Merlyn's Only Hope

The Gates of Avalon P3

So far, Merlyn had a drugged prince in her care, a sidhe trying to kill said prince and, unsurprisingly, very high stress levels. It wasn't even noon yet; her day probably couldn't get much worse. Then again, as she headed towards the throne room, she had a feeling that things weren't about to improve.

Uther was standing before her, impatient, clearly with a lot weighing on his mind. Arthur's absence certainly wasn't helping things.

"Where is my son?" he asked, eying the servant with distaste. Since her appointment, the king hadn't tried to hide his feelings towards the servant. She wasn't sure what he had expected, seeing as she had got the position from saving Arthur's life, but apparently fighting alongside the knights, being generally rude to the nobility and occasionally saving his life were no way to get in his good books.

"I'm afraid, sire, that the prince has taken ill." she looked down at the dusty floorboards with mild sorrow, as if she wasn't the cause of his short coma.

"Then I suppose I shouldn't expect him at the knighting ceremony." the king sighed, running his hand through his hair.

Merlyn blinked, unable to believe her luck. She thought that it would take much more than the mere mention of illness to convince Uther that Arthur wasn't needed. At the very least, she had expected a trip to the stocks but evidently the king was feeling uncharacteristically reasonable. Maybe Sophia had enchanted him too.

"I would think not, my lord." she dipped her head in fleeting respect, fleeing from the room before the king changed his mind. It was hardly her best show of decorum, but niceties weren't exactly quite as important as saving the prince.

∆

There was one person, or creature, that Merlyn hadn't yet turned to in her hope to help rid Arthur of the enchantment. She still had a while until the prince awoke; she hoped to spend that time finding answers for her rather pressing problems.

"I haven't seen you in a while, young witch." Kilgharrah sort of smiled, showing off his long fangs, terrifying in a different light. "For what do I owe this pleasure?"

He was right, of course. When Merlyn had first arrived, she had come to learn more about her destiny, about the past, mostly when she couldn't sleep which, if she were honest, was more often than she liked. She was pretty sure that Gaius had snuck into the cave at some point when Edwin had visited but she certainly couldn't prove it and, if she were wrong, she didn't really fancy a lecture on the dangers of visiting a dragon.

"I need your help." she looked pleadingly up at the beast, noticing, not for the first time, the huge size of the creature. "Arthur's in danger."

If Kilgaragh could roll his eyes, then that is what he did. "Isn't he always?"

"He's been enchanted by a sidhe."

The great dragon frowned, adjusting his wings. "And what is the nature of this... Enchantment?"

"He thinks he's in love with her." Merlyn stared upwards, scouring the magnificent creature. His golden scales flickered in the dim light, but, as her eyes were drawn to his face, she realised the truth.

"The only way to break the spell is with true love's kiss." he stated, uncharacteristically forward with his answer, frowning at the young witch. He watched her mouth tumble open, as if she wanted to say something, but changed her mind at the last moment.

"But Arthur isn't in love with anyone." she muttered, hoping that their failure of a relationship wouldn't cost the prince his life.

"Perhaps not." Kilgharrah mused. "But I'm afraid there is no other way."