It was early morning when Merlin awoke, and he knew instantly he was much better. His magic, while not completely recovered, felt almost normal again, back to being the constant and unwavering part of him that was just always there. He yawned and stretched and peered around, he was the only one in the tent, and only the faint traces of light were filtering through the fabric of the tent.

The air was crisp but he was covered in layers of blankets, he wriggled out beneath them, finding his boots and his jacket, then grabbing the top blanket and taking it with him as he made his way outside.

Arthur, Lancelot and Gwaine were asleep on their bedrolls around the campfire, and no one else was in sight. Not wanting to wake them, Merlin pushed out a silencing spell, then tossed a few more logs on, and with a quick flick of magic stirred the flames up again. He found some stew in a pot on the fire's embers, and helped himself to a bowl, heating it again with his magic until it was pleasantly warm. He was starving, he hadn't eaten in a day, and he was onto his second helping within minutes.

Once his hunger was satisfied, he sat down on one of the large logs, but after watching his friends for some time and finding no signs any were about to wake up, he removed the enchantment and decided to go for a walk around the camp. He wrapped the blanket around his shoulders again, draping it slightly over his head, partly for warmth and also as it made his identity less obvious. He couldn't see anyone else awake nearby, and he was enjoying the peace and quiet, and he wanted anonymity for as long as he could, he wasn't accustomed to so much interest in him, being an anonymous servant had its advantages despite all the work Arthur chucked his way.

He found himself heading off down the same route he'd taken with Arthur yesterday to visit Kilgharrah. He reached the clearing soon enough, and poked his foot at one of the blackened trees that the dragon had set on fire, releasing a puff of ash into the damp air.

The silence was like a balm to his soul, he decided to venture a little further, he thought he'd heard the sound of running water yesterday when he'd been speaking to Kilgharrah, and sure enough, there was a creek not far from the clearing.

Merlin sat down at the edge on the bank, under the trees, pulling his blanket up further around his shoulders. The creek wasn't very wide, and the sound he'd heard was a small waterfall on the far side. He picked up a pebble and skimmed it over the surface of the water, it bounced three times before it sank. He picked up another stone, feeling its smooth shape in the palm of his hand, and wondered idly how many times he could get it to bounce with a touch of magic. He smiled to himself, and the glance around to make sure no one else was watching was instinctive even if it was unnecessary.

Seventy-five. That was when he grew tired of the game and let the pebble sink. He picked up another stone and hurled it into the water, the splash and the plopping sound it made as it hit the surface and sank was rather satisfying. He glanced across again at the far side, a flash of colour behind the trees had caught his attention.

Then he stood up, watching carefully. Was that a horse ...?

And there, just coming into view on the other side, Merlin recognised the colours and two of the six men straight away. He called out, waving, "Elyan! Percival!"

"Merlin?"

Elyan was puzzled and Merlin suddenly realised why, over his shoulders and his head he was wearing a purple blanket embroidered with druid symbols pertaining to the Tree of Life. He tugged it down and grinned. "Yeah, it's me. What are you doing out here?"

Elyan shouted back, "Looking for the prince, for all of you. Where's Arthur?"

"He's back up with the druids with Lancelot and Gwaine, probably still asleep. You're on the move early."

"Yeah. Do you know how we can get across the creek?"

Merlin did, but that would involve magic and was not exactly possible in front of the four other knights who were with Percival and Elyan. He tried to remember their names. Borin, Ronan, Henry and ... the last one was new. That's right, William. He called out to Elyan again. "I don't know, I just found the creek myself."

"What about him then, does he know?"

Elyan was pointing to someone behind him, Merlin turned around to see Iseldir walking down the hill towards him. He beckoned him over, waiting until he was close then spoke in a low voice. "They need to get across. Do you know if there's a crossing somewhere nearby? Don't use magic. Two of them I know well and trust, but I don't know how the others will react to an open display of magic."

Iseldir nodded. "Very well Emrys." He called out to the men. "Knights of Camelot, if you travel upstream about a hundred yards then you'll find a place where a tree has fallen to make a natural bridge. The water isn't too deep there, you should be able to lead the horses through the water as you walk over the log."

Elyan nodded and Merlin and Iseldir watched them go. Then Merlin turned to Iseldir. "I'd better wake up Arthur. There must be something wrong, they wouldn't seek us out like this if there wasn't."

He reached out with mind speech. "Arthur, Gwaine, Lancelot. Wake up!"

He felt Lancelot and Gwaine snap to attention immediately but Arthur remained oblivious. He tried again. "Rise and shine. Up and at 'em!" Still nothing. Merlin made the mind speech louder ... much louder. "Wake up prat!"

Oops, that might have been too loud. But at least Arthur was very awake now. He told them about their visitors and directed them in mind speech to come down to the place Kilgharrah had landed, and turned back to Iseldir. He was peering off in a northerly direction, the six knights had crossed the creek now and were leading their horses towards them.

"Merlin, my friend." Elyan gave him a slap on the back, and Merlin returned the gesture. Percival nodded, from him that was greeting enough but Merlin gave him a whack on the arm which the knight returned with an easy smile.

Merlin gestured Iseldir forward, introducing him by name only. The other four knights were standing back somewhat, Elyan motioned them nearer, they exchanged greetings too, and Merlin eyed them carefully, not sure what they'd think about meeting a druid.

"Merlin, we need to talk to Arthur," Elyan reminded him.

"Yeah, I called him, he's coming, so are Lancelot and Gwaine." Merlin glanced back absently in the direction of the camp, not noticing the puzzled frowns on some of their faces. "How did you find us, anyway?"

Elyan and Percival exchanged glances. "We've been searching for you for a couple of days, Gaius had a vague idea where you'd said the camp was, but we'd been riding around this same area for a while and hadn't found anything. Then just over a day ago, we saw this huge bright flash of light up through the Northern Plains." Elyan shot a quick look at the other knights and lowered his voice. "And Percival and I thought it was magical, so we came this way."

"Oh. Yes." Merlin remembered what Arthur had said he'd done. And the camps shields were still down, the usual enchantments that turn away visitors still weren't fully active again, he'd forgotten about that even though he'd walked through what remained of them earlier and sensed the lingering magic.

He wanted to ask why they'd come, but knew they'd tell him once Arthur had arrived. Noticing Elyan's attention was distracted, Merlin turned around and saw Arthur, Lancelot and Gwaine making their way towards them. Nathaniel was with them. The prince looked like he'd woken up in a hurry, his hair was standing up in all directions and he still had on his sleep shirt, and it was rather crumpled.

"Sire." Elyan and Merlin walked up to meet them, the other knights and Iseldir followed.

"Elyan, what brings you here? We might have missed meeting up with you, we would've left here within a few days to return to Camelot." Arthur was pleased to see him although a little surprised.

Elyan looked at him seriously. "Sire, I bring bad news." He took a deep breath. "I've been sent by Leon and Gwen. I'm sorry Sire, but the king is gravely ill. Gaius says ... he may not survive the week."

Arthur's face was impassive but Merlin felt his shock, he moved to his side immediately and put his hand on the prince's shoulder.

Elyan continued. "Sire, it's taken us almost four days to find you. By the time you get back it may be too late. I'm sorry."

Arthur turned to the side, a hand rubbing the back of his neck, his free hand pressing against his forehead. Merlin watched him for a moment, noting the set of his shoulders, then he stepped in front of him and motioned to Lancelot and Gwaine. "Can you two pack our bags? Arthur's gear is with mine, inside Nathaniel's tent."

Iseldir touched Merlin lightly on the arm. "I'll go with them Emrys, and get some supplies organised for you all."

"Thanks." Merlin gave him a distracted nod of acknowledgement and he followed Lancelot and Gwaine back up the hill towards the camp.

Nathaniel came forwards and said to him, "My Lord, our people know this area better than the prince's knights. If some of his men can double-up on horseback and take one of my people to guide you, we could get you back to Camelot within two to three days, depending upon the state of the river crossings. Yet you may find it is just as quick to walk back through the forests, Lancelot and Gwaine said you left your horses and came through the Darkling Woods."

"Yes, we did. Let me talk to Arthur." Merlin registered the use of his title again, and the attention its use drew from the knights. But that didn't matter right now. He turned to Arthur, the prince hadn't spoken, Merlin saw the distress behind the almost composed manner, although he didn't think the others would see it, not completely. He said gently, pressing his shoulder, "Arthur?"

The prince looked at him, his face was carefully expressionless and wiped clear of emotion. Merlin grabbed onto his arm, turning him around, and tugging him away from the others, taking him to the clearing where they'd talked with Kilgharrah. He stopped at the edge, the distance from the others and the trees gave them limited privacy.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked again. The prince wasn't wearing a jacket and it was still cool this early in the morning, Merlin was still carrying the ridiculous purple blanket so he draped it around Arthur's shoulders. He pushed him back against a tree, his hands on Arthur's shoulders, his face in front of him. "Arthur, speak to me."

Arthur blinked and said with stark bleakness, "I need to get back. I have to see him."

Merlin squeezed his shoulders. "I know. I've organised it. We'll go straight away, as soon as Lancelot and Gwaine come back with our packs and some provisions. That okay?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to go with Elyan and those knights on horseback, or walk back the way we came where we left the horses?"

"I don't know."

Merlin thought about it quickly. "Right. We'll send three of the knights with Gwaine and Lancelot to get the horses we left. But if they're not where we left them that way will take longer, so we'll go with Elyan on horseback now. Nathaniel will give us a guide. We'll get there in time, Arthur. You'll see him before he dies. Gaius'll keep him alive for you, I promise."

"Yes." The prince's eyes were wet. "Merlin, I said goodbye to him before we left. Gaius said his heart was failing. I didn't tell you. He's been so sick, we knew he'd never recover. He'd given up on life and didn't want to be here any more."

"I'm sorry. We shouldn't have left."

"I wanted to, I wanted to get away from it all, just for a while. I just didn't know when it'd happen. But I thought it'd take longer, we've not even been away for a week. I thought he'd have more time than this, Gaius said it could be months, not days."

"We'll get there, Arthur. It won't be too late."

The prince pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes, Merlin shook his head and put an arm around Arthur's shoulder, pulling his friend into a tentative hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes then Arthur stepped away, dropping the purple blanket by their feet.

He nudged it with his boot, his head down, quiet for a while. Then he looked up and said sombrely, "Merlin, I don't want to go on horseback."

"Not on horseback?

Arthur hesitated then asked, "What about teleporting?"

Merlin stilled. "Teleporting?"

"Yes, the one where you crash into things. Can you take me with you?"

Merlin shook his head back and forth, pinching the bridge of his nose. He said sincerely, "I can't, Arthur. It's too dangerous. I've only done it a few times, I can barely control it when I'm on my own, I'm not risking your life in it. And how would you explain to Borin and the other knights that you've just disappeared off somewhere with your servant, and everyone else can make their own way back to Camelot without you?"

Arthur shut his eyes for a moment, when he opened them again he didn't try to hide his anguish. "I want to see him, Merlin, before he dies."

"I know. I understand." Merlin's voice was soft, regretful. "But I can't teleport with you. And I wouldn't even do it myself after the last few days, my magic is much better but it's a bit sloshy still, I couldn't use it for something like that, it'd be too dangerous for me too. I'm sorry Arthur, I can't. And before you ask, I can't take you into my own time for that long either, I could get there myself okay but I can't keep it around you for a long while, I just don't have the control for it at present."

Arthur nodded, his face pained, but he hadn't given up. "What about the dragon?

Merlin said hesitantly, "Arthur, what do you mean?"

"I've seen you fly with him. Will he take me, too?"

"You'd fly on Kilgharrah?"

"With you I would."

There was a long silence. Merlin looked at the purple blanket covered in druid symbols, lying on the ground between them. Then he nodded slowly. "Alright. I won't command him, but he'll take you if I ask. But not the others, just you. It'll take about an hour to get to Camelot but we'll have to wait until night, or we'll be seen when he lands. And we need to think of some way to make sure Borin and the others aren't suspicious. Get them to go back the way they came on horseback, and we'll tell them that we'll go with Lancelot and Gwaine through the forests. Percival and Elyan will cover for us, but I'd rather they not know about Kilgharrah either. They might work out later that we arrived back too quickly but I'll think of a story for that when I have to."

Arthur leant his head back against the tree. "Merlin?"

"What?"

"No." Arthur was calm but resolute. "I want to see my father before he dies. I want to go as soon as you can get him here."

Merlin bit his lip and said earnestly, "Arthur. The knights will see him if I call him now. And he'll be seen from Camelot when we land, I can't do this with him during the day, he'll be seen from the castle and from the villages."

He ran his hand through his hair, slightly agitated. "I don't have any magic that can hide a dragon's presence. I don't even know if I could land him in the clearing near Camelot without people seeing us, the guards will be watching from the towers, they'll see him coming a mile away, they may even see us riding on him if it's a clear day. We can't do it."

Arthur was shaking his head. "Merlin. No one can hurt your dragon, can they?"

"No, of course not. But you know that's not what I'm worried about."

"Merlin. The druids know about you. That knowledge will filter back to Camelot eventually." Arthur put a hand on his shoulder and said with quiet intensity, "You know what I'm asking of you. It's time, Merlin. I won't let you come to any harm. And I need to see my father."

They exchanged a long look before Merlin's eyes dropped to the ground. He wrapped his arms around his waist and took a deep breath and said almost inaudibly, "Yes. What do you want me to do?"

The prince understood, and he was grateful. "Thank you, Merlin."

Merlin tried to smile. "You never say thank you."

Arthur nodded slowly. "I should. Because you're my rock, I rely on you more than anyone, even if I didn't recognise it until recently. And I know I ask more of you than anyone, and I know what I'm asking you now, is much more than ever before. And it will be only the start."

Merlin said deadpan, "I don't know if I fancy being a rock, it sounds a bit thick." Arthur smiled slightly, and Merlin asked, "Are you sure, about this?"

"Yes. I've had a lot of time to think about you, and what to do about your magic, and the laws on magic. My father ..." Arthur bit his lip, pained, and tried again. "My father, when he ..." He shuddered. "Merlin, I can't bear to think about my father dying, but I know what it means, it'll be the catalyst for change, you know what the prophecies say. And I have to see him, just once more before he dies. I want to be with him when it happens, and this is the only way."

"I'll obey you Arthur, whatever your decision is about what you want people to know about me. But is the time right for this? Dragonlord, dragon, magic and a new king, all at once, are you sure the people can handle all that, right now?"

"My people aren't just those who have no magic, Merlin. The people in this camp belong to me as much as those that don't have any of your abilities. Yes, it's a lot of change, and all at once, and I know what I'm asking of you. I'm not preparing the people for a slow relaxation of the rules on magic, I'm asking them to change their views all at once. But I'm their ruler, and that's how I mean to rule. I must care for all my subjects, Merlin, not just those who don't have magic. I won't be exclusive, and I won't allow for continued endless persecution of magic users. I thought you'd be happy, isn't it what you wanted?"

"Of course that's what I want." He looked away. "It's so public, Arthur. Don't expect everyone to accept me, or magic, as easily as you have."

"I understand. But I won't rule unjustly and with fear. I need to make my own decisions."

Merlin nodded. "Alright. What do you want me to do, now?"

"You contact Leon, Gwen and Gaius with mind speech. Tell them I've asked you to take us back to Camelot on the dragon. Make sure Leon warns the citizens that he won't attack. Tell him you're a dragonlord and the dragon is under your control. And Merlin, I want you to land him in the court yard. If he's going to be seen then you might as well land him there, I want to get there as soon as I can. I have to see my father."

"Yes Arthur." Merlin was uneasy.

It was Arthur's turn to reassure him. "Don't worry. Trust me, it'll be okay. I'll tell the knights what we're doing. Elyan and Percival deserve our honesty, and the other four may as well know now, it'll make it easier."

Merlin managed a weak smile. "Okay." He fidgeted. "Arthur, Ronan has magic. I don't think he truly knows it though. He's weak, but he's probably done a few things inadvertently that've scared him and made him wonder. And he's not at all comfortable about being here. He's afraid."

"Okay. I'll watch him."

Merlin nodded. "Then I'll contact Gaius, Leon and Gwen now. But would you stay with me while I do it? I'm going to have to use magic to get it to go that far and I don't want anyone sneaking up behind me."

"I've got your back, Merlin."

The half-smile Merlin gave him was preoccupied, and the prince watched as his friend walked to the centre of the clearing, then stopped, his back to him. He was still for a long moment, then his head tipped back and he stretched his arms out to the sky.

Arthur couldn't see his eyes, because Merlin's back was to him, but even he could feel the strange rush of sensation as Merlin released his magic. He watched his friend with curiosity, then he did see his eyes burning a bright gold, as Merlin slowly turned around in a full circle in the clearing. Then he stopped, his eyes faded to blue again, and his shoulders slumped. He sat down on the ground abruptly and Arthur found himself rushing over to him.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Merlin smiled weakly. "That took a lot of effort. Gwen and Leon don't have magic so it's really difficult to contact them from such a distance. And Gaius is out of practice and not very powerful." Arthur was giving him a strange look and he realised what he'd said. "Oh, yeah, Gaius has magic, your father knows." He shook his head when Arthur offered a hand to pull him up. "I'll just sit for a minute. My magic needs to settle down, and I'll have to do it again."

"Again? Didn't you tell them everything?"

"Yes, but Arthur it'll be a shock, to Gwen and Leon at least. They don't know about Kilgharrah, and Leon was one that fought with you when you thought you'd killed him, I don't think he'll be in a hurry to see him again. So to make sure they take it all in I told them I'd repeat the message in five minutes." He decided he might as well tell Arthur. "And I want to send an extra message to Gaius. I want to ask him to arrange to fly some white flags over the castle to confirm it's okay for us to land, if the townspeople are prepared for us, and that there's no risk to our safety doing this either. I'm not too keen to find myself seized by the guards because everyone thinks I've enchanted you."

"Fair enough. But you only want to send that message to Gaius?"

"Yes. I don't doubt Leon's loyalty to you, but I don't know if he really accepts that I have magic. I don't want Gwen involved in this if it doesn't end well, and I trust Gaius with my life." He reached up a hand to Arthur and the prince pulled him up. "So do you understand, why I want to send this message to Gaius?"

"I do, Merlin, although I don't think it's necessary. But tell him the white flags are kept in the third storeroom on the ground floor."

"Thanks Arthur." Merlin gave him a grateful look then took a few steps away from him. "You'd better back off a bit, I have to do it again."

He repeated the exercise from before, this time taking a little longer, and again Arthur felt the rush of sensation as he released his magic. And again when it was over, Merlin seemed to be in a hurry to re-acquaint himself with the ground. Arthur sat down with him this time, a little concerned. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah. Just a little dizzy. It'll pass in a minute." Merlin glanced at the knights a dozen or so yards away through the trees. "Uh oh. There's dissent in the ranks already. Just wait until they hear me call Kilgharrah. And then see him."

Arthur sighed. It looked like Borin and Ronan were getting into an argument with Percival and Elyan, Arthur noticed Ronan's hand was resting on the hilt of his sword. Henry and William merely seemed a little surprised and curious. Nathaniel stood off a little to the side, wary of them all.

"I'd better go across and deal with them. Just wait until I've spoken with them until you call the dragon, alright?"

"Yeah." Merlin nodded but grabbed onto Arthur's arm before he could leave. "Um. Arthur?"

The prince gave him an enquiring glance and Merlin continued, "Uh, this is a little awkward. I don't want to leave you, not for a moment, but I've got to, I have to see Morgana too, before we leave. I can't just go without saying goodbye. I have to see her, I need to."

Arthur was almost ashamed to think he hadn't given her any thought. Uther was her father too, no matter how much she hated him. "Sure, Merlin."

"I won't be long. I'll find her as soon as I've called Kilgharrah, it should take him at least fifteen minutes or even an hour before he arrives. And anyway it's probably better you explain the horrors of me to the knights without my presence, they'll have questions they want answered, particularly after I've called Kilgharrah."

"Hey!" Arthur grabbed hold of the front of his shirt, yanking him towards him, and Merlin stumbled and stared at the prince in surprise.

"Arthur?"

The prince gave him a little shake. "Don't talk about yourself like that, Merlin. If I ever hear you calling yourself a horror, or a monster, or something like that again, I'll put you in the stocks, and I'll supply potatoes, got it?"

Merlin scratched his head. "Uh, right. But hold on, the next time you insult me, does that mean .. you know, it'll be your turn in them?"

"Sometimes you really are a complete idiot, aren't you Merlin? Now let me deal with my knights."

Merlin was aware he was grinning foolishly but couldn't help himself, Arthur rolled his eyes and went back to his men. Merlin watched them, he didn't know what Arthur said but Borin and Ronan dropped their antagonism after a few minutes, Ronan even looked relaxed.

Merlin picked up the purple blanket off the ground and watched as he spoke with Percival and Elyan too, when the two knights snapped their heads his way he guessed they'd just been told about Kilgharrah.

Sure enough, Arthur waved a hand in his direction and called out, "Right Merlin, they're ready. Call your dragon."

A/N: Thanks for reading again ...