#bbc sefa

[xviruserrorx]

But I am your keeper/And I hold your face away from light/I am Yours till they come/I am Yours till they come

Devil's Spoke by Laura Marling ~ Companion to "What Things Could Have Been"

[punkxcalibur]

When i first started watching Merlin, I always thought the 'villainous magic-user of the week' was gonna become Merlin's friend. Seriously, it was like this with Valiant, Nimueh, Edwin, etc etc. But he almost always ends up killing them. And if he DOES get a friend, they die lol.

Anyways, over the seasons my view on this kind of shifted. When a new character was introduced, my immediate thought was "evil". Especially with Sefa and Agravaine. However, I think this becomes a lot less prevalent in the later seasons because it's not really "Monster of the week" anymore, it's more like "Morgana's evil scheme of the week".

[matixsstuff]

you guys ever think about characters that would be cute or good together and then it turns out that the ship almost doesn't exist or is the most underrated thing ever and has like a 2% of fandom's attention?

yeah

im crying because of this now

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

I miss writing for Merlin, I wish I had the motivation to sit down and continue writing the Immortal Sir Leon au

[hannahhook7744]

Modern Merlin Moodboards (Part 1) (Revamped);

Character: George the servant.

Modern name: George Brass.

Age: 37 years old.

Modern job: Butler who doubles as a deadly body guard and an occasional chauffeur.

Short rundown of their modern life: George grew up responsible for his very ill mother, his younger brother—Morris, and his younger cousin, Tyr, in Britain.

After his mother's death when he was 24, he moved to America with his brother (Morris) and cousin (Tyr) for a new start where he would go on to meet his employers (Elena and William Knightley) who hired him nearly immediately after looking at his resume.

He's worked for them ever since and has met both his wife, Winnie, and his sister-in-law, Sefa, through his job.

Because of this and how well they have treated his family, George has become their unofficial (deadly) body guard. Making sure no harm reaches them—like he use to do for the servants back when he was just George the servant. Unbeknownst to him (in this life) and the others (in the last).

Character: Bronwen the servant.

Modern name: Winnie Brass.

Age: 37 years old.

Modern job: Private Music Tutor.

Short rundown of their modern life: Winnie Brass was born into a poor family and knew from a young age that she wanted to be a singer.

After the death of her parents when she was in her late 20s, she got back in contact with her cousin Elena who hired her to be a musical tutor for her recently adopted son, Marcel. Through this job she met George and within two years, the two where married. Now the two live in a three bedroom home with George's brother, cousin, and sister-in-law.

Character: Morris the servant.

Modern name: Morris Brass.

Age: 34 years old.

Modern job: Gardner and occasional babysitter.

Short rundown of their modern life: After the death of his mother, he moved from Britain to America with his brother and cousin for a fresh start and he started working For Will and Elena Knightley as a Gardner and an occasional babysitter for their son, Marcel.

He also met his wife, Sefa, through his job and now the two of them live with his brother, sister-in-law, and cousin.

Character: Sefa the maidservant.

Modern name: Sefa Brass.

Age: 30 years old.

Modern job: Housekeeper.

Short rundown of their modern life: Sefa Brass ('nee Bourne) was born to a soldier turned government official of a small country that's name she was never allowed to learn. Her father raised her from birth to be the perfect spy and sent her and her brother on countless missions that went off without a hitch until her brother went missing when she was 14 and he was 7.

A year later while on a mission her father failed to pick her up from the rendezvou point causing her to wait for days before wandering the street to look for him.

Which caused her to meet Gwen who gave her a job and a roof to stay under until she found a better opportunity, slowly teaching her English as she did so.

Eventually Sefa found a job application in the paper and became a maid for The Knightleys which led her to meeting her husband, Morris, who's family she and her brother now live with.

Character: Tyr Seward.

Modern name: Tyr Brass.

Age: 27 years old.

Modern job: Stable hand.

Short rundown of their modern life: Tyr Seward was raised by his aunt after his mother died of an illness when he was 5. He lived with her and his two cousins until her death when he was 14, which caused his two cousins to move to America with him for a fresh start.

He grew to know the Knightleys (his cousins' employers) well and eventually went to work for them after he dropped out of high school when he was 18.

He now lives with his cousins and their wives in a three bed room home.

Character: Sir Elyan.

Modern name: Elyan Smith.

Age: 40 years old.

Modern job: Photographer and Travel Blogger.

Short rundown of their modern life: Elyan Smith was born to a poor family and ran away from home when he was 15 not long after his mother died, feeling like he was a burden to his family.

Not long after his father's death, Elyan got back into contact with his sister and became a travel blogger and a photographer, promoting the businesses of his sister and her friend when he did so.

He ended up meeting his wife, Mithian, at Will and Elena's wedding when he was hired to photograph the event and they married three years later.

Not long after Elyan married her, the two began volunteering at Tristian and Izzy's Youth Center, which is how they ended up adopting their two sons, Salem and Clover, after Elyan saved them from drowning.

Character: Princess Mithian of Nemeth.

Modern name: Mithian Smith (nee Nemeth).

Age: 37 years old.

Modern job: Nurse.

Short rundown of their modern life: Mithian Smith (nee Nemeth) was born in the Netherlands to rich socialites and moved to the United States after her father's passing.

Not long after she moved, she attended her good friend, Elena's, wedding where she met her future husband, Elyan, who was the wedding photographer as well as Will's best friend, Merlin, and Merlin's family who quickly became a good friend.

She went onto befriend him, started medical school, and a year she started dating him. Two years after, the pair married and started volunteering at Tristian and Izzy's Youth center, where they went on to meet and adopt their two sons, Salem and Clover, after Elyan saved them from drowning.

She now lives with her husband and sons in a house not far from Gwen's shop, and works in the same hospital as Merlin.

Character: Shrine Boy.

Modern name: Salem Smith.

Age: 11 years old.

Modern job: None. He's a student.

Short rundown of their modern life: Salem Smith was born Salem Shrine and grew up a foster kid who spent most of his time at Tristian and Izzy's Youth center to escape the terrible loneliness he felt.

Until one day where he was saved from drowning by Elyan Smith who adopted him with his wife not long after when he was 7.

A year later, he became a big brother when Elyan saved yet another kid from drowning (this time in a flood) and adopted him.

Now he lives with his family in a house not far from his aunt Gwen's shop.

Character: Ghost Boy.

Modern name: Clover Smith.

Age: 5 years old.

Modern job: None. He's a student.

Short rundown of their modern life:

Clover Smith is an amnesia afflicted boy who Elyan saved from drowning during a flood when he was 3, leading to the man and his wife adopting him. Which granted him a big brother as well.

Clover only has flickers of memories from his past but none that really make sense in this time period. All of which are very traumatic. Because of this he does not talk much.

⚔️👑⚔️👑⚔️👑⚔️👑⚔️👑⚔️👑⚔️👑⚔️👑⚔️👑

Mood boards for my Merlin story 'it's time, it's time, it's time' where the younger characters of Merlin get reincarnated and have a second shot at life. Minus Leon and Merlin who are immortal and have to find a way to prevent history from repeating itself.

Big thanks to @hufflepuffpirate20 , @gwaine-lover , @genderfunky-lesbian , @everything-but-the-not-natural , @witchmd13 , @sautedonions , and @purpleblobfrompluto for the help they gave back when this au started off (which was a lot). Tag list: @history-of-stories .

The Idea of George being an assassins was inspired by one story I can't find as well as the following ones below:

1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Here is a link to the story on ao3.

[merlinemrys]

god i KNOW season 5 is a mess but wow… gwen being queen makes me all warm n fuzzy inside

[onceandfutureheartache]

i think about this scene a normal amount (lying)

[fluffypotatey]

I wish Freya had stayed alive, either with her curse broken or controlled, and instead of "Merlin's at the tavern," it's "Merlin's seeing his ~girlfriend," which they still think means he's at the tavern bc that's more believable.

Better if she's given control of the Bastet, bc then Merlin could be like "hm, I need backup. Time for my secret weapon," and it's his tiny 5'4" gf who can throw a man through a wall with one hand. "Hey, Gwen, look, I found you a lady's maid!"

Everyone else: Whoa, she's real???

Merlin: ??? Yes?!

FREYA AS GWEN'S MAID MY BELOVED

[vampyreblogger]

mary howden:

medhir:

mithian:

morgana:

morgause:

niede:

nimueh:

queen mab:

rowena:

sefa:

[dykesynthezoid]

I do love this fandom’s penchant for rarepairs BUT I haven’t seen any Mithian/Sefa and I think that should be rectified. They could have easily crossed paths in season 5 while both under Morgana’s influence and in that respect they’d have a lot in common. Sefa loses her father but then she sees Mithian’s loyalty to her own, her willingness to protect him. Mithian would understand Sefa’s dilemma, why she did what she did. I could see Mithian promising Sefa amnesty and a job in Nemeth, seeing as she can’t return to Camelot. And it’d be easy for them to grow closer from there

[xviruserrorx]

Insp

[warlockofealdor]

| Merlin Bingo 2022 Masterpost |

...okay, so I may or may not have set a bad pattern of never finishing any fandom challenge that I try to participate in. There’s still close to a dozen drafts sitting in my documents that I had hoped to complete before this round of Merlin Bingo ended. But I’m pleased with the three works that I have managed to complete for @merlinbingo​ so here’s my little masterlist!

Daegal’s First Hunt gen fic/no ships | rated teen | 2.9k fill square: M5 - Scars Daegal takes on his first werewolf. It goes about as well as you’d expect. warnings: this is a supernatural/merlin fandom fusion fic, so expect spn levels of violence, including character death.

Lamia character playlist | 12 tracks fill square: C1 - Lamia “They could control the mind of a man, suck the life from him with a single embrace...”

Orbiter gen fic/no ships | rated general | 300 words fill square: G4 - Homesickness 2412. The starlight glitters, and the satellites shine. Merlin is a long way from home.

[tiodolma]

On The War Against Camelot

before I start... i don't really care if the merlin characters are evil or good. I only care about their actions and how it affected their world. I am fascinated with the politics of BBC MERLIN. hence why i made this.

If this sounds like evil apologia to you. then stop reading. I like studying about wars whether in fiction or in reality. As it is any type of war whether domestic or international are interesting. There are always casualties on all sides. There is always justification on all sides. Everyone is doing "good" in their own brains because self-righteousness is a basic ingredient for the drive for war.

So buckle up and let's discover on why people love to attack camelot so much and how it could have been minimized.

TLDR. MERLIN WAS GIVEN BAD ADVICE FROM THE START AND EVERYBODY SUFFERS BECAUSE OF IT

DONT LIKE, DONT READ.

I. Why declare war on camelot?

Challenge the legitimate heir to the throne. -Morgana had weak claim (since she was a bastard) but because she had political backing in Agravaine as well as some nobles/ strong militaristicinvader forces, she was a legitimate threat

Destroy its status as the shining icon and symbol of bigotry against magic - for the oppressed magic side it served as justice to topple down the very institution that started all the genocide.

Strategic, Economic location - I'm guessing it was a hub of trade/learning/politics. You control trade, you control the economy.

Territory Acquisition and Expansion - come on Arthuriana is set in the middle ages. It's what Kings and their pretenders do.

Strong Walls/Foundations - a well fortified city is always always always an economic and militaristic bonus

Prove a Point / Force citizens to accept that magic should exist / There has still been no big changes to Camelot's judiciary system against magic after all / Oppresion still continued despite the years of "peace"-

II. Methods to weaken camelot

MAINLY IT IS INSURGENCY

insurgency, term historically restricted to rebellious acts that did not reach the proportions of an organized revolution. It has subsequently been applied to any such armed uprising, typically guerrilla in character, against the recognized government of a state or country.

Modern insurgency tries to create conditions that will destroy the existing government and make an alternative revolutionary government acceptable to the population. While armed violence always plays a major role in such operations, usually initiated by a small activist minority, acts of terrorism are only the most obvious means used by the rebels.

Rumours to discredit the government and its supporters, exacerbation of existing social conflicts and creation of new ones between racial, ethnic, religious, and other groups, political intrigue and manipulation to induce clashes between class or regional interests, economic disruption and dislocation, and any other means likely to destroy the existing social order and to deprive the government of its power base, all play a role in fomenting insurgency.

-Encyclopedia Brittanica

How was this portrayed in the show?

Destabilization (comes in many forms)

Court Intrigue: infilitrating the nobles rank/ aim to be treated as the sovereign's favorite (agravaine, evil!gwen)

Court Intrigue: Marriage alliances (troll episode, anything involving the Sidhe)

espionage (sefa, daegal)

targetting the royal family's life (assasination, kidnapping, torture, brainwashing)

Targetting the economy, food supply (method used by the Unicorn guy, Nimue)

Targetting the scientific and medical practices important to the kingdom (tactic used by Edwin Muirden, Alice)

2. Military Takeover / Coup d 'etat / Usurpation of throne- swift, effective, Uther has done it before himself. As long as one has enough military and political backing, it's doable (ex. Fires of Idirsholas/Knights of Medhir)

3. Siege - still another kind of takeover. The besieged is at the mercy of the attacker. Besieged party can fight or just sue for peace as soon as possible OR just surrender and hope no war crimes happen.

4. Terrorism - bring devastation to as many victims as possible in order to make the target kingdom sue for peace/submit. Weaken the state and its armed forces so that a revolutionary government can take advantage at some point. (Kilgharrah's attack / Dorocha.)

5. Find weakness of the King -> used by Morgana after she took over a faroff kingdom and enslaved people to find the knowledge that could destroy the king of camelot. Morgana could have used Arthur's Bane as 1) Bargaining chip 2) Propaganda Material 3) Expedite process by making the Bane more accessible.

III. Does Morgana (and the rest of the radicals) have the justification to do what she(they) did?

Yes because that is what war is like. With enough support and political backing, anything can be justified in war and insurgency. (especially if the systems of oppression that the insurgents keep fighting against persists).

If Merlin was justified in declaring a silent deadly vigilante war against anyone who committed treason (under the guise of protecting his friends who were the heads-of-state/ruling class), then so does Morgana for the reasons above in S1.

IV. What should have been done to minimize damage?

Start Negotiations on Diplomatic table ofc.

S1-S5 Merlin should have just trapped those magic beings or something instead of killing them outright. He lost every chance of obtaining powerful allies within the magic world coz he was too hell-bent on murder on the counts of self-defense in his mission to always secretly protect the crown without compensation.

Merlin x Morgana negotiations

s2 while it was true that Morgana hid the knowledge of her involvement with Morgause from Merlin or Arthur, Merlin still denied vital info that could have given both of them more choices, which was the solution to the kingdom's predicament. MerGana could have both worked together because lbr, Morgana did not really understood what the spell was/ what Morgause actually did to her. By keeping vital information to themselves, there was no negotiation, no chance to achieve a peaceful solution. Plus Kilgharrah lied to Merlin about the technicalities of the spell. Eternal Sleep does not automatically equal Death. In his panic, Merlin did not realize that and made awful awful decisions -> Failure of Negotiations, both are at fault

3 x02, I argue that, despite her alliance with Morgause, Morgana had been trying desperately to see "the other way" because of Merlin's declarations to her in the crypts. However because Merlin did not offer any truths, any knowledge of the prophecy, any solution, then those initial peace talks failed. -> Failure of Negotiations, Merlin backed out Morgana tried again in s4, searching high and low for EMRYS, aiming to seek an audience, to talk, but because Merlin still refused to reveal anything, there was no chance of peace talk. (plus merlin used the emrys persona to terrify her) -> Failure of Negotiations, Merlin did not push for the advantage of Morgana's paranoia against him to initiate some sort of compromise/diplomatic talk

people argue "u CaNt TaLk To SoMeOnE wHo UsEs ToRtuRe! hEnCe nO hOpE fOr MoRGaNa!" I bet. Guess who else used torture to negotiate/obtain information? MERLIN did it against The Dochraid. King Alined chains his sorcerer and abuses him everyday and was still diplomatic enough on the negotiating table. Sarrum was also good at the diplomatic table and he tortures people too. ALATOR tortures people for a living and yet he also become buddies with MERLIN. Mordred was a goddamn slaver and he also become buddies with Merlin!

SOMEONE FROM CAMELOT SHOULD HAVE NEGOTIATED WITH MORGANA IN S4. IT WOULD HAVE WORKED. JUST GET INTO POLITICKING AND RIDE THE SYSTEM LIKE MORGANA AND THE REST OF NOBILITY. CAMELOT HAD A BARGAINING CHIP AGAINST MORGANA ALREADY. CAMELOT HAD EMRYS AS A DETERRENT AND POWER BROKER. BUT ALAS, HE DID NOT SEE THAT OPPORTUNITY... alas.

s5 Morgana tried to seek Emrys again thru Mordred. She was still denied and blatantly lied to. -> Failure of Negotiations, Mordred and the rest of the Catha were in it too.

Push for actual changes in the system.

Not possible. Arthur is obstinate. He wouldn't listen to anyone especially at first when he is not yet proven wrong. Circumstances always have to prove Arthur's initial bias wrong before he gives in. Bad news for Merlin, because as someone who still was kept as a lowly (although slighlty favored) servant, his word doesn't really matter in court and in public WHERE IT WAS NEEDED, just in private whispers.

Initiate Propaganda machine that supports Arthur's role as "Once and Future King who Unites Albion including the magic and non magic folk together with Emrys as his guide."

This is what has been missing in the show. Merlin and the prophetic magic sect needed the message of Arthur's claim and destiny to be more widely known. As it was at best only ten people were truly knowledgable of it among the thousands of people who supposedly reside in Albion. Their cause lacked popular support especially among the non-prophetic sectors of the magic-folk. THAT is a problem. Keep in mind that not all druids support their cause (see Kara). Even if Arthur becomes High King, there would always be resistance because there was never a lubricant/oil in magic-folks hearts that would endear Arthur to the people if he was suddenly put on the throne as ruler of everybody. (basically this is what happened with the Disir)

Governmental/system change can never be a one-man-show. All social classes and folks have to be involved. Merlin was given bad advice and made to believe that only he alone could do it. That was a recipe for disaster. It enabled him to learn how to distrust and execute everyone who was against him or look like a threat. It made him incapable of initiating proper dialogue against the powerful magic users or any nobility who could've aided him.

They say "the pen is mightier than the sword” after all. But did that show up in the story? Nope.

WHAT WAS THE RESULT OF MERLIN AND PROPHETIC MAGIC COMPANY'S SECRETIVE AND PASSIVE STANCE?

I'm sure that some magic folk would have heard of Emrys but! Where was Emrys when they needed him? Why is he only helping the king? It's been 20 years and he had not shown his face? Is he a coward? Does he not care for us?

-> this would be the questions of those who were suffering the oppression and also heard about the prophecy. Heck Morgana has been asking about this herself when she learned about him being her doom.

Oppressed folk, magic and non magic, natural enemies of camelot would be so embittered and disillusioned and instead flocked to Morgana's banner.

“Better fight now rather than later because if not now, then when are we going to fight?"

As far as they were concerned only Morgana had - the claim - the machinery - the network - the connections - the experience - the decisiveness - the invincibility and power (impt for a future stable reign, u need leaders to live long) ...that could go against the Mighty Camelot. As far as Morgana was concerned, she was the only champion, she was the only one fighting for the rights of magic. She had no clear nor strong vocal opposition within the magicfolk. That gave her the leeway to do whatever she wanted, no matter how selfish, or self-serving or brutal or cruel. As far as everyone was concerned she was the one WHO GOT THINGS DONE. Things actually moved forward when she was in the lead yknow....whether for better of for worse, it moved forward. There was an attainable goal, a time limit and foreseeable future. To many desperate and oppressed magicfolk, that glimmer of tangible hope was more comforting than Merlin's "SOMEDAY.”

In the desperate fight for survival, oppressed/marginalized/embittered people would normally support that kind of leader especially when everything else had been taken from them: their right to live, livelihood, right to be free.

Did it allow Morgana to abuse them? ofc it did. That is what organized crime/insurgency due to systemic oppression looks like. (think yakuza/mafia... s5 morgana's organization was already close to that)

As it was, Magic folk had a difficult choice 1) either live in fear of discovery and persecution under Uther/Arthur's Camelot or 2) live and serve using their abilities and true magic self in whatever way Morgana wanted as she tries to take power.

We know what happened: most non-druidic/non-prophetic magic folk choose Morgana because at least they had a chance for a better life once Morgana stabilized her reign. I'm sure Morgana has promised them rewards if they helped her (especially in s4). Like come on.. she pays her spies nicely ffs. People need money bruh. They need to eat. Morgana compensated them for services even in s5.

Hence it was really Important that Merlin revealed himself earlier as a champion for the prophetic magic sect. HE WAS "THE OTHER WAY," BUT HE DIDNT, HE NEVER STEPPED UP TO THAT ROLE. His silence and decisions left the rest of the oppressed magic world, who barely had any idea that he existed, with no choice but to seek Morgana's protection (see Mordred and Aithusa)

WHY THEY KEPT THE PROPHECY A SECRET.

I have some theories

They were too idealistic in believing that the king could be influenced just by one guy alone (Merlin.) Which is very bad advice as i have said above.

Uther and Arthur's attitude against magical prophecy basically involving them 1) laughing it off as superstition and 2) denying them as legitimate causes for concern. If Arthur publicly said "WHO ME? ACCEPT MAGIC??? PFFFT ARE YOU DERANGED" imagine how that would affect those (not as priviliged as merlin) who believed in Arthur at first lol. Merlin and Gaius wanted to save their own asses and cling to the grip on power they had as close confidants of the Pendragons. In doing so they secured themselves as the prophesied judge and arbiter of all magic folk even when Merlin never tried to initiate dialogue with most of the different magic sects. Kilgharrah, Merlin, Gaius, Finna, Alator, Druids, were just awful at actual state building/kingmaking. They don't have a strategy, a battle plan, ANY PLAN other than "guess we'll just wait things out I'm sure everything will be better with time. We have hope. So we will do as we always do and suffer in silence as we slowly nudge him to our beliefs (while our rivals are constantly tearing our house apart)... but we can gift Arthur an extra nice sword as a treat."

anyhow that's the war on camelot

thanks for reading

merlin got bad advice and underperformed severely.

[none-ofthisnonsense]

Merlin S5E2, “Arthur’s Bane: Part Two”

Aithusa??? Why is she on Morgana’s side. (Also, how come Morgana knows her name?)

Seriously. Same quarry as Doctor Who! (Though both series being produced in and by BBC Eales, I’m not altogether surprised.)

STOP SAYING HE HAS TO HELP YOU. HE DOES NOT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING. 

Still unclear about what the fuck that thing is.

I swear I’ve seen Sefa’s dad somewhere before but I DON’T KNOW WHERE. (He was in Doctor Who!)

Morgana is SO manipulative.

Ohh il a un triskell sur son cou!

Sefa, “sorry” isn’t going to cut it here.

Merlin’s morals are a really interesting thing to explore, actually. (He always avoids death EXCEPT to protect Arthur.)

…is Gwaine particularly special?

I love Ruadan. Also HOW IS HE SUCH A GOOD FIGHTER I’m not usually one for fight scenes but the ones with Ruadan? HELL YEAH.

“Soon the Pendragons will be no more” does that include Morgana?

I forgot Morgana had pretty much adopted Mordred. (God, I want to see that.)

Mordred is so similar to Merlin sometimes. IT’S ABOUT THE PARALLELS.

Merlin, Gwaine, have I mentioned how much I love you two?

So will Merlin be nicer to Mordred now? (The music…)

A QUARRY IN WALES. I’M TELLING YOU.

[legends-of-time]

Amelia’s Story (BBC Merlin Story)

Chapter 60: The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

Masterlist

Anne's POV

It's all been a bit too much recently and Anne as found that both she and Merlin aren't really having much alone time together. After finding out about Amelia and the arrival of Mordred, along with Merlin being busy with working for Arthur and Gaius and Anne with helping Gwen (neither of them could quite trust Yrene, Gwen's new maid after what happened with Sefa) as well as them both looking after the children. And Anne really needs it.

Anne had hoped that they could perhaps have the day together today but then Merlin had to go on a hunting trip with Arthur for a couple of days. But when they return, they come with an interesting object.

Arthur hands Gaius an object wrapped in a cloth as Merlin and Anne watch on in the Physician's Chambers. Gaius unwraps it to reveal a small horn made of bone, with metal detailing.

Gaius analyses it. "The Horn of Cathbhadh. When Uther attacked the Isle of the Blessed, the Horn of Cathbhadh was smuggled to safety before the Temple fell. It hasn't been heard of since."

"The old woman said it could be used to open a door to the spirit world." Arthur tells them. Anne frowns curiously at him.

"I have seen it with my own eyes. Long before the time of the Great Purge, I took part in such ceremonies." Gaius explains. "Each year at Beltane, the High Priestesses would gather at the Great Stones of Nemeton and summon the spirits of their ancestors. It holds powerful magic." Gaius returns the Horn to Arthur. "You must keep it safe." Gaius looks knowingly at Merlin.

Arthur stares at the Horn in a daze.

"Arthur?" Anne prompts.

Arthur shakes himself out of it. "I'll make sure it goes into the Vault." He quickly leaves the room.

——

Anne and Merlin still couldn't spend some time alone together because it was the anniversary of Arthur becoming King which calls for the usual feast.

The Banquet Hall is full of Knights and various Courtiers as they feast. There is music, talking, and laughing. Arthur sits next to Gwen, at the top of the table, looking pensive and stoic, in contrast to the jovial atmosphere of the feast. Anne knows why he's like this, it's the anniversary of his father dying not long after Arthur's birthday. Honestly, Anne is relieved and she knows Merlin is too. To not be constantly looking over their shoulders, fearing any misstep will reveal who they are is gone. She wishes Amelia was here to enjoy it.

The only one remotely pulling a similar face to Arthur is Percival who is always subdued at events these days. He had long since stopped helping Anne and Merlin with joining in on the secret Camelot protection team. The man has been mourning the loss of his wife ever since Morgana took her but there had always been this hope that she would come back but now the hope is gone. Anne doesn't know what was said, but she knows that Percival had spoken to Amelia at Ismere and had confessed that he had a daughter but had said nothing else.

Anne is relieved to hear that Amelia and Percival's child is alive. She had worried they had been lost after hearing Gwen and Merlin's descriptions of how badly injured Amelia was.

Leon stands. "To the King!" He toasts.

Everyone stands, joining the toast. "The King!"

This brings out a slight smile from Arthur, who waves them away. They all take their seats once more. Anne watches as Arthur says something to Gwen and leaves the feast.

——

Anne lights the final candle on the table. Gwaine and Elyan volunteered to watch the kids for an evening, and even though the last time she had let any of the Knights babysit, Faye was smacking anything and everyone with a wooden sword for days, Anne knows they can at least handle things for one night.

Anne had spent the whole day making their meal from scratch, even dressing her best. She blows out the match when she hears the door to their Chambers open.

Merlin walks in, and he frowns at the sight of the set-up. He pauses, then holds up a finger. "Did I miss an anniversary?" He asks, an extremely nervous look on his face.

"What? No." Anne hurriedly relies. "I thought it'd be nice to have a fancy meal with just the two of us. We haven't spent much time together recently and I thought it would be nice."

Relieved that he is not in trouble, Merlin picks up a tomato from the salad. "Where are the kids?"

Anne winces. "With Gwaine and Elyan."

He chokes. "You left a baby and a toddler with those two?"

"No one else was available!" Anne defends. "Look, we finally have a night to ourselves. Don't you think we should make the most of it?" She wraps her arms around him, hopeful.

Merlin sighs. "I wish we could, but I can't." He presses a kiss to the corner of her mouth and slides out of her arms. Anne's arms flop to her side as he wanders over to the wardrobe, leaving her standing by the table, dumbfounded. "Arthur needs to go somewhere."

"What?" Anne questions. "Where?"

"I don't know." Merlin replies as he opens the wardrobe. "He wouldn't say." He pulls out some supplies and shuts the doors. "He was acting really secretive about it too."

"Well, you can still sit and eat!" Anne argues. She doesn't want all this hard work to be for nothing.

"Can't, Arthur wants to leave now." Merlin says.

"So, I guess this is all just going to go to waste?" Anne huffs.

Merlin pauses in his frantic packing. "Oh, not to waste, I promise." He reassures her. He shoves everything into the bags, comes over to the table, picks up a piece of chicken, and pops it in his mouth. He chews a few times then offers a thumbs-up before pecking Anne's lips. "It was delicious. I'll see you when I get back."

"Bye..." Anne mumbles as he walks away.

He steps out the door but soon ducks his head back into the room, holding on to the door.

Anne frowns in confusion. "What is it? Did you forget something?"

"Yeah." He says, smiling. "I forgot to tell you that I love you."

His words bring an instant smile to Anne's face. "I love you too."

——

Merlin doesn't explain where he and Arthur had gone but Anne can tell there's something off about the two of them and that Merlin doesn't want to talk about it. She simply accepts the flowers he gives her, knowing if it's big, he'll tell her.

Anne feels off the entire day since their return and the day after. It's almost as if an unnatural presence has entered the Castle. She would find herself walking through the corridors and feel an ominous wind come through, disturbing the candles. Anne would look around, unsettled, but notice nothing.

Apparently, that's not the only strange occurrence that's been happening.

"The doors... burst open on their own?" Anne asks as she pulls a shirt over Faye's head. Anne and Merlin are in the Nursery, helping them get ready for bed. Anne had heard whispers earlier in the day about something strange happening during a meeting today, but she hadn't gotten the full details.

"Yes." Merlin replies as he fights Euwen's wiggly limbs as he tries to dress him for bed.

"Mama, no!" Faye protests, tugging on the tunic.

"You told Mama that you wanted to wear this shirt." Anne reminds her though she wonders why she's arguing with a three-year-old.

Faye shakes her head. "No no no!"

"Come on, darling." Anne pleads. She runs her fingers through her daughter's soft locks. "Just for tonight, okay? Mama's very tired."

"No, no, no!" She whines.

Anne barely represses a groan as she takes Faye's tunic off her and sits her down. "Stay here while Mama gets a new shirt."

Thankfully she obeys and instead watches as Merlin tucks Euwen into his cot. "It wasn't the wind, either. No wind is that powerful."

Anne digs around the drawers, turning every so often to suggest a new tunic to Faye. "I mean, that's not that unusual." She argues. "We've had stranger things happen." Once she finally picks one, Anne moves back to her.

"That's not all." Merlin continues. He leans over and presses a kiss to Euwen's forehead. "The candelabra fell from the ceiling."

Anne is just putting Faye's head through the hole as he says this, and her hands freeze. Merlin comes over and tugs the shirt the rest of the way down.

"That's strange." Anne admits.

"Exactly." Merlin says. He tucks his hands under Faye's arms and picks her up. Anne pulls back the blankets, and Merlin sets her down gently in the bed. They both pull the blanket up to her chin. Anne plants a kiss on Faye's cheek, then goes over and kisses Euwen's forehead.

They say goodnight and blow out the candles before leaving the room. They close the door and wait for a few moments to hear their even breathing before leaving back to their Chambers just around the corner.

Anne turns back to their conversation as they make their way down the hall. "What do you think it was?"

"I have no idea." Merlin says, rubbing his face with his hands.

Anne makes a sympathetic noise rubbing his arm when suddenly they hear a distant cry. They run to the Armoury to find a bleeding Percival clutching his shoulder.

"Percival?!" Anne exclaims worriedly as she and Merlin rush over to him. "What happened?" She notes an axe lying on the ground next to him. A bloody axe.

"An axe fell from the rack in the Armoury." Percival explains, groaning.

Merlin slips straight into training. With a quick murmur of "Forclyccan duguð folcgewinn", the bleeding stops but it's still a bad wound. Merlin grabs a bundle of cloth and ties it tightly around the Knight's wound. "Let's get you to Gaius."

——

Gaius is bandaging Percival's shoulder. "I'm surprised that a falling axe would cause such a deep wound."

"Not as surprised as I was." Percival remarks. "Luckily two Sorcerers were nearby to help." He flashes a small grin at the two to which they return. It's nice to have Percival with them once more, bringing back memories of them all plotting and planning in Gaius' Chambers, the only one missing is Amelia.

"It's just lucky that you weren't more seriously injured." Anne says. She takes a seat across from Percival as Merlin steps in to help Gaius.

"It's strange..." Percival murmurs.

"What's that?" Merlin questions.

"Just before it happened. I sensed something, like there was someone there watching me." Percival explains. "I'm sure it was just my mind playing tricks on me."

Gaius finishes wrapping the wound and holds out a poultice to him. "Apply a second poultice in the morning. And no training."

"Thank you, Gaius." Percival says with a slight smile. Merlin helps Percival into his sleeveless gambeson, and he leaves.

It is silent for a bit as Gaius rolls up the remaining gauze while Merlin tidies the Chambers.

Finally, Gaius breaks the silence, "Is there something wrong, Merlin?"

Merlin pauses, then looks over his shoulder at Gaius. When he doesn't say anything, Gaius prompts, "Merlin, I have the distinct impression that there is something you are not telling me.

"No," Merlin scoffs. "Why do you say that?"

Anne winces. "Oh, love even you know that wasn't convincing."

Merlin looks between the two of them and relents. "We went to the Stones of Nemeton."

What?!

Gaius glares at him. "Merlin, I warned you of the dangers..."

"I tried to stop him!" Merlin defends. "He was insistent!"

"Is this what Arthur was being so secretive about?" Anne asks.

"Yes." Merlin replies, but then quickly adds, "But I swear I didn't know where we were going until we got there. He desperately wanted to speak to his father."

Anne sighs. "The anniversary of Arthur's coronation just passed." Anne breathes, putting the pieces together. "He must have missed Uther so much he was desperate to do anything to see him."

"Exactly." Merlin says, but it's clear he wants to say more.

"What is it, Merlin?" Gaius questions.

"It's just, the whole candelabra situation, I in the corridor outside the Council Chambers, I could sense something. It was like Percival said—a presence of some kind." Merlin explains.

Anne's eyes widen in realisation. "I felt that too, multiple times. I have felt like there's something that's entered the Castle ever since the two of you left."

"In the days of the Old Religion, the Priestesses trained for years before entering into the spirit world." Gaius moves to a table to sit down; Anne and Merlin sit across from him. "It was fraught with danger. There was one thing they were schooled never do. As the Veil closed, they were never to look back at the spirit."

"What happened if they did?" Anne questions.

"They'd release the spirit into this world."

"Arthur must have looked back." Merlin realises.

This is not good. "What can we do?" Anne asks.

"You must force Uther's spirit back to the other world before it can do anymore harm." Gaius explains, flicking through his books.

"How do we do that?" Merlin questions.

"You must use the Horn of Cathbhadh to reopen the veil between the worlds. Only then can Uther's spirit pass over." Sounds simple enough.

Merlin shrugs. "Easy. I'll fetch the Horn. I know where Arthur's hidden it."

But Gaius shakes his head. "It's not as simple as that. Only the person who summoned the spirit can force it from this world."

"Arthur..." Anne murmurs.

——

Uther has struck again.

Anne helps Gaius treat an unconscious Gwen, who lies on Merlin's old bed. Merlin and Arthur look on. Gwen had somehow gotten trapped in the Kitchens, and the room was then set on fire. Anne had been walking by when Merlin, who had gone to speak to Arthur, passed by with Gwen in his arms, and Anne followed them the rest of the way to the Gaius' Chambers.

"You know it was Uther." Merlin murmurs to Arthur.

"We don't know what happened." Arthur insists weakly.

"So, Gwen mysteriously ended up locked in the kitchens, which mysteriously caught fire." Merlin states dubiously. "You told yourself Uther disapproved of your marriage to Gwen."

"He wouldn't do that." Arthur persists.

"I know how difficult it is for you." Merlin starts as Anne and Gaius finally draw themselves away from Gwen.

"How is she?" Arthur asks.

"The smoke has entered her lungs, but over time it will heal." Gaius explains. "We gave her a sleeping draught. She was lucky to escape with her life."

Arthur shakes his head in disbelief. "I always knew my father could be cruel, but why would he have done that that Guinevere? He knows how much I love her."

Anne scoffs, tearing her gaze away from Gwen long enough to look at Arthur. "Like Uther's respected your feelings for Gwen in the past." She quirks a brow. "Remember when he tried to have her banished because you dared to love her?"

Arthur's face darkens at her words, and just as Gaius is about to leave the room, Arthur holds out a hand to stop him. "Gaius," with a resolved sigh, he asks, "What do you know about ghosts?"

——

Anne stays behind to help Gaius brew the potion that will allow them to see Uther's spirit.

When Anne and Gaius enter Arthur's Chambers, no one is in the main area. Odd. They move through to find Arthur and Merlin peeking into a cupboard, but they must've been quiet as when Arthur and Merlin both turn, they jump out of their skin at the sight of them.

"Seen any ghosts?" Anne remarks with a grin but she receives some unimpressed looks, and her smile drops. "No?" She awkwardly nods her head over to the table. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

A moment later, they sit at Arthur's table. Gaius places three vials of potion before them. Anne glances at her own dubiously. This part she's not looking forward to.

"The potion will allow you to see Uther in his spirit form." Gaius tells them. "Once you are in his presence, you must blow the Horn. It's the only way you can force him to go back to the Spirit World."

Arthur examines the potion while Merlin pops the cork and sniffs it, then recoils.

"Is it safe?" The former asks.

Gaius opens his mouth but hesitates, sharing an unsure look with Anne, who grimaces. "I can't say I'm entirely sure."

"Drink and find out." Anne remarks. "That's my motto."

Arthur rolls his eyes at her, but he turns his attention back to Merlin. Anne, Merlin, and Arthur make 'cheers' gestures. Merlin brings the vial to his lips and Anne does the same but they both pause when they notice that Arthur is not doing the same.

"What are you waiting for?" Merlin asks.

"To see if it's safe." The King replies.

"So, if we don't die, you'll take yours."

"Precisely. Get on with it."

Anne downs it and oh god, it's horrific. She quickly swallows it down, her face pinching together to keep herself from outwardly reacting. Anne can see Merlin is holding back a grimace and trying his best not to gag.

Arthur frowns suspiciously as the two of them shrug at him. "Well, at least we know it doesn't kill you instantly." He remarks. He tips his vial into his mouth and immediately moans. "Eurgh!" He spits, setting the vial down. "That– oh. That is the foulest thing I've ever tasted.

"Sorry about that." Anne says with fake pleasantry, coughing and gagging slightly. "Did we forget to tell you about that part?" She laughs, but at Arthur's souring glare, she sobers up.

——

The three of them begin their hunt for Uther. Arthur carries a torch through the dark corridors with Anne and Merlin trailing after him.

Naturally, there are some false starts, one being Merlin mistaking a shadow for the dead King causing Arthur to smack Merlin in the head. The second is that they've come across Leon with no explanation of why there sneaking through the Castle corridors in the middle of the night.

Leon looks startled as he takes them in. "Anne. Arthur. Merlin."

"Leon." The three of them say simultaneously.

"Is everything alright, My Lord?" Leon questions.

"It's perfectly fine." Arthur replies awkwardly. "We're... Anne, tell Leon what we're doing."

"Uh, we're, um, we were just... Merlin and I are teaching him some poetry?" Anne splutters out. She's definitely sounded surer in her life.

"Poetry?" Leon questions incredulously.

"I love poetry." Arthur reluctantly replies.

Merlin awkwardly laughs. "We were as surprised as you are. He can't get enough of it!"

"I'll leave you to your poetry, then, My Lord." Leon leaves looking back at them strangely.

Once he's gone, Arthur turns on Anne. "Poetry? That's the best you could come up with?"

"What did you want me to say?!" Anne hisses. "You put me on the spot!"

"I don't know. Something that didn't make me sound like a love-struck girl." Arthur retorts. Then his head snaps to something behind Anne and Merlin. They turn and see nothing.

"What was that?" Merlin questions.

"It was my father."

——

Merlin has gone to check the Storeroom while Anne and Arthur continue to slink down the corridors when the ominous wind suddenly gusts around them. Arthur's torch then goes out and Anne hears footsteps approach.

"Merlin? Merlin, is that you?" Anne whispers as loud as she dares, hoping it's her husband and not the spirit of Uther but there's no reply from Merlin.

"Father?" Arthur utters.

Then there's the feeling of someone walking behind them. Anne and Arthur turn but find no one. Arthur tosses aside his now useless torch and takes the bone-carved Horn out of his soft leather belt.

"Where did he go?" Anne whispers as they creep along the corridors, finding themselves outside the Council Chambers.

"I don't know." Arthur whispers back, opening the Council Chambers door. "Maybe in—"

Anne doesn't hear the end of his sentence as Arthur cuts himself off when the doors slam shut behind them and lock. Then she finds herself being sent flying backwards across the room and into the wall causing everything to go black. The last thing she hears is Arthur yelling, "Anne!"

——

Merlin's POV

Merlin, after being able to get himself out of the Storeroom after being trapped, follows the noise to find himself entering the Council Chambers from a back door. He enters to find Uther's spirit looming over the prone bodies of Arthur and Anne.

He feels rage boil up inside him. "Get away from them, Uther." He spits, stopping the spirit in his tracks. "You've caused enough harm. You don't belong here. You must return to the other world."

"This is my Kingdom. You think you can drive me from it?" Uther growls, and he turns around to face Merlin. "You are nothing but a serving boy."

Merlin almost scoffs as he tries to rain in his emotions, speaking a truth he can't believe he's uttering to Uther's face. "I am much more than that."

Uther tosses a bench – which, if it wasn't for the situation, Merlin would laugh at as it's so close to magic – at Merlin, who deflects it using magic. The bench crashes against a wall, then to the floor. Merlin stares at Uther, a challenge.

The look of utter shock and disbelief glitters over Uther's face. "You have magic."

"I was born with it!" Merlin declares almost tearfully.

"I made you Arthur's servant." Uther realises. "You are a Sorcerer."

"Even while you were King, there was magic at the heart of Camelot." Merlin declares, feeling almost gleeful.

Uther angrily strides towards him. "I will not allow you and your kind to poison my Kingdom!"

"You're wrong. You're wrong, about so much." Merlin says causing Uther to pause. "Arthur is a better and more worthy King than you ever were."

Uther roars. Merlin quickly uses magic to push him away. Uther goes flying through the door.

——

Anne's POV

Anne feels someone shaking her. "Anne, Anne!"

She groans awake, her body aching. Anne looks up to find Arthur, who has a bruise forming at his temple, looking at her in relief.

"What happened?" She questions. She looks around to find a broken bench lying by a wall and a shield lying not too far away from them.

"My father." Arthur replies shortly as he helps her stand.

There are some loud noises in the distance. Arthur and Anne's heads snap towards it.

"Merlin..." Anne murmurs worriedly.

Arthur and Anne hurriedly go in search of Merlin. They reach the Armoury to find Merlin pinned to the wall by a pair of spears snagging his jacket. Uther stands in front of him with a sword in hand.

"It will give me great pleasure killing you." Uther declares angrily.

Arthur and Anne quickly run in. "Father!" The former yells, raising the Horn above his head.

Uther turns and panics at the sight of the Horn. "Arthur... no. Please. Whatever I have done, I've done for Camelot."

"You've had your turn. Now it's mine." Arthur raises the Horn to his lips, and—

"Merlin has—" Uther tries but it's too late.

Arthur blows the Horn causing Uther to discorporate. Merlin slumps in relief while Arthur looks at the spot where his father once stood, looking upset. Anne ignores this and sprints over to Merlin, wrapping him up in a relieved but awkward hug due to the spears.

——

"I can't believe Uther found out about you." Anne says, linking her arm with Merlin's as they walk back to their Chambers.

"Well, he is dead. I didn't have anything to lose." Merlin shrugs casually but Anne can see that he's happy but also emotionally drained.

"Still." Anne argues. "Do you think Arthur will be alright?"

"He'll be fine. I think he's with Gwen now." Merlin replies.

"At least it looks like he's made peace with Uther's legacy." Anne says as they step into their Chambers. "Who knows how much longer that would have hung over his head."

"I know." Merlin says. He collapses onto their bed with a groan, and Anne giggles as she joins him. Merlin wraps his arm around her and hugs her to his side. Anne sighs in content and nestles herself into his chest, breathing in his scent deeply.

——

Amelia's POV

Amelia watches the two through the water that sits in a basin. She sees how happy and at peace they are. She splashes the water angrily, disrupting the image as tears well up in her eyes. Amelia wipes them away furiously.

She is in her new room in the Fortress where she and Morgana have set up with their Saxons. It's definitely warmer than Ismere was.

"My Lady?"

Amelia turns to see it's Beroun, the leader of the band of Saxons who follow Amelia and Morgana. Amelia smiles slightly at the sight of him. The Saxon had always been nice to her and loyal. While he's loyal to both sisters, he has often helped Amelia sneak this and that past her sister.

"Beroun, what can I do for you?"

"Your sister requests your presence in the Throne room, she needs your thoughts on the final plans for invading Nemeth with." Beroun explains. "King Odin is with her."

Amelia nods. Of course. Another plan to capture Arthur so that Morgana could gain the throne of Camelot. This time by utilising the hatred Odin has for Arthur for killing his son.

"I'll be there shortly."

Beroun nods and leaves. Amelia grabs the basin and tips the water into the unlit fireplace. She should really stop watching her old family and friends, it only causes her pain just like Morgana told her it would. She really needs to leave that world behind. It's not her life anymore, her life is with her daughter and Morgana. They won't betray her.

——

A/N: Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.