#AU: The Pendragon Siblings return

[prue84]

Siblings socials: The beast's lair

Fandom: BBC’s Merlin (post-canon, modern magic) AU AU: The Pendragon siblings return (sequel: modern magic) Series: Siblings socials — [ Reblogs > Likes | No AI involved ] —

You thought Arthur, being a former king, would always be the master in any couple or pairing? Well, think better. Morgana is more than willing to prove the world that is Merlin the serval who commands between the two.

———————————————————————————————

Morgana, the famed once Queen of Camelot and socials star, has taken her duties of chronicling her brother Arthur's adjusting to the modern world very seriously. If she has a chance to humiliate him, in face of the legendary epitome of noble warrior built around him during the centuries, she will do it gladly, not even hiding a smirking during the whole time. As socials love cats, who is she to deprive the socials from pics of Merlin the grumpy serval? The fact that Arthur is sleeping in an idiotic pose on the background is just a bonus point.

More about the AU under the cut. (More fanworks from this AU at the links above) (More fanworks about the prequel here)

———————————————————————————————

About the AU The story is a sequel to the The Pendragon Sibling. Eventually, the druid give the royal couple a serval as gift for their renowned peace between the throne and the magic people. The servan turns out to be a very magical boy. At the same time Morgana acquires a puma, who happens to be the disguise of an High Priestess. I elaborated a bit here. * Not even the union of the Pendragon siblings, as King of Lands and Queen of Avalon and royal couple ruling over Camelot, with Morgause the High Priestesses of the old religion and Emrys the immortal dragonlord as their shadows and mates, is enough to prevent Arthurs tragic end at Camlann at the hands of the traitor Mordred. After Camlann, Merlin withdraws in his own pain, while Queen Morgana rules wisely for the next decades, assuring that the golden age of Camelot continues. When the time to retire from the mortal life comes, Morgana, with her loyal companion Morgause and Merlin, retires on the island at the center of the lake Avalon, taking residence in the tower standing there. Centuries pass, between long sleeps and new lives in the world outside. But magic, for a series or undisclosed circumstances, have been slowly fading in the lands outside of Avalon since the Siblings balance was lost with the death of Arthur. The more they are away from the island, center of the Old Magic, the more the contact is faint, and both Morgause and Merlin feel the need to stay in their animal forms. Until magic is so weak that they are stuck in their animal form even when staying at the tower. In the 21th century Morgana is following an academic career. Every morning, during breakfast, she keeps the tv on to make some background sounds. One morning the BBC's morning program suddenly switches to a live from the town of Avalon, for news about some odd happenings at the lake. The country wonders if this is the day when King Arthur will finally raise. There has been many false alarm. This morning is different, though. Morgana, with her two felines, rushes to the lake through magic and is there to see Arthur emerge from the waters. Merlin, a one-century-and-half ancient serval, attacks everyone present, Arthur included, and Arthur himself is forced to draw Excalibur to suffuse the situation, before his sister is arrested and his feline mate put down as the rabid cat he is. After the necessary time to familiarize with a world that is completely different from the one he remembers, Morgana introduces Arthur to the marvels of the socials and together they become Twitter stars, entertaining people with their commentaries on Arthurian-related productions and their bickering. Between Morgana's interviews and bits shared by Arthur on socials, the world is revealed that the Matter of Britain is mostly made of lies and exaggerations. BBC reaches out to Morgana to collaborate to write a series that would tell the true story of the Pendragons. Morgana launches herself in the project with eagerness. As the search for a proper location to set Camelot is about to start, Morgana hints that she might has the original castle miniaturized and preserved by magic and she would be amenable to make available as set, as long as the production covers the costs of restoration. Thus the Pendragons get their old nest back restored to its golden days free of charge, and Arthur can return to live in his natural habitat. Eventually, the true identity and nature of the felines, believed to be just animals given immortality by magic and relics of the golden age of Camelot, will be revealed, But that's another story for another time.

———————————————————————————————

Notes Initially, this - the original screencap minus the serval - was supposed to be an Instagram-mock shared by the Merlin of the National Treasure instagram AU, but I didn't have the text ready and was thus stuck since 2018. Some months ago I decided to switch the poster from Merlin to the Morgana of this AU. It made no sense for Morgana to share a pic of her sleeping brother without Merlin the serval around, so the idea of putting a serval on the bed came. Tec stuffs (aka Behind The Manip) A nightmare. I couldn't find a serval pic that fit with the perspective required. And when I did, they came with dark shadows on their legs I couldn't fix. So I had to use the blankets to mask here and there, which came with another challenge on its own. Instagram graphic made all by-hand, with much moving/copy/pasting and, especially, a wearying research to find out which font the website used. No template site. Since I created my own template, it won't reflect any future changes the platform might make (I have no intention of modify my template).

———————————————————————————————

Crossposted: Livejournal: prue84.livejournal.com/103011.html Dreamwidth: prue84.dreamwidth.org/94038.html Deviantart: deviantart.com/prue84/art/The-beast-s-lair-instagram-1015696733 (instagram post), deviantart.com/prue84/art/The-beast-s-lair-photo-1-1015696691 (photo 1), deviantart.com/prue84/art/The-beast-s-lair-photo-2-1015696758 (photo 2)

[angelwiththeblue-box]

ive had this idea for like two years now but its finally come to fruition!!!! the librarians as classic dnd!!

(closeups under the cut)

now have some thoughts bc ive been thinking about this for a while- eve started as a knight, following orders and guarding some sort of artifact, when flynn breaks in and steals it, flirting with her while he does. she chases him down and finds him in a mysterious library (oooo) and realizes what shes doing is wrong and vows to change and help him (and protect him) on the flip side of things, cassandra and ezekiel are adopted siblings (no i will never let this go why do u ask) moving from town to town bc they keep getting chased out bc of ezekiels werewolfness (and thievery) or cass's magic. they both work to find artifacts, mostly for cass to help her control and learn more, and thats how they meet jake, whos trying to find and return a collection of scrolls and manuscripts to shangri-la. the three work together, and run into eve and flynn as they all try to steal the same thing and start working together bc theyre all after the same goal anyway (keep magic out of the wrong hands)

lil details- eve has the seal of the pendragons on her chest plate, while flynn carries excalibur. cass has heterchromia, which is just a fun thing i did to show her two schools of magic, as well as dragon earrings and wing cape clips as a nod to her au with lamia in s1. ezekiel keeps most of his skin covered, hiding most of his werewolf traits, and jake has the tattoos that the monkey king gave him in s3

taglist: @blueskiesandstarrynights @starstruckodysseys @disdoorted-crows @sleepyandbi @genuine-possum @thedragonemperess @depressedtransguy @joshkiszkashusband @thisisverypoggers @canadiankat

[existentialcrisisallthetime]

So with Speak Now TV dropping, I'm obviously back on my Merlin x Taylor Swift bs, so some thoughts:

Castles Crumbling: Instant Pendragon siblings vibes; it works so well for both of them + some sprinkled Merlin failing fulfilling his destiny in the middle for extra angst

Timeless: It's giving Merthur Reincarnation au through the ages. idk how else to describe it (it would actually be really cool to have a fic showing snippets of them through the decades based on the lyrics and merlin returning to the antique shop)

Long Live: It's already a given at this point, but always worthy of mention (it's perfect on its own, even without the merlin association, which is just an added bonus in this case)

Enchanted: Obviously this works for a lot of different ships (but the answer is always merthur)

Innocent: Merlin speaking to/about Arthur OR someone talking abt Merlin (although, it could honestly work for most of the characters considering no one's innocence survived, so final answer is it works for any redeemable character, aka not uther)

Speak Now: I've read a few fics based on this one, and I love the concept (go check out All Eyes On Me by TheCourtSorcerer it's one of my favorites)

Back to December: If you haven't figured it out already, my first response is always going to be merthur, but I also think this could work really well for Lancelot and Gwen (more specifically, Lance talking about Gwen. Gwen has no reason to grovel)

Haunted: This is a Morgana song, that's just the vibe I'm getting. OR Merlin's grief and pain at losing Arthur. Alternate thought: Arthur's grief and pain at losing Merlin (temporarily or not) right after a magic reveal

The Story of Us: Could go a lot of different ways, but I'm feeling Morgana & Merlin maybe

Mean: I think a chaotic montage of all of Merlin fighting all his enemies would be funny

[madamebaggio]

Notes: I did say I could have one more WIP if I finished another.

So...

Summary!

So… Yeah…

I mean, I’m a weak woman, I don’t even try anymore, blah blah blah… You guys know the drill ;)

This an AU, Londinium is part of the Seven Kingdoms (which actually makes it 8 now, but you get the idea). I’ll explain much more of what happened in future chapters, but the North did go to war, Ned did die, but Sansa was not in King’s Landing with the Lannisters and she never married Tyrion.

Also, I am making her older, just so it’s not completely creepy the fact that she and Arthur consummated the marriage. It’s for my personal comfort.

Also also… I know this summary and first chapter make it sound very serious… But it’s most certainly not. This is going to be full of fluff and shenanigans.

I hope you enjoy.

Oh, one more thing. I am just posting this as a reward for myself, but all updates are blocked until I finish the three other WIPs I had on my update list. So… Yeah.

***

Chapter 1

Sansa Stark first met her husband, Arthur Pendragon, on the day of their wedding. The first time she saw him was early the same day when he arrived for the ceremony. He’d been dirty, dressed in rags with his long hair was quite greasy. He’d barely looked at her, but moved instantly to talk to Robb.

Her mother consoled her, saying this was not a normal courtship, this was a wedding for an alliance.

Everything Sansa knew about Arthur, she’d heard from other people’s conversation. No one would really talk to her about him, not even her mother. All they told her was that he was a good man, and his father had been her father’s friend.

The other tales she’d heard around the camp: his uncle had killed his father and stolen his birthright. The Lannisters had helped and abetted this treachery. He’d been raised by whores at a brothel. Robb had promised to help him get Londinium back. His father’s former bannermen were more than willing to betray his uncle, the Warden of Londinium, for him.

Arthur was apparently happy to throw his lot with the North and call Robb his King, if it meant to get revenge on his uncle.

Sansa’s opinion hardly mattered, as Robb hadn’t asked, but only told her she’d marry this man.

The second time she saw him was in front of a crowd that was there to watch the wedding. Her mother dressed her for the ceremony, and -at least -her groom had washed for it. 

She barely remembered it, for Sansa felt as if she was sleep-walking through it all.

That wasn’t what she wanted, she didn’t even know him, but sacrifices had to be made, apparently.

The feast was a somber affair, as they were at war and couldn’t waste provisions for it.

The bedding was even worse. At that point they’d hardly exchanged more than a few words, he’d drunk quite a bit of ale, before they were carried to the chambers.

He took her in the dark. He wasn’t a brute about it, but he also wasn’t sweet. The only word Sansa could use to describe the whole thing on his part was practical. It felt as if he was doing what was expected of him in the easiest possible way. On her part, it had been painful, uncomfortable and… Empty.

She was very happy when he finished his business and promptly fell asleep beside her.

She was even happier with the fact that they didn’t have to repeat it at all.

Seven days later, her husband was gone.

Sansa was sent back to Winterfell with her siblings.

One year later, she was told she should go to Camelot as the Lady of the Keep.

She lived there for a bit over a year when refugees from the North started coming there because of Long Night and Night King.

She saw dragons flying over the land.

A few months later, news came that it was safe to return to the North.

A month later she received a raven. After three years, her husband was coming home.

Sansa was not impressed.

[make-me-imagine]

BBC Merlin Masterlist

If you find any incorrect or missing links please let me know!

Here is the link to my Main Masterlist

- - - - -

Multiple Characters:

“I had a plan” - Merlin/Reader /Arthur; they save you (Platonic)

Gif Imagine: Imagine Arthur meeting Merlins sister

Gif Imagine: Being a druid, moving to camelot, befriending everyone

Headcanons: First Kiss (fluff/romance) (Merlin; Arthur; Gwaine; Lancelot; Percival)

Birthday Match-Up Scenario Game

- - - - -

Arthur Pendragon

Headcanons:

Arthur finding out you have magic

Being in a relationship with Arthur (fluff)

Being married to Arthur (fluff)

‘First Kiss’ (fluff/romance)

Drabbles/Oneshots:

He returns from battle after you thought he had died (angst and fluff)

One Word Prompt: “Weddings" (fluff)

Ship Drabble (Reader Insert) - Comforting (fluff)

“As You Wish” (fluff)

'Heartfelt Gesture' (fluff/comfort)

Always and Forever (Oneshot Alphabet; angst and fluff)

'Forbidden Pain' (soulmate au/fluff/angst)

Faded Series Rough Draft/First Post (Halloween Oneshot) Chapter One (Mentions of death; angst)

- - - - -

Merlin:

Headcanons:

Merlin being shy around you (fluff)

‘First Kiss’ (fluff/romance)

Oneshots/Drabbles:

“Valentines Reunion” (fluff)

Wedding Day (fluff/humor)

Ship Drabble (Reader Insert) - Dancing (fluff)

Ship Drabble (Reader Insert) - Cuddles (fluff)

- - - - -

Gwaine:

Gif Imagines:

Imagine being Gwaine sister

Sparring with Gwaine and disarming him (humor)

Headcanons:

Likes/Dislikes

‘First Kiss’ (fluff/romance)

Oneshots/Drabbles:

Ship Drabble (Reader Insert) - Rainy Day (humor/fluff)

Ship Drabble (Reader Insert) - Holding Hands (fluff)

Ship Drabble (Personalized) - As Long As You're Okay (angst/comfort)

“If we get caught, I’m blaming you” (humor)

'Last Chance' (angst)

'Blissfully Unaware' (cute/fluff/gen)

'Love and Loss' (angst/hopeful ending)

- - - - -

Percival

Gif Imagines:

Being Arthurs sibling and having a crush on Percival

Working in the castle and Percival being shy around you

Headcanons:

Dating Percival and being Gwaines sibling (fluff)

Percival courting you (fluff/cute)

‘First Kiss’ (fluff/romance)

Oneshots/Drabbles:

“Why is it I always call on you when I can’t sleep?” (fluff)

Lost - “I’m calling it, we’re lost in the woods”  (fluff/angst/humor)

“We only have to make it until sunrise…" (general/creepy)

'Gentle Confession' (cute/casual fluff)

- - - - -

Lancelot:

Ship Drabble (Reader Insert) - Letter

Ship Drabble (Reader Insert) - 'Fake Dating'

Headcanons - ‘First Kiss’ (fluff/romance)

- - - - -

Gwen:

Headcanons - Being best-friends with Gwen (platonic)

Oneshot - Anniversary Gift (fluff)

- - - - -

Sir Leon:

Headcanons - Being courted by Sir Leon (fluff)

Scenario Prompts: Leon asks you to dance with him… (fluff)

[holymultiplefandomsbatman]

og post

BBC Merlin:

AU where Merlin and Gwen compete against (reining championship) Arthur and Morgana in a speech and debate tournament

((Merlin and Gwen win))

Omg I love this. Especially that Morgana and Arthur are hyper competitive and to have them on the same team against Gwen and Merlin is glorious.

Ok, ok, ok. So, Merlin and Gwen originally want to play this casually. But Morgana and Arthur keep bragging that they'll beat the two of them easily, leaving Merlin and Gwen to make a pact that whatever happens, they will defeat the Pendragon siblings. Whatever it takes.

1. The knights form a cheerleading group. Like, they should��technically be rooting for the king and his sister, obviously - but they all love and cherish Merlin and Gwen, so there’s that. The knights secretly passing around little messages at practice with supportive drawings that either celebrate Merlin and Gwen or mock the royal competitors.

2. Gwaine once got caught performing a hilarious impression of Arthur during a debate, which was so great that it sent everyone into a laughing fit. Unfortunately, the one who caught him was Arthur. Gwaine had to clean out the stables for two weeks.

3. Gaius is the main judge of the debate. A lot of people have voiced doubts in the weeks leading up to the debate, about how they are unsure Gaius will be able to be unbiased - the whole of Camelot knows that Merlin is his ward, after all. Gaius’ only response to it is that this is a debate battle against the king and his sister, so there really isn’t any side he could pick that outweighs the other. That shuts up most of the nay-sayers.

4. Once the debate is going and Arthur realizes they are losing, he does raise suspicion against Gaius about not judging fairly. But Morgana shuts him up real quick by telling him he just needs to be eloquent for once and actually think before he speaks. (There’s howling laughter from the audience, and Merlin has a slightly cocky grin on his face when he looks over at their opponents. Arthur wants the floor to swallow him whole.)

5. It’s Gwen who delivers the final argument to solidify their win. Both her and Merlin have excelled in great teamwork to really drive home their arguments, because the two of them just get each other and have a great bond that allows them to almost guess what the other person is thinking before they even speak. But Gwen exchanges one look with Merlin when the call comes for the last rebuttal, and he just nods his head, letting her have the floor. And Gwen delivers her argument with such eloquence and great wording that Arthur and Morgana just stare at her, mouths agape, speechless. The crowd applauds loudly, and Gwen just smiles.

(When Gaius announces their win, Gwen hugs Merlin so forcefully he almost falls over. But he returns the hug, whispering in her ear how proud he is. Gwen just holds him tightly. Later, she’ll tell him all about which arguments he delivered that she really liked, about her favorite reactions from the audience, or Arthur’s best shocked expressions. In that moment though, she allows herself to accept Merlin’s appreciative words, to bask in the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Gwen is allowed to be proud of her accomplishments, too, after all.)

Ok so, I legit had this sitting in my drafts for months. I’m so sorry I’m only answering this now, but here it is. I really love this idea so much, and now I genuinely kinda wanna write a short fic about it. (The only thing stopping me is knowing that I’d have to come up with the actual debate lmao.)

[aftertheskyy]

Masterlist

Trying this again. If a link doesn't work, feel free to send an ask or DM!

* for Merthur ~ for bullet fics r - requested > - personal favorite

Canon era/canon era AU

Unknown talents

> Love languages

~> Musical episode

~* Merthur as dads

~ Percival (r)

Canon era Perwaine (r)

Types of humor (r)

* Knights as uncles

~*> Flowers

~* Arthur giving Merlin his circlet (r)

~* Stars (r)

*> Height differences

~ Growing up Pendragon

~* Royal! Merlin (r)

> Dancing knights (r)

Knights with a crush

* Merlin with glasses

~ Arthur trying to garden (r)

Chaotic Pendragon siblings (r)

~* Poetry

~ The Neckerchief

~ Young Merlin with magic

~* Dragon dads

~> Leon and Merlin - Immortals

* Merlin and Gwen

Goblin! Gaius

~ Meanwhile in Avalon

> Merlin but make it modern slang

> Off-duty knights

~*> The knights knowing about Merthur

> Arthur is smart

~ Arthur and Gwen’s first dance

*> Merthur mornings

~* 1x01 from Arthur’s POV

Merlin’s magic excuses

> Merlin’s beard?

The dog in “Valiant”

> Balinor and Merlin

> Magic knights

Thicc Merlin

Not the tavern

*Merlin/Gwen as Pendragon spouses (r)

*> Freckles

Percival is a gentle giant (r)

> Merlin the poet

The knights and emotions

Gwaine + emotions (r)

> Ways Merlin wakes Arthur up

Merlin + big words

Leon with a crush (r)

Pickled eggs

Elyan

Merlin impersonator (r)

The guards love Merlin (r)

Modern AU

*Merthur wedding

Disneyland

*Camping

Perwaine

Game (K)nights

Jobs in a modern world

At the mall

Swimming

As kids

Bookstore (r)

Movie (K)nights (r)

* Long distance Merthur (r)

> Among Us

~ Reincarnated Kilgharrah

Thanksgiving

> Merlin in the 20th century

~> The Horn of Cathbhad

Perwaine pets (r)

Dad! Leon (r)

Strong man Percy (r)

Karaoke (K)nights

Percy and Gwaine training (r)

Really random things

Jethro Cane in Camelot 

> Theme songs

> Merlin as John Mulaney quotes 

> Delta airlines - Merlin edition

~*> The Little Mer(lin)maid

Superhero au

* For Forever

Newsies au

> Merlin as Hamilton quotes

Supernatural au

~*> Tangled au

> Things the knights call themselves

You, me and Steve Leon

Teen portrayals

> You think I sit around doing nothing?

> Kilgharrah quotes

The Lion King

> As things my friends have said

> I love Arthur because...

Arthur’s return?

Series

Quarantine - Part 1, Part 2

Hogwarts - Part 1*, Part 2

*Middle school - Part 1, Part 2 (r), Part 3

*Touch starved Arthur - Part 1 (r), Part 2

*> What they love about each other - Merlin, Arthur

> Merthur touches - Part 1*,  Part 2 

Leon and Arthur - Part 1, Part 2 (r)

Arthur + separation - Part 1, Part 2

Lancelot’s manners - Part 1, Part 2

[akampana]

16 cutoria but in a vampire/werewolf au?

ANON LOOK WHAT YOU DID ITS 6716 WORDS LONG/lh

16 “I didn’t want to tell you like this, but I have no choice.” Werewolf AU Cú Chulainn x Arturia Pendragon

________

“You’ve stalled for too long, brat.”

The she-wolf dropped into the clearing without a sound, her experienced paws padding across the forest floor as lightly as the beating of butterfly wings. Scáthach was a creature of grace, even as a large canine. Her hunts were nothing short of elegant either, carried out quiet enough such as not to disturb the night. It was no wonder at all that she was once the Alpha of the pack.

The new Alpha was not so. Though the runs he was tasked to lead were mostly just as productive, he was rough and arrogant, hunting larger prey while scorning rabbits and smaller faunus. While the pups enjoyed being handed larger game whenever he came to the den, his chosen prey’s strangled cries always alerted nearby animals to go running. In winter, such conduct put the whole pack in danger of going hungry.

Despite that, it was only Scáthach who ever told him off, for there was no one else quite as strong as the large grey beast that was bestowed the honor of being their leader.

“You know what snow does to the rival packs, Cú,” hummed the wiser wolf as she circled the hubristic pup. She was never in favor of putting him in the lead just yet, but she had served her purpose, teaching him all that she knew. She didn’t doubt he had the prowess. He just lacked the responsibility.

“They have been seen closing in on our territory, now that prey runs scarce. You’ve been lucky, bringing in as much elk as you have thus far. But how will you maintain that while defending the territory, hm? Pull a miracle and find some loose sheep like you did last winter?”

Her pup-turned-leader snorted, shaking his snout as he stalked away. “This another attempt at getting me a mate, old hag?”

The she-wolf bared her teeth at the new alpha, batting his snout with her paw. “A mate shows power and longevity, you know this. Fionn may not have been the best father to you, but he brought you brothers and he brought you safety.”

“I ain’t taking Medb,” Cú snarled back, his fur standing on end at the thought. “So shove it. I’m heading out. Tell Ferdíad I can’t make it to game night.”

Without another word, the alpha wolf bounded off into the trees faster than the human eye could follow. He leapt past hills, his paws crunching snow beneath him, careless of the little prey that scuttled about. They were done with today’s hunt. Even Ferdíad's litter could go to sleep completely satisfied.

The wolf dodged through the thick vegetation mile after mile, until the paths he marked out for the younger wolves were no longer in sight. Although he doubted the den mother would approve of him going so far out into their territory alone, he was the alpha now. His decisions would no longer be questioned.

Finally, he came to a cave: an old abandoned bear den, that lesser beings avoided though its owner no longer lived there. His sharp ruby eyes darted to his surroundings, making sure he wasn’t followed. Then, he entered the den, as he had done several times before, and came out the cave’s other end.

Only Diarmuid knew about his hideout, and he’d like to keep it that way. As long as the beta kept this little secret within the pack territory, Cú could keep her safe.

The large canine made his way past a few evergreen trees ‘til the humble farm came into view. Sure enough, there she was in the middle of the fenced off enclosure, sitting amongst her sheep while the lambs fed on the last of the grass.

Here was Scáthach’s little “miracle”: a shepherd that had seen Cú’s starving figure at the edge of her farm last winter and purposely left her fence gate open. To this day, Cú still did not know why she did it, but her generosity got his entire pack through the harsh season.

In return, he’d secretly kept foxes and wild wolves off her farm, making sure the lesser beings knew better than to encroach on his personal territory.

At least, that’s what he did as a wolf.

Cú returned to his little cave, snarling as his fur receded into his skin. The alpha curled onto the ground, biting his own paw to stifle his groans as the bones within him shrank and contorted into a lesser form. His snout receded into a straight nose, his fangs into passably human sharp teeth. Without his night vision, Cú reached blindly for the small duffel bag tucked into a small hollow and pulled out an artificial coat and a pair of trousers.

What snuck out of the enclosure was no longer a grey apex predator, but a tall, muscled man with flowing dark hair: an ordinary hunter, no more special than the ones that frequented the northern town.

The bell chimed as he walked through the entrance, signalling the blonde shop owner of his arrival. Cú tried not to smile too widely as Arturia Pendragon popped her head through the staff door, but he knew that was a futile effort.

“Hey, shortie.”

“Good evening, Cú,” replied the woman, snorting at his favorite nickname for her as he hung his coat on the rack. “I have your usual ready...though I still cannot understand why you prefer coming here rather than the supermarket. You know Arthur takes our supply every Monday. He's down there with Arash the rest of the week. Isn’t that a little closer to home?”

Right. She still thought he lived in town. It was easier than saying he lived across the woods in a village even more secluded then hers which would be impossible to get to from here without a two hour drive unless you were a wolf that could cross the forest terrain in a fraction of time, so he didn’t correct her.

The Irishman shrugged and sank into the rug before the fireplace. “Mutton’s better fresh. 'Sides, the grocers don't stock your pies. Ya really should sell 'em, Arturia, I'm tellin' ya.”

The woman scoffed, lightly nudging her friend to the side with her foot. As he scooched over, she set down a food tray between them: one with two glasses of whiskey and two slices of pie.

"Flatterer," she accused, handing the bigger slice to Cú anyway. He wolfed it down in seconds.

The first time he showed up at her door went much the same way, just a lot more awkward.

It was the day after his wolf came home with her sheep. He'd already knocked on her door to thank her before realizing how stupid that idea was. What was he meant to say?

Hey, uh, thanks for letting me hunt your sheep to feed my pack. My best friend's wife just popped a litter of hungry babies, hehe gotta feed them young am I right? Oh, by the way, I'm the wolf from yesterday, nice to meet you—Yep. No. not gonna work. This was a terrible idea. Stupid, really. He was stupid. Why did he even come here again?

Then she swung open the door, freezing the man in place with his mouth half open.

"Can I help you?" She asked, but before he could even reply, he was greeted by snow. Everywhere. All at once. Down his spine and into his underwear.

Now, he wasn't as susceptible to the cold as the common human, but she did not know that. Before he could even get a word out, he was sitting in front of the fire to dry while she ran to get him something warm to drink.

A change into Arthur's clothes and some hot coffee later, he was being served pie at the dining table to make up for his unexpected snow shower.

"Again, I sincerely apologize for that. My brother and I haven't had the chance to fix the porch roof. We just moved to this old farm last month,” rambled the short Welsh woman as she handed him a hot towel.

After some hesitation and observation on the stranger’s way of dress, she asked, “Did...did you come here for lamb?"

Little did she know, she'd just handed Cú the perfect excuse. Plus, he now knew exactly how to show his gratitude.

"If I fix up yer roof would ya give me a discount?"

Over the next week, Cú would come to the Pendragon residence to make repairs. It wasn’t just the roof that needed patching up.

It turns out she and her brother were alone in the world, cheated out of their inheritance and everything else they owned by their older sister. All that was left to them was this old farm and cottage, which neither had visited since they were kids. Their half-sibling even threw in three truckloads of animals as a joke, since she had all the riches in the world to spend and a special budget for humiliating the two green-eyed blondes.

Still, the twins were educated. Brilliant, even. And though they were clumsy when it came to most household repairs, their experience tending equine stables for their late father translated rather well to animal husbandry. In a month, they had made enough to pay the bills and get them a secondhand laptop and working Wi-fi. The next month saw Arturia getting her own computer.

Half a year down the line, Cú was sure that the Pendragon siblings would move out, but here they stayed, still maintaining their humble farm though it was no longer their only form of income. Neither of them needed the burden of moving back to London, with its ridiculously high cost of living and impossible rent rates. They’d grown fond of the land they actually owned and its peace.

That suited Cú just fine, because he had grown fond of Arturia.

Cú still visited, even after all the repairs had finished. His nephews were always hungry, and while the mutton did not satisfy the little pups’ bloodlust as much as wild game, it made up for the deficit while the children were in human form. But even Arthur knew his bi-monthly purchases were just an excuse.

He was there for the coffees, for the brief moments his fingers would brush hers. He was there for the whiskey, the cheap bottles they shared before the fireplace while she told him everything she could about the city. He was there to make fun of her posh way of speaking, to pull the ribbon from her hair, to bring her fruits and berries and furs and let her read him books.

He was there for her.

Scáthach’s training only increased in intensity as the months passed, and between his day job and being the new alpha, Cú had little time left for himself. But what he could spare, he spent with his favorite person, even if it was just watching her tend her sheep from a distance while he kept foxes out of her territory.

Cú tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear, happy to see she didn’t even flinch, but plagued by the thought of his wolf. He was the pack alpha now, and that meant a shitload of other responsibilities that would keep him from her for as long as he held that title.

“That’s all yer charging me, shortie? Nah, can’t be,” Cú resisted, pushing a few more bills across the table. “That’s way too cheap, even if yer sweet on me.”

Pink-faced, Arturia slid the packed meats back across the counter, reached behind her, and procured a carefully wrapped circular dish which she placed in a bag.

“Take it,” she insisted, hooking the bag onto his fingers. “We’ve been ridiculously lucky to not get any wolves and foxes considering how much higher into the mountains we live compared to the rest of the town. There is more than enough left for Arthur and I.”

Cú peeked into the extra bag, catching a glimpse of a familiar crust. God, she was far too kind. He’d reject the offer, but he’d always wanted to bring some shepherd’s pie back to the pack. This was his chance.

“Ya sure?”

“Absolutely,” she confirmed, holding open the front door as Cú made his exit. “This is the least I could do for you, Cú. You have helped make us feel home in this far-off place. I would even say that you are family but—”

“Go out with me,” the werewolf interrupted, shoving all his reservations into his internal dumpster. He didn’t know how yet, but he was gonna make this work. “Come on, I know ya like me, shortie.”

Tiptoeing, Arturia snaked a hand into his hair and pulled him down to her level, planting a small kiss on his cheekbone.

“It is...a little more than ‘like’, I believe,” the woman admitted bashfully, trying to mask her embarrassment by awkwardly sneaking back behind the door. “...Eight tomorrow?”

Cú bit his lip, glad to hear confirmation on what he already knew. She loved him back. She loved him back. God, he better not be looking like a child just handed some candy.

“Nah, this morning weekend. This weekend morning. The morning of this weekend,” he fumbled, rewarded with a short chuckle from her end. “I wanna have a whole day with ya for once, shortie. I’ll make it worth yer time.”

There was a spring in his step as the alpha bounded across the forest that night, carrying the bags carefully with the handles between his teeth.

If only he weren’t so distracted. Then he’d have noticed the salivating spy that watched him leave the abandoned bear den with a fresh pack of meat.

Snow fell heavily across the landscape on Tuesday evening, covering the last of autumn’s colors in a blanket of pure white. After dinner time was always idle for Cú, so he spent it sharing Arturia’s gift with the kids and spinning his phone in his fingers.

Instinct told him a storm was coming, and though it would probably have passed by Saturday, Cú wondered if he should try and reschedule his anticipated date. He wasn’t too worried about Arturia, since Arthur said he’d be coming back up to the cottage tonight, so at least she wouldn’t be alone all through it. Plus, the twins really did have a lot of food in stock. In comparison, he and his pack were the ones less prepared.

His sharp ears perked up as a familiar presence entered the grounds. The alpha’s brow knitted, as the slight smell of blood entered the air, but if the little ones weren’t alarmed, it must not have been such a serious wound.

Diarmuid stepped into the kitchen, still pulling on a wool jacket and shaking the snow off of his dark hair.

“Evening, Alpha,” the handsome man said softly, taking notice of the pie that sat in front of the pups.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, just call me Cú. Yer no less my little bro now than ya were before, Diar,” he corrected, sliding a plate his way. “Try that.”

The amber-eyed man approached the meal like a cat did water: hesitantly and suspiciously. Thankfully, as soon as he had a taste he had about the same reaction as Ferdiad’s kids did. Which was...basically nearly crying tears of joy.

“Where did you say you got this?” Diarmuid asked, snatching up another helping as Cú smirked. He’d not give the answer up that easily.

The alpha’s red eyes landed on his brother’s shoulder, finding a clumsy bandage just sticking out the collar. At once, he herded the beta into a different room, far enough from the pups that they couldn’t hear.

“The hell happened to ya?” Cú demanded, pulling the shirt collar to the side to better gauge the severity of the wound.

“It’s a warning, Sétanta” Scáthach answered for her son, entering the log cabin from the back door. “The rival packs were closing in on the border. I doubt their side of the mountain is as scarce as they make it out to be and yet they have the gall to encroach on ours.”

“Our territory’s guarded. That’s why we moved Fergus, ain’t it? To cover all bases. Den in the center with the pups, Me and Diar in the North, and dad in the South. Fergus’s gang to the west, and we got the town in the east and all wolves know not to mess with the towns,” Cú shot back, unconcerned.

Red eyes much alike to Cú’s observed him with kind care, seeing the wolf pup and alpha both. The new leader was strong, but he was arrogant. In a way, he was a perfect successor, for she knew he could kill her should the need arise. However, too loose he was with laws; too untethered by the rules that kept their kind safe.

“It would be a show of strength to take a mate. To let all know that our new Alpha has his right hand—”

Cú waved his arms dismissively. “The hands I do have are more than enough to drive them off. Ya know that. Now, are we stocking up for the pups or what? The storm ain’t gonna delay, I can smell it.”

22:24 Read

Cú paced the main den like a dog kept in an enclosure for far too long, tossing his half-charged phone while he awaited her message.

Four days. It had been four days since the blizzard started, piling snow on top of snow day after day as if it was trying to beat some arctic record. The log cabin’s ground floor was completely sealed in. They’d been on generator for the last four hours, listening to the weatherman on the radio as he promised for the third time that tonight the storm would finally pass.

Diarmuid was curling up with his nephews, keeping them warm in wolf form as they slept. Cú thanked every god he knew that they went on a hunt before the blizzard hit, else the kids went hungry. He and Diarmuid hadn’t planned to stay at their brother’s but the weather hardly gave them a choice. Their cottage was a lot further off.

22:24 Read

Cracks appeared on the glass as Cú glared into his mobile’s screen, hoping for some sort of change. But no. There sat the same exchange from an hour ago, the same bloody text just very loudly broadcasting to him the worst news of today.

One of our generators broke down. I need to move the power to the barn.

For real? Are you okay, shortie?

Arturia?

Hey, ya can’t just leave me hangin like that.

Arturia?

22:24 Read

“Sétanta, would you just put the bloody phone down?!” Ferdiad screeched, snatching the device right out of the alpha’s hands. “I said we were gonna talk, how the hell are we supposed to talk when yer not even givin’ me the bloody time of day!”

The low growl that escaped through the alpha’s bared teeth shook the cabin like an earthquake.

“What,” Cú barked, grabbing his precious device back while his brother stood his ground. “If this is just another lecture about how Scáthach was right, I should have just fucked with Medb and get it over with, I ain’t hearing another fucking word.”

22:24 Read

“No, you piece of—” Ferdiad inhaled sharply, his nostrils flaring with frustration. The older man grabbed his brother by the shoulders, shaking him like a rattle. “Cú. Listen to me.”

As Diarmuid shushed them both, Ferdiad pointed outside, to where nothing could be seen but heavy white ice.

“Do you seriously think Scáthach wants you to mate that pink-haired priss? ‘Course not. She just needs ya to set down roots,” the delta wolf explained, looking over the alpha’s shoulder to his three sons. “You are the strongest of us, Cú, but nothing ties ya to this territory. For all the outsiders know you could be planning to move and make your own pack.”

The younger of them grimaced as Diarmuid nodded from his perch with the pups.

“I ain’t going nowhere,” the new alpha emphasized, shrugging out of his brother’s touch.

“Well they don’t know that! What if this whole time, the only reason they haven’t advanced is cause we’ve been keeping close watch on our borders, hm? Hell, you and Diar have basically been here the entire fucking week, they probably think you’ve bloody moved on. Wouldn’t surprise me in the least if they took advantage of this stupid storm to move into our territory, now that you’re not guarding the north!” Ferdiad argued, baring his fangs at his superior.

22:24 Read.

Cú’s heart stopped, the poor phone in his hands near crunching in his grip. No. The Pendragons didn’t live too far from the town. It was fine. She was fine. Just snowed in.

No werewolf was crazy enough to go near town in their canine form, not even the rival packs. There was too much risk of being found out. Simply no way.

Unless...

22:24 Read.

Unless they didn’t have any food in store. Unless they were looking for some easy pickings. Maybe a couple of sheep that wouldn’t be missed, stolen from a farm just a little out of range of the nearby village.

A farm with a single, vulnerable caretaker, forced to share a heater with her flock.

22:24 Read.

Cú frantically pressed the call button and put the phone to his ear, shushing Ferdiad before the delta could return to making his arguments. Three rings later and the line cut. He tried again, heart dropping like deadweight when it gave the same result.

His footsteps became panicked as he walked round in circles, scrolling upward to a contact that was here only for emergencies.

“Arthur,” Cú said through the phone, hearing the familiar voice of his blonde friend coming through the line. “‘S Arturia there with ya?”

Suddenly a quiet bang resounded throughout the room. A gunshot, deafened by distance and snow. Any false sense of security Cú still had shattered with the sound.

“The hell?” Ferdiad exclaimed, rushing towards his children to comfort them. “There can’t be any humans crazy enough to hunt in that storm.”

The alpha was no longer around to hear him.

Arturia never held any hate for her half-sister. Not even when she banned her and her twin to Ireland with nothing left to their name. Despite everything, Arturia thought her punishment was not too cruel, for she still had Arthur. She still had a degree under her belt, and in a way, Morgan had cast her far away from a destiny she didn’t even want to fulfil. Arthur never wanted to take over the mining company and neither did she.

The first few weeks were difficult, but they learned to live on their own. They made a humble world for themselves that wasn’t tied to their prestigious last name. It was simple. But it was good.

She’d admit it got a little lonely with just the two of them around, but...then there was Cú. Cú, who helped them fix up the house, who came bringing drinks or food they could all share by the fire. Cú, who helped them get set up at the market, who got them their regular buyers and still made himself a frequent customer. Cú, who made up excuses just to see her, who scorned the couch to lie down on her lap while she read.

The cabin was always a little warmer when he was around. It was home when he was around.

She should have asked him out sooner.

The wolves came crashing through the windows, raining thick glass all over her flock. There were seven of them. All massive beasts with fur of brown and grey, glowing eyes and bared fangs. In their view, she may as well have been just another sheep, helpless in the face of the predator.

The air was a cacophony of distressed bleating, panicked hooves and growls as the sheep tried their best to escape their fate. Amidst it were her own hoarse screams as a brown beast sank its fangs into her arms, her frantic kicks to its belly doing nothing to throw the large beast off. Desperate green eyes searched the floor for her gun, which sat useless under her first attacker, a chestnut wolf that had ignored smaller prey and gone straight for her.

Her own blood dripped down onto her cheeks as the wolf above her crushed her limbs between its teeth. Arturia’s eyes prickled with tears as fresh cries escaped her lips, grieving not from the pain but for all she was going to lose. So soon, she had to say goodbye to her new life, her brother, to any chance she ever had at a happy ending.

The woman felt her predator’s claw stomp onto her throat, stifling her screams as its teeth dug into her shoulder. Salt fell freely from her eyes as the beast tore through the muscle. Was this how she was going to die? Cold and alone amongst the carcasses of her flock? Was this how Arthur would find her when the blizzard did subside, torn to pieces and left scattered all over the barn floor?

Arturia shut her eyes, unwilling to let her last sight be that of her killer. Instead, she thought of Arthur, hoping someone would be there for him through it all. She thought of Cú, she thought of the lovely blue dress she was supposed to wear when she finally went out with him. She’d been waiting for the day to finally wear it. She knew he loved the color blue.

As her lungs began to burn for air, her final thought was a prayer to a God she didn’t know she still believed in. If she were to die today, then let it be the last pain her two favorite boys would ever experience—

Suddenly, frigid oxygen entered her lungs as her attacker was tackled off of her, leaving Arturia hacking and coughing as she gasped for breath. She sat up dizzily, gripping her injured shoulder with bleeding arms as she tried to get her bearings.

The pack had abandoned the few sheep that were left, hounding instead the new arrival: a wolf easily larger than her from head to tail, with grey fur that glistened in the little light. Its glowing red eyes seemed aflame with rage as it sank its teeth into her attacker’s throat and snapped its neck like a toothpick, showering all the surrounding dogs with their leader’s blood. Even then, the grey wolf did not stop, jumping at the next canine and carrying out its execution.

The woman limped to the exit as fast as she could, bracing herself against the biting cold as she made her way back to the cabin. Behind her, the barking continued as wolf fought against wolf, the red-eyed one beating off the remaining four while the frightened sheep ran wild with fear.

Arturia slammed the cabin door closed behind her, bolting every lock there was with frostbitten fingers before sneaking a glance back into the barn through the window. There was barely anything to make out amidst the pouring snow and the painful throbbing in her head, but all she knew was that somehow...the newcomer was winning.

She didn’t know what kind of divine intervention must have occurred for that wolf to come save her, but...all it did was buy her a little time. Even if she was safe from predators in the cabin, the freezing cold would take her before morning. Maybe she could start a fire, but she’d lost so much blood, she could barely even stand.

After much struggle to ignite the tinder, the injured woman slumped onto the rug before the fireplace, taking comfort in the hearth’s warmth as the blizzard raged on outside.

A loud crash brought her attention behind her, to where stood the red eyed wolf, blood staining the grey fur on his shoulder. Two emotions gripped her heart at the same time: fear and recognition. As the beast stalked its way toward her, she finally understood why he looked so familiar.

It was the young wolf from last year, the one who sat right outside her fence, neither coming in to attack her flock, nor fleeing at the sight of her. She’d always wondered what became of him after he ran off with a couple of her sheep. He had a lot more weight on him compared to back then, enough that she knew it was hopeless to try fighting him off. If he’d somehow defeated the entire pack in the barn, an injured human like herself didn’t stand a chance.

“It’s you, isn’t it?” she croaked, her shattered vocal chords barely able to keep up. “Please just make it quick.”

Almost as if he could understand her, the wolf whimpered and flattened his ears against his head, lowering himself as he approached.

For the second time that night, Arturia shut her eyes as the wolf caged her broken, shivering figure to the floor. She stiffened, anticipating another bite as he brought his head closer.

Then she felt a warm tongue lick her cheek.

Arturia’s eyes snapped open in surprise, locking with increasingly familiar ruby irises. The wolf lay its head on her chest, gently resting on top of her as it whimpered. Suddenly, it began to whine, jerking back and forth as its body contorted itself into a different shape. One that was smaller, one that hadn’t a silver coat of fur, one that no longer crushed her underneath its weight.

Soon it wasn’t a wolf at all that Arturia held in her arms, but a man. Large hands that she recognized traveled up to her cheeks, his thumbs stroking away her tears. Her heart warred with itself, overtaken by pain, relief, fear, security. But all of that could wait.

Cú leaned forward til he was kissing her, molding his mouth into hers til he had her lips memorized.

“Cú,” Arturia whispered, when they separated to breathe, her injured arms wearily looping around his neck. “You’re…”

“Sorry,” The man shushed her with another deep kiss, enveloping her shivering figure into his embrace. “I didn’t wanna tell you like this, but I have no choice. I’m—”

“The wolf from last winter,” she interrupted, her mind struggling to put together the pieces. “The…wolf who came to save me. You were here with me this whole tim—mmh”

The man’s fingers snaked behind her head, supporting her as tasted her mouth once more.

“Ya saved me first.”

There was a desperation in the way that he moved, the way he touched her cold skin. He didn’t want it to be like this. He wished their first kiss would have been somewhere warm. He wanted to take her out to the lake, hold her hand…not drag her into his world of hunt-or-be-hunted.

Cú pressed his lips to her neck, regretting the multitude of wounds she sustained there. If only he were here earlier. If only he were faster. This would never have happened if wasn’t so damn careless.

The werewolf pulled down her scarf and jacket, exposing the deep wounds the rival pack leader had left at the junction of her shoulder and all over her arms.

They bit her.

Cú pursed his lips, placing a few more kisses to her temple. He hoped it would be enough. He hoped she would understand his feelings for her. He hoped she would forgive him.

“Let’s get ya patched up, shortie, okay?”

Cú borrowed some of Arthur’s clothes for the second time, leaving her momentarily to redirect the power back to the cottage instead of the barn. There were nothing but carcasses to warm over there now. After that, he no longer left her side, nursing her wounds the best that he could and keeping her close to share his body heat.

“You’re gonna turn,” Cú said seriously, hugging the one person he loved more than anything to his chest. Werewolf saliva was powerful, and so their kind never endeavored to sink their teeth into humans unless they were sure to kill the target or intentionally make them part of their pack.

“How soon?” Arturia answered back, turning to look up at her saviour. All the fear in her eyes had disappeared, replaced with melancholy and trust. Of course she was upset. Creatures of his world had just gone and stolen her new life away.

“The next full moon,” Cú answered regretfully, “Tomorrow night.”

Cú brushed her bangs out of her face, letting his ruby eyes clash with her emeralds. “Ya scared?”

The man didn’t even know why he was asking. But what were you supposed to say to someone who was just dragged into a hidden world she knew nothing about? How was he supposed to tell her she’d be riddled with bloodlust for the rest of her life, that she’d crave the hunt, that she’d yearn for the night? How was he supposed to tell her she had to give up the one family she had left to keep him away from the life of a hunter?

“Should I be?” Arturia answered, deceptively calm. No doubt, she was thinking of the heavy price she had to pay for surviving.

Cú knew Scáthach was coming. He could feel it. As soon as this bloody storm let up, the she-wolf would put her nose to the air, track him down to this cottage, and put down the rival pack’s unintentional new member before she even had the chance to morph.

Not if he could help it.

“Ya said l was like family to you, Arturia, did ya mean it?” he asked, his heart racing like crazy. His favorite person nodded into his chest, fiddling with his fingers and palm.

“Then...d’ya wanna be that to me, forever though?” he stuttered out, suddenly losing all manner of confidence.

Arturia got up to face him. “How do you mean?”

“Damn yer really gonna let me get into the specifics, huh? Right,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his head despite himself. “Look, for us, there’s just one. One mate, for the rest of our lives. You just feel this...bond with them, ya know? Strong enough ya can’t bear to be without them. If ya let me, I want you to be that for me."

"Cú, are you asking me to wed you?" she asked back, confusion settling in the crease between her brows. "But we haven't even gone out yet—"

"Ya were gonna marry me eventually," he shot back, flicking the hair outta her face. "I'm quite the husband material, dontcha think? I bring ya food, I eat your pie—my family likes them by the way—I'm handsome as fuck, not ta mention, charming, what’s the harm in speeding things up a lil’?"

The werewolf grinned at her, trying to cover up how bloody nervous he actually felt.

“And also my pack won’t kill ya. Cause you know, technically ya belong to the rival pack, because they’re the ones that bit ya. But also yer all that’s left in that pack, after tonight and…” he paused, cupping her face with his hands, “I'll still court you, 'Turia. I want to. I'll give ya a good life. Swear.”

Arturia’s lips quirked upward for a second, knowing how crazy adamant Cú could be with following promises.

"Alright,” she confirmed, accepting his kiss. “I just...I worry about Arthur."

"So you finally show up, hm? Disappear for a while, why don't you? Doesn't matter whether or not the rival pack comes to—"

Scáthach inhaled, sniffing her grey wolf pup as she circled him. Something had changed about her son, she could feel it.

"There is no rival pack," Cú answered, grinning like a madman. “Only two new additions to ours.”

"What?"

“Last winter, it stormed just like this, didn’t it? No game, not even the smallest of hares. We were considering crossing over to the other side of the mountain, yeah?” Cú asked back, eagerly goading out the she-wolf’s response. Scáthach stared at him intensely, her red eyes glowing in the light of the full moon.

“You came back with sheep—”

The grey wolf nodded its head in a near-human fashion.”They were gifts. From them.”

Cú yipped, calling for the two concealed wolves to come into the den.

One was large and long, with fur as black as the bark of trees. He came out of the woods like a moving shadow, paws of coal shuffling through the snow. Even Scáthach, who was a midnight color herself, thought she was looking straight into a beautiful void.

The second wolf was smaller. She had a pelt of pure shining white, purer even than fresh snowfall. If not for the black nose that nuzzled into their alpha as she came close, she would be completely missable in their landscape of ice.Though of shorter stature, she strode like a king. Scáthach hadn’t a doubt that if this newcomer were born a wolf, she’d be an alpha herself without question.

The two newcomers stared at the she-wolf with matching emerald eyes, each set of orbs sparkling with the colors of the aurora. Siblings. Strong ones. But any wolf could tell these two were not born with beast’s blood like the rest of them, their footsteps were too unnatural. Too clumsy. They were made beasts, and by their scent it had been the doing of the rival pack.

As her son pressed his snout to the white wolf’s nose, several things finally clicked into place. Cú had gone and done what she’d been pestering him to do for the last few months and had eliminated the pack that had been encroaching on their territory in one fell swoop.

Cú had chosen his mate: a human convert who’d inherited their rivals’ land the day she was bitten. A human who they just so happened to owe a great debt for getting them through last year’s winter.

As Cú’s beastly eyes stared her down, Scáthach had to admit... her bratty pup finally had her at a total loss. She couldn’t be mad about anything, couldn’t even nitpick at the tiny size of his chosen queen or her tar-coat brother. Gosh, Fionn was gonna get a lotta kicks outta this.

“Names,” the she-wolf demanded, circling the twins while Cú gave her a shit-eating grin. Then, she turned, looking back just once to signal for them to follow.

Side by side, the new wolves and the alpha made their way into the central den. Arthur was immediately swarmed by Cú’s brothers. Arturia, by Ferdiad’s pups.

Later, when all had settled back into human skin and a fresh change of clothes, Cú looked about his pack. Fergus and Medb had come to visit, with all sorts of food in tow. Diarmuid excitedly showed Arthur around the wolf den while Fionn and Scathach kept to their own corner. Ferdiad and his litter sat right in front of the brick oven, eagerly awaiting the shepherd’s pie the twins had prepared.

The alpha leaned down, resting his cheek atop Arturia’s blonde head.

“We never did get to go on that date,” she whispered lightheartedly, leaning her head onto his chest. “I even had a dress prepared.”

“Mmmmm that so?” Cú shot back, grinning, “I just think since we are “mated” we really ought to get to mating if ya know what I—”

Arturia’s palm snapped onto his lips before he could complete the thought. Suddenly, they were wrestling each other to the floor, the older wolf chuckling like a madman all the while.

“Kidding—ooofghmhm--kidding, Arturia, I’m kidding, jeez,” he managed to get out, placating his blushing mate as he grabbed onto her hands. The Welsh woman panted, from her seat atop him, her green eyes looking everywhere else but into his red orbs.

“Eight tomorrow?” Arturia asked, though she knew full well Cú was coming home with her that day.

Not even caring about the teasing whoops resounding through the wolf den, Cú pulled his mate down for another hug.

“Yeah. I’d like that, shortie.”

[prue84]

(Hakka & Dragoneyes’s) Merlin AUs  |  Royal (dragon) husbands

AU in which a series of canon divergences lead to Arthur surviving the mortal wound inflicted him by Mordred at Camlann and, with the help of Merlin who then becomes his Prince Consort, bringing the golden age foretold by the prophecies.

Few months after the sacrifice that has shaken the core of Camelot, Lancelot awakes in the land of the living, his spirit released from the world behind the Veil. His return to Camelot comes as a surprise but all rejoice in seeing him well and in health. Always mistrustful Merlin fears the hand of Morgana behind the miraculous return from the dead of his old friend, but the vengeful high priestess is for once innocent and Lancelot turns out to be who he appears to be: a man who has been given, for unclear reasons, a new chance at life. With a little nudge from Merlin, Gwen finally questions her relationship with Arthur and the relationship she never had the chance to have with Lancelot; this eventually leads to her understand that, while her love for the king is big and sincere, they simply aren’t meant, for the woman could be a good wife to the man Arthur and the servant could be an unofficial good advisor and friend for the king to turn too in time of need, but the handmaid named Guinevere couldn't be a good queen to administer justice and hold the reins of the kingdom in place of her husband. With Gwen and Lancelot exploring their rekindled and yet new love, with the grudging blessing of the king, Arthur turns his complete attention to a kingdom that needs him the most, especially with Morgana's looming shadow and the presence of a traitor in the castle: there is no time for him to find a replacement for Gwen in both his heart and on the throne. His uncle encourages his lack of action on the matter by suggesting his nephew takes some time for himself after the breakup to "heal his broken heart"; Agravaine does also his best to dissuade Arthur from ever considering a political marriage with the princess of Nemeth to solve the dispute, an ally that wouldn’t be liked by Morgana – who doesn’t want any woman to sit on the throne she perceives hers. Meanwhile, Merlin’s life is no easier and, between thwart Morgana schemes and protect Arthur from his uncle, he finds the time to save the last dragon egg from the destructive wishes of his king. Kilgharrah suggests Merlin to hide the egg somewhere where the last dragon will rest until it will come the time for the little creature to be hatched.

With the threat of Morgana always looming on his life and his thrust once again broken by who that was closest to him by blood, Arthur permanently puts aside the search for a woman to stand at his side. Morgana’s suspicious disappearance allows him a couple of years of relative peace, in which he is first involved in small skirmishes with rogue magical bandits unrelated to his sister and then in the chaos ensued after the fall of Sarrum of Amata, whose death at the hands of his prisoner – surprisingly, the vanished Morgana – has left his kingdom in shambles. So it happens that, when Mordred betrays him by joining Morgana and Camlann is elected as the battlefield for the last stand, Arthur has neither wife nor heir to entrust the kingdom to. It’s all or nothing, for the Pendragon siblings.

Without the help of a dragon to forge an invincible sword for her champion, Morgana last battle is an ultimate failure: Emrys has returned with his power, her army of Saxons is defeated and her only ally dies on the battlefield without successfully taking the life of her hated brother. Having lost her spy at the castle, exposed by Gwen and promptly executed before the army even reached Camlann, she has only herself to discover what is happening to her brother and what Merlin/Emrys plans to do to cure his king from the magical wound. This delay allows Merlin and Arthur to almost reach Avalon when Morgana intercepts them, thus Arthur is saved – although his recovery lasts many weeks, what it takes for him and Merlin to mend their broken bond and trust.

The time spent bound to a bed, and with a warlock-servant plagued by nightmares of “what ifs”, forces Arthur to rethink about his life since this gangly and clumsy boy has come at his service. The true nature of his feelings for whom he thought his closest friend are revealed and eventually Arthur faces Merlin – who was just brooding in his unrequited love since years. The intimacy in their relationship comes with time, as the gradual opening of Camelot to healing magic. By the time Arthur makes his relationship with his servant official, the court has resigned to the fact the warlock who protected Camelot in the last eight(?) years will soon become their Prince (Consort). The blessing comes with the agreement that Arthur will give the throne an heir, a detail that Arthur keeps postponing until Merlin feels that the egg he saved many years before (and that now rests in a chest on Arthur’s bedside cabinet) really wants to be hatched. The dragon that comes out of it decides that the grumpy human staring at her really looks like a dragon and must therefore be “papa dragon”, a father that adopted her by allowing her egg to be brought in his very-dragon nest. The little scaly thing conquers poor Arthur’s heart and becomes Camelot’s princess, although officially she’s given only the title of “Ward”; the court finds it much funny that the first heir the king has sired is... a talking dragon. Arthur becomes a master in turning a deaf ear to the court’s request to give the throne a human heir, his hands full of his dragon demanding and spoiled daughter, until the dispute with Nemeth becomes relevant again. Princess Mithian travels with the delegation appointed to settle the dispute. She enjoys Camelot’s hospitality and gets to know – and like – the King and his Prince Consort. And the lady-in-waiting assigned to her for the time of her stay. Especially the lady-in-waiting.

Nemeth and Camelot reach an agreement that will be formalised with an union between the king of Camelot and the princess of Nemeth, aimed at siring an heir for both the kingdoms. Mithian is such a kind soul that quickly conquers the hearth of the whole court, and in no time gets crowned Queen, second in line for the succession to the throne. Mithian gives birth to a son and, a couple of years later (after bugging Arthur about this, because he doesn’t want to risk her life with another pregnancy), to a daughter.

The golden age of the High King has started. But, when the new generation of Pendragon will be ready to step in, the Once and Future King will be reclaimed by sleep, to awake when he will be needed again.

(More content from “Royal  Husbands AU” here)

———————————————————————————————

An old thing started in February 2018 finished for the @merlins-springcleaning project.

I plan to translate the almost 20 pages of notes I have about this AU, mostly an in-depth summary of what happens after Camlann, through the Nemeth and Camelot’s agreement and to finish with Arthur’s future as sleeping king (and Merlin’s life through the centuries). I also have on the works an edits series to illustrate the "chapters" of this story. If you are interested, be my guest and return here in the near future: all will be under the tag linked above. For now you can find a one-shot about little Aithusa and her papa. ;)

———————————————————————————————

This AU has originated by the RPG I and @dragoneyes started to have some fun during our evening chats. At first it was just a "Merlin and Arthur are together", no plot, no explanations, with a generic time setting ("Camlann already happened"). With months going by, and the addition of little Aithusa to the mix, I eventually felt the need to give some sense to this "universe" we were playing with. Hence this AU got shaped, and it has a fine plot if one had the time and dedication to turn it into a multi-chaptered monster-length fic. I have none of that dedication (plus I already have too many ideas that are more worth) but I feel that this story should still be shared because I like it very much.

The plot features baby dragons raised as members of the household who think their papa are dragons of a wingless kind (else they wouldn't be called "Pendragons", duh!) mated with dragonlords, sons who have to fill the uncomfortable shoes of their already-legendary king fathers, former servants who feel uncomfortable in their new crowned roles, an united Albion, a Mithian Queen of Camelot and a fusion with Harry Potter as in Merlin founding a school of magic with four wizards. A packed plot, for a RPG meant to fill some evenings, right?

As far as I remember, I must credit @katiemcgrath at Tumblr for the initial idea of the Narnia kids as the kids for Arthur (and Merlin, in that case). I know she leans more on the Narnia kids as small versions of the OT4 instead of children of the four main character, but yeah: all thanks to her nonetheless. :)

On a side note, I still have to find a "face" for OC Meredith, the lady-in-waiting. If you have suggestions (actresses in medieval/historical tv series/movies only), hit the ask in my main @hakka84.

———————————————————————————————

For those of you discovering me thanks to the Merlin’s Spring Cleaning Project (seriously, thank you to the girls behind this idea), I do have a decent amount of Merlin's content, other AU ideas and manips, with at least four time of that amount in WIP, so please come by and have a round. Seeing notes (and, ever more, people discussing about my ideas) prompts me to work and made me want to finish up things that I put on hold because it didn't have any meaning to post in the void. Don't leave me alone, else I don't feel like bothering work. ;)

———————————————————————————————

Crossposted: Livejournal: prue84.livejournal.com/72353.html Dreamwidth: prue84.dreamwidth.org/64990.html Deviantart: deviantart.com/prue84/art/Merlin-AUs-RPG-Royal-husbands-794593632

[prue84]

(Hakka & Dragoneyes’s) Merlin AUs  |  The Pendragon Siblings

AU in which Merlin never came to Camelot and it was up to Guinevere - and then the Lady Morgana - to protect the future King. Meanwhile, Destiny awaits for when the time is right for the male and the female coins of Albion to be complete, for the Immortal Dragonlord and the High Priestess are meant to join the Once and Future King and the Queen of Avalon on the high throne of Albion.

———————————————————————————————

Book I, Chapter 01: The Dragon’s Call

“In a land of myth and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young maid. Her name: Guinevere…”

Handmaiden to the Lady Morgana, the King’s ward, and daughter of Tom the blacksmith, Gwen is quite satisfied with her ordinary life. Unbeknown to her, destiny has different plans for her.

The events are put into motions by the execution of Thomas James Collins, a man accused of sorcery. Gwen, with the Lady Morgana, witnesses the apparition of his mother, Mary, who swears that she will get her revenge on Uther by taking the life of his only son so that he will suffer her same pain.

Distressed by the witch’s threat, the Lady Morgana insists Gwen stays at the castle for the following nights, during which Gwen hears an ominous voice calling her.

Celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the Great Purge are at their fullest and the court awaits in the banquet hall for the renowned singer Lady Helen to perform. Gwen is there as well, helping the other servants. With the song flowing in the air, all the present fall asleep. Only the known voice, ringing in her mind, keeps Gwen from falling under the spell. In front of her bulging eyes, the enchantment ages the castle, cobwebs covering the sleeping people. Lady Helen, unstopped, reaches the center of the room and produces a dagger, her attention focused on the Prince. Gwen immediately knows that Lady Helen is there to take Prince Arthur’s life and, with a simple jug, manages to stop the witch, who falls unconscious on the floor, and all the magic woven by her is broken: the people slowly awake and the Lady Helen’s true form is exposed and, to the shock off the court, the falling glamour reveals the face of Mary Collins, the mother of the young executed warlock.

After getting the deserved attention for her promptness, and the thanks from the King, Gwen decides it’s time to meet the owner of the voice that saved Camelot from the revenge of an angry mother. It turns out that the voice belongs to a dragon, the Great Dragon imprisoned beneath the castle. The Dragon speaks about darker times awaiting the Prince and the kingdom and Gwen’s destiny to protect the Prince from any enemy that will endanger his life and foretold great fate. The Dragon expresses his desire to the see the Prince ascend to the throne and unite Albion. At Gwen’s objections, the dragon reassures the girl that she will be important for the future of Albion, but he also insists that she will have to keep the secret of their meeting until the time will be right for everything to be revealed.

Gwen, unwillingly, agrees to keep the secret for the time being.

(More content from “Pendragon Siblings AU” here)

———————————————————————————————

Although I’m not sure I will have the dedication necessary to ever complete it, I’m currently writing this (monster) series, that will consist of four books that will cover Arthur’s ascension to the throne of Camelot, his and Morgana’s life with their respective (same-sex) sides of the coin, Arthur’s demise and his eventual return (that will take place in the Harry Potter universe).

I’m hopeful that I will be able to at least cover all Season 1 (with the exception of the events that don’t happen because prompted by the very presence of Merlin - see The Poisoned Chalice - or that will be heavily shortened - see A Remedy to Cure All Ills), which will be following the canon minus-Merlin until the big canon divergence that will change everything.

I will post the graphic edit for each S1 chapter (or as long as I will feel like doing this) after I finished the respective chapter.

Given the nature of this series - especially this part, in which any chapter will have a start and an end (like in the show) - I’m considering the option to post it as my first-ever published WIP, but I need a Brit-pick beta willing to stand by my side during this long and bumpy journey. Is there someone up for the task? Alternatively, can you pinpoint me to some place - if there’s one - where I can search for a beta reader?

———————————————————————————————

Crossposted: Livejournal: prue84.livejournal.com/63790.html Dreamwidth: prue84.dreamwidth.org/59152.html Deviantart: prue84.deviantart.com/art/Merlin-AUs-The-Pendragon-Siblings-Ch01-689907654