Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-26419540-20150521130932

I've read a lot of theories the last few days about how Merlin could be Lily's father since in the legends and the Disney movie he's a shapeshifter. That's the way I'm leaning on the baby daddy issue myself. But what if Merlin/Lily's dad is also The Dragon that August met in Phuket? He clearly had some sort of back story considering his magic and shapeshifting abilities that has never been explored. Here's my reasoning:

1. August stole his original information about the Author from the Dragon after he found him "dead," and this was a fact August mentioned recently, in Poor, Unfortunate Soul, which feels like a foreshadowing drop by the writers to me.

2. August also mentioned in Operation Mongoose: Part 1 that he first met the Apprentice while he was in Phuket, and he was the one to encourage August to look into the Storybook. I realize that it probably would be no big deal for the Apprentice to be in Phuket even without Merlin also being there, but again, feels like a foreshadowing drop.

3. The Dragon knew who August really was, and he seemed to know that Tamara didn't actually have cancer, so he's obviously a very powerful individual; I feel like there has to be some explanation for how someone like him ended up in our world and was able to do magic, considering the trouble Rumple and Regina initially had to go through to do magic here. I think him being the Sorceror/Merlin covers that level of power.

4. Another potential identity to throw into the mix for the Dragon could be Mushu; since I've seen that there have been talks of Mulan potentially coming back on the show, that would be another way to work him back into the story, even if he really is dead because he could still be in flashbacks for her.

I don't necessarily think that Merlin AND the Dragon AND Lily's dad AND Mushu will all be the same guy, but I could see at least a couple of those characters being the same person. The biggest problem I've found with my theory so far is that there were no moon and/or star symbols in the Dragon's room (at least that I saw), but maybe the writers hadn't planned that far ahead? Also, I don't think the Sorceror's disembodied voice we heard the Apprentice talking to sounded like the Dragon, but with Merlin being a shapeshifter, he could presumably change his voice when he wants to. 