Fic: Merely Ceremonial, 1/3
All in all, seven year old Merlin had it unquestionably better.
"Come on, Merlin, keep up!" Arthur shouted as he loped gracefully around Merlin (again). Merlin scowled, pretending not to be jealous of the easy way Arthur ran, as if it wasn't a strain at all. And of course it wasn't. Arthur was one of those people who had grown up playing every sport they could, and excelling at all of them. It wasn't unusual for Merlin to stumble out of his room to find Arthur getting back from a morning run, shirtless and gorgeous and unfairly alert.
"Stuff it, you...bloody...prat," he panted. Arthur laughed.
"No need to get snippy. You're the one who said you wanted to get in shape."
"I was...drunk!"
"You still said it," Arthur replied, completely unapologetic. Merlin threw him a two-fingered salute, saving his breath for the important task of actually breathing. He was thoroughly unsurprised when Arthur just laughed again. "I'll make you a deal. Finish the lap around the park, and I'll make your favourite lasagna for dinner tonight.
Merlin hesitated, weighing his options. On one hand, Arthur's lasagna was arguably the best thing Merlin had ever tasted. On the other, he had to run to get it. In the end, though, his stomach won, and he nodded to accept Arthur's proposal.
"See you at the end, then," Arthur said, and promptly sprinted ahead with perfect, even steps. He was out of sight almost immediately, but Merlin lumbered along, determined now. If there was one thing about Arthur, it was that he knew how to push Merlin’s buttons. They’d met over a year ago through their mutual friend Lance, and moved in together a few months later purely for the convenience of being two single blokes in need of a flatmate. Since then Merlin had spent half the time bickering with his new infuriating, pushy, stubborn, attractive and inexplicably wonderful friend, when he wasn’t ignoring him for whatever prattish thing he’d done.
He made it about five more minutes before his newfound determination began to wane, stumbling around the corner and groaning when he saw the path winding further into the trees.
"Fuck this,” he grumbled, hands on his knees and panting at the ground. Even Arthur's lasagna wasn't worth dying of exhaustion. He'd just turn around now and leave Arthur to figure out what had happened-served him right for dragging Merlin out here in the first place. He'd just catch his breath first…
Without warning, his magic flared up inside him, making him bolt upwards in surprise, looking around him frantically. It'd been years since his magic had acted up without his permission. He felt suddenly jittery, hyped by the excited magic thrumming through him. Something had to have triggered it, but he couldn't see anyone else in the dawn light. And then it came again, a sudden, fierce pulse of magic that made his own surge again. It seemed to be urging him in the direction of the trees to his left. Merlin hesitated, but his magic insisted, tugging until he gave in and took a tentative step off of the path. At once, his magic purred as if rewarding him for a job well done, before a third surge of magic sent it buzzing again.
Merlin continued cautiously. His magic had never led him astray before, but these surges were strange. The magic felt...foreign, more than any other Merlin had encountered. He trusted his instincts, but didn't want to be caught off guard if whatever was calling to him wasn't friendly.
He was about twenty feet from the path when his magic practically exploded inside of him, making him retch. He peered around for the cause, but saw only more trees. But his magic was still urging him on, so he took another step forward and felt his foot thunk into something which was definitely not wood. His magic jumped at the same time he felt another surge, this time accompanied by something that sounded like a squawk.
"What the hell?" he said, jumping backwards to see what he'd hit.
At first, he saw nothing but dirt. Then he caught sight of something poking out just beside his foot. Still feeling cautious, he knelt down. As soon as his fingers touched it, he felt the strongest surge yet wash over him, leaving him breathless. His magic seemed to be dong the thinking for him, because the next thing he knew he was brushing the thing free of dirt and pulling it out of the ground. The thing, whatever it was, had clearly been buried for a long time. It was mostly oval-shaped, with one end tapering off into a slight point. It was lighter than Merlin expected, about the size of his head and coloured a light blue. When Merlin cradled it more securely in his arms, it purred along with his magic.
Merlin slowly got to his feet, staring down at his burden. Whatever it was, it didn't seem hostile. And he certainly couldn't leave an unknown magical object just lying around. He'd have to take it back to the flat.
The walk through the forest was much easier without his magic bubbling around. In fact, his magic felt downright happy. It easily complied when he conjured a quick glamor spell to slip past the early morning commuters now taking to the streets, and hummed merrily as he walked. If he hadn't known better, he would've thought it was talking to The Thing.
As soon as he got back to the flat, Merlin shut himself in his room and locked the door. The Thing he placed on his dresser while he dug his book of magic out from beneath his bed. When nothing in there fit the description he was looking for, he dug out his mobile.
"Whatever you have must be very important to have you calling me so early," Merlin's uncle Gaius said in greeting when he answered the call. For the first time since he'd found the Thing, Merlin realized just how early it was, and cringed.
"Sorry, Uncle Gaius. It is important, I swear."
"Very well when. What is it?"
Merlin quickly relayed the story, from the wave of magical energy to his own magic's reaction to bringing his find to the flat. When he finished, he could already hear his uncle rifling through one of his books.
"What does it look like?"
"Sort of...like an egg, except much bigger, and like someone stretched out one end." He leaned closer to get a better look. The Thing was still buzzing slightly, and Merlin had the strangest feeling that it was nervous, or shy, which was just ridiculous. He heard Gaius turn a few more pages before he stopped suddenly,
"Merlin. You said your magic seemed to be communicating with this object?"
"Yeah, it's sort of...humming, I guess."
"And you found it buried underground."
"Yes. Gaius, what's wrong? Have you figured out what it is?"
"It’s only a theory, but there’s only so many options. My boy...I believe you have found a dragon's egg."
There was a great long pause, during which Merlin waited for Gaius to say "April Fools!" When it became obvious that he would do nothing of the sort, Merlin did the only thing he could think to do.
"Shit," he swore, loudly. "Are you sure?”
“Well, obviously I cannot be entirely certain until I examine it myself. But all things considered…yes. I am sure.”
Merlin damn near dropped his phone in shock. A dragon?
“But Gaius-dragons are extinct. You’ve said so yourself.”
His uncle hesitated before he answered. "There is a druid legend which says that, centuries ago, when the last dragons were being slain by the swords of men, a great sorcerer took an egg and hid it to ensure the dragons would live on somehow. The egg was never found, and the sorcerer kept its location to his grave. As time wore on people began to believe that it had simply been a story and that the dragons were truly gone. Clearly they were wrong."
“Clearly,” Merlin agreed weakly. He spared a glance for the egg on his dresser, but looked away again quickly. “Gaius, what...what am I supposed to do with a dragon egg?" He gave a rather hysterical laugh. "I have exams and a job. Can’t you take care of it?”
“I’m afraid not, my boy,” Gaius said in the tone he used when he thought Merlin was being unreasonable. “The egg called you to it. As a dragonlord it is your responsibility to care for it. Besides, there is very little I can do from here.”
Merlin collapsed onto the bed. His mother had told him of his father's dragonlord legacy years ago, but he had never thought he would actually have to use the powers. Dragons had been extinct for centuries, his mother (and later, Gaius) had assured him. And yet, here he was.
"So what do I do?"
Ten minutes later, Merlin stood in front of the egg again. His hand shook when he raised it and sent a gentle wave of heat towards it. When the egg rattled, he increased the strength of his magic, until he could feel the heat radiating from his fingers and the egg was positively quaking on the dresser. He let his hand fall then, just as the tip gave in to the heat with a loud Crack!
The egg continued to rattle, but now there were tiny pieces of it falling aside, and Merlin caught the barest glimpse of something pale and scaly through the gaps.
"A dragonlord must name a dragon to pull it fully from its egg," Gaius' voice murmured in Merlin's head. "Just listen to your instincts."
Merlin's eyes closed. As if it'd been waiting for a cue, his magic surged forward, and he opened his mouth without even thinking to say, "Aithusa."
He wasn't sure where he name had come from, let alone what it meant, but he must have chosen well because suddenly the egg gave one last shudder before the dragon burst through it, fluttering its tiny wings. It blinked at him, and all of Merlin's air whooshed out of his lungs. The dragon was pure white with wings hardly wider than Merlin’s shoulders, and when it blinked, Merlin saw pale blue eyes.
It looked less like a legendary creature and more like a child's toy.
"Oh my God," he breathed, bringing a shaking hand up to his mouth. The dragon-Aithusa-chirruped again, and Merlin felt the now familiar surge of magic wash over him. It felt different now, more concentrated than the pure energy from before. It wasn't until Aithusa shuffled out of the remains of her egg, head cocked and whistling softly, that he realized the dragon was trying to comfort him.
"It's alright," he said hurriedly, reaching for his own magic to console the dragon's. "Shh, it's fine..."
He kept murmuring nonsense until the dragon's whistling had been replaced by purring. Aithusa, newly contented, set about exploring her surroundings. Merlin had to laugh when she sneezed as soon as she shoved her muzzle into a scarf nearby, quickly followed by a wave of panic. Gaius had said his dragonlord powers would tell him what to do, but if that was true, they seemed to be doing a rubbish job. His mind was blank of anything but panic.
He was so distracted he didn't notice Aithusa edging closer to the edge of the dresser until she was attempting to climb off of it.
"No!" He managed to catch the dragon just as she tumbled off of the edge. She squawked and buried her head in the crook of Merlin's elbow, and Merlin tentatively stroked her head. "You're alright...just be careful next time."
He felt more than a little foolish talking to something he wasn't even sure could understand him, but it seemed to be working. Aithusa had started humming again and was happily nuzzling his jumper while Merlin continued to stroke her head. Her scales were surprisingly warm to the touch. Merlin gave her a tentative scratch on her back, and was rewarded with another purr.
"Are you hungry?" he asked suddenly. Aithusa just chirped, but his magic told him yes, so he gently set the dragon down on the mattress. "Stay there, alright? I'll be back in a moment with…something. What do baby dragons eat, anyway?"
Aithusa didn't answer, but Merlin hadn't expected her to. He left her to nose at his bedclothes, praying his magic would help him suss out dragon-appropriate food.
He had barely stepped into the kitchen when he heard the front door open and Arthur shouted "Merlin!"
Merlin froze, and for one panicked second wondered if he'd remembered to close his bedroom door. A moment later, Arthur found him, still wearing his running clothes and a distinctly unimpressed expression.
"What was that about, Merlin? There wasn't that much path left. You didn't have to just leave."
"I..." Merlin floundered, distracted by the wave of curious magic sent out by Aithusa at the sound of a new voice. He hurriedly faked a sneeze to hide the gold of his eyes as he stressed the thought Stay, stay… over their connection. When he opened his eyes again, Arthur was looking at him, still irritated, but with a hint of concern in his eyes now. "I...I'm sorry, Arthur. My, er, allergies started acting up, so I came home. I should've told you first."
He offered a shaky smile, which probably aided his claims of not feeling well. Arthur frowned.
"I see. We'll have to find another place for next time, then, so your...allergies don't act up." He stared at Merlin for another second before shaking his head. "Honestly, Merlin, you look like death. You didn't even run a mile! We have got to work on your stamina."
"Stamina, yeah. Sounds great." Merlin nodded, edging further into the kitchen. "But I, uh, still don't feel all that great. I'm just going to make tea and head to bed for a bit."
He didn't even wait for Arthur to respond before he retreated into the kitchen, making a big show of getting the kettle out. Eventually, Arthur walked away, and Merlin dropped the pretense. He was fairly certain that a dragon wouldn't be interested in anything from the pantry, so he dug around in the fridge. After a few moments of foraging, he emerged with a plate of meat in one hand, and some wilted-looking lettuce in the other. He hurried into his bedroom, careful to shield his armful from view of the bathroom where he could hear Arthur rummaging around.
Aithusa greeted him with a quiet trill. He spared her a smile, grateful that she'd obeyed his commands, and brandished his prizes.
"Alright, time to do some experimenting."
The lettuce was immediately discarded. Aithusa refused to do more than sniff at it before turning her muzzle away. The meat, however, she happily accepted, so Merlin left her to tear at it on the floor while he toyed with his phone.
After a moment, he sighed. "Fuck it," he muttered, and dialed.
"Hello?"
Merlin swallowed hard and forced himself to smile. "Hey, mum. How are you?"
"Oh, fine. I just came in from the garden." He heard her rummaging around, probably making tea. "What about you?"
"I..." Merlin trailed off. Suddenly the thought of telling his mother about the dragon currently munching away at his feet seemed like a terrible idea, but he knew his mother would see right through him.
So he told her. Unlike Gaius, she kept silent through his story, letting him talk uninterrupted. He knew she was burning with questions, and probably just as many concerns, but he was grateful that she held her tongue.
"Oh, my darling boy," she said when he'd finished, just like she had when he was ten and complaining about being teased at school. "Is there really no one else you can give the dragon to?"
"Gaius says no. It's my destiny, apparently."
Hunith said nothing. Merlin knew she was thinking of his father, who had loved them both fiercely until his death when Merlin was three, and who had told Hunith the burden their children would bear. The difference, of course, was that to Balinor the burden had been a mostly ceremonial one. An actual dragon threw a bit of a wrench into things.
Merlin squeezed his eyes shut. For the first time in years, he wished his father was there to tell him what to do. And then suddenly, he was furious.
"I didn't ask for this,” he growled, tugging on his fringe in frustration. “Why does it have to be me?"
"Merlin--"
"No, mum, I'm serious. I'm sick of being told to just accept it. I want to know why."
"We can't escape our destinies, Merlin."
"I don't care!" Merlin shouted. His mother sucked in a breath, but he couldn't bring himself to feel bad. He was sick, really truly sick, of hearing about his destiny.
Something brushed against his knee with a soft whistle. He opened his eyes to see Aithusa staring up at him, balancing precariously on her haunches. She whistled inquisitively, and Merlin gave her a tiny, but genuine, smile.
"It's alright," he said, stroking her nose comfortingly. Aithusa chirruped once more before slinking away back to her food. Merlin bit his lip. "Mum?"
"I'm still here."
"I'm scared."
"I know, my darling boy."
"I just...what am I supposed to do?"
Hunith sighed. "Your father always said that a dragonlord's knowledge came from his instincts. When a new dragonlord was born, those instincts would awaken inside him. You just have to listen to your instincts."
Merlin snorted softly. "Gaius said the same thing."
"Gaius is a smart man. He knows almost as much about magic as your father did. He will help you with this, Merlin. You are not completely on your own."
"I know, mum." He bit his lip. "I'm sorry I shouted."
"It's alright. I understand. Do you feel any better?"
Merlin rubbed his forehead. "I guess. I'm just...worried.”
"Of course you are. You're a new parent," Hunith said, and Merlin was startled into laughter.
"God help me," he agreed, and then sobered suddenly. "What should I tell Arthur?"
"That's up to you. He doesn't know about your magic?"
"No," Merlin said firmly. He wasn't exactly opposed to telling his flatmate his biggest secret. He had daydreamed about doing it more than once, except in his dreams it was usually gasped between kisses or in the middle of a passionate handjob. Reality was much less satisfying.
"Then don’t tell him anything. You can use your magic to help keep it from him, until you think of other options."
Merlin exhaled heavily. The weight in his chest had lightened somewhat, but he was still scared. An hour ago, he had been just another student in a shitty flat. Now he was a cross-species foster parent taking care of a secret dragon in a shitty flat. And on top of everything, he had to hide it all from his best mate.
“Yeah, you’re right,” he sighed eventually. “What could possibly go wrong?”
A few minutes later, Merlin hung up the phone and turned to his new charge. Aithusa had finished her meal some time ago and was now exploring the room, sniffing at everything. She looked up when he slid to the floor and gave a friendly-sounding yip.
"Hi," he said, extending a hand when she padded over. She was remarkably cat-like, Merlin thought, watching her lean into his touch. Maybe he had been overreacting. Magical or no, a pet was a pet, right?
Oblivious to his musings, Aithusa gave a great big yawn and promptly clambered into Merlin's lap. Merlin chuckled.
"Sleepy, huh? Here, let's get you comfortable."
Aithusa huffed in annoyance when he shifted, but quickly snuggled in when he deposited her on the bed again. He was about to walk away, when something made him fetch a spare blanket from the closet, tucking it around her for extra warmth. Aithusa purred again, pleased.
"I'll be back later. Try to be quiet, alright?"
Out in the hall, Merlin took a deep breath. He could hear the telly playing in the sitting room, so he headed that way. Sure enough, Arthur was sitting on the sofa. He looked up when Merlin entered.
”Feeling better?"
Merlin blinked. "What? Oh, right. Yeah, I'm...fine, thanks."
Arthur didn't say anything for a moment, just staring hard at Merlin. There was a small frown on his face, and for a second Merlin panicked, thinking that Arthur had somehow overheard and knew about the dragon before it disappeared and Arthur smiled.
"Fancy getting your arse kicked in a game?"
Merlin laughed. "Cocky, Pendragon. Maybe I've improved."
"There isn't enough time in the world, Merlin," Arthur retorted, and threw Merlin his controller
Sure enough, three rounds later, Merlin had only managed one victory, which in and of itself was incredibly unusual. Even more so was Arthur's lack of gloating. The first round he'd restrained himself to a fist thrust, followed but only a gruff shrug when Merlin won the second. Now after the third, Arthur hid his smug grin behind his fist. Merlin stared at him.
"Are you alright?"
Arthur blinked. "Course I am, Merlin. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You're acting all funny. Like you're humble, or something. It's weird."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Arthur scoffed. "There's just no point in gloating when I beat you. It's hardly an accomplishment. Now shut up and pick up your controller, the next round's starting."
Merlin rolled his eyes but did as he was told. Arthur made a point of gloating (loudly) when he won, pulling Merlin in to trap him in a headlock.
"Get off, you ass!" Merlin groaned. Arthur obliged, but not before he ruffled Merlin's already hopelessly disheveled hair.
"Loser buys dinner," he declared smugly, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. "How do you feel about Indian? I could kill for some chicken korma right now."
"Fine by me," Merlin replied with a roll of his eyes. "You call it in, I'll be right back."
Arthur waved him off, already distracted by his phone, and Merlin skipped away for his bedroom. Aithusa was still lolling in her makeshift nest, but she cracked one sleepy eye open when he entered.
"Hey there," he called quietly, making a mental note to ask Gaius about dragon sleeping patterns, "you alright?"
He got a vague trill in response. Taking this as a yes, Merlin nodded.
"I'm going to be in the sitting room for a bit longer. Just...I dunno, chirp if you need me."
Aithusa barely even hummed this time, but Merlin didn't worry about it. He ran a gentle finger over her snout before going to rejoin Arthur in the sitting room, and wondered what he'd done in a past life to deserve this.
---
The flat was blessedly empty when Merlin let himself in after lectures, dumping his pack at the door and hurrying towards his room. As it had been every day for the past month and a half, the door to his room was locked tight. With a quick glance it clicked open, and he hurried inside.
"Aithusa," he called, letting the door fall shut, "I'm home."
He heard a quiet screech, and the dragon came barreling out of his closet to greet him. Merlin laughed and bent down for a cuddle. The past five weeks of dragon husbandry had proven to be both more and less difficult than he'd initially imagined. Aithusa was like a kitten, if a kitten had wings and grew twice its size in a month--curious and playful and a little bit snooty, when she wanted to be. She'd created a nest for herself in the closet out of old jumpers and socks, which Merlin was not allowed to touch for threat of a hot sigh aimed at his hands. She hadn't yet learned to breathe fire, for which Merlin was eternally grateful. Keeping her cooped up in his flat would've been twice as hard.
By far the hardest part was keeping her away from his friends, Arthur especially. She was growing more and more restless as she got bigger and Merlin couldn't blame her. Soon he wouldn't be able to keep her a secret. Both he and Gaius had spent many a night on the phone discussing just that, but so far neither of them had any ideas.
"Are you hungry?" he asked the dragon, stroking the scales along her back to hear her purr. Aithusa bleated an obvious yes, and Merlin disentangled himself to fetch her something. Since Arthur wasn't due back for at least another hour he let her follow him out of the bedroom. She stuck her snout wherever she could, like she always did, squawking her delight. Merlin smiled fondly at her.
"It was pay day yesterday, so I figured we'd celebrate with your favourite," he said, pulling the raw steak out of the fridge. Aithusa trilled excitedly, her nostrils flaring. "Smells good, huh? Hang on, I'll just cut it up for you."
He set the plate on the table. "Gaius thinks you'll be ready to start learning how to hunt soon," he went on, turning to track down a knife. "Although we're not really sure how to do that, exactly. I've been watching youtube tutorials on now to train birds, though, so I might be of some help. Then again, Gaius says your instincts might be--"
A sudden crash interrupted him, and he whirled around with a screech, fully prepared to see Arthur standing in the doorway, staring at the dragon in their kitchen and about ten seconds away from shouting. He’d already opened his mouth to start apologizing, or maybe cast something, before he realized that the only thing in the doorway was an overturned chair.
A second later, Merlin realized that Aithusa wasn’t there, either.
A soft whistle brought his attention to the table. Aithusa was perched on top of it, her tail swinging off of the edge as she happily munched on the steak. Her wings were still splayed out behind her, fluttering a little as if to say See? I can manage fine on my own. Merlin forced himself to close his mouth, and dugout his mobile.
"Uncle Gaius? I...I think we might have to move up on Aithusa's training."
---
It was pitch black when Merlin peered around his bedroom door, dressed in dark clothes and carrying a gym bag over one shoulder. He crept across the flat as quietly as he could, praying that Arthur wouldn't catch him. Aithusa shifted slightly in the bag, not thrilled with her surroundings in spite of the blankets Merlin had stuffed inside to make it more comfortable.
"Shh," he whispered to her, eyes on Arthur's door. "Just a bit longer."
He let out a breath of relief when he made it out of the flat undetected, and another when they reached outside. The park was only a few blocks away, but Merlin didn't waste time dawdling to get there. There were only a few people on the streets at this time of night, and none of them paid Merlin any attention as he hurried past, trying not to look suspicious.
He hesitated for the first time at the gate to the park. It wasn't technically closed, but he had no excuses if he were to get caught. Somehow he didn't think "training a dragon how to hunt" would get him very far with the police, but he really didn't have a choice.
As per Gaius' instructions, Merlin let his magic guide him through the park, looking for a clearing. When he found one, he gently set the gym bag at his feet before casting security spells a few feet away in every direction.
“Díegol. Áhelle áwære," he murmured. When he was satisfied, he turned back to the bag.
Aithusa whistled curiously when he unzipped her case and stuck her muzzle out to sniff the unfamiliar air. Something must have caught her attention, because suddenly she let out an excited yip and scrambled out. Merlin burst out laughing when she yelped the moment her claws touched grass.
“Calm down, you’re fine,” he said, sending out a wave of magic. “It won’t hurt you, I promise.”
Aithusa gingerly lowered her muzzle to sniff at the grass tickling her feet. She took a tentative step, then another. When that didn’t kill her, she snorted, and immediately set about exploring the rest of the clearing. Merlin settled in to wait and smiled as she ran slapdash around the clearing, wings beating madly, sniffing at everything. A stone held her attention for about two seconds before she moved on to a discarded crisp bag. She yipped again when she found a bunch of wildflowers, and promptly sneezed the moment she stuck her muzzle into the heart of it.
"Easy there," Merlin laughed when Aithusa ran over to him for comfort. "It's just flowers. You just need to get used to things."
Aithusa huffed, as if she was disagreeing with him. But she leaned happily into his hand as it stroked her head. Merlin was just about to scoot her off for more exploring when she froze suddenly, and swung her neck around to stare unblinkingly at a bush several feet away. Merlin followed her line of vision in time to see the leaves shake as something moved inside it. Aithusa huffed again, like a dog on the scent.
Merlin's magic rustled, and he squatted down to murmur to Aithusa, "Wáþ."
Even though Gaius had warned him, Merlin was unprepared for the guttural growl of his voice when he used his dragonlord magic. He didn’t even really know what language he had spoken; he’d just imagined his command and his magic had taken it from there.
If Merlin was caught off-guard by his magic, Aithusa was anything but. At his command she sprinted off towards the bush. Merlin made to call her back, but his magic surged again, telling him to wait. He listened, in spite of his unease, and watched Aithusa run towards the bush. She charged straight in, until all Merlin could see of her was her tail and the tips of her wings.
Something chittered from the bush, and Merlin was pretty sure it wasn't Aithusa. From the sounds of things she'd cornered a squirrel, and a split second later he was proven right when one came tearing out of the bush, followed closely by Aithusa. Merlin almost laughed as he watched them run, until he saw how close they were getting to his protective spells. Neither of them would be harmed by the magic, but he didn’t want to risk some passerby stumbling across his dragon.
"Aithusa--" he started to say, but he needn't have worried. Seeing its chance, the squirrel leapt up onto a tree just at the edge of the clearing, scuttling higher just in time to avoid Aithusa's bite.
The dragon made a frustrated sound, stretching on her haunches to try to get to her prey. Her wings fluttered slightly, but without a prop to help her she couldn’t so much as hover, let alone fly. When it realized the danger was gone the squirrel paused several feet away to chitter furiously down at her. Merlin really did laugh, then, and the squirrel took fright and ran.
"Come on, Aithusa. He's gone now," Merlin called when Aithusa continued to sniff up at the tree. She gave him an impatient look but then seemed to sigh and waddled closer. She looked so dejected that Merlin automatically swooped down to scratch her favourite spot just behind her wings in sympathy.
"Don't worry, it was only your first try. No one really expects to succeed when they're doing something for the first time."
Aithusa purred softly, but there was still a distinct droop to her wings. Merlin let a flicker of comforting magic escape, warming the scales beneath his fingers until Aithusa finally butted him gently, her own magic rolling out to meet him.
"That's better," Merlin said approvingly, and got to his feet. "Maybe it's too early to start hunting actual animals."
He reached into his coat pocket, where he'd stashed a few slices of meat. Aithusa stretched to sniff his hand as he opened the bag, and he laughed.
"Alright, hang on just a second. We do need to do some training. Now stay." Aithusa grumbled but obeyed, and Merlin moved to stand several feet away. Satisfied with his position, he picked out a piece of meat and concentrated on it for a moment. His eyes flashed golden.
"Ready, Aithusa?"
Aithusa whistled.
“Áféde.”
Merlin tossed the meat a few feet away. Aithusa darted towards it, but as soon as she got close enough, it disappeared. The dragon stopped short, sniffing frantically. Merlin smirked when she spotted the meat lying a foot away from its previous position and promptly dove for it, only for it to disappear. Aithusa whistled in frustration. This pattern repeated another four or five times, Merlin's smile growing bigger and bigger behind his hand, until finally Aithusa paused before diving. She pressed her belly low to the ground, wings curled close to her sides. A moment passed without any movement at all. And then Aithusa pounced, planting her claws on either side of the piece of meat and snapping it in her jaws.
"Good, Aithusa!" Merlin laughed. Aithusa trotted back towards him, wings raised like a banner as she happily chewed her prize. When she was close enough, she reached out with her muzzle and butted Merlin's pocket. Merlin laughed again, scratching the top of her scaly head.
"Alright, we can practice more," he agreed, and Aithusa trilled happily.
By the time Merlin stumbled back to the flat, the sky had already begun to lighten with the rising sun. Aithusa dozed happily in her bag for the entire journey, rousing only when they were back in Merlin’s bedroom and only to waddle over to her nest. Merlin blearily followed suit, leaving his jeans and shirt piled on the floor and collapsing into bed.
His last thought before he fell asleep was, If Arthur tries to wake me up tomorrow, I’ll incinerate him.
[ Part 2]