#Emry Williams

[quondam-et-futurus]

very invested in an au where will lives solely to be an arthur hater. literally nothing else changes we just periodically get scenes of him telling merlin how much he sucks

[trickytrick]

headcanon that the doctor who and merlin universes are the same and that while centurion rory waited 2000 years for amy, merlin would pay him a visit every week and they'd play cards or Merlin would keep rory updated on the latest world news.

in my head they are best friends and merlin definitely needed someone like him, as did rory.

[somelokivariant]

The boy who waited

[worth-this-and-more]

thoughts and prayers on oathbound

[spoilers for legendborn, bloodmarked and oathbound, read at your own caution ;)]

this has been marinating for so long, but i was gathering my thoughts and also waiting that everybody would've blocked the spoiler tag by now. let's begin, shall we??

first things first, character wise;

bree- i love her. the whole journey was so fucking powerful and healing like woahhh she finally got control of her powers and that broken soul like can you imagine having a part of your soul just taken away from you, like valec said many broken souls never get formed back but bree?? she was missing so so much about herself and still didn't lose herself like that's why she's the best idc what anybody says she is so so strong and fearless and now ruthless, i love her!!

nick- this is one clever mf like damn bro had uno reverses for his uno reverses, and I'm glad we got to know more about what's in his head. one think i will say he became perfect to more perfect, not necessarily a bad thing but i really really wanna know what was he doing in those time when he was on the run alone like what were you doing buddy. we learned so much about him but at the same time so many questions too like he developed well. and his charisma stat just went up 9 points for me lool keep treating bree the way she deserves my boy.

sel- this idiot. absolute moron. he's gonna be the death of me what was that?? i went in thinking oh my lil patootie he's now a demon I'm gonna relieve my monsterfucker days uwu, this fucker scared me so bad?? what the actual fuck was that?? “Briana is mine. My Scion. My sovereign. My king.” what the fuck. so terrifying. so butterfly-worthy. so so possessive. he had less scenes but every scene filled me with terror wtff is he doing. the whistling?? the taunts?? the slow walk?? the threats?? his grin?? everytime he was mentioned i was so scared its not even a joke. what the fuck was that.

william- oh my sweet summer child. he was so so good. and the parallels omg?? the way he spat back at the regents?? just a few weeks ago he was the one who stopped bree from saying shit like that, and yes the situations and implications were different but oh boy did i love it. it was so dope. and he is so so clever and brave and just my sweetest scion of gawain like oh buddy lemme worship you.

lark- bro popped off i swear. he had the worst first day as a kingsmage and he still was so so concerned and scared in already bonded to bree in spirit, although ik he wont be allowed to be bonded because yk sel exists and sel would kill him is an understatement, but oh i lark as a kingsmage would be awesome. and the way he noticed william so much like broooooooo i love you and him being so fiercely protective of our boy like oof i live for it.

mariah- i fear she ate. she shined so bright in this book, she is so powerful?? and her inspo is bree we're the same gurll. she had the heart of the dame for like three days and she not only got used to it but also managed to hold out a whole horde of warlocks and arawn too like damn girlie this is the kinda female empowerment i love. and goshh her support and love and care like haaayeee my heartttt.

zoelle- she grew on me ngl. i already wanted them to have a sweet sweet friendship and she did not disappoint. she is so clever?? and the subtle trans rep?? and so so supportive of bree like gurl i love you. she is us frrr. and the way she defended bree about her lashing at vera?? like yes. was it rude?? yeah. should bree be dragged about it every fucking time?? hell no. i love her so much she is so so sweet.

elijah- i recently learned the correct pronunciation of his name so my bad buddy but yes i love him too. his growing trust and respect towards bree is admirable, and the love for his sister?? bro you are the epitome of sibling relationships. i want them to come back soon. sel will be handled by bree or if he lays a finger on them imma riot. shoutout to elijah and zoelle, gotta be my favorite twins frr.

alice- my heart breaks for her so much. her purgatory stasis?? her constant efforts to amend her "failure" which wasn't even your fault babe its that damn arthur bitch. i want her to come back pleaseeee ik bree chose her soul over her but i have full faith in bree and slice ik they will make it back please tracy don't kill her it will break bree and me in extension please alice deserves to see her bestie be the king pleaseee.

valec- we found a lot about him, like maybe not a lot but enough to make a lot of theories but brooooo his admiration and care and concern and trust for bree was so heartwarming i cried like really i did it was so sweet. like that is elder brother valec yall like comonn i need that elder brother in my life too pleaseee he's such a sweetie.

natasia- she was not like what i expected lmaoooo i thought she was more moody and edgy and emo but nooo she's so sweet?? and she didn't know shit lmaooo. she and sel have so much angst and i have no idea how are they gonna get over it. like her reasons to not reach out to him were justified imo, she was threatened that next time it would be sel whose hands will be ripped off so like the motherly love would never ever let her get back to him ofc. but still her knowledge seemed so... little. i feel like she spent all her time uncovering her demonia situation and took everything else at face value. i don't blame her but like someone give her a crash course 101 please. also i want her and bree to sit and have a long long chat she knew faye so so much i want bree to know everything.

these are the main ones ig?? now my thoughts??

sel is arawn's son. i feel like we all knew that but i kinda lost hope on it for like majority of the book yk, like only during the last chapter we get this bomb dropped and yall that was sick. the death?? the transformation?? the font change?? "what...shall...we...do" wthh bro chill.

we got so much willark!! they got so much time together!! i wanna see it go more william deserves that sweet corner and i want him to have a lil rest while bree catches them all up with the recent events.

natasia and edwin duo is so funny lmaoooo i want these awkward parents to kinda adopt all of them haha. and i want more of edwin's speeches i wanna frame every prep talk he gives can i please have him as my father too please adopt me sir.

imo poly is now more confirmed kind of because we saw so much breenick but at the same time he did delete all the cheating allegations and his feelings about breesel too so like yeah. poly could be endgame and I'm not even complaining lool their happiness is with each other.

I'm still pretty much breesel but breenick gave me so many butterflies yall I'm not even kidding. the fight?? the kiss?? the putting on her heels?? he banter?? the flirting?? "so drown"?? i be screaming and kicking my feet in the air frrr.

i want more of valec and zoelle-elijah because i feel like they will be more at ease together and we will see a demonic family situation haha. also, them collectively teasing bree on her boy drama, epic!!

arawn is a piece of shit but what a clever fucking piece of shit so fucking manipulative. i am still confused about him never trying to know sel, or arawn and natasia's relationship. nat thinks he is erebus, so we have a deception. but what does arawn gain from it?? so many questions opened up.

i haven't had much time to read about arthuriana so i was kinda relieved we didn't see much of it but we did get one mention of scion of mordred dabbling in demon experiments and now I'm curious do we have another mole in the order from mordred's side??

nick and ava definitely had something. it pissed me off so bad wdym "seduced me" wth was that greer and William are like me frrr glad to know I'm not the only one trynna read between the lines but yeah what the fuck was that i hated it.

ig this is it?? i might have more thoughts which i still have to organise but this is from the top of my head so it might be all over the place.

in conclusion, i loved oathbound and i can't wait for the next and final book I'm so excited but so sad like its coming to an end?? just like this?? why so soon?? i don't want this to end but i want bree to be happy and safe above everything so yeah, i could get through this.

this was so long lmaooo but okay peace out!!

[akelafang]

Can't help but imagine Arthur and Merlin playing matchmaker for their children the way Violet Bridgerton does hers. Arthur introducing them to people he thinks they'll take an interest in. Merlin subtly pushing them to the right action when courting drama pops up. Both of them ensuring that, while there are some matches that are more beneficial for the kingdom, their children know that their parents will not force them into a marriage they are not happy with and it's okay to choose a love match over an alliance with a neighboring kingdom

Will: Papa you're not mad about me choosing Bonnie over Princess Lola are you? Arthur: Son I changed several laws so that I could marry my manservant, I have no room to judge. At least Bonnie's the daughter of 2 knights, the council will have much less to complain about compared to my choice of spouse. My only issue is did she have to be Gwaine's daughter?

Merlin: Tell me, is there a reason you tend to throw Sir Moris around on the training grounds so much? Morgan: If this is your way of asking if I fancy Sir Moris and I'm pulling his pigtails instead of dealing with it properly then I'm sorry to tell you but you're off the mark on this one mama. I have more maturity than my lizard-brain little brothers. Merlin: Then why do you always push yourself so much harder when he's at training? The only other difference is that when he's not there his sister's not...oh Morgan are you trying to show off to Elise by beating up her brother when she watches training? Morgan: ...Maybe. Merlin: Alright, let me give you some advice on how to charm her without sending her family members to see Gaius.

Random Lord: My son has quite the talent for forging and metalwork. He's been asking to become an apprentice for my local smith. Arthur: Really? My second son Tristan is a talented bladesmith, he makes all his weapons himself. We should introduce them to each other.

Merlin: You certainly don't look ready for tonight's feast Freya: I'm not going down I'm...feeling sick Merlin: Ah, I'm quite familiar with this sickness. However you're not going to find the cure by moping in your bed all night. Freya: But going into the banquet hall will only make it worse. How can I face Lady Roslin after today? She hates me. Merlin: Did she say that? Freya: ... Merlin: Well her family leaves tomorrow, tonight might be your last chance to find out for sure

[starchaser45]

Rory Williams 🤝 Merlin

Waiting for their spouses to come back to life

Meanwhile Amy and Arthur are Just like 💀💀

[justaz]

Anyways……..Gwaine crashed in Ealdor soon after Merlin dipped. Destiny was trying to bring them together but missed by a hair. Will took him in and let him crash at his place. They ended up fucking (Will was trying to mend the heartbreak of his childhood best friend and sort of boyfriend leaving) (also the scraggly drunk is actually really hot) (and they both hate nobility with a passion). Gwaine left right before Ealdor started to get raided because he’s always on the move and never stays in one place for too long.

Uhhhh years later Merlin mentions his home village of Ealdor and Gwaine smiles and is like “Ah, a quaint but homey place. I visited there once. I was homed by a lovely man with a similar heart to mine. I wonder how Will is doing after all these years…” Merlin beats him with his shoe for sleeping with his friend. And also has to break the news that he died but this was supposed to be a funny post so lets ignore that potential for angst and focus on WHATEVER THE FUCK THEIR SHIP NAME IS

[brianakane]

The found family in Bloodmarked being everything and more:

[charlyslibrary]

If you were to recast Merlin only using people currently present in Formula 1 who would you pick for each character???

[sobbingstars]

I thunk a thought. Usually that’s a bad sign but HEAR ME OUT!

Merlin reboot, except…

Arthur: Kit Conner/ Nick Nelson

Merlin: Joe Locke/Charlie Spring

Gwen: Yasmin Finney/Elle Argent

Morgana: Rhea Norwood/Imogen Heaney

Lancelot: William Gao/Tao Xu

Gwaine: Kizzy Edgel/Darcy Olsson

Percival: Corinna Brown/Tara Jones

Leon: Tobie Donovan/Issac Henderson

Let me know if you think of any others, I didn’t really know who to put for Mordred, since my opinions on him are so divided. I thought abt Sebastian Croft/Ben Hope bc Sebastian’s a great guy and Ben SUCKS so it would perfect! But alas, I am unsure.

[amaramiyu]

My Legendborn Cycle Musings & Theories

May 2023 is when I first got into this series and I've been hooked ever since. I've read Legendborn and Bloodmarked at least twice and I have some thoughts about the books and series in general. So without further ado:

Spoilers ahead!

First of all, I'm glad I waited to make this post because recently more information has been revealed about the next upcoming book (Oathbound), and that instead of the series being a trilogy of books it'll be a tetralogy (4 part book series).

Oathbound

I strongly believe that the Shadow Court is definitely going to be unleashed that was part of the bargain Bree made with the Shadow King after all.

Vera’s warning to Bree at the end of Bloodmarked: “Chaos thrives on imbalance.” In Oathbound, is Bree going to become villainous or corrupted in some form? Since she doesn’t have her ancestors to balance or influence her since she closed the ancestral stream?

Since the third book is called Oathbound I wonder if this means oaths will be broken or removed. Obviously, Natasia's Kingsmage Oath to Martin Davis had to have been removed. Could the same thing happen possibly between Nick and Sel?

At the end of Bloodmarked, the main trio: Bree, Nick, and Sel have become separated. Since this is Bree's story first and foremost I think the book will still only be from Briana's point of view. I don't think we'll be getting multiple points of view. However, I'm not quite sure.

Selwyn Emrys Kane

There’s more to Selwyn Kane than meets the eye. One of the main themes in the Legendborn Cycle is ancestry and inheritance.

Theory 1: Erebus (the Shadow King) is Selwyn’s father. Erebus is described as a father-like figure towards Sel and he has a history and a clear fondness for Natasia (He knew where she was at the end of Bloodmarked). However, we know that the Order supposedly monitored Natasia closely while they ensured she gave birth to an heir. Obviously, since both her and Sel are powerful Merlins there must be more to discover about their bloodline. Also, it is mentioned how closely Sel resembles Merlin his ancestor not only in appearance but also in mannerisms. Sel is a prodigy and has the rare ability to transform into an Owl like his ancestor Merlin. Not to mention, the skill he used to craft aether constructs to hold Bree together after her injury which isn’t easy to do and most likely would’ve killed other Merlins attempting to do it.

Theory 2: Maybe Selwyn’s bloodline has ancestral ties to someone on the Shadow Court. 

Nicholas Martin Davis

He's going to be leading the faction of the Order that's still loyal to the Knights of the Round Table.

Maybe he'll continue to forge a further alliance with the Line of Morgaine. Nick will then be further exposed to how they live and maneuver outside of the Order. He is trying to find a solution to stop the Legendborn Cycle without the Scion of Arthur having to die. In Bloodmarked, he found something out but he didn't get to elaborate on it further.

In General

I think the relationship between Sel and William is underrated.

There’s still much we don’t know about Cambions and unions. So far, we know:

Full Demon + Human = Cambion

Human + Cambion = Cambion

But what about: Full Demon + Cambion = ?

Cambion + Cambion =  ?

Are these unions even possible or allowed and could they produce offspring?

On the cover of Bloodmarked, I think Bree is wearing the outfit that she wore during the Rite of Kings ceremony.

Valechaz is clearly enamored and fascinated with Bree and he's such a wildcard. Valec at times can also be hard to read. Will he be a friend or foe going forward?

This may be an unpopular opinion, but in terms of a TV series adaptation of the Legendborn Cycle, I would prefer that it be an animated TV series rather than a live-action series.

[omeynzaol]

Pov: It is 11:11 PM, you are working on a literature portfolio on Antony and Cleopatra last minute when you have 4-5 weeks to finish. On another note, You have recently finished Season 5 of BBC Merlin and working you way through the Season 6 script. You see Merlin and Arthur in relationships Antony/Cleopatra and Antony&Enobarbus in some twisted way Cleopatra

Enobarbus

gonna write about how enobarbus eventually stops being balanced bc his passion and his loyalty to antony is preventing him to do so ITS LITERALLY MERTHUR CODED AHHH

Edit: I wrote more, ya think my teacher will, comment on the subtle use of queen theory?

Btw I didn't put my rendition of cleo and her handmaid charmian here and thought y'all might b interested :> (ignore Caesar plsss)

[sugar-coated-prat-dragon]

Title: Hunith went hungry countless times so her son could eat

Episode: The “Moment of Truth” questions

Questions by @tansyuduri

Tagging: @miyriu

Books used as references: “The Magic Begins”, “Dangerous Quests”, “The Death of Arthur”, “Lancelot and Guinevere” and the “Heroes” Guide

Question: It was normally a lord's responsability to make sure raiders did not come and take food? I know it’s a border region in Cenred's kingdom, but it doesn’t seem to have a lesser noble of the kingdom ruling over it?

It also must be far from Cenred's court. Since Cenred would have more of an interest protecting villages that actually provided him food. (Thus kept up their side of the feudalism deal?)

My answer: When Merlin first came to Camelot, he noted the table in the great hall had more food then he’d ever seen in his life and that just this one feast alone could feed his entire village for a year.

Also, according to the Camelot maps, Ealdor is very small (barely a blip on the map) and the only houses on the map in that village seem to be tiny ramshackle huts.

If you look above Ealdor in the map, you can see Jarl’s castle, which is much bigger then the whole of Ealdor and therefore their likely isn’t any nobles anywhere near them (since everything nearby seems to be unoccupied land, caves and forests).

Considering how little food Ealdor has been mentioned to produce, it’s likely Cenred doesn’t even take food from them, since less then a tables worth of food at a single banquet is hardly worth taking and likely only taxes them to farm/live there.

Book description: Merlin enjoyed just looking at the great hall with its rich wall coverings and vast hanging chandeliers, at the beautifully carved wooden tables laden with more food than he'd ever seen in his life before.

This one feast would feed Merlin's entire village for a year - but he was in too good a mood to begrudge the guests their meal.

Question: Why didn’t Uther send only a few men as Arthur suggests. ESPECIALLY since there is little likelihood of any of Cenred's soldiers being in the area to know?

My answer: Uther himself admits that Cenred had never been openly hostile towards them without good reason and was therefore shocked when the mercenaries attacked without provocation.

(THIS 👆 could also be a major reason why Uther was not willing to send aid to Ealdor, even in the form of a few knights. He was not willing to risk starting a war with a neighboring kingdom who had so far never attacked with provocation).

(Source: “Traitor Within” book)

In the “Lancelot and Guinevere” book, Morgana muses to herself about how Uther always considered the ‘bigger picture’ and acted accordingly.

In many ways, Uther sending even a few soldiers to Cenred’s kingdoms would be a bigger risk and he would consider it not worth it, especially given how the ‘bigger picture’ is that he’d be risking war in order to protect a tiny village that isn’t even on his land.

1st Book description:

'We've had reports that mercenaries are streaming into Cenred's kingdom,' he announced to the assembled councillors.

Uther frowned. Cenred had never been openly hostile towards them without good reason. It seemed strange that the situation had changed. 'Do we know why?'

2nd book description: Morgana had been angry with Uther before, but this time her rage against the king's indolence left her physically shaking.

She had long ago recognized that Uther would always make an appeal to 'the bigger picture, but the least she expected was that Arthur would plead for Gwen.

(Source: “Lancelot and Guinevere” book)

Question: So from what we see, Merlin's diet growing up would have been milk, grains, eggs, and likely some fruits and vegetables as we saw those taken earlier. Perhaps every once in a while some meat?

My answer: Merlin mentioned that men would go out to trap animals for food when times were desperate and they were facing starvation.

As Hunith grew sicker as the result of the deal with Nimueh, Merlin recalled the countless times his mother had gone hungry so that he’d never once had to miss a meal.

Book description: “Dangerous Question” book

In the little village where he'd grown up, men would go out and trap animals for food. In lean times, it was a choice between that and starvation.

But the Crown Prince of Camelot sat down to a banquet every night - he had no need to hunt. This was just sport to him, the challenge of his wits against the beast's.

Taking the life of a feeling, thinking creature for fun? Merlin couldn't see how it could ever be right. Yet he knew that Arthur was a good man. It was very confusing.

Book description in “Dangerous Questions”:

Merlin remembered how she'd always been there for him when he'd got upset, unable to come to terms with the great powers that had been bestowed upon him.

The countless times she had gone hungry so that he d never once had to miss a meal.

Question: It seems like most of the Ealdor did NOT know about Merlin's Secret?

Book description:

As Merlin's childhood friend, William of Ealdor was the only other person, apart from Hunith, who knew Merlin's secret.

Question: What is Merlin’s relationship like with the other villagers in Ealdor?

My answer: Merlin admits to knowing people back in Ealdor, who thought they could get away with anything just because they were good looking and skillful. (Funny enough he thinks about this while watching Arthur throwing knives at his servant).

Book description:

Merlin watched with a frown as the boy scurried back and forth across the yard, the young knight throwing dagger after dagger at him - hitting the target spot-on every time. He would, of course.

Merlin knew the type - even back in Ealdor there had been people like that, who thought that being good looking and skillful meant they could do whatever they liked.

All the girls fancied them too. It was funny how girls couldn't spot how much of a prat someone was if that someone had big enough muscles.

[worth-this-and-more]

it finally happened . . . i had a dream of oathbound

now, i am at my grandparent's house and my sleep has been very . . . interesting. so lo and behold this was something wild

spoiler warning just in case [spoilers for legendborn and bloodmarked, read at your own caution ;)]

now events in order;

there was some sort of a program going on

my friends were there, i don't remember exactly who but they all knew me and i knew them

this event was at school sort of building we were all in the corridors

i was sitting on the balcony with my legs flung onto it

i look at a tree and i say "woow bree would climb that"

someone tells me oathbound is released

i am gripped with a sudden fear

"tf you mean by that" i am handed an annotated copy of oathbound and I'm so furious you are so late they even had the time to draw hearts on bree sel nick's names

somehow my subconscious brain decided that book is going to be bree pov + third person pov, interesting

the sentence was something like "...no longer motionless. the wisps of aether still followed her but her eyes are now swirling silver. alice is awake." then the pretty legendborn divider and then "alice pulled out the gauntlets gillian gifted to her on the plane, trying to replicate them the way William taught bree to." (this is not exactly what it could've said and it's probably just me projecting but do you see the vision.)

i flipped through pages to find annotations

for nick they wrote "he is awakened" "he has asked the order to bring every member of the table together before taking any decision" "that is the law" (which now that i think of it may or may not be possible. but like okay cool theory ig.)

i flipped more pages and natasia was there and she said no to something and then i was fucking terrified so i went back to the first page

after this my dream has turned into something i do not think i should share so this is all ig??

this was wierd. i might put this in my "subconscious oathbound predictions" folder. but hey at least i had a legendborn dream that i remember.

[akelafang]

I've been thinking about my version of the Merlin characters next generation (Merthur's 4 kids, Gwencelot's kids, Leowaine's daughter from one of Gwaine's old one-night stands) and I've started pairing them off a bit. Primarily I've gotten attached to the idea of Merthur's eldest son William falling for Leowaine's daughter Bonnie. A good bit of it is their personalities and them having a childhood-friends-to-lover dynamic but I also just like the idea of Arthur being happy for his son until he realizes that this will make him and Gwaine in-laws

Arthur: Bonnie is an excellent young woman and will make a fine queen one day when Will takes the throne. They have my blessing. Gwaine: Well then, I look forward to you joining the family princess. Or maybe I should start calling you princess-in-law Arthur: ...is it too late to take back my blessing? Merlin: Yes it is Leon: Gwaine stop antagonizing our future king-in-law Gwaine: *snorts* Arthur: Gwaine's influence has annoyingly rubbed off on you over the years Leon

[dragoon-the-greatest]

Just rewatched "Moment of Truth." What an episode. WILL MY BELOVED. I wish he had shown up for more than an episode, he was such a great character and such a great friend for Merlin.

Loved my little Arwen crumbs in this episode. Got to hear Arthur transition from calling her "Gwen" to "Guinevere" and she called him out for the first time. She showed herself capable of standing up to him both about the food and about having the women fight, and Arthur definitely noticed and apologized on both counts. I understand the fandom's obsession with Merthur but Arthur doesn't listen to Merlin the way he listens to Gwen, and Merlin just doesn't call Arthur out the way Gwen does.

Granted, Merlin would probably be a lot better at calling Arthur out in this instance if he didn't spend half the episode figuring out whether or not to use his magic and arguing with Will about it. The tension is SO good here, the contrast of saving people with his magic and telling the truth in the process vs. continuing to hide himself at others' expense but in hopes for a brighter future. Poor boy just wants to help people with his magic and has since episode one. This early in the series, the choice is an obvious one for Merlin, but later obviously he shifts to the other side, which is so so heartbreaking.

It's no wonder though, Arthur tried to be considerate in his own way but was also a JERK in response to finding out "Will's" secret. They stood in front of Will's FUNERAL PYRE and Arthur tells Merlin he shouldn't have kept Will's secret because magic is DANGEROUS. Will saved his life! What would Arthur have done if a. Will really did have magic and b. Merlin had actually told him about it? Was he going to kill Merlin's best friend? Banish him from his own home when he doesn't even live in Camelot??? Why did Merlin owe him this information??? And after this Will is never mentioned again, which is insane. In all of the (rare) instances where Arthur actually questions magic, he just never brings this up again?? A supposed sorcerer gives his life for him and he just. Blanks it out of his memory? Never mind that this was Merlin's childhood friend, just pretend he never existed and his death never happened and don't ever acknowledge Merlin's grief outside of saying "I know he was a close friend." Merlin learned all of the wrong messages from this episode. Don't tell Arthur your secret because he thinks magic is dangerous with no exceptions, and don't tell Arthur your secret because he's a good man and he likes/needs you but can't be trusted with your secret until "the time is right."

Like actually, what was Hunith's deal in this show?? I love her but we know so little about her? This is a woman that actually ran up to a bandit and tried to steal food back with no plan besides "just grab it real quick while announcing your intentions" (love her for that though, also this is definitely Merlin's mother), represented the village to a foreign king when their own refused to help, raised a magical child but taught him to hide his abilities at all cost, even from the people he loves/trusts the most (people who are willing to risk their lives to help him save his home town? You don't think maybe they could know?). Like, yes, it would have been terrifying to raise your not subtle, blatantly magical son in a world where magic is hated, but she finds out he told his best friend about his secret (which the friend hadn't even told anyone), and her response to this is to send her son to the place most well known for burning/beheading sorcerers? And her response when he expresses a desire to not go back is to tell him to go because the prince (who she absolutely does not think should know Merlin's secret, but also doesn't think he would kill him if he found out, like which side are you on?) needs him? Why is Hunith so obsessed with Arthur here? Like yeah, he risked a lot to come save the village and made a huge difference in the outcome of the fight, but to value him over her own son? I just don't understand Hunith's priorities here. Protect Merlin but send him somewhere extremely dangerous? Merlin tells Will he did not actually want to leave initially but that he did because his mother was worried. Merlin is so lonely and isolated and has such messed up ideas about his purpose and his magic and Hunith doesn't do anything to actually help him sort this out, just pushed him to stay isolated while also being helpful to people she doesn't think he should fully trust.

Anyway, fascinating episode, very compelling. I would have LOVED for this to actually be a magic reveal episode and it's a nice little gut punch to know how far that actually is from happening from this episode. Overall, Will, Gwen, and Morgana were MVPs here. Stay tuned for more random thoughts and analyses on episodes that aired over a decade ago ✌️