#Uther is trying

[lover-of-midnight]

Childhood Trauma

Arthur took a small step back; Uther was still screaming. All he wanted was the truth, why was that so much to ask for?

He could see Merlin shaking his head, warning him not to continue. Arthur clenched his hands into his pants as he looked at the floor. Jumping slightly when Uther suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Your mother loved you, Arthur. She loved you more than life itself.” Uther gave a single and the people rushed from the room. Giving them some space.

Arthur forced himself to look Uther in the eyes. His voice was soft. “I need to know, please father. Did you use magic to have me?” There was a pleading in his voice. His hands were white with force, and he was trying to hold onto the last part of his sanity.

Uther took a deep breath. “Yes, we did. And we knew the price. We were ready to pay it as well. We just didn’t know it would have been your mother.” Uther forced the words out, hoping it would give Arthur some peace.

Instead, Arthur took another step back, tears burning his eyes. “It is my fault she is dead.” It felt even more real than normal. He always heard the whispers in the hallways when he was younger, taking it slightly to heart.

It was his fault. Every bad thing that happened in the past, was his punishment for causing his mother to die.

Uther wanted to say something, but Arthur just turned around, leaving the council room, ignoring his father as he called him back. He knew that he would be punished for this at a later stage.

But he needed to get away. Arthur froze when a hand wrapped around his wrist. Stopping him. Being suddenly pulled against Uther’s chest, Arthur couldn’t help but tense up.

“It is not your fault. No matter who said what. It was never your fault. She loved you and wanted you more than anything. Never think it was your fault. You were innocent there Arthur.” Uther wasn’t sure what came over him.

Just a feeling that he would lose his son.

He held Arthur against his chest, holding him close. Giving him comfort. Arthur closed his eyes. Wondering if it would have been better to just ignore what he saw. Still, there was something about hearing Uther say it wasn’t his fault when for so long it always felt like he was the one who killed his mom.

AO3 Link

[ramblings-of-a-chaotic-neutral]

For those of you who wanted a more violent gif for Uther:

This one's for you! <3

TW: Blood

[cbk1000]

Woke up at like 1:00 in the morning and could not go back to sleep (💀), so naturally I spent the next several hours waiting for my alarm to go off by writing a fic in my head where Arthur pisses off a witch by being his little bratty self, and she puts him under a love spell that makes him act on his deepest desires, which are to have basic affection and be loved. Merlin wakes up that night to find Arthur climbing into bed with him because he wants to spoon. The spell is just all the things Arthur wouldn't say or do even under torture, so his little ensorcelled ass spends the whole spell trailing after Merlin trying to hold hands with him and talking honestly about his feelings. Merlin is deeply, deeply disturbed; Arthur is going to bury him in the woods so he can't ever speak of anything he's seen as soon as the spell is broken. Merlin also cannot reject him to save his own life, because Arthur is earnest and sad and lonely, so he has resigned himself to dutifully reporting to Arthur’s room each night for cuddling, and mapping out exit routes for when Arthur snaps out of it and tries to stab him to death so there are no witnesses to his humiliation.

This is also how Merlin finds out Arthur already knows about his magic and hasn't said anything because he's waiting for Merlin to like him enough to feel he's worth confiding in. He also has not only been covering for Merlin's insane lies for a while, he has a secret GTFO bag stashed in one of his clothing chests because Merlin is an idiot he expects will be caught sooner rather than later practising magic, and they'll have to flee Camelot before he's beheaded.

[itbeaheadcannon]

hc that merlin and Gwen (who are besties btw) are absolutely running shit. Got a problem? Go to them - always to them. They're the ones who know the most about the castle and have full control of the royal schedules.

Uther does not know about this and neither does Arthur - however whenever either one of them pisses Merlin or Gwen off or they just do something like seriously fucked up (looking at you Uther you absolute ass) they bury them in work.

and I mean like bury them: making them wake up at like first light for an 'emergency' (apparently someone thought they saw a sorcerer) straight to training the Knights, to a meeting with the council to deal with the non-existant sorcerer, to confirmations of a celebration

they don't know what the celebration is for. (in truth it's not for anything, the castle just wanted an excuse for a party, and it's funny gaslighting the royals into thinking they approved some random ass celebration a few weeks ago)

The servants know and 100% annoy them with inane shit because their "input" is needed (no the fuck it's not, but getting to fuck over royalty is fun for them)

random servant #1 to Uther: Apologies for interrupting Sir, but the seamstress wanted to confirm time for your fitting for your outfit for the celebration tonight?

Uther, baffled asf running on 5hrs sleep: celebration? there is no celebration??? and what colour scheme

Servant #1 trying not to cackle: yes sir there is? you advised of it just last month - the seamstress just wanted to take last measurements

Servant #2 elbowing #1 to get their shit together: and the blue and purple scheme? You approved it over a month ago, and Prince Arthur confirmed last week before preparations were made.

(all the food is stuff Arthur and Uther barely tolerate and mildly hate and their alcohol is weak asf - meanwhile the knights and everyone else are eating amazingly, drunk off their asses)

more in the tags lol

[eldritch-ambrosia]

It’s a good thing that Merlin doesn’t ever push Arthur when he’s showing affection because Arthur would implode immediately if he had to think too long about it. Could you imagine the (deleted!!) sigil scene if:

Arthur: Just… take it. Merlin: Why are you giving me this?

Arthur: *sweating* Arthur: It’s… a bird. And you’re a bird. Merlin: …what?

Arthur: You know because… a merlin.

[justaz]

sometime during season 2 merlin realizes how dense camelot is. he’s been accused and even confessed to sorcery multiple times and no one has believed him. even when aredian accused him of sorcery, uther was hesitant to execute him. UTHER was HESITANT to execute him after being accused of SORCERY. merlin gets accused of sorcery bc people think he’s put them under a love spell. he’s gone to arthur at the darkest of times and whispered how he could perform a spell to save everyone and arthur bites back that its not the time for jokes.

merlin realizing how stupid everyone is. he tests it a few times: he gives gwen a bouquet of flowers and tells her he conjured them with magic, she just laughs and thanks him for the flowers, mumbling about how funny and ridiculous he is; he joins the servants in their ranting over their jobs and says that he has a trick up his sleeve to complete his job…magic!! they ohh and ahh sarcastically and mutter how much easier their jobs would be if any of them actually could do magic; he tells leon straight up that he’s planning on killing uther with magic, leon just laughs, pats his back, and wishes him luck.

the whole city is so fucking stupid!!! merlin tests his luck further and blatantly commits acts of magic in front of people and they’re just like “:o how odd…oh well” and go about their day. someone comments on merlin’s eyes going gold and he’s just like “mmmmyeah my eyes just do that in the sun sometimes” and NO ONE questions it. he notices how people go out of their way to help him and they slip him things for free or just as gifts. he notices how much he gets away with with arthur and morgana and even uther. merlin spills a bit of wine and uther goes “i will never understand why my son insists on keeping you around” and merlin smirks and goes “i put a spell on him” and uther throws his head back in laughter

merlin doesn’t perform obvious acts of magic, he doesn’t yell out in the old tongue in front of anyone or whatever, but he gets away with magic so much and he knows that no one will ever truly suspect him or accuse him anymore (and if he is accused then it wont go anywhere, uther will just roll his eyes and wave away the accusation) so he just stops giving a fuck. he ends up helping morgana with her magic and is like “yeah this kingdom is so fucking stupid i wouldn’t even worry about it girl”

[gabstriessomethingnew]

I desperately need a Merwaine accidental baby acquisition.

Gwaine could save a child from a burning down village of something, and the kid just refuses to leave his side. Like Gwaine drops them off with the nearest parents he could find (after vetting them first of course) but the child just pops up again like 'No you're my dad now'

He just keeps trying to explain that he would not make a good father to this kid, that his life is dangerous and full of death and horror. That his dad died when he was super young, so he had actually no idea what a dad even does other than perish. That they would be better off with a real family that has the time to take care of them as they deserve but the kid is just like, 'Nope, I'm in this now whether you like it or not'

So, he brings them back to Camelot, or maybe the kid just keeps following him and that includes into the castle.

Merlin finds out early on and instantly is like 'Yep that's your child which means it's also my child.' Then he finds out they have magic, and he goes into overdrive being a protective father over them.

Added points if its pre relationship territory where they're both in love with each other but can't tell each other that yet. Make it a forced proximity thing too where they have to hide the kid from Arthur and the other knights because they're scared they might try to take the kid away (Gwaine has fallen in love with them at this point) since Camelot isn't exactly the safest place for a literal child to be, and well they just have to constantly be around each other for the child's sake, of course.

But well, the knights slowly start figuring it out, first Lancelot, then Gwen, then Elyan, then Percival, and lastly Leon who is just like welp this might as well happen. Until their only really hiding from Arthur and then he finds out as well. And then the child is adopted by the entirety of the round table.

Merlin and Gwaine eventually confess their feelings when the kid spells it out for them because they just can't take the pinning anymore. And they kiss and everything is good.

If you wanted there could be a magic reveal as well. Arthur is v mad but can't really get angry when the kids big pleading eyes turn on him, so he keeps trying to censor himself in front of them. The rest of the round table pretty much decides that magic can't be all that bad if their baby has it, so the ban gets lifted.

I picture the kid being a girl. The knight's train her how to be a knight, Merlin trains her to be a witch, Gwen teaches her how to knit and sew and be an amazing person, and Arthur teaches her how to rule.

Anyways I think it would be cute.

[therulerofallpotatos]

It is funny to imagine that in Excalibur, Uther believes that Merlin is in love with Arthur

He discovers the sword Merlin went out of his way to have forged for Artgur and is just like: oh...Oh wow that is not a normal amount of loyalty. that is...Merlin is in love with my son

[ethan-acfan]

I'm just gonna say this, Uther was always preaching about how magic is the source of all evil even though his son was born from magic so do yall think he subconsciously started believing his son was evil

[dream-in-a-jar]

BBC Merlin - S5E3 "The Death Song of Uther Pendragon" live blog(-ish)

First of all I didn't expect the German title to actually be the literal translation of the English one, huh

Arthur immediately pardoning the old woman/sorceress, interesting! Truly a good king

Omg they replaced Gaius with a new clip of Uther 👀 its so short though 😭

Typical Arthur having bad ideas lol, somehow using magic is always okay when it comes to his father (ironically)

Thats...... Stonehenge ???

Damn, dead Uther is even more ruthless than alive Uther ...Terrible influence ngl

Arthurs gonna get usurped by his dead father I can already see it happening

Gosh what a jumpy episode

Uthers spirit out here terrorizing Gwen 😭😭 Hes straight up trying to murder her where are all the guards in the castle 😭😭😭

Merlin to the rescue!

Didnt Uther try to execute Gwen at least twice while he was still alive too?

Im glad that even in serious episodes we get some bickering and bantering

Lmao Gaius did this on purpose Im sure

Merlin has been promoted to potion tester!

Poetry!! :D Finally seeing this scene in context and its even greater than out of context lol 😭😭

Oh my goodness that jumpscareㅡ perhaps this isnt the best episode to watch at *checks clock* 1am

I've never watched Ghostbusters but I imagine this is what its like

Kinda hilarious to just imagine Uther wandering around and shaking and throwing stuff in what is essentially a temper tantrum

Ooooh that was a very nice shot of Uther passing behind Arthur!!

Dead!Uther sitting on the throne lowkey goes hard

Not him trying to kill his son now??? Bro you're dead, you cant rule Camelot anymore!!

WHOAAA I didnt think that Uther would actually find out about Merlins magic 👀👀👀 especially not after his death lol

He just went flying straight through the wall 😭😭

HAH suck it Arthur, youre not gonna snitch on Merlin, let alone kill him 😤😤

I feel bad for Arthur though, hearing such harsh words from your father and seeing him do these things (attempting to murder his wife, and his servant!!) ... and that will forever(?) be his last memory of Uther. Its kinda tragic

I love to heart-to-hearts between Merlin and Arthur (sprinkled with bantering), it warms my hㅡ LMAO the glove-slap 😭😭😭 Merlin let the intrusive thoughts win

That was a good episode!! Probably not the best to watch before bed and its 1.30am now but it had some great emotional beats mixed with a bit of fun and whimsy that I love about this show :) Also Uther now knows Merlins biggest secret and he cant/couldnt tell Arthur hehehe

Next episode seems interesting too and appears to have a lot of action again!!

[seleneprince]

Based on this

The Crow

It dawns on her there. She's going to die in the Hewn City. They left her there to rot away, alone and miserable, like the other miserable souls around her. Dark shells of beings that can't even be called people anymore.

No one would look for her here. She knows. They've been looking for excuses to get rid of her for ages. They'll be relieved with this.

"She was a wretch, got what she deserved", she can hear them say, as they complain and celebrate over cups of expensive wine—the same wine she was shamed for drinking.

A wave of pure, unbridled rage rises inside her. She feels the familiar burn itching beneath her skin, threatening to spill out and destroy everything. And a part of her wants to let it happen.

She has never lost control like that. Her weapons have always been her words and the poisonous barbs she cast with them. It’s a part of her, of who she is, as much as she hates it. But this fire—this cold inferno that has been boiling within her since she emerged from the Cauldron—she refuses to acknowledge. Ever since, she has keep it contained in the deepest corners of her being, pushing it back whenever it arises. The pain and exhaustion she gets from it are worth it just for the satisfaction of proving herself stronger than the magic.

Until now.

She finds herself struggling to keep her flames at bay. She senses how they're whisper away to break out of her body, to roam free and rampant along with her angerbetrayalsorrowguilt. That voice in her head that always urges her to let go grows louder than ever, and she tries, she really does, but she's so tempted now. So eager. She's tired and hungry and so, so mad at everything. At everyone. She has done it all and it still wasn't enough for them. They've dumped her like a pile of trash to a place where they keep the worst people in the world locked up.

Its what they've always thought of her, right? Something rotten and worthless to be locked away for eternity, so it doesn't corrupt others?

Cold sparks jump between her fingers. She recognizes them. They grow bigger and she doesn't stop it, because why should she. What's the point. It's not fair. Notfairnotfairnotfair...

"There you are, my love," a smooth voice murmurs behind, breath brushing against her ear, "You got me looking everywhere for you."

Nesta is pulled back to reality as strong arms surround her, one secured around her waist and the other on her shoulders. Her back meets a broad, warm chest, and she stiffens as her brain gets a hold of the situation.

When she does, she fights against his hold with all her might, but he hugs her tighter, and his lips move against her ear.

"There's a group of males following you since you stepped out. Play along until they leave."

She freezes. The male moves back and Nesta feels him turning back a little, still shielding her.

"Thank you for looking after her until now, everyone. You can leave us now."

Murmurs and shuffling reach Nesta's ears, sending a chill through her as she realizes he was right—she had been followed. How had she not noticed?

"¿Didn't you all heard me?," he chuckles, but she senses the threatening edge there. "Fuck off. Before I make you."

Nesta hears them scramble away hurriedly, their footsteps fading into the distance. They remain like that for several minutes, until there's nothing but heavy silence in the street. Then, with a suddenness that catches her off guard, he lets her go, and she stumbles slightly.

She turns to face him, torn between thanking him and hurling insults. But as she catches his face, her words die on her lips.

He’s taller than she expected, around Azriel's height, probably. Dressed in brown-green leather, he wears a sleeveless top that reveals toned arms, and fingerless gloves that end at his elbows. Nesta’s eyes dart to the knives hidden within his layers, strategically placed around his waist and legs. But it’s not the weapons that catch her attention.

Half of his face is concealed by a partially pulled hood, casting shadows across his features, while a dark veil shrouds his eyes, adding an air of mystery that unsettles her. There’s a raw aura emanating from him, a soft but fierce energy that makes her heart race in anticipation.

His mouth draws a crooken grin, showing his sharp teeth. Nesta holds her breath...

A sharp caw echoes in the street, and Nesta sees at that moment a black crow flying over their heads. The male extends his arm just as the animal lands naturally on it, emitting a caw that sounds like a greeting.

The scene looks straight out of a weird dream to her. As if sensing her confusion, the male laughs softly, scratching the cow's head as he walks towards her slowly.

For some reason, Nesta can't bring herself to move, stuck staring at him until he's towering over her.

"Are you scared of me, darling, or is it my cane that bothers you?"

Nesta blinks at his question, processing that he's actually talking to her and this is all real.

"Your cane?"

"My crow. He's my cane in a certain way, you know. I know most people don't like him. Can't blame them, though. He's an asshole."

"Oh"

She doesn't know what to make of him. The way he talks and acts clashes greatly with the impression he gives off. But she knows how deceiving people can be, and she's heard enough of this place to know most of its residents can't be trusted.

"Thank you for saving me earlier."

"What do you mean 'thank you', darling? I don't do anything for free."

"Excuse me?"

He sighs loudly, as if he's repeating something simple to a child.

"I want money, obviously. A guy has to eat here. But I also accept favours...or kisses," he leans closer to her, smirking. "I saved your beautiful face from something worse than death. I think I'm owed a good reward."

A chill runs down her spine. She should have known. This is exactly the kind of person that makes the Hewn City what it is. A place for greedy, twisted creatures who indulge in their vices without restraint and embrace violence as a part of their daily lives. Assaulting women is just one of the many horrors they promote.

Nesta feels the air thicken with tension, the weight of his presence suddenly pressing against her like a tangible force. She steels herself, fully aware of the implications of being alone and defenseless with a man who considers taking kisses from females as 'reward' the norm.

Then he bursts out laughing, shaking his head. The crow seems to laugh with him. Nesta stares at him perplexed as he steps back.

"By the Cauldron, I wish I could've seen your face. I smelled your fear so clearly I thought you were going to bust into a giant flaming ball at any moment. Ah," he wheezes. "I'm fucked up, darling, but I'm not that fucked up. I only accept kisses when all the parties very much want to kiss me. Don't worry."

Nesta begins to calculate the right angle to kick him hard enough in the balls so he's limping for weeks. A voice suggests that setting him on fire would be much more enjoyable.

"You're a sick son of a bitch."

"Yeah, and the grass is green. Nothing new under the sun. Well, more like under the mountain. Get it?" He grins, expecting a reply. "Nevermind. Try to be more careful around here, darling. Specially since you're new. This place is full of sick sons of bitches, but not all of them are as nice as me."

"Who the hell are you anyway? Why are you helping me?"

He smiles again, but this time it’s not playful; it’s laced with something darker, a secretive edge that hints at eagerness. The corners of his lips curl, revealing a glimpse of those sharp teeth that sends a shiver down Nesta's spine. She can sense the challenge in his expression, an unspoken invitation to dance on the razor's edge of danger. And, much to her frustration, she's not entirely taken back.

"I'm Uther, at your service" he finally says. There's a certain heaviness on his voice when he does. "I've heard a lot about you, Lady Death."

The air between them crackles when those words are spoken, and Nesta’s pulse quickens. She’s suddenly acutely aware of every detail—the way his muscles ripple discreetly beneath the leather, the shadows that play across his half-hidden face, and the alluring blend of danger that surrounds him.

"Welcome to your new prison."

(This is your fault @jon-snows-man-bun - @the-anonymous-unikitty - @aurenturley - @c-starstuff-man0)

[akane022]

can you all imagine if excalibur was the only way for merlin to die on? excalibur, forged on a dragon's breath and meant only for arthur, the sword that killed arthur's bane and merlin's shadow and could not protect arthur would also be merlin's end

[ladyaviel]

“No one mentioned the possibility of my soulmate having me hanged,” Merlin says miserably. He doesn’t even know if that’s truly possible - a soulmate by the very definition is your other half, the one meant for you. Merlin had always presumed that his soulmate would also have magic because what other choice was there?

AU where Uther approves of soulmates and does everything he can to support Merlin as Arthur's destiny.

Posting my little oneshot here because I love it and it's probably not going to be a oneshot for long.

[ghostofdiamonds]

(not so) fun fact: last fall I started watching Merlin with my mom, but now I dodge the question whenever she asks about continuing because I really can't deal with watching a show about "hiding who you are from those who wouldn't accept you if they knew the truth" with my conservative mother.

[justaz]

thinking about all those times uther's life hung in the balance and it was up to merlin to chose whether or not to save him and he chose to save him every time until the end when his healing spell backfired and killed uther instead.

thinking about how merlin is tied to every member of the pendragon family by destiny and is the reason for each of their deaths, in one way or another (magic taking ygraine's life, merlin killing uther, merlin stabbing morgana, merlin's actions setting the stage for mordred to kill arthur).

thinking about merlin and uther's bond through destiny and how merlin was uther's prey yet also his undoing. a game of cat and mouse where the mouse wins.

merlin was always destined to kill uther. it didn't matter when or how, but uther was always to die by merlin's hand. uther waged war on magic and the old religion and the gods of the old religion sent merlin as their reckoning. merlin was the righteous hand of god who struck down a genocidal tyrant.

[roseraintears]

Uther being oblivious to his daughters downfall, her turning on him , yet being completly responsible for it

Uther not being able to handle Morgana`s betrayl, Not because she is turning more into him because of how he treated her, and people with magic in general, but because he still loves her

Giles being oblivious to the downfall of the best friend of the Woman he saw as a daughter, and therefore being partly responsible for it

Giles being able to handle Willows dark magic corrouption by attempting to save her from it, taking her to the Coven in Devon afterwards to help her heal, because he realized that Willow turned into his younger Self, overconfident with a power that spiraled out of control, puting his own guilt behind helpng her