back, causing him to slip off the side. Aithusa latched on to his wings as both dragons slid down the mountain side (Merlin screaming - though he would never admit it - all the way down).
Kilgharrah, on his part, began limp-walking to the forest. He chuckled to himself as he saw Aithusa sneak up on the unsuspecting Dragonlord and push him off the cliff. Oh well, he'll live, the Great Dragon thought to himself as he heard, for the first time, the young warlock scream. Just as he was feeling proud of himself, Kilgharrah looked around in dismay before realizing that he still didn't have a horse.
"It's going to be a long walk to Camelot. Now, where is that blasted horse?..."
"...and which way is Camelot again?"
It was way past noon in Camelot. Everything was going perfectly for the blond royal except for one thing...or person, in this case.
Merlin.
Angrily, he rose from his desk. The lazy idiot of a manservant hadn't bothered showing up. He could have had the decency to be available for the King to yell at him, but no! He had to flat out disappear (nor was he buying Gaius' 'out picking herbs' excuse). No, the physician was covering for him.
"When you're done dragging yourself out of whatever tavern you're getting drunk in, there will be hell to pay Merlin"
...
...
"Mark my words"
I forgot to mention this above so I'll do it now. Merry (late) Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!
Please review. I hope that, despite the series ending, people will continue to write awesome Merlin stories for a long while.
Until later,
-STL13