#and a lot of apologies from uther

[rnmidnm]

I really enjoy the concept of soft merthur.

After another really exhausting day and constant disapproving glances from his father Arthur is just so tired physically and emotionally. So he walks down the halls and everyone on his way is bowing to him and just generally treating him like royalty (as they should) and Arthur knows it's how it should be, but he's just so sick of it. And then he walks into his chambers and there is this idiot of a manservant who has never once cared for his rank. Maybe Merlin turns to him and jokes, trying to make Arthur smile. And Arthur's just breaks. He says 'Merlin' softly, maybe walks to him. So Merlin immediately senses that something is wrong, but he just hugs him. Cradles his head, rocks him gently, says 'shhh, its okay Arthus'.

And Arthur feels so much better.

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

Sometimes I think Merlin and Arthur started the sacrificing each other to save each other shit too soon into the series.

Then I remember this scene exists.

(Screenshot from S1E2 - Valiant of Merlin bringing the snake head from the enchanted shield to Arthur to warn him that he’s in danger.)

They moved quickly, but they have a damn good reason for it. I honestly can’t say I blame them.

Merlin learned two things about his destiny with Arthur from this episode:

The first is that Arthur will listen when it matters, but his father’s influence runs deep. Arthur cares more about people’s opinion of him than anything else because he’s been groomed his entire life to become the future king, and Uther is tyrannical in his power so he believes that his is the only way to rule. Arthur picked up bad habits, so while he’s still young and learning what kind of man and leader he wants to be, he could still go either way and Merlin can’t yet trust him to always make the best decisions. (Proved in S1E3 when he enlists Morgana to talk to Arthur about the Afank)

The second thing is that Arthur believes in the systems that Merlin knows to be broken, so he learns it’s better to come to Arthur with results rather than warnings, because Arthur believes the systems in place can help, even in situations where they’d be more of a liability.

Both points are then enforced through season 1 and reinforced by Merlin himself in season 2 onwards.

Arthur learned that Merlin is loyal and honest to a fault, but because of the lifelong grooming as royalty and someone who’s supposed to be “above all others” - as proven when Uther says “his life isn’t worthless, it’s worth less than yours” to Arthur in S1E4 when he denies Arthur a group of men to take to save Merlin - it takes a while for it to really sink in that someone can be loyal and genuinely like him without ulterior motive, and when he finally does recognise that Merlin’s devotion is genuinely sincere, he pushes Merlin away (S2E1) in an attempt to keep himself from getting too close and then hurt by what his father would call his own naivety, rather than just admitting that sometimes people are just bad people who do bad things.

He then subconsciously or not learns that Merlin not being by his side is bad so he keeps him around but at a distance with walls built to protect himself. I can go more into that another time. Uther scapegoats Arthur for a lot, and even acknowledges that he’s a bad parent a few times but never does anything to change the behaviour so his apologies aren’t worth shit. Add that to the genocidal tyranny, and you’ve got a fascinating character who somehow isn’t the main villain of the story. I hate him, he should go play hop scotch on quick sand, but damn is he interesting from a writing/analytical standpoint.

So, yeah, they moved from “if anyone wants to kill him, they can go right ahead. I’ll give them a hand” (-Merlin S1E1) to “…Certain death. Few who have crossed the mountains in search of the Mortaeus Flower have made it back alive” “Sounds like fun” (-Gaius and Arthur S1E4) pretty quickly, but it makes sense when you think about why they moved that quickly with context of how they interact and their (assumed) past experiences.

[merrilinie]

TW: mentions of torture, talk of scars

Merlin who doesn’t like it when people touch his back. Arthur and Leon notice it first and near instantly when Leon gives him a friendly pat and the boy tenses so hard it’s a surprise his shoulders didn’t pop out of place.

Elyan and Gwen notice it when they invite him over for a late dinner once he and Gwen are finished with their duties and he refuses to press his back to the chair.

Gwaine figures it out on the first day, with it being him who tells Lancelot and Percival about it. Lance tries to ask the other if it has something to do with his magic, but upon Merlin’s face going cold and a shadow of fear crossing his eyes, he promises not to bring it up again.

They all just know not to touch his back or anywhere on his torso or even his upper legs, there’s bo need to question it both because they respect his boy dies and, well… they’re scared of what the answer might be.

It’s when Merlin gets hit in an ambush that the truth of it is revealed.

The gash along his side is not all that deep, but the cowardly bandits who attacked had laced their blades with poison. With no choice, they remove his jacket and shirt to properly clean out the wound as best they can.

There are a few gasps, a lot of purposeful ignored tears, but they all steel their nerves and pretend not to see the vicious scars on his body. None of them could deny the sight, try as they might, not when the scars were big and jagged and so clearly from some kind of whip. They tried not to look at the ladder like lines across his stomach, going up to his lower pecks before turning into vicious swirls that seemed to mock the Druid mark.

It was useless.

Merlin was conscious enough to tell them what to put on his wound, to order them to make him drink as much as he could so wash what they could out of his system. He told them to find a river for him to lay in as the fever broke, which they did.

No one said a thing about the burns littering his legs.

When he awoke with full consciousness, he knew instantly that they had seen even though he had been given clothes. If they weren’t different to what he had been wearing, maybe he wouldn’t have.

Alas, their saddened eyes gave it away.

It’s Arthur who asks, “Merlin… who did this to you?”

Merlin cries openly, always refusing to hide his tears unlike every other man, he spews apologies over and over. Even as Lance and Gwaine hold him close he continues, ignoring their assurances that it’s okay until eventually he answers.

“It was Uther. He found out my father was a dragon lord. He only spared me because he wanted to see a dragon lord become a slave.”

Arthur’s tears join his in the soil.

[mythmerth]

fluff vs feel good merlin fics…?

It has come to my attention from my last post with the ask about a long fluffy merlin fic that I, perhaps, do not know how to separate the definition of fluff from my own definition of feel good fics. When I think of fluff I tend to think of lovey dovey feel good hehe type of fics. HOWEVER, my definition of feel good may be different than other people and thus may not actually BE fluff…. oops!

In order to make up for this I’m gonna list off more merlin fics that I consider to be on a “fluff — feel good” scale, but first I’ll give my own interpretation of “fluff” and “feel good” so you know what to expect!

— When I think of the definition of fluff, I think of things very lighthearted, low stakes, very lovey, being emotionally and PG physically intimate (soft), playful in a sweet way, and generally just not really having the highs and lows of angsty fics.

— When I categorize something as feel good it tends to be not very stressful, minimal angst, quickly resolved/humorous relationship issues, powerful characters, has a hopeful tone/no doubts about a happy ending, makes me laugh multiple times, and high in emotional and physical intimacy (and yes I am a Smut Enthusiast). Some feel goods have more or less of these than others for me but that’s what the scale in my head is weighing them on.

that being said, to the best of my ability here is the list ranked from fluff to feel good merlin fics! fluff fics are often a lot shorter than the plotty ones (but I tried to throw some longer ones in as well that I’d consider to have a good amount of fluff BUT these also tend to have more angst so you’ve been warned)

fluff

Twitch Your Whiskers and Pull My Tail by BlueSimplicity. Soft, sweet bonding, a bit silly

The Great Merlin Bake-off by Elizabeth. Long, low stakes, silly, so many pastries

Merlin Myrddin the Muralist by deanpendragon. So touching, very soft, strong and healing bonds

Nobody Expected Uther to Approve So Damn Hard by Nakyrah. Silly, soft, quick developing relationship

Tales of Magic by amithia. Soft, developing relationships, gentle magic/love

I know why the birds sing your name by ironfamjam. Long, hopeful, developing characters with gentle moments/love, some angst

We Can Always Run by kairennart and queerofthedagger. Long, some angst, strong bonds and soft moments, adventureful

Ironing Out the Kinks by Lex18. Long, so smutty, like 90% smut but also soft, quickly resolved issues

All Things Loved and Lovesick by horsecrazy. So funny, strong bonds, humorous miscommunication

We Are All Diamonds by Footloose. Long, strong bonds/love, soft moments, power duo, quickly resolved issues

The fools will still be fools by horsecrazy. So silly, smutty, low stakes

Evil Overlord Inc by Footloose. Long, very silly, power duo, high stakes but also not worried about it

feel good

I feel like with BBC Merlin fics it’s hard to find low stakes/no angst fics! maybe it’s just my lists, and also that I was trying to avoid making this all lower word count fics (there’s definitely some 40k’s I left out if anyone’s interested), but once the word count rises it’s tough to find. hopefully this agrees well enough, I scoured the fluff tag I swear but the angst sneaks up in there too

I also have noticed that I might not actually read a whole lot of pure fluff? I very specifically seek out mature and explicit merlin fics, which I think is partially the cause of that. Also merthur and fluff are hard earned; the rivals/strangers/enemies to lovers goes STRONG and so rarely do we get to fluff very quickly. There’s always some stressful situations these two are in I swear to god. also please note that I have read SO goddamn many fics that any rank inaccuracies are likely also due to my memory blurring on fic specifics,,, my apologies for this! so take the specific ranks with a grain of salt- I don’t remember the exact details of all of these, more so the impact they left on me as a whole!

anyways, I hope this is accurate enough and that you can find some fics here that are what you’re looking for <3

~ feel free to send asks if you’re looking for specific recs, I’ll do my best to find some that fit the bill :]

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Worth

Hi! If you're still accepting asks I'd love it if you would write a Merlin fic! I love all of your writing, but I've been missing your Merlin fics recently! Whatever you want to write is fine, though I humbly request lots of h/c :) – anon

Hi!!! :D I've been reading your Merlin fics for a while now, and I absolutely ❤️LOVE❤️ them all, especially the ones about Leon (he's my FAVOURITE). If you are still taking requests, I was wondering if you could write something about Leon feeling left out or not quite apart of the group during training one morning and how that would affect him mentally. I feel he'd either hide himself away in work so no-one would notice (because he feels like he would just be a burden), but I'd love to see what you think would happen. I was also thinking that one of the Knights (maybe Gwaine? 🙏❤️) could notice and try and help Leon. Maybe begin to bring him out of his shell. Thank you, and I hope you have a great day. :D ❤️ – IntenseDreamer1

Read on Ao3

Warnings: none

Pairings: leon/gwaine

Word Count: 3947

It is not uncommon for the Knights of the Round Table to have their own separate training days, nor is it uncommon for Leon to notice his...distance from the rest of them. It starts to grate on him after a while. Gwaine has something to say about that.

It is not uncommon for the Knights of the Round Table to have their own separate training days. Typically the days for the rest of the knights are spent going over fundamentals, things that are useful for fighting in larger-scale battles or at the very least, in much larger groups. Ones that will have different members, ones that are subject to change more regularly, or even ones that will play to their various strengths and weaknesses as knights and warriors of Camelot. Common too are the days for the newly-minted squires, where they are taken under the wing of a supervising knight to learn the basics of swordsmanship and how to maneuver in a suit of armor for the first time.

But for them, they are a unit. They work together, more often that not, and form the iron fist around the King himself when he goes out on patrol, or on a hunt, or even inside the walls of the castle if the need arises. As such, they must work on developing their skills in conjunction with one another, how to determine each other's needs in the heat of battle while holding their own. They are a single cohesive warrior in these moments and they must be able to trust each other as such. There is no place for rifts between them, nothing that must stand between them as brothers or as men. They work together, they fight together, they stand together.

At least, Leon likes to think so.

He is not unaware of his station, as the last of Uther's knights among the King's inner circle, and as the only noble-born knight who accepts his status. (Gwaine is another matter: noble-born yet would happily pretend for the rest of his life that he wasn't.) He has an unconventional relationship with the King; there are a few council members who would happily see him dismissed as a knight for how close he is with Arthur, several more who would have him join their ranks permanently as would be fitting for someone more like an older brother than a knight of Camelot. And further still, he is aware that his presence typically means an end to some of the joking and jesting. He's been lamented as the end of all fun things more than once, especially where Gwaine and Percival are concerned.

So, when he arrives to the field precisely on time—if anything, he is a few minutes early—and spies the others already training, he simply blinks and readies himself to join them. A moment later, however, Arthur spots him and the jovial grin on his face fades to something almost like a grimace, before his courtly manners settle in place and he gives him a deep nod.

"Leon. Good of you to join us this morning."

"My apologies for my tardiness, sire," he says with a slight bow, "I didn't realize the time had shifted."

"You've nothing to apologize for, we've not done anything important yet." Over his shoulder, Elyan snickers and Lancelot steps on his foot to shut him up. "We're to train with staff and mace today, does that suit you?"

"Perfectly." Though as he slides his glance to Merlin, who is most definitely not outfitted with the proper padding or armor to be their training dummy, he hesitates before picking up the staff. "Are we sparring with each other?"

Arthur gives him a curious look. "Well, I'd hardly expect Merlin to be much use."

The others chuckle and Merlin rolls his eyes. "The day you lot can make it through a whole day without hitting yourselves in the head trying to do some stupid trick with them, then I'll believe you actually know what you're doing."

"It's not as easy as it looks, you know."

"It doesn't look easy at all."

"Well," Arthur mutters, "what would you know?"

Merlin narrows his eyes as Arthur turns his back and a moment later, a staff mysteriously ends up right in front of where Arthur needs to walk, which means he gets clocked in the ribs. The knights snicker as Arthur lets out a grunt and Leon rolls his eyes fondly. He's long since passed the time of worrying about Merlin's magic bringing harm to Camelot, but he does wish the man would be a little more discreet about it in front of everyone else.

(He'd brought the others in for a quick word in the armory once he overheard them talking about it and informed them none-too-kindly about what their fates would be if they dared speak out against Merlin. He was quickly reassured that not only would they never dream of doing such a thing, they would be happy to join him in 'educating' anyone else who would be so misguided as to view Merlin as a threat.)

"Pair up," Arthur says, drawing his attention back to the present moment, "let's try a few of the warm-up drills."

Percival and Elyan turn to each other, each settling into a ready stance. Gwaine affectionately ruffles Lancelot's hair a few times until Lancelot shoves him away with the butt of the staff and he laughs. Leon adjusts his own grip, ready for Arthur to square off against him, but Arthur isn't even looking at him. Instead, the King walks away, commenting on Percival's form, hitting Gwaine on the leg to get him to actually wise up and focus, leaning against the table where Merlin's cleaning the maces to watch and observe. Leon stands there for a moment. Was…was he supposed to do something different? The instruction had been to pair up, and the others had done so—he must not have realized that Arthur didn't intend to take part in this first drill.

Instead, he draws the staff closer to himself, switching seamlessly into another form. There is always room to improve his footwork—these past few times they've been on hunts, the uneven terrain has led to more close calls than he would prefer. He shifts his weight back and forth, feeling the way the staff moves in his hands. He stops to correct himself a few times, running the same turn back and over again until he can move fluidly from it into another thrust without faltering.

"Didn't realize this was dance practice."

He pauses, looking over. The others have stopped what they're doing, watching him. Gwaine's grinning widely and he can spot the others trying and failing to hide smiles behind their hands. He is far too experienced of a knight to let the shame burn on his face, so he tucks the staff to his side and shrugs.

"We're an odd number if Arthur's not participating. I figured I would practice my footwork."

"Hoping to catch the eye of some fair courtesan?" Gwaine punches him on the shoulder. "You been holding out on us?"

"I doubt there's a person in all of Camelot you've not tried your charms on," Elyan says, and Percival snorts.

"Why limit it to just Camelot?"

"Alright," Arthur says, putting an end to the teasing for the moment, "Leon's right. We should be working on our footwork as well. The last thing we need is to trip and impale ourselves on our own swords."

Gwaine groans, shooting a glare at Leon as he gets into position. The others make similar mutters of discontent as they start running through the drill Leon was just doing. He tries to ignore them and keep working at his own pace, but he can feel their eyes on him now and he can't help glancing over to see how they're doing. He should know better, should be better: how many years has he spent on this field, learning that the only performance he should be focusing on is his own? And yet—

"Sod this," Elyan mutters a few moments later, "I'm going stiff just standing here. Let's try a bout. No better way to learn than on your feet."

Arthur quirks an eyebrow but nods, immediately getting into position. Leon and the others quickly move out of the way. Something tugs at his chest as he watches them spar—would Arthur have practiced the first drill with him if he had asked?

He shakes it off almost immediately. It isn't his place to ask, the King had his own idea of what the training should be, and as such, it was their duty to carry it out. If the King had decided he wasn't going to do the warm-up drill, then Leon would not ask if he would do it with him. He was not a squire, he was more than capable of determining something useful to do.

Still, the feeling lingers as Arthur spars with each of the others before he gets to him, and even then, Arthur looks surprised when Leon steps into position.

"Ready, sire."

Arthur adjusts his grip and sets his jaw. He raises the staff and they're off, moving about each other as the clacking wood fills the field. The drill is working; he can feel his turns becoming more fluid, able to keep his gaze on Arthur instead of checking where his body is in space. They move faster, faster, until Arthur accidentally overextends on a swing and he ducks under it, planting his weight and shoving Arthur off his feet.

The King hits the ground with a thud and a grunt, and Leon's immediately offering his hand. Arthur takes it and—

He blinks. Surely…surely Arthur did not mean to scowl at him so. He helps the King to his feet and waits for something—a compliment, a critique, anything, but the King hardly looks at him a second time. Instead, he shakes himself off and puts the staff down.

"Maces, then?"

"Oh, thank God," Gwaine grumbles, "something actually worth fighting with."

Something is amiss, Leon thinks as he continues to train just on the periphery of the others. He is never forcibly excluded, nor do the others openly speak badly about him, but there is something there. A resentment, maybe? A grudge? A grating feeling against his armor that leaves him confused and off-guard. He does his best to push it away, leave it behind for when the weapons have been laid down, but he can't.

"That's enough for today," Arthur says when the sun is high in the sky, "who's hungry?"

"Me," Gwaine says, to none of their surprise, leading the way back inside, "let's see if Cook's lifted her ban from the kitchens, eh?"

"Don't hold your breath."

Leon lingers for a moment, helping Merlin take everything to the armory to be cleaned. He sets the maces down on the table and reaches for the rags.

"You don't have to do that," Merlin says, stilling him, "I can do it."

"There are the weapons of six men here, let me give you a hand, please?"

"Don't you want to go eat?"

He chuckles. "With Gwaine's appetite, I'll have to wait for a second round of food to be made anyways. Let me at least do something useful while I wait."

"Suit yourself."

They work in the quiet for a while, Leon shedding a few of the heavier pieces of armor to give himself greater dexterity. Merlin hums under his breath as he cleans the staff, setting it up on the rack to dry. They talk about how the preparations for the feast are coming, how Gwen and Elyan have seen greater success with the forge since a new delivery came in, and which servants are 'cleaning' the knights' quarters late at night. Leon does his best not to get too swept up in the castle gossip, but there is something about the way Merlin tells the most outrageous stories with a straight face that he can't quite ignore.

"But enough about all that," he says, not a few moments after regaling a fascinating story about bedsheets, a wagon, and a runaway horse, "what's wrong with you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Merlin bumps his shoulder. "Outside, today. Something was wrong. What was it?"

Leon sighs. "Nothing, truly—"

"Don't believe that for a second."

"No, it's only that I was caught off-guard by the training. It's nothing for you to worry about."

Merlin stops, setting down his polishing rag and narrowing his eyes at Leon. "You and I both know that telling me not to worry about something is a guarantee that I will."

"I would never make such an accusation."

"Like you're not the same."

"I've got no idea what you're talking about," he says with a smile just to watch Merlin roll his eyes. "I'm sure you have enough to trouble yourself with, I wouldn't dream of—"

"That's what I said last time and you held me captive until I told you."

"I didn't hold you captive, Merlin."

"You sat on the edge of my bed and propped your sword up underneath the door knob to keep people from coming in."

"To ensure your privacy, of course." Now Merlin does properly glare at him and he relents, shaking his head and looking back at his work. "I…I feel foolish about it, but I fear I've behaved as a jealous squire today and I'm not sure what possessed me to do so."

"How so?"

"Oh, it's—" the closer he gets to saying it out loud, the worse it sounds to his own ears— "I did not have a partner for the first exercise, and when I practiced the drill, the others seemed to resent me for it. But that's ridiculous, I know—"

Something prods his side and he stops, looking over at Merlin. Merlin holds the blunt end of a scraper toward him, poised to poke him again. He raises his eyebrows.

Ah, yes, he recognizes what this is. Once, when Merlin had been upset and insistent that it wasn't anything to worry about, that it was his fault and his fault alone, Leon had said that for every unkind thing Merlin said about himself, he would poke him. He sighs, setting down the mace.

"I feel as though I have done something to upset them," he says quietly, "and I do not know what."

"I'll ask Arthur."

"Please, do not feel the need to—" Merlin brandishes the scraper and he raises his hands in surrender— "I only wish to say that you don't have to—alright, alright, you've made your point."

Merlin prods him twice more for good measure and knocks their shoulders together. "I'll figure out what's going on."

Never let it be said that Merlin is not determined when he sets his mind to something, for it is scarcely a full day before there's a knock on the door to his chambers. When he opens the door, Gwaine all but blusters his way in, holding a cask of wine and a bag of something sweet-smelling.

"Gwaine?"

"You're upset," the knight says unceremoniously, "I'm here to help. I brought your favorite."

Despite himself, Leon drifts towards the table as Gwaine opens the bag. His eyes widen when he sees the spiced pastries from the sweet girl down in the city, still steaming. He eyes the wine and it isn't too hard to determine that one, Gwaine knows his favorite wine, two, that he was able to get his favorite wine, and three, that he doesn't intend to leave without making Leon drink at least a goblet.

"What is this for?" Gwaine kicks out a chair and he sits, reaching for one of the pastries. It tastes wonderful, so much so that he has to close his eyes for a moment. "Forgive me."

"Nothing to forgive." There's a hand on his shoulder. "You looked as though you needed to be cheered up."

"That obvious, was it?"

"Merlin kicking our arses into gear helped too." He opens his eyes to see Gwaine watching him with obvious concern. He moves his chair a little closer, pushing the pastries toward Leon. "He said you were upset about something that happened this morning, would you tell me what?"

Leon sighs, putting the half-eaten pastry down on the bag. He pinches the bridge of his nose. The warmth of Gwaine's hand, the gentleness of the question, it's enough to undo the worst of the knot in his chest, but not all of it.

"Have I done something to upset the rest of you?"

Gwaine draws back in alarm. "Upset us? No, absolutely not, what makes you think so?"

"None of you wanted to train with me this morning. And when I was doing the footwork drill—you seemed upset that Arthur made you all follow me."

"Upset for—God, Leon, no," Gwaine says, and now there's a hand on each of his shoulders, "do you know what you look like when you train?"

He frowns. "What I look like?"

"I wasn't joking when I said it was like dancing, Leon, you—" Gwaine huffs, and Leon had never believed that Gwaine of all people could look flustered, but here they are— "watching you train is incredible, alright? And the others will never let me live it down if they hear that I've told you that, but—"

"Wait." Leon puts a hand over Gwaine's. "You…so you weren't angry? Or thought that I was trying to…order you about, or something?"

"You know the reason Princess doesn't like sparring with you is because you'll either take it easy on him, which he hates, or easily beat him, which he also hates?"

"Arthur is a fine and accomplished warrior."

"True, but you're better than him at almost everything and you don't even have the decency to be smug about it."

"What?"

Gwaine fixes him with a look. "Do you have any idea how bloody frustrating it is to be beaten soundly by a handsome bastard who's kind to you about it?"

"I don't—what do you mean, 'handsome?'"

"Oh, you have got to be taking the piss," Gwaine grumbles, scrubbing a hand over his face and muttering something that sounds like damn you, Merlin, before looking back at him. "You know you're handsome, don't you?"

He knows that there are plenty of courtesans and squires who stare at him when he walks by. He knows his status as First Knight is one of the few things keeping him from being inundated with marriage proposals. He knows he takes a certain amount of pride in his appearance. But Gwaine, Gwaine describing him as handsome without a trace of tease or flirt in his voice?

"Bloody hell, you don't, do you?" Gwaine sits back. "You really walk around like that and don't know how attractive you are."

"I hardly see what that has to do with—"

"You're an incredible knight, Leon," he interrupts, hand still firmly on his shoulder, "you're a brilliant fighter and an even kinder man. You're…damn it, you're the type of noble I wouldn't mind being if I decided I wanted to be one, alright? We weren't angry at you, we're not upset with you—well, I might be a little upset that you don't know how much of a handsome bastard you are, but that's not entirely your fault."

Leon blinks. Then he blinks again. "You…"

Gwaine raises his eyebrows. "Me?"

"How can you say that I'm attractive when you're—when you—" he pinches the bridge of his nose again.

He hears Gwaine chuckle low in his throat and braces himself. "You think I'm handsome too, don't you?"

"I hardly think it needs repeating out loud."

"Maybe so, but it's nice to hear." A hand comes up to nudge his away from his face and he looks at Gwaine, smile softened now. "You at least sure that we're not upset with you now?"

He swallows the lump in his throat and nods sharply. He can smell the slight spice coming from Gwaine and the allure of the wine still in the cask. Gwaine must see his gaze dart to it, for he leans back, reaching for a goblet and filling it.

"Here," he says, holding it out, and when Leon eyes it warily, he chuckles again. "Want me to check if it's poisoned?"

"I don't think it's…"

He trails off when Gwaine raises the goblet to his lips, taking a sip, holding his gaze. A low hum leaves his chest and he holds it out again.

"No poison."

"What," Leon asks weakly, "are you doing?"

"I'm here to help you feel better since our dear Merlin let us know you're feeling upset." He puts down the goblet, never breaking his gaze. "Aside from that, well, I'm flirting with you."

A sharp bark of laughter echoes around the room. "This isn't how you flirt. You—you flirt with brazen comments and crude jokes. You don't do whatever this is."

Gwaine hums, hand returning to his shoulder. "And what is 'this?' Do you mean this—" and he indicates the wine and pastries— "or this?"

The hand slides up to cradle Leon's cheek and this time he has no defense. The red heat blooms along the side of his face and Gwaine's eyes widen. He sets his jaw, waiting for the teasing to come, but it doesn't; Gwaine simply brushes his hair out of his face and tilts his head.

"You didn't exactly respond to that method of flirting, now, did you? Can't fault a man for trying something different. Besides," and here he slides the wine closer, "now that I know you think me handsome, perhaps I'm trying my luck."

"I'm no good at this," Leon blurts out. Gwaine barely flinches.

"At what?" Leon silently gestures around. "Well, I think that's fair—if you were good at this and as skilled a knight as you are, I doubt there'd be anything left for the rest of us."

Never has Leon felt this out of his element, nor is he immediately inclined to put an end to it. Still, he flounders, and something in Gwaine gentles.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" He shakes his head. "Will you drink some of the wine, then? You look parched."

With a trembling hand, he reaches for the goblet. The wine is a relief and a new challenge all at once, settling heavily over his tongue. Gwaine's gaze rests on his face as he swallows, setting it back down.

"Good?"

"Very." He tests the words on his tongue before speaking them. "You seem like you're good at…this."

"I've had my fair share of practice, yes."

"Would you…teach me?"

A slow smile spreads across Gwaine's face and he leans in close. "It would be my honor."

[cynthia39100]

Merlin rewatch -- S1E6: A Remedy to Cure All Ills

Uther and Gaius

So, Uther and Gaius’ friendship was a big theme in this episode. A lot of questionable actions Gaius took were “for Uther’s sake” (he said the exact line himself to Geoffrey), so his devotion was apparent, even though the episode still didn’t tell us why. Apart from that, Uther also showed A LOT of his trust and friendship with Gaius it’s unreal.

When Arthur proposed to let Edwin treat Morgana, Uther glanced at Gaius for approval before allowing Arthur to fetch Edwin. I quite like that subtle exchange.

He wasn’t acting hostile after Edwin healed Morgana. He asked Edwin to stay, but he didn’t want to replace Gaius. Edwin was smart. He didn’t outright accuse Gaius’ incapability but used a very convincing argument: age. If Edwin was honest, Gaius truly didn’t recognize Morgana’s illness, it was very dangerous. (Although I think the prominent issue was they only had one physician so there was no good judgement base…)

Uther looked genuinely torn by the decision to retire Gaius. He wasn’t angry. He didn’t ask Gaius to leave. He gave Gaius as much dignity and support as he could. When Gaius tried to defend himself, he was willing to listen. The look when he looked up at Gaius from the chair… it was like he lost his soul. And he kept showing that face in the later scenes too! They worked so hard to make us feel the dilemma in Gaius.

Finally, Uther apologized and appreciated Gaius’ contribution to defeating magic, and Gaius comforted him that he always did what he thought was right. An uncomfortably familiar exchange between King and his trusted advisor… I just hope Arthur and Merlin won’t become like them.

<- Prev Next -> [other episodes]

[kob131]

Mordred anon here, thanks for the answer!

Yup, takeuchi and nasu are both stubborn on regards like this, they know that a lot of characters' arcs depends on artoria or is at least ties back to her (and that is the reason why it is a bit unlikely for us to see characters such as guinevere, uther or phh morgan any time soon, they are too much tied to artoria to be ignored). They are perfectly aware as to how important artoria is to mordred's story, it just feels like they are too stubborn to backtrack from an statement (unless its lore related). However, one of the key things about mordred, at least in myths, were the relation to orkneys, they show them hang out and actually get along, but then you read their my room lines and makes one think "what in the world just happened". I think its a similar case to how lancelot called mordred a mad dog in his interlude, but also has a post lb line for mordred that praises her, showing that there is development behind the scenes, the problem is that, gareth and gawain dont have that. Their current relationship with mordred feels like two older siblings keeping the rebel one in line, they scold her but dont have any malice against her, with all the development that has happened between the three, it would make sense for their lines to be updated.

I honestly think all the orkneys+mordred would benefit from having an event or a filler story focus on them, they can even use it as a chance to bring in aggy and gaheris along as low rarity. They could bond over their past with morgan, how different they view her depending on their experience, etc.

P.s: i owe an apology for writing such long asks.

Actually, I tend to like longer asks. Only time I haven't is a certain person who refused to actually engage with what I was saying and just kept spamming my inbox rather than actually reblogging.

Yeah, I feel like that statement about Arturia's story being 'finished' already has really backfired. I doubt either one of them expected FGO to go on so long that so many important figures from Arturia's life would be around her. But it is a hole they kind of dug for themselves. They're the ones who keep revisiting Fate's Arthurian characters while refusing to USE King Arthur herself. Sure, they'll have an alternate version, usually her Lancer self because I think they forgot she's a separate person still, come in and play a supporting role. But they'll repeatedly reference their relationship with her, either as a joke or as motivation, but never actually RESOLVE it. Mordred's the most standout simply because she's used so often.

(To go on a side tangent: I really don't like the various versions of Arturia. They just feel like a dilution of her character, making alternate versions as jokes or fanservice that encourage the comedy depiction of her character rather than her actual character. The whole ass reason why 'Arturia bad dad' is so prevelant is because the only time they've actually interacted was in comedy events. Which also has the side effect of making Mordred look more innocent than she is. Tl;Dr- It says a lot that ArCas is the only one I would say has actually captured her character.)

That difference is actually due to a change Fate made to the myths. Namely that Mordred hid her face from everyone, meaning she's stuck in her armor around anyone and everyone that wasn't Morgan. So naturally she couldn't have been all that close to the Orkney siblings. It's implied Gareth was kind of a friend...which doesn't mean much, it's Gareth. Agravain is said to have looked after her but Mordred's thoughts are decidedly uncertain. Yeah, I do have to agree that it is an 'off-screen' deal but unlike with the Lancelot example, we don't have any implications of them reconsidering their view of Mordred in their lines.

I really do agree that having some kind of story with them would be really beneficial. It's not even that unusual, it's HEAVILY implied Agravain actually cares a great deal about his siblings (or at least Gawain and Mordred, since he showed concern over both in Camelot) so there's at least one member who would also bridge the gap. Though, I cannot imagine a single scenario where Mordred talking about Morgan would result in anything but the Orkney siblings becoming very depressed. As tulmultious as Mordred's relationship with her father is, she still at least believes that Arturia could love her. Mordred's so convinced Morgan doesn't care about her that she generalizes all mothers that way, without any angst. And LB Morgan's line for Mordred in her character materials imply Mordred feels a sense of resignation towards her. That things will never change. Nor does it seem like Mordred wants anything from her, with the same line implying she feels hatred and sadness towards her.

... Yeah, Mordred's incredibly depressing when you look below the surface.

[caer-gai]

Angsty Arthurian AU Idea number ???

Reincarnation AU! Ector is raising a not-yet-remembering Arthur on his own in some off the grid small town. All alone. No Kay. Arthur had this feeling of 'something missing' his entire childhood, Ector knows who it is and has just enough of an idea what's become of Kay that it hurts a lot to think about.

They gather a bunch of local reincarnations Bedivere for sure, maybe Dinadan, Morgan, Guinevere, as Arthur is remembering and coming into his destiny. They're a small, tight knit found family scrappy low resources rebellion sort of vibe. Very fun very cool.

Now, Uther is still alive and well and running his own court/cult of personality/militant group. They and Arthur's group will come into conflict but he's also got his own agenda. Anyways one of his strongest lieutenants is Lot, who runs a powerful secret base for Uther's group, where he's "training" his sons to be Uther's perfect soldiers.

He also has Kay.

Between Lot and Uther they've made Kay into the perfect weapon against Arthur: trained since he was a baby, magic forced to it's max making him really powerful (a way to describe it i came up with comes from bedivere "The magic around him was screaming") he's supposed to be unshakably loyal. Excpt the only ones he's really loyal to are Lot's kids, to which he's become a weird sort of surrogate big brother (as much as he can). They're the only one's who treat him like a human.

Gareth absolutely hero warships Kay (though in a naive 'you're such a great knight i can't wait to serve Uther too!' kind of way that hurts Kay's soul). Anyways Kay is absolutely terrifying on the battlefield, and for a long time no one and nothing can stand in his way. Until he fights Bedivere (neither know each other's identity)

Bedivere is a solid challenge on his own, but when Kay blasts him with fire it doesn't burn Bedivere. Instead it activates some sort of magic signal bound to their souls, which protects Bedivere. Now that they know both are horror struck (for different reasons) and freeze. One of Kay's "teammates" takes a cheap shot at Bedivere, but he's warned by his team and dodges away. Making him the first to ever escape Kay.

Bedivere tells his peeps about this, which sends Ector into a dark spiral and leads Arthur to ask a lot of questions. Meanwhile, Kay is back at base and not in his armour for the first time. And he's in a cell. Gawain comes to visit, angry at Kay for freezing up, mostly because it made Lot mad. he goes on at Kay for a while before Kay finally snaps and tells him that it was Bedivere he was fighting, and on top of it the signal that save Bedi's life was one he a Kay crafted together to ensure that they couldn't hurt each other.

Which ouch. Gawain tried to apologize, but Kay's too tired for this rn and goes to sleep.

That's about as far as I've gotten linearly. Two other scenes I have in mind with Kay and Gareth-

Gareth is following Kay around while he's getting ready for a mission, mentions how he wants to be just like Kay when he grows up and Kay stops what he's doing gets down on Gareth's level and looks him in the eyes and says "Beaumains, You are going to be so much better than I ever was." (One day, in a happier world and place, where Gareth doesn't have to be anyone's soldier he remembers the first life, and he remembers this and he goes to Kay and hugs him and tells him he's still his hero)

Gareth wants very badly to go with Kay on one of his missions. So badly he teaches himself to replicate Kay's fire magic, and shows it to Kay hoping to impress him. Instead Kay freaks the fuck out and yells at him and makes him promise to never show or tell anyone about this ever again. it's the first time gareth is genuinely scared of kay. Kay hates himself for it but he can't let Lot and Uther put Gareth through the same hell that has been Kay's entire life.

idk if im feeling silly enough i might do some art for this, bc the visual of badass armoured up Kay reassuring little baby Gareth is living in my brain now

[tiodolma]

Adventures of Merlin vs The Devil Wears Prada

Andy, to Nate (Devil Wears Prada): I'm so sorry. I kept trying to leave, but there was a lot going on and you know I didn't have a choice. Jono (Cinema Therapy): So with my accountabilty kink, just like with any other kink. There is a wrong way to do it. Alan: (Cinema Therapy): So this non-accountability accountability? Jono (Cinema Therapy): Saying "I'm sorry" and then saying "I kept trying to leave, but I didn't have a choice," Both of those are false statements. Technically she could have left. Technically she had a choice. And the least she can do in this moment is own that. This is (all) excuses. Andy, to Nate (DWP): ...I didn't have a choice. Okay? I... Miranda asked me and I couldn't say no. Nate, to Andy (DWP): I know. That's your answer for everything lately. "I didn't have a choice." Like this job was forced on you. Like you don't make these decisions yourself. Jono (CT): No, he's right. Nate, to Andy (DWP): You know, I wouldn't care if you were out there pole dancing all night, as long as you did it with a little integrity. You used to say this was just a job. You used to make fun of the runway girls. What happened? Now you've become one of them. Andy, to Nate: That's absurd! Nate, to Andy: That's okay. That's fine. Just own up to it. And then we can stop pretending like we have anything in common anymore. -from Cinema Therapy's Toxic or Not: Andy's Friends & Boyfriend in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

From Adventures of Merlin

s2 Fires of Idirsholas (after poisoning Morgana) MORGAUSE: What has he done to you? MERLIN: I had to. MORGAUSE: You poisoned her! MERLIN: You gave me no choice. s3 Tears of Uther Pendragon MORGANA: Merlin. I want to speak to you. I know what you did. You tried to poison me. MERLIN (nervousIy): I didn't want to. MORGANA: It's alright, Merlin. I understand. You were just trying to protect your friends, I would have done the same. MORGANA: I was so naïve, Merlin. I don't think I really understood what I was doing. But, believe me, I have seen the evils in this world. I have seen firsthand what it is that Uther fights against. You don't know how much I regret everything that I've done. I just…hope that you can forgive me. MERLIN: I am so sorry for everything you've been through. It's good to have you back.

...yeah Merlin wasn't being accountable at all lmao

yeah just let the one you tricked and lethally poisoned be the one who apologizes to you. Seems normal behavior. He is truly the force of light love and goodness. /s

If you notice there some truth to Morgana's words. She knows that he knows what she did. She "apologized" for it and that got Merlin to lower his guard for a while. She was saying what he wanted to hear which was her being accountable for her mistakes and blunders. That's what he hoped for, Morgana "agreeing and understanding" that he was in the right to betray and poison her to death.

Even if Morgana was playing a part here.. I think a part of her was hurt that he never apologized for what he has exactly done to her (and she had given him an opening to do so, he just didn't take it).

No matter how much Merlin insists that he had no choice, Merlin had the choice whether to kill her or not. Merlin had the choice whether to betray her or not, Merlin had the choice to use her trust against her or not. Merlin had the choice whether to come clean to her about the spell or even the poison or not. Merlin had all the choices. But Merlin throughout the show was just in perpetual denial that he had those choices all along. His being a liar not only to himself but to everyone else hurt all of them.

[witchmd13]

Hello.... Can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from Merlin BBC? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Thanks if you want to answer....

I just noticed this ask in my inbox. I'm so sorry. I don't check desktop tumblr that much anymore and asks get so easily lost on the app. I hope it's okay I'm answering right now :)

My top 5 favorite characters are: Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, Morgana, and Lancelot.

Arthur is the character I relate to the most in the show. just a bisexual disaster who can't handle emotions and always puts too much pressure on himself. Also, despite being born privileged and growing up sheltered, he always tries to be better and he listens to others and I love him for it.

Merlin. I mean who can't love Merlin? He deserves the world honestly. Above all, I love him for how good he chooses to be. He has all this power to do anything he wants. He could literally be a god, but he chooses to stay in camelot in constant danger and protect his friends and try to build a better world.

Gwen means so much to me as a character, especially in the early seasons. most of my favorite quotes from the show are hers. you have no idea how many times "worry is not a wise counsel. forget everything else. you have to follow what you believe is right" saved me from falling into an anxiety spiral. she will always have a special place in my heart.

Morgana, well, what can I say about her that's not already obvious lol. to me, she represents all the rage all of us develop growing up at seeing unfairness in the world. and while she lets her hatred of it consume her and make her bitter, instead of trying to cling the tiniest bits of love that you can find in it, like merlin did, I still love her anger and relate to it. in the end, she did do what she believed was right and damned the consequences and I think there's something to be said about her fighting for what she believed to be right until the very end.

Lancelot, well, Gwen and Lancelot's story has always been one of my favorites since I was a kid. I've always liked Lancelot more than Arthur ironically lol so I liked him the moment he showed up. He's still my favorite knight and his story in the show is just so tragic and I have a thing for tragic characters in general.

I yammered on a lot about my favorite characters so I'll keep my favorite moments brief. I'll try not to make them shipping specific!

Merlin drinking the poison for Arthur in the poisoned chalice and Arthur's entire reaction, going against his father for merlin and everything.

Arthur's apology for what he did to the druids' camp.

Merlin confronting Uther's ghost in the death song of uther pendragon.

Lancelot getting knighted as himself.

Morgana's "and you, Uther, are going to hell."

Thank you for the ask! and again sorry for not noticing it earlier!

[godmerlin]

Hehe tumblr needs more asks. How's your day going! Also, what would you say your favorite Merlin episode is?

I agree! Tumblr does need more asks!

I never got the notification you sent this so i apologize i am only seeing it now!

My day is going okay...been out and then came home and was going through more of my clothes...trying to get my room organized and cleaned by next week...which is a feat because I have a lot of stuff! (I want to get a new desk put together and I'm running out of time to be able to because I need help taking the heavy boxes from downstairs to upstairs...and my nephew is moving soon!)

As for my favorite episode of Merlin... i don't know! I honestly don't. it's easier to give my fave of every season so that's what I'll do!

Season 1- The Moment of Truth

season 2- The Last Dragonlord

season 3- The Eye of the Phoenix

season 4- A Servant of Two Masters (I'm boring i know that's like almost everyones)

season 5- The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

thanks for this!!!

[magicalmischel]

Mischel dear, respectfully, but WHAT THE HELL???? you have all these amazing iconic wips stored and unposted?? COME ONNN!!!! You just caaaaant possibly have a time travel au and a dragon!merlin au and NOT POST THEM! These are such fantastic ideas!! also, I noticed you already shot an amazingggg shot in them— 77K??? I would simply combust.

Please post them. A pretty pretty please. You don't have to have them finished to post them, just post them as WIPs and I promise the motivation will come on its own (when you find us screaming every chapter). You are one of the best writers in our fandom, so trust me we'll eat ALL these ideas up, even if you're feeling a bit hesitant about them <3

also, a personal request; finish Falling into Empty Space and Burn Us Away, please.

oh my gosh thank youuuuuu 😭😭💖 yeah I remember I used to post long fics without having finished them and then the weekly "deadlines" pushed me to write more, but honestly I really want to have these finished before I start posting, and that's 1) to avoid the stress and disappointing anyone if I fail to update it and 2) because the time travel fic especially needs to be done before it's posted bc it has important details at the start that only make sense at the end of the fic! 😂 I opened the time travel fic yesterday actually, for the first time in a year, and I forgot SO MUCH of it ;-; but it made me super excited to return to it too, so yeah, one day <3

Ok you mentioned four of the wips so I'll give you the summaries and short snippets! <3 (apologies in advance for a lot of text ;-;)

time travel au

turns out i never wrote an "official" summary for ao3 but this is the summary in my wip folder:

Set in s3. Basically Morgause f*cks up a spell in the crystal cave and accidentally changes the past, which screws up the present world. Merlin, Arthur, evil!Morgana and Gwen then get stuck in that past and it's only on them to repair it so that they can return to the future that they know and not the f*cked up one. Secrets are spilled, sides chosen, loves declared. Lots of magic and crystals and old castles and running. Happens during the Great Purge, so basically Uther is still a dick (worse one than in the show actually) and everyone with a brain wants him dead, and Arthur is just a poor innocent baby. While all that's happening, our Merlin and Arthur are running around trying not to f*ck up the past even more and ultimately f*cking it up even more, of course. Things get especially messy when Uther finds out about "Emrys" hiding in the forests and sends out an assassin. All that while the last high priestesses are trying to kill him too.

and a snippet from the prologue:

The forest was quiet in the deep night. The wind picked up from time to time and occasionally an owl hooted. Then, a strong wave of magic washed over the land, and with it, a dark figure appeared out of thin air on a hilltop near the edge of the woods , a glowing necklace in their hand. The figure brought the necklace in front of their face to inspect it -- it was a small piece of glowing crystal. As they lowered their hand, the figure looked far into the distance. There, in the valley stood the white castle of Camelot. “It’s time.”

the dragon!merlin fic

summary:

It all starts with a deal. Arthur will capture the last of the dragons, and in exchange, Uther will give him more time to search for his soulmate. He won’t have to marry princess Elena when she arrives in a few days. Little does Arthur know that the dragon he shoots down is actually a young dragon-man called Merlin, and more importantly — his soulmate. It only gets more complicated from there.

and a snippet:

Perhaps if the Great Purge had not been so thorough, if there still were more Dragonfolk hidden somewhere out there . . . but Merlin had given up hope long ago. It was pointless. He knew he was still young to be so disappointed with life — to be so sure that he would grow into an old, bitter man —  but he had shaken his hands with everyone he knew in his Flock and not a one had made his soulmate mark spark to life. The mark didn’t mean love to him. He was only wearing a reminder of loneliness on his skin.

falling into empty space

I always liked the main idea for this fic but I never actually sat down to figure out the plot, so I don't even really have a summary. Just the snippet:

The summer was pleasantly warm, the birds were chirping, and for once, Merlin felt actually happy, despite the ridiculous amount of chores that Arthur was giving him these days. There was not a cloud in the sky and the flowers always smelled all the way up from the fields to the halls of Camelot. All in all, Merlin didn't find it too difficult to keep a smile on his face. But then came the druid boy. And the letter the very next day. It landed on Merlin's bed as he was getting ready for the day, going over all the little vials he'd have to steal from Gaius in order to treat the injured boy hiding in Morgana's chambers, and trying hard to forget the worrisome advice the dragon had given him. But the letter came in his own handwriting, and the paper was stained with blood. And worst of all, the words sent chills down Merlin's spine as he stared at them. Kill the boy.

burn us away

summary:

Soulmates aren't real. That much Arthur knows. They're a fiction, a myth, only among those who possess magic. Then why does his wrist burn when his eyes fall to Merlin's lips for the very first time, an undeniable soulmate mark left in its wake? Merlin knows that the second Arthur sees the soulmate mark, not only does it mean that Arthur returns the love that Merlin harbours in his heart, but that Merlin's magic is no longer a secret. When knights storm into his little room as a consequence, Merlin runs. He's determined to break the soul connection, even if destiny might disagree.

a snippet:

The light from the crackling fire danced across Merlin’s markless wrist, and he stared at it, lost in his thoughts. Arthur was right next to him — a warm presence during the cold autumn day. They were sitting together in front of Arthur’s fireplace, sharing a single goblet of wine and simply talking and Merlin had never felt quite as happy and sad at the same time. Happy, because when he looked at the prince, he knew with absolute certainty that there could never be another person he would be so utterly in love with. And sad because, well, his wrist didn’t bear a soulmate mark. And that meant that Arthur didn’t love him in the same way. Though his destiny was to bring peace to the land, it would never bring peace to Merlin’s poor heart. He’d always be there by Arthur side, but he would also always be alone.

ngl answering this ask gave me a LOT of motivation to go and finish these wips 😂 hopefully I'll get some done this year 💖 i miss posting long fics ;-; thanks so much for the ask!!! 💖

[thekingofthenameless]

HELLOOOIO, MY DEAR!! ahem, some emojis for the writing asks!! 🦋, 🌿, 🐠, 🍯, 🍬, 🍰, aaaaand finally this one; 🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥 (my apologies for how many there are. 😭😭)

HELLO!!!

Thanks for the ask!!! :D I do not care about how many there are I got an ask!!!

🦋 - Tell us about your current wip

Okay so. Blurb first! The King of the Nameless is an adaptation of Arthurian Legend, except… it takes place in an entirely fantasy world. Wizards, demons, dragons, mermaids, and spirits are just five of the magical creatures that inhabit Galdorcræft. Alongside magic being everywhere, corruption runs just as deep in the country of Avalon. Seaside towns that imported benign items like silk are now infamous for attracting contract killers and magic hunters. The idea of murdering magical creatures for their body parts, as well being a falsely presumed threat to humanity, is slowly becoming more widespread through rumors of what their magic can do to heal and harm, no matter how much Merlin Ambrosius tries to stop it. He’s a wizard himself, of course. Everybody knows that. What they don’t know is that he’s hiding a lot of secrets: being half-demon, being born a girl, and trying to cope with madness that makes it difficult to tell falsehoods from reality, for one thing. However, he has his dragon familiar and found family, Charlemagne Ambrosius, to keep him grounded and understand him when no one else will. Unbeknownst to them, the very heart of corruption is in Camelot itself. Uther Pendragon has just become king after his father’s death, and he’s been waiting for this. Maybe now that he’s ruling, he can finally kill Merlin and rid himself of the rebellious, soft, mad advisor. With the most powerful wizard in the land dead, then no one will be able to stop him from killing the monsters that plague it. Or, in a crappy summary: “Traumatized Mentally Ill Trans Male Protagonist Who Has The Best Dragon Ever Tries To Stop The Creepy Asshole King From Ruining Everything”

It’s kind of weird to look back at how this all started. This whole thing started because after watching Wizards: Tales of Arcadia I was completely, utterly heartbroken at Merlin dying. It was the most crushing fictional character death I’ve personally experienced, and I wanted a different ending. I sent an ask/request to someone who wrote ToA fanfiction at the time. And I liked what they wrote, but it wasn’t quite what I was looking for, so I started writing! The blurb for the now discontinued fanfiction Emerald Embers was "Angsty, fluffy, and humorous canon divergent fanfiction, starring a traumatized, emotionally constipated protagonist". It originally started all the way back in Episode Eight, where it was a role swap of Merlin and Douxie (Douxie didn’t die, since Merlin actually knew healing magic he was able to stabilize the stab wound and get him to the hospital lol) Then it slowly went back to medieval times with several different ideas, (opening with my oc, Egbert, opening with Galahad, opening with Merlin fighting Gumm-Gumms... but each draft always had Merlin taking a three year old orphaned Douxie in) but Merlin was always the protagonist. So it went through draft after draft because I couldn’t make anything fit, with Merlin slowly becoming more and more of an oc even though it was still supposed to be somewhat canon complaint… And then I got burnout. I was putting too many expectations on myself and feeling like I had a deadline on releasing it, and it was bad enough for me to take a several month hiatus from anything EE related, along with unintentionally taking a hiatus from Tumblr. After those months of trying to rest and allowing myself to get into a different fandom, (it was Narnia lol) I felt ready to visit it again. I'd had vague ideas of what could happen if I made it my own book before, but this time the idea wouldn't let go. It wasn't long before I did end up deciding on making it my own LOL. Characters and ideas were becoming too different; I was so scared of doing it for a while, but in the end, I've been way happier doing this. (Looking back, it's hilarious that in my first draft of EE, I was trying so hard to make things canon compliant that I didn't have any ideas.) So yeah. It's been a ride. But now I have black, transmasc, and aroace Merlin, the best boy Charlie, Greek wizards (or Galdorcræft's equivalent of them) Igraine and Gorlois, mermaid NImue, along with a ton of different of different magical creatures I hope to include. Also this should go without saying but there is no fucking incest here!!! The Arthurian Legebds are fucking full of it and I hate it

🌿 - Who is your favorite character you’ve ever written?

Not to be biased (that’s a lie. I’m very biased), but probably Merlin! Uther is also surprisingly fun to write even though he’s a bitch lol

🐠 - Author who inspires you

Hmmmm I don’t really have any rn, (I need to get back into reading probably) but my favorite book series is The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis!

🍯 - Author you know

You! :D 😉

🍬 A song for your favorite character

Ooooof choosing just one is hard but I have been listening to “White Witch” by Florence and the Machine a lot lately! I also have a playlist I made for him that I should probably link here at some point lol

🍰 - Where you like to write

Definitely in my room lol 😂 It’s where I can listen to music and let my ideas flow! (Unlike at work 😞)

🐥 - Here’s some writing motivation!

THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE YOU /pos

[escespace]

*cracks her fingers*

Is there something I live for? An Arthur being the one with the initiative, too desperately in love with Merlin so...

Baby, give me a sign (that You want to be mine) by schweet_heart

There's nothing that gives me more comfort than a neckerchief story as a favor for a knight and this author manages to exploit the potential of that plot. It's the best kind of fluff. And as if that were not enough, they manages to portray the kind of stupid complicity that makes us love merthur so much, I literally commented:

"Boys are the original airheads and how I love them for it. I don't think there are people as clueless as them. One says red when he really means green and the other understands blue"

And that would be the real dynamic of their relationship if the screenwriters had not been afraid of success.

Synopsis:

Arthur is under the (mistaken) impression that Merlin's neckerchief is a token of love. Merlin is under the (mistaken) impression that Arthur is in love with somebody else. It's a good thing neither of them is the jealous type, otherwise things could end up getting pretty awkward...

Bad choice of words in my alibi by queerofthedagger

It is written from Arthur's perspective and perhaps that is why, for the reader, Merlin's emotions feel more diluted than his. The story has strong emotions that may take you on a roller coaster and it is that overwhelming anguish that makes Arthur's feelings so raw that the reader can't help but want to fix the whole world for him

But the most important thing about this fic is that it proposes a twist that would have been interesting to experiment with in canon (and it's not a spoiler because it's in the tags). The soulbond makes everything more complicated than ever.b And at the same time it makes a relationship that is already intimate by destiny, a hundred times more intimate. The conon presents us with a retelling where Merlin and Arthur are two against the world, and this fic takes that premise one step further

Synopsis:

One hot summer day and an ill-advised kiss leave Arthur with an incomplete soul bond, panic about all his secrets coming to light, and the question of why Merlin is so afraid of Uther. Actually, scratch that—why is Merlin afraid of him?

Courtly ideals by imagine_sleeping

My goddesses above! This one is hilarious. If you want something that you'll read without realizing you're devouring it, that will completely immerse you in the idealistic and non-serious tone, this fic is perfect. It's the kind of fic I read when I'm having a bad day and just want dopamine. And at the end it has a slight refreshing surprise that makes your heart EVEN SWEETER THAN IT WAS ALREADY SWEETENED.

Synopsis:

Courtship in Camelot among the nobility has five well-known steps: Flowers Gifts Time spent together (with a chaperone) A favor (typically if a beloved was a knight) And obtaining permission from their guardian Unfortunately, Merlin is oblivious to these traditions. Thankfully, Ealdor has some customs of her own that Hunith deigns to enlighten Arthur about.

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I hope that is what you were referring to, but I am always available to continue helping you search. Whoever reads this post please read the tags before reading a story. I send you lots of love (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠✧⁠*⁠。

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[Also, I apologize if anyone is uncomfortable with the pronouns I used in the post, i will changes it if necessary, I tried to be as general as possible given that there are details I don't know]

CALLING ALL MERTHUR ENJOYERS

does anyone have any merthur fic recommendations where Arthur is the one pining? I’ve been trying to find some but it’s hard 😭🙏

[imissthembutitwasntadisaster]

Sorry sorry one more ask I’m rewatching Merlin a bit pls tell me if you will what you’d have done with Merlin and Morgana plotline I’d like to imagine it play out nicely

First of all I treasure and relish asks I love talking to you never apologize. Second of all. It's been a long long while since I watched it BUT you know what's so weird??? That Merlin didn't tell Morgana about his magic when he found out about his dreams! He told a lot of people frankly, Lancelot worked it out in SECONDS, so why not Morgana, Morgana who's clearly suffering and so totally alone and afraid. So Merlin tells Morgana and she believes him and for a while it helps that they share this secret.

But it isn't enough, because sometimes it just isn't. Uther is still so rabidly against it and Arthur too and the kingdom is so hostile and Merlin's just one boy, so Morgause still manages to win over Morgana even as Merlin pleads for her to stop. He still has to poison her to stop the sleeping spell (a sleeping spell she didn't know about and didn't cast on purpose! Even up until this she was still fairly innocent!!!) and she sees that as a double betrayal - not just Merlin the vague acquaintance, but Merlin her friend, Merlin the only person to share her secret, poisoned her.

So of course, she's furious and she turns against Camelot and fights against it over and over again. She sneaks back into the castle pretending to repent, as she did in the show, but continues to attempt to tear down its foundations. But because Merlin knows she knows about his powers, he doesn't try to hide them from her and so they keep meeting, they keep having individual fights, they keep arguing. And every time, Merlin asks her to come back, to be reconciled, to give up his quest. He begs forgiveness for poisoning her and for not seeing where it was all going wrong. He could kill her so many times in this version but he never does. Morgana's hatred and rage is slowly cooled and replaced with confusion, the confusion of a girl raised by an angry and bitter and unrelenting man faced now with mercy. She can hardly remember what that means anymore.

Let's say Uther starts another witch-hunt and Merlin needs help to get a friend out of Camelot. It wouldn't be too unlikely a storyline. He asks Morgana, because she's the only one he knows, because he gets desperate, because Uther is crueler and more twisted each day. Morgana in this, at least, can work with Merlin but she also plans to use it for her own means, to kill Uther, to take down the knights, and Arthur too. But the thing is that Merlin trusts her, he trusts her to follow the plan they make together to help people and remember that Morgana used to order food for those in need in defiance of Uther's wishes, remember she used to arm herself on behalf of small ravaged villages, remember that at her heart she was kind. So she chooses to go along with Merlin's plan, to let her revenge slip away for a moment, telling herself she can always do it again, and because of her a magic user makes it out of Camelot alive. This is the beginning.

Because, at the same time other dangers, other enemies, other darknesses are rising against the land and Merlin is tired and harried and stretched through. And he hates to do it, but he has to turn, on occasion, to Morgana. He has to fight her still, but somehow the fights become less frequent and the requests for aid more common. Every time Morgana swears she'll most likely kill Arthur in the morning and every time she doesn't. Merlin asks for her help in making small lives better, in lightening loads, Morgana isn't shaking the earth with thunder, she uses her magic now more and more often, she finds, for quiet sly spells to make things easier for others now every day.

But! Morgause is still her family, has still manipulated her so much that she does still choose to take over Camelot. She's much more conflicted about it though, more so when the people of the city refuse to swear loyalty to her, even more when Merlin returns and tries to convince her against it. Morgause attacks him as he speaks and as she does, Morgana chooses to tip over the cup of life herself, ending her own army because, she realises, she would rather lose the crown than see Merlin die (because he, of course, is what she could be, and the good in what she once was).

Either Morgause dies there as in the show, or she becomes a mutual enemy, but Morgana flees as she did before. She still lives in the wilds outside Camelot and a new legend springs up, that if you go a-searching in the woods, you might find a witch who can help you. It's still not an easy path, she's still filled with a lot of hatred, but Merlin helps, he visits a lot. They become very close mostly because they learn to trust each other (it takes a lot of effort from him, a lot of work, but he tries and it pays off). The ending could be dramatic or it could be simple. Perhaps one is in danger and the other realises they can't bear to let them go. Perhaps, instead, Morgana looks at Merlin over the table one day and discovers she doesn't want a life without him. No matter how it goes, they do fall in love.

Camelot falls, of course, as it must, as it always has and always will. Arthur dies and Merlin sends him off and awaits his return. But this time, he's not alone in the waiting.

i just think. They should have been in love. It's about how they are both what the other could have been.

Also I need to emphasise this doesn't really make clear how extremely angsty this would be. So much drama. So much pain. Only joy after a REALLY LONG TIME.

[azaleaniath]

Le me stole an idea from my favorite fellow simp, @depressedbagpipe!

Thank you for letting me use it💜 It really fits the current spooky season (also I've listened to Ghostbusters on loop for like 4 hours)

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Sir Leon x Reader

includes: Uther as a ghost, blood, paranormal activities, injuries, fainting, fluff, confession

word count: 1.8k

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You walked through the dark hallways of the castle. It was colder than usual.

As you drowned in your thoughts, your steps got slower.

What if Merlin was right?

This evening you had heard him talking about former king Uther's return as a ghost. It would be a funny thought, if the circumstances were different.

Percival had asked you to stitch up his jacket. As he had explained where the cut came from, you already found it weird, but what happened to you afterwards made you truly consider Merlins words to be true.

You brought Percivals jacket to the armory, placing it next to his gear so he could find it the morning. Again, you heard the wind howling through the castle, door locks and chains rattling.

In fear you looked around, arming yourself with a sword as you heard steps coming closer. Your heartbeat quickened, pounding through your entire body as you saw the door handle lowering. A lump was stuck in your throat, yet your chest raised and sank heavily as the door opened.

"Show yourself!" you yelled out in panic, sweat pearls ran down your face.

As the door opened, you saw Leon standing in the frame with a confused expression. At the sight of him, you lowered your sword and your entire upper body in relief. A deep exhale followed before the man made his way over to you.

"Are you alright? Or are you practicing poetry in here too?"

Unable to explain your fear you just nodded to his first few words and got yourself up again.

"Poetry? What, no, why would I? I was just bringing Percivals jacket here, it needed a few stitches."

"My apologies, I did not mean to scare you, (Y/N)."

It took a few seconds to calm down again. Leon mustered you from head to toe as you brought the sword in your hands back to the place it belonged.

"What happened to your hand?"

He asked in a worried tone, pointing at your hand.

One of your hands was wrapped in a small piece of linen. Dried blood stained the white cloth.

"I cut myself when I stiched up the jacket."

"You're usually very careful while sewing, how come? It looks like it could need a medics treatment, I'm sure that's not just a small cut."

As you remembered, a cold shiver ran down your spine.

Some time passed in full silence before you explained.

You met his gaze and huffed.

"It's gonna sound so stupid... Promise you're not going to laugh, okay?"

He agreed with a slow nod, his expression just getting more confused and almost worried.

"My fabric scissors fell off my table. They're so heavy, and I didn't even touch them. It felt like someone was watching me, like I wasn't alone in my room. I could feel a chill in the air, like it was almost hard to breathe. When I reached out to pick them up..."

You watched his reaction closely, hoping he wouldn't think you were going crazy.

"They snapped shut."

His face shifted slowly, but there was definitely a lot of concern in his look.

"What a weird coincidence indeed."

By now, his eyes were just blankly staring into the air.

"During the conference today, the doors suddenly ripped open. It was weird... And then, the thing with the chandelier... It crashed onto the round table out of nowhere..."

"And then Percivals injury..." You put the pieces together in your head, looking just as concerned as Leon. Yet it was a bit different, rather scared.

He ripped himself from his thoughts, seeing your shocked face.

"(Y/N), you look like you've seen a ghost..."

"I think I did, in some way."

Leon did not know if this was a joke or not.

"A ghost?"

He repeated.

"Yes, a ghost. How else do you explain these weird situations? Also, I think Merlin said something about Uther's return if I heard him correctly."

The knight inhaled and exhaled heavily as you suddenly felt this weird cold stare in the back of your neck again. He could feel it too.

"Uther? Why would he do all of this?"

Again, there was this rattling metal sound that didn't go unnoticed by both of you.

"Well just think about it. Percival is a knight, even though he isn't noble. The round table is a symbol of exactly this. That every member of the council is equal in worth, no matter their status."

"And why would he attack you?"

Leon's hands clenched around the handle of his sword as the feeling of being watched intensified.

"I'm your maiden. The personal servant of the knights of the round table."

As soon as you finished your sentence the sound of metal dropping onto the floor emerged from the shelf behind you. You turned around in shock, Leon quickly drew his sword and covered you from behind.

Once he saw the object that had fallen down, he swallowed. He knew the meaning of this.

You knelt down and picked the item up, taking a closer look. It was an armed glove.

"Leave it there!" Leon yelled, but it was too late. You had picked it up already and put it back on the shelf.

You waited a few seconds as the wind lessened, then turned back to Leon.

"Nothing happened, see? Didn't cut myself this time. I think Uther moved on."

"(Y/N), knights take off their glove for their opponent to pick up. You've just accepted to challenge him."

Your eyes widened at his words. If what he said was true, this night would turn into a true horror disaster. The blond knight stepped in front of you, holding his sword ready to defend you.

Again, there was this cold breeze howling through the armory.

Both you and Leon scanned the room with your eyes and you grabbed one of the swords from their stand, like you had done before.

Shivers ran down your spine. Again, you heard a sound emerging. This time it came from a dark corner of the room. Leon turned to face it again. Something was moving there.

Before you could tell what the object was, it flew into your direction. Leon ripped you aside making you both stumble to the right. A spear had hit the door behind the two of you.

In shock you looked up to the knight, mouth slightly open.

"If it weren't for you I would've been impaled now."

"I'm afraid this isn't over yet..." He mumbled, both hands holding onto his sword again.

Before you knew it, multiple pieces of armor flew you way with inhumane force. Dodging as well as you could, you tried to sidestep Uther's attacks. Even if you couldn't see him, it felt like he was glaring at you in despise and hate.

"Stop this madness!" Leon called out loud and trapped you in between himself and the door so Uther could not harm you. As you tried to open the door, you realized it was locked. With all your strength bundled you tried to unlock the door. It seemed useless for a while, but you managed at some point.

Before even getting a hold of the handle the door clashed into your face, hitting your head hard before it locked all by itself again. Leon quickly turned to you as you sank onto your knees, catching you in his arms as your vision blurred.

"(Y/N)! No, you have to stay awake. Don't get unconscious on me, alright? We'll figure something out."

With half lidded eyes you nodded slowly, forcing yourself to get yourself together. Again, the ringing of steel emerged from a dark corner. Leon faced the direction, only to see a sword aiming at your head.

Uther only wanted to hurt you, not Leon at all. He was one of the few noble knights of Camelot, and on top of that, Arthur's right hand.

With a powerful movement of his wrist, Leon defended you from the levitating sword flying into your direction.

"You have no reason to attack (Y/N), I cannot let this happen!" He called into the darkness, as the chilly air howled once more.

"She's my servant as well! Without her help, even I as a noble knight of Camelot would struggle, and I've always been loyal to you, Uther, so cease this madness!"

Leon took off his glove and threw it onto the ground, as suddenly, the wind stopped.

By now you had returned to your senses as well and got back up again while the knight supported you and held you close. "Spare her, Uther. If you want to kill her, you'll have to kill me first."

Leon sounded almost calm and collected. He knew that the ghost would not dare to attack him for he was the last noble knight of Camelot.

Uther did not accept the challenge. He had always appreciated Sir Leon and proved it in showing mercy. The feeling of being watched lessened and the rattling sounds had also stopped.

Once more, both of you scanned the room with your eyes, but it seemed like the ghost had moved on, even the door opened without any trouble. Leon guided you out of the armory and brought you to your room in complete silence.

With blushed cheeks you thought about his words again. Was he honestly going to sacrifice himself first?

Once you sat down on your bed, Leon joined you. "You saved my life..." you mumbled, looking up to his face and pulling him in for a long, tight hug.

"Isn't that my duty?"

He returned the hug gently, caressing the back of your head ever so slightly.

"Your duty is to protect the king."

"My duty as a knight, yes. But... as a friend..."

"I'm your servant, Leon... We can't be friends..."

By now he had made some space between the two of you, looking into your eyes. They were filled with sadness.

"In times of Uther's regime that was the case. I'd say, if any loyal man can be a knight, there's nothing holding me back from being your friend."

For a while you thought about his words. Leon lifted your chin up with one hand and mustered your entire body.

He then offered you to stay the night, just in case anything would happen again. You thankfully accepted the offer with reddened cheeks. "Thank you, Sir Leon."