Chapter Text
Reason #1: There is no reason to believe a dragon is Camelot.
Arthur had heard the reports, of course. Like fairytales or campfire stories they zipped across the castle among servants and knights alike. At first he paid no mind to it - especially after hearing the word ‘dragon’ uttered in hushed tones. As far as he was concerned, the last dragon had been slain years ago by Arthur himself.
So it was quite some time before he paid any heed towards the rumors that shot across the castle. Really, the only reason he was dissuaded from this line of thinking at all was the fact the dragon was sitting in front of him.
“Merlin…” Arthur said as he slowly started to reach for his sword. “Don’t…move…”
“No, no, no! Arthur, it’s alright!” Merlin said as he moved (because obviously he ignored Arthur’s orders and moved) in front of the desk where the creature was currently sitting. “She’s just saying hello!”
“That’s a dragon,” Arthur informed him. So it appeared he had not slain the last one. Well. He could rectify that fairly quickly. After all, this one wasn’t much bigger than an owl. Surely one strike would send it to its demise. Merlin looked over his shoulder for a moment. Arthur wanted to yank him away from it. Why wasn’t he running for cover like he always did at the slightest hint of danger?
“No, it isn’t,” Merlin said, still shuffling between the point of Arthur’s sword and the dragon.
There was a pause.
“Yes, it is.”
“No.” Merlin shook his head. “It…uh, is not…A dragon.”
“Then what the Hell is it?!” Arthur asked, not letting his eyes drift away from the fire breathing demon. Yeah. That was definitely a dragon. Merlin clicked his tongue before also staring behind him.
“It is…a…bird…”
There was another pause.
“You’re really sticking with that?”
“I am, thank you.”
Arthur pursed his lips and peered over Merlin’s shoulder. The ‘bird’ had no feathers. Only white scales that gleamed in the sunlight and four legs with claws rather than talons. Bright eyes latched onto him and the creature made a very croaky screech before flapping its wings in excitement.
"You cannot convince me that’s a bird,” Arthur said dryly. Normally, he might forego this argument and shove Merlin to the side to get to the danger, but considering this dragon wasn’t attacking... Well, he might receive less grief to humor the idiocy for now.
"Yep. It is. Ask Gaius."
He had to be joking. Arthur often said that Merlin was dumb, but this was next level. Perhaps he had been cursed? Enchanted? Maybe he had a concussion? Merlin gave a weak smile.
"Alright," Arthur said and lowered his sword slightly. "Go get Gaius."
Merlin hesitated.
"You get Gaius.”
"I’m not leaving you alone with that thing," Arthur said with gritted teeth. "Just - move out of the way!”
"I thought we were getting Gaius?”
"Merlin!" Arthur hissed and used his free hand to bang loudly on the wall behind him. "GUARDS! BRING GAIUS IN HERE!" he shouted. There was the sound of running that let him know that at least somebody was heeding his orders. He glanced back up to see Merlin trying to mutter something to the dragon only to stop and grin when he saw Arthur watching.
"I love birds," he added as an explanation.
It had been years since Merlin had been in the stocks, but Arthur was starting to wonder if maybe they should put the practice back into place when Gaius finally came.
Arthur’s life only got harder from there.
"You’re joking," he said when the physician backed away with a stoic nod. "Gaius, that is not a bird-"
"It is quite a common mistake, sire," Gaius explained - or, well, it wasn’t an explanation because this wasn’t a bird, but whatever. "Aithusa birds have quite dragon-like appearances. That’s why they are so rare. Many hunt them thinking they are dangerous when in reality they are docile when kept under control," he added with a sharp look towards Merlin.
The servant snorted as if amused by the news. "Aithusa birds, yes," He agreed.
Arthur couldn’t believe this was happening to him. "Sounds like a good bird to hunt. Merlin move.”
"What?! Arthur-"
"That’s an order!" he snapped out, frustration rising. The Aithusa or whatever merely peeked it’s head out from behind Merlin to give a small squeak. He wasn’t sure why it didn’t just fly away. Surely it knew Arthur would kill it? And it could definitely fly...That’s how it had gotten in here.
"It’s you!"
Arthur froze. No fucking way. Slowly, he turned to see Gwen standing in the doorway with a bright smile as she pushed past all of them to pat the dragon on its head. Even Merlin seemed frozen in shock as Gwen began to coo.
"Um... you know this...bird?" Merlin asked, glancing at Gaius. Gwen rose her eyebrows for a moment before looking at Arthur.
"Bird?" she asked and when Merlin gave a sharp clear of his throat simply shrugged. "Oh. Yes. Bird. Well, sometimes when you are all gone for quests or hunting she comes by and keeps me company! She is wonderfully helpful with chores," she added and kissed the top of the dragon’s head.
"Guinevere, that isn’t a bird," Arthur sighed and this time it was Gaius who clicked his tongue in a disapproving manner.
Gwen blinked a few times before her eyes landed to the sword in Arthur's hand back to the physician. Finally, she nodded. "Sure it is!" she said as Merlin turned to look at the dragon with wide eyes.
"You know Gwen? Aithusa, how?"
Arthur wasn't sure what he expected.
Reason #2: If there is a reason to believe a dragon is in Camelot - do not fight it. Gather more information first to learn its various weaknesses.
It turns out Gwen wasn't the only one familiar with the dragon - or Aithusa as everyone had taken to calling it. Merlin was especially fond of talking to it as if the thing could actually understand him. Which meant that Arthur had to listen to his steadily rising panic when they found out more people knew her.
"Oh, yeah," the baker said when the dragon flew by the castle's window one afternoon as Arthur was trying various breads. "The lil' gal helps to make sure my ovens stay warm," he smiled. "You wouldn't think one of her kind could be so sweet," he added fondly with a small snicker. "Damn near gave my wife a heart attack."
"Her kind?" Arthur said, sitting up straighter with a glance towards Merlin. "And what is that exactly?"
"The king doesn't believe Aithusa is a bird," Merlin immediately jumped in.
Arthur turned to scowl at him. "I don't remember inviting you into this conversation," he said coolly and Merlin stared back with his face completely void of anything.
"Apologies, my lord. I just wanted to clear up the matter since you are so determined to kill dragons," he added pointedly to the baker. Arthur groaned and turned away. Next time this nonsense came up he was definitely making sure Merlin was far away. Perhaps the dungeons. Maybe he should just forever be in the dungeons from now on. Seemed fair.
"Oh," the baker blinked. "I... see. Well, she is a very beautiful, um, bird."
"Please don't take me for a fool, Alfred."
"I don't know what you mean, your majesty."
It only got worse from there. Merlin had tragically gotten to the knights before Arthur could...and he deeply suspected that Gwaine had also put word around Camelot about what was happening. Farmers praised the magnificent bird that defended their crops while jewelers gasped at the beautiful treasure Aithusa always seemed to find (side note: Arthur's vault was missing quite a few things).
"Tell me more about Aithusa birds," Arthur asked one day when the damned dragon had once again broken into his castle in an attempt to play with Merlin. It was always Merlin. Why did the damn thing like him so much? And also, why did Merlin like it so much? He had been around when the Great Dragon terrorized Camelot! How was he not terrified? It was awful because the thing never left his side so Arthur couldn't kill the damn thing without Merlin freaking out.
"Really?" Merlin asked skeptically. Arthur shrugged. "Well...They... Sometimes breathe fire," he said wryly after Aithusa sneezed so that smoke came out.
"Fascinating. Like dragons do?"
"No."
"My mistake," Arthur muttered and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do they also happen to prefer living in caves?" Aithusa sneezed again, this time catching the end of Arthur's curtains on fire. Merlin cursed, racing over to stomp at the flames as Arthur sighed. This was why he wanted to kill it. The thing was only going to grow and get more dangerous - but no it's too cute to kill and we're all going to pretend it's a fucking bird.
"No!" Merlin managed when he finally got the fire sorted. "Some might. Not this one. She prefers to be around people for whatever reason." He glared at Aithusa. "Even when she isn't supposed to be consorting with people and staying with another of her kind." Aithusa's eyes got impossibly wide before her head dipped down as if saddened by Merlin's words. "...didn't meant for that to sound so harsh. Sorry," he muttered.
"Did you just apologize to it?"
"No," Merlin lied and went about making Arthur's bed. "Oh! Actually, this is something really cool about, um... birds. Did you know that sometimes they could also breathe ice?" ge asked. Arthur rose a brow. "Not all of them have the ability and there are some that can only breathe ice, but I'm pretty sure she can do both fire and ice." He nodded towards Aithusa.
Arthur's heart sank. "...great," he whispered. Maybe he wasn't prepared to kill this dragon after all. He clearly didn't know a lot about them. "Are they capable of magic? Poisonous?"
"Teeth? No. Claws? Yes, if they puncture deep enough," Merlin told him absently. "They are creatures of magic but can't control it in the same way a sorcerer can."
"Does poison work on them then? Fire maybe?" Arthur tried, leaning forward. Aithusa paused in trying to catch her tail to squawk at him before collapsing dramatically to the ground. Merlin smiled at her before digging deep in his pocket and pulling out some dried meet. Arthur sighed. This was a damned dragon. It was a freaking dragon. He hated this.
"Nope. Only...Certain people can kill them."
Arthur wondered how his father had managed to kill so many dragons. A small voice whispered that he must have forced the dragonlords to kill them all before... Wait. a sudden realization seemed to settled uncomfortably in his stomach. Balinor. The Great Dragon. Perhaps the reason the dragon was kept alive at all was because that was the dragon Balinor was supposed to have killed, but then when the man escaped... Arthur didn't want to think about that. How horribly cruel it was. Besides, clearly dragonlords couldn't be the only ones to kill dragons because Arthur himself had killed one...and would also be killing this thing.
"And how do you know all of this?" he asked.
Merlin froze. Then, he turned to give Arthur the dopey smile he always gave when he was about to say something horribly stupid. "Aithusa told me!"
Arthur hated him.
Reason #3: People are very fond of the dragon. For some reason, they might be mad if you fight it.
"Good morning, Aithusa!"
"Hello there, little one!"
"Oh, she's gotten so big!"
"Does everyone in town know about her?" Arthur complained as the dragon soared high above. She had grown recently. It made Arthur incredibly nervous. Now she was about the size of foal rather than a dog. Merlin glanced up and shook his head.
"Apparently," he sighed "She keeps trying to make friends. I know I should order her to stop... but it makes her so happy."
Arthur snorted. As if Merlin could order that thing to do anything. Aithusa gave a pleased purring sound before diving sharply. Arthur tensed, hand jolting to the side of his horse where his crossbow sat only to pause when the dragon dropped a dead rabbit in front of a woman. Ah. So that had been what was in her mouth.
"Again?" the woman asked, leaning down to pick the rabbit up. "You're keeping me family and I much too well fed, Aithusa." She smiled and her eyes flicked to where Arthur was watching closely. "...you're a good bird."
This was just insulting.
Arthur bit his lip. This trust between his people and the dragon. It could be very dangerous. They wouldn't be on guard. They wouldn't expect Aithusa to attack. Children could be unsuspecting and go to play and -
"YOUR MAJESTY!"
"No, my lord! Don't!"
"Arthur!"
Arthur lowered the crossbow he had risen in frustration. Aithusa hadn't even moved when the thing was pointed at her. She merely gave a small mewling sound as Merlin immediately placed himself between Arthur and the dragon. A few of the towns people had also gasped and given horrified yells as they attempted to shield the dragon. Merlin glanced at them in surprise before turning back to Arthur.
"Please, sire. Put that away," he said, voice hardening into a tone that definitely sounded more commanding than Arthur would have ever pictured him using. Part of him wanted to snap back at him for using such tone. The other noticed the way the woman was holding the rabbit close to her chest and inwardly sighed. He placed the bow back into the bag. "Aithusa. Please go home." The dragon bristled. "I'll order you," he warned and the dragon gave what could have been a growl before launching itself into the air once more.
"You have a way with birds," one man frowned and Merlin flushed.
"It, uh...takes practice," he smiled weakly with a shrug. "Also, I'm very lucky. Ask the king. I'm always surviving things I shouldn't." The group all turned to Arthur at once. He wondered vaguely what his life had come to. He liked that his people were so comfortable around him, but at the same time he wondered what his father would say about commoners all daring to look upon a noble without averting their eyes.
"It's true. He should have died long ago," Arthur admitted. Merlin gave them all a bright smile before walking over to throw a leg up on his horse and move forward to follow Arthur.
Silence followed.
"How do you control it?" Arthur finally asked when they had ridden more towards the woods.
Merlin hummed. "Lucky, I suppose."
"Really?"
"What's your theory then? That I'm some sort of bird whisperer?" he chuckled and Arthur tilted his head, looking back at the servant with consideration. Maybe... It was impossible but...
"You said you didn't know your father, right?" he asked. Merlin blinked. Immediately his face darkened before giving a grumble of confirmation and shrugging. Arthur hummed. Maybe one of those dragonlords that his father had hunted down... Hm. The thought wasn't pleasant. But Merlin had once been friends with that Will boy who was a sorcerer... Maybe there was an unknown kinship there. Not to mention how upset he was after seeing Balinor die after only knowing him for a day. Did magic cause you to form immediate connections like that?
He really hated it. He did. Merlin wasn't magic. He didn't harbor any connections to dragons.
But if he did... Well, maybe it was safer for Arthur to avoid him figuring that out. If he could just kill the damn thing then they wouldn't need to worry. Merlin's mind couldn't be poisoned by dragons if there were no dragons, right? Right.
"My lord?" Merlin finally asked after a few more minutes of silence. Arthur sighed (really, hunting was impossible with him anyways) before nodding for him to continue. Merlin didn't say anything though. Arthur turned to find the servant looking at him with sharp eyes. His lips were pressed together. Jaw clenched. It was a sort of seriousness that was rare on the man. Arthur usually only saw it in face of danger or tragedy. "I..." he began and stopped. Arthur waited. "I hope you know she's here to protect you," he said slowly and fixed Arthur with a hard look. "I have confidence that you would never harm anyone or anything that worked to protect you and your kingdom."
"You can't know a dragon's intentions."
"You, perhaps, cannot," Merlin said softly. Arthur took a sharp breath. "But it doesn't matter because Aithusa isn't a dragon anyways. She's a-"
"Don't you dare even say it."
Reason #4: Well... It is kind of cute when it threatens Arthur's enemies (and so was her dragonlord as it turns out)
"What the fuck is that?"
"That's our pet bird. Her name is Aithusa," Gwaine called across the field where the other army was shifting uncomfortably. Arthur's own army seemed unperturbed by the monstrosity that flown overhead... which sadly was not surprising. Aithusa circled above, not attacking, but still giving a rumbling roar that somehow shook the ground and had others clapping hands over their ears.
"You...you have... a..." the captain said. Arthur frowned. He was rather displeased that King Alined had not come himself to fight (instead sending only his generals and knights to lead this battle) but that didn't mean Arthur was going to fight unfairly.
"No," he said with a shake of his head. "She is a nuisance I've been trying to rid myself of for a few months now," he sighed.
Elyan sniffed. "Our king is not a fan of the bird. Even if she's been nothing but helpful."
"Shut up, Elyan."
"Yes, your majesty."
The captain frowned, glancing at where his army seemed to recoil - raising their shields in case Aithusa swooped down. Arthur really wasn't sure what his role was here. Did he suggest they continue this at a different time? She wasn't bothering his soldiers. It seemed unfair to fight like this. Then again, perhaps he should give his men the upperhand... No. No, that was wrong. Before he could spend more time mulling over this there was a screech and Aithusa suddenly dove down.
"Holy shit-" Someone yelled and the other army scattered. Aithusa wasn't coming for them though. In fact, she was getting precariously close to -
"Arthur-"
There was a flash of red and white before Arthur found himself on the ground with a dragon roaring above him. He yanked his sword out, rolling over in an attempt to defend himself only to realize the captain going white as he glanced over at one of Arthur's...one of... wait.
"Take off your helmet." Arthur said, getting up. The man Aithusa was growling at froze. He was wearing Camelot's colors and stood next to his men... but like he said before. Aithusa had never attacked one of his own before. "That's an order," he snapped and the man stumbled for a moment before yanking off the helmet to reveal someone Arthur definitely didn't know. Aithusa snapped her jaws. Slowly, Arthur turned to the captain. "I want you answer me honestly," he began and Aithusa quieted at the sound of his voice. "Is this one of your men you sent to kill me?" he asked him. Silence.
Well, it was silent until Aithusa threw her head up to the sky and roared once more. Everyone went scrambling back (except Gwaine who was giving delighted laughter at the chaos). Arthur glanced at her warily, sword rising in case he needed to defend himself. The dragon clawed at the ground, snorting as she turned as if to charge at the other men. Her wings rose and -
"Dragorn! Non didlkai," a voice yelled and Aithusa froze. "Kari miss, epsipass imall krat!" The voice continued and immediately people parted to make room from a flushed looking Merlin running up, heaving as he bent over to glower up at Aithusa. She gave a sniff and jerked her head towards the men. "Katostar abore ceriss. Katicur," he snapped and immediately her head bowed. Merlin rose his eyebrows. "Go on," he said and Aithusa sniffed before rising into the air once more, sending a burst of air around them so that sand and dirt rose to spray them all in the face before disappearing up into the sky.
There was several beats of silence where everyone turned to the servant. Merlin's eyes were fixed firmly on the ground, ignoring when people uncertainly rose their swords in his direction.
"Merlin," Percival finally said, glowering at the others as he stepped closer to his friend "I didn't know you could talk to birds."
A nervous chuckle filtered through.
"Shouldn't be a surprise," Gwaine added as he shuffled over as well. "He talks to trees too. I've heard him."
Merlin glanced at them in surprise. Arthur, however, was beginning to reevaluate his previous assumptions. It appeared that Merlin was very well aware that he was a dragonlord. Was this good or bad news? Well, Arthur could say with absolutely confidence... That he had no idea. None.
"Arthur..." Merlin said quietly and wrung his hands "I can explain-"
"WAIT!" someone else yelled and the group turned to one of his newer knights who was shoving his way forward. "If the servant dies does that mean Aithusa dies?" he asked and there was an immediate grumble.
"Oh," Merlin began with a frown. "Uh. Not rea-"
"You can't kill Aithusa!"
"She just saved the king's life!"
"We play fetch sometimes. She's a good bird."
"My lord, please-"
"Wow," Merlin said shortly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Really?"
Leon walked over to clap a hand on his shoulder. "We like you too, Merlin." He smiled and then glanced at Arthur. "Um...unless we...on't anymore?" he asked. Merlin spluttered. From Leon's other side, Elyan punched his arm.
"Leon, you snake!"
"I was joking!" he complained but that didn't stop Gwaine from trying to shove him away from Merlin.
The captain from before finally cleared his throat. "You know, we can just surrender," he said, raising both his hands up. "It... It looks like you have a lot on your plate anyways."
Arthur opened his mouth to respond but the man had already turned away with a call for his men to retreat.
Slowly, Arthur turned back to Merlin. "...you and I need to talk."
"Yeah," Merlin sighed, rubbing his arm. "I... Yeah, that's fair."
Reason #5: Refer to #1
"I don't understand."
Arthur shifted. Nobody told him how uncomfortable this damned throne was. Well... actually he did remember his father complaining once or twice, but one would think adding a few pillows would have resolved the issue. He turned to look at the visiting noble who was practically bursting with anger - face red and fists clench in an attempt to keep from yelling at the king.
"What is it that you don't understand, Lord Beckett?" Arthur asked patiently. The man spluttered for a few moments as he tried to gesture around vaguely only to more or less give a string of incoherent noises that left his knights snickering from behind him. To his right, Aithusa lifted her head from where she had been peacefully napping to also look at the noble (who immediately took a step back).
"It isn't even in chains? Your father... " Beckett started and took a long breath. "Your father would have never allowed a dragon of all things to prance freely about the castle. It's dangerous. Even with this so-called dragonlord you say is secretly within your service-"
"And his bedroom," Gwaine snickered. Arthur lifted a hand and Leon immediately grabbed the other man's arm to escort him out (to the dungeons hopefully). "Worth it," Gwaine whispered to where a horrified looking Merlin was standing by the doorway. Arthur gestured for the noble to continue.
"I... I just wish to express my concern - and the concern of many others - about such a dangerous creature," he nodded firmly and then (as if Arthur didn't grasp the situation) pointed to Aithusa. "Look at it!"
Ah... Arthur had been waiting for this moment. He glanced at Merlin before giving a subtle smirk.
"I do see your concern, my lord," he said, clearing his expression into one of stoicism. "My father was a wise man to rid us of most of the dragons. I, myself, have faced them and agree they are not creatures to be taken lightly." Beckett nodded, relief spreading through his features. "And if one should ever come to Camelot... I will deal with it accordingly."
Beckett blinked. "If - ? But..." he said and gestured once more to Aithusa. "Dragon," he said helplessly.
Arthur frowned and turned to follow his finger. Aithusa cocked her head.
"That?" he asked, jerking a thumb in her direction. Beckett nodded. "My lord, you must be mistaken. That's a bird."
It was so ridiculously stupid... but Merlin's laughter was worth it.