"Well that was a surprise" Merlin sat down unsure what to do next.

"How strange, Dragons who can't fly I can't believe it!" Aithusa was obviously amazed.

"I wouldn't mention it too much if I were you, they probably think your strange with wings and they are dragons after all." Merlin was worried that Aithusa would upset their hosts. He knew without doubt that Kilgarrah would have done. He would have felt them inferior and had no tact.

"I'm not silly" Aithusa sounded hurt but Merlin knew better and was glad he warned her. After all she was still very young.

They both moved to the cave opening, and were sat looking over the countryside laid out in front of them. For as far as they could see there were deep valleys and tall thin rocky hills, covered in vegetation. Merlin thought this would suit his purposes well .There was no sign of human habitation and it would be quite easy to be alone, except for the dragons. With lots of caves there would be plenty of shelter and there seemed to be plenty of vegetation for him to eat, and several streams nearby for a good water supply. He hoped that the dragons would allow them to stay. For the first time since the death of Arthur he felt that he could belong somewhere.

The two of them sat in silence each busy with their own thoughts and waited. It was a couple of hours later when the dragon they had first met returned, with two other dragons. They were slightly larger than the first one. One of them was a large dull red beast, and the other was even redder than the first one they had seen. Again they talked to Merlin and Aithusa with mind speak.

"Where have you come from, and what is your business here?" said the larger dragon.

"We have come from far away to the west, from a place called Camelot. We left there as our friends have all died, and I had heard that this was a land of dragons. My companion Aithusa is the last of her kind left in the land we left, and she is looking for a mate. I am looking for a place to heal my heart as I have lost my friends and need to find a new purpose."

"There is none of your kind in these hills; you will need to move on to find them. Aithusa is welcome to stay, although as she is so different from us I doubt she will find a mate. There are several types of dragon here, but none who have wings although some of us can still fly in the clouds." the voice sounded very dismissive to both Merlin and Aithusa.

"I won't stay unless Merlin does he is my kin." Aithusa replied. She was upset at how they had been welcomed. She knew how much Merlin had wanted to find somewhere they could settle together.

The second red dragon looked at them both and then felt into Aithusa's mind. It was a gentle search as if the dragon wanted to feel the truth of their words. After a few moments the second red dragon spoke:

"I understand your pain, and your wish for peace you may stay." The dragons voice was softer than the first and Merlin knew instinctively she was a female and hope that she would be able to guide Aithusa.

"Thank you, can we know your names please so we my address you correctly?" Merlin was curious and relieved.

"The young dragon who you saw first is Boa, she one of my daughters. My partner is Qiang and I am Huan. We live in the lakes and come to these caves by an underground stream. So you were lucky to find us. Boa heard your call and was curious. We must go back now, but will visit again tomorrow you are welcome to use this cave if you wish. Tomorrow we will return with others, as we have much to discuss. With that the three dragons turned and went back down the passageway.

"Well that's interesting, and good news, we have found friends at last. What a pity you don't swim Aithusa. Come on lets sort ourselves out now we are staying."

Merlin looked across at Aithusa and smiled at the face she was pulling.

"Get in water! What strange dragons these are. I'm going to find some food" with that she flew off into the surrounding countryside.

The friends spent the rest of the day settling in. Merlin used his magic to make a small area of the cave more comfortable, forming a sleeping ledge into the side of the cave, and in another area he formed a table. He didn't do too much, as he thought he might like to find a smaller cave that would be easier to keep warm once they were settled. At the moment he knew he could curl up with Aithusa at night, but if they found dragons that lived on the land he would encourage her to stay more with her own kind. Over the next few weeks the couple met more and more dragons as word of their arrival spread. Boa visited most days, and often brought her siblings with her. She told them she was one from a clutch of nine. This apparently was normal with Chinese dragons, although they often only had the one clutch in a lifetime. But then he figured looking after nine baby dragons at once would put anyone of off having another brood. Merlin found out that there were several sorts of dragon, and five different colours, although the colours varied in shade so there appeared more than that. What they all had in common was the long and slender shape so different than Aithusa or Kilgarrah. Unlike the fear that the people of Camelot had for dragons, in China they were revered and worshiped by the local people. They were considered a good omen and brought the much needed rain.

The human population in the area was very sparse, and they had yet to meet any of them. After a few weeks Merlin found just the cave for him, part of the way up a hill, and after making sure he was not offending the dragons he moved into it and set about making it more homely. He made a magical cabinet, where he kept this spell book to keep it safe from the damp and insects; it was his most prised possession. He decided to travel to the nearest small village to see if he could trade for a few other things he needed, like a good cooking pot. Merlin needed to keep himself busy, to try to keep the sadness in his heart from overwhelming him. There wasn't a moment that he didn't think about Arthur and his other friends.

One morning he set early off leaving Aithusa behind. It took him four days to reach the village, only to find that he couldn't understand the language, but with much laughter on both sides he managed to make himself understood. He knew from the dragons that White magic was accepted by the people, so he used some to put the people at ease. He also helped a man injured by a local wild animal. The locals seemed glad to have a healer near them. After spending a few days in the settlement he made his way back to his cave. He had been away for nearly two weeks. Aithusa was pleased to see him back, she had been worried about him.

After that Merlin found that he would receive human visitors, mostly they wanted his help with healing, and in exchange they would bring him gifts of foods and other useful items. Occasionally they would want him to return to their village, to visit those too ill to travel. Gradually he began to learn their language, although it took many years to understand the local written word which only the local scholars used. He soon changed to the Chinese style of dress and packed his brown jacket and other cloths away. His last neckerchiefs were placed with the hidden spell book as they still held a special place in his heart. They were the only things he has left from his mother. His magic had kept them in a good state for many years, but there was only so long he could keep using them , she had made them 70 years ago.

Merlin made sure to keep his visits to the village to a minimum as he had no wish to get to friendly with people. Being immortal would only bring him pain as those around him grew old and died. With the dragons however he became great friends, and spent many hours in their company. Aithusa found a young male dragon Gang that wished to court with her, and was often seen flying up in the clouds with him. Dragon courtship was a long drawn out affair lasting decades. The dragons had the responsibility for the weather and were very diligent in their duties. Aithusa was determined to learn as much as she could.