"It's a dragon!" Arthur exclaimed, surprised. Merlin feared the worst, as Aithusa looked up and cooed, jumping forward, Arthur held his sword threateningly, watching her. Aithusa, mistaking Arthur for someone who cares, started doing all the same tricks, (if you want to call them that,) that she had done for Merlin before. For just a second, Merlin wondered how many other people Aithusa had preformed for. But then, it was right back to the fear he felt for her life. It would be much easier to kill a baby dragon, unlike it was for Arthur to kill the Great Dragon, which he had failed at.

"Arthur…" Merlin said then, ready to tell him the truth if he had to, as long as he didn't hurt the dragon. "Please don't kill her, she's just a baby."

Arthur, who had been watching her dance her strange dance, looked up, glaring at Merlin.

"Did you think I was going to?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "It is not causing anyone any harm, it is just a baby after all."

"You're not going to...?" Merlin asked, grinning suddenly. "I'm sorry…I just thought."

"I know what you thought," Arthur said, walking around him and the dancing Aithusa, to the horses. The dragon then, her audience gone, turned back to Merlin, flying up to his eye level, swirling around him. "It seems to like you…"

"She's just a baby, she doesn't know any better," Merlin explained, smiling at Aithusa, feeling almost giddy with the thought that Arthur wasn't going to hurt her.

"So, tell me Merlin," Arthur said then, walking back over to them, sword put away. Which was a good sign, it meant he didn't feel threatened. "How do you know it's a girl?"

"I, um…I don't," Merlin lied, eyes widening slightly. "It just sort of…looks like a girl."

"I suppose you have a point," Arthur nodded, cracking, what could be a smile over at Aithusa. "What I cannot seem to understand, is how this baby dragon got here."

"I'm not sure either…" Merlin trailed off, and this time, he wasn't lying, he really had no idea. He thought Kilgharrah was looking after her.

"The egg must have survived the tower caving in on it," Arthur said then, placing his hands on his hips. "And someone must have found it and hatched it," he said, glancing at Merlin. "Gaius once told me only a dragonlord could hatch a dragon from its egg."

"Yeah, I've heard that too," Merlin nodded, biting his lip.

"But the last dragonlord is dead, the one we met," Arthur continued on. "Remember, Merlin?"

"Yes, of course I do," Merlin nodded again, remembering his father rather well. It was still a painful memory, he had known his father for such a short time. "But you don't know if he was really the last one, right?"

"It was recorded that he was."

"But dragonlord's could have children…couldn't they?"

"Of course they could," Arthur nodded this time. "Perhaps Balinor had a child."

"He could have…"

"Mhm," Arthur said, glancing around at the sky and the small clearing. "You know, he had lived in Ealdor for a time, with a woman named Hunith, he told me so while you were looking for firewood. I assumed it was your mother."

"My…my mother?" Merlin asked, his heart beating faster, suddenly.

"Unless you know of another Hunith that lived there," Arthur said, with a grin. But Merlin couldn't help the worry he felt, this meant Arthur had known his mother was harboring his father, and that was rather against the law, since his father was an outlaw and all. "What are you looking so worried about, Merlin?"

"I was just…I…" he heaved a breath, unable to go on. Arthur frowned at this.

"Do you honestly think I would harm your mother in anyway? Or arrest her for something that happened over twenty years ago?" Arthur asked, almost offended. "You must think very little of me."

"No, I don't…"

"That would be like me arresting Gaius for harboring a sorcerer," Arthur said then, and Merlin's mouth fell open, heart literally stopping in his chest, at the king's words. Arthur laughed. "You know he has done so before, many times, but I wouldn't do that to you. She is your mother and you love Gaius as a father."

"I…" Merlin tried, but it seemed he was still at a loss for words. "Thank you."

"I am not foolish enough to think that everyone who has magic is evil," Arthur continued then, his eyes steadily on Merlin. "I am sure of it, that there are people out there with magic that are good. The dragonlord, he was a good man, he agreed to help Camelot even after all my father had done to him, he had died…protecting you," Arthur sighed then, in thought. "I cannot look pass that, no matter what he might have done in the past. Perhaps, if he did have a son, then he is a good man too."

"Maybe…" Merlin smiled then, unable to hide the slow, bubbling affection that was welling up inside him. After all this time, thinking Arthur hated sorcerers, to find out this. He grinned something terrible at Arthur, who only laughed and patted Merlin on the shoulder.

"I think we had better get on though," he said then, letting his hand linger on Merlin's shoulder for a bit. "They are probably worrying about us," Merlin nodded, trying to pull himself together. "Will she be alright out here all alone?"

"I think so," Merlin said, looking down at Aithusa, having forgotten for a moment or two that she was there.

"Good," Arthur said, and then did something strange, he leaned into Merlin. "Say goodbye to her," he whispered in his ear, before letting his hand slip off Merlin's shoulder and slapped him on the backside. Merlin yelped, surprised, eyes growing wide at him. Arthur chuckled at this. "What...?"

He walked away then and Merlin stood frozen, a bit confused, Arthur had hit him many times before, but never quite like that. It was strange, but Merlin decided to let it go, maybe he thought he was being funny or something. Merlin leaned down then and Aithusa jumped up, letting his hand bump over her scaly head.

"Go find Kilgharrah," he whispered to her, one last time, before he stood up and turned back toward Arthur, to see him watching, as he petted his horse.

"Come now, Merlin," he said, rather patronizingly. "Before it's dark."

Merlin rolled his eyes then, walking over to the horses, where he untethered them and watched as Arthur mounted his horse. Merlin did the same, giving one last glance to Aithusa, before they galloped out of the clearing and out of sight.

It wasn't long before they returned to Camelot, to a mass of people standing outside the castle walls. All demanding to know where Arthur had been. Merlin noticed Gwen there, and Leon, and the rest of the knights, Gaius giving Merlin a look that meant he was going to have to explain later, but the one person he didn't see there was Agravaine and that sparked a rather big concern in Merlin's mind. Why wasn't his own uncle concerned about Arthur?

(A/N: I feel bad because the last one had so much promise and I really didn't take it anywhere, I know this wasn't the best ending to ever end, but remember, this isn't really the end, the sequel will be up in a few days and it's called Substandard Courting, so look out for that and yes, I do really love that name.)