The Great Purge

16. The Last Dragonlord

As time went on, the death toll continued to grow, and Nimueh became something of an outcast amongst her own people.
Even those who did not all the details about what happened, blamed her, because she had been close to Uther, before his turn against magic, so they felt that it must be her fault.
It wasn't just ordinairy sorcerers who were being slaughtered. Many of Nimueh's own friends and high priestesses had been murdered too.
The dragonlords, along with their dragons had also been wiped out, and Nimueh believed that there would be no more dragons ever again. That was until she heard that a lone dragonlord had been invited to Camelot by Uther. So she planned to intercept him before he got there.

"Who goes there?" Shouted a male voice.
Nimueh stepped out from behind the trees and faced the man who had been warming his hands by the fire until he heard her approaching.
"Don't be afraid. I mean you no harm" promised Nimueh, revealing herself to him.
"My lady" replied the man as he lowered his head respectfully, when he realised that she was a high priestess.
"There's no need for that any more, dragonlord, not when my kind is all but extinct" sighed Nimueh.
The man nodded his head sadly, before sitting back down on a log beside his fire.

"What is your name sir?" Asked Nimueh, as she stepped closer, enjoying the heat that was being emmitted from the fire.
"Balinor, my lady. And you are?" Quizzed Balinor curiously.
"Nimueh" she replied.
Balinor raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, which Nimueh was grateful for.
"Well, how can I help you, Nimueh?" Balinor questioned.
"You're headed to Camelot" stated Nimueh.
"Yes"
"To speak with the king"
"Yes"
"Well I want to know why?".

"The king wants my help" revealed Balinor.
"Why on earth would he want help from someone like us, after everything he's done?" Nimueh asked.
"He wants to make amends".
Nimeuh laughed, "Make amends? It's a bit late for that. You are the last of your kind because of him. There are no more dragons left. And very soon there will be no more sorcerers left either".
"There was never that many dragonlords to begin with"
"That makes no difference. He has had over 200 people killed. He is a monster".

"I know he has done unspeakable things. But he wants to make peace with me and the last dragon" admitted Balinor.
"Wait, I thought there weren't any dragons left" replied Nimueh.
"There is one. His name is Kilgharrah, and I know where he lives. He's actually one of the wisest of his kind, that I have ever met"
"And you're going to give this information to Uther?"
"Not exactly. I think the king wants me to bring Kilgharrah to him, since I'm the only one who can control him"
"Are you insane? Why would you do this? We're at war, or have you forgotten that? In fact, we're losing the war. Uther is the enemy, remember"
"If there is a chance for peace between us and him, then I must give it a go".

"You can't make peace with Uther. He cannot be trusted" informed Nimueh firmly.
"The king could've killed Kilgharrah, like he's done with the rest of the dragons, but he hasn't. Uther wants this creature alive, he does not want to commit genocide to such a magnificent species" replied Balinor.
"Did you not hear what I said? Uther cannot be trusted. Whatever deal you think you've made with him, he will break his side of the bargain, it's what he does"
"I have to give Uther a chance. Besides, Kilgharrah is very angry right now, and I fear for those in Camelot, because he wants revenge. Which is why I need to help Uther make peace with him. It's more than just my life on the line. And I'm willing to take this risk"
"Then you really are crazy".

"Maybe. But I was invited to Camelot by an old friend of mine, not by Uther. And I do not want to let my friend down" admitted Balinor.
"Who is this friend of yours?" Questioned Nimueh.
"His name is Gaius" answered Balinor.
Nimueh's eyes narrowed as she frowned and stepped away from Balinor.
"People who try to help Uther because of their friendship with that physician, never end up in a good place... Take it from someone who knows" she said quietly.
"Just because you failed with Uther, it does not mean that I will" replied Balinor.
Nimueh clenched her fists angrily, "You want to help you new best friend Uther, then be my guest. Just don't come crying to me when everything comes crashing down around you".

Nimueh was right about Uther double-crossing Balinor.
The second the dragonlord brought Kilgharrah into Camelot, the dragon was chained up and taken down below the castle, while Balinor was thrown in a cell.
True to her word, Nimueh did not lift a finger help him.
And even though Gaius managed to free Balinor from Uther's clutches, Nimueh made no attempt to rescue Kilgharrah or track Balinor down.
She would not help anyone who chose Uther over her.