#I want an au where merlin is still magic and looking for his king

[lostlavenderer]

Look I love merthur fics that focus on Merlin finding Arthur again as much as the next person but for once I would love them to not be set in the 21st century but in like, the 70s or 80s DO YOU SEE THE VISION??? I want arthur in a ridiculous denim jacket with a thousand patches and being the drummer in some lame garage band, like is that too much to ask? the once and future king of rock n roll if you will.

[larluce]

Arthur and Merlin travel back in time without knowing the other is from the future too AU

LINKS TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THIS AU HERE: PARTE 1 , PARTE 2 , PARTE 3, PARTE 4 , PART5 (you're here) , PARTE 6

In "The Beginning of the End"

Morgana: Merlin! I need your help.

Merlin: (worried) What is it?

Morgana: Just come with me (brings Merlin to her chambers and shows him Mordred behind the screen)

Merlin: (Who's been ignoring Mordred's calls for help in his mind on purpose and still hates him to guts for what he did to Arthur in his timeline, trying to remain compose) That's... That's the druid boy.

Morgana: (Who did hear Mordred calls for help and helped him instead) He's injured. If we don't give him medical attention he'll die.

Merlin: (almost histerical) If Uther finds out you've been hiding the druid boy in your chambers you'll die! We'll all die! What were you thinking?!

Morgana: I couldn't just leave him! He's just a child! He's innocent!

Merlin: To Uther he's guilty.

Morgana: And to you he is? He has done no harm. His only crime is having magic. Do you think he deserves to be executed for that?

Merlin: ... No. Of course not.

Morgana: Then help me. Just tend his wound. Please. (puppy eyes)

Merlin: (Still full of resentment to Arthur's future murderer, but loving Morgana too much to deny her anything. Sighs) Alright.

...

Morgana: Arthur. To what do I owe this pleasure?

Arthur: (enters her chambers) Where is him?

Morgana: Who?

Arthur: I know you're hiding him Morgana.

Morgana: I don't know what you're talking about.

Arthur: Well, I need to search your chambers, kings orders. (starts searching)

Morgana: You will not do such a thing! Stop messing up my things!

Arthur: (opens the screen where Merlin and Mordred are hiding) So this is where you've been lazing around.

Merlin: Sorry 😅

Arthur: (To Morgana) You drag him into this, I can't believe you! Do you know the risk you're putting yourself in?

Morgana: Arthur, please! (putting herself between Arthur and Mordred) Don't turn him in. I beg you, he's just a child.

Arthur: (who resents Mordred, not really because he tried to kill him, that part just hurt him, but because Merlin had to make the deal with the sidhes and was turned into a tree due to what Mordred did in his timeline) I'm sorry I have no choice. I can hide your involvement in this. No harm will come to you or Merlin. Now step aside. (Morgana doesn't move) Morgana.

Morgana: You'll have to go throught me first!

Arthur: I'm trying to protect you.

Morgana: If you hand him over, I'll never forgive you.

Arthur: (Conflicted cause he still have mixed feelings about Mordred but doesn't want Morgana to hate him again. Looks at Merlin for answers, but Merlin's avoiding his eyes at all cost)...

Morgana: We can take him out of Camelot, back to his people. He'll be safe there and Uther will stop searching for him eventually.

Arthur: This is treason. If my father finds out-

Morgana: He won't. Not if you help us. Arthur, please. (puppy eyes)

Arthur: (sighs, giving up) We'll have to be careful. And I'm not doing this again, you hear me?

Morgana: (jumps happily and hugs him) Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're going to be a great king one day. I know it!

Arthur: Yeah, yeah whatever 🙄(but he smiles and hugs back)

Merlin: (touched by the scene and very proud of Arthur despite his feelings towards Mordred) I agree. You'll be the greatest king of all.

Arthur: (separating from Morgana's hug and extending his arms at Merlin to which Merlin just looks at him confused) So?

Merlin: So?

Arthur: Where's my gratitude hug?

Merlin: (shocked)... what? 😳

Morgana: (Who already knows something is going on) Oh, don't be shy (pushes Merlin towards Arthur)

Merlin: (wraps his arms around Arthur hesitantly, but Arthur presses Merlin to him instanly and Merlin melts in the hug)

Morgana: (thinking) Awww. Next time I'll just have Merlin seduce him into doing stuff. It'll work faster.

[gdn7-dollopole]

Fanfiction post-canon AU, where Arthur does come back, but Merlin doesn’t want to help him.

I rarely see fanfictions where Merlin refuses to help Arthur, or fics where he doesn’t even remember what he looks like, so here’s my idea.

They didn’t have pictures back in Camelot, and Merlin, the more he grew old, realised that the paintings existing of Arthur, didn’t actually resemble him.

Merlin had forgotten the wrinkles around Arthur’s eyes whenever he laughed, the crooked teeth flashing at him either in a sneer, a genuine smile, or a chuckle.

Merlin couldn’t recount Arthur’s golden hair, shining like an halo under the high, yellow sun, and resembling a crown during the red sunset.

It was soft when Merlin combed it, distractingly running his fingers through Arthur’s silk strands, hoping his lord wouldn’t notice how tremulous his hands really were, how his sweat could have made knots in his soft hair, while his gulps were too loud not to resound in his large ears, red with anticipation.

Merlin had forgotten the fuzzy feeling in his tummy at the mere presence of Arthur in a room, standing proud but unsure, tall but scared, where Merlin would look at him from afar, and feel the quick rush of blood in his veins.

Merlin had forgotten Arthur’s smell, of sweat, chainmail, of the soap he used to wash himself with in the bath, after a tiring day.

He had forgotten his voice. Deep and accusatory, mocking but sweet.

A castle forgotten, people dead for too much time.

Friends, family, strangers.

A king long gone, a memory replaced by hints only, and Merlin’s chest ached, thudded as if it’d been punched from the inside, his heart trying to understand if there had ever been a way out of its ribcage.

And then, one day, as Merlin reminisced his old life, walking to the other side of a lake he had never thought he would willingly get close to again, he saw him.

Arthur was back.

And so was everything else.

Whatever they were Merlin’s lies, or his king’s, after a millennia, the warlock faintly recalled the hurt, the pain, the persecution, the death.

Merlin had lived and died, loved and hurt, healed and killed, stayed and ran, thought and changed.

He felt the call in his heart and mind, of his life in Arthur’s kingdom, of the injustices perpetuated.

Of his own hypocrisy, of his lack of wit, of his insecurity.

Of the people and magical beings manipulating him, and Merlin wrongly accused of actions he would have never had committed.

Merlin had missed Arthur, yet, deep from within his heart, he fairly thought he wasn’t ready to rescue him.

Because on top of it all, Merlin still wept at the reminder of the centuries spent in wait.

And Merlin, on a cloudy day, as mist surrounded him and the trees, green leaves dancing in the air, tiny drops of cold water splashing the warlock’s worn clothes, stood there, his beating heart in his dry throat, lean hands clutching at his bag, round eyes staring at Arthur, did nothing, as his former king emerged from the icy water, gasping and grasping at anything he could reach, moving frantically to get out of the lake, gulping, swimming, still in his shining, but old armour, wearing, on his large hands, rusty, leather gloves.

Arthur’s pale skin reflected the moving waters, as he reached the beginning of the lake, and threw up on the shore, as he had crawled to it with tired arms and legs, laid watching the wet grass underneath him.

Merlin looked at him, swallowed down, wide eyed, and trembling in his own limbs.

And after a moment of hesitation, Merlin walked away, faltering in his steps, as tears strained to keep their position at the corners of his down turned eyes, not to fall freely on the sunken cheekbones.

Merlin was too tired to do anything else.

He had waited too much.

And now, he was angry.

[lee-hakhyun]

Since you have no means of escape, let me tell you about my Merlin AU for ORV :D I haven't watched Merlin past some clips, making it clear, i just leveraged a very fun setting. Merlin spoilers ahead though.

Kim Dokja is the warlock servant who gets unceremoniously tied to Prince Yoo Joonghyuk by the whims of fate, meant to help guide him to become the Once and Future King. KDJ must keep this sunfish safe from perilous situations while hiding his magic, because magic is outlawed in the *flips notes* N'gai Kingdom.

Among this cast is fellow servant Yoo Sangah (Gwen), the king's ward Han Sooyoung (Morgana), a dragon in the basement (either Abyssal Black Flame Dragon or the Fourth Wall) the knights Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon, and on and on it goes.

In my head things would probably run similar enough to the show with the exception that every once in a while KDJ sees some strange cloaked figure that he can just feel the magic brimming off of, helping him in subtle ways when things get really tough. Who is that secretive figure helping him out?

KDJ kind of lets his guard down, able to trust this seemingly friendly (if extremely gruff) man with his magic in a way he can't with YJH. They don't have the same camaraderie, but it's still a comfortable companionship regardless.

And then this mysterious person kidnaps KDJ.

YJH and friends chase the evident sorcerer that kidnapped KDJ all the way to the ends of the Earth, having to combat power unlike any they'd seen before - until at a rift in space, this man finally uncloaks himself to reveal someone sharing YJH's face. It has to be a trick. It has to be.

But the man not a perfect reflection; he looks aged, older and wiser and with an undercurrent of grief that keeps him clutching KDJ to his side. KDJ is a warlock, the man claims. One that would, despite what YJH believes of magic practitioners, would give his heart and his life for over and over an ungrateful spoiled prince until he had nothing left to give.

And then he jumps into the portal. Into a parallel timeline/potential future.

This is where we get into spoiler territory for Merlin; in the series, Morgana betrays Merlin and Arthur, and Arthur kind of dies. In this AU, HSY and YJH were prophesied to experience the same thing, except KDJ gave all of his magic to abort said prophecy because it sucked and died, so now everyone in that particular future is in mourning.

Which is why, when the broken prophecy causes a rip in dimensions and into the past, YJH and HSY teamed up to nab KDJ from that other timeline. The people who MADE that prophecy though (either Olympus or the King Arthur legends from the universe of ORV's Main Story who are unhappy they didn't get the spotlight there, I'm not sure yet) are mad at KDJ for not following the prophecy and want to gank them. The future YJH (who will be referred to as SP for now) and future HSY have apparently become terrifyingly adept at fending off actual gods, but for how long? And how will KDJ get back to his original dimension?

Meanwhile, Prince YJH and friends desperately try to find a way to where SP had taken KDJ, as the rift had closed with their departure. Swallowing his pride and the biases that had started to form, he looks to powers he would never have trusted before...

(And somewhere in the future timeline, with the arrival of a reader to the world once more, a struggling writer finds himself startled to see a half-dead, malnourished young boy at his doorstep. To this boy that now rests in his home, he tells bedtime stories and fairy tales that he has no idea are now set to become another prince's adventure.)

This was very much abbreviated from the original thoughts I had, but I feel like I figured out a bit more of the details that I couldn't before (like what's going on with OD). Sorry for making your submission box my unwilling sandbox, but I hope you found some enjoyment out of it :>

[eyes-of-mischief]

weekly fic recs | 55

prompt: fairy tale elements

fandoms: hq, mdzs, merlin, tgcf, yoi

hq

The Golden Chapel by Heronfem

(mature)

Arms and the man I sing,—not as of old The Mantuan bard his mighty verse unrolled, But in such humbler strains as may beseem Light changes rung on a fantastic theme.

Or, a Knight comes in search of the Golden Chapel to finish his quest. The Chapel's guardians and trial makers finish theirs as well.

mdzs

the sleeper's gift by iliacquer

(graphic depictions of violence)

“When you were a baby, I claimed your life and your death,” says Wei Ying. “Before your nineteenth birthday, you’ll prick your finger on something sharp and fall into a sleep like death. No mortal man or woman will be able to wake you. I’m sorry.”

He doesn't sound sorry.

Or: The fairytale retelling where Wei Wuxian is Maleficent and Lan Wangji is Sleeping Beauty.

Turn Left by kianspo

(mature)

“Make me so ugly that no one will ever want me,” he says. “Please.”

Or: Lan Wangji is kidnapped from the Lan Clan when he's still a small child. He retains no memories of his real identity, and only knows himself as a servant at Madam Ji's brothel. When the clients begin to look at him with interest, he finds someone to curse him and take away his true appearance, and with it any chance of ever finding his family.

(Not a brothel fic, that's only the starting point. A Wangxian story. A Twin Jades story.)

the rivers start to sing by fruitys

(mature)

Just when the sun has risen high enough to shine its weak rays through the little window, the man wakes up. Wei Wuxian is waiting for him, the iron cooking pan held tightly in one hand and Xiao Pingguo perched on his shoulder. Crows always look a little menacing, Wei Wuxian thinks — he hopes he cuts an intimidating figure now, with his crow and his cooking pan. He’s too skinny, not as strong as he used to be, and he doesn’t have a sword. But he has the Stygian Tiger Seal, tucked safely into one of his sleeves. He doesn’t need physical strength for that. Now he adjusts his grip on the pan. “Who are you?” he demands. The man blinks at him, runs his eyes up and down the length of Wei Wuxian’s body. They’re very pale, almost gold. “My name is Lan Wangji.”

Or: Wei Wuxian is locked in a tower. Lan Wangji finds him.

green sleeves growing cold by mistergoblin

Something flickers in dark eyes. A responding lick of flame. Lan Wangji cannot put a name to it — but it angers him, angers him as does the small satisfied curl to Wei Wuxian’s mouth, as does the shameless pout which replaces it.

Lan Wangji cannot understand him.

Lan Wangji cannot control him.

Lan Wangji is going to be driven mad.

(In which, to keep her son safe, Madam Lan creates a curse)

merlin

The Frog Prince by Clea2011

Canon era AU. A teenage Arthur is hit by a mutation spell intended for Uther. Unable to speak and hidden away by his father because of his appearance, Arthur is left lonely and isolated. A few years later Gaius takes on a new apprentice, someone who can understand Arthur and see through the enchantment. Someone with magic.

But breaking the spell was never going to be easy.

tgcf

Memento Vivere by IceEckos12

(mature) (graphic depictions of violence)

Though Jun Wu’s expression was drawn with sympathy, his eyes were apathetic as he watched Xie Lian thrash in the dirt. “What a monstrous thing you tried to do, Xianle,” he murmured, letting his hand drop to his side. “What a terrible, monstrous thing.”

In one universe, Xie Lian makes a request, and Jun Wu agrees.

In another universe, Jun Wu changes the terms.

The Bride Selection by trufflehargau

Xie Lian held up the flyer, and squinted at it through the eye-holes of his mask. Beneath the words ‘Join the Selection! Be the Ghost King’s Bride!’ the sweeping eaves rendered in wobbly black ink matched the silhouette of the building in the distance. Paradise Manor. The Ghost King’s home.

-

...The Princess and the Pea retelling? Set before the events of the novel. The Ghost King of Paradise Manor is selecting a bride. Xie Lian doesn't really know what he's doing there.

and at last, i've found my light by astrocosmos

For sixteen years, all that Xie Lian could see of the world was confined to the small windowsill of a forgotten tower—that is, until a lanky man with an eyepatch and a crooked smile came crashing right through it, disturbing the life of solitude he thought he had accepted long ago.

or; the tale of a lost prince and the one person who never stopped searching

yoi

perigee, apogee by seventhstar

Once upon a time, there was a thief who stole the prince of the moon.

hood & glove by Fahye, hawberries

"I don't mess with the fae," Otabek says.

"I'm not asking you to mess with them," JJ flat-out lies.

the dream that you wish will come true by seventhstar, sixthmoon (seventhstar) 

As the prince, whose isolation made even the single fiddle and informal dance of a party of servants overwhelming, observed them from the side of the room, a young man with dark eyes and dark hair approached him.

“Excuse me,” he said to the prince, his cheeks flushed from the wine. “Would you like to dance?”

The prince had danced without a partner for the whole of his short life.

“Oh,” the prince said. Within him a single bud began to bloom. “I would.”

A prince locked in a tower, a dancer without a partner...and a witch without love.

[autumnsorbet]

🔴 short version

Arthur was turn in to a boy a birth by his mother who is part celestial being and has celestial magic one of the main reasons she did this is because she's mainly had daughters except for one time she did have a son , she turned Arthur into a boy

because King uther also wanted a male heir to take the throne Camelot had mainly been ruled by Queens throughout his run since its founding and he thought that having another male ear lead on the throne would be good for Camelot despite his

actions and things he's done he's hoping that maybe having his son take after him in certain ways despite his actions will help lead Camelot into a better future uuther never found out that Arthur was really born as female, only a small amount of

people in Camelot know about Arthur's birth and that he was really born female and

later on after Arthur gets chaos magic(when he's 17-19) from the Lady of the lake he undoes the layered seal that his mother had put on him by accident and realizes that he is female but chooses to stay in his male form because that's

what he's identified as throughout all of his life and chooses to continue to identify as male because that's what he wishes, he does however let the knights of the round table and several other people know about his true physical identity that he was born with like his mother he places seals on people so no one can reveal the truth about his identity to anyone

His name would have been Artemis Pendragon

Igrane doesn't like any of her kids really but she likes Arthur caz she feels she does have some control over him

🔴long version 🔴

Another part of my au Arthur was born a girl and in this version has many siblings, Arthur also is a quintuplet but his sisters were sent off to live with different relatives in another kingdom and Arthur's mother Igrane (she part human part celestial being similar to chaos) used magic to turn Arthur in to a boy (yes this is inspired by the wizard of ozma of Oz story with tip being ozma )

🌺

Arthur doesn't realize he a girl tell he's 17-19 only people new for years are a few older knights who worked for his father uther Pendragon

Igrane turn Arthur in to a boy for a few reasons,the main one being she I was given a prophecy about Arthur and in this prophecy Arthur is referred to as a king so she used her magic to do a layered seal over Arthur so he could be a boy ,this layered seal she used would keep Arthur physical form as a boy intact even if someone hit him with absolute cancel and would dispell after she pass away or if some how Arthur own magic dispells

Another reason she turned Arthur into a boy is because Camelot n my au has been run by queens for several decades and even the founder of Camelot was a female Queen and King uther is actually the first male king Camelot has had he wanted a male heir but igrane has manly only had daughters every time she ever has kids she only had a boy once be for

Uther doesn't now Arthur was born a girl but be some people in Camelot(are celestials or has celestial power) do know that Arthur was originally born a girl (the have a spell on them that doesn't let other now this truth) ,its all so help the ppl that

know identify him if he came back and somehow became king which in my au he's still becomes king the same way he pulls the sword from the stone but there's also another test they do to see if Arthur is uther's son/child a blood test on a magic seal that only works for people who have the Pendragon blood

Igrane left Camelot after Arthur and his sisters were born but at one point after Arthur gets taken by Merlin and they go traveling is also around the time King Arthur gets sick and everyone worries about

what will happen to the kingdom if he dies nights are sent to go look for Arthur's Foster father who Luther gave him to but they realize he died and that even his son doesn't know where Arthur went

because Arthur was just left alone in the slums by himself after the night died but he was only alone for a short time and after realizing that Arthur was gone at one point Arthur's mother does come back to Camelot and does have another child with King

Luther Arthur's younger sister named There caz they don't trust Igrane to properly raise Amara seeing how she's treated her other children in the past,

At one point in time Arthur is found along with Merlin and that's when they find out about the succession that became and they go back to Camelot and that's where Arthur pulls the sword

And it's years later after Arthur forms the knights of the round table and he unlocks a celestial power that part chaos and part celestial magic that he gets from his mother Igrane , that he undoes a magical seal that was put on him by accident and that's when he learns he's actually a girl

The only people who now after Arthur figures out that he's actually a girl and had a magical seal placed on him are the 25 nights of the round table the few nights and people in luthers court and and the kingdom that knew of Arthur's birth his two sisters Amara and Morgana/Morgan

And just like with his mother Arthur puts a seal on everyone and a memory seal so they can't reveal a secret about his true about him

[merlin-reboot-when]

AU where Merlin tells Morgana his secret and they work out their differences. They begin studying magic together and fall in love. Morgana becomes a knight of Camelot when Morgause attacks, they are happy.

Until Uther catches them in Morgana's chambers together. He doesn't find out about the magic, but a servant trying to advance his daughter I mean ward? Off with his head! Morgana quick witted as ever makes a deal with Uther: He lets Merlin live and she will agree to marry a suitable Lord.

So Merlin gets banished, only Morgana, Uther, Lancelot and Gaius know why. Morgana is soon promised to a young Lord. He's kind and charming and doesn't disapprove of Morgana being a knight. She wouldn't even mind marrying him if she wasn't already in love. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

Arthur, Gwen and the knights notice a shift. Everyone seems to be a bit down these days, magical attacks happen more frequently and they still don't know where Merlin disappeared to. And why did Morgana, after years of fighting it, suddenly agree to get married? None of it makes sense.

Then shortly before the wedding Morgana disappears too. Together with Lancelot. She leaves a note saying she just can't go through with the wedding and not to worry. She'll be alright. They find Merlin and now that there's three of them who can work together they really get to work. They stay in touch with Gaius and take turns guarding Camelot while the others search for possible allies. Morgause is still out there and war is coming after all.

They end up gathering their people in the Fisher King's castle. The curse was lifted when he died, so it's perfectly safe and the land doesn't belong to anyone anymore. They start rebuilding and soon more people (who heard the Perilous Lands are a safe haven for magic users now) come and settle down. Merlin is declared King Emrys. He doesn't like the title, doesn't want it, but his people insist. So he creates a council immediately to help him rule. Iseldir and Alator are on it as well as some new faces. And of course Merlin's right hand Morgana and first knight Lancelot.

But although their new kingdom flourishes, sorcerers are still being killed elsewhere. So they start a diplomatic effort to forge alliances with other kingdoms. They can send their magic users Merlin's way and in return they get a good deal on grain and such. They meet with many Kings, Queens and Lords. Eventually they get an answer from Camelot as well. King Uther has fallen ill since Morgana's departure, but Prince Arthur wishes to meet and negotiate with this "Emrys".

Merlin, Morgana and Lancelot go of course. They haven't seen their friends in a long time and are looking forward to it. When Arthur realises who his guests are he feels betrayed though. He thinks it was magic which corrupted them and lead them to leave him and Camelot. He's not ready to sign any sort peace treaty. It doesn't help that Uther dies during the visit. The shock of seeing Morgana again and as a witch now, too, is too much for him.

So they leave again. Soon after Morgause launches her attack on Camelot. She thinks the King's death has left Camelot weak and vulnerable and she isn't entirely wrong. Camelot's army rides to battle Morgause's forces at Camlann. Merlin and Morgana hear the news and officially allied or not, Camelot needs help. Their friends need help. When a third army, not huge, but with many sorcerers in their rows arrives Arthur thinks it's over. Banners with triskelions and tridents (a tribute to the late Fisher King) and the golden sun of the Catha (and are those bloody dragons?)... But then the new arrivals turn against Morgause.

The battle doesn't last long after that. Morgause refuses to yield and dies at Merlin's hand. Everyone else who lays down their weapons is offered a home in the Perilous Lands. Arthur lives and after the events of that day has no more doubts about trusting Merlin and Morgana. Their kingdoms become close allies and friends.

Gwen marries Arthur and becomes Queen of Camelot. Merlin and Morgana wait a little longer, they have a kingdom to build after all. But eventually they too make it official. Morgana was born to become Queen after all - just not Queen of Camelot. Mordred finds his way to Camelot and becomes Gaius' new assistant. He already knows a lot about magic and healing and becomes a trusted and loyal member of the royal household. The knights live happy lives and don't die in war.

It takes almost another decade, but magic is eventually freed in all the kingdoms of Albion. Gaius lives to see that day and celebrates with everyone else. He dies a few months later of old age, peacefully in his sleep. Arthur and Gwen never have children, but they adore their nieces and nephew. The latter even comes to live with them for a while when he's sixteen and is named heir to the throne of Camelot. His older sister will one day become Queen of the Perilous Lands and the youngest wants to be a knight like her mother.

Arthur never has to fight a war as brutal as the one against Morgause again. His regency is a time of peace and prosperity. As foretold, he dies at Mordred's hand when the physician gives him a sleeping draught to ease his pain. His friends and family are with him. The prophecies, one way or another, came true, but this time nobody complains about it.

[dykesynthezoid]

Ok bc my brain tortures me with Thoughts and Ideas… Here is how I think the general narrative layout of a Arthurian-esque Samtory story would go (this is by nature of course partially inspired by @leohttt ‘s samtory Robin Hood AU bc. Medieval folklore and all that):

- Kreese was the previous King of Camelot, and with no direct heir or relation he decided to form an elite coalition of knights (it’s the Cobras. Obviously) and whoever he judged the most worthy he would make his legal heir. This ends up being Johnny.

- Daniel, main-character-syndrome-haver that he is, does have some Arthur-esque elements to him but specifically in a more sword-in-the-stone way. Aka, he’s not of noble birth (not even secretly, in this instance), he’s just some scrappy kid who meets a really cool but often cryptic old guy which leads him on a whole adventure to change Camelot forever.

- Aka this kid moves to Camelot, manages to immediately piss off its most elite knights, and gets so invested in this conflict that he’s like hey this King sucks. We should get rid of him

- Guy who like, just got here leads rebellion to depose Kreese bc why not

- This entire conflict still leads to Kreese trying to kill Johnny bc of course it does!

- Johnny and the Cobras are unable to stop Daniel and his uprising from ousting Kreese; but, after Kreese tried to kill Johnny, and now that he’s gone, Daniel, of course, shows mercy. He and Johnny end up coming to an agreement that the legal line of succession is still valid and Johnny takes the throne, although with diminished executive power, which he’s fine with bc he’s actually majorly insecure and terrified of fucking up.

- Daniel becomes one of his most prominent advisors and they’re like. Obviously pretty close.

- Johnny is still, uh. Pretty fucked up in the head from everything though. As they get older his drinking worsens, plague and famine and other disasters exacerbate his already fragile self-worth as ruler, and his insecurities grow deeper.

- Eventually he ends up having an affair with a commoner that leads to her becoming pregnant, and at this point he just. Can’t do it anymore. So he literally skips town and leaves Daniel in charge.

- Daniel, newly thrust into a role as regent, does his best to figure out what the fuck to do about all of this. He finds out about Johnny’s affair, and realizing Johnny may have an heir, starts the task of looking for where this commoner might have gone and where her kid is.

- (By this time he’s married Amanda and had Sam already ofc).

- It takes years for the new circle of knights to find Robby and Shannon, and when they do Robby 100% tries to rob them first.

- He’s still a kid at this point; and the adjustment from peasant to royal life is difficult, to say the least.

- He and Sam grow very close, though, practically seeing each other as siblings.

- Sam’s role is… complicated, by all of this. She’s the first-born of the man actually ruling the kingdom; but she’s not the heir. Robby is, and once he’s old enough he’ll take the throne.

- She becomes a knight, along with Hawk and Miguel and Aisha. She wants to be useful; wants there to be a reason for her to hold the nebulous station she does.

- She also definitely has prophetic dreams and visions, but she keeps that quiet because having magic isn’t something you’re really supposed to admit to.

- Yes we are employing the Merlin-style “magic is outlawed” trope, for flavor. The harsher punishments and most extreme conditions were under Kreese, but even after, the ban was not completely lifted. Both Johnny and Daniel’s positions as rulers have been complicated and often fragile; neither of them had the absolute power to really change something like that, especially when so much of the nobility still views magic as destructive and evil.

- Finally, Robby’s about to ascend the throne. In the meantime he’s been betrothed to a noble’s daughter from a fief they’ve been trying to build an alliance with for some time.

- On the very day his betrothed is set to arrive, Robby stumbles upon the information that Daniel has actually known exactly where Johnny is hiding out for the last ~20 years, and is uh. Understandably upset and feels betrayed.

- Overwhelmed with anger and hurt, he storms out of the castle and disappears into the wood, declaring if Daniel won’t tell him exactly where to find his father, he’ll go find him himself.

- Cue Tory arriving in Camelot, already not exactly happy but trying to make the best of things, being married off to a future king and all that, but he’s Not Even Fucking There.

- His surrogate sister is, though, and she’s annoying as fuck.

- And totally not super hot or anything.

- Oh, and also Terry is a witch-king and warlord with an army of mercenaries living a couple kingdoms over.

- Also when I said Daniel ousted Kreese, did you think he was gonna not still be alive? Bc of course he is. Hanging with his evil sorcerer king bestie.

- “Didn’t Kreese outlaw magic?” Yeah. What about it.

- Kreese: Magic is evil and treacherous and disgusting

Everyone else: Isn’t your boyfriend literally a sorcerer?

Kreese: I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Kill yourself

- Oh and Demetri is Hawk’s squire and manservant who is like. A beginner wizard who is really fucking bad at hiding the fact that he’s magical but Hawk is too dense to notice.

- There’d be a whole plot line where Moon gets accused of witchcraft and Hawk, indoctrinated by anti-magic beliefs, fails to defend her and agrees to carry out the order to exile her, saying she’s just lucky the punishment wasn’t harsher. And Demetri has to watch that from the background going “UH OH. HMM. UH OH”

- (Moon lady of the lake storyline mayhaps???)

- Piper is the leader of a group of bandits. Bc I said so.

- Aisha is a knight but also a scholar with an interest in alchemy, which puts her in a complicated position as far as the whole no-magic thing

- Carmen, as a healer, is also inevitably accused of witchcraft (even though she’s not actually magic)

- This is extremely difficult for Miguel and furthers the rift forming between the more tolerant knights (himself, Sam, eventually Aisha, and a couple others) and the more militant, “bring back the old days when we put sorcerers to death” knights (many of the show’s Cobra Kais, including Hawk; at least, for a while, I assume he gets his head out of his ass eventually)

- As soon as news gets out that Robby is missing tensions skyrocket

- Amid all of this though Sam and Tory are just. Having an insane amount of sexual tension, even though that’s like really NOT helping the whole “dangerous state of political unrest” thing that’s going on

- Sam and some of the other knights decide to set out to track Robby down and bring him home; Tory argues her way onto the expedition by requesting they drop her off at her estate to visit her mother and brother on the way

- On the way there, though, they’re attacked by mercenaries, and Sam realizes with growing horror and rage that Tory sold them out.

- Listen. Tory’s mom is sick, and the state of her fiefdom is fragile. Everyone wants their resources, and if they knew the lady of the land was ill, that it was unprotected, they would all immediately swoop in and carve it to pieces. Tory can’t let this happen. The problem is there is someone who knows about her mother’s condition, and that’s Silver.

- So she’s stuck with him. But he promises that if she plays along, he’ll help her find a healer to save her mother. He installs his mercenaries on her land to “guard” it and her manor, but she knows it’s also a threat.

- Tory decides she doesn’t have a choice. She does what she has to.

- It was Silver who devised the plan to set up the betrothal, although no one in Camelot knew of his involvement.

- Sam and her knights are taken into custody by Silver’s men and brought back to his lair. Sam does not stop glaring at the back of Tory’s head the entire time.

- Once there, Sam is surprised to find Robby is there as well, and not entirely unwillingly. (He truly. Left Camelot and fell into their clutches almost immediately). He tells her Kreese is the only person who’s ever been willing to talk openly with him about his dad. He wants to hear them out, wants to play it cool.

- So Sam is having a tough time. Understandably.

- Does she 100% sneak into Tory’s bedroom, telling herself it’s so she can get even or get answers and definitely has nothing to do with the fact that looking at Tory makes her feel like her insides are melting into very hot, very gay slime? Of course she does!

- When Sam and her knights make their escape, Sam manages to drag Tory back with her, but Robby refuses to come with them, overwhelmed and scared and desperate for stability.

- As Silver’s armies muster and Camelot is torn into civil war, Sam has to make the decision to defy both her father and her future king, and what does that make her? What does that mean for a knight? What if the only way to keep Camelot safe is to accept the burden of leading it?

- Also she might’ve stolen said future king’s future bride. So. That’s happening too.

[adhd-merlin]

So I’ve been in the bbc merlin fandom for a bit now but I still havent really explored everything and I love asking peoples opinions so .

What’s your favorite AU and do you have any song or fic recs for it? Or art? Bc id love to see it!!

Sorry @itsjustclaryy this has been languishing in my inbox for a while because, well. The thing about me is that if you ask me a question about a specific thing, my brain will immediately wipe itself of all knowledge about that thing. It's like the opposite of that "don't think about a white bear" exercise.

I also haven't read a lot of Merlin fanfiction — partly out of choice, because I wanted to write my own without committing unconscious plagiarism.

So I sort of put this ask aside until I could think of at least one thing.

I assume you mean AUs as in genuine alternative universes rather than just canon-divergent scenarios? I haven't read many of those, mostly because modern AUs tend to remove magic from the picture, and I think that's such a fundamental part of Merlin’s character that it might as well not be Merlin at all. And also because I like magic.

So, for modern AUs, I like those that still preserve the magic element — like magical realism and urban fantasy.

(I can only remember reading one of those, and it was about magic users still being an oppressed minority and being, like, monitored by the government ? Having to wear some kind of tracking device? And Merlin being an activist campaigning for magic-havers' rights and being kidnapped by Arthur. I can't remember the details, I can't even say whether I liked all of it, but I was intrigued by the premise).

For canon era!AUs, I like the idea of universes where magic is legal and/or Merlin is either a literal prince or in a position akin to royalty (think King of the Druids) and he gets to interact with Arthur on a more equal footing. Or even just fics that change something about Merlin's status, like — I remember reading a story in which Merlin was kept as a prisoner/slave by another king, who used him for his magic (think of a "King Alined and his jester" kind of situation), and Arthur met Merlin while he was staying at this king's castle to negotiate a treaty. (Does it count as a "proper" AU? I'm not sure). But again, I have no links at hand, sorry.

I also enjoy soulmates AUs because I'm basic. But really, they work so well for this fandom.

Generally speaking, I enjoy fics that explore power dynamics, a lot, so I'm always a slut for Dom/sub AUs and the like (which I don't even know if it's a thing in this fandom?)

Sorry, I realise I haven't actually recommended anything and this probably wasn't what you were looking for, but yeah, I really haven't read many AUs.

Perhaps someone who follows me might have some actual recs :) I'll add to it if any specific fic comes to my mind.

(For now — this dragon!Merlin ficlet is adorable.)

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

Twin!AU Part 2:

Gwaine is ecstatic to find that he’s technically dating Royalty (Arthur still isn’t best pleased), and Merlin begins to recover his true heritage.

Part 1   Part 3

Gwaine stares at the two of them open-mouthed from where he sits on the edge of the bed.

Re-telling the story had re-ignited Merlin and Arthur’s anger, but they do a good job of keeping it in as Gwaine tries to process that his partner and The Prince of Camelot are... twins. Gods this sounds like something out of one of Leon’s ridiculous fiction books: long lost royal twins and insane Kings and emotional reunions with long-dead, ghostly relatives. But to be fair, Gwaine has found that in all of his travels, Camelot has definitely been the weirdest place he’s ever been. Or perhaps it’s just the people.

He finally shuts his mouth, nodding slowly as he takes a deep breath and stands. He wipes his sweaty hands down his trousers briefly before stepping forward and pulling Merlin into a hug, making pointed eye-contact with Arthur over his shoulder. The only thing that Gwaine and Arthur had ever agreed on was that Merlin’s safety was of the upmost importance; this whole ordeal had just strengthened that agreement:

“That’s... you guys have had one hell of a day, huh? You said Gaius, and your mo- Hunith, and that bloody Dragon knew?”

Merlin tenses in his arms before pulling away, and Arthur’s expression turns stormy once more as he nods. Gwaine frowns, keeping one hand on Merlin’s shoulder as the servant (Prince?) responds bitterly:

“Hmm. We haven’t spoken to Kilgharrah or Hunith yet, but they’ll be getting a bloody mouthful from me, when we get time.”

Gwaine nods sympathetically, muttering his reply more to himself than the others:

“...Bastards.”

Arthur nods, but takes a deep breath as he puts his own hand on Merlin’s other shoulder:

“Agreed, but we’ve been gone too long; Leon’s been dealing with the council for at least half an hour and we need to go explain things sooner rather than later. News of my- The King’s arrest will spread like wildfire once it gets out.”

Merlin sighs, sagging slightly where he stands, and Gwaine steps even closer to him, moving his arm to be over his shoulder in a side-hug:

“Hey, I’m sure Arthur and Leon can deal with this if you’d rather hide out in here for a little peace. We could always set Morgana loose on the council, she’s bound to whip them into shape.”

(Yes, this fic is ignoring the timeline both in terms of the knights AND Morgana. She knows about Merlin’s magic, and Merlin, Arthur, and Gwaine (and Lance) know about hers.)

Merlin lets out a quiet huff of laughter, leaning into Gwaine’s side slightly as he looks up:

“No, I can’t. Arthur’s right, we need to sort this out sooner rather than later. I’d be perfectly content to not tell anyone about who I really am-”

Gwaine raises an eyebrow and Arthur narrows his eyes, ready to protest, but is interrupted by Merlin’s loud continuation before he can say anything:

“-but I know neither of you will let me get away with that so... here we are.”

Arthur nods decisively and Gwaine hides a grin, clearly thinking about how he’s technically courting a Prince. Arthur rolls his eyes at Gwaine’s expression, a small part of him cursing himself for letting the drunkard stay in Camelot, but the rest of him is grateful, knowing that Merlin needed more than Arthur on his side, especially now he had lost, or partially lost, Gaius, Kilgharrah, and Hunith.

The blonde Prince lets out a deep sigh, looking towards the door despondently as he decides that they really can’t leave Leon to fend for himself any longer. The three of them make their way from the room wordlessly, but Arthur halts the group again at the end of the corridor, turning to Gwaine with a thoughtful frown:

“Go find Elyan, Percival, Lancelot, Morgana, and Gwen. Gaius is a member of the council so he should already be there but double check he isn’t in his chambers, and Leon may have fetched Morgana himself, but I don’t know.”

Gwaine turns to look at Merlin and speaks quietly:

“What should I tell them?”

Merlin’s frown deepens and he glances at Arthur, but he just shrugs slightly, giving the choice to Merlin:

“They’ll all find out in the meeting anyway, so it might be best to pre-warn them so they aren’t blind-sided. Tell them the truth, I was born with magic, and am Arthur’s long lost twin brother, confirmed by Igraine’s ghost and then Gaius.”

He looks bewildered as he says it, almost as though he doesn’t fully believe it quite yet; Arthur nods in agreement and continues his instructions to Gwaine:

“Have everyone meet us there as soon as possible, I want to get this sorted now and I’m going to need as many people on my side as I can get.”

Gwaine nods seriously, pressing a brief kiss against Merlin’s forehead before rushing off in the other direction, hurriedly knocking on the knights’ doors down the corridor as Merlin and Arthur turn the corner.

They make quick work of the journey back through the castle, stopping just outside the doors to the Throne Room with sweaty palms and shivering lungs. The two of them listen to the annoyed sounding murmurs coming from inside for a few moments and the guards try not to give them odd looks as Arthur glances to Merlin—stood at his side instead of behind him—with a fond, though nervous smile. He puts his hand on the other man’s shoulder:

“We’re about to cause one hell of an argument, you ready?”

Merlin takes a deep, calming breath, smiling briefly as he hears Leon pleading with the council to be patient for just a little longer, looking to Arthur with anxious eyes and pale cheeks:

“Yeah. Come on, I think Leon might hurl himself from the window if we make him wait much longer.”

Arthur chuckles quietly, and the guards quickly divert their gazes when he looks back to the doors, taking one last fortifying lungful before walking forward and pushing them open with a bang, Merlin at his side.

The room goes suddenly quiet and Leon visibly relaxes when they walk in, bowing briefly before stepping aside and allowing Arthur to take his place in front of the thrones. There is no table in the Throne Room, so the council stand gathered in the middle, staring up at Arthur incredulously as he runs a hand down the arm of The King’s throne absent-mindedly. He was grateful to see Gaius present, despite not being in any sort of mood to talk to the man; he holds a smirk in when he sees several of the councilmen raise eyebrows at Merlin, still stood at his side when he technically shouldn’t even be in the room. There was even further incredulity as Sir Leon moves to stand guard behind him, as opposed to The Prince.

One of the Lords nearer the front of the small crowd finally breaks the tense silence:

“My Lord, what is the meaning of this? We were told it was an emergency, that we were meeting in the Throne Room as opposed to the council room, and were then made to wait for almost a candle-mark. The King has yet to arrive, what is going on?

Arthur turns to look at them with a raised eyebrow, back straight and face impassive:

“Patience, Lord Angar, The King will not be joining us, though we are waiting for a few more-”

The doors open before he finishes and every head turns to see the remaining knights, Gwen, and Lady Morgana enter, led by a serious looking Gwaine. All of them give Merlin a small smile and a bewildered nod, bar Morgana, who looks nothing short of furious as she moves to stand protectively at his side, glaring at any councilman who dares to look their way. The knights spread out, standing to attention with hands on their swords around the edge of the room, whilst Gwen moves to stand against the wall behind Morgana, Merlin, and Leon. Only Gwaine, Leon, and Lancelot are in full armour, but all the knights are armed and angry looking.

The councilmen, looking more confused and annoyed, look back to a still impassive Arthur. He fixes a short glare on each and every one of them before turning to face them properly and speaking confidently, his tone inviting no argument:

“The King has been arrested and confined to his chambers for the murder of the late Queen, and gross crimes against the Kingdom.-”

The room immediately explodes into angry and incredulous yelling, and Merlin flinches away from the sudden noise. Morgana squeezes his wrist comfortingly, knowing that it was only going to get worse when the rest of the truth is revealed, and Leon steps out from behind him, moving to be at his side with his sword halfway out of it’s sheath.

The other knights and Gwen all tense in place and Gwaine has to resist the urge to run to Merlin, knowing that the council’s disdain for both him personally and his courtship with Merlin would just make things worse. Arthur rolls his eyes at the cacophony of noise and slams the metal part of his gauntlet against the arm of the throne with a bang:

“ENOUGH! You’ll find, gentlemen, that remaining calm and quiet will make this conversation much easier.-”

He glowers at everyone until the hall is drowning in another tense silence before taking a deep breath, forcing himself to keep his hands from fidgeting as he continues:

“-It has come to my attention, through the Witch Morgause-”

A few murmurs of dissent go around the room, but they quickly cease when even the ever-calm Sir Leon begins to glare at people:

“-and further confirmation by The Court Physician, that King Uther used sorcery, against The late Queen’s wishes, in order to conceive a child. He was warned of the dangers, and went ahead with his plan anyway, which resulted in not only the birth of twins, one of whom was magical, but the death of the Queen.-”

At the mention of Gaius, the elderly Physician gets a few confused glances, and even more glares; no one likes being kept out of the loop, especially when everyone there is a Lord except Gaius. At the mention of twins, everyone’s attention is abruptly back on Arthur, and the knights have to resist the urge to look at Merlin, in fear of giving anything away too early.

Before he can continue, Arthur is interrupted by Lord Angar again:

“My Lord, I very much doubt the validity of anything you have just said, but either way, is this really the sort of meeting to be had with servants, a Lady, and your peasant knights present? I know you’re oddly fond of them but-”

Arthur, Leon, and Morgana have to resist the urge to punch the Lord in the face at his words. Gwen, Percival, Lancelot, and Elyan manage to keep their faces neutral, though Gwaine glowers openly. The knight does however hold in his smirk when he notices the fury on Arthur’s face. The Prince takes a threatening step forward but doesn’t lower himself from the dais as he speaks, his tone cold:

“Lady Morgana, Guinevere, and Merlin have proven to be better advisors to me than you ever have Lord Angar; Sirs Percival, Elyan, Lancelot, and Gwaine are amongst the best knights this Kingdom has ever seen, and you will show every one of them the respect they deserve, or you will excuse yourself from this room, and this council. Am I understood?”

The red of Angar’s face gets more severe as he splutters:

“My Lord you can not be-”

“Am I understood?!-”

Arthur’s voice cuts through everyone in the room, despite it’s low volume, and where Leon hides his proud smirk, Morgana doesn’t hold back at all, especially when Angar takes a deep breath and nods his purple head in embarrassment. The rest of the council seems to finally have grasped the seriousness and severity of the situation and play close attention to Arthur as he continues, no one daring to interrupt again:

“-This information changes everything we know about sorcery; my father started a genocide against an innocent group of people because he was too much of a coward to admit his mistakes and refused to take the rightful blame for killing his wife. I will not stand for this, and things will change very soon. If you are not outraged at the unjustness of his actions, at the death and suffering he has caused our people, the people we are meant to serve and protect, then you are more than welcome to leave. Meetings to organise and begin the process of legalising magic will start early tomorrow, and I will be accepting no excuses, this is non-negotiable. As for the matter of my twin brother...-”

Arthur glances back to Merlin, and at his slight nod, Arthur shoots him a small smile and holds his hand out to him. Merlin walks slowly forward to the sound of the council gasping and muttering to themselves, Leon stays barely a hair’s breadth behind him with his sword fully drawn:

“-may I present Prince Myrddin Pendragon.-”

Lord Angar, among others, looks seconds away from bursting once more, so Arthur hurries to continue, though still manages to keep his voice forceful and confident:

“-This information was unconfirmed for both of us until around a candle-mark ago; I have never believed in fate before now, though I think we can all be grateful that The Prince managed to return to Camelot all on his own.-”

He settles his hand on Merlin’s shoulder, but doesn’t pull him forward too much, understanding that his serv- his brother, probably wants to be as far away from the centre of attention as he can get.

“-I want him presented to The Kingdom and crowned before the month is out, this matter is also non-negotiable. Any questions?”

Lord Angar looks desperate to start yelling, but he also seems to have finally accepted that his influence over this room, and now the council in general, was tenuous at best. One of the newer councilmen, a young Lord who Arthur has a slowly growing respect for, steps forward slightly, bowing his head before meeting Arthur’s gaze and quietly asking:

“And The King, My Lord? Should we plan for your coronation as well?”

It was clear that the question was unexpected and Arthur frowns at the realisation that he had... arrested The King. Uther may have deserved it, but Arthur couldn’t bring himself to order his execution, and knowing Merlin he’d argue against it endlessly anyway.

Morgana senses Arthur’s hesitation after a second or two, thankfully before the council becomes restless and annoyed:

“You could always take over as Regent whilst we sort all of this out; that way we can revisit the issue of actually crowning you King later. Though we can’t confine Uther to his chambers forever, we’ll have to deal with him at some point.”

Arthur hums and nods, giving her a thankful smile before looking back to the young Lord:

“Lady Morgana’s suggestion is sound. I’ll take over as Regent,-”

He nods at Geoffrey of Monmouth, who takes a note down in the giant leather tome he perpetually has under his arm. If Arthur thinks about it for too long, he might come to the conclusion that the older man looks proud:

“-and we can revisit the issue when the dust has settled.-”

He rubs his eyes tiredly, as though the last day or so of drama had finally landed with it’s full weight upon his shoulders:

“-I think it goes without saying that, for now, none of this is to leave the room. I trust only Sir Leon with assigning who is to guard The King,-”

He glances to Leon, who nods seriously at his words:

“-keep it discreet Leon. I want to keep as much of this under wraps for as long as possible to avoid public panic; this is going to be a lot of hard work gentlemen, but I mean to see it through with or without your support, the choice is yours. The first meeting will take place in the normal council room tomorrow, two candle-marks after dawn. You’re all dismissed.”

The councilmen—including Gaius, after he sends a forlorn look Merlin’s way—slowly trickle out of the room, some looking angry, most looking resigned, but a few looking rather content, happy even (Arthur and Morgana take mental notes of who is who). The door shuts quietly behind the last man, leaving only Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, Gwen, and the knights left, all of whom understanding that the dismissal did not include them. Arthur lets out a deep sigh when the room quietens, looking back up to Merlin with a tired smile and even more tired eyes:

“Ready brother?”

He quirks an amused, but hugely pleased eyebrow as he says it and Merlin grins, rolling his eyes fondly:

“Not even close, but that’s never stopped me before.”

Arthur chuckles as the others all move closer, an odd mix of exasperated, because Merlin turning out to be Arthur’s long lost magical twin is exactly the sort of insanely dramatic thing that’s likely to happen in Camelot, and hesitant, because... how do they even deal with that? Other than with a great deal of confusion?

Gwen is the first to reach him, pulling Merlin into a tight hug that is very well received:

“I’m sorry Merlin, I can’t imagine how difficult this must be, and I’m so terribly sorry for all the horrible things I’ve said about magic.-”

She pulls back but doesn’t let go of his shoulders, staring up at him with tears in her eyes and a desperate look on her face:

“-You know that we all love, and trust you, don’t you??”

Merlin rolls his eyes fondly and pulls her back into a hug with a wide smile on his face:

“Of course I know that, I love you too Gwen. And don’t worry about it, you believed what you were taught, it’s not your fault.”

She looks like she wants to argue again when she pulls back, but Merlin just pats her cheek softly and gives her a warning glare. She huffs but dutifully steps back, allowing Gwaine to take her place as the rest of the knights pat his shoulders and run soft hands through his hair as way of apology and comfort. 

Merlin smiles at them, but sobers quickly when a particularly horrible thought re-occurs to him. Gwaine squeezes his shoulder in question and Arthur furrows his brows:

“Merls?”

Merlin just sighs and leans into Gwaine’s side slightly:

“I need to talk to my... Hunith. And Kilgharrah, but I really don’t have the energy for him right now.”

Arthur nods in understanding, thinking for a moment before looking up to the huddle of knights (most of whom look marginally confused at the mention of whoever the hell Kilgharrah is):

“Percival, Lancelot, you know where Ealdor is?-”

The two of them nod, remembering the route from visiting with Merlin a few months ago:

“-Leave at dawn, take an extra horse and bring Hunith back with you. With all that’s going on, me and Merlin can’t afford to be gone for even a day and it’s a four days’ journey there and back.”

They nod, but Lancelot quickly responds with a quiet:

“We can leave now if you like, it’s not like the journey will take much prep. What should we tell her?”

He looks to Merlin, who frowns slightly as he replies, his words slow:

“Don’t tell her anything, Arthur and I need to have that conversation with her. She’ll panic when you turn up without me so feel free to tell her that we’re all alive and uninjured and not in any danger but... just don’t tell her the real reason.”

Their smiles are understanding, and just a little pitying, but they turn and march off the moment Arthur nods at them in approval, determined to do everything they can to make things go smoothly and easily.

It’s Elyan that breaks the now slightly uncomfortable silence a few moments later:

“So... do we still call you Merlin? Or is it Prince Myrddin, My Lord?”

Merlin grimaces the moment Elyan mentions what would soon be his official title, and the others grin at his reaction, chuckling as he runs a hand through his hair:

“No one’s called me Myrddin since I was about five, and I think it would be a little odd if that changed now, so Merlin is just fine.”

The others nod in agreement, though Arthur sighs as he responds, faux annoyance in his tone:

“Paperwork’s going to be bloody confusing.”

~

It takes Merlin all of three hours to figure out that Arthur had subtly assigned him a constant guard. The guard consists of Sirs Leon and Gwaine, so he isn’t... complaining, per se, but it's annoying, to escape company for a quick piss to find his partner and friend casually hovering right outside the door.

But to be fair, Merlin only notices when his brain registers that Gwaine isn’t there, and how odd that is. Whilst Merlin is interrogating Leon, Arthur is cornering Gwaine in a seldom used corridor, though the rambunctious knight beats Arthur to the punch:

“I think we’ve been here before, Princess.”

Arthur raises an amused eyebrow at Gwaine’s teasing grin, before sagging slightly in place and sighing. Gwaine sobers immediately, putting a hand on the blonde’s shoulder and trying to meet his gaze:

“Arthur?”

Arthur sighs again, looking up to him with tired eyes:

“This goes without saying, but Merlin.... he is everything to me. As far as I’m concerned he and Morgana are my only family, though I suppose I believed that before all of... this; but that’s besides the point. I know you won’t ever mean to hurt him, and I do trust you, as... difficult as that is to admit, but I need to you understand, Gwaine,-”

Gwaine nods in understanding and agreement:

“I do understand, Arthur. He’s everything to me as well.”

Arthur shakes his head and steps back, bringing himself to his full height:

“No, you don’t. He is my brother, and he was taken from me. He has suffered, more than I think either of us will ever know, and that stops, this Kingdom is now being built for him. But I would burn it all down if it would make him happy. Everything is for him, for Morgana, for my family. Do you understand?”

Gwaine nods, only once, before holding his hand out. Neither his hand nor his voice shakes as he responds:

“I’ll pour the oil, you light the match.”

Arthur pauses for a moment, as if trying to gauge his own trust in the other man, before clasping Gwaine’s hand strongly. 

The seriousness of the moment ends when Gwaine lifts his other hand to tug sharply at Arthur’s hair before ducking under his arm and skipping down the corridor towards where they’d left Merlin and Leon. Arthur just huffs and follows him, definitely not sulking.

Merlin turns to them both with a scowl when they enter, immediately taking note of the residual gravity in the tightness of Gwaine’s shoulders:

“And what have you two been doing all of sudden?”

Leon bites his lip to stop himself from snorting in amusement, but fails miserably the moment Gwaine shrugs and opens his mouth:

“I don’t know, some sort of mutual arson pact I think.”

Arthur rolls his eyes first at Gwaine subtly, then at Merlin, far more obviously:

“Honestly Merlin, we’ve spent practically every second with you all day, you can’t go a few minutes without us?”

Merlin huffs noisily and turns around to grab Leon’s wrist, dragging him from the room and not looking over his shoulder as he snarks:

“Leon’s always been my favourite knight anyway.”

Gwaine and Arthur just look outraged, both speaking at the same time:

“Hang on, what about me?!”

They fix each other with narrow-eyed glares before shoving each other childishly, fighting over who could shoulder their way through the door first.

~

The next conversation, a few days later, is... a lot harder.

With Kilgharrah’s odd ability to seemingly know about everything that happens in Camelot, Merlin couldn’t get away with putting off speaking to him for long, especially with how The Warlock could feel the way he was angrily clomping about in his cave.

The short journey down through the dungeons, made by Arthur, Merlin, and Gwaine, was made mostly in silence. The oppressive feeling of Kilgharrah’s mishmash of emotions bouncing around in Merlin’s head made focusing on any other strain of thought impossible, and Gwaine and Arthur were too busy stewing in their own anger and worry to want to disturb him.

They pause momentarily outside the large iron gates leading to Kilgharrah’s lair, none of them looking to each other as they take deep breaths in an attempt to gather some bravery. Arthur and Gwaine have never said anything, but Kilgharrah terrifies the shit out of both of them; Merlin normally takes these trips alone—Arthur and Gwaine’s fear wasn’t difficult to pick up on and he never wanted to make them uncomfortable—allowing the other two their blissfully ignorant beauty sleep as he sneaks away to argue with a Dragon. But that’s obviously not in the cards today; no way either of them would let him face this alone.

Kilgharrah is waiting for them when they push open the gate and stalk out onto the ledge, and he raises himself to his full height, sparing barely a glance in Arthur’s direction and sparing Gwaine even less as he stares at Merlin with aloof, golden eyes:

“You have discovered who you are, Young Warlock, at long-”

Merlin interrupts him with a scowl and a held up hand:

“You had no right,-”

His voice is echoingly deadly, and the two knights find themselves being reminded of Merlin’s seemingly endless power. Merlin being angry at Gaius was... was like a child being heartbroken at a parent’s betrayal, which it was in some ways. But Merlin being angry at Kilgharrah... that was much more; like a God being angry at a creature of His own design. Merlin stands before The Great Beast, centuries old, full of unimaginable knowledge, and he stands tall, and proud, and angry.

“-no right, to keep this from me. You claim that no one can know their destiny, and then proceed to prattle on about mine in riddles. In my search for answers, you gave me more questions. In my search for comfort, you gave me fear. In my begging for help, you gave me nothing but pain. I’m done, you’re just as bad as Uther.”

Kilgharrah bristles, flaring his arched nostrils as his furious reaction ripples across his hardened scales:

“How dare you compare me to-”

Merlin interrupts him with a yell, his voice growling in it’s reverberation, a hidden power more ancient than the mountains themselves echoing in his words:

“You separated my brother from me and you had no right! You whine about how Uther took your kin from you, but you took my kin from me! You suffered so you made it your greatest goal to make everyone else suffer just as much. You are cruel, and cowardly, and I am done. You will not manipulate me anymore, you will not lie to me, or mislead me. You tried to get me to kill the boy, but I didn’t, and I forgave you. You tried to get me to kill Morgana, but I didn’t, and I forgave you. You keep trying to get me to free you, but I won’t. You will rot in here until you can tell me the truth, a truth I deem worthy, on why you kept my heritage from me.”

He doesn’t wait for a response, turning on his heel and marching out of the gate without another word, Gwaine following closely behind. Arthur stays, just for a few moments, though with Merlin’s sudden display of power over the beast before him he finds himself significantly less frightened:

“He’s right, you know. Every one of my brother’s successes has come to pass because he ignored you. You have haunted him every step of the way, causing nothing but grief; you should be grateful, Merlin has offered you a chance of redemption that I would not have.”

Arthur doesn’t wait for a response either, jogging up the steps to catch up with the other two just exiting the dungeons.

Merlin doesn’t ask what was said, though Gwaine does raise an eyebrow in The Prince Regent’s direction; Arthur gives him a short nod, acknowledging Gwaine’s need to know, need to keep a tight hold on everything so he could keep Merlin safe and happy. Or as happy as he can keep him in this situation. Gwaine relaxes when he understands Arthur’s promise to tell him later, trusting the blonde to have Merlin’s best interests at heart.

The slight relaxation doesn’t last long however; Merlin heads up through the castle towards the large doors leading into the courtyard. The other two follow him, knowing that the younger man likely needs some fresh air to recover from the pressing darkness and power and heaviness of Kilgharrah’s presence, but they quickly tense when he suddenly halts on the steps just outside the doors.

When they peer over his shoulder, they are abruptly reminded of the amount of time that had passed since Percival and Lancelot had left. And apparently returned.

Hunith dismounts her horse quickly, her mouth stretching into a relieved smile as she runs towards him. Merlin doesn’t move, just stares at her with blank eyes, and Gwaine’s eyes shift nervously between the two of them. Hunith’s relief is quickly dropped when she notices Merlin’s non-reaction, and she slows just before she ascends the steps, looking up at Merlin with her brow creased in worry:

“Son?”

Merlin’s expression hardens; his hands clench and his eyes and tone turn icy as he responds:

“I’m not your son.”

~

END of part 2!!!

Sorry to be a teeeaaasssee :))))) (Not really)

I’ve recently got a BUNCH more hours at work (which is like... good for me personally but not so great for my social life or hobbies lol) so things might take a little longer to come out from now, but I promise this blog is still ultra active and going!! I’ll just only have time to write in the evenings nowadays.

I’m not sure when part 3 will be, but it’s in the works and won’t be too long!! Two weeks at absolute MOST I imagine :D

[namelessayakashi]

Merlin/Arthur Fic Rec List

This is going to be a long post, so the recs start blow the cut!

I wanted to make a fic rec list!! So, here I am. Should be doing my uni homework that's due tonight but I am a terrible procrastinator.

I will probably make another one later on when I have more time that is more organized, but this one is in no particular order.

Last Updated 23 Sept. 2021

Also, quickly, a big thank you to @kickassfu for the making gif above for this post, ilysm Maf!!

Onto the fics!

Unsaid Love by AeonTheDimensionalGirl

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Return Fic; Angst with a Happy Ending

Wordcount: 4,022

Quick Summary: Songfic for the song Unsaid Emily from Julie & the Phantoms. Follows Merlin through the years as every century on Arthur's birthday more and more of a song is revealed to him when he goes to sleep. [Regency setting fic]

-- I am still not over this fic of @aeonthedimensionalgirl's, this fic is literally incredible. It is so good. I recommend reading it with Unsaid Emily playing on repeat in the background.

The Wisdom Of The Ages by tehfanglyfish

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Fluff; Getting Together

Wordcount: 4,200

Quick Summary: "Saving Arthur while disguised as Dragoon the Great was all well and good until the king decided the old sorcerer deserved a reward. On the run from Arthur, Merlin finds sanctuary in an elderly women's social club. What was supposed to be a one-time visit becomes a regular part of Merlin's week, as he returns each Friday to discuss recipes, commiserate about aches and pains, and lament the state of his love life." - Summary directly from AO3

-- Such a good fic, honestly, like. Merlin befriends Camelot's elderly ladies. Need I say more? It's great.

Forgetful Days by OnceFutureEmrys

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Fluff; Modern AU

Wordcount: 620

Quick Summary: "Arthur is very forgetful. Luckily, Merlin is there to help." - Summary directly from AO3

-- Seriously, @oncefutureemrys this fic is so cute and it's just great, def recommend it

Home in Your Arms by OnceFutureEmrys

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Pining; Fluff; Modern AU

Wordcount: 1,574

Quick Summary: "Arthur is missing Merlin when when he hears someone knocking on the door..." - Summary directly from AO3

-- Yes, another one from OFE, because I love her and her fics. This fic is so sweet, it is a modern University AU!

Ink On A Page by Hisa_Ai

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Pining; Fluff

Wordcount: 2,170

Quick Summary: Merlin writes his feelings on parchment, because if they are on paper, they are just words on a page, and not really his and didn't hold any meaning. One day Arthur notices him writing on one of these pieces of parchment.

-- Literally so beautiful. I loved this fic so much, and I recommend it so much. It is a canon era confessions fic, and it's just so good.

Fool Me Once by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Type: Humor; Magic Revealed; Dark Humor

Wordcount: 18, 728

Quick Summary: "Uther finds out about Merlin’s magic, but can’t seem to kill him. Merlin is just trying to protect Arthur. They become a begrudgingly effective duo. Arthur doesn't understand why they think he isn't noticing this." - Summary directly from AO3

-- I mean, can I just recommend this entire series? Seriously, the series this fic is in is just--excellent. I love this fic. It has Immortal Merlin and Uther Knowing about his magic. Seriously, though, just this series is amazing ahah Exceptionally Exceptional, Calling the Middleman, Returning the Favor, In Which Arthur Lets a Sorcerer Live and Regrets It, just to name a few, are incredible and I definitely recommend reading them.

for my beating heart is far too small for the entirety of my love for you by kickassfu

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Fluff; Established Relationship

Wordcount: 1,566

Quick Summary: Arthur is trying to learn a little magic to surprise Merlin at his coronation after their wedding.

-- So, I actually gave @kickassfu the prompt for this one. And oh my gods. How they did it? So soft, sweet. It is so good, and I 100% recommend you check it out!

That’s my Man by AeonTheDimensionalGirl

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Emotional Hurt/Comfort; Magic Revealed; Arranged Marriage; Angst with a Happy Ending

Wordcount: 2,287

Quick Summary: "By ancient, prophesied law, Arthur Pendragon must wed Emrys.

Problem is no one knows who they are." - Summary directly from AO3

-- I told you Aeon would be on here again! Love this fic so much. Love magic reveals, love arranged marriages. Seriously, this is great.

the house is flooded (as is his heart) by powered_by_notes

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Domestic Fluff; Return Fic

Wordcount: 2,281

Quick Summary: Arthur leaves to do some work in town, and Merlin runs into a bit of trouble with the cottage and their chickens while he's gone.

-- They have chickens. Enough said. No but really, this is so good, they live in a cottage and they have chickens and I definitely recommend this fic.

Emrys the Really, Truly Terrible by lindenwaverly

Rating: Teens & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Magic Reveal, Emrys Reveal

Wordcount: 15,241

Quick Summary: Arthur has repealed the ban on magic, but Merlin still hasn't come clean about his identity. The issue comes in where, Arthur wants Emrys to be his Court Sorcerer

-- literally. cackled. this is so great, i loved this one. i read it in the morning and do not regret it one bit. some of the dialogue just killed me. it's a great fic, and you should definitely read it.

Arthur Pendragon's Business Judgment Rule by oddishly

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Woke Up Married

Wordcount: 27,459

Quick Summary: "Arthur and Merlin wake up married. Camelot is in the middle of treaty negotiations with a visiting king. It's okay, Arthur has a plan." - Summary directly from AO3

Lord Drake's Bequest by Pennyplainknits

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Modern Era, Fake Relationship

Wordcount: 9,966

Quick Summary: " "To my great-nephew Arthur I bequeath Tintagel Distribution, wholly and without reserve, save for one condition. You must marry, and stay married, for a period of no less than six months. You're a wonderful businessman Arthur, but a full life needs love and companionship, not just a string of affairs. Settle down young Arthur, and your life will be the richer for it." " - Summary directly from AO3

of all things magic, a cerulean haze by powered_by_notes

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Magic Reveal

Wc: 7,092

Summary: "When Arthur goes missing, Merlin goes off on his own searching for him. He knows to look for things that the others simply do not and has things at his disposal that the others, again, simply do not.

. . .Magical things, of course.

In all his power, worry, anger, and relentless searching, he has no idea the missing king is being shown all the things that Merlin is doing with that power.

. . .Magical things, of course." - Summary directly from AO3

-- Loved this sm. Gods, I was supposed to read this ages ago, but only FINALLY just found the time to last night and it was so great. Arthur is kidnapped while out doing smth for Merlin and it's just really good.

On the Run by Sorceressofdragons

Rating: E

Archive Warnings: None Apply

Type: Modern AU

Wordcount: 18,155

Summary: After an unsuccessful attempt on their lives, new neighbours Arthur and Merlin decide to take off into the woods. Their destination is Morgana’s country estate, but these two city boys don’t know anything about survival—so if the foxes don’t get them, the lack of Monster Munch might. Featuring sex mishaps, weird food, walking in circles, and some obligatory cuddling. Oh, and Merlin is hung. - Summary directly from AO3

-- fucking KILLED me. This was just -- it was great. Literally, from the start I SWORE i knew the who and why only to discover I was totally off with the *why* and it was fantastic.

Hear Your Heart Sing (Love, Love, Love) by schweet_heart

Rating: Mature

Archive Warnings: None Apply

Type: Soulmate Au, Modern Au

Wordcount: 15,834

Summary: Merlin used to like the idea of finding The One – until he fell in love with Arthur Pendragon. Now he has a boss he can't date (but can't stop thinking about), a soulmate he can't find (who has terrible taste in music), and a best friend who can't believe he still hasn't got his act together (even though it's seriously not his fault).Sometimes, life is unfairly complicated, even without your soulmate singing painfully catchy tunes in the back of your head. - Summary directly from AO3

-- This one was just great. The soulmates, the songs, the misunderstandings--it was great. I loved this one.

Note to Idiot by tinylilremus

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warnings: None Apply

Type: Harry Potter AU, Modern AU

Wordcount: 9,762

Summary: Arthur and Merlin are members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad who work different shifts and share the same office. Arthur, who works the day shift, can't stand the rain. Merlin, who works the night shift, can't concentrate without it.

When they both get tired of changing the weather in the magical window in their underground office, is there a more British way to settle their differences than with a few passive-aggressive memos? - Summary directly from AO3

-- HP AU! A Ministry AU at that! I literally. I loved this so much. Merlin & Arthur are both in the AMRS, different shifts, and it's just hnsdsjdkh it's so good. Really, it's great. And we get to see them on the job a bit!!! Which is fun. This one is def a great one to read, esp if you like HP AUs

as stated previously, this list is being frequently updated with more fics!!!

[larluce]

Arthur and Merlin travel back in time without knowing the other is from the future too AU

Tagging @aceauthorcatqueen , @fallenxjas , @smileytrinity ,@lucifertookmyshoe , @an-entity-i-think , @thecornerofbelu , @griffonskies , @odinjm , @cinnabon-sweetroll-tiramisu , @thelady-mary , @bennedict , @nightninjaboy , @st8-of-grace , @star-rie , @error-username-not-available , @dogberryrowan , @jamieweasley13 , @tansyuduri , @tercais , @robynnemrys , @evadne01 , @serasvictoria02 , @hairdryerducks , @hopeaha , @curiously-lazy , @ harriettesthings , @andrealux16 , @wacko-weirdo , @greatdonutenemy , @yougottobekittenme , @anxiousosaurus , @kinkforwings , @someweirdassnamee , @impracticalantlers

LINKS TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THIS AU HERE: PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5 , PART 6 , PART 7 , PART 8 , PART 9 , PART 10 , PART 11 , PART 12 , PART 13 , PART 14 , PART 15 , PART 16 , PART 17 , PART 18 , PART 19 , PART 20 , PART 21 , PART 22 (You're here) , PART 23

In "Excalibur"

The black knight arrives as expected. Arthur this time lifts the gauntlet before any other knight can do so, much to Merlin's dismay, but at least he now knows what to do.

Kilgharrah: (watching Merlin arrive) Oh, until you finally deign to see me, young warlock.

Merlin: I'm sorry I didn't answer your calls. Many things happened.

Kilgharrah: (analyzes Merlin and realizes) Another old mind in a young body.

Merlin: (confused) What?

Kilgharrah: You are not from this time, are you young warlock?

Merlin: (sighs) I should have known you'd notice. Look, if you're going to give me the destiny and coin speech, I swear that-

Kilgharrah: I find it useless to talk to you about something you already have very present. However, I'm sure you didn't come here just to greet me. If so you would have come much sooner.

Merlin: (takes out the sword Gwen gave him) Arthur, the Once and the Future King of your prophecy, is going to duel with a wraith. It's not in your best interest for him to die, so I need you to reforge this sword so that Arthur won't die in combat-

Kilgharrah: I'll help you.

Merlin: I remind you that your revenge is with Uther, not with… Wait, you'll help me? 😧

Kilgharrah: You have a very strong argument. I can't deny that.

Merlin: And you won't try to convince me to free you in exchange either?

Kilgharrah: I don't want you to see my help as conditional, young warlock. I imagine that's why you've avoided coming to see me. I'll just ask you one thing. Where you come from, am I free?

Merlin: Yes… (Thinking) After you almost turned Camelot into ashes.

Kilgharrah: That's all I need to know. (Raises the sword towards him with magic) A sword forged with my assistance will have great power.

Merlin: I know.

Kilgharrah: Normally I'd say you can only guess, but in this case I know you are very aware, and yet there's still so much you don't know.

Merlin: I know that in the wrong hands this sword can cause great evil. I won't let that happen.

Kilgharrah: That's not what I meant. (comes closer) Do you know why you and Arthur are two sides of the same coin?

Merlin: (rolls his eyes) Yes, yes, the prophecy. We are the half that makes us whole. Arthur is my destiny. I already know all that. 😒

Kilgharrah: Indeed, but the curious thing about the sides of a coin is that, despite being literally glued together, they never see each other.

Merlin: (tired) I don't have time for this. Are you going to forge the sword or not?

Kilgharrah: (forges the sword) Hear my words, the sword must be wielded by Arthur and him alone. You must promise.

Merlin: I promise.

Kilgharrah: (returns the sword already forged to Merlin with magic)

Merlin: (looking at it wistfully) It's just as I remember it (looks up at Kilgharrah again, smiling) Thank you, Kilgharrah. (leaves)

Kilgharrah: Any time, young warlock. (Thinking) It is when the sides of the coin see each other that tragedies occur.

Time skip. Right after Merlin gave the sword to Arthur and just before he duels the black knight.

Merlin: (finishes putting Arthur his armor on) Ready, sire.

Arthur: (smirking) Won't you give me a hug?

Merlin: What?! 😳

Arthur: For luck, of course.

Merlin: (very red and confused) Since… since when are you so fond of hugs? (thinking) You were never this affectionate before...

Arthur: (opens up) I admit I didn't always like them. Wrong, I always liked them, but, as a prince, I'm not supposed to be affectionate. At least that's what my father always said. "Physical contact with royalty is a privilege, it cannot be given lightly" that was his phrase.

Merlin: (realizes, sad) The king doesn't… doesn't hug you much, does he? (Thinking) Now that I think about it, I don't remember a single time he did it.

Arthur: (thinking back) I think the last time he did it I was… 5 years old? Oh, don't look at me like that. I understand why he thought that was the best way to raise me, but it wasn't until recently that I realized… that's not how I want to live the rest of my life, or how I would raise my kids, you know? I don't want to deny myself the giving or receiving of affection, at least not when it comes to the people I care about.

Merlin: (understanding) That's why you hug Morgana more often now.

Arthur: And you. (Extends his arms) So? Will you give me my lucky hug or not?

Merlin: (laughs softly) As if you need it. (but he hugs him, thinking) I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me this and that you want to change. We've never... we've never hugged this much before... It's... it feels good. (melts in the hug)

Arthur: (thinking) I thought I'll never have you like this ever again... (pulls him closer) I don't want this to end. Gods, let me hold him forever. Please

Merlin: (thinking, scolding himself) Stop it! What will Arthur think? (gently separates the hug and says) There, you can go now.

Arthur: I don't think that's enough luck.

Merlin: (confused) Huh?

Arthur: I'm going to need this too (takes Merlin's neckerchief off)

Merlin: What?! 😨 What are you doing?! (He tries to get the neckerchief back from him) Give it back! Arthur! 😠

Arthur: (raising the nekerchief and dodging all of Merlin's attempts to take it from him) I need all the luck I can get, Merlin. And what's luckier than a favor?

Merlin: (very red, but pretending to be upset) Yes, but that's supposed to be with the favor of a lady! Not my-That's not how it works!

Arthur: Would you prefer that I ask a Lady hers?

Merlin: That's not... You don't need it! 😡

Arthur: I could die.

Merlin: (raises his voice in sudden panic) You are not going to die! (Composes himself) Sorry.

Servant x: (enters) Sire, they are waiting for you.

Arthur: I'll be right away. (puts the neckerchief around his arm) Merlin, help me, will you?

Merlin: (ties the neckerchief around Arthur's arm, blushing)

Servant x: (gives Merlin a knowing smile and then turns to Arthur) Your highness (bows and leaves)

Merlin: (sighs, thinking) Great... more rumors...

Arthur: Will you be cheering for me? 😏

Merlin: (snorts) You wish. (Softens his expression) But I'll be there. Just to make sure you don't ruin my neckerchief, of course.

Arthur: (starts to leave, but turns to Merlin) My lady (bows with a flirtatious smile and leaves)

Merlin: (in shock with eyes wide open) What the…? (turns red with fury and embarrassment) This clotpole is making fun of me! 😡

Arthur wins, of course. Merlin was definitely not clapping and cheering loudly and he definitely did not blush furiously when Arthur decided to give back his neckerchief publicly.

"He is taking this joke too far" is all Merlin can think when he gets back to his chamers, but he sleeps with a smile on his face and the neckerchief curled in his hand.

In "The moment of truth"

In Arthur's chambers. Arthur writes at his desk.

Merlin: (enters without knocking) Arthur!

Arthur: (startled, spills the ink with which he was writing on the parchment)

Merlin: Sorry... 😅

Arthur: (sighs, thinking) Some things just never change. (Says) Be useful for once and bring me another scroll, will you?

Merlin: (hurries to take out another scroll and gives it to him)

Arthur: (takes the parchment) Any special reason why you decided to burst into my chambers so suddenly or did you just miss me? (moves his eyebrows flirtuosly)

Merlin: (blushes) I...(thinking, freaking out internally) WHAT IS HE DOING?!😳😱😫. (Says, nervous) I just wanted to ask you if you could give me a few days off so I can visit my mother, sire. (doesn't look at him in the eye)

Arthur: (frowns, concerned) Is something wrong? You seem anxious.

Merlin: It is nothing, my lord. I just miss seeing my mother. I haven't been able to see her since I came to the castle.

Arthur: I see, that's understandable. (He puts the parchment aside and stands to look Merlin right in the eye, seriously) Now the truth.

Merlin: (thinking) Damn it! (sighs, giving up and says) I got a letter from her recently. The village I come from, where my mother lives, is being attacked by raiders. I promise I won't be gone for long, just until I'm sure she's save. She's my mother, Arthur. I need-

Arthur: I understand. You have my permission.

Merlin: (smiles) Thank you, Arthur (About to leave)

Arthur: Oh, take this (throws him a bag with supplies)

Merlin: (looking at the bag) What...?

Arthur: (Searches the room and grabs another bag) And this (throws it at Merlin too) and this (goes to Merlin and hangs the last bag around his neck). Yep, that's all, let's go.

Merlin: (confused) Go where, Sire?

Arthur: To Ealdor together.

Merlin: What? No! (Drops all things) Arthur, you can't come with me. The king will not allow it.

Arrhur: Did you really think I'll let you go alone?

Merlin: (thinking) I mean, you did came with me before, but no so soon! (Says) But, Uther-

Arthur: Don't worry about it. I'll solve it.

Merlin: But I need to go alone!

Arthur: Why?

Merlin: (thinking) Because I need to be able to use magic without you watching me! (Says) I…

Arthur: (thinking) I don't know how advanced you are at your magic, I'm not going to risk something happening to you... And I have to reduce numbers. (snorts) I know you think highly of yourself, Merlin, but I don't think you can take down a mugger patch all on your own.

Merlin: (thinking) If you only knew... (Says) You don't have to do it.

Arthur: True, but I want to.

Merlin: (smiles) I know and I really apreaciate it. Truly. But it's not just a matter of want. Ealdor is in another Kingdom and if there was a word that the Prince of Camelot went there- (thinking) The treaty with Cenred will be broken and it would be my fault again.

Despite Arthur never telling Merlin this in his other life, he knows Arthur going to Ealdor to help him played a great part in that to happen. He remembers Uther was furious with Arthur when he got back and throw him in the dungeons for a week. When Arthur finally got out he had several bruises on his skin. It was the first time Merlin ever consider killing Uther if even for a moment. Arthur never hold any of that against Merlin but that didn't make him feel any less guilty. He can't make Arthur go through that again.

Arthur: No one has to know I'm the Prince. Plus we could take it as a trip to Ealdor and I can finally meet your mother.

Merlin: (confused) Why do you want to meet my mother?

Arthur: Can't I meet my manservant's family?

Merlin: (shuts his mouth helplessly, thinking) Oh, well, at least it'll just be Arthur and me.

Time skip. Outside the castle.

Merlin: (yelling at Arthur) YOU BROUGHT YOUR KNIGHTS?! 😡

Knight 1, 2, 3 and Leon: (standing awkwardly a few meters away of Arthur and Merlin)

Knight 1: He's yelling at the prince.

Knight 2: I think the servant doesn't like us very much.

Knight 3: I feel bad third.

Leon: I'm not even surprised anymore.

[Welcome to: ✨breaking the fourth wall space✨

Me: Hi!😊 I'm the author of this crazy story! An I created this little space so the characters can break the fourth wall, without affecting the trama! They will mostly use it just to complain to me though.

Knight 1, 2 and 3: (to the author) Hey! when are you going to give us names?! 😡

Me: (to the audience) See? (to the nameless knights) Well, I would but, you see. Normally I just give names when they... last.

Knights 1, 2 and 3: (who literally die in the "Le Morte d'Arthur" part) What does she mean? 🤨

End of ✨Breaking the fourth wall space✨]

Arthur: (To Merlin, but raising his voice so the knights hear him) Of course! We are going to carry out a formal inspection of Camelot's border (looking at Merlin meaningfully), or did you expect the King to send his only Prince and heir to the border alone, Merlin?

Merlin: Oh... Oh, right!(nods exaggeratedly and turns to the knights smiling, then looks back at Arthur with too much enthusiasm) Then we better hurry, my lord. (He gets on his mare)

Arthur: (gets on his horse too)

Time skip. Merlin and Arthur riding ahead and the rest of the knights riding a few meters behind.

Merlin: (Just loud enough so Arthur can hear) Did you tell them?

Arthur: Tell them what?

Merlin: 😑

Arthur: Of course (pauses) not.

Merlin: Do you realize that technically we will be invading the territory of a neighboring kingdom? Not only is it a delicate matter, it could escalate into a diplomatic conflict! That's why I told you-

Arthur: Don't worry, I have a plan.

Merlin: (opens his mouth)

Arthur: (cuts him) Before you ask me what the plan is, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. (Turns to give a look at the knights) That way they will have no choice but to obey me.

Knights: (feeling a chill down their spine)

Time skip. After two days of travel, they finally arrive at the border.

Knight 2: Uhm… Sire? Isn't this the border?

Arthur: No, it's ahead.

Knight 1: I'm sure we've already crossed the border.

Arthur: Do you claim to know more than me, Sir Innprudence?

Knight 1: No, sire (shuts up)

[Knight 1: (to the author) Sir Innprudence?! 😡 That's the best name you could come up with? Really?!

Me: (laughs a little) He he, yeah, I forgot I already named you in part 16.

Knight 1: I prefer Knight 1 😒.

Me: Too late, I already changed it 😈.

Sir Innprudence: NO! 😭]

In the forest of Escetir, near Ealdor. Arthur stops and dismounts his horse, so the others do too.

Leon: Have we reached the border yet, sire?

Arthur: Actually, we are technically in Escetir.

Knights: WHAT?!😱

Arthur: Yes, we're on a deck mission. I'll explain. Merlin, bring the bags.

Merlin: (brings the bags)

Arthur: (To the knights) Do you see the village there? (points to Ealdor)

Leon: Yes, sire.

Arthur: This is my manservant's home village and it's under attack by raiders. Our mission is to slay them all and protect this village.

Knights: ...

Merlin: Oh gods 🤦‍♂️

Arthur: As you know, it would be catastrophic if they were to find out the Prince and the Knights of Camelot were here. So (takes some clothes out of the bags) We're going to pretend to be mercenaries. (throws the clothes at each of them) and we will tell the villagers that we were paid to defend them.

Sir Innprudence: And who paid us?

Arthur: Merlin, of course.

Merlin: What?!😨 Arthur, no one is going to believe that!

Arthur: Why not? This is your native village, your mother lives here. You have more than enough reasons to want to protect Ealdor.

Merlin: And where did I supposely get the money from?!

Arthur: From your benevolent master, of course. That pays you very generously.

Merlin: You are mad! Completely mad! (Pointing to the knights) THIS is MADNESS!

Leon: Sire, you know that I support you no matter what, but you do understand you are basically asking us to betray the king, right?

Arthur: That's only if he finds out, which he is not going to do.

Sir Innprudence, knights 2 and 3: (hesitating whether or not to inform the king of what is happening)

Arthur: After all, everyone here crossed the border, so everyone here would be in trouble if the king ever found out. Although, of course, I would not receive such a severe punishment because I am the prince and unlike others I am not replaceable.

Knights: …

Leon: Count on us, sire 😊.

Merlin: (shouts) NO! (To Arthur) You are not going to do this! 😡

Arthur: (with feigned confusion) But, Merlin, it was you who asked for my help strongly, don't you remember?

Merlin: (jaw drops at Arthur's audacity, thinking) This son of a- (says) That's not true! (To the Knights) I didn't ask for anything, I swear!

Leon: Don't worry, Merlin, we understand how things happened. (wraps an arm around Merlin) Surely you only asked him for money to hire the mercenaries, but his highness decided to come himself to defend the village for you.

Merlin: No! I didn't ask for anything at all!

Knight 2: (to Knight 3) He is the favorite for sure.

Sir Innprudence: (to Leon, making him let go of Merlin in panic) Don't touch him! Do you want to die?!

Knight 3: We better change.

Knights: (start changing)

Merlin: I'm not...! I didn't...! (tries to explain, but no knight listens)

Arthur: (smiling, amused) What are you waiting for, Merlin? (Points to his mercenary clothes so Merlin dresses him)

Merlin: (goes to Arthur and changes his clothes, thinking) Oh, you're going to pay for this Arthur Pendragon.

Meanwhile in Ealdor.

Kanen: (on his horse, grabbing the harvest sacks) What's this? Where's the rest of it?

Village chief: (on the ground, picking up the vegetables they made him drop) I only kept back what we need to survive.

Kanen: (mockingly) Survive? (threatenly) I'll be back in one week, farmer, and I want to see all of it.

Hunith: (Runs furiously to Kanen) You can't take our food! Our children will starve! I won't let you do this! (Tries to take the harvest sacks) You're not taking any of it!

Kanen: (hits her and Hunith falls to the ground)

Merlin: (arriving on his mare, shouts) Mom! (Furious, mutters a spell) Miere hors.

Kanen's horse: (gets upset, raising his legs, making Kanen fall off him)

Hunith: (hurries to grab the harvest sacks and runs)

Arthur and knights: (just behind Merlin, they get off their horses and attack the raiders)

Merlin: (gets off his mare and runs to Hunith) Mom! (cradles her face) Are you okay?

Hunith: (very surprised and happy) Merlin! What are you doing here?

Kanen: (gets up and rushes towards Merlin and Hunith with his sword, about to sly them)

Arthur: (blocks the attack with excalibur) Don't you dare... (Breaks Kanen's sword with excalibur) even think about it!

Villagers: (looking between fear and amazement)

Kanen: (seeing himself outmatched, decides to retreat) You will pay for this with your lives! (gets on a horse nearby) All of you! (Looks down at Hunith and smirks) I'll see you later, sweetheart.

Merlin: (about to jump beat Kanen up, enraged)

Arthur: (Stops him by putting an arm in front of him)

Kanen: (leaves with the raiders that survived)

Arthur: (Thinking, coldly) He'll be back with more, perfect. (Looks at the bodies lying there, thinking) 295.

Hunith: (hugging Merlin) My son, how good it is to see you, but you shouldn't be here.

Merlin: I came as soon as I knew what was happening (points at Arthur) and I brought help.

Arthur: (introduces himself) Nice to meet you, Hunith of Ealdor, my name is Arthur. Merlin hired me and my men to defend this village.

Hunith: Arthur? Like Prince Arthur?

Arthur: A very popular name, indeed.

Hunith: (smiles) I sincerely thank you for what you're doing, Arthur. You are very chivalrous for a mercenary. (sees the knights in the distance, who are helping the women and children) You all seem very chivalrous to be mercenaries.

Arthur: Uh... We get paid well.

Will: (approaches Merlin) You're still up to the same old tricks? I thought I told you we don't want your kind here.

Merlin: ...

Will: (confused) Merlin?

Merlin: (suddenly breaks down crying)

Arthur: (angry, to Will, ready to beat him up right there) What's wrong with you?! 😡

Will: (in panic, worried) I was kidding! Merlin, that's how we always mess with each other! I did not mean-

Merlin: (his crying turns into laughter) Ha! I got you. (Hugs Will) I missed you too, Will. (Thinking) I missed you so much.

Arthur: (coughs, definitely not jealous) Merlin, gather the villagers, I need to talk to them.

Merlin: (pulls away from the hug) Yes, right away. (about to leave)

Will: Wait. You let him give you orders? I thought you hired him.

Merlin: (in realization and smiles evilly) It's true. (hits Arthur arms) You! How insolent! Is this how you treat your employer? You gather the villagers!

Arthur: (About to yell at him, but remembers that Hunith and Will are there and stops himself) Sorry, I thought you might want to do it yourself. I'll do it right away. (Thinking) Wait until we return to Camelot, you dollophead.

Merlin: (thinking) Oh, this is going to be fun.

...

I know this kind of feels like a filler, but it's important I swear! What did Kilgharrah meant? Can Merlin save Will this time? Will the rest of the Kmights get to have names? Find out in the next episode of ✨"Merlin: the Mistress in denial" ✨

[demonprincezeldris]

Incorporating the au where Meliodas worked with the commandments to subtly trick the goddesses into sealing the Demon Clan away, to save his people from extinction.

3000 years ticked away. 106 Elizabeth's met their ends. But, while it still hurt, and the grief was still sharp and fresh with each new death, he'd learned to manage it.

He was honestly pretty startled that the Celestials were still around, he thought they'd been wiped out by Six Knights of Black.

He'd been VERY reluctant to allow that group to form, especially with Bellion, of all people, as their leader. Each of them were known in the underworld for being ruthless slaughterers, even more than the prince himself, as he'd often have mercy for civilians, and ALWAYS for children. The Six Knights had no such reservations. They killed completely indiscriminately.

The Demon King, however, admired that level of destruction, and ordered Meliodas to put them back on the field. He'd tried to put them each in separate groups, where they could be more easily watched and controlled. The Demon King told him to put them in a group together, and Meliodas reluctantly - very, very reluctantly - obeyed.

When the group stopped following orders all together, went on a rampage, and ignored all attempts at communication, before they lost track of them all together, Meliodas raised a pointed eyebrow.

It was one of the very few I-told-you-so's the Demon King had actually let him have.

Now he wandered around the Celestial island, trying in vain to convince them he was not, in fact, whoever this Solaad kid was. Then he felt a pulse of magic, looking up at "Egg Rock" as they called it. He had a sneaking suspicion it was a seal, and that wad proven when the pulse flared with demonic energy. Unfortunately, he also had a feeling he knew WHO was in there.

Neckless Dehaka. One of the Six Knights of Black. There was his confirmation. He did the song and dance for a brief moment, mostly out of curiosity. CHAOS itself had sealed them away? Huh! Then killed him. It was laughably easy, for him, at least, coupled with the fact he was weak from the seal, yet still cocky.

The pig took the glory. Whatever. At this point, he did not want to have to work around their mistrust to deal with the seal issue. So, for now, he'd remain discrete.

Elatte. Of COURSE the one that reminded him so strongly of Elizabeth was the only one to figure it out. Still, she asked him to continue to play the part, give Solaad more time to return. He agreed, telling her not to worry. If he'd popped out where Meliodas had entered, then his team had likely found him and were on their way by now.

Then the seal broke all together, and he resisted the urge to grin. He was not one to fight his people willingly, but these ones? He hardly thought they counted. Especially not Bellion, with his personal vendetta against him.

He'd try and talk to Pump. Disowned or not, that was still Galands nephew, and the old man was part of his pack. Pump couldn't be reasoned with, unfortunately, and ended up falling to Ban while he was working to evacuate civilians. Merlin took care of Bellion, restraining him in a perfect cube, while he spit curses and beat against the walls. (She understood his vendetta against him, and why he'd want to deal with him himself.)

He saw the souls of five of the Knights zip past, and raised a Hand in dread as they slammed back into the seal. The powerful pulse of darkness, practically REEKING of Indura, had his face pinching.

"Hahaha! This is it for you damned idiots! Only one of the royal demons can stop an Indura, and theyre all gone! Not even I can! Do you have any idea how HARD it was to get it up here? You're all gonna die!!!"

The Celestials looked terrified out of their minds, and Meliodas growled, marching out of the shadows he'd been listening from, gaze trained on the top of the hill as it started to emerge. "Hey Bellion? Shut the fuck up."

"Who the hell are you to order me around??" He snarled, whirling around, then pausing. He started laughing. "You're just some kid! Have I become so famous in these long centuries that even a runt like YOU knows my name?"

"...All these years, and you're still an idiot. Did being in the seal scramble your brain even further? I look the same, how do you not recognize me?"

"Hah, as if I'd have met a brat like you!"

He activated his magic, staring straight at him, and his laughter stuttered to a halt, the blood draining from his face.

He whimpered, before stealing himself and pointing a finger. "I don't need to obey any orders from you, traitorous bastard! Once our prince or not, you still turned your back on us!!"

The celestials gasped but Meliodas just scoffed. "Merlin, I'm going to deal with the Indura, you keep him in there. I still bear a grudge against the bastard." Bellion flinched, but she just nodded as he started to March forward, beyond irritated with this inconvenience.

Zoria tried to stab him, for the crime of being a demon impersonating his son. Meliodas side stepped the blade easily, and pinched it between two fingers, holding it still and looking the man in the eyes. "I told you, right? I'm not the Solaad kid, my name is Meliodas, but you all wouldn't listen. Look, Bellion may be an asshole and an idiot, but he didn't lie this time. That's an Indura, and only a demon of royal heritage can control them. So let me handle the damn thing before its rampage kills everyone here!"

He flipped the blade up gently and Zoria fell on his ass. Meliodas didn't give him another chance to respond, whipping his wings out and shooting into the air.

It was difficult to get the Indura under control. It was already rampaging, and it had been a LONG time since he'd had to handle one. But he managed, and it settled, following behind him relatively docile as he guided it towards a clear space.

"L̷͎̩̀͆͊̍̈͐̕ḭ̸̛̳̳̝͍̫͙̆̈́̑͑̇̉e̶̮͔̠͋͐̐̒̏̿͌́͜ ̷̫̝̫̟͍̦͎̀̇̑̚d̷̙̠̉̊͐͌ò̷͇̖̹͓̝̈́̈́̃̀̃̕w̷̛̤͍̙͕͙̓͛̈́͝n̸͙͎̣̙̫̤̞͈̎̌͐̈́͒͝!̴̮̱̞͉̏̂̅͌̋͋" He snapped at it, and it did with a great Thump. He drifted back over to the clearing and gestured for Merlin to drop the cube. As soon as she had, Bellion yelled and charged at him, but black tendrils shot out of the ground, wrapping around him and binding him. He thrashed angrily.

"Now that was just pathetic. I was going to try and have a conversation with you, Bellion."

"You're a traitor! The Demon Clan lost the war because of you! Because you decided it was more important to fuck a goddess!"

"Do not bring my mate into this Bellion, she died a long time ago."

"She's right fucking there!!"

"That's a Celestial named Elatte. She looks a bit like my goddess, but is not her. Besides that, you didn't even recognize ME, and I distinctly remember beating you within an inch of your life for kidnapping my younger brother when he was a kit."

"I-"

"Ah ah ah. I'm talking right now. I thought, I should tell you the full story, what really happened. You see. The Commandments KNEW I was going to betray the clan. In fact, we planned it!"

"Wha..."

Meliodas beamed at his baffled face. "That's right! It was all planned from the beginning. They knew who I had made my mate, had met her, approved of her. It was a plan we made that I would go to the Alliance and see if I could find a way to end the war from that side. Sealing away the Demon Clan? Was MY idea, and I got my packs go ahead, mind you. So I started spreading the idea, subtly, whispering it in the right peoples ears. Months and months of careful prodding and manipulation, and the goddesses thought it was their plan all along." He walked forward casually, hands in his pockets. "I arranged for the Demon clan to be sealed away until the time was right to ensure they wouldn't be wiped into extinction. And for 3000 years, I have guarded the seal, protecting my people contained inside."

Bellion didn't speak, staring stunned at him. Meliodas huffed. "This Merlin, by the way. She's my daughter. Merlin, I've told you about this one. What should we do to him?"

She lifted an eyebrow, head tilting to the side, before glancing over her shoulder. "...Why don't you feed him to the Indura. She looks hungry." As if confirming, she grumbled, and Meliodas grinned. "I think that's an appropriate death for an ass of his character. Alright. Celestials, avert your eyes, and plug your children's ears. I'll take them farther away, but better safe than sorry."

Bellion was thrashing and flailing and screaming as he tried desperately to escape, to no avail. The Indura trailed behind and, once he was satisfied with the distance, leaned close to Bellion, tracing a finger down the hyperventilating demons cheek, loosening his binds, holding his wrist in a firm grip. "...I should have done this 3000 years ago." And throwing him straight into the Indura's waiting maw. His screams were cut off as her sharp teeth tore him to shreds, and all Meliodas managed was a little hmph of contentment.

...That was fun while it lasted, but now he needed to do damage control. It's a good thing his team knew he was a demon by now.

What a fitting end to the bastard! He deserved it. The commandments can breathe easy now that the threat to their pack kit is gone (even if he is their leader, Zeldris is still nicknamed "pack kit" because he's still so young and the smallest compared go the others.).

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Curious about seasonal amulet au and Jlaire gets kidnapped

Seasonal Amulet

"My King," one of the Wumpas said as she walked over to Toby. "Take your amulet so you may triumph over Blungo."

Toby's eyes widened at the sight of the amulet, and he could hear his friends attempt to stifle their gasps with varying levels of accuracy.

Toby looked between the amulet and his friends. "Um, right," he said, trying not to look like he was panicking. The Amulet of Daylight had said Jim's name. This amulet wasn't saying Toby's name. It wasn't saying anyone's name, and the Quagawumps wanted him to use it to defeat someone?

Granted, some armor that wasn't a cardboard box and a saucepan would be pretty good, but still! Blinky hadn't said that the Shattered King had been a Trollhunter! Probably summer or fall, since the amulet was golden with an orange stone. The hands were more curved than the ones on Jim's.

Basically, this was an AU (created pre-season 3, and while I adapted some to fit season 3, Wizards gets tossed out a window) where, after creating the Amulet of Daylight, Merlin created four amulets to correspond to the seasons and support the main trollhunter... or at least, that was his intention. However, he died before he could complete the Amulet of Winter, and the other three were lost to time until Toby managed to find one.

Jlaire gets kidnapped

As Jim walked towards his bike, he overheard half of Claire’s conversation on the phone. It’s not like he had been trying to linger behind after play practice, he just had to tie his shoe.

Which had already been tied.

Okay, maybe he had been trying to linger for a bit so he could talk to Claire without having to deal with Steve making fun of him, but she seemed to be busy. His shoulders slumped, but he sighed and began to unlock his bike. He’d get a chance to talk to her some day.

“If you’re that held up, I could just walk home,” she said, and he could see her roll her eyes. “Okay, Papi. I’ll see you in forty-five minutes. Love you too, Papi.” She hung up her phone and looked around the dark campus nervously.

“Hey, um, are you okay?” Jim asked her. She looked towards him, slightly startled.

“Oh, yeah, I’ll be fine,” she said. “My parents don’t want me walking home this late at night; they think I’ll get kidnapped or something.” By the way her eyes kept darting towards the shadows, it seemed like her Papi’s words had spooked her.

“Do you want me to give you a ride home?” Jim asked, already inwardly cursing himself. A ride home? On his bike that was intended for only one person? That didn’t seem like an option she’d go for. “If not, I can wait with you if you want.”

“You sure?” Claire tucked a strand of hair over her ear. “About staying with me; my parents would be even more worried if a guy took me home. But don’t you need to get home?”

“I’ll be fine; my mom won’t be home for another three hours anyways.” He re-locked his bike to the rack before going to stand next to her. “So how do you think you did on the history quiz?”

“Alright, though I wasn’t too sure about the question on Confucianism. Did you get B or – what is that?” With the hand that wasn’t holding onto her phone she pointed at the glowing golden circle that was beginning to wrap around the two of them.

Jim pulled out his own phone, turned on the flashlight, and began to look around for who was putting on the weird light show. He saw no one, and as he tried to reach his arm out of the circle he hit a barrier. Runes formed around the circle, shooting golden light into the sky.

“What’s going on?” Claire asked. As she said that, the inner edge of the golden circle turned to a dark purple, and the ground the teens stood upon turned an inky black.

As the two of them fell through, they didn’t have time to scream.

This was based off a dream I had. Morgana kidnapped Jim and Claire to turn them into soldiers. The fic would've bounced between the two of them trying to survive as Morgana uses their magic to change and warp them, while their family and their friends/classmates all try to launch their own kidnapping investigations, each managing to discover the supernatural separately in a way that probably would have some Stranger Things parallels.

Ask me about my WIP’s

[where-dreamers-go]

Merlin x Fem!Reader (Soulmate AU) (Text reupload)

(A/N: Yes, I know I already have this up here, but it’s a DeviantArt link and it’s bothering me because it’s an external link. So...can’t take away the link aspect because it won’t let me save it. SOOO...here’s an insert reader from 2017 and my first attempt at a soulmate au.

Warnings: Minor angst?, fluff.

Word Count: 3,773 words)

“I’m telling you, Gaius, I felt something. It has to be magic if I woke up like that,” Merlin stood in front of his room as his older companion prepared breakfast.

“Merlin,” Gaius sighed and turned to the young man, “It could simply be nothing, but.....if you feel so strongly about it we should keep ours eyes open.”

Merlin simply nodded with a minute smile, not informing Gaius that, despite all they’ve been through, he was strangely looking forward to discovering the source of his new curiosity.

The young sorcerer went back into his room to dress for the day and giving the world a hopeful smile as his blue eyes peered down at his golden mark over his heart.

“Someday,” Merlin whispered to himself before pulling on a colored shirt.

* * *

Hide it.

You had to hide it.

The gold, the shape, the details.

A mark that helped bring souls together must be hidden.

Everyone else did since as long as their ancestors could remember. A unique mark appearing on everyone some time after birth, an image that would be perfectly matched to their soul mate. Whether the mark actually resembled something or was a pattern of shapes or swirls. It was said to be a powerful experience to meet one’s other half especially upon realizing who each other truly were.

Regardless of one’s mark, the pair were usually still bound by the laws of whichever kingdom they lived in. A ridiculous notion that you didn’t bother yourself with much. You only pitied those who were unlucky enough to deal with strict kingdoms where it was difficult between soul mates with different statures in life or overall trickier situations.

You were one of those lucky enough to live in Camelot, but even more fortunate to have been granted the opportunity to work in the castle as a servant. It was a drastic change from tending to the farms your family and neighbors grew for many decades.

A newly adjusted life as a castle servant gave you many opportunities during the day to daydream about your possible first encounter with your special someone as you went about your duties.

But how in the world were you suppose to find your soul mate when yours was inconveniently located over your heart?

It wasn’t as if your soul mate was going to display theirs. Well, you certainly hoped not.

You preferred not to tell anyone outside of your family about your golden dragon mark on your chest lest they scrutinize you for having a magical creature as your mark. Some marks weren’t even anything specific as an animal let alone a silhouette of a flying dragon. Your family liked to relish in their hopes of it meaning that your soul mate was a Pendragon, however deep down you knew that wasn’t true. Not just because King Arthur and Queen Guinevere were widely known as soul mates by now, but how the meanings of the marks went much deeper than names or outside appearances. They were symbols of who they were and you were honestly worried for your other half because of living where the majority of kingdoms outlawed magic and if your mark implied as such, you hoped they could take care of themselves enough not to be put to death before you met. If only you knew where to find them because even a peaceful kingdom such as Camelot forbid magic of any sort.

Working in the castle was still a learning experience that involved memorizing directions and scheduled times for cleaning rooms or simply changing sheets on a bed before washing them in a large barrel of water.

Not unlike your current state as you hauled a hefty load of used bedsheets in a basket from more than one bedchamber. This week had brought a number of visitors who sought to greet the new queen of Camelot; although they were a bit late by a few months.

Many of the castle’s servants, like yourself, were scampering around like ants on a daily quest. You had met a few already during your short time there, but remembering their names was more of a challenge than learning where to clean the laundry.

You continued walking with the basket wrapped in your arms as you centered your direction on getting to the lower levels of the castle. Taking a turn, you gingerly made your way down the stairs, being careful to the placement of your feet on each step as your eyes focused on the stone beneath you. The last thing you wanted was to bust a kneecap or make yourself look like a fool if you couldn’t even handle walking down about a dozen steps. More than halfway down the stairs, a patch of skin on your chest prickled and heated into a burn causing you to loose focus on anything else, including the placement of your footing.

“Ah!” You felt the ever fearful sensation of falling ripple through you.

Your body twisted to the left as gravity pulled down on your legs, the basket of dirty sheets leaping from your grasp. Your positioning was quickly leading the fall to surely be on your side in a painful trip instead of toppling headfirst.

(E/C) eyes were trained onto the steps as you closed the distance with hands hardly ready for the impact that was deemed so evident.

It never came.

Well, not from the stairs at least.

A pair of arms were braced under yours before you even registered anyone was near you. Their blue shirt filled your vision as you now felt how your savior was supporting you from even sitting on a single step. Being as your legs were the only part of you touching the cold stone.

“Are you alright?” A strained male voice asked, you figured it was from the position you found yourselves in, but the voice was soothing nonetheless.

“I’m fine,” you answered, not even positive if you were lying or not.

You didn’t fall, which was a plus. Yet your mark was burning into a searing pain with your blood rushing through your veins as rapid as a fleeing rabbit. Too much so for simply almost falling. Your mark had never done that before and you knew that it wasn’t a normal occurrence.

“Thank you,” you said, finally looking up to meet a pair of gleaming ocean blue eyes. A fluttering in your stomach added to the overwhelming feelings that coursed through your body that severely increased in this young man’s presence. One of whom you have never met.

“I’m Merlin,” he smiled as he pulled you to your feet.

The name registered in your mind in a snap, you had heard about him from the other castle servants about how he was the King’s loyal manservant with a name that seemed to stick in your mind.

His hands slid down to your hands before slipping away hesitantly and their comforting warmth they left on you slowly faded.

“I’m (Y/N),” you said, glancing up at him, your hand subconsciously going up to press onto the fabric of your dress that hid your mark underneath. As much as you tried, you couldn’t ease the stinging as it kept your attention.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Merlin asked bringing his hand up to copy your movements. His blue eyes suddenly bouncing between the two of you.

You didn’t reply, you couldn’t, and every part of you was screaming know if he felt it too. The pulling, the aching itch of your bright mark, and the undeniable need to be closer despite only just meeting him.

Was he your match?

Azure eyes bore into your orbs eagerly waiting yours short reply and full of hidden knowledge. His brown jacket moving shakily upon his now heaving chest.

“It burns,” you whispered, hand pausing its movements.

“Your mark?” His voice came out low, tickling your insides into a shudder.

Again you were silent, but you nodded. Oblivious to the by-passers having to walk around the pair of you at the foot of the stairs.

“A golden dragon,” Merlin whispered so quietly that your ears barely caught his three words.

But those words had your eyes widening to saucers and lips parting for what little breath you had.

Merlin took ahold of your free arm, pulling you away from the stairway before almost tripping over the dirty sheets. Using his brown boots to repeatedly kick the scattered fabric and basket aside to be out of the way of others.

Now beside a wall, the two of you stood in front of one another with the fabric mess at your feet.

Brushing aside his red neckerchief, he adjusted his shirt enough to pull the fabric down to his left to reveal a very golden dragon. A shining silhouette of a flying dragon’s profile was imprinted above his heart, an exact copy of your own soul mate mark.

Neither your eyes nor your mind could fully believe it was real. Yet your heart and soul was singing with rejoice at the discovery.

You raised a trembling finger to Merlin’s mark and tentatively touched it. A jolt went up your arm at the skin contact and he let out an uneven breath. Being mesmerized by the sight of it all would be an understatement, what with your shaking knees. Not only did you find a matching mark--your soul mate was seemingly happy and healthy. You would be more than glad to spend a few hours tracing your fingers along the delicate shapes on his warm skin.

An equally heated hand went up to cover your own with the thumb rubbing gentle strokes on your knuckles.

“May I see yours?” Merlin asked, breaking you out of your trance and focusing on his blushing cheeks.

Only now did you realize how close the two of you were standing from each other. Shoes mer centimeters from touching and Merlin’s breath billowing your hair.

Your eyes flickered over to where people were still milling around. Of all places, you and your soul mate, Merlin, had to meet at one of the most used staircases in the entire castle. That being said, you weren’t too keen on anyone seeing you physically disclose the location of your mark. Even if the neckline of your simple dress made the task rather simple.

“It’s okay,” Merlin softly shifted you to have your back to the stairs and effectively blocking your actions from any prying eyes.

Your fingers worked on their own accord, pulling the (F/C) fabric across your skin the short distance to reveal your still stinging mark.

“We are soul mates,” he whispered, “I knew something was different in Camelot.”

Tilting your head at him, you watched as Merlin’s mouth morph into a triumphant smile. You half expected him to touch your mark as you did with his, but he wrapped you in his surprisingly strong arms instead. A most welcome gesture being as you’ve never felt more relieved and happy in your entire life as you hugged your arms firmly around his waist.

There was a lightness in your chest that could have sent you floating to the ceiling as you nuzzled your cheek into your soul mate’s chest. Safety and joy emitted into you like the warmth from a fire. One of Merlin’s hands combing themselves into your hair while his other held you securely to him by the waist.

“I’m so glad I moved to Camelot,” you mumbled into his shirt as you squeezed your arms tighter around him.

You were sure the grin on your face would become permanent with Merlin resting his chin on the top of your head despite the tears threatening to roll down your cheeks.

“MEEERRRRLIIINNN!”

A spark of fear shot through you at the sound of the booming, annoyed voice. Your other half on the other hand didn’t seem fazed by it in the slightest. If anything his grip on you only grew tighter.

“Merlin! There you are,” King Arthur came from around the corner spotting his manservant. “What are you doing?” He pulled a face as his confusion sank in at the sight of his brunette friend embracing a girl.

“I....,” Merlin gazed down at you, “I found her.”

The look in his eyes as you met his again was overflowing with emotion. Ones that made your heartstrings pull and flex if only as a sign to tell you that he already cared so deeply about you.

Arthur’s eyes snapped wide and he pointed between you and Merlin.

Both you and Merlin looked back to the other young man.

You held in a giggle at the King’s lengthy reaction as Merlin nodded in glee with a new shine to his blue eyes.

“Oh.” Arthur peered around in thought before spying the floor. “Pick up your mess and the both of you can have the rest of today off. I’m sure someone else can take care of the laundry,” he looked straight at Merlin. “But I expect you to be on time tomorrow.”

“Really?” You gasped, fingers digging into the back of Merlin’s jacket. “Thank you, sire.”

“You’re welcome,” King Arthur let a smile slip. “If anything, you need luck having Merlin as your soul mate.”

“Ha. Ha,” Merlin looked as if he was suppressing the need to roll his eyes. “Thank you, Arthur.”

The King nodded at the both of you as he went to walk away, but turned to point at the scattered mess.

“Now, Merlin.”

“Right!” Your soul mate released you and spun out of your grasp.

A surprise giggle escaped your lips as you watched Merlin crouch down and rush to gather the almost forgotten mess. Before you knew it he had everything back in the basket and was standing with it ready to go.

“Shall we?”

It wasn’t difficult for Merlin to keep pace with you as the two of you completed your earlier journey to drop off the laundry. Leaving hand in hand after a hurried explanation to a rather confused woman who was already scrubbing away at some clothes.

You sprinted to keep up with Merlin, following his lead through the halls of the castle. Passing some knights as you went who called out to Merlin in a friendly manner to only have Merlin shout over his shoulder in passing.

“I found my soul mate!” Merlin was practically beaming with his wide grin that you equally matched with a short wave to the men.

Cheers and whistles echoed down the halls from the red-caped knights that added fuel to Merlin’s already quick pace.

Sooner than you thought in your adrenaline-rushed state, Merlin had finally stopped long enough to swing open a wooden door.

“Gaius,” Merlin called out, scanning the room as he lead you inside.

“Yes, Merlin. What is it?” An older man, much older in age than the knights, looked up from a much tattered book and adjusted his glasses. He eyed Merlin with suspicion, making you wonder what trouble the young man beside you had gotten into in the past.

“Gaius,” Merlin took a few breaths, “This is (Y/N). She’s my soul mate. (Y/N), this is Gaius the Court Physician.”

If only you would have noticed the physician’s jaw drop, but Merlin’s voice saying your name as if it was a proclamation of love was an easy distraction. Your hand that held his tightened all the more.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, (Y/N),” Gaius stood from his seat to shake your hand.

“A-and you as well, Gaius,” you briefly shook his aged hand.

“Ah....How did you both meet? Might I ask?” Gaius’ mind was clearly running through a long-winded list of questions and a mixture of emotions at the moment.

It wasn’t everyday that someone you know finds their soul mate.

You and Merlin on the other hand were clearly feeding off of one another’s energies, practically bouncing in place with excitement that only grew.

“When I was heading back to grab Arthur’s armor.....that I forgot, and once I went around the corner to go up the stairs my mark started to burn. But before I could do anything I saw (Y/N) about to fall down the stairs. I mean I didn’t know who she was at the time, but my feet were running after her before I realized what was happening.” Merlin’s fingers easily wound their way between yours. “Then we showed each other our marks just before Arthur showed up and figured out what happened.”

“Not to forget I dropped the laundry basket and made a mess out--.”

“That wasn’t a problem,” Merlin interrupted you and gave your hand a gentle squeeze.

“Let me be very honest with you both,” Gaius started and making you tense, “Soul mates, especially upon first meeting one another can hardly stay away from each other. They are drawn together.”

“Like Arthur and Gwen,” Merlin added in, unfazed by the in progress lecture.

“Yes and you remember how difficult it was for them once they found out. Being together makes soul mates complete and one. So I advise you both to spend your time wisely...and I hope Arthur understands your situation.”

“He gave us both the day off,” Merlin boasted as if he’d never had one, which quite frankly might be the case.

“Today or tomorrow?”

“Just today. You know Arthur can’t function without me,” Merlin glanced down at you with a smirk.

You bumped him lightly with your clasped hands.

“It’s nearly noon, Merlin.”

“I’m sure Arthur has told Gwen and he can survive a few hours without me. Well, hopefully,” Merlin mumbled the last bit, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

Gaius only sighed, looking about his home, and grabbed an empty hand basket.

“I’m....going to the market....for....I’ll be back later,” Gaius excused himself and walked past the pair of you before leaving.

“Is he alright?” You asked, glancing at the now closed door.

“....He might be in shock,” Merlin suggested with a shrug. “He’ll be fine though. I promise.” He reassured you, leading past the table and towards a door on the other side of the room with a couple of small steps leading up to it.

“Alright, but....maybe we should have listened more about what he had to say,” you said, “Just in case.”

“We’ll be fine. I won’t let anything bad happen to you for as long as I live,” he opened the door and gestured you inside. “But we won’t have as much time as we would like to speak to one another. So we can talk in here.”

“Is this your room?” You asked, taking a seat on the edge of his bed.

“Yeah,” he glanced around the room a bit.

You could sense his overall giddiness, however there was an amount of anxiety now that the two of you were alone.

“To be honest....I was afraid something would have happened to you before we met,” Merlin shut the door behind him, “because of our mark.”

“Afraid? I was worried you’d be locked up for magic or something. It’s a dragon, Merlin!” You gestured to your own mark.

“Er....About that,” he started fidgeting his feet.

“What?” You furrowed your eyebrows at him.

“I have magic.”

Your eyes widened and you were sure your eyebrows met your hairline.

“And I’m the last Dragonlord,” he added, “Which would probably explain our mark.”

“....Dragonlord?.....B-but I....I don’t have magic....a-and you....you have magic,” you tried desperately to have your mind wrap around this information being that it wasn’t theoretical anymore. “But you’re....”

“Arthur’s manservant.” Merlin sat down beside you, his hand finding its way to yours and intertwining with your fingers.

“Yeah,” you breathed out. “How in the world have you not even been caught?”

“It’s a long story.”

“We some have time,” you scooted closer to him with a sweet smile and rested your joined hands on your lap, his hand nicely nestled between yours. “Mister I-can-hide-my-magic-powers.”

“We do,” Merlin leaned closer and lowered his voice, “And I’m pretty sure Arthur will come looking for me before dinner.”

A short snicker shook you before resting your head against his shoulder and peered up into his deep blue eyes.

“I really hope we have more time than that,” you said, watching as he shifted his attention to his free hand that was closed.

“Well as long as nothing decides to attack Camelot today, we should be as good as you make me feel.”

Your eyebrows rose shortly as you breathed out a soft laugh.

“Did you just use a line on me?”

“Yes.....It was bad wasn’t it?”

“No, it was cute,” you smiled, feeling your cheeks get a tad rosy.

“So are you,” Merlin answered back and placed a small rose in your hair.

“Where did--Oh.”

Merlin moved a few stray hairs away from your face before resting his forehead on top of yours. The pair of you closed your eyes, absorbed in the calm moment that resulted from such a fast-paced turn of events.

“Thank you,” you whispered, still keeping your eyes shut and not entirely wanting to break the silence.

“For the flower?” Merlin asked, his fingers playing with the ends of your hair.

“No, for catching me.”

A soft warmth pecked your nose causing you to open your eyes in time to see Merlin kiss the tip of your nose again.

“I’ll never let you fall.”

You couldn’t help biting your lip because the back of your head was hurting from smiling continuously. Something in you told you that he would be the most positive person in your entire life.

“Merlin?”

“Hmm?”

“Did your mark stop burning too?”

“Yeah. I forgot when though.”

“Good,” you snuggled into his side as he buried his face in the crook of your neck.

You looked forward to your future together even if you didn’t quit know it would involve more magic and adventure than you had ever experienced. Merlin would show you more of his magic and entrust you with knowledge of his destiny. No matter what was to come, you would be more than glad to help him in any way you could, even if that meant making sure he remembered to rest and eat.

~~~

Part Two 💖

[thekingofthenameless]

an au where galahad got onscreen character development for the au ask game?

YES GALAHAD MY BELOVED 🥰

Most people probably don’t know that, though, because I apparently don’t talk about him nearly as much I think about him 😔

Well, it’s time to fix that!

I’m actually already having this in Emerald Embers, so this is great. 😏

1. Even before his character development actually starts, he wrestles with his feelings about magic. Sometimes, he thinks that maybe it isn’t that bad. Other times, (most of the time), he thinks magic is a terrible thing that needs to be completely eradicated. It makes him like Arthur, in a way.

Now, this might seem like I’m forgetting that he wants to find the Holy Grail, and he’s been looking for it for a long time, but I’m not.

What’s the most known fact about the the Holy Grail? That it has the power to give immortality.

I'm depicting it in Emerald Embers as him wanting to find it because, despite his hatred of magic, he wants to use it to make himself immortal so Merlin wouldn’t have to lose another friend. 🥹

(This is a headcanon. Please don’t take it as canon unless you think it could be.)

To show some of his relationship with magic, here’s a snippet of his POV from the upcoming Chapter One 😉

Merlin, surprisingly, didn't use his magic that much around Camelot. Or, at least, he didn't use it where people could see. But he'd caught his friend using it several times. The most remembered time was when he was fifteen, shortly after he’d been knighted. Merlin was nowhere to be found, again. His Majesty, King Constantine, sent him out to look for him, saying that as Merlin’s closest friend, he had the best chance of finding him. He started in the village, because perchance, Merlin had come back from wherever he was without anyone nothing. Over the eight years of getting to know him, he’d discovered that his friend was, sometimes unfortunately, very, very, skilled at it. He spent a few minutes searching before asking some villagers if they had seen him. Deciding that Merlin wasn’t there, he began to search elsewhere. He finally found Merlin sitting under a tree, his cape neatly tucked by his legs. For once he didn’t look tired or worried. Well, he still looked tired, but it wasn’t his usual complete exhaustion. An expression of complete calmness was on his face. Magic was alight in his hand, and he looked completely unafraid. He stared. He couldn’t help it. His oldest friend was practicing magic, and… he loathed to think it, but it looked beautiful. But before he could think about why it looked like that, Merlin looked up and noticed him. “Galahad. What are you doing here?” “His Majesty is looking for you. I was sent to find you.” Something akin to disappointment appeared on Merlin's face for a moment before he his usual stoic expression returned, and he wasn't sure if he'd imagined it or not. “Ah. Of course.” He stood up, sighing. Galahad was deep in thought during their journey back, thinking about what he’d seen. Why had Merlin’s magic looked so… beautiful? When he was a young boy, his parents had taught him that magic was terrible, that it was to be feared! It shouldn’t have looked like that. So why had it? Maybe... maybe it had looked like that because it was his friend doing it? Yes. Yes, that was it! It was because his friend -who he loved dearly- was doing it, so that was why it had looked beautiful. How could he have been so blind? It was how magic users lured normal people into their traps: they made their magic look beautiful, and the poor soul was enchanted by it. Then they came back from wherever they’d been taken, saying that magic wasn’t anything to be afraid of, and it depended on the user. He once again felt thankful that Merlin wasn’t like that. That didn’t change anything. Magic, and everything that had it were terrible, cursed things. Merlin was the only one who wasn’t, even if other people couldn’t see that. Why had such an amazing person like him gotten cursed with magic? He hadn’t done anything to deserve it! But he didn’t say it aloud, because he knew Merlin would say otherwise, and he didn’t want to hear what the cursed magic made him say. He didn't want to hear Merlin tell him that magic wasn't bad, and it depended on the user, just like the people every other magic user corrupted.

Okay I guess that was more than a snippet but whatever

2. His character development starts after Merlin’s funeral. The other knights left him alone to grieve, and it gave him a lot of time to think.

He didn’t care that The Heart of Avalon, a magical thing, was keeping him alive. In fact, it was one less thing to worry about.

inspired by Sasha finding and reading Anne's journal in Amphibia.

and oh. How he could have been so blind? He eventually realizes that, oh, it is bad to hate something for just existing.

3. His 180 on magic shocks the other knights that are still in Camelot.

Before his character development, around Camelot, Galahad was known for the irony of being a knight that hated magic but having a wizard, -the most powerful one in the world, at that- be his closest friend.

So when he, to them, abruptly starts acting like other people who had realized hating magic was bad, they don't know what to think.

At first, some of them think he's gone mad from the grief of losing his son and closest friend at the same time.

But then

4. Merlin waking up and coming back… brings complicated feelings, for both him and Galahad.

For Galahad, his return brings both joy and guilt: joy that his closest friend is back, and guilt about how he previously treated magic and creatures who had it.

For Merlin, he has to keep getting used to the fact that his friend no longer hates magic. He hasn’t had anyone in his life who’s been open-minded about magic in a long time, and frankly, it’s strange.

Galahad’s acceptance of magic makes their friendship different, in a good way.

But it still takes time for both of them to adjust. But they do, and it brings them even closer.

Now that Merlin knows Galahad is accepting of magic, he decides to finally tell him he’s a cambion. He’s nervous about it, but it’s something he’s wished he could do the entire time they’ve been friends.

I’m not telling Galahad’s reaction because of spoilers 😉

5. His open-mindedness with magic constantly surprises people who meet him. When he meets Team Trollhunters -which is earlier than canon-, they’re pleasantly surprised to meet a human that’s so immediately accepting of magic and trolls.

Thanks for the ask!