AN: Happy Holidays! The promised Gwaine chapter should be coming in the next few days, for those that are wondering.
Hope this chapter flows okay. I had some issues with it, rewrote different sections a few times, and then totally changed the scenes around at least three times, while trying to get a chapter of Lord of Beasts out, as well. I'm going to attempt (muses permitting) to start posting on a more consistent schedule, with Beasts postings on Saturdays and BNW posting on Sundays...wish me luck with that!
Thanks to Nance for her fluffing, puffing, and preening. Any remaining mistakes are my own.
Thank you for the reviews: Nance, CarolynneRuth, and AWanderersHaven on ffnet, and Matthew72 on tHoC.
"I've always liked the time before the dawn because there's no one around to remind me who I'm supposed to be, so it's easier to remember who I am." ~Brian Andreas "The Story People"
"You should probably get some rest." A yawn seemed to surround his statement.
Arthur blinked and smirked. He wasn't the one falling asleep. "Only when you do."
"I need to figure this out first." After his breakdown outside, Merlin...true to form, even after all the centuries...pulled himself out of the funk rather quickly, and set about to finding a solution. Neither of them mentioned the breakdown, or the implications of what it meant for Merlin.
Arthur supposed that his friend would confide in him, or not, when he was ready. For now, it was at least worthwhile to be doing something to keep himself occupied. "...And I plan on assisting you. When is Martha coming back?"
"...Another two days. I was going to fly to New York and meet her, after I finished with Gwaine in Colorado. Then, we were going to fly back together...or change plans altogether and head to Jamaica, or do something, for our anniversary."
"Ah...I've seen pictures of that place. It doesn't look real, and the...lack of decency of those women is...astounding."
Merlin chuckled, "Yeah, it took me a while to adjust to the changing styles. The 60's were a real eye opener...but to see Martha in a bikini...Mmmm, now there's a beautiful sight."
Arthur guffawed loudly, "I doubt I could ever convince Guinevere to try one of those things on."
"Try on one of what things? Oh, dear god, what happened in here?" Gwen's chastising tone made both men flinch.
The two of them had been poring through books, and the library looked like it had been hit with a tornado. Neither had paid much attention the space around them. "I'll clean it up, I swear!" Merlin smiled brightly in defense. He reached over and lightly slapped Arthur's leg, when the former king started snickering. The girlish tap only made Arthur laugh harder.
"Mm hmm..." She smiled patronizingly. "Now, what would I never try on?"
"A bikini." The warlock muffled under his hand.
Meanwhile at the same time Arthur had said, "Nothing."
Even her coffee-colored skin tone couldn't hide the rosiness that flooded her cheeks. "Those...things...cover less than my undergarments. There may be many things in the modern fashion I do enjoy, that will never be one of them. So, you can get that thought out of your skull right now, Arthur Pendragon." She smoothed out her shirt, over the barely discernable bump that was starting to form. "Well, I just came in to see if either of you would like something to eat."
Arthur smiled up at her from the pile of books that surrounded him. His eyes following her hands with fascination. "That would be wonderful!"
Gwen practically glowed under her husband's gaze. The recent pregnancy was already so different from Aurie's. "Merlin?"
"Yes, please...and thank you." The warlock responded politely. He smirked haughtily at Arthur, as if showing off his etiquette skill. He ducked the shoe Arthur had taken off to throw at his head, before Merlin stuffed his nose into yet another large, leather-bound tome.
After she left, Merlin carelessly tossed the book, which many book aficionados would classify as priceless, to the side. "There is nothing useful in any of these." The level of frustration was clear.
"Alright, let's start from the beginning, shall we?" Arthur offered. He took Merlin's silence as acceptance of the plan. "From what the...Nicks..."
"Nox."
"...Right, Nox...said, the Ancients came to Earth, and brought the dragons here, to escape the Ori. That was..."
"...thousands of years ago."
"Somehow, my father, from what you've said, was able to kill off most of the dragons, and now we have a clue that it was because they were bonded with the Dragon Lords."
"In his arrogance, he made the mistake of capturing the last dragon, and thanks to Gaius, lost my father in the process. So, he couldn't kill Kilgharrah. Balinor fled first to Ealdor, then later, to the area we found him."
Arthur picked up the conversation thread again. "...But, instead of just dying like a normal man, or being more resilient, because of his...whatever it was...symbos-is-ses thing...He broke his bond and passed his gift onto you."
"...Which was the bond I initially had with Kilgharrah. The Nox told me that there are two ways a child of a Dragon Lord could gain their powers: either by the bond being passed on, as Balinor did; or by coming of age and summoning a dragon from the egg. I experienced both. Since the egg was the more natural, and because my father's bond with Kilgharrah already was over a thousand years old...for me, the egg took precedence...ultimately dooming Kilgharrah."
The two of them speculated for a while, until Gwen appeared with a late supper for them both. After another look around at the chaotic state of the room, she excused herself to a less cluttered part of the manor.
They ate in silence. Two sets of blue eyes skimmed through yellowed pages of the old books.
Arthur grinned slightly, when Merlin's eyes began to flutter. They soon closed, and the warlock's body slumped over slightly.
He allowed his friend a few moments to settle into his nap. Old habits were hard to break though, and he wasn't about to let Merlin get in a decent bout of sleep. Soon, he was snapping his fingers in front of Merlin's face. "Earth to Merlin..."
"What?" He was startled awake, scattering the books in front of him, and tipping over a couple of precariously stacked piles.
"Exactly. Where did you go, just now?"
Merlin shook his head, feeling the exhaustion setting into his old bones. "I was remembering when I first told Kilgharrah about the dragon egg. I wonder why he allowed me to summon Aithusa, if he knew it would cause his death?"
"Well, you said he was over a thousand years old, right?
"Yes..."
"What if he was born...or hatched...here, and had no knowledge of it. I mean, you're over a thousand years old, and still an idiot."
Merlin chose to ignore Arthur's jab. "It's possible...and if he didn't know, maybe my father didn't either."
"...Or, your father just assumed he would be saving both of you. He didn't know about the egg, correct?"
Shaking his head, Merlin rubbed at his eyes. "None of this gets me any closer to where Aithusa might be, though!"
"We'll find her...him...it..." He sneered and rolled his eyes, seeing Merlin attempting to stifle a snicker. "We will find your dragon." The unspoken words hung between them like a darkened mirror, that neither were willing to look into just yet.
"We're not going to find anything in these books."
"Where do you suggest we look then?" Arthur asked, gratefully setting aside the tome he'd barely begun to look at. His eyes followed Merlin's to the floor in a silent recommendation. Shrugging, both men stood up and left the library.
(*~*~*~*)
The basement of the manor was cool and damp. It appeared much older than the rest of the house, which Merlin had explained on a previous expedition into the depths, that it actually was. He'd made certain that, when the foundation was laid for the current residence, it was directly over the old armory. The warlock went into detail about how he'd managed to find the ruins of the old castle, and sealed off all the entrances to, and from, the vaults and dungeons below...ensuring that none of the items stored below would be disturbed.
He had mentioned something about the curses on the tombs in Egypt, but most of the talk of magical enchantments went far over Arthur's head. Along a far wall, was a set of shelves with years of dust and cobwebs, so thick that Arthur couldn't begin to describe what anything was underneath them.
Merlin didn't use words to open the wall. The only change in the warlock, was the telltale glow of his eyes. The entire set of shelves swung inward, to reveal stairs that Arthur remembered. Each time he entered the descending corridor, it took a few moments for his mind to adjust from the differences in his memory, to the scene before him.
Timidly at first, the king had stepped down onto the first stair. He pulled out the modern torch Merlin had given him, and the bright beam lit up the hallway. Large sections along the descending path were patched with stone of a different color and texture than the walls around them. Arthur vaguely made out that they were the old windows that used to allow sunlight to stream into the stairwell.
They had passed the armory first. The iron-clad wooden doors were just a memory now. The armor and weapons within had crumbled to dust over the passage of time. Arthur recalled how the room used to be only half-way below ground level in his time. Window wells, set high in the walls near the ceiling, resembled the stoned-up windows in the stairs. It was yet another indication of how much time had passed.
He had inquired about it, the first time Merlin brought him through here.
"I may be powerful, but even I can't stop nature entirely...just slow it down a bit. Even then, the upkeep on the spells that would have been required...Well, let's just say, I'd never have been able to leave this place." Merlin had explained.
"...But you said the vaults are still intact?"
"Mostly...Magical items, and things like gems, and gold, and such...they don't deteriorate like iron, wood, and steel do." He'd responded with a shrug.
The two men had spent days on end through the winter months, going through the vaults, searching for different items. Over the centuries, the warlock had collected nearly every relic he could find...whether from the druids, or other more distant cultures...that held magical properties. The place was the epitome of disorganization, and Arthur couldn't help but comment.
"You still have never learned how to clean your room. Poor Martha. Does she know what a pig you really are?"
Arthur was becoming more accustomed to the explorations below. He had found not only the vaults, but also the tombs. He was shocked at how the stone sarcophagi had remained intact. The former king had spent nearly an entire day, simply staring at his father's visage carved on the lid of the stone coffin. With that discovery, Arthur had demanded to know everything about Merlin's use of magic in Camelot. Which, in turn, had led to heartbreaking conversations about his father's Great Purge, and the entire reason for the laws against magic in the first place.
It had taken some time, but Arthur finally was coming to terms with it all.
While the previous visits had been for fun, more or less, this time Merlin strode down the stairs with a clear purpose on his mind.
"Any idea what we should be looking for?"
"The same thing we've been looking for: Answers...and that damn Sidhe staff." Merlin closed his eyes. He extended his arms outward, preparing to cast some magic that would enhance their search. The sound of something falling nearby, broke his concentration. "Arthur...please..."
"It wasn't me." The blond man said seriously. Arthur swung his flashlight over towards the source of the clatter. He blinked and shook his head. Visions of glowing, red eyes, and a sensation of drowning, suddenly engulfed him when he saw the staff.
The smooth, wooden shaft appeared almost alive, in the dim light of the torch. The grain seemed to come alive with an inner fire. The blue gem at the head of the staff seemed to undulate like waves under the surface of its hard, outer shell.
He'd swallowed down what felt like a stone that had caught in his throat. "Merlin, look."
Merlin saw the staff. "I wonder..." He mumbled to himself. Grabbing it without questioning where it had suddenly appeared from, Merlin sprinted out of the vaults.
Arthur raced after his friend. It was an odd sensation to be following Merlin like he was. He felt no small amount of trepidation, instinctively knowing the warlock was on a mission. He wondered briefly if this was how Merlin had seen the world, first chasing around after a foolhardy prince, then a determined king.
They made their way to the stables. Arthur didn't question, as he would have before. Not to say he didn't want to, but something inside him kept his tongue still. They saddled up their horses and rode out. It was approximately two hours before sunrise, when Merlin stopped his horse, and tied it off to a tree at the edge of a meadow. It was only then, that the warlock finally realized Arthur was still behind him.
"Are you following me?"
"Someone has to keep you out of trouble." Arthur dismounted and mimicked his friend in tying up the horse.
"I suppose I'll have to slow down for this next part then. So you can keep up."
Arthur glowered, "Where the hell are we going?"
"There's a lakeshore, just over the rise." Merlin paused, his mind drifted off. It was a couple minutes before he spoke again. "It's the lake where I..."
"You can say it. The place where you put my body."
"Yeah. Although, that was on the other side. I brought my first love here...the first girl I kissed. Well, second if you count Gwen." Before Arthur could question, Merlin continued, "I also brought Lancelot. Then, later..." Arthur could hear the hitch in Merlin's throat. "...Gwen and Aurie."
Questions formed on Arthur's tongue; thick like the coffee he'd come to enjoy in the mornings. He stared off into the shadows. "Everyone seems to have returned, except Lancelot."
Merlin shrugged, as he removed the staff from behind the saddle. "He's been around."
"Really? How? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know how you'd react. Besides, it's not like he's around the way the others are. You know how Gwaine and I have talked about the Ascended and all that?"
Arthur nodded. Merlin moved off into the the forest, staff in hand, leaving his companion to follow and listen...if he chose to.
"After Lancelot stepped through the Veil, he was granted that...existence."
"What about when he returned?"
Merlin had to think about that for a moment, flashing back to the conversation he'd had with Dr. Jackson, months before. "That wasn't really him, not completely, anyway. It was his Shade, summoned by Morgana and manipulated by your uncle."
Arthur, although reluctant, still asked, "...And Guinevere?"
"Probably some type of enchantment on her, as well. I never really got a chance to look into it." Merlin rolled his eyes at the look on Arthur's face. He began to explain what he could remember of the situation, and also how Lancelot was still...technically...around. Merlin motioned to the staff, indicating that he felt it was their ghostly friend.
They had reached the edge of the lake. It felt surreal to Arthur. He couldn't recall having made it to the edge of the lake the first time. Gaius' voice came back to him, telling him about the lake, but that was all he could remember.
What bothered him most, was that he knew the entire area, like the back of his hand...or at least he used to...and he never recalled a lake being so close to the Camelot where he grew up.
Dark clouds in the sky above kept back what would have normally been pre-dawn twilight. Merlin's mood had lifted slightly, once Arthur had finally got him talking. Now, they were just standing in silence.
Arthur pulled his coat, a warm wool jacket, lined with satin, that hung to nearly to his knees, tighter around him. Percival was right, he thought. The modern clothing of this century was much more comfortable than any of his previous clothing had been. It was also warmer, but not warm enough to keep the chill at bay entirely, in the cloudy, drizzling night.
The former king's cheeks expanded as he blew into his hands, then rubbed them together to keep his circulation flowing. Merlin was currently sitting on the edge, in meditation.
"Want to tell me what we're doing here?" Arthur questioned after a while.
"The Sidhe used to live here. I want to get some answers."
Merlin offered his friend a goofy smile, though Arthur could tell it was a bit forced. He reached out and placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder. At the same time, the fiery glow of magic filled the warlock's eyes.
The blond man blinked as time changed around them. It felt as if he was suddenly between worlds. The leaves of the trees, just beginning to unravel with the spring, moved slowly, gracefully. The ripples across the top of the water undulated unnaturally.
Merlin picked up the staff and planted it at the water's edge. He called out in the Old Language, using the power within the slender piece of wood to amplify his voice.
Nothing happened. There was no change discernible at all, as far as Arthur could tell.
Gripping the shaft tighter, Merlin spoke again. This time with more force.
Even the trees barely moved. "Not them too..." Merlin whispered, putting a voice to his fear that there might not be anyone left for him to ask.
Out of the stillness, Merlin's hand suddenly shot up in front of Arthur's face. The blond man was about to protest, when he noticed an ugly, pink tendril, covered with a dripping, slimy substance, wrapped around Merlin's palm.
Merlin jerked on it, and hauled the creature it was attached to, out of the nearby bushes. It was probably the ugliest thing the former king had ever laid eyes upon. He looked at his friend. His face was twisted in a sneer of disgust, and a question filled his eyes.
"Pixie." Merlin responded, letting go of the tongue, and shaking his hand to rid himself of the sticky saliva on it. He stared at the creature. It had salmon-colored skin, which was covered with black moles, and a nose longer than his hand. The ears were even longer, and more pointy. It hunched over, appearing more like an awkward toad than a human. "Where are your masters?"
"Gone." It hissed out in a slithering voice. "Long gone."
Arthur had drawn his sword, and was slowly stalking towards the creature. Merlin made no move to stop him. "Gone where?"
Human-like eyes darted back and forth between the two men.
"If you try to run or disappear, I will freeze you with my magic and let Arthur have some fun. The king hasn't had a person or creature to kill in a long, long time.
Arthur didn't look back at his companion. A feral smile covered his face, as he advanced and twirled his sword lightly in his hand.
The pixie visibly shivered in fear. "The magic that kept them here disappeared, nearly a year ago. When the humans found Avalon and Merlin's Treasure, they broke the curse Merlin placed on them to keep them from leaving."
Merlin stood there, blinking rapidly. "Uh...What?"
Arthur snorted, "Nice going, you big buffoon."
"It wasn't me!" Merlin protested.
"You're not Merlin." The creature snickered.
Rolling his eyes, Arthur responded, "Yes...he is."
"No..." The pixie was just as determined as Arthur, to be right. "Merlin was much older."
"He's older than he looks."
"He's still not that old."
"Listen you disgusting waste of breath, that is Merlin."
"You're a fool to believe that."
"I am the King of Camelot!"
"Oh-ho! Delusional ta-boot!"
Arthur raised his sword and pointed it at the creature's throat.
Without warning, the pixie sailed through the air and crashed into a tree. Arthur spun to see the glow fading from his friend's eyes. Power rolled off Merlin in waves, and his face was set in locked determination.
"Who was Merlin?" The warlock demanded in a deep, quiet voice. The undertone was laced with promises of pain, if the pixie didn't give the right answer.
Trembling at the base of the tree, and grasping a wrist that was now turned in an unnatural direction, the pixie hissed, "He was also called Myrrdin. He was a great magician from the stars, who brought the last of the dragons to this land over eight-thousand years ago. The Sidhe followed him and began hunting them. We helped them. They were good to the Changelings, and gave us pixie dust and treasure. Merlin found out and trapped them with his magic to the lake...but we could sometimes help them escape."
"Why did the Sidhe want Camelot?" Arthur asked. Merlin had filled him in on how first Sophia, and later Elena, were both connected to the Sidhe.
"Uther betrayed them...as he betrayed all of the Fae."
A shared look between Merlin and Arthur showed similar trains of thought. "Of course, he did," grumbled Arthur. After all that had come to the forefront concerning Uther's Great Purge against magic, it didn't actually surprise either of them. "How did he betray them?"
"They gave him the knowledge and the means to kill the dragons, since my masters couldn't leave the lake with enough power to do it themselves. But Uther trapped one...the purpose for their creation was incomplete. They needed Camelot for themselves to ensure the Hallowed ones they served would be pleased with them."
"Hallowed," huffed Merlin.
Arthur cocked an eyebrow at his friend.
"'Hallowed are the Ori.' It's something from that book Leon gave me. The one from the Priors who carry staves similar to this."
"Ah...a dragon staff..." The creature purred, finally acknowledging the weapon.
"What did you call this?"
Melodramatically swallowing, the pixie sank back, trying to meld itself with the tree. "Not supposed to speak of that."
Gripping the shaft tightly, Merlin swung it to bear upon the pixie.
Arthur chuckled and turned back to the creature. "If it were up to me, I'd simply threaten to run you through with my sword. My friend, on the other hand, he's been around a bit longer and has learned more...creative methods of extracting information." He doubted that Merlin had the resolve or ability to distance himself from his conscience to be an effective interrogator. However, the pixie didn't know that. The ice cold stare from Merlin was enough to make the creature believe it. "Tell us all you know."
(*~*~*~*)
The sun had risen, and begun to burn off the clouds. Steam and fog rose from the ground. Merlin's eyes kept drifting towards the sky and Arthur kept nudging him verbally, to come back down to Earth.
When they reached the stables, they handed off the horses to a young man who came to clean and feed the horses each morning, before moving inside the manor.
Their stomachs grumbled as they entered the kitchen, and caught the aroma of sausages and coffee. It had been at least two full days since Merlin had slept properly. He mused for a moment, wondering if coffee was the best thing for him at the moment, or if a shower and sleep would be the better option. When he saw the Three Musketeers...a nickname he'd begun using for Leon, Percival, and Mickey...sitting in the kitchen with Gwen and Aurie, he realized the choice had been made for him. He smiled tiredly, setting the Sidhe staff on the counter in front of the window, as he searched for a cup.
The last few days had been an overload of events and information. First of all, was seeing Gwaine again, and celebrating the first anniversary of his return to the modern world.
After their night of celebration, they had woken early the next morning, and Gwaine had taken Merlin to his favorite jogging trails. The sunrise alone, made the trip worth it. Following the run, they had gone to the Base, and Merlin was inundated with all the information and protocols for going through the Stargate.
He'd stayed the night at Gwaine's, but had barely slept. His excitement at the upcoming adventure, had kept him awake. He couldn't recall the last time he had felt so giddy...probably the first time he was going to test fly a jet engine-powered aircraft, or something. Whenever it was, it was a rare thing.
He hadn't been disappointed. The three point two seconds of wormhole travel was an adrenaline rush he wouldn't soon forget. Then, they had met Lya of the Nox.
Merlin had been so overwhelmed with everything he'd learned, and was already feeling rather guilty about his own lack of knowledge, that he had transitioned into a bit of a bitter mood, upon their early return to the SGC. The roller coaster of emotions was something he hadn't dealt with for centuries. He was silently thankful that Arthur was with him during what seemed to be the worst of it.
"What's up?" Arthur's voice broke through Merlin's introspection. The former king was giving him a concerned look.
"Hmm? What?"
"I asked you first."
"What do you think I'm thinking about?" The warlock gave his companion a look of incredulity.
Arthur knew exactly what was on Merlin's mind. It was the final piece of information they had dragged out of the pixie before letting it go. If the creature was to be believed...the Sidhe had sent Aithusa on a wild goose chase to the stars, the very day after Merlin had last seen him...nearly fourteen centuries ago. With such a massive head start, finding the dragon was going to be nearly impossible.
The others had smiles on their faces initially, but even they were silenced. Merlin blinked. He reasoned that sometime during his musings, he'd missed the greetings between Arthur and the others.
He saw Arthur shifting on his feet, apprehensive about saying what was really on his mind.
"How long?" Arthur asked, finally giving voice to the question that had been wondering about since Merlin's breakdown, when he wasn't able to call Aithusa the day before.
Merlin closed his eyes and set the steaming mug he had just poured, on the counter. It was the question he didn't want to answer. It hung over his head like an axe waiting to drop. He thought about that analogy. It wasn't too far off from the truth.
He had learned so much from the Nox about himself, about his people. It scared him, if he was to be honest with himself. Lya and her people didn't know where the Furling race had come from exactly, except that it was a place in the galaxy the Alterans once lived...and the Ori. Somehow, the dragons, a space-dwelling race, had been caught between them in the war that followed. Both had found a way to harness some of the natural abilities of the dragons, including it seemed, the ability to summon wormholes in space.
This gave birth to the Alterans building the first of the Stargates. The Ori wanted to be able to create the magic without the use of the large rings made of Naquada. They had found a way to genetically manipulate the dragons, and they bound them to the Ori.
Something had happened though, around the time the Ori had begun to ascend, and the dragon powers didn't transition. So, they began to bind the dragons to the souls of the lesser humans they ruled over, giving them a few of the god-like powers. That was hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years ago...long after the Alterans had fled to the Milky Way, and then later, to the Pegasus Galaxy.
Somewhere in that time, although Merlin hadn't a clue when, the dragons and the beings they were bound to, had become their own race. They began to rebel against the Ori, who had found a new way to feed off the energies of their worshippers. Lya wasn't certain how, as there were no actual records from that time.
Approximately ten thousand years ago, the dragons and their counterparts would have been nearly wiped out, if it hadn't been for a few of the Alterans, who had discovered what was happening in the Ori's galaxy, Celestis. Through cloning, the Alterans had managed to extend their own lifetimes, and used their own lengthy existence to assist what remained of the dragons. They brought them to the Milky Way and introduced them to the Nox and the Asgard.
The Great Alliance was formed. When asked, for recording purposes, what they were called, they didn't have a name. It was the former High Councilor of Atlantis, an Alteran named Moros, who had dubbed them the 'Furlings'...as a sort of joke. The name had stuck.
There were less than one hundred of them, who had managed to escape. As far as they knew, they were all that remained. The Alterans, who had long since left Earth for Atlantis, before they began their journey of enlightenment, had thought that it would be a perfect place for them.
Moros, or as the Furlings had begun to call him: 'Merlin'...for reasons completely unknown...had also discovered creatures that the Ori had sent out across the universe to find the remaining Furlings.
These, Merlin and Arthur had recently found out, were the Sidhe. Much like the current Priors, they served the Ori...but from what they learned from the pixie, they had a specific mission...either alert their masters, or destroy anything that had to do with the dragons.
The fact Merlin shared a name with the man, was not lost on the warlock. He briefly allowed his mind to wonder on that aspect. Then, he dismissed the thought as coincidence, and brought his thoughts back to the more pressing issue.
Aithusa had been an easy target for them; completely unaware of his heritage, and...according to the pixie...seeking help for a dead, human woman. The Sidhe had, at first, tried to contact the Ori. Thinking the woman to be the Dragon Lord, they had kept her body safe, much like Moros had done with Arthur...although, with the magic of their masters, instead of the technology. For one hundred years, they had led Aithusa on...until Merlin's final argument with the dragon, on the shore of the lake.
Sometime after Merlin had left, Aithusa had returned. The Sidhe, having given up on contacting the Ori through the barrier Moros had left, deviously told Aithusa where to take his mistress' body...deep into space...to a place far out in the stars.
Unfortunately, neither the pixie, nor the Nox had any idea where...and that was only part of what was on Merlin's mind.
The other part had to do with the bond itself. Now that he knew what to feel for, Merlin could tell wherever the dragon was, he was in pain, and dying. This he knew from having seen the threads. The bond gave them a vitality and natural healing against many things, but they needed to be together for it to really work. Together, a pair could live for around two thousand years or more; without it...Merlin realized he'd been lucky to survive as long as he had.
"How long, Merlin?" Arthur asked again, pushing past a frog in his throat.
Merlin opened his eyes and took a drink of his coffee. He shrugged nonchalantly. With a shake of his head, he ignored the others in the room, and told Arthur plainly. "According to Lya, if Aithusa dies...maybe five...ten years. Could be worse though, right?"
Arthur stood, flabbergasted by the casual tone in Merlin's voice.
"Five or ten years for what?" The hesitance to disrupt the conversation was evident in Gwen's voice.
Draining his cup, Merlin gave her a lopsided grin. "Don't worry about it. I'm going to go take a shower, and try to catch a nap." He said in a cheery voice, before he made his way out of the kitchen.