#cause like. poisoning morgana is one thing

[adhd-merlin]

you know, if arthur had ever come to know that merlin considered letting a literal child die to save his life, however briefly, he would have been horrified. even if mordred did end up killing him. that's just not what arthur was about

[thenightshadowqueen]

What do you think are Merlin and Arthur’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic?

Also, what are your top 5 favorite moments from Merlin BBC? Sorry if you've answered this questions before....

Ooh, those are great questions! And don’t worry; I haven’t done these yet. Thank you for the ask! I am so, so sorry that it’s taken me so long to get to this; I’ve been having a time the past few weeks, and I wanted to give you a properly thought-out answer.

Okay, so: Merlin. I think the idea of strengths and weaknesses for him really comes from whose perspective you’re looking from. If we’re looking at what makes him such a compelling character, then I think his greatest strength is his complete and unconditional devotion to Arthur. That is what draws me, at least, so totally to his character—not in the sense that he isn’t a fascinating and full character separate from Arthur, but in the sense that his self, especially in the later seasons, is so fundamentally tied to Arthur that it’s impossible to have Merlin as he is without Arthur. However, if we’re looking at strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of Merlin’s own mental health, this very same trait is his greatest weakness. The same is true if you look at all of the bad things that happened due to Merlin’s decisions: his worst decisions were made with Arthur’s best interests at heart.

Arthur’s strengths and weaknesses are, I think, a little easier to determine. His greatest strength is probably his dedication to his people and his determination to do what’s best for his kingdom. On the other hand, he is a bit of a dick, especially during the earlier seasons. He can also be quite oblivious (some of which is his character and some of which is questionable writing).

As for what I love about the dynamic, I think a lot of it comes down to the fundamental imbalance of the whole thing. I’m fascinated and quite compelled by unhealthy ship dynamics (I have my theories as to why, but we don’t need to get into that here), and just the fact that Arthur doesn’t know about Merlin’s magic means that their relationship can never be equal. And then, when you think about Merlin’s self-destructive devotion, it all becomes clear. Arthur is just as dedicated to Merlin as the other way around, but because Arthur doesn’t have all the information, he is unable to put in the same amount of effort and love as Merlin. [Autocorrect tried to change ‘love’ to ‘lube’. Just thought I’d share that.] Of course, there’s also the fucking chemistry; that’s what got me into them in the first place, but the unbalance of the whole thing is why I’ve stayed so long.

Top 5 BBC Merlin Moments

5. “Where does it say my destiny includes murder?” (S1E12)

This scene has always stood out to me during rewatches, because with the context of the full show, it’s dripping in dramatic irony. Merlin kills so many people for Arthur, most necessary and some not, and at some point he stops thinking twice about it, because he’ll do anything to protect Arthur. And this scene is so fucking sad, because he’s so innocent, and you just know that that’s all going to be ripped away.

4. Merlin poisoning Morgana (S2E12)

This is such a crucial turning point. This kind of solidifies Morgana turning sides, but it’s also the first moment you get to see that ruthlessly devoted side of Merlin. I mean, he poisons one of his closest friends to save Arthur. And I feel like this is one of the first times we really get to see how far he’s willing to go. Also, shoutout to Colin and Katie, because the acting was incredible.

3. That one five-second shot of Morgana grabbing Gwaine’s jaw (S4E12)

Look, I have deep reasons for the other ones. I’m allowed to have one shallow moment as a favourite. As a treat. They’re both so fucking gorgeous, and together? In that dynamic? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: they are conspiring to cause my death.

2. Arthur and Merlin’s fight in the marketplace (S1E1)

They’re both such sassy little shits in this scene, and I love them for it. But also the pure sexual tension in that scene is unreal. Like, Arthur is so fucking delighted to find someone who treats him like a normal person, and Merlin is just pissed off. Is there a better dynamic? I don’t think so.

1. Arthur’s death (S5E13)

It’s heartbreaking. I’m not denying that. But it’s gorgeous. Colin and Bradley did such an amazing job, and there’s so much love and heartbreak packed into those few minutes, and I actually don’t know what I can say about how much I love it other than just look at it.

[morganafayes]

i want to talk about the dark tower (5.06) because it is SUCH a frustrating episode for multiple reasons. it’s unique in that it’s one of the only morgana/gwen centric episodes in the entire series - and yet it ends up becoming a detriment to both of their characters’ development. this episode sucks not just because of the evil gwen plotline (which was terrible yes. we love the writers just removing her autonomy over and over again for no reason!) which resulted from it but also because the lost potential of it all - when this setup could have been easily used to create some of the most interesting plot lines for gwen (and morgana) in s5

like. sorry to say but would it be that impossible or insane for gwen to actually sympathise to some degree with morgana here without magical brainwashing. to me its not! the thing about gwen is that she's a morally driven character first and foremost. one of the main reasons she falls in love with arthur is because crucially, she sees him as a good person. she loves him for the values that she believes he upholds and his desire to do justice. it was same with lancelot - it's emphasised that she liked him because he's honourable and good. we also see that she values her morality and doing the right thing above her own emotions at times (re: her not wishing for uther's death even after he killed her father).

with that in mind, would it be that insane for her entire perspective on arthur and merlin (AND magic) to change because of morgana? firstly, gwen never finds out that merlin poisoned morgana. this is very important to me.... because although yes he didn't 'have a choice' (im not gonna get into all of that but i understand both sides of the argument. whatever) he still did something wrong. like. killing 1 or 10 people in the trolley problem still makes u a murderer. she has every right to hate him. he objectively betrayed her and took advantage of her trust. i feel as if gwen would sympathise with morgana and at the very least this would affect her opinion towards merlin to some degree, and make her realise he's hiding things (because she, like arthur, doesn't know half the shit he gets up to and does! she even less than him!). furthermore (and more importantly) i can absolutely see gwen sympathising with morgana against arthur to some degree too. like yes he's her husband but AGAIN she's someone who always puts her principles first and objectively arthur is upholding his father's legacy by continuing the oppression of magic users. he is textually an oppressor. in 5.13 its clear gwen doesnt fully distrust or hate magic from her conversation with gaius (although she might be suspicious of it considering her past experiences) so she would probably be very sympathetic and understanding if morgana were to explain to her what it was like to be a magic user under uther's reign. how demonised and oppressed they truly were and continue to be. like. she would absolutely still criticise and call morgana out for hurting innocent people but ultimately morgana's cause (despite it being not really true to what it claims to be) would be sympathetic. at the very least she would see that arthur is wrong, even somewhat, for continuing to uphold his father's legacy. especially because (as the writers seemed to forget for some reason.) of her extremely complicated relationship with uther in the past, considering he almost had her killed more than once and did in fact murder her father because of his obsession with banning magic. and now her husband is doing the same thing.

no of course gwen would not side with morgana at this point in the story. but she would understand her and sympathise and it would create such an interesting moment of character growth/conflict. it would make her question her marriage, the things she THOUGHT arthur and camelot stood for and whether those things are really true. it would make her doubt merlin's character and realise he's hiding so much more than she thought. it might make her distrust him or demand the truth. it might make her wonder what SHE wants to do as queen, as a ruler in her own right, especially if she starts to have ideological disagreements with her husband. there's literally so much that could have been done with her in s5 as fallout from just this one episode and they did the most boring thing ever and made it suck so bad. bbc merlin writers ur not seeing the pearly gates

[sugar-coated-prat-dragon]

Title: The differences between Witches, Wizards, Druids and Warlocks

Questions by @tansyuduri

Tagging: @miyriu @tkmaras

Books used for reference: Merlin Complete Guide, Merlin Annual 2011, Merlin Annual 2013, Valiant, Death of Arthur and Tiny Merlin book called, “Arthur and the Unicorn”

Questions:

What is the difference between the four magical types? Witches, wizards, druids and warlocks.

Morgana is a witch, so are witches just woman born with magic and Warlocks are men and then Druids are part of the order?

But then what about woman NOT born with magic?

Also since Merlin is one of a kind this doesn’t fully make sense!

━━━━━✁┈┈┈┈┈┈

Known types of sorcerers:

Druid: Mordred, Iseldir, Cerdan, Aglain, Ruadan, Sefa, Kara and Freya.

Warlock: Alvarr, Merlin, Balinor and Dragonlords in general (Dragonlords are a very special warlock who can control Dragons).

Wizard: Gaius, Tauren, Anhora and Merlin (only referred to as a Wizard one time. More information about that below in the bonus section).

Witch: Morgana, Nimueh and Mary Collins.

My answer: I could be wrong, but it seems to me like the genres go as follows…

- Druids are a group of individuals who often possess magic and yet their group is more of a minority of religious and peaceful outsiders with members of both genders.

- Warlocks are men that are born with magic.

- Witches are woman born with magic.

- Wizards are men who acquire magic through extensive study and practice.

- It seems like other woman with magic (Alice, ect..) might just be referred to as a sorceress and if they use manipulation/seduction they might be coined an enchantress (which is how Uther referred to Morgause).

Important things to note:

There’s also special kinds of both Warlocks and Wizards that have a connection and power associated with certain magic creatures.

- Anhora is a very special kind of wizard (one who protects the unicorns).

- Dragonlords are a very special warlock (who can control Dragons and are their kin).

Interesting things about Witches:

- Despite witches being a type of female sorcerer, who can use magic for good or evil.

It’s interesting to me that the title of witch, seems to be an almost sexist term in itself.

Especially, since Uther’s hatred of magic has caused his citizens to enact ‘witch-hunts’ (which Gwen admits usually cause distrust and target innocent old ladies with cats).

Even the great dragon himself seems to only refer to Morgana as a ‘witch’ in a bitter way and it’s spoken as if being a witch makes her evil (which we know to not be true).

Sorcerers may be witches or wizards, druids or warlocks; they may use magic for good or evil.

A FATE UNKNOWN: Taken from Camelot by her half-sister Morgause, does she know it was Merlin who poisoned her? And if she lives, will she return to Camelot a hero, or with villainy in her heart? Will she live up to the title of witch' bestowed on her by the Great Dragon?

Interesting facts about Merlin:

- According to the books, despite being classified as a Warlock, Merlin is able to do magic of a kind never seen before and he’s specifically noted to be different, than even the rare humans born with magical abilities.

The description specifically mentions humans with telepathy and the ability to see the future. Then says on a different line… “And then there is Merlin ...”

Which makes a lot sense when you consider that Emrys is not only the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth, but magic itself and immortal.

BALINOR: “Merlin, you are more than a son of you father. You are son of the earth, the sea, the sky. Magic is the fabric of this world, and you were born of that magic. You are magic itself. You cannot lose what you are.”

Bonus section: Oddly enough, Merlin is referred to as a ‘wizard’ exactly one time (Merlin Annual 2013) and it was on the page referencing Kilgharrah.

Which might have something to do with Kilgharrah’s gift of prophecy and his ability to see that in the future, Merlin is more popularly described as a wizard by the Arthurian legend and mythology.

So in the future, the name ‘Wizard’ might become the more popular title associated with Merlin due to him being portrayed as an old, wise man. While not accurate in the Middle Ages, language and terminology often changes. And a thousand years is a long time.

MAGICAL POWERS:

Very rarely, humans are born with magical abilities. Some have the gift of telepathy - the ability to speak mind to mind. Others can see the future.

And then there is Merlin ...

UNIQUE GIFT:

Before he comes to Camelot, Merlin has never been taught magic and knows no spells - yet he is able to do magic of a kind never seen before.

THE GREAT DRAGON: Kilgharrah is one of Albion's last and greatest links with the old magic.

He can see Merlin's destiny, and when he was imprisoned beneath Camelot he developed a strong relationship with the young wizard.

[dollopole]

Could have destiny, and therefore Arthur’s death, really be avoided in Merlin? Or were things supposed to flow like that either way?

The first thought that struck me, as soon as the last episode ended, was the usual “what if?” that keeps this fandom alive, alongside the plethora of theories (that I like looking into and discuss) questions, answers and headcanons.

But no matter how many times I think about it, I personally believe that the answer to the question in the title is simply:

No.

It couldn’t.

The directors, no matter how many choices they made, that we could either think are wrong or not, had also made a wonderful job of deceiving us, but not really, and ending the show with a tragedy and a good fucking plot.

What is the plot, you may ask?

“You don’t choose destiny, destiny chooses you”,

and I think it’s brilliant.

First thing first, destiny:

The directors said: “Fuck it.” They tried everything they could do so that Merlin, at the end of the day, had only one choice. It is really an hard point to make, especially because we like to think that if Merlin had done something differently, things could have actually took another road, and yes, it could have, but it didn’t happen, because we needed an enemy in the show, and it was made on purpose. I like to think that the directors knew it would piss people off. It did. Great job, you guys, I still think about it after fifteen years.

Second thing, who’s the bad guy? (Uther)

What I mean by this, is that I’m asking this question to the main characters who the directors wanted us to believe they were objectively good, right, like Merlin, or Gaius, and even Arthur. How about, no one of them had to be completely good? It hurts less if the characters I just cited acted differently, like we oftentimes say of Merlin, but it’s fiction, and we wouldn’t have Tumblr to discuss it on, if they were all perfect, so why not give them some very bad flows? *cough* All the better if they’re murderers *cough*. Now, if it were reality, I too would have said: “Go to hell”, but it’s BBC Merlin, so let me have some fun.

Morgana is bad, Merlin could be too, Arthur even, also Gwen, Lancelot too, and all the wicked team we’ve got. Oh, especially the toilet they had instead of a king, the one and only Uther Pendragon. I even said that Gaius is bad, and offended Hunith of all people, so let’s get to my point. Merlin could have done things differently? Yes. But Morgana, too. Hell, also Arthur. The point of the TV show is the very, very bad choice Uther made of being a tyrant, so. Merlin could have told Morgana he had magic? Yep, but sometimes I believe Morgana had to be evil, so even if she could have become like that in another way, she made her own choice. She knew Merlin was a good person, who didn’t dislike her because of the magic, and still threatened him throughout all season three, causing chaos and death because she craved power and she was in a privileged position where she could do all these things. We like to blame Merlin and Gaius for how she turned out, but what about Gwen? Poor woman didn’t do anything, as much as breathing too hard near her mistress, and Morgana wanted her dead because she hated the idea that a woman like Gwen, who even if amazing and with so many skills, was just a peasant, and could get on her throne. Morgana made the choice to hate Gwen. Morgana made the choice to try and kill Arthur to take her throne, even when Arthur had no idea of what was happening. Heavy on her throne, because who said it was? By age, status, whatever, Uther appointed Arthur as the heir, and there is no changing that. (so, bad Morgana. See? She had to be, like, it was the director’s job)

“Merlin poisoned her.” He did, and isn’t that magnificent? We can see how it destroys both of them in their own ways. Why did they have to be good characters? Imagine how boring the show would have been, and now I wouldn’t be making a post about it at ten in the evening. Morgana chose Morgause. There is no discussing that. As soon as she saw she could take Arthur’s throne, she started doing the evil smirk every two seconds, accuse Gwen of being a sorceress (shouldn’t she side with her own kind?), killing guards wherever she went, sneaking out with the clip, clap of her boots to make bad things, uh uh, in the woods, uh uh.

Third thing, Merlin tried, poor guy:

No, he is not perfect either, and I love it. He is a man who got appointed with this great job to do the right thing since he was a boy, and what did the lad do? Many wrong things, LMAO. And still, in his perspective, they were right. And we agree on most of them, don’t we? Everything because we’ve got his point of view. It was right for Merlin to try and kill a child, because of a prophecy; it was right to lie to Morgana, because she was upstanding, and he was just a peasant; it was right to free a dragon, and he was simply right on this one (yes, to me, there is no discussing this. I would have freed The Great Dragon too, and I cannot blame him for what he did after); it was right to poison Morgana; it was right for Merlin to follow Arthur everywhere and believe he was a good man despite everything, because the idiots loved one another more than they could hate the system they had been put in (spoiler alert, Arthur too has so many flows). Why listing all these things he thought were right? Because they were right to him, because we know his life, how much he had hurt, and how much death not only he saw, but also inflicted. And Morgana killed so many people too. She, multiple times, committed treason, and Merlin had enough information to know that she agreed to make Camelot sleep. Thinking only of saving Arthur and innocent people, he did what he thought was best (this is the same man who had already saved Morgana after he had already tried to kill her, because he tried with all his might not to be a killer, like he had said to the dragon long before), and poisoned her. Could there be an excuse for Mordred? I believe not, but Merlin believed there was, and that’s enough for him, for the audience, and that’s what makes him such a complicated and beautiful character. Merlin did help Morgana, even if he lied to her, and what if he didn’t? He could have got into so much more trouble, Gaius would have reproached him, Merlin believed neither Arthur or Camelot were ready to accept magic, or him, and Morgana, once finding out about the fact that he was Uther’s daughter, she would have probably still acted the same, because we later see that she didn’t want magic to not be outlawed anymore, but to simply, ehm, kill Arthur and everyone who got in her way.

Fourth thing, the other characters can be bad too:

Even if enchanted, Gwen did betray Arthur. (she is such a good character, and very kind, but I like when even the best ones do something bad). We know she is not guilty, but nobody knew, not even Merlin and Gaius, because they never found out she had been enchanted. And when she was evil, there are still consequences to the deaths she caused. Lancelot, even if a good man, and a good friend to Merlin, left before Gwen could decided if she wanted a relationship with him. Gwaine, who we love and adore, him too a complex character, didn’t think about it twice in kicking Merlin in the dungeons when Gwen, evil and enchanted, had accused him of treason. (yes, she is the queen, but Gwaine doesn’t seem the kind of character who would that, or maybe yes?) What about “you’re the only friend I have” and all that? Arthur still made prejudiced choices even when crowned king, and Merlin supported him, and we know why. Even bloody Sefa, manipulated by her father, decided to commit treason.

My point is, who wouldn’t have loved if things went differently, but at the same time, a TV show that is so perfect, with characters who cannot make a single bad thing, would have been still this enjoyable? Hell, that is the point of fiction, that is the point of writing, of directing. Even when we look at bad choices in a TV series, we try to understand why those things happened, why character A betrayed character B and the dominoes effect their relationship brought.

That’s what makes the TV show better. You can build things off bad things. You can make good fanfictions about what could have gone different. You can make theories debating whatever these choices were simply poorly made by the directors or made on purpose. You can discuss all day the relationships between the characters because they’re flowed, and sometimes even toxic.

That is the best part.

This is not to say that we cannot blame a character’s arc for something that happened, or try to redeem another character, instead, but it’s also good to be able to judge and point and write about it.

Even in this post I made points that I believe should be objective (siding with the oppressor, being an oppressor, not blaming a caged dragon for revenge, ecc.) and yet I still like the characters because I can blame them and talk about them exactly because they’re bad.

Moral of the story. A good story always has an antagonist. We shouldn’t delete that.

(and fuck you, Uther Pendragon)

See? Beautiful.

[inalandofsadclowns]

What I like a lot about Merlin's writing as a character, is that he was allowed to do horrible things of his own will. Because all of the other protagonists of the show are so... pure, for a lack of a better word. When they mess up, it's mostly unknowingly or because they have been enchanted. See: when Arthur attacked Merlin or almost caused a war - under a spell, both times. Freya killed all those people - but she was cursed. Gwen cheeted on Arthur - but she wore that cursed bracelet. Lancelot was the one she cheeted with - but he was just a shade, a mindless shell of himself.

Even Morgana was enchanted by Morgause without her consent or knowledge, which led to the enchantment of the whole castle and Merlin betraying her. After getting poisoned by Merlin, she had a solid ground for her bitterness and losing all trust in people outside of Morgause. Without Merlin's tricking Morgana, I honestly think she would have willingly offered her life to save everyone else (actually, she would have left and never looked back since dying wasn't necessary, but I think it still fits season 2 Morgana).

Whereas Merlin keeps knowingly choosing between foul and fouler. Now, we must mention, his choices have never been quite brilliant, ever. But then at that infamous moment: pushing Arthur to the "there's no place for magic in Camelot" path. Ladies and gentlemen, that wasn't the old Merlin. He wasn't himself there, and at the same time he was, because no one forced him to say that. But he got there somehow, and I want to see. Just. That. I want to see that boy make mistakes - his own mistakes, not "the evil witch's" manipulation - and I want to see the consequences. And then I want to see him deal with a mistake that's his own and maybe not learn from it. I want him to believe he can save the whole world, as if he was a god, omnipotent, and fail. I want to see the messy story of a good-willed man.

Merlin walks a road where his character gets so muddy and with every sacrefice he finds himself in a hole deeper than the one before, while others to his left and right get absolved, their sacrefices pay off. There's so much pain, confusion and anger, and somehow at the sole of it there's love (and fear).

[leonawriter]

Okay so during P5's climax against Yaldabaoth, Morgana states "I see... if a god plays naughty, then it's a demon lord's duty to punish him."

And in modern interpretations of Norse mythology, Loki is seen as the Satan-archetype - the deceiver, the one who goes against the gods. If nothing else, he does kickstart the end of the world.

But - thing is, what just occurred to me is that in the Norse myths what happens is that Loki kills someone (Baldr), and then he's punished, and part of the setup for Ragnarok is that he's chained and imprisoned, and it's actually other things happening that set off the chain of events that lead to him being freed (I need to brush up on stuff and don't have time to wiki-trawl atm, but I'm pretty sure that's the broad strokes of it, at least).

So, going by what happens in Persona 5's climax, Yaldabaoth is bringing about the end of the world, right? This is the reckoning. This is Ragnarok. You'd expect Loki to be there, right?

Except... no. He's not. Joker's in the part of the story where he's at the top (the devil having fallen from grace and then become strong enough to face god on equal terms), but Akechi, in his own story, is at the part where he's been discovered in his trickery and punished for it, kept isolated (bar one person, in the myth), but still affecting the story (when Sigyn needs to empty the poison-filled bowl, Loki causes earthquakes because of the pain).

I suppose... that seen like this, of course Akechi's story is "messed up" by the method of him coming back; it doesn't fit into the narrative, exactly. But then, the thing that happens at the end of January is that his Personas merge/have a third awakening, into Hereward - and it isn't as if Loki's gone, exactly, as he's still part of what makes Hereward as much as Robin Hood is.

But in awakening to Hereward, Akechi breaks out of the cycle of Ragnarok that "being Loki" almost demands of him, narratively. He can be someone else, he can be himself, he can still have Loki, as that's not going to disappear... but he's no longer stuck as the Trickster who was used by the gods and attempts to bring down the end of all things and brings about his own death in the process (and that's speaking as someone who loves Loki as a trickster god).

[karistiltskin]

what if i said "but I would die for you in secret" but imagine merlin and arthur.

peace lyric analysis as merthur:

"Our coming-of-age has come and gone

Suddenly the summer, it's clear

I never had the courage of my convictions

As long as danger is near

And it's just around the corner, darling

'Cause it lives in me

No, I could never give you peace"

OUR COMING-OF-AGE?? okay, listen. as we know, arthur's coming-of-age moment is linked to his coronation. He literally has an episode called "The Coming of Arthur" parts one and two (S03 E12-E13). it's arthur becoming king and merlin starting to finally feel like he's getting somewhere with their destiny because of arthur's crowning. this is our setting. we're now in the after.

"I never had the courage of my convictions as long as danger is near" SHUT UPPPP SHUT UPPPP like actually oh my god. as long as danger is near is so so sick and speaks so loud. merlin absolutely does have the courage of his convictions and just to clarify, collins dictionary [colin morgan ;) ] states it as the confidence to do what you believe is right, even though other people may not agree or approve. BUT when arthur is in danger he does not do the "right" thing. he listens to the giant lizard instead or gaius (still love him) and does anything, anything, to make sure arthur doesn't get harmed no matter what.

rip morgana and getting poisoned.

rip mordred's entire existence.

although arthur attracts danger, merlin attracts just as much. and merlin is magic. (ugh, I'm getting sad and the only reason i won't cry is cause i'm in the middle of a lecture. a nighttime lecture). merlin can never give arthur peace because he is everything arthur was conditioned to hate. arthur can never give merlin peace because he's a king with expectations from Camelot and neighboring kingdoms. aka they can never be peacefully together without the threat of danger from them both and towards their relationship.

"But I'm a fire, and I'll keep your brittle heart warm

If your cascade ocean wave blues comes

All these people think love's for show

But I would die for you in secret

The devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me

Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?"

merlin lights arthur fires. that's it. that's the tweet.

merlin is also arthur's closest friend and confidant. he definitely gets arthur to see other perspectives on a situation and makes sure he remains compassionate and fair. for example, that look arthur gave merlin in S05 E11 during kara's trial?? my god. or the episode where arthur killed that one king's son under the influence of his uncle, the sleaze.

THEY WOULD DIE FOR EACH OTHER IN SECRET. NO ARGUMENTS. they've proved episode after episode again that they would no questions asked. people who don't know them just go "he's just a servant" or "you would choose him over your kind?" (ouch) not knowing the depth of their relationship. but yes. yes they would. and they would not have a single regret. they would deny the hell out of it but the proof is in their actions.

but you got a friend in me yes ma'am they do.

and it would be enough. it would. do they need a reminder that they were both born in mind of each other? that it was written since the beginning of time? that both of them have their own personal demons that instead of running away they'd take care of each other instead? that they're the most important person for each other and nothing can split them apart because they've grown to trust each other so much that their souls have intertwined? two sides of the same coin? other half of my soul, as the poets say???

"Your integrity makes me seem small

You paint dreamscapes on the wall

I talk shit with my friends

It's like I'm wasting your honor"

from arthur's pov he knows merlin is better than him. the way he interacts with people, his morals and values, his humbleness, just everything really. he pretends to be mad and upset about it but there's such deep admiration in it that he's actually self-aware.

dreamscape (google) definition: a landscape or scene with the strangeness or mystery characteristic of dreams

arthur finds merlin so strange!! so strange and mysterious.

the walls: i read this one fanfic on ao3 called "The Tragedy of Godhood" by Lilmia_Casand (read it!! it's so good. short, but beautiful) and the summary states:

"Merlin had gotten better at controlling his magic over the years, but it still spilled over, as if he were the source instead of someone calling upon it. It seeped into the castle walls, into the stone floors..."

This was the first thing I thought of (this quote stuck with me, it got bookmarked) and i couldn't have said it better. here's a play by play: arthur lives in a castle. the castle has walls. a lot of walls. he sees these walls everyday. the walls are familiar. the walls stay. the walls are forever. he can't imagine the castle without his walls.

walls = life/the future

magic is part of merlin's mystery because he's essentially hiding HIMSELF.

(does this make sense? no, prob not but bear with me)

there's an air about merlin where when you think about him, you realize you actually don't know much about him. he's a mystery. you know his jokes, you know where he's gonna be at whatever time of day (not the tavern, contrary to what arthur thinks), you know his favourite food. you don't know about his parents, you don't know why he saved arthur at his first feast, you don't know why he stays around.

arthur reflects on this and realizes it one day when merlin starts to become unavoidable in his mind. then he thinks, 'i really know nothing about this boy.' over time, merlin stays by his side, always, and arthur is so dependent on him that he starts worrying if he'll ever leave and if not him, camelot (he has abandonment issues 100%).

also see: S01 E10

hence, "you paint dreamscapes on the wall" is arthur saying, "you're the biggest mystery i've ever met and you make me wonder what every day will be like with you. will you be here tomorrow? and the day after that? until I'm married and have children who will favour you over me? will you be here to see them? to see me? i can't see it through the haze. i can't see you through the haze."

moving on—fuck that was so much longer than it needed to be—arthur and merlin talk shit about each other ALL THE TIME it's hilarious. and they know the one "bad" thing they talk about doesn't define their entire character because they hold each other in such high regard but... well...

(they definitely have regrets after)

"And you know that I'd swing with you for the fences

Sit with you in the trenches

Give you my wild, give you a child

Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other

Family that I chose, now that I see your brother as my brother

Is it enough?"

they both go all out for each other but with a focus on merlin, he goes ALL. OUT. it's war with him. nothing is half-assed. he fights, and fights, and never takes it less than seriously. but he also is there at arthurs lowest moments. when they're losing and when arthur is feeling too much or has too much on his shoulders. he's there. through it all.

merlin will give arthur anything he asks. he's already given him the purpose of his life and has hidden his magic until arthur's dying day because he thought that's what arthur needed and thought he would never accept him as he is so he gave it up.

but he's also given arthur the best thing he has. a friend. understanding. communication without words. souls recognizing souls, so much that the silence may be quiet but words are being exchanged through that same silence.

also, speechless eye conversations that range near the line of sexual tens—

then in the last line, merlin is saying: your people are my people. your burdens are my burdens.

"But there's robbers to the east, clowns to the west

I'd give you my sunshine, give you my best

But the rain is always gonna come if you're standing with me"

this goes both ways!! the only difference is that arthur's is visible and merlin's is hidden. explanation: arthur no doubt has enemies, it's not a secret. being a king and a target from the magic community, that man is almost getting killed everyday. it is not a peaceful life. he knows that. but nonetheless, he has shown merlin his best before—merlin is literally the reason he reaches the best person he can be, like the growth omg—so he knows he can give it but he knows there's a lot of baggage (external and internal) that comes with being with him.

as for merlin, his enemies are a secret. and they're dangerous. arthur faces some of those same enemies but from the product of what they've created, not them personally. no, merlin goes head-to-head with the people who curse/try to kill arthur. and he gives arthur a version of his best (he still has to keep many many secrets) but even if it's limited it's still genuine. although his secrets, his late nights, and his pure exhaustion are a part of him as well. and you can't have sunshine without rain.

okay ,WOW, i'm wrung out. it feels incomplete so i might add additional things later on but for now, enjoy.

once again, thank you if you read this, thank you bbc merlin, and thank you taylor swift.

(notice how i didn't use the word love once)

[cynthia39100]

Merlin rewatch -- S2E12: The Fire of Idirsholas

I felt like Morgana’s character development in the last ep (unimpactful but still important) was completely erased in this one… She was still saying things like “Pretend to be Uther’s loving ward when I hate him”when she'd made it clear to Uther last ep that she hated him and that she helped the criminal escape. She also said, “I believed he cared about me, but not anymore.” Uther obviously cared about her or else she would end up in the dungeon last ep. Also I thought she cut ties with Uther because she couldn’t tolerate Uther’s tyranny anymore, not that Uther didn’t love her.

On top of that, she was completely reduced to a trembling damsel later on in the episode, not only indecisive but unhelpful. It's not the 1st or 2nd time she wanted to kill Uther, with that dramatic parting with Uther, I expected her to be more determined. I guess it’s understandable that she felt confused or tricked since Morgause just tossed her there without explanation. But she was still left with the perfect situation to kill Uther. And if she regretted working with Morgause, she should just come clean to Arthur. Even if she didn’t know the solution, the more information the better.

Perhaps it’s supposed to show that Morgana saw the whole Camelot falling asleep and suddenly realised what she really agreed to, what was the potential consequences of ending Uther’s reign, and she hesitated. Before this she was so hot-headed and narrow-sighted that she didn’t see the harm she could cause by siding with these random criminals/sorcerers, now she was wavering and might have a chance to turn back if Merlin didn’t poison her.

But all I saw was that despite her talk of justice, of freedom, she was just easily swayed by other people’s pretty words and following without thinking. When it came to the point where she needed to make difficult decisions for herself she stopped. The writer wanted to make her sympathetic but I’m just annoyed.

[S2E12] [other episodes]

[cottonheartsxmateo]

One thing about me as I literally don’t watch new shows…like I’m not even joking

I can make a list of the stuff I literally just have on repeat

Mr. Iglesias(that shows literally on repeat everyday)

Fast and furious(but specifically 2 fast 2 furious. My dad and I quote that movie)

Day Shift (Dave Franco plays a very nice pathetic man)

21 jump street (i would watch every other day)

Victorious (i have an irrational hatred for the theme song)

Lab Rats (might get hate for this but i literally watched it 4 times to see if i hatred Bree as a character or if i was being sexist but no i just don’t like her)

911 and 911 LoneStar (my dad doesn’t like to watch on tv with me cause once I finish the show i just restart it from the beginning. He always watches it tho and is like “wait what happened)

Harry Potter (but specifically sorcerers stone and goblet of fire…Cedric’sdeath )): )

Grown ups and grown ups 2 (those movies are genuinely an every or their day thing)

Merlin (I’m not gonna lie i do skip the episode Merlin poisons Morgana)

I could keep going but this list is already super long. Misfits if the newest thing I’ve watched and i love it

[somegirlsnerdywords2]

Favourite Ongoing Webtoons

Morgana & Oz by Miyuli (75 Episodes | Fantasy, Romance)

Synopsis: What happens when a struggling witch meets an angsty vampire? Either love or war. Morgana belongs to a long line of witches, and Oz to the rival vampire clan. After a chance encounter… and maybe a few stray spells… these two need to find a way to work together, or risk all-out war between coven and clan.

School Bus Graveyard by Red (83 Episodes | Thriller, Horror)

Synopsis: Ashlyn is a loner in high school with no friends. But when a fateful visit to a haunted house causes her and her classmates to see monsters at night, she'll be forced to forge bonds to survive.

Moonchild by OHNYUN (82 Episodes | Horror, Giving those bl vibes)

Synopsis: Since childhood, Bak-ha has been able to see "things" that others can't. On the first day at his new school, Bak-ha meets Jindo, and due to the sickeningly sweet smell Bak-ha has, Jindo notices he is different, just like himself. As they get closer, Bak-ha finds out that he was the moonchild, the mythical creature who ruled the spirits in the past, and realizes that this is why the ghosts and demons are after him.

Men of the Harem by HereLee & Alphatart (163 Episodes | Romance, Reverse Harem, Fantasy)

Synopsis: Scorned by her lover and thrown into power after the mysterious assassination of her father, Latil must marry to secure her sovereignty of Tarium. Instead of choosing one man to become her Royal Consort, she chooses five young men from all walks of life to join her Harem. Will Latil ever solve her father’s murder, and can she keep the peace in her Harem?

A Martial Master Wakes Up as a Concubine by LICO & koyanghee (51 Episodes | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance)

Synopsis: Once a notorious master of the deviant sects, Nyeonbi Cheon pays a hefty price for her romance with a man of a virtuous sect, Won Gae of the True-spirited Sword. As her lover poisons her to death with a dragonsbane fruit, Nyeonbi perishes with more questions than answers. When she wakes up, however, she finds herself in a different sort of peril, as she reincarnates in the body of Noble Lady Soyeo Cheon, a concubine of the imperial palace. As Soyeo, Nyeonbi must rely on her knowledge from her past life to navigate both intrigue and romance in the palace!

[tiodolma]

For the lyrics thing, there's this old song alone again naturally. and there's this verse :

But as if to knock me down Reality came around And without so much as a mere touch Cut me into little pieces

Leaving me to doubt Talk about, God in His mercy Oh, if he really does exist Why did he desert me In my hour of need I truly am indeed Alone again, naturally

It seems to me that There are more hearts broken in the world That can't be mended Left unattended What do we do What do we do

Alone again, naturally

and it just reminds me of Morgana

this gives me a lot of mixed feelings

on one hand everyone around morgana tried to not make her feel so alone like the way royals can: balls, parties, court, maids, cultural activities, letting her commit altruistic endeavors and be the voice of justice for the oppressed;

on the other hand, her dreams and visions cut her off from most of these people, her fellow nobility thought of her as weak, sickly, a little mad, embarrassing at times, servants deferred to her and kept their distance;

she was often drugged and kept in the dark, made to believe that her visions were just her imagination. she's like a bird in a gilded cage, like a she-wolf in the closet.

in that sense she was a lot lonelier compared to every other nobility;

and when she found her people, they were slaughtered mercilessly by her own family causing her to resent them even more;

when she continued desperately seek her people out, they manipulated her, used her, fed into her anger, lied to her, poisoned her, driving her further and further away from the life she had known, turning her to the path of a battle hardened destabilizer and usurper;

She then surrounded herself with other radicals, made allies, established goons. she captured pendragon-loyalists and tried to break down their morale to get her to join her. Established a network of connections loyal to her cause.

Answered cruelty with even greater cruelty.

By all means she had more people than any other political leader in their story.

And yet Morgana was still the entity at the top of the pyramid, The last high priestess, she had been told repeatedly, the lone true champion of their cause.

It was still essentially a very lonely world (being the savior of all.) It's an egotistical mindset (and she wasn't the only one with this.)

And then she paid for her sins multiple times. She found herself in the forest alone and half dead. She was captured, imprisoned and tortured in what was basically tomb with a creature that can't even talk. Two years she was left to her nightmares, her visions, her madness, the very things that kept others away from her since she was born.

And at the end of it all, after she committed her final act of revenge, she was slaughtered and left to rot in the elements by the very person she once believed in the most.

Talk about, God in His mercy Oh, if he really does exist Why did he desert me In my hour of need I truly am indeed Alone again, naturally

It's funny... the main characters who didn't want to be alone the most ended up as the most alone.

[chaossagaproductions]

One shot #5

Saint in Babylon

Onyx stumbled his way down an ally, looking into every dumpster he came across. “Pretty pathetic for a boy once called the Black Angel.” A voice that sounded suspiciously like Onyx’s father says, as he finds a bagel with very little mold on it, and devours it. Onyx starts coughing as the dry bagel reaches his even drier throat. This was gonna be how he died. Finally escapes the world of his father; the world of drug dealers, sex workers, and mob bosses; he’d escape by dying. There was too much blood on his hands, even at 16, he knew the only penitence would be his death. That’s the only way to pay for the lives he took. Onyx’s has to be a fool, thinking there’d be freedom once his father let him go. Believing he’d finally escaped from cruelty and captivity. Oh how wrong he was. 

He continues to stumble down the ally, trying to be quiet, to not disturb any of the restaurant workers, to not gain attention from anyone. He manages to find a little alcove by one of the dumpsters, must’ve belonged to a cafe, smelled like old espresso beans and pastries. This seemed like a good place to stay until the end finally came for him. Onyx sighs as he sits down. He of course knew he could survive, he had survived far worse conditions, but at least then he had hope. Hope that his father would see his only son wasn’t cut out for his world, hope that his mom was somewhere far better than him. He was a fool indeed. 

“Go on, Morganga! I’m just taking the last trash out back, go start the car!” A man shouts, making Onyx jump awake, causing him to hit his shoulder against the corner of the dumpster. “Please don’t be a raccoon, Morgana will wanna keep it, and it’l have rabies, and that just, that won’t be good.” The man says as Onyx holds his breath, making his heart slow down, just like he was trained, counting the number of steps the man takes to get to him. The man finally peaks over the dumpster, and takes a deep breath. “Well you are not a raccoon.” He says, and its so absurd that it makes Onyx laugh. Of course he wasn’t a raccoon, he was a hit man, for his mob boss father. “Hey! Kid! You alright?” The an asks, as Onyx finally cracks, his laughter no longer funny, bu hysterical, like fucking Bellatrix Lestrange from Harry Potter. What an apt comparison, really. 

“Kid?” The man asks, now right beside Onyx, even though he’s retching now, but the only thing to come up is stomach bile. “Oh, shit.” The man says, as Onyx finally calms down. “I’m no raccoon.” He says, as the man blinks at him for a couple seconds, looking a little freaked out himself. “Right, of course you’re not, say, why don’t ya come with me? Looks like you could use some water.” The man says, as he stands up from his crouch, holding out a hand for Onyx. “Sure, what’s the worst you can do? I can’t be poisoned, my father made sure of that.” Onyx says, as he leans on the man, who stills under him. “I’m sorry?” The man asks, as Onyx shakes his head. “Forget about it.” Onyx mumbles, as they make it to the inside of the store. It was a cafe. “Antonio?” Another man asks Onyx goes stiff. “Morgana, can you get us some water, and I think there’s some chicken broth in the fridge still.” Antonio says as Morgana nods. “My husband.” Antonio says, as Onyx looks back to him, as he’s got a first aide kit.

“I don’t need that.” Onyx says as Antonio hums. “I just wanna look over that cut, on your head.” He says as Onyx shakes his head. “It’s fine.” Onyx says again, as Morgana comes back with the soup and water, and Onyx stomach growls at the smell. “Here.” Morgana says softly. “What were you even doing behind the dumpster?” Antonio asks, as Onyx slowly eats the soup, so he doesn’t throw up again. “Dying like a good little dog.” Onyx spits out, the conversation with his father still in his head. “The only good rabid dog is a dead rabid dog.” He quotes, as Antonio and Morgana share worried glances. “Kid, is there anyone we an call for ya?” Morgana asks as Onyx shakes his head no. “Nah, not anymore. My father ordered my execution, any of my contacts are quickly ditching my number and any favors I’m owed.” He says, taking a drink from the water bottle. “Thanks for the food.” Onyx says standing up as both men scramble to stop him. 

“Sit down.” Morgana says, flipping a switch in Onyx’s first impression. They were both dangerous, that was a given seeing as how they were unknowns, but Morgana was clearly more dangerous than Antonio, especially right now. “I’ll be fine on my own, always have been.” Onyx says as Morgana’s look hardens, yet still holds a softness, and Onyx, he hates that. He ain’t weak, and he doesn’t need to be handled like a fucking victim. “Don’t look at me like that.” Onyx sneers, as Antonio tries to step in front, but Morgana stops him. “Like what? Like a kid way in over their head? Cause that’s what ya look like to me.” Morgana says, as Onyx jumps up from his seat. “Hey fuck you man, I didn’t ask for you or your boytoy’s help, alright? I was perfectly capable of dying in that goddamn alley all by myself.” Onyx says as Morgana is pushed aside and Antonio’s in Onyx’s face. “Okay, fine, we get it, don’t we, Morg? The kid here is perfectly fine dying all on their own.” Antonio says, grabbing Morgana’s hand and dragging him out of the kitchen via the front door as Onyx watches them, and sighs. 

“Wait!” Onyx says, a little desperate, as Antonio and Mogana stop, Anonio turning around. “Please, I, I changed my mind.” Onyx says, looking at the floor, as Antonio and Morgana nod at each other. Onyx hears footsteps and waits for either the shouting or hitting. “Kid?” Antonio asks, as Onyx looks up. “I’m Onyx, and, and I think, I need help.” Onyx says as Antonio crouches down in front of him. “We’d love to help.” He says, as Onyx sees the compassion and the earnest in his eyes, and he gets a little uncomfortable. Onyx didn’t need compassion, or at least, thats what he was told. “Shall we go home? Have some real dinner, and get you cleaned up?” Morgana asks, also crouching down, as Onyx looks at the two. “I’m a stranger, though.” Onyx says as Morgana shrugs. “Yeah, you are, but you don’t gotta be.” Morgana says as Onyx feels his cheeks get wet. “What? You guys have a leak?” Onyx asks, as Antonio shakes his head. “No, but, thats alright.” Antonio says, reaching towards Onyx’s face as Onyx flinches a little, but relaxes as Antonio gently wipes tears away.  “Lets go home.” Antonio says as Onyx nods.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This little blurb is kinda how Antonio and Morgana gained custody of Onyx, after he gets tossed out by his father; or at least an idea of how he becomes their responsibility. It's all subject to change, of course, but this is the gist of how they met each other.

[legends-of-time]

Amelia’s Story (BBC Merlin Story)

Chapter 9: The Poisoned Chalice

Masterlist

Amelia's POV

Today is a very tense day. Well, it has been a tense few weeks as Camelot has been preparing for the arrival of Lord Bayard of Mercia. Camelot has been at war with them on and off and things have been very tense for many years and now Bayard is coming to sign a peace treaty.

In the Throne room Morgana, Gwen, Anne and Amelia are walking behind Arthur and Uther. They all walk very dramatically, with other Courtiers, Knights and servants, towards Bayard and his group, who have just entered and are walking towards them.

They all met in the middle and Uther speaks, "Camelot welcomes you, Lord Bayard of Mercia. The treaty we sign today marks an end to war and a beginning to a new friendship between our people." Uther and Bayard grasp arms.

Amelia glances over all of the new arrivals and notices a maid staring toward where Merlin stands. This causes something to niggle in her brain. She does not look familiar at all but Amelia knows she must be significant. Her notes said that when Bayard arrives, Nimueh poisons Merlin then tries to kill Arthur when he tries to save him but other than that she had not put anything else for this episode. She had clearly put too much faith in her older self and was thinking that nothing really needed to be changed and that she should let it go as it already did.

——

Anne's POV

Merlin passes Gaius and Anne in the Upper Corridor while carrying a heavy bag. "Why do I always get landed with the donkey work?" He huffs dropping the bag.

"You're a servant, Merlin. It's what you do." Gaius says amused at the sight.

"My arms will be a foot longer by the time I get this lot inside," Merlin complains.

"It's character building," Anne says.

"Yes." Gaius agrees. "As the old proverb says, hard work breeds... a harder soul." He is clearly making that up on the spot.

Merlin looks at him knowingly. "There is no way that's a proverb. You just made that up."

"No. I didn't." Gaius says. Anne notices a maid striding determinedly towards them from behind Merlin and Gaius. The maid then falls in front of Merlin. Anne frowns thinking how faked that looked but the other two seem to have not noticed the act.

"Sorry." She mutters demurely.

"It's alright," Merlin says looking quite taken with her. She is very beautiful.

"Excuse me." She says bending to begin gathering her things again.

"Let me give you a hand with that." Merlin crouches down and catches the girl's eye. Anne analyses the scene sensing something is off. They stand up.

"Hi. I'm Merlin." He shakes her hand. Anne can't help but slightly smile at the sight of Merlin being armoured by the girl. He looks quite sweet.

"Cara." She greets. "You're Arthur's servant. That must be such an honour." She continues trying to butter him up.

"Oh, yeah. It is. Well, you know, someone's got to keep the place running." Merlin boasts.

"Thank you, Merlin." She says trying to get him to realise that he is still holding some of her things.

"Hmm?" Merlin says still staring at her clearly very besotted. He then snaps out of it and looks down at the pillow he picked up for her. "Oh, right. Yeah. Er, no problem." He hurriedly says handing it over.

"It was nice meeting you." She says walking away. Merlin continues to watch her leave.

"Shouldn't you be busy running the place?" Gaius asks sarcastically making Merlin realise that Gaius and Anne are still with him. Gaius laughs. Anne joins him trying to cover up the unease she feels.

Merlin gives them a look before picking up what he was carrying before.

——

Amelia's POV

"I feel like I should tell you something," Anne says that night as she is helping Amelia prepare for the feast.

"What is it?" Amelia asks having noticed the slight unease Anne has had on her face but has been waiting for her to say something.

"It is one of the maids that Bayard has brought with him." She reveals. "There is something about her that does not feel right."

"Could it be your magic telling you this?" Amelia asks.

"I suppose if she was using magic, I'm not sure." Anne answers.

"I've noticed a maid staring at Merlin earlier. Are we talking about the same one? The one with that has a blue scarf wrapped around her head?" Amelia questions.

"Maybe. I suggest we keep an eye on her." Anne decides.

"Yes of course," Amelia says thinking about how this woman could possibly be Nimueh. She does not say anything as she will then have to explain how she knows and Anne knows that Amelia has not had a nightmare the last couple of nights so she cannot use that excuse.

——

Later that evening they are all in the hall of ceremonies watching Bayard sign the treaty. Well, Amelia tries to but she can't help but slightly giggle at Merlin in his outfit from her place on Morgana's left. He is standing by Gwen and Anne who are also laughing at him. Amelia then sees Merlin hurriedly take off his feathered hat, Amelia follows his eye-line and sees that he is staring at the mysterious handmaiden. Amelia thinks back to what Anne said about having a funny feeling about her. Is this how Nimueh poisoned Merlin? By slipping into Bayard's entourage?

Uther then finishes signing the treaty and grasping arms with Bayard. Everyone applauds.

"People of Camelot," Bayard begins. Oh great this is the fun bit, the speeches. "...for a great many years we have been mortal enemies, and the blood of our men stains the ground from the walls of Camelot to the gates of Mercia. And though we remember those who have died, we must not allow any more to join them." A serving girl walks in, bringing in a box that reveals goblets inside. Amelia frowns. Drink is quite a good way to poison someone.

"As a symbol of our goodwill, and of our newfound friendship," Bayard continues. "I present these ceremonial goblets to you, Uther, and to your son, Arthur, in the hope that our friendship may last." Amelia is so focused on it that she does not notice the maid approach Merlin and take him out of the room.

"Tonight we toast a new beginning for our peoples. We look towards a future free from the toils of war." Bayard speaks as the two goblets are handed out to Arthur and Uther.

Bayard eventually begins his toast, "And may the differences from our past remain there. To your health, Uther." Everyone stands with drinks in hand.

"Arthur." Amelia can see Arthur nod then start to drink but he is stopped as Bayard continued.

"The Lady Morgana and Amelia." They both nod. Arthur waits this time.

"The people of Camelot." Arthur starts to drink again thinking the toast is finished.

"And to fallen warriors on both sides." Uther then says stopping Arthur again then after Uther has finished everyone starts to drink.

"Stop!" Merlin cries running in. "It's poisoned! Don't drink it!" Merlin runs up to Arthur and takes his goblet. Ah, now she vaguely remembers this. How could she forget this? She's clearly brain dead.

"What?" Uther asks obviously thinking about how a mere servant dared to interrupt.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Arthur asks him.

"Bayard laced Arthur's goblet with poison." Merlin declares. Gotta admit he has confidence.

"This is an outrage!" Bayard shouts. He and his men draw their swords and so do the Knights of Camelot.

"Order your men to put down their swords." Uther orders as Camelot Guards rush in. "You are outnumbered."

"I will not allow this insult to go unchallenged!" Can't blame him for being angry.

"On what grounds do you base this accusation?" Uther asks Merlin.

"I'll handle this," Arthur says skirting around the table. "Merlin, you idiot. Have we been at the slow gin again?" He grabs Merlin and takes the goblet.

"Unless you want to be strung up, you will tell me why you think why you think it's poisoned now." Uther orders.

"He was seen lacing it." Merlin answers.

"By whom?" Uther asks.

"I can't say." Merlin answers. Amelia, at this moment, looks around for the maid and she sees her peeking round a door in the corner of the room; she is smirking at the scene. Oh god, she is Nimueh. She can't stop this now.

"I won't listen to this anymore." Bayard then says.

"Pass me the goblet," Uther says to Arthur, who hands it to him. "If you're telling the truth..."

"I am." Bayard interrupts.

"Then you have nothing to fear, do you?" Uther continues. Bayard sheathes his sword and reaches for the goblet.

"No. If this does prove to be poisoned, I want the pleasure of killing you myself." Uther says. Bayard snorts. Uther holds the goblet up to Merlin. "He'll drink it."

"But if it is poisoned, he'll die!" Arthur argues.

"Then we'll know he was telling the truth," Uther says not caring. Great detective work Uther.

"And what if he lives?" Bayard questions.

"Then you have my apologies, and you can do with him as you will." Uther answers.

"Uther, please! He's just a boy! He doesn't know what he's saying!" Gaius begs.

"Then you should've schooled him better."

"Merlin, apologise. This is a mistake. I'll drink it." Arthur says reaching for the goblet.

"No, no, no, no, no. It's, it's alright." Merlin says pushing Arthur's hands away and putting the goblet out of his reach.

"Please, Merlin," Amelia begs, trying to walk up to him but a Guard stops her before she makes it fully around the table.

Merlin gives her a small smile before toasting to Bayard and Arthur, then drinks. She sees Nimueh watching with glee. Gwen takes a few steps forward in her anxiety.

"It's fine," Merlin says after taking a sip.

"He's all yours," Uther says. As Guards walk toward him, Merlin begins to choke and falls to the floor unconscious.

"It's poisoned. Guards seize him!" Camelot Guards and Knights rush forward to arrest Bayard and his entourage. Arthur, Anne, Gaius and Gwen crouch over Merlin. Morgana grabs a butter knife and shoves a fork into Amelia's hand. Thank you, Morgana.

"Merlin. Can you hear me? We have to get him back to my Chambers. Bring the goblet. I need to identify the poison." Gaius orders. Arthur picks up Merlin and Gwen grabs the goblet. Amelia quickly rushes after them, fork in hand, before anyone can stop her.

——

Arthur enters Gaius' Chambers carrying Merlin with Gaius, Anne, Gwen and Amelia following.

"Lay him on the bed quickly; he's struggling to breathe. Gwen, fetch me some water and Anne get a towel." Gaius orders.

"Is he going to be alright?" Arthur asks worriedly sitting down by the bed Merlin now lies on as Amelia hovers behind him, the others dart around doing various tasks.

"He's burning up," Gaius says not answering him sitting down on Merlin's other side.

"You can cure him, can't you Gaius?" Gwen asks as Anne hands him a towel.

"I won't know until I can identify the poison," Gaius answers putting the towel on Merlin's forehead. "Pass me the goblet." Gwen hands it to him."Ah. There's something stuck on the inside." He says standing up before walking over to a table nearby. Gwen takes over his task.

"What is it?" Amelia asks following with Arthur behind her. Anne takes the seat Arthur has vacated.

"It looks like a flower petal of some kind," Gaius says taking out of the goblet and holding it up to get a better look.

"His brow's on fire," Gwen calls to them.

"Keep him cool; it'll help control his fever," Gaius instructs her before pulling out a book and flicking through it to find what he is looking for. "Ah. The petal comes from the Mortaeus flower. It says here that someone poisoned by the Mortaeus can only be saved by a potion made from the leaf of the very same flower. It can only be found in the Caves deep beneath the Forest of Balor. The flower grows on the roots of the Mortaeus tree."

"That's not particularly friendly," Arthur says pointing at a beast on the page.

"A Cockatrice," Gaius explains. "It guards the forest. Its venom is potent. A single drop would mean certain death. Few who have crossed the Mountains of Isgaard in search of the Mortaeus flower have made it back alive." Isgaard sounds a bit Viking.

Arthur steps away from the table. Amelia can see he is debating on what to do. "Sounds like fun." He then decides.

"My Lord, it's too dangerous." Anne suddenly says.

"If I don't get the antidote, what happens to Merlin?" Arthur asks Gaius. He knows he needs to go.

"The Mortaeus induces a slow and painful death. He may hold out for four, maybe five days, but not for much longer. Eventually, he will die." Gaius answers. Arthur then walks out of the Chambers with Amelia scurrying after him.

——

After telling Arthur that Amelia will go with him no matter what he says, the next person they go to is Uther as Arthur insisted that they need to despite her telling him that Uther will not listen. So there they are, a change of clothes later walking down the Red Ribbon Corridor, trying, and failing, to persuade Uther to give permission for them to go.

"What's the point of having people to taste for you if you're going to get yourself killed anyway?" Uther asks.

"We won't fail, no matter what you think." Arthur insists.

"Arthur, you are my only son and heir and Amelia you are my ward, you are in my care. I can't risk losing the both of you for the sake of some serving boy." Uther says.

"Oh, because his life's worthless?" Amelia asks.

"No, because it's worth less than yours." Uther answers. Wow...

"We can save him. Let me take some men—" Arthur begins.

"No." Uther interrupts.

Arthur continues as if he hadn't, "We'll find the antidote and bring it back—"

"No," Uther says talking over him.

"Why not?!" Arthur finishes shouting.

"Because one day I will be dead and Camelot will need a King. I'm not going to let you jeopardise the future of this Kingdom over some fool's errand." Uther says.

"It's not a fool's errand. Gaius says that if we can get the antidote..." Amelia begins to say.

"Oh, Gaius says? That's exactly what makes it so." Uther says sarcastically. To be honest she is not entirely sure what he means by that.

"Please, Father. He saved my life. I can't stand by and watch him die." Arthur begs.

"Then don't look. This boy won't be the last to die on your behalf. You're going to be King. It's something you'll have to get used to." Uther says. Great parenting Uther.

"I can't accept that," Arthur says.

"Neither can I," Amelia says in agreement.

"You're not going."Uther orders.

"You can't stop me," Arthur says.

"Damn it, Arthur, that's an end to it! You're not leaving this Castle tonight." Uther demands. Amelia opens her mouth and before she can say she is still going, he says, "Neither are you, Amelia." Amelia purses her lips in annoyance.

——

Arthur's POV

In his Chambers, Arthur storms in, tosses his sword onto the table and leans over the fireplace breathing heavily in anger and frustration. Morgana enters.

"Say what you like about the food, but you can't beat our feast for entertainment," Morgana says.

Arthur turns to her. "Morgana, I'm sorry, I should have made sure you were alright."

"Disappointed actually. I was looking forward to clumping a couple around the head with a ladle." She says.

"I'm sure the Guards could have handled Bayard and his men," Arthur tells her.

"Yeah, but why let the boys have all the fun?" Morgana remarks only half joking.

"Morgana, you shouldn't get involved. It's dangerous." Arthur lectures though he knows she won't listen.

Morgana rolls her eyes. "Spare me the lecture, I've already had it from Uther."

"If it's any consolation, you weren't the only one," Arthur mutters in annoyance. "Amelia tell you about him not allowing us to go to save Merlin?"

"Amelia has already told me. I have you know that I do not always listen to Uther's lectures. Sometimes you've got to do what you think is right, and damn the consequences." Morgana says.

"You think I should go?" Arthur states rather than questions.

"It doesn't matter what I think," Morgana responds.

Arthur walks over to Morgana, "If I don't make it back, who will be the next King of Camelot? There's more than just my life at stake." She must realise the risks, maybe his father is right.

"And what kind of King would Camelot want? One that would risk his life to save that of a lowly servant?" Morgana draws Arthur's sword. "Or one who does what his father tells him to?" Morgana presents Arthur with the sword. "Plus Amelia is already getting her horse." She says to add some extra persuasion.

"What?!" Arthur exclaims.

——

Amelia's POV

Amelia is walking out of the Stables with her horse and also her supplies that are already attached to the saddle when she looks up and sees Arthur storming towards her.

"Coming along then?" She asks cheekily.

"I could not leave you to go by yourself." He answers. "Have you forgotten about the Cockatrice?"

"No. Just felt that saving Merlin was more important than cowardice."

Arthur narrows his eyes at her. "Just let me get my horse and we will be on our way."

"Good. We've already wasted enough time."

Before too long, Arthur and Amelia are riding across the Drawbridge.

"Halt!" The Guards exclaim, trying to stop them but they just ride past them out of Camelot.

——

Anne's POV

"He's getting hotter," Anne calls to Gaius who is standing by the window in his Chambers while Anne sits next to Merlin's bed trying to bring the temperature down.

"Him. Liffrea, wuldres wealdend, woroldare forgeaf." Merlin begins to mutter. Anne looks to Gaius, who has just sat next to her, in alarm while Gaius glances over to Gwen.

"What language is that?" Gwen questions from the other side of the bed.

"None. The fever's taken hold. None of those words are his own." Gaius says to cover up Merlin's use of magic. "His pulse is weaker." While holding Merlin's left arm, Gaius finds a large circular rash on Merlin's arm.

Anne sees Gwen take notice. "What is it?" Gwen asks.

Gaius pulls down Merlin's sleeve to fully reveal the rash. "That can't be right. The rash is not supposed to appear until the final stage."

"What does that mean?" Gwen asks. Anne is beginning to frown, an expression she almost always seems to have nowadays.

Gaius stands up, Gwen and Anne following, and walks towards a table to check his book with a magnifying glass. "It says here that "once a rash appears, death will follow within two days."" Anne and Gwen look at him in alarm.

"You said he had four days. Has it been accelerated?" Anne asks thinking of the most obvious way someone can do that.

"Quite. Something's increased the flower's potency." Gaius agrees. "It warns that "the effect of the Mortaeus will be more rapid if an enchantment is used during the flower's preparation."" He reads.

"An enchantment? But Bayard's no Sorcerer." Gwen states.

"No, he isn't," Gaius says in deep thought.

"Then who did this?" Gwen questions.

"That girl!" Anne exclaims. Gaius and Gwen look to her in question. "That serving girl from Bayard's group took Merlin outside just before he stormed in."

"She had dark hair. Very beautiful." Gwen murmurs realising who Anne is talking about.

"Find her. Quickly." Gaius instructs. Anne and Gwen dart from the room.

——

No one's POV

Arthur and Amelia ride on their horses through the countryside and through the mountains, soon approach a large forest.

——

Anne's POV

Anne and Gwen enter Gaius' Chambers to see Gaius inspecting Merlin's rash with his magnifying glass while Merlin stirs restlessly. Gaius looks up, "Let me guess, she wasn't there."

"No one has seen her since the banquet. Who is she?" Gwen questions.

"Not who she claims to be." Gaius vaguely answers.

"But you know, don't you?" Anne asks knowingly.

"Cara. Though, that's not her name. Not her real name, anyway." Gaius says.

"Then who is she?" Gwen asks.

"A powerful Sorceress." Gaius finally says.

"Well, we should tell Uther. Maybe he could send riders out after her." Gwen says.

Anne shakes her head. "I do not know whether that is wise." She says.

"It does not matter, she'll be long gone. It's impossible to know where, though." He says before realising, "Oh, no."

"What?" Anne asks, wondering what he has just realised.

Gaius stands. "She knows the only place an antidote can be found is the Forest of Balor. Arthur and Amelia could be walking into a trap."

"Arthur. Amelia." Merlin mutters causing the other three people in the room to look at him.

——

Amelia's POV

Once they enter the forest of Balor, both dismount their horses and begin to lead them through the forest.

"Ugh..." Amelia groans. "Never going to get used to horses being my mode of transport."

"Well, the only alternative we had was walking. Can't exactly bring a carriage with us." Arthur says. She doesn't respond as she knows her list of things that would be easier and quicker will not make sense to him.

After walking a while, they come to a clearing where they see the back of a woman sitting on a fallen log crying. Arthur ties his horse to a branch and approaches her as she sits with bruises on her arms. Amelia stands back feeling unsure. Is this Nimueh?

"Hello?" Arthur calls out. "Are you alright?" He asks coming around in front of her. Then a roar happens causing the woman to scream. A Cockatrice comes over the slight hill towards them. Arthur stands up.

"Arthur!" Amelia exclaims in worry, now walking forward so that she is next to the woman.

Now that she is standing next to her, she notices that she does not look like the serving girl at the Castle but now looks more familiar. Amelia is pretty sure this is Nimueh but she cannot be certain as it has been so long since she has seen her face. She knows, due to her notes on the episode, that she would probably be there.

"Stay back," Arthur instructs. The Cockatrice lunges, Arthur rolls under it as it jumps, then throws his sword, killing it. Nimueh grimaces. Arthur looks at her and she gets up and backs away in pretend fear.

"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you." Arthur says reassuringly. Amelia stops herself from saying anything. "Who did that to you?" Arthur points to her bruises.

"My master. I ran away from him, but then I got lost. Please don't leave me." Now that she knows she is faking, Amelia can see right through her performance. Try a bit more Nimueh.

"I won't. I'm not going to." Arthur says. Though second thought, maybe not as she seems to be fooling Arthur pretty well.

"You can take me away from here?" Nimueh pathetically begs as Arthur begins to walk around her.

"Not yet." Amelia presses. "There's something we have to do first." She gives Arthur a pointed look. Arthur looks at the Cave mouth. What a coincidence that she is right in front of where they need to go.

Nimueh notices, "Why have you come to the Caves?" Arthur walks over to their horses to untie them.

"We are looking for something. It can only be found here." Arthur answers.

"What is it? I know this place; I could help you." Nimueh says trying to sound innocent but is overdoing it. How convenient that she is here to help.

"It's a type of flower that only grows inside the Cave. It's very rare." Arthur tells her. Amelia sort of doesn't want him to tell her but at the same time, he needs to so they can find the flower in the first place.

Arthur walks over to them with the horses and hands Amelia the reigns of hers. "The Mortaeus flower? I know where they are. I'll show you." Nimueh tells them. Arthur looks at Amelia and she reluctantly nods. He then follows Nimueh, who had begun walking away from them. Amelia reluctantly follows. Not long after that, they all enter the Cave with torches in each of their hands.

——

Anne's POV

In Gaius' Chambers, Merlin lies on the bed drenched in sweat. "Arthur, Amelia, it... it's a trap. It's a trap."

"His fever's getting worse, isn't it?" Gwen says from Merlin's left looking at him with concern. Anne nods with a different concern.

"The poison's setting in," Gaius says from the end of the bed.

Merlin begins to chant again, "eft gewunigen wilgesiþas, þonne wig cume."

Anne strokes a wet cloth on his forehead from her seat on Merlin's other side. "Shh." She does not want Gwen to get any more suspicious, especially with the look she has on her face.

"Could you fetch me some more Wolfbane?" Gaius asks Gwen seemingly hoping to distract her.

"Yes, of course." She says snapping out of her suspicious thoughts and leaves the room.

"Merlin, you must fight it," Gaius says to him.

"He will," Anne says stroking Merlin's arm in comfort with her free hand.

——

Amelia's POV

After walking through the Caves, they reach the end of the tunnel to a part of the Cave that opens up to a ledge with a long drop and a narrow ledge on the other side.

"There they are," Nimueh says pointing to the flowers on the wall across the large drop. Amelia does not like how dark it seems down there.

Arthur walks forward and looks down. "Keep back from the edge. Don't worry. We'll be out of here soon. Amelia, you stay with her." She nods. Arthur begins walking across the part of the ledge that juts out across most of the drop.

Amelia then hears Nimueh begin to chant. "Eorthe, lyft, fyr, waeter, hiersumie me." The Cave begins to shake. "Eorthe ac stanas hiersumie me. Ic can stanas tobrytan..." She lunges forward in an attempt to stop her but she just raises her hand and Amelia flies back, but thankfully not down the drop, knocking her out.

Arthur's POV

"What are you doing?!" Arthur cries looking over to Amelia in worry. He can see a cut on her forehead. Thankfully it is her torch that fell down the drop.

"...hiersumie me." Nimueh finishes. Arthur drops his torch as the rock falls out beneath him. He jumps for the opposite ledge and catches it with his hands.

"I expected so much more," Nimueh says.

"Who are you?!" Arthur yells to her trying to keep his grip.

"The last face you'll ever see." Nimueh sates. A giant spider creeps up from the dark depths. "It seems we have a visitor." Arthur edges away from the spider, draws his sword and kills the spider while dangling from the ledge.

"Very good." Nimueh praises. "But he won't be the last. I'll let his friends finish you off, Arthur Pendragon. It's not your destiny to die at my hand. Nor is it the Lady Amelia's. Her past is more complicated than you realise." She leaves with the torch, leaving Arthur dangling from the ledge in the dark with Amelia laying unconscious on the other side of the drop.

"Who are you?!" Arthur yells after her but he gets no answer.

——

Anne's POV

"Arthur. It's too dark. Too dark. Fromum feohgiftum on fæder bearme. Fromum feohgiftum." Merlin chants from his bed.

"Something is glowing," Anne says. Gaius moves to the other side of the bed to see the glowing coming from under the bedsheets.

"Merlin," Gaius says in surprise. He folds the bed sheet and both of them see Merlin holding a glowing ball of light in his hand. "What are you doing?"

"He's helping Arthur." Anne realises. "That's why he has been chanting, he is trying to help him."

"Leave them, Arthur," Merlin says. "Go. Save yourself. Follow the light. Faster. Go faster. Follow the light! Move. Climb."

——

Arthur's POV

Back in the Cave, Arthur is able to find and collect the flower after being guided by the light sent to him. As soon as he collects the flower he climbs the rest of the way out of the Cave through the entrance the light disappears through from the many spiders climbing after him.

——

Amelia's POV

Amelia wakes up not knowing how long she has been out but she realises that the whole Cave has gone completely dark. She slowly gets up staggering slightly as she feels dizzy and her vision blurs. Amelia looks around as if she can see where Arthur is in this darkness when she suddenly hears the sound of scuttling not far from her. She then realises that it sounds like a large insect, probably spiders, and, despite her head hurting, she immediately runs through the Cave to what she hopes is the entrance.

While running she keeps on stumbling into the walls of the Cave before she eventually finds light and staggers out to find the horses where she and Arthur had left them. "Thank god I found you two," Amelia says falling onto her horse's side.

Amelia must have closed her eyes because she is suddenly startled by Arthur yelling her name. "Amelia!" He yells walking up to her. "Thank god you made it out! I was going back in to save you!"

"Amelia?" He asks when she does not look at him. "Your head looks worse!"

"I feel a bit dizzy Arthur." She says before falling and everything going black. The last thing she hears is Arthur yelling.

——

Arthur's POV

Arthur rides back to Camelot with Amelia balanced on his lap with her horse attached to the saddle on the horse he rides. He keeps looking at her in concern. He had treated the wound on her head the best he could till he gets her to Gaius.

Arthur rides up to the Drawbridge gate, however, Guards block his way. "What are you doing? Let me pass." He says.

"I'm sorry, Sire. You're under arrest, by order of the King." Says a Guard called Patrick.

Arthur sighs resigned, "Fine, but at least take the Lady Amelia to the Physician."

"Of course Sire." Says Patrick nodding to one of the other Guards to take her from Arthur.

——

Anne's POV

In Gaius' Chambers, Anne sits next to Amelia who has been placed on another bed in the room. Anne has been treating her while Gaius focuses on Merlin.

At that moment, Gwen walks in. "He hasn't got much longer. Has Arthur got the flower?" Gaius asks.

"I don't know. Uther won't allow anyone to see him." Gwen says. "Is there nothing we can do to help?"

"Only the leaf of the Mortaeus flower can save him," Gaius tells her.

"And we have to find out if Arthur has it. I could sneak into the Dungeon." Gwen says. Anne barely looks at them while they talk, her entire focus is on Amelia. She is concerned as the woman on the other bed in the Chambers has not woken up.

"That would be very dangerous."

"I've got to. Merlin will die if I don't." Gwen says determinedly. Merlin makes a noise showing that he is struggling to breathe.

"Be careful," Gaius says, knowing they have no other option. Gwen then leaves the room.

Suddenly Morgana bursts in. "Amelia!" She cries when she sees the woman she sees as a sister lying on one of the beds. She rushes over to her, cradling her head in concern.

"She will be alright My Lady," Anne reassures her.

——

Amelia's POV

Amelia feels very groggy as she wakes up and when she tries opening her eyes, it is too bright and she has to immediately close her eyes with a groan.

"Amelia?" A voice asks. Is that Morgana? Where is she? The last thing she remembers is Arthur finding her in the forest.

She attempts to open her eyes again, finding it easier this time. She looks around and notices that other than Morgana, Anne is also looking at her. "Hi?" She says, feeling awkward under their stares.

"Oh thank god!" Morgana cried lunging at Amelia, giving her a very tight hug.

"I still need to breathe, Morgana." Amelia rasps.

"Oh sorry." She immediately says. She leans back and strokes Amelia's long brown hair out of her face.

"Am I back in Camelot?" Amelia asks. Recognising the room as Gaius' Chambers.

"You are. Arthur brought you back. Gwen is finding out if he has the Mortaeus flower." Anne says.

"Why hasn't he brought it?" Amelia asks confused. Her mind felt a bit foggy.

"Uther arrested him," Morgana says with a roll of her eyes. Amelia tries to remember why they were getting the flower in the first place but it hurts her head.

"Oh right." She says. "Why were we getting it again?" Anne and Morgana look at each other with worry, but before they can answer her, Amelia hears the sound of someone struggling to breathe. She looks over and sees that it is Merlin who had made the noise; he looks close to death. "Oh." She vaguely recalls Merlin poisoning himself now. She is beginning to get a bit worried now. How had she forgotten that?

——

Anne's POV

Later on, Gwen comes rushing in holding the flower. By this point Morgana has Amelia moved to her own Chambers so she can continue to rest there.

"How is he?" Gwen asks.

"Have you got the Mortaeus?" Gaius asks.

"Here." Gwen hands it to him.

"His breathing's much worse. We have to hurry." Anne says. Gwen sits down next to Merlin's sickbed as Gaius begins crushing the flower leaf. He suddenly stops after a few seconds.

"Why have you stopped?" Gwen asks having noticed his actions.

"The poison was created using magic. We may need magic to make an antidote." His eyes flicker to Anne's, who is looking at him with worry.

"But we can't. It's forbidden. Even if we could." Gwen reminds him. Not that he really needed it.

"I'll try and make it work without it. Oh, I need some fresh water." Gaius says to get her to leave the room. He hands her a bowl and she runs off. Gaius lifts the bowl he's holding.

"Sythan..." Gaius stops and looks around, nervous to be practising magic again.

"Maybe I should do it," Anne says walking over to him. Gaius hands it to her and tells her what she needs to say. "Sythan arrest wearth feasceaft funden. Denum æfter dome. Dreamleas gebad he gewinnes longsum." Anne chants. The potion sizzles and foams for a moment. Gwen runs back in and hands him the bowl of water before rushing back to Merlin's side.

"Thank you," Gaius says to her. Gaius pours the potion into a small cup and goes to Merlin. "Hold his nose." Gwen pinches Merlin's nose as Gaius pours the potion into Merlin's mouth. "Swallow, Merlin. Swallow it."

After a moment, Merlin goes still. "He's stopped breathing. What's happening? Gaius?" Gwen asks.

Gaius puts his head to Merlin's chest. "His heart has stopped."

"He's dead?" Anne asks eyes beginning to water.

"He can't be. He can't be. It was his destiny." Gaius says, standing up.

"It's my fault. If I'd have got here sooner. If I'd have been quicker." Gwen gets up and cries in Gaius' arms with Anne joining them.

"No, no. It was me. I should've looked after him better. It's my fault." Gaius says.

Suddenly a voice they thought they would never hear again. "That's disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourself. You're old enough to be their grandfather."

They all break away from each other to see Merlin trying to sit up. "Merlin. You're alive." Gaius cries with happiness.

"No. I'm the ghost come back to haunt you." Merlin remarks. Gwen suddenly grabs Merlin's face and kisses him with relief. Anne's eyebrows shoot up in surprise; Anne knows Gwen has a slight crush on Merlin but she thought that Gwen would never have the confidence to outright kiss him.

"Sorry, I'm just... I thought you were dead." Gwen stammers.

"It's fine. It's more than fine. ...erm ...what happened? The last thing I remember is drinking the wine." Merlin asks confused, looking at the three people next to him.

"Well... I'm not sure where to begin." Anne says with a small smile causing them to chuckle.

——

Amelia's POV

Amelia is laying in her bed due to the fact she has been ordered to stay there to recover her health. She wants to see Merlin but Gaius and Anne reassure her that he is fine and alive. Everyone is already concerned about her because a few bits of her memory from the years she's been here are missing. While it is not a massive worry as they will probably come back but she is even concerned with the fact that when she tries to remember what happens next in the show, she finds she remembers even less than she did before. Even main plot points are slipping her mind now.

Amelia obviously has not told anyone about this but she is very worried as she had hoped to change certain bits for the better. Now she might not be able to due to the fact that the notes she had made are vague at best.

——

A/N: So that happened. 

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

[larluce]

I don't know if I got the whole idea right, but what I understood is that Merlin can go back in time to any of the times he died when he dies, but he believes he is dreaming. Which is a very creative concept, especially because Merlin would be creating a lot of alternative timelines without knowing.

In my head these are all the times Merlin would come back too, because, without knowing, Merlin actually died and came back to life instead of "surviving":

Series 1

"The Poisoned Chalice" - Nimueh's poison

"The Gates of Avalon" - Sidhe blast of magic directed at him.

"Le Morte d'Arthur" - Nimueh's fireball

Series 3

"The Tears of Uther Pendragon" - Serket

Series 4

"The Darkest Hour" - Frozen to death

"A Servant of Two Masters" - Fatal wound

Series 5

"Arthur's Bane" - Brain concussion/internal bleeding.

"The Hallow Queen" - Fatal wound/poison

"The Kindness of Strangers" - Fatal wound

What I would add (or change, since, again, I'm not sure I got all the prompt correctly) is that when Merlin comes back to any of those times he died and then dies again, the Merlin from that original timeline comes back and would be all confused because there's this mental gap where he apparently acted like a complete different person. That is if Merlin from the future doesn't decide to stay in that timeline, but since he keeps believing he's dreaming I guess he wouldn't cause he doesn't know he has the choice to stay.

The thing is, since Merlin believes he's dreaming, he just do what he wants, like he doesn't bother lying anymore.

After he comes back to life in "The Kindness of Strangers"

Merlin: (arriving)

Arthur: Where have you been?! 😡

Merlin: (deadpans) Dying.

Arthur: Very funny.

Merlin: (Shows his wound)

Arthur: What the- 😨 What happened?! Are you alright?! (Checks Merlin, worried)

Merlin: (deadpans again) I'm fine, the dragon healed me.

Arthur: The dragon?

Merlin: Oh, yeah. You didn't kill the dragon. It's still alive.

Arthur: WHAT?! 😱

Merlin: (gives Arthur the little box Finna gave him) Here, it's a prophesy that says you will die at Camlann. Don't ever go there.

Arthur: What are you even talking about?! Have you gone insane?!

Merlin: Yeah, I don't think it matters, you're not real and you have never believed me anyways. (Looks at Arthur with nostalgia) You are still as handsome as I remember though.

Arthur: Wha...what? 😳

Merlin: (smiles) I missed you a lot, prat. It's good to be here. Now, if you excuse I'll go greet Gaius and Gwen, I've missed them too. (Leaves)

Arthur: (startles out of his shock) Wait! Merlin! (Runs after him)

After he comes back to life in "The Hollow Queen"

Merlin: (out of nowhere) Your Queen is enchanted.

Arthur: What?! 😨

Enchanted Gwen: (giggles) Oh, that's a good one Merlin.

Merlin: (still deadpaning) I'm not joking. Morgana brainwashed you when you were in the dark tower and now has you under her control. Also, Gwen doesn't even laugh like that. Girl keep up.

Arthur: Merlin! 😠

Merlin: Yeah, whatever. Believe what you want. I'm leaving. (Leaves)

Gwen: Are you going to let him disrespect me like that?! 😡

Arthur: I'm sure he's just-

Gwen: I want him executed inmediatly! 😤

Arthur: ...

Arthur: Okay, maybe you are indeed enchanted.

And it goes on and on. Merlin also doesn't bother hiding his magic anymore in each timeline so we get multiple magic reveals and multiples Arthurs that have to come to terms with his best friend being a sorcerer and feeling guilty once they learn what Merlin has done for them. Multiple Arthurs that fell in love with Merlin and have to watch him die just for Merlin to resurrect with no memories of the last few weeks or months.

It's valentines, i know, but i'm aroace and therefore not bound to the conventions of love! Have some hurt minimal comfort!

Concept idea:

Overkill potential

After Arthur's death Merlin waits. He waits a long time until all those he called family are dead, their descendents having forgotten their existence, the walls of camelot crumbled to ruins despite his best attempts to prevent it. So Merlin tries to follow Arthur, he lets himself sink to the bottom of Avalon lake, he knows he can't die but he wants to rest. Slowly air leaves his lungs, his vision blurrs until it fades to black, his ears ring. And then nothing. Silence.

His lungs draw in air and he sits up. His body feels too hot and too cold, his muscles stiff and joints aching but not from age like he has grown used to, instead from sickness and disuse.

"Gaius? Gwen?", he whispers as he sees Gwen, his queen, his first friend in Camelot, hug Gaius, his mentor and father figure. They flinch.

Suddenly Gwen has her arms slung around him, her lips meet his. He freezes. Gwen draws back, biting her lip and shaking her head. At least they both agree how kissing isn't for them.

"Merlin! You're alive!" Gaius patts his shoulder before ruffling his hair. "We feared the worst."

And suddenly Merlin understands. He is reliving his memories. After Nimueh had tried to kill him, his first encounter with death, this exact thing happened. He is just dreaming because his body is unable to properly come to life yet. It's okay. He can see his friends for a bit.

"Don't worry, I'm very bad at following orders, even when they come from the universe itself." Gaius gives him an odd look. That hasn't happened before... maybe his brain is adjusting the dream based on his actions and his knowledge of the people around him? Probably. Most likely.

Because none of this could be real. He studied magic, time travel was impossible. He checked. He could make time slower and faster but reverse its flow or stop it? No. Not even he could force time to do that. So it must be a dream. Of course it's a dream.

Yeah... it's not a dream. Every time he dies he creates basically a safe file, depending on how often the next death could kill a normal human he reverts back in files (>1 death potential) or stays in the same (1 death potential). The drowning thing? Given he didn't resurface? Very big death/overkill potential. Flinging him all the way back to his first death. Nimueh's poison. And how is Merlin supposed to explain that to anyone? Therefore hurt cuz Merlin dies a lot and believes it all to be a dream. Minimal comfort because he gets to see his friends!

[dark-lina]

How do they bite? ( Vampire muses)

Dead by daylight oc/muses:

Morgana:

Morgana's favorite spot is the neck. If it is blood that is given voluntarily, she is gentle for the volunteer . She slightly anesthetizes the bite site with the gentle digging ofn her fangs, then she sinks them all fully in neck and drinks the blood.

There is something always hypnotic and exciting about it, but also very intimate.

If she is hunting someone, she is not gentle, she is brutal in her actions. (usually, if someone does not pay their debts, it's a miserable fate for them)

The claws are painfully stuck in the body and going through musles, so she near sew the victim to the ground.

Then she bites them brutally in the throat, sometimes tearing it apart… and whenever it's supposed to be a warning, she just drinks greedily.

If she kills someone in the process, she has ways of disposing of the body. The person who falls victim to it does not remember the whole incident when he/she returns to life, but is instinctively afraid of Morgana.

Morgan:

Morgan is a bit different in that respect, he likes neck bites, but the shoulder or collarbone is also a good place to leave his mark.

He doesn't feel the need to pursue his victims sooner or later they'll run into him then he'll take what's his.

During love ecstasy, he gently bites, but does not pierce the partner's skin.

Unless they want to play harder.

His teeth are larger and slightly longer, sometimes he is lacking the delicacy that Morgana possesses.

Mutiverses oc/muses:

Victoria:

Victoria does not bite, she feeds mainly on blood fruit, which satisfies her appetite, for non-human food.

Roze:

Roze is a relatively young vampire, his main food is blood, and there is no shortage of people willing to give it to him.

The whole act with the rest is very pleasant, the smell of roses from Roze as well as sweet words, reduce the pain so much.

That it seems to you that a bite is like being pricked with a small needle.

Roze's favorite place to bite is the wrists, she bites her lovers in the neck or shoulder.

Thunder:

Thunder rarely feeds on blood, Thunder prefers to be an energy vampire. He gets close to someone, makes friends, and that person sometimes weakens … after a long night's sleep, everything returns to normal and you can feed again. If Thunder bites somons, he bites the wrist, it's easy to hide the bite mark.

Ghostdancer

In fact, he has not been seen for a long time, so his eating habits are not known.

Sand:

Sand's teeth are a bit different from the rest of the family, they resemble shark teeth. He bit off a piece of someone's body with them several times. Nevertheless, if he has to feed on a loved one, he cuts their skin with a knife, if it is the ruler of his heart who marks it with his bite in a visible place.

Poison

Poison doesn't drink normal blood, she settles for synthetic blood, which she's still working on because it tastes awful. It also feeds on blood fruits.

Morr

Morr is very picky about blood, so he rarely drinks it, usually content with blood fruits… but if he can find someone with the right blood type. It all changes. His favorite bite spot is the back of his neck near his ear, his bite is extremely gentle.

Les

Les stopped feeding on blood from someone a long time ago. He settles for blood from donor bags or drinks synthetic blood.

Vincent

Unlike Les, he likes to drink blood, and only from a living source. As the owner of numerous nightclubs, he has no problems finding volunteers. If a person willingly gives him blood, his bite stimulates the senses and causes a wave of pleasure. If the victim is not willing, well, while feeding, Vincent will paralyze person with magic… and will not hesitate to suck her/him to the end.

Victor and Laura

Victor's and Laura's bites are very intimate for the two of them. So they won't share experiences. The important thing is that this section is for rheirspouse only.