Hi everyone! I'm very sorry that you have had to wait so long in between updates. Trust me, I know how annoying it can be to not be able to finish a story I'm engrossed in. However, life happens and this is all I could offer.

"Conversations"

'Internal Monologues'

~Dragontongue~

sssParseltonguesss

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Chapter 10: The Prince Tames His Heir

If Harry had had any idea of what awaited him at the end of the train ride, he would have been safely ensconced in his handy dandy invisibility cloak a good half hour before the train even pulled into Kings Cross Station. As it was, however, he didn't have any idea, and therefore walked straight into the hands of doom… courtesy of one Potion Master Phantom Professor Severus Snape. The impatient, greasy, and scowling (is that a personal rain cloud?) man had forcibly ripped Harry away from Luna and Neville's farewell hug and teleported him directly to the Dursleys. Apparently Dumbledore had decided to secure Harry's obedience in a far more straightforward manner than his typical mild suggestions (read increasingly strong compulsions).

Mr. Vernon Dursley had been home just in time to receive a scathing tongue lashing from one Professor Snape decrying Harry's so called spoiledness, his arrogance, and his family's culpability for all of his horrible shortcomings. Severus Snape may not have known the consequences of his actions due to his own self assurance and self-inforced blindness, but that didn't mean the consequences were any less deserved or severe for Ghost Boy. Sadly, sometimes other people pay dearly for another man's ill conceived and self-righteous actions.

Needless to say, Ghost Boy's head met the back wall of a certain cupboard under the stairs after a belt lashing that put all past punishments to shame. The child was only lucky that his possessions were safely hidden in his trunk-charm on his goblin necklace. Otherwise, he would have had to say goodbye to all of his worldly possessions once again (he assumed he had come to the Dursleys with at least clothes on his back which could be deemed HIS possessions...and a few school workbooks had technically been his before they had met their fate in the confines of the kitchen dumpster). Judging from the exact shade of maroon that his uncle's face had reached, it was also a good thing that EmberLight, Atlas, and Chaos had been giving their own last minute hug/cuddles to Luna and Neville when Harry had been abducted...kidnapped...kidreturned? Anyways, it was a good thing as surely they would have been revealed as dragons or had their necks snapped. Having his dragons revealed would have been a nightmare of national proportions (literally), and having his precious companions killed… well he couldn't bare, even considering something so horrifying. Norstra had had to slip into his magical core after the very first hit to keep her little one alive. Vernon had not held back when he'd turned around from closing the door and slammed his fist into the side of the small wizard's head. Without Norstra's immediate action Harry would have had brain damage at the very least and would have been dead by morning at the most.

After three hours of intensive magic direction by Norstra, a meeting was held in Harry's mind san Harry himself. Norstra explained the circumstances and three very angry and very frightened dragons took flight from London with no one the wiser of their presence. It took EmberLight's previous knowledge of where the Dursleys lived to guide the three to their Lord. By the time they arrived almost half a day had passed. It took them another few hours of waiting for "Harry's family" to leave the house for the day.

~Little Lord….Little Lord. Wake up Little Lord, please.~ EmberLight softly nuzzled his face.

~We have to leave, now. Little Lord wake up and get your trunk out. We need the cloak.~ Atlas snorted in Harry's ear.

'I'm...I'm awake...wha...what hap...wha is it?' Harry groggily tried to get his bearings. Things were spinning around him at alarming rates. 'You are here? You can't be here! Run! You have to get away! He'll kill you!'

'No they're gone for now, Little Lord.' EmberLight soothed, 'Just get your trunk off your necklace. We'll take care of it from there.'

'Oh... Trunk? Where?' Harry confusedly gripped at his necklace like he had done so many times before in the last two years. 'Right. Trunk. Sorry, I don't feel so well.'

'I know little one...just get it open and we'll get you somewhere safe.'

A few more minutes of coaxing Harry to semi-coherency and the dragons had their Lord safely secured to Atlas under the cloak and his trunk back on his necklace. He was already back in the lands of...well not dreams, he simply was out cold.

'Where can we go that he'll be out of reach of Wizards and muggles? Where he'll be safe while he's like this?' EmberLight worried in the little stone castle in Harry's mind. The boy himself was asleep even here, up stairs in the bedroom. The ocean of his emotions was completely still for the first time sense the dragons had bonded with Harry. It was rather disconcerting to see the vast expanse of water as tranquil as only very small ponds can be.

'Luna was intending to leave the country with her father straight from the station in order to get maximum time to search for creatures…' Chaos grimly glanced towards the upstairs room.

'Neville wouldn't be able to heal him and his grandmother would take Harry to the wizard hospital...if that happens then Dumbledore might find out and send him back again.'Atlas murmured still deep in thought.

EmberLight Dragon hesitated a moment before softly adding, ' However, Arthur wouldn't let his heir die.'

Atlas thought over the options available and came to the inevitable conclusion. 'To the stone circle then? He would at least be safe from being found for the rest of the summer. We would have to have him awake in order to power the spell though. We would also have to go to Arthur again. Immediately. We can't risk an unknown destination when Little Lord in this state, so none of our other shells can be used.'

'Ok. We're in agreement then. Let's get the stone circle and get out of here.' Chaos started focusing on the real world leaving his other self to watch over Harry's mind. 'There isn't any time to waste now.'

'I'll be unavailable until you three find someone to heal my little one...even now he is in danger of falling asleep permanently without me in his core directing his magic.' Norstra fretted.

'Do what you must. We'll take care of the travel and wake him when we get there.' Outside in the Dursley's house Atlas walked out the broken down door they had come in by and took to the air.

***Several Hours Later***

~That's it! We're here.~ Atlas tiredly settled in the very center of the stone pillared circle. It was now the wee hours of the morning. ~We need to wake him up. You have the egg piece Ember?~

~Yes, I had it out as I thought maybe we would go back to Arthur straight from the station.~ EmberLight looked slightly guilty. ~I know he might not have technically planned on going back to Arthur, but something in me is demanding we return at least this once.~

~Well it worked out in the end for us, didn't it? Let's wake him up then.~ Chaos started nudging Harry cheek gently.

A few minutes later a barely conscious Harry muttered the magic words and the group disappeared to a time long dissolved into myth.

***Camelot***

Meanwhile, Arthur was in the middle of a meeting. A dull meeting. A pointless dull meeting. A redundant, pointless, dull meeting. Then something tugged on his core lightly and now Arthur was in a redundant, pointless, dull, annoying meeting that was also holding him back from following that very interesting tug. Now that was unacceptable. In the very middle of Lord Glowmire's predictable dietribe about unworthy peasants stealing magic (because they obviously were educated enough and powerful enough without magic and had enough free time on their hands to figure out how to do such a thing… hear the oozing sarcasm), the Prince of Camelot stood up and walked out of the council chamber. His father, the King, would no doubt have a few choice words for him later, but that would be endured exactly then, later.

Luck was on his side as when he was striding (royalty does not run in the castle) out of the entrance his trusted advisor was just returning from some unimportant and uninteresting mission. "Sir Percival. With me."

"Yes sire."

"Sir Gawain. You as well." The prince had barely slowed his stride as he passed his chosen companions. Within 10 minutes the three were headed towards the white cliffs of insanity...sorry what would become Dover... following a very concerning magical tug. It was concerning in that it was sending pulses like an annoying alarm bell instead of the quiet fuzzy hum that it should have had. Should have had but hadn't had for many months now. Arthur was ready to give his long lost heir a solid wallup on his backside for making him worry as the boy had. Disappearing without so much as a by-your-leave. Unacceptable.

When they arrived at the area where Harry and company had appeared, it was in the midst of another summer storm. It only took Sir Slytherin a fraction of a second to note the prince's heir's declining health. The child's dragons were obviously panicking and his complexion was approaching a cold corpse's pallor.

"Gwain, set up a cover. Percival, we will have to find the internal injuries and stabilize him before we attempt moving him at all." Arthur quickly spoke to the dragons to get them to calm down enough to let Sir Percival Slytherin close to the child. Sir Gawain Gryffindor immediately started summoning branches to transfigure into a temporary pavilion.

"Oh child of mine, what has happened to you?" Arthur stood watch as the makeshift camp took shape. His heart finally felt calm now that his little Merlin lay within reach once again. Whoever had dared hurt his child would pay no matter what time they existed in. This would not be tolerated. His child was King of Albion in his own time, whether he acknowledged it or not. No, no one had a right to touch him without Arthur's permission as his standing father Lord King, let alone do actual harm to him!

~He was snatched from us and delivered to his relative keepers. When we caught up to him, he had already been wounded. We had to break the door down and then fly him to the travelling circle to bring him to you.~ EmberLight gazed seriously up at the Dragonlord. ~You will help him. You claimed him as your crowned hatchling, as your whelp. He is part of your horde so you will help him.~

Somewhere in there Arthur could sense her desperation and demand. She wasn't asking and yet her heart was close to begging him to save her child Lord. Everything in her stance screamed this. Her wings were half spread, feet planted neck lowered so her head was just hovering near Merlin's head with just a hint of teeth exposed. The larger dragon, Atlas, was blocking as much of the storm from touching the body as possible while still staying out of Percival's way. The tiny dragon that was hatched in Camelot just last summer was circling Arthur's head aggressively.

~If you so much as look at him wrong I'll set you alight, Dragonlord or not.~ Chaos spat at the blue eyed menace before curling up in Merlin's limp hand.

***Camelot Three Days Later***

Merlin woke a feral child. His ear cuff responded to his panicking magics by giving him long canines and pointed ears as he strained against the constricting sheets. Pupils elongated to try to help him see in the dark and nails lengthened to shred whatever it was holding him from fleeing. The ocean in his mind had massive waves that crashed over the castle and also half the forest. Then something from the deeps rose up and took command, yet it was still him...this was not a change of personality clothing or a change of appearance. It was something...other.

'I'm not going to die! I won't die!' Screamed through the wind. Ghost Boy flitted through the forest and castle so quickly that he was truly embodying that personality mask. Behind him stretched an unnatural shadow. His eyes were blank both in reality and in his head as nothing penetrated the ever consuming terror of being betrayed and left at the mercy of his family. From this day forth Dumbledore and Snape would be enemies in Hadrian's mind no matter what personality traits he dressed in.

Suddenly a strong but gentle hand pulled him from the confining material he'd been struggling against. A quiet voice was murmuring in his ear as he was held tightly facing outward. His teeth nashed angrily and he writhed in vain to find freedom. Freedom. The only thing that mattered to him.

Wait.

No.

Other things mattered… A beautiful dragon came into focus in front of him. Her black scales shimmering dark red in the flickering candle light. His mind quickly catalogued the candle light, not electricity. He knew this beast. She was his, and she mattered. Harry went limp in shock as conscience thought finally started connecting dots in his head. The person who had been holding his chin to force his vision on the dragon...Emberlight finally released his face. Another dragon … small… tiny even...ah, yes, Chaos! Chaos was on his nose gazing at him in concern. There was Atlas too, towering over all of them watchfully. These beasts were important to him. His to take care of. Kin. A human face flashed across his mind of a boy in a red tie. This time though, Harry snarled. Humans weren't trustworthy. He shook his head forcefully but his heart felt like someone had gripped it in a fist and squeezed. Blonde hair and dreamy eyes gazed sadly at him, then those too were banished.

~Hush little whelp,

Don't have a care.

Your father lord is here,

You're safe in the lair.~

~The fires may burn,

But they won't hurt thee.

A Dragon lord you are,

So you're safe you'll see.~

~Come little whelpling,

And stay with me.

Not shall harm you,

As I'll protect thee.~

The voice rumbled out comfortingly, and Harry's body relaxed automatically upon recognizing safety in the beast tongue...dragontongue. He tried to turn his head to see the other dragon in the room, but his tired body gave out mid turn, and before he knew it darkness claimed him once again.

Arthur looked down sadly at the small whelp laying limp in his arms. His little Merlin had fully transformed to his dragonside. Not just a topical change like the earcuffs achieved. He had been able to catch very brief studies of those magical artifacts in the past whenever he caught his little heir napping like a cat in some sunny window or perched in his name sake's form with his head tucked under a wing high up on the battlements. Whenever Merlin had been rudely awakened to his curious magical prodes he'd reacted with full sentient ability. To do a full dragon transformation, Merlin had to have broken. He had to have fully turned to his animal instinct over his human mind. He'd been close to breaking before, balancing sanity on the edge of a sword's edge. Any fool could see it. Now though, now the child had hidden in his dragon self to escape. Arthur would have to make sure it wasn't a permanent change. With a sigh he stood up with his bundle still in his arms and headed out of the tower room back to his own chambers. Paperwork wouldn't keep, but the little one would need watching. Careful watching.

The next month would be a lesson on patience for the Prince of Camelot. For his little heir it would be a month of spitting fire at any human who came near him. It would be a month of Arthur holding him in his lap as he looked over documents and carrying him through the countless courtyards, hallways, and down through the lower town, always with three other worried dragons on his heels. Merlin would periodically flap and claw like crazy trying for freedom, but Arthur was nothing if not stubborn and would wait the child dragon out...after all, the poor thing didn't have much stamina. In fact, it took a good week before Merlin even had the health and wherewithal to put up a fight at all barring the first frantic awakening that resulted in his transformation. At nights, Merlin would sleep curled up between the paws of Arthur in his own dragon form who draped his head over the whelp to make sure he didn't wander off in the night.

It would be an attempt on Arthur's life that would break Ghost Boy/Dragon out of his daze.

"You have killed my son a broken wail so you will PAY WITH YOUR OWN!" The old witch was insane. Sad. Broken. But still murderously insane. Merlin perked up from where he had been partially napping while flopped across the obnoxious prince's lap to look at the old woman. He yawned at the woman showing all his pointy teeth and exactly what he thought of someone "killing" his comfortable (albeit forced) bed. Then she threw a curse and a knife at Arthur...which just so happened to also be at Merlin. They both took exception to that.

Arthur curved his body to protect his welp while the little one startled to attention and roared his upset at the whole bloody situation. He'd told Arthur that killing magic people just because they were peasants would come back to bite him in the rear, and see now he was right!

He'd told Arhur… That's right. He had told him. As in, he, a human, had told the Prince. The prince had looked confused and sad at the time, but had told Harry that the law was the law and there was nothing he could do about it. His sociopath father (the King! Merlin!) was wise and had his reasons for the way things were. Well, he was definitely going to let Arthur know who was right! (It didn't happen that he, Harry, was right that often. Therefore, the pig headed dollop of a prat needed to be reminded whenever he was proven wrong.)

And that is how Merlin transformed back into a young lad.

"I said it, didn't I! Now this is what happens! What I was afraid of!" Merlin turned his full ire on the prince who looked a bit shocked at the moment.

"Do you really think this is the appropriate moment to say I told you so?" Arthur gave a very disapproving look.

"YES!" Was Merlin's stubborn reply.

"No." Was the flat reply from at least three other people around the courtroom.

"You will not stop my revenge!" The shrieking witch recovered from her surprise and desperately flung another curse at the two.

There was a flash as a sword deflected the spell into a nearby wall. Arthur stood with excalibur in hand. He was angry now.

"Guards! What are you waiting around for!? Seize her!" Roared a new voice. The Dragon Lord King had shaken off his shock. "You will burn for your impudence, you lowly wrench." King Uthur towered over the woman who had been penned into a bow with her forehead touching the floor. Then he turned back towards his beloved heir and snapped out another order. "Take your welp to safety we'll reconvene tomorrow after the noon meal."

Merlin sprouted his wings back out and snapped his teeth in annoyance before he was unceremoniously scooped off the ground and out of the room.

***Camelot a Few Minutes Later***

"Are you gonna bite me, little one?" Arthur chuckled down at the partially transformed child that was struggling to get free of his arms. His teeth were bared and he had Arthur's arm in both hands. The child hesitated before shaking his head as if to shake off his confusion before going completely limp.

"...sorry" Was whispered softly.

"Hm" Was the considering response before the Prince hefted Merlin to a more comfortable position and continued up towards the child's tower room. By the time he reached the door guardian Merlin was tucked up with his arms around Arthur's neck and head tucked, fast asleep.

Over the time between the assasination attempt and Merlin's inevitable return to his own time, Arthur and he grew to be closer as father and child.

During the last week of Merlin's stay, Imber and Immitis' hatched out of the two "rocks" he had picked up while fleeing the basilisk. Now five dragons were at the boy dragonlord's side. It was both an auspicious sign and a dire omen: for the might and power of the dragonlords was clearly returning to the land in the future, but what would necessitate so many dragons at his call? However, these latest hatchlings had finalized Arthur's plots to bypass Morana's curse. Uther and Arthur came to an agreement set in stone and magic. Britain will just have to wait for her rightful king to return, in the meantime, the guardians born of Arthur and Guenevere will watch over the land.