His Love

Chapter 22

Arthur led the way through the corridor, flaming torch held high and Merlin trailing behind him. It had been many years since he'd been to visit the Great Dragon but his last meeting had made a lasting impression on hom.

"Um hello?" Arthur called into the darkness of the cave when they arrived and nothing had happened. Even Merlin had stopped trying to do inappropriate things to him in his awe at the vast space which opened up before them and was instead clinging to his side like a limpet. Suddenly a great gust of hot air hit them both in the face, and with a great leathery flap of his wings the Great Dragon appeared before them upon his rocky precepcie.

"AH, THE YOUNG PENDRAGON. IT HAS BEEN A GREAT MANY YEARS SINCE LAST WE MET." he boomed stoically.

"Arthur! There's a dragon talking to you!" Merlin sqeaked in his ear and Arthur looked at him with his face cresed into a frown.

"Yes Merlin? It's the Great Dragon?" He responded confusedly.

"Why is there a dragon talking to you?!" Merlin said with wide eyes flicking nervosly to the massive winged form in front of them and then back to Arthur's face again frantically, looking scared.

"You said you remembered him!" Arthur hissed.

"You weren't paying attention to me" Merlin pouted in response and Arthur rolled his eyes.

"ARE YOU QUITE WELL MERLIN?" the dragon asked Merlin, and he scooted behind Arthur's broad form in fear.

"...yes? Thank you." He replied in a high pitched voice. The dragon looked at the raven haired warlock expectatantly.

"...and how are you today?" Merlin asked nervously,

The dragon let out a strange laughter, very much more human sounding than Merlin would have expecteed from such a thunderous looking lizard.

"HAHA" he laughed loudly, the sound of his humour echoing around the cavern.

"IT SEEMS YOUR WARLOCK HAS TAKEN A TURN." He bellowed at Aurthur.

"Um yes, he was struck by a curse cast by the witch, Morgouse. He seems to have forgotten everything, his friends, his life in Camalot, even...our love" Arthur stammered, chocked with the emotion.

"HMM, THAT IS TROUBLESOME INDEED, YOUNG PRINCE" the dragon said thoughfully, scratching at his scaley chin with one long sword of a claw.

"I was hoping you could help us" Arthur siad hopefully.

"AND WHY SHOULD I, HELP YOU? I OWE YOU NAUGHT BUT A PRISON, SON OF UTHER PENDRAGON!" The dragon bellowed fearfully his hot breath scorching Arthur's face dry.

"I am not my father!" Arthur ried in reply, standing firm in front of Merlin's cowering form, his slender creamy hands gripping the blond's waist. The dragon nodded in reflection.

"I'M AFRAID THERE IS NO HOPE FOR HIM. MOREGAUSE HAS LOCKED HIS MEMEORIES AWAY WHERE THEY CANNOT BE REACHED BY HIM. SHE HAS TAKEN THAT FROM YOU THAT WHICH YOU LOVE THE MOST." he prnounced, forecasting doom.

"No!! That cannot be!" Arthur cried in pain, shaking his head in denial with tear pricking in his eyes.

"UNLESS HE IS ABLE TO FIND THOSE MEMORIES SHE HAS TRAPPED FROM HIM, MERLIN WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REMEMBER." the Dragon boomed.

"So, if I can remind him, he'll remmeber everything?" Arthur asked desperately.

"YES" intoned the dragon

Arthur glanced at Merlin, who was standing with his arms limping by his side, his entire posture was relaxed as he stared in awe at the Grate Dragon. His whole demeamour looked nothing like Arthur's husband and it made Arthur's heart give a painful pang as he missed the socerer, despite him being stood gormlessly by his side. Arthur turned back tot the dragon and braced himself.

"Is that's all the help you're going to give me" he asked resignedly.

"YES, YOUNG PRINCLING" smirked the Great Dagon.

"Well I'm soooooooo glad we came thank you soooooo much for your help, what would we do without you?!" he snapped irate with concern, and with a billow of his clook he turned on his heal and stomped back off down the dark corridor not waiting to see if he was being followed by his ensorcelled husband.

"MEEEERLIN!" said the dragon again once Arthur has left and they were alone.

"um, yes?" asked Merlin, still staring at the beast in wonder at it's vast size and the power it excuded. He could see why he was the Great Dragob.

"YOU MY HAVE FORGOTTEN ALL YOU ONCE NEW, YOUNG WARLCOK, BUT I STILL REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE TO RELEASE ME FROM THESE CHAIN THAT KEEP ME IN THIS PRISON!" replied the dragon with booming authority with which Merlin dare not argue with.

"Oh. That doesn't sound like a thing I should do. Arthur would not like it, he's mad at you." Replyd the wizard with a blank innocent expression.

"YOU PROMISED IT MANY MOONS AGO AND I AM GROWING IMPATENT: DO NOT MAKE ME DOUBT OUR BOND" explained the dragon. Merlin could feel they had some kind of bond inside, it felt like he'd known the collossus before him for many year even though he could not rememeber him at all.

"Oh ok" Said Merlin. He could see no other way, but to help the dragon, from the moment they had met again in the cavern he had felt the bond that the dragon mentioned. And so he reached out with his magic towards the crater. The power that surged within him was oddly familiar like returning home after a long journey and its warmth comforted the young man in a way that he could not explain. It felt the way he did when he looked at Arthur.

"I release yo, dragon." He whispered. And then suddenly his magic was free, illuminating the cavern with it's golden light before fading back to blackness. There was a clinking crash ad the dragon's shackles fell to the grown, the dragon no longer trapped by them. the rock was empty. there were no beating wingin not burning flames filling the cavernous space of the cave. A small indignant sound echoed throughout the space!

"Mew!" meowed a small kitten on the ground in fornt of Merlin, small enough to curl up in his cupped hands. Merlin giggled slightly to himself and smiled boradly as he scooped the kitten into his hands.

"Merlin!" Arthur's voice echoed down the long dark corridor behind him. Merlin whipped around but could only see the glow spot of Autrhur's torch in the distance. He tucked the small cat into his shirt to keep it safe – Merlin thought Arthur would not be keep on him turning the Graet Dragon into a cat and setting him free. He needed to get outside where he could set the tabby cat free. He hurried down the corridor to Arthur's form, ignoring the squirking shape around his belly, and grasped Arthurs hand in his own tightly, lacing them together.

"You ok?" Arhtur said looking concerned. Meeting a dragon for the first time must be scary.

"Better now you're here!" Merlin replied brightly with a glowing smile and Arthur rolled his eyes at his antics.