#arthur is ygraine

[witchmd13]

back to being insane it haunts me that arthur doesn't recognize the de bois crest on tristan's shield when he comes back as a ghost. uther truly didn't allow him to learn even one thing about ygraine. he doesn't even know what his mother's family crest looks like.

[kateis-cakeis]

Do you guys ever think about how Merlin was only born because Arthur was born?

Two babes born who never should have existed, pulled from the very fabric of the world, magic.

One born from a ritual fraught with consequences, a mother dead, a terrible retribution sought.

One born after a man was forced to flee, the last of his kind, taken in by a woman across the border.

And while it is possible Balinor could have made it to Hunith regardless, it seems it was only the terrible circumstances that led to him going to Ealdor at all.

Arthur and Merlin, two sides of the same coin, soulmates right down to their mere existence at all.

[gvaine]

3.06 — The Changeling

[whydon-twego]

When Uther decides to sacrifice a life for a son and Destiny chooses the life of Ygraine Pendragon, Uther begins a genocide against the people who possess magic. Little does Uther know, however, that this will cause the magic to concentrate in the earth, to concentrate all at once and give birth to the most powerful being that has ever existed on the face of the earth. But what Uther also does not know is that the magic has split and half passed to his son Arthur, dormant, to keep him safe until his other half goes to find him and they can finally be together and reunite all of Albion under two great leaders.

When Arthur and Merlin meet for the first time, Arthur has a secret and Merlin has a secret. It's the same secret.

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

Anyone else wish Arthur summoned Ygraine instead of Uther?

I can just imagine Ygraine thanking Merlin for all he’s done to protect Arthur and it meaning the world to Merlin because for starters, it’s acknowledging what he does and also, it’s gratitude for Arthur’s life and Merlin and Arthur’s relationship (platonic, romantic or friends, or whatever else they can be seen as) without the responsibility of titles and destiny there.

And obviously, Ygraine meeting Arthur and them actually having time together would be great, possibly a magic reveal in there somewhere too, but I can’t get the idea of Ygraine thanking Merlin for everything out of my head

Plus The Death Song of Ygraine Du Bois would just turn out better. She wouldn’t try and kill the knights or Gwen or whatever unhinged shit Uther did, and I always imagine her as a good parent for Arthur. Even if it’s usually just an excuse for more angst at the tragedy of losing the one parent (aside from Hunith, obviously) who truly and unconditionally loved Arthur.

But still

We were robbed of Ygraine in the show.

[bramblebush3]

Ygraine de Bois had been dead for a long time now. Decades. Yet, she never lacked for something to do. She tried not to think of what Uther had done; the lives he had destroyed. She remembered when he had been kind, quite like Arthur, really. But those days were long passed. Now, she watches Arthur grow up. Oh, how she adored him. She was not always pleased with his choices and actions, but she was always proud of him. And then: Merlin. The young boy was fiery and bright, with a lively glow and an infectious smile. Ygraine could not help but feel amused and joyful as she watched him insult her son in an effort to stand up for the poor servant Arthur had chosen to pick on that day. She felt something was different about Merlin, and she could tell Arthur did too. She had always been quite magic sensitive, so Arthur being so as well was not a stretch. The full body laugh that escaped her as she watched her husband proclaim Merlin Arthur’s manservant warmed her to her core, and the feeling something was changing wiggled its way into her head. 

She was right, of course. Ygraine watched as Arthur changed, becoming something more. And she knew. Oh, she knew. It was all because of Merlin. The adorable, smiling manservant who made luminescent butterflies and defended Arthur against anything that wished him harm. Before she knew it, Merlin had become as much a fixture of her life as Arthur. Ygraine watched, a swooping feeling of excitement in her chest, as Arthur and Merlin’s relationship became something deeper than even that of friendship. Love.  

So now, Ygraine watches Arthur carefully and reverently gift Merlin her sigil. Merlin does not know exactly what it means (neither of them do, really), but he cradles it as if it is the most precious thing in the world. Ygraine smiles, and finally allows her soul to pass on.

[adhd-merlin]

hey, remember when arthur met his mother's ghost and the first thing he did was literally apologise for his existence? haha, and remember when he broke his own moral code and used magic just to speak to his dead father one last time because he missed him so much and uther just listed all the reasons why arthur was a disappointment and a failure? haha

[star-rie]

i’m so disappointed that we didn’t get to see a really big conflict regarding Arthur’s birth when the show was building up so much to it back in season 1 and 2. And i feel like we could have seen so much more.

we could have seen uther’s corruption from a wise king turning into a tyrant over the years, we could have gotten more about ygraine’s origin story and who she was as a person, and we could have gotten uther-nimueh/magic relationship before arthur’s birth. they could have shown to us so much more why arthur, merlin and gaius cared so much about keeping uther alive even though he’s a bitch 24/7

okay yes, there was that one episode but with morgouse, but arthur thought it was a lie at the end, and it never got revealed to him

[pigfacedbitch]

If Uther is a good father and Ygraine is still alive...

Arthur: Father, mother, I have something to confess. I'm in love with Merlin.

Uther: [ unison ] NO, I LOST!

Ygraine & Morgana: [ unison ] YES, WE WON!

Arthur: W-What?

Ygraine: Your father now owes me and Morgana a new-

Arthur: You three were betting on this?!

Morgana: The whole kingdom is, genius. Even Merlin joined.

Arthur: But— You— How did you guys know?!

Uther: Oh please, Arthur. The last one who realized that you're head-over-heels for your manservant was you.

Arthur: ๏︿๏

more incorrect quotes here!

[fluffypotatey]

I find it deeply aesthetically pleasing, character-wise, that Arthur and Merlin are both very much like their mothers, which is especially meaningful in Arthur's case since he's never known his mother beyond a single painfully brief meeting in "Sins of the Father."

Not only does Arthur look like Ygraine (which adds several layers to the clusterfuck of his and Uther's relationship) but it's clear that he takes after her temperament, too. Yes, he sometimes shows his father's temper, and yes, he does stupid things when he's in a temper, but unlike Uther, who literally took his prejudices to his grave and beyond, Arthur never stays mad at people, and he's overall a far more caring and kind person than his father, which is an interesting case of nature vs nurture.

And then on the other hand, we have Hunith, who told a mounted, armed brigand to go fuck himself, later fought another (also armed) brigand with a twig broom, harboured fugitives on multiple occasions, and raised an illegal magic child out of wedlock, and Merlin "Fuck the Police" Ambrosius, who got in a fistfight, got thrown in jail for the fistfight, called the prince a bitch to his face in a public market square, got in a second, armed fight all within his first 48 hours in Camelot, and then committed treason on a daily basis for the next 10+ years, compared to Balinor, who became a weird antisocial hermit that lived in a cave for twenty years.

couldn't have said it better myself bestie

also, there's a reason hunith and ygraine never met in the show. their dynamic duo would outshine everyone, they'd be unstoppable, untouchable, I FEEL ROBBED

[arthurpendragonssassydaggers]

Hc that Arthur learned to speak French to feel closer to his mom because if google isn’t lying de bois is French.

Yes Merlin finds it insanely attractive thanks for asking.

[witchmd13]

I'm haunted by feelings of things I can't remember

but what would I be without the ghosts?

The opposite of a haunting is something very lonely.

merlin, the sins of the father // the opposite of a haunting is something very lonely, katie maria.

[cinnabons-treasure-trove]

Having dinner at the Pendragon estate.

Morgana: Daddy—

Both Uther and Gwaine: Yes?

Everyone stares at Gwaine. Uther is aghast and his wife Ygraine is unsure whether to be amused or drink more wine. Morgana is slightly horrified she said that out loud. Gwaine as expected had a smug look on his face.

Arthur of course wishes he didn't hear that, he could live the rest of life without knowing what his sister calls one of his best mates.

Merlin on the other hand decided to add his own two cents in.

Merlin: [patting Morgana's shoulder in solidarity] It's okay, it's happened to me as well. I once called Arthur daddy in front of my family too. I also call him master whenever he punishes me for being his naughty baby girl—

Arthur: [face palms] Merlin.

Merlin: [nnocently looking back at Arthur] Yes?

Arthur: [growls] Shut. Up.

Merlin shrugs his shoulders and does the gesture of zipping his mouth closed, you can hear Gwaine chortling in the background with Uther's face even more aghast. Ygraine decides drinking(a lot of) wine is the way to go. Arthur knew they should've stayed home.

[sundry-whovengerslocked]

Snow and Dirty Rain (Merlin)

Richard Silken, "Snow and Dirty Rain" // BBC Merlin

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

-

and we've got a part three! with merthur this time! and significantly less angst!

I tried to make this one a bit like a duet, if you pay attention you can see that the words are closer to one of the boys vs the other, rather than spread across the pictures like I usually do.

Gaius, Hunith, and Leon will be in the next part, I promise. I've got it all sorted out.

-

the first one is arthur and merlin in ealdor. I was gonna do the "there is no more rope!" scene for the literal climbing out the window, but I figured the more metaphorical rebellion against uther was better.

peep the poetry with the scene about poetry! haha

I chose the labyrinth of gedref for that catalog line because I wanted to include it, and also I found it fit because they were trying to bring back the food/harvest - like dawn to a field

also that kingdom line was too perfect to not use for Ygraine's sigil! I'm so happy I got to fit it in!

[nextstopparis]

I’d do anything for even the vaguest memory.

[lavendersins]

prompt:

Because Ygraine and Uther had to resort to magic, I would assume she had a difficult pregnancy. So Ygraine goes behind everyone's back and meets with Balinor to ensure Arthur's safety throughout the pregnancy. But because all of Balinor's magic comes from his dragonlord abilities, Arthur technically absorbs dragon-related magic. Ygraine figures the magic is fine because Pendragon had to come from somewhere. And because of the prophecy, the magic recognizes Arthur and just settles happily.

But then Merlin comes along and Arthur's magic starts to grow because of how often Merlin uses his magic to help Arthur. Arthur's body is just like "oh, more dragon magic, yay!" Sooner or later, chaos ensues.

Sorry, I just love the idea of Merlin and Arthur having a special dragon-related connection .