#is he merlin's pet now? gaius's pet?

[fluffypotatey]

I remain to this day fucking IRATE that we are told multiple times that Arthur owns dogs and yet we never see them. Particularly because I know waaaay too much about medieval hunting practices and the kind of dogs he would've had and I am salty.

Show us the doggos, COWARDS.

i guess....i guess you could say....they forgot to....let the dogs out?

[larluce]

AU where Merlin is Arthur's familiar

Firstly, for everyone that doesn't know, in European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars were believed to be supernatural entities or spiritual guardians that would protect or assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. They're almost always represented as some kind of animal, like a cat or a bird, sometimes a demon.

So, having that cleared up, how would Merlin be a familiar and how would he be Arthur's familiar of all people when Arthur isn't a sorcerer?

That's the thing, in this AU a group of evil druids or sorcerers find out about Merlin's identity earlier and his whereabouts while he is still in Ealdor. Not wanting Emry's magic to be under the command of some prophesied king and desiring that power to themselves, they kidnapped him and make a ritual to turn him into a familiar (a merlin especifically). They also erase his memory so Merlin doesn't remember he was ever human. Just when they where about to bond the bird to the sorcerer/druid leader to have Emrys magic under their command, Merlin manages to escape. He doesn't know who he is or where to go, he just knows he has to go far away from there.

Somehow, probably through his run away ordeal, familiar Merlin ends up in Camelot's castle, with an injured wing. He's chirping in pain when the young prince finds him in his yard.

Arthur: (covering his ears) Why are you making so much noise? Shut up! (looking closely) Wait! you're hurt? (picks him up carefully) I think your wing is broken. (Merlin chirps louder) Alright, alright! I'll find help. (runs as fast as he can) Gaius! Gaius!

The court physician bandages the bird's wing, but he can't take care of it due to his work, so Arthur does it. He makes a place for the bird in his room and feeds it. He tries to not get attached to it knowing the bird will have to return to its natural environment as soon as it recovers. However, after the bird's wing is healed, it doesn't want to leave, not matter how many times Arthur frees it in the forest, it always comes back, so finally Arthur decides to keep it. He has a bit of a fight with his father, because he never let Arthur have a pet, but after the bird protects the prince of a witch that was in disguise by stinging her eyes out, the king finally allows the prince to keep it. The prince, very happy, brings the bird to his chambers.

Arthur: (with Merlin in his forearm) Now the you're oficially my pet- (the bird chirps in protest) Well, my, eh... animal companion? (the bird deadpans) We'll work on that later. The point is, I should probably give you a name. (the bird moves its wings, excited) What about...bird? (the bird shakes it's head) Yeah, I've been calling you that from the start, so no. hmmm. What about falcon? Gaius says you're a falcon, though you're too small to be one, honestly. (the bird chirps, offended). I should just call you falcon or little falcon. No, it's still too long. Lil' falc? No. hmmmm. I think Gaius said you were a especific kind of falcon? How was it? Mar... Mer...Merloni? Merlon... Merlin! That was it. I'll call you Merlin.

Without knowing, Arthur just finished the last step of the ritual: naming the familiar, and with that, becoming the familiar's master. When the bond is created, a flash of light blinds him and, suddenly, the bird is replaced by a boy, who now is sitting on him, while he's spread on the floor.

Arthur: (looking up, shocked) What the fu-

Merlin: (looking down, confused) Arthur! Why are you smaller now? Wait... I can talk? (brings his hand to his face surprised) And I have... hands? Where are my wings? (panicking) Arthur, I lost my wings! And my feathers!(crying)NOOOOO!

Arthur: Merlin? That's.. you? Merlin? Mer...Merlin, shut up! (Merlin stops crying) And get off me! (shoves Merlin aside) How did this happen?

Merlin: You think I know?! Maybe that witch cursed me to be as ugly as you as a revenge for turning her blind. (sobs) My wings, my beautiful wings.

Arthur: (offended) Excuse me? Is not like you were a "handsome" bird either, you poor excuse of a falcon.

Merlin: How would you know, human with so little imagination that names his bird after their species?

After their stupid fight, they go to Gaius, in secret, of course. They can't have the king knowing the prince's bird was cursed. The physician does his investigation and, after Merlin discovers he can turn to his bird form and his human form at will and do some magic stuff, he concludes Merlin is, in fact, a familiar.

Gaius: Incredible! I thought they were a myth. It's said they're spiritual guardians of magic itself and that just the most powerful sorcerers could summond one and tamed them to become even more powerful.

Merlin: No... it can't be. I'm just a bird! I can't be a magical creature! I can't!

Arthur: (Knowing Merlin's scared due to his father laws and believes) Merlin. It's okay.

Merlin: (crying, almost hysterical) NO! I'm not a monster! I swear! I'm not evil!

Arthur: I know. Human, bird or familiar, or whatever, you're a good person. Well, a good being. Nothing is going to change that and nothing is going to happen to you, alright?

Merlin: (calms down) alright (snifs)

Arthur: But we need you to remember. Do you have any memory of you being anything but a bird?

Merlin: No, I've always been a bird. Although... (thoughtful) I don't... remember being a chick before.

Arthur: A what?!

Gaius: He means a baby bird.

Arthur: Oh, right (blushes). I knew that.

Merlin: Yeah, my very first memory is just before I came to Camelot, when... I was trap in a... cage. (he trembles at the memory) There were humans with capes, I think. They said they wanted to... control me, to had me at their mercy. I don't know what they wanted to do with me but I escaped. I thought I wouldn't make it. (with tears in his eyes) I was.. so scared.

Gaius: They must be the sorcerers that summonded you.

Merlin: Great. So not only I'm some magical entity but I'm sorcerer's slave now?

Arthur: (fiercely) You are NOT a slave! You are... ("mine" he is about to say, but stops) your own.

Merlin: (suddenly scared) What if they look for me?!

Arthur: I won't let them take you. I promise.

Gaius: And I don't think you have to worry about being some sorcerer's slave, Merlin. If you were bonded to one, you wouldn't have been able to escape in the first place.

Merlin: That means... (hopeful) I'm free?

Gaius: And in Camelot where magic is forbidden, so you're safer as you can be. You'll just have to keep pretending you're a bird, if that's not a problem with you.

Merlin: I'm completly fine with that.

Arthur: (joyful) And me! (composes himself) I mean, I like him better when he can't talk. (Merlin frowns at him)

Times goes by. At first, Merlin stays in his bird form and tries not to do magic, because, apparently he's been doing magic all this time without knowing (honestly, how was he supposed to know all the things he accidentally broke or dirt in Arthur's room were repaired and cleaned by him? He just thought Arthur has very efficient servants!). But it becomes impossible, not only because not doing magic makes him sick, but Arthur keeps running into danger time and time again, so he has to use magic to protect him. Arthur scolds him everytime he does that, he doesn't want his friend to be discover, but eventually it becomes rutine. Also, Merlin starts to take his human form more and more frecuently, because he needs Arthur to understand him, sometimes to give him a piece of his mind, to warn of some danger he finds out, or simply to cheer him up when he's sad or pass time.

Merlin: Is magic really evil? (he looks at his hands)It doesn't feel evil when I use it.

Arthur: How does it feel to you?

Merlin: It feels like... flying (he smiles and closes his eyes) So natural and beautiful, like the earth under my feet and the wind moving my feathers. And I feel it everywhere, not just inside me, but in every living thing. In every flower that blooms, every pup and chick that is born. Even in you. It's suppose to corrupt you, but instead of feeling wrong, I feel so good and... so alive.

Arthur: (looks at him for a moment, completely in love and then composes himself) I don't believe magic is evil. Not anymore.

Merlin: (open his eyes, surprised) Why's that?

Arthur: At first I thought you were an exception to the rule, but then Morgana-

Merlin: (even more surprised) She told you?!

Arthur: (just as surprised) You knew?!

Merlin: I could feel the magic inside her (he admits, guiltily). I wanted to be wrong. She's one of the kindest human I know, but then I saw her doing magic and... I just couldn't tell you. It wasn't my secret to tell, I'm sorry.

Arthur: It's alright. I understand. (he sighs) She was... so scared, Merlin. She begged not to tell my father, like I could ever do that (he laughs dryly). And she didn't learn magic, she just have it. She didn't even know she was a sorcerer until recently.

Merlin: Oh... (thoughtful) That explains a lot of things.

Arthur: What do you mean?

Merlin: Morgana isn't the only one, I think. Sometimes I fly around and I feel people with magic inside them. Some of them are evil, so I call you, but there are others that just do minor stuff, like healing spells and potions. But there are other too that… don't do magic at all and yet… the magic inside them is so strong. I thought maybe I was seing the potential of magic, but now…

Arthur: (in heavy realisation) So it's true. My father's been killing innocent people all this time.(with tears rolling down his eyes) I've been killing innocent people all this time.

Merlin: (hugging and comforting him) No! Arthur you did nothing wrong. You didn't know.

Arthur: (crying and hugging tightly in return) I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!

Aaaand that's it. I don't know what else could happen. Apart of merthur getting together obviously. There would be a lot of pinning and confused feelings. Arthur first meets Merlin as a bird after all, so accepting he has a crush on his bird friend is not going to be easy. The same goes to Merlin. Lets not talk about when they both discover they're bonded and Arthur could technically control Merlin and use Merlin's magic at his will if he wanted. And I guess at some point the evil sorceress/druids would try to get Merlin back. And then Merlin finding out he was human before and has a mother in ealdor… Damn that's a lot of angst.

Anyways, I still have a couple of fics on going so I don't think I'm going to write this anytime soon... or ever. So if anyone wants to write it feel free to do it. Or just comment any ideas you have for this concept/prompt below so I can keep them in mind if I write it in the end.

EDIT: I DID A PART 2, GUYS!!! -> LINK

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

AU but instead of Merlin banishing Kilgharrah, he turns him into a cat that looks and behaves like a disagreeable old man.

Kilgharrah spends a while sulking in Merlin’s room but then decides he might as well enjoy the freedom he has now.

And he’s an absolute menace.

He knocks things over, he scratches nobles, he’s surprisingly nice to Geoffrey in the library but he never let anyone pet him.

It takes weeks of matted fur for him to let Merlin brush him, even then Merlin has to use dragon speech to stop Kilgharrah biting him.

After he finds out that Uther is allergic to cats, he spends a good amount of his time getting cat hair all over Uther’s chambers and clothes.

He leaves Arthur dead mice after reading that cats leave gifts if they think their owner is a bad hunter and unable to provide.

He doesn’t like Gaius, so he sits on his chair before council meetings. Everyone is too afraid to move him.

But he’s also nice(?) to servants and anyone who isn’t cruel about magic. Which is why he gets along with Geoffrey.

He sees a noble he knows to be anti-magic, especially during the purge, yelling at a servant and jumps in, scratching the noble so they leave and then meowing at the servant before leaving.

If anyone else has any ideas for this, please share. I wanna hear them.

(How I imagine Kilgharrah as a cat below the split)

[whydon-twego]

I'd like to congratulate you once again on reaching that many folks yippee!! X3

A little prompt I'd like to see is...CATS! They either get turned into cats or they adopt cats 🐈

"Merlin, what are you hiding?"

Merlin, who had so far managed to go unnoticed throughout the castle, turns to Arthur and smiles through clenched teeth.

"Hiding? Nothing. Why would I be hiding anything?"

Arthur looks at him and is not at all impressed as he approaches with a cadenced pace and Merlin tries to move away as discreetly as possible, without success.

Arthur is a step away from him and looks at him with a vaguely bored air.

"I know you pretend that I'm not the smartest person around here, Merlin, but even I can notice a certain change in your appearance as you're walking around with something moving under your shirt."

Merlin sighs heavily and looks around, resigned.

"I already know you're going to make fun of me"

"What would be the news?"

Merlin almost seems to think about it and then think fair point and lifts his shirt, pulling out the tiniest thing Arthur has ever seen.

"This is…"

"A kitten. Yes. I don't know how old they are but their little eyes aren't open yet and they are so small and look so fragile and-"

"And what did Gaius say?"

Merlin shuts his mouth and continues to look at the tiny kitten in his hands.

"Ah" is the only answer Arthur feels like giving.

"He doesn't want me to get attached but I've read that they just need warmth and to drink milk and I'm sure they'll be able to cope."

Merlin's face is so hopeful that Arthur doesn't feel like saying no.

"Come on, I'll take you to the kitchens, surely we'd have some to share over such a tiny little thing."

Merlin looks at him as if Arthur were the moon and the stars, and Arthur thinks that sometimes very little is needed to make Merlin happy.

Arthur should do this more often.

+++

Arthur wakes up with a weight on his chest and the sound of purring in his ears. He raises a hand without even thinking about it, as he has been doing for weeks now, and goes to pet Wynni, who yawns happily and comes up to rest her muzzle on Arthur's neck. "Good morning" Arthur is still surprised by Merlin's voice whispering good morning from the other side of the bed, never would he have expected such a turnaround from that situation but now he has Wynni and he also has Merlin and so he has absolutely nothing to complain about, especially as Merlin comes up and kisses him and Wynni continues to make the loudest purr Arthur has ever heard.

[tansyuduri]

Merlin Loregasm Rewatch S1E9

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my rewatch of Merlin focusing on the lore. I am a giant nerd so pretty excited about this. We’re on EXCALIBUR

Uther: Do you solemnly Swear to govern the peoples of this kingdom and their dominions according to the statutes, customs, and laws, Laid down by your forebearers,

Arthur: I do Sire

Uther: Do you promise to exercise mercy and justice, in your deeds and judgments?

Arthur: I do Sire

Uther: And do you swear allegiance to Camelot now and for as long as you shall live?

Arthur: I, Arthur pendragon, do pledge life and limb to your service And to the protection of the kingdom and it's peoples.

Uther: Now, being of age, And the Heir apparent, from hence forth you shall be crown prince of Camelot Okay so Arthur is now crown prince of Camalot. And of age. we know hes at Least 20 so of age is likley 21 in this world which is interesting because it implies lifespans are longer due to the more advanced medicine, Normally the medieval OF AGE was 16 years old. Also, see the golden ring placed around Arthurs head? Yeah thats called a Coronet and was traditionally worn by crown princes at formal occasions (Like we will see Arthur do)

It is a bit odd he was not considered crown prince already since he was the oldest royal child (And only royal child as far as people know) So even if Primogeniture (Inheridence by oldest son) was not a thing he would STILL be crown prince. See a crown prince IS the heir apparent of a royal kingdom. And Heir apparent is the one who is going to succeed the king. And cannot be displaces by the birth of another prince. So if he was heir apparent he pretty much was already was Crown prince. My guess is this is traditionally reaffirmed in Camalot when a prince comes of age,

I also like the use of the word peoples because it kinda hints that Camalot is big enough to have multiple peoples within its lands. Which if the theory from the Lancelot episode is true would be the case.

WHOOO Okay I think we have an answer. Devil is VERY Christian. So I'm going with there being some very weird semi paganized version of Christianity existing in Camalot that is left over from the Romans and just got mixed with local traditions. I therorized about this in one loregasm and I'm sticking with it because they ARE VERY MUCH not full on Catholic or Eastern Orthadox. And there are still a lot of pagan elements.

Throwing down a Gauntlet as a challenge is a custom of the late medieval era. It was considered a GRAVE insult and HAD to be picked up to accept the challenge if one wanted to keep ones honnor.

HI Sir Owain! Lesse in the original legends you were a Child of Urrian of Gore and Morgana. You had a pet Lion! You defeated a evil knight and married his widow, Then neglected your wife because you were too busy doing knight stuff. She ditches you and you go mad with grief and live naked in the woods. Then Morgana cures you and you win back your wife. Also, you are one of the last to die before Arthur at Cammlan. Have I mentioned how much I love that Merlin sometimes just goes NAH let's kill em instead?

Geof: Gaius thank god

Gaius: you know why I'm here

Geof: The black knight

Gaius: So it is he

Geof: you saw his crest

Gaius: have you confirmed it?

Geof: it is the crest of Tristan De Bois

Gaius: And he is the only knight ever to have carried such a crest

Geof: yes acording to the records

Okay this is a HUGE boon for us lore wise, See we don't know that much about the personality of Yygraines family. (or a ton about her's for that matter) BUT if it's his crest not a family crest it means HE picked it. So we can use heraldry to learn a bit about him!

So the symbol he uses is an Eagle this represents strength and courage and often has to do with military skill and leadership. It can also represent freedom, and independance and the ability to see things clearly. black represents constancy or grief and white peace and sincerity.

So Tristan was likely a strong man and military leader who was sincere and constant in his personality. He likley tended to perfer peace but when pushed to it would fight well. He might have been independent minded as well showing by making his own crest.

OOCLY the show could be telling us that it is likley telling us this man was RIGHT about Uther being at fault. One way or another. And his act in standing up to Uther was a courageous one. OR its also possible he took up this sigil after Ygraines's death If so his very crest and oufit is blaming and taunting Uther! But that is just my assessment!

HI Sir Pellinor! Lesse in the original legends you were the king of Listeoise (Lake District) Or of "the Illes." You killed king Lot, And hunted the Questing Beast relentlessly. You were killed by Gwaine. You were also Percival's dad. (Among other kids.)

Othanden can mean Out Of Hand in Danish. Otherwise I cannot find much on this. My guess is this battle would have taken place in the previously mentioned war with Mercia

Gaius: Tristan De Bois was the brother of Ygraine -- Uther's wife

Merlin: Arthur's Mother?

Gaius: Ygraine died in childbirth. He blamed Uther and came to the gates of Camalot and Challanged him.

Merlin: to single combat?

Gaius: Uther won, but with his dying breath Traistan cursed Camalot to one day suffer his return. I thought it was the ramblings of a dying man. People Estimate the chances of death in childbirth in the middle ages to be the cause of 50 percent of young female fatalities. Giving birth was incredably dangerous. (And most woman did it many time though less so in the Merlin world) For in the actual birthing process and the chance of childbed fever afterward. So this is likley an early clue to the fact that there was somthing supernatural going on with Arthur's birth. No one in their right mind blamed a man for the death of their wife in childbirth ESPECIALLY if said wife was having their first birth and not too old or too young.

Now in the Merlin world I would guess death in childbirth of woman is at a much lower rate. For two reasons. First of all The more advanced medicine would make it a bit less common. (Though they do not have modern medicine or germ theory or modern technology so not by much) The other reason being IN merlin families seem to be small compared to the huge ones of the middle ages. (Hinting Child Mortality is not as high) So less chances for a woman to die. STILL it likely would have been fairly common.

Now to the interesting fact that Ygraine came from France! Implying contact and trade with them. See Ygraine is the french version of Arthur's mother's name And we've talked about the last name in previous posts.

"Came to the gates of Camalot castle and challenged him" is interesting because it means he was not in Camalot. SO HOW would he know about Uther's involvement in Ygraine's death? My guess is it lies in the "one day suffer his return" See here we have another "How would he know." My guess is the man was some sort of seer. Or magic user. Ygraine was said to have been pretty friendly with many magic users. It's possible magic (or being a seer) ran in her family. The other option of her somehow writing him and knowing about the whole magic to conceive thing is also possible but doesn't explain knowing he would return, Nimue could just have been using something he said randomly but I don't really think so? OR he was just crazy? And was attacking Uther for what he thought was a normal childbirth death? That would be REALLY weird. though. And the later "it was magic that killed her not I" and "never the less it was you he blamed" Seems to go against this option

Gaius: My guess is we're dealing with a Wraith.

Merlin: A wraith?

Gaius: The spirit of a dead man conjured from the grave.

Merlin: So this is the work of a sorcerer

Gaius: Powerful Magic can harness the greif and rage of a demanted soul and make it live again

Merlin: How do we stop it?

Gaius: We can't, Because its not alive no mortal weapon can kill it

Merlin: Surly there must be somthing

Gaius: Nothing can stop it until it has achived what it came for

Merlin: And what's that

Gaius: Revenge.

Wraith is a Scottish word for ghost that has become a more general term. It can also mean the exact likeness of a person seen before death as a death omen, (A soul who was on the verge of death or recently passed on) From there the meaning has evolved to many many different things.

Geoferry is not in on it! Its likely Arthurs birth magic is not in the court records of the purge! (Theorized about this perviously)

Uther: Havn't you tired of revenge?

Nimueh: Haven't you? You Began this war when you threw me from the court and salughtered all of my kind

Uther: you brought it on yourself you practiced evil

Nimueh: I was your freind Uther, You welcomed me here

Uther: you betrayed that freindship

Nimueh: I did as you asked I used the magic you so despise to give your barren wife the son you craved

Uther: Don't ever speak of her in that way She was my heart, My soul, and you took her from me.

Nimueh: She died giving birth to your son. it was not my choice. That is the law of Magic. to create a life there had to be a death, the balance of the world had to be repaired

Uther: you knew it would kill her

Nimueh: No you're wrong. If I had forseen her death and the terrible retrebution you would seek. I would never have granted your wish.

Ok first of all we know from later Nimugh has a bit of control of who dies. Hinting that something interfered here causing it to be Ygraine. (I totally don't have headcanons about this you will eventually see in my fics)

ALSO, I find it interesting he says "Evil" not "evil sorcery," I think he truly belives all magic is evil. I mean every villain is a good guy in their own mind.

BUT he was also freinds with Nimueh and welcomed her to Camalot. So he didn't always think all magic was evil. It seems it truely was Ygraines death that caused that. I always wondered if part was just an excuse in his mind because he was insecure that other people had so much power and perhaps helped him build the kingdom with it. So they could tear it down. I think Nimueh was court sorcerer. And helped him take over the kingdom, but that's just my headcannon.

Also gotta wonder what kinda person Ygraine was that Uther fell so deeply in love with her.

Geoff: Well several fables speak of Ancient swords

=Merlin: that can kill the dead?"

Geoff: The swords the fables speak of could destroy anything alive or dead.

Merlin: can you show me one of these fables"

Geoff: welll let me think, yes

(Later)

Goef: this is the chronicle of Beltane, now then, ah were we are 'Sir Marhaus looked at the great sword, begotten in the dragons breath and found it passing good"

Sir Marhaus was the son of the king of ireland and his sister was the queen of Ireland and a knight of the Round Table in folklore. Beltane as we addressed is celebrated may 1st! So this book is the chronicles of a holiday on May 1st

Merlin: I've come to ask for a sword. The strongest sword your father's ever made

Gwen: What for?

Merlin: To save Arthur (Cut to latter but continuation of this scene so keeping it here)

Gwen: My father's been saving this. Hes always said it was the best sword he's ever made.

Merlin: its perfect

Gwen: He'll kill me if he find's I've taken it

Merlin: He'll understand, You did it for arthur. I've talked about this before but this is more evidence that Gwen's family, while commoners, are not the same level of poor as most. Making swords and armor, especially good ones was a skilled art. And those things were EXPENSIVE. Tom is not the royal swordsmith so its HIGHLY likely he rivals the royal swordsmith in skill enough to have some knights of Camalot (The people who can actually afford arms and armor) Buy or get repairs done from him instead. (This is a big deal he must be VERY good) There are not many other people he could be making swords and armor for. I suppose there might be some mercenaries and freelancers who are rich enough for swords and perhaps VERY RARLY full on armor. He makes armor that is of the quality nobles wear, And can afford to just give it to people. we know this from Lancelot. I think he must do other typical blacksmithing AND Arms and armor for knights. So I see two possibilities. Either they consistently live at a level above the poverty of most commoners

OR Every now and then he gets a commission that makes them richer for a bit. With Gwen ALSO being such a good seamstress and Also considering they seem to be able to give away armor (Cough Lancelot cough) I think the first option is more likely, or perhaps its a mix of the two. To be clear they are not rich. I'm not saying they are rich. I'm saying they seem to be above most commoners in wealth. Also, wealth did not matter as much as Class in the middle ages anyway.

Him putting his best sword away might be some form of insurance He's still a commoner and is not guaranteed work because he is not the royal smith. And what if there is some emergency or a time when he doesn't get any of the fine commissions for a while?

Uther: You knew that one day this business would come back to haunt me.

Gaius: not quite so litteraly

Uther: I should have listened to you. You said that no good would come of using witchcraft at Arthur's birth

Gaius: you wanted an heir you thought it was the only way.

Uther: Nimueh told me there would be a pice to pay

Gaius: You weren't to know that price would be Ygraines life

OKAY first of all does this mean that GAIUS was not the one to suggest using magic? Then WTF was Uther talking about in that conversation about something being stupid to do "because Gaius said it was so" back in the poisoned chalice? Was Gaius just the messanger? It means it might explain more why Gauis lived if he was not the one to suggust it. Perhaps Uther asked Gaius if he knew a way and Gaius said he did but no good would come of it? Or Gaius was indeed just the messenger? BUT WHY DID HE NEED A MESSENGER IF NIMUEH WAS AT COURT. I swear when this is all done I'm going over all of these and doing a summary of possible answers to some questions!

Merlin: will your Bunrish it to save Arthur

Killy: The dead do not return without reason, who has he come for.

Merlin: Uther

Killy: Then let him take his Vengance and the wraith will die without my aid.

Merlin: But it's Arthur who is going to fight him! You have to save him

Killy: That is your destany young warlock not mine

Merlin: But if Arthur fights the wraith and dies camalot will have no heir, I will have no destany

Killy: A weapon forged with my assistance will have great power

Merlin: I know

Killy: You do not know You can only guess. You have not seen what I've seen. If you had perhaps you would not ask this of me.

Merlin: what do you mean?

Killy: In the wrong hands this sword could do great evil

Burnishing typically means polishing metal until it shines. Figuratively it can mean to enhance or perfect something. I think this is an interesting word to use and possibly implies a sword like Excalibur would never need to be polished again.

Also I'm pretty convinced one thing Killy is talking about here is how most of the high priestesses died. Remember mortal swords can not kill Morgana by the time of her death. There could be many other incidents too. However seeing as Excalibur mostly functions as a normal sword until one is up against undead or borderline imortals I think this could be a main focus. Of course it does bring up the question of if there were other swords and what happened to them if this is true. Because if this was the case I SERIOUSLY doubt Uther would have let such swords just vanish. Then again as far as we know the sword that killed Arthur was just used as a grave maker. ALSO as far as we know those are the only dragon-burnished swords we see in the show. Which means there are others either just hidden places, or out there with people having no clue as to their powers because they just found them somewhere and were like cool sword! The later kinda amuses me. Just some random dude around having no idea their sword is a WOID (Weapon Of Immortal Destruction)

Uther: Who made it?

Merlin: uh, tom the blacksmith

Uther: Its worthy of a king

Merlin: You would be better off with a sword your trusted

Uther: No, It has almost Perfect balance. Tom's not the Royal swordsmith I'm supprised Arthur went to him.

Merlin: That was me.

(This is the line I keep referring to about how Gwen's dad is not the royal swordsmith.)

The balance point on a sword is where you can lay it over a finger and not have it fall, Its center of weight. Usually its just a bit above the hilt. This is why most swords had pommels

If there is too much weight in the direction of the grip the trikes from it will not be fast and smooth, Also you will have a hard time pushing your opponents blade around. while if there is too much on the blade it will take longer to recover from a blow.

[amyreadsandstresses]

AMY'S DAILY FIC REC

Starting the year with a bang :) here we go. Today, BBC Merlin, BBC Sherlock and Teen Wolf

*Co-Dependent - harsassypotters

8k, 3/3, Merlin & Arthur Friendship, Humor and Crack, Knights, Uther Pendragon, Sir Leon the Long Suffering, Magic Reveal

As punishment for Arthur's disobedience, Uther bans all contact with his manservant for a week.

It works out about as well as you could expect.

*"I've always wanted a pet" - InTooManyFandomsRay

1k, 1/1, Merlin & Arthur Pendragon, Humor and Crack, Aithusa is adorable

Merlin adopts a baby dragon and convinces everyone that it's a bird. Meanwhile, Arthur is sure that the universe holds a grudge against him, and Uther just gives up on questioning everything.

*One More Secret - orphan_account

11k, 9/9, Merwaine, Implied/Referenced past and non-graphic R/Ncon, Mpreg, Implied/Referenced Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Magic Revealed, Aithusa, Magic Revealed

Merlin's now got another secret to hide from Arthur, but this one attracts more attention that he'd like.

*We Daren't Go A'Hunting - wryter501

14k, 1/1, Merlin & Arthur Pendragon Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Fae Magic

"We daren't go a'hunting, for fear of little men..." ~ "The Fairies" by William Allingham On Samhain the veils between various worlds thin, and strange things can pass through - beings who wish to assimilate Arthur, and Merlin, into their troop... but for very different reasons. And Merlin's magic doesn't work on them... Takes place in-canon after season 2, does not reveal Merlin's magic - but it does reveal other secrets.

*Overlooked - Smcstrav

48k, 13/13, Merlin, Arthur, Gaius, Knights of The Round Table, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic

Arthur is well on the way to becoming the type of leader Merlin had always hoped he'd be - one who cares for all of his people. But even so, preparations for Yule festivities along with some unforeseen circumstances result in Merlin taking on too much work. Unfortunately nobody notices until it's almost too late.

*Temple of Magic - nlpiersee

6k, 5/5, Arthur Pendragon & Merlin Friendship, Protective Gwaine, Knights of the Round Table and Merlin and friends, Merlin's Magic Revealed

With magic being freed from persecution, Arthur decides to journey to a temple that magic users have begun trekking to. Their pilgrimage, Leon called it. Merlin can't place why he thinks it's a bad idea, but feels like they shouldn't go. Naturally, where Arthur goes, Merlin goes, and so the King, his servant (read: friend), the Knights of the Round Table, all ride out to investigate the temple in hopes of proving that magic is truly free and not a ploy of the Pendragons to instigate another purge.

*Take A Break - TheGameIsOn_Geronimo

3k, 1/1, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Merlin Whump, Everyone Loves Merlin

Merlin keeps falling asleep in random places as he's working so hard. His friends stage an intervention.

*The Great Tavern Conspiracy - N16

4k, 1/1, Merlin & Arthur Pendragon, Knights of the Round Table, Humor, Friendship, Fluff

Arthur knows that Merlin isn't at the tavern. That's just a lie Merlin used to tell, back before Arthur knew he had magic.

So if Merlin isn't at the tavern all those times he disappears, where the hell is he?

*Summer tales of family and lovers - Veruca_Cruz

2k, 1/1, Coming Out, Soft, Siger Holmes, Violet Holmes, Future Johnlock, Teen Sherlock

Some insight on the relationship between Sherlock and his father.

*You've Arrived at Panic Station - Phia

20k, 15/15, Sherlock Holmes/Original Male Character, One-sided Johnlock, Mary Morstan/John Watson, Moving On, Domestic, Sherlock-centric

Fifteen chapters based on fifteen different emotions. John is married and oblivious, and Sherlock pines but moves on.

*Plus One - saintscully

5k, 1/1, Johnlock, Fix-it, Humor, Happy Ending

More precisely —and more to the point— Sherlock was staring at the man’s arse, hanging mid-air like a denim-clad piñata.

*A Study in Sentiment - C4t1l1n4

1k, 1/1, Johnlock, Fluff, Cats, Soft Sherlock, Everything is cute and soft and fluffy

Sherlock gets a kitten, and John wants to know why. The answer is cuter than either of them could've expected.

*the suffering that is weatherd - scullyseviltwin

8k, 1/1, Johnlock, Season 4 fix-it, First Kiss

The magnitude of what they’re discussing seems as though it shouldn’t fit within the walls of 221B.

*Strangers When We Meet - sunken_standard

19k, 1/1, Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor, Gloria Scott, Drug Addiction, Abusive Relationship, The 90's, Internalized Homophobia, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson

Sherlock tells John the story of his first case, and his first love

*whose war is it anyway - nefariosity

11k, 2 works, Johnlock, A/B/O, Omega Shelrock, TW: Attempted R/Ncon, No smut

Sherlock's refusal to relinquish control to his hormones and let his partners reap the reward had proven to be the death knell for both of his previous relationships. He had hoped, had even begun to believe that it would be different with John, that their relationship would survive without Sherlock having to give over to his base nature for John's pleasure.

Foolish to ever think otherwise, thought Sherlock bitterly.

*Not The Hands That Kill - You_Light_The_Sky

6k, 1/1, Johnlock, Wingfic, Canon Divergence

Having wings does not make Sherlock Holmes a guardian angel, not in the way that John Watson is his.

*5+1 Times Sherlock Let Someone See His Wings - wendymarlowe

6k, 1/1, Johnlock, Wingfic

Sherlock could count on one hand the number of times other people had seen his wings. John was the only one of significance.

*It Takes A Village - kitthekazoo

49k, 35/35, Sterek, Mpreg, Dad Stiles, Dad Derek, Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Cora Hale/Isaac Lahey, Family, Hurt/Comfort

Stiles's used to yogurt handprints on his shirts from where he picked her up, and he's used to snot on his shoulders and neck from where she cried after a bad dream. He's used to her legendary tantrums when she doesn't get her way, her eyes glowing ferocious gold. He's used to being the village it takes to raise her, and the pack she longs for.

Except, he needs the pack's help, and Derek's protection when a particularly power-hungry pack wants his cub. And he isn't used to sharing.

[witchthewriter]

hello friend! hope you're having a good day today. it's been a while since i've asked for a matchup or anything so i thought i'd send over a refresher along w my ask, hope it helps.

ASK . level 6 ship for Merlin please (any maybe purely a platonic match for Stranger Things since you already gave me a romantic one??? if I can do that, no worries if not)

BASIC FAQ . he/they. panromantic. 18 still. pisces sun, aquarius moon, taurus rising. if you really want to know me, my saturn is in cancer, my uranus in pisces and my pluto in sagittarius.

PERSONALITY . by now, i think you know i don't actually shut up as soon as you get me talking, and for that i am at least kind of sorry. at least i'm academically smart? a menace by all means tho. may come off as a bit weird or cagey to strangers. escapist. middle child syndrome. stubborn. kinda clumsy. rlly empathetic. diplomatic and persuasive, but i know i have a temper at times. i am completely goofy, need to joke around and enjoy things. very curious.

HOBBIES + LIKES . really into cryptidcore. baking and cooking. writing. music. languages. cultures. trivia. history. mythology. fire. art. collecting objects, value or no value. games. animals. shiny things.

EXTRA . good news is that my knee injury was not permanent. bad news is that the mental illness was. my love language is mostly quality time but i also enjoy acts of service and physical touch. i love reading myths and legends and actually memorized quite a few. i totally didn't mention but i have a dog and a bunny! (both very cute)

i hope that's an adequate amount, i'm p sure at least half of it is new information. do with all that what you will.

Want one? Here be the rules 🦋🌈 

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑴𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇! He’s such a sweet guy. He cares for everyone, and has such passion for justice. He would always be on your side and never make you feel like you’re on your own. 

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔

・Is suspicious that you may be a druid or sorcerer as well. Because you just have that aura about you, where you seem so mysterious and otherwordly

・Merlin loves your style, and is a bit intimidated by it at first. But that mysterious aspect of your personality is what attracts him

・Gives you protection amulets, even though Gaius is against it. It’s too risky, he would say. But Merlin feels so deeply about you, that he wants you to be safe at all times

・Guinevere would definitely see Merlin’s love first. She would push Merlin to ask you out, to get to know you. Because she would definitely see the potentional. 

・Calls you ‘honey’ and ‘sweetheart’ for pet names

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈

O Children by the Midnite String Quartet

𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔

・Opposites Attract

・Falls In Love Easily (Merlin) x Wary Of Love (You)

・Black Cat (You) x Golden Retriever (Merlin)

𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆

Secret Admirer

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖

Loves how quirky/weird you are. You aren’t like anyone he had ever met before. He loves how your mind works, how you perceive things and what your opinions are. He wants to listen to you tlak for hours. 

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

Gwaine and Percival! They would be like your brothers. Where Gwaine makes you laugh, Percival is a shoulder for you to cry on or tell your problems to. They’re both very loyal and you would be known as a trio. 

𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆

Guinevere, Lancelot and Morgana. I think you have the qualities of all three. Not one person is exactly like a character, so I think the mixture of all three can mirror your traits, or at least, some of them. 

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒕

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 (𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜)

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

𝑰 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑹𝒐𝒃𝒊𝒏 𝑩𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒆𝒚! You guys are on the same wavelength, the same page. You would start talking and like a puzzle piece, realise that this is your person. You would get along because your minds are open, they’re unique and imaginative. You don’t have a small-town mind. Neither does she. 

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔

・Likes painting your nails. She doesn’t do a great job though, however you don’t really care

・You guys are allllwwwaayyysssss laughing!!! At Robin falling over, if you accidentally snort, if she farts or you knock something over. Like you’ve both been given laughing gas

・Secret sleepovers. Her parents don’t know she’s a lesbian and you guys are definitely not attracted to each other, but you’ll sneak into her bedroom or maybe even her parents let you sleep downstairs in the den, and she sneaks down to sleep near you

・Movie marathons! You guys spend hours watching movies together; popcorn, everything has to be dark, absolutely no light at all. 

・Steve loves hanging out with you two, but often feels like a third wheel. I think over time he would find his flow and purpose with you two

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈

Chiquitita by ABBA

𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔

・Chaotic Dumbass Duo

・Similar Personalities

・”If Robin Jumped Off A Cliff, Would You Jump Off A Cliff?” x “Yes”

𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆

Just Because I’m Different Doesn’t Mean I’m Bad

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖

Your open mind, the fact that you like being different and weird. She thought there was something wrong with her for so long, but there was nothing wrong. Tradition wasn’t for her. 

𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆

Robin mixed with Max and Jonathan Byers. You have a sensitivity and inner working that not many others have. It’s distinct, and you leave a mark on whoever you interact with. 

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒕

I think you would have such a great bond with a cat. You both like to be independent and don’t like people up in your face. So I think a kitty would work so well for you! 

𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑭𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒓! I think he has the sensitivity to understand you and why you feel certain emotions. I don’t think you would be able to withstand someone who didn’t understand you. 

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔

・Will defend you against anyone who speaks ill of you. No matter their standing, if they are talking sh*t, he’s going to break their jaw

・Teaches you how to defend yourself, because even though he would lay down his life for you, he wouldn’t want you to be unprotected

・His pet names for you are ‘my darling,’ and ‘my world.’ 

・Likes to telling you about his day, and you love hearing him talk. It’s so soothing. 

・Loves slow dancing with you, your head on his chest and him humming lightly

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈

The Less I Know The Better by the Midnite String Quartet

𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔

・Mutual Yearning

・You Confessed Your Love Thinking He Was Unconscious 

・They Probably Hate Me (You) x Deeply, Passionately In Love ... Is Terrible At Showing It (Faramir)

𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆

Fantasy Soulmates

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖

How diplomatic and well spoken/well thought you are. You don’t say things without thinking first. You’re like the opposite of someone who stirs the pot. You have a good heart, and that’s what he loves the most. 

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

Legolas and Gimli! God you three would be such a whirwind of sh*ttalking. Imagine having a beer with them, in a tavern, laughing and jesting about life and what you’ve endured together. 

𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆

A mixture of Aragorn, Merry and Samwise. I think you have this grungey darkness, I actually thought you would have Scorpio in your Big 3. You have this mysteriousness about you, like there’s something that you know about the world and everyone will find out with time. 

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒕

You made friends with a crow. He kept coming back to you, and you would give him food and water. You were gentle with him and would talk to him. He grew very fond of you. And somehow ... became somewhat domesticated. Although you would never take away his freedom

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒕! As an introverted person, I see Newt as the perfect Hufflepuff. He’s loyal, and caring, loves plants and would be a perfect match for you. Yin to your Yang. He would bring a lot of light and happiness to your life. 

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔

・Boops your nose when you’re particularly upset. At first you were like “Newt wtf” but now you like them. It’s almost like a kiss on the cheek, or some intimate moment that shows he cares

・I kinda feel like one of the other characters would have a crush on you and the boys would tease them for it, but you handle it with gentleness. Newt is a tiny bit jealous, but knows that you’re a very likeable person

・Always make sure that Newt’s leg is okay. Some days it plays up, and it hurts really bad. It means a lot to him when you help him out, and get things to help with the pain

・You guys have a lot of inside jokes. But one thing that’s so true to your relationship is this ... look  ... you give each other. It’s a knowing look that says ‘be safe, I love you.’ 

・Newt would love to be domesticated. He would make the perfect House Husband. LITERALLY. I reckon he’d be pretty good at baking too

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈

Hope For The Future by Joseph Trapanese

𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔

・Sun x Moon

・Forever In Their Honeymoon Stage

・Shy ‘n’ Awkward (You) x LOOK HOW CUTE MY PARTNER IS (Newt)

𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆

Love During The End Of The World

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖

Your honesty. You’re truthful and that’s not actually as common as you’d think. People can be awful, and lie until they’re blue in the face if that meant their reputation was upheld. But I think you would rather the truth over any falsehood. 

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

Minho. You two would have so many little arguments, that aren’t really arguments. Just pretend fights, and a lot of banter. There’s never a dull moment with you two. 

𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆

A mix of Minho, Teresa and Newt. Sassy, fierce and caring. You have a big heart but don’t show it to just anyone. You’re kind but can stand up for what you believe in. 

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒕

There would most definitely be stray animals in the world during this time. Some have survived and have no owners. I can see you two adopting as many as you can, taking in strays and making sure they have enough food and water. But one particularly stole your heart, with her light brown fur and big nose. 

[merlinpetpeeves]

[merlinpetpraises]

[kaiwrites-if]

Hello!!! I was wondering, how would the RO’s, and Gaius, react if Merlin was like, “I need help, I magically gave my pet tarantula’s wings and now I can’t find them.”

G’day! I can safely say that I would be packing my bags and moving if I was ever told this. As for the ROs…

Arthur would honestly just look at you totally horrified. Why in Avalon did you think that was a good idea, you utter fo– and then he’s screaming because he’s paranoid and thinks he feels it against his neck (you all know the feeling). Would agree to help, but wouldn’t end up being much use.

Morgana’s face goes completely blank as she processes what you just said. She really hopes you’re joking…you’d better be joking. Spiders are bad enough when they’re crawling around on legs, let alone flying. You also better hope she doesn’t see it, because she will bat it out a window. Would not help.

Lance is torn between frustration and fondness. Oh how he does enjoy your nonsense, Merlin…however, would you please stop using your magic so recklessly! If Uther sees a flying tarantula, he’s going to call in the Mage Hunters again. Would help, but only if you agreed to not do anything like this again.

Gwen loves spiders, she thinks they’re pretty cool. However, she’s not entirely sure why you’d want to give them wings? Having eight legs and scaling walls is good enough in her eyes. She has to admit though, she’s curious to see a tarantula with wings, so she’ll agree to help.

[sorceress-queen]

ArMor (modern au tattoo artist & flower shop owner)

(I don't think ArMor end up being related in this au tbh, but whatever floats your boat.)

Morgana would be the owner of a tattoo & piercing shop+ the best artist there. She owns the shop with her sister Morgause.

Arthur ends up becoming the flower shop owner next door, it once belonged to his mum so now Uther gives it to Arthur as a pet project to make sure he is ready to take on more responsibilities in Uther's company.

How they meet in this au:

Morgana goes in to get some plants, could be for art reference or just something she wants to use as decoration and Arthur just so happens to be the one to work in the shop that day cause one of his employees called in sick.

Alternatively, Arthur is drunk and he stumbles into her shop wanting to get Vivian's name tattooed or something ridiculous like that. But Morgana has a strict rule about not tattooing piss drunk people, especially when they want to get names tattooed on them. To make Arthur settle down she only sketches a tattoo on his arm and then she lets him crash on the chair cause he fell asleep and she took pity on him after listening to him babble on about something.

^ I could also imagine the second one being a meeting they have later on, or for extra hilarity the drunk Arthur at the shop scene could be their first meeting, with Morgana coming to the flower shop happening later on.

They could meet at a café nearby that is run by Gaius, Merlin works there, and maybe Gwen could work there as well or run the bakery part of it, Gwen is Gana's friend and Merlin is Arthur's. Perhaps, it could happen that Gwen & Merlin end up matchmaking the two of them, setting them up on a blind date.

@twisted-shipper @arthur-rex If anything is incohesive or there are more typos than usual my only excuse is that it's late af but my mind wouldn't let me fall asleep until I wrote this silly lil idea down. I hope you still enjoy it anyway 🥰.

[anaccountnolongerused]

A Mulan Story - Arthur Pendragon x Trans! Reader

Fandom: Merlin Pairing: Arthur Pendragon x FTM! Reader Warnings: Fluff and maybe angst(??? Dude, I don’t know what to call this-) Injured reader, misgendering for a split second, yeah A/N: I think I’ll make this a series. I made Gwen your sister, but didn’t really include it much in this chapter. Also this is shit but whatever I haven’t written in months.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arthur paced the floor outside of Gaius’s office. You had been struck in battle, a blow right to your ribs. It had been hours since he’d carried you back, and Gaius refused his entry to the room. Only he, Merlin, and Gwen were allowed inside. 

The Prince knocked on the door again. 

“Gaius!” He shouted, deepening his voice. “As your crowned prince, I demand you let me in.”

He heard Gaius sigh before opening the door. He stepped out through a sliver, not allowing even a glance at the fallen knight.“I am sorry, Arthur,” He started, “But he is still recovering, I will only have family seeing him.”

“Family?” He scoffed back. “Then why the hell is Merlin in there?” Gaius pinched the bridge of his nose. “He lives here, sire. He helped save him too, you know. Now please, get some rest. [Name] will be fine.” 

Arthur swallowed before slowly nodding his head. “Alright.” He mumbled after a beat. “Alright. I’ll be back in the morning.”

Gaius waited until he’d walked away to shut the door.

Arthur cared for all his knights. He wanted them fed, healthy, living. But [Name]? [Name] was different, and it was obvious to anyone. The prince often invited him to dinner, and he favored sparring with him over anyone else. He had given [Name] money when his family was down on their luck. He was even [Name]’s shoulder to cry on when his father was executed.

Arthur didn’t sleep that night. After returning to his quarters, he simply paced the floor. He did anything to keep himself awake.

Before he knew it, it was past midnight. The prince glanced towards his door. He knew he shouldn’t. Surely he wouldn’t- He would. 

Arthur walked quietly through the castle’s twisting halls, biting his cheek as he went. He stopped outside Gaius’s room, hesitating before he opened the door and came in. He walked quietly, aware of Gaius and Merlin sleeping nearby. 

[Name] stirred as he approached, his eyes fluttering open. “Prince Arthur?” [Name] mumbled, voice raspy. He started to sit up, wincing in pain as he did so. Arthur pushed him back down gently by the shoulders, scolding him softly.

“[Name], don’t sit up. I don’t want you injuring yourself more.”

The injured knight nodded, laying his head back down and closing his eyes. Suddenly, he sat up straight, pushing Arthur away.

“Arthur!” He whisper-shouted, covering his torso with the blanket. “You have to leave!” Arthur’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“What? [Name], what the hell?” He asked, taking a few steps back.

“Please,” [Name] said. “Get out.” At this point, both of his hands had traveled to Arthur’s chest, pushing him back. Slowly, Arthur realized why he wasn’t wanted here.

He looked down at [Name]’s now uncovered chest, which was covered in bandages and… not flat. The prince looked back up and met the knight’s eyes, which were now welled up with tears. 

“You’re a… woman?”

“No!” [Name] answered quickly. “No, no… I’m a man, I am.” He was crying now, tears trailing down his cheeks. “I’m a man, Arthur…”

Arthur nodded, sitting down on the bed next to him. 

“Alright,” He mumbled, petting [Name]’s hair. “I understand, love...” 

[Name] sobbed into the prince’s shoulder, wincing in pain as he inhaled sharply.

“You need to lay down,” Arthur said softly, trying to slowly lay him down.

“I-I always felt like a man, Arthur, I’m n-not a woman…” [Name] continued to mumble into his shoulder.

“I know, love,” Arthur cooed. “It’s okay. I understand. I won’t tell anyone, [Name], it's alright.” 

Arthur finally managed to lay [Name] back down. He gently pushed [Name]’s hair out of his face and kissed his forehead. “You need to rest, my knight.”

He nodded, groggy from pain and lack of sleep. “I love you, Arthur,” he mumbled. 

Arthur’s eyebrows raised and a smile graced his features.  “I… I love you too, [Name].”  

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

It’s Not That Bad, Right?

Prompt: Feel free to write this prompt (or not)- Merlin is cursed and turned into a dragon/wyvern. Arthur commands him to stay in the forest until they figure out how to change him back, but when Merlin senses that Arthur is in danger during a tournament in the City arena, he flies in front of everyone to rescue him, proving how willing he is to protect Arthur even if it means putting his life at the mercy of a shocked Camelot and angry Uther. Also Merlin breaths fire and is BAMF as a dragon.

Thanks for the prompt, babe! 

Read on Ao3 Part 2!

Pairings: Merthur, can be platonic or romantic you decide

Warnings: none. Merlin’s a little shit but what did we expect

Word Count: 3511

 Okay, Merlin’s gonna take the blame this time. This one’s on him. Definitely. No two ways about it. He’s big enough to admit he screwed up. He is! This one’s definitely on him. Absolutely not a question about it.

 In his defense, what was he supposed to do when he saw a sorcerer with a magic circle around a dragon’s egg chanting ominously as a bunch of storm clouds formed overhead, not run into the middle and push it out?

 Yeah, as if.

“Merlin!”

 Well, it sure hurt like hell, that’s for damn sure. Merlin can feel his teeth chattering against themselves as energy courses through his body, into through his fingertips and out through the top of his head, sending bolts into the ground, through his legs, through his chest. Something reaches deep beneath him and pulls, stretching him like putty. His throat screams in a soundless roar until he registers that, oh wait, that deafening noise is coming from him. Huh.

 “M-Merlin?”

 Why does Arthur sound unsure? Merlin’s fine. Merlin’s so fine right now. Everything is so fine and good right now, what’s wrong? Merlin turns around to say that, yeah, it’s alright, prat, he’s fine, no need to sound so nervous, only his head seems really really heavy right now and since when has his neck been that long?

 “Sire, stay back! I don’t know what’s happened!”

 “Stay low to the ground.”

 “One of these buggers wasn’t enough, huh?”

 Oh, are there more sorcerers? Merlin turns his—why the hell is his head so heavy?—head to look, scanning the trees for more sorcerers.

 …that’s funny, why is he suddenly higher? And where are his arms? Or his legs? Or…

 …oh, bollocks.

 Merlin sighs, only to realize that hey, you guys remember that dragons can breathe fire, right?

 “Get back!” Oh, there’s Leon. Merlin wondered where he got off to. “I don’t know where you come from, beast, but you must leave immediately.”

 “Beast,” Merlin mutters, “how rude.”

 It’s worth it for the way Leon’s arm drops dead to his side. The knight’s mouth gapes up at him. “Merlin?”

 Merlin’s gotta get used to this freaking head. He looks around at himself, tests his four feet—claws? Paws? He doesn’t know—and flaps his wings experimentally. “Pretty sure. Just, er, a little different?”

 “A little different, he says,” Gwaine mutters from Arthur’s other side, “Merlin what the hell have you done now?”

 “I think,” Merlin says, testing out the words in his new mouth—so many teeth—“I’ve been turned into a dragon.”

 “Stellar observations there.”

 “How is this possible,” Lancelot murmurs, the only one of the knights who dares step closer, close enough to rest his hand on Merlin’s flank. Wow, he’s tiny. “Merlin, did—did you do this?”

 “Why would I do this?”

 “You are dramatic,” Lancelot says, winking up at him.

 “Hey!”

 “He’s not wrong.”

 “Thanks, Gwaine.”

 “Alright, alright.” Arthur sways on his feet, looking every bit about to faint, except he grits his teeth and puts his sword decidedly at his side. “Merlin’s a dragon. Sure.”

 “In the flesh!”

 “I think you mean in the scale,” Elyan adds helpfully.

 Arthur glares at him, only to glance around and see Lancelot happily petting Merlin’s scales, Leon looking him over like he does the new armor, and Gwaine sauntering over to a stump and sitting down. He cocks his head and looks at Merlin, before shrugging and pulling out a waterskin. Even Percival and Elyan look a little nonplussed.

 “Are all of you just—fine with this?”

 Gwaine shrugs. “Hardly the weirdest thing to ever happen to us, is it?”

  “Merlin is a dragon!”

 “And not too long ago Gaius was possessed by a goblin.”

 “Don’t forget the manticore,” Percival supplies.

 “Oh,” Lancelot calls, “and the immortal army!”

 “And,” Leon says, “let us also not forget, Sire, that Uther once was married to a troll.”

 “Wait, he was what?” Gwaine leaps up indignantly. “Why have you not told us this story?”

  “Enough!”

 Merlin doesn’t sigh, but he does exhale noisily through his nostrils. While Arthur prattles on about respecting the king or some such nonsense that he’s sure only Leon is really listening to—and then it’s only out of politeness and because he’s heard it a thousand times—Merlin fidgets.

 Scales itch, did you know that? It feels like he’s wearing scratchy clothes that don’t fit right on his skin. He huffs, trying to keep the smoke to a minimum, scrubbing his legs and arms along the ground to try and get some relief. When it doesn’t work, he flops his head down with a resounding thump, out of the way of any of the knights. Wow, his head is the size of Lancelot.

 Lancelot, of course, because this man is the definition of unflappable unless it comes to Gwen, simply smiles and reaches out to gently stroke the ridge between Merlin’s eyes. Merlin rumbles gratefully and nudges Lancelot with the tip of his nose.

 “Right there, hmm?” Lancelot pats him a few more times.

 “He’s not a horse, Lancelot,” Leon says with a smile.

 “No, he’s a dragon.”

 “He is sitting right here,” Merlin grumbles, “thank you very much.”

 “So you can still talk.” Gwaine downs the waterskin and saunters over. “Can you fly?”

 Percival glances at his back. “He’s got wings, doesn’t he?”

 “Can we ride him?”

 “Gwaine!”

 “What? You lot were thinking it too!”

 “I’m going mad,” Merlin hears Arthur say faintly, “I’m going mad because my manservant is a dragon and none of my knights seem to care.”

 “Oh, we care,” Gwaine says, “this is the most interesting thing that’s happened in a while.”

 “Merlin appears to have his wits about him still,” Leon murmurs in an effort to soothe Arthur’s nerves which, honestly, Merlin’s a dragon, so that’s fair, “and I do not believe Merlin is likely to attack us.”

 “Merlin trips over his own two feet when he’s only got two and he’s the size of a string bean,” Arthur mutters, not taking his eyes off of him.

 “Oi!”

 “It’s true and you know it.”

 Merlin hides a smile, partly because he doesn’t want Arthur to see he’s happy, and partly because he has no idea what dragon smiles look like. Kilgharrah didn’t really smile. But the banter seems to have calmed Arthur down a little, at least enough to walk up to Merlin and look at him. Properly.

 Merlin lifts his head, just so they’re eye level, and waits.

 Arthur hesitantly reaches a hand out.

 Merlin holds his breath.

 Arthur’s hand clenches into a fist and he turns away.

 “We’ll have to find a way to fix this,” Arthur mutters, stalking back toward his horse. “Back to Camelot. We speak of this to no one except Gaius.”

 “You just want to leave him here?”

 “If we brought a dragon back to Camelot, my father would have all of our heads. And Merlin would be killed. Or chained up.” Arthur shakes his head firmly, already back on his horse. “We tell no one.”

 “So what do we do then,” Gwaine yells, “just abandon him out here?”

 “He’s a dragon,” Arthur says, “I’m sure he can fend for himself.”

 Something pinches inside Merlin’s chest as Arthur turns away. He growls, ignoring Lancelot’s concerned look as he straightens, his head turning to look down at his massive chest. It aches, like something in him is reaching for the end of a rubber band that just won’t snap back.

 “Merlin?”

 “I’m fine,” he manages, testing out his body again. He’s definitely not used to having six limbs, let alone wings. “I’ll figure it out.”

 “We will find a way to change you back, old friend,” Leon promises, “you will not be stuck like this forever.”

 “Might not be the worst thing in the world to be stuck as.”

 “All the same, we will try.”

 “Thanks, Leon.”

 Leon nods deeply, mounting his horse and setting off after Arthur. The other knights do the same, each bidding Merlin farewell. Lancelot is the last to leave.

 “Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to stay?”

 As tempting as it is, Merlin shakes his massive head. “You might get hurt. And Camelot might, er—“

 “Since when have I listened to Camelot over listening to you?”

 In response, Merlin nudges him—gently!—with his nose back over to his horse.

 “Alright, alright,” Lancelot laughs, “I’m going.”

 Still, Merlin can’t help the dull ache of loneliness from settling in his chest as Lancelot disappears into the trees. He looks around. This clearing is nice. It’s just large enough to fit him comfortably. He can lie down—which he does—and curl up with his tail tucked around his legs. He has a tail, does that mean he has seven limbs now? Does a tail count as a limb?

 Oh, the ground feels really nice on his sides. Can he—he can roll to his other side too. Oh yeah, that’s fun.

 Merlin spends several minutes just rolling around on the ground, letting his wings splay out a little and flap to the sides, stirring up little storms of dust and dirt. He ends up on his back, his wings splayed out, looking up at the dark sky. His eyes drift closed and he rumbles happily.

 He isn’t sure how much time passes but his wings are starting to get a little sore. He grunts and rolls.

 …only to rock right back.

 He tries again. No luck.

 Maybe if he flaps his wings, he can—nope. The other side maybe? Oh, nope. Nope, that’s not it either.

 He’s stuck.

 How undignified. Good thing there’s no one around to—

 “Young warlock?”

 “No,” Merlin groans, shutting his eyes and instinctively going to cover his face only to remember that he’s got dragon legs and that’s not going to work. “Go away.”

 “No, young warlock,” comes the voice that is definitely laughing at him, “I don’t think I will.”

 Merlin opens his eyes. Sure enough, there’s Kilgharrah, who looks way too happy. Merlin gives up and lets his limbs hang uselessly. “I’m stuck.”

 “I can see that.”

 “…how do I get unstuck?”

 “You roll, young warlock.”

 “I’ve tried that!”

 “Well, then you must not’ve tried hard enough.”

 Trying to roll over and failing miserably in front of the Great Dragon is possibly one of the most humiliating things you can do. Especially when you’re exerting yourself because you’ve never had a dragon body before and you’re making all sorts of embarrassing grunts and squeals. Merlin doesn’t recommend it.

 Eventually, Merlin stops, panting and looking back at Kilgharrah who looks all too pleased with himself. “Are you just going to stand there?”

 “Did you need something?”

 “Help me!”

 “All you had to do was ask, young warlock.”

 Merlin wisely bites back the many insults on his tongue and rolls again. This time, Kilgharrah sticks his nose under the flap of Merlin’s wing and pushes him over with a graceless thump. Merlin shakes himself.

 “Thanks.”

 “But of course. You know I live to serve you.”

 “Have you gotten more sarcastic or have we not spoken in a while?”

 “That is an answer you must seek for yourself.”

 “You’re still as vague, good, I was beginning to think you were some other dragon.”

 “There are no other dragons,” Kilgharrah says softly, suddenly growing serious, “at least…there were no other dragons.”

 He inclines his head, moving with a grace that shows unlike Merlin, Kilgharrah understands his body.

 “What happened, Merlin?”

 Merlin explains.

 “That was very brave, young warlock.”

 “You can say stupid.”

 “That was very stupid, Merlin.”

 “Yeah, well.” Merlin kicks a rock next to him. “What else is new?”

 “I must say,” Kilgharrah muses, looking him over, “you are not an unhealthy dragon.”

 “That is…a compliment? I think?”

 “Well, typically when it comes to anamorphic magic, it does not perform…nearly this successfully.” Kilgharrah nudges Merlin’s wing with the tip of his snout. “I suspect it is because you are magic that you have transformed so completely.”

 “And also why I’m still able to talk?”

 “Precisely.”

 “Great.” Merlin snuffles a little. Wow, he can smell a whole lot more. “So how do we fix it?”

 “Unfortunately, anamorphic magic is…temperamental.”

 “Okay, so I can still speak normally, which means it’s not a dragon thing to speak in vague stupid cryptic sentences. Speak normally.”

 “Your tongue is still as sharp as ever.”

 “Well, now that I’m not a tiny human anymore—“

 “Most humans are tiny.”

 “Kilgharrah.”

 Kilgharrah sighs. Ooh, he’s gotta show Merlin how to do that so he can still sigh. He misses that. “It will take time. From what you described, the spell was not completed, which means it will only last as long as the magic holds.”

 “And how long is that?”

 “Perhaps until the next full moon.” That’s only a week and a bit away. That’s not so bad.

 “So what do I do until then?”

 “You never did learn how to hunt with Arthur, did you?”

 If you told Merlin he would be spending a week with Kilgharrah learning how to be a dragon and actually enjoying himself while doing it, he would have laughed, slammed the door in your face, and muttered some spell to make you trip as you walked away.

 And yet, here we are.

 Merlin does always insist that they stay close to the clearing. If someone comes back, he doesn’t want them to worry. Kilgharrah just shakes his head and tosses him another deer. Merlin can sigh now! That’s nice. His body doesn’t feel so itchy all the time either. His head doesn’t feel like a ridiculous weight anymore. His wings feel right. It’s not bad, this whole being-a-dragon business.

 There’s still something wrong though.

 That pain he had in his chest when the knights first left hasn’t gone away. It feels like he’s missing something. Sometimes when he lies down he rests his head on the ground too, tries to press his chest to the earth as much as possible. See if there’s something he can slot back into place. Nothing ever works.

 Kilgharrah, for once, isn’t being cryptic when he says he genuinely doesn’t know what’s wrong. But he does rest his head on Merlin’s back. That feels nice and warm.

 He doesn’t trust himself enough to try and breathe fire.

 Two days before the spell is supposed to wear off, the pain spikes. In an instant, Merlin crumbles to the ground and whines. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

 “Merlin,” Kilgharrah rumbles, at his side in an instant, “Merlin, what is wrong?”

 “M-my chest, I can’t, I—it hurts—“

 “Where is it coming from, young warlock?”

 “I just told you—!”

 “No,” Kilgharrah says sharply, “where?”

 Merlin opens his mouth to snap back when he feels a line in his chest yank taut.

 Oh.

  Oh.

 With two flaps of his wings, Merlin is airborne. The line pulls him over the trees, out of the forest, toward the castle in the distance. Camelot.

  Arthur.

 Of bloody course it’s Arthur. What else could it be? As he flies, Merlin racks his brain trying to think of what’s happening, what could be hurting Arthur, what’s going on—

 Right. There’s a bloody tournament going on.

 What is it about tournaments that make every single magic-user with a grudge against Uther come out of the woodwork?

 …well…

 There’s the arena. People are fleeing in droves. Merlin tucks his wings and dives, thankful to the lessons Kilgharrah gave him. He spots Arthur, he spots Uther—

 He spots a wave of soldiers in black armor surrounding Arthur on all sides. Their blades gleam in the light. Magic crackles around them. Arthur is bleeding.

  Not on his watch.

 Merlin opens his mouth.

 A dozen soldiers melt away like dew as he bathes them in fire, the black armor vanishing. Another dozen vanish as torrents of flame spill from his throat, mouth open in a righteous scream. Arthur whirls around to look. His cry of surprise is lost in the roar of the dragon’s wings. Uther’s face is pale. Another jet of fire incinerates the knights as Merlin lands with a thud in front of Arthur.

 A knight charges him. Merlin whips his tail around and swipes four of them off their feet. Another one launches a spear at him and lodges itself in his wing. Merlin cries out and lunges forward. The armor tastes salty. The other knight is torched before he has a chance to throw the spear.

 At his side, Arthur seems to snap out of his stupor, brandishing his sword and fighting off one of the last remaining knights. Merlin gets his snout underneath another and throws him into the distance. He swings his head around like a hammer and slams two more into the arena wall.

 The last one—well, he just screams at the last one.

 It seems to do the trick; the armor falls apart in a series of heavy clanks.

 Merlin stops, panting heavily. There’s still a spear lodged in his side and it burns. Arthur is safe. That’s all that matters. Arthur is safe.

 “…Merlin?”

 Merlin turns his head, his head hanging low. Arthur stands there, covered in blood, but alive, and holds out his hand.

 Merlin lays his head on the ground and closes his eyes.

 Arthur reaches out.

 A soft glove lands on Merlin’s cheek. Rubs his scales softy. Merlin purrs.

 “Hello, Merlin,” Arthur murmurs, too quiet for anyone else to hear, “welcome back.”

 “Kill it!”

 Ah, yes, right. Uther.

 “No!”

 Arthur’s cry forces Merlin’s eyes open, spotting Gwaine, Lancelot, Leon, Percival, Elyan, all writing spears and javelins away from other knights. A sharp pain comes from his side and he turns to see Arthur trying to pull the spear out. He has to brace his foot against Merlin’s side to get out. Arthur tosses it away and holds his hand over the wound. Thankfully it seems like it just lodged in between two scales, Merlin’s not bleeding too much.

 “Father,” Arthur pants, “Father we can’t kill it.”

 “It’s a dragon, Arthur!”

 “And it just saved our lives!”

 “It’s nothing but a beast,” Uther snarls, seemingly regaining some of his composure as he spews his hateful speech from his comfortable box, “mindless and hungry. It will kill us all!”

 “Does it look like it’s about to kill us?”

  No, no it most certainly does not, thank you very much.

 Arthur glances between the two of them, before leaning in close to Merlin.

 “Fly back to the clearing, we’ll meet you there.”

 Merlin turns his head. Arthur stares at him insistently.

 “Go!”

 He takes off, hearing Arthur’s long, fake cries about how they will chase after him, slay him, for the good of Camelot. He smiles and lands in the clearing. Kilgharrah is gone. Well, that’s kind of to be expected, isn’t it? He thinks a message of gratitude, hoping it will reach him, wherever he is. He doesn’t get a verbal reply, but a warm spark of magic spreads over his damaged scales and he smiles.

 Sure enough, the knights crash through the brush a few moments later, Arthur scrambling off his horse and up to Merlin.

 “You,” he says, grinning breathlessly, “are an idiot.”

 “Idiot dragon,” Merlin corrects, “who just saved your arse.”

 “That was so cool,” Gwaine crows, “you—“

 “Yes, yes,” Percival mutters, “you’ve been saying that since we left.”

 “They’re a bit excited, Merlin,” Lancelot chuckles, “forgive them.”

 “…it is pretty cool,” Merlin admits.

 “Are you hurt?” Arthur glances over at his side. “You were hit.”

 “I think it’s healed up pretty well.”

 “We, er, weren’t able to find a way to fix you.”

 “I think it’ll wear off by the next full moon.”

 “How would you know?”

 Merlin gives Arthur a look that’s definitely just a rip off of Kilgharrah’s. “I know many things, young king.”

 “You stop that right now.”

 “So,” Elyan muses, “two days?”

 Merlin nods.

 “Camping trip, boys!”

 Gwaine’s holler makes the rest of them laugh and they quickly go about setting up camp. Merlin bows his head to carefully light the fire as the knights make themselves comfortable. It’s not so bad, actually, out here in the clearing with them. Arthur leaning up against his chest, Lancelot by his side. Leon tosses him a large chunk of meat as Percival watches. Elyan double-checks his side and pronounces him all clear.

 Yeah. Being a dragon isn’t so bad.

 “I get a ride before you turn back, right?”

 “Gwaine!”

[fishoutofcamelot]

I am once again thinking about a BBCM Mystery Skulls AU. Now, for those of you who are so woefully unaware of what Mystery Skulls is, allow me to set the scene.

(This ended up WAY longer than I was expecting, so I decided to put it all under the cut-off)

Merlin, Gwen, and Arthur have been friends since high school. Gwen is a spunky yet affectionate employee at a book store and despite her cutesy pastel aesthetic she has a bizarre interest in the occult/paranormal.

She came up with the idea for the three of them to form a ghost-hunting troop, and they call themselves the Mystery Skulls. And while Merlin and Arthur aren't nearly as invested in the idea as she is, since this is pretty much her hyperfixation, they are both very supportive nonetheless and enjoy going on adventures together.

Gwen has a pet lizard named Kilgharrah, and it's been in the family for a very long time, since before she was even born. Are lizards supposed to be able to live that long? She's never really given it much thought, but sometimes it seems almost...intelligent. Unnaturally so. Nevertheless, the weird and unexplainable is kinda their whole brand, and Kilgharrah has become something of a mascot for them, so they all let it slide.

Arthur is the Fred of the group. Muscular and almost-but-not-quite-a-himbo, he's the one driving the van with a cocky grin. Fearless, popular, everyone loves him, and besides some family issues he's got a good life. He and Gwen are in a relationship, and they're very lovey-dovey about it. He doesn't know much about the paranormal, certainly not as much as his girlfriend, but the idea of punching a ghost in the face is very alluring to him.

And then there's Merlin. He lives with his uncle Gaius due to...unexplained family drama, but the two of them have a good thing going. Gaius runs a mechanic shop on the edge of town, but his age is starting to catch up to him so Merlin has slid in as his replacement. Which makes sense, considering Merlin's near prodigy level of skill with machines. He's the one who fixed up an abandoned beat-up van and offered it up for their ghost-hunting endeavors. He quite likes Kilgharrah, ever a fan of pets and animals and the like, and Kilgharrah appears to begrudgingly return the sentiment.

Merlin has been third-wheeling Arthur and Gwen since high school. But he's not bitter about it, really he's not. He definitely doesn't feel left out, doesn't feel like an outsider, doesn't constantly worry that they would prefer it if he wasn't around, doesn't constantly feel forgotten and cast aside as he watches them get so absorbed in their two-way whirlwind passion. Not at all. So Merlin sits and smiles, because he truly is happy for his friends, and he pretends the loneliness doesn't bother him.

One day, they decide to investigate a mysterious cave. There are rumors of it being haunted by some kind of demonic entity. Merlin, as always, says it's a bad idea and they should turn back. Arthur, as always, teasingly calls him a coward. Gwen and Arthur exchange excited grins at the prospect of facing a real ghost. Merlin watches them wistfully, longingly. He fails to notice the way that Kilgharrah is getting increasingly anxious the closer they get to the cave.

Merlin has a really bad feeling about this cave, and a gut feeling tells him to go back to the van and head home. No one heeds his instincts.

There are two diverging paths in the cave, and Merlin dreads the moment that Arthur will inevitably suggest they split up. They usually split up between Merlin and Kilgharrah, and Arthur and Gwen. Because of course Arthur will want to pair off with his girlfriend.

Arthur notices that Merlin is scared, which makes sense because Merlin is always scared during their investigations. Gwen is sympathetic yet encouraging like she usually is - but notices that Merlin is more frightened than usual, so she suggests that Arthur pair off with Merlin instead this time, while she takes Kilgharrah. This doesn't make Merlin feel any better.

Arthur and Merlin head down one path in the cave, which eventually leads them to a cliff. All the while, Merlin keeps hearing whispers. Whispers that speak of horrible, macabre, terrible things, and all those whispers keep rattling in his mind like sharp-edged marbles. Arthur says he hears nothing at all, and they both conclude that Merlin is just hearing things.

He is not, in fact, just hearing things.

Arthur comes to the edge of the cliff and peers over to see the sharp, jagged stalagmites at the bottom. He beckons Merlin to come over and check out this cool view - but Merlin can't.

Merlin is...frozen. Petrified. Unable to move because of all the whispers attacking his mind from all angles, pounding into him with a righteous headache. His thoughts have turned to static, and his vision is quickly growing dark. Starting at his fingertips, his arm begins to go numb. The numbness gradually crawls deeper and further into his body, until he knows no more.

The spirit of the cave, the demon, the entity, whatever it is...it sapped into him through his misery. Through his loneliness. Through his pain. His pain has made him vulnerable for possession, and the demon plans to take full advantage of this.

The possession begins at the fingertips, its demonic wispy presence infecting him from the hand up. By the time its control has reached all the way to Merlin's face, it has enough strength to surge Merlin's body forward while Merlin himself is unconscious.

The half of Merlin's face that is still free from possession remains slack and unaware, but the half that has fallen into the demon's clutches is alight with a grin. It pushes Merlin's hand into Arthur's chest and gives a powerful shove.

As Arthur falls from the cliff, he doesn't have time to notice how Merlin's normally blue eyes have turned a sickly green, nor to notice the jaundiced hue pervading his friend's flesh, nor the spectral mist clouding all around Merlin's body in a haze.

No. As Arthur falls, as Arthur crashes into the ground and feels a stalagmite rip into his chest, all he sees is the half of his friend's face that has been contorted into a demonic smile.

Meanwhile, Gwen and Kilgharrah's path led them down a different part of the cave, and eventually they reach the bottom of a deep chasm filled with stalagmites.

Gwen spots Arthur at the top of a nearby cliff and waves up to him, but her excitement is short-lived as she watches him fall. Watches a stalagmite pierce his chest. Watches blood splatter everywhere.

It is said that if someone wishes for something passionately and profoundly enough as they die, then their dying wish might be granted. In this case, Arthur wishes more than anything for Gwen not to see him die. To not remember this. To just forget.

His wish is granted, and Gwen faints from the sheer force of his dying wish turning all her thoughts into static.

Kilgharrah sees the demon at the top of the cliff. Sees the wretched beast puppeteering Merlin's flesh, and snarls.. How dare that horrible thing possess one of his humans!

You see, Kilgharrah is no ordinary lizard. But rather, a very ancient and very powerful dragon masquerading as such, tasked with the protection of Gwen's lineage - the reasons for which only he is old enough to know or remember.

But while he is supposed to look after just Gwen, he has taken quite a liking to her friends as well. All three of them are under his protection, and it would be a disgrace to let this pitiful demon steal Merlin away under his watch.

So Kilgharrah unfurls from his false lizard form and embraces his true form - that of a massive dragon - and does whatever he can to purge the demon from Merlin's vessel.

Unfortunately, there's only one thing he can do. Since the demon has so vehemently lodged itself in Merlin's arm, quickly spreading out through the rest of his body, Kilgharrah has only one option left to stop the demonic infection.

Hating himself for it all the while, Kilgharrah bites off Merlin's arm.

A day later, Gwen wakes up in the hospital. Not only can she not remember watching Arthur die, but she can't remember anything to do with Arthur at all. She wakes up in the hospital with no recollection of how she got there, her pet lizard a blood-spattered coil on her lap, and with everyone telling her that her best friend Merlin is in surgery.

When Merlin wakes up, he also has no recollection of what happened to Arthur. He remembers going into the cave, splitting up...but everything goes blank after that. He doesn't know where Arthur is. Doesn't know what happened to his arm.

And he certainly doesn't know why he has become so debilitatingly afraid of Kilgharrah. Kilgharrah, who is by all accounts an ordinary lizard, but in Merlin's dreams transforms into a massive beast with bloody teeth.

Gwen gets a glazed look in her eyes and suffers horrible migraines whenever anyone mentions Arthur, so Merlin eventually gives up trying to remind her. Her memory problems have made her a lot more...scatter-brained, and although Merlin gets easily spooked he's willing to go to a thousand seances if it'll help Gwen act like her old self again.

He also tries to go back to the cave, but it has mysteriously vanished from where he knows it was meant to be. Gwen says that if a place is haunted by something powerful enough, it can change its own location, or can make it so that it will only be found if it wants to be found.

But Merlin refuses to give up. He uses the spare parts lying around his uncle's shop and builds himself a mechanical prosthetic, and loses himself in a never-ending quest to find his friend, to figure out what happened to his arm, and to find a way to restore Gwen's memories.

When Arthur wakes up, he discovers he has turned into one of the same ghosts he and his friends used to hunt. He looks down and sees his body, bloody and broken and cold as it lays impaled on a stalagmite. He can't look at it for long without feeling sick.

He also feels angry. Very, very angry. While his death had happened fast, too fast, he can clearly remember Merlin pushing him. Merlin, who he thought was his best friend. Merlin, who he grew up with. Merlin, who has always been there for him.

Surging with betrayal and fury, Arthur's now spectral body floats out of the cave. He has only one objective on his mind: vengeance.

[antares-8]

I was answering reviews on AO3 and thought of a really neat AU idea while ranting at EyeSee: Merlin kills Uther his first day in Camelot by magically pushing him down the stairs.

Think of how much this would change. I’m not just talking about the plot, though obviously that’d be completely different. Imagine Merlin forming a relationship with Arthur when our warlock knows he assassinated his friend’s father. Does Gaius know? Does Gaius suspect, and he gets a subplot trying to figure it out? How does Uther’s immediate death change things between Arthur and Morgana? How does Arthur handle the situation with King Bayard? Is there even a situation with Bayard, or has Nimueh backed off?

And then Mordred shows up just a few episodes/chapters in. Arthur’s suddenly forced to come face to face with a terrified child who was orphaned because of his father’s policies... and he can do whatever he wants to change that. He doesn’t have to sneak around to Mordred, he can actually do something. Does he stop persecuting the druids, and then we have people like Iseldir openly in Camelot trying to change his mind?

Does Morgana feel safe enough to tell him about her magic, once it starts manifesting? Do other spellbinders try to approach Arthur peacefully because his mercy towards Mordred gave them hope? Maybe a druid comes to Arthur’s defense when an angry mage tries to kill him, or Merlin feels comfortable enough to use magic somewhat openly to save his king’s life--it’s obviously magical intervention (yes, even more obvious than the earthquake or the falling branches), but nobody saw who did it. Now there’s rumors that Arthur has a pet wizard or that he has magic himself.

Then there’s potential arcs about grieving and coming to terms with the fact that someone you love was an objectively terrible person and heavy responsibilities and and and

If anybody wants to write this, I will very much read it.

[merlinpetpeeves]