#married merthur

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

Merlin: Hey Arthur?

Arthur: No.

Merlin: You don’t even know what I was going to ask!

Arthur: Last time you used that tone, you asked me if the law was more a set of guidelines than actually enforceable rules! Whatever it is, assume it’s either a stupid question or a bad idea.

Merlin: I was just going to ask if you wanted anything to eat.

Arthur: And you needed my permission to steal from the kitchens?

Merlin: Exactly.

Arthur: *sighs fondly* Go on then.

Merlin: *grins and goes to get snacks*

Arthur: Bring back a few sweet breads too!

[queen-of-obsessing]

once merlin and arthur get married, they slowly implement three rules in their marriage. Three little rules that neither of them refuse to budge on, secret codes that only the other understands.

The first is Arthur’s. “A coin for your thoughts.” He implements it pretty early on when they had a fight over a lie Merlin told, and Arthur admits that he hates when people don’t tell him the truth, and that he can’t stand the idea of Merlin being dishonest with him - as he was all those years when he kept his magic secret. So they make an agreement, every night, when they’re lying in bed, Arthur will ask “a coin for your thoughts?” and his husband will have to tell him some truth. Regardless of its importance, good or ill, it has to be he truth. Sometimes he’ll whisper it, and Merlin would simply say “I love you” or “I have magic” and that would be enough. Sometimes he’ll tell him a joke he heard or an observation he made. But it’s always the truth. 

The second is Merlin’s. “10-year card.” Added a little after the first, when Merlin had gone on a dangerous mission and returned exhausted, only to return to his chambers to find a mess of papers that still hadn’t been cleared up, and his manservant Freddie already gone home. “10 year card?” Merlin had laughed. He said it lightheartedly to Arthur, a reference to all those years he was his servant. But his husband took it seriously, clearing all the papers, and what was meant to be a joke about payback slowly took on a life of its own. Could you do this for me? I need your help. When their daughter is a newborn, Merlin sunk to the floor, more exhausted then he ever felt in his life. “10 year card?’’ he had whispered, and Arthur scooped him in his arms and tucked him into bed, and looked after their daughter all night while he slept. 

And the third? “Merlin’s got his shirt off.” Merlin rarely ever takes his shirt off, unlike all the other knights and Arthur who run around topless all the time. But once, many years ago, before marriage was even an idea for them, Merlin wanted to initiate sex with Arthur, so Gwaine - the love and romance expert that he is - suggested he take his tunic off in front of him, slowly and seductively, of course. And after it worked like a charm, Merlin taking his tunic off slowly became code. He will walk in shirtless into their chambers, and Arthur will ditch his paperwork, rushing to his side. Even the knights are in on it (except Leon, he refuses to partake in this tomfoolery). Gwaine will pass Arthur in the training field and yell “Merlin’s got his shirt off!” if only to laugh at the way Arthur drops everything and runs. 

[cinnabon-sweetroll-tiramisu]

Arthur: I think we should get married.

Merlin: We?

Arthur: Yes, we, Merlin. Do keep up will you?

Merlin, a confused bean: Arthur, we're not even dating...how are we dating!?

Arthur, rolls his eyes at his dim-witted darling: of course we are, I gave you my sigil.

Merlin, with a "WTF" expression: WTF 🤨

[pendragoon1112]

What I wouldn’t give to read fic where Merlin wants a baby.

He’s King Consort and Court Sorcerer, and all he wants now is to start a family with Arthur. Merlin insists he can create a child, magically, which will be their own. But the second he mentions this, Arthur goes into panic mode. Not because he fears parenthood, but because this sort of magic generally demands something in return…

Merlin tells him that it’s also important for himself to have an heir, to ensure the continuity of the Dragonlord line and consequently, the safety of Camelot.

Arthur can see his reasoning. He can also see how much Merlin wants this, and wants nothing more than to make him happy, but all these thoughts are drowned out as he’s blinded by fear at the reminder of the tragedy of his own birth.

‘A life for a life.’ The law of magic. To create a life, another must be taken, and Merlin’s is not one he’s willing to bargain.

Arthur all but pleads with Merlin to not take such a risk, because he simply cannot imagine losing him. He persists with weak excuses: “I’d be a terrible father.” (“That’s a lie and you know it.”) “You already have a child-” (“Arthur she’s a dragon🙄”) “Do you know how expensive babies are?” (“Arthur, you’re the literal King of Camelot…”) -all in an attempt to steer Merlin away from the idea.

But Merlin senses his distress and reassures Arthur that what happened with his Mother and Nimueh will not happen again. That he is confident in his abilities and can promise there will be no exchange. Of course, he will be tired and drained of magic from such a taxing process but all of this is only temporary. He assures it’s no more risky than if they were to conceive a child by natural means. He even does the cute butterfly trick to show Arthur his magic is special in ways that no others can say they’ve been blessed with.

It takes some convincing, but Arthur comes around eventually, deciding to trust in Merlin and his abilities. Merlin is overjoyed. All goes well and soon enough, they’ve got themselves a little baby Pendragon 💛

[shana-rosee]

Arthur narrowed his eyes at his husband as he parked the car. “Alright, what are you up to?”

Merlin shrugged, “Who? Me? I’m not up to anything.”

Arthur didn’t believe that for a second. Merlin couldn’t hide that sneaky smirk of his. He was definitely up to something.

A cute little married merthur fic inspired by Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran. 

[ncoley]

fellas does your boyfriend ever feel a little sad so you create an elaborate story that makes him think he's the chosen one from ye olde prophecies and you have everyone he's ever known stand around and clap for him

[pendragonsclotpole]

question for my fellow merthur compatriots, i recently started reading a merlin canon fix-it where merlin’s modern name was emrys hunithson, and like i love that name, touching, meaningful. but that and another post on this website has me thinking about the lovely alternatives merlin might use as his name in a modern world.

like yeah, he could go by merlin emrys, merlin hunithson, emrys hunithson

but imagine if he took up the last name pendragon.

1500 years pass and merlin’s traveling the world as merlin pendragon, as emrys pendragon or better yet

ambrose pendragon.

merlin signs all his contracts and credit card receipts with the name a. pendragon.

arthur and the rest of the roundtable + gwen + morgana return but can’t find merlin. WHY?

because they’re looking for the wrong name.

[justaz]

omg omg omg

arthur gives merlin his mothers sigil thinking that hes going to die and wants to finally tell merlin how he feels and what better way of conveying the intensity of his emotions and how serious he is other than marriage? merlin accepts the sigil which means theyre married!! yay!! only. they both survive and arthur QUICKLY realizes that merlin has no idea the significance of the sigil. he has no idea theyre married. and arthur has no idea how to tell him bc then hell have to explain WHY he gave him the sigil aka WHY HE PROPOSED and now that hes not staring death in the face. he just. cant.

blah blah blah time skip to happy ending

the druids invite arthur and merlin to a celebration of the unification of emrys and the once and future king and the fruition of their destinies. merlin and arthur are excited bc finally peace is here and magic is returning and this can be the next big show of trust and reconciliation between camelot and the druids and so theyre there in the druid camp having fun when theyre approached and asked to participate in the ceremony. theres a huge buzzing crowd watching as the elder druid ties their hands together and goes on and on about the magnificence of two men standing before them and their great destinies and how the two sides of the same coin are joined finally as the prophecy said all those years ago. merlin doesnt realize it was a handfasting ceremony until hes talking to a few of the druids later on

anyway. merthur accidental wedding(s). now they both know theyre married but they dont know the other knows theyre married bc different ceremonies and traditions and all that. arthur is all awkward about it bc hes emotionally constipated. merlin is convincing himself he doesnt have to bring it up to arthur bc its not like the DRUID marriage ceremony is legally binding in camelot. they didnt sign any papers or anything. theyre not really married in camelot so arthur doesnt have to know. and then merlin can selfishly keep this truth close to his heart. even if its not reciprocated.

married life shenanigans ensue. merlin and arthur both have to physically stop themselves from calling the other their husband. jealous spats when out in the tavern or when visiting royals/nobles stop on by. leon knows all and is this close to snapping. extra protective idiots. and idk someone catches merlin holding the sigil and explains the significance of it or a druid asks arthur where his husband emrys is and my boy is STRESSED about being caught but then the druid brings up the handfasting ceremony. stupid idiot x stupid idiot.

you see my vision, right?

[insanity-laughs-under-pressure]

Something we should acknowledge more as a Fandom is that Uther has never forgotten Merlin's name. I always read fics where he gets Merlin's name wrong but in canon he has that man's name engraved in his brain. You can't tell me Arthur doesn't bring Merlin up in almost every conversation.

[morganas-simp]

I will never get over the fact that Uther just knew that Arthur was gay.

Whenever he had a relationship with a woman he would instantly question it or think that it was sorcery.

But Merlin who would commit literal crimes constantly and once confessed that he was a sorcerer when Arthur defended him Uther didn’t care.

But yeah Arthur totally wasn’t gay.

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

Writing pre-relationship Merthur is always a trip.

Because on one hand, I don’t want it to be OOC

But on the other hand, they aren’t married yet.

There’s gotta be a balance between how they act in canon and pre relationship stuff. Right?

Right?

(There isn’t. I’m just gonna stick to writing their relationship stuff after they started dating as after they got therapy and/or are less toxically codependent. They act too much like a married couple for me to be able to write a good slow burn in canon era.)

[queen-of-obsessing]

one of merlin’s favourite things about his new role as court sorcerer and king consort are the tournaments. Mainly because he gets to sit in the royal box, in fancy robes, sipping wine with his manservant Freddie attending to him and watch Arthur win round after round from afar. But...that’s only if it’s going well. 

On this particular afternoon, Arthur is not winning. His opponent is bigger than him, and very obviously using magic to cheat - and now Merlin’s role as sit there and look pretty is proving to be very confining. He longs for the sidelines, to be in George’s place. Unnoticed, lurking around a corner, able to interfere with his magic at a moments notice whenever he felt Arthur needed him. 

Freddie notices this. He watches with an attentive eye how his master squirms in his seat, a frustrated look on his face at not being able to help. Freddie looks down at the drink in his hands, contemplating how much trouble he would be in if he interfered, deciding against it until his king is stabbed in the leg by his massive opponent, and then he acts. 

In one swift movement, and without prior warning, Freddie spills his drink all over the regal court sorcerer, who looks up in horror. “Oh, I’m sorry, sire!” he cries,  dabbing at it with a cloth. “Come, let’s get you cleaned up.” Merlin squints at him puzzled, until he suddenly understands, and follows Freddie away from the booth, toward the back tents. 

“Go,” Freddie says. “Our king needs you.” 

Merlin ultimately turns the tide of the fight, making the opponent’s sword fly in the opposite direction than he intended, giving Arthur the upper hand to win the fight. But as his husband returns to the tents, bloody and exhausted, some part of Merlin expected him to be grateful. 

But nay. 

Arthur is incredibly pissed. Unlike all those times before, when Merlin would interfere and his love would be none the wiser, that wasn’t the case anymore, and Arthur knew full well what happened and who did it. “How dare you interfere?” he yelled, bursting into the tent. 

Merlin is aghast. “How dare I? I saved your hide!” 

“I didn’t need you to save my hide, I had it completely under control!” He stabs his sword into the ground. 

“Oh, yeah, tell that to the guy who would’ve lopped your head off!” 

“Merlin!” Arthur roared, getting up in his face. “For once in your life, stay in your place! Do your job, and let me do mine!” 

“My place is by your side!” Merlin shouts back.

“Your place is in the stands, looking pretty, and not interfering! How am I supposed to lead this kingdom if I can’t even win a simple tourney fight?” 

Merlin bites back his anger, not able to come up with a superior response. He knows he’s right, but he can’t shake off the fear. Everytime Arthur’s in danger, Merlin’s blood runs cold, like he is reliving Camlann all over again. “I can’t bear to lose you,” he says quietly, and all the anger in Arthur’s eyes dissipates. 

It is then that he understands. “You won’t,” he says softly. 

“Yet you can’t guarantee that,” Merlin replies. “Your life is nearly constantly in danger, do you honestly expect me to sit by and do nothing knowing that I had the power to stop it? I nearly lost you once, do not put me in a position where I’ll lose you again.” 

Arthur gazes at him, mulling this over. It is after this argument, that the married royals ultimately decide to make a deal. Merlin is forbidden from interfering at tournaments, unless it is explicitly clear that the other opponent is cheating. But it will take Freddie a while to recover from his heart attack, thinking Arthur was going to fire him for aiding in the interference. ���No more spilled drinks,” Merlin comments to him after. “Although it was a very smart move.” 

“Thank you, sire,” Freddie replies, wobbly from fear but relieved that he gets to keep his job...for now. 

[gvaine]

3.11 — The Sorcerer's Shadow

[wolfiery]

MERLIN | 5x02 “Arthur's Bane: Part Two"

[tristansfreezingtheirbrain]

Arthur: What are you talking about?! You’re the most important person in my life!!! I love you more than anything- I’d marry you if I could!

Merlin: why don’t you?

Arthur: BECAUSE EVERY TIME I ASK YOU, YOU CALL ME AN IDIOT!!!

Merlin: That’s because it’s a stupid idea.

Arthur: SEE!!!

[wildcatharsis]

With all the talk of ships that were lost in the war of queerbaiting (destiel, merthur, johnlock) after 9-1-1 WON the war (half way, we're still getting there) I'd like to pour one out for the oft forgotten but maybe worst queerbait of them all (imo at least)

McDanno