Merlin found that Rience had incredible potential as a sorcerer. The young man would have been an excellent magician if Cobalt had not destroyed his life.

He taught Rience to reach out with his powers in order to move objects from a distance. He also taught him the spell Forbærnan, which would allow him to unleash the element of fire.

Rience took an hour to learn the spells, before he had to leave in case Cobalt became suspicious of his prolonged absence. With his friend gone, Merlin leaned against the wall of his prison and rested, trying to conserve his energy.

Hours later, he heard the sound of footsteps, angry voices, and was that – an animal whimpering?

Guards marched into the dungeons, holding a sack that clearly had something struggling in it. They swung open Merlin's prison cell, dumped the content of the sack on the floor, and slammed the prison door shut again.

It was Wild, the baby unicorn of the herd. Merlin's eyes widened. He struggled to sit up, bones and muscles groaning in protest. Merlin reached out and gently raised Wild's head, looking into his eyes. Young unicorns cannot communicate with words, but the pain in Wild's eyes, along with his pitiful whinnying, told Merlin that the men had not been kind to the poor creature.

Carefully, Merlin gathered Wild into his arms, and stroked the young unicorn as comfortingly as he could until the whimpering died down. Eventually, Wild fell asleep.

"I knew you could keep that thing quiet."

Merlin jerked his head up. Cobalt stood outside his prison cell, sneering. "That damn creature was projecting some kind of spell on us. Gave my men and I terrible headaches. Some of my guards started having hallucinations. I knew it would rein in its powers so as not to hurt you. I was right."

"Let Wild go, please. You can do what you want with me. But this unicorn is only a few weeks old."

"Oh, several of my guards have expressed their desires, very explicitly, to have their way with you. Once I've sacrificed that unicorn and don't need you around to keep it calm, I'll let my men do what they want."

With that, Cobalt turned and left. His men followed him, though some gave Merlin lingering looks that left him feeling violated.

The next morning, Merlin woke up shivering, with Wild in his arms. He realized that there were two guards outside his prison, and that they were talking about him.

"I heard from Lord Cobalt that this servant is Pendragon's lover."

The second guard made what sounded like a whistle of appreciation. "Pendragon has impeccable taste. But how is such a sweet little thing able to withstand the undivided attention of a warrior like Pendragon?"

"It seems that Camelot's champion can be gentle. I saw no more than a few bruises and bite marks on him."

"I'd like to leave plenty of marks on every inch of him, the moment Lord Cobalt gives his permission."

That will never happen, thought Merlin. I would sooner end my own life than be touched by any man who is not my prince.

At that moment, the castle's warning bells sounded, echoing all the way through the dungeon walls.

Merlin heard frenzied footsteps before a third guard appeared.

"Pendragon and his knights have broken through the castle gates! Lord Cobalt says there is no time to waste, he will come to perform the sacrificial spell right here in the dungeon. Be prepared to grab that unicorn!"

Even as he spoke, several men rushed in. They untied pouches that they had tied to their belts, and began pouring out a black powder around the dungeon to form a wide circle.

Cobalt entered, holding a knife and levitating a stone basin blazing with fire.

Merlin pulled Wild behind him, placing himself between the unicorn and the door of his cell.

Rience, who had been standing demurely by Cobalt's side, took advantage of the chaos and snuck his way over to the prison door.

"I've placed the blue gem in the stone basin," he whispered quickly, before darting back to Cobalt to prevent suspicions.

Rience's words sparked fierce hope within Merlin.

As Cobalt stepped into the circle with the stone bowl full of fire, the guards fell silent. With the cessation of sound or movement, a chilly hush gripped the dungeon. Merlin realized that he could dimly hear the sounds of swords clanging from above. Arthur and his knights had broken into the castle, and were drawing closer. The guards stood with swords ready, facing the locked dungeon entrance. They would shield Cobalt in case Camelot's knights broke in before the spell was completed.

Cobalt closed his eyes and began chanting. Almost at once, Merlin felt a shiver go down his spine as dark magic began to envelope the room.

However, as the minutes passed, Merlin did not feel the spell grow in strength. Cobalt's furrowed brow and the increased volume of his voice told Merlin that this was not due to a lack of effort. He met Rience's eyes. The blue gem that Rience had snuck into the bowl of fire was doing its job. It was draining the power that Cobalt was projecting.

The sounds of fighting from outside grew louder and louder, while Cobalt made no progress with his spell. The guards gripped their swords nervously.

Suddenly, with a crash, the door at the dungeon entrance splintered open. Arthur and his knights burst in, and the guards charged forward.

Distracted, Cobalt wheeled around. This was the opportunity Merlin needed.

"Rience, now!"

Rience raised his arm, and used the spell that Merlin had taught him earlier to levitate the blue gem out of the fire. He sent it skidding across the floor, straight between the bars of Merlin's prison. There was no time to wait for the gem to cool. Merlin rushed forward to grab it. He was surprised to find that the jewel was in fact icy cold to touch.

Quickly, Merlin drained the power trapped within the gem, filling his body with borrowed magic. It was Cobalt's magic, and the cloying, dark power seemed to rebel within his body. But he was Emrys, and the magic of all sorcerers must yield to him. After a few moments of struggling, he used his will to bring the borrowed power completely under his control.

Just then, Arthur pushed through the ring of guards. Cobalt threw his arms out to send a fatal spell at the prince, only to be blocked by a pulse of power from Merlin. The explosion from the two sorcerers' magic colliding pushed Arthur backwards.

Snarling, Cobalt turned around, and sent a spell to smash the bars of Merlin's cell. He used his power to drag the young unicorn out of the prison and over to the sacrificial ring. Merlin jumped up through the wreckage that was once his prison door, but it was too late, he could see Cobalt's hand, gripping the knife, swinging down at Wild –

Arthur rushed forward to knock Cobalt down. The knife missed Wild's neck, but left a deep gash along his flank. The unicorn screamed in pain as blood dripped onto the floor.

Cobalt laid dazed on the ground, trying to get up. Merlin saw two specks of light glimmering next to him. His heart nearly leapt into his throat; the two rings had slipped out of Cobalt's pockets when Arthur knocked him over.

Merlin jumped up, and used his magic to pull the rings into his hands.

"Arthur!" He shouted, running over to his prince. Arthur gripped him by the arm, dragged him behind a pile of wreckage, and pulled him into a tight embrace. Pressed against his lover's chest, Merlin felt a deep sense of relief, even though the danger was far from over.

"Are you alright? Have they hurt you?"

Merlin shook his head. "I thought we would never see each other again."

"I have fought my way through this castle and would do a lot more, to bring you back to Camelot."

"I'm sorry, all this is my fault –

"It is not your fault. You have never abused your power the way Cobalt has. Sorcerers are good or evil depending on their own decisions."

Merlin could feel his heart thundering. For how long has he dreamt of Arthur saying those words? Of Arthur's acceptance?

Trembling, he pulled himself from Arthur's embrace, and opened up his palms to reveal the two rings. It felt as if he was unveiling the deepest part of himself. Will he accept this?

Arthur nodded without a moment's hesitation. "Is there a ritual that we need to do? Are there specific words you need to say?"

"Only my promise to serve you, and love you with mind, body, and soul."

Arthur's eyes filled with emotions so fierce that Merlin found it almost difficult to look at him. The prince took his ring from Merlin's hand. "And I promise to protect you, Merlin, and love you with mind, body, and soul."

As they slipped on their rings, Merlin felt a deep comfort wash over him, seeping in through his skin and down to his very core. It was a feeling of safety, of security, as if the hearth fire of home now rested within his heart.

Then Merlin felt magic, his own magic, rushing to return to him. It was more powerful than ever before. He had come into his inheritance as Emrys and as the last dragonlord.

Suddenly, the wreckage that he and Arthur had been hiding behind exploded. Instinctively, Merlin threw up a shield. When the scraps and pieces of stone had fallen to the ground and the dust had settled, he saw that it was Cobalt who had blasted their hiding place away.

Merlin advanced forward. Cobalt threw spell after spell at him, which Merlin flicked away effortlessly.

"Had you spared Wild when I begged you to," said Merlin calmly, "I might have shown you mercy."

He gathered his powers, and whispered, Forbærnan.

Fire leapt from his hands, taking the form of a dragon. It charged at Cobalt, burning away his flesh before purging the dark magic that lived in him. It swept through the dungeon and out through the broken entrance. The people of Tír-Mòr would report seeing a dragon made of fire flying across the kingdom, burning away the darkness that had plagued them, the physical manifestation of Emry's righteous fury.

In the dungeons, the guards dropped their weapons one by one in surrender, now that their master was dead.

A crash drew Merlin's attention. Alarmed, he saw that Arthur had dropped onto the floor.

Merlin rushed over as Arthur held out a hand. He saw that Arthur's ring had a tinge of red on it. He realized with growing terror that his lover's ring had touched the unicorn blood in the brief moments when it was on the floor.

A'N: Thank you all for reading. One more chapter left. There will be smut!