#bbc will

[tiodolma]

His only reprieve from that pain had been Will, who joked him through it. Who took the blame for some of the mischief that Merlin's magic caused. Will never treated him differently. He never lied to Merlin. Will had died for his sake. If Merlin didn't have a friend like Will, who risked a lot and risked it often for him, then Merlin would never have made it to Camelot.

Morgana never had that. He could have been that, but he was afraid. He was a coward, Merlin knew as much. Will wouldn't have poisoned his friend. He would have found another way. But Merlin didn't. He betrayed Morgana. She had put her entire life in his hand and he crushed it.

It's not everyday where you can read a mergana fic that remembers Will.

[atlantablack]

All time ever does is pass and all you ever do is remember.

November | Sue Zhao

[dragoon-the-greatest]

Merlin Headcanons, Part One (Pre Canon and Canon Era)

• When Merlin was born, his eyes were gold when he first opened them and he broke a plate when he cried. When the townswoman who helped Hunith with the birth came running into the room to investigate the noise, Hunith starting crying hysterically (she later said she was simply upset that Merlin’s father wasn’t there) and threw a cup against a wall from her bedside to cover up any evidence of Merlin’s magic. It worked; the woman was alarmed by her sudden and extreme actions and ran from the room before Merlin’s magic did anything else. The woman gave Hunith a bit of space for a while afterwards; Hunith didn’t mind, as it took a few years for Merlin to stop doing spontaneous magic when laughing or crying. 

• Merlin did in fact tell Will he had magic, Will didn't find out by accident. Between Will's reaction to Merlin not wanting to tell Arthur about his magic, and Merlin's strong desire to tell people in Camelot about his magic even under the threat of execution, there's no reason to think he didn't tell Will himself.

• Will knew for a year or two before Hunith found out he knew. This, combined with Merlin's lack of control over his magic, made her reach out to Gaius on Merlin's behalf. (She had to travel to the next town over to send the letter, but she was so upset she didn’t tell Merlin where she was going. He just thought she had had enough and decided to leave and was so happy when she came back home again)

• When Merlin was little and it was winter time, he used his magic to make crops grow from the seeds stored in his house so that he and his mother could eat. Merlin wanted to share his gifts with the rest of the village but his mother was adamant that he shouldn't .

• (This was endlessly frustrating to baby Merlin, who didn't understand why he couldn't just use his magic to help people. His mother assured him that maybe some day he could change how the world saw magic. She forgot these words as he grew older, but Merlin never did)

• Merlin is extremely sensitive to the cold after what happened with the dorocha. It's never directly addressed because of the grief over Lancelot that is associated with those memories, but on extended hunting trips Merlin always sits closest to the fireside even when it isn't that cold outside. Sometimes he falls asleep shivering and wakes up covered in a red cloak or five

• Merlin likes fire; it was one of the first magics he experimented with after telekinesis. He is not afraid of it because of its association with the pyre.

• No matter how afraid he is of Arthur reacting badly to his magic, he knows Arthur isn't cruel enough to burn him alive. Beheading, however, is a very real fear for him. That was the first type of execution he ever saw, and when Arthur asks him why Merlin never told him about his magic, Merlin didn't say "Because I didn't want to burn," he says, "You'd have chopped my head off."

• This is also why he continues wearing neckerchiefs throughout the series; in Ealdor it was just the style and a way to keep warm, but in Camelot Merlin feels more comfortable keeping his neck covered.

And the one that makes me saddest (sorry):

• Merlin never did find out that Arthur hugged him during the whole fomorrah incident; in his mind, the only hug they ever shared was Merlin holding Arthur as he died.

That's all for now! There will be a Part Two: Immortal Edition to follow but this is getting too long.

[introspectivememories]

we should’ve gotten more scenes with will and arthur. they both fucking hate each other but have a tentative truce for merlin. will hates arthur and his holier-than-thou attitude and arthur can't fucking stand will. bitch on bitch violence.