#and arthur is always watching merlin to find out why he gets so sad sometimes | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bitsandbobsofwriting · 4 years ago

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The Gang FINALLY sees how much of a BAMF Merlin is:

A smidge of Angst, but only because everyone is stupid :)

Part 4 of Merlin’s angry outburst. The Gang has ridden out (refusing to let Merlin and Arthur go alone) to a battlefield that will only have two bodies on display. One of them is Merlin’s.

This was meant to be the last bit but it was getting so long and I kept thinking of extra shit to put in soooooooo. Hopefully this is the penultimate part? But who knows lol.

TW: Lots of death (the final battle yo)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5

They ride the whole first day in silence. Not even Gwaine has any jokes or stupid stories to tell, and the atmosphere is tense.

The time between Morgana rushing into the council meeting, and the group riding towards what looked to be Merlin's death, had blurred by. No one really had any time to think, but now, riding in silence, all they could focus on was the fact that they were knowingly heading to what could be Merlin’s demise.

No one concentrates on anything but urging their horses to travel as fast as possible, and Arthur shortly telling everyone to stop and make camp were the first words spoken for the whole journey.

No one replies, they just dismount their horses, and wordlessly go about clearing an area for the fire, laying out food, and checking the surrounding area for danger.

Merlin stalks off before anyone can stop him, intent on setting up some wards before anyone settles down. He’s clearly pissed, and Arthur shakes his head when Lancelot gives him a look, “Want me to go with him?” .

Arthur follows instead, trusting the others to set up properly whilst he and Merlin have a much needed private conversation.

It doesn't take too long to find him. He's noticed that, recently. Ever since the link was forged he always seems to be able to find Merlin first try. Before, he had to scour the whole castle to have a chance of finding his wayward manservant (and then his wayward Court Sorcerer), and even then sometimes he couldn't manage it.

It's comforting. In a way. Knowing that they'll always be able to find one another.

Arthur sees him in the trees ahead, facing away from him, his hands up in front of his body. He can hear him muttering something that Arthur doesn’t understand under his breath.

Years ago, Arthur would think that Merlin hadn't noticed him. But Arthur knows him better now. He knows the ever so slight hitch in his Sorcerer’s left shoulder means "I hear you. I see you. I know you're there." .

"You can't know that everything's going to be ok."

Merlin sighs and turns back to look at him, still visibly frustrated with everyone’s obvious fretting. Neither make any moves to walk closer:

"Course I can. I had a chat with Kilgharrah on the way here-"

(He taps his forehead as he says this)

"-no other Emrys-killing weapons have been made, and the only one anywhere near us, is yours. As long as you don’t stab me, I'll be fine."

Arthur huffs and shuffles his feet at this:

"Merlin, the vision. You weren't waking up and you heard what Morgana said. Why are you so intent to ride to what is almost certainly going to be your death, when our armies could win this battle anyway?"

Arthur is trying to sound firm, but his face gives him away. He was never all that good at hiding his true emotions when it was just him and Merlin, and his expression is sad and desperate.

It's only at that, that Merlin walks towards Arthur, putting his hands on his shoulders:

"That vision doesn't show everything. And yes, that may have been the clearest vision Morgana has had during this whole bloody war thing, but the future is still fluid. Nothing is set in stone. Arthur, I'll be fine. And besides, an all out battle means blood spilt, theirs and ours. If I can do anything to prevent that, then there is no choice, not for me."

The King clenches his jaw, before pulling Merlin into a tight hug. The Sorcerer let's out a surprised "oof" but grips back just as tightly, burying a hand in Arthur's hair.

Arthur speaks aloud this time, so quietly Merlin barely hears it even with Arthur's face in his neck. Perhaps thinking this is important enough that it has to be vocalised:

"Why have you got to be so bloody self sacrificial? I couldn't bear to lose you, Merlin. I need you with me, by my side."

Merlin smiles slightly at that, but doesn't let go:

"I'll always be with you. Nothing in this life or the next, could pull me away from you. I...-"

He hesitates here, but Arthur tightens his grip, and he takes a deep breath before continuing:

"-...this is where I belong. Right here, right now. With you."

Arthur squeezes him once again and pulls back, gently laying his forehead against Merlin's, very reminiscent of the spell cast all those weeks ago.

The both of them keep their eyes closed, even as Arthur speaks:

"We're having a conversation about... this, when we get back. We're ALSO having a conversation about your self sacrificial tendencies."

Merlin laughs and pulls back at that:

“Only if we have a conversation about yours first.”

The King rolls his eyes fondly, and turns to walk back, but pauses momentarily, without looking back:

“I may not understand your magical mutterings, but I know that you’ve finished setting the wards up. Are you going to come back? Or are you going to come up with another excuse for you to watch me leave so you can stare at my arse?”

Merlin flushes at that, and lets out a mumbled “Shut up.” before speed walking past a laughing Arthur, towards camp.

The whole group seems to relax once they realise that the tension between Merlin and Arthur had been resolved (or at least... changed. A different type of tension. The type that made Leon want to lay their bedrolls on opposite sides of the camp).

The evening passes quietly, nothing of note happening, and soon enough, everyone is asleep.

The next few days aren’t quite as tense, but they still hurry their horses, taking few breaks. It was wordlessly agreed that they wanted to get there as quickly as possible, so that they might have time to assess the situation properly.

Everyone was still understandably worried, but with Merlin being so relaxed, and Arthur seeming ok (ish) with what was happening, they kept their anxieties to themselves.

It’s the second night they stop to make camp, that Gwaine informs them that if they keep the same pace and get up early, they should be there just before noon the next day.

Everyone is a little tense at that, but Merlin speaks first:

“I’d say the rain isn’t going to hit until noon. If we move quickly, we should have at least a little time to plan..”

The group once again relaxes at that, grateful that they would at least have time to think things through, and check the surrounding area, before anything happened.

The relaxed atmosphere doesn’t last long, however. When they’d first stopped to make camp (that was around three hours ago now) Morgana had sat straight down, out of the way, and began to meditate. Without warning, she opens her eyes with a flash of gold, and lets a tear slip down her cheek before looking to Merlin.

He furrows his brows, and begins to speak before she can say anything:

“Morgana? What did you see?”

She lets out a humourless laugh, drawing even more worried attention from the group, before she replies:

“I’ve been trying to look past tomorrow. The near future, the far future, anything. Anything that might clue us in to the outcome. You know what I see?-”

Everyone is staring at her, clearly anxious, but she doesn’t take her eyes off Merlin, not even when Gwen places a gentle hand on her shoulder:

“-I see your mother and Gaius, quietly crying. I see Arthur, with a golden crown on his head, and a silver crown in his hands. I see a tombstone, with a name I can’t quite make out. I see your chambers, empty and cold, unlived in and covered in dust. I see... I see us. All nine of us that is, sat around our table. But one of the seats is empty, your seat. And all of us look... blank. That, is what I see, Merlin. And through all of it, I can feel your absence like a flame on my skin. I can see past tomorrow with ease. But I can’t see you.”

Morgana looks devastated. Everyone else in the group looking various mixes of shocked, scared, heartbroken.

Merlin nods slightly, and frowns staring into his lap. He was so certain that... logically, he should be fine. He’s died before and been fine. But Morgana’s visions are rarely that inaccurate, and if she’s stopped seeing his future entirely... well. It wasn’t a good sign.

He hums thoughtfully, before wiping the expression off his face and looking up determinedly:

“That changes nothing. I either do this, and everyone bar me survives, though I still think I’ll be fine, or we ignore your visions entirely, ride back to Camelot, and risk the life of every single one of Camelot’s citizens. And that’s not an option, so we’re just going to have to see what happens.”

Everyone opens their mouth to protest at the same time, but before any of them can make even a sound, Merlin jumps up, and speaks again. His voice is sharp, and invites no argument:

“NO. I said it’s not an option. This is what I do. I always used to hate the idea of a pre-written destiny, but if I’m meant to die tomorrow, then fine. So be it. I will NOT put my own life above anyone else’s. Especially not a whole kingdom’s, and ESPECIALLY not any of yours.”

He breathes deeply, and after giving a short glare to everyone individually, he sits down again.

He’s seated between Arthur (who had barely left his side) and Percival, who takes the Sorcerer’s hand in his own, holding it in his lap.

Merlin smiles at him as he attempts to pull his hand back:

“I’m fine Perc, I don’t need comforting. I always figured I would end up dying before you lot anyway-”

Everyone shuffles uncomfortably at that. No one likes to think about outliving one of their closest friends:

“-not that I think I’m gonna stay dead anyway. But that’s not the point.”

Percival holds onto Merlin’s hand tightly, but stares into the fire as he replies quietly:

“This isn’t comfort for you, Merlin. It’s comfort for me.”

Merlin seems taken aback at this, like he had only just considered that his friends might need comforting in the first place. He forgets sometimes (read: most of the time) , that he is as important to these people, as they are to him. He can’t imagine willingly going to any of their deaths, not without putting up one hell of a fight.

He nods, after he wipes the shock from his face, and settles his hand in Percival’s, instead of trying to pull away:

“I’m sorry. I know this can’t be easy for any of you-”

(as he speaks, he lets his other hand subtly gather up the fabric of Arthur’s cloak, for his own sake or Arthur’s, he’s not sure)

“-but I need you to trust me. Believe me, I’m not trying to get myself killed permanently... I mean dying even temporarily isn’t exactly fun but... you know. I’ll be fine.”

It’s Gaius that replies first. The others were especially worried about the physician, he was practically Merlin’s father at this point, and none of them thought they could cope with having to comfort the man if they lost Merlin.

“It’s not that we don’t trust you, Merlin. We’re just... worried. And it’s not like you’re well known for considering your own safety when it comes to planning for any sort of conflict.”

Merlin looks as if he’s going to protest, but Gwen beats him to the punch:

“Don’t argue Merlin. You can’t deny that you have a habit of jumping head first into the fray.” She says it with a small smile, but it’s weak, and Merlin suddenly feels guilty for all those times he’s worried his friends.

He threw himself into situations he was sure he would be able to survive, without considering the fact that none of the people he cared about had the same assurances.

His reply makes everyone chuckle

“Yeah, well. You know me. I’ve never been much of a planner.-”

The Sorcerer squeezes Percival’s hand once more, before continuing:

“-But it’s late, and if we want to get up early we should head to sleep.”

The group nods in agreement, and all begin to shuffle to their bedrolls, having hushed individual conversations as Arthur declares that he and Merlin would take the first watch.

(No one questions it. They rarely set watches nowadays, Merlin’s wards have become incredibly reliable over the years, but all of them understand that The King and The Sorcerer need this time.)

Other than Merlin and Arthur, Percival was the last to leave his seat, ruffling Merlin’s hair as he gives him a weak smile, before making his way to his roll to undoubtedly toss and turn through the night, like everyone else.

The King and The Sorcerer didn’t move from their spots next to each other, and, at some point during the conversation, Arthur had replaced the clutched fabric of his cloak with his own hand.

They stay silent for a while, not really knowing what to say. Despite everyone’s worries, the rest of the group is asleep after not too long. It had been two days of hard travel and sleeping rough, and no one would admit it but they were all exhausted.

Both of them seem to realise that there was little chance of them getting to have those conversations at a later date. The two of them struggled individually on what would be worse: forcing the conversation now before it was too late but knowing that might be the end of it, or leaving everything unsaid and leaving Arthur with the regret.

Merlin was inclined to leave it unsaid. As far as he was concerned, he would still be fine (though he was now unsure if he was right, or if he was just in denial).

Arthur wanted to get it off his chest. He may be a tad emotionally constipated, but Merlin is... well... Merlin. It took him a while to realise his feelings for Merlin, but once he did, it was like an unending avalanche.

On some level, Arthur knew that Merlin felt the same, but would it be cruel? Or distracting? For him to voice it now, before everything?

He remembers saying weeks ago “We’ve plenty of time before things kick off” . But that time had passed. It had flown by. Arthur thought he would have forever with Merlin, even when the war was declared he wasn’t worried. But suddenly there was no more time. He might lose him tomorrow.

Did he want to taint what few hours they had left with an emotional confession that could wreck them both? Or should he leave it, steadfast in the belief that Merlin knew. Which would be crueller?

In the end, Arthur decided that he wouldn’t be able to live with it: the doubt, the regret, if he never said anything, and... something... happened.

He grips Merlin’s hand tighter in his own, and swallows, but before he could say anything:

“I know.” Merlin doesn’t look at him when he thinks it, but squeezes The King’s hand in return.

“No, I... you have to let me... I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t, so just-”

Merlin does look at him then, and gives him a gentle smile to stop him rambling:

“Ok, Arthur. I’m here, I’m listening, I hear you.”

Arthur meets his gaze, a steady stream of tears down his face that causes Merlin to frown slightly:

“I... Merlin-”

Arthur struggles with the words, thinking back, he can’t remember a time he’s actually said them out loud. Ever.

He clears his throat, straightens his back, and steels his eyes. Merlin deserved the truth. And Merlin felt the same, he had never been more sure of anything:

“Merlin, I love you. And if you don’t come back to me at the end of tomorrow, I will never forgive you.”

His resolve cracks slightly at the end, but Merlin smiles at him fondly, teary eyed himself:

“I love you too. And I already told you, Arthur, I will always come back to you.”

Arthur grips Merlin’s hand tighter, and buries his head in the Sorcerer’s neck. Merlin wrapped his arms around him, and leans back against the log they were sitting against.

They fall asleep like that, the two of them wrapped in Arthur’s cloak. At some point during the night, Arthur’s head had slipped down onto Merlin’s chest, but neither moved. If anything, Arthur found he could sleep easier with Merlin’s steady heartbeat in his ears.

The Gang woke when it was still dark, but not in the way they had planned.

They all wake with a start, automatically pulling out swords and summoning weapons, before they realise that the blizzard like wind and deafening roar, was just Kilgharrah, landing on the edge of their camp.

They settle for only a moment, before they realise that Merlin hadn’t summoned him, which meant he turned up of his own volition, and that meant he brought news. And knowing Kilgharrah, it probably wasn’t good news.

Merlin approaches him quickly, a frown on his face and Arthur close behind him:

“What is it Kilgharrah, is Camelot ok?”

The Dragon lowered his head to meet Merlin’s worried stare before replying:

“Yes, the city is safe, young Warlock. I have left Aithusa to watch over it whilst I tracked you here. The army you face is in front of you, not behind you.”

Morgana speaks up quickly after that, a frown on her face:

“What army? I haven’t foreseen any big battles in a while, believe me, I’ve been looking. The only people that should be in that meadow, is us, and whoever... and one other man.”

Kilgharrah looks over the group slowly before looking back at Merlin and replying:

“It appears, Emrys, that you will finally get a chance to show off the extent of your power. An army is waiting for you, in that meadow, and you are the only one with the capacity to defeat them.”

Merlin takes a deep breath, and clenches his hands (one of which is quickly taken by Arthur. Another example of neither of them knowing which of them the action was meant to comfort):

“I don’t know if I’m that powerful Kilgharrah, I’ve never-”

“The only reason you do not know the breadth of your power, is because you’ve never before come even close to your limits.”

“But I-”

“Your magic is tied to nature, Emrys. Use it. Bend it to your will. The entirety of the world will move at your whim, you need only ask-”

Before Merlin can reply, or ask what the hell that means, Kilgharrah lifts his head suddenly, as if hearing something, and looks briefly to Merlin once more as he replies, before flying off:

“Have faith, young Warlock, in yourself and in destiny. I must leave you now.”

Everyone stands still, not quite in shock, but definitely confused, all bar Merlin, who just looks annoyed:

“Fucking typical. What’s the use of being a Dragon Lord if my giant pet lizard is going to be so bloody cryptic all the time.” is mumbled by the Warlock, as he looks towards the sun, just about rising over the horizon.

He sighs once more, before:

“Come on then. I suppose that was a good a wake up call as any. We should pack up and get going if we want to get a look at this army.-”

The next bit is mumbled to himself as he lets go of Arthur’s hand and wanders off to dismantle the wards:

“-And I suppose I now have half a day’s journey to figure out to beat it. That’s just great.”

It only takes a moment before the group launches into action, now freshly tense at the revelation that there was an army, and there was only ten of them.

They had faith in Merlin, and Morgana was there as well. And if everything really went to shit, there could be two dragons there to lend a helping hand (or claw) as well. But still. An army. That was big.

They’re riding out on the last leg of the journey within an hour, everyone having regained the tenseness that they had on the first day. Though all of them are slightly comforted by the fact that Kilgharrah hadn’t mentioned Merlin dying. He may be a cryptic bastard, but that definitely seemed like something he would bring up.

Gwaine’s directions and timings were accurate, they reached the edge of the seemingly empty meadow around half an hour before the sun hit the centre of the sky.

They remain hidden in the trees, Merlin casting a quick enchantment to shield them from being detected, before looking to Morgana and nodding.

The two of them close their eyes and stretch their arms forward, towards the meadow. A few mutterings and tilted heads later, they open their eyes. Merlin looking grim, but determined, and Morgana looking scared.

Lancelot is the first to speak:

“What is it, what’ve they go out there?”

Merlin looks at him briefly, before darkly saying:

“Why don’t I show you?”

With that, he once more raises his arm towards the meadow. His eyes glow brightly and he speaks quietly, other hand clenched at his side.

After a few moments, tendrils of light extend from his fingertips, and snake out around the perimeter of the meadow. Once the meadow is surrounded, Merlin twists his wrist sharply, and the tendrils turn inwards, shooting towards the centre point. After only a few metres they seem to meet an invisible barrier, and explode upwards towards the sky.

The light is blinding enough to force the gang to all shield their eyes, but they quickly open again when they hear an uproarious cacophony of noise.

What they see, is a huge army gathered at the far end of the field, packing up camp and preparing to move off, in the direction of Camelot.

It takes only a moment before a voice rings out above the noise, coming from somewhere around the edges:

“THE BARRIER IS DOWN!! WE CAN BE SEEN!”

A voice answers back, shouting for everyone to be prepared, that they would be noticed soon, and that the fight was coming to them.

Arthur furrowed his brow before quietly:

“That was their King, I recognise his voice. He must have sorcerers with him to keep the barrier going.”

Leon answers first:

“This is why our scouts haven’t seen anything, there’s been nothing to see.”

Merlin once again begins muttering to himself, drawing everyone’s attention to him (and also reminding them that apparently, Merlin had the power to take out the whole army) :

“Well, at least it’s smaller than I was expecting, underestimating us apparently. Sorcerers could be a problem though. Hmm.”

Morgana speaks up:

“I feel three. powerful, but not really fighters. They’re here for the barrier, and they don’t seem particularly happy about it either-”

She looks towards Merlin, face serious:

“-If you make it clear who you are... they might join us.”

Merlin hums thoughtfully, before replying:

“Depends entirely on if their fear of me outweighs their fear of him.”

The Gang looks taken aback at the mention of fearing Merlin. Elyan quietly saying:

“Why would they fear you? I know that you’re Emrys and everything, but I thought it was a Druid peace-keeping sort of thing you had going?”

Merlin looks back at the group, anger on his face, as he responds darkly:

“They’re threatening Camelot, her people, her King. I’m very much pissed off right now, of course they should be scared of me.”

Before he has time to say anything else, they notice that the army is about ready to move out, and Arthur gestures everyone to quickly get back and hide as he rushes towards Merlin:

“Merls! Ok... so, in the vision, the field was already empty when it started raining, and we have maybe 15 minutes at most before then, so what happens? Whatever we do, we need to do it now, they’re about to leave. Or maybe the field was empty because we let them go?”

Merlin responds quickly:

“No, we didn’t see the whole field in the vision remember, and this half is empty-”

He thinks for a moment, and Arthur looks towards the army, before looking back at the others, and then finally settling his eyes on Merlin once more:

“-Put your crown on, you and me are going to march across there, and they need to know who we are. The others will stay here, out of sight.”

Arthur looks worried, and put a hand on Merlin’s shoulder:

“You do know what you’re doing, don’t you?”

Merlin smiles back at him:

“Nah, figured I’d just wing in. Come on, I’m Emrys. I got this in the bag.”

Arthur frowns as Merlin chuckles, before grabbing his crown from his saddlebag. The others looks to him questioningly, but he just shakes his head, and gestures for them to stay hidden. They don’t look too pleased at that, but they follow his orders, and hide themselves and the horses among the bushes.

The King and the Sorcerer take a deep breath, before looking at each other and nodding firmly. They march out from their hiding spot amongst the trees, and make a beeline for the army, walking confidently.

Merlin made sure to walk just a step behind Arthur, and it takes only a few seconds for a lookout to spot them and yell.

The two of them stop in the middle of the empty space as the whole army looks towards them, their King stepping forward:

“Ah! King Arthur-”

The way he says King, like it disgusts him, like Arthur doesn’t deserve the title, has Merlin fuming, but he doesn’t step forward just yet.

“-It would seem that you have bought your druid pet, to beat my army. I WILL SEE YOUR HEADS ON SPIKES!”

Spittle flies from his red face as he screams the last part, and Merlin sees the way Arthur clenches his hand. Before his... friend? (can he say that after last night?) can reply in anger:

“Introduce me, and then go back to the others. I’ll be fine, he’s clearly underestimated me.”

Arthur’s back straightens, and he leaves his face blank as he shouts his reply to the angered King:

“You clearly underestimate us. This-”

(he gestures absentmindedly to Merlin, who steps forward and allows his eyes to begin glowing.)

“-is Emrys. He will make quick work of your... army.”

Neither of them pay attention to his reply as they look at each other. The glow fades from Merlin’s eyes as he puts a hand on Arthur’s shoulder:

“Trust me, go back to the others and I’ll take care of it. All of nature is at my fingertips, apparently. Go, I love you.”

Arthur clenches his jaw and nods, before turning and walking back to the others, smiling to himself as he notices the almost transparent shield that had formed around him as he walked.

Merlin takes a few steps towards the army (which is getting louder and louder as the King makes his way through the ranks, shouting encouragement and rallying them) before stopping in place and frowning.

Unless he wants to cause issues with time, he should probably keep it as similar to the vision as he can. He looks to the side, the same place he had seen himself look four days ago, and speaks:

“ I’m sorry. But it’s coming. I can’t stop it, I tried. This is the only way. Just... relax... it’ll hurt less. Four days.”

He narrows his eyes and focuses, and he can just about make out a hazy mirror image of himself stood a few feet away:

“Arthur loves you... me..... us. Don’t let him down.”

The image fades as he takes a deep breath, and continues his march towards the army.

There’s a clap of thunder, and suddenly the skies open, Merlin frowns to himself as he mutters:

“Oh for fucks sake, why am I always right?”

The army begins their sprint towards him, and Merlin stops his quick pace, planting his feet, and raising his hands to the sky. The Sorcerer figures that there’s already a storm, and a storm is part of nature, right? He might as well take advantage.

The golden glow from his eyes is almost blinding as his brings his hands down quickly, palms facing the floor. Lightening strikes the ground with a flash and a few hundred of the men at the forefront of the army fall to not rise again.

Merlin grunts as he realises he’s going to have to try a lot harder if he’s to succeed in taking out the 12,000 angry arseholes running at him.

He continues aiming lightening at the fastest knights, nearest the front, taking out groups of them at a time.

He feels another magical presence, and he glances to the side to see a young woman at the edge of the meadow, clothes in tatters and feet bare. She meets his gaze and nods, before looking to the army and shouting a spell. The ground shakes slightly and a large chunk of the army falls into cracks into the ground.

Those his lightening had not touched finally come within reach of Merlin, and he has to jump back as swords reach for his neck. He swings one of his arms in a wide arc, and a burst of blue fire elevates the war cries around him, into screeches of agony.

He has to banish dark thoughts as the stench of burnt flesh reaches his nose, and he swings his arm wide once more, the same again.

Now with a little more space to move, though with little time before he’s crowded again, he kneels, and slams closed fists down into the mud.

The moment his skin touches the ground, the whole meadow shakes, much more than it had previously, and the whole army stumbles and falls.

There is a moment of silence and calm once the shaking stops, everyone trying to regain their bearings, but it doesn’t last long, as the ground opens. Sinkholes and cracks expand all across the meadow, thousands of men screaming as they fall into unknown depths, or drown in mud.

Merlin stares out in wonder as he realises he hasn’t said a word since the battle began. He had used no spells, the world around him simply understood what he wanted, and obeyed his orders. Nature bending to his whim indeed.

His thoughts last only a minute before he forces himself to concentrate once more. He can feel the three other sorcerers trying to protect themselves, and prevent anyone from escaping. Looks like Morgana was right. Though they were exhausted from holding the barrier in place, and even if they hadn’t been, even combined, their power was nothing compared to Merlin’s.

He pulls his arms from the ground, palms facing towards the sky (which is still pouring). As he does, every crater, every pit, closes with a snap, the field seeming suddenly much emptier as half the army, and all the previous bodies, disappear into the mud.

Only a thousand or so men remain, and, ignoring their cowardly King’s shouts (he was hidden somewhere to the right of Merlin, out of his sight. Hmmm. He would have to take care of that later.) they try to scatter into the woods surrounding the meadow.

Merlin closes his hands to fists. Vines and roots burst from the ground, all sharp thorns and gnarled wood as they speed towards the fleeing soldiers.

The screams grow louder once more as all but a few of the knights are pierced, and wrapped, and dragged towards their muddy places of burial.

Merlin stands once more, and tilts his head towards the trees with a silent request.

He smirks as the sounds of wolves reach his ears, howling and growling and rabid through the trees. That’ll do it. No one would be able to outrun them.

The battlefield lay empty. The bodies having been swallowed by the earth, or still running around piss scared in the woods.

Merlin turns towards the sorcerers standing twenty metres away, meaning to promise them safety and amnesty in Camelot, because of their immediate willingness to help, but before he can say anything, he sees their eyes widen as they look behind him in horror.

He gasps in realisation, and goes to turn and defend himself, but before he can, he staggers suddenly forward as he feels a bursting pain in his spine and spread through his chest. He looks down to see the front of a sword poking out from where his heart should be.

With his last few seconds of lucidity he jerkily waves his hand behind him and feels the King (”How could I have fucking forgotten about him? I was thinking about him literally 3 minutes ago??”) stumble back a few steps, leaving the sword behind.

Merlin falls to his knees, still staring at the end of the blade, blood dripping from his mouth as he hears an agonised yell from across the meadow.

He finally falls completely, his face angled towards the floor and his eyes fluttering as he hears a metallic *swoosh* and a *gargle* and a *thump* behind him, before Arthur falls to his knees at his back.

The last thing Merlin remembers, is hearing Arthur muttering something or other as he gets pulled towards him, but by the time his eyes look to the sky, his mind, and face, are blank.

THIS IS COMPLETED, PART 5 (link at the top, and in the masterlist) IS THE FINAL PART!

Let me know if y’all want my thoughts on anything in particular :)

231 notes · View notes

oncefutureemrys · 4 years ago

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OK WAIT LOOK IK I SENT YOU A SHITTON OF TITLES BUT LIKE THIS SOUNDS SO CUTE SO LIKE only if you want to.... but....

18 w merlin & arthur ? ?

again only if you want to ahaha

hehehe of course!!!! this is so exciting!

Edit: I am an idiot and I apologize for dumb.

Anyway, hello! This is a thing I finished editing instead of sleeping.

Please enjoy!

Send Me A Prompt And Characters And I'll Do It!

You Can Find It On AO3 Here!

Arthur, in all of his life, had never really understood the concept of longing.

Maybe because he had rarely ever longed for much. Well sure, when he was a kid he had longed for that certain toy that someone else had, or certain books and sweet treats. Longed for some friends he could play with at school, for some people to hang out with after class.

Sometimes he would secretly wish that he had both a mother and a father like the other kids. Maybe a more understanding father, one that hugged him as all the other kids’ parents did. That let them cry and were always there to dry his tears. To ask how he was doing, not because they were looking for anything else, but just because they had wanted to know.

But Arthur was a resilient child and with time he had learned to adapt to the way things were, learned to accept them, and know that they would never change. Besides, he was fine living his life completely without longing. He even laughed about it a couple of times when he watched cheesy romantic movies, shouting at the screen at how “dumb” these characters were and how “everyone could clearly tell they were in love!”

But then, one thing or another happened, and Arthur somehow met Merlin Ambrose. Merlin Ambrose could be explained quite clearly as one of those people. Those people you wondered how they lived because everything just seemed to come naturally to them. Not to mention, he was someone who complimented as many people just to make their day, someone who gave teachers apples, but not in a teacher’s pet way but more in an I’m-very-sweet-and-care-about-people way, and was just constantly happy, always being a source of great happiness for people.

Needless to say, Merlin was sweet and kind and caring and resilient and brave and most definitely, Arthur’s best friend. He was everything he wasn’t and in a way, he was everything he needed.

He’s not sure how they became so close. He remembers them being a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend at one point, he remembers them sharing quick waves in the hallways, he remembers those shared looks across the classroom. He’s not sure when it all clicked; when the stars aligned, when the two became the best of friends. It seemed to be almost gradual… as if they were taking their time, slowly unpacking each other bit by bit.

However the case, six years later, three years into college, Arthur felt the beginnings of this… feeling in his chest. It was like pain, but in his heart, a pain that made him lose his breathe and complete focus.

He had asked his half-sister (and one of his closest friends beside Merlin, although he would never admit that in his wildest dreams), Morgana, about what it might mean. She had just stared at Arthur long and hard before laughing so loudly, holding her stomach. “Oh dear,” she had said after finally reigning in her chuckles and wiping her tears away, “You have got it bad.”

Honestly, he figured she was off her rocker because nothing she was saying was making any sense. Because… well, when she ended up explicitly telling him – quite disappointedly, might he add – that he was in love with Merlin , well nothing seemed to add up. Because, sure, there were instances where they looked at each other too long, where they sat a bit closer to one another, and Arthur had noticed their shoulders slightly brushing. There were times when the sound of Merlin’s laughter would make his heart sing with joy, times when his throat would get dry when he saw Merlin in tight clothing, times when he felt his face get flushed and stutter wildly whenever he whispered in his ear… but, well, that happened with everyone. There was nothing… going on about any of it. Morgana was just being her usual pain and sooner or later, this would all blow over.

But alright, maybe he was slightly missing the idiot. Maybe some days he would wake up and check his phone to see if he had texted back, maybe sometimes he would be so close to just calling him and talking with him till three in the morning, maybe sometimes he wondered if he could just get in his car and drive ten hours to his college just to say hello.

But that was that! There were no romantic feelings between them whatsoever. They were strictly… friends . The idea of a romance had never even crossed his mind before Morgana had mentioned it. And while Arthur could be an idiot sometimes, he surely couldn’t be that much of an idiot. No, he was positive he would know if he was in love with his best friend.

Right?

A knock on the door startles him from his thoughts, causing him to nearly jump. He wonders who the hell could be at his door this late in the day. He wants to ignore it but something deep within himself tells him that this might be a missed opportunity if he didn’t at least check.

And usually, he would check before opening it, he would make sure it wasn’t some kidnapper or some murderer about to kill him. But seeing as he was angry and sad and missing an idiot who he very much was not in love with, thank you very much, he forgot all about checking before shoving the door open.

He’s about to open his mouth, yell at someone for waking him at this late night, get out all of this excess frustration he held within him when his eyes met familiar blue ones and his mouth hangs wide open.

He’s looking at him with an amused, dazzling smile, and Arthur feels like he might pass out from the number of butterflies that are in his fucking stomach at the moment.

Merlin asks, “Did you miss me?” with the smugness of someone who knows he has and is just asking to sound cool and Arthur’s first instinct is to kiss the living daylights out of him.

The second option on Arthur’s What To Do In Social Situations That Involve Merlin Ambrose list is to lift him off the ground and hug the fuck out of him.

Arthur, without a second thought, grabs hold of Merlin, twirling him around. Merlin shrieks before laughing loudly, holding onto him for dear life. The hug ends quickly, however, when Arthur loses balance and they both topple to the floor.

They find themselves sprawled on the ground, shaking with laughter in the middle of a hallway, their sides hurting with how hard they’re laughing.

“Why—“ he gasps – “did you –“ another intake – “do that?” Merlin asks and Arthur can’t help but laugh breathlessly, turning to look at him.

“I missed you,” he says without explanation, only realizing afterward what he has just said.

Merlin grins back at him. “I missed you too.”

He shivers imperceptibly at the way that Merlin is looking at him, slight goosebumps on his skin. At that moment, Arthur has never felt happier, never felt more alive. His heart is pounding with joy and he can’t help but grin back at him.

Merlin stands and pulls Arthur up. The contact of their hands sends a jolt of electricity through him and Arthur flushes in embarrassment.

They were maybe four feet apart but it felt like less with the way Merlin was looking at him, all pure and happy and loved . Arthur takes a sharp intake when Merlin smirks, taking a small step closer, slightly hesitating as if he’s worried he’s read the situation wrong. When Arthur doesn’t move, Merlin takes another small step. Then a bigger one. Then another and another and then—

Their feet are touching, they’re so close that he can hear Merlin’s breathing, can visibly see the way that he licks his lips, the way he slowly leans in. They’re mere inches apart at this point, Merlin stopping just centimeters from his face. Arthur’s internally freaking out at this point because he’s never been so close to kissing someone before and fuck , he was an idiot and in love with him and holy shit he was in love with Merlin Ambrose and he seemed to love him back and what the fuck does he do what is happening he —

“Can I come in?”

Arthur jumps, startling so much he nearly falls. “S-sorry?”

Merlin grins. “Can I come in… to your room? I didn’t exactly want to stay out here for the rest of the day.” He gestures towards the hallway and Arthur’s face somehow burns even more.

“I—yeah, uh, sure, yes.” Arthur opens the door, scratching his neck before awkwardly gesturing inside. Merlin simply raised his eyebrows, smiling amusedly at him before entering.

“Thank you,” he says. The way his eyes crinkle when he smiles, the way his cheekbones become more prominent… Arthur has never felt this much love and panic in his entire life.

Arthur just nods, suddenly questioning how anyone else could function properly around Merlin fucking Ambrose.

Taking one last breath of fresh air, straightening his shoulders, and feigning confidence, he walks into his apartment, hoping he won’t make a fool out of himself today He wasn’t sure how exactly his life had gotten to this point, but fuck, did he feel like the luckiest man in the world.

Hope you all enjoyed that hahaha I am sorry once again to Gwyn but hopefully the story makes up for it... pretty please...sugar on top?

#merthur #oblivious arthur #confident merlin #general audiences #modern au - college/university #morgana being morgana #merlin being best boi #arthur being a himbo #basically the story hahah

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retvenkos · 5 years ago

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i saw your merlin rant (i loved seeing your reactions) and just wanted to ask,, what do you think the dynamic between the knights of the round table is like? i feel like their bond wasn't touched on enough.

anon, you have just made my whole day. i hope you are ready, because, boy, do i have some HEADCANONS FOR YOU...

so, first of all, when arthur is not around to call the shots, someone has to take the helm

and, leon (who feels he holds the single brain cell of the group), is the one to take charge

BUT, he’s not the only one

lancelot, who was so eager to be a knight and have importance™ also wants to take the wheel

so they both start to give orders at once

and that is when leon (the most polite of the group) lets lancelot speak

and that is also when lancelot (the most noble of the group) lets leon speak

“you can go—”

“i’ll let you—”

“i wouldn’t want to—”

“it’s really not a problem—”

and in the end elyan just sighs and directs everyone

gwaine finds it very funny and percival is eternally grateful

the sad thing is, this wouldn’t be a problem for long.

but for a few times afterward, leon would wait for lancelot to say something - to stop him mid sentence.

he wasn’t there.

now, speaking of gwaine and percival...

these two are c o n s t a n t l y trying to show up one another

it all stemmed from lancelot’s comment, a while back, asking leon which one he thought was stronger - percival or gwaine

lancelot bet on percival

leon figured gwaine

elyan wagered that arthur could take them both

lancelot and leon tilted their heads and narrowed their eyes

“nah.”

arthur overheard them

“hey!”

so now the two of them try to outdrink each other

they try to see how many people they can ‘save’

they spar a lot

elyan said they should arm wrestle, but gwaine took one look at percival’s arms and said it wasn’t “a true test of strength”

percival and gwaine are definitely the one’s who tease each other way too much

leon and elyan just watch them, rolling their eyes

oh, and leon and lancelot were vvv close before lancelot sacrificed himself for the king

arthur knew how close they were, and to this day he still feels guilty when he looks at leon

they first became friends when lancelot became a knight the first time, when he lied about his identity and whatnot

and when he comes back leon is like !!! friend !!!!

they both religiously drink their respect arthur juice

but they also know that arthur is an idiot and the only one who can save him is merlin

which reminds me that all the knights just love merlin???

like, c l e a r l y gwaine, lancelot, and leon do

but elyan has heard so much about merlin from gwen? and merlin has saved gwen how many times? immediate respect.

and at first percival was like,,, who is this skinny, sarcastic servant that follows arthur around like his shadow???

but then he really loves how sassy merlin can be, despite caring so much, and he’s just like,,, “oh. it makes sense.”

also,,, the knights totally ship merthur you cannot convince me otherwise

but let’s not forget leon and elyan’s relationship!!!!

they were childhood friends and are honestly thicker than thieves

leon can always anticipate what elyan is going to do in battle

elyan can practically read leon’s thoughts during training

and for those ‘???’ or exasperated thoughts that leon has, elyan voices them

he is the bluntness to leon’s softness

and elyan also has a lot of street smarts that leon most likely lacks

leon is easily the most sheltered of all the knights, and sometimes it shows

gwaine will just laugh, and elyan will have to explain things in detail while leon has the shocked pikachu face

and since i’m talking about elyan,,, how about elyan and percival

these two are so in love ohmygod

if there was ever a dyanamic duo, it’s these two

elyan is the strategist and percival is the force

but percival also has so much heart???? and elyan loves it because it reminds him so much of gwen and his father???

these two together just make me very happy and pleased

also,,,, percival gives the best hugs

he is the only one that can hug elyan, and it’s so tender

gwaine is constantly giving percival hugs

he loves to make suggestive comments about percival’s arms just to watch elyan seethe, convince me otherwise

leon will 10/10 let percival give him a hug after a long day

leon will also give the knights kisses on the cheeks if they ever get close enough

elyan pretends to hate affection,,, but sometimes he needs it

he’s definitely the emo boi™ out of the bunch, and tries really hard to prove it.

but he’s been alone for so long and really, he craves affection. pls give it to him.

after elyan’s death, leon is really ripped up

he just looses so many people he cares about??? why is no one talking about how heavy the burden on his shoulders is???

gwaine is uncharacteristically quiet and takes them all out to go drinking

percival is also really upset because his whole thing is that he’s the strong, protector type.

and he couldn’t protect elyan

and he won’t be able to protect gwaine either...

which leads me to talk about arthur and gwaine’s death

because the whole squad really has to go, huh?

it hurts that the two softest knights are the ones who have to suffer the death of so many others

they were never the two closest, but both of them really lean on one another because they are all they have left

leon is so torn up,,, he’s been here the longest and he has watched everyone he’s ever grown close to die...

and percival just gives him all the hugs in the world, teary eyed

the two of them definitely cry together

and they talk about the good old days - before arthur died, before gwaine died, before elyan died, before lancelot died...

when they were all sitting at that first round table, some of them strangers, others of them acquaintances, all of them brothers

#merlin #merlin bbc #the knights of the round table #sir leon #sir lancelot #lancelot #sir percival #sir elyan #sir gwaine #gwaine #arthur pendragon #imagine #headcanons #knights of camelot #camelotknightsheadcanons

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little-ligi · 4 years ago

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"Mine" 24, and Merlin?

Thank you Nony!! And thank you to everyone who sent an ask prompt! 💕 This is the last one (and I managed to get them all done in March, which as a surprise! 🎉) I hope you liked them all (I will probably do a little masterpost sometime later ☺️)

And on with the last one, which is again a sad one, I’m afraid!

Merlin eases Arthur from the boat, pulling the limp prince onto his shoulder to carry him into the ruins of the old castle. He finds the altar where he’d met Nimueh, for the first time since he’d done it, wishing he hadn’t killed her.

Carefully setting Arthur down, cradling his head as he lays him on the ground beside the altar, he looks up at the clouds roiling in the sky overhead. They look ready to spew rain all over them, and Merlin is brought back to the last time, when he had sat in this very spot, hugging Gaius in the pouring rain.

He gently pushes the hair back off of Arthur’s deathly pale face, hating to feel how cold his skin is. He lays a hand over the fatal wound in Arthur’s side. But he can fix this, he can bring Arthur back again. It is his destiny to save him.

He presses his lips to Arthur’s forehead, squeezing his eyes shut to stop the tears spilling out. One leaks past his eyelids anyway and drips onto Arthur’s cheek. Merlin brushes it away with his thumb, kissing the spot where it fell.

“I’m sorry, Arthur,” he whispers.

Then he turns, his shaky hand gripping Arthur’s, and looks around the ruins of the castle. His magic can feel a presence, the congregation of power around the area. He hopes that means there is someone here who can help. He tilts his head up, raising his teary eyes upwards and lets his magic fill him.

“Please, help me!” he calls to the sky.

His magic crackles and he jerks his head around. He has the prickly feeling on the back of his neck that someone is watching. His eyes dart back and forth, searching for the presence.

A woman appears beside a tumbled down wall; or rather Merlin suddenly becomes aware of her as if she had always been standing there. She walks towards him through the mist that is swirling around the ground and between the ruins. She has the same air about her as Nimueh did, as Morgause, and Merlin instantly knows she is a High Priestess.

“Help me,” he says again, standing and facing her, regretfully letting Arthur’s limp fingers slide out of his.

A smile spreads over her thin, red-painted lips.

“Hello, young warlock,” she greets pleasantly. She seems to glide across the uneven ground, her red dress swaying as if in a gentle breeze, although the air is still around them.

She bends over Arthur, her fingers tracing his jaw line, then dancing across his chest to the huge wound in his side.

“Your prince will die soon,” she says blandly – not uncaringly, but just as if it is a certain truth, like the leaves falling in autumn.

“No,” Merlin says firmly. “No. He cannot die. I won’t let it happen. That’s why I’m here.”

The priestess looks up at him, her delicate eyebrows lifted. She gives a small questioning hum.

“I need your help,” he says. “I know you can save him.”

“The power of life and death is not so simple as that,” she cautions, her dark eyes fixed on Merlin’s as if she can see into his very mind. “You know this, young warlock. You have been here before.”

Merlin nods, steels himself by looking down at Arthur’s pale face; his eyes closed and his chest barely rising, the blood still staining his chainmail. He gulps and looks back up at the priestess, his jaw set determinedly.

“I know what needs to be done,” he says calmly, much calmer than he feels. “I know the balance needs to be kept. I know it takes a life to save a life.”

“That is indeed correct,” she answers, her head tilts in a nod, her eyes still fixed on Merlin.

“Well, I demand that I may choose the life that is taken.”

“Oh?” The priestess lets out a light musical laugh. “You have someone you wish to sacrifice in order to save your prince?”

“Yes.” Merlin wipes any last traces of tears from his face, straightening his back.

“Whose life would you give away so freely, young warlock?”

“Mine.”

Tada! I know this is a nasty cliff hanger… but you know, it’s all about dramatic affect! (Actually it’s because I wasn’t 100% percent sure how to solve this (obviously I wouldn’t let Merlin die) and the only idea I had is an idea that I am already halfway through exploring in a different wip so I didn’t want to use it here!)

Thank you again to everyone who sent in prompts and @whumpster-dumpster for the list!! I shall definitely do something like this again soon! 😁😁

#bbc merlin fanfiction #arthur whump #merthur #powerful merlin #merlin fanfic #ligi writes #more angst than whump #self sacrifice #whumpster prompts #ask prompt #love you nony #ligi finishes a challenge #straddling the deadline

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officialsporkintheroad · 4 years ago

Text

I’ve been out of a lot of the popular fandoms for a long while now, but with the supernatural ending (that I didn’t watch, but have read about), I feel like I have to mention a trend I’ve noticed (spoilers ahead). Bearing in mind that this is all my own opinion/perception of how these stories played out:

Why is everything a last-minute tragedy?

I am not talking about characters dying in itself. Sometimes you have to show that to win, you have to make sacrifices. I think about Hamlet, and how just about every fucking person in that play dies, but even though it’s sad--devastating, even, to see the chaos that Hamlet’s misplaced efforts wrought--the ending is also a fresh beginning. Fortinbras comes in and is set to take over: someone new who is untainted by the toxin that is Hamlet’s spiraling madness. None of Hamlet’s family can screw over each other or Denmark anymore: not Hamlet, or his father, or his uncle, or his mother.

It is not a happy ending, but it is a meaningful, symbolic one. It makes sense for the course of the play.

But a lot of fan-favorite tv-shows don’t seem to know how to end a narrative in a satisfying, meaningful way that validates the effort they put into the story as a whole. This isn’t me being salty that my ships didn’t become canon; this is about bad writing.

At the end of BBC’s Merlin, Arthur dies before he has a chance to fulfill his destiny of uniting Albion. The death itself, while sad, is not the problem; the problem is that the entire series has been about Merlin making sacrifices and tearing himself apart over difficult decisions all in the name of helping Arthur fulfill this destiny--which he doesn’t. Yes, Merlin’s changed, he’s grown, he’s learned about his powers and responsibility, but at the end of the day, everything he has worked for over the course of 5 seasons just...ends. It doesn’t come to fruition. His whole purpose which has been built up over the course of 65 episodes, everything he’s strived for, the driving force behind the show--it all comes to nothing. That’s why it feels hollow.

Game of Thrones threw out character arcs in their last season, took years of development and chucked it out the window, essentially saying: we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors, we are doomed to always be the people we have always been before. The ways they act in the final season don’t feel consistent with how we’ve seen them change throughout the story, so it makes everything feel contrived.

The same thing with Supernatural, but on an even greater scale because this show has been on for 15 years. You cannot have characters growing and changing over the course of 15 seasons, a 320 episode epic, and at the end disregard all that they’ve overcome, all the relationships they’ve built, and still expect people to feel satisfied with it. If you give them free will--the thing they’ve been fighting for, really, this whole time--only to throw it back in their face, saying, “Free will means you die and everyone you cared about is well and truly lost. Free will means that maybe sometimes things were better without it,” then you’ve made the meaning of the show, the theme, a really bitter, angry thing. You take the hope that you’ve been fostering all this time and crush it under your boot.

Yes, they get to be happy in heaven and that’s great. But the happiness is also contrived, it’s also hollow. Dean dying on their first hunt after defeating God. Sam’s wife being a vague stand-in and not someone they’ve built up a relationship with. It comes back to this idea that nothing they did matters. The people they met and loved and saved don’t matter. The fight for free will doesn’t matter.

I’m just curious about why this is such a prevalent occurrence. Why do so many tv writers think that this makes for a good ending? And I’m also curious to know if anyone actually does find these types of endings satisfying?

#supernatural #spn #bbc merlin #game of thrones #writing

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panharmonium · 5 years ago

Text

some meandering bbc merlin thoughts that got too long for tags on this gifset.

normal disclaimers apply, which, given that i’m evaluating media, means that these are just my own thoughts and nobody else need agree with them; i don’t expect all of us to have the exact same impressions of tv shows. :)

now, without further ado:

i started to type a novel in the tags of that gifset, but it got too long, so i’m moving it over to an actual post. and what i wanted to say there is this: my thing about arthur isn’t that his story was badly written. it’s that it was incomplete.

it’s probably more common for folks to assign responsibility to the writing, and that’s totally fine; i definitely get it - there are places in this show where i think things could have been handled better as well. (i did write sixteen pages about how poorly executed the finale was, after all.) but for my own part, i personally don’t think most of the story was badly written. i think it was unfinished.

and what i mean by that is that i sincerely think that almost everything bbc merlin did could have been pulled together in a meaningful way after 5.11, and that if this had happened, then we would be evaluating the previous seasons differently, because things that seemed to not fit or be nonsensical or not be given enough attention would have been pursued all the way through to their natural conclusions.

i’m not sure if it’s because i watched the show so late, or because i watched it in a spoiler-phobic bubble isolated from fandom input, but my own assessment of this show seems to exist in kind of a weird limbo-place on the spectrum of fandom opinions, because i don’t like how it ended, but i also don’t dislike the writing, up to the point of the finale. are there things that could have been improved, or quibbles i have? definitely. i can list them for you. but overall? i still believed in the story at the 5.11 mark. there were things i sometimes thought ‘oh, i’m not sure about this,’ but i always gave the show the benefit of the doubt, because i truly did feel that things were going somewhere. anything the show did that gave me pause wasn’t something that couldn’t eventually have been made meaningful, if the show had actually...been finished.*

(*elyan’s death excepted. that’s one of the things on my list, and i think it might be the only thing besides the finale that doesn’t fall under the criteria i’ll discuss below. it was a bad decision, flat-out, and could not have been improved by finishing the story.)

so for example, morgana. if i were going to critique her development, yeah, i’d say that we don’t get enough of her internal conflict; she goes from the voice of moral authority to (apparently) delighting in wickedness very quickly, offscreen, and the constant smirking doesn’t show us what we know must be true - that she hasn’t become like this because she enjoys it; that she is wounded and her rage at arthur, gwen, merlin et al comes from a very real place of pain.

but, as i said above - even though her development was something i recognized as questionable while i was watching, it didn’t make me too nervous, because i really trusted that the story was eventually and slowly taking us to the place it needed to go. you could see her conflict, sometimes, in her confrontations with arthur, and that conflict finally took center stage in 5.09, when mordred confronted her and appealed to her humanity. they were getting there.

and evaluating her development solely from what we ended up getting, i agree: now the writing just looks Bad. but it wouldn’t have been bad, if it had been finished. i would have completely believed morgana closing herself off from regret/sadness/compassion/any feelings at all for her former friends; it would have been okay for her to be so smirky, cold, etc; because it wouldn’t have been the endpoint for her arc, but rather a front to protect herself from the true conflict she felt. we would have gotten more than that. the story would have taken her farther than that. but the story was incomplete, and so everything that came before it just looks like a mess that ran off a cliff.

this is how i feel about almost all of the “questionable” writing things on this show. it’s not that they were ‘bad’ decisions in and of themselves, but they look that way in the rearview mirror because they never had the chance to develop into what they were supposed to be.

take arthur, for another example. i honestly don’t have a problem with his arc in S4 and S5. i completely believe what a horrible and unadmirable mess he is for most of S4. i believe that he would absolutely revert to thinking about “what would my father do” as soon as the realities of kingship are thrust upon him. and i love how in S5 he’s moved past that and IS admirable in so many other ways, but then we start once again addressing the central conflict, which is that he’s still oppressing part of his population, and he starts to hit roadblocks again. 5.05 and 5.11 are the crisis points there, and honestly, i didn’t have a problem with how they unfolded (i mean, i did, but not in the sense of ‘this is bad writing and i hate it.’ rather in the sense of ‘this is fucking painful but i believe it’).

the problem for me was never that it took arthur too long to accept magic or that he backslid or anything like that, because quite frankly i found all of that to be believable, given the circumstances. the problem was that the show ended before he was ever allowed to progress past that. he never atoned for anything he did. he, like morgana, was never allowed to go where he was meant to go, because the show stopped before it was over. if he had, all of his previous missteps wouldn’t have felt so much like ‘bad writing,’ they would have just been natural steps on his long journey.

same thing goes for gwen. do i have a problem with her being sidelined towards the end of the show? abso-fucking-LUTELY. that’s on my list. did her relationship with morgana deserve a resolution? YES. but it still could have happened! if there had been more time, the show could have dealt with that. gwen’s enchantment by morgana could have meant something, could have prompted something bigger; gwen could have taken the reins and started pushing arthur, who has entrenched himself into old ways, to start thinking from a place of compassion, even though it’s risky and it scares her. or she could have broken with arthur’s decisions completely and made a move of her own. if they had been given the time, nothing that happened to gwen prior to 5.11 precluded her character from going somewhere important.

and merlin - merlin could have gotten what he deserved, which is a resolution to the question he’s been struggling with since literally day one: how do i justify serving a regime that oppresses me? how do i reconcile my responsibility to my people (and MYSELF) with an externally-imposed responsibility to protect arthur?

merlin never settles on an answer to that question. or rather, the answer he’s given is that he doesn’t need to be conflicted in the first place; protecting arthur was the right thing to do (even though it ultimately achieves nothing).

merlin deserved to have a chance to work out the answer to that question for himself, rather than having his core dilemma wiped aside. and, much like my opinion on everyone else’s arcs, i don’t think the writing on this show ever took merlin to a place where this problem couldn’t be addressed. i don’t find merlin’s arc questionable; i am fully convinced by the hole he’s dug for himself by 5.11. merlin’s descent into single-minded preservation of arthur’s life at the expense of his own welfare/moral compass is absolutely tragic, yet also absolutely believable, to me - merlin’s been told all along that saving arthur is the only way to save his people, and now he’s been presented with so much evidence to the contrary - and yet he doesn’t want to admit that it’s all been for nothing - it’s honestly…i honestly actually think it’s spectacularly crafted. that scene with finna in 5.10 is absolutely the most devastating thing i think i’ve ever witnessed on this show - when merlin’s on the verge of passing out and he murmurs, ‘it won’t always be like this. things will be better.’ and you can see he’s just telling himself a lie, over and over again, trying to believe. and then when he says ‘running…from arthur?’ because he knows, he knows it’s true that arthur is the real threat, arthur is the one with the sword at all their throats, but merlin has come to care about him so much -

truly, they hit a point there that was just - fucking amazing. that was the moment. that, leading into 5.11, was the axis point for merlin’s unavoidable moral crisis, and there was so much potential there and so many places for it to go, but then the show just ended. conflicts wiped away. no wrongs ever righted. merlin never comes into his own. he never finds his feet.

but he could have.

so again. what i’m saying here is that for me, for my particular experience with this show, i actually don’t dislike the writing, up until the very finale. i think the writing actually brought us to a place that was fairly exploding with possibility. but then the show just stopped, and that’s why it’s so easy to find places to critique the previous seasons, because of course it all looks poorly constructed now. it isn’t finished.

#the once and future slowburn #meta #long post #even if merlin wasn't cancelled (which i have my doubts about tbh; who announces that their show is ending four weeks before the finale?)#the ultimate effect is still that of a cancelled show #if you took away the last two episodes i would never have guessed we were that close to the 'end'#there was still so much to deal with!#but anyway #on the whole merlin is a show that for some reason went over extremely positively with me for almost its entire run #i see spots where i would tweak things too #but recognizing merlin as an unfinished story has kept me from feeling that too deeply #most of the things i would tweak are things i KNOW would have been okay #if only they had been given the space to develop fully #and come to a natural conclusion #so for me #i never felt like this show tanked #not until the finale #i was as deeply engaged in 5.11 as i was in 1.01 #and then they just - pulled the plug when the story wasn't anywhere near finished #THAT was the problem for me #not that what came before wasn't good; but that what was supposed to come after was never allowed to happen #(everybody's different and i know not everybody had the same experience as me; which is totally understandable)#(but that's where i'm at)#¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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magicjesuscup · 5 years ago

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How would the KoTR react to Gray from Lord El-Melloi Case Files(don’t answer if you haven’t heard or watched)

I got two of these, so I’m going to delete the other one. I'm also going to say this is after they learn about her past and not them reacting to how she looks. I'm doing it this way because there are so many saber faces I don't think they'd have much of a reaction to a girl who just looks like their king anymore.

I also want to note that I think Gray only ever referred to Waver as "Sir" in the subbed version, so I'll be sticking to that in my response.

Another thing to note: I wrote Arthur/Artoria, Lancer Artoria, and Mordred’s reactions a few days before everyone else’s. So, theirs are kinda in the form of mini fanfiction while the rest are headcanons.

SFW and spoilers for the Lord El-Melloi Case Files.

Arthur/Artoria

Oh. Oh god do they feel guilty about this. The whole reason Gray looked the way she did was because her village was trying to resurrect them!? This poor girl never had a life of her own because she was expected to live as someone else. (No, they don't see this as anything similar to what they experienced when they were alive. They chose to be king; Gray was born into this madness.) They fought so hard so people could live their lives; this isn't what they intended.

"I never would have imagined anyone would rob someone of their life to resurrect me. Forgive me."

Gray shook her head and stared at the ground. "It wasn't all bad. I was able to meet Sir, and because I had Add, I could protect him. And I met a lot of people through him too. Some were strange. Some were kind. But they're all important memories for me, and I wouldn't have them if my childhood had been different."

Hearing that made them feel better. If she wasn't sad over things, why should they be? Still, they were a bit worried about what would happen if her village ever caught up to her.

Lancer Artoria

Artoria looked at Gray with all the confidence and dignity befitting a king. "There are several versions of me running around Chaldea. You are not one of them. The things I left undone and have yet to do are my burden to bear, not yours."

Listening to that calm tone and noting her body language, Gray looked at the floor. She was so shy and timid. "I'm really not like you at all."

"No. You are a failed King Arthur." Artoria put her hand under Gray's chin and tiled her head upward. The look in Artoria's eyes was soft and there was a hint of a smile on her face, "But, you are an exemplary Gray." Artoria dropped her hand. "You need but tend to your own affairs, whatever they may be; I shall handle the rest."

"Pft." A voice under Gray's cloak spoke. "Once and future king my foot!" Gray moved her cloak aside revealing the mystic code, who continued, "Two world wars, Brexit, a handful of pandemics-"

"Rhongomyniad." Artoria's voice was full of authority and her tone carried a warning.

The mystic code fell silent. Gray looked in shock from Add to Artoria. Sheepishly she requested, "I know you'd like me to live for myself, but I'd really like to learn how you did that."

Artoria stifled a chuckle. "I'd be honored to teach you."

"H-Hey!" Add protested. "Don't I get a say in this!?"

Artoria's voice immediately slipped back into its normal deadpan. "No."

Bedivere

Good boy Bedivere is kind, but also acts like the butler she never asked for. She doesn't want to make him feel bad by declining his offers to help her, but it's very strange for her to have someone offering to do things for her. She's kinda used to being the one to run errands and do little tasks. So, instead of accepting his offers, she suggests they do the tasks together instead. They get along well. Bedivere is a people person and conversations come easy to him, which is good since that's not one of Gray's strong suits.

Gawain

Word gets to Gawain that Gray is somehow related to King Arthur. He's kind of excited by this because that means she's his kin too. He's very curious how they're related, but is fairly certain he'll never find out. Documents detailing her family tree either probably don't exist or have been long destroyed. He basically appoints himself her big brother. Of course, he realizes very quickly he can't be rough with her like he was with his brothers/sisters raised to be boys (no wrestling and what not). Luckily, he doesn't have much trouble adapting. He tries to be kind and gentle, but it kinda comes off as weird and creepy?

Gawain: If you ever need a hug, Big Brother Gawain is here. *holds out his arms for emphasis, like he's ready for a hug right now.*

Gray: Oh. Thank you. *is 100% not going to hug him, but appreciates the gesture.*

Lancelot

Okay, so Lancelot had has a body guard crush on Artoria, and this girl is not helping. Sure, he's used to seeing other girls that look like his king running around and acting differently but none of them are this cute(!?). Like, every time Gray's around, he pictures Artoria acting like Gray and then starts smiling like a doofus.

Gray: Sir Tristan, is Sir Lancelot alright? He's had that look on his face for five minutes and he doesn't seem to be aware of anything happening around him.

Tristan: Oh, that's just the face he makes when he's thinking about a pretty girl.

Gray: Are you sure?

Tristan: Yes, he does it a lot; you'll get used to it.

Merlin

Merlin is super torn. Gray is the type that gets flustered pretty easily. People like that are super fun for him to tease, but she also looks too much like Artoria. Every time he looks at her, he's reminded of raising the tiny king until she was five and then popping back in her life to train and advise her. Also, what if he says something lewd to her, she deems him a pervert, and then never speaks to him again!? That would be awful. For now, he'll just treat her the same way he does Saber Lily.

Mordred

Mordred put his hands on his hips. "I don't get why you're bothering with that hood. Do you have any idea how many people here look like father? Nero. Joan of Arc. Okita. Bitch, you ain't special." He noticed Gray turning away from him and decided to switch tactics a bit. "I look just like father too; you think I should hide my face?"

Gray stammered out a, "Well, no-"

"Damn straight I shouldn't." He jerked his thumb towards his face. "This mug is mine. I'm not hiding it anymore, and neither should you."

Gray thought about what Mordred said and slowly removed her hood.

Mordred grinned and slapped her hard on the back a few times. "Look who's balls dropped; good job, kid!"

Tristan

Gray follows Tristan around sometimes, but he doesn't mind. Gawain and Lancelot are acting like complete weirdos, so he's guessing she's just grateful to have found a knight that can act like a normal human being. He's also 100% wrong. Gray is fascinated by Tristan's ability to somehow see with his eyes shut. Her working theory is that he has mystic eyes that let him see through his eyelids and they take such a toll on him they cause him to randomly fall asleep throughout the day. She tags along with him waiting to see some evidence (her experiences with Waver have taught her to always look for proof). Also, Gawain and Lancelot know this, but they're not telling him. Can you blame them? He called them weirdos; they're going to enjoy watching him be wrong!

#Arthur Pendragon #Artoria Pendragon #Arturia Pendragon #Lancer Artoria #Lancer Arturia #Bedivere #Gawain #Lancelot #Merlin #Mordred #Tristan #Fate/Grand Order #My Fanfiction #kinda?

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nicknellie · 4 years ago

Note

I’m just trying to reply to this through out the day so it’s all times lol (and then of course when I was going to send this it’s sadly didnt)

Thanks for linking the post, I think you brought up quite a few good points!!!

Honestly I thought you meant that both Julie and Flynn had matching jumpers however this works so much better. (Also yes Luke and Reggie would get this just because they can)

Just in case you don’t know what among us is when I go on my tangent here is the basics but basically there are 10 players in total and either 1, 2 or three are imposter (I’m choosing two here) whoever isn’t imposter just tries to complete tasks and figure out who the imposter is without dying

Box stuff

1. Yes, honestly the only time Luke’s room is clean is due to Alex because he is the mom friend. (And or Reggie because it could be that when Reggie is stressed he cleans but that also works for Alex)

Also that’s what I was thinking, Emily and Mitch just gave up. Definitely when he passed they just couldn’t change anything in his room because it was the one comfort that they had. That even though Luke isn’t here anymore, his room that he lived in was still there and sometimes they could pretend that he’s still there

3. They always bring him recipes to try out because Alex has magic with cooking and even if he has no clue what is going on it usually always taste good. (May not look good but it does taste good) Also love the detail of Reggie just forgetting about the recipes, he just has so much that he forgets some.

Board games and Jam stuff

1. Yes, they all have that one game that they can’t do. Monopoly is banned just because they are way too competitive and Alex has thrown drumsticks at Luke before.

I love the detail of the boys just guessing wrong just to annoy Bobby, they totally would too. In Cluedo, Reggie always thinks that it’s Alex, every single time.

(Among us tangent, really wish I can blame this on chaotic energy but no.

So Alex is pink, because

Luke is the colour white

Reggie is lime

Julie is red

Willie is cyan

And Flynn is purple

Alex and Willie are on the same team immediately (they just follow each other and keep each other safe) and Alex is a good imposter however Luke will only call him out for no reason at all when he is an imposter one time that they play together.

To give more reasoning they probably play together two times in total with 10 games each I don’t know, but the second time around Luke is salty and somehow knows when Alex is imposter even when he doesn’t seem suspicious at all.

Julie and Willie are the best imposter duo, alongside Alex and Luke. Reggie is not a good imposter and the first to die in the game is usually Julie (or Luke).

Wait yes, Alex can’t do life.

Oh Julie gets so mad at him however secretly she’s amused (Alex and Reggie are just having the time of their lives because they can tease both Luke and Julie also Flynn will definitely tease Julie as well)

Alex being the bank dealer is everything, and Reggie just forcing Luke to pay him is everything. (Not sure if this is a game rule but I’ve played a few times were you can give someone a building that has the cost/whatever you owe, so maybe they do that)

Honestly monopoly was banned before hand with Bobby but one day Julie brought it up and they just couldn’t tell her (Luke flipped a table... a table)

Also randomly Flynn and Willie are there just for chaos reasoning.

2. Yes lol

Number stuff

2. Alex and Willie just chilling and then Reggie ruining everything is perfect. (Also Willie is crying laughing during this whole thing, even more so when the hoodie rips and Alex just looks hurt and shocked at the same time towards Reggie)

So I watched the first episode, and I was mistaken. Maybe Arther changes as the show goes on but this is not how I thought the story went 😂

I was like, they changed the story but it still had to have the idea of Merlin helping Arther out with getting the sword out of the stone and in the shows there is a witch. I can’t tell if it’s because they are adding details to the story or if I just don’t know it. But yes just like with Merlin calling Arthur an idiot, my lord is total Alex energy. Definitely could see him doing that is real life at some point. Yes, Luke does still die from the hotdog

5. Same here!! Also the ones that you’ve mentioned I think I have read as well, have to love that for us (also the fact that everyone agree not to ship Alex with Julie and just have them be supportive wingpeople)

6. I love that for us. Also I love the sign idea, (Bobby somehow makes a sign to tell Willie that Alex is okay) it mostly comes because Alex is so distracted by Willie and the hair flip to notice that Willie is asking if he is alright or not. Wait I was still thinking about waterparks, moving to what you were actually talking about. I’m just keeping that in because

But yes, Bobby gets a sign from the boys and everything is better. (The sign is, don’t steal the songs, big no). Also I love how you say that they still go back to Julie but they make a quick pit stop

8. Yes, also their strengths complimented each other’s so without them there Bobby feels lost. So many props towards Reggie, I have no clue what is happening with that game at all times.

10. Aww happy Reggie with technology (also the fact that he doesn’t have to develop photos anymore makes him want to cry happy tears) ‘you don’t understand Julie, green photos. I’m not joking green photos, you don’t know my pain’

I know exactly what you are talking about, can’t remember the name at all though.

Reggie is just upset, but Alex and Bobby are rolling they find it that funny. Also Luke says something along the lines of, ‘it looked fine, I don’t see you blaming Alex and Bobby. This is not fair 🥺’

Wait yes, they always get recipes from bakeries. Also if a food is expensive/they don’t have enough for it but they want to try it sometime they (Reggie) will try to get a recipe just for Alex to make it.

Aw, Alex giving Bobby his own little box so that he always has something to eat.

11. And little did they know that Reggie actually met the Queen

13. Same here lol, but I’m not very good at sketching. However you should definitely do them if you want to! I’m in full support.

14. Yes exactly

16. Precisely, if it was anyone else Alex could say no however sue to the fact that it’s Luke and Reggie, he can’t

17. Oh my goodness you made my idea better. (Honestly I can’t type so I have no clue how I worded it) however I had meant that Reggie asks Caleb for baby pictures of Willie but your idea works so much better. (Also Willie isn’t really that creeped by the fact that Reggie has his baby pictures just accepts it)

Wait, I love that you said Caleb doesn’t question it. As if people ask Caleb for baby pictures all the time, or at least it’s normal (maybe normal Reggie behavior 🤷‍♀️)

But a Caleb scrapbook I love that idea. Also yes, Reggie just has baby pictures of everyone. Some random stranger that he saw once, yes, his great aunts ex husbands son’s daughter yes (oh my goodness what is that sentence). But basically everyone, even the queen

Yes, just them as babies in hot dog suits. Reggie also has a hat on for I don’t know why reasons. (Imagine if there’s a baby Willie with some kind of hot dog themed thing though)

19. Yes, Luke also smashes snow on peoples heads as well. And Alex is usually the one who stuffs it down the persons back (it is what Willie does as well, and they always have an alliance)

20. Exactly, Owen is such a great actor (also mentioning Booboo Stewart for same reasons)

And Owen does play Alex so perfectly, like Kenny could not have chosen a better actor for Alex even if he tried.

Honestly if the boys had hated Willie I would cry, A because no Willie and Alex and B that’s exactly what they are like and although it’s everything if no point A then sad. I mean, Caleb played Willie just as much as he played the boys. (I just want Caleb to be the good guy because but he does stuff like this whyyy)

Luke isn’t happy that Julie is mad at him however he’s happy that he was able to connect with Flynn

Anything that gets us Unsaid Emily is worth it in my books

21. Honestly I have no clue it’s just been something that I’ve been thinking about. Honestly both of those theories works so well and I feel like it will be so hilarious if Alex freaks over breaking in entering however he’s legitimately done something worse. Also yes, Emily and Mitch talking to Alex to make sure they are both alright is adorable

That would be hilarious, just send this to him one day 😂 😂

24. Yes, also just it either means Flynn and Carrie moments or Flynn singing which are both needed.

Yes only for one song, she can only manage one band and she doesn’t want to be a part of it (in that way). Yes it is a sad song with just them.

25. Imagine Alex and Carrie having a conversation and their banter just being everything

Yes and Luke is like the cool uncle who you go too when you want someone casual but I’m not going to call you out just yet to your father kind of person

26. Wait, yes that’s how all arguments used to get settled in the 90s and if Luke was in the wrong then he would usually write music (I’m basic apparently I can’t think of something else)

Same, especially if we get another hair flip from Willie.

28. This works perfectly! That’s exactly what happened and then ‘now or never’ came to be

32. I didn’t even think of the shop assistant giving him stickers I was just thinking of some random fan discovering Alex at 3 AM however I love that so much more.

Yes, he definitely would take extreme care of it and keep it in its pristine condition

35. Legitimately Ray just has so many kids, imagine if he tried to adopt Reggie, Luke, and Alex though that would be funny. And emotional at the same time

For the purpose of them looking amazing we are just going to disregard the fact that they can’t be seen on photo (maybe it’s a special camera that Willie has from the club i don’t know) (hmm or maybe if a ghost takes the picture then other ghosts can be seen?)

Yes I love that as well, the orb does look good for some reason lol

37. Who doesn’t live for heart eyes Alex (& Willie in my opinion). Yes, and these are not casual rules that you can break there’s legitimately a list and everything. Also Reggie isn’t allowed to wash it after shrinking it and changing the colour one time

39. Yes the dream father daughter team. They are so close (also just want to mention Ray in general not only with Julie but with Carlos as well, because you can tell that’s he trying so hard and is doing so well)

The categories are so funny also I love how we just have this so organized now

I’m sorry this took me so long to answer! I kept telling myself I would then getting sidetracked and now I’ve decided one o’clock in the morning is the best time to start writing this. Bare with me, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a lot of mistakes here 😂😭

BOX STUFF

1. Wait I didn’t think about that but I love it so much! Whenever the guys hang out at Luke’s before he runs away, Alex will walk into his room, tut at him or mutter something under his breath, and tidy while still managing to have a conversation with the guys - occasionally he’ll interrupt his own sentence to tell Luke off for the state of his room, like, “Oh yeah, I heard about that, it was — Luke, I swear if you don’t start picking up your dirty socks I’m going to shove them down your throat while you sleep — really cool actually, did you hear about...”. Also he has been known to just drag the vacuum cleaner in because he knows where Emily keeps it and he’ll hoover over the guys’ conversation.

And I can totally see Reggie stress cleaning? Bc usually he’s stressed or upset because of his parents fighting, right? So it must seem to him that everything is very disorderly and out of place, so to make himself feel better he spends hours putting things in the right place so everything is nice and tidy. It’s just an added bonus that the place gets cleaner. Also if the studio was messy the day before and suddenly clean when the band arrives in the morning then they know Reggie had a tough night.

Oh god that hurts. That hurts so freaking much. Just particularly the “pretending he is still there” part - I’m now imagining Emily or Mitch going up to Luke’s room alone, slowly sitting down on the bed or at the desk because they don’t even want to disturb the dust that has settled there. And they’ll look around the room and they’ll remember their son and all the things he used to do - write music, play games, hang out with his friends (who they remember and miss as well), and yes, argue with his parents. And they talk to him, sometimes in the way Ray and Julie do to Rose, as if Luke can hear them and is listening, but sometimes it’s as if he’s stood right in front of them. Tears in her eyes, Emily will whisper “How did your band rehearsal go?” because although it’s too late to start caring and to be okay with it, it comforts her to pretend it means something. She’ll imagine Luke’s reply, hear his voice tell her they made a killer new song, and she’ll smile as she replies, “That’s lovely. Well done, Luke. I’m so proud of you.”

3. Omg hang on I love that, like Alex being amazing at cooking but also completely clueless. He mutters to himself, “What the fuck does ‘fold in the flour’ mean?” then take a wild guess and somehow it tastes great. But like you said, it doesn’t exactly look very appetising.

BOARD GAMES AND JAM

1. Abwjskdlw Alex throwing drumsticks at Luke like a javelin or a dart or something, and Luke is frantically trying to dodge them but Alex has a seemingly endless supply of drumsticks, he just keeps pulling them out of nowhere and they’ve been there for half an hour of non-stop drumstick throwing and avoiding before he finally runs out.

YES and Reggie is totally serious about it too. Alex sneezes and Reggie is immediately like “that’s a tell!!! You sneezed last round too!!! I’m onto you, Mercer, I know it was you.” And Alex almost readies his drumsticks to throw at Reggie as well.

AMONG US

Oh this. This is glorious. I love this entire thing omg.

The detail of Luke saying Alex was imposter when he wasn’t sus just because he was annoyed is brilliant and would 100% happen. Also Julie-and-Willie and Alex-and-Luke being the best imposter duos is everything. Willie won’t kill Alex no matter what, but Julie is ruthless and Luke is usually first on her list.

Also I want to add what accessories they like because that’s fun! Although I haven’t played in months and can’t remember all of them, but this is what immediately springs to mind.

Luke - toilet paper hat

Julie - flower pot hat

Willie - top hat

Alex - the adorable little leaf thing

Reggie - pumpkin head hat thing

Flynn - no accessory, but she does have a tiny version of her character trailing behind her, you know the ones I mean right? She has a tiny child Among Us player with her at all times idk

Oh god, Monopoly is so much more hectic when Willie and Flynn join in. Willie somehow manages to collect so much money that he may as well just be the banker (definitely nothing to do with Alex being biased and “accidentally” slipping him a little extra cash). Flynn gets the best cards (that’s a thing in monopoly right? There’s a stack of cards in the middle you can choose from? Idk) and they basically win her the game. Luke gets angry, that’s when he flips the table again and Julie locks monopoly away forever

Same with Uno. Reggie doesn’t speak to Luke for a week after the first and only time they play Uno.

NUMBERS

2. I love that, like Willie trying to be a supportive boyfriend as Alex watches his hoodie get torn to pieces but just not being able to contain his laughter, practically lying in Alex’s lap because he’s laughing so much. It only gets worse as Alex cradles his ripped hoodie in his hands like it’s a dead animal or something. Like Willie is trying to be nice but the whole situation is freaking ridiculous and it doesn’t work.

Ahahaha I’m so glad you watched it! It does change a bit as the story goes on, I’m sure you’ll like it (I’d always be willing to hear your thoughts on it if you keep watching as well, if you want!!)

And like right??? Alex has complete and utter Merlin energy like “No, there must be another Arthur because this one’s an idiot” may as well be Alex saying “No, there must be another Sunset Curve because these ones are idiots”

6. Lmfao Alex just totally stops functioning after the hair flip and Bobby has to step in, love that. He very calmly takes over the situation, or has a sign, or just like freaking slaps the back of Alex’s head to bring him back to reality.

Right??? They just very quickly say “hey Bobby it’s us don’t steal our music” and then appear in the garage. Kinda tempted to write it now actually

8. Okay, seeing as it’s half one, I don’t want to go off on a whole tangent about “their strengths compliment each other” but I will definitely do this when I’m more awake because it’s a goddamn goldmine

10. Yesss 🥺🥺 like at first he would be a little sad that he didn’t get the experience of getting them developed but then when he remembered how annoying it was he’d be so happy. And omg can you imagine he reaction to how instant it is?? And how high definition?? My boy would stay there staring at these photos for hours on end, wide-eyed, mouth open, awestruck

Oh I love that! Reggie claims it’s so that Alex can enjoy himself and cook something new, which it partly is, but mainly it’s because Reggie just wants more food

11. I now wanna say that Reggie has met a ton of celebrities but nobody believes him because it’s Reggie (and he literally said how adults never believed him as a kid). He’s met the queen, the band Queen, Billy Joel (just because I watched a Billy Joel concert tonight - side note, Luke absolutely adores Billy Joel and listens to him constantly), whoever the president was when the guys were alive, and plenty more

17. Omg lmfao that makes sense 😂😂😂 but yeah like now I love the idea of him having Caleb’s baby photos too, I’m not going back on it. Caleb just has them ready to hand over the next time they all see each other (idk if I already mentioned that?) and he does a big evil speech but hands Reggie the photos halfway through, still talking, and Reggie just smiles and tucks them away into his pocket

“Or at least normal Reggie behaviour” I love how that implies that even though they’ve only really met twice Caleb already knows exactly what Reggie’s like and not only accepts it but is willing to encourage it, showing that he probably thinks it quite sweet (because let’s face it, we all think Reggie is sweet, and Caleb may be evil but he’s not stupid)

Reggie having the queen’s baby photos omg I’m dead 😂😂 that time they met he asked her and like Caleb she didn’t question it, just handed over these probably priceless photos and they end up in some ghost’s scrapbook

Omg yes all of them in hotdog suits plus baby Willie with hotdog socks! Or eating a hotdog! Or with a hotdog stuffed toy! The possibilities are endless

19. YES definitely. Also, Willie and Alex’s alliance only lasts until one of them has the perfect opportunity to shove snow down the other’s back just to watch them squirm, then it’s every ghost for himself

20. You are SO right, Owen and Booboo are literally amazing, we really won with this whole cast.

And thank you so much for saying Caleb played Willie as much as he did the guys!!!! I’ve seen so much stuff recently about Willie hate and like no?? You’re right, Willie was as much a victim as the others. Also I am so in love with the idea of Good Caleb! I just want him to adopt Alex, that’s literally it. Maybe instead of Caleb being defeated by the end of the show, he has seen the error of his ways and has turned nice, now only using evil against people who upset Alex and Willie, pretty please, Kenny make this happen???

Wait yeah that’s a really good point. Again, it’s a looooong tangent and it’s ten to two so I won’t write it now, but Luke and Flynn being friends (and competing over who loves Julie more) is something I desperately need

21. Yes lmao like Alex when he was alive would sometimes graffiti with the boys or set fire to stuff for fun (because they’re teenage boys and that’s what teenage boys do right? Idk that’s what the ones I know do) but as a ghost when he’s invisible he’s just very unsure about going into a closed museum

24. Yesss I need this so muchhh you’re so right

25. Alex and Carrie friendship is god tier.

Small tangent but y’know what else is great? Carrie and Nick being best friends instead of dating. They would get on so well without the pressure of a relationship (once Carrie becomes a little nicer and Nick stops being possessed)

Exactly that’s totally what Luke is

26. Another Willie hair flip PLEASE I would die. Just, Alex short-circuiting around Willie is the best thing ever. And it’s got me wondering what other little things Willie does that basically break Alex: stretching when he’s wearing a crop top so Alex can see his stomach and the smallest bit of his chest; okay but swimmer Willie?? Willie was on his school’s swim team and still swims sometimes and for whatever reason Alex’s loses it; twirling his hair around his finger (bonus points: twirling Alex’s hair around his finger while they’re cuddling)

32. I just love the idea of literally anyone giving them stickers. Reggie’s just out and about in a forest in the middle of nowhere one day (even he doesn’t really know what he’s doing there) and somehow someone finds him and hands him their fanart

35. Omg I didn’t think about how emotional it would be but then you had to go and say this and now all I can think about is each of the boys getting the family they deserve after so long and being loved and cared for unconditionally even though they’re dead and Ray would call them his angels (because he kinda did in ep 7) and oh god it’s too much I love it

Ooooh yes I like that, it’s a good way around the issue 😂 ghost takes photo, ghost can be seen. Perfect

37. Pffffft lmao YES. Reggie just wasn’t really certain on how the washing machine worked because it was at Luke’s house not his and they had a different model and he forgot not to mix colours and it all went badly wrong. Also Luke is banned from wearing them without supervision because once he accidentally set fire to one and now it’s elbow has a burnt patch on it

39. Now you’ve mentioned that I want Ray and Trevor to be friends again! They were probably buddies until Julie and Carrie fell out, I’d love to see them reconnect

Personally my favourite thing of this whole experience is how “Alex and jigsaws” turned into “Reggie has the queen’s baby photos”

#we are doing the lords work #it is 2:08 i need to sleep #williexmercer #asks #emily answers

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wordsablaze · 5 years ago

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Avalon Smiles

Merlin's immortal and no stranger to New Year's but this time, Avalon makes it special by giving him the only gift he's ever desired... Enjoy!

A.N: it’s my last fic of the year - the decade - and i just wanted to finally write about merlin being happy so here you go ^.^

New Year's.

Merlin was not a fan of New Year's.

Of course, he appreciated the way families and friends got together, travelling round the world to meet and celebrate and spend time together - it would be rude of him not to.

But it was always difficult for him to join in.

His best friends were dead.

And his family was long gone.

The acquaintances he made over the years never really knew the true him, and he always had to mysteriously disappear after a while or else they'd realise they were all growing older without him.

It was painful to leave them all behind, the people he grew to care about despite telling himself that he should stick to being alone, but he never knew how to tell them about his past and he knew he’d never be able to handle revealing the truth over and over and over again.

Natural ageing spells were far too tiring to maintain anyway.

So, when New Year's rolls around yet again, Merlin isn't particularly excited.

He couldn't care less, to be honest.

Instead of joining his co-workers in their plans for a night out they claim they’ll never forget, Merlin keeps his head down and makes plans for which country he should move to next.

He politely declines any invites he gets, laughs his way out of being persuaded to join everyone, and tries not to think about the disappointment on the faces of those who try to convince him to tag along.

He just thinks about how it's always exciting, moving somewhere different and finding a new place to stay, often giving himself a fresh identity just for the fun of it - he’d sometimes name himself after the Knights of The Round Table just because he could.

"Lin, you're coming too, aren't you?"

Merlin blinks, looking up from the beautiful watch he'd been mending. "Sorry?"

It sometimes took him a minute to remember the name he’d given himself but, thankfully, this was one of the easy ones because it was essentially the truth.

And if his fake birth certificate said Lincoln instead of Merlin, well, it didn't matter anyway because everyone called him ‘Lin’.

The manager, Nick, smiles at him, an almost sad look in his eyes. "New Year's. Are you coming?"

Sighing, Merlin slowly shakes his head. It'll be sad to leave 'Lin' and this job behind but there's no other choice: he’s been here far too long and they’ll get suspicious if he claims he’s still at university for much longer.

“I’m not surprised,” Nick says, but not unkindly. “I’ll miss you, you know?”

“Oh?” Merlin smiles a little, putting the watch down properly.

Nick chuckles. “You know I will, Lin, you have such a unique way of fixing time…” he gestures to the watch Merlin has impressively all but brought back to life.

“It’s my pleasure,” Merlin replies, and he means it. He’s grown to love the irony of watching time pass in a place surrounded by reminders of how far he’s come.

It definitely helps that the owner of a watch shop is called Nick, that makes it so much easier to deflect personal questions with puns and jokes. It’s the safest he’s felt in a long time and he knows this shop is a place he can never forget.

Nodding sincerely, Nick leans forward so their conversation is more hushed. “If you ever decide to come back…”

When Merlin opens his mouth to protest, Nick just holds up a hand. “I know you’re not planning on returning from New Year’s break but I want you to know, there’s always a place for you here.”

With that, he places a small, plastic card on the table, one with a little photo of Merlin in the corner and the words 'assistant manager’ printed in the centre.

Merlin exhales softly. “Nick, I…”

“It was going to be a surprise gift at the party but I don’t want to risk you never knowing because you’ve skipped town,” Nick admits, the sincerity in his voice making Merlin’s eyes prickle with regret.

“You don’t have to say anything but, you know, the offer’s on the table. For as long as it takes.”

“As long as it takes to what?” Merlin asks, clearing his throat because he’s definitely not about to cry at the thought of being so dearly appreciated.

Nick shakes his head with a smile. “As long as it takes for you to find what you’re looking for in life.”

It’s been a long time since anyone has understood him so well and Merlin has the strange urge to both cry and hide away so he can process it.

Thankfully, Nick claps Merlin on the shoulder before he can make a fool of himself and flee. After a moment, he squeezes Merlin’s arm slightly. “I hope to see you soon, Lin.”

Merlin has to brace himself on the counter as Nick leaves.

He catches sight of the card and sighs heavily, picking it up and slipping it in his pocket, just in case 'Lin' ever needs to resurface in future.

Then he gets back to the watch, adding a few finishing touches before placing it in the right case and signing out, throwing a glance at the cosy shop he’d found refuge in before closing the door behind him and starting to walk.

He walks until he reaches the end of the road, and then the end of the next road, and then the next, and the next and the next until he’s not on roads anymore and the sound of water softly hitting the shore replaces the dull hum of traffic.

“Hello again, dollophead,” Merlin breathes as he sits in front of the quiet lake.

“And that’s another year passing but who’s counting, right?” Merlin continues, pulling his knees up resting his arms on them, trying to get comfortable.

“I’m not sure I want to leave,” Merlin confesses quietly, pulling out the card Nick had given him and staring at what could have been his new job, “and I know I’ve said that before but it was really looking good this time.”

As usual, there’s no answer, only the perpetual rise and fall of the ocean waves.

Merlin curls his fingers around the card and lets his head fall onto his arms, his eyes falling shut even though it’s only early evening. He can feel the warm sunset light fall over him and the ghost of a smile flickers on his face, knowing how beautiful everything must look right now.

He’s seen the sun set over this lake thousands of times but it never gets any less impressive, any less beautiful, any less painful.

“I miss you,” Merlin whispers quietly before dozing off.

When he wakes, it’s to the feeling of something digging into his back.

“Ow,” he mumbles sleepily, yawning as he stretches his arms and pulls himself upright.

It’s a small mercy that it’s never cold at the lake, nor too warm. It’s always a comfortable temperature, as if the place itself knows to take care of its visitors. Of its Visitor.

“Good morning,” Merlin whispers, smiling at the sunlight reflecting off the water because it reminds him of his Prince, his King, that ridiculous but endearing smile.

“It’s the last day again,” Merlin points out for what feels like the millionth time as he pushes himself to his feet and brings the feeling back into his limbs so he can start walking to his usual spot.

The spot where a dragon had bid him farewell.

“Here we go again,” Merlin says to nobody in particular, settling against his favourite tree and leaning back so he can watch the water as he always does, surrounded by the closest to peace he’s ever able to feel.

Said peace flies by quickly, the sun rising and falling before he’s ready for it.

Merlin sits up as he feels the millions of people around the world start counting down, closing his eyes and letting the darkness of the sky envelop him entirely.

“Ten…”

It’s been a while since he’s had to count down to a new identity and the usual thrill of leaving almost feels wrong this time, out of place.

“Nine…”

Maybe he’ll go to France, he’s always wanted to try those lovely treats that anyone in Camelot would have fought tooth and nail for.

“Eight…”

Or maybe he can try Venice again, with less falling into the water this time around.

“Seven…”

It doesn’t matter in the end, because all he cares about is being able to get back here when he needs to, back to familiarity.

“Six…”

It’s hard, sometimes, to hide his magic, but it’s even worse when he finds himself forgetting that he can use it at all - that’s always when he knows he needs to relocate.

“Five…”

Although, Nick had never been suspicious of his magic and Merlin had never felt like he had to suppress it, disguising it under talent and a family history in clock-making.

“Four…”

In retrospect, that sounds like a hollow and unbelievable reason but he’s not complaining about the freedom it gave him.

“Three…”

He just wishes he could truly be free, truly go back to dealing with herbs and cloaks and horses that eagerly awaited his arrival at the stables.

“Two…”

He can’t remember the last time he felt loved - truly loved - and he can’t help missing his friends, his family, his people as yet another countdown comes to an end.

“One…”

And that’s it.

Merlin’s another year older and has nothing, nothing to show for it.

Small, warm tears escape his eyes as he exhales, blocking out the rest of the world and curling up, wishing he hadn’t been destined for a future that never seems to arrive.

“Merlin?”

No.

Impossible.

Merlin’s eyes snap open as he looks around wildly, unsure if he’d just wishfully imagined that voice. It wouldn’t be the first time.

“Merlin, I know you’re there.”

He’s never imagined that arrogance though.

Regardless, he finds himself frozen, unwilling to move and break the illusion.

“Come on, Merlin, I’m getting chills!”

A small noise slips past his lips, a mix of a gasp and a sob.

It can’t be.

But it must be.

“Arthur?”

Merlin knows he’s barely even whispering, his voice so quiet he can barely feel it forming, but he hears someone sigh in relief.

“Why is it so dark?”

Biting his lip to stop himself from laughing or crying, Merlin wobbles unsteadily to his feet, trying to steady his racing heart.

“There you are…”

And then someone’s running and Merlin can’t breathe because there are arms around him, arms pulling him close and keeping him close.

“Arthur…” Merlin breathes, returning the gesture and bringing his arms up to pull the other closer, hoping this is real.

It is real, it has to be real, because who else would be wearing armour and a soft, red cloak except the one and only Arthur Pendragon?

Arthur smiles and only tightens his grip in response. “Thank you, Merlin.”

“What?”

Apparently amused at Merlin’s confusion, Arthur chuckles. “Thank you for waiting all this time.”

Oh.

Merlin almost sobs, letting his drop onto Arthur’s shoulder as he shakes his head, wishing the lump in his throat would go away. “I didn’t exactly have a choice.”

At that, Arthur starts laughing but, before Merlin knows what’s happening, they’re both crying, shaking, deciding to sit down before Merlin’s knees give out or Arthur trips over himself because it’s too dark to see.

Once they’re settled against a tree, Merlin takes a deep breath and conjures a small orb of light that hovers beside them.

Arthur’s startled expression is the first thing Merlin sees and he panics, clenching his fingers into a fist so the light disappears.

He'd thought…

“Merlin, you idiot, now I can’t see you,” Arthur chides after a moment of silence.

He'd thought right. Thankfully.

Merlin coughs sheepishly, “I’m sorry, I-”

“I know. It’s okay, I… I know.” Arthur’s voice is quiet but sincere and Merlin almost starts crying again as relief floods through his blood.

He conjures the light again and this time, Arthur is beaming at him, already reaching for him and pulling him close so they’re leaning on one another as if they’re just out hunting again.

“Merlin?”

He doesn’t think he’ll ever tire of hearing Arthur say his name.

“Arthur?” he mimics, a smile fixed on his face.

A few beats of silence pass before Arthur interlocks their fingers, squeezing his hand gently and whispering, “You need to stop running.”

Merlin frowns, torn between confusion and the warm feel of Arthur’s hand making his heart happy. He settles on shaking his head minutely. “I’m not… I’m not running.”

But Arthur’s not ready to accept that. He glances at Merlin with concern in his eyes. “I heard you, Merlin. Every year. You’re always running somewhere different every time.”

Swallowing audibly, Merlin just sighs. “It’s not that bad.”

“But even I can tell it’s not that good,” Arthur argues, turning so he’s staring directly into Merlin’s eyes, the gold from the orb reflecting the compassion in his eyes as he raises an eyebrow.

Merlin shrugs.

Arthur smiles at him again, taking his other hand too. “Stay here. Don’t run away this time.”

Thinking of the card still in his pocket, Merlin bites his lip. “I don’t know…”

His thumbs gently rubbing circles on Merlin’s hands, Arthur shifts again so Merlin has no choice but to look into his eyes, almost losing his breath at the hope and promise he finds in them.

“Would it help if I stayed here with you?”

Yes.

Yes

“Yes,” Merlin manages, his eyes watering again as he throws himself at Arthur, the two of them toppling and landing awkwardly but not caring because it’s been so long, too long, and all that matters is that they’re together again.

And that they can stay together because Merlin has an assistant manager’s position waiting for him and there are plenty of cosy flats that need new tenants and there’s nothing stopping the two of them from building a life for themselves.

They end up settling on their backs, staring up at the sky, their fingers entwined and matching smiles on their faces.

“Merlin?” Arthur asks yet again.

“Yeah?”

“Happy New Year.”

Merlin smiles, turning to Arthur. “Yeah. It is.”

Sharing a sideways smile, they curl around one another and barely notice when they drift into a peaceful sleep, content in one another’s arms.

Unbeknownst to them, for the first time in a very long time, Avalon is smiling.

Apologies for mistakes! I hope y'all have an absolutely magical New Year's, I'm sending my best wishes! xox See you in the next decade ;p

like/reblog but please don’t repost, thanks! masterlist

#merlin #merthur #merlin fanfic #bbc merlin #merthur fanfic #merlin emrys #Arthur Pendragon #merlin x arthur #fluff and angst #new year #happy new year #angst with a happy ending #hurt comfort #fanfic #fanfiction #merlin fanfiction #my writing #as #avalon

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thebikles13 · 5 years ago

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Little Merlin fan fiction

Merlin whistled as he hurried through the castle corridors. It was a wandering, happy sort of sound, slipping in and out of recognizable melody, standing just adjacent to music.

He carried a neatly folded crimson cloak and a pile of clinking bits and pieces of armor on top of that. For once, Merlin didn’t mind his heavy burden or how awfully early he’d been forced out of bed.

For this day was special. It was the start of the yearly jousting tournament and though Merlin would never admit it to Giaus or anyone else, he was quite excited.

He loved the way everyone got all dressed up (well, even more than usual), how banners flickered crisply in the wind and golden coat of arms flashed in the noonday sun, and how the collected knights, the best fighters in all the land would stand waiting, looking imperiously on.

Part of Merlin was impressed by the spectacle of it all while another side of him couldn’t help but laugh at how seriously everyone took themselves. Either way it promised to be an entertaining day.

But it was the games that Merlin particularly looked forward to. It was his job to stand just on the sidelines and assist Gaius while he attended to any injuries. From that vantage point, Merlin could taste the kicked up dust, hear the knights’ ragged breathing and spot a frenzied glint in the horses’ liquid brown eyes.

He liked the comforting thrill of being close enough to the danger and excitement while never being expected to actually get involved. The adrenaline rush minus anyone attempting to murder him.

Merlin climbed another set of stairs, passed a window where he paused for a moment to watch the brightly colored tents being set up and continued to the door of Arthur’s chambers.

He pushed it open with his shoulder calling out as he did so, “It’s me! I brought your armor and I promise I didn’t forget anything this time.”

Merlin stopped as he took in the empty bedroom and heard a muffled voice leaking from the little adjoining closet.

“Go away Merlin.”

Merlin let out a little humorless laugh. Of course. On the one day he got to have a bit fun Arthur had found something to be moody about just to spoil it. Merlin took a fortifying breath and then another for good measure, determined not to let him.

“But, uh- Your Highness, I’ve come to get you ready for the big tournament. That’s kind of my job... “

“I said, go away.”

That’s when Merlin heard it, a strange, jerky stiffness fraying the edges of Arthur’s customary annoyance. It was the sound of a man’s last defense against an onslaught of tears, held together by a painful mix of pride and force of will.

He froze, mouth falling open unwittingly. This was new. Merlin had seen the prince in plenty of moods: joyous or bored or drunk or furious or determined. But never vulnerable. Never with a rawness in his voice that suggested he was about to unravel.

Merlin set down his bundle of armor as soundlessly as he could on the bed, totally unsure of how to proceed. This was dangerous, uncharted territory. Merlin should probably act like a regular servant, he should probably do as he was told. But when had our hero ever done anything that was regular?

All he knew was that Arthur was sad, and despite everything, Merlin’s heart hurt a little to think of it.

“Arthur? Are you alright?”

Merlin squeezed his eyes shut, anticipating an avalanche of shouts which never came. Instead they sat through a long telling silence, then,

“No.”

He took that as an invitation, crossing the room to find Arthur sitting with his back to the closet door. The prince swiped furtively at his eyes when he saw Merlin approaching and looked pointedly away.

Merlin sat down at a respectful distance and waited in what he hoped was companionable silence.

Arthur sighed. “You can’t tell anyone about this. You promise?”

The prince fixed him with a piercing blue-eyed stare and Merlin’s heart stuttered.

“Y-yes, I swear.”

“Okay. It’s just that-” Arthur punched the words into the air then seemed to lose all momentum. They sat for a while longer and it took all of Merlin’s willpower not to relieve the silence.

“I’ve always hated these things. The crowds which make me feel like I’m on display and the knights from neighboring kingdoms who always seem to hate me on sight. And my father-” he stumbled over that word then regained his footing, “My father sitting up in that podium, Merlin it’s like he never blinks, and he expects so much from me. They all expect so much from me!”

Arthur crescendoed at the end, slamming his fist against the wall with each word. Then he seemed to deflate, his eyes losing something, his voice falling to barely above a whisper.

“What if I fail, Merlin? What if I’m not who they all think I am and want me to be? What if I’m not good enough? Because did you know that I’m freaking out all of the time and I have no idea what I’m doing and sometimes it hurts to have to wear this “prince” mask all the time and pretend like I do.”

Arthur let out a shuddering breath and looked away again.

“That’s all.”

Merlin sat back a little like he was making room for something. “Arthur I… I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

The words fell with a clatter to the floor between them and Merlin felt the subtle, corkscrew-like shame of having said the wrong thing. He tried again.

“Hey, Arthur. Look at me. You are not a failure. You’re the best sword fighter I’ve ever seen and you always try to do the right thing even when it’s hard and and you’re so brave…” and good looking and kind when you think no one’s watching.

“The point is it doesn’t matter whether or not you win this stupid competition, everyone in Camelot knows they’re lucky to have you as their future king.”

This time Arthur looked up and smiled. It was a small and genuine gesture, like an offering of a single plucked daisy.

“Thanks, Merlin.”

Then he continued, this time without thinking, speaking from an unnamed instinct to be known, to say aloud all the things he wasn’t supposed to mention.

“Actually, I know what you mean. About having to be two people all the time.”

Merlin was of course talking about his magic, the powers he was born with which he’d spent his whole life trying to hide. Merlin was talking about all the late nights he’d spent studying forbidden tomes by guttering candle light and all the mornings after when he’d forced a polite smile and dragged his feet off to do yet another menial task. Merlin was talking about the thrill and satisfaction that came with mastering a particularly difficult spell and the subsequent twinge of disappointment when he remembered there was no one to share his triumph. And above all Merlin was talking about the freezing horror of watching an execution from the castle windows and knowing that one day it might be him kneeling before the chopping block.

But Arthur knew of none of this. He simply gave Merlin a quizzical look, “Really? How’s that?”

That’s when the young magician realized what he’d almost said, what corner he’d unthinking backed himself into. He felt his palms begin to sweat, he felt his breath go shallow.

For Arthur could never be told the truth. That Merlin was everything Uther had attempted to wipe off the face of the Earth. It wasn’t even any sort of death or ostracism that Merlin was picturing. Only the looks of disbelief, then betrayal then disgust that would contort Arthur’s face. The moment when he would turn away and leave Merlin all alone.

No. He could not. He could never. He buried the words which had been about to float from his lips. Piled them deeper than before, beneath every method of self control he possessed. Merlin’s pulse dropped back to normal, a sickly sweet mix of relief and disappointment swirling in his stomach.

Arthur was still waiting however, and no lame excuse would fool him, it was obvious that Merlin had been about to say something important. Besides, he wanted to share in return, to cement this new bond of trust which seemed stronger than all the times they’d save each other's lives. A secret for a secret. It was only fair.

But what could he say? What would be legitimate enough? Suddenly Merlin quit wracking his mind. It was quite obvious.

“Merlin? What is it?”

It didn’t seem so scary really, as opposed to the alternative.

“I’m not straight.” Merlin kept his eyes fixed on the wall opposite. He hurried on, not giving Arthur a chance to reply. “I’m very gay actually. Always have been.”

The ensuing silence only lasted a few, unending seconds.

“Oh.” There was no malice in the prince’s voice. Only a sort of gentle surprise. Merlin let go of a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“Really? I always thought… You and Gwen…”

He laughed, “No, I think she did like me though and I could never figure out how to break it to her. Thank goodness Lancelot came along and solved that problem for me.”

“So…” Arthur was smiling a decidedly different sort of smile.

Merlin squinted at him without turning his head. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Arthur elbowed him in the ribs, “C’mon! Is there anyone you do like?”

“Ow!” Merlin held his side in mock agony, “That hurt! Stop taking your warrior training out on me!”

“Really though. You can tell me.”

A sunbeam was angling through an open window across the room so that it happened to splash halfway across Arthur’s face. He looked a bit ethereal, each individual strand of hair spotlighted, delicate and glowing like spider silk about to be spun into gold.

Merlin felt his cheeks go red, he looked quickly away.

“No, I don’t fancy anyone. There’s nobody in particular.”

#merlin

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ijustwant2write · 6 years ago

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The Silent Maiden-Sir Leon x Reader

(GIF credit to @gwainegetoutofmyway)

Masterlist

Summary: requested by anonymous: ‘Hey could you like maybe do like something with Sir Leon and a nervous reader if you could? Also your work is really good.’

Characters: Sir Leon x Reader, Merlin x Reader (platonic), mention of other knights and Arthur

Meanings: (Y/N)=Your name

Warnings: nervous reader, teasing, self doubt, confidence issues

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Good morning (Y/N).” Merlin greeted his friend in the castle kitchens, showing the exasperated look on his face.

(Y/N) smiled, quietly replying.“Good morning. Arthur already annoying you?”

Merlin sarcastically smiled.“Would it be a normal day if he wasn’t? He wants his breakfast served in the throne room with the rest of the knights.”

The young girls body tensed up at the mention of the knights, thinking of one in particular. She had always found them intimidating, not that they had ever given her reason to be scared of them; quite the opposite actually, they all showed chivalry wherever they were. But somehow she could never get her words out or even look one of them in the eye. Sir Leon, the second in command to Arthur, was the image of what a knight should be, courageous, bold, caring....handsome. Like many women, she took a liking to him, so it frustrated her to no end when her stupid brain stopped her from speaking to him.

“Oh, they have a meeting?”

“Yeah, so we’ll have to get this out to them quickly.”

She stopped putting away the polished cutlery, whipping her head around to him.“We? I have my own tasks this morning.”

“Please (Y/N),” he started to pile food onto trays,“I just need your help for this, nothing else today.”

Merlin could see the nerves building up in his friend, and although he felt bad for asking this of her, he also wanted to get her confidence to come out. When he first met her, she had hardly spoken, even Gwen found it hard to get her to speak. Some had even wondered if she was mute. But everyone was delighted when they heard their first words come out of her mouth, a sweet, gentle voice to match her delicate, beautiful face; though she didn’t speak much and turned quiet around those she didn’t know, it was just one of her traits now.

Merlin had a glimmer in his eye, and (Y/N) knew what that meant.“(Y/N), I’m sure that if you just talked to Sir Leon-”

“Don’t say anymore!” (Y/N)’s voice was never threatening, it was something she hated. No matter how angry she got, she could never express it properly.

“They all find you beautiful-”

“Merlin, stop!”

“I’m just saying-”

She stomped towards him, picking up a tray full of food.“Come on, let’s get this over with.”

Merlin smiled to himself, feeling slightly bad for teasing (Y/N). He knew that she would have to push herself to get out of her comfort zone. He wanted what was best for her, and he could see the adoration in Sir Leon’s eyes, especially when they entered the room. The knights were already sat at their round table, listening intently to Arthur. Leon tried to keep his focus on his king, but couldn’t help glancing over at the gorgeous maiden that had walked in. He had seen (Y/N) many times around the castle, going about her life as she did her chores. His friends had noticed this too, but could they blame the man?

“Ah, Merlin. You finally obeyed my orders.” Arthur said as they started to serve the food.

“Did you have to drag (Y/N) in though? She’s surely got much better things to do than help you out.” Gwaine teased, winking at the woman.

(Y/N) ducked her head, not meaning to be rude, but she had to cover up her blushing cheeks. She was used to Gwaine’s flirting, it didn’t scare her or make her feel uncomfortable, she knew it was his way of joking with her; if only she could joke too. The men went back to talking as Merlin and (Y/N) continued to lay out the food, and Leon’s heart started to beat ten times faster as she leaned over him to set down his plate.

He looked up at her smiling.“Thank you.”

(Y/N)’s heart was also beating quickly, causing her to become skittish. She tried to smile at him, though feared that it came off as creepy. She rushed off to serve the others, hoping that this would be over and done with soon enough.

“Well lads, who is everyone taking to the Spring Festival?” Gwaine changed the topic, already wanting to torture his fellow knight.

“We’re not here to talk about this Gwaine.” Arthur sighed.

“What’s wrong Arthur, got nobody to take?” Percival joked, everyone rolling their eyes.

“Funnily enough, I’ll be taking my wife.”

“Merlin, (Y/N), you two going? Perhaps together?”

The servants looked at each other, before back to the men. Merlin chuckled, shaking his head.“No, I think (Y/N) has someone else in mind.”

She glared at him, and as soon as he realised this, he stopped laughing. (Y/N) turned her back on them, piling the empty jugs onto the trays to take back.

“Oh, does she now?” Gwaine kept on pushing.“And who would this lucky man be?”

Leon also pined to know who he was. Who would she be wanting? He felt jealousy, but had to restrain himself, knowing that he was being unreasonable. He knew that she wouldn’t answer, she was practically ready to dash out of that room at any minute; he felt bad for her, he wanted Gwaine to stop.

“It’s no one.” she squeaked out, keeping her head bowed.

“Alright, let’s get back to the matter at hand.” Arthur brought the attention back to more important matters, feeling that things would get awkward if he didn’t put a stop to it.

Once Merlin and (Y/N) were dismissed, no one missed the way that the woman sped out of the room, trying to keep her head ducked down. She felt like her whole face was on fire after those comments. Damn Merlin for making her do that. She always went along with it, not wanting to disappoint friends; sometimes she would convince herself that this was the day she changed, this was the day she would finally speak up for herself, become a new women...of course that still hadn’t happened, and it was angering her to no end.

“I’m sorry.” Merlin suddenly said as he caught up to her. He too had thought she would be alright today, maybe Gwaine’s words were too much.

“It’s not your fault, it’s me.”

“No, it’s not.”

“It is though. Why can’t I be confident like other women? I can’t even say hello to the man in the market who sells me vegetables!”

Merlin felt guilty and sad for her. All she wanted was the simple things in life. All she wanted was a voice too. He wanted to help, but after all this time, he had a feeling that this was something that she needed to do herself.

The day carried on as usual. (Y/N) went about her chores, trying to erase the events of that morning out of her mind. Sir Leon was only trying to be nice, all he had said was ‘thank you’, that was normal. Yet why did her mind plague her with this curse? Perhaps she was actually cursed by a witch or warlock when she was a babe, that could be the reason! (Y/N) scoffed at the insane idea, telling herself not to come up with such fantasies to hide the truth.

“Excuse me, lady (Y/N)?” Leon hesitantly called out to her as she carried a basket of laundry down the halls.

She halted her steps, turning to face him.“Sir Leon,” she dipped in a curtsy,“I...I am no lady. You know that.”

Leon smiled at the amount of words she had said to him.“I’m sorry. I always mistake beautiful women such as yourself as ladies.”

(Y/N) didn’t know how to reply, dropping her head down again.

“I’m sorry, I hope I was not too forward.”

She shook her head ‘no’.

“I was just wondering...that is if you really don’t have anyone in mind...would you care to accompany me to the Spring Festival?”

(Y/N)’s eyes widened, panicking Leon. Her mind was in overdrive. Why was he asking her? She was a mere servant, he was a knight, no one had ever heard of that sort of pairing.

“Why?”

Leon leaned down to hear her.“Sorry?”

“Why me?”

He took in a deep breath, smiling to himself.“(Y/N), I don’t think there are enough words to describe how I feel about you. It has been on my mind for sometime, though I did not mean to startle you with a sudden confession. I figured that this would be the best time to ask you. I think you put yourself down too much when everyone around you sees the true you; you’re an amazing, beautiful, kind and caring woman, who I would very much like to get to know better.”

Although (Y/N) wasn’t a speaker, at this moment she truly felt speechless. No one had ever said such words to her, and she never thought she would hear them. Her heart was beating fast again, but it felt good this time.

“Yes.” she had the hugest smile on her face.“I’ll go with you.”

“Thank you. It will truly be an honour to spend the evening with you.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

(Y/N) looked at herself for the hundredth time in the mirror, feeling the familiar sense of nerves again. She had worn her best dress, adorning her plaited hair with flowers; she hoped that it was enough for Leon. The week had dragged on after Leon’s confession, and now that the event was here, (Y/N)’s doubts started to creep back in. What if he had changed his mind? What if he took one look at her and didn’t like it? What would other people think? Just as she was about to back out of it, there was a knock at the door, making her whine. Too late now.

As she opened the door, (Y/N) watched Leon’s expression closely, scared when she saw shock. Before she could apologise and protest, he spoke.

“You look even more amazing, I thought that would be impossible for you.”

“Oh, th-thank you. Is it alright?” she gestured to the dress.

“It’s perfect. These are for you.” he handed her a bouquet of flowers, which (Y/N) smiled at.

“Thank you...again.”

“Are you ready?” he held out his hand to her.

(Y/N) hesitated, staring at it. Her mind was conflicted, screaming at her to go, not to go, maybe, no definitely not; she put on a brave face, finally making a decision, the right decision for the first time in her life.

She firmly grabbed his hand, smiling widely at him.“More than ready. Let’s go!”

#sir leon #sir leon imagine #sir leon imagines #sir leon x reader #sir leon one shot #merlin #merlin imagine #merlin imagines #merlin one shot #merlin x reader #merlin bbc #bbc merlin #bbc

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thegeminisage · 5 years ago

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5 headcanons for Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, and Gwen

ANON I LOVE YOU thank u

im doing these in reverse order bc i wanna save the best 4 last

GWEN:

i think she genuinely enjoys taking care of people. it’s a role she’s forced into a lot - she takes care of her dad, elyan, morgana, uther, even merlin and arthur once in awhile, even HUNITH - but i think she’s the kind of person who finds genuine fulfillment in doing that kind of thing (she picked FLOWERS for morgana just because), and if she hadn’t been the blacksmith’s daughter she would have made a fine apprentice to gaius herself

she’s a better rider than you. and arthur. and elyan. and morgana. and everybody

we never hear word one about gwen’s mom but i like to imagine she died just before gwen and morgana met (which i’m assuming happened shortly after morgana came to camelot) - and gwen, who had just lost a mother, could easily sympathize with morgana, who had just lost a father and was somewhere new and unfamiliar - and that’s why they became such fast friends

gwen is probably a few years older than morgana - i like to think she was morgana’s maidservant from the start, but i don’t think they would have let her be a maidservant to the king’s ward at age 10, so maybe she’s 3ish years older - not so much older she strays into big sister territory, but old enough to do the job required of her

nobody among the knights/guards really knew what to make of gwen or arthur’s feelings for gwen because she’s ??? just a serving girl ??? like they didn’t dislike her exactly and they respected arthur’s choice for the most part but they also didn’t know anything about her and couldn’t see why the fuck arthur would make such a stir over her when it would be so much easier not to. this changes 100% after gwen’s shenanigans with smuggling leon out of camelot; leon comes back singing her praises like ok ok i GET HER now y’all ain’t gonna believe how she got me outta that cell and on leon’s word (and because she’s elyan’s brother and he’s a knight now too) everybody else warms up to her too

MORGANA:

this is practically canon but she’s a lesbian, obviously. gwen was the first girl she had a crush on

this isn’t a headcanon exactly but i wish bbc merlin had had a better budget because you know who deserved a black cat familiar? morgana. like, aithusa made a wonderful foil to merlin’s relationship w/ kilgarrah and i would not wish aithusa’s fate on any creature let alone some poor innocent cat, but also, the IMAGERY...it could have been so good

this is also sort of canon but i think she dresses expressively, hence the goth look after she goes evil. @dellesayah & i joke about her “evil girl eyeliner” in season 3 but honestly look the way the girl wears 100% black in s4 and s5 i think the eyeliner was her own private expression of her inner angry goth post-poisoning when she still had to be wearing those colorful dresses to fool everybody into thinking she was the same good girl morgana in s3

same age as arthur. idk why most fics have her being older - tho i admit her being older but still not being able to inherit the crown is a VALID source of her rage - but if she was born w/ magic is makes the most sense for her to have been born after the purge started, aka after arthur. i guess it depends on when you think uther cheated on his wife lol. but i never really thought of morgana and arthur as having like an older/younger sibling thing - to me they were more like twins, so definitely within a year of his age, whether it’s slightly older or younger depends on how you feel that day i guess

wintertime birthday. i think arthur has a summertime birthday (more on that below) so it makes her a nice balance to him in that way

MERLIN:

the Most doting son ever. i imagine he had a few difficult teenage years (being a warlock and all) and that he still gets himself into trouble out of sheer stupidity sometimes but aside from that he was probably really well-behaved for the most part just because he didn’t wanna make his mama sad

autumn birthday, since we went there with morgana (to complete the quad in Balance, gwen’s would definitely have to be in the spring)

ok i know colin morgan had to like put on a nice “proper” english accent for the show because katie mcgrath didn’t have one but in my heart merlin sounds like a HICK (whatever the ye olde englishe/modern british version of hick sounds like, he’s it) and his accent only gets worse for all the time they’re at ealdor. like arthur THOUGHT it was bad he probably picked on merlin about it all the time but he had NO IDEA how bad it gets! none! and EVERYBODY in ealdor sounds like that except somehow EVEN WORSE! gwen and morgana think it’s UTTERLY charming but arthur is SO GLAD to get back to camelot and away from all that nonsense! and so then ok when they meet balinor in s2 (who speaks like a normal human being) he listens to merlin talk for 5 minutes and IMMEDIATELY knows exactly where the fuck he’s from. #hicksrepresent

merlin SAYS and BELIEVES he understands magic should only be used for great deeds blah blah blah but when he gets overworked and short on time, yeah, that armor’s gonna be polishing itself while he works on 4 other things at once - he just gets better at not being caught. it’s a great deed to keep arthur’s armor in peak condition, right? arthur says he’s a terrible servant but actually being magically aided he winds up being like...really good at his job, once he gets into the swing of it. he’s just fucking insubordinate always 24/7

*** ****** no i will not be taking constructive criticism

ARTHUR:

he knew they lied to him in 2.08. he always knew. canon evidence supports this in 4.03 he says “i lost both my parents to magic” listen to me he ALWAYS KNEW!!!

canon also semi-supports a summertime birthday - i read somewhere once that they made it a point to only show camelot in spring thru early fall so they didn’t have to explain why there wasn’t snow on the ground. arthur’s coming of age ceremony (which i assumed either followed or preceeded his birthday) was in the middle of season 1, which would have been mid or late summer, hence: arthur is a summer baby.

i really like the gay!arthur headcanon but i also think he and gwen have incredible chemistry and i really like their relationship so like...maybe gay with one genuine exception. also that boy EMBODIES internalized homophobia :( poor lad

fond of DOGS and sometimes HORSES but refuses to show it because that’s not very manly of him. he’s too into hunting to truly be an Animal Person but since you don’t hunt dogs or horses generally he has a very very secret soft spot

the writers didnt do this on purpose but in my heart i believe the reason he was willing to risk SO much to save mordred in 1.08 was because of what he did to that druid camp from 4.10......like at first yeah he tries to be hard-hearted about it & just do his fuckin job but i think once his conscience was tripped he couldn’t stand to see a druid kid die again under his watch for no good reason. he’d’ve never agreed otherwise, not even for a kid. he wouldn’t have ratted morgana out but he wouldn’t have helped her either

(send me a character & i’ll give you 5 headcanons)

#personal #liz answers asks #ask memes #merlin blogging #bbc merlin #long post

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fuwafuwamedb · 5 years ago

Text

Birthday Celebrations (Hakuno, Gilgamesh, Extella/CCC Gang, Gudako)

“Hakuno!”

She didn’t have time to get up, to move or anything. Nero and Tamamo were leaping upon her, wrapping their arms around her and pressing their faces to hers. She could feel their hands pulling her in both directions, their attentions smothering her.

“Come on, guys!” Gudako laughed, walking in and grinning.

“What’s going on-“

“We’re celebrating your birthday.”

Her birthday?

“I had Da Vinci and a few others go through the ol’ records on the computer system. Everything’s been digitalized, you know.” Gudako set down a box in front of her, motioning for Emiya to bring over the cake and set it down as well. “Since I found you in the records, I had a couple things done: a little fudging to make you a master here in Chaldea and also I wanted to find your birthday. You get paid starting next month.”

She stared over at the woman, disbelief running rampant.

“Really?”

“Welcome to Chaldea, Kishinami Hakuno.”

Nero and Tamamo were babbling on, but Hakuno found others coming into the room. Iskander, Jeanne, Gawain, Arjuna, Robin Hood…

She found herself encompassed with the festivities.

Each of them had something for her. Whether she wanted it or not, she really could question, but there it was. Each gift had her smiling a little more. Each joke and game had her laughing a bit.

It was strange, feeling like this.

Each one of them had come to this room to help her celebrate a day that she didn’t even remember. She had each of them giving thanks to the universe for her just coming into existence. Each of them, with their stories and their grandeur, simply being happy she was alive and well with them.

Others joined.

Melloi and Alexander dared to challenge Iskander to a contest of wits.

Merlin slipped in to bother Artoria, bringing Arthur with him.

Tristan played ill suited mood music, earning a raving criticism from the audience around them.

Nero bickered over her head to Tamamo, arguing over who was better suited for her.

She was just happy that their presents had come when the others were distracted. The lingerie was not something she wanted others to see. Gilgamesh probably would have gotten mad about the vibrator as well since…

Wait.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Gilgamesh today.

The cake had been carved into, the servants were spread out throughout the room to eat and chatter away.

“Hakuno?”

“I think I need to lay down,” Hakuno told the Roman Emperor. “Can you let the others know?”

The woman pulled her hand to her lips, pressing a kiss to it softly.

“Was it too much, Praetor?”

“It was perfect. You all made today the best day of my life.”

The blonde smiled, continuing to hold and hug her hand to her cheek.

“You deserve happiness, Praetor. You worked hard. You were given no fairness. If you had been in my home, I would have seen that your romantic soul was given the love and adoration it deserves.”

“You do that anyway.”

She pouted a little.

“Nero,” Hakuno laughed a little, closing the space between them and kissing her hands. “You were such a strong and wonderful servant to me. Sometimes, I do feel quite jealous of Gudako for having you.”

Her smile illuminated the room with its radiance. Her laugh was nervous and giddy.

“O-of course! Praetor! Please know that my door is always open. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

But she wasn’t who she was interested in seeing right now.

Heading down the halls, Hakuno moved carefully to the clay being’s room first. It didn’t seem that they were there.

The gym was empty as well.

Nothing in Archer’s room.

Hakuno headed further down the halls when she heard a splashing from the baths.

She knocked carefully.

“Mongrel, it’s a public bath. Do you intend to hoard the space?”

“I was trying to see who was in here,” Hakuno replied, opening the door and watching the three blonds sitting in the waters. “Everyone is over in the lounge celebrating right now.”

“There’s nothing to celebrate,” the three told her.

She hesitated at that.

“Right.”

What more was there to say but that?

It wasn’t like she had been hoping for anything from the man. She hadn’t even expected to celebrate a birthday for herself. Everyone else had thrown the whole event for her. They’d made it up to be something huge and spectacular. They had been the ones to throw the fanfare and she had started to get caught up in it all.

“Hakuno,” Archer gave her a look. “What’s that look about?”

“Hakuno, why do you look sad? What’s wrong?” Kid Gil moved closer to the water’s edge.

“I’m just heading back to our room-“

“Hakuno.”

Caster raised his voice, motioning her into the baths.

“I shouldn’t bother you-“

“We told you to come here,” Archer complained. “Come here, Hakuno.”

Her body felt heavier than usual as she closed the door and walked over to the water’s edge. She wasn’t going to be able to avoid them for long. She disrobed and climbed into the warm waters, feeling Caster pull her into his arms and rest his chin on her head.

“Hakuno,” Kid swam a bit closer. “Do you want me to get something for us to mess around with in the tub? I have some water guns for shooting Archer-“

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.”

All three replied to her at that. She could feel Caster pinch at her.

“Don’t lie to us.”

She turned away a little, closing her eyes only to listen to Caster breathing softly. A bickering began as Archer rounded on his child self, getting after him about water guns.

Hakuno looked up after a time, feeling Caster’s weight increasing.

“…Are you falling asleep?”

The man nodded.

“Go lay down,” Hakuno told him.

“I am fine.”

“You’re falling asleep, Caster.” She looked over the other two. “Kid, can you take Caster back to his room?”

“Me? Why can’t Archer?!”

“Because Archer will leave him at the side of the hallway.”

The boy blinked, nodding a little.

It was true. He’d done it before.

The two climbed out of the baths, Kid directing the other onwards from the room.

“You’re upset.”

“I’m fine-“

Archer moved in closer, arms wrapping around her body before she could climb out of the baths. His body pressed her to the wall, his hands delving into her hair.

“Today is not your birthday.”

“Gudako and the others found it-“

“You were created, not born, remember?”

She gave him a droll look.

“That means that there is no official day listed,” Archer told her. “Therefore, your birthday must be a day of significance, a day that brought value into the world in your regards.”

Or they could just use the date that was in her paperwork. That made a lot more sense.

“We still have a couple more months,” Archer told her. “Your birthday is the day that you contracted yourself to me. You gave your own life meaning and tore away from that which created you. I have plans in place… reluctantly with that useless Caster of me and that child.”

He wrinkled his nose at the mention of the other two, but…

“You don’t need to do anything-“

“You don’t take pleasure in things.” Gilgamesh rolled his eyes. “I must do something. At the rate that you are going, you’ll simply settle for the happy moments in this place and do nothing. You are lucky to have me at your side.”

“Archer-“

“So just stay here with me,” he told her. Those red eyes glanced her way. His expression stayed determined. “Remain at my side and let me break down whatever walls you have so neatly placed up. When it is your birthday, you will know. It will not be thrust upon you like some unwanted gift. It will be an experience, a moment that makes you feel such pleasure that you drown in it.”

“What do you have planned, Archer?”

A knowing smile came to his lips. He pressed his lips to hers before pulling her deeper into the waters.

“Trust me, Hakuno. I have prepared a great deal for your birthday.”

#drabble #drabbles

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