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[Merlin Myrddin]

He supposed the real reason he was making his way through the winding maze of dungeons was because he was bored, he had no real news and questions for The Dragon; not that the damn lizard actually gave him any usable answers, but still: he was living in hope he'd get a straight reply from the beast at one point or another.
Merlin didn't usually suffer insomnia but he'd laid in bed for hours twisting and turning and begging for sleep; not that it had worked. He felt like he'd forgotten something and each time he ran through the mental list of everything Arthur had asked him to do, he was able to check it all off. With a groan he'd pushed himself off his bed, dressed himself quickly and quietly and stumbled past Gaius, who was dead the world anyway, and crossed the Courtyard with practised agility. He knew by now where each Guard was and where he was most likely to be seen.

He had learned a sleeping charm just last week, he'd been using it ever since. Granted, mostly on animals and perhaps once, and just once, his dear guardian. It hadn't been out of an act of cruelty, he'd only been trying to learn and practice was the best way to do so. Now that he had reached the small table in which two guards were usually sat playing games and guarding the entrance to the Dragon and the Dungeons, Merlin paused and frowned.
They were nowhere to be seen, he twisted his neck around the wall and realised they were stood at the bottom of the stairs. They were oddly quiet but it broke when the tallest of the two let out a roar of laughter, the other smirked and replied:

"You only won because I let you..."
"Yeah, yeah... I'm the best swordsmen in the whole guard, you know it!"
"Ha, same the King doesn't."

Merlin scoffed and retracted his head and thought. It would be harder to put them to sleep when they were stood up like that, they'd surely find it odd that they so suddenly fell asleep. Not to mention they'd likely be in pain because of it.

"Mamera!" He whispered and cringed as he heard the distinct sounds of a heavy body falling to the floor. He repeated the spell and the second joined his companion. When he looked next, the taller one lay on the floor, face down. Evidently the other had bent to see what was wrong and had fallen asleep with his bum in the air and his head resting on the other's back. He looked like an obscure baby and despite it's cruelty, Merlin laughed to himself and passed them quickly.

Grabbing a torch and setting it alight; Merlin began the usual walk toward the Dragon. Something was strange though. For the first time in the many month's he'd been doing this. He didn't feel as alone as he normally did. He stopped then looked around wildly. He was still a good few feet away from his scaly friend and a two minuet walk from the knocked out guards.

"Hello?" He called, mentally hitting himself for his stupidity. There was no one here. Surely?

[Nimueh Aleines]

"Hello?"

Nimueh turned sharply. Surely not, he wouldn't come down here at this time of night...Would he? It was just an hour or so away from dawn and though she had been down in the bowels of the castle for the majority of the night, the great scaly creature had yet to show itself. She was sure it could hear her, sense her, yet there was no dragon to show for her troubles.

The guards had been simple enough, she'd charmed her way past with a memory spell, taking away the part of their memory that saw her walk past them. A bargaining tool she could teach to Merlin perhaps. It pleased her to know he was talking regularly with the dragon, hwo know so much about their kin's ill treatment. Perhaps all was not lost with this boy if they could convince him...Of course the lizard was nowhere to be seen and she had tried to kill him before. Nimueh had the feeling it would take a lot fo convincing.

The witch began to worry that perhaps he dragon had alerted Merlin to her presence, though she hadn't heard anything or felt any of the drasgon's mind games stiring up the magic in the air. Lifting the hood of her cloak up over her head, Nimueh prepared to conjor a ball of fire. If the boy was here, she didn't want to seem like she had been caught unawares, though perhaps here might be a better place to look upon his face without a disguise on her own. Safer than above ground.

Turning to look up in to the cavern, she sensed no movement from above, and magic thought she was she couldn't very well walk off the end of the rock shelf to gain some distance. The torch light coming down the stairs began to pool before her feet as the warlock came down closer, she could hear him breathing. Hear the disbelief almost in his voice. A surprise for both of them it would seem. She tilted her head to the side and watched as Merlin's boots kicked up the dust from the steps as he joined her on the rock shelf, and spoke calmly, almost sweetly.

"Hello, Merlin. Don't you know that all good servants should be fast asleep? Arthur won't be pleased..."

[The Dragon]

He sat on his usual high perch, away from sight, away from all that had been and lived now only in the many folds of his vast memory, brought back to life in the only place it still flourished and sometimes continued on: his imagination, as if undisturbed by the fall of his kin and the pressing loneliness that he would never admit feeling truly.

There was nothing, most of the time, nothing to captivate his attention and grasp hold of his interest. It was all there, deeply imbedded in his very being, and they all lived on in a time when the strength in his wings was great enough to keep him wandering through the skies for as long as it took for his deep thoughts to settle. Nothing really disturbed him back then, it felt ironically similar to right now. He took a moment to lift his head and stare at the ceiling of his cave-like prison and imagine the sky and its many distinct hues, it’s clouds and it’s wrath. There was always so much to see in the sky, its personalities were never-ending, if only you had enough time to consider them all. If only you could see them…

He huffed slightly as he lowered his head onto the hard rock, one of his massive eyes looking down, in the general direction of the tight exit that lay just beyond the reach of his chain. He knew they were there and his own lack of interest in their presence mildly surprised him.

“Melin…” he whispered his telepathic words to the boy, but they held no signs of worry, they didn’t represent a calling nor did they express the possibility of another message. It was just a silent echo of a tired entity.

The Dragon’s eyelids lowered slightly as he thought of the boy, of his life, of his apparent freedom…

OOC: Didn’t ask for permission so if it’s a bother just ignore the last paragraph as the rest doesn’t interfere with your discussion. Thanks and my apologies for any inconveniences.

[Merlin Myrddin]

As he reached the final stair and the light of his torch hit the femine form of the one person he wished never to see again, he froze. He seemed stuck there like the many statues on the courtyard and around the castle about them. He swallowed hard and took a slow movement forward, his legs doing the work whilst his brain screamed 'Run back'. Merlin wasn't a coward though and he had no intentions of letting her win this mini battle playing out in his head. Clenching his free fist he glared at her, his only answer for the time being.

Had she been talking to The Dragon? He hoped not, it would feel like an utter betrayal if his old companion was on sides with the woman who had tried to kill him and left Arthur for dead. He took another brave step in her direction and still again, close enough that the light lit her up properly and that he was still near the exit. His jaw clenched with his hand, Merlin waited for a sign from the Dragon that he wasn't completely alone in the dark, twisting depths of this hell. It would be horrible to not have anyone around if the witch attempting murdering him again.
The voice echoed in his head and he tried to keep the corners of his lips from moving upward. Instead he hoped the Dragon was as good at reading minds as he was at throwing his voice in it.
"Where are you?" He wasn't on his usual perch at the mouth of the cave, perhaps that meant he hadn't been with Nimueh.

But feeling either exceptionally brave or really stupid: He spoke to her. He sounded a lot clearer than he thought he would and hopefully sounded sure of himself too.
"Yeah? I'm sure Uther wouldn't be pleased if he knew you were here." He reasoned, shrugging his shoulders a little too.

"What do you want?"

[Nimueh Aleines]

Feeling all too out of her comfort zone, Nimueh took a deep breath and once more looked up out of the corner of her eye. Nothing. Not the whisper of a wing, nor the graze of a warm, smoke filled breath wafting down from above. She knew the beat was up there, so why, with all their collective power of foresight had neither of them predicted this? Perhaps the Dragon had and had just kept it to himself, betraying beast.

Unclenching her teeth, the witch dug her nails in to her palm, switching stress points so that she could talk. She would not let herself appear caught or surprised. Though, the fact that Merlin had caught her like this DID surprise her. It was clear he didn't even know quite what he had managed. His arm was quite clearly shaking as he stood before her but his voice was clear and strong. Clever boy.

"Uther will know soon enough. I don't think it would be wise for you to go and tell tall tales to the king, though. Would it, Merlin? You spent far too much time in trouble for him to over look you for much longer."

Her frightening tactics usually worked, though she felt like she would have to pull much more from up her sleeve to really impact on Merlin. She raised her eyebrow as Merlin's face stiffened for a fraction in concentration, an almost give away of telepathy. How sweet it was to watch, like a baby taking its first steps, Merlin was learning quickly, but still learning never the less.

"I came to talk to an old friend. I wanted to see what impact those chains have had on him all these years. It seems you're having more luck than I. Perhaps I shall go and reaquaint myself with dear Gaius instead..."

[The Dragon]

The Dragon shifted his position on his rough perch, an insignificant plume of dust resulting from the motion and crumbling down into the crevasse below. He stood now, his gaze fixated on the rocky sky of his destined dome as he considered his options, or rather, reconsidered and reassembled within the never-ending processes of his mind. He had always been more allured by the prospect of analyzing life and its many folds but his imprisonment only accentuated that aspect of his personality, shaping him into a remarkable example of self-sufficiency and introversion.

He could perceive the sound and meaning of Merlin’s words and it surprised him that the young warlock had instinctively, non-verbally managed to transport his thoughts, for the Dragon could never believe that Merlin, of all people, had managed to rationally figure out the mental procedure that accompanied the practice. He looked down from his position and then leaped, with practiced care off of it, his massive wings assuring his gentle but strident landing upon the rocky formation which represented his usual conversational position.

He found it unnecessary to answer Merlin, for his actions spoke for him and he looked in their general direction, his gaze calm, his head held high and his general appearance presenting his observational presence. His eyes narrowed only briefly as he caught Nimueh’s gaze, a hard to notice change, but one he hoped she could at least sense before he spoke, not for the cave, not for Merlin’s ears, but for her consciousness “You have grown careless.”

[Merlin Myrddin]

The threat, if anything only made his shoulders straighten in steely deturmination. He'd let himself be tricked by her before and he felt more the need to prove himself smarter than either she or the Dragon gave him credit for. Yet unreasonably, a shiver of fear rocked him. Even he knew secrets couldn't last forever, someone would find out eventually, someone would be able to tear about his poorly constructed story and march him to his death. He inhaled sharply and summoned the strength he had grown into since his arrival here.

"He doesn't know about my magic though." True enough though it was, it was a silly comment. How could he possibly know if Uther knew about her magic? She seemed to hate Uther more than anyone else, yet that didn't necessarily mean that he knew anything about her or her hatred.

As the Dragon refused to answer him, he stared back at Nimeuh, both in trepidation on her plans and out of sheer need to show her he could look an enemy in the eye. Finally the ruffle of movement followed by dust answered his question. The unmistable sound of the dusty air hitting on the solid wings of his giant companion and then the final gental thud of the animal touching down on the resting perch at the opening of the tunnel. He listened to it's words and wasn't sure whether they were aimed at him or her until he looked toward it.

The Dragon was definitely glaring at the older witch. Merlin's care was not for the repitile though. She had threatened Gaius now and that was more frightening than any King. He could not let his friend and father-figure die because of him.
Yet no words seemed to come to him and he simply glared, fists clenched and waited for one of the two to speak up and remind him what words should sound like.

[Nimueh Aleines]

Nimueh breathed in a lung full of dusty air and sighed it back out with a look of indifference as she turned towards the Dragon. Between Warlock and Dragon, it was like a regular little gathering of their kin. If only she could find a way to smooth out the wrinkles in their little...family.

"Careless? You would say that. Circumstances have forced my hand. I cannot wait any longer. "

She glanced at Merlin and gestured towards the torch he was holding.

"Doesn't your arm ache, Merlin? Why don't you let me help you with that, áflíete ."

The torch tugged out of Merlin's grip and floated in front of him, still within his reach if he wanted it back. She had no interest in really helping him unless he was going to help her but a small display of potential civil behavior couldn't hurt. She ahd tried to kill him after all, she might need to win him back a bit. He did make it so difficult with his glaring and fist clenching when she threatened him friends though.

She could still feel the hot glare of the Dragon's eyes boring in to her back.

"If I am careless, then you are just as much so. Judge me if you will, but are you not leaving the same disturbance? He's too young and you know that, yet still you call him."

"Uther may be many things, but he is not stupid. There will come a time when he will no longer over look your foolishness for mental affliction. Of course, it would only take a little whisper in his ear to sow the seed in his head. I don't suppose you know why he has such a hatred for magic...?" A grin, almost a smirk, came to her lips, though she prepared herself in case she angered the Dragon with what she was threatening to tell the young magician.

[The Dragon]

After Nimueh spoke the Dragon gave her a look of utter scrutiny, his eyes never leaving her figure. His gaze was slowly turning into one of pure obscurity, no flicker there to light any hint of emotion. He had known this would happen, after all, even he was growing impatient, but there was too much at stake to throw away for the ever-growing desire to see ones needs satisfied, needs so deeply suppressed that they threatened to drive their host to insanity the moment control submitted to their fervent lust.

And yet, he still had control. His eyes bore into Nimueh, searching to determine the level of her own before he spoke, his words coming in leveled for both of them to hear. “You can and you will.” it sounded little like a masked request, and more like a demanding statement. His eyes flicked to Merlin as the torch was drawn away from him, but he didn’t seem concerned, merely interested in the young warlock’s reaction. His mind, however, reached out to grab her attention and hers alone again and this time he sounded a lot more urgent than he would have speaking out loud.

“Don’t be foolish, you know as well as I that he is the only one who can restore that which once was. It is his destiny, not yours, and not mine… no amount of impatience will bring change, only ruin.” his great eyes turned back to look upon her “Uther shall find his end, only then can Merlin bring about change. We need him.” He huffed only slightly, as if the unspoken fact burdened him greatly, but he soon regained his steely composure.

His eyes flickered with brief determination, and his words seemed resolute and this time, suggestive as he kept her under his passionate gaze “Uther must die.” Then the fury of his gaze dimmed as it swept across the scene, stopping on Merlin. “Everything has a cause, even Uther’s blind hatred, he suffers from his own greed, from his own inability to accept his destiny, nor the destinies of those who surround him. In the end, we are all bound to our fates.”

He between them then, his disposition unrevealing again. Nimueh could ruin a lot this day, but she could still prove useful. Now all that remained to do was watch, and see, if she could surpass her distress and cunningly pursue her interests, or if she too, like so many others, would dig her own grave and put an end to her future, sooner than was planned, sooner than was necessary.

[Merlin Myrddin]

He felt immediately like he was between a middle of a war that he didn't understand. A war he couldn't actually see but could feel with every fibre of his being. These two knew one another and he did not know what that relationship meant. Did they share a common goal? The imprisoned and the banished? They were both feared and he suspected for the same reason. Both represented magic and powerful magic at that. It felt like Camelot housed the ghosts of all the evils in the world. Like a hushed secret they no one could utter. Gaius had paled at the mention of her and Uther seemed more sinister than ever. He doubted even Arthur knew what whispers were caught in the high stoned walls of the castle. His blue eyes flicked nervously between the two until the Dragon's booming tone echoed around them in waves. It didn't make any more sense than the silence. If anything he presumed they'd been talking telepathically. That unnerved him, his ally and his enemy keeping yet more secrets from him.

He was about to voice his concerns when she turned to him. The sudden courtesy made his brow raise in a way that would have made Gaius proud. Before he could even say anything the torch was hovering about him. He watched it with morbid fascination and waiting for the other shoe to drop. She was bound to change tactics and attack him now. Nothing happened and he un-tensed just a little. He had his magic, which would suffice.

It annoyed him that parts of the conversation seemed to be spoken aloud whilst others remained securely in their heads. It was like they were taunting him, reminding him that they were more powerful and could do what they liked to him. His breath caught as he watched them. Then he realised, some of what had been said was meant for him, not the Dragon. She was right, Uther would figure it out. He glared at her, shaking his head. "Don't." She'd ruin everything. He frowned, looking up at the Dragon as he spoke aloud once more. It made as much sense as his last comment, why did he insist on speaking in riddles?

---

OMG, have I told you how awesome you two are? You should do more threads, it's so fun to read. I should read it more often. They should have kept Nimueh around long enough for this. Epicness.

[Nimueh Aleines]

Though she remained tall and strong in posture, her will deflated somewhat at the discouraging from her kin. Like it or not, they were all bound and it would be much eaiser and wiser to have the Dragon at least a neutral force even if they couldn't win each other over at that time. She had been so sure when she had arrived. Now there was doubt in the air, thick and choking like the hold she'd like to have around Uther Pendragon's neck. Perhaps the Dragon was right. A slight change in plan might make for better results. She fixed Merlin with her own eyebrow raise.

"Don't? Now that almost sounded like an order. Perhaps you've been spending too much time around Camelot's dear Prince..."

The glaring and obvious effort to keep that sense of half confusion, half curiosity at what they were talking about was endearing to her. The boy had done well to last with such patience as he had, trying to discern what was going on right in front of him. Though she continued to stare straight into Merlin's eyes, she made her answer to the dragon.

"Whatever happens now, it cannot undo the past. Have you started to rust along with those chains? Do you forget why you were put here? You are correct, it is his destony, not ours but the future you speak of it too far away. We must set things in motion."

"Listen to our friend, Merlin," she spoke aloud, her face softening slightly. "If there is one thing that we all must suffer, it is Uther's hatred. Even now as you live under his roof, you are vulnerable to it. All we seek is a way to lift that hatred. I could tell you of times when magic was celebrated and welcomed in castle and kingdom. Wouldn't you like to know what that is like? Wouldn't you like to know what caused that black cloud over the castle?"

She let her eyes fall upon the Dragon's face, searching for some kind fo change, a flash on the eyes, the raise of a scale like the arch of a scorned cat's spine. For his consciousness only she dared make a proposal.

"Uther must die. On that we agree, but taking just Uther and leaving the heir on the throne unprepared could be just as precarious. They must both be prepared.
We may need the boy but he will never put enough trust in us this way, you must convince him that he needs you too."

Nimueh looked about her for a moment, the torch still burning bright and serene in the darkness, illuminating dust particles as they dances and spun past their faces.

"Tell me, Merlin. Do you study that old book as you want, or do you curl over it whenever possible for a glance and practice? Gaius spent many hours over tha book himself, you know."

She gestured with her fingers and the torch moved closer to her as she located a large rock at the edge of the precepice, which she lowered herself to sit upon.

"Your foresight reaches further than mine, tell me, do you see what you want to see or is this destony you speak of a far cry from what we had before? They will never accept us as we once were. There are others who could help us...There is perhaps someone closer to the king than we could get with Merlin. She is already showing signs of development, her magic is strong, ready to burst forth."

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Sorry for the delay! Nimueh has been playing hard to get.

[The Dragon]

The Dragon lifted his massive jaw slightly as Nimueh addressed him anew. If she would look deep enough and let her mind free to wander and touch his disposition she would find he was rather amused by her words and the tone of her unuttered voice, disposition which quickly crumbled and left behind nothing but his disappointment and understanding. When he once more reached out for her consciousness and hers alone his tone was a condescending and observant one, his words a statement more than a suggestion.

“You speak with thought of the future yet you still cling to motives of the past. That is what prevents you from envisioning a prosperous future, that is what make you so impatient. Despite having the means to physically outlast this period of oppression you show nothing but signs of the rust you believe has conquered my resolve. Perhaps you were referring to yourself all along, without even realizing it, forever not looking deep enough to notice you are projecting your own fears and insufficiencies onto others?”

They did not have the power to set things in motion, that much had been made evident to him during his days of trying to sway Merlin into submitting to his goals and push him along the path of his destiny. The only thing he, as someone Merlin required in order to reach the peak of his own potential, could do, was orientate the young warlock’s efforts and make sure the day of magic’s liberation would indeed come to see the light of day once more. Perhaps the weight of his wings had grown over the years and the level of his own patience and wisdom was dulled by the lingering dark and the impossibility of living in communion with nature and breathe the fresh air of spring, but he would not act rashly, he could not crush his only chance of escaping his current position. Not for Uther, not for the innocent and not for Nimueh.

He listened patiently to her words but they sounded like the teasing last resource of a drowning cat left to wander the seas on the broken door of a too old ship. He could not blame her attempt, however, as he before had tried to show Merlin the truth of Uther’s existence but had hit the hard brick wall of youthful idealism that was the young sorcerer. He needed time, time to grow, that much they agreed.

“There will come a time Uther will show you what his fear will bring. There will come a time you will have no choice but to act accordingly and forsake your own purity in order to accomplish what so many others cannot, but that time has not come, and no amount of transcending into past’s events will offer you the insight and realistic understanding of what others before you have already experienced.”

He looked to Nimueh and dismissed her anxiety. “Uther’s destiny is to perish. A time comes for all of us to abandon this struggle with or without achieving our goals.” He gave her a meaningful overlook. “And fortunately enough, that time we can all determine by our own actions.” He made a pause before continuing. “The boy has no choice but to come to me, he is not strong enough, he will come to face perils he cannot overcome alone, and then my opportunity shall present itself. As for Morgana, her role in this tale is minor, she does not have the power to take upon herself the tasks that will be designed only for him. As much as I know you would like to pull at any vague thread that is within your reach, you must wait.” His gaze intensified “Or fail to and perish.”

He left his last words linger in the already stuffy atmosphere of this conversation, satisfied that he had made his point. What Merlin thought of this, he did not concern himself with too badly. Even if he would stop having faith in his reasons and decisions nothing could change the fact Merlin needed him.

[Merlin Myrddin]

Perhaps he was spending too much time around Arthur but he was sure of one thing, he'd be willing to beg on bended knee to stop her outing him. The last thing he needed now was for this whole destiny lark to being completely ruined before he'd even had a real chance at it, besides; Arthur got attacked something like every week, Merlin had no idea how the man possibly survived before that magical interception or how he'd survive after it. Not that Nimueh revealing him made much sense, weren't they supposed to be on the same side? Did they both want the same thing; a fair and just kingdom in which they could be appreciated for their magical ability? As she looked at him, he urged himself to maintain the eye contact. He didn't want to be the first to turn away, he felt like it was a way of proving himself; despite not knowing what he was trying to prove.

He still had the eerie sense that they were talking and it angered him to no ends that he wasn't able to hear or understand it. There were no secrets back in Ealdor. Well, except his obviously, he supposed people had their own private secrets such as he had, but nobody kept secrets like the people in Camelot. Here, everyone was a closed book, diverting eyes and running for the hills if ever someone dared to ask unasked questions. Did anyone know what had happened for the purge to have started? Nimueh apparently knew and he was dying to inquire but that was just what she wanted, besides. She was a liar; could he trust anything out of her mouth? Except, by saying that he really was starting to sound like Arthur: 'You can't trust a word out of a sorcerer's mouth'. He sighed inwardly, was there a difference in a sorcerer and a sorcerer who had actively tried to kill him once and had left Arthur hanging by his finger tips on a ledge, whilst fighting off spiders.

He grit his teeth, looked toward his so called friend in all of this and silently begged for it to say something useful, something that would enlighten him to the current situation. As usual the dirty great beast had nothing. This whole thing was growing steadily more tedious and he had no idea what he was supposed to do. They were talking about purity in a way that made him think back to the time the Dragon would have seen him let Uther die, once again by Nimueh's doing. He didn't want to be a part of this, he felt like he was conspiring to kill... Not something he wanted a part of. Yet these were the people who held all the answers. They knew everything, or appeared to know everything about Camelot and his damned destiny. He'd have been long gone if he had thought nothing for Arthur would have come out of this meeting.

"I want to know." He uttered, almost afraid to voice it but gave his consent for her to tell all. Merlin felt his throat constrict, a sign of terror. He knew at least he'd know something, whether it was based lies or not. "But I won't simply believe you... I don't trust you." He felt it needed to be said and gave a small nod of his head as he spoke.

As she mentioned his book he felt himself tense again. He had guessed Gaius knew magic, why else would he have had the book in the first place? Yet it was hard to imagine his scientist guardian hunched over a book of spells and magic. It seemed almost unreal in his imagination. As she sat on the perch he moved to the edge also and slowly sat down, legs dangling beneath him as he stared at the depth of the drop below him. Curiosity was a terrible thing. He wished there was another way to answer the many questions going around his head rather than relying on the words of a murderer.

[Nimueh Aleines]

"Would you have time draw back on itself? To finally have freedom and the sunrays on your skin once more to have it taken away? You are the last of your kind. If this boy is unprepared for his own destiny, if he knows nothing of the past which refelcts so strongly still now, would you risk a blundering mistake and have everything we have worked hard for spiral into nothing?"

It was true, of course she held onto the past so tightly, it was all she had left of life for the years since Arthur's birth could hardly be called living. Though she did not wear unbreakable chains she was exiled from everything that was once her heart and home. The past and the urge to do something to prevent the future from continuing like this, for was tomorrow not the future too? History had a tendency to repeat itself, to circle back and bite with a cold and bitter sting.

"How can you call me impatient? You have been calling him down to you since he first arrived. We have both waited for so long, impatience is nothing now. But perhaps you are right. Perhaps it is the signs of rust which spur me now. I mean no hinderance to the restoration of magic, nor do I ignore that Merlin is the only one who can return it to the land. He will listen of magic, but will Arthur when the time comes? The boy needs to know so he can convince his king."

Nimueh's forehead pinched with concentration, her own thoughts and those of the dragon, as well as the mental decisions to be made. Should she reveal Uther's hatred of magic as being the fault of Arthur's birth? As far as she could see it woudl be the very best thing to set everything in motion but though she was reluctant to admit, the dragon knew it could change what was not meant to be changed.

"I don't expect you to,"she snapped quite uncharacteristically at Merlin. A deep breath helped recompose her and she cast her eyes to the dragon, weary that what she was about to say might anger him after all his warnings, but she vowed to them both that she would not give away more than neccessary to create a little curiosity within Merlin.

"Merlin," she began, her features loosing all signs of taunt and cruel humour. She looked serious but not threatening, in fact as she recalled memories of Gaius as a young man reading aloud to her from the book that was now in Merlin's posession, she looked almost vulnerable. "There was a time when the dragon and I were welcome here. When Gaius and I worked together, I taught him many things. I advised Uther on all things magic and I was...the Queen's friend. We were useful back then, wanted and looked up to."

She turned to the dragon wondering if he might add something or indeed take away from it, use more warnings, tell merlin perhaps not to listen or to trust even less.

"Uther will die. Of that we will both make sure. He will continue to come to you whether he wants to or not, that is true, but the girl. Do you not sense her growing? Don't you know what she is capable of? I have seen...interesting things. Possibilities. She could be a means to an end, or an end to our means if we do not follow her."

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I'm sorry, I totally didn't realise this thread had been updated so long ago! *headesk*

[The Dragon]

Humans, in all his years he could count on his claws the number of such representatives of their species show actual purpose and value for the world as a whole. The rest of them, the greater majority inspired both disgust and pity within him. They were always too sentimental, too rash, too interested in anything and everything they wanted and did. Of course, it was they nature so he could not blame any single one of them, but the truth stood and one alone: his freedom was in their hands and he had no one to blame, not even himself. A time like this had to come for the powers that be had deemed it right and none could oppose them.

He looked over to Merlin and measured the young Sorcerer and knew. One day he would know more than he had bargained for and there would be no one to help him then and he too would have to know what it is like to be chained to a situation he had not requested and couldn’t come out of. On his other side there was Nimueh and she too was as unremarkable as any human he had ever seen. He listened to her fears, her scolding and urgings with little care and yet not complete disregard. She still had a role to play and however the world spun the Dragon knew his own.

“He will be prepared whether he wishes it or not” the Dragon explained, content to watch her as the impatient creature that she was. “And no amount of pushes will speed the natural pace of time” he glanced back to Merlin, knowing there was no helping it, her. Right now she was gazing upon her own limit and trying desperately to carve another line into the stone of her own life and push herself over the previous one. Like any who did such, she would find out too late that this step was like throwing yourself into a deep pit and hoping you can walk on air and to the other side.

“Arthur will” the Dragon told Nimueh, “Arthur will play a role more vital than you or I will ever know and he needs no preparation, for his own self will not allow him to step back or away from the path truest towards restoring balance” he added and stared ahead, towards Merlin. If anyone’s future shined brightly and truly it was Arthur’s. The Dragon believed in the sheltered Prince who was fast learning of the injustice in the land, the problems were others and varied.

The Dragon narrowed his eyes just slightly at Nimueh, unsure of how desperate she was growing. She could not force the pace, no matter how much she wished it so. Growth and understanding were gifts only time could offer and her time was ending, she was seeing to it personally. He, on the other hand, said nothing. There was much to be gained from personal silence and he was going to profit from it fully. All that remained was to hear what she had to say, what she believed could do more for the boy than his constant supervision.

The Dragon exhaled slightly and leaned down on the perch he was so used to sitting atop. Surely Merlin did not know all of the details, but he could have figured half? The young warlock should have been told that there was a time magic was not feared but embraced as the natural part of life that it was. “Magic is and always will be a part of you Merlin, and as you are a part of the world, so will magic continue being one as well” he added, in all his relaxed appearance after Nimueh’s words.

No distress or hostility came from him in reply to her words. Merlin and Arthur both would find out eventually, it was impossible to understand otherwise and yet, it would prove to be of less use than if it never came up at all.

“You do realize that if you share the entire story with him, you would just be excusing Uther’s behavior even further, do you not?” he questioned her, looking as unmoved as ever. After all, he was not the one who would be showered in unfavorable colors should a certain warlock find out she was the essential link between a time which welcomed magic and a time that suddenly banned it. Her current predicament was much deserved, if he could say so himself and if she wished to make it all the worse, he had no word against it.

“It is best if the witch does not dwell on the possibilities of her powers, as such, we cannot contact her or bring her closer to her own abilities in any way” he told Nimueh. Morgana was of little consequence, for his own purposes at least. The longer she remained ignorant, the better. The Dragon almost smiled inwardly, there were some uses to Uther it seemed.

He could wait and his eyes shined for it. One day, his patience and continual support would bring him back to a world that had thrown him in chains, and then a new Era would begin, with him, and not Nimueh, a free being.