Child of My Soul

Don't own Merlin.

Slightly longer than a drabble.

Set between seasons 4&5.

I needed a break from re-writing some future chapters of my Coin story and this little bit came out. Please review! I thrive on seeing them in my inbox.

"AITHUSA!" I cry out into the night darkened sky. It has been nearly two years since I last saw her. Every chance I had, I was out here in the meadow, far beyond the walls of Camelot, calling for her.

"Patience young dragonlord," The Great Dragon Kilgharrah would say, "Sometimes children just need to spread their wings and learn for themselves. There is a great world out there to explore." Always speaking in riddles and at first he would tell me how I needed to learn this stuff on my own, but now I can tell even he grows concerned. He searches now too and can find no trace of the hatchling.

I am the last Dragonlord, Aithusa should come to me when I call her in the dragon tongue. Unless she is unable to do so. I wish my father would have been able to tell me more before he died, in my arms. More about how to care for and keep track of a dragonling child, useful stuff he would have taught me had he known I ever existed.

There is still no sign of her and it tears me apart inside. I have thought of going to Arthur and revealing all my secrets in hopes that he would give me knights to search for her. Gaius talked me out of it, it would be too much of a risk that Arthur might hunt her down to kill her, and then betray me too, as the laws of Uther were still so heavily ingrained into Camelot's fiber.

I took my leave of Arthur – claiming I needed to go visit my mother and instead spent nearly six months searching for myself not long after he and Gwen were married. Thankfully Camelot was relatively safe during that time. Every rumor, each scrap of information I followed to its ultimate end and eventually had to return to the King's side, empty handed and a heavy ache in my heart.

I understand now how parents must feel when they lose a child. A piece of my soul…the child of my soul, is lost to me.