#druids who were like “what is he even doing. he's been in camelot for years”

[adhd-merlin]

unpopular opinion: arthur (as much as i like him as a character) was useless in terms of prophecy and liberation of the magic people. not just bc he never ended up lifting the magic ban but bc literally anyone sitting on the throne could have done that. i see no reason why it had to be arthur specifically. but the show liked to pretend like he was the only way to achieve a positive future bc the opprressed community cant simply help themselves that would be silly ig? no no they need to patiently wait that maybe one day their oppressor (whos literally continuing his fathers genocide even if less zealously) has a change of heart and they wont be hunted down like animals anymore. never mind the countless people that will have to die in the mean time. merlin can kill a bajillion people on screen and thats fine and for the greater good but if someone tries to kill One guy sitting on a fancy chair with a fancy hat suddenly thats too extreme. half the time it felt like the show was pointing to merlin as a poster child of how to act when oppressed. the fact that morgana growing bitter about uthers reign is framed as inherently bad and what directly lead to her becoming evil tm is particularly infuriating to me. the choice to create this very ya dystopian setting and then cast the oppressors as part of the main cast and the final solution is just very weird to me. i think it wouldve been objectively for the best if the magic community had overthrown arthur (or uther really but thats not really contested.. unless youre the bbc. this show is so british (derogatory))

in that vein: mordred has never done anything wrong in his entire life and that includes killing arthur

one more for the "arthur was a loser" folder

[ok but about the rest!! I have many thoughts about it. merlin as a member of an Oppressed Minority. his betrayal of his own kin. I'm putting it all under a cut bc you guys don't need to see me rambling about this and the disir again]

you make a good point — the way in which a story is framed, even the moment we choose as a "beginning", determines what characters we'll feel sympathy for, even when the facts at our disposal are the same.

I don't think the writers were trying to create any kind of deep social commentary btw. just so we're clear. merlin is the hero of the story and his mission is to keep arthur safe. we've got to root for them both.

to have a king with a hatred (fear) of magic gives us a convenient antagonist within the court. merlin having to defend the men that would have him killed for his magic is a great source of dramatic tension. it sort of follows that the people he has to fight against to defend the king/prince are other magic users, or magical threats. (it also keeps things interesting because there would be no challenge for merlin otherwise).

there isn't much of a point in exploring the motives and backstories of other characters with magic (with the exception of morgana, perhaps). They are only briefly touched upon — so these characters remain vaguely antagonistic for the most part. Neutrally aligned at best (see mordred).

We are shown that the druids are (mostly) aware of the prophecy that marks merlin/emrys as the saviour of their kind.

what I find fascinating are merlin's interactions with magic people who are either not aware of this prophecy (gilli) or have no faith in it (kara, possibly?) Because we're never given the chance or the time to see things from their perspective. To see merlin through their eyes.

When gilli says:

"It is time that someone struck a blow for the likes of you and me. And if you're too weak, then I will." (!!!)

It makes him sound like some kind of extremist, but really, when you think about it. isn't his anger kind of justified? I'm not condoning his violence, I'm just saying — it's understandable. uther has killed so many innocent people. literally drowned innocent children. and merlin's like "violence isn't the answer!" — and I can see his point!! but I can see gilli's just as well. and I find it so interesting that he's still addressing merlin as a brother ("the likes of you and me"), even when expressing disappointment in his actions and calling him weak. because they are the same. he's saying "you're deluded, and cozying up to the enemy won't save you"

this episode also contains what is (probably) my favourite dragon call. when merlin summons kilgharrah in other episodes, he's usually in the middle of some Urgent Situation. matters of life or death. there is nothing urgent here, really. yeah, it is arguably a matter of life or death, but nothing merlin couldn’t have stopped on his own. he really just called on kilgharrah to have a heart to heart with a friend — a member of his class.

("You are a creature of magic, and only a creature of magic could hope to understand.")

this episode is about merlin looking for kinship and still feeling isolated from his magic brethren. there's something tragic about the way the prophecy makes him unable to connect to some of the people who would be best placed to understand him.

and gilli plants a small seed of doubt in merlin's mind. "You've been pretending for so long now that you've actually forgotten who you are" (!!)

but kilgharrah reassures merlin that there's a golden age coming. so merlin does what he has to do — he saves uther once again. before gilli leaves, merlin reassures him that one day they will be free.

he tells mordred the same:

"It won't always be like this. One day we will live in freedom again."

and then, when he has the unique opportunity to use his influence on arthur to sway his opinion in the right direction. he fails.

he condemns himself, and the people he spoke to of freedom, to keep living in fear and in hiding — and what's even more upsetting, he does so while talking of a "just and fair kingdom"!

("You must protect the world you spent your life building, a just and fair kingdom for all." What an interesting choice of words. camelot isn't just and fair to all — as merlin knows well. he's lying to arthur, and possibly to himself.)

imagine being gilli or mordred and hearing him say that "there can be no place for magic in camelot." (!) What a slap in the face.

I've read meta suggesting that the disir were testing merlin just as much as arthur (or even more so than him). I'm inclined to believe it — I want to believe it. If anything because it makes the story all the more interesting and tragic. (I know what some are going to say — if mordred's destiny was to kill arthur, it would've happened anyway. but remember what else kilgharrah said — the future is never clear. there are many paths).

I understand why merlin did what he did, I really do. but for a moment, the fair and just kingdom he spoke of was within reach, and he failed to grasp it.

so was gilli wrong after all?

[and kara. I feel quite sympathetic towards her. we know arthur. she can't see him from our (merlin's) perspective. for her, he might as well be uther. magic people are still persecuted under camelot's law. she has spent her life on the run, she has seen people she loved be killed. and from our (arthur's) perspective, she looks like some kind of fanatic. but in reality. put yourself in her shoes. when arthur offers her a chance to save herself by "repenting" for her crime, she says she has nothing to repent for. "it is not a crime to fight for your freedom". that's the belief she's willing to die for. did she deserve to die for it?

(I also think there's an interesting parallel in merlin failing his kin in the disir, and arthur failing mordred in ep 5x11 by condemning kara to death. something about pinning all your hopes on someone who's going to fail you, and doom you both. idk idk.)]

sorry anon. you were saying

[gd-dollopole]

We deserved more of just Merlin

The little head tilt, the sweet voice and the tiny smile, the moment he asked Arthur:

“Don’t you?”

To Merlin, magic had always been there for everyone to see, to feel.

He is magic, after all.

For all those years, Merlin had believed what he felt was obvious, and that everyone else felt the same way. It was strange to Merlin that Arthur couldn’t understand that the forest, the animals, even the smallest, living in it, were sacred. Because life is sacred. He couldn’t grasp the reason why the knights couldn’t feel that the old Druids’ camp was haunted, and therefore didn’t believe him. He had literally heard death, and cried because of it.

“As if everything is much more than itself.”

The phrase could refer to him too. Merlin is much more than… Him.

That’s what brought his doom. He had never had the chance to truly know himself. He was either a servant, or the sorcerer of a prophecy, or a Dragonlord.

Never just him.

And in this moment we see he had missed being one with nature, breathing in the animals’ lives. He was himself again.

He was vibrating, much like anything else there living with him.

They never went deep into Merlin’s powers, they were just there for Arthur. Merlin had lost sight of what he wanted to do with them, he even forgot he was so powerful he could have overthrown Arthur himself, if he really wished to.

Merlin was the only man alive able to see Avalon.

During the knights and the king’s quest to save Gwen, Merlin met the Queen of a Queendom no one had ever even seen.

He could have killed Morgana (and did try) multiple times, although she was an High Priestess, and simply decided not to, but he had more than just the power to do so.

The Catha, the Druids bowed to him, met him in the woods, called to him.

Merlin created a telepathic connection with Arthur the first days he was in Camelot.

He survived death multiple times.

His immortality forbid him to die.

Merlin hated hunting because he could feel the animals being scared, followed; he had recognised Gwen when Morgana transformed her into a deer; he could hear the magic around him, inside objects and inside people, like a whisper, as if it was nothing; he could call lightning from the sky.

He could stop the time, or at least slow it down.

Every magical being knew him by name only. But he was not a leader, he was just different.

“Is she like me?” “No one is like you, Merlin.”

After everything he had witnessed, even Gaius knew Merlin was special and did nothing to help him understand why he was.

Merlin was the reason Aithusa was born, why Kilgharrah was free, and we were robbed of him getting to really know his powers, both as a Dragonlord and as the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth.

He literally deleted himself just to be at Arthur’ side, and it hurt him. We saw it constantly. He was sad not only because everyone and everything was against him, or because he couldn’t use magic for simple tricks, but because he couldn’t really know what he could do, both as a magical being and as just Merlin.

To study his powers meant treason and death, and Merlin forbid himself to go beyond what he already knew.

His incapacity to understand, his lack of will to know, and his indecision about who he was, literally helped the fall of the great destiny he was a part of.

Merlin’s decisions, whatever he wanted them to happen or not, helped Arthur die.

Merlin’s real enemy was himself.

[lovermyme]

Was thinking about merlin and listening to mitski today and

Post revel where arthur reacts very well at merlins magic, unbans magic and merlin cant actually process that

Yeah, thats about "its just that i fell in love with a war, nobody told me it ended", he suffered too much to allow it to be this easy. Can u imagine? What do u mean arthur and the knights are laughing amused by him magically lighting the fire? It is a big deal.

Merlins saw many many sorcerers be cremated alive to be normal. He heard the screams and smelled the burned skin, the toasted meat.

I havent watched the shows in years but like, i guess he have a "privileged view" of the pire from his room too....... He thinks if uther did that on purpose, by giving gaius (the only sorcerer uther allowed to stay, in his conditions of course) this place of all in the castle...... Like a warning...

The only "mentors" merlin had where a dragon, that had been imprisoned for morethan 20 years. And a old man, that had been walking on eggs for more than 20 years too. They were shit at giving advices, yeah but. Its understandable at some point.

He has blood in his hands. Non sorcerer and sorcerer. Friends and enemies. Civilians. He released kilgharra. Fuck, he lied at the morgouse trials, about arthurs mother! Why is arthur ok w that? He think he is a traitor, of both his kind........

Bonus point if good mordred. Like, mordred adapting very well at the shift laws, and excited about doing magic in frnt of arthur and arthur liking it???? Merlin cant understand. He debated about killing this child.

bONUS BONUS POINT If merlin is struggling at doing magic in front of arthur and the knights, and arthurs doesn't know he is emrys the most powerful sorcerer to walk on earth aND YET IS SO AMUSED. And like, *merlin shaking while firing the fire* arthur and evryone: THATS AMAZING MERLIN 👏👏👏👏 And mordred is so confused

I need a fic like this

Mordred becomes court sorcerer because arthur thinks merlin is not powerful and everything (in a worried way not in a disposed way). Merlin is not jealous, he doesn't care about titles, actually he do like his job, its just about the irony of the thing. Mordred is so so confused.

He does his job amazing, he uses magic and its okay at doing it. When no one is looking. If someone, thats not gaius, is looking, he hardly can do.

He cant do magic w arthurs watching.

Unless its a Arthur's life treating situation.

Its not that he is actually scared of arthur, its just that he simple cant. Theres even a tecnical term for this. Its like a emotional block, but w his magic. He cant control it. He has been under pressure for so long he cant just let go ya know.

Ok, its my post, i like mordred, im gonna put my thoughts here.

Au where mordred was the one who changes arthurs mind about magic. Like, arthur is watching mordred, the one he know has magic and is a druid and asks him if he stills do magic and mordred thinks and chooses honesty and says "to make a fire when noone is looking" or some non harmful thing. And Arthur is like "a sorcerer can be a Knight, im shifting the law". And he shift the law and Merlin is like, was is that easy? *Mental breakdown * meltdown *burnout*

The thing is: it wasn't just because of mordred, like, Arthur's kingdom has been kind w the sorcerers already, not having burned a lot and no one in mordred presence, because arthur is a kind king.

And th thing is how mordred and merlin lived different lifes while in camelot, ya know. Even through mordred has heard stories and lost friends and family to camelots fire, Merlin lived in it.

Merlin, he is extremely suspicious about mordred coming out as sorcerer to arthur (because he is suspicious of mordred), he thinks maybe its a trick, to bring evil sorcerers to kill arthur, something, he even debates w arthur if shifting thelaw is the right choice. He feels awful about his position, but he cant process that everything is alright, he is so suspicious about everything and so scared arthur might put himself in danger.

He tells arthur he has magic after he lift the ban. Arthur is so confused because of merlins position about the law, but he is fine w merlin. And merlin islike "im gonna to protect u i promise, im super powerful", of course he cant prove he is powerful because this whole post.

Im tired now im stoping, but im still thinking alot.

[merlins-strawberriesandroses]

TO be honest. I don’t understand what it means when people say Merlin was Arthur’s bane. Mayhaps I misunderstand but. Arthur was a bit of an assassination magnet (not to mention all those magical creatures and bandits... so many bandits), and Merlin actively prevented Arthur's death for years, which would have occured without him anway in the very first episode. I can see why one might argue that Merlin was just delaying the inevitable, or that he didn't succeed in keeping Arthur safe until Arthur could enact the golden age, but certainly I don’t see how he could have been Arthur’s bane.

Also, it’s implied in the last episode that the golden age does occur, but under Guinevere. Which makes sense as she knew Merlin was the sorcerer and that she was pleased about it (and I recall it was confirmed in interviews), so I also don’t follow the twin train of thought that Merlin was his own bane or even Camelot’s. Camelot was already bane-d(?) under Uther. But partly because of Merlin's steady friendship, Arthur matured into a king who was kinder than his father. He also actively sought magic's aid on multiple occasions, so he knew magic had potential for good (like healing his queen) without Merlin needing to tell him about his magic.

I don't think it's fair to say Camelot's laws on magic remaining relatively static was because no one close to Arthur came out as having magic. There was still much risk in that, and for Merlin a lot at stake, not just his life. A law change was still possible (and almost seemed to be set up that way) without Arthur needing someone he was personally close to having to do the work to humanize it for him (in the sense that the episodes with the druids, the druid boy with Elyan, and the dolma seemed like they were pointing to a law change because Arthur sees the diversity of magic and those who have it).

At worst Merlin’s efforts didn’t change the status quo, but we do have things indicating that they did. And Merlin was not single-mindedly serving Arthur at the expense of everyone else. He saved Camelot as a whole multiple times. He was also very willing to stick out his neck for many others even during the height of his anxiety and agitation in season 5. (Also only being slightly silly when I say this, but he was also THE wingman for Arthur when he was getting with Gwen, so in a way Merlin’s help led to their courting being a success and thus contributed to her being in a great position to change the laws. so personally I give points to Merlin for that). Most of the decisions centering Arthur's safety seemed to stem from the fear that Albion would crumble before it began if Arthur were to die, so he tried his best to prevent that from happening in any way he knew. (Like, when Arthur is dying, Merlin asks "So I failed?" regarding the whole golden age thing, which I think is telling that the prophesy and his role in it was still VERY much at the forefront of Merlin's mind).

And this is a digression but I know people think Merlin should have done more for Camelot, or for folks with magic (like, as a revolutionary or something akin), which I understand but no one reached out to network with him really? It'd require resources, people (always confused why there weren't a whole bunch more folks offering Merlin material/intellectual/emotional support if they thought he should be the one to bring about the golden age. all he was told was that the forseen way it actually happens succesfully is through Arthur), time (I doubt it’d have been much of a ‘quicker’ way necessarily), and incredible planning + foresight if it's meant to be something that works out effectively + long-term. Okay I think I've digressed enough now. This is a whole seperate thought that I don't think I'm gonna do any justice here lol, and I'm already rambling, so I'll stop now :,)

But anyway, in terms of being his own or Arthur’s bane, we know Arthur will return, and we don’t know how Merlin spent his years. His magic can play with time and maybe he learns how to control that, or he could have entered a stasis like in various legends, etc etc etc. And I mean it is tragic on many levels, and it’s sad we didn’t see Arthur’s arc completed, and that Merlin sacrificed so much for a goal that didn't get much acknowledgment by the show at the end, but still. I don’t think Merlin was Arthur’s bane, or Camelot’s, or his own.

[camelotremix]

2024 Camelot Remix - Reveals & Masterpost!

♥ Thank you everyone for joining us again for another fantastic year, we hope to see you all again next year!

♥ We've had some amazing remixes this year and want to thank all of our remixers and pinch hitters for your hard work - you've been FABULOUS.

♥ Thank you to everyone who read, commented, kudosed or showed love in any way for the works created. And if you haven't left some comments, kudos, or love, here's your chance!

Your ever-loving mods, Sknits & Fifty ♥

FIC:Brechtjeeatscheese created Standing still; for six months and two weeks for MerlinLikeTheBird (Merlin/Arthur, Gwaine/Percival – Gen – 2605w) Summary: We all know Percy influenced Arthur to finally undertake action with Merlin. But what if he had underlying motives? And what if Gwaine has something to do with it too? Eventually all knights get involved.

FIC:queerofthedagger created This Song and Dance (The 'Balancing Act' Remix) for polomonkey (Merlin/Arthur – Teen and Up – 1200w) Summary: The thing is, Merlin has been thinking about it. About Arthur and the grief that he wears like penance, how he fits so easily into the spot beside Merlin. How he always has, and how, for all his talk about leaving, he does not seem to be in a hurry. --- Between circus shows and late nights, Merlin and Arthur figure themselves out, one step at a time.

FIC:eachpeachpearplum created wandered out in the world for years (the king and the knight remix) for HadrianPeverellBlack (Gwaine/Merlin – Gen – 800w) Summary: Gwaine doesn't like Arthur. Respects him, sure. Admires his fighting prowess, yeah. Envies his freedom and pities his lack of it in equal parts. He'll follow him into battle and mostly follow orders as he does so, because chances are Arthur’s on the right side of a fight, and even if he isn't he's got Merlin to push him until he is. But he's more than capable of all that without actually liking the man. Or: Arthur and Gwaine search for Merlin during the deleted scene from A Servant of Two Masters.

FIC:TrebleMaker07 created A Time to Mourn, and a Time to Dance [Remix] for scotscookie (Merlin/Arthur – Explicit – 1478w) Summary: After a night of drinking with Morgana, Arthur goes home to wind down.

FIC:Ynnealay created The Best and Terrible (An Extended Remix) for linorien (Gen – Teen and Up – 30,691w) Summary: After meeting the Druids, Morgana cannot sit idly by while Uther’s tyranny against magic continues; but, taking action may put her in more danger than she can get out of alone. Meanwhile, Merlin struggles under the loneliness of his secret, and wonders who he’s destined to be. A story about working together, magic reveals going better than expected, and Uther Pendragon being the worst man ever.

FIC:merthurmagic025 created Where We Find Our Peace for queerofthedagger (Merlin/Arthur – Gen – 2687w) Summary: Arthur looked the most relaxed Merlin had ever seen him; his hair was a golden mop, glistening droplets of water traveling down the planes and angles of his face. Merlin’s eyes followed one, down the side of Arthur’s sculpted nose, reaching his plump lips where Arthur’s tongue darted out to catch it.

Merlin tore his eyes away and let his face break out into a bright grin as he looked into Arthur’s eyes. “You could’ve told me that we were going for a swim; I would’ve complained far less.”

Arthur rolled his eyes slightly. “I was going for a swim,” he replied, “you simply decided to follow me.”

A remix of Bad Choice of Words in My Alibi by queerofthedagger

ART:schweet_heart created Reluctantly in Love for chaosgenes (Merlin/Arthur – Gen – Digital Art & 127w) Summary: Arthur has waited for Naming Day all his life, but could not be more disappointed when he finds out who the Soul Stone names for him. It isn’t the prisoner he meets in the dungeons, but his heart aches for him anyway.

Merlin has never thought about soulmates until they come knocking at his door in Ealdor. Convinced that there’s something wrong with the Soul Stone, he travels to magic-banned Camelot to end its influence. He never thought that he would be enraptured by the crown prince who comes to interrogate him.

FIC:linorien created Disillusion (a remix of Light Pollution) for Ynnealay (Gen – Gen – 1041w) Summary: Some of Merlin's letters to Arthur over the years.

ART:kairennart (personaje) created earnest and respectful (The so easy, and the words so sweet Remix) for EachPeachPearPlum (Lancelot/Merlin – General Audiences – Art) Summary: They sit on Merlin's bed at night.

FIC: MyKingdomComeUndone created Our little remedy (the “In this state of classical denial” Remix) for fifty_fifty (Merlin/Arthur – Explicit – 10,660w) Summary: Merlin and Arthur enjoy getting off whenever (and wherever) they can find the time. Sometimes, this makes things... let's say interesting for the people in their life, whether they like it or not. or Five times poor Leon got a much closer look at Merlin and Arthur's sex life than he wanted, and one time things played out a little differently

FIC: chaosgenes created Step by Step (a “Danced into My Heart” remix) for TrebleMaker07 (Merlin/Arthur – Explicit – 1513w) Summary: Arthur watches Merlin perform The Nutcracker ballet on opening night and is entranced, and aroused, by his dance.

FIC: little_dhampir created Timezones (the Boys are Back in Town Remix) for Laevateinn (Gwaine/Percival – Teen – 1500w) Summary: Gwaine never thought he'd meet someone like his boyfriend. Percival was tall and handsome and so incredibly nice it could be tooth-rotting. And he loved Gwaine, with all his flaws and sometimes too-loud behaviour. Jesus, did Gwaine miss him.

FIC: HadrianPeverellBlack created (Are you sure you) Love Me ((say you) Love Me Remix) for Salamandair (Merlin/Arthur – General Audiences – 595w) Summary: Merlin still can’t really believe Arthur wants to marry him, or that he loves him.

Probably, is Arthur's fault anyway

ART: Stelle_loves_reading created Truth, truth, truth for Personaje (Lancelot/Merlin – not rated – art) Summary: "Lancelot, I can explain—"

“Who are you?” He drew his sword. There was a reason why he had not run back to that clearing, why he drew his sword instead of throwing it away, and it was that the Merlin he knew would have never let him believe he was dead. For years.

"Lancelot, it really is me," he said, his hands raised. Lancelot swallowed.

"Prove it," he said, because yes, he was that desperate.

Merlin took a step forward. Lancelot adjusted his stance, gripped his sword tighter.

Eyes locked, Merlin's glowed. Hundreds of tiny golden lights appeared around them, like fireflies but warmer.

FIC: lavender_spice created Rush In My Veins (Every Bit As Much Yours Remix) for moonflower999 (Merlin/Arthur – Gen – 1157w) Summary: It is a morning like any other, until it isn't.

FIC:salamandair created Gladiators/Spartacus (the ‘Let us entertain you!’ remix) for Dylan_M (Gwaine/Percival – Gen – 2351w) Summary: Percival and Gwaine had been forced to fight each other for entertainment. Now, Percival was being ordered to take his opponent’s life.

ART: Merlinlikethebird Sun and Snow for merthurmagic025 (Merlin/Arthur – Gen – Art) Summary: “Merlin! Your hands are freezing, what were you thinking?”

FIC: laevateinncreated I will show you how to dance (remix of Stelle's Mercelot Cinderella AU art) for Stelle_loves_reading (Lancelot/Merlin – Teen and Up – 1055w) Summary: For a few weeks now, Merlin had been attracted to a human home. At first, he had strayed in this direction accidentally, following the wind and sounds, only coming close to the property. Then, he had realised to whom this house had once belonged to. ~ A Cinderella AU, based on Stelle's art for the Camelot Remix 2024!

FIC: scotscookie created Breaching the Walls (The Tower Remix) for schweet_heart (Merlin/Arthur – Teen and Up – 3884w) Summary: Uther has a decision to make - what does he do about Merlin?

FIC: polomonkey created Tattered and Torn and Born To Be for lavender_spice (Gwen/Morgana – Explicit – 2350w) Summary: Gwen awaits Morgana's return from a dangerous mission.

FIC: Zorbo_Jorks created Sage Words for Vague Woes ('The secrets we keep' Remix) for little_dhampir (Leon/Morgana, Arthur/Merlin – Teen – 2000w) Summary: When Arthur witnesses his best friend, Merlin, doing magic, he goes to his sister for advice, feeling betrayed and confused by the whole ordeal. Morgana receives a surprise visit from her brother, troubled and seeking her counsel for what must have been the first time in his life. Though he seems adamant not to tell her exactly what is wrong between him and Merlin, she and her young son, Mordred, try to help where they can.

FIC: moonflower999 created More Than I Deserve (The King Arthur’s Throne Remix) for brechtjeeatscheese (Gwen/Merlin/Arthur – Gen – 1,096w) Summary: Arthur stands up for himself and those he loves most in the world.

FIC: fifty_fifty created High Society (The "It's A Nice Day To Start Again" Remix) for MyKingdomComeUndone (Arthur/Merlin, Gwaine/Morgana – Explicit – 17,541w) Summary: “So, what do you think of the lasses so far?” Gwaine asked him, as he eyed up the women who were milling about the place.

“Pretty, as they always are,” said Arthur.

It was a truthful answer, which he hoped Gwaine wouldn’t probe him too deeply on. If it had been someone else, he would have tried to summon up more enthusiasm. He hoped, however, that Gwaine was bright enough to realise the circumstances Arthur found himself in by now.

“Well, let me know if you ever have your eye on anyone, and I’ll be sure to steer clear to give you the best chance.”

Arthur scoffed, his pride ruffled.

“As if I couldn’t have any woman I wanted,” he groused.

He was not about to let Gwaine think he would ever consider him as a rival.

“Ah, well, that’s the problem right there, isn’t it. You never seem to want one, Arthur.”

[merlingenrecs]

The holiday season is upon us, and Camelot is celebrating, too! If you want to get into a festive mood, you can find some reading material here.

Today’s gen fic rec theme: Christmas, Yuletide & Solstice

↓ Find the list of fanfic recs under the cut! ↓

⚬ Some Things Are Meant to Be by 1917farmgirl, 11k, rated G <https://archiveofourown.org/works/13183989> summary: For Merlin, having the world fall apart around him was nothing new, but having someone there to help him pick up the pieces afterwards unfortunately was. Until it happened twice, with two very special people who appeared in his life when he most needed saving. Modern AU, friendship fic. Sort of Christmas story.

⚬ A Gift Well Received by Gingeraffealene, 2k, rated K+ <https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13458637/1/A-Gift-Well-Received> summary: Merlin hasn't seemed to really appreciate any of the gifts Arthur's given him in the past. Guinevere suggests Arthur try doing something Merlin really would appreciate, no matter how much it pains Arthur. Happy Yule! Have a Hug!

⚬ Overlooked by sarajm, 50k, rated K+ <https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11087241/1/> summary: Arthur is well on the way to becoming the type of leader Merlin had always hoped he'd be - one who cares for all of his people. But even so, preparations for Yule festivities along with some unforeseen circumstances result in Merlin taking on too much work. Unfortunately nobody notices until it's almost too late.

⚬ To Drive the Cold Winter Away by VikingSong, 1.5k, rated G <https://archiveofourown.org/works/52608178> summary: A fluffy Yuletide slice-of-life from the dawn of Camelot's Golden Age. A cold snap has enveloped Camelot, but heartwarming friendship and a dash of magic are the perfect combination to drive the cold winter away.

⚬ Winter Solstice Celebrations And A Lesson in Appreciation by Glon_Morski, 13k, rated T <https://archiveofourown.org/works/29471682> summary: “He doesn’t appreciate you,” he said one evening to Emrys after the king had left. The warlock blinked at the statement, wide-eyed as if he didn’t understand what he’d been told. The boy huffed. “Everything you do for him, all the times you saved him and his kingdom, all the guidance and he doesn’t appreciate you at all!” “He does,” Merlin defended with a shake of his head. “Well, he has a weird way of showing it,” the boy grumbled with a pout. “It’s like he thinks you’re always going to be there, that he can do anything because you’ll never leave.” “That’s because I won’t. And he knows me enough to know as much,” was the warlock’s reply. “That doesn’t mean he should take you for granted.” Or: In which a druid boy takes matters into his own hands to ensure Arthur learns to appreciate a certain manservant.

⚬ The Secret Handshake by Skydragon05, 2k, rated G <https://archiveofourown.org/works/43350633> summary: It's the yuletide celebration, and this year guests are attending from all over the kingdom. There's one thing unusual though. Several of the guests are not only shaking hands with the King upon arrival, but with Merlin too... and they're shaking his hand backwards. Merlin can't fathom why, so Morgana goes off to seek answers.

⚬ Advent Calender 2023 by s0mmerspr0ssen, 44k, rated G-T <https://archiveofourown.org/series/4478905> summary: This series contains all stories that belong to the Merlin gen fic advent calendar 2023 as well as a few revised stories that were created that year. Enjoy!

⚬ Elf-Boy and Turniphead Save Christmas by Pelydryn, 46k, rated T <https://archiveofourown.org/works/8845624> summary: Three weeks before Merlin's eleventh Christmas, he is introduced to the thirteen-year old Arthur Pendragon, Prince of Camelot and eventual heir to the throne of all Albion. As far as early Christmas presents go, it is a tremendous disappointment. When Merlin's mum is hired as royal governess by a magic-hating king, Merlin is not happy. Sharing Christmas with a turniphead of a prince does nothing to help his holiday spirit. And he had been so good this year…

⚬ Yuletide by daylighthour, 2.5k, rated G <https://archiveofourown.org/works/17108132> summary: It is the annual Yule feast, Arthur is sick, Merlin is attentive, and both are surprised at how much they care about each other.

⚬ One of Us Is Lying by sinivalkoista, 1k, rated G <https://archiveofourown.org/works/43523355> summary: Someone has a horrid sweet tooth and keeps stealing sweets from the kitchens for weeks leading up to the Yule Feast. Arthur decides to rope Merlin into helping him investigate.

⚬  The Christmas Promise by Uniasus, 1k, rated T <https://archiveofourown.org/works/8905864> summary: Scolding a dragon, even one you hatched, never worked well. Especially if you left her alone for a hundred years to be a tree. She turns a might clingy.

[sugar-coated-prat-dragon]

Title: Sorcerers can be born as either witches, wizards, druids or warlocks

Episode: "The Beginning of the End" questions #4

Questions by @tansyuduri

Tagging: @miyriu

Books used for reference: Sword and Sorcery, A Fighting Chance, Merlin Complete Guide and Merlin Villains Guide

Question: Gaius: “The druids look for children with such gifts to serve as apprentices.”

Are people born into being Druids?

How many druid children become apprentice and how they get the children? Is it some kind of honor in the old religion?

My answer: Yes. People are born Druids.

According to the book, sorcerers can be either witches, wizards, druids or warlocks. (And any of those can be good or evil; while still retaining their categorization).

- The Druids specifically look for children with special abilities, such as telepathy, to serve as apprentices and continue their traditions.

I imagine that much like the Bendrui (Finna; for example), the apprentices that are chosen to be initiated into the old religion and be mentored, probably see it as an honor.

MERLIN: “Bendrui?”

GAIUS: “Before the time of the Great Purge girls would be chosen at birth for the priesthood. They would be taken away from their families and brought up as initiates in the old religion.” (Episode: The Kindness of Strangers)

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

Glossary: CERDAN - a druid, Mordred is his apprentice

- When the druid Cerdan comes to Camelot for supplies, he brings his apprentice, a boy called Mordred.

- They look for children with special abilities, such as telepathy, to serve as apprentices and continue their traditions.

Question: Are the Druids in the show priests? Historically speaking they should be?

My answer: In the Merlin world, Druids are officially defined in the glossary as an ancient order of priests.

Book description: DRUIDS - ancient order of priests

Question:

Great Dragon: “There is much written about you that you have yet to read.”

The Druids are secretive people who don’t share their beliefs with outsiders. So how do so many other people know of the prophecies?

My answer:

Druid lore is not the only one with prophecies about Arthur and Merlin.

There are many more prophecies… likely from many different cultures.

The Catha priests and by extension, Finna (one of the Bendrui, who joined the priesthood and was brought up as initiates in the old religion) guarded their ancient knowledge for hundreds of years.

One of those secrets was the scroll that talked about the battle of Camlann. The one Finna sacrificed her life to give Emrys.

GAIUS: "Let loose the hounds of war. Let the dreadfire of the last priestess rain down from angry skies. For brother will slaughter brother. For friend will murder friend. As the great horn sounds a cold dawn at Camlann. The prophets do not lie. There Arthur will meet his end, upon that mighty plain."

(Episode: The Kindness of Strangers)

Meanwhile, the Villa (spirits of the brooks and streams) simply referred to him as “Merlin” and “young warlock”. Which means his birth name might be the one their species is more familiar with using.

(Of course, there’s also magical beings like the Great Dragon and Cailleach, gatekeeper of the Spirit World, who could sense his presence even from a great distance.)

Book description:

- It is aware of the many prophecies about Arthur and Merlin - those which have existed for centuries, and those which call them by different names, such as the druidic lore that knows Merlin as 'Emrys"

Episode transcript: Vilia: “Merlin is stronger than you give him credit for. The young warlock has great power and a future that has been written since the dawn of time. Do not worry. Even now, my sisters begin to heal him.”

Question: What did Merlin do wrong with the medicine that he used to treat Mordred’s infection that made it ineffective?

What ingredients were used to make it? Baking soda maybe?

My answer: I’m not sure of the ingredients themselves. All I do know is that it’s referred to as an ‘herbal paste’.

So given the description, it likely doesn’t consist of baking soda.

On another page, it refers to Merlin’s patch job as a ‘rough bandage’, which implies that either he mixed it to the wrong consistency or perhaps spread it to unevenly.

Book description: Merlin thought he had the basic idea of what to do though, and he’d mixed up a herbal paste to apply to the wound.

- Gaius drew back the rough bandage on the boy's arm.'

Question: How does Mordred know Merlin is the Emrys?

Do the writings actually describe him? It cannot be because of him possessing magic, since Morgana has that too?

My answer: Gaius was not overly surprised to learn that the Great Dragon had been able to sense Merlin, because they were both powerful magical beings.

Mordred has a power level of five stars (⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) and in fact, he was so powerful even as a child, that the great dragon thought it was more then possible that he could use the Crystal of Neahtid.

So it makes sense that Mordred would be able to sense Merlin’s vast magical power (since I doubt his magic feels like anyone else’s; given how he’s literally magic itself).

The Complete Guide also claims that some magical individuals may be drawn to other magical beings or objects.

And then there is Merlin ...

It also claims that Merlin is able to do magic of a kind never seen before.

That likely translates into a type of power/energy that is uniquely Emrys.

Iseldir and some of the other druids could also sense that he was Emrys.

More than likely due to Merlin’s magic feeling so much more powerful than anything a normal sorcerer should be capable of wielding.

Book description: Gaius should have been surprised.

But that one powerful magical being should know about another was perhaps not so unexpected.

MAGICAL POWERS:

Very rarely, humans are born with magical abilities. Some remain unaware of their magical powers for many years; others do not realize that what they do is not normal, only learning as they grow up that their gifts are not shared by others.

These magical individuals may be drawn to other magical beings or objects. 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.

He soon becomes adept at incantations, having a grasp of sorcery that few can rival - and ultimately, Merlin masters the power of life and death itself.

[queen-of-obsessing]

the people have spoken (@merlinjoyer @astudyintheburningofhearts)! here's my take on the magic reveal scene thingy that i mentioned here

---

The air was tense in the throne room as the remaining council members and onlookers filed out of the room; Gwaine casting another worried glance in Merlin’s direction, who was still knelt to the floor. Arthur stood at his throne, leaning against it in silence, a deep frown creasing his forehead, remaining even after the birch doors slammed shut, deepening the silence. He slowly turned, stalking across the room. “What are you still doing on your knees; am I just your king?” Merlin looked away from his dark stare. “Get up, for goodness’ sake.”

Merlin reluctantly stood, his whole body feeling like an undertow dragging him deeper into the murky depths of the guilt and shame he had been trying so hard to avoid. This day was never supposed to come. Arthur returned to the front of his throne, and for the first time since before the battle, they were face to face. Merlin bravely met his eyes, mired with a disappointment that made him want to curl into a ball and die. The silence was endless, neither of them knowing what to say to the other.

“How long?” Arthur’s voice was leveled; low and controlled.

Merlin’s heart pounded in his chest. “I was born with it.”

He watched as Arthur took in this information. “You’ve lied to me all this time.” Frustration threaded through his voice, a restrained anger boiling under the surface. “Why?”

“Arthur, I wanted to tell you -” Merlin insisted.

“All those times you said you respected me and trusted me, was that all a lie too?”

“No!” he cried, tears spilling down his cheeks. “I meant every word.”

“Did you want to overthrow me, like Morgana? Like Morgause? Is that what you want? Power?”   

“No!” Merlin cried in disbelief. “I never wanted any of that!”

“Then forgive me, because I must really stupid!” Arthur exploded, lunging forward to grab Merlin by the shoulders. “WHAT WERE YOU DOING?”

“I did it for you!” Merlin tearfully yelled. “To protect you! Because I care for you, and love you, and believe in you!” Arthur softened his grip on his arms, eyes widening as he spoke. “But forgive me, for not baring my soul to you in a kingdom where my mere existence could have me burned alive! I was scared!”

Arthur backed away, horror clouding his gaze. “Of me?” His friend went silent, swallowing back fresh tears, and his silence was all the answer he needed. “All these years and you never understood,” Arthur said quietly, his anger now shrouded in sadness. “I stuck my neck out for you, I broke you out of jail, I helped Mordred, a known druid, escape execution, hell, I even made him a knight! I executed Kara because she tried to murder me, not for her magic! Did you pay any notice?” Merlin looked away in shame. “I am not my father, but you should’ve known that.” He hesitated. “I thought we were friends.”

Merlin lifted his head. “We are friends.”

Arthur shook his head. “No,” he said softly. “A friend would have had faith in me.” He straightened, a steeled resolve passing over his face. “I don’t want to see you dead, Merlin,” he said. “But I don’t want to see you. I cannot look on you every day. You will leave Camelot at first light.”

Merlin’s eyes widened. “Arthur – no!” he protested, as his king signalling for the guards. “You can’t do this!”

“I am sorry,” Arthur said, as they grasped him by the arms, escorting him out of the room.

[knightofmordred]

going to go on a kara rant because i see so many people mischaracterising her and i just need ppl to see her in the light that i do !!

so many people call kara stubborn or that all she had to do was accept arthur's pardon or she shouldn't have attacked arthur in the first place.

but people often forget how arthur would look to magic users/druids. how do they see arthur?

to them arthur is the same as uther. magic is still banned, and people are still being hunted and persecuted simply for existing. over the last 20-30 years, people have been living in hiding, in fear for their lives, and that fear is then passed down to their children and talked about within their communities.

kara saw a chance to attack and kill a man who has done nothing to protect magic users/druids and has continued to uphold his father's laws.

yes, yes, arthur's feelings around magic are complex, and merlin knows that, but literally no other magic user does! they see arthur as he is.

kara's defence was literally her belief. it is not a crime to fight for your freedom.

arthur offering kara a pardon was fair enough, but why would she apologise that she was wrong to defend her people? why would she admit that fighting for your freedom is a crime? and why would she trust a man she likely had been raised not to trust? who she had NO reason to trust? a man who only offered her forgiveness and a pardon rather than accepting that things need to change and he would make changes?

sure, she would see that despite the attempt on his life, arthur is willing to forgive her, and perhaps he is a good man. but when your people are being hunted and persecuted, being a good man or being given forgiveness is not enough!

she wanted nothing but for her people to be safe.

kara clearly would rather die than admit all of that, and considering how young she is (late teens) is actually very brave.

even if she accepted the pardon, there is literally no guarantee she would even live as her community were in constant danger and dying anyway.

also some people blame kara for what happened to mordred but mordred turning against arthur was so much more than her death. first you have his struggle to be accepted in camelot (particularly by merlin) and due to that hatred, he believes merlin betrayed kara to arthur and did nothing to fight for her trial.

even if kara didn't die, sooner or later enough would be enough and mordred would turn (like he would have turned anyway since that's literally the legends and the end of the story).

but anyway, i just really struggle to see how people don't think kara saw her people dying, her family and friends being murdered and leaving in fear, and then blame her when she does something about it and stands by her morals and choices?

[the-king-and-the-druidess]

Personal ramblings about my Mormor Fic:

It's been a year and three months since I started my Morgana-Centric-with an occasional Merlin-centirc-chapter-or-two-Mormor longfic, Trillium. 100kW+ rare ship written in a foreign language (English) My teachers would have been proud, lol.

It started with a boring moodboard and an idea for it: Mordred and Morgana are druids and perform some kind of ritual. But then I asked myself a question, why they are there and what they are doing, and the idea for this weird twisted(in a family-friendly way) mix of Arthurian elements and BBC's cliches unfolded and is not going to end (I hope I'll finish the sequel, Aconitum, in 2025)

I put all my love for this strange otp of mine I kind of obsessed by, Mordred/Morgana, this darker Merthur's foil, into the fic, and made up several ideas and headcanons I personally find cool. Arthur and Excalibur, Coins of Life and Death, Crystal of Fire, Morgana and Emrys, Avalon and Camlann, the Plagues.

I made Mordred adult (the only reason why he is a child in S1 is a nod to the legends' affair of Arthur and Morgana) and a foster son of Aglain. Yes, his father was killed by the Knights of Camelot when he was a child, yes, he killed them all in return, but he grew up in a good and peaceful family and therefore was more or less healed. There were no slavery or cruelty, his soul remained intact. His love and loyalty to Morgana, their destiny together, is not overshadowed by anything. (So far) I also tied his and Morgana's childhood through Gorlois.

Morgana stays with the druids after the Nightmare Begins, she avoids Arthur's raid. She begins to study magic and the Triple Goddess's faith with them, but is it enough to prevent her fate?

Trillium and Aconitum are not a Character Driven Story, it's Destiny Driven. Destiny here is basically the pattern of the Arthurian Legends; they will come true one way or another; the stars cannot be rewritten, only reassembled. The Legends' key elements are the laws of the story's universe. But the characters do not know these laws, even if they can see visions of the future; they think they follow the path lead by their own decisions and beliefs.

So, Morgana staying with the druids and falling in love with Mordred influenced Arthur, Merlin and Camelot. Mordred's break up with Kara helped Merlin to reveal his magic to Arthur, etc. (Artifacts are also important and fateful in my stories. If one brings a magical artifact in the world it worries the destiny's waves) Though briefly, I explored all Morgana's roles: seer, druidess, princess, Saxon's queen, Arthur's healer, the Triple Goddess' vessel and Judgment (along with Mordred)

There's no milking of the revealing, no Uther's long suffering, I just don't like these and got rid of them as fast as possible. King Arthur and his Wizard Merlin with no delays, fighting against the Barons and Nature rebelling against the Kings' order.

My Arthurian OC's Sir Galahad and Elaine were my special pleasure. I redesigned the image of Sir Galahad to fit him in the BBC's show. Who can this Knight-Saint be in this pro-magic, pro-druids universe? How can Elaine (who is a druidess and Aglain's daughter in Trillium and Aconitum) affect Lancelot? How can Lancelot affect Mordred and Morgana?

Even though I hate the Crystal Cave episode because of Merlin's decisions there, but I was fascinated by the Cave itself, the Source of All Magic. So I came up with a lore for it, and made it a centrepiece of the story (just like the show, yes): Taliesin the Bard, Keepers, Crystals, and Nature Elements. Morgana and Mordred, not Merlin, see the future in the crystals and hear the Disir, but Merlin saves it. These three, they are like always dancing in harmony.

As everything in this fallen world, this story could have been better; especially in the terms of language. But for almost a year and a half, writing this story has become my main hobby, and I feel that I will not rest until I finish everything that I have planned, good it is or bad, I just must.

Now I'm coming up with the sequel, Aconitum, and have many ideas to step into the untouched for me personally and for this pairing land: magic is free, but what's next? What is the Golden Age? As Mordred asks himself, what do heroes do when the happy ending comes? Like in the first part, there will be a misunderstanding trope: the characters are sure that they know, but in fact they know nothing. There will be the Holy Grail, I absolutely love it, united Albion, tragic Gwencelot, cursed found family of Morgana, Mordred, Morgause and Cenred (I always regretted Morgause and Cenred died so early.) And secrets from the past(it ends where it all began), and someone will die in the end, as foretold.

[legends-of-time]

Amelia’s Story (BBC Merlin Story)

Chapter 58: Arthur's Bane Part One

Masterlist

A/N: Italics are flashbacks. This is the season of flashbacks. Some episodes will have some to delve into Amelia's experiences over the last few years.

——

Amelia's POV

Amelia watches from a window in a room in the Fortress of Ismere. She sees Morgana enter the grounds in a sleigh being pulled by wolves. Amelia notes the red cloak and Dragon crest sewn on it. Must be the rest of the Camelot patrol. Morgana and her men have been picking them up recently.

After Amelia had been taken by Morgana, she reluctantly joined her sister in a quest to find the young Dragon. Amelia did it out of thankfulness to the Dragon for saving her but also worry. Why was Aithusa wondering on their own without Kiligharrah?

They find Aithusa but the happiness is short lived when at the same time they had learnt that King Sarrum, ruler of Amata, had kidnapped Aithusa. With the threat of Aithusa being harmed, Morgana and Amelia didn't fight when Sarrum took them prisoner. After which ensued the worst two years of Amelia's life.

The Sarrum is cruel and a sadist. Like Uther, he has a hatred for magic but Amelia's experience with him shows that the Sarrum is more extreme, more ruthless and cruel than Uther was even at his worst. He took pleasure in emotionally torturing Amelia and Morgana by torturing Aithusa. He would also put them through physical torture.

When he was not putting them through physical and emotional torture, he would put them in a pit. This had consequences as Aithusa ran out of room to grow and became twisted and crippled, which broke Amelia's heart and made her cry more than when she herself was hurt. It felt like they were buried in a living grave. However, one day the Sarrum became lax in his imprisonment of the three and Amelia, Morgana and Aithusa found the chance to flee from their captivity.

Due to the trauma, she has gone through, Amelia can't bear to leave the only people who understand her. She feels hurt that in all the time she has been gone, she had not heard a word from Anne, Merlin, Gwen, Gaius, and Arthur. Amelia honestly wonders if they have forgotten or given up on her.

In the time after their escape, they meet a Druid called Ruadan. He informs the two sisters of an ancient prophecy regarding Arthur's bane. The plan is to start looking for the Diamair, the key to all knowledge, that is rumoured to be hidden under the Fortress of Ismere.

Amelia has grown severely attached to Morgana during those traumatic years. She's told her sister nearly everything except one. No matter how much she feels towards her friends, she can't quite tell Morgana who Emrys and Tarian really are as she knows what Morgana will do. She knows what's been prophesied, Morgana's doom, but, in a way, she hopes to prevent it. Pained and hurt by her friends' abandonment and fear of Morgana, Amelia agrees to the plan.

For three months Ruadan, Morgana and Amelia, with the help of a pack of magical wolves under Morgana's control, capture men who venture into the Northern Plains and force them to work in the mines under the Castle. They also recruit Saxon bandits who form a small army under their order. Ruadan's daughter Sefa has been implemented as Gwen's, Queen Guinevere's, maid.

Amelia is brought back from her memories to the present when she hears, "Mama?"

Amelia turns to see a little girl, her daughter Ella, who's nearly three years old. Ella rubs her eyes tiredly as she blinks up at her mother.

Amelia smiles at her softly as she walks over to the little girl, the only light in her life. It's a large part of the reason Amelia was so desperate to find Aithusa and to continue to protect the young Dragon as the creature did not only save Amelia's life but the life of her unborn child.

"What are doing up sweetheart?" Amelia asks as she picks up her daughter, who happily snuggles into her embrace and rests her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Mama read story?" Ella asks hopefully.

Amelia smiles sadly. "Not now darling, Mama's got some important business to do with your Aunt."

Ella pouts but nods. Amelia leaves her station by the window and takes her daughter back to the Nursery before she goes downstairs.

——

Gwaine's POV

Gwaine finds himself being dragged into what looks to be a Throne room by some Saxons. He's dropped to the ground; he pulls himself up and sees who else is in the room. There before him stands Morgana Pendragon with an unknown man.

Gwaine smirks. "Lady Morgana, we really have to stop meeting like this."

One of the Soldiers hits him, knocking him to the floor and gripping his cheek due to the pain.

Morgana looks down at him, unamused. "You're not looking so pretty now, are you, Sir Knight?"

Gwaine opens his mouth to utter a quick remark but then a voice suddenly interrupts. "No need to play around Morgana, there's things to be done."

Gwaine turns to see, to his shock, that it's Amelia. Gwaine grins at the sight of her, relieved to see her again but his smile drops as he looks at her. Something's different, something's wrong. Her face is gaunt, her once lovely brown hair is a mattered mess and there seems to be little light in her blue eyes. They're almost too similar to her sister's.

Morgana smirks. "Of course, sister. You and your men Sir Knight are going to help me find something."

——

Amelia's POV

Morgana tells Amelia she's got something to show her. They go down to the Dungeons and Amelia is surprised to see the familiar figure of her husband.

"Percival..." She murmurs in shock.

Percival looks equally surprised from where he's being held in a knelt position by two Saxon Guards. "Amelia..."

Her eyes harden. "Oh, you remember me do you? You didn't seem to be that worried about me these last few years."

"No, you're wrong! I have been searching for you all this time, I haven't given up." Percival replies desperately.

"Well, no need to worry, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine without you!" Amelia spits.

Percival glances over Amelia's shoulder to where Morgana stands with narrowed eyes. "With Morgana? She doesn't truly care about you! Don't you remember all that she did?"

Amelia hesitates then. Well, she– Morgana isn't–

Morgana speaks, breaking through her spiralling thoughts, "You're wrong. I do care about her, I helped her these last few years, while you were nowhere to be seen!"

"No!"

Amelia shakes her head tearfully. "You all think she's the evil in the world but you are wrong!"

"Please Amelia! Help us!" Percival pleads.

"Help yourselves." Amelia spits, turning to leave.

Percival stops her, "Please, Amelia. I– please tell me, they said you were pregnant. Did you– is the child—"

Amelia looks over her shoulder. "You're staying away from her."

Percival's eyes widen at the confirmation that not only is their child alive but it's a girl.

What Amelia doesn't see when she turns her back is Morgana's face turning dark and she smirks at Percival before ordering the Guards to take him away.

——

Merlin's POV

Screaming, wailing and maybe some curse words emanate from Anne and Merlin's Chambers. The former lies in their bed gripping onto her husband's hand so tightly he wonders if it is broken as Gaius, Gwen, and some servants dart around trying to help her the best she can.

Anne had become with child, again over a couple of years after Faye's birth and is now in the middle of giving birth to their second child.

Anne gives one more scream and suddenly a baby's wail fills the room. Merlin peeks at the child and a wide grin split across his face. He turns, pressing a kiss to Anne's head, whispering in her ear, before he stands, hugging Gwen in relief. The Queen moves forward to wipe Anne's forehead off with a cool cloth. Merlin gives a brief thought to how the Court would react to seeing their Queen do such a task before he rushes out of the room as the baby is cleaned by Gaius

He hurries towards the Nursery where Faye is. Merlin and Anne had tried to argue against moving her there, but Arthur had insisted. When Merlin enters the circular room, he is amused by the great King of Camelot and the Knights on the floor playing with Merlin's daughter

"Faye!" He calls, drawing the group's attention.

"Daddy!" Faye squeals, running over to her father.

Merlin scoops up the girl. "Guess what, big sister?"

"Baby?!" The girl looks at her father, her eyes wide with hope.

"Yes." Merlin nods, looking at Arthur and the Knights that are there with him, Elyan, and Leon. Both men have stayed behind while Gwaine and Percival are on a journey to Ismere, having been gone for some weeks now. It is worrying how long they'd been off.

Gwaine had sworn on the Tavern that he would be back in time for the latest birth, not wanting to miss it. For him to not be there after so many weeks... something is wrong. Arthur had promised that after the birth, he'd send out a patrol to try and find them.

"I have a son." Merlin announces.

Leon and Elyan let out a cheer. Arthur chuckles and slaps Merlin on the shoulder in congratulations.

"What's his name?" Arthur asks.

"Euwen." Merlin says.

"That's a strong name, Merlin." Leon offers.

"Euwen's a strong boy." Merlin nods, tears in his eyes. He looks down at his daughter. "Do you want to meet him?"

Faye nods eagerly, her black, curly locks bobbing with her head.

Merlin turns and walks back to the Chambers. Arthur, Leon, and Elyan clamber on after him. Merlin smiles softly as he gazes upon his wife, who sits up in the bed, holding their son in her arms, the baby is much louder and fussier than Faye had been. Anne has adapted well to being a mother. Merlin's mother had come to stay in Camelot soon after Faye had been born, to help teach her son and daughter-in-law what to do, before she headed back to Ealdor. Anne had done quite well, though she'd had Gwen to help. And it was good practice for the Queen for when she has children of her own one day.

Merlin carries Faye over, sitting beside Anne and turning her in his arms to look at Euwen, who finally settles and is now squinting and frowning at the world around him.

"Faye," Anne smiles, shifting Euwen in her arms to take Faye's hand, "say hello to your brother, Euwen."

"Uen!" Faye says causing them all to laugh. Close enough.

"All right," Arthur interrupts, "as King, I think it's my turn to hold the baby."

"You say that as if it has any sway over us." Anne remarks with a smirk.

Arthur pouts and Gwen sympathetically pats him on the shoulder. Elyan and Leon snigger.

Merlin smiles at the family that surrounds them. Just a few people missing...

——

Gwaine's POV

Gwaine hits the rock again with his pick axe before taking a breather, glancing over his shoulder to see their Guards are not nearby before turning to Percival.

The other Knight has been largely quiet, focusing on the task at hand. He hasn't said much but Gwaine knows the whole finding Amelia again must be weighing on him.

"Did you find the others?" Gwaine asks him instead.

Percival looks up at him in surprise then quickly nods. "Every last one."

"Do they know what we're searching for?"

"Some kind of key."

"The key to what?"

They pause when a Saxon walks past.

"I don't know." Percival admits. "But the men say Morgana's obsessed. She won't rest until she finds it."

"Let's hope we don't succeed, then." Gwaine remarks.

——

Anne's POV

It's been six weeks and there's still no sign of them. Elyan led a search party but he found no trace of them, it is as if they have vanished from the face of the Ear

Anne stands around the table with a map laid on top of it in Arthur and Gwen's Chambers along with Merlin, Gaius, Gwen, Arthur, Leon, and Elyan.

Elyan points to the map. "We know Gwaine and his men crossed the pass, here, at Isulfor. But beyond that, there was no trace. The trail went cold."

"What of this story that the fortress of Ismere has been occupied once more?" Arthur asks.

"I heard many rumours, Sire. All of them had two names in common..." Elyan pauses, looking at them all hesitantly, "Morgana and Amelia."

Anne feels the breath knocked out of her. "She has Amelia." Finally, after so long.

"We expected as such, we all heard of the rumours." Gaius says solemnly.

"The Sarrum." Arthur utters, he's quiet for a moment, contemplating before quickly clearing his throat and moving on. "Then we have no time to lose."

"What if the rumours are true that Morgana inhabits Ismere, Sire? You may be walking into a trap." Gaius reasons.

"The Knights of Camelot do not abandon their own."

"Morgana knows that. She'll be waiting for you." Merlin reminds him.

"These men have fought for me, bled for me..." Arthur begins to argue.

"May I make a suggestion?" Gwen interrupts. "What if you were to take a different route? Approach Ismere from the West."

That could work...

"Through Annis' lands?"

"It would certainly take Morgana by surprise." Gaius adds.

"Would Annis grant safe passage to so many armed men?" Arthur questions Leon.

"I believe she would, Sire." The Knight replies.

"Dispatch a rider immediately. We'll follow at dawn. Remember, if we're to succeed, no one must know of our intentions." Arthur instructs.

They all nod in agreement.

——

Merlin's POV

Merlin meets with Kilgharrah when the others have fallen asleep. What he saw, what was shown to him by that man in the decimated Village, he can't get those images out of his head. He wishes Anne was here but she'd stayed back in Camelot to help Gwen.

"I need to know about a Druid symbol." Merlin tells him. "A black spiral, within it a thin, yellow coil."

"It is the mark of a Vates. A Druid seer." The Dragon informs him. "Where did you encounter him?"

"On my journey here. He warned me of Arthur's bane."

"His bane?"

Merlin swallows heavily before speaking his next words, "And then he showed me a battle. A terrible battle. Arthur was fighting for his life. I saw him wounded. I saw him fall."

"The Vates' power of prophecy is unrivalled, even by a High Priestess." Kilgharrah explains.

"So, this– this battle will come to pass?" Merlin questions worriedly.

"I do not know, young Warlock," Kilgharrah admits, "but one thing is certain... this was no chance meeting."

"You think I should heed his warning?"

"There was a time when the words of a Vates were considered a gift."

"Then why do they feel like a burden?" Merlin asks.

"A wise man is not cowed by knowledge, Merlin. Instead, he uses it to guide him." Kilgharrah advises.

"How?"

"That is something only you can decide. But remember, the Vates singled you out for a reason. Now, more than ever, it is you and you alone that can keep Arthur safe." Kilgharrah tells him.

"One more thing."

"Yes?"

"It's just– Amelia is with Morgana. Does that mean she's chosen her path?" Merlin asks. He hadn't wanted to mention it to Anne, but he has been wondering.

"It is yet to be decided." Kilgharrah replies. "Now, more than ever, she's being tested."

——

Amelia's POV

Amelia pants frantically as she runs. All she can hear is her blood rushing through her ears along with her heart beating and her footsteps pounding along the ground. She knows she can't stop or she won't be able to continue. She glances over her shoulder to see Morgana and Aithusa stumbling after her as the Sarrum's Castle fades further and further into the distance.

"Come on!" Amelia huffs out. She knows they'll notice their disappearance soon if they haven't already and will send out a search party.

"Amelia! We need to stop!" Morgana yells after some time.

Amelia shakes her head frantically. Their treatment under the Sarrum flashes through her mind making her shake in fear. "No, no, we can't. We– we can't."

"Amelia." Morgana grabs Amelia's shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. "We can't go on. We have enough distance for now but to defend ourselves we need rest. Aithusa needs rest."

Amelia looks to Aithusa who whines pleadingly. She sees the creature has been struggling as they ran. Amelia's heart breaks at the sight of how twisted and deformed Aithusa has become and feels a rush of anger towards their captures and Kiligharrah for the direct and indirect harm they have caused to a creature whose name means light.

Her shoulders drop in defeat. "Fine."

Later on, they settle in a Cave that night, checking for any injuries not healed during their ordeal or obtained during the escape.

"I cannot believe they abandoned you." Morgana suddenly utters.

Amelia looks at her sister, who sits across from her, the fire lighting her face, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"Those in Camelot you so willingly betrayed your sisters for." Morgana explains as if it's obvious. Is it? "They've abandoned you."

Amelia shakes her head. "No, n-no. I... they're my friends. They care about me."

"Then where are they? Where were they when that man tortured us? Nowhere."

"I-I-I..."

"But I am here, sister. I have never abandoned you." Morgana continues.

Amelia stares at her sister with wide tearful eyes. She had tried not to think about it but where were they? Where's Percival, Arthur, Gaius, Gwen, Gwaine, Anne and Merlin? What have those she cares for been doing while Amelia had been locked away and tortured? She sniffles.

"Ssh." Morgana whispers as she moves to sit next to Amelia "I'm here. I'm here. I'll protect you from the hurt they have caused. I'll never let them hurt you again."

Amelia curls in Morgana's arms and sobs.

——

Anne's POV

Soon after Gwen became Queen, she quickly appointed Anne as her companion. Anne had offered to become her maidservant but Gwen had refused as they have worked side by side for so long so it would just be weird. Instead, after a good while, Gwen accepted a young girl called Sefa to be her maid.

It had been great to simply spend time together, Anne at Gwen's side as she eased into her new role. It gave Anne something to focus on, along with her new motherhood, since Amelia's disappearance.

It has also become a habit of Anne and Gwen to eat together when their husbands are away, to have some company as well as to try and keep worrisome thoughts away. Anne wishes she could join them, but she can't leave Gwen on her own.

The second night after Arthur and Merlin had left to rescue the Knights, Anne watches curiously out of her window as Sefa leaves the City. What is she doing?

The next morning, Anne watches the maid curiously as she walks around in a daze while dressing Gwen.

Sefa is leaving the room when Gwen clears her throat, stopping her. "Aren't you forgetting something? My papers for the Council?"

Sefa nervously chuckles. "Of course." She goes over to the desk to collect the papers.

Anne narrows her eyes suspiciously at her back. "Is everything all right, Sefa?"

"Yes." Sefa replies unconvincingly.

"You don't seem yourself today." Gwen says, concerned.

"I'm sorry."

"Has this got anything to do with the fact that I saw you leave the City last night?" Anne questions pointedly.

Gwen smiles. "What's this?"

Sefa turns around, looking frightened. Is she worried that she has been discovered? "I, um..."

"Are you seeing someone, Sefa?" Gwen asks.

Sefa frowns in confusion. "My Lady?"

"Whoever he is, he's lucky to have you." Gwen says sincerely.

Sefa deflates in relief. "Thank you, My Lady. There are so many things to remember."

"I know that better than anyone. You're doing well. Honestly."

"Thank you, My Lady." Sefa bows and leaves the room.

Anne throws Gwen a doubtful look. "You sure she's seeing someone?"

"What else could it be? You've become too suspicious Anne." Gwen admonishes.

Anne rolls her eyes. "Can you blame me?"

"Sefa is too sweet to be deceitful."

It's always the ones you least expect.

——

Amelia's POV

Amelia sits with Morgana in the Throne room. Ruadan arrives then, looking flustered and frantic.

"Ruadan? What's wrong?" Amelia asks in concern.

"Arthur is riding for Ismere as we speak." Ruadan informs them.

Amelia and Morgana share a confused look before standing. The former tries to ignore the tightening in her chest at the mention of her cousin's name.

"Impossible. I've had sentries posted on the border for weeks." Morgana replies.

"He's approaching from the West, from Annis' lands."

Amelia frowns. "Why would he do that?"

"He means to cause a surprise. He will be on us in less than a day." He warns them.

Morgana's face hardens. "Prepare for battle. We ride tonight."

Morgana begins to stride off, but Amelia is stuck where she is.

"But—"

Morgana stops and turns to her sharply. "Amelia?"

Fear swells in Amelia's stomach. She doesn't want to invite Morgana's wrath. She glances at Ruadan but it's clear he'll be no help, he usually isn't. "Well, I – I promised Ella I'd be free to read her a book tonight."

"That can wait. You're not doubting me, are you?" Morgana narrows her eyes at her.

"N-no."

"Good." Morgana turns and strides out of the room with Ruadan following, leaving a tearful Amelia behind.

——

It isn't difficult to find the camp. Amelia had reluctantly followed Morgana on horseback and their army of Saxons as they left Ismere. They reach the camp at dawn, just as it seems they all are packing up and getting ready to leave. Morgana signals for the Saxons to surround the camp and move in.

They emerge through the mist as they move closer to the camp and Amelia begins to see all the figures more clearly and her gut clenches when she begins to recognise some of the faces. Leon, Elyan, Merlin...

"Run!" Amelia's breath catches in her throat at the sound of Arthur's voice.

The Knights run, but soon realise they are surrounded by Saxons and have to stand their ground. They then engage in a fierce battle. In all the chaos, Amelia loses sight of them all. It is only when the battle dies down, Camelot Knights lying dead or fleeing does Amelia notice that Arthur and Merlin have both vanished.

Morgana growls in frustration. Amelia flinches at the sound.

——

Anne's POV

Leon and Elyan stand before Gwen, Gaius, and Anne in the Throne room, heavily breathing and looking a bit ragged. They have just entered the room after their sudden appearance back in Camelot.

"We were ambushed." Leon huffs. "Morgana, Amelia and a band of Saxons attacked us as we crossed the border into Ismere."

Anne's insides seize. Amelia wouldn't, would she?

"And what of Arthur?" Gwen questions frantically. Anne reaches over and grips her hand tightly. She knows the worry about your husband all too well.

Elyan hesitates then steps forward. "I tried to protect him..."

Gwen looks at her brother aghast. "What are you saying?"

"We lost him in the battle. We don't know what happened to him," he glances over to Anne and Gaius, "or Merlin."

Anne almost chokes at those words.

"But how? How is this possible? How was it known that Arthur was approaching from that direction?" Gaius questions.

"Someone betrayed us." Gwen realises.

Anne's pretty sure she knows who it is.

"Gwen," Anne speaks, gaining the Queen's attention, "who do we know left Camelot late at night not long after Arthur and Merlin departed?"

Gwen sighs, closing her eyes in defeat and sadness. "Bring her to me."

——

Amelia's POV

Amelia eventually falls asleep after draining herself dry and wakes to hear some strange noises. She pulls herself up, noticing Morgana is no longer beside her.

"Morgana?" Amelia calls.

She realises the sound she's hearing is whimpering, and it seems to be further into the Cave. Amelia follows the sound to find Morgana lying in a heap, shaking and whimpering. She places a hand on her sister's head and finds it burning up. Amelia panics.

How long has she been like this?! Had Amelia been so selfish as to not notice the pain her sister is in?!

"Ic hæle þina þrowunga." She chants.

Nothing.

Amelia tries again. "Gestepe hole! Þurhhæle!"

Nothing.

"Þurhhæle dolgbenn!"

No matter what spell she uses, her magic is too weak as she hasn't used magic for a long time. It's been bound for too long.

Tears blur her vision. "Morgana." She chokes out. "Morgana, please. It can't end like this. You promised you wouldn't leave me alone; you promised you would stay by my side you can't die, Morgana, please! Please." Amelia begs.

Between sobs and hiccups, she repeats the spells. It still doesn't work.

Amelia doesn't know what to do anymore. Morgana is unconscious, her fever is getting worse, and her breaths sound softer than normal.

Amelia lets her head fall on her chest, burying her face in her clothes, and sobs. It is over. She has failed her.

"You promised." Amelia whimpers again. "You can't leave me." Her voice breaks.

Something nuzzles her side and startles her so badly that she almost hits whatever it is. It's Aithusa, looking at her with those wide blue eyes of hers. Those orbs shift to Morgana then, and Amelia doesn't want to hope that the little creature would manage to heal her sister, lest she be disappointed again. But then again, Aithusa had saved her as well as her darling daughter.

Biting her lip, she watches as Aithusa breathes a golden mist over Morgana, whose body begins to glow slightly. Amelia has to close her eyes at the sight.

When she opens them again, it is to find Morgana healed, her paleness receding and giving place to a healthy rosiness. Amelia waits with bated breath and then, after what seems like a century, Morgana opens her eyes.

"Amelia?" Comes Morgana's raspy voice.

Amelia gasps in relief and flings herself at her sister, who chuckles at her reaction.

——

Morgana insists on searching through the night and into the next day. Amelia anxiously watches as her sister becomes more frantic and angrier.

"Don't just stand there. Find them!" Morgana snaps at the Saxons.

"Morgana?" Amelia hesitantly speaks up. "I-I'm sure the men are exhausted. M-maybe we should—"

Morgana snaps her head to Amelia, who cowers under her sister's sharp gaze. "No! Keep looking! I don't care how long it takes!"

——

Anne's POV

Sefa is dragged before Gwen in Court in the Council Chambers by two Guards who deposit her on the ground. Gwen stands in front of the throne while Anne stands at the side next to Gaius and Elyan.

Sefa looks around her, frightened. "What have I done?"

"The night before Arthur set out for Ismere there was a meeting of the King's Privy Council. Did you hear what was said?" Gwen asks.

Sefa shakes her head. "No, My Lady."

Gwen frowns disbelievingly at her. "And yet you were standing right outside the door."

"I was bringing your supper."

"Later that night, where did you go?"

"Nowhere."

"Sefa, you have been a servant in this Castle for nearly a year now." Gwen says. "And I have known Anne years." Anne has to swallow thickly when those wide terrified eyes turn to her. "I trust her, as I like to think I trust you as well. But when she tells me that you left the City through the south gate... I believe her. So please. No lies. Did you leave the city?"

Sefa looks down.

"Look at me." Gwen orders causing Sefa to look up. "Do you deny it?"

"No, My Lady."

"Who did you see?" Sefa hesitates. Gwen walks closer. "You can tell me."

"You wouldn't understand." Sefa replies.

"Who did you see?!" Gwen snaps angrily.

"My father. I saw my father." Sefa admits

"And you told him what you'd heard?"

"He only wants what's rightfully his." Sefa begs. "Were he a Physician or a warrior, his skills would be revered. But sorcery! He deserves respect like any man."

"Respect is to be earned!" Gwen retorts coldly. "It cannot be bought with blood. Your treachery cost the lives of many good men."

The reality of the consequences of what she'd done hits Sefa. "I di– I didn't mean to..."

"You have admitted your guilt. You leave me no choice, Sefa. By the laws of Camelot, I find you guilty of treason. I sentence you to death." Gwen declares. "Take her to the Cells."

Wait, what?

Anne, Gaius, and Elyan exchange shocked glances. Sefa is pulled away.

——

Merlin's POV

Merlin might have gotten a bit too reckless, too hungry, which lead to both him and Arthur getting trapped in this huge net overnight because he saw some rabbits.

Merlin guesses they had somehow managed to fall asleep in the net because he feels himself start awake the next morning when they fall to the ground, letting out indignant cries. They crash to the ground in a heap, and they both groan at the pain and rude awakening.

"I'm sorry." A voice remarks sarcastically. Merlin looks up through the tangles of the net to see a man, a bunch of lackeys surrounding him. "Did we wake you?"

Arthur immediately pushes the net off him and lunges for his sword, but the man stomps his foot on top of Arthur's hand just as he grabs it.

"Not so fast." The leader says, kicking Arthur's hand away. He picks up the sword and examines the weapon. He lets out a laugh as he turns to regard them. "The King of Camelot. You will fetch a handsome price." He points the sword at Arthur's face. "Alive or dead." He tilts his head to the side. "Any last requests?"

Arthur is silent for a moment before nodding his head at Merlin. "Let my servant go. He has children. He doesn't deserve to die like this."

The leader nods at his lackeys, and one of them moves. Merlin feels a pair of hands on his arms and then his body being lifted off the ground and away from Arthur. Not happening.

"If you're going to kill him." Merlin starts, wrenching his arm away from his captor. "You'll have to kill me first."

Hunger flashes in the leader's eyes as he turns his attention to Merlin.

"Merlin!" Arthur hisses. "Step aside."

"You know I never do as I'm told." Merlin says.

"Stop!" A male voice bellows from the side.

When Merlin looks to see who had intervened, his stomach drops all the way to the pits of the earth. A young boy, nearly a man, steps forward from the trees with bright blue eyes and the blackest of hair.

He is from the Vates' vision. It is him. And there is still something familiar about him. His gait, his curly hair, his nose. Why is he so familiar...

"Shouldn't we leave it to the Lady Morgana to decide their fate?"

The leader considers it for a second before smirking and nodding. He sheathes Arthur's sword and motions for his men to follow him, to lower their weapons, and ready to head out. He chuckles before walking away.

The young man walks over to Arthur and holds out a hand. Merlin feels himself unable to move. Arthur stares at it for a few seconds before accepting his outstretched hand.

He pulls him to his feet, and then says, "You don't remember me, do you?" When Arthur doesn't answer, he continues, "You saved my life once, many years ago." He then looks over at Merlin, and one look into his pale blue eyes, and he knows.

"Mordred." Merlin chokes out, his lower lip quivering and his chest contracting.

Mordred simply smirks and turns back to Merlin's King, his friend, the man that Mordred is supposedly supposed to murder. "Hello, Arthur."

——

A/N: I know some people don't like Morgana's evil, but I love it. Plus, I wanted to give Amelia more of a reason to turn against her friends.

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

[princess-of-morkva]

there is a full year gap between s2 and s3 where morgana is living with morgause. we have literally no idea what was going on there, but even from the interactions we see between them in s3 it's very obvious their relationship is not quite healthy. morgause is behaving pretty manipulative all the damn time, and while she does care for morgana, she obviously does not view her as equal but rather as a child she has to put on a "right path" (of hatred and revenge). we see how she doesn't trust morgana to make her own decisions and most of the time just gives her instructions without bothering to properly explain the plan or let morgana in on decision making.

and taking in consideration how morgana's mental health progresses during season 2, where she's dealing with isolation and not having anyone to rely on, or trust, or simply talk to - not arthur, not even gwen (and arthur doesn't help his image with him raiding a druid camp to find her, and knowing morgana, i doubt she bothered to understand his perspective of the situation when usually she jumps to assume the worse about arthur (like in s2e4 where she berates him fir being a coward while he's literally packing, or that time when arthur comes to get her out of the cell and she assumes he's there to gloat, what the hell girl?). and in the end the only person whom she thought she could to some extent trust fucking poisons her. and do you really think morgause gave ger a truthful explanation afterwards? (because i doubt she did)

and what i don't doubt is that morgause spent that year manipulating the hell outta morgana, consequences of which we see in season 3. assuring her that she's the only one morgana can trust and who cares for her, that all the people in camelot whom she thought friends will turn on her the moment they'll learn about ger magic like merlin did, that no one will accept you for who you are. they'll think you deserve to burn, for how you were born .

because we see her putting this words in merlins mouth, while he never gave her any actual indication that he thinks so. the only thing that could've been interpreted like that was the poisoning, if morgause never told her the truth about the enchantment and let her believe merlin did what he did simply out of assumption that something bad is happening, morgana has magic, must be her doing.

while arthur very rarely showed her any indication he might not believe so.

and morgana is very prone to putting things in other people's mouths

and she spent a whole year with morgause constantly reinforcing this beliefs in her

because she can not trust anyone, they would all turn on her if they knew what she is

What I want to understand is, how Morgana went from "if anything happens to Arthur I'll find you" To "I want to kill him" Like give me some fuckin explanation no?

Morgana knew Arthur was bully, following Uther's orders, and still she loved him, despite all of his flaws, was so caring and protective...so how tf that changed so badly, how she started seeing him as just uther's extension, like this is one of those things Writers didn't get right.

Provide.us.some.fuckin.explanation.

Like s5 I agree, I agree wholeheartedly, she was too far gone because of all the torture and her own madness and whatnot. But season 3 Morgana! Not even a little hesitation? Why man!

[camelotremix]

Camelot Remix 2024 - Week 1

FIC: Standing still; for six months and two weeks for MerlinLikeTheBird (Merlin/Arthur, Gwaine/Percival – Gen – 2605w) Summary: We all know Percy influenced Arthur to finally undertake action with Merlin. But what if he had underlying motives? And what if Gwaine has something to do with it too? Eventually all knights get involved. FIC: This Song and Dance (The 'Balancing Act' Remix) for polomonkey (Merlin/Arthur – Teen and Up – 1200w) Summary: The thing is, Merlin has been thinking about it. About Arthur and the grief that he wears like penance, how he fits so easily into the spot beside Merlin. How he always has, and how, for all his talk about leaving, he does not seem to be in a hurry. --- Between circus shows and late nights, Merlin and Arthur figure themselves out, one step at a time. FIC: wandered out in the world for years (the king and the knight remix) for HadrianPeverellBlack (Gwaine/Merlin – Gen – 800w) Summary: Gwaine doesn't like Arthur. Respects him, sure. Admires his fighting prowess, yeah. Envies his freedom and pities his lack of it in equal parts. He'll follow him into battle and mostly follow orders as he does so, because chances are Arthur’s on the right side of a fight, and even if he isn't he's got Merlin to push him until he is. But he's more than capable of all that without actually liking the man. Or: Arthur and Gwaine search for Merlin during the deleted scene from A Servant of Two Masters. FIC: A Time to Mourn, and a Time to Dance [Remix] for scotscookie (Merlin/Arthur – Explicit – 1478w) Summary: After a night of drinking with Morgana, Arthur goes home to wind down. FIC: The Best and Terrible (An Extended Remix) for linorien (Gen – Teen and Up – 30,691w) Summary: After meeting the Druids, Morgana cannot sit idly by while Uther’s tyranny against magic continues; but, taking action may put her in more danger than she can get out of alone. Meanwhile, Merlin struggles under the loneliness of his secret, and wonders who he’s destined to be. A story about working together, magic reveals going better than expected, and Uther Pendragon being the worst man ever. FIC: Where We Find Our Peace for queerofthedagger (Merlin/Arthur – Gen – 2687w) Summary: Arthur looked the most relaxed Merlin had ever seen him; his hair was a golden mop, glistening droplets of water traveling down the planes and angles of his face. Merlin’s eyes followed one, down the side of Arthur’s sculpted nose, reaching his plump lips where Arthur’s tongue darted out to catch it. Merlin tore his eyes away and let his face break out into a bright grin as he looked into Arthur’s eyes. “You could’ve told me that we were going for a swim; I would’ve complained far less.” Arthur rolled his eyes slightly. “I was going for a swim,” he replied, “you simply decided to follow me.” A remix of Bad Choice of Words in My Alibi by queerofthedagger ART: Reluctantly in Love for chaosgenes (Merlin/Arthur – Gen – Digital Art & 127w) Summary: Arthur has waited for Naming Day all his life, but could not be more disappointed when he finds out who the Soul Stone names for him. It isn’t the prisoner he meets in the dungeons, but his heart aches for him anyway. Merlin has never thought about soulmates until they come knocking at his door in Ealdor. Convinced that there’s something wrong with the Soul Stone, he travels to magic-banned Camelot to end its influence. He never thought that he would be enraptured by the crown prince who comes to interrogate him. FIC: Disillusion (a remix of Light Pollution) for Ynnealay (Gen – Gen – 1041w) Summary: Some of Merlin's letters to Arthur over the years.

[jakeonao3]

you try so loud to love me (I cannot seem to hear): merthur, 1k words

“He can never know I’m in love with him. Telling him I have magic is one thing but telling him I’m in love with him is out of the question.” Merlin said at the druid he was talking to in the woods just outside the castle.

After sorting out their problem – said problem being that the Once and Future King still didn’t know about Emrys being Merlin, about them not ruling Camelot together, and that had brought them here, to the druids wanting Merlin to confess his feelings towards Arthur to the man in question – so, more like problems, and by sorting out he means saying he’ll never tell him, the druids left Merlin in the clearing they were in.

As soon as the druids were out of sight and earshot, Merlin sighed and sat on the grass. He couldn’t tell Arthur he had magic, let alone that he loved him. Both of those things would end their friendship, and Merlin didn’t know what he would do without Arthur by his side. Without being able to protect him, even if he would never know about it.

The sound of leaves shuffling made him turn around only to see the man he was thinking about, Arthur. Arthur was there. Oh my Goddess, how long had he been there? How much did he hear?

Arthur walks up to him, and Merlin just stares at everything but him, praying to the Triple Goddess, the Disir and the Old Religion that Arthur didn’t hear a thing.

When he’s close to Merlin, Arthur says, “Merlin.” It doesn’t have that usual tone of fondness and exasperation it always does instead it seems to be partly angry and partly- Merlin doesn’t know.

Merlin finally looks up to his king, still sitting on the floor.

“Arthur, what are you doing here?” He tries for casual but knows he’s missed it by a mile. His breaths coming more rapidly now.

Arthur is still looking at him as he says, “I followed you because I wanted to know where you actually are when you and Gaius say you’re at the tavern.” A pause then, “I heard everything, Merlin.”

Merlin’s eyes widen before he stands up and tries to walk backwards to get away from him, breaths coming more and more shortly. He doesn’t even realize he’s talking saying I’m sorry all over again, apologizing for something out of his control, let it be the magic or the love, he didn’t choose any of it, it just happened.

“I’m sorry, I’ll leave. Please don’t kill me. I don’t want to die.” With tears in his eyes, he realizes that he couldn’t live with the thought of Arthur hating him and banishing him, so he says, “No wait, please kill me here, with your sword. I don’t want Gaius to see me burn, I don’t want to be banished, I can’t live with the thought of you hating me, so please, kill me now.” While he was saying all of this, he managed to get in front of Arthur, only inches separating them.

Arthur slowly lifted his hand and put it on Merlin’s cheek. “Merlin, you idiot.” He placed a small peck on his lips and then said, “I could never harm you, or banish you for that matter. I’m in love with you too. And for the magic, did you really think I didn’t know? I’m not that dense, you know?” Merlin gave him a skeptical look. “Are you not angry? About my magic, about me lying to you for all these years, about me being in love with you?” There was a pause where he thought back about what Arthur had just said. “Wait, you’re in love with me?” His eyes widened and Arthur took it as a good moment to place his lips on Merlin’s once again. This time Merlin kissed him back – after a second of shock – and what a joy that was. He had imagined kissing Arthur, but the fantasies were nothing compared to the real thing.

He was so caught up in the kiss that when Arthur pulled back, he chased him with his lips, getting out a moan from Arthur. Merlin liked it so much that he walked him back until his back was against a tree trunk.

At this point, they were making out like teenagers. Tongue sliding against tongue. Teeth biting on lips and so on.

This time it was Merlin who broke the kiss by putting his hand on Arthur’s chest and holding him there. Arthur was looking at him with so much love that he didn’t know how he never noticed it before. He placed one or two more kisses on Arthur’s lips just because he could, and finally stepped back.

“We should head home.” Arthur loved the idea of taking Merlin to bed and be his in all the possible ways, so he said exactly that. Merlin smiled at him and responded with “I’ll take good care if you, my love.”

And with that they headed back to Camelot hand in hand, happier than they’d ever been.

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

Leon brings Merlin and Lancelot in on his underground enterprise;

Turns out, Leon is the biggest Magic Ally out there. Confusion, bonding, and sneaky hijinks ensue.

I imagine it starts fairly normally.

The Gang (King Arthur, Merlin, and the five knights) have literally just arrived back at the castle after a fairly uneventful hunt (I mean... nowadays, getting attacked by bandits only once in three days counts as uneventful).

Merlin is left behind to help the stablehands untack the horses, like usual, except he leaves the stables half a candle mark later to find Leon awkwardly loitering around outside, the evening dimming around him.

He thinks maybe the First Knight had gotten injured, and was too embarrassed to ask for help in front of everyone (something that is common in all of the knights. Merlin thinks it’s very stupid, and has told all of them this at least once), so doesn’t question it when Leon asks Merlin for a quick word, and leads him back to his quarters.

Leon locks the door behind him. Not unusual, the man was very private. It’s when he puts a chair in front of the door and draws the curtains, that Merlin starts to get a little nervous. He’d cast a small enchantment on one of the bandits, to make him confused enough to trip over his own feet (as opposed to skewering Elyan, which is what he’d been about to do) but Merlin was certain that no one had seen him. He was certain.

And... Leon was a knight. He’d been a knight for longer than Arthur had been King, longer than he’d even known Merlin. Surely if he saw... he would've said something, accused him or just killed him.

(He has to remind himself to have a little faith in his friends. But also: “This might be completely unrelated, so just act natural.”)

Leon turns around to look at Merlin, and instantly recognises how nervous the younger man is, despite his poor attempt to hide it. The knight keeps his distance, and gives him a slow nod:

“I just wanted to let you know, Merlin, if you ever need... ah, a way out of the city, unseen, at short notice, then I can sort something for you.”

At that, all of Merlin’s racing, terrifying thoughts, stutter to a stop, and he looks at Leon with nothing but confusion on his face. He tilts his head slightly, asking, ever so eloquently:

“...What?”

Leon sends a soft smile and a knowing wink his way:

“Or, you know, the back up of a noble in court, or an alibi, I can do that to. I have a feeling that, considering you haven’t done a runner yet, you’re planning on sticking around.”

Merlin just furrows his eyebrows, shaking his head slightly in bewilderment:

“I... Leon I have no idea what you’re talking about. What do you mean, done a runner? Why would I need your help in court or... or an alibi??”

Leon just raises an eyebrow, and tilts his head.

Merlin copies him.

A look of realisation crosses the blonde’s face, and he lifts his hands in surrender:

“Ah. Ok, before I say anything else, I promise Merlin, you are entirely safe. I would protect you with my life if I had to-”

Merlin slowly nods, still confused:

“-I know about your magic.”

Merlin gasps and steps back, but Leon just smiles at him again, nodding his head slightly; it does nothing to relax the servant, and his breathing continues to get deeper as he backs himself against the wall, tears filling his eyes.

Leon frowns, his heart cracking slightly, but resists the protective urge to walk towards Merlin to comfort him. Instead he takes a step back, not lowering his hands. Before he can open his mouth to utter more reassurances, a tirade of broken, cracking apologies fall from Merlin’s lips:

“I... Leon I swear I’m not evil, I... I don’t hurt people, I promise. Please, you... please believe me, I would NEVER-”

Leon interrupts him, shaking his head rapidly, and forcing a reassuring smile on his face:

“I know. Merlin, I know that. I know you’re not evil, I know that you use it to protect us, I know. It’s ok, I won’t tell anyone, you’re not in danger, I would NEVER hurt you, or tell anyone, ok? I swear it. You’re safe with me.”

Merlin gulps, but relaxes (only slightly, but it’s a start. Leon doesn’t know why he’s so surprised at Merlin’s reaction, I suppose he thought he had been clear in his brotherly affection and protectiveness towards the younger man. Apparently not; he would have to fix that). He gives Leon an assessing once over, and it strikes the knight how efficient he is. He wonders how many times Merlin’s eyes have flicked over someone: checking their face for any sign of deception, checking how close their hands are to a weapon, checking their stance to see if they’re preparing for a fight.

Leon stays in place, forcing himself to untense, and giving Merlin a weak smile, hoping that the servant doesn’t mistake his slight heartbreak for fear or anger.

After a few moments, Merlin relaxes even further (though is still understandably ready to bolt at a moment’s notice), and steps away from the wall, Leon’s smile widens, and he nods once again, patiently waiting for Merlin to say something:

“You... you offered to smuggle me out of the city?”

Leon nods, glancing to the door behind him before gesturing Merlin to keep his voice down as he replies cryptically:

“You wouldn’t be the first.”

The servant gulps, giving the knight an assessing gaze, magic buzzing under his skin, alert and frightened at the idea of a Red Knight other than Lancelot knowing the truth:

“You’ve smuggled others out?”

Leon nods and moves ever so slowly to sit on the edge of his bed, still holding his hands up placatingly. He doesn’t gesture for Merlin to join him, understanding the other man’s remaining jumpiness, but leaves space next to him, just in case.

Merlin hesitates for only a second before settling on the bed next to him, forcing himself to relax. The knight wasn’t currently armed, and anyway, if Leon had been planning on accusing him or attacking him, then he wouldn’t be doing this. None of what he said could, in any way, make sense as some sort of trick.

Once Merlin settles, still a little uneasy, Leon begins his explanation in a quiet voice, obviously still worried about startling Merlin (and obviously not wanting to risk someone overhearing him):

“It started when I was fifteen. One of the serving girls in my father’s household was born with magic, though it didn’t manifest until years after the purge started. She was my age, sweet, kind, I couldn’t possibly believe her to be evil or corrupt, but under The King’s law, she would’ve been burned. Poor girl was terrified of being found out, but Uther was so paranoid, they were basically interrogating anyone who entered or exited the city; she had nowhere to go. I had already started my training at this point, so I used my knowledge of guard rotations and shift changes to sneak her out. I left her with some family in a village nearer the border, snuck back in a few days later. From then on it just... kept happening. I suppose I got good at recognising the specific brand of fear that magic-users in Camelot suffer from, and I’ve got a good eye; I know magic when I see it-”

He gives Merlin a knowing look, but the servant just turns indignant and says:

“Well, I was also born with magic, and it took you ten years to figure it out, so-”

He sticks his tongue out at the knight, and Leon raises his eyebrow at him, before laughing and nodding, thankful for Merlin’s lessening fear:

“-yeah, I suppose. But still. It started off with just the occasional person; one or two a month. And then it was whole families or groups of people who either had magic, or were scared of being accused and wanted out. It became a bit of a side-career, though I always refused any payment they offered.”

Merlin stares at him, thoughtful and in awe, before yet another look of realisation crosses his face:

“Is this why the Druids are so fond of you?”

Finally, it’s Leon’s turn to look confused, and Merlin continues:

“Whenever we come across them, they always seem less wary of you than the other knights, like they know what you’ve done.”

Leon takes in slow breath, quirking his eyebrows slightly and shrugging:

“I’ve never really noticed, maybe. I’ve never been into a camp, but when someone I was sneaking out had nowhere to go, I’d take them as close to a Druid settlement as I dared, and pointed them in the right direction; I suppose word might’ve spread.”

Merlin nods, looking to his lap, thinking. Leon stays silent, understanding that this is probably a lot to take in, and not wanting to interrupt Merlin’s processing time. 

After a few moments, Merlin, still staring into his lap, reaches across to Leon and takes the knight’s hand in a shaking one of his own. It’s then that Leon notices the slow tears on the other man’s face, but before he can say anything, Merlin looks up at him, his voice shaking as he whispers a rough:

“Thank you.”

Leon smiles, squeezing his hand and bumping their shoulders together:

“Anytime. Like I said Merlin, I would protect you with my life. If you ever need anything...”

Merlin takes a deep breath, standing and wiping the tears from his face quickly before dragging Leon to the door:

“There is one thing. Come on.”

Leon allows himself to be dragged, and Merlin moves the chair to the side before stepping out of the way, allowing Leon to unlock the door with the key hanging around his neck. He doesn’t question where they’re going, though he is slightly confused when he notices that they’re heading deeper into the castle, as opposed to outside or to Merlin’s chambers like he was expecting.

They finally come to a stop outside Lancelot’s door, and Leon nods to himself in realisation. He had suspected that the other knight had known the truth, but hadn’t wanted to ask or push it in case he was wrong.

Merlin knocks rapidly after checking the corridor for other people, and the door had barely been opened before he’s pushing his way through, still dragging Leon behind him. The two men move to stand by the opposite wall, Lancelot still by the door looking increasingly confused:

“Merlin, Leon, is... is everything alright?”

Merlin waves his hand casually, not even needing an incantation as his eyes flash briefly gold and the door shuts of it’s own accord (... or Merlin’s accord).

Lancelot immediately gasps and makes a jump for the sword sat on the table, but Leon holds his hands up in surrender as Merlin rushes to speak:

“Lance it’s fine!! Leon knows about my magic, and he’s been smuggling people out of Camelot for decades, he’s safe.”

Lancelot looks to Leon with a mix of suspicion and relief, still picking the sword up and holding it loosely in one hand, but the older knight is too distracted staring at Merlin in mild outrage:

“Dec- How old do you think I am, Merlin?!”

Merlin looks up at him guiltily, and Lancelot lets go of his suspicion, instead clamping his free hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing at Merlin’s squeaked reply:

“Uh... there’s no safe way to answer that, is there? You said you were fifteen when you started, and I know you’re older than Arthur, so...”

Leon scoffs, rolling his eyes as Lancelot snorts:

“I’m only five years older than him, Merlin. I’m thirty-one, you can say “decades” plural when I hit thirty-five, and not a day sooner.”

Merlin holds in a smirk, and nods. Lancelot clears his throat, dropping the sword back on the table and asking the obvious question:

“So... how much does he know?”

Merlin spends the rest of the night explaining everything, from Kilgharrah calling to him when he first arrived, (”You mean that thing was under the castle the whole time?!”) to just last week, when he had to sneak out of the city to deal with a particularly insatiable Succubus that was causing problems with the border patrols (”Huh. I wondered why the men had just... stopped disappearing. I’m not complaining though, thank you.”).

He included all the information about the prophecies and being Emrys and how Arthur was the Once and Future King and the coming (potential) Golden Age. Leon was especially curious about that, and interrupted often to ask questions.

Lancelot also interrupted rather often, but only to correct Merlin when he underappreciated his own genius or power or selflessness, much to Merlin’s embarrassment and annoyance.

Merlin also tried to miss out as much of his own suffering as he could, but Lancelot wasn’t having it, and Leon was horrified to learn of the Serket sting, the countless, almost fatal fights he’d had with various people (Nimueh, The Cailleach (”I did also wonder how the veil just... repaired itself. Nice one.”), Morgause, Agravaine, etc (Morgana is good in this, though her magic is still hidden)), and all the other terrible things that had happened.

When he finally finishes, Leon is speechless.

The knight had just thought that Merlin had learned a few tricks to keep himself and Arthur safe when they went out and about, but he was actually, apparently, the most powerful Warlock ever, and had a whole series of prophecies and battle scars to back it up. Lancelot’s face was an odd mix of prideful and mournful, and that only drove home to Leon how much Merlin had suffered over the years.

After a few minutes of silence, Merlin awkwardly waiting, as if for judgement, Lancelot pipes up, his voice oddly cheery:

“So, Sir Leon, fancy two extra sets of hands in the little smuggling ring you’ve got going?”

~

And that is essentially... exactly what happens. 

It’s usually Leon who discovers the sorcerers, being the most observant of the three, but it’s Merlin they send on the first approach more often than not. Leon had always been painfully aware of how scary a Camelot Knight going “I know you have magic” must be, so the trio takes advantage of Merlin’s non-threatening look. That, paired with the fact that he’s well known and well loved around the town, makes starting things off a lot easier.

A lot of the time, the people they approach don’t want to leave. They’ve kept themselves hidden for over twenty years, and they plan to continue to do so, but it’s a weight off their back to know that the option is there if they need it.

Merlin introduces Leon to the tunnels under the city, hidden and warded with his magic. The older knight is very much relieved at that; taking advantage of gaps in guard rotations wasn’t the most reliable plan, and he’d been paranoid for years that something would go wrong one day and he’d get caught.

They worked well together, though all three of their lives got a lot more complicated. Lancelot and Merlin were pulled into Leon’s secret smuggling life (despite him insisting that they could sit it out, considering they were already so busy trying to keep Arthur alive, which is apparently a lot harder than Leon had first assumed), and Leon was pulled into Merlin and Lancelot’s secret “bring about the Golden Age” life (despite the two of them insisting that Leon didn’t need to help, considering he was already so busy running a smuggling ring right under the nose of the King).

To be honest, the two lives sort of swirled together. Anyone that they sent to the Druid camps was told to spread the word of the Once and Future King, and when Leon was sent to distract Arthur when Lancelot and Merlin needed to do something Magicky, Lancelot was sent to distract Arthur when Leon and Merlin needed to do something smuggly.

Eventually Gaius finds out. Because of course he does. Because he’s not stupid. And whilst the three of them are unwilling to put him in anymore danger than he’s already in (harbouring a Warlock is... pretty dangerous. Though Arthur would probably forgive the older man anything.), they never turn away the small, portable medkits he passes along to them, and don’t complain when he offers to talk to Arthur about a promising new treatment for the flu for a few hours.

But overall, they have a proper little (unpaid) enterprise going, and no one suspects a thing. 

~

Mistakes are made of course, some a little bigger that others. But most of them get a laugh from the trio when they think back on them later.

Ironically enough, this mistake came when the trio mistook a “need to save Arthur” problem, for a “need to save this poor scared sorcerer” problem.

They’d been getting complacent. No one had tried to kill Arthur directly in a while, so when a visiting Lord brought with him a very nervous, very secretive stablehand, they didn’t even consider that it would be the young servant who wanted to kill Arthur as opposed to the visiting noble (who was an arsehole, and therefor automatically under suspicion).

Merlin, being the most powerful of the three of them, was keeping an eye on the noble; trying to keep him away from Arthur as well as trying to figure out if he knew that his stablehand was a magic-user. Leon was distracting Arthur, with the help of a report Gaius had written, by talking endlessly about certain weaknesses in the knight’s armour and the injuries that Gaius treats most often and the link between the two.

That left Lancelot to trail the stablehand, whose name they had discovered was Alban. He wasn’t wearing any armour and didn’t have a sword, only a small dagger up his sleeve, so as not to frighten the boy.

Which of course was a huge mistake.

Considering how innocent Merlin looks, but how dangerous he actually is, they really shouldn’t have underestimated the boy, but alas, with how well both of the secret lives had been going, their egos had grown, and they weren’t as careful as they should’ve been.

It was only after the Lord had retired to his chambers (and Merlin had come to the annoying conclusion that he was an arsehole, but certainly not smart enough to be dangerous), and Leon had exhausted every possible line of enquiry about armour and injuries, that the two of them thought something might be wrong.

It had been hours since they had heard from Lancelot, and by the sounds of it, no one had seen him in that time either.

The stablehand also couldn’t be found.

They tried not to assume the worst; all of them (Merlin, most often) had disappeared for longer before, so before they panicked, the two of them went about methodically searching for the other knight.

The wards down in the tunnels hadn’t been disturbed, Lancelot’s room was untouched (the sight of his armour and sword laid out on his bed did nothing to quell their growing anxiety), and no one had seen him leave the city. The Camelot stablehands had no idea where the visiting servant was, and had apparently barely seen him in the stables since he’d arrived anyway.

Now it was time to panic.

The two men rushed back to Lancelot’s room, shutting the door behind them, Merlin hurriedly asking:

“What’s the last thing he touched, do you reckon?”

Leon raked his hands through his hair for the dozenth time, looking around with wide eyes:

“Uh... we had training this morning, and he took his armour off after that, and immediately went to follow Alban, so his armour? His sword?”

Merlin picks the sword up in careful but hurried hands. He closes his eyes, concentrating, as he mutters a quick spell. The sword shimmers for a moment before Merlin throws it back down on the bed with a huff:

“Nope, the trail is there but it’s weak, I need something more recent.”

Leon curses quietly to himself:

“Try his water goblet? Or the wash bowl? God knows that man doesn’t like to be grimy.”

Merlin hums, walking to the wash bowl before halting in his tracks:

“Wait... no, you’re right. He doesn’t like being dirty,-”

With that, Merlin changes direction, heading to the small desk in the corner and opening the draws at random, rifling through them. Leon walks up behind him:

“Merlin? What are you-”

He’s interrupted by Merlin exclaiming in victory, and straightening up. He turns around with a grin on his face, holding out a small comb:

“-he will have run a comb through his hair after washing,-”

He pulls a short, brunette hair from between the wooden teeth:

“-and an actual piece of him is WAY better to track him with than something he’s just touched.”

He repeats the spell from earlier, the smile returning to his face when he begins to feel the pull in his heart, leading him to the lost knight.

The two of them leave the room hurriedly, Leon trailing after Merlin, both of them trying to look an inconspicuous as possible.

They walk briskly down the corridor, hope and excitement blooming in their chests at the idea of finding the friend they’d been so worried about. Leon puts a hand on Merlin’s shoulder, but neither of them stop moving as he speaks lowly:

“Can you tell how far away he is?”

Merlin hums, before replying equally quietly:

“Yeah, I think he’s about... actually... no, no I can’t- what?”

With that, he stops dead in his tracks, stumbling when Leon runs into his back with a gentle “oof”. The knight looks down at him, his face back to looking panicked. They’d stopped at a crossroads in the corridor, and Merlin’s head twitches from side to side, like he can’t decide which way to go.

Leon shakes his shoulder slightly:

“Merlin, he’s been gone for hours, we need to hurry. Close your eyes, breathe, which way is Lancelot?”

Merlin does what Leon says, shuffling on his feet slightly before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, and relaxing his shoulders:

“Where are you, Lance?”

He mutters it quietly to himself, and Leon barely dares to breathe, not wanting to distract him. After a few moments, Merlin’s head twitches to the right, the corridor that leads to the servant quarters. The servant opens his eyes, nodding briefly at Leon, before turning and walking down the corridor. 

He passes the first few doors without hesitation, thankful for the late hour; all the servants are either eating their own dinner, or serving dinner to their masters. Which is probably where Merlin should be right now, but he had more pressing matters, he could deal with Arthur later.

He slows as he reaches the end of the corridor, frowning in confusion. There are no more doors, they’ve reached a dead end, and Merlin tilts his head whilst Leon stares at him expectantly, periodically checking the corridor behind them. Merlin begins muttering to himself again, flexing his hands as if he were in pain:

“This is... wrong. I don’t come down here very often but... there’s... this is wrong. I can feel it and I can... see it, like there’s something out the corner of my eye that shouldn’t be there-”

He gasps, turning and looking at a specific part of the wall, hovering his hand over the stonework:

“-or something that should be there!”

Leon’s gaze flicks between the wall and Merlin as he quietly asks:

“A hidden door? Can you... unhide it?”

Merlin takes a second to snort and roll his eyes, before pressing his hand against the wall, muttering spells to himself. Leon turns around, hand on the hilt of his sword at his hip as he stands guard. After a few minutes of Merlin getting more and more frustrated when the wall stays... well... a wall, he finally lets out a whispered exclamation; Leon glances behind him to see the stone rippling, and finally fading to reveal the door. 

With one last check down the corridor, they enter the room slowly, shutting the door behind him. Leon whispers Lance’s name into the darkness tentatively, but Merlin just shakes his head, summoning a light.

It’s just a normal storage room filled with dusty shelves and empty crates, but Merlin moves through the debris to the back, cursing under his breath when he finds what he’s looking for. Leon moves up behind him, staring over the younger man’s shoulder to the precise symbol drawn onto the floor:

“Merls?”

Merlin huffs speaking lowly, not looking away from the symbol:

“It’s a teleportation spell, it’s why I was being pulled in two directions. Lance went through this portal, but it probably took him somewhere outside the city limits.”

Leon gulps, before taking a deep breath and gripping Merlin’s shoulder again:

“Can you activate it? Do we follow through the portal, or track him out of the city??”

Merlin shakes his head roughly:

“No, that would take far too long, we don’t actually know how long he’s been gone, it could have been all afternoon, remember? Look around, there should be a crystal or an orb or something, like a switch I have to push magic into to activate the spell.”

It only takes a few minutes of rummaging for Leon to uncover a rough looking crystal, and Merlin smiles weakly at the comically fearful look on the knight’s face as he holds it as far away from himself as he can; he may trust Merlin’s magic, but he is still logically... unnerved by things he doesn’t understand.

Merlin takes it from him, eyes turning briefly gold as he mutters an incantation and his hand is engulfed in a blue flame. The flame dies down after a few seconds at Merlin’s command, and he hides the now glowing crystal back where Leon had found it, before looking back to the symbol on the floor.

It takes only a few moments for the lines to start softly glowing, and when nothing else changes, Merlin takes a deep breath, reaching behind him blindly for Leon’s hand, and muttering:

“Well, here goes nothing.”

He feels the knight take his hand and step up next to him. With one last nervous glance to each other, they nod, and step into the circle.

~

MEANWHILE

Thankfully, whilst Lancelot hadn’t been seen in a while (on account of being camped out in the hidden storage room, waiting for his stalkee to reappear out of the weird glowy circle thing), he had only actually been kidnapped by Evil Alban the Not-Stablehand for about half a candle mark.

And he was currently very bored. The younger man finally reappeared, only to fly into a rage at the sight of another man, crouched like a gremlin, almost asleep in the corner of the entrance to his secret lair.

His eyes had flashed sickly yellow, and Lancelot found himself falling over the edge into sleep, and waking up an undetermined amount of time (like five minutes, but it was so fucking dark where he was, he had no way to guess what time of day it was) later, tied to a chair (not gagged, thankfully).

He had realised the trio’s mistake fairly early on in Evil Alban the Not-Stablehand’s monologue; something about vengeance and sins of the father and yadda yadda yadda. Honestly? He tuned it out pretty quickly, he’d heard it all before... multiple times, and he wasn’t too worried; he had faith that Merlin and Leon would arrive to rescue him soon (though he wasn’t looking forward to all the comments along the lines of “who’s the real princess?”).

It was when he almost nodded off that Alban stuttered slightly:

“...after all, surely someone who is strong enough to take the crown should... should deserve... it... are you falling asleep?!”

Lancelot’s head whips up with a quiet snort as he blinks the sleep from his eyes, and looks at the outraged criminal with guilt in his eyes:

“Uh... no? You’re doing wonderfully, Alban, very riveting, keep going.”

The knight’s words do nothing to calm the other man down, and he exclaims slightly as he stamps his foot petulantly. Lancelot bites his lip to stop himself laughing, but before he can get himself under control and say something else, Alban puffs his chest out and grins triumphantly:

“Your mind games shan’t work on me, Sir Knight. I will not be distracted by your mocking or... or distractions.”

Lancelot raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything. Alban huffs, shaking his head roughly before looking back at Lancelot with wide, expectant eyes:

“Well? What do you think of my plan, noble Sir? Ineffable, no?”

Lancelot purses his lips, once again looking guilty as he chooses not to point out the younger’s misuse of the word ineffable (definitely NOT ineffable, considering he’d banged on and on for half a candle-mark):

“I don’t suppose you could... sum up the last twenty minutes or so worth of... plan? Then I could.... let you know my thoughts?”

Alban let out an inhuman screech, stamping his foot again, much to Lancelot’s hidden amusement. The Great Villain stalked off into the darkness, huffing and grumbling to himself, and Lancelot just rolled his eyes, murmuring under his breath:

“For fucks sake. Better not leave me here. Where the fuck are you guys?”

As if the Gods themselves answered the knight’s question, he hears another inhuman screech come from the darkness; though this one was a lot more high pitched, and was immediately followed by Leon’s unmistakable voice growling out:

“Where is he you pre-pubescent piece of shit?!”

Lancelot allows himself to snort at the likely look of terror on the Not-Stablehand’s face before yelling:

“Don’t make the kid shit himself Leon, if he does, you’ll be the one carrying his unconscious body back.”

He hears Merlin’s laugh and the distinct sound of a skull making contact with the hilt of a sword, before the two of them appear like ghosts, lit only by the glow of Merlin’s golden eyes, and the magical light floating between their heads.

Lancelot gives them a grin, shuffling in his binds slightly as he says:

“Took you long enough, he’s been banging on about how clever he is for fucking ages. Cut me loose, would you?”

Merlin clicks his fingers, the ropes falling the the floor as Leon checks him over for injury, and affectionately ruffling his hair, much to the other knight’s chagrin.

The three of them move to crowd around Alban’s crumpled form, hands on their hips as they stare at him, unimpressed. Lancelot sighs:

“You really didn’t have to hit him that hard, I don’t think he was that much of a threat.”

Merlin huffs and stalks off to reactivate the teleportation spell, leaving the chastising for Leon to deal with:

“Not much of a threat?! Lance no one had seen you in hours, we thought you were dead!”

Lancelot frowns and shuffles, suddenly looking apologetic:

“Ah, sorry. He took me less than a candle-mark ago, though I guess I lost track of how long I’d been sat waiting for him before that. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Leon huffs, but drops the subject as Merlin calls back to them. The curly-hired knight picks Alban up, laying him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes before following Lancelot in Merlin’s direction. They stand around the glowing symbol, and Lancelot rolls his eyes at Merlin’s glower:

“Oh, don’t give me that look, Mister I regularly show up after three days covered in bruises and blood with “The Tavern” as my only excuse.”

Leon snorts and Merlin rolls his eyes but smirks, and with that, the trio step into the circle, reappearing back in the storage cupboard with no one else in Camelot even vaguely aware of the mini adventure they’d had.

~

This happens for a while. Saving people (mostly Arthur) from the batshit insane things that happen in Camelot that no one but them seems to be aware of.

Of course, rumours fly about the oddly close connection the three men have. Lancelot is head over heals in love with Guinevere (which he ardently denies, despite Merlin and Leon’s repeated dramatic attempts to get them together) and everyone knows it, but even Arthur starts to (jealously) suspect something is going on between Leon and Merlin, especially when Merlin’s lack of talent when it comes to making up excuses is displayed yet again.

Leon and Merlin had been sneaking out of the castle, on their way to meet the teenage son of a noble who desperately needed to escape. Lancelot, who had a late patrol, was to meet them by one of the tunnel entrances outside the city limits, and assure that no other guards were nearby.

Unfortunately, the pair came across a sleepy King, on his way to the kitchens for a midnight snack.

The King stared at them with wide, shocked eyes, and the pair stared back. Leon grimaced slightly, and after a few moments of awkward silence, Arthur slowly asks:

“What are you two... doing?”

Leon takes a deep breath desperately trying to come up with something to say, but before he can find an excuse, Merlin pipes up:

“I was teaching him poetry.”

Leon lets out his breath before slowly covering his face with his hands as he shakes his head slightly. Merlin immediately realises his mistake and bites his lip, furrowing his eyebrows as he says:

“What I mean, is that-”

He’s cut off by Arthur holding a hand up, his face looking mildly put-off as he shakes his head:

“I don’t want to know. Yeah, I changed my mind, I really... don’t want to know.” Before turning around and heading back in the same direction he’d come from, hunger forgotten.

Merlin holds his breath until Arthur turns the corner, before letting it all out in one go and staring at the floor wide-eyed. Leon keeps his head in his hands as he mutters:

“You fucking idiot.-” before looking up at the man besides him incredulously:

“-Why??”

Merlin looks at him indignantly, and loudly whispers:

“I don’t know!! It was just the three of us in a dark corridor like last time and it just popped into my head and I said it! At least he didn’t push, I suppose.”

Leon shakes his head again, before a look of realisation crosses his face and he looks at Merlin with dread in his eyes:

“Yeah... except when you used that excuse on me- shut up, of course I knew you were lying, I’m not an idiot- I thought you and Arthur were uh... well, I thought you were sleeping together...”

Merlin’s eyes go wide and he sputters for a response before he lets out a quiet, deranged laugh, and shakes his blushing head:

“First off, no. Second off... at least he didn’t push.” he repeats. Leon squints at his friend, before he gasps and grins:

“Oh my God, you like him!-”

Merlin scowls at him, and Leon laughs gleefully (though still quietly) before whispering:

“-all this time we’ve been ribbing Lancelot about Guinevere, and we should’ve been ribbing you! Oh my God, wait ‘til Lance hears this.”

Merlin turns on him, face bright red as he angrily (or as angrily as he can, when he’s the colour of Leon’s cape, and the knight is trying not to wake the castle up with his laughter):

“I swear to God, Leon, I will turn you into a fucking toad if you breath a word to anyone! I’ll do it, I swear I’ll do it!”

Leon forces himself to breath and coughs slightly as he catches his breath, putting a hand on Merlin’s shoulder:

“Fine, fine. I won’t say anything, but only if you help me hang mistletoe up in Lance’s doorway next week.”

Merlin rolls his eyes, but nods his head with a grin, and with that, they resume their sneaking around.

~

This happens for what feels like years and years, but really, Merlin only gets one day into looking at Leon with a shit-eating grin and saying that the old man has been doing this for “decades”, when suddenly... they don’t have to do it anymore.

Arthur repeals the ban on magic. 

And to be honest, it was a complete surprise to everyone. Of course, the whole Kingdom knew that he was more tolerant than his father had ever been; he hadn’t executed anyone in years, and unless accusations were serious or life-threatening, he rarely ordered investigations.

As it turns out, he’d been working on it in secret for months, with only  Morgana’s help (not that he knew about her magic, she was just the only person in his life who’d always been vocally against the ban). All the work they’d put in meant that when it came time to present it to the council, all Arthur had to do was hold his head high and say something along the lines of “I am your King, you do this, or you lose your seat.”.

The drafts were so well-worked, so perfect, the council had nothing to argue against, no excuses worth more than a roll of the eyes and a dismissive wave of the hand.

The repeal went through seamlessly, and Arthur was announcing Merlin and Morgana as his Court Sorcerers within a week (after of course a few hours of raging at the lies and deception, in which they defended themselves and each each other with sharp tongues and entirely valid descriptions of their terror, and with Leon and Lancelot stood behind them the whole time ready to pull their swords at a moments notice).

Leon, Lancelot, and Merlin told the King about all their adventures saving his arse, which he floundered at before abashedly thanking them, but they never mentioned the now obsolete smuggling ring they had going.

Of course, there were moments when they missed the excitement of sneaking out at night, the victory of seeing a family off to the Druid’s, or to a safe village, but ultimately they were ecstatic that they weren’t needed in that capacity anymore. It was undeniably a good thing.

Their plan to keep their heroics to themselves failed miserably however, when a crowd of around two-hundred gathered in the courtyard, led by a woman in her mid-thirties who looked mighty familiar to Sir Leon.

The gang met them down there, armed and worried at first, but quickly relaxing when they realised this was the furthest to an attack a group this large could get.

The King led the party, Morgana, Elyan, Gwaine, and Percival to his left, and Merlin, Leon, and Lancelot to his right, Guinevere and Gaius waiting by the castle entrance. It was only when Lancelot gasped, and grabbed Merlin and Leon’s sleeves to point at a specific family near the front of the crowd that they understood. All these people, all these happy, joyful, alive people... were people they’d saved over the years.

The three of them gulped, suddenly teary as more and more of the crowd pointed their way, wide smiles on their faces. They knew that this wasn’t even half the people they had saved (if you include Leon’s sixteen years doing it alone), but still, it was astounding to visually see it.

The familiar woman stepped forward at Arthur’s gesture, and the trio suddenly realise what’s about to happen. “Oh shit.” and variants of the above are muttered by all three as they wait with baited breath. There’s not really anything they can do to stop this:

“Your Highness, firstly I would like to thank you, for accepting my people back into your Kingdom-”

Her voice quietens slightly as she glances to the floor, her eyes filling with tears before she looks up again:

“-many of us haven’t been home in... in a long time, and it’s good to be back.-”

Arthur nods, giving her a smile despite his still growing confusion at the crowd behind her. The woman looks quickly to Leon, giving him a brief smile as he gasps, recognising her. She looks back to the King, raising her voice and her head as she continues:

“-Secondly, I would like to extend an even greater thank-you to Sir Leon, and his two companions, without whom many of us would have died. They risked their lives sneaking us out of the city when your father hunted us, and after, when we were still at risk of execution, but they never stopped, and never gave up. We are but a fraction of the hundreds of people they saved, and we have nothing to offer them but our unending gratitude, and a humble demand that they are rewarded for their service to Camelot’s people. They are heroes to us all, and always will be”

Arthur looks slowly over to a very teary Leon, who doesn’t even glance his way as he stares at the former servant-girl, a weak smile on his face. Merlin and Lancelot meet The King’s gaze in his stead, smiling sheepishly and shrugging as they nod, confirming the woman’s story.

Arthur shakes his head minutely, half proud of his friends, and half annoyed at being caught off guard, before turning back to the woman, the smile back on his face:

“I’m glad to welcome you home, all of you, and I apologise that it took so long for me to right the wrongs committed by this Kingdom. Sir Leon and his companions will indeed be rewarded for their service,-”

At this, Arthur turns to look at the trio, a soft, meaningful smile on his face as he nods at them:

“-and I extend my thanks to them also, for being brave enough to protect my people, when I was not.”

Leon finally meets The King’s gaze, and returns his nod. Merlin and Lancelot each clap him on the back, before the three of them descend into the crowd. A loud cheer goes up around the courtyard, the rest of the knights, Morgana, and Guinevere looking on in shock as the trio greets person after person, accepting thanks and hugs and laughing joyously at the reminder of the good they’d done, despite their fear.

~

THE END!!

I really loved writing this one😄! Honestly this idea started out as crack, but I’m glad that it ended so wholesomely :)

Same as usual lads, someone wants to write it up properly or extend it, go for it, credit and tag me ✌️

[rawbutprecious]

Merlin worked on these shoes. The mud and much was so stubborn. What had Arthur been tramping through this time? It was as it had gotten ca coating of protective wax. How could mud even become stuck as glue? Magic could take it off. But, using magic in a city where it was still banned was not wise. It would not be safe. So he worked and worked and worked. Besides, someone else could walk by and see the magic. They could report to Arthur or Alined and then there would be trouble.  He did not want trouble. Alined being here was trouble enough. The warlock did not trust that king.

He hoped that King Alined would not be here for long. He hoped they could sign the agreement and that would be that. Camelot had needed sheep. Alined’s kingdom needed wheat. The trade was even. However, his presence let Merlin feeling unsettled. Something bad was bound to happen; the warlock was certain about that. He didn’t know what it could be or when it would happen, but he felt certain of that face. Plus, King Alined was making Arthur act differently. He was colder, distant, and more brisk with his words.

Merlin hoped that this was just an act. He hoped Arthur was trying to blend in with the visiting royal. He hoped he was still using such detrimental words against him to gain approval from King Alined. The warlock knew that trick. He’d done it before. Every time, though, part of him knew he would revert back to his old ways after King Alined left, it still was a worry and it still did not make it easier to be called such terms. A few them stung deeper than he wanted to admit.

“It’s not easy. Filling these roles we have. We all have to pretend to be things we aren’t. We have to hide parts of ourselves to ensure success. We all have to keep our secrets and play the parts that someone developed long ago,” he mused, stopping the scrubbing for a moment. He stared out the window with deep sadness. He couldn’t looked Gwen in the face. If he did he feared she would see the weight of the world that rested in his body and how it exhausted him. “I learned that long ago. People feared me. As a toddler I made things float and fly. It was harmless fun. I didn’t know what I was doing. But people were afraid of me. I didn’t understand. I could ignore it, mostly, until I couldn’t and it was just too much. It was why I came to Camelot all those years ago, Gwen. That and most of Ealdor were doing things to try and drive me out.”

He grew quiet. He didn’t know why he was sharing any of that. It didn’t really matter. At least it didn’t feel like it matter. “But Ealdor was… is my home… and I’d do anything to protect it. I guess part of me felt leaving was protecting it. I didn’t realize that I would be coming to a place where I wouldn’t be safe. So I continued to hide and I was faced living where everyone thought I couldn’t do anything. I was seen a clumsy fool… nice but defenseless. It was all right, I guess, because I found the few people who found out before you and Arthur ended up hurt. I didn’t want anyone else hurt.”

“And so I play the role I need to do so to survive and thrive in a world that doesn’t understand and I’m not trying to be right or wrong, but no you haven’t,” he said. Merlin nodded. “I will if I can. I’ve found sometimes there are events that I can’t do anything about except take care of them. Will’s death…. He died protecting Arthur and then me. He wasn’t the warlock back then. It was me. I… have also recued people. Do you remember the druid who escaped? I set her free. We were going to run off together. I loved her. But she was killed. I had to take care of both by myself. I couldn’t tell anyone. I might find myself in such a situation once more. So I can promise you I will if I can.”

He picked up the shoe once more. He put in extra elbow grease and scrubbed it off. Finally, it budged. “Well, he just doesn’t want to see you hurt. Also, it would not sit well with our visitors. I am certain you can get back on the field once they are gone. I do not think a week will lessen your abilities. Even knights take time off every now and then,” he said. “And I understand. It doesn’t help much. It still stings a bit, but it does. And yes, he has noticed. He loves you, Gwen. He doesn’t want to lose you, but he wants to see you happy. He’s a complicated man with a lot of worries. Not only this alliance but also with Morgana and Cenred. I fear I was the one who caused him to have this one extra stress. Do you remember when she disappeared with Morgause? I…I poisoned her. I was warned she would be Camelot’s downfall  at her hands and I made a terrible mistake and I live with that guilt.” He closed his eyes. Tears fell down his cheeks as he prepared to be thrown to the dungeons. Merlin had just sealed his fate by admitting this heinous crime.

Gwen wanted to argue further as she would always be the servant queen. Sometimes, she missed spending teasing moments with the warlock in the paths only palace servants followed. While Camelot needed Alined’s help, there was a part of the queen that felt they didn’t need someone so despicable’s help. The social roles were as much the muck that Arthur seemed to not care to even attempt to keep from his shoes. She missed simple tasks like this sometimes. The shining of the shoes would give her a clear prize at the end. A visual dent in something off color to symbolize the completion of a task. Courtiers and Kings were a maze of fancy words that often held back their true meaning. The woman only hoped that Merlin still realized Arthur’s chest in calling him the most creative insults she had never imagined possible. They were like two brothers unfamiliar with allowing their love through. Merlin had a bit of her husband’s hard head. Heads that had definitely been hit many times. Her announce with Arthur’s petty jealous was easily taken out in what would probably the best shined shoes in camelot. She only hoped Merlin would not notice her ire. Cleaning was an old mechanism when emotions were too much. She no longer felt like an imposter, but visits like this seemed to ask things of her that she wasn’t sure she could give. Merlin was a great sounding board. Besides, she’d heard a few serving maids crooning about him on her way from nearly yelling at her love and his overprotectiveness. Herself and Arthur would not stand for anyone questioning Merlin as his importance and the strength of magical force inside. Many questions dipped and died on the slip of her mouth. Merlin deserved to live without fear while this royal visit droned on. He might very well have to stop her from killing Arthur if he kept up with his prick like outlook. She was no damsel in distress. At least, not anymore. She would always wish Arthur to come for her, but Camelot had to many enemies to fully let the kindness of ones heart rule. It had been a task to be updated to the level of her lovers knowledge on the brute of a king. Magic could be evil. Morgana was proof of that. Yet, the same sun that hardens the clay also melts the ice. What men did is what told the story of who they were. She settled against the closest seat with a contented sigh. Surely- this couldn’t make the king fret. Still, she hunted for the mate to it’s pair sending her warlock friend a warning look. He would have to let her help if he meant to play this dinner theater. A break was what the queen truly needed. From knights who she was forced to play healer too or council meetings were Arthur stared into her soul and the stocks of grain were counted. The dark skinned woman took every opportunity to speak her mind and change what she could. Any human would need a time filled with the merriment of friendships and the familiar clean jasmine scent that was so magically Merlin. “Have I ever told you that I hate when your right?” Jest and regret danced a small line in her voice. the memories of the battle and Merlin’s town brought fond memories to the girl. She wasn’t sure that Merlin was aware that the lesser knights were still sent to give aid and words of the health of a woman who might just resemble the lanky warlock. “I will take your advice to heart. I will play innocent, submissive wife for a time if it ensures our borders from Cenred and the safety of out people. But I expect you to come to me should anyone be a problem to you. Merlin- Promise? I will allow you time to find the faith we all have for you. The tide changed for me. It will for you.” A blush peppered her skin though at his last relevations. Arthur had seen them? It wasn’t like she had welcomed sir gwaine’s advances as the knight had realized. It had felt good to be wanted. Lancelot was another story. she could still see Merlin and arthur, to sides of the same coin, rushing to save her only to be met by the kind hearted knight. He had pushed her away back then too. “He is being a real rake about it though. Banning me from

the knights training. I should know that his heart was speaking before his brain and soul caught up. I apologize if he takes out his fowl mood on you. I may be his heart, but I do not break on the first drop. Sometimes- I just wish we could be Merlin, Gwen, and Arthur again. No dragons or evil kings and queens. i- I hadn’t realized Arthur noticed that subtle infatuation.”