A/N: Please be aware that this chapter has a tiny little M scene at the beginning, but I'm still keeping it T because it's not even really explicit and a twelve year old could probably write better, mainly because I don't write smut… literally any help with writing smut would be welcome.

In advance I want to apologise for irregular updates. I haven't posted a story in years and I was never very good with updates even then. Like I said before, if I take too long for your liking, just drop me a PM and I'll get my ass onto it.

BUT GUYS! Over 260 hits, 9 reviews, 10 favourites and 20 follows! I COULD KISS YOU ALL!

Disclaimer: You do realise that if Merlin belonged to me that Merlin and Morgana would have been in bed by the end of season one, right?

Chapter Two

Skin slick with sweat rubbed and pushed against the skin of the woman who was pushing herself into him, their bodies seeming to fuse together. Thrusts and kisses and caresses led way to moans of pleasure and cries of ecstasy. Pale green eyes caught onto his own blue, her face so close to his, before pushing him backwards onto the bed, her lips capturing his.

She lifted herself above him, then dropped back down, earning her a gasp from him. She pulled at the hair at the nape of his neck, and he held her at the waist, drawing her closer in, her breasts pushing against his chest, "Merlin…" she whispered-

He started awake when he heard cries. Groggily looking towards his child, he groaned at the fact that she was now wailing. He just couldn't believe it, she'd been quietly sleeping almost all day, and had decided that the middle of the night would be the perfect time to wake up. Throwing off his blanket, he reached down into the makeshift cot, lifting Maia into his arms.

They'd returned to Camelot only hours ago, Gaius having gone out himself to find a wet nurse. After she'd left, leaving a fed and burped Maia, Merlin had vaguely told him about what Kilgarrah had done to prove the girl's lineage, and the prophecy he had been told. "Prophecies. So many bloody prophecies."

They'd made the babe a bed from a drawer, put a blanket in it to soften the sides and stuffed a pillow at the bottom for her to lie on. They'd had no trouble getting the girl to sleep and into her 'cot', and had afterwards decided that talking would be best left to the morning.

Now the babe had decided that past midnight would be the perfect time to awaken, with high wails and gargles. Merlin rocked her from side to side, quietly shushing her. He stroked at the black tufts of hair on her head, and noted how she seemed to calm a little at the action. Her hair was quite long for a newborn, though it was no secret that a lot of babies were born with heads full of hair, and soft as dowdy feathers. He was vaguely aware of the fact that he was murmuring nonsensical chatter to the girl, calling her pet names and words of endearment.

Maia yawned then, and her fists caught the fabric of Merlin's tunic sleeve, pulling on it as she drifted off again. He decided that putting her down right now would probably be a bad idea, so simply sat on his bed and held her close.

He supposed he must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing he knew he was leaning back against the wall, Maia still tucked into his arms with sunlight streaming into the room. He groaned as he straightened out his back and heard several distinct popping noises.

Time to face the day, he thought wryly.

He left his quarters with Maia in arm, and smiled gratefully at Gaius when a bowl of porridge was slid in front of him at the table. He wanted to devour the food, but knew that inhaling the food would serve only to make him end up waking his daughter.

Gaius sat down on the other side of the bench and looked at him with equalling amounts of curiosity and pride. No doubt the pride was for how well he was taking to being a father, and he well knew that the curiosity was for information about the happenings of the night before. He was sure that the vague information that he had provided that late at night wouldn't suffice for long. Eating slowly also gave him a reason to avoid questions, he thought with a sliver of glee.

"Merlin," Gaius began, "I'm not going to force you to answer any questions I have, but I have to know so that our stories coincide. What are you going to tell people about her?"

Merlin shrugged, "The truth I guess. I can't lie about who her mother is, and I can't deny being her father either."

"Merlin, you realise when people realise whose daughter she is, some will want revenge for what Morgana has done, and see the life of her daughter to be a perfect payment."

"Then they're going to have a hard time getting anywhere near her then, aren't they? I'm not going to let anyone harm my daughter, no matter who her mother is or what she's done. Maia is a child, a baby, and should be treated as such."

Gaius sighed, "As you wish. But please, be careful. If your magic is found out, then Maia will surely perish with you."

"I know Gaius. You needn't fear, nothing will happen to either of-"

He was suddenly cut off by the sound of the door opening. Gwen had a smile on her face as she stepped into the room, and Merlin smiled back, "Gwen."

"Good morning Merlin, Gaius." She looked towards Merlin's arms, and he could see how her eyes lit up, "Oh, how sweet. Whose child is it?"

"I…um…" sharing a quick glance with Gaius, Merlin replied, "Mine."

Gwen started then, looking a little startled as she sat down next to Gaius, "Yours?" after a hesitant nod from Merlin, she carried on, "Merlin…why didn't you tell me you were having a child with someone?"

"Gwen…I didn't even know myself until last night. Her mother left her here yesterday with a letter to…explain."

Gwen had obviously decided that not asking would be a good choice right now, and simply asked, "What's her name?"

"Her mother named her Maia."

"Maia…it's lovely." She smiled at the babe, "Morgana always wanted a daughter called Maia."

"Oh?"

She nodded, "Yes, she was determined that if she ever had a girl it was to be called Maia."

"That's…interesting."

Gwen narrowed her eyes, "Merlin… "

"Yes?"

"Who is Maia's mother?"

Merlin stiffened at the question and glanced at Gaius, who shrugged. Sighing, he reaching for the letter that he had left on the workbench the night before, handing it to Gwen, "Have a look."

Gwen looked at the parchment precariously, her eyes latching onto the name that signed it, and gasped, "Morgana? But, how? When? Why?"

"Maia was conceived about ten months ago Gwen… what happened ten months ago?"

Gwen furrowed her brows a moment, then realisation dawned on her, "That snake creature, when she tried to get you to kill Arthur! …oh, what was it called?"

"The Fomorrah." Gaius spoke up.

Gwen smiled gratefully, "Thank you. Yes, that."

Merlin nodded, "I didn't even remember anything. I got my memory back yesterday, after I was given her."

"How?"

"It's…you wouldn't believe me if I told you." He shook his head

"Merlin, please. Give me some credit. I've lived I Camelot my whole life, and not so normal things happen pretty regularly here. Just tell me."

"Well…would you believe me if I told you a dragon gave me my memory back?"

Gwen's eyebrows rose, "Shockingly, I think I would."

"Oh. Okay. Well, a dragon gave me my memory back."

"Do I even want to hazard a guess at why you were near a dragon? They're meant to be extinct."

"No, there are actually two still alive, one is the Great Dragon that attacked Camelot a few years ago…the other is from the egg everyone thought was destroyed."

Gwen narrowed her eyes, "Merlin, how do you know all of this? Nobody knows anything about dragons now, and my father used to tell me when I was young that the only people who used to were the Drag…" her eyes widened as she breathed, "Dragon Lords."

Merlin and Gaius exchanged looks, "Gwen-"

"You're a Dragon Lord! Merlin! Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"What could I say? Being a Dragon Lord is so closely related to being a Warlock it would be on my head if I were to ever say anything."

Gwen looked at him a little disapprovingly, "Oh Merlin, you know Arthur would never do anything to you."

"Uther would have though. He would have used me to get the Great Dragon gone, and then burnt me at the stake. I couldn't risk it." He shook his head ruefully at the same time that Maia woke. Her blue eyes latched onto Merlin's own and she started to gargle while Merlin smiled down at her. He glanced at Gwen, "Do you want to hold her?"

"Oh, could I?"

"Of course you can! She's technically your niece, after all."

"True." She said as Merlin stood and transferred Maia from his arms to Gwen's, and felt himself relax when Gwen gave a lovely smile to the babe – not that he expected any less, she loved children. "How are you going to tell Arthur?"

Merlin sighed, "I'm not sure. He won't take it as calmly as you that's for sure."

"Maybe if you told him that it wasn't consented-"

"No. I'm not going to tell Arthur that Morgana raped me. In any case, it didn't happen like that. I may have been under the influence of the Fomorrah, but it wasn't a forced union." He shook his head, that direction of thought clearly put to a halt.

Gwen sighed, "Gaius? Surely you have an idea?"

Gaius smirked, "Decided to talk to me again, I see?"

"Gaius."

"I think that the truth would be the best thing. He'll be angry for a short while, then dote over his niece. Since, technically, she is a Lady." He smirked again, "Why, he might even give you a raise, Merlin."

-8-

The wet nurse came a while after Gwen left. She and Merlin had agreed to talk to Arthur later in the day, letting Gwen keep him occupied and calm for the time being. The wet nurse's name was Kiara, a young mother from the lower towns who had a babe of her own a little older than Maia.

Gaius had helped her during her birth, as he did with many of the women in Camelot, and she had been happy to help. Gaius himself had gone to give out his rounds, something which Merlin was grateful for.

As Maia was fed, it gave Merlin time to think. Arthur would react…terribly. He was wondering if bringing Maia would be a help or hinder. He was sure that it would curb Arthur's temper, if even for a short while if he brought her, but he sincerely didn't want to risk Maia's safety by letting her be in the presence of an angered Arthur.

"Gaius, I'm going to leave Maia here when I see Arthur tonight, is that okay?" he asked the old physician as he watched him tinkering with his glass vials and brews.

"Merlin, I am not a nanny."

Merlin snorted at the mental image of Gaius in a dress, carrying one child as another ran around his feet, "I know that. I just don't want to take Maia near Arthur yet. You know what his temper is like, and if I have to tell him about…" he lowered his voice a little, "…the dragon. Well, I don't want her around when he blows up."

"Are you going to tell him about your other talents?"

Shrugging non-comittedly, Merlin replied, "Maybe. I'm not sure. He's a better man than his father, that much is obvious, but he's still against the idea of…" he trailed off, leaving the meaning in air between them. He didn't want to say very much in front of Kiara.

"Indeed." Gaius sighed, setting down the Pestle and Mortar he had been grinding Lavender in. He spoke in a quiet voice now, "Still, I think that in this instance, it may be in your best interest to just tell him the whole truth. Gwen will be there with you both, and when you tell him about being a Dragonlord, he's going to suspect that you're a sorcerer too. You might as well come out with the whole truth."

Merlin rubbed at his face, "So does this mean you'll look after Maia?"

A/N2: As you can see, I am much better at writing conversations than I am at writing what is actually going on. Probably my own fault, seeing as when I read a book I find myself automatically just reading dialogue. Oops. Reviews would be welcome, and any and all criticisms are encouraged. Up next chapter,