The sound of Merlin's footsteps tapped quietly in the empty halls. The night's darkness had settled over the castle some time ago, and he knew which ways to turn to avoid the guards as he descended through the many crossing passages. His worn shoulder bag swung against his hip, the weight of it bumping gently against him with every step.

Merlin hit the ground floor and kept going, though not toward the castle's exit. He turned inward instead, pushing his magic outward as he did. On the more sparsely guarded upper floors he could stick to the solitary paths, but there were far more guards down here. However, by tuning his magic to turn all attention away from him, to reduce his presence to that of a whisper and a shadow flickering at the corner of the eye, he could pass by the unwary with ease as he made his way toward Camelot's dungeons.

The natural light of the moon that leaked in through the windows slowly faded away, until only torchlight was left to keep the darkness at bay. Merlin wound his way down the stairs, past the pair of guards leaning sleepily against the walls at the main junction separating the cell blocks, and passed through the darkest of the tunnels. The further he went, the lighter and swifter his steps became. Still downward he traveled, until the cells ended entirely. Only a pair of barred doors locked with chains were left, blocking another long stairwell descending into complete blackness.

"Tospringe," Merlin whispered. With a rasp and rattle, the chain slid away, allowing Merlin to push his way through. Holding up his hand, a pale blue orb of light winked into existence. Gripping the strap of his bag, he went down into the pool of darkness.

In the black and quiet, with only his own muted noises to hear, his descent seemed to be locked in time, strangely long and yet moment-brief at the same time. It's still so strange, coming back down here again after all these years…

His magical light, its beams confined to the narrow width of the shrinking hallway, suddenly broke free, the boundaries of its reach rushing out as he emerged into the great space of Kilgharrah's old prison. Now, though, it did not look so much like a prison. Where the old dragon used to perch, Merlin's light illuminated a small space ringed with four bookshelves, a little battered and old, but overflowing with precious knowledge. In the center of the ring was a simple desk and chair, pilfered from vacant guest rooms upstairs.

With a flicker, there one moment and gone the next, Merlin jumped himself over to his small study. He released the orb light from his hand, and with a whispered word he sent it higher into the air. As it ascended, it expanded until it was nearly the size of a globe, and changed color from a cool blue to the warm gold of firelight. The dismal cave space transformed into something private and welcoming.

Merlin glanced around for a moment, brows furrowed, before setting his heavy bag down on the desktop. As he withdrew the contents, he raised his voice until it echoed through the cave. "Aithusa?" he called lightly. "Aithusa, I'm here."

He'd just finished drawing out the small stack of books from his pack and arranging them on the desk when he heard the faint flapping of tiny wings. Even now, Merlin's heart leaped with joy at the sound, a smile growing on his face. He heard scratching and turned to face it. Perched atop one of the shelves, peering down at him and crooning, was the little white dragon. As soon as Merlin laid eyes on it, it trilled with unrestrained excitement and flung itself forward into his anticipating arms.

"There you are," Merlin said softly, running his fingers along the dragon's arching spine. Aithusa squeaked with happiness. "Were you off exploring?"

It had only been a month since Ashkenar's tomb and Aithusa's hatching, so Merlin doubted much of what he said made sense to the young creature yet, but the chirping he received almost seemed like a reply regardless. Nearly every night of that month had been spent sneaking down here, and even now, as Aithusa squirmed and nuzzled against him, Merlin couldn't help looking over the tiny creature, as if he couldn't believe he was really there. But the snowy scales were real, the bright blue eyes that were not quite reptilian but not quite human were real. And the right wing, noticeably bent awkwardly and ever-so-slightly deformed, was real as well.

Merlin's focus on the twisted wing was interrupted by those tiny blue eyes darting into his vision again, stealing his attention as Aithusa warbled in his arms.

Merlin chuckled, walking the two of them over to the desk. Aithusa leaped down from his spot with catlike grace, landing with a clatter of claws on the desktop.

"You know me too well, Aithusa," Merlin said as walked to one of the bookshelves, searching for a particular tome. He might still be just a baby, but Aithusa already seemed to read his moods as easily as Merlin read books. And perhaps it was for the best. Deformed as it looked, the wing did not seem to hurt or hinder Aithusa noticeably. Perhaps it need only serve as a reminder of Merlin's near mistakes and where his priorities should lie, rather than as a punishment. "Not getting into any trouble down here on your own, are you?" he asked playfully as he pulled out the book he had been looking for and returned to the desk. "Not tormenting the bat populations further in?"

Aithusa chirped again, but as Merlin sat and set the book down before him, the young dragon grew quiet. Merlin paused. "What is it?" he asked.

Slowly, Aithusa inched his way forward, before laying his tiny muzzle across Merlin's knuckles, staring up at him with such a pitiful look that he would have put any puppy to shame. Merlin's gut twisted. Aithusa only did that for one thing.

"Not tonight," he said, gently pulling his hand away to scratch Aithusa's head. "We went out just last night, and I need to work on this. Perhaps the night after next, yeah?"

The little dragon seemed to wilt, a sad trill warbling in his throat. He didn't protest, merely curling himself into a ball and resting his nose on his tail. Merlin sighed sadly, stroking a hand down Aithusa's back one more time before turning back to his books. He flipped open the first one and did his best to concentrate, but the faint rustling of tiny scales and the echo of Aithusa's disappointment muscled their way in regardless. He tried to tell himself that this wouldn't be forever, just as he had a month ago.

It had been a decision made in the moment of Aithusa's hatching. Just like he had the first time, he had snuck out to the old clearing and summoned Kilgharrah to witness the birth of his new kin. When he'd called Aithusa out from his egg, and the little dragon and come wiggling free, Merlin had caught sight of the deformed wing almost instantly, stifling the joy of the moment like a candle snuffed out by the wind. His mind was made up then and there.

"I'll keep him with me," he had told Kilgharrah as the newborn tumbled from the stump and waddled in the grass.

Kilgharrah had chuffed. "Planning on hiding him under your bed?"

"Under Camelot is a bit more suitable."

Kilgharrah's shock and displeasure had been palpable. "You would lock a young dragon up in those terrible caves? To suffer the way I suffered?!" he spat.

"Of course not! I'm not going to leave him alone in the dark and chained up. Right now he's young and vulnerable. I would be more comfortable if he were nearby, and Camelot's caverns are the only place a dragon can be kept safely out of sight, especially once he starts to grow."

"He's hardly a human child," Kilgharrah had protested. "He is more than capable of roaming free, as he should. Dragons are self-sufficient even from birth."

"But not invincible." Merlin had been keeping his attention on the hatchling as he scrabbled around in the long grass, but at this he had finally broken his gaze and turned to look up at the elder dragon instead. "Something terrible happened to Aithusa in the past, but I don't know what it was, who it was, or when exactly he was hurt. I'm not leaving that up to chance by letting him wander on his own." His gaze had dropped again, fixating on Aithusa. The right wing was twisted at an odd angle, pointing a little upward instead of lying flat.

Kilgharrah had seemed to sense his thoughts. "Those kinds of deformities were not totally uncommon," he'd said. "Sometimes accidents happened and eggs were damaged, but dragons are hearty. It will not slow him down."

"It was close enough that I'm not eager to take any more risks," Merlin replied. "Could you take him? Watch over him?"

Kilgharrah rumbled in his chest. "Unfortunately, I cannot. Not yet. Young dragons aren't capable of keeping up with an adult dragon. They mostly stayed within range of their nests until they'd grown enough. If I were not forced to keep moving, to keep my presence undetected by humans, I might be able to raise him, but I cannot stay in one place for long."

"Then he stays with me," Merlin had said. They had watched the newborn leap and tumble about, all tangled in his own scrawny little limbs, snow-white scales shining like new coins in the moonlight.

"I won't leave him in the dark," Merlin had promised. "I'll keep him company, and I'll make sure he gets to spend time outdoors. I just have to be there with him. I won't leave him alone again."

Merlin shook himself free of the memory. The book still lay open in front of him, and Aithusa was still curled into a tight ball on the desk.

Reaching over, Merlin patted Aithusa until the small white snout came swiveling to face him.

"Don't worry, Aithusa," he said sincerely, hoping that what the dragon could understand would be enough to convey what he said. "Once you've grown some, you won't have to stay here anymore, and I won't have to be with you when you go. It's just...dangerous right now. The world isn't kind to creatures like us. But I'm hoping to change that soon. Then you'll be free."

Aithusa's bright blue eyes blinked at him with a clarity that no mundane beast possessed. Merlin took it as a good sign. "In the meantime," he said, smiling softly as he tapped a finger on his book, "I'm working on something else too. Maybe if I'm smart and a bit lucky, you won't be going out into the world alone. Maybe you'll have some brothers and sisters that will join you in the skies one day."

Aithusa chirruped, cocking his head before uncurling and slinking closer to Merlin. His snout twitched as he snuffled at the pages of the book. Merlin chuckled. "Interested? Why don't we work on it together?"

As the infant dragon settled catlike next to his arm, Merlin poured all his focus back into his reading. He knew Aithusa still longed for the open sky, but it was for the best. Time would fly by; Merlin knew that from experience. Soon Aithusa wouldn't have to be hidden away anymore. Hopefully, when that day came, Merlin would be able to let him go in company, no longer one of the last dragons.

A/N: And there it is! Light of the Sun is complete. The epilogue came a little later than I'd hoped, but for the record I DID finish it in May, I just had to run it through my beta.

I'd like to thank consultingsorcererof221B, Auto Cerebral Star, mersan123, 1983Sarah, daughterofapollo12345, DragonLover1551, and guest, as well as everyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited this story. Being able to entertain you all is a privilege and I can't be grateful enough.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the next installment, coming sometime in the future. I would like to have it mostly finished before I start posting, so it might be a little time, but hopefully that means that y'all will have less time to wait between individual updates, which is a plus in my book! In the meantime, I'll leave you with a teaser description, and I'll see you all again with "His Master's Servant."

As possible conflict with Caerleon's kingdom looms on the horizon, Merlin has many things to consider: reforging his bond with Arthur, how much or how little he will interfere in the coming events, and most urgently, the chance of once again facing off against Morgana. Learning how easily the scales of fate can be tipped, he must proceed with caution, or risk disaster.

Unbeknownst to Merlin, however, are how his actions have already changed the course of the future. Morgana has learned from her last encounter with Emrys, and this time, she's coming prepared. As these forces clash, Camelot and Caerleon, the warlock and the priestess, Emrys may not be able to keep his presence in the shadows much longer.