Authors note:

Thank you to everyone who continued to read this story! You reminded me that I needed to give this a good ending. I have had this finished for a long time but could not get the ending how I wanted. I had a breakthrough this weekend and I was finally able to edit the last two chapters enough where I feel they are worth posting even if they are not perfect. I will be posting the final chapter within the week. (this was really all just one long chapter but I had to split it into two.) I have only this chapter and one more planned, but I will happily write an epilogue if desired. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story and to all of my new readers! All of your reviews have meant the world to me!

Warning: none

-Before the fall-

"You did it, Arthur!"

Merlin cheered as his human body shed the dragon skin and clothed his soul. The sensations of the mountain and the scent of the salty sea filled his nostrils as he took a deep breath of air. His sight had been clearer as a dragon, smells more pungent and every sensation more acute. But as a human, he felt everything stronger in his heart. The slightest breeze of the wind caused his heart to swell, and he smiled with wild joy at his redeemed friend standing before him. The warmth emanating from Arthur's soul captivated and enthralled him once more.

"You did it!"

Liquid fire burst from the mountain in celebration. The power that laid dormant in the deep recesses of the earth since the creation of magic released into the earth and started to thaw the lands across the sea with the heat that had first formed dragon fire. The magma splashed around his ankles, spread down to touch life into the oceans below and thaw the frozen waters across the sea.

With every breath, he felt the earth fill him with the magic it had stolen from the living across the sea. The magic of the earth pulsed in distorted agony from the curse above the crust of the earth as it sought to freeze all life. But, the magic of the dragons started to seep underneath the lands to restore balance. He could feel the powers pushing and pulling against one another in a restless battle. An immense pressure started to build behind his ears which felt like the ringing of a great bell.

It was not enough, he realized.

The moment he had been dreading as he had circled the crystal caves had come.

The magic of the earth would continue to fill his veins with stolen power until everything had frozen and turned to stone in a futile attempt to end the curse which had been placed upon him. But, the flames of his brother's magic would forever work to fight the chill of the cold eternal winter. They would remain at battle unless he found a way to restore balance to the lands at his King's command and renew the flow of magic to the earth.

His eyes snapped. The mountain raged around him like a mirror to his turmoil. A tornado of ash gushed from the crater as sparks spiraled up into the sky. Burning red honey oozed down the black rock of the mountain and collided with his feet. The current knocked him off balance, and he fell into the open mouth of the volcano.

The magma engulfed him when he slammed into the surface below. It tugged his body down below the surface and surrounded him. A drumming pressure thumped within his chest, and he drifted within the fire. It filled him with a new spirit of fire, and a golden haze fell over him.

Instead of a painful burning, the pain swept over and into him like a gentle gust of heavenly wind. He gasped in ecstasy as he sunk into the heat of the earth. He could see everything. He could see the lava burst into the sky from his spot deep in the earth and watched as it settled onto the banks of the volcano near the sea. As the island grew larger, his power bubbled in his veins and he commanded it to burst from his eyes and fingertips until he felt his body melt away to become one with the mountain. Ash and smoke spewed from the volcano with his every breath, and the lava rushed forth in time with his beating heart.

The balance of the earth started to shift. Little by little it started to restore as small sparks from the ash fluttered across the sea. The glowing embers caught the sea winds and fell to rest on squirrels frozen in tree branches and red berries of holly covered in snow. At the gentle touch of fire, creatures that might have long remained frozen slowly twitched back to life. Under the oceans and rivers of the world, his lifeblood pulsed underneath the lands and seeped magic back into the waters. He felt the earth groan and thaw, but his magic was not enough to completely break the storm of winter.

Come back to me

He commanded, and his power rushed back to pool deep inside the volcano. The magma rumbled and splashed up above the earth's surface. The pressure from all his power confined into one space started to form like a sudden itch in his nose. When he could bear it no longer, a great cloud of ash and sparks burst forth from the mountain as he released a great sneeze into the sky above. He felt the pressure of his magic lessen. Instead of rushing through the bottom of the Earth with great urgency, it flowed smoothly under the lands. A great peace had settled upon him, and he remained in the stone and fire.

"PUT ME DOWN!"

Arthur bellowed as he clawed at the talons of Aithusa wrapped around his torso. The crashing waves sent spirals of steam into the hot air and increased the sensation of vertigo that wrenched his gut. As Aithusa circled the mountain for what might be the sixth time, Arthur spat acid down into the sea.

"Put me down." He moaned. "Save him."

His head struggled to turn so he could view the center of the mountain, and he saw only fire and ash.

"Please"

The ground began to tremble. The sea slouched around as if struck by a powerful storm. An inhuman roar pierced his eardrums as a great cloud of black erupted from the crater. Then, the smoke started to settle.

"Please… Please…" He moaned, unable to say more as even his vision was blurred from sickness and smoke. The world swirled around him. And then his hands were gripping the black stone of the volcano. He grasped the glossy stone beneath him as if it were made of precious gold as he moved his hands over the groves in the rock. With shaking limbs, he struggled to stand on his feet. The volcano loomed before him, and he started to stumble up the side of the volcano. He only traveled several feet when the heat coming from the creator started to burn his skin. He stumbled backward. The ash in the air was thick and stuck to the sweat on his body like a second skin. He coughed several times, eyes watering and covered his mouth with his hand. Aithusa rested near the sea watching him with his tail draped lazily into the sea. When Arthur caught sight of the dragon, he edged near him. He stopped just a foot away and coughed up thick tar from his lungs which he spat onto the floor. He watched it sizzle into a dry crumble of ash.

"Merlin's in there." He said as he looked up to catch Aithusa's attention. "You have to get him out."

Aithusa just rolled his eyes and looked away. Arthur took a step closer so they stood just an arm's length away.

"Why aren't you helping him? I thought he was your friend!" Arthur bellowed.

"Our destinies are intertwined young king. While I may grant you guidance, I cannot fulfill it for you. "

Arthur took a step back, shocked at the soft voice which came from the mouth of the beast as he flicked his tail from the water to rest on the black stone.

"You…you speak?"

Although firm, Aithusa's voice was gentle as if he spoke to a beloved friend.

"I have been cleansed from the dark magic that tainted me, so yes, I speak."

"What do you mean, you cannot fulfill mine for me? What does that have to do with helping Merlin?"

Aithusa lifted his head and laughed. Arthur felt a scowl form on his face, and he rested his hand just on the hilt of the sword.

"You are a King, so I suppose you think everything will be done for you. I know Merlin often said as much of you. Still, you must fulfill your own oath."

Arthur's thoughts raced, but he did not understand what the dragon's words meant. He looked back to the mountain top anxiously.

"If you will not go to find him, cast a spell again to allow me to enter the mountain. I cannot get near it, and even here it burns my skin."

Aithusa raised a brow.

"Must I?" he mocked.

"Please!" He begged. "He is your friend."

"Of which I understand better than you."

"And you would let him die?"

"Magic can never die. Humankind may try to stifle it, but it will always burn true in the pure of heart."

When Aithusa turned from him to gaze once more at the sea, Arthur tightened his grip on his sword as if to pull it out. He paused and watched as the dragon's eyes scanned the horizon. He followed his gaze out to the waters and saw nothing. Waves rolled gently through the waters. A soft mist rose into the air. The chaos and violent spell that had fallen over the earth seemed to have past. His grip loosened on his sword.

"Please. Cast the spell so I can save him from the mountain."

A toothy grin snaked across Aithusa's face as it regarded him with one eye.

"And what will you give me in return?"

Arthur's stared in shock. "What?"

"You think I would grant you a favor for free? The Once and Future King though you may be, you are not my Dragon Lord."

"What do you want?"

Aithusa took a step towards him, and Arthur rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"If everything you wish to accomplish should come to pass, there would still be one thing remaining to fulfill your promise to restore the age of the dragons that I believe could only be achieved in one way. You must make one more quest to find the cup of life once magic is restored. When you find it, call for me and I will lead you from there."

He tried to hide his shock that the request would be in his benefit but failed to hide his surprise.

"Are you surprised I did not ask for more? This is enough, and may well be more than you realize. Give me your promise, that you will complete this task and those that I then assign you, and I will give you the spell you need to fulfill your destiny."

"You have my word."

Aithusa nodded.

"And that is good enough for me, Young King."

He placed one talon forward, and from his nose a mist of golden stars burst forth and absorbed into Arthur's skin. Arthur felt the burning heat from the mountain cool and even the sweat which had collected over his skin chilled.

"Thank you." He nodded to the dragon.

"Your destiny awaits. We will be waiting here when you return."

He nodded and took several steps back from Aithusa before he turned. Wind fluttered against his back. He glanced around his shoulder to see Aithusa take flight and begin to circle the island in the sky. When he turned back to focus his gaze on the mountain, the cloud of ash had almost settled. The lines of lava dripping down from the sides of the volcano started to slow, and he could see no more sparks rising into the sky. He took several uncertain steps forward before he ran clumsily up slickened stone. He stumbled several times up the sloop. When he reached the top, he gazed over the crater to see the bubbling magma below.

"MERLIN!" He bellowed and felt the whole earth rumble. He fell to his knees, and grasp the edge of the crater to keep his body from falling forward into the blaze. Eyes searching left and right, he whispered. "Merlin."

Smoke burst forth from the mountain. He stumbled back to catch his breath. When he looked back over the side of the creator again, he caught no sight of Merlin

He surveyed the side of the stone. There were groves and crevices in the rock, so with a firm grip, he swung his body down to dangle above the fire and caught hold of the inner side of the volcano. He could feel the magic of Aithusa surrounding him and quickly started to descend into the belly of fire. He climbed down on unsteady holds and groves in the wall.

A golden mist followed him and left a trail of dust in his wake. He caught sight of a great reptilian skull protruding from the magma and edged his body towards it until he was close enough to jump from the wall to the platform of bone. He sucked in a deep breath and jumped. A burst of hot air carried him, and he landed somewhat clumsily between the two eye sockets of the skeletal beast. Once he steadied his racing heart, he gazed around the sea of magma and bone. Merlin was nowhere to be seen.

"MERLIN." He called. "Merlin!"

No one answered. He leaned forward to try and enter the magma around him as if it were a lake, but the heat scalded his skin and forced him back onto the safety of the dragon's skull. Aithusa's magic did not protect him from the hottest part of the volcano.

"Merlin?" He called with uncertainty. Was it possible that his friend had not survived the fall? Aithusa's magic only protected him as long as he did not fall into the fire. Could it be the same for Merlin?

Cupping his hands around his mouth, he screamed for his friend. The panic started to overtake his voice, and he called again and again. He glanced around the unearthly cavern. Pieces of bone protruded up from the glowing magma. Black stone shielded the sky from his view but for the small hole where he climbed down. He glanced around to find some form of life other than his own and found nothing.

Dread sunk like a large stone into his heart. It was as if he had climbed down into his own tomb. He glanced behind him. The spine of the skull where he stood twisted out of the magma to make a round tunnel towards a small cave in the back of the inner volcano. Magma flowed lazily through the center of the tunnel and flowed into the sea of red around him. There was nowhere he could go. He looked to the small circle of sky above where he had climbed down. How had he ever thought he would be able to rescue Merlin from this depth? If he did find Merlin alive, it would be a miracle to find him unharmed. And if he was injured, with the nature of the climb, he would have no way to carry his friend out of the volcano. He hardly believed he would be able to climb out of the volcano himself.

He glanced around the empty stone feeling lost and suddenly, for the first time in a long time, utterly alone. There was no one to help him. He was standing in the midst of a destructive fire, protected only by a fleeting spell from a magical beast. It had never occurred to him until now that Merlin might have perished in the fall. He had never once believed that Merlin would die. When Merlin lamented his own impending death at the campfire with the knights after the ritual of the druids had failed, he had not accepted it. When he had spoken of Merlin's future death with Aithusa in the early hours of twilight to promise a swift return from Camelot, he did not truly believe it would come to pass. Even when all around him was frozen and Merlin lay limp on Gwaine's shoulders, he believed that Merlin would not die. Why then had he been so sure that one of the visiting nobles would spin fate to cause his demise?

He felt a wet tear start to drip from his eye as he took in a stuttered breath. The heaviness of his heart and the painful realization of his own capacity for evil made it hard to breathe. He became acutely aware of the vine of thorns which wrapped around his heart and sought to strangle him.

I can't let people see how much he means to me, Gwen. Think of the danger that would put him in!

He had told her, and he had told himself. He would keep his friend safe through their distance, and when the visitors left, everything would go back to normal.

But he was wrong.

Now that Merlin might be dead, it allowed him to see himself more clearly. The distance had never been to keep Merlin safe, he realized. That could not be the reason, because until now, he never believed Merlin could die. No matter what they did or what adversary they faced, Merlin always came out with barely a scratch. His first battle wound—or so he had thought at the time—had been no more than a mere scratch after hunting for the dragon egg. Knights would fall, traitors slain and hundreds would burn, but Merlin always remained by his side. He had not been truly worried in his heart that the visitors would be able to harm Merlin because Merlin could not be harmed. Merlin could not be killed. He had never believed it would ever happen.

Just because you are King now, you or your knights can't be seen speaking to Merlin in public?

"No."

His eyes stung with bitter tears, and he shook his head.

"I'm so sorry, Merlin. I'm so sorry." He muttered as tears started to fall freely from his eyes. It was the horrible ugly truth. The one that Gwen had seen all along which he had been too proud once more to realize. The last great sin that he had committed against his friend.

That his confidence and faith in his friend only extended to their moments in private. That any praise or commemoration had to be hidden or threatened to be unrepeatable under pain of death. How he dishonestly hid the true value of Merlin, his brother and his advisor, under the noble claim of protecting his life because of who Merlin was: a peasant and a bastard, an unfit companion for a king. The old prejudices had tainted his actions, and where perhaps lust, greed or love had overcome them with Gwen, there was nothing to do so with Merlin. They had been left in his blood like a hidden toxin, only seen by few, and hidden even from himself.

Even if he had fulfilled everything he promised before his vow, granted Merlin new lands, named him a noble, accepted him into the court as his advisor and praised him before all his people, it would have meant nothing if he still believed in the darkest corners of his heart that Merlin or someone line him was not worthy to receive it. For the doubt was his anger lashing out, every word he mistrusted from Merlin was his recollection of Merlin's status.

It was all clear.

This was why Gwen had become disgusted with him. Why although the first year of their life together should be glowing, it had quickly become tainted. Together with him every day, she had seen the hypocrisy behind his actions to her dearest friend. But he had never understood her. He hid the poison in his thoughts even from himself.

His body trembled. He fell to his knees and wept.

"Merlin" he sobbed as thick tears and mucus coated the back of his throat. "Merlin. No."

He gasped as tears rolled down his face to burst into steam when they hit the floor. He covered his eyes as if to hide from himself and felt his body rock. He could see Merlin clearly in his mind's eye. The tips of his black hair were wet from a thin sheen of sweat that covered his face as he worked to correct the hard dents that formed in Arthur's armor. It was a job Merlin should have done in the armory. Truly, it was a job for a blacksmith. But whenever he commanded Merlin to fix the dents in his armor personally, Merlin would sit on the rug near the fire in his chambers and make as much noise as possible to complete his task. Arthur's pen would scratch at papers and decrees throughout the night. In less than a minute, Merlin would forget that he was supposed to be annoying and meticulously start to care for the metal in a rhythmic way which melted Arthur's stress and troubles.

Arthur recalled another moment, a conversation they exchanged years ago about their individual preferences for fresh strawberries. Merlin liked his strawberries dark-colored and sweet.

"But the problem is", Merlin had said, "if they are too perfect I can't eat them because I feel like they belong to someone else".

The memory stirred rage in his gut because now he would never know what Merlin meant. It was hard to process his emotions as he felt so much at once, but the simple fact made him burn more with shame. Why had he not asked what he meant? Why had he never asked? What good did it do to wonder now that he was gone? The questions were almost enough to make him go mad.

And then, he recalled fondly the winter Merlin took him sledding for the first time. It brought a half-smile to his face, but he would never go sledding again. He started to wail loudly. His face tingled, and he could not feel the air on his cheeks for crying had made them numb. His hands curled into fists, and he forced himself to take large, slow gasps of air so he would not pass out. Little by little, his crying ceased, so he could breathe again.

Although feeling returned to his face, he felt hollow. He moved to stand but barely managed to drag his body up one inch off the floor before the heaviness in his heart drained his life and he fell back to the floor of the skull, lifeless. There was no longer a reason to stay in the volcano, but he could not muster the strength to move. How could he return to Camelot without Merlin?

With gargantuan effort, he rolled onto his back. The moon had just started to peek over the edge of the creator of the volcano. It flickered in and out of his vision as he gazed up at the sky. He could just make out the white flow of Aithusa's scales flying back and forth in front of the moon. Suddenly, he let out an arid gasp.

Magic can never die.

The dragon's voice whispered to him through the darkness.

"Magic can never die." He whispered aloud as the words started to bring life back into his limbs.

His eyes widened as he scrambled from the floor to glance wildly around the cave.

"Magiccanneverdie, MERLIN!" He screamed into the mountain once more with miraculous new hope. Only this time, it was not a rescue. This was a summons. The pressure which had hindered his breathing lessoned as if someone had gripped the thorns which surrounded his heart and yanked them free. His heart was raw, it was bleeding, but it was free.

"MERLIN!" He bellowed. His mind raced, and he remembered the words of a spell books he had read at the start of Merlin's curse.

Do not command the magic for the spells in this book, for if you command you seek power. As your desires are selfish, only evil will answer your call. Instead, you must invite it to enter your heart. Only then will you be able to connect to the magic already within you and become one.

His heart was racing, but he took several deep, stuttered breaths to calm it. He closed his eyes and pictured Merlin when he first discovered him with his dragon in the woods. At the time, it had been hard to look at anything other than the large beast which had laid beside him. But he recalled how at peace Merlin had looked. His dark shape had melted into the small meadow around him as he had sung up to the moon. A book had rested lazily in his lap and when he sang, he had been smiling. He kept that image in his mind and poured his heart into it. As if, by longing for the moment, he could create it again. This time, instead of pulling out a sword as he had before, he might pull out a wineskin, overstuffed and leaking down the sides. They would speak of new tales and dreams unknown to one another and their hearts would become soft again.

With newfound gentleness, as if he was awakening a young prince, he whispered to the mountain. "Emrys"

The earth held still, and even the sound of the roaring magma silenced.

All at once, the mountain rumbled the magma so that it splashed against the side of the bone and stone surrounding him. A crack of hot gas sent magma flying to sizzle on the skull. Within the sudden disturbance of the liquid fire, he caught sight of bare skin. A body rose from the bubbling magma and the crackling bubbles of hot gas sent it crashing up against the side of the inner mountain. Arthur rushed towards it until he stood on the edge of the skull just between the nostrils.

"MERLIN!" He screamed and reached a hand forward as Merlin was pulled under the liquid flames. When his body rose again above the magma, he was far but in reach. Arthur stretched and grabbed the man by the nape of his neck—the only place he could grab not submerged—dug in his fingers and pulled. With great effort and pain, he pulled him from the mountain's grasp. When he felt his strength begin to fail, he cried out and with a burst of strength hoisted him up onto the white bone. His grin only tightened its hold on his friend when he felt the magma splash onto the bone floor around him and burn his skin. He fell back and scrambled to drag Merlin's lifeless body away from the edge of the skull towards the eye sockets where he would be safe from the sea of magma. When they were both completely on the skull, Arthur fell back. He sucked in deep breaths before he leaned towards Merlin who laid motionless on the skull.

He called Merlin's name as he shook him from his knees beside him. He slapped his left cheek and then his right. He put his ear to Merlin's bare chest, searching for the sound of a heartbeat and his blood ran cold when he heard nothing.

"No, please" He groaned as he leaned back to search Merlin's face for signs of life. "Merlin, NO!"

He felt a spark of energy flood the space around them and vanish. Merlin took in a deep gasp of air. Arthur nearly wept with joy and moved to help him but jolted back when Merlin started to spit up molted rock and fire onto the skull. He scrambled back to avoid the blaze that pooled around his friend and stared in wonder. Merlin opened golden eyes and curled his fingers into the floor like an anchor. When+ his panic subsided, he looked up at Arthur.

"Are you hurt?" Arthur demanded as he leaned towards him anxiously. "Are you okay?"

Merlin shut his eyes, and when he opened them they faded to a bright blue. He seemed alert but had trouble focusing.

"You…" he began but trailed off for some time before he spoke again. "…called me?"

"Yes," Arthur murmured as tears of joy welled under his eyes. "I called you. You answered." He whispered in almost disbelief. "Merlin, you answered me!"

Merlin's attention focused on a shimmering tear that fell down Arthur's cheek. He watched the steam rise from the skull as it hit the sweltering bone.

"I always answer when you call me." He murmured back as he glanced around the cave. He wiggled his fingers and lifted them to glance at the lines of his left hand. He lowered it to rest it on his breastbone. Upon realizing it was bare, he rose an eyebrow as he looked back up at Arthur who stifled the hysterical laugh that was bubbling up his throat. Fingers trembling slightly, Arthur's hands flew to unfasten his cloak and used it to cover the lower half of Merlin's naked body.

After Merlin fastened the cloak to cover himself, he pushed on the ground below him to stand. When he stood, he reached down to offer Arthur a hand up. Arthur looked at the hand offered almost absentmindedly by Merlin and laughed. He raised from the ground unaided and stood up tall. Merlin looked at him as if he had gone crazy, but then winced and looked away.

"It's alright, Merlin. We'll be out of the cave in no time and find you something to cover-up with." Arthur joked, but Merlin seemed to be trying to shrink away from him.

Although Arthur felt elated at having his friend with him once more, he finally acknowledged one of Merlin's signs that something was wrong.

"What is it?" Arthur sighed. "What's wrong?"

Merlin sighed but refused to look him in the eye.

"I saw you." Merlin murmured. Arthur blinked.

"What?"

Merlin sighed again. "I normally wouldn't say anything, but I just…Arthur, I saw you earlier, when you came into the mountain and everything after."

"Oh… you…wait, what?" He said with awkwardness. If Merlin meant that he saw him weep, the shame might almost be unbearable. Yet, He also wanted nothing more than to weep to his friend and ask his forgiveness, so if Merlin saw him before, that would only bring peace in the end. "Okay… that's good. Yes, that's good." He replied after mulling it over.

"Arthur, I saw everything."

"Merlin, I'm not deaf. I heard you the first time."

Merlin just watched him as if excepting there to be a hidden meaning in his words. And then, it clicked.

"Where were you then, if you were watching me?" Merlin flushed scarlet and looked away.

"Everywhere?" He answered. "It's hard to explain."

"Everywhere?" Arthur paused. "Well now your just here." He dismissed. "Nothing else matters. We need to find a way out of this volcano, and then we can go home."

Merlin blinked. "How are you not mad?"

"Do you want me to be mad?"

"No! I just…I would be. If you were watching me break down and didn't do anything. I would be mad."

"From the looks of it wherever you were, I don't think you could have helped me. I pulled you out of the magma, Merlin."

"I could have said something to you. I know it. I just didn't"

"Merlin, It's over. Your back. Getting thrown into a volcano would probably make any man pretty preoccupied with his own needs."

"That's it? You don't even…I should have said something, Arthur! There was no reason for me not to say something! I just didn't even think to help you. I should have—"

"You were buried in a Volcano. It's a miracle you're alive!"

"I wasn't buried in the volcano, I was the volcano. Holy-Arthur, how did that happen? How did that happen? I was gone! I was gone!"

"Merlin, Shut up and breathe! " Arthur cried, starting to become uneasy.

"Arthur, I was part of the sarding earth! I didn't even have a body anymore! How the hell did that happen! What if I—"

"ENOUGH! It's over. It's done. You're back. Your human again. Whatever happened is over."

"But Arthur, I—"

Arthur grabbed Merlin's shoulders and pulled him close to his chest. He wrapped his arms around him and gripped his hair to keep him from moving away.

"Enough. Enough. It's okay, now."

Merlin was still trembling in Arthur's arms as his mind went over every detail of his time as guardian of the earth. It had all been so inhuman. Although his memories remained intact, they exhausted him. He had performed great magic, but it was incomprehensible to him now. It scared him how much power he contained and what it could drive him to do if necessary. He had sacrificed his humanity. Although he knew they were one and the same, it seemed that Merlin had disappeared and only Emrys had remained. He took a stuttered breath and tried to calm his nerves. Pushed up against Arthur's chest he would hear the pounding, rhythmic heartbeat of his King, his soft murmuring voice. He took another breath and breathed.

Aithusa?

I am here.

A soft warmth entered his chest, he sighed. He was okay. He pulled away from Arthur slowly.

Is the curse over? He asked

You know it is not, but I will make sure that he is cared for until your oath is fulfilled. That is my oath to you.

Thank you.

Arthur watched him with a worried expression, and Merlin felt the warmth grow.

"You've changed, Arthur."

The crinkled, tight lines on Arthur's face melted into a soft smile.

"No, I just grew up a little more."

Arthur gazed at Merlin with such unveiled affection that he laughed in embarrassment and looked away. And yet, he was starting to feel whole again. The magic of the mountain hummed around him, and he knew their task was not over.

His eyes settled on the hollow behind them where a stream of magma flowed and cascaded into the pool around them. He stretched his hand towards it, uttered a spell, and the magma flowing from the tunnel dried to a steady drip.

"We need to head in that direction." He pointed towards the tunnel that lead deeper into the mountain.

He thought about the scene he had witnessed. It had been strange to watch Arthur fall apart and be completely removed from his friend's sorrow. He looked back on the memory, but it was hard to grasp it. His gut churned with guilt especially after he had watched with strange detachment as Arthur had broken down to the point of hysteria. He had felt Arthur's sorrow but amidst the turning waves of the sea and the spiraling gust of the winds he had felt outside the volcano it had been separated from him. If it had not been for Arthur whispering Emrys into the deep, he might have remained in the fire forever. Or at least, he would have remained hidden in the volcano for years and may never have returned to his human form.

Resting in the volcano, he had felt a peace deeper than he had ever experience. It seemed to him that he had been connected to every living and nonliving thing on the earth. But compared to what he felt now, there was nothing more beautiful than his humanity. For here, he had the choice to walk or to run. He might sleep through the day or stay awake all night. He might even dance throughout the night in puddles of rain or seek shelter near a roaring fire.

There was no sleep for the mountains, there was no calm for the wind, no easy flow for the volcano. It either stirred or faded. Here, in this form, he could enjoy life and be truly free.

When he spoke as a dragon, he had followed the call of destiny. But now it felt separated from him. Standing with Arthur in the mountain, he no longer felt like a slave to destiny. He felt like Merlin, a friend of the king, a resting place of magic and the first true dragon lord of their age.

He looked up to catch a glimpse of the sky above, but the smoke rising from the mountain obscured it from view. His feet carried him forward to the stone tunnel as the magma bubbled and popped around the bone.

He hopped over several unsteady vertebrae until the spine met with the hard, black stone. Arthur tentatively followed him.

Merlin could sense life beating deep in the mountain, and kept looking back towards Arthur anxiously to see that he followed close behind. If Arthur slowed down to take a more careful step, Merlin slowed down with him. If he quickened his pace, Merlin speed up with him. They traveled in relative silence, each reflecting within their hearts on everything they had witnessed.

As they moved deeper into the mountain, Merlin started to hear a soft growling in the distance over the crackling fire. Voices echoed through the tunnel the longer they traveled. They roared and shrieked into this mind with familiar sounds the deeper they traveled.

Arthur kept close beside him. But, where Merlin sunk his feet into the flowing magma like it was a soothing stream of cool water, Arthur kept his boots as far from the liquid as possible. The air was incredibly thick in his throat, and Arthur knew the only thing keeping him from burning alive was the slight shimmer of magic that coated his skin. Arthur took a moment to examine Merlin from behind. His frame looked full and strong, not frail and thin as it had before. His hair was longer than it should be as if Merlin had never cared to cut it when Gaius left Camelot for the winter. It was bordering on neglect now. But he looked healthy and youthful, full of life.

"Eons ago" Arthur blurted, "you said, if a strawberry is too perfect, you feel that it belongs to someone else. Why did you say that?"

Merlin tripped in shock and looked back at him with wide eyes.

"What?"

"Strawberries, if they are too perfect you said you can't eat them because they belong to someone. Who do they belong to?"

Merlin's eyes glimmered, and he was silent long enough that Arthur believed he would not answer him.

"Freya." He whispered. "They belong to Freya."

He whipped back to focus on the path and continued forward. Arthur, for his part, was so surprised by Merlin's honesty that it took him several seconds before he was able to follow him.

Merlin sloshed through the stream until he decided that stepping on the stone allowed him to move quicker.

They came to several crossroads in the tunnel and Merlin stopped. He lifted his ear to the air as if listening and followed down the path to the left away from the trail of magma. As they traveled further in the cave, they walked in darkness.

"Can't you make a light or something?" Arthur asked as he tripped over a stone for the third time and almost fell forward.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Merlin said sheepishly and a small flame burst to life in his palm, illuminating the tunnel. It danced in his palms, and he leaned toward Arthur as if to tell him something secretive.

"When I was spending all that time with Aithusa, I picked up a trick to see in the dark. I think it just means that I have dragon sight now because I never really needed a spell for it to work."

"That…could be useful." He said, not sure how else to reply. Merlin nodded with a sly smile as he trudged deeper into the mountain.

"We are getting closer," Merlin muttered as excitement started to swell within his heart.

"Closer to what?" Arthur asked as dread bubbled in his stomach. Merlin paused, listened to the air and glanced back at Arthur.

"The source of the magic!" He said with a wide grin before they started down the tunnel once more. He could see a light up ahead, but as they continued down the tunnel they ran into a stone wall. He was about to complain that they should have followed the stream of fire when Merlin put both hands on the stone floor and swung his body over the edge of a large black hole. "Merlin!" He yelled as Merlin started to climb down the stone. He looked up at Arthur just before his head disappeared to grin.

"Down we go!" He sang as a blue orb drifted up from a flick of his wrist to light Arthur's path. He might have hesitated to follow him, but a force in his chest compelled him forward. As if to go anywhere other than where Merlin was leading him would go against his very nature. With ease, he dangled his legs over the side of the drop and caught a foothold to start the climb down.

The black rock was easy to climb. Scratches in the stone created solid footholds and grips for their hands as they traveled. His arms started to tremble. More than once they stopped their decent to rest and breathe heavily into the thick ashy air as they shook out their limbs.

"This is insane."

Arthur called down to Merlin as a blast of fire shot up from the earth below them. If not for the magic protecting them, they would have been roasted. Merlin just laughed. If the King believed it was an impossible climb, he would have never followed him.

"And the quests you brought us on were any less crazy?" He called back as his eyelids fluttered from a small cloud of dust Arthur's feet sent tumbling down when his foot found a solid foothold. He took a deep breath as his bare toes groped at the black stone below him for another hold.

"I never took us into the belly of an accursed volcano!" Arthur bellowed as Merlin found a foothold and started to descend further. The orb of blue light following Arthur flared and then dimmed. He took another deep breath.

"Down, down down we go!" Merlin sang back up at him while he laughed. In truth, he was exhausted. But, they had to make the journey. He stopped for a moment again to shake his arms.

"I'm sorry." He called, suddenly as he closed his eyes as if to rest further. From his resting spot, he was able to sink further into the stone. He laid his forehead against the black rock and let out a large sigh. "I didn't realize it was this far."

Arthur descended so that they were side by side on the wall. He watched as Arthur found a hold for each limb before he turned to look at Merlin.

"Don't be. What else were we going to do? Go up? I don't even know if I would have managed that climb, let alone this one."

Merlin turned his face from the stone and looked at him. He could see Arthur's muscles twitching, and it occurred to him that they might not make the climb. It would be well into the night now, and neither of them had slept well the day before. They had both traveled across the lands and before they had even come to the volcano were exhausted. As his limbs trembled, his thoughts raced.

"I don't understand all of this." Arthur rasped. "How you know where you are going? You just know where to go because of the magic?"

"That's about right, yes," Merlin replied.

"How does that even work?" Arthur asked, looking him up and down as if searching for an answer.

Merline swallowed and prayed for some relief for his aching limbs. He shook his head. "Hmmmm…hard to explain? I've gotten better at knowing with time I suppose."

Arthur thought of the urge he had felt before the descent to follow Merlin, and wondered if it might be something like that. He could see Merlin's body trembling and started to move again down the cliff, fearful of resting too long. Once Merlin noticed him descending, he started to follow after him. He chanced a look behind him and saw that the tunnel they were descending had started to narrow, but was very wide. A faint red glow was visible below them and grew brighter the deeper they climbed. They must be closer than before.

"Why can't you fly us down there as a dragon? Not that your big scaly behind would even fit down this tunnel but…"

Merlin scoffed. "I can't just move back and forth between forms Arthur. That wouldn't be natural. "

Arthur barked out a laugh, "wouldn't be HA Merlin you're not natural."

Arthur could see Merlin skulk from above and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I am! And that's just kind of how it works? Do I need to explain to you how some of us have an intuition or would that be lost on your great kingly brain?" He said with a grunt.

"If your intuition is to head inside a fire breathing mountain, then I doubt its usefulness."

"Whatever" Merlin huffed as they continued to climb with Arthur leading them on. "It's worked so far hasn't it?" And Arthur could not argue with that.

"Where does this lead?" He asked.

"Closer to the center of the earth I think. I can feel the volcano pulsing, but it's not ready to completely erupt yet. Well, it is but, we must need to complete your end of the barging first? I felt my magic enter the mountain and restore it, but we it to fully spread across the earth now. At least, I think."

He said with another grin and Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say Merlin" he muttered.

It took them over half an hour, but eventually, they reached a sharp ledge where they could drop down to stand. Almost immediately when they touched the floor, they griped one another's arm as if afraid the other would lose his balance and fall. They grinned at one another and turned to the large cavern behind them. A pool of magma flowed around the bottom of the cave. Large crystals hung like stalactites from the ceiling. Stalagmites jutted up from the ground around a large circle of bones resting just above the sea of molten rock like a nest. Skulls of dragons and men littered the caves with their bones.

"Merlin" Arthur whispered, horrified at the sight of the millions of empty eye sockets looking at them from the fire. "We've walked into a tomb!" Arthur growled. As he took in the large array of bones and skulls filling the cavern. But Merlin gazed as if transfixed on the center of the structure with glistening eyes. A completely different emotion overwhelmed him.

"Arthur." He choked out on the verge of tears. "Look." He whispered. "Oh"

Arthur glanced back to the pile of bones but saw only destruction and death.

Merlin reached for Arthur with a trembling hand and gripped his forearm as if to steady himself.

"Do you see them? "

He asked, and Arthur searched more meticulously in the discarded bones. He scanned the valley of death for the beauty Merlin saw and found it. Hidden in the center and surrounded by many broken bones as if creating a nest, Arthur caught sight of a pile of eggs in many colors and sizes.

Life, he realized.

Deep in the darkness, there was new life.