The Dragon's Reign

Chapter 4: The Dragonlord's Dragon

Words: 1, 116                      Song: "Love" - Lana Del Rey

Arthur's POV

I dash through the forest, hopefully, going towards where the dragon crashed. The afternoon sun beats down on me, causing my chainmail to become blistering hot. I soon see trees that are knocked over or split in two that indicate a path. This must be where the dragon went down, and I rush to follow the path, tripping over a log in the process. I get back up and continue running, and in the distance I see the dragon lying on the ground, blood running from its head. As I approach, I hear faint cries.

Merlin's POV

I lean against Kilgharrah slowing chest, his breath weak but still pushes me while I sob. "I'm sorry, Kilgharrah. This is my fault."

"This is not your fault, young warlock. I have known I would die in battle for a long while. I just never expected to have fought with Arthur Pendragon. I am glad to have been of service to you young warlock. Complete your destiny and protect Arthur." Kilgharrah winces as he stands up. "I must go to the Lake of Avalon, and that is where I shall die young warlock. I will return at some point, Emrys." With that, Kilgharrah flies into the air, letting out one last roar into the sky before he disappears above the clouds. That's when I notice the blonde clotpole standing behind where Kilgharrah was. He walks over to me a puts an arm around me while I snuffle my runny nose and wipe the tears.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Merlin." Arthur softly whispers into my ear as he rubs my head.

"It'll be okay. He was kind of a prat anyway." I smile as Arthur chuckles. I look back into the sky where Kilgharrah fled into the clouds. "We should get the army back to Camelot. What of the druids that helped?"

Arthur's face drops and I fear the worst. "The Knights of Camelot are ambivalent, but they will be spared. And I have made a decision, mainly regarding you Merlin."

I'm terrified. I know I helped in battle with my magic, but I know Uther was his father and that Uther would have someone killed in this situation. I take in a deep breath and look at Arthur with cold eyes.

"I will be lifting the ban on magick, and I have a few positions for you." Arthur looks down at his feet. "Gaius died, and he will be getting a royal funeral; he was as much a Pendragon as my father, myself, Morgana, or even you. He has been with my family longer than I have been alive, and he has done great services for Camelot."

I'm relieved that magick will be restored, but that joy is suddenly drowned by the sorrow of Gaius' death. "Why? How did he die?" I lament as I grab Arthur by his tunic collar and push him against a tree. Clearly, my sudden burst of strength took him by surprise. "Sorry." I let go of him and throw myself into his chest.

Arthur picks me up bridal style as I continue to weep into his chest. "He died saving me. Mordred was about to strike me down when Gaius jumped in front of the sword. I couldn't stop him; he literally came out of nowhere."

"I thought Gaius was supposed to be back at Camelot with Gwen?" I ask between my sobs.

"Me too." Arthur says as we leave the forest. I hadn't realised we were moving. I lift my head up and look at the valley. Smoke and fire litter the ridge, and as we get closer I can see the river of bodies and blood that fill the valley. A lot of the fallen army have been stripped of their weapons and armor. It's a smart thing to do; reusing that stuff saves money and energy -- by energy I mean me having to sharpen and polish all that armor.

"Arthur, can you put me down?" He nods and sets me down. I walk over to the ridge of the valley and overlook it. The cool breeze causes my neckerchief to flail, wanting to escape my grasp and fly into the sky like Kilgharrah.

"Arthur," I turn and look at him, "please forget what happened here. You have Gwen at home, and I don't want anything to come of what I said."

Arthur's POV

"I understand, Merlin." I walk over to him and grab him by the hips.

"Arthur, wha--" I cut him off by kissing him, those soft, slightly chapped lips easily give in.

"Just because you said to forget, doesn't mean I will," I say right after we pull apart. I never really thought I had such feelings, but it didn't take me long to know I did. "Gwen cheated on me with Lancelot. Maybe it's possible to love more than one person romantically at the same time. How is that any different than calling any of your ex-partners the love of your life?"

Merlin stares at me in complete bewilderment. I don't know if from the kiss or the rather poetic and educational thing that just came out of my mouth. I take his hand in mine. "I do love you, Merlin." I say with a smile. Merlin's toothy grin spreads across his face.

"I love you too, Arthur."

"The princess finally admits his real feelings." Gwaine interrupts, walking up the ridge. I'm about to push him back down when Merlin steps between us.

"Now's not the time to fight. We need to get back to Camelot." Merlin insists, and I nod in agreement. The three of us walk to the cleared camp, save our horses and the other Knights of the Round Table. I help Merlin onto his horse, but I realise there were only two.

"Sorry, sire. There were only two horses left." Leon says with a wink.

I am baffled. Leon is the most loyal knight I know and he's being petty about mine and Merlin's relationship. I sigh and look up at Merlin. His big ears blend with his cheeks when he processes what Leon was talking about. I jump up behind Merlin and hold him between my arms. Gwaine lets out a snicker, but I shut him up with a death glare. We begin our ride back, the smell of burnt flesh and blood is out of the air. Merin is fast asleep in my arms while I steer the horse. Today was a tragic day, but I take a look around me-- all of these people are here because they believed in me, and they survived. That's how I knew today wasn't a bad day. That, and Merlin loves me. 

---:---:---:---

Much like "Threads", "Love" is a song about, well, love! Arthur and Merlin rejoin and rejoice after a tough, uncertain battle with no legitimate idea on how it was going to end. Now, they can focus on each other and their kingdom as one young, lovestruck couple. There really isn't much else on the song, thoughts?

This chapter, to me, was more of a bridge or filler chapter, where it closes one portion of the story and allows for the next to take place, kinda like a loading screen. However, managing to stretch out such a scene is hard (at least for me), and my advice is to always find ways to include  plot points within the filler that help foster the story to progress even further. Even if you don't have a plan before hand, always use these fillers as a tracker on how you want the story to go, because these chapters really do set the stage for your performances. Thoughts on the chapter? The reflection? Let me know below!