Lord Vallmar

A/N: It's Merlin's Magic's (delayed) second birthday! One week ago, my baby turned two years old. Yay!

I've had the biggest writer's block for such a long time, so to feel inspired, I re-read all the reviews that you guys have written on this story. And I'm just so overwhelmed with all the kind words. So, THANK YOU to all of you that ever left a review. I would also like to say welcome and say thank you to all the new followers of this story. You guys are the best!

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There was a troubled look on the knights' of Camelot faces. Every seat around the Round Table was taken, and people was standing against the walls, but still, the hall was dead silence. No one said a word. No one had the heart to. The tension was thick, and Merlin twisted uncomfortably where he stood behind Arthur's chair. He could see how Arthur fought to keep a brave face. All heads were turned towards the young king, waiting for him to say something.

"Sir Leon," Arthur finally said again. "Can you go through it one more time please?"

The blond knight nodded, a grave look on his face.

"Reports of a ruthless warrior coming this way has reached us from all our allies. We have even got word from the other side of the sea. This warrior is unlike anything we've ever seen before. In just a year, he has defeated some of the world's biggest armies. He's name is Lord Vallmar and he has a reputation of being ruthless, leading his men into any situation, no matter how dangerous. He takes no prisoners, and makes sure to be the one of all the men at the battlefield to kill most enemies."

Arthur nodded.

"I've sent scouts all over Camelot, but also all over Cendred's kingdom." Arthur said. "The good news is that I so far haven't heard of any sightings of Lord Vallmar. But I won't lie to you. If his record is to be trusted, Lord Vallmar IS headed for Camelot."

A murmur grew in the hall, but Arthur silenced it by just raising his hand.

"We need to prepare for an attack. There's no need to evacuate just yet, no need to scare the people, but we need to be ready. Sir Leon, do you know what is needed to be done?"

Leon nodded.

"Yes Sire."

"Good. You'll be in charge to make sure that every knight is ready."

"Thank you Sire." Leon said.

Arthur nodded, and with that, the meeting was adjourned, and everyone left. Everyone, except Arthur and Merlin. As soon as the doors closed behind the last of the knights, Arthur let out a loud sigh. His shoulders fell, and he rested his head in his hands. The brave mask that the young king had put on in front of his knight were gone, and Merlin could for the first time see fear and exhaustion in his friend's eyes. It broke Merlin's heart to see Arthur like this. He walked towards Arthur and hesitantly put a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"It will be alright." Merlin said.

"How?" Arthur said. "Nothing can stop this man. He had ploughed through the continent. Nothing can stop him, and he doesn't leave any survivors to tell us what to expect. How will it be alright?"

Merlin knew Arthur was right, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Arthur needed all the support Merlin could give him right now. As for Camelot, it needed a miracle. A protector. Someone with the power to stop anything.

Someone like him.

There was no bragging in Merlin's revelation. If anything, it was a burden. But right now, he couldn't think of that. Arthur needed hope, and Merlin decided what to do.

"Arthur, I've to tell you something."

Arthur looked up at him with a questioned look.

"I can help." Merlin said. "I've…"

He was interrupted when the door to the council hall was slammed open. In came Gwaine and Percival, together carrying the body of a man. Behind them, followed a long line of knights. Without hesitation, Arthur flew on his feet. By then, Merlin was already by the body that the knights had lowered to the floor.

"He's alive!" Merlin yelled. "Get Gaius!"

Two knights in the back immediately complied. The other's backed a few steps, giving Merlin space to examine the hurt man. The man was unconscious but breathing. He didn't look hurt, But Merlin could tell that the man's body was exhausted. Arthur, who had been standing next to Merlin, turned to Leon, who was standing next to Percival and Gwaine.

"Leon, what happened? Who is this man?"

"It's Sir James!" Merlin exclaimed before Leon could answer.

"It's Sir James, Sire." Leon said, confirming what Merlin had said. "I don't know what happened. He just rode into the courtyard, looking as if the devil himself was chasing him. He asked to see you, and then he passed out. I'm sorry to bring him in like this, but it seemed urgent."

"You did the right thing." Arthur said.

While Leon and Arthur talked, Sir James was slowly coming back to consciousness. He was still very pale, but after Merlin offered him some water, he seemed to be getting better by the second. And when Gaius came into the room a few minutes later, the knight was able to sit on his own. It had looked worse than it had been.

"Now, Sir James." Arthur said, as they were both sitting at the round table, everyone else besides Gaius standing around them. "Can you tell us what happened?"

Sir James took a deep breath. He was one of the newest recruits, even though he was older than most of the knights were. He was around Leon's age, with light brown hair that reached to his ears and curled at the ends. He was skinny and tall, but his hands and shoulders spoke of a life of manual labour. He had been knighted after saving the life of some children that had been stuck out on thin ice the last winter.

"I saw lord Vallmar's army." Sir James said, getting straight to the point.

A murmur started to spread in the hall, and it quickly rose to a roar. It was however immediately stopped when Arthur rose his hand.

"Please Sir James. Explain."

"Today was my day off Sire," Sir James began. "so I decided to go and visit my sister. She lives in Cenred's kingdom, and she just had a baby girl. So I decided to go and visit my new niece. My sister lives in the far end of the kingdom, as far away from Camelot as you can go, so I had to travel through the whole kingdom. When I was an hour's ride over the border I saw something that looked like a camp, and I decided to check it out. It was Lord Vallmar's army. So I immediately turned around and rode back to Camelot."

"Are you certain that it was him?" Arthur asked, a troubled look on his face.

"Yes Sire." Lord James said. "I saw the crest on their flags."

The volume rose in the hall one more. Without wasting any time, Arthur turned to Leon.

"Gather every knight fit for battle. Prepare the weapons, gather supplies."

"Yes Sire." Leon said.

"Sir Gwaine, Sir Roe." Arthur said. "Take a couple of knights with you and go to town. We need to evacuate every person in the city. It will be naïve to think that Lord Vallmar won't attack civilians."

"Yes Sire." Gwaine said, and the knights turned around to leave.

"There's one more thing." Sir James said.

Everyone turned to the knight, and they could see that he had turned very pale.

"Yes?" Arthur said.

"I saw the reason why Lord Vallmar has been unstoppable, Sire." Lord James said.

"What is it?" Arthur asked.

Sir James took a deep breath, as if he couldn't believe what he was about to say.

"They have a dragon Sire."

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When Merlin laid in bed hours later, he couldn't sleep. His brain was still working full speed, his thoughts keeping him awake.

A dragon.

Lord Vallmar had a dragon.

Aithusa.

The mere thought broke his thought. Aithusa had betrayed him. It had to be him, since Merlin had forbidden Kilgharrah to ever attack Camelot. In a way, Merlin didn't blame Aithusa. He'd never once ordered him to stay away from Camelot. Not in a Dragonlord-way. Because he had never, despite Morgana's influence over Aithusa, needed to. Somehow, all of this must be Morgana's doing, and in that case, Merlin couldn't blame Aithusa. The white dragon was tied to Morgana. He would do as she asked.

As Merlin laid in his bed, a clear thought crossed his mind. Camelot didn't need to fall to the same faith as other cities. Because Camelot had something the other cities didn't. Camelot hade him. And suddenly, Merlin knew what he needed to do.

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Two days later, Lord Vallmar's army was seen at the boarder of Camelot, and people immediately sprung to action. Almost every grown, healthy man and woman had volunteered to stay and defend their city. The elderly, wounded and the children was already evacuated to another city. If the situation wasn't so grave, Arthur would have been proud over what his people had accomplice in just a few days. While preparations were made in the armoury, Arthur stood in his chambers, taking deep breaths while Merlin fussed around him, putting on his armour. The young king was silent, but silence had never been one of Merlin's virtues.

"You'll win this." Merlin said.

Arthur looked at him.

"Lord Vallmar has a dragon." Arthur said. "Last time I fought a dragon I almost died."

"But you didn't." Merlin insisted. "You defeated it."

Well, I did.

But he didn't say that.

"I can't put my knights through that risk again." Arthur said.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Merlin said, putting the last piece of armour in place. "Your knights will gladly follow you Arthur. And not because you're their king, but because you're you. If they have too, they'll die for you Arthur. And so will I."

Arthur gave Merlin a long look before he realised what his servant was saying.

"You're not coming with." Arthur said.

"Of course I am." Merlin said. "How else are you going to get into that armour?"

Merlin smiled and ducked as Arthur tried to smack him with his gloves. Merlin laughed when Arthur missed, and he heard Arthur mutter: "I'm not fat."

Then he got serious again.

"Let me come with you."

"Don't be ridiculous Merlin." Arthur said. "You'll get yourself killed."

"I can help."

"Help? With what?"

Merlin drew a deep breath, and even Arthur could see that his friend was about to say something important.

"Merlin, what is it?"

Merlin hesitated.

"If Lord Vallmar really has a dragon, then I can help."

"How?"

"I'm the last-"

Merlin was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

Arthur hesitated for a moment, but it seemed Merlin wouldn't continue with what he was going to say. With a sigh, Arthur turned his attention towards the door.

"Enter."

Leon entered the room.

"Sire, we're ready. If we leave now, we can meet Lord Vallmar's army far from any civilian village."

"Very well." Arthur said. "Prepare everyone. We leave at once."

Leon bowed and exited the room. Arthur turned to Merlin.

"And you stay here. That is an order."

Merlin just smiled.

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"You know I gave you an order to stay, right?" Arthur said from where he was sitting on his horse.

Merlin smiled.

"Since when do I ever listen to you?"

Behind them, Leon, Gwaine and Percival laughed.

"Admit it, you're actually happy that I came with." Merlin said.

"I'm happy that I've someone to bring me breakfast. And even at war, someone needs to muck the stables." Arthur said, earning more laughs from the knights and a scowl from Merlin.

The teasing continued until they reached the Seven Meadows, where the battle was to take place. As they rose the tents, polished the last piece of armour and sharpened the swords, the mood sank. Everyone knew that the enemy they were about to face was the toughest one they had ever faced. In the king's tent, the mood was dire. Merlin had long ago stopped trying to make Arthur listen to him. The king was so stressed, he barely noticed when someone spoke to him. He stood over a drawn map over the battlefield, just staring at it without as much as uttering a word. The knights stood around him, concern written on their faces. The tent opened, and Elyan walked in.

"Sire, the scouts are back. They found Lord Vallmar's army two miles from here. He'll be here within-"

Elyan was interrupted by a loud roar, that shook the ground. The colour disappeared from the knights' faces, and they all ran out of their tents, their faces towards the sky. As they looked up, they could see a huge shadow in the clouds.

"Aithusa." Merlin whispered.

"Men!" Arthur shouted. "Take arms! Get ready! Archers, gather as many arrows as you can and follow me!"

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A few hours later, the army of Camelot stood ready at the battlefield. At the front stood Arthur, refusing to take any cover that the back lines would allow. Around him stood Leon and the other knights.

And Merlin.

"For the last time Merlin, step back." Arthur said.

"For the last time Arthur," Merlin said, "I'm not going anywhere."

Despite everything, the men around them laughed. It was comforting to know that even in the most dire of situations, the relationship between Arthur and Merlin wouldn't change.

"Merlin, I can't lead the men, fight the battles and worry about you at the same time." Arthur said.

"Aww, you worry about me?" Merlin teased.

Then he got serious.

"I promise you, you don't have to. But you have to promise me one thing."

"What?"

"That you won't see me differently after this."

"Don't worry. War changes every man." Arthur said. "It brings out things in all of us that we didn't think we were capable of."

"It's not that." Merlin said. "It's… I…"

Then he took a deep breath.

"Arthur, I have to tell you something."

But before he could say anything, the sound of a horn interrupted them. Across the field, they could see Lord Vallmar's army approaching. A roar in the sky reminded them of the advantage the enemy had. As soon as the enemy saw them, they stopped. For a moment, it was dead quiet. Then a whistle sounded through the battlefield, and the dragon roared in response. The shadow started descending through the clouds.

He whistled on him? Merlin thought.

As the dragon descended, Merlin took a deep breath, trying to ease the pain in his heart. The army of Camelot, Merlin included, saw as the shadow started to descend through to clouds. The loud sound of wings came closer and closer. And then, they all saw the dragon, and everyone drew their breath.

Gwaine drew his breath, because he never thought he would see a real life dragon.

Elyan drew his breath, because the dragon was just as scary as Gwen had told him it would be.

Arthur drew his breath because the site of the dragon brought back some bad memories.

And Merlin drew his breath, because the dragon that descended wasn't Aithusa. And it wasn't Kilgharrah either.

The dragon that descended was black, huge and deadly. And it was neither Aithusa or Kilgharrah.

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A huge, black, full grown dragon descended from the sky. It was bigger than Aithusa, but not as big as Kilgharrah, and black to the bare eye. But when it flew into a ray of sunshine, Merlin could see that it shifted in blue, and he could only describe it as beautiful.

A new dragon.

A third dragon.

Merlin couldn't help the smile spreading on his lips. The smile however immediately died, as he saw the lines of Camelot getting ready for impact, and the dragon in the sky soaring over them, ready to strike with fire. For a second everything was still. Then, a single word broke everything.

"FIRE!"

The word was a command, coming from Arthur. Spears, arrows and catapults was at the ready, all aimed at the dragon. And Merlin knew what to do.

"NO!"

The single word thundered over the battlefield. Everything froze. The spears was still in the hands of the men, the arrows still on the bowstrings, the men unable to do anything. Merlin hadn't meant to put so much magic in the word, but the thought of losing the newfound dragon had completely taken over his mind. Everyone looked around, looking for whatever had stopped them, and in the mist of confusion, no one thought of looking at Merlin, who had stepped forward. As he slowly took steps forward, the dragon landed in the middle of the battlefield with a thud.

"Merlin!" Arthur yelled, just now seeing what his friend was doing.

Merlin ignored him. As if hypnotised, Merlin started walking towards the dragon.

"Merlin!" Gwaine shouted, but Merlin ignored him.

He only had eyes on the dragon. Arthur, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and Leon, after realising that no matter what they said, Merlin wouldn't listen, followed. On the other side, Lord Vallmar and some of his men did the same. They met in the middle, the dragon lurking behind Lord Vallmar.

"Lord Vallmar." Arthur greeted.

"Your Majesty." Lord Vallmar mockingly bowed.

He made a low clinking sound, and the dragon roared, making the knights of Camelot take a couple of steps back.

All but Merlin.

Lord Vallmar smirked as he saw the fear in the knights' eyes, but the smirked disappeared as he saw that Merlin stood fast. Lord Vallmar eyed Merlin, took in his outfit and his posture, and laughed.

"You let your servants fight your battles?" He asked Arthur. "What kind of a knight are you?"

Before Arthur could answer, Merlin had started running towards the dragon.

"Merlin!" the knights yelled.

Lord Vallmar laughed, and whistled. The dragon flinched, and rose to the sky with a roar.

"Attack!" Lord Vallmar yelled.

The dragon drew back its head, ready to spit fire.

"MERLIN!"

"NO!"

All around, people started shouting. The dragon roared, swords were drawn, people yelled and Vallmar laughed. But their voices were drowned by a deep voice, that rolled over the battlefield like thunder.

"Nun de ge dei s'eikein kai emois epe'essin hepesthai!"

In the sky, thunder roared. The whole battlefield quieted, and the dragon landed, it's head bowed and as confused as the rest of them.

"What was that?" Leon asked.

None answered. Gwaine was looking at Merlin.

"Merlin?" he asked carefully.

Merlin ignored him, but he was very aware of his friends' eyes on him. Merlin slowly approached the dragon. He'd his hand out, as if to pat it on the nose. Merlin knew that Kilgharrah never would've allowed it, but he could feel that with this dragon, it was different.

"Hi." Merlin said. "I'm Merlin. What's your name?"

The others looked at each other. What was he doing?

The dragon didn't answer, it's head bowed. A whistle was heard, and the dragon flinched.

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked.

Instead of an answer, the whistle was heard again. The dragon growl, as if in pain.

"What are you doing?" he heard a voice behind him.

Merlin turned around to see Lord Vallmar stare at him. His eyes were wide and his face red of fury.

"Attack!" Lord Vallmar yelled.

"Stand down." Merlin whispered, but he could see how the words affected the dragon.

"You useless beast!" Lord Vallmar yelled. "I said: Attack!"

The whistle was back, louder now than before. The dragon roared in agony, and Merlin looked between it and the lord. The whistle was heard again, and this time, Merlin saw the lord do it.

"You're doing this?!" Merlin yelled. "Stop it!"

Lord Vallmar ignored him.

"You're hurting him!" Merlin yelled. "Stop!"

Lord Vallmar continued whistling.

"I said STOP!" Merlin yelled.

A lightning bolt struck down out of the clear sky. Everyone was momentarily disorientated, and Merlin used that to take the final steps towards the dragon.

"What's your name?" Merlin asked again, softer this time.

Lord Vallmar, who now had had enough, stepped forward.

"That's enough boy." He said. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but that's enough."

Merlin looked up at the lord, not even bothered by his presence.

"What's his name?" Merlin asked.

A small growl from the dragon made the lord and all the knights of Camelot jump and take a few steps back. Merlin, unfaced by the dragon's growl, looked at the dragon, his confused look replaced by a huge smile as realisation hit him.

"Her?" he asked.

The dragon gave a nod.

"You're a female?" Merlin asked.

The dragon nodded again. Merlin's smile shone brighter than the sun.

"You're a female?" he asked again. "A female dragon?"

It was as if he'd forgotten his friends, the threat of war and the world around him. He bounced on his feet, a smile bigger than his friends had seen in a long time.

"Step away from my dragon, boy."

The sound of the lord's voice replaced Merlin's smile with fury.

"Your dragon?" Merlin asked, his voice low but dripping with fury.

Arthur had never seen his friend this angry before. He could feel a strong force around him, the air practically vibrated with power

"Dragons belong to no man." Merlin said. "They are creatures of magic, and are to be treated with the respect they deserve.

"Respect?" he chuckled. "You talk about it as if it were a person. Is a dragon, an animal, nothing more."

The thunder started roaring again, louder than before. When the Lord thought about it, is was louder than any thunder he had ever heard before, and if he didn't know better, he'd have thought that the young man was creating the thunder. The look the young man gave him would, if looks could kill, have killed him on the spot. And if the thunder roaring in the sky had a face to express itself, it would have been that of the young man.

"A dragon is a creature of magic." Merlin's voice was slow and low. "They were here long before us, and they'll be here long after we're gone. They belong to no man, and are to the benefit of all."

"And who are you to tell me about dragons?" Lord Vallmar yelled in a high pitch voice, fear clearly hearable in it. "You're nothing but a serving boy. You're nothing."

The young man in front of him slowly turned so he was fully facing the lord, his back to the dragon. Even though Lord Vallmar was a tall and well build man, it felt like the boy was towering over him. When the boy finally spoke, his words were slow and full of power.

"I'm the last Dragonlord. And this dragon is under my protection."

Lord Vallmar froze in his steps. Beside him, the men from Camelot all gasped. Merlin didn't seem to take notice of any of them, but turned to the dragon one more time.

"I know he's making you do this." Merlin said. "But I can't allow you to attack Camelot."

The dragon had her head bowed, as if in shame. And then, she started fidgeting. And that's when Merlin heard it. The whistle. With a roar, the dragon rose to the air, her head going back and forward as if to shake the sound out. Merlin could feel her losing control of herself, and he knew that he'd to do something fast. Without thinking twice, Merlin tilted his head up, and roared to the sky:

"O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!"

For a moment, the battlefield was once again embedded in complete silence. Then the dragon started roaring again.

"Merlin, get out of there!" Gwaine yelled.

He and the other knights had taken several steps back. Merlin ignored him.

"Come on, come on." Merlin whispered.

Suddenly, the sky was filled with a loud roar, drowning the roar from the dragon and the whistling. And when that stopped, so did the dragon. She landed again, as the sound of large wings filled the sky. Both army lines looked up and as they did, they could see two huge creatures flying across the sky.

"Is that…?" Leon asked.

"Dragons." Arthur said. "Two of them."

Merlin smiled as he saw the dragons circled around, before landing in the middle of the battlefield, next to Merlin. No army dared to attack. There was no point. Merlin noticed that the young female dragon couldn't take her eyes of her kin.

"Young warlock." A deep voice was heard.

By this point, it came to no surprise to any of the knight that it was the largest of the dragons that spoke. Merlin bowed to the dragon, and to everyone's surprise, the dragon bowed back.

"Young warlock?" Percival whispered to Gwaine, who just shook his head in confusion.

"I need your help Old friend." Merlin said, and did a motion towards the female dragon.

Aithusa had already found her, and the two youngest dragons were standing opposite each other, staring at each other.

"Merlin, is that-?" Kilgharrah asked, and to Merlin's surprise, he realised the dragon was in a loss for words.

"Yes. A new, female dragon."

"I can feel that something is off about her." Kilgharrah said.

"She doesn't talk." Merlin said.

"There is something else as well." Kilgharrah said. "This dragon was never given a proper name. It was lured out of the egg. I don't know how, but she was never given a name by a Dragonlord. You must give her one."

"How do I do that?" Merlin said.

"The same way you did with Aithusa." Kilgharrah said. "Search inside yourself, and you'll find it."

Merlin nodded, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. For a moment, his face was still. Then, suddenly, a huge smile came over his face, and Merlin opened his eyes.

"THAT, is a perfect name."

He searched inside himself, finding that language that were only spoken between a dragon and a Dragonlord. And when he spoke, it was only a word. A name.

"Liv."

A shiver went through the dragon as she received the name she should've been given so long ago. By just saying her name, Merlin could feel the bond between her and Lord Vallmar dissolving.

"A perfect choice." Kilgharrah said. "Because in the language spoken in the countries of the North, you've named her Life."

Merlin smiled at his friend. But the smile died as he saw Kilgharrah get tense, and the big dragon roared. Merlin turned around, just in time to see Lord Vallmar and his men point their spears at Liv.

.

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Merlin saw the spears pointing at Liv, saw as Lord Vallmar and his men drew their arms back, ready to throw.

"NO!" Merlin yelled.

And then he ran.

"Merlin!" the army of Camelot yelled.

Arthur and the knights saw with fear how Merlin jumped in front of the new dragon just as Lord Vallmar threw his spear. Their fear however was quickly changed to confusion, as they saw their friend. Merlin was standing in front of the dragon, one arm out. And the spear was floating in the air. His eyes were gold, and without a word, he dropped the spear to the ground.

"Merlin." The knights whispered.

"Don't. Touch. My. Dragons." Merlin said, and raised his hand.

Without uttering a single word, he sent Lord Vallmar flying. The lord flew several meters before he hit the ground, where he laid motionless. A moment of shock, and then the whole of Lord Vallmar's army aimed their weapons at Merlin. But before Merlin could do anything, all three dragons rose simultaneously, soaring in the air ten meters above ground, the mouths opened and growls of warning escaping their throats. It was the scariest thing any of the knights of Camelot had seen, and they only saw it all from behind. In pure fear, all of Lord Vallmar's men dropped their weapons. Merlin slowly stepped forward, his back straight, his head held high and the dragons soaring behind him as he viewed Lord Vallmar's army.

"Camelot is protected." Merlin said, his voice echoing over the battlefield. "So are her allies. And if you, or anyone else, ever try to take her again, know that she is protected. By dragons!" He yelled as the dragons roared. "By Emrys! And by magic itself! Now leave, and don't ever come back!"

Never before had an army been seen leaving the battlefield so fast.

.

.

Merlin stared after them until the last solider disappeared in the distance. The only trace of them was the blood on the stone where Lord Vallmar had hit his head after Merlin sent him flying. Merlin stared at the puddle for a long time, before slowly turning around.

To stand face to face with his friends and the whole army of Camelot. It was then Merlin finally registered:

They had seen everything.

"Ah." Merlin said, stopping in his steps as he saw the expression on Arthur's face. "Ah."

"Is that all you can say?" Arthur asked.

"Shit?" Merlin tried, earning a small laugh from Gwaine.

"What was all that Merlin?" Percival asked.

"You just defeated the strongest army in the world by making threats." Leon said.

"Dragons are real?" Gwaine asked. "And Emrys?"

"What did you mean when you said 'by magic itself'?" Elyan wondered.

"Enough!" Arthur said, silencing them all.

Merlin looked at his friend, and he couldn't read his face.

"Arthur…" Merlin began.

"What was all that, Merlin?" Arthur asked, his tone unreadable. "Who are you?"

"I'm Merlin." Merlin said sadly. "But I'm also the Last Dragonlord. And a warlock. The Druids call me Emrys."

All the knights gasped, and Arthur hated himself when he felt his hand around the handle of his sword. By the sadness he could read in Merlin's face, he could see that his friend had noticed where his hand went too.

"How long?" Arthur asked.

Merlin immediately understood what he meant.

"I was born with my magic. It's never something I've chosen. And I became a Dragonlord when… when my father died."

"Your father?" Arthur asked before he could stop himself.

As Merlin looked up at him, Arthur could see tears in his friend's eyes.

"Balinor."

That word alone was enough to make Arthur feel as if he'd been punched in the stomach.

"I found out just before we went out to find him." Merlin said. "And I never told you, because Uther would have had me arrested. That's why I never told you about my magic either. I never wanted you to have to make a choice between me and your father."

Arthur felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach.

"What did we ever do to deserve you Merlin?" he asked.

"You don't." Merlin said with a smile, ever teasing. Then his smile died. "So… what happens now?"

Arthur once again looked as if someone had punched him in his stomach.

"I wish I could take you back to Camelot. I would!" he said, when he saw the hurt look on Merlin's face. "But I… I can't-" Arthur said, making a motion over the lines of soldiers.

"I understand." Merlin said, sorrow in his voice. "I do. And the way I broke it to you wasn't fair. But… I never use it to harm anyone. I swear."

"I know Merlin, I know. And it if were up to me, you'd come with us back to Camelot in a heartbeat."

"It is up to you young king." A voice thundered.

Arthur looked around, trying to find the voice, until he looked up, to see the Great dragon stare down at him.

"I'm.. I'm sorry?" Arthur stammered.

"You've the power to change things." Kilgharrah said. "You've the power to bring magic back to the Land of Albion."

Unable to say anything, Arthur just nodded. He turned to Merlin.

"I still… I can't. Camelot need some time to process. And I must follow her laws. If I bring you back with me, I'll have an uproar on my hands."

Even if his heart was breaking, Merlin produced a smile.

"It's alright. And I'll have stuff to do. Liv will need some help readjusting. And I need to figure out where to take her. And I get it. You need some time. Just… let me know when you're ready."

Arthur nodded, unable to say anything. Merlin smiled a sad smile, and climbed up on Kilgharrah's back.

"I'm sorry Merlin." Kilgharrah said, his eyes staring at Arthur, making the king shiver.

As Kilgharrah and the other dragons flew up in the air, Merlin on Kilgharrah's back, a shiver went through the lines of Camelot.

They all watched in awe as the last Dragonlord and his three dragons disappeared in the sky, and it was the most majestic thing they had ever seen.