How To Train Your Dragonlord

Megaira

It had been two months since the council had broached the topic of heirs. Camelot's walls had been threatened multiple times with the risk of invasion by Morgana and her ever decreasing army of supporters. A lot of people who had previously supported her were increasingly finding there was no incentive for them to stay, with Camelot's openness to magic.
It had been just over a year since Merlin saved Arthur, and magic had been allowed to return to Camelot. After four months of the Kings' marital bliss, the size of Morgana's army had halved, and the love between the Sorcerer and the King had more than doubled.
Not long after they had spent the day discussing heirs, something happened in Camelot to change the rulers' lives forever... again.

It had long since become a rarity for Merlin to be late to Council meetings, though he did occasionally forget that he did have to attend. It was one of those rare occasions where Merlin had been with his mother and Gaius, discussing everything and nothing. Before he knew it, he was late, and had to rush across the castle grounds to the meeting.
As Merlin was crossing the courtyard, almost at the council chamber, a flash of a dull colour that contrasted the stonework caught his eye. Confused, he followed the flash of colour to a corner of the courtyard. The colour had come from a small cloak, which seemed to have been made of trimmings from an adult's cloak, and was near covered in dried mud. And dried blood. A small, scared child was bundled up in the cloak.
All thoughts of the council meeting left Merlin's mind as he saw this child, curled up, terrified, and alone. He approached slowly, crouching as he moved closer, trying to make himself look less intimidating. "Hello," he whispered, understanding inherently how noise could affect a person who was already terrified. "My name's Merlin. Are you okay?"
He noticed the child's gaze fixed just above his head. 'Ah,' he realised quickly, 'I'm wearing my crown.'
"What's your name?" He tried again, hoping the child would speak.
Barely louder than a whisper, he heard an excruciatingly timid: "Megaira, your majesty." In hindsight, Merlin believed this, and the subsequent conversation, to have taken place within his mind. Although, at the time, he did not believe this to be the case.
"A beautiful name," he replied, smiling kindly. "What brings you to Camelot, Megaira?"
"We ran. She does not like people to leave. She killed them. She almost got me, but I escaped. But now I am hurt. I am tired, your majesty. I fear I am dying."
Merlin's face fell from a careful smile into a look of horror and fear for the child. "Morgana?" he asked. She nodded, before sliding further down the wall she was leaning against. "Will you let me help you, Megaira?" She nodded again, more slightly this time, clearly not feeling well enough to speak.
At her nod, Merlin moved closer and scooped her into his arms. He then left the courtyard where he had entered, heading back towards Gaius' Chambers, a determination to help this child clear in his expression.
"Don't worry, Megaira," he said as he carried her along, "I'm taking you to the court physician. He will ensure that you are not lost to these wounds." Rather than reply, and use up more of her precious little strength, Megaira simply nestled herself into Merlin's arms, making herself more comfortable.
Gaius very quickly found the injuries that Megaira had mentioned to Merlin. Thanks to the advancements that Gaius could make once more through using a combination of magic and medicine, Megaira's wounds were quickly healed, though her strength was still depleted. Merlin remained by her side, to comfort her. Thanks to this, Megaira soon fell asleep, as Gaius had suggested that she should, to help her wounds to heal and her strength to return.
Not long after she had fallen asleep, Arthur entered the chambers. He was about to complain to Merlin about not attending the meeting when he saw the small girl in the bed that Gaius used when someone was brought to his chambers for healing. "I would tell you off, Merlin," he whispered, careful not to wake the child, "but I can see that something more important came up. Who is she?" He added as he moved closer to the bed, and Merlin.
"The most I know is that Morgana is the reason she's here at all. I don't know very much, as she was quite badly injured when we spoke. She hasn't said a word since before I brought her to Gaius. Her name is Megaira." Merlin paused and looked up at his husband. "Arthur, I think Morgana killed her parents."
There was a quiet grumble of agreement from Megaira, causing the kings' attentions to return to her. She was awake once more, and seemed a little more alert than the last time she had been awake, even just minutes beforehand. "My father was a warlock who had fled from here when magic was outlawed. He was only young then. Not yet a man.
"When Morgana created her army to fight you, my father joined, bringing the rest of us with him - myself and my mother. A few times, he tried to secretly leave, but every time he tried, some of Morgana's higher ups would be watching us. It always deterred my father. Until last week. He wanted to try and reach your walls.
"He said we could find safety in Camelot's walls, if magic was truly welcomed again. So we ran. Mother, myself and my father. But Morgana's men were following. Father stayed to fight them. To give us time to escape. Three days ago, they caught up with us. My mother told me to run straight for your city walls. To not look back. That she'd follow me.
"I cast a spell to make myself invisible, then stayed, to make sure my mother would be okay. She didn't even try to fight. She took one look at the men and must've known, as I had known, that they had murdered my father. That, no matter what she did, they would murder her. That I would be next.
"The one at the front drew his sword. Then he said 'For crimes against the High Priestess and rightful Queen of Camelot, you are sentenced to death'. I'm sure he said more, but that was where I left. I could not save my mother. I didn't even know if I could save myself.
"This morning they caught up with me. There was no righteous speech about wronging Morgana. I was expected to break down, with the knowledge that both of my parents were dead. They lunged at me with their swords. I thought they had missed, and used my magic to knock them all unconscious, then I carried on running. The guards were easy to slip past. And then I could feel the blood leaving my body. And his majesty found me in the courtyard."