One Prison is much like another - part 23B
Author: 
archaeologist_d
Title: One Prison is much like another - part 23B
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Kilgharrah
Summary: Feeding the babies isn't all it's cracked up to be. Feels less like a noble calling and more like a nightmare come to life.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 1115
Camelot Drabble Prompt #598: Noble
Author’s notes: I know that Aithusa is born in the episode after Uther dies, but I am writing that Uther is still around, although he’s not all that aware of what is going on since Morgana’s betrayal. Arthur is regent in all but name. AU and all.
Disclaimer: I do not own the BBC version of Merlin; They and Shine do. I am very respectfully borrowing them with no intent to profit. No money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended.
---------------
It didn’t take long. The huge eel carcass was soon reduced to bone and a few bits of skin. The dragonets were slowly sinking back into the stone bowl where fabric and hay were still relatively clean enough although rapidly getting grimier by the moment, and arguing about who had the best spot. Once in a while, Bremon let out a belch, a smoky bit of air and stink, then finally closed his eyes. That was until Lailaps, that little whirlwind, decided to walk across Bremon to cuddle up against Chara. There was squawking and protests and finally, it was peaceful again.
Merlin held his breath. He didn’t want to wake them, but the whole ledge was awash in filth and he couldn’t even see a clear path out of the cave.
Finally, stepping as carefully as he dared, he went over to Kilgharrah and whispered, “Well, that was… are they going to do that every time?”
Kilgharrah snickered, “A parent’s job is never done.” When Merlin glared at him, he just gave Merlin a wink. “When they wake next time, clean them off after they eat, and rub their skin with oil to keep the scales and especially the wings flexible.”
“You never said anything about oil. Where the hell am I supposed to get that?” Merlin growled, scowling at Kilgharrah in betrayal. He waved his arms around to emphasize just how not happy he was about the whole thing. “And while we are on clean-up discussions, I thought you were going to burn all their shit and the rest of it. This place is a disaster area.”
“I said I would burn the excess.” Kilgharrah looked around, humming a little at the mess, then like the pillock he was, he said, “It is not yet excessive.”
His mouth open in disbelief, thinking about if he had a way to hit the gutless lizard, he’d have done it without a thought, finally, Merlin tamped down his fury and snarled out, “It is excessive. I’m not going back to my room covered in dragon shit. If anyone saw me, there would be questions that I can’t afford to answer.”
Kilgharrah, the absolute wanker, just sat there, clearly uninterested in helping. “I am sure you will cope.” But when Merlin refused to back down, the dragon gave out a long put-upon sigh. “Very well. While you get supplies, I will clean up the area as best I can. But it will be on you to give them their first baths. It will be a good place to build trust between you and them.”
After the chaos he’d already gone through, Merlin wasn’t so sure.
“And how am I supposed to clean them up, anyway? It’s not like I have a bathtub down here. Or towels. And can you see them letting me? I nearly got beheaded when Chara wanted to land on me. The five of them all at once? It’s impossible,” Merlin pointed out.
“It is easy enough.” Kilgharrah nodded toward the ledge behind Merlin and the few steps leading down into the gloom. “There is a place below, an outcropping with a natural basin such as we have here that catches water when it rains. It should suffice for the young ones. It would not be amiss for you to bring them there one at a time and clean them up. And I can heat the surrounding rock for warmth, to help them dry off.” The dragon seemed satisfied, although how Merlin would be able to get the babies to cooperate as he navigated the steps while not falling off the ledge himself looked to be another overwhelming task. Kilgharrah unhelpfully said, “As for the oil, I leave it in your hands.”
By this time, Merlin was tired of arguing. He was exhausted just imagining all the tasks he still had to do in the next few hours and never mind what Gaius would say. And he needed to eat and sleep at some point.
Finally, knowing that he had to get started or he’d never finish in time, Merlin said, “Is oil the only thing I’ll need to find? Other than bedding? It’s not like you gave me a list. I can’t keep going up and down and stealing things all willy-nilly. Someone is bound to notice.”
Kilgharrah just shook his head, rolling his eyes again. “I would have thought you would have learned stealth by now. For someone who can wield magic without spells, you are surprisingly inept.” When Merlin scowled at him, he said, “Very well. Can you keep it all in your head or must you write it down?”
“At least I can write,” Merlin snapped back.
Kilgharrah just harrumphed at that. “I suppose you can. We need milk, at least 3 gallons for now, although clear water and soft cheeses would do. They will need less as the days pass. Several haunches of meat, toys for tossing into the air so that the young ones might hone their flying skills, a gallon of oil used to soft skin, some way to give them lessons on humankind, books perhaps or you could sing of legends of your kind. Bedding of course, wormwood or mint for stomach ailments, camomile, radishes. Soap wouldn’t be amiss and a scrub brush made of fine bristles. Then there’s wool blankets for each dragon and honey.”
That was a hell of a long list. How Merlin would be able to find all that and worse, drag it down into the cave without being caught, seemed an impossible task.
“Honey? For wounds?” That seemed an odd request and difficult. Gaius tended to hoard the honey like it was gold.
“No, I’ve a bit of a sweet tooth. The honey is for me,” Kilgharrah intoned, making it sound like it was non-negotiable.
Merlin just stared at him, thinking a few impossible thoughts like hightailing it for the hills and never seeing the damn lizard again. Honey, indeed. What a crock of shit.
But rather than argue, because Merlin was just that close to telling him to fuck off, he turned away and started up the stairs, shaking his boots to rid himself of muck as he went. Mumbling to himself of telling Arthur about his magic and getting run through and how that might be a better option than taking care of five, no six babies because Kilgharrah was the worst of the lot, he didn’t even reply when Kilgharrah told him to hurry.
Merlin just gave the bastard a two-fingered salute and stomped up the stairs, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t run into Gaius and get an I-told-you-so from him. That would be the last straw.
archaeologist_d
Title: One Prison is much like another - part 23B
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Kilgharrah
Summary: Feeding the babies isn't all it's cracked up to be. Feels less like a noble calling and more like a nightmare come to life.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 1115
Camelot Drabble Prompt #598: Noble
Author’s notes: I know that Aithusa is born in the episode after Uther dies, but I am writing that Uther is still around, although he’s not all that aware of what is going on since Morgana’s betrayal. Arthur is regent in all but name. AU and all.
Disclaimer: I do not own the BBC version of Merlin; They and Shine do. I am very respectfully borrowing them with no intent to profit. No money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended.
---------------
It didn’t take long. The huge eel carcass was soon reduced to bone and a few bits of skin. The dragonets were slowly sinking back into the stone bowl where fabric and hay were still relatively clean enough although rapidly getting grimier by the moment, and arguing about who had the best spot. Once in a while, Bremon let out a belch, a smoky bit of air and stink, then finally closed his eyes. That was until Lailaps, that little whirlwind, decided to walk across Bremon to cuddle up against Chara. There was squawking and protests and finally, it was peaceful again.
Merlin held his breath. He didn’t want to wake them, but the whole ledge was awash in filth and he couldn’t even see a clear path out of the cave.
Finally, stepping as carefully as he dared, he went over to Kilgharrah and whispered, “Well, that was… are they going to do that every time?”
Kilgharrah snickered, “A parent’s job is never done.” When Merlin glared at him, he just gave Merlin a wink. “When they wake next time, clean them off after they eat, and rub their skin with oil to keep the scales and especially the wings flexible.”
“You never said anything about oil. Where the hell am I supposed to get that?” Merlin growled, scowling at Kilgharrah in betrayal. He waved his arms around to emphasize just how not happy he was about the whole thing. “And while we are on clean-up discussions, I thought you were going to burn all their shit and the rest of it. This place is a disaster area.”
“I said I would burn the excess.” Kilgharrah looked around, humming a little at the mess, then like the pillock he was, he said, “It is not yet excessive.”
His mouth open in disbelief, thinking about if he had a way to hit the gutless lizard, he’d have done it without a thought, finally, Merlin tamped down his fury and snarled out, “It is excessive. I’m not going back to my room covered in dragon shit. If anyone saw me, there would be questions that I can’t afford to answer.”
Kilgharrah, the absolute wanker, just sat there, clearly uninterested in helping. “I am sure you will cope.” But when Merlin refused to back down, the dragon gave out a long put-upon sigh. “Very well. While you get supplies, I will clean up the area as best I can. But it will be on you to give them their first baths. It will be a good place to build trust between you and them.”
After the chaos he’d already gone through, Merlin wasn’t so sure.
“And how am I supposed to clean them up, anyway? It’s not like I have a bathtub down here. Or towels. And can you see them letting me? I nearly got beheaded when Chara wanted to land on me. The five of them all at once? It’s impossible,” Merlin pointed out.
“It is easy enough.” Kilgharrah nodded toward the ledge behind Merlin and the few steps leading down into the gloom. “There is a place below, an outcropping with a natural basin such as we have here that catches water when it rains. It should suffice for the young ones. It would not be amiss for you to bring them there one at a time and clean them up. And I can heat the surrounding rock for warmth, to help them dry off.” The dragon seemed satisfied, although how Merlin would be able to get the babies to cooperate as he navigated the steps while not falling off the ledge himself looked to be another overwhelming task. Kilgharrah unhelpfully said, “As for the oil, I leave it in your hands.”
By this time, Merlin was tired of arguing. He was exhausted just imagining all the tasks he still had to do in the next few hours and never mind what Gaius would say. And he needed to eat and sleep at some point.
Finally, knowing that he had to get started or he’d never finish in time, Merlin said, “Is oil the only thing I’ll need to find? Other than bedding? It’s not like you gave me a list. I can’t keep going up and down and stealing things all willy-nilly. Someone is bound to notice.”
Kilgharrah just shook his head, rolling his eyes again. “I would have thought you would have learned stealth by now. For someone who can wield magic without spells, you are surprisingly inept.” When Merlin scowled at him, he said, “Very well. Can you keep it all in your head or must you write it down?”
“At least I can write,” Merlin snapped back.
Kilgharrah just harrumphed at that. “I suppose you can. We need milk, at least 3 gallons for now, although clear water and soft cheeses would do. They will need less as the days pass. Several haunches of meat, toys for tossing into the air so that the young ones might hone their flying skills, a gallon of oil used to soft skin, some way to give them lessons on humankind, books perhaps or you could sing of legends of your kind. Bedding of course, wormwood or mint for stomach ailments, camomile, radishes. Soap wouldn’t be amiss and a scrub brush made of fine bristles. Then there’s wool blankets for each dragon and honey.”
That was a hell of a long list. How Merlin would be able to find all that and worse, drag it down into the cave without being caught, seemed an impossible task.
“Honey? For wounds?” That seemed an odd request and difficult. Gaius tended to hoard the honey like it was gold.
“No, I’ve a bit of a sweet tooth. The honey is for me,” Kilgharrah intoned, making it sound like it was non-negotiable.
Merlin just stared at him, thinking a few impossible thoughts like hightailing it for the hills and never seeing the damn lizard again. Honey, indeed. What a crock of shit.
But rather than argue, because Merlin was just that close to telling him to fuck off, he turned away and started up the stairs, shaking his boots to rid himself of muck as he went. Mumbling to himself of telling Arthur about his magic and getting run through and how that might be a better option than taking care of five, no six babies because Kilgharrah was the worst of the lot, he didn’t even reply when Kilgharrah told him to hurry.
Merlin just gave the bastard a two-fingered salute and stomped up the stairs, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t run into Gaius and get an I-told-you-so from him. That would be the last straw.