The Dragon Prince (Merlin AU)

Chapter 12: Our Saviors

(AN:// Thank you so much for the reads, can't believe we just hit 3k reads! Keep interacting, love you guys, and happy reading! -EmzyyIrenexx)

The group of Knights, a Prince, and a King stopped at the base of the two tallest mountains along the path of the Dragon Mountains and looked up at the towering natural phenomenon.

"Are you sure this is where your Hatchlings have set up camp?" Arthur asked skeptically, looking towards Sir Henry.

"Yes." Merlin answered. Arthur's head snapped towards Merlin.

"And how do you know?"

Merlin pointed upwards and everyone followed the line of his finger to see two Identical green dragons. The dragons were smaller, as if they were still growing, and upon their scaled backs there appeared to be two figures. They were approacheing at a extremely fast pace, and getting clearer by the second.

"What the--?" Arthur muttered. "Cover!" Arthur said to his knights and all of them scrabbled except for Gwaine, who stood laughing along with the Merlin and the Knights of Drakoniel. The dragons landed before the group and the figures were clear now. They looked almost identical, as well as extremely similar to Merlin, the only real difference between the two figures was that one was a girl. The girl sat on the dragon to the left. She wore a long silver satin dress, and a small but intricate silver headpiece sat on her crown, almost making her look elf-like. Her hair was long and dark, it reached down and touch the large brown-leather saddle she was perched on. She sat straight, regal, and her cheeks were flushed slightly pink from the kiss of the cold mountain air and the rush of flying. Her eyes had thick, long lashes and were a sweet chocolate brown. Her cheekbones were just as defined as Merlin's as well as those of the boy beside her. The boy, who sat on the right, had the same windswept dark hair, chocolate brown eyes, wind-kissed rosy cheeks, long lashes, and sat just as straight as her, he even wore a shirt of a very similar silver material to her dress, though black trousers and black leather boots covered his legs and feet. Though they both sat straight it also seemed simple habit, they let off a vibe of complete carefree relaxation. They had wide smiles placed on their faces that squinted their chocolate eyes and made their lashes brush their cheeks. There were two sets of throwing knives strapped across the boys chest in an "X" shape, and there was a quiver and bow strapped across the back of the girl. They looked to be around 19 or 20 summers old. They jumped down from their dragon's backs simaltaneously and gracefully.

Merlin smiled at them and their grins did not shrink, but rather grew. They stared at him before both running forward at the exact same time as if they were connected and did everything in the exact same moment. "Merls!" They shouted.

They grabbed onto their brother tightly, and Merlin held them back even tighter. Tears ran down all three siblings' cheeks and the twins began to pant. "Merls, air!" They gasped.

"Oh! Sorry!" Merlin laughed. "My, how two you have grown!" He straightened Eren's hair and gently ran a hand down Erelise's cheek, momentarily giving them each a watery smile. "You two used to be this tall!" He laughed, placing a hand at his waist.

"I think Erelise was more..." Eren grabbed Merlin's hand and moved it so it was placed just above his knee. "That tall." 

Erelise scoffed. "Was not!" She hit Eren upside the head.

"Ow!"

"I was just as tall as you and you know it!"

"Well, you aren't now pip-squeak!" Eren taunted, which earned him another hit.

"There is barely a difference, we might even be the same height!"

"No! I'm taller!"

"Lies!"

Both twins turned towards Merlin who was trying to hide his grin behind his hand. "Merlin!?"

"Well... I'm sorry Lise, but I think Ere may be a bit taller..." Merlin raised his hands up to block his face, shrinking slightly, as Erelise raised a hand. "Please don't hit me!"

None of the three had noticed all of the Knights and Arthur trying desperately to hold in their laughter until then, because at that moment they all lost their control and burst into loud, uncontrolled giggles. All three siblings glared at them. As soon as everyone sobered up the mood of the entire group became somber. not even the wind like comedy of the twins could blow away the storm cloud of a horrible situatio that hung over their heads. There was a kingdom in trouble, that had long awaited the help it was soon to recieve. Much was to be done first, however, and they had to start somewhere. This was as good a place as any, at the base of two mountains as great as the journey ahead of them.

"Mother told us that if you arrived we were to bring you to the council chambers." Eren spoke up.

"Follow us.' Erelise motioned. She began to walk and the others followed, the dragons took off and disappeared into the distance, already knowing exactly where they were meant to be.

Arthur leaned towards Merlin as they walked. "Council chambers? In a mountain?"

Merlin nodded. "This isn't exactly a normal mountain."

"This isn't exactly a normal kingdom." Arthur muttered.

Merlin nodded again, nonetheless. "That is true."

"Okay, so what kind of mountain is it?"

"Well, more like mountains, the other one we saw, the second largest of the Dragon mountains, connects to this one. They seem, from the outside, completely solid. However, that is not the case. These to mountains are full of caves and secret entrances, and connect to each other through a series of tunnels. We call them the Great Dragon Caves, because it is our dragons' home and always has been. There are also a series of caves in the largest mountain that is similar to the halls of a castle, the Ambrosius family, my family, modefied it slightly so as we could be closer to the dragons during hatching season when my father--" Merlin cut himself off momentarily. "-- When the current Dragonlord calls selected hatchlings forth from their eggs. There is everything in this mountain needed to take back the kingdom itself."

Arthur nodded, choosing not to respond, and looked up as the group stopped. In front of them was a large tunnel opening, that Arthur was surprised to just then notice. The group entered it in a similar fashion to how they crossed Drakoniel's border, through a blue shimmered forcefeild, though this forcefeild did not hesitate to allow Arthur through. They walked through large seemingly natural tunnels for a bit before they opened up into even larger, smoother, man-made tunnels. They passed servants and a few peasants and nobles who all nodded to the visiting party and bowed to the royal siblings, smiling extremely wide towards the eldest prince, who greeted most of them by name and asked of their name if it was not someone he was not already familiar with.

Suddenly the tunnels opened up into a extremely large cavern, people bustled everywhere and there seemed to be a market taking place, venders setting up shop everywhere they could. Everyone seemed to go on with life even if their kingdom was currently not under the control of the proper royals. Everyone seemed content just to be with eachother, but there was still the undertoned of ignored tension that reminded the group of the feeling in the air right before a storm; and a large storm was sure on its way. The group looked up as they realized the lighting of the room was not coming from the torches placed around the cavern, they weren't even lit, but rather a large opening into the blue sky far above their heads. As they watched a couple of young dragons entered through the large hole and flew over the heads into another opening still far above them. Not a single person around them flinched, it seemed they were used to it. Those of Camelot looked around with mouths agape.

Erelise turned and smiled at them. "This, is the very center of the Great Dragon caves, in the very center of the largest mountain of the Dragon mountains." She turned back around as the people around them began to notice their presence, and the crowd parted as she stepped forward. The group followed, as they passed the crowd bowed and praised them, calling out 'thank you's and cries of joy, some tears of pure happiness were shed, and the group unknowingly puffed out their chests proudly as they reached the otherside of the large cavern and a call began with one person soon encased the the whole crowd.

"Welcome, our Saviors!"