#balinor lives

[justaz]

ive never watched uhhh game of thrones?? i think?? but i saw a clip of that chick with white hair and the dragon and she lit herself on fire or something and came out of the flames alive and i was just thinking that + merlin + this post + this fic (kinda. sorta. in a way.)

so somehow arthur gets involved in the dragon egg shenanigans, maybe merlin goes to him first or arthur finds out some other way idc whatever anyway they all make their way to the tomb where the dragon egg should be and find it open and a dragon egg sitting on a pedestal surrounded by bits of charred remains and a whole lotta ashes

arthur + the knights are cautious but merlin is entranced by the egg and steps into the room which separates him from the group. arthur + the knights are frantically trying to find a way to get him but merlin doesn’t realize what’s happened as he continues to approach the egg and places his hands on it. instantly, the room ignites and merlin is bathed in the flames

despite a huge fear of merlin’s being the pyre, the flames hardly register in his mind. he can feel the dragon soul within the egg dancing under his touch, he can feel a bond forming between his soul and this baby dragon - it lights a fire within him and he feels alive and complete in a way he hadn’t ever felt before. the name “aithusa” falls from his lips involuntarily but he doesn’t have time to think about it as the egg is cracking.

with every crack in the shell, merlin feels a piece of himself crack open. scales flick over his skin down his arms, down his legs, up his neck and a bit across his cheeks. his ears sharpen and his hearing improves as does his sight. his nails sharpen and grow into claws on his hands and feet. his teeth grow uncomfortably large in his mouth and he tastes the tang of blood as his fangs nick his cheek and tongue. his back splits open and huge wings unfurl behind him, warmed by the fire and solidifying into their magnificent shape. with the naming of his first dragon, born of fire, another dragonlord is born.

a pure white dragon claws its way out of her shell, a beautiful thing, aithusa. she crawls up onto her dragonlord’s shoulder and with her settled, the room around them crumbles. the fire had spread out, pushing arthur and the knights into a retreat despite their conviction to retrieve merlin from the flames. as they exit, they have no time to mourn or think of ways to help merlin as they’re surrounded. idk who their enemy is but they’re fighting for their lives but honestly they aren’t doing too great. until the tomb behind them caves in and falls apart to allow the sun to shine of the figure standing in the midst of the ruins.

a terrifying creature, a man and a beast, a demon from hell. he grins, feral, before pouncing on his enemies. he does not wield a weapon nor magic, he uses his claws, his wings, and his fangs to tear his enemy to shreds. as they regroup and surround him, he turns and lets flames billow from his maw, chasing them away if they’re quick enough and charring those who weren’t. with a quickness that is frightening, another demon from hell, another abomination of man and beast swoops in and tears their enemies to shreds.

they both eviscerate their enemies, working together as if they’ve always done this, until there is nobody left to fight. the two stand side by side, covered in blood and wearing matching mad grins and wide, crazed eyes. merlin and balinor stand victorious over the carnage, their wings pointed towards the clouds and glimmering in the sunlight. the last two dragonlords of the ambrosius family line, father and son.

[home-of-renn]

Knowledge is power.

It was a fact that Uther knew to be true above all else, one that had created the foundations of his purge. The simple act of knowing put you at an advantage above all those who were unfortunate enough to be uninformed. Ignorance was as deadly as an unseen blade to the throat. Wise men like Uther knew that no matter the form it took - whether it be that of penniless rumours or divine prophecy - knowledge was the key to power, and the true meaning of power was to control who knew what - to allow certain truths to be spoken during the light of day and others to be snuffed out before they could even begin to kindle.

Some truths had to be bent, moulded and shaped to ensure the greater good, while others had to be erased. All it took was a whisper to shake the foundations of a kingdom and rake a dagger through the heart of its king. Some things were better off forgotten, other things had to be; twisted paths that led to places of old, intimacies scrawled upon crumpled parchment, tales and histories bound by leather. Sacrifices had to be made.

But there's one crucial thing that knowledge cannot provide, a cruel certainty that Uther had come to accept; knowledge does not grant safety, not even to friends. 

[yellow-faerie]

I really wish I had the patience and time to write a really long au fic/fic series that centres on Ygraine - and later, as we get into the main series, the main cast - as she grows up surrounded by magic and as a dear friend to Nimueh and pretty much anyone she spends any time around, to meeting Uther and becoming queen and maybe having some of his more anti-magic rhetoric start to stick just a little bit

And then Uther is killed soon after Arthur is born by an assassination attempt done by a rogue group of mages

And then we see Ygraine's slow descent into revenge for the man that she loved (a man who's faults she continues to deny and warp after he died) as she goes after those mages and then some more rogue mages until it's almost an all out war against magic

The dragons and the dragonlords fight Camelot in an all out war which ends in Camelot winning, after which Ygraine gives Kilgarrah the "mercy" of being imprisoned rather than killed for being the only dragon not to fight (as Balinor asked him not to, for he still held friendship for Ygraine so couldn't fight her) and Balinor is exiled

Anyway, I kinda want to write this like that so that you can see her slow descent into villainy. She's still kind and she's still just (for the most part), but magic blinds her so that those who practise magic tend to get killed or imprisoned for the most minor of offenses, made out to be something terrible

Still, Nimueh stays at her side and is allowed to train her nieces, Morgana and Morgause. Nimueh is Ygraine's one weakness, for she is wilfully blind to the almost genocide the queen is creating because she loves her so dearly.

Arthur is maybe a tad kinder, a tad more patient, but he is still brash and loud and incredibly proud of his skill with a blade and for being a prince. He doesn't necessarily hate magic but he has an inherent wariness of it in strangers that his mother has instilled in him.

Morgana is far more naïve here, learning magic from her mother's sister and doesn't fully realise the prejudice that magic users suffer because it's not in the law that they can't practise magic - she doesn't realise that the air of fear and distrust makes it incredibly difficult for any magic user to openly practise and still survive because she's lived her whole life as one of the few the Queen trusts

(Ygraine knows that Morgana is Uther's daughter but that is something she is keeping to herself for later use)

Merlin arrives from Ealdor where his mother and father still live because he was growing restless and they trusted Gaius and Alice to take care of him.

The first season is a few minor antagonists (and a few extras who take the place of Nimueh) and it is Merlin keeping his magic secret due to a very natural fear that the Queen might decide he's too dangerous

The second and third seasons have Cornelius Sigan being a much more major threat, taking the place of Morgana and Morgause when minor villains can't, and being the one who eventually takes over Camelot in the S3 finale (and who throws the sleeping curse on Camelot in the S2 finale)

Nimueh is killed in the S3 finale which is the thing that finally breaks Ygraine and leads to Arthur being a stand in king and knight the knights, and all that - Ygraine's death is committed by that same group who killed Uther which fuels some of the anger and hatred in Arthur

S4 focuses on Arthur grappling with magic and what it is, with Agravaine on one shoulder telling him it's evil, and Tristan (Ygraine's brother Tristan) on the other saying that it's good which comes to a head in the S4 finale where Merlin uses magic to save the group and it's revealed

S5 would be more focused on finding ways to allow magic back into the country, while still fighting the odd fringe group of magic users who are still unhappy and a lot of not magic groups who are unhappy the crown is doing this

It ends happily though because it's a sort-of fix-it where most people live and aren't evil

But yeah, I think this would work better in a longer form fic just for the slow descent that you can't quite do in shorter form

[fluffypotatey]

Since I very sincerely doubt Uther managed to kill ALL the Dragonlords (they're knights, not the KGB, and it was a lot easier to disappear back then) imagine them returning to Albion from Rome or whatever to find Cousin Balinor's only son is ruling Camelot and the Druids, is best friends with an immortal knight and one dude that's been raised from the fucking dead, is bonded to THEE oldest dragon they've ever heard of (and who is also nuttier than squirrel stew) and a semi-feral hatchling that barely listens to four (4) people max and hisses/bites/claws at the rest, and oh yeah, is married to a fucking Pendragon.

Family dinners must be a hoot and a half.

oh to be a fly on the wall when they finally make an audience in Camelot. oh to see Merlin's face morph from apprehension to wonder to exhaustion to horror because they're telling Arthur everything they know.

[jopzer]

— you are my son. i’ve seen enough in you to know that you will make me proud.

for @merlinbingo i1; noir detective au

[ramblings-of-a-chaotic-neutral]

Ok, I don't really post here, but there's a Merlin AU idea that's been rattling around in my skull like it's a pinball machine and I need to get it out, so here we go:

Imagine an AU where Balinor doesn't die and banishes Kilgarrah before sneaking away so Uther doesn't catch him and can't put his newfound son in danger. Of course, both he and Merlin are heartbroken about having to be separated again after just finding each other, but they work out a way to keep in touch and occasionally meet in secret.

And this is all well and good, and everything in the show just kinda proceeds as normal up until about season 4, where we have the knights of the round table well-established in Camelot.

It'd make sense that after a few years of travelling around with Kilgarrah, Balinor would be pretty well-known and well-feared throughout all the five kingdoms as "that dragonlord who escaped the purge and now travels around on the back of a giant dragon", and people all over Albion are kinda terrified of the guy.

Rumors say that he never smiles, that he can kill a man in a split second without even utterring a spell, and can decimate kingdoms with the dragon under his total command. That makes for a formidable figure!

And then one day, Balinor is trying to sneak into Camelot to visit his son (he heard Merlin got hit by a dorocha and wants to make sure he's ok!), and the knights see him and freak out because holy shit that's one of the deadliest guys in Albion!

They're in a tense standoff, with Balinor threatening to call down the dragon on them if they don't let him through. The knights are all ready to give their lives to at least buy the people in the castle time to evacuate, when suddenly Merlin and Arthur make it to the standoff. Arthur immediately starts strategizing with his knights on how they're going to negociate with the sorcerer in an attempt to make sure that they aren't all slaughtered.

Meanwhile, Merlin just laughs and pushes through the rows of knights blocking Balinor's path to the castle. The knights, being very fond of Merlin and not wanting to see their kind little friend be brutally murdered by one of the most terrifying men in exsistence, are trying to grab Merlin and pull him back to safety or shouting at him to get back, but Merlin manages to avoid them as he walks up to Balinor.

For a horrifying moment, the knights and Arthur think that Merlin is about to sacrifice himself for them, but Merlin breaks into a huge grin, yells "Dad!", and runs right into Balinor's arms.

(Merlin and Balinor reason that now that Arthur's king, they might as well start easing him into some of Merlin's less shocking secrets)

And even more shockingly to the knights, Balinor hugs him back, asking Merlin all about how he's been doing, how are his studies under Gaius, etc etc.

And all of the knights just bluescreen. Because the math isn't mathing on this one. Hunith + Balinor = MERLIN?! Does not compute.

They're all pondering how could someone as joyful, friendly, and kind as Merlin be the spawn of a terrifying man like Balinor?? They just cannot comprehend it. The manservant who they all know and love came from this sorcerer who's name is synonymous with the threat of death and destruction??

They're all jolted back to reality however when Balinor asks Merlin if he wants to come back to Balinor's newly-renovated stronghold in the mountains (that's only accessable by riding a dragon) to learn more about one day becoming a dragonlord. And suddenly, the knight understand why Balinor's here. He wants to kidnap Merlin from them and twist him into a terrifying sorcerer to carry on Balinor's legacy!

It all basically dissolves into a long game of high-stakes tug-of-war between Balinor and the knights + Arthur, and Merlin's just enjoying spending time with his father and his friends.

Balinor will just casually crash one of their quests while riding Kilgarrah and "kidnap" Merlin while the knights fight to keep Merlin with them.

Balinor eventually gives Merlin Aithusa so he can get practice raising dragons, and the knights see it as some evil scheme to make Merlin betray Camelot and attack it from within, but damn it Merlin's already adopted the damn thing so now they're stuck with a baby dragon.

IDK if I'd ever write a fic about it since I'm pretty busy writing another fic rn, but I thought that it was a funny idea to throw out there!

PS: if anyone wants to read my current project, where I'm giving Sir Leon more anxiety with each chapter after a kinda-botched magic reveal on Merlin's part (and Merlin may or may not be an eldritch god), feel free to check it out here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54027337/chapters/136771564

Thank you all for sticking with my incoherent rambling! :D I hope you have a great day/night!

Also, please let me know if you guys wants to hear more of the ideas that pinball around in my head!

[ggukalaxy]

just finished my rewatch of all five seasons of bbc's merlin, and my sister and i decided it would be fun to keep count of how many times merlin saved arthur's life throughout the show, so here is an accumulated list:

(disclaimer: it is absolutey possible that we weren't always watching attentively and that we might have missed a case or two, but i like to believe that it is kinda accurate)

times arthur would have died if merlin hadn't saved him

• 1x01: dagger thrown at arthur ⟶ merlin slowed down time to pull arthur out of the way

• 1x02: snakes supposed to poison arthur ⟶ merlin exposes the snakes and arthur kills them

• 1x04: poisoned cup ⟶ merlin drinks from it instead

• 1x05: a griffin attacks them ⟶ lancelot fights it, and merlin enchants his sword/spear so that it’ll work

• 1x07: arthur is to be sacrificed to the sidhe ⟶ merlin saves him

• 1x10: ealdor gets attacked, including arthur, and they’re doomed ⟶ merlin creates a huge wind gust to save everyone

• 1x13: questing beast attacks arthur ⟶ merlin kills it

• 1x13: questing beast bites arthur, the poison is fatal ⟶ merlin gets water from the cup of life to save him

• 2x01: arthur gets attacked by a huge boar (?) ⟶ merlin uses magic on a crossbow to save him 

• 2x01: camelot gets attack by living stone statues ⟶ merlin destroys them

• 2x02: assassin tries to kill arthur during a tournament on horses ⟶ merlin uses magic to make the assassin fall off his horse

• 2x12: dead stone statue thingies attack arthur and his knights ⟶ merlin uses magic to make the ceiling cave in and pulls arthur to his side, separating them from the statue thingies

• 2x13: arthur's wounds are getting worse ⟶ merlin finds balinor in time and has him help him (HONORARY MENTION)

• 3x04: arthur gets attacked (again) ⟶ merlin uses magic to save him (again)

• 3x07: morgause tries to kill arthur with a fire beam ⟶ merlin uses magic to make the fire beam explode before it reaches arthur

• 3x08: arthur gets attacked by wyverns ⟶ merlin uses his dragonlordness to stop them

• 3x08: arthur wears the eye of the phoenix bracelet (sucking life-force out of someone) ⟶ merlin takes it off him

• 3x12: arthur gets shot by a poisoned arrow ⟶ merlin uses magic to help him, then brings him to gaius

• 3x13: an army of immortal deads attacks camelot ⟶ merlin empties the cup of life of their blood to “kill” them all

• 4x01: dorochas attack arthur ⟶ merlin pushes arthur out of the way to get attacked instead

• 4x04: their food gets poisoned ⟶ merlin uses magic to save them

• 4x05: arthur fights in a duel and is about to be striked down ⟶ merlin makes the opponent’s sword fall out of his hands with magic

• 5x01: arthur and their men get attacked by morgana’s men ⟶ merlin saves arthur and gets them away from the battle

• 5x04: arthur almost got beheaded by odin ⟶ merlin created an earthquake with magic to stop that

• 5x06: dark tower traps ⟶ merlin parries an arrow with magic

• 5x07: arthur gets poisoned ⟶ merlin saves him with magic

• 5x08: someone wants to shoot an arrow at arthur ⟶ merlin attacks the shooter and saves arthur

• 5x11: kara tried to stab arthur ⟶ merlin uses magic to save him

and the one time he fails: 5x13, mordred stabs arthur with a sword forged on a dragon’s breath — merlin doesn’t get him to avalon in time

which brings us to a total of 27.5 times that merlin has saved arthur's life throughout the show

we also kept track of all the times arthur saved merlin's life, so here is that list:

• 1x03: merlin tells uther he is a sorcerer to save gwen (which would’ve gotten him a death sentence) ⟶ arthur convinces his father that merlin is lying out of love for gwen

• 1x04: merlin drank from a poisoned cup ⟶ arthur gets the antidote for him

• 1x11: arthur drinks poison so that merlin won’t have to ⟶ it was actually a sleeping draft though (HONORARY MENTION)

• 1x13: questing beast attacks ⟶ arthur pulled merlin out of the way

• 2x12: dead stone statue thingy attacks merlin ⟶ arthur strikes it down

• 4x01: a dorocha flies towards merlin ⟶ arthur pushes him out of the way

• 4x08: the lamia was about to kill merlin ⟶ arthur comes in at just the right time

which brings us to a total of 6.5 times that arthur saved merlin's life

it's kind of crazy to me to compare it like this, because on the one hand 27 near-death experiences across 65 episodes doesn't really sound like a lot. but at the same time i can't believe that arthur would have died 27 times if it hadn't been for merlin. and to think that arthur only saved merlin's life 6 times though?? oof

on my next rewatch, my sister and i want to make a list of all the moments that contributed to arthur's death (a so-called "doom list" with moments like merlin poisoning morgana in 2x13 etc), but that one is definitely going to be more subjective, since it'll be based on things that we think could've prevented arthur's death if they had gone any different

very excited to debate all the things that could go on that one!

[akelafang]

Can't help but think about how Merlin literally can not exist without Arthur. Not in a "he loves him so much he can't live without him" way or even a "their destinies are entwined" way. In a "Merlin literally would not have been born if Arthur hadn't been" way. Because the ripple effects of Arthur's birth are what lead to Merlin's. If Arthur hadn't been born then Ygraine wouldn't have died, the magic purge wouldn't have started, Balinor wouldn't have been run out of Camelot, and would never have met Hunith while he was hiding in exile. They never would have fallen in love and conceived Merlin if Arthur had never been born. Merlin can not exist unless Arthur does

[earlgreyinpajamas]

merthur fic recs masterlist

last updated:  21 Sept 2024

authors

vintagelilacs

aus and fusions

arranged marriage au, pt 2, pt 3

college/university au

different first meeting au

hanahaki au, pt 2, pt 3

high school au, pt 2

hogwarts au

modern au, pt 2

modern with magic au, pt 2

modern royalty au, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8

pride and prejudice au

regency au

social media au, pt 2

soulmate au, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8, pt 9, pt 10

s2e10 fix it

wing fic

arthur

actor!arthur, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5

bond girl!arthur

detective!arthur

himbo!arthur

jealous!arthur, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8

pining!arthur, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8, pt 9

pregnant!arthur

protective!arthur, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7

oblivious!arthur, pt 2, pt 3

spy!arthur

virgin!arthur

merlin

assistant!merlin

bamf!merlin

consort!merlin, pt 2, pt 3

detective!merlin

druid leader!merlin

enchanted!merlin

exhausted!merlin, pt 2

flustered!merlin

hurt!merlin, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4

irish!merlin

jealous!merlin

knight!merlin

oblivious!merlin, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6

pining!merlin, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5

royal!merlin, pt 2

selkie!merlin

spy!merlin

virgin!merlin

other tropes and categories

00q fusion

5 + 1 things, pt 2, pt 3

accidental marriage

amnesia

angst with a happy ending

arthur courts merlin

arthur finds out about balinor

arthur finds out about freya

arthur knows about merlin’s magic

arthur loves merlin’s magic eyes

arthur’s donkey ears

arthur returns, pt 2

balinor lives

bathing

bed sharing, pt 2

bedside vigils

bets

comfort fics

coming out

crack, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4

dragon dads

drunkenness

enemies to lovers

fake/pretend relationship, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5

fandom iconic fics

fav aus

fav fics

figure skating

flowers, pt 2

fluff

forced proximity, pt 2

fuck or die

getting back together

getting together, pt 2, pt 3

getting together with the help of technology

hurt comfort

hurt no comfort, pt 2

hypothermia

kid fics, pt 2

kinktober

love spells and potions, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4

lovers to enemies

magical exhaustion

magic reveal, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8, pt 9, pt 10

married/engaged merthur

meddling knights, pt 2, pt 3

merlin dies

merlin goes insane to get arthur back

merlin knows about arthur’s pining

merlin leaves camelot

merlin sleeping in weird places

merlin teaches arthur about sex/kissing

morgana and merlin friendship

not actually unrequited love

ot4

outsider pov

parties

protective!knights

remixes

role reversal

royal balls

scar reveal

secret relationship, pt 2

theatre/drama

time travel

truth potion

underappreciated fics

weddings

wedding stopping

wound cleaning

[achillesuwu]

What is very interesting with dragonlord [especially if EVERY son get the title and not just the eldest] : the more they are the less powerful they individually are.

Like, it's kinda hard to use dragon as powerful weapon in war if dragonlords will just turning them back to each other like an hot potato.

Which must have made a very interesting dynamic in term of Noble house rankings? Like, dragon lord householdS must have been higher than king on a power scale (maybe they were living in remote communal castles groupe. Kinda living outside of the non-magical world so they were not really counted as threatening by the kingdom living in their territory) BUT at the same time one single dragon lord must not have been very high on the power scale especially if there was even 1 single dragon lord against them AND even dragon lord household individually must not have been high either. They are powerful against common enemies and in their territory but not against each other (if they even wanted to go against their kin).

They can't even be used to move things fast since they don't even use dragon to fly (I 100% headcanon that dragonlords used to have a very specific kind of mount that could keep up with a dragon flying speed and it baffled everyone else lol)

Which mean that Uther plan of killing them all was a very very VERY risky gambling. He must have killed them all in one go because the less they are the more fucked up he was. Like Balinor must have kept him awake at night.

Also RIP to Arthur Pendragon in au where he makes magic legal once more and give back their titles and land to magic users because it must be a nightmare to have to learn all of this new complex ranking of noble houses ( Arthur : so Merlin's household is on the same rank as me????

Gaius : you could say that.

Arthur, continuing to read : but he is also lower in rank than me even as one of the... Elder Dragonlords of his household?

Gaius : well. Usually yes but in this case no since he is the last surviving member of his household?

Arthur : so he has the same rank as me???

Gaius : it depends if there are any Dragonlords for across the sea in the rooms and if his title of court mage is—

*two weeks after arthur finally learned all of that shit*

Arthur *slam the door open* : WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME HE WAS LIKE A FREAKING DEITY AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO LEARN ANY OF THIS?!??

[larluce]

Trailer of series 2 of "Arthur and Merlin travel back in time without knowing the other is from the future too AU"

Merlin: What is it then?

Arthur: (just looks at him)

Merlin: (giggles) What? Come on. Don't act all mysterious now-

Arthur: (kisses him)

...

Merlin: I... I have magic (tears roll down his eyes) I'm a sorcerer.

...

Merlin: (surprised) Gwaine?! 😃

Gwaine: (turns to him and smirks) Do I know you, sweetheart? 😏

...

Morgause: (suspicious) You seek my help? Killing your father is as easy as blading your sword.

Arthur: But he's not the only one to blame, is he? There were advisors, other nobels that supported him. People with blood in their hands.

Morgause: (smiles) I'm listening.

...

Uther: You can't marry! I forbid it!

Morgana: (hurt) The idea of me being part of your family is so horrendous to you?

...

Merlin: If you won't help us I will.

Balinor: (scandalised) With magic?! You can't use magic infront of him. He's a Pendragon!

...

Arthur: (sits on the throne and is crowned)

People of Camelot: Long live the King! Long live the King!

....

Nimueh: (coughs more blood but laughs) You don't know. You actually don't know.

Merlin: (holding her down, demands) What?

Nimueh: We were both fooled.

...

Arthur: You know what I've learned in those ten years without you Merlin? (Turns to Merlin with a cold expression on his face, the coldest expression Merlin has ever seen) No one can't betray you if you betray them first.

...

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

[inamagicalhallucination]

balinor lives au but initially he's wary of arthur and merlin's relationship

he trusts merlin, he doesnt think he has much right anyway to comment on merlin's company what with him not being in merlin's life for so long

and he doesn't want to ruin the tentative bonds theyve formed, as father and son

gradually he starts seeing more of arthur too, becuz where merlin is arthur will show up a bit afterwards confused as hell idk i was going somewhere with that anyway arthur does or doesn't know balinor and merlin are father

but balinor and arthur hang out and gradually balinor starts to adore arthur like a son too becuz as funny as overprotective balinor is, i genuinely adore the idea of all of merlin'd family opening their arms to be arthur's family too

(this is why im also a big believer that if will lived he would've grown to like arthur a lot too)

[justaz]

once merlin puts arthur to rest, the world around him disappears and he’s in ealdor staring at his mother’s back. his sobs from the lake grow worse at the sight of his mother and he wails like he’s a child again, calling repeatedly for his ma. she spins around and finds him, without asking any questions she dashes forward and pulls him into a hug, holding his weight as he falls apart in her grasp, choking out nonsensical words and soaking her dress with tears, snot, and drool, his overwhelming grief causing him to ignore any sense of shame he might’ve felt at such a scene.

he doesn’t remember explaining anything to her, frankly he doesn’t remember much beyond the cries he pressed into her shoulder, but she says he’s been in ealdor for a week. she’s clearly worried and asks, no, begs him to eat or drink but he doesn’t feel the need or desire to, and even if he did, he simply doesn’t have the energy to bring the sustenance to his mouth. she cradles his head in her lap and runs her finger through his hair like she did when he had a nightmare when he was younger. it’s almost enough to make the entire thing seem like a horrible, horrible dream. but theres blood on his tunic where he held arthur’s body to his own so he knows it’s not true.

his mother doesn’t ask any questions, the look in her eyes telling him that she knows anyway. perhaps his nonsensical babble created a clear enough image for her to understand. maybe she just saw the broken look in his eyes and came to the conclusion on her own. she doesn’t mention him. merlin isn’t sure if he’s relieved about that or not. in the end, he brings it up, he asks how she was able to go on after balinor left. he asks how she was able to pick herself back up on her own two feet and carry on life as normal after receiving his letter informing her of his passing. she says sometimes she can’t, sometimes she lays in bed and listens to the birds sing and can’t help but hate them. she says she lives on for him anyway. she pushes herself up and makes food and works in the fields even when she hate the world around her.

merlin tries to relate, tries to understand, tries to imagine himself getting up every morning and living on in his name. he can’t. his parents loved each other, he knows that, but they were their own people and were able to stand the years apart. merlin…merlin is arthur’s, even in death. everything he is, everything he’s done, has been for arthur. he is half of merlin’s soul, the center of merlin’s world. how can anyone expect him to move on as if he’s capable of being alone? how can anyone expect him to function as if half of his soul, half of himself, isn’t dead in a lake? merlin can’t do it, he can’t imagine living a life without arthur. he barely got through the week and that’s only because he was passed out for a majority of it. how could he make it a year, much less another fifty?

he can’t. he can’t do it. he can’t breathe, he’s in agony, the world around him doesn’t exist anymore. not without arthur.

he’s back at the lake now, tears still streaming down his face despite the pounding headache from dehydration yet it doesn’t matter, not anymore. none of it does. he stumbles into the lake and sends his magic into the water to tug excalibur from the depths. he can feel freya pulling the sword back, but his magic overpowers hers easily and the sword springs from the lake, gleaming in the afternoon sun. freya’s face appears in the ripples of the water next to him, her expression pleading and sorrowful. merlin whispers an apology before turning back to the sword, staring at the sharp point of the blade. he brings it closer to hover just over his heart, the metal pressing against his skin but not enough to draw blood just yet.

peace washes over him. the sun warms his skin and the water cools him to keep it from being unbearable. the birds sing in the trees as the wind whistles through the leaves. merlin stares up at the brilliant blue sky and pure white clouds roll by, images of bunnies and birds and crowns and horses staring down at him. he wonders if avalon will be this peaceful, if he and arthur could lay out in a field for eternity, basking in the sun and laughing as they point out misshapen clouds that supposedly look like the other.

he plunges the sword into his chest, right through his heart, and falls back into the water. bubbles trail out of his mouth up towards the surface, blood spills from his wound and mixes with the water. he closes his eyes as he sinks further and further. he knows when he opens them, he’ll be with arthur once more. it’ll all be okay. he doesn’t feel his body hit the bottom before blackness fills his mind.

arthur awakens from his fitful slumber in a bed that is not his own. he squints at the room, or rather hut, around him and finds an old man hunched over a book in the corner. arthur tries to speak but all that comes out is a squeak of air, his throat too dry to speak. the man hears and whirls around to begin treating him once more, prattling on and on about how he found arthur in the woods outside his village donning shiny clothes which he discarded bc of the blood staining them yet he couldn’t find a wound. arthur’s hand reaches up to his side but there’s no stab wound there, not anymore, though he does sport the scar. he remembers how he got it, he remembers stumbling away from the battlefield, he remembers being found by merlin- merlin.

he asks the man about him but he seems confused and denies ever knowing someone by that name. arthur climbs out of the bed (the flash of golden eyes) and hastily pulls on his armor (“i’m a sorcerer. i have magic.”). he’s out the door before the old man can protest. he’s in a village he doesn’t recognize, they must not be anywhere near camelot (“i’m still the same person.”). he turns to the old man hobbling out of the hut and demands directs to camelot. the man stares at him oddly and scratches his ear before informing him that he’s never heard of a camelot before (“you’re my friend and i don’t want to lose you.”).

he instead asks for directions to the woods where he was found and sets off in that direction, the old man shuffling after him (“me, i was born to serve you, arthur.”). it doesn’t take long to reach where he was found. if the old man had carried him home it couldn’t’ve been much of a hike (“and i’m proud of that.”). he steps into a clearing where the man panted that he found him here (“and i wouldn’t change a thing.”). it’s no where near the lake where merlin held him as he took his last breath, it’s no where near camelot. the man didn’t even recognize the name of his kingdom (“it’s not why i do it.”).

arthur sits in the grass as he thinks on his next move and the man who watched over him sits next to him (“i’m not going to change now.”). he speaks lowly of a prophecy about a man from a time long forgotten sent on a journey, a quest, to retrieve what has been lost. he says how the prophecy led many to a sword lodged in stone (“i’m not going to lose you.”) but no one could pull it free. he points out arthur’s armor and calls it odd, he mentions camelot, a kingdom of which he’s never heard, and gestures around the clearing where he found the mystery man. he concludes that perhaps the prophecy spoke of him (“i can’t lose him.”).

arthur, with no other options, follows the man’s directions to a lake. not exactly lake avalon but close enough. theres a small island in the center that seems more like a hill. the sword, his sword, excalibur is buried in a stone covered in moss, misshaping it’s actual form. arthur wades across the water and climbs the hill. he wraps his hands around the hilt of excalibur and closes his eyes. he imagines merlin confident and reassuring expression as they and all his men stood in the woods around this damn sword in a different stone however long ago it was. he breathes in and out (“he’s my friend.”) and pulls.

excalibur comes free just as it did before. arthur watches the metal pull free and as it does, the moss on the stone falls away revealing its form. it looks like a collapsed figure, excalibur having been lodged in it’s chest, right where it’s heart would be. arthur squints at what looks like the head and feels a flash of familiarity. the stone slowly fades away from the hole where excalibur was all the way to the hill. as the stone fades, it leaves behind skin and clothes and hair and…merlin.

arthur drops excalibur and falls to his knees to hold up merlin’s limp form. he feels warm, as if he didn’t just spend however long with a sword in his chest as a stone. he’s not breathing. why isn’t he breathing? arthur grasps around, shifting his clothes out of the way to find the wound where excalibur had once been. the skin is stitching itself together with tiny golden threads. arthur looks back up at merlin’s lax face as the wound fully closes. he inhales sharply as his eyes fly open, glowing gold, and all around him it seemed the world finally inhaled after suffocating for millennia.

merlin exhales and golden sparks shoot from his lips to flurry around in the air. the grass under them grows longer and curls around both his and merlin’s body where they rest against the ground. the water around their island clears from the murky brown to a blindingly clear blue. the air is crisp and clean, the sun brighter and warmer, and one soul finally whole again.

[fluffypotatey]

I find it deeply aesthetically pleasing, character-wise, that Arthur and Merlin are both very much like their mothers, which is especially meaningful in Arthur's case since he's never known his mother beyond a single painfully brief meeting in "Sins of the Father."

Not only does Arthur look like Ygraine (which adds several layers to the clusterfuck of his and Uther's relationship) but it's clear that he takes after her temperament, too. Yes, he sometimes shows his father's temper, and yes, he does stupid things when he's in a temper, but unlike Uther, who literally took his prejudices to his grave and beyond, Arthur never stays mad at people, and he's overall a far more caring and kind person than his father, which is an interesting case of nature vs nurture.

And then on the other hand, we have Hunith, who told a mounted, armed brigand to go fuck himself, later fought another (also armed) brigand with a twig broom, harboured fugitives on multiple occasions, and raised an illegal magic child out of wedlock, and Merlin "Fuck the Police" Ambrosius, who got in a fistfight, got thrown in jail for the fistfight, called the prince a bitch to his face in a public market square, got in a second, armed fight all within his first 48 hours in Camelot, and then committed treason on a daily basis for the next 10+ years, compared to Balinor, who became a weird antisocial hermit that lived in a cave for twenty years.

couldn't have said it better myself bestie

also, there's a reason hunith and ygraine never met in the show. their dynamic duo would outshine everyone, they'd be unstoppable, untouchable, I FEEL ROBBED

[ramblings-of-a-chaotic-neutral]

Masterpost

Hello everyone! Since this blog has grown much more than I've anticipated, I figured that it was time to organize everything into a masterpost so people can find my different au's more easily. Happy reading! :D

Fics on AO3:

What to do When an Eldritch God Decides that You're Friend-Shaped: A Guide by Sir Leon the Long-Suffering: here

Archeologist Merlin and Immortal Camelot au: here

I would find you, darling, in any life: here

AU Prompts/Ideas

Balinor lives: Part 1/1

Merlin controls the Knights of Medhir: Part 1/1

Arthur thinks Merlin's a fairy: Part 1/1

Arthur becomes Emrys's familiar: Part 1/2, Part 2/2

Archeologist Merlin and Immortal Camelot: Part 1/3, Part 2/3, Part 3/3

Arthur obtains magic dolls of Merlin and Gwen: Part 1/1

Arthur thinks that Merlin needs to get laid for the safety of Camelot: Part 1/1

Morgana wants to be allies with Emrys: Part 1/2, Part 2/2

Merlin resurrects Lancelot, not Morgana: Part 1/1

Arthur misunderstands what a warlock is: Part 1/2, Part 2/2

Merlin tells Morgana about his magic early: Part 1/1

Arthur thinks that Emrys is his real father: Part 1/1

Gwaine accidentally joins the Catha in their worship of Emrys: Part 1/1

Merlin accidentally conquers Camelot: Part 1/4, Part 2/4, Part 3/4 Part 4/4

Camelot becomes obsessed with Emrys-themed romance novels: Part 1/1

Merlin temporarily dies and Arthur loses his mind: Part 1/1

Merlin has an army of baby dragons Part 1/1

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler

Alice always thought fairy tales had happy endings. That--along with everything else--changed the day she met her first fairy

When Alice's father goes down in a shipwreck, she is sent to live with her uncle Geryon--an uncle she's never heard of and knows nothing about. He lives in an enormous manor with a massive library that is off-limits to Alice. But then she meets a talking cat. And even for a rule-follower, when a talking cat sneaks you into a forbidden library and introduces you to an arrogant boy who dares you to open a book, it's hard to resist. Especially if you're a reader to begin with. Soon Alice finds herself INSIDE the book, and the only way out is to defeat the creature imprisoned within.

It seems her uncle is more than he says he is. But then so is Alice.

Troy by Adele Geras

The Siege of Troy has lasted almost ten years. Inside the walled city food is (Malacca). and death is common. From the heights of Mount Olympus The Gods keep watch. But Aphrodite. Goddess of Love. is bored with the endless. dreary war. Aided by Eros's bow. the goddess sends two sisters down a bloody path to an awful truth: In the fury of war. love strikes the deadliest blows.

Casson Family by Hilary McKay

The four Casson children, whose mother, Eve, is a fine-arts painter, have all been given the names of paint colors. Cadmium (Caddy), is the eldest; then Saffron (Saffy); Indigo, the only boy; and Rose, the youngest. When Saffy discovers quite by accident that she has been adopted, she is deeply upset, though the others assure her that it makes no difference at all. Saffy is the daughter of Eve's twin sister, who lived in Siena, Italy, and died in a car crash. Grandad brought Saffy, as a very small child, back from Siena.

At Grandad's death he leaves something to each of the children. To Saffy, it is "her angel," although no one knows its identity. How Saffy discovers what her angel is, with the help of an energetic new friend, lies at the heart of this enchanting story.

Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth by E. L. Konigsburg

A lonely girl discovers a magical world and a new friend when she meets a young witch on Halloween.

Unicorns of Balinor by Mary Stanton

After a terrible riding accident, Ari cannot remember anything of her past and is sent to live on a farm with foster parents. What Ari doesn't know is that she is not from our world, but from Balinor, a land of sorcerers and unicorns! Her parents, the King and Queen, sent her to Earth to protect her from a raging war before they were banished from their homeland. Now Ari--Princess Arianna--has found the road back to Balinor. As she struggles to remember her heritage, she must face the challenge of restoring peace to Balinor.

The Divide by Elizabeth Kay

When Felix and his parents visit the Divide in Costa Rica, a place where the waters that run down to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans separate, he faints and wakes to discover an amazing back-to-front world where mythical creatures are real and humans and science are legend.

Phantom Stallion by Terri Farley

When 13-year-old Samantha returns home to her family′s cattle ranch in Nevada, she′s worried. She moved away two years ago to recover from a bad fall off her beloved mustang, Blackie, and she′s still not sure she can get back in the saddle. Her new colt doesn′t seem to like her, and the other ranchers treat her like the boss′s spoiled daughter, and Blackie has been missing since that fateful day. But that′s just the beginning. When Sam suddenly finds the fate of a mysterious mustang who may or may not be the missing Blackie - resting in her hands, she has to learn to be a real cowgirl, ready or not.

Miri and Molly by Annie Barrows

Miri is the only single child in the middle of a family with two sets of twins--older brothers and younger sisters. When the family moves to an old farmhouse Miri accidentally travels back in time to 1935 only to discover Molly, a girl in need of a real family to call her own.

Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone

Almost everybody who has grown up in Chicago knows about the Thorne Rooms. Housed in the Children’s Galleries of the Chicago Art Institute, they are a collection of 68 exquisitely crafted miniature rooms made in the 1930s by Mrs. James Ward Thorne. Each of the 68 rooms is designed in the style of a different historic period, and every detail is perfect, from the knobs on the doors to the candles in the candlesticks. Some might even say, the rooms are magic.

Imagine—what if you discovered a key that allowed you to shrink so that you were small enough to sneak inside and explore the rooms’ secrets? What if you discovered that others had done so before you? And that someone had left something important behind?

Hitler's Daughter by Jackie French

Her name was Heidi, and she was Hitler's daughter.

It began on a rainy morning in Australia, as part of a game played by Mark and his friends. It was a storytelling game, and the four friends took turns weaving tales about fairies and mermaids and horses. But Anna's story was different this time: it was not a fairy tale or an adventure story. The story was about a young girl who lived during World War II. Her name was Heidi, and she was Hitler's daughter.

As Anna's story unfolds, Mark is haunted by the image of Hitler's daughter. He wonders what he would have done in her place if he had known his father was an evil man leading the world into a war that was destroying millions of lives. And if Mark had known, would he have had the power and determination to stop him?