#no magic battle between her and Merlin...

[daydream358]

Hope you guys like this >;D !!

It was pretty surreal to walk through Arcadia nowadays, even awesome-sauce as Toby liked to say, and you know what ? He was completely right !! After the eternal night there was a lot of damage dealt to both communities, both in the upper city, and all the way down to the trollmarket, but things could be fixed !! Even the hearthstone, which was a really nice surprise, apparently you could apply some of the laws of physics to magic itself, that being you can’t destroy energy, but you can redirect it somewhere else

When he finally defeated Gunmar for good, all of that stolen energy flowed right into the amulet. And with a little assist from from Merlin and Douxie he was able to restore the life giving energy to its rightful place, for lack of a better word it was magical to watch the once-gray chunks repairing itself into the hearthstone trollmarket they were so proud of. Even more to feel it for the first time

But sadly there still was a lot of rebuilding that needed to be done in both places, which they unfortunately couldn’t throw magic at it to fix it. Though the residents were more than willing to volunteer to repair things, it was their home after all

And another thing that helped greatly was all the unexpected but very much welcome cooperation between both species !! He didn’t even have to play peace-maker between trolls and humans as one would expect from a trollhunter hybrid or anything, honestly it was a huge relief, if any more stress was added on his plate then they would get another trollish warlord pretty soon

For once, most of the responsability and lion share of the work was taken by the adults. Blinky and Ophelia Nunez organized their combined work force and resources in order to use them with utmost efficiency

Trolls helped with the heavy-lifting and other things were having great strength and durability helped, like removing the rumble from the street’s, demolishing broken buildings which were unsalvageable and even setting the foundations for new ones. It was quite literally a huge help considering that the city didn't have enough heavy duty machinery to deal with the magnitude of the reconstruction

And in trollmarket, humans helped with their many power tools !! They were not magical in nature, but worked just as good as their counterparts, many hands made the work lighter and easier to deal with

It was a lot and certainly not easy, but with everyone working together they had managed to finish before summer was even over

Though things were far from returning as they were before ! The city wasn't repaired the same way as it was originally built, there were now trollish shops above the surface and trollmarket was open for tours. He wondered if he could volunteer as a guide for school issued field-trips as extra-credit for his senior year ? He was sure he could butter up Strickler or even black-mail him a little to make it happen. The changeling would probably approve of any method he used, as long he implied he was taking after a certain winged green troll

But as awesome as it was to stroll through town, it wasn’t the sole reason why he was walking through it right now. He was a half-troll on a mission after all !! While it was true that he didn’t need to mediate between trolls and humans and help them get along, the gang did volunteer to help around in construction, even after the battle they just didn't feel like they could truly rest until it was all repaired

Claire didn’t have the shadow staff anymore, but after being coached by douxie she could open portals all on her own, which she used to help transport materials where they needed to be. While Toby started experimenting with the gravity curse on his hammer, helping in a similar way to Claire's and even making construction safer for everyone

As for him ? Sadly his magical item didn’t come with a handy function that was particularly useful for this kind of situation. But he did have troll muscles now, which we’re also magical, so there !! He worked with other trolls by hauling the copious amount of rubble through the town, and boy was that a work-out !! And it was pretty fun to watch steve’s completely stagger with absolute surprise in his face, when he lifted two halves of a minivan above his head with nothing but his raw strength, and then proceeded to carry it without a care in the world. It looked like the blonde jock was having a crisis, which was probably also a crisis on itself 

it was pretty funny, and he might have shown off a little more, just to mess a bit with the blonde jock

And now that they were finally done with construction, they had the brilliant idea to kick off the rest of the summer with a movie marathon, all the way down in trollmarket with Blinky & Arrrgh, and they wanted to invite the punk wizard as well. Which was why he was going there in person to invite their new friend

Of course the trollhunter could have just sent Douxie a text message, or even called if he really wanted to make it more personal. The wizard did have a phone and knew how to operate one despite being 900 years old. But after the war, after all the trials and challenges he faced, after all the people they’ve lost. He just really wanted to spend more quality time with his friends, the people he cared about, and cherish those moments as much as he could

And again, walking through and seeing all the changes was really cool, plus on his way to the bookshop he could buy a few more ingredients for making snacks, let’s just say that there was a lot of snack-making going into this event. 

Now he could literally go to a perfectly mundane mini-market, then cross the street and buy some very crunchy looking churros-pastries from a food-truck operated by a troll. Those sweets were to kill for

Finally approaching the street where the world’s oldest teen worked, he caught his reflection in one of the shop’s windows, the angle and lighting making it look like a mirror instead of see-through.

It wasn’t just the city that had changed a lot, he had his fair of changes as well. Being the son of a doctor had come with a lot of talks about puberty, and how his body would change,  but none of them really prepared him for what happened after getting into the bathtub. 

But to be fair, it wasn’t every teenager that was chosen to protect an entire magical race that lived deep underground and became a half troll in the process. At least as far as he was aware of course, maybe there were more magical hybrid protectors around the world or something of that nature

It was a lot of pressure and responsability to grow into, and quite literally after he became a half troll. But he also got to discover a whole new world hidden beneath his feet and found so many others to call part of his family. The world truly was way bigger than high school

His world got bigger at the same time that it changed. And so did the city, both of them had to adapt, to change in order to deal with the aftermath of having to deal with a blood-thirsty tyrant warlord trying to wreck their lives. It wasn't easy but they go through it, standing proud and strong

Plus thinking how the city was a hybrid like him made him feel all fuzzy, soft and warm inside, even if he was only the only half troll running around, it made him feel accepted. Those walks always reminded him of that

Finally, he reached the bookshop where Douxie worked, he hoped that the older teen wouldn’t be too occupied.  And If he was lucky, the shop would be mostly empty at this time of the day, and they would be able to chat and hang-out until his shift was over. Then bolt to his house for the very important task of making snacks, and then finally go see the movie marathon with the others

He just stopped a bit, to be cautious of his horns, he didn't want to bump them on a door-frame, or have to fix a door frame yet again, he already had plenty of that experience with that in the last month thank you very much

Jim never had considered himself the most Book-ish person, not like Claire with her period romance dramas and her beloved Shakespeare stories, or even Toby with his geology books. But there was still something with libraries that just made him feel cozy and comfortable, sprawling shelves of books, soft lighting that just perfect for reading, and plenty of comfy chairs & sofas to rest on, it felt like he could drop in one of the bean-bags and fall asleep before his head even hit the pillows

There didn't seem to be any clients in the shop, but that might have been because they were all replaced by piles of boxes filled with books, and right in the middle of the mess was his favorite british wizard ( claire’s was his favorite shadow sorceress of course )

The seemingly eternal teen looked very busy, was he doing some kind of inventory overhaul or other thing of that nature ? He asked his bro and he was right !! The library was going through a big organization in order to make space for new books

He was taking out some of the less popular books, and they were either going to be part of a sale or be donated to the public library of Arcadia. All so that they could make space for a lot of new books. They were part of councilwoman Nunez and newly appointed elder blinky to help things along

It was knowledge meant to help everybody with the transitions! There were tomes on magical history, trollish culture and customs and even trollish dictionaries. There were also pamphlets and informative guides for trolls, like how babysitters actually did not sit on babies, or how it wasn’t a good idea to eat pets and stuff like that. Honestly he was planning to buy one or two of the books for himself

As Blinky already said to him a hundred times and would probably say a hundred times more “ one never stops learning “ and he had plenty of time to just enjoy learning now

The task was a hardy one, but his boss said that he could leave as soon as he was done. And like the super helpful trollhunter that he was, Jim offered to help, with the two of them working together, they would finish even faster, and thus be able to leave early for the movie marathon !! Maybe they would be even able to make extra snacks. Though he did have a question for douxie, couldn’t he just use magic to put all of the books in place at once ? Yes he could without much problem, he would only need to set up the logistics a little before casting in full, but as soon as that was done it would be a piece of cake

So yeah, the blue-streaked teen could use magic to put everything into place, he could use some fairly simple and easy spells and take care of most if not all of his chores that way. But one of the many things he learned about being a wizard in his 900 years as a magic-user, was to know when to use magic and when to not use it !! He practiced and studied plenty and used when it was important, like when he used to help arcadia rebuild or for emergencies like taking ketchup stains out of his favorite band T-shirts

Like Claire and her portals for example !! She could just shadow-travel everywhere , but if she did that then she would miss out on stuff. Like encountering a friend and having a great if random conversation, buying some delicious churros from a food-truck or even rescuing a little kitten that was all alone in the rain.

It was all stuff she could miss, if she just portaled everywhere, as cheesy as it was to say, the the journey could be just as important as the destination if not more then so

It’s basically more or less the same reason why he didn’t use magic for everything little thing that appeared in his way. Plus he totally used his magic to do very important things, like powering his guitar so he could play anywhere while using illusions to make it look like he was in an epic video clip or videogame. Thinking now he really should begin teaching claire illusion magic, it would pair nicely with her natural affinity to shadow magic

And talking about magic, he had a nifty spell to help Jim organize the books, with a quick wave of his hand, the books & shelves began glowing in all sorts of different colors, indicating which books he should take out, and which to put on the shelves 

The blue duo began to work like a well oiled machine while Archie did the very important and self-assigned job of supervising them, and it was going pretty well. With the color-marker spell jim could do the job as well and as fast as douxie himself, so essentially the workload was sliced in half, not unlike when Jim had cleaved that big van in 2 pieces

They were working really well together until the incident happened, a certain stack of books that needed to be taken out was on one of the fairly high shelves, so high in fact that douxie stood on his tippy toes, and still barely managed to reach it. He was about to grab a stool or or ladder, maybe finally crack and use some levitation magic

But before he could, as quick as the lightning used in the potion, Jim took out the offending books and put the new ones into place. the half troll moved really fast for someone so big, maybe douxie should start working out as well ? It was never too late to start right ? 

Everything would have been well and good. But then Jim said something that completely changed the atmosphere of the room in the following

the wizard spoke “ thanks jim!! I was about to cast a spell “ said the wizard thankfully

And without missing a beat the trollhunter answered “ No problem !! Just leave the high stuff to me shortie “ And just like that he might as well have had set off a bomb and it would have done less damage, still douxie in all of his wisdom offered an olive branch, a chance for the trollhunter to redeem himself “ Sorry could you say that again ? “

Smiling and still completely unaware of the terrible blunder he committed the annoyingly tall half troll answered “ it’s okay if you’re a bit short, I can take care of the high selves “ Not a single thought behind those eyes, nor an ounce of fear for the danger he was about to face

Douxie was patient, he tried giving the poor gunmar-slayer an easy way out of the mess he created, but it was rejected without any consideration whatsoever, this meant war and no mercy at all “ I beg your pardon, but I am in fact quite tall “ He meant to be assertive and final, since he was pretty much stating a hard cold fact that wasn’t disputable, this was meant to be a gentle correction after all

Instead of bowing to Douxie infinite wisdom, jim proceeded to commit one of the most heinous acts known to human and troll kind, placing his hand horizontally against his forehand and then moved it in the wizard’s direction while still in the same height, the accusing hand hovered about a head and a half above “ Doesn’t seem that way to me “ Said the teen, Douxie could feel the smugness dripping, practically oozing from unfortunately taller teen tone. He refused to take this lying down, plus there was no way he didn’t move his hand up even a little during the comparation

The comparison wasn’t even fair to begin with !! Jim was now a troll, of course he got tall buff genes from merlin’s potion, even if the trollhunter was only half. He voiced his opinion with a calm confidence, or at least tried too, given how the argument had dragged out

He thought that it would be the end of it, that he would finally get to taste reprieve with the discussion having ended at last. Alas he wasn’t that lucky, Jim said “ I guess that’s true, it’s not fair to say you’re short compared to me “ Douxie would have been happy with that at this point. But sadly, it wasn’t all the trollhunter had to say “ all that magic must stunt your growth right ? I’m so sorry for calling you short “. Things could not have ended more badly if he tried

He was beyond angry at the half troll, he was probably red in the face and he could practically feel steam coming out of his ears, be it metaphorically or literally given his magic, that did not in any way had stunted his growth !! This one made even less sense, merlin was practically the poster-figure for wizards, the first thing it came to thought of when people were reminded of wizards. AND he was without a doubt very tall. The british teen was about to give that punk the dressing down of the millenium

Or at least he was about too. When the older teen noticed Jim’s barely hidden laughter, the fact that he was trying to conceal his laughter at that, and failing miserably at it. It was that moment where Douxie finally realized. Jim was playing him

He had goaded him into losing his temper by pointing out something he knew wasn't true and acted oblivious when confronted about it

Douxie should have been affronted with the younger teen for using one of the oldest tricks in the books,  if it hadn’t worked so flawlessly. It was kind of embarrassing actually, considering how old he was himself, he might as well have invented half of all those tricks in the metaphorical book

Over a thousand years of experience as a wizard, and he still had things to learn. Or at least review some of the basics, they were the classics for a reason after all, and he would be even more of a fool if he ignored them again

With the terrible and extremely horrible world-ending crisis that was an angry wizard ready to go nuclear peacefully diffused, they had a good laugh about it and went back to work after a little more teasing. Continuing their record-breaking speed of organizing and putting all of their books into their proper place. 

Finally, after a little more than half an hour, all of the new books and guides were put into their new place, and all of the old ones into boxes. Now all that they had to do was put the boxes into the inventory, where they would later become part of 50% sales or even a donation to nearby schools and the like

The boxes were unsurprisingly heavy, but with a slight-grunt jim had amounted a mountain of them, and carried them off with little to no trouble, while douxie levitated the rest with his magic having a similar ease

With their jobs finally done, it was incredibly tantalizing to just rest in one of the many comfy-looking chair’s, they were nearing the end of the day after all. But they couldn’t rest just yet. Like the teenagers they were, they had many movies to watch, and many unhealthy but delicious snacks to consume

Upon reaching Jim's home the blue duo began preparing their nourishment, such as salted caramel popcorn, Smores with sprinkles and even some cheesy nachos with bacon bits and homemade tacos. All incredibly mouth-watering of course

And on their way to the market entrance they met Toby and Claire. The shadow-mancer was in charge of the projector and movie selection, while Toby had brought many pillows and blankets courtesy of Nana's hobby. Tonight was going to be epic

And so the group went down the spiraling crystal chairs of the trollmarket. It wasn’t quite the same, and you could still see some of the destruction yet to be undone by the rebuilding. But it was still breath-taking with the hearthstone standing defiantly after being destroyed, honestly jim was still in awe of that

They were warmly received by their hosts, Blinky had taken care of their things while Arrrgh wrapped them in a big comforting hug, it felt like everything was well in their world and it was amazing. And soon the place was covered in fuzzy rugs, soft blankets and some troll-sized pillows that might as well have been bean-bags for humans. It was perfect, they were comfy, they had snacks and it was show-time

The first movie of the night was a new one from a very beloved franchise, and one pretty adored by the gang at that. But as the movie progressed, one thing became increasingly clear ……. the movie was plain awful. It kept making strange turns and twists that felt like blinky was driving half-blind and drunk, the humor and joke were missing the mark if not just weird. And the ending ? The ending was the biggest affront to their beloved show and to cinema in the history of the universe

It came to a point that even a bit of popcorn was thrown against the projected screen. And usually Jim was completely against the act of wasting food, but this time ? It was warranted, it was a shame he couldn’t throw rotten tomatoes at whoever dared to commit such monstrosity

With that poorly disguised train-wreck of a movie done ( thank deya ), their marathon was briefly interrupted for a very serious and professional in-depth discussion over how horrendous the movie was and why. Or at least that was the intention before their passions got a little heated, but they couldn’t help it ! and hey, it was a pretty good way to bond that didn’t involve danger or trauma, which they could all use more of

Even Blinky and Arrrgh admitted the movie was bad, not really engaging or entertaining to begin with, which no one could really argue against, since a movie was just another way to tell a story. And the pair only knew the basics well enough to have context for the movie, so they were as unbiased as they could be. And again the movie was supposed to end the series on a high note, it didn’t make sense to judge it by itself, and even like that it was bad

Honestly it was way more interesting for the older pair to watch the younger trio discuss and point things out as they talked

After everyone had verbally eviscerated the movie for committing the crime of existing ( and badly at that ) they’ve decided to shuffle their marathon selection a bit. What better way to continue than watching all over again their favorite episodes all over again ? The movie was awful, that was true. But it wasn’t gonna stop them from loving the rest of the series. They just wouldn't let evil triumph like that

They went from one to the other as they devoured the precious snacks like the teenagers they were. And as things go with long movie night marathons at night, they started to fall asleep, or at least the younger ones of the group did. Blinky, Arrrgh and Douxie just watched in amusement as the trio began getting comfy in their sleep

They were getting sleepy as well, but they had enough energy to do one last thing before hitting the hay themselves. Blinky went to cover Claire with a blanket, and so did the krubera with toby, that left Jim to Douxie

The punk wizard stopped for a moment to appreciate how peaceful the blue troll looked all cozied up between his friends, before covering him with a cozy blanket as well, and if the levitation spell he used had extra sparkles sue him! He was feeling a bit more sentimental than usual. He and Jim were a lot alike, one could say

Both of them had the legacy of Merlin looming over them for quite some time ( one more than the other of course ) both worked really hard to live up to the expectations, plus they also really rocked the color blue. Honestly he was still in awe of Jim’s accomplishments

He was not only the youngest trollhunter in history, but had succeeded as a human by slaying Bular the Butcher where many others trolls had failed, and so much more by finally ending the conflict, by cleaning up the mess that king arthur started, by defeating Gunmar for once and for all. Though that did come from a big sacrifice on the current trollhunter’s part

He didn’t always agree with his late mentor, he didn’t like the idea of drastic permanent measures before exhausting every other avenue or possible solution, he knew they were strapped for time and resources, but still, it was such a sacrifice to make, his life, his future as human, in order to defeat Gunmar as a troll. He didn’t doubt the teen bravery or commitment to his loved ones, it was just that big of a deal, very few would make that sacrifice

Thinking now Jim would make a great king, and if he ever needed a wizard he would be happy to fill the role, though at the rate Claire was learning, he doubted he would need to do it for long, if at all. Yep he was definitely getting a bit too sentimental, not that it was a bad thing of course, he just needed to get his head on a pillow a warm blanket over him first

Future-sight or not, he just knew that he would need a good-night of rest, though that was mostly common sense at this point, still he just felt like tomorrow would be filled with rambunctious teens, they still had plenty of summer to burn through and plenty of memories to make. It sounded nice

They could do several movie marathons, they could experiment with foods and discover what jim could and couldn't eat, so far he could eat nearly everything a troll could and way more human food that he initially thought, they could experiment with magic and get into shenanigans that need complicated and difficult magical solutions, heck maybe they could do something truly crazy ……. which was sleeping in and then having a brunch buffet later. And with this last thought the wizard fell into a peaceful sleep as he dreamed.

One of many recommendations for Troll Jim drawings:

Jim being a “little” shit teasing Douxie cause he taller than him now.

He may be taller but Douxie’s still got several years on the buddy boy.

Recommended by @honeyxmonkey

More recommended pictures to come 😄

[starksweasley]

Hurt // Remus Lupin

Pairings: Remus Lupin x Reader, Platonic!Sirius Black x Reader, Platonic!James Potter x Reader, Platonic!Lily Evans x Reader

Summary: You have a habit of putting yourself in harm's way, and your friends are tired of it.

Word Count: 1355

Flashes of the moment assault you, vivid and unrelenting. The sharp whistle of the shrapnel slicing through the air, Lily’s piercing scream ringing in your ears, and Remus’ desperate shout of your name, raw and panicked, all play on an endless loop in your mind. The weight of the moment presses down on you, as tangible as the blood-soaked cloth pressed to your side. Pain radiates outward from the jagged wound, a piece of shrapnel—sharp, merciless, and entirely too real—having found its mark. You’re slumped in the common room now, a halo of your friends surrounding you, faces etched with a mix of worry and fury. Sirius is the one holding the cloth to your side. His hands are steady but his jaw's clenched tight, a storm brewing just beneath the surface. His free hand twitches as if he wants to punch something but he restrains himself and focuses on you instead.

“Are you out of your mind?” James’ voice cuts through the tension first, sharp and incredulous. His glasses slide down his nose as he runs a hand through his messy hair, pacing as if the movement might somehow channel his frustration into something productive. “Throwing yourself into the middle of a battle like that? What were you thinking?” He stops abruptly, leaning forward with his hands braced on the back of a chair, his knuckles turning white.

“I was thinking I…” You grit your teeth against the pain as Sirius presses a little harder, his fingers trembling despite his attempts to seem unaffected. “I was thinking I’d rather it hit me than—”

“Than who?” Lily interrupts, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and fear. She’s perched on the arm of a chair, leaning forward, her knuckles colorless where they grip the fabric. “One of us? Merlin, do you think that’s what we’d want? To watch you…” Her words falter, and her green eyes shine with unshed tears. She stands quickly, crossing her arms as if to physically hold herself together.

“I can’t just stand there and let people get hurt,” you say, your voice hoarse. “I won’t.”

“And what about us?” Sirius snaps, finally breaking his silence. He pulls the cloth away for a moment to check the wound, grimacing before placing his wand over it and murmuring a healing spell. The faint glow of magic reflects off his furrowed brow. His voice drops, low and intense. “Do you think we’re not hurt every bloody time you pull this?” His voice cracks on the last word, and his gray eyes flash with something unspoken. His hand moves, almost hesitantly as if he's afraid of hurting you, to brush a sweaty strand of hair from your face before pulling back.

“You’re reckless,” James chimes in, his pacing stopping abruptly as he spins to face you. His hands gesture wildly, his frustration tangible in every movement. “And it’s going to get you killed one day. How do you think we’re supposed to live with that?” His voice breaks slightly, and he drags his sleeve across his face as if wiping away invisible sweat.

“It’s my choice,” you snap back, frustration and pain mixing into a volatile cocktail. Your hands clutch at the edge of the couch, nails digging into the fabric. As the words leave your mouth, a sharp twinge from your injury forces a wince, your body curling slightly as you instinctively press a hand to your side. Remus’ eyes flare at the sight but he doesn’t say anything. His silence, heavy with restrained emotion, hangs in the air like a storm cloud as he watches you with an intensity that sends heat rising to your cheeks. “I’m trying to do what’s right. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?” You rasp out.

“There’s a difference between bravery and… and whatever this is,” Lily says, her voice soft but no less cutting. She crosses the room in a few quick strides to kneel in front of you. Her hands hover near yours, unsure whether to comfort or reprimand. Her lips tremble as she finally places a hand on your knee, squeezing tightly. “You’re not invincible.”

“I never said I was!” you shout, the words echoing in the room. The sudden movement pulls at the freshly mended skin, and you hiss through your teeth. Sirius’ hand darts out to steady you, but you angrily shake him off. “I don’t need your help,” you snap, though your voice wavers under the strain. Pain flashes across your face, sharp and unhidden, and you clutch your side as if to anchor yourself. “I’m fine. I can handle it.” But the way your body curls in on itself betrays the truth, and even as the words leave your lips, you can feel the weight of their disbelieving stares pressing down on you.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Remus’ voice is quiet but carries the weight of authority. He’s been silent until now, his brown eyes fixed on you like he’s seeing straight through to your very soul. He steps closer, his movements deliberate, his presence steadying. He crouches down beside you, his hand brushing lightly against your thigh before settling there. “That’s enough,” he repeats, softer this time.

“But she…” James starts, but Remus cuts him off with a sharp look that has even James faltering.

“That’s my girl,” Remus says firmly, his tone brooking no argument. “Don’t speak to her like that.” His gaze moves over the others, daring anyone to argue. The protective edge in his voice sends a ripple of stunned silence through the room.

“She’s hurt,” he continues, his voice like steel wrapped in velvet. “And if you lot keep yelling, she’s going to hurt herself more trying to argue back.” His gaze softens as he looks at you, his expression a mix of exasperation and tenderness. “Love, you have to stop doing this.”

Your eyes droop at the word—love—spoken so earnestly, so vulnerably. It’s enough to pull the fight out of you, leaving behind only the raw edges of your exhaustion and pain. Remus reaches out, brushing his knuckles gently along your jaw before cupping your face, his thumbs tracing soothing patterns over your cheekbones.

“I can’t stand by and watch my friends get hurt,” you whisper, your voice cracking. Your hands move instinctively to grip his, seeking comfort in the warmth and solidity of his touch.

“And I can’t stand by and watch you get hurt,” Remus replies, his hands cupping your face now, his thumbs brushing away the tears that have started to fall. “We all love you. We need you. And if you keep throwing yourself in harm’s way like this, you’re going to break us.”

The room falls silent, the weight of his words settling over everyone like a blanket. Sirius exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair as he mutters something under his breath. He shifts closer, his hand finding your shoulder in a rare moment of stillness. James’ shoulders sag, the anger draining out of him as quickly as it had flared up. Even Lily’s rigid posture softens, her hands reaching out to squeeze yours gently, her touch a lifeline.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, your voice barely audible. The tears come faster now, and Remus pulls you into his chest, his arms wrapping around you tightly as if he could hold you together through sheer force of will. His chin rests lightly on the top of your head, his voice a murmur against your hair.

“You’re my whole heart,” he murmurs, his voice breaking. “And I’m not going to lose you. Not any time soon.”

The others close in around you, their presence warm and reassuring. Sirius settles himself on the arm of the couch, his hand now resting against your back, rubbing comforting circles. James drops onto the floor beside Lily, his head falling into his hands as if the argument has drained him completely. Lily leans against him, her free hand still clasping yours. The argument is over, but the love they all feel for you lingers in the room, a silent promise that they’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe—even from yourself.

[tiredcowboyy]

The treasures of my future

I cant stop thinking ab the idea of merlin one day post s5, where they all survived, becoming really secretive and protective of his room and not telling anyone at all whats inside. Not even gaius. He even gets a lock installed and whenever anybody asks he brushes it off with jokes like “its to stop arthur from finding me” or smth.

he also unrelatedly really hates any talk of destiny, going to war, and anytime morgana mentions her fear of her magic turning her merlin slightly freaks out.

That is until one day gaius manages to catch merlin off guard while hes rushing between the main room and his bedroom and walks in.

Only to see a whole bunch of stuff that hes never seen before.

Merlin freaks out, tries to play it off as some weird experiments and stuff hes been collecting but gaius can feel it, somethings different about these items, not wrong but not right. Not really magic either.

It takes 3 weeks of gaius pestering him before merlin breaks and explains to him that he IS A TIME TRAVELER. after the battle of camlan as we know it that lead to arthurs death, merlin did wait, he really did, but in the year 2020 when arthur didnt return for yet another global crisis, merlin broke and did spell upon spell until he figured out how throw himself back in time.

And holy shit did it work well. He managed to come back just at the perfect time to change everything that needed to be done to assure that everyone lives happily and safely, and when he realises hes done it, he decides to stay in this time. See his friends and family grow old as they should have. See arthur rule as he should have. Live the life he has been craving to go back to for centuries now.

Until a month in he realises how old everything is. Sure merlin can survive without his phone and stuff but theres a few things he really misses. Like his slippers, his potato peeler, his favourite hoodie, and especially his favourite tea flavours.

So once in a while he allowed himself to go back to the modern day and bring one thing back. He started with a scented candle, because candles exist in camelot and having one here shouldn’t mess up time right? Then moved onto a herbal tea that he knows if he traveled past the boarders he may be able to find similar ingredients.

Then he brings a new release of his favourite book series because he cant help it and realises small things like that dont change time.

And so thats what he’s been hiding away in his room, all of his modern day stuff. Ranging from trinkets hes collected over his life to his favourite scarf to his stuffed lion that he won at a fair in the 80s. He doesn’t go back often, only when his tea runs out or he really needs something, he tries to limit it he really does.

It takes gaius another 4 weeks to wrap his head around it all. Another 2 weeks after that to touch merlins stuffed lion thinking it may attack him at any moment.

He makes gaius promise to not tell a soul, offering him tea bags as payment. They have a nice system from then on, gaius would try a new flavour of tea everytime merlin returned, once in a while he would also bring a modern day snack (gaius yelled when he first tried salt and vinegar crisps).

A yell which led to leon finding out. And so a cycle began.

[slytherinzz]

Scars of the past

Summary: after one of your late night rescues, they find themselves in the Room of Requirement to tend to their battle wounds. It has been two years since the event of fifth year, but Sebastian can't help but to think back at that awfull time after seeing the scars on MC's body. His scars.

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x F!reader

Warnings: A lil angst a lil fluff

The castle was quiet as Sebastian and MC trudged up the winding staircases of Hogwarts, their steps heavy with exhaustion. The faint light of the moon streamed through the tall, arched windows, casting long shadows across the stone floors. They had just returned from yet another escapade—clearing out a poacher camp and rescuing a pair of distressed mooncalves.

It had become a ritual for the two of them, these late-night missions. They both shared a deep-seated need to right the wrongs of the magical world after their 5th year, and somewhere along the line, their shared purpose had grown into something more.

Sebastian stole a glance at her as they ascended the final staircase to the Room of Requirement. Dirt smudged her cheeks, a faint streak of blood ran along her forearm, and her hair was in wild disarray. And yet, to him, she looked radiant.

“You’re quiet,” she said, giving him a sidelong look. “What’s on your mind?”

“Just wondering how many poachers we’ve pissed off this time,” he teased, though the smile on his lips didn’t quite reach his eyes.

She chuckled softly, shaking her head. “Enough to ensure they won’t be coming back anytime soon.”

The wall before them shimmered as they approached, and the Room of Requirement opened to reveal a familiar, cozy space: a crackling fireplace, two plush couches, and a simple bed tucked away in the corner for nights like these when they didn’t dare risk sneaking back to their dorms.

Sebastian let out a sigh of relief, stepping inside and kicking off his boots. “Merlin’s beard, I think I’m too tired to move another muscle.”

“You and me both,” she agreed, plopping down onto one of the couches and wincing slightly as she stretched.

As they worked in companionable silence, patching up their injuries with Wiggenweld potions and quick healing charms, Sebastian couldn’t help but notice how her hands trembled slightly. She always tried to hide it after these missions, as if refusing to acknowledge the toll it took on her body would make it less real.

“You should let me take a look at that arm,” he said, nodding toward the shallow cut on her forearm.

“It’s fine, really—”

“Let me,” he insisted, his voice softer this time.

She relented, sitting beside him and holding out her arm. His fingers brushed her skin as he muttered a charm to clean the wound, and she shivered slightly under his touch. He felt his heart quicken, but he forced himself to focus.

“There,” he said after a moment, leaning back and admiring his work. “Good as new.”

She smiled at him, and for a moment, the room seemed to grow warmer. There was something unspoken between them, something that had been building for months but neither dared to address.

“You’re staring,” she said, breaking the tension with a teasing grin.

“Can you blame me?” he shot back, though the words held more weight than he intended. Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly stood to rummage through her bag.

“Ugh, I need to get out of these clothes,” she muttered, turning her back to him as she pulled her shirt over her head.

Sebastian’s gaze immediately dropped, his cheeks reddening as he tried to give her privacy. He’d seen her change before, in hurried moments during their missions, but it was different now. There was an intimacy in the air that hadn’t been there before, and it left him flustered.

He couldn’t stop his eyes from drifting upward, and that’s when he saw them—scars. Her back was littered with them, pale lines crisscrossing her skin like a map of battles fought and endured.

And then he saw it.

A jagged, lightning-shaped scar stretched diagonally across her back, angry and red even after two years. His breath caught in his throat as he recognized the distinct mark left by the Cruciatus Curse.

His Cruciatus Curse.

“Sebastian?” Her voice was quiet, unsure, as she glanced over her shoulder and caught the expression on his face.

“Did I do that to you?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

She turned fully to face him, clutching her shirt to her chest, her eyes softening. “Sebastian—”

“Did I do that to you?” he repeated, his voice breaking this time.

She hesitated, then nodded. “It happened that night in the Scriptorium. When you… when you cast the curse on me.”

He felt like the air had been knocked out of his lungs. He had tried so hard to atone for the mistakes of his fifth year, to make amends for the darkness he had embraced. But seeing the physical reminder of his actions carved into her skin—it was almost too much to bear.

“I—” His voice faltered. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know… I didn’t realize—”

She stepped forward, placing a hand on his cheek. “Sebastian, stop. I’ve forgiven you. I forgave you a long time ago.”

“How can you forgive something like that?” he asked, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

“Because I know who you are now,” she said simply. “And you’re not that boy anymore.”

She guided him to sit on the edge of the bed, kneeling in front of him as she took his hands in hers.

“I don’t blame you for what happened,” she continued, her voice steady despite the weight of her words. “It was a dark time for both of us, and we’ve both made mistakes. But you’ve changed, Sebastian. You’ve become someone I trust, someone I… care about.”

He looked at her, his heart aching with a mixture of guilt and love. “I care about you too,” he admitted. “More than you know. And that’s why it kills me to see what I’ve done to you.”

She smiled softly, brushing a stray tear from his cheek. “You can’t change the past, but you’ve more than made up for it. And I wouldn’t be here without you.”

For a moment, they just sat there, the silence between them comfortable and warm. Finally, she stood, pulling him up with her and guiding him toward the bed.

“Come on,” she said, her voice light despite the heaviness of their conversation. “We both need some rest.”

He hesitated, glancing at her nervously. “Are you sure?”

“Sebastian,” she said with a small laugh, “you’ve slept here before. I’m not going to bite.”

As they lay side by side, the tension between them began to melt away. His arm found its way around her waist, and she didn’t protest. Instead, she shifted closer, resting her head on his chest.

“Thank you,” he murmured, his voice barely audible over the crackling fire.

“For what?”

“For forgiving me. For giving me a chance to make things right.”

She smiled against his chest, her eyes already drifting shut. “Always.”

As sleep claimed them, Sebastian pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, silently vowing to protect her from any harm—even from himself.

[sneakyboymerlin]

It’s a shame that the core four’s ages are never confirmed in canon. Arthur’s age is the best we get, and even then, it’s not that simple.

The dragon was captured exactly 20 years before Merlin came to Camelot. This means that Arthur is certainly over the age of 20 in 1x01. I’d argue that he should be over the age of 21 if the Purge had not only been going on for some time, but had already progressed into Kilgharrah’s capture by that point 20yrs prior.

If we take each episode as ~1 month (making each season ~1 year long), then Arthur’s birthday being in 1x09 would indicate about 9 months’ difference from 1x01, meaning that — if Arthur is 20 here — he was born only 3 months prior to the dragon’s capture.

This would mean that it only took 3 months for Uther to 1) wage his war, 2) escalate it so severely that Balinor summoned Kilgharrah to make peace with Uther, and 3) manage to capture Kilgharrah in chains specially designed to keep a dragon. This is incredibly unlikely.

I propose that Arthur is actually 21 in 1x01, giving Uther ~1 year and 3 months to wage war and orchestrate Kilgharrah’s capture.

From there, we can guesstimate Merlin’s age, since his birth is a direct result of this event. 20 years prior to 1x01 is when the dragon was captured, and so too was Merlin’s father. Then, he would have spent a period of at least a few months or 1+ years in Ealdor (long enough for him to fall in love with Hunith, and enough to never love another woman like that ever again). Then, he left Ealdor before he could discover Hunith’s pregnancy (i.e. she was not showing).

Accounting for the time Balinor spent in captivity, then the time spent in Ealdor, and of course the 9 months of pregnancy (which would have had some overlap, but small enough that Hunith was not showing), we get a period of at least one year, possibly even 2 years, after the dragon’s capture (again, exactly 20 years before the events of 1x01).

Subtracting 1 year, or 2, or whichever number we decide is most realistic from that 20 year figure, Merlin could be any of a wide range of ages in 1x01. At the oldest, he is a little over 1 year younger than Arthur (21 - 1.5 = 19.5). The youngest he could be is ~16 (based on appearances and relative age, since the numbers alone don’t place a limit on his minimum age) but it’s safe to say he’s at least 17 when he leaves Ealdor. So, 18 or 18 and a half would make for a functional average.

There is little to go off of for the Smiths, but Gwen is likely to be somewhere right between Merlin and Arthur’s ages since she has romantic plot-lines with both. She is likely ~19 in 1x01, older or younger depending on which figures we’re using. Elyan is implied to be younger than Gwen in 5x06 (when he says that Gwen “practically raised [him]”), so he may be Merlin’s age or younger. Only tangentially related, but Gwen says in 3x07 that it’s been 4 years since Elyan left. This places his departure ~6 months prior to 1x01.

As for Morgana, her age is dependent on when Uther slept with Morgana’s mother. Gorlois was off in battle when this happened, so it may have been post-Purge. However, because Morgana’s magic is an inherited trait (as it is with her sister, Morgause) and she and Morgause have the same mother but not the same father, this makes the magic a matrilineal trait in their family. It is highly unlikely that Morgana’s mother — a woman with innate magic — would have slept with Uther during the Purge. It was likely pre-Purge, and at least a year before Arthur’s birth.

Furthering the latter possibility, Uther having a child out of wedlock would be the evidence he needs to confirm the reason he has no child with his own wife (only his best friend’s wife): Ygraine is the infertile one. (Uther, on the other hand, is a little too fertile for his own good).

Compiling the timelines of these events, with enough time passing for the conception of Morgana to be realized, enough time for Gaius to persuade Nimueh to help Uther and Ygraine conceive, and enough time for Ygraine to complete a full 9 month pregnancy, we’re looking at a minimum of ~1 year and a half, but probably 2+ years if Uther and Ygraine looked into other (ineffective but time-consuming) fertility options first (via Gaius?).

Therefore, Arthur and Morgana might have a good 2 years between them. If Arthur is 21 in 1x01, then Morgana is probably ~23.

So my best guesses for 1x01 ages are:

Morgana: 22-23

Arthur: 21

Gwen: 19-20

Merlin: 18-19

Elyan: 16-18

[ramblings-of-a-chaotic-neutral]

Masterpost

Hello everyone! Since this blog has grown much more than I've anticipated, I figured that it was time to organize everything into a masterpost so people can find my different au's more easily. Happy reading! :D

Fics on AO3:

What to do When an Eldritch God Decides that You're Friend-Shaped: A Guide by Sir Leon the Long-Suffering: here

Archeologist Merlin and Immortal Camelot au: here

I would find you, darling, in any life: here

The Sweet Innocence of a Dragon: here

Mitosis and its Consequences (featuring art by @griffonskies!): here

AU Prompts/Ideas

Balinor lives: Part 1/1

Merlin controls the Knights of Medhir: Part 1/1

Arthur thinks Merlin's a fairy: Part 1/1

Arthur becomes Emrys's familiar: Part 1/2, Part 2/2

Archeologist Merlin and Immortal Camelot: Part 1/3, Part 2/3, Part 3/3

Arthur obtains magic dolls of Merlin and Gwen: Part 1/1

Arthur thinks that Merlin needs to get laid for the safety of Camelot: Part 1/1

Morgana wants to be allies with Emrys: Part 1/2, Part 2/2

Merlin resurrects Lancelot, not Morgana: Part 1/1

Arthur misunderstands what a warlock is: Part 1/2, Part 2/2

Merlin tells Morgana about his magic early: Part 1/1

Arthur thinks that Emrys is his real father: Part 1/1

Gwaine accidentally joins the Catha in their worship of Emrys: Part 1/1

Merlin accidentally conquers Camelot: Part 1/4, Part 2/4, Part 3/4 Part 4/4

Camelot becomes obsessed with Emrys-themed romance novels: Part 1/1

Merlin temporarily dies and Arthur loses his mind: Part 1/1

Merlin has an army of baby dragons: Part 1/1

Merlin refuses to leave his job as Arthur's manservant even after being revealed as Emrys: Part 1/2, Part 2/2

Modern au with Gen Z druids worshipping Merlin as Emrys: Part 1/1

Arthur gets forcefully adopted by his troll stepfamily (aka the post that broke containment): Part 1/1

Merlin is part fae: Part 1/1

Arthur is already king when Merlin arrives in Camelot: Part 1/1

Arthur is commanded to worship Emrys by the Disir: Part 1/2, Part 2/2

Arthur is reincarnated as an MI6 agent assigned to watch Emrys: Part 1/1

Emrys is a spirit possessing Merlin (sort of): Part 1/1

Arthur gets put on a magical trial but Merlin will always find him innocent: Part 1/1

Historians find documents from a prank war between Arthur and Merlin: Part 1/1

Arthur tries to fight Merlin after a magic reveal, written like a video game boss battle: Part 1/1

Merlin in the 21st century gets cast in a show about himself, but plays a knight: Part 1/1

Arthur knows Merlin is Emrys but thinks that the Once and Future King is someone besides him: Part 1/1

Merlin punishes assassins by turning them into leeches and dropping them in the leech tank: Part 1/1

Arthur tries to stop Merlin from "becoming" Emrys by ruining the Golden Age: Part 1/1

Gwen finds out about Merlin's magic during her banishment: Part 1/1

Arthur is touch-starved, but thinks that it's just Merlin putting a spell on him: Part 1/1

Merlin GIFs:

Merlin in the microwave: here

Arthur in the microwave: here

Merlin holding a spinning Arthur: here

Arthur holding spinning Merlins: here

Uther spinning in a blender: here

Uther gets squished: here

Merlin juggles Arthur: here

Merlin and Arthur both in the microwave: here

Merlin and Arthur on a hot dog roller: here

Merlin and Arthur roasting: here

Arthur spinning in a washing machine: here

Merlin spinning round the tumblr logo: here

Arthur spinning in a wizard's orb: here

[merlin-reboot-when]

Lancelot du Lac / Series 4 au where Merlin manages to free Lancelot from Morgana's spell and he lives, but all other plotpoints transpire exactly as shown in the episode. There's no proof that Lancelot wasn't entirely himself at the time, maybe his own memories are a little foggy too and they still don't know why Gwen ended up kissing Lancelot.

Arthur can't trust him anymore, but he also considers the possibilities that Merlin is telling the truth because it is the truth and not just because it could save his friend. So after a couple of days of consideration he banishes Lancelot as well. He can't stand the thought of sentencing a friend who might be innocent to death.

Merlin is incredibly upset because on the one hand Lancelot is alive, but he still loses two of his best friends in the aftermath of this mess, Agravaine is still whispering in Arthur's ear and if Morgana finds out Lancelot is alive and she catches him out there alone...

Lancelot tries to find Gwen - who also still doesn't understand everything that happened - and explain to her that this was Morgana's doing. Maybe they can look out for each other. He succeeds eventually (after Merlin sent Gwen to Ealdor in "The Hunter's Heart" and let Lancelot know where to find her) an in the beginning it's very awkward because at one point they did have feelings for each other. They soon figure out though that whatever was once between them is over for good. They've both moved on, Gwen is in love with Arthur and Lancelot- well. Lancelot may or may not have some complicated feelings about a certain warlock.

They reunite with the rest of the group in "The Sword in the Stone" and with Agravaine's betrayal revealed Arthur finally believes the (slightly censored) story Merlin and Lancelot told him about the incident that led to this banishment. They win back the castle, Arthur takes Lancelot back as his knight and marries Gwen. Happy End!

I'm not sure how this would impact the events of series 5, but I've always seen Lancelot as a counterpart to Kilgarrah's and Gaius' respective warnings to prioritise the bigger picture or Merlin's personal safety. He believes in Merlin because he's Merlin, not because of some prophercies or because Merlin has powerful magic. And with Mordred re-entering the picture Merlin became increasingly conflicted about doing what feels right vs. doing what would serve his long term goals best. With the building pressure of the oncoming final battle Merlin also felt increasingly lonely under that weight and having Lancelot in the picture again would've helped him a lot in my opinion.

There could also be some relationship drama around Lancelot knowing Merlin cannot prioritise him. Lancelot knows that Merlin always has and always will have to put Arthur. He understands this to a certain extend, he's a knight and he took an oath to serve Arthur and Camelot above all else too. Still, there are dozens of knights while Merlin is a very unique type of protector and this isn't just his job, it's who he is. So they keep circling each other, drifting closer and closer the more time they spend together and the more secrets they share, but always finding excuses to not take that last step.

Those two aspects combined could come to a head around "The Disir" when Merline faces one of his biggest dilemmas about the prophecies yet. Instead of only Merlin and Arthur travelling to see the Disir a second time, Lancelot would be there too. He is probably the only person who in that situation might advise Merlin to finally tell Arthur the truth. He's not as cold as Kilgarrah and cares about his fellow knights, including Mordred. He's not as scared as Gaius and therefore might prioritise Merlin's integrity as a person over the (sometimes selfish) instinct to ensure Arthur's survival at any cost.

I imagine they'd have a huge fight about this because from the outside Lancelot sees how much Merlin and Mordred really have in common and his instincts would tell him to protect Mordred as well as Merlin by making Arthut finally see the good in magic. Merlin on the other hand might argue that it's too soon, that Arthur still only trusts him when it suits him, that Arthur isn't ready.

And I am thinking huge fight here btw. There'd be angry whispering and then angry yelling, then Arthur would chime in demanding to know what the hell they're fighting about. Merlin would blame Lancelot for putting even more pressure on him when he's already being pulled in all kinds of directions; Lancelot would argue that he's doing this because he knows all of this and sees how Merlin is running himself into the ground and for good measure he'd throw the four letter L word in there which Merlin would not take well because doesn't Lancelot know he can't do this - can't risk anything - when the prophecies and destiny basically dictate every breath he takes. Arthur'd be furious at this point because what the hell and what prophecies and why doesn't he know anything about any of this and why is Merlin crying? Lancelot would keep pushing though because helping Merlin hide for a long time was the best he could do for him, but that is no longer true and now Lancelot would be crying too because he'd hate being the one to put Merlin into distress like this even if it's necessary. And Arthur "no man is worth your tears" Pendragon would not know what to do with any of this, the situation is obviously much more complex than anticipated. Eventually things would calm down, but Arthur heard what he heard and after gathering every bit of courage he has left Merlin would drop the bomb.

This would obviously lead to more arguing because Arthur, from his point of view, has once again been betrayed by the people closest to him and Lancelot not only knew, he helped Merlin the entire time, conspired with a sorcerer. Almost a decade of friendship between the three of them and all of that based on lies and deceit? Lancelot would stand steadfast by his decision to protect Merlin, he'd remind Arthur that he himself had wondered if the old religion was actually the evil he'd thought it to be only minutes ago and ask him what he thinks Merlin should've done instead of lying about his abilities? Hearing this from someone who doesn't have magic themselves might actually help Arthur believe that Merlin has only ever lied to him to stay alive. They'd eventually end the discussion for the night to give everyone a chance to cool off and sleep off the exhaustion.

In the morning Arthur would have to step in front of the Disir again with a decision that will seal his fate. And there'd still be a lot to figure out for Arthur, he might still end up executing Kara, he might still end up dying in Camlann, but he would make a different decision in front of the Disir.

[starrstruck-xx]

a long rambling/idea/rant of how i want bbc merlin plot to go

Season 1

General: stays the same (light-hearted season) but merlin starts to question gaius and kilgharrah, empathizes with morgana. Elyan is introduced somewhere between episodes. Gwen father didn’t die. Mordred ISN’T introduced yet. Morgana is gaslighted by merlin + gaius (not forever i swear guys)

Finale: merlin vs nimueh (epic battle this time), merlin is almost close to loosing but gaius helps him, however nimueh survives

Season 2

General: introduction of mordred on the second ep (merlin hates him), ep 1 is abt balinor (mentor figure for merlin + should meet with hunnith), arthur finds out abt ygraine (and yes merlin lied abt it) + starts questioning uther, we got more arthur’s pov when merlin is at the ‘tavern’ (episodes where merlin is not there and focuses on arthur instead), morgana finds out abt her magic. Freya + gwen romance plotline happened. Percival + Gwaine introduction, merthur kiss but they never acknowledge it (yep they’re in denial)

Finale: kilgharrah lost hope of merlin so he turns to nimueh (in a hidden scene nimueh told arthur the truth abt his birth), nimueh + uther battle (but nimueh lost NOO), balinor DIES, merlin stops kilgharrah, glimpse of morgause (at the ep end). Morgana made a decision to kill uther

Season 3

General: aithusa is born (morgana + kilgharrah + merlin really likes her), morgana villain arc (she finds out that merlin is gatekeeping magic from her + merlin trying to kill mordred lmao), either morgwen romance or gwencelot (i can’t choose), gwen’s father died, this season = gwen’s arc

Finale: magic reveal, uther’s death, morgouse + morgana attacked the castle, morgana and morgouse fighting + breaking of to their own path (morgana realizes morgause is kind of twisted evil)

Season 4

General: arthur banning merlin from camelot (merlin runaway arc), arthur + gwen + the knights running the kingdom, morgana redemption arc, morgouse + aggravaine becomes main villain, political shit in camelot (like other kingdom who also despises sorcery/power manipulation, an in-depth look of other kingdoms), GAIUS DIES, hunnith + aithusa + kilgharrah scenes, mordred + merlin + morgana bonding, ygraine scenes, arthur trying to forget merlin but CANT, oh and aggravaine is also a villain here but he actually has personality and pure evil, arthur getting excalibur, arthur is really struggling to find himself here (to be like his father or follows his heart). Btw merlin is there and it shows every time magic related enemies attacks camelot/everytime arthur is about to die really but he’s literally in the shadows now and arthur pretends not to notice

Finale: morgause + aggravaine attacking the kingdom, arthur accepts + forgiving merlin + morgana back and assign them as court sorceress + court physician, hunnith scenes, arthur tolerating magic, adopting mordred (apology for killing his father lol), probably adopting aithusa

Season 5

General: arthur lifts the ban against magic, marrying merlin, cendred is a villain here (however he is introduced in s4), merlin GETTING A STAFF (also introduced in previous seasons but he’s worthy of it here, arthur made it btw and it’s a power up for melrin)

Finale: morgause + cendred finale attack, a few deaths (they won thoe cuz this is the good ending)

End:

Camelot brings a new era (symbolizing change)

Arthur: King

Merlin: consort/court dragonlord with titles like “king arthur’s shadow”

Gwen: Court Advisor/head of the house

Morgana: Court Sorceress

Aithusa: Court Dragon

Why i think merthur should be canon:

1) they’re gay

2) real reason: so i think its good for the plot too since magic is a euphemism for gay, relates to the theme of arthur bringing change to camelot but other than marrying a servant, he marries a MALE servant who has magic ☺️🫶😘🙏

Series ends with everyone at the roundtable, gathering for a meeting

Okay that’s it let me know what you want to change 🥰

**This rambling is now updated, check it out here:

To find my other ramblings about this AU, filter with the hashtag #must we really rely on fate?

[windmaedchen-oceanhorn]

Meet my new (old) AFK Journey OC Erin!

I thought of her half way through the Song of Strife Season, but then refocused on Lavinia instead, whose story I have already shared. I am not entirely sure what made me think of Erin, but at some point the idea of a "good" Hypogean crossed my mind. Possibly the fact that Talene's flames can distinguish between good and bad, which I read as being pure Hypogean or not... and so what if there is a truly good Hypogean? Would her flames hurt them?

And only THEN I learned of a certain other Hypogean, who is into Esperian stuff and doesn't really wanna fight them at all. xD *cough* Eugene *cough* So you may take the well educated guess that Erin is... simply his sister now. xD So let me share some facts about her below the cut:

Name: Erin

Sex: Female

Family: Eugene (brother)

Summary: Erin is a lively and outspoken personality and she much enjoys hanging out with people. Erin is extremely curious in everything Esperia has to offer and is most of her time trying to learn the various crafts and arts it offers. Since years don't mean much to her, she would spend a good amount of decades as master of her craft before moving on to the next thing. She hangs around Merlin a lot for they share the same chosen fate and she aims to remind them of the things Dura has tasked Merlin to do.

Early Life

Erin is Eugene's younger sister. She shares her fascination about Esperia with him and together they would roam the lands instead of trying to fight alongside their brethren. Being the younger sister, she enjoyed much protection from her brother, especially as she has a knack of getting into trouble (not quite unlike him, actually).

Eventually, Erin runs into Merlin and they become very good friends. Merlin actually is able to fulfill her wish of becoming more human, by enchanting a necklace that would hide her Hypogean form and aura when worn.

As creatures of great magical composition, both Celestial and Hypogeans do not really have to sleep (and eat). However, if they wish to retain their memories, they must take rest every couple of decades or centuries, for a nearly equal amount of time. Then they will retreat into the Leylines and the Realm of their kind.

Both Erin and Merlin are the only ones that have decided to forgo their memory, in favor of being more constantly in Esperia in order to help those in need. They trust, that they will remain the same person at core, knowing they could never do harm to Esperia. The downside of this method is that in regular intervals they will forget what they have done previously.

Usually this memory wipe is done voluntarily, so both, Erin and Merlin, pick moments where it's convenient to them. 

The reason that Merlin suffers from sudden memory-lapses could be two things (or both): they might have overdone it in the recent centuries and pay the price now by unexpected resets... or they perform many short resets now in order to be fully ready for the task ahead of them.

Since Erin will also forget her family, she and Eugene have prepared magical bracelets that are impossible to remove, always making sure that they know of each other (even if Erin doesn't remember anything about him after they part for the first time).

Prelude

Erin and Merlin become friends with Hogan and they join him in battle against various foes. One particular such battle forces Erin to reveal her true nature in order to save her friends. She is badly injured (probably by Scarlita) by loosing one of her wings and she is forced to retreat into her Hypogean Realm to heal herself. 

It takes her about 20 years to heal fully. She returns a little later than Merlin, just after the Song of Strife Season.

She is found by Valen in the streets of Holistone, as she was reported missing merely a day or two previously. Back at the Heroic Order building she reunites with Hogan. They consider her being reported missing a ruse and so Valen joins her to visit the one who brought up the case.

Of course this is a trap and it becomes clear that the Adamant Syndicate is behind it. They want something she possesses: "The Amulet of Life", a legendary necklace that would promise its wearer an eternal life.

This hunt goes on for a while until eventually Erin gets into the situation of having to show her true form and save the lives of others.

To make things more complicated, the current Celestials are also on the hunt for her, in particular Scarlita. Since Erin walks around in her human form, she is able to have plenty of conversations with those around her, including Talene. About the nature of Hypogeans, Celestials, prejudices and justice in light of actions and not factions.

It ends with a major showdown between Erin and the three Celestials of that time (Scarlita, Dionel and Talene). Erin only defends herself in frustration. Again, Scarlita manages to cut of the remaining wing and nearly kills her. Valen is ready to shield Erin from a lethal attack by Scarlita, but gathering up her last strength, Erin not only parries but also counter attacks the Celestial, blasting off her two arms, rendering her incapable to continue the fight.

Being at the end of her powers, she is ready to be permanently destroyed. However, both Talene and Dionel do not wish to do so anymore. Being too weak to heal herself (and others being unable to heal a Hypogean) Erin's last chance is her brother.

So Merlin and Talene venture out to wake up Eugene from his slumber. Since Merlin was there when Erin and Eugene parted (to protect the place of his slumber) only they can find it again. They manage to get Eugene, who travels with them to help his sister recover.

So Erin and Eugene become permanent residents of the Mystical House.

In theory, Erin's wings can grow back but it would take decades, so she might become mortal before she can regain them (though the fun she could have with them....! )

Future Events

Erin and Eugene will naturally have a look for Gavus and the kids, as they too decided to rest, but weren't there when Eugene awoke.

Eventually Erin is by Merlins side when they are put into the situation of a specific sacrifice having to be made to unlock a secret, or a spell or weapon. The sacrifice asks for an immortal life to be given away, and Erin is actually rather happy to do so. She emerges from the sacrifice as a humble human being (one of those things maybe even set up by Dura for this moment, similar to how Dura left clues to Merlin about how to deal with Phraesto).

[dreamsandimagination]

Wish rewrite with Amaya as the villain (spoilers)

While I love Chris Pine as the narcasistic King Magnifico, I feel like they wasted a opportunity to have Amaya as a villain.

Instead of a confident narcissist, Magnifico is a timid yet sweet wizard who stays in his lab, waers ragged servant clothes behind closed doors, and doesnt come out that often, except to grant wishes. Think of him as a male version of Elsa and Snowwhite.

the pressure to grant everyones high expectations and his own introvert nature causes him to often screw up the wishes he has to grant at the ceremony. Note that the wishes that he grants are all materialistic yet harmless, like, "I want a puppy!" or "I want a house!"

Amaya, who serves as Mother Gothel/Evil Queen to Magnificos Rapunzel/Snowwhite, married him solidly because of his sorcery and has been secretly breaking his self-esteem over the years. She installed the dogma in Magnificos head that only SHE can judge wishes accordingly and that people cant be trusted with them because they are all selfish (which is true, to a extent). Not only that, but she also keeps Magnificos OWN wish - to be a great wizard - to herself as a means to control him.

Then, enter Asha, who sees this emotional abuse by accident and boldly speaks her mind to Magnifico about this, planting the first seed in Magnificos head that Amaya is using him, much like the town is using him for.materialistic wishes. Magnifico doesnt believe Asha because of denial - the wishing ceremony is the only time his subjects actually pay attention to him and his sorcery is his only means of value to the community - and so, he banishes her from the castle.

The movie could then still follow the same broad lines with Asha meeting Star and convincing the townspeople to rise up.

Unlike the materialistic wishes that Magnifico can grant with his staff, Star's magic can actually do wondrous things - like, grant an infinite number of wishes, make people magically fall in love with you, bring people back from the dead, etc. Once Amaya gets Star, she plans to dump Magnifico for the better option. As her methodes become more and more extreme to quell the revolutionists and find Star, Magnifico keeps the fragil peace between the revolutionists (who want all the wishes returned to them) and patriots (who are on Amaya's side and believe wishes should be governed). his popularity skyrockets, as people start to respect and see him as more than just a genie in a bottle. in turn, Magnifico becomes more confident.

Amaya becomes furious that the balance in their relationship has shifted. Fearing Magnifico becomes too comfident and will free himself from the abuse, she locks Magnifico up in the highest tower, steals his staff and absorbs the bad/selfish/harmful wishes that Magnifico keeps contained in a seperate vault.

The final battle/climax would then play out almost the same as in the movie: Asha and Star lure the "Queen" in a wild chase scene while her friends free Magnifico.

Magnifico is at his lowest point as Amaya forces all of Rosas, including himself, to its knees with the bad wishes. He is powerless without his staff and equipment to stand up to her. Asha reminds him that "he is a Star!", not because of his magic but because of his good heart.

Magnifico is freed from Amayas magical grip thanks to the belief of Asha and his people. He fuses with Star (think of Rapunzel in the Tangled series, when her eyes and hair glow) to fight Amaya in a sorcerous duel that pays tribute to Merlins duel with Madame Mim. He wins, imprisons her in the Mirror, stores the bad wishes back into the vault and revives the good wishes.

rin the ending, Star grants Magnifico his wish to be a great wizard, giving him the ability to grant powerful wishes like Star. Magnifico then rules as the King of Rosas with Asha as his right hand.

[froidefille]

Day 13: a rare pair

📚 Licurici  by @lou-isfake

Draco/Harry/Charlie, wordcount 133k, E

Summary:

Charlie wanted Harry, but he’d never planned on having him. He’d never planned on Draco Malfoy, either. He hadn’t planned on anything but living out his days in Romania, with his friends and his dragons and his safe, peaceful distance. Apparently, it wasn’t a very popular plan. This is a story about crumbs and flickers and roots, running away and coming home; about falling in love without meaning to (twice), and having truly good friends, and the mutually revealing recognition between two people in love with the same man.

Licurici (m) Noun, Romanian (pl licurici) - Firefly (pronunciation here!)

🐲⚡🦗

One thing you may or may not already know from my previous recs, I love, ADORE, a good poly fic and I have to say Licurici is at the very top of my list. I wasn't sure about this pairing at first, because I am a very hardcore Drarry shipper, yet this fic has demonstrated beutifully how freaking deliciously Charlie just makes sense in this dynamics. He is the calm they need, the experience, the wilderness, the absolute devotion and acceptance. He is somehow exactly what both Harry and Draco need and I just... *melting*

There are quite a few aspects that make this story exceptional, let me enlist just a few:

Charlie being an empath (!)

while Draco is an excellent Occlumens (the angst!!)

THE DRAGONS! I would die for Mathilde. I kept imagining her as Hiccups from "How to train your dragon" and I couldn’t help falling in love with her 🐉🖤

the fact that the Malfoy grounds are being repurposed for a dragon sanctuary – as in, a place of healing and safety and DRAGONS

Charlie coming home. Not a lot of works out there describe that and I absolutely loved this aspect of the story.

Last but not least, big shoutout to @phoenixortheflame who has done a stunning bind of this fic with @saijordison Challengers-inspired art on the cover no less <3

Thank you for this lovely prompt @hprecfest and of course dearest @lou-isfake for your captivating fiction 🤍

Please find a few of my favourite moments of the story for your enjoyment under the cut

Molly explaining that traids are actually common and respected in the magical world !! I LOVE this concept. And then!

"King Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana? No?” She huffed and rolled her eyes. “The Founders of Hogwarts—did you think they were colleagues?”

All the Merthur and Mergana feels from BBC Merlin haha <3 Also all the „what do they teach in school these days” vibe, oh man, Molly <3

2. All the Draco = dragon jokes <3

"Speaking of dragons - where is Draco?"

"I have to tend to the other dragons,” he said with a wink, and Draco rolled his eyes, fighting a smile"

oh baby 😭

3.

"Love is not a limited resource"

*CRIES*

4. Charlie PERFECTLY summing Harry up in two words:

„Adorable and invincible”

I just love this boy 😍

5. Harry "conducting the electricity between them" which is the hottest and also most fitting description of their relationship at the time.

6. I am a complete sucker for situations where the third person is simply needed, like, logistically. So when Harry does his Auror stunts and Draco needs Charlie to take care of him or when Harry is in Mungo's and Draco needs Charlie there – I AM MELTED INTO THE GROUND.

7. Oh and the sex. I mean, phew, oh boy, these scenes were just SO HOT.

OKAY NOW MY FAV PART: Freaking Draco/Charlie dynamics.

I have a soft spot for the less obvious relationship in the triad, between „the others", so to say. Because Harry and Draco – that's just natural. Harry/Charlie – as we get Charlie's POV that’s also somehow... just makes sense. But Charlie and Draco – now, that's new.

At first, it seems that Harry – and their love for him – is the only thing they have in common (as beautifully illustrated in the Final Battle scene). But as the story progresses, we learn Draco's POV, we can see his "soft belly", we see Charlie falling for him and for Harry AND Draco's feelings. So once we are at this moment in the story, Harry basically just became a (cery pretty) ornament in this relationship for me 😅 And I LOVED how it was portrayed, how Charlie and Draco MAKE SO MUCH SENSE IF THEY JUST LET THEMSELVES TO.

[everlastingdreams]

The Weeping Monk x Fem!Reader : Forged Of Fire Chapter 41

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Story Summary: Raised under the tiranny of your own family, and forced to steal to earn your keep, you struggle to survive. Born from a Fey mother, and a Manblood father who wanted only sons, you are forced to hide your Fey side. When you are ordered to steal from Father Carden by your half-brother, Cassian, your life spirals out of control and you find yourself at the mercy of the Weeping Monk. The life you knew changes drastically when Cassian betrays you in the cruelest of ways. A trade is made, a promise is broken, and a debt must be paid.

Chapter Title: All That Glistens Is Not Gold

Notes: /

Warnings: Angst. Hurt. Trauma bonding. Intrafamily violence. Depression. Self-harm. Suicidal thoughts. Violence. Torture. Gore. Pining. Trauma. Self-Flagellation. Manipulation. Strong Language. Blood. Misogyny. PTSD. Spicy and smut parts. Slight redemption arc. Lima/Stockholm syndrom-ish. Childhood trauma.

Other warnings: Jealousy. Forced Marriage. Forbidden Love. Romance. Slow-burn. Found Familly-ish. Comfort. Fluff. !SMUT and SPICE!

Word count of this fic: +250K

Chapter:  41/47

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

One moment you were in a room with Pym, and now you found yourself alone and laying down in a bed in one of the bedrooms of the castle. It was enough to frighten anyone and cause panic, it truly felt like no time had passed.

“Pym?!?” You sat up in the bed and felt dizzy and nauseous right away, you had to lay back down again.

The door opened and Merlin stepped inside, a sigh of relief escaping him upon seeing you conscious again. “Pym is having supper.” He walked to your side. “Fear not, I do not believe that you fainted from the fall.”

You found comfort in how calm he sounded. “Then what happened to me?”

He picked up a plate with a sliced pear on it, offering you a piece. “When did you last eat, and what was it?”

You had to think for a moment. “I had some bread this morning. I wasn’t really hungry.”

“I fear your body disagrees with you on that matter.” He held the piece of pear right under your nose. “Something sweet will help you feel better. Go on.”

It was a bit uncomfortable to eat while laying down, but Merlin stood by to make certain you didn’t accidentally choke on it. “I fainted because I didn’t eat enough?”

He gave a slow nod. “Indeed. With everything going on, it is common for hunger to go unnoticed until it makes us ill.”

“Is my head alright?… "

“I have had centuries to learn all there is to know of healing, whether it be from a curse or sickness, you have my word that you will be well.” He took a vial with a strange looking liquid from his satchel. “But just to be certain, drink this.”

The whispers of the Hidden were in your ears at the sight of the vial. “That contains magic.”

He was surprised to hear that you could tell. “Did the Hidden let it be known?”

Your brow furrowed. “Yes. And I can smell it from here, it doesn’t smell normal.”

He put the vial in your hand, looking at you curiously. “It will not taste well either, but this bottled magical concoction will help with any pain your head causes you.”

You eyed the vial. “It’s not poison, is it?”

Merlin was amused by it. “Poisoning one of the last to carry the Fey Fire in their blood would be foolish. If only you knew how I risked my life to have just a small jar of it.”

You sensed he was truthful and drank the vial, he had been truthful about the taste of it too. “Thank you, Merlin. Not just for helping me, but for helping all of us.”

A gentle smile appeared on his face. “You are very welcome. I have stood aside in this battle between Manblood and Fey for far too long, it took me losing my daughter to see how wrong of me it was. I will continue the fight she could not.”

“A noble choice.” you told him.

He disagreed on that, “It would have been noble if I had made that choice before losing her.”

You could see that guilt was eating at him. “No one is free of mistakes, Merlin, it is how we handle them that is important.”

He fell quiet for a moment, seeming to ponder on that thought. “I will go and tell Pym that you are awake. The poor girl was quite shaken after she saw you faint.”

Poor Pym… “Tell her that I’m alright and that she hasn’t done anything wrong.”

He gave a nod, opening the door and finding Gawain standing outside ready to knock. Gawain greeted Merlin and stepped into the room, closing the door behind Merlin. Gawain came right to your side to help you sit up a little and adjusted the pillow behind your back for support.

“You had us worried.” He said, putting the plate with sliced pear into your lap. “How are you feeling?”

It was easier to sit up now, the small bite of pear was starting to help. “My head still doesn’t feel good, but Merlin gave me some medicine for that. Don’t worry, Gawain, I’ll live.”

He pointed in a scolding manner. “You’d better.” Upon seeing you frown he explained, “The Ash Man threatened to fight the Hidden if you did not wake again.”

You tried to be serious about it, failed and chuckled instead. “How does he plan on doing that?”

He sounded confident on the matter, “He may just be mad enough to find a way.”

True. “Tell him to behave. He will listen to you.”

“I have.” he assured. “And once Merlin told us you would be alright after some rest and a meal, I gave Lancelot some tasks to focus on to keep him calm. That man is a bottled storm.”

You took another piece of pear to eat. “Best to keep him busy. Or that storm unleashes.”

Gawain headed to the door again. “I will have someone bring you a meal to eat. Soup was made.”

Poor, poor Pym. She would not have been happy with that. “Thank you, Gawain. Do tell Lancelot, and Percival, that I am alright.”

He opened the door to step out. Just then Percival darted past Gawain and into the room right towards you, in his hands was your satchel.

“Tell him yourself.” Gawain chuckled.

The knight left you to handle the boy alone, who promptly went to stand by the side of the bed. Percival put the satchel down beside the bed.

You noticed him glance down at the slices of pear. “Do you want some pear?”

It looked like he wanted to say ‘yes’ but he stopped himself. “No. You should eat, or you’ll faint again.”

He had sounded so worried… and it was adorable how he tried to look like he was not worried at all.

“Come sit with me.” You patted the spot beside you. “I’d love some company.”

The boy took the offer right away and plopped down on the edge of the bed. “Merlin said you’d be alright. You will be alright… won’t you?”

The loss of his friend had scarred the child’s heart. Too many goodbyes, too many loses.

You hoped to put his mind at ease. “I will be back on my feet in no time. Don’t you worry about me, Percival. I’m stronger than I might appear.”

He pressed his lips shut, as if he hoped not to say what he did, “I hope so.”

Wait… was that in response to you being back on your feet again soon or…

The cheeky grin that appeared on his face gave you that answer.

You snatched hold of his arm, pulling him into you, ruffling that wild hair. “You little rascal!”

“I’m not little!” He tried to squirm free, a joyful laugh escaping him.

Finally you let him go. “Still a rascal!”

Percival was still chuckling and a little out of breath from the playful attack on him. “And you’re a minx.”

You barely held in the gasp, it was stated like it was a fact to him. “Where did you learn such a word?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Lancelot once said it really quietly when you were walking away and he thought no one could hear.”

“He said that, huh?” That sneaky twit…

The boy nodded, ratting out the Ash Man. “What does it mean though? He wouldn’t answer when I asked.”

Speak of the devil, the door was opened quickly and there stood your worried husband. A quiet sigh of relief fell upon seeing you conscious again.

Your eyes narrowed at him. “Ah, there you are. Just in time. Percival was just asking me what the word ‘minx’ means. Does that sound familiar to you?”

His relief turned into confusion, then concern and ultimately guilt. Like a child caught in a crime. “Percival, why don’t you go and see if the Green Knight needs your help?”

“But-”

“Now.”

The boy grumbled whilst getting up from the bed and glared at the Ash Man until he was out the door, leaving the door wide open behind him. Lancelot sighed, closing the door.

Your brow arched. “Well?”

He shuffled a little where he stood. “I may have referred to you as such. It was not my intention to have the boy overhear it.”

Of course it wasn’t. “Uhu.”

Whenever he felt out of his comfort, he would fold his hands behind his back and try to appear taller than he already was. It was so easy to tell he feared being reprimanded over it.

He came to stand beside the bed, his tone half-serious, “Must you insist on trying to make me a widower today?”

“I’m trying not to.” you jested.

It did not make him smile, and that was how you knew he was still shaken from it. A slight frown set on his face as he looked at the floor, as if he wanted to hide how shaken he was. “Your markings have gone back into hiding I see.”

“Have they?” you hoped the question would make him look at you again.

He simply nodded, then took in a deep breath, tilting his chin up to the ceiling for a brief moment. “Are you certain you wish to stay here?”

Your smile fell. “What?”

His eyes locked on yours, searching for the answer. “Had the gods not opened that door, you would not have fallen and you would not be here like this now-”

You stopped him right there. “Lancelot, I fainted because I haven’t eaten well today.”

He said what he needed to say, “If you feel unsafe, we will leave.”

You sat up more. “The fall was an accident, I can feel it. And the fainting was my fault. I don’t feel unsafe here.”

He was quiet for a moment, then picked up the satchel from the floor and took out the journals to hand them to you. “Forgive me for showing caution. I may never put my trust into any deity again.”

Once a monk, a loyal servant of the god the paladins prayed to, but he would never be so blinded by faith again.

And you were happy he was able to listen to the voice of reason inside of him. “I understand that.” You reached out and gave his arm a squeeze. “Gawain said he gave you some tasks to keep you distracted. What have you been doing whilst I was here?”

He summed some of it up, “Taking inventory of what we have and what we need. Near half of the bed linen in the castle is too worn down to use. Much needs to be washed, some is good to use. We will have a lot of work to restore this place to it’s former glory, I fear. There are broken windows that will need to be repaired, the stables need to be tended to…”

There was so much to be done. Some parts of the castle needed to be stabilized. Doors needed to be repaired or replaced. And the whole place was covered in a layer of dust that would take time to clean away. But underneath all the flaws was a glimpse of the beauty the castle had once held, and deep down he knew he could restore it. This could be home, as it once had been to the Fey.

It was clear he was a bit overwhelmed by it all, the work, your health, that fear of failing the Fey. “We’re not alone in this, Lancelot. We can do this.”

His eyes softened at the sheer determination in you. He sat down on the edge of the bed, curling a finger under your chin to let his intention be known when he leaned in. The opportunity of a kiss was stolen away when Percival barged into the room with a bowl of soup. Lancelot was quick to sit up straight again, cursing internally.

The sweet child came to personally hand you the soup. “Careful! It’s warm.”

You gave Percival your sweetest smile. “Thank you, young knight.”

Percival beamed with pride over to mention of his title and fulfilling the task the Green Knight had given him. He turned to Lancelot. “The Green Knight said he still needs our help.”

Lancelot tried to hide his reaction over having to leave your side again while you were still recovering. He stood up from the bed, glancing at you to see you nod in understanding. Duty called, and this time the work was to better life for the Fey. There would undoubtedly be busy days ahead, days where you’d work hard and to be able to do that you needed to rest and get your strength up again. And that is what you did once they left the room.

    ~~~♡~~~♡~~~♤~~~♡~~~♡~~~

  Later, in the midst of the night, the dipping of the mattress pulled you out of your slumber. Your vision was still a blur from sleep when you made a disapproving noise and lifted your head off of the pillow a little. The scent of him reached your nostrils with ease from how close he was.

“Lancelot?” you mumbled still half-asleep.

He hushed you, kissing your cheek whilst putting an arm around your waist. You could feel him lay down behind you.

He sounded very tired, “Will you let me rest here?”

You took hold of his hand and brought it up to hold it to your chest, scooting back a little to be closer than he’d probably thought he was allowed to be.

He hummed content. “Trying to push me out of the bed, are you?”

You matched the jest with your own, “You’re the one who crawled in and took up my space.”

“Is that a complaint?”

“No.”

That earned you a lingering kiss to your cheek. He held on tight, as if he thought you’d fly off into the night. “Are you feeling better?”

You let him rest his face in the crook of your neck. “I am. And you? You sound exhausted.”

He did not deny that it was true. “It has been an eventful day and I am glad it has ended.”

That did not sound very good. He must have tired himself out. Creating Fey Fire, the journey here, the visions and then the work this castle needed on top of that.

You curved into him more, a little playful. “Tomorrow I believe I will be back on my feet and able to help. And I’m going to make sure that you don’t overwork yourself, because I know you have a tendency to do so.”

His hand flew to your hip upon feeling the playful push of your behind into him. “I will not let you help unless you are truly better.”

“You won’t ‘let’ me?” You snorted a little arrogantly. “I will decide that for myself, thank you.”

If he thought you wouldn’t do exactly that, he was in for a shock. His protectiveness was sweet, but it was not going to stop you from helping tomorrow.

He dared it. He dared to jest, “Sometimes I miss the days when I could just put some rope on you.”

You sat upright instantly, grabbed your pillow and smacked it against his side. “Out.” Again. “Out of the bed!”

He shielded himself from another hit of the pillow with his arm. Even in the darkened room his smirk was visible. “You do not mean that.”

You were more baffled by the audacity than you were angry. “Did you truly just jest about how you once kept me tied up?!”

He took hold on the pillow too. “I was merely jesting.”

It made you roll your eyes and snatch the pillow from his hands. You scooted away from him, creating a distance, and laid down nearly at the last bit of space on the edge of the bed.

He disapproved of the spot you had chosen. “You will fall off if you sleep there.”

You closed your eyes, mumbling under your breath, “Perhaps I’d rather be on the floor.”

He did not know why seeing you get feisty made his blood run faster. It simply excited him, feeding a natural instinct in him to be the one that could weather the storm you cast down upon him.

He got closer again, gliding his hand over your shoulder and arm. Laying himself back down again just like before, only now he was vying for attention. Quietly he inhaled your scent and made a content sound. “I prefer you to be on the bed with me, where I can have you close.”

When you ignored him, he simply grew more motivated to get your attention. He pressed a kiss to your shoulder, brushed the tips of his fingers over your arm. He knew what he was doing when he lowered his voice to a husk. “I know you are not angry. You would not let me do this if you were…”

You struggled to keep still when he proceeded to kiss your neck. “If you come near me with a rope again, I’ll strangle you with it.”

He chuckled and kissed your neck again, then the side of your head. “As is your right.” A squeeze of his hand on your waist made you ticklish and he did it again upon noticing it. “I do enjoy your fighting spirit. It excites me.”

You tilted your head to look at him. “Is that why you decided to wake me up and annoy me?”

A cheeky grin was plastered on his face. “It was not planned. But I do not mind this result.”

“You miss the excitement from battle and decide to cause it in the bedroom. I am not surprised.” you blurted out matter-of-factually.

“Well…” He clicked his tongue. “An angry wife is a formidable opponent .”

You pecked his cheek. “And don’t you forget that. Now sleep, you are looking pale.”

“No.” His brow arched.

“Why not?” you sighed.

“First this.” He tilted his head, locking his lips to yours briefly. “Goodnight, my love.”

It was all it needed to cause the fluttering in your stomach to overwhelm you. “Sleep well, Lancelot.”

With one last kiss to your forehead he laid down to rest behind you, holding you close. It was quiet for some time, his breathing was getting deeper and slower.

“You feel so very warm…” He was close to sleep.

You held on to his hand as you fell asleep. Grateful for the chance to sleep in a proper bed again.

    ~~~♡~~~♡~~~♤~~~♡~~~♡~~~

  The next day, when you presented yourself ready to help, Gawain was relieved. The task you were given was simple. To go to the village and purchase the linen and wares that were needed. How you were to carry all that? Well, Lancelot and Arthur were send along. Gawain did agree with purchasing a wagon and horse to make it easier to transport everything. The journey to the village was… interesting to say the least. One moment the Manblood and Ash Man got along perfectly fine, the next they were rolling their eyes and annoying each other.

You were almost at the village when your patience ran out and you all but shouted at them as they rode a little ahead of you. “Good gods! Can you two just shut up if all you say is meant to bother the other?!? I have no interest in having to delay our task just to prevent the two of you from trying to kill each other!”

Arthur and Lancelot fell quiet immediately, like a pair of scolded children feeling the eyes of their parent burn into their backs. That silence did not last long.

“I wouldn’t be the one who first draws a weapon.” Arthur knew exactly what would rile Lancelot up.

Lancelot scoffed loudly. “Is that not what you did when we met again in Gramaire?”

“I had every right to have a sword at your throat. You tried to kill me the first time we met.” Arthur said.

He muttered under his breath, “How many times will you bring that up again…”

“Forever if I can.” Arthur deadpanned.

“Enough!” you barked the order.

Another silence fell. This time a shorter one.

“Gawain trusts me to complete this task without problems.” Arthur looked at Lancelot.

He arched a brow back at him. “Gawain ‘trusts’ you?”

Arthur tried not to let it get to him. “I’ve know Gawain longer than you.”

He did not hold back. “And still he has yet to show you the amount of trust that he shows me.”

“It is because you’re Fey. If you were Manblood he would have murdered you.” Arthur said casually.

He fired the jab to Arthur’s pride, “Or perhaps he knows I will not let my ego cloud my judgment.”

You did not warn them again, sick of hearing the continuous attempts to irritate each other. It was like listening to bickering children and to avoid having to hear it for the last bit of the way, you spurred Bear on and rode past them to get ahead. Their bickering continued a little quieter and by the time you reached the village it had changed into normal banter again. The horses were left under the care of a stablehand of the stables next to an inn, you paid him and promised extra when you’d return.

Arthur came towards you, gesturing at you a little awkwardly. “I’ve noticed you are wearing a different bodice today. It suits you well.”

It made you look down at it as well. It was one of the clothes you had salvaged from your old room in Ravenwick. “Thank you. I’ve had it for a while but wasn’t sure if it would look good on me.”

“It does.” He was glad the compliment was received well.

The one who did not receive the compliment well was the Ash Man who approached a moment later, his eyes said it all.

And as if to toss oil onto a flame, Arthur smirked at him. “Have you noticed how lovely she looks today.”

Lancelot knew it was meant to provoke him. “I have.”

You looked between them, sighing. “Let’s go and see if we can buy a wagon and horse from the one who owns these stables.”

You went over to the stablehand again and asked him where the owner could be found. The owner was in the inn, having his midday ale. And when you entered the inn, others were having their midday ale as well it seemed. With the description of the stablehand you found the owner sitting at a table with others and you introduced yourself first.

His nose had turned red from the ale he had drank. “What can I help you with, lass?”

Straight to the point it was. “We are looking to buy a wagon with a horse from you.”

“That’s a costly matter, lass. How do you want to pay for that?” The old man put a hand on your behind.

Arthur was quick to notice the movement from Lancelot and he planted a hand on his chest to stop him. The rest of the table laughed it off.

By remaining calm, you hoped to settle the deal without any hiccups. You took the hand off of your rear, feigning your best smile. “With coin, of course. How much will it be?”

“Two coins of gold!” He said it loud, half-jesting because he didn’t think you could ever afford it. “One for the wagon. One for the horse. They are worth the price.”

You reached into your satchel and put down his asking price. “I believe this is correct, is it not?”

The whole table stared down at the gold, having quieted down abruptly, the man scratched his beard.

The man took the coins and quickly put them in his pocket. “Uh… it’s the white spotted horse… I’ll show it… come.”

Lancelot and Arthur stepped aside, letting the man pass so he could show you your purchase. The wagon was not in the most perfect shape, but you counted yourself lucky that you were able to buy a wagon at all. The horse was a strong stallion who had experience with pulling the wagon.

The man turned to Lancelot whilst you and Arthur inspected the wagon. “I have more horses for sale, if you are interested?”

“No.” He was short, barely even acknowledging the man.

Arthur looked at Lancelot a little worried, knowing that he was still fuming internally about what had happened earlier. “Lancelot, what do you think of the wagon?”

He came to stand beside you. “It will do for now.”

You whispered to him, “You alright?”

“I am calm.” he said, more as a reminder to himself to stay so.

The tension in his jaw and the way he tilted his chin up just a tiny bit gave him away. He had hated to see the man touch you. At least he stayed in control over that anger now and it was oddly attractive.

First you looked to see if neither Arthur or the man were close enough to overhear, then whispered. “Don’t be jealous. You can touch my rear too later.”

His eyes snapped to you and upon seeing the wicked smile on your lips the tension in his features vanished. He looked so innocently flustered. A nervous smile settled on his face. A quiet scolding, “Don’t do that. Not here.”

You lightly bumped into him on purpose with your side. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just acting like a minx right now, aren’t I?”

The smile turned into a smirk, entertained by the throwback to the previous evening. He turned to you, leaning in to whisper right back, “Yes, you are.”

Arthur cleared his throat loudly, noticing the close proximity the two of you were in. “So we agree on this sale then?”

Lancelot gave a nod. Arthur proceeded to chat with the man a bit more and thanked him for a well-struck deal. The man returned to the inn to spend some of that earned coin again.

Arthur hopped onto the wagon, taking the reins. “There’s a merchant up ahead, in that building there, that sells what we’ll need. Are you walking or…?”

It was only a few houses away, you could manage. “We’ll walk.”

        There was so much to buy for the Fey, for the castle… And this merchant sold clothes and fabrics. It had to be one of the best days of that woman’s life when you nearly bought her complete inventory of wares. The fabrics could be used for so many purposes, and one could easily make bed linen, bandages and curtains from them. The clothes felt surreal to buy. You thought of all the Feys who’s homes and belongings had been lost to the war. All the children wearing clothes that were either worn down severely, or too big or small, would find joy in having some good clothing to wear again. Everyone helped folding the wares and loading them onto the wagon.

Lancelot had seen Arthur struggle to fold a pair of trousers and had not commented on it, showing that there was improvement happening between them. While loading up the wagon, you put a stack of clothes aside for Percival, hoping the boy would like them.

Soon the wagon was filled with new hope and wares, and you had retrieved the horses. Lancelot had tied the reins of Arthur’s horse to Goliath’s, as Arthur rode the wagon back to the fort. Arthur struggled in silence to steer the wagon, zigzagging from time to time.

Lancelot had noticed the struggle. “Perhaps I should-”

Arthur had felt it coming. “No. No, I can steer this wagon. It’s fine.”

The Ash Man send you a look, you tried not to laugh when the wagon swayed overly to the left again.

Arthur suddenly began to slow the wagon down, eyes set on the forest surrounding him. “Lancelot.”

One look was all Lancelot needed to know that something was wrong. He rode up to Arthur. “What is it?”

Arthur kept his voice low. “I think we are being followed.”

He did not show how alarming it was. “Keep going as you are. Stay calm. I will go and inspect it.”

From the corner of your eyes you had seen something move, there was a split second where you thought it was a bird. But then Bear reared up in fright of the burning arrow that had landed right in front of his legs. A scream fled your lungs, the sudden rearing of the horse caused you to fall out of the saddle.

The next burning arrows barely missed Goliath, Lancelot dismounted fast and send the stallions away, because as long as they were near the horses were a target. He moved to your direction until Arthur loudly warned him of the next set of arrows coming his way. There was barely enough time to dodge the arrows, from the trees the assailants charged at him and Arthur, their target was clearly the contents of the wagon. And unfortunately you, Arthur and Lancelot were their obstacle. They had send that arrow towards Bear on purpose, causing a distraction and preventing you from having an advantage on horseback against them.

Arthur jumped down from the wagon to help you and Lancelot, and immediately had to defend himself against these attackers. There were many, at least ten, all Manblood. You got up to your feet and barely had enough time to draw your sword to ward off the woman that lunged at you. Chaos had erupted from all sides. These thieves were ruthless and impatient, you saw Arthur get struck in the face by one of them. The same happened to Lancelot mere seconds later when four of them gathered up against him. The woman attacking you was growing angrier by the second, and as she lifted her sword into the air to strike it down upon you you sank down to your knees and send your sword upward into her chest. One of her comrades had seen it happen and there was not enough time to free your sword before you had to evade him. He swung at you with his axe and you grabbed his arm to block the attack, you held on, knowing that letting go meant getting wounded. The man roughly moved half a turn and made you trip over his feet, you kicked the back of his knee right away to get the idea out of his head that he was just going to put that axe into your skull, it send him to the ground too and the fight for the axe began. You balled your fist and struck his nose hard while trying to pull the axe from his hand.

A strong tug at the back of your jacket broke you away from him, and then you were being dragged over the grass while you tried to pry the hand from behind your neck. The cold steel of a blade touched the side of your throat. Just then, Arthur hit the ground, a sword was held to his throat as well. Lancelot was still cutting through them, meeting their violent attack with his own.

The one threatening Arthur drew his attention. “Drop your sword!” He saw Lancelot look at him, then at Arthur, then at you. “Kneel on the ground, hands behind your head, or we’ll gut them like pigs!”

The broad man that held on to your jacket chuckled ominously, then proceeded to drag you over the ground towards the wagon and only then did you notice it was your own sword you were being threatened with.

Arthur saw them drag you to the wagon and understood their intent. “No! Lancelot!”

What choice did he have? If he continued to fight whilst you and Arthur were held at the blade this would end in tragedy.

Arthur received a hard kick to the stomach for that and tried to crawl away to no avail.

“Leave him be!” Lancelot let the sword fall from his hands and knelt down as they had ordered.

They bound his hands behind his back and fortunately they did not see the importance and value of the sword near their feet. Arthur was bound by rope too, left to struggle to get himself into a seated position. Your eyes locked on Lancelot’s, your worried ones found his to be eerily calm.

“Lance-” you couldn’t say what you wanted before you were being pulled further away.

“Be not afraid.” he answered the question he could read from your eyes.

The broad man held your hand up all of a sudden. “Gerold! Look here. Gold!”

You closed your hand into an iron grip when realizing he was going to steal your ring.

He twisted your hand, digging his dirty nails into it to pry it open. He nearly broke your finger to get it off. Another came to look inside your satchel to search for valuables, you prayed the bracelet did not slip past your sleeve as it would certainly tempt them to steal it too.

“Gerold…” The scrawny man held up one of the golden coins that was found in the satchel. “This one is worth more than she appears.”

Gerold looked at the wagon full of newly purchased wares, at the coins found in your satchel, and he came to his conclusion. “There’s more where that came from. She’s coming with us.”

The nasty comment made you want to strangle the life out of the scrawny one. They forced you onto the wagon, some of the thieves got on the wagon as well whilst others went to retrieve their horses.

Lancelot called out to Gerold, “I will bring any gold you desire if you leave her be!”

Gerold was disinterested. “Unlike her, you do not have a satchel with gold on you. We are taking her.”

The wagon began to move, those on horses rode along to guard it. A few of them stayed with Lancelot and Arthur, keeping them under control until the wagon was at a safe distance. You kept calm as they bound your hands behind your back as well. It was an odd calmness, one that hide the storm brewing underneath your skin. This wagon, your ring, you were not going to abandon it. Lancelot and Arthur were alive, and safe now that those thieves had left them there. They believed you were the key to the gold they so desired, if only they knew what you planned to do to those who threatened your newfound home.

Taglist:

@ourlazydetectivekitten ​​  @the-great-adventures-of-me   @linkpk88   @fxrchxldws @elenaoftheturks ​​  @slytherlight   @beananacake ​​     @crystallizedtime ​​ @moonlightaura03 @angrygardendeer @have-aheart   @5am-cigarette   @arcanenature @thewinterskywalker @notyourwildestdream  

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Please let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist of this story. Using this old list from the previous fic.

[gawrkin]

(Source: The Faerie Queene - Book III, Canto II, by Edmund Spencer)

Being a warrior woman and the daughter of the traditional Arthurian antagonist King Rions, Britomart is a weird character to consider in the context of the wider Arthurian narrative.

Not only because Britomart - being from a Renaissance era Literary Work - means her very existence was never meant to be factored into the French Carmelide narrative, with her father's war against Arthur and Leodegrance.

But also because, intentionally or not, Edmund Spencer ended up creating a very peculiar counterpart to Queen Guinevere:

Guinevere and Britomart are the daughters of Kings Leodegrance and Ryons, respectively. As mentioned, said kings are famously portrayed to be at war with one another that requires Arthur to intercede. But there is another aspect to this: They're both giants in Welsh Myth. King Ryons is based on Rhitta Gawr, a giant associated with Snowdonia, whom Arthur traditionally defeats. While Guinevere's father, in the Welsh Canon, is popularly accepted as Gogfran Gawr (with the name "Leodegrance" being specific to French Canon)

The name "Britomart" itself originates from the Greek Goddess Britomartis. (Which becomes very appropriate with Vulgate Cycle's statement of King Ryons being a descendant of Hercules). Guinevere/Gwenhwyfar, on the other hand, is a cognate of Findabair, daughter of Medb of Irish Mythology.

However, Spencer named his character "Britomart" in favor of a constructed etymology - wherein Britomart is formed from the words "Brita" for Briton and "Mart" for Mars/Martial - which is meant to invoke an association between the martial status of character with the name of Island of Britain. Whilst Guinevere's name, on the other hand, contains the word "Gwen" meaning "White" wherein belies a connection to the old name of Britain before Brutus of Troy conquered it, Albion.

Britomart is interpreted as an allegorical stand-in for Queen Elizabeth I, while Guinevere is theorized by some as surrogate for Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Britomart is one of the few female knights in the entirety of Arthurian Literature. In contrast, Guinevere is portrayed as a sorceress in certain continuities.

Britomart is known as the "Knight of Chastity", while Guinevere is famous for her association with Adultery.

Guinevere is one of the most archaic characters of the Arthurian cast while Britomart is a Post-Malory creation.

If one could make a retelling of the War in Carmelide, taking in Britomart and the Welsh canon into account, then the story becomes a bloody conflict between two warring tribes of giants and their respective chieftains. Hell, you could even insert Yspaddaden and his daughter as a third party to arbitrate between the two factions.

So then, Britomart becomes the powerful warrior princess of the Giants of Snowdonia, leading her father's armies as a frontline champion against Carmelide, becoming a heated enemy and rival to princess Gwenhwyfar ferch Gogfran, who must step up as the defender of her father and her country.

To makes things interesting between Gwenhwyfar and Britomart, Britomart ought to be pure amazon, winning battles through fighting prowess, while Gwenhwyfar leans towards the mystical side of things, having prophetic abilities, other magical powers like shapeshifting and using her cunning to subdue the martial Britomart and the armies of King Rhitta. (Note that, being a giantess, Gwenhwyfar would still have superhuman strength as a given)

And so it goes on for years - seven years according to Leodegrance in Vulgate Merlin - until things get really awkward when King Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of Logres force their way into the conflict, causing Britomart to balk at having to fight an old friend who, in turn, is seeking Gwenhwyfar's hand in marriage...

[dramioneasks]

Christmas Fics (2024) (Part 11):

A Christmas Wish by cleotheo - T, one-shot - After a terrible year, Hermione Granger pushes herself to join in with the Christmas festivities in the village where she lives. What she doesn't expect is for the evening to be so enjoyable, or for the changes it will bring to her life. Fun, festive Dramione one-shot.

In Silent Obsession by forawhile - E, one-shot - Hermione discovered two things in her first week of Auror training following the war: 1. She was woefully attracted to Draco Malfoy. 2. He wanted nothing to do with her and told her never to speak to him. Five years later, and Hermione Granger took two things very seriously as she navigated her promising Auror career: 1. She remained woefully, painfully, irrevocably attracted to Draco Malfoy.2. She would not break the vow of silence between them. A smutty Dramione one-shot, with mild Christmas themes - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Partners in Time by charingfae - M, one-shot - After a temporary memory curse hits Hermione and Draco in the field, they no longer remember each other. Their friends keep insisting they hate each other. But Hermione's certain they're dead wrong. — “It’s just…you’ve never been able to handle yourselves around each other.” Hermione shares another quick look with Draco. His lips curve up slightly, just at one corner, and she can’t resist a tiny smile back. She knew there was a reason for the butterflies in her stomach. “I can’t say I’m surprised,” Draco mutters. “I mean, look at you.” His eyes trail up her figure slowly, heat turning her body to smoulders. Theo breaks out into a hacking cough, a throaty laugh that turns into a wheeze. “What—Merlin—no, that’s—” 

Witches and Christmas Don't Mix by Cuntryhouse - T, one-shot - Guardian Angels falling in love for 4 centuries. Oh, and guiding people to find love in the process.

Christmas: Start of Healing by LunaAmethyst203 - M, one-shot - The second wizarding war ended just over 7 months ago. Draco Malfoy was to be released from Azkaban a week before Christmas. Instead, the prison aurors choose to delay his release as revenge. Sending him off with curses of revenge and hatred but a certain magical bond pulls Hermione Granger to an injured Draco Malfoy. She takes care of him on the eve of Christmas as he takes the first step of his new life while finally having the space and ability to grieve a loved one lost during the final battle of the second wizarding war

Have Yourself a Felix Little Christmas by AdrienLennox - M, WIP - Facing the wrath of his enraged father, Draco scrambles to repair his broken betrothal with the haughty Astoria Greengrass by any means necessary. Add in an excessively Felix Felicis and Draco finds himself finding love in the most unexpected place.

Christmas Lights by rizzlewrites - G, one-shot - Since taking over the Manor, this was the first year he had to worry about the care and feeding of someone else in the house besides himself. Domestic life with Hermione Granger was a learning curve.

All Too Well by PinkChaos - T, one-shot - “It’s official. We have finally converted you!” Harry suddenly exclaimed mid-conversation with Hermione. “Red is a good color on you!” There was a very prim snort, and then a drawling voice Hermione would recognize anywhere spoke right behind her. “I was feeling festive. It is the holiday season, after all.” “No,” Harry shook his head, his grin widening, “that is very specifically Gryffindor red.” And he was right, Hermione realized as she looked over her shoulder and then up to find Draco Malfoy towering over her. The tailored suit, in a light grey today that matched his eyes, and long, black cashmere coat were typical for him, but the anomaly was the scarlet scarf wrapped perfectly around his neck. However, the color choice wasn’t even what Hermione found most odd, but that it looked exactly like her favorite scarf. Her favorite scarf that she had lost about a year ago.

You by quiven - G, one-shot - A Christmas one-shot involving one Christmas tree, two baubles, a slip of a parchment: and two merging wishes.

'tis the damn season by palomab1anca - M, WIP - Hermione finds herself in a spot of trouble when a lie turns into showing up at Christmas with Draco Malfoy at her side. What should have been a simple ruse turns complicated when a snowstorm forces bickering coworkers together.

A Professors Carol by thatbiatchsince2022 - not rated, WIP - On the last day of the Christmas term a student of Hermione comes up and asks if she knows a certain ice blonde. With that, we find out what happened between them the year prior 

[aetherdecember]

Look, I love BBC Merlin and how they told the lore, but I’m a sucker for the relationship between Arthur and Mordred in the mythology. Specifically, I love how Mary Stewart (author of The Arthurian Saga**) and Nancy Springer (author of I Am Mordred**) wrote about the father/son relationship between them. So naturally, my brain has been conjuring up how I can include that in my Flipping the Coin au.

Since the main premise is Merlin died/Arthur lives, and now Arthur is the one waiting for Merlin to come back, things would stay consistent with canon up to the last episode (when Merlin flips the coin of their destiny and sacrifices himself so Arthur can live and thus stop Camlann from happening altogether). Which is where this idea will start:

Gwen is barren. She and Arthur never have kids. Eventually, everyone Arthur knows and loves dies. He can’t rule Camelot forever, and after Gwen’s death, he no longer wants to, so he fakes his death and wanders off figure out why he’s still here. He never gets an answer for that. Arthur spends the next millennium waiting. He keeps living. He meets people, experiences things he’d never experienced before, and learns things he’d never dreamed of learning. He can’t stay anywhere long, or else suspicions will rise, but he gets to see the world change, how technology advances, and witness humans continuing to be humans. When war breaks out, he joins the battle. It’s familiar. The rush of adrenaline is the same whether he’s wielding a sword or a gun. Only, he can’t see the enemy’s face anymore.

Peace comes again. At some point, he sleeps with a woman, and she happens to become pregnant. Bisexual disaster that he is, he’s had all sorts of partners from both sexes, but has never had this happen, even before the advent of reliable birth control. Later, he’ll learn her name is Morgause. She doesn’t look like the Morgause he knew before, nor does she act like her, but her name haunts him. After the baby is born, she gives him to Arthur, says she has no intentions of being a mother, and leaves. The last thing she had said to him was the baby’s name.

Mordred.

That night, Arthur holds Mordred and weeps.

There is irony in his son being named Mordred. First, in that the legends surrounding him, Merlin, Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table, and all of it, had long ago decided Mordred was his son. And two, in a retelling of that legend, it had aptly phrased what he sensed was happening now. Granted, he isn’t a sorcerer, he doesn’t have magic, so he can’t support his feeling with anything other than he’d been around a long time and knew to his very core that it was true. Mordred’s birth is a signal of the beginning of the end.

Fatherhood brings him a new sense of purpose. Gone are the days of loneliness and drudgery. Every day with Mordred brings a new light into his life. Each smile is a miracle. Seeing Mordred experience things for the first time brings a new appreciation. Being there to watch him grow makes time fly like it never has before. But Arthur is afraid. He doesn’t want to be his father. He doesn’t know how to be a father, or what the right way to do it is. In all the years he’s been on the Earth, he’s never known a man who could concretely say, “This is the way to raise a son,” and actually reap the fruits of their efforts. Too frequently, he’d seen sons grow outside of the visions their fathers molded for them and receive only disappointment and disdain in return. So he was afraid, because he too had been that son.

*cue a series of fluffy father/son one shots of Arthur raising Mordred until Merlin comes back, takes one look, and is is like WTF????? No, I won’t have Mordred for a step son >:(*

**Mary Stewart and Nancy Springer have several other works, not just the stories I mentioned. The ones mentioned are the ones I’m pulling inspiration from ^^

Additional notes below the break:

Guinevere’s barrenness is not a headcanon I typically subscribe to for BBC Merlin. My headcanon is that after Arthur’s death, Gwen gives birth, and their child eventually succeeds her as ruler.

I’ve always seen Mordred’s appearance as the harbinger of Arthur’s downfall. Thus, the reason for the plot bunnies in my brain going crazy with this idea of how I could bring him in, still remain mostly canon compliant with BBC Merlin, and build off some of my favorite parts of the lore. (Mandatory disclaimer: for BBC Merlin, I don’t headcanon Mordred as Arthur’s son. But for the mythology, I do wholeheartedly support that canon.)

Arthur’s choice to participate and live once Camelot is gone is a decision to contrast my headcanon of how Merlin handled it. I don’t think Merlin thrived. I think he stayed busy, and tried to remain hopeful, but I think he was anxiously consumed with the anticipation of wondering when Arthur would come back. In this au, Arthur may or may not know that Merlin is supposed to come back (I’m still working on that detail), but he’s always been around others. I think he would seek camaraderie, and companionship, and that he would connect with others but only to a superficial level. I don’t think he’d exist in a void of loneliness. Plus, he doesn’t have the guilt of knowing he failed because the pressure from the prophecy is very one sided *coughcough*causemerlinnevertoldhim*coughcough*

Anyways, that’s enough rambling from me about this. I’ll probably share some snippets of writing next because there are some fantastic scenes coming together in the draft so stay tuned! ;D

[queer-ragnelle]

Best of Ladies of the Lake

Seeking recommendations for media featuring the Ladies of the Lake?

Here’s a curated collection of Retellings, Films, TV shows, and more ordered alphabetically by Lady and oldest to newest. Each recommendation comes with a brief synopsis and review containing mild spoilers.

All PDFs link to my Google drive, videos to MEGA drive, and can be found on my blog. Each passage adopts the unique spelling of character names as used in the media.

🌊 More Best of Masterposts 🌊

Lady of the Lake

Books

The Chessboard Queen by Sharan Newman

Guinevere Evermore by Sharan Newman

Possibly my favorite version of the Lady. Nameless despite all her subjects having names, including Nimuë. She kidnaps Lancelot, then kidnaps a wetnurse & brother for him too. Lancelot is her “toy” & between her & the wetnurse, messes him up beyond recognition, even though the Lady claims to love him. In the third book, she gives Morgan a place to stay & remain eternally youthful. They realize the horror of their actions, the Lady gave Merlin Excalibur/scabbard to give Arthur, Morgan stole scabbard, now their sons Lancelot & Mordred are fighting on opposite sides of a war Arthur can’t win.

Movies

Excalibur (1981)

The Lady appears briefly to issue a repaired Excalibur to Arthur who broke it by using it to chat & wrongfully defeat Lancelot. She wears a beautiful sequins dress & she's so otherworldly with the green lighting & eerie music.

TV Shows

The Adventures of Sir Galahad (1949)

The Lady helps Galahad escape Merlin’s machinations while on his quest to recover Excalibur. She pops up throughout the show to offer guidance & advice.

The Legend of King Arthur (1979)

The Lady appears to bring Arthur across the lake & receive Excalibur. She doesn't speak which makes her very strange & her hair is decorated in cattails. She returns twice, once to bring Merlin to the afterlife & again to receive Excalibur from Bedivere.

Merlin (1998)

Coolest Lady—she wears shimmering white and floats above the lake like a ghost, fish swim around her throat like a necklace & the numbers dwindle as her power weakens throughout the show. She gives Merlin cryptic guidance & causes problems seemingly on purpose.

Nimuë/Ninian

Books

The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle

The Story of the Champions of the Round Table by Howard Pyle

The Story of Sir Launcelot and his Companions by Howard Pyle

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur by Howard Pyle

Nymue is the head of all the Ladies of the Lake & the one who guides Arthur across the lake to get Excalibur. Ironically she is not the hand that reached out of the water. She later kidnaps baby Launcelot & raises him in the Lake Kingdom. She has a sort of rivalry with Vivien, who curses Gawaine, which Nymue releases him from. After Ettard’s rejection of Pellias, Nymue marries him. Nymue is also the one to lead Galahad to his shield just as she outfitted Launcelot for knighthood before him.

The Chessboard Queen by Sharan Newman

Here Nimue pulls the punches in the relationship with Merlin. She's cool but also funny, her miscommunications with Guinevere make for each thinking the other one is daft when really they're just on totally different wavelengths. She is a subordinate of the unnamed Lady of the Lake who rules the Lake Kingdom.

Bedivere: The King's Right Hand by Wayne Wise

Nimué is a little girl rescued by Bedivere from a battle. She can foresee everyone's deaths & freaks them out. She only comes in near at the end but I like that Bedivere is her big bro & Merlin is afraid of her, as he should be. She eventually joins Vivienne & Morgan in Avalon for training as a Lady of the Lake.

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

Nimue is an honorary member of the Round Table as a replacement for Merlin. She is present throughout the entire story & uses magic to fight on the battle field along side the knights. She gets her own flashback chapter to explain her backstory & why she sealed Merlin away. Her romance with Collum was cute.

Movies

Merlin and The Sword (1985)

The movie is a frame story which opens with Ninian & Merlin trapped together for eternity in a cave beneath Stonehenge. In Medieval times, Ninian is rescued from evil knights by Pellinore & brought to court because her father is too ill to present her himself. She quickly develops a relationship with Merlin beginning first with divination but progressing to learn his most powerful magic. Morgan imprisons & tortures Ninian’s father to extort her to get Merlin’s most powerful magic, her she accurately binds them both into the cave forever.

TV Shows

Merlin (1998)

My favorite Nimue ever. She was a very unique accent & alluring acting. She first meets Merlin when they’re both teenagers, no questionable age gap. They come together again many years later when she helps him escape Vortigern’s prison. After she is burned & scarred by a dragon, she stays in Avalon with the holy people where Merlin visits her sometimes. They get their happily ever after when they’re old!

Video Games

Sonic and The Black Knight

In this alternate universe, Amy Rose takes on the role of Nimue to give Sonic the sword he’ll need to defeat corrupted King Arthur. She guides him on his quest & at the end, unites her magic with the Knights of the Round Table to help defeat Merlina.

Vivian

Books

The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle

The Story of the Champions of the Round Table by Howard Pyle

The Story of Sir Launcelot and his Companions by Howard Pyle

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur by Howard Pyle

Vivien is an enchantress taught magic by Morgana le Fay whilst on the Isle of Avalon. Vivien successfully beguiles Merlin & traps him. She returns later to tempt Percival while on Grail Quest & puts a curse on Gawaine.

Bedivere: The King’s Right Hand by Wayne Wise

Vivienne is the old leader of all the Ladies of the Lake in Avalon. I like how powerful & well respected she is throughout the book. Didn't care for the ending at all where she facilitates Morgan/Arthur marriage, but everything before that is solid.

Movies

Sword of Lancelot (1963)

Vivian is a handmaiden that travels with Guinevere from Cameliard to Camelot. She becomes romantic with Mordred & helps him spy on Guinevere & Lancelot while spreading gossip among the ladies.

Lancelot du Lac (1970)

French film adapting the Vulgate. Viviane has raised Lancelot from his infancy & brings him before the King & Queen to be knighted. She also has her handmaiden Saraide from the Vulgate as well. They wear pretty blue gowns except when they bring Lancelot to the surface everyone in the party wears white.

Camelot (1998)

Vivian is the head of the Isle of Avalon where Merlin brought Arthur to be raised. She introduced Morgause to Arthur & they eventually marry. She also helps Lancelot & Guinevere conceal their affair from Meleagrants who caught them together.

TV Shows

Starz Camelot (2011)

Vivien is the first person that Morgan recruits after deciding to employ more women. Her family was brought to Britain as slaves & she lives on as a servant of the Pendragon family. She is not a true Lady of the Lake here but acts as Morgan’s messenger, handmaiden, & confidant. She has cool face tattoos she says come from her homeland & a gorgeous wardrobe. It was compelling to see she let Igraine escape against Morgan’s wishes, allowing a glimpse into her conscience.