Chapter Text
Merlin had weird dreams.
This in itself wasn’t out of the ordinary, per se, but they were weirder than usual.
Growing up in Ealdor he’d had dreams all the time, and on occasion they seemed to tell Merlin of the near future. His mother had merely assumed they were a side effect of his magic. They were meant to be ignored, or at the very least not mentioned in public. It wasn’t like Merlin ever predicted anything major either, just little everyday events he might see that would just so happen to actually occur.
Maybe he saw a farmer’s cart overturning in a dream, and sure enough the next day a rampant goat managed to kick over a cart full of apples at a market stall. There were never any specific details that could tie his dreams to a time or place, they were just vague murmurings of his magic telling him what could happen.
Needless to say, these dreams were completely different. They had crisp images with vivid sensations that Merlin would have a hard time forgetting. Unlike his other dreams, they jumped quickly from event to event, all in different (though familiar) places.
He found himself standing in a store room which he recognized as Gaius’ infirmary. An old man, probably Gaius himself, stood on a ledge reshelving books. He turned around too fast and fell through the rickety old railing. Merlin shot a hand out on instinct, and his magic threw a mattress under him to cushion his fall. Merlin registered the look of surprise on Gaius’ face before the scene changed.
Now he was in the courtyard. Merlin watched a younger version of the king throwing knives at a terrified servant clutching a target. He heard his voice arguing with Arthur, felt the humiliation of easily being shoved to the ground. Even in the dream he was frustrated at his inability to lash out with magic. It transitioned quickly to being thrown into a dungeon, and then later a commotion in the marketplace where Arthur chased him with a mace.
Merlin really hoped these dreams were just that. The idea of being chased by royalty through the streets of Camelot while shouting insults just seemed too ridiculous, even for him.
There seemed to be gaps in this strange dream of his. One minute he was begrudgingly accepting his position as Arthur’s manservant (how he got there he had no idea) and the next he was in the stocks while children threw tomatoes at him and Gwen shook his hand in greeting.
Things only got stranger. He was arguing with Arthur (over what he had no idea), but then the scene changed again. At first he was walking with a group of Camelot knights, presumably a hunting party, who carried various weapons, but then he was walking alone with just Arthur in the woods. The moon shone through the trees on the evening stroll, and he couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of peace. He didn’t understand why he saw everything around him so clearly, could hear the wind blowing gently through the trees accompanied by night noises, yet still could understand a word Arthur was saying. It was definitely important and genuine if his expression was anything to go by, but Merlin had no idea what it could be. Arthur tripped, and a small box fell from his pocket. As soon as he knelt down to help him, the scene changed.
The final one was perhaps the most disconcerting.
It felt much too real to be a dream and was more like a memory. The shouts and cheers of the people around him in the beautifully decorated banquet hall were loud and joyous, but the face of the person who placed a gold band on his finger was blurred and no words came from their lips. All he saw were warm, calloused hands holding his own as he-
But then he wasn’t in the crowded room, once again Merlin was in the forest and staring at two blurry figures before a bright flash of light blinded him. He felt himself go flying backwards, and everything went dark once he hit his head.
When Merlin finally awoke he sat straight up, gasping for air. It took a few minutes for the disorienting panic to go away, and even still he could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins.
After bumping into nearly every flat surface as he stumbled downstairs, Merlin began to search through drawers without caring about the noise he made. There had to be something, some clue as to what had happened to him, because those dreams were no ordinary dreams. He had the sinking suspicion that they were his memories attempting to return to him, and the panic came back as he began to think things through.
The second to last scene, well, Merlin was positive that it was a wedding. His wedding to be exact. That only begged even more questions. Who had he married? Why hadn’t he met them yet? Were they alright, were they missing-He was torn from his thoughts by Gaius’ voice.
“Merlin? What are you doing?”
He couldn’t even respond, just opened his mouth wordlessly as he tried to make sense of things.
“Merlin,” Gaius repeated, walking towards him slowly. “Are you alright?”
“No!” Merlin snapped, finally finding the words to do so. “I’m not alright!”
Embarrassingly enough, he could feel the hot tears welling behind his eyes. Merlin clenched his fists as he tried to regain control of himself. His magic was restless beneath his skin, and he worried it might lash out now, just like it would when he was younger.
“What happened? What’s wrong?”
He pressed his hands to his eyes in an effort to calm down. Slowly, he gained control of himself again and was able to look Gaius in the eyes. The old man looked scared for a second, before the face of comfort reappeared.
“It’s my dreams,” Merlin said.
Gaius frowned. “What kind of dreams?”
“The weird kind. I think that some of my memories might…be coming back.”
The physician gasped, and his expression of worry turned to excitement. “That’s great news! Then why are you-”
“I’m married?” Merlin choked out. “And I don’t- can’t remember them, and I haven't met them, couldn’t even see their face in my dream-”
“Oh, Merlin-”
“No one’s even mentioned them to me yet! What happened to them? Are they alright? Did they-did they disappear? Are they gone? Are they angry with me for forget-”
“Merlin please take a deep breath and calm down.” Gaius took another step towards him, placating hands held out. “It’s alright. They’re alright, I promise.”
“But who are they?” He exclaimed. “No one said anything- Why didn’t anyone tell me? ”
He sighed. “It’s complicated, Merlin, but right now I need you to calm down. Why don’t you sit down and we can talk about this. That’s it, take a deep breath.”
Begrudgingly he did.
“I’m married,” Merlin repeated, staring at the dents in the table and still feeling like this couldn’t really be happening. Maybe this was all still a part of his strange dreams, because there was no way-
Gaius hummed non committedly as he placed a kettle on the stove. “Yes, you are.” He sat down across from Merlin and folded his wrinkled hands. “Now, let's talk about these dreams of yours.”
“I don’t see how this is-”
“This is important ,” Gaius insisted. “Because if they really are your memories, talking about them and thinking them through more thoroughly could help you remember the rest of them.”
“Why can’t you just tell me what happened instead of guessing?”
He sighed. “It’s important that you remember these all on your own because that’s the only way for your memory to get better. Now, let's start with the first memory. What was it?”
“I saved you, I think, after you fell over the railing.”
Gaius nodded. “Ah yes. I remember that. What else?”
He frowned. “You mentioned that when I first came to Camelot I was…uncooperative with Arthur, right?” Gaius nodded again. “I guess I remembered that. He shoved me into the ground, and then he chased me through the lower town.”
Merlin glared as the physician chuckled at the retelling. “It’s not funny!” He insisted. “It looked like he wanted to kill me!”
Gaius shook his head, an amused grin still on his face. “Of course, Merlin. It’s just, well, looking back on it the pigtail pulling was even more entertaining knowing how it all turned out.”
“Pigtail pulling?” Gaius didn’t respond, so Merlin moved to the next memory.
“I was in the dungeons, and then the stocks. Kids threw rotten vegetables at me. I met Gwen, I think. She shook my hand while I was stuck being entertainment for the town.”
“All those things happened, probably multiple times. It took you a few years to convince Arthur to stop sending you to the stocks as punishment. As for Gwen, you’ve known her for quite some time and have grown close, at least to my understanding.”
“Then I was arguing with Arthur and I didn’t know why. Gaius, does he hate me?”
Gaius blinked. “What? Why would he hate you?”
“Well, he tried to attack me, for starters. And he kept throwing me into the stocks, and then we were arguing.”
“Merlin, Arthur does not hate you. What else did you see in your dreams? Any other big scenes?”
Merlin frowned. “It was weird. The last few looked really detailed, but I couldn’t hear any of the words they were saying. For one I was walking in the woods with Arthur-”
Gaius was smiling fondly. “Did he trip?”
“How did you know?” Merlin asked, surprised. “He tripped and fell, but then just as I went to help him up I was in this big hall and I think it was a wedding- my wedding. I couldn’t-couldn’t see any faces. It was all blurry. All I saw were their hands. And then…”
“Then what?”
“I was back in the woods. It was really dark out, but there was a flash of light and my head hit the ground. Then I woke up.”
“I see.”
They sat in silence for a moment or two before Merlin stood up and started pacing. Gaius looked up at him dolefully, and he couldn’t help but feel like he’d disappointed him somehow.
“Now what?” Merlin asked, tugging on his hair. “I don’t remember anything, or anyone else. What do I do?”
“We should tell Arthur-”
“No,” Merlin insisted. “I…I don’t want to disappoint him, or anyone else. Let’s keep this quiet until I remember more.”
Gaius frowned. “He won’t be disappointed in you, Merlin, no one will. He would want to know.”
“But why? Why does he-why does he care about me so much? He’s the king and I’m his servant. ”
“Did it ever occur to you that he likes you?”
“We’re friends, I know that already.”
He shook his head. “No, Merlin. Not like that.”
Merlin stared at him, trying to decipher the old man’s hidden meanings.
“He has a consort,” He said, speaking slowly as he would to a child. Merlin could have sworn he heard Gaius mutter something frustrated under his breath. “A consort that apparently he’s already thrown social norms out the window for. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us for-”
“Forget about his consort and all that. Think about the last few memories, with Arthur and your wedding. Surely something clicks with those?”
“I don’t know!” Merlin shouted back. “I don’t-I don’t know,” He said quietly. “I don’t know who I married, I don’t know why Arthur-I don’t know. ”
“I can’t tell you,” Gaius said softly. Merlin hated how genuinely apologetic his expression was. “I’m sorry. You have to figure it out yourself or the damage may never heal. You know I want to-”
“That’s bullshit!” Merlin snapped. “I don’t- can’t remember anything! I’m-I’m-” He was at a loss for words. Gaius didn’t seem to know what to say either.
Merlin shook his head. “I’m going out.”
The old physician didn’t even try to stop him as he stormed out.
Merlin made his way through the halls, not sure where he even wanted to go. The choking feeling in his chest wouldn’t go away and it wasn’t until he reached the cold air at the top of the walkway that he could get some relief. The guards had given him a few strange looks as he had rushed past them, splotchy faced and out of breath. Merlin didn’t care, though, he just wanted to be alone.
It didn’t last long.
“Emrys?”
He didn’t have the energy to turn around, he just slumped down further against the wall. Looking out at the courtyard, he only saw a few guards patrolling quietly in the night.
“What’s wrong?”
Merlin groaned. “Please leave me alone.”
The young knight snorted and sat across from him.
“What happened?”
Merlin rolled his eyes. “Really? I thought you were supposed to be-How could no one tell me?”
“Uh oh.”
He snorted. “Yeah, uh oh. How long were they going to wait before they told me? Or were they just going to keep it a secret-?”
“Maybe you should speak to Arthur-”
“I don’t want to speak to Arthur ,” Merlin snapped. “I want to speak to-to-to who I married.”
“Oh.”
Now Merlin was finally able to look up to see Mordred staring at him, eyes wide.
“You don’t remember Arthur and you-?” Merlin rolled his eyes.
“Of course I don’t remember Arthur, we’ve been over this. But I’m not worried about that right now, I’m angry that no one told me I was married. It’s a big deal! And everyone just-just glazed over it!”
“Merlin-”
“Who is it?” Merlin asked, interrupting him. “Come on, please just tell me! I’ll-I’ll-” He was on the verge of tears again, the panicky feeling of not knowing where he was or who he was supposed to be was creeping up on him. He was ready to get up and bolt when he heard another voice.
“Merlin? Mordred? What are you-” The king, who had somehow managed to approach silently without either noticing him, stopped in his tracks. His gaze immediately fell to Merlin, panicked eyes darting around. He crouched down.
“Merlin? What’s wrong?”
Merlin said nothing, his fists clenching tight as he glared down at the ground.
“Mordred, could you fetch Gaius for us?” He spoke softly. “Take your time, please.”
Merlin heard the younger knight walk away, but still wouldn’t look up.
“Merlin?”
He mumbled something too quietly for the king to hear.
“What?”
Finally, Merlin was able to look Arthur in the face.
“I thought we were friends,” He said slowly, frustration and sadness evident in his red and watery eyes.
Arthur blinked in shock, slightly taken aback.
“We are,” He reassured quickly. “We’ve been friends for a long time-”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?” Merlin all but wailed. Fresh tears dripped down his cheeks and Arthur looked as if he wanted nothing more than to make them stop. “Why didn’t you tell me I-I-”
“I’m sorry, Merlin,” Arthur said. The worst part, Merlin thought, was that he did sound sorry. It made it harder to hate him. The bastard.
“I was-we- I was going to tell you when the time felt right, but it didn’t seem fair to overwhelm you. This is all a lot, and gods know things weren’t easy even before this happened but-”
“Who is it?” Merlin got out coldly. “Tell me who I married, and maybe I’ll forgive you.”
“You didn’t-don’t remember?”
Merlin hated how disappointed the king sounded, and he hated how he felt guilty now. He was trying to be angry with him, dammit! This was why he didn’t want to tell him in the first place.
“Good night Arthur , ” Merlin snapped, shoving himself up off the ground. Arthur scrambled to stand and follow him, but Merlin waved him off. “I’m going to bed now, I suggest you do the same. It’s getting late.”
He ignored the concerned looks from Gaius and Mordred as he pushed past them in the hall. Despite how petulant it felt, he couldn’t resist slamming his door a bit as he collapsed onto the lumpy mattress that was supposed to be his bed.
Who knew if it was actually his bed, though, he thought hysterically. For all he knew he could be a noble married with a wife and children that he couldn’t even remember.
He didn’t like how uneasy that idea made him feel.
---
Arthur had fucked up.
Merlin losing his memory had been hard enough, but the way he’d glared at Arthur in frustration and hatred as he bid him a curt good night would haunt his dreams for a long while. When was the last time Merlin had looked at him like that with that much disdain? Arthur couldn’t remember, and he certainly didn’t want to.
He needed to tell Merlin the truth, Merlin deserved to know. But now he was angry with him, and he didn’t think that Merlin would even want to listen to.
A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts, and he looked up to see Lancelot standing awkwardly in the doorway. Arthur waved him in.
“I…heard what happened,” His knight finally said. “I’m sorry.”
Arthur sighed. “It’s not-not your fault.
Lancelot gave him a sympathetic smile. His king had grown a lot since his days of being a spoiled prince.
“We, ah, we found signs of something living underneath the castle, where Merlin said the Great Dragon used to live.”
The king perked up at the news. “That’s good to hear! Any clue on what it could-”
“But we were unable to find an actual creature living there.”
He deflated again. “Of course, because that would be too easy.” Lancelot grimaced.
---
Merlin slept fitfully for a few hours before he got sick of lying awake and staring at his ceiling. Prompted by his new fear of revealing dreams, he pushed himself out of bed to take another walk. This time would hopefully be without interruptions, he thought.
The early morning sunlight was just beginning to creep over the horizon, bathing the castle walls in a soft glow. Small bits of light peeked through the windows, and despite the chill in the air Merlin finally felt a bit at peace. A part of him, at least, was soothed by the tranquility and normality of the scene. For the first time in a while, something felt right.
This feeling, of course, could not last long. Any illusion of peace was shattered when Merlin all but ran into Lady Annelois, her maid not too far behind.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, too disoriented to properly apologize. Merlin sidestepped out of the way, and despite his clumsiness thought he could be on his way. The deceptively strong hand gripping his arm, however, said otherwise.
“You again,” Lady Annelois said, her serene tone not matching the way her sharp nails dug into Merlin’s skin. “Once again unaware of your surroundings. Careful now, one of these days someone might make an example out of you.”
Her maid made a small noise behind her but she looked away when Merlin made eye contact.
Lady Annelois made a tutting noise. “Nothing to say for yourself? No apologies?”
Merlin bowed his head. “I’m sorry,” He repeated. This felt wrong, he thought. The acrid, burning scent coming off the noblewoman seemed completely out of place and it was making his head hurt. “I’m not well, my lady.”
She harrumphed, but released him anyway. “Anyone could have told you that, Emrys.”
Merlin blinked.
“What?”
Lady Annelois sighed. “Eloise,” She began, waving a hand in Merlin’s direction as she strode off. “Restrain him for the morning, please. I have things to do.”
Merlin’s surprised shout was quickly covered by a gloved hand. Eloise muttered words in a language Merlin didn’t recognize or understand, but before he knew it vines had grown around his body. They bound his wrists and legs, and he soon found a piece of cloth being shoved and wrapped around his mouth.
“Apologies,” Eloise murmured, as she began to drag a thrashing and protesting Merlin to the nearest closed door. She was deceptively strong for someone so small, he thought. “Really, I wish this could have gone better. It’s just, well, we did give you a chance, so really this is your fault. And gods know that you’ve had plenty of chances to do the right thing yourself, so you can hardly blame someone else for moving ahead after years of so called bliss.”
Merlin mumbled something unintelligible. She sighed.
“Oh don’t be like that. It’s hardly our fault you went and, well, we were never really sure what you did with the monster. I mean, you married him! At that point I’d given up, it was like you’d forgotten all the people he murdered in cold blood.” Eloise’s tone turned from sympathetic to something harder. “My whole family died because of the Pendragons, and you , you were supposed to be one of us, but then you went and-” She stopped herself, shaking her head.
Merlin made more garbled sounds as he tried to wriggle out of the vines. So apparently Eloise knew who he’d married, and the knowledge that she knew and that they were a man almost made Merlin forget about his situation. From further away, probably out in the courtyard, Merlin could hear panicked shouts and screams. An echoed roar rattled his bones and his eyes widened as he realized that something very bad was about to happen.
“Well,” She huffed, opening what was revealed to be an old storage closet. Judging by the dust that had accumulated on everything, they were the first to have gone in there in years. “Here we are. Just sit tight for a few hours, and then we’ll be back to fetch you. It’s nothing personal, really, we just can’t have you interfering with the plan.”
Eloise turned to leave, but stopped herself right before she opened the door.
“Oh! Almost forgot!” She spun around and pulled a small vial from a hidden pocket. “Can’t exactly have you awake for this, lest you cause trouble.” She eyed the gag on his mouth and what Merlin assumed to be a sleeping potion with indecision. “If I take the gag off do you promise not to scream? I mean, there are other ways to knock you out but I figured with all the head damage you’ve got already,” She hummed, reaching out to undo the cloth. She gave him a meaningful look as she undid the knot. Merlin glared reproachfully up at her.
“Now what?”
She shoved the vial out. “Drink.”
Merlin glared at her.
She uncorked the vial and plugged Merlin’s nose. He did his best not to gag at the pungent scent, and closed his mouth as she went to dump the liquid into it. Instead, it splashed all over his face and dribbled down the front of his shirt. She growled in frustration, which Merlin met with his most charming grin.
“First kidnapping?” He asked innocently. “I could tell.”
Rolling her eyes, she tossed away the now empty vial with disgust.
“Never mind that,” Eloise snapped at him, her cheeks tinting pink. “I’m going to-”
Merlin had been trying to get out of the bindings on his wrists for quite some time now, and the vines that had been wrapped around his wrists chose that moment to finally snap. Without even thinking he jerked his arms up to try and get the handmaiden out of his face. Eloise let out a surprised cry as Merlin’s fist connected with her nose and she stumbled away.
He stood there, frozen in shock for all of two seconds, before he realized he ought to get out of the closet and see what was going on that was causing the screams. Merlin scrambled past Eloise, who still stood hunched over and clutching her face as she hissed out a string of curses. Blood, he realized, was dripping past her fingers and he wondered how hard he’d managed to hit her.
Merlin slammed the door shut and frantically looked for something to block the door. A heavy suit of armor a few feet down looked like a good candidate, and so he dragged over the clanking metal to prop it against the wooden door. He stood there, out of breath from his efforts, but smiled nonetheless when he heard Eloise’s angry pounding on the door.
Deciding that it was time to go, Merlin made his way through the endless hallways. A few servants rushed past him, terrified and clearly fleeing from something, but none of them stopped to explain what was going on. A few even tried to tug him along with them, but he resisted. He’d already made up his mind that he had to see what was going on.
“Merlin!”
He jumped at the sound of his name being called, and quickly found himself tugged out of the line of view of the courtyard behind an alcove.
“What are you doing?” Mordred hissed, gripping his arm tightly. “You need to get out of here!”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s-it’s nothing important, just stay inside, okay? You’ll be safe while the king and the knights-”
“Arthur’s out there?” Merlin immediately rushed to a window to see what was happening.
His jaw dropped as he saw Arthur and his knights standing in a semi-circle formation in front of the largest creature he’d ever seen. A ginormous red dragon stood in the courtyard, and Merlin had to take a step back as it opened its mouth and let out an earth shattering roar.
Mordred yanked him back from the window.
“It’s not safe! Go back to the storerooms and see if Gaius-”
“I’m not leaving him out there!” Merlin snapped, pushing the knight away. “Maybe we can distract the dragon. Or something.”
Mordred looked as if he would rather do literally anything else, but one look at Merlin’s determined expression and he sighed with resignation.
“‘Or something’,” He muttered. “ Fine. But I’m coming with you this time.”
He ignored the younger’s comment and instead continued to hurry down the corridor. They burst out into the early morning light. Mordred yanked him out of the way of a stray arrow shot from above. Apparently the knights had spread out and were attempting to take down the dragon from all angles. Based on the fact that the dragon was still spitting flames and seemed largely unaffected, Merin assumed it wasn’t working.
“We have to help them!” Merlin insisted, tugging the young knight along.
Mordred hurried to keep up with Merlin’s pace while also deflecting against stray projectiles coming their way. The dragon had set fire to various buildings surrounding the castle, and while many of the inhabitants were smart enough to run away, Merlin and Mordred were headed right into the thick of it.
Startled cries alerted the pair to the fact that the beast had taken flight. Ruby red scales gleamed like blood in the sunlight, and Merlin stumbled back from the column of flame. Mordred yanked him behind a stone building while they fought to catch their breath.
“Now what?” He snarked. “What’s the next step in your brilliant plan?”
He froze for a second before the idea occurred to him.
“Mordred, what’s a dragonlord?”
The young knight glared at him in irritation. “It’s someone who can command dragons in their own language, that way they have to listen.”
“That’s it!” Merlin’s eyes lit up. “I overheard one of the visiting servants-who are evil, by the way if you hadn’t noticed-and she said that the last dragonlord had chosen Arthur’s side! All we have to do is find them and convince them to help-”
“You’re the damned dragonlord!” Mordred exclaimed. “And you’re the very last one! The only person who could possibly make that dragon stop is you, and you don’t even remember what you are!”
Merlin blinked at him in disbelief. “I-well, shit.”
“Yeah,” Mordred said with a sigh of defeat.
“Do you have any other ideas?”
“No.”
“Well alright then.” Merlin took a deep breath, looked around, and steeled his nerves. “Here goes nothing, I guess.”
Before Mordred could stop him, and ignoring the knight’s squawk of protest, he ran out from around the building into the street.
Right into the path of the ruby dragon.
"Ugh," It said disdainfully. "You again?" She flicked a hand and flames shot from her. Merlin ducked and dove to some bushes to avoid becoming a charred mark on the ground. Merlin realized with a sinking feeling that she both sounded and acted like Lady Annelois.
"Stop it!" Merlin demanded. "I'm a dragonlord, and-"
She laughed. "Am I to believe that you are really Balinor's heir? I knew the dragonlord bloodline had weakened over the centuries, but for him to soil it with some peasant whore and create a weakling like you? True or not, the idea of you being the next dragonlord is laughable at best."
Her handmaiden, Eloise, stepped out from behind a tree. She raised her arms and began to chant in a language that Merlin did not understand but knew anyway. At her command two large boulders floated up from the ground and hurtled themselves at Merlin. He too raised his arms and spoke words in the same language Eloise just had, all out of reflex.
The two boulders exploded into a vapor, and Merlin gaped as silvery fog floated away in their place.
"Did I do that?" He asked in shock as Eloise growled in frustration. Mordred had already run to his side after appearing from the trees and was now dragging him further into the darkness of the woods.
"Yes, you did," Mordred said, panting, "But we really don't have time to focus on that right now."
"She's a dragon?"
"We've been over this! Yes, she is!"
“Who can breathe fire?”
“Yes!”
"Then why are we running into a forest full of trees that are perfect kindling?"
Mordred froze. "I suppose I didn't think that far?"
Merlin grunted, "It's too late now. Come on!" The pair kept running, all too aware of Eloise's footsteps close behind them.
"We won’t escape her if we just keep running," Mordred pointed out. "She's a powerful witch, but I think that between the two of us we can-"
"I don't remember how to do most of my magic and you're too burnt out to do anything without hurting yourself," Merlin hissed frantically. "Remember?"
Mordred made a frustrated noise as he tugged Merlin along with him behind an outcropping of rocks.
"Okay, so when she runs into the clearing, all you have to do is wave your hand and drop one of those big tree limbs onto her. That should stop her, and then we go back and help the rest of the knights against Annelois!"
Merlin frowned. "Really? That will actually work?"
The young knight gave him an exasperated look. "It's been your main offensive tactic for years ."
"Seriously? That has to be an exaggeration-"
"Oh Emrys!" Eloise called out in a mocking tone. "Why won't you come out and play?"
It was almost ridiculously convenient that she seemed to be standing right underneath what looked like the largest and oldest tree in the forest. Merlin had no trouble sending the large limb she stood under toppling down on top of her. Cautiously, he and Mordred stepped out to find the druid woman unmoving under the log.
"Huh. I can't believe that worked," Mordred commented.
"Don't sound so surprised," Merlin grumbled. "Now, come on, we have to make it back to Arthur!"
Mordred rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes. I haven’t forgotten about him yet. I just figured that perhaps, what with you being a dragonlord, we might prioritize neutralizing the giant dragon that currently poses a threat-”
“Mordred,” He interrupted. “Did you forget that I have absolutely no idea how to command a dragon to do anything? You saw what happened back there, she literally laughed in my face!”
The druid eyed him doubtfully. “I think you’re just not confident enough. If you say it like you actually mean it, then maybe it would work!”
“Mordred,” Merlin said through gritted teeth. “I’m pretty sure that if it was that simple then I already would have figured it out.”
“Yes, but-”
“Wait,” Merlin held up his hand. He looked around the area they were in, trying to figure out what seemed so…
“What?”
“Are we going in circles?” Merlin slowly asked. “Because this place feels familiar. I think I’ve been here before?”
His eyes widened. “Do you think you’re getting more of your memories back?”
He frowned. “I-I don’t know. But I can feel that something happened here. Something big, at least it feels like that.” Merlin took another step forward and scanned the clearing. Squinting in the low evening light, he caught sight of a shriveled, dried up patch of grass in a perfect circle.
“Wait!” Mordred called. “Maybe we should-”
But it was too late, because Merlin had already crouched down and was touching the dead grass. He felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion as he felt something surge up from the ground into him, and he collapsed.
---
Merlin was exhausted, to put it simply. He'd been up early so he could finish some paperwork and still have time to assist Gaius. He might not technically be the apprentice anymore, but until Gaiius found someone new to help Merlin still wanted to make sure he was getting on alright. (Perhaps Arthur might be right when he told him that he was running himself ragged trying to take care of everything and everyone.)
After that, he'd listened to petitions all morning and hadn't managed to make his usual afternoon nap because of the group of visiting nobles he and Arthur had to greet. Being the Royal Consort and Royal Sorcerer had the drawback of having to actually attend court events, he supposed. It hadn't been made better either, because the nobles were just as difficult as ever. One of them, Lady Annelois, rubbed him the wrong way. Merlin was sure she had magic, which wouldn't normally be a problem, but the sharp smile she had given him earlier made him uneasy. He couldn’t put his finger on it.
He took another look at the pristine statuette in his hand. The small, bejeweled dragon had been meticulously carved, and Merlin was positive that the craftsmanship and gems meant it was worth a small fortune. It was the perfect offering for a parlay of peace. Merlin was no idiot, of course, he'd done his research. He'd been contacted by a dragon named Aghur, but for what exactly he didn't know.
It was easy to guess, though. It was most likely he'd spend his evening listening to some overgrown lizard complain about the lack of sacrifices, and Merlin would have to explain that yes, he was doing the best he could, and no, killing all the humans was not a feasible solution. For creatures that were positive he was magic incarnate and some divine being, they certainly enjoyed making his life difficult.
"Hullo?" Merlin called, stifling yet another yawn as he reached the clearing the note said to meet at. "Aghur?"
A large, scaled shape stepped out of the dark trees accompanied by a sorceress with a magical light source floating by their heads. Merlin let his own light fade out as theirs filled the clearing.
"Emrys," The large dragon rumbled, inclining their head. "It is an honor."
"Likewise," Merlin replied. He turned to the sorceress. "What's your name?" She had a hood covering half her face, but he was positive she was familiar.
"You may call me Elora," She said softly, dipping into a low curtsy. "I'm honored, Emrys, I've hoped my whole life that someday we might meet."
Merlin scratched his head. Comments like that still made him feel awkward (no matter how often he heard it). "Right-er, you too. You asked for my-my counsel?" He asked, trying to change the subject. "This talisman is quite...powerful. Was I right that it ensures complete peace between the two parties and keeps them from bringing reinforcements?"
This wasn’t his first magical negotiation of sorts, but the difficult part was that they were all so starkly different. It wasn’t like he could do research either, thanks to Uther. His best tactic was to remain as cordial and polite as possible all while hoping his title as Emrys could grant him some leeway.
The dragon nodded. "Yes, which brings us to the reason we came here. I suppose it would make more sense if I changed into my other form, yes?" They didn't give Merlin a chance to respond before their body began to contort and fold into itself as the dragon shifted into a humanoid appearance. Merlin's eyes widened as he recognized the form.
"Annelois?" He asked, slightly shocked. "Lady Annelois?"
They nodded. "One of my many identities. I wish to create a partnership with you, Emrys, and I thought transparency would be most helpful. Elora," Aghur said, turning to the sorceress. "You may remove your hood."
She did so, and Merlin was slightly less shocked to notice Lady Annelois' handmaiden standing before him. "You're quite good at shielding yourself," Merlin said. "Even if I had been less focused on Aghur's magic I'm not sure I would have recognized your magic."
Elora blushed. "Thank you, Emrys. That means much coming from you."
"Let me get straight to the point," Aghur continued as if their exchange had not occurred. "The house of Pendragon had been sullied by the atrocities committed in the past decades against our people. I seek to right those wrongs."
Merlin stiffened. These kinds of speeches and proposals never turned out well.
"Uther Pendragon is long gone," They said, "But his son, Arthur, lives. I know that the younger Pendragon is no saint either, and he deserves a fate similar to his father’s as penance. I propose-”
“I’m going to have to stop you there,” Merlin interrupted. He knew his tone was short, and perhaps snapping at an ancient dragon was not the best course of action. But in his defense, he was tired, it had been a long day, and he dealt with this sort of thing every other week. “Arthur is my husband, and he has been enthusiastically changing his father’s policies. I’ve personally watched him work himself to the bone to atone for Uther’s sins, and that is no small feat. The past is in the past, and while we cannot forget those who were murdered under the late king’s reign, we can’t keep killing to fix things.”
“Oh really?” Aghur snorted indignantly, and the sight of literal sparks flying from a noble woman’s nose was quite unnerving. “You, Emrys, are the last dragonlord and the most powerful magical being in existence, yet you still submit to Camelot’s king. A few law changes hardly make up for-”
“And I agree,” Merlin interrupted again, pinching the bridge of his nose. “There are still many changes that need to be done, and I’m more than willing to take any suggestions you have, but I am not killing my husband. No harm will come to him or to the people of Camelot so long as I’m still standing.”
Their tone turned cold. “I see. I’m not asking for much, we merely seek reparations.”
“And I told you no-”
“A shame,” They sighed, “I’d hoped to work together in the future.” Aghur turned back to Elora. “As we discussed, my dear,” she said, as she began to walk back into the dark woods.
Elora grimaced. “Are you sure you cannot be swayed?” She asked, seeming unsure of what she was supposed to do. Merlin was getting nervous. He was beginning to lose faith in the statuette to ensure his safety.
“Yes,” He replied. “I meant what I said.”
She tilted her head, her face becoming expressionless. “Then I suppose I don’t feel too bad about this, Emrys.”
Merlin opened his mouth to ask what she meant when she raised her arms and began to chant. He tried to move and defend himself or flee, but found his body bound to the spot he stood. Out of the corner of his eye he saw glowing runes surrounding the clearing.
Merlin had been led straight into a trap.
---
“Emrys?” Mordred was shaking his shoulder now. “Emrys?”
Merlin blinked blearily, and shook his head. “That was stupid of me. Next time I try to run off and deal with a dragon on my own you need to insist I bring someone along.”
Mordred glared at him. “I tried -oh!” His face lit up. “Do you remember-remember what happened?”
He nodded. “I’m not sure what exactly I did, but I remember Arthur and-Oh gods, Arthur. ” Merlin could feel the panic begin to set in as he thought through everything he had said and done in the past few days. Poor Arthur, he would need to-
“Emrys, we really need to get going,” Mordred prompted, interrupting his panic. “The knights are still trying to deal with Aghur, and they could probably use your help.”
“Right.” Merlin reached out to grab the druid’s shoulder and felt his own power flow into Mordred’s depleted reserves. He visibly perked up and his skin seemed to shine for a brief moment as the dullness from overexertion faded away. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
With that, Merlin murmured the spell that would carry the two of them to his husband, swiftly and safely. When he blinked, the pair found themselves in the midst of battle, shouts from the knights as a dragon roared overhead.
“Merlin!” He heard the king scream. “Get down!”
He ducked just in time, pulling Mordred with him. He threw out a hand and an impenetrable shield appeared over them that protected them from Aghur’s blast of fire. “Arthur!” Merlin shouted, tugging Mordred along as he ran towards his husband. “Are you alright?”
The king looked startled for a second to be asked that, and Merlin felt a pang of guilt for acting so differently that his own husband could be surprised at something so simple. Logically he knew that it wasn’t his fault, but still.
“I-Fine,” He said, his voice sounding strange. “Are you-”
Merlin replied by launching himself around Arthur’s neck and pulling him into a hug. He buried his face in the crook of his neck and squeezed him tightly.
“‘M so sorry,” He mumbled. “I was careless and I didn’t think to bring anyone with me and now Camelot is-”
“Woah,” Arthur interrupted, finally squeezing him back. Merlin couldn’t see his expression, but he was positive he looked bewildered in that adorable way of his. “Does this mean-” He cleared his throat. “I-well, do you remember-?”
Merlin pulled back to be able to look him straight in the eyes. “I love you, Arthur,” He said, “And I’m so sorry that I could ever forget that. I swear it won’t ever happen again.”
Arthur stared back at him, eyes wide and mouth open in shock.
“While this has been very sweet and all,” Gwaine interrupted, “There is still a giant, fire breathing lizard flying overhead that is very much still alive which we should probably deal with before you two decide to hash this out.”
Merlin glared at him but did eventually take a step back from Arthur. “I suppose I should go pick up my mess now, shouldn’t I.”
Arthur opened his mouth to argue that it really wasn’t Merlin’s fault, but he shook his head.
“Regardless, I’m the one who has to fix it. I’ll be back in a second, alright love?” Merlin gave Arthur’s cheek a quick peck before heading towards the dragon, and he smiled to himself as he realized that all he’d forgotten had not been lost.