#gwaine headcanons

[witchthewriter]

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞.

⤷ gender neutral, ambiguous race, and any size reader. Requests are open, thank you for reading!  

Warnings: swearing, some fighting - all in your honour though!

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ | ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ ᴵᴵ

𝑺𝑭𝑾🌿

After a long day, your s/o decides to take you to a nearby tavern and have a drink. It had been a while since either of you had gotten out without a duty to do. However, your evening was cut short when a drunken asshole insulted you.

𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐍

・Merlin would never be able to keep such a big secret from his spouse; he'd want to give every part of himself to you. And so he had. You welcomed the secret with open arms.

・So when you made your way down to the tavern after a particularly challenging day, you were not expecting to be outright insulted.

・The bald fat (toothless) man let the words escape his drunken mouth without the hint of a thought of consequence.

・Big motherfucking mistake.

・A bewildered laugh came from Merlin. His mind already sifting through the many spells he was about to use.

・You looked at him, and simply nodded. This day had been too heavy, and the insult, no matter how untrue, was still hurtful.

・'Out of nowhere' (as some patrons would later explain it), the man flew from his chair and landed in the lap of the burliest man there.

・Strong man was furious and as he looked down, anger rose within him (you could physically see it ... he turned red...)

・Without even lifting a finger, your hater had been punched, and kicked straight out of the tavern. Not before Merlin made him land in a pile of dung.

𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐓

・When your honour is in question Lancelot does not play around.

・As he hears the insult, automatically, his head moves to the left, and he blinks once.

・Without a word he unsheaths his sword and waits for the low life to do the same.

・When the low life doesn't, Lancelot makes someone give him a sword, and drags him outside.

"I'm going to make you think twice before saying such filth."

・And the high pitch ring of steel on steel rang out in the air.

・The whole time your head was in your hands, because truly, you had heard worse. You were tough, and all you wanted to do was get a bit sloshed with your hot ass husband.

・But no, he insisted on fighting for your honour ... like he always does.

・And low and behold, the Knight of Camelot won.

"Are you alright, my love?" Lancelot's lips were pressed against your ear, and you nodded.

"You know you don't have to do that for me-"

"Oh I know," he replies quickly, giving you a half smile. "But you are my spouse. And I will always protect you."

𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐔𝐑

・Scoffs, a smirk on his lips as his eyes narrow on the idiot who insulted you.

"Do you know who I am? Well... I guess not. Someone with a brain would never insult the King nor his Queen/Consort"

・Gasps were heard around the tavern

And the man went as pale as Gaius' hair

"Ah, I see you've figured it out. Thought I might have to spell it for you."

"Oh Arthur," you scolded, bumping his shoulder.

・You had heard it all in your lifetime, and one day you decided that the words of sheep do not affect a tiger.

"What would you like me to do with him, my love? The dungeons? The stocks?"

・You watched as the man quivered. He would have been in his mid-twenties, barely a whisker on his chin.

"Hmmmm," you pretended to think. Your mind already made up. It was a silly little comment, from a silly little boy.

・Arthur knew you too well, his gaze turned stern on the young man. A rusted sword hanging on his hilt. He had begun to shake.

"I think we should leave him be. Maybe he won't let his tongue wag so freely."

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋

"Excuse me? What was that?"

・Percival instantly shot up from his seat at the table. The candle flickered as he did so, and you reached out to steady it.

"Perci, it's fine, really." You mumbled, not wanting to draw more attention to yourself. But one of the positives of having such a huge husband is that he will win against nearly anyone in a fight.

・Well, most of the time, men are too scared to even fight him.

・As was your insulter.

・Whose bravado slowly diminished as he watched the large Knight loom over him.

"What I- what I meant was-"

"Apologise."

"Sorry, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean it!"

"Now leave."

"Yes, yes of course!"

・You were actually impressed by the cowardice of this man. He didn't put up one ounce of a fight. Just followed exactly what Percival said.

"Thank you," you whispered, a smile appearing on your face.

"No. Never thank me. I will always stand up for you."

𝐄𝐋𝐘𝐀𝐍

・A raise of his eyebrow, and a turn of the head. A cold, intimidating demeanour washing over him. Elyan noticed the clean face, shining armour and coat of arms on the man's cloak.

"Say that again. I dare you." His voice was a growl; low and rumbling.

・The man, no, knight, did not shrink or apologise.

"Oh what a match. The marred and the deaf. A great pair-" the knight turned around and laughed with his men.

"Mmm." Elyan looked at the arse like a snake deciding on dinner.

・Your hand itched to grab the dagger at your waist, but Elyan knew you too well.

・Looking at you, he put a hand on your arm and slightly nodded his head. I want to handle this, his eyes said.

・Folding your arms, you took a step back, 'be my guest,' you answered with a smile.

𝐆𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄

・Aggressive asf

・Doesn't even ask who said it first, he just throws himself at anyone and everyone who laughs

・Absolutely punching and kicking, grabbing heads and banging them together.

・You shake your head but join in, because that's part of the reason Gwaine loves you. You never let him have all the fun.

・And you would never let anyone talk crap about you. Especially to your face. That's not the reputation you wanted to hold.

・But who knew brawls could be romantic? With Gwaine somehow they are...

・Especially when he holds a man down so you can give him a few punches, Gwaine smiling at you.

"That's my girl/that's my guy"

・But it's not like you're allowed into many taverns anymore

・Only when Arthur, the King is there, that you're allowed to enter.

𝐋𝐄𝐎𝐍

・Instantly his nose flares, invisible steam streaming from them.

"Apologise. This instant."

"Ooohooo," was the only reply he got. Along with the awful sound of drunk men's laughter. Well, more like coughing and wheezing.

"I'll ask one more time. After that, you'll be on the ground."

・The men barely looked in your husbands direction. Big mistake...

・Leon moved to block your view of what he was about to do.

・Because his word was truth.

・Within a second, the man who insulted you was on the floor, nose broken and bleeding.

・Once he's sorted it out, Leon turns to you and holds out his arm for you to take.

"Are you alright my love?" His concern falls on you and doesn't leave until you're feeling better.

[hannahhook7744]

Pierced his ears for funsies.

Thrown a wild ass party.

Taken up cooking.

Tried out different pranks on his friends.

Things Gwaine has definitely done post reincarnation/rising:

Tried to raid Area 51.

Bought all of McDonald's apples pies in one day.

Been banned from multiple states.

Been banned from multiple bars.

Been arrested at least once.

Joined a fight club style club.

Fought various assholes for various reasons.

Stopped a couple of muggings.

Pranked his coworkers.

Had more one night stands.

Caused chaos for the sake of it to annoy anyone he doesn't like.

Gotten arrested for yelling "COME ON PRINCESS, WAKE UP ALREADY!" at every big body of water whenever a big crisis has come up.

Ended up on World's dumbest criminals for doing something stupid while drunk.

Gotten into at least one social media.

Gotten a tattoo.

Repeatedly grow his hair out.

Gotten a motorcycle.

Gone to the zoo.

Hug each and every friend of his when they turn up.

Welcome any reincarnated person Merlin had introduced him to.

Made sure Merlin has actually GONE to a Tavern.

Apologize for the way he acted about magic to Merlin/around Merlin. Because he definitely feels awful about it when he finds out about Merlin's magic.

Look for reincarnated versions of lost friends and loves.

Alternates between his old style and different modern styles.

Wrestled a crocodile.

Punched a shark.

Did a heist to get some of his old shit back from a museum.

Had some kind of odd pet.

Worked at a bar.

Traveled the world, got bored of it, and returned back to his friends.

Maybe had a kid.

Tried to get Merlin to pull some pranks.

Feel jealous that Lance and Arthur knew about Merlin's magic before him. Even if he doesn't say it.

Become Besties with Will.

Feel free to add. Like mentioning jobs he might have had.

[bamboozledcorvid]

Merlin’s secret headcanons

All of the knights know Merlin has a secret, they don’t all know what it is but they have ideas.

- Lancelot knows that Merlin is a sorcerer, him and Merlin talk about it, he knows about the prophecy.

- Gwaine knows that Merlin is a sorcerer, he also knows that sorcery is illegal and that as a knight he has a duty to turn him in, so he pretends not to know. He also always covers for him when he disappears and Arthur comes to the tavern looking for him.

- Elyan has suspicions about Merlin being a sorcerer (it’s not very well hidden) but is convinced that no one is stupid enough to deliberately practice magic that close to the pendragon so he assumes that Merlin doesn’t know what he’s doing.

- Leon knows for certain that Merlin is gay. He understands it’s frowned upon which is why it’s a secret and that clearly Merlin wants it to be a secret so he doesn’t bring it up but sometimes he worries for the boy’s safety cause he is not hiding it well.

- Percival is pretty sure Merlin has a crush on most of the knights, definitely Lancelot and Arthur, maybe also Gwaine. He thinks that everyone knows he’s gay and that they just don’t bring it up. (He also thinks Gwaine is bi and Arthur is at least a little interested in men).

- Arthur believes Merlin is gay, he also believes Merlin doesn’t know he’s gay. He doesn’t bring it up he’s trying to let Merlin discover himself in his own time though he does something made the odd remark to try and nudge his discovery along a bit. (He also believes Merlin has a crush on him).

[hey-im-okay]

So do we just all agree that the knights absolute love Merlin the way cat owners love their cats?

Knights, holding up Merlin from under his arms: so this is Merlin and he’s so nice and we love him.

Merlin: *is actively breaking the law by existing* *has literally killed people* *drops branches on peoples heads* *and even tried to kill the king*

Knights: he’s just a funky little guy :)

I would even bet money he knocks glasses off tables when he wants to annoy someone (Arthur-)

[justaz]

lol arthur realizes with the other knights after watching merlin flirt and being hit with a wave of deja vu: holy shit you asked me out

merlin and the rest of the knights around a campfire after leaving a village bc lancelot and leon somehow started a brawl in the tavern: ???

arthur points at merlin: after valiant! you asked me to buy you a drink! you were asking me out!

merlin is busy cooking dinner and confused out of his fucking mind: what???…..valiant….oh the knight with the snakes.

gwaine who was slightly tipsy now stone cold sober and sitting up straight against a tree: wait. explain. what do you mean merlin asked you out??

arthur snaps his fingers as he recalls the memory: i apologized for sacking you and you said that if i bought you a drink we’d be even.

merlin now remembering how he had stumbled into camelot, picked a fight with a pigheaded bully which quickly turned homoerotic and flirtatious, and continued their teasing-flirting for days before merlin shot his shot and asked the prince out only to be rejected: oh yeah, i forgot i did that…..wait, you mean you didnt realize what i was asking?

arthur: no?? we argued everyday, how was i supposed to realize you were asking me out??

merlin now abandoning the dinner and staring across the camp at arthur while the rest of the knights watch their back and forth like a game of tennis: to you we were arguing, to me that was very much flirting. i thought you were flirting back so i decided to ask you. then you rejected me

arthur, mentally beating his past self up for fucking up their chance: i didn’t reject you!!! i just didn’t realize what you were asking me. how was i meant to? we fought every chance we got

leon, nudging elyan, glee and excitement riling through him: its happening!!! its finally happening!!! seven long, grueling years is finally paying off!!!

merlin, realizing the misunderstanding and acknowledging the fact that he wasn’t rejected, his flirtations just weren’t noticed - realizing he still has a chance: oh…oh i see. arthur, my dear, our fights were extremely flirtatious. need i remind you of what you said? “do you know how to walk on your knees? would you like me to teach you?” or “i could take you apart with one blow”

arthur, mental capabilities at an all time low: m…my dear….?????????

merlin grinning devilishly as he realizes that his flirtatious persona he had hidden away after falling head over heels for arthur can make a come back: that is what i called you. should i call you something else? say…mine?

percival gags in elyan’s ear: cheesy

elyan hides a laugh: at least they’re finally getting somewhere. better than the hopeless pining

arthur, flushed from head to toe: ah uh no um im uh

merlin thoroughly enjoying himself: oh come now, your majesty. use your words.

[quinnoliver]

Merlin: *takes off his neckerchief to treat Gwaine 's wounds*

Gwaine: Merlin

Merlin: what

Gwaine: yes

Merlin: yes what?

Gwaine: I will marry you -

Arthur: GWAINE

[earthshine-moon]

So you know how Gwaine, Elyan and Lancelot all canonically (or at least implied) travelled around a lot and never settled down before they became knights?

Well my headcanon is that their paths crossed in some degree before the season 3 finale and then once they’ve all met again because of Arthur and Merlin they recognise each other and it’s like

[mandoriana]

*When Gwaine discovers that Merlin is a virgin*

Gwaine: WHAT THE HELL, MERLIN!

Merlin, *genuinely scared*: What, what happened?

Gwaine: HOW COME YOU'RE A VIRGIN?!

Merlin, *blushing*: And what does that have to do with you?!

Gwaine, *gesticulating dramatically*: YOU'RE MORE SLUT THAN I AM!

Merlin, *completely red with embarrassment*: NO, I'M NOT!

Gwaine: YES, YOU ARE! HOW CAN YOU BE A VIRGIN AND A SLUT?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE WORLD?!

Merlin, *trying to defend himself*: I just... I just haven't found the right person yet!

Gwaine, *laughing*: The right person? Merlin, you could have anyone, even me! Why not me?! *joking*

Merlin, *sulking*: So what? I have my principles!

Gwaine, *winking*: Oh, so you're waiting for someone special? Maybe a certain idiot "princess"?

Merlin, *rolling his eyes*: Oh, shut up, Gwaine!

Gwaine, *hugging Merlin from the side*: Don't worry, Merlin. We'll find someone who deserves you. Until then, you remain the purest promiscuous person I know!

Gwaine approaches Merlin with a mischievous smile.

Gwaine: You know, Merlin, I always thought you had a secret, but this... this is pure gold!

Merlin, *sighing*: I knew telling you was a mistake.

Gwaine: Ah, relax! Let's throw a "Merlin's Farewell to Virginity" party! We'll invite everyone, even Arthur.

Merlin, *horrified*: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

Gwaine, *laughing loudly*: Oh, Merlin, you're too much! But seriously, if you need tips, I'm a great teacher. *wiggles eyebrows*

Merlin, *sarcastically*: Oh, sure, because I really want to learn from you, the guy who hasn't asked Percival out yet.

Gwaine: Hey, I'm mentally preparing! Have you seen the size of Percival? He'd break me in half!

Merlin: Oh, so you're the bottom? *teases*

Gwaine: Are you saying you're not?

Merlin: Shut up, Gwaine.😒

Gwaine: 😏

[nononsensesblog]

New concepts of Merlin’s magical abilities I would love to see in fanfics and headcanons:

1. Any person who drinks a bit of Merlin’s blood gains the ability to use magic. The show states magic is learned, people study for years to learn how to practice magic, only some people are born with a natural aptitude towards it. By drinking Merlin’s blood anyone can suddenly use magic, even if they never studied it before, but they’ll still have to learn how to control it.

2. Merlin can’t die by drowning, he can breathe under water for a longer time than an average human, but if water gets inside his lungs and he can’t breathe he will go into a dormant state until his lungs are cleared again, it could be hours, days or years (or centuries), he will always regain consciousness once he can breathe again.

3. Merlin can only be killed by weapons forged by magic or by the complete destruction of his body (like burning), if there’s even the smallest possibility of his body being healed, it will heal. Merlin does die from other common factors, but he comes back again. For example, if he’s given a deadly poison or stabbed by a common weapon, his heart will stop and he’ll die, then in a few minutes his heart will restart and he’ll live again. But every time he dies and revives, he’s a little less himself, like some parts are chipped away.

4. Merlin can build resistance to poison. Once he comes in contact with a certain poison he’ll become immune to it’s effects. Based on the previous concept, once Merlin learns he won’t permanently die from poison, he starts experimenting with various ones, his heart stops but he eventually comes back to life and heals from it’s effects, from then on he’ll be unaffected by it if he ever comes in contact with the poison again.

5. Merlin can enter the mind of animals at will, perceive the world through their senses and control their actions (like warging from ASOIAF). For example, while camping outside, he could enter the mind of a owl during the night and keep watch through it’s eyes while his actual body rests.

If anyone has other concepts and headcanons about Merlin’s magic and/or immortality I would love to know them too! Also english is not my first language, sorry if there’s any mistakes.

[inamagicalhallucination]

merlin au where the knights somehow find out about merlin wanting arthur to see the good in magic and being the loyal friends that they are they attempt to casually mention that maybe magic is not all that bad

casually as in merlin thinks they know about his magic and are trying to tell arthur

do the knights /actually/ know about his magic? idk

gwaine, thinking about his pre-merlin era: ive met magic users before and theyve been pretty chill--

arthur: huh...

merlin, in his head: how does HE KNOW???????????

/ 

percival: ... i dont like to think that all magic users and all magic is evil... 

arthur: really?

percival: perhaps... it can be like... something more caring

merlin, stopping in where he was using magic to start a fire to ward off the cold: hahahahahahahhahaimgoingcrazy

/ 

leon, thinking of all the time magic was conveniently there to save them all: magic may... be closer than we believe

arthur: uhhh 

merlin, panicking, in his head: wtfwtfwtfwtf

/ 

on the other hand, arthur’s been too busy ogling at merlin to know wtf everyone’s saying; he is not thinking, his brain is filled with merlin

/ 

idk im tired something like that// this has been in my drafts for about 2 years now so i figured id finish and just post it jfaklsjflasdkfjlaksdf

[hoarder-of-dragons]

Wedding vowes

Arthur: I would die for you

Merlin: I would kill for you

Arthur: I would wage wars for you

Merlin: I would kill millions to be with you

Arthur: I would challenge the gods to be with you

Merlin: I would over throw the Gods and become their new ruler just for you

Arthur: I would sacrifice-

The rest of Camelot, whispering: What the actual fuc-

[magicourageandstrength]

I love the headcannon that Gwaine knew about Merlin’s magic, and without question, kept it a secret.

Gwaine probably saw Merlin use his magic during a fight with bandits (saving everyone in the process) and looked at him for two seconds like ‘I fuckin knew it’

Never talked to Merlin about it, never told a soul. If anyone ever caught on that Merlin had magic he would steer them in the complete opposite direction.

I mean, Merlin never told anyone that he was of noble blood, so it’s only fair obviously.

[inalandofsadclowns]

Arthur had always thought, Merlin most likely came from an impoverished landowner's family. It was clear as day: first of all, the audacity, the insolence towards nobles, towards the prince himself! Then the fact that he could read and write, and had decent rhetoric skills. Then there was his overall aversion towards working... Every sign pointed to only one sensible conclusion, which was that Merlin had come from a well-off family – if not from nobility, even.

Merlin never said so himself, not even to gain respect, but perhaps he was not exactly proud of his family's history and just wanted to start a new page in his life. If he was honest, Arthur could respect this: putting in the hard work after a life of comfort and privilege; most nobles would not be able to do this. Only Merlin had been doing a truly lousy job with it.

One day news arrived from Merlin's home, saying it was in desperate need of help. Arthur immediately jumped to help, it was never a question if he would, only he was surprized at what he found in Ealdor. He was expecting to meet the remnants of this bankrupt, landowner-family, but the reality was much simpler than that: Merlin and his mother were really just poor peasants, who had spent their lives doing hard manual labor, sleeping on cold, hard ground and most importantly – secluded from the institutions of education.

Arthur left Ealdor with more questions than he came with.

[th30ra3k3n]

if he loved you with

all his soul for a lifetime,

he couldn’t love you

as much as i do in a single day.

[worthyprnce]

gwaine had many hidden talents.

we all know about his amazing skills with swordfighting. a skill he learnt from watching knights and squires play and fight, from picking up fights even being too young to do that and during his many years traveling alone. he had to know how to defend himself and, most importantly for him in the begging of his life, his mother and sister as well. but that's not all he knew.

growing up without his father to teach him the arts of sword fight, he learnt a lot from his mother and older sister instead. at seven he got tired of his clothes tearing up all the time, so he asked his mother to teach him how to sew. even after becoming a knight, gwaine took a few minutes to mend his own clothes whenever he could. he needed this time alone. at nine, his sister taught him about the language of flowers and how to dance. he did it for them. he used to steal flowers from luxurious gardens around to gift his mother and sister, and he always took them to dance, using any excuses to do it. he just loved it, and he loved to see them happy, not worrying about money or grieving for once.

at eleven he already knew how to steal food from the market without getting caught. and he was an excellent bargainer too. he was known by some as the child who stole valuable objects from distracted rich people and sold them at a lower price afterwords. robin hood style. it didn't take him too long to learn how to make his own dagger. courtesy of the local blacksmith who took pity on him and his family.

but most of his little secret talents he learned along his travels, wandering alone after leaving home at an early age. he learned to play the lute, to play cards, to steal by cheating playing cards, how to get easy money, how to impress a girl, how to impress a boy, how to whistle, to cook — although he was not actually good at it, just very practical. he knew french, a little latin, how to orient himself by the stars, how to bandage a wound by himself and what to do if it became infected, body anatomy (for medical and first aid reasons only. mostly), cut his own hair, trim his own beard, how to read maps, how to identify poisonous mushrooms, how to cut wood for fire, to swim, and many other little things.

but the hidden talent he was most proud of, was his drawing skills.

when he was around twenty, he once saw an elderly man struggling with a few home repairs he had, and decided to help him. as a return, the old man let him stay in his home for a few days. gwaine soon found out the man loved to draw. he had plenty of sketchbooks filled with many different portraits and landscapes, gwaine was in awe. seeing gwaine's genuine interest, the old man taught some basic and quick drawing principles, and gave gwaine a sketchbook and a pencil as a gift for all the help and company.

during his long years alone walking aimlessly around, gwaine used his sketches to immortalise every place he passed, every interesting person he met along the way, passions that made his heart beat differently, animals he helped save, taverns that served a good ale.

by the time he met merlin, his sketchbook pages were full of sketches of camelot, gaius' chambers, bottles of potions with funny names, little details inside the castle most people wouldn't even notice. but gwaine did.

he found himself making sketches of gwen with flowers in her hair, of arthur with the worst expression possible, of gaius with his usual worried face. but merlin was the main focus of his new drawings. every page had a sketch of merlin, doesn't matter how big or small.

and when gwaine was no longer in camelot, he realized his mind had never left merlin's room. he went back into drawing landscapes and taverns, but no other person were interesting enough. not when he once had merlin.

the pages of his sketchbook were getting boring and lifeless, not what they used to be before. but it seemed like they would come back to life whenever gwaine and merlin were together again. he had many sketches of merlin with white lillies around him, merlin's eyes shining as bright as they did the night gwaine confessed he was doing it all for him, wyverns, an old and dirty trident he had no idea what it actually was for but he liked the shape of it. even arthur made a comeback to his sketchbook.

when he was made prisoner by jarl, he lost all of his sketchbooks. everything inside his bag was stolen and discarded, and since gwaine's escape was rushed, he had no opportunity to try and find it. he lost it all, all the memories of his travels, the beautiful places he saw, the people he met, his early adventures with merlin. all lost. he had only his memory now.

after he became a knight he was reluctant to go back to his old hobby. still bitter about losing it all suddenly. but after getting to know his new friends better, and after he started to see merlin everyday, he couldn't resist.

he used every moment he had alone to draw. he loved drawing lancelot's hair. he had his fun giving leon extra curls. elyan, percival, and even lesser known knights and guards owned gwaine's sketchbook pages.

but his muse was always merlin. drawing merlin was like muscle memory for him. he would be lying if he said he never lost himself in his own thoughts while admiring merlin's features and carving them into his memory so he could draw him later.

his drawings were directly affected by his mood, so it was easy to know when he was angry or upset. but there was only one emotion showing whenever he drew merlin, and it was love. pure, powerful and unconditional love. sometimes a brokenhearted love. sometimes a melancholic love. and there were even the times he felt a certain kind of guilty love, a mixture of insecurity and uncertainty. but it was always love. and it was always merlin.

the first sketch he made after getting back to draw was a memory very dear to him of the first day he met merlin. he was smiling, looking at gwaine with hopes he would stay, begging him with his eyes and words for gwaine to stay in camelot with him. for him. whatever his reason was, he wanted gwaine close, and gwaine remembered those eyes and words very clearly.

his last sketch was also one he made of merlin. he was smiling as he held gwaine's hand. just before he was the one leaving gwaine this time. and even though gwaine had his eyes blurred by tears, he made his best to register merlin in his pages one more time, one last time, forever.

[justaz]

au where arthur is king but morgana never turns against camelot, merlin helps her with her magic and perhaps morgana kills uther but can you blame her? she’s a woman with hobbies. anyway, once every 25 years (bc traversing the perilous lands is so dangerous and they don’t want to risk the royals too much), the royals from the north/south travel through the perilous lands and all get together in once kingdom for a large feast. the host switches every time, once in mercia then deira then nemeth then bernicia etc etc. one year after arthur becomes king, camelot is to host the feast. most of the southern kingdoms are happy to come, but all the northern kingdoms are tense and a bit cold. arthur isn’t sure why until one of the northern royals who has been biting their tongue for days finally lets him have it and goes on about how uther started the anti-magic rhetoric and spread all this hate. the northern kingdoms prosper and thrive with magic running free while the southern kingdoms are entrenched in chaos, death, and destruction. the northern royal offers arthur the opportunity to come to their kingdom and see magic in all its glory if he leaves behind his father’s opinions and enters their kingdom with the open mindedness of a man born yesterday.

arthur, morgana, merlin, and the knights travel to their kingdom and are a bit wary (bar merlin, morgana, lancelot, and gwaine). a few days pass and arthur and them are coming around to the idea bc magic is not hidden or persecuted here and it is SO peaceful. merlin and morgana are missing constantly bc they are out in the town and experiencing life without the fear of persecution they normally feel. they get invited to a tavern and agree to sneak out later that night to attend. lancelot and gwaine go with them bc merlin told lancelot and gwaine was eavesdropping and was in when merlin said the word “tavern”. turns out the entire place is filled with magic users and magic swirls in the air freely, casually.

arthur runs into elyan, percival, and leon who are also in the process of sneaking out. they tell him that they were going to go see late night magic for funsies. arthur reminds them it’s still treason under camelot law. they tell him that they aren’t in camelot so technically it’s fine. arthur concedes and goes with them. they don’t wander for long before catching sight of a tavern where magic is practically spilling out of the walls. they enter to a huge crowd cheering and clapping. and merlin and morgana dancing on a table. they’re smiling wider than arthur has seen them do in a little over two years.

merlin and morgana are spinning around, holding one another’s arm, and laughing brightly. magical lights swirl around them, glowing in tune with their laughter - attuned to their joy. then they start speaking loudly to one another though it’s also meant for the crowd. they talk about being free and not being hunted. they they start moving the lights around and the cheering grows louder and their eyes are gold-

arthur leans on percival for support. the crowd calls back up to merlin and morgana, they talk of the home merlin and morgana could make in this kingdom, they won’t have to look over their shoulders, they won’t have to hide who they are, they won’t have to hide or lie, they could be truly free. to arthur’s horror, morgana is quick to agree and talks of a life she could build here happily. merlin is hesitant and his jubilant nature starts to wane. he refutes their point by mentioning arthur. morgana shoots back that arthur will never change anything, that he is his fathers son. merlin adamantly denies such a claim. they go back and forth for a bit before lancelot intervenes. fucking lancelot. and, oh, there’s gwaine. right.

arthur is glad and riddled with guilt that despite everything, merlin will remain at his side. arthur is terrified of morgana, his sister, leaving camelot and living in this kingdom hidden behind the perilous lands. the repeal of the magic ban is already being written in his head. he follows merlin out, merlin who grabbed one last drink and is now wandering the dark streets of this foreign kingdom drunk and alone. merlin smiles dopily when arthur finds him and arthur mentions how happy he seems. merlin, already a few drinks in and lost his filter around thirty minutes ago, just links his arm with arthurs and leans on his shoulder

“you make me happy”