Amelia's Story (BBC Merlin Story)

Chapter 48: Aithusa

Amelia's POV

Merlin, Amelia, Percival, and Anne stand in the forests one night, staring up at Kilgharrah as they tell him some rather large news that they came across that the Dragon ought to know. It had been funny to watch the complete and utter shock that dawned on Percival's face when the creature appeared in the sky and flew down to them.

Merlin had been walking to Gaius' Chambers when he overheard the Physician conversing with someone they don't know. Merlin's curiosity was piqued and he listened in. He learnt it was an old pupil of Gaius'. Gaius had seemed worried about the man, Borden he'd called him. Borden had come to him for help, having stolen an artefact from the Druids, a Triskellian of Ashkanar, a key essentially, that was broken up into three parts. He had one part, had spent nearly half his life tracking it down, and had taken the second from the Druids, but the third part remained hidden deep within the vaults of Camelot. When pieced together the key is meant to lead the holder to a tomb, the tomb of Ashkanar, where, apparently, a Dragon egg is hidden. Borden had tried to argue that he wanted to see a 'noble creature' brought back to life but Gaius had immediately dismissed that as a falsehood.

After the man had left, Merlin had burst into the Chambers, angry that Gaius knew of such a place where a Dragon's egg is stored and hadn't said anything, what with him being the last Dragonlord, but Gaius had merely said the tomb was sealed by magic and only the key could get them in. There was no point in telling them about a place they wouldn't be able to enter or worse, telling them and watching them foolishly try to get in and die trying (as he knows they just might).

The key piece itself that is hidden in the Vaults had been there for 400 years which makes it all too obvious why Gaius had never said anything, if one part has been hidden and protected for so long, they can only imagine what the other parts are being kept like.

Borden had warned that he will be staying in Camelot, in the Tavern in the Lower Town and waiting for word from him about if Gaius will help or not. They don't doubt that if Gaius refuses, Borden will do so on his own.

Amelia knows they all want the Dragon Egg returned, to save the Dragons, and to help Kilgharrah protect his kin, but at the same time, they know the only way to do it will be for Borden to help and lead them to the tomb. Gaius knows not where it is, no one does, and that is why the key is needed. This brings up the issue they are facing, Gaius had warned Merlin that Borden has ill intent with the egg, but also that he is not a man to be trusted and if they try to help the man, he will stab them in the back in an instant. He is in a difficult spot as he doesn't want the egg to fall into Borden's hands, but he doesn't want them in danger of trying to deal with him and rescue it. Amelia had suggested they go to the one person who should have the deciding vote on what they do.

"I never dared dream of such a moment." Kilgharrah breathes, startling Amelia with the emotion in his voice, the hope, she can hear in it. "Until now, I believed the egg would never be found, that I would be the last of my kind."

"I'm still so sorry that happened," Amelia tells him. "What Uther did..." She shakes her head, she can't even begin to imagine what it was like for him, chained up, alone, listening to his kin crying out for help as they burned, and then for them to ask him for help to protect the very King that did that to him. Amelia hears a sniffle come from next to her.

"Do not weep for me, my dear." Kilgharrah smiles kindly at Anne.

"I'm not crying." Anne huffs though she sniffles and wipes beneath her eye. Amelia knows she's cursing her pregnancy. She has only just started to really feel the effects of it. She is still in her early days and while Amelia would argue that her stomach is still quite flat, Merlin in particular insists otherwise and always adds that he knows his wife's body quite well to Amelia's disgust.