#everyone has committed treason with merlin

[akelafang]

Arthur sends Merlin on some job and wants him to take a knightly escort to keep him out of trouble. Merlin: I'll take Gwaine with me Arthur: I said "keep you out of trouble" not "guarantee you'll get into it". Take Lancelot with you, he's the least likely to commit treason with you Merlin: You say that like he's never committed treason with me

[merlingenrecs]

The truth comes out—and Merlin doesn't end up on the pyre! Perhaps there is anger, a heated conversation or some temporary distrust, but ultimately all goes well. Perhaps we even get a glimpse of what a Golden Age might look like?

Today's gen fic rec theme: Magic Reveal Gone Well!

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

⚬ A Better Man by TheActualAuthor, 3k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/43646655 summary: Arthur’s cursed by a witch to experience his worst fear.

⚬ Almost, but not quite by Marti1297, 2k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/39236688 summary: Finally, Arthur starts to realize strange things happen around him, and he comes to an unexpected conclusion.

⚬ a drop of truth by WinglessCrows, 6k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/15636450 summary: Arthur has a truth serum, Merlin lies more than he tells the truth. Who else would Arthur use it on?

⚬ Allow One To ‘See’ by mollrach13, 30k, unrated https://archiveofourown.org/works/16729350 summary: When the King is attacked in his tent on patrol and falls into an unending sleep everyone is worried. What they don't know is that Arthur is fine. In fact he is standing right here next to them, watching them all fret over his prone body. To stave off the boredom whilst a cure is found Arthur takes to wandering the castle and soon discovered a hidden side of Camelot he never knew about.

⚬ Truths Emerge by s0mmerspr0ssen, 22k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/52211941 summary: When Caerleon attacks Camelot, more than one secret is uncovered. In the face of a hopeless battle, will Arthur make the right choice?

⚬ Crown of Light by s0mmerspr0ssen, 3k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/42482379 summary: About four weeks after he had married Gwen, Arthur awoke with a strange, golden light around his head. Naturally, it freaked Merlin out.

⚬ darkest before dawn by merlinemrys, 1k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/48216928 summary: Arthur: I never knew my mother because of it. My father died because of it. I lost my sister to it. So tell me, Merlin, what has magic ever done for me? Merlin: What haven't I done for you? – In the hours before Mordred's execution for using sorcery to save Arthur, Merlin finally snaps.

⚬ I’d Die For You by Fulgance, 4k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/934552 summary: "You know I'd die for you, yeah?" – "It certainly looks like we're headed that way," Arthur says dryly.

⚬ The Reveal byArgentNoelle, 1k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/6645151 summary: How long, Merlin wondered, had Arthur known? He hadn’t seemed surprised at all.

⚬ How Water by LadyAJ_13, 3k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/20817572 summary: Leon shuffles, a move so unlike him that Arthur is immediately concerned. “It's about Merlin, sire.” He wonders what he's done now. Something stupid no doubt, insulted a noblewoman or broken something valuable. A day in the stocks might be required to make the aggrieved party happy. But then, that's not unusual enough for his most capable knight to be fiddling with his sword scabbard. “I believe he has magic.”

⚬ Just a Hint of Magic by Drag0nst0rm, 1k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462047 summary: The thing was, most sorcerers didn't know enough spells to actually put up much of a fight. So when Arthur first noticed Merlin had magic, he wasn't too worried about it.

⚬ The Truths He Can’t Deny by N16, 10k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/33923860 summary: Merlin had always known this day would come. An innocent girl. An arrest for sorcery. Except now it's Arthur sitting on the throne in judgment, not Uther. It was always going to happen, but it wasn't supposed to happen like this.

⚬ Treason by N16, 10k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/27763306 summary: Arthur knows four things: Merlin committed treason. Merlin is loyal to him. Merlin wants to tell Arthur the truth. Merlin is scared Arthur will kill him. All he needs to figure out now is what on earth his servant has actually done.

⚬ Greater Love Hath No Man by N16, 8k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/37562236 summary: Once upon a time, Merlin had been so in love with Gwen that he'd confessed to sorcery to save her from the pyre. That moment seemed like a million years and a million lies ago. But that one lie was a loose thread, and now one tug might unravel Merlin's entire tapestry of deceit. Fortunately, Merlin can always count on Gwen.

⚬ A Scar Like a Vision of Grace by nsowlwrites97, VikingSong, 3k, rated T http://archiveofourown.org/works/56321101 summary: “Please,” Arthur tried. “Let him go. If you want the book–”The man holding the sword to Merlin’s neck smirked. “Oh, that? That’s just a bonus. No, king. We’re here for this.” And without another word, he slid the sword across Merlin’s throat.

⚬ The Hand of the Enemy by N16, 45k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/27567688 summary: When Arthur accepts an invitation to a nearby kingdom where magic is free, he hopes to establish an alliance despite their differences. Instead, he and his knights find they’ve been invited under false pretenses, and the queen may succeed in turning friend against friend to accomplish her own aims.

⚬ Who I’ve Been by TheActualAuthor, 3k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/41350509 summary: Arthur glances at him, but doesn’t stop to reprimand, “I told him I didn’t know what he meant. Then he spoke of many things. Said I was a figure of prophecy and legend.” His voice twists around the words, mocking them, “Said I was to rule all Albion. I was about to call him out as some sort of sorcerer’s trick, trying to trap me into oaths or pride, when he began to speak of another. A man I knew well, supposedly, who walked in my inner circle.” The king takes a sharp breath and raps his knuckles on the table, making Merlin jerk his head up, “I have little doubt he meant those who stood with me at the table. When the others come, I am going to eat with them, my men and my favored. And when we are done, I will speak to them of this, and I will know who has been lying to me all this time.”

⚬ Stains Unseen by reelin_writer, 2k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/33212869 summary: During the routine bandit ambush, Gwaine is mortally wounded. Merlin saves him with magic, and instead of exploding at the reveal, Arthur is overcome with guilt. Merlin has been dealing with the trauma of taking a life--alone. Nothing, not even the new powers Merlin has, can keep Arthur from wanting to protect the younger man.

⚬ Behind Me, Beside You by TheActualAuthor, 3k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/37246459 summary: Arthur glares at him, “I have no love for magic, they will not help me.” His eyes narrow, “How do you know the way to their camps? We’ve been searching for their borders for years.” “I have friends among them.” He hedges. The king stares at him a moment, then sits down with a weary air, “So you also have betrayed me.”

⚬ A Moment of Truth by sakarrie, 5k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/35432824 summary: Even though Merlin knows it's finally time to tell Arthur the truth, he can't stop his hands from shaking. He knows being a sorcerer is a death sentence, yet here he is—about to tell the King of Camelot. But Arthur deserves to know, and Merlin can't keep hiding from his best friend.

⚬ Stay by wryter501, 13k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/39378669 summary: A different direction for episode 4.7 "The Secret Sharer". Alator goes to Camelot not to find Emrys for Morgana, but with another plan in mind... Why has Emrys failed so long in his prophetic task of restoring magic to Camelot, in guiding and instructing Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King? Fate seems to have handed Alator the chance to right the course of history gone awry - and he's going to take it. He's going to use Gaius to find Emrys - and then they're going to have a serious conversation. But even the best-laid plans of a canny warrior-sorcerer can be diverted... Alator finds more than he anticipated, plotting ambush in iron mines of Kemeray...

⚬ The Serving of Servants by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle, 80k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/20239129 summary: When a new position is made in the royal household to oversee the servants, Arthur didn’t think much of it. It was only days later when he noticed the mysterious injuries appearing on frightened servants that the prince decided to go undercover and to find out what is going on. Meanwhile, Merlin thinks the newest servant is a mess. Or: Arthur learns what it is like to be a servant and learns some interesting thing about his own servant.

⚬ Golden Is The Dawn by TrekScribbles, 9k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/54962341 summary: When Arthur finds out that Merlin is hiding a baby dragon, he devises a plan to get rid of it. But when Merlin is captured by a band of slavers, the dragon might be Arthur's only hope of getting him back.

⚬ Faithful Are The Wounds of a Friend by VikingSong, 5k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/33734425 summary: Arthur catches sight of a scar on Merlin’s back which he can’t explain, so he asks each of the members of the Round Table if they’ve seen it, too. They have...but it wasn’t the same scar.

⚬ Curiouser and Curiouser by VikingSong, 12k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/28588263 summary: Gwen knew Merlin wasn’t in the tavern each time Arthur thought he was...but it was Merlin, so she’d never worried about her friend’s harmless lies of omission. That is, she'd never worried until the day Merlin disappeared to ‘the tavern’ with a freshly-paralyzed fomorroh still lodged in his neck. With the threat of the dormant serpent hanging over their heads, suddenly those lies didn't seem so harmless anymore. Or: Gwen is the primary keeper of the one (1) brain cell in Camelot, which she wields to great effect in missing-scenes-turned-canon-divergence in 4x06, "A Servant of Two Masters."

[merlinemrys]

Hello there! I saw you giving some recs for Merlin fics and wanted to ask for some too if you don't mind 👉👈

Do you have any recommendations for Merthur gen angst hurt/comfort? Hell I need more angst in my blood stream

of course!!! idk if u mean merthur w a general rating or just gen fic that's focused on arthur & merlin, but just to play it safe im doing gen fic 💙 if u mean merthur fics that are gen rated then just lmk !

scorch marks and embers by southfarthing (rated t, 93k)

Summary: Everyone he trusted with his secret – Will, Freya, Balinor, Lancelot, and now Gaius – was gone. Arthur would never bring magic back to the land, and he would never let Merlin stand at his side the way Merlin had hoped he would. It was a cold awakening, years of baseless faith dashed against the fraying tapestry that destiny had made Merlin sew into his own skin, but an awakening nonetheless. Merlin is shaken out of his obsession with destiny and his blind faith in Arthur. Arthur just wishes he knew how to get his closest friend back.

New Beginnings by nsowlwrites97 (rated t, 33k)

Summary: Traitor. Merlin. Magic. Merlin. Traitor. Friend. Sorcerer. Merlin. The words seemed to lose their meaning the more Arthur tried to make sense of them, bleeding in and through each other like ink dissolving in water. The only fact he knew to be true – absolutely, permanently, irrevocably true – was that Merlin was dead.

go boldly by CaptainOzone (rated gen, 7k)

Summary: “It is not like you,” Arthur muses suddenly, and very, very quietly, “to lie to me.” Merlin’s lungs freeze in his chest. “What?” he chokes out. Or: yet another 5x05 The Disir AU.

New Duties by s0mmerspr0ssen (rated t, 17k)

Summary: With Uther’s death, Arthur ascends to the throne and officially becomes King of Camelot. Naturally, this means that Merlin is now the King’s manservant, not the Prince’s. What sounds like mere semantics turns out to be much more than that. As Merlin struggles to keep up with the demands of his new job, Arthur finds himself burdened by the realities of kingly responsibilities. Soon, the strain of stress puts their friendship to the test…

Treason by N16 (rated t, 9k)

Summary: Arthur knows four things: Merlin committed treason. Merlin is loyal to him. Merlin wants to tell Arthur the truth. Merlin is scared Arthur will kill him. All he needs to figure out now is what on earth his servant has actually done.

Loyalties by reelin_writer (rated t, 25k)

Summary: “Arthur.” “Merlin?” he said, instantly angry. He shoved himself into a sitting position, fumbling for the candle on the table by the bed, and blustered, “What on earth are you doing? It’s the middle of the night! I don’t know about you, but that’s when I sleep. Don’t you--” Finally managing to get the candle lit, he looked up at Merlin, fully prepared to continue his lecture. But the words died in his throat at the sight of the young servant, and he choked in the rush of panic that assaulted him. “Merlin!”

The Price of Loyalty by Obsessionist (rated t, 18k)

Summary: Uther activates a device that repels magic, but Merlin's loyalty to Arthur knows no bounds.

Loyalty Was Never A Question by ValiantGinger (rated t, 27k)

Summary: Morgana gets her hands on something that puts Merlin in very serious danger. When Arthur's manservant goes missing, he can't help but be worried about him - worry that becomes legitimate when it becomes clear that Merlin is being used as a trap to lure Arthur in. Still, it's Merlin. How can he do anything but go and rescue him?

Between A Rock and A Hard Place by LFB72 (rated t, 30k)

Summary: A visiting noble makes Arthur an offer he can't refuse, putting Merlin's secret in jeopardy. The warlock takes drastic action, risking his health and ability to respond when crisis strikes.

[valentinerose529]

Two things I wanna know! (feel free to ignore obviously ^^ )

What are your top 5 favorite characters and why are they your favorite? Could be current favorites, favorites over the years that you still like, favorites in general, etc. Also any media

And/or gimme 1-5 of your ocs - whether they're your favorite, most recent, the one you've been having fun with recently, etc. Tell me some fun facts about them, and why you picked them!

Hope you're having a great day/night - and remember to stay hydrated!

Yes, my day has been lovely so far, and I hope yours has been the same! (Had to take a drink of water when I read this. Ahem.)

Oh boy, I can only pick five? I have been reading since toddlerhood and I have the personal library to show for it. But alright, let's see if I can narrow this down! Buckle up, this got a little long, but technically it's only one paragraph for each character.

Characters I like:

1. Merlin from BBC Merlin has to be one of the top Guys Of All Time. He's fascinating as a character because he sets his entire life on fire one brick at a time. He destroys himself and every chance he has to make things right because he's so desperate to do the right thing by destiny he actually creates his own downfall. I could study that show for ages and how it managed to do exactly the opposite of what it set out to do. I think it's helped by the fact that the actor cast did such an impeccable job carrying that character for like five solid years real-time through that entire story.

2. Halt from The Ranger's Apprentice, both because he's a gruff grumpy asshole and chaos-causer with a secret soft side, but also because you learn that despite being a nobleman by birth his name is really just Halt. He didn't pick it for himself or anything, everyone else in the family had normal names, no as far as we know his parents looked at their firstborn and decided to name him Halt. But I also love him as character because despite all of the shadowy gloom and doom and his introversion, this man does love everyone around him. He literally committed treason to get himself kicked out of his greater responsibilities so he could go rescue his apprentice from the far side of a war. He was fully ready to be banished forever from his kingdom and throw his whole life away so long as he got his apprentice back safely to the kingdom. Best dad ever. (And I say with no hesitation that when I read these books as a youngster I absolutely wanted to be a ranger and that's probably why I'm still trying to be a woodsman today. Still working on the "perfect aim" and "invisibility" parts, but hey, I have a cool-ass cabin in the woods.)

3. I think Ender from the Ender's Game series deserves a mention. Loved him in the movies (loved his sister too, actually--take a guess where I got my name!) but the books did something to me. The books make no effort to present the child soldiers as something good or desirable. Ender is eight years old and he commits a genocide because he thinks it's a game and the adults applaud him. His older brother is a psychopath and Ender is expected to pick and choose which of his brother's traits he himself should emulate. Ender is violent and cold and calculating, but at the same time (at the age of six!!) he learns to strive for kindness. He dedicates the rest of his life to what may be an impossible task, but he cannot stop until he rights the horrific wrong he has committed to the Formics. Regardless of whether humanity was justified in their reaction to the alien race that made the first attempt at eradicating our species, the way the story zooms in and focuses on the actual children involved, the way it continues to follow the story from all different angles before and after Ender's victory, is what makes him and any character from the story an incredible character.

4. Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon! Dragons are a core staple of my childhood and the stories I love today. (If you zoomed in on me like Riley from Inside Out, I bet you'd find a dragon island or a fantasy island or something in there.) Hiccup's such a fun guy, both the book and movie versions! I didn't get to finish all the books as a kid cause my library was out of the later ones, but I really like them both as characters. Each story is told for a different audience and so Hiccup changes between them, but overall the core of both stories is the bond between Hiccup and Toothless and the overall love that the humans have for their dragons that saves the day. That's great. (Also, movie Hiccup is cute and he was probably a movie crush when I was younger. No, actually, he still is.)

5. Sophie and Agatha from The School For Good and Evil. (Yes that's two, but they're a pair, do not separate them.) Sophie is so fun as a character! The whole thing about the two girls is that they're challenging fate in a way literally nobody else in a fairy-tale world can consider doing! And Sophie is forced into the villain's role. And yes, she does have several qualities that do match up better with villainy than heroism, but how much of that is free will and how much of that is her being forced into it by the Narrator? But despite all that, despite the fact the two are soulmates (ignore the author, I won't forgive him for the book three plot twist. Eugh) and literally destined to be mortal enemies, Agatha never gives up on Sophie entirely. She's always holding out hope that her dearest friend is still there. That series probably did something to me as a kid, and not only because they're both drawn so beautifully on the first-edition covers. I appreciate women greatly. (I just found out there's a book I haven't read yet, so if that contradicts anything I said here, don't tell me lmao.)

I've been writing forever and because I'm so inconsistent with my storytelling methods, a lot of my characters from old projects have been repurposed into new characters (Cori and Ixora, for example, bear some resemblance to an extremely old duo from a story my ten-year-old self never finished). As a result, here's my favorite OCs that have been rounded out the most and have stories I really want to finish writing:

1. My favorite little guy just has to be Ixora! He started out as a fandom oc, and I've never been able to really shake the "Icarus" allusion. But really, I don't want to! He's a normal dude except for the magical bird wings, and he just wants to be kind and help people and be himself, but I can't do that, I have to throw him into situations in which he has to sacrifice that gentleness and become something vicious. He hasn't been able to escape the plot since we were both seventeen years old and now he's 24 and still suffering at my hands. But I keep coming back to him and his story and trying to tell it because I want him to do what's right and I want him to be able to save the day with the power of friendship and kindness. That's the kind of story I want to tell for him.

2. Next up is Mia! She's my silly sweetheart baby and I love her forever. I may have protected a little too strongly on her which is why she's twice as neurodivergent. But I love her as a character because unlike with Ixora, I don't actually force her into situations where she really has to betray her morals and her beliefs. Yes, she ends up in situations where she's scared and lost and struggles to do what's right, but overall her story is about genuinely being kind and gentle and she isn't punished by the narrative for that. The people around her are older and harsher and they recognize that, and they look out for this kid even in the worst and bloodiest situations and because they all care for her it's why they manage to succeed.

3. Following this theme of people who want to be kind and gentle, my newer dude Cassio has been fun to work with! (Name pending) He's a magical healer in a fantasy world where due to his social status and physical location, it was the logical choice for him to learn how to fight and become part of a defensive team. But that's not what he wants, deep down he doesn't want to be a fighter and he wants to be able to use his healing power for good, but he also wants to be selfish and run away from responsibility with his responsible boyfriend and go explore. I created him because I wanted to explore the kind of protagonist that isn't suited for his grand adventure at all, but he does it anyways because it's the right thing to do and if he waits for someone better to come along then he'll have doomed his entire city. And in the end, he'll end up getting that grand adventure after all!

4. Aiden has been another longtime oc, and he's been an experiment for me. See, what makes him unique is the potent regeneration ability that runs in his family, strong enough to make him not age and to even survive death. As a result, he's over two hundred years old, he suffers a lot, and he's sorta lost touch with how to be a normal person. And listen, I have so much fun writing him! Both in working out the limits of what his regenerative powers do to him both physically and mentally, and in working out how his age and experience makes him function on a fundamentally different level than anyone around him. He loves his family to bits, because he's seen multiple generations grow up and old around him. (He's a token weird uncle, but he's a staple of the family.) He's genuinely a curious and friendly guy, but he just can't connect with people the same way because he cannot live and fear and die the way they do. Death is just a painful week for him.

5. Another pair here, but Cori and Lyja are really fun to write and explore their stories. Technically they're not involved with each other's stories a lot as I've been reworking my plot and timeline a whole lot, (Cori belongs to Ixora's story and is the tragic antagonist in many versions of it) but they were designed to be foils to each other. Both of them are otherwise normal individuals that are saddled with a truly dangerous level of magical power that they struggle with, but they react differently in their settings. In their world, the color blue is a negative one (some dangerous species tend to be very blue-colored, and the social stigma arose from that) and both of them have very blue designs physically that are natural coloring, but where Lyja tries to prove that he's not fated to be something evil just because his magic makes his appearance so blue, Cori jumps wholeheartedly into the implication that she's going to be a bad person because she has a bluejay's blue feather patterns on her wings. They both struggle so much with the perceptions their world has about them, but they respond in primarily different ways and the other one represents something that each one of them is deep down scared to be. Lyja wants to blend in and avoid extra notice so he can find goodness in small things, Cori wants to be recognized as something worthwhile whether that's something goodly or terrifying.

Thank you for asking! This was really fun to think about. I always say Ixora is probably my favorite long-standing oc that hasn't been majorly repurposed or abandoned, but actually sitting down and deciding what characters I like from other stories that aren't mine was something I don't do as much and it was really fun to think about.

[myfairkatiecat]

😂 , 😭, and ❓ for the ask game since you said you have a lot. I hope you’re having a lovely evening!

I do have a lot of WIPs! Hey you know how I often say “I should make a fic about that?” That translates to “BRB going to go start a fic about that.” So like. Some of these WIPs will NEVER be finished 😭 or maybe one day they all will! Who knows?

😂 a funny or crack WIP snippet

Okay, I’ve talked a LOT about how I’m making this AU, but have never put any snippets online, so here we go!! (I gave y’all a long one since it’s taking me forever and then another forever to write it.)

—

“Now that the nightmare is over,” Kate began.

“You are not going to sing,” Constance interrupted. Kate was silent. “That was meant to be a joke. An attempt at humor. But I now see that you were actually going to sing. DON’T.”

“Was it really a nightmare?” Nathaniel winced. “It was, you know, occasionally fun.”

“It was!” Nicholas said affirmingly. “Sometimes.”

“It was not,” Constance deadpanned.

Kate cleared her throat loudly. “As I was saying, now that the nightmare is over, Reynie and I have prepared one last special performance. I have expanded my piano repertoire from Chopsticks to A Few More Chords simply for this occasion!”

“But there’s no piano in here,” Sticky pointed out.

Constance’s eyes widened. “Please tell me you didn’t save one of the Buttons.”

“Those buttons are some of my finest inventions!” Nathaniel insisted.

“The way you told it to me, it was your associate’s invention,” Nicholas reminded him.

“Well, yes, Dr. Garrison made it, but it was my idea.”

“I’m not in the least surprised,” Nicholas said with a sigh.

Kate pulled out a small black-and-white button, threw it to the ground, and the illusion took over, the room appearing to now be a stage with familiar spotlights shining down. The button itself had expanded, and while it couldn’t quite replicate an acoustic piano, it was impressive that it made an instrument at all. “Piano was one of the hardest ones, but I insisted she figure it out,” Nathaniel informed everyone as Kate sat down at the piano.

Reynie made his way to the middle of the dance floor and, much to Constance’s annoyance, began to sing.

—

The song is I See Stars from Mean Girls, but y’all don’t get a preview of my rewritten version of that song quite yet! You’ll just have to wait for it to come out…….

😭 angst or sad WIP snippet

Oh boy oh boy do I have these.

So this particular snippet is actually from a different fandom (*gasp* Katie writing for her old fandoms???) so enjoy! (It’s also from a one-shot, so I kept the snippet short!)

—

Merlin bit down on his fingers as soon as the words flew out of his mouth. It had worked against the truth potion before, but he was too late this time.

“Merlin,” Arthur said slowly, “what exactly do you mean by treason?”

“You’re the king, I figured you would know at least that much,” Merlin evaded, even with the truth potion prompting him to spill every last treasonous action he’d committed.

“Merlin.” Arthur’s voice was even, but his eyes were hard. “What. Did. You. Do.”

“I was born,” he muttered bitterly. “But I guess I’ve done a lot of things besides that anyway.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“Do I ever?”

“Merlin!”

“I’m a sorcerer!” The truth burst forth, and Merlin cursed the potion, still in his system. “Is that what you wanted to hear? No, of course it wasn’t. You wanted to hear that I was being over dramatic and that I did nothing against the law. Well, I was born with magic! There’s the big treasonous secret!”

—

Hehe angst.

And finally, ❓ any WIP snippet you want!

I actually got the idea from reading SOS 😉 you know exactly what scene I’m talking about

—

“She’s… she’s nice,” Nathaniel said somewhat hesitantly. “And I mean it. She doesn’t seem like it, but once you learn her language…”

“She has the same emotions as everyone else,” Nicholas finished. “She just expresses them differently.”

Nathaniel nodded and was silent for a moment. Then he said, “Like me.”

Nicholas looked surprised. “Yeah. Like you.”

“You weren’t expecting me to say that out loud.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

There was a beat of silence, and then Nathaniel said, “It’s why you adopted her. I understand… I did the same with SQ.”

—

Thank you for the ask! This was fun!

[tiodolma]

anyway the self preservation thing got me thinking

.............................

Kilgharrah: this boy will be your other half and will give you freedom. teach him guide him. this is your mission.

Arthur: threatens and kills merlin's whole family and loved ones and his whole race. Constantly has to be convinced by Guinevere, Merlin and Morgana to defy his tyrant father and think for himself. Morally degrades Merlin at every opportunity just to butter him up when needed.

Merlin: I SEE GOODNESS IN YOU YOU HAVE A NOBLE HEART I KNOW YOU WILL CHANGE. YOU WERE JUST DOING WHAT WAS RIGHT TO SAVE CAMELOT. I GET MY LOVED ONES AND MYSELF ARE A THREAT TO THE GREATER GOOD. UNDERSTANDABLE. CARRY ON. IM THE SERVANT AT YOUR FEET. MY LIFE IS WORTH LESS THAN YOURS. GOD SAVE THE KING. ......................... Kilgharrah: Just kill Uther, boy. Let him die. Merlin: NOOO THAT WOULD JUST MAKE ME A KILLER LIKE HIM. GOD SAVE THE KING.

..............................

Kilgharrah: You need this kind of magic to defeat this magic user

Merlin: YES PLS GIVE ME IT. I NEED TO ELIMINATE THREAT ASAP PRONTO. EVERYONE COMMITTING OR WILL ABOUT TO COMMIT TREASON MUST DIE. GOD SAVE THE KING.

.....................................

Kilgharrah: this girl will be your exact opposite and will go against your goals

Morgana: Helped Merlin in any way she could, respected and trusted him AS A PERSON completely even though Merlin didn't show his true self to her, plotted to kill tyrant king that hurt magic folk, got betrayed by Merlin of all people, eventually turned to insurgency, necromancy and government destabilization when all options have been closed off.

Merlin: YES KILGHARRAH YOU ARE RIGHT. I CANT BELIEVE SHE DID THIS. SHE CANNOT KNOW WHAT I AM OR SEE ME FOR WHO I AM EVER. SHE IS EVIL AND SHE IS OUR BIGGEST THREAT.

....................................................

Merlin: I DID WHAT I COULD

Merlin: Also I can't believe I failed at life

Kilgharrah: none of us can escape our destiny, Merlin (winks)

[merlinfic]

group ask for lost fics #40

Hi y’all! Below are a few lost fics that us mods just can’t seem to find. That being said, we’re hoping that you lovely followers are able to help! If anyone knows any of the fics below please reply below or send in an ask with which anon/user and group ask that the fic corresponds with!

Note: previous group asks and all lost fics!

Anon 1 asked:

Hi, this is a lost fic request.  Arthur knows Merlin has magic. Merlin doesn’t know Arthur knows. Merlin gets hurt and is dying in front of Arthur. Arthur commands him to use his magic to heal himself.  I think there was a scene where Merlin tells Gaius about it when he and Arthur return to the castle

Anon 2 asked:

Hey I have two requests:

1. There was a fic where Gwen watches Arthur and Merlin have sex in ealdor in the middle of the night, and Morgana fingers her... there's a dialogue that basically goes "Merlin has no idea how many people are in love with him"

2. Definitely a long fic, where arthur finds out about Merlin and morganas magic and they go live with the druids. At the end, Arthur's supposed to take an army and sorta attack that group and mid battle he calls for a special battalion that turns against uthers army, Merlin basically unleashes hell on everyone, and Arthur gets crowned king on the condition that he can't commit treason ever again which he finds funny because he can't exactly commit treason against himself

I read them last year ig ...thanks !!

Anon 3 asked:

Hi, I'm looking for this fic where merlin had to crossdress as a woman and, and it has Arthur and the knights. They are in a village at some point, and I think Arthur and merlin posed as being married 

Anon 4 asked:

Hello! Your blog is awesome!

I'm looking for two fic but I'm not sure if they were fics or just promps(is it the right word?)

the first was while /after the lamia episode /accident. I just remember that  Arthur was arriving in the castle and the lamia is attacking but the little light orb that saved Arthur before (as merlin drank poison and Arthur wanted to get the flower) arrives and goes into the sword so Arthur could kill it, then the orb shows the way to the other knights and at least to merlin who is hurt. (was a bit angsty)

The second is Arthur gets enhanced to "freal behavior" his behavior is controlled by his primari emotions, so then he is angry he is really really "freal". It happens just after Arthur found out about merlins magic and so his freal behavior is directed on Merlin and the knights want to protect merlin and keep them apart but it just got worse. Arthur is yelling for merlin for example. In the end Merlin goes to Arthur and rather than killing merlin like the knights feared, Arthur cuddles Merlin.

Thanks for trying!

@caffeinatedanxiouscucumber asked:

Hey, hope you're doing well!

I have been trying to find this fic for the past month and can't find it and need your help.

It's a merthur canon au magic reveal fic. Arthur finds out about Merlin's magic and doesn't take it well and Merlin is feeling guilty so he wears cold iron handcuffs to block his magic and writes a letter to Arthur vowing that the magic was only ever meant for Arthur so he won't use it till Arthur tells him to. But since Merlin is magic the iron is killing him. It had a happy ending though!

Thank you!

@emrysmalfoy asked:

Hey, love the blog. Obsessed with your mods. Can you help me find these two fics?

1. I just remember this one scene. The Knights and Arthur are meeting the druids, Merlin 8s obviously with them and then the druids recognise Merlin as their king. Arthur is hella shook. And then something goes wrong and Merlin BAMFs out. And then Gwaine says something like, "this is why the neighborhood kingdoms don't f*ck with the druids anymore, be ause if their sovereign". Arthur is super flustered and Gwaine teases him, indirectly indicating that Arthur had a crush on Merlin.

2. There are these rumours flying around that Merlin is good in bed and somehow the Knights and Arthur wind up on the round table and Arthur brings this up. And the Gwaine heartily agrees and so does Elyan. So when Merlin comes in the room and Arthur asks him about this, Merlin looks at Leon and says something like 'I told you not to tell this to anyone' and then everyone is surprised because Leon slept with Merlin and didn't tell when Arthur asked.

Anon 5 asked:

Hey there! I was wondering if you by any chance have heard of a merthur fic where they start off together but break up due to Uther and later on Merlin gets attacked at night and loses his hearing which Arthur finds out about? I read it years ago but lost it! :(

Anon 6 asked:

Hi!

i was hoping you could help me find a fic

It was canon era - outsider POV I think, and it had Merlin living in a tower and all the citizens are afraid of going up to the tower to give him his meals etc and the newest servant goes in and he sees Arthur there too and realises that Merlin and Arthur are together

thank you

As always, this post will be updated if/when any fics are found!

[ameba-from-space]

I don't think people (and merlin) understand how powerful merlin is. And when I say powerful I don't mean in a magic sense, I mean in a political sense.

Just stop a little and think about it, by the latter seasons merlin holds the highest position between castle staff, he is the king's manservant for christ sake, he could order every single one of the castle staff to do his things for him cause he is under direct service of the king, just by this regard he already has the same amount of influence a, let's say, minor noble.

Bu HOO BOY, his influence doesn't just stop there because not only is he in the highest position in the castle staff, he also is a close friend and trusted advisor of : Pretty much all the knights, a good chunk of nobles and foreign royals, The royal physician, The freaking queen and last but not least he is best friends with the king. The amount of trust and power put in Merlin's hand is gigantic, if he truly desired he could influence and change most of the royal court with just a few words.

One of the episodes that best show this is servant of two masters, we all know the iconic scene of merlin walking in the armory and just straight up announcing he is going kill the king in front of one of the knights and then walking away, this shows the amount of trust everyone put on Merlin, were anyone else doing that they were probably going to jail for treason, but since it's merlin he walks away with a crossbow and a laugh.

Should merlin have at one point wanted to turn against Camelot he could destroy tbe entire kingdom from inside and not even be suspected of being the one doing it.

Merlin is in a perfect position to control the kingdom, if someone could control merlin they could just slowly destroy Camelot from the inside out.

Merlin's opinion on someone could also help or destroy their lives in court, if merlin doesn't like you then you bet your ass that he is telling his friend the king all about how much of a douche you are, if he likes you then you know he is telling the king how nice you are. Merlin's opinion on you could literally decide how the entirety of the court will treat you. Also if you have ever hurt merlin that's practically a death sentence, you will be hated by all of the royal court, the knights and servants, and you better know they are now committed to making your life a living hell.

Anyways, merlin is one of the single most important and influencial people in Camelot, and he doesn't even know about it because he is too much of an idiot to even realize this.

[agravaineoforkney]

I mean obviously mordred if he's still available, but also literally any orkney. or all of them.

Asjkdl thank you for the excuse to talk about the orkney kids! I love them.

Mordred is the character who got me into Arthuriana and I love him. Like I was sixteen, randomly got the idea to write an Arthurian story, decided to make it about Mordred, and I've been hyperfixating on Arthuriana ever since. So he definitely holds a special place in my heart.

Man, there really is nothing like a character you project onto when you're a teenager, though. Like the whole magic system in that book was a blatant metaphor for my OCD and sleep issues. I autistic-coded Mordred and didn't even realize until I read up on autism a bit and went, "huh. Weird that he comes across that way when I am definitely not autistic" and then didn't think about it until I realized I was autistic three years later. It's so funny to me.

I did have some kinda weird takes in that story, I think, but one take I had that I still like is that almost all of the family problems go back to Uther (I mean, a lot of Arthur's problems also go back to Merlin, but definitely the trauma of learning what Uther did to his mother fucked him up). Morgan, Morgause, and Mordred really were all out here trying to kill Arthur as a form of therapy in that story and I think that was very funny of them. Anyway I think the idea that Mordred is processing trauma through committing treason is very valid and also funny. Honestly I think 'everyone is attempting to process their trauma through murder and it's not working' is a valid reading of Arthurian legend as a whole.

'Wasted potential' is only for Malory, btw (well, and for basically every single Mordred in a modern adaptation that I've read for some reason, but you know). I find it really funny that Malory sets up SUCH an interesting villain--Mordred has every reason to hate his father! He doesn't have a reason to hurt Literally Everyone Else, though. I really like villains where they've got a good reason to do what they do, but also they're still murdering people. And then Malory just doesn't do anything with the setup he's created and Mordred is evil in Le Morte D'Arthur just because. Le Morte D'Arthur gets a pass in regards to its Mordred characterization ONLY for the scene where Mordred plunges Arthur's spear deeper into his chest in order to get Arthur into stabbing range. Iconic. That was the scene that made Mordred one of my favorites. What can I say, I adore characters who would murder me in real life.

What else uhh I think the fact that he and Agravaine are friends is SO cute and I love that. Characters who are pretty mean but are still really nice to each other are just *chef's kiss* Also this is a pretty unpopular opinion, but I kinda like the versions of the legends where Guinevere commits treason with Mordred mainly because my sister bullied me into writing it when I was younger lmao. Also I LOVE fucked up evil women who commit treason and I think Guinevere deserves to commit treason. Like genuinely I'm not even sure that I ship Mordred/Guinevere so much as I think Guinevere deserves to get the chance to kill people. Anyway I need to stop talking about this before I get off track and start talking exclusively about Guinevere, but suffice to say that I think my favorite (platonic or romantic) relationship dynamics to put Mordred in are when both characters are at least a little awful, but they really do love each other a lot and try to do the best they can for each other.

Also I love the Alliterative Morte Arthure and the way it portrays Mordred. Mordred is like weirdly sympathetic in that one?? He honestly comes across as in over his head and it's really interesting.

Anyway, man, I realized my childhood writing impacted how I view Arthurian characters a lot, but I feel like I didn't realize exactly how much until I wrote this post for some reason. Huh. Also I've made myself want to get back to that Arthurian retelling.

In conclusion, I love Mordred <3 He is so transgender and mentally ill and I adore him. My favorite Arthurian character is probably either Guinevere or Lunete, but Mordred is definitely up there.

I'm going to use this as an excuse to talk about Agravaine real quick because *gestures to username* I love him. Also he was one of the characters who was really pulling his weight as far as getting me through queer Christian kid-flavored childhood trauma. I don't know WHY I decided this character was sympathetic and also queer, the workings of my teenage mind are a mystery to me. This wasn't a decision that was influenced by anything that I can think of?? I'd never come across a sympathetic Agravaine before. Anyway I have no idea why I looked at this character and decided to have queer headcanons, but I do think I made the objectively correct decision. Anyway he has SUCH middle child energy. Sure, he's a jerk, but I simply think that it's impossible to be normal when you have Gawain for an older sibling and, as a middle child, I think that middle children have the right to be kind of mean.

I think Agravaine is just self-aware enough to realize that things around him are kind of Bad and people are doing bad things, but he's not self-aware enough to actually change anything or remove himself from the situation in any way. So instead he's just sarcastic and mean and people don't like him, even though honestly there are people around him who are way worse morally speaking (didn't. Didn't Gawain slaughter his way through an entire castle for no reason in this one Dutch romance. I love Gawain and I love when he murders people but he needs help). And then when Agravaine DOES finally stop being passive and make a choice for himself, it's completely the wrong one. No!!! Don't expose Lancelot and Guinevere's affair!! It's pointless and helps no one and you will die!! But he ignores all the good advice he is given, decides instead to listen to his definitely mentally stable little brother who is definitely making good decisions at the moment, and then he dies. Agravaine is my pathetic little man who I adore.

Also, I really like siblings who are also friends AND I like siblings who dislike each other even though they also love each other. So Agravaine and Mordred, and Agravaine and Gawain, respectively. I find Agravaine and Gawain to be kind of interesting, because even though they are very different and I'm not sure they get along too much, they're also very much cut from the same cloth? They both care a LOT about their family (which is a trait all of the orkney siblings share, tbh. In most families, that would be a good thing, but in the hands of the orkney siblings it turns into Gaheris killing his own mother because she fell in love with the son of the guy who killed her husband. I'm sorry these guys are just batshit and I can't stop thinking about them). They're both way smarter than they look and use that for evil. I think Gawain and Agravaine sort of dislike each other but also can't help but see themselves in each other, even when they don't want to.

As much as I would love to do all the orkneys at once, this post is already getting very long, so I'll stop here. Although while I'm talking about the orkneys, I will say that Clarissant is Best GIrl. Thanks so much for the ask, I loved the opportunity to ramble about my bad Arthurian opinions!

[someguyinc]

so this is a really good observation,, but it seems like it's built off of the assumption that the old woman is indeed guilty

i think what's important to keep in mind here is that people's opinions on sorcery are extremely biased in camelot at the best of times,

like for example when gwen is accused of causing plague and sickness she is immediately put to the pyre when her father is healed, and even though people have known gwen for a considerably long time,, they'd probably have no problem being in the crowd when she is lit,,

at this point arthur hasn't been king for exceptionally long and uther's influence remains strong so while it is possible that she actually did cause suffering and plague, it is equally possible that she might have actually done nothing wrong and someone died from an unfortunate accident,,

this is why arthur asks:

"did she receive a fair trial?"

the townsman immediately counters:

"your father would have shown her no mercy"

which i think irritated arthur heavily, as we see in the rest of the episode arthur has been having a great internal struggle with constantly comparing himself to his father and at the same time realizing that his father wasn't a fair and just king,,

i think arthur was going to just cut her down and hear everyone out as to whether she did deserve this execution, but that comment probably grated on his nerves as regardless of whatever the villagers thought his word still is law, and in refusing to follow it they themselves could be considered committing treason as well

there is also the fact that arthur did take into consideration the chief's words and after cutting her down took her out of the village into the forest where she took her final breaths

so i don't think he's being stupid but probably just extremely reckless

it could also just be poor writing, don't get me wrong i love this show dearly but the merlin bbc writers jump all over the place with arthur's stance on magic and the consistency with his character,, there are some moments where his actions just do not make sense but over all i think they're not so bad here

anyways that's just my opinion :) hope it makes sense

I just stared reading through the transcript of 5x03 and I hate to say it but Arthur kinda- acts dumb? Like there's that woman being put to death, and when he sees that, he immediately tells them to free her, without even asking what happened? And even when they tell him that she's a witch and caused suffering to the village, he like- doesn't care? That scene just doesn't make sense?

Like he asks if she got a fair trial, but like... ???

Like, when they told him that she didn't, the next logical step is to put her on a trial, not free her???

I'm so confused. Can somebody explain it to me???

Here's the transcript:

(Women screaming in the distance)

ARTHUR: What was that?

MERLIN: I think it was a bird.

(Women screams again)

MERLIN: That? That was definitely a woman screaming. Why couldn't it have just been a bird? It's never just a bird.

(Merlin runs closer)

ARTHUR: What are you doing?

MERLIN: I assume you want to risk our lives and see what's going on.

ARTHUR: I never thought I'd say this, Merlin, but you're learning.

(They walk up to the towns people)

ARTHUR: Let the woman go.

TOWNCHIEF: This woman has been sentenced to death. It does not concern you.

ARTHUR: I am Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, and your village is in my lands.

TOWNCHIEF: Her sorcery has brought sickness and suffering to this village.

ARTHUR: Did she receive a fair trial?

TOWNCHIEF: Your father would have shown her no mercy.

ARTHUR: I am not my father. Now cut her down.

TOWNCHIEF: I will not endanger the lives of all who live here.

(Arthur puts his sword to the Town chief's chest)

ARTHUR: I said... cut her down.

(It shows Merlin and Arthur later in the forest with the old lady, Valdis. Merlin is shown trying to heal her)

[akelafang]

Merlin and the knights playing never have I ever

At first, it's innocent stuff and Gwaine complains that it's all dull trivia and they need to start getting into the more interesting questions. Leon looks him dead in the eyes and says "Fine. Never have I ever been arrested" Literally everyone but Leon drinks.

From that point it becomes a challenge to see who's done the most outrageously criminal shit "Never have I ever been in a bar fight" "Never have I ever committed identity fraud" "Never have I ever broken someone out of the dungeons" "Never have I ever stolen from the royal vaults" "Never have I ever committed treason with the King still in the room" And Merlin. Just. Keeps. Drinking. Now it's about trying to find something Merlin hasn't done but one of the others has. The answer turns out to be "Never have I ever been banished from a kingdom"

Merlin passes out before he runs out of criminal things he's done. Magic is the only reason he's still alive the next morning after how high his blood alcohol level was.

After Merlin passes out the knight just look at each other wondering how Merlin hasn't been executed yet with all the shit he's done. Gwaine chuckles and shakes his head "Perks of being the king's mistress"

[aftertheskyy]

Goblin! Gaius

for the wonderful @arthurpendragonns. happy holidays luv!!

So I guess just,,,,if Gaius was in goblin mode for more than one episode

Ik it’s out of order, but listening to Merlin’s rant (“You think I sit around all day doing nothing?”) and idk, I just imagine him imitating Merlin in the background

Goblin! Gaius going to the tavern every single night Arthur: Where’s Gaius I’ve been injured Merlin: The...tavern? Arthur: What is wrong with you people

He hits on all the old ladies at the tavern, too

All of them

And they’re all in awe of him

Like

He has this whole fan club of old ladies

Grunhilda is the president (she fought off Alice)

Let’s just say that for some nights, Merlin does not sleep in his chambers 

Goblin! Gaius sabotaging the knight’s stuff when they annoy him

Itching powder in their chainmail, etc

One day after Leon tells Gaius off, he finds himself with a bird beak

Arthur has his donkey ears

Gwaine has an elephant trunk

Elyan has duck feet

Lancelot has a pig snout

And Percival looks more like a cat than a human

Merlin is dying in the background at the zoo of knights

But he implores Gaius to change it back

Goblin! Gaius stealing Arthur’s crown

He eats it and wears it

Arthur is absolutely disgusted Arthur: No that’s fine you just...keep it *backs away slowly*

OR (again, out of chronological order) but Gaius telling everyone in the castle that Uther got railed by a troll

Or just in council meetings and stuff. He’s a complete menace Uther, talking to a prisoner: You have committed treason and are hereby execu- Gaius: *burps loudly*

Goblin! Gaius doing a catwalk down the dining room table with all his gold and stolen shiny items

OR JUST

Goblin! Gaius paired with assassin! Merlin

Imagine the chaos Gaius: *sitting at the table in his chambers, licking gold coins* Merlin: *staring at maps, plotting murder* Arthur, walking in: 

Just,,,goblin! Gaius, man

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

Merlin & Arthur’s friendship: clichés versus reality (Part II)

Following on from Merlin & Arthur’s friendship: clichés versus reality Part I, here is part II. 

CLAIM #3: Arthur *constantly* denied that Merlin was his friend

This claim assumes that Arthur was 1)- serious when he did deny being friends with Merlin and 2)- unwilling to change that viewpoint.

Arthur had no need to either deny or admit to being friends with Merlin. Even when he said in episode 2x13 that, “I know I’m a Prince, so we can’t be friends,” the implication is that he does want to be friends. After all, he was insisting that Merlin confide in him. This pattern would repeat in many episodes to come. 

Bear in mind that Arthur has described other people as friends, too. This includes people we never saw onscreen. A clear example comes from episode 5x05, when Arthur was so moved with grief by Sir Ranulf’s death that he personally led a collection of knights to bring the sorcerer Osgar to justice. He explained to Gwen that “...he was a friend. We knew each other as boys.”

So why would Arthur have trouble admitting that Merlin was his friend? The viewpoint that being more arrogant and prejudiced in the earlier seasons, Arthur would not admit to friendship with a servant, does not hold as much water as some think. As early as episode 2x05, Arthur called Merlin a “true friend”, because he (mistakenly) thought that Merlin was criticising Lady Catrina on his behalf. 

Admittedly, the best examples of Arthur accepting Merlin as a friend come from Seasons 4 and 5. 

In episode 4x01, Merlin said, “I always thought that if things hadn’t been different, we’d have been good friends.” Arthur’s response? “Yeah.” During the crucial episode 4x03, Merlin sat outside the throne room all right, facing a crossroads between the end of his dreams and remaining loyal to the king. Of course, Arthur had no idea about this, but he appreciated the gesture. “You are a loyal friend, Merlin.” In episode 4x05, Arthur called Merlin “old friend”, which is self-explanatory. 

It’s also worth noting that even after claiming in episode 4x05 that he didn’t need friends, when Merlin later said, “I’m your friend!”, Arthur did not disagree. 

Now, I could cite the example of episode 4x07, where Arthur said to Merlin, “I’ve had my heart broken once today. I don’t want to lose another friend.” Self-explanatory. But was this proof of their friendship? No. Arthur was essentially threatening to end his friendship with Merlin if the latter continued criticising Agravaine. Later, in episode 4x11, Arthur again threatened to banish Merlin for the second time (thus ending their friendship) if he accused Agravaine of treason again. This once again shows how Arthur associated loyalty with family first. 

One of the best examples comes from episode 4x13: “I came back because you’re the only friend I have, and I couldn’t bear to lose you.” Is Merlin Arthur’s only friend? No. However, out of all Arthur’s friends, Merlin was his best friend, and losing almost everyone and everything else made him realise that yet again. 

Then we have all the actions which prove Arthur considered Merlin as a friend. 

For example relied on Merlin’s opinion, as Princess Mithian rightly observed in episode 4x11. “One thing I’ve learned since being here is that Arthur values your opinion above almost all others.” 

He complained about Merlin’s periods of silence and broodiness, like in episode 3x05: “Come on: I’m missing your usual prattle!” In episode 3x09, after noting that Merlin was upset, he said, “For goodness’ sake, what is your problem?”

Another example comes from episode 5x01, where Arthur noted Merlin sitting outside the camp and took the time to find out why he was “so upset”. 

The example from episode 5x05 is self-explanatory: “Seriously, I haven’t seen you smile these past three days.” Arthur relies on Merlin’s cheerfulness to remain optimistic, because he faces the constant threat of death. Notice that shortly after Merlin’s sombre mood, Arthur stopped dismissing Osgar’s warnings about The Disir.

As if this were not enough, look at Arthur spending downtime with Merlin. A great example comes from episode 3x04, where Arthur decides on “a nice, cold tankard of mead” after hunting. In episode 3x13, both were sitting on the courtyard steps discussing the future of the kingdom. Even despite his strenuous denials and ingratitude in episode 4x05, you can see Arthur gesture for Merlin to sit down the morning after they captured Caerleon.

What about all the hunting trips? Arthur knows that Merlin hates hunting (in fact, he takes pleasure in this fact), yet still brought him along, as episodes 1x13, 3x04, 4x11, 5x03, and 5x11 show. 

By far my favourite example comes from episode 5x12, when Arthur and Merlin were playing dice at the tavern. (I don’t know iwhat this game was called.) In my view, this happened regularly. Why else would the common people watch and laugh while Merlin poked fun at their king? (Percival’s face was classic.) And why was Arthur playing against Merlin? When did Merlin learn how to play dice? Who taught him? When? 

Obviously, I do not know, but it’s worth asking. 

Despite being speechless after Merlin “won” the game, Arthur let Merlin “win” all of his money. (Clearly, Arthur was the better player: “Feel free to retire at any time.” The king only used theatrics to get the right dice roll, while Merlin cheated with magic each time. If Merlin hadn’t “coughed”, then Arthur would have rolled correctly a second time. Hence why Arthur said beforehand, “Enjoy this moment, Merlin… while it lasts.”) 

Look at Arthur, who was dressed in a plain shirt, rather than his armour and cloak. When we put this scene in conjunction with episode 3x04, where Arthur again wore plain clothes, we can see that he enjoyed these moments of normality. “There’s no better place to measure the mood of your people than the local tavern… I’m just a simple peasant like everybody else.”

So where is this strenuous denial? Nowhere. Arthur never constantly denied that Merlin was his friend. Nor did he only admit this in secret, otherwise the great dice scene in episode 5x12 would never have happened. Sure, the people might have been astonished to see their great king playing against a servant, but they must also have known that if Arthur allowed himself to be “beaten” at a game by his servant, the latter must be his friend. 

CLAIM #4: Merlin was usually/always (in the) right

Wrong. Being right most of the time does not mean being right all of the time. Merlin failed to realise this, and consequently made grievous errors throughout the series. The most grievous errors came when he tried to fight against death. Episode 3x05 shows this; all of the grief and pain suffered by Arthur, Gwen, and Uther stemmed from Merlin mortally injuring Morgana in a bid to prevent her from killing the king. 

He effectively ignored the warning to “use what you see for good.” 

Then we have the example to end all examples; Merlin’s recklessness, presumptuousness, bold-faced hypocrisy, coldness, prejudice, and most of all, jealousy towards Sir Mordred. 

Even as early as episode 1x08, Merlin almost let the boy Mordred die on account of a prophecy. At least back then he questioned it before hiding in bed like a coward. Mordred also blamed Merlin for Uther’s carnage in episode 2x11, though in the case of that episode and episode 2x03, I think Merlin’s actions were no worse than presumptuous. 

It gets far worse in episode 5x02, when Merlin yelled, “You should have killed him!”, to which Arthur rightly said, “What is wrong with you?” Mordred saw that he could not jump across the gorge, so he surrendered and walked away. (He probably knew that Arthur would arrive in Ismere soon, as his later conversation with Morgana demonstrates.) 

Later on, Arthur gave Merlin another strange look after Merlin said, “I told you, you should have killed him when you had the chance.” How could someone usually so compassionate insist on executing a man who stopped threatening them?

Remember how Merlin reacted to Arthur killing Caerleon in episode 4x05, despite having plenty of evidence that Caerleon was a threat to Arthur’s life?

By the way, episodes 5x01 and 5x02 are my favourite examples of Merlin being horrendously wrong. Other episodes include 5x05, and the crucial errors he made in episode 5x11. (I watched most of episode 5x11 last Sunday, and I was floored. It shook me more than 5x12 and 5x13, which I had also been avoiding for years.) 

Going back to episodes 5x01 and 5x02 (because episode 5x11 is too depressing): if Arthur had listened to Merlin’s “advice”, he would have abandoned his knights to a slow death in slavery. He would also have committed murder, simply on Merlin’s say-so. If you kill someone who is defenceless and has surrendered, that is murder-- regardless of whether, like Merlin, you are desperately scared of a prophecy and speaking without thinking. 

Also, if Arthur had rushed back to Camelot on Merlin’s say-so, he might well have been assassinated by Ruadan. 

Most of all, almost everything that Merlin “advised” violated Arthur’s core beliefs-- the very beliefs that made Merlin respect Arthur in the first place. It’s astonishing that Arthur had to explain no less than five times that he would never abandon any of his men, otherwise he would be abandoning his own values and the values that built Camelot. 

So desperate is Merlin to fight against death that he either quietly ignores this advice, or claims he agrees, only to try dissuading Arthur later on. 

Just to be clear: I perfectly understand that beneath all Merlin’s horrible advice and prevarication, he does not want to lose his friend. 

However, just watch Merlin’s marvellous inconsistency throughout episode 5x01. First, he plays Devil’s Advocate by asking Arthur, “Do you really think Gwaine and Percival could still be alive?” Arthur says he has to find out, because they are knights of Camelot. Merlin says, “I understand.” Of course he did. 

Bear in mind that this happened before Merlin learned of the prophecy. Some have therefore asked what made Merlin unwilling to look for the missing knights, who were his friends. 

In Annis’ castle, Merlin said, “I’m not sure we should go to Ismere.” On the other hand, Arthur, acting on reliable information that Morgana had rounded up slaves, took this as a sign that his mission was right. Merlin tried arguing, then gave up. One might assume that after two rational explanations, Merlin would see reason, particularly since even Kilgharrah could not confirm that the fated battle would take place. 

But no. After the knights left Annis’ lands, Merlin complained again that Morgana was “powerful… dangerous.” So, Arthur explained yet again that “no matter what lies ahead of me, I won’t abandon them.” Merlin respected this answer, because he said, “I understand. I wish I didn’t-- but I do.” (Why does he wish he did not understand why Arthur would risk his life for all of his soldiers?) 

But the very next day, after the ambush, Merlin turned to rage: “The two of us against Morgana, are you mad?” He tried stopping Arthur from going any further. So Arthur explained himself again. Consequently, Merlin continued following Arthur. 

The very same night, he once again insisted that, “We have to turn back.” Arthur explained himself yet again, and Merlin promised to “protect you or die at your side.”

Which one is it? Not to mention that in episode 5x02, instead of apologising for his carelessness, Merlin said, “And I told you to go back to Camelot.” This is silly, given that Arthur had already refused to return on numerous occasions until he had rescued his men, assuming they were still alive. 

The most hilarious example comes later, when Merlin says, “We can’t let them hand us over to Morgana: we need to get out of here, we need a plan.” But when Arthur comes up with that plan, what does Merlin say? “You’ve got to be joking!”, “You should have killed him!”, “Next time, we might not be so lucky.”, “We’ll never make it in there.”, and “How did you talk me into this?” 

Again, which one is it?

I know why Merlin behaved this way, of course. However, there’s a difference between the noble goal of protecting your friend, and ignoring everything and everyone else in order to reach that goal-- particularly through controlling means. Throughout the series, Merlin’s biggest fault comes from his controlling tendencies, which always backfire. And he never learns.  

In this way, Merlin shackled Arthur with unrealistic expectations about a Golden Age based on prophecies that he could not verify. Somehow, this Golden Age had now become evading Arthur’s death. He wanted Arthur to share that belief. Worse, even while his motives came from a noble goal, he treated other people as expendable. 

Another example of Merlin’s absurd reasoning comes from the fateful episode 5x05. Putting aside the fact that Merlin tried claming that sentencing Mordred to die was an acceptable price to pay “for Camelot”, he also previously claimed that, “I do care. About who you are, Arthur. Who you are destined to become.” 

This makes zero sense, given that Arthur had already taken the throne and “brought peace to the kingdom” (episode 5x03). What more did he have to achieve? It depends on who you ask: bringing back magic, uniting the five kingdoms, eternal peace, avoiding the prophecy about Mordred, bowing to the Triple Goddess, being the greatest king this land has ever known… 

Can you see how unrealistic this is? Moreover, can you see how Merlin used Arthur as a vehicle of his own unrealistic ambitions? This is why the Golden Age never happened: it was a myth. It allowed the Druids, Gaius, Kilgharrah, etc. to live vicariously through the new king. 

Bringing back magic was impossible while Morgana continued using it for great evil. (And the Triple Goddess, who complained about Arthur persecuting sorcery, allowed Morgana to continue that evil conduct.)

Arthur did take considerable steps to uniting the kingdoms, particularly when he signed a treaty with King Odin in episode 5x04. But eternal peace? Impossible, otherwise episodes 5x01 and 5x02 would not have happened. 

The unbiquitous prophecy about Mordred was never backed by evidence, leaving Merlin in a state of constant paranoia, and causing him to make horrible errors. This despite the fact that, by his own admission, “I like him [Mordred] myself.” [1]

Bowing to the Triple Goddess was nothing but blackmail using Mordred’s life as a bargaining chip. This once again shows how many sorcerers had caused chaos and misery. Remember, this same Triple Goddess used torture techniques such as controlling people’s minds using the Fomorroh, as Morgana explained in episode 4x06. 

While I believe that the persecution of peaceful sorcerers was wrong, Arthur had no quarrel with the Druids (episode 5x11), and he still had good reason for banning sorcery (also explained in episode 5x11). Nobody, not even Merlin, gave him a reason to change his mind. Kara definitely did not, for she wasn’t executed for being a Druid: she was executed for murder and attempted murder. 

As for being the greatest king this land had ever known… Well, Arthur appreciated that statement in episode 4x12. However, when Merlin spoke of the greatest kingdom in the world in episode 4x13, Arthur said, “You’re making this up.”

In episode 5x01, Merlin claimed that, “Arthur, without you, Camelot is nothing.” Arthur disagreed, saying that abandoning his men was worse than surviving Morgana. Even in episode 5x04, Arthur accepted his death. “So be it. But understand this, Odin: you kill me, and you’ll have all of Camelot to answer to.” Odin was astonished that a king could have such confidence in the face of death. 

The most important example comes from episode 5x13. Merlin said the same thing about Camelot being nothing without Arthur, to which the dying king said, “There was a time when that was true. Not now. There are many who can fill the crown.” And of course, he gave the royal seal to Gwen. Can anyone argue with this? 

I guess you could say that Arthur didn’t believe his own hype.

Indeed, Arthur felt satisfied about what he had achieved in his life. “Everything you’ve done, I know now. For me, for Camelot. For the kingdom you helped me build.” (Episode 5x13). That was it. Arthur knew that he had changed Camelot for the better, that Merlin killing his half-sister had brought “peace at last”, and that he owed Merlin an unpayable debt for helping him to achieve all of these goals. 

Why did Arthur accept the certainty of his death for so long? Because he believed his cause was right, and his death would help save the lives of thousands in Camelot. Dying in service to Camelot was his real destiny. It was inevitable, and to him, it was the most honourable act he would ever undertake. 

You cannot know how great you will be until you die. “That’s the way things work, I’m afraid. You get the glory when you’re not around to appreciate it.” (Episode 4x06). At that point, you will never see your legacy. Merlin either did not know that, or he did not want to know it. 

Arthur’s death ultimately serves as the greatest evidence that Merlin was wrong the whole time.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART III

FOOTNOTES

[1]  I don’t doubt that Merlin liked Mordred. In fact, the scene in episode 5x05, where Merlin buried Osgar, shows how difficult it was for him to maintain his mistrust when the druid was so polite and perceptive. So why the contradiction? Why claim you like someone, yet insist that they would commit regicide? The answer is that Merlin used the prophecy as an excuse. In fact, his prejudice against Mordred had more to do with jealousy than the prophecy. After being involved in an attempt to trade Arthur and Merlin as slaves to Morgana, Arthur knighted the druid for one noble act. Did Merlin aspire to be a knight? I don’t know. He definitely wanted that same level of trust and respect given to Mordred, though, and knighthood created a bond that a servant could not have.

[blog-for-merlin]

I Can Count His Goosebumps

Author's Note: You will quickly come to realise that I can't write endings for shit but apparently a writer is his own worst critic so, idk.

Lots of of fluff and if touch is your love language, you'll get it. That said, enjoy!!

♡♡♡

"This is a cave, Arthur!"

"Oh Merlin, so dramatic! Cave... inn... they're virtually the same thing," Arthur grins with that glint in his eye which manages to simultaneously worry and please Merlin at the same time. The king doesn't tend to grin like that very often these days. There isn't much to take pleasure in. Even Gwaine's mindless idiocies failed them to the point that the knight rarely did much else than his duties.

The satisfaction of having prompted a smile from the king quickly dissipates as Merlin remembers the issue at hand. He crosses his arms, "I'm not sleeping here," he scoffs.

"Stop being a whinge, Merlin. Look," Arthur waves in the general direction of the floor, "Firm ground to rest on," he gestures to the roof of the hollow, "And a shelter from the rain. What more could you want?"

As if coordinated, a fat droplet plummets from the ceiling onto the king's face. Merlin stifles his giggle—he's not going to let Arthur think he's been convinced. A shiver runs down the his spine and he huddles tighter into himself. The winters seem to be getting more and more unbearable as the years go by, "It's cold."

Arthur groans, too tired to tease his manservant any further. Patience seems to be rationed as of late. Not just for the king, but for everyone. The gloom of Morgana's death seems to sweep over the entire kingdom. The ugliness of who she transformed into doesn't easily erase who she once was, the darling of Camelot. Swiftly, Arthur whips off his cloak and throws it at Merlin, "There. Now will you please stop complaining and just get some rest? If we're to reach Ealdor by the evening, we have to leave at first light."

He unties his scabbard belt, setting it down and attempts to seek out a dry spot to sleep on the damp ground, finding only a small space against the back wall, hardly enough to fit two men. It's not like we haven't slept in worse, Arthur thinks, remembering an uncomfortable night involving a dead rabbit, a tight hanging net, limbs intertwined so closely it felt like they were extensions of each other. A secretly fond memory from times long past. What would he have done if there wasn't a rabbit wasn't trapped between them? If there was less distance, if their faces were mere millimetres apart, if they'd felt each other's breath on their faces. What would he have done then?

Merlin's voice startles him from the rather inappropriate wanderings of his mind, "You know Arthur, you still haven't given me back that cloak I gave you,"

The king pivots to face Merlin who is wrapped adorably in his cloak, only some unkempt tufts of hair and twiggy feet poking out from the scarlet fabric, "What cloak?"

"My cloak. The blue one. The only blue cloak you have?" The king feigns confusion.

Merlin huffs and rolls his eyes, Arthur can be so childish at times, in an irritatingly endearing way that makes you forget that he's the head of an entire kingdom, "The one that you keep wearing to your hunts and getting dirty and then never returning because it needs to be washed?"

"Oh right, that one," Arthur smirks sheepishly, tugging at the back of his hair, "It's dirty,"

"Yes, I bet it is."

"Wait a minute, you know I'm the king here, right?" Arthur grabs his scabbard and throws it on the dry space in the back as Merlin follows him.

"That's what they tell me,"

"You can't talk back to me like that, Merlin. That's treason."

"If you were going to arrest me every time I committed 'treason', Arthur, I'd be long gone by now." Which was true enough, Arthur figures, as he takes Merlin's satchel from him and throws it next to his own while Merlin tries not to trip on the cloak or the slippery rock.

"Perhaps I should have, then," Arthur mutters, settling himself down next to the cave wall. Merlin pauses a moment as he realises that the tiny space next to Arthur is the only remaining hint of dryness left on the cavern floor, "Arthur!" he exclaims in dismay, "How on Earth am I going to fit here?"

"Oh shut up Merlin, you're scrawny,"

"I'm not that scrawny!"

"You're just going to have to make it work, then, aren't you?" Merlin's eyes are blazing now, and he's not amused.

"Arthur I didn't ask you to come to Ealdor with me, I could have come on my own; I've come to Ealdor a hundred times on my own already. If I were on my own, perhaps I wouldn't have to sleep in a cave in the middle of who-knows-where on the soaking ground," Arthur should be furious at his manservant's words by now, but Merlin's cheeks are turning pink to match the cocoon of cloak around them in a way that Arthur can't help being charmed by, and it doesn't sound like Merlin is slowing down at all to give him a chance to butt in, " In fact, I'd probably be there already, in dry clothes and with a full belly. So if you don't move your giant bum over right now, you prat, and give me the side of the wall, I'm leaving."

If the cold wasn't making Merlin breathless enough yet, that mouthful of a rant definitely did. Not managing to muster up any more than a tired chuckle and an "Okay, okay... calm down Merlin," Arthur shuffles himself away from the wall and lets Merlin pull himself over into his place.

Merlin gets grumpy when he's tired, and it had been a long day. This is enough to convince Arthur to let his manservant off, just this once. In reality, Arthur knows that 'just this once' has happened at least six times in the the past two months alone. Clearly, Merlin isn't as feeling as nonchalant about his sister's passing as he tries to let on. Sighing, Arthur removes his jacket, folding it into a pillow and wriggles down onto his side. He pushes himself as far away from the slimy moss as he can, digging his back into Merlin's. The unexpected contact, which is not unpleasant in the slightest, draws out a gasp from the king, which he hopes was drowned out by the sound of the pouring rain outside.

"Arthur, you're squishing me,"

"Oh would you stop complaining?" Arthur grunts. He spins himself around so that he's facing Merlin's back, draped in his own cloak. His breath hitches as he imagines Merlin huddled under the hills and valleys of red made by the fabric.

The sheerness of his shirt under it, so sheer and wet that it might as well not be there at all. He tries not to think about the paleness of his skin, and the goosebumps that must be all over it in this freezing cold. He lets out a breath he didn't realise he was holding and with it, a shiver.

Merlin feels, no, senses, Arthur's head near him. He goes as still as a stone. They're so close. But not close enough. The distance is excruciating. He feels the king's shudder and realises his privilege––not so much a privilege, but a barrier. Darn cloak. "You're cold," he says, as bluntly as he can muster.

"What? No I'm–" Arthur is cut off by another shudder.

Arthur watches as his servant struggles to unwrap himself from the cloak. Should he refuse? He is the king, after all, perhaps he does want the cloak. But these thoughts are not what appear at the forefront of Arthur's brain. Skin. All he can see is skin. Skin everywhere. So close. So damn close. "Here, take it."

It does have goosebumps, his skin. A hell of a lot of them. And he's shuddering like a flag in the wind, "It's fine, Merlin. You need it more than me."

"You're the king. Gods forbid, I get arrested. Isn't that right, Your Highness?" Merlin throws the cloak to Arthur, who seems to be fixated on his back. His now almost bare back. He shifts himself, moving himself back, ever so slightly, closer to Arthur. Not close enough.

Gods, Arthur. Pull yourself together. It's Merlin we're talking about. The king clears his throat, "We'll share," he announces, as nonchalantly as possible and throws the cloak over the two of them, shifting closer still, his arm arching over Merlin's shuddering body, touching ever so slightly. He can count the goosebumps now. One, two, three four, five... if he moves his head just a tiny bit more...

Arthur's hair feels soft and inviting on Merlin's back, as if enticing him, and his breath––hot and cold at the same time. Not close enough. One small movement and it'll be his lips. Without thought, Merlin seizes the king's wrist where he's holding the cloak over them, bringing it into himself in an embrace. Or into a trap? He pushes himself back into Arthur, feeling both bodies yield to the touch. Merlin keeps Arthur's hand, strangely warm, clasped tightly in his own, pressed against his chest.

Skin. SO much skin. Arthur lets Merlin push his body into him. He lets his back press into his lips. At least that's what he tells himself. He's only avoiding resistance, not participating. You can't be participating if you don't have control. And Arthur has no control, none at all. Only his body does. Only his lips. Only his hands, his chest. And so he lets his arms wrap around Merlin's stomach pulling him in tighter, closer. He lets his lips wander all over his back, searching for the skin, skin, more skin under his shirt.

Merlin feels Arthur's lips running all over his back, as if they're searching for something lost, desperate to find it. And they do, as Arthur's mouth finds itself immersed in Merlin's shoulder. Merlin forced his lips to stay closed as to not make a noise, and a deep breath is all that he allows to escape. He dares not turn back, he can't face Arthur, not like this. He lets himself bask in the darkness of the night and the secrecy of the pounding rain outside the cave. He wonders what this means, all of it. This fire is his heart, what will it amount to?

Arthur lets his lips, and hands and body and the flame in his heart take control. He lets himself forget everything. Camelot, Morgana, everyone. For Him. For His skin. For His touch, he'll let himself forget the whole world.

And under warmth of that flimsy red cloak, in that small cave, on that rainy night, the two flames finally collided. And no one could have guessed how much damage it would cause.

♡♡♡

[nonbinary-dinosaur]

Literally not even done with episode 5 of Merlin but even I know that everyone (Minus Uther) would and probably HAS committed treason for Merlin.

[thorne93]

The Softest Fire (Part 6)

Prompt: Rosaline Vaughan had it all: fame, money, power, glory, a high status job. Until, one day, she woke up, and realized something was missing from her life.

Word Count: 1821

Warnings: dealing with animals(??), anger(?)

Notes: First Fantastic Beast fic! I could NOT have done this at all without @arrow-guy​​​. They have created a counterpart to this fic, writing it from Nora Vaughan’s perspective (Rosaline’s cousin/adopted sister). Fic aesthetic done by @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​​​.

For some odd reason, after the engagement fiasco, Tina stopped sending letters to Newt. Something that should’ve made me happy, but watching his demeanor dwindle into lethargy and sadness did anything but bring me joy. I tried desperately to keep him occupied, keep him happy, keep him doing anything but thinking about Tina. Other than agreeing to help dictate two more letters to her, I was pretty successful. To be honest, I was a little worried for this American. Where was she? Why wasn’t she writing back? 

Also in this time, my cousin was trying to deal with her own heartbreak as well. I worked diligently to lick the wounds of both my friend and near-sister. I spent most of the day with Newt, focusing on our work, keeping him occupied; and by night, I was at Nora’s bookshop, helping her, preventing her from thinking too much about Theseus and the tramp. 

It was hard work, while tending to my own heart, but they didn’t deserve to be alone. I had to be strong enough for both of them, even if both of them pretended to be strong without me. Everyone needs a helping hand now and then. 

However, in June of 1927, things began to take a strange turn. 

Grindelwald had escaped, putting fear and anxiety high in the wizarding world. For a while, I thought of returning to the Ministry. Between breaking my own heart every day for Newt and wanting to feel like I could help against Grindelwald, I seriously considered it. Yet, I waited. I wanted to be sure that’s what I wanted, and that Grindelwald wasn’t captured in the meantime. 

Three months after his escape, Newt had been called in by Theseus to the Ministry. Newt asked that I accompany him. I agreed and we arrived. Newt went into the meeting alone and I stood out in the hallway to wait for him. 

I heard someone approach as I stood in the hallway, so I lifted my head to see who it was, only to immediately scowl as she approached. Her eyes met mine and she stopped immediately, from fear or distaste, I couldn’t be sure.

“Ah, Leta, what have you come to destroy today?” I wondered in a superficial voice. “Newt’s in there. Would you like to commit another crime and blame him for it?” 

Leta shook her head, clenching her jaw, looking off to the side. “Rosaline, I am not doing this. I’m just here to meet Theseus after his meeting. We have another meeting to go after this. But if me waiting for him is going to cause issues, I’ll leave.”

“You mean run away?” I asked, pushing off the wall. “How typical of you, Lestrange…”

“Merlin, what did I ever do to you?” she snapped, throwing her hands from her head to her side. Clearly, she was exasperated with me and my assault already.

“What haven’t you done? I have no tolerance for people who disobey rules.”

“Seriously?” she deadpanned. “That was ten years ago, get over it already. I was a kid, I didn’t ask Newt to take the fall for me.”

I sneered at her, putting my hands on my hips. “No, but you didn’t exactly take responsibility did you? You weren’t a child, Leta. It wasn’t like you didn’t know the repercussions of your actions.” 

“So, what, that makes it okay for you to constantly condemn me, smear my name? You act as if what I did was commit high treason.”

I took a few strides towards her, getting directly in her face. “The magnitude of your crimes was never the issue. It was that for a full year, I had to watch an innocent boy have no freedom while I watched you traipse around the school, not a care in the world. I was with him for most of that year, did you even check on him? Did you even care? And now, you show up in Theseus’s life, and for what? What are you really after? Job security? You’re not capable of love, no Lestrange is, so what’s your real motive?” 

“You don’t know the first thing about me, or Newt, or Theseus,” she countered. 

“On the contrary, I know them very well, and I know they’re far better off without you in their life.” 

“That’s not what Theseus thinks. He seems happy enough to make me part of the family. Can you say the same for yourself?” she shot back, her eyes burning on mine. I felt my hand twitch to my wand but I closed my eyes, stopping myself. 

“Every action, every word out of your mouth, everything you do, only serves you, it always has and it always will. That’s why I don’t like you.”

“You must be this bitter because you’re alone. That’s it isn’t it? You can’t stand the fact that people care for me, that I’m still at the Ministry, moving on with my career. You’re jealous, aren’t you?” 

A smile came onto my lips quickly. “Oh, dear, no. It’s hard to envy rubbish. You’ll never truly mean anything to anyone.”

“Rubbish?!” Leta balked just as Theseus appeared beside the two of us. 

“What’s rubbish, darling?” he asked. I wanted to vomit in my mouth, but I refrained. 

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” I dismissed, shooting a quick look to Leta. “Is Newt coming?” 

“Right here,” he said from behind Theseus. The two brothers embraced before Newt nodded to me and we began to walk out of the Ministry. 

He explained what the meeting was about on the way out. It was an offer to join as an auror and his traveling restrictions would be lifted, if he helped look for Credence. He denied, to no surprise of mine. 

Once we were outside, he suggested I go back to his flat, since the creatures had been alone all morning. I nodded and he thanked me. We set off in different directions. 

I was still at his flat when he returned and told me something peculiar while he was out. On his way home, he was met by Dumbledore who asked him to go to Paris, to a safehouse, and to look for Credence. 

“Well, are you going?” I asked as we sat in his living room. 

“I have no idea. I don’t even know what this means. Why is everyone suddenly asking me to find him?” 

“You were trying to help a lost, hurt wizard. There is nothing wrong with that. People probably just think he’ll trust you.” 

At that moment, a knock came at the door. 

“Who could that be?” Newt wondered as he answered the door and in walked two people I’d never seen. A gorgeous blonde, and a plump, well kempt man. 

Newt welcomed the guests in quickly before dashing out into the hallway.

“Tina’s not here, Newt. It’s just us,” the blonde stated before turning to me. “Oh, you’re Rosaline. I’ve read all about you in papers and stuff and in Newt’s book. You’re a real treat!”

I nodded at her. “And you must be… Queenie, Tina’s sister.” Instantly, the presence of a legilimens made me uncomfortable. 

“Mhm, and this here is Jacob.”

“Ah, the muggle,” I acknowledged, extending my hand. “Nice to meet you both. Where is Tina?” I wondered. I was curious if she would show up at all, so I could prepare myself for it. Just as I asked, Newt had already dashed out in the hallway, sending a surge of fresh pain through me. 

"Oh! She ain't here right now on account of her Auror business. She's a very busy woman."

Jacob concurred in a mumble. “Yeah, busy woman.” He then smiled a wide, goofy grin. Newt had described him as jovial, but this seemed peculiar.

For the next hour, we entertained Jacob and Queenie until we had Queenie remove the spell on Jacob, then they got into a fight and she disappeared to go to her sister in Paris. With that, it was all Newt needed for an excuse to go search for Tina as well as Queenie.

 He asked that I come along for help, in case we ran into trouble. I climbed in the suitcase and Newt called that he was going to see if Nora wanted to join us. 

We stopped by her place, and of course she joined us as well. We followed Newt as he tried to track down Tina. All four of us were on the street when suddenly Jacob and Newt had disappeared. Following them into what appeared to be sewers, a flash of light and I dove around the corner, startling the man we’d been following.

I stunned the mysterious man who had drawn his wand on me, pressing my foot into his chest, daring him to make a move. While I held him down, Nora released Newt, Jacob, and a woman I'd never seen from a gated off section of the chamber. 

“Don’t hurt him,” she requested. “We need him.”

I narrowed my gaze at her. The idea of taking orders from someone I didn’t know did not set well with me. 

“You mean you need him,” I snapped. “Who are you anyway?” I wondered.

Newt stepped up half a step and gestured between the woman and myself. “Rosaline, this is Tina.”

My world felt like it had exploded. Up until now, Tina was an unseen entity, something I could combat, something I could ignore, something I hoped to quash while she wasn’t in London… But now she really was a breathing, living, woman in front of my eyes, and I couldn’t ignore her. I couldn’t pretend she didn’t exist. I couldn’t pretend Newt hadn’t chosen her over me. 

My jaw set before my eye twitched slightly. I tried to keep the indignant expression off my face. Thankfully, Nora touched my arm, bringing me back down from my rising aggression. It was a foreign feeling, jealousy. All my life, I had never been told no. I had anything my heart desired. When I was a hit witch, it was never personal, only a job. I never felt sympathy or anger for the wizards or witches I was after. The closest thing that came to this rage was I felt when we encountered people abusing the creatures Newt and I found. 

But that was different. That was seeing injustice be done to an innocent creature.

What I was feeling in that moment, when Newt said Tina’s name… It was as if I’d been impaled. Rage, hurt, jealousy, want, and fury stormed through me.

I had little time to process these feelings however, because a roar erupted through the room and Nora noted that it might be time to leave. 

We captured a zouwu (well, Newt did), and now, we were at the safe house to which Dumbledore had directed Newt, the mysterious man passed out as soon as we set him on the chaise.

~~~~~~~~~~~

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