#and morgana is so terrified and merlin wants to tell her!!!!

[justaz]

au where arthur is king but morgana never turns against camelot, merlin helps her with her magic and perhaps morgana kills uther but can you blame her? she’s a woman with hobbies. anyway, once every 25 years (bc traversing the perilous lands is so dangerous and they don’t want to risk the royals too much), the royals from the north/south travel through the perilous lands and all get together in once kingdom for a large feast. the host switches every time, once in mercia then deira then nemeth then bernicia etc etc. one year after arthur becomes king, camelot is to host the feast. most of the southern kingdoms are happy to come, but all the northern kingdoms are tense and a bit cold. arthur isn’t sure why until one of the northern royals who has been biting their tongue for days finally lets him have it and goes on about how uther started the anti-magic rhetoric and spread all this hate. the northern kingdoms prosper and thrive with magic running free while the southern kingdoms are entrenched in chaos, death, and destruction. the northern royal offers arthur the opportunity to come to their kingdom and see magic in all its glory if he leaves behind his father’s opinions and enters their kingdom with the open mindedness of a man born yesterday.

arthur, morgana, merlin, and the knights travel to their kingdom and are a bit wary (bar merlin, morgana, lancelot, and gwaine). a few days pass and arthur and them are coming around to the idea bc magic is not hidden or persecuted here and it is SO peaceful. merlin and morgana are missing constantly bc they are out in the town and experiencing life without the fear of persecution they normally feel. they get invited to a tavern and agree to sneak out later that night to attend. lancelot and gwaine go with them bc merlin told lancelot and gwaine was eavesdropping and was in when merlin said the word “tavern”. turns out the entire place is filled with magic users and magic swirls in the air freely, casually.

arthur runs into elyan, percival, and leon who are also in the process of sneaking out. they tell him that they were going to go see late night magic for funsies. arthur reminds them it’s still treason under camelot law. they tell him that they aren’t in camelot so technically it’s fine. arthur concedes and goes with them. they don’t wander for long before catching sight of a tavern where magic is practically spilling out of the walls. they enter to a huge crowd cheering and clapping. and merlin and morgana dancing on a table. they’re smiling wider than arthur has seen them do in a little over two years.

merlin and morgana are spinning around, holding one another’s arm, and laughing brightly. magical lights swirl around them, glowing in tune with their laughter - attuned to their joy. then they start speaking loudly to one another though it’s also meant for the crowd. they talk about being free and not being hunted. they they start moving the lights around and the cheering grows louder and their eyes are gold-

arthur leans on percival for support. the crowd calls back up to merlin and morgana, they talk of the home merlin and morgana could make in this kingdom, they won’t have to look over their shoulders, they won’t have to hide who they are, they won’t have to hide or lie, they could be truly free. to arthur’s horror, morgana is quick to agree and talks of a life she could build here happily. merlin is hesitant and his jubilant nature starts to wane. he refutes their point by mentioning arthur. morgana shoots back that arthur will never change anything, that he is his fathers son. merlin adamantly denies such a claim. they go back and forth for a bit before lancelot intervenes. fucking lancelot. and, oh, there’s gwaine. right.

arthur is glad and riddled with guilt that despite everything, merlin will remain at his side. arthur is terrified of morgana, his sister, leaving camelot and living in this kingdom hidden behind the perilous lands. the repeal of the magic ban is already being written in his head. he follows merlin out, merlin who grabbed one last drink and is now wandering the dark streets of this foreign kingdom drunk and alone. merlin smiles dopily when arthur finds him and arthur mentions how happy he seems. merlin, already a few drinks in and lost his filter around thirty minutes ago, just links his arm with arthurs and leans on his shoulder

“you make me happy”

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

I had a Good!Morgana/magic reveal idea. What if Arthur found out about Morgana’s magic? And decided to be rational and smart about it?

When the window breaks, he realises that only Morgana was anywhere near. It’s just a random thought, but then he remembers all the times her nightmares come true or that she warned him about something and he listened only for her to be right.

Then he overhears Gaius talking to someone and saying that Morgana is too close to Uther and that it’d be better if she never knew about her magic. (even though she’s loosing control and clearly terrified and in need of help, he’s furious about that because magic or no, she’s still Morgana.) Arthur storms off, not bothering to find out who Gaius was talking to because he’s just been hit by the reality that magic isn’t a choice therefore he might have to reevaluate his whole belief system because he doesn’t want to think people can be born evil.

Of course he isn’t happy about it, but Morgana is too good and she never would’ve chosen magic, she was too smart for that in Camelot and too afraid for it to be deliberate. For whatever reason, Gaius was keeping Morgana’s magic secret even from her, so he didn’t want to go to the physician. So he goes to Geoffrey, knowing that like Gaius, he knows about life before the purge.

The librarian apparently hid a bunch of illegal books? So Arthur gets reading and learns about magic, about those born with it, about those who use it for good, that magic could be like a sword to attack or defend. Then he learns that’s wrong, a stab wound is still a stab wound but if he wants to believe magic can be truly good then there has to be more to it than a weapon. He realises there’s no inherent morality in magic, just intent from the person using it and impact of those around. He starts looking at how useful magic can be, how it can heal, you get the idea.

Uther finds out somehow and summons Arthur, Morgana and the council to the throne room so he can sentence Morgana to death. No one knows how to react, but Arthur steps forward, gently pushes Morgana behind him, sending Merlin a look that says to keep her safe. Merlin nods and Morgana is trembling while he reassures her that she’s safe. He promises that no harm will come and that he’ll break her out of the citadel if he has to.

Arthur yells at Uther and eventually throws a gauntlet down, saying he’s challenging for the throne on account of madness. He basically paints Uther to be mentally unstable and therefore unfit to rule. They fight there, and like the scene where Arthur finds out about his mother, Uther is pinned to the throne when Merlin stops Arthur from killing Uther, (there’s significance to that, it wouldn’t bring Arthur peace. But Morgana ordering his execution? That helps her get closure.)

Anyway, Merlin takes the sword and holds it to Uther’s chest for Arthur, whispering something about “Morgana needs him now more than ever.” So Arthur takes Uther’s crown and orders Leon to take him to his chambers and not to let him leave. He then turns to Morgana, sees her trembling and holds out a hand to her. She looks at him suspiciously, so he sighs and tell her they’ll talk about repealing the ban once he’s figured out what to do with Uther.

Morgana frowns, so Arthur says something like “As far as I’m concerned, Camelot is your home. You’re my sister in all but blood, and I’m not going to watch you die for something you had no choice in. We’ll find you a tutor, someone to teach you control so your nightmares don’t bother you so much, and if you want it you’ll have a place on my council. As court sorceress or advisor or whatever you want.”

Then Morgana hugs him, crying and thanking him for everything. Merlin is looking proud but regretfully so because of the situation. Arthur has him clear the hallways so he can lead Morgana back to her chambers where she’ll be safe and where she won’t have to worry about anyone seeing her cry because Arthur knows she’s never really cried in front of anyone but Gwen, only ever fake tears to manipulate men in court to her favour.

They’ve got technicalities to sort out and whatever else but they work it out and basically everything ends up happily ever after.

[merlinficprompts]

I have a Merlin prompt I would like to submit!! Sorry for the formatting I’m writing this on my phone it’s 1 am and I’m feeling feral

Merlin magic is revealed to Gwaine when he has to heal a fatal wound. Gwaine and Lancelot are having a private conversation about it, using a code word for Merlin’s magic. An eavesdropping Arthur misinterprets the whole thing.

(conversation goes roughly like this)

“To be honest I’m kind of broken hearted. I thought I was the first one to experience uh.. Merlin’s ’talent’.”

“Sorry friend, me and Merlin’s first meeting was when he was.. sharing his ‘talent’ with me..”

“I won’t lie to you, when he first started doing it I was.. I was mortified.. but then it felt so..”

“Good?”

“Yes! Gods, I know I’ll be condemned if others find out but.. I’ve never felt anything like it. I’m not exaggerating Lancelot, I truly feel as if a whole new world has opened in front of my eyes. I want him to do it again, I want him to do and show me more. I’m greedy for it!”

“I understand you, sometimes despite the years I’ve known of his.. ‘talent’, I find myself yearning to experience it again. I could never ask him to do anything that put him in harms way though, should anyone find out..”

“I know. It’s such a shame he has to go to such lengths to hide his true nature. During it his eyes were so bright and at peace, it made me want to never let him go. It pains me knowing he suffers so much, hiding his true self in fear. I asked him if he ever planned to tell Arthur and he.. he looked so pain. He’s terrified of what Arthur would think if he found out..”

“I don’t blame him. While Arthur’s a much better man and leader than Uther, there’s still no telling how he’d react finding out about.. Merlin’s ‘talent’”

“Well I for one think there’s nothing wrong with it. Especially since I’ve experienced the benefits first hand. I’m telling you Lance, I’m a new man. I haven’t felt this at ease in a long time.”

“Oh yes, i suppose we just must be grateful that we can consider ourselves among the lucky few who get to experience his ‘talent’, and work to assure his safety in the future.”

Now utterly convinced that Merlin is a slag who prefers men, Arthur struggles with multiple emotions; ranging from embarrassment to having overheard Merlin’s private business, to despair that his best friend was too afraid to admit his preference, to outrage over the (assumed) knowledge that his knights are apparently mounting his ‘talented’ servant. He’s scandalized to think Merlin was so wanton, he should be indignant and offended that he shares such camaraderie with an unrepentant harlot. Yet, for some reason he can’t put his finger on.. he mostly just feels hurt and betrayed. He’s mortified over what that means, and finds himself in a panic over what to do now that he’s learned his best friend (who he doesn’t realize he’s in love with) is apparently a huge slut who fucks his knights (and he’s utterly incensed on Gwen’s behalf since Lance is courting her at this time)

Unsure of what to do, he finds himself at a loss and confides in Morgana about how he should act, and whether he should intervene in any way or mind his own business. Morgana, somewhat impressed, finds this hilarious, but becomes angry when she hears about Lancelot. Her judgement of Merlin sours and she finds herself stuck between telling Gwen or fighting Lancelot. From there everything just kind of snowballs. The knights try to correct the rumor but obviously since they can’t say they were talking about his magic, all other excuses seem poorly constructed and they’re unable to fix the problem.

Meanwhile around the same time, the son of a good friend/ally to Uther, who’s infamous for his carnal and shameless desires, catches wind of this rumor upon his visit to Camelot. His interest peaked, he seeks out to proposition Merlin, regardless of Merlin’s willingness.. (arthur saves him in time tho)

Merlin, on the other hand, has somehow managed to remain completely oblivious to everyone’s newfound attention on him, paranoid he’s detecting some snickers and nasty remarks thrown his away, but mostly unsure and too tired to think too hard over it. He’s too busy prioritizing protecting Arthur and finding new ways to perfect his magic that the thought of being with someone amounted to that of another meaningless chore he’d tack onto his plate. He’s come to the conclusion that he’s not destined to have a partner and settle down, the closest he supposes he’ll ever get is being by Arthur’s side as he gets his fairy tale ending, wife and kids.. Merlin is perfectly fine remaining on the side as always. He doesn’t know why his chest aches everytime he thinks about it.

Everyone’s misunderstanding everyone else, Gaius forces Merlin to listen to him explain safe sex between men and assures him that he loves him regardless of whether or not he approves of Merlin’s constant changing conquest amount. Merlin gets sexually harassed, Arthur is emotionally constipated so he rescues Merlin from bullying but also yells at him bc he’s mad Merlin’s being a hoe with everyone but him apparently. Uther hears one too many random out of context dialogues pertaining to Merlin’s sexual abilities, and Kilgarrah spends his entire interaction with Merlin cackling his scales off bc he saw what happens and he’s so excited for it to play out.

TLDR Merlin wakes up one day and suddenly everyone is convinced he’s a huuuuuge slut. Chaos ensues.

While the premise is crack-ish, I do want the story to be written fairly seriously/realistically. If anyone’s interested in turning this prompt into a full fledged fanfic, I’d love for it to be a very very lengthy one. So excited to see if this gets written!!

I love this idea!!! I probably wouldn’t write it myself, but it’s so funny, beyond the embarrassment factor. I would love to see it though! If you or anyone else writes this idea, message me so I can post about it!

[angelynmoon]

Morgana wakes up screaming, she doesn't often wake like this, not anymore but the Dream was so devistating she can't help it.

Leon burst into the room, her guard most of the time, switching off with Percival, his partner, usually Elyan, has likely gone to fetch Merlin, Arthur, and Gwen.

Leon wraps his arms around her, she's shaking, Morgana realizes as he pets her hair and wipes her tears. She can't stop them, not after what she just Saw.

Part of her knows it won't come to pass, Morgause is dead, she was cut down by a Dragonfire Blade and then they burned and scattered her ashes, she'd be the last sorcerer without a grave.

But the Dream was so Real that Morgana knows, she knows that in another life, filled with different choices, this Dream came to pass.

"Morgana?" Arthur calls as he and Gwen enter the room, dressed in their nightcloths and dressing gowns.

Morgana looks at them, reaching for Gwen, wanting the comfort she always offered after such a Dream.

Gwen takes Leon's place, pulling her close as Leon goes to speak with Arthur, he will not leave the room, even after Morgana goes back to sleep, he never does and she finds it comforting in a different way than Gwen's presence.

Merlin and Lancelot both arrive, in a similar state of undress, though both have trousers on and Merlin is wearing Lancelot's shirt while Lancelot isn't wearing one.

"Morgana?" Merlin asks, going straight to her, sitting next to her, "Are you alright?"

Morgana nods, she is, it was just terrifying to see what she could have done if Merlin had never Knighted Lancelot, she knows that that is the main difference.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Merlin." Morgana says and she reaches for him in a way she hasn't since he poisoned her.

Merlin pulls her into his arms and rocks her a little, like he sometimes does for Ellie and Effie, like she's his child amd Morgana likes it, Uthur never held her like this, not when it mattered and she can't recall Goloris or her Mother doing so either.

"It's okay, I'm here, you're safe, Morgana." Merlin whispers into her hair and Morgana knows it, can feel Merlin's Magic engulfing her in protection, even with her own still locked away.

"Merlin, we need to know what she Dreamed." Lancelot says gently as he sits opposite Merlin on the bed, one hand pressing against Merlin's back while the other pets her hair.

Morgana shakes her head, "It doesn't happen, not here." She tells them.

Morgana doesn't get Dreams from other worlds often, most of her Dreams are from this life, the one she can shape with her own actions, but sometimes, sometimes the Dreams of other lives leak through, ones she can See but cannot do anything about.

She has learned how to tell these Dreams from the others, it's simple enough once she knew of the possibilities, it's always something little that marks the difference, like Arthur having red hair, or Merlin being an actual Girl, (Merlin's always in love with Lancelot though, that never changes,) or Morgause being alive.

Like in this Dream.

"We still need to know, it may not happen the same way, but it could be a variation." Merlin told her gently.

Arthur made a curious noise and Merlin looked at him.

"Morgana doesn't always Dream of this timeline, sometime she sees the results of different choices." Merlin explained.

"I killed Lancelot." Morgana whispered and clung to Merlin, "I'm sorry, it was supposed to be Arthur, it was supposed to be Emrys. I'm sorry."

"Oh." Lancelot said, blinked and then looked at Merlin.

"Oh?" Merlin questioned.

Lancelot placed his hand on Merlin's cheek, "There is no life where I would allow you to die before me." Lancelot looked down at Morgana, "I sacrificed myself for him, didn't I?"

Morgana nodded, "Such a noble knight, I ruined you. I brought you back and I ruined you."

Morgana began to sob again.

Merlin began rocking her again humming softly.

Distantly Morgana heard Lancelot tell Arthur that they'd find out more at a proper hour and she felt Merlin shift them around so he could lean against her headboard, Lancelot settling beside him, pressing his hand to her hair again, petting it gently while Gwen made herself comfortable on her other side.

Quiet chirps announced the arrival of Efgie and Ellie and they settled at their feet after Merlin rumbled at them.

For the first time since she'd dmstarted having Dreams, Morgana felt safe in their aftermath, it made her wonder just what it would have been like to have a Father like Lancelot, like Merlin

--

A/n: so um, yeah, Morgana dreams of the Darkest hour episodes and the Shade!Lancelot episode because this needed angst so we could have Morgana getting some cuddles.

A small part of me wants de-aged Morgana because she deserves a real do-over and Merlin and Lancelot deserve to raise a kid but also my brain wants Ellie and Effie to see Merlin going back and forth between Dragon and Human and going, "yeah, lets do that too" and Merlin and Lancelot get twins, although thinking about it doing both would be funny... but alas, we'll see.

[merlin-emrys-wyllt]

Closed starter for @damagedward

The reveal

Merlin had been so careful... Well, as careful as he could be when having to constantly save the life of one prat. No one had figured out he had magic in the months he had been here, though there were quite a few close calls. All of that came to an end while he was out in the woods one day...

He had been out for a ride in the woods with a few of the knights and Morgana. She had wanted to get away from the castle for a while, and Uther, of course, wouldn't allow her to go alone. Arthur having meetings all day anyways had sent Merlin to keep an eye on her aswell.

Things had been going well until the bandits appeared. They made quick work of the few knights they had with them and captured the two. Now, they were sat tied to a tree as the bandits planned what to do with them. Morgana would make a pretty penny in randsom they said to each other.

Merlin glanced at her and to the ropes binding them and made a decision. He couldn't allow her to get hurt, his body filled with rage at the thought. He didn't know how she would react, but it was worth the risk. She could tell Uther, have him killed, even be terrified of him, but he needed to save her.

His eyes flash golden, and the ropes binding them snap. He stands and stares down the bandits with his fists clenched. Taking a deep breath and forcing himself not to look at her, he reaches his hand out towards them, and they are thrown across the clearing and fall to the ground knocked out. He stands with his eyes trained on the ground, still golden from the magic swirling within him. How would she react?... He awaited her anger, fear, negative reaction, because surely that would be her reaction.

[crystaiskiess]

This is long, I apologize.

Okay, I reblogged the chapter post with thoughts but I want to talk about the chapter just a little bit more.  First off, I was texting my friend live updates of me reading it and they asked me to send the link because they love your writing.  They’ve never read fanfiction before but to try just for oafk.  (Also, me talking about oafk constantly probably convinced them as well.)

This chapter is soooo good.  This episode isn’t my favorite because of how it’s set up (that’s so unrelated to this, though), but you wrote in a way that I just absolutely love this.  I love the scenes you added in between Merlin and Arthur.  I love the characterization you write, but that’s one of your strong suits along with emotions.  It’s just so captivating and immersive, not because I know what’s going to happen but because of how you write it.

I love the dagger scene a lot, especially where Arthur almost calls Merlin his friend.  But I really love when Merlin thanks Arthur for not ratting him out and Arthur threatens him but then what follows it is, “It’s a lie. Both he and Merlin know it. Arthur wouldn’t do anything of the sort, he would stand up for Merlin again and again if he had to.” And I’m not saying Merlin does or doesn’t know that, but it’s this idea that Arthur thinks they’re on the same page always, but they’re not and it’s so interesting to see that portrayed.

Okay, to my favorite part; how you go about Morgana and Merlin in this.  Morgana is unaware of everything going on, and she’s scared.  We can tell that in the show, but the cut off in the show makes it difficult to be entirely sure, but you make it clear.  I feel for Morgana in this because this is absolutely terrifying.  Then Merlin is trying to protect her in the beginning before slowly believing that Morgana is guilty, which well done on that thought process happening.  The guilt, the fear, the confusion, all of it is so good.

I will say my favorite line in the entire chapter is, “She might not have been a danger to them yet, but she has always had the capacity for it, no matter how much Merin denies it.” It just characterizes Morgana so well, especially after Merlin remembering the different things about her.

I can’t wait for the next chapter!

i am giggling kicking my feet twirling my hair right now

seriously never apologise for a long message it means the world to me that you have thoughts to share and i eagerly drink up every one

firstly im so honoured that your friend wants to try oafk when they haven't really read fanfiction before that is so beyond sweet and i hope that they enjoy it !!!!! it means so much to me that they were interested enough to want to give it a try !!

the dagger bit is a personal favourite of mine too ghfjdhd, im also so glad you like arthur's thoughts after sticking up for merlin - i think you're right its so important to their dynamic that arthur really thinks merlin knows how much he cares about him but .... does he ??

as much as i had a lot of fun with the merlin and arthur moments in this chapter im so glad your favourite bit was the merlin and morgana dynamic because i feel like thats the most important part of the chapter, this is such a major turning point for them (obviously) and im so so glad that you enjoyed watching that play out and how they both struggled with their decisions through the chapter - i think they're both grappling with a lot of guilt

thank you so so so much for this message and i hope you continue to enjoy !!! especially the season finale coming up !!!

[morganadismay]

not to delve into the mistreatment of morgana again. but what fucks me up about that episode where merlin poisons morgana and its framed as "it was the only way, we would have all died otherwise" is that. no it fucking wasn't.

maybe if we were already dealing with s3 came-back-wrong evil smirk morgana who truly wasn't listening to anyone at that castle anymore because they tried (and succeeded!) to well. poison her. then maybe i'd concede that.

but throughout that entire episode morgana is largely just absolutely shellshocked. she follows merlin and arthur in a daze with huge eyes and she looks too absolutely terrified to say anything other than just feebly parrot what they are saying. she's very obviously not coping very well with whatever is going on. yeah she's going with morgause's plan but it's very clear to me that she is doing that because she doesn't know what the fuck else to do.

it's kind of a crooked parallel to the episode in s1 where she nearly kills uther. only at this point she knows she has magic, she has been constantly plagued by nightmares, paranoia and constantly lied to, and knows by now that neither gaius nor anyone else wants to help her. she also knows the people who did try to help her (druids) were all slaughtered in front of her eyes.

in the episode where she almost killed uther, morgana was pulled back from the point of killing him because she convinced herself there was another way and it would get better. in the poison episode there is nothing left she can fall back onto anymore on her own - no one else is there to offer any help, despite morgana begging for it, and everyone who did offer is dead - and then. on the other side of this. there is morgause, with her healing bracelet and her affection, telling morgana she has family who will stand by her, and saying "i will protect you but you have to help me with this"

so even in the moment where it very clearly dawns on morgana that she has put people she cares about - including, yeah, arthur and merlin - in danger, she is effectively acting like a cornered animal trying to follow the only hand that feeds her. but to claim that there was no other way than to kill her is ridiculous. she's visibly, obviously frightened and paralysed with that fear, and clearly torn up about something. she's a terrible liar. merlin can fucking see it and has the entire context for it, he even knows morgause's tactics from what she did with arthur already.

i cannot overstate how much this whole fucking situation could have been resolved if merlin actually offered her another solution and talked to her. i know he's like. physically incapable of communication and that yes, it would involve revealing and endangering himself. but for god's sake, do not tell me there was NO other way than to poison her. he could have fucking talked to her. that was a choice.

and i actually really, heavily doubt that, after seeing someone else with magic, who is her friend and has tried to help her before, albeit clumsily, and who is saying something along the lines of "morgause is lying to you and using your power to get the throne/has lied to arthur as well/you are not alone against uther and we can figure something out and find another way" the morgana who is green in the face sitting in the room w him and arthur would be like no actually merlin i'm absolutely convinced you and gwen and arthur should all die.

at the very least it would make her question things, and i think swaying her to break the enchantment would take very little energy from merlin, good at improvising under duress as he is, at this point. again, she's absolutely terrified and thinks she's completely alone and that without morgause she has nothing but the pyre awaiting her. to have a friend by your side when you're this scared does in fact change a lot.

i actually actively fucking doubt even arthur wouldn't fold as well if morgana and merlin BOTH turned out to have magic at the same time. like between them and gwen being kind, i feel like that wouldve maybe fucking solved some problems given that it wouldnt just be merlin vs uther in his silly head. but alas thats another topic.

anyway. thank you for coming to my ted talk. no, poisoning morgana was not the only way. rip to merlin but oh my god get a grip

[legends-of-time]

Amelia’s Story (BBC Merlin Story)

Chapter 64: A Lesson in Vengeance

Masterlist

Anne’s POV 

Anne is happy with Gwen’s return. She is really, but something is still bothering Anne. They'd gotten Gwen out. Morgana and Amelia had held her captive, they had been there, and Merlin was sure of it. Yet he'd not seen them. They'd just let Gwen leave and hadn't tried to stop them. It worries Anne that something much deeper is going on. It had been too easy for them to get Gwen out of there. But there is little Anne can do to find out, ever since her return, Gwen has been in shock, still grieving the loss of her brother and only recently coming out of her shell. Anne doesn’t want to cause any damage if she’s wrong so she decides just to wait and see what happens.

And then something does.

Anne hurries into Gaius’ Chambers when she hears the news that Merlin, Gwen and Arthur had been attacked when they were riding to have their picnic to celebrate Gwen and Arthur’s anniversary.

When Anne bursts in, she is greeted with the sight of Gaius tending to Arthur's wound. Gwen stands by her husband’s side, stroking his arm comfortingly while Merlin stands to the side.

“What happened?” Anne asks, calmer than she was before now that she knows everyone is safe but still feeling anxious.

“Bandits attacked.” Merlin tells her. “Seems they planted a bomb of some sort to spoke the horses, Arthur's threw him and the bandits attacked.”

“You're very fortunate, Sire,” Gaius begins as Anne frowns at that, “a fall like that you could have broken your neck.”

“But how did they know?” Anne questions. “How did they know you'd be taking that path?”

“The men that attacked us, have they been questioned?” Arthur asks.

“I'm sorry, Sire, the wounds were fatal. We were unable to learn anything from them.” Gaius replies.

“I agree with Anne though.” Merlin remarks. “It can't have been a coincidence that they were there.”

“Maybe they were waiting in trap for others.” Gwen suggests. “Just for anyone who might be going that way.”

“Then they got more than they bargained for.” Anne smiles at Merlin and Arthur for that.

Leon walks in. “Sire, we recovered your saddle from the forest trail. The girth has been unpicked and re-stitched. It was designed to break Sire.”

Arthur walks over to have a look. “Perhaps it wasn't all that much of a coincidence then.” He muses. “Someone must have been able to warn the bandits that we would be heading out and they ran ahead to the path we'd chosen.”

——

Anne frowns as she stands beside Merlin and Gaius as well as Yrene, Gwen’s maid, whom Anne has begun to trust a bit more than she had before but there’s still that divide, in the Council Chambers. A young boy, Tyr Seward she recalls, stands before Arthur, Gwen and the Royal Court. The poor boy is terrified, clearly, he is pale and shaking and looks utterly bewildered as to why he is here in the first place. Anne has to admit, she is rather confused as well, she knows the boy. She'd been a servant when he was just starting off as a Stablehand. He'd slowly moved his way up to being in charge of the prince's, now King's Stables. He is a sweet boy, who works to support himself and his mother. She can’t fathom why he'd be here.

“The thread we found at the boy's home matches that used to sabotage your saddle, Sire.” Leon steps forward, handing Arthur a spool of thread to examine.

Anne looks at it closely as Arthur analyses it. She frowns at what looks to be a generic, basic, common thread. This is probably in half the homes in the Kingdom and Leon thought, because the boy has access to the horses, that he had done it?

“Who put you up to this Tyr?” Arthur questions softly. 

“No one, no one's put me up to anything Sire.” Tyr replies.

“You're saying you acted alone? Had no help? No accomplice?”

“I don't know anything about these things you're talking about. I've done nothing Sire, save look after your horse and tack like I always do.” Tyr insists.

“The evidence is staring you in the face. You can't deny it.” Arthur points out, clearly reluctant to believe Tyr could have this.

“Sire, I swear on my mother's life...”

“Just give me their name. Why protect them? They can't help you now. Just give me their name.” Arthur pleads.

“I have no name. There's no name to give.” Tyr insists.

“Then you leave me no choice!” Arthur declares. “Though it saddens me greatly to do so I must charge you with treason. Is there anything further you'd like to say?”

“You're my King, Sire. I'd never do anything to hurt you. Never.” Tyr tearfully states.

Arthur sighs. “Tyr Seward, by the power vested in me I hereby sentence you to death.”

Percival steps forward and takes Tyr out of the room.

Anne has to stop herself from crying out in shock at what had just happened. It’s clear that Tyr didn’t do it and may know something about who did, but treason? Death?

——

“I can't imagine Tyr wanting Arthur dead, he's a good lad.” Merlin rants later on to Anne in their Chambers.

“I can't either.” Anne agrees. “He holds no grudge against Arthur, or even Uther, he's been a dear the entire time. He loves working with the horses, he's so proud whenever one of his fairs well in a tournament or on a hunt.”

“Arthur respected him as well.” Merlin nods. “Always treated him fairly and well.”

“Someone else had to be involved.” Anne voices out loud. “We just need to find out who they are. With Tyr being held and about to be executed... I fear that they may have purposefully pointed the finger at him. What if they knew the evidence would lead to him?”

“Maybe so, but Arthur was right about one thing Tyr could not have done this alone. Someone else is involved,” Merlin pauses in his movements, a thought crossing his mind, “and unless we find out who they are. What's to stop them from trying it again?”

Anne pauses at that. “And what else would they do to Tyr?”

Merlin turns to the door. “I'm going to speak to Tyr, see if I can reason with him, see if he might have seen something, anything out of the ordinary about the saddle before all this happened.”

Anne nods, taking his hand to tug him closer. “Good luck.” She whispers, kissing him before he runs out of their chambers.

——

Gwen, Arthur, Anne and Merlin all gather in the former couple’s Chambers.

“You went to the Cells to see Tyr.” Arthur states rather than asks when Merlin explains what he did.

But Merlin answers anyway, “Yes.”

Arthur lets out a huff. “We've been over this before, we know what he said. The evidence doesn't lie.”

“No one denies the crime Sire, but the only part that Tyr played was to see it done.” Merlin retorts.

Anne perks up at this as Merlin hadn’t explained to her beforehand about what Tyr had said, only pulled her along to speak to Gwen and Arthur. 

“He told you this?” She asks.

“Five minutes ago.”

“Then who was it?”

“He won’t say, he's too frightened. They threatened him.”

“I must speak with him, at once.” Arthur declares, walking around Gwen to the door. Merlin turns to follow.

“Arthur surely it can wait. Gaius told you to rest, let your injuries heal.” Gwen rebuffs anxiously.

“I'll be fine Guinevere. I just want to hear what he has to say.” Arthur replies, opening the door.

“And you shall.” Arthur pauses at the door while Anne frowns at Gwen as she talks in confusion. “But Tyr has said everything he is willing to say for now. He's clearly frightened and unsure of what to do-don't push him. Let him think it over and maybe after a night in the Cells he'll be prepared to say more.”

Anne sees Merlin look between Gwen and Arthur, studying them as Arthur takes a moment to decide on what to do. He then shuts the door.

“As always, Guinevere, you're right.” Arthur walks past Gwen to the table by the window.

Merlin and Anne share a glance with Gwen before she turns to follow Arthur. They look at her as she goes before glancing at each other. Anne can see the same suspicion, concern and confusion that she feels written on Merlin’s face.

——

Tyr is dead, had been murdered in his Cell. The Guards had been knocked out by a concoction of clarywort, a soporific, which allowed the person entrance to the chambers. Tyr hadn't stood a chance against whoever it was. He'd been stabbed. The worst is, that it only brings to light the growing fear that the person who had done it is familiar with Camelot. They had gotten in and out and hadn't been caught or spotted by anyone. They knew that Arthur was going to talk to him. Either way, Tyr is dead and they now have a traitor in their midst. The patrols have been doubled as a result. If this person has inside knowledge, then no one is safe.

——

Amelia’s POV 

Amelia wrings her hands together anxiously as she waits for Gwen’s arrival near the walls of Camelot. She tries not to think about how close she is to so many people that she used to be close with, that had betrayed her.

Amelia is startled out of her thoughts when she hears someone walking towards her, she turns to see it’s Gwen.

“Guinevere.” She greets, eager for news. Had the plan worked?

“The plan failed. Arthur lives.” Gwen regretfully reports.

Dammit. Merlin had likely intervened. 

“Does he suspect you?” Amelia questions, mulling over what she just heard.

“Not yet.” Amelia relaxes at that. “But the Stablehand saw me. He was going to tell them everything.”

This causes Amelia to pause. “Was? You have some good news then?”

“I did what had to be done.”

Poor Tyr…

It's sad that it happened but it had to. Gwen is right, it had to be done.

“With Tyr gone you have to find someone else to take the fall.” Amelia says, a new idea already forming in her mind. “You need to make sure no suspicion falls on you when Arthur dies. You must have support of the Knights, only with their allegiance will your path to the throne be clear.”

“But what good is all this? Arthur’s still alive.” Gwen points out.

“For now.” Amelia feels herself smile slightly when the plan continues to form. It’s a good one that’ll hopefully work. “By tonight you’ll have everything you need to finish the job.” 

Gwen shakes her head. “Arthur’s doubled the Guard, and there are patrols night and day. I can’t risk leaving…”

“Gwen. Gwen.” Amelia interrupts, gripping her hands to calm her and reassure her. “We will come to you.”

Gwen looks at her questioningly but before she can ask what Amelia means, the sound of horses whinnying nearby can be heard. A Camelot patrol.

“Go!” Amelia quickly urges.

Gwen pulls her hood up and runs off. Amelia walks the other way. Gwaine turns his horse and goes the way that Gwen went. This causes Amelia to pause, with the speed he’s going, Gwen will be caught in no time. Amelia grips her hand into a fist and pulls it back quickly causing Gwaine to fly off his horse and onto the ground. 

Amelia looks at his crumpled, unconscious body with satisfaction. Morgana had entrusted her to meet with Gwen and now Amelia has stopped Gwen from being caught. She hopes Morgana will be proud of her.

——

Anne’s POV 

“No broken bones, I’m glad to say.” Gaius declares.

The patrol didn't just count for just inside the Castle, but outside as well, which was why Gwaine is having a checkover under the gaze of Anne, Merlin and Arthur in Arthur’s Chambers while said man questions him. Gwaine'd been on patrol, seen something, seen someone meeting in the woods and tried to get closer, tried to go after them, only to be pulled from his horse.

“Anything else you remember?” Arthur continues to question.

“Nothing. One minute I was pursuing them through the trees. The next I was flat on the ground.” Gwaine admits regretfully.

“You’re sure it was sorcery?”

“Without a doubt. Powerful, too.”

“Morgana?” Anne questions, hoping it’s not Amelia.

“Or Amelia?” Merlin also suggests. He says it pointedly, side-eyeing Anne.

“Either’s possible. But why was one of them there?” Gwaine replies.

Anne hates how he has seemingly set on Amelia having turned dark. She would’ve thought he would have believed others considering what he used to feel for her.

“Maybe they were meeting someone.”

“Why come so close to the Citadel?” Arthur asks.

“Maybe they had to. Maybe whoever one of them was meeting was here in Camelot.” Merlin suggests

“Well, until we have more to go on this is idle speculation.” Arthur declares. He looks at Gaius, Anne and Merlin. “Gaius, Anne, Merlin, see what you can find in the woods. Perhaps there’s something we overlooked.”

“I’ll go with them.” Gwaine starts to stand up but Gaius stops him. 

“You’ll do no such thing. You’ll rest, Gwaine. Physician’s orders.”

Gaius gets up and leaves with Arthur as Anne lingers and Merlin moves to sit next to Gwaine.

“I don’t think this is over.” Merlin declares. Anne looks at him questioningly.

“What do you mean?” Gwaine asks.

“Well, whoever’s responsible for the attack on Arthur’s life, what’s to stop them from trying again?”

Anne feels her heart drop to her stomach at that. God, he’s right. This is just the beginning.

“They haven’t a chance, the Citadel’s on full alert.” Gwaine argues. “Every entrance, every exit’s being watched. Trust me, Arthur’s safe as long as he remains in Camelot.”

“That’s just it, what if he’s not safe here?” Anne speaks up, drawing their attention. “Merlin’s right. What if Camelot’s the most dangerous place that he could be? Who could have access to the Stables, who could of known the layout of the Cells? Who knew that Tyr would do anything to protect his mother?”

“Gwaine, you need to stay close to Arthur, and do whatever you can to protect him.” Merlin urges the Knight.

“You have my word on it.”

——

Amelia’s POV 

Amelia and Morgana walk along a path to a Hut that is in the middle of some trees. There is a bald man, Sindri, sitting at a desk, who looks up when they enter. 

“Who are you?” He questions.

“It matters not who we are, but what we want and whether you can give it to us.” Morgana deflects as they walk through the aisles of shelves upon shelves of different potions.

“And what is it that you want?”

“A tincture. With the power to kill.” Amelia explains calmly. “Not just to kill, but to do so slowly and with the utmost pain.” 

“Very particular, what you seek.” Sindri replies with a slight smirk.

“It has a very particular purpose.” Amelia retorts. He looks up at her from a paper that he was looking over.

“Well? Do you possess such a thing?” Morgana urges.

“I do.” He gets up and walks to a shelf that is next to them. He pulls two vials off the shelf. “Here.”

Amelia eyes them curiously. “What are they?”

“Valerian. Two drops will render the victim unconscious. And Henbane. A single drop administered through the ear. Their death will be as prolonged and as unpleasant as could wish for.” Morgana goes to reach for them. “Ah, these are… uncommon things. Hard to come by, hard to prepare…”

Amelia glares at him before handing over some gold and Morgana takes the vials.

Sindri counts the gold. “Very generous, My Lady,” he says as they walk away to leave, “more than enough to buy my wares. But not my silence.”

This causes them to pause. They turn and Morgana tosses more coins on the floor. 

Once they step out, Amelia turns to Morgana as they walk away from the Hut, “Hopefully this will work.”

“Of course it will, sister.” Morgana reassures, linking her arm with Amelia’s. “You’ve done well.”

Amelia can’t help but perk up at the praise.

——

Anne’s POV 

“Gaius, Anne!” Merlin suddenly calls nearby on the forest path, close to Camelot and where Gwaine had been magically yanked from his horse.

Anne and Gaius quickly walk over to see what he had spotted. A vine on a tree that’s unusually shaped.

Gaius goes to examine it. “Yes, that’s certainly not natural.”

“It was Morgana or Amelia, I’m sure of it.” Merlin walks off in the direction Gwaine had said he’d spotted the hooded duo talking.

“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Gaius questions as they walk 

“Gwaine said he spotted them somewhere around here.” Merlin assures.

Anne then notices a piece of cloth on a branch. A clue! “There. On that branch.” She picks it up, showing the other two.

“It’s not much to go on, is it?” Merlin comments as he takes the cloth from Anne to give it a closer look.

“It’s something.” Anne declares.

——

Gaius examines the cloth through a magnifying glass in his Chambers. “Raw imported silk. Traders ask a small fortune for it. Whoever that belongs to is extremely wealthy.”

Merlin takes the glass and cloth from Gaius. Anne peers over his shoulder as he looks at it. “What is that? Some kind of embroidery?”

This causes Anne to freeze then snatches the fabric from Merlin’s hand despite his protests. She recognises it now, now that she’s looking at it properly. It can’t be—

“Indeed. Woven threads of silver and gold. Only those of the highest rank can afford such a thing.”

Merlin’s head snaps towards Anne as the same thought that’s been forming in Anne’s head begins to form in his. Her husband then abruptly takes off running without a word.

“Merlin? Where are you going now?” Gaius calls after him but to no avail so he turns to the woman standing next to his chair. “Anne?”

Anne stands there, frozen as she digests the knowledge she’s just realised. Gwen’s the traitor.

——

Amelia’s POV 

Amelia slips into the Lower Town with ease, all the while in her Freya disguise, browsing the stalls. In a way, she kind of misses this, wondering between the Market stalls and the hustle and bustle of the people around her. She often walked these streets with Anne, Gwen or Morgana but then after Morgana’s first take over of Camelot, foiled by Amelia’s betrayal (one of many) of her sisters, Amelia began taking them with Percival. Her eyes well up at the thought of how Amelia used to wait for the Knights’ training to finish before she stole Percival away to spend time with him.

Her heart clenches at the thought before she then places herself at the vendor who sells cloth, browsing the fabrics that used to be so familiar to her, focusing herself on the mission at hand.

She then sees Gwen making her way through the Town as expected. She nods to some Knights who walk past her, smiling pleasantly, playing the role of Queen. She stops at a vendor that sells cloth. Amelia turns around and grabs her hand. Gwen gasps and then calms once realising who it is.

“Just a few drops will ease your troubles, my dear.” Amelia places the vials in Gwen’s hand. “This one first,” she indicates to Valerian, the yellow vial, “and then the other,” she points to Henbane, the clear vial, “for the desired effect. Do you understand?”

Some Guards stop next to them and talk to a woman who is sitting in a chair next to the stall.

“Yes.” Gwen glances at the Guards. “Come on.” She loops her arm with Amelia, to display the act of assisting an old woman so that they can continue to talk without being noticed.

“Are you prepared? Have you found someone to take the fall?” Amelia asks. “Suspicion cannot fall to you.”

“Don’t worry. I have someone in mind.” Gwen reassures, pausing in their walk.

Amelia gives her a pleased smile before departing.

——

Anne’s POV 

After the realisation that Gwen’s likely the traitor and Merlin’s departure, Anne had taken the chance to spend time with her children.

Anne smiles as she carries Euwen with her towards the Nursery, Faye walking beside her, holding her hand. They'd gone to see Gwaine. When Faye had found out that her favourite uncle had been hurt, or 'gotten an ouch' as the young girl likes to say, she'd wanted to go see him and make sure he was ok and give him a gift to make him feel better.

Faye had given him a small clay cup she'd made out of her crafting clays. It can’t be used for a drink, but it is thoughtful. Even Euwen had tried to give his uncle a gift, he kept holding up a flower to him and waving it at him till he took it. Then he kept tugging on his hair until he put the flower in it. Which made Euwen giggle and clap and Gwaine proudly wore the flower in his hair the rest of the day.

But now the children are tired and Anne is looking forward to setting them to bed and then going to sleep herself. After lots of cuddles and kisses as well as many “just one more story, Mama”, Anne departs the Nursery in search of her husband to find out what he’s discovered. Instead, she has a frantic Merlin coming charging past her from the Castle’s Kitchens.

“Merlin?”

Merlin doesn’t pause as he yells over his shoulder, “You were right! The fabric matches! We have to warn Arthur!”

Anne’s eyes widen and she immediately bolts after him. They burst into the Chambers, to see they’re too late. Arthur is slouched over, pale and unconscious with Gwen nowhere to be found.

——

Arthur is now on the bed with Gaius examining him. Gwen stands on the other side of the bed facing Gaius with the Knights, Anne and Merlin behind her. Anne glares hotly at the so-called frantic and concerned wife.

“All the evidence suggests that the King has been poisoned.” Gains declares.  

“You’re certain, Gaius?” Comes the fake sob.

“Quite certain. The sweating, the corruption of the skin, the traces of tincture around the ear. They all point to the use of henbane.” Gaius assures.

“Is there no hope?” 

Anne clenches her jaw as her fist tightens, trying to stop herself from launching herself at her so-called friend. She knew that ever since Gwen returned from the Dark Tower she hadn’t been quite herself but this?!

“The poison is a deadly one, My Lady. There may be a way to arrest its course but I cannot guarantee it.”

“One thing I know for certain. That whoever did this lives among us. Whoever did this has betrayed us all.” She turns to look at the Knights then back again as if the thought is only just dawning on her. “Someone who is free to roam the Citadel as they please, someone who has access to the King’s Stables,” Anne thinks she can tell where this is going, “the King’s Prison, even the King’s food. There is only one I know of…” Gwen turns around and looks straight at the person who stands next to Anne. “Merlin.”

——

Despite Anne’s protests, Merlin is thrown in a Cell. Anne yanks herself from Gwaine’s grip, glaring at the Knight as Leon locks the Cell and hands the keys to the overnight Guards. He avoids looking at Merlin and strides over to Gwaine and Percival, who lingers nearby, urging them to leave. The coward doesn’t dare to look at Anne either.

The Knights depart and Anne can’t help herself anymore. She charges after them, catching them at the entrance and calls to the Knight at the end of the group. “Percival, please?”

He stops while Gwaine and Leon continue walking. He turns but avoids her gaze.

“What, Anne?” He sounds completely and utterly resigned, life and energy knocked out of him.

“You can’t seriously believe this. That Merlin would really poison Arthur.” She argues.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

“I can tell you that Merlin wouldn’t have done this.” Anne retorts.

Percival scoffs. “Well, I can tell you that we don’t always know all that there is to know about our spouses.”

“I know one thing about yours is that Amelia wouldn’t allow this to happen.” Anne argues.

Percival to flinches. “Amelia’s gone, Anne. She betrayed us.”

“I think you’re wrong.” Anne retorts, striding over. “It’s Morgana’s influence, we just need to get her away—”

“Anne, please. Stop. I can’t.” And with that, he turns quickly and walks away, fleeing.

“Percival!” She cries after him.

He keeps walking. Anne huffs before looking back towards the Dungeons where she knows her husband is with wet eyes. 

——

“You were both right.” Gaius murmurs as the three of them convene to discuss what to do. “Whatever they did in the Dark Tower, they’ve taken control over Gwen and used her to get to Arthur.”

They.

“How could Amelia do this to Gwen?” Anne utters in disbelief.

“We can deal with that later but right now we need to save him.” Merlin speaks. Anne nods, knowing he’s right. He turns to Gaius. “Can you?”

“The poison is too strong, too virulent. Your magic is his only hope.” Gaius replies.

“You need to get me out of here somehow.”

——

While Gaius deposits Merlin the ageing potion, Anne goes to the Royal Chambers to ‘comfort’ Gwen and keep an eye on her until Merlin arrives.

She arrives to find a sobbing Gwen sitting at Arthur’s side with Leon dutifully comforting her.

Anne clenched her fists before speaking, “Gwen.”

“Oh, Anne.” She sniffles. Gwen stands, wiping her eyes. Anne can clearly see she’s faking it, she can tell that Gwen is different.

“I’ll leave you both.” Leon murmurs before quickly leaving.

“How is Arthur?” Anne asks. The King does not look well at all, even worse since she last saw him.

“There is no change.” Gwen says regretfully, looking towards her husband. Anne wonders what her expression is now Anne can’t see her face. “I wonder if there is any hope anymore.”

Anne knows that’s a very non-Gwen thing to say but keeps quiet and says, “Until the King draws his last breath, there is always hope.”

“Yes, you’re right, of course.” Gwen turns to Anne once more. “I know how you much feel about Merlin. You must believe me when I say how sorry I am. But the evidence against him is overwhelming.”

Gwen’s false sympathetic gaze makes her internally cringe and Anne has to swallow heavily before replying. “You did what you had to do, Gwen. You had no choice. I understand that.”

“Thank you.” She grips Anne’s hands in what is meant to be a gesture of warmth and sincerity but all Anne is left with is coldness. “I cannot imagine how betrayed you feel towards your own husband.”

“Yes… it’s difficult to imagine who those closest to you will do. Why anyone would betray the one they promised themselves to.” Anne says.

Gwen nods solemnly but Anne can see her shoulders tensing ever so slightly and tries not to smirk.

——

When the warning bells sound, Anne shares a quick, almost gleeful look with Gaius, who had joined them in their vigil over Arthur, behind Gwen’s back. Anne can hear a great deal of noise and running about in the Main Square below.

Gwaine enters the room. “Are you all right?” He frantically asks.

“Yes...” Gwen answers, confused.

“You haven’t seen anything? Heard anything?”

“Nothing. Why?”

“There’s an intruder within our walls.”

“Here? In the Citadel?” Gwen questions in shock.

“Yes, My Lady. We last saw them in the Main Square, then we lost sight of them.” Gwaine answers her.

Anne spots Gaius looking over his shoulder and does the same, just in time to spot a familiar shadowy figure hiding behind the curtains by the window looking out onto the Main Square.

“My Lady, you may be in danger.” Anne warns in false concern. Though, to be honest, they do need to keep Gwen safe until they can reverse whatever happened to her. “Gwaine will take you to the Guest Chambers. He’ll ensure no harm comes to you there.”

“Why would anyone wish me harm?” Gwen questions.

“You’re to be our leader, Gwen.” Gaius speaks up. “You are Camelot’s future. Do you imagine our enemies don’t want you dead?”

“I can’t leave Arthur, not now.” Gwen says, acting the worried and frantic wife.

“Gwen, I promise, if there is any change, we’ll fetch you at once.” 

“Gaius and Anne are right. Come, My Lady. You’re not safe here.” Gwaine says.

Gwen has no choice but to oblige and lets Gwaine lead her out of the room.

Anne turns towards the curtains where Merlin is peeking out. “Do I want to know how you got in here?” She asks.

Merlin pushes the curtain aside. “No, you don’t.” He makes his way to the bed. “How is he?”

“His heart is nearly stopped. I fear he’s close to death.” Gaius answers.

Merlin puts his hand on Arthur’s chest. “The sickness is so deep in him. I don’t know if I have the power to bring him back.” He says regretfully.

“You can do this, Merlin.” Anne encourages. “We know you can.”

Merlin straightens up, wipes his face and takes a few breaths. He places his hands on Arthur’s chest. “Ic the thurhaele thinu licsar mid thamsundorcraeft thaere ealdan ae!”

Merlin backs away so Gaius can step forward to check on Arthur. He grips Anne’s hand tightly as Gaius feels for a pulse. He turns to look at them regretfully. No, no he can’t be—

Arthur moves and makes a face and mumbles, “Gaius…” and rolls over.

Anne almost chokes as she breathes a sigh of relief. “You did it, Merlin!” She and Merlin share a tearful but happy hug.

“Well done, Merlin!” Gaius also hugs him. “Well done.” Merlin laughs wetly. Gaius pulls back. “You’d better get back to the Cells before you’re missed.”

Ah, yes, that.

“But… how? There are Guards on every floor and every stairwell.” Anne splutters.

“Exactly.” Merlin agrees. “How can I get back down there?”

“Well the same way you came up, obviously.” Gaius replies bluntly.

“Obviously.” Merlin deadpans. He turns to Anne, who shrugs helplessly. He sighs, gives Anne a peck then turns toward the window as Gaius makes a shoo motion. 

——

Arthur stands before them with Gwen at his left hand and Yrene lingering behind her. Anne and Merlin stand to the right next to a column. An unknown bald man stands before Arthur, flanked by two Guards. It’s the next day, Merlin has thankfully been released but Anne’s joy hadn’t been able to linger as they were all called into a Council meeting to discuss evidence that Gwen had apparently uncovered.

Arthur holds two vials in his hands, showing them to the Court. “The Queen found these vials in my chambers. They bear, as you can see a distinctive mark. Thanks to her tireless effort, she has been able to trace them.” Arthur walks toward the man and holds one of the vials up in front of him. “This is your mark, is it not?”

“It is my mark, yes.” The man admits, not holding the King’s gaze.

Arthur holds up the yellow one. “And what does this vial contain?”

“It… it’s valerian, Sire.”  

“What does it do?”

“It renders the subject unconscious.”

Arthur holds up the vial filled with clear liquid. “This one?”

“Henbane. It’s poison, My Lord.” He barely looks at Arthur as he says this.

Anne’s breath catches.

“A lethal poison.” Arthur says to the Court before gesturing to Gaius. “And it is only thanks to the great skill of my Physician that I am still alive.”

And Merlin.

“I’m sorry, My Lord.” The man hurriedly apologises. “I… I supplied it, I must confess. But I did not know that it was intended for you. In truth, I was… um… was too afraid to ask.”

“Too afraid to ask who?”

“They who… procured it.” The man hesitantly admits.

“And did you recognise these people?” Arthur asks.

“Well, I cannot say for certain but I believed it to be Amelia Hallewell and Morgana Pendragon.”

Anne instinctively clutches Merlin’s arm at his words. She sees Percival flinch and Gwaine grip his shoulder reassuringly.

Arthur nods and the Guards take the man away. Arthur walks back to the throne. “Because of the Queen’s diligence, the truth has been uncovered.” Arthur takes Gwen’s hand and leads her forward. “Each and every one of us owes her a great debt. Long live the Queen.”

Anne feels a bile ride in her throat as Gwen stands in front of the room smiling while everyone shouts. She turns in a circle and nods her head a few times. Gwen pauses when her eyes catch on Anne and Merlin. They stare at her showing nothing.

——

Amelia’s POV

Arthur is alive, the plan had not worked.

Amelia flinches as Morgana lets out a scream of frustration, swiping the objects on the table in front of her. Beroun, who delivered the news, swallows heavily but, other than that, remains blank face as one of his mistresses lets out her anger.

“I-I’m sorry, Morgana, it’s my fault.” Amelia quickly tries to reassure her.

Morgana lets out a shaky breath, raining in her anger, before turning to Amelia. “It’s alright, Amelia. You’re lucky Gwen has able to cover her tracks. We will not fail next time.” She reassures her. “Arthur Pendragon must die.”

Amelia nods quickly and barely lets out a flinch as Morgana strides past her and out of the room.

——

A/N: I swear that in the episode, when Morgana buys the vials that the clear one is valerian and the yellow is henbane. But then the two other times we see the bottles, they’re referred to as the other way round? Am I seeing things?

I worry when writing season 5 that Amelia is taking too much of Morgana’s role but then I think that Morgana would like an underling/assistant to do the work for her as well as testing her sister so that she doesn’t betray her. Plus, I want to show that while Amelia has joined her sister, she still at times feels torn, particularly when she thinks of it near Anne and/or Percival.

Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.

[firefly-fez]

As a proud promoter of ‘Morgana was right all along, actually’ rhetoric I would like to reblog this with my support and clarify what I mean

Like, yes. She was evil. She became evil. She lost a desire for justice and became fixated on vengeance and cruelty.

The reason she lost her desire for justice is so… beautiful? To me?

It’s just. She stops being obedient, stops listening to authority. The virtues of obedience depend entirely on the virtues of the authority one is obedient to, and in Morgana’s case, authority is unjust and cruel, so she’s justified to disobey. She tries to go to people that she trusts for help, telling Gaius about her dreams, but he lies to her. He literally gaslights her about her own magic, and to a lesser degree, so does Merlin. So she doesn’t listen to anyone around her. She doesn’t have support, doesn’t have community, she feels so alone and terrified that she jumps at the first chance to connect with someone who tells her the truth about her magic - Morgause. She’s so alone and isolated and desperate to not feel like she’s crazy that she’s so vulnerable and it’s the perfect recipe for someone to take advantage of her, and that’s exactly what Morgause does. She wants to bring Uther down, but she doesn’t really hnderstand what she’s doing when she is made the vessel for the curse upon Camelot, she’s alone and afraid and by some force of mercy, Merlin is helpful and kind so she trusts him… and he poisons her. He didn’t have another choice, not really. But everything she trusted failed her. She stops trusting anybody but herself. There’s no one to tell her when she’s gone too far, not anymore. Arthur has accountability around him when he makes a mistake, and that drives him to make amends when he kills out of cruelty or vengeance. Morgana doesn’t. She was persecuted in Camelot and abandoned by Gaius and made an outcast in the only home she’d ever known. She goes too far when she tries to have Uthur killed after Gwen’s father is executed and at first, she is repentant when she sees Uther’s remorse. But Uther’s mercy is fickle and few, and Morgana’s mercy to him dies alongside his mercy to others. The next time she tries to have him killed she doesn’t regret it. At first, it’s just Uther she hates. When she learns her parentage, that she has a claim to the throne of Camelot, it’s a turning point for her. She sees Camelot as rightfully hers. With so much denied to her, so much of her own safety and security denied to her, the perception of Camelot as rightfully hers changes her. She turns against Gwen as a threat to something that she, Morgana, deserves. By this point, it’s all hatred and revenge fuelling Morgana.

Arthur is a good man, but he wasn’t always. He used to be arrogant prat who killed sorcerers on his father’s orders. He saw sorcerers persecuted and stood by and watched. He turned a blind eye to suffering time and time again out of a desire to prove his worth to his father. People stood by Arthur and supported him and that helped him to change for the better.

(Merlin made mistakes, too, but he had support from people who knew who he was from the start. Lancelot and Freya knew his identity as a sorcerer and validated it, and Gaius was a moral support who understood his magic that he had from day one.)

No one did that for Morgana.

It just makes so much sense that she was driven to hatred.

Her emotional character arc is just…. *chefs kiss*

Morgana conquered Camelot twice and declared herself Queen. And what she did after that?

She killed innocent civilians. She burned their crops. She let their children starve. She tortured and killed the Knights. She tortured Gwaine by forcing him to fight for her own amusement. And then she tried to help magic users like her! ah no, she didn’t lol

I mean, i love Morgana because she’s a good villain and Katie is freaking amazing, but DON’T TELL ME she was fighting for freedom and justice 😭 Don’t tell me she was fighting for her people. She didn’t care about them.  As someone said in another post “Morgana’s quest was personal vengeance disguised as revolution”. She wanted vengeance and power, she wasn’t doing all this horrible things for revolution and for a change. Mordred KNEW she was bad, but he joined her because at some point he had something to avenge himself.

Just because you sympathize with an antagonist or villain, doesn’t mean they aren’t an antagonist or villain^^“ Morgana had good intentions in season 1 and 2, but after that? Nope!

[camelotreign]

there’s so many events in the show that could’ve been prevented if merlin just listened to his gut instead of listening to gaius or kilgharrah and it’s making me incredibly frustrated >:(

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

Big Brother Merlin Part 3 (Final Part)

Years have passed, and seers all over Albion are baffled as to how Emrys avoided the fates so successfully, with nothing but determination and a steadfast denial of futures that didn’t appeal to him.

Part 1   Part 2

Time has passed.

A great deal of time. Well... not that much. But a lot has changed.

I won’t write it out, because you’ve all heard it a billion times before, but Merlin puts a stop to his and Arthur’s impromptu make-out session to fill the Prince in on all the gruesome details of their destiny. There was a fair amount of embarrassment, a little anger, and a lot of tears (most of which came from Arthur).

Merlin hesitatingly included the part about Mordred’s destiny, crying himself as he described the terror of knowing that one day he was going have to choose between the two most important people in his life; his baby brother, who he was almost single-handedly raising, or the man he loved.

Arthur held him tight through that conversation, swearing to himself and Merlin and every deity he knows the name of that Merlin would never have to make that choice, because Arthur would never let it come to that.

(I imagine they tell Mordred when he’s older, maybe 15 or 16? He deserves to know so he can prepare for other people’s (the Druids and Kilgharrah mainly) assumptions and not be caught by surprise. He was equally heartbroken, and it was Arthur, not Merlin, that talked him down from his panic attack and promised that it would never happen.)

At first, Arthur had wanted to bide his time before he made his move for the throne. He had decided basically immediately after finding out about Merlin’s magic that he couldn’t wait for Uther to die of old age, but he was also very aware of the fact that... he was only Eighteen. He may have been a better man than his father, but he didn’t have the support or experience to force him to abdicate and then successfully run the kingdom himself.

He subtly put out feelers, tried to gain an understanding of what his people's beliefs actually were, once they were dug out from under almost two decades of propaganda and lies and terror. It was difficult, but with Merlin, Gwen, Morgana, and Mordred’s (when he was older) help, he was satisfied to find that, whenever it was that he would make his move, he’d have a great deal more supporters than his father would expect.

All of that went entirely out of the window when Morgana burst into his room in floods of tears, terrified of whirlwinds in her bedroom and golden eyes in her mirror. 

(She of course had been told that Arthur knew the full truth the morning after it happened (and was equally horrified to learn of Mordred’s so-called destiny), and only stopped glaring at Arthur when he pulled her into a hug and promised that Merlin and Mordred would be safe.)

In the end, Mordred, Merlin, Arthur, and Morgana were around 15, 21, 22, and 23 respectively when Arthur locked the gates to the citadel and marched into the throne room with his sword drawn, a small group of loyal Knights (consisting of our five lovable roundtable knights, among a few others) behind him, demanding that Uther stand down.

There’d been yelling, and tears, and threats of disownment. There’d even been accusations of enchantment when Merlin and Morgana (Mordred, at Merlin’s insistence, was hidden in the Physician’s chambers with Gaius) got fed up of Uther’s aggressive refusal and stepped forward to show off their power, but Arthur simply raised an eyebrow, and said something along the lines of: 

“You’re time is up, father. I love you, but I have lost all respect for you. You are a tyrant, and a murderer, you favour reputation and wealth over the comfort and safety of our people; you have spent over two decades spreading fear and lies to cover up your own hypocrisy. The Kingdom needs to move on, and so do you. Believe what you want, I refuse to let my people suffer any longer. You can leave quietly, retire respectfully to a summer estate where you will be guarded at all times, or I will drag you out into the courtyard and declare you treasonous in front of a crowd.”

Uther had already stood from his throne at this point, face purple and eyes twitching as he gestured wildly, screaming at any guard that caught his eye:

“ARREST THEM!! ARREST THEM ALL! TREASON! HERACY!! MY SON HAS BEEN ENCHANTED!”

Only one guard was brave enough to make a hesitant move towards the Prince, and he was quickly stopped when Leon and Elyan stepped forward, pressing their blades to his throat with grim expressions of “I dare you”.

Arthur sighed, not even looking towards the guard and keeping his suddenly exhausted looking gaze on his frothing-at-the-mouth father:

“Your rule has been deemed unacceptable. You will be escorted to your rooms to pack anything you need with you immediately, everything else will follow later. You will then be escorted to the summer house on the southern coast, where you will live the remainder of your days in comfort, under armed guard and protection. Or, you will continue this insanity, and be dragged kicking and screaming into the courtyard where you... where you will be hanged for your crimes.”

Arthur gulps as he finishes, ignoring the gasps of Morgana and uneasy stares of the knights (both his and the... neutral ones), only looking away from Uther when Merlin steps forward to put a hand on his shoulder, harshly whispering:

“Arthur, no, he’s your father you can’t.”

Arthur clenches his jaw slightly, settling a trembling hand on Merlin’s, still on his shoulder, before sweeping his gaze across the remaining opposition; council members and guards and nobles alike:

“I will do whatever it takes to keep the people, my people, safe. Even if that means rightfully punishing my own father for the atrocities he has committed. I am offering him a merciful escape that I would offer no other, if we go by what he deserves, he should be burned. It’s time for all of you to decide where you loyalties lie,-”

He finally looks to his father, still shaking with rage in front of his throne, though obviously becoming aware of how backed into a corner he is:

“-and it’s time for you, to make a choice. The gallows, or the coast?”

Uther looks about ready to continue arguing, but when members of his council slowly back away from him, the remaining guards lower their weapons, and Gwaine takes a threatening step towards him, he grinds his teeth, harshly grunting his answer:

“The coast.”

Arthur nods slowly, and without needing a gesture, Leon, Elyan, Lancelot, Gwaine, and Percival walk to the former King, lowering their swords but not sheathing them as they walk him from the room.

The entire room is silent and tense until Arthur once again looks to the remaining council, speaking confidently:

“Summon the entire council and all senior knights in the council-room. I also want the Housekeeper and the Steward present.-”

He takes a deep breath, walking towards the now vacant throne and stroking a hand along the armrest thoughtfully before looking up again:

“-This is happening gentlemen, whether you want it or not. Things are changing, if you disagree with my beliefs to such a degree that you can not work under me, then I invite you to leave. You will not be punished, nor will you have any wealth or titles removed. However, if your loyalties continue to lie with my father and not me, and you stay anyway, I will quickly change my tune. Compared to Uther, I have boundless mercy, but I will not compromise on the matter of my people’s safety and happiness,-"

He gestures vaguely to Merlin and Morgana, stood next to each other at the other side of the room, eyes still golden from the protection charms they had cast around themselves and Arthur:

“-no matter the circumstances of their birth, nor the religion they follow.”

Only three of the council members storm from the room, and Arthur makes mental lists of the ones who look angry but stayed anyway, and the ones who looked satisfied, proud even (they were few and far between, but it was a start), so he knows who to keep an eye on, and who he can rely on.

The next few weeks pass in a blur. Uther was well on his way to the coast with half an army to guard him after only a few days, and Arthur was crowned King within a week. 

Officially, Uther had abdicated willingly due to his health, though even if gossip hadn’t spread like wildfire, the public would’ve figured out what had really happened. They had seen the Prince’s growing malcontent, his refusal to show his face at executions, his deliberate ignoring of small magicks on the street, his public disrespect of his father, his regular confinement to his chambers or even the dungeons; all celebrated at his coronation.

No one was really surprised when Merlin was named Consort, though the whole Kingdom gasped in sync when Morgana was announced Crown Princess, sister of The King. Merlin outright refused to be crowned himself, he had no interest in ruling, though his position as Consort made him King in all but name, and he proudly gifted his title of Physician’s Apprentice to Mordred when he finally realised that there were not enough hours in the day for him to be Consort to the King, Protector of the King, and Physician’s Apprentice.

Growing up, Mordred had been certain he wanted to be a knight, and occasionally the urge still snuck up on him, but he found more satisfaction, more peace as a healer, especially when magic was welcomed back into the kingdom and he could use his gifts to help. He was Gaius’ prized pupil, and the two of them made sure to rub it in Merlin’s face whenever the Warlock was annoying them.

Mordred was widely known as the brother of the King Consort, and his true heritage never being made public knowledge meant that he was technically third in line for the throne (after Merlin and Morgana). What he didn’t know was the fact that, should something happen to Arthur, neither Merlin nor Morgana had any intention to taking the crown, ruling didn’t interest them. Yes, they wanted to see their Kingdom and its people happy and safe, but as creatures of magic, inheritors of the Old Religion, it was far easier to do so from the side-lines than sat on the throne.

Arthur is a widely loved King, his Consort, Sister, Brother-in-Law, and  Sister-in-Law all equally loved.

Gwen and Morgana took a little longer to get their act together, and their wedding was an utterly breath-taking ceremony held in spring a few years after Arthur’s coronation.

Even sooner than Merlin was announced Consort, Gwen was announced as advisor to the King, and given the third most prestigious seat at the council table, behind Merlin and Morgana, of course (Leon assured that there were no hard feelings, and sat to her other side, a protective barrier between her and the more... old-school members of the council).

On some days, Mordred and Merlin forget that they weren’t actually related; sometimes they can go months without remembering. But to be honest, they were brothers in all but blood, and when Hunith eventually got to meet her newest son, she tightly embraced him without even blinking, whispering a quiet “welcome to the family” in his ear.

During Mordred’s 21st year, a mini celebration of sorts was held among the gang, to commemorate his arrival in Camelot, and Merlin’s attainment of a new brother.

This incited a LOT of confusion from the knights (bar Leon, who...isn’t stupid, and realised what had happened the moment he was introduced to Merlin’s “new” brother).

They were all gathered on the training field when Arthur announced the need to celebrate, and it was Elyan who spoke up first:

“That... can’t be right, Mordred is definitely not only ten years old.”

Mordred raises an eyebrow at him, and Arthur looks between the knights confusedly:

“No, he’s... he’s twenty-one, I don’t see why you’re confused?”

Elyan just splutters, looking at Arthur like he’s stupid, and Gwaine makes up for his silence, speaking slowly:

“How can we celebrate Merlin gaining a brother ten years ago... if Mordred is twenty-one?”

It’s Arthur’s turn to look at the knights like they’re stupid, but when Leon snorts in amusement and Mordred mutters “Oh my Gods I don’t think we ever told them...” he realises what’s happening. His eyes go wide and he bites his lip as Merlin, Mordred, and Leon begin to openly laugh at his expression. Arthur turns on them quickly, focusing his attention on his husband:

“I don’t see why you’re laughing at me! He’s your not-brother!”

The other knights frown in confusion as Merlin tries to catch his breath, Percival repeating:

“...not-brother?”

Merlin finally calms his breathing, and turns his red face to the knights as he wipes the tears from his eyes:

“Ok, so apparently, we never told you that Mordred and I aren’t actually related.-”

Their faces fall, and Mordred and Leon are set off into another round of giggles at Gwaine’s outrage:

“You’re what??”

Merlin rubs the back of his neck:

“-Yeah... Mordred was a Druid that got trapped in the city, Uther had knights scouring the castle and town for him, they were looking in every room, every storage closet, there was no way for him to escape. But no one really knew what he looked like so... I just sort of... hid him in my room for a few weeks and then started telling people he was my brother. Morgana helped me give him a haircut and some new clothes and no one questioned it-”

Arthur snorts his disagreement and interrupts:

“Except me. I recognised him immediately.”

Merlin turns a playfully sharp expression to him:

“Yes, at which point I thoroughly threatened you, and you never brought it up again.”

Arthur hums in sceptical agreement, narrowing his eyes as Merlin grins. The knights seem satisfied with that answer, if still a little shocked at the revelation, though Lancelot still has a question:

“Why keep him?-” he turns apologetic eyes to Mordred “-no offence Mordred,-” 

His gaze returns to Merlin and Arthur:

“-but why not just sneak him out of the city? There must have been a way, God knows you’ve told us of all the many ways you snuck out when Uther was still around.”

Merlin and Arthur look to Mordred, but thankfully no one picks up on their worry as Merlin whispers in his brother’s head:

“Your choice, Mordred.”

Mordred nods at him almost imperceptibly before turning to the knights with a small smile:

“My father had already been executed so I had no family to go to. That, and I had a... small roll to play in Merlin and Arthur’s destiny, Merlin thought it best to keep me close.”

The knights, this time including Leon, frown in confusion once more. Lancelot turns his gaze to Merlin, who is still staring at Mordred, his expression unreadable. Gwaine is the one who asks, with a grin on his face:

“What was the role? Tricking them into co-parenting and thereby falling in love?”

Mordred snorts and Arthur punches Gwaine in the arm before the young Druid answers, taking a subconscious step towards Merlin:

“No, I... uh... I was destined to kill Arthur. Merlin figured keeping me close was the best way to get me to... not do that, or if it was unavoidable, he’d see it coming and be able to... to stop me.”

All of their mouths fall open in shock, so much so that no one noticed that Morgana had joined them. Before any of them can say anything, she rolls her eyes and smirks:

“If you’re not careful you’ll catch flies. Don’t worry too much, I was destined to turn evil and try really hard to kill all of you, and Merlin was meant to kill me. I guess Arthur is the only one who fulfilled his destiny.”

The knights finally seem to recover, with the help of deep breaths and furrowed brows and shrugged shoulders, though Arthur is the first to say something, wearing a grin of his own as he lands one hand on Mordred’s tense shoulder, and one on Merlin’s:

“I suppose it’s time to finally accept that I’m better than all of you.”

Mordred shrugs the hand off, moving to stand by Morgana with a petulant huff and crossed arms:

“There’s still time, I’ll have you know we could turn evil and kill all of you any time we wanted.”

Arthur rolls his eyes and snorts, but Merlin laughs and interrupts his response with:

“Hmm. I can’t quiet decide if I prefer that one, or Gwen’s supposed destiny.”

Arthur turns to him, surprised, and Morgana drops her smile to scowl slightly in confusion:

“...Why? What’s Gwen’s destiny?”

Merlin freezes, as if he hadn’t meant to say anything, and Leon raises an eyebrow at him as Mordred begins to laugh again. Merlin gulps and takes a step to the side so Arthur is stood between him and Morgana:

“Oh... uh, she was destined to marry Arthur... Once and Future Queen and all...”

All of the knights laugh at this, but Arthur grimaces, and before Morgana can react at all he takes Merlin’s hand in his own:

“No offence to your lovely wife Morgana, she’s one of my best friends, but... no, just no.”

Morgana points a sharp finger in his face, her expression morphing to become more playful:

“You better mean no offence, because you would be lucky to have her, and I can still kick your arse, both with and without magic.”

Arthur laughs disbelievingly, and Leon and Merlin share an exasperated look; they know exactly what’s coming:

“That sounds like a challenge. Pick a blade Morgana, we shall see who still stands at the end of it.”

Morgana walks to the sword rack, picking a training sword up without hesitation and moving to stand in front of her brother. Merlin, Mordred, and the knights move to the side of the field; there’s no point in trying to intervene once those two start, it really is best just to let them get on with it.

The match starts, and though they’re fairly evenly matched to start with, Morgana quickly begins to pull ahead, giving Arthur plenty of bruises (both on his person and his ego). It’s then, that a curious Gwen joins the audience, pushing to stand besides Merlin as she whispers:

“What’s this about then?”

Merlin leans towards her, but doesn’t look away as he answers:

“It started as Morgana defending your honour, but I think she’s just enjoying herself now.”

A particularly harsh blow to Arthur’s leg has him yelping (”I do not yelp, Merlin.”), but the proud smile on his face has Merlin relax.

He looks around himself, smiling at the friends that had slowly become family, and his gaze finally lands on his brother, his happy, healer brother, who is probably the safest man in all of Albion.

Merlin’s smile grows. Fuck Destiny.

 ~

THE END!!!!

I know that this last part isn’t that long, but I wanted to keep it short and sweet :)

I hope y’all enjoyed it, I really loved writing this mini series!!

Head over to This List to see what I’m working on, and let me know what y’all want next!!

[weakforarwen]

Regarding 1x3, Gaius shows the afanc’s shell to Uther which bears Nimueh’s mark, hence Nimueh was responsible for the plague. But I get your point - it doesn’t prove that Gwen didn’t use magic to cure her father. Another plot hole for the books! This show is just riddled with them. OTOH the growth of Gwen’s character between this episode and 3x10 is evident - when she is accused in this episode she is terrified, begging for her life but in 3x10 she stays calm & even talks back to Uther!

Right, that's true! But, like you said, that doesn't explain why Gwen was pardoned or proven innocent of witchcraft.

Watching season 1, it's surprising how much Gwen changes! There's a huge difference between Gwen at the start of the season, and, for example, in The Moment of Truth. It's like night and day. She's much more outspoken and confident, enough to tell Arthur off twice! In the beginning of season 2, she's even more confident of herself but still a bit unsure because she's "only" a servant. She's so cool and collected around Arthur though, more than he.

However, by the end of season 3, Gwen's no longer insecure and carries herself quite differently. She's cooler, sharper. I think this is mostly a consequence of her being secure in her relationship with Arthur and of her newfound purpose in life. She knows Arthur loves her and has hopes that they'll one day marry. She used to be insecure about being a servant, who couldn't possibly compare to a princess, but Arthur's love, and the fact that he chose her over Elena and his father, helped her feel more confident and comfortable with herself. Feeling secure in a relationship and in your role in life increases your self-confidence, right?

And so does overcoming difficulties. Gwen survived Morgana and Uther's hatred. She felt hope, not only for herself and Arthur, but for Camelot. I think Gwen finally felt like she had an important part to play and a way to fulfil her hopes for a better Camelot, and that was to support Arthur and make sure he became the King they all needed.

You're right about how brave Gwen was in Queen of Hearts. Like Merlin, I think Gwen found something bigger than herself to believe in: Arthur. She believed in his destiny to make Camelot a fair and just Kindgom, and she believed in the love they shared, bigger than Uther could ever hope to comprehend and which would outlast his hatred and fear. That's why Gwen was strong in the face of death. Her love for Arthur and Camelot were bigger than her love for herself. She knew one day Uther would fall but Arthur would triumph and avenge her death by being better than his father.

But I don't think Arthur was the only influence in Gwen's life! I think he was the biggest due to the nature of their relationship, but certainly not the only one.

There was Morgana, who first showed Gwen that a noble could care for their servants and treat them equally. Morgana was an admirable person in the beginning, much more humble and outspoken, and kinder and braver, than Arthur was. Their friendship and her character were proof that the nobility didn't need to act superior to the commoners and that not all royals were like Uther. Morgana was once Gwen's biggest champion.

There was Lancelot, who she wanted to become a knight because she believed Camelot needed normal people like him, and not just Arthur and his men. Lancelot also believed that dying for Gwen would be a most honorable death, even though she was "only" a servant. Gwen thought he stood for all that was good in the world. He showed Gwen that people could be pure of heart.

Then, there was Merlin, who was a servant like her, yet always stood up for what he believed in, broke laws and defied conventions, and was so influential with Arthur. He showed her a servant could do great things and Gwen relied on him to save the day, or just Arthur, many times.

Also, honorable mention to Gaius. She was his assistant during some of Camelot's battles so she was able to contribute to the safety and wellbeing of Camelot in that way.

So yeah, all these people were part of Gwen's journey!

Thanks for the ask!

[pippin-katz]

I agree and disagree.

If we are saying that fate was always going to end up that way, then yes, you’re right. But for the sake of argument that things could’ve turned out differently, Morgana could’ve been saved.

When Morgana discovered her magic, she was terrified and alone. Merlin wants to comfort her because he’s been through the same thing, but he had significant advantages.

Merlin was raised by Hunith who is one of the sweetest people on the show. Morgana was primarily raised by Uther who is an awful parent.

Merlin had Gaius to confide in about his magic. Morgana had no one.

Merlin is a servant who can act pretty much however he wants and talk to whoever he wants. Morgana is a lady of the court and the king’s ward; she is isolated.

Merlin doesn’t tell her he has magic, but he does tell her about the Druids. What’s the main reason she wants to stay with them?

She doesn’t want to be alone.

Having Merlin to confide in completely alters the way the show would play out. They are good friends. Morgana rode to Ealdor to help him with his village. An acquaintance doesn’t do that. If Merlin had told her the night she confessed she thought it was magic, they would’ve become even closer friends. Every event forward would be different, even things that don’t matter in the long run. She wouldn’t have gone to the Druids, which means Uther never would’ve stormed the camp, which means Merlin wouldn’t have “betrayed” Mordred. 

Beauty & The Beast: Part 1/2: Probably wouldn’t have gone as far as it did if Morgana was working with Merlin and Gaius. Uther listens to her the most and he was already suspicious of Catrina before she put the amulet on him. 

The Witchfinder: Aredian’s only there because Merlin fucks up and conjures a horse out of smoke. Why does he do that? Probably because he’s lonely, depressed, and wants to use his magic for something fun. Gaius doesn’t let him do that, but if he and Morgana were learning a little magic together? Merlin probably wouldn’t have ended up doing that. No smoke horse, no witchfinder.

The Sins of the Father: If Merlin was Morgana’s confidant, she likely would’ve brought up the strange connection she had with Morgause. I’ve also written a whole essay on how differently things could’ve gone if Morgause hadn’t chosen revenge over logic. Arthur finds out Uther’s an asshole and that magic is fine, but they don’t let him kill him without lying about his mother. Go read that if you want the full explanation.

At this point so many huge changes have happened that you can’t even follow the episodes the way they’re played out. But for the sake of argument, what if he tells Morgana about his magic, but all of that plays out the same way in canon?

There’s still a problem: The Fires of Idirsholas.

If Merlin and Morgana knew about each other’s magic, there is no conceivable way that the events of that episode would play out the same.

1. Morgana meets Morgause in the woods.  If Morgana had been talking to Merlin all that time, she would likely know about the plan to make Arthur king and help free magic naturally with him. She would probably not agree to help kill Uther so easily with that in mind.

2. Morgana agrees to help and ends up spelled. Saying she does agree, the moment people started falling asleep but she didn’t, she would’ve figured out something unnatural was going on. She’d still likely act the same way she did when Arthur and Merlin got back.

3. Merlin figures out the spell. Why the hell would Merlin not tell Morgana what was happening if they both knew about the magic? They had several moments where Arthur left them alone. There would be no logical reason for him not to tell her, especially considering how against the idea of hurting her Merlin was. He’s always been the “there has to be another way” guy. 

So let’s say he does tell her; what happens now? I could see a couple things happening:

1. Merlin suggests the poison plan and she agrees, knowing she’ll be saved and the spell will break. Morgana comes to before Morgause teleports them away, so she has a chance to explain.

2. Morgana seeks out Morgause to ask her to stop the spell. Maybe Merlin goes with her too, and they bring her into the loop of the who Golden Age plan. Maybe she doesn’t want to play nice, but she would do anything for Morgana. If Morgana told her to stop the knights, I believe she would.

You see how far this is spiraling? You could argue that Morgana was too bitter or too vengeful and whatnot, but the truth is that she was not unredeemable/unsavable until season 3. 

This woman was passing out bread to the poor during the famine. She risked her life to save a child. She risked her life helping Merlin save his village. She refused to accept Gwen being dead when she’d been captured. She would’ve had Uther send a whole battalion to save her, and she said so. When she had visions of Arthur dying, she was hysterical and tried her best to prevent it. Morgana was a genuinely kindhearted person.

But that bitterness and anger was still there somewhere, and then she spent a year with Morgause. She was encouraged to grow more angry and vengeful. When she came back, that’s when it was too late. 

Honestly, if one of these paths had happened instead, I’m not sure how she would’ve reacted to being Uther’s daughter. I’m not sure how she’d even find out considering she only learns of it when she’s in a coma from Merlin accidentally knocking her down the stairs, which wouldn’t happen. 

I’m not sure how Morgause would fit into this either. She only ever wanted to make Morgana happy, and free magic users from oppression. If things had been different, there may not have been any cause for her to encourage Morgana’s ascension to the throne. 

Speaking of which, her desire for the throne is an interesting point as well. She doesn’t ever seem interested in ruling until she learns of that she’s a Pendragon. Personally, at first it feels like she wanted it mostly out of spite for Uther’s deception. She also acknowledged that Arthur had always been a better man that Uther, so I’m not sure how much she’d object to Arthur becoming king. However if she ended up wanting the throne the same way even with all the possible changes, I fully agree that Merlin would never choose her over Arthur. 

This ended up going on WAY longer than I intended it to be. This is also why I will never commit to a full Merthur book or series of divergent canon. It gets too complicated far too quickly. I like occasional one shots where a specific canon event changes a bit, but I never plan to continue it past that point.

Anyway, that’s all that. I mean no disrespect to the OP at all! These are just my thoughts and opinions on the matter! Their opinions are also valid!

Maybe it’s an unpopular opinion, but I think the argument that Merlin could have turned Morgana away from evil a) overexaggerates their friendship, and b) underestimates the appeal and manipulative abilities of Morgause. Merlin would have helped her in the short run, but eventually, Morgause would have come into the picture, said and did the right things to manipulate a vulnerable Morgana. Merlin telling her wouldn’t have done any good. Morgana would still have remained resentful and angry at Uther’s cruelty, ultimately leading to her turning against him by seeking out HER SISTER. Merlin didn’t want to kill Uther (for Arthur), unlike Morgause AND Morgana.

Morgana was already isolated and raging against Uther in the pilot. Uther is Uther, Arthur at this stage is almost Uther 2.0, and Morgana stands alone and (she believes) without family. By the time Merlin arrives she’s already bitter and angry, albeit justifiably so.

Morgana is drawn into her fate with an inevitability that only the dragon predicts. Her instantaneous connections with both Mordred and Morgause are strong evidence that the forces of destiny are working basically /within/ her. Merlin, on the other hand, is separated from her by status and by the proprieties of gender. Even if he did confide in her, I don’t think that would have tempered the radicalising effect of what she saw Mordred suffer through, and the kindred spirit/mentor/family she found in Morgause. Not to mention the fact that the first time she leaves with Morgause after being poisoned by Merlin, she doesn’t even go of her own free will - she was genuinely clueless that she was the one putting everyone to sleep so that an invasion could be carried out.  Merlin’s persuasive abilities had nothing to do with that situation, and those events are the ones where Morgana is truly removed from Camelot and fully radicalised into the personality transformation that we see between the end of season 2/beginning of season 3. There was very little that Merlin could have hoped to have done to remedy it. By S3, Morgana is a lost cause. 

Additionally, Morgana finding out she’s Uther’s biological daughter was what really pushed her over the edge. I think she would have felt betrayed by that revelation whether Morgause or Merlin were there for her. At that point, she wanted what was rightfully hers. If she had turned to Merlin for help with it, he would not have told her what she wanted to hear, which was try to claim the throne or have Camelot know she was a Pendragon too.

Merlin would never have chosen Morgana over Arthur. And Morgana would never have chosen Merlin over Morgause/the throne.

Telling Morgana would have been a colossally stupid mistake. It can work in the world of fanfiction, where we soften character personalities to better enable development or alternate timelines, but in the continuity of the show and her character, she was always going to end up walking down that path.

Also, Merlin doesn’t owe anyone telling a secret about himself that could get him killed - except possibly Arthur. But that’s a rant for another time.

[daylightisminetoconsume]

wait wait what's the story on good!gunmar? I must know

Aight, buckle up. This isn't all set in stone, but here's what I THINK happened...

This future could've happened.

In fact it did happen, because of Morgana.

And because of Douxie.

And, in no small part, because of Bular.

Morgana works to free the captured prince, and Douxie catches her doing it.

And the moppet is terrified, his clutching his man bun in dismay and wanting to call merlin, but before Morgana can cast a sleep spell on him, he pulls a pin out of his hair and gets to work on the lock.

They follow Bular out of the castle, to make sure he doesn't kill anyone on the way out. They retreat to the Wyldwood.

And Gunmar, immediately, takes Douxie prisoner. Bular is fine with this, of course, although he does admit Douxie and Morgana helped save his life.

So Gunmar gives Bular Douxie as a pet. And insists Morgana stay as a 'guest' to discuss matters of Arthur taking Trollish territory. Douxie manages to escape, and finds himself fleeing to Dwoza, where he tries to rally them to help save Morgana. Bular and his close friend Arrrgghh give chase after him and once more, Bular is taken prisoner. Much to his cursing and outrage.

Arrggh has a chance to escape, but refuses to leave him behind, and with extreme reluctance, surrenders so that the others won't harm his prince.

Arthur, Meanwhile, is preparing to rescue his sister. Although Merlin worries that his former apprentice has turned on them.

So the army of Camelot marches on the Wyldwood, and Gunmar rallies his troops against Arthur.

But in their time away, Bular, Douxie, and Morgana have seen some things. Bular sees pact trolls just being trolls. He sees some of them with gumm-gumm markings, sees some elders he thought were cast out for being too weak. He also notices his general being treated oddly well by a conundrum troll, not unlike the conundrum troll that is standing just outside his arms reach, begging to hear more about the 'lost customs of the Gumm-Gumm barbarians' of which he's writing a disertation.

Morgana, on the other hand, has seen whelps. She's seen trolls mourning the thrall Arthur chained and slaughtered. And she recognizes some of these trolls aren't 'gumm-gumm' born. She recognizes through the armor and raw tattoos, trolls from some of the villages Arthur raized. And she realizes that many of these monsters are monsters of Camelots making.

The sides converge, clash. Somewhere in this mess. the Arcane Order, watching with a thirst for balance and blood.

And then, in the midst, a shield of blue energy. And a shield of green, as two Wizards throw themselves between two clashing kings. Gunmar is not interested in listening. He's had enough of Arthur and his greed. He wants blood.

But then, through the noise of his own rage, a horn trumpeting. The Dwoza trolls, standing on the hillside. At their front, Deya.

Not a pact troll. And not a Gumm-gumm. But a gutter-troll. Tribeless.

And at her sides, A prince and a general.

And the sight is enough for Gunmar to pause, if only long enough to listen as Morgana demands her brother to look around at what his hatred has brought, begs him to look to the wood, where the magic his wife loved flourished.

And Douxie, his kindness fueling his courage, begs Gunmar to give the humans one last chance. "See, magic can flourish with them. Look at Morgana, look at me. We're your kind, we're creatures of magic, The King wields a sword of magic. Humans need magic. Destroying it would destroy them as well, Arthur can be made to understand this!"

And the Arcane Order are WELL aware that this isn't what's meant to happen. This is not the tale history is meant to tell. So Bellroc, enraged at this disturbance, moves to strike down King Arthur.

Douxie tries to fling himself in front of the king, to take the blow for him, but both humans are shoved out of harms way.

Not by A Trollhunter.

Or a wizard.

But by a prince.

Bular's wound is grievous, and bleeding magma. Gunmar, enraged, tries to take on Bellroc but isn't powerful enough.

But Deya runs to his aide, and the two of them take Bellroc's eye. And their left hand.

But the arcane order are too powerful, even for a king and several master wizards. History doesn't remember whose voice boomed out with 'The Bridge!' No one's entirely sure who shouted at Gunmar to open it.

But everyone remembers Humanity and Magic standing together. Everyone remembers the Arcane Order being drawn into the Darklands. And everyone remembers the Price Merlin payed, when he sacrificed his staff to seal the way. Cutting the Gumm-Gumms off from their home forever.

The Gumm-Gumm prince was not taken back to Camelot to recover. But he was looked after by A master Wizard, and A Wizard's apprentice.

As well as an old Pact troll healer. The Leader of Dwoza, who seemed completely unafraid of the Prince's howls and threats as he packed his wounds with heartsone poultice.

Elsewhere, another Master Wizard took the hand of the fallen fire wizard, and without his magic, knew Camelot would need a new peace-keeper.

And so he forged an Amulet...

As for HOW Gunmar left the wyldwood, and what became of the Gumm-gumm prince, that's another story.

[lit-in-thy-heart]

that's right, i'm back with more merlin gif thoughts

today: mithian

more specifically: why she chooses to cling to merlin.

If you look at the shots before and after the attacker in the first gif, you can see that she changes from being in front of Rodor to jumping behind Merlin (she also looks like she's been running from a different direction but we'll gloss over that). Now, Mithian is more than capable of handling herself, but she has been exhausted by the ordeal Morgana has put her through and doesn't have a weapon on her, so it's understandable that she wants to have a bit of security by back-hugging someone else. It also makes more sense that she'd go for Merlin, who is probably not going to actively engage with the enemy, to be more out of harm's way but, at the point of the first gif, Rodor is also a viable option. After all, both he and Merlin have a sword, and both are just as likely not to use it (of course, Rodor does, but Mithian doesn't necessarily know that).

So why does she choose Merlin?

Merlin has miraculously recovered from a serious head injury and has sprinted all the way there. By all accounts, he should also be exhausted. And look at the way he's carrying his sword. It's fwubwubwubwubing all over the place, especially if you compare it to how Rodor holds his. It's pretty clear that Merlim hasn't had much experience in using a sword, even if he did just use one to save Arthur. Merlin, by all accounts, is still recovering, and cannot fight with a sword in combat to save his life. Yet Mithian grabs him and nearly pulls off his jacket in her desperation.

Neither of them are stood in the best position, either. Sure, they're away from close combat, but the way that they're angled (and the way Merlin is holding that sword, it's not a stick) means that they could very easily be caught unaware by a blow on their side. Yet Mithian isn't angling Merlin in a more offensive position, which makes me think that she trusts him, despite never seeing him in combat. And whilst he has been close with her in this episode (very interesting, given their somewhat rocky start in 4×11), trusting someone in most areas doesn't necessarily mean that you trust them in combat.

Does Mithian know that Merlin has magic?

Mithian is shrewd. Extremely shrewd. She manages to pick up that Merlin doesn't particularly like her in 4×11, that Arthur values Merlin's input, and that there is someone else Arthur loves all during her first meeting with them. I don’t think it's much of a stretch to say that, knowing about Merlin's magic or not, she knows that he is her best shot at not getting injured.

Mithian has (presumably) lived in Nemeth all her life. She knows the land, the climate...and earthquakes are not going to be common, not on that scale. So when there's an earthquake and Merlin suddenly appears and Morgana doesn't follow them (Mithian is well aware of how powerful she is and she could probably avoid all of the debris -- I mean, she somehow avoids being crushed to death, so), Mithian is going to be putting some figures together. And even if she doesn't come to the conclusion of magic, she comes to the conclusion of Merlin seemingly has nine lives and some ethereal shit going on.

It's highly likely that the knights were trying to distract her by telling stories on the way and I can guarantee that there is an entire list of dangerous situations they've landed themselves in where Merlin has miraculously escaped unscathed, despite them all losing sight of him at one point and him having no weapon to speak of. Mystical servant who can repel death? I would also be clinging to that like a cliff edge if I was terrified and had no weapon.

Whether Mithian does think Merlin has magic or not, I think the key reason she clings to him is because of that blind trust. Mithian metaphorically clings to Merlim throughout the episode: she directs him to the rock with Morgana's name, constantly tries to tell him things through her face alone, and clearly feels she can lean on him (he helps her sit down when she has an audience with Arthur). There is no given reason for this extent of trust, but that Mithian can be so physically intimate with him after being constantly injured by Morgana definitely shows just how much she does put her faith in him. And that level of trust would definitely bleed into every element, including combat. Her father, Percival, and Arthur are all experienced fighters. But her father is weakened and she doesn't want to add to his load. Arthur and Percival were unable to notice that anything was wrong (aside from her father being missing), whereas Merlin immediately noticed her burn and was very quick to question it (and here I could go into a whole thing where Merlin notices when other people are acting off but nobody notices when he does, thanks @little-ligi for putting that in my head). So not only is Merlin able to repel death, but he is also incredibly perceptive. He is going to notice as soon as an attacker enters his peripheral vision. Mithian trusts him to keep them both safe.

So whilst Mithian may or may not know about Merlin's magic, she definitely knows that he is her best bet of staying alive. And the fact that she pins her life on his back is one of the reasons why I absolutely love them. There are three knights there, yet she chooses Merlin. Because something draws her to him, perhaps she sees a part of herself in him, and she knows that he is significantly more valuable than anyone gives him credit for.

[honeyxmonkey]

I've always had the hc that Douxie can do something akin to siren magic where he can entrance someone/s with his voice by channeling magic into his singing

Honestly anytime you have a magic character associated with music I'll throw this siren thing at them XD

When Douxie uses the siren voice, his voice gets very melodic and echoey, just very enchanting to listen to that even people who the spell isn't directed at will start drifting towards him, wanting to be closer to hear it better

And sometimes even he can get lost in the music and not realize the spell is affecting his friends

So he doesn't do it often

The song often affects the listener in a way where they'll be, for lack of a better word, completely head over heels and wanting to do anything for the singer

Lil moppet douxie is just singing one day, absent-mindedly so as he does his chores, not realizing how his singing is affecting the people around him. He looks up to see that he's gathered a small crowd of people, Merlin, Morgana, Gwen, a few maids and they're all listlessly standing around, eyes glazed over as if they're in a trance.

Douxie, horrified, clamps his mouth shut and the spell breaks. He's so terrified of himself, that he did that without even thinking, that he'd too scared to say anything when Merlin asks him what happened. He's too scared to use his voice in fear of what it'll do to them again

One day, Douxie has no other choice than to use his voice in that way he really hates doing it because he hates taking away someone else's control over themselves but he needs to so his friends can live so he steps out in front, standing in front of the group protectively, taking a deep breath.

Archie knows what he's about to do and says, "I'd cover your ears."

And then Douxie begins to sing. His voice floats through the air, gently taking hold of their enemy, luring them into a false sense of security and the enemy they're fighting becomes listless and relaxed.

Before his voice can really do any damage to the team, they wisely cover their ears, all except Steve who wasn't quick enough and is now listening with the same glazed over expression

Douxie feeds more magic into his voice, singing of peaceful sleep and starry night skies and one by one, the army of enemies begin to drop, lulled to sleep by the siren song. Steve also passes out and him falling startles Douxie who falters for a moment, horror passing over his face at seeing his friend so affected by him. Archie gives him a nod of encouragement and Douxie picks the song back up before their enemies can shake off the siren spell

Sometimes Douxie will accidentally use his siren voice but like, it's so brief that it barely has time to work on anyone. He's just vibing, belting out a Disney song or something and then he notices his magic is working and almost immediately he closes his mouth and takes a moment to compose himself. It's so hard to remember to keep a lid on his siren magic sometimes. It's not like his other magic, this sort of siren magic just starts working on its own sometimes.

Claire pops her head into his room to make sure he's okay because he stopped singing so abruptly and the team had kinda been enjoying the show tunes.

Douxie shakily reassures her that he's fine. She isn't convinced he is

One time, the team is having a karaoke night and they have to beg douxie to join them, reassuring that they trust him and that he's gotten so good at controlling his magic.

Douxie reluctantly agrees and when it's his turn to sing, the anxiety pooling in his stomach only grows worse when he starts to sing. He can feel his magic wanting to spill into his voice, but he forces it down. This is supposed to be a night of fun with his friends, not a place for magic. He gets more confident as time passes and soon he's smiling as he sings and when he's done, the whole team is staring at him with these enraptured smiles.

"Yall good?" He asks slowly.

"Oh we're fine!" Toby reassures. "You just have a really good voice, even without all the spooky siren stuff"

The laugh they share lifts a lot of weight off his shoulders

I had this other idea where he could literally channel so much magic into his voice that he can do something like the canary cry if yall don't know what that is just Google black canary 👍 and basically he could demolish a targeted object/person with just his voice

He... doesn't know about this ability until he accidentally destroys a small row of trees after a particularly loud scream cause he got le ✨stabbed✨

Steve was watching and he just watched the guy who stabbed his friend get blasted back by this invisible force and he's like, "haha neat"

Literally just a straight row of forest going back about 3 yards has been completely demolished

Even douxie seems to have no idea what just happened but he's bleeding out and disoriented so there's no time for questions, just run back to town for a ✨hospital✨

Steve didn't know if it was Douxie's usual magic tricks or... something else

Douxie: I am ✨dying✨

Steve: PLS SOMEONE HELP HES GONE LOOPY

Douxie: if anyone needs to know my blood type is... red. [straight up passes out]

While Douxie's in recovery, Steve tells everyone what happened in the forest and they're all kinda in this shocked silence cause usually if it was normal douxie magic there would've been some sort of blue light involved but Steve confirmed that there was no light it just... happened. There was no visible magic, Douxie just screamed and suddenly half the forest was demolished and the guy who stabbed him was crashing through a dozen a trees

So yeah

I want to clarify also that it's his voice that literally has magical properties and its very difficult to turn off or control so it's a gamble whenever he sings or sometimes even talks but he eventually learns to control it to a degree, and then his friends help him get full control over it!

This is sort of what I imagine Douxie's siren voice to vibe like with the echo and everything and it just be in general very enchanting

Douxie casually breaking out some Disney showtunes but his voice fucking sounds like this. Literally everyone stops to listen cause holy shit

But his singing voice specifically always has magic in it, the echo is just more noticeable depending on how much he's suppressing or feeding the magic

The first time Merlin heard him singing was when Moppet was just vibing, doing chores, and humming a lil tune under his breath but it just started to get this hauntingly enchanting echo the longer he sang and that's when Merlin knew... this boy was different, special, dangerous without the proper guidance

One time moppet was just vibing, singing his lil tune while he cleaned up and without noticing, he accidentally started enchanting items to help him clean up. His voice is literally strong enough to enchant inanimate objects without him even trying

Merlin walks in and goes to start his lecture but Douxie immediately slams a hand over his mouth, the items dropping to the ground, tears pricking at the boy's eyes. Merlin sighs, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Hisirdoux, it's okay."

Douxie looks at him, lips pursed into a thin line. For goodness sake the boy didn't even want to speak.

"Hisirdoux, its nothing to be afraid of."

"I wasn't... I wasn't even trying to do that, Master." The boy whispered, clearly trying to shove down his tears.

"I know, you'll get control of it, Hisirdoux. I know you will." Merlin awkwardly pats his shoulder. "You're stronger than you know."

AND THEN

Douxie just had like, this outburst of magic one day and accidentally enchanted people just by speaking to them and he goes running to Merlin to try and tell him what's happening but he doesn't want to speak so it turns into a really long game of charades

Eventually Morgana figures out what he's trying to tell them XD

One time Ms. Janeth heard him singing and she begged him to join the school's musical theater group she didn't care that he wasn't even a student. Douxie politely declined, not wanting to be the reason hundreds of teenagers and parents and teachers were suddenly under a siren spell

So.... yeah!

Siren Douxie my beloved

This will absolutely now be a canon thing for literally all and anything I write that's Douxie related, peace and crackers