Merlin One-Shots

Left behind

Merlin blinked. He was still recovering from the Diomere healing him. He'd seen Morgana get up, not even glancing in his direction, long after the Knights and King had departed, and stumble away. Mordred had stabbed her to protect Arthur, while Merlin had lost consciousness from his wounds from when Morgana flung him into the cave walls. Mordred had protected Arthur. He had no reason to protect the King of a kingdom who persecuted magic users. Even if Arthur hadn't held many executions, it was still illegal. All these thoughts were running through his head and fleeing as soon as he thought them. He reached up to touch his temple. It still ached, but he was no longer dying, so that was something.

He had been left behind, he was certain of it now. The silence around him was deafening. Or he thought it was. After a time, he realized he must have dozed off. When he opened his eyes again, he found Aithusa watching him. Apparently the small dragon refused to abandon him. Merlin reached forward and Aithusa nuzzled his hand.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you. I should not have left you alone. I thought Kilgharrah would take care of you. Can you forgive me?" Merlin had tears streaming down his face as he sat up and leaned into the small dragon. Aithusa purred, or it sounded like a purr to Merlin. He choked out a laugh as the dragon wrapped its neck around him like a hug. The dragon helped him to his feet and they walked to find their way out of the caverns. Tools lay scattered on the ground, along with the bodies of several saxon guards. Merlin stumbled several times, but Aithusa was there to steady him. When they made it to the keep and saw it empty, Merlin let out a shaky breath. They had actually left him. Forgotten him. Would they even ever remember he was missing? Would it be soon? Hours? Days? It had taken them over five days to reach the keep, would they figure it out before they reached Camelot? Ten years. Ten years Merlin had dedicated to Camelot and Arthur. He didn't hold it against Arthur, the King had been injured badly by Morgana. But, Gwaine? Percival? Leon?

Merlin couldn't hold back the sob that choked it's way out of him. He covered his face with his hand as if that could help him hold back the emotions that flooded through him. Aithusa leaned against his legs as if the pressure could reassure Merlin. After a few moments, Merlin was able to get his composure mostly back.

"I guess it's just you and me now, eh?" Merlin said hoarsely. "Come on then, we've got a lot of ground to cover." Merlin touched the dragon's head and let some of his magic run over the disfigured body. Aithusa shuddered as some of the aches eased. The dragon keened as the formerly damaged wings stretched out for the first time without pain. Merlin smiled. "It isn't much, but I promise I'll help get you well again. I'm not great at healing magic, but I think if we work together that we can get you back in shape. Is there anywhere you'd like to go? I know they left me, but I am still needed in Camelot. I'd like to be close in case they remember." Merlin grabbed a few of the furs that had been left behind and shoved a cap over his head to try to protect from the cold. As they walked, he would reach over and occasionally trail a finger along Aithusa's scales and send some comforting magic over. They made it away from the snow and ice after the first day, so they were able to find wood and have a fire to keep them both warm. Merlin would lean against a tree or a log and Aithusa would curl around him. Merlin couldn't explain what it was, but Aithusa made him feel more complete. Closer to being whole than he had felt in a long while. Like something had been missing but he hadn't known what it was until now. He would murmur softly to Aithusa until he fell asleep.

They had managed to make it most of the way back without encountering anyone. Merlin didn't want to press his luck. When he made it to the lake where he'd sent Freya, and later, Lancelot, to rest, he stopped. He used his magic and constructed a three walled structure. It resembled a house without the front wall. He made a small indention in the ground as a sort of bed in the dirt for Aithusa to curl up in. The dragon watched as Merlin moved each piece into place and once the bed had been dug out, the dragon bounced over to it and circled around in it, much like a cat, before laying down. The dragon looked up at the dragonlord and Merlin could see the smile. Already the color was coming back to the pale colored scales. The brightness was showing, edging out the dull tones. While the wings had mostly healed from the disfigurement, Merlin was having trouble with the dragon's legs. He could ease the discomfort and joint pain, but the bones were fighting him. Merlin sat next to Aithusa and ran his hands along the misshapen leg, hoping to feel if there was something he was missing. But once his hands circled the leg, he knew there was nothing to be done. He could fix the other smaller injuries, but he could not reshape the bones that had grown incorrectly. Aithusa didn't seem to mind.